A Moment of Hope

"I am a little pencil in God's hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing." Mother Theresa penned these insightful words. She considered herself a "little" pencil, yet God wrote a large and magnificent story through her life on earth. God's hand is writing the story for each of our lives. An individual  story written solely for us. Using our specific, unique gifts given to us by God. The aut...

Any dead fish can flow with the stream. Picture small ocean waves lapping onto the shore, or the slowly moving waters of a stream. Now remember a time when you've seen the lifeless bodies of dead fish, as well as other types of debris, simply going where the flow of the water takes them. They have no choice. No ability to fight for or determine their direction. But in today's society, that's what...

Are you hurting? Broken? Recovering from harm inflicted by another person? Only time in God's presence heals our wounds. Healing is something we wish would happen instantaneously. In a moment. A week. A month. A year. But that's not how healing happens - it takes time. Time during which you experience God's love, grace, mercy, kindness and compassion. It's the time we spend in the open arms of our...

When you wake up in the morning, how do you feel about the day ahead? Is your first thought a negative, "Good Lord, it's morning!"? And you just want to stay in bed. Or, are you filled with excitement and anticipation expressed through a greeting, "Good morning, Lord!" And you're looking forward to the day ahead of you. Each day is a new  day. A new opportunity to have a cheerful heart. Inwardly,...

It's easy to leave your spouse. It's impossible to leave your best friend. Who is your BFF, your Best Friend Forever? If you're married, your BFF should be your spouse. Think back to when you were dating and couldn't wait to be together as a couple. Bring that eagerness back to your marriage. Commit to a weekly date night. Mark it on your calendar. Don't let anything interrupt it. Pray together. W...

"Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water. Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the seas." These lyrics from a 1970's pop song are wonderfully accurate for  all times. Is your hand currently in the hand of "the man"? It's quite an image to picture, isn't it? Holding tightly to Jesus's hand - especially when our life's seas are rough and filled with fear. When we reach...

"Take better care of my basketball!" How often I'd hear Coach Smith say this to his team. He knew that we had only so many possessions in a game, so when we turned the ball over, we gave our opponent more opportunities to score. Which would usually result in a loss for us. Of course, it wasn't really Coach Smith's basketball. But he did control the game. Who would play. Who wouldn't. How many minu...

The best definition of character I've ever heard: Who you are when no one is looking. Character is too often influenced by people-pleasing. Schmoozing others to get something from them. Wanting public acclaim. An emphasis on the outside, not inside, of your life. Your words don't match your deeds. Who you are in private is real and what matters most. Who are you at home - really ? Do you act the s...

Whether you realize it or not, you are most likely a leader in some way or another. Leadership is simply  influence . If you have influence over anyone - as a parent, co-worker, coach, manager, friend - then you are indeed a leader. As a leader, here's your job description: to serve  others, not use others. And here's a question all leaders should be asking themselves daily: How am I  serving the...

As followers of Jesus, Christians need to have solid doctrinal beliefs. To know what is true in both doctrine and theology. But it's much more important to know p ersonally  the one in whom you believe: Jesus. No Christian ever was more doctrinally sound than the apostle Paul. But it was his personal relationship with Jesus that kept him going in the midst of persecution, imprisonment and pain. Fa...

Have you ever had a friend or coworker who seems to make everything look easy, even though you know it's not? Here's what Coach Dean Smith had to say about such people, "Great players make the hard plays look easy, not the easy plays look hard." Sometimes we try to make life harder than it should be. We try to control things we were never meant to control. We look to our own strength to handle lif...

Throughout the first chapter of the book of Romans, a multitude of sins are listed. They include:  unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slander, pride and faithlessness  ( Romans 1:28-31 ). And there are many, many more. As human beings living in a fallen world, every single one of us can find ourselves committing a sin somewhere in that...

Has America become a nation who has forgotten how to blush? In the beginning of the book of Jeremiah, God repeatedly chastises the nation of Judah, warning about their flagrant sins and abominations. Their apathy toward obeying God's commands. Their calloused hearts ( Jeremiah 2-6 ). Judah no longer felt ashamed of their sin. Didn't even attempt to hide it. Much less ask God's forgiveness. Indeed,...

