Taking time off

All, with deep regret I will be taking time off from my blog postings.

My responsibilities as a husband, father, church elder need to take precedence right now and that is where my focus must lie. With the newjob, demands on my time are greater, but the benefits from that work will help my family and I as we look to take on some mission work in the future.

I hope my followers will understand and I ask for your prayers.

God Bless!

God gave you the right to vote

Election Day in the US. Maybe one of the most important days in history. I pray that you consider seriously the consequences of today's vote. For too long now, our government has widdled away at our God given rights. For too long our government has continued to pit us against each other. That is not the Christian way. We help each other. We love each other.

Please pray for guidance as you go to the polls. Pray for God to continue to bless this great country. Pray that we will elect people who care about these rights GOd gave us and are not career politicians.

God Bless America.

The Truth Project. I've mentioned it here before. A video series from Focus on the Family done incredibly well. Looking into the face of God. An amazing journey that has changed how I look at so many of my relationships and life in general.

We are not here on earth for our own glorification, but instead for God's. Unfortunately our sinful nature takes us down the path of the former when we should be on the path of the latter. Last night we watched Lesson 8 which showed us how many times the Bible references being "one". God says we are all equal, it is undeniable. Yet, why is it that there is so much disproportion here on earth? Because our "one" is in relation to God, not what we have here on earth. I may have all the power in the world, but when I enter into eternity, I will be one of the many heirs to the Kingdom of God.

God Bless.

Are you wearing your baptism?

You get a great gift, say a nice new shirt. It is the nicest shirt you have ever seen. You want to wear it all the time. Every time it goes through the wash and then is placed in your closet you pick it to wear. Maybe the gift is a new electronic gadget. You use it all the time, maybe it even makes your life easier.

With these gifts, eventually the shirt will wear out, or you will outgrow it.With electronic gadgets, they are usually obsolete in a short period of time. How many of us have a phone or PDA that is older than 3 years old. And how long do they stay relevant?

What about God's gift of grace? We receive it at baptism. Do you rush to put it on every morning? Do you want to show your friends? Do you want to share it with your friends? It is truly a gift that never wears out, never gets obsolete (as a matter of fact as we get older it becomes more and more relevant yet we tend to push it aside). Pray that God will continue to send His Holy Spirit down to you and keep you wearing your baptism so that all may see the light of God through you.

As the weather gets brisk this time of year, and you grab for your jacket, ask yourself "do I have my baptism on?"

I have a routine as I go off to work each morning. I feel around before walking out the door, "do I have my badge, my keys, my wallet, my phone?" But what about assuring that I am wearing the most precious gift ever given to me, God's love and grace, salvation, eternal life?

I pray that you too will remember to check to see if you are wearing your baptism before you walk out the door each day. Shine the light of Jesus as you go about your daily activities. Share the wonderful gift. It never runs out.

God Bless and be safe!

"But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."
                    Genesis 4:15

From the beginning God makes it clear that revenge should not be part of our repertoire. or He speaks and says that for those that inflict revenge, they shall suffer. While not outright saying it, God is telling all people that we are all sinners, and all need forgiveness.

God Bless your week.

Tough Love

"Yet I am always with you;

          you hold me by my right hand."
              Psalm 73:23

In everything we do, we should remember that God is right there with us, guiding us every step of the way...if we let Him.

There are tough things we must do in life. Discipline a child, let an employee go, let a loved one pass on to meet Jesus. But God assures us that if we pray constantly for His guiding hand, He will be right there with us. What a comfort that is to know that when we call on Him for support, He will be there.

There are surely tough actions I need to take. But I pray that God's will be done. In that, I have assurance that those tough actions are what is best for me, for the other person, and for others. We must always remember to pray for His will to be done, not our will to be done.

God Bless!

Don't stray

Those of you that are close to me know that I made the decision to go back into the corporate world at the end of the summer. I felt God calling me to share my faith with others, maybe Christian, maybe not. I believe in God's plan for me. The time I spent earlier this year strengthening my releationship with the Lord was all part of God's plan. Things fell into place. One thing that I committed myself to when making the decision to go back into the corporate world was to keep up with my study of the Bible and my prayer commitments.

It is funny how the devil sees the opportunities in those that strengthen their faith. I guess he figures he already has a hold on those that do not. I remember or pastor telling our son's confirmation class how the devil was poised and waiting for them to confirm their faith so he could go after them.

Well I must admit, the devil tried to grab hold of me over the last few weeks. He put thoughts in my head about how much more important it is to get to work early vs. writing my blog or even keeping up with my daily devotions. At first it was missing a day here and there. Then I missed almost an entire week. Now granted I did some traveling that week, but that is no excuse.

So, what is my message today? Remember to stay strong in your commitment to Christ. How do we accomplish this? Well, most importantly, we have to continue to pray and talk to God. Tell Him how much we appreciate the gifts He has given to us. Ask Him for help in fighting off the devil. Ask him to continue to send the Holy Spirit down upon you to ensure you remain strong in faith.

Happy Wednesday. God Bless You!

Could I be like Job?

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."
                              Job 1:20-22

This passage is impressive when taken in context with the beginning of the chapter. Job had everything, God blessed him and Job feared and loved God.

But God let Satan take it all away to prove that Job was a good man and that he would not turn away from God even if all his possessions were taken away. Satan took everything away. All his animals, possessions and his family. Yet Job still praised God and did not ask why this had happened to him.

How many of us would do the same? We ask God now why a single instance of grief occurs. Can you even imagine the faith this man had? I sometimes look at the third world countries and the famine and death that they experience and see a glimpse of Job. They continue to pray, continue to praise God and continue to live.

I pray that we all can have the faith of Job.

God Bless!

What are we glorifying?

Jack#%& 3D tops the box office. We have multiple flavors of Law & Order and CSI. Every night you can find TV shows that seem to glorify crime and crime fighting. Then there are the medical shows, all seeming to imply that if your spouse is in that field, they are going to systematically have affairs with every member of their staff.

What are we teaching our younger generations? It is all okay. It is all normal.

I have a problem with this. We spend one day a week at most honoring and glorifying God, and the other six glorifying the devil.

Pray that this trend reverses.

We should always ask

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
                                 James 1:5

I am inspired by this verse in the Book of James. One sentence provides a tremendous amount of information about who God is and what He provides.

If we lack wisdom (and who can say they know everything), God tells us to ask Him.

He gives generously to us. To many times we feel that we must do everything in order to receive our reward. God has already given us the reward of eternal life with Him. And He gives it to us even though we are undeserving. How many times have you given something to someone after they were disrespectful, hurtful or just plain bad? Yet, we sin each and every day and God continues to give generously to us. I can surely say that if I would have had to be good to be blessed with such a wonderful wife and four great kids, I'd still be single with no children.

God sees us through His Son, and therefore sees us as holy, without fault.

Say a prayer of thanksgiving today. Tell God how much you appreciate the wonderful blessings He has provided and continues to provide.

God Bless.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
                         John 3:16

My favorite Bible verse. It says it all.

Prayers not answered? Think again.

We are instructed to pray continually, pray in Jesus' name, pray for our enemies. We do this yet still feel at times that our prayers go unheard. We know that God is listening. He tells us throughout His Word that this is the case. Yet why is He not answering my prayer?

We are also told that God does answer all of our prayers if we ask through Jesus. So what is the deal when it seems that our prayer is not answered?

