Posts Tagged ‘God’

Don’t just lay there…Get up!

Posted: May 4, 2013 in Father, Husband, Inspirational, Tough Times
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As I may have mentioned before, I have a second son who is 10 years old and like many of us, is learning that sometimes life isn’t easy. He is currently learning this valuable lesson through the great sport of Baseball. You see, he was drafted onto his very first Little League majors team and although he started the season with a bang, he has since fallen into one of those slumps we see major leaguers fall into now and then. This slump however, is causing him great distress. The more he tries to shake it off, the worse it gets and this past weekend…well, he just kinda hit the wall…(Anyone ever hit the wall before?…) His “hitting the wall” experience afforded me the opportunity as his father to have one of those conversations about life that I think all young men need to hear sometime as they grow up.

Now I will be honest with you…I have heard and read many of these self-help pontificator’s who put forth things like empowering yourself and “everything you need to be great exists inside you already all you need to do is find it” kind of stuff…and although there may be place for that somewhere…when you are staring into the tearing eyes of a 10-year-old boy who is trying desperately to do his best, and it’s not working…all of those empowerment ideals goes out the window.

Here is the bottom line…and it is NOT Rocket Science; Sometimes…in this life…you will get knocked down…the question is “are you going to get back up, or are you going to just lay there?” As I watched my own son, it was clear to me he had no idea where to start or what to do…and I realized right then that a lot of men in life find themselves in this same situation. We get knocked down in life…maybe at work or at home and we simply lose our direction and we truly…have no idea where to turn next. Just like my son, we have lost our confidence in ourselves and our capabilities. We forget what our strengths are both professionally and personally and this can cause paralysis from taking another step forward. As adults this can be devastating especially to a family where the father has lost his way and mom is trying to hold things together by herself.

So how does one get his confidence back? Here are my 5 steps to confidence:

  1. Get back up on your feet and take that first step forward. I assure you that confidence does NOT come while you are laying on the ground…
  1. Read Hebrews 4:16…Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. It ALL starts with God guys…He tells us to come to Him with CONFIDENCE in order that we can receive what He has for us…
  1. Spend some quality time with God. Doesn’t have to be hours…just get on your knees for a few minutes without distraction. You will be amazed…
  1. Call a buddy. Just because you are a man doesn’t mean you don’t need to talk and maybe get something off your chest. Grab a coffee and spend a minute with a good friend…
  1. Plug into a church. I know you have heard this before but it is true…God didn’t intend His people to walk through “life” alone…he intended them to do “life” as a community and that happens in a church.

 

It’s like I told my son, “I have seen you hit a baseball before and you hit well…you just need to remember that feeling”

Guys, you HAVE done some “thing’s” in your life well. Some things that should make you proud and happy of your accomplishments as a husband and father…do you remember them? You should…and you have no reason to hang your head… Remember this;

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Right now, you are running the race marked out for you…NEWS FLASH! You are going to fall down… It WILL imageshappen. That IS a part of your life…but as I mentioned before…when this happens what are you going to do then? Guys my challenge to you today is simply GET UP! Shake off the dirt and keep moving forward. God NEVER promised that our lives would be easy…He only said “He would never leave us or forsake us” which means during your darkest hour…you are not alone…

So GET UP and LOOK UP to Gods throne with confidence…

You can do this…

Until next time guys…

 

Dont Lose Your Grip…

Posted: April 21, 2013 in Husband, Inspirational, Tough Times
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I have been writing the Ironman Strength blog now for a couple of years and i have found that the blessing of this blog is the time spent preparing what to write and what to share. What I find interesting though is that all the time i work this blog, life is going on for me personally and the same issues you deal with everyday, I deal with as well. The stresses of life can and do take their toll on all of us…myself included…to the point where many times I can go back and read my own words from past blogs and the words seem foreign to me…in other words, on that day…God took me to a place in order for me to write what I wrote for that specific moment…why don’t I feel that now?

Life is just so full of ups and downs that it can wreck the best of us and especially Christians… both men and women.

