Category: Christian

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I will not have a spirit of fear…

This morning I was thinking about all that is going on (and wrong) with the world…senseless shootings, deadly flu outbreaks, worries about the economy, about our government and about our future in general…lot’s to fret about…for sure…

Then I thought back to an event that happened to me many years ago…

I had been invited by a good friend, Hal Flowers, to accompany him driving his boat from Naples to Key West. Not that Hal asked…but I was not an experienced captain… As a matter of fact, as a kid, my grandfather let all my cousins sit on his lap and drive his boat and year after year… my turn never really came around… I guess he knew something…

Anyway…on the appointed day, Hal and I filled the boat with gas, checked the weather and left the marina in Naples and soon got out into open water and headed south. It seemed simple enough…just keep the land on your left! As we moved south, eventually we passed the southernmost point on the west coast of Florida and eventually lost sight of land entirely. Welcome to the Gulf of Mexico!

After hours of driving and several hours left to go, Hal was tired and wanted to take a nap. So he set the Loran (which is basically a GPS for boats, but it didn’t have a screen, just coordinates, and an alarm was programmed to sound if you got off course). Once the coordinates were set, he handed me the wheel and gave me these brief instructions, “just keep the boat within these coordinates. I’ve programmed the Loran to the tower at the entrance of Key West harbor. But if for whatever reason we miss it, we want to miss it to the East, because if we miss Key West Harbor to the West, we’ll end up in Cuba.” And with that, he went below and went to sleep.

So there I was, in the open Gulf of Mexico, no land in sight and trying to stay between two invisible coordinates that made no sense to me. I looked behind me and the wake of my boat was not in a straight line, in fact, it looked like a drunk driver was at the helm. Then moments later, the alarm of the Loran went off! I adjusted course and the alarm went off. Then a while later, it happened again, and again I adjusted course. This kept going on for almost an hour and each time the alarm went off, it took me longer and longer to course correct and silence the alarm. This continued until finally, I could no longer find my course! The alarm sounded constantly…I was freaking out!

So what did I do…? Did I wake up Hal? Nope. I turned off the alarm and kept driving.

I drove for several hours on my own, no Loran, no direction, no sense of where I was going and all the while, desperately looking for land and praying I wasn’t headed for Cuba. I had goofed up…big time. I knew we were in trouble…then Hal woke up…

He came up top and said, “Everything ok?” I took a deep breath and readied myself to confess the fact that we were lost and I was a horrible captain, and admit I was an idiot to turn off the Loran, and that I can never be trusted to do anything like this again…and as the words began to come out of my mouth…Hal looked over the bow of the boat and directly ahead of us and said, “cool!” And directly in front of us, I could just make out on the horizon… what looked like a tower… The tower at the opening of Key West Harbor!

So why did I think of this story this morning?

I guess I was thinking about all the things that have been on the news and in conversations with people everywhere I go. People talking about things to be afraid of…and I guess I’m just tired of it.

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

When I think about this verse…one thing comes to mind…God didn’t give me a spirit of fear…and I don’t want anything that God didn’t give me…period! So that begs the question…if God didn’t give me the spirit of fear… who did? Hmmm?

I believe fear and worry pull us away from God. When we are afraid of things, we feel helpless, isolated and powerless…it renders us useless. Unfortunately, this has become a common message of this world…to be afraid.

The reality is, each time we find ourselves feeling fearful or worried, the alarm bells should be going off in our minds that we are moving away from God and the course He has planned for us…and that’s not a good place…for sure!

That doesn’t mean we should throw up our hands and leave it all to God! No, we should certainly be wise in thinking ahead and planning ahead…we just don’t need to be worrying ahead!

This quote sums it up perfectly by an incredible woman named Corrie ten Boom:

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrow, but it empties today of strength.”

So, when these feelings of fear, anxiety, and worry begin to sometimes take root in my mind, I need to discipline myself to immediately ask myself, “Where is my focus?” Am I thinking about God? If not…I need to…

I need to “fix my eyes” and “cast my worries” on the only person that can do anything about them.

Whether it’s guiding my life…or guiding my boat… to the opening of Key West Harbor.

