It's All In The Name

This week on my Jukebox Saturday Night radio show, I will be featuring "weird inspiration" songs and groups. That is, I will be explaining the unusual circumstances behind the writing of some of Rock-n-Roll's most memorable songs and how some of the most famous groups got their names. Tune in this Saturday Night at 9 Central time at www.alskipper.com to find out what songs were inspired by a McDonald's Big Mac, a man in a bathroom, a menu from a Chinese restaurant, a poem written by a 19-year old in just 3 minutes, a bottle of soda pop, and many more. To wet your appetite, let me explain how the band Three Dog Night got their group name. You might remember Three Dog Night with such major hits as Joy To The World (Jeremiah was a bullfrog), Black and White, One (is the loneliest number), etc. In the Australian Outback, like most deserts, it can get scorching-hot during the daytime, and bone-chilling cold at night. To keep warm, some people would sleep with a dog to take advantage of its body heat. On really cold nights, they would use two dogs. And on those freezing-cold nights when your blood would almost turn to ice, that was a Three-Dog Night.

I have always liked the gospel song, The Lovely Name Of Jesus. In the song, it says that the name of Jesus is the name above all others. I suffer from occasional panic attacks, and what helps me more than anything during an episode is for me to continuously say "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." There is just something about His name that calms and soothes me deep down in my heart and soul. It is amazing to me how such a short, simple name can have such incredible, lasting effects! We all face troubled times, even if we don't all suffer from anxiety attacks. We all know how it feels when things around us seem to be caving in on top of us. But there is something we can do to help. The next time you are experiencing a frigid "three-dog night" in your heart and life, allow the simple name of Jesus to warm you up all over. Believe me, it really works!

Romans 8:6 says, "The mind controlled by Jesus is life and peace."

Father, thank you again for Jesus. Please teach us to depend on Him more, and on ourselves less. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Lighthouse Is Gone

Those who know me know I love lighthouses. Not only is my living room decorated with lighthouses and nautical items, but I also have a 3-foot solar-powered lighthouse in my front yard. Well, I should say I DID have! Last week, it was stolen from my yard around noon by a 20-something year-old lady in a gray Mustang. My neighbor, who had been putting up Halloween decorations in his yard, witnessed the whole thing. He shouted out to her, asking what she was doing. She told him that I sold the lighthouse to her. He didn't believe that lie and wrote down her description and a partial license plate number. I called the Police when I got home, but they said it would be almost impossible to locate the thief with only a partial plate. The officer told me that he has been patrolling my neighborhood for a couple years and remembers seeing the lighthouse in my yard. It only cost me about 50 bucks, but it was special to me. And now it is gone.

I can not begin to tell you how violated I feel. What has happened to our society? Whatever happened to "do unto others?" I don't know who the thief is, but I have at least begun to forgive her. But it got me to thinking about all the times I have "stolen" from God. I wonder, each time I sin, does He feel violated like I do about my lighthouse? When I do the things opposite from His teaching, does He feel pain? Does He continue to feel those long, rusty nails in His wrists each time I don't "do unto others?" I know I can't be perfect and live a sin-free life, but I also know I could sin less if I would depend on His strength more than what I do. Oh lord, please forgive me. You are my true Lighthouse, and I don't want to ever "steal" from you again. You know, maybe it took a thief for God to show me that I am not much better.

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Father, please forgive the lady who stole my lighthouse. And please forgive me for "stealing" from You. In Jesus name, Amen.

My Bailey Boo

Forgive me, but I have to brag on my 13-year old daughter Bailey Boo. She is a Christian and attends church regularly. She is a well-mannered young lady who always wears a smile. I wish I could get her to read her Bible more, and I wish I could get her to go down front at church to profess her faith. She is a little shy, but then again, so was I at 13. But let me tell you what happened today at church. She has been taking guitar lessons for a couple years and has gotten pretty good at playing. She knows over 100 songs, and has become a self-learner. She is constantly on the Internet learning how to be a better player. She was overheard playing her guitar by the youth director at church, and he has asked her to join the youth choir as a singer and guitar player!! Praise God! He has given her a talent of playing guitar, and today, she decided to use that talent for His Glory. I could not be any more proud of her than I am at this very moment!

We all have talents that are given to us by the Lord. In fact, anything that we are able to do is because He blessed us with that ability. When we choose to use it to further His Kingdom, there is no stronger peace and satisfaction in the world. He called me to be a teacher 15 years ago, and I love it more today than I ever have before. I have experienced first-hand the joy of knowing I am living for Jesus. Now, Bailey will experience that same joy and peace from serving Him. Bailey, your daddy is so proud of you, sweetie. God has given you a talent. Always thank Him for it, and always use it for His Glory. You are an inspiration to me. I am proud God chose me to be your daddy!

