Jesus Struck By Lightning

Yesterday in Ohio, lightning struck a 6-foot tall statue of Jesus, destroying it in a matter of seconds. I saw this story on Yahoo News, and there always follows comments from viewers. I was not surprised by the negative and blasphemous responses from people. One person wrote that this lightning strike "proves that even God is tired of Christianity". Another wrote that the strike was yet another "proof that God does not even exist". Although not surprised, the comments still hurt me as a Christian. Somebody wrote that some of the greatest thinking minds in the world have already dismissed Christianity as a hoax, and those who still believe continue to show their ignorance. I would like to give my 2-cents worth on this subject.

First of all, God normally works within the very laws of nature that He created. Sure, He can perform miracles outside the norm, and He does on a regular basis. But for the most part, He allows things to happen naturally. The lightning strike that destroyed the Jesus statue no more proves God doesn't exist than a strike on a statue of Satan would prove that He does. I still remember a tornado touching down in Piedmont, Alabama on a Sunday morning, destroying a church and killing several members who were there worshipping God. Sad, yes, but it happens. Pertaining to the lightning strike that destroyed the statue of Jesus, maybe it was a miracle after all. For all we know, that lightning bolt could have been heading to a person or to a family, but God redirected it to save their lives. Just think, maybe Jesus "died" yet again to save another person. So what does the lightning strike prove? Probably nothing. Strike or no strike, my God still lives, and He still saves anybody who asks Him and believes that Jesus is His Son.

Psalm 27:13 says, "I am still confident of this: I will see the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

Father, forgive those who have not accepted Your Son. Show us Christians how to spread the Good News about You. I know if You can save me, You can save anybody. In Jesus name, Amen.

Here Today, Gone Today

Two fatal car-crashes in our area yesterday have saddened this town. One involved a grandmother who was killed when her car was struck by a train. The other fatality was the mom of an 8-year old child. These families badly need our prayers. I can't even imagine the heartache and loss that they must be feeling at this hour. Oh Lord, why does this have to happen? I know He knows best and that He has a plan for everything that happens to us while here on earth. But it still hurts so much. God, please be with those that are crushed in heart and spirit today. Your perfect Word promises that You will never leave us to deal with tragedy alone. We are counting on you so much right now, Lord.

I don't know about you, but I have had about enough of this sin-filled, tragedy-laced world and all its heartbreaks. I am so ready for heaven! The Bible tells us that we need to treat this world as a temporary place. It is not our home, for Jesus Himself is preparing that place for us. And I feel strongly that it is just about time to go Home. I am not saying that we need to be unhappy and mope around while we are here on earth. On the contrary, we should be filled with Joy knowing that we are heading for a much better place, and that God has given each one of us a job to do while we are here. I think our job at this moment is to stop what we are doing and say a little prayer for the families that were devastated yesterday. It is very sad. And the scary thing is that the exact same thing could happen to us next.

Psalm 34:17 says, "The Lord hears those whom call out to Him, and He delivers them from all their troubles."

Father, please be close to those who experienced tragedy yesterday. Although we may never understand the reason why, please help us to all use this tragedy to grow closer to You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Need Your Prayers

We all know that money is tight right now. The coming year in the school system where I teach will see more cuts of teachers and programs than ever in the history of the State. Possible cuts include sports, ROTC, band, art, foreign languages, and scores more. It is reported that all the non-tenured teachers will be let go at the end of the school year. That is 30 teachers at just my school alone! The problem seems to be in the way education is funded in Alabama. Nobody here or there seems to know how to get more money into education without these drastic cuts. Many teachers will be unemployed in the next 2 months with very little prospects for a future job. The situation is bleak and very sad.

This is the exact situation where God seems to thrive. He knows how bad things are in our lives, but He has a plan. We may not see that plan today, but rest-assured, He will come through for us. I have 100% faith that God will intervene. I am asking for your prayers for all those whose jobs will be cut in May. There is strength in numbers. If we all say a prayer, God will surely listen. Please pray for us all. Please have faith that God will fix this problem. Look at all the miracles He has already performed. Our God is so much bigger than our problems, no matter how big those problems may be.

Hebrews 4:16 says, "Therefore let us come boldly unto the throne of the Lord, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need."

Father, bless those who are having to make the hard decisions about the future of education. Be with who are worried about their jobs. Remind us that You have the power to see us through these hard times. In Jesus name, Amen.

