Category Archives: Spirituality

Spirituality

Hanging Around

Death will get all of us one day. It’s inevitable, and I have three thoughts on death: I’m not afraid of it. I know where I will spend eternity. I’m not ready for it. And I don’t want it to hurt!

Heaven is perfect. There’s no disease. We get new bodies that never ache. Most important, we are in the presence of God. The things we don’t understand will be made clear.

Why do we fight so hard to hang on to this life? Knowing what we know, we can accept that it will happen and everything will be okay. God will continue to work on us until He is through with us on this side of life.

I tell my children not to mourn me when I’m gone. My eternal home is not here, it’s in Heaven. Theirs is, too. So is yours.

Treat people well while you have them in your life. Nothing is random in this life. Everything can be used…

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Spirituality

Come As You Are

Our churches should be open and welcoming places. We are there to worship God together, not to make a fashion statement. Yet that happens.

In the Book of James, this very thing is addressed. James cautions us against showing favoritism towards someone in “fine clothing and jewelry.” What about the people who don’t have similar resources? They are equally important.

Every Sunday I volunteer as a greeter for my church. I see people who are dressed in their best clothes, and I see people who look like they just closed down a bar. Everyone gets a friendly greeting from me. (Well, beautiful women might get a bigger smile, but let’s move on).

God is glad we are there. He is who we are there for. It’s relational, not transactional. Our attention should be focused on him, not the crowd around us.

Find a church community where you feel free to come as you are. Then you have found your home away from home on this planet. Our true home lies in the next life…

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Spirituality

The Playbook

Players in the NFL are issued a playbook when they join the team. They are told to learn it and guard it with their life. If the playbook were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic for the team.

But what about those of us who aren’t professional athletes? Well, God gave us a playbook, too. It’s called the Bible. It is our official guide to life on this side of eternity. In fact, it is preparing us for Heaven.

In the Old Testament days, God spoke to Moses and the prophets. They wrote down what the heard from God and it has been preserved for us.

Moving on to Jesus’ time on earth, his disciples recorded what they observed about the life of Christ. Paul wrote letters to the churches, as did James and Jude. It’s there for us to consult with anytime we want. We just have to open it and read.

Trying to navigate this crazy world we live in is difficult at best. Some are operating on their own with no regard to the playbook. Living by the Word of God will always turn out well. And we will have a peace that’s indescribable.

God didn’t create us and forget about us. If you are frustrated with life, take a moment to open the playbook. Read a little every day. It will grab ahold of your heart and change you from within.

Try it! The only thing you have to lose is stress, anxiety and worry…

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Spirituality

Personal Glory

We like to call attention to ourselves when we win at something, don’t we? We bask in the spotlight and never want the feeling to end.

When we are on the winning side of life, it’s the best. The strength of our character is formed in the difficult times. This is what gets us to the top eventually. The battle has been worth it.

Jesus had more wins in his life than anyone. He healed people, restored them, cured leprosy and raised the dead. Yet Jesus never called attention to himself. He wasn’t seeking his own glory, but gave it to the Father who sent him. Jesus was a great example of how to win with character.

I love it when athletes give credit to Jesus for their gifts. They do influence young people.

My encouragement to you is to keep the wins in perspective. Give credit to God. After all, everything good comes from him…

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Spirituality

Thrown Away

There’s a television show I have heard about but never watched. It’s called “Hoarders.” The show is about people who never throw anything away. Their homes must look like a train wreck happened in them.

We throw money away. We throw trash out. But there are people who have been thrown away by their families and friends. Recently I read about a child whose parents rejected him because he told them he was gay. This is a tragedy of epic proportions. Another child out in the world who has to find a way to survive on his own. There are many stories of similar situations. Too many.

Many inmates I have spent time with have been shamed by their families. Not only are they in prison, they have no one pulling for them. They feel alone and lost.

I believe in restoration and redemption. All of us have made mistakes. I lead the field in doing colossally stupid things during my life. But I’m not trapped in the prison of my past. Neither are you.

Jesus dined with prostitutes and tax collectors. He physically embraced lepers. The hopeless were shown kindness, grace and forgiveness. No one was turned away.

Be kind to others. People are carrying around stresses and strains we don’t know about. Your simple kindness might be their last, best hope…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Unnecessary Roughness

We live in a world full of beauty and wonder. There are way more than seven wonders of the world, and I remain in awe of them.

