workmanship

Workmanship

A rabbit came upon a rattlesnake in the woods. The rattlesnake hissed, “I know what you are! You have big ears, a fluffy tail, and a wiggly nose. You’re a rabbit!” The rabbit replied, “And I know what you are, too! You have beady eyes, a big mouth, a slick appearance, and diamonds all over…

addiction

The Opposite of Addiction

Okay class, what is the opposite of addiction? I know what you’re thinking. “The opposite of addiction is connection.” Wrong. Well, that’s right, but it’s not what I’m thinking. Try this one . . . The opposite of addiction is . . . subtraction. Translation – in order to maintain sobriety, you need to subtract…

scratch

From Scratch

“In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1). We think we are so smart. In fact, the history of mankind tends to bear that out. Man has come up with some pretty amazing creations – the automobile, airplanes, submarines, smartphones, computers. And remote controls that no one knows how to use. But we aren’t really the source…

seatbelts

Seatbelts

My first car didn’t have seatbelts. It was a 1966 Mercury. Later, I had a 1966 Mustang that didn’t have seatbelts, either. Why not? Because seatbelts were not mandatory in those days. Effective January 1, 1968, the federal government mandated that all Americans must wear seatbelts while riding in an automobile. There is one exception.…

chapter

The Final Chapter

Job’s life started out great. He had more stuff than anyone else on earth. Then things went south. But rather than turn on God, he doubled down on his faith. But the story doesn’t end there. Fast forward to the final chapter, and we read this. “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life…

lovingkindness

Lou Gehrig

Need a word of encouragement? Then read on! “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Lou Gehrig was one of baseball’s all-time greats. He was known for good sportsmanship. One day, after being called out on a strike 3 pitch which…

sheba

Sheba

Buried deep in the Old Testament is this fascinating description of a woman named Sheba: “A troublemaker named Sheba happened to be there” (2 Samuel 20:1). We all have at least one Sheba in our lives. Their lone purpose seems to be to make trouble. They will take us off track, distract us from our…

reasonable

Reasonable

Jesus healed the sick. He raised the dead. He fed the hungry. He brought light to the darkness. And for that, he was mocked, spit upon, and eventually crucified. Just days before his death, Jesus reflected. “They hated me without reason” (John 15:25).  Did you catch that? Without reason.  Before you go crazy slinging darts…

hammer

Holy Hammer

“The Lord declares, ‘Is not my word like a fire, and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’” (Jeremiah 23:29). In ancient days, men would heat gold or silver to extreme temperatures that would burn away all the impurities. Then with great skill, they hammered the metal into a desired form. This was a process…

fenway

A Trip to Fenway

A few months ago, I spoke to a men’s group near Boston. This afforded me the opportunity to attend Fenway Park for the first time. The date was August 10, and my Astros defeated the Red Sox in a thriller. But something was happening at the game that I didn’t know about until much later. …