puppetminster.com blog

FCP 2007 Annual Conference

2007-07-09T13:44:00.000-04:00

Many of the puppeteers that are part of the online community are involved in Christian ministries. For those who fall under this category, the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers is hosting their annual conference at Winthrop University in South Carolina on July 23-27. Anyone in the area may find this an educational opportunity to refine your puppetry skills, learn new skills or perhaps gain encouragement and inspiration for your ministry as you use this powerful medium. Information and registration is available here.

Happy Birthday, America

2007-07-04T10:49:00.000-04:00

I grew up with the idea that America meant something. America was a grand experiment in democracy laid out by our founding fathers whose vision allowed us, as a nation, to grow and prosper as a bastion of freedom for all of her citizens, or so I was taught…

In the earliest days, America started out as a home for people who wished to worship an almighty God differently than what was ordained by the Church of England. Facing dangers and disease, those brave few suffered and died for this idea of freedom to worship God, or so I was taught...

As the population grew and colonies were established, a handful of God-fearing men decided that England’s taxation was unfair and set out an edict with these immortal words: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. These men risked their lives for this notion of freedom and acknowledged “Nature’s God” as their inspiration for action, or so I was taught...

In declaring the right to freedom, many men lost their lives but eventually independence was won and the grand experiment, America, began and it began with the right to speak freely and the right to worship freely, or so I was taught....

Years later other wars against oppression, both external and internal, were fought to correct injustices that existed. Not all wars involved weapons, but also words and ideas. Each time freedom, not only for America, but for all peoples, was the goal. Brave men and women gave their lives for this freedom and are still doing so around the world, or so I was taught...

So what does America mean? I find the ideas behind the founding of America have been lost. They have been stolen and twisted by politicians, on both sides, who would rather posture themselves and argue against the other side instead of standing for something they believe. America has been torn apart by special interest groups who tell us whether or not what we say or believe is acceptable in their eyes.

America began because of religious persecution, but now I live in an America where freedom to worship is fine as long as you hide yourself so that no one else can hear you. I live in an America where I, as a Christian, cannot proclaim myself or exercise my rights as such without offending someone. I live in an America where freedom for Christians is quickly becoming a lie.

So who is to blame? We can only blame ourselves for letting our freedom slip away, but that’s what happens when the freedom is man-made and when we ourselves relinquish our rights by not standing up for them. Our forefathers believed they were God-given rights. Brave Americans have fought and died for our right to worship and we have thrown it all away.

Thank God that freedom, real freedom does not come from the hands of man, or so I proudly believe.

Game Day Central

2007-06-11T06:14:00.000-04:00

Better late than never... I've written skits to be used with Lifeway's Game Day Central VBS program. Our hero, Dexter, takes the VBS Althetes (kids) for a behind the scenes tour of Game Day Central, only on ESPN, the Euphrates Sports Programming Network. Each skit introduces the key concept for the corresponding day of VBS.

All 5 skits for only $2.50. Give your Althetes your best by teaching them to be their best in all things.

Good Friday

2007-04-06T08:35:00.000-04:00

This day, Friday, almost 2000 years ago, a man was executed. This man was no ordinary man, however, this was God made in human form. This day He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). I can’t imagine the suffering that Jesus went through in just a matter of hours. Any lesser man (than the Son of God) could not have bore the burden.

I woke up this morning with the desire to read Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado over this Easter weekend. I’ve not read very far into it yet but already I have found a gem worth sharing. Mr. Lucado points out something I had never considered in the story of the woman at the well-

She left her water pot with Jesus.

The water pot, her burden, which she carried to the well, was left there beside Jesus as she ran to tell others that she had met the Messiah. Now I realize at some point this woman probably needed her water pot and went back to get it and that’s where the metaphor breaks down. Praise God that when we lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus we never need to pick them up.

Are you carrying a water pot? I pray that you will lay your burden down and this is an excellent day to start. Happy Easter.

The woman at the well is found in John 4.

