I Am NOT Just a Number

The nicknames are endless... Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa, Father Christmas, etc.. but the truth is that in the country of Turkey (weird?).. a generous bishop by the name of Nicholas was known in his community to be a "secret" gift-giver and a very generous man in the 4th century. Due to his amazing sense of generosity and giving (particularly to the poor, small children, and struggling sailors), he was dubbed "Nikolaos the Wonderworker". He was known to drop coins into the shoes of those who left them out for him while everyone slept.. and after his death... the world (especially the church) did not forget him. His "random acts of culture" would later make him a perfect model for Santa Claus. Thousands of churches.. yes churches... decided almost 700 years after his death to celebrate his life by also carrying out his generosity and giving gifts and/or charity. This was held originally on December 6th. 400 years later and throughout the Reformation, th...

The prophet Jeremiah was obsolete in his day. He was a man whose calling in life was to speak the cold hard truth. His message was not popular. It did not pack out stadiums or get air time on the radio. He was ignored and despised. His message was a simple one... Get rid of your earthly idols... stop bowing down to statues that were built by men and cannot walk or think.. instead, worship God whom no earthly statue can truly represent or compare with... The people had all forgotten.. they forgot all the good deeds God had done for their great-grandfathers and fathers.. they were caught up in the now.. fulfilling their desires.. following the worlds advice on worship.. and leaving God completely out of the equation... Just like a woman is "jealous" over her husband, not wanting any other woman for him but herself,... so is God.. over us... Jealous in a good sense... He saw the people of Jersualem "wasting their time" dancing and celebrating around an item made of gol...

What a hurting world we live in... Women sitting in the dark... Alone.. After a wayward husband walks away... Children numbing themselves with pills they've watched their parents take.. Grandmas watching the days tick by after grandpas passed away.. Parents burying children way to early.. Isaiah knew then what the world was to become... He knew that one day the music would stop.. The dancing would be forgotten.. The joy would be a distant memory and the reality was pain... He forecasted that we would place all our trust in people and they would just let us down.. He knew we would invest in our armies, our ambassadors, politicians, friends... But they would all turn out to be a lie... A trap ... And only the darkness would shadow the anger.. Only misery would corrupt the blooming.. We cannot move through life carrying the amount of burdens and bitterness we swallow daily .. We must forgive those who harm us or we will forever be harmed.. God loves us.,, and despite what cards lay in...

They were in the blackest hole... the deepest pit.. 5 miles underground.. they werent exactly alone.. but the darkness of a pit has no color, or fresh air.. or sound... only silence except for a shifting rock... a terror to the anxious.. their cries went unheard.. help... help... the fear of being forgotten must have engulfed the 33 Chilean men for 17 lonnggg days.. and then... a note... "we are fine".. gave the world hope... and an unattractive, bulky, loud machine.. arrived on scene... that would 52 days later...stop the world in their tracks... as we all watched... a beautiful rescue... Many of us have been trapped in a "pit" for much longer than 69 days.. we've been lost in the consuming darkness for years... we have felt as if we were alone... 5 miles underground.. and we could scream at the top of our lungs... and never reach the sound waves of God's ears... we have felt abandoned... hungry.. terrified.. and with each step we have taken... a rock shif...

Have you ever said in your heart that you were not worthy or "good enough" to serve God.. to go to church.. to be used by God... because of your past... or present... You would feel like a hypocrite and the church would crumble or be struck with lightning if you were in attendance???... Than.. ur perfect for service.. why? because God is not looking for perfect people.. he is looking for repentant and humble servants to do His work... In the book of Isaiah, God was disgusted with his prophets and priests...(ie his church leaders)... here they were at the temple vomiting from drunkeness all over the sacrafice table.. They were leading the worship, screaming "Halleluiah", but were leading an entire generation to failure... They would lead the prayer service with empty words.. when their hearts were far from God.. they had lip service only.. but their actions focused more on pleasing themselves than honoring God.. Many of us cannot forget our past.. and our failures..o...

