Filled Up

I attended the funeral yesterday of my high school principal, Roy Becker. What an incredible guy!

He not only was my principal, but I also considered him a friend. While I was in school, and even after my high school years, he and I would occasionally play golf together. I remember thinking that golf was partly about scoring and mostly about how far I could hit the ball. Mr. Becker would simply dink it down the fairway, hit it up by the green, chip it close and make par while I flailed away trying to hit it a mile. He would continually beat me. Wisdom in action.

After I graduated, I became friends with his son Barry and we ended up working together for the same company for a few years.

Anyway, at yesterday’s service, all three of Barry’s children shared some things from their heart about what their Grandpa meant to them and how to have eternal life. They all did a great job!

Daniel, Barry’s second son, also spoke about how his Grandpa would continually make him feel great every time he was with him. He said that each time he would leave his Grandpa’s house, he felt “filled up.”

I thought that was an awesome thing to say. He felt filled up.

Wouldn’t that be a great thing that others might say about you at your funeral? “________ really filled me up whenever I was with them.”

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Freedom Isn't Free

Too much in this great country of ours, we view Independence Day as just another reason to get a day off of work or to go to a party. I think we fail to realize the significance of this day in our country's history--I know I have done this.

I was planning on posting an article which was sent to me about the fate of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The article went on to share the incredible personal cost incurred by each of them including having homes burned down and literally running for their lives. Fortunately, before posting, I snoped it and found that some of what was written in the email was true but some of it was false.

But nevertheless, I think we can all agree that the freedom we enjoy in this country was, and is not free. A heavy price has been paid and we need to be thankful for that and celebrate it.

In much the same way, our personal freedom isn't free either. Jesus paid a heavy price for you and me. We need to be thankful for that as well! (To learn more about this, go here to see a message from my good friend John Beckett).

Have a great and safe weekend!

Are You A Porsche?

I love my wife. She has this incredible heart for others. This was exhibited to me, yet again, yesterday as she was watching a documentary about Farrah Fawcett who passed away last week. I kept hearing my wife say things like, "Oh, that poor thing" and "I can't believe she had to go through that..." Then they showed a journal that Farrah wrote in that had a cross on it followed by a picture of her with a cross on a necklace she was wearing.

Connie (my bride), in her hopeful enthusiasm, said, "I think she might have been a Christian!" My 13 year-old son Robbie then said, "Mom, just because she has a cross doesn't make her a Christian!"

Connie knows that, she just wants what's best for people. What we know in our family, including my son, is that we can get caught in the trap of believing we are Christians simply because we go to church or we own a bible. Believe me, we know this all too well as this is where we lived for many years of our lives.

I love what Joyce Meyer says about this. She says, "Going to church doesn't make you any more of a Christian than standing in your garage makes you a Porsche!"

It wasn't until I humbled myself and realized that I needed Christ in my life and invited Him in (almost 10 years ago) that I actually became a Christian. Then my family followed after that and our lives have been changed forever.

If you have not done this and would like to learn how or you would like to investigate this a little closer, I encourage you to check out this site which was done by my friend John Beckett.

Make it a great week!