2007-03-23T08:51:00.000-04:00

I have found a very cool blog dedicated to self improvement. Brian Kim - Check it out.

2007-03-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

As Easter approaches, I wanted to share the lyrics of one of my favorite Petra songs (from Wake Up Call). The last verse has a lot of meaning. Hear a clip here.

Marks of the Cross
Hartman/Cates
Matthew 10:39, Luke 9:62

These days shallow and feeble resolve abound
And true devotion and passionate fervor are seldom found
But there are those who often feel they're all alone
Those of whose identities are known
By the mark of the crucified Son

(Chorus)
Praying, caring, loving, sharing
These are the marks of the cross
Giving, bearing, feeling, daring
To lay down your life on the line
Forgetting what you leave behind
And willing to suffer the loss
Of the marks of the cross

These days the search for detachment and solitude
Lead to retreating to fortresses no one would dare intrude
Then there are those whose restless burdens start to show
Those who unmistakably most know
There's no crown 'til we suffer the cross

All our identity rests in the knowledge
Of who we’re created to be
We are His workmanship, made in His image
For all of creation to see
The marks of His pain and His glory

Behind the Scenes

2007-03-09T07:57:00.000-05:00

Check out this performance.

Thanks to Tom at Puppeteers Unite for alerting me to this.

The Magic of Thinking Big

2007-02-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

The first book I read this year was The Magic of Thinking Big. The premise is one of commitment and belief leads to success, therefore think BIG accomplishments and consign yourself to succeed. Do not allow self-made obstacles to stand in your way. Truthfully, I had heard and read similar material by other motivational speakers, but this book brings it all together in one location. Each chapter has summary points that allows one to quickly refresh in ones memory the ideas and methods for achievement.

One of the more potent ideas was the idea of creating a “self-commercial”. I believe Dennis Waitely calls it “positive self-talk” and it’s purpose is to reprogram your thought patterns to ones of confidence until these patterns become who we are. To some, these are age-old ideas. To others, this is but another step in personal growth.

Here is my motivational speech to myself. I have it imprinted on a card inside my wallet and I read it several times daily and I believe it has made an impact on me. (I think anyone could apply this.)

In parting, I want to leave you with the thoughts of one person who knew how to dream big... Mr. Walt Disney.
I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true.

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

Principle Interest?

2007-02-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

Most of the time, this blog is more of a motivational/how-to-live dissertation than puppet ministry information. It comes from things I’ve heard or read that I think all people should know or live by. A lot of times it is the result of a screw-up by me. This is one of those times…

Have you ever had a moment where you were just incredibly, undeservedly rude to someone? Or am I the only one? I had a moment like this yesterday with a co-worker to which I immediately apologized. In retrospect, I could have explained myself and brought in the details of the challenging day that I had been experiencing. I could have shrugged it off as no big deal. I could have rationalized my behavior, but this would have been wrong.

My co-worker was gracious and accepted my apology, but memories of this incident flooded my conscience all evening. One recurring thought loomed in my brain as I replayed my actions: not only had I offended my associate, I violated one of my core principles.

The Bible tells us that love is not rude (1 Cor 13:4-5), but worst than that I was trying to find and excuse for something I have deemed inexcusable. I believe in personal responsibility and any attempt to justify misbehavior is wrong. It is what it is and it wrong. I admit it and it’s time to move forward.

My point is that a principle can only be a principle when you say, “This is what I believe and I will not waiver from it.” I was trying my best to waiver last night. I’m glad I didn’t.

So when I finished the last line...

2007-02-12T17:52:00.000-05:00

...I put the book by itself on the shelf with my heart in it. -Jimmy Buffett

Earlier in the year I said I plan to read 12 non-fiction books this year. So far I have managed to read six and I will be adding some “reviews” of the better ones in the next few weeks. You will notice that many of the books I am reading (or in some cases re-reading) are business/finance related. There are two reasons for this:

A) You become what you study. As you well know, if you have read any of my blog, I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey’s teaching. This has inspired me to read books that deal with finance and business in order to understand how money works. (I will go so far as to say in acquiring this knowledge has taught me more about my character than any other topic.) With this in mind I have determined in order for me to be successful, I will study success.