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Submitting…

As a kid, I used to watch a TV program called “Kung Fu” with David Carradine. I watched every episode in the early 70’s… “my impressionable years.” I remember one particular episode when Kwai Chang Caine (the Shaolin monk played by David Carradine) said the following:

“One should always be the willow that bends with the wind rather than the mighty oak that breaks in the storm.”

Evidently, that episode made an impression on me because that act of “bending” or “submitting” is what has been on my mind over the past few months…so I guess it’s time to write about it.

In our culture, “submitting” is not something that we celebrate as a strength. When I think about it, I believe our resistance to submit is the basis for the majority of the problems most of us wrestle with today in our relationships. We are taught at an early age to “stand up for ourselves” and to “speak our truth” and “not to back down”, and I believe all those things are true and valid. I also believe many of us have associated the act of submission with giving up…and it’s not…it’s simply “giving in.”

Giving up is much different than giving in. Giving up is admitting defeat. Giving in is yielding to someone you care about in order to reach a higher gain. It’s losing the battle to win the war.

Pastor Andy Stanley gave a sermon on marriage a couple of years ago. He said that a strong marriage is marked by mutual submission. Each person yielding his or her preferences for the benefit of the other. It’s taking the focus off of my wants and acting on what they might want. Not defending my point of view, but really trying to understand their point of view. That’s great advice but it’s incredibly difficult!

At times we all act like 2-year old’s defending positions that in the grand scheme of things…mean way less than the value of our relationships. Yet we still fight on!

Being married, I’ve practiced the art of “submitting” just about every day. From TV program choices to furniture placement in the home to how the toilet paper goes on the roll right down to where to put the sponge in the sink. All these things are opportunities for me to suspend an opinion and just focus on on the betterment of the relationship. You know… it works…it makes me a better husband… and it makes our relationship better.

Giving in is not giving up. It takes way more strength and love to suspend your wants just because you love someone else more.

If you don’t believe me..read Matthew 26:42.

“He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

Submitting changes everything…for the good.

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Anticipation…one of my favorite feelings…

I love this time of year! But not for the reasons you might expect. It’s not for the lights, the music or Santa…for me it’s the Anticipation! You see, I love that feeling! If Christmas were up to me…I would never open a gift…I would just leave it there…all wrapped up so I could look at it and wonder what was inside. I wouldn’t shake it or gently peel off the tape from the wrapping paper…I would just look at it…and that would make me happy.

Well, it’s Christmas time here in Antigua, Guatemala and the churches are celebrating Advent, which means “coming” in Latin. Each Sunday leading up to Christmas, the streets are filled with people, bands and processions carrying statues of Mary, Jesus and various Angels. They shoot off fireworks in front of the procession as well as after it passes.

The anticipation of the birth of Christ and the celebrations that are to come in just a few weeks cannot be ignored. I catch myself being both joyous and humbled as the crowds of people pass by my door in celebration that God came thru with His promise.

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Thinking about the fact that 400 years passed between the promise of the coming Lord (Malachi 3:1) and the news of His arrival (Matthew) humbles me on several levels. First of all…that’s a long time to wait… and secondly…it’s a long time to hold hope. I’m not sure I could have done it. But as always…God was true to His word.

So, as I think about “Anticipation” being one my favorite feelings, I begin to wonder where that feeling originates. I believe it originates with “Hope.” This may not be the correct definition, but this is what I believe. I believe Hope is the belief that something is good is coming and Anticipation is the feeling that is caused by Hope.

We don’t hear too much about Hope these days. Maybe it’s because many of us feel like we are in control of our life and circumstances and we feel like we don’t need it. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone needs Hope! I love this quote:

“Man can live about 40 days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.” – unknown

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I believe it!

I have been working here in Guatemala for several years and living here for almost two. During that time, I’ve been involved in training pastors and business people, working in medical clinics and building stoves. All of that has been wonderful and I think we have made a positive impact on the community to some degree. But what I think has made the greatest difference is just being here… and lovin’ on people.

I think that just lovin’ on people gives them Hope. Hope that they are ok and that they will be ok. I think it provides a spark where Faith can grow. Faith that might lead them to do something that will improve their life, Faith that tomorrow might be better than today. Faith that God has not…and will not…abandoned them.

Yep, I think Hope is the spark to everything that is good. We need it…and we need more of us dishing it out to others in massive proportions.

