Replacing Hope

The other day I dusted off some old recordings of music I produced long before Christ came into my life. A line in one of the songs says “In my life it seems, I’ve had to sell my dreams, just to pay off all my hopes.”

I don’t remember what my frame of life was when I put that line to paper, but it struck me as odd. Odd because hope isn’t really something I do anymore. I’ve replaced it with prayer.

Hope is a simple human perspective. We’ve all used the word… “I hope it’s a good day,” “I hope I get a promotion,” “Keep hope alive!” In one fashion or another we’ve all hoped for something.

But if you think about it, the act of “hoping” has never made anything come true. But on the other hand, prayer has.

Jesus once said “But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!” John 15:7.

Let’s see “hope” do that.

Hope may be an action, but prayer produces action. So replace hope with prayer, and the next time you feel like hoping for something, pray for it instead.

Talk to God, I guarantee you will see results.

“God, I pray for a good day today. Thank you for listening to me. I know you give according to my true needs. Everything I receive is from you, everything I have is yours, and everything I am is because of your grace and love. Amen.”

Cell Phones and Driving: the new Drinking and Driving

The National Safety Council came out today and said talking on a cell phone while driving should be banned, even with a hands-free device.

I have to agree that talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous. I’ve almost been run over on my motorcycle a few times by drivers who were too busy talking on the phone to realize I was there. Luckily I’m prepared for this kind of event and have my idiot radar on full-blast when I’m on my bike.

I don’t agree that using a hands-free is dangerous though. Think about it, how is this any more dangerous than talking with someone who is sitting in the car with you? Actually, it’s safer because think about what you do when you talk to someone… you LOOK at them, right? With a hands-free device you’re not distracted by looking at a passenger, and you can concentrate on the road and have the same conversation.

So the answer is… ban passengers.

Just kidding, the answer is that you can’t police morons with licenses. Someone is going to use a cell phone whether they’re legal or not. They’re ingrained in our society now.

What they need to do is figure out a way to disable the ability to text message while you’re driving! Seriously, all phones should be paired with your vehicle so texting is automatically turned off while the engine is running. It blows me away to see someone going down the road typing a text message while going 80 MPH through heavy traffic. All I can think of is how I hope they’re an organ donor, and that hopefully there will be something left to donate after the crash.

I can remember the phone in our house when I was a kid, had a rotary dial on it! Now I not only have several wireless house phones, but I also carry two cell phones: one for work, and one for me. It’s pathetic, really. But I can’t help it, I’m a 21st century, wired kind of guy.

Let the Son-shine In!

It’s impressive how people change once they let Christ into their lives. I’ve always been a pretty friendly guy, but something happened while in Houston yesterday on business that really had an impact on me.

I entered an elevator with one other very solemn looking person on it. He was only going up a couple of floors, and I was going higher, so our conversation was brief. It went like this:

Me: Good morning sir, how are you today?

Him: I’m ok, how are you?

Me: I’m doing very well, thank you. Happy Friday!

Him: (laughing) Thank you, I'm sure glad this week is over.

Me: (smiling) Yeah, it’s pretty hard to screw up a Friday.

Him: (smiling) That’s true!

Elevator doors open, he starts to step out.

Me: Have a great weekend sir!

Him: You too. (he suddenly looks back) I wish everyone could be as nice as you are. Thanks for making this a better world.

(doors close)

I pondered that for a minute. I guess I don’t really critique my own behavior that often, so I didn’t realize my interactions with other people had any affect on them.

I realized that it wasn’t really me, but Christ shining through me that enabled my spirit to be happy and my contact with others to be pleasant.

It’s joy. The joy of having Christ in my life. I don’t view people the same way I did BC. I love people now. All people. Well, most people, I’m not Christ. But I really have genuine affection for everyone around me, something that could not be possible without the Holy Spirit dwelling in me.

Make a difference in someone’s life today. Let the Son shine through you and rub off on someone else.

“Jesus, I continue to be amazed by how you change me. Thank you for giving me a new way of looking at the everything, and help me to always do my best to make this a better world. Amen."