I don’t remember God making any promises to believers about being happy. That is unless suffering and persecution make you happy. God’s purpose for his children is not to make us comfortable but to make us Christlike.

God is just as concerned about how you live Monday through Saturday as how you worship on Sunday.

Many people live as practical atheists except on Sunday when they go do some religious rituals, give a bit of spare change, listen to a homily, and then rush out to a local restaurant and soon forget about God until next week. Some people who are God conscious every day still live under the illusion that Sunday “worship” is more important than going to work on Monday in their walk with God. When God calls his people to deny self, to present their bodies as living sacrifices, and to bring glory to him alone, he does not say what day of the week to do it. If you are a great worshiper on Sunday, doing it all right, but are a jerk at work or a poor sport at the ball field, sorry but you just canceled out Sunday’s activities for all practical purposes.  Spiritual worship is done with complete openness and transparency, it is not a costume party.

Churches should not be in competition like businesses are.

Some people seem to believe that God’s will for their community or town is that their church, the one they attend, should be the largest, get the most attention, receive the most accolades from the media, and be the church in town. Nope, not so. God only has one people. There is only one body of Christ and likely some of them attend almost every church in your town and you are just not that special. It just might be that God, if he is able to favor one congregation over another, might just give the nod to the little group on the wrong side of the tracks that is more humble than the loudest bunch in town. Until we learn that every group of Christ followers are our brothers and sisters, and are just as valuable as we are, we have a lot to learn.

If we don’t love our forever family members we don’t love God.

Now we can pretend it an’t so, but it is. We can look down our self-righteous noses at people who claim Jesus as Lord because they have a different view of theology than we do, or because they have different worship styles, or God forbid because of their skin color…and when we do we have proven that we really don’t love God. We are in fact pretenders. Oh, we might be saved, but we are far from mature believers with those sorts of attitudes. Any group that makes the claim they are the only true church, an’t (that’s isn’t to those of you with earned degrees).

Living a life that pleases God is easy easier said than done.

When I give up God shows up. When I trust more than I try I just might be a disciple of Jesus. But oh how I want some credit! I don’t want the glory that is only due God. I just want you to think about what a good man I am, how devout, how humble, etc. to the point of nausea… What God has always wanted is people who just take him at his word and obey instantly, every time. That should be easy. But there is a part of me that rebels against that idea with a fury born of hell and the war in constantly on. That is except when I am in willing retreat, on leave, allowing my flesh to rule me. Have you ever been there? Are you now?

I am in no better position with God than the lowest, most rotten sinner, except for the worth and work of Jesus, and you are not either.

Jesus came to life a life I couldn’t live, die a death I should have died, pay a price I owed, and take the punishment I deserved. He met all of God’s demands for me, took all of God’s wrath against me, died for me freeing me from the law and its penalty, was raised for me so I can live a new life, and made me an adopted son of God with heirship, sonship, and relationship with the Creator God. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Will I ever do everything right? No. Will I ever stop doing some things wrong? No, not on this side of the grave. Without Jesus Christ I am completely lost, alone, helpless and hopeless. But in Him I am a victor! I am destined to immortality and not to wrath and the second death. And though safe and secure I can only say with the song writer “Nothing in my hand I bring, only to the cross I cling”.

This is the way I see it, what about you?

Royce

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
(Proverbs:3:5,6)

These two verses from Proverbs are some of the most widely known Proverbs and a favorite of many. Tonight during our “Peak of the Week” Wednesday night worship at White’s Ferry Road Church, our preacher Mike Kellott quoted this passage and made some comments. Immediately when I saw these verses on the screen many thoughts blazed through my mind, I knew I would write a post on those verses.

These two simple verses sum up what it means to walk with God. No seminary degree is required, you don’t need commentary, you only need to carefully read it and allow the Holy Spirit to pour into your heart and mind God’s way for those who would walk with God. Consider these truths.

Walking with God does not depend on human effort.

Right away the message is clearly stated, “Stop trying and start trusting”. When you and I live our lives before God in the energy of our human flesh alone we can only expect what human flesh can achieve. “Trust in the Lord”, do not trust yourself. If you do, you become god taking the place that only Jesus Christ should occupy, Lord of your life. You can expect God sized results when you “Trust in the Lord”!

