GOD WEARS 3D GLASSES AND EATS POPCORN

If everyone swears not to poke fun at me, I'll fess up to the fact that last weekend I went with a group of my friends to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. This dazzling experience also entailed a pair of snazzy electric green 3D glasses. There's a couple of things you'll notice about 3D glasses. One, they're not the most fashionable and two, you can't see worth a wet noodle if your not wearing them during the movie. Not much is going to make sense in the movie if we don't have those suckers on our face. If we think about it, not much makes sense in life either. Reasons as to why things happen or even what in the blue blazes is going on tend to be a bit fuzzy sometimes...but to a person with the 3D glasses looking in on life, everything 'pops out' simular to a 3D movie in a sense. In reality, we don't get the luxery of the 3D effect, only God gets a pair. We're just left to sit tight firmly gripping our chair and wait for the happy ending. That means waiting it out to the end even if we drink too much soda and have to cross our legs. And the thing is, it's not always too easy to focus on the screen. Heck, you're in a movie theatre for crying out loud. You've got the couple in front of you sucking face. You've got kids to your left in a fist fight brawling on the floor over the last gummy worm and if you're lucky, there's the fat man sitting behind you who has the charming habit of launching bits of popcorn out of his mouth onto the back of your neck everytime he laughs over something not even remotely humorous. I'm telling you, folks: there's going to be some major distractions. We just have to bear in mind that trust is fundamental in our walk with God. We have to have faith in the fact He'll get us through and that His will is in our best interest.

Daily Bread: Psalms 25:4-5 "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."

Food for Thought: 3D glasses would ruin the suprize ending.

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A FEW GOOD HOLES AND PEIRCINGS IN OUR BODY AS LONG AS WE WEAR GOD AS OUR BELLYBUTTON RING

Let's suppose you have nothing better to do today so you march outside, grab your dad's old shovel and go to work digging a hole. As all of us know, the more you dig, the closer we get to China, but there's something even more obvious that needs to be brough to our attention. The more we dig, the more empty space we're going to end up having. I suppose that's rather redundant to say. That's what a whole is: it's empty space. And the question is, what do you fill the whole up with? A dead body? Buried treasure? Maybe your little sister broke your CD player last week and you want to get back at her by burying her Barbie goes to SeaWorld. We wouldn't be too bad off ourselves if we'd dig that hole. Granted, I don't recommend it be in your front yard or for it to swallow up Barbie and her plastic killer whale counterparts, but each day we should be digging a hole in ourselves; getting rid of our bad traits. The matter at hand is what we're going to fill ourselves up with. And as much as we'd love to stuff ourselves with jelly filling like a KrispyKreme donut, that's not exactly what God has in mind. John 3:30 tells us that we must decrease in order for Him to increase. So the deeper we dig that hole; the more we decrease, the greater amount of empty space there's going to be to fill up with God in our lives. What we often do is fill the hole back up with dirt. That's one of our biggest mistakes. There's not much value in our dirt. It's dry and dusty. Nothing can grow in it. Honest to goodness, there's not much you can do with dirt that won't grow anything. What God does is fill that viod with wholesome nutricious soil; the kind that brings forth growth and abundance. The more of the old dry dirt we get rid of, the more soil we have to grow on; the more blessings we'll harvest.

Daily Bread: John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less."

Food for Thought: If dirt is ever going to be valuble, it's dirt from God.

UNDER 25 MPH DRAG RACING

Running is something I like to do everyday. Most people would cringe at that remark and declare that gym class is the only time for running, but it’s something I enjoy. I was out one day this past week running around the block when a car came and turned onto the same road I was currently running on just as I too had turned the curve. Thinking I’d make a show of it, I sped up and passed the car. Mister car decided to match my pace and I matched his for a second time. Thinking I was the big cheese, I sped up once more and passed the car. As the car once more upped the stakes, so did I…only I failed to notice a 3 inch uneven rise in the sidewalk. I tripped. I flew. I landed. I bled all over the concrete. Mister car stopped and laughed and drove away grinning smugly. Just goes to show that pride really DOES come before a fall.

Daily Bread: Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Food for Thought: There’s no ‘fun’ way to fall, so it’s best to try not to.
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SWAB THE POOP DECK, ME MATIES

