I'm sitting here typing this on a beautiful, sunny August morning. These mornings have been rare this summer as we all know. The norm has been cool, damp, and cloudy. But what a beautiful summer day it is today! Well, it would be anyway, if it was just a little cooler. Oh, and it would be nice if the wind would die down. But not too much, I mean, who wants to feel all that humidity, not me! Oh look, here comes a cloud to cover up the sun, wouldn't you know it. Well, they did say we were supposed to have showers this afternoon, I'm so sick of all this rain...(continue indefinitely)

I hope you can sense a hint (okay, maybe more than a hint) of sarcasm in the second half of that paragraph. But as I talk with people each day, it seems as though no matter what the weather is, there are complaints to go along with it!

Now I've done my fair share of griping about the rain this summer, for which I need to apologize to all those who patiently listened to me. But the other day at work, when we finally had a nice warm, sunny summer day, I was almost in shock at how many folks made comments like: "I wish this humidity would drop a bit" or "You're lucky you are inside because it's way too hot out!". And when I would try and respond by saying at least we finally had some nice summer weather, I was greeted by more complaints or glares that silently said "how dare you make a positive comment about the weather!".

I got to thinking. Are we really this fickle? Does everything have to be just perfect in order for us to enjoy and have a productive day? If so, we will have maybe 4 or 5 good days a year, and that's probably a high estimate! But praise the Lord that as believers our joy and disposition does not come from the weather, or any other outside influence, but from the faithful love of our Savior! Every day I wake up is a gift from the Lord! Every day that I don't have to pay the penalty for my sins is a blessing! Let's stop being fickle about all the things that can change in a moment! Let's start being thankful that we know the one who will never change!

According to the book "Damp Squid:The English Language Laid Bare" by Jeremy Butterfield, these are the 10 most annoying and overused phrases in the English language:

1. "At the end of the day"
2. "Fairly unique"
3. "I personally"
4. "At this moment in time"
5. "With all due respect"
6. "Absolutely"
7. "It's a nightmare"
8. "Shouldn't of"
9. "24-7"
10. "It's not rocket science"

I don't really know how Mr. Butterfield did his research, but I would like to add another phrase to his list. The phrase that is driving me nuts is "In this economy".

This phrase is being used indiscriminately these days as an excuse for just about everything. Most recently, I heard a missionary using the phrase "In this economy" to describe the difficulty with which a short term team he was leading raised their support. It seems like we use the current state of the U.S. economy as a scapegoat that we can blame all of our problems on. It reminds me of the early to mid nineties when everybody was blaming El Nino,(the ocean/atmospheric phenomenon) for pretty much anything that went wrong in the world. Apparently, the economy is the new El Nino.

Why do I have such a problem with this tired phrase? My reason is simple: The state of the U.S. Economy has absolutely no bearing on God's ability to provide for his people. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. We can lament gas and grocery prices all day long, but God's not panicking. He still owns it all and knows how to distribute what is needed to His children. I love the way David puts it in Psalm 37:25 - I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

So, as we live "in this economy", let's ask a couple of questions: 1. Is God providing for my needs? (Not wants mind you, but needs) 2. Am I being a good steward of what he has given me? The answers to these questions will get us a lot further than simply lamenting the state of our nation's financial health.

Hi everyone! Here's what I've been thinking about lately:

Much of our lives revolve around meeting goals that we set for ourselves. To be more productive at work. To get in shape. To be more "spiritual" (whatever that means). To finish that book. To go on vacation. The list goes on.

Is there anything wrong with setting goals for yourself? I don't think so. Goals can be a healthy way for us to lead disciplined, organized, productive lives. When used correctly, goals can help us glorify the Lord and be the best we can be. However, if we try to find contentment in meeting our goals, we will be disappointed every time. Even when we reach our goals we will be let down, because there is always something else we could do. Some other accomplishment we could achieve.

Think about your life as a highway and each car on that highway as an upcoming goal. Just as soon as you pass one car, there is another ahead of it, and then another, and then another. Do you see the hopelessness and frustration that would cause? We can drive ourselves crazy living our lives in such a manner.

How can we stop this endless cycle of pursuing goals. I think the answer is found for us in Matthew 6:33. "Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you". When we find our ultimate satisfaction and contentment in the Lord, we are saved from the endless striving to try and meet the next goal. Jesus Christ becomes all that we will ever need and our self esteem and value as a person is wrapped up in His love for us! Amen to that! Jesus loves me the way I am, and HE will do the work in me that HE desires!

So what are you pursuing this week? Goals....Or God?

