Nick’s Walk

James 5:12 New King James Version (NKJV) 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. My brother Gary’s sermon continues to bear fruit. This morning I was thinking about his story about his Father’s promise to give him something, a promise that was never fulfilled. Many of us harbor bitterness and resentment. And much of that resentment is directed toward our fathers over a serious matter of broken promises. If we have been the victim of broken promises we need to recognize how that has affected us, forgive the promise breaker and move on. I can assure you the breaker of the promise has most likely long ago forgotten the incident. In fact, that’s probably why the promise was never kept. It usually isn’t intentional, we just forget. As parents a promise made in an off hand way which means little to us can be of tremendous importance to our child. We need to consider the problem from the other side. Do we have unfulfilled promises laying out there. The victim of our promise breaking may […]

For those of you who live under a rock somewhere, let me advise you that the LSU Tigers won the “Game of the Century” on Saturday night defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide. I couldn’t help notice all the folks in Tiger Gear as I  moved around on Sunday. I have to think these guys are not wearing the same clothes they wore to the game Saturday night. Much of the gear had the look of not having been worn in a while. I suspect the sale of Tiger Gear which has been rising steadily all season as the Tigers continued undefeated, will shoot up this morning after Saturday’s win.  It’s human nature, I suppose, to jump on bandwagons. I am sure as the years past 200,000 people will claim to have been at the “big game” all pulling for LSU. I overheard many conversations recounting how “we won” the big game.  Have you ever noticed that after a victory, “fans” will proclaim, “We won.” After a loss, the cry is “they lost.” Again, I guess it’s just human nature to want to claim credit when things are going well and to distance ourselves when things aren’t so good. This […]

Hebrews 10:25 New International Version (NIV) 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Do you ever feel discouraged? Are there times when it all doesn’t seem worth while. Does it seem like you are pushing a bolder uphill and you just hit a slippery spot.  It is interesting to me that when the author of Hebrews encourages Christians not to give up meeting together, the reason he gives is encouragement. It’s not worship or prayer, or listening to sermons. It’s not even sharing communion. It’s encouragement. We can pray on our own. We can worship on our own. We can turn on our television, radio or computer and receive great teaching. The one thing we can’t do on our own is to encourage or be encouraged. I attended two Kairos meetings this weekend: Friday night and Saturday morning. We had great music, some practical information, but, bottom line: we encouraged each other. As we get closer to our time of ministry, Satan gets nervous and becomes more active. Anyone who had ministered in any way for any length of time […]

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10Too many of us daydream about doing something great for God . . . someday. Maybe we will be a missionary or bring thousands to Christ through the power of our preaching. It probably isn’t going to happen. But not to worry. Maybe we worry too much about big things. Isn’t it the little things that add up to our lives. We grow not so much by leaps and bounds but by doing the small things well. We also slip into bad habits not with huge moral mistakes, but by slipping up in the little things. A great parent isn’t cherished for the great gifts they gave at Christmas, but for the little words of encouragement that flowed on a daily basis. A great pastor doesn’t become so with the presentation of one tremendous sermon but by serving his flock, day by day in innumerable small ways. The little noticed person who faithful prays and supports ministry is building up a treasure trove in heaven.You probably won’t have the opportunity to do […]

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes people to stop breathing while they sleep. Each time this temporary pause in breathing occurs, the body responds by waking up for a very short period of time. People who suffer from sleep apnea may stop breathing hundreds of times every night. Whether or not the person with sleep apnea realizes how much they are struggling to breath during the night, sleep apnea has very serious effects on the quality and restfulness of sleep on the person’s health. 1 in 5 adults suffer from some form of sleep apnea. More than 1 in 2 people with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea. 8 out of every 10 people who have sleep apnea have not been diagnosed for it. If you have sleep apnea, your health may be in danger. Sleep apnea is a known cause of high blood pressure and may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. People with sleep apnea also have higher chances of traffic accidents and workplace injuries. Helpful solutions and treatments are available. I had a fantastic day yesterday. It didn’t look like it would be a fantastic day just from looking at […]

       I’ve been alone for the last couple of days in Baton Rouge. Oh there have been lots of folks around, but they weren’t my wife or daughter or grand kids. They were not my family. I had a great dinner last night with Tyler, Jesssie’s boyfriend.  He’s almost family and that was great, but then I moved on to the Sleep Center where I spent the night. Alone again. I didn’t like it. I have to spend the rest of today in a seminar in Baton Rouge, alone. It’s not good but it’s not the kind of loneliness I have felt. I guess the most alone I’ve ever been was in Vietnam. I wasn’t  in country or anything that heroic but I was far from Rose and the kids. It was bad. All the worse because I was also far from God. Now since I walk so much closer to Him I am never really alone. I would rather have family around, but I always have Him. He’s all I really need. During the upcoming Kairos weekend I have been assigned a talk called “You are not alone.” Its purpose is to convey the idea that […]

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 New King James Version (NKJV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, We’ve been discussing spiritual warfare for several days. Perhaps a bit of review is in order. It seems that everything is involved in this warfare. We have an Enemy who opposes us in every way. He seeks to disrupt our relationship with God and with each other.  He frustrates our plans, confuses our minds, and promotes anxiety and despair. The battle is real It’s easy to forget what we can’t see. That’s why the natural world so easily overwhelms us. We need time with God to keep us focused on the reality of the spiritual. Our companionship with Him will sharpen our spiritual senses and strengthen our discernment.  The battle is spiritual. Our friends, our family, our pastor our brothers and sisters in Christ are not the enemy; but neither are the worldly, the politicians, the apparent bad […]

Ephesians 4:30-32 New King James Version (NKJV) 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. There are some folks whom I would like to grab by the shoulder, shake, look deep into their eyes and ask, “What are you so angry about?” You know the kind of people I mean. They are never happy, always grumpy. They move through life with a chip permanently glued to their shoulders. Their anger erupts in unexpected and often unexplainable. Afterwards, they can ask, “Where did that come from?” Sadly, if confronted,  they would likely simply look back at me and say “I’m not angry.” I agree with Joyce Meyer, “Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.” This is the condition of racists, homophobes, and anti-whatevers. The mere appearance of some people or even their mention in conversation brings out bitterness and anger. It seems useless to point out that these feelings are […]