Quiet Confidence

So much of what determines how promoted a thing is in the world today depends upon how loudly that thing clamors for attention and promotes itself.  "Swag" has become the buzzword in sports and entertainment.  Gone are the days of humble superstars like Bill Russell and Cal Ripken Jr.  Now we deal with self-aggrandizing athletes like Lebron James and Alex Rodriguez.  How much braggadocio you exude will often determine your place in the food chain.  This trend of "look at me" and putting self first is diametrically opposed to Bible teaching.

There is nothing wrong with having confidence.  A man has every right to the natural self-confidence that he gains after devoting his time and energies to achieve.  However, this confidence need not be an overt attitude of "look what I've done".  The true confidence gained in giving your all and succeeding will be an inner peace and sense of fulfillment.  This self-worth cannot be gained any other way, but it has to be earned.  It cannot be achieved through the compliments, praise, or laud of others.  The praise of men is but a shallow ringing in the ears that fades away and is soon gone.  To place too much stock in it is folly and self-deception.  Pride puffs up.  True confidence keeps you hungry to get better and do more.

Pride tells you that you are the best; confidence urges you forward to get even better.

The quiet confidence you earn from working to achieve does not need to trumpet itself.  The good work you do will be its own testament to success.  Oftentimes it is those who have actually accomplished little and are capable of the least that blow their own horns the loudest.  The one who is possessed of true confidence feels no need to seek for the approval of others because he knows that even though his past accomplishments may have been good, his next will be even better.  This is because he does not have pride whispering "you have arrived" in his ear.  Do not be deceived by those who seem to clamor for attention the most with boasting and self-promotion.  This will be a sign that there is really not much there worth your while.

The Bible teaches that pride comes before a fall.  Having confidence is necessary if you want to achieve great things.  We must be careful that we do not allow a good confidence to crossover into being an unjust pride.  Pride will often puff up a person because it bases worth on comparisons to others.  Keep yourself humble by comparing yourself to the measuring stick of the Bible and Christ- these are the only comparisons that matter.  If the Bible says that the best I can do is filthy rags, then what right have I to become boastful?  Stay quietly confident in yourself and in your will do work to achieve.  Shun the vainglorious, self-promoting tendencies of the wordly culture.

Patience

I hate to wait!  I am not a big fan of having my time wasted, and waiting- be it in lines, at traffic lights, at appointments, or at the microwave- almost always seems to be wasted time.  Waiting is torture.  Waiting is also necessary.  Waiting does not have to be wasteful.

The pace of many things has sped up in our modern time.  Travel times are mere fractions of what they used to be.  Food preparation has been made more efficient with microwaves, convection ovens, and infrared cooking.  Communication is instantaneous where it used to takes days, even months.  But there are still many instances throughout the day where we find ourselves waiting.  Of course, dealing with having to wait is the issue at hand.  We know waiting is necessary sometimes, but how it is that we approach waiting is the question. 

When we find ourselves waiting, we should know that time spent waiting is time spent accomplishing something.  While waiting at a traffic light, we are accomplishing the task of getting somewhere.  It may not seem like it, but we are making progress.  You see, waiting at traffic signals or stop signs is part of traveling on our modern highways.  As we pass through each such stoppage, we have made progress towards our overall goal of getting to wherever it is we are going.  When we wait on things to happen we are actually in the process of accomplishing that thing.

Also while waiting, we should realize that we have been given precious time apart from the things we are doing.  These wait times are like little "time-outs" in life.  These moments can be spent in reflection, thought, or prayer.  Or they may be simply enjoyed as a moment to take a deep breath and refocus.  Take advantage of time spent waiting to catch your breath when life becomes harried and overwhelming.  In the hustle and bustle of getting things done, we often have waiting times interspersed throughout our day.  Instead of anxiously tapping your fingers or pacing around waiting your turn, use that time to extract yourself from the moment and enter a time of peacefulness within that time of waiting. 

While waiting may be tedious, do not forget that it does not have to be wasteful.  Utilize your waiting time purposefully and it will become beneficial time. 

The Power in Pain

No one likes to endure pain.  No one enjoys suffering.  No one looks forward to hardship.  But there is extreme power in pain.  Pain and suffering are the keys that unlock a great store of power. 

Pain is never fun, but pain is always profitable.

Pain is promised.  Pain is a part of life.  There is no escaping it.  If you are alive on this earth, you have experienced pain of some sort.  The fact that you are breathing means that you have endured some sort of hardship.  If you haven't, prepare yourself- it is coming.  Pain is inevitable, unavoidable, and.....necessary.  If we are to ever gain power to do and accomplish great things, we must first suffer and travail.

Pain is profitable.  To bring a child into this world, a mother must endure great pain.  The anguish of childbirth is what allows the mother to have such joy as she holds her newborn babe for the first time.  The mother's agony of the delivery is soon swallowed up by the euphoria of having and holding a child that she brought into the world.  Her pain was the doorway she had to walk through to enter into the rest and comfort of caressing her child.  The workman toils and labors all day long and must endure many trying things in the course of his work.  But that pain is the passageway to the living he earns and the sense of self-worth and accomplishment he possesses at the end of a long week.  The athlete subjects his body to intense, painful training so that he may attain an edge in competition.  The painful sacrifices he makes in denying his body certain desires and appetites is the catalyst that will propel him to glory in his sport.  Without pain, there is no profit.  Absent toil and hard work, there can be no achievement or progress.  Comfort, casualness, and leisure have never wrought anything lasting.  

Only pain has the power to bring profit.

Pain is power.  Pain is in and of itself the power that moves and drives accomplishment.  Pain is not only powerful, it is power.  Our sufferings are the fuel that fire our drive to get past the suffering itself and move on to better times.  The "fellowship of suffering" Paul speaks of in Philippians 3 is the power that will allow us to know Christ, and to know Christ is to have power.  Only through pain may we gain the power we need to do the things Christ has for us to do.  Through this fraternity of hardship we take part in the pain Christ endured for us by taking up our cross daily and living a crucified life.  In this, we gain access to the power that is inherent in the pain.  

Pain is perfecting.  We are perfected in Christ the more we take part in this fellowship of suffering.  Unlocking the power that we need and that is available to us can only be done through taking part in pain.  Many see pain as a trammeling force that stunts progress or sets things back somehow.  They miss the crucial part of the process of pain.  Pain, after it is wrought, works to perfect and complete.  If we are faithful to endure the pain and accept the trial, then after we come through it we will reap the benefit of pain's power to perfect us.  Pain is the only way we will ever gain intimate knowledge of Christ and the immense power He promises those who partake in His fellowship of suffering.  Pain will grant power and pain will perfect us.  So don't think it strange when fiery trials come your way.  Do not shrink in fear when faced with a tiresome trial.  Stand firm in the confidence that Christ is simply working to perfect you.  Move boldly forward to face the hardship in the knowledge that you will be the beneficiary of the power that may be gained in the midst of the hardship's pain. 