The question you should ask is whether you are ready for the answer? Are you ready for God's will to be done? Sometimes, often it seems, God's answer is not now, or wait. It is hard for us to comprehend because we only know what is now. God knows His plan for each of us. We need to keep this in mind and pray for His will to be done.

God Bless You.

Post flood

So we live in an area that was in a swath that received a little over 10 inches of rain Wednesday night through Friday morning. Except for some water in the basement (thanks to God for the water taking a path around our valuables) we escaped unscathed. Then I heard about Wilmington, NC getting over 22 inches of rain from the same storm and thought to myself how lucky we were. I am pretty sure 22 inches in the same time-frame would have had a different outcome in my basement.

As I thought about those poor people down there and the feeling of helplessness I felt, I then read the comment to my Thursday post from Mark. How horrible it must have been for Noah to leave so many other souls helpless, left behind to perish in the great flood. I then thought about Sully and his heroics on the Hudson, staying behind and making sure everyone else was out of the plane before himself getting out. While we are sinful by nature, there is definitely something inherent in most of us that makes us want to help others. What is that something? It is the love of God. It is the gift from God as our creator. It is what gives me hope every day. Show God's mercy as you have been instructed to do.

Will you reach out and help someone today? I pray that you will.

God Bless.

The flood and the promise

"The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.""
                  Genesis 8:21

Getting up this morning in the mid-Atlantic you can only hear the heavy rains. I thought that I would visit God's promise to Noah and to all of us that he would never flood the earth and destroy all living creatures. We can be assured of this.

It is funny how I was thinking about how difficult a drive to work it would be. Then I read the story again and was reminded that while it rained for 40 days and nights, the land did not dry up for 150 days. That is one long commute. And I only have myself in the car. I cannot imagine being with 2 of each of the animals of the earth. What patience Noah had.

If I could just practice one hundredth of the patience that Noah must have had on that ark I will be happy.

God Bless you as you enter the end of the week.

Give thanks each and every day

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
                  John 3:16

This has got to me my all time favorite verse in the Bible. It says it all. It means something so special to me, having two sons and two daughters, and knowing how much I love them. I would step in front of a moving locomotive to keep them safe. I can not imagine watching them suffer as God watched His Son, Jesus, suffer on the cross.

Is not that reason enough to wake up every morning and go to bed every night with a prayer of thanksgiving to God. He has given us new life, eternal life, through the gift of His "one and only Son". If that was a gift, how can anyone fathom that everything else in this world is a gift from God. From the mountains, to the rivers and oceans, it is all given to us. Now, we must use it with God in mind. That is where the problem lies. We are a society that slowly (lately quickening that pace) is turning away from God and allowing the devil to tempt us more and more with thoughts that we control our own destiny, we are in charge, we do not need God's divine help.

How can we turn our back on the One who gave us such a precious gift. If your kids get you a heart felt gift for your birthday or Father's or Mother's day, would you turn around immediately, right in front of them, and throw it in the trash? No, of course not. You would take it to the office, show it off to friends, maybe post a picture of it on your facebook page. But how many of us are willing to put this wonderful gift God has given us on display at the office, or on their facebook page?

This is a question we should all ask ourselves. Why aren't we sharing this incredible gift with others?

I wanted to share one more time that I am honoring a friend who passed away and others that have won the battle against breast cancer. I will be running in the annual Susan G Komen Race for the Cure this Sunday in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Would you like to honor a loved one, a survivor, or just help me in my effort to help this great cause? If so, please click HERE to go to my page and make a donation. Every little bit helps. 

God Bless your Wednesday.

"...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
                              Matthew 28:20

A powerful statement made by Jesus to the twelve disciples in the Great Commission. This was after He told them to go and make disciples of all the nations. He instructed them to spread the word of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and He promised that He would be there with them until the end of time.

But Jesus was talking to all of us through the disciples. He is and always will be there for us, interceding for us to His Father. He wants us to spread the good news of His death and resurrection. He wants us to live in His Father's image.

How can we, poor miserable sinners, accomplish this? By showing our faith in Him through our words and actions of kindness. Volunteer, go out of your way to help someone, love one another as God loves us, unconditionally, and most important forgive as we have been forgiven.

God Bless you.

I am running in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday in Maryland. If you feel moved to do so, please visit my page and help raise money for research for a cure for breast cancer.

No one moved your cheese

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"      
                           Hebrews 13:8

Have you read the short book "Who Moved My Cheese?" It is an interesting read and is meant to prepare people, specifically in the business world, on how to hand the inevitable change that occurs as markets and the economy changes. We are assured that on this earth things will change. We can't stop it but we can be prepared for it and accept it.

But I am going to say that while the book makes great points, the way to best handle change here on earth is to keep focused on the One that never changes. Keeping our focus on Jesus Christ allows us to lift up our worries and concerns to Him as we are instructed to do. Unlike the story, where one day the cheese was gone, we are assured in Hebrews that each day when we wake up Jesus will be there. As a matter of fact, He will be there whenever we need Him. He is there even when we think we do not need Him.

Take comfort in this as you can be assured that no matter when, no matter how, when you Pray through Jesus Christ, God hears you and will answer you.

God Bless your Friday and weekend.

"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
                        John 11:41-42

Is it not amazing that Jesus had to thank His Father, God in front of the Jews at Lazarus' grave so that they would believe He was sent by God? How then, if these men witnessed Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead, can we be amazed when non-believers do not believe?

The Holy Spirit must touch our hearts and souls and grant us the gift of faith. But the Holy Spirit can only work through the Word of God. So we must whenever possible share the Word of God with those unbelievers. Share first in your acts of kindness out of the love of God. Then share what you know. Share your favorite verse. Make your favorite verse one that speaks the true love and promise of God.

Pray that others that have not been touched by the Holy Spirit will be. Pray that your actions and words will help to convey the love of our God.

God Bless you.

Lord help me to persevere in times of trouble.
Lord give me strength to reject the ways of the world.
Lord let the light of Your Son always shine through me in everything I do.
Lord send the Holy Spirit to help those around me.
Lord give me strength to support those in need even when it seems like a lot of work.
Lord give me this day my daily bread.

"Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
                                                      Matthew 18:22

The explanation for seventy-seven times in my NIV Bible said this could be seventy times seven times. But in reality, 77 vs. 70 X 7, does it really matter. What Jesus was preaching here is that God instructs us to always forgive our neighbors, not in begrudgingly but in love. He does not mean we should keep a tally of every time we forgive someone and then on number 78 suddenly say we don't have to forgive them any more. No, God wants us to forgive as Jesus asked Him to forgive those that crucified Him.

I think the key phrase in Jesus' statement on the cross is "for they know not what they are doing". Cannot we say that about the sins we commit from time to time. Especially in today's world of open promiscuity, encouragement to do what is best for us or what feels good. Sometimes I think we become numb to the fact that we are sinning. Society tells us that if it feels good, it must be good. Our younger generations can hardly discern right from wrong any more.

Pray that we will wake up, reject the works of Satan and know what we are doing and when it is wrong.

God Bless your Tuesday.

Unlike a job, with God we aren't performance based

In reading my morning devotion that was based on Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments, I started to think about how even though God gave us these 10 clear instructions on how to live, what is right and what is wrong, we are still not judged by how well we keep them. Unlike our jobs where we may have goals for bonuses, goals just to get to the next level, or just goals that we want to do in order to get ahead personally, the Ten Commandments are not like that. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can attain our eternal life. Nothing we do can get us there.

