Continue On

Graduation - such an exciting time of year! One has completed the necessary amount of requirements to receive the desired diploma!

As my family attended the ceremonies yesterday, I couldn't help but think about the time when my children will graduate. Bittersweet will be what I will pre-label it. Even when I was giving my graduation sermon yesterday, I couldn't help but think how hard it will be to preach the weekend my children graduate.

Sunday, we were given the charge to all remember to "continue on with what you've learned and been convinced of," from II Timothy 3:14-15. It was kind of a "mortaring" sermon, in that it is a sermon to just add a little to your foundation of faith. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week.

1. It is fascinating to think that scripture is "God-breathed." To think that all these words were told to these men by God. I envy their ability to be able to have that connection with God...don't you!? However, we forget that we have that a connection with God too, as the Holy Spirit is right here with us at all times. It is an amazing gift - the same Spirit who ascended like a dove, lives inside us! WOW! Praise God today for that gift!

2. I would guess that one universal thing that all receiving this can relate to is dieting. You know what it means to try to resist eating certain foods. Fleeing things that our "individual" flesh finds appealing can be difficult. However, Paul tells Timothy to flee the "youthful passions." Today and/or this week, keep in mind things that are appealing to your "individual" flesh, that is or has potential to be sinful - gossip, imagery, language, television, internet, etc. - and flee from them - followed by a prayer (either for forgiveness of being involved too long or thanksgiving for allowing for the escape).

3. When something is important to you, you will do all you can to make sure that it doesn't leave your possession (even if it is packed away). You may have many Bibles (I just counted 15 that I have in my office), though we have one or more, we must keep in mind the words that are in them and how they provide victory to our lives. Don't ever lose faith in the usefulness of the words in your Bible.

May the things that you learn, from both the spiritual and secular aspect, be building blocks to make you a better servant and disciple of His in the future...Continue On!

Don't Be Another Member of Society

People are all around us. Most go about their daily lives simply “going.” They go to work, go home, go to activities, go to school, go to eat – just going.

We are a people that is on the go a lot. Even in my rural community, people seem to be on the go much of the time – kids events, meetings, etc.

Is any of that really getting you where you want to be for yourself? Sure, parents love to see their kids be involved and excel in events, but what about the parent? Should it be nearly 100% sacrifice because you have kids at home?

I think there is all kinds of talent and passion in society that is left to just fizzle out. That brings us to this week’s quote..

Don't be just another member of society, be a living example of your dreams and goals. ~ Author Unknown

Some people give up before they even try to do something with their life. They just remain being “members of society” all their life.

I can only imagine how communities can be changed through people putting to work their passions and talents. That is one thing I enjoy doing is being able to put in my talents, skills, and passions in societal opportunities. That helps me live out a portion of my dreams and goals!

May you be inspired to do the same!

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Don't Be Another Member of Society

People are all around us. Most go about their daily lives simply “going.” They go to work, go home, go to activities, go to school, go to eat – just going.

We are a people that is on the go a lot. Even in my rural community, people seem to be on the go much of the time – kids events, meetings, etc.

Is any of that really getting you where you want to be for yourself? Sure, parents love to see their kids be involved and excel in events, but what about the parent? Should it be nearly 100% sacrifice because you have kids at home?

I think there is all kinds of talent and passion in society that is left to just fizzle out. That brings us to this week’s quote..

Don't be just another member of society, be a living example of your dreams and goals. ~ Author Unknown

Some people give up before they even try to do something with their life. They just remain being “members of society” all their life.

I can only imagine how communities can be changed through people putting to work their passions and talents. That is one thing I enjoy doing is being able to put in my talents, skills, and passions in societal opportunities. That helps me live out a portion of my dreams and goals!

May you be inspired to do the same!

A Mom's Worth

What is your mom worth to you? Depending on your age and gender will determine your thoughts. I speak from a personal view that I have gone through stages in life and being a male, where I viewed my mom as a worth that was less than deserved.