So what am I saying? Well if you have read Ironman Strength in the past you know i constantly point out that life is a marathon journey we get to face and the point of this blog was our need for encouragement along the way. That reason continues to be the driving force for beginning and continuing to write this blog. However I can honestly tell you that i have been struggling to find my own way in recent days. The words and the inspiration to write, share and encourage just haven’t been there and yet I know there is a direct correlation in the time i spend with God and His subsequent blessings versus being to busy…

So for me, the writer of this blog…it is time I practiced what I always write to you and bear down and focus on the many blessings God has given me rather than dwell on negative things or just things that I think are important…Remember this:

The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile…

Psalms 94:11

I only share this with you for one reason…Satan is alive and well in this earth and he will not rest until he has destroyed you and me…

But I will not end this post with a negative but rather I want to share with you an amazing set of verses that God led me to today that I believe are exactly what the spiritual doctor ordered…they come from Psalm 91…verses 14-16:

“Because he loves me,” says The Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation”.

Guys, if that scripture doesn’t give you a dose of encouragement for the day then I don’t know what will because honestly, God does not speak any clearer than that anywhere in the Bible.

But as you read, the answer starts with your love for Him…if you love Him in your deepest heart, then He promises toimages come to your aid when you need Him the most. That is truly the secret for receiving His protective care…a heart that is intimately attached to Him in both thankfulness and affection. By the way, He knows who you are, and He hears your prayers and will fill your life with His divine presence. Obviously, this means having a relationship with Him…

This is a very simple choice that you and I must make but it will make the difference in how we approach our life, how we deal with adversity and most importantly, how much joy life will bring us.

As I have done before…and will continue to do…I encourage you to take my words to heart by asking God for forgiveness and then asking Him for His help and guidance…He will not fail you…but once you speak to Him…then you need to listen…

Stay grounded in Him…

Until next time guys…

Would you really walk away from God?

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Father, Heaven Bound, Husband
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mind_gears-300x300To whom it may concern…this blog post is not one for the faint of heart. I plan to be very honest and truthful about what the Bible says about a very important topic that we all need to remember as we journey through this life. The truth may hit you painfully…but that is kind of the point isn’t it? Please consider my words as they will apply to both mine and yours eternal futures…

Is it possible for the “New” to wear off as a Christian? Can you let the things of this earth overwhelm your thoughts and dreams to take you further and further away from the presence of the Lord?

One easy answer…Absolutely…

As a new Christian, you must consider the fact that Satan will begin to attack you with even more ferocity than before to try to shake you from your new commitment to Christ. As a young Christian, you are an infant needing spiritual sustenance from both the church and your own personal commitment to growing yourself more in His word and ways. If that growth does not happen consistently, then yes it would be easy to fall back into ones old ways before your salvation…

But let us consider a person who has had a longer relationship with God. Someone who has served Christ faithfully for many years or even participated in outreach for the church like missions. Someone that you could count on to be there if you needed help. Someone that you consider a rock…Would it be possible for this type of person to fall victim to the calling sounds of sin?

For those of you who have never heard this term, I want to introduce you to something called Personal Apostasy which when translated from the original Greek, means to turn away or to fall away from what one has formally turned to.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

What I am speaking about here is an actual severing of one’s relationship with God whereby one literally withdraws from the personal union as well as no longer having faith in Him. Now please understand what I am saying here; you can only experience personal apostasy if you have previously received salvation or the regeneration of the Holy Spirit…a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3

The Bible is very clear and issues warnings about apostasy designed to both alert us to the deadly danger of walking away from Christ as well as to motivate us to persevere in our faith and obedience to Him. These warnings are the reality of our life and must be heeded as Christians in order to attain our heavenly goals. In other words, do not ignore them…take heed and listen and most importantly…apply them in your own life so that you or your family will not be swayed by the enemy, Satan.

