This July 4th

The Statue of Liberty was given to the people of the United States from the people of France in 1886 in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. The Statue of Liberty’s symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well this international friendship. On the tablet held in her left hand is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. The statue is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island, south of Ellis Island. Over the years, she has greeted millions of immigrants entering their new home and has been a symbol of hope for a better life.

In the same way, God greets us at times with a spectacular sight in our stress filled present to remind us about hope. It might be a rainbow, a sunset, or a beautiful field of flowers. He may greet us in a song we hear or a movie we see. Many movies have lines that we remember. I remember one line in the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption”, the main character Andy writes to his friend Red, "Hope is a good thing…maybe the best of things."

How can hope make a difference and why is it such a major part of the Christian life? It’s because it gives patience in time of difficulty. For regardless of circumstance, hope keeps us looking forward to becoming liberated from bondage and set free as God’s children. Hope breeds more hope. It has the power to break old habits and create new ones that are good. Hope is a winner. It builds momentum and lights the fire to success. Then success breeds more success and the link to being a winner is established.

In just a few weeks, the 2012 Olympics begin in London England. The Iconic symbol of London is Tower Bridge which was built because of the increased commercial development in the East End of London which required a new river crossing. Ironically, the construction started the same year the Statue of Liberty was given to the United States.

I love bridges and remember years ago visiting the Golden Gate Bridge; the great landmark of San Francisco. Bridges are sometimes used to explain the love of God for all of us; that Christ is our bridge to help us cross over. He provides the path to follow right now and take us home to victory. Just like the love given to us in Christ as the bridge from here to eternity. Love is the greatest God given gift. Greater than being given the skills to make the Olympics, run a thriving business, or Pastor a growing church.

One time at the church I worship at, we had a guest speaker named David Cook who at the time was a sports Psychologist for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team. He told a story of a hunting buddy whose dog got trapped in an iron trap. The buddy was able to open up the trap a little but it snapped back. His dog was freed but in the process, it broke his hand. David went on to explain that the trap is sometimes like our own lives. We get trapped by things sometimes completely out of our control. Sometimes we fall into some bad predicaments and do the wrong things. But like the man that freed his dog, Jesus can free us from our sins.

After this year’s Summer Olympics, The next host city will be Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Overlooking the city is the symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the Christ the Redeemer statue. It’s considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. This symbol of faith makes me think this day about how we can add quality to our faith? One idea may be to plant the seeds of God’s principles so that they grow in the fertile garden of our soul; producing food not only for ourselves but also for others. When we see, hear, feel, smell, and speak of our reinvigorated faith; positive results occur. We become a true believer that is clearly revealed in our heart as faith. Bad situations are turned around with a momentum shift. There is given to all of us the power to apply faith and the results are victory and happiness.

God’s power opened the waters of the sea as a path to safety for Moses and His people. His promise for the future is greater and greater with each new invention that He inspires. On this July 4th, take some time to think of ways to plant seeds of faith, hope, and love. Think of ways to produce fruit for yourself and for others. As I wish everyone a good day, I leave you with this amazing video of the Christ the Redeemer statue and a wonderful song: Let the Church Say Amen - Andrae Crouch.

In-N-Out

My daughter went on a school trip to Washington DC recently. They were to meet for a flight at Dallas/Fort Worth airport on an early Saturday morning so we decided to drive up and stay in a hotel. We would take my daughter to the airport for an early morning flight and be in-n-out without much traffic. It had been a while since I had been to that airport because Austin has a new airport that we’ve been using. We live in Waco, Texas which is 100 miles south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and 100 miles north from Austin.

We planned to hit the road around 1:30 PM since this would get us to our hotel ahead of the traffic. Well we didn’t get off until 3:30 and this put us into the 5:00 PM traffic. Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Dallas; new buildings, highways, and one major landmark is gone. The old “Texas Stadium” where the Dallas Cowboy football team used to play back in the glory days was no longer there since they blew it up a few years ago and built the new “Cowboy Stadium” now ten or fifteen miles away from the old location.

