Monday Ten

1. It's Memorial Day. Thank you to all the men and women who have given their lives in military service to our country.

2. We visited family this weekend, and also stopped by a couple of grave sites.

3. We woke up this morning to a power outage in our neighborhood. Fortunately, the power came back on and all is well.

4. We're planning on grilling today, and might hit a swimming pool for some splashing fun.

5. We just learned last week that we have a public pool less than two miles from us. It's just a regular, outdoor pool, but it's a pool nonetheless.

6. Our city just finished renovating an older public pool, transforming it into a water park. Should be a lot of fun.

7. I'm losing all of my 5th graders in my Saturday night class at church (including my oldest son). They're moving into the middle school department next week. So, I'll be getting a fresh set of kids (3rd graders moving to 4th) joining the class next week. Time to get my bluff in.

8. I have scheduled my first speaking date of the summer on Sunday, June 13th. Can't wait.

9. Tomorrow, I'm going to conclude the Stories That Mess You Up series. It'll be fun.

10. Have a great and safe summer.

Bible Stories That Mess You Up: Part 3 of 4

In our society today, preachers are essentially taught to build their messages around a single point, and keep them to around 30 minutes. In some areas of the country, the message length might stretch out to an hour or so, but the majority of American churches do a 30 minute message.

So, what would happen if Jesus showed up on the scene today and whipped out His "Sermon on the Mount?" In these three chapters of Matthew, Jesus violates both of these public speaking "rules."

By most accounts, Jesus hits on around 20 separate points. He doesn't expound much on these, but what he does say is extremely revolutionary and life changing. What he says here is essentially the foundation for Christian living today.

It's a "no holds barred" teaching that was so foreign to their typical teachers that when it's over with, the crowds were astonished, not just for what he said, but because he said it was someone who had authority, not just as a teacher.

How would we react today to words like "if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," or "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," or "when you give to teh needy (do it in such a way) that your giving may be in secret," or "anyone who looks at another person lustfully has committed adultery in his heart?"

Jesus didn't pull any punches, and his words still sting today, but for the believer who applies them, these words are life changing. They are counter-culture. They get noticed. They mess you up.

Bible Stories That Mess You Up: Part 2 of 4

Story 2 - A Blind Man and Some Mud

Many times, the actions of Jesus not only served to teach his followers, but also to debunk a lot of wrong conventional wisdom. The man Jesus interacts with and heals in John 9 would've likely been passed over had His followers not pulled out this jacked-up conventional wisdom.

Jesus and his disciples were walking past a blind beggar when one of the disciples quizzed Jesus about this man's background. More specifically, they wanted to know who had sinned to cause this man to be born blind. Was it this man or his parents?

Right there Jesus should've smacked these guys around. After all, how dumb is it to ask if this guy was born blind because of his own sins?

That aside, this is a question that is still asked today when people fall on hard times, some disease, become disabled or even die. In certain Christian circles, it's still believed that all unfortunate circumstances are tied to an individual's sin. Now, to a certain degree, some of our sinful actions can lead to poverty, disability, loss of our family or even death.

But, outside of obvious sin, there is still a belief that all bad things that happen to people can be traced back to someone's sin. This happened to the mother-in-law of a friend. She had a mental disability, and when she approached her church for help, the church leadership told her it was because of sin in her life. The problem was that there wasn't a sin that was responsible. It was a physical condition she couldn't have prevented.

So, when these followers of Jesus asked this question, they were trying to discover what this man or his folks has done to cause his blindness. But, Jesus responds that no one had sinned to cause the disability. Then, Jesus clues them in that something great was about to happen -- something that would glorify God.

Why Jesus chose to make a mud pie out of spit we will never know. It's probably irrelavent, because many times in the Bible we see God moving in unique ways that are never repeated. What is important is that this man was healed. He could now see. But, that isn't the end of the story.

This man represents us in so many ways. Prior to a relationship with Jesus, we are like the blind man. We wander aimlessly, desperatly in need of someone to take away the darkness in our lives. Then, we encounter Jesus, and experience his saving grace. Our lives are transformed, and we become passionate followers of His. That is the short version of what happened to this man.

