The above meme is taken from the movie, Dodgeball. (It should be noted that this post is not in any way an endorsement of said movie.) While intended to be humorous, this quotable line gave me pause when I came across it the other day. I couldn't help but think about our Lord. He, in so many words (and in a much more serious context), said much the same thing! "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...My Father loves Me, because I lay down My l

"And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word." (1 Kings 18:21) Fat. Most everyone deals with it at some point in their lives. It seems that especially as we get older it becomes more and more difficult to obtain and/or maintain a fit physique. Some give up or learn to live with it. Others have it, but pretend they don't. They just s

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ... These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off

Have you ever felt as though the weight of the world was upon your shoulders? Have you ever faced something so overwhelming that you were not quite sure how you could possibly overcome it? Have you ever found yourself feeling all alone and afraid? Undoubtedly, you have. I am here to let you know, however, that Someone else has also felt that way. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God. Notice with me a passage of Scripture which details a moment in Jesus’ life

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to, "abstain from all appearance of evil." What does that mean? It means we need to think about how things might appear even if our intentions are nothing but pure. For example, in another place, Paul wrote the following, Spirit-breathed, instructions regarding the consumption of meat that had come from idol sacrifices: "...beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who ha

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) Control. If you're like me, you like to feel as though you have things under control. We want our house in order, our checking accounts balanced, our kids behaving and succeeding, and our weight and blood pressure at healthy levels. We might say that this longing for control stems from a desire to be seen as responsible, respectable, and mature. A noble pursuit no doubt. At times, though, t

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) It seems that more and more our society wants to tiptoe around the feelings of those who fail to meet a designated set of criteria. In other words, it no longer matters if your team scores the most points in the game, what matters is that you showed up at all. If you want to be in the Boy Scouts, you no longer hav

Shortly before the siege and destruction of Jericho, we read about an unexpected Visitor Who comes to visit Joshua... "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are You for us or for our adversaries?' So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and wor

**WARNING - Star Wars: The Last Jedi - SPOILERS** As we draw near to the end of another year and prepare to start a new one, I thought I'd share a bit of inspiration that came to me as I watched The Last Jedi earlier this week. In the final portion of the film, Luke Skywalker returns to, alone, face his old apprentice, Kylo Ren, and an entire First Order assault squadron. Upon seeing his old master, Kylo Ren instructs his soldiers to "fire every gun we've got at that man!" De

One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Besides the humor, one of the things I enjoy most about the film is the drastic change that occurs in the main character from start to finish. He begins proud and self-absorbed, but, by the end, after re-living the same day countless times, learns that the true meaning of life is being selfless and genuine. There is something appealing about the idea of going back in time. We, as adults, often long for the days when