Walking with God does not depend on what you know.

If you want to get into trouble quickly and stay there just rely upon your own resources. There are those who lean heavily upon their education. They foolishly believe that they have learned enough so that they can chart a course for life and just follow that well planned journey and things will be great. The text screams “NO”, “Don’t depend on what you know!”, “Depend on WHO you know”.

Walking with God requires a surrendered heart.

If you would walk with God the starting point is to raise the white flag of surrender. That’s right, give up. Admit you can’t do it. You have no power concerning what tomorrow may bring, you are helpless, so the sooner you admit it the better off you will be. In Romans 12 Paul paints the picture of a person laying himself on an altar as a sacrifice to the Lord so that God’s will may fully be known and experienced. “Present you body a living sacrifice..”, there is no other way.

Consider these things as you begin your journey of faith today.

Appropriate and appreciate God’s promises!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart!” That leaves no room to trust yourself. You have been promised “I am with you” and “I will never leave you” and God has said to you “Trust me alone and I’ll take care of the journey ahead”.

Acknowledge and anticipate God’s power!

“He will make straight your paths!” Relax, you don’t have to try to make anything happen. If you will trust Him,  and acknowledge Him, He will make it happen for you. The decisions will be made before you need the answer. He can “make” a way for you, in fact He can make “the way” for you.

Accept and applaud God’s provision!

Let’s review. What has God asked of you? Stop trying, start trusting. Don’t depend of your resources, depend on His. Recognize His presence and power and expect His provision. It takes the “I” and “me” out of the equation doesn’t it? God wants each of us to trust Him alone, do not trust human flesh, acknowledge Him in “everything”, and He will “make” it all work out.

How can we remain silent about our great God when we know his promises, His presence, His power, and His mighty provision for us?

The God who “so loved the world that He gave His only Son” for you, is for you and not against you. All He asks in return is rely on Him and not yourself, recognize He is with you all the time and in everything, and trust the future and the results to Him.

Romans 8:26-39

Agape’

Royce

Who can imagine what the next decade, or the next 25 years will be like? I have a profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and some others. Some of my friends have even more. For about $39 I can do an impressive background check on almost anyone if I know their name, or telephone number, or address, and I can do it in about one minute.

I have enjoyed contacting old classmates and catching up with old friends from places I’ve lived over the last 50 years. I think last time I looked I had something over 700 friends on Facebook. I don’t know most of them but someone I know knows them so they wanted to be my friend. I have no idea why.

So I’m thinking today….just how effective is the social networking platforms for ministry, and more specifically for evangelism. One way to measure this is to compare 2010 to about 80 or 90 A.D.

A group of rag-tag fishermen, a tax collector, a doctor, and other roustabouts started to follow Jesus of Nazareth. He performed miracles, healed the infirm, opened blinded eyes, fed multitudes with a few loaves of bread and a few fish, raised the dead, and preached. His message was against the established religion of the day and he was considered by most of the church crowd to be quite a rebel.

You know the story, Jesus was executed after being convicted in a kangaroo court, and then after being buried for 3 days he was raised from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus was common knowledge in all the near countries in a short time.

These first century evangelists were common men and women who for the most part were uneducated, had very limited training in the Scriptures, didn’t like each other, many of them were dirt poor, yet they turned the world upside down for the cause of Christ. At once after the events of that first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection the gospel swept across the land like the wind.

No printing presses for flyers or tracts, or Bibles. No telephones, no telegraphs, none of almost everything we take for granted today, and the record shows that those first century Christians were indeed very effective. And, the record is also clear that we are not very effective. Especially in this country we are loosing ground, not holding our own. Some of the sects are recruiting members at much higher rates. Why?

One would think that with all the technology, all the education, all the wealth, we should be blazing with evangelistic zeal. We aren’t.

Maybe we are too comfortable

Cars with nav systems, huge flat screen HDTV’s, cosmetic surgeons, lake houses and club memberships are standard fare for some of us. Even the poorest of us (in the U.S.A.) are rich compared to much of the rest of the world. We are full and happy, and making plans to build bigger barns.

