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Around these parts, I have a reputation as a Florida Gator fan. A brave thing to be in South Louisiana where most folks bleed purple and gold. Many would have a hard time believing that I once proudly wore a t-shirt that read “Happiness is Gainesville, Florida, in your rear view mirror. ” I had just finished 27 months at University of Florida Law School. I was ready to get on with real life and not in a mood to look back. My eyes were firmly fixed on the future. Life is not always like that. We can we spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror. If we consider the qualities of rear view mirrors versus front windshields we might learn something. Autos and humans are designed for facing and moving forward. Safety requires only an occasional glance to the rear. God created us as to be future focused creatures. With God, all the good stuff is ahead. He gives us the gift of excited expectation. We can never say we have seen the most beauty we will ever see or had the best of life. That’s always ahead. With God there is always more. It’s […]

Practically everyone on Facebook is complaining. Significant changes appeared on the world’s most popular website on Thursday. It’s clear that most folks prefer the old and familiar to the new and innovative. Most Facebookers assumed that Facebook was just messing with them . . . Change for change sake. In fact, the internet changed forever yesterday. Some will “like” the changes, and why not. They will be able to watch media with friends and have their personal history compiled and displayed. They will know what their friends are watching, doing and saying online in real time. Some will hate having that much known about them. Facebook friends will “know” each other like never before. Privacy and intimacy will never be the same. If you think I exaggerate, Wait and see. Two great perceived needs of man are about to collide: the need to be known and the fear of being truly known. We want to be known and loved. We think we won’t be loved if we are truly known so we filter what others know about us. Facebook intends to change all that. Just think how you would feel if everything you did was known to everyone. Facebook […]

We can all benefit from a little perspective. I’m recovering from knee surgery, but some are struggling back from knee replacements or cardiac bypasses. Others are losing fights against killer diseases. My temporary inconveniences are insignificant. I’m keeping my eye on my bank balance and the calendar, hoping October 1 comes before a negative balance. But others are paying for houses that are worth less than they owe. Some are jobless. Others don’t know how they will feed their kids today. It’s not a new thought that there’s always someone worse off; but it’s a constant struggle to keep that in mind. The Faithbuilders page on our church website includes a number of videos that help me keep my head straight. See if they work for you. If you have some other Faithbuilders, I would love to add them. Maybe we can build up each others faith. Be blessed, Nick

One of the top ten phrases tweeted today was “GOD LOVES YOU.” it seems most of those were directed at Troy Davis, who is scheduled to be executed tonight. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted Sept. 20 to move forward with Davis’ execution, despite allegations that there is no physical evidence tying him to the 1989 killing of Mark Allen MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah police officer. Since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses who testified against Davis have recanted their testimonies. His execution was temporarily stayed as I was preparing to post this. I haven’t followed the case and don’t know enough about it to have an opinion on Troy’s guilt or innocence. There are some truths emerging from this story. 1. God does love Troy Davis whether he is a murderer or not. 2. The message of God’s love is important and it’s good to see it “in the news.”3. There is so much more that people need to know about God: His holiness, justice, and His wonderful plan of salvation. 4. We need to be talking about the God that we know, with our friends, family, everyone, on and off line. 5. It’s easy […]

“The Father really knows best. I’m praying and believing that my season as “the man with the cane” is waning and a new and “better” season is in the wind. No matter. He is still God and the best is always ahead.” How soon we forget. If the above seems familiar, it’s because I said it a couple of days ago in this blog. I thought it was pretty deep and wise. Yesterday, upon hearing that my procedure did not come out perfectly, I was discouraged, perhaps despondent. It is easy to claim faith and trust. It is more difficult to walk it out. It turns out I will likely need to have my knee replaced at some point in the unknown future. I had hoped to avoid that, but it may not be possible. That is in no way the worst news anyone could ever receive. In fact, it isn’t close to the worse news I ever received. Yet it was enough to set me back, if only temporarily. That was yesterday. Today I talked with my doctor. I feel 100 percent better. Life is good. We really are fickle creatures, aren’t we? If you’ve slipped today or […]

My knee surgery took longer than expected and the doc found more than he expected but God and my Wife and Pastors are more than I should be able to expect. More when some of my good sense returns. I hear some of you saying “what good sense?”. I am sure you will repent later. Be blessed, Nick (formerly the guy with the cane. For now the guy with walker)

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. —Ecclesiastes 3:4 It’s almost fall. I hope it comes soon. I look forward to changing leaves, not just football but football weather, gumbo, and starting to think about Christmas. Our God is so great. He knows that change blesses us. When it’s cold we look forward to heat. When warm, we crave cool breezes. Each season is necessary. In our lives, we have seasons, as Our Daily Bread, called it today, “ups and downs.” He allows the hills and valleys for our good. The Father really knows best. I’m praying and believing that my season as “the man with the cane” is waning and a new and “better” season is in the wind. No matter. He is still God and the best is always ahead. I appreciate your prayers and I pray for smooth season changes in your life. Be blessed, Nick

Although 83 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christians, only about 20 percent attend church on any given Sunday. Only 2 percent of church members invite others on a regular basis. Yet, a study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board of more than 15,000 Americans found 67 percent say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Sixty-three percent say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely move them to respond.  Someone you know needs to be back in church. Pick up the phone now and invite them. Don’t make it a once a year thing. You can invite someone back to church anytime. Ask your waitress and check out person where they attend church. You are likely to hear that they used to go to church but something happened that gave them the excuse not to return. Ask them to come back. you will bless them and you. Nick