Month: December 2023

Today is the last day of the year. Yes, I know. And I agree. This year has flown by. It was full of highs and lows. Joy and sorrow. Triumphs and tragedies. We have struggled at times. And we have celebrated as well. But, we made it. We’re moving on into 2024. For some it might be a fresh start. A time to begin anew. For others it might be more of the same. A year of building on from where you are now. Regardless of where you are now, or where you are headed, know that “purpose” is in the plan. 

There are 3 points to this I think we need to remember. First, our purpose is to know God. Not just know who he is. We should strive to “know” him. Second, our purpose is to make disciples. We should strive to help others get to “know” God too. Finally, God has a purpose for us. Unique to each of us. He’s paved the path for us. Even in times of despair, there’s a purpose for us. We should strive to find it and follow it. No matter how hard it might be, we should work to fulfill the plan. 

Here’s what is cool about these points. If we let him in, God will work in us. We will accomplish all three of these through him. He’ll give is the strength to do it. He’ll see us through. The Bible tells us that we have the tools. We can work “with everything good for doing his will” in our daily lives. So as we finish 2023, and move into 2024, let’s remember where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Let’s learn from our struggles. Let’s build on our successes. And let’s strive to find and fulfill our purpose for God. As we do so, let’s be thankful and praise him for the opportunity to do so. And let’s celebrate knowing that the victory has already been declared. All the while, let’s be mindful that God loves us. Always has. He always will.

“The Chosen” is a series on Netflix. I’m not sure how accurate is. It may or may not be. But so far it’s interesting. There was a line in it that resonated with me. Mary Magdalene was talking to Nicodemus. He had noticed a change in her and commented. Her response was, “I was one way and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.”

The ”Him“ she was referring to was Jesus. And she is spot on. When we come to know Jesus, really know Jesus, we should be made new. Our lives should be changed. We should be one way before knowing him, and become completely different after coming to know him. And I would like to suggest that people should see this. They should see the change in us. They should question it. They should want to know more. The light should be so bright, that they should be unable to NOT see it.

I don’t know where you are in your walk with Christ. I don’t know if you are walking with Christ. But I do know this, come to know him and he will change you. Come to know him, and you should want to serve him. Come to know him, and you will feel a peace and hope that only comes from his love and grace. Come to know Jesus, and know that you have eternity waiting for you with him. How awesome is that! We are so undeserving. But he is still delivering. And he always will. So maybe today is the day for you to ask him into your heart. Maybe today is the day for you to allow him to change you. Maybe today is the day for you to begin serving him like never before. Maybe today is the day for you to be the light for others to see. And then watch their lives be changed by Jesus to. So incredible.

I say all the time that it takes a family to do what we do. It takes a family to battle veteran suicide. I say that we all have our roles. Whether we are volunteering, praying, contributing financially, etc. We all have our roles. Each one is important. Sometimes I hear people question what it is that they have to offer. Or I hear them say that they don’t have much to offer. What a person contributes, or how much they contribute, is not what is important. What is important is that we get involved serving others with God in our hearts.

We have been blessed with tremendous support. Landowners have graciously opened up their properties to us to bring veterans to hunt. Sometimes passing up their own hunts to allow us to do this. Pretty amazing. Volunteers giving up their time to serve at our events. Whether we are at expos, hunting or fishing, or preparing meals. Doesn’t matter. They have given their time to serve. Also pretty amazing. Donors have sent financial contributions. What we do costs money. We have received everything from a few dollars to several thousand dollars. And as before, also pretty amazing. 

We have already mentioned, it’s not the amount you give. It’s not how much you serve. And it’s not the capacity in which you serve. Yes they’re all important. But none of them matter if you do not do these with God in your heart. God knows our hearts. And he will bless our efforts if we are serving him. A couple years ago a woman gave us $8.00. She was actually kind of embarrassed. I told her that she just gave 75 people a bottle of water at one of our events. She just blessed 75 people. Pretty amazing. A few years ago we did our first event at Roaring River State Park. A veteran that was there understood that showing God‘s grace is the purpose. He understood the mission. That has led to several more events. Multiple events in Colorado. Monthly horse therapy sessions. And volunteers making items for fundraising. Several hundred veterans have been served out of what took place years ago. Pretty, pretty, pretty amazing. So remember, it’s not what you give. Give because you have God in your heart. And be ready. He will take what you have to offer to places you never dreamed.

Ever feel like you got into a rut? Feel like you are just stuck and can’t move forward? Nothing you do is enough? You try, try, and try, and seem to be going nowhere? Sure you have. We all go through times like this. Moments where we feel like nothing we do is good enough. No matter how hard we work, or try, nothing is good enough. Well let me tell you this, you are not alone. Everyone struggles at different times. And let me tell you this too, you are not alone in the fact that God has placed a gift in you. And his gift is enough.