We have no persecution

Severe persecution marked the history of the church for the first several centuries after Christ was raised from the dead. That persecution was the very thing God used to spread the people and thus the message of the good news far and wide. Christ promised it would come, and it did to them, and it turned out to be good for the gospel cause. Maybe we haven’t done anything threatening enough to be persecuted for.

Maybe we are off message

Those earliest gospel heralds preached Jesus, his death, burial, and resurrection. It was the resurrection that stirred up the opposition the most. We preach on it a lot on Easter Sunday but not a lot otherwise. We quote scripture to each other on Facebook and try to one-up each other with pithy quotes on Twitter, but there is precious little gospel out reach on the social platforms I know about.

Maybe we are going and doing in our own power

Jesus said “I have all the power in heaven and on earth and I’ll give it to you”. You go wait until you receive that power and then go be my witnesses and I’ll be with you, you have nothing to fear.” So, this bunch of guys who ran like rabbits before Jesus was crucified, less than two months later were mighty men of God who feared nothing but God. Maybe we should wait before God in prayer until we have that same power for gospel witness.

Maybe we need a new profile

Instead of thinking I’m Bob, a teacher, father, and avid football fan who is a Christian, we should be thinking I’m a Christian who happens to be a teacher, father, and football fan. Maybe a new identity would change our sense of worth and affect our work for Jesus and the gospel. A different profile might result in new priorities.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Royce

The traditional way we build churches is sort of  a competition. Group “A” will locate a town with no church like their brand in it and they will plant a church there. Then they will try to grow that church, especially numerically. In truth, the goal, even if unspoken, is to be the largest church in town one day. I think its settled that the way success is measured is by Sunday a.m. attendance isn’t it?

Consider a new way.

A congregation wants to evangelize Yourtown, USA.  Three young couples who have been discipled and are mature believes are willing to move to the town to plant a church. So they move, find housing, get jobs, put the kids in school, and start meeting in the living room of one of the couples. The group grows, and soon outgrows the living room. Here is where the story changes.

(Back to Yourtown, USA for a moment. Lets suppose this town has 8 major apartment complexes, 4 large subdivisions, and a large trailer park. There are jobs, a favorable climate, acceptable tax structure, and people are moving in.)

The traditional way, is to begin trying to find a larger space, first to rent, until they get big enough to purchase land and build a building. And many thousands have done just that. In a few years they have lets say 200 solid members.

What if when Bob and Carol’s space becomes too small, they simply start a simultaneous group over at Ted and Alice’s apartment complex, and when that space gets to small they begin another at Bill and Susan’s trailer park meeting room, etc, etc, etc.

You tell me which is more Biblical and a more effective model.

Traditional: In five years there are two hundred members, two services on Sunday and one on Wednesday night. There are Bible classes, the church is supporting foreign missions, people are happy and things are going well. People are members from all over the town, there were 7 baptisms last year and some other families joined whose jobs brought them here. The young church has a full-time preacher, a youth minister, two elders, and a huge mortgage. Pretty typical huh?

Non-Traditional: In five years there are 12 cell churches. Each of them meets weekly for teaching, praying together, communion, worship, and mutual encouragement. Each member of each group lives in the apartment complex, subdivision, trailer park, etc. For instance, Ted and Alice have 9 couples in their group and are about to birth another in a nearby community where a member’s brother and his wife live. Ted and Alice and the other 8 families minister to the people who live in this complex, first, and then to others. When someone has a death in the family these Christians are there with food, a listening ear, baby sitting, money, or whatever help they can give. Ted and Alice and their group try desperately to love the people of that complex in Jesus stead. They will see people who have been loved open to the gospel and the Lord will add to his church.

Twelve small communities are being saturated with Christian love, concern, and modeling life as it should be lived to a watching world. Each of those complexes, subdivisions, and trailer parks are well aware of these good people who want nothing but to love them.

The leaders of the several groups meet once every few weeks to pray for each other and their people, to brainstorm, to plan large group community fairs, picnics, ect where the whole town (and all the groups) can be invited. Three men, who each lead a group, are elders. Any problems that cannot be sorted out by the people themselves is shared with these  three men who decide what is best and right.

Which model is better?