Does this mean we should not strive to keep the Ten Commandments? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, we should be working harder to keep them, then we work at attaining our earthly goals. Just imaging if we all took as much time and effort to keeping them as we do in go after those goals that are set for us at work. Wouldn't this world be a much better place?

God Bless your work week.

Let yourself be carried

"For I am the Lord, your God,
     who takes hold of your right hand
  and says to you, Do not fear;
     I will help you."
                 Isaiah 41:13

No one ever promised us an easy life. As a matter of fact, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, that sealed the deal. Death, sin, suffering were all introduced by that act.

But throughout the Bible, God gives us reason to work through our discouragements. In this particular passage from Isaiah, it is clear that God is speaking through Isaiah, telling us that we should not fear those things that discourage us. If we call upon Him, He is right there with us, hand in hand.

This makes me think of the famous poem by Mary Stevenson, Footprints in the Sand. The poem is so beautiful as it shows God's great love for us, His children. Take a moment, click on the link above, and just meditate on the wonderful thought of how God will carry us all through our times of trouble. Do not be discouraged in these times, but instead pray that God will lift you up and carry you across the sand.

God Bless your Wednesday.

Follow the right guide

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you."
                                       John 16:13-14

On this election day here in the United States, hold on to the words as written in the Gospel of John above. Do not be drawn into false promises by politicians, but instead go to the polls with our one and only guide, Jesus Christ, on your mind. He will guide you, as He always does, if you open yourself up to His wisdom and ask in prayer for His guidance.

He is the only one that can lead us to eternal life in heaven. Do not be fooled by false promises. There is only one promise you should hold onto.

God Bless you on election day 2010.

We all know John 3:16

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
                             John 3:17

We have all seen the rainbow hair in the end zone attached to the head of the guy holding the sign that reads John 3:16. And it is a terrific passage from John's gospel. But it is always good to read the passages around a famous verse so that we can pick up on context. John 3:17 is interesting in that it shows God's true love for all of us. He did not send Jesus into the world to condemn us, but instead to save us. And what do we need to do in order to be saved? Nothing, we are already saved by God's Grace. The only thing we can do is reject that wonderful gift, denying Jesus Christ as our savior.

This is a very important point. Our good works come from having faith in Jesus Chris as our savior, they are not done to gain entrance into the heavenly kingdom with God. Our faith in Jesus leads us to want to be like Him and that is where our good works come from. Do not be lured into thinking that anything you do will get you closer to heaven. There is only one way and God has already given that to us in His Son.

God Bless the start of your week.

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
                                      Romans 3:20

An interesting passage from Romans for today's devotion. God wants us to be conscious of our sins, but even if we kept every law God declared, we would not be righteous in His eyes. We are justified by grace alone, a gift from God, given as His Son on the cross at Calvary.

Another sitting of "The Truth Project" from Focus on the Family last night. Lesson 4 was "Who is God?"

What an incredible lesson this was on how God reveals Himself through the Bible. Dr. Tackett is quite passionate in his instruction and it puts Christians in the right mindset, to learn as much as possible through the Bible. I can't wait to dive into more, to truly know God as He reveals Himself. He instructs us to do this throughout the Bible. I pray that I will fight off the distractions of our society to take a deeper look into gazing at the face of God.

God Bless your Friday.

Hold your tongue

"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
                       James 3:6

We have all heard the expressions hold your tongue or bite your tongue. This is usually when we have said something that is offensive or nasty. Our tongues can get us into so much trouble, mainly I believe because there does not seem to be a direct connection to our brains at times. We say things that we immediately would want to take back. But words can be so hurtful that they damage beyond repair.

It is funny. I like to think that I demonstrate my faith through my actions. I've always been more comfortable doing that. I have had several dozen instances where my tongue has gotten me into trouble. With my parents, with my spouse, even with my children. I thank God everyday in my prayers that He sent His Son to take the burden of my sin away. But that does not mean that I do not also pray for Him to help me in my daily life to not use my tongue for hurtful messages. That just defeats any good actions I may do as a result of my faith.

We must remember that our words are part of our actions. Our words are what others use to see if we are Christians. If I help an elderly person across the street, but then turn around and use my tongue to speak wrong at a driver that blows their horn at us, my actions cannot possibly be speaking louder than my words at that point in time.

God Bless your Thursday.

Our slate wiped clean

"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"
                                          Matthew 27:46

What a powerful passage we read in today's devotion from the Gospel of Matthew. The significance of those words spoken by Jesus on the cross is the root of our salvation. It is how we are justified before God. At that moment, God transferred the sins of the entire world onto the shoulders of Jesus and then punished him for those sins.

He wiped our slate clean from all of our sin, past, present and future.

Is it not a small ask from God for us to follow his laws? After all, His Son was perfect, followed every law and yet was punished so that we may be forgiven of our sins. I think it is a small price that we pay because Jesus paid the ultimate price for us.

God Bless you!

It got me thinking

With the US celebration (if you want to call it that) of Labor Day yesterday, it got me thinking about some random thoughts on labor and this country's trends in regard to the subject. While the original holiday was rushed through Congress in a mere 6 days in 1894 to attempt to reconcile with labor unions after the Pullman Strike.

So while so many consider it the end of the summer or the celebration of the American work ethic, it is in reality just another holiday created to appease a specific group. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good cookout or the last chance to swim at the club, but the thought of this being a great holiday of significance is wrong.

I started to think about what is going so wrong in this country of ours. Certainly the destruction of the traditional family is high on my list. I by no means am attempting to alienate any group of people, particularly those families that find it necessary to have both parents working. But we must think about what this does to our families as time goes on. We collectively let others raise our own children. And the worst part is that our government not only condones it, but supports it with our lousy tax structure.

Yes, there are tax breaks for day care of our children, but none for those parents that sacrifice (yes a strong but accurate term) in order to raise their own children. If our political system was what our fore fathers had truly envisioned, I think I would have to throw my hat in one of the rings. Everyday, we struggle with air pollution from too many vehicles on the road, high unemployment numbers and the like. But what if we had someone that was gutsy enough to lay out a plan to reward families where one spouse stayed home (yes, I'm not even advocating which spouse) so that a tighter family unit could exist. What would this mean?

Maybe I am living in a bubble, but I think this would mean less traffic nightmares at rush hour (after all wouldn't we eliminate a good portion of the number of vehicles on the road), and unemployment would be much lower if not nonexistent because the number of workers vying for jobs would be less. 

Again, just some random thoughts as we celebrated another Labor Day here in the states.

May God bless you and the United States of America.

An experience and a lesson

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."                     2 Corinthians 5:21

My family had an experience this week which ties a little bit into this verse from my daily devotion today. My youngest son who is 7 years old broke his elbow very badly on Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday he had surgery to place pins through the elbow at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Children that age get to choose a parent to walk back with them to the operating room as the anesthesiologist puts them to sleep for the surgery.

What an incredibly hard thing to go through. You stand there, not being able to help you own flesh as they slowly dose off. You are then told to go out to the waiting room and they will let you know when the surgery is done. My son was incredibly brave yesterday, never complaining and only saying he was a little nervous. Little did he know just how nervous and frightened his dad was. But God gave me strength which I had prayed for to be strong for him. The surgery went well and after about an hour of pain and confusion he was getting back to himself. What a blessing.