Needless to say, things were not coming together for a successful trip. Instead of having a detailed map, I just thought I could remember how to get to where I was going. All of a sudden my wife noticed a sign that told us we were headed to Carrolton which was about five miles North East of where we needed to be. “We’re lost aren’t we”, she said. Like most men, I didn’t want to admit it; hoping I could make a turn and get back on track and keep my self-esteem intact.

The interesting thing about the whole experience is that we had been going through a sermon series at our church called, “Stories for the Road” which was about the path God provides for us; the sure way that has been proven over and over throughout history to take us to where we need to go. The series emphasized planning for the journey and paying attention to the direction God gives in His Word as we travel through life.

Unfortunately, we had not finished the series and I could’ve use that last one called “Pay Strict Attention” because I had not focused on the exit. Instead, I was focused on the things that really didn’t matter like the neat tall buildings and the multilevel overpasses.

Anyway, I finally went into a store and got directions to get us back on track. As we took a road to connect to the right highway, my daughter says, “Hey that’s the hamburger place I saw on TV”. She watches one of those cable channels about food joints and had seen an episode on In-N-Out Burger.

We finally made it to the hotel, checked in, and then decided it was time to get something to eat so off to In-N-Out Burger we went. So for me, the whole experience turned out alright and also gave me another lesson; pay close attention and know where you are going but if you get lost along the way, ask for help and remain positive. Who knows, you might just see something or learn something as you get back on the right road that you will be able to smile about and share with others. :)

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This Day with God

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How They Spent Their Dash

Today, I’m off for Memorial Day which is observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. It originated after the Civil War and today honors all Americans who have died in all wars. As a marker, it typically marks the start of summer vacation season while Labor Day marks its end. It’s the end of school for many. Some have graduated and some are starting their career. It’s a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. It’s a time to remember the lessons of the past for each day that goes by gives us another day of recorded history we can model after or learn from or share with others.


I received an email a while back from a friend and in this email was a story of a lady who had started a long time ago to plant one daffodil at a time in a field. Now the field is covered with beautiful yellow daffodils. This story points out that if you start something positive even if it’s small, over time you will build something of beauty. Mark Twain said one time, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore – Dream - Discover.”

Memorial Day should inspire the need to get things done now and never put things off because our opportunities to do great things may pass us by. Give it all we have while we can? We should live each day we have like the song by Tim Mcgraw called Live Like You Were Dying. The song puts things in perspective. Some of the lyrics in the song go I loved deeper, I spoke sweeter, I watched an eagle flyin, live like you were dyin.



I remember seeing a TV program called 20/20. They interviewed Christopher Reeves after his horse riding accident which left him paralyzed in 1995. In the interview, he said that when he saw an able bodied person he would say to himself, "Man Just Go for It"! That’s some good advice. You see God has the eraser. He’s present to help us make the needed adjustments if we get off course. So go for it! If you feel a job is above your head, express your concerns in prayer and ask for the necessary skills. Ask for good helpers. Most of all, believe that God has given you a mission. God wants us to accept our lot in life. He gives each of us talents and ideas. It’s up to us to start using what gifts we have and giving God the glory.

One time a bird decided to make a nest inside an ornament on our back porch. The bird gave our whole family a lesson on good work habits. It taught us about having a purpose, planning, and initiative. Memorial Day teaches us the same lessons. There are so many lessons to be learned from history. It was the initiative of Winston Churchill who called a meeting of the entire British cabinet and made his case for an all out war with Hitler. It was the inventors of the past like Ben Franklin who experimented with electricity that started the wave of new inventions for new devices. Without their initiative, just think how things would be – no light bulbs, no washers, no dryers, no TV, or computers.