I contend that the very best traditional church, where most of what happens happens inside the “building” can never reach a community as well as the newer model. There is no competition between groups in the new model because when a group gets to about 9 or 10 families (or less) they have already been praying about where to begin a new church. (they are churches you know…) There is no salary to pay, there is no mortgage payment, so guess what? The people have more discretionary dollars to use to help others and support missions.

In my view the new model is an ego crusher. There is no big “I” and little “you”. There is just Christians being salt and light to the people who live near them. They are Christ’s ambassadors to the people they play ball with, bowl with, eat BBQ with, etc.

It might be a new way or the highway!

The attractional model of doing church once worked pretty well. No more in my view. If we don’t find a way, some way, to actually be involved in our neighbors lives with love, and help, and healing, and hope, we are a dying breed. There are some churches, even mega-churches, that are doing a great job of ministering to the communities they serve. They are meeting the needs of the people in tangible ways and making opportunities for gospel conversations. They are rare though, and I think becoming more rare.

I can imagine dozens of house churches all over a city sitting in living rooms, or on back porches, watching a live stream of a man of God teaching the Bible on a big screen TV patched to a computer. What does the future hold? Only God knows. I do know that where ever God’s sheep are that is where the church is, big or small, traditional or non-traditional. Jesus is still building it and until He comes for it, we get to work with him in his mission.

Agape”

Royce

via 10 Things Arminians DON’T Have a Problem With, BUT SHOULD.

An interesting read. What do you think?

I believe that at least some Armenians believe things happen by random chance. The Bible does not support that view.

Consider these facts:

• God did not have a  pre-conception interview with Mary and her parents to arrange for her pregnancy by the seed of God. He simply announced to her: “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…” (Luke 1:31,32)
• When it was time for the Ethiopian official to hear the gospel, God sent a preacher.
• When God needed a man to reveal his truth about the gospel of Christ and to suffer for his name He confronted Saul of Tarsus, rebuked him, and announced his plan for Paul’s life and work.

If we believe these things, and we do, isn’t it odd that we think God can’t, or doesn’t, decide about who will or will not be saved? “Whosoever will let him come” is an invitation from God himself and it does not conflict in the least with his command that those who will come were chosen before the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God.

At age 65 I find myself still trying to sort out what I believe and why. There is much I don’t know. There are some things I believe but am not sure why, but I am searching, praying, listening…

Agape’

Royce

My earliest memories include a pan of momma’s biscuits on the table. For more than 60 years her biscuits were as consistent as McDonald’s french fries. They were always fluffy and light and boy did they taste good! In her later years, mom made her biscuits on top of the stove in an aluminum pan. It is a hinged pan with two equal sides. She knew just the right amount of time for side A and then she would flip it over to side B and when they came out of that pan into the wicker basket they were perfect.

My dad’s lunch when he was a school boy was a biscuit sandwich of some sort. Sometimes jelly, or if they had it, a piece of pork. He loved those lunches and after many decades still had warm memories of grandma Ogle’s biscuits. He would be quick to tell you though that “Vivian’s are the best anywhere”.

Things are simpler now. A flat of Pillsbury biscuits at Sam’s Club is about $3.00, they are already cooked, and are delicious. They only need to be heated a bit and I think they are just as good as mamma’s. There is no need for the process, or the skill, of making them from scratch. You can go from hungry to munching on a wonderful biscuit in about 20 seconds!

Biscuits and gravy will surely be served at the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. How could a place really be heaven without biscuits and gravy? Carol serves up biscuits and gravy for my breakfast several times and month. Now some folks, mainly city slickers, think that sort of table fare isn’t good for you. Well, let me tell you something. This antique body is programmed to only run with perfect precision when fueled often with biscuits and pork grease.

Hot biscuits with butter and honey, with blackberry jelly, with peach preserves, or with apple butter are unbeatable. Once in a blue moon I’ll run across someone who knows what red-eye gravy is. A biscuit soaked in red-eye gravy is oh so good! My favorite I suppose is biscuits and gravy with eggs and sausage. I want the eggs over easy, the sausage spicy, and I break the biscuits in little pieces and cover the whole mess with gravy. That is right up there with good collard greens and corn bread!

