Today Is THE Day!

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 If you are reading this, then welcome to TODAY!  You see, TODAY is THE day!  What day?  THE Day that you get to decide to make it worth remembering or just another day to endure.  Today is THE DAY you will never get to see again or live through again.  Today is THE DAY that God has made specifically for you!  This is His gift to you!  

Yesterday...we can never change anything that has already happened.  EVER!  

Tomorrow....we haven't gotten there yet, so we can only plan possibilities.

BUT TODAY IS THE DAY we live in now!  TODAY IS THE DAY which we are adding to our legacy!  TODAY IS THE DAY that God has given you and me!  Let's make it a day of rejoicing in spite of our circumstances!  Let's make it a day of celebrating the victories!  Let make it a day that God will be thankful He gave us!

TODAY is the day God has made...just for you!

Gear Up!

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.

1 Corinthians 12:20-25

 I have always had a fascination with how things work together to accomplish a goal.  For example, when I was younger, I found a wristwatch and managed to get the back off to reveal all the gears and springs working so purposefully just so I would know the time of day.  I stared at this very tiny device for hours lost in complete fascination of the mind that put all these parts together to perform this function.

Being the curious one, I decided that I would see what would happen if I took a single sprocket out of the works.  And guess what, the watch still worked, but began losing time.  Why? Because I had decided it didn't need that sprocket.  I had deemed that sprocket to be insignificant to the function of the rest of the machinations.

In 2005 I have quadruple bypass surgery, which meant the surgeon had to create four bypasses of my heart's arteries so my heart would continue to function.  In order to do that, the surgeon didn't merely call Amazon.com and order a new set of arteries (laugh if you will).  On the contrary, the surgeon too the long artery out of my left leg, divided it into four pieces and re-purposed the artery from my leg to cause my heart to work.  Now, while I am extremely grateful for the surgeon's ability to reuse my bits and pieces, the result of this was a diminished capacity of operation in my left leg.  Over the course of time, this diminished capacity has become more apparent to me especially when I have been on my feet for long periods of time.

Now.....I said all that to say this, the true church is a single unit made up of different parts.  For those who believe the true church is a building with comfy seats and stained glass where one can go and get a quick nap before the afternoon of sports, you are mistaken.  The TRUE church is PEOPLE!  And as any societal group, everyone has a function and purpose.  Take any society and take away the farmers, it won't take long for the society to notice the pack of produce.  True, we could survive for a while strictly on meat, but without the nutrients from the plants the lives would be diminished.  Think of the church as such a society where every single person has a purpose.  I cannot tell someone they aren't welcome to be part of our group simply because they don't think exactly the way I think.  I can't tell someone they aren't welcome in the church because they sing very loudly and off key.

So why do we do this with each other?  We gravitate toward those with a gregarious personality, because they are "fun" but they might not be wise.  We tend to overlook those who are quiet because they are "boring" but they might be the most caring people.  We must learn to accept each other, differences, warts, wrinkles and all because each of us has a purpose!  After all, doesn't God love you just as much as He loves me?

 

Thankful Thinking

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

 

This week started off with the news that a dear friend from High School had died.  This started my mind to whirring and sparking with memories of the interactions we had shared over the years.  It's news like this that make me feel old.  Yes, to some the age of 53 is a "ripe (take that term as you will) old age" and to most of us who are in that range 53 is just a new start.  After all, a car with 53,000 miles on it is just getting broken in.  

 

The more I thought, the more I remembered something about my friend....she was always grateful for everything.  Even when she got cancer, I remember her telling me that "God's going to help someone through my struggle."  From this friend I learned, and know remember that somewhere along the way had lost, the habit of being Thankful!

 

We need to learn to be Thankful.  On Thanksgiving, we may have a passing thought about being thankful for the football game or the food or the fact that Black Friday will happen without my participation or some other irrelevant idea.  

 

But what are you truly thankful for?   

      *    Seeing a new day

      *    The fact that someone remembers you and thinks of you.

      *    The fact that you know someone and think about them.

      *    That I can help someone in need. Even if that means pushing them to do for themselves.

     *     People who have seen us at our absolute worst and still love us without judging us.

     *     Being able to recall the pleasant times in our lives. (Most of us seem to remember the horrible times in our lives with MUCH more clarity).

     *     The peace that prayer brings.

     *     The lessons we learn through our trials.

 

You see, when we develop the virtue of Thankful Thinking, our entire perspective will change.  Thankful Thinking is the realization that life is NOT ABOUT ME!  

