My favorite shorts!

He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. (Hebrews 1:10, 11 NIV84)

 I'm sure you can all relate.

My favorite shorts are worn out.

Have you ever had a favorite piece of clothing? I have fond memories of a "Camp Adventure" shirt I got when I was in junior high. I loved that shirt. It's long gone. I have a favorite Yankee sweatshirt. Steph doesn't want me to wear it. It's faded and in threads, but still VERY comfortable. Now, my favorite pair of shorts have holes where you just can't have holes. Now the weather is getting really hot and I have to break in another FAVORITE pair of shorts. ! I have a great wardrobe with numerous pairs of shorts, they just don't feel the same as my favorite shorts. I have to get over it.

My 3 daughters are VERY happy my clothes wear out. They say my wardrobe is from the 70s. I have never caught on to the idea of changing clothing styles. Why do we need to change styles when we get something we like? Give me a pair of dockers and a Golf shirt, I am comfortable and HAPPY!

I hope you don't think I'm not disrespectful when I say God is like my favorite pair of shorts, with ONE exception. God never wears out. The older and older I get, the more comfortable the fit. I am growing more comfortable as I get to know God. I not only get used to him, I long to be with him. He fits.

Thank You Lord for being patient with me. Thank You for not getting tired of me. Thank you for not wearing out from my sin, my selfishness, and how I ignore you. You are awesome and the life you have given me is the true definition of amazing grace.

We don't need teachers?

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in him. (1 John 2:26, 27 NIV84)


I knew the title would get your attention!

Of course we need teachers. We need Preachers. We need people in our lives that help us grow.

We have only 6 more days of school in the 2011-2012 school year. This year our school went to 1-1 technology. For those of you who don't know what that means, 1-1 is a new push in education where ALL students are given technology for their education. As a TECH guy, I love it. Some are not as excited as I am. Technology will NEVER replace teachers. Although their are some things technology can do better, computers can't build personal relationships with students. Computers can never encourage, push, and stretch students like a REAL teacher can. I have never heard anyone advocating to get rid of teachers. Technology can be a tool to motivate students to WANT to learn. It can be a tool to engage learners. If a student doesn't want to learn, he won't.

This verse isn't saying we don't need someone to teach us about Christ. But, we do need motivation. When we first accept Christ people are usually ON FIRE for him. They can't get enough learning about Christ and the message from God. But, as we  mature, we lose some of that fire to learn. (Just like High School kids). We can easily be distracted by LIFE. We can forget about God. Before you know it, you are drifting from your faith and falling for the WORLDS teaching. Counterfeit teaching is everywhere.

We need a change to get back to him. Pray for motivation to study. Pray God will open your eyes and the Spirit will fill you with the fire to grow closer to him. Teachers are useless if we don't have the desire to learn and grow. Going to Church, Bible Study, Sunday School, or other religious activities are useless unless you have desire an grow in your relationship with Christ.

Technology is a tool to infuse learning with a new found motivation. What "Technology" do you need to get your Faith in Christ your number one priority!

Knock, knock!

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. (Colossians 4:3-5 NIV84) I miss hearing knock knock jokes. They are so dumb, they're funny. Knock Knock! Who’s there? Doris! Doris who? Doris locked that’s why I am knocking! Knock Knock! Who’s there? Cash! Cash who? No thanks, but I’d like some peanuts! Knock Knock! Who’s there? Armageddon! Armageddon who? Armageddon out of here! When I grew up, in a galaxy far, far away, knock knock jokes were popular. If someone automatically blurted out "knock knock" everyone would shout "who's there?" my guess is if you did that now, people wouldn't even know how to respond. They would probably just ignore you as some kind of nut! When God provides an opportunity, how do you respond? Do we act like God is some kind of nut? Or do we dismiss him altogether. I can look back on many opportunities God has provided to share the mystery of Christ, only to have it ignored by me. doors are opened and we never walk through. I have been given an opportunity by God to minister to the motorcycle community. I love it and I thank him continuously for that chance. I pray that I don't waste the opportunities and that I am clear with the message of his amazing grace. I am given those same opportunities at school with students, teacher, and community members. Please Lord, help me to be a good witness for you. I know how important I am to your message. Help me to be a great example for outsiders. Amen!