Sadly, in this story, the healed man was the only one who actually understood what happened. Oh, plenty of people recognized the life change, but they were also very skeptical. This man had spent years begging in the community, because he was blind. Yet, the same people who had passed him daily now were split on what had happened. Some didn't believe he had ever been blind. Others missed the importance of the touch of Jesus, and were consumed with the fact that the healer had worked to make spit-mud on the Sabbath.

That's very similar to how we react in Christian circles today. When we see a life transformed, we have the tendency to discount the life change, and sometimes even dismiss moves of God. It's the weirdest thing, but it happens time and time again.

This story messes with us, because we can see ourselves in every aspect of this event. We can relate to the blind man, who spent the better part of his life searching. We spend our pre-Christ life searching to fill the God-sized void with all kinds of worldly things.

The blind man wasn't necessarily searching for Christ. Instead, Jesus came to him, and worked a life change in him. Similarly, Jesus was working on us long before we knew He was there.

Additionally, after some time as believers, we can have the tendency to fall into the religiousity trap, where we think our status as Christians makes us better than those who aren't. It's pride that causes this spiritual blindness. Some of us can recognize and counter it, but others, like the Pharisees can get hung up on minor details (like denominational distinctives) that we miss the bigger things God is doing around us.

How about you? What parts of the story of John 9 have you been a part of?

Bible Stories That Mess You Up: Part 1 of 4

Have you ever read a story that completely messed you up? You know, the type of story that rocks your world. Changes your life. Makes you want to be like the hero. Makes you want to improve the world.

Sometimes the stories are painful. Sometimes they are filled with hope.

That's one of the many reasons I like Jesus. The stories in the Bible where He is involved will totally change your world. This week, I'm going to share four of my favorites, and why they will mess you up.

Story 1 - A woman and a well

This may be my favorite story in the entire Bible. I like it, not just because of what Jesus does for this woman, but all the underlying messages The Messiah sends. And, every single one of them are applicable today. This story has never lost it's meaning, message or impact. And all of it will mess up the way you look at your world.

This story begins with Jesus doing something no "good" Jew in His day would do -- He crossed to the other side of the tracks. John 4 tells us that Jesus "had" to go through Samaria to get to where He was going. The truth is, He didn't have to. He chose to.

If you don't know anything about the relationship between the Jews and Samaritans, I'll give you a quick summary. Back in the days when Israel was in exile, the superpowers used relocation as a tactic to subdue the people they conquered. They would exile a nation to a different part of the conquering empire, and move another conquered people into that land. Such was the case for Israel when the Jewish nation was captured. Babylon sent most of the people packing east, and replaced them with other displaced people.

In the course of time, these rulers of the land allowed some Jews to return to their homeland, but not enough to cause any trouble. In an effort to re-establish some form of religious order, the returning Jews mixed some of their faith with the religions of the people who now lived in their former kingdom. They also inter-married with these people.

The end result is that when the rest of the Jews were returned to their homeland, they found this group of people living in the area around Samaria who had created a hybrid Jewish race and religion. Because the Samaritans had compromised their faith and also inter-married, they were looked down on and despised. They were viewed as half-breeds, and worthless.

Suffice it to say that in the few hundred years between these events and the time of Jesus, a great hatred and distrust had built up between Jews and Samaritans. We'll go ahead and call it what it was: Racism.

John 4 tells us Jesus had to go through Samaria. I think he did this in part because he was trying to get away from the religious hounds in Jerusalem, but it also demonstrates that Jesus isn't hung up on racial stereotypes and the junk that comes with it.

That, in itself, is earth shattering, especially when you consider that it wasn't that long ago when America was going through similar strife between whites and blacks. Had we put into practice what Jesus was showing us, America's racial tensions never would have happened.

AND THAT'S JUST THE FIRST FOUR VERSES!

The bulk of the story centers around Jesus' interaction with a woman from Sychar. Most of this event takes place around a well that Jacob, also known as Israel, the father of the nation, had dug around 1,700 years before.

In this one event, we can draw a multitude of life applications. Here we see Jesus honoring women (something that was NOT done in society). He was also talking to and helping a woman (also taboo at this time). This event also occurred in the middle of the day. Judging from her story (married and divorced five times and currently shacking up), this woman could only come to the well during the hottest part of the day, because she was viewed as the scourge of the community.