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So my prayer for all of us this Christmas season is to make a concerted effort to “love on people.” Anybody you can, wherever you can. Love on them with a smile, a pat on the back, a “good morning” or a “thank you.” Everytime you pass by that man or woman ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, drop some of your spare change in the bucket…not necessarily for them…but for you.

Everyone you can…wherever you can.

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Give Hope this season…it costs you nothing…but its affect never goes unappreciated…or unnoticed.

Merry Christmas.

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Two Trees…

I’ve been thinking lately about the following Bible verse:

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” -Matthew 12:33

When we look at a fruit tree, what do we see? We see the trunk, we see the branches, we see the leaves and in certain seasons, we will see the fruit. But is that the entire tree? No! We fail to see the most important part of the tree…the roots!

The roots of the tree not only provide stability for the tree within the surrounding soil, it also provides all the nutrition that will sustain the tree, the branches, the leaves and ultimately the fruit. The ultimate health of the roots (the overflow of nutrients) are what determines the overall health of the tree and everything it produces…or doesn’t…and we can’t even see them.

Back to the Bible for a second. The very next verse in Matthew states,

“For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.…”

Meaning, that everything we say or do, (our fruit) comes from the overflow of whatever is in our heart. Like the roots of a tree, people can’t see what is in our hearts. But they can make a determination of the condition of our heart by what is evidenced in our lives.

So let’s look at two trees:

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The “fruit” of this tree is all the bad stuff we see in our world. Things like pride, immorality, rage, drunkenness and overall discord are all the result of what we call sin. These sins seek to destroy everything it touches, and many times, the very tree itself!

But what is at the root of sin? What is feeding it?

In every case, I believe the root cause (no pun intended) of all sin is Selfishness. Simply stated…it is putting “your” needs and wants ahead of everyone else’s.

Ok, now let’s look at another tree.

On this tree, the “fruit” we see are things like love, compassion, generosity, joy and unity. All of these fruits are blessings to others. They uplift and give life to others and in every case, they are “gifts” to the recipient and, as a result, the tree thrives.

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But why? What is at the root of a tree like this?

I believe what nourishes such a tree is Selflessness. Selflessness is literally thinking of your “self” less. It is putting “others” needs and wants ahead of your own.

Two very real trees with two very different types of fruit. Unfortunately, our lives are filled with both types and what is more disturbing is that at times…we too can exemplify the same.

So what do we do?

I like to simplify stuff…so here ya go…

Focus on the root.

Which are you? Which would you like to be?

Pick one, feed it daily with your thoughts, your words, and your actions. Nurture it and then let the fruit of your life speak for itself.

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Choose Love…

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Sometimes this world seems just a little too difficult.

The things we see and witness, the pressures of family, finances and friendships, the differences in world views that are literally trying to rip us apart as a society are all constantly playing in out in our lives like a looped video. As a result, we often feel powerless, hopeless, frustrated and sad when we think of the days that are ahead of us. That feeling of “I can’t do anything about it” is the worst feeling we can have and it is the one thing we can’t allow ourselves to believe! We CAN do something! We ALL can do something! What can we do? We can choose to love!

We can choose to love those we don’t understand. We can choose to love those we don’t agree with. We can choose to love those that have wronged us or we fear will wrong us. We can choose to love those that have different beliefs. We can choose to love those that have different life experiences and expectations out of life. We can choose to love those that are struggling and those that boast. We can also choose to love those that may never know we love them. All of this is within our power…

There are many people here in Antigua that are struggling for one reason or the other and as a result, they sit on the sidewalks and beg for handouts. These people have become “invisible” to most of the tourists and even mission teams that visit the city. They are routinely walked around, looked over and avoided at all cost. But the funny thing is…they have become “my peeps.”

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Over the past few months here in Antigua, I have developed what is now becoming a little “street ministry.” Each day I’m in Spanish class from about 9am to 3pm. Then I hit the streets to get my workout in. (10,000 steps/day…thanks to the ever present reporting of fit-bit.) During my walk, I’ll go by and see “my peeps.” They are usually located at certain places in and around the city. Some are in the park, some sit on a sidewalk on a certain street. Some are on a street corner and some are just wandering around.