God's not Dead!

Watch the video: God's not Dead (Newsboys)

  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3 NIV84)


 God is active. He's alive. I've seen him. I've heard him and he has been active in my life. I love this new video from the NewsBoys. As I wander through the bible it's easy for me to think of God as the God of the past. When I look at the evil, pain, and suffering of this world, it might look like God is dead. He's Not! As a matter of fact God is roaring like a lion trying to call out to us. As a Christian, God lives inside me. If it looks like he's dead it's because I'm not letting him shine through my life. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion. Share his love through your life, every day, every where you go, to every person you me. God's not dead, he's surely alive. He's living on the inside roaring like a lion! ROARING!

Sin from the mouth!

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:8-10 NIV84) I'm a numbers guy. I love math, statistics, numerical analysis, and probabilities. I know I'm weird. You can get numbers to say quite a few things. I see people manipulate numbers and twist them for their own purposes. But, it's not the numbers that lie. It's the people who use them. It's amazing how harmful words can be. These verses talk about things we should get rid of in our lives. Anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language are products of our words. The mouth is a serious weapon. Sure, it can be used for good, but it's the bad things we say that have the most impact. We need to guard our words. We need to think before we speak. We need to consider the impact our words have and the real damage they can do to someone's life. Christians are not immune to sin from the mouth. The things we say can be just as hurtful, maybe more. Potentially, our words could keep someone from accepting the Lord. Their is nothing more critical than the words spoken by a Christian. People seem to listen closer. They want to know if our words match our faith, just as much as our actions. Consider your words carefully!

Perfect timing!

2 Peter 3

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

The Day of the Lord

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 I am not a patient person.You would think when things are going well, it would be easier to be patient. I'm not sure that's true, especially for me. As most people know, by now, I am heading.back to the classroom. I have been an Athletic Administrator for 11 years now and I am ready to have daily contact with students. I have missed that daily interaction. I look forward to reduced stress, reduced time commitment, and spending time with by Grandkids. I only have 6 more dates for home activities as Athletic Director of GHS. But, I have about 3 months before I actually get back to the classroom. I am impatient. Not that I'm ready right now. I have a lot to do to get ready. I just recently found out my schedule and I have the details of planning a year of curriculum to work on. But, I hate being in "transition". I feel like I'm pinned in-between two worlds. I can't concentrate all my energy on preparing for the fall because I still have responsibility as AD. So I'm split for at least a little while longer.

As a Christian, I feel the same way about life here on Earth. I know what awaits me and I can't wait. I'm torn between two worlds. On one hand I can't wait to spend eternity with Jesus. Yet, I know I have work to do here. I need to bring as many people with my as possible. It seems like God is so slow keeping his promise to return to get us. But, he is not. His timing is perfect and his patience matches it. He doesn't want anyone to parish. He wants all of us to be with him.

So, I need to endure longer. I need to develop patience and focus until the day of his coming. Please Lord, Help me develop patience for your plans to be unfolded. Help me me diligent to work for you. Help me to bring others with me. Help me to have a sense of urgency of the lost. The quicker they come to you, the quicker we get to come home with you. Praise God for his loving patience and magnificent kindness.

Thank You, Jesus, for riding with me to HELL!

Colossians 2 (The Message)

 ^16-17So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.

 ^18-19Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. 

I went to Hell today. Hell, Michigan that is!  I joined the Fremont American Legion Riders on their bike blessing and ride to Hell, Michigan. It was a fun ride until we got 5 miles from "Hell". It started raining. Most people think of Hell as being full of Fire and Heat. Trust me, to Motorcycle Riders, Hell would be nothing but rain for eternity!

