Walking The Walk

As we look back on 2025, I want you to imagine something with me for a moment. Picture yourself carrying an invisible backpack. It's filled with all the "what-ifs" and uncertainties you're taking into this new year. What if the economy gets worse? What if my health fails? What if my relationships struggle? What if my job situation changes?   We're great at making New Year's resolutions, aren't we? We promise to exercise more, eat better, read our Bibles daily. But how often do we resolve to worry less and trust God more? How often do we commit to leaning on Jesus instead of relying on our own strength?   In Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. Paul writes these powerful words: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   Notice that Paul doe...

You know, my wife Valerie has a Christmas decoration obsession.   She loves decorating for Christmas and finding unique decorations. She sent me a photo last week.   She was driving home, and she sent a selfie of herself in the car, with Mary, Joseph and Jesus strapped into the seat in the back.   She had found a big plastic lit blow mold of the Nativity scene, and she was thrilled!   The look on Valerie's face was pure, unfiltered joy. Her eyes were sparkling, her smile stretched from ear to ear, and she was glowing brighter than those plastic figures did in our yard that night. In that moment, watching her excitement over this simple find, I witnessed something beautiful: childlike wonder in its purest form.   Here was a grown woman, a successful professional, getting absolutely giddy over a plastic Christmas decoration. Watching Valerie's reaction reminded me immediately of something Jesus said in Matthew 18:3: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and bec...

Here we are again!  Looking at the beginning of another year!  I imagine many of you have been making plans. Maybe you've written down resolutions, set goals, or mapped out what you hope 2025 will look like. There's nothing wrong with planning—in fact, it's wise to do that. But this morning, I want us to look at what James has to say about our plans in chapter 4, verses 13-15, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"   James isn't condemning planning—he's challenging our attitude toward our plans. The real issue isn't making plans, it's making plans while fearing to let go of control. And if I'm honest, tha...

We all know somebody that just can’t ever be wrong.   They pick their position, and there isn’t anything on this earth that is going to change their opinion.   You can present them with incontrovertible facts, and present it in a flawlessly logical manner, and you’re still going to be wrong.      I call them 'right fighters' and I have a great deal of experience with people like this.   Anything you say they don’t agree with means you are automatically wrong, because they are never wrong.   And because they are never wrong, they never apologize for anything.   And getting upset with them is a useless exercise because it just means you’re going to be mad, and they’re still going to think they’re right. The Bible gives us some wisdom for dealing with these situations in Romans 12:18, where Paul writes, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Notice Paul doesn't say, “If possible, make sure everyone knows you're right.”...

I write a lot of stuff down . . . this is just the last ten years.   My dad told me when I was in high school to enjoy life while I was young, because life had a way of becoming very ordinary after you grow up. That stuck with me, because it didn’t sound at all appealing. I decided right then and there I wasn’t going to have an ordinary life.   In fact, I decided I wasn’t ever going to have an ordinary day.   And I started something way back then that I still do today. I’ve been keeping a journal since I was in high school, and after dad told me that, I started writing in those journals, every day, at least one thing that was unique about that day at the top of the page—one thing that made that day like no other day previously.   I’ve done this now for more than four decades, and that habit has changed the way I’ve viewed life.   I go into each day looking for that one remarkable thing.   Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing, but I’ve...

This morning I stopped to fill up my gas tank and couldn't believe my eyes—gas was 30 cents cheaper than last week!   After I filled up, I went inside, and the coffee was on special for just $1. With Thanksgiving approaching, I felt that was a good example of something to be grateful for, so I shared it on Facebook. And do you know what the response was? A few people got upset about it, because of the politics of the fuel prices coming down.   And that’s sad to me.   We've become a society that complains about high prices AND also complains when the prices go down. We've trained ourselves to find fault with everything, even good news!   And we wonder why we’re so unhappy! Scripture reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to "give thanks in all circumstances." Not just when everything's perfect, but in all circumstances, including when gas prices drop and coffee costs a dollar. I've made it my practice to actively notice and celebrate when things go righ...

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." ~Proverbs 27:17  I was flipping the channels the other day, and one of the cable news channels was reporting on a story.   According to the reporter, it was the worst decision our government had ever made in our 250-year history.   I flipped to another cable news channel, and they were reporting on the same story—of course they were reporting the complete opposite. And we wonder why we’re always fighting with each other?   Because we make decisions based only on whose idea it was rather than if it’s a good idea or not. Our leaders are talking past each other, each convinced the other is completely wrong.   Nobody is ever listening—just talking. And it’s not just on the national level.   I've watched this scene play out countless times in our communities, too. And at family dinners and on social media and in workplace conversations. We’ve forgotten how to have a conversation.   We’ve forgotten...