My youth pastor, Joe was out fishing for the first time with a few of his friends who had decided to rent a boat for the day. Everyone got sea sick and upchucked their cupcakes over the side of the boat. They grabbed a great catch: 6lb of seaweed and a skimpy anorexic fish about 6 inched long. Then, to top the day, the rain started to pour and a storm invited itself to the tea party. Heading back, the storm got worse. Had anything else been left to have been hurled overboard, it would have. The waves were cruel and rocked the boat without sympathy. The wind wasn’t much help either. All Joe could do was run around screaming like a girl that death was upon them and crying for mama. For such a little boat, there wasn’t much it could take and Joe literally thought he was going to die. Croak like a frog; give up the ghost, finito, dead as a door nail, the end. The whole way back to the dock, that’s all he could think about: if he didn’t get back to land and shelter, he might die. Just as they were tying up their ropes, the storm stopped. The irony was that Joe had spent the last half an hour or so on their way back so concerned that death was knocking and as soon as he was firmly on dry land and didn’t have to fret over the storm anymore, the sun popped out. It couldn’t have been sunny and blissful while they were fishing and waited to rain cats and dogs when they docked? Psh. And the thing is, storms aren’t just when the clouds decide to have grumbly stomachs and spring a leak or two. Storms are the things in our life where we’re stuck in a rut and everything seems to be falling about. Emotionally, we think we’re about to die; the salt water stings our eyes and our ship is sinking. It’s not until we head for shore and reach it that we’re completely safe and sound. We’re running for shelter and that’s precisely what God is. He’s our shelter. And until we tie up our problem to His dock and give up on crying and ‘running around screaming like a girl that death is upon us’ we’re just going to have to get used to our boat sinking. The waters will still be choppy, but prayer gives us a crutch to lean on. It’s our anchor that keeps us steady. And who knows, when you tie up your boat, the sun may come out.

Daily Bread: Matthew 4:22 “And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

Food for Thought: Crying over sinking at sea just adds to the amount of water you’re drowning in.
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THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I AM A SHEEP: HE MAKES SWEATERS OUT OF ME

Some verses are harder to interpret than others. Psalms 23:4 says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” And you have to stop and think: ‘Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me? What the heck?’ In all honesty, not many of us settle down at night next to our trusty staff and rod and snuggle up close knowing everything’s fine in the comfort of two sticks. The catch is that being a shepherd isn’t something we go to college anymore so the art and purpose of a rod and staff have long been forgotten to man. Each shepherd dragged around both a rod and staff when he was tending his herd. The rod was pretty much just a big stick, while the staff was more candy-cane shaped. The rod was to ward off wolves and beat the living animal crackers out of them, while the staff, having that handy-dandy hook, yanked the sheep back into line. If the wolves are our problems in life, then it’s with the rod, that God ‘beats the living animal crackers’ out of them with. And if we ever start to wander off alone and get lost in this life, God doesn’t hesitate to jerk us back to safety. It may hurt and make us a little sore around the neck, but it’s better than being out on our own in a foreign land. I guess 2 hunks of wood can be pretty comforting after all.

Daily Bread: Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Food for Thought: Who’s heard the nursery rhyme: “Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, and doesn’t know where to find them”? Let’s just say God’s no Little Bo Peep. 
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HELL'S NOT YOUR AVERAGE BIRTHDAY PARTY

A few years ago, a news story was released about a firefighter’s suspension from his division. The story goes that as a family of 5 screamed inside a flaming building, he chose to sit within the fire truck testing out the new cd player. Assuming the one other firefighter with him could handle the job, we remained in the vehicle as the entire family perished. Bystanders on the street said they could hear their last screams before they died. Some where neighbors. Some were dear friends. But it wasn’t those screams of people he could have saved that the fire fighter heard last; it was an Usher cd. What sentence would we give this man had we been the judge of all this? 1 year? 5? A life sentence? But before you make your verdict, let’s consider this fact: do you know anyone who’s in a burning house? If anyone is, it’s the people we know that haven’t accepted Christ. We’re the fire-fighters that are called to come to their rescue. If we sit by either because we’re simply too frightened or we conveniently make excuses, aren’t we just as guilty. It doesn’t matter that listening to music isn’t on our alibi list as to why we’re not out there doing something. God views any excuse the same way: as long as your not saving someone, despite how good of an excuse you have, you’re not on duty. You’re the firefighter listening to Usher while the people in the building are crying for help. You’re drowning them out. And why is it we’re so intimidated to reach others? It’s true that metaphorically we’re the firefighters, but isn’t our job simpler? A fire fighter is required to rush into a burning building and dodge collapsing rafters and face death by saving someone from death itself. We just have the responsibility to talk to people. Sounds to me like we’re pretty lousy firefighters.

Daily Bread: John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Food for Thought: God’s given us everlasting water. Let's do something with it.
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LET'S GET STONED LIKE PAUL AND STEPHEN DID IN THE NEW TESTEMENT

We get excited over presents and fun occasions with our buddies. What better reason to get excited over our best friend who gave us the ultimate gift of life?What happens if you grab the nearest Sharpie marker next to you and hold it up to your nose? How about that rubber cement or Elmer's glue you used to put in the chair of the girl you liked back in 2nd grade? (Man, those were the good 'ol days) And then you've got your injections and patches to say the least. What happens, I ask? You get high of course. You get happy-go-lucky and stubble about in candyland hallucinating walruses doing a line dance with Abraham Lincoln while Crocodile Dundee shoots blow darts at your mother who's dressed up as a Spice girl with a Madonna cone bra. Some strange stuff begins to happen when you put two and two together. Getting 'high' normally entails (and I don't speak with experience on this one...aw, nuts I miss out on all the good stuff) becoming giddy and gaining increased heart pace due to excitement. It creates chemicals that morse code to your brain one main message: PLEASURE! Who wouldn't want to get high? I do it all the time. No, you're not receiving devotions each week from a drughead hippie. There's a different kind of high a person can get without puffing away on some mary jane. There's a spiritual high we can obtain. It's not illegal. It's not outlawed...though we treat it as such at times. When you go to church, daggone it, get excited. When you read your Bible don't just flip through pages nonchalantly. Really think about what's in there. Smile at what God does for people around you and what He's presently doing in your own life. A Christian life isn't a dull and boring monotonous existance. You're allowed to get excited over spiritual things. Heck, we can get high and not worry about side effects. Brain damage? Try increased wisdom on for size. Heart failure? How does a lighter happier heart sound to you? Loss of memories getting you down because of heroine? Getting high on God garentees memories that could never be lost or forgotten.