Once I find them I’ll just sit down with them and talk. Sometimes we’ll pray together, sometimes we’ll just talk about their day or their family or life, and sometimes… we’ll just sit. But the important thing is…they are no longer “invisible.” They are seen and we are friends. I truly love these people! Nothing makes me smile more than the time we get to spend together each day. They are a gift to me.

So I guess my point is this…there are people in our daily lives right now that deserve our attention…they deserve our time and they deserve our love. But they are not the easiest to love. Choosing love empowers us and puts life back into proper perspective. Sometimes it is not easy. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and it can sometimes be inconvenient…but it’s one of our only…and I believe our best option. It also provides a healing that this world most desperately needs…

We all can do something. We can all do this… Choose to love.

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Trash to Treasure…

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Last week I was able to spend the day at the Guatemala City dump. I had read about this area several years ago, and as bad as it seemed…I was anxious and excited to finally get to check it out.

This is one of the largest dumps in Central America and extends over an area equal to 22 football fields. They receive over 200 tons of garbage each day. It is surrounded by families that for generations have made their livelihood sorting through the trash to salvage and re-purpose anything they could find. In one area we visited there were 200 small corrugated metal homes all packed together, and we were told that 800 families lived in that area! Four families per home!

Our host for the day was an organization called Potters House. They have done an incredible job over the years investing in and providing for the people in this area. One of their precepts that I found interesting was what they called “The Eight forms of Poverty.” Like many, when someone referred to poverty, I immediately thought of a lack of food. However, they have identified eight other forms.

In order of importance they are:

  1. Spiritual Poverty – Lack of a relationship with God.
  2. Intellectual Poverty – Lack of access to knowledge or the presence of distorted knowledge.
  3. Poverty of Affection – Lack of love or having inappropriate feelings.
  4. Poverty of the Will – Lack of self-control.
  5. Physical Poverty – Lack of health.
  6. Poverty of a Support Network – Lack of a close family or community support.
  7. Poverty of Civic Involvement – Lack of interest or participation in community matters.
  8. Economic Poverty – Lack of financial resources.

We visited several homes of people that live in the dump and it was as you might imagine…difficult. One man we visited made t-shirts. They looked great! Just like something I would buy in a store! They even had a tag on them.

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However, the most impressive thing I saw was the jewelry. The women take magazines or posters and cut them up and roll them in glue to make beautiful beads that they then turn into all types of jewelry. Absolutely amazing and beautiful! The women we met were actually on deadline to make jewelry for a large retail store! As we walked around, we began to notice just how organized it was. There were men that were sorting and stacking cardboard. There were men that were banding together plastic bags. There was a woman that was pulling a cart that was filled with scrap wood. She looked at us with a smile and simply said,“ If I don’t work…I don’t eat!”

We were also taken to a building that provides nutritious meals for the children of the dump each day. They even made lunch for us! Now, this was something I wasn’t initially looking forward to…me…“Mr. Sensitive Stomach”… eating at a dump. However, the lunch they made for us and the children consisted of chicken, beans, tortillas and potato soup…and jello! It was actually the best meal I had all week! We ate and then the children from the dump began to file in. They were organized by ages, and all sat at corresponding tables. We then were allowed to go to the kitchen and grab the lunch trays and serve them. How cool that was? We served several hundred children from the ages of 5 to 12. Then, after they ate, we got to sit with them and just talk.

The Potters House also provides schooling for the kids as well as a psychologist that meets with each one of them as needed. It was amazing to see the smiles of these children. I sat with the psychologist and asked her about what she has typically seen as problems within the community. She said that most were family problems. I also asked her about how the children’s self-esteem is affected by the reality of where they live. She said that the younger children don’t see living in the dump as a problem, but as they grow older, they begin to realize their environment. Her job (as well as Potters House) is to transform their thinking about themselves. They work with them over time so that they stop viewing themselves as “trash” and begin to see themselves as God sees them…a “treasure.” This is not just a “slogan” either. Each time someone from Potters House refers to a person in that community, they refer to them as one of their “treasures.”

Finally, I asked the Potters House if they knew of any environments that were worse than the dump. They all agreed that living in the dump provides the people with a strong community, friends and regardless of the conditions…it’s home to them. The areas they felt were worse were the rural areas where there is a limited opportunity or community. Ironically, these are the areas where Hope Ignited has been working! Wow. Worse than the dump…and after thinking about it…I agree!

