You probably have heard the old saying “count your blessings.” Your grandmother may have said this to you when she heard you complaining about not having enough of something. I know this is an old saying, I don’t know who came up with it, but it may not be a bad idea.

Think about this. In your life there are a number of things that surround you that most of the world does not have….

When was the last time you counted the blessings of flushing the toilet? (2.6 billion lack basic sanitation)

You may work hard for little money, but you have a little money. (over half the population of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day)

Maybe last night’s dinner was not that good, but you had a dinner. (over 800 million people suffer from starvation every day)

I took a shower this morning without even thinking about the blessing of running water. (over 1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water)

BTW if your reading this that’s a blessing too. (nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names)

I know the statistics may vary according to which source you look at however, the truth is I am blessed. Chances are you have more blessings than issues. Stop today and take a look around at all your blessings!  

missing the point

I recently saw this picture which looks pretty darn cool. (I wish I could ride my bike on water) the article can be found article

As I was reading the article and some of the post in response I thought some people can’t see the point if it was right in front of them. The young man that staged the stunt was doing it for awareness for flood victims. Apparently there is a bike ride that will raise money for these victims. To which I say “good job and very creative way to bring awareness.” The picture gets your attention.
The response to the picture is really what got my attention. There were many different people trying to explain how this happened. Some did give props to him for raising awareness, but not the majority of the ones I read.
Here let me state the obvious. You can’t ride your bike on water. (deep sarcasm) There has to be some other trick this guys is doing. DUH! But that is not the point. The point is to think about others that have been devastated by flooding.
Truth is I miss the point sometimes by trying to explain things that really don’t matter.

Just a thought

I Spy

Have you ever played the game I spy? You know the one where one person spots something nearby and everyone else tries to guess what they see. It goes something like this – I spy something red and green. Then you guess and if you get it right you get to spy. Its fun you ought to try it. This stirs my thought about a story in the Bible.

Have you ever heard the story of the 12 spies in the bible? It’s recorded in the book of Numbers ch. 13. 12 men chosen to go into the promise land to search it out and bring back a report.  These men were leaders in each tribe. All 12 were strong men, men of good judgment, men that should have understood the promises of G-d. The Bible calls them heads of the children of Israel.  You probably could name 2 of them, Joshua and Caleb, but what about the other 10.  Here are their names; Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. (We probably remember Joshua and Caleb because we can actually pronounce their names)

They all spied the same things. I spy a land with great things in it. They even brought back evidence of the good things in the land. (Large grapes, pomegranates, etc) I spy giants there, strong giants.  I spy fortified cities. They all saw the same things.

The issue was not what they spied in the land; the issue was what they spied in themselves. 2 of the spies said lets go take the land. We can Do It! 10 spies said no we can’t we are too small. The 10 leaders influenced the whole group to believe what they believed. If we are too small so are you. I spy something feeble in ourselves can’t you see it?  

We all spy giants (difficulties, issues, struggles) in our life. They usually are standing in the very place we desire to go. They are real and huge. You can see them, others can see them, and everyone can see them. But the solution to the giants is what you spy in yourself.   

I spy someone strong, wise, resourceful, beautiful, and able. I spy someone that knows the G-d of the promise land. I spy someone with a fight to move forward. I spy a warrior!

I spy __(insert name her)______.    Now it’s your turn, what do you spy?

BTW – What you see turns into what others see. And what you see will be your legacy. (You don’t hear anything else about the other 10 spies)  

ILYSM

Wow its been a minute since I last posted! Sorry to the many fans! HA


After 18 married years with the same woman (Nikki and I have been together since the 7th grade), some would say it must get old. Waking up next to the same person day in and out for 18 years. That’s 6336 mornings. Not only do we live together but we work together (gasp) and have worked together for many years. And after each day I swear it gets better with time.

I still believe in the sacredness of marriage. I do believe one man can be married to one woman and they can enjoy life together. I do believe the two become one flesh (more than sex). I do believe, with G-d at the center, you can overcome any hurdle. I do believe you can fight together instead of fighting each other.

There are unseen powers that are after our families. They desire to break up and cause lasting issues. The Devil is a LIE!


Much honor to my wife, BFF, lover, My Nikki I really enjoy you more as we (you) grow older together

BIG BUT

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing " And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One."

I know you probably have read this several times. After all we are coming up on the Easter season and there can’t be Easter without the place called the Skull. Have you ever read it and really thought about what’s going on here? It’s absolutely wild. Here are a few thoughts I’ve been playing around with…

V 33 – says they brought Jesus to a place of death and crucified Him. He (Jesus) was placed between 2 criminals (their life lead them to a place of death).

Then there is this BIG BUT at the start of v34. But Jesus was asking for forgiveness not for Himself but for the ones that where crucifying Him. This says to me while they were in the process of crucifying Him- the nails, the thorns, and the pain- He was handing out forgiveness? They didn’t know what they were doing?? But Jesus knew what He was doing??

They did achieve their goal which was to kill Jesus. Crucify Him!! And as much as they achieved, Jesus achieved His goal which was to Forgive them!! On one side you have a group screaming crucify Him, crucify Him. And on the other side you have Jesus screaming forgive them, forgive them!

In v35 they also questioned Him. Was He really who He said He was. They thought that if He was the Christ He would save Himself. But he didn’t? Because He was the Christ, He embraced death so they could live.

Along with the criminals their life leads to death BUT His death leads them to life!

Great Book

Im reading a great book. If you are looking for something to read check it out!

Unshaken -  Rising from the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana

I Wanna Be A Billionaire

I like bluegrass and my son likes this song so this is the best of both worlds.


Thanks Eric