Missing it...

I miss spending time with you. I miss hearing you laugh all day. I miss seeing you do things you have never done before and doing exceptionally well at it. I miss the bus, of all things. I even miss chillin' in Cracker Barrel.

I have never been so proud. This is the best mission team I have ever had the privilege to see in action. It was impressive to watch.

Thank you

Time of year

It is that time of year again...

School is about to get out, which makes everyone so happy.  More time to chill....which is something I have mastered.

Some important people are making major life-changes during this time.  Of course, I mean those graduating.  Moving on to bigger and better things.  I remain here, working on raising up a new generation of Christ-followers while they strike out into a world hostile to their beliefs.  Did I help them enough?  Did I teach them enough?  Did I provide them with the tools they needed?

I will pray for them always.  They will always have a place here.

I know it has been a while, and I am sure all the people who used to follow this are all gone, but I just thought I would try again.

Went to a high school graduation last night.  It had the usual boring speakers and speeches, but something one of the graduates had under her bio stood out.  It was what she called her personal motto.  I am not sure how much she actually believes it, or if she just liked the sound of it, but to me, it really touched me.

"Do not cry because it is over, but smile because it happened."

She was talking about being in high school, of course, but it applies to so many things.

At my age, there have been multiple chapters of my life that have ended.  Some of them badly.  Still, all the experiences led to the place I am now, and without any one of them I would be somewhere else, and there is no where else I would rather be than right here.

I began to think about that.  Ya know, those good times that you didn't want to end.  Or perhaps a loved one that passed on.  For example, I still become deeply sad about the passing of my grandfather because I feel I could have been around him more than I was.  However, when I start to think of his life, the things he taught me, the crazy things he did, I can't help but smile because I was there to see and hear these things.

Though the statement focusses on something ending, it helps us live in the present by keeping us focussed on positive things.  Take the time to realize that here and now, God has a destiny for you.  A reason for you to be.  The things that have gone before are, in fact, gone.  They cannot be brought back.  Smile at the good things that have happened, then step forward...toward the prize.  Struggle and fight for nothing more than to see Him smile.

Happy list additions

New to the happy list is:

Never refer to people by their name.  Refer to them by a name known from history, literature, or even the movies.  "Hey there, Socrates!" OR "Johnny Appleseed over there has some issues."

It especially works if you are pointing out a characteristic about someone that is similar to a characteristic of the name you call them, but it isn't necessary.

--AND--

Learn some dance moves from a musical (Westside Story is one of the best for this) and sometimes randomly bust out with a short and quick dance step.  If you sing while doing it you will double how happy it makes you.

Remember these items on the happy list are not for other people to enjoy.  They are designed to entertain yourself and make YOU happy.  Others might laugh at you, but who really cares about that... right?

Look out

We all make mistakes.

Every one of us.

The enemy loves when we do.  It is not just because he likes to laugh when we are down.  Many times, when we are down, he will kick us.  He has a very effective way of keeping us down.

Usually, once the mistake has been made, guilt creeps in.  Making a foolish mistake as a Christian is common.  Guilt is what truly makes us ineffective so many times.  The enemy will whisper in your ear how unworthy you are.  "See? You call yourself a disciple?  You can't even hope to live up to that.  You might as well just lay down and forget about it.  Let other, more spiritual people serve him.  Not you though.  You are just not good enough."

Look out.

Repent for your mistakes.  Seek forgiveness from God and whoever else you need to seek it from.  Then move on.  Get up and start again.  Make whatever repairs you have to then keep moving.  Do not let the guilt of a foolish moment keep you from pushing forward.

Tsk tsk

I had someone come up to me the other day, to confide something in me.  They were incredibly upset about some things some people were accusing her of, falsely.  After talking for a bit longer, I came to realize the root of the problem.

It seems that the church she goes to is the type that does not believe in "eternal security."  For those of you who do not know what that means, it means that you are able to actually lose your salvation should you act bad enough.  What ends up happening is that these people make themselves a little list and say things like, "If you do 'this' or 'that' then you aren't saved."

Kinda reminds me of the Pharisees.

Remember them? They were the people with all the 'rules of conduct' you were supposed to follow in order to not sin.  The only problem is that rules don't save you.

True, once you are saved (meaning you believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again and you ask him to be your Savior) your life should reflect that decision.  Does it make you perfect?  Of course not.  You should however show some signs of growth and repentance.  

Being judgmental is easy if you think you know everything.  Some people better check themselves.  Only God can know the condition of someone's heart.  It is not up to us to determine someone's eternal destiny.  Let the Holy Spirit do what John 14 says He does, and that is to teach us all things and convict us of our sin.

So here is the danger in believing you can lose your salvation:  you run the risk of setting yourself up to be some sort of judge.  Those that believe that way try to cite all manner of Bible verses to point out people's sins, but if you can lose your salvation (which is supposed to be eternal), what happens to hope?  I'll tell you what happens, it goes out the window.  If these people are going to use the Bible to tell me how bad I am, perhaps they should read those verses that actually give hope.

So listen, when Jesus says, "No one can snatch them from my hand," he means it.  No one can.

Not even you.

Common Ground

I had someone come up to me tonight very upset.  It seems she feels like an outcast, someone that nobody likes.  She felt as if she has been trying to get friends, but that she really doesn't have any.  She participates in certain activities at school, thinking that the people there would be her friend.  The problem is... it didn't work.  Now she feels more alone than ever.

We often try to find common ground with certain people, hoping for a friend.  Sometimes, we even change ourselves to be like them.  You've seen the type.  They might dress "Goth" because all the goth people will be accept them.  Same with gangs.  It's all just a search for what we call common ground.  The friendships forged from common ground based on things that are insignificant, like dressing a certain way or acting a certain way, are never strong.  There is, however, something that certain people have in common that makes lasting friendships.  That something has a name: Jesus.

You see, there are many people in my life that under normal circumstances wouldn't really be a friend of mine.  We have nothing in common whether it be profession, family, interests.  But these people are my friends for life.  Why?  We have a common love for a Savior.  In the way that He loved us, we too are to love each other.  For those who go to church but seemed to have missed out on this simple premise, you might want to throw out your religion and embrace a relationship with Christ.  When that happens, the ultimate basis for common ground is met, and there will never be a need to feel alone.

To the girl that felt alone tonight, hold on to Jesus... there is no better friend.  In fact, He's such a good friend, that He will put other friends into your life as well.