I’ve come to the conclusion, successful business people are usually dynamic and despite stereotypes, most successful people are not money-grubbing cut-throats or “rich jerks”. They are, however, highly-motivated, self-confident “go-getters” that have been kicking butt and taking names for a long time. Their success has not come at the expense of others but as a result of doing something better and being persistent. Most are not just successful in business matters either. They are winning in every aspect of their lives.

No so surprisingly, I’m discovering many of the actions and attitudes that successful people attribute for their success (planning, perseverance, faith, positive thinking, helping others, etc.) are rooted in Biblical teachings whether the person is a Christian or non-Christian.

B) I want puppetminister.com to be successful as a business and as a ministry.

I have not determined what the future course puppetminister.com is exactly. My focus has been trying to provide higher quality puppets at affordable prices to ministries. I have been given the opportunity to use puppetry as my main source of service and may someday have the opportunity to use puppetry as my main source of income.

Is it possible? ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD. Of course it would have to be in his plan for me. Is it probable? Well that is dependent on several things: Am I willing to take such a risk? I’m I capable of pouring everything I have into such an endeavor? Am I willing to kick butt and take names for a long time? Even so, it’s a long-shot based on the market, but if one offers better products, better service or better value the odds go up significantly.

You see, possibility lies with God, probability lies mostly with me but this does not necessarily lead to success. For now, I will study, trying to make puppetminister.com a better value to the customer.

As I was preparing this, Andrew at PuppetVision.com posted a link to series of blog entries from Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame. Read this line from Phil’s blog: Your ability to accomplish your artistic or ministry objectives depends largely on your understanding of the business behind your venture. This reinforces my decision to study business success. Looking at this statement, I know this is an opportunity for growth.

God Bless.

I Saw Dave!

2007-02-05T19:59:00.000-05:00

I’m a few days late in posting this, but I had the opportunity to see Dave Ramsey live at a Total Money Makeover LIVE! event in Louisville last Thursday. I am a graduate of FPU, a 13-week course that Dave teaches via video where he teaches you how to make your money behave by learning how to spend, save and give, but nothing is like hearing him live.

Dave has changed my way of thinking and my way of handling money. You can listen to his nationally syndicated radio show live from 2pm-5pm est (on-line or your local station) or listen to the archives on his site.

Dave is a great example of someone who has found his purpose and enjoys what he does.He lived like no one else and now he lives like no one else.

Yeah, I know this might be an over blown Dave Ramsey commercial, but I really believe he is helping people get to a place where they can become financially free and can impact others.

Mastery?...Shoot! I'd Settle With A Little Progress

2007-01-30T00:46:00.000-05:00

I have a desire to live my life intentionally. I want my life to mean something. I am finding however that my life slips away and my intentions never realized. I am a wonderful planner, but I am a lousy executer. I believe my problem is a lack of discipline.

I recently was reading about David and Solomon in a book by Max Lucado (I will detail later). David always intended to build the temple, but it was Solomon who did so. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes (7:8a) that finishing is better than starting.

Let’s go back to David for a moment. He intended. He planned. He got distracted. He made a few mistakes. He wasn’t the model of self-control and God did not let him build the temple. God still loved him, but God didn’t allow him to finish his plans.

God plans things and wants us to plan but often what we plan is not the same as what He plans or we trip ourselves up with a lack of restraint and we get distracted.

I think this has been my real problem so far this year. I’ve slipped up, flipped out and cracked so many times that I have gotten distracted. It seems there is so much that I am trying to do…that I am intending, but I never seem to accomplish anything and the frustration just add fuel to the fire. I just hope that God hasn’t decided to keep me from finishing.