Daily Bread: Psalms 95:1 "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation."

Food for Thought: There are 2 ways to get high: through drugs and through God. Only one's legal and the illegal one can't top it.
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TEETH ARE OVER-RATED, WE SHOULD ALL JUST GET DENTURES

Yesturday I traveled to the lovely land of happy dentists where they carved my wisdom teeth out of my skull to sell on the black market with kidneys. Once there, I cried when they shoved an IV in my arm and the doctor had to ask if i had diabetes because he noticed my body was shaking involuntarily. Then I got knocked out without even knowing it and kept waking up in a subconsious state feeling bad for falling asleep on my dentist because it was rude. I woke up and went to leave the room and fell over...a good 4 or 5 times because I couldn't walk. I had to be carried out to the car for Pete's sake. For a the following hour I stumbled around like a drunk and kept repeating myself over and over forgetting I had told people things. Mom wouldn't let me drive anywhere but she agreed to drive me to the DECA car wash at teh highschool where i was then mocked and mimicked by my so called friends for my stoned lispy uncomprehendable linguistic skills. And as of now, I'm doped up on my daily, yea,i said DAILY, dosage of 3 Antiboitics the size of montgomery, a 600mg dose of Benedril (equivelent to 3 regular benedril tablets), and the really good stuff: Codine which makes me tipsy, high and babbler on about topics that only someone on an acid trip could reason with. I'm sooooooooo drugged up like a cat on catnip

(o)_(o)

So here's my analogy and how my ridiculous story even pertains to anything relevant:Wisdom isn't all it's cracked up to me, or atleast the kind we get from this world. My wisdom teeth weren't going to fit in my mouth, so essentially, they had to be plucked  out so that when they finally grew in, they wouldn't push on my existing teeth. (they cut through my gums to get them since they hadn't yet so i have stitches in my mouth) Plain and simple: my wisdom teeth didn't have room. There are 2 kinds of wisdom in my opinion: the kind we discover here on earth, and that we read in the Bible and obtain through God. When we face a decsion or get ourselves into a jam, a lot of times we'll try to reason with our own logic, forgetting verses we've known or consulting God through prayer. Our philosophies and morals that we'll attepmt to apply to the situation is the wisdom we don't need. There's no room in our lives for us relying on ourselves in time of need. It can't fit into our lives and it's something we need to cut out no matter how painful it is. If we want wisdom, it's best to confide in God. When we give up the thought that we can make it through alone, it's like we're stripping down everything. We're letting go because we know were' weak, and we may fall, just like I did. But as long as God's carrying you, we can't hit the ground. Let me tell you, I was pretty stinkin' greatful that I got carried to the car afterwards. And things in life will still hurt no matter if you give everything to God and say "I can't do this on my own." Him just simply being there for you makes a world of difference. In a sense, prayer is our Codine and painkiller...except it doesn't make you feel quite as wack. lol ^_^ Once your wisdom teeth are out, I don't suggest trying to glue them back in...and I meant that metaphorically as well as in a literal sense, kids.

Daily Bread: I Corinthians 1:16-20 "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? "

Food for Thought: Wisdom doesn't come from teeth, heart or mind. It comes from God. It doesn't come from text books or from reading encyclopedias. it comes from reading God's word.
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EVEN THE BEST OF "FRIEND-SHIPS" NEED THEIR POOPDECK SWABBED

Something revealed itself to me this week that I often take for granted; the blessings I'm drowning in. I'm not talking about the blessings like the food I eat or the roof over my head. I'm not referring to how blessed I am to have gotten an A on that advanced chemistry test last Friday without cheating off  mr. geeky smartypants kid or the luck involved in getting the last peice of cake left in the refrigerator. You can judge blessings however you please to be whatever you will, but what really came to mind this week were the people that have chosen to grant their presence around me. I have friends that would never hesitate to pray for me or to go out of their way to help me. i have friends that genuinely care. I'm so blessed to have the best friend that I have. Whether it's making Jay Lenno sugar cookies, buying flying squirrels at a flea market or painting a mural of the Beatles on his basement wall, we always find something to do and I look forward to all the other wacky things on out to-do list we have yet to cross off. And we all have those friends we can call up day or night and by the time you get off the phone with them, you feel like a 5 year old who was just given a free icecream sundae with all the trimmings and enough chocolate syrup to fill a swimming pool. That's the kind of best friend I have. And then I have countless other friends to hold me up when I'm at my breaking point and a wonderful wonderful boyfriend that never fails at making me smile. So stinkin' blessed, kids. It's disgusting how I'm just now noticing this. And I suppose what I really want to poke at is that I want everyone reading this to think about that same concept: how the people around you have blessed your lives because God has placed them there and to take the time to say thank you to not only those people, but our Lord and Savior. Afterall, God's the best friend we have hands down.

