What Do You Think About...

I was at home with my family.  We were getting dinner ready.  We were about to sit down, when the front door swung open.  The police came through the front door, headed directly towards me.  They grabbed me, hit me, kicked me.  They threw me on the ground still attacking me.  My children crying standing right next to me.  My wife with our children around her, looked into my eyes, crying, begging the police not to take me.  It was no use.  They took me.  My wife and children following the police still begging them to let me go.  My children crying hysterically not understanding what was going on.  We got to the front door, the police pushing me along.  Cursing at me.  Beating me telling me that I'm a traitor.  Telling me I have broken the law.  Saying that I have harmed national security. We got to their police car.  They threw me in.  Two officers sat next to me on either side, making sure I didn...

I have never been great when it came to interviews, but of all interviews I have heard of, I think Job 38-40 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2038-40&version=NIV ) takes the cake.  This interview makes an interview with Donald Trump look like a piece of cake.  After 35 chapters of going back and fourth with his friends, God comes to Job and talks to him.  What God does not say is "Wow Job, you were right.  You are such a righteous man.  I don't know what got into me.  I don't know why I let you suffer like that.  You went through a lot, you deserve better."  No, not even close.  Instead, God takes a completely different perspective.  What God also doesn't do is go into the conversation lightly.  God basically starts of by calling Job a fool for questioning His decisions without understanding what exactly is going on. After that, he prepares Job's heart for some intense discipline.  God uses a line th...

I have noticed in my life, that God uses crazy and unusual circumstances to encourage me when I am least expecting it.  As I begin to think about my life, I realize how often this seems to happen.  Whether it is a simple text message I receive, facebook message, or everyday conversation, God always shows up when I need him.  Today was one of those days where he showed up in a way, where I didn't expect him to show up at all.  Not because I didn't think he could, but just because I wasn't really thinking about it. Well, today I went to church just like every Sunday, and went to the service just like every (most) Sundays.  Nothing was different, other than there was a "father's day" panel instead of a sermon.  I really enjoyed and was challenged by what was said, even though I myself am not a Father.  Church got out and I was talking with some of the high school students that I have worked with for a while.  One of them recently moved, and was bac...

The most consistent thing I have struggled with in my relationship with Christ is trust/faith.  No matter how much I try, it seems like there is always something keeping me from putting my faith completely in him.  When I sit down and think about it, the things that I try to put my faith in, are not logical.  Money for instance, can be a big stumbling block, not only for me, but for a lot of people.  We seem to think that if we have a little bit more money, that life will be stable and the problems will go away.  Well, newsflash, they don't.  In fact, Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, that money is the root to all kinds of evil.  Let's think about that, why do people deal drugs?  Well, I don't know for 100 percent sure, but I'm guessing it isn't for kicks and giggles.  Why do people rob banks, or houses?  Because someone has something that they want.  If we don't have it, then we feel like we (yes, this is a generalization) are unsuccessful...

Everyone knows what this word means.  The Bible emphasizes the importance of contentment.  Paul talks about how we are to be content in all circumstances.  In Philippians, he tells the church that he does not need them to send more money, because he has learned to be content in ALL circumstances.  This includes the time when he was rich and had plenty and when he was in jail with only the clothes on his back.  Paul understood what it meant to be content.   I strongly believe that this is one of the most difficult things as an American, no, as a human being, that we face.  Anywhere from the man living with his family in the multi-million dollar house, all the way down to the young woman with three kids, no spouse, no home, and no money.  As someone who grew up in the middle class, it is easy to fall in two different directions.  First, it is very easy to become jealous.  One of the most deceiving phrases I have heard when it comes to th...

What is the point of pain?  I mean, pain stinks!  I don't know anyone who would walk up to me and say "I really want to experience pain right now.  It just sounds like a barrel of fun!  In fact, I often find myself doing whatever I can to avoid pain.  But lately, I took time to stop and think about what pain really is.  I remember in elementary school, when one of my friends hurt his leg playing soccer, but then continued playing.  My thought to him, WHY????  His response be me was four simple words, "No Pain, No Gain."  Now, we have probably all heard that at one point or another in our lives, but what does that really mean?  Well, to me it seems like it just means, if you aren't willing to face the difficulties and pain, then you aren't going to reap the benefits of taking that risk.  Why is it that we think of pain completely as a bad thing.  Pain tells us when something is wrong. If you didn't feel pain, from a physical s...