Are You the Salt?

"Dear Heavenly Father, let everything I do today be pleasing in Thine sight. Equip me with the strength and the discipline to allow Your Will to be done in and through my life. Let those that cross my path see a reflection of Your love in my heart."                                                                                   -Amen. I often start my mornings with a prayer similar to this one, with the anticipation that God will, in some capacity, use me for His glory. When we ask Jesus for forgiveness from our sins and invite Him to live in our hearts, no longer are we to approach life as we did in our past. We are to strive to be more like Christ, sharing His perfect love with all those around us. I have found this to be a difficult task in our flesh. Though we have made the conscious effort to change, no one is perfect, our human nature is ever ready to spring up at the first sign of weakness. I want to focus on one thought Jesus has put on my heart, something we face d

What are the lowest gas prices that you can remember paying? Gasoline is the beating heart of the modern world. Every facet of our society relies on the production of gas to keep on spinning. Essentially gasoline is what fuels the world. I remember hearing my dad talking about how gas was $0.25 per gallon when he was a teenager, if only it were still that way now! When I first started driving, gas hovered between $1.00 and $1.30 for what seemed like forever. So for me to drive to school, work, and anywhere else I wanted to go, I had to factor in the cost of fueling my car. Just like a car, we are fueled by something. I'm not meaning the chemistry of how our body's work, I'm talking about that which feeds our ambitions, dreams, and desires. In this context, the word "fuel" is synonymous with the word "motivation." Some are fueled by success in a career, a marriage, or a sport. Others are driven by friendships, hobbies, or the use of talents. None of thes

Half of the readers just cringed after reading the title. The other half probably perked up and said let's go. Which half do you fit into? I fit into the group that cringed. It's not that I don't like exercise, I just never have the time, with church, kids, work, house and yard work, etc. Diet on the other hand, is not even in my daily vocabulary. I like food that tastes good more than losing weight as evidenced by my weight. I just "love" when I go to the doctor and have to weigh in for the nurse and she says I don't look that heavy and that I carry it well. What does that mean? Is that just an indirect way of saying your fat? I'm literally laughing out loud as I write this. I'm by no means an expert of nutrition and exercise, but what if I told you that I have a diet and exercise regiment that only takes two days a week, allows you to eat and do as you please the other five days and is guaranteed to have you in the best shape of your life? Many of us

"You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat me?" Quick movie trivia moment, do you know what movie this is from? It's from one of my all-time favorite movies. This quote is from the antagonist of the film, just as Satan is the antagonist of our lives, and we could easily hear this same quote from him at some point during our time in this life. I would say, as of right now, I'm as close as I've ever been in my relationship with Jesus. We walk and talk together daily, and my soul is at peace, though life may be kicking up dust all around me, I know He is right here with me no matter how the enemy may try to tell me otherwise. I recently had a close friend of mine approach me with this one simple statement, "brother, your whole countenance has changed, you're always smiling," but it hasn't always been this way. There was a time in my life where I was so consumed with my wants

Who are you? Who do others say you are? And most importantly, who does God say you are? These are deep and powerful questions for us as Christians to explore. Who we are is who we choose to be. This is one of the few things we have control over in this life. This ability to choose is God's gift to us, and it is His will for us to choose Him, but He will not force that choice upon us, we have to be ready and willing. When we make this choice to serve Him, it needs to be a full-hearted dedication to letting Jesus use us to spread the truth of His love and all-sufficient grace. Once this choice is made, we must proverbially wear it in the open for all to see. Take a moment and contemplate what your opinion of the following analogy means: "A Closet Christian." In my perspective, using "closet" to explain something that has been hidden from plain sight is sorely overused, so I want us to look at this from another perspective. I want us to view Christianity as a physi

When I found Jesus... I was in the darkest of hours, all alone...Had all but given up hope of ever seeing the dawn... Caught in the swell of life's raging sea...Not knowing that He heard my every plea... He heard my faintest cries...He dried the tears from my eyes... Freed me from the enemy's lies and deceit...Picked me up and placed me back on my feet... Filled my heart and soul with His love...Living in me, keeping my life as pure as a dove... Leading me to serve His purpose for my life, when I found Jesus... ...no He found me!