One More For JC

Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.  Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?  God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.  And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”  (2 Chronicles 1:9-12) The 2000 U.S. presidential election has been a wild and crazy one.  On election night, the press kept us on an emotional roller coaster; first declaring Al Gore the winner of Florida (and essentially the next president), then declaring ...

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matthew 7:7-8) Nine months ago, I wrote the following in my “ The Competitive Fire Within ” verse application:  “I still enjoy winning and I still love to compete.  But I pray I never let those desires negatively impact another person’s life again.”  After Game 1 of the World Series last Saturday night, I realize I still have a long way to go.  Throughout the game between my most beloved team (N.Y Mets) and my most despised team (N.Y. Yankees) I was a nervous wreck.  I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t relax, and I could barely speak to my family who I had flown half way across the country to visit for the weekend.  At the time, I rationalized it as a once in a lifetime event transpiring before my very eyes.  The Mets and Yankees had neve...

Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands.  (1 Kings 8:61) What a challenge it is to have our hearts fully committed to the Lord.  I don’t know if there has ever been a time in my life when this has been true.  There have been occasions when this has been 50% true or even 75%; but 100% true is another story. Quite honestly, it’s been too easy for me to get caught up in the cares and pleasures of this world.  Who has time to read the bible when there is a good show on T.V.?  Who has time to go to a nursing home or soup kitchen when there is a football game to be seen?  Who has time to give when so much time is spent on the receiving end? When I think about the time that I spend giving, caring, and praying for others and compare it to Christ, it sickens me.  It’s clear that we are two men that live for different motives:  Christ’s sole mission is to serve, my sole mission is to...

Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  (Ruth 1:16) The above verse is a powerful verse from a lesser known book of the bible; the book of Ruth.  It expresses the loyalty and love of Ruth for her mother-in-law Naomi, who had just lost her two sons and husband.  After her own husband died, Ruth had the option to return to her homeland but opted instead to remain with and share in the plight of Naomi.  The Lord greatly rewarded Ruth for her faithfulness with a husband and son. After recently getting married, moving to a different state, and leaving behind a number of family and friends, this verse really hits home.  It shows the type of loyalty and love I want to express to my wife in our new life together.   We have the exciting opportunity of discovering a new church, making new friends, and fulfilling new dreams...

My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.  (Hebrews 12:5-6) I remember the summer of 1993 like it was yesterday.  I spent almost every day at the newly constructed gym at my college campus.  I would lift weights religiously for over an hour then head over to the basketball courts to play a few pick-up games.  I was a physical and cardio-vascular machine; unfortunately I knew it all too well.  I took great pride in being strong in the weight room and excelling on the basketball court.  I couldn’t walk by a mirror without admiring the handiwork of all the long hours at the gym; a camera was ever present to capture my body’s progression month by month. But everything changed on August 4, 1993.  The afternoon started the same way every other one did that summer; I went to work then headed over to the gym a...

I ask that we love one another.  And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.  (2 John 5-6) Dee and I enjoyed 6 days in Northern California on our honeymoon.  We enjoyed the breathtaking views of Monterey, Sausalito, and San Francisco.  We were awed by the beauty of Napa Valley, shopped until we dropped in Carmel, and wined and dined each day like we never had before.  But amazingly the most powerful moment of our journey did not take place on the Pacific Coast Highway, “17 Mile Drive,” or Golden Gate Bridge.  It occurred near the end of our trip as we made our way back to the San Francisco airport.  As we drove through the streets of San Francisco, we encountered a beggar at four consecutive lights.  With each passing encounter, my heart was moved more and more.  One beggar held a sign that read “Even a Smile Helps.”  Another held ...

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  (Psalms 37:3-4) Over the past few months, I’ve been flipping through the pages of the chapters of my life.  I recalled all the good years and all the ones that were thrown away by pain, sorrow, and depression.  I cried as I recalled the darkest moment of my life when my desire to live had all but faded away.     However, it was at that darkest moment that I made the most important decision of my life, and that was to trust in the only person I knew who could restore me – Jesus Christ.  At that lowest point, I said to Him, “this is now your life to live, for I no longer have the strength to live it.” I felt Christ’s presence like never before that night and I could feel Him carry me through.  He reminded me of all those that loved me; none more so than He.  He asked me to...