If you have not read the previous three articles with the same title please do so before reading this one.

In the previous articles I dealt with the “Traps & Pitfalls” of leaders. One of the reasons for doing so was our need to see what causes leaders and believers in general to be great examples to follow and which examples we need to avoid lest we learn damaged values and try to emulate them.

Early in our lives, we don’t know our limitations. Experience has a way of teaching us what we can’t do as well as what we can if we strive for understanding. If we are fortunate, when we are young, we have people cheering us on, though some have struggles from the beginning. The point is that we all have to determine whether to let life’s ups and downs control our future or whether we will reach for the understanding that will unlock the potential and purpose that we were created for.

Coming to Jesus in 1969 I understood that becoming a Christ follower was serious business and that’s why I resisted becoming a Christian for some time. You may ask how long I resisted and probably I would have to say all my life, though I didn’t realize it at the time.  Sometime we resist the “Presentation” of Christianity and of Christ. We call this religion. This happens when we color the meaning of Jesus’ words and life to suit our motives or lifestyle. In truth, this representation is a counterfeit though the people in it don’t see it that way.

When I was around 25 years old I was coming home to my home town of Santa Cruz, California after spending about five years in a ministry called Youth With A Mission in which I traveled as a missionary throughout the US and Europe. I was coming home with no money, no job, no car and no church family. My parents were not Christians and did not understand why I would be so serious about my faith to the point that I would spend my self and my resources in serving God’s purpose. Because of this, they would only provide a place for me to live temporarily until I got a job and a vehicle.  Approaching my grandfather for a loan seemed to be about my only option.

I recently watched the movie about the end of the apostle Paul’s life called, “The Apostle Paul”, which just came out on DVD. Although I usually like action and sci-fi movies a lot, this film was captivating to me for a number of other reasons. One of the main things that struck me was being reminded of people from the time of Christ paying a great price for their faith. Most Americans don’t really relate to suffering for their faith because in America we may possibly get ridiculed for our belief, but rarely do we pay any significant loss of property or bodily harm. There are exceptions, but few.

If you haven’t read the first part of this subject on God’s “Unfailing Love”, please do so as it will make more sense starting from the beginning. We are dealing with the “Myth” of God having “Unconditional” love rather than “Unfailing Love“. As I already stated, the concept of God having and extending unconditional love to humanity is a creation of the 20th century and it is found nowhere in the Bible.

I have traveled a considerable amount over my lifetime and I have learned a very important lesson when it comes to packing my suitcases. If you pack a suitcase too full you may find it in pieces…..leaving you few options. You can put a special strap around it and hope the TSA inspectors put it back on correctly which, from my experience, is highly unlikely.  The second option is to unzip the “expansion” portion of your suitcase, which many people don’t use or realize they have. The problem with this technique is now your suitcase is overweight and you’re going to pay through the nose for the extra pounds and the baggage handlers will not g be kind to your bag. Here is my simple advice. Pack the suitcase for the designed volume and no more.

Being honest, Father’s Day is somewhat lacking in comparison to Mother’s Day both in focus and expense. When I worked in restaurants in my early days of employment Mother’s Day was the biggest day of the year. Families would reserve spots in restaurants far in advance or they wouldn’t get a table. Father’s Day, on the other hand, was pretty much the same as any other day. If you look at stores that have things for Mother’s Day, they stock up early and do huge promotions whereas Father’s Day ….not so much.

In this world most things are anything but reliable. Whether we look at the stock market or the price of gas, it seems everything is in flux and this can cause great anxiety in most of us. Whether it’s a product or a relationship it seems everything and everybody is beyond the value of our personal trust. But what if we could discover something that was so reliable that each person, regardless of the station in life they find themselves, or the country they live in, could find that something or someone to give ourselves over to 100%?  Wouldn’t we grab the chance of such fulfillment, regardless of the cost? I believe there is is only one thing, or one person in the universe, that is worthy of that kind of trust.

Reading through the Psalms, I find great encouragement in discovering how King David related to God. We need to read and investigate how others have followed God, and even more importantly, how God defined their relationship.