Do we matter? It's human nature to think that what we do matters to those around us. Every one of us loves to get a little pat on the back now and then from our friends, family, co-workers, etc. It lifts our spirits. It makes us feel productive. It gives us a feeling of belonging. It gives us a sense of pride. It increases our self confidence. It encourages us to do even more. Yet, more often than not, we are not recognized as being important to others. So I ask again, do we matter? In the grand scheme of things we are mere pebbles of sand in the sea. Occasionally someone will perform extraordinarily and will stand out in the crowd. For example, the heroism of Captain Sully Sullenberg setting his plane down in the Hudson River and saving his crew and passengers. Or a more recent example, the extraordinary voice of Susan Boyle on the British TV show, "Britain's Got Talent." Do these people matter more than we do? I would say the answer to that depends on who we want to matter to....

I just received a new revelation as I wrote about my ministry on my home page at this site. I wrote about God giving me a scripture, which was II Chronicles 15:7, "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded," and about how it became my battle cry. I would like to share more with you here about this scripture and how it came to be my battle cry.

In early 1998, I earned my living as an over the road truck driver. My passions included reading and sharing God's Word, and also writing poems and stories that praised Him. Every stop I made I tried to find someone to share His love and Word with, and always took time to read a few scriptures. On one particular run, I hauled a load of potatoes from Idaho Falls, Idaho to a Walmart Distribution Center in Winter Haven, Florida. It was a long, hard run and I had to make a few extra stops along the way to make repairs to the truck and to the refrigeration unit on my trailer. Despite those...

When people discover that I suffer from depression, they quite often see a bright smile on my face, and say things like, "You don't look depressed." Hmmmmm, Interesting! Is there really someone who knows what depression looks like? Another thing they often ask is, "What is causing your depression?" Hmmmmm, I think if I knew the answer to that, I could find a way to end those feelings. Then there are also the well meaning eternal optimists who simply say, "Get over it." Obviously, that's exactly what I want to do, but are you going to tell me how?

There seems to be different levels of depression. Some depressed episodes do have catalysts, and are usually short-lived. These are definitely the most common forms of depression, which occur in most everyone's life. Illness, divorce, a loved one's death, and financial problems, are prime examples of occasions where depression occurs, but are normally remediated with the passing of time.

Others of us live our lives in a...

The roots of my raising run deep, and I thank God I was surrounded by family who knew God's Word and lived by it! My childhood, in the hills and hollers around Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was one that would undoubtedly be envied by most. Family get togethers were very frequent, sometimes several times a week. Sundays provided especially fond memories of family get togethers at Granny Clark's house, after we had all attended church services at "The Little Chapel." The Little Chapel (That was it's name, really!) was a non-denominational, full gospel church in downtown Eureka Springs. It's still there today, although church services are no longer its function, but rather it serves as a food bank to help the needy.

Most of the family has passed on to be with Jesus, and many of us have moved away from that ancestral center of a few decades ago in search of a "better" way of life, including myself. I haven't found it yet, but I will when Jesus returns! Five generations of my family...

His number one desire in life was to be the very best at everything he attempted. Encouraged by parents, extended family, teachers, and others who knew of his gifted intellect, he studied hard to gain as much knowledge as possible. He excelled in school, constantly gaining more knowledge, and winning the approval of those around him. His teachers encouraged him to dream big, daring him to do anything he wanted to do. In time, encouragement became expectation. As life became more complex, expectation became disappointment.

During his teenage years, opportunities became increasingly abundant, opening doors to new desires and dreams. The world that lay ahead was the half full glass. He began to develope the ideology that he really could do whatever he wanted to do. There were so many possibilities, yet everything he considered had its faults, except for one. His decision finally made, he embarked upon a treacherous journey through life, filled with undoubtedly more obstacles...

The kingdom of Heaven is at hand! A Christian does not need to be told this, as the signs are abundantly clear, yet I feel compelled to remind us all that this is the message we were told by Jesus to spread throughout the world beginning some 2,000 years ago. I believe it is a message that is more urgent today than ever before. And here are a few reasons why, from a Christian viewpoint, I say this;

America is becoming increasingly volatile. Tensions are mounting between the liberal leftists and the Christian conservatives. Issues like abortion, homosexuality, our relationship with Israel, our Christian heritage, and others are kindling points which could very easily erupt this country into a civil war at any time. For the first time in our history we have a leader who has denounced our heritage as a Christian nation. He has advanced abortion rights and is openly promoting the advancement of gay rights, and quotes the Koran, all the while apologizing for the historical...

Psalms chapter 84:
5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

The Valley of Baca was a miserable, dry, and barren land, totally unfit for sustained human habitation. It was a place you never wanted to be. In my mind I see visions of cowboys in the old western movies who are crawling through the desert, barely alive, trying to reach a watering hole where they can be refreshed and renewed. Have you ever watched this scene played out and seen the extreme joy on the face of the cowboy when he finally reaches the water? It's like he's arrived at the gates of Heaven. He shouts and laughs and hoops and hollers and quite often dances with joy!

Other scenes show the cowboy arriving at the watering hole, and finding it dry and dusty. His face shows bitter disappointment, anger, and disgust, and quite often, he yells out, "Why me God?"...

Depending on interpretations of what is required to become a Christian, I suppose I was "saved" at about 6 years of age during Vacation Bible School at a little one room country church called the Lone Star Church in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Or maybe I was saved at 14 years old at a youth revival that was held in the Little Chapel, which was the church I was raised up in, also in Eureka Springs? Or was it one of the other 12,785 times (guesstimate) that I ran to the altar to lay all my sins at the foot of the cross in various churches in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma? Who knows, and does it really matter? What matters is that I am saved!

Over the years I've heard preachers tell the exact date, hour, and minute they were "saved." They tell how their lives were miraculously changed instantaneously right then and there, and how they were freed from the grip of sin. The sailor who never swore again, the addict that never used again, the alcoholic that never drank again, the...