I have to admit it. I love me some cold hard cash. Always have. Since I was 15 and learned the lesson of working hard for myself in lawncare and stock piling the green stuff in a glass jar, I knew it didn’t buy happiness, but it sure bought baseball cards, bubble gum and Atari games.
Money makes the world go ‘round. Right? Well, sadly, it does require money to keep the lights on, to feed the family and to support God’s work around the world.
The problem for most of us of course, there never seems to be enough of it. The money runs out before the month, the debts pile high and Benjamin Franklins can be more elusive than Bigfoot.
Personally, I have experienced both the days of much and the days of little. God has used both to show me truths about life and about His provision. I know both wealthy people and poor people that love God more in ways that inspire me.
Whatever your current financial lot in life, you can know God will provide. He will meet our needs for food, shelter, clothing and most importantly joy. Life isn’t about what you can buy, where you can go or what you can do. Life is about who you are and who you spend it with.
Sure having a little excess in the money department makes life a little easier to deal with. But knowing God is on your side makes life good and peaceful even when the account is below zero.
Cold, hard cash really isn’t the root of all evil.
It’s the LOVE of money that’s the problem.
“Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.” Hebrews 13:5
© 2010, J. Brady
”I say it how I see it and I make no bones about it."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Quinn and the Lizard
I felt like a schmuck.
Here is what happened...
I came home to take over on kid duty. Getting ready to take the kids out for our favorite pizza run with good ol' Daddy.
"Everyone go get your shoes on," I said. The girls complied. As usual Quinn pretended to not hear and started wandering around.
A few minutes later...
"Quinn go get your flip flops on now!"
"But there is a lizard in there," he said with a very poor attempt at crying.
"Whatever!"
Knowing he pulls these kinds of stunts all the time, looking for any reason to not obey, I wasn't about to be fooled.
"Go get your flip flops now or we are not going!"
"Whaaa!" he started crying a little harder.
"Quinn!"
I began pushing him towards the small basket the kids kept their shoes in.
Still he refused, frustrating me more.
Finally, I gave in.
"Never mind...we don't have time for this."
I started digging around the basket for his flip flops. "See!" I proudly proclaimed, "There are no lizards in here."
Right about then he screamed and I looked down at my hand to see a large Gecko running around the outer edge of the basket!
"Holy crap!" I yelled. (I couldn't help it).
By then the girls had joined the commotion and everything ran from the scene screaming, including myself with the basket in hand.
Quickly I opened the front door and the little dude jumped off on the porch.
"I'm so sorry buddy!" I said while hugging a sobbing Q-ster. "There WAS a lizard in there!"
Thank God Father of the Year awards are later in the winter!
What a scene.
Here is what happened...
I came home to take over on kid duty. Getting ready to take the kids out for our favorite pizza run with good ol' Daddy.
"Everyone go get your shoes on," I said. The girls complied. As usual Quinn pretended to not hear and started wandering around.
A few minutes later...
"Quinn go get your flip flops on now!"
"But there is a lizard in there," he said with a very poor attempt at crying.
"Whatever!"
Knowing he pulls these kinds of stunts all the time, looking for any reason to not obey, I wasn't about to be fooled.
"Go get your flip flops now or we are not going!"
"Whaaa!" he started crying a little harder.
"Quinn!"
I began pushing him towards the small basket the kids kept their shoes in.
Still he refused, frustrating me more.
Finally, I gave in.
"Never mind...we don't have time for this."
I started digging around the basket for his flip flops. "See!" I proudly proclaimed, "There are no lizards in here."
Right about then he screamed and I looked down at my hand to see a large Gecko running around the outer edge of the basket!
"Holy crap!" I yelled. (I couldn't help it).
By then the girls had joined the commotion and everything ran from the scene screaming, including myself with the basket in hand.
Quickly I opened the front door and the little dude jumped off on the porch.
"I'm so sorry buddy!" I said while hugging a sobbing Q-ster. "There WAS a lizard in there!"
Thank God Father of the Year awards are later in the winter!
What a scene.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Buddha Won't Tame the Tiger
Tiger Woods has been in the business of shocking the world since he first landed on the golf scene in 1996.
He is arguably the most famous athlete on the planet.
In the last 14 years he has won tournament after tournament, earned more than any golfer in history and has two cute kids after marrying what some say is the most beautiful sports wife in the world.
But in the fall of 2009 the world learned that Tiger was on the loose with a trail of infidelity that was even more shocking than any of his wins. Most of us could not comprehend the depth of the sexual depravity Tiger pursued. As a result, his life was changed forever and a year later he is without his reputation, his wife, his family, most of his endorsements and his ability to succeed on the course.
When he apologized to the world months later, Tiger stood in front of the world and proclaimed he had lost his way and that he was going to lean on his faith to start over and clean up - his faith in Buddha that is.
Over a billion people all over the world put their faith in Buddhism which teaches to focus on self enlightenment through suffering and right living. Sadly, almost a billion people have it all wrong.
Buddha won’t tame Tiger. Only the spirit of the living God has that kind of power. For any man that deals with lust and temptation (and if you are a man, you do), we know in the overly sexual society in which we live that God’s power is our only hope. The flesh cannot be tamed merely by will power or via the pathway formulate by a man that lived long ago and is still dead.
We have to depend on God and not on ourselves. For when we depend on ourselves or anything other than God, we fail. Tiger fell hard. But don’t be fooled, he wasn’t thinking this would happen to him and each of us is could fall just has hard.
Tiger still has the three things some people in the world want the most – money, fame, and power.
His price?
The thing he loved the most – his family.
Only the one that created the Tiger can tame one and it’s our job to give Him the reigns every single day.
I can only pray Tiger let’s Jesus paint him some new stripes.
"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” Ephesians 4:19
© 2010, J. Brady"
I say it how I see it and I make no bones about it."
He is arguably the most famous athlete on the planet.
In the last 14 years he has won tournament after tournament, earned more than any golfer in history and has two cute kids after marrying what some say is the most beautiful sports wife in the world.
But in the fall of 2009 the world learned that Tiger was on the loose with a trail of infidelity that was even more shocking than any of his wins. Most of us could not comprehend the depth of the sexual depravity Tiger pursued. As a result, his life was changed forever and a year later he is without his reputation, his wife, his family, most of his endorsements and his ability to succeed on the course.
When he apologized to the world months later, Tiger stood in front of the world and proclaimed he had lost his way and that he was going to lean on his faith to start over and clean up - his faith in Buddha that is.
Over a billion people all over the world put their faith in Buddhism which teaches to focus on self enlightenment through suffering and right living. Sadly, almost a billion people have it all wrong.
Buddha won’t tame Tiger. Only the spirit of the living God has that kind of power. For any man that deals with lust and temptation (and if you are a man, you do), we know in the overly sexual society in which we live that God’s power is our only hope. The flesh cannot be tamed merely by will power or via the pathway formulate by a man that lived long ago and is still dead.
We have to depend on God and not on ourselves. For when we depend on ourselves or anything other than God, we fail. Tiger fell hard. But don’t be fooled, he wasn’t thinking this would happen to him and each of us is could fall just has hard.
Tiger still has the three things some people in the world want the most – money, fame, and power.
His price?
The thing he loved the most – his family.
Only the one that created the Tiger can tame one and it’s our job to give Him the reigns every single day.
I can only pray Tiger let’s Jesus paint him some new stripes.
"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” Ephesians 4:19
© 2010, J. Brady"
I say it how I see it and I make no bones about it."
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