3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the Truth."

Father, thank you for blessing Bailey. Help her to always stand up for You and to inspire others to seek Your face. In Jesus name, Amen.

Fall Break

Today is the last day for students and teachers in the Dothan City School System. Our Fall Break begins at 3:15! I think I can speak for most students and teachers; We are desperately needing a little break from the stresses of public education. Every job should have some off-time. Studies have shown that workers are more efficient when they receive regular time away from their jobs. I will be off from the high school only until Wednesday, and I will still have to work at the college Tuesday night, but I am still going to enjoy what little time I have been given. I will be officially "on vacation".

How many times do we pray to God, but it seems He is away on vacation? How many times do we feel like our prayers never get beyond the ceiling? I guess that happens to all of us from time to time. But we can rest assured that God is never too busy to concern Himself with our daily needs. In the Gospels, we learn of several times that Jesus was very busy doing one thing, but He never hesitated to stop and address the needs of those around Him. Once, He was busy preaching and teaching some 4000 people when they ran out of food. Jesus stopped what He was doing and fed every single one of them...and still had some food left over. On more than one occasion, He was asked to go heal someone in need, and He indeed dropped what He was doing and fulfilled those wishes. There was even another time when He was so tired from His ministry, that He fell sound asleep on a boat with His disciples, even when a monster storm blew up. His disciples panicked and scrambled to wake Jesus so He could save them from drowning. He got right up and calmed the storm. No, He is never too busy to help us. You know those advertisers that say no job is too big or too small for them? Well, the same is true of Jesus. He is very able, and even more willing, to help us when we cry out to Him.

Psalm 55:17 says, "Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice."

Father, thank you for wanting to help us. Please help us to not get discouraged when You don't answer us right away or answer us in the way we want you to. We trust in You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

I Will Get You For That

What a lopsided baseball game. In 1916, Cumberland College defeated Georgia Tech 22-0. It was rumored that the Cumberland team consisted of some professional players. Using professional players was not only illegal, it was also just plain wrong. How embarrassing that game had to be for Tech! But guess what happened that next Fall? The Georgia Tech football team, with their famous coach John Heisman, paid the Cumberland team back on this day in 1916. Tech defeated Cumberland 222-0! Did you notice the similarities between the football score (222-0) and the baseball score (22-0)? That football game was the ultimate "you got what you deserved" pay back.

It is sad that so many of us try to "get people back" when they do us wrong. That concept was certainly not taught by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, his teaching was the exact opposite. He encouraged His disciples to actually "do good" to those who persecute them. How hard is that for us humans? It is so natural to want to retaliate. It is human nature to want to "give them a dose of their own medicine". But it takes a very big person to love his enemies instead of wanting to get even with them. How in the world can we live up to the standard that Jesus set for each one of us? I don't think we truly can. But we can probably do a better job than what most of us are doing. If we draw our strength from Christ, and not from ourselves, we will never score 222 points against our foes, even if they do "deserve" it. Thank God He did not give each of us what we "deserved" for our sins!

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Father, please remind us that vengeance is Yours, and Yours alone. Help us to do good instead of evil to those who persecute us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Hammering Hank

On April 23, 1954, Henry "Hank" Aaron hit his very first Major League home run. The shot came off of cardinal pitcher Vic Raschi. Aaron, a Mobile, Alabama native, went on to hit 755 home runs, a record that stood for 31 years. Aaron reached many milestones in his baseball career, but we will mostly remember his home run feat. He averaged an amazing 34 home runs per year! But they all came in the same way-one at a time.

Following Christ is not an instantaneous thing; It is like a career. We can't expect to break a lot of Christian records the minute we become saved. It takes time. We must read the Bible, pray, go to Church, and fellowship with other Christians. We do these little things one at a time. As we progress through our Christian life step-by-step, God reveals more and more things about Himself to us. As we study His Word and grow spiritually, we become better witnesses for Him. I believe we were put on this earth for one purpose: To share the Good News about Christ with others. I like to think of Jesus saving someone through my testimony as hitting a spiritual home run. My goal is the surpass Aaron's mark of 755. In order to do that, I must remain focused on the Lord and think about saving just one person at a time. With Jesus' help, maybe I can become Hammerin' Al.

2 Chronicles 15:7 says, "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded."

Father, if it be Your will, use me today to witness to somebody in need. I want to hit as many home runs for You as I can. In Jesus name, Amen.

Keep On Truckin'

Happy Monday! Welcome to a brand-new week full of opportunities to serve and Glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you excited and ready to go? I know I sure am! Put me in coach, I'm ready! I love the joke about the lady who prays, "God, thank you so much for this day. So far today, I have not lost my temper, cussed at anybody, put anyone down, said or thought anything negative, hurt anybody's feelings, nor have I bragged on myself a single time. But In just a second, I am gonna get up out of this bed and start my day. From then on, I am going to need Your help a lot.