This, and the devotion today, got me thinking about how hard it was for God to watch as his sinless Son, Jesus, was crucified. Not only the crucifixion, but the torture He endured up to his death. My son's elbow was broken and had to be fixed. God's son was perfect, not broken. It was us that were and still are broken. Yet He sacrificed His Son to fix our broken lives as sinful beings. And He was not sent away to be told later when the procedure was over. He was watching as His Son was tortured to death.

The love I have for my children is indescribable. The love God has for us, His children is so much that it is hard to even comprehend. Let us all pray that we, too, can show that same love to our siblings here on earth.

God Bless your Friday.

A sermon that hits home

It is amusing how a sermon can ring so true either as we hear it or later as we experience one of life's curve balls and reflect back upon the words of a sermon. There are times when we walk into church with a burden or challenged in our effort to love one another by some event that has caused strife in our lives. We sit there and something in the sermon, or the Word for the day touches our hearts and it is as if God is talking directly to us (and I think in these times He is).

The sermon this past Sunday was on how we can expect challenges and hard times throughout our lives here on earth. Just when we think we are over a hurdle, another one pops up. But we can have peace in knowing that God gives us the tools to handle all of life's challenges. We just need to ask for, and be willing to accept, His help.

This week has been a roller coaster. Friday, my wife and I visited a new surgeon for a second opinion on her recovery from major back surgery in April. What a joy it was for us to hear this man's words of comfort, to hear him answer our questions, questions that the previous surgeon either ignored or shrugged his shoulders. Then, yesterday I received a very good offer for new employment. It is the perfect position for me allowing me to lead a diverse team and witness to many. But back to the challenges, my 7 year old son broke his elbow in two places. It is a severe break and he needs to see a specialist. Yes, life here on earth will continue to be full of challenges. But in prayer I have peace in God's grace and love for me and my family. I know that he will get us through yet another challenge.

God Bless your Wednesday.

Where is your treasure?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
                                        Matthew 6:19-21

In this age of constantly trying to keep up with the Jones, we need to stop and reflect on this passage from the Gospel of Matthew. My dad has always had a saying, "You can't take it with you". It is funny because he always used this phrase when we were taking a vacation to Disney. I know he worked so hard just to provide for us, and he did one heck of a job. But he also made sure that we spent time as a family on a nice vacation every other year.

Looking back, it is those special times that I remember best. Waking up in hotel rooms with my siblings, running in and out of the water with my family, just enjoying. If we try to stock up on the riches of the earth and miss the point of sharing God's love with others; our family, friends, neighbors; then we totally miss the point of why God has put us on this earth.

Sharing God's love will make you feel richer than any amount of money, any new car, any big house can possibly make you feel. You will feel rich in knowing that your treasure is waiting for you in Heaven.

God Bless your Tuesday.

The lost sheep

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
                                     Luke 15:7

The parable of the Lost Sheep is one of my favorites. What else must Jesus tell us about our ability to live for eternity in Heaven. How exciting to know that even though we, like a sheep, will wander off, losing our way, only to be swept up upon the shoulders of Jesus as He carries us to Heaven. He seeks and rescues us from the perils of this earth just as a shepherd seeks out and rescues the lost sheep.

What a comforting feeling to know that God, having so many sheep to watch over, will still seek us out and try to find us and bring us back to the flock. And what do we have to do to enjoy eternity with Him? Absolutely nothing. It is a gift given to us from God in the form of His Son who died on the cross for each and every one of us.

Pray that you will heed His call and return to the flock when He seeks you out. Pray also for your fellow sheep in the flock. Who are these other sheep? Look around where you are, where you were, and where you will be next. For we are all God's sheep, each and every one of us. Pray that so many more will hear the call and return.

God Bless your Monday.

Patience allows us to enjoy God's plan

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."
                                                Colossians 1:10-12

It has been an interesting and exciting year so far for me and my family. An opportunity to be at home with the family for a few months turned into eight months of good times as well as challenging times. But finally I have seen God's plan for me. I have never been one with a great deal of patience. I have worked hard all my life to get ahead, to conquer those things I thought needed conquering.

But a funny thing happened over the last eight months. God taught me to be patient, to depend on Him and His word. God taught me that things that are best for us must come in His time, not mine.

Throughout the last few months I have struggled with the question of what God wanted me to do. I thought that it was writing software for Christians so they could use technology in their spiritual life. Yes, God wanted me to do that...but that was just a step in his plan for me. He knew the passion that would stir in me, the desire to read the Word more regularly and the desire to come closer to Him.

But what I did not know, was how God was going to allow me time to look back and see all the lives that I have touched throughout my career. But now I am stronger through the Word and am ready to be a true servant leader.  I have prayed many, many times over the last few months, asking God to reveal His plan for me. He answered every time, only for a while I was not ready and the answer was "not yet". It was very difficult, but with the incredible support of family and friends, I have learned patience and God is rewarding me by revealing the next step of the plan.

I am so excited to be taking the next step. I cannot wait, check that, I will have great patience as I await the next step from God in His great plan for me.

God Bless you.

Powerful words

"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
                                1 John 2:6

You no undoubtedly have heard the phrase "Until you walk in the shoes of another, you have no idea what it is like to be them." Well read this verse from 1 John and when read in context with the first 5 verses you will get an understanding of what we are asked to do. To try to walk as Jesus did, to strive to be like him. But we know that He was the only perfect one, unblemished by sin until He carried the weight of ours on the cross.

I pray that you will ask God for the strength to strive to be like Jesus. Pray that in every situation you ask yourself what He would do in the same situation.

If we all do this, what a wonderful world we will live in.

God Bless!

What an awesome communication channel

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."                        1 John 5:14-15

In the United States, can any citizen dial up the White House and speak to the President? Can you go knock on the door of your favorite ball player just so you can ask them a favor? What about the CEO in your company? For most, you do not have access to them and if you do it is through a scheduled appointment.

But for those of us that believe in Christ as our savior, God has the best open door policy available. He wants us to, no check that, He urges us to make our requests to him personally and persistently through faith. I can talk to God whenever and as often as I like and I know that He hears my voice.

What a tremendous gift. Think about all the people on this earth that believe they are so important that they do not have time to talk to the little people. But God has time for us all and freely gives us His time.

I pray that you will answer God's urging to pray to him persistently, frequently and in faith.

God Bless your Wednesday.

The Lord's Prayer

"This, then, is how you should pray:
   'Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
      your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.'"
                          Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus made it clear how we should pray. Let us all pray daily and continuously.

God's will be done.

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer"
                                                   Matthew 21:22

Does this verse indicate that if I believe Jesus died for my sins, and ask for a new BMW, I will receive a new BMW? No, of course not for Jesus says in John 16:23 "I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name." and lets us know that there are right ways to pray for what we need. We are to pray in His name and to pray for God's will to be done. We must always remember that God has a plan for each of us and with that plan He knows what is best for us.

This is sometimes tough to comprehend. We know that if we do well on a particular task that we will be rewarded with a pat on the back, maybe a cash bonus, or some other recognition. But that is earthly recognition and we must keep it in perspective. We can surely pray to ask God to help us in completing the task successfully, but we must ask with God's will in mind. We may think that not completing the task is failure, and it might be in our eyes, but in God's eyes we must remember that every success and every failure is part of His plan for us.

Keep this in mind, and continuously pray for God's will to be done in your life. Pray for God to keep revealing pieces of your plan to you as you walk with Him in His Word.

God Bless the start of your week.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
             Romans 8:31

What comfort this verse gives me at the start of this weekend. God is our protector, and in Him we can feel safe whether we are sleeping at night or moving about during the day. God is always watching over us. No matter how bad things seem to be getting in this world we live in, we can always recall this verse and have comfort in where we stand.

