Month: August 2018

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.  1 Peter 3:15

Thinking back to high school and college football games, the chant, Hold That Line was and still is ever present. It was intended to give support to those defensive players who were attempting to stop the offense from making first downs, touchdowns, etc.   I learned a lot about football just knowing that the chant is always used for the defense not the offense.  As I watch our grandsons play, the chant is even more meaningful.

This chant is now proving to be one that Christians, churches, and all people of faith are being forced to use as we are now on the defensive.  The secular world is enveloping us in the philosophy that religion needs to play no part in our society.  If you attend church regularly, believe in the Bible, abide by the rules of your denomination, and try to live as Jesus did, you are made to feel as though you are the one who is wrong.

People seem to be offended by the subject of God, and they are quick to voice their objections.  While the Christian community remains silent, the world is taking God out of the equation right before our eyes.  It is considered politically incorrect to stand up for Jesus and His teachings.

What’s a Christian to do?  Well, I am no expert, but it seems that there are a few common sense alternatives, and maybe we could start by asking ourselves a few questions.  Do we know that under the constitution, freedom of religion is  granted to all?  Do we know our responsibility as Christians according to scripture?  Do we know what the Bible says to us?  Do we know what our denomination believes?  Do we know what is happening in our denomination?  Do we know what our own churches are doing to help us affirm our faith?  If not, why not?  The power of any organized religion can be found in the pew.

We can’t sit on the sidelines and chant Hold That Line if we are not willing to get involved, get off the bench, and declare “Put me in, coach” and use me to hold that line!

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:3

The countdown to kickoff has begun at our house, and with it, comes the assurance of fall.  I can’t wait for the leaves to turn, the temperatures to fall, the fire to be lit, and the sound of cheering to begin.

Just like the weather, our lives are lived in seasons, and it’s probably a good idea to begin to recognize where we are in life’s seasons and start maximizing each one.  Although, it’s hard for me to believe, I think the winter of my life is either here, or it is really late in Fall.

In spring, we begin to look for God’s purpose in our lives and prepare for it the best we can.  In summer, we tweak the purposes from spring and begin to carry them out.  In Fall, we take those purposes and begin to work harder and smarter to achieve them while we begin to transition to winter.  In winter, we assess our accomplishments, enjoy our rewards, pass on helpful advice, and take our bows on a job well done.

No season can last forever, and we are only meant to be fruitful during our time.  As we prepare for seasons to come, it’s important that those coming into seasons behind us don’t forget the fruit that was borne before them.  The person in each season can learn from those who have experienced the seasons and learned from each one.

Lately, I have heard so many friends who have lost a parent, a friend, or a trusted mentor utter these words, “I wish I had made time to listen to them more and taken their advice to heart.  I regret the time I wasted.”  This includes everything from family to career advice.  I pray that we all take time to listen to those seasoned folks in our lives.

Every generation stands on the shoulders of the generation that came before.  Jealously guard the values and principles of our heritage; they did not come easy.  Ronald Reagan

I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me shall not die, but will live forever.  John 11:25

When I was growing up, our youth group had destination unknown every fourth Sunday night of the month.  Although, we were a small group in a small town, thus, not many choices, it was still fun to guess where we would be on those nights.

Randy and I took that concept to another level, and now we try to do destination unknown for our grandsons.  They pack a suitcase, and we start out.  They have no idea where we will end up, but they can ask  questions to try and solve the mystery.  It doesn’t really matter to them where we are going, they just enjoy knowing we will be there when they reach their destination.

I recently attended the funeral of a friend, Steve, and in his eulogy, the minister told the story of a visit he had with him. Steve had been battling cancer, and the prognosis was not good.  He asked Steve very frankly, “Do you know where you are going when you die?”  Steve answered honestly when he said, “no.”   It was at that moment, that the destination unknown mentality kicked in for Steve, and he began to seek answers.  About nine months later, Steve was baptized and began to live his life as a Christian.  He began to be at peace with his destination.  He died assured of his destination.

Randy’s aunt lost her struggle with cancer last week.  She lived with grace, laughter, kindness, smiles, compassion, and love. She ministered to each person who visited with her in her last days comforting those who came to comfort her.  She died as she lived, assured of her destination.  Her funeral was held on her 80th birthday which was so significant of a celebration on earth and in heaven.

It’s a special destination when we know that Jesus has prepared a place for us and we are with Him.  How long will we live?  As followers of Christ, we will live Forever!

A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.  Proverbs 13:7  

Pretentious is defined as; attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is actually possessed. 

I know people, as most of us do,  who sometimes can’t help themselves – they become pretentious during certain situations.   It’s important for them to lift themselves up in front of others in order to make themselves look special or important.  The sad thing is that most of the time, the very people they are trying to impress are the ones who are the least vulnerable to the ruse.

One of my favorite movies is Steel Magnolias, and I am especially fond of Drum, the father.  He is a salty character who has no problem saying exactly what he is thinking.  My favorite line comes from Shelby when she says, Daddy always says, an ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.  So true.

This past week, Randy and I took the two younger grandsons to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, and I have to say it’s impressive.  One of the things you notice in the first few minutes in the water park is that there is no pretension there.  The guests of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicity, backgrounds, and genders are all in swim suits.   No one is worried about what others think, how they compare, how much weight they need to gain or lose, how their hair looks, how old they are, or their economic status.  They are accepted in the group because there is no pretense here.

I thought that heaven must be like this.  No pretense.  Everyone is on an equal footing.  It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, how rich you are, how beautiful, how handsome, how smart, how successful, how talented, how famous, how beaten down by life, or how perfect or awful you look in a swimsuit, everyone is loved exactly like they are!

As Christians, we are blessed to have a heavenly home awaiting us that offers no pretense.