Scrambled Eggs & Corn Flakes

Feels like it has been quite a while since I last wrote my thoughts down in a blog. Far too long. Late 2016 through now has been a very dry season in terms of writing for me. Summed up to writers' block and that I had run out of things to say. Tried to force my way through, but quickly found out how dry I had become. I needed some time to re-charge the batteries. Late 2016 coincided with a very dry season for me spiritually. Was feeling remote from God in many ways. Still sensed Him in my life, but the closeness wasn't there. Praying felt like a chore and looking back, I realize I didn't pray as much as I used to. There were other factors that contributed during this season. One thing that did happen was that we left our church. Looking back, this was the best decision I made for my own sanity and my marriage. We didn't quit church. That, I wouldn't recommend. As I have said before, life wasn't meant to be lived alone and community is necessary for each and ...

"Come, follow me" Jesus said., "and I will send you out to fish for people". At once, they left their nets and followed him. - Matthew 4:19-20. What if Jesus asked me to give up my career? What would I say? What would I do? How would I explain it to my wife and family? Would I say no? The disciples here literally drop everything they know and are comfortable with at Jesus' offer. I have always been amazed by this. They were giving up their livelihoods, their means of sustenance, and what they had been doing from an early age to live a life of uncertainty. They were definitely leaving their comfort zones and safety nets to follow. I do not do well with uncertainty. I am an accountant. I like organization, schedules, plans, and consistency. I love being in my comfort zone. Don't dare get me out of it, I might go crazy. I am a person who needs things to go a certain way - a life of predictability. In a way, I believe we are all like that. We don't like...

Quite a provocative title there? Usually when talking about God, we tend to stress about inviting God to be a larger presence in our hearts. Here I am saying making God smaller. Am I saying that God is too big? No, not at all. (Actually He's so much more bigger than any of us can comprehend) What am I saying here? What I am saying and is something I am guilty of at times is only turning to God for the big events of my life or into situations that are beyond my expertise. Medical emergencies, earthly disasters, deaths of loved ones, needing my house to sell, changes in my career - these are situations that I have no problem placing at the throne of God. He can handle this, I cannot. I know this because I neither have the expertise or power to make a change to these situations. I readily express my inability to solve these issues. It's easy to turn these over to God. I am not saying that we shouldn't come to God in these scenarios. As a matter of fact, I would highly recom...

Every now and then, God will press something important in my life. Some lesson, perhaps some healing. But, there is one place that God keeps bringing me back to during the last few years. I wander, sometimes God wants to show me something else that's important - but once done, he brings me back here. Where he is - is the passage John 6: 8-9. "Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" I have written about Andrew in the past and how I identify with him. He's a background character for the most part, included in the apostle roll call - but never usually front & center like Peter or Paul. Here in this passage is one of the few times Andrew takes a starring role in the story. We know this story because it is the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. A story I have known backwards and forwards since I was a small child in ...

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him 'Don't you fear God' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong' Then he said 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" Luke 23: 39-43 The passage from Good Friday brings a tear to my eye especially what Jesus says. To me, this speaks a lot into where my standing is with Jesus at times and I suspect where a lot of Christians are as well. Are we the first criminal that insults Jesus? Or, are we the second one? It can be argued, like most things, we are both at separate times in our lives. Like the first criminal, we can totally miss who Jesus is and overlook who we are. Also, we can be incredibl...

What kinds of things get in the way of you being involved in different ministries at your church? Is it work? Your family? Feeling inadequate in your knowledge or abilities? Being under the weather? Life throws a lot at us. It moves at full speed, we have lots of responsibilities, and there are many things vying for our attention. And a lot of these things are really important, I am not saying they aren't. I am also not saying that we need to get everything right and be perfect in what we do. That way leads to a stress filled life dependent on our actions and words. That will never lead to perfection and the pursuit of that by our own strength will drive us crazy. The key is to keep your eyes and ears open when the Lord is calling you to something. As I have said before, God is not going to place you in a situation where you will not be protected by his grace and mercy. There will be a way to get you through any situation life tends to throw at you. I am not writing this stuff ...