I need to refocus on aligning my plans with His plan for me and to be truthful, the Enemy has enticed me to question God’s plan for me. At times, I feel a little lost, but I am confident that God will realign me. My lack luster performance on all fronts has been because I have been trying to do everything alone and even at my best, I have no self-control. If you have been around puppetminister.com very long, you will see it’s a common theme in my life.

Pray for me and all the others who I know are struggling with this. It seems to me that if David struggled with it and I am struggling with it, there must be more.

One last thought, I think Solomon sums up what I want the real goal of my life to be; “Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21)

God Bless You. Thanks.

Mastery (part 2)

2007-01-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

This is a continuation of the previous post on mastery.

Dave Ramsey (and others) says, “If you want to be rich, do rich-people stuff.” From that, I say if you want to be a Godly person, identify and do the things Godly people do. Fitness—same thing, adopt the habits of fit people—and if you want to be a great puppeteer then study and do the things great puppeteers do.

Begin your study by reading books, searching on-line resources or talking to people who just know. In puppetry (this is a puppetry blog after all), there are many avenues of to pursue; different types of puppetry, script writing, design and building are just a few of the many areas under the puppetry umbrella.

For example, I’ve said countless times that puppet ministries should strive to do better with their puppetry. This begins with study. For example, manipulation is a fairly basic skill to learn, but if you go one step further and begin to study the techniques of professional puppeteers and ponder the specific details of what makes one puppeteers operation better than another’s, you can then adapt that discovery into your manipulation style. Continued study and analysis followed by internalization will greatly improve your success.

Be advised that study alone will not lead to mastery. The “thought” must accompany the study. There must also be a caution against imitation; Jim Henson warned of this when he said, “I think if you study, if you learn too much of what others have done, you may tend to take the same direction as everybody else.” The key is to study, contemplate then build your own conclusions and ideas based on what you learn. Sir Isaac Newton called this “standing on the shoulders of giants”. Allow the information to spark new ideas and thoughts that led to your own formulation and adaptation.

I don’t know who originally said “The difference between who you are today and the person you will be five years from now is dependent on the books you read and what you learn.” That may be the best way to end my ramblings. Granted, it may take more than five years to master some things and some people devote their entire lives to mastery of a particular field. Nevertheless, a wise person will begin today to become the master they wish to be.

As I write, however, I am reminded Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.” Philippians 3:12-14msg Paul was not calling himself a master Christian and I’m not calling myself a master puppeteer, master theologian, master financier or master-anything. We learn by degree and I am somewhere between here and there sharing my thoughts.

This started with the idea, “You are what you study.” What are you destined to become? What do you want to master? What will you study?

Mastery

2007-01-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

This is the first part of a two part treatise. I was pondering this idea for a blog topic and before I knew it, this was the resulting manuscript. I apologize if it seems incoherent, but it makes perfect since to me.

It’s been stated in many ways by many people: “We become what we think about.” You can find this in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Zig Ziglar, William James, Solomon. The list is endless. Your thoughts control your life-good or bad is not so much what happens to you but how you respond beginning with your thoughts.

Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad) took this one step further to say “You become what you study.” This makes sense because true mastery of anything requires study requires thought. Consider that for a moment—true mastery requires study requires thought. In order for me to be successful in any area of my life I must study and think about it. God even gave this same direction to Joshua after Moses died. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. (Joshua 1:8 nlt)

So the question becomes: “What do you want to master? Where in your life do you want to be successful?” Like me, you probably want to be successful in family matters, money matters, health and well-being matters, becoming Christ-like. We never undertake any endeavor with a goal of failure (oxymoron?), or at least we shouldn’t. The human desire is for success. God’s plan for us is success.

Other than my family, I currently have four areas of interest in my life: God, puppetry, personal finance and fitness. Noticed, I said currently because our passions can shift. I wasn’t interested in finance until I started studying Dave Ramsey. Puppetry wasn’t a real passion until I started using it to minister. Fitness was not always important. AND you can trust me when I say God has not always, continually been the focus of my life (an issue with which I still struggle), but I digress. My point remains that we must learn and reflect on what we want to achieve.

