Faith

Hello Everyone,

I have started posting again but mostly I do it directly on Facebook.  I want to put these here in case you don't have a Facebook.

Today let’s start talking about faith. I really like all the definitions that you posted. Simply put, faith is trusting that God will do what He said He would do. But it’s a little more than that. Would I would like to discuss over the next few blogs is - What is faith, how do I get faith, and lastly, how do I use faith? Ultimately, faith is something we use like a tool. It’s just like a mechanic uses a wrench. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

What is faith? The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is a substance. Faith is our link between the spiritual world and this physical world. WE are supposed to use our faith to bring things from the spiritual realm into the natural realm. I know that can sound a little spooky but it’s not. Think of it this way. If you are reading this, you probably believe that I exist because I am writing the blog, right? How can you be sure that I exist? Can you see me? Even if you are one of my close friends, you still must believe that I am writing this. As a matter of fact, I am sitting at my desk in my office and no one is watching me write this.

And yet, many people believe that I wrote this blog. It’s no different with God. I didn’t see people write the Bible. That doesn’t bother me though because I believe God inspired them to write what they wrote. I have faith that God could cause His word to be put in a book. If He can make the whole universe, He can certainly cause people to write His book correctly.

As I said, faith is what we use to bring stuff from the realm where God lives into this one. We are to use it just like God did. When He said, “Light be,” then light moved from the spiritual realm into the physical realm. Think of it this way, if I told you that I was going to send you $100 if you gave me your bank account number, would you do it? You would if you had faith that I was going to do what I said I would. Even though you can’t see me, you might have faith that I would send you $100. If that happened, you would use your faith in my word to give me an account number. That would allow me to send you $100 into your bank account. Your actions with your faith would cause something to move from a world you cannot see (my office) to a world you can see (your bank account). Ultimately, that is exactly what we are supposed to do with our faith in God. That’s why the word says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things you can’t see.”

I believe that here is where many Christians stop. They believe that God is God, but they don’t use the faith that He gave them. We are supposed to use OUR faith to cause things to happen in this natural world just like the Lord did when He created the universe.

That’s Another Opinion of the Minion

Is There A Plan for Your Life?

Hello everyone,

Today I want to answer a question that we have all struggled with at some point in our lives.  Is there a plan for our life?  Let me ask it another way, does God have a plan for your life? 

The answer to that question begins with the most despicable act ever committed in human history.  Do you know what it was?  Think of all the horrible things you know about - murder, racism, hate crimes, mean words, assault.  The list goes on and on.  Here's the answer - eating fruit from a tree.  I know it sounds bad, but when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they gave the devil all authority over the earth. 

The Bible says that the devil came to kill, steal and destroy and that's exactly what he did.  He killed the divine link between God and man.  He stole man's right to be part of God's family and he destroyed the tight relationship between Adam, Eve and God.  The devil hasn't changed.  He's still doing this today.  I can't imagine how it felt to Adam and Eve. The whole Cain and Able thing would never have happened if they hadn't eaten from the tree because the devil wouldn't have had authority to operate in the world.

Here's where it gets interesting.  The first thing God did after He found out what happened was deal with the devil.  He told the devil that there would be enmity between him and man and that man would bruise the devil's head.  God knew how bad this was for the world and for His children.  He knew what the devil would do throughout the years.  He could see all the holocaustic things that would happen over the next several thousand years.  What did He do?  He immediately announced the plan to bring Adam and Eve back into right relationship with him - Jesus.  This is what He was talking about when He said he would bruise the devil's head. 

He announced the plan to save the world from all the destruction that would come from the devil.  Adam and Eve would one day have a chance to get back in right relationship with God through Jesus sacrifice.  God didn't abandon them.  He had a plan B.  It was Jesus and it was perfect.  It was a great plan for the world because it allowed us to be part of his family again.

Let's fast forward to today.  Are there things in your life that you think disqualify you from having a good life?  Have you ever done something you wish you had not?  Maybe you have done something so bad that you think God can't help you anymore.

Is what you did worse than what Adam and Eve did?  Absolutely not!  The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 that God still has a good plan for your life.  It may not be his original plan but He always has a plan B and C and D and E....  There is nothing you can do that disqualifies you for the good plan He has for your life?  Why?  Because for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son and when He did that, it provided a great plan for your life!

So don't let the devil lie to you anymore telling you that you have done something so bad that God can't give you a good life.  It's a lie.  Start believing what God says about you.  You will be surprised where He can take you.

That's another Opinion of the Minion. 

Easter

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever wondered why Jesus came to Earth in the first place?  If you had asked me that question a year or two ago, I would have said to defeat the devil.  That’s what He came to do but that’s not why He came.  He came to pay a ransom and get His family back.  The devil held His family hostage and under bondage for years.  I asked the Lord about this one time and He told me that He wanted to come.  Right before the cross, He wanted God to provide a different way but He was longing for all His brothers and sisters.  That means he paid the price for you.  He did it to make a way for you to be in his wonderful perfect family. 

When you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, you are immediately put into The family.  There is consideration of any of your past sins.  Jesus paid the ransom for all of those.  Guess what, there is no consideration for any of your future sins.  Jesus paid the ransom for all of those too.  I know some people may struggle with that and think that being a Christian means being perfect.  Let me set you free – You aren’t perfect and you won’t be until Jesus return.  Jesus knows this.  He’s not waiting with God to hit you with a lightning bolt if you mess up in the future.  He didn’t hit you if you messed up in the past. 

