Yet Will I Not Forget Thee

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16

I'm not a youth pastor, a teacher, or a coach, but in the last several months, I've spent a good deal of time around teenagers. That's because in my capacity as a part-time high school sports photojournalist, I've walked up and down the sidelines of football and soccer games, and I've stood in the dugouts of baseball and softball games. I have to say, it's really a lot of fun, and I love interacting with those kids. To say that they can be entertaining would be a huge understatement. If it were to ever turn into a full time job, that would be perfectly fine with me.

Of course, in the position that I'm in, I don't learn the backstory of most of them. There are a few of them that I've had deeper conversations with, but for the most part, I only know what I see and hear on those sidelines or in those dugouts. I see the fronts, but I don't see what's under the surface. I do not need to see that, however, to know that many of them are hurting. That doesn't mean that I know which ones they are, but I know enough about human nature and the state of the world today to know that it must be true.

I believe it is that knowledge that helped to create the main character of the book that I'm currently working on. I'd like to introduce her to you. Her name is Caelynn Aucoin, and she's 14 years old. She's originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, but has recently moved to Moncton, New Brunswick. There's a huge hole in her world, but I'm not referring to the one created by moving away from her longtime home, even though it meant leaving behind her beloved older brother who is attending university back on the Island. Rather, I'm talking about a hole that was created eight years ago when her father walked away from her family.

Caelynn, like so many young people in reality, knows what it's like to feel rejected and unloved by someone that she should have been able to count on. It's not just young people either. Many of us as adults have experienced the rejection of those we felt that we could always count on. There are some people we feel will never turn their backs on us, and yet, all too frequently, the sinful nature of humanity kicks in and we find ourselves deserted. One thought that has been on my mind lately is that if that sort of thing is so painful as an adult, it would have to be excruciating for a child or a teen.

Surely, a parent would never walk away from his or her child, right? We all know that's not true. We all know of instances in which it has happened. If that can happen, there's no guarantee from anyone. right? Wrong. There is a guarantee that God Almighty will never forget His children. A mother might leave her child, but that child is not forgotten by God. A father might walk away, but then God becomes a father of the fatherless. But still, some might be wondering, how can I know that God won't forget me? The answer is simple. It's in His hands.

When the nails ripped through the flesh of Jesus' hands when He was nailed to the cross, something amazing happened. Those nails did the most impressive work of engraving ever performed. They etched the names of all of those who would ever trust in Him into his palms. Every time Jesus Christ looks down at the scars in His hands, He sees my name. If you're a child of His, He sees yours as well. He also sees the names of any of those kids whom I've hung out with on those sidelines or in those dugouts that have trusted in Him. He sees the names of all believers. There's no way He can forget us.

Maybe you're hurting and feeling the pain of rejection today. If you know Jesus Christ as Saviour, He's right there with you holding you in His arms. If you don't know Him, those arms are extended out to you. Perhaps you know someone who feels that pain. Why not point them to the Saviour that loves them so much. Let them know that He loves them enough that He allowed those nails to do something so special. He never forgets.

God's Time and Purpose

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's been a while since I posted anything on here. I've had a lot of things going on, not the least of which was finishing the publication process for my first book, Hazard at the Haunted House. Now that that particular task is finished, it seems that the time is right to get back to writing this blog, and I believe that book actually makes a good topic for a post.

You can read a little about the book and find purchasing links here if you're interested, but I won't spend too much time on that, because that's not the purpose of this post. Rather, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how the book came about and what it has meant in my personal life. You see, that book helped me to learn that there really is a time and a purpose for everything that happens in life.

"One day, I'm going to write a book." I can't tell you how many times I said that over a period of a decade or more. Let's just say that I wish I had a dollar for every time I said it. There were a couple of abortive attempts during that time, but I'm not sure how serious I really was about them. I think there were several reasons that it took so long before I decided to tackle the challenge. Honestly, I believe in one respect I was afraid of failure. That was a personal issue that I fought for a very long time, and have really only begun to overcome fairly recently. Be that as it may though, I think the primary reason was that, little known to me, it simply wasn't the right time.

I believe that the desire I had was a good one. I believe that there are few things in life that are worth more than a good book. I can relate to the Thomas Jefferson quote, "I cannot live without books." Books are an excellent way of sharing knowledge and understanding. However, I believe that for my book to be as edifying as it needed to be, there were some changes that had to be worked in my own heart.

I've spoken in the past on this blog of how I've experienced things that I never would have imagined I'd ever go through, and how those things have helped me more fully realize the grace and sufficiency of God. One of the things He used to bring me through the (so far) most devastating events of my life was writing. Just under two years ago, when I felt that I was near total despair, the idea of writing a book came back to my mind. This time, for better or worse, I was going to give it my best effort. It was finally time.

I say that it was time for two reasons. First, the time I begun my "career" as an author was the time that I needed it the most personally. At that time, it was edifying for me personally, and helped to rebuild my spirit from the pain it had recently suffered. Second, the trials that I was going through helped to turn my heart to the Lord in a way it had never done before. I was already saved, and had been for many years, but when I faced those trials, they drew me much closer to the Lord. A heart that is close to God is a heart much more able to do something edifying to others. And so it began. I started out with a very basic idea and started writing. Hazard at the Haunted House, a story about the importance of obedience and family, was the end result. Other books, which will hopefully be released in the future, followed.

That explains why I said that the book taught me about the timing of things, but briefly, I'd like to explain what it taught me about the purpose of things. If I had not gone through the heartbreak that I did two years ago, the book might have never been written, Now that it has been, it is my prayer that it will be a blessing in the lives of young people and that it will help them grow. If that happens, it will be something good that comes out of something very bad that happened.

You see, all things aren't necessarily good, but they work for good in the life of a child of God. If they draw that child closer to his Father's side, that's good. If they equip that child to better help and serve others, that's good. If my writing this book -- something that happened because of something bad happening -- helps others, that's good.

I certainly hope and pray that my book will help young people to learn something that will be good for them spiritually, but even if it doesn't, it has already taught its author a valuable lesson: God's timing is always right, and He has a purpose for everything.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Tonight, I watched the movie Woodlawn for the first time. It occurred to me that despite the fact that I was born years after the events, that I've never lived in Alabama, and that I never played high school football, I have a closer connection to the story than the vast majority of people who have seen the movie probably have. You see, my parents attended Woodlawn High School at that time. I heard plenty of stories about Tony Nathan as a kid, and I've been a lifelong Alabama fan. Because of the opportunities I've had to work the sidelines of local high school football games, I understand the football side of it much better than most with my background. I think that makes me appreciate the story more than I otherwise would or could.

This post is not going to be a review of the movie, nor will it be any kind of a social commentary. There's something far more important that I want to try to do here. I want to look at the impact of one character who appeared early in the movie and the ripple effect that he created by doing one thing: he chose to be a peacemaker.