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. Hebrews 2:1-3

Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 1 John 2: 22-25

These are just a couple of the many verses that are explicit in their description of the fatal dangers of personal apostasy. It is also important to note that this is a process. In other words, this is not an example of simply touching a switch and a person has changed. No, this is not the case at all, it takes time for the deadly sin virus to take hold in a person’s life. It reminds me of the song by Casting Crowns called Slow Fade which describes in detail the “slow fade as you give yourself away”:

Be careful little eyes what you see
It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

The ramifications of this are truly deadly and the Bible is very clear about this as well. More importantly, this process or slow fade as mentioned above, is a personal choice this person makes over time. They choose to walk down the road and leave their family and salvation behind. Yes, I did say, leave your salvation behind. If this apostasy continues unchecked in one’s life it is entirely possible whereby a person reaches a point where a second beginning is impossible. In other words, if there is a deliberate hardening of ones heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit but worse yet, a refusal to repent, there is an actual point of no return according to God’s Word.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Hebrews 6:4-6

You cannot call yourself a Christian and be indifferent to the word of God. The demands and the warnings of the Holy Spirit tell a different story. Remember the possibility of self-deception is always there and for those who claim to be Christians, Paul reminds us all to “examine ourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” 2 Corinthians 13:5.

If you ignore the obvious and continue down the same path, as mentioned before, the decision you make will be eternally fatal. I assure you, that is one you will regret.

Contentment…Is it Possible or Impossible?

Posted: January 26, 2013 in Father, Husband, Inspirational
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I read a story once about a journalist who happened upon a small house way out in the deep woods of West Virginia. This particular journalist was in a difficult state trying to track down a lead on Moonshiners deep in the forest but instead, found himself lost and unable to find his way back to his car. As he desperately searched to find his way, he came upon a small house with a little porch completely hidden amongst the thick trees. As he carefully approached the house, he saw an older couple sitting on rocking chairs while holding hands. He greeted them cautiously and as he tells the story, found them both very gracious and frankly, extremely friendly. While he rested before he set off again with directions, he had the opportunity to speak with the old man whereas he quickly determined that this old guy was someone very special. First he determined that the old man was very rich and very successful in his life. As they talked further, he uncovered the man was a doctor and also an inventor and responsible for many medical breakthroughs during his lifetime. As the old man continued to speak, the journalist realized he was speaking with someone who was not like any he had ever met before but yet something bothered him greatly. Here was a man who had everything he could ever want and yet here he was, living in a tiny house out in the forest with no one around but his wife. So as he sat there listening the journalist inside him kicked in and he had to ask the question…”Sir, why do you live out here in the woods and not in a palace in the big city?”

With an easy, peaceful smile on his face, he said softly…”I’m content here.”

And for the first time in his career, the journalist was stunned and frankly, did not know what to say but suddenly a light went on and he understood completely what the old man meant. You cannot buy what the old man had discovered, so rather than exist in bountiful luxury and be unhappy, he had chosen obscurity and gained contentment…

So how much does contentment cost and where do I find it?

If I were to ask all of you as to whether or not you were content, what would your answer be? Have you ever thought about it before? Unfortunately, most guys (and I know I am generalizing here) don’t necessarily plug into the idea of contentment. They understand when they are happy and sad but for the most part, we are usually focused on work or play. But I would like to give you something else to consider.

To the world, contentment means accepting what one has without seeking more but actually, contentment goes beyond what we see around us. It is actually a condition of your heart. Contentment is God giving you exactly what you need, each moment of each day. Not only is He walking with you by your side, but He also goes before you and me preparing a way for us…preparing a future for us.

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I mean ask yourself, why aren’t you content? Is it because of “things” you don’t have or a job that you want but haven’t been able to make it happen? What I am saying is the quest for more here on earth will NOT bring you contentment…this is exactly what the world wants you to think. However, if you plug into a daily relationship with Christ, seeking Him for peace…He will bring you contentment like you have never known before.

Let me leave you with a verse in Hebrews 13:5-6…

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

 

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

I will end with something you have heard me say before…but if you can keep your eyes focused on Him exclusively and weather the daily storm you can see in the above verse that you are NOT ALONE. God will NOT leave us NOR forget us…which means he walks with you and provides you exactly what you need…that perfect dose…again, each and everyday. I encourage you to “tap into” what God has for you.

