What seems like a setback is often a setup for a comeback!

We have all been in a season of a setback that is not our fault - COVID-19. There have been many setbacks like lives lost, businesses ruined and disrupted, travel stopped, and many aspects of “normal” life changed.

What do we do with setbacks that we didn’t cause or was someone else’s fault?

Independence Day is a great time to enjoy a long weekend filled with burgers, hot dogs on the grill, sunshine, music, fireworks, friends, and family. All these things are great and fun.

But Independence Day is about much more than a few fun days off. We know the history—that on July 4th, 1776, the 13 colonies declared their independence from England, an event that eventually resulted in the formation of the United States—we received freedom.

t was the Oscars, and the winner’s speech was memorable.

In 1985, Sally Field said with heartfelt emotion: “I haven’t had an orthodox career, and I’ve wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn’t feel it, but this time I feel it and I can’t deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!” Sally Field wanted more than anything—approval.

Approval is not a bad thing. Being affirmed is a natural desire that is part of being human.

“The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.” Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT)

I was riding in an oil field truck with a friend when it happened.

He had his work radio in the truck. From the radio came a continual mix of static, voices, and chatter. The radio’s volume was low so that what you heard was undecipherable to me. It was basically background noise.

All of a sudden, my friend grabbed the mic and began talking to someone on the radio. What I heard gave me no clue that there needed to be a conversation. What he heard was someone asking to talk to him.

How do we, as followers of Christ, know what God is saying? How can we hear His voice?

I’ve heard the same story in different settings, different forms, and different situations, but all very similar. Someone runs from God and while they are running, they run right into Him. Why? Because God pursues.

We all love a great pursuit story, be it a car chase, a rom-com where someone pursues someone else when it’s almost too late for the relationship to work out, or chasing a dream. But ultimately, it is God who is the ultimate pursuer. The One who chases us down.

About two weeks ago, I saw a picture on Instagram of someone’s Google search, “Can we go to heaven with tattoos?” and the answer that Google provided said the following: “People with tattoos will not go to heaven. People who drink alcohol will not go to heaven. People who eat too much pork will also not go to heaven. Short people will not go to heaven.”

Most everyone who believes in heaven has an idea about heaven. The problem is: Many of our ideas come from movies, TV, or other media that cause misconceptions about heaven. Here are four popular misconceptions about Heaven:

What does it mean to be made in the image of God? How does this idea help us with our understanding of God and living our lives?

After Adam and Eve were created, God immediately gave them a purpose: (v. 28). The earth would be filled with image-bearers.

Well, I am a brother, uncle, father, grandfather, cousin, husband, friend, pastor, and the list goes on.

Today, we can swab the inside of our cheek and discover our DNA, our ancestry, and what regions of the world our DNA came from.

But who are we? We are still confused. I can even know my personality type (Lion/Beaver/Otter, Orange, DCI, etc.), yet in many ways we are still confused about the question: Who Am I?

Most everyone has walked through a situation in life that made you wonder why God would allow you to experience the pain, hurt or even discouragement that resulted from the situation. In some situations, our challenges are a result of poor choices, but for every follower of Jesus the reality is that we will walk through hardship and will experience pain.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV). This verse can be found on many coffee mugs, posters, and plaques at a Christian Book Store. Why? It is truly one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. It is easy to be overwhelmed by whatever difficult things life throws at us. The guarantee of life is that there will be hard times we have to face.

I am the husband of someone who was adopted.

Years ago, a ranching couple in tiny Gordon, Texas prayed that they would be able to adopt a little baby girl. They began the process: legal action, costs, paperwork, but it was anything but easy. Finally, the official day came that their little girl was going to legally join their family. All that needed to happen was for her to arrive from Korea. It was then that the bad news started coming.

13% of the population experiences some sort of debilitating fear every day. We fear all sorts of things: COVID, spiders, heights, snakes, darkness, and flying. Fear doesn’t keep most of us from going to work or school or to the store. But fear keeps us from healthy relationships, fear distorts the way we view ourselves and others, and fear defeats hope.

Easter is here, and this is an opportunity to bring the Gospel message to the people in our lives—probably a bigger opportunity than ever before.

God’s plan: Is for us to grow in love. The Five Love Languages (Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Acts of Service) give us great tools to follow that command from God.

Physical touch is life-giving. Studies show that babies who are held, hugged, and kissed develop a healthier emotional life than those who are left for long periods of time without physical contact. What begins with us all as babies continues as one way to express love in life.

What’s the difference between household chores and “stuff you should do” versus expressing love through Acts of Service?

This week my wife, Alta Lynn informed me that one of her Love Languages had changed from Quality Time to Receiving Gifts. I was a little shocked by this. She told me that she had experienced plenty of Quality Time lately because of COVID and so her Love Language had changed.

Alta Lynn and I were at Cracker Barrel having breakfast. We both have the love language of Quality Time so it was a perfect plan for us to do breakfast that Friday morning. About halfway through the meal my phone rang. It was my brother, who is also a pastor. My brother and I are close and usually have long talks on the phone when we call. About 10 minutes into the call, in between talking and taking bites of my breakfast, I noticed Alta Lynn. She was giving me “the look”. I know that look. I realized what I was doing, disconnected the call, and apologized. She said: “I just want you really here when you are here.”