If you've seen the movie, you likely know that I'm talking about Hank. Hank acted as a peacemaker between two groups of people that hated one another. Eventually, his impact also struck Woodlawn's biggest rival, Banks, creating a level of friendship between two teams who were arguably the most bitter rivals in the State of Alabama at that time.

How did he do it? As he told Woodlawn head coach Tandy Gerelds at their first meeting, he wanted to tell the team about Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." That's what Hank did. He lifted up Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ drew the young men on that team to Him. Jesus Christ brought peace into the hearts of those young men, and the change they experienced demonstrated how to have peace to those around them.

Jesus Christ, and He alone, is the source of true peace. Everyone has a desire for peace, but there are many who fail to find it. The reason is that they search everywhere but the right place. The things that the world tells them give peace only lead to destruction. The world's route to "peace" often leads to hatred and violence. It doesn't take a genius to look around at our world and see that.

The children of God are to be peacemakers. We know something by experience that many of the people around us are completely unfamiliar with. We know the secret to true peace. The thing is, it's our job to make sure that the secret gets out. We as Christians know something that can change the world. Not only that, but we have been commanded to share that knowledge.

Are you a peacemaker? As unbelievable as it might seem, to be one is a simple thing. All you have to do is share Jesus. Tell people that He's the answer to the longing in their souls. Tell them that He is the source of the peace they've searched for. As shown near the end of Woodlawn, there is One Way. That way is Jesus Christ.

How Much Is Your Pride Worth?

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Today I saw a very interesting post on Facebook. It was shared by one of my favorite current quartets and was originally posted by one of their members. This member of the group had some big news to share: he got saved yesterday!

Before any rocks are thrown, allow me to remind everyone that this is something to be celebrated, and it's not the time to criticize anyone for "living a lie." Regardless of how or when an individual comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the most important thing is that it happens. That said, I can understand why someone would ask how a person could be involved in singing gospel music and not know the Saviour personally. Well, he had an explanation for that.

He told that when he was 12 years old he "prayed a prayer," and talked about all of the things that he had been involved with since then. He said that he knew the word of God and that on the outside, he appeared to be a great Christian. The problem with that is, it's not the outside that matters; it's the inside. You and I might not be able to see through the front that someone puts up, but God can, and He looks directly at the heart.

The thing I want to focus on today, however, is the thing that he said held him back from making things right for so long: pride. You see, it requires swallowing a lot of pride to be saved, since we have to recognize our total dependence on God. But I think that someone who has long been identified as a Christian by others has to swallow even more. Human nature would much rather justify itself that admit to wrong. The flesh will be concerned with "what others think." It's easy to dismiss that by pointing out that spiritual people will rejoice over the salvation and tell someone not to worry about what a few might say, but that's not an easy thing for someone who doesn't have the new nature to do.

Fortunately, this young man didn't allow his pride to control him until it was too late. For so many, however, that is not the case. Many people take that pride to the grave, being much more interested in preserving their temporary reputations than their eternal souls. That's a very high price to pay, and in doing so, they're saying that their pride is more valuable to them than anything. I'm happy to say that I've seen people that I know quite well swallow that pride and accept Jesus. I don't say that in a gloating manner, but I say it in that I'm happy that they realized that their salvation was more important than anything else.

Pride doesn't get in the way of salvation only. Sometimes it can get in the way of our relationships with others, or our relationship with God. Sometimes, it allows hurt feelings to prosper which drain us emotionally, physically. and spiritually. Pride does a lot of damage. Sometimes it hurts only the one harboring it, but other times, it hurts others as well.

How much is your pride worth to you? If you aren't saved, are you willing to let it doom your soul to Hell? If you are saved, are you willing to sacrifice your relationships with others and your Saviour? Are you willing to allow your pride to tear you apart while you continue to self-justify yourself? If you've done any of those things in your life, I plead with you to sacrifice your pride for the good of your soul. Trust me, it's not worth the loss you'll suffer if you say no.

Are You a True Champion?

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13

On Monday night, I made a Facebook post celebrating the Alabama Crimson Tide's win in that night's national championship game. A friend of mine who's an Ole Miss fan decided to tease me a little and asked me if it bothered me to know that there Alabama had lost to Ole Miss and that there was "someone better" out there. That made me think. It's what inspired this post.

There has been a lot of talk about the fact that this is Alabama's fourth national championship in seven years. That's obviously a big accomplishment, but did you know that only one of those four teams (the 2009 team) went undefeated? As already mentioned, the 2015 team lost to Ole Miss. The 2012 team lost to Texas A&M, and the 2011 team lost to LSU. Fans of those teams made a lot of comments about beating the national championships, some in jest, some not, but in the end, none of those comments change anything. You see, it's not the small picture of the single game that matters; it's the big picture of the full season.

Interestingly enough, the 2011 Alabama team famously rematched with the LSU team that beat them in the regular season in the national title game. When all was said and done, they left no doubt about that game, winning 21-0 with the most outstanding defensive performance I've ever seen on any level. Instead of packing it in because their opponents had already taken them down once, the Crimson Tide played with determination, ready to prove that they were champions.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is the perfect analogy for the Christian life. No one outside of the Lord Jesus Christ has ever won every battle of life. He, and he alone, can claim the perfection of an undefeated life. Friend, you and I are imperfect. We've all lost games, so to speak. I'm not trying to excuse sin, but it's a fact that as long as we're in the flesh, we're going to continue to do so. The important thing then, is how we respond to those failures. Do we allow them to define us, or do we get back up and continue to battle? Sometimes, we'll even have to fight the same battle more than once. When we do, do we allow our previous failures to doom us to failure a second time?

We all want to be champions, but if we give up after a defeat, it will never happen. I don't think I'll ever forget a quote from a high school football coach this past season after his team battled through a difficult second half to manage a comeback win in a south state championship game: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion!" The heart of a champion of faith is one that will stand fast in the faith and be strong. A champion is one who learns from his mistakes and allows them to draw him closer to the Lord. A champion is the one who never quits.

Yes, three of those Alabama teams lost a game, but that doesn't change the fact that they're champions. Their commitment to excellence and their willingness to fight on after those losses defined them far more than the losses did. Can the same be said of you?

Fighting for Victory

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

2 Timothy 2:4

I've been an Alabama football fan for my entire life. This season, I watched the least college football I've ever watched in a season by a long shot, but I still watched most of Alabama's games. Despite the fact that I generally find that my interest in football is waning, there was no way I was going to miss them battling Clemson for the national championship last night.

To say that it was a hard fought game would be an understatement. The Crimson Tide emerged with its 16th national championship in program history 45-40, but they had to battle for all 60 minutes to secure it. To be perfectly honest, at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, I thought that it was going to slip away. I had never seen Alabama lose a game that could win a national championship, and things appeared to be heading that way.

