Inspiration Thursday

What inspires you?  Do you see a human interest story on the evening news that is inspiring?  What about hearing a speech that was meant to motivate or inspire others.  It seems that the older I get, the more difficult it is to be inspired about some things.  I don't wash and wax the car as often as I once did and I am usually found at the car wash instead of dragging out the bucket and hose in the driveway.  While I love college football but I may never again venture into an 80,000 seat stadium and fight for my 18" of bleacher seating, and then fight the traffic after the game.  I prefer to stay home and watch it on cable.  One thing that has always inspired me is music.  I don't play an instrument or read music, and I don't sing well, but I have always had a love for music.  I grew up listening to Ray Charles, The Everly Brothers, The Temptations, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.  In my 20's I listened to Gordon Lightfoot, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Elton John, and Lynard Skynard.  In my 30's it was The Eagles among others.  By the early 90's I was listening to Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, but the Eagles were still there as well.  With all of that said, there has always been a thread of inspirational music in my life, even when I wasn't the most spiritual person around. I grew up listening to Tennessee Ernie Ford and I sang the Hymns in church.  Today, inspirational music is what I listen to most.  I love the hymns, Southern Gospel, and Contemporary Christian music.  I find myself inspired by these songs.
The hymns are where most of us first learned that "Jesus Loves Me" and scripture is easier to memorize when it is set to music.  The Bible tells us to hide God's Word in our heart in order that we may resist sin.  Furthermore, God tells us that,"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God my be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16). Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  He may wander off into the ditch occasionally, like the prodigal son, but if a child is grounded in scripture He is more likely to return to those teachings as an adult than to continue into destruction and I am an example of this.
Now, I find inspiration in God's Word, and I find it truly inspiring when set to music.







Okay, I'm inspire now. How about you? Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

Speed to Burn

Back in the twentieth century (the mid sixties to be exact), when I was in high school, there were far fewer sports for student athletes to choose to participate in, at least in Oklahoma. In the fall, there was FOOTBALL...period!

Winter brought basketball and wrestling (and wrestling was king in Oklahoma).  When spring came, baseball, swimming, and track & field were offered.  My choices were football, rest, baseball.  I only participated in track on an intramural level.  My 100m time was good for high school.  My long jump distance was just shy of 24 feet.  My distance running was abysmal.  I didn't like the mile and I hated the 800m.  200m was as far as I cared to run at one time.  Whenever we had to run a mile for time, I ran just fast enough to get a grade of "A".  If 6 min. and 30 seconds got me an "A", I ran somewhere between 6:05 and 6:20.  However, when it came to the long jump, I was always trying to figure out how to jump farther.  A new personal record was always my goal.  It was a matter of love for the event that determined my priorities.

The priorities that we set in our lives have a lot to do with our success and happiness in this life.  This world would tell you that you need to work more jobs, longer hours, and put out a stronger effort than anyone else in order to be successful, make more money, and be happy.  Some of the most miserable people I have ever met are those who are caught up in the rat race.  True happiness comes from God and God alone.

In the Bible, Jesus himself says, "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." An abundant life is not filled with diplomas, medals, possessions, or positions of honor.  An abundant life is filled with peace, joy, strength, comfort, love, and humility.  All of these things come from the Creator through His son, Jesus Christ.  While I was never a distance runner in high school, life is not a sprint, it is a marathon and we are all in it for the long haul.  The race of life is worth the extra effort necessary to finish well.  That effort includes prayer, study of Gods word, worship, and obedience to the instructions of the greatest "life coach" of all...God Almighty.

Skywatch Friday - Good Friday Edition

Many Christians begin their Easter Celebration on Good Friday.  Most churches have some sort of service on Good Friday.  Christ was crucified on Friday.  But that was Friday...Sunday is coming.  Those who opposed Christ and His ministry thought that they had won the victory and that they would not be bothered with this itinerant preacher any longer.  Since He did not save Himself by coming down from the cross, He could not possibly be the Son of God.  Christ did not come to this earth to save Himself.  He came that the world, through Him, might be saved.  God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to pay the price for sin and provide a way that all of us can spend an eternity in the presence of our Savior.  Good Friday is all about an Old Rugged Cross.



There are those who want a relationship with Christ but they believe that they need to clean a few things up before accepting Him as their Savior.  They don't believe that they are good enough to ask God for forgiveness.  None of us are.  And there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves good enough to be acceptable to Him.  We have to swallow our pride, acknowledge our situation and come to Him, just as we are.  That's all that He asks.  He has done everything else.