It is a natural response to want to defend yourself. I don’t mean physically, like from a shark attack (good luck with that), or with a shield and sword. I’m talking about defending your character, your reputation, your religion, your political ideology, your sense of direction. Continue reading “What Would Jesus Do?”
I secretly loved being scared when I was a kid. We’d watch the old monster movies – Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, Werewolf – they were awesome, and provided just enough fear to give you a thrill. When I got a little older, the movies got a little scarier. To get to my best friend Julie’s house, I had to travel down a stretch of road where some large, old trees hovered over the street. There were very few street lights in this part of town, and it was pretty eerie. Julie and I were always a bit apprehensive about traversing this stretch to reach the house at the end of our destination – if it was dark. At some point, we convinced ourselves that we were perfectly safe…as long as we didn’t hear the theme music from Friday the 13th. You know…the dreaded, “Che che che che che. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.” Continue reading “Satan’s Secret Weapon”
Not every lesson my mother tried to teach me went the way she planned. One such time happened when I was about 15 years old. Mom called my little sister, Mary (who was 12 at the time), and I into the room and told us to sit down…she wanted to have a talk with us. I remember vividly, my mind racing back and forth, wondering what in the world she wanted to talk to us about. Had something happened? Was someone sick? What is going on? It was a bit odd to say the least. Continue reading “The Most Important Thing My Mother Ever Taught Me”
One of my favorite times in church as a child, is when we would sing songs in our Sunday school. Often, we would perform one as a special for the congregation before the preaching service began. These children’s church songs usually had hand gestures or other body movements to go along with the words, signifying the ideas in the verses. I particularly loved, This Little Light of Mine. The version we sang went like this: Continue reading “This Little Light of Mine”
I was raised near the South Canadian River in a small town in Oklahoma. My family spent a lot of time on that river, noodling and swimming and searching for morels. I have always understood the power of its raging waters after the spring floods. A fact that was made all too clear to me when my brother, Robin, took me with him one day to hunt for arrowheads. There had just been a heavy rain, and he knew this was a great time to find them. Farmers had just plowed their fields for the spring planting, and the rain would help expose any treasure we sought. Continue reading “He Will Come to Us Like the Rain”
The word “passion,” as most people know it today, comes from a French word associated with a state or outburst of intense feelings. However, the word is also associated with the final hours of Jesus’ life on earth. That “passion” stems from Latin and means suffering or enduring. It is most definitely what Christ did. He suffered more than we care to imagine. The passion of Christ begins with His time in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He began to really feel the heavy burden of what He must do, through His death on the cross. Jesus suffered so many things in those last hours: the betrayal of Judas, abandonment and denial by His disciples, arrest, trials, mockery, shame, and torture. These things He endured voluntarily. Continue reading “How Much Does it Cost to Save the Whole World?”
I came across a little chart recently, that had a break-down of about 9 well-known religious leaders in the world today. I won’t name any names here. It doesn’t really matter the who…it’s the what that I’m more concerned with. I’ll get to that in a minute. The chart showed the amount of money each of these leaders and their ministries earned in a year. Let’s just say it was quite a bit more than the teacher’s salary I earn in Missouri. I can’t adequately assess these leaders solely based on how much they earn because I have no information as to how much of that money they give to God – and there is the what. Continue reading “The Deliberate Life of Jesus Christ”
I saw The Wizard of Oz for the first time when I was about 3 years old. The movie had a powerful impact on me. I was mesmerized by it. I loved the singing, adventure, and friendships. So many scenes captivated me. I remember being very upset when Dorothy was trapped in the witch’s castle and the hour glass was almost empty. I was crying from fear she was going to die. I also cried, a time after this, when I watched The Cowboys and John Wayne was killed. I thought he was really dead. It was a relief to learn we don’t really kill people in movies; they’re just acting. So many things about The Wizard of Oz impacted my life, including the overarching theme: there’s no place like home. Continue reading “Life Lessons from The Wizard of Oz”
One of my favorite stories to share with my history students in class has always been that of the Prussian ruler, Frederick the Great. Frederick ruled in the 1700s. He didn’t have a good relationship with his father. I like to tell this story because a lot of teenagers can relate to difficult times in their relationships with their own fathers. It also helps me connect with them the fact that they cannot blame their behavior on their past. Regardless of the circumstances in which they were raised, or of any event they may have experienced, the decision is theirs, and theirs alone, how they behave. They are 100% responsible for their actions. End. Of. Story. Continue reading “A Divine Choice”
For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
I’ve seen a lot of houses in my life. There are even shows on TV celebrating everything from the most over-the-top luxurious to the latest craze…tiny houses. My own experience ranged from the stately 3-story home of my grandparents (dad’s side) to the little more than a shack that my Mamaw & Papaw (mom’s side) lived in. My grandparents house is something I still dream about. It was so big! There were so many things to do and see. Visiting there was like a wonderland adventure. Continue reading “My Dream Home”
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.