Yet, somehow, the game didn't go that way. Alabama came up with key plays when they needed them, and they staved off an attempt by Clemson to rally in the waning minutes. The final bits of doubt weren't erased until Bama recovered an onside kick attempt by the Tigers with 12 seconds left. From that point, a knee killed the clock and brought the confetti down as the Tide celebrated.

The ironic thing about the whole game is that even though, as I said, I didn't watch much football this year, I think I enjoyed this championship more than any of the others I've seen. My apologies if your favorite team is mentioned ahead, because I'm simply trying to make a point. I watched the 1992 team rout the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes 34-13. I watched the 2009 team hook the Texas Longhorns 37-24. I watched the 2011 team get revenge against the LSU Tigers 21-0, and I watched the 2012 team throttle the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42-12. What then, made this one so special?

I'm not far removed from the game at all, but I think I've already figured it out. While the 2009 team got a little bit of a scare in the championship, none of those teams were challenged in the title game like the 2015 team was. If they wanted to win, they were going to have to fight for it, and that's exactly what they did. The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of life. I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but life is tough. As the text verse above shows, life is a battle. Every day, we're met with new and difficult challenges. To be a success, we have to fight them.

Just like last night's game, there will be times that we feel like we're up against the ropes. There will be times that we feel like failures, and truth be told, we're going to fail at times. When that happens, the question we have to ask ourselves is, how will we respond? Do we simply throw in the towel and assume we've lost, or do we fight on, and try to regain the ground we gave up? Those slipups are one of the things that we're not supposed to be entangled in.

Nowhere in the Bible do we find sinless perfection. God expects us to give our best to stay away from sin, but the Bible makes it clear that we will fall sometimes. Some of the greatest men in the Bible met with some of the greatest failures found in its pages. Men like Abraham, David, Noah, and Samson come to mind immediately. Yet, despite their faults, we don't think of them primarily in regards to their shortcomings, but for the incredible faith they displayed. When they fell, they picked up the sword and continued to fight.

The next time you fall, what will you do? Will you stay down and let your mistakes get the best of you, or will you get up and continue to fight for a championship? The game isn't over until God calls you home. Keep fighting until the clock hits zero, and the Lord will reward you with something much better than a gold trophy. You're going to see plenty about the Alabama football team in the upcoming days. Let them inspire you to continue to work for the Lord.

Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Ecclesiastes 12:1

The title of this post might be the strangest one you ever see written by a guy who's not quite 32 years old. You hear plenty of people much later in life talk about things like this, but as strange as it might seem, it's something I've been thinking about lately. You see, in a very short period of time, my thinking about what is important and my priorities have changed drastically. If I could travel back in time, even just a couple of years, I'd like to set myself straight on a few things. I can't do that, of course, but perhaps there's someone out there who is like me who could benefit from reading them. I've decided to share them here in the hopes that they might accomplish that. This post is long, but please don't allow that to stop you from reading. These things are important.

#1: The things you think are so important really aren't.

If you read this blog much at all, you know I'm a hockey fan. Further, you probably know that I enjoy studying the sport's history. I enjoy watching hockey, the occasional college football game, and I must admit that I enjoy working the sidelines of local high school sporting events as a journalist. However, that's a long way from how I used to approach sports. I used to watch any and every sporting event that I could. In short, if I wasn't obsessed (and I probably was), I was very close. Furthermore, when it came to college football, I would sometimes even get angry when something didn't go my way.

I think back on that now and can't help but shake my head in disbelief. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a sports fan, though there is something very wrong with the way many people -- my former self included -- approach it. Much of the time I wasted on things like that -- and it was wasted time -- would have been better used applied to things of more eternal importance. My attitude was certainly wrong, and I'm not alone in that. Your problem might not be with sports. It could be any number of things. Trust me, though, one day, you'll learn that it's not as important as you think it is, and you'll regret much of it. You'll learn that God is far more important.

#2: The problems you're dealing with aren't really such a big deal.

But I don't know what you're dealing with, right? That may be true, but it doesn't really matter -- I don't have to know. I'll explain why in just a moment. You see, if I were to try to pin down my worst personality trait, it would be my tendency to worry. It's something that I've had to fight throughout my entire life. I've said before that I can think of anything that can possibly go wrong in any situation. If that's not bad enough, once I had thought of them, I'd dwell on them. That led to many dreary days, and restless nights. A life built around worry isn't the greatest life. What's more, it's a life of sin.

I can't say that I never worry now, though I'm quite glad to say that I do it far, far less than I used to. The best thing about it is that it makes life much more joyful. I learned something through experience that helped turn it around. The fact is, God truly does know everything that can possibly go wrong, but more importantly, He knows what's going to happen. Beyond that, everything that happens is within His hand. He doesn't simply know the future, He controls it. If you struggle with worry, you'll be far better off if you'll learn to fall back into the arms of God and trust in Him when difficulties arise. Your problems are tiny when compared to the size of your God.

#3 Be careful when you choose your battles, and be careful how you fight them.

It's one thing to be well-intentioned, but it's another thing to be wise. It's another thing still to do things in the right spirit. It's important to stand up for what's right, but it's also important to be discerning in when and how we do it. It is possible to be too nitpicky and aggressive, and so far from accomplishing something worthwhile, possibly do damage. We can also find ourselves at fault by looking for fights.

Grace is important when we deal with others. No one is perfect. It's usually much easier to see the faults of others than to see our own. It can be highly discouraging when someone points out every minor flaw in our lives, so why should we expect that it would be any different for others? We can't expect anyone to be perfect, and we can very easily hurt them by doing so. Before we enter into any confrontation, we should first determine whether doing so is necessary. Are we doing so just because we want the battle? Is fighting the battle something that will do good? If so, are we fighting it in a right spirit because we want to see righteousness win or simply because we want to be right?

#4 You're going to deal with things you never thought you would, but they're for your good.

My life now is far different that it was just two years ago. My life then was far different that it was five years ago, and my life then was far different that it was 10 years ago. Most of those changes took place because of things I would have insisted never would have happened in my life. It would be inappropriate to go into the details here, but suffice it to say that they are things that couldn't be classified as good. In fact, if not for the fact that I have learned to trust more in God through what has happened, they could have been absolutely devastating.

The future is a complete mystery to us. It's easy to assume that certain things couldn't happen to us, but that's not the way life works. None of us is immune to any kind of tragedy or disaster. When those things strike, we often can't understand how or why. However, if we'll allow God to use them in our lives, we'll be amazed at what He does. Speaking for myself, while I have to admit that there are aspects of the things that happened that I do wish had never taken place, I can honestly say that I wouldn't change the effects that they have had on me personally. God has used them to make me a better person and draw me closer to Him.

#5 It's all about God.

