The class thug punched out the class clown, but made straight A's

What do the class clown and class thug have in common? Emotions! How successful each of them becomes depends on their ability to express and manage their emotions.

The inability to manage emotions can create a situation where the smartest boy in the class is also the class thug who punches the funniest boy in the class for being funny.

While reading the premise of Dr. Daniel Goleman's book "Emotional Intelligence" I thought about the number of smart youth I have mentored over the years who were emotionally impotent. I have seen so many smart boys who could not control their tempers or others who were academic whiz kids but could not express themselves openly or relate to other people.

Dr. Goleman contends that EQ is as important as our IQ. A smart man who cannot express himself emotionally or manage his emotions doesn't go very far. If he has risen, his demise is lurking somewhere in the near future. He says managing emotions is something that should be taught in school, especially since it is crucial to career success. He has his critics of course; they claim that there is no "right" or "wrong" emotion and such things should not be taught.

Somehow I tend to think there would be fewer fights, less violence and more creativity if children are taught, from childhood, how to express emotions properly and how to manage their emotions.

Maybe fewer people would get punched in the nose.

Emotional management is best taught to children and as they mature the qualities will exhibit themselves in every aspect of life.

Dr. Goleman thinks schools should do the training but the bible puts the responsibility on everyone who has any dealing with a child beginning with its parents.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

What's next? Along with our IQ we will probably get an EQ number as well.

Many who pass the IQ test may flunk the EQ, get angry, storm out of the meeting and curse out the test administrator for being so dumb!

I lost the watermelon eating contest, but I had fun!

I lost the watermelon eating contest

It was really silly, but it was fun. Several churches in our district participated in a joint Vacation Bible School last week. It ended with a big old school style picnic that featured a watermelon eating contest. The contest was kicked off by the pastors competing. We each received a slice of watermelon and were told to eat it as fast as we could leaving no red on the rhine.

When they said "go" I plunged into my melon. However, years of doing things by a system clicked in. I proceeded to eating my melon as fast as I could but I proceeded left to right making sure that I left an even path. It looked neat but it was slow. You can't win a contest when you insist that your melon be consumed evenly and proportionately across the rhine.

The other pastors knew how to win the contest. They gobbled theirs down quickly leaving me to come in last. One even grabbed handsful of melon with his hands stuffed his mouth. The believers laughed so hard they almost cried. Cell phone cameras were everywhere, pictures were being posted on Youtube and facebook instantly.

One pastor won the bragging rights as the watermelon eating King, the rest of us had watermelon juice all over our faces and drippings all over our shirts.

It was messy, but it was fun.

It was a great day in which everyone enjoyed great fellowship with the youth and some fine foods. It was hot, too but noone seemed to notice.

Those who live the Christian life are a joyous bunch. Without drunkedness, drugs or other articificial means we experience the Joy of the Lord on this side of heaven while preparing for an even greater joy on the other side.

In fact it is this ability to enjoy life in the Lord that makes the Christian life unique. It makes us strong.

Nehemiah 8:10 ".. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I lost the watermelon eating contest on this side of heaven, so I better practice my milk and honey skills so I can be ready for the contest on the other side.

When trusting God is pushed to the side...

They pushed God to the side, then put him back!

There are two kinds of Presidential one dollar coins floating around, one has an almost invisible "In God we trust" and the other has the phrase inscribed on the face. Confusing?

In 2007 the U.S. Mint started distributing coins featuring likenesses of all of the Presidents. However, the new design rubbed a lot of people because it took the words "In God we trust" from the front of the coin and put it on the edge instead. Since no one ever reads the edge of a coin many thought it had been removed altogether. Thanks to the Internet a silent national protest began and in 2009 "In God we trust" made it back to the front of the coins.

The original idea of placing the "trust" statement out of edge of the coin and nearly out of sight is a sign of the times; we are trusting God less. It seems as though God is being pushed out of all public life and private lives as well.

However, the protest that resulted in it being replaced is also a sign. It's a sign of of what happens when people of God stand up.