Recently, I have had several conversations with friends of mine. Veterans that I know. People that we come in contact with. All with the same theme: “What is my purpose? I feel useless.” I tell them the same thing. Satan is after them. He is the great deceiver who uses the storm of self-doubt. He finds ways to bring you down to the depths that seem too deep to recover from. And he piles it on. The kids aren’t behaving. You can’t find your keys or your phone. Your car breaks down. The pipes in your house freeze. Stuff is piling up at work. Etc. Etc. Etc. Satan takes times like these and pokes at you. Making it hard to breathe. You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

But remember this, you have the ultimate weapon to fight against these times. You have what it takes. You have Jesus in you. The Bible tells us to call him, and he will answer. He will show you the way. He will provide you the strength. And if we do it correctly, going through times like these strengthens us. Builds us. Helps us be better servants for God. People can see the light through us as we go through the storms. And how powerful is that! God‘s blessings and grace are enough. So what are you waiting for? Maybe today is the day that you go to your knees and you ask him to get you through. Maybe today is the day that you call on him. He is gracious. He is loving. He will answer. His answer may not be as clear as we hoped it would be. But his answer is enough. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

My wife and I have been married for over 20 years. Hard to believe. It seems like it was just yesterday we were dating. Now here we are two decades later with three kids and five grandchildren. Truly blessed. And blessed as I am to have been married to her this long, I am inspired by those that we know that have been married 40 years, 50 years, even longer. Amazing examples of what true love is.

But, what is true love? Where does love begin? Where does it come from? These are some deep questions. But I think the answer to all three is one word. The same answer for each question. I believe the answer is God. God is love. The Bible tells us, “We love each other because he loved us first.” Nothing can be more truer than that verse. God created us out of his love. And because of that, we can love others. And that is awesome.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in “earthly” love. Easy to love possessions. Easy to love experiences. Easy to love what others have. But those types of love will fade. They will end. Because those things end. I can tell you this in all confidence, God‘s love for us will never end. Because he will never end. He came before us. He is here now. He will be here when we are gone. He is the constant. He has never wavered. And he never will. Therefore, his love is constant. His love will never waiver. His love will never end. So if we have our love for others is a built on God, those relationships will never end. They will last for eternity. How is that you ask? Because Jesus is the key to eternity. Maybe today is the day for you to ask God to show you love. To show you how to love. Ask him, and he will.

We live in a world where success is determined many different ways. Wealth. Power. Fame. And more. We also often determine life’s purpose in measures. We like numbers. They’re easy for us to follow. And there’s nothing wrong with any of these. Each of them can be great tools for us serving God. But, they can become problematic if that is where we put our sole focus. 

As believers, our success is determined by one thing. Our purpose too. And there really isn’t a way to numerically measure it. LOVE!!! We should work to show LOVE. This can be easier said than done. We will come in contact with obstacles. Loving others can prove to be difficult. 

But it is love that makes us one with God. Our faith in Jesus is built on love. And serving others should be built on love. And I know this, if we work to love others, and we ask God to help us, he will make it possible. Plus it is part of his plan for us. A plan that we should follow. Loving others shows our willingness to do his work. It requires effort on our part each day. We can do it though. God will see us through. He will show us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Today is Christmas. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We celebrate him coming to earth to be flesh. As we celebrate, I would like to suggest that we think about what took place some 2000 years ago.

Jesus left heaven and came to earth. He left the throne to come be with us. Came to world full of sin. Knowing what was ahead, he still came. He knew the pain and suffering he was going to face, and he still came. He knew the death that awaited him, and he still came. 

While he was here, he lived a very humble life. Surrounded by those the others would turn the noses up to. But even before then, think about his birth. Without the comforts that we have today. Without the comforts they had back then. No bed. No crib. A manger. His life began in simplest of ways. And he spent his life showing us how to serve others. How to love others. So today, celebrate knowing our Lord and Savior loves us so much that he left everything to be with us. He sacrificed it all. Even died for us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a blessed day. Love you all.

It’s Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Even the unbelievers celebrate. That’s how powerful our God is. As we celebrate, let’s remember how blessed we are that is “God with us” through the Holy Spirit. 

When Jesus left the earth, he told the disciples that they would then receive the gift and power of the Holy Spirit. What an amazing gift. And what is more amazing is that we all can have this gift. We can all have Jesus in us. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us has access to him all the time. No matter where we are. That’s incredible and amazing. 

Let’s finish this devotion by quoting something I read: “This Christmas, allow the power of the gifts God set in motion long ago to resonate in your heart. Whether you’re celebrating over gifts and dinner with loved ones or if you find yourself in a place of mourning, know that Immanuel has come for you. He didn’t just come to occupy a manger, a cross, or a tomb—He came to live in your heart through the everlasting power of His Holy Spirit. The gift of Christmas was always meant for you, and He is with you always!”

In September 2017, after I came out of recovery for my surgery, I found out how serious my condition was. We realized just how blessed we were to have met the doctors that we did. To be sent to a place that was capable of performing the surgery that they did. It didn’t take long for me to conclude that I was alive for a reason. I pride myself in being a good husband and father. But there was still a bigger purpose for me. 

I imagine that at some point, most of us have asked the question, “Why am I here?” It’s a natural thing for us to wonder what it is we are called to do. When we sit back and think about how big this world is, it’s easy for us to question that. Unfortunately, many people will never find the “why” for their lives. They will continually search. I would like to suggest that the answer is pretty simple. I believe the answer is this…We are here to glorify God. I believe that God created us for his glory.

When we realize this is our purpose, we then believe that our lives have meaning. We can turn ourselves away from being self-centered. We realize that it’s not about us. Our lives are not about ourselves. Our lives are about God. And our purpose is serving him. Showing others who he is. Showing others his glory. Helping them learn about the peace and hope that comes from him. It’s up to us to find out how to best do that. But we can. At work. At home. With our families. With our friends. No matter where we are. We can do this. We can show people who God is. We can show people that in all things, good and bad, there are blessings. Just as we learned out of my serious illness, God has a purpose for us all. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.