My Psalm 23

God you alone are my provider

and you will give me all I need.

You make me long for more of you.

You speak words of promise to my soul.

You guide me through life and tell me your will,

May my actions be praise to you.

Lord, even though I walk through pain and confusion,

Your voice and your promises comfort me.

And I will fear nothing for you are with me!

Your promises will surely be fulfilled!

Your love is overwhelming,

Your peace consuming.

I will worship you all my days,

And I will live with you for all eternity.

~ adaptation by Sharon Hardwick

A Proverbs 31 Man

A man of true valor is hard to find

A man that seeks the Lord's heart and His ways.

His wife has full confidence in all he does.

She respects him for the man he is.

He works diligently but he is not a slave to his job.

His master is the creator and he serves Him by choice.

He takes care of his family's needs- body, mind and spirit.

He is the spiritual head of the home.

The town sees his passion for things that are not of this world.

He speaks godly wisdom.

He is clothed with strength and dignity.

He has the respect of the town but he does not need it.

He gets his identity from the Lord.

He laughs at days to come, knowing they are out of his control.

~ adaptation by Sharon Hardwick

Don't Assume You Know It All...

Wow, what a statement. I'm not one to assume, but I am one who makes mistakes. Sometimes those blunders are hurtful. I sit up late this evening thinking about pain I have needlessly caused and the hopes that I have not done irreparable damage. I love my family. With every ounce of my being. Unconditionally. Father gave me a trust, two fantastic kids and by marriage, I have inherited another. Yet, failure can drive wedges deep. I've seen it too often and in my zealous attempt to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, I have been the one to trip the lever.

Father led me to this scripture tonight.

Proverbs 3:1-12 (The Message)

Don't Assume You Know It All

Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you; take to heart my commands.
They'll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.

Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.

Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.

But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.

May those I love so much forgive me for my human failures. May Father who loves us all help to heal wounds that I have caused.

SuperHero's UNITE!

Have you ever met a SuperHero? I have! Right on my own doorstep stood Superman! There wasn't anything in this world that he was afraid of! Of course, some days, he was a Ninja Turtle or Batman! Whatever the situation required that day! Soon, the days of masks and capes came off but they were replaced with baseball bats and golf clubs! Maybe a basketball if the situation was right.

These are the times that I recall having the most fun with my kids. Their imagination ran wild and they were out to conquer the world. Of course, the fact that they are no longer small and playing all the time does not mean that they have grown out of that. You see, they are still my SuperHero's.

When you are a SuperHero, nothing can change that. That's great news because I believe that is how our Father looks at us! I believe we have a Heavenly Father that looks down on us with delight and laughs with us as we take on our days fighting for Truth, Justice and the American way!

So, I'm going to leave you with this video. Another really cool SuperHero. There is no question his Dad is proud of him! There is no doubt that he is and forever will be loved by a Heavenly Father and that same Father cares the same for each of us. Go get 'em Batman!

His Promises

Remember what you said to me, your servant—
I hang on to these words for dear life!
These words hold me up in bad times;
yes, your promises rejuvenate me.
Psalm 119:49

So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.
Hebrews 10:22

And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do exactly what I have promised.
Isaiah 38:7

Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you've had or ever will have—
incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul,
I'll do exactly what I set out to do,'
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I've said it, and I'll most certainly do it.
I've planned it, so it's as good as done.
Isaiah 46:8-11

Ahhh... Thanksgiving!

I hope that you had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. This year, for the first time in years, we traveled for the holiday. Several years ago, we began to host Thanksgiving dinner for both of our parents at our home in Temple.

Jan's parents, Kenneth and Betty, would come along with my parents and we would have a great time catching up on all kinds of things. We would always have a feast - more food than could be consumed in a month. Pies and candy (both of which Jan is exceptionally talented at making) would be sliced and tasted over lies and football! Dad and Kenneth would talk tractors or whatever else happened to cross their minds. The funny ones though were mom and Betty. As mom's dementia and Betty's alzheimer's progressed, they would have the same conversation multiple times during a meal - and enjoy it every time. So did we, by the way.

As my parents began to age, we started to find creative ways to get them to the house. When Mom first went in the nursing home, I would drive to Waco early to pick Dad up, most of all to make sure he would come! He never wanted to leave mom's side, especially on holidays. After Mom passed away, one of us continued to make the journey to pick Dad up to spend time with us. Dad passed away in 2007 and that has been one of the big things I have missed every year. It really didn't sink in how much he was missed until I could no longer go to pick him up.

This year, Betty's Alzheimer's has progressed to a point that the travel and crowds are difficult. Little stops us from finding some way to spent time together so Jan, Sharon and I made the trip to our nephews home in Cleburne. Seems like the destination changed, but the fun never ceased! This year, there was an addition - Ava's first Thanksgiving. I certainly hope she can grow up to enjoy this time of the year just like we have.

You see, it's not the food we eat, although it was wonderful. It was simply being able to spend time together, watching football, swapping stories, spending time throwing a ball and waiting for a Turkey to fry. It was witnessing a new life and sharing in a child's first Thanksgiving. It was spending time with loved ones that may not recall even having the meal. It is all about love and building and renewing of relationships.

My prayer for you is that each time you get together with those you love, you find more reasons to enjoy the time together than to find to spend apart. We were made for this purpose - the feast is special because we share it together!

Choices Made

I ended my last post with a statement "I make a choice every day, every breath, because I am free." What does that mean? What kind of choices? Fairly simple really...

• I choose to see the good in everyone I meet.
• I choose to love even at the risk of that love not being returned.
• I choose to expect the absolute best out of everyone I am associated with.
• I choose to give my absolute best in every situation.
• I choose to believe that no one is intentionally out to hurt me.
• I choose to believe that everyone has a story to tell and it is as unique as the story teller.
• I choose to believe that what is right for me may not be right for you - and it's ok!
• I choose to live my life today expecting that there will be no tomorrow.
• Everyone has flaws - that's a given. If I choose to live my life pointing them out, it would be a pretty miserable existence. You don't have to look far to get a glimpse of mine!
• I choose every day to love my wife and my family. It's a pretty easy choice. By making that choice, I also choose not to allow anything to come between us. Because I choose to have nothing come between us, I have an expectation of the same from each of them. Failure is not an option.
• I may get angry, I may get frustrated. I choose not to allow those emotions to rule my life. They are irrelevant.
• I choose to believe that the same Jesus who gave it all up for me, did so for everyone else and did so freely - that's what makes Him a Savior.
• I choose not to make choices for you - that is your choice, choose wisely.