At church we have just started a 10 week study going through Focus on the Family's Truth Project. Wow, it is very intense and really provides a lot of food for thought. With one session under my belt, I am excited to experience the next session. It is thought provoking and looks to allow us to look closely at how God has provided detail into every aspect of life as we know it. It also shows us how throughout time, Satan has continued to provoke us into living lies as opposed to the Truth that can only be found in the Word of God. We can choose to reject the Truth and live the lies, or we can reach out and try to comprehend the awesome Truth of God. If we do the latter, the promise of a better, peaceful life is there for us to partake.

An interesting thing I took away from the first session was the vision of those living without knowledge of God or not having the Holy Spirit yet work to provide them faith can be seen as captives, awaiting to be freed by Jesus and His death on the cross. It is an interesting thought and will definitely have an impact as I view others. We must remember that we are all equal, just some have been freed from the captivity and others are still waiting. Let us all pray and help those that are still captive to see their Savior and be freed from the captivity of Satan.

God Bless your weekend.

The devil inside

"The devil inside
  The devil inside
  Every single one of us the devil inside"
       Andrew Farriss - INXS - 1988

I know I usually quote the Bible first, but my thoughts this morning continue to focus on what INXS sang about in the late eighties and which rings so true in our lives today. We were all born with the devil, sin, in side of us. We know it when we can not sleep at night because we worry about something that is occurring in our lives. We know it when we snap at each other in anger. We know it when we gossip about others or judge them as if we are somehow better.

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verse 17 he writes "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." This verse can provide great comfort to know that the Lord dwells inside of us as well. But it is a fierce battle. We must pray for the strength to defeat the devil. But it is hard, and the closer we get to God and His Word, the harder the devil drives to take our souls.

I ask that we all pray for one another, pray that we all can defeat those demons that play in our minds. Pray that we can defeat Satan and reject the thoughts and worries that he implants in our minds. I ask especially that you pray for me as my struggle with the devil becomes more intense.

May God Bless your Friday.

Share the love

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
                                                         Matthew 23:23

This verse, when reading it this morning as part of my daily devotion, brought to mind the thought of the Sunday Christian. While we should not judge, I am sure we all know someone who does not quite know how to parlay what they do and learn in church on Sunday into their daily lives. They tithe, they read, they sing and they confess. Only Monday thru Friday, they curse, swear, and treat others with little or no respect.

Jesus reminds us in this verse in Matthew, that we must be mindful of all of God's laws, and more importantly, we must understand why the laws were given to us. It is not to make us feel better or more important to someone else, to look down upon others as if they are not as worthy as us. No, we are to follow all the laws in the same love that God shares with us. Treat others with the same kindness and respect that you would want them to treat you.

If you follow God's laws, not in the same love as He showed, but instead to show how worthy you are, you are as Jesus says, hypocrites. For nothing we can do can make us worthy in God's eyes. The only way to be worthy is through faith in Jesus Christ.

One way to help en sure that you stay in tune with God's true meaning of the law is through daily prayer. Ask God daily to help you see others in God's light. Ask for guidance in difficult situations, especially when dealing with other people. Ask God to forgive you for the sins you commit without even knowing. Thank God for the love He shares and for allowing you to share that love with others.

God Bless your Thursday.

Give thanks, have patience and forgive

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."                           Colossians 1:10-12

"Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
                                    Colossians 3:11-13

These two passages from Paul's letter to the believers in Colosse really sum up the life God wants us to live. First, we are to give thanks to Him who has given us everything we need. We should always be cognizant of the gifts of God no matter what the situation, good or bad. We must never forget God's love for us and the promise of eternal life through His Son on the cross.

Second we are to have patience. This can be interpreted many ways, all of them relevant. We are to be patient with our neighbors, and Paul emphasizes that this is not just those that are like us. We are also to have patience with God's plan for us. Both of these are hard for us, as the devil constantly tempts us with situations that will pull us out of being patient. Worry and fear often outweigh our patience for God's plan. Doubt sometimes has us wondering if being patient and waiting for God's plan for us would turn out better than if we attempt to create our own plan. Worry, fear, doubt. These are all the work of the devil. Stand firm in your faith in God and reject the devil's temptations. Pray for patience and the will power to defeat the devil's ways.

Last, we are to forgive. This is one of the hardest things to do because true forgiveness as shown to us through Christ means not only words, but also actions. The action to forgive and forget. Let that sin against you disappear, never to return. It is hard, but we must pray and remember that through Jesus' death on the cross all of our sins are forgiven and forgotten. For the death on the cross made us holy in God's eyes as He sees us through Jesus. He forgets our sin and allows us to enter His kingdom of eternal life.

God Bless you as you make it through the middle of this week.

What do we pray for?

"...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
                                    Romans 8:26

An interesting passage from the Bible that should give us comfort when we are ready to pray. What I get from this passage is that if we pray in Jesus' name, the Spirit intercedes for us, knowing what our hearts are feeling, and presents our prayers for us. So, we should not suffer trepidation over not knowing what to pray for, feeling like we are not capable of praying, for God sends the Holy Spirit to intercede for us, just as he sent His Son to intercede for us and remove our sins.

God Bless your Tuesday.

Who do you depend on?

"He alone is my rock and my
             salvation;
     he is my fortress, I will not
            be shaken.
  My salvation and my honor
             depend on God;
       he is my mighty rock, my
             refuge."
              Psalm 62:6-7

What a wonderful passage to reflect upon when we question our next move or what others might think of us. For it is not what we do alone, but what we do through God's salvation that determines who we are and what we become.

When you are feeling down, alone, frightened or rejected, read this passage over and over and you will feel a sense of relief, comfort and calm come over you. If we remember that God has a plan for each and every one of us, we can have comfort because we know that He knows what is best for us.

As I read this passage as part of my morning devotion, I thought back to a movie that my family watched yesterday. The movie is "Letters to God". I encourage you to rent this movie, but be prepared with a box of Kleenex. This movie shows how these two verses from Psalm 62 ring true in our lives. It shows how we can shine the light of Jesus through our everyday actions.

The thing I loved most about this movie was the focus on prayer and on letting God's will work in our lives. We do not always know, scratch that - we really never know why things that appear to be sad or bad happen in our lives or the lives of our loved ones. But if we do not allow God's will to play out fully, we may never see the results of God's plan, which we know by reading His Word is always best for us here on earth. Let God work His plan for you. Pray that you will submit to His plan for you. And constantly go back to this passage in the Bible to remind yourself of just where your strength is sourced from.

God Bless you as you start your week and may you pray continuously for God's plan for your life.

Hmmm, Friday the 13th again

So I don't know about you, but I get a little antsy on Friday the 13th. No real reason, but it is just one of those days that I tend to remove myself from any major decisions. No where in the Bible is there mention of Friday the 13th. The number 13 is only revealed several times in the Bible, with no real significance like other numbers (7 and 12 for example).

It is believed that this superstition truly gained momentum in the 19th century. From snopes.com: "From the early 19th century onward, examples abound of Friday's being considered a bad day for all sorts of ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment"

This is interesting as I have had two very significant medical events on Friday the 13th. As a sophomore in high school I went skiing on Friday, February 13th, and realized the symptoms of a common hernia. When was that hernia repaired? Friday, March 13th that same year. So I had surgery (also considered receiving medical treatment) on a Friday the 13th and lo and behold I am still around to write about it.

