Tag Archives: #jesus

Spirituality

What’s In A Name?

Our foundations are in our family and our name. We are born into a legacy that existed before us, and it will continue after we are gone. What we choose to do with it is up to us.

God thought of us individually before the world was formed. He decided the era we would be born in. Many times I have been grateful to be alive during the time of indoor plumbing and air conditioning (I live in Texas. It gets hot!).

The family I was born into was a mess. There was insecurity, fear, and sometimes, violence. My brain was in a constant state of “fight or flight.” Fortunately, I have been able to reprogram my mind, but it took time and effort. Not everyone takes the steps to heal.

The legacy I am creating with my children is healthier than that which I experienced. For this, I am forever grateful to God for guiding my steps. He is good.

Be proud of your name. God didn’t make a mistake. If your family was a train wreck like mine, you can change, if you’re willing.

Be willing…

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Spirituality

Beneath the Surface

Surface conversations last about a minute with me. Time is precious and I refuse to use it engaging in meaningless talk. Learning about people in a deeper sense is an art form, in a way. And I do love the arts!

People and their life stories are fascinating to me. My insatiable curiosity is one of the reasons I podcast. Everyone wants to be seen, heard and understood. Sharing their stories publicly allows others to open up a bit, knowing complete strangers will learn about them. It requires courage.

And speaking of the arts, one of my favorite bands is the Goo Goo Dolls. In their song, “Iris,” the lyrics are “And I don’t want the world to see me, ‘cause I don’t think that they’d understand. When everything’s meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.” Did you catch it? One man who desires to hide from the world, but wants to be fully known by one person. It’s a beautiful, telling lyric.

Try to get to know people for who they are, not what they can do for you. Be relational, not transactional…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Measuring Up

God has a purpose for you to accomplish in this world. He has fully equipped you to do His will. But the question remains, will you accept the assignment?

Many people doubt they could ever be used by God. They feel like they don’t have their act together, aren’t educated enough or worthwhile. If you are in this group, I want you to know that it’s a lie. God never created anyone He couldn’t use. There is a great design at work we cannot understand. We don’t have to understand it. We just need to know we have a part in it.

In your heart, you know what I am saying is true. You have always known. Consider today’s message to be a reminder.

You don’t need to have everything figured out beforehand. Just begin. God will guide you and no earthly power can stop you…

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Spirituality

Was It Worth It?

During my life I have observed people who spent more time trying to build wealth than anything else. In a moment of confession, I have been guilty of doing the same. I’m one of the fortunate ones. Having children changed my perspective.

When the end of life comes, no matter how much you have accumulated, none of it goes into eternity with you. Great fortunes have been built, only to be pissed away by future generations. Was it worth it?

The most important thing is people. Relationships, like wealth and resources, must be built. They require time and effort. And just like our bank accounts, they can be lost quickly.

My encouragement to you is, take the time to be close to those who are important to you. Do it before the relationships are too far gone to repair. Keep showing up, even if this makes you uncomfortable. You will be creating a lasting legacy no one can put a price on…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Bad Days

Every morning when I wake up, I’m either in Texas or Heaven. Even I can’t screw this up, and I can royally screw stuff up! Regardless, there is no such thing as a bad day. Stay with me.

All of us have had periods where things went smoothly. Those don’t last. Difficult periods will come. We were never promised this life would be easy. This is a broken, imperfect world we are inhabiting for just a short time when compared with our time in eternity.

Jesus told his disciples that “their faith would be shaken.” I believe he meant that for us, too. There are times I have wondered if God knew what He was doing. His redirections in my life weren’t in my plans. Yet, when I stay the course, over time I realized that God knew better than I did.

God doesn’t lose patience with us when we doubt or question Him. This happens all the time. Consider this: the Israelites wanted to throw in the towel within a very short period of time after witnessing supernatural power in the natural world. We can be short-sighted. God plays the long game.

My encouragement to you is, replace the term “bad day” with the phrase “difficult day(s).” Remember who is in control. And especially remember He is on your side, even to the end of the world…

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Spirituality

Trend Spotting

The disco era brought in a line of fashion that didn’t stick around. Man, I’m glad of that! But some things never go out of style. Let’s look at a few of them.

