Corner of the Table.

I was following a friends two year old child out of a room one day at church. She walked out the door and came precariously close to the sharp, pointy edge of a table just outside the door. My friend told me that she knows how to come very close and yet not get hurt. That got me to thinking about people and sinning. How close can they dance on the edge of sin, without really sinning. My thought was, why would you even want to be close to that line. The gray area as it's called. One misstep, or stumble and next thing you know, you are in sin. Why play around? Get as far away as possible. Two steps towards God, are two steps away from sin. The closer you get to God, the farther away you get from sin.

I know the Bible says in Romans 3:23 New King James Version (NKJV)23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 New Living Translation (NLT)23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. I don't know about you, but I want to be in the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:4-5 New Living Translation (NLT)4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Thank The Lord for His mercy. For giving us life even when we don't deserve it. So why would you still want to walk that close to sin? Where you can die, be removed from God's presence, I choose to walk closer with my God and get further away from sin and all it's consequences. So thank you for the lesson little one. Even though I doubt you even know what you did. God Bless!!

Ode To My Mom!

My mom has always supported me. From the time I was born 51 years ago, till right now, as a grown adult. Everything I have ever done in my life (well most things) my mom has supported me. I have made some pretty dumb decisions or choices I'm sure that she would/did not like. For the most part she has supported me and my brothers. From buying us our first baseball gloves, so we could play catch together. To attending all of our little league games. All of our concerts, plays and whatever else in grade school, she was always there. As we moved up in our baseball system and started traveling to different towns to play ball in, she was there. She had to work, but yet she always found time to make it to our games. She taught me how to drive and then provided a car for me to drive. Playing high school football, she was there. Even though I never played, she would still come and sit there anyway. She would always take on the arduous task of having to wash my grass stained uniform pants. She would listen as I started telling her about girls that I liked, and wanted to ask out. Then listen to me lament about my heartbreak about being turned down by said girls. As I grew into adulthood, she supported me there as well. As I told her I was getting married for the first time, she supported that decision. She even had the wedding at her house, in the basement. As I was going through my divorce, her support was unwavering. She told me that whatever I needed, she would do her best to help me out. Then when I met another woman, and was about to propose, my mom was the first call I made to let her know what I was about to do. Guess what? She supported that as well. Then a few years later, I decided to go ministry school. We all went out for dinner the night I told my mom of my plans. At first she wasn't so sure, but she supported my choice anyway. Her support has always been 100%. Always unwavering and strong. Never judging me or my choices.


She is the best mom in the world. You will never see me go on Jerry Springer, or any of those other trash talk shows complaining about my parents, childhood, or how I grew up. I love my mom and absolutely loved, loved, loved my childhood. We never went hungry. We always had clothes. Always had a roof over our heads and beds to sleep on. We never went without. My mom would sacrifice to make sure that didn't happen.

Deuteronomy 5:16 New Living Translation (NLT)16 “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you.

Mom, I sure hope that I have honored you with the way that I have lived my life. I hope that I have made you proud of the person that I am today. You have loved me un-conditionally all my life. I could not have asked for a better mother. I love you mom!!

God bless you mom!

Little Flashing Lights.

On our docks at work, we have what's called a dock lock. It is a mechanism that will hold the trailer to the dock with a hook. It curves around the trailers bumper to keep it from moving away from the dock. You activate it from inside the building. You push the lock button and a green light will start to flash, letting you know it is okay to enter the trailer. When you push un-lock, a red light will flash indicating do not enter the trailer. If the hook doesn't sense that there is anything there when you push the lock button, and alarm will go off and then you have to push the override button. The trailer is still hooked to the dock, but with both lights flashing, instead of just the green or the red.

So today as we were loading a trailer, I started to stare at the green and red lights flashing on the control board. According to the panel the trailer was both locked and unlocked at the same time. That got me to thinking about God and what He has said about the world. To be in it, but not to be of it.

1 John 2:15 New Living Translation (NLT)Do Not Love This World 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

The green light flashing reminded me that I am in the world. Green means go, and be part of the world and take part in its wickedness and sinfulness. The red light means stop. Do not go any farther. Reminding me that I am not supposed to be of the world. God has called me out of the world. To be different than.

Matthew 6:24 New Living Translation (NLT)24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.

The red and green lights flashing simultaneously had me thinking about the above verse. I cannot be both locked and unlocked at the same exact time. For I will hate one (locked) and love the other (unlocked). I would rather be unlocked and free for Christ who died for me and gave me life, than locked into they ways of the world, that lead to death and destruction.

I don't want to have to push the override button to choose Jesus. If there is ever a conflict, Jesus is my choice ALWAYS!!