So, my thoughts turn to this particular superstition being the work of the devil. In my daily devotion, the author compared the events surrounding General MacArthur's withdraw from  the Philippine Islands to God's promise to return our savior. General MacArthur promised as he was withdrawing to return and that he did, two and a half years later to emaciate captives from prison camps. When the devil successfully tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he effectively took man hostage, holding us in sin. God promised to release us from that sin if we are faithful to Him and His Son who died on the cross for us.

As MacArthur did in the '40s, so God will do with us. He sent His Son to die for us and those that are faithful will be rescued from this world of sin on judgment day.

God Bless your Friday the 13th

Is your plan in synch with God's plan?

"Teach me to do your will,
     for you are my God;
  may your good Spirit
     lead me on level ground."
                Psalm 143:10

What are your plans? A question often asked in many situations, summer vacation, loss of a job, start of a major project. Our answers vary depending on the situation, the person. But should they really? Now granted not many people think about God's will in planning their summer vacation. That is but one small aspect of God's overall plan for us. But something as major as the loss of a job, or even just the decision to make a change in your job or career is not something that should be taken lightly.

Where does God want you doing His work? When contemplating these major life changes, always seek the advice of the Lord. Pray and ask for guidance in your search for that next position. Study the Bible to see where it leads you.

But how do we know if what we are doing is working to God's plan? That is a tough question, one I have been wrestling with for a while now. But what I do know is that keeping faithful to prayer and asking for God's guidance gets you to that next step, even if we do not know yet what that next step is.

Pray for God to show you the plan and then execute what is given to you. It may be a new opportunity that you were not aware of. It may be a change you never even thought about. But if you pray for guidance, He will show you the way.

God Bless you.

Will you be looking for the open door?

If we do things right, pray for God's guidance before we plan, we should see the doors of opportunity opening in front of us. But are you prepared to walk through the doors the God has determined are best for you? If not, if you are looking for the door that you want to walk through, you may miss the opportunity God is presenting you with.

We all have our earthly desires; the house, car, clothes, dining out, vacations. But how can we be sure that the path we take, the things we buy, are what God has planned for us? Well certainly if we use the power of prayer to ask God to do His will and show us the path before we plan it will be easier.

This is easy for me to type on the computer, but much harder to practice. For we are human and have been given free will to sin. This means that in our minds we feel that we know what is best for us. We do not want to submit to God in fear that it may takes us down roads we are fearful of following. But we must fully submit to God's will in order to understand His plan for us.

Pray that you will have the strength to submit fully to Him. When you are anxious, pray for God to take that anxiety away from you and give you peace. For through Him, all things are possible.

God Bless your Wednesday.

Pray for our enemies

"Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief."                1 Timothy 1:13

This quote from the Bible is from Paul directed at Timothy and is part of his description of the grace and mercy shown to him by God. This helps to paint a picture of why we should be praying for our enemies. We should pray that our enemies, like Paul, are touched by God either through our actions, words or prayers.

In these times where we are being attacked because we are Christian, we must stay strong and not bow to our sinful nature and start attacking the attackers. Instead, listen to the voice of Christ on the cross. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" Luke 23:34.

Prayer is so powerful. When we pray for others; a neighborhood, a family, a group of troubled people; we are shining a spotlight on these people for God to see. Just think that the more people shining a spotlight, the brighter that spot would be. Let us all continue to pray for our enemies. Pray that God will shine blessings down on them, so that they may realize the love of God firsthand. Maybe, like Paul, they will become warriors for Christ and turn away from being warriors against God. Pray that they become educated in the Truth of the Word. Pray for peace moving forward.

God Bless you.

Paul's charge to Timothy

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
                                       1 Timothy 6:12

We should all read Paul's charge to Timothy above as if he were talking to us. My nephew was baptized yesterday afternoon and with this everyone one there was asked to stand in and make the good confession for this small child who cannot yet speak for himself. First and foremost, his parents have the main responsibility of bringing him up to know and love God. Then the Godparents are charged, followed by the rest of us. We are charged with praying constantly for this young one, as baptism has rescued him from original sin.

When he is older, as we all have done, he will profess his own faith through confirmation. As we did yesterday, and as we did at our confirmations, and as we do at each and every baptism we attend, we renounce the devil and confirm our faith in Jesus Christ.

Getting back to Paul's message to Timothy, we are not to take this confirmation of our faith lightly. We are to boldly go out and share this faith with others, through words and actions, so that others may know of God's love for all people. Think about this. If you meet a stranger, or a long lost friend, and they treat you with kindness, respect and dignity, would not you be more likely to want to be around that person than someone that talks down to you, treats you like you are below them, or even insults or hurts you. Of course your answer must be yes. This is how God instructs us through the Word to treat our fellow man. Love your neighbor as God loves you.

God Bless you as you start this new week.

Leading by example

"He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
                                                 Luke 22:41-44

Throughout the Bible, we are taught to pray. We see many times in the Gospels where Jesus prays. But is there any one instance more powerful than this example of Jesus praying in Gethsemane on the night of betrayal? You see, God did not just tell us what to do; instead He sent His Son to show us the way.

Do you ever think why pray? I can do it on my own, I do not need help. But here we have Jesus, the only perfect man to ever walk this earth, the Son of God consistently kneeling down and praying to His Father. What a powerful message!

And note most importantly the words as found in verse 42 of the above passage. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." This is a powerful instance of lead by example. Jesus was facing a most cruel and punishing death, yet He did not demand that His Father save him. No, He asked that if God was willing to remove the burden. He then followed that up by submitting totally to God, knowing that what he was about to endure was God's plan for Him and for all people.

If Jesus could kneel down, submit fully to God, should not we all be able to do the same. After all, I do not believe that are about to endure anything close to what Jesus did in his final hours. Yet, He submitted fully and willingly to God's will. In all you do, everything you pray for, remember to ask God to let you in on His plan. Ask Him to allow His will to work in your life.

May God bless you.

God Is Looking For Men of F-A-I-T-H

The following was passed along in an email from a fellow elder of mine. I thought it was worthy of repeating and is directed at all men. I do not know the original source, but they are definitely wise. I thought this was awesome.


FAITHFUL — There are a lot of people out there proclaiming how good they are, but few who actually deliver the goods.
"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)
AVAILABLE — Many of us are so over committed we resemble a person skiing down the hill in front of an avalanche: There is no margin for error and disaster is imminent.

Are you emotionally available to God so that if He were to speak to you, you would be able to hear and respond to His gentle voice?

"He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets… And after the fire came a gentle whisper… Elijah heard it… " (Isaiah 42:2; 1 Kings 19:12b, 13a)

INTERDEPENDENT — Some of us parallel the fierce independence of Rambo, wanting to be and do the whole show. Over the long haul however, loners don't make it spiritually. A study of 1 Corinthians 12-14, and related passages, clearly teach and illustrate the principle of interdependence, rather than independence. The fact is that we need each other.
TEACHABLE — Tell me, as you mature and gain in stature, are you still willing to learn from the most humble of sources?

"Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning." (Ecclesiastes 4:13)

HOLY — The reality is that God uses clean vessels:

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." (2 Timothy 2:20, 21)

Are you one of them??

Remember what comes first

"This, then, is how you should pray:
    'Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.'"
                     Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus teaches us how to pray with the Lord's Prayer as outlined in the Gospel of Matthew.  Do not think that the order of this prayer is insignificant. For if we ask for our daily bread before we acknowledge and praise God the Father, are we sincere? Are we forgetting to let God know how powerful He and His Word are in our lives.