Hey gals, want to make your feller happy! Give him biscuits, lots of biscuits, he’ll love you for it! I have never talked to a guy down at the service station who said “My wife makes the very best toast anywhere”. They say the way to a guy’s heart is his stomach. I’m pretty sure when God created stomachs the next thing he thought of was hot biscuits. There is no doubt biscuits have saved lots of marriages. You think I’m joking but nope, I really believe it.

See you at the local Cracker Barrel. I’ll be the old guy with a breakfast menu in my hand!

Royce

“Worship leaders”, “worship teams”, and “worship music” are fairly recent terms that are now as common as pews and pulpits. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these. I question though, just how much they contribute to genuine worship of the Almighty God of the Bible.

In today’s Christian world, worship has been defined as some particular activity that takes place primarily on Sunday morning before the preacher delivers his message. That activity is singing. And, worship has been more narrowly defined as not only just singing, but singing only a certain kind of music, “worship music”, or “praise and worship” music. So the implication is that if you are singing “worship” music you are worshipping. That is foreign to the Bible. Am I to believe that none of Charles Wesley’s songs, Fanny Crosby’s songs, or any of the old hymns were ever used in worship? Christians were worshiping God many hundreds of years before “praise and worship” music and Powerpoint presentations were invented.

The dead give away that this so-called worship might be bogus, is the way most of the so-called worshippers critique the so-called worship. Comments usually follow along this line of thought. “We had a great worship service this morning. The music was so beautiful!” Or, some of our more uninhibited friends might say, “Worship was great today, you could really feel the Spirit in the service”. When worship is measured by the experience or the skill of the human participants, I promise you it is not Biblical worship.

Worship is not something to be experienced, but something given to God. Worship is not about me and you, but rather about God. Jesus said to the woman of Samaria that worship is to be done “in Spirit and in truth”. I fear that we as believers in modern times have not fared well in the “truth” department of worship.

Worship is first and foremost about surrender. I can be bold to say that a person who has hardly given God a thought all week is not likely to worship on Sunday morning. He or she might go through the motions, sing the songs, or even lead the songs, but in the end, not have worshipped. Paul in Romans 12:1-2 gives some great insight into the real meaning and method of true worship.

My paraphrase goes like this.

“I beg you brothers, in view of the fact that God did not condemn you to hell as you and I deserve, but has shown us mercy; Present the whole of who you are to God as a living sacrifice. Surrender yourselves completely to God for His pleasure and purpose. This dying to self in complete surrender to God for his use, is not unreasonable in view of His mercy, but is rather, “reasonable worship”. And, don’t be conformed to this culture, but rather be transformed by having your thinking made new by the word of God.”

Being “transformed by the renewing of your mind..” speaks again to the “truth” part of the equation of the elements of worship. It doesn’t matter how spiritual you might feel after doing a religious exercise, unless you have conformed your activity to the truth of the word of God you have not worshipped.

Not only is worship about surrender, it must be God centered and not people centered. Worship is akin to faith. Faith is vain and useless unless it is directed toward the right object. The strength or measure of faith is not nearly as important as the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus. Worship is exactly the same. Unless the object of our worship is God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, our worship isn’t worship, it is religion.

Royce

I have a news alert for Republicans, Tea Party types or not. Blasting President Obama, trying to make much more of the Mosque debate than is rational, and making vague promises that mean nothing except that more hot air has been expelled an’t gonna cut it with the voters.

What Conservative will offer a list of entitlement programs he will work to cut if elected? What programs, (or departments) will you work to do away with? Don’t tell me you are going to cut the “rate of spending” or the spending “rate of growth”, that is not a cut. Don’t bother voters with political-speak, just be honest if possible. You have not cut spending unless the dollars spent last year is more than the dollars spent this year. Cutting the rate of growth in spending is still an increase. Do you think we are stupid?

There are things I like about Newt, Mitt, and Sarah, but give us some meat and potatoes we can believe. I am weary of fluff and noise with no substance. Unless Republicans or Independents can articulate a variety of positive, concrete, changes the American voter can buy into get ready for more of the same!

I’m waiting for a candidate who is more than hot air. Anyone can criticize President Obama and the Congress. It doesn’t take a great political mind to do that. Is there one statesman alive today? I don’t know one. If one person, male or female, straight or gay, will come to the platform and put America and her citizens first, and present an agenda for real change, I’ll support you and vote for you if I’m able. I’ll do everything I can to stop anyone who claims to be conservative and is only a donkey wearing an elephant head.

