Following The Son

" Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." Proverbs 12:25 Life is filled with so many things that can weigh us down. Pressure at work, difficulty at home, a strained relationship, a challenging financial situation, sickness and disease, and the truth is this is a list that can go on and on. Sometimes life is a heavy load. That's not just true for you, it's also true for the people in your life. The good new is that you have the ability to do something to help them. There are times where all someone really needs is a kind word. Proverbs 15:23 says, " and how good is a timely word!" Sometimes that word is spoken face to face. Other times it's a text message, a facebook reply, a phone call, or a card in the mail. However you give it, your words have the ability to lift people up or pull them down. “The tongue has the power of life and death," Proverbs 18:21. This week you will encounter people at home, work...

Dylan McWilliams was recently bitten by a shark. He was in Hawaii at the time...probably in the ocean. I love the ocean, but when I’m swimming in it I sometimes wonder where the sharks are at. Dylan said when it happened he wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt at first. Fortunately he’s going to be okay just like he was ok after a bear attacked him. You read that right. A bit back Dylan was mauled by a bear, and had to have staples in his scalp. As bad as that was he pulled through just like he did when a rattlesnake bit him. You read that right. Somehow Dylan has been bit by a rattlesnake, mauled by a bear, and attacked by a shark. And he’s only 20 so a rabid squirrel is bound to get him at some point. Dylan’s life seems like, “A Series Of Unfortunate Events.” If he was my friend I would wear a suit of armor whenever I was with him.  Doesn’t have to be animal attacks to be what can make you feel like you’re in a season where things just aren’t going your way. Daniel Powt...

Snow? In a lot of the northern states the white stuff has continued to fall throughout April this year. Rather unexpected for this late in the year. As recent as last week some cities experienced significant accumulation. I’ve heard people say things like, “we don’t know what to expect.” Life has a way of doing that to us as well. Just when you think you know what to expect something unpredictable happens. The car breaks down on the way to work. The baby throws up on their new outfit as you’re about to walk out the door. Your classmate who was supposed to do a presentation with you gets sick on the day of the presentation. The company downsizes and you get laid off. In baseball a pitcher can throw what’s called a change up. It looks like he’s throwing a fast ball, but then he throws it slow. If the batter isn’t ready he will swing early and miss. I suppose life throws a change up pitch once in a while as well.  Just when you think you’ve got it all toge...

"Isn't it amazing what a prayer can do? When it all seems hopeless it'll pull you through." -Mark Farner. Some of us have been around long enough to remember this classic song by the former lead vocalist and guitarist of Grand Funk Railroad. If not, there’s always YouTube. This week I’ve seen some dear friends and loved ones get hit with some pretty major things. Issues that can really pile the stress on. Isn’t prayer an amazing thing?! The Lord of all creation made a way for us to communicate with him through simply talking to him. One of my favorite prayer quotes I first heard from Dr. Don Meyer. “If something happens when I pray then something doesn’t when I don’t.” The Bible tells us in James 5:16 that the " prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Knowing this, and then knowing people are praying, sure does build faith. I’m praying this morning and throughout my day for my friends and family member’s needs. I love...

Ever have them get your order wrong at a Drive-Thru? You order a chicken sandwich, onion rings, and a chocolate shake, and pull off to discover a cheeseburger, fries, and your shake is strawberry? Or the chicken nuggets your toddler is calling for aren’t in the bag? These can be frustrting moments. Especially if you have to go inside, or loop back through a long drive-thru line.  I’m not sure what happened to Joshua James of Jupiter, Florida. Perhaps he asked for no onions, and they left them on his burger? Whatever it was he returned and threw a 3 1/2 foot alligator through the drive-thru window. He’s now facing a host of criminal charges. Turns out you’re not allowed to do that in Jupiter. What makes you mad?  The kids? A coworker? Your neighbor? Having someone throw an alligator at you? Everybody gets angry. 

" Count it all joy!" Everything about that phrase from James chapter one sounds good. Yet, when we consider it in it's context it becomes one of the more challenging phrases from Scripture. " Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds." A lot of things go together. Peanut butter and jelly; rice and beans; burgers and fries; Joanie and Chachi; but joy and trials? They don't seem to go together at all. They seem opposed to each other. Yet, the Scriptures teach us that through trials God works in us to perfect us, to mold us, to make us into who He would have us to be. Growing isn't always a pleasant process, but it's an important one. If you’ve ever lived in a home during a remodeling project you know how incredibly inconvenient it can be. Living temporarily without a kitchen, or with a makeshift bathroom isn’t easy. I’ve been through a couple where everything was torn out out including the f...

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. I don’t know who first said this. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but it’s always important. Aleksey Germash tried to do this, but it got a little out of hand. He’s a long time postal worker. Someone spotted bags of mail in his personal vehicle, and called to report it. Turns out this wasn’t the only place Aleksey had mail. When the investigation was complete over 17,000 pieces of undelivered mail were discovered in his car, apartment, and his locker at work. Seems he wasn’t a mail hoarder, but rather he told officials he, "made sure to deliver the important mail." As much junk mail as there can be it’s always possible that those on his route didn’t mind. Nonetheless, the NYC mail man’s delivery days appear to be through.  Aleksey may not have handled his overwhelming work load too well, but prioritizing what’s important is pretty important in life. Too often what seems urgent can get in the w...