Why did you go through struggles?  Just like there is a real Jesus, a real God and a real Holy Spirit, there is a very real devil and he’s looking for ways to steal from you, kill you and destroy you.  Should you be afraid?  Absolutely not!!  Do you think the devil could overcome Jesus now?  He couldn’t do it before Easter.  Jesus said I am freely giving my life and He could have called more angels than the devil has to take Him off the cross if He wanted to.  Jesus could have defeated the devil for Himself personally before the cross.  After the cross, Jesus said ALL power has been given unto me.

“So if Jesus has the power, what does that have to do with me,” you might ask?  Well I’m glad you did.  Here is where it impacts us.  Jesus’ came from God, His father.  The last recorded time that Satan directly tangled with God, God hit him so hard the devil was travelling at the speed of light when he hit the earth.  That’s more than 186,000 miles per second!  That was some punch.  What does that have to do with us?  When you accept Jesus into your heart, the Bible says that Jesus and God come to live inside you.  That means you have all the power you need inside you right now to stop every attack of the devil.  That’s what happened on the first Easter.

If you are not sure about where you stand with God, just repeat this prayer with me.  Say, Jesus, please come into my heart.  I make you my Lord and Savior.”  That’s it!  You did it!  You are now part of the family.  If you said that prayer, would you please let me know.

That’s another Opinion of the Minion

For Men Only

Hello Everyone,

Today's post is really for men.  It's a challenge that I believe the Lord is putting on my heart to talk with men about.  Now I know it's not as popular to do today but when I was growing up a lot more people went to church.  Why?  Well that's just what we did.  Doing this and watching my dad and others grow up helped shape my vision of what a real man should be.  You know, we should be Mufasa (from the Lion King).  We should be king of the jungle and protect our families.

I have heard guys say things, "I would die for my wife and die for my kids."  "I let my wife do the praying and all the God stuff.  I'm the provider for our family." 

So here's what I find interesting about those ideas.  I know this has happened and I am not taking away from any man who has paid that sacrifice for his family or his wife.  I cannot begin to understand something like that.  But men, let me tell you saying that doesn't give you the right to do nothing else.  Instead of saying "I would die for my family", why don't you actually give up yourself for your family everyday.  They need you.  Part of the biggest problem our country faces today is that we men have forgotten how to be men! 

Husband, tonight instead of sitting home and watching ESPN while you relax, why don't you die to yourself and spend some time listening to your wife or your kids.  It's time we invest in them if we don't want our relationships to continue to suffer.  Your wife doesn't need you to die for her, she needs you to live for her.  She needs you to spend quality time with her.  She needs to know how much you care for her and she needs you to be present in her life.  Do you know what that's called?  It's called being intimate with her according to her definition of intimacy.  If we do that, it will lead to our definition of intimacy in a way that is beyond the normal.

If I asked you, how many of you have a good marriage, how many people would say yes?  I would be one of those people.  Guess what, I have decided that I am no longer satisfied with a good marriage.  I want to have a great marriage!  As a matter of fact, I want to have all the amazing things God has in store for marriage in mine!

So what do I need to do?  On top of some of the things that I have said above, it's my job to get on my knees before my Father as the head of my house.  Guys, it's not enough for us to just have our wife respect us and let her do the God thing.  God wants a relationship with YOU.  He's not looking to have a relationship with you through your wife.  He wants one direct.  How many times a week do you spend time with the Lord asking for direction for you, your family and your marriage?  I thought I was doing that fairly well, until recently the Lord told me that I need to spend more time with Him.

Well, "I don't know how to pray," you might say.  Let me tell you just how easy it is.  Just say "Hello Lord," and wait for Him to respond.  He longs to talk with you just like we long to be with our children.

Well, that's enough for one day and that's another Opinion of the Minion.

Does My Past Disqualify My Future?

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to discuss a question that I think many of us have asked ourselves once or twice.  The question is, have I done something so bad that I have doomed my future?  What's the answer?  Well, I want you to take a look at something to answer that question.  How many of you know the story of Adam and Eve?  We all do right.  This is the story of the most evil human being to ever walk the Earth.  What he did was doom the entire planet because he wouldn't do thinks God's way.

Think about that for a minute.  How did hate crimes get in the Earth?  Through Adam's sin.  How did racism get in the Earth?  Through Adam.  How did all kinds of failure get in the Earth.  Through Adam.  You can indirectly blame every hateful word, every murder, every rape, every theft, every unkind act on Adam because he was the door that let all of this into the world.

Obviously someone like this deserves the most harsh punishment right?  If anyone deserves to go to Hell it would be Adam.  The Bible says we were all born with a sinful nature because of Adam.  So what did God do to Adam when He confronted Adam in Genesis?  Well before He even discussed the punishment with Adam, He had a plan to fix it.  He told the snake in the garden that because he tricked Adam, woman's offspring would crush his head and Satan would bruise his heel.  Guess who God was referring to? - JESUS.  Before God even dealt with Adam and Eve's sin, he put the fix for the whole world into motion!