If anyone knows a potential Conservative Presidential candidate for 2012 who is Reagan-like, let me know. I am not aware of one yet.

I want (I don’t think I’m alone here…) the following:

• Less government, not slower growth of government.
• Less entitlement dollars spent, not less growth of spending
• Stronger Defense
• Someone who will work to enforce immigration law (someone who will fire anyone in his administration who uses the phrase “comprehensive immigration reform”.
• A candidate who if elected will actually honor and respect states rights.
• Someone who believes this country is a Constitutional Republic and governs as if they believe it.
• A person who will tell the UN to take a hike and run them out of the country. How could they be more useless?
• Someone who believes in the free enterprize system, who doesn’t believe profit is evil, who will admit in public that Al Gore is a bag of wind, and who has the courage to call our national enemies out by name.

Well, I want more, but this would do for a start. We are in big time trouble!

American citizen,

Royce ogle

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. (Acts 9:15,16)

God’s plan for Paul from the beginning was that he should carry his name and suffer greatly along the way. And, Paul completely understood this calling.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul gives this snapshot of his life.

far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

This is hardly a description of the life of a minister of the gospel of Christ according to popular teaching today. The common teaching is “God wants you to be happy”, “Your best days are ahead”, and even that you should expect perfect health and have financial success. What hogwash!

For a Christian, suffering is not a bad thing, it is a good thing, provided you are suffering for the cause of Christ. Paul referred to his manifold troubles as “light and momentary” and meaningless compared to the glory that awaits at Christ’s coming.

Peter advised this response to troubles for the cause of Christ.

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ( 1 Peter 12,13)

What about suffering that is not for the cause of Christ? I think we should have the same attitude knowing full well that our God who loves us is for us and in His infinite plan is working everything together for our ultimate good. (Romans 8:28)

In both suffering for Christ and all other suffering we are to be people of faith. We are to unshakingly trust the promises of God while looking for our Saviour from heaven.

Yes, some are chosen to suffer for Christ and the gospel and others are to face other suffering with faith and rejoicing so that a watching world is pointed to Jesus by whose stripes they too can be healed.

Agape’
Royce

Things I would like to do, or have, but probably will not.

1. Own a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. The Little General vetoes this one.
2. Own or build a 1937 Ford flat-back sedan street rod. Bank account says “No way Jack!”
3. Visit Scotland, the home of my ancestry. Maybe…
4. Get a tattoo. I don’t have an answer! I just like a meaningful, tasteful tat, that’s all.
5. Catch a bass over 14 lbs. Could January be the magic time?
6. Live to see my 6 grandchildren grown up. …and be healthy when I get there.
7. Spend a day on the lake with Hank Parker.
8. Compete in a NASCAR race. Hey! It’s my list!
9. Hike the Appalachian Trail with my brother. At least several miles of it.
10. Have dinner with Newt Gingrich.

Things I should do and can do but probably will not.

1. Write poetry again.
2. Write content on GraceDigest.com that is what I enjoy, and less what I think needs to be written.
3. Write a book. This is a completely selfish pipe dream and I don’t even have a pipe!
4. Seek out more preaching opportunities. It helps me stay focused on what is most important.
5. Smile more on purpose even when it doesn’t come easy.
6. Stay in touch with old friends even when they don’t respond in like kind. I need what they offer, even when it’s difficult to get it from them.
7. Watch the news on TV less. I have actually been doing much better on this one. It makes me negative and cynical.
8. Give more attention to focused prayer, especially intercession. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray He taught them to intercede for others and he taught them to pray together.
9. Encourage more prayer in the small groups I am a part of.
10. Become a better man. Trust me, I know where to start.

Things I regret.

Oh sure, I have a list but I’m not telling you! If you really think you need to know ask God, I told him.

I am full of thanksgiving for all the manifest ways God has blessed my life. I completely understand that I don’t deserve one tiny good thing, every good thing is a symbol of God’s grace toward me.

I have nothing legitimate to complain about. My life is full and rich and wonderful. Tomorrow will be another chapter in a love story about a God who loved a sinner and showed it.

Royce