One of the things I enjoy doing with my two sons is picking games. We especially enjoy picking the NFL games each week. I will admit that I’m not very good at picking or at least I am not as good as either one of my sons, but I still enjoy the friendly competition. And no, there is no wagering… I would go broke and I’m not about to owe my son’s money for something like picking games.
Picking most games is not a problem for me. I normally just go with my gut feeling and chose a team. Where I do have a problem is when it comes to picking the game in which the Dallas Cowboys play. I guess and am what some would call a “Cow-Sheep” . I have followed the cowboys since the beginning of the teams move to Dallas. Growing up I knew three things to be true about Sundays in the fall. One, we would always go to church, two we would always have a great Sunday dinner cooked by my mother and three, if the Cowboys were playing we were watching.
So when it comes to picking the winner of the Cowboys vs. whomever I always pick the Cowboys. It does not matter how bad the team is or who may be injured or whose field they are playing on, I pick the Cowboys to win. Only once or twice have a picked against them and it bothered me all weekend. Those times that I picked against the Cowboys I had to do some mental gymnastics. I picked the other team with my mind and cheered for the Cowboys in my heart. It is not a good feeling to pick your favorite team to lose but cheer for them win. It is a conflict of the heart and mind.
I have good news for everyone. No matter what… God always picks you. That’s right! No matter what you have done in your life, no matter how you feel or think about God or about life or about your situation in life, God always chooses you. When you are spiritually far away from God he is longing for your return. When you are spiritually sitting on the fence he is hoping you will choose to follow him.
Now here is the question for you, do you pick God? I know there are some days that in your heart, mind, soul and strength you choose God, but I also know there are some days that you may pick God with your mind, but not with your heart and if your heart is not choosing God then neither is your strength.
There is a reason Jesus said we need to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and that reason is this, that is how God chooses you and me. God has given his whole heart, mind, soul and strength to loving you and me and that is what he wants in return.
I will never be good at picking NFL games, but I pray that I will always choose to love God with all my being. I am forever thankful that God picks me every day.
Love God. Go Love Others.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
4 AM
Not too long ago my wife and I experienced our bi-annual 4 AM wakeup call from the smoke detector in our bedroom. You know how this works, you are asleep and you hear a beep and at first you think to yourself, “self, I’m dreaming”, but then it happens again … and again. That annoying beep made by smoke detectors to let you know that the battery is about to be dead. I am convinced that the companies who make smoke detectors have designed them with a special chip inside to only start beeping at 4:00 a.m. It almost never fails that the beeping begins in the middle of the night.
Now as aggravating as that is one thing remains to be true. I do not take the steps to prevent this reoccurring problem. In my mind I know that if I were to replace those 9 volt batteries on a regular bases two or three times a year chances are that I would never be awaken in the middle of the night by that annoying, ear piercing beep. I would never again have to go down stairs into the garage and get out the step ladder and carry it upstairs. I would never again have to search for 9 volt batteries in the middle of the night. I could if I chose to do so eliminate this annoying little problem.
So here is the question, what is keeping me from preventing this problem from happening again? Answer – I just don’t know. I know the right thing to do, but to date I have failed to do it. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even replaced the rest of the batteries in the other smoke detectors yet. I know it is just a matter of time until they all start beeping. I know it is just a matter of time until I have to change each and every one of them. For some reason I just haven’t gotten around to it. The answer to why is ME.
So here is the question for you, what is keeping you from doing what you know you need to do in your life? What is keeping you from being a better husband, wife, son, daughter, or parent? What is keeping your from being a better boss or a better employee? What is keeping you from helping out someone who as a need you are capable of fore filling? What is keeping you from forgiving those who have wronged you? What is keeping you from serving and loving others? What is keeping you from giving yourself totally to following Jesus daily and living every moment of your life to his glory?
Just in case you have not figured it out yet, the answer to all of those questions is YOU. You are the only one who can make the changes in your life that need to be made. You are the only one who can decide today that your life is going to be different than it was yesterday. The power to make your life more pleasing to God rest entirely within you.
So, now that you know what you are going to do about it. That annoying little beep is coming any minute and the Lord could come at any moment. Are you ready? Make those changes you have been putting off – Today!
Love God. Go Love Others.
Now as aggravating as that is one thing remains to be true. I do not take the steps to prevent this reoccurring problem. In my mind I know that if I were to replace those 9 volt batteries on a regular bases two or three times a year chances are that I would never be awaken in the middle of the night by that annoying, ear piercing beep. I would never again have to go down stairs into the garage and get out the step ladder and carry it upstairs. I would never again have to search for 9 volt batteries in the middle of the night. I could if I chose to do so eliminate this annoying little problem.
So here is the question, what is keeping me from preventing this problem from happening again? Answer – I just don’t know. I know the right thing to do, but to date I have failed to do it. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even replaced the rest of the batteries in the other smoke detectors yet. I know it is just a matter of time until they all start beeping. I know it is just a matter of time until I have to change each and every one of them. For some reason I just haven’t gotten around to it. The answer to why is ME.
So here is the question for you, what is keeping you from doing what you know you need to do in your life? What is keeping you from being a better husband, wife, son, daughter, or parent? What is keeping your from being a better boss or a better employee? What is keeping you from helping out someone who as a need you are capable of fore filling? What is keeping you from forgiving those who have wronged you? What is keeping you from serving and loving others? What is keeping you from giving yourself totally to following Jesus daily and living every moment of your life to his glory?
Just in case you have not figured it out yet, the answer to all of those questions is YOU. You are the only one who can make the changes in your life that need to be made. You are the only one who can decide today that your life is going to be different than it was yesterday. The power to make your life more pleasing to God rest entirely within you.