Put that into perspective. Jews viewed Samaritans as trash, and this woman was viewed by her own people as trash. Had she been a celebrity, her life story would've headlined all the tabloids and some network newscasts. She would've been given a cruel name by society, like Hexa-Whore (re: Octomom). THIS is the woman Jesus meets. THIS is the woman Jesus cared enough about to stop and share God's love. THIS is the woman who's world is rocked by Christ.

Now, if this story wasn't good enough, this woman is so radically changed by Jesus that she no longer cares for her dingy reputation. She sprints back to Sychar, tells everyone she may have found The Christ, and brings the townspeople out to meet Him.

The Bible tells us that because of the woman's testamony, many people in that town became Christ-followers. The scourge became the hero. And, it happened through the life changing meeting with Jesus.

It doesn't matter who you are, or what you're background is, or what you've done in life. Jesus is STILL interested in you. He STILL cares for you. And, He STILL wants to offer you the same life change that the woman at the well experienced.

That's one story that messes me up every time I read it.

What's a Jesus story that has changed your life?

Monday Ten

1. School is out for the year. The kids are excited.

2. My oldest is now a 6th grader. Where has the time gone.

3. I've been teaching the 4th/5th grade class at church for a year now. It's been fun, and I look forward to this upcoming year. Sadly, though, I'm losing my oldest child from my class. He's moving to the middle school department.

4. This month in KidPoint, we've been learning about patience. This past weekend, patience dealt with losing your temper. It was a good lesson that I used Saturday night, because the 21 kids I had tried my patience all night long.

5. I'm very interested in the upcoming series of messages that North Point Church will be presenting in June. We're teaming up with the One Prayer movement, and will be showing video messages from other preachers around the world. I don't know the schedule of speakers yet, but good money would have it that Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv will be one of the speakers. He's been mentoring our pastor.

6. Speaking of our pastor, he tweeted this past week that he was looking at a building for the possible site of North Point Church's new video campus. Possible launch date is January 2011. Judging by other tweets around that same time frame, it might be a south Springfield campus.

7. We had a bit of an adventure with our middle child this weekend. After church, he was horsing around with another boy, and did a nosedive onto the concrete floor in our lobby. He got up complaining that his hand hurt, but it seemed to go away. Later Saturday night, we noticed his hand was swollen. That prompted a visit to the doctor on Sunday. Fortunately, it wasn't broken.

8. I will admit that I was a little mean to him Sunday night. We were in our back yard, and he was trying to race a neighbor girl. We didn't want him running, since he wasn't supposed to be doing anything that might re-injure the hand. So, in an effort to slow him down, I told him he could only run if he held his injured hand high above his head. VERY FUNNY!

9. Galatians 1:10. If you're a person who lets a lot of other people tell you what to do, instead of God, this verse will be life changing. It has been for me.

10. Totally unexpectedly, Sunday night, I may have landed a speaking date. I'll say more when it is confirmed.

Book Review: Knockout Entrepreneur by George Foreman

I first learned of this book when Dave Ramsey interviewed George Foreman on his Fox Business television program, so when the chance to read this book came up, I jumped at it. Foreman is best known for two things: boxing and grilling. He has become one of America's best pitchmen and entrepreneurs, and in this book he shares his perspective on latching to innovative ideas.

In this book, George Foreman utilizes his boxing career (both stints as world heavyweight champion) as analogies for the business world. While this book isn't heavy hitting with new insights, George does offer his perspective on how to conduct general operations of a business, and how to look for the great opportunities around us.

If you're looking for leadership insights, so some secret to success that no one else has access to, you won't find those here. Instead, this book reads more like a series of advice columns, and addresses everything from honest and integrity to personal presentation and the team you surround yourself with. And, not to be left out, George relays his great dependency on God for success.

This book is a good read for anyone involved in either starting or running a business. You won't get great secrets, but there are a ton of simple things to do that can lead to success.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Eerieness of the Internet

This past Sunday, Zac Smith passed away. I wrote about him here.

His memorial service will be today at 4 p.m. EDT, and viewable here.

This all leads me to point out the eerie nature of the Internet. Zac has gone to be with Jesus, but his story, through video and his blog, will live on until the family closes the blog and removes the videos.

Prior to the Internet and modern media, the closet thing we had to living on after death was our writings. Most people did not leave anything to be read hundreds of years later, and have been forgotten. Today, however, we have modern media that can keep a legacy going for as long as storage capacity will allow.