Without that acknowledgment, we might as well talk to the local grocer down the street. After all, they could certainly open up their cash drawer and help provide us our daily bread. But what we seek in prayer should not just be materialistic or earth serving. No, our prayer must be sincere and with the desire for God to touch our souls, show us His plan for us, show us how we might best do His work here on earth.

Thy will be done, very powerful words that preface how we come to the Lord in prayer. We tell God that we are asking that He include us in working His will among our friends, families, neighbors and strangers we have never met. We ask that He bless us, provide for us, forgive us, but most importantly that He guide us through His plan.

Remember the Lord's Prayer the next time you sit or kneel to pray. Remember especially the order of the prayer. Remember to praise and glorify God so that you are prepared for His answers according to His will.

God Bless you.

Seeing past the clutter

"...Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
                                         Romans 10:11

We must look past the clutter of our lives. Look to see the wondrous gifts God has given us. Know that if we trust in God, all things are possible.

Living in Maryland, it is not hard to get to either the beach or the mountains. With 2-3 hours to spare you can visit either. And while the mountains of Maryland are beautiful, one must take the opportunity if given to see the Rocky Mountains. It is there, several years back, that I stood and look in amazement at the incredible work of God. For I know that to create something that beautiful takes someone special, not just some accidental happening in time. No, God planned this beautiful world, and gave us so many signs of his presence. But we often forget about these signs, instead focusing on the makings of sinful beings.

As I posted yesterday, our modern society is determined to bombard us with sinful imagery, corrupting our minds with useless tools from Satan. No, I'm not saying that watching television, playing a video game, or surfing the internet are bad things. They are not, if done in moderation, and if done with regard to how they rank in importance. You see, if we allow these things to take over our lives, slowly preempting our family time, our time to reflect on God's Word, then we allow them to clutter our minds. This leads to our inability to see the greatness that God has created.

Satan wants no more than for all of us to doubt God's existence. He tries to rob us of our time with the Lord, making us think that what we do and experience is more important to our well being. My friends, please do not fall into this trap. If you are already there, please get yourself out. How do we get out or keep from falling? Commit yourself to time with the Word. Pick up a devotional book and have it take you through the wonderful words of God. In time you will start to see beyond the clutter of this world and focus on the ultimate prize. Spend time in prayer for it allows you to feel closer to God, just as you feel closer to your friends and family as you get to know them better.

God Bless you.

When will the war end?

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
                                                                    Romans 12:2

Did you start reading to find out my opinion on the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or the growing troubles with Iran? If so, I am sorry to inform you that those wars do not compare to the war we all face on a daily basis, the war against Satan. When will this war end? On judgment day we are told in the Book of Revelation.

But we are tasked with holding our own, protecting our position, covering our fellow soldiers. We can do this by simply following God's Word, so simple and plain. There are many places to find this in the Bible, the above verse from Romans chapter 12 is just one example, but I believe a terrific example. It puts our instructions in plain language that we can all understand. The pattern that has been set in place in this world is not one that we should follow. Each and every day, Satan attempts to chip away at our resolve to follow God's will.

Stand up against the aggressor. Do not fear his wrath, for Jesus is right there beside you ready and willing to cover you as you fight the enemy. And Satan cannot win against Jesus, so as long as you keep your faith in Him and live by God's will, we will win this war.

Friends, when I was growing up there were definitely temptations in my path. And I can say that when I gave in to these temptations, I usually got caught. Whether it be by my parents, a neighbor, I could be sure that someone saw or heard what I did and would pass that information on to my parents. The world is much more dangerous now. Some may argue that we know more, we have more technology to keep our kids safe. But is that really true? Technology has surely helped in some respect to keep us and our children from harm. But that harm is physical. What we really need to worry about is our spiritual well being.

That same technology that is helping in so many ways is also working to attack our spiritual lives. The 24/7 instantaneous news feeds will surely help us to see dangers quicker, but also is being used to bombard us with earthly thoughts, trying desperately to tear us away from God. The Internet which has become a wealth of useful information also brings the threat of bad influences, pornography, and other sinful items into our homes, sometimes without us even being aware. We can now choose from over 200 channels to watch on television (I remember 4 growing up). So much choice, but the goal is to pull us away from family time, reading, talking. The networks are forced to push the limits on what is acceptable to "keep up" with cable channels, offering more sex, violence and bad language to corrupt our minds.

Pray for our country, pray for our world. Seek out ways to utilize technology for a greater good. Let us use the gifts God has given us to further His Kingdom, not destroy it. And let us never put our guard down against Satan. He is relentless and will not give up trying to pull us from God until judgment day. Hold your position and God Bless you.

Showing others the way

"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
                                                   Romans 7:19

I feel like Paul so many times. I attend church regularly, I pray daily, trying to pray continuously throughout the day as instructed by the word, and I believe I truly do strive to do what is God pleasing.

But because I am sinful by nature, I always fall back to doing what I do not want to do. It is a constant battle to fight off the natural ways of sin with what I know is right. But, like so many things in life, living a Christian life is not easy. If it was, everyone surely would be a convert, especially in today's world of instant gratification and the fact that technology helps us do so many things easier than before.

Being a Christian is not easy. The easy way is always what is most comfortable. Since we are told in the Word that we are sinful by nature, it only makes sense that this is the easy way, right? I will tell you that you will be amazed at what happens in your life when you take the harder path. Suddenly, you will see a light in others' eyes as you share, either by word or action, your faith in Jesus Christ as your savior. You will open the door for others to share their faith, something they may be hesitant to do for fear of persecution. Imagine what could happen if we all just share our faith.

But what does sharing our faith mean? Is it forwarding that email you got that bashes the non-believers, the sinners (by the way did you verify whether it is true?)? Is it hanging out with only people you feel share the same faith as you? We must always remember that we are each born into sin just as the other.

This is what I believe sharing faith is: Doing and saying what is God pleasing. Be compassionate to your fellow co-worker, hold a door open for a stranger. Just saying hello to someone passing by can show your faith.  Think about this as you start the week anew. Think constantly about what Jesus would do in any situation you find yourself. You will truly be amazed at the joy that is returned to you for simple acts of kindness that allow Jesus to shine through you.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
      be pleasing in your sight,
      O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
                                      Psalm 19:14

Putting the pieces together

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
                                                            Romans 8:28

My devotion this morning was titled "Pieces". The author talks about certain days making sense as to how they fit in the puzzle, while others just do not make sense. However, if we reflect on the passage from Romans above, we know that God has a purpose for every piece of our lives, each one working together for good.

How often do we question the purpose of an event when it happens, only to later see the "big picture" of how that event became an important part of our lives. We do not have the box top to the puzzle of life, only God knows how all the pieces are supposed to fit. What we do know is that through the love of Christ, every waking minute of every day is the placement of another piece of the puzzle that brings us closer to eternal life with Him in Heaven.

Think about a tragic event; a death, terminal illness, accident that impacted your life. I am sure that at the time you asked why. What good could come from this horrible event. Yet, look around in these situations, watch people as their compassion shows, watch as people pray, lifting each other up for faith and strength. Watch as people start playing back in their heads the lives of the people impacted, remembering the good times God has given them.

That is God placing the pieces to the puzzle. An illness or death may bring another to know Christ, part of God's plan to allow the Holy Spirit to work within individuals. Remember that without your pieces to the puzzle, it will not be complete. God has a plan for each and every one of us. Pray to Him and allow Him to work in your life.

