Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

I've not posted for awhile, as I've been attending the General Assembly of the Church of God in Orlando, Florida and simply have not had time to sit and write anything. The Assembly concluded last night, and this morning as I've been having breakfast and waiting for my daughter to get ready to shoot some pictures of her, I've been thinking over this past week. There has been much accomplished this week, and I am grateful for that. Yet at the same time, I am deeply troubled at some of what has transpired this week. One of the issues that we discussed was hotly debated, and there was some very rude and demeaning comments made about women by some of my fellow ministers. I'm not writing to rehash the debate, for the issue was defeated and at least for now, that is a mute point. But it really bothers me... it honestly hurts, to know that there are men out there who are charged to preach this Gospel of Christ to all people, yet they have such a condescending, disrespectful view of women. It it not about whether or not they agree that a woman should be allowed to attain the highest rank in our denomination, or if they should be allowed to sit on the Church and Pastor's Council; to treat a woman, or any human being with such disregard and crudeness is just mind boggling to me. I found myself sitting with a friend this week who commented to me that he wondered if these men would like to cover their wives with a veil and dress them in the manner of the Islamic faith. A bit extreme, but he was not so far off base. For a man to stand before thousands, and God only knows how many more on the Internet, and speak of what the "allows my wife" to do and then humiliate her with the statements he made... again, I'm just bewildered. After some of this debate, and listening to some of the women voice their pain... I wanted to just weep. I've found myself on a roller coaster of emotions this week, varying from sad, to angry, and many others places... and I've had a hard time letting it go. Then as I was eating my breakfast and praying today, I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking peace into my heart and reminding me that he has called me to do one thing... glorify Jesus Christ in my life. I cannot "fix" the world. I'm going home to preach the Gospel, and love the people of my part of the world the best that I know how. I'm sure that many others, from both sides of the debate have been troubled this week. I simply pray that we all remember to keep the main thing the main thing... lifting up and exalt the Name of Jesus Christ.

From the Wall Street Journal

The following was received in my email and quoted from the Wall Street Journal.

"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread." --Thomas Jefferson

Democrat policies equal unemployment

Editorial Exegesis

"[Barack] Obama's ostensible purpose [at his Rose Garden press conference Monday] was to lobby Congress for the eighth extension of jobless benefits since the recession began, to a record 99 weeks, or nearly two years. And he whacked Senate Republicans for blocking the extension, though Republicans are merely asking that the extension be offset by cuts in other federal spending. But Mr. Obama was nonetheless obliged to concede that, 18 months after his $862 billion stimulus, there are still five job seekers for every job opening and that 2.5 million Americans will soon run out of unemployment benefits. What happens when the 99 weeks of benefits run out? Will the President demand that they be extended to three years, or four? Only last week Vice President Joe Biden was hailing the stimulus for 'saving or creating' three million jobs. This week the White House says we need even more stimulus, in the form of jobless checks, to make up for the jobs his original spending stimulus didn't create. The one possibility the President and Congressional Democrats won't entertain is that their own spending and taxing and regulating and labor union favoritism have become the main hindrance to job creation. ... Mr. Obama also claimed yesterday that he wants to cut taxes on small businesses. That's a good idea, but Mr. Obama's proposal to provide one-year temporary tax cuts, such as expensing of certain capital purchases, will be dwarfed by one of the largest tax increases on small- and medium-sized firms in history that is scheduled to hit on January 1. The increase in the capital gains tax will fall hardest on start ups and expanding businesses that need capital for growth. More than half of the 'rich' who will pay higher income tax rates next year are small business owners and investors. The President is right that 'we've got a lot of work to do' to get Americans back to work.... But paying people not to work and adding $30 billion more to nearly $1.4 trillion of deficit spending is a dismal substitute for real economic growth and private job creation. Republicans are right to resist it." --The Wall Street Journal

What Should We Do?

Today I was reading the Bible and I found myself in John's gospel, chapter John 6:22-42. To set the scene for you, let me remind you that on the day before where we pick up in verse 22, the crowd had witnessed and partook in the experience of a tremendous miracle, that of Jesus feeding 5000 (plus) with 5 loaves and fishes and this new day, they are longing for more from Him, searching for Him first in Tiberias but He was gone. So they pile into their boats and the go over to Capernaum. When they find him, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of His approval."  Now pay particular attention to their response: "They replied, We want to perform God's works too. What should we do? Jesus told them, 'this is the only work God wants from you. Believe in the one He has sent."