So let me as you this?  What have you done in your life that would disqualify you from achieving all God has called you to do?  What did you do that was bigger than Adam?  How about this.  What did you do that was bigger than God's redemption plan?  The answer is NOTHING.  God said in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans for your life!  So if you have screwed something up in your life - divorce, getting fired from a job, screwing up a relationship, being convicted of a crime..., guess what?  GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!  There is nothing you can do or have done that changes this.

Maybe you are getting a little older and the dream God put in your heart seems really impossible.  It's not!  God still has a plan for your life.  If you feel that life is hopeless and that you can never succeed because of something you did or maybe something you should have but did not do, GOD STILL HAS A GOOD PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!

If you are struggling, why don't you take whatever the problem is to the Lord?  If you do, He can show you the good plan he still has for your life!

That's another Opinion of the Minion!

God Spanked Me

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to take a break from writing about love to tell you how the Lord disciplined me.  This is what He told me to write about today.  So here goes.

This week, I found out that while I have some spiritual intelligence, I am lacking in spiritual maturity in an area.  I know of  a couple of people I though were very smart but not overly mature lately.  It's funny because the Bible says that we should not judge people unless we want to be judged.  Guess what, that is exactly what happened to me.  I noticed that I have been pretty quick to judge.  Normally this applies to our kids.  Now don't get me wrong, as parents we have to look at their actions and provide discipline.  But we don't have to provide so much judgement.  But that's a different blog.

Here is what I noticed that I was doing.  I have heard for a long time that we should love a sinner but hate the sin in their lives and I believe that we should always stand strong in our convictions about what is right and what is wrong.  I think I've done this.  For me, it's simple.  If the Bible says it's right, then it's right.  If the Bible says it's wrong, then it's wrong.  End of story.  And this is true but it's not the whole story.

Let me tell you about Jesus.  He would go and eat with people who were considered "sinners" in his day by the religious leaders.  But there isn't record of Him disciplining them.  We don't have record of what they talked about but I would imagine that if He was always beating them down, they wouldn't want to be around Him.  In any situation, He could beat someone down with the Word of God and told them all their sins.  After all, He is the Word of God.  But many times he didn't.  He just loved them.

I think that is what I have been doing mentally.  I see someone that has a particular problem in their life and I judge the problem.  I can tell them why something is wrong or right because any many cases, I can see in the Word where it is right or wrong.  I can see this in many areas of our country today.  But my problem was I didn't see the people, I only saw the right or wrong.  I could be quick to go straight to the "answer."  But the Lord told me, "Son, while you may know a few things, you are spiritually immature."  See, God can't trust me with all of His power, which I want, unless He knows I am spiritually mature enough to handle it.  It would be like turning a two year old child loose with a car.

Here is what I have to do.  I have to be quick to listen and to love.  I need to stop judging people's actions because in reality, I am judging them.  I need to be quick to meet a need and quick to try to help.  As I do that, I will grow in spiritual maturity which will allow me to experience more of the power of God in our lives.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love Doesn't Seek It's Own

Hello Everyone,

Today's topic is Narcissism, sort of.  Actually, we are going to talk about another aspect of love.  When we are walking in the God kind of love, we aren't out seeking to get our own.  What does that mean?  In a word, it means we aren't selfish.  Narcissism is a word that's being thrown around a lot these days and it is understandable.  God said that in the last days people will be lovers of themselves or selfish or narcissistic.  Notice again that this is not a feeling.  Selfishness is an action.

What I want us to notice is how that is the exact opposite of Love.  The Bible said that God so loved the world that he gave the most precious person He could to save it.  In fact, Jesus sacrificed Himself in our place to save us.  That's the direct opposite of selfishness.  Something that frustrates me greatly is how the Devil has deceived people into believing that God is some angry person waiting to destroy people.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God is sitting around looking for ways to be good to us if we let Him.  But we have to cooperate with Him if it's going to work!

So how does this apply to us today?  How do we display Love today?  The answer is simple.  Give!

How do we give?  There are many ways to give.  I was in a position just this morning to give.  It was such a blessing.  The most amazing thing is that I was able to give to the Lord.  I got to give to the One who gave everything for me!  That was such a joy!  I know of a preacher in the local DFW area who goes around and gives out $100 bills!  Now I want to throw an emotion in here because it's a side effect of giving.  That emotion is Joy!  What an amazing side effect!

For many of you who read this, you may not be in a place to give a lot of money to someone else.  Guess what, that's OK!  See God doesn't look at how much money you give.  He looks at you! So what can you do if you don't have a lot of money?  Give your time.  We all have the exact same amount of it.  I heard a slogan one time that said commit a random act of kindness today.  We can certainly do that and what a blessing it is when we do!

Just last week, I was dropping some packages of to FedEx.  While I was there, a random man helped me get my packages into the store.  He blessed me and it only took about 2 minutes of his time.  Now you might even say that you don't have two minutes.  Well do you have 10 seconds?  We can all take the time to pay someone else a compliment (as long as it's sincere).  How long does that take?

To wrap this up, the Bible says that love isn't narcissistic.  God (Love) is the exact opposite.  Instead of being extremely selfish, Love (God) is an extreme giver.  So let me encourage you today, find someone you can bless today.  You will be glad you did!

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love - Watch Out

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to take a small detour from talking about the attributes of love to issue a warning about our study.  Over the last couple of weeks, I have had more opportunities to be unloving than I can remember in the last year.