Daily bread: Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times..."

Food for thought: Luck and blessings live in two different worlds. If you want a bit 'o luck, you buy a rabbit's foot. If you want blessings you'd better put down your dead bunny on a chain and seek God.
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THINK BEFORE YOU MESS WITH THE JAPANESE; THEY MAY HAVE SOMETHING UP THEIR SLEEVE

This one's a doozy so I didn't add in verses today. It's just a testimony I couldn't help but shout to the world. If you get the chance, please read it beginning ot finish. I have an inkling that it'll be worth it.

Cynthia was always the nerdy chick I knew. She was in over half
of my classes. She sat with my chums and me at lunch. She
talked to us. We talked back, but we were never really friends
with her. I was never really close to her either. She was the
girl who said very little and when she did, it was about anime
which was always over our heads and we were left with nothing
but to stare blankly at her in utter bamboozlement. One day in
particular, the topic of the lunch table was religion. Being in
a public school, everyone had their own opinion. We had
Cathlics, Agnostics, Atheists like my lesblian friend,
Sarah,and then we had Christianity. Cynthia even put in her two
cents. She was undecided. Noticing an oportune moment to
witness, I interjected that she come to church with me
sometime. It was a little half-hearted. Spending time with
Cynthia had always seemed awkward and quiet in the back of my
mind; almost boring. Endless conversations about Japanese
culture and other such things that I had no interest in or
knowledge in. Cynthia agreed, to my suprize, however. This was
back in early May/Late April. Over the course of the many weeks
between then and now, I've been accompanied to church by a
friend whose company I value very intimately, but it didn't
start out that way. It took about 2 months for me to learn that
behind the glasses and ranking of number one in our class that
there was a person who actually enjoyed talking and one that
could laugh. She could smile. She could make ME smile. How I
went on for 4 years of knowing her;seeing her in class without
seeing that potential friendship, I'll never know. That was my
problem: I saw a person, not a friendship. Time went on and
Cynthia stopped me one day to talk to me about the things
running through her head. Her mom's religion is very simular to
a mix of Buhdism and Reincarnation. While Christianity made
sense in her mind, there was always her mom's opinions staring
her in her face. She was confused upon which road to take. I
can't tell you how many times we addressed that subject over
the summer up until this point. I can't tell you how many times
I promised to keep praying for her or that salvation was a
'sure' thing and until she was sure to hold off on it. She
didn't need second thoughts. She had to go into it being
confident. Over and over again.
This Saturday my friend Shawn and I went to a youth rally at my
church. Originally, I had meant it to be something only Shawn
and I would go to. Shawn is my best friend and it'd been a
while since it'd just been the two of us. I planned on
listening intently on the sermons and when break came we'd eat
and play those silly inflatable games our church had rented
like "king of the mountain" with punching gloves or "sumo
wrestling" in fake sumo suits. Just me and my best buddy.
Something stopped me though and I don't know why and it was a
last minute decision. I felt as though maybe Cynthia should be
dragged along too. I was hesitant at first but something was
really compelling me to call her up and ask if she could come
even though I really wanted to just have some quality time with
Shawn. So a little after midnight on Friday, I called Cynthia
up and she agreed to go. I don't know why I thought it'd be any
different; Cynthia still undecided and at a fork in the road,
but that phone call ended up meaning the world to me.
Yesturday, around 5 in the afternoon, each and everyone you of
you reading this got a new little sister in Christ. It was
worth every bit of asking the nerdy girl at our table to come
to church and it was worth sacrificing spending my day.
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WHY ANIMAL ABUSE IS NOT MENTIONED AS ONE OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

My youth pastor was adopted when he was born and became apart of a new family he had no blood relation to. He grew up and if he got out of line, selling drugs or drinking, he's father let him have it. The lecture usually included punishment as well as a long monologue about how he may have been adopted, but he still represented the family through his words and actions. The neighbors or his friends at work had even begun to look down on his because of his son's behavior thinking he was a bad father to let his son get away with the things he did. It's the same with whatever we do. If you go out to petsmart and start chucking the ferrets at the pitbull puppies, chances are, when the policeman that drug you off to the station dials your parents, he's going to be a little questionable on your upbringing. Maybe it was a pasttime of your family gatherings as a child. The art of ferret-chucking tends to be a forgotten one in any case. The same can be said of living for God. It's a long forgotten art. So many times we only live for ourselves or the things we do leave God with a not-so-good reputation. We may have been adopted in God's family, but we still represent our heavenly Father. Keep that in mind next time you're at petsmart handing out tasty ferrets to pitbulls.

