The Journey

Photo by Kristopher Roller Over the past several years, I have had a series of circumstances that kept me in a seemingly never-ending funnel of turmoil.  Divorce, illness, long seasons of mediocre jobs, and unemployment and single parenting came together in a whirlwind of chaos and destruction. My days have been filled with putting out fires, but never gaining any real ground. My daily mantra has been,  If I can get through one more day, take one more step, pay one more payment, work one more hour, we will be okay.  Survival mode. Over the past few months, I have had an idea formulating in my spirit that will quite possibly set my little family on the path from a place of merely surviving to a thriving existence. Early one morning, I was mentally rehearsing the bullet points of my plan and prayerfully explaining why these changes will work, why they are necessary, and why they need to happen now when a little nugget was dropped into my spirit. The church has been in the same place.

Photo by Will Porada Earlier this week, a snippet of a fire-and-brimstone sermon from somewhere in my youth came back to me in weird randomness. Fuzzy details of the setting loom in the corners of my mind trying to come to the forefront, but never actually forming a clear memory. I truly do not remember the who, what, when, whereof the matter, but what I do remember resonates. In this foreboding sermon, the minister is warning of the dangers of dabbling in worldly pleasures and such. "Don't go anywhere Jesus wouldn't go with you." At the time, I am sure I rolled my eyes in a covert manner, probably sighed--inwardly, of course--as I tossed this tidbit away thinking Brother Old Fogey just could not relate to the current times. After all, didn't Jesus have dinner with sinners? In retrospect, this concept is absolutely true and applicable to every generation of old and young alike. When we find ourselves tiptoeing around in areas we know we should not, we can ease

Carlisle & Reese Parental responsibility can be overwhelming on a good day. A child is multidimensional; therefore, the parent must make decisions that directly affect every aspect of the innocent's life. That is, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social, educational, and so on. The idea that a snap decision, sharp word, or an unintentional oversight made today could be a painful memory that is carried with them the rest of their lives, devastation that stunts their emotional growth, or a stumbling block that hinders their spiritual walk even into their adult years is daunting. Unresolved, childhood offenses can determine the type of people they become. Bleeding wounds, missed opportunities, feelings of deprivation or injustice spill over into all areas of their lives shaping what kind of parents they become whether rigid or lax, dogmatic or lackadaisical, doting or distant, spoiling or withholding. Earthly responsibility and heavenly accountability are how I view the