How many times do we start a new day or week with great expectations of ourselves, only to find that we mess up almost immediately? Peter told Jesus he would "die" for Him. But Jesus made a shocking prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster sounded. Peter had to think, "No way, Lord. I would NEVER do that." Yet only a few short hours later, he denied Jesus just as predicted. Peter felt awful about what he had done, but what he did after that is what is so important: He repented. The Bible tells us we will fail, and fail often; We can't avoid that. But what's important is that we do what Peter did. It is critical that we repent. God promises to forgive us every single time we sin. So start the day with great expectations. But if you happen to mess up along the way, ask Him for forgiveness, and then keep on truckin' for His Glory.

I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Father, please help us to remember that we are not perfect, but You are. It is only through You that we can be forgiven for our sins. In Jesus name, Amen.

Want Fries With That?

Things have really changed. I can remember going to fast-food drive-thrus to place orders, and they would come on the speaker and ask, "Welcome to so-in-so, may I take your order?" Today, it is much more complicated. Now they come on and ask, "Welcome to so-in-so, would you like to try our new blah blah blah ba blah blah blah?" Gosh, now I forgot what I was going to order. Just the other day, the poor lady had so much to say in her greeting that she actually messed up twice! You just can't help but laugh.

How many times do our prayers simply become placing an order with God instead of a genuine, heart-felt talk with Him? It's almost like we expect God to come on and say, "Welcome to Heaven, would you like to win the lottery today or get a brand-new car?" I know I am guilty of treating God as an order-taker instead of respecting Him as my God. He is not Santa. He is the Creator of the universe, and He wants to have a real relationship with each one of us. There is nothing wrong with asking God for things, in fact, the Bible teaches us how to do that very thing. But we really miss the point of prayer if we focus on the gifts rather than the Giver. I actually had a dream one night where I was asking God for things like He was a worker at McDonald's. And no joke, in my dream, He replied, "Want fries with that, too." I can still remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed of myself.

Romans 8:26 says, "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Father, teach us to pray in a way that will truly get Your attention. Forgive us when we treat You like an order-taker. In Jesus name, Amen.

Pacing Guide

It is a classic problem in education that every teacher has to attempt to solve. We all know that every child is different. They also learn at different levels and at different speeds. The problem that faces each classroom teacher is trying to decide when students have mastered a skill. Or maybe I should say when "enough" students have mastered a skill; Let's face it, for whatever reason, not all high school students are going to adequately learn every concept. So when should the teacher "move on" and when should the teacher reteach? My school system has developed a pacing guide that outlines what should be taught, how long it should take to teach the objective, and when it is time to move on to the next lesson. Obviously, in order to teach all the objectives in a particular course, a certain pace must be kept. But it is not as simple as just following the guide. We all know that not everything in our world works out the way it was designed. Maybe in a perfect world, but not in ours.

When it comes to following Christ, there is no pacing guide. It does not matter if we are as far along in our spiritual walk as Billy Graham, or if we have just started out like a thief on a Cross. In God's eyes, we are all equal. I sometimes get a little depressed when I meet someone who is farther along in their walk with the Lord than I am. But there is no reason for it to get me down. I should indeed use that person as an example for my life and allow them to motivate me to continue my walk. But I should not feel like they are any better than I am. We all walk at a different pace, and God completely understands that. He made us. There is absolutely nothing about us that He does not understand. The important thing is not how far along we are, but rather, that we are at least walking with Him. Through prayer and studying God's Word, He will bring us along at His perfect pace.

Psalm 17:5 says, "My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped."

Father, please help us to continue striving in our walk with You. Please show us the way. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tamper-Proof

Our world changed forever on this day in 1982 when at least seven people died from taking cyanide-laced capsules of Tylenol. It is hard to believe that that was 27 years ago; I still remember it like it was yesterday. I stated "at least" seven people died above because nobody really knows the exact number. Although most of the deaths occurred in Chicago, other places around the country were also plagued. Up until then, we had never heard of tamper-proof packaging. But today, it is rare that we find a product without it. Even though it is not completely fool-proof, seeing a safety seal on the things we purchase does give some peace of mind.

We can also have peace of mind by allowing Jesus to "tamper-proof" our lives. Satan is always looking for a way to poison us with his lies and influence. Walking through our day without the protection of Jesus is like eating some food that has a broken seal on the packaging. We wouldn't dare take that risk. We should also never take the risk of living without Christ. He is our Protector and our Guide. If you are not enjoying the safety of Jesus, why not ask Him for His perfect protection right now? He is more than willing and able to come to you.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you."

Father, please protect us from Satan. We know he is very powerful, but not as powerful as You. We can't do it alone. Help us, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.