Early last week, I was thinking about the college football national championship game, which was quickly approaching. I couldn’t wait to see Alabama and Texas go head to head. I like both teams, but my gut was telling me Texas was going to win. Fast forward a few days later, it’s Thursday. The game is tonight and I forgot! I know, I totally forgot about the game. Mindy and I rented the movie “my sister’s keeper”, which every parent should see. So instead of watching a bunch of guys crying over their big win or their terrible loss, I was watching a chick flick, again a good movie, trying to hold back my own tears.
I realized my grave error when I was watching the news and it was time for the sports segment. The sports anchor began to speak of the game and my heart fell to my feet. How could I forget about this big game. Suddenly, a shocking news came from the TV. Colt McCoy had been hit in the very first series and had not played since the first quarter. Alabama on top in the 4th.
I was stunned. Couldn’t believe my ears. This great quarterback and stand up Christian was now standing on the sidelines, watching everything unfold. I thought how unfair. This guy has worked hard all of his life to play at this level and to reach this moment and now all he can do is watch. Why do bad things happen to good people? What a shame.
Have you ever felt that way. Like you have worked hard for something, only to see it slip away from you. As if God was watching and He said psych, and pulled back what was dangling in front of you. Sort of like Lucy and Charlie Brown. Charlie worked hard to kick the ball. He knew he could do it. He only needed the chance. Finally the chance comes and as he is just about to kick the ball, Lucy pulls it away. I can only imagine how upset and mad McCoy must have been.
After the game a sideline reporter talked to McCoy about having to sit from the sideline in his final game and after a few seconds of silence and a few seconds of choking back the tears, out came these words.
"I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life and I know if nothing else I am standing on the rock"
All I could do was sit in amazement over the spiritual maturity of this young man. Was he upset or mad or even jealous that a freshman quarterback was where he should have been? Maybe, I am sure he felt many emotions in those few hours. However, when it came time to speak to the world about what he was feeling, he put it all in perspective. What is more important to him to hold up a trophy today or wear a crown tomorrow? He gave us the answer.
How often have we had the chance to give God the glory when times were good, when everything seemed right with the world and we had no complaints. How many times have we given God the glory for those things? I would say it is probably very rare. But what is even more rare, is for someone to give God the glory when times are tough, when we feel like everything is falling apart and nothing is going our way.
Look what James says in chapter 1, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I challenge you to give God the praise not just for the good things in your life, but also the bad. When those moments come that make your world seem so bleak and dark or seem so unfair, praise God and give Him all the glory.
Have fun, Live Free, Hope Strong.
Pastor G
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Near year and a new you?
Growing up I remember hearing lots of different phrases or sayings. Some made sense and some, well, not so much. Like, “if you keep doing that, your face is going to freeze that way”. Really? Because I have never seen a horribly disfigured child whose face froze after several hours of making fun of their little brother. And if it had happened, surely there would have been a book by now. (I can even see the title, “Frozen for Life: A child prank gone bad”.)
How about one of my favorites, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. I have been on this earth for close to 40 years. I know others who have been around even longer. They have never encountered a horse that bares gifts. Maybe in some Scandinavian country that no one has ever heard of, but here in the good ole U.S. of A., to my knowledge, not one “gift horse” has ever been spotted. So if you never see one, just how are you going to have the opportunity to look one in the mouth.
Now there are those phrases that you have heard, that you may not believe as a child, but you come to understand that they are absolutely true. For a greater part of my life I have heard the phrase, “the older I get the quicker time flies”. This is, perhaps, one of the biggest understatements ever penned. The older I get, the quicker life passes me by.
We have become a nation of busy bodies. We fill our time up with whatever we can fill it up with to keep us busy. Why? What happened to a time of rest? God created the heaven and the earth in 6 days. Not 7, but 6. What happened on the seventh day? God rested. Even during the making of His creation, He took time to step back and admire what He had just created.
Let me put it in terms that you may better understand. More than likely you have a cell phone. I would say, unless you have some new technology that no one knows about, you have to recharge that cell phone battery at least a few times a week. Why? Because the battery runs out. It loses its energy. Just like the cell phone, we lose energy too. Unlike the cell phone however, we need to recharge ourselves daily.
As Christians, we need to recharge our spiritual batteries. The only way to do that is to dive into God’s word on that daily basis. Read it, study it and meditate on it. It seems so simple, but yet is the hardest thing to do.
Ephesians 5:10 says “and find out what pleases God.” How do we find that out? By reading, studying and meditating on His word. It’s how we get to know who He is and what He wants of us.
Verse 15 and 16 of the same chapter says this, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
I challenge you in this New Year, to reflect back on 2008 and decide what things you need to change in order to have more time for and with God. We have one life to live. How are you living it?
May you and your family have a happy and prosperous 2009.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
How about one of my favorites, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. I have been on this earth for close to 40 years. I know others who have been around even longer. They have never encountered a horse that bares gifts. Maybe in some Scandinavian country that no one has ever heard of, but here in the good ole U.S. of A., to my knowledge, not one “gift horse” has ever been spotted. So if you never see one, just how are you going to have the opportunity to look one in the mouth.
Now there are those phrases that you have heard, that you may not believe as a child, but you come to understand that they are absolutely true. For a greater part of my life I have heard the phrase, “the older I get the quicker time flies”. This is, perhaps, one of the biggest understatements ever penned. The older I get, the quicker life passes me by.
