45 Days of Faith

Day 40: Geology, Steam, and Comforting Predictability

April 15, 2019 05:59 - 4 minutes - 6 MB

Located in Yellowstone National Park is one of the great wonders of the world; a geyser. This particular geyser that I’m talking about was most likely first found by the native tribes long before any settlers moved west following Lewis and Clark. But it was some 150 years ago when one westward expedition led by Henry Washburn gave the geyser its now famous name.

Day 39: Orphans, Tragedies, and Sticking Together

April 14, 2019 05:01 - 3 minutes - 5.39 MB

In the first novel of the children’s series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, we hear about the story of three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are orphaned after a fire and are sent off to live with Count Olaf, who tries to steal their inheritance. As the series title suggests the world around the three kids is not great but somehow they survive because they are together.

Day 38: Trash Bags, Candy, and Denial

April 13, 2019 05:49 - 4 minutes - 5.56 MB

Halloween costumes have come a long way in the past 30 years. When I was a kid all we could choose from was a handful of plastic masks of characters like Casper the Ghost, Batman, King Kong, an astronaut, a witch, and maybe a clown. They would sometimes come with a screen-printed trash bag of sorts and, if you were lucky, a cape to complete the look. And that’s how it was every Halloween; lots of stiff-faced, cape wearing midgets running around with empty pillowcases or round plastic pumpkins.

Day 37: Pigs, Commitment, and Looking Out For the Little Guy

April 12, 2019 05:42 - 4 minutes - 6.22 MB

I didn’t grow up on a farm, but we did have three acres of land behind our house and, at different times, we had a goat and some rabbits in addition to our usual population of dogs and cats (along with my brother and four sisters.) One time when I was very young, my mother cooked a chicken dinner at my dad’s request. According to legend, my sisters ate up and finished the feast at which point my father told them it was rabbit; our rabbit! Needless to say my sisters were traumatized!

Day 36: Fears, Failures, and Mockery

April 11, 2019 05:59 - 4 minutes - 5.8 MB

Back on Day 19, I talked about Dr. Seuss’s book Horton Hatches the Egg, where Mazie picks the best egg-sitter around when she asks Horton to sit in her nest while she takes a rest. What makes Horton so trustworthy is not his elephant memory, or his impressive size but his faithful commitment to do what he says he will do. Though times were trying, though storms raged, though danger was all around, Horton continued to live by the words:

Day 35: Atoms, Volcanoes, and Losing Your Cool

April 10, 2019 05:14 - 4 minutes - 6.02 MB

We can learn a lot about the world by studying it. We call the study of the physical world science. I used to love science as a kid, especially the experiments. My favorite was building a volcano; really anything that could safely blow up! But there is more to science than messy experiments, there is also the study of the things we cannot see, like atoms.

Day 34: Stuffed Animals, Reality, and True Love

April 09, 2019 05:38 - 3 minutes - 5.05 MB

The Velveteen Rabbit was always a favorite read for my daughter. It’s kind of a tear jerker about a stuffed bunny who becomes real because of the love of his boy. It’s a tough journey though, and his life is almost lost when the boy gets scarlet fever and the doctor says to burn all his toys to stop the contagion. Through all the trials the bunny learns that being real means being hurt, and he learns an amazing lesson.

Day 33: Church, Offsides, and the Power of Invitation

April 08, 2019 05:13 - 3 minutes - 5.35 MB

When we were first married my wife Hayley bought us tickets to Nashville Predators hockey for my birthday. Though she had never been to a game before she wanted to participate in something I love, so we went. Before the game started I explained a few key rules to her so she wouldn’t be clueless when the puck dropped. During the game, she would often sit there while the rest of the crowd was on their feet screaming.

Day 32: Flying, Walking on Water, and Falling Flat on Your Face

April 07, 2019 05:59 - 4 minutes - 5.8 MB

When Peter Pan came to the Darling house it was to find his shadow which he had apparently lost last time he was there. But when the kids wake up and discover his presence, he decides to take them back to Neverland with him. But in order to fly, the kids have to do two things.

