Deacon Speakin'

"Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil; and when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." I love this for lots of reasons but mainly because it sums up Lent rather nicely.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous. It is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

The lesson in priorities is not necessarily deciding what to exclude as much as recognizing that all on the list of things to do is important and figuring out how to fit them all in. Yes, being responsible is a juggling act sometimes and the world asks you to juggle chainsaws now and then, so a little care and effort is required.

Everyone seems to be anxious. If not about health or family or stress then about school or work or money…or maybe you know someone who is just anxious about everything – and for no real reason? Season 3 Episode 105

"God, where are you going to be working on me today?" But, not just "working on me," "How will you be working through me, or in me, or with me?" All good prayers to start the day. And, when you start like this, you can't help but notice the answers that he sends you throughout the day.

It's so very hard sometimes to find God in the colorless and the gloomy or in the bleak and wintery. We tend to want to thank God in the sunshine and plead to him in the rain. We dance and we sing in the warm of summer and try our best to survive the winters.

The whittle marks are the flattened spaces where wood is shaved to make the particular shape and features; the edges that give it a characteristic unique to the style. They are the little imperfections that are left by the craftsman and are not easily replicated by any other method. They are what makes the piece of wood a new and unique creation.

Season 3 Episode 101 If only we knew what awaits us, we could be so much better prepared and ready, right? Maybe if we knew what to expect, we could avoid some terribly awful mistakes and save ourselves some heartbreak! I'll pause right here and let you take that in for a second…

Episode 100! So where do we take it in 2021? Once a vaccine settles the dust and gives us possibly a life beyond lockdown; what do we do with these opportunities? We have no doubt formed some new habits with our families throughout the year. Do we go back to those pre-Covid habits

One Christmas in 1980 we made homemade cookies to give my Grandma who lived across the pasture from us. None of us could have imagined her reaction when we handed her the box...

"You have never seen the like of me before? Come in and know me better, man!" What great words to hear!

Here's a repost of one of the most downloaded podcasts of 2020. This is from December 01, 2019: "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. And when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

"Who are you?" Ask yourself that and consider your answer. What are you pointing to when you identify yourself? What opportunity are you taking with the questions posed to you?

 "The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness." hallow.com/deaconspeakin for the Hallow App!  

What's the deal with Advent anyway? We seem to throw that word around this time every year and it feels kinda special when we talk about it. I mean who doesn't love a good advent calendar anyway? Seriously, a calendar with little window that have compartments of chocolate inside them? And you do it every day from December first until the 25th! Yeah, Advent, pardon the pun…sounds pretty sweet.

I think Thanksgiving gets a really short window of opportunity to be recognized since Halloween basically ushers in the holiday season and makes people start looking forward to Christmas. Its like the Jan Brady of holidays.

Many do not realize their talents until much later in life, others at a very young age, and some spend their lives thinking they have none. The truth is that we all have something of talent, and we all have a way to contribute that talent to glorify God. You need only to explore and have an intention to serve.

While we put all our focus and hedge our bets on our new and latest Ceasar…where is God? Did we leave Him waiting in the lurches? Did we even buy Him a ticket to the race or to the game we are watching? We have made comments that we want the best man; the most good and ethical, to win; but, did we bring "good and ethical" with us to the game.

I encourage you to take your season and look at it in the proper frame. Your winter is someone else's summer and their winter is likewise your summer. When you view this from this perspective you might realize that God gives gifts of all kinds in very different packages and at very different times.

So, what about the issues? Politicians should be about the issues first shouldn't they? I mean, these are the things that govern us, that affect our freedoms, and simply provide us our opportunities right? Why would I sacrifice that for a punch in the head when a punch in the gut won't feel much better?

Without the noise, you cannot help but hear better, you cannot help but listen better…you cannot help but be better.

Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Our calling is to move our feet in the direction of God. That will look differently for all of us.

What is the biggest headline to hit this past week? Oh, let's check – yep, it's the leader of the free world contracting COVID19. Head's are exploding around the world with this news. The most powerful and influential man in the world contracts the virus that has all but crippled the planet and caused worry, uncertainty, and fear to most all of us. What will happen to him? What will happen to us?...

If you are feeling something heavy in your life right now – try your best to put it down. If only for the length of this podcast, lay down the weight and if when we close up for the day and you feel like it is necessary to pick it back up, then do so. But, for now lay down your worries and if you want to leave them here, you certainly can – I've got plenty of room.

We are a cyber-focused society these days and if we are not looking for it on a device of some sort, it is fed to us based on our search choices and browsing patterns. This amplifies the noise and offers you more and more of what the world thinks you want. It is instant, it is immediate, and it is shallow and superficial. What does your search history say about you?