(to be continued)

Resolutions? No. Goals? Yes

2007-01-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

The beginning of a new year always brings talk of resolutions—those self-promises that are lightly chosen and lightly discarded—Loose Commitments, if you will. I am not one for resolutions. January 1 is just another day. I am one however for taking this opportunity to set 12 month goals.

So you may be asking, what is the difference. A goal is specifically defined, measurable, realistic, limited by time and most importantly WRITTEN DOWN. There is something psychological and emotional about putting a goal down in writing. When you take the time to go through the exercise to get it on paper, you commit deep down in your soul to succeed.

I think you should hand write any and all goals you have whether they are goals for 2007, 5 year goals or even 20 year goals. I believe you should read and re-read these goals to stay motivated. I believe you should routinely evaluate these goals to see if you need to alter your approach.

With this in mind, I have defined the following goals:
I will be debt free (everything but the house) by August 31, 2007.
I will read 12 non-fiction books by December 31, 2007.

I have short term fitness goals defined on my other blog.

Your goals can be physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, relationship or career oriented. Just write them down.

It's Coming

2006-12-26T12:12:00.000-05:00

Captain Zarton is on his way.

The Nativity Story

2006-12-21T06:18:00.000-05:00

I saw The Nativity Story Monday evening. It is depicted beautifully and captures the emotion that must have been felt by Mary and Joseph in the months leading up to the Holy birth.

Please, go see this movie, but hurry it won't be around past this weekend. You will be blessed by it.

Frosty's 12 Days of Christmas

2006-12-20T07:22:00.000-05:00

Swazzle has produced a series of videos in which Frosty interviews some of the denziens of the North Pole. It is wonderfully made. Check it out.

Sean Johnson is even showing how he built Frosty on his Puppet 101 blog.

A Bit of Clarification on Pride

2006-12-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

The point of the latter part of yesterday’s post is if we do not come to God in unreserved humility, then we do not come to God in the spirit He wants from us. Therefore, if we are not in the correct spirit, then we cannot really approach God at all. WE can not relate to God in anyway in and of ourselves. It's not up to us. Our interaction with Him must be on His terms.

We are told by our inheritance can come to the Father boldly which I interpret as I can worship or make request without fear, but again if we think we are worthy of this gift because of something we've done, we have missed the point entirely. We can approach God without fear but only because the blood of Jesus allows us.

Thankfully, He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us come to grips with His terms. We, as humans, can not by our very nature submit ourselves without help. The Holy Spirit moves us to give in to unnatural desires and humble ourselves to God almighty. It gives us the strength to choose to bow to Him.

Oh, Snap! Moment

2006-12-11T15:28:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those “Oh! Snap!” moments when all of the sudden you realize that you are completely and totally wrong? To say the least, I have had several while I’ve been reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I think this one book all Christians should read at some point in their life. The latest "Oh! Snap!" has to do with “the Great Sin”-Pride.

Now, I will be (or would have been) the first to tell you I am not prideful. In fact, I know people who are prideful and I am nothing like them. Humble to a fault I am. I’m proud of the fact I’m humble.

C.S. Lewis writes:
It was through pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

I’ve always maintained that selfishness was the root of all sin, but once I consider this, pride is the underlying root of this egotistical behavior. If we were not proud of ourselves and thought we deserved special consideration, then selfish actions would not follow.

If that weren’t enough to put me in my place, consider this:
The more pride one had, the more one disliked pride in others. In fact, if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize me, or show off?” The point is that each person’s pride is in competition with every one else’s pride.

I've never had anyone "shove their oar in" to my knowledge, but there's more:

That raises a terrible question. How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with pride can say they believe in God and appear themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people.

Oh, Snap!