Trusting God should not be a debatable concern for believers; it is understood. We must trust Him for our very being. We cannot move Him to the edge of our life experience; He demands and deserves first place.

We should trust Him for our daily needs, protection and favor. We dare not risk moving Him to the edge of our lives or even worse,out of our lives altogether.

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

If you happen to run upon one of those dollar coins with "God" on the edge, keep it as an example of what can happen if the faithful ever lose sight of God.

Why can't we have a good time without getting whissy drunk?

He was so drunk he could not stand; so he fell and kept falling.

I tried to help a man once who was whissy drunk. He was so drunk he could not put one foot in front of the other; he fell each time he made a step. He caught my attention because he was sitting on the church step at 4 a.m. in the morning. I put him in my car and carried him home, but he couldn't walk in so I had to help him do that, too. In all of his clumsiness he kept laughing, slobbering at the mouth and holding on to a 40 ounce bottle of beer which he held high even when he flopped down on the sofa of his house.

I checked back the next day and he couldn't remember any of it. He didn't remember me bringing him home or how he got there. I asked why he felt the need to get whissy drunk so often. He said it helps him forget for a while who he has "f--ked up my life."

We talked about changing, regrouping, starting fresh. He agreed that I was right. He even promised to begin a regular worship routine and get his act together. When I talked about the Spirit of God I noticed a twinkle in his eye at the sound of the word "spirit." He smiled.

I wonder about those who can't have a good time without a drink or two or three. Alcohol is an awful crutch and a pain generator. It kills slowly and methodically as it gives its victims an escape for the moment.

I thought about that this morning as I read Ephesians 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit"

A short time after that encounter, I saw the man again; sitting on the church step. He was whissy drunk again.

He sat on the church step but he never came inside or let God inside.

He was filled with the spirits.

When sexuality and spirituality clash

Her sexuality overpowered her spirituality; it buried the message of her song.

I saw a video of a gospel singer whose song was inspiring but was diminished slightly because her attire drew more attention to her sexuality than her spirituality and message. It may have been just show business. My wife and I concluded that she was attractive but the accents on her numerous sexual assets were a distraction. We kept wondering whether everything would fall out if she jumped one more time; we missed much of the message of her song.

Then I thought about many young Christians who are struggling to express their spirituality but don't know what to do with their sexuality. Some try to do both at the same time. That's when you see a young lady sing a powerful song but she's wearing a dress with her boobs propped up and popping out, bra less or otherwise accenting her sexual endowments. In this case, sexuality overpowers spiritual message.

Spirituality is not just praising God, it's your whole attitude about godliness, restraint, modesty and humility. It's more than what you do in praise it's what you do on other ways as well.

Likewise, sexuality is your whole attitude about sex, taboos, fantasies and values. It's more than what you do with what you got. It's your mindset, too. It's what you think about what you've got and what you wish you had.

Christians have a spiritual side but we also have a sense of sexuality. The trick is to make sure that there is an appropriate balance.

There is a scripture that says, "In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."(Titus 2:7-8

In the world, sex sells; however in a spiritual context it is a bad sell if our goal is to witness for Christ.

President's gutter language raised eyebrows

Gutter talk sounds odd coming from the "cool" President, but

It made all of the headlines yesterday when President Obama used gutter colloquialisms to express his frustration with the oil spill in the gulf coast. It's a documented fact that many of the president of the 20th century used very rough language in private conversations with their staff members, but it's rarely spoken in pubic, and definitely not part of formal presidential interviews in front of T.V. Cameras.

But the videos made it undeniable. Obama said, ""I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

It's now official. The nation's leader has given his endorsement to "a--" kicking, at least metaphorically. Instantly YouTube videos appeared, cartoons were generated, editorial columns were written and school children watching news channels in a thousand classrooms were wowed!

Earlier, this year, the vice-president spoke with his microphone open and whispered in the President's ear at a news conference "this is a big fu--king deal" after the passage of the health care bill. It too was widely reported; at least it was whispered and not official.

Once the president and the vice-president are seen in public using gutter language it won't be long before the public is desensitized and it becomes common place.