Since the beginning of time, there has always been competition, jealousy, and a struggle for power. Cain, the Bible's first homicide suspect, fed his jealousy and eliminated his "competition", his own brother, in a rage. This is not uncommon as thousands of years have passed and yet this motive for homicide continues today. Humility has definately been lost in a society that is crawling with those who will stop at nothing to win... and anything to succeed... Success is measured in society by wealth, possessions, accomplishments, and status. Self-interest is taught in colleges across the planet, yet Paul writes the Phillipian church and tells them "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:3)." This is not taught in colleges, high schools, and work... Yet, these are the "general orders" is...

Many of us walk through this life carrying many worries... we worry about work, we worry about our families... we worry about what we are wearing to a dinner... we worry about our nails... we worry about bills... we definately worry about what tomorrow may bring... but how many of us really give concern to what our eternity holds.. We give little thought to the possibility.. that one day.. the life that we now know... will forever be removed... Isaiah says in chapter 24 that "it will be the same from the priest to the people, from lender to the debtor, for master as for servant". No matter your status, wealth, fame, looks.. we will all end the same... in death... Isaiah was a prophet with a message that was not at all popular. He preached about end times instead of "good times" which was not a popular topic of choice. People in his time were living it up in partying and drunkeness.. sin abounded.. prostitutes were common and the people had got caught up in the ...

Nobody wants to be a slave, but since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, we have all experienced bondage. Eve found out that a simple apple and a slimy snake would become her chains... Adam found out that a beautiful woman and the failure to say no... would be his end... We all have found slavery in such simple things... a pill.. a dollar.. a thought.. a grudge.. a failure.. s bottle.. Though we are not led daily to a beating post for our misgivings, we truly understand the yearning for freedom.. We may not be whipped and beaten in a literal sense, but sometimes... on the way home from work.. we may feel as if we have... Slavery has always come with a price and that is the lack of being free... Whether we feel like slaves at work, home, or with personal struggles... their is a Master who hears our cries... He has not just thrown us to the wolves.. He comes and looks for us... even though we've run away.. given up.. He still chases us.. Why is it that a Holy God cares to chase ...

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, made this comment "All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full" (Ecc 1:7). He was one man whose bank account would make Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs look like street peddlers. His wisdom far surpassed our world's greatest minds. With money flowing, countless employees, women of all races, fame, and the most powerful position on earth, in his time, he confesses in his biography (in the book of Ecclesiastes) that "it was all meaningless and a chase after the wind". He devoted his entire life to obtaining wisdom only to find that the fool and the wise both die the same. Soloman states "the fate of the fool will overtake me also, what then do i gain by being wise" (Ecc 2:14). Gaining riches... meaningless.. it only meant... that all your hard labor... was passed on to an undeserving fool.. About his wisdom he states "with great wisdom, comes much sorrow; the more know...

"If love is the greatest thing you can do, then loving with all you are is the greatest expresion you could ever make". (The Love Dare)...We are wired from birth to love, but many of us have "went all in", only to lose everything. So.. we fold... Over the years, the idea of love has become a Disney fairytale whose odds are as achievable as winning the powerball. We have become bitter at loving. We invest our "love" in people that are complacent and unthankful which catapults us into a self-made world of misery and bitterness. We have been burnt and the reflection of our hearts made manifest to all those around us screams of emptiness. Our love has become rude because of two things. We are ignorant of our rudeness or to selfish to care. But the thing is... love is not rude... Being rude in love includes embarassing and irritating comments, a foul mouth, sarcatic statements, and creating an unpleasant environment. It takes two... always... but remember ...

Perusing through facebook statuses on any given day, we notice several things... those that stay pretty busy (always running somewhere).. people with "loads 'o drama"... aggravating instances... jokes... trials... ppl counting down til the weekend... (its not even monday yet).. pictures depicting family outings... utube videos... political hinting... but very few blessings... many of us have followed each other's lives from all over the country as we wade through tribulations such as death... a sickness.. trouble at work... aggravation with co-workers... yet we fail to update our status... with the blessings as well as the "blahze"... why is it that we will notify the world... how angry we are at a fellow human being... or "check in" at a meaningless location... yet fail to share how blessed we are for the people we do have.. that love us... our families... God's love for us... despite us... I frequently check facebook status's to update my...

