Why do we take vacations? We tell ourselves that we need to get away from the world — or at least our corner of it — to rest, reflect, and untangle the knots we have tied in our muscles and minds. But, when our vacation has ended, did we actually accomplish our goal?

No matter how many times we have heard a story, there is always something more we can discover. Take a timeout today and join us “before the day ends.”

A few years ago, my daughter asked an interesting question, quite out of the blue, “Daddy, are there splinters in heaven?” It’s a great question! The answer might surprise you. Join us “before the day ends.”

The fear of being laughed at may lead us to step back and blend in with the crowd. We may believe that it is safer to be laughing with the masses, hidden in its ranks. But, standing with the crowd is not without its own risks. Plus, being laughed at isn’t really about who is in the crowd. It’s about us.

Tests and trials have the ability to make us better, reveal unseen weaknesses and help us grow.  But they are only effective if we have the fortitude to face them and the willingness to learn.  Tests are never easy, but they are necessary.

Maybe…  A placeholder set between “yes” and “no.”  Here we wait, hoping for a positive outcome.  We have probably heard a “maybe” or two from our parents or spouse.  But, what happens when we suspect God is answering with a “maybe?”  When our prayers seem to be spoken into a vacuum…  Do we keep asking, or just assume the answer is “no?”  Or, is prayer founded upon the necessity of our relationship with God, rather than the nature of our requests?

Praying for God’s will to be done should never be an excuse for our lack of involvement in process.  Sometimes, we discover the greatest insights into our truest identity when we realize that “our will” does not harmonize with God’s.  Sometimes, a “no” is what we desperately need to turn our lives around and start moving forward in the right direction.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He taught them the Lord’s Prayer.  There is something very special about this particular prayer.  Not only because it is probably one of the most famous and familiar prayers of all time, but Jesus also told his disciples that this was how they should pray.  How does the Lord’s Prayer model the rest of our prayers?  What makes the Lord’s Prayer so unique?

If God already knows what we need, do our prayers actually change anything?  Is prayer simply an attempt to align ourselves with what God is already planning?

Is there more going on here than just getting us on the same page?  What if, our simple, heartfelt prayers could not only change us, but also change God? Let’s talk…

A heroic life is not found in a distant moment.  A heroic life does not wait for a time of crisis.   A heroic life is courageously lived in the midst of the days we have been given.