"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

It's easy to trust God with my head; trusting Him with my heart is another thing entirely. It seems the choice is so often between my understanding versus trusting God. To make matters worse, the verse indicates that He must be completely acknowledged in ALL our ways, or He will not direct them! So often I want to pick and choose the things I will allow God to direct, but He is a jealous God and wants to give us direction in every area of life. Whether or not we allow Him to do that is the primary indicator of whether or not we believe that He actually has our good in mind.

Isn't that the basis for every temptation? - The allegation that God does not have my good in mind. Our adversary knows that if he can convince us of that lie, then he can get us to do anything.

After all the arguments are done, believe that God is good! As hard as it is for us to believe or understand that at times, choosing to believe that God is not good leaves one in a very dark and twisted universe, where nothing makes sense at all, and all purpose vanishes in a puff of cosmic wind.

God is GOOD! Don't just believe it - relish it! Thank and praise Him for His goodness to you! And don't just allow him to direct your paths - ask Him to do it! You will be surprised at His Goodness!

Today was just gorgeous! The last several weeks have been cloudy, foggy, and just plain weird. Today was the first day that the sun shone again. It was still cold, but it just does something for a feller to see the sun again!

• Airlines should not hire fat stewardesses. Its very disturbing to have an aisle seat in those circumstances.
  
• Puking your guts out while alone in a (she just hit me again) hotel in a lost corner of the country feels like dying alone.
  
• Many of our churches are losing (or have already lost) their sense of "brotherhood". It is an incredible feeling to watch a group of over 100 men who represent almost that many congregations all pull out checkbooks and help each other out. Many of our church people today do not view brotherhood aid programs as brotherhood, but as insurance. The simplest test of this belief occurs when a member finds "cheaper insurance" elsewhere. I believe that when that happens, it is a clear indication that we have moved away from being stewards, to being owners. We give stewardship much lip service, right up to the point where we have to chip in to help somebody in our churches. This is not right.
  
• It is the most wonderful feeling to come home to a wife and 6 children who love me!
  
• Airplane seats are comfortable for the "average American" which, based on the size of the seats, is apparently about 110 pounds and 5' 6" tall. The "average American" who sits beside me on a plane is about 5' 6" and weighs about 250-350 pounds. I'm 5' 11" and 200. There is no extra space, and I don't like it when their gut shows up on MY SIDE! Gaaaaaaahhhhh!!!
  
• I was very sick at the meeting. After the meeting, two of the men I've gotten to know came over and laid their hands on me and prayed for me. If you've ever had somebody do that for you spontaneously, you know exactly how that made me feel. If you haven't, you should get sick and try it!
  
• Snow is the most beautiful, most troublesome thing. I'm glad for all-wheel-drive vehicles.
  
• I'm grateful for real friends. Not only do I get to spend an eternity with God, I get to spend it with my friends too!!!