I had oral surgery earlier this week to alleviate some issues I’ve endured for far too long. The procedure went well and I was getting ready to leave the surgeon’s office when his assistant handed me a sheet of paper with information typed out on both sides.

She smiled and told me that once the Novocain wore off, I’d want to read both pages because it contained all the information I needed for after-surgery pain management and care. I read it before I got to the car!

True to her word, those instructions saved me from what could have been an extremely painful after-surgery experience, but, by following the directions on those pages, my after-surgery effects were fairly mild and tolerable.

You know, God has directions, too and if we follow them, our lives can be rich and full, but, if we don’t…well, the outcome might not be as pleasant.

On today’s podcast, we’ll look at, perhaps, the greatest instructions that we ever received, and the eternal consequences that come from either following them or rejecting them.

 Stay with me as we talk about: You Must Be Born Again! That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.

Bridget and I recently moved to the country, where the pace of life is a bit slower, more laid-back, and better suited to our slowing-down-a-bit lifestyle.

While our new home was being built, we didn’t have cable or satellite service, so we didn’t watch as much television as we normally do, which I thought would be difficult, but the opposite was true. While we did make it a priority to watch college football whenever and wherever we could, watching our normal sitcoms, dramas, and the news didn’t happen very often…and it turned out to be a huge blessing, especially missing the news.

I found that when I didn’t watch news programs right before going to bed, I was more relaxed, less keyed-up, and I slept better. After all, the top stories every evening normally dealt with war, political conflict, violence, crime, economic trouble, and pandemics…not exactly the formula for sound sleep.

Face it, we live in a world of chaos and instability, and even the most seasoned believer probably finds it difficult to not be hit with worry, doubt, stress, and fear from time to time.

But that’s not God’s desire for anyone. He wants all of us to live worry-free, doubt-free, stress-free, and free from fear, and He even makes a way for us to do it.

On today’s podcast, we’ll look at our daily lives and how we can navigate the waters of uncertainty and turbulence, putting aside everything that causes our minds and hearts to be anxious and afraid.

And we’re going to discover together why God wants all of us to: Give Peace a Chance. That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.

The Olympics have always been fertile ground for Cinderella stories and fairytale endings, and the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York, was the epitome of both, as the US Men’s Hockey Team, a rag-tag group of college-age kids, came together to do the impossible, defeat the legendary and, considered by most, unbeatable Soviet Hockey Team, by most accounts, the best hockey team in the world.

And, like most stories of this kind, there were many different angles to be taken into account. Cold War fears were rampant, making a US vs. Soviet anything all the more intense. The Soviets had trained and played together for years while the US team had only known each other and trained together for 6-months. And, of course, there was the intimidation factor. The Soviets were strong, powerful, a well-oiled machine, while the US team was made up of 20 college kids who knew of the Soviet’s prowess.

It didn’t start out easy for the American team. They weren’t really considered a top contender or even on the radar that year. They struggled early, but somehow beat Sweden in their first competition which was a miracle in and of itself. Then, they beat the Czechs, considered to be 2nd best hockey team in the world behind the Soviets.

With growing confidence and momentum, they went on to beat Norway, Romania, and West Germany, which then set the showdown with the mighty Soviets, the only team standing in their way of playing for the Gold Medal, something no US hockey team had won in 20 years.  

The Americans were considered huge underdogs, but definitely had the admiration and emotional support of most people on their side. It had become a 20th-Century version of David vs. Goliath, and the world was loving it.

The electricity in the arena was palpable as the game began. At the end of the first period, the US had held their own and were tied 2-2 with the Soviets, but at the end of the second period, they trailed 3-2. Going into the third and final period, the US team soon tied the score at 3-3, sending the crowd and the watching world into a frenzy.

Midway through the final period, Mike Eruzioni, team captain and emotional leader of the team, slipped in strong from the right side and scored. The US team was ahead for the first time in the contest, 4-3. With pucks flying and power-plays from one end of the rink to the other, the US hockey team held off the Soviets. With 10-seconds left in the contest, the countdown began, and at the 05-second mark, ABC sports commentator, Al Michaels, screamed out one of the most iconic quotes in televised Olympic history…”Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!”

