Super-Sunday

From the Desk of a Geek:

Super-Sunday

The excitement is in the air and the signs are everywhere, people sporting their favorite team’s jersey, heightened chatter in the news, at work, and at church, neighbors spying out the most coveted “man cave,” not to mention those dreadful lines at the supermarket as the supply of hot dogs, chips and dip vanish as if we’re preparing for an invasion.

Now, I must admit I’m not a sports fan. With the possible exception of Tim Tebow, I couldn’t guess what team—or even what sport—a famous player belongs to.

And thanks to my momma, only team I would root for is Tampa Bay. 😀

Still, the taste of imminent victory is contagious. Why? Because we were created for victory! 

Just as sports fans memorialize their team legends among the various Sports’ Halls of Fame.

The Bible offers Christians the famous “Hall of Faith” in chapter eleven of the book of Hebrews: an extensive list of God’s people, both men and women “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” 

(Hebrews 11:33-34)

We were created for victory! As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the smell of victory simply feeds on this God-given desire. Its power rests in the fact of the certainty of one thing: someone is going to win. 

During the months, weeks and hours leading up to the big game, fans of both teams are thoroughly convinced they are on the winning side. 

They bought the tee-shirt, found a friend with a big-screen TV, agreed that the loser pays for the pizza, all because they genuinely believe victory is imminent.

Yet, until that defining moment, no one knows for sure. Even when all appears lost, the fans of the trailing team never give up hope, praying for a miracle, often ‘til the very end. 

Victory it’s what we were created for. Still, every year, many discover they put their faith in the wrong side.

One day each of us will face another defining moment, one concerning the most decisive battle of all—the battle for our eternal soul—and in that moment, the moment we enter eternity, we will discover whether or not we chose the winning side. 

Yet unlike the Super Bowl, we don’t know the day or the hour that moment will come. We have to choose now.

So which is the winning side?

John 3:16, which is God’s promise: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

And yet when we look back at Jesus’ final moments, all appeared lost as He hung dying on the cross; many of His fans deserted Him, gave up hope, never expecting a miracle. 

But that’s precisely what happened. Jesus was raised from the dead and in that moment, He defeated our final enemy, death itself.

Don’t wait until your defining moment to know the outcome of your eternity. You can choose today to embrace the winner; choose Jesus, choose victory. It’s what you were created for! “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57)

Oh and for momma Love,

"Fire the cannons!!!"

Lonnie

From the Desk of a Geek: Negative Ghost Rider

From the Desk of a Geek:

Negative Ghost Rider.....

I love to celebrate the goodness of God wherever I see it, and I believe that He wants to reveal himself, even when we aren’t looking for Him. 

Tonight when I got home from work I was thinking about doing a podcast episode, but I actually want to wait till Saturday, because I want to try a Facebook Live show.

So I decided to watch the 1986 movie Top Gun, which I'm sure if you are reading this you have seen the movie and if you haven't sorry for the spoilers 

It was in the scene of Goose’s death and its aftermath that led me to an unexpected reflection on the cross of Christ. I was blown away by this revelation of the Gospel.

Let's rewind a tab bit shall we....

Maverick, a young, talented fighter pilot, and his radar operator, code named Goose. 

Arrogantly aware of his exceptional skill, Maverick believes himself above the rules governing his peers and the Navy at large.

Maverick quickly makes enemies among his fellow fighter pilots and superiors at the Top Gun Naval Fighters Weapons School. 

In their eyes, he is a loose cannon who flies only for himself. Indeed, Maverick makes rule-breaking choices during combat exercises, leaving his wingmen stranded. 

Yet Maverick’s ego comes to his defense, and he often fails to see his fault in these situations.

In the final combat exercise, disaster strikes. Maverick, assigned to be the wingman for a fellow pilot, Iceman, struggles to keep his ego in check. 

Both pilots are trying to be number one, and neither wants to give an inch. Maverick goes in for the winning shot on an enemy fighter, however Iceman is in the way, and Maverick loses control of his F-14 in Iceman’s jetwash. 

Maverick and Goose eject from their doomed jet and parachute into the ocean.

It is then that Maverick realizes his long time friend and flight partner has broken his neck in the escape, dying instantly. He is grief-stricken to the point of giving up being a pilot, blaming himself for Goose’s sudden end

Scripture says we were united with Jesus on the cross, that our sinful nature died with Him on that fateful day. Yet it is in this union in His death and resurrection that we find forgiveness and new life, free of the constraints of sin and death. 

We are able to finally see ourselves as our Father sees us—loved and accepted beyond measure, without condition.

A part of Maverick died with Goose that day. A most important part—his ego. His sinfulness. 

After all, that’s what sin is, isn’t it? A display of our own ego? A belief that we can do something to be worthy? 

I think that day Maverick realised his very own ego had killed his friend in a way.

When we look at the cross we see that it was our very own sins that killed our saviour. We were united with Christ on the cross, for we finally saw the inability of our own efforts to produce anything good. Our ego, our every effort was destroyed in the moment we took Christ’s life because of our sins.

For all his bravery and all his skill Maverick could not do anything to save himself or his friend. It was this very same bravado and skill that had directly led to Goose’s death. 

His ego and skill were no longer good for anything, for they died in Goose’s in death. Maverick was lost in despair, and not even being exonerated at the tribunal for his actions could move his guilt. 

He was ready to throw away everything he had worked for his whole life, everything he was created to enjoy because he could not reconcile himself to his circumstance.

Maverick was well and truly united with Goose in his death. Everything he thought he knew about himself and had put his hope in was destroyed. He could never again go on living, continuing to believe in his own ability the way that he always had.

Thank God this is not the end of the story, for Maverick or for us. Just as Jesus’ resurrection is evidence of our forgiveness and restoration in Him, Maverick experienced a resurrection through the forgiveness of Goose’s family. 

Goose may not have been physically resurrected, but his spirit lived on in the lives of his wife and son, who offered Maverick love and acceptance.

This acceptance brought about a transformation within Maverick. His identity had forever been altered, which in turn made Maverick into the pilot he was always had the potential to be. 

God in turn, has always intended for us to break free from the limitations of our egos and live in the freedom that He designed for us. 

Perhaps the cross can shape our vision, our perspective of who we truly are, forever united with Christ and accepted by love that truly takes our 

"breath away".

Lonnie 

From the Desk of a Geek: Fear

From the Desk of a Geek:

Fear

John Kreese said it best in the 80s hit movie The Karate Kid, and his star student echoes it today....
"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?"
(Cobra Kai) - "No, Sensei!"
(Cobra Kai)- "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!!"

Cobra Kai is the former YouTube, now Netflix runaway hit TV show.

Without giving away any spoilers it's a look at the students of the original Karate Kid movies of the 80s all gown up and have kids, jobs, and karate dojos  of thier own.

But to me it seems the biggest story line besides the cool flashbacks,
are the fear that is shown in the show.

The fear of Johnny failing as a father and teacher, Daniel's fear of failing as a father and businessman, and the students fear of each other and bullies.

King David had many opportunities to be afraid. As a boy, he faced attacks from wild animals. As a young man, he confronted the giant, Goliath, and the armies of Israel’s enemies.

Then David faced the wrath of King Saul, who came to view him as a rival to be eliminated. But, in every situation, David found that he could trust in the Lord and that this trust took away his fears.

There are many reasons why each of us might experience fear. We can be afraid because of the situations we face or the forces that are coming against us. We might feel overwhelmed or unsure of what to do.
We might be asked to do something that is difficult. Yet, as David learned, we can be delivered from fear by focusing and depending on the Lord.

David declared that he realized God was his light and salvation. This means that the Lord gives us the right perspective on life.
We don’t need to fear wars or opposition, personal problems or uncertainties. We don’t need to be afraid if we make mistakes, have weaknesses, or don’t know what to do.

As we trust in the Lord, He will light our path and provide everything we need. If we focus on Him instead of on our problems, He will give us strength and take away our fears.

Is there any fear in your life? Look to God. Meditate on His promises and confess them as true.

Trust in Him. Let Him be your light and salvation. Make Him your stronghold. You can be safe and secure in Him.

In Psalm 56:3, King David writes, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” 

Not if, but when, David says. He knows that fear is a stubborn, persistent enemy of the human heart; and he also knows that the only realistic and effective way to fight fear is to continually put his trust in God.

What David says in Psalm 56:3 helps us because fighting our fears isn’t a one-and-done act, but a continual practice. 
Trusting God is the same: It doesn’t necessarily mean our fears vanish. It means we know where and to who to go with them.  Again and again.

We place our faith in countless people and things. We believe our legs will support us, so we get out of bed. We believe our brakes will enable our car to stop, so we drive.
We believe our boss will pay us, so we show up for the job. When we have faith in something, our behavior is affected. We act out of faith.

The opposite of faith is fear. We can choose one or the other. Imagine a world in which car brakes only worked half the time. We would be terrified at every intersection. God is infinitely more reliable than the finest car on the market, but we don’t treat Him that way.

Our faith seems to extend just beyond our ability even though God is able to do infinitely more than we can imagine.
We hope for good when God promises the best.

Oh and.....sweep the leg!!

Lonnie

From the Desk of a Geek

From the Desk of a Geek:

Whose Side Are You On

This morning I woke up earlier then usual. Cathy was scheduled to have a Zoom study meeting with some classmates around 9am, so I decided to get up and write a script for the podcast show later today.

After spending some time in the Word, I decided to watch 

Captian America: Civil War to get me motivated for the day.

In the film, the Avengers – led by Captain America – are informed that their days of operating with “unlimited power and no supervision” are over. The governments of the world demand the signatures that will put the Avengers squarely in the “supervision” category.

Captain America believes this will severely limiting their ability to fight evil. Discussion takes place, debates are had, points of view are shared. But ultimately, there is no agreement. No one listens and no common ground met. 

The Avengers find themselves on the edge of interior conflict, of civil war.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? During a conversation or a debate, thanks to social media, we realize that we are not going to agree. We should be able to leave it there, at the simple understanding that we are not in agreement. But rarely can we do that, thanks to Facebook and other social media sites.

We don’t actually believe that “agreeing to disagree” is a point of strength; rather we feel it to be a sign of weakness. If the other person or the other side doesn’t come to see things our way, we have failed.

And so we flex our soicial media muscles on and off the computer or smartphone. 

We issue challenges, we mistake disagreement with conflict and we display the strength of our argument.

In the movie, this is the pivotal moment. There are six people in the room and the tension is high. Voices rise, tempers flare. In the midst of it all, the Vision delivers a short, yet haunting quote.

“Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe.”

In Vision’s words, I hear echoes of the writing of James.

Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1: 14-15 NIV)

God is not the one who brings evil or catastrophe. That’s on us. The moment we feel the need to pose the question, “Whose side are you on?” we give way to temptation, challenge, desire, conflict, sin, catastrophe, and death.

On screen, the story descends into a civil war that pits former friends and comrades against one another. Ultimatums are put forth, weapons are forged. 

In the aftermath, Vision cradles his friend in his arms and utters a single word, “Catastrophe."

Conflict, sin, catastrophe…this is not the way of Jesus. 

At Creation, heaven and earth were one realm, and God was present among us. But when sin and death entered ceation our ability to discern God’s presence was impaired. 

We interpret this as being separated from God, but God hasn’t gone anywhere.

God does not abandon His creation, but sends out a rescue mission – through prophets and His word, which resides in the person of Jesus Christ, who shows us the way to live our lives so that we might usher in God’s kingdom and a new creation. 

Even though sin and death bring themselves upon Jesus, His resurrection shows us that God is not destroying the world, but preparing a home for us. A home of eternal love.

I don’t believe asking “Whose side are you on?” brings us to the way of Jesus. What if, in asking that question, we unknowingly lead others and ourselves into the temptations of our evil desires? 

Could asking that question be interpreted as a challenge, which incites conflict, which breeds catastrophe? Are any of those the kinds of things that will last into God’s new creation? 

I don’t believe they will.

In the film, none of the Avengers gets it right. Neither side listens well. Neither the way of Captain America or the way of Iron Man embodies those things that will last into God’s new creation. 

It is not until the last two movies 

Infinity War and Endgame do they abandon taking sides and allow their relationships and friendships to defeat stubbornness.

Lonnie

Hero Behind The Glasses

12/5/2020

A Hero Behind The Glasses

Superman is my favorite superhero. In the movie, Man of Steel, they reveal that the 'S' on his chest isn't an 'S' at all, but rather represents a Kryptonian symbol for Hope.

I like that.

And when you're a kid, you throw on a red cape, some blue pants, and wear your underwear on the outside. You run around trying to save cats from trees and pretending to fly.

Boy, that was fun.

But lets cut to adulthood. If you show up to work like that (and it's not Halloween), people are going to throw you in the loony bin.

But I think we're all missing something. We're missing the one thing that makes Superman greater than any other hero. He was born the way he is, and chooses to lead humanity not through his examples as Superman, but through his examples as Clark Kent.

Stick with me here for a second, because this is a crucial point that I don't think they even get into in any of the comic books, but I think they should.

Superman is a god. Period. He can do things no mortal man can. He has love, adoration and immense power. And what does he choose to do with it?  He chooses mild-mannered Clark Kent.

He chooses to stumble when others walk strong. He wears glasses when others have perfect vision. He bumbles his words when he's perfectly fluent. 

In short, he makes others feel like superheroes, rather than showing off his own abilities. 

It's the way we should tried to live our lives. Make others feel smarter, more powerful, and richer than us. Why? Because it makes them feel comfortable, and better about themselves, other words; when we are building up someone's self-esteem, we in turn feel encouraged. 

Why would I wear some fancy clothes and a shiny watch when it's only going to make other people feel bad about themselves. No. I'd rather wear a simple white t-shirt, basketball shorts, and tell them something I really admire about them.

The goal isn't to be a superhero. It's to make OTHERS FEEL LIKE SUPERHEROS. 

So instead of trying to be like Superman, maybe we should all try to be a little more like Clark Kent.

Lonnie....

Preparing Not Pressuring Our Children's Faith

The postcard came in the mail with a promise. Just show up, listen to a brief sales presentation and receive a free $25 gift card.

Cathy and I were newly married and short on money. So, the promise of $25 felt like a million-dollar offer. A few weeks later we attended the event. But two hours into our “brief” sales presentation, we knew we’d made a mistake. The pressure to say yes was growing by the minute. We no longer cared about the $25. We just wanted out!

In hindsight, the salesman was likely under a lot of pressure, which meant his pressure became our pressure. And although his offer sounded wonderful, his tactics turned us off.

Here’s the truth — sometimes as parents, we can feel and apply a lot of pressure, too.

It’s a different kind of pressure, of course. But still, it’s the kind of pressure that, if we aren’t careful, can become our children’s pressure.

As parents, we can have a sincere and God-given desire to see our kids (or any children in our sphere of influence) follow Jesus. After all, God does call us to help pass on faith to the next generation. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

But the weight of this call can create fear. We can become gripped with anxiety. Even more commonly, we become overly controlling and demanding. We can easily lean in the direction of pressuring our kids to choose Jesus. When we do, we begin to create a family culture that feels legalistic and rigid.

Our children can feel the pressure to choose Jesus not because they want to, but because we want them to.

What our hearts need is a reminder of the good news. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

It is by grace, through faith, that we can cross from death to life. The same grace that saved us has the power to save our kids.

While God does His part, He asks us to do ours, too.

The work God has called us to as parents is a lot like the work of a farmer. A farmer does his work and then waits on God to open the heavens, trusting that when the rain falls, the harvest comes. We are planting seeds, pulling weeds and guarding the fields of our children’s hearts. All of it takes time, wisdom, patience and perseverance. And lots of trust. Our kids are His kids. Just like the farmer, we can’t make things grow. We can only be faithful.

As parents, we prepare our kids to one day choose Jesus in response to God’s grace by planting the seeds of God’s Word in their hearts.

We teach them the Bible.

We model Christlike love.

We endure trials well.

We talk often about the gospel of God’s love and forgiveness.

And ultimately, we act. We show our kids that following Jesus really is the best way to live — and it’s the only way to live forever.

Oh, it isn’t easy, but with God’s help, let’s press on with our call to pass on faith by preparing and not pressuring. And let’s pray often that when the choice is fully theirs, they choose to fully follow Jesus.

Lonnie

What Is Love

What Is God Teaching Today

10/12/2020

What Is Love

Last week n my pest control route, I had to wait an extra twenty minutes for a gentleman to come an open up a church for me.

We he finally arrived he was very apologetic, and remorseful for being late.

I kept on assuring him it was ok, things happen all the time to cause us to be late. 

He continued to explain he was at the local nursing home. I excitedly chimed in asking if he was visiting the residents.

In his elderly kind voice he said "No, I was feeding my wife."

At first I felt taken back and a little sad, but then I thought about what that kind of love must feel like, and how it must look. 

Then I realized that I wanted to be that kind of husband, not just on Valentine's Day, but until death.

So it got me thinking, and praying.

The word “love” is overused in today’s society. We express love for anything from the perfect shoes to pepperoni pizza. 

When the object of our affection wears out, then we move on to something new. 

This kind of love comes and goes. It moves from object to object, concept to new idea.

Loving another person is not supposed to be so fluid. When we love another person, we SHOULD want that love to last forever.

There’s something in us that craves a relationship with that one special someone who knows us like no one else. 

We want that one person we can share life with, do life with… and finish life with.

I believe that this longing we all seem to have is just the thumbprint of God on our souls.

It’s a desire God placed in us, as part of our being created in his image. It makes us want to fall in love and stay in love with one person forever.

The falling in love part is easy enough — most of us have done it a number of times. 

But the staying in love… now that’s another matter. Glancing around at the marriages we know, and taking in what our culture tells us, we don’t find much, if any, evidence for the kind of long-lasting relationships we crave.

The standards of what we expect from a relationship are as high as ever — we want massive doses of respect, encouragement, comfort, security, support, acceptance, approval, appreciation, attention, and affection. 

We come into a marriage feeling our own deficits in many of these areas, and expecting our spouse to make up for them.

Moreover, our culture has a very low threshold of relational pain. We’re constantly told that if we find ourselves unhappy in a relationship, it’s because we chose the wrong person, so now we need to abort that relationship and choose someone else.

Into that kind of relational chaos, Jesus has spoken. Two thousand years ago, He gave us the foundation for romantic love relationships that endure. This foundation is crystallized for us in the words of Jesus in John 13:34 —

A new command I give you

 "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

It’s simple, yet counterintuitive. Jesus takes this word love — which we normally perceive as a noun, something we fall into, or a feeling we experience — and He highlights it as a verb. 

It’s something you do, an active choice you make. And once you do, then the feelings will follow.

Lonnie...

What An Empty Pew Can Teach Us

Slain New York City police officer Rafael Ramos had one of those dangerous jobs that made showing up every day a quiet act of heroism.
But as the testimonies that came spilling out after his December 2014 shooting death make clear, he was a hero for another reason, too: Ramos was a man of faith with the rare courage to live out his convictions for the world to see.

In an increasingly secular age, people are encouraged to worship in their own way, as long as they do it in private. Talk of faith in the public square raises suspicion and sometimes hostility, but this apprehension overlooks the many important contributions of faith to public life and culture. 

Where would the world be if the faithful kept their faith inside the sanctuary walls? Without a belief that God created all people equal, William Wilberforce would never have campaigned for decades to end the British slave trade.
Without a firm conviction that God is just and abhors violence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would not have had the courage to lead the non-violent movement for African-American civil rights.
Without faith in the love and mercy of God, Mother Teresa of Calcutta would not have shown the world the preciousness of the poor and dying.

In other words, we would have done without some of the most prophetic moral voices of history.
These public manifestations of justice, courage, perseverance, and kindness – often controversial in their place and time – cannot and should not be separated from the private faith that spawned them.
Rather, they exemplify why more people, not fewer, need to live out their faith publicly in service to their culture and community.

The call for Christians to “get out of the pew” is hardly new. In the first decades after Christ, Paul wrote to Philemon, the leader of a church that met in his home, to encourage him to accept a former slave and ex-prisoner back into his household on grounds of spiritual equality and brotherhood.
If followed, Paul's advice would breach social conventions and raise eyebrows.

It was this trend toward radical egalitarianism, rather than hypocrisy or judgementalism, that made early Christianity so threatening – and so appealing – to the broader culture around it.

And it has continued through the centuries. Churches have long been built alongside public hospitals, orphanages and centers of learning created for the benefit of the entire community, but especially for the poor and marginalized.
Christian communities that venture outside their church doors all week long best exemplify the teaching of Jesus.

He didn’t instruct his followers to merely perform a weekly exercise in piety, but rather to continue doing what they saw him model:
Heal the sick, feed the hungry, set captives free, love the lost, and, in short, help restore each person and all of creation to its God-ordained state of flourishing.

Ramos was a wonderful example of the positive impacts of faith quietly and consistently lived out in the community. At the time of his murder, in fact, Ramos was “just hours away from becoming a lay chaplain and graduating from a community-crisis chaplaincy program.”

According to the Rev. Marcos Miranda, president of the New York State Chaplain Task Force, Ramos said “even with the NYPD, he felt he was doing God’s work. ... He felt he was protecting and serving the community and that was sort of a ministry for him.”

We need to be on the streets, in classrooms, in hospitals, prisons, and legislatures, working for the transformation and restoration of our communities, whatever our vocation. It’s what Ramos did with his dying breath, and it’s a calling we can all respond to. 

Hope

The other day, I saw these words written on a sign at a local church. It said, "Hope Is Real." I thought about it and agreed with the statement.

But as I pondered the simple little phrase, I realized that for many people hope is not real. I believe that this is one of the most important gifts we can give to another person, the gift of hope.

You see, someone who is hopeless and alone usually cannot help themselves out of their situations. They have a great sense of loss and helplessness. We must come alongside and bring them friendship, and the good news of Jesus Christ and all that He has to offer.

One definition for hope is: To look forward to with confidence or expectation.
We must bring the Word of God with all its hope to someone who does not know it is real. When we bring hope, we bring life. It is life changing to finally believe again.

It is more than just asking God for something we so badly need; we must expect our miracle.

I heard a story once where two farmers prayed for rain. Then one of the farmers got up off his knees and prepared his fields for the rain.
Which farmer do you think trusted and hoped more?

Somewhere in the midst of asking, believing, and expecting God to answer, we will find what we are looking for.

I have felt for a long time that the biggest problem we have in the world today is there are so many people who have lost hope.
There seems to be so many hurts, problems, sicknesses, troubles, financial woes, family problems, world issues, political concerns, etc. It seems the world has no hope.

Apart from God, it is an awful, hopeless place. But with God's help, we can make it. I want you to know that whatever situation you find yourself in at this moment, there is hope.

You may not be able to see or feel the hope, but it is there for you. How do we find the hope? There is only one place where hope can be found, and that is in Jesus Christ.

I did a word search in the Bible for the word 'hope' and found many wonderful passages. They were mostly in Psalms and Proverbs of course.
David found himself in situations many times and had to remind himself that hope is real. It comes from God. Here are a few of David's prayers to God:

Psalms 39:7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Psalms 42:11 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Psalms 25:4-5 "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

Psalms 25:3 NIV "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame,"

Trust God. He wants you to trust Him. You need to agree with God about your situation. What does God say about who you are and what His will is for your life?

Don't go by your feelings. Instead we should remind ourselves that God only has plans for us that are good.

Jeremiah helps us remember what God has to say about us. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

We do not need to be disappointed and feel alone. We can have hope! God's love in our hearts will ignite the flames of hope we have buried deep inside our hearts.
God's Word can encourage us as we read it with great anticipation and faith.
I don't want this to be just another Devotion. I want it to bring life to you.
Pray out loud the words of hope into your life and your situations.
*I have hope!
*My hope is in the Lord!
*I will be strong and wait on the Lord.
*I trust God with my life and the life of my family.

Speak these words every day.
*Hope Is Real.
*It comes from God!

He has placed it in your heart.
Speak it out and watch what God will do for you.

What is your need today?
Whatever it is, take it to Jesus today. Is there someone in your life today that needs encouraging?

Romans 15:13 reminds us...."May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Speak the Words of hope that bring life. Hope is real, just try it.

Lonnie.......

Why Children's Church

Children’s church or big church? That is the question many parents are asking lately.

When I began in ministry, back in 2000, (oh my!) children’s churches weren’t wildly popular in my area but over the years, the trend has caught on. Now I am happy to report we have some amazing ministries that reach children of all races and social situations. I am blessed to have been involved with some of those.

A well run kid church can be a major assent in your church and a tool God uses to tell children about Jesus. Our young people are so blessed to belong to faith communities who love them enough to teach the Bible on a level they can understand and enjoy!

Should a parent send their child to children’s church or keep him or her in big church?

According to some recent blog posts I’ve read, many parents are abandoning their support for children’s ministry and keeping their kids in the adult church services. Not only that but they are encouraging others to do the same. That’s fine and that’s certainly their choice but I find some of these church purists’ attitudes a bit shocking. Especially the practice of shaming parents for their perceived lack of commitment to their children’s spiritual life. How dare someone label a parent as lazy or immature because they take their child to children’s church? And I have to ask myself, how in the world did we get here? Aren’t we all co-ministers of the gospel?

To you, dear children’s minister, I say keep up the good work. Share the gospel. Love the kids. Don’t let this vocal minority discourage you in any way. Kids need you. They need children’s church. You know the calling God has put in your life – keep telling them about Jesus. It matters so much. Here’s why:

1. Children need socialization / peer fellowship too. 

Many parents homeschool their children and the socialization aspect of children’s church is a major plus for these kids. These parents need you and your ministry.

2. Children need the community to stand with them.

While in public schools, children are bombarded with confusing messages about gender, sexuality and so much more. In children’s church, they learn that it is okay to stand up for what’s right and they see how they can do it by watching other children. Just like adults need fellowship, children do too.

3. Children don’t need to be “preached at” to be inspired.

There, I said it. Children learn differently. Let’s teach kids the way they need to be taught. If they were in school, they wouldn’t just sit at a desk all day and listen to the teacher drone on and on. They would be at learning centers, trying hands on experiments. They would be doing all those things. Not being preached at from a faraway pulpit. Or worse learning to fake listen like too many grown-ups in our congregations.

4. Jesus encouraged us to let the children come to him–and do not hinder them! 

Here’s the actual verse in Matthew 19:14,”Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  What was the action here? Whoever brought these children (parents? friends?) wanted Jesus to interact with them, lay hands on them, pray for them. They weren’t being led into the temple to sit on a pew. Something to think about!

5. Children need access to your special anointing. 

And it is special. You are anointed to minister to children. God is aware of our culture. He is aware of our current methods of ministry. You have been put here on purpose for an on-purpose reason. No matter who speaks against your ministry, you are called by God to stand in the place you serve. Don’t give up. Be encouraged. You are a blessing.

None of this trumps a parent’s personal conviction. Only the parent can know if their child is “getting it” in the big church experience.
The best models we’ve seen blend the kids into the adult service increasingly as they mature. So maybe preschoolers get some songs, younger elementary stay a little more, older elementary is there most of the time. Every church is working on a balance.

We’re all on the same team with one goal – that our kids can grow to love & trust Jesus with all their hearts. Let’s just make sure we don’t rush them past the tremendous blessing found in the children’s church.

Monday Morning Church

For most folks, Monday is a hard day to get up and get going. I remember having some jobs in life where it was hard to sleep on Sunday night for dread of having to get up and go to work on Monday morning. If that’s you, you have my sympathy. But let me also give you a word of encouragement –

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Php 4:19)

Paul tells us that “God shall supply all your need.” God is always mindful of every need of His children and He has promised to supply all of them.

‘All’ means – all. That includes things like food and clothing, but it also includes grace for living. God is willing to supply you with His strength for you to begin a new week of work. What’s more, God’s supplies aren’t limited.

They are in proportion to His riches in glory. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can think or ask.

Hudson Taylor, who was a missionary to China during the 1800′s, often said, “When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will not lack for God’s supply.” 

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, our work for Him doesn’t end once Sunday is over. Every day we are to be on mission with Him; even at school or our places of employment.

Rather than trying to just make it through another Monday, let me encourage you to try approaching it with the mindset and anticipation that God has some special things He wants us to accomplish.

Perhaps we will have the opportunity today to say or do something that might greatly help and encourage another person. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to share the gospel. Perhaps God will use us this Monday to turn someone’s life around.

Lonnie

God's Restoration Plan

God's  Restoration Plan

"And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth." (Ephesians 1:10)

From the beginning of time, mankind has searched for peace. He has joined peace movements. He has marched for peace. He has awarded prizes for peace. He has even gone to war for peace. And when you hear of someone being arrested for disturbing the peace, you wonder where they found any to disturb.

There are people today who put bumper stickers on their car that say, "Visualize world peace." Then they cut you off on the freeway.

One day there will be peace. But it won't be brought about by the United Nations. It won't be brought about by any nation. It will be brought about by God Himself. It will happen when the Creator Himself returns, takes possession of what is rightfully His, and hangs a sign over this war-weary planet that says, "Under new management." Christ will return, and He will bring lasting peace.

God's perfect plan, according to Ephesians 1:10, is to "bring everything together under the authority of Christ."

Peter preached in Acts 3:21 that Christ "must remain in Heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets." God is going to make earth into Heaven and Heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates man and God was torn down as a result of the Cross, so too will the wall that separates Heaven and earth be demolished.

Have you ever seen a completely restored classic car cruise down the street? It catches your eye. You think, That is awesome! That is beautiful! That is incredible! That is because you love to see something restored to its original condition.

God is into restoration. He is into restoring lives. He is into restoring bodies. And He is even into restoring our planet.

Happy Rod Run Day..
Lonnie

My Brother/My Sister/Our God

"Am I my brother's keeper",
Cain's insolent and arrogant response to God's question is a sign of his inward, unacknowledged guilt.

This is always the way of guilt—to disclaim responsibility. Cain replies, My brother? What have I to do with my brother? Am I my brother's keeper? Is it my responsibility to know where my brother is? 

The hypocrisy of that is most evident. Though Cain could disclaim responsibility for knowing where his brother was, he did not hesitate to assume the greater responsibility of taking his brother's life.

We have heard much of the same thing in modern times. When Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered in 1968, many were saying these same things. 

It's not our fault that Dr. King was killed. Why should we suffer for what some fanatic did? It's not our responsibility. Soon some were saying, He ought to have known this would happen.

After all, if you stir up trouble, sooner or later you will pay the price for it. No one can deny the logic and truth of a statement like that.

Yet it is very obviously incomplete. There is nothing in it of facing responsibility and no honest answering of the terrible question from Cain's lips, Am I my brother's keeper?

Two or three decades ago, Dr. Carl Henry wrote a book called 
The Uneasy Conscience of Fundamentalism, which bothered many people when it first came out.

Dr. Henry pointed out that the isolationism that many Christians adopt, which removes us from contact with non-Christians, has also successfully removed us from grappling with some of the pressing social questions of our hour.

We have often been quite content to sing about going to heaven but have shown very little concern for the sick and the poor, the lonely, the old, and the miserable of our world. Isaiah 58 is a ringing condemnation of such an attitude on the part of religious people.

God is infinitely concerned in this area of life, and those who bear His name dare not neglect these areas. Let us be perfectly frank and admit that this is a manifestation of Christian love that we evangelicals have tended greatly to neglect.

The church was never intended to minister to only one segment of society but is to include all people, all classes, all colors, without distinction. These distinctions are to be ignored in the church.

They must be; otherwise, we are not being faithful to the one who called us and who Himself was the friend of sinners of all kinds. We must be perfectly honest and admit that this has been the weak spot of evangelical life, this failure to move out in obedience to God's command to offer love, friendship, forgiveness, and grace to all people without regard to class, color, background, or heredity.

"Father, open my eyes that I might see the people around me as people whom You created and whom You have placed in my path for a purpose. Teach me that I am my brother's keeper."

My Social Network

I recently heard of something that happened on Facebook. A girl posted about New Years Day, saying“People always make New Year’s Resolutions, but let’s face it, none of us are going to keep ours.”

How would you respond to a statement like that?

Some people posted back in agreement, and the poster had a lot of likes. But one of the poster’s 375 “friends” had just made a New Year’s Resolution to go back to the gym. She really wanted to keep it, and was a kind of “up” and bubbly person, so that comment really got to her. This girl (we’ll call her Jane) simply posted back “Ew”.

In other words, Jane had read this negative comment, had felt it strike her wrongly, and she posted her feelings about it: “Ew.”

It turns out things had gotten a little tense between the girl and Jane lately. They were in the same math class … no words had been exchanged, just a few dirty looks that probably started with mutual jealousy. The first girl posted back to Jane, “I hear you’re switching high schools. Is it because you don’t have any friends at this school?”

What she didn't realise was Jane’s dad had serious surgery the year before, and they were moving so he could live in a house that didn’t have as many stairs. Switching schools was causing the whole family a tremendous stress.

The point is, this Facebook war mushroomed into something that involved three days of posts, over 160 people from 5 different communities and 3 different schools.

Some would argue it all started with just TWO LITTLE LETTERS: E-W. Ew.

With that story in mind, here's four principles to help us be godly Facebookers.

1. Your online behaviour reflects your offline attitudes

Philippians 4:8 says, “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.”

You can’t say, and you can’t post, what you’re not thinking about.

So before your write something on Facebook, imagine how others might respond to what are you saying. How do think they will feel? Good? Or Bad? If you think there's a chance they will take it negatively, maybe you shouldn't post it.

Posting and texting is just like any other area of life. In Matthew 7:12 Jesus states clearly, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”This 'Golden Rule' sums up almost every other command in the Bible.

2. Avoid online negativity

This principle is like a subcategory of the first. If you say something negative about a person, it often gets back to the source. If you post something negative in public about another person, that’s worse. If you try to encrypt it so that only a few people know what you’re talking about, it will be sniffed out by the source — and probably 20 other people who are so deeply insecure that they think everyone is referring to them.

If you have something you need to say to someone, then go and talk to them face-to-face. And do it with grace and love.

3. Don't return evil for evil

What if someone says something negative about you? Not returning evil for evil is really hard, and yet it is where the rubber meets the road in relying on Christ. You’re going to need practice and patience.

Here are some examples I've seen of people responding to negative comments:

Negative person says: “Where’d you get those ugly jeans?”
Reply: (roll eyes) “I know they're not the best … but I really love all the stuff you wear.”

Negative person says: “I can’t stand so-and-so. He's really annoying.”
Reply: “Actually, he sits beside me in math. He’s really nice once you get to know him.”

Negative person says: “So and so wrote bad stuff about you on the bathroom wall.”
Reply: “You’re kidding! Wow. I always really liked her. I'll try and find a time to chat with her about it.”

It’s very hard to return a mean comment with a nice one because we feel like we are giving that mean person even more power. But the opposite is true.

4. Kill them with kindness

Psalm 25:21-22 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

“Heap burning coals” means that regardless of what people may show on the outside, you will make them burn with regret over what they just said. It’s such a well-known tactic that it has a name: It’s called “killing people with kindness”.

That doesn’t mean the guilt will show up in people right away. Generally, they will look confused or stunned.

But often they’ll go away and think about it. Conversely, if you say something mean back, you are throwing fire at fire. What happens to the fire when you add fire to it? It grows and grows. Will fire ever put out a fire?

In the end, as Christians, we want to follow the lead of Jesus, who said in Matthew 5:44, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Are you ready to do that on Facebook today

Lonnie

My Social Network

I recently heard of something that happened on Facebook. A girl posted about New Years Day, saying“People always make New Year’s Resolutions, but let’s face it, none of us are going to keep ours.”

How would you respond to a statement like that?

Some people posted back in agreement, and the poster had a lot of likes. But one of the poster’s 375 “friends” had just made a New Year’s Resolution to go back to the gym. She really wanted to keep it, and was a kind of “up” and bubbly person, so that comment really got to her. This girl (we’ll call her Jane) simply posted back “Ew”.

In other words, Jane had read this negative comment, had felt it strike her wrongly, and she posted her feelings about it: “Ew.”

It turns out things had gotten a little tense between the girl and Jane lately. They were in the same math class … no words had been exchanged, just a few dirty looks that probably started with mutual jealousy. The first girl posted back to Jane, “I hear you’re switching high schools. Is it because you don’t have any friends at this school?”

What she didn't realise was Jane’s dad had serious surgery the year before, and they were moving so he could live in a house that didn’t have as many stairs. Switching schools was causing the whole family a tremendous stress.

The point is, this Facebook war mushroomed into something that involved three days of posts, over 160 people from 5 different communities and 3 different schools.

Some would argue it all started with just TWO LITTLE LETTERS: E-W. Ew.

With that story in mind, here's four principles to help us be godly Facebookers.

1. Your online behaviour reflects your offline attitudes

Philippians 4:8 says, “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.”

You can’t say, and you can’t post, what you’re not thinking about.

So before your write something on Facebook, imagine how others might respond to what are you saying. How do think they will feel? Good? Or Bad? If you think there's a chance they will take it negatively, maybe you shouldn't post it.

Posting and texting is just like any other area of life. In Matthew 7:12 Jesus states clearly, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”This 'Golden Rule' sums up almost every other command in the Bible.

2. Avoid online negativity

This principle is like a subcategory of the first. If you say something negative about a person, it often gets back to the source. If you post something negative in public about another person, that’s worse. If you try to encrypt it so that only a few people know what you’re talking about, it will be sniffed out by the source — and probably 20 other people who are so deeply insecure that they think everyone is referring to them.

If you have something you need to say to someone, then go and talk to them face-to-face. And do it with grace and love.

3. Don't return evil for evil

What if someone says something negative about you? Not returning evil for evil is really hard, and yet it is where the rubber meets the road in relying on Christ. You’re going to need practice and patience.

Here are some examples I've seen of people responding to negative comments:

Negative person says: “Where’d you get those ugly jeans?”
Reply: (roll eyes) “I know they're not the best … but I really love all the stuff you wear.”

Negative person says: “I can’t stand so-and-so. He's really annoying.”
Reply: “Actually, he sits beside me in math. He’s really nice once you get to know him.”

Negative person says: “So and so wrote bad stuff about you on the bathroom wall.”
Reply: “You’re kidding! Wow. I always really liked her. I'll try and find a time to chat with her about it.”

It’s very hard to return a mean comment with a nice one because we feel like we are giving that mean person even more power. But the opposite is true.

4. Kill them with kindness

Psalm 25:21-22 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

“Heap burning coals” means that regardless of what people may show on the outside, you will make them burn with regret over what they just said. It’s such a well-known tactic that it has a name: It’s called “killing people with kindness”.

That doesn’t mean the guilt will show up in people right away. Generally, they will look confused or stunned.

But often they’ll go away and think about it. Conversely, if you say something mean back, you are throwing fire at fire. What happens to the fire when you add fire to it? It grows and grows. Will fire ever put out a fire?

In the end, as Christians, we want to follow the lead of Jesus, who said in Matthew 5:44, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Are you ready to do that on Facebook today

Lonnie

New Beginnings Make New Endings

New Beginnings Make New Endings

I recently saw this quote, "No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending" (Unknown). I really began to think about that statement. The conclusion was that we don't start over; but we begin again right where we are, making things better in our lives.

As a believer in Christ, it is not about saying I will do this and I won't do that and then dropping the idea or falling short. It is more about asking the Lord to help us each day, to fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. This way our focus will be set on the things of heaven and not on all this earthly stuff.

If I were to make a New Year resolution, it would be to have a deeper commitment, a deeper love, and a deeper worship for the Lord. In the beginning of this past year, He spoke to me in that still small voice in prayer and said, "I am more than enough. I am more than enough in every area of your life." He also said to tell others the same thing.

This year I am determined to make Him my all and all. He wants our undivided attention in spite of the distractions and temptations that lie waiting around the corner. He has to be our main focus.

How we will end this year will be determined by how we started it. Did we want to get more "INTIMATE" with the lover of our soul? I looked up the word intimacy and the meaning is to be close, familiar, very personal and private.

Do you want a new ending this year? How do you want the ending of your life? If you're not a Christian, please know that this could be the best New Year of your life. Your life can be filled with hope and peace. To know what the ending will be is an extra bonus. Why should every year be the same as the one before with nothing really changing? After all, the New Year resolutions may or may not get accomplished.

If you are a Christian and you feel stagnate in your relationship with the Lord, then now is the time to rekindle the love affair with Him. He calls us to Himself and says, "Come away my beloved." Can you hear Him? He is tugging at your heart. The real ending in our life will be when Jesus says well done my good and faithful servant. That statement will be for someone who took the time to get to know Him.

She Said Yes

Lordy lordy lordy....look who's 40....to say we have a perfect marriage is foolishness,  because we are not perfect people.

But to say we have love and forgiveness and a God centered marriage would be true. So with that being said....Happy birthday to my best friend.....and welcome to the history of Lonnie and Cathy (Winkle) Love

Boy meets girl. 
Girls says she is spoken for. 
Boy won’t give up. 
Girl gives in says yes to a date 
Girl leaves work, hits boy’s car 
Boy smiles, thinks to himself, going to be a good date 
Boy calls girl, her MOM answers... Don’t like boy’s name
Boy picks up girl. Sees her daddy, takes out all his ear rings 
Boy and girl have fun. 
Year later Boy and girl fall in love 
Girl invites boy to church 
Boy goes, girl prays for boy’s salvation 
Year later boy and girl get engaged 
Girl still prays for boy’s salvation 
3 months later God whispers to girl (I gots this) 
Boy gets baptized 
3 months later boy and girl say “I do” 
Couple moves to Ohio 
Couple love their first small very small apartment 
Boy works at 11 different jobs in 5 years 
Girl wants to move back to Kentucky to start a family 
Boy and Girl move back no home, no jobs, and no money 
Couple prays for a home, couple find a home 
God has plans for couple 
God wants boy to be a Youth Minister 
Couple prays for a family (God hears) 
Couple fall in love and adopted first son 
Couple has a second son 
Couple has a third son 
Boy sees a special doctor. 
Family according to God’s timing 

Do You Hear What I Hear

Can You Hear the Angels? 
Luke 2:8-14

When I read Luke's account of the Christmas story every year, a question lingers in my mind. I wonder, who heard the angels sing? 

This was arguably the greatest celebration in the history of the world, a choir, a presentation that would make the grandest human ceremony seem like a cheap stage production. 

There are several interesting things about the angelic celebration. First, this was one of only three such celebrations. First, the angels celebrated the Creation of the world. Job 38:7 tells us that while the Master Artist of Heaven painted, sculpted, and fashioned this world, "the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy."  I suspect the chorus reached its climax when God reached down, gathered a handful of dust, and breathed life into a new kind of creature, man. Man was created in the image of God and given something unique: a soul. 

Then, on an otherwise ordinary night, in a dark field, among common shepherds, the Heavens once again opened and all across the horizon, filling the low hills and pasture fields were innumerable angels. And once again in Revelation, we find that same celebration occurring in Heaven. 

But let's return to that field. The angels came specifically to the shepherds. Why the shepherds? Why did they not announce in a more big, public venue like Herod's Temple or His palace. Why did they not enter the grand palaces of Caesar in Rome? 

The answer, quite simply, is that God visits those who are looking for him. Those that seek find. And so the angels visited upon a young teenage girl, her confused fiancé, a common, elderly prophet, and the shepherds. 

So who heard the angels? The shepherds did. Mary did. Joseph did. The wise men did. Anna and Simeon did. Zacharias and Elisabeth did.  

Herod didn't hear. The religious establishment didn't hear. Most of God's chosen people didn't hear. Even some in Jesus' own family wouldn't hear. 

Today, the message of the angels still rings. A Messiah has come. God has entered our world, lowered Himself and became a baby. God visited us—Immanuel is here. 

This season we celebrate Christmas, but most of the world skips right over the baby in the manger. Even many Christians are stressed, angered, and flustered. They too miss the singing of the angels. 

Don't let that be you this Christmas. Because God has come for you, to be your Savior, your Redeemer, your Lord.

The angels are singing. Are you listening?  

She Doesn't Know

         

Today my heart broke for a young girl I never even met, though I was heart broken of the news I had heard of her situation, what made my heart break even more was she doesn't know Him. As I sat in my car weeping for this young woman, whom I never spoken to, I started thinking about my own childhood & teen years, trying to remember everything I was ever taught. 

I was taught to have proper manners at the dinner table, I was taught to have respect for my elders and those who have authority over me, I was taught to stand up to bullies and defend those who are weak, but, was I ever taught about Him? 

My parents are amazing, they raised seven children, took us to little league, and football practice, made sure we all completed high school, and supported anything we choose to do or become. But, was I ever taught about Him?

I was taught there is a God, I was taught there is a place called Heaven and my grandparents are there, but was I ever taught about Him?

Now I am grown up with three kids or my own. I teach my kids about proper manners at the dinner table, to respect their elders and those who have authority over them, to do well in school and defend those who are weak, But am I teaching them about Him?

Am I living a life that teaches my children about Him? Am I giving enough love to their mother that reflects the love from Him? Am I extended grace to those who need it, and maybe not deserve it, like grace was shown to me when I didn't deserve it.

The Bible reminds us in Matthew 28:19-20 

  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”        

The good news of this story is that there is still time. How much time, we will never know, but today you and I have time to teach, to teach our children, to teach our neighbors, to teach our coworkers, to teach our friends and family, and more importantly, to teach ourselves about Him.

Go teach!

For Sale $.25 Cents

Being from Kentucky, my family loves to go to yard-sales. Well, I must confess, I actually like getting up at 7:00 o'clock in the AM, on a summer Saturday morning, just to go through someone's "hand-me-downs" or used tools. So I wasn't a bit surprise when my mother in-law, while watching Landon and Alex, went out to the local yard-sales one sunny Friday morning/afternoon.

It was the Friday before Father Day, and my three boys (Brady, Landon, Alex) were all excited about doing something for "dad." I knew this Fathers Day would be especially hard for my wife (Cathy) because she had just lost her father (Roger) only three months ago, so I hint to my boys not to worry so much about making dad happy, lets focus on mom, and see if we could help ease some of the pain of missing her daddy.

It just so happened that the new Superman movie "Man Of Steel" was coming out that weekend, and everyone knows I am the biggest Superman geek ever, so we decided just to have a nice dinner after church on Sunday and go to the movies. This way, we could help mom through this difficult time, and also give dad a nice day to remember.

Well Friday came and went, and Saturday was a typical one at the Love's house Brady of course (the 18 year old) slept till the noon hours, and the rest of us got up and started some yard work. A typical middle America Saturday afternoon. But what I didn't know was how excited Landon was for Sunday to get here. I knew he liked Superman, but he wasn't a Superman geek like his father. Landon was more of a Batman/Dark Knight "geek". But yet, he kept pacing around the house telling me to, "stay away from under his bed." Now for Landon that surprised me, because he keeps his room picked up. (If it was Brady asking the same thing, I would of had no problem staying away, I think Jimmy Hoffa is under his bed) (HaHa)

So Sunday finally came around. The buzzing of my alarm at 6:30 AM was telling me to get up and moving, and head into the office to get ready for Sunday Worship. But something was different about this day. Landon was wide awake when I got out of the bathroom sitting in my room waiting on me. I thought at first he had a "bad dream," but he was eager to hand me a Fathers Day present that he picked out for me. 

As I looked at the home made wrapping paper of old Lexington Herald news paper and my all to familiar "duct" tape, I knew this was a morning I needed to slow down and spend time with Landon.

As I slowly unwrapped the gift, I looked up at Landon and can actually feel his heart beating faster as he watched me carefully tear away corner, by corner. 

As finished unwrapping the gift, my heart exploded with pride. The kind of pride that makes you glad you are a father. You see, on the day we tried to down play for Cathy, turned out to be one of the greatest days. 

Because my 8 year old son with his own money, and mind, and love for me, found me a picture of Jesus in a frame. Later his grandma (Darlene) told me that he walked over to the yard sale table, seen the picture of Jesus and asked her, "Do you think daddy would like this?" 

As I hung the $.25 cent yard sale picture of Jesus on my wall, I stood back with tears or love in my eyes. For all the wrongs I do everyday. It is great to know that when your 8 year old son sees a picture of Jesus he thinks of his daddy.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these'"

Foot Note:  You couldn't buy this picture of Jesus from me for a million dollars. 

#real-love