Pretty Easter Eggs

When I was a kid, I loved Easter. I loved decorating eggs. I loved hiding eggs. I loved hunting eggs. I loved eating the eggs. When I was a kid there were no Easter egg decorating kits like you can buy at Walmart. When I was a kid, you had a six pack of food […]

When I was a kid, I loved Easter. I loved decorating eggs. I loved hiding eggs. I loved hunting eggs. I loved eating the eggs. When I was a kid there were no Easter egg decorating kits like you can buy at Walmart. When I was a kid, you had a six pack of food dye. You took a bowl of water and added two drops of dye to the water. You used a teaspoon to gently lower the egg into the water being careful not to let the egg roll off the spoon. Some eggs you would dip half way into one color dye and the dip the other end into another color of dye.
The goal was to have the best decorated egg. The goal was to have the egg that was so beautiful that everyone wanted to find it.
Being the mischievous boy that I was, I was always looking for a joke to play on someone. I remember once taking a raw egg and decorating it to the beauty of all the other eggs in my basket. I couldn’t wait for someone to find this egg. It was going to be awesome to see the face of the person who cracked this egg. Little would they know of the impending mess that would be found inside.
From the outside, all the eggs looked the same. From the inside, there was a big difference. One was solid and in order, the other – just one big mess.
Sometimes our lives can be described the same way. We dress up the outside. We make the outside look pretty. Our appearance is attractive. But the inside is just one big mess. This is what Jesus tried to get the Pharisees to understand in Matthew 23:25.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, You Hypocrite! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

My prayer is that God will fill my heart with love and brotherly kindness, a love and compassion for people. My prayer is that God will fill my heart with patience for those who do me wrong. My prayer is that God will fill my heart with His heart!

That’s Not a Candle

Several years ago, there was story shared about a woman from Connecticut whose power had gone out during a storm. She left her house to go to a local hardware store to purchase some flashlights, but the store was closed. She returned home and found what she thought...

The Post-Christian Problem

I attended the New Day Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the end of last week with a small group from Riverchase. It was a good conference and I left encouraged about the opportunities we have to fulfill the call of Christ to make disciples. On Friday evening,...

Josiah’s Reform

In the thirty-one years of his rule, King Josiah proved to be a faithful man of God and a great king of Judah. He served God from the beginning as a young king and grew into a greater understanding of God’s will and a determination to follow that will. He made a...

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Simply defined, it means that you should eat healthy if you want to be healthy. This phrase can trace its roots back to the early 1800’s. It came from the 1826 work The Physiology of Taste, in which...

It Is Well

Above the piano in our house is a large wood sign with the phrase, “it is well with my soul” on it. Kimberly and I purchased it during a season of our life together where we were not completely sure what the future had in store for our little family. Since then, the...

Do Over

  I messed up on recording my recent radio programs. The sound quality was so bad Mark could not run them on the air. So, I deleted them and recorded them again.   I sure wish I could do that in real life with all the other mistakes I make. Just delete them...

Don’t Believe Your Preacher

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9 ESV) Here is the test. The “teaching of Christ” is, of course, the very word of God. So, if your...

Balloons Belong in Church

I would like to share with you an excerpt from a poem written by Ann Weems. The beginning of it describes a four-year-old child that brought with her a balloon to church one Sunday. When her Sunday school teacher saw the balloon, she mockingly said to the girl, “We...

Faith

Two important verses: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV) 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and...

Abide in the Teachings

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. (Psalms 119:105-106 ESV) Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in...