Why did I do that?

“The LORD’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.”

Proverbs 20:27 NLT. (http://bible.com/116/pro.20.27.nlt)

Why did I do that? This has been an all too familiar question throughout my life. I'm sure that's true for most of us with a conscience. Unfortunately when we get to that key question, the damage is done. Usually the damage is done through words. Once the words escape your mouth, it's too late. You can never recapture them. The consequences are set in motion. I have been on both ends of poorly chosen words. I've spoken them, with regret and I have had them spoken about me. 

Words are so powerfully destructive or so powerfully uplifting.

When I've been hurt, it takes some time to heal. I do heal, but the process is slow. When I've offended someone, I want them to heal quickly. I want the scars to go away. The best way I've seen to combat my loose tongue is to multiply my efforts to love the person I've offended. It can be tough and most people avoid that awkward situation. I recommend confronting that situation head on. Love conquers all. 

Even better than the healing power of love is the power of the Holy Spirit at eliminating the hurt before it occurs. If we let the light of the spirit chase away our hurt, our vengeance, and our hate, words of destruction will not be apart of our vocabulary. We will only build up. We will only speak of love and kindness. I need the Holy Spirit to keep my tongue in check. We need the power of Jesus to work in the hearts of people to eliminate the pain of poorly spoken words.

Forgive me Lord for hurting others and help me forgive others that hurt me. We can only do that with your love. Help us to mimic you and the way you handle those that hurt you and speak bad about you. Your mercy and grace should be our own goal. We love you Lord. We praise you and thank you for the joy in our lives.

Guilty

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. (Psalms 19:12-13 NLT)

I'm guilty. Two days ago at school I had a confrontation with a student that I did not handle well. I apologized afterward, but I still feel guilty for not handling this better. I just can't get over it. I've prayed about it and will continue to communicate with my Heavenly Father. I did not sleep well last night because when I woke up, I couldn't get it off my mind.

Sin is always lurking in my heart. I have faults, many faults and it's not easy keeping them in check. 

Lord, Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins. Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. Amen!

Second chance

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there. (Acts of the Apostles 15:36-41 NLT)

Have you ever gotten into such an argument that it drove a permanent wedge between you and the person on the other side? Such is the argument between Paul and Barnabus. After this argument, we believe they never saw each other again. It's sad. I've seen families, friendships, businesses, and marriages split forever due to "sharp" arguments. In these situations, there is little you can do to restore a relationship split by arguments.

I think it curious that Paul would not give John Mark a second chance. It's even more curious when you remember the major second chance given to Paul after he so cruelly persecuted Christians. God has set the standard. He has and does give each of us second chances. He usually gives even more than that. I am thankful he does. 

Dear Lord, I am so grateful you are a God of second chances. You love us so much that you will never give up on us. Help me take that principle and apply it to my relationship with others. We all deserve a second chance. Remove our hardened hearts and give us soul filled with compassion. Praise God we can count on you for the wisdom and strengthen to make it happen! You are an amazing and loving God and I worship you with all my heart! Amen!

Water under the bridge!

Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins— even those you do in secret. Then you won't be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry. (Job 11:13-18 CEV)

I have heard this saying hundreds of times, "That's water under the Bridge!" I hear it often when some one is trying to tell me to forget something. I never knew it was biblical. It's hard for me to forget about my faults and failures. Sometimes I have a dificult time forgiving and forgetting. I struggle forgiving myself and others. Being a Christian puts you under a microscope with others but also yourself. Because I know the power of God, I also know he knows everything about me. He knows my deepest and darkest sins. There is shame for that weakness. But this is verse states it all. I need to surrender it ALL to God. 

When I surrender to my Heavenly Father, I slept easier at night. I walk through my day with confidence and more importantly it allows me time to focus on the job at hand. If My mind is occupied with my failures and shortcomings, I can not focus on the things that really matter. Surrender!

