Dan will be in concert at the Flint Central Church of the Nazarene (Chenoweth Center) on January 29th at 6:00 PM. A time of fellowship (and desserts) will immediately follow the concert. Come hear an awesome vocal talent from a great man!
In the very bitter cold city of Detroit (January 20th), I found cats everywhere that had been abandoned. After dark (when there was no where else to go), I found guys like JT walking the cold streets….doing whatever he could to remain warm through the night. Abandoned? Maybe/Maybe not. Regardless, a well spoken man with a kind heart, lonely and struggling to get through the impossible….live another night in Detroit as a homeless man in sub freezing temps. It seemed the cats actually had better conditions and received greater compassion from those crossing their paths in the streets. It’s so easy to pass these people by and ignore them as it was their problems that got them on the streets anyway. Or was it their choice (or maybe their circumstances)? The next time you pass one “of the least of these,” maybe a heart of compassion to at least speak to them, offer a smile, or pray for them, would help in this terrible plight? Someone had set out all the food a cat could want in the streets of the city, but the people go hungry each day. Let’s never forget how privileged we are and remember in our disgust for the homeless, they are people too! Jesus was homeless…could He be “disguised as one of the least of these?”
If you don’t know the relationship of the two in this picture, you would think it’s just another couple of guys playing an instrument. However, when you realize this is a father and son, the image takes on a whole new meaning. Since I personally know this family, it especially “speaks to me.” A father teaching, setting an example to follow, loving, encouraging, being a close mentor, and the list goes on and on. If every father “set this pace” our world would be a better place. The statement is so true that says, “it’s better to build a boy than repair a man.” Maybe we (fathers) should take a long look at this picture and ask ourselves, “how am I doing?”
We’ve all heard that “our attitude determines our altitude.” Whatever our circumstances, we have a choice on how we handle adversity. If you’re having a bad day, it’s within your power to make it a better day. When people treat you badly, find someone who is grateful for you! When circumstances are less than favorable, make the very best out of what’s available! Zig Ziglar says, “we need a checkup from the neck up.” Don’t let the things that happen to you, happen in you! This picture was taken at the 2011 Crim held in downtown Flint, Michigan this past summer. What an inspiration this man is…making the very best out of less than desirable circumstances!
I was recently in Florida (in my old hometown of Bradenton) and I was walking around a large lake and couldn’t “shake” this bird loose. No matter which way I turned…or how slow or fast I walked…or whether I looked back or not…this bird continued watching me closely. This is much the way our culture is today with “Christians.” They are watching closely. Doesn’t matter which way you turn….what you say or how you say it…how productive you are….the only thing that matters to anyone is what they see in our lives. If we would love the way Christ has called us to love, perhaps this culture we live in would be a bit more curious about who we are and what they could have (in Jesus). It’s just a thought…maybe more is really caught than taught?
Are you like a dandelion? When the winds of life blow you loose your cool…you loose your patience…you loose your perspective. The dandelion is also referred to as the “blow-ball.” This because it looses it’s integrity when the wind blows. There will be many times in life that we’ll be “in the winds” as we navigate through difficult times. Are you going to be blown around like the dandelion, or stand firm in your faith? It’s a matter of spiritual integrity!