In my lesson I put together some figures that a mom was worth over $155,000 per year, for a stay-at-home mom. For a working mom, the figures were an additional $90,000 over what they make working outside the home.

Sunday, we looked at Proverbs 31 and focused on verse 31 that reads, “Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (ESV). The woman described in these twenty-two verses is a magnificent woman and it ends by letting the reader knows she deserves her worth. Here are some applications to choose to use this week…

• Appreciate ~ If you are having a difficult time coming up with what you appreciate about your mom, just sit down and think for a bit. It probably won’t take you too long to think of a few.

• Extend the Day ~ I was looking for card for my wife the other day and I noticed some other cards that I wished I would have come across to send to my mom. The challenge is to take advantage of those times, whether they are “Mother’s Day” cards or not, and send/give additional cards in the future.

• Feeling Special ~ Take times to let mom know you love her, care about her, and she is worth everything you could give her.

Mother’s Day…a great day to let mom know how much she’s worth! Let her know regardless of the day on the calendar!

Turn Your Head

It is easy to focus on issues that are negative. They sometimes seem like they loom, when they may really be a brief part of our lives. 

Take for instance, losing sleep when you have a newborn. A mom (and sometimes a father) can become exhausted when there are several nights that a child doesn’t sleep well or maybe the child has a condition in which the parents “cannot sleep” due to anxiousness.

That is just one of millions of possibilities in which a person may have a difficult time seeing the bright side or blessed side of life because they are focused on the dark side of life. That brings us to this week’s quote…

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.  ~ Maori proverb

A couple of weekends ago, I was mentally struggling with something and I was concerned it would affect my delivery. I was fortunate to not only give this to God in a prayer, but I didn’t hold on to it secretively – like we all have probably done before with our problems.

It was such a relief! It caused me to concentrate on what I needed to concentrate on and enjoy it, rather than be a bit miserable by thinking about something I really couldn’t control.
This situation was a recent example in which I enjoyed turning my face toward the sun and letting the shadow(s) remain behind me!

Mayday, Mayday!

It has been nearly ten years since the 9/11 attacks. The attacks used airplanes loaded with innocent people as “living missiles.” People were probably doing a lot of screaming as planes were headed downward or into one of the buildings, or as they were impacted by the planes hitting different buildings.

“Mayday” comes from a French word m’aider, which means “come help me.” Whether it was 9/11, the Titanic, earthquakes, tsunamis, or countless other emergency situations, people are needing help.

One of the cool mysteries of the Bible is the lineage or genealogy of Jesus. From Adam and Eve, clear through Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ lineage has been filled with some interesting characters. Also intertwined in this lineage are situations that, to you and me, almost caused Jesus to not happen, but God prevails through any situation.

Sunday, we looked at this “emergency” side of the lineage of Jesus – times when Jesus was in trouble, in one form or another. However, though it all, God prevailed. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week… (to review the texts/subjects covered, click here to listen/watch the recap)

• Out of Control Life, In Control God ~ Within the texts, we see situations like Cain killing Abel or Hezekiah getting sick or Jesus so hungry He needs bread. There are situations in our life that makes it seem like things are just totally out of control. However, even in the midst of any chaos, God is always in control – not only in the lives of “Bible” people, but in ours as well.
• Tempted? Resist! ~ I cannot imagine what hunger Jesus must have felt after being in the desert for 40 days! It would have been real tempting to fall into that first temptation. I think we all have been in a situation where you feel you can eat about anything due to hunger. Jesus was probably there. He resisted, so can we…let’s do it – even if it seems life is going down in a hurry.
• Do Something With Your Salvation ~ If there was no Jesus (Click here to watch Acappella’s song on YouTube of “If There Were No God”) then we’d be without a future, without hope, without eternal joy…just plain WITHOUT! Since there is a God and His Son, let’s do something with our salvation by bringing a light to someone’s day. Use your talents to make someone see your faith!

Can you hear it??? People hollering out as their life is going down…Mayday, Mayday! aka come help me!!!  Let’s go and help them!!!