And where will that lead you…? Well, it is my personal goal and I hopefully I’ve convinced you to make it yours as well…

Yep…Contentment…

Until next time guys…

The Bitter Pill of Bitter-ness

Posted: January 21, 2013 in Husband, Inspirational
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See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and to defile many. Hebrews 12:15

Have you ever known someone that seemed to be terminally in a “bad” mood all the time? Maybe you have someone like that in your family so that when holidays come, everyone tries to avoid that person because no matter what is said, he or she will lash out? Hollywood glamorized the grumpiness of two old guys when they made the movie “Grumpy Old Men” and we all laughed. But the reality is, grumpiness or bitterness, is an infection that can completely ruin a persons life. Moreover, as some of you may know, bitterness can destroy a community of believers faster than you can imagine. Bitterness is like a virus and left unchecked, can grow and permeate your entire body until you reek of it.

I am sharing this with you because it is very important not only for us, but the person infected to feel the touch and the presence of God before they are lost forever. Yes, I did say forever…Bitterness can and will destroy lives and the Bible is very clear about this.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

I assure you guys, when you are bitter…you are NOT holy and we can see from the above scripture how important holiness is to God…and to us.

So why do I tell you this now? Sometimes I really don’t have a specific plan in mind, I just find myself reading somewhere in the Bible and then a verse or a concept strikes me. In this instance, when I read the bitterness verse I realized that I have friends just like that and they have no idea how serious their future is jeopardized by NOT taking action to try to make things better. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27 to

…Do not give the devil a foothold.

Guys, when you swallow the bitterness and resentment pill you give the devil a foothold in your life…and trust me, once he has a foothold, he will NOT stop there until he has destroyed everything he can. 1 Peter 5:8 says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil wants to destroy you and there is no other way I can say that or sugar coat it so it sounds better. That, my friends, is a fact.

But remember guys, bitterness doesn’t just affect you…It affects your wife, kids, parents, your coworkers and imgresthe list goes on. As I mentioned before, bitterness is a virus and must be dealt with by getting on your knees and seeking Gods grace and forgiveness. There is NO OTHER WAY… Paul tells us again in Ephesians to:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

I know that getting rid of this issue is easier said, than done but really…you have to get rid of it…Shake it off as you would a bad day. I encourage you to seek God and to then seek help.

If you can read this post and recognize that the person I am referring to is you…then you need to start first on your knees before Him. The Bible says:

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.

If you are suffering from bitterness at present, doesn’t being lifted up sound really good right now? And that is just the beginning. If you allow the Holy Spirit to envelope you, God will melt that bitterness root right out from underneath you.

I challenge you guys today to be men and take the tough first step and recognize you have the bitterness root within you and humbly ask God to take it away.

He will NOT let you down. Of that I am concretely sure…

Until next time guys…

The Best Gift Ever

Posted: December 28, 2012 in Heaven Bound, Inspirational
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As I sit back and watch this Christmas season play itself out, I am reminded of a verse I read recently in Ecclesiastes of all places; it says,

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11.

What does this verse have to do with Christmas? Nothing and yet everything, because I believe it provides a glance at the magnitude of God as well as something we have talked about before in this blog…eternity in heaven. And what does that have to do with Christmas? Well, frankly everything, because if you really think about it, we have already been given the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus. What could possibly be better than that?

So why do I pick now, the middle of Christmas season, to remind you…? Because, as this Christmas Season continues to progress with the scramble for gifts, fighting crowds, traffic jams, music, decorations and the like I just can’t help wonder what God thinks about all of this? Well, actually, I already know what God thinks. He doesn’t care…What I mean is…He doesn’t care about the business of decorating, or gift giving, or Christmas Carols, What He cares about…is your heart (and…I have proof). Do you remember back in the Old Testament when God was looking for a new King to replace Saul? If you recall, God decided on David for many reasons but when He sent Samuel to find him He said;

…Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him (Saul). The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7.

Guys, if there is one thing I hope you understand it is that God is NOT like you and me. He doesn’t think or act like a human being. As mentioned above in Samuel, He does not care what you look like on the outside, but rather what your heart looks like on the inside. The only way you can gain access to the “eternity that is set in your heart” as stated above in Ecclesiastes, is to set your eyes on Him…especially during Christmas.

