Illuminate

I am sure you have someone in your life that can be difficult to get gifts for. Usually when you ask them what do you want for Christmas they shrug and say, "I don't know". Funny enough but that is usually  what I say when my mom asks what I want for Christmas. Though those people are tough to find the perfect gift for we usually find something they really enjoy. As I began to study for a first person narrative over the Magi for the students I began to wonder about those gifts that they gave. I mean it is hard enough for my mom to figure out what to give me as a gift but what if you had to give a gift to the King of Kings. Wow what a task! Yet as I read the story I begin to find significance even in the gifts that were given to Jesus by those Magi. Everyone knows that the three gifts were given were Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. But did you know that all of these gifts were commonly given to kings? Myrrh as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as va...

Sarah and I went shopping this past weekend. I was not feeling 100% with the whole shopping thing but we did find some good deals and some great gifts for our friends and family. One thing that sticks to my mind was when we entered Macy's. I am not crazy about department stores but we needed to go in there to check something out. As soon as you walk into Macy's you see a huge sign that says Believe. Underneath it there is a big red mailbox. Near the mail box there are letters and pencils. When you enter the store kids are encouraged to come to the table and write letters to Santa about what they want for Christmas. Right next to that mailbox is a believe meter. It is a big clock looking thing that has the phrase imagine, wish, dream, and believe. The goal of meter is to see it go all the way to the top to let everyone know that there are others that believe in Santa and that Santa is for real. I am not to sure how they determine how the meter goes up or down. Maybe they decid...

I was in a restaurant this past weekend with my beautiful wife, O yeah, and I over heard one of the most heart wrenching comments I have heard in a long time. This statement came from a man sitting behind us with his family. I did not hear the context of this statement but for whatever reason it really stuck with me. He said, "Remember, guilt is only an emotion. It serves no purpose." I want you to reread that and think about that. As I began to think about that a lot of thoughts came to my mind. One of them was Jiminy Cricket and his famous saying, "Let your conscience be your guide!" What has happen to the Jiminy Crickets of the world?  I do believe in the word guilt. It is more than just a word or some emotion and yes it does serve a purpose. It reminds us that what we did was wrong. There is no avoiding guilt. It is our conscience letting us know that we did wrong and we are accountable for what we did.  The question is how can we get rid of the guilt? Bette...

This past week at Youth Convention the speaker Jenne Mayo said something that stuck with me. I wanted to share this thought with you so that it could help you out in your life. How many of you have ever been to a farm? I grew up in the country and going to the farm and seeing farm life was almost a daily thing. One of the worst smells in the world was that of cow manure. Wow that would make your stomach turn. It is obvious that since we hate the smell and the look of manure, then we would not want to be near that. We don't want to be near the stuff.  In our life there always seems like there is sin that we cannot get rid of. We keep going back to it and we pray and ask for forgiveness and God forgives. What is another way that can help us get rid of it? What can we do to to improve this situation? The thing that we have lost a lot of times is a fear of the Lord. Proverbs says that, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understan...

I went on a trip yesterday to Springfield to find some new interns. All the way home I kept thinking of how nice it was going to be when I got there. I was going to be able to come into my apartment and know that my wife would be there to greet me and tell me welcome back. I would be able to lay my head to rest and know that I was in a safe place. I heard this song while on the road and it made me want to get home even sooner. It is called "I'm Coming Home." It is by Diddy. I don't really care for his music or his lyrics in this song but I really liked what the chorus had to say.  "I’m coming home I’m coming home Tell the World I’m coming home Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes I’m coming home, I’m coming home Tell the World that I’m coming" I was so excited to come home because I knew it was going to place of rest and of peace. It is a place that is forgiving and understanding. As...

Back in 2006 a very moving movie came out called "The Pursuit of Happyness." In the movie Will Smith played the role of a man who was down on his luck with his wife that left him and a son that was needing him. He try selling a product that no one was buying and he found himself homeless. The story takes a turn for the better when he was accepted into an internship that eventually turned out to be a great career. Throughout the video you felt him longing for more. It felt so close but yet so far away the whole time. What is it in our culture that says that we need stuff in order to find happiness? We are never happy until we have this or that. The pursuit of the American dream, whatever that may be for you. I know that I want to own a home, have kids someday, have a nice car, but when does it end? Where does it start? The man in the movie had tried so hard to get all the things of this world by himself, but he never was completely fulfilled. I was watching this show last...