The sound of distant thunder along with a humming air conditioner and a creaky rocking chair splinter the silence of a dimly lit home that I sit in as I write this devotional. I have never heard silence at this place. The sound of laughter and loud voices have always permeated the small hallways and rooms. I look at the empty rocking chair and the large pair of slippers that once graced the loving feet of a grandfather so cherished and a tear slips away from me... I miss his laugh... most of all... and his spirit... I saw one of the strongest men I have ever known fight death and apologize to all those who watched... for leaving us... He never worried about himself... His last breath was fought to save all those around him from suffering... how truly reminiscent of our Savior... who also fought death to save a dying world from eternal suffering... I have suffered pain in my life...surgeries... a broken heart... a lost job... friction with others... a friend walking away... rejection......

Theres no better perspective of "suffering" than sitting in a hospital.. not as the patient... but as a guest... walking down the luminated hallways and glossy floors... passing each room... hearing cries for help... groans... and the rush of gurneys transporting suffering subjects to and from expensive flashy machines... (newfangled stuff)... While typing this, a crash is heard in the hospital room right next to where im visting with my grandpa.. its 6am... i hear the male nurse scream and yell for help... a cardiac patient had fallen face first on the floor...blood was everywhere... nurses were running... towells... supervisors.. incident reports... the drip of machines seemed louder... anxiety covered the entire floor as patients woke up from the fuss.. i looked at my grandfather... and he sat completely still... i was so thankful...that we do not leave him alone... to fall... not here... on this cold floor... i see his suffering eyes... 97 years of experience... he still ...

So I came to the mountains once again...the Adirondacks... Ive found myself here my entire life... growing up... summers.. one Christmas... my college years... a cuple years by myself visiting my grandparents.. and the past couple years with my family... to the town called "Hope".. its a small town... of less than 1,000 people.. surrounded by mountains, rivers, streams, lakes, and woods... words cannot describe its beauty... Rarely have I come to this place to learn.. but to enjoy... and relax... float down the river.. fish.. kayak... but this year.. something was missing... peace... the burdens of stress I have been carrying this past year... were to large for me... Sometimes in life, we let the "little things" devastate our "journey"... I had to learn to let some things slip away... I needed to "catch" and release... I sat on a rock today surrounded by water... looking for a smallmouth bass to catch... and I asked God "why do You have...

The Bible story of Job who lost everything he had in the course of several days can be viewed as relevant to many in this day and age. It is a time in history where many of our futures are classified as unknown. Changes engulf us on every level. Our economy continues to plunge... wasted oil lingers closer to the borders... prices soar... pay decreases... and we wonder what we can possibly do to control our lives... Job found out the hard way.. that we cant... we can only go one day at a time... and with every new day.. God gives us a bundle of new grace to handle whatever struggle.. whatever disaster... comes our way... His grace is sufficient... His lovingkindness is never ending.. We get so caught up in our present circumstances.. our stress at home.. at work.. we are vainly aiming to please a multitude... and we forget to please a Savior.. Job says in chapter 8 "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wi...

The amazing thing about the apostle Peter is that while taking the "stage".. one fateful day... he approached a hungry crowd .. "unqualified"...Peter was a sinner among sinners.. a denier of Christ.. a coward.. and all he had was a memory... replaying in his head... over and over... of how not once.. but three times.. he denied a Savior... It must have been cold there in that shadow... but as he spoke... he found the strength.. that surpassed his failures.. and gave him the courage... to market a Christ... he reminded the people that Jesus was not defeated in death... that decay never overcame a "deity"... and that this crowd needed hope... not in a "green planet" or "health coverage" or "less taxes".. these things were not important in the life to come... what was important was repentance... acceptance of an "unknown"... faith in a God that we cannot see or touch or hear with our ears... 3,000 people came to Christ ...