The world has some darkness, too. People tearing others down, reminding them of every mistake they have ever made. Those people are the ones you should keep as far away from you as possible. This might include some family members.

People will spend time beating themselves up, too. Mistakes from the past can paralyze people from taking chances. They want more from life, but are afraid of failure. You only fail when you refuse to try.

The failures we experienced in life are there to teach us. No one gets everything right every time. Elon Musk blew up a lot of rockets to learn what doesn’t work. Now the Falcon 9 Booster gets payloads into space and then lands vertically on the launch pad. Pretty cool, huh?

Be fearless when you pursue your true calling in this life. God didn’t put you here to fail. He never promised it was going to be easy. But you will succeed if you refuse to give up.

Find your purpose and pursue it with everything you have in you. Setbacks will happen. Expect them. But whatever you do, don’t quit…

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Spirituality

The Heart of Mankind

Any day of the week you can open your Facebook app and see countless people tearing others down. Their favorite subject is politics, but religious beliefs get tossed in, too. This ugliness reflects what lies in their hearts.

On the other side of that coin, I see the goodness in mankind appear when tragedy strikes. After the devastating floods in Kerrville this past summer, countless people volunteered to help. No one demanded to be put alongside people with similar politics. No, they put that bullshit aside and helped. Perhaps this is why these events are called “acts of God.” In these moments mankind is most like the Creator.

I believe most people are good. The harshness of life has knocked all of us down. Dreams get postponed or diverted. Yet in the final analysis people show up when life is at its worst. This is a reflection of their true self, their heart.

Every day is a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. It could be something as simple as a smile or buying someone a sandwich. It counts to the other person even if it seems small and insignificant to you. Look for opportunities.

Life is very busy and full, I know. Never find yourself too busy to demonstrate the goodness that lies in your heart. Others will benefit but so will you…

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Spirituality

Boredom

Most of life is routine. Every morning I shower and shave, but I don’t get excited about it or look forward to it. It’s just stuff that I do. You would only notice if I didn’t do those things for a few days. There are better ways to get attention!

What do you do when boredom sets in? Many people find something to occupy their attention because the thought of sitting still horrifies them. Being constantly entertained is as bad as drifting through life lazily. They are extremes.

My encouragement to you is to sit quietly in the solitude. You aren’t required to be busy all the time. Boredom is just a state of mind. Find inner peace in the quiet moments. Life will get interesting soon enough…

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Spirituality

Humor Me

As you probably know, I love to laugh and make others laugh. Humor is a healthy emotion. Yet, I see some people who have lost their sense of humor.

Politicians are easy to make fun of. Elizabeth Warren claimed that she was an American Indian. She made this ridiculous claim for decades until she was challenged to take a DNA test. She’s not an Indian.

Bernie Sanders used to be in charge of the Senate Budget Committee. The man has never set a budget in his life. And he has no budget constraints because he thinks everything should be free! That math only works in Washington.

Some people think I’m being unfair when I joke about their favorite politician. It’s just a joke, nothing more. The offended people are free to make fun of me, and I give them plenty of material!

There’s always something to laugh about. Keep the humor clean, not dark-hearted. Laughter is really good for us.

God laughs, too. I’m certain that He laughs at me daily. But that’s okay. I’m making the Creator of the Universe smile!

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Spirituality

No Judgment Zone

From my observation, there are a lot of judgmental people in society. I realize my opening statement sounds like I’m making a judgment. I’m not. It’s simply an observation.

The genesis of gossip is judgment. You see, the root cause of judgment is insecurity. Gossiping about others is an arrogant attempt to make ourselves look better. Comparison gives the weak-minded a brief sense of superiority, but their insecurity remains.

There is only one true judge. God alone knows all the facts. We aren’t given the privilege to have full insight into other people.

Some of the Pharisees during Jesus’s time were disgusted that Jesus would hang out with prostitutes and tax collectors. But Jesus looked straight through people and peered into their hearts. He saw that the people needed restoration and redemption, while some of the Pharisees needed a cleansing on the inside. And he told them so.

My encouragement to you is to try to let go of judging others. See them for who they are, not just what you see on the outside. And leave the judging to God. He will handle it…

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