This is the most important one, and I guess it's fair to say that everything above falls under this one umbrella. What place does God hold in your life? Most give Him little more than lip service. I want to give a caveat to what I say though. I truly think that many of those that give God nothing more than lip service mean well, but simply don't understand what it means to truly give God first place. They want to serve God, but they really don't know how.

I'd say I once fell into that category, and it's something that I'm still growing out of. In fact, if I don't continue to grow out of it for the rest of my life, something's wrong. To be able to serve God properly, we must know God. The more we know Him, the better able to serve Him we'll be. To get to know Him better, we have to spend more time with Him. We have to spend time in the Bible and in prayer. We have to meditate on God and the things of God. If we do that, we'll understand better what it means to say that it's all about Him, and we'll have a greater desire to make it all about Him.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I pray that it will be a blessing to someone. I don't know if my younger self would listen to my current self, but I'm convinced that it would have done him a lot of good.

When the Story of My Life Is Told

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Matthew 22:37-39

A couple of months ago when legendary hockey coach Al Arbour died, I wrote a post on this blog that asked the reader to consider the story he is writing with his life. That general thought is on my mind again, thanks to having heard the song in the video above on the radio on my way home from church today. That song is one that makes me think of the life lived by the man in the photo above. He's the greatest man I've ever had the privilege to know, and I'd like to tell you about him and the example that he set for me and many others.

Many who are reading this likely knew him, but for those who don't, his name was Herschel Bragg, Sr. He was my pastor for seven years, and had many more years of influence on me after he retired from that position. He passed away a little over two years ago, but his legacy lives on. His influence can be seen in the lives of more people than you can imagine. His story is one of a "witness so bold," and it does say that he kept the faith until his dying day.

My family joined Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in 1993 when I was nine years old. At that point, Bro. Bragg had already been the pastor of the church for 21 years. He was so loved and respected that it made him feel like a larger than life figure. But not long after, we had a church fellowship, and Bro. Bragg walked over to the table where I was and sat down across from me and started talking to me. I have no idea what we talked about now, but at that moment, whatever I wanted to talk about was the most important thing in the world.

I believe that was the moment that Bro. Bragg began to teach me one of the most important lessons I've ever learned. He didn't do it by sitting me down and giving me a lecture, but by the way he lived. That night, his actions said that I was important and that he cared about me. He might not have actually cared about the subjects we talked about that night, but his concern for me was no act, nor was the concern that he showed for everyone else who crossed his path.

That concern that he had for people was never more obvious than on the day of his funeral. The sanctuary of the church was filled with hundreds of people that had been touched by his life. As it was said that day, the packed house was not just evidence of how many people loved him, but how many people he loved. Bro. Bragg's story is one of love. It's the story of his love for the Saviour whom he faithfully served for so many years and of his love for everyone around him.

That love can be well summed up by some of the words from the last prayer I ever heard him pray. "Lord, if you're ready for me, I'm ready to go, and I'm ready to see you. But, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to hang around for a little longer and see a few more folks get saved."

That's what you and I should strive to be. We should have the kind of love for the Saviour that causes us to want to be with Him and that causes us to love others. Like Bro. Bragg, we should live a life that reflects the love of God to those around us. One day, when people tell the story of my life, that's the type of story I hope they tell. That's the only kind of story that displays a truly successful life. If I've ever known anyone that entered Heaven and heard, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," it was Bro, Bragg. When the Lord sees fit to put someone like him in your life, take advantage of it and learn from the example. People like him can help show us who we should be, and one day , we can use that to show others the same thing.

Bah! Humbug!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

The title of this post is strongly associated with the character Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol. It is the comment of a character that hates Christmas and everything associated with it. Why then, would I use it as the title of a post on a blog such as this, you may wonder. Please, hear me out on this, but quite frankly, I'm generally fed up with everything to do with "Christmas."

Supposedly, Christmas is a day on which we celebrate the birth of Christ, but is it really? Other than being on of two times a year that many people go to church (the other being Easter) and that many people take part in a traditional reading of the "Christmas Story," how often do people really turn their attentions to the birth of our Saviour on that day? I'm sad to say this, but even among professing Christians, my observations suggest that the answer is little to none.

How much time is spent on Santa Claus as compared to Jesus Christ? Even if your family doesn't do Santa Claus, how much time is spent on gift lists and events as compared to Jesus Christ? We frequently hear people complaining about how commercialized Christmas is, but many of those same people are guilty of participating in such.

The truth is, it's easy to simply go along with the crowd or get caught up in simply going through the motions. I think we all know what it's like to do both of those things. I'd be lying if I said I haven't done the same thing. Twice in recent years, I've lost a family member just two or three weeks before Christmas, and it was all too easy to focus on how disinterested it made me in "Christmas."A true celebration of the Saviour won't be marred by something like that in the same way that a mere holiday is. So, as much as I hate to admit it, I must plead guilty to my own charges.

Here's the thing: if we're truly focused on Jesus, none of the things I've mentioned above matter. Not Santa Claus, not presents, not traditions, not plans. Only He matters. That brings me to another "Bah! Humbug!" that I have: Why do we restrict the celebration on His birth to the month of December.

Let's get real for a moment. We can be pretty sure that December 25 wasn't the true date of the birth of Jesus. In fact, we have no idea what the date was, and can make nothing more than a semi-educated guess at best because the Bible doesn't tell us. Have you ever wondered why? I can't prove this, and I won't be dogmatic about it, but I suspect one very real reason is that God wants it to be a year-round celebration.

The birth of Jesus was a much bigger even than I think we tend to realize. This was no ordinary birth. We're talking about God in the flesh; the Creator of the universe took on the form of a helpless baby in order to redeem us from our sins. Why on earth do we think it's appropriate to limit the celebration of that to a few days, or at most a month? Why do we think it's only appropriate to sing Advent hymns in the month of December? Every day is a perfect day to celebrate the human incarnation of Deity, because it was an event that changed our forevers.

So, no, I'm not trying to be a Scrooge, but I do say "Bah! Humbug!" I say it to the overshadowing and limitation of our celebration of our Saviour. Let's make every day "Christmas," and let's keep the focus on the real reason for the celebration.

Let Me Glory in the Cross

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Galatians 6:14

We live in a society that is very proud of its accomplishments. It's proud of how technologically advanced it is. It's proud of how "progressive" it is. It's proud of how independent it is. Of course, a society is made up of people, and the people of our society are what gives it its braggadocios nature. We constantly hear people toot their own horn about the things they've accomplished or the things they have.

I believe in giving credit where credit is due. When someone achieves something worthwhile, why not give them their roses while they can still smell them? I like technology. I think it has made our lives much easier than they would otherwise be. Granted, some people use it in evil ways to do evil things, but that's a matter of the heart, not technology. Then there are other "accomplishments" of mankind that I, to put it bluntly, regard as complete garbage.