Rock n Roll Devotions

Before I write today's devotion, I want to ask you for a favor. For the past several months, I have been kicking around the idea of writing a book called Rock n Roll Devotions. I am very fortunate to have spent the past 22 years as a radio DJ. In those years, I have studied and researched hundreds of the songs that I play. I am thinking about writing devotions that come from those rock n roll songs. What do you think? Please take a moment and let me know your thoughts and if you would be interested in receiving a copy. Now, on with today's devotion.

Elliot had a girlfriend named Randy. He was absolutely crazy about her. He and a couple other college buddies decided to form a rock band and see if they could make a million dollars. Elliot was having trouble coming up with the lyrics for a song about Randy. So he rented a farm house in New Jersey and spent a few days there just working on his song. The time paid off! He finally finished the lyrics, and it would go on to become a #1, million-selling record. At the last minute, he changed the title of the song from Randy, to a name that was easier to sing. Elliot, better known as Elliot Laurie, the lead singer of Looking Glass, made a million dollars from his smash hit Brandy(You're a Fine Girl). It topped Billboard's charts in the summer of 1972.

Inspiration can come to us in many different ways. But sometimes we need to just go and get away from everything and be alone with God. I believe we hear God the most when we are listening the best. And the best way to listen is when we spend quiet time with just Him. It does not have to necessarily be a long period of time. Sometimes just a few minutes alone with God can make a big difference in our day. The important thing is that we make the time for Him each and every day. He may not inspire us to write a million-dollar song, but He will definitely have us singing a "fine" tune.

Ephesians 4:23 says, "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind."

Father, help us to remember to pause everyday to seek Your will. We can do all things through Your Son Jesus Christ. For it's in His name that we pray, Amen.

Have It Your Way

Remember the Burger King jingle from the 70's? "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way." I can't believe I can still remember it. But as a customer, there is nothing any better than having your food made the way you want it! You are the boss. You are the one paying for it. You should have it your way. Right?

Well having it our way might be good when it comes to a BK order, but just about any other time in life, having it God's way is much better! In John, chapter 21, the disciples were out fishing all night but hadn't caught anything. The next morning, Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Bingo! Their nets almost burst at the seams with huge fish! How do you think those disciples felt? They were all professional fisherman. Yet, their way of fishing had left them empty-handed all night. But when they turned to God's way, they experienced instant success. It is easy for us to get in a rut and to continue doing things the same 'ole way. But sooner or later, our way will fail. God's way will never fail! Have you asked Him where you should cast your net today?

Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

Father, have it Your way. I know Your way is perfect. Please give me the strength and wisdom to do Your will. In Jesus name, Amen.

Weird Inspiration

As most of you know, I host an oldies radio show nationwide on 104.9. If you do not live in the area, you can listen to my show on Saturday nights from 6 till 11 from my website http://www.alskipper.com/. It is called Jukebox Saturday Night, and I would love it if you listened sometime. As this is my 22nd year in radio, I have studied oldies music a pretty good bit. I have gotten such a great response from my "song devotions" lately, I decided to do one more for the week. This is a true, weird inspiration story:

A singer/songwriter was sitting out on his balcony in New York City one night in 1967. He had just written what he thought was a great pop song. The only problem was that he did not have a title for the song. He wanted the title to be perfect! He knew he wanted the title of the song to be a girl's name, and he also desperately wanted a catchy name like Bony Moronie or Sloopy. He was totally frustrated. He spent hours looking through a dictionary but just could not find what he was looking for. Aggravated, he threw the dictionary on the floor and gave up. As he sat back in his chair and gazed out across the New York skyline, he saw a flashing neon sign on a 40-story building a few blocks away. The sign was flashing the letters of the company. It was an insurance company called Mutual of New York. As the letters flashed, the songwriter read it: M.O.N.Y M.O.N.Y. "That's it" he shouted! The songwriter's name, Tommy James, of the group the Shondels, and his song, Mony Mony, became a million-seller the very next year!

Isn't God absolutely amazing? He can inspire us from the most unusual sources. We all want to please Him and to learn what His will is for our lives. But if you are like me, you have noticed that He does not always simply shout out what He wants us to do. But I do believe he tells us and guides us, though sometimes in the most silent ways. Unless we take time to stop what we are doing and look around for His words, however, we may never "see" them. I wonder how many times He has tried to lead me in one direction, but I was not listening and went in another. There's no doubt if I had been paying 100% attention to Him, things in my life would be much better than they are right now. But it is never too late to start tuning more into Him. Has He been speaking to you lately? Are you sure?

Isaiah 42:16 says, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known..."

Father, teach us to seek You more diligently than we ever have before. Forgive us for being so blind and deaf to Your leading. In Jesus name, Amen.