Daily Bread: Ephesians 1:5 "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."

Food for Thought: As Christ adopted us into a spiritual family, we must adopt the spiritual habits of that family.

THE BASEBALL TEAM THAT WORE DAIPERS

Today’s quote/memory verse: You can’t have a team without a coach to show you the way.

The game had just started and the first batter was up at the plate. The coach for the team screams in animation, “Hit the ball, kid!” The varsity player looks over to his girlfriend and winks. But as the ball is pitched, the batter tosses down his bat, scared of the ball quickly approaching, and goes screaming to his mother in the stands. In a voice of hysteria, he cries, “Want was coach thinking? I could have broken a nail out there?!” One by one, as each player steps towards the plate, they all find themselves being overcome by fear. One guy drops to he ground crying, he’s so scared. One gets mad at the pitcher for throwing the ball at him and comes after him with a bat swinging wildly. Another just plain walks off the field and quits the team. Sound a little unbelievable? It should. Funny how the coach told them to hit the ball and one by one no one even made the slightest attempt to swing. Will that be us when our spiritual coach tells us to swing? If God says ‘swing’ will we lose faith and run from the ball that He pitches to us? Will we quit the team because the going gets rough? Will be come after Him with a bat if we don’t like how he pitches a ball? We need to understand that this game will never get won if no one is brave enough to hit the ball. You may not hit it the first time. You may strike out, but you can’t ever make a home run it you never swing.

Read: Psalms 31:24 “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”

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THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE NICE PLUMP JUICY WORM…WHO’S FIRST?

Today’s quote/memory verse: God lets us live like birds; we may soar at times feeling care-free, but some occasions require a bit more strength and faith.

There’s a little bird at my grandmother’s house not much bigger than my big toe. For the past two weeks, it’s done nothing save for built itself a small next in the bird house hanging from my grandmother’s porch. The sticks it carries are almost as big as he is. They have to be heavy for him to tote around for so long. Sometimes I’ll watch it through the glass as it flies to and fro. Once it carried a particularly long stick back to the birdhouse entrance only to find that there was no possible way to fit the small stick through the width of the tiny circular hole bearing way into his home. It took the poor stupid bird ages to figure out that if he placed the stick pointed towards the hole instead of holding it horizontal to the ground, the stick could easily fit through. It must have been flabbergasting to sit there and try and force the stick in the hole. It was probably both stressful and strenuous at the same time. But back and forth he flew for 2 straight weeks to build that nest. Come labor. Come rain. Come heavy stick and thin. He kept building his nest and his home. I’m building a nest just the same as you. The hard effort we put into life is the very same effort the bird made in building his nest. Our nest is built with sticks that we’ve carried. Some of us have carried bigger sticks than others. Some of us have flown greater distances with them on our backs. One by one they build us a home. It’s our history of what God’s brought us through. Sometimes, the more sticks, the better the home. The more we learn from mistakes and the trials that life’s chuck full of, the more we can learn to lean on God.

Read: Psalms 29:11 “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”

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 LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST

Let’s say you were running in a woods with you friend, having a race. You look back to see how far ahead of her you are and WHAM! You hit a tree. Man, life really does come at you fast. Hasn’t happened to you before? Well then, learn something from my own mistakes and from someone who has. Now, granted, it’s not exactly the smartest thing in the world to do. Looking back is for when we think we’re far ahead enough to slow down a little more; to slack. Sometimes, looking back is having doubts of winning the race. Maybe we’ve looked back to see if someone was still there while we were running. Running in our spiritual journey with God, we shouldn’t look back for any reason. Don’t look back thinking you’re far ahead enough to slow the pace and still make it to the end. Keep growing in God and never slow the pace. There’s no gain in retrogressing your relationship with Him. Don’t look back and have doubts upon whether or not you’re going to win and make it to the finish line. Have a little faith that you’ll be able to endure the struggles you’re faced with. Don’t look back to see if God’s still there. Undeniably, He most certainly is. He always will be. And if you do happen to look back and find that He’s no where in sight, you’re looking in the wrong place. He’s right beside you holding your hand, not trailing behind you.

Today’s quote/memory verse: If you’re always looking behind you, you’ll never be able to see what’s in front of you and all the beautiful things God’s presented us with.

Read: Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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 GOD DOESN’T SELL USED CARS

Today’s quote/memory verse: God’s phone line is never busy.

There are times I want to call someone so bad. I’ll call and get the answering machine or come to find out they’re not home. (Sometimes I wonder if the people I call just have caller ID or are really and truly there just smoke-signaling their parents what to say to excuse them from my calls and making sure they’re not using the same excuse twice.) It’s especially frustrating if there’s something I really want to say to that person. Other times, I’ll just need t hear the sound of whoever it is I’m calling. Maybe I’ll have a bad day and need to laugh again so I’ll call a specific person or two. It always hurts when they’re not home…or when they check the caller ID. haha I hate how everyone can be at work, sleeping, out somewhere, or busy. As much as that happens every week, the one person who’s always home when I call is God. When I call, He’s not busy. When I call, He’s not somewhere else or sleeping. He doesn’t groan when He checks the caller ID…most of the time I like to think. I’ve noticed something. Every time I call Him, He’s working. He’s not taking orders at Wendy’s. He’s not off delivering pizza or selling used cars. Part of His job description IS to listen to me. When I need someone to confide in and tell about my day, God’s always there to hear my tale. He’s there if it’s a happy ending or one worth shedding a few tears.