The US Men’s hockey team had done the impossible, the improbable, the downright miraculous! They had beaten the seemingly invincible Soviets and then went on to defeat Finland in the final for the Gold Medal.

Now, while events like this might seem to be miraculous to many people, miracles are really nothing new and actually occur every day. In fact, they’ve been happening since time began. What has changed though, is our perception of what a miracle really is and whether or not we believe in them.

Well, stay with me, because that’s what I’ll be talking about today as we take a good look at what we really believe, and answer the question: Do You Believe in Miracles? That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today!

I don’t know many people that don’t love Christmas, but I do know a lot of people that hate waiting for Christmas morning, especially children!

Bridget will shop for months in advance to find just the right gifts for each one of our grandchildren. She’ll carefully wrap each present with fancy bows and ribbons, all while knowing that her months of tender, loving, intentional planning and preparation will be over with a flurry of ripping and shredding in less than 15 minutes at the most. Some will be happy with the new bicycle, while some will be disappointed with the new socks and underwear, but the excitement of the anticipation lingers on.

And, you know, I suppose, if we’re honest, every one of us can be just like that with God. We’ve let Him know exactly what we want and what we don’t want in our life, we remind Him of the good things we’ve done and why He should give us what we ask for, and then we wait for Him to answer our prayers the way we asked Him to. After all, we’re His child and He promised to give us the desires of our heart, right?

But sometimes, we wait, and we wait, and we wait, and our Christmas morning never comes. Our prayers go unanswered, and we’re forced to wait on God. That’s not fun, is it? No one likes to wait for anything we ask of Him, especially when we feel we really need it or deserve it right then.

So, what are we to do in those moments? What are we to do while we wait for God’s answer to come? How do we keep it all together spiritually in the meantime?

Well, stay with me, because that’s what I’ll be talking about today as we find out why: It’s Worth the Wait! That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today!

Anyone who listens to this podcast very often can quickly tell that I love old television programs, especially The Andy Griffith Show. I’ve seen every episode multiple times and I drive Bridget absolutely crazy by reciting the lines of the show before the characters say them. To me, it is still one of the best programs ever produced and will never be duplicated.

Another one of my favorites was Mission Impossible. Now, to be honest, many people never knew it was an incredibly popular television series long before it became a 4-billion-dollar box office sensation starring Tom Cruise, but it was.

It was ahead of its time for broadcast television. It featured drama, intrigue, special effects, scientific ingenuity, covert action and secrecy, and had an all-star cast like Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Sam Elliot, and Leonard Nimoy, just to name a few.

Now, the premise of each episode was always the same: A group of undercover agents was sent out to perform a dangerous, seemingly impossible, task. One of the agents was given a case file containing an audio recording that detailed the mission. The tape was then played and always included: Your mission, should you decide to accept it, and would then conclude with the assurance that, as always, should you or any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim. The tape machine and audio recording then went up in smoke and flames. It made for a great hour of television and proved each week that nothing is impossible. 

But life isn’t always like that, is it? Sometimes, we’re faced with, or asked to do, what seems impossible to us. And we often scratch our heads and wonder how in the world we got ourselves into the situation in the first place, and, more than that, how we’re going to get out of it and promise never to get in that situation again.

But, what if it’s God who’s asking you to do it? What if you find yourself face-to-face with God Himself asking you to do something you see absolutely no way of doing, staring straight into the abyss of the mind-blowing impossible? What then?

Well, stay with me, because I’ll be talking about that today as we ask and answer the question of what to do: When God Asks the Impossible! That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today!

One of the most powerful weapons known to man is not a bomb, not associated with germ or chemical warfare, it’s not even a military device; and yet, it has the power to build up or destroy, to encourage or defeat, and to be used for good or evil. The weapon I’m taking about is the power of speech.

Down through the ages, people everywhere, from every country, race, color, or creed, have been affected either positively or negatively by its strength, and it continues to affect us all today in one way or another.

