Lost in the Snow - Friday funny

Well it is Friday....we made it. Not too hard this week in Indiana. 11.5 inches of snow and a lot of fun. I hope to have pictures of it up some day. This is a snow funny I found. Enjoy and have a great Friday.

An atheist got lost in her car in a snow storm. She remembered what her dad had once told her. "If you ever get stuck in a snow storm, wait fora snow plow and follow it." Pretty soon a snow plow came by, and she started to follow it. She followed the plow for about forty five minutes. Finally the driver of the truck got out and asked her what she was doing. She explained that her dad had told her if she ever got stuck in the snow, to follow a plow.The driver nodded and said, "Well, I'm done with the Wal-Mart parking lot, now you can follow me over to K-Mart."

God Bless Your Weekend! - Don

What is God doing?

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." - John 4:23-24

It is interesting that people will often ask the question, "where was God?" or "what was God doing?" when they hit a crisis. Many times I will listen to a believer that is lamenting over a crisis and genuinely hurting and these type of question will come up...."where was God?" Now, in their defense, when a person is grieving or hurting many times our faith is not in question, but a time of anger leads to a time of righteous venting.

But lets ask the question for our dialogue...."What is God doing?" John 4 reveals to us that God is seeking worshipers. Worship is declaring how much God is worth. God is seeking worshipers that will worship in spirit....that is to give their souls, minds, and hearts to God and His Holy Spirit. Worshiping in truth is to worship Him with our strength...are we willing to push the plow, sow the seed, take a meal to the hurting, reach out to the widow, take in the orphan, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Today I reflect on the spirit and truth in my life. Do I truly worship the God I love in Spirit and Truth? When I fail Him I cling to His grace and when I succeed I give Him the glory.

Words to live by - you know I love ya - Don

PS - All the snow in Indiana today reminds me that the blood of Christ washes my sin as white as snow! Praise the Lord it is beautiful!

He loves me enough to lift me up!

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”- James 4:10

Humbling oneself before the Lord is not always easy. There are too many times I forget that God can blink stars into existence and breath planets out of orbit. He can calm the storms and shake the earth. He can see the parts of an atom and all of history in the same glance. He also loves me....He is a great God.

Then I come along and start to tell Him what should be done to correct a situation. A line I used in the sermon yesterday keeps popping up in my head, "Many times we pray for a removing job on our problems and God is looking for an improving job in our lives." Most of the time my lack of improving comes when I am not humble before God.

I am praising Him for the reality that as I humble myself, He lifts me up. So, today I am praying and asking God to continually remind me that as I humble myself, please continue to lift me up. I want to be so focused on Him, that all I will desire is to be humbled and lifted up.

Worship is declaring how much God is worth....may He always be worth it all and beyond in my life. Thanks for reading and don't forget I love ya - Don

Friday Fun - @#*&% Tone and desperation

There was once a single mom with two children, age's five and three, who was constantly battling their bad language. She tried everything to get them to stop swearing, including taking them to a child psychologist. After months of frustration, she thought to herself, the candy did not work, time out did not work, and even ignoring the their behavior did not work. Now they're swearing even more. So I'm going to treat these guys the way my mom treated my brothers when they were swearing.

The next morning the five-year-old got up, and he went into the kitchen. Mom asked, "Honey, what would you like for breakfast this morning?"

He looked up and said, "Just give me some of those @#*&% old Wheaties."

With that she swatted the kid, and across the kitchen he flew. His three-year-old brother, who was watching, was amazed. He had never seen anything like it. then his mother looked over at him and said, "And what do you want for breakfast?"

He looked at her and with wide eyes said, "Well, you can bet your @#*&% I don't want any of those @#*&% Wheaties!"

You gotta laugh...I also wonder where the Children were learning these words. Have a great Friday and you know I love ya - Don

Quiters, winners, and saying, "NO."

Therefore, brethren, since we ^(AH)have confidence to ^(AI)enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by ^(AJ)a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through ^(AK)the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have ^(AL)a great priest ^(AM)over the house of God, let us ^(AN)draw near with a sincere heart in ^(AO)full assurance of faith, having our hearts ^(AP)sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(AQ)washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the ^(AR)confession of our ^(AS)hope without wavering, for ^(AT)He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how ^(AU)to stimulate one another to love and ^(AV)good deeds, not forsaking our own ^(AW)assembling together, as is the habit of some, but ^(AX)encouraging one another; and all the more as you see ^(AY)the day drawing near.- Hebrews 10:19-25 (NASB)

I like this leadership thought from John Maxwell:

You may have the the saying, "Quitters never win, and winners never quit." Nothing could be further from the truth! Leaders are strategic quitters. They ruthlessly avoid activities that don't align with their vision or values. They know the power of "no" when faced with opportunities that cause them to drift from their purpose.