That's kind of eerie, especially video and audio of people who have passed on.

That got me to thinking about when Jesus returns to take His church to Heaven. To think that when we are all gone, the Internet will allow us to leave our thoughts behind for all to read.

Perhaps Christians should view the Internet with the end of the story in mind, and not just the present day.

Monday Ten

1. I took today off from work. After the damp and dreary weekend, it was a good decision to take Monday off.

2. I spent part of my morning getting to know my new primary care doctor. He's a nice fellow, and a Christian. Sadly, he turns 64 this year. I hope he doesn't plan on retiring.

3. I gave blood to the doctor's vampire-nurse. It was all good, and I didn't pass out (which just about happened the last time I fasted and gave blood).

4. The good doc was able to give me a target weight to shoot for as I work to slim and trim my body into a lean, mean, fat-reducing, grill... oh, wait, that's George Foreman's line.

5. Speaking of George, I'm reading his book "Knockout Entreprenuer" at the moment. It is full of simple, good advice on life, business and relationships. I'll be writing a review and posting it soon.

6. I came across Foreman's fight with Evander Holyfield the other night on ESPN Classic. My wife isn't into boxing, so I recorded it, and will watch it with my boys later. They like fighting...although I'm not sure it's boxing that interests them.

7. Back on track. After the doc, I pulled the clubs and headed to a nearby driving range. Had the best wacking session ever. I think I'm going to like these new golf clubs.

8. Following that workout, I worked my buttocks off at the gym. Hey, I had the whole day, why not shed some pounds.

9. I have set a big goal to lose about 70 pounds (doctor's advice), build some muscle mass, and gain stamina. The goal has two parts: the first being a fall deadline for a local 5k run that I would like to enter. The second is the weight goal, which might take a year to do.

10. That all being said, the diet watch is ON. I'm not on a diet, necessarily, but I am watching what I eat and how much. My biggest weakness is eating too much of really good food.

Giving God 100 Percent: Part 4

Today, I'm concluding this personal tale of my walk through mediocrity. I have gone though some difficult times, all because I failed to give my best to God.

Three years ago, I made what I think was a critical error. I allowed human intellect to overtake God's wisdom. I slowly strayed from the path God had laid out. It wasn't intentional, but it did happen.

Looking back, I realize this was due in large part from my impatience. I should have waited for God to direct my next move. Instead, I short-circuited it with a plan that seemed reasonable. Had I been determined to make this ministry 100-percent about God, that never would have happened.

Lesson learned.

Today, I am retreating back to where I was before that critical mistake of three years ago. For the past year, my heart has been quiet. My heart has not been all that focused on God's plan for me. But, lately this is changing. I am finding myself back where I was, with a chance to do it right.

Recently, God has been placing a desire in my heart to preach about Jesus. There is an entire world out there that thinks they have it right, but they don't know Jesus.

Perhaps you've strayed from the path God has called you to walk. Go back to where you turned away, and start walking with Him again.

Giving God 100 Percent: Part 3

When I was a boy, I loved school. I loved to learn new things. I was one of the smartest kids in my class. So smart, in fact, that I was able to breeze through high school without really giving my best. I had learned how to get by. I could've had straight A's, but settled for a mix of A's and B's. I couldn't see it at the time, but I was setting myself up for big trouble a few years later.

High school had the benefit of (mostly) friendly teachers who wanted to help you learn. But, they didn't pressure you to necessarily do your best. Good enough to get by was okay for them. They thought they were preparing us for college, but they missed it entirely for the kids who were doing enough to get by.

Needless to say, my college years were very difficult. I had been used to doing just enough to get by, but in college, that doesn't cut it. What used to be enough to get an A grade would translate into a C or D, because of the lack of effort. Doing your best is mandatory in college. And, a lot of people drop out due to a less than 100-percent effort. I almost did.

It was only because of a strong desire to complete my degree, and encouragement from my family that I was able to get my bachelor's degree in mathematics. I'm proud of that degree, but not nearly as proud as I would've been had I given my best.

Sadly, I didn't learn my lesson. In work, at home, and at church, I found ways to just do good enough. Mediocrity will work for a while, but when the hard tests comes, it crumbles. And, that is what I did over the past three years.