Memorial Day is a time we can honor the service of those that gave up their life for our freedom. It’s a time we can offer appreciation and some kind words that can strengthen and support. For in remembrance of others, we learn that the best portion of a good person's life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. We should make every effort to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, kindness; and to kindness, love.

You’ve heard of the saying “Nice Guys Finish Last”. Well, a study was done which found just the opposite. Nice guys finish first because this study found that being kind provides a climate which leads individuals to maximize their potential. It’s like a sprinter running on a fast track with a slight breeze pushing them to break the record. Everything runs more effectively and more efficiently when emphasis is put into making others happy or providing customer service. Examples are found in business, politics, and in communities everywhere.

 I’ve heard a story of a teacher who made an assignment for her students. The assignment was to write down good things or things they liked about their classmates. She gave each student a copy of what others had said. Later in life at her funeral, some classmates shared that they still had that list and went to it frequently to give them encouragement or to lift their spirits.

 If you look at a grave marker, you will either see a dash or a space that separates the birth date and the death date. At a funeral, these dates are always mentioned but it’s the dash or space between the dates that really matters. The loved ones of those being memorialized know what that dash or space means. It’s not the cars, the house, the cash but how they lived.

This memorial day, I’m thinking about things I could change now like slowing down a little, considering the needs of others, or making a difference in my community? Maybe show more appreciation to those that have helped me over the years or be less angry when things don’t work out exactly as planned. Maybe work harder to make sure I treat others with respect or wear a smile for one never knows, the time they have may only be a while. My thoughts on this Memorial Day are about the respect I have for those who have fought for our freedom over the years and how proud we should be for how they spent their dash.

You Can Keep The “F” and I’ll Keep My Dream

In anything we do, there should be a purpose. I once heard a story about a grammar lesson in eighth grade. The teacher said, "Paul, give me a sentence with a direct object." Paul replied, "Everyone thinks you are the best teacher in the school." "Thank you, Paul," responded the teacher, "but what is the object?" "To get the best mark possible," said Paul”.

When we have a purpose, it reduces frustration and keeps us on a steady course. Our motivation is increased by making our life meaningful and giving us a hopeful future. We are able to concentrate on a target and teamwork is easier because there is cooperation to proceed in the same direction.

A baseball coach once made the statement that hitting is about 90% mental. I remember a story my high school baseball coach told our team the day before a tournament. He gave a talk to the team about a golfer that was sick. He would lay in his bed dreaming about playing golf. In his dreams he would always see himself hitting the perfect shot. This went on for several weeks as he played rounds of golf in his head. When he got over his sickness several weeks later, he was able to go out to the golf course and shoot his best round of golf ever.

Most athletes see in their mind the accomplishment of their dream. Have you ever seen a track athlete focus on the finish line as they warm up for the 100 meter sprint or a high jumper as they focus on clearing the bar? Just like a track and field athlete trying to win a race or jump far and high, we can see ourselves winning in our marriages, our professions, or our businesses. In the movie “Field of Dreams” there is a voice “If you build it, they will come”. The voice inspires the building of a baseball field.

From the book “Chicken Soup for the Soul” By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, revealed to us is the importance of having a dream and sticking to it. The story is about a group on a retreat at a horse ranch in Southern California. To start the activities, the owner of the ranch tells a story of a boy in high school who had to write a school paper. This boy’s family was always moving because his father was a horse trainer and they would move from ranch to ranch; wherever there was work. Since it was the boy’s senior year, the paper assigned by the teacher to all his students was on the topic, “What do you want to be when you grow up”. Many students were going their separate ways either off to college, to the military, or straight into a career so the teacher was wondering what their dreams were.

The boy began at once to write a seven page paper. Within the paper, he told of a dream of owning a 200-acre ranch where he would train horses. He was so excited about writing the paper that he took the extra time to draw sketches of the ranch, the buildings, and stables. He then drew detailed floor plans for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on the dream ranch.