Lord I know my sins. I praise you for removing them and giving me confidence in my weakness. You have granted this amazing gift through your son, Jesus. Thank you Lord for washing my sins away in that water that flows under the bridge. I praise you for the peace, joy, and hope you provide in the midst of the pain! Amen!

Jet Lag proves God is amazing!

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12 NIV)

I am finally getting over my jet lag from my trip to California last week. It is amazing how far it is from the Midwest to the West coast. My aging body was thrown into a frenzy with just the simple three hour difference. It seems like it takes longer to recover now that I'm over half a century old. While I was out there I would wake up at 3am, 4am, 5am, and so on. I couldn't stay up past 7 at night. Now that I'm home, I can't get to sleep. But traveling by jet is fun and I love the beauty of traveling 30,000 feet above our amazing planet. 

So after that exhausting week of travel, I am reintroduced to this wonderful verse. God really loves me and jet lag helps me realize just how much.  I traveled a relatively small distance that had a major impact on my body. God goes to infinitely greater distances to forgive us of our sins. He removes them and forgets them at the same time. He loves me so much and I am humbled by that love. It endures even when I am far from God and his wonderful plan. Praise God!

Vic is dirty again!

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2 NIV)

My bike needs washed again. It's never ending. We had some rain today, not a lot, and it doesn't take anytime at all to get a bike dirty. They are testing a car that is selfcleaning. Could a self cleaning bike be on the horizon? I hate to admit it, I would miss washing and waxing my bike. Give me a warm 75 degrees, a hose, and VIC and I could waste an afternoon. I would much rather ride, but sometimes you just need to lose yourself in some physical labor. It's also a great way to perform a close inspection to see how the bike is holding up. 

I think God feels the same about me. He would much rather prefer not to have to wash away my sins. He would love to just love on me and watch me live in his will. Realistically, he knows that's not going to happen, I'm a sinner. So, he enjoys the opportunity to wash my sins away. It's a time he gets to be intimate with me. He gets in touch with me on a very deep level. When I ask him to forgive me, it is a time of great closeness. It's a time where I open up and let him "inspect" my life. He washes away all the dirt!

Praise God he is patient enough to cleanse me when I get dirty. He knows it's going to happen again and again. He still enjoys the time with me, even if it is to straighten out my life. Thank you Lord. Your love is amazing!

Blameless!

I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. (Psalm 101:2 NIV)

Wow! What a bold statement. I have a wonderful family and 53+ years of family experiences. I wish I could say I have led a blameless life. I wish I could say I conducted all the affairs of our home with a blameless heart. I can not. I can look back fondly on my life and the love of my family. I can say that all of my family love The Lord and while we are all sinners, we treasure our faith. Now the next generation of our family is also exploring faith in Christ. I am excited to see their faith grow and how that will be a part of their lives.

I am so glad I have a Lord that forgives me when I don't lead a blameless life. I can come to him with my failures and my sins. I can come to him and his grace is amazing. His love is complete. He knows everything about me and still loves me completely. That's not unique for God. He loves all of us the same way. He longs to be a part of our imperfect lives. He is greatly saddened when he is excluded because of our shame. He has seen it all and has forgiven sins we can only imagine. He is greater than all of them. Go to him! Ask forgiveness! Express your faith and belief in him. Turn your life over to the creator of the universe. You can live a complete and blameless life through Christ!

The power of forgiveness

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NIV)

God can do what man can not and will not. We always talk about the power of God in creating natural wonders or the miracles he performs. Yet, there is no greater miracle or wonder than when God forgives our sin. If you think it's so easy, try to forgive someone who has killed one of your family members. Try to forgive a spouse who cheated on you. Try to forgive someone that publicly ridicules you and verbally abuses you. For some of us we have a difficult time even forgiving a driver who cuts us off or pulls out in front of us. God does it for all. If there were ever anyone with the right to withhold forgiveness, God has the right. Look at how he is treated in this country alone. He has been mocked, and ridiculed in ruthless ways. It's only getting worse. Yet, he still openly forgives and forgets our transgressions, even if they are directed at him.