For instance, just this morning I was sitting in Starbucks reading and going through my daily routine.  When I got done, I had to take my SUV over to get the air conditioner fixed.  While I was driving through downtown Fort Worth, I turned onto a street and pulled up a little and stopped (I was playing Pokemon Go).  When I did, the lady behind me honked her horn at me for stopping.  Now she couldn't see me so she has no idea I did this but I immediately said something ugly to her.  Why?  Because the devil doesn't want me to learn to really walk in love.

He met someone 2,000 years ago who walked in perfect love all the days of his life, Jesus.  Guess what, the devil couldn't touch him because perfected Love was Jesus' shield and protection.  Love is another name for God and he was walking in perfect God all the days he was here and it protected Him.  Now I am not saying we are going to be perfect because we miss the mark sometime.  But what I am saying is that the more we walk in Love, the more impact we have on this earth.

Jesus walk was so different that it impacted the people around Him long before he ever died on the cross for our sins.  See the devil doesn't want me (or you) to walk in Love because he knows it will drive out his only weapon - fear.  The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear.  It also says that Love never fails.

So are you believing for a loved one to turn to Jesus?  Are you believing for a situation to change at work or at your school?  Are you believing for restoration in a relationship?  Are you believing that you can change something in your life that you don't like?  Are you battling addiction?  The list of questions could go on and on.  But what's the answer to any of these problems?  The answer is perfected love.

I know my love walk is not perfect.  I also know that perfected love lives inside me right now and He is working on my behalf to get me to the right place.  Are you struggling with the whole "God thing?"  Would you like to have perfect love living inside you?  You might say something like, "You don't know what I did.  I did something that nothing can fix.  I did something really bad and God can't love me."  Well have I got news for you.  Jesus' blood was shed for ALL sin.  No matter what you did, Jesus' blood is stronger.  Would you like to start a relationship with Him right now?  All you have to do is say, "Jesus, come into my heart.  I make you my Lord and Savior."  That's it.  If you said that prayer and believed it, something just happened inside you.  You got born again and that Perfect Love now lives inside you.

If you prayed that prayer, would you please let me know.  Also, please find a good Bible based church so you can start to learn more about the Love that has been put into your heart.

That's another Opinion of the Minion.

Love is Not Rude

Today's we are going to talk about another aspect of Love.  Today's topic is rudeness.  Before we get into this, I want to you notice that again, this is not a feeling.  Love is not concerned with whether or not you feel rude.  That doesn't even sound right.  Love doesn't act rudely.  This should be a fairly simple one as we all have been around people who are rude.

I can't tell you that I am around very many people who I would consider just openly rude.  I don't have any friends that would call someone something ugly to their face. And honestly, I wouldn't either.  But let's think about rudeness for just a minute.  Did you know that as we are studying love, no where in the Bible does it say that the person who we are rude to has to know about it to make it unloving.

Ladies, have you ever noticed some other girl who looked like maybe you wished you did and said something to your girlfriend about how she was dresses.  The reality is she's probably dressed fine but you are a little jealous because maybe you can't dress that way?  Guys, have you ever seen a guy driving a nicer car than you and said something rude about the guy just because you are jealous that you can't drive what he drives (I confess I have done this one.).  Well guess what?  That's rude.  Whether or not the other person heard you, doesn't matter.

Now I can hear someone saying, "Well if they didn't hear it, what does it hurt?"  That's easy.  It hurts your faith.  How?  Well, doesn't the Bible say that faith works by love? (Galatians 5:6)  If we aren't walking in love, it will hinder our faith.  Before I go farther, I don't want anyone to stand in condemnation and you need to know that God is a graceful, merciful God.  I know this because there are several places where I have acted unlovingly and God is blessing us tremendously.

But here's the thing - I don't want ordinary faith.  I was in a Starbuck's several months ago and there was a girl in a wheelchair.  I wanted to pray for her and see her healed and out of that chair.  When I thought about it, I heard the Lord say, "If you pray for it, I will back it."  I know it was the Lord's voice!  Guess what I did!  Nothing!  I left that girl in that wheelchair and left the store without speaking to her.  Why?  My faith wasn't strong enough.  I want my faith to be stronger and stronger every day.  I've had a vision for a long time of us walking into hospitals and emptying them because God healed every person in them.

That type of dream doesn't come to reality with weak faith.  That's why I am working to get rude behavior out of my life.

That's another Opinion of the Minion.

Love Does Not Dishonor Others

Hello Everyone,

OK everyone.  Before we get into today's topic, I want to tell you what I've seen in the last week.  I thought I was pretty good about not bragging on myself and yet I caught myself doing it three times that I remember in the last seven days!  The latest time was just this morning to a friend of mine and I was bragging about this blog!  That's completely ridiculous because I strive to write what the Lord tells me and so I can't take credit for any of this.  I have been before the Lord and asked for forgiveness.  So let me encourage you to watch what you are doing this week and see if there are any areas were you can improve.

So let's get on to today's love topic which is love does not dishonor others.  So what does this mean?  Dishonor is means to bring on shame or disgrace. Now this an interesting topic to me because there is a big difference between bringing shame on a person and telling someone about an inappropriate action.  As a parent, it's my job to train my children so when I tell them about something they have done wrong, I am not trying to bring dishonor on them.  I'm trying to keep them from getting hurt.