He handed in the paper with confidence but two days later the teacher gave back the paper with a big fat “F”. The teacher explained to the boy that this was an unrealistic dream because he had come from an itinerant family who had no resources. The teacher explained that a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land and pay for the original breeding stock. The teacher told him to rewrite the paper with a more realistic dream and resubmit the paper.

The boy thought about it for a week before finally going to the teacher with these words, “You can keep the “F” and I’ll keep my dream.”

The owner and speaker then paused for a few seconds, looked at the assembled group, and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000 square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch”. He said, “I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that teacher who gave me the “F” brought 30 kids just like you to this ranch.” When the teacher left to go home, he said, “look Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kid’s dreams. Fortunately you had enough guts not to give up on yours.”

What is a dream of yours? Let me know of past, present, or future dreams you have had. Do you have any dreams or ideas that would make your neighborhood, community, state or nation a better place?

What if small groups led by leaders within neighborhoods started gathering together to share ideas. There may be some concerned about family issues that could team up together. With both parents working in most families in today’s world, it is hard to find time for things like grocery shopping and helping with the kid’s homework. Could these neighborhoods unite with the purpose of sharing ideas and developing resources that could help? How about the culture fight families have to take on? Many entertainment goliaths with profit as the number one priority feed our kids minds with negative thoughts. Could neighborhood groups brainstorm to take on these Giants in entertainment and be our David in a culture of Goliaths? They could work together to filter out what’s bad but highlight the good.

One area that neighborhood groups could start talking about is the tremendous increase in cost of living. Food prices are on the rise, gas prices keep going up, and property taxes going up even while market value of homes go down. Will neighborhoods make a stand? The stories above tell me that dreams can come true. Never let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what. Here is a video to inspire your day: Truly Inspiring - It'll Make You Smile -Kristina Rocco.



Thanks for reading this blog. I'd like to invite you to take a look at my other blogs at the links below:
This Day With God
Step Ahead

The Champions of Yesterday Inspiring Those of Tomorrow

Thomas Edison once said, “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” What are the limits of human potential? Have you ever wondered if the universe has a boundary? Is there a wall there? For years, people in track and field thought there was a wall that kept anyone from breaking the four minute mile until someone did and many have followed since then.

Think of the great feats that have been accomplished over the past 100 years or so in the fields of aircraft and space exploration. The Wright brothers were bicycle repairmen and then peddled themselves into history with the invention of the airplane. Then companies like Boeing made the impossible possible by producing planes that can get us to far destinations in a matter of hours. In space exploration, people have walked on the moon and instruments have landed on Mars to study that planet. Some evening on a clear night, go outside and look up into the night sky and look at the stars and moon. It’s amazing to think that people have actually walked on the moon’s surface.

In 1997, missions to the planet of Mars were in the news as the Mars pathfinder landed on its surface. It sent images and data of the planet back to scientist so they could learn more. Then two Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) safely reached the red Planet having traveled 300 million miles from Earth to Mars. The Rover Spirit landed on Mars in 2004 and sent back 3-D images and trekked across the rocky Martian soil. Looking for evidence of some form of life was the mission.

In the medical field, scientists deciphered the human genetic code in the year 2000. A historic step in the understanding of human biology and a powerful new tool to find cures for diseases. Researchers have used mice for a long time to study diseases. They’ve also come up with innovative ways to study how cancer grows by using new breeds of clear tropical fish. They can see how the cancer grows inside the fish while it is alive and then develop medicines that deceive cancer so it can’t attach to certain areas of the body and spread. Recently, I read an article about the development of an artificial eye. The Dobell institute invented one by mounting a camera onto a pair of glasses and wiring them directly to the brain. It’s amazing how far technology has come. Recently I heard of a guy with a prosthetic leg who was not allowed to run the 100 meters race because they believed his prosthetic leg gave him an advantage.