 

Let's learn to be thankful for all things. Whether we like them or not, they have a purpose for us.

 

Being Humble Is A Virtue

When he noticed that all who came to the dinner were trying to sit near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “If you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t always head for the best seat. For if someone more respected than you shows up, the host will bring him over to where you are sitting and say, ‘Let this man sit here instead.’ And you, embarrassed, will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Do this instead—start at the foot; and when your host sees you he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place than this for you!’ Thus you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored.”
Luke 7:1-11

You've heard the song before: "O Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble When You're Perfect In Every Way".  Look around! We see people who are bent on forcing NOT the "Me First" mentality but the "ME ONLY" mentality.  We see marches and shouting and parading and posturing and rioting and pushing and shoving, but no one is listening because everyone is putting themselves first.  And how is that working?  

And guess what?  "Black Friday" is this week! Talk about a "ME FIRST" fest!  The news will report on the mobs attacking the stores and how people get trampled (some to death) all so that a few can be the first to grab the few enticement goodies that are available.  WHY has such scenes become so popular?  Because we have forgotten how to be humble!

I saw a news story, several years ago, about a youth group from a local church actually going out in the wee hours of Black Friday Morning for the sole purpose of giving out coffee and hot chocolate to those in line.  At first, all went well and people were appreciative, but it didn't take long before the group's van was swarmed with people, not wanting, but DEMANDING coffee and hot chocolate.  The news story ended with the police having to escort the group out of the area.

When will we learn?  What will God need to do to remind us that God did not HAVE to create us...He chose to.  He did not HAVE to send Jesus to pay for our wrongdoing...He chose to.  God does not HAVE to love us....He chose to.  We OWE God EVERYTHING, and He owes us NOTHING!  When we truly see ourselves from that perspective, we will learn how to be humble!   

It's All About Attitude!

Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. Remember that you will get your reward from the Lord. He will give you what you should receive. You are working for the Lord Christ. If anyone does wrong, he will suffer for it. God does not respect one person more than another.

Colossians 3:23-25

I LOVE my job!  I just do!  Every day is a learning experience and every day is different.  I get to talk with people who may or may not have ever imagined talking to a Chaplain, much less one that's a bit......ummmm....unorthodox.  But I enjoy every aspect of my job!

Even though I love my job and the people I get to work with, there are many who don't see their job in the same light.  In fact, there are many people who are so unhappy with their work that their attitudes have begun to fester.  The truly sad part of this is that this infected attitude gets taken home to their families and spreads to others like a plague!

For years I worked in a job that I grew to despise.  Why? Because the salary was good and the hours weren't bad.  But the people I worked for and with were another story.  And....I brought it home with me every single day.  Which made my Bride miserable.  Finally, God opened the opportunity to leave that post to one I love!  You see, the lesson He taught me was that Attitude is important!  

I cannot stress this enough: ATTITUDE IS IMPORTANT!

You see, when we are miserable, we don't tend to hide it very well for very long.  Eventually it will seep into every aspect of our lives and then we begin to wonder why people don't seem to want to be around us much anymore.  Attitude!  I'm not an advocate of the "Fake It 'Til You Make It" ideology because the Fake part will be far too obvious.  What I had to learn, albeit the hard way, is when I devote my work habits to God, then my attitude changes because I rely on Him to see me through the toughest storms (and there have been many of those).  

Would you rather trust the weatherman or the One who controls the Weather?  Sometimes the best attitude adjustment involves letting go of the very things or people who are bringing your attitude down (the parasites).  But remember, we work for God!

Brains.....They're Actually Useful!

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Ephesians 4:26-27

Remember Paul and Barnabas?  They spent years traveling together taking the Gospel message of Christ to places who had never heard such news before.  Barnabas was the one who actually got Paul and the Disciples in the same place to talk, because Paul, after all, had been Saul and had been going about the countryside terrorizing and punishing Christians.  And after years on the road together, Paul and Barnabas had a rather strong disagreement (Acts 15:39).

Paul was like a snapping turtle in the regard that once he set his mind to something, nothing was going to stop him.  He was, how can I say this politely, STUBBORN and hard-headed.  Which might explain why God chose to blind Saul in order to get his attention and turn him into Paul.

Have you ever been so angry with someone that you couldn't think of anything else?  Couldn't enjoy any activities?  Turned your whole mood to that of a rabid badger in a bad mood without coffee?  So angry that you couldn't sleep which made things worse the next morning because you were still ticked off AND now you're extra irritated because you're tired.  I have.  And there was not enough coffee in the world to make it any better.

