We all have a story to tell. Our lives are our story. Unique and different from everyone elses. But there is a bigger story than ours….way bigger and Jesus is the main character in this story. We all need to take a serious look at this “biggest story of our time” and see what it is all about. Find out for ourselves. I really don’t care what someone else says. I want to learn what Jesus says about my life. I want to hear what he says about eternity, forgiveness, purpose, truth and wholeness. I want as much about the big picture as possible. We should not settle for anything less. We should go to the cross and kneel before Jesus ourselves and not rely on someone elses opinion on Jesus. GO AND SEEK GOD.

Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

God Bless you and have a great week………….

Henri J.M. Nouwen writes, “to be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives…..the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections –that requires hard spiritual work.” My whole life has revolved around sports. I coached for 40 plus years. I will be honest, it bothers me still today when an athlete gives honor to Jesus in victory, but never in defeat. We all hear them praise Jesus for their victory, but seldom if ever in defeat. They go to Disneyland if they win the big one, they go no where if they lose. I am still waiting for that one ‘star’ player to give thanks to Jesus in defeat. Thank you Henri Nouwen, well said and a very important message.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

What I would like to share with you is something I’ve talked about many times before. Its something I struggle with as do most people who believe in God and even those that don’t. Its this idea of what do we believe we should do next once we have accepted the fact that Jesus is God. Writer James Bryan Smith has this to say about our dilemma. He says, “I was afraid God would look at my faults and withdraw his love. I was afraid my weaknesses would separate me from the love God has made visible in Jesus. I see now how foolish it was to think that my feeble attempts at righteousness had anything to do with how God feels about me. For too long I was impressed with my ‘commitment’ to Jesus; now I am impressed only with Jesus’s commitment to me.” So what do we do now that we believe. A good start would to be still and know that Jesus is God. Believe and trust that he will guide our lives in a direction that will give meaning and purpose and wisdom to us daily.

Romans 8:38-39…….I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God Bless You and have a great week………

In the Bible Jesus says, “Do not conform to this world, But be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”. I believe that if we are paying attention to the world today that it is pretty obvious that it is not what we desire in life. I have never in my life seen the truth compromised as much as it is today. Our leaders and our media have destroyed the truth and their credibility especially over the last few years. It seems like there is no truth anymore. Just say whatever or do whatever you want and call it the truth. I don’t want to be a part of that world. I want to be in the Kingdom of God where God’s Truth is the way and the life. I believe that God’s word is the one and only Truth. Its not that bad really, try it and you will probably love it.

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

God Bless You and have a great week…..Stay Safe.

Hilliary Scott sings a song titled “Beautiful Messes”. Her lyrics reminded me again of this crazy idea that Christians are “Perfect”. Where did Christians and Non-Christians get the idea that Christians are “Perfect”. I believe in Jesus and He is my God. I don’t really care to even be called a Christian. I am just a guy who believes in God and that Jesus is God. I can guarentee you that I am far, far from being perfect.. Following are some of the lyrics to her song…..

We ain’t perfect no…We ain’t even close…We got holes in our hearts…We got scars we don’t show…Lay it down at foot of the cross…Give it to the one (Jesus) who can carry it all…Even at our worst, to him we ain’t lost causes…just beautiful messess.

Romans 3:10 – As it is written, There is no one righteous (Perfect) not even one.

God Bless and Have a great week

The problem isn’t the U.S. Constitution or the American Flag or the Pledge of Allegiance ( which says one nation under God, indivisible, with LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL). And burning the American Flag is not going to change anything. The problem is us, all of us and we need to get better . We need to change. And most importantly, our leadership needs to get better. Our flag and country are not racist but some of the people in our country are racist. Millions of Americans already know this but our leaders are selling us out for power and greed. This is the greatest country in the world and we the people need to get better. We are still “one nation under God”. That God is Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We need to turn our eyes towards Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 – Then if my people will humble themselves and pray, and search for me, and turn from their wicked ways I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.

I believe this and need to change and get better. God Bless You and have a great week.

Dignity…….Probably the most important 7 letter word to our self-esteem. Dignity is defined as “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect….a sense of self-respect”. When we lose our dignity, everything goes downhill. Personally, I feel that every person should be shown respect. Every person counts. We should always be on the look-out to restore a person’s dignity. If a person feels he has no self-worth, no sense of belonging, then I believe his dignity is in danger. You lose it and its hard to find it again. If you want to help the addicted, the homeless and the down and outers, then help them restore their self-image. Give them back their dignity.

1John 3:17 – But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Have a great week and God Bless you…..

I heard the song “Love Never Fails” by Brandon Heath and instantly loved it. Below are the words of his song. I hope you love is just as much.

Love Never Fails

Love is not proud..Love does not boast..Love after all matters the most..Love does not run..Love does not hide..Love does not keep locked inside..Love is the river that flows through..Love never fails you. Love will sustain..Love will provide..Love will not cease at the end of time..Love will protect..Love always hopes..Love still believes when you don’t.. Love is the arms that are holding you..Love never fails you. When my heart won’t make a sound..When I can’t turn back around..When the sky is falling down nothing is greater than this. Love is right here..Love is alive..Love is the Way the Truth the Life. Love is the river that flows through..Love is the arms that are holding you..Love is the place you will fly to..Love never fails you.

1 Cor 13:13 – Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully know. And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

God Bless You and have a great week……

Life comes at us. Its relentless at times. Fast and furious at times and what we all share in common is the way we deal with it and its victories and defeats. Some people do pretty good at, others utterly fail at it. Still others turn to alcohol and drugs to numb themselves to it. Some try self-help books and others the newest book on human psychology. So is there an answer? Each one of us has to find their own way. The way I chose is Jesus. In the Bible Jesus says, “I am the Way……” I have found many answers, much inspiration, purpose and meaning in trusting Jesus with my life in this increasingly crazy world we live in. It isn’t magic and it doesn’t happen over night. Its a long journey in which I am still traveling as I write these words. I think differently, see differently and feel differently since I began this journey. I make it a point to pursue Jesus everyday through learning about who he is and what he is about. I just keep trusting him with my days (which is hard for me because I am a control freak) and just trying to let go, Below are some of the books that I truly believe in.

The Holy Bible

One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian

Faith That Matters by Fredrick Buechner and others

Have a great week and remember there can by Joy in the Journey….Find your way. God Bless you.

Our faith does not demand us to be perfect. We are going to make mistakes, say the wrong things at times, do the wrong things at times, etc. Of course it would be better for us if we listened to what Jesus is encouraging us to say and do because it will make our lives better. It will make us better and give us hope and a future. What God really wants from us is our hearts. He wants us to have faith, to believe in him and his word. He wants us to trust him. To be still and know that he is God. To be the branch on the vine. To stay attached. There were a lot of ‘Bad Boys’ in the Bible that Jesus used to do great things. And I think the more one grows closer to Jesus the less ‘sinning’ he probably does. But we will never be perfect and there is no condemnation in Jesus. He is all good. People just put words in his mouth and say things that are not true and all of the sudden people get negative attitudes towards him. Like I said before, we need to just have faith and believe. Personally, he is everything to me.

God Bless you and have a great week.