Fortress Around Your Heart

I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I trust!  Psalm 91:2

Too often, we as believers seem to forget that we are ready to face anything with Christ, who infuses inner strength into each one of us. 

You see, when we trust God, we don’t have to be afraid of the enemy’s sudden attacks and the unexpected turns that we will inevitably face at some point during our lives.  God is our strong fortress. 

No matter what may come against us, we can live with peace of mind knowing that we will never be defeated!

The Seeds of Love

Who with reason despises the day of small things?  Zechariah 4:10

Let's face it, if you have ever had any experience in sales, some days are better than others.  This is true in any occupation or career, but quite often, the sales cycle in the employee benefits arena is long and taxing.  You can work on an account or case for several months only to find out that you didn’t win the business. 

From the motion picture Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, Ricky Bobby’s dad said it best, "If you ain't first, you're LAST!" Recently, there have been some small signs of growth that look promising...seeds that were planted over the past few years here in Knoxville are finally starting to sprout opportunities for me and I know just Who to thank.

I believe wholeheartedly that God plants these ever so small seeds.  Too often, we want immediate results or whatever it is that we are facing to come to pass too quickly.  When you find evidence of those small seeds that the good Lord has planted, you should rejoice with hope knowing that God has bigger and greater things in store for you. 

God never breaks His promises to us and He always finishes what He starts.  Just think about it, be thankful, and hold on with hope!! He is preparing to do something great in your life!

Got To Give It Up

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings-and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.  Revelation 17:14

Ask yourself this very difficult question...is Jesus the Lord of everything in your life or only a few things?  If I am completely honest, my answer would be along the lines of: “He is the Lord over my some of marriage, some of my parenting, some of my finances, some of my career, some of my relationships; etc.”  The problem with my answer is that Jesus wants to be the Lord over ALL things in my life, and He wants the same for you as well.   

The titles "Lord of Lords" and "King of Kings" are not just some empty Holy-roller words used to describe Jesus, but they are appropriate for the One who is the Lord over all things in this universe, time, each and every circumstance and situation.  If you have accepted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, then there is never a single moment the rest of your life that He will not be in complete control making sure that all things come together for your good, in accordance to His perfect will and timing.

We must learn to let go of the control we so desperately try to manage in every area of our lives and turn it over to the One who really is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!  

Limb By Limb

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7

Alicia and I have enjoyed working on improving our yard this spring.  Just the other day, I planted several Leyland’s Cypresses and a Weeping Willow in our backyard.  I planted the trees on Good Friday and we had gotten several inches rain the night before here in Knoxville.  The ground was so saturated, it made digging the holes for the trees easy and I didn’t need to water them because there was so much water in the ground.  It got me thinking, just like picking out the right spot for trees to have optimal growth, we too need to plant our roots firmly around God’s Word and will for our lives.

If you are like me, you have no problem turning over the bigger issues to God.  That’s great, but God wants us to trust Him with every detail of our lives.   When we focus on our circumstances, we take our focus off of Jesus Christ.  We must learn to keep our focus on God’s presence at all times, during every circumstance, every moment of the day.

Jesus made the ultimate love sacrifice to save us from certain death and He can be trusted in every facet of our lives!

Human Touch

The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me.  He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners.  Isaiah 61:1

As usual, the worship service on Easter Sunday at Cokesbury Church was moving, uplifting, and inspiring.  As Monday arrived, it didn't take too long for the celebration to fade as the work week quickly began and life returned back to its normal and hectic pace.  In an effort to continue building upon our Savior’s resurrection and what it means to all believers, I began pondering why God chose to come in the form of His Son in human flesh to this earth… 

I am convinced that in addition to showing us His love for us, it was also God's divine way of proving that He is truly concerned about our human needs.  Jesus walked and lived among us, God in flesh form, and experienced the same temptations, struggles, and triumphs we did.  He never once sinned, but during His time on this earth, came to a much greater understanding of the human condition. 

No other 'god' offers the same love, understanding, and sacrifice that our loving Father freely gives to each one of us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!

Still The Same

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8


The empty tomb is more significant than we can possibly fathom.  It is the one thing that separates the Christian faith from any other religion.  Because Jesus defeated the grave and conquered death, He is always with us, today, tomorrow and forever more.  We all celebrate our risen Savior on Easter, but what about every other day of the week?   


I truly believe that the problem rests on us when we feel separated from God's presence, as His love for us is constant and is always with us.  His perfect Love is flowing from the cross into each of our hearts, so we must live in His presence despite the circumstances we face on a daily basis!


Praise His holy name!!!

Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here: He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."  Luke 24:5-8

Jesus repeatedly revealed His fate, God's master plan to the disciples, but amidst all of the chaos that surrounded His crucifixion, many of the followers were left doubting if He really was the Messiah.  Imagine the sheer joy and excitement that they must have felt when they rolled away the stone from the tomb and His body was not there.  All they found were burial linens and an empty grave.

Jesus appeared to two believers traveling and still downcast and not grasping that their Savior was in there presence, Jesus subtly reminded them of all of the Messianic prophesies and then disappeared.

Is Jesus who He said He was?  Do you believe that He conquered the grave? Where does He fit into your life?   If you have opened your heart to receive His love sacrifice and have accepted Him as your Lord over your life, there is no greater day than Easter...the day that our Savior conquered death and defeated the grave.

We may not feel like it every day, but we know with Christ in our lives how our story will end, we will be victorious!!  Rejoice, and praise His holy name!!!!