Walking The Walk

Sometimes we don't spend enough time looking in the mirror. We know that in our hearts we're saved. We go to church on Sunday. We try and do the right things in our life. We believe in Jesus. The question is--are we followers of Jesus? Jesus set us an example not only to read about and to acknowledge, but to follow. As we mature as Christians, we should aspire to become more and more like the model Jesus set for us. Do you? It's not easy being a Christian, because we live in a world that's contrary in so many ways to what we believe. To be a Christian, we have to accept this idea that we're living in the world, but we're part of a very different world. We're members of God's Kingdom.  And God's way is a very different way that the way of the secular world. We have a tendency sometimes to overlook areas of our life that are inconsistent with our faith. We give ourselves "carve outs."   Maybe there are things in your job that put you in awkwa...

A few years ago, a friend of mine decided he was going to retire.  He'd put in his 30 years, and he was the right age, and he decided it was time to go.  I asked him what he was going to do after he retired.  He said, "not work!"  He said he'd spent all of his life working, and he wanted to spend the rest of it relaxing.   I hear people say this a lot.  How they've "spent" their life.  How they're going to "spend" the rest of it.  There was always something about that idea that bothered me, but I could never put my finger on what it was.  Until now. Because now I'm that age.  I've put my time in.  And I'm old enough I can retire.  I'm thinking about these things.   With one difference. I don't plan on "spending" the rest of my life.  I've not "spent" my life up to this point.  I have a different perspective about life.  I've always looked at life as something we should invest in, not spend. I...

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  ~Ecclesiastes 1:9  One of the most difficult challenges we experience, is navigating the constant and continual changes we experience in life.  Just about the time we get used to things being one way, something changes.  And there's a mix of good changes, and bad changes.  Things that bring us joy and things that bring us sadness.  Sunshine and rain. We celebrate a new job.  There's a new baby in the family.  Maybe we move to a new town and begin a new adventure.  Those are all things that can bring us joy.  But sometimes we suffer losses as well.  Somebody we love passes away.  We find ourselves in a bad situation in our finances.  We have a relationship that begins to fail.  We have a medical issue we're dealing with.    And sometimes we will get into a cycle in life where we become overwhelmed with all...