Thank You! Best month ever!

Already this month, the blog has been viewed more times than in any other single month ever!  Yesterday the blog topped 1,600 unique visits for the month, putting the monthly total over that of January 2012 and April 2011 which were the previous high months.  Thank you all for continuing to come by!  I am humbled and motivated by these numbers.  I will continue to try to provide content that is worth your time.  Thank you!

Make New Friends...

The other day I found myself singing a little short song I heard from I don't remember where.  Maybe you've heard of it, "Make new friends, but keep the old- one is silver and the other gold."  This little saying sums up perfectly how we should view friendships and approach life always looking to make new friends.

I have been blessed to meet and make many friends in my lifetime, as probably have you.  However, I am always on the lookout for someone new that I can befriend.  Recently I was able to do so with someone in my church that I previously had not had much close interaction with.  I had seen him and known him from being at church, but hadn't really ever said more than, "Hello", to him.  I was able to spend some time with this person and buy him dinner, and get to know him a lot better.  I made a new friend.

The wonderful thing about making new friends is that you don't have to replace the old ones.  

Whenever you enter into a new friendship, you do not have to terminate an existing one.  Your pool of friends can grow and grow!  This is reflected in the body of believers.  As many people that want to, come to Christ and find that He accepts them when they place their faith in Him.  Christ doesn't unfriend someone each time a new person comes to Him.  Neither should we forget about the friends that we have had for a long time.

Treasure those friends that have known you for years and years.  These are the people that probably know you best, and given that fact it is amazing that they remain to be your friend!  They are comfortable with all your quirks and eccentricities.  They value you for....you.  Their gift of friendship to you is priceless and cannot be overvalued.  Likewise, cultivate your newer friendship so that they too will grow into the kind of deep, abiding relationships you share with your long-time friends.  

Be a friend, above all, and do not seek to only have people be friendly to you.  Go out of your way to befriend someone that cannot reciprocate the things you are able to do for them.  Find someone that cannot give back to you of their resources and be a financial blessing to them.  Find someone that cannot intellectually better you and be a teacher or mentor to them.  Find someone whose time is constrained and offer to do things for them.  Seek to be a blessing.  Actively pursue to surprise those you love with acts of "unprovoked friendship".  Random notes, letters, phone calls, or gifts from a friend could be the thing that lifts someone's spirit in a time of upheaval and personal crisis.  A kind deed or word could be the diamond among the rough of someone's day.

Make new friends and you will never be lonely.  Keep the old friends and you will always feel loved.  If you brighten the corner where you are, then everybody benefits.  To be a friend is to be a blessing.  To have a friend is to be blessed.  Have both to enjoy a life filled with the blessings that only come from loving and being loved. 

Should I post about this...

I went back and forth about whether or not I should share anything with you about what I am about to share with you.  Ultimately, I decided that it may...may be a help to someone out there, and that I would share this information on the blog.  This post and those subsequent posts that are relevant to it will be extremely personal.  I hope that they may encourage someone out there, and I do not share them with any vain intentions at all.

I have started a diet recently, and to be more accurate, I have changed certain lifestyle habits.  I had reached a point in my personal health that I was not happy with.  I needed desperately to make certain changes.  I began that journey in earnest on February 12.  Since that date, I have lost 14.6 pounds and have seen my body fat percentage go down by a little over a percentage point and have seen my BMI go down a point.  I was overjoyed to have seen results such as those in just a week.  The changes have been hard to adjust to at times, but adhering to them has paid dividends.  I have felt my energy level increase, and have been more alert and enthusiastic.  I feel great.

If you have reached a point of dissatisfaction with your personal health, start the change today.  Now is the only time you have to make a difference.  Starting tomorrow means that you will never start!  If anyone needed to change personal habits to improve their health, it was me- so I am by no means professing to be an authority on the matter, but I am someone who has made the leap to do so.  Take it from someone that has been disappointed in how they had let their health decline- make the changes you know you need to make starting right now.  Deal with the pain and inconvenience now, and avoid the drastic pains and consequences that await further down the road of poor health.

What did I do to achieve the results I saw?  I ate less, much less, than I had been eating.  I kept close track of what and when I ate.  I began taking supplements and vitamins to improve other areas of my health, and I exercised more than I had been.  Sitting at a desk or standing at a chalkboard or podium is not very taxing, so I had to figure out ways to get more physical activity in everyday.  I took stairs whenever possible.  I parked further away instead of looking for the close spot.  I didn't eat past a certain time (usually 6pm depending upon schedule limitations).  I started actively thinking about what I put into my body.  Our bodies are the temple of God and we should take extreme care to be good stewards of our physical bodies.  I had to begin to care more about my lifestyle choices and how they affected my health.  I had to be more conscious of how I ate and slept and exercised.  Nothing super complicated, but simple things that I had to discipline myself to do each day.

Supply and Demand

Recently, when studying to teach a history lesson, I found myself getting into a bit of economic study.  Explaining certain elements of the financial machinations of our country to junior high students can be challenging.  However, one element that is somewhat easy to illustrate is the principle of supply and demand.

While pondering the application of supply and demand within the history lesson, I also couldn't help but think of how the principle applies to our Christian walk.  When the demand to serve God within our lives is high, the costs to do so will also be high.  It costs you something to maintain a close relationship with Christ.  The Bible speaks of taking up a cross daily, crucifying our old man, and denying ourselves- Christianity isn't easy as we perceive easiness.  It is work, and there are certain costs associated with serving God.  When demand is high to serve the Lord, the devil will be sure to attack.

If your demand to serve God is low, the costs associated are also high- albeit of a different nature.  The costs associated with a high demand to serve the Lord will eventually work to enrich and strengthen.  We know this because "All things work together for good..." and God promises to aid those who seek Him.  The costs associated with no demand to serve the Lord are damaging and destructive.  These costs will result in the inevitable demise and death promised in Scripture to those who are not saved or to those Christians who neglect to serve God with their lives. 

When we have no demand to serve Christ, the costs are always higher than we can afford.

If  we maintain a high demand to live for God, there will be costs involved.  But those costs are quickly repaid to us by the blessings of the Lord.  We will find that His supply never runs out.  God has unlimited resources of wisdom, strength, truth, love, mercy, and grace that we may draw from daily.

