One More For JC

But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14) Today I celebrate yet another birthday.  When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for my birthday to arrive.  My mom would start the day off by burning my birthday candle, then cap the day off by making my favorite meal followed by her infamous yum-yum cake.  I was king for the day, and I loved every minute of it. As a 31-year-old man, I still look forward to my birthday.  Although the feelings of royalty are gone, I still enjoy all the e-mails and phone calls with greetings and birthday songs mixed in.  Perhaps it reminds me of the innocence of my youth when the trials and tribulations of this world had yet to find me.  So much has happened since my birthday candle worked its way down to the wick - far too many years ago.   I’ve...

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.  (2 Corinthians 1:6)   Throughout my life I have been greatly blessed.  I’ve been surrounded by more earthly possessions than one man deserves to have.  With that said, my greatest possessions haven’t come on a silver platter.  They’ve arrived only after great sacrifice, severe trial, and years of waiting…and waiting…and waiting.  Take the depressing tale of my wait for a wife.  At an early age, I had formed a strong idea of the type of woman I wanted to marry.  Year after year I waited for someone with those qualities to come my way.  But none did.  Even if they had, I was locked in a decade long struggle with acne (detailed in the “My Achilles Heel” application) that kept me locked away in my bedroom.  My patience was running short, and ...

It's an honor to step aside and post a message my wife, Dee, has written and will share at a Christmas service next week. Merry Christmas! How many of us focus on Jesus at Christmas time? Many of us are caught up in material gift-giving, holiday depression, financial frustration, preparing for visiting relatives - all the extra "work" that comes with Christmas - it can be stressful and distracting. This year, more so than any in recent history, people are in need of a gift that they will not find in shopping malls, they cannot order on the internet, and they will not be capable of making with their own hands: We are seeking peace. We are seeking security. We are longing for lost loved ones. We are in need of hope. On Christmas Eve some 2000+ years ago, God gave us the first gift and the only gift any of us will ever need. Jesus was delivered to deliver us. Thanks to Jesus: None of us will ever truly walk alone. None of us need to live in fear. We have a bes...

How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?  (Psalms 13:1-2) Several months back I wrote the below with the intent of getting it published in Newsweek magazine.  Unfortunately, the editor has decided not to include it, but thankfully I’ve got publishing rights on my web site.  I include it here not to praise the drug Accutane, but to reach out to those who have been plagued by an “Achilles Heel” throughout their life.  I hope this message helps each of you overcome that obstacle, whatever it might be.  A good portion of my early adult life was spent trapped in either the four walls of my bedroom or the four walls of the bathroom down the hall.  While my peers were enjoying their rise to adulthood, I was entangled in a never-ending struggle with the dregs of pubert...

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.  (Nahum 1:3) I’ve shed a lot of tears over the past 24 hours.  The images I’ve seen may never leave me.  The World Trade Center was a place I got engaged, worked, dined, awed, and toured as a child.  By the grace of God, on this one fateful day, I wasn't there.  Unfortunately, far too many people were.  I don’t think it’s quite hit home yet that a family member, former co-worker, friend, or friend of a friend could have died in the rubble of NYC yesterday.  Quite honestly, it would be a major miracle if that weren’t the case.  There are a large number of people I know who either worked in the area or know someone who did. It’s hard to comprehend how much hatred filled the hearts of the men who committed these acts, but I’m trying my hardest not to judge them.  I’ll leave that in the hands of Lord.  Instead I’m trying to channel my t...

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.  (John 12:25-26) At times it seems like such a challenge to be a servant of the Lord.  As I look back over the years of my life I can see a roller coaster of passionate and dispassionate service to Him.  My days of visiting nursing homes, recovery centers and food shelters have for some reason come to an end.  My days of leading and participating in bible studies/home groups have ceased.  My desire to verbally share my faith in Christ has increasingly waned as well.  My fire and passion for my web site is decreasing as well:  I open the 1999 Archive page and count 26 verse apps.  I open the 2000 Archive page and count 23 verse apps.  I open the 2001 Archive page and count only 5 verse app...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  (Philippians 2:3-4) Dee and I watched the movie “Pay it Forward” earlier today and it really touched my heart.  It told the story of a 7 th grade Social Studies teacher who assigned an extra credit project to his class to do something to change the world.  One student took it to heart, and devised a plan to “Pay it Forward.”  His plan was to touch the lives of 3 people, who would touch the lives of 3 people, and so on.   Some students laughed at the idea, but nothing stopped the boy from seeing his plan come to life. It made me think about those times when others made a huge difference and impact upon me.  I thought about the darkest day of my life a few years back.  I remember backing out of a few Memorial Day family and friend part...