The Long Road Home

How to Be a Big Wheel – God’s Way

“I’m gonna be a wheel someday, I’m gonna be somebody.”

So goes a lyric from one of my favorite 60’s artists, Fats Domino.  Sadly, I think a lot of people share the same aspiration.  They want to be a “big wheel.”

The world’s concept of a big wheel is someone who has made a name for themselves.  People know who they are.  They are celebrities.  In the business world, big wheels run big…

The Best Crop to Cultivate In Your Heart

I planted a garden this year.  Even though I am 53 years old, I still like to play in the dirt. I like to cultivate things. It’s not a large garden by any means, but it’s mine.

What Do You Cultivate?

All of us try to grow something in our lives.  For some, it’s our financial standing. They do everything with a view for how it will make more money for them.

Others grow popularity.  They want to…

How to Confront Others Biblically

In my last blog, I challenged us to permit a few godly people to ask us difficult questions.  We call that accountability.  We grow when we allow others to confront issues in our lives that prevent us from reaching our potential.

To have others hold us accountable is not always comfortable.  But even more uncomfortable are those times when we feel the need to confront others.

Confrontation is not…

Accountability – The Missing Piece

used by permission http://www.pexels.com

“If you don’t like the answer, don’t ask the question.”

Cute question.  Horrible philosophy.

Most of us don’t like questions, especially the “hard” questions about our lives.  We do not like for others to question or motives or our execution of life’s daily responsibilities.  However, we miss great opportunities for personal growth when we avoid question.

Concentric Circles – A Plan for National Day of Prayer

Today is National Day of Prayer across the United States of America.  As part of the festivities, I plan to join what I hope will resemble a Revelation 5:9-10 gathering downtown. But I also plan to set aside more time than usual to pray alone.  As part of my personal prayer time, I have developed a Prayer Chart of Concentric Circles to guide me.

If the chart is helpful to you, please feel free to…

How Your Mindset Determines Your Lifeset

Most of us live by a certain set of mental presuppositions.  We cherish certain values, believe certain foundational truths, and hold certain expectations of the world around us.  We call this our mindset.  Our mindset is the lens through which we interpret reality around us.

A Dangerous Mindset

Mindsets are not necessarily bad things.  They only become bad when we set our minds on the wrong…

Arbor Day – Are You Planting Spiritual Trees?

used by permission http://www.pexels.com

Around the country, tomorrow is Arbor Day. Arbor Day serves to remind us of the importance of planting trees in order to maintain the ecological health of our planet.

Was This the First Arbor Day?

While he wasn’t necessarily celebrating Arbor Day, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba.  Abraham had made a covenant of peace with a Philistine king by…

Living a Life Under God’s Construction

Every morning while driving my daughter to school, we pass through two major construction zones.  One, a road project, could eventually shorten our commute time to school. The other, a fulfillment center for a major online retailer could provide quicker delivery of items I order online.

While I look forward to potential conveniences these projects promise, they prove quite inconvenient in the…

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should

As a diabetic, I am never at a loss for information on what I should eat.  The other day as I read an article about 10 good food for diabetics, I came to a startling realization.

I like the foods I should eat.  Fresh vegetables, fish, lean meats, and beans are among some of my most favorite foods.  My problem is not that I neglect the good foods but that I also indulge in the bad foods.

If I want…

This weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the funeral service for a retired Fire Department Captain.  While I never knew him as a fire captain, I knew him as a member of our church.  The Fire Department impressed me with the way they showed him honor at the funeral service.

Several retired Fire Department personnel, led by the chief and assistant chief attended the funeral.  The…

Designing a Floor Plan for Life

Just about every house I have lived in has been divided into specific rooms. Before a house is built architects draw a floor plan showing the placement of each specific room.

We sleep in a bedroom.  We take a bath in the bathroom.  The family gathers in the living room for entertainment and fellowship. In the dining room, we eat the food we cooked in the kitchen. And we do our laundry in the…

Lifestyles of the Clueless and Faithless

Have you ever met someone who seemed absolutely clueless?  Some days I stare at that clueless person in the mirror.

Clueless people just don’t seem to notice the obvious.  What appears plain as day to most of us, the clueless person does not even see it.  The popular description is that they “just don’t get it.”

On the day of His resurrection, Jesus encountered two such clueless people. You can…

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Luke 23:34

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Father, forgive them.  Who are they? For today, let’s think about the soldiers.

The Bible gives no definitive description of the deployment of Roman soldiers thought the arrest, trial, and burial of Jesus.  We may safely assume that as Jesus passed through the process that he also passed to a…

When the Church Sign Goes Bad

A church sign in our area reads, “Church: The Place to Be Seen in 2018.”

It’s clever.  It rhymes.  But it is bad theology.  I get the sentiment; they want to encourage people to come to church more this year.  That is certainly an admirable and worthy goal.  I wish more people attended our church.

I also appreciate the challenge of keeping a church sign current and entertaining.  But current and…

You can have excuses, or you can have results.  But you can’t have both.”  

I’m not sure where I first heard that quote, but it needs to circulate more widely these days.  We live in the era of excuses.  Most, if not all, of us succumb to its temptation at some time or another.

Teams would be undefeated if not for partial referees, adverse conditions, or cheating opponents.

Pastors would be more…

I hope your 2018 is off to a productive start.  Technically, January 1 is just another day.  The concept of New Year’s Day is a product of our calendar.  Regardless of that, I LOVE a New Year. And my desirefor 2018 is spiritual growth.

As I have pondered 2018, I asked God to give me ONE Bible passage for my focus in 2018.  He laid Galatians 5:22-23 on my heart.

But the fruit of the Spirit is…