A Friday Smile

A serious moment.....

Genesis 19:24-26 (ESV) "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. "And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

A not so serious commentary...

I saw you smile.

Microwave Myths

We've all heard at least a few of them.

So-called "Microwave Facts".

But are they really facts.. or just fiction?

Inquiring minds want to know.....

Is it dangerous to heat plastics in the microwave?

Can boiling a cup of hot water in one cause it to explode?

Do they leak unsafe amounts of radiation?

Real men aren't afraid of their microwaves.

That's a motto I live by.

Cheesy...yes.

But true.

Of course the fact that I can't cook anything without one is beside the point.

But if these kinds of questions keep you up at night.. click on the link to read this article:

Surprising Facts & Myths About Microwave Ovens:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/microwave-radiation-ovens-460709

"Come"

Walking by faith is a little uncomfortable.

That's the nature of it.

An element of uncertainty is always in the air.

But just an element.

Just enough for us to draw closely to the Lord.

Today instead of an "out of the box" experience God may be setting you up for an "out of the boat" experience.

Both are similar because they're out of the ordinary.

But only one waits for the command to come.

Or to go.

Matthew 14:25-31 (ESV) "And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. "But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Yes... Peter faltered.

Jesus came to the rescue.

But Peter was the only one who actually got out of the boat.

Once He knew it was Jesus who said "Come" he didn't delay.

The other disciples may have thought he had gone overboard.

He had.

But don't confuse overboard with overconfident.

He heard the Voice calling to him.

Isaiah 30:21 (ESV) "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."

True, not every moment in life is a "come walk on the water moment".

As far as we know, Peter never did it again.

But when Jesus called to him he jumped in with both feet.

That was his moment.

Are you ready for yours?

A Lot of Laughs

Do you know someone who has one of those laughs that makes you laugh?

A laugh that is so ridiculous.. and contagious... it's in a class all its own?

It would be a sad world if we didn't have folks like that.

Case in point: A woman who has a laugh that sounds like..... a car horn!

Click here for the story: http://www.kcra.com/video/20128494/index.html

Not Just Any Old Port

Smooth sailing ahead.

A wonderful message to those of us who are hanging on for dear life.

The storm season in a life isn't as easily predicted as the storm season in the place where you live.

But the shocking suddenness of it can usher in a fresh awareness of God's presence.

Matthew 8:24-27 (ESV) "And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

Jesus calmly got the disciples to their intended destination.

The same will be true for us.

But it gets better:

Psalm 107:29-30 (ESV) " He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. "Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven."

Their desired haven.

What is a haven?

Haven– a harbor or port.

But not just any old port in the storm.

Their desired haven.

A place where they wanted to be.

This time around God may be saying to you.....

I'm going to calm the storm.

A gentle yet powerful wind will soon be at your back.

A spectacular harbor awaits your arrival.

And oh yeah.

One more thing.

I'll be there to show you around.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

My Shadow

My heart is so heavy today.

Archie, our beloved 12 year old dachshund, died last night.

I've been putting off posting this entry because I knew it would be a hard one to write.

My eyes are filled with tears right now.

Archie was family.

He was with us for 12 years of ups and downs.

Always loving.

Always funny.

Always driving us crazy!

But Archie was especially attached to me.

He was my shadow.

When I would be up early to do my morning devotions he sat on my lap.

I often called him my "reading buddy."

I read a lot.. and he always sat or laid by my side.

Every day.

Not today.

He had been sick for a few days and we knew something wasn't right.

Turns out he was slipping away.

We took him to our compassionate vet and he told us there were many things wrong.

Too many.

And so we had to make a hard yet loving decision.

My wife and I along with our two boys spent about 20 minutes with Archie before they took him.

It was agonizing.

We cried.

A lot.

We held him.

We kissed him.

We prayed.

And the presence of the Lord was there.

In that moment I experienced a great truth:

God loves us and cares about what we care about.

Archie was so calm, which isn't like him at all.

He was peaceful... looking at each one of us in turn as if to say...

"I love you so much. It's going to be okay."

And then they took him away.

I don't have a theological leg to stand on when it comes to the question...

"Do our beloved pets go to Heaven?"

I like to think Archie will meet me at the gates.. running at top speed.. jumping into my arms.

Even though the Bible is silent about such things, I think about who God is.

He's loving beyond comprehension.

Why wouldn't he reunite us with our precious pets?

When we were in the room saying goodbye, I noticed some wooden words hanging on the wall:

"Loving you for loving me."

"Yes..." I said in a whisper as I held him.

"My love for you will remain even though shadows are fleeting."