Obviously the President is frustrated over the BP oil spill; yet even in frustration restraint is required.

There is a bible passage that reflects this dilemma: "Isaiah 8:21 "Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, Looking this way and that,"

When we get upset and curse it shows frustration but doesn't solve problems.

There is an old saying, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Hopefully, we've heard our last bit of gutter talk from the President. If he continues, the public could very well get angry and start looking for "whose a-- to kick."

I know what you did last night

I know what you did last night. Hmmmm

Remember the movie "I know what you did last summer?" A note from an anonymous person alerting us that our actions, thought to be secret a year ago, were really known by someone could be unsettling. Suppose such a note detailed knowledge of what we did last month, last week, or even last night were received, would we be a little unsettled.

We'd like to believe that there are some places we go and things we do that are out of the sight of those we don't care to know. Because we are human we often say or think the unthinkable, and do the unreasonable and unbelievable.

Sometimes we are ashamed of ourselves!

Then there is a mental note that seems to come out of nowhere, creeping into our dreams or popping up behind in an idle moment..."I know what you did last night. I saw it all. I heard it all... I know!"

It is a heavenly note!

There are no secrets from God, he has our lives bugged, videoed and angelically archived, dated and annotated. He knows!

He also knows what troubles us and what hurts. He knows what we pray about and why we cry. He knows everything!

There is a bible passage that tells us that he knows: "Psalms 139:4-7 You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? "

God knows what we did, what we are doing, what we are thinking and what we are planning. That's good to know because as I pray about something I know he hears me and will answer me in due time.

The best part is that despite what he knows about me...He loves me anyway!

He read the bible, they stood up, he read it again but they sat down

If you stand when the text is read, why not when other scriptures are read as well?

I noticed recently that a preacher opened his bible to announce his text and the people immediately stood while the text was read. It was, he said, a show of awe and respect for the sacredness of the word of God. I could receive that, however, I noticed that he read from the bible several times in his sermon but the people did not stand each time. Why were they respectful and awed only the first time the text is read but not thereafter?

I learned that it was a ritual, in a non-denominational church that frowns on rituals and ceremony.

It appears there is a passage in the bible that focuses on a point in Israel's history when the only copy of the word of God had been found after being lost for a generation. Thousands gathered around as an old prophet stood on a platform to read its sacred pages. Excited, the people stood from dawn to noon, six or seven hours, as he read every word.

The passage is this, Nehemiah 8:5 "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:"

If this is to be a modern guide, then we should note that the people never sat when the word was read, so each time a preacher reads a passage in his sermon, should the people stand? Or closer to the text, should they stand throughout the whole sermon? If they only stand once, then the first act is only symbolic; it is a ritual.

It is not wrong to stand when the text is read. It is certainly not a sin. Neither is it commanded by God. It is a man made ritual.

It's easy for rituals and new denominational trends to begin anew, even for those who profess a dislike for tradition, rituals and denominations.

Better than ritual, I think it best that I show awe and respect for God by hiding his word in my heart and striving to live by it everyday...even if I do sit down when when I read it from my I-pad.

Why are they all up in my business?

Does it irritate you when someone meddles in your business?

You know the feeling because you have had it to happen to you.

Buy a new car and your friends are all up in your business: how much did it cost? Who signed for it? What was your interest rate. How were you able to get it that cheap when no one else could?

Get a new friend. Who is he? Where is he from? Does he have any money?

Get a new job. Who are you working for? How much do you make? How did you find out about it?

People are so nosy that when they come to your home they read your mail left on the table, try peek at your computer screen and inspect everything they see. They can't stay out of your business.

When you were young, your parents stayed in your business; they were always asking questions. They made you take your medicine, eat your food and they wouldn't let you drive because you were not old enough, and you could not date because you were too young.

Now they are old, and you're all up in their business telling them what to eat, when to take their medicine, snatching their car keys because they are too old and not approving their special friends and dates because you think they are too old.

Everybody is up in everybody else's business.

What do you do when God decides to get up in your business? You can't shut Him out or ignore Him. You can't raise your hand and give Him the brick wall.

