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Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are those who are merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” And, Matthew 5:9, ” Blessed are those who are peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” We’ve just completed Father’s Day, a wonderful day for most, but a tough day for many. All father/child relationships aren’t great. Maybe it’s time to do something about that and any other relationships that are painfully broken. We can only do our part, but we can at least do that. REPAIRING RELATIONSHIPS BY FORGIVING THOSE WHO’VE HURT YOU There are at least three reasons, and they all benefit YOU! Because God Has Forgiven You. People that feel forgiven have an easier time forgiving. Because Resentment Doesn’t Work! Holding on to resentment is unreasonable, unhelpful and unhealthy. You are hurting yourself with your anger. You are drinking the poison and expecting someone else to die. It is unhealthy to have a bitter heart. It takes the joy out of life, adds stress and lets you sit in misery. It’s an emotional poison with physical consequences. Bitterness and Resentment drains you physically and emotionally leading to depression, stress and fatigue. Because You’ll Need Forgiveness In The Future! Resentment blocks you from God’s Forgiveness. When we say the […]

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’1” Matt 5:6. Breaking Bad was one of the most popular television series of recent years. It’s the story of a mild mannered high school chemistry teacher whose decision to start cooking meth was the first of many bad decisions that lead him down a very very bad road. We all have things about us, character defects, that we need to change. Isn’t it time to start Breaking Good by changing our decisions and by making better choices?   WHERE DO OUR CHARACTER DEFECTS COME FROM? Our Chromosomes: From your mother and father you received about 2,000 chromosomes from each. Positive and negative traits or characteristics. However, this doesn’t excuse you from acting act in self-defeating conduct. You are ultimately responsible for YOUR CONDUCT! Our genetics can contribute to our character defects, but they do not give us excuses. They do provide us with some understanding. If you are born with a defect in your brain that allows you to become an alcoholic, you can understand the physiology of the disease; however, you can no longer drink alcoholic beverages. Our Circumstances: Much of our childhood history and life’s circumstances have contributed to our […]

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God Matt. 5:4 Confession is go for the soul. I remember as a good Catholic kid getting ready to go to confession and polishing up my “sins.” Sometimes I really had to stretch to come up with some. I wouldn’t have to do that today. I have plenty to confess. There is much I feel guilty about. Getting rid of guilt isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. Guilt Destroys Our Confidence!   The two cannot exists in the same person. Guilt is a dark cloud hanging over our head wherein we are worried that someone will find the skeleton in our closet that deep, dark secret that only we know about. It literally robs us of our confidence. Guilt Damages Our Relationships!   It sabotages them by causing us to respond in harmful ways. Overreaction because of anger or impatience, or rage out of some buried guilt.   It causes us to indulge people unwisely. Parents that feel guilty over poor choices over indulge their children. It causes us to avoid commitments. Guilt Keeps Us Stuck in The Past!   It’s like driving a car, and we are always looking in the rear view mirror. We never see the present or look forward to […]

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5. Remember the “God is my Co-Pilot” bumper stickers?   After we realize that we are not God and that there is a good God who loves us and has our best interest at hearts, we can tend to treat Him like our co-pilot. We call on Him when we get lost or crash our plane. Like a loving parents, He will often bail us out. Sometimes, like a good parent, He will let us suffer the consequences of our mistakes. Eventually, He hopes we will choose to make Him pilot, not just co-pilot. This is the COMMITMENT CHOICE. We must  consciously choose to commit all of our life and will to Jesus Christ’s care and control, or in some cases, we make a renewed commitment to let go of our lives and give them over to Christ’s care and control. If we don’t, we will catch ourselves in a Cycle of Despair where we start feeling GUILTY about our behavior and the mess we have created; then we get ANGRY at ourselves for not being able to change; then the anger turns to the FEAR that things are never going to change; […]

“Blessed are those that morn, for they shall be comforted.” Matt 5:4.  Once we realize that we are not God, we mourn that loss of control.We need to learn about the one who is God, that He is in control, loves us, cares for us, and has the power to change us. God is so much better at being God than we ever were. It’s a process, a journey from mourning to joy.  Isaiah 61:3 “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.” It’s a painful process. Pain lets us know something is seriously wrong and needs our attention. Pain is literally God’s Fire Alarm. However, when our internal fire alarm goes off, we tend to cover up the sound. We try to mute it with people, work, food, alcohol, sex and many things. If you ignore your home’s fire alarm, your house may burn down. It’s the same with your Spiritual, Mental, Emotional and Physical needs. At this point, remember that just because God allows pain into your life, doesn’t mean God causes it. Pain is often the consequence […]

Next Saturday I will be participating at a one-day retreat at Angola. It will consist of eight talks on the Beatitudes. Perhaps you need a retreat to start your summer. Join me for the next eight days as I summarize the talks and take the retreat journey with me. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs of the kingdom of heaven.” Matt.5:3.  You are not God. It’s a hard truth that some never grasp. We act out our God complex by trying to control. Trying to be God is humankind’s oldest problem. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve tried to be in control. They only had to stay away from the forbidden fruit, one tree! There were in Paradise! Satan said to them “…If you eat this fruit, you will be like God.” And, they wanted to be God! Today, we still want to be God We attempt to play God by denying our humanity, and trying to control everything for our own selfish reasons! a.       We Try To Control Our Image. We care so much about what other people think of us. We wear masks and play games. No worry, no fear. We don’t want others to see the real us. “If I tell you who I really am […]

Statistics, thanks to my wife who shared this article. America has the highest percentage of single-parent families in the industrialized world and The highest abortion rate. The highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases. The highest rate of teenage birth by far. The highest rate of teenage drug use. The largest prison population per capita than any country in the world.In the last 50 to 60 years: The divorce rate has doubled. Teen suicide has tripled. Reported violent crime has quadrupled. The prison population has quintupled. The percentage of babies born to unmarried mothers has risen sixfold. Couples living together unmarried have increased sevenfold. In spite of this moral decline: Eighty-four percent of the inhabitants of this nation say they believe Jesus Christ is God. 45 percent claim to be born-again Christians.Seventy-seven percent believe their chances of going to heaven are excellent. Thirty-three percent believe one day everyone will go to heaven.  I can’t help but believe that many are deceived about who they are in Christ and where they will spend eternity.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook are probably aware that I attended my great granddaughter’s dance recital last night. These things are long and since I only knew one of the seemingly hundreds of kids that paraded across the stage, I was not always completely focused and entertained. It is amazing what kind of following a cute kid can garner. There were over a dozen tickets sold based solely on my offspring’s participation. I guess I’m a little jealous. I have never, as child or adult, had a dozen folks show up to watch me do anything. Of course, I’ve never dressed in a tutu and danced around a stage. I like to think that if I did I could surpass the audience Kaydence drew, and give at least as entertaining, if not as cute, a performance. The performers get a very enthusiastic reception. I’ve heard quieter crowds at a football game. There is much clapping, and whooping and shouting throughout. When it’s all over the performers are showered with flowers, balloons and gifts. Like I said, I guess I am just jealous. The young dancers are cute and most of the older ones are pretty good. Some […]