All in all…it was a wonderful learning experience for me. I take my hat off to organizations like Potters House. We finished up the day by actually hosting a business training clinic for about 50 micro-entrepreneurs that live in and around the dump. We taught basic business skills, ethics, money management and customer service skills. It was well received and at the end of the day…so were we.

I actually hated to leave…

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False Hope…

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Let me first go on record and say…I’m guilty…

I have learned many things since I’ve been here in Guatemala, both good and bad. Unfortunately, what is on my heart right now is not so good…but I have to somehow write about it so I can sort it out…

I believe the central motivating factor of my being here is to somehow…and in some way try to bring hope to these wonderful people. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to experience new things previously unimagined. Hope that they will find a relationship with their Heavenly Father that knows them and loves them. I think about this every day and I try to exude the hope that sustains me… so maybe it might light the path for others.

But as simple as this may sound, the flame of hope can easily be snuffed out…very easily…as I have been guilty of… and as I have personally witnessed. Most of the time it comes in the form of something unintended and seemingly minor in nature…but it has devastating effects…an unkept promise by a visiting Westerner.

We routinely bring down people for short-term mission trips and we allow them to see the harsh reality that many of the people are living in…corrugated homes, dirt floors, smoke-filled indoor cooking areas, and more. Visitors from the West are very compassionate people and after seeing this over and over again, their hearts begin to break. They begin to seek answers to alleviate the problems they see…at least to some degree. This is good…we WANT people to understand how the majority of the world is living…but what also happens is what we don’t want…

A promise is made…

They may not see this as a promise or commitment, but those that are living in and with these conditions certainly do and they make note of it.

After several more days here, the visitor from the West will go home. They will get back into their routine of work, paying bills, and continuing their life. They will usually reflect on what they saw when they were here and how they felt…but as time goes on…these thoughts begin to fade and the promises they made are usually the first to go…but not here…not by those that heard it…they remember.

Then, as time goes on, the promises never materialize. What they heard was not true. What they hoped to believe…will never be…

This is what happens over and over again. This is the unintentional consequence of someone with a broken heart, creating false hope in others and the effects are devastating.

The Bible (Matthew 5:37) reminds us to let our “yes” mean yes and our “no” mean no. In essence, Matthew reminds us to say less and do more…but also do what we say.

I think many of us in the West have watered down the importance of doing what we say. Promises don’t really mean anything, commitments are broken, words are just words with no consequences. But even as I write these words…I know that this line of thinking is anything but true. Promises DO matter. Commitments ARE commitments. Words DO have consequences. They can build people up…or regretfully, tear people down.

Why don’t we simply do what we say? I think this one change in each of us would be one of the most significant changes we could make…for ourselves and all those around us. This is my prayer for each of us…that we would simply do what we say we are going to.

I know I’ve written about this site before, but it is so powerful I wanted to mention it again. It is called simply…” because I said I would…” You can learn about it here: http://becauseisaidiwould.com.

I still have hope. I still believe that regardless of what happens to people, with people or…because of people…we can still ignite the flame of hope in people and I will devote the rest of my life to doing just that…because without it…the world is a very, very dark place.

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How do we deal with the tragedies of life?

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When I was a kid growing up, I never questioned my parent’s decisions.

For instance, when I was six years old, I would have never thought to walk into my parent’s room and demand for them to tell me how they filled out their tax forms for the year and question the deductions they did or didn’t take. I would have never challenged my Dad on his choice of routes that he was going to drive on our annual vacation. I would have never demanded an explanation for decisions that he made at work. Because, as a six-year-old, I had my hands full with my own stuff.

My job was to play nice with my friends. To take a nap each day and to eat everything on my plate. My job was to pick up my toys when I was through playing with them. My job was to say “please and thank you” and to hold my parent’s hand when we crossed the street. Life was simple as long as I focused on my stuff…

So in the wake of the recent mudslides in Guatemala, the shootings in Oregon, the floods in the Carolinas, the craziness of Syria and Isis…I often hear people questioning the goodness of God. They wonder…why God would “allow” such events to take place…and in some cases, they demand an explanation!

