“Love Deeper”
Today, we continue to look at lessons I learned from Tim McGraw’s song, “Live like you were dying.” That now infamous chorus starts out, “Man, what’d you do?” We all know what comes next don’t we….. skydivin’, Rocky Mountain climbin’ and 2.7 seconds on a bull whose name sounds like a dish at PF Changs… Fumanchu.. But, the lesson I want to talk about today is the next line…. I Loved Deeper! In 1 Peter 4:8, we are told…
“Live Like You Are Dying”
Tim McGraw and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years. You see, once I had a serious illness and my sickness came at the same time as Tim McGraw’s hit song, “Live Like You Were Dying.” It seemed like every time I turned on the radio that song was on and just reminded me of the scariness of being sick. Lucky for me, I had less than serious but always sarcastic, co-workers that never miss a…
“What are your Strengths?”
When we look at leadership in the Bible, what strengths do we see? Moses was very humble, to the point of not even believing he was the man for the job God planned for him to do. Joshua was strong and brave. He also drove his people to be strong and brave. Caleb stayed ready all his life. He was ready when he was 40 as a spy and at 80 as a man taking the land God…
“He Knows Our Hearts”
I had knee surgery a few years ago. On the way home, I was really hungry. The problem was, I had taken a lot of medicine and it was hard to stay awake. I asked my wife to stop on the way home and get me a hamburger from my favorite place. When she went in to order, there was a knock on the window of the car. I remember rolling the window down and talking to someone. I…
“Safety with God”
In recent years there seems to have been an outbreak of public shootings against the innocent. Whether it be at a government building, a movie theater, or a school, the question has been raised is, are we safe? The thought behind the question is had there been protocols, legislations, or other things in place ahead of time would that protect us or even prevent these things from happening to us where we live? I may not be able to…
“Allow our weakness to be His strength”
By the age of 5, Beethoven was playing the violin under the tutelage of his father—also an accomplished musician. By the time he was 13, he was a concert organist. During his lifetime, he wrote nine majestic symphonies and five concertos for piano, not to mention numerous pieces of chamber music. Beethoven was not, however, a stranger to difficulties. During his twenties, he began to lose his hearing. His fingers “became thick,” he said on one occasion. He couldn’t…
Continuing some thoughts on duct tape:
Another lesson we can learn from duct tape is that although we can use it to fix things, it will never be in and of itself a permanent solution. As Christians, we can be the duct tape in peoples’ lives by sticking to them when they are having some struggles, but we alone cannot be their solution. We cannot be everything to everyone; it is just our job to point people to Jesus. Although we know we are…
“Duct Tape”
If you were allowed to have only one tool, one piece of equipment in your toolbox, what would it be? I know…that is a no brainer…duct tape! Yes, it is called duct tape, but it originally was called “Duck Tape” when it was created for the military during WW2 (look it up..cool stuff.) You can use duct tape to fix just about anything. In fact, the astronauts used duct tape to help them get home on the Apollo 13…
“Don’t Say No”
I grew up in a house where it was common to hear “can’t never could.” That simply means if you think you cannot do something, you will not be able to do it. Moses told God over and over that he couldn’t. He gave excuse after excuse. God did not let him off the hook that easy. God had a plan and Moses was a part of that plan. Moses becomes a leader we read about doing amazing things.…
“Practice”
Luke 20. 45-46 says, “And in the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at the feasts.” No one knew the law as well as the scribes, but they would much rather be seen as important to men, than obey the law that they studied. We…
“Do You Love Your Family”
My grandfather spent 3 and a half years fighting in WWII. He was one of many men who stormed the beaches in the South Pacific. He was wounded in the leg and had malaria seven times during the war. He had little to eat and drink and he thought about death every day. He told me that the worst thing that happened to him was getting a letter that his younger brother had been captured during the war…
“Don’t Let Jesus Down”
Have you ever put yourself in the place of John standing at the foot of the cross, watching Jesus, your friend and your Savior, die. He looks down at you and asks you to take care of His mother. What a responsibility! You do not want to let Jesus Christ down. You want Him to be proud of you. Why is it any different for John than it is for us? Jesus left us with a challenge to spread…