Personal computers became a mainstay in the mid 1980’s. Microsoft made the Windows operating system so that individuals could harness the amazing productivity generated by the symbols found on a keyboard. The ability to store electronic data continues to astonish smaller yet more powerful electronic devices that can store more and more information. Smart phones now that can hook into your home computer and apps to make us more effective and efficient in everything we do.

All the champions of sports, science, and medicine that cause the impossible to become possible have a few traits in common; they see things differently. They see a problem and think of it as an opportunity. Isaac Newton didn’t see getting thumped on the head with an apple a negative thing. It didn’t ruin his day but just the opposite; inspiring thought that ultimately led to the Universal Law of Gravitation. We now can communicate with each other around the world because of his law. Putting satellites in orbit are vital in telecommunications and gravity is the reason objects remain in orbit.

One of the most important medical advances in history began by accident. On the morning of September 3rd, 1928, Professor Alexander Fleming was dreading the chore of cleaning up his cluttered laboratory. Upon sorting through a number of glass plates that had previously been coated with staphyloccus bacteria as part of research Fleming was doing, one of the plates had mold on it but it was in the shape of a ring and the area around the ring seemed to be free of the bacteria. The mold was penicillium notatum. Fleming had a lifelong interest in ways of killing off bacteria and he concluded that the bacteria on the plate around the ring had been killed off by same substance that had come from the mold.

Further research on the mold found that it could kill other bacteria and that it could be given to small animals without any side effects. This was interesting to Fleming and he mulled over it for a long time before moving on to other medical issues. Ten years later, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, working at Oxford University, isolated the bacteria-killing substance found in the mold - penicillin.

In 1941, a doctor, Charles Fletcher, at a hospital in Oxford had heard of the work of Florey and Chain. He had a patient who was near death as a result of bacteria getting into a wound. Fletcher used some of Chain’s and Florey’s penicillin on the patient and the wound made a spectacular recovery. Unfortunately, Fletcher did not have enough penicillin to fully rid the patient’s body of bacteria and he died a few weeks later as the bacteria took over the patient’s body. However, penicillin had shown what it could do and the only reason the patient did not survive was because they did not have enough of the drug.

The champions I’ve written about today all thought outside the box. They put some thought into what they saw and noticed things that most did not notice. They kept their mind open to solutions until they eventually found the answer. You can do the same. What might you come across today, document, and think about that may lead to amazing discoveries for tomorrow? You have skills that no one else has because no one has lived your life. You, my friend can change the world for the better because of who you are.

Thanks for reading this blog. I'd like to invite you to take a look at my other blogs at the links below:
This Day with God
Step Ahead

Change The World

Some float through life doing things for which they have no passion. They are consumed by their weaknesses. They never discover the benefit they could provide to our society if they would explore, dream, and discover! Over the next few paragraphs, my objective is to provide you with an example of someone who didn’t float through life but went down the roaring rapids of life.

He loved to draw and had an interest in motion pictures. Often, he took his sister to Electric Park which was only a few blocks from their home and one of the world’s first full time amusement parks. It was near Heim Brothers Brewery in Kansas City Missouri.

While in High School, he took night courses at the Chicago Art Institute. He became cartoonist for the school newspaper. He dropped out of school at sixteen to join the army but rejected because he was underage so he decided to join the Red Cross where he was sent to France during World War I. For a year he drove an ambulance.

In 1919, he found work as an artist but was told by the newspaper that he was not creative enough. He started his own animation company making Laugh-O-Grams or what we call cartoons today and secured a deal with a local theater to screen them. The cartoons became popular in the Kansas City area but studio profits were insufficient to cover employee salaries and it went bankrupt.

He moved to Hollywood in 1925 and started a studio with his brother Roy. By now many of you know who I’m writing about. Walt Disney was most valuable to their company when he was using his gift of innovation instead of running the day-to-day operations. Roy was good with running the day to day operations of the business. They had some success with a series put into production through Universal Pictures but Universal cut their fees and stole some of their artist.