High Anxiety

I'm anxious to share some encouragement with you.

Pun intended!

The words of Jesus in Matthew 6 about worry are familiar to many of us as Christ followers.

I return to them when life gets a little uncertain.

Okay.

A lot uncertain.

Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV) "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

A couple of things about these verses are showing up in BOLD PRINT in my life today.

First, even though God feeds the birds every day, they still have to go in search of the food He's supplied for them.

It's what they do.

And they're never stressed out about it either.

I've never seen a bird up in a tree having a nervous breakdown.

What a great example of faith in action!

Secondly, birds live day to day without storing up.

How many fat sparrows do you see?

They don't overindulge because they know there will be enough tomorrow.

Maybe the best thing we can do is get rid of the "What if" questions.

You know the drill....

What if I get sick...

What if there's not enough money...

What if I lose my job...

What if I'm rejected...

What if?

Replace the "What if' with "Even if."

Even if I get sick...

Even if there's not enough money..

Even if I'm rejected...

Even if I lose my job..

The Lord is still with me.

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) "..... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

It's a choice I make each new day.

Faith or fear.

Which one honors God most?

Water & Small Children Can Be A Deadly Combination

From time to time I'm asked this question:

"What were the hardest stories for you to cover when you worked in TV news?"

I always give the same answer:

The accidental drownings of small children in backyard pools.

Just thinking about it now brings back some pretty raw emotions.

Talking with devastated parents.

The tears of pure agony.

Every summer here in Las Vegas I would cover at least 1 death, many times a lot more.

That's why I recently interviewed Nancy Roth on the show.

Nancy runs a swim school for small children.

They teach the little ones what to do in case they fall into the water.

Nancy has a real heart for these children.

Here's her website: http://www.dolphinbabiesswimschool.com/

Listen to our conversation:

Swimming Safety For Small Children: http://www.box.net/shared/8ryljztp0p

And remember this:

You can never be overprotective when it comes to small children and water!

You Belong To...... Who?

Greetings!

Wow.. I'm still getting caught up after taking some time off last week.

The first few days back can be crazy!

I was reading Charles Spurgeon during my break and ran across a powerful thought.

I don't know what you're dealing with in your life right now but I just have a feeling these words may be helpful today.

Especially if you've been attacked by someone recently.

“What!” you say, “are we not to stick up for ourselves?”
That depends upon whose you are; if you are your own, take care of yourselves; but if you are Christ’s, let him take care of you."

Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV) "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you."

Homeless Helpers

This week we featured a small homeless ministry on Total Impact that's making a big difference.

It's called Homeless Helpers.

For many homeless folks in Las Vegas, this outreach has been an answer to a desperate prayer.

Click here to listen to my interview with Tony Sipich:

Total Impact: Homeless Helpers: http://www.box.net/shared/uac8jv6v4g

Also, here's the official website: http://www.homelesshelpersnv.org/

Sometimes God prepares our heart to get involved in His work but we don't know exactly where to plug in.

Maybe this is your opportunity!

By the way, I'll be taking a break from the action next week for some R & R.

I'll check back in with you on July 20th!

Risky Business

What would happen if I lived my life so dependent on God that without Him showing up I would fail?

Don't get me wrong.

I don't want to be lazy or irresponsible and expect God to bless something I have no investment in.

That would be presumption.

But I think most of us tend to go to the other extreme.

"If it's to be it's up to me."

"God helps those who help themselves."

Two common thoughts that don't appear in the Bible at all.

God's Word calls us to a life of obedience and dependence.

Two types of soils where the seed of faith grows by leaps and bounds.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

When I think about my desire to see more of God in the daily mundane things of life, I'm thinking about taking steps to allow my faith to breathe a little.

Lord, I've prepared for this presentation but without you it'll never hit home.

Lord, I've worked hard to be competent on the job but without your favor success will always be limited.

Lord, I'm trying to follow you in this marriage but I can't change my spouse's heart.

Lord, I'm trying to lead and provide for my family but I can't cover all the bases.

Thoughts like these make for a vibrant faith.

When I truly believe that without God I'm at a loss, I invite the hand of God to move on my behalf.

A.W. Tozer writes....

"I pray often-and I want to live in line with my prayer-that God puts me in a state where he has to help me or I will flop. I want to be in a place where I have to have God in everything that I do."

Step out on a few limbs.

Trust that they'll hold you because God is holding them.

Full Circle

Since mentioning this on the show yesterday, I've been captivated by the thought.

The earth is round.

And the Bible reported that great truth many years before we knew it to be a scientific fact!

Check this out:

Isaiah 40:22 (NKJV) "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth......."

God sits above THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH.

