Why the Easter Lily and Not the Dandelion

Historically, the Easter Lily has been used to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope for life everlasting. Churches line their altars and surround their crosses with masses of Easter Lilies.They are beautiful and I am certainly not going to take away any of the symbolism that goes along with the flower in reference to what it represents for many Christians. I will, however, compare the resiliency of the dandelion to the perseverance of Jesus Christ, and pose the question "Why the Easter Lily and Not the Dandelion?"

Rock Bottom

When laying a foundation for a structure it is very important to know that the ground in which it is laid is stable and level. It is an extensive project to take on, whether it be a raised garden using cinder blocks or laying the foundation of a house, you have to know the process and hard work this will involve before starting. I recently joined other men from my church in an effort to build a couple of raised gardens utilizing concrete blocks as the outer walls. We soon found out the importance of establishing a solid foundation. There are amazing lessons that can be learned when doing any job if we just take time to listen to the voice of God. Building from the ground up (rock bottom), laying a firm and solid foundation (closeness with our Father through His written word, prayer, and relationship with Him), will produce a heart and mind filled with the love of God longing for our Heavenly home.

BASIC STEPS OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION

These basic steps outline the building and maintenance of a spiritual foundation from start to God's return.

Survey and Stake (prep before the pour)

     Before any spiritual transformation can begin, the home site (our life) is surveyed to establish the basic footprint (characteristics, traits, and our human identities.) The corners of the home (our life) are marked by the Surveyor's (God) stake (the blood of Jesus Christ) to identify you as His child.

Excavation (removal of all impurities)

  The depth of the excavation is determined by a structural engineer (God) who considers the soil (hurt, disease, emotional scarring.) Our Creator begins the removal process of the negative things, all the hurt and emotional scarring that has compounded throughout our lives building a shroud around      our hearts preventing us from accepting His love. He doesn't stop with just the surface scars, but continues healing (excavating) until reaching the cold callous encapsulating membrane surrounding our sinful hearts (rock bottom.)The excavation must be deep enough for the complete removal of our sinful nature.

Footings (laying the framework for a solid foundation)

Now that the impurities are gone, God can began preparing our lives for a new beginning.Footings (Christian values, teachings, Scripture, and Love from Our Father) are poured into our souls, minds, and hearts to spread throughout our entire beings making us a new child in Christ. Footings help to absorb and spread the weight of Jesus's love into the remaining soil surrounding the home site(people we meet and can lead to Christ.)

Walls (strengthening the structure)

    The structural engineer (God) determines the height of the walls based on load that will have to carried. This is the process in which we as Christians began to discover our spiritual gifts. Once this knowledge has been attained we can then provide a better witness to further the kingdom of God. Anchor bolts (sound Scriptural teaching) are added in this stage. This will secure the walls to the foundation.

These are just basic steps used to further our walk with God and to build a spiritual foundation upon. As with any foundation, though, maintenance is a top priority. Never stop growing and spreading God's word, because Satan will attack from many directions. We need to be prepared on all sides.

Judgement Free Zone...Drawing In Not Pushing Out

My local gym uses a catch phrase "Judgement Free Zone" to attract a customer base that would like to get in better shape, but does not like the environment normally found in other gyms and athletic clubs. I have been a member of approximately four organized gyms or recreation centers in the past. There is a certain uniqueness that can be found in most of these clubs. I joined my first gym with the intent of getting into better shape after letting myself go for a number of years, and of course to "bulk up" because as a man, who wouldn't enjoy having the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman (c'mon lets get back to reality)? I remember entering the facility and feeling well, insignificant. I didn't know much about the equipment. I was confused on really even where to begin. The people in the gym were definitely in better shape than I was, so needless to say I was not feeling very motivated. I felt out of place, and the sounds coming from some of the members who did have a physique approaching the likeness of a Roman God or Goddess, was almost enough to make me do a 180 and leave out the door never to return for fear of being chained to the weight bench and forced to days of hard labor in order to gain acceptance into this elite organization. I'm sure there are those out there that feel the same way when we judge them by the way they look, clothes they wear, how many piercings they have, or who they have as a companion. As Christians, trying to lead sinners to Christ to receive salvation, it is not our place to pass judgement upon others. After all, if our true purpose is to save souls, we can't go around condemning folks and hope to teach them about God's saving Grace.

I have to admit there have been times in the past where I have judged people simply on the basis of trivial things such as those mentioned before. Friendships have been lost, hearts broken, people hurt, and ultimately some of the trials in my life have came as a direct result of rash judgement of others that I made. I am not implying that we should not judge. The bible tells us in John 7:24  "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." I feel it is our job to lead people to the doors of a church where they can receive love, teaching, and fellowship with strong Christian brothers and sisters. They can receive the teaching of the Word that will help them to identify the err of their ways.