Catastrophe. Calamity. Crisis. Although these words look like synonyms at first glance, crisis is actually very different. The word "crisis" comes from ancient Greek roots meaning decision. Opportunity. Turning point . Therefore, think of a crisis as a moment in which you get to decide to take a different direction. Many of us have crises occur throughout our lives. It's a matter of when - not if...

The first look is free. You're responsible for the second one. This maxim came from my friend John Kasay and his wife, Laura. I once asked him, as an NFL kicker, what it was like to be on the sidelines with all the scantily clad cheerleaders dancing suggestively all around him. That's when he shared the quote from Laura with me. Laura told John that the first look is impossible to prevent. Temptat...

Do you live to work, or work to live? God said work was good . As God created the earth and everything in it, he repeatedly called his work good ( Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31 ). He commanded Adam and Eve to dress, till, and keep the Garden. And their work was  good . Work is a good gift from God. However, if we try to find our identity  in our work - and spend an inordinate number of hours at ou...

Here's a tried-and-true parenting tip. The fewer the rules, the better! Why? Because the more rules you have, the more you need more rules to define the rules you've already made. Marilynn and I kept it simple and created two rules we expected our children to follow: 1) Don't disobey. 2) Don't dishonor. Obedience is fundamental. " Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right " ( Ephe...

When dealing with questions about faith, can one ever delve deeply into matters of faith without doubt creeping in? Probably not. Here's what's true. When you doubt - and do nothing with that doubt except let it stir within - then, yes, it is indeed bad. Doubt will settle in your mind like a malignant tumor. Eventually, it will grow into unbelief. In fact James, Jesus's brother, tells us to not do...

Have you ever heard the adage, "Practice makes perfect?" Many of us have. But it's not true. Here's what is correct:  Perfect  practice makes perfect! This quote came from my son's high school coach, Jerry Faulkner. Most people tend to say, "Practice makes perfect." That's true in one sense. But if your habits are wrongly and repeatedly practiced, then your results won't be perfect. The apostle Pa...

Praise the behavior you want repeated. It's a great leadership principle I learned from my college basketball coach, Dean Smith. Coach wanted his players to play hard, smart, and together. That was his mantra for success. But he also knew that to get us to play consistently as he desired, he needed to notice and praise the behavior he wanted repeated. It's a great parenting principle too. The Bibl...

Boy, have I learned this one through the years! It's easier to get in than out. It's far easier to make a thoughtful, carefully considered choice than to find ways later on to get out of a bad one. Over time, the bad choice often becomes an entangled mess. It's like untangling spaghetti! As Scripture says, " The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance " ( Proverbs 21:5 ). Therefore, before...

Think about words like "hell" or "damn." They're spoken so often in our culture with little - if any - thought of the implications behind them. Their biblical roots. What they really mean. These words are startling and significant, yet they're often spoken thoughtlessly and casually. What's the lesson? Don't trivialize eternal realities. When we use severe words casually, we lessen their meaning....

Coach Dean Smith won two national championships. He was an incredible man and leader. The many lessons I learned from him continue to impact my life today. Years ago, I was watching one of Coach Smith's national championship games. At a key point in the second half, Coach put in a reserve player for a superstar at a key moment in the game. I couldn't believe his decision. What was he doing? Until...

Do you know what is going to happen in the next moment? Tomorrow? Weeks? Or years to come? Of course not. No one does. But here is a timeless truth that will always prevail: We don't know what the future holds, but we do know  who  holds the future. God is the Creator of all. He began the world ( Genesis 1:1 ). And he will end the world ( Revelation 1:8 ). Therefore, we put our trust in God. The m...

Three important words I've learned to live by: Life goes on. Think of your life as a river. It keeps going. Moving on and on and on. What happens if you throw a huge rock into it? First, there's a splash. Then ripples. And then nothing. The river continues to flow and move on. You may have had some tough and big rocks thrown into your life's river. Most all of us have. Those rocks likely caused a...