How would Isaiah know this some 600 years before the birth of Christ?

And then there's Job 26:7 (NKJV) "He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing."

Amazing!

"God sustains the skies over empty space and supports the earth on nothing—statements amazingly in accord with facts not known or agreed on by scientists till a few hundred years ago.

In the clouds in the sky God gathers up water (evaporation), and He can cover the... moon with clouds. At the horizon... light and darkness seem to separate. The horizon is circular, for the verb marks out translates the word ḥūq, “to draw a circle,” and suggests the curvature of the earth.

This too accords with the facts known by scientists only in recent times."

—Bible Knowledge Commentary

When I need to have my faith strengthened I grab onto verses like these and my trust in God is renewed for another day.

The Bible I hold in my hands is now held anew in my heart.

The E-Card You Don't Want To Open

It's always nice to get an E-Card.

But not this one!!!

E-Card Fraud Alert

A fraudulent e-mail flooding the Internet claims to have a link to an E-Card from a family member, friend or neighbor and uses major greeting card company names such as Hallmark. Clicking on the link downloads a virus onto your computer that compromises personal data.What you can do:
Report suspicious e-mail to your e-mail service provider so they can take action.
File a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/.

Forward the suspicious e-mails to abuse@hallmark.com. (Due to the large amount of e-mail we receive at that address we will not be able to reply to your e-mail, but we will investigate.)
Then you should delete the e-mail.If you are unsure if you've received a legitimate Hallmark E-Card, don't click on a link in the e-mail. Instead use our E-Card pickup.

If you do click on the link in the bogus e-mail, you will launch a variant of the Zapchast Trojan virus. Zapchast installs an Internet Relay (IRC) chat client and causes the infected computer to connect to an IRC channel. Attackers then use that connection to remotely command your machine.

What Hallmark is doing:

Contacting the Internet providers identified as the source of the spam requesting that they shut down the imposters.
Working with Microsoft to include the virus code in their phishing filter to protect consumers who use their web browser and e-mail client software.
Working with anti-virus software corporations to get the virus code added to virus definition updates.
Reviewing Hallmark's E-Card notification and pickup procedures.
Educating consumers about how to avoid E-Card abuse.

How to tell if a Hallmark E-Card notification is real:

The subject line of legitimate E-Card notifications from Hallmark will say, "A Hallmark E-Card from (name of the sender)" not a generic term like "friend," "neighbor" or "family member.
The e-mail notification will come from the sender's e-mail address, not Hallmark.com.
The notification will include a link to the E-Card on Hallmark.com as well as a URL that can be pasted into a browser.

The URL will begin with http://hallmark.com/ followed by characters that identify the individual E-Card. Hover your mouse over the words "click here" in your e-mail. If you do not see the URL above, it is NOT a legitimate Hallmark E-Card.

Hallmark E-Cards are not downloaded and they are not .exe files.
In addition, Hallmark.com will never require an E-Card recipient to enter a user name or password nor any other personal information to retrieve an E-Card.

E-mail Safety Tips

Do not open e-mails from unknown senders.
Don't open an e-mail you know to be spam. A code embedded in spam advertises that you opened the e-mail and confirms your address is valid, which in turn can generate more spam.

If you receive an attachment that you are not expecting, don't open it, even if it's from someone you know. First read the e-mail, and make sure the attachment is most likely legitimate. If you're still not sure, call or e-mail the sender to confirm, but do not reply to the original e-mail.

Some fraudulent e-mails that appear to be from financial companies (PayPal, banks, credit card companies, etc.) direct the reader to click on a link to verify or confirm account details. Never click these links. Instead, call the company if you are concerned about your account.

Reaching

So how was your Fourth of July Weekend?

I hope the answer is "Great".

"Fun".

"Good times".

"Good food".

"Good memories."

Mine was filled with all of the above.

Our family returned home from a big fireworks show Saturday night.

We usually light off a few "safe and sane" fireworks before wrapping up the holiday.

This year, we kept it simple.

Just some sparklers.

Can't get any more safe and sane than that....right?

It went off without a hitch until the last sparkler sparkled its last.

It was in my hand.

My youngest said.... "I'll take that from you, Dad."

He did.

Grabbing it from the hot end of the stick of all things.

His cries made me glad someone a couple of streets over opted for something much louder than our safe and sane fireworks.

In fact, as their dangerous and insane ones exploded over our heads we rushed into the house.

There's some irony there, don't you think?

Even though the injury was almost nothing, it could have been much worse.

As Nicolas sat on the couch with his ice pack on his finger a thought occurred to me.

You can get hurt when you hastily reach for the wrong end of a hot sparkler.