Don't Die Before You Die

Today was a horrible day for me! I have been questioning God about several things. I am struggling with a personal issue that has all but wiped me out. On top of that, two people I know, both in their early 40's, committed suicide this week. Just how much sadness is in people's lives this day and age? We all make mistakes. We all do things we wish we didn't do. Life doesn't come with instructions, and the best we can do is read God's Word and pray hard. But you know as well as I do that trying to find God's will and trying to understand why He allows some things to happen are two of the hardest things in our spiritual lives. We trust that God has everything under control. But that does not always convince us to be happy and to simply play off everything that happens as "just His will". Those two who committed suicide are dead. But how many of us are also dead, although we are still breathing?

We can't be happy all the time. Sadness is just a part of our fallen, sin-ridden world. But what can we do when we are trying to survive the sadness? How do we "make it" to happiness again? I guess if I knew the answer to that I could write a book and become rich and famous. All I can do is speak about how I survive those times. I give it all to God, and rely on His perfect strength daily, sometimes even hourly. I have always survived every single episode of sadness my entire life. And although what I am enduring right now personally is the absolute hardest trial I have ever faced, I will survive it too! God WILL NOT let me down! I just wish everybody else had the same kind of faith that I have in the Lord. I wish suicide would never rear its ugly head again in our world. But we must face it. Some people are very sad, and contemplate taking their lives all the time. As God's children, we need to ask Him to give us the wisdom to spot these people, and then share everything we can with them to head off a potential disaster. The last thing we need to ever do is downplay somebodys sadness. I know it is hard to cheer some people up when they are really depressed. But Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors. I am pretty sure He meant to love them, even when it means we have to put ourselves out for them. We must share each other's burdens. After all, God shares all of ours.

Philippians 2: 3-4 says, "Consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only at your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Father, oh Lord, why is there so much sorrow in our world? Please teach us to truly love one another. Teach us to share others burdens, just as You share our burdens. If there is anyone tonight on the verge of suicide, Lord please help them in the way only You can. In Jesus name, Amen.

Concentric Circles

In Geometry, concentric circles are defined as circles that have the same center point. You can create concentric circles by tossing a rock into a pond. After the rock hits the water, ripples or waves form and flow out from the center. These circles grow larger as they continue flowing away from the center. This is precisely what happens during a tsunami. The waves from a tsunami can travel up to 500 miles per hour and thousands of miles from the center. These waves travel out in all directions with incredible energy. I guess we will never forget the tsunami of 2004 that killed thousands of people. The power created by these concentric circles is unbelievable!

When we put Jesus in charge and at the center of our lives, many things change for the better. We become happier, live more peacefully, and gain tons of hope. Like ripples on a pond, these changes flow out from us in all directions and have the power to change others. Have you ever known someone who had such an electric personality that you were drawn to them? You can also have that kind of personality that draws people to you. And when people are drawn to you, they will see Christ as the reason. Just toss the Solid Rock that is our Savior into the center of your life. The ripples that result can be very powerful!

Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all thy ways, acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy path."

Father, I am proud to have You at the center of my life. I ask you to help me win souls for Your Kingdom, according to Your perfect will. In Jesus name, Amen.

Will You, Lord?

The will of God is one of the most mysterious aspects of Christianity. The Bible has many things to tell us about God's will, but it is still hard to understand. We know that if we ask anything, according to His will, He will do it. We can all pray for His will. We can all listen as closely as possible for Him to share His will with us. But it is still hard to discern if we are actually hearing His will or ours. I used to think that praying for His will was kind of useless. I mean, isn't He going to do His will whether we pray for it or not? Maybe, but then again, maybe not.

When Jesus was here on earth, He healed many people. That was obviously God's will for them to be healed. But what did it take to get God's will going? It took faith and asking on the part of those needing the healing. Think about all of Christ's healing-miracles for a minute. What was it that got each one started? They had to come to Him and ask! Do you think God would have healed them if they had not asked Him? Maybe. But Jesus did demonstrate that it took faith on their part to receive the miracle. Maybe that is why we must ask God for our heart's desires and ask Him for His will at the same time. If what we ask for is not in His perfect plan for our lives, we will not receive it. And that is a good thing! But on the other hand, if we don't ask Him for it and it is in His perfect plan for our lives, we may still not receive it. Today, let's boldly go before God in prayer, asking Him for everything we want. But then let's also make sure that we trust that what He will give us is exactly what we need.

John 16:24 says, "Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Father, you truly know what's best for us. Please help us to seek Your will and to yield our lives to it. You are awesome, Lord! In Jesus name, Amen.