We as Christians have squandered away so many valuable opportunities by condemning instead of blessing. Even though we might not express our dislike of a person by voicing our opinion of them; they certainly have picked up on the mannerisms we tend to display when they're around. Actions do speak louder than words. Generally, the human race is very adept in the art of observation. If you don't believe me, try rolling your eyes at your wife or husband. You'll find out soon enough just how observant they are of your action. I see this type of snubbing every day in the secular world, as I'm sure you do also. You sort of expect this in the world in which we live, everyday life, but as born again children of God we tend to over-dramatize these same actions when we cross paths with people we believe to be non-Christians. I really don't understand why we do this, because at one point in most of our lives, we were all in search of Jesus. I remember those times when people from different churches I have attended turned their noses up to the sky in my presence. I felt many emotions, and none of them were positive. I personally felt mislead, deeply hurt, and ashamed for who I was at that particular point in my life. I felt mislead because I had come to church to find Christ, not to feel out of place. Hurt, and deeply hurt, because I was raised to believe that church was supposed to provide sanctuary; a place to receive the Grace of Our Heavenly Father. Last, but certainly not least, I felt out of place similar to the way I felt upon entering the gym for the first time, but even worse. Because, it gave me a feeling that I was not wanted there. And if God's children did not see me as worthy to attend their House of Worship, then God must not see any worth in me either. These are personal feelings I've experienced in the past, but have since overcome thanks to my Father.


In the world in which we live, people do not need condemnation. Day to day living can dole out plenty of punishment by itself. I am certainly not implying that we put blinders on to avoid the truths that sins in people do exist. The Devil is working hard to keep mankind in sin. We need to be working harder, but by believing in people, not by acting as if there are numerous requirements set in place to be part of "Our Club." Everyone is welcome as long as you repent of your sins, and ask Jesus into your heart. Our job, as Christians, is to help folks understand that there is forgiveness. Tell them the Good News of God, and lead them to a place where they feel wanted, loved, and forgiven. If people are ever going to change the path of their lives, they are going to need a reason. If we judge and condemn them for who they are and what they have done, then they see no difference in us than they do in the world.


Act differently than the rest of the world and draw sinners to Christ
Be the same, or harsher, than the world and sinners are lost


The Church, as a whole, needs to be a light in the darkness, provide a place of safety during the storm, and be a place to experience the Grace of God by drawing people in, not pushing them out.

Thank You God for Mules, Sundrop, and Small Towns...Mule Day 2014 Columbia, Tn.

Columbia Tennessee, Mule Capital of the World (self proclaimed if you look to Wikipedia a a reference). I reside in this quaint little town with a population of approximately 35,000. I work for the local governing body, and have lived here since around 1996. Being here for a number of years, I am very familiar with an annual celebration, Mule Day. This is a celebration of, well, mules as the name implies. The event attracts thousands of people to my small town from many different states. Spring is in the air, many unfamiliar faces are seen smiling as they pass through a small town filled with heavy traffic, the delectable aroma of food (mostly fried) permeating the air, and the all too familiar song "Rocky Top" is being played from every other vehicle and corner DJ booth. Goings on at Maury County Park attract folks day in and day out. This is the event hub for Mule Day.

Re-Purposed...Checking on the Condition

I was working on an item from my honey-do list the other day. This particular job dealt with changing the appearance of my deck. In order to accomplish this I was re-purposing pieces of the wood that I had for reuse, removing the old nails and checking the condition of these boards. I began cleaning the wood to utilize it elsewhere on the deck, and I realized that in some ways we have been re-purposed also. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior we were renewed in our spirits; became new creations in Christ, but we remained in our human forms. This is the area God begins to remove the nails and check our conditions

Multiplication Through Ministry...Doing What We Do (even if that is cleaning the toilets)

If you are going to do something; do it to your full potential. Don't hold anything back. Regardless of how small and meaningless it appears to be everything we do means something. Growing up, I played baseball a lot, and this was a sport I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to admit that I was a bit prideful of my abilities on the field. I played the Catcher (player behind home plate for those unfamiliar with baseball) for a number of years, and as a result became very familiar with the ins and outs of this position. There are many requirements and pressures that are placed on the Catcher. In fact, if I had to place a value on the positions around the diamond, the Catcher would be second only to the pitcher. I realize there are people out there that would disagree with my assertion, but it is just a personal opinion of mine. The point being that even though this particular position is involved in many aspects of the game does not negate the importance of the other players on the team. For instance, a runner from the opposing team is on second base and is making his way to home plate because a teammate of his just blasted the ball into right field. He is rounding third and headed down the stretch to score a run. If the Right Fielder has not stopped the ball, and if he does not get the ball to the Catcher, then the Catcher cannot tag the runner out.