Whether we think any of the things mentioned above are good or bad, however, there is a serious problem when we or our society chooses to glory in them. If we're honest, I think we'd all have to admit to being guilty of glorying in things that we've seen or done. That's part of human nature. Human nature loves attention, and it loves to be recognized.

Perhaps it strikes you as odd that I used the word guilty there and said that it's a problem when we glory in our accomplishments. I stand by that. If you really think about it, what have any of us done on our own that is of eternal merit? One day, this world is going to burn up, and everything that we've ever accomplished on our own -- everything that mankind has ever accomplished -- will burn up with it. When you cut to the heart of it, the only things that we can do that are of any eternal value are those that are done in the power of the Holy Spirit and for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a moment. If you want to do anything truly worthy of glory, it has to be done through and for the glory of God. In other words, there is no real glory for us, and we shouldn't really want or expect it. Our focus should be squarely on the person, work, and cross of Jesus Christ, and it should be our goal in life to magnify Him.

Folks, this life isn't about us. It's all about Jesus Christ. He's the One that created the world and us. He's the One who became what we are (sin) so that we could be made what He is (righteous). He's the One who willingly and lovingly laid down His life to cleanse us of sin and to restore our fellowship with Him. This may sound strange at first, but we should look out for #1. The catch is that we're not #1 -- Jesus is. Our lives shouldn't be dedicated to glorifying ourselves and our works, but to glorifying the Saviour and His cross. When you stop to think about what He has done for us, it's only right. He alone is worthy.

Thanks

 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

As everyone in the United States is well aware, Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday. The tradition of Thanksgiving traces its roots back to a celebration by the residents of the Plymouth Bay Colony. In that meal that they famously shared with the native population of the area, they celebrated the blessings of God and offered their thanks to Him for preservation.

Today, many "historians" downplay the importance of God in that event, and our contemporaries mock the holiday or pervert it into nothing more than "Turkey Day" or a chance to get an early start on Christmas shopping. Even many who don't go that far look at it as nothing more than a chance for a family reunion, and never once give thought to the Creator. Still others acknowledge God and His blessings on that one day but fail to do so on any of the other 364 days of the year.These things ought not so to be.

If you'll allow me, I'd like to share with you some things that I'm thankful for, and I'd like to challenge you to reflect on the blessings in your life. Some of the things I reflect upon as blessings might very well surprise you, but I have a feeling that you'll find similar hidden blessings if you think about it enough.

1. Everyone God has placed in my path

Yes, that does say everyone. Like all of you, I'm thankful for family and friends that have loved me and been there for me through the hard times, but I'm also thankful for those who have betrayed me. How can I say that? I say that because their unfaithfulness only serves to magnify the faithfulness of God. I've learned that I can't always trust those that I think I can and that death will eventually take away those I truly can trust, but God is always present and ever faithful.

2. Everything I've faced: the good times and the bad

Again, it's easy to be thankful for the good times, and I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the same. I love that when I feel the most disheartened, God gives me the shot in the arm that I need to continue. But difficulty is just as important in our lives. It is in the times of difficulty that we are reminded of our dependence on God and experience the sweetest doses of His grace. The grace of God more than makes up for any pain we suffer in the hard times.

3. The Bible

I'm getting into things that would be more expected in a post like this now, because almost every Christian would include God's word on his list. But, how many truly are thankful for it? Do you ever put it to use? We have so many more opportunities to study the Bible today. There are computer programs that can be downloaded for free, and you can easily install it on your phone or tablet. How often do you put it to use? How often do you show your thankfulness for it. I think at times we all fail there, either by not studying it or treating that study as a chore. God help us all to truly appreciate this incredible gift.

4. Jesus Christ and salvation

I'm combining these two because in a sense, they are one and the same. Salvation is found only in the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross, and to have Him is to have salvation. We all have accomplishments that we reflect on with joy, and others that we hope to one day achieve, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Nothing that you or I have ever done or ever will do is worth anything in the face of what Jesus has done for us. May God help us all to glory in His cross and reflect upon it with thanksgiving every day of our lives.

The Greatest Freedom of All

 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

Today is Veterans Day, and you will no doubt see countless posts and articles written about how we should honor and thank the veterans of the United States military who walk among us and remember the sacrifices of those who gave all in service of their country. I agree with them wholeheartedly. Romans 13:7 says that we should render "honour to whom honour" is due. I even wrote a post on my hockey history blog on that myself in which I recalled the deaths of Frank McGee and Hobey Baker as they gave their lives in the service of Canada and the United States respectively.

In this post  however, I'd like to allow Veterans Day to point us in a different direction if you'll allow me to do so. Say what you will about the collapse our society has gone through in recent years, but there are few places on earth that offer anywhere near the amount of liberty as the United States does. I'm very thankful to be an American. But by the grace of God, I could have been born in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, or any other one of countless countries that oppress their citizens. Right now, the population of the United States is about 322 million, whereas the entire population of the world is just shy of 7.3 billion. If you do the math, you'll find that if you choose a random person from the world's population there is only about a 4.4% chance that person is an American. Yes, I've been very blessed.

As great as that is, I'm blessed in a much, much bigger way. I'm blessed in that I'm saved. Even better, this is a blessing that is available to all. It also reveals a greater sacrifice than any person could ever give. The greatest love that any man can display is to lay down his life for his friends. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ laid down His life for His enemies.

As wonderful as it is that the sacrifices of our military have given us freedom in our everyday lives, it is much more so that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has given us freedom from sin. I cherish my liberty in America, but when I've passed from this life, it will no longer be of consequence. But, the liberty that I have in Jesus Christ is an eternal liberty. It's a liberty that frees me from the bondage of sin in this life and from an eternity in a lake of fire in the next.

By no means to I intend to disparage the contributions of our military veterans or those of any other country who have served the cause of freedom, so please don't take this post in that way. What I do challenge you to do is to allow their giving to remind you of One who gave all to give us the greatest gift possible. If you're saved today, it is because of a Veteran of the battlefield against principalities. It is because God Himself paid the ultimate price. This is truly the greatest freedom of all.

The Mind of God

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalms 8:3-4

This blog has kind of been lost in the shuffle of things in my life in the last couple of weeks, but I think it's time to fire it back up. I was reminded of one of my favorite thoughts a few minutes ago, and I thought it worthwhile to write about. It's a thought that brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I think of it: the fact that no matter what happens, I'm always in the mind of God.

 I won't go into that since I don't think it's appropriate for this blog, but I believe there's plenty of reason to believe that the writer of the play "Our Town," Thornton Wilder, was not a saved man. Despite that, in that play, he found a way to very eloquently relate the wonderful truth of the text verses.