Unlike your neighbors, when God gets in your business He can straighten it out and work it out.

There is a passage Isaiah 31:2 that says, "Still, he must be reckoned with, a most wise God who knows what he's doing. He can call down catastrophe. He's a God who does what he says. He intervenes in the work of those who do wrong, stands up against interfering evildoers."

We want people out of our business, but whether we want it or not, God will intervene and get all up in our business; always for our good.

40 Million on foodstamps, God will make a way

Forty million families on food stamps, that's a big number

This week the government announced that there are now 40 million Americans receiving food assistance commonly known as food stamps. (There are 309 million Americans in the USA) The number represents a 21 percent increase over this time last year and it is increasing monthly because of unemployment.

The food assistance program assures that families in our nation do not face starvation because of a lack of food. However, there is a conundrum. Food stamps buy food but not washing powder, deodorant or soap. With unemployment nearing 10 percent many are still hungry because they are selling portions of the food stamps to get money to keep the lights on. You can't keep the milk cold without a refrigerator, you can't boil the water or cook store bought foodstuffs in the microwave without electricity. So some sell their food stamps for .50 cents on the dollar to get enough to keep the utilities on.

It's not legal, but it's a reality. It's happening.

It seems like an endless spiral because the stamps are sold to get utilities or pay rent, but without a sufficient supply of stamps, many face the prospect of hunger all over again.

Without faith that God will make a way, it's possible for those caught in this endless loop to mentally lose it!

Those who are temporarily in trouble should not be totally discouraged; God is still on the throne. He will shake the borders of the universe if necessary to care for the industrious righteous. He has promised it and it will be done.

There is a passage in Psalms 37:25 that says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Those temporarily forced to use food stamps should not consider themselves beggars but those making use of an available resource. Lift up your heads, do what you have to do to use every available resource and legal means to keep food on the table.

Don't give up, keep the the faith.

God will make a way; the righteous will not be forsaken.

The devil or the umpire stole his perfect game

He pitched the perfect game, then the umpire stole it.

Everyone of us can can can relate to what happened this week to a Detroit pitcher who pitched the perfect game, only to have it stolen from him by an admitted bad call from the umpire. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had pitched the perfect game against Cleveland and he was down to the final out. But a botched call by an umpire blew his chance to make it into the history books as only the 21st person in MLB league history, and the first ever Detroit Tiger to pitch the perfect game.

The umpire reviewed the video and admitted he made a bad call; in tears he apologized. The fans protested, millions watched the video on the Internet; they protested too. Baseball's great names and legends protested, but the baseball commissioner refused to reverse the call. He said mistakes and errors in judgment by umpires is part of the game and a part of life.

Perfection. We all strive to achieve it but it always eludes us. We can't ever seem to get everything just the way we want. Sometimes we make it through an entire day perfectly, then at the last minute, something goes wrong and perfection eludes us. We set a straight path the inevitably gets a crook in it somewhere.

While perfection is a goal for us, it is elusive because we are imperfect by design. We live in an imperfect world and interact with imperfect people similar to ourselves. Bad people, bad calls, and mistakes in judgment mess up our lives, whether done by ourselves or forces outside of our control.

That's a bum deal.

Our joy is knowing that we don't have to be perfect in every way. The beauty of being a child of God is that we have an honest judge who will consider our situation in the end and because of the blood of Christ, reverse our imperfections and declare us sufficient to stand before God, worthy of heaven.

2 Timothy 4:8 (msg) says,".. he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming."

Had the baseball commissioner in Detroit had this passage in mind, he would have reviewed the video, accepted the umpire's statement of perfection and allowed Mr. Galarraga to take his place in history as the first Detroit pitcher to ever pitch a perfect game.

Thankfully, if the devil tries to steal our perfect day, we have a loving God who will do right by us and straighten it out.

We won't ever be perfect, but God will love us perfectly.

That's fine with me.

Faith in the Word on Sunday, live against it on Monday

A politician who loves the Word but votes against; can that be?

