‘X’ marks the spot: Giving up everything to find priceless treasure

Posted on June 17, 2019 by
One of stories Jesus tells in Matthew 13 focuses on a man who found hidden treasure.

What comes to mind when you think of the word treasure?

Maybe you see images of Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl in search of gold. Follow the map because “X” marks the spot.

Or, is it the stories of treasures hunters trying to find that which is lost — maybe, the “Curse of Oak Island” and its famed “money pit.”

Maybe for you, treasure is found on “Antiques Road Show” or “Pawn Stars”, where ordinary folks discover what their unique items are worth. Hey, I’ll call my buddy to come on down and take a look at what you’ve brought in!

Continue reading →
Posted in Life Lessons, Reset Stories | Leave a comment

You have a story to share and it is worth telling

Posted on June 14, 2019 by

“I’m not really that interesting. No one is going to care to listen to me.”

That was always the challenge when I was writing for a newspaper. Some people love to tell a story and some will share far more than you ever asked for. Then, there are those who don’t believe that anyone would care enough to read it.

If I had a dime for all the times I’ve heard someone say something along those lines, then I’d have a bagful of dimes. Seriously, though, that’s where people often go when asked to share something about themselves.

Maybe, that’s the way you feel about your life and your life story. However, I’m going to start with a very basic assumption: Everyone has a story to share.

Continue reading →
Posted in Core Beliefs, Life Lessons, Reset Stories | Leave a comment

Bill Buckner’s career so much more than error in the 1986 World Series

Posted on May 28, 2019 by

I was sitting in a restaurant with my daughter today when I looked up at the baseball game playing on the television.  My eye caught the headline at the bottom of the screen that Bill Buckner had died.

I remember the famed play from the 1986 World Series.  I noticed one that Buckner was the outfielder for the Dodgers with Hank Aaron hit his record-setting home run.  He had always seemed, in some ways, to have his entire career diminished by one moment in one game.

Then, on a whim, I wrote to MLB and asked for permission to attend and cover a legends baseball game.  At the time, I was working in journalism and, amazingly, MLB said yes.  I knew some of the names that would be there and had a chance to talk to Brooks Robinson, Wade Boggs and others.

Continue reading →
Posted in Reset It | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

‘Houston, we have a rejection problem’: The need for Lent and the journey to Easter

Posted on March 7, 2019 by
In rejection, we give up what we have to take the long road of our own making.

This devotion is part of a series that I’m planning to write throughout Lent talking about the “re-” words that appear in scripture.

If the restoration and redemption of Easter is the destination, then where did the journey start?

To get a glimpse, here are some words of Jesus from the parable of the Prodigal Son.

“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger 
one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ 
So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, 
the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant 
 and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 
- Luke 15:11-13 (NIV)
Continue reading →
Posted in Reset It | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Five biscuits and two fish sticks: All it takes to show some faith

Posted on March 3, 2019 by
How do you feed 5,000-plus people? Look in one kid’s lunch box.

“Where’s the closest Wal-Mart?”

That might as well be the modern equivalent of what Jesus asked Philip at the start of the famed story of Jesus feeding 5,000.  Jesus is concerned about immediate need of this large group and he lays out this “test” for Philip.  Maybe, Jesus, knowing what’s about to happen, is just having a little fun with one of his disciples before the big reveal.  Honestly, Jesus has to have the greatest sense of humor ever created.

Philip’s response is basically, “Jesus, we don’t have enough money to solve this problem.”

Continue reading →
Posted in Hope, Life Lessons, Reset It, Reset Stories | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When you’ve lost your faith and hope

Posted on February 11, 2019 by

man jumps from to water

Faith is hope in God and belief in the unseen.  It’s taking a step even when we don’t know what’s on the other side.

You can find a poll for just about everything today.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a debate about “real” or “fake” news.  It’s about the number of polls we find.

Some of those polls point out that we have a loss of “faith.”  It’s not exactly what you think it might be (though there are polls about views on being spiritual but not religious).  In these “faith’ polls, people are indicating that they are losing faith in leaders, role models, the media, institutions, the government, the financial system and so much more.

But, the truth is that what these polls are saying is nothing new.  It’s been going on for years, decades, even centuries.

Continue reading →

Posted in Doubt, Hope, Reset It | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The bottom line for the Gospel: 10 things I see in John 3:16

Posted on September 16, 2018 by

seaport during daytime

Photo by Pok Rie on Pexels.com

It’s one of the most quoted verses of all time.  It’s the one that people still hold up on signs at sporting events.  That verse is John 3:16.

I was thinking about that verse this weekend and it’s been a long time since I learned it.   The version that I memorized comes from the King James Bible and it reads this way:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

There are so many other Bible translations and versions that give essentially the same words, but I’m going to share 10 things with you that I have been thinking about when it comes to that verse: Continue reading →

Posted in Reset It | Leave a comment