Just Another Blog

There are some things I am passionate about. I am passionate about my family. I love them. I am thankful for them. I guard them physically and spiritually to the best of my ability. I would fight for them, even lay down my life for them if the occasion were to arise. I am passionate about my beliefs. In fact, "Belief" is the number one strength in the ol' Strengths Finders assessment. I have deeply held beliefs that mean a great deal to me and I will defend them, I will seek to instill them in other people, and I have even been known to fight for them on certain occasions. I am passionate about my country. I love my country. I served my country. I have friends that have given their lives for our country. I believe in the ideals that were originally a part of my country. I have fought for my country. I am passionate about the Church of Jesus Christ. I have served her for almost 19 years. I have sacrificed for her, I have given of my time and my resources to her, and ...

I had a moment today. Nothing really dramatic. Nothing super spiritual. Just a moment. In our lives, hectic as it may be, there are these moments when I have a single thought: "Thank you, Jesus." It could be something simple. It could be something complex. Either way, it's a moment in which I have an emotion of relief, thanksgiving, and recognition of the goodness of God in my life. Today's moment wasn't especially dramatic. It was simple. An answer to a prayer; to be honest, a whispered prayer. Nothing I even fervently approached the throne of God with. More like, "Please God, let this be something simple." And God answered. He answered in a way that made me respond in spirit and with my mouth, "Thank you, Jesus." I just wonder, how often do we say thank you? How often do we recognize that God is still interested in the little things of our lives? Even the things that we do n't bring to him in repeated prayer, He knows about. He...

"Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." Proverbs 21:21 The things we chase: life, prosperity, and honor. We want to live life in the fullest way. Doing fun things, going great places, experiencing awesome stuff.  We plan great vacations, incredible excursions, and recreation is not just something that happens, it is an event. An event that is planned, produced, supported financially, and held up like an idol in our lives. We build great homes to live our lives in. The bigger the better. We buy great cars to drive through our lives in, complete with all the bells and whistles. We purchase great clothes to wear as we live our lives. We do all of this to find life, whatever that means or whatever that looks like. For each of us, according to cultural standards, it is different. But we chase after life, primarily through things, events, and happenings. This is life. We chase prosperity through jobs, and new jobs, and different jobs. A...

"It is one's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." Proverbs 20:3 Everybody knows one. At least one. It's that person that, regardless of all the good that is happening, regardless of the evidences of God's hand, there is always something to complain about. There is always something to be discontent about. Often masked as a suggestion or a "great" idea that is trying to solve a "problem," the real underlying spirit is one of division and of criticism. There is no pursuit of peace. There is not a spirit of contentment. There is not a desire to be in unity. Sure, there is the profession of all those things, but the proof is in the fruit and the fruit is all wrong. The proverb tells us that when we avoid strife, it is to our honor. Strife is being angry or bitter over fundamental issues. It's just the basic stuff. God says we should avoid causing problems over the basic stuff, but that's where we love to cause...

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly." - Proverbs 15:14 I read this in my daily Proverbs reading today. One thing I love about God's word is that I can read something that I have read before (I read 1 proverb every day) and I can STILL get something new from it! That was the case today. As I read this verse, it occurred to me how much time we invest in things of folly as opposed to things that build knowledge in our lives. For instanc e, how much time will you spend watching television today? Or, how much time will you spend browsing Facebook or any social media platform? Now, compare that time frame to the amount of time you spend seeking knowledge. Reading God's word is the best way to seek knowledge, but we also gain knowledge by reading books that are edifying to our spirit, that teach us new things, and that expand our mind. Seek knowledge today and be careful you don't fill your mind (and your heart) wit...