One More For JC

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:25) In April, I told the story of a family member providing Dee and I with a very special gift – a CD filled with Christian music.  Over Labor Day weekend he repeated the favor with not one, but three Christian CDs.  We didn’t know it at the time, but one of the songs on one of the CDs, “Show Me Your Glory” by Jesus Culture, would be instrumental in helping us through the next couple weeks. It’s an extremely powerful song, but the lyrics that really hit home with me are: “I’m not afraid!  Can you feel the joy welled up inside?  Just to say that I belong to Jesus.  I belong to Jesus.  Safe and secure!  I belong to Jesus!”  They’re words that we’ve listened to over and over again – particularly last week when “the rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat a...

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:25) I hope you all had a very blessed Easter.  Mine was capped by an incredible gift that a family member gave me on Easter morning – a homemade CD with all of his favorite Christian songs.  If you had ever seen my iTunes collection, you’d probably be asking what made the gift so special (I’ve got more Christian songs on it than I can count, and I’ve been known to burn quite a many of them to CD).  The true value of the gift was not the CD itself, but it was from whom I received it.  The family member who gave me the gift has seen his life turned completely upside down over the past year, with a large number of heavy trials mixed in.  But despite being caught in the lowest of lows, there’s a peace he’s coming to find more and more every day.  There’s a level of forgiveness in his heart that...

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail that my Little League teammate, Billy, had passed away.  For the next few days my mind was filled with memories of our baseball journey together over 30 years ago.  In our first year on the Senators, we landed on a miserable team that not only suffered through a winless season, but was the laughingstock of the league.  It was a very difficult year for me personally; in my tee-ball years prior, I was on the dominant team in the league.  We toasted two championships together, and in my mind, that success was going to surround me on every team I played.  However, that first year of Little League brought me quickly back down to earth. The following year found renewed hope; some new players wer...

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) A few months ago, I received a ‘Save the Date’ card in the mail from my cousin, Lori, to reserve August 22 nd on my calendar for her wedding.  Later that day, I felt led to lift up a prayer to the Lord that she would ask me to lead the grace on her wedding night, and that He would give me words to share that would have a positive impact on the lives of all those in attendance.  After I said the prayer, sadly, I remember having my doubts.  I moved away from New Jersey almost a decade ago, and Lori and I have only had a chance to see each other maybe once every couple years since.  Those doubts wanted to continue to grow as the days, weeks, and months went by with no call, but I knew if it was the Lord’s will, it eventually was going to happe...

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14) Over the past couple years, Dee and I have both started our own companies.  Over a year ago, I entered the fantasy sports business by creating FantasyPostseason.com with a close friend of mine and his colleague.  Over the past few months, Dee has been feverishly putting the finishing touches on AngelHeartsForJesus.com – in preparation for the launch of her first book:  Angel Hearts for Jesus: The Fashion Show Birthday .  It’s been an extremely busy stretch for both of us, but the Lord has been working overtime in helping us out and opening doors – one after the other.  Watching the master of His craft do His work is certainly a treat to behold – from the selection of an illustrator, to the selection of a publisher, the creation of the website, etc.  I can safely say that the Lord’s hand has guided us through every step of the process, even the delivery date of w...

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) It’s not every day you check your inbox and see a note saying that ‘Michael W. Smith confirmed you as a friend on Facebook’.  I thought it was an April Fool’s Day joke for a minute, but after logging into my account, the proof was soon evident that it wasn’t. It was certainly a pleasant surprise to be accepted into the circle of friends of my favorite music artist.  Between my two home states of New Jersey and Minnesota, I’ve lost track of the number of Michael’s concerts I’ve been to over the years.  The Lord's been known to have his concerts timed just perfectly, like the night he performed in New Jersey just a few days after my Dad’s funeral in 2006…that night went a long way on my road to healing. But however joyous a moment as Michael’s confirmation of friendship on Facebook was, it paled in comparison ...

They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. (Psalms 20:8) Dee and I went to a Chris Tomlin concert last night.  We knew it would be good, but as the Lord has been known to do, He took the opportunity to speak directly to my heart.  A few years ago during a Nicole Nordeman/Casting Crowns concert at the same arena, He took the opportunity to share with me that time was very short for my Dad and that the road ahead was going to be very difficult, but He’d be there.  A few days later I found out that my Dad had Stage 4 cancer and that he only had a few months to live.  The next few months were as difficult as foreshadowed - but as He promised, the Lord helped carry us through. On this night, another one of those moments came right before Chris’ latest song I Will Rise as he shared that his grandfather had passed away three days earlier after his own battle with cancer.  Chris had sung it for him a few months earlier, and his g...