Read: Psalms 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”  When? Now. Then. Later. Anytime you fancy.

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 YODA SAYS GO TO CHURCH

Today’s quote/memory verse: God’s never sold out and the tickets are always free.

A few weeks ago, Pirates of the Caribbean II came out in theatres. Ticket lines were monstrous and I actually had to go twice to our theatre to actually find a timeframe when the tickets weren’t already sold out. Everyone wanted to get in and the popularity was so intense that there wasn’t enough capacity to hold everyone who wished to enter. People cut in lines and posed as Mike Tyson and bit off an ear or two. When Lord of the Ring or another Star Wars film would introduce itself to the box office, it was the same way. I remember people got in a line at one particular theatre a week in advance and simply camped out until the premiere showing. Sometimes I wish church was the same way. It’s enough that the majority of the people in the U.S. don’t drag their butts down to church every Sunday. It’s up to us to change that, but what about the people that go on a regular basis? Are we just as excited to go to church as we are to run off to a movie theatre and catch a flick or two, chug an Icee and scarf down massive hand-fulls of popcorn? Church isn’t standing in line for Barney live. It’s standing in line to hear about the greatest actor that ever lived: the actor that never had props or special effects to fake dying on a cross. He’s the realest actor out there.

Read: Romans 12:5 “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

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 SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY

Today’s quote/memory verse: Sometimes we’ll reel in an empty line but unless we cast it back out, that’s all it will ever be.

I’m a horrible fisherman. First off, I make for an interesting man and second off, I have the patience of a five year old that was told he had to sit in the parking lot of Chuck E. Cheese for an hour before it opens. Fishing involves a lot of waiting. It involves persistence. Of all the times I’ve gone fishing, I’ve never caught so much as a minnow. I’m half tempted to bring a tin of anchovies along with me, pin one on the hook and claim I caught a pizza topping. Whether you like impaling worms with sharp objects or not, Christians are all fishermen. We don’t go after catfish or bass, but people. The bait isn’t a handful of worms if you’re wondering. It’s something a little less slimy: Jesus, salvation, eternal life. Once more , patience becomes key. The ‘fish’ aren’t always biting. Not everyone’s willing to grab hold of the string, be pulled to shore and stop drowning. The trick is to keep casting. If we sit on shore and talk to our fellow fishermen and ignore everyone around us, nothing gets accomplished. Alright you bunch of fishermen: help each other out for Pete’s sake. If you find it’s especially difficult to reel someone in, grab of the pole together and help.

Read: Matthew 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

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IF THE SHOE FITS…

Today’s quote/memory verse: God’s been in our shoes. He’s walked in them and He’ll walk with us while we try them on for size.

There are some things I’d always thought God got the best of both worlds on. I sat down and talked to Him a month ago and realized He’s got a lot more on his plate than I ever thought. Smiling at Him I sighed and said “I suppose you have it off pretty well, don’t you? You never have to hurt like this. No one ever decides one day they never loved you while you’re not ready to let go and you’re still lost in their beautiful eyes.” I let that sink in and thought about that. God experiences unrequited love day in and day out. It’s not just one person that pierces his heart. As much as this hurts, I can’t imagine what it must be like to face the fact that billions over the course of time have not only left Him unloved, but hated Him. Steve and I are still friends, we’ve just lost intimacy. At least there’s a friendship that never died. God faces so much hate and resentment. And the thing is, this pain will erase itself over time. God’s left to face this for eternity. He’s been forced to cope since the creation of man and will continue to choke the same thing down for who knows how many years. I’M the lucky one. How dare I even think to say He doesn’t know how I feel and what I see? He feels and He sees…just on a greater level. When we cry. When we hurt. No matter how hard it is to imagine how God could have felt the same way we do, he has in some obscure way or another.

Read: Psalms 56:8 “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”

CHEATERS ALWAYS WIN

Today’s quote/memory verse: God said to hide His word in our hearts, not Him.

I was talking to one of my friends this week and got to thinking about how we treat God. Remember when we were kids and we used to play hide and seek? Everyone would go off and hide while the we searched ardently for the other people and the best way to play it was to play it in the dark. There were times when a person never got found. Some times they just had an impeccable hiding place. Other times, it was the darkness that kept the person so well hidden. Eventually, you had to give up and the person would come out of hiding. There are people we know and see everyday playing hide and seek with God. They’ll search, but they’ll never find because he’s so well hidden in our hearts and we won’t shine a light in the darkness. Another childhood memory is show and tell that we had in kindergarten and first grade. That’s what God needs to be in our lives: our show and tell. God isn’t a hide and seek God, but a show and tell God. It’s so much easier to find the person in hiding if someone tells you where they’re hiding or sheds a little light towards the direction. It’s the only chance you have to cheat at hide and seek and get away with it so you’d better take advantage of it.