The problem I have with such thinking is that by demanding an explanation…they are willfully distancing themselves from God…the very thing they NEED when struggling with such a question. By them failing to get an answer…they walk away…from Him and from the very thing they need the most during this time…unconditional love despite the ever-present storms of life.

The act of questioning and challenging God is not a new thing. It is a pattern of human behavior going back to the dawn of man. I read in the Bible about Job having it out with God and demanding answers for his tragedy. I think he is the only person that ever got an explanation from God and in reading God’s response…I learned not to question God…just go with it!

So what do we as humans do when the storms of tragedy fall down upon us and disrupt our lives, tear at our hearts and consume those we deem as innocent victims…what do we do?

We should do what may seem “unnatural” for many of us…we should run towards God. That is the best place to be. As the saying goes, the safest place in a hurricane is the center of the storm. Once there, feel free to share what is in YOUR heart. Share your fears, your pains, and your uncertainties… He shares all you feel. Then when you’re out of words…just reach up and grab his hand… and don’t let go. Trust me…you’ll be fine.

I know it may sound simple…but it worked when I was six.

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Independence Day…

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On September 15th, Guatemala will celebrate Independence Day.

There will be parades, fireworks and all the things one might expect for such a celebration. Being here for over three months has allowed me to really begin to appreciate the people of this country in many ways that I never expected. They have historically been a country that has been dominated by a leader that has been anything but fair and just. Political corruption has unfortunately been a staple of this beautiful place.

However, over the past three months, I have witnessed the people, banding together to say “enough is enough” and as a result, they peacefully held demonstrations that led to the imprisonment of the Vice President and the resignation and impending trial of the President of the country as well. As a result, the people have discovered an enormous sense of pride in their country. Guatemalan flags are everywhere. People are rejoicing in the newly acknowledged power that they have experienced. They have unified and are demanding that their leaders listen and conduct their actions humbly and selflessly. Even in the church, the pastors preach, “He has shown you, O mortal what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”* – Micah 6:8. It seems in Guatemala, the people have truly spoken…

This country certainly still has its share of problems, but the sense that the people have a voice that is now being heard by the leadership leads me to believe their future will only get better.

This is truly an amazing thing to watch and a wonderful time in history to be a part of.

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Mothballs…

 I recently took my favorite wool navy blue suit out of the closet. I was going to have it cleaned so I could wear it to a special function I have coming up in the next couple of weeks. It had been hanging unused in my closet for the past two years. It was my favorite YSL suit and I looked good in it!

As I was getting it ready to go to the dry cleaners, I noticed a small white spot on one of the shoulders. Upon closer inspection, I noticed more and more white spots in various locations all over my prized suit. It didn’t take me long to realize that my favorite suit had been eaten by moths! Ruined, because I hadn’t worn it so long. I was heartbroken.

Then I started thinking…

I wonder if God feels the same way with us?

God has gifted each of us in a unique and special way! We each have talents that we love to do and we do them naturally and we do them well. I’ll bet that each of us has a talent that other people have commented on in the past. I’ll bet each of us has heard someone comment, “Wow, I love the way you….” and we usually dismiss the comment as ” they are just being nice” and we move on. For a wide variety of reasons, we fail to spend the time to develop these gifts and we spend all our time chasing the dreams of others.

John Ortberg writes about how each of us approaches the use or non-use of the gifts we receive in his book, Before you can walk on water, you need to get out of the boat. He writes.

“Anytime a gift is given, the recipient must choose to respond in one of two ways. The first way says, “This gift is so valuable it can’t be risked.” They realize that when they bring their gift out of the box and into the open, things may not go well. The gift may be poorly used. Others may not always admire it the way we want. It may even get broken. Taking the gift out of the box is always a risk.

The second way says, “This gift is so valuable it must be risked.” They understand that if the gift is not brought out of the box, it will never be used at all. To leave the gift in the box is to thwart the desire of the giver. There is no tragedy like the tragedy of the unopened gift.

Along with the gift you have been given a choice – whether or not you will open and use it or not.”

So let me ask all of us…where are your gifts?

Do you know what they are?

Are you using them in every aspect of your life?

I believe that at the end of our life, we will come face to face with God. At that meeting, he will ask us two questions.

One of those questions will be: “What did you do with the gifts that I gave you?”

Think about that… I hope you don’t say…” the moths ate them.”