I've been thinking about that ever since I read it today... and as I thought on it I realized that we are just like these people. We are always asking God what should we do because we want to perform the type of miracles that He does. There are books my the dozens telling us what to do. Pick up Charisma magazine and you'll find 30 or more conferences every single month advertised trying to teach us how to get closer to God, how to flow in the Spirit, how to do the works of God, yada, yada, yada...

We preachers are always looking for away to ignite our people and to get them to do God's work. And the funny, but sad truth of the matter is  that Jesus gave us a very concise and simple answer... "believe in the one He (God) has sent."  Really believe.... trust... obey.  It is so simple, yet we miss it... Believing comes before doing. First we must believe!  From believing flows all our actions, all our doing. It is really this simple: What we believe determines how we respond. We cannot win any battles if we do not believe they can be won. 

God's simple message to us is first 'believe' and when you believe, the Lord indeed begins to work out the doing part in us in ways so much more than we can ask or imagine. "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not to your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path."

According to scripture, it really is this simple: If we believe in the One God has sent (Christ), then no challenge, no trial, no conflict, no darkness, no evil, no pain, no suffering, no struggle cannot be overcome. If we believe in Christ, then our life ought to reflect the attributes of God; His love, His kindness, His compassion, His tenderness, His righteousness, His justice should flow naturally. If I believe in Jesus Christ, then my evil heart can be transformed to reflect the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control should abound. If I believe in the One whom the Father has sent, then my choices ought to reflect His choices. If I believe in the One God has sent, then the things that are on the heart of God, ought to be the things that are on my heart. Those things that break His heart, should break my heart, that which grieves His spirit, should grieve my spirit, that which He says is true, I ought to be believe is true. If I believe in Christ, then my existence and purpose on this earth is to reflect His glory.

John 6 goes on to teach that Jesus is the Bread of Life and that whoever comes to Him will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Him, will never be thirsty. The real impact of this statement is lost to Western civilization. In the culture of the Middle East, especially in the time of Jesus, bread was the mainstay of their diet. Bread was nourishment and their life-source. Without bread, there would be no existence. When Jesus said "the bread of life" it took on meaning to these people. They understood that what Jesus was saying is that there was no existence apart from Him! 

How do we do it? We don't need another book or program. We don't need another conference. We need to believe... really believe in Jesus. To take him at His Word and know that he is our life-source! Apart from absolute belief... faith and trust... in Jesus, we cannot make it, and we have no power. But in and through Him, we can do everything Jesus said we could do.

Lord, help me to believe... fully trust in You!

Poetic Justice

You may recall that back on July 8 I posted about somebody having shot the hawk that lived in our yard the day before. I never have found out who did it, although I sure have my suspicions. The hawk had been in our yard for more than a year and a half, and I loved having it here. It was just cool to watch it fly around, especially when it would just spread it's wings and glide from the top of a tree to a puddle in the driveway. This one had the most beautiful blue tint to the underside of his wings and on the tips of his feathers on top of his wings. I was really sad, and really angry when I found him dead in my yard. I thought about how sad it was that we'd never see something like a hawk living in the middle of town again. 

I was wrong.

Today when we came home from church, Daniel had come home before us, and when we got here, is car was stopped just inside the entrance of the drive way and he was out in the yard, obviously trying to sneak up on something. He told me he was trying to get into the house quietly to get my camera. Then he pointed, and not only was there one, but two young hawks at the back of our yard.  We went in to get the camera, but before I could get back out to snap a picture, they had flown up into our neighbors tree. I was able to get a couple of shots, but they are a bit fuzzy as they were way up in the tree and across the yard. I used a zoom lens, but I could not get a good shot due to the shade and the distance. These guys are more brown that the previous hawk, but they are young and their colors could very well change. I'm just glad they have come back and I think it is just poetic justice that someone killed one, and now we have two.  Way cool, God!