My roommate (Cody, for those of you who know him) shared an online video with me the other day that really got me thinking. It was a clip from Oprah (not a fan myself) in which she said that one of the greatest mistakes human beings make is believing that there is just one way to God. I thought to myself, "I hope she doesn't live her everyday life by that logic". Here's what I mean:

Think about how many things we do everyday that need to be done in the one correct way. When I turn my computer on in the morning, I hit the power button, any other button I push will simply not turn it on..."duh". When I get ready to drive to work, I put the car key in the ignition, not my post office box key or the key to my apartment. Any old key won't start the car. At work, if they ask me to "bag my till" they mean "put all the remaining money into a blue envelope and bring it to the service desk". They don't mean "literally place the till into one of those plastic grocery bags". I learned this the hard way one evening when I "bagged my till" by the literal definition, subjecting myself to quite a bit of goodhearted ridicule and laughter. I haven't made the same mistake since! ;-)

What's my point? If people are willing to accept these absolutes in daily living, why are they not willing to accept them when it comes to matters of eternity? I think it's probably pride...folks don't want to admit that they are wrong. If someone admits that Jesus is the only way, they may have to change some things about their life, and many are not willing to do that.

But that doesn't change the simple fact that if God exists, it logically follows that there must only be one way to relate to Him. And this way is prescribed by God, not us! So feel free to fool around with other "paths to God". I'm going to follow the one laid out in scripture: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV)

Hello All!

First off, I would like to apologize. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post! When I first spoke to Ira about starting a blog, I could barely contain my enthusiasm about starting. Once he created the blog he told me he would not link it to the church web site until I posted. I impatiently insisted that he link it anyway, telling him that I was just raring to go! Well, as you have seen, I've procrastinated, and I'm sorry! I really want to make this blog a regular part of my schedule, so please feel free to keep me accountable if I do not update it! Anyway, here is what has been on my mind lately:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven , with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with an elderly lady who had recently lost her husband. Understandably, she was still grieving her loss and lamenting the struggles of life. I sat and listened as she told me stories about her late husband and shared some of the hobbies she has started in an effort to keep her mind busy. Then she said something that took me aback. This is not an exact quote but the gist of what she told me was: "This life may be full of struggles and pain, but it's all we have and it's too bad that it doesn't last forever".

Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to make light of this dear woman's pain or trying to condemn her. She does not know the Lord and is dealing with her grief in the only way she knows how. But I was genuinely saddened by this remark. What a tragic outlook on life!

I immediately took the opportunity to share with her that my hope does not come from this life, but from the fact that one day I know I will be with the Lord. I shared that there are things in this life I enjoy and look forward to (my upcoming marriage, for example!)but that this is not where I find my ultimate hope and fulfillment. My ultimate peace comes from knowing that one day, I will stand face to face with my Savior! Her response was that I was the first person she had ever met who had that kind of outlook.

This conversation reinforced the thought that had been on my mind for several days. As believers are we really looking forward to the return of our Savior?

We can get so busy with the day to day business of life, that we forget we are not ultimately living for this world. Our perspective can become very limited, until all we can see are the cares and concerns of this world. When that happens, our happiness becomes dependent on the circumstances around us, whether good or bad. If we have a good day at work, are healthy, and our friends and family treat us well, we are happy. But if our boss gets mad at us, we come down with some physical ailment, and we don't get along with those around us, we become depressed and morose.

We need to be reminded that this world is not where we will find our ultimate peace! If we know the Lord, we are merely aliens in a strange land, waiting to be reunited with our Savior! One day, maybe soon, Jesus will return for us and we will spend eternity worshiping and having fellowship with Him! It doesn't matter what your theology is, whether you are pre-trib, post-trib, pre-wrath, or mid trib (if you don't know what all those stand for, bless your heart!). One day you will be with your Savior and talk with Him face to face! This is our ultimate hope as Christians!

Does that mean we should ignore this world, go build bunkers, and wait for Jesus to return. No, that kind of a mindset makes us bad stewards of the life and gifts God has given us in this life. But we do need to be reminded from time to time that this life is not all there is, that we are living for eternity, not time!

If you are like me, you are easily distracted from this truth. Here is something that encouraged me the other day to take a few moments and think about the return of Christ. It's a video by a secular comedian who is imagining what it might be like to introduce our Savior. It does not take place in a church, but at one of his shows, and the response of the audience is amazing. I pray this might be a blessing to you and remind you of the awesome reunion we have in store for us as believers in Jesus Christ!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTvkqwuAQgg