Here is a link to a speech I gave at a recent Toastmasters contest. It is about how I learned to be a parent. I hope it inspires and encourages you. God bless!
http://inmb.smugmug.com/gallery/8322227_bUQcr#545262396_8hA2P
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 30
Proverbs 30:5 (KJV) "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."
If you’ve ever seen a war movie you seen and heard the soldiers fighting in the war yell, "Incoming!!! Take cover!!!" That phrase has always struck me as a making little sense. Of course as soon as a person knows that dangerous things such as bullets or bombs are heading toward them they will take cover. Imagine if they chose something like a cardboard box or some other flimsy structure to hide behind. You wouldn’t think they were very smart. When taking cover they will seek the biggest, strongest thing around to hide behind. They want something that will stop all the bullets and shrapnel from hurting and/or killing them. They want something big enough to cover and protect their whole body.
In the Christian life we are often likened to soldiers fighting a spiritual battle. And indeed it is a battle! We face an enemy whose cunning and craft are great. He has had a lot of experience in the field of this battle and he is a formidable foe. He has many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. He uses blatant or well disguised temptations. He uses guilt and discouragement. He uses the sin of pride. And he never gives up. He has back-up plan after back-up plan. He throws one kind of weapon at us and if it doesn’t work he can switch tactics at a moments notice and throw something else. So what are we, the Christian Soldier, to do?
We take refuge behind our shield. And our shield is none other than God Himself. Our commander is our protector! He is an all sufficient protector. He is big enough and strong enough to keep us safe from all the weapons in the enemy arsenal. He is our great God. He is Almighty. And to make sure we know that we can put our trust in Him as our great shield and defender, He has given us His Word. His Word that has always proven to be pure and true. The word used in this verse is the word used for the refining of a precious metal such as gold or silver. The sense in which it is used here indicates that the object refined, His Word, is completely and absolutely pure and true. It can never be made to be more pure. It is the 100% pure, unadulterated and infallible Word of God.
We can trust His Word. We can trust Him to guide us in and through His Word. We can trust Him to always be there as our great defender and protector. He has never failed to do so. He won’t fail to protect you. Are you tired from the battle? Has the enemy been throwing everything he has at you? Have you been hurt in these attacks? Do you feel like just laying down and giving up? Take Cover!!! Fight from behind the shield. Move forward in the battle but do it from behind cover. Put your trust in Him and let him be your protector. He longs to show Himself mighty in your behalf. Take up your armor and your sword and get in the battle! I can guarantee you He will always be a shield to those that put their trust in Him. And I can be confident because I know that every Word of God is pure and true. Amen!!!
If you’ve ever seen a war movie you seen and heard the soldiers fighting in the war yell, "Incoming!!! Take cover!!!" That phrase has always struck me as a making little sense. Of course as soon as a person knows that dangerous things such as bullets or bombs are heading toward them they will take cover. Imagine if they chose something like a cardboard box or some other flimsy structure to hide behind. You wouldn’t think they were very smart. When taking cover they will seek the biggest, strongest thing around to hide behind. They want something that will stop all the bullets and shrapnel from hurting and/or killing them. They want something big enough to cover and protect their whole body.
In the Christian life we are often likened to soldiers fighting a spiritual battle. And indeed it is a battle! We face an enemy whose cunning and craft are great. He has had a lot of experience in the field of this battle and he is a formidable foe. He has many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. He uses blatant or well disguised temptations. He uses guilt and discouragement. He uses the sin of pride. And he never gives up. He has back-up plan after back-up plan. He throws one kind of weapon at us and if it doesn’t work he can switch tactics at a moments notice and throw something else. So what are we, the Christian Soldier, to do?
We take refuge behind our shield. And our shield is none other than God Himself. Our commander is our protector! He is an all sufficient protector. He is big enough and strong enough to keep us safe from all the weapons in the enemy arsenal. He is our great God. He is Almighty. And to make sure we know that we can put our trust in Him as our great shield and defender, He has given us His Word. His Word that has always proven to be pure and true. The word used in this verse is the word used for the refining of a precious metal such as gold or silver. The sense in which it is used here indicates that the object refined, His Word, is completely and absolutely pure and true. It can never be made to be more pure. It is the 100% pure, unadulterated and infallible Word of God.
We can trust His Word. We can trust Him to guide us in and through His Word. We can trust Him to always be there as our great defender and protector. He has never failed to do so. He won’t fail to protect you. Are you tired from the battle? Has the enemy been throwing everything he has at you? Have you been hurt in these attacks? Do you feel like just laying down and giving up? Take Cover!!! Fight from behind the shield. Move forward in the battle but do it from behind cover. Put your trust in Him and let him be your protector. He longs to show Himself mighty in your behalf. Take up your armor and your sword and get in the battle! I can guarantee you He will always be a shield to those that put their trust in Him. And I can be confident because I know that every Word of God is pure and true. Amen!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 29
Proverbs 29:23 (ESV) "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."
Back in the early 90's there was a huge tree in our front yard. It was probably 70 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter. When it was alive with leaves it would have been a beautiful tree but now it was dead and leaf-less and needed to come down. I pulled out my little Home-lite chainsaw and cut it down. This was probably not the smartest thing I had ever done, in fact, it was downright foolish. The tree eventually did come down where I planned and thankfully I was not killed in the process. This is definitely a story of "how-not-to" cut down a tree. It is also a story that illustrates the point of Proverbs 29:23. And that point is the destructive nature of pride in the human heart.
If one could rank the sins of mankind in order of how destructive each sin is, then pride would have to rank close to if not on the top of that list. At some point in life, every human being is affected by the sin of pride. Pride is the appointment of self above all else. It’s all about "me" and "I". I strive for what "I" want. I seek that which makes "me" feel good. I make sure everyone knows how good "I" am and sees what "I" can do. For a time self can even get by with this "me" attitude. The problem is pride does not nourish my inner being. There is no real, lasting fruit. No leaves. No life. Eventually all that ‘I’ push so hard for and fight for will turn against me. The pride that I walked with pulls out the chainsaw and cuts me down. It doesn’t matter how big I get or how strong I am, pride will bring me down. It lifts me up with promise of glory, fame or strength and then knocks me off the pedestal.
The trick to not getting knocked off is to stay off the pedestal in the first place. We must learn the truth of the second part of Proverbs 29:23. We will obtain honor through humility. This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. When we seek honor in our pride we are brought down but when we live in humility we will obtain honor. The outward result of both parts of this verse are similar. Lowliness is the end result of both the proud and the humble. The difference is that the proud are brought to lowliness against their will while the humble live in lowliness. The proud man seeks honor and may have it for a time but it is short-lived and unsatisfying. The humble man seeks only to serve others. Self is given the back seat of importance. When he strives for anything it is for the purpose of helping and serving those around him.
For a Christian to live a truly fulfilled life we must learn this paradoxical truth. We will be in a low estate one way or another. We can seek self-fulfillment and honor. We can lift ourselves up to fame, honor and glory. We can make sure everyone around us knows how good we are. We can live in our pride and be brought low or we can live low. Our Savior is THE perfect example of a humble servant. He had the power. He had the glory. He had the strength. He had it all yet gave it up to live a humble life among us. He was the King yet became the servant. Let us live the Christ-like, Christian life. Let us live in lowliness and humility. Then an only then will we obtain honor.
Back in the early 90's there was a huge tree in our front yard. It was probably 70 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter. When it was alive with leaves it would have been a beautiful tree but now it was dead and leaf-less and needed to come down. I pulled out my little Home-lite chainsaw and cut it down. This was probably not the smartest thing I had ever done, in fact, it was downright foolish. The tree eventually did come down where I planned and thankfully I was not killed in the process. This is definitely a story of "how-not-to" cut down a tree. It is also a story that illustrates the point of Proverbs 29:23. And that point is the destructive nature of pride in the human heart.
If one could rank the sins of mankind in order of how destructive each sin is, then pride would have to rank close to if not on the top of that list. At some point in life, every human being is affected by the sin of pride. Pride is the appointment of self above all else. It’s all about "me" and "I". I strive for what "I" want. I seek that which makes "me" feel good. I make sure everyone knows how good "I" am and sees what "I" can do. For a time self can even get by with this "me" attitude. The problem is pride does not nourish my inner being. There is no real, lasting fruit. No leaves. No life. Eventually all that ‘I’ push so hard for and fight for will turn against me. The pride that I walked with pulls out the chainsaw and cuts me down. It doesn’t matter how big I get or how strong I am, pride will bring me down. It lifts me up with promise of glory, fame or strength and then knocks me off the pedestal.
The trick to not getting knocked off is to stay off the pedestal in the first place. We must learn the truth of the second part of Proverbs 29:23. We will obtain honor through humility. This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. When we seek honor in our pride we are brought down but when we live in humility we will obtain honor. The outward result of both parts of this verse are similar. Lowliness is the end result of both the proud and the humble. The difference is that the proud are brought to lowliness against their will while the humble live in lowliness. The proud man seeks honor and may have it for a time but it is short-lived and unsatisfying. The humble man seeks only to serve others. Self is given the back seat of importance. When he strives for anything it is for the purpose of helping and serving those around him.
For a Christian to live a truly fulfilled life we must learn this paradoxical truth. We will be in a low estate one way or another. We can seek self-fulfillment and honor. We can lift ourselves up to fame, honor and glory. We can make sure everyone around us knows how good we are. We can live in our pride and be brought low or we can live low. Our Savior is THE perfect example of a humble servant. He had the power. He had the glory. He had the strength. He had it all yet gave it up to live a humble life among us. He was the King yet became the servant. Let us live the Christ-like, Christian life. Let us live in lowliness and humility. Then an only then will we obtain honor.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 28
Proverbs 28:5(ESV) “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.”
“I’m innocent”. “I was set-up”. “The cops were dirty”. “They had a grudge against me”.
In over 18 years in the correctional side of law enforcement, I can’t count the number of times I have heard these words and others of similar meaning. To say that all convicted criminals claim innocence would be an exaggeration but a considerable number fight their convictions on various grounds. They claim innocence. They try to prove mental incompetence. They appeal based on improper legal procedures or inadequate legal representation. It is indeed a minority of convicted persons who accept their conviction and serve their debt to society.
I have seen men convicted of heinous crimes walk out after only a few years. I have spoken with those who are sincerely repentant of their not-so-heinous crimes, yet have years to serve in prison before even a possibility of release. We read about murder suspects who walk scot-free due to a slick-talking attorney or a legal technicality. We wonder, “Where is the justice in all of this?” “It’s not fair!” “ How could this happen?” Justice seems to have been lost in the system.
I have asked similar questions many times and I certainly don’t know all the answers. However, I do know where to find the answers! Proverbs 28:5 tells us the answers are found in the Lord. It is by seeking Him that we can understand justice or the apparent lack there-of. We are told here to “seek the Lord”. To seek is an act of striving to find something. We are to find understanding in our relationship with God Almighty. When we read of events in our world and society that are senseless, He can help us to make sense of them. When our system of justice seems to break down and we don’t understand, He can give us understanding. When bad things happen to good people or “bad” people seem to go unpunished, He can put it all in perspective for us.
When you read of some criminal going unpunished, seek the Lord. When you see on the news a rich politician abusing the system with impunity, seek the Lord. When you hear of the pain and suffering of innocent children, seek the Lord. When you are at the receiving end of some terrible injustice, seek the Lord. When you want to know what to do about these situations, seek the Lord. When you are angry and frustrated in the midst of injustice, seek the Lord. Find understanding in Him. Find peace and rest in His strength and wisdom. He is still on His throne. He knows the end of the story. Seek the Lord!
“I’m innocent”. “I was set-up”. “The cops were dirty”. “They had a grudge against me”.
In over 18 years in the correctional side of law enforcement, I can’t count the number of times I have heard these words and others of similar meaning. To say that all convicted criminals claim innocence would be an exaggeration but a considerable number fight their convictions on various grounds. They claim innocence. They try to prove mental incompetence. They appeal based on improper legal procedures or inadequate legal representation. It is indeed a minority of convicted persons who accept their conviction and serve their debt to society.
I have seen men convicted of heinous crimes walk out after only a few years. I have spoken with those who are sincerely repentant of their not-so-heinous crimes, yet have years to serve in prison before even a possibility of release. We read about murder suspects who walk scot-free due to a slick-talking attorney or a legal technicality. We wonder, “Where is the justice in all of this?” “It’s not fair!” “ How could this happen?” Justice seems to have been lost in the system.
I have asked similar questions many times and I certainly don’t know all the answers. However, I do know where to find the answers! Proverbs 28:5 tells us the answers are found in the Lord. It is by seeking Him that we can understand justice or the apparent lack there-of. We are told here to “seek the Lord”. To seek is an act of striving to find something. We are to find understanding in our relationship with God Almighty. When we read of events in our world and society that are senseless, He can help us to make sense of them. When our system of justice seems to break down and we don’t understand, He can give us understanding. When bad things happen to good people or “bad” people seem to go unpunished, He can put it all in perspective for us.
When you read of some criminal going unpunished, seek the Lord. When you see on the news a rich politician abusing the system with impunity, seek the Lord. When you hear of the pain and suffering of innocent children, seek the Lord. When you are at the receiving end of some terrible injustice, seek the Lord. When you want to know what to do about these situations, seek the Lord. When you are angry and frustrated in the midst of injustice, seek the Lord. Find understanding in Him. Find peace and rest in His strength and wisdom. He is still on His throne. He knows the end of the story. Seek the Lord!
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