The spiritual law of supply and demand may differ a bit from how the financial law operates, but I rejoice in the fact that our Lord will never withhold any good thing from us if we maintain a high personal demand to serve Christ.  Put this principle of spiritual supply and demand to the test.  Increase your demand to serve Christ and have a daily walk with Him, and see how the Lord will help you to pay the costs that it will incur.

Appetites

Recently, I began to make a change in my eating habits.  I disciplined myself in regards to food choices and portions.  I did so because I desired to become a more healthy person so that I am at my peak and able to offer my absolute best in my service to the Lord.  This has been a challenge.

I did not realize that certain appetites of mine had become very strong!

It was only when I began to attempt to alter and deny those appetites that the extent of their grip on my life became evident.

As I continued to stick with my plan, I noticed certain appetites began to wane.  At one time almost crippling, certain appetites were now all but gone.  How did this happen?

How could this happen- how could these cravings seemingly just disappear?

I realized that my appetites had become so potent because I constantly fed them!  The appetites began as a mild, almost subconscious urge.  I fulfilled those urges and satisfied them- momentarily.  By giving in to the urge and indulging it, I legitimized it to my conscious being as a need.

Now the urge had permission to come back- and this time more strongly.

Imagine a salesman knocking on your door.  If you invite him in, entertain his presentation, stop short of buying, but maintain a friendly demeanor he may be inclined to come back.  Should he come back, and that time you made a small purchase he would be even more inclined to keep coming back.

Now imagine that you had strongly rebuffed his initial proposition.  The chances that he would have returned have now been significantly lowered.  If he did return, and was turned down again, the likelihood of another return has been diminished even more.  The same principle applies with appetites.

Begin to deny them and they gradually lessen; feed them and they grow.

To avoid being overtaken in our fleshly, sinful appetites, we must resist them.  Denying our urges can only be successfully done through the power of the Lord.  We cannot fight fleshly urges in the flesh!  As we deny our appetites and begin to purge our lives of harmful things, we must remember to replace those things with useful things.  As I eliminated certain poor food choices from my diet, I had to add better options to take their place.

Walk in faith and trust in the Lord to grant you the strength to resist harmful appetites.  Trust in God to provide good things to add to your life to replace the excised damaging appetites.

Don't Turn back!

All of us go through painful times in life.  We all share the common experiences of loss, hurt, sorrow, tragedy, grief, and hardship; but the sun rises to break midnight's dark grip on the day. 

The rainbow only shows after the rainstorm.  

When coming out of a tough stretch in life, how eager are you to enter into another time of testing?  Or do you desire to embrace the light that is flickering at the end of your tunnel?  Of course the natural instinct is to leave behind the dark times and relish the newfound peace and calm of the blessed times.  We must be careful to take this approach as it concerns our sin.

When we sin, it is a dark time in our life.  Living opposite the will of the Lord will never make it onto the highlight reel of any life.  We must seek to confess and forsake our sin.

Why is it then, that we so often return again and again to our sin?

Purposing not to turn back is not enough.  Simply have a desire or intention to not backslide cannot sustain one in the fulfillment of that wish.  It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  We must have a plan and proceed in the strength of the Lord to ensure that we do not turn back to our sin.

The first thing we must do is see our sin how God sees our sin- vile and wicked.

We have become soft on sin.

We must utilize the mirror of Scripture to reflect back just how dirty our sin really is.  Go to Scripture each day to bathe in it and renew your spirit.

Additionally, we must flee from sin.  We must plan purposefully prepare to "get away" from sin.  In my school building, we have a procedure that tells us how to exit the building in the event of a fire.  That plan allows us to "get away" from the flames safely.  

We must allow Scripture to be our emergency escape plan from sin.

Finally, we must remember how bad it was when we were in our sin.  We must not allow ourselves to forget how low we were when God reached down into a miry pit to save us.  We must not forget how low we sink whenever we revisit our sin.  Just as we do not wish to return to times of personal tragedy or hardship, let us resolve to abstain from turning back to our sin.

 

How Deep is Your Faith?

I'm often fascinated to listen in when I hear folks discussing living a life based on faith and relationship with God as opposed to living a life based on following certain rules and standards that have become the norm for fundamental Christians.  More often than not, the dialogue follows a pattern similar to this: the advocate of having an inwardly focused "relationship" with God (who is usually a bit more comfortable with the newest trends, a tad more accepting of things outside the old-fashioned fundamental "norms", and who may be a bit younger) will say something like, "To me it doesn't matter what I wear, or where I go, or what I listen to, or what I watch, or what I allow to influence me, or what I say and do on social media, or how I live away from the church because I don't do things to impress men.  I have a "relationship" with Christ and I am not bound by the law and all its rules anymore." 

And then, inevitably, the person who thinks that everyone should follow THEIR standard of living and cling to certain rules and traditions will pipe up and say something like, "Well bless your heart, you just don't fit in with my preconceived notions of what it is to be a Christian.  You are a lady and you wear slacks.  You are a man and a new convert who is 15 minutes old as a Christian and you still have that earring in?  Maybe one day, you can attain the level of personal holiness that I inhabit."

I pity both sides of that discussion, because both sides miss the mark.  Galatians 3 offers a clear-cut perspective on how we as Christians should view the law, or "standards", and how we should view living within a relationship where rules are not what govern us in our daily walk.  Rules and standards and the law are meant to drive us to a relationship with Christ.  When we are growing as Christians, we need a certain set of standards and expectations to govern how we act.  These rules will act as a safeguard to keep us from sin.  Our relationship with Christ has not progressed to the level of doing right just to please Him.
  
We must be made to do right, and we must bring ourselves in subjection to rules and standards as a child is under the authority of parents and teachers.  Once we begin to mature as Christians, the law takes on a less important role as our relationship begins to strengthen and deepen.  


It is sad to see people who profess to be Christians with a deep, abiding love for Christ misuse the liberty that He affords as an excuse to get lax with personal standards.  To be accepting of and influenced by the world because you no longer are "bound by the law" is a tragic mistake many fall into because of liberal teaching and thinking that has become accepted by many Christians.  Compromising false ministers will peddle a philosophy of relevance and acceptance in order to gain inroads with the world.  They fail to see the fatal flaw in their own twisted logic.  They are willing to pander to a certain crowd, gain their acceptance because they then can identify with them, and then they profess to have a desire to change them? 


How can someone assimilate with a faction of people, and turn around and try to affect change within those people?  It just cannot work, and it doesn't.  

Those kind of ministries accomplish nothing for the cause of Christ, and serve only to do it harm.