Day 31: Gilligan’s Island, Castaway, and Rope

April 06, 2019 05:39 - 4 minutes - 5.64 MB

If you’ve never read Robinson Crusoe, you should. It’s a classic book filled with all kinds of spiritual lessons. It was written by Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, who spent four years on an uninhabited Pacific island after a shipwreck and lived to tell the tale. Shipwrecks often fascinate us don’t they?

Day 30: Butter Tan, Friends, and Gathering Together

April 05, 2019 11:40 - 3 minutes - 5.48 MB

Some of the most popular TV shows from the 80s and 90s were about families. We used to sit down as a family and watch shows like Family Ties, Full House, Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, and even Alf and laugh with all their crazy TV antics.

Day 29: Fruit, Nourishment, and You Are What You Eat

April 04, 2019 05:58 - 4 minutes - 6.67 MB

Have you ever heard the expression, “You are what you eat?” Why do people say that? Maybe because what you eat affects how you feel, like have you ever eaten too much sugar and then felt like going crazy, until twenty minutes later when you want to crash?

Day 28: Clown Cars, Motivational Speakers, and Getting No Credit

April 03, 2019 05:59 - 4 minutes - 5.9 MB

Have you ever seen a clown car in the circus. It zooms around honking and spinning until it comes to a stop and the door flies open revealing a parade of clowns, one after the other, after the other. Sometimes fifteen clowns can come out of one little car.

Day 27: Burnt Toast, Breakfast in Bed, and Serving Your Family

April 02, 2019 05:01 - 3 minutes - 5.25 MB

Every Mother’s Day excited kids across the country attempt to serve their moms by doing something they never do on any other day of the year. I bet you know what I’m talking about; serving them breakfast in bed. Mother’s Day is the one day a year where kids find joy mothering their mothers.

Day 26: Weakness, Selflessness, and True Love

April 01, 2019 05:09 - 3 minutes - 5.35 MB

Amy Carmichael is somewhat of a household name in Christian circles. If you don’t know her, you should take some time to learn more about her life. She was in Irish girl who was born in the 1800s. She was always weak and frail and prone to long bouts of illness, but her burning desire was to love God through loving His people in far away lands.

Day 25: Charles Dodgson, Impossible Things, and Growth

March 31, 2019 05:37 - 4 minutes - 5.82 MB

In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote a book about a girl who is now a household name. Of course you won’t know her until I tell you what name he wrote her book under, Lewis Carroll. Now you know her? Alice’s Adventures are now classic works known by kids all over the globe.

Day 25: Charles Dodgson, Impossible Things, and Real Growth

March 31, 2019 05:37 - 4 minutes - 5.82 MB

In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote a book about a girl who is now a household name. Of course you won’t know her until I tell you what name he wrote her book under, Lewis Carroll. Now you know her? Alice’s Adventures are now classic works known by kids all over the globe.

Day 24: History, Dragons, and Good Advice

March 30, 2019 05:48 - 3 minutes - 5.03 MB

I love history. It’s so interesting and teaches us a lot about the present and that’s why I like historical movies. My wife Hayley loves these types of movies too, but she loves historical books even more. In one such book she told me about, The Dragon of Lonely Island, author Rebecca Rupp takes readers on adventures into the past to help them learn about the lives of the people who came before us.

Day 23: Delivery Drivers, Open Hands, and What Belongs to Who

March 29, 2019 06:05 - 3 minutes - 4.92 MB

I have told this parable many times of a delivery driver who loaded up his delivery van for the day and then drove off to his neighborhood, up his driveway, and opened his garage to unload everything for his wife and children. Why does this seem so wrong to everyone who hears it?

Day 22: Poverty, Macaroni Art, and Waiting to Give

March 28, 2019 05:44 - 4 minutes - 5.97 MB

When I was little I didn’t have a job, shocker I know. Not having an income makes it really hard to buy gifts for you family at Christmas. So my parents, not having a lot of money to give me to buy gifts for them, taught me to make things.

Day 21: Party Planners, the Lottery, and the Will of God

March 27, 2019 05:07 - 4 minutes - 5.51 MB

I once knew a woman who had a really great reason for wanting to be rich. She used to say, “I want to marry a rich man, so I can serve the Lord by having all kinds of fun parties!” You might laugh, like I did, but she really thought that serving God would be much more to her liking if she could do what she loved.

