Moments that Motivate with Tim Lovelace: Recent Episodes
Tim Lovelace
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
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In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
n these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
In these two minute podcast episodes, humorist and storyteller, Tim Lovelace, shares his unique and positive outlook on life by using everyday stories to uplift, encourage, inspire and motivate listeners.
https://m.facebook.com/comediantimlovelace
https://www.instagram.com/timlovelacecomedy
https://youtube.com/@TimLovelaceComedy
The other day I was at convenience store in Tennessee, paying for a couple of items, when a Canadian 20 dollar bill fell out of my wallet and onto the counter. As I picked it up, the cashier asked, “What kind of money is that?” I replied, “It’s Canadian.” He asked to look at it, then said, “Its pretty…but you couldn’t but anything with it in this town…its not worth a dime.”
As I left the store, I thought about the meaning of value. To this cashier, his perception was that the money was worthless. But his belief did not diminish the fact that this Canadian currency was absolutely worth 20 dollars.
I’ll be returning to Canada in a few weeks, and this 20 dollar bill will probably buy me a delicious panini, a fresh éclair and a hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee…with a little money left over. Perceived value and actual value are two different things, and here two questions for all of us. What do we place great value in? What do we truly treasure? Jesus explained in Matthew 6:21” For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He not only gave us these thought provoking words, but He also gave us the most treasured gift of all with His sacrifice upon the cross at Calvary. He had a heart to do God’s will and redeem us in the process. To think that He placed that much actual value on each of our lives is astounding! When we give our hearts to Him, we become joint-heirs, so let us confidently walk in newness of life, knowing that we are valued by God.
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My alarm was set for 6am, but I awoke at 5, because I’m always excited to hike in the mountains. So I read my Bible, then pulled out a map to study the trails. On this particular hike I was going with my daughter, Gabrielle, and my dear friends Danny and Cindy Tesney.
Danny brewed coffee fit for a king…but I drank