Often politicians express openly that they have great faith in God and follow the teachings of the bible. For example President Obama claims to be a Christian but he promotes the acceptance and expansion of homosexuality in the nation and endorses abortion, both of which are repeatedly called abominations in the word of God.

The latest example of political inconsistency came this week when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she believed "The Word" (she wouldn't say the word God) should drive public policy. Here's what she said:

“They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.”
“And that Word," Pelosi said, "is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word."

Pelosi, a devout Catholic, says she believes in the Word but for political reasons she votes for abortion and promotes homosexuality, both of which are banned in the Word.

Jesus said of those who learn his words in Luke 6:48-49 "If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."

If politicians actually put the word into public policy the nation would be a drastically different place.

He made an A in football, but failed everything else

He made an A in football, but failed all other subjects.

A young friend of mine is facing summer school again after earning grades of D and F in all of his subjects. He failed a full year of social studies, math, and science and made D's in all other subjects. However, he did earn an A in football.

The school will allow him to pass to the next grade if he enrolls in summer school for one of those failed subjects. He's tickled because he'll still get to play football in the 9th grade instead of spending another year in the 8th.

His mother wants to pull him out of athletics and focus on his academics but the coaches tell her that he is "athletically gifted" and should be allowed to play on the school's team. They are bending every rule to get him into high school so that this academically deficient student can demonstrate his athletic gifts and help the school win games.

The mother is frustrated. The son is disillusioned; he hears the coaches tell him that he can go all the way to the pros. He doesn't pay attention to the fact that nearly all NFL players are college graduates and all attended college to some length.

With D's and F's he won't get into college at all. Apparently that doesn't matter to some people, they plan to pass him along through his high school years. He will help the school win games but after he graduates, or gets too old, that's when they will dump him.

He loses.

My advice to her was to let him repeat the grade, pull him out of athletics altogether, and plunge him to a year long "catch up" crusade of special tutoring and instruction to help him get his head ready for life. It would be expensive and time consuming but by no means should she allow him to go forward without the proper academics. She didn't take my advice or similar advice from others.

Against her better judgment, the mother enrolled him in summer school to learn in a few days what he did not learn the entire year. She will also let him move into high school deficient in core subjects that will not get easier but harder. You see, the coaches convinced her that her son is athletically gifted and should not be deprived of his chance.

We have a responsibility to train and direct the paths of our children. They are children, they do not know what they need. We must train them to value knowledge, develop their talents and to apply themselves. If we don't do it when they are young, they will grow old having missed their mark in life.

This need for training is biblical. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

The young man can't see how he is being used. When he wakes up a few years from now and recognizes what has happened to him, he will be frustrated and angry with the world, his mother and his high school coach.

Many didn't remember the military dead on Memorial Day

How many actually remembered the dead yesterday?

Yesterday was Memorial Day. It was designed for the nation to pay tribute to those who died in defense of our nation. Freedom comes with a very high price, for thousands that price was their lives.

During our worship service Sunday we offered special words of tribute to the families of slain veterans. We were surprised to see the number of families touched by military service, past and present. Memorial Day to them has a special meaning.

On yesterday there were many programs, ceremonies and tributes across the nation, but unfortunately they were dwarfed by millions who did not honor the fallen in any way. There were no flags placed on the graves of loved ones in their families. No flags flown outside of homes, even though they received one at the funeral of their loved one. There were no family reflections on the life and contributions of family members to this nation's history through military service. -To many Memorial Day was just a long weekend, which many began by taking off last Friday.

Beaches, shopping, parties and chilling out; that was Memorial Day for too many.

However, each tombstone in Arlington National Cemetery and other grave sites across the nation and beside distant battlefields reminds us of the price of our freedoms. It deserves respect. I didn't serve in the military. My brother was a Marine; one of my sons was a Marine. My father in law died in the military. Military service touched our family. (My wife calls herself an Army Brat.) We talk about her father's service and document his involvement all through the year.

We remember.

Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Amen.

Why Y'all hatin on me; don't God say judge not?

Why you hatin on me? The bible says judge not.