In this post, I'm not going to talk about the scene in "Our Town," but I would like to talk about a scene from my own writing that was inspired by it. The central character of the scene is a 10-year-old native of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Paula Taylor. Paula has felt overwhelmed by things going on at school, at home, and an upcoming skating competition. She feels pressure to do extremely well at school because one of her brothers, Parker, is highly intelligent. She feels pressure to do well on the ice because her sister, Paige, is the most talented young figure skater in the area. The result is that she focuses too much on the surrounding troubles and loses sight of God and what He can do for her.

A chain of events that follows teaches her a couple of lessons. One is that she doesn't have to worry about living up to the potential of anyone else. All anyone can expect of her is that she does her best. The other is that no matter what happens do her -- and even when she forgets Him -- she is always in the mind of God. He is always concerned about her and always has her best interests in mind.

To drive that point home to her, Paula's mother recalls the scene from our town. I'll share the words of Mrs. Taylor here:

“When I was in high school, I had an assignment to read the play ‘Our Town’ by Thornton Wilder. It is told in the play that a character received a letter addressed like this: ‘Jane Crofut; The Crofut Farm; Grover’s Corners; Sutton County; New Hampshire; United States of America; Continent of North America; Western Hemisphere; the Earth; the Solar System; the Universe; the Mind of God.’

“I’ve never forgotten that in all the years that have passed since then. The lesson I learned from it is that no matter how small I am, God has never forgotten me, and will never forget me. No matter where I am or what I do, I’m always on His mind. You are Paula Taylor; The Taylor Home; Colonial Park; Lloydminster; Saskatchewan; Canada; Continent of North America; Western Hemisphere; the Earth; the Solar System; the Universe; the Mind of God.”

As the youngest of four children, Paula often feels insignificant. As you go through that progression, she -- and we -- appears smaller and smaller. Yet, when we zoom out farther and farther and go beyond even the limits of the universe itself into the mind of the Almighty Creator that spawned it all, there we are. On the scale of the universe, we're not even an insignificant speck, yet God is mindful of us. He's so mindful of us that He took on human flesh and died on a cross to redeem us.

Maybe your talents don't seem as great as those around you, and maybe you feel castaway by others, but God loves you nonetheless. You're always on His mind. You were on His mind while He bled and died. The account given may be one experienced by a fictional character, but I assure you, the truth is not fictional. It's as real as you, I, and the Mind of God.

An Arm Around Our Shoulders

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:3-5

As I'm sure many of you are, I stay pretty busy, being involved in quite a few things. I have a full time job in retail, I'm the music director at my church, I write two blogs, I write novels that I hope to have published one day, and I write for a local sports media website. Every one of those positions can be rewarding, and on Friday night, I witnessed something that helps make the last of those jobs so.

Part of the job with the website includes attending local high school football games so that I can write recaps for the site. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that. I love seeing the passion and the excitement from the players and coaches as I walk up and down the sidelines. Because of access my position with the website gives, I'm privy to a lot of things that the fans in the stands never see. I see all the ups and downs on the sidelines up close and personal, I hear speeches from the coaches, and get to be in the middle of post game rallies.

Friday night though, I saw something while walking behind one of the coaches waiting for an interview that warmed my heart. There was a player that had had a tough game and was feeling very frustrated. His coach learned of it and responded by walking over to the player, putting his arm around him, and as we say in the South, "loving on him a little."

That's one of the marks of a great coach. He knew his player was feeling discouraged, so he tried to give some comfort and let it be known that he cares about him. I've been thinking about that moment a lot over the last two days. The more I thought about it, the more it reminds me of what our Heavenly Father does for us.

We all have frustrations in life, but thank God, when we are brokenhearted, He's always there to put His arm around us and remind us that we're loved. He has a complete understanding of our difficulties, and He has power them. Just as He calls every one of the stars by name, He knows all of our names. Just as that coach did to that player on Friday night, He will draw us close to Himself, one on one when needed.

I already had plans to make this post, but this afternoon, I was given more reason to do so. Less than an hour ago, I learned that one of my aunts passed away. It was unexpected. Honestly, I still haven't completely grasped it yet. Even so, I know that my Saviour is near. He's not only near to me, He's near to every member of the family. Whereas a coach can only be in one place at one time and can get personal with only one player at a time, God is everywhere and can give us all personal attention at one time.

When our hearts break, the Great Physician is there to heal. He'll put His arm around us and "love on us" better than anyone else could ever do. Frustrated? Heartbroken? Jesus is there for you.

Do We Need a Pope?

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Hebrews 4:14

The media is abuzz over the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to America. The visit is highly controversial among some, and the man himself is certainly controversial. I'm not going to wade into the politics of the situation, but I do want to take a closer look at the role of "pope." Rather, I want to look at the Scripture and answer this question: Do we need a pope?

Catholic doctrine teaches that Jesus chose Peter as the foundation of the church, and that the popes, as his successors are the modern day heads of the church. They base this claim on Matthew 16:16-19, claiming that Peter was the rock that Jesus would build the church on. That claim however, doesn't hold up to spiritual cross-examination. Jesus, in fact, is the rock. His church was to be built on the confession of Him, just as Peter did in the conversation in Matthew 16.

Rather, 1 Corinthians 3:11 shows that Jesus is the foundation. This verse goes so far as to say that no other foundation can be laid. Everything we do is built upon Him. Note that at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the question isn't whether or not the foundation lasts, but whether or not what is built on the foundation lasts. Only Jesus Christ and things done in His strength can stand eternally.

At this point, the conversation would probably shift to Ephesians 2:20, which speaks of "the foundation of the apostles and prophets." This is another passage supporters of the papacy use to support their claims, but a look at the full verse shows that this foundation is also Jesus Christ. as the verse calls Him the"chief corner stone."

Why then, does the Bible speak about the "foundation of the apostles and prophets?" I think the best illustration I've seen is one found in the history of our nation. Our nation could be said to have been built on the foundation of the founding fathers. Were the founding fathers themselves the foundation? No. The foundation of our nation was a set of principles regarding individual freedom and the role of government. The role of the founding fathers was to lay this foundation. They gave us the foundation, and it's up to us how we build on it.

Moving that to the spiritual realm, if you're saved, it's because someone laid the foundation of Jesus Christ for you. They were able to do that because someone laid it for them. That can eventually be traced back to the apostles and prophets. The prophets told the world about the coming Messiah, and the apostles first spread the news that He had come. From then on, we all build on the foundation they laid. We don't build on them; we build on Jesus.

Is there then, any need for an office such as the papacy? No, there's not. Going a step further than that, there's no need for an organized priesthood. In 2 Peter 2:5, the Bible reveals that all believers are priests with access to the Father. Over us is our High Priest, the greatest of them all, Jesus Christ.

Do we need a pope to be the foundation for us? No. Do we need an earthly authority over the worldwide church? No. Jesus is our foundation and our authority. Do we need a priest to grant us access to God? No. We have that access in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption. Because of that, we can boldly approach the throne, no pope required.