As I've written already this week, God gave me a unique vision for ministry a little over three-years ago. Instead of giving God my best for Him, I started doing enough to get by. When His vision became more of my personal agenda, it became that much easier to compromise.

Eventually, this started to show in some preaching that I did, as well as my willingness to serve people. One thing I didn't realize at the time was that my mediocre efforts reflected poorly on myself and God. Had I continued down that path, it would've eventually caught up with me, and that would not have been pretty.

About a year ago, I scraped those plans of mine. There were other circumstances that contributed to the decision, but looking back, I know it was for the best. I simply wasn't giving my all to God.

For the past year, I have been resting. I haven't been giving God nearly 100 percent, but the focus hasn't been on my agenda, either. My wife says I have been going through a bout of depression. Maybe so. What I do know is that my heart was not interested in too may changed lives.

Today, that is starting to change. God is renewing that vision in me, and I hope to share more about this tomorrow.

I am developing a give-it-my-all attitude where second-rate efforts won't be accepted. I'm applying this to every area of my life. It hasn't been an overnight effort. It's taking time. It's gradual. God is re-defining who I am. Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Giving God 100 Percent: Part 2

This week I am talking about giving God our best, and those times when we give Him less.

A little over three years ago, God burdened my heart for people who did not know Jesus. During the span of about three hours late one night, God burned a passion in my heart to see people give their lives to Him.

For a time, my heart's desire was to fulfill that vision. But, over time I allowed my own agenda to over take God's agenda. I no longer was giving Him 100-percent of what He wanted.

And, as I drifted into more and more of my own plan, I became consumed with doing it my way. But, the Sinatra philosophy doesn't cut it with God. His plan is perfect. It cannot fail. Our imperfect plans may succeed, or they may crash and burn. I crashed, and I burned.

For a time, all seemed to be going well, but as I believed more and more in my own vision, I also put on a set of blinders that prevented me from seeing what my plan was doing to those around me. For instance, my plan didn't sit well with my wife. I think she knew deep down that my plan may not have been entirely God's plan.

My tunnel vision prevented me from seeing the warning signs that were popping up all around me. My ego didn't want to take that hit. Eventually, though, I had to come face to face with the reality that my plan wasn't working...and that it really was my plan, not God's. I also had to realize that ideas such as church planting, changing churches to get ordained, and even my ordination were 100-percent my plan, and may not have been entirely God's plans for me.

As I look back, I know the exact moment I wavered. It was when I left my church to go to another, because I could get speaking opportunities and eventually ordained. In my gut, I believe God was telling me to stay put, but I reasoned it away.

That's not to say that I haven't met some wonderful people, or had some wonderful opportunities to preach. It's also not meaning that God hasn't used my abilities in these "misguided" areas. But, I realize now that I was probably not doing what God had wanted.

I'm reminded of Joseph from the book of Genesis. This young man thought he had it all figured out, or at least going for him. He was Dad's favorite, and God seemed to be sharing some neat things with him, too. But, Joseph let his pride and arrogance cloud his vision. He couldn't see that the way he was acting around his brothers would lead to destruction.

What's cool about Joseph's story is that he learned his lesson. God humbled him, and trained him for what he was really called to do. And, in Genesis 50, we get the great line, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good."

For me, at this moment, I'm learning what God really wants from me and for me. It's time to give Jesus my 100-percent.

Giving God 100 Percent: Part 1

I wasn't giving God 100-percent. But, I didn't realize it at the time. It is said that hindsight gives you a 20-20 perspective on what you have been through. That is true of my ministry service.

Three-and-a-half-years ago, God called me into full-time ministry. At first, things seemed glorious. I had waited several years for God to speak that kind of direction, and the vision of changed lives was very powerful. My only desire was to fulfill the mission God had provided me.

That lasted all of about three months.

It was at point that I started hearing voices. Not the schizophrenic kind, but those of people around me. I believe everyone means well when they try to advise, but they cannot truly speak the direction God is providing for a person. Anyone entering the ministry has to first listen for the voice of God, then use the people around them as confirmation pieces.

That is where I went wrong.

I quickly let my desire to serve God turn my ears from Him and toward my own logic and reasoning. I allowed the people speaking to me to overshadow what God was saying to my heart. The people weren't wrong. I was. I had violated Galatians 1:10: "I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant."

