Flashing Blue Lights in the Rear View Mirror...

I had an amazing thing happen to me. Blue lights flashed in my rear view mirror. I got pulled over.

"Driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance, please. I pulled you over because your inspection sticker is four months overdue. I'll be right back."

Well, this was actually the second time in my 25 years of driving I had been pulled over for this particular offense... and I knew it was going to be expensive.

"I'm going to let you off with a warning. Your record is clean, and I don't want to mess it up. Just get your inspection sticker taken care of, and have a nice day."

What?! Kindness? Compassion? Does it really still exist?!? It did today.

So thank you, Mr. Police Officer, for your act of kindness and compassion!

So I immediately started looking for a "brake tag" service station!

The first one I came across, I pulled into the driveway, and a friendly, grease covered young man smiled and waved me in.

"Flash your high beams! Now beep your horn! Turn signals! Brake lights! Reverse lights! Windshield wipers! Ok take this inside!"

I paid my $10, and complimented the young man. "You don't mess around, do you?"

"No sir!" he said with a grin...

"I saw your red sticker from last year, and knew exactly what you were here for!"

He scraped off my old sticker, and slapped my new one in place, carefully wiping the scratchings from the old sticker off my windshield and dash.

"This is my day!" I thought, as I reached into my wallet and pulled out a $5 bill.

"Put this in your pocket. Great job!"

He grinned. And on my way I went... all in under 5 minutes.

"Where do you find service like that, anymore?" I thought out loud. I did today!

So, kudos to you young man. I have a feeling you'll do very well in life...

It was an amazing afternoon. Or maybe I'm just easily impressed.

A Love Letter to Your Children

This morning I mentioned how some people have called the Bible, "God's love letter" to His children, and it spurred an idea.

What if you, as a parent, bought a spiral notebook, (one for each of your children,) and you wrote love letters to your children throughout their lives?

What if two or three times a year, you wrote to them and told them how much you loved them, how much they mean to you, how proud of them you are, your dreams and hopes for them, and maybe some of the life lessons they taught you?

And what if you did this every year between now and the time of their own child's first birthday?

And then, what if you gave that spiral notebook to them on their own child's first birthday, when they would really understand what your words mean?

My guess is, that would be something they would treasure and read for the rest of their lives... even after you're gone.

Anyhow... it was just a thought.

What do yo think?

iBelieve: God spoke.

From week 2 of our "iBelieve" series!
Life Fellowship Community Church

Sammie D

This is my Sammie D!

(The D is for "delight", because that's what she is!)

iBelieve: God is.

From Week 1 of our "iBelieve" series!
Life Fellowship Community Church

Pastor's vlog Q & A: A question about heaven.

here's the original question: will we know each other as "family and friends" in heaven like we do here on earth, since we will be spiritual beings with new names. the reason for my question is...if we do know each other..and some of our "family and friends" are not there...that would cause sadness. and there will be no sadness in heaven...

so, what do you think? how did i do? obviously, my answer is not exhaustive, as i was trying to be concise! what are your thoughts? and how would you answer this question differently?

i really did try to be short, but it seems like i can't do that! six minutes is an eternity on the internet!!!

oh, and by the way, my "darting eyes" is me reading my notes! ha!

blessings!

Turning 40 in Two Weeks...

So, I'm turning 40 in a little less than two weeks. I wanted to capture some of my thoughts as I approach this milestone in my life, so I'll be blogging a few things I've been mulling over, over the next few days...

The first thing I've been thinking about is how it is quite possible that my life might be half over!

I guess for some, that might be a little disconcerting, but for me, it's really quite an exciting prospect! You see, I feel like I got a lot of living in, in my first half!

In 40 years:

• I've immigrated from South Korea to Southern California, and from Northern Louisiana to Southern Louisiana!
• I've learned and forgotten how to play the trumpet, and have taken up the guitar!
• I've learned and forgotten how to fly an airplane, and then learned how to ride a motorcycle!
• I've been in and out of the military, during peace time and war, and was on nuclear alert the day the cold war ended!
• While in the USAF, I got paid to fly all over the world, including Alaska, the North Pole, Nevada, California, Idaho, North Dakota, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Iceland, England, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates!
• I've changed my career dreams from music*, to flying, to ministry! *(I really was never that good at music).
• I attended three different colleges over 14 years, and finally earned my bachelor's degree!
• I've ministered on staff at four of the most wonderful churches in the world!
• I've held Christian Workers papers, earned a License to Preach, and was finally Ordained to the Full Gospel Ministry with the Assemblies of God!
• I spent 12 of the most wonderful years of my life, working with some of the greatest teenagers of all time*, in Youth Ministry! *(And a few knuckle heads, you know who you are).
• I spent 7 of the most wonderful years of my life serving what has to be the greatest congregation in the world! (As the Pastor, no less!)
• I've gone from being the poor son of a single immigrant mother, to owning two different homes, and accumulating thousands of dollars in debt, to becoming debt free, and now on a path to financial independence...
• I've been the favored son of my mother, the estranged son of my mother, and now the reconciled son of my mother.
• I've been an only child who's never known his father, but have become the youngest of four siblings, and the only son of a father that I've become reunited with...
• I've become the uncle to two of the most wonderful young men in the world... (both of whom I'm so, so proud of).
• I've become the son-in-law, and brother-in-law to what has to be the greatest in-laws in the world...
• I've officiated at my mother-in-law's funeral, my mother's wedding, and my father-in-law's wedding...
• I've made life-long friends at every stage of life, and in every area of my life, whom I am so thankful for... (And YOU know who you are!)
• I've discovered that I'm a dog person. And have had two distinctly wonderful Miniature Schnauzers...
• I've learned to, and fell in love with snow skiing.
• I've become a Mac guy.
• I've fallen in love with New Orleans, her culture, architecture, and restaurants...
• I married the most wonderful girl in the whole wide world, (and even though she spent half of the first half of my life with me, she still wants to spend all of the second half with me!)
• And I've discovered what faith and abundant life in Jesus really means...

And, and, and... countless other things.

So, if you made it this far, what I'm trying to say is that if I got all that living in, in my first half... I CANNOT WAIT TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SECOND HALF HOLDS FOR ME!!!