Jesus is Precious

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. 1 Peter 2:7

This isn't the blog post I intended to make, but I feel led to do so. I'm sure I'll still make the one I had in mind, but for now, it will have to wait for another day. Tonight, my pastor preached a message that greatly stirred my heart. The text verse for this post was his text verse. The topic of the sermon -- and of this post -- was "Jesus is Precious." If you'll allow me a few minutes of your time, I'd like to give you a few reasons that Jesus is precious to me. This won't and can't cover them all, but it should make the point.

The first reason He's precious to me is that He's the greatest friend I could ever have. A true friend is one who sticks with you through think and thin. A friend doesn't wait until things are going well to come to your side, and he doesn't run away when they aren't. The Bible says that a friend loveth at all times, and no one fits that description better than Jesus. He knows my worst, and yet, He still loves me. There is nothing I could ever do to cut off His love. He loves me no matter where I go, no matter what I do, and no matter what I experience.

Secondly, Jesus is precious to me because He helps me bear my burdens. We all know what it's like to be, as Paul said, "pressed out of measure, above strength." Some will say that God won't allow you to face anything that's too difficult for you to handle. Speaking from experience, I can say that those people are wrong. However, I can also say that when the burdens I have to carry are too much for me, He's always there to help me. There are many things I face that are too hard for me, but none of them are too hard for Him. As much as I wish I didn't have to face such things, I'm thankful for them, because they prove that Jesus can sustain me.

The faithfulness of Jesus is a third reason He's precious to me. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, meaning I always know what I'll get when I go to Him. That's not true of people. Circumstances and moods can and will change how people deal with us, but I get the same Jesus every time I'm in His presence. Because of that, He's my rock. I can stand on Him and not be worried about the storms of life. My anchor is set in Him, and I can't be blown away.

The fourth reason I'll give you for why Jesus is precious to me is that He supplies my needs. It doesn't matter what the need is. It can be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. He has the ability and the willingness to supply for them all. He's the King of Glory, and all of creation belongs to Him. He's the God of all comfort, and no heartache is too troublesome for Him to heal. With a God like that, who else do I need?

Fifthly, Jesus is precious to me because of His salvation. Anytime I really think about this, it brings tears to my eyes. Why would Almighty God take on human flesh and give His life on a cross, bearing the penalty for my sin? I can't explain it, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to. This is nothing but speculation on my part, but somehow, I feel that even in Heaven, we'll spend an eternity marveling at His love for us. As George Amon Webster of the Cathedrals wrote, "Why did He go to Calvary? There's just one reason. I am the one." I'm so thankful that Jesus took my place and offers salvation through the work He did.

Reason number six for my saying Jesus is precious is His continued forgiveness. As much as I wish I didn't, I still sin. I still sin every day. I deserve nothing more to be thrown away, but Jesus doesn't do that. He offers eternal life, and doesn't discard me when I don't live up to His standards. Even better, when I confess that sin to Him, He washes it away and it's as though it never happened. My fellowship with Him is unaffected, and I'm fully restored.

The seventh and final reason I'll give you that makes Jesus precious to me is the home He's gone to prepare for me. The Bible says some wonderful things about Heaven, but honestly, most of them don't really matter to me. How can I say that, you ask? It's simple. One reason so far outshines the others that I'm blinded to them. The key is this statement by Jesus: "where I am, there you may be also." The other reasons that He's precious to me make this one the greatest of all. He's gone to prepare a place for me so that I can be with Him. What better way could there be to spend eternity?

Is Jesus precious to you? If so, tell me why. I'd like to know why He means so much to you. Let's worship Him for who He is and what He's done. If He's not precious to you, the only reason I can think of is that you don't know Him. If that's the case, I'd love to introduce you to Him. He's waiting for you with open arms. One personal experience with Him is all it will take to make you say, "Jesus is Precious."

Practical Idolatry

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

Football season is here! Millions of people across the United States will be glued to their televisions for the next four or five months. Many of them will eat, breathe, and sleep every touchdown over that period of time.

Understand, I'm not putting down sports fans, because to do so would be quite hypocritical. For the first time in my life, I'm really not excited about football season, but I'm still eagerly awaiting the beginning of hockey season. There's nothing wrong with being a sports fan. Everyone needs something to provide relaxation or an escape from the stress of every day life.

Those hobbies are perfectly acceptable when they are kept in their proper place, but for too many they are blown out of proportion. I find it highly unlikely that many who read this blog would classify themselves as idolaters, but the fact of the matter is that if we're not careful, any one of us can fall into a form of idolatry. I'm not talking about building an idol and worshiping and praying to it, but I'm talking about putting something ahead of God.

Lest anyone think I'm being condescending, I'll make a confession here. About nine years ago, I found myself at a point where sports had taken far too big of a role in my life. I hadn't come to the point that I'd stay home from church to watch a game or anything like that, but if you were to begin a conversation with me, sports would have been my top pick, far and away.

Things really hit the fan one Saturday, when, while watching a football game, I got angry when I felt that my team lost a game because of poor officiating. While I still believe the officiating in that game was poor, I'm nonetheless very ashamed by my reaction. If someone who wasn't a Christian would have seen how I acted that afternoon, I would have given a very poor testimony. It would have suggested that a football game was more important to me than living my faith.

I had to do some re-evaluation. I stopped watching football for the rest of the season to give myself an opportunity to straighten out my priorities. I couldn't let my love of sports be the first love of my life. If it hadn't done so at that point, it was well on its way.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus told the church of Ephesus that he had somewhat against them because they had left their first love. Jesus is the first love of a Christian. When we're first saved, He is more important than anything in the world. However, over time, our love for Him often grows cold, and our focus moves away from Him and to worldly things.

As much as we might not like to admit it, this is ultimately a form of idolatry. Anything we put ahead of God is an idol. I'm fully aware that this is a thought that will offend many, but if we want to be the servants of God that we should be, we must be able to face our sin for what it is so that we can deal with it. Denial will get us nowhere.

If at this point, you realize that you're at the point I was a few years ago, there is good news. If we'll confess this sin to God, He'll forgive it just as He will any other. We can have complete fellowship restored and resume our proper service to Him.

Go ahead. Watch a football game. Engage in your favorite hobby. Enjoy it. But please, keep it in its proper place. Don't let it take the place of your first love. Give first place to Jesus, and everything else will fall in line. That is the only way to live life to its fullest.

Jesus Cares

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Have you ever found yourself wondering if anyone really cares about what you're going through? I have. I think we've all had times that we feel completely isolated and feel that no one can relate to what we're going through. I think feelings such as those probably play a large role in the levels of suicide and depression in our society. It's easy to fall into a dark despair when we feel alone. Sometimes it can make us question if life is truly worthwhile.