When we got up to our destination, we stopped at a bar to eat. I'm always amazed at the looks I get with my "Jesus #1" patch, "Prayer Warrior" patch and my CMA Back patch walking into a bar. When this happens everyone's watching to see what you'll do. So, I ordered a Classic "Hell" Burger with Fries and my Diet Coke. I had a great time. We laughed, told stories, and cracked jokes about being in Hell. I was even asked by someone what would my "Church" think about me being in a Bar, in Hell. I laughed about it and said, They would get a big kick out of it. But, you know what I was really thinking? I'm sure several of our Church Members wouldn't agree with me being there. 

But, Where would Jesus be?

The Modern Day Church needs to get out more often. Sure, we help out the homeless, we help out with the poor, we help the orphans and the fatherless, and I'm not saying we shouldn't. But, why don't Churches spend more time going after the "Sinner"? A lot of the people I hang out with, "Bikers", aren't going to spend time in church. They are outcasts from the Church. They are as comfortable in a church as President Obama at the Republican Convention. Jesus wouldn't wait for them to walk through the church doors. Jesus would go to the Bars and be with them.He would have ridden with me to "Hell" so we could possibly rescue someone from "Eternal" Hell. 

CMA - Christian Motorcyclist Association is about going to where the bikers are. We want to get to know Bikers. We want them to get to know us. We want them to feel comfortable coming to us when they need us. We pray for them, we laugh with them, we talk Bikes with them. We don't judge them, we don't preach to them, and we don't criticize their sins. (They don't mention mine either!) 

Even though it rained today, it was a great day. Thank You Lord for riding with me to Hell today. I felt your presence all day!

Used Car Salesman!

Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 2:2, 3 NIV84)

I'm not here to bash men and women who sell used cars. But, their reputation as a profession is not a positive one. It might be because there is quite a bit of room for dishonesty. When you buy a used car you have to rely on what they tell you about it's condition. Trust is so important when you're buying anything used. Sometimes even when you're buying something new, you're not sure about the real quality. I think about infomercials or ebay. They need to paint the best , perfect picture of their product just to get you to buy it.  Greed causes people to do and say strange things. Beware of something that sounds to good to be true. If it involves money, it probably is too good to be true.

Is is a wonder that people view the Gospel message with skepticism? It really sounds to good to be true. Here is this man who claims to be God, dying on a cross for your sins, even though you didn't ask him to. He Loves you even though you don't Love him. Regardless how you treat him, how bad you talk about him, or ignore him, he is always there when you look for him. The difference is? What's in it for him? Jesus doesn't ask anything from you. He doesn't want your money. He doesn't have a set of rules you have to follow before you come to him. He get's nothing but your Love. How can you be skeptical about that? This is not a made up story. This is a story of how much God Loves you. This is a story of GRACE. You should learn more about this wonderfully special story and come to know this special man. 

Praise God for YOU!

Colossians 1

New International Version (NIV)

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people — 

I have people in my life I am so thankful for and the reason I'm thankful? They Love the Lord and it shows. I'm not going to mention names here because I'm afraid I might miss some. It is not easy being a Christian in this world and in our society. Good Christian people are being attacked on all sides. So, tonight when I pray I am going to pray a special prayer of thanksgiving for these people. They set themselves apart, not by their words, but by their actions. They Love everyone and everything they do is from a servants heart.  Praise God their are people like that in this world. I wish I could say that about myself. I can only hope to work toward that end. We all need to be that person for someone else.

Lord, we thank you for special people you have placed in our lives. We would not be able to grow with out these great samples of Faith, Hope, and Love. We praise you Lord for the blessings we received just because we know them. We Praise you for the Love you show through them. Your presence is everywhere when we are around them. Thank You Lord!

Life's a Long, Long Trip!

2 Peter 1

New International Version (NIV)

^{5 ...........} make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm not yet there. My daughter just left for Missouri. She is traveling with a 5 month old baby and a  5 year old. She is a brave woman. She has a little over 6 hours to drive. I'm sure it won't take long and both children will be sleeping. We used to do the same thing when we traveled. If we didn't travel at night, we would get the endless "Are we there yet?" throughout the trip.