That's what the young man said when a member of his church mentioned to him in private that the music on his I-pod and his phone ring tones were inconsistent with the testimony he gave in church. Earlier, the same church member had praised him publicly for his service in the church, his volunteerism and apparent desire to live the Christian life. That didn't matter, the young man went off!

"That's what's wrong with people, they always hatin and judging people. Don't the bible say judge not?" The young man said angrily.

In his mind, people should only tell him what he likes to hear; if there is something he doesn't like, they should not think it or speak it to anyone else.

When our weaknesses are pointed out we call that judging or hatin. When our strengths are highlighted, that's not judging.

When the member praised the young man's good points publicly he made a judgment based on what he saw. The young man had no objection because he perceived those statements as being deserved. When the same member made another judgment and spoke to him in private about his inconsistencies, he called that judging him or hatin.

In reality, the bible encourages us to evaluate the actions of those in the church, but to be careful to evaluate the actions by the same standard we would also like to be evaluated by. Evaluations and judgments based on hearsay, assumptions and perceptions may not be accurate or fair. However, if we report an observation of an action that does not call for speculation or assumption and do it in the manner that the word describes, it is not only scriptural but actually required of all believers.

When we see believers doing good things we should praise them. That calls for a judgment.

When we see believers involved in ungodly pursuits that are harmful and inconsistent with the faith, we should tell them privately. That calls for a judgment, too.

There is a phrase that follows, "Judge not..." Look at John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Then there is this passage that really makes the point, "1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "I'm not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don't we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house."

The purpose of a destructive criticism is to tear a person down. However, the purpose of a constructive criticism is to help correct and build a person up.

Unfortunately, we call anything we don't like to hear "Hatin."

I brought you in this world, I'll take you out

When your mama talks, keep your mouth shut.

The young lady was right; her mother had the wrong information. However, she tried to exchange words with her mother, rolled her eyes and then tried to walk off while her mother spoke. The conversation changed to confrontation, it became threatening, insults were exchanged, then the mother slapped the daughter several times.

Then there was silence.

Tears.

A few hours later, the mother learned that her daughter had been right about their issue. Apologies followed. Then there were more tears and requests for forgiveness.

Two lessons were learned that day. Parents should allow their children a chance to speak, uninterrupted, to explain themselves when questions arise. Situations often have odd appearances but logical explanations. Some clarifications reduces the need to argue.

The second lesson is that no matter how wrong your mother may be in an argument; "Be still, and keep your mouth shut while she is speaking and don't say one word after she has spoken unless asked." Mothers deserve a tremendous amount of respect, but they can be wrong. We must find ways to tactfully differ with them that does not show disrespect.

When there is a heated exchange between mother and child, many mothers in our neck of the woods have been known to throw down the gauntlet and say, "Keep messing with me, I brought you in this world and I'll take you out." -It's a threat spoken in tested love but carries serious implications.

Millions on our side of the track have been hit with shoes, switches, books, dishes, fan belts, straps, telephone receivers and just about anything else when we crossed our mothers and showed disrespect.They mean what they say.

Wise mothers have learned to listen to their children, treat them with respect and to act in love even in the midst of controversy and disagreement.

Wise children will always, approach mothers with respect; even when they believe she's wrong.

That's non-debatable.


Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Mother and daughter learned something after they finished their argument. The daughter learned to show her mother respect but she also learned although her mother said she would "take her out" in reality her mother would give up her own life if it would save her daughter.

In anger bad feelings prevail, but love conquers all.

One bus prayed, while the other watched

One bus was seeking praise the other plays.

It was an odd sight. Two buses met on the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart last night. The parking lot is regular loading spot for those who are riding private buses to one destination or another. Last night, one of the buses was filled with people who were going to sing praises to God in Florida. Ironically, the other bus was filled with people who were going to gamble at a Mississippi casino. (The casino charters buses to outlying cities and offers them free rides to gamble.)

The riders of the first bus formed a huge circle on the parking lot and prayed fervently for a safe passage and for God's blessing for their purpose. The second group did not pray but watched from the bus windows.