These people must realize that absent the influence of the law, we are prone to wander.  I must allow rules and standards to drive me to a relationship with Christ.  I must grow and mature under the safe tutelage of those rules and standards and allow their rigidity to provide the structure of my early Christian life.  Then, as my faith and relationship deepens, I no longer live "under" the rule of law but I abide in love and affection for Christ and seek only to do those things which please Him.  Once I do reach that level of faith, I will find that Christ will speak to me about how it is I am to live. 

The closer I get to Christ, the farther away I am from  the world.  The deeper my love for Christ, the stronger my hatred of sin becomes.  The sweeter my walk with the Lord, the more sincere my love for people will be. 

To say that I have a relationship with Christ, and then flirt with the world is delusional thinking and false doctrine.

I also believe that the harsh critic who clings to his standards in a pharisaical way is tragically far from being in a true relationship with Christ.  This person is often bitter.  This person has replaced the close, sweet walk with Christ that he should have with a set of standards to which he rigidly adheres.  His life is not marked by the fruits of the Spirit.  There is a severity with which they deal with those who don't meet "their" standard.  They look down their nose at growing Christians who, though sincere, have not "cleaned up" enough to meet their standard. 

These people have, in essence, replaced Christ with the law.  

They fail to see that given their own personal failings (because no one is faultless), the law they love and cling to is the very thing that condemns them!  If they reject the true relationship they should have with Christ, then they become responsible to keep the WHOLE law.  This is impossible. 

To go too far to one side of this discussion or the other will find one in error.  Christ demands that we keep His commandments: whether we do this out of obligation to the law, or out of love for Him does not matter.  The whole duty of man is to obey Christ.  Early in our Christian walk, we need to be subjected to the law.  After we begin to mature, we should follow Christ out of love.  However, this does not mean that every now and again we may need to be brought under subjection of the law again.  We all fall short and sometimes backslide. 

Be where it is you need to be in regard to your current position in Christ.  

If a babe, do not buck against the law- it will be your safety net.  If mature, enjoy the liberty that is found in a relationship with Christ, realizing that a true relationship will now result in your misuse of said liberty to flirt with the world.

Thank you for reading!

This blog received one thousand five hundred and sixty-nine unique visits in January, the most for any one month in the short history of this blog!  This month there have been over 1,100 unique visitors- I hope we can break the record set last month and continue to grow.  God bless you for taking time to visit the blog.  I pray that what you will find here will always be helpful.  Thank you!

Industriousness

How strong is your will to achieve?  How potent is your desire to excel?  Do you seek to find ways to better yourself?  Are you an industrious person?  So lacking in our modern, convenient world is a sense of industriousness.

We are spoiled.  We press buttons, flip switches, and even simply speak to accomplish things that used to require work or effort to accomplish.  Our cleverness has been the undoing of our industriousness.  Always seeking an easier or more convenient way to perform a task does not necessarily translate well to life.  There are no shortcuts to take in relationships.  There is no way to make dealing with a tragedy easier or more efficient. 

A return to industriousness would spark a revival in this country of good old-fashioned getting things done!  Having a strong sense of industriousness does not preclude one from also being clever.  The reality is quite to the contrary- being industrious has been what has propelled great minds to their clever discoveries, inventions, and achievements.  Without that strong work ethic, cleverness becomes mere cuteness.  A neat idea stripped of the hard work that develops it only produces novelty.  However, when a clever mind employs a strong desire to excel, greatness is achieved.

Don't shy away from being industrious.  Success travels in the company of very hard work.  There are no shortcuts.  Let your industriousness couple with your cleverness to produce excellence.

I Stand Amazed!

What amazes you?  What leaves you speechless?  What moves you?  In a world where it is increasingly more difficult to shock, amaze, and move most people, I find that I am still amazed at Jesus!

The spectacular is constantly being updated and challenged.  What was once rarity is today commonplace.  Feats that previously had been thought to be impossible have been achieved.  The great play of yesteryear is now an every game occurrence in the modern era.  What surprised and amazed people of past generations barely elicits a yawn these days.  The alley-oop that only a few pros could pull off now happens in high school and AAU games.  The leaping grab that was once reserved for NFL top-tier receivers to make is now made by amateur athletes all over the country.  What was shocking and amazing on television and in movies is now what comprises most of our commercials.

As time marches on, the bar is constantly being raised on what it takes to amaze.  Yet, as our ability to achieve and surpass our predecessors increases, one thing should remain constant- our amazement at the goodness of God!  The one thing in my life that has never been topped is God's unbelievable generosity and grace in my life.  The mercies of the Lord are new everyday!  God routinely leaves me amazed and speechless in His presence.  I often go to Him and cannot audibly say anything, but my heart is overflowing with praise and thanksgiving.  God's undeniable and undeserved working in my life is the one thing that is guaranteed to never be upended by some other newer thing that is better.

One reason that is so, is that there is nothing greater than my God!  He is the reason I live, and He alone grants me the strength and ability to carry on living in this wicked world.  God is the undisputed champion in my life!  Secondly, God is constantly one-upping Himself!  Just when I think that the Lord could not bless me any more- He does!  Just when I think I have reached the limits of God's mercy and patience- He grants another chance!  God is good!

If you have grown dissatisfied with the instability of this ever-changing world, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Allow the Lord to be the focal point of your life.  Give yourself to Him, and He will not let you down.  You will be constantly amazed, satisfied, fulfilled, and left with the overwhelming feeling of being loved, uplifted, protected, and promoted by the Lord.  God never fails, and He will not fail to leave you amazed in His presence.

Pyramid of Greatness

UCLA basketball coach John Wooden became an icon for his success and achievements on the court.  Without a doubt, he is the greatest coach in NCAA basketball history.  The titles (10, including 7 in a row- no other coach has more than 4), the perfect seasons (4, no other coach has more than 1), and the 88-game winning streak cannot even begin to sum up the greatness of Coach Wooden.  His greatest achievement may have been that he taught his players not just how to play, but how to live. 

Wooden was given a seven point creed by his father when he graduated from grammar school as a boy.  These were the points:

1. Make each day your masterpiece
2. Be true to yourself
3. Help others
4. Make friendship a fine art
5. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day
7. Pray for guidance, and give thanks for your blessings everyday.


No wonder John Wooden matured into a great man!  Wooden truly took these principles to heart and created his own Pyramid of Success.  His chart is good not only for coaching and teaching basketball, but is also applicable to the game of life.  Wooden would instruct his teams in the x's and o's of offense and defense and shooting and passing- but he would often mix in nuggets of truth like, "Be quick but don't hurry" or "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."

Let us each strive to make each day, each moment of our lives count towards some greater good.  As a member of a team, it is sometimes necessary to make individual sacrifices for the overall good of the unit.  We sometimes may have to make personal sacrifices to achieve the Lord's will for our lives, but in so doing we reap the ultimate reward of a job well done for the Lord.