Notice that Paul reminds us to not let our anger control us.  Anger, in and of itself, is not wrong.  BUT when we choose to hang on to the anger....that is when we get into trouble.  

Try this: next time you get angry, pick up a rock and squeeze it as hard as you can.  Eventually, you will get tired of squeezing and let it go.  

We can do the same thing with our anger.  Squeeze it....look at it from every perspective.....and then ask yourself, "Is my getting angry REALLY going to resolve this issue?"  You see, anger is a reflexive reaction and is an easier response.  A proactive action would be to see a situation, accept that we don't agree with it, and make a plan to find a peaceful resolution, which makes it unpopular because we have to actually think.

Remember, God gave us brains to actually use for something other than a way to keep our ears apart!  

Why Do We Fear?

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
    so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1

Several years ago, Tom Petty performed a song called "I Won't Back Down."  Given all that has been going on in our world, perhaps the time has come for us to say the same.  After all, we claim that God is our fortress so why should we be afraid, don't we?  We claim to trust God's plans, don't we?  We sing praises to God, don't we?  But is that all we do?

In the good times, we are quick to say "God has blessed me!" But honestly, I have heard those same lips question God's love for us when things aren't going our way.  And if I am truly honest, I have done it too.  But I am learning!  God loves us ALL the time!  God blesses us ALL the time!  God protects us ALL the time!  Even, and especially, when things seem to be going against us.

Stand strong!  Be firm in your faith!  Trust that God has you!  Pray for each other! Love each other!  As believers, we are part of each other, so let's stand together!

The Lion Roars Tonight

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

I like to learn about animals, and the big cats have always held a fascination for me.  Take lions, for example, the male lion is referred to as "The King of the Jungle" but it is the female who does the hunting, cares for the young, and seems to have the final say in most matters.  The male lion will announce his presence with a tremendous roar but if the lioness is not in a good mood she will get in his face and roar back.  

But lions are usually pack hunters.  They will locate a herd of some tasty beast, and once everyone is in position, they will roar which startles the herd.  The startled herd will start running to escape which will reveal to the lions which are morsels are too young and slow, too old and slow, or too sick and slow.  You see, when the herd runs they are concerned only with their own safety.  There are exceptions, of course.  I saw an episode on Animal Planet where lions decided their meal was to be baby elephant, not counting on the rest of the herd standing their ground.  Let's just say, the lions didn't dine on elephant that night but had to go nurse some rather nasty bruises.

What's my point in all this babbling?  We, as humans, are prone to knee jerk responses.  We will not hesitate to throw someone under the bus to save our own hides (reputation, job, fill-in-the-blank).  We are quick to REact instead of being PROactive in planning.  True we cannot plan for every eventuality, but we can have a plan of action framework.

• Want to save your marriage? Remove the ticks and decide to love each other!
• Want to save your job? Do your best and remember that God is your true boss.
• Want a better work environment? Treat people like you want to be treated by them.
• Want a better society? Hold each person accountable for their actions and treat everyone like you want to be treated by them.
• Want respect? Be respectful AND respectable!
• Want a good reputation? Work hard, keep your word, make only the promises you will keep.

Combine all this with keeping the conversation with God ongoing and we have a PROactive plan.

In doing such things, when our enemy roars his presence, and he will, we will be like the elephants and God will cause the enemy to go home empty handed to deal with his wounds!

Be Not Complacent!

"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13

One of the duties I hated being assigned was Guard Duty.  It came in many configurations such as "Fire Watch", or "Perimeter Watch" but it always meant  the same thing, having to be on the alert while everyone else got to relax.  It that I would be awakened during the night to get dressed (full gear) and report to the Sergeant of the Watch and then came the tedium of watching for a threat we just knew would never come.  Until it did!

I remember one night, we were on a training mission, had dug tandem foxholes and were settling in when our First Sergeant made his rounds to check on us.  He reminded us that to "while your buddy sleeps stay on guard, in two hours wake your buddy up and you get two hours of sleep."  We just knew this was an exercise and nothing was going to happen so we didn't take our First Sergeant's warning seriously.  Next morning, our Captain called us to formation.  There, neatly laid out beside him, were several weapons that had been taken from sleeping sentries during the night.  He told us, "when I call your weapon number, you will step forward and receive punishment!"  

