Just Open The Book

This week, all across America people will be celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving. It has become a time of feasting and football, of gathering with family, of indulging in the richness of food available in our wealthy nation.

The holiday of Thanksgiving began as an expression of thanks to God. Through the struggles of migrating to a new land, encountering disease, death, and lack of provision, the Pilgrims made it through with God's help. The Lord blessed them with help from the Native Americans, with food, with life. This celebration was a reflection of the goodness of God to his people.

TRUSTING IN WHO GOD IS

Published 03/22/2011 - 6:02 a.m. CST

Are we there yet? Every parent who has driven a distance with children has heard this question. While we as parents know how much further there is to go before we arrive at our destination, for the impatient child, the trip can seem like it will never end.

The same can be true at times in our lives when our faith is tested. We can easily find ourselves stuck in situations that seem like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Conflicts in relationships, medical or financial struggles, or just waiting for God to take us to the next stage in our journey with Him can leave one feeling helpless or restless.

REMAIN IN JESUS

Published 02/21/2011 - 12:09 p.m. CST

Do you ever find yourself getting distracted? I know I do. I'll plan my day, get fired up to accomplish my top priorities, start working, and then...the busy-ness of the day intrudes. Interruptions, other projects, phone calls, errands, emails - pretty soon what I started my
day on has been pushed back to the end. It can be a struggle to get back on track and keep my top priorities on top.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...

Published 12/01/2010 - 6:08 a.m. CST

Many of us have heard the line "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". While sometimes thought of as a clever marketing slogan or a coy way to keep a secret, this term and the type of thinking it encourages is dangerous. Our culture has grown to glorify self-indulgence, pleasure and deception. Rather than call evil or irresponsible behavior what it is, many are content to wink and think "As long as nobody knows, it's OK."

The Bible shows that this way of thinking is sinful and harmful. Nothing we do is without consequences; and nothing we do can be hidden from God.

PLAN ACCORDINGLY

Published 10/12/2010 - 6:00 a.m. CST

Vacations in our family are not a regular activity, but when they do happen, I am so blessed to have my wife. She is our planner, making sure everyone has everything they need so we are set for the trip. I know I can count on her to know how many outfits and diapers we need, to get all the directions and make sure we are set to go. If I don't meet with her before we start packing and check in with her regularly, then I know that the clothes I pick will be wrong, I'll leave behind directions, and we'll probably even be late or miss our destination entirely.

USING WHAT YOU'VE GOT

Published 08/12/2010 - 5:57 a.m. CST

Many of us are familiar with the story in the New Testament about Jesus feeding the 5,000. As the story goes, Jesus was on a hillside with a large crowd of 5,000 men plus wives and children following him. As Jesus sat down, his disciples became concerned because there was no food available to feed all the people. Jesus asked his disciples where they could buy bread to feed everyone, but the disciple Phillip complained that it would cost a small fortune to feed all those people. The disciple Andrew found a boy who had 5 loaves of barley bread and two fishes with him. "But what good is that with this huge crowd?" asked Andrew. (John 6:9).

Published 08/04/2010 - 5:50 a.m. CST

My wife and I recently read the book “The Best Gift You Can Ever Give Your Parents” by Dennis Rainey. This book is for us, a life changing study on the 5th Commandment to honor your father and mother.

DEALING WITH CONFLICT

Published 07/28/2010 - 6:07 a.m. CST

Throughout our lives, we are often caught up in a number of conflicts. Stress, deadlines, differing expectations, financial difficulties, relationships, and the pressure to succeed - all of these things can lead to a conflict. We end up in conflicts with our spouses, children, family members, friends, co-workers. Not many people enjoy conflict, as it unleashes raw emotions and can very quickly escalate to hurt feelings, thoughtless words, fighting, yelling, and damaged egos and relationships.

TRUSTING GOD BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING

Published 06/06/2010 - 4:15 a.m. CST

On September 24, 2009 a beautiful little boy, our fourth child, Andrew, was placed into his daddy's arms after being under oxygen and doctor's care for nearly ten minutes. Fortunately, we were at the hospital.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Published 01/11/2011 - 6:56 a.m. CST

The start of a new year is a time of reflection and motivation. We reflect on the triumphs and challenges of the prior year, and we determine what we want to improve upon in the coming year. And this leads many of us to set New Year's resolutions, promises to ourselves of what we want to accomplish or do better than we did last year.

IN GOD I TRUST

Published 10/28/2010 - 10:02 a.m. CST

In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11

Have you ever thought about what you put your trust in? Each day, we all place our trust in a number of things. We trust the weather forecast to tell us the weather. We trust the brakes on our car to work. We trust other drivers to follow traffic laws. We trust our bodies to keep working, our brains to keep thinking, our abilities to get us through.

OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY

Published 09/01/2010 - 5:09 a.m. CST

Many times in our Christian walk, we get lost. We may feel like we’re doing the right things, but after some time we realize that somewhere along the way, we missed God’s directions and don’t know how we ended up where we are. And like the proverbial husband, we want to try to figure it out ourselves instead of asking for directions.

THE LOVE OF GOD

Published 08/10/2010 - 5:13 a.m. CST

LIVE AN AMAZING LIFE

Published 08/02/2010 - 4:12 a.m. CST

This week, I had the great privilege to attend a Bible study taught by Dr. Henry Blackaby, pastor and author of Experiencing God. Dr. Blackaby's book has had an amazing influence on my walk with Christ and has been a key to helping me grow in faith. During his message, Dr. Blackaby emphasized that to grow in faith, one has to believe that God is capable of doing extraordinary things through the lives of ordinary people. If we submit ourselves to God's plans for us, and expect greater things than what we can do on our own, we will see the power of God at work through our lives.

STEPPING OUT IN FAITH

Published 06/10/2010 - 6:04 a.m. CST

One of the keys in developing a deeper relationship with God is taking opportunities tostep out in faith. Throughout the Bible, God blessed his followers who trusted his word and stepped out in confidence that God would do as He said. Abraham took his only son Isaac to sacrifice him for the Lord based on his faith that God had a good plan from this act (Genesis 22:1-18). Moses led his people out of Egypt to be trapped between an approaching army and the Red Sea by having faith that God would deliver them (Exodus 14:13-31). Gideon went to battle with only 300 soldiers against on army of 120,000 with faith that if he obeyed and trusted God, he would be assured of victory (Judges Ch.6-8).

FATHERS ARE IMPORTANT

Published 06/05/2010 - 4:15 a.m. CST

Fathers have the most important role in the life of their children. The blessing of being a father is a great joy and with it comes great responsibility. No single individual will have a bigger impact on his children's life, for good or bad, than the father.

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