It Never Gets Old . . .

Tennessee vs Arkansas | 1989 | National Championship on the line |

It was my first year living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Invited to watch this game with some friends. Had to endure 3 1/2 quarters of trash talking, fight song singing, and overall unbearable environment. Until, with 1:47 left in the game, Arkansas up by 2 and simply running out the clock, this happened 

CUE: Video. 

Then, suddenly, I was the only one trash talking, fight song singing, and making life difficult for a room full of Hog fans. What a great day! 

P.S. We went on to win the first BSC College Football National Championship beating Florida State in the Championship game. 

Notes To Myself

1) Remember today who I serve. Let today be the day that I will keep my eyes focused on Him. I worship the true God, the great I Am, the God who is not surprised or intimidated by anything that will happen to me today. I worship Almighty God who knows me better than anyone else, loves me more than anyone else, and will never leave me or forsake me for a single moment.

2) Pray Scripture. When I pray back the Word of God I am praying the will of God. Prayer is primarily not for me to submit my requests to God but to refocus my mind, heart and soul in alignment with His desires.

King Tut

 Classic.

The Power of Praise

The line between hope and despair can become transparently thin in certain seasons of our life. It is easy to cross from one worldview to the other, often within the same conversation or even while praying. In fact, without deliberate intention, our minds can drift from faith to fear in seconds. We are, after all, mortal creatures and though as Christians we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, the question of how much control we give Him is still dependent on our free will.

So what should be our response when we experience those moments of utter darkness and despair? When words fail, our hope has fled and our foundational beliefs laid bare for all to see. What have we built our hope upon? If we have based it on our own abilities and resources then we have built our houses upon sand. This life is not the paradise we long to experience. Heaven is promised but not until we pass from this life.  And by the way, just as goodness cannot always be attributed to God's favor, suffering cannot always be linked directly to our sins. It is the height of foolishness to attribute all of our circumstances to our own decisions. God's thoughts and ways are not my ways and how He chooses to fulfill His will through me is not always something I will understand.