The attacks in France and those in Kenya were devastating!  They were demoralizing!  They have revealed that we face a very real and dangerous threat!  We cannot become complacent if we want to remain safe.  We cannot fall into the sense of "This will NEVER happen to us" because it will come like a thief in the night.

Paul tells us to BE ON GUARD!  
He reminds us to STAND FIRM IN YOUR FAITH!
He calls us to BE COURAGEOUS!
And we are called to BE STRONG!

These are our Marching Orders! Take them seriously!

People Can Be Parasites?

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

When I was growing up we had woods behind our house.  I would spend countless hours tromping through them while my imagination would run wild with possible adventures.  And every single time I came home from a tromp, there was Mom reminding me to strip down in the garage and immediately get a shower where I was to check for ticks.

Ticks are parasites!  They mooch off of others constantly, and can cause lots of destruction to their host.  But do you think the tick cares?  Nope, they will simply toddle off to find another host to destroy.  Parasites need a host to feed on, and will ultimately wreak havoc with the hose until the host expels the parasite.  Sometimes expelling the parasite is painful, because the parasite doesn't WANT to leave!  The parasite has dug in and made itself right at home.

Did you know that people can be parasites?  They will come into your life, drain you emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially.  They will give you all sorts of sob stories why they need to stay and mooch off of you.  And we will be tempted to allow them, telling ourselves that we are doing a good thing by letting them stay and by providing for them without any expectation.  We will be tempted to fall for their sad stories and our Christian nature will want to be helpful.  

After all, Jesus helped the down and out folks didn't He?  Jesus reached out to those society had rejected, true enough.  BUT Jesus did not carry them through their lives so they didn't have to do anything but mooch.  

• The blind, Jesus restored his sight, which took away his excuse to not provide for himself.  
• The leper, Jesus healed, which took away his excuse to not provide for himself.
• The lame, Jesus healed, which took away his excuse to not provide for himself.
• The paralyzed, Jesus healed, which took away his excuse to not provide for himself.

A parasite is anything that latches on to you or your partner and sucks the life out of your marriage. They’re usually in the form of addictions, like gambling, drugs, or pornography. They promise pleasure but grow like a disease and consume more and more of your thoughts, time, and money. They steal away your loyalty and heart from those you love. Marriages rarely survive if parasites are present. If you love your spouse, you must destroy any addiction that has your heart. If you don’t, it will destroy you. 

In all Jesus' ministry, Jesus took away peoples' excuses.  Jesus promised to never let us get pushed past our limits, but He will let us get pushed right up to the brink of our limits.  Some will wait until the parasite and their tales of woe end up draining the resources, patience, and even the relationships.  

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: 'Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.'” 

When you take away the source of their indulgence, the parasite will leave.  Far too many people have found ways to overcome their circumstances and be productive for there to be excuses why others "can't make their own way."  

Helen Keller was blind, deaf AND mute.  Yet made a substantial contribution to our society through her determination and efforts.

Stephen Hawking is a quadriplegic, yet uses his mind to make great scientific progress.  

We see people every single day who, when put in a position where they have to do for themselves, do some incredibly creative and remarkable things to provide for themselves.

If you are an enabler, ask yourself how enabling is helping that person!

Want your joy and happiness to return?  Remove your ticks!

Let's Talk About Prayer, Shall We?

And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6

My daughter loves to talk (sorry Punkin, but it's true).  When she was a toddler, she would talk to me about every aspect of her day from the color of the bug she saw to the sound of the wind in the trees to the colors she used to draw the picture, and OH, the picture was of....  As a child, she was talkative and liked having conversations with me (I'm not much on small talk so she did most of the talking).

Have you ever listened to a child talk to their parent about something they are excited about?  Children like to talk!  It's just that simple.  And they don't hold anything back (if you're child has ever blurted out something they shouldn't have, you know what I mean).

Never once did I ever expect my daughter to come kneel before me and say, "Oh Fathah! I beseech thee to bestow upon me thy many and manifold blessings!  Look down upon me with thine goodness and mercy and givest unto me of thy bounty from whence I may partake of sustenance and behold, shalt be made full."  If she did speak to me like that, I would wonder what she had gotten into.  So why do we think this is how we should talk with God, our Heavenly Father? 

When our children talk to us, they are plain and, many times, bold! We are His children!  When we come to talk with Him, Hebrews 4:16 reminds us: "So let us come BOLDLY to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  We need to talk to God about everything that is on our hearts and minds!  