Day 20: Sneezing, Fortnite, and the Contagious Love of Christ

March 26, 2019 05:26 - 4 minutes - 5.67 MB

In the 19th century, French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered sickness was spread through microscopic organisms called germs. Of course, now we know all about germs, just ask any mom who faithfully douses her children with alcohol rub every time before they eat out.

Day 19: Dr. Seuss, Horton, and the Mind of Christ

March 25, 2019 05:12 - 3 minutes - 5.38 MB

Do you remember the Dr. Suess story about Horton sitting on an egg for Mazie and hatching it? Well, if you don't, I'm going to spoil the story for you; Mazie was devastated to see what came out of her egg.

Day 18: Porch Lights, Moths, and the Love of God

March 24, 2019 05:31 - 3 minutes - 5.35 MB

Have you ever noticed how when you turn the porch light on in the dark, within a short time, the moths and other insects are drawn to it? You couldn’t keep them away if you tried. It’s as if the light yells out to them, “Hey you! Get over here!” They find themselves unable to resist it.

Day 17: Coupons, Back Rubs, and True Greatness

March 23, 2019 05:18 - 3 minutes - 5.47 MB

When I was little I once gave my mom a homemade coupon book for her birthday, many years. Have you ever done that? I put in things like one free back rub, cook a meal, breakfast in bed and doing a load of laundry. This gift was both the easiest and the hardest thing to give.

Day 16: College, Socializing, and the Beauty of Gathering to Glorify God

March 22, 2019 05:17 - 3 minutes - 5.41 MB

What’s your major? That’s a question that’s commonplace for anyone that attends college. It’s like a precursor for the full-on adulting question of “what do you do for a living?” In college, before I knew what I wanted to major in, I told people I was a “So-shh” major.

Day 15: Hippie Vans, GPS, and Sharing Your Faith

March 21, 2019 05:21 - 4 minutes - 5.85 MB

When I was little we had a 1969 Volkswagen van that we always took on road trips. I remember it being loud and hot and oh so much fun. We would drive for hours without so much as an iPad or cellphone. To pass the time we would count the different state license plates we would see, or hit each other in the shoulder every time we saw a VW bug (Slug Bug!)

Day 14: Pets, Rocks, and Growing to Become More Like Jesus

March 20, 2019 05:01 - 4 minutes - 6.25 MB

When I was little, I wanted a dog really bad, any pet really, but my parents didn’t want any more mouths to feed in our big family, so they bought me a pet rock. Yeah, back in the 70s pets that couldn’t eat were all the rage. Gary Dahl, the rock’s inventor, became a millionaire by selling ordinary rocks in little doggie carrying cases.

Day 13: Star Trek, Borg, and the Irresistible Grace of God

March 19, 2019 05:31 - 4 minutes - 6.57 MB

If you’ve ever watched one of the more modern iterations of Star Trek then you know about an incredibly powerful enemy of Star Fleet called the Borg. Nerd Alert! The Borg are cybernetic organisms linked together with a hive mind. Which just means they are former humans who have been assimilated into a colony.

Day 12: Red Rover, Feeling Welcomed, and the Glory of God

March 18, 2019 05:22 - 4 minutes - 5.79 MB

I can remember the joy of recess as a kid. It was my favorite thing about school! The games we would play, the bars we would climb, it was a world of adventure within the chainlink fence of my elementary school. One particular game I loved was Red Rover.

Day 11: Sports, Maturity, and Growing in the Disciplines of Faith

March 17, 2019 05:17 - 4 minutes - 5.79 MB

As a volleyball coach for many years, I know about coaching, and I know that if an athlete wants to get better at her sport she has to practice, she has to work hard at her game and build upon what she’s already good at. While a few of my athletes would complain about practice time, the majority realized that without practice they wouldn’t be able to win a single game.

