This Is The Story of My Life

Although I didn’t write this, it is the story of my life; my testimony.

I used to stay out late, I had a party disease
I could've wrecked my car, I couldn't find the keys
I heard the voice of God tell me to leave it alone
"You got a train to catch out of the danger zone"

I used to shake my fist, I was an angry boy
Wanting to fight the world, I didn't know what for
I heard the voice of God tell me to leave it alone
"You got a bus to catch out of the danger zone"

Heard Him say, hey, hey, hey, you can go
Heard Him say, hey, hey, hey
Headed for another world, out of the danger zone

Though I was good and safe, acted like a natural fool
I thought that life was a game, I didn't know the rules
I heard the voice of God tell me to leave it alone
"You got a train to catch out of the danger zone"

Heard Him say, hey, hey, hey, you can go
I heard Him say, hey, hey, hey
Headed for another world, out of the danger zone

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Out of the danger zone

© 1987 Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key- Out Of The Danger Zone

Welcome To The Roaring Twenties

Happy New Year 2020

1919 brings this decade to an end and begins the new decade which some people are already calling “The Roaring Twenties”. For some it is a season filled with optimism that American can once again be great.

The reference is to the 1920s; which was an age of very dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities rather than on farms.

Over nine years (1920 -1929), the nation's total wealth more than doubled as an economic growth was sweeping many Americans into an affluent consumer society as the country marched forward on its path to becoming a superpower.

During this era, women (finally) were granted the right to vote. It was also the start of prohibition.

As great as this new era was, it didn’t stay on the path to greatness. In fact, many question if the greatness of the roaring twenties was ill recorded.

Prohibition, which was supposed to get Americans sober and living healthy lives, actually helped cause more illegal activities as consumers looked for new ways to purchase and consume alcohol; resulting in more murders and stronger organized crime.

Lawlessness and corruption affected all aspects of our society and our judicial system as illegal activities and no respect for our laws seemed to be out of control.

By the end of the decade, the market crashed and America went into what has been called; “The Great Depression” …a great economic disaster. When the decade was over, the Roaring Twenties were replaced by the Terrible Thirties.

So here we are on the threshold of another decade. What we do with it has yet to be recorded.

George Santayana said; 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

So, what do we do? What do you personally want to see happen next year?

It’s good to think decades because “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7), but START by asking God to plant hopes and dreams for next year in your heart.

What do you hope God does in and through you?

What works has He prepared for you to do?

How can you make a difference in those who cross my path TODAY?

Where can you use your gifts and talents to change the atmosphere?

Secondly, realize that you can’t change the world by yourself. Work with God and let Him take you through the process; you will find that the results will be eternal. And embrace who you are! You will never be as good a version of someone else as you are of yourself!

To do this you will need to stop relating to the Heavenly Father by what you do or don’t do: “You don’t read the Bible enough, pray enough, witness enough, etc.” Stop living under condemnation and guilt and instead let Jesus take you to meet His dad. He loves you and you are precious to Him;

He calls you “beloved”. He acted first, while you were still a sinner (read Romans 5:8)

Let God do the work; your part is to agree with His assessment of sin (confess) and turn from it (repent). The Holy Spirit was given as a “helper”. He is God and wants to help you. The Holy Spirit wants to blast down those walls that you have placed up that stop intimacy with the Father; to restore a level of trust that was violated when you were young, and you survived by not trusting any more.

Today can be a day of excitement as you enter into the roaring twenties anticipating what God is up to. Get excited for what is ahead, knowing that something has to change.

Today can be a day of new beginnings; a day to finally hear the Father calling you “son” or “daughter”. Hear my plea to not “stop short”

Need some help? Call Toll-Free: 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426)

Gift of Encouragement

“Keep going kid; no one is on you,” my teammate shouted as he skated behind me during a recent hockey game.

He is almost ten years YOUNGER than me and had just passed a puck to me as I crossed the blue line deep in our end.

“Keep going kid; no one is on you”, my teammate continued to shout as I made my way from one end of the rink to the other and crossed center ice. Suddenly, I was motivated to skate around everyone who was in my path. Bobby Orr would have been so proud of me…

“Keep going kid; no one is on you”, my teammate continued to shout as I made my way past the blue line and towards the net. 

“Keep going kid; no one is on you”, my teammate continued to shout as I took a shot and watched it bounce (accidentally) off a defenseman’s skate and into the net. I said to the man playing defense; “Now that is how you score a goal!”

He, in turn, said to me; “No I scored the goal…you only get the assist!” as he smiled at me. Either way, I lit the lamp; not him!

“Way to go kid; nice job!” my teammate said to me; “I knew you could do it!”

Many times, I have skated down towards the net as I look for someone to pass to rather than going all the way in myself. And, for the most part this is a good thing to do because there are other players on the team.

But, to be honest with you, I tend to pass not just because it is the right thing to do, but because I try to get it away sooner than I should to hand it off to someone else.

So, what made the difference with this goal? What motivated me to push harder than I had been in the game? One word: ENCOURAGEMENT.

Encouragement was the impetus for me to push past all obstacles and not stop until I scored a goal.

It is said that we can live (perhaps) up to a week without water and (perhaps) forty days without food. BUT we can only live a brief time without hope or encouragement. We may be physically alive, but we are very much dead on the inside.

Zig Ziglar said, “Encouragement is the fuel on which hope runs.”
 

I like that because I want to bring the gift of encouragement to those who come across my path each day. 

In fact, even as a casual reader of the Bible you will discover that giving encouragement is one the themes repeatedly found in the Epistles as something that all Christians are called to do.   

Why? Because as I travel throughout the world, I see a desperate need for hope to contradict the despair that seems to be so rampant in everyday life.

People are no longer plagued by guilt, but by hopelessness and despair.

I believe that a relationship with Jesus is the answer to this problem.

I believe that God’s Word, the Bible, gives answers to this lack of hope, and we endeavor to minister using the principles of God’s Word.

In fact, the mission that my ministry; River of Hope Ministries; set out to follow comes from Ephesians 1:15-23: “That you may know the Hope of His calling”

I want to “Create places of grace where unconvinced people can come to know and wholeheartedly follow Jesus Christ.” This includes those who walk with Him as well as those who haven’t yet met Him so that each may know the Hope of His Calling.

In light of that, how can I encourage you today? Where are the areas that you need some encouragement to keep going towards your goal? Where are the areas that overcoming seems impossible to you?

Oh, fellow traveler; who are the people that (perhaps) you are supposed to bring the gift of encouragement to that can become the fuel for hope in someone else’s’ life?

Who are the people who you could use you to simply encourage them to press deeper and go further than they think they can?

Not sure where to start? Watch this video to see encouragement in action…

 

The Prodigal Son

NOTE: I'm not sure wrote this...I found it in an old file. Enjoy!

  (In The Key Of "F")        

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow force his father to fork over the family farthings, And flew to foreign fields.

He frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard.  Fairly famishing, he fain would fill his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments.

"Phooey, my father's flunkies fare far finer!"  The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, facing facts.  

Frustrated by failure, and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he forlornly fumbled, "Father, I've flunked!   and fruitlessly forfeited family fellowship favor."  

The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged his flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock, and fix a feast. 

The fugitive's fault-finding brother frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former folderol.  But the fruitful father figured, "Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found!  What forbids fervent festivity?  Let flags be unfurled!  Let fanfares flare!  

Father's forgiveness formed the foundation for the former fugitive's future fortitude!