Friendship

On a day dedicated mostly to the romantic, I would like to offer up a praise of friendship.  I am extremely thankful for friendship.  Absent friendship, my life would be devoid of much happiness and depleted of fun and excitement.  The friendships I enjoy give my life the color and depth that I so need to break up the drab reality that makes up so much of my work-a-day existence.  Among the daily, mundane trivialities are interspersed those random and joyful interactions with....friends. 

At this time, I am unmarried.  I have no spouse from which to derive the daily pleasures of conversation, encouragement, or companionship.  I am not in a "romantic" relationship, so I must treasure the true gift of friendship.  Even on a day that the world has by and large turned into a celebration of lust (some of the Valentine's cards I've read this year were downright dirty and should have had a warning label!) by focusing solely on what kind of pleasures sensual relations bring, don't lose sight of those good friends who also love and cherish you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I pray that you will all enjoy a wonderful day today, and share many warm wishes of happiness and affection with those you love.  Remember, you can never tell those close to you how much you love and appreciate them enough!  Cherish today, as you should each day, and make many fantastic memories.

The Most Forgiving People Should be the Forgiven

One of the hallmarks of Christian character should be the capacity to forgive.  Being forgiving of the faults, foibles, and failures of others should characterize our everyday behavior.  Why is it that this should be the case?

Being forgiving involves a complicated equation of emotions.  When someone offers forgiveness to another, immediately implied is the fact that forgiveness is necessary.  That is, one person has been wronged, and another has done wrong.  Someone is the offended, and another the offender.  Wrapped up in the hurt of being done wrong and the desire to get even, must be a stronger sense of compassion and responsibility as someone who has also had to seek forgiveness.  Overpowering the emotions to avenge the wrong done must be the capacity to forgive.  Forgiveness involves taking yourself out of that complicated emotional equation.  For true forgiveness to be offered, you must view the situation not through the lens of your own emotions, but through the prism compassion and your own true standing. 

As someone who has been forgiven, it is important to remember that mercy has been granted to your account.  Who are we, then, to withhold that same courtesy from another?   The Lord demands us to remember our true standing in His sight: lowly and deserving of hell.  We are not so important that we cannot overlook our own faults and need to be forgiven to hold another to a higher standard.  When you feel that you have been wronged or hurt, consider that you have been in the offending person's stead yourself.  If the holy God of heaven can look down and forgive a wretched sinner such as yourself, how much more should we offer forgiveness when necessary.  As the forgiven, we should be apt to forgive and quick to seek healing and restoration.

Effort Reflects Expectation

Have you ever been given some task to perform and not been sure of how to proceed?  Oftentimes this could be the result of not being told what specifically was going to be expected.  If you are unsure that you will be followed up with or uncertain as to what you should be doing exactly, your effort will tend to reflect that.  On the other hand, if you have been given a job that has been outlined thoroughly, and expectations have been made clear and directions have been explicit, you will be certain to give your best.

Applying oneself to a task is an exercise in personal responsibility and self-motivation.  Absent expectation, our own personal drive to excel and achieve can sometimes lag behind where it would be given a high expectation.  Only a select few people possessed of an intense personal motivation to consistently best previous personal efforts tend to maintain high standards in the absence of expectation.  Simply put, very few of us have the drive to apply our best effort unless we know that that is what is expected.  The tendency to slack off when the boss isn't around is testament to this.  When no one is around to motivate, we tend to let standards slip a little. 

When we as Christians think about this issue, we should acknowledge that God sees all.  There is never a moment when God is not "around" to observe how we are behaving.  The expectations of how we should act are laid out for us in Scripture.  We cannot use ignorance as an excuse for poor behavior.  The Bible contains the principles that are to be our motivation.  The expectations of the Lord have been made extremely clear in Scripture, and given that fact we should live accordingly. 

In the daily struggle of life, remember that much is expected of you.  To whom much is given, much is required.  We have been given the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so we must be willing and usable vessels to accomplish the work of the Lord.  Our efforts to please the Lord and to live out His will should directly reflect the expectation that Christ places upon us.  We should endeavor to live a daily life that meets the high calling and expectation of Christ upon us. 

Hattiesburg Architecture- Saenger Theater

As someone who maintains an avid interest in architecture, it is only natural for me to highlight some of the architectural gems of my area.  The first building I will share with you is the Saenger Theater in downtown Hattiesburg.

Saenger Theater on opening day in 1929.

 The Saenger brothers, Abe and Julian, built six other ornate movie palaces throughout the South in the late 1910's and early 1920's.  The theater in Hattiesburg was their seventh and final project completed before the sale of their enterprise to the Publix Theater chain, which had ties to Paramount Pictures.  The Saengers enlisted New Orleans architect Emile Weil to design and build their Hattiesburg theater.  Weil was an architect of some note in New Orleans, having overseen the building of properties that had become highly respected for their design.  Weil had opened his own architecture firm in 1899, so by the time he was contracted by  the Saenger brothers, he was well established.

  This is one of the ornate mansions in New Orleans that contributed to Emile Weil's sterling reputation.

The Saenger Theater opened in Hattiesburg on Thanksgiving day 1929, and was immediately a well received property.  It soon became known as "The jewel of downtown Hattiesburg".  The theater was art-deco in its ornamentation and style, which was the style du jour in the 1920's and 1930's.  The theater could seat over 1,000 and featured a full orchestra pit and a 778-pipe Robert Morton organ.  This organ would be used to accompany the silent movies that first played in the Saenger, and also during intermissions between pictures.  The organ was known for being one of the finest in  the South.

A good example of art-deco style ornamentation from the Saenger lobby.

A balcony light fixture from the Saenger.

The main chandelier in the theater auditorium. It weighs over a ton, and contains more than 500 pieces of glazed glass.

Art-deco sconce from theater auditorium.

The Saenger Theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and was the recipient of a full restoration in 1999 by  the city of Hattiesburg.  The theater had sadly fallen into disrepair in the 1980's, and had passed into the ownership of the city of Hattiesburg.  Today, the theater is host to concerts, plays and other theatrical productions, and civic events.  The Saenger is a good representation of the art-deco architectural style, and is indeed a gem of the Hattiesburg downtown area.

The Saenger present day.

Hope Springs Eternal

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel on life?  I know I have felt like quitting many, many times.  How do you handle the problems and pressures of life?  What pulls you back from the brink?  What keeps you going when wanting to give in?