God puts no qualification on which sin he forgives and which he doesn't. If we confess it to him, he forgives it. Not only does he forgive, he purifies. If we could just learn a little of that forgiveness, that grace, our own lives would be much richer. The power of forgiveness is found for both the forgiver and the forgiven. I praise God he no longer remembers my sins. I praise God he loves me so much that he sacrificed his own son for the forgiveness of my sins. Lord help me to be as forgiving to others as you are to me. Fill me with your spirit, your grace, and your love.

Speeding!

So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24 NIV)

I am a law abiding citizen, except when it comes to speeding. I am definitely a fast driver. I am always amazed at how fast people drive. Very few people obey the speed limit. I usually like pushing 7-10mph above the posted speed limit. Most people are at least going 5above. It said that most officers won't pull you over for that speed. So why don't they post it for 75mph instead of 70? The answer is obvious. We wont obey any posted limit. We will always go beyond it. So post it at 70 and you keep them from going 80. 

God made "the law" knowing we could not keep it. So what did he do? He sent his son to die for us so we could be saved from the breaking of the law. The laws are right. They are there to keep us safe and to enjoy the greatest blessings of life. Yet, we always break them. We are all sinners. He knew we couldn't keep them and the only way we could live the greatest life was to come to his son, Jesus. Praise God he has given us a way to handle our sins and to be forgiven for break his law. Thank you Jesus for coming to my rescue on the cross.

Gods grading system!

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

 I know people who would love to see me fail! Whenever we start something new in education, there are many people who would love to see it fail. In all fairness, we have had a bunch of a FADS over the years. It's hard to shift. One of our newest program is using a standards based grading philosophy. Students keep working at understanding a standard until they master it. They get to "Fail" until they complete the standard successfully. The detractors say this is not helpful and students will not try and not learn if they just get to redo things. I see students putting out so much more effort and genuinely caring about their education. 

I am so glad God doesn't grade like we do in most schools. Our lives are filled with failures. Satan loves to see them. Yet, our God is patient enough to let us try over and over until we finally get it. We can and will sin. God forgives us. God give us 70 times 7 times to forgive. He gives us instruction along the way and re teaches us daily. God would make a great educator. He's not looking to see us fail. He takes no joy in our failures and wants to see us succeed. So much is his desire that he gave his son so we might overcome our sinful failures and spend eternity with him. I love his grading scale!

People never forget and rarely forgive.

Acts 25

 ⁶ After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. ⁷ When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.

 ⁸ Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”

Paul was ruthlessly attacked by the Jewish leaders. It sure sounds alot like politics in America. When someone in America decides to run for major political office, they better be ready for the storm. Several great candidates including our own Governor Mitch Daniels have decided to forgo the strain because of their families.  I can understand that. No one is perfect, we all have "skeletons in our closet." It would be great if we could honestly air those and move forward. But, that just can't happen, especially in politics. It should but it can't. You can't explain your life of sin before Christ. It takes too much time and our society is too interested in 10 second sound bites. 

Even if you're not guilty, no one wants to know about it. In our country we take pride in innocent until proven guilty. That certainly holds true in criminal trials. But, in every day life, it's far from true. In politics, it's guilty until proven innocent. You are guilty on the front page and you're cleared on the back page.

It's time our country has compassion for people who genuinely make mistakes and are sorry for those errors in judgment. We need to be able to forgive and move on. Even more so are those who are ASSUMED to be guilty and are not. Those who accuse are not held to the same scrutiny as those accused. We need to leave room for the sinner in all of us. I am not like Paul, I have made mistakes in my life. Mistakes I'm not proud of. Yet, they are buried in my past. I don't want or need to bring them up. God has forgiven me and he has forgotten. People never forget and rarely forgive. Paul didn't even need to hide his sin, but it didn't free him from the attacks. 

