Genuine Item or Fake?

I go to a college full of pranksters. You have to be constantly on guard around my friends. In the words of a cowboy friend, we’ve all “been had” at some point or another. There have been some pretty good pranks since I’ve been at college, but this week a prank was pulled that beat the rest – I mean, this was the practical joke of the century!

A friend of mine, Zach, had been pranked by another friend, David. So Zach decided to exact revenge. He created a Facebook account for a fake girl. Her name was “Kelly.” He created all of her personal information, posted pictures of one of his friends (a girl David wouldn’t recognize) and made her appear perfect. Among other things, her email address was proverbs31girl04@____.com.

“Kelly” contacted David and began conversing with him for a couple of days. David totally took the bait – hook, line, and sinker – and fell hard and fast for this girl. He was so excited that a girl this amazing and this beautiful would pursue him! He told all of his friends...

I Hate Running

I hate running. I mean, why go out in the summer heat and beat it out on the pavement when you can sit at home, watch a movie and eat a huge bowl of ice cream? You can be healthy and exercise, but you’ll just die anyway. I’d rather die face-down in a plate of fudge! My wife, on the other hand, is another story. She very much enjoys running. In fact, the very first “date” we had was when she asked if I would accompany her while she ran in downtown Dallas, so she wouldn’t have to worry about being mugged or anything. The only reason I agreed was that I thought this would be the only way I could get to be around her, and I personally think she was using this as an excuse for the same thing, but she will never admit it. As soon as I knew that we had become an item, the running quickly stopped. Was I running with ulterior motives? Absolutely!

But even considering my distaste for running and the ulterior motives for doing so, one thing that my wife taught me about running has stuck with me. She said...

The Loss of a Great Idea

Do you remember the first time you went on a rope swing over a river or a lake? I remember the first time I ever used one. All of my friends were egging me on, daring me to swing out over the water and let go of the rope. All of the older kids had already done it, and it looked easy enough until…I actually had to do it. I remember holding the rope, swinging back and going all the way to the edge, and then just as I was about to let go, fear got a hold of me, and I stayed on the shore. It looked scary out there over the water! But I remember the first time that I was willing to risk my life out there over the water, because death by rope swing was definitely better than living and enduring all of the jokes and scorn of my older friends for the rest of my life. I pulled all the way back and then swung out over the water, and even though it was scary, I let go of the rope. Then there was a moment of intense midair flailing and flying, followed by being swallowed up in the water where I was sure I was...

Gravity

Have you ever had a circumstance that has just totally brought you down to the harsh reality of life? It feels like gravity is just crushing in on you and your world is falling apart – maybe when you lose your job or receive a phone call and find out a friend has committed suicide. Somehow life will never be the same and you are stuck dealing with the tragic realities of life on earth.

I have some friends who have experienced exactly that this week. Hannah and Winston played in a jazz band with me for most of my high school career. They were great friends who were really there for me in some crucial moments of my life. I found out that they were home from college for spring break and were driving with their parents and younger sister to a concert when they were hit by a drunk driver. Their dad was killed instantly upon impact. He was a pastor in my hometown. Their mom is in critical condition and is not expected to live. Hannah and Winston are both in the hospital and are recovering from several...

An Illustration from the “Throne”

I have an embarrassing confession to make. Sometimes those of us who are in preparation for ministry have some weird quirks. As an example, I sometimes like to challenge myself to find sermon illustrations in situations where I have nothing better to do. For instance, when I am sitting in traffic or studying at the library or shopping at the grocery store, I like to keep my “preacher senses” sharp by trying to observe and find sermon illustrations in that particular situation.

One of the more embarrassing and dorky situations is trying to find illustrations in the restroom. I know it sounds weird, but it’s amazing how many you can find. The example I am going to give you is one of the most recent observations I’ve made.

The other day I saw a bottle of Clorox wipes. On the front of the container, it indicated the wipes are good for cleaning surfaces and killing germs. It even claimed to kill the flu bacteria. It said that it was useful for keeping kids safe because it kills the germs before the...