Day 10: Storytime, Making Friends, and Gathering Around the Gospel

March 16, 2019 05:45 - 4 minutes - 6.38 MB

My daughter used to love story time at the library. It’s where she went to learn, to be entertained but mostly to meet new friends. Actually, it was my wife who was looking for friends, my daughter had no idea how to build friendships, she just wanted to get the most trains on the Thomas the Train table and win the race. But my wife used those story time moments as ways to find other women she clicked with.

Day 9: Multi-tasking, Fasting, and Who’s the Boss?

March 15, 2019 05:17 - 3 minutes - 5.11 MB

In New Zealand scientists from Duke University studied 1,000 children for eight years, measuring their ability to pay attention and to ignore distractions. 24 years later they took a look at those now 32-year-old subjects to see how well they did in life. What they discovered might surprise you, but the kids who had the ability to concentrate were the most successful of the group.

Day 8: Blackouts, Candles, and Forgotten Service

March 14, 2019 05:38 - 3 minutes - 5.42 MB

Growing up when the power would go out, we didn’t have cell phones and the internet to stay connected to the world let alone track weather radar or get updates on when power would be restored. Though as infrequently as we would lose power, I vividly remember two things: the initial excitement of things going dark and then my mother yelling to my father, “where are the candles?!”

Day 7: Pinocchio, Card Games, and the Faithfulness of God

March 13, 2019 13:00 - 4 minutes - 5.74 MB

One of the most embarrassing things in the world is to be caught in a lie. When someone finds out about something you lied about, they have seen inside of you and they don’t like what they see. They’ve seen your selfishness, they’ve seen your imperfection and you know they don’t like it because they are mad at you or disappointed in you for it.

Day 6: Predators, Prey, and Gathering Together in Christ

March 12, 2019 05:37 - 4 minutes - 5.7 MB

When I was young, every Sunday night my family would gather around the TV and watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom followed by The Wonderful World of Disney. We would wait all week for Sunday night TV, mainly because it was the best family TV we had, but also because it was a great time to get together and enjoy something as a family.

Day 5: Almond Joys, Milky Ways, and Sharing Jesus

March 11, 2019 05:35 - 4 minutes - 5.88 MB

Growing up in my big family, as a kid, I didn’t get much candy. So when halloween would roll around, trick-or-treating was a really big deal! After my sisters and I would get back with our pillow cases full of treats, we would do what most kids would do, we would pour it all out and sort it by size, ingredients, and desirability.

Day 4: The Yellow Brick Road, Hoarding Hope, and There’s No Place Like Home

March 10, 2019 06:15 - 4 minutes - 6.36 MB

In the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy sets out to find the wizard who can help her get back home. Along the way she runs into a collection of lost souls who are in desperate need of repair. At each encounter Dorothy is so certain of the wizard’s help that she happily invites the other misfits onto the yellow brick road with her to find the one who can heal them all.

Day 3: Let’s Make a Deal, the Magic Penny, and the Greatness of God

March 09, 2019 07:00 - 5 minutes - 6.86 MB

Have you ever watched the TV gameshow, “Let’s Make a Deal”? The deal is you can have what the host presents to you or you can risk it to take an unknown prize behind a large door. You might forego the initial offer of four hundred dollars and find a tropical vacation behind the door or it could be an actual goat chewing on grass. In this scenario today, I’m going to be the host of the show and I’m offering you a million dollars.

Day 2: Cotton Candy for Bullies

March 08, 2019 11:30 - 5 minutes - 6.86 MB

In Kevin Costner’s 1994 film War, Costner’s young son is beaten up by some bullies at the fair. After they disperse, he sees a couple of them calling out to him poking fun at his inability to find a job after returning from Vietnam. Costner walks over to the young bullies as they back up in fear. He then does something amazing, he reaches out and hands them each a fluffy pink wand of cotton candy.

Day 1: GI Joe, the Apostle Paul, and the Sincerest Form of Flattery

March 07, 2019 07:52 - 5 minutes - 6.88 MB

Like most boys in my day, I grew up playing with dolls. I guess we called them action figures at the time and my favorite was GI Joe. I used Joe to go to war, to save the world, and to conquer the dirt mound. But in 1984, the brand took a hit because of the Cold War so Hasbro writer Larry Hama created a groundbreaking comic book.

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