I've said it before and I'll say it again, READ THE PSALMS!!!  David was called, The Beloved of God, yet in some of his psalms, he was not exactly polite when talking with God!  He was plain and bold!  Are we timid with God because we think He can't handle our honesty?  Are we afraid that the same God who loves us so much that He sent His ONLY Son to pay the price for our sins, is sitting on His throne with His might stick of smiting ready to knock our block off?  If you're going to pray....then PRAY!  If you are going to be timid and fearful...you really don't know your Father very well!  Jesus called God "Abba" which means "Daddy".  The writer of Hebrews reminds us that as His children, we get to call God "Daddy".

Prayer is a conversation! So to pray is to talk with Daddy!

Be Thankful!

Not only do I want to say "THANK YOU" to all of the Veterans of our Armed Forced, but also to all the First Responders!  Without YOUR Service, we would be lost!  Some were drafted, some volunteered, but when the call came, you were there!

THANK YOU!!

May God Bless You and Keep You!

Take Time To Live!

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
    so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Have you ever had someone you love die?  Do you miss them?  Do you ever think about things you should have said....should have done?  Ever wish for another chance to spend time with them?

When my Grampa died, I would have given anything to spend one more day with him listening to his stories, smelling his pipe as he smoked Carter Hall tobacco, learning him, seeing life through his eyes.  Just one more time.

I think I speak for all of us when I say we tend to take life for granted!  We put things off until "tomorrow."  We don't say the things that are important because we just KNOW we'll have that chance "tomorrow."  We care too lightly.  We take ourselves far too seriously.  We let the people who drag us down stay in our lives far too long!  We waste far too much life focused on the negative aspects of everything.

A wise person once told me, "Life is far too brief to waste on inconsequentials! If someone is dragging you down and sucking the life out of you, CUT THEM OFF!  Stay close to those who truly love you! Laugh! And for goodness' sake, LIVE!"

You see, we are not guaranteed tomorrow!  Scripture tells us to plan for it but don't count on it (Matthew 6:34)!

I challenge each of you to LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE!

     *  Remove those who drain you!

     *  Build up those who love you!

     *  Carry only the burdens worth carrying!

     *  Laugh a LOT (especially at yourself)!

     *  Love passionately!

     *  Live on purpose every moment of every day!

Every single moment of every single day is God's gift to you!  It is YOURS!  Invest it wisely!

Let's Talk About Gratitude, Shall We?

So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they’d been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Genesis 3:23-24

We like to be appreciated.  We like for our efforts to be noticed.  We like to be rewarded for doing our best.  Let's face it, go to any restaurant and the servers who truly want to a good gratuity will prove themselves worthy.  What would happen if you were only paid a gratuity based on proving your gratitude?  Some days, I would rack up...but, sadly, there would be many days I would have nothing but pocket lint.

Here's a little equation that might be helpful (yeah, and here I thought Algebra was pointless):  g*h = r 

Think about it for a moment.  It's not that difficult, Gratitude times Honor equals Respect!  But we are an ungrateful lot!  We take things for granted constantly!  We seem to have the mindset that, for some reason, we are OWED simply for existing!  Look at today's passage.  Adam and Eve took the Garden of Eden for granted!  They had THE perfect life and could do whatever they wanted EXCEPT to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  Had they been grateful for all that had been provided for them (and no effort from them was required), and honored God by following His SINGLE rule, the Garden would still be their dwelling place.  But they chose to be ungrateful and take all God's provisions for them for granted. 

I cannot emphasize this enough: Gratitude, Honor and Respect are CONSCIOUS DECISIONS we make every day.  Now.....also keep in mind that the opposite is also true: Ingratitude, Dishonor and Disrespect are also CONSCIOUS DECISIONS we make.  

Our words can NOT hide what is in our hearts!  We can speak the right words and get what we want from others (abusing the relationships and trusts), but eventually our actions will reveal the true person we are!  Are you truly a grateful person who honors God by respecting others and you don't have to "fake it 'til you make it"?  Or are you full of manure and you're busy trying to hide the flies?

God Don't Play!  And He holds us accountable!  Disrespect, Dishonor and an Ungrateful person will not be a happy camper!

God Don't Play!

I'm going to start by ticking some of you off, but I ask that you grit your teeth (grind them if needed) and read all the way through before calling forth the Fork & Pitchfork Brigade.