 Result, opposing team scores to win the game, your coach gets mad and blames the whole situation on the umpire who should have made a better call, or, the ineptitude of the Right Fielder who could have done a better job with the ball instead of fumbling around with it in an attempt to pick it up, and the Catcher takes none of the blame because, after all there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with his position. Just joking right fielders, please read further for the importance of this blog.

As born again, saved by Grace Christians, we should take the "All-in" tag line and run with it. We are all very important in our Father's eyes. "What am I called to do?" is probably a question that has popped into all of our minds at least once, whether a matured Christian or new in Christ, it is likely that we have heard this before. And.......HERE'S THE ANSWER! We are all called to be disciples of Christ. Leading the lost to Christ is what we should be concerned with, not, what we are "called to do." God created all of us with a special purpose. Whatever we are doing it needs to be  done with a clean heart, and with everything that our Lord has placed at our disposal.


So many times in our walk we look at the outward appearance of things. I'm about to take you on a journey that, hopefully, will change your perspective on the minute details that are oftentimes overlooked, but play a big part in the whole scheme of things. All of God's children are valuable. In His eyes, one is not above the other. This means that all we are called to do by the Holy Spirit is of no lesser value than the other task. If you are called to preach, then lead your flock to the best of your ability; if your heart has been pulled to worship, then usher the spirit into the service with the body. The same can be applied to all gifts; whether that be in the mission field, under a bridge passing out blankets to the homeless and preaching about God's goodness, or cleaning the toilets in your church...

HOLD UP, YOU LOST ME THERE! Some of you are wondering how I could equate the Holy Spirit with cleaning toilets.


Servant hood is a spiritual gift also.

A visiting preacher came to our church a while back and passed on some very useful information that I will give to you. The basis of his teaching was this; Imagine visiting a church for the first time as unbeliever. You come in as an unbeliever with not much interest in attending except for the fact that your wife or husband was invited and you felt obligated to attend. Or, you are parents of two small children and are looking for a church home. Say that you are young person between the age of 25-35, and you have lived a rough life; you have the tattoos, piercings, and scars to prove it. All of these scenarios can happen. Upon entering the church, whatever the situation, you are greeted by a friendly member of the body who gives you the bulletin and you continue on your way. Remember, you have not attended church in a while, and you have never been here. If you are the parents of the small children you are probably looking for the direction to the classrooms. There is none, and you choose not to ask anyone because you are extremely introvert, so you hope that someone will eventually tell you where the classes are. If you are the young man who has led a rough life along with the couple mentioned above that are searching for a church family, you will probably need to utilize the facilities during your visit. The bathroom has not been cleaned because no one could get to it this morning before church, and as for the signage there is none. In anyone of the cases above, at this point your opinion of this church is probably not very high. All of that being said to show you that for the majority of time a visitor notices these small things that are often overlooked by the members. This all takes place before church begins, before the worship and before the sermon. All of these things are typically taken care of by person(s) that have the gift of servant hood. God loves all of His children equally, therefore, all gifts supplied through the Holy Spirit are of the same value. There is not one greater than the other. We as Christians want to lead people to Christ, not run them off because our House is not clean or welcoming. The goal should be to multiply Our Father's kingdom through our ministry, whatever that may be, and we should do it to the fullest. Polish and hone your gift until it shines so all can see God through us.

Just because your gift is less visible, does not mean that it is less valuable.

Worry Doubt, and Fear...Weapons of Spiritual Warfare

Psst! Hey, yeah you. You know that test that you have coming up tomorrow? Your not going to pass, its way to complicated for your simple mind. What about that job interview? Man, you don't even need to waste the trip there. The economy is tough in this day and age, and there will be a lot of folks there smarter than you. Face it, dude, you didn't even finish school. Mortgage is due, final notice arrived in the mail today from the utility company telling you that the disconnect is next week. Get use to it; I have made your life a struggle from Day 1, and trust me it will only get worse. Hear that? Its the Devil speaking! He is hoping beyond all hope that you will believe this nonsense. Even if you believe a small inkling of this venomous diatribe, he's got something to work with. The seed of doubt has been planted if you give this a second thought. We all have our personal day to day struggles, but maybe this blog will shine a light on dealing with them, and with the Almighty's help, OVERCOME THEM!