Ecclesiastes 12:10

  In 2014, some of the workers on London's Underground system went on strike for two days. The strike closed 171 of the system's 270 stations, leaving commuters scrambling to find alternative routes using buses, aboveground trains, or the stations that remained open. Researcher were able to track the commuters thru their fare card. They found that most folks went back to their normal routes when the strike was over.   But what was surprising is that when the strike was over, not everybody returned to their habitual commuting route. One in twenty of the commuters who had switched then stayed with the route that they had used during the strike; presumably, they had discovered that it was faster or cheaper or preferable in some other way to their old routine. The disruption had helped them find something better, a way that was there all along but they were too used to the old one   In life, we all fall into patterns of behavior. Some of those can be good things, but som...

  For 364 days of the year growing up, I was not the easiest child to get out of bed. If the circumstances required me to be out of bed at a particular time it usually involved cajoling, threats, and occasionally a glass of cold water.  Yet on one day of the year, I was ‘up and at em’ way too early. In fact, it became a requirement for me to yell out from my room “ Can I get up yet ”?  Can you guess what day that was?   If you have not figured it out, it was a day that started with presents under the Christmas tree. You see on that day, there was something worth being awake early.    There is a common phrase in scripture (Ephesians 5:14, Romans 13:11-12, 1 st Thessalonians 5:6-7) that links being asleep to folks in a dangerous spiritual condition. When it comes to the things of the Lord, we are just kind of out of it. We like a kid in the morning, barely awake wanting to stay in bed.     Maybe we would be more awake, if like a kid at...

   I wonder at times if I developed reverse speaking in tongues.  Instead of the ability to speak and the person hear me in their native language, it seems when I speak to a person it is as if I am just speaking gibberish.   Ok, I know it is not really that. It is not my language that is off but people just are not paying attention. If a person is unwilling to listen it does not matter if I am speaking English or Cantonese they will not understand.   When God wanted to separate people, he confused their language (Genesis 11). When he had a message for the entire world, he made it so everyone heard it in their own language (Acts 2). "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?  … —we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." Acts 2:8-11    Are we listening to those who are telling us God’s message today? I often hear people criticize preachers that they are not preaching th...

  People define themselves in a lot of curious ways. The car they drive, the team they pull for, the brand names they wear, the activities they participate in. We even define ourselves by others. I am a fan of this band and follow this person.   It is not a new phenomenon. In the first century, there were those in Corinth who were defining themselves by popular teachers. I am of Paul, I am of Apollos. Like so many today that name their churches after a person or a practice.   Yet it is clear in the scriptures that isn’t who or what should define us.  As we read in 1 st Corinthians 3:4-5,  “ For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one”.  Our identity should not rest in men but in Christ.  Who I am should be focused on the Great I AM.   There are great teachers I can learn fr...

   It’s the time of year for lists. Your wish list, your shopping list, the list of places you will be traveling to. The guest list, the gift list, the list of things yet to do. The list of New Year’s resolutions, a list of things to get done before the year ends and all that while you are trying to stay off the naughty list.    In all those lists let us not forget the most important list we want to be on: And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in...