The Journey

sui·cide :  the act or an instance of  intentionally taking one's own life; to put (oneself) to death; self-destructive The holidays have ended.  It is a well known fact this time of year has the highest suicide rate of any other time.  I've been pondering in my heart what exactly qualifies as suicide.  Obviously, eating a gun or intentionally taking an overdose of medication or the common illegal drugs often used in this morbid method qualify.  But, ponder this... What about smoking?  The warning labels on the pack tell us the dangerous risks and side effects are lethal.  If we are aware, and we are, would that be considered intentional and self-destructive behavior--a form of suicide?  What about the practice of over indulgence of food or alcohol?  These debilitating types of self-annihilation are known medically as morbid obesity and alcoholism.  Yes, they will kill you. Yes, you are making the decision to over eat ...

With the new year approaching, the prevalent word has been gloomy.  "O, the Woes of 2012!"  People prophesying the doom and gloom to come...the end of the world.  While I do believe God is calling us to come up higher, He is also bringing judgment.  That is evident.  Finally, though, God speaks to His people.  I think of the identical phrase used by Joel and Malachi in the Old Testament--the great and terrible day of the Lord.  It reminds me of the opening to "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens.  "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way..." I have had the privilege of g...

There are three Christmas carols that are my most favorite.  Each song is beautiful, but when sung by certain people can make the hair on your arms stand up at attention!  "Carol of the Bells" performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the passionate rendition of "O Holy Night" by David Phelps are two at the top of my list.  Most especially, I love, love, love.... "The Little Drummer Boy" perfected by the Simpson sisters, Jessica and Ashley.  Have you ever just listened to the lyrics?  Sure we sing the ancient tale mechanically.  We teach it to our kids because they are captivated by the "pa rum pum pum."  Each time I hear that song, my mind instantly plays the scene of the 3 Kings traveling a long distance just to bring gifts to the newborn King.  I picture the the backdrop, a lowly stable and the very young mother presented with the Ultimate Gift.  And of course, the beggarly boy confidently playing his drum...the fictio...

I've been listening to Joyce Meyer's "Armed and Dangerous" series on my way to work.  These messages are just as power-packed as all of her messages.  Something particular stuck out to me that I've never noticed before.  Meyer points out that when Jesus prayed for his disciples, He never addressed a certain problem, or trial, or "family situation" that each of the men might have been struggling with at the time.  Rather, He prayed for their strength, their faith, their futures.  In other words, He didn't pray that their problems would just go away.  He prayed for them to have what they needed to walk through them.  This is evidenced by the passage found in John 16:33, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  So, He encouraged his brethren by letting them know the battle is already won! I know I often get bogged down in...

As we celebrate the holidays, we give thanks for the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  We celebrate the life of the One Who came as a baby in the flesh.  We see beautiful nativity scenes and we sing odes to Mary the unsuspecting vehicle of the Christ.  Truly, it is or should be as we sing, "the most wonderful time of year!" Unfortunately, we often times get sidetracked from the entire purpose of such fantastic festivities.  We choose to not think of the gruesome way He died and tend to forget the reason for the season.  That is, the man whose ultimate destiny was death--an agonizing, brutal murder on a cross--a crucifixion.  Picture, if you will, Jesus the night before His tortuous death that He endured for you and me.  Come with me to the Garden of Gethsemane. The Bible tells us Jesus said to His disciples, "Sit down here while I pray."  Then, He took Peter, James and John, the three closest to Him, further into the...

Every night before bed, I read a Biblical chapter.  I've been reading the book of Matthew and last night I read chapter 13 which is full of parables told by Jesus.  Not only have I read these parables before, but I've heard countless sermons on these passages.  I know you, too, will be familiar with them.  As I was reading the parable on the wheat and tares, I saw something that I've never seen before.  One reason I enjoy reading the Bible is no matter how many times I read it, I often see something I've never seen before.  It's like rereading a book or watching a movie I've seen previously and then seeing a part I somehow missed the first, second or even a third time.  The parable on the wheat and the tares came alive to me last night.  Walk with me through this oh so familiar tale of the wheat and the weeds. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who planted good seed in his field.  The Teacher explains that while everyone w...

I'm sitting here in my apartment, the only light is the glow of the computer screen, the only sound is the whirl of the dishwasher.  I've been thinking about this past year.  So many ups and downs.  So many possibilities turned to disappointments.  Peaks and valleys.  The only consistency in my life lately seems to be inconsistency, uncertainty.  I've been afraid to smile at something good ahead, thinking when am I going to find out this isn't real?  Or, what is this going to cost me?  Though I've tried to safeguard myself from certain situations, it is as though I find myself right in the middle of it, again.  To me, the only thing worse than reliving the past, is repeating it. I think of the Israelites...40 years of wandering around the same mountain.  Many never made it to the Promised Land.  Moses, their leader, only got to see it from afar off.  I've been asking God, "How much longer will I continue to walk around t...