Our tricky minds… Sometimes when I let my mind wander, it tries to take me down the path of doubt. If I permit this “stinkin’ thinkin’” to continue then the path widens to include worry, fear, and ultimately negativity all fueled from my own self-will. What helps me during these times is to remember that the answers are not in my head and that I am no longer in charge of me. When I made the life changing decision to turn my will and my life over to God, HE became not only my

Consider the source…. It’s pretty easy these days to learn just about anything on the internet. What is interesting to me is that our whole culture seems to be adapting to this form or information gathering. While this is helpful to have instant access, it can also be harmful at times if we don’t consider the source. Most information is fueled by a person or host site. Depending on what their preferences and opinions are, it seems the facts can be twisted to carry the message

Our own autopilot…. As we start each day, most of us have certain things in place to get us up and running as well as habits to keep us on schedule. Alarm clocks, calendars, and various routines keep us moving and in sync with our day. Autopilot is a great tool for morning routines and repetitive things in our lives. We have the same opportunity with our spiritual lives as well. When we make the daily decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, our day go

What’s on your agenda?.. We are busy folks and we rely on schedules, calendars, appointments, and other tools to keep us on track and on time. It’s a part of our lives and culture. Have you ever taken a moment to consider who or what drives our need to have these daily, weekly, and monthly agendas? Sure, I get it, we need to stay organized and we all are juggling many balls in order to make this life thing work. But wouldn’t it be nice if instead of just our yearly vacations,

Power Aid… Power is the thing that we all crave and seek in one another. The problem is our minds get twisted by the illusions of the material world and lead us to seek the wrong type of power. We have the willpower that is part of our human makeup. It will never go away, but we can learn to harness our willpower and align it with a Power greater than ourselves. Hopefully, we have learned that the best Power to align our will with is the power of God, and not s

Some loaves and a few fish... Sometimes when worldly needs and demands pile up we can begin to feel overwhelmed with responsibilities and requests that our minds have a hard time wrapping our heads around. When our heads do the math, it doesn’t always add up causing fear and anxiety. Just remember, if it is God’s will, it will happen, perhaps not the way we imagine, but it will happen. Just look at the 4000 Jesus fed with 7 loaves and few fish! … "Our ideas did not work, but

Hang on help is on the way….. One of the most freeing experiences for me is to help another person. It frees me from the burden of self and puts perspective onto my self-centered perceptions of my challenges and problems. Now maybe it’s different for you, but when I can place my focus on helping another, my heart gets filled with not only a refreshing humility from the service, but also, I gain a fresh perspective when I re-visit my issue or challenge and it no longer appears

Maybe it's different for you, but I can honestly say that I do not enjoy pain of any kind in any form. I don't intentionally go looking for it but I have learned that when I do find myself in pain, there is either a lesson to be learned or an experience to grow from, IF I LOOK with a willing heart and open mind. Staying spiritually fit is hard work but the benefits are immense. Sobriety and Abstinence is not easy but the pains from gaining and maintaining it have brought me b

Hearing check… Our hearing comes in all forms. Did you know that along with the ears attached to our head we also have other ears? We have mental ears that allow our human instincts to silently hear the world around us. We also have spiritual ears that allow our hearts to hear the Holy Spirit. While we use the ears attached to our heads to hear the normal everyday stuff life brings along with our “selective hearing” of only what we want to hear, our instinctual ears hear that

How many "memberships" do you have? I have a few. There’s my Amazon Prime, PayPal, AARP, (hold the wise cracks, I have a point to make) Triple A, AA, SCAA, my church, the gym, and... oh yeah ... the SPIRITUAL GYM! I hope you have a membership to the last one too. It's free, but the dues are paid daily through being in the Word, prayer, and service. Are you an active member? Check your experience. ... "What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of ou

Have you ever noticed that you are drawn to certain types of people naturally? Maybe it's different for you but I tend to gravitate towards folks who are naturally positive and open. I have learned over the years that this is a subconscious act we have within us. In my case it's because I want the positivity that they have. I am seeking the Holy Spirit that is shining through them. What type of person do you find yourself drawn to? ... Check your experience… "... for deep dow

When the going gets rough... There are times when we are faced with a difficult decision or situation, it seems to be a part of being human. Perhaps you are healthier mentally and spiritually than me, but my initial gut reaction is to feel alone, isolate, and let my self-generated fears turn the difficult moment into a bad choice. Over the years I have learned to expect this reaction in me and to not act on it. I turn to prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to guide my words, ac

What book you are you reading from?!?... In today’s world we can get books in many forms. From the standard printed book form to kindle, books are available to us in whatever media we choose. On top of that, we have books available on every subject and just about every situation that will tell us many different ways to try to accomplish the thing we are working toward or trying to learn. Now maybe it’s different for you, but for me, my experience has taught me and continues t

It’s not about what you’ve got…it’s about what you do with it… Every one of us, whether we realize it or not, has special talents, unique gifts, and blessings. We were each designed for a purpose and it is human nature to have these unique natural abilities. Spiritually speaking, it’s not about having these gifts and keeping them for our own sole advantage, rather it’s about what we do with them to help others… Check your experience… “He often possesses special abilities, ski

"Render to Caesar what is Caesar's" .... It's tax day. I am sure it is a very busy day for my friend Karl Schwab and others who help us math deficient, procrastinating Americans to do our legal requirements by the deadline! This is a condition of being free and a citizen but in no way should we perceive our government as our Master. One quick look in the mirror of our lives will reveal what we choose to be our Master. Some of us through our habits choose the almighty dollar,