Christmases will come and go, for years and years and one thing will still stand true throughout…You CANNOT get to eternity in your own. However, 2000 years ago, God came in the form of a baby to save you and me from certain death. All you have to do is to…trust and believe with all of your heart…God will do the rest.

Let me leave you with one more thought:

Recently, some kindergarten students were asked to share their definition of love at Christmas time…This one from Bobby, age 7, was my favorite…

Love is what is in the room at Christmas when you stop opening presents and just listen…

From all of us here  @IronmanStrength,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…

Is “good enough”, good enough, to get to Heaven?

Posted: November 17, 2012 in Heaven Bound
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I came home from work the other day and my wife and 10-year-old son were discussing a boy in his class at school. The subject of the conversation was this young man was apparently very intelligent to the point of being a prodigy. He leads by a large margin in every fourth grade category that exists. Moreover, he is an excellent little athlete which in our world today, kind of completes the “package”…if you will. My wife was commenting on how he won’t really have any barriers growing up because he is so smart. He will be able to pick and choose what and where he wants to go in his life…my comment back to her was, “you are absolutely right, according to this world’s standards this boy has the opportunity to be very successful and go as far as he can achieve…but will all that intelligence get him into heaven” and the reality is…absolutely not. No matter how smart you are, or how good of a person you are…none of that matters when we finally get to meet God face to face. So the question is, “when is good enough, good enough to get to heaven?”

The easy answer is never and this blog is over…but there is an intelligent answer as to why this is so. You see like the young man I described above, some of us are smarter than others or have more athletic talent than someone else. The fact that science recently confirmed the existence of Higgs boson, or “the God Particle” reinforces the fact that science is expanding at a very rapid rate in our lifetime. In other words, we are getting smarter exponentially everyday. Additionally, the mere existence of every different kind of professional sports today and the rapid advancement of our athletes incredible abilities on the field of play also shows all of the barriers we humans are continually breaking…

But yet through all of these amazing accomplishments my question is, “how do we know they are amazing accomplishments?” Aren’t we simply comparing them to human feats of the past? In other words, we only have each other to compare one another against. We don’t compare ourselves to God because that is kind of impossible…yet with God, the bar is raised higher than we can achieve. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So that means no matter how far we reach up and work to make ourselves amazing before God, we won’t get there on our own. Our “good enough” isn’t good enough.

Christ is speaking in Mark 7:20-23, He went on: What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.

We are born into this sinful, unclean world with no way of saving ourselves and people who rely on their “goodness” only as a way forward, are deluded.

Mark 10:17-23: As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

Bottom line is we need rescuing from this world we live in but we can’t simply go along in life thinking good enough is good enough. God is after the faithful or good friends…NOT good rebels. Whose side are you on?

The opposite can be in fact, true. Good people do go to hell; bad people go to heaven but those who think they are “good” and rely on that alone, will be lost. The key is, knowing you are lost. By recognizing that you can’t get to heaven on your own and that you need to receive forgiveness from Christ first…well that my friend will ensure your stay at Gods Heavenly Hilton…and your own eternal life.

Until next time guys…

The Cookie Thief…

Posted: October 28, 2012 in Just for Fun
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Have you ever had one of those moments when you thought one thing and the situation turned out entirely the opposite? I mean completely 180 degrees different from what you thought it would be like? What was your reaction…well besides dumbfounded? Sometimes those experiences can be extremely humbling…or at least they should be. But they do happen don’t they? and I think God has a tremendous sense of humor when it comes to some situations. It almost feels like he dangles a carrot right out there in front…right where we can see it…and for some find it to difficult to resist…

What I have for you this time is a little different from what I have ever posted before. This is a poem about just that very instance when you truly think one thing and something else happens…I did not write this and I’m not sure who did but nevertheless I present to you guys…The Cookie Thief…

A woman was waiting at an airport one night with several hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shop, bought a bag of cookies and looked for a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see that the man beside her, as bold as could be, grabbed a cookie or two from the bag which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

She munched cookies and watched the clock as the gutsy “cookie thief” dismissed her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “if I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”

With each cookie she took he took one too, with only one left she wondered what he’d do.

