As long-term readers know, my childhood was not filled with happy memories. My parents were cruel, angry people who projected their brokenness into the lives of their children. Fear, chaos and sometimes violence ruled the day in our home.

There has been a lot of good that came from my background. After doing the work to become a whole person through forgiveness, I have been fortunate to share my story with others who were raised in a similar manner. Dysfunctional homes are way more common than you think. And the cycle continues unless you make a decision that it stops with you.

Another benefit I was gifted with is a condition called tachypsychia. This means that when the shit hits the fan all around me, my thinking becomes crystal clear and lucid. Time seems to slow down and there’s no panic for me. There have been too many times when this has happened to me before to describe.

Everything can be used for good. Things happen, sometimes really bad things that we didn’t ask for. You can wallow in it, full of self-pity, or you can work through it. My choice was to face my inner demons and extract them from my psyche. It was not easy, but it was worth it.

My encouragement to you is, you aren’t alone even though you may feel like you are. Do the work…

This morning I saw an advertisement for a prepared food company that said they are “the easy way to get healthy.” Of course they were appealing to people’s desire to take shortcuts and do things without leaving the comfort of their couch.

It’s not easy to get healthy, but it’s not hard, either. It does require commitment. The “get rich quick” schemes are scams, too. You can build wealth over time. But this requires commitment as well.

For centuries the scammers have attempted to take our money with the promise to deliver something worth more than what we paid for it. It was a lie in the past, it’s a lie today and will be a lie until the end of the age. Don’t fall for it.

Follow the principles God laid out in his Word. The Bible covers everything. God didn’t create us and then let us wing our way through life. No, He told us how to eat, build wealth, and he even warned us of the charlatans. But you gotta read it!

I have no doubt the food company I saw the advertisement for was telling the truth about their food. Yet, I know the part about the ease of getting healthy by just eating is grossly inflated. Get healthy through diet and exercise, not scams…

We live in a selfish world. The culture of The United States is greed. I have seen a bumper sticker that says, “the one with the most toys wins.” No, they die.

There’s nothing wrong with accumulating wealth. Our resources allow us to live in a nice home, send our children to good schools, and we don’t go hungry. But the challenge with wealth is the desire to hold onto it too tightly. That’s the intersection of greed and charity. Which way will we turn?

Our government has tremendous, almost unlimited resources. They are the worst I have ever seen at getting those resources into the hands of the people who need it. Want to move heaven and earth? Put those resources in the hands of the faith and philanthropic communities. They are on the ground in their communities and waste very little.

God cares greatly for widows and orphans, the marginalized. He talks about it a lot. It’s our duty to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Otherwise, what good does our wealth do? Holding onto too tightly can turn you into a bitter, resentful person.

Over the course of my life, I have known some people of great means. They are, to a person, the most charitable people in their communities. They give money, but they will go deliver food and other items in the sketchiest areas of town. They are inspiring role models.

I encourage you to get involved. Find causes that touch your heart. We can’t help everyone. The poor will be with us always. But everyone can help someone…

How do you spend your free time? There are many opportunities to serve your community. Every organization needs help and volunteers allows them to defray costs.

Many people give money to support their favorite charities. That’s wonderful because it takes financial resources to make the machine go. The men and women who choose to make philanthropy their life’s work aren’t doing it for fame or fortune. They work in service to others because they want to help.

Getting involved at the ground level places you alongside the recipients of charity. Consider working a Habitat For Humanity build, or a food bank. When serving others, we are getting involved with “the least among us” as Jesus talked about.

Find the organization(s) that reach your heart. Make contact. Get involved. You never know where God will take you when you do…

Companies advertise things like “buy one, get one free” and other offers to entice customers. Oftentimes the company is offering something really good. And we love a bargain or a sale, don’t we?

What about you? You have unique gifts and talents that were given to you by God. He doesn’t want us to hold onto them or hide them from view. No. God gave us special talents to benefit others. Keeping them to ourselves is selfish. You are uniquely qualified to influence others for good, thereby advancing God’s Kingdom agenda.

If you aren’t using your gifts, or perhaps you have allowed them to lie dormant for a while, I encourage you to begin using them. The world needs what you have to offer. Start now…

There is evil in this world. It may not always represent itself in murder, terrorism and other crimes of violence. Evil also comes in the forms of abuse, disease and loss.

Bad things happen to good people and we don’t understand why. People blame God and lash out in anger. That’s okay. He can take it. I have some experience with this. During much of my young life I hit him. Hard. Regularly.

But here’s a thought. When bad things happen in our lives, when the shit really hits the fan, we have a choice. We can hate God for allowing it or we can grow closer to Him. It doesn’t take away the pain. We still have to grieve and go through it. Even when we are at our lowest, when we have given up on God, He hasn’t given up on us. He doesn’t throw in the towel when he’s had enough of us raging at him. He still cares.

There are a lot of things we aren’t going to understand on this side of eternity. The spiritual battle that rages around us is just one of those things. We can’t see it, but it is happening. We can’t see gravity either, but I’m not going to jump off a high rise building.

Gravity works every time. So does God. He is the only one who can bring good from evil. Give Him a chance…