Confessions - Part 3

I could feel the blood rushing to my head. The whole room seemed to be swirling around me as I sat down in my seat, thoroughly humiliated, thoroughly embarrassed. It seemed as if everyone was laughing at me after someone who I thought was my friend made fun of me in front of the entire class. I was so mad that this guy made me look so stupid in front of everyone.

The relationship that I thought I had with this person continued to head downhill from there. The jokes, pranks, and under-handed insults that we threw in each other’s direction eventually escalated to more heated arguments and fights. Finally, we weren’t even speaking to each other. Not only were we not speaking with each other, but I actively wished for bad things to happen to this guy. This was my first encounter with bitterness.

I’m not sure if this story may ring any bells with you but I have a feeling that I’m not the only person out there who has been hurt in some way and has decided to hold a grudge or become bitter because of it....

Confessions - Part 2

In keeping my promise from last week to discuss my biggest personal struggles, I came upon an ironic twist. The very reason it’s hard to discuss my personal struggles is actually a struggle in itself, that of pride. Somehow, coming to grips with the reality of my shortcomings is easier than telling others about them. There’s something humiliating about confessing that I make mistakes, and yet, being too proud to admit that I make them is actually a mistake in itself.

I remember the game very well. I had just hit an in-the-park home run. After squeezing two extra bases out of what should have been a double, I proudly bowed to the crowd and started strutting towards the dugout. Always one with a flair for the dramatic, I decided to give one final bow to the crowd before entering the dugout. Unfortunately, after the bow, I turned around to enter the dugout and ran right into the metal pole that formed the doorframe. As I was sitting on the bench afterwards trying to stop my nose from bleeding, the...

Confession!

Over the next few weeks I am going to be very transparent with everyone who may be reading this blog and talk about my biggest personal struggles. Talking about this can sometimes be an embarrassing and hard thing to do. The reason I am doing this is for no other reason than to be an encouragement to someone who might be struggling with the same things with which I have struggled. Hopefully you can get encouragement from Scripture and from the fact that you’re not the only one going through what you’re going through.

One of my biggest struggles is that of repetitive sin. It started when I was a younger. No matter how many times my parents told me not to, and no matter how many times they would discipline me when I disobeyed, I just couldn’t seem to stop dissing my parents (smarting off to them) when they told me to do something that I didn’t want to do. Even though I knew it was wrong, I did it anyway. As life progressed and I got into high school and college, the sins became more serious. Whether it...

How Unique Are We?

Figure 1 The Hebert Clan

Growing up in a family of seven kids was not always an easy thing to do. Besides the embarrassment of wearing hand-me down clothes that could be up to ten years out of style, things such as sharing a room with three brothers and sharing a bathroom with three brothers and three sisters were difficult and trying times for a kid. Probably the worst thing was at mealtimes. There were eight other people at the table – all hungry – and if you weren’t quick, you didn’t eat. By the time I reached high school, I finally realized that if I would start serving my plate while everybody’s heads were bowed in prayer, I could get enough food to get by.

One potential problem in a big family (Figure 1) is neglect. Although this was not a problem in my family, there were times that I wondered if my parents even remembered that they had a son named Andrew. My parents had seven kids with seven individual schedules. Seven sets of friends, seven sports teams, seven sets of needs. They had a real...

The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Learned

It constantly amazes me how many times I can be told something and still not get it. I think most everyone has experienced this at some point or another. Whether as a child it was my mother telling me to pick up my socks or now my wife suggesting that I iron my shirt before I wear it, all of us know what it’s like to hear something again and again and yet it never sinks in.

This also seems to happen to me when it comes to spiritual matters. In fact, there is one particular lesson that I always seem to be re-learning – the lesson of total dependence on Christ.

I remember the first time I heard this concept was on a fishing trip in south Texas with my pastor. He said, “Andrew, Jesus is all you need for life. If you have him, you have everything you need.” Seems simple, right? But I kept wondering—what does that look like? How can that be a reality in my life?

It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I began to realize what he was talking about on that fishing trip. It was the first...