I Corinthians - an awesome letter about the rhyme and reason for your life

Hey kids. Have you noticed, when you go to the grocery store, how you see the word enriched in just about everything? And did you know most of the time, if not all, that’s not a good thing? But there is a time when it’s awesome to see enriched in everything. And that is when we’re talking about, get this, YOU. And me. Or anyone who’s not ashamed to call himself or herself a...

Yeah, maybe you never thought about it this way. Because maybe you don’t think about how God hates. I know most Christians wanna focus on how much he loves. And that’s fine. Well, ironically His love is why He hates. And here are 7 things God hates : A proud look A lying tongue Hands that shed innocent blood A heart that devises wicked plans Feet that are swift in running to evil A false witness w...

A social media friend of mine shared a link to a video of John Wayne throwing a kid into deep creek. Actually it was John Wayne playing the title character from the movie, Hondo. And the movie was based on the book, by the same name, written by Louis L’Amour. His books were partly the products of imagination and largely a part of Mister L’amour’s exceptional ability to visualize...

There I stood. In between the guitar player’s loud amp and the drummer’s crash cymbal. That’s where my equipment had been placed on a stage in front of business executives. Things had already fallen behind a bit. So, there was no time to rearrange anything. So, that’s where I was for an hour and a half. And take my advice. If you ever get the chance to be in that position, pass it up....

If you even think evil thoughts, you’ve sinned. How’s that for a cheerful start to your week? I had one main reason why it came up in me to say that. Because of the kinds of things that transpired over the weekend as millions of Americans enjoyed beer and football. Their thoughts and deeds were mostly benign. But the thoughts and deeds of many others were malevolent. Would you believe...

It makes me mad how some people feel a deep-down, dastardly need to rule over others. Yeah, for them, rule number one is “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” But that rule number one only lasts a little while. I know you realize we have a very short time here on planet earth. There’s a one-to-one ration of births to deaths. And nobody gets out of this life any other way....

You can learn to fly. And it won’t cost you lots of money for oodles of hours of training. AND you’ll be able to fly up to the sky much faster than technology can take your text across the globe. What do you say? Interested? All you gotta do, to be able to fly up to the sky like that, is learn from your mistakes. Uh-oh. The proverbial fly in the ointment. Right? Because humans seem to...

How about this expression? “The bad apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” You’ve heard that, right? Hmm, maybe that’s acorn. Or lemon. Doesn’t matter. The point’s the same. But there’s another expression, too. “One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch.” That, of course, originated from the Jackson Five, where the wise and glimmeri...

So. You grew up, left your parents’ house, and went out on your own. Great. You’re not a kid anymore. And that’s exactly as it should be. What’s that? You still have to deal with your inner child? Well, here’s some free, unsolicited advice. Kick that inner child to the curb. Yeah. You read that right. Kick that inner child out of your head immediately. And don’t...

Throw away your daytimer (does anybody have one of those anymore?). Toss out your to-do lists, your notes to self, your calendar apps, and your reminders. Because everything has already been painstakingly planned out for you. You just need to get your research hat and glasses on. And discover the details of that plan. And how they apply to you. But there’s a snag in that approach to life. Go...

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” You’ve heard that more than once I bet. And it sure applies to Christian doctrinal differences. Because I see it more and more, with each passing year, how Christians put words and actions into God’s mouth and hands that He didn’t (and doesn’t) do and say. In other words… There’s a ton of what...

A few years ago I felt like a man of dust. Because I did some handyman work in addition to my ad writing, copywriting, and website building business. I was getting established in a new city after living in another city for over 20 years. And the client connections didn’t materialize fast enough for me to rely on what I’d been doing for a long time. So, being the handy kinda guy, I book...

Little kids can be so cruel. Makes you wonder where they get it. Right? And it’s always been that way. In fact, I remember, waaayyy back in the 20th century, when I was but a wee lad, kids would taunt other kids who cried about something. And if you listen real close, you might even hear ’em. “Crybaby crybaby na na na na na naaa.”   Wow. I bet you won’t find a crybaby...

I remember a line from a movie, but I don’t remember which movie, that applies to current events. And if you remember which movie this came from, let me know, and I’ll be sure to share that update and give you credit for it. But anyway…in the movie, which was set back in the pioneer days, the main characters had just gone through enormous challenges. And endured terrible losses....

Do you sing with understanding right now? “Golly gee, Tony. What does that even mean? And why do I need to sing with understanding? What’s that gonna prove?” Uh…it won’t prove anything to most people. But it might prove a lot to a few.   It’s certainly always a goal of mine to sing with understanding. Because singing has always been like bread and wine to me. O...

Speaking into the air doesn’t work. Here’s a childhood memory to illustrate why speaking into the air is an exercise in futility. And I hope I remember this correctly. But when I was around 6 years old, I remember going to a school playground with a couple of my stepsisters. And this was on a Saturday. Because we just wanted to play on the swings, slides, and the monkey bars. So, anywa...

The last word is most remembered In a heated argument, it often seems like everyone wants to be the one to get in the last word. Sometimes it’s because they really DO have the most important thing to say. But most times it’s just to “win.” And that’s the kind of argument I recently overheard from a couple in a nearby booth at a restaurant. Each time the last word popp...

I’ve been marching to a different drum Christmas morning. 1967. And there it was. A large gift-wrapped box with MY name on it. When I picked it up, it felt kinda heavy, and it made an odd sort of rattling sound. But I still wasn’t sure what it could be. So, I tore the wrapping paper off, opened the flaps of the box, and pulled out the most beautiful metal flake blue snare drum I’...

Father’s Day 2019 Yeah, it’s already Father’s Day again, and all of you with dads out there…I hope you let ’em know how much they mean to you. There will come a day when you won’t be able to tell them. Both Elgielene and I no longer have fathers around to wish a happy day. And that time passed faster than you can imagine. I’m gonna add some thoughts I shar...

I guess Valentine’s Day (tomorrow, as I write this) has a lot of people asking that age old question: What is love? It’s only natural to ask, I suppose, since it’s not something you can see, smell, hear, taste, or hold in your hand. What do I mean, when I say what is love…not a glove? You can go just about anywhere, including online, and get yourself a good pair of gloves....

Backwards and forwards – it’s all so confusing If you’re like most humans…and you are…then you like things to make sense. You don’t like it when life gets all backwards and forwards and discombobulated. (I love that two dollar word) And it makes total sense that you want things to make sense. But why is that? Since we’re all supposed to be here by accident...

Can you think no evil? Have you ever tried to think about nothing? You can’t do it. Go ahead and try. I’ll wait. See? You just can’t do it. But how about this…can you think no evil? Hmm…that might be do-able. But you sure wouldn’t think it was possible if you only got your news and information from social media. Every day I see F-bombs and nasty, mean comments b...

Your life is important. Your life is valuable. Your life matters. And those are reasons why you shouldn’t wish your life away. Are you doing that? Well, ask yourself if you wish everything was different. Ask yourself if you wish you weren’t living where you are…or doing what you do for a living…or looking like you do…or anything else you might wish to be different. Th...

I’m not nothing. In fact, I am something. Not because of how particularly special I am just by being me…but because I love. Yep, love is the key. Without love I’m nothing . What does it matter what I do in my life, with my life, if I don’t have love? Without love everything and anything I do is motivated by selfishness. What else could it be? If I don’t love others, t...

Over the course of your life you’ll speak, read, and hear possibly millions of words. The words flowing from the mouths and minds of men and women will last for a time and then fade further away with each passing generation. But the Word of God is alive. And when you speak it, read it, hear it, or write it through faith in the One who gave it to you, it’s like having rivers of living w...