Life is a matter of choices. Your addiction may explain your behaviors, but it does not excuse your behaviors. Every time you act out, that is on you. C.S. Lewis said, “Every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.”…
2 Samuel 9:13: “Mephibosheth always ate at the king’s table, but he was lame in both feet.” Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan, which made him a grandson of King Saul, who had treated David like dirt. But when David became king, he made good on an old promise. He welcomed Saul’s descendant to the…
In 1970, Arnold Palmer played golf with the king of Saudi Arabia. After their time together, the king wished to express his appreciation to the golfing legend. He asked Palmer if there was anything he could give him as a token of his appreciation. Palmer said, “I guess if you really want to, you can…
In Genesis 37, Jacob had a funeral for a son who was not dead. Yes, Joseph had been taken and abused. But he was not dead. His captors faked the man’s death, but he was not dead. They even brought a bloody robe to their father. But Joseph was not dead. “He [Jacob] recognized it…
Our addiction screams this message to us over and over: “You’re no good! You are beyond hope! God could never do anything with you!” Today, I have great news! No addict is too lost to be found, too sinful to be saved, too addicted to be freed, too broken to be fixed, too dirty to…
“Suddenly Jesus met them” (Matthew 28:9). The women had given everything they had to their new Lord. Then he went to the cross and gave his life as a ransom for the world. But from their perspective, all they understood was that one day, Jesus was with them, and the next day, he was gone.…
Most people think there is no life in Death Valley, California. That’s because, 99 percent of the time, it is a dessert wasteland. But after a monsoon in 2004, something strange happened. Plants sprung forth. Vegetation began to grow. How was this possible? The answer: even when there were no outward signs of life, the…
There was a special guest at church one Sunday. No one told me he was coming to our service that day. But he not only came; we spent a couple of hours together after church in his home in our area. His name? Vince McMahon. Yes, that Vince McMahon. The head of WWE – World…
Step 3: “We made a decision to turn our lives and will over to the care of God as we understood God.” Notice a keyword in Step 3 – care. If you aren’t yet ready to trust in God personally, trust in his care. Call me crazy, but I’m grateful for my addiction. Why? Because…
Max Lucado tells the story of his dad, who died from ALS. In his final days, while the disease ravaged his body, it never stole his joy. His dad’s witness for Christ so impacted one of his caregivers that the caregiver came to Christ, and eventually joined Lucado’s church. Reflecting on the power of his…