Countless people the world over face these questions in the midst of personal crises everyday.  Some draw strength from religion, family, and friends.  Some may find a brief respite in hobbies or leisure activities, only to find their problems right where they had left them.  And not only are  they still there waiting, they've gotten bigger!  The problem with the temporal solutions I mentioned are that none of them proffer a final solution.  Religious people can suffer through times of doubting their chosen belief systems.  Family and friends can provide only fleeting moments of happy distraction before they too begin to compound your problems!

Reaching a place of hopelessness is a common occurrence in this age of anxiety.  The fast-paced, high-pressure society we inhabit can be a tough, cruel place.  Ask the small business owner who lost it all when the economy tanked.  Ask the single parent scratching, fighting, and clawing tooth and nail to juggle the responsibilities of raising a family and making a living with no spouse to care or help.  Ask the alienated, downtrodden, oppressed, uninspired, forsaken, and wretched souls on life's skid row about how fair or pleasant or hopeful life is.  Allowing that feeling of hopelessness to creep in creates a psychological disparity between actual and imagined circumstances.  The reality of a situation may not be as bleak as a hopeless person thinks it to be, but through the lens of their hopelessness and despair everything is gloomy.

Prior to life becoming so dismal, the world was full of bright prospects for health, happiness, and success for the hopeless person.  He had high hopes and goals.  He possessed a verve and vigor; vitality, vision, and passion were the order of the day and not doom, gloom, and sorrow.  How did a person with such a bright outlook become mired in hopelessness?  They were drawing from a limited supply.

The only source of hope that never runs dry is the Lord.  The joy that comes from knowing you can cast all your cares on Jesus is a huge asset that a Christian can lay claim to.  The value of the confidence in feeling the uplifting Spirit of Christ beside you as you face life's dilemmas cannot be underestimated.  Imagine knowing that Almighty God was striding beside you, step for step as you journeyed through life.  Is there room for feelings of hopelessness when God is on your side?  Can the Lord, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, handle your past-due bills?  Can the Great Physician help you to deal with the sickness of a child?  I believe He can.  The eternal well of hope found in the Lord springs new everyday in the lives of those trusting in Him.  Though problems will still arise, those who live by faith may draw from a never-ending supply of help to face the tough times. 

If you have been feeling detached, depressed, unfocused, out of touch, forsaken, or forgotten- please, run to the Lord.  He alone can ease your burdens.  The comfort found in Christ is final not fickle and lasting not leaving.  The worldly pleasures that tempt and lure will provide their pleasure- for a season.  One drink must lead to another, which must lead to more, which in turn will lead to a life of dependency and slavery to the bottle.  Christ is no taskmaster; his yoke is easy and his burden light.  The comforts of this world soon give way to more trouble.  The peace the Lord offers is everlasting.

The spring of hope found in Christ is eternal.  Run to it often to combat the cares and concerns of this world and to prevent them from casting their shadows of despair over your life.  The vibrancy of a life lived within and for Christ can never be duplicated by the world.  Let faith be the theme of your life, not fear and doubt.

2011 Football Season Wrap-up

NCAA
The 2011 college football season will always be one I remember fondly.  Despite a somewhat bitter end to an otherwise extraordinary season, the LSU tigers enjoyed unprecedented success in 2011.  Achieving what no other Tiger team ever had, the 2011 edition of the Fightin' Tigers have much to be proud of.

LSU began the season with a much-hyped and eagerly anticipated showdown with the #2 ranked Oregon Ducks in Cowboys Stadium.  Oregon boasted an insanely talented offensive squad that was coming off of a close loss to Auburn in the previous year's BCS National Championship game.  LSU had a solid squad returning and were themselves highly ranked.  The game failed to measure up to the national media hype that preceded it (unless you were a Tiger fan!).  LSU utilized a pounding run game, a steady passing threat, and a swarming defense to take it to the Ducks.  The game ended with LSU on top 40-27, after Oregon added a meaningless TD right before the clock ran out to dress-up the score.

Propelled by their domination of a highly ranked opponent, the Tigers began a march through SEC play with a hard fought road win against a top 25 Mississippi State team.  LSU would also travel to face another highly ranked offensive-minded non-conference foe in West Virginia.  This game provided further proof that this LSU team had something special going on.  The Bayou Bengals dominated the Mountaineers with a familiar mix of run first, pass effectively, and dominate defensively.  After his national coming out party against Oregon, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu continued to make game-changing plays in big time moments for the Tigers.

LSU was truly dominant through the early stretch of the season and climbed to the #1 spot in the national rankings.  Starting quarterback Jarrett Lee provided experience, leadership, and a punch to the passing attack in the absence of suspended former starter Jordan Jefferson.  Jefferson and two other Tigers players had been suspended from an earlier incident at a Baton Rouge bar where they were involved in an altercation.  Lee got the Tigers off to a white hot 9-0 start going into the the Tigers tussle in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama Game
Traveling to Tuscaloosa to face Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, LSU had high hopes to score a huge road win over the #2 ranked Tide.  The team that advanced unbeaten out of this contest was assumed to be the favorite to win the SEC and claim a tentative spot in the BCS title game in New Orleans.  Billed as "The Game of the Century", the contest between these two tough, tenacious defensive teams was titillating til the end.  The offenses could not get much going and had no success at cracking the red zone D of either side.  Alabama moved the ball from 30 yard line to 30 yard line more effectively than LSU, thanks in large part to Heisman candidate back Trent Richardson, but LSU also managed to gain some traction with its option based attack.  No touchdowns were surrendered, and the game was knotted at 6-6 when regulation ended.  Alabama had first shot at scoring in overtime, but failed to do so, leaving the door open for LSU to pull off the win.  LSU was able to convert a field goal to win 9-6 and leave the Crimson Tide faithful sitting stunned in their seats at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The win over Bama meant that LSU was now firmly entrenched in their #1 ranking.  Coach Les Miles had the Tigers playing at a high level with a major "want" to win.  The last test LSU would face in  the regular season would be #3 ranked Arkansas.  The Tigers fell behind before roaring back behind a punt return TD by the Honey Badger that opened the flood gates of a 41-14 win. 

SEC Championship vs. Georgia
LSU would take on Eastern Division champ Georgia for the SEC title in Atlanta.  Georgia was riding a 10 game win streak and was considered to be the hottest team in the nation.  LSU would certainly not have an easy time dispatching the Bulldogs...or so it seemed.  The Tigers once again fell behind early, but were sparked by a punt return TD by, who else, The Honey Badger.  LSU's offensive unit began to click after that, and they would rattle off touchdown after touchdown in the second half.  LSU throttled the dawgs after halftime to post an impressive 42-10 win and claim the SEC Championship.  LSU was now 13-0 for the first time in school history.