I am not a respecter of titles.  Don't care what you are called, how many degrees you have, how much education you claim, how many letters of the alphabet you have after your name, who you know, who you claim to know, what kind of clothes you have, what kind of car you drive, how much money you have, what kind of watch you wear, where you live, what your personal politics are.....I don't care!  

I don't care what color your hair is this week.  I don't care what color your skin is.  I don't care if you are tall or short or portly or thin.  

Why?  Because all of these are EXTERNALS and are not who you truly are in God's eyes!  We can easily be impressed and influenced by externals.  And we can be fooled by externals as well!

Keep this in mind: "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

God see who we truly are and loves us anyway!  Want to be truly respected? Be respectful, Be true and Be Respectable!

Think about this too: Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that GOD SHOWS NO FAVORITISM. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right." Acts 10:34-35.  

So why do we focus so much on the irrelevant externals instead of being real, honest, true, and respectful to each other?

You see, you can fool me, but I don't count.  The one who does count is God and you can't fool Him because He doesn't show favoritism!  He loves me just as much as He loves you!

We're Pretty Amazing!

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Psalm 139:13-14

We really are pretty amazing.  I have often wondered what kind of mind it took to design us in such a way that each bit has a function, yet some bits we can function without and some bits we can't function without.  We can function without a spleen.  We can function without a gallbladder.  We can function without an appendix.  But the heart? Nope, we've got to have one in order to function.  Lungs? Got to have at least one.  We have been intricately designed and it amazes me just how intricately designed we are.

Look at the ship in the photo.  It has been carved out of jade.  Will is sail? Probably not, but sailing is not the purpose for this ship.  This delicately intricate carving in jade's purpose is to be seen and appreciated.  Believe it or not, we all have a purpose, and we may not realize what our purpose is supposed to be for quite some time.

When I was in school, I was socially awkward, shy, quiet, bashful, and any of the other Seven Dwarves you can think of or imagine. For all intents and purposes, I thought my only purpose in life was to be miserable so others wouldn't have to be.  But I was wrong!  It took a LOT of years to understand that, aside from making me the Big Sexy Padre, my purpose was to minister to people in unorthodox ways; to love people who didn't think they were lovable; to encourage people because I know what discouragement feels like.  God made me in such an intricate way that I am His multi-purpose tool!  

And so are YOU!  Think about this...every single experience you have had was for a purpose (whether you understood it, understand it, or believe it).  Because of YOUR experiences you can reach out to people most of us cannot.  You can be a source of help and encouragement that most of us can't.  But you are the one who has to decide what to do with what you have endured.  

Make your legacy be a positive example! 

Pete's VERY Bad Day!

So they arrested Jesus and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”

Luke 22:54-56

Pete was not having a good day.  His best friend had just been arrested and hauled off to bond court, and the rest of his friends had disappeared like a burp in a tornado.  Pete followed the guards to the bond court building but waited outside.  Some of the guards decided to warm themselves with a little fire and Pete joined them.  Then some girl started yapping about how Pete was one of the Accused's buddies!  

Pete had a choice to make and neither option was going to go well for him.  He could admit to being part of the Accused's gang and face the same consequences or he could deny everything and lose all face with those he counted on so closely.  What would you have done? 

Pete was NOT having a good day.  The choice he made was the choice he had been told he would make (and the choice he adamantly declared he would NEVER make).  And because of Pete's decision, his best friend was killed and his other friends went back to their lives.  But Pete knew.

But here's the part we tend to forget. Pete had gone back to his fishing career with his partners and while they were pulling up empty nets for the umpteenth time Jesus called out to them and told them to try the other side.  When they did, they had so many fish that Pete's boat started to sink and they had to call another boat to come help.  Eventually, Pete figured out that the man giving them advice was his best friend, Jesus, so Pete jumped out of the boat and swam back to shore where he found Jesus cooking fish for breakfast.

Jesus also had a choice at this point.  He could tell Peter to what a freaking idiot he was for denying Him and tell Pete EXACTLY what he should do to himself (and the boat he rowed in on), or Jesus could tell Peter what Peter needed at that point....another chance.  Jesus reminded Peter that he was still loved by Jesus and that he was forgiven.  Because of Jesus' decision to give Peter a second chance, Peter was instrumental in building the ministry that became the church.

Let me ask you something...ever made a decision your regretted?  Me too.  LOTS of them.  Ever been given a second chance?  Yes.  Now for the hard questions: Have you even had someone make a bad decision that hurt you deeply?  I have.  Have you ever offered them a second chance?