You Get What You Pay For

Most of you are aware of this, but for those who are not, I also operate a photography business. To be honest, the poor economy has hurt my business pretty bad. Another thing is that everyone with a digital camera now fancies themselves a photographer. As a colleague of mine often points out, "anyone can snap 100 photos with a digital camera and get a couple of good shots, but it takes an artists eye and talent to get an entire package of good portraits." In the town where I live, there have been about a dozen new Photography companies spring up in the last couple of years. Tonight on Facebook one of the parents of an upcoming client of mine sent me a link to one guys website and asked me why he could sell an 8x10 photograph for $8 while I sell them for $24.  My response was, "you get what you pay for." I asked her to go to his website and mine and do some comparison, looking for out of focus shots, sun glaring off the skin, sun glaring off the lens... and then I asked her to call him and ask him specifically where he had his prints made. I told her that I promise you that if he is selling them for $8 then he is getting them done at Walmart or another store in town which uses cheaper paper and ink, crops the photos to fit their standards, not the photographers, and that she should know that those pictures will be faded out in 2 years.  I then told her that my pictures are produced in a professional photo lab and coated with luster gloss which seals them, protecting them for years.  Then I asked, if you need copies in 5 years, is this kid shooting them going to be around? Does he archive his photos? Again, you get what you paid for. After she spoke to him, she called me back and booked with me.  

It's that way with so many things in life. You can almost always find something cheaper... but that's what you get! 

My website:  http://danashphotos.com

What Happened to Brownsville's Fire?

By J. Lee Grady
Charisma Magazine

CBN.com – What happened to Brownsville's fire? The Florida church that hosted the Brownsville Revival has dwindled to a few hundred people. Did it have to end this way?

I’ll never forget my first trip to Brownsville Assembly of God. It was 1995, the year an unusual spiritual eruption occurred at the nondescript Pentecostal church in Pensacola, Fla.

The rumor was that God had visited the quiet Southern town. I came not only as a reporter, but also as a hungry seeker.

In the early days of the revival, the faithful came by bus, car and airplane from all over the world. Eager worshipers waited for hours in the sweltering humidity to get a seat for 7 p.m. services that often lasted past midnight. When evangelist Steve Hill finished his nightly sermons—in which he demanded repentance from spiritual compromise—the majority of people in the auditorium would run to the front of the church and bury their faces in the floor.

“The Holy Spirit is easily quenched by pride, greed, selfish religious agendas, and broken relationships. ”

Wailing was commonly heard during those meetings. Some people shook under the weight of conviction. It did not matter if you were a drug addict needing conversion or a pastor living in secret sin—everyone found forgiveness, and an unusual sense of refreshing in that holy place.

My life was changed there. I wept in the carpet, and repented for my journalistic cynicism. One night, in the midst of all the pandemonium near the stage, I ran over to where Hill was praying. He grabbed my head and screamed, “Fire! Fire! More, Lord!” I was one of the thousands who fell backward on that floor. I was not pretending. I felt as if God had placed a heavy blanket of His presence on top of me.

I don’t question whether the Holy Spirit was in that place. But today, more than 10 years after the Pensacola Outpouring occurred, I am asking other questions.

I am wondering why the church that hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors has shrunk to a few hundred members, and now owes millions of dollars for a building they can’t fill. I am struggling to understand why so many people who once were part of the Brownsville church now feel hurt and betrayed. I am wondering if the leaders of this movement mishandled the anointing of God’s presence like Uzzah did when the ark of God almost toppled on the ground (see 2 Sam. 6:6-8).

History shows us that revival is always risky. The devil opposes it, and carnal flesh gets in the way of it. The Holy Spirit is easily quenched by pride, greed, selfish religious agendas, and broken relationships.

I can’t be the judge of what brought Brownsville’s demise. But we must face the facts and learn some lessons, or we will repeat the scenario next time.

It is no secret that relationships among various leaders at the Brownsville church were strained to the breaking point. Michael Brown, once the leader of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM), was fired in 2000 and then started his own training center that he eventually moved to North Carolina.

BRSM in its heyday had an enrollment of 1,200 students. That number shrank to 120 this year. This week the church announced that the ministry school will relocate to Louisiana, where it will be directed by revivalist Tommy Tenney.

