In 1969 Joe South sang, “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home.”  It was about an individual who returned to his hometown only to find it no longer existed. It reminds me of my trips to where I grew up. Tears fill my eyes as I realize it only exists in my memory and imagination. Joe belts out, “Oh God, I want to go home.”

I’m glad there is a home in my future that will never be destroyed by time.

Philippians 3:20 

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

John 14:2 

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Give it some consideration.

Gary

I watched my great grandson flailing his arms, kicking and crying with his face red, thus revealing an Irish temper. He doesn’t like it in this world, and he wants all around to know it. Oh, he’ll climb out of that mood, but there will be many more mountains he must climb before he reaches great grandpa’s age. That’s pretty much the story of life.

John 16:33 

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 34:17-18 

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

I pray that this grandson will, at an early age, seek the only One who makes sense of life on terra firma.

Give it some thought and we won’t speak of the luck of the Irish.

Gary

Elton John sang “Candle in the Wind”. He used the life of Marilyn Monroe as a metaphor for the fragility of fame and life in the spotlight. The candle, in this context, is a symbol of something delicate and easily extinguished by the winds of change, struggle, or tragedy.

Norma Jean wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to have such a life experience. She was only used and discarded.

Proverbs 6:17 

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 17:20 

A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

Those pitfalls or perils can easily trap the unsuspecting.  Don’t let life use you and then discard you as trash. Turn to the One who makes life worth living.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Do you have confidence in your choice for president? Do you have confidence in your exercise program, diet, occupation or doctor? Does the Bible address the subject? Glad you asked.

Psalm 118:8

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

Proverbs 3:26

For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

At some point the politicians, physicians and exercise programs will be a disappointment. However, the confidence we have in Him will last an eternity.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Bad Moon Rising” is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  It was written in a time when many believed some serious trouble was just ahead. It didn’t happen during the time of the song’s success, but many play it today because they still believe the prediction of doom and gloom. However, for those who don’t know Christ there is some serious trouble ahead.

I see the bad moon a-risin’
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin’
I see bad times today

Don’t go around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise

John 14:1 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

Psalm 34:6 

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Don’t let it take your life. Escape to Christ. Give it some careful consideration.

Gary

It’s found in Luke 16:26 and it’s a shocking statement. One that should make us assess our spiritual condition and that of others that we rub shoulders with. The verse is about finding oneself in a place of no return.

Luke 16:26

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

How sad it will be if you find one day that the game is over and you lost. Regrettably, opportunities were missed. It’s the end of the road and there’s no turning back. I urge you not to be found saying, “If I only had it to do over again.”

Ponder this in that gray matter of yours.

Gary

My brother’s military flag and his Marine graduation picture are on display in my study. He was a combat Marine who lay bleeding near the DMZ in ‘68. We were separated by four years and he didn’t appreciate my coming into the world. I don’t blame him. Looking back now, I didn’t make life any easier for him when I occasionally picked fights.  Since I was treated as the baby until I was fourteen, that didn’t make it any easier for his journey through childhood. However, we were brothers and he came across for me on many occasions. He died last year without my debt being repaid.

Family, in spite of its struggles, is a blessing from God and prepares us for the life after we leave the nest. God uses the term family to describe the church.

Ephesians 3:14-15

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 

There’s nothing like family. Give it some thought.

Gary