That's exactly what God does with us.  We know He is Love so everything He does is based in Love.  When He tells you not to do something, He's trying to keep you from getting hurt.  For instance, when He says that we should not steal, it's because He knows the effect it will have on us both in this world and in the spiritual realm.  But let me be very clear on something - He IS NOT shaming us as a person.  He's trying to correct our actions.  He knows that these actions will get us hurt and He loves us too much to see us get hurt if He can correct us.

What does that tell me?  In order to determine if you are walking in love in this area, examine your heart and check your actions.  Notice again that this definition of Love is an action word.  It's still not a feeling.  When we have to correct someone, are we being clear that we love them and they are valuable?  Are we being clear that they are extremely valuable?  If so, then correction is coming the right way.  If not, then we have to change the way we correct someone.

The other point I want to discuss is something a little more obvious.  When we talk about people are we bringing dishonor on them?  Even if they never hear us, it doesn't change that what we said or do is not walking in Love.  If you are an American and a Christian, are you saying bad things about our current president?  Did you say bad things about our last president?  I am not telling you that you should support what they do or what they believe.  It's OK to disagree with that but if you are saying bad things about their character, then you are not walking in love.

The worst thing about this type of problem is when we are not walking in Love, it stops faith from working in our lives because the Bible says, faith works by Love.  So when we speak badly about someone who isn't around, we aren't really hurting them because they may never even know it.  Unfortunately, we are hampering our faith in our own lives.  It's time we all start walking in Love more and allowing our faith to produce the great results in our lives that we all desire.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love Does Not Boast

Hi Everyone,

Today's topic is boasting.  When I looked this word up in the dictionary, one of the definitions was to brag about yourself or to brag about your stuff to others (that's the Minion translation).  It's interesting because it is very similar to pride but we will talk about pride in the next post.  Again, I want you to notice that bragging is an action, not a feeling.  We don't feel bragging, we say something that is bragging.  So what does this mean?

We all know the one upper.  In fact, sometimes we have been the one upper.  You know the person.  If you tell as story, they have a bigger one.  If something good happened to you, something better happened to them.  So we shouldn't brag about things in our life right?  Well if that's the case, then we should never tell anyone when something good happens to us or when we do something great right?  Wrong!  I want to stop and say that just because you tell someone about something you have or did, does not make it bragging.  When you tell a story to puff yourself up, that's bragging.

Let's look at God for a minute.  If God is love and love doesn't brag, then what happens all the times in the Bible where God talks about who he is and what he's done?  Is he bragging?  Certainly not.  When we brag, we normally do it to impress people and I don't think the Creator of the universe needs to impress His creation.  So what is He doing?  He's trying to build our faith.  When God tells you something about Himself, it's not because He's trying to brag.  He wants you to know that He's able to provide all things so that when you have lack, you can trust in and rely on Him.  He wants you to know that He can heal people so that when you are sick, you will go to Him for healing.  He wants you to know that He created everything so that when you need anything, you can go to Him.

So here's what I have learned today.  There's a difference between bragging and telling someone about something that's happened to you.  That difference is motive.  When you brag, you want people to look at you and how great you are.  When you tell someone about something great that you did or happened to you and you do it to encourage them, then it's called ministry not bragging.

Let me finish by asking you this question.  Do you find yourself ministering or bragging when you tell people what's happening with you?  I know there are places in my own life where I can do this better.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love Doesn't Envy

Hello Everyone,

Today we are going to think about something love doesn't do.  As I said earlier, love is an action verb.  The feeling of being in love is great but it's not the core of Love (God).

For this particular aspect of Love, it's interesting because it's something Love doesn't do.  Love doesn't envy someone else or something else they have.  This should be another easy one right?  Well in one sense that's true.  But let me encourage you to check yourself on this and see if there are any hidden areas of envy in your life.  I know I have found them in mine.

Let me give you a couple of examples.  I go to a gym and work out every day during the week.  I run in the morning before work and I lift weights with a little more cardio at lunch.  I'm in decent shape for 46 years old but the truth is I'm not as fast as I used to run and I'm 30 pounds overweight at the moment.  So what happens in the gym?  I can walk in and see someone working out who is in better shape than me.  Every once in a while, the devil will put a thought in my mind that says there is something I don't like about that person.  I don't like the way the act or how much they talk.  I don't like the way the hog up all the machines.  I don't like how long it takes them to get a set done and get out of my way.  Well here is what the Lord showed me about that one day.  What someone was doing or not wasn't the cause of my irritation.  What irritated me is that they were in better shape than me.  My envying of a person didn't come across as envy.  It came across as something else.

Let me tell on myself again.  I could be driving down the road and see someone speed past me or cut me off in traffic by getting into my lane and get upset with them.  This happened more times than not if the person was driving a really nice car.  I might even say under my breath something about how they think they are special or privileged, etc., because they were speeding or something else (which I have done myself on more than one occasion).  That seems logical right?  They should slow down and should be more careful in traffic.  But the truth behind what made me mad was they were driving a car and I was jealous of them because it looked like they had more money than me.

So what's the big deal with being jealous right?  After all, while I am not being loving toward either of those people, I am certainly not hurting them and neither of them knew I even had a thought?  Well, even if you don't say something hurtful to someone, this is still very damaging - TO ME.  Why?  Well, it blocks the flow of love out of my life and into someone else.  While that's bad enough, it also caused me to be unsatisfied with what I had.  Think about it.  Instead of enjoying the fact that I am in good health and the Lord has blessed us tremendously financially and every other way, I was unsatisfied and couldn't enjoy what I had.

