Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep......

I knew it.
I just knew it!
I feel some regret today.

Because I was too lazy to go downstairs Saturday night and get the camera, I can't show you what I saw in my 3rd grader's room.

It was really late.
Nicolas had been watching a movie in his bedroom.
At some point, he had fallen asleep.

I noticed the TV on, and walked down to check things out.
I hit the power on the TV and looked over at the bottom bunk.
There was Nicolas fast asleep.
But what was he clutching?
He's too old for a Teddy Bear.
And yet his arms were tightly hugging something to his chest.

You know what it was?
His Bible!
No kidding.
It was amazing.
He was holding onto it for dear life.
I was floored.
And humbled.
"Oh Lord, let him always feel that way about you and your Word."
"And may I always feel that way too."

God gave me a gift Saturday night.
And yes.... I sure wish I had taken a photo.
But I was just thinking.
Not all precious moments are meant to be snapshots for the world to see.
Some are private pictures God gives only to you.
The best place to post these is in your heart.

Trusting God When Money Seems Scarce

Nothing quite like a financial challenge to bring you to the end of yourself.
It's always been that way.
But with the economy where it is right now, it's REALLY a challenge for most of us.

And yet it's a tremendous opportunity to allow our trust in God to grow.
Now is the time to live out what we've been saying we believe.

It's a blessing to us and to those watching us who don't have the hope of heaven through Jesus.
Can we rise to the challenge, standing on the promises of God that He'll provide for our needs?

For a dose of encouragement take a few minutes to read this article on crosswalk.com:
http://www.crosswalk.com/root/finances/11596818/page0/

I hope it'll bless you today.

And remember what Jesus said:

Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV) 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

See ya on the radio,
Kurt

Teenagers

Do you have a teenager in the house?
I do.
Love him like a son.
Well.... he IS my son.

Earlier this week on the show I had a blast opening up the phones for parents of teens.
How do you get them to clean their rooms?

One guy said.. "Give it up. It won't happen. Hang on until they move out!"

Here are some responses from a couple of Moms:

"I go into my daughter's room with a big trash bag. Anything that's on the floor goes in the trash."

"Kids from my daughter's youth group at church staged a "room raid" with my permission.
They arrived with a video camera and started shooting video of her room. They later showed it at a gathering of more than 300 teens. The problem was.. the other teens' rooms they videotaped were much worse. She thinks it's really not that bad now. Oh well....."

(This kind of makes you want to do the same thing.. only post the video for the world to see on YouTube.)

As we parent our teens, we have to laugh.
Otherwise we'll cry.
A listener sent me this cartoon in an email.
I hope you'll not only identify with it, but smile a little too:

See ya on the radio,
Kurt

Unpacking Forgiveness

I hope you had a chance to join us the past couple of evenings for our interview segment Total Impact.

Pastor and author Chris Brauns helped us unpack forgiveness.

As I mentioned a few days ago his book Unpacking Forgiveness is a must read for every Christ follower!!

The truth is all of us have to work through forgiveness issues.

But take heart!

We can do it.. and honor God in the process.

If you missed the segments, you can click on the links below to download and/or play them.

Take a few minutes... relax.... and open your heart.

God may use Chris to speak to your very situation today.

Unpacking Forgiveness Part 1-http://www.box.net/shared/etyr5f33ar

Unpacking Forgiveness Part 2-http://www.box.net/shared/ey0ifce78u

See ya on the radio,

Kurt

Are you Content?

1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV) "... godliness with contentment is great gain."

"Contentment for the Christian is the direct fruit of having no higher ambition than to belong to the Lord and be entirely at His disposal."-Alistair Begg

That's one of the best definitions of contentment I've ever seen.

Don't you agree?

And yet this is an area where we all struggle at times.

Why can't I have that job?

Why can't I feel better?

Why don't I have more money?

Why don't people treat me better?

Why is everything always breaking around the house?

You can add more to the list, I'm sure.

I recently finished a small book that is already making a BIG difference in my outlook as the new year begins.

It's called "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs.

It's a classic!

Written in the 1600's... and yet it's super practical in the 21st century!

Truth never changes.

Also, through careful editing the publishers have updated the language a bit.

But this is a book to read slowly.

Don't get discouraged if it's a bit dry in the beginning.

Stick with it.

You'll be so glad you did.

Maybe a goal for this year will be to buy a copy and read through it this year.

It's very inexpensive.

Or... you can read it for free online.

Just click http://www.bibleteacher.org/jbcontent1.htm

And remember.. we have to learn to be content.

Take it one step at a time.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) "....... for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Read Through The Bible This Year (You Can Do It!)

I know it can be pretty intimidating.

"What me... read through the Bible in a year?"

"The whole thing?"

Wow.

As we begin the new year, I want to encourage you to give this a try.

Maybe you have tried but gave up for one reason or another.

For me, I always got stuck somewhere in the Old Testament.

You know... Numbers... 1 & 2 Chronicles...etc.

My biggest challenge though was not having a plan.

Granted, the plan can be tough some days.

But if you stick with it, asking God to help you, you'll make it through.

And if you're like me you'll be so excited about how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you day by day it'll turn into an adventure.

You'll sit down to read and BAM! the day's reading will address the very thing you're dealing with.

Or sometimes you don't even know you'll be dealing with it but that verse or those verses will come back to you when you need them later on in the day.

It's amazing!

I've read through the Bible a few times now.

The only way I can do it is to read a One Year Bible.

I have several in various translations.

They break up each day's reading into a portion of the Old Testament, a portion of the New Testament, plus Psalms & Proverbs.

After I finish one the next year I move on to a different translation to vary things up a bit.

A few thoughts:

1. Sometimes I'll be reading and some verses really capture my attention. I camp out there and meditate a bit. Don't move on for the sake of the plan. The goal is to meet God daily, not get through the Bible in a year. You may end up reading more on some days than others.

2. Have a good study Bible handy. I often have questions about what I read and need some help. The two I use the most are The MacArthur Study Bible & The ESV Study Bible.

3. Have a notebook and a pen handy. No pressure. But if the Lord gives you an insight, write it down and date it.

For those who want to do everything on the computer with Bible software, you have a ton of options. You can write notes and file them in seconds.

In fact, I just ran across the One Year Bible Blog. More than 8 thousand people in 55 countries have already signed up. One of the neat features is the use of pictures & videos to help you understand the biblical text.

Check it out: http://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/

Use the plan but don't make it your taskmaster.

Your goal is to meet with the Lord.

Every day.

In some way.

And oh.. yeah.

Hang on for the ride of your life!

Among The Godless

I hope you had a fantastic New Year's Holiday!
Maybe one of the things you've been thinking about as you ask God what he plans to do in your life this year is "First off.... Lord... why am I here.....? "

In this city.
In this family.
In this job.

You say "Lord... what were you thinking? I would be able to follow you much better in another place, another situation. It would be so much more healthy not only for me.. but also for my family."

I found something interesting in the Old Testament book of Leviticus.
Moses spent a lot of one-one one time with God after leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
God gave him the 10 Commandments, and many other things.
But this one message in particular, caught my eye:

Leviticus 18:3-5 (NIV) 3 "You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God."

Wait a minute.
They left a Godless nation and were headed for a Godless nation.
With their families mind you.
Yet it was the plan of God for them.

In fact, the book of Leviticus details how the Israelites needed to be different from all of the other people who lived in the land.
Glorify the one true God.
Be His ambassadors.
Stand firm.
Live for Him among the Godless.

Could that be the plan of God for us today?
This year?