This world is ruthless. We can only survive with the power of a Savior who is full of grace and love. God forgives and forgets. He is there for us, through guilt and innocence.

Organization Freak!

Psalm 130

 ³ If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
   Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
   so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I'm an organization freak. My job is completely about organization and schedules. My garage is organized and clean. I can't say I always have a clean desk. But, I can say my desk is always organized. I'm not a neat freak, but an organization freak! I keep records of everything. At school I have check lists for every season. I   love 3 ring binders and files and file folders, paper clips and storage cabinets. Everything needs to be in place or I am quickly stressed.

I do not apologize for being an organization freak. But, it does cause some problems in my life. When it comes to my faults and my sins or the faults and sins of others, I have a tendency to keep score. I do not find it easy to forgive people and an even harder time forgetting. Am I the only one who has this problem? 

I am so happy the Lord does not keep a record of my sin. He has a short memory and doesn't spend time dwelling on my mistake of the day, or hour, or minute. Praise God he loves me so much that he forgets my faults. Praise God he loves me and just wants me to be with him. His Grace is truly amazing. Thank You Lord!

Poor Memory!

Psalm 103

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
   slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
   nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
   or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
   so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west,
   so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
   so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
   he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
   they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
   and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
   the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
   and his righteousness with their children’s children— 

I love my girls. McKenzie, Lindsae, and Kelley are wonderful daughters. I can't remember a time when I wasn't proud of them. I am sure there were times, but I can't remember them. As I watch them build there own families or make their own way in this world, I have nothing but pride.

I never really thought of this verse in the way I think about my daughters. But, I can get some sense of how God feels about us when I think about my daughters. I am sure when they were growing up, I was mad at them from time to time. I had to punish them for not following the rules. They aren't angels and never have been. But, just like God, I have completely forgotten about those times.  Oh I can vaguely remember driving down the Sawmill Parkway in New York and threatening to pull over if they didn't stop fighting in the back seat of the car. It was on this occasion, I actually followed through with the threat. I don't even remember what they were doing so bad. Now, I only remember the comical side of this event.  I truly don't remember our arguments, I don't remember my anger with them. 

God has promised to do the same thing with us. He really doesn't remember our confessed sin. He has only pride for us and his Love is the only thing he remembers. The same love and admiration I have for my kids can be magnified 100 fold in terms of God's Love for us. Being a Dad I can relate to that special love he has for his children. Praise God!

Air Conditioning? In February?

Psalm 32 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ³ When I kept silent,
   my bones wasted away
   through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
   your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
   as in the heat of summer.^[b]
 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
   and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
   my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
   the guilt of my sin.

It finally warmed up here in Indiana. We got to a whopping 55 degrees today. Compared to -7 degrees, that is balmy. I long for the heat of summer. I long for 90+ temps and Motorcycle Trips! I don't think the severe cold has the same effect of draining you like heat does. For one thing, we don't really spend a lot of time in the severe cold, but we do the heat. Summer heat can really drain you and working out in it can take everything out of you. It's like you have a two ton Elephant on your back. Our sin is the same way!

The sin in our lives is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. We make it worse by holding it within us. When we do that, it feels just like working outside on a 95 degree day with 100% humidity. The only way to get relief is to acknowledge your sin, stop trying to cover it up, and Confess to the Lord. When we do those things, it is just like sitting in an air conditioned room, sipping on a cold Iced Tea. God want us to open up to him. He is waiting to provide the relief. He is waiting to free us from the chains and the guilt. Go to him now!

Dear Lord, Forgive me for my sins. I know they are many. Please take the guilt, take the pain, and heal my heart, soul, and mind. Thank You Lord for your grace. Thank you for providing the perfect relief. Amen! 

Stop It!

1 John 4 (The Message)

 ^4-6My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.