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half as he ate the other, she snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother”, this guy has some nerve and he’s also rude. He didn’t even show any gratitude.

She had never known when she’d been so galled and sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed toward the gate, never looking back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat, then sought out her book which was almost complete.

As she reached in her bag she gasped in surprise, there were her cookies in front of her eyes.

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair, “then the others were his and he tried to share!”

Too late to apologize she realized with grief that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief…

I hope you enjoyed…

Until next time guys…

Why would a good God send people to hell?

Posted: October 7, 2012 in Devotional, Heaven Bound, Inspirational
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I am Not a theologian and never will be and for that reason, I get frustrated when I don’t know answers to certain questions raised about God. The title of this blog post is, ”Why would a good God send people to hell’? I have heard that question brought up to me many times before and for years it has frustrated me to no end. I mean really? How could God allow that to happen? Good people in hell makes no sense. But then as time has passed, I have begun to understand more about who our God is, which in turn has clarified some answers.

When you ask questions using the word “why” you need to go back to the original source and determine what you don’t understand…How could God allow good people to go to hell? To me, we need to begin with God and who HE is to try to answer this question. There must be reasons why He acts and behaves as He does rather than just what I see here on Earth. What I’ve discovered is there are reasons which cause God to be who He is…I’ve just never investigated them before…

Let’s start with Holy. I never really understood this word but yet when applied to God, our creator, all the reasons are completely clarified. Here is what I mean; God is completely Holy and good and it is His character that decides what is right and wrong. That perfect character He puts forth is what dictates our world and how we are to behave. In other words, that is how inherently we know that killing is bad and helping our neighbor is good. It is in our DNA. Yet why is there so much killing in this world? The answer is simple… Satan is alive and well and he seeks to devour all that he can:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Satan is working just as hard to distract you as God is trying to get your attention.

Moreover…God is a very Holy being and He is bound by that holiness to react in a certain manner…that means He HATES sin… He hates to see it, smell it or even be around it (read Mark 9:42-47). But yet you and I reek with it? We are born into it and without the saving salvation of Jesus Christ, stink to the outskirts of heaven of it…Have I made my point?

Let’s summarize quickly at this point:

1. We learned God is Holy

2. Holy means God must behave according to His perfect character.

3. Holy means God can’t be around sin.

Now, for those of you who did not know, God did solve the problem of sin for us by sending His blameless son Jesus, to take our place as a sacrifice for our sin committed.

So try to understand things this way, because God is holy, He MUST judge everyone according to His perfect character and because He is perfect, His judgments are fair and right.

Let’s keep going. As mentioned previously, Jesus came to this earth to solve the sin sacrifice issue but He is also the most loving person who ever lived, but yet it is He who teaches us the most about the reality of hell. Why? because Jesus knows hell is a very real thing and He doesn’t want us to suffer the inevitable consequences of our rebellion against God. What is that rebellion you ask? Rebellion is having sin in your life and NOT doing anything about it…living in sin is rebellion against God…why? Because God is holy…

Are you beginning to see a pattern here?

Heaven and hell are actually defined by a relationship. Heaven is enjoying the amazing gifts of a Father and more importantly, being with Him. Hell is the absence of His blessings; love, communion, presence, beauty etc.

Simply put; Heaven is being with our holy God and Hell is being apart from Him.

Think about that for a moment. The closest thing to Heaven on earth is to have a relationship with Him and to feel the His presence in our lives.

Hell on earth is simply the opposite of everything GOD.

So now that we understand a little more about the God we serve I must make this statement to you and ask this question;

If we truly understood how absolutely holy God is, we shouldn’t be asking the question why would a good God send people to hell…the real question should be…

How can God allow anyone into Heaven?