In a way, I had become more interested in pleasing people, and my own desires, then I was in patiently waiting for God to speak. I began to develop my own set of plans and ideas that were based on my intellect and reasoning. Waiting on God was replaced with the line, "This is the logical course of action."

DUMB! DUMB! DUMB! There is no other word to describe it.

Eventually, all those ministry plans I had personally dreamt up went up in a cloud of smoke. My own pride and selfishness not only destroyed the ministry God called me to do, but it also nearly destroyed my marriage.

Maybe I have just described you. Here's a word of advice. STOP! You cannot give God what He desires for you when you are giving yourself the desires that you want.

Tomorrow, I'll talk more about giving God your all.

Monday Ten

1. We had an interesting and good Mother's Day. I think my wife really enjoyed her time with the boys.

2. We took her out for breakfast. Plan A was too expensive and required reservations for their brunch buffet special that did more to celebrate their pocketbook than mom. Plan B was another buffet along the same quality as Plan A, but cheaper. My wife later admitted that she wasn't too thrilled with Plan B. Fortunately, slow traffic, a quick exit from the highway to get around it, and the suggestion from one of our boys landed us at Plan C. And, Golden Corral's breakfast buffet was a smash hit.

3. The mother of my boys also went with us to visit the local mall. Not overly exciting, I know, but it was too cool and windy to do anything outside.

4. While at the mall, I bought her a couple of books. Okay, one is for her, and the other is mine.

5. She got a book about stay-at-home moms, and I got the new Stuff Christians Like book.

6. I found out Saturday night that the author of Stuff Christians Like, and the blog by the same name, will be in Springfield later this year for a church conference.

7. The boss is back in the office after a trip to El Salvador. I'm sure there are plenty of stories to tell.

8. My boys are getting close to being out of school for the year. It's a bittersweet time. I'm glad they're excited about moving to the next grade, but it also means they're growing up quickly.

9. I like my kids. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but sadly a lot of folks out there don't really like theirs.

10. I'm contemplating a major change in my life. My wife and I are discussing it, and may pull the trigger soon.

Happy Mother's Day

Help Nashville

You probably have bits and pieces of the devastating flood that has hit the Nashville area in middle Tennessee. Lives and property have been lost. Thousands are now homeless, because of this record flood. You can help the relief efforts by contributing financially to Convoy of Hope.

Click here to make a donation.

More Debt Chatter

I've talked a lot on debt before. Today, I want to point you to Seth Godin's blog post on consumer debt. He points out that debt is not your friend. Check it out here.

Prayer for the Nation

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

Those are the famous words of 2 Chronicles 7:14, spoken to King Soloman by God after Soloman had finished building the temple. Preceding these words, God tells Soloman that there will be times of disaster and devastation in Israel. Tied into verse 14 and the following verses, God makes it clear that disaster awaits the nation if it turns away from Him.

Such destruction did fall upon Israel and Judah, and they were swept into captivity several hundred years later.

Near the end of their captivity, we find Daniel going through the scriptures, and realizing the captivity is nearing its end. It is here that Daniel puts 2 Chronicles 7:14 into practice. Daniel confesses to God the sins of the nation, as well as his own. He pleads with God for forgiveness.

What I find interesting is that while Daniel is praying these words, most of the Israelites still in captivity are still living in sin, having not learned from their punishment. Yet, God still honored Daniel's prayer of national repentance.

How might this play out today if the people of God would confess the sins of the nation, as well as their personal sins? I don't know that we'd end up with Gabriel at our door, but think Daniel 9 and 2 Chronicles 7 should drive home the importance of believers confessing the sins of the country to God, and seeking forgiveness and restoration.

Monday Ten

1. The boss is out of the office this week.

2. That puts me in charge.

3. I'm praying for a quiet, uneventful week.

4. We did a room swap this week. Our oldest, he's 11, is getting his own room. He had been sharing it with one of his brothers.

5. Our youngest is moving into the room with our middle son. I hope that goes well.

6. Today, my wife and our youngest boy have been painting the oldest's new bedroom.

7. I like to paint, and wish I were there instead of working.

8. This month's KidPoint virtue at church is on patience. I'm going to need that this week.

9. Rebekah and I have tickets for a couple's event at church Friday night. I can't wait...and need patience.

10. Sunday is Mother's Day. My wife has already made breakfast plans at her favorite breakfasty place to eat.