Faith Not Fret

Why do we fret? It seems that every day satan tries to throw something at us to make us fret. It can be as simple as a misunderstanding between friends. It can be as complex as a hurricane in the Gulf headed our way. But make no mistake, he loves to make us fearful. If he can put a doubt in our mind and help us to be afraid, he can take control of our actions and more easily lead us into temptation.

How do we combat that kind of power? How do we overcome? How can we stand up in this kind of pressure? The answer, I believe, is FAITH!

When I look at the scriptures and see men and women do the most outlandish things in the name of faith, it really is an encouragement. I see Abraham lift a knife to kill his own son. I see Joseph go through trial after trial and come out victorious. I see Rahab, the prostitute, hide the spies. I see Elijah call down fire from heaven. I see Job suffer horribly and never curse God and the stories go on and on.

These stories are real. They really happened to real people. It has happened in my own life. I look back and see times that I didn't know what I was going to do and things somehow always work out for my good. Even the bad things that happen are somehow seen as a blessing after the fact. I am not asking for bad things to happen to me, but I can see God through it all. Now that's victory! That's exciting. That's faith!

I can't mention faith without Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." May God help us to have faith and not fret!

Bob Denver Dies

It is really strange to me that on the week that we take a TV Fast, a really memorable character on TV dies. Bob Denver died at the age of 70 from cancer related complications.

It is the strangest feeling to mourn a character on TV. Gilligan (Bob's character on Gilligan Island) was one of those guys that, as a child, I remember watching on TV every day. I looked forward to getting home from school to see what kind of mess Gilligan would get himself into for that day. That show was one of those shows that I don't even mind my kids watching till this day. It was good TV. It was never suggestive, never with bad language and about the only violence was the Skipper (who is also dead now) hitting Gilligan over the head with his hat because of some blunder. But in the end, Gilligan would always come through and save the day. What a great message! It teaches that everyone is important and can play a part in helping out.


The world is an emptier place today without Bob Denver. As I understand it, he spent the last 14 years of his life helping the handicapped and underprivileged of his area in North Carolina. He will be truly missed.

TV Fast Part II

You would not believe the blessing this is on us right now. Last night was one of the most rewarding nights we have EVER had with our kids.

It started early in the evening with a trip to the baseball field with our son. We had a great time, as we always do at the ball field. When we came home, I needed to check all the levels (oil, water, transmission fluid, etc) in our vehicles. He has never done that. At 13 years old he is at an age of curiosity and wanting to help, so we spent more time together with that.

After coming in, we (or I should say the kids) decided to play a game. It's called "Bible Baseball." We had a great time. It was a great learning experience in the word. I again was reminded, however, how much our kids don't know about the word. We really need to work on that. Could it be that God is teaching me something else through having the tube off? I wonder?

Then the best part happened! We had a time of just sharing about the things in our lives that need improvement. I wish I could tell you everything, but please understand that our kids opened up like they haven't in a long time. Our son shared like he has never shared in his life. What a blessing they all were to us!! Our oldest (17) even prayed in her prayer and thanked God for our TV fast! WOW!

I feel confident that TV would have not allowed all these things to happen had we been allowed to watch it. I am learning that depriving myself of something I indulge in so much is proving to be a real growth experience and a blessing that I cannot describe!

TV Fast

Have you ever tried fasting? I haven't done it enough. It seems as though in the scriptures fasting took place when there was something major going on in a person's life. There was a big decision to make, a trip to go on, or other big events that needed special thought and attention.

Fasting hasn't been a part of my life for a number of reasons. We have never focused on it much. We have never been taught the reasons for it. We love to eat too much. And basically I think we are a society that doesn't like to give up our conveniences. We are also a society of consumers. We live to consume product. Our daily lives are "consumed" in consumerism. From shaving cream to sour cream to ice cream, we love to consume.

Who of us ever thinks of giving things up? Well this week, from Friday to Friday, our family is taking a break from the TV screen! That's right a TV fast.

It started as a punishment for misbehavior in our kids. I know what your thinking--"Preacher's kids don't misbehave!" If you believe that I have a submarine with screened windows I'll sell you too. Anyway, while punishing the children and grounding them from the TV for a week, I decided that it would be good for the whole family to be without it. So, I made the fatherly proclamation, "No TV until next week at this time!"

That was Friday and this is Monday and I'll have to admit it is a bit strange. I have caught myself coming in and thinking about turning on the set. It is such an automatic thing for us all. In just three days I have discovered already just how much we are on automatic when it comes to the tube.

However, I have already discovered that we talk more, we don't argue as much and we are learning to be kinder to each other.

"Stay tuned" (see even my language is bassed on TV) for more updates on the progress of this week.