I've quit many things. during my leadership journey: counseling, administration, controlling, people-pleasing, and more. Quitting has been healthy for me because I've always quit for the right reasons. A few valid reasons to quit are:
1. You quit something you don't do well to start something you do well.
2. You quit something you're not passionate about to do something that fills you with passion.
3. You quit something that doesn't make a difference to do something that does.

No matter what it may be that you decide to pursue as a leader, remember that it takes initiative to get the project started.

I am working at being a better person at winning with people. In order to do that it is necessary to say "no" and quit some of my issues to grow in other people lives. So, this article struck a cord with me. I trust it will with you as well. Have a great day and you know I love ya - Don

Yes, We Can!...By Faith....

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., - submitted by Sarah B., Burlington WI (www.theripplesproject.org)

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. - Hebrews 11:1-3

There is a new catch phrase in United States political arena. "Yes, We Can..." I was thinking about that new phrase and remembering today is Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I was also reminded that Mr. King was a Republican and strong conservative. (side note....the Republican party has always held to civil rights, lets not forget that Lincoln was a Republican.) Mr. King also strongly believed in the American ability to work, dedicate, and live the American Dream. Mr. King was also a STRONG Christ-follower.

So, in my mind, I was wrapping all these ideas into some kind of logical thought, when I was lead to Hebrews 11-12. Yes, we can through the power of Faith in a Mighty God. Mr. King understood that through the mighty power of God, anything is possible. Yes, we can achieve any dream....yes, we can be piercing light in a dark world....yes, we can climb to any height...yes, we can be followers of Christ because of our faith in Him!

May we never forget we can through Jesus Christ and always have faith,

You know I love ya - Don

Cold - Friday Funny

It is Cold in many parts of the United States this week. It was 2 degrees yesterday for lunch, so I thought a "Cold" Friday Funny would be appropriate. Enjoy and remember to laugh more....

The Indians asked their Chief in autumn, if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing an answer, the chief replies that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared.

Being a good leader, he then went to the next phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter going to be cold?"

The man on the phone responded, "This winter was going to be quite cold indeed."

So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes", the man replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

So the Chief goes back to his people and orders them to go and find every scrap of wood they can find. Two weeks later he calls the National Weather Service again: "Are you absolutely sure, that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely" the man replies, "the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"

You know I love ya - Don

Submission to President Barak H. Obama

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." - Romans 13:1-7

My disclaimer....I have no problem with people of any color. Race and I do not have an issue. I don't have a problem with gender. Too many woman have had profound influence on my life to have an issue with gender and leadership.

I am a conservative. I am conservative in my religion and in my politics. If I believed Government had the ability to change people's lives for all eternity, I would have been a politician. I do not believe that. In fact, I know that only Jesus has the ability to change a persons life completely and gives a new meaning to life that can only come from him. Thus, my issue with Mr. Obama is that I do not think bigger government is our answer. I also do not think it is fair to tax people that have more....sharing the wealth should not be forced, but a choice. I also have some moral issues that I disagree with the Democratic party.

In addition, I believe the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War and the 9/11/2001 are all religious wars against the United States and its citizens. We have treated them like political wars, but the reality is there are people in those countries (not all, but some) that HATE me and my family and will do anything to destroy us to honor their god. So, I am proud of the hard choices that President Bush has had to make over the last eight years to protect my family and I. Yes, there have been mistakes, but we are safe.

I tell you this so that you can see my philosophical difference with the President Barak H. Obama and Joe Biden. I also quote the above scripture and teaching of the Apostle Paul to publicly write that I believe in the United States of America, the office of President and will follow God's directive to support the rulers over me. I can do this because all authority is subject to God's authority. God also carries my journey in His heart. Therefore, I do not have to worry or fret, but express my thoughts, opinions, and service upward to heaven and God's throne.

Enjoy the pomp and circumstance...it only happens once every four years....(Tongue in cheek - I wonder how much money is being spent on all this hoop-la?)

You know I love ya - Don

Gain Peace and Maintain IT!

With all the crisis in the world, I could not help but think, how does anyone gain and maintain peace? The answer is found in Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." That's how we gain and maintain peace...by leaning on and fixing our thoughts on God.