It must have been an odd moment for the riders of the first bus because there were many recognized as prominent church members on the first bus, slipping away in the dark to gamble. Something should have clicked inside when they saw the people on the second bus praying while they sat snugly, comfortably and securely watching.

Both buses left the lot, one group traveling to sing and praise and another group hoping to bet money or pick a slot machine that pays.

There is a bible passage that says, Joshua 24:15 "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

We all choose to ride a life bus; only one will take us to peace in the arms of God. The other is a losing bet.

We have to choose which bus we will ride.

He raped them with his eyes, was that wrong?

He didn't touch them, but he raped them with his eyes!

A young man told me that he often rapes women with his eyes. He said when he sees females whose breasts protrude or pants tightly fit all of their curves he gets excited and he imagines himself undressing them, tearing off the rest of their clothes and ravishing them. He said the women invited him to imagine what it would be like to ravish them because they dressed in ways that invited him. So, with his eyes, he raped them; sometimes as many as seven or eight women a day.

He said he didn't do anything wrong because he only undressed them with his eyes; and only those who dressed in ways that invited fantasy voyeurism. He read in the bible where sexual impurity is a sin before God, but he said he never crosses the line; he keeps himself pure. He never touches these women or takes any inappropriate actions. In fact, they don't even know they have been undressed in his mind.

He wanted to know if thinking about doing it with these women was a sin.

There is only one answer.

Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Put in that context, there are many people who are guilty, not just this young man. There are some women who are guilty as well.

It appears that our fantasies can get us in trouble with the big guy above.

God doesn't just judge us by what we do, but also by what we think. So, we must work diligently to think on those things that will be acceptable to Him.

We shouldn't dress in ways that tempt others and neither should we let reckless eyeballing plunge us into disfavor with the Lord.

He wouldn't tell her he loved her; she kept asking

He said he loved her, but didn't want anyone to know.

A friend answered his phone and spoke to one of his significant others. At the end of the conversation, she could be heard saying, "Say, you love me" to which he answered "I do." She repeatedly asked, "Say it! Say you love me." He looked at us and said, "I do." Finally, he turned his back and whispered into the phone "I love you." We all laughed; he didn't mean a word he said.

We've all seen the people who were ashamed to own their lovers in public. They are good people in private, but not in public. There are some who are not very good at the mushy stuff, but there are others who have a good reason why they don't express love in public; their secret may be revealed.

I would hate to be the secret lover, the one that is kept in the dark from the rest of the world. That's the one that hears all the words of praise in private but never in public. It should be a horrible feeling being the other woman or the other man.

Imagine how God feels when we confess our love for him in private but when we are among our friends, co-workers and school mates, we have to speak of him quietly, almost apologetically, afraid to let anyone know. It must be a horrible feeling to God to be our secret love, to be worshipped at home, privately but never never recognized in public.


Luke 9:26 says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."


Soon after my friend finished whispering "I love you" quietly into the phone, his other girl appeared just as he shut off his phone.

Court benches are hard, we all have a bench

In court, everyone sits on the same hard bench

It's a humbling experience when you go to court. Everyone sits on the same hard bench, blending into a sea of nameless faces oblivious of title and position. Every one of the accused is exposed, and completely vulnerable; unable to avoid the embarassing revelations about to be revealed.

I attended a court session yesterday. A former congressman had to appear in court on charges that he pulled a gun on two black youth accusing them of stealing his wallet. I watched the Congressman, sitting on the last row in the court to avoid being noticed. I also watched as he tried to justify pulling the gun. They were not the suspects. He was wrong.

Police didn't jail him because of his status. He missed two other trial dates because of his status. Unable to avoid it any longer he stood before a judge, stripped of title and prestige to answer for his acts.

Standing in front of the judge, he plead No Contest to his charge.

One day each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be a humbling experience that will prove to be an equalizer. Our positions, titles and influence won't matter. When our record is read and the highlight video of our life is replayed, we may have to plead "No contest."

I thought of a bible passage that says, in Romans 14:10-12 "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

Like the Congressman we may plead "No contest" or "Guilty" but unlike him our hope is in Christ's promise to intercede on our behalf to get the final sentence -"Forgiven."