God is moving in CR

I want to tell you a story about a dear friend of mine who recently joined the faithful departed- my hair dryer. Now before you blow this off or judge me, let me explain. This was no ordinary hair dryer. It was a red Son of a Gun by Clairol. It was compact. It was effective. It was over 25 years old! Yes an appliance that faithful deserves a moment of recognition. Oh sure, over time it had developed some issues. It overheated if anyone with long hair borrowed it so much so that it would smell fierce and shut off. (I have a short hairstyle and only used it for about 5 minutes per blow dry.) The wattage label had worn off and the cord was permanently twisted. But I cleaned the vents on occasion and stored it properly. I did the best I could to preserve it. It was faithful with a few minor inconveniences. I loved that blow dryer. I thought my blow dryer and I would be together for many more years to come. That is, until, yesterday. I continued in my regular morning routine as I exited th...

Ok, so many times you have heard me say, “if you only knew what goes on in this crazy little mind of mine” and how my poor wife has had to take many blue chips for my craziness. Well, this is one of those moments but I couldn’t help it. We were on the plane flying from NW Arkansas to Houston and the flight attendant was doing her normal safety features exercise so we would know what to do if something were to happen. After she took us thru the life boat, exits drill, she walked over to the seats behind me and talked the folks sitting in the exit rows saying, “you guys know you are in the exit rows right?” All of them replied, “YES!” in unison. Then she said “…and you have read the safety pamphlet right?” and again, the same response, “YES!” Now, knowing they didn’t read the safety instructions, all I could think about was us going down in the plane and trying to get the exit doors open and me turning to the guy trying to figure out how to open the door only to realize, he didn’t have...

I can spot crazy at 100 yards! I know because I used to be crazy. I’m hypersensitive to it somewhat like a former smoker or drinker. My senses are heightened because the habit is familiar. Within the last week, I had encounters with two separate people one of each gender who are riding on the crazy train. I’m not making this a sexist issue. One person was a contractor. One works for a government agency. I’m not going make this a political issue either. I simply am saying I know crazy. A commonly accepted definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is how I know I’m about ready to receive my doctorate in crazy. I’ve spent time in the field. I’ve studied, been tested and am able to diagnose. I’ve learned over the years, with the realization taking place after coming out of denial, that if I don’t change my ways most likely nothing else will change either. I can’t continue to overeat and not exercise without gaining ...

Reading this morning in OT about Moses in the desert and how scary that must have been for him. Alone, scared and feeling like God may have left him. Ever been there? Are u there now? I can remember getting the note from my wife a long time ago saying, "our relationship is over". That threw me into a desert of my own. I was scared, alone and feeling like God had left me. What I realized though was God speaks to me the most in my desert moments. If I had not experienced that desert moment, I would not have been able to hear from God and grow. As painful as that desert moment was for me, it was what I needed at that time in my life. I learned thru that desert moment what God desired from a man and leader of his home. By the grace of God, my wife gave me another chance to lead like a man should lead and we have been married for almost 20 years now. :) You know the beautiful thing about the story of Moses being in the desert? As Moses heard His Father's voice like never befo...

I’ve been both the accused and the accuser. I’ve heard and uttered the words, “Not the sharpest tool in the shed.” “She’s not the shiniest gem in the tiara.” “He’s a sandwich short of a picnic.” So when life gives me a light bulb moment and I know that all the bulbs in my chandelier are lit, I get excited. I spent a lot of years in the darkness of denial. I couldn’t see a way out. I didn’t know there was a way out. The way it was is the way it would always be. I was doomed to repeat the sins of my past and those who’d gone before me. I was miserable and at the end of my rope. I just kept tying another knot and trying to hold on a little bit longer. For my reality I knew yelling, drinking, abuse, withdrawal, martyr, victim, manipulation, threats (mostly empty) and anger. I didn’t have the stuff TV shows are made of. You know where problems are over in thirty minutes and everyone ends up in a group hug. Growing up I always waited for the other shoe to drop when I visited friend’s homes....

I can remember in High School being a wide receiver and going up to catch a pass from my quarterback. I ran my route, turned to face the ball, jumped into the air where I saw the ball coming my way and just when I went to catch the ball it happened…BAM! I was hit at my hips and flipped in the air and knocked to the ground (I held onto the ball though). Before you become too impressed, it was in a JV game but still, that is pretty impressive. lol The point is this, I never saw the hit coming and was completely disoriented when I started to get back up off the turf. I remember thinking, "uh oh! This is going to hurt!" Isn’t that how life goes though? We are trucking along, feeling like everything is going well, and just when we think something is going to happen a certain way, BAM! Life hits us, knocks the wind out of our sails and knocks us to the turf. I wish life had a story book ending, but if we were to tell people that is the way things are once you become a Christian, is...

Ever been in that place where you thought you were in control of what was happening around you? You know that moment where you say, "I got this Lord!" Reading in Acts 7, the familiar story of Moses being told thru the eyes of Stephen. As I was reading this story I see how Moses saw a "need" and thought it was his place to "deal with it" without Gods will. He murdered expecting to be a hero. The most compelling part of this story to me though is in Acts 7:25 where it reads "Moses "assumed" the Israelites would understand God sent him to rescue them....but they didn't" oops.... Here's the thing, God didn't and things ended up a mess for him. In recovery, we have to come to a place where we understand that there is a God and we are not it. This road called life is difficult enough with God running my life, I don't need to complicate things more and end up back where I was early in my life and recovery. It is only when we su...

Growing up, I thought Easter was a one day event. I was raised attending a private church school and attending worship most Sundays. The teachings about Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were taught and semi caught. It would be years (okay, I’ll be honest, decades) later that I came to realize Easter can last a life time, one day at a time. Those decades that it took me to become an Easter person, which for me means more than a one day celebratory chocolate bunny and deviled egg eater, new outfit wearing, lily buyer were filled with my own crucifixion. They ultimately resulted in my own spiritual resurrection by the grace and love of Jesus as I laid down my sins and allowed His healing to bring me new life and recovery from my hurts, habits, and hang-ups. It wasn’t until I died to my own self will, indulgences and broken coping mechanisms that I could truly live. I became open to be broken. Little did I know how broken I already was. As the oldest child growing up in an alc...

Well, it’s Good Friday. Imagine the faces you will see tonight. Imagine those that might come just because it’s Good Friday. Imagine what impact we “get to” be a part of tonight. We “get to” point people to a Savior that died for them and us. Peter wrote in Corinthians, "Christ, our passover (Lamb), is sacrificed for us." This means that our sins have been justified and passed over by God Himself. This is a time many Christians choose to honor the sacrifice Christ made for us... me included. With that great truth, tonight we get to interact with people that may have been running away from God and now are choosing to run back to the Father, their Master that loves them as much as He does us dearly. I read a story that Author David Redding wrote recently that spoke to my heart. Paraphrased it goes like this: There was a guy returning from the Navy that had missed his dog Teddy, a big, black Scottish shepherd. Teddy was his best friend and would do anything for him. He would wai...