Read: 1 Thessalonians 1:8 “The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it.” (Our faith should be so obvious it should almost speak for itself. Remember that it isn’t just telling people about Christ, we have to live like Him.)
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THE STORY OF THE ASSISTANT PASTOR I ONCE KNEW WHO I IRONICALLY INTENDED EVERYONE TO LEARN FROM, EVEN THOUGH HE SETS ILLEGAL FIREWORKS OFF AT HIS HOUSE…

Today’s quote/memory verse: If we give up on what we hope for, then that hope will never come to pass; we’ve killed it. However, if we never lose that dream, there’s still that chance it may come true despite how unlikely it seems. One in a thousand of a chance still exceeds a dead hope we’ve abandoned and set at 0 in a thousand.

Many of you know that I went to my aunt’s over this weekend. While I was there, I also was able to visit her church Sunday. During their evening service, I met the church’s assistant pastor and before their pastor got up to preach, he informed the church of something that made me smile, not for humorous reasons, but because it made me pleased that God was working so hard in their church. Doug, the assistant pastor, had, last week, put together flyers which he had passed out at a local racetrack. The idea was that on Sundays, the racetrack would be turned into a makeshift church service open to whoever wished to attend. The first week, Doug had stood out there by the empty track awaiting the first of his congregation…only to find that he was the only member. Standing by the tree where the service had been intended to take place, not a soul could be found in sight. None the less, that Sunday morning, he’d gone back out to the track after once more distributing the flyers Saturday, and earnestly anticipated the attendees.  Sure enough, a total of 34 people including children were present at the service. Doug could have very easily given in; given up on the idea. He could have noted the petty turnout from the week prior and abandoned the idea. Fortunately, persistence won the battle. It’s something we all need. Don’t give up on people. We’ll meet so many people who we’ll want to share God with. Some will be receptive and others will take a bit more work. Giving up won’t profit anything. For Doug, giving up meant a difference of 0 to 34 people that he now has the ability to influence. How many people will it affect if we give up on just one person?

Read: Romans 2:7 “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”

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CHICKEN NUGGETS ARE A TEMPTATION OF THE DEVIL

I once heard a story of a princess to be wed. Hundreds of suitors had heard of her foretold beauty which could not be compared to anything. In order to win her hand in marriage, the king held a race and whomever was to win the race would be worthy of his fine daughter. Simple enough: the men strut their stuff, show some testosterone and one of them goes home with the gal wheezing, puffing at their asthma inhaler, sweaty and, if I may say so, in need a good old fashioned shower. It sounded straightforward, but to make the challenge more interesting, the king placed small nuggets of gold along the path which the contestants would be competing on. The day of the race, as the suitors were making their laps, the temptation to reach out and grab simply one nugget grew stronger. Soon, many had given up on their initial prize; the princess, and were seeking after the nuggets. Men were slobbering over the shiny clumps of dirt and pulling each other’s hair out over who had claimed the nugget first. (Men do the same thing with chicken nuggets) Some only took a few and kept on running, however, the gold weighed down their strides. The king had been very wise in placing the gold there. He knew that if a man loved his daughter enough, that they would keep their eye on her, and not place the gold as a priority over their love for her. God is the king, and we’re all running the race. There will always be little temptations here and there. There will always be little sins here and there. Those bits of gold are placed all over the track. Some of them aren’t any bigger than small button on a baby’s pajamas. If we keep picking those itty bitty sized chunks up over the course of the 80 or so years of this race, they add up. This isn’t a short race, but one that’s going to take some endurance. We may have gold dust in our pockets, but once the particles begin to add up, our pace starts to slow. God’s hoping we love Him enough to keep our eyes fixed on the prize and make Him the priority.

Today’s quote/memory verse: If the king has an infinite supply of gold himself, why do we allow the small tidbits which cannot compare to His own riches distract us? The gold on earth is nothing but fool’s gold; pyrite and God has the real thing.

Read: Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ” 

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THIS IS WHY WOMEN SHOULDN’T DRIVE

Today’s quote/memory verse: Prayers  get answered as God sees fit not as we want them to. Sometimes the orders we fill out to Him are special delivery only packages.

Over the weekend at my aunt’s, we did a lot of stupid stuff. I danced the tango with the kids (my 2 sisters and 2 cousins) out on the town pavilion and then did goofy dances on the side of the town square road to get cars to honk at us…including a cop who honked at us while we were shaking our butts at the cars in the street. But something else happened while we were there too. Our first night there, I was upstairs with all the kids playing truth or dare with them (I had to kiss their dog’s butt under the tail and my little cousin Tyler was forced into wearing a pink frilly dress which he wasn’t too enthralled about) my aunt came in and she wasn’t smiling. The assistant pastor’s son had requested a prayer for his friend Josh. Riding his dirt bike around a bend, a woman in a car had cut him off and caused him to crash into a nearby tree. What had happened was that the impact had been so fierce that his entire foot had been severed from his leg save for a slice of skin. Josh, not being a Christian and suffering from significant blood loss, needed prayer and that’s exactly what we gave him and it worked needless to say. Unfortunately, the growth plate in his foot can’t be recovered and being so young, the doctors estimated that he’d grow 8 more inches which means one leg will be a heck of a lot shorter than the other. But there’s something to be grateful for here. A 13 year old boy is alive and alive and lop-sided is a great deal better than not alive and in hell. Josh was given more time to make the choice he needs to make with God. As much blood as he lost, he could have easily died but he didn’t. Next time you scrutinize prayer or question if God is filling in the order you sent Him because it’s taking a long time, remember that God really does answer prayers and this is proof.