So, now that you know what you are going to do about it. That annoying little beep is coming any minute and the Lord could come at any moment. Are you ready? Make those changes you have been putting off – Today!
Love God. Go Love Others.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Hidden Treasures
Just the other day I had the opportunity to meet an older gentleman. I say older because he immediately referred to me as “youngin”. I liked him instantly. This man is about seven-six years old and he has lived in this area most of his life. Currently he spends most of his time driving his wife to chemotherapy five days a week. As he said, “this is our life now”. As our conversation went on he asked me where I worked and I told him about the church and where it was and I was in the process of telling him about my work when a light went on in his head and he interrupted me with this question, “Do you know about the house just down the street from that church?” I asked which one because there are two that I was aware of which were just down the street from the church. He described the location and I knew exactly what house he was talking about. Then he asked, “Do you know about that house?” I said no. Then he went on to tell me about the history of the house.
The house is the second house on the left as you go north on James Pitt. That house was originally a two room log cabin that once belonged to Republic of Texas colonist Thomas Jefferson McDonald. The house was built in 1844 which means it was built before Collin County was Collin County and before Tejas was Texas. This house has amazing history which includes being attacked by Indians.
The house was later purchased by James Pitt in 1916. James and his wife lived there and raised their family in that house. As a matter of fact they lived there until they died. It is my understanding that the property is still owned by the Pitts family.
What is interesting to me is the fact that this house is a hidden treasure. Unless you were told about it or happened to stop and read the marker giving the details of the house you would never know of its significance. It is hidden behind two layers of siding and the roof has needed repair and replacement for at least a decade or more. To look at it you would just think it was an old run down house. As a matter of fact I have often wondered what the city is going to do with that house since it is in the geographic center of McKinney and will no doubt be surrounded by businesses someday.
Now that I know some of the story that goes along with the house I hope they never tear it down. I hope that someone restores the house to being the simple log cabin it was back in 1844. The people of McKinney need to treasure those things which are a part of our past.
Now before you get the wrong idea you need to know something, the house was not the treasure I discovered on that day. The treasure I discovered was the old man who loves to tell stories to “youngins” like me. The treasure I discovered was an old man who has loved his wife for a life time and enjoys every moment he has with her including those moments when she is receiving treatment for a cancer that she will have the rest of her life. The treasure I have found is in an old man that needs someone to talk to about life. What a blessing he is to me. I hope in some way I can be a blessing to him even if all I get to do is listen to a story every now and then.
There are hidden treasures all around you. They are not the ones made of gold or silver or even brick and mortar. The best treasures around you are in the lives of those who are our seniors. They are the ones who have walked the road of life before us and have paved the way. They have fought for our country, they have built the roads and bridges, they have taken us coast to coast and they have taken us to the moon and back. What a great generation. What makes them great however lies not so much in their accomplishments but more in the way they live life. They have taught us the value of hard work and determination. They have taught us that the best marriages are the ones that last a life time. They have taught us that above all else put your faith in God first and your faith in family second and everything else in life will be just fine.
I am thankful for hidden treasures. I hope you will take the time search for a hidden treasure to make a part of your life. You will bring joy to their heart and yours.
Love God. Go Love Others.
The house is the second house on the left as you go north on James Pitt. That house was originally a two room log cabin that once belonged to Republic of Texas colonist Thomas Jefferson McDonald. The house was built in 1844 which means it was built before Collin County was Collin County and before Tejas was Texas. This house has amazing history which includes being attacked by Indians.
The house was later purchased by James Pitt in 1916. James and his wife lived there and raised their family in that house. As a matter of fact they lived there until they died. It is my understanding that the property is still owned by the Pitts family.
What is interesting to me is the fact that this house is a hidden treasure. Unless you were told about it or happened to stop and read the marker giving the details of the house you would never know of its significance. It is hidden behind two layers of siding and the roof has needed repair and replacement for at least a decade or more. To look at it you would just think it was an old run down house. As a matter of fact I have often wondered what the city is going to do with that house since it is in the geographic center of McKinney and will no doubt be surrounded by businesses someday.
Now that I know some of the story that goes along with the house I hope they never tear it down. I hope that someone restores the house to being the simple log cabin it was back in 1844. The people of McKinney need to treasure those things which are a part of our past.
Now before you get the wrong idea you need to know something, the house was not the treasure I discovered on that day. The treasure I discovered was the old man who loves to tell stories to “youngins” like me. The treasure I discovered was an old man who has loved his wife for a life time and enjoys every moment he has with her including those moments when she is receiving treatment for a cancer that she will have the rest of her life. The treasure I have found is in an old man that needs someone to talk to about life. What a blessing he is to me. I hope in some way I can be a blessing to him even if all I get to do is listen to a story every now and then.
There are hidden treasures all around you. They are not the ones made of gold or silver or even brick and mortar. The best treasures around you are in the lives of those who are our seniors. They are the ones who have walked the road of life before us and have paved the way. They have fought for our country, they have built the roads and bridges, they have taken us coast to coast and they have taken us to the moon and back. What a great generation. What makes them great however lies not so much in their accomplishments but more in the way they live life. They have taught us the value of hard work and determination. They have taught us that the best marriages are the ones that last a life time. They have taught us that above all else put your faith in God first and your faith in family second and everything else in life will be just fine.
I am thankful for hidden treasures. I hope you will take the time search for a hidden treasure to make a part of your life. You will bring joy to their heart and yours.
Love God. Go Love Others.
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