Stumbling Over the Truth

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”      -Billy Graham      The very first time I went on a police ride-along I was informed about the term "profiling."  It is policy for law enforcement officials not to profile people (basically decide what kind of person they are based on their color, age, clothes, etc.).  Spending any time in public places though, you and I can't help but "profile" people by the way they appear.  On the news this morning, a senator was even talking about passing a bill to have a school dress code so that students wouldn't be allowed to wear their pants hanging down showing their undergarments.  When the senator

     So much of our day to day routine is wrapped up in making us into something that we really aren't.  Young people pierce themselves all over.  Tattoos are all the rage again.  Hair styles are constantly on the change (for those who can grow hair still).  With Mohawks, mullets, shaved heads, spikes for the young and hair weaves, plugs, and dye jobs for the not so young, as a culture we are constantly trying to change our image.  Why?  I would have to speculate that we are not satisfied with who or what we are.  From the time that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, man has been trying to rid himself of the image of God because it reminds us that we are accountable to Him.        In Psalm 51, David finally gets to the understanding that no matter how much he pretended on the exterior, God really knew what he was on the inside.  David had done such a good cover up job, that he really thought no one would find out about the adulterous relationship he had with Bathsheba.  Da

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

   Convenience is a killer to true Christianity.  I was talking to a guy the other day who tried to convince me that he could be both a Florida Gator fan and a Florida State Seminole fan.  Living in the state of Florida, you should come to a quick realization that if you claim to be a fan of both, then you really aren't a true fan at all.  Sad to say, but most of us are like this with our Christianity.       In Psalm 50:16 and following, God asks a pretty harsh question, "What right have you to declare my statutes, or take my covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?"  So many of us try to claim the promises of God when they are convenient.  It is like those who switch teams when their team is having a bad year or two.  God doesn't want us to jump on the band wagon, but rather to take up our cross daily and be followers of Him.  What priorities have you set in your relationship with God?  So many of the people I talk with tell

As I sit waiting for my son to get finished with his orthodontist appointment, I can't help but notice how many parents are concerned about their child's teeth.  Having gone through the financial cost of braces it just amazes me how much we spend for the temporary fix.  Sad to say though is how little we invest for the future.  As a culture we consume our substance for the temporary pleasures of life.  These same people that will spend fortunes, taking time off from their busy schedules can't find time to fit God into the picture.  Seems like a temporary fix to me.

     When I was younger, I really didn't care to much to read through the Psalms.  Poetry didn't interest me, and I really never felt connected to the Psalmist.  The older I get, the more I appreciate the passion of the Psalms as they lead me in worship of God.  Psalm 46 seemed to cry out to me as I read through it this morning. Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength,   A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.                                 Selah God is . . .       OUR --so many times we feel alone in our problems, but in reality we are all facing huge issues in our day to day lives.      REFUGE --where do I run when trouble comes?  If you are like me, I run everywhere but to God.  He is our refuge.  Just after I graduated from high school, my dad took a

There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men:  time.  ~Napoleon I,   Maxims , 1815      Relationships have changed over the past 19 years.  It is discouraging when I think about all of the people that we have befriended over the years, yet have not kept in close contact with.  Looking through my wedding pictures, I realized that most of the people in my wedding I have not been in close contact with for years.  Everywhere we have been, we have found good friends that have helped lighten the load along the way.  To those people I would like to give a warm sincere thanks for being a friend.      One of the greatest encouragements to me was Mr. Tignor.  I went to college with both of his son's, but that is really not where he comes into play in my life.  He was our adult Sunday school teacher in the church my wife and I attended after getting married.  For the longest time, my wife and I felt all alone, but he always checked

Sometimes I feel that life is passing me by, not slowly either, but with ropes of steam and spark-spattered wheels and a hoarse roar of power or terror.  It's passing, yet I'm the one who's doing all the moving.  ~Martin Amis,   Money      Next Monday, my wife and I will be celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary.  Life is passing quickly.  Just the other night I remarked to my wife how it feels as if we have always been married (in a good sense).  Much has happened in 19 years, and change has been the common factor in all of it.  From the one bedroom apartment we started out in to apartments, rental houses, the church duplex, and eventually our present house we have made changes in our dwelling places, not to mention locations. . . Chester, Virginia to Richmond, Virginia to Sanford, Florida.      Change could also be spelled addition.  It was on our first anniversary we found that we would be adding to our family, and 9 months later there was our daughter, Rebekah.  It

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."  -Albert Einstein "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined."  -Henry David Thoreau "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." -Persian Proverb "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together."  -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe "He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander." -Aristotle "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King, Jr. "Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise." -Woodrow Wi