Read: Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

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 DUN DUN DUHHHHHHH…IT’S SUPER OSTRICH TO THE RESCUE!

Today’s quote/memory verse: When it comes to fixing problems such as abortion or even simply hate in this world, we can run away from what’s broken but as long as it’s not glued together, whether it be far away or close at hand, broken it will remain.

The ostrich isn’t the most glamorous creature. It isn’t the smartest one at that. It isn’t the friendliest and it isn’t the bravest. Sticking your head in some dirt for instance and proclaiming “You can’t see me!” isn’t the best of techniques to thwart off predators. We can try to do the same thing and think that as long as we close our eyes, the problem won’t exist; we can simply ignore it. Suppose we’re playing the part of an ostrich and a rather famished lion with his tummy grumbling leaps out of the patch of grass to your right licking its lips. What do you do? Close you’re eyes and simply ignore it? In the world, I will admit, nothing is perfect. Abortion and murder are everywhere. There’re drugs and money to intoxicate people. There are lies and hurt that spread like disease and the only way to resolve the problem is most assuredly NOT by ignoring it. If we close our eyes to that, the lion of it all will simply gobble us up and make us into a casserole. In fact, were we not a ostrich, our instinct would tell us to do no other than…RUN!! Sadly, I’m afraid we can’t do that either. We may escape the dreaded lion but it will still lurk in the grass ever persistent to spread pain and suffering about the world. It won’t die or go away if we hide our heads. It won’t die or go away if we run away. I’m asking us to be a new breed of ostrich, because with faith and a little bit of prayer, there’s a lot we can change. So go ahead. Be the fierce ostrich you’ve always dreamed of being and make a lion-flavored smoothie.

Read: Matthew 10:19 “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.”

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SIX SHOTS OF EXPRESSO BEFORE CHURCH NEVER HURT ANYONE

Today’s quote/memory verse: Love isn’t a quiet thing. Sometimes you need to shout.

Churches are all so very different from each other. Not just in denomination, but in people. My family’s searching for a new church to attend and so the past few weeks and the next few are going to be ones in which Sunday will be like a box of chocolates. We’re going to taste some and put them back down. We’re going to take a nibble of some and save some for later with the other ones we like. One such church is still branded to my memory. The church went around giving testimonies and a certain guy couldn’t say enough and he had the biggest grin imaginable. Throughout the course of the message, “amen!”s and “praise God!”s and “preach it!”s couldn’t have even have been attempted to have been tallied. I almost had pictured in my head this guy jumping up wildly and running up to the pulpit to dance with the preacher. My imagination went wild. I amused myself by making them dance the tango, the can-can, ballet and even the Russian hat dance all in the realm of my mind. Surely there was enough energy in this little old man to have done all four. But it got me thinking. Why aren’t I that excited about God? Maybe those exclamations of joy weren’t so batty after all. If God enjoys praise of that altitude from an old nut, then heck, I’d be tickled pink to be a nut.

Read: Psalms 100:1 “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.”

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HOW TO GAIN A SPIRITUAL 6-PACK…THE NON-BOOZE KIND…

Today’s quote/memory verse: According to nutritionists, it takes 2 weeks to get into shape, but only 1 week to get out of shape.

A pastor I listened to once used this analogy. When he was younger, he used to run track. (he doesn’t look like he did at least…) In fact, he was the best on the team and had advanced to state his junior year. Convinced he had nothing to fear until he went to a more advanced stage, he slacked off at the start of season confident he’d make the cut-offs with ease. He stopped running his hardest during practice. He stopped going to the weight room in his spare time. He even picked up smoking. Come the day of the first race of the season, his coach screaming at him, he finished in last place. His lungs couldn’t take it. His muscles weren’t in tone. He fell like jelly to the competition. Needless to say, he put his act back together after that. Funny how we do much of the same thing. When things are going swell in life, we tend to ease off God a little. We may not pray or read our Bible quite as much. But when something falls to the ground and we hurt, back to God we run. It’s almost like he’s the first aid kit we keep in the bathroom. We don’t even glance at it unless we’re bleeding. Keeping running and never stop exercising your faith so that when the day of the race comes, you’ll be the one to run the farthest. Keep fit spiritually or else you’ll end up fat like our preacher…uh, with all due respect and kindest and sincerest regards to the man… He might come after me now with a bazooka after that…

Read: Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”