So, move forward, look at each day as another piece to God's wonderful puzzle. Think about the day when we will all look down from Heaven and see the marvelous puzzle of love put together piece by piece through many years. Bask in the knowledge that through your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior you life is a piece of that wonderful puzzle.

Best laid plans

Well I had great plans for today. I am in the middle of an intense job search. I'm waiting on either a phone call or an email to set up a Friday morning interview.

But to my surprise I woke up to a total FIOS outage. No phone, no internet, a definite wrench thrown into my plans. Verizon says they are committed to having the service back up by 11:30PM. So today I'll have to go back to the old manual way of doing things.

Then I started to think that this is God telling me to take a breath and talk to Him.

I find myself planning again and then asking for success. I need to remember to ask to be shown the plan and then act on the plan.

God bless your Thursday.

Count your blessings

"...see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
                                                      Malachi 3:10

How many times as a kid did you hear you mom tell you to count your blessings? I know that I heard that a lot growing up. It is an important phrase, especially when raising up children. We all tend to take that one negative occurrence and magnify it in our eyes, making it totally outweigh the many good things (blessings) that occur in our lives each and every day. Keeping your focus on the blessings helps you keep in perspective the bad things. Keeping your focus on the blessings keeps you from comparing yourselves to others which will always lead to jealousy or envy.

God loves each and every one of his children equally. No one is more loved or more blessed than another. God knows what is best for us and gives us what we need on a daily basis. There is no need for comparison to others as we can be assured by His Word that He will provide everything we need.

I recently read a story about a group of sisters that upon the passing of their mother each felt it necessary to confess that they felt bad for being treated better than the other sisters. Each felt that their mom had gone out of her way to favor them. Each thought that the gifts their mom gave them were more treasured than those given the other sisters. Each felt they were more special.

This is true in most families. I am sure many moms with multiple children have heard "You like him better than me!". It is interesting how the devil works, putting these thoughts in our heads, making us believe that we are not loved as much as someone else. But rest assured, God loves all of us infinitely, not favoring one over the other, just like a parent loves all of their children. While sometimes it appears that we or another is being favored, remember that is the devil doing his work.

Pray early and pray often. Thank God for His blessings. Keep a log of all your prayer requests. Prayers of thankfulness, prayers of petition, prayers asking forgiveness, prayers of intercession. If you do this, you will see the many blessings God is putting in your life on a daily basis.

God Bless you!

What am I thankful for?

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"
                                                          2 Corinthians 9:15

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."                                    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Everyday is a new day to give thanks to God. Today I thought I would list a few things I'm thankful for on this Tuesday morning.


Baby Jeffrey, born to friends from church on December 28, 2009 at only 1 lb 9 oz, came home yesterday after 211 days in the hospital. What a wonderful blessing it has been to watch God's hand as He protected Jeffrey, provided comfort to the family through all the trials and tribulations of the last 7+ months. God is great! The power of prayer is incredible.

For my parents and siblings who provide so much support for me when I need it the most.

For my wife and children, without their support I could not have come this far. I know that God's hand keeps them close.

For waking up to a new day.

For sharing faith in the Lord with an old friend on Sunday.

For the wonderful talents God has given me and continues to give me.

God is truly great!

God Bless your Tuesday.

John 17 - The Best Networking Possible

In the Gospel of John, chapter 17, we see Jesus praying for himself, for his disciples and for all believers. Isn't it wonderful to know that our Lord and savior prayed to His Father on our behalf, every one of us.

It is like going into a job interview where someone has already put a good word in for you before you get there. You have a leg up on the competition. You have been referred by someone with a respected opinion. You just need to confirm that you are who others say you are, and you can do the job. I know, being in the business long enough, that a job candidate that comes from the referral of an established, good employee, is much more likely to be considered for the job, then someone off the street with no "in" into the company. Networking is so important when searching for a new job. Knowing the right people can lead you to the ultimate job.

Is not this similar to what Jesus did for us in John 17.

After praying for His disciples, Jesus goes on to pray "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me." John 17:20-23

What better referral could we possibly have? Jesus has gone to bat for us with God, that through Him we are righteous. That is the best referral we will ever get, a referral for eternal life in Heaven.

God bless your week.

With age comes wisdom

Reading through Proverbs 16 and 17 this morning as part of my daily devotion, I came to chuckle a few times. It also reminded me of how the vision of my dad has changed as I have aged, having a family of my own, and realizing just how right he was so many times.

It is funny how a son's relationship with his father changes. As a very young child, we look up to our fathers as ever powerful, all-knowing, the protector. Then we become rambunctious teens and we are embarrassed by our dads, we think we know more than they do and we start to take on our own masculine role, attempting to prove that we ready to lead.

Eventually, after years of sowing our wild oats, we settle down, have families, and slowly start to come to the realization of just how incredible our dads are. We find ourselves saying things to our children that we swore we would never say. I constantly find myself stopping and uttering the words "I sound just like my dad".

But I am here to say that it is not a bad thing, becoming our dads. It is what God prepares us for.  We learn life's lessons by experiencing first hand the trials and tribulations of life. If we knew how smart our dads were and did everything they said, what would we learn. I know my dad let us learn from mistakes. Oh, he wanted to step in on many occasions, but instead let me fail and then would begin to show me how to learn from that failure. I fear that today's fathers may not be doing that, afraid to let their kids fail. But know that we learn so much from failure, much more than we do from our successes.

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
     it is attained by a righteous life."
                (Proverbs 16:31)

I love this verse, but I do have to ask, what does it mean if I am losing my hair faster than it grays?

God Bless your Friday.

Pray or Plan?

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles..." Luke 6:12-13

Lou Gerstner was chairman and CEO of IBM when I was working for an IBM business partner in the early '90s. I read where he attended mass every morning, without fail, before heading to work. I thought about that as I read the passage above. I wonder if Mr. Gerstner was looking for guidance on who to promote, what plans to implement, decisions that needed to be made.

I always admire when leaders do not hold back their faith. Sometimes you just know they are Christians by the way they act, the way they treat others, the way they lead. But you will not find discrimination against non-Christians in these organizations. No, God instructs us "...in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..." (Matthew 7:12).

So we come back to the question I pose in the title, should we pray or plan in our daily lives, whether for business or personal guidance? I believe we must do both, but the order in which we do them is the important key. If we plan and then pray to God to help us make that plan successful, we are not asking God to guide us to His will, but rather asking Him to confirm that we know what we are doing. Instead we should always pray to God for guidance, asking for His plan for us and our lives. Only then should we plan for how to implement what God is leading us to.

But I must admit, it is hard to always discern what is God's plan and what is the plan being injected by the devil. We are human beings, and therefore sinful by nature. And the devil has ways of disguising his evil with the words of the Bible, justifying by taking words of the Scripture out of context. So how do we combat this and see more clearly God's plan for us? The answer is to continuously pray, continuously read and learn the Bible, learn how to combat the devil by exposing his lies with God's truth from the Bible as Jesus did when being tempted by the devil in the desert. With every temptation the devil put in front of Jesus, masked with scripture taken out of context, Jesus combated by quoting God's true word.

I also find that sometimes it helps to ask one who has spent many more hours devoted solely to learning the Word in order to preach. Talk to your priest, minister or pastor if you are having trouble discerning answers to prayer. They surely will show you where to look in order to be in a better position to hear God's answers.

May God Bless your Thursday!