But Walt continued to be an Innovator and created some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters including Mickey Mouse in the 1930’s and Donald Duck in the 1940’s. In 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated movie in America made in Technicolor. It became the most successful motion picture of 1938. In the late 1940’s, he drew sketches of ideas for an amusement park and Disney Land opened in 1955.

In the 1950’s, his company began expanding into other entertainment operations. Treasure Island became the studio’s first all-live-action feature, soon followed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, and Swiss Family Robinson. The television show, Mickey Mouse Club debuted in 1955. Walt Disney won twenty two Academy Awards – More than any other individual in History. In May 1965, land owners were happy to get rid of swamp land a few miles southwest of Orlando. Walt Disney world opened in October 1971.

Walt Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, before his vision was realized but he taught us to be enthusiastic about life. He taught us about having a passion; an absorbing interest in what we do. Things come easier when we do what we like to do. Kids seem to get it a little better than adults. Every day can be a holiday if we look forward to what tomorrow will bring. Each day, we should be like a child going on a vacation.

More pictures are taken at Walt Disney World, the world’s number one tourist attraction, than at any other single location on the planet. Today, Walt Disney’s animation/motion picture studios and theme parks have developed into a multi-billion dollar television, motion picture, vacation destination and media corporation.

What lesson has been learned: Just to have solid dreams and let God take it to a level that you never dreamed of. We serve a supernatural God who is not limited to the laws of nature. He can do what human beings cannot do and make a way in our lives where it looks as if there is no way; therefore we should stop focusing on what we can't do, and start focusing on what God can do. Give it your all. Don't settle for mediocrity but do things with a passion. Imagine approaching each day with enthusiasm because you have the chance to bring order to God’s world. You have a chance to enthusiastically explore, dream, and discover!

Below is a video I made of our vacation to Disney World last summer.

Thanks for reading. I'd like to invite you to take a look at my other blogs at the links below:

This Day with God
Step Ahead

Lovers’ Leap

If you go to a movie or read a book, romance is depicted in stories of courtships and love affairs or in historical settings of heroic deeds or pageantry. In a colorful and scenic world full of fanciful stories and daydreams. I once heard about a legend similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. An Indian maiden named Wah-Wah-Tee from an enemy tribe of the Apaches and her Apache brave lover knew that their love would be forbidden. They were determined to be together and tried to run off together, only to be intercepted by her angry father and brothers. The tale ends with Wah-Wah-Tee kissing her lover before they both jump off a cliff and plummet to their death. Today, people around Waco Texas call the cliff just north of downtown at the east end of the Bosque River “Lover’s Leap” because of this legend.

The world does not give a good guide to relationship but we can look to the greatest servant of all, Jesus, for a perfect model to follow. A relationship fueled by "serve-you" love is a lasting love that begins when a couple start viewing their relationship as a chance to meet each other's needs. A couple should admit their needs, ask God for help and serve each other in God's strength. For any leader of a family or group of people, take inspiration from the following video: Lead Me - Sanctus Real .

Pray for God to lead you to make good decisions and for the strength to lead those you love in the right direction. 

John Ed Mathison in his book “Treasures of a Transformed Life” Wrote about a guy in a romantic mood. He said to his wife, “If I had a thousand arms, they’d all be around you. And she said, “Quit complaining about what you don’t have, and use what you do have!” My pastor, Steve Ramsdell pointed out in a sermon one time that God gives us an amazing proposal and invitation to intimacy. From the beginning in Genesis 1:26-28 to the end in Revelation 21:6-7, He understands our needs and wants. The focus is on a relationship and sometimes we need to slow down and smell the roses. Billy Graham was quoted to say the following, “The word romance, according to the dictionary, means, excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime.

Thanks for reading this blog. I'd like to invite you to take a look at my other blogs at the links below:

This Day with God
Step Ahead