Walls

I remember in 1987, watching President Ronald Reagan speak from a podium and challenged Russian General Secretary Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall".

That was one of the most amazing speeches I have ever seen.

Walls are built for several reasons.

The Berlin was was built to keep East Germans from leaving for the West.

The Great Wall of China was built to keep the the Mongols out.

Dividing walls, retaining walls, walls, walls, walls.........

You and I build walls too.

Internal walls.

These wall are erected around our heart and we design them for keeping people out, for keeping our true selves in, and for separating us from things that quite possibly could damage our heart.

Those people in communist East Germany lived quite differently on the other side of the wall than the West Germans did, but in November of 1989 that all changed when the wall came down. There was a fresh beginning and free people began chipping away at the wall and pouring over it, culminating in a giant impromptu celebration that anyone alive at that time remembers.

When we keep our walls up, we rob ourselves of total freedom. You don't let people completely know you and you will never know people completely without tearing down walls.

I know it's difficult. I know it's hard to open yourself up to possibly being shred apart by someone that you let into your heart, but isn't it lonely inside of those walls?

Go ahead. I dare you. Put yourself out there. Open yourself up to possible rejection or humiliation. What's the worst that can happen?

"Mr. or Mrs. _________ ........Tear down those walls!!!"

Freedom is on the other side.

The gambler

I was out in Las Vegas for the first time a few weeks ago. I was there for business but I couldn't resist taking in some of what made this city famous.

Gambling.

Now, I am not a gambler. The most I ever risk is $5.00 once a year when my brothers, friends and my dad play a dealers choice game for a few hours. But this night I was going to throw down some serious cash. This night I was going to be a high roller!!

So I pulled out my green and traded the lady for a stack of chips and bellied up to the Blackjack table.

There it was in front of me……$40.00 in chips!

I told you…..HIGH ROLLER BABY!!!

I actually had more than $40.00 on me, but $40.00 was all that I was willing to lose. So by only gambling with $40.00, what I was saying was that it's not worth it to gamble with $50.00.
I had a limit. There was something I was willing to gamble with and there was something that I wasn't willing to gamble with.

Life and death are the same way for me. Some things in life are worth gambling on for me.

Betting lunch with a friend that the Browns are going to beat the Saints is worth it for me.
Betting that I can beat the train across the tracks is not worth it for me.

Death is not worth gambling on for me.

When it comes to whether or not God exists…..it's just not worth gambling on for me.
Whatever your reasoning might be for not believing in God, is it really worth the risk?

For those of you who read this that don't believe in God, or you're not sure if you believe or not, it is my hope that today you realize that you are a serious gambler……a high roller!

You are placing a bet far larger than any poker table has seen in Vegas.
In Vegas it's just money, but in the casino called "Eternity" it's much more than that.

May today be the day that you seek someone to help with your gambling problem.
I can give you the perfect referral.

His name is Jesus.

Hoist your sail

I was at a pastor's conference today and I heard something that struck a chord with me. The comment is common sense really, but the visual was awesome.

The pastor leading the discussion said, "If the wind blows and you don't have your sail up then you ain't goin' nowhere.

Preparation.

You might be a Christian, you might be an atheist, you might not know what you are today, but I think we can all agree on this.....preparation for anything is wise.

Think back to your school days. The kids that got the 4.00 grade point average didn't just show up for class and ace the test....they studied.....they worked at the grade.....they prepared themselves for the coming test.

Think about the hurricanes that whip through the Gulf. Which homes stand the better chance in surviving the winds? The ones that put the hurricane shutters on and built the houses to withstand the high winds. In other words, the houses that were prepared for the hurricane stand the best chance at remaining when the waters and winds recede.

See, you can have the nicest looking sailboat on the sea, but if you don't have your sails up when the wind kicks up, all you are ever gonna be is a nice looking sailboat going nowhere.

I think God has given some of us direction and has sent a huge wind, but we can't react because our sails have not been raised.

Maybe today you feel like your life has no direction and you are lost at sea.

Maybe you feel like your just not going anywhere.

Trust me on this.......The wind is blowing.....You just need to prepare to catch it.

Hoist your sail.

God has a plan for your life and will give your life direction.......you just have to be willing to receive the wind.

Dust, dirt, and ash

"…….For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return" -Genesis 3:19

Kind of an interesting thought isn't it?

I heard a report a while back that said most of the dust in our home is made up of numerous components, one of the major ones is dead skin.
We are made of dirt dust and ash.

You are a walking heap of ashes. Congratulations!

The reality of it all is this: To dust we will return.
Sooner or later, this walking pile of dirt and ash is going to return to the ground from where it came…….and what comes next?

You see, for me as a Christ follower, I believe that when this body comes to it's final resting place, that will be the first day of eternity for me….there is life after death.

For the atheist however, when the body of dirt and ash returns to dirt and ash, nothing happens….that's it…….there is nothing else……..the end.

Now, if I am right and there is a real place called Heaven and a real place called Hell, the day of death is going to be a bad day for those who don't believe.

Now, if I am wrong and there is no God or Heaven and no Hell, then when we all die, absolutely nothing happens.

So here is the point, there is nothing to risk by choosing to believe in Jesus and giving Him the leadership of your life. On the other hand there seems to be quite a bit of risk in choosing not to believe in Jesus.

Nobody is promised tomorrow. The people in the World Trade Center thought life was just peachy at 7:00am on September 11th.

Don't waste this day.

Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift…..that's why it is called the present!

When my walking pile of dust and dirt return to the ground, I am going to be present with Jesus.

You may not think He is real.................but don't bet your ash on it!