Truth be told, there are times that our friends and families can't grasp the turmoil in our souls. If they haven't experienced the particular grief that we feel, they may not be able to comprehend just how much it weighs on us. As such, their reactions can sometimes seem unfeeling, and often that compounds the sorrow we already feel.

Does that sound familiar? Maybe that's where you are right now. Obviously, I can't know what difficulties you face as you're reading this, since it's not a face to face conversation. Even if it were, I might fall into the category of those who can't relate to what you're through. I might not be able to offer you any help personally, but I know someone who can.

The Bible calls Jesus Christ a man of sorrows, and says that He is acquainted with grief. As remarkable as it sounds, I believe Jesus Christ suffered through more sorrows than anyone else in the history of the human race. It seems unfathomable to think that people would mistreat God to His face, but that's exactly what happened.

Tradition tells us that Joseph, Jesus's earthly father died at a relatively young age. The fact that he's not mentioned in the Bible after Jesus was 12 gives some credence to that. If so, that tells us that Jesus knows what it's like to suffer the loss of a loved one. Jesus knows what it's like to be betrayed and denied by His friends because of the actions of Judas and Peter. Jesus knows what it's like to be taken for granted. Nine of the 10 lepers he healed never even thanked Him. Jesus knows what it's like to be treated wrongly after helping someone. He was condemned for healing a man on the Sabbath. Jesus knows what it's like to be unjustly persecuted for wrongs He had not done. He suffered for our sins on the cross. I can also immediately think of one grief that He suffered that none of us ever will: He was forsaken by God Almighty as He hung on the cross.

The Bible tells us that our High Priest can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. I don't think He had to live on Earth to know what it's like; I think He already knew, simply because He's God. However, His life on Earth proves to us that He knows. If you can relate to anything mentioned in the paragraph above, you know that Jesus can as well, because He has experienced it just as you have. There are more things mentioned in the Bible that He went through than I could ever put into a single post, and that doesn't include all the experiences that aren't recorded for us.

Oh yes, He cares. I know He cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Saviour cares.

Do You Truly Want Revival?

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tomorrow morning, my church will begin a revival meeting, and I must say, I'm very excited about it. Such meetings are very refreshing and can certainly give us a spiritual recharge. But when we go to such meetings, is that all we look for? Do we hope to be simply refreshed and recharged, only to go about business as usual afterwards?

We all need to be refreshed and recharged from time to time. Quite simply, the cares and difficulties of life can easily wear us down, making such a time of renewal necessary. The sad thing is that we so often are willing to settle for that instead of looking for all God wants from us.

Think back to the day you were saved. You no doubt remember the feeling of being on fire for God and wanting the world to know about it. I was only five years old when I was saved, and while some of the details of that night are now a little fuzzy because of my young age, I remember that part of it very well. I wanted everyone to have what I had just gotten.

When you think about that time, I have no doubt that it brings back fond memories. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to cool off after a time. In just the reverse of what the hymn speaks of, we become focused too much on the world, and the things of God grow strangely dim. In goes without saying that that is not God's desire for us. He has given us the Holy Spirit, and if we remain filled with Him, we can keep that burning in our souls. God wants us to be on fire for Him at all times, but in order for that to be so, we have to remain focused on Him.

That's what revival is. We take our eyes off of the inconsequential, and focus on the supremely worthy God of the universe. We dedicate ourselves to His service and once again feel the same passion for Him that we did when we were first saved. We're brought back to life at the same level we had when we were born again.

The concept is a great one, and we often speak of wanting to see it. We say that we want to have revival in our churches and in our nation. Those things are needed. Too many churches have gone cold (or worse, lukewarm), and our nation has turned its back on the Godly principles on which she was built. Our churches and our nation have left their first love.

How badly do we truly want said revivals, though? If we really want them, we must be willing to act. The verse at the beginning of today's post gives the recipe for revival, and it is based on the actions of God's people. This is a conditional promise. God promises to do something if  we will do something. If we want revival, we must be willing to humble ourselves before Almighty God and repent of sins in our own lives. If we are willing to do so, we can have revival in our own lives. If enough people in a church does so, that church can experience revival. That can spread to a community. A springing out such as that is the only chance for revival in our nation.

Do you truly want revival? How much are you willing to pay for it? Are you willing to cut things out of your life to achieve it, even if doing so is painful? If so, let your actions say so, and God will bless, if only in your own life. But that's worth it, isn't it?

What Heaven Means to Me

 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2-3

If you ask 20 people what the first thing they think of when Heaven is mentioned or what they look forward to the most in Heaven, you could easily get 20 different answers. Some would mention friends and family who have passed over, while others would talk about the sights of Heaven that the Bible speaks of, while others would speak about it as a place of peace and rest from the struggles of Earth. It's true that Heaven will have all of that, but is that what Heaven is really about?

I'd like to ask you a question. If you knew that there were no mansions, no street of gold, no walls of jasper, no gates of pearl, and no loved ones or saints of old waiting, would you still want to go to Heaven? I would, and I'd like to tell you why.

Please don't think that I have no love for those who have crossed into Heaven before me, but I don't believe they're going to be on my mind when I arrive there. I would never say that I don't think that Heaven will be a spectacular sight, but I don't believe I'll notice any of the sights of the city when I arrive. There will be only one thing on my mind, and Jesus told us what it is in John 14:3. The only real point of Heaven and the only real attraction it holds is Him.

"That's a bold statement," I imagine someone is thinking after reading that. Yes, it is, but I believe it's a Biblical statement. Yes, Jesus has gone to prepare a place for me, and I believe there's a mansion there with my name on it. But why did Jesus go to prepare such a place for me? "That where I am, there ye may be also."

That's what the Apostle Paul believed Heaven was about. He said, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He said that he was willing to go to Heaven so that he could be present with the Lord. He said that he had a desire to depart and be with Christ and said that it was far better.

Why would anyone feel that way? True, we all have struggles in life, sometimes more than we bargained for, but not many people seem to be interested in dying and leaving. For the Christian, there's a great reason to want to go to Heaven. When we finally arrive, we will forever be with the One who has showered His love upon us, and whom we now love because of that. We will be with the One who was willing to give His all to rescue us from the penalty of the wrath of God on our sins.

When we love someone, we desire to be with that person. When we're separated from them, our heart longs for them. As it is said, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Each day that you live on Earth, does your heart long more for Jesus? Do you desire to be with Him? If not, I would plead with you to examine your heart. Salvation is more than fire insurance, and it's more than a "Mansion Over the Hilltop," as great as those things are. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you're reading this, and the thought of seeing Jesus Christ in Heaven doesn't stir your heart and you're concerned about your soul, please contact me. I would love nothing more on Earth than to introduce you to the Heaven of Heaven, Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul.

Yes, if nothing else were in Heaven, I'd still want to go. I want to see Jesus.