The book of John has been given a bad "rap" in many circles. It has been used to slam the condemning gavel of judgement on unsuspecting and imperfect hearts. It is interesting to note that Jesus's favorite disciple (John the beloved) is believed to be the author of this book. The pages are enveloped with love but often misinterpreted as a book of rules, ridicule, and rejection. Opening the book of John, it is interesting to note that Jesus's first mention with a woman involves taking indirect orders from her. I love the fact that the Savior of the world took the time to attend a wedding with his mother. When the wedding started crashing, Mary bravely told Jesus the problem with a suggestive hint of fixing it... And He did. Jesus's first miracle... Inspired by a woman... Skip 2 chapters and Jesus runs into a Samaritan woman. Samaritan is important because it means (non-Jew)... Jews at that time did not speak to Samaritans... and women were viewed (in many circles) ...

It started with a small trickle... and then a gushing leak... more catostrophic than 15,000 barrels of oil spilling into the gulf... and that was the hearts of the Israeli people... they had forgotten the promise... they had ignored a harboring disaster for years... they set up idols (false golden images) that they had begun to worship and decorate and collect... their hearts were left unattended and they had forgotten the God who saved them from the Egyptions.. who parted the sea.. who fed them manna when they were desperate.. who guided them through deserts and sustained them in famines......... they were like scattered sheep with no direction.. a ruptured oil rig with no plug.... King Solomon takes the throne and is given a choice... wisdom or wealth.. and unlike the evil villain in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"... he chose wisdom....... God liked this choice and favorably blessed Solomon and his people for this decision... Solomon's first task? clear out the idols...

My professor in college on the first day of class proposed a question i have never forgotten..."Have you lost the wonder of it all?"... and I had... I was 18 years old with no idea of my future calling... no clue how hard it would be to survive... day in, day out.. how time would one day fly by... how much I had to be thankful for... but by the time you figure all this out... it is but a distant memory... Before the ceiling fan hits full cycle and the lights completely dim... we are fast asleep... rethinking the survivor finale or why the Red Sox lost or what we forgot to do at work... then before we know it, the alarm clock rudely abrupts a dream, nightmare, or nothing... Snooze never last long enough... and we are forced to robotically embrace the morning chore of waking up..... we follow the winding road to our daily job... the hours tick... tick... lunch... tick... tick.. back at home... kids, chores, homework, class, gym... one episode of judge Judy and the routine cycle...

We all know the verse John 3:16... But do you know who Jesus quoted this verse to? What his occupation was? And what time of day it was quoted? Do you know what country this verse was quoted? This "gospel in a nutshell" was given to Nicodemus in Jerusalem... a member of the Jewish ruling council... so a major political figure... who like many politicians snuck into the night to talk "off the record" and "secretly" meet with Jesus... This religious Pharisee by day was part of a group that would one day lead to Jesus’ death. The religious "theologians" were threatened by Jesus who was calling himself the "Son of God" and performing miracles. Where most Pharisees scoffed at Jesus’ healing the sick and feeding the hungry, Nicodemus realized that only the "Son of God" could commit such miraculous deeds. He needed more evidence and who better to interrogate than the "suspect" (Jesus) himself. Nicodemus had plenty of witne...

Much of the Bible is argued today. Almost every line of every verse is studied by a critic, professor, or theologian. "New" gospels have been introduced which question the authenticity of a "Book" that has existed long before any of us. The Discovery Channel continually airs programs that advertise a world without a "creator". Books like "The Lost Word" argues that the Creator is waiting for us (the created) to become creators. The Gnostics believe that there is no such thing as faith... God only picks the "worthy".. but who of us is worthy???? The media scares us... some say Obama is the antiChrist... others like the Huffington Post claim that Glen Beck is from the abyss... the networks, politicians, and wall street jockey for positions as each day brings new judges, plunges, scams, and buzz words. Where is God in America? Not in our schools... not in our court rooms... if some have their way... but He is on our dollars... one of the ...