BCS Title Game vs. Alabama
LSU would completely fall apart in New Orleans in their rematch with Alabama.  The offense was sluggish and never moved the ball.  The defense was a workhouse as usual, but was overtaxed given how long they had to be on the field due to the inept LSU offense.  Even the special teams, which had been a strength all season, began to falter.  The defense showed that they were a great unit by holding the Tide to only field goals until Trent Richardson finally scored a touchdown late in the game.  The final score of 21-0 was a bitter way to end such a richly successful season.

Overview
LSU ended the season ranked #2 with a 13-1 record.  They were still the champions of the SEC, had won a record 8 games against ranked opponents including three wins against teams ranked in the top 3, and had All-American performers all over the field.  Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne became the first pair of cornerback teammates to be named 1st team All-America in the same season.  Mathieu and Claiborne won a slew of postseason awards including the prestigious Thorpe and Bednarik trophies.  Coach Les Miles was named Coach of the Year by several organizations, and Defensive Coordinator John Chavis was named the nation's top assistant coach.  All in all it was a landmark year for the Bayou Bengals of LSU.  GEAUX TIGERS! 
 

2011 Football Season Wrap-up

NFL
I'll admit that I am not a huge NFL fan.  I would take college football over the pros anyday.  But I still maintain a passing interest in the games and in my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys.  Oh, the Cowboys.  Being a Cowboy fan has not been easy these past few years.  Well, really since the Aikman-Smith-Irvin glory years.

I have become a bandwagon Saints fan of sorts.  I have always had a fondness for the homegrown franchise, but growing up they did not provide a guy much to cheer about.  Recently, the Saints have acquired Drew Brees and hired Sean Payton and have become an elite NFL team.  Their Super Bowl win instantly became a Louisiana state legend.  The team's rise to greatness has mirrored the comeback of the city of New Orleans itself.  That has been quite a special thing to watch, and I am supremely happy for my home state and New Orleans.

The Green Bay Packers were assumed to be the best team all season long, as they should.  They were the defending champions and amassed a 15-1 record.  Aaron Rodgers set records all season long, and it appeared that the Pack would continue their historic season with another march through the playoffs.  But.....as we would soon learn, prolific offenses- even given the way the league is catering to offenses- do not guarantee playoff success.  Teams built around the traditional recipe for football success- run the ball and play great defense- showed up the offensive juggernauts that had steamrolled through the regular season.  The Packers and Saints fell to tough squads with strong defenses in the Giants and 49ers respectively.  On the AFC side, the stalwart New England Patriots were able to overcome a gritty Ravens team to earn their 5th Super Bowl appearance in the Brady/Belichick era.

Super Bowl XLVI
The Pats and Giants squared off in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, an instant classic comeback win that went New York's way.  The Giants were again a 9-7 team that had to rally to make the playoffs, but were playing out a hot streak that no one had been able to extinguish.  The Patriots were quietly and consistently great at 13-3, and were making a 5th Super Bowl appearance.  Talk was swirling around Tom Brady that, should he win, he would become a strong candidate for the greatest player of all-time.  He would have 4 titles in 5 tries and numerous team and league records on his resume.  Belichick could also further cement his status as a modern day Halas or Lombardi, and lay claim to being the exemplary coach of his era.  Much was at stake for this Patriots team.

New York, on the other hand, was once again winning games powered primarily by their stout run game and tenacious defense, particularly their star-studded defensive line corps led by Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck.  Eli Manning had been steady in the regular season until he shined in the final two must-win games of the Giants 2011 campaign.  Manning orchestrated seven 4th quarter game winning drives during the 2011/2012 season.  Coach Tom Coughlin was thought be to on his way out as Giants head coach midway through the season, but as the team began to peak and made the playoffs those rumors died down.

Once the two teams faced off in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, many expected a Patriot win.  Surely Eli Manning and his upstart Giants squad couldn't best the mighty Pats again in a Super Bowl?  Surely Bill Belichick would not be out-coached by Tom Coughlin?  After Brady was flagged for an intentional grounding in the first quarter in his own end zone, giving the Giants a safety and 2 points, many doubters began to see that this game would go down to the wire.  The Giants added a touchdown in the first half for a 9 point output.  However, Brady caught fire right at the end of the 2nd quarter, and New England clung to a slim 10-9 lead at halftime.

In the second half, it was Eli time.  With New England leading 17-15 with under 3 minutes to play, Eli got the ball back after a Patriots drive stalled.  Brady had missed a wide open Wes Welker for a potential big gain or even touchdown, which opened the door for Eli to work his magic.  After the Pats punted, New York was inside its own 15.  On their first play of the series, Manning hit receiver Mario Manningham with a spectacular pass down the sideline that will surely be recounted by Giants fans for years to come.  The fingertip grab between two defenders was even reviewed by officials.  The play was upheld to the delight of Giants fans everywhere.  That huge play sparked what would be the game-winning drive for the Giants.  Running back Ahmad Bradshaw walked in for the winning touchdown a few plays later to seal the win for New York.  Manning was named MVP for his stellar performance, and he once again upstaged his more pedigreed rival, Brady, on football's biggest night.  Congratulations to the New York Giants for an incredible win in a great Super Bowl contest that capped off a superb NFL campaign.

Living in Mississippi

There are some things I guess I may never get used to about living in Mississippi.  For one, I can't for the life of me understand why Ward's is such a popular place!  Their slogan- We Got Big Ones- is an admission that quantity trumps quality.  I also can't understand why the dirt is so red.

There are many similarities between Hattiesburg, Mississippi and where I grew up in Louisiana.  The Southern hospitality, the rubber-boots-in-public proclivities, the abundance of activities for outdoorsmen and sportsmen.

The fact that football is a religion (we just worship a more powerful deity in Baton Rouge than they do in Starkville or Oxford)!
 

The churches on every corner, the Waffle Houses on every corner opposite the churches, Krispy Kreme donuts, and sweet tea to name a few.

However, the differences between the two places couldn't be more stark.  Baton Rouge is a considerably large city and fairly cosmopolitan.  Things seem to move a little faster there, the people seem to have more drive.  Granted, it's no Manhattan or Chicago, but folks move with a sense of purpose for the most part.  In Mississippi, the people move with the same urgency of that great muddy river that borders their state- slow and steady.  As if treading through molasses, the folks here seem to be headed in no particular direction for no particular reason- but somehow they get there.  I guess I'll learn that Hardy Street is no College Drive and that Highway 49 isn't I-10 (thank God!) and to slow down a bit myself.  No sense getting all in a hurry, nobody is going anywhere anytime soon.

Similarity and Congruence: Things that are the same aren't JUST similar!

