Scrambled Eggs & Corn Flakes

On April 4, 2014, a childhood friend passed away after a battle with cancer. I had only seen him once in the past 25 years at our high school reunion in October 2013. I remember that he looked like he had gone through a lot physically, but seemed in good spirits and upbeat. My wife took an immediate liking to him, even mentioning afterwards that I should really keep in touch with him. When we think we have a lot of time, we tend to let opportunities slip away until it is too late. His Facebook posts during the end of 2013 looked promising and that his health was getting much better. How quickly things can change in a matter of months. I reflect back on the Tuesday before he died, when his daughter posted on Facebook that she was letting him go as he lost his battle with cancer and they were waiting for the end. I know he had at least two children. Seeing his family post updates as the end approached was heart-wrenching. It just seemed so sudden. I felt like I was kicked in the ...

There are lots of dogs running through the streets in India. They all seem to be reasonably healthy and friendly dogs. None of them appeared to be menacing - I probably heard one dog bark the entire time I was there. Yet, somehow they manage to survive with little problems there. When Jesus says "do not worry" in the Sermon on the Mount pointing out that the birds of the air do not store food yet God feeds them, shows through when you see the dog population. It took me a few days to get my bearings straight on my first missions trip to India. The time difference, jet lag, and missing home all played havoc with my system. Regrets filled my head immediately as I wondered had I made the biggest mistake of my life. I seriously thought God had made a big mistake. That's how bad I felt by day three or four. Crying out to God "Why do you have me here?" Funny thing when you ask a loaded question to God, be prepared for the answer you will get. That night was the firs...

1. Isn't it impressive that Jesus spoke from the Mount to five thousand people plus without the conveniences of modern technology and it seems no one had a problem hearing him? 2. Most recent vision that I had was the feeling of being shot out of a cannon back home 3. My way or Yahweh? 4. Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" 5. How often do we think of these things from Philippians 4:8? What does that look like? 6. We're not here to mess around - a good quote for a missions trip to India 7. First thing to happen for the India trip was the cover of my new blog journal falling off at the airport 8. When sitting in an airport, I always think of George Carlin discussing airline announcements (YouTube it - it is worth it) 9. First day in India - International calling pla...

He said to them "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" Mark 16:15 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth" Acts 1:8 What is evangelism? Webster's dictionary says "the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ". What do you picture when you think of evangelism? Do you imagine standing on the street corner and preaching? Or, going overseas on a mission to meet people who may not know Jesus? Does evangelism trigger in your minds preachers on TV asking for your money? Those images can be intimidating and frightening. There's a certain expectation in our minds when we think of evangelism. Then, come our excuses why we don't make good evangelists. Not being a good speaker, not knowledgeable enough about the bible, embarrassing oneself, being made fun of, getting into trouble, don't know how ...

Recently, the day occurred that I had been putting off for several years. Since the day I was at the BMV getting my driver's license renewed four years ago. As part of the renewal process, I needed to be able to read some lines for the vision test. The figures looked blurry and I was unable to read them correctly. Susan thought to herself "I am not planning on driving him everywhere". That day, we resolved that glasses were in my future. Four years later (or mere months before my recent renewal), I finally got around to getting that eye exam to determine if I really needed glasses. Yes, I move quickly on things I don't want the answers to. Suffice to say, I now have to wear glasses to see things at a distance. Reading things closely is fine - but things get more blurry the further they get. After a week of wearing the glasses, I noticed how blurry my surroundings were without the glasses. Things I thought I saw clearly earlier were now not so clear. It was astonishi...