“One of the lasting legacies of the Brownsville revival is the school,” Tenney told me in an interview this week, noting that graduates are doing missionary work in 122 countries. One alumnus, in fact, was instrumental in discovering an unevangelized people group in Indonesia.

That is thrilling news. But my heart is still grieved that the church where this marvelous outpouring occurred is now a burned-out shell.

The pastor of the church during the revival, John Kilpatrick, resigned in 2003 and told parishioners he planned to remain at the church in an apostolic role. Kilpatrick installed Randy Feldschau as the new pastor, then this year Kilpatrick shocked the congregation by starting a new church in Daphne, Ala., 50 miles west of Pensacola.

Feldschau resigned a few months ago and moved to Texas, and Brownsville’s attendance has dipped below 400. One former staff member told me that a large group of Brownsville members now attend a local Southern Baptist church in the city, while many others don’t go anywhere.

“People have been leaving for three or four years,” the pastor told me. “Some are not in church at all, including some who were on staff. I don’t know anyone who has not been hurt.”

At one point during the heyday of the movement, Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho announced from Brownsville’s pulpit that the revival “would last until Jesus comes.” Certainly the fruit of this revival will remain that long. But for those in Pensacola who were swept up in the ecstasy of those early years, and then endured splits, resignations, debts, and disappointments, the word “revival” now has a hollow ring to it.

Still, my heart cries: “Lord, do it again.” Next time He does, I pray we will carry the ark the way God intended—and keep our hands off of it.

You Don't Have to Walk Alone

OK, so, I'm laying here in bed at 4:30 AM wide awake, my mind racing a hundred miles an hour with thoughts from conversations I've had over the past few days with some various young people. The things they have shared with me, the pain, the emptiness and loneliness... sometimes it weighs so heavy on my heart and mind that it is almost more than this preacher can take. The load some of these kids are carrying is so much more than many of us comprehend, and more than anyone should be forced to deal with... especially at such a tender age. Kids are working to pay the family bills. Kids doing their best to hold together a household with some sense of normalcy while parents act the fool with their drinking, drugs, illicit sex and failed marriages... leaving the young person to try to parent their parents. I could go on and on but want to be careful to not even hint at any of these kids lives in such a way as to betray the confidence they have bestowed upon me by opening their hearts and lives to me. I care so deeply for them, but at the same time I often cry out to God because of the pain I'm feeling for them. We have a generation living before us today that is in more pain than any generation that has come before them. They have an information overload with all of the technology at their fingertips. They are often texting to 3 or 4 people while at the same time, they are sitting with a group of their peers. They are chatting with friends on Facebook, and when they go to bed they ask, "text me?" What I see here is a cry... "I'm lonely!"

Never before has it been so easy to "stay connected" yet they are more disconnected than any generation that has ever walked this earth before them.

I'm reminded of the words to a song that was popular a few years back, performed by Green Day:

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk alone, I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

The words to this song could be an anthem for this generation, and could be why it was such a popular song. Most young people are inwardly lonely. Community life is gone, a thing of the past. Their families are divided by divorce or lack of love. The family unit of the past is all but dead. Friends disappear forever after graduation. New friends at college don’t seem to really care about you. They go to a movie or the mall where there is a crowd of people around – but they still feel lonely. They go to a party where drugs are offered up like candy, and they are dancing and drinking – but still feel that loneliness inside. Everyone is talking but no one is saying anything. In an effort to find an escape they offer themselves sexually to someone... but they cannot seem to escape from the loneliness they feel. They go home, but their parents are not there, or if they are, they are so disconnected that they cannot find the love they are searching for. David expressed it so well in Psalm 142: "No man cared for my soul."

I believe that Jesus expressed the feelings of these young people in the story of the Good Samaritan. "They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road." (Luke 10:30). This man was robbed and left wounded by the side of the road on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Various people passed by, but no one stopped to help him. He was lost and alone, just like so many of these young people. But there is an answer to their loneliness. Christ does not want us to be lost and lonely. That is why he told that story about the Good Samaritan. He wanted us to know that there is someone who cares and that there is a way out of loneliness and hopelessness. That answer is in Christ himself. Not in religion or going to church... but in a relationship with Christ. The problem is, we are failing them because we are not introducing them to this Jesus!