I was struck by an intriguing thought while teaching my geometry class yesterday.  In the middle of teaching the lesson, I paused for maybe 10 or 15 seconds and said nothing.  I'm sure my students thought I was stumped or confused (I swear that never happens!), but this time I was simply left speechless by a profound realization: things that are the same are not JUST similar.  The principle, as it applied to geometry, was that polygons considered to be congruent can be made to coincide and are alike in every aspect.  All the corresponding angles and measurements are equal.  On the other hand, polygons that are merely similar cannot necessarily be made to coincide.  Although the internal angles are equal, the sides simply need to be proportional to one another to qualify as similar.  To be congruent, the sides must be exactly equal.

OK, geometry lesson over!  I could not help but to take a brief moment to reflect, right then and there in the middle of class, on how that same principle applied to my life.  As a Christian, I must be careful to make sure that my life is CONGRUENT with Scriptural principles and not just similar.  You see, being proportional to Bible truth is not good enough.  I must line up totally with the way God has ordained how things are done.  If Scripture dictates that "no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me", then I must come to God through Christ.  Not through works, which would be in proportion or correlation to Scripture but at the same time not exact.  I must exactly reflect Bible truth to be right!  I cannot be satisfied with just being close.

So many in "Christianity" today have settled for just being in proportion to Biblical standards.  Lining up exactly is too "extreme" and doesn't go over well with the mainstream.  So out go the hymn books and up go the hem lines!  Caving to pressure from the wordly system to more closely reflect back its attributes has led to a rampant increase in "proportional" Christianity.  The old-time "congruent" Christians are labeled as irrelevant and it is believed that they must forfeit influence with the lost.  Hogwash!  Any man, saved or not, with any kind of character will sooner or later recognize the strength exhibited by a man true to his convictions.  The "proportional" crowd will soon be found out as they constantly change with the ebb and flow of the wordly influence that holds sway over their lives.  The "congruent" folk will find favor with a man of conviction that will recognize that they stay true to a consistent set of standards.

To achieve congruence, strict standards must be maintained.  If any one element is off, congruence cannot be achieved.  Precise measurements must be taken to ensure congruence.  Daily Bible reading and prayer time must be followed so that we can be accurately measured against the standard of God's Word.  This is the only way that we can be sure to stay within the guidelines for congruence.  Similarity and proportion can be achieved without undergoing such rigorous examination, which is why it is often the preferred choice.  Not as much labor or skill is required to generate something that only approximates something else.  It is easier for someone with a talent for music to mix worldly accompaniment with a good lyric and be recognized than to stay true to Biblical musical standards and only ever sing in their local church choir.  Wealth and fame do not often accompany congruence.

Similarity can be a dangerous thing, as it can be mistaken for the real thing.  How many well-meaning folks have been led astray by wolves in sheep's clothing?  How many sincere Christians have been duped by the "proportional" TV preacher who promised a "harvest" if only you would sew your "seed" with his ministry?  Similarity is the scourge of the 21st century Church.  We must be sober and vigilant that we not fall under the illusion that it is alright to merely be similar.

Are you proportional or congruent?  Are you merely wanting a semblance of Christianity without going whole-hog and diving in?  Afraid to line up exactly?  Is being close good enough for you?  I urge you to choose congruence and know what it is to live exactly within the will of Almighty God.

Consistency MATTERS!

In a world that is ever changing, finding some baseline of constancy and consistency is paramount to maintaining a successful Christian walk.  Life throws a lot at us, and does so with no regard for whether we are "up to it" or not!  Cultures shift and move faster now than ever before, and finding our place within these shifting sands can be challenging.

One common false assumption on achieving and possessing relevance is that we must "change with the times".  This thinking tends to hold up to logic.  But as Christians, we must remember that Isaiah 55 teaches us that "His ways are not our ways."  To attempt to reevaluate positions every time popular opinion changes, would require a Christian to devote the lion's share of his time to figuring out where he stands based on the newest surge in mainstream thinking!  This, of course, is no way to live.

Finding a place of security and consistency within a set of standards and principles is the only way for a Christian to maintain true relevance- lining up with how the Lord teaches us to lead our lives.  Establishing what your convictions are must be the first step in finding that place of consistency.  Taking the Bible for what it is- our roadmap through life- we may navigate the topsy-turvy, ever-changing landscape that is our life's path with relative ease.  Only through the right use of Scriptural teachings applied to our everyday lives may we conquer the spirit of change and compromise that permeates the world system.  In the central verse of the Bible's longest chapter we read that, "For ever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven."  Taking the eternal and always relevant principles of Scripture as our guide and stay is the only way to stay consistent.  Any other attempt at maintaining a walk with Christ absent Bible principles will produce an epic "fail"!

When we labor in the flesh, we become weak.  It is then that we are "prone to wander" as Robert Robinson so aptly put it in his hymn Come Thou Fount.  It is in these dangerous times of living outside the influence of Scripture that we can become tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.  "Maybe the twilight series isn't all that bad."  "Maybe wearing my skirt just a little shorter won't hurt anybody."  "I can spend a little less time visiting and it will be ok."  "I can miss Wednesday night...I mean, I'm no religious freak or anything like that."  "Maybe my friends at work are right..." 

Undoubtedly, questions of these types will haunt us at one time or another.  It is in these moments of uncertainty that we must reflect back upon that unchanging and ever true resource, the Bible.  Using it as our constant guide and as a template for our behaviors, we can avoid the temptation to ease into the mainstream way of doing and thinking. 

We are hard-pressed to find models of consistency in this world today.  So many that at one time held to truth have let their grip loosen, and even letting loose just a bit has caused them to lose hold of truth altogether.  That is the risk in loosening your hold on truth: things move and change so quickly that where you dropped it is not where you will find it.  You cannot go back to that place because you have been swept so far along so swiftly that you would never find that initial moment in time where you chose to let up on your convictions for just a moment.  Even a hesitation or quick lapse in judgment can leave you in unfamiliar territory as the world has changed around you.  So cling ever so tightly to the only thing that stands firm and true in an increasingly unstable world- the Bible.  Let it be your consistency.  Follow its leading on a path to success, and you will never regret it, even if at times you seem "out of touch" with the fads and trends of this fickle world.

Welcome to the Re-launch of my blog!

After being absent for far too long, I have returned to right wrongs, to set in order the things of the world that are in disarray, and to conquer the encroaching spirit of malaise overtaking many today!  OK......so maybe I won't be able to get all of that done through blog postings, but my sincere hope is to generate content that I feel will be worthwhile, genuine, entertaining, insightful, encouraging, and above all- Spirit led.  I pray that you will come back often to see what is new!