So let me ask you this.  Are there any areas in your life where you might be secretly envious of someone else?  If so, I encourage you to get rid of it.  Envying is really dangerous to your health.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love is Kind

Hello Everyone,

Today's topic is love is kind.

OK this one should be a no brainer right?  We all know what it is to be kind.  My wife teaches kindergarten and she teaches her kids everyday to be kind to each other.  If I asked some of her five year old children to define kindness, they could.  The would tell me that kindness is being nice to a friend or kindness is sharing your blocks with another kid.  They might say kindness is letting someone get in line in front of you.

They would be right about those being acts of kindness and acts of love.  Notice again that this is an action.  It's not a feeling.  When we are kind to people, it makes us feel good but the kindness itself isn't a feeling.  Already we know that love is an act of the will because kindness is an act of our will.  We make a decision to do something kind for someone else.  As a matter of fact, I am plotting an act of kindness right now and it feels good.  I am really going to enjoy myself tomorrow doing what I have planned.  I'm excited about it.

So here's the slight change the Lord showed me about kindness this week.  Did you know the Bible says Love is patient and love is kind?  Now I have always taken those two things to be separate things.  In other words, Love is patient.  In a completely unrelated event, Love is kind.  But what I am just getting a grasp on is what happens if we combine the two at the same time.

In other words, what would happen if while I was being patient with someone and waiting on them to change or do something I want, etc., I do a kind act to that person or in that situation.  As I said last time, patience creates the space Love needs to grow and work.  If that's true, kindness is a fertilizer that helps love grow.  While you are waiting on your friend to apologize or your spouse to change, you are being patient and that's showing love.  Now take the next step and fertilize that situation/person with an act of kindness.  It will help you be patient and it will help the situation grow.

Remember this, every time you do an act of kindness, you are operating in Love which means you are operating in God.

An that's another Opinion of the Minion

I Want to Know What Love Is

"I want to know what love is.  I want you to show me...."  Have you ever heard that song?  Those are lyrics from a song in the early 80s.  Yes, I am dating myself a little because that was the golden age of music for me.  But it's a popular theme these days.  We want to experience love.  We want to be in love.  We want to feel love.

It's interesting that in every song on the radio and for most people when you ask them about love, they tell you that they want some feeling associated with love.  Have you ever heard someone refer to love as a matter of the heart?  Have you ever someone say follow your heart?  Most of the time that means follow your feelings and let me tell you that can lead to disaster.

Another song from my day said, "What is love, baby don't hurt me...."  So let's tackle things that describe love in general.  First of all, we know that God is love because the bible says that He is.  That means that God equals love and Love equals God.  I will talk in more detail about many of the attributes in later blogs but let's look at a few attributes of Love.

The Bible says, "Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand it's own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I want you to notice something about these verses.  Most of the attributes of love listed are action verbs, not feeling verbs.  How many times to you hear people say, "I feel patient" or "I feel kind"?  I don't know if I have ever.  I have been patient with people and I've been kind to people but I don't know if I've ever felt kind.

Take a look at something else.  All these attributes are things that we DO to other people.  Did you notice that not once do these verses say that we should be expecting this from someone else?  Now you might say that if someone is ACTING this way toward you then they are not acting in love and I won't argue that but if we are walking in love, then we won't keep record of being wronged.  Let me be clear, I am not saying that if someone is abusive to you that you should stay in the relationship and never keep record of being abused.  If you are in an abusive relationship, get out!  But when you do, then chose to walk in love and forgive.

It's when we get past feelings and start living into Love the way God sees love, then we will experience the greatest victories in our lives.  The Bible says that Love never fails.  Are you worrying about your parents?  Are you worrying about your kids?  Are you worrying about some other person?  Then make the decision to act and walk in Love with them.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Love is Patient Part 2

Hello everyone,

I wanted to take moment to tell you about a few things where I have/am learning to love by being patient.  I didn't really understand the power of the force of patience until recently.  See, patience provides room for love to grow.  It's critical.  Let me explain.

Last week, my wife and I were going through the normal things in life.  We were working and raising kids.  Now each of our children is fearful and wonderfully made.  That means sometimes we wonder about them.  Just kidding.  That means they are wonderful and amazing children.  They are God's gift to us and I get excited when we catch glimpses of what's really inside them.  But there are other times where they are challenging.

Parent's have you ever been frustrated because your children don't grow up as fast as you would like?  Have you ever wondered if they would grow up at all?  I can't tell you how many times my wife and I have worried over our children because of their choices or how many times I would ride them about a choice they made over and over.  But what I realized was that in some ways, I wasn't being loving.  Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't correct our children because the Bible says that God corrects those he loves.  But what I am telling you is that in other cases if we will be patient with our children and give God room to grow them up, they will progress so much faster than all our nagging.

The other thing I noticed this week is an area in my personal life where I was not being very loving with someone because I wanted them to do something and they didn't do it.  I got agitated and rolled all sorts of things around in my mind to tell them but in the end, the Lord was telling me to be patient.  See, I was walking in selfishness which is many times the opposite of patience.  What I wanted the other person to do was a good and right thing but I was not giving them time to do it on their own.  I have decided to love them and be patient and wait.