I don’t think C.S. Lewis is saying that we can’t be proud of our kids or even of a job well done. We can be self-confident but I believe the real danger lies in thinking that by some feat or intellect that we were responsible for achieving anything worthwhile. Remember all of our works are like filthy rags in front of the Father. I am afraid that, in all honesty, I am prideful more often than not. Thankfully, this sin as all others will be forgiven by just asking and believing. One last thought:

It’s better to forget about yourself altogether.

Attaining Virtue

2006-12-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia guy). I came across this passage and it is so powerful I just wanted to share.

After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us toward is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again…I cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thin is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.

The Merrying of Timmy

2006-11-30T23:50:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, I wrote a fairly lengthy skit as a Christmas program. It involved 18 scenes, numerous characters, stick puppets and a bunch of determination to pull it off (not to mention God's blessing), but it came together.

I am offering this skit free in the month of December as my gift to you as a token of thanks.

Thanks,

Ben

The Merrying of Timmy

My Life of Idolatry

2006-11-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

I have endeavored to be goal oriented for the past three years. I believe that we are supposed to live this way. † I believe we are supposed to plan our lives and be responsible for such. ‡ I believe we should learn and grow to be more like Jesus everyday by understanding Him better.* I believe we are to uphold Jesus in every aspect of our lives.**

In conjunction with these beliefs, I am trying to make puppetminister.com successful by becoming a better builder, puppeteer, writer and artist by setting aside time to pursue these activities. I am struggling to be a better husband, parent and friend by investing emotionally into the lives of those around me. I am striving to become more Christ-like by reading and praying. I am working to improve my health and appearance by changing my eating habits and exercising. I am working to become debt free. I am determined to improve ME, but…

I’ve noticed the achieving the goal has surpassed the reason for setting it in the first place. I think the practice can be called idolatry because it is something that is coming between the Lord and I.

My intentions were honorable, but so very easily I have wandered from the path. I know that I am supposed to seek the Kingdom of God first and everything else I need will fall into place.1

So how did this happen? I’m not sure but it happened to Martha in Luke 10;

38The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"

41The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her." cev

I pray that you haven’t become like me; distracted by “good”. We are warned that the cares of this world will keep us from being fruitful.2 Please keep your focus and pray for me as I try to regain mine. In closing, reflect on the words of Paul:
I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. Ephesians 1:17 cev

God bless you and Merry Christmas.

† I don't run without a goal. 1 Corinthians 9:26a cev
‡ My child, don't lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. Proverbs 3:21-22 nlt (1996)
‡ For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:5 nlt
*Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Colossians 3:10 nlt
**And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:17 nlt
1. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 kjv
2. As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. Luke 8:14 hcsb

Tis’ the Season

2006-11-25T09:05:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas, well, what Christmas is truly about. The over-commercialized, Tickle-Me-Elmo-grabbing, Play-Station-3-stampedeing, lets spend-every-dime-on-junk-I-don’t-need, I’m-going-to-Wal-Mart attitude really sullies the season for me. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, I make both the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge appear cute and cuddly. I can do without the hype.

I do love giving, though. I think that is part of God’s nature that He places in us. I love to watch my family open gifts that I chose especially for them. For some (including my wife), receiving gifts make them feel loved. (The good thing is these types enjoy small tokens as much as large ones.) Of course Christmas provides me many opportunities to provide presents for underprivileged kids and some of our service men and women away from home. Even though my small gesture won’t really impact these individual situations, it will hopefully provide a moment of happiness and joy. Better yet it is a sure fire way to chase away my “Scroogieness”.

I know most of you will participate in some sort of charity giving be it Operation Christmas Child, Toys for Tots or just dropping change in the Savation Army Bucket. If not, I encourage you to do so, if not for someone else's benefit, for your own.

We are blessed by being blessings.

Things I'm Thankful For...

2006-11-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

Grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my church, my ministry, my life (it could be worse), my nation, my health, my home...

The list goes on and on. Count your blessing. Name them one-by-one. (Hey, that's catchy. Someone should write a song.)

Happy Thanksgiving.