I have watched a lot of sporting events in my time. I have seen high school, college, and Professional teams in many different sports. I have a question? Is trash talking all that necessary? As a matter of fact "Trash Talking" doesn't just take place in sports, it takes place everywhere. Just watch a political ad, or a Sunday News Program, or Listen to Talk Radio. When did it become ok to Publicly Insult someone? The sad thing about trash talking in political ads, it seems to work. We are swayed by these ads. It is difficult to tell the difference between the Spirit of Truth or the Spirit of Deception.

I just spent the last hour going on you tube and watching the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1959. (I can hear you trash talking me right now..........I am not a geek, a nerd, or whatever the popular term is now-a-days)  These debates were great. Both candidates made their points, but they never dipped below the line of being disrespectful. Even "tricky-dicky" (sorry, that was trash-talking wasn't it?) was very respectful and found many points where he and Kennedy agreed. I watched a few of the ads. They were a whole lot more civil than the John McCain ads claiming Obama was Brittney Spears or the Obama ads that responded in the same negative way. I have heard some recent political debates from the upcoming "heated" election. No wonder we can't get anything done in this country, we hate each other! If we don't hate each other, we sure act like we do. What ever happened to "A house divided can not stand!"?  The worlds language is destroying us. Yet, we long to hear it! We love the adversarial / competitive / in your face debate. But what we get at the end of the day is just a bunch of hurt feelings, animosity, and vindictiveness.
I've picked on the politicians enough. What about your own talk? What about mine? Are we any different than the politicians? I'm not sure we are. We over analyze, criticize, and second guess all the decisions of our Coaches, Bosses, husbands, wives, kids, preachers, and just about anyone else we can think of. So, what can we do? STOP IT! End of Story!


Dear Lord, Help us to control our tongue. Help us to think before we speak. Help us to be understanding, loving, forgiving, kind, and respectful of the people in our daily lives. Lord, we pray for our Political Leaders, our Media Leaders, and ourselves. Give us wisdom, guidance, and understanding when it comes to dealing with our adversaries and our enemies. Help us to use Love as our greatest tool for change. In your great name, I pray. Amen!

God 101

Hebrews 8 (The Message)

6-13This new plan I'm making with Israel isn't going to be written on paper, isn't going to be chiseled in stone; This time I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts. I'll be their God, they'll be my people. They won't go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons. They'll all get to know me firsthand, the little and the big, the small and the great. They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.

When I graduated from High School, I attended High Point College in High Point, NC. I had to take a religion class. I hated it. I never knew for sure, but I always thought my Professor was an Atheist.  If he wasn't he sure gave that impression. I didn't learn anything from this guy. All I learned was how narrow minded some people are. I grew up in the church. I learned about God from the first breath of my life. I'm still learning. I have attended Sunday School classes, Church Camp, Youth Groups, Confirmation, Adult Sunday School classes, countless Church services, and  bible studies. I have read many books, seen films, listened to sermons, and lived with a preacher as a Dad and a preacher Grandfather.  All of these were great learning experiences. But, the best learning experience I've ever had is just spending time with God. I'm not saying all of the things I listed weren't important, but getting to know God "firsthand" was truly the best. Think about trying to get to know your spouse by a book or attending a college class. Or what about your best friend? You get to know them best by spending time with them.

That's probably one of the biggest barriers that people face in growing as a Christian. Our relationship with God will take time. In our society, we "don't have enough time". But, you can't short cut the process. One of the greatest lessons you learn when spending time with God is FORGIVENESS. When you realize what you deserve and the amazing forgiveness you receive, you really take a big step in really learning about God! Spend time with God. Get to know him! Don't just rely on books or classes. Don't just listen to what others have to say about the creator of the universe. Get to know him firsthand. You will be amazed at what you learn.

Dear Lord, You are the great teacher. Your knowledge of us is endless. You know us better than we know ourselves. Teach us your ways. Guide us along the path of wisdom. Thank You for giving us access to you. Thank you for being a loving and personal God. I want to know you more. Teach Me! Amen!