Patience doesn't come across as an action verb.  When you give something to someone, they can see what you give them.  When you do something for someone or say something nice to someone, then they know it immediately.  But with patience, the person you are loving, may never know that you are loving them and waiting.  I think that's what makes it so strong.

How many times do you think the Lord has been patient with us.  How many times has he wanted us to make different choices and we make the same mistakes again and again.  But guess what.  He never walks out of love with us.  It's impossible for God to be anything but Love toward us so I know he is patient with me every day.

Let me leave you with this.  If you are struggling with patience, then ask the Lord to help you stand in faith and pray while you wait.  God is able to do much more that we can ask or think so dare to ask big and then wait.

That's another Opinion of the Minion.

Love is Patient

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to start talking about what love is.  Our topic for today is patience.  Have you ever had an experience were you were not patient with someone?  I know I sure have.  If you have children, especially teenagers, it's easy to lose your patience with them.  On our streets today, you can see how impatient people are with one another.  Well, when we are acting impatiently with each other, we aren't walking in love.  That doesn't mean we don't love, it means in that particular instance, we aren't walking in love the way we should.  Also, there are opportunities for you to be patient whether you pray for them or not.

I have heard in Christian circles for years that you shouldn't pray for patience because God will cause something to come in your life that requires it.  But here's the problem.  God is not saying that if you are patient, then you are walking in love.  What He's saying is when His love is developed in you then you will be patience.  So what you need to pray for is that His love will so grow inside you that you will be a patient person.  You aren't doing work to prove love.  Love is working which causes results.

So what is patience?  One definition is - the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  What does that mean?  Well for me personally, it mean's loving my children and being patient while I am waiting on things to develop in their lives.  One of the most interesting characteristics is waiting without getting angry or upset.  Let me say to my children, I apologize for the times that I am waiting on you to develop but being upset at the same time.

Now I want to say a thank you to my wife.  She has shown me love by being patient with me.  Overall, I'm a good dad and a good husband but there are a couple of things that I need to get straight.  My wife has known about them since we met and she's loved me and been patient with me for a long time.  Thank you Honey.  I love you.

So what does all this mean?  Start believing God to change you and out of His love, ask for him to grow the attribute of patience.  Then find an opportunity today to be patient.  Maybe you need to be patient while other people are ahead of you in line.  Maybe you need to be patient with someone while you are driving.  Maybe you need to be patient with one of your friends or your parents while they figure things out.  Regardless of what it is, find a place today to show someone else love by being patient.

Love Part 1

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to begin a several part blog on love.  This is one topic that I need to know much more about.  See, I love my wife and I love my children.  But what does that really mean?  Does it mean I feel warm inside when I'm with my wife?  Does it mean I really enjoy my children?  The answer to both of those questions is sometimes yes and sometimes no.  But it doesn't change the fact that I love them both.

But, before we get to what love is, I want to take the rest of this blog to talk about what love is not.  For those of you who read this blog inside the United State, we use this word entirely too much and we water down what it really means.  You might hear someone say, "I love my car" or "I love my school" or something else.  But that's not real love.  You can enjoy your car and you can really enjoy your school but real love is reserved for something else.

For all you young ladies let me tell you something else that is not love.  If a guy starts telling you he loves you and then starts pressuring you to have a physical relationship with him, that's not love.  That's lust and selfishness.  See anything someone uses to get something from you, is not love.  When you are dating, you might have heard if you love me, you will do this or that.  But that's not really love, most of the time it's someone trying to con you into getting something they want.

I've even heard Christians say that you are not walking in love if you don't give them the money they need or give them something else they want.  Again, that is not love.  Love does not seek to get it's own stuff.  Now let me ask you this, where are you upset with someone else because you aren't getting what you want from them?  It could be that you need rethink how you love are loving someone.

When we think about love, we often think of a feeling, but that is not love either.  Feelings are great and when I feel really close to my wife and get those warm, gooey feelings about her, I really enjoy them but that doesn't define my love for her.  In fact, I don't think feelings have anything to do with true love at all.

Well, I like to keep these fairly short so we will pick it up here next time with a little more about what love is not.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Who Should Be President

Hello Everyone,

     Today marks another changing of the guard in Washington, D.C.  We now have a new president and while there are many in this country that are excited about his arrival, there are many that are really upset about his arrival.  Which group are you?  Well regardless of which one, let me ask you this?  Why are you excited or upset.  The answer is that we all need a deeper revelation that God is our source.  If God is truly your source, then it won't matter who's in leadership because you put your trust in Him not in him (or almost her).

     See one of the problems with putting our trust in a man instead of God is we can be disappointed in them.  Where God has always performed what he said he would perform.  His record is perfect.  Do you need peace in your life?  Do you need prosperity?  Do you need healing?  Do you need forgiveness?  Do you need redemption?  No man can provide any of these but with God all things are possible.

     Another problem is that as we begin to look to these men and women of our government as our source, many times we loose sight of love.  Did you know that the Bible says God is love?  Let me put that in a mathematical equation for you.  God = Love.  To put it another way, Love = God.  You can't walk in true love without walking in true God and you can't walk in true love without walking in true God.  But many of the feelings I see and hear about politicians these days are fear, hate, concern, worry, and the list goes on.

     Guess what.  Those things aren't pure, lovely, just or of a good report and we shouldn't think on them. I'm not saying that we shouldn't pay attention to what our leaders are doing and have an opinion but when hate guides your actions, you have the violent protests we are seeing today.  We should pray for our leaders regardless of whether or not we voted for them.

