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Today is halloween!

I want to tell you a story about overcoming worry by using our home’s pumpkin creations for 2017. By the way, pumpkin carving goes back many years to Ireland. According to the folk-tale, the carving was called Jack-O-Lantern and it was first done on vegetables rather than a pumpkin. The purpose of it was to ward off bad spirits. Of course here in America, long before it was associated with Halloween, it had to do with celebrating the harvest season. Today, pumpkin carving has become nothing more than a fun activity at home between parents and kids.

Now to my story… many years ago, while I was in seminary at New Orleans, I had been studying for monster test (hence my daughter’s carving of Frankenstein). I was so concerned about passing that it showed. Continue reading →

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My buddy Dave took this great picture behind our church property yesterday. Now, I don’t know about you but when I see an eagle, a few quick thoughts hit my mind: majestic; top of the food chain; soaring at high altitudes; oh, yeah; proud American; strength!

Isn’t it amazing how the image or thought of a bird can flood our minds with ideas of greatness?

When others see you or your name comes up in a conversation, what ideas about you do you think come to their minds? What words pop into people’s minds when your picture appears on Facebook? I know, I know…we shouldn’t pay much attention to what others think about us but let’s go beyond the surface here, shouldn’t positive words like trusted, helpful, listener, comforting, come to their mind?

Have you ever been in a conversation and you mention someone’s name and the other person blurts out the word, ‘Obnoxious’! We want to be the exact opposite of that annoying and disgusting guy. People with great reputations are known to empower others.  Continue reading →

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But why? Why dream only average? Is that hat a statement of the passionless existence many find themselves in today?

I went to grab me an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts one early morning a few days ago and the voice coming out of the speaker at the drive through sounded monotone and extremely disinterested in my order. Then when I drove to the window, the girl handing me the coffee was so unpleasant I almost asked her if her middle name was ‘Joy’.

I know life can be really tough sometimes but dreaming of a great future destiny keeps hope alive. It reminds us that there’s still a chance for great things to happen in our lives. Continue reading →

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Funkiness! That’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw this palm tree. I’m not sure why it looks like that, though. Maybe it’s what’s left after a Cat 3 hurricane that came through town recently. Or, maybe its God’s sense of humor in creation. I’m just not sure. Here’s a different view of the same,

Call me crazy, but for some reason a hawaiian luau comes to mind.

Maybe I had never noticed that palm tree before but it surely sparked my mind about where I’ve been lately.

You may have wondered why I haven’t been posting lately (and if you haven’t…shame on you!). I’ve just been in a funky state of mind, blah, or in some sort of a lull. Call it what you want, down, blue, dragging, it all adds to the same.

Sometimes we ask people, “How’s it going?” And they sarcastically answer, “Oh… it’s another day in paradise.” What they really mean is, “Whatever, man. It is what it is.” Have you been my neighbor in Funky Town lately? Continue reading →

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I took the above picture during the solar eclipse yesterday when the moon was blocking 80 percent of the sun. It’s obvious that my photography skills are lacking, as you can see my figure on the side of the funky looking designs on the floor…sorry. That’s the way the shadow of the sun looked under the tree I was standing by.

The whole eclipse event was absolutely mind-blowing. However, more amazing is the God who made the sun, set it in place, and controls everything that happens in the heavens above and on this earth below. Even more awesome than that is to know that this imposing, incredible, immense God is interested in everything we have to say.

Have you ever been talking to someone and that person yawns or looks over your shoulder, or starts texting while you’re still speaking? That’s a sign that he/she’s done listening to your verbosity and that you need to move on. But, have you talked with someone that’s intently looking into your eyes as if nothing else matters but you? That’s how God is! You can talk to Him and He talks back!! Continue reading →

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One of the biggest frustrations of the Christian life is not being able to hear God. We sometimes listen to people say, “God told me to…” or “I felt like God said…” When we haven’t heard from God in a while those words can be frustrating.

I’m pretty sure that when believers speak of the voice of God, they’re not referring to BOOMING WORDS (like the ones coming from the car speaker) but of a certain sensation or reality in their minds and hearts that they clearly identify as God speaking. All who follow the Lord want to hear His voice often.

In this blog (and the one that follows) I want to share with you ideas on how to clearly hear God’s voice in your life. Continue reading →

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The idea for this post came to me while I was in the process of making a sandwich and I lost the bread bag tie. I do it all the time and it so bothers me. I tried to blame it on my color blindness… but regardless of how it happens I often lose track of that twisty thing. Someone ought to invent a way to not lose sight of it, appear on Shark Tank, and become rich.

There’s a seldom used 3 letter word today that pinpoints how I feel at that moment when I can’t find the bread tie, ‘Irk’. Remember using that?