Fall is my favorite season. I love to watch football, watch the thermometer drop a little, and watch the harvest come in from the field. This past week I went out early to help with the Hayride event. Little did I know that I would also be helping Jeff Sims, a farmer, around his farm. I enjoyed it so much though. I did grow up in the country after all and their is nothing like seeing all that golden harvest come into the grain bin. Jeff needed to keep working that day because, as he puts it, he only he has a limited window. The grain only has a certain time to pick it, then it becomes rotten, worthless. That is why a farmer is willing to put in the long hours, get up early, and push himself to get all the harvest in. He knows he only has a small window to get it all done. I have to admit I don't remember a whole lot of sermons but I will never forget one my youth pastor told us when I was a senior in high school. It was the fall season, just like it is now, and he took us near o...

There is a video game that came out a couple of years ago. It was called double agent. In past games you were splinter cell a secret agent sent out to get the bad guys. Well in this game you are serving both the good guys you were sworn to and the bad guys you thought you would never be a part of. This is how the name double agent comes about. Some call it riding the fence, wearing a mask, and any other way that describes a person who wants both parties but eventually will have to make a choice to whom they will follow and serve. Sometimes we act like double agents. Serving two masters at the same time. We think that the other will never find out and we can do whatever we want. Well we cannot serve the world and serve God at the same time. It just does not work. Jesus even says in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (NIV) ...

There is the old saying "Garbage in Garbage out." I can also think of the old saying "You are what you eat". Both of these sayings convey the idea that whatever we put into our lives, than that is who we are or who we will become. It is pretty easy to understand but yet so many of us think that is not an issue in our lives. So many of us have been in the garbage so long we think it is treasure! You may not think the garbage is not a big deal, but eventually it will come to the surface whether you want to or not. This principle of garbage in garbage out is very clear in the Bible. In Galatians 6:7-8 it says, " Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (NIV) Also Jesus addresses this issue when he says in the book of Luke "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, a...

Lecrae - I Am Second Watch this video. I think so many times we think we have it all together when in fact we don't even know where we are going. Significance is a hard word to get our minds around. We all want to be liked. We all desire someone to tell us that we are significant to them. We search for it in our families, our friends, in girls, guys, alcohol, drugs, and other things and we end up feeling empty inside. Lecrae found his significance in Jesus. Where are you looking for significance? I hope you find it in Jesus. He has already shown that he loves and cares for you by dying on the cross for you. Have you accepted him into your life? When you do you will find significance. A purpose for living. A drive to live for something more. I hope you find that today. Jesus is telling you, you are worth my attention and my love.

I was watching the History Channel this past week and I came across something that was pretty far out. (No pun intended) There is this weird show called ancient aliens. On the show all these guys try to convince you that aliens have come to earth through ancient evidences. In this episode they went as far as using the Bible as a alien source. WHAT?!?!? The craziest thing they said is that when Jesus, after his resurrection, ascended to heaven (found in Luke ch 24) he was actually being up ducted by aliens! Wow I could not believe my ears. The world has turned the BIble into just another book. The bible is not just some book we can read. It is God's holy word! It is his letter to all of us to read. In Heb 4:12 it says, " For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. "  Also 2 Tim 3:16 says, " ALL scripture is God-breat...

I am by no means saying that I like lil Wayne. Actually I think that most of his lyrics are terrible and I would never endorse what he has to say. But I was caught off guard by one of his newest songs. It is called How to Love . In the song he is singing about a girl who has been with a lot of guys and is trying to find love in all the wrong places. He believes that he has all the answers for her and he can show her how to love again. Here is an excerpt from the song... See You had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart Never really had luck, couldn’t ever figure out How to love How to love See you had a lot of moments that didn’t last forever Now you in this corner tryna put it together How to love How to love Oh, See I just want you to know That you deserve the best You’re beautiful You’re beautiful Yeah And I want you to know, you’re far from the usual Far from the usual How To Love lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing http://www.lyricsmod...

  I am so excited for the start of the football season. Big hits, big plays, and my boys the Bears are taking the field. When I watch those guys I wonder what got them to that place. Well they have talent and ability but I think a lot of them would say one word, Discipline . Everyday they would get up put in some reps, pumping iron, and looking at game film. They know that they need to put in the hard work in order to succeed in the game. They can't just show up and expect to do well. The same can be true of our lives. In the book of Proverbs there is a verse that talks about discipline and compares it to a large city wall. Proverbs is a book of wisdom. It has short sayings that are not necessarily truth, but they are wise sayings that we should all consider. Proverbs 25:28 says, "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self control." In old times, the city needed the walls in order to protect the people. Without it they were vulnerable an...