We have become a nation of busy bodies. We fill our time up with whatever we can fill it up with to keep us busy. Why? What happened to a time of rest? God created the heaven and the earth in 6 days. Not 7, but 6. What happened on the seventh day? God rested. Even during the making of His creation, He took time to step back and admire what He had just created.
Let me put it in terms that you may better understand. More than likely you have a cell phone. I would say, unless you have some new technology that no one knows about, you have to recharge that cell phone battery at least a few times a week. Why? Because the battery runs out. It loses its energy. Just like the cell phone, we lose energy too. Unlike the cell phone however, we need to recharge ourselves daily.
As Christians, we need to recharge our spiritual batteries. The only way to do that is to dive into God’s word on that daily basis. Read it, study it and meditate on it. It seems so simple, but yet is the hardest thing to do.
Ephesians 5:10 says “and find out what pleases God.” How do we find that out? By reading, studying and meditating on His word. It’s how we get to know who He is and what He wants of us.
Verse 15 and 16 of the same chapter says this, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
I challenge you in this New Year, to reflect back on 2008 and decide what things you need to change in order to have more time for and with God. We have one life to live. How are you living it?
May you and your family have a happy and prosperous 2009.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
Snuggling with the Father
Growing up, my parents had a fondness for flea markets and antique stores, so much so that we would take drives every weekend to find the next treasure for the Cantrell household. Now of course, this meant I had to listen to their music on the way (This was before I got my first walkman cassette player!). Now at that time there was this young man from Texas named Randy Travis and he had this song that my parents just loved! It was the title track to his 1986 album, “The Storms of Life”. When that song came across the radio, I knew I was in for some serenading from my parents, who loved this tall skinny kid with the Superman curl hair cut. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.
I thought of that song recently as we were being bombarded by all of the rain last week. One morning in particular, not only brought that song, but God into the forefront of my mind. It was about 5 o’clock in the morning, when a severe storm rolled through Sikeston. It was so strong it woke me up, which as Mindy would tell is a miracle in itself. Not only did it wake me up, it also woke the kids. Mindy went to be with Grayson, while Riley came to lay down with me. As the thunder echoed through the house and flashes of lighting lit up the bedroom, Riley continued to get closer and closer. He was seeking comfort in the storm, by getting close to his father. This made me think about the relationship we have with our heavenly Father, God.
In our lives we are met with these storms of life. Not thunderstorms, but those tough situations where even at times, there seems to be no hope. Typically, that is when we seek to become close with God. As the thunder storm of life rolls through, we try so desperately to cling and snuggle up to God, looking for that peace and comfort that we desire.
In Matthew chapter 8:23-27, there is a storm that is recorded. The high winds shook the boat and waves came crashing in all around them. The apostles woke Jesus out of his sleep, looking for peace and comfort. Jesus would calm the storm at the amazement of his disciples.
God can and does provide comfort as we seek Him in those terrifying moments of a personal storm. But did you know you don’t have to wait for a storm to get close to the Father? You can do it even when life seems perfect.
Going through a storm helps build our character, but it’s what happens when there are no storms in sight that really defines who we are as Christians. It’s during these times of good weather, that we get wrapped up in other things, rather than staying wrapped up in God. Sure, anyone can get on their knees and pray in times of a storm, because that’s when we need the most help. However, a true believer is always on their knees praying or meditating. A true believer is always searching God’s word for every answer and is always seeking His direction, not just when it seems to be most relevant.
The Psalmist wrote in chapter 59, verse 17, O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
God loves you. Before, during and after any storm. He has and always will love you. Even when life seems perfect, it’s still a good time to seek out the peace and comfort of our Father.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
I thought of that song recently as we were being bombarded by all of the rain last week. One morning in particular, not only brought that song, but God into the forefront of my mind. It was about 5 o’clock in the morning, when a severe storm rolled through Sikeston. It was so strong it woke me up, which as Mindy would tell is a miracle in itself. Not only did it wake me up, it also woke the kids. Mindy went to be with Grayson, while Riley came to lay down with me. As the thunder echoed through the house and flashes of lighting lit up the bedroom, Riley continued to get closer and closer. He was seeking comfort in the storm, by getting close to his father. This made me think about the relationship we have with our heavenly Father, God.
In our lives we are met with these storms of life. Not thunderstorms, but those tough situations where even at times, there seems to be no hope. Typically, that is when we seek to become close with God. As the thunder storm of life rolls through, we try so desperately to cling and snuggle up to God, looking for that peace and comfort that we desire.
In Matthew chapter 8:23-27, there is a storm that is recorded. The high winds shook the boat and waves came crashing in all around them. The apostles woke Jesus out of his sleep, looking for peace and comfort. Jesus would calm the storm at the amazement of his disciples.
God can and does provide comfort as we seek Him in those terrifying moments of a personal storm. But did you know you don’t have to wait for a storm to get close to the Father? You can do it even when life seems perfect.
Going through a storm helps build our character, but it’s what happens when there are no storms in sight that really defines who we are as Christians. It’s during these times of good weather, that we get wrapped up in other things, rather than staying wrapped up in God. Sure, anyone can get on their knees and pray in times of a storm, because that’s when we need the most help. However, a true believer is always on their knees praying or meditating. A true believer is always searching God’s word for every answer and is always seeking His direction, not just when it seems to be most relevant.
The Psalmist wrote in chapter 59, verse 17, O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
God loves you. Before, during and after any storm. He has and always will love you. Even when life seems perfect, it’s still a good time to seek out the peace and comfort of our Father.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
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