What irks you on a regular basis? Is it waiting at ridiculously long red lights? I read that when added together, we spend an average of 6 months of our lives waiting for the light to turn green. Crazy! Continue reading →

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As the setting sun was burning off the atmosphere I found myself thinking that yet another day has raced by. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, but it seems like life is passing me by faster than it ever did. Another day gone… and whatever’s undone must remain that way until tomorrow.

I’ve been by the beside of the dying and I’ve heard the surviving family members reassure the person about to leave this world that unfinished projects are going to get done.

Why do we procrastinate so, I wonder?

I’m a guilty party, by the way. In the back of my mind are all these halfway jobs that I stated but for one reason or another have not yet accomplished. I am ashamed to say that a while back I started painting my house and it took me 7 years to get it done. One of my friends finished the job for me (my wife begged him to).

But I am not a total failure when it comes to starting and finishing. It took my 5 years to write and publish my first book, Hecklers In Your Crowd: Silencing The Voices That Hold You Back, but it’s done!

I want to challenge you to get things done…whatever those things are. The wise man did say,

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

There’s the answer! There’s time for every one of our activities. The key is scheduling chunks of time during our week to finish what we start.

Have you ever tried to do something that had this overwhelming vibe about it?

I would go absolutely bonkers if I had to do one of those (above). But one of my best buddies loves to put them together. He works on the project at his dining room table at various times of the week until its all done. Actually, the Millennium Falcon seems like child-play compare to some of the pieces he has worked on.

Patience is a given…as well as focus. We need both in order to finish strong!

Then there’s the element of setting goal date. A goal date is like a target you are shooting towards.

That’s my wife (above picture) shooting a zombie with a western style revolver…I cannot think of anything hotter. We were also putting some serious bullet holes in the scary clown next to the zombie. Targets give us a certain direction to aim at. They make us sharper and better. And if you miss the target, which I once did and as a result hit and broke the clamp holding the drawing, you reload and try again.

When I was writing my book I would set a target date for finishing. And when, for whatever reason, I missed my target, I would set another a new target date until it got done. Make sure you give yourself a realistic time to finish, though. Then, work towards that.

Force yourself to do something about your project even when you don’t feel like it. Please allow me to go back to my book story just one more time. There were days when I didn’t feel like writing but I’d force myself to type something… and ideas would then start flowing. There were other days when a big part of the 2 or 3 hours I had set to work on it were wasted on doing something else and I only had 45 minutes to add to the manuscript. Even those short minutes proved productive.

One more thing, the project you’re working on may require a certain degree of sacrifice: time, resources, or missing out of doing something else. Are you willing to pay the price? Always keep in mind that nothing worth it comes easy. So, go ahead and finish strong! And, if you want to take a peek at what my book is all about please go to www.hecklersinyourcrowd.com.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share with me about one of the projects you’re working on finishing.

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So, my friends and I got high the other day… we were on a spiritual high, a baptism high that affected our lives for most of the day… and beyond!

Our church had baptisms at the beach. Many people stepped up to the waters and declared themselves followers of Christ. That’s what baptism is, an act of obedience and yielding to the Lordship of Christ in one’s life.

Of course, when you live in Central Florida and do something like what we did, there are always a few concerns: sharks, available parking spaces, and a rough surf. But our brave brushed off their worries, showed up, and celebrated. I was really excited about the several that were baptized but I noticed something beyond the actual water-dunking that can give anyone’s life the boost it needs. It has to do with being a part of a good fellowship of believers.

Just before putting a person under water I would yell out (because of the noise of the surf and crashing waves) his or her name to our crowd that was watching. Then, almost as an immediate response, a few people would call out loud the name of the person being baptized along with words like, “Yeah, Bill, go” or “You can do it.”

The last time I heard this kind of positive affirmation happened at an AA meeting I attended with a friend. In that setting, before someone speaks, he/she says, for example, “Hello, I am Bill…and I am an alcoholic.” Then, the crowd in the room responds by saying Bill’s name out loud and cheers for Bill. That sort of thing was happening at the beach for the folks in the water.

Feeling accepted is one of those psychological needs we all have. Our church group that had gathered was definitely making the person in the water feel loved! Continue reading →

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 One of the major problems facing people today is dealing with their insecurities.  That is, the damaging idea that one doesn’t measure up physically, emotionally, or intellectually. How those insecurities are formed varies greatly but the results of being insecure are usually the same: stress, anxiety, and hurt feelings.

I found the carcass of this bug (image) near my front door this morning. I don’t have a clue what it is (if you know, please leave me a comment and tell me). Although you can’t see it, there’s an opening at the top of this brittle shell as if whatever occupied it is no longer there. The thing is almost see through.

It made me think of how many of us feel sometimes, as a mere image of what we once were. It can be one empty, hurting, disappointing feeling. We’ve got to fight that! Continue reading →