No matter how balanced we are in life, sometimes we forget... that all we have... came from the Lord... From the most powerful of countries... to the richest CEO... to the wisest of all theologians.. to the most brilliant of cutting-edge scientists... nothing is decided, permitted, exposed, or enacted without God's stamp of approval... This... for the majority... is a hard pill to swallow... if you believe in the Bible, and its contents... as truth and not legend or myth... then you must believe in everything that is implied... for a person of wisdom, research, skepticism, and doubt... convincing them that faith is imperative for a "free ride in eternity" does not make sense... that is why the Bible says "wide is the road" leading to hell... and "narrow is the road" leading to heaven... this is because... rationale and "sense" mean everything to most people... the road is considered "wide" entering hell... because most people refuse...

What we worry about... bills... keeping our jobs... a promotion... keeping up with others... our kids... our relationships... the future... These concerns are things we cannot control... today's paper (The Ledger) displays flumes of volcanic ash bringing Europe's airports to a halt... farmworkers hit the streets of Lakeland in protests... suicide bombers kill 41 people in Pakistan... where is God??? David, the warrior turned fugitive, found out that the king of Israel was dead... no ruler in the kingdom... David was promised to be king one day... but had found himself in the wilderness.. running for years... Where was God? what now? When our future seems unclear... look for God in the haze... we are a nation who has boxed God into a church building... we leave Him out of almost every portion of our life... anytime God is brought up, we quickly dismiss Him because reality and faith are a misnomer among the relevant... People may try to approach us with with a Bible verse or a sp...

Two impossible tragedies visited great men at the same time... How these men reacted to the impossibility is what set them apart... David's tragedy was that his wife and children were captured by an evil nation's army.. When David's soldiers returned to their homes, their entire city was torched and all of their families were kidnapped... King Saul had a tragedy as well... the Philistines, without their giant, had killed all 3 of Saul's sons and captured his entire army...Saul would now never have an heir take the throne... so he handled this adversity.. his way... and took his own life... Without any hope, or reason to live.. this annointed king... who seemingly had at all... suddenly found his life to be meaningless... David could have made this same cowardly decision... instead... despite his dispair.. and the "unfairness of life", he called on God to lead him... this fugitive warrior... who lived each day being pursued by enemies... never lost hope... neve...

David would soon be a king, but for now he was a fugitive. David found himself running instead of ruling, being chased, instead of being chosen. Once a hero, he now was a wanted man. His earthly successes as a great warrior had only brought him trouble. David's "rich and famous" lifestyle in the palace had come and gone and he found himself in the desert and in caves. His servants were other fugitives and men running from debt. Many of us would have become "lost" in the darkness of the cave. The constant looking over the shoulder for the Israeli army would create panic in even the most level headed of individuals. It was David's faith in God that kept him running... not away... but towards his search party. Twice King Saul found himself within spitting distance of David. David refused to kill the "anointed" king of Israel and waited on the Lord to enact justice. In a frenzy, David could have ended the quest in his timing. Instead, he never forgot...

A COURAGE LOST Anxiety has many triggers... a shattered relationship... a mistake... a victim of a crime... a broken heart... a surfacing fear... age... experience... being falsely accused... The realization that we cannot control the world around us is never thought of as we enjoy our roaring twenties... but the "glamour" 30's... and the years after, the ticking of the death clock rings louder and louder... We look back on all the stupid things we did... and survived... and kiss the pavement for God's grace... Death, after all, is in His hands... so why do we worry about tomorrow? FROM DISCOVERY TO RECOVERY It sounds easy enough... yet we cling so tightly, to what we can control... My "giant" to overcome is a plane... a simple plane... which I have flown, many times, over the years... and yet one day... the panic surfaced... The rough weather and my fellow passenger (a Palestinian doctor) who neglected orders by the pilot to stay seated... im sure, greatly ...

