I have many achievements in life. I was in the Army and led a platoon of soldiers through a war (11th Chemical Company, 5th Platoon, Gulf War), I serve the hungry and addicted (Grace and Grits), I have a band (The Vicar Bry Band), I am a pastor and am blessed to serve a wonderful church (a group of people at LifePoint Christian Church). Yet, I still often feel that I don’t deserve God’s love. Why? I guess because all these things are simply that……things. I have become to a large degree accepted humbly that I deserve none of this and yes, I deserve even less. What opens up and fills my day though, is that God, indeed Jesus, loves me and has shown me incredible grace which I in turn want to show to others. These things have earned me nothing (other than maybe good memories) Read More
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May17th
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May15th
Yesterday my daughter, Shannon, stopped by and dropped off my grandson Isaac. He’s just 16 months old. She put him down on the floor on the other side of the room as I sat in my big red recliner reading the news. He immediately got up with a huge smile and ran over to me with this look in his eyes that said, “Grandpa, I want to sit with you”. Wow, what did I do to deserve this little boy’s love? He brightens my day and warms my heart and indeed, I must brighten his day and warm his heart! Read More -
May14th
Mark 10:10-12, Remarriage
Posted in: Gospel of Mark, New Testament
A wife asks her husband, “Honey, if I died, would you remarry?” He replies, “After a considerable period of grieving, I guess I would. We all need companionship.” “Well”, she asked, “If I died and you remarried, would she live in this house?” “We’ve spent a lot of money getting this house just the way we want it. I’m not going to get rid of my house. I guess she would.” “If I died and you remarried, and she lived in this house,” the wife asks, “would she sleep in our bed?” “Well, the bed is brand new, and it cost us $2,000. It’s going to last along time, so I guess she would.” “If I died and you remarried, and she lived in this house and slept in our bed, would she use my golf clubs?” “Oh, no,” the husband replies. “She’s left-handed.” Read More -
May14th
Mark 10:5-9, Marriage
Posted in: Gospel of Mark, New Testament
The world tells us to “try people on for size”. The world tells us to marry for convenience under the shadow of love. But God tells us that when we marry, we should be ready to wade through the muck of life together as a team. God, indeed Jesus, tells us that if we are committed to each other, all things are possible; we should start out with that commitment and commit to never losing that commitment! Jesus is telling us not to be hard hearted like the Pharisees……but He IS saying to be hard hearted in your determination to make your marriage work….with His help. Read More -
May13th
I am a “used husband” as my wife occasionally jokes. I am okay with her joke, I have been indeed divorced. I was married on a whim, we weren’t in love and I was a cultural Christian, meaning that I was not following Jesus but would say I was a Christian if asked because my parents were Christians. I also met this girl at a party, we got wasted drunk and we started living together that night. We had no children and our union was both shallow and stupid (we would probably both agree with that assessment). I will share more some other time. Now that that is out of the way, I want to share God’s heart. Read More -
May13th
Mark 9:48-50, Stay Salty
Posted in: Gospel of Mark, New Testament
Ever looked back at your life and been thankful for the struggles? We’ve all made mistakes in life. The question is, WHAT do we learn from our mistakes? Do we learn to be more careful doing the wrong thing, or do we learn to not do the wrong things again. There IS A BIG difference. It is so important to learn from our mistakes, otherwise we simply repeat them and they often lead to even deeper and more costly mistakes. Don’t let the word “mistakes” throw you. We all know that many of our “mistakes” were intentional….we just thought we could away with it and we wanted something else really bad….usually a pleasure of some sort, something to do with our pride or ego or some material thing. Read More -
May11th
No matter what your aspirations are in life, indeed, no matter what you want to do in your life…HEED THESE WORDS: Aspire to be a surgeon! It’s in the Bible, and Jesus tells you that it is best for you! Be a surgeon! Oops, gotta go, they are paging me…..”Paging Doctor Jan, Paging Doctor Jan…..Report to surgery immediately….paging Doctor Jan”……. Read More -
May8th
Very often we don’t recognize our influence on others. Other times it is crystal clear. As parents we have a deep influence on our children, both in teaching them as well as in their observance of our actions and interactions with them and others. As followers of Christ, we have a very similar influence on ALL those around us, believers and non-believers alike. -
May8th
My wife and I are in many ways opposites. I have always said that our marriage is built on a team concept. We both have strong and weak qualities to bring to our marriage. Where I am weak, she is strong and vica versa. In fact, I believe that a strong tenant of any marriage should be recognizing each other as “unique” rather than “different”. Hmmmmmmmmm, this could be applied throughout life, couldn’t it? “Unique rather than different”….. Read More -
May7th
“Oh, how I wish I could be child again!” Interestingly enough, Jesus shares your wish. In as many words, he says, “Oh how I wish you just become like a child again”. Gives a whole new perspective on being childish, huh? When I was younger (20-40 years old), my life was full of ambition. In many ways it still is. The difference is that then “I” was trying to make my mark on the world by “my” own strategy and achievements. Now, I simply seek submit to God’s will in my life, humbly trusting Him in all things and just wanting to be in His presence knowing that I am loved and wanting to share my love. I am forever in His classroom. “Oh, how I enjoy being a child again!” Read More
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