Bottom line…going to heaven or hell is a choice WE get to make while here upon this earth. God doesn’t send good people to hell…they get to make that decision for themselves…

Until next time guys…

Life Lessons and Baseball…

Posted: June 30, 2012 in Father, Inspirational, Sports Stuff
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I am one of those lucky Dads who gets to go through Little League a second time because we have a young son that was born when I was a little older. I like Baseball and I like Little League. Baseball, like other sports, teaches kids lessons about life in a symbolic sort of way. It teaches them perseverance, to keep playing hard until the end of the game no matter whether they are winning or losing. It teaches them how to handle the adversity that challenges them throughout a game like when situations don’t go your way. But more importantly, it teaches them how to handle disappointment when a game slips away that you really wanted to win, like a championship tournament. Bottom line, the way kids are taught to learn to play the game of Baseball and to deal with the outcome of difficult games will be evidenced in their future lives by how they handle situations then…

But it all starts with a game…

As I mentioned before, I am going through Little League a second time with my second boy but because I am older now, my perspective on what is happening out there has changed. Don’t hear me wrong, I want to win every time we step onto that field but I’ve learned that I care more about what kids get out of the game along with the effort that they put into the game. Let me explain;

My goal, along with the other coaches, is to teach proper fundamentals of baseball; how to hit, how to throw, how to run bases, how to catch and then the best part, the situational aspect of baseball…In other words, What to do with the ball when it comes to you…The cerebral side of the game is the most fun for me because baseball is very much like a chess match between the two managers. Each one moving players to different positions and inserting players in order to put both the player and the team with the best chance for winning or make the most impact on the score…I understandI am explaining something you already know because that is the strategical side of baseball. Some people get this and some don’t care…

What’s different for me now is because I’m older, I care about the effect this game has on them. Simply speaking, like when good things happen during a game but i think more importantly, when bad things happen, like when the game gets out of hand… Because games produce adversity and losses are very hard to handle and if kids don’t learn how to “flush” a loss out of their head right away, they tend to drag it around like an anchor, always slowing them down and frankly, just making them sad.

I recently went though Little League’s, Tournament of Champions tournament for the minor division, ages 9-11 and I experienced the feeling of absolute euphoria as one of our boys hit a walk off grand slam to win the final championship game. Honestly, a once in a lifetime experience to come up to bat, down two runs with bases loaded and send one out of the park…incredibly amazing. Our team, along with the coaches, were able to experience the excitement of winning that game with everything on the line. This was truly..a win, or go home situation…but yet at the very same time, I began to put myself in the other dugout and wonder the magnitude of their feeling of loss. Needless to say, the post game handshake was filled with many tears as I went through telling each member of their team, “great job” I realized it was to no avail. They were inconsolable at that moment and as I watched their coach lead them to the outfield to have one more post game chat, I realized how critical his job was for those boys to help them deal with that loss. Honestly, they did everything right…they put themselves in a position to win but you can’t overcome home runs. It was checkmate.

So let’s bring this baseball game analogy to you and I…We have all played the games on the field our entire lives and now we are challenged with the game of life. Every single day we have ups and downs and as adults, we can’t let a business loss wreck our focus. I recently watched an attorney friend of mine lose a very difficult case in court, one that he prepared for, spent a great deal of time and money to win but he lost the judge’s decision…completely. Right now, my friend is a small ship floating alone in the big ocean. So far, he is unable to shake this defeat and move on…He can’t overcome the loss…

God never promised any of us that if we commit to Him there wouldn’t be any loss, pain or discomfort…but He did say there is rest and relief through Christ Jesus. In fact, Christ himself tells all of us in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

To me, this verse helps because I know I am NOT alone on days when I feel like those boys did above after losing that big tournament game. Can you imagine finding peace or just simple rest when you’ve had your worst day ever? And guys, the peace and rest I am referring to here isn’t like anything you have ever felt before…

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Heavenly peace is WAY better and more effective than anything we have here on earth. Granted, the Bible tells us we have to seek Him…which means we have to DO something…we can’t just sit on our hands and expect Him to just fix our problems, otherwise how can we learn?

So my challenge to you today is simple. Teach your children how to overcome game losses and then translate that to your own life. Don’t let adversity or failure stop you from reaching the goals God has for you! If you get bucked off…get up, dust yourself off and get back on…

Do me one more favor, hold on tight, because it’s going to be a WILD RIDE!!

Until next time guys…

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