Thanks

Well, here it is Thanksgiving. What a wonderful holiday that seems to be unique to America. I find it sad that we don't think of every day, or at least a few days a week as Thanksgiving. Forget the turkey and the trimmings (I'm fat enough, already) but how about the real get down on your knees kind of Thanksgiving and tell God how much you appreciate what He's done for you. When you look around you, if you really look around you, you will see a lot of people hurting. And the funny thing is you will see a lot of people hrting more than you. Try this; offer a kind word, a cup of coffee, a hand up of some sort from the dark place they are heading and you will discover two things.
1. You will feel a lot better aobut whatever it is that is plaguing you at the present time...and....
2. You will become that for which they are thankful.
Now, don't you feel better already? Go out and give it a try....go on...See you next time.

Wake up call

I try to refrain from politicizing this space, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing day. It's very hard to watch our nation being flushed down the drain by those in power and even harder to realize that so many believe that what is happening is for the good of the citizens of the United States. Is it the beginning of the end times? Perhaps. As a preacher, I try to tell my people not to focus on anything or anyone than Jesus, but also to be aware of the times in which you live. To do otherwise is foolish. This is breif, but a warning is now necessary. Wake up America.
I guess the final nail in the coffin for me was last week at Fort Hood. Shouldn't someone have seen that coming? Muslim radicalism is not a good thing. The koran is not a book of peace. It is filled with hate and disgust for everything but its own. That may sound a bit harsh, but that's how I see it. When compared with the bible, which truly is a book of peace, it is found to be a loathsome book that is at the least incendiary and at the worst, provocative and inflammatory.
In the interst of political correctness, those in charge are afraid to say anything bad about the "peaceful" Muslims. Wake up America, before it's too late.

Seemed like a good idea at the time

Holiday weekends are made for something different. My something different was to take a ride on a motorcycle to help raise a little money for Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child. (Yeah, I know. Suffering for the children) We rode through the beautiful mountains of Eastern Arizona, past Sunrise Ski Area through the towns of Eagar and Springerville and looped back to Show Low. Around here, we call it the great circle route. The only problem was that it was raining, not all the way, sometimes it was hailing. At the time it was hailing, I was behind the others a bit (rest area break) so to play catch up I was going fast. I don't know if you've ever encountered hail on a motorcycle, but little bits of ice pelting you at 75-80 mph is a very different experience. Oddly enough, the ride was still very enjoyable. It may be one of those things that you tell your grandchilderen about and embellish so that there are monsters and evil involved and yet we came out victorious. I told one friend who was riding with us to put on my tombstone, "It seemed like a good idea at the time"
We all have those moments in life where we embark on something with the noblest of intentions and whatever it is becomes more tedious than originally anticipated. We just carry on because the inconvenience is still not greater than the goal for which we strive. I wonder if Jesus thought that what he was doing was more than He originally bargained for as He carried that cross up the hill that day. Obviously not, for He completed His mission. I'm sure He was aware of the pain, the suffering, the horrendous sacrifice He was making even though there would be those who would not appreciate His sacrifice and gain from that noble deed even though the reward for acknowledging this incredible gift is eternal life. (Ok there's a little more to it than that)
It is always, at the very least, impolite to not thank someone for their gift to you. But so many, in their ignorance, go beyond that to even mock the Son of God and those who believe in that precious gift. How sad, especially when the gift was given for everyone who lives. My sincere prayer is that no one would meet Jesus one day (and we all will) and when He asks why you didn't believe in the gift of God your answer is, "Seemed like a good idea at the time." What an eternally wrong statement.
I was once on that side of the fence. I am so glad we serve a merciful God. You think about some very different things while on a motorcycle.