What makes a mom?  Is it just the fact that a woman gets pregnant and has a kid?  Or is there more to it?  I think there’s something to be said for all those qualities that are worthy of honor; the willingness to sacrifice her own wants to care for her kids, fighting to protect her children from people and things that she knows will harm them, constantly making opportunities to teach her kids the things that will help them become better people.  I think all moms should be encouraged to be good moms and should be respected and honored for their dedication to their children.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:14 — 17.5MB)

Have you ever thought about what it means to have the Lord as your shepherd?  Jesus said “I am the good shepherd.”  He said other people might play the part and pretend to be like that.  But nobody will ever care for you like Jesus, because they’re only like hired hands.  When trouble comes they’ll take off and leave you to fend for yourself.  They’ll let the wolves eat you because they’re just in it for the money.  They’re not willing to put their lives on the line for you.  But Jesus already gave his life for you.

It really is good to have a Good Shepherd.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:10 — 22.0MB)

You know the difference between puppy love and true love?  True love has NOTHING to do with the butterfly feeling in your stomach, or a magical first kiss or “falling” into anything.  Puppy love is the purely emotional stuff.  True love is that which remains committed regardless of emotion–so that even when you don’t feel like it, you still work to serve the other person and make sacrifices to give the other what is best.  A relationship of true love is the only kind that lasts, because it is committed through thick and thin.  Emotions can go up and down and butterflies fly away and initial feelings always change, but true love never gives up.  True love isn’t fallen into, it’s committed to with perseverance and integrity.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:22 — 19.8MB)

How much better would the world be if all moms were godly and loving, and all kids did what their moms told them to do?  I think most moms love their kids, and want the best for them.  How many kids go astray because they refuse to listen to Mom’s wisdom and guidance?  With Mothers Day approaching, maybe it’s a good time to reevaluate whether or not your life has honored Mom–and if you are a mom–whether your life has honored God.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:26 — 18.5MB)

When you were a kid did you ever get in trouble?  What did your folks do about it?  Did you deserve the punishment?  Did it help you learn to do better?  Has your life benefited from correction or discipline?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:05 — 25.7MB)

Do you know how to run?  I don’t mean you are a marathoner or anything like that.  I just mean, if you were being chased by a bear or a zombie or a clown, would you be able to run?

Do you remember learning how to run?  Did you take running lessons to be able to put one foot in front of the other in rapid succession?  I’ll bet you don’t remember the first time you ran.  It’s one of those abilities that most people just know how to do.  Obviously we have to learn how to run.  And before that we have to learn how to walk, and before that crawl, and before that roll over.  But even before kindergarten, most of us have running down pat.

Now, how about prayer?  Do you know how to pray?  Has it become one of those things that you just know how to do.  Some people I know have told me they don’t know how to pray, and I think “How can anybody not know how to pray?”  I think praying is definitely easier than running–and definitely more rewarding.

How about you.  Can you pray?  Would you like to?

PS. Sorry about the sound quality of this one.  It’s pretty bad.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:42 — 22.3MB)

Do you ever wonder why some prayers don’t seem to get answered?  Did you ever think that maybe he is answering–it’s just not the answer you were hoping for?  How do you sort through questions like that?

One good thing to do might be to reflect on where the interference to your communication with God might be occurring.  Is it a problem with God not being able or willing to hear you?  Maybe there’s a good reason for that.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:46 — 22.3MB)

What do you pray about?  Do you pray at all?  Would you say you have a good prayer life?  Do you enjoy it?  If you don’t, why not?

How about your human relationships–is it easy for you to talk with friends and family?

Prayer is pretty similar.  At it’s most basic level, prayer is communicating with God.  If you know and love God, prayer comes extremely easy, and it’s enjoyable.  If you don’t know God, it’s going to be a lot more awkward trying to have a meaningful conversation with him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:02 — 22.9MB)

Too many times I’ve been asked the question, “Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?”

The technical answer is, of course, no.  Going to church does not make one a Christian.  There are plenty of non-Christians who go to church all the time.  They might even think they’re Christian because they go to church.  But going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than going to Washington makes you the President.  And going home again doesn’t remove any of your Christianity.  Proximity to a church building, is not how one determines whether or not they belong to Jesus Christ.

However, the question itself reveals a flawed view of Christianity.  A Christian IS the church.  All true believers are part of the body of Christ.  You can’t help it.  And the body has to work together.  You simply can’t work as part of an integrated body of believers if you disconnect yourself from it.  So real Christians seek out the opportunity to worship in unison with other believers, to serve and encourage each other in community, to carry out their mission to preach the Good News of the Gospel to the world as a team.

So you can become a Christian without ever having darkened the doors of a church building.  But you can’t live as part of the body of Christ while keeping yourself removed from the fellowship of the church.

In other words, don’t just go to church…BE the church.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:20 — 21.7MB)

I think too many people think marriage is just a wedding.  It’s all about planning the perfect day.  And usually that day flies by and after a few months you can’t even remember everything that happened on that day that was supposed to be so special.

How much more stable could our society be if people took planning for marriage as seriously as they took planning for the wedding?  If people actually kept their wedding promises, it would mean the relationship would be lifelong and rewarding, so the families would be stable and the culture made up of all those stable families would be stronger.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:03 — 17.9MB)