Great speeches have been known to motivate, encourage, educate, enlighten, and either draw us together or tear us apart. Speeches like Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Fear Speech” to our nation on the verge of war, or Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to a country torn by civil and racial unrest…each one inspired, motivated, and challenged the listener to look beyond personal benefit and interest and seek the greater good.

But of all the speeches I’ve ever personally heard that moved me the most was by Jim Valvano, best known for his successful coaching career at North Carolina State University, where his team won the NCAA Division I Men’s National Basketball Championship in 1983 against improbable odds over the Houston Cougars. I can still see him running across the basketball court when the buzzer-beating tap-in went in, hair and coattail flying, with his signature grin from ear-to-ear.

And I vividly remember him delivering an incredibly moving and inspirational speech 10 years later at the 1993 ESPN ESPY Awards while terminally ill with cancer. He shared many things from his heart that night, but one of the most memorable was when Jim Valvano, lovingly known as Jimmy V., implored the audience to do 3 things every day of their life: laugh, think, and cry. He said if you do those three things, you have truly lived that day. He then went on to announce the formation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, whose motto would be "Don't give up. Don't ever give up.” Sadly, he delivered his speech less than two months before his death from the bone cancer that he had valiantly fought.

It was a speech for the ages and, if you haven’t heard it, it’s worth Googling and spending a few minutes being inspired to never give up in the face of insurmountable or impossible odds. Simply put, we all need to have hope.

And that’s what I want to talk about on today’s podcast. We need to be reminded that we possess the spiritual power and resources to overcome any hardship, any challenge, and any obstacle that is put in our path, attempting to prevent us from experiencing the abundant life that God wants us to have.

Stay with me as we look at God’s Word, and even echo the words of Jim Valvano, and learn together to: Never Give Up! That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.

America, as we know it, has always been in a constant state of flux, experiencing the ebb-and-flow of continuous change- morally, socially, politically, physically, and economically, and, to a large extent, television has been one of the driving forces behind those changes.

Its programming has helped define public opinion of right and wrong, good and bad. From its soap operas, dramas, talk shows, news programs, and even children’s cartoons, television has subtly swayed us to think and feel one way or the other and has changed our nation and its culture.

Now, I was born in the early fifties. My parents bought our first television set when I was five years old. Two channels with a rabbit-ear antenna. I watched the transition of television from black-and-white to color, and observed, even as a young child, how its programs influenced so much of our society.

One program I distinctly remember that personified television and its impact on our culture was Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, an American comedy program that ran for over 5 seasons on the NBC television network and quickly became the most popular television show in the United States.

The show was characterized by a rapid-fire series of gags and sketches, many of which were politically charged or contained sexual innuendo, definitely the exception for television programs in that day. It consistently pushed the envelope of decency and morality. But it became hugely popular, big enough to even attract a guest appearance by President Richard Nixon.

It also created numerous catchphrases that soon became part of our everyday vocabulary, across all generations of Americans. Phrases like:

§ "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary!

§ "You bet your sweet bippy!"

§ "Sock it to me!" and,

§ "Here come da Judge!"

Let’s just say, it was culturally influential and worthy of network censorship on every level.

Now, one character sketch that always stood out to me on the show featured comedian Flip Wilson as the character Geraldine. I don’t remember all the skits he was in, but one thing became his trademark. Any time he was challenged for making a mistake, blunder, or no-no, he’d use his signature excuse: “The devil made me do it!”

And, you know what? A lot of us are just like Flip Wilson, aren’t we? I think all of us from time to time blame the sins, the blunders, and the mistakes we make on Satan, not ourselves, and, to a large measure, we’re right. Satan’s temptations and insidious ways of manipulating our thinking and actions could make us feel that way.

But is Satan entirely to blame, or do we need to hold ourselves accountable for them, as well? What can we do to change or are we destined to continue our sinful ways?

Well, stay with me, because that’s what we’ll discover together about the topic: The Devil Made Me Do It! That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.  

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to slip away and play a round of golf with some good friends. We’re rarely able to all get together because of our crazy schedules, but it worked out one Tuesday morning and we met at the course for a day of, well, entertainment more than anything else.