     So take heart.  If you didn't vote for our president, remember that God loves you and He's still in control.  If you did vote for our president, remember that He's not God.  God is God and he loves you.

     That's another Opinion of the Minion

Politics or People

Hello Everyone,

In light of the political elections that are coming up in American, I want to take a second to talk about politics but not in the way you might think.

I've noticed that everyone has an opinion about the current political landscape.  Some hate Trump; Some hate Clinton and some hate everyone.  But here's what really doesn't make sense to me.  I see a lot of my friends and family on my personal Facebook page and other places posting about politics.  They all have something to say about what should or shouldn't be done.  They all have something to say about this person's moral character or that person's.  They all have something to say about this person's truthfulness, etc.  Yet not one of the people I have ever talked with has the capability (other than casting 1 vote) to do anything about it.  Furthermore, neither one of the candidates cares about what any of them think on a personal level.  Whoever gets elected is going to do whatever they please regardless of what you and I think.

So I've been asking the Lord what to do about it.  Here's what the Lord showed me.

1.  Whatsoever things are lovely, just, pure and of a good report, mediate on these.  That doesn't mean that you ignore things but it does mean that you shouldn't focus on them.  Focus on God's word.  It will actually make a difference in your life.

2.  Find someone to bless today.  This one is huge.  I can't really influence who gets elected but I can influence the people around me.  Do you know someone who needs encouragement or maybe someone who needs a meal.  The list of needs goes on and on.  Did you know the Bible says that when you give to someone in need, you give to Jesus?  That's really big.

3.  Remove a critical spirit from you.  See I have noticed that before the Lord told me to quit giving the race so much attention that I was getting critical.  Not only was I critical of the people in the election but I started being critical of people around me.  That's no place to live.

So I ask again - Politics or People?  The choice is yours.

That's another Opinion of the Minion.

I'm Getting a Divorce ... But NOT from My Wife

Hello Everyone,

It's been a long time since I have posted anything but as I have said before, a couple of times, I am going to start writing more.

Today's topic is Divorce.  Let me say that I am totally for it but not like you think.

This came up inside me because of an individual in my life.  This particular person (It's not one of my family or friends) continues to be a constant source of wrong thinking, upset and worry.  You know the type.  The person who is constantly saying something or doing something just to be mean and upset you.  The person that you constantly catch yourself thinking about what you want to say to them and how you want to give them a piece of your mind.  You go through the day and play different conversations out in your head.  They said this and then you would say something back that would really put them in their place.

But the truth is that 99% of the time these conversations never happen.  When you actually talk with someone it never goes the way you thought it out.  The net effect of the whole situation is that you didn't say all the things you wanted and you let that person dominate your thought life for some part of the day.  Maybe you worried about what they would say or do and how it would effect you or someone else.  Maybe you got really angry and dreamed about getting them back.  So when WE spend all that time going through those thoughts and replaying what that person said or did over and over again we miss things.  See I could have all that time thinking about my God or my kids or my wife.  I could have spent that time planning what I was going to do to bless them or bless someone else and then doing it.  But I chose to spend the time day dreaming in a negative way about that person!  So to those thoughts, consider this your official notice - I'm getting a divorce!!

Now let me tell you about a few things about divorce.  My ex-wife and I owned a house and I paid every payment on that house.  But here's the thing - as soon as the judge signed the divorce decree that was no longer my house.  I was no longer allowed in that house without my ex-wife's permission.  That's exactly what happens with our thought life.  You can choose what thoughts you let in your house and which ones have to stay out side.  They may ring the doorbell and ask to come in but you can tell them no.

So to that person who is causing us so much trouble, let me say that we have irreconcilable difference so it's over.  You are no longer allowed in my thought life.  I expect you to say ugly things and I expect you to be selfish and manipulative but I am no longer allowing you in my home!

Here are a few other things that have been served their divorce papers.

Politics - We are through.  I'm divorcing you from my thought life.  I will vote as the Lord leads me but I will not take you to dinner anymore and I will certainly not invite you back to my place.  I know that their are family and friends who would like us to stay together but we simply don't belong together.  Note:  If you like to talk about politics, what are you actually doing?  Remember, discussing a problem without implementing a solution is just complaining.

Judgmental attitudes - It's over between us.  I know we have only been together for a short time but you have been a complete negative in my life.  But I don't want you to meet my family and I don't see us growing old together.  Have you ever spent time judging people?  You know - She shouldn't wear that dress or he shouldn't drive that car.  I actually caught myself judging someone the other day while I was driving down the road!!  I don't know one thing about the person!

Other detrimental areas - I've seen you with other people so you aren't even true to me.  When we are together, you are abusive and cause me to lose my peace.  You don't want me to go to church; you don't want me to tithe; you don't want me to love my wife.  As a matter of fact, you are jealous of anything that I think about other than you.  You are so narcissistic.  It's over between us.  Pack your stuff and get out of my life.

Now friends if this stirs something in you and makes you want to divorce some of those stinking thinking areas in your own life then let me say this.  You must be vigilant.  Those areas can be stalkers and they can try to track you down to get back with you but don't let them.  Stay Vigilant!!!  If you know me and you see me making a V sign with my fingers it's for vigilance.

That's another Opinion of the Minion