It's a bad idea.

Whether you intend to or not you get burned.

May I remember that the next time my hasty reach exceeds my limited wisdom in the daily decisions of life.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Just a quick note to wish you a happy holiday weekend!

If you're planning on lighting off your own fireworks ( legal ones of course!)... click on this link for some very important safety tips: http://www.fireworksafety.com/

Or.. you can leave it to the professionals.

Here's a rundown of a few fireworks displays in the Las Vegas Area:

61st Annual Boulder City Damboree

When: July 4

Where: Boulder City

The annual event will feature a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. in Bicentennial Park; a parade at 9 a.m. beginning at Colorado and going down Nevada Highway; Damboree ceremonies and midway booths at Broadbent Park beginning at 10 a.m.; festivities from 6 to 11 p.m. at Veteran's Memorial Park; and fireworks at Veteran's Memorial Park at 9 p.m..

Downtown Henderson Fourth of July fireworks & celebration

When: 6-9 p.m. July 4

Where: Henderson Events Plaza and surrounding area Admission:Free

Attendees will enjoy three stages of live music by the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, country music entertainer Randy Anderson and more. Additionally, families will have the opportunity to indulge in a variety of food and beverage options while the children are entertained by an assortment of fun activities including a rock wall, dunk tank, bounce house and more. The Independence Day celebration will culminate with a spectacular fireworks display from atop City Hall.

4th of July at Lake Las Vegas

When: 4 to 9 p.m. July 4

Where: The Village, 30 Strada di Villagio, Henderson

There will be live music, food and fireworks (fireworks start at 9 p.m.).

Mandalay Beach Concert & Fireworks

When: fireworks at 9 p.m. and concert at 9:15 p.m. July 4

Where: Poolside at Mandalay BayTickets: $20 general

Freedom Fireworks Extravaganza

When: 9:15 p.m. July 4

Where: M Resort, 123000 Las Vegas Blvd. South

The fireworks show will last 15 minutes. Before the show, an old-fashioned food fair will offer carnival-like food stands where popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, soda and water will be available for purchase. The food fair begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free to the public.

Station Casino's fireworks

Station Casino's will feature fireworks on July 4 at Red Rock Resort. Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Boulder Station. Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho, Fiesta Henderson, Aliante Station, Santa Fe Station and Sunset Station. The nine-minute show at 9:30 p.m. will be produced by the Grucci Family. The show has been choreographed to a variety of music paying tribute to America and the fun spirit of Las Vegas.

Recommended viewing areas:• Aliante Station -- Hotel valet/parking lot area• Boulder Station -- Parking garage rooftop• Fiesta Henderson -- Parking garage rooftop• Fiesta Rancho -- Parking garage rooftop• Green Valley Ranch -- Backyard pool area• Palace Station -- Parking garage rooftop (south parking garage connected to casino entrance)• Red Rock Resort -- Pool area and amphitheatre• Santa Fe Station -- Parking garage rooftop (north parking garage) and the race and sports book patio • Sunset Station -- Amphitheater• Texas Station -- Parking Lot C off Rancho entrance

Words vs. Power

I'm using words to point out that few words are needed when God is in them.

This is pretty good news for those of us who want to speak words of life and yet feel so inadequate.

That's me for sure.

I regret using words I should have but didn't.

I regret using the wrong ones.

You know the kind I'm talking about.

Duds that steal the crackle and spark from the fireworks of a vibrant conversation.

Thoughts like this are common among us all I guess.

But there's a problem with this over analysis:

I'm putting too much stock in my own ability.

Even though I know I can't do it alone I act like I can.

I need to grab onto 1 Corinthians 4:20:" For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power."

It's not my words.

It's the power behind them.

A power beyond me.

A power that comes from God using them for His glory.

The imperfect is used by the One who is perfect.

I'm humbled.

At a loss for words yet again.

But one thing I'm learning is that with this kind of humility there's no room for regret.

Caring 4 Kids Is A Good Thing

Caring 4 Kids is an organization here in Las Vegas that's really making a difference when it comes to feeding hungry children.

And the founder, Scott Sullivan, does it all in the name of Christ.

I've had Scott on the show a couple of times and his passion for these needy kids is really inspiring.

If you have a few minutes take a listen to my conversation with him:

Total Impact: The Caring 4 Kids Foundation:
http://www.box.net/shared/k02zz5vhax

Also.. here's the website: http://www.caring4kidsfoundation.org/

Scott and the gang at Caring 4 Kids are just loving God and loving children in a very tangible way.

That's faith in real life!

Matthew 19:14 (ESV) "but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."