The battle lines were drawn. Two countries standing on two separate hills with only a ravine in between them. The Phillistines and the Israelites were ready for battle. Out of the fog appeared a huge giant of a man. He stood at 9 feet tall, wearing armor weighing over 125 pounds. This Philistine, named Goliath, laughed as he looked at Israel's army and asked "did you come all the way here to just stand in formation?". "Send someone to fight me". Goliath advised them that if he was beat, all of the Philistines would be their servants, but if he won, Israel would be their servants. I Sam 17:11 "When Saul (the king) and all Israel heard these words from the Philistines, they lost their courage and were terrified." [When we are gearing up for a battle, our courage seems daunting. We give ourselves pep talks, pray, and seem to have the strength of a warrior... but when the true test comes... and we watch our "giant" walk toward us for battle... ou...

Theologian Paul Tillich once described anxiety as "the state in which a being is aware of its possible nonbeing". Interesting definition because many people are slaves to the prison of anxiety because of just that.. IAnxiety starts off as a normal coping mechanism to deal with the logistics of life but like many "good things".. turns quickly into a nasty fast-spreading virus.. It saturates every bit of our memory and hard drive... and so.. we call the "big guns", a "geek squad", or.. a Savior.. to bring in the spyware and do a system restore... Our thoughts are so cluttered with muck... Though we pray every morning and attempt to take every thought "captive".. we stand for battle carrying a small USP .45 caliber handgun.. Satan brings a grenade launder, a sniper rifle and an assault rifle with thermal energy and hologriphic site... It looks sometimes as if we dont have a chance to win the match... Sometimes we give into the thoughts o...

All through the Bible, God's people continually found themselves in bondage. They were constantly slaves to foreign countries who would rule over them. In Deuteronomy, we find them recovering from their slavery to the pharoah of Egypt. They were now following Moses, a converted man with a past... he had a criminal history to include: A one-time fugitive with an anger problem, who had murdered a man, and fled the country. Now this man, Moses, who had turned his life around was leading millions of people to the promised land... proving God can use sinners to do great things... but after 40 years of almost walking in circles, the people mumbled, complained, grew weary... they now felt in bondage to the dryness of the desert.. God had not fulfilled his promise to them.. in their timing... so they had built idols to other gods... in hopes of faster results... only to find that their agendas... did not mesh with God's... they had to learn to wait on God... we hate waiting 5 minutes a...

When's the last time you were desperate? Do you remember who you called and how you were treated on the phone? Were you blown off? Or has anyone taken the time to stop from whatever they were doing and listened to what you had to say? This is not a customer service class but it is imperative that we give each other our ear... How many times a day do I answer the phone to hear a desperate cry for help? I never know the intention of the caller... only their voice... a simple plea... Problem solving is my specialty and sometimes they get my best... and on bad days sometimes it is a struggle... We come in contact with hundreds of people a year.. many a day... when a person walks away from you... what have you left them with? what part of you do they take away... My dream is that when I am laid to rest... many will say that they were loved... that I cared for them... that I encouraged them... and brought a smile... that though I am far from perfect... I pointed them at any time to Chris...

If you've ever sat in an emergency room, and watched the eyes... of those entering the "room of horrors"... via the whisssshhhh of the sliding glass doors.. You can see the fear... of what’s to come.. Of what has occurred.. the lack of control... the tears in the eyes of a child... or the anxiety of a parent... a slow moving aging woman clutching tightly to the arm of a man whose loved her for 60 years... it takes ur mind off of ur own pain... for even a second... It’s a haven of sorts for the hurting... a place u run to in times of desperation... the dreaded phone call... late nights... the sound of constant dripping.. And the never-ending steady beep that is more annoying than a Smash mouth song... but is a reminder that one is breathing... Most of us are lucky.. that hospitals and emt's are minutes away... waiting for us to fall... crash... break... and though we hate going... to see a doctor... it is the first thing we do the instant a tragedy occurs... we call 4...