I recently heard that Yale University’s most popular class of all time is on how to find happiness. I don’t know if puppies and donuts are a part of the course, but both make me happy. This is actually a real course offered by the Psychology department, and the University expected it to be popular, but never anticipated that a quarter of the undergraduate students would sign up. Kind of speaks volumes about stress and what students are going through. Obviously it’s not only students who deal with these things. There are no simple solutions to being happy, and a class (and certainly not a blog) can truly account for everything. Depression is real, and I would never imply some 3 step formula to overcoming anxiety. However, I have lived long enough to pick up on some things that help me when I’m down. “ A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” P...

You’ve probably heard about the Southwest Airlines flight that was in the news this week. It appears that as one of the engines failed a piece flew off and struck the side of the aircraft knocking out one of the windows. Tragically, one passenger’s life was lost although heroic efforts were made to save her. The plane still had to be landed, and pilot Tammi Jo Shults did just that. With only one engine operating she rapidly descended while keeping the plane level. Not only was the plane level, Shults was as well. In recordings with air traffic controllers she is completely calm and collected. Her journey to becoming a pilot had unique challenges. The Air Force denied her an opportunity to fly so she went with the Navy where she became one of the first female fighter pilots. Shults was the first woman to fly an F/A-18 Hornet for the Navy. To this day only 6.2% of commercial pilots are women. Having a son who is a commercial pilot I can assure you that all pilots work hard t...

We’ve all looked for things in the wrong places. It results in a lot of frustration. Whether it’s keys, a needed file, a particular tool, or any other item we simply can’t locate, looking in the wrong place always leaves us empty. Joseph and Mary had once searched all over for Jesus when he was only 12 years old, and couldn’t find him. They looked for Jesus in the wrong places. The disciples came searching for Jesus once. When they found him they exclaimed how they had looked everywhere.  It happened following the death of Jesus also, and those searching were met by an angel with an inquiry. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Luke 24:5 That's what the angel asked the women who came to prepare Jesus' body for burial following his crucifixion. I hope to meet this witty angel someday. He was pointing out that Jesus could no longer be found in a tomb. The angel would go on to say, "He is risen, just as he said." We recently celebrat...

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do." This old expression from the ancient Roman empire encouraged everyone to just fit in. Don't rock the boat, don't stand out, don't be yourself. It’s a phrase most all of us have heard before. A few years ago my wife and I had a unique opportunity to visit Rome. We were originally headed to India where I was the scheduled commencement and graduation speaker at Bethel Bible College in Kerala, India. We were excited about the trip, but our dates fell during a time of a brief squabble between the US and India. The result of this had been a few deportations and some denied visas as the two countries sort of smacked each other back and forth a bit. It wasn’t really anything too serious. Simply an unfortunate political game and we were caught in the middle of it. Bottom line was our applications were delayed, and we weren’t allowed to go to India in time for the graduation. I already had two airline tickets to India that I ...

Ever get some bad news? Sure you have. We all have. Sometimes a visit to the doctor’s office sure doesn’t go as expected. The mechanic can call with terrible news. A phone call can bring news of the loss of a loved one. Sometimes news is pretty bad. Then all you have to do is log onto Facebook, or turn on the television, and they are filled with bad news. Chemical weapons, bombings, trade wars, hurricanes, wild fires, and the list goes on. If you aren’t careful it can really bring you down. David experienced his share of bad news. There was the time he was told his child had died. This is a pain I have never experienced. Once he was told his own son had staged a coup. David had to go into hiding, and then respond to his own son’s political maneuverings. That’s bad news. There were plenty of other, “bad news,” moments in his life as well. Yet one day he sat down and wrote another Psalm that included these words. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are stead...

There was a great story that came out of the NBA this week. Not too many people ever get to fulfill their dream of playing in the NBA. Many boys imagine it as they take fade away jump shots on driveway hoops. High school players dream of going pro someday. College athletes know they’re just a step away.  Consider these numbers: 550,000 High School Boy Basketball Players 4,511 Division A college players 301 NBA players Making it to the NBA isn’t easy. It was Andre Ingram’s dream. He played for American University but when his collegiate career was done he went undrafted and unsigned. So he played minor league basketball in the NBA’s G league. The average NBA player plays for 4.8 years and earns $24.7 million in their career. Of course, super stars earn that in a season. Ingram made $19,000 last season, and has played for 10 years at this token salary. On Tuesday this week that changed. The Lakers signed Ingram to a 2 game contract to finish the season. They pay...

Once I was waiting at the baggage carousel at Lagardia Airport when people began clapping, pointing, and calling out. I looked around to see what was going on, and spotted President Bill Clinton walking through the terminal...right into the Men's room. (After it had been cleared by Secret Service). I turned to the man next to me and profoundly said, "when you gotta go, you gotta go." King Saul was in pursuit of David when he had to go. There were no public restrooms nearby so he chose a cave so he would have a little privacy. Little did he know that his chosen stall was already occupied by none other than David himself. “ A cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.” I Samuel 24:3 This was David's chance to strike Saul when he least expected it. In fact, that’s what David’s men encouraged him to do. “Go for it, David. This is your chance. God set this up for you.” These were the types of things Dav...

I talk to things that can’t talk. I know that might sound strange, but it’s true. I talk to my dog. I say, “God bless you,” when he sneezes. I say, “excuse me,” when I need to get around him. I hope he appreciates my manners, but he can’t talk. At least he never does when I’m around. I talk to tools. When I’m trying to get a wrench into a tight spot I say things like, “Come on! Help me out!” I even say, “please,” to my sockets. I talk to cars. Especially when they’re being uncooperative. “Please. Please. Just start.” Sometimes this strategy works. I talk to computers, furnaces, appliances, and more. I don’t know why I talk to things that can’t talk back, but sometimes I do. I also talk to mountains. “ Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” Mark 11:23 And I’ve been known to talk to things and sit...