The truth is, you and I are leaning on and fixing out thoughts on God or something else. When our minds are focused on ourselves, our situations, or anything other than God, a thankful and peaceful heart will always be out of reach....BUT when we fix our thoughts on God, His Son, and ALLOW His Spirit to guide us...it is then that we are able to filter our feelings and experiences through His unchanging Truth.

This life is only a journey to the next. For the Christ-follower the next life is more than we can ever imagine, therefore we make it our goal to please Him in this life and focus our attention off of this world and the things that take away our peace fade in glory of eternity with Jesus.
Maintain Peace and You know I love ya - Don

10th Anniversary - unforgettable

Today is Karen and My 10th wedding anniversary. She is a wonderful woman that lives Proverbs 31. She charges my batteries and keeps me running. I am very thankful for her and for what she has brought to me life. God has truly blessed me with such a wonderful woman by my side. She is a Christ-follower, beautiful, smart, intelligent, takes good care of us, and she loves me back. I pray we have many more years together and then forever in eternity!

You know I love ya and so does Karen - Don

Unforgettable, that's what you are
Unforgettable, though near or far
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you does things to me
Never before has someone been more

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

Imitation or Imitator

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

This is from Ray Stedman (www.raystedman.org):

Paul puts it flatly, bluntly, openly: "Be imitators of God." That is a great declaration. The word for imitators is the Greek word that means "to mimic." Mimics are those who follow the pattern or the example of God. If you want to put it simply, you can say it this way: "Be godlike." That is the goal of Christianity. It is to produce men and women, boys and girls, who are godlike in the midst of an ungodlike world. That is what it is all about.

Notice that it does not say, "Be gods." That is the lie of the devil. He distorts the truth and makes it come out as a promise to us that if we follow our own desires, throw overboard all restrictions, cast aside the bonds of authority, and do what we want to do, we can be gods. For, after all, isn't that what God does? He does what He wants; He is sovereign; He does what He likes. But that is a lie. This is not what the Christian faith says. It says rather, "be godlike," meaning, "reflect the one true and holy God." There is only one God. There can be only one God. By definition, God is a supreme being. How many supreme beings can you have? Only one.

Therefore, the Christian message is to be like the one true God. Reflect Him in your humanity. Be a godlike man. Be a godlike woman. From this we get our English word godly. After all, this word godly, which makes many of us cringe and feel uncomfortable, is simply a shortened form of the word godlike. It originally came from the word godlikeness. Godlikeness is godliness; godliness is godlikeness.

What will you be like if you are godlike? Will you be strong? Yes, of course. There is no strength like God's strength. Will you be filled with power if you are godlike? Oh yes, but be careful. It is a different kind of power than the world desires. It is quieter, less apparent, but far mightier. Will you be happy if you are godlike? Oh yes, but a different kind of happiness than the world is seeking after. Will you be wise and kind? Of course, wiser and kinder than you have ever been before, because that is what God is.

We can sum all this up in two words. Despite all the works of God that are evident around us, both in the natural world and in the world of thought and ideas, there are really only two things that God ever does in human history: God creates and He redeems. Those are the two things. Everything in the whole universe gathers about these two. God creates and God redeems. God makes things live, and God heals that which is broken. It is because God is life and God is love. He is therefore our Maker and our Healer. And that is what you will be if you become godly. You will learn how to live to the fullest capacity of your humanity. And you will learn how to love and to heal, to restore and bring together instead of to scatter and fragment and break apart. For that is godlikeness. It is desirable, isn't it? Who does not want to be like this?

Father, this is what I have always wanted to be like. Teach me to listen that there might break out in our lonely, bewildered, confused age the wonder of godlikeness.

Working on being an imitator of God and not an imitation Christian. You know I love ya - Don

Freedom, Grace, and Hope for 2009

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." - Romans 5:5-6

Romans is a great book that lays out the Christian faith in a legal manor. The Apostle Paul is strategically educating his readers on the truth that will set us free and how the Truth (Jesus) fulfilled the Old Testament Law. The conclusion is that Christ-followers are free from the bondage of sin.

There is also a great and powerful gift in the GRACE of God. God's grace not only sets us free but draws us into a closer relationship with our creator, grants us a desire for discipline, and brings a special hope in our future. Therefore, as we strive to please Him and worship Him, we may face struggles, but these struggles are only temporary and pale in comparison to Jesus' love.

This is a great way to start the new year....there is hope, don't forget that.

You know I love ya - Don