Headlines across our country state that today, March 23, 2010, is a historic day. It is a day where our elected president, Barak Obama, and his cohorts have much to celebrate . In such a time of change, when fear and the lack of control set in, we search God's Word for answers and guidance down this untrodden path. We can look to the book of Numbers where organization becomes a necessity. In fact, God orders Moses to conduct a census. In this census, the objective was clear and that was to count and register all the males over 20 that were qualified for service in the military. The people were segregated by tribes and the counting began. Big government had stepped in and the count was completed. One tribe was left out, the Levites. These men were to not serve in the Israeli army but were assigned as security agents for the tabernacle. They were enlisted to serve, but only for the Lord's house. Each tribe (12) in all were given a role. How did Israel respond to this demand? Num...

She sat at my table. Eyes rolled back .. Slow speech. soft breathing.. her usual smile taken hostage by a mixture of prescribed and unprescribed pills found hidden in a dusty medicine cabinet. expired no doubt.. she repeated words and fumbled her way through sentences.. just a child... and already captured by the allurement of dull colored "candies".. on a quest.. to capture her soul... He stood in my doorway... a young man... barely 20.. his eyes like wildfire.. his skin a color i cant describe in words.. id watched him grow up.. marry... and lose it all.. i saw him walking.. the dark shadows of the neighborhood.. his eyes hidden by a hoodie... always looking down.. he was an honest boy.. who lost his way.. he no longer spoke.. nor smiled.. head down.. always on foot.. looking for the happy fix to fill his unquenchable thirst... 40 no doubt.. a loner.. a man with everything to hide.. the truth was never visible.. the only obvious.. was misfortune.. and sadness.. and a painf...

Over the past week, how many times have we spoke evil of another? I have been guilty this week of "idle speech" or empty gossip and this is a despicable trait. Like a swarm of locust, gossip can swoop into a deserted heart and destroy all the "green" and beauty leaving it barren. Be angry, and do sin but speak the the truth. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath. (Ephesians 4:25-26) This chapter goes on to say that no "rotten talk" should come out of your mouth except what is good about someone and building them up. What gets in our way?? jealousy, envy, insecurity, and impatience.... we forget our assignment... to walk worthy... I am often taken wrong... the confidence i seem to advertise is many times "cover girled" with insecurity... It leaves a bad taste... bad impression... and when you live your life around what people think of you... this can become a damaging concoction... Also, when we gossip, we may be masking our own fear... fea...

Off with her head!!!.... the queen of heart shreaks... she is only feared.. and never loved... a sad commentary for those who follow in her footsteps... even the rabbit's foot finds no peace in the red painted rose garden... at the end of the day.. when the spoiled queen lays down to rest... her only connection with her enterouge is a fake mirage of devotion bound by the fear she imposes on all those who grace her presence... Alice, a small seedling, in a world of green and black and red... falls in a hole...after running... from every challenge she faces... its all she knows... is to run... but the clock is ticking... so little time... so much to accomplish... so many decisions... she must grow up so fast... she like many of us... loses her way... But she finds peace in a mad man... strange how life brings us to the table of a mad hatter and a hare... and a field mouse... and it gives us the directions we need and the knowlege we yearn... to guide our path... there are so many jab...

Temper Trap is the name of an Austrailian alternative rock band but is also a description of what happens to many of us in our daily lives... We lose our temper... Many times this happens because we feel cornered, belittled, insecure, in pain, aggravated or what have you... but spewing out a verbal lashing for something miniscule is undeserving to those served... Instead of screaming all the time... we need to learn to be still... and handle our own insecurities and not take it out on those around us...but...what if the person on the receiving end of our lost temper are not "innocent victims" but suspect.. in laying a trap for us to lose it... when you live with someone for so long... we learn which buttons to press.. Psalm 37:1-2 "Do not be agitated by evildoers...For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants"... this is easy to quote..but in the moment when the teapot is boiling... the sound of screaming steam is hard to silence... Get off t...