About 4:00 AM this morning, in my sleeplessness, I opened the profile of one of these young people I've spoken to recently and was looking at the info she shared about herself. Under "religious views" she wrote: "don't care!" Those words screamed out at me at how we, the Body of Christ, have failed. I truly believe that if we had shown her the true Jesus, not some religious tradition and the mumbo jumbo so often uttered as we live something totally different, then she'd care. Those words, "don't care" scream at me... "I'm alone and empty. I have no hope!"

To that young lady and so many thousands of others, I want to tell you, you don't have to walk alone. There are those who care and want to be there for you; but above it all, Jesus is there.

To my fellow Christians, I want to say that we are told to do what the Good Samaritan did! The Bible tells us, "Go and do likewise." That same Bible says that Christ left "us and example, that ye should follow his steps." (I Peter 2:21)

Church... God told us to help young people like I am talking about to escape the horror and prison of loneliness of this lost and dying world!

So, what did the Good Samaritan do for that man who was left alone on the side of the road?

1) He had compassion for him.

2) He administered medicine to him.

3) He took him to the inn and took care of him.

Jesus says to us... "Go and do likewise."

Rather than burning with anger and judgement of our young people, we should have a heart of compassion for them.

The medicine we need to administer is called "love, acceptance and forgiveness."

Our lives should "preach" to them the healing message of the cross.

The "inn" is our churches, where we should bring these young people and "take care" of them. Our churches should be the place where loneliness and brokenness can be healed. No more religion... let's show them the love of Christ!

I'm convinced that if we (the church) are doing our job, these young people will begin to say to themselves, "why be lost and lonely on the Boulevard of Broken dreams? Why should I keep on saying, 'I walk alone"? Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

I challenge all of you who are in Christ... be a "Good Sam." Show someone love, acceptance and forgiveness." One of the things that jumps out to me in this story that Jesus told is that his compassion and actions were without condition. He offered his time, efforts and money with no guarantee of anything in return. He simply "went and did likewise." That's the approach we must take. We offer ourselves to a lost and dying, with no requirements in return.

That's what Jesus did, and we must do the same.

Ever Wonder What Is Wrong With People?

I just cannot understand why some people have to vandalize and tear things and property up just "for the fun of it." Not far from where I live is the town of Knoxville, Illinois. On the edge of town there is a chapel, known as Saint Mary's Chapel that is all that remains of a once thriving girls school. The chapel was completed in 1888, and it WAS just beautiful. For those who don't know, I also own and operate a small photography company, and have shot on location at this chapel many times. But it seems each time I go, there is a little more damage done to this beautiful structure. I had not been there in several months, until last evening, and I was just appalled at what I saw. In the yard adjacent to the chapel, there were several historical monuments dating back to the 1800's. As of yesterday, all of these monuments, save one, has been destroyed. Vandals have damaged the building so severely that they have bolted chain link fence across the steps to try to hinder people from doing more damage. At the rear of the building, where vandals had previously broken in through windows, all of the windows are now boarded with huge boards. Not satisfied with being denied entrance to the chapel, vandals have literally knocked a hole about 8 to 10 feet wide through the stone wall. I was so mad as I viewed this... both at the vandals, and at the city and county cops for not doing more to prevent this! Why are they not lighting this place up, or placing an alarm system on this building? Why allow some idiot people a free reign at destroying an incredible piece of architecture and history? it is a crying shame to see this place destroyed. I'm thinking maybe we need to establish a group to preserve and restore this beautiful landmark.

Can You Trust Him?

I was doing a Bible study with a group of teens this past week and this was a series of questions I asked them. I pose them here and hope that it may cause some of my readers to ponder them and understand that they can in fact trust the Lord.

How would you feel about God if He:

1. Knew everything and was all powerful, but did not love you?

2. Loved you and knew everything, but was not all powerful?

3. Was all powerful and loved you, but did not know everything?

Thankfully, God is completely loving, completely powerful, and completely knowledgeable. Because He is, we can have confidence that His desire and design for our lives is for our good. In Jeremiah 29:11 the Bible says, " For I know the plans I have for you, "says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Now that's a God I can trust.

Ever Want to Kill Someone?