We can begin with manners. Saying please, thank you, yes sir and no sir, we notice when someone says them. And we notice when they don’t.

Kindness is always welcome. This world can be cruel. Our simple kindness might be someone’s last, best hope. The person you are standing in line with at the grocery store might be doing all they can to hold it together.

There is a trend of young people returning to their faith life. Everyone has a hole in their heart that needs to be filled. People try everything from sex to gambling to fill the void. Seventeenth century philosopher Blaise Pascal called it a “God-shaped vacuum.” The young are figuring it out earlier than most.

Some trends burn out quickly. The important trends are the ones that remain…

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Spirituality

Small Groups

Since March of 2016 I have led a small group at my church. We meet from 7:00-8:00 am. Usually there are about six of us in attendance. I cannot tell you why I signed up for this, but I am glad I took the plunge.

Our group isn’t what you would call a typical Bible study. We do learn about Jesus and his teachings as well as other books from the Bible. But staying true to my style of leadership, it’s very much an open forum for whatever is on each man’s mind. It works. I call us the “Island of Misfit Toys.”

Each of us has had life experiences that help others. This is one of the strengths of the group. When you see that someone else has been where you are, it provides hope in the darkness. Everything said in the group stays confidential. Another strength of the group.

If you have ever considered joining a small group, my encouragement is to give it a try. Keep checking out different groups until you find your crowd. Then let God take over…

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Spirituality

Outlook For Today

Do you wake up and feel excited to get your day started? If you are living your purpose, then you open your eyes ready to get after it.

God created everyone with a purpose in mind. You know this to be true. All of your life you have known there is more to life than just working, saving money, retiring and dying. The stresses of our world causes many to ignore their calling, staying in the comfort zone. There’s no life in comfort, only frustration.

Take inventory of your strengths. What are you good at? Be honest with yourself. This will get you on the road to finding and living your true purpose. Then ask God for guidance and courage to make your moves.

It’s going to take some discomfort to start truly living. But then you will feel more alive than ever. Stop putting it off and get going. There is no time better than now…

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Spirituality

The Consequences of Infighting

Right now there is a battle going on between popular conservative voices in the media space. Instead of keeping it behind the scenes, they do what media people do: they are fighting in public.

Those of us who aren’t in media or politics are fighting, too. Facebook and X are filled with insults being thrown at each other. Lifelong friends have become enemies. Nothing gets resolved and it is exhausting.

The Pharisees were in a quandary about this radical rabbi, Jesus. Some believed he was the Messiah who had been foretold while others didn’t. Of course they didn’t have the internet, only word of mouth. In the end, they put him to death on a cross, and they didn’t realize this fulfilled prophecy, too.

As it was written, Jesus arose on the third day. He hung around for 40 days and appeared to many. Yet some still refused to believe.

When you have a dispute with a friend, it’s best to keep it private. Work things out as best you can. Don’t sacrifice a friendship. It’s okay to see the world through a different lens…

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Spirituality

Beaten Down and Knocked Around

Yesterday I received a call from an acquaintance I hadn’t spoken to for a couple of years. She was distressed. Her situation is dire because she’s about to be evicted from her home. The purpose of her call was to ask me to loan her some money.

Due to a series of events that were partly her fault and some that couldn’t have been anticipated, she was in a bad spot. As I listened to her tell me what happened, there wasn’t any “poor little me” or victimhood tone in her voice, just fear.

Now I have a personal policy to not loan money. If I decided to send her some resources, I would just give it to her. I have found that this prevents me from having a false expectation of being repaid because I’m not expecting anything. I told her I would consider it.

This was when she started beating herself up. She was calling herself stupid etc. I immediately asked her to stop being so hard on herself with her comments. The world is going to knock us around and then pile on, I said. That’s just how it is. Hold yourself accountable, but stop the harshness of her self-criticism. It doesn’t help a thing.

My friend texted me last night that she had gotten things worked out, that she still had a ways to go, but she was grateful for my encouragement.

My encouragement to you is to keep going when things look the darkest. Daylight is coming…

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