A wake up call for the Church and for Christians. Keith Green - Asleep In The Light (live)

The first time I heard this song, I was in 6^th grade.  I remember being broken hearted with eyes full of tears and wondering how I could make a difference.  It played heavily in what later led to my call to ministry.

The other night my Spotify account brought up some golden oldies from the Christian music scene.  When I heard this song two nights ago, I had the same response to it that I did as a sixth grader.  As a Christian, especially as a pastor, I have to keep my faith from becoming professional and being locked up inside of church walls. 

This Video is of Keith Green. He was a strong, prophetic musical voice from the 1970’s.  He died at the young age of 28 in a plane crash but made the most of his very short time of living for Christ. 

I hope you can get past the very cool 70's hair and beard and hear the message of this song.  I truly believe it exudes the heart of Christ for His church and His people!

parenting lessons from King David's mistakes

Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome. 1 Kings 1:6  (New Living Translation)

I found this verse interesting.  We know that King David was a great warrior, superior leader, and legendary king!  What we do not see in David’s life is a priority on family.  Because of that, his family looked like something from 90210.  If you read on in 1 Kings, you will find that Adonijah ended up a handful for David.  As a matter of fact, David had several kids who had some major issues.  That’s for another day. 

What can we learn from this passage?

1-    What’s ignored doesn’t go away.  This goes for many areas of life.  Expect what you inspect.  

2-    Children NEED discipline.  Psychologists from many fields of study are showing that children WANT discipline.  They need boundaries.  There is obviously a line here but ignoring poor behavior doesn’t work either.  Children need to be raised and not just be allowed to grow up.

3-    Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  I’m very seldom concerned about the issues that people/ my kids can talk about, it’s the one’s that they won’t talk about that are usually points of concern.

4-    Looks mean nothing.  A child may “look” the part of the wholesome perfect child but looks can be deceiving.  There is where knowing your child is important.  

A life full of opportunity

Last week I attended my Grandmother’s funeral.  While she will be sorely missed,  this service was definitely a celebration!  Alice Beach lived for 99 ½ remarkable years.  I don’t have the time or the space to log all of her amazing accomplishments.  What I would like to do though is let you know what this incredible woman did after the age of 75 (that’s how old she was when my grandfather died).

* She learned how to use email

* She learned the functions of smart phones

* She travelled from her home in Ontario, Canada to San Francisco, Germany, Australia, India and Hawaii.  She also visited her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all over Canada and the U.S.

* She continued to keep the books for her church and, I believe another local business.

* She read more books than you would believe if I wrote them all down

* She made it a regular practice to learn new words from the dictionary

* She rode four wheelers on more than one occasion.  The last time, she was in her mid 90’s

*Finally, she bought and drove a mustang!

Grandma was asked not to long ago what she thought where the most important rules to live by in life.  Her response was “take advantage of every opportunity in life God give you and honor him with it”.  What a challenge for all of us who desire to be faithful to God!  Her second piece of advice was, “be wise with your finances”.  She would always say, “be wise with your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” 

Alice Beach was an incredible woman who has received her eternal reward for a life well lived.