We've had a hawk living in a tree behind our house for almost 2 years. While having him here has caused me to be a little cautious because of fear he might make off with our Pomeranian for a snack, I've loved having him around. Our house is pretty much the center of our city, so having a hawk live in our neighborhood is quite a rarity. I suspect that what originally drew him here, or at least caused him to stay here is that our neighbors put in a small pond with goldfish in it. Let's just say, they disappeared. Nonetheless, it's been cool to look out and see this beautiful bird perched in our backyard, or bathing in a puddle after the rain.

Yesterday afternoon when I came home, I found the hawk laying dead in our driveway. Someone had shot him. I cannot tell you the anger (as well as sadness) I had when I found him. I cannot believe someone would shoot him. But it also concerns me greatly that someone actually fired a gun right here in the middle of town and it appears that no one bothered to report to the police that shots were fired! I'm questioning what idiot would shoot into the air right here in town? What about stray bullets? If I discover who did it, I will be making a report to the police, but I believe I'm going to be having a serious confrontation with them about firing a gun into my yard. I'm angry over the loss of the hawk, but I'm also concerned for the safety of my family and neighbors as well.

Don't Let Life Pass You By

My sister (June) and brother in-law (J.T.) who raised me from the time I was eleven and are grandparents to our children are up visiting with us for a few days, with their twin grandsons, who are my great nephews. It's really great having them in the house with us for awhile and spending some much needed time with them. Yesterday we all went up to Bettendorf, Iowa to spend some time with my oldest sister Doris and her kids, Kristi and Doug and their families. We only got to see them for about 5 hours, but it was really great having a little time to be with them. As we were sitting in Doris' house and then driving back home, I was thinking that I have let "life" get in the way of the really important things. It seems we are always "too busy" to get up to see them, even though they are barely an hour away from us. That's got to change.

Let me bring you up to speed... my father passed away when I was five years old and my mom died about 6 and a half months later. I, along with my brothers Danny and Gordon (Bud to most of you) and my sister Carol all went to live with Doris and her husband Larry, and their kids, Doug and Kristi. Doug is just 4 months younger than me, and for the next 5 years of our lives, we were pretty much raised as twins, and tighter than you can imagine. We were inseparable back in those days... until Doris and Larry divorced. Carol got married at that time and stayed in Davenport, but Danny and I went to live with June and J.T., and Bud went to live with another brother Bob. (Too involved to go into at this time, but there were 10 of us brothers and sisters!) We lived in the Saint Louis area after that and and while only 3 and a half hours away. (Longer in the pre-interstate days) we seldom got to see Doug and Kristi for years. It has always bothered me, but yesterday it hit me as I sat across the room from Doug, that it is my fault that I've now let 40 years go by... most of those years where I could get in my own car and drive... 40 years that I've not really spent time with my "brother". I'm filled with such deep regret today. I was best man in his wedding 20 years ago this past May, and I have to admit, I barely know his lovely wife Donna. Some of those years we were far away as Cleveland, Tennessee, but for the last 9+ years we've only been 2 and a half hours away, and the last 6 years, only an hour away. I can't undo those 40 years, but I'm vowing to make some changes. I owe Doris so much. She and Larry made some HUGE sacrifices with their lives to take in all of us kids. I'm sure the stress and strain of that weight contributed greatly to their divorce. Doris has always blamed herself for breaking us up. I've told her... but I don't think she believes... it was not her fault. If you happen to read this Doris, I want you to know I love you more than you could ever know, and I appreciate more than words can say what you gave up to give us a family.

I wanted to write this today because I'm guessing that there are many others out there who are "too busy" for family. I'm urging you... begging you... don't let life pass you by. Slow down and MAKE TIME for family. Don't let regret creep up on you like it has me. Doris, Doug and Donna... Kristi, Mike, Haley and Carter... if you are reading this... I want my family back. You guys are all important to me... I love you all, and I ask you to forgive me for the wasted years and I hope you guys are ready to let our family back into your families.

See you guys soon... I promise!

Thank You Lord for Grace

I was picking up the house a bit this morning and doing the dishes and I found myself thinking about the grace of God... that amazing grace by which I am saved, and by which stand. This song came to mind and I had to share it to a whole new generation who is not familiar with Keith Green. Thank you Lord for grace!