Aside from being good friends, we always enjoy playing together because we’re all admittedly lousy golfers, so none of us feels pressured to compete or embarrassed by our bad play.

Now, I have to be honest. When you’re a lousy golfer, the first tee is always intimidating. There are usually people waiting their turn to tee off behind you, so everyone watches you drive the ball. I think I’ve prayed for a good drive off the first tee a thousand times in my life. Most of the time, it doesn’t work. Maybe it’s God’s way of keeping me humble.

But another reason I enjoy playing with this group of friends is that we all agree that a mulligan is allowed on the first tee. That’s a do-over, a free pass, to hit another drive if your first drive stinks. Now, that takes the pressure off, because you always get another chance to redeem your dignity and start your round off in a good, positive way. Believe me, that makes a huge difference in how the rest of the day goes!

You know, I think we all could use a fresh start from time-to-time…a clean slate, allowing us to begin again and make things positive right from the get-go. And there’s no better time than right now to do just that.

But how do we do it? How can we make sure we get off to a good start today or this year? Well, we’ll look at God’s Word and God’s plan to make sure we can have: A Fresh Start for a New Year. That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.

One of the wisest and most often-quoted philosophers of our time was Lawrence Peter Berra. You probably know him better as Yogi, Yogi Berra, the beloved and revered catcher for the New York Yankees and one-time manager of the New York Mets.

Along with his baseball prowess, he was known for his Yogi-isms, whimsical statements that had most people scratching their heads because they knew what he meant to say, but failed to say it the way he thought he did. Here are some of his finest:

"The future ain't what it used to be."

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours."

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." And,

“I never said most of the things I said.”

But of all the Yogi-isms ever uttered, one stood head and shoulders above the rest…”It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Now, there’s some debate whether he actually uttered those words, but he’s credited with making this statement that’s still quoted and used in our culture today…even the Culture of Christianity.

Many people today, including believers, are anxious, worried, and afraid from the moment they wake up until they put their heads on a pillow at night. They worry about the future, death, crime, the economy, their health, pandemics, gas prices, groceries that are scarce or too expensive to buy, and, when life as we know it will come to an end.

Well, we all might want to find courage and hope in that oft-quoted Yogi-ism. Stay with me, as I share how to tackle your fear by knowing that: It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over!” That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.  

I went to college with the intention of majoring in Journalism. I was the Sports Editor of my high school newspaper and developed a love for writing that I still have to this day.

Well, God had other plans for my life and I went into radio and television broadcasting and management instead, but I learned a great deal about story composition and the art of interviewing before switching majors.

One thing I learned was there are 5 basic components to every story. They’re called the “5 ‘Ws’ of Journalism”: who, what, where, when, and why. Some people will throw in how if the story calls for it, but if you have those 5 Ws, you can write a story or conduct a great interview.

I remember one class assignment I had that I was really looking forward to. I had the opportunity to interview an outstanding athlete who was attempting to qualify for the US Olympic Team.

I did my homework and researched everything I could about him, his background leading him up to this opportunity, and even about the Olympics qualification process itself.

Well, the time came for the interview. I had a good pen, a new notepad, my research to guide me, and had all my questions well-rehearsed. My subject walked into the office, made himself comfortable, and, after some small talk, we began.

The interview was going extremely well. I was getting his story from multiple perspectives and knew this was going to be front-page material.

As I continued, I remember asking him a fairly generic, straight-forward question: “What would it mean for you to qualify for the Olympic team?” I remember very vividly that he paused, looked straight at me with a deep, contemplative expression, and said, “Well, I suppose it all depends on who’s asking. It would mean different things to different people.”

I’ll never forget his answer because it taught me so much about journalism…and life. It taught me that the questions we ask and the answers we seek are not always the most important thing. Who is asking the questions is just as critical, and will greatly influence the importance of how that question is answered and why it’s answered in the way it is.

Jesus knew this, and on today’s podcast, we’re going to look at one of the most important questions He asked His disciples in the entire Bible, and we’re going to study how they answered it and how that question and answer still affects each of us centuries later.

Stay with me, as we look at: Who’s Asking? That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today.