One thing I can tell you, I do not possess all the qualities mentioned in these verses. I do have Faith. I'm not as good as I should be, nor as knowledgeable. I don't have the self-control or the perseverance, godliness, mutual affection or love, that God would love to see in me. I am working on increasing these qualities in my life. I am proud I am not what I used to be, but know I've not arrived yet. I want to be productive for Christ. I want to bring others to him. I can't do that unless I continue to grow myself. People I know, people I see every day, need him. They are missing the Faith. Without that Faith they can't even begin to grow in the ways they should. 

Please Lord, work on me. Bend me, mold me, shape me, into the person who can be effective and productive for you and your kingdom. Amen!

Ok God, today's the day!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NIV84)


I started this blog yesterday. I had a BIG meeting  and I needed God's help. Actually, I need God's help every day. On many days, I ACT like I don't need him. I just go through the day like I'm in charge and in control of what happens. Yesterday it became so obvious that I needed him.

When I go to him, he is there.

I prayed and I let go.

God was there.

I rejoice because God is truly Amazing. When I let him take over it REALLY becomes apparent how amazing he really is. I think I need to do this more often.

Thank You Lord for your amazing Love for me. May I show that same Love to those I encounter today.

I don't HAVE to........... I GET to serve.........

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2, 3 NIV84)


My Principal has a tendency to correct people who say "I have to........." He always tells me, "You don't HAVE to....... you GET to........"

My Principal is the OVERSEER of our school. He does a great job. He is a man of God and serves like it. I never get the impression that he views his position of leadership as a job. He doesn't HAVE to be Principal, he GETS to be principal at GHS. Trust me when I tell you he has had many opportunities to develop a poor attitude about work. I have been fortunate to get a close up view of the Principal position over my 11 years in administration. Personally, I'm not sure why anyone would take that job. It's like being the head coach of a professional sports team. 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, people criticize your decisions. You have to juggle the wants and needs of teachers, parents, community and students. When things go well, it's because of the great students and staff. When things go bad it's because of the Principal. My principal is ALWAYS looking out for the student first. He has a loving and caring heart for staff and students. Very few people know the agony and prayer that goes into making decisions by my Principal. If you're not in that position, it's always easy to criticize. It's amazing how easy the decisions are when you don't have all the facts and you aren't held responsible for the outcome. Yet, even through all this, he always has the attitude "I GET to be Principal at GHS!"

As Christian Servants, we are also overseers fo God's flock. He has appointed us to serve. Sometimes, when you've had a hectic schedule, it would be easy to say, "Do I HAVE to serve?" But, just like my Principal, we need to change that to, "I GET to serve!"  We need to be eager to serve. We need to be examples of a tireless, dedicated servant. My Principal is that example to me. He is an inspiration. He serves the students and staff at GHS with great leadership. He is tireless, eager, and dedicated to making this school a great place to be.  Thanks Matt! May God bless you and your family. I have great respect for you and your efforts at GHS.

Press on!

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV84) Press on. Most of us with any age and experience have had setbacks in life. We might have lost jobs, lost loved ones, suffered cancer or other illnesses, marital issues, or financial trouble. The older you get the more likely you will have faced some serious challenges in life. It is never easy. It never seems like it will end. You have a couple of choices. You can stop and refuse to go forward or you can press ahead. If you stop, you lose all hope. If you stop, you continue life but you continue with no promise of a brighter tomorrow. The best advice I can give is Press On. You might be straining forward but you need to press on toward the hope that only Christ can give. As Christians we live with the ultimate hope, Christ Jesus. We have the ultimate hope through eternal life in paradise. We could continue to live in the past, but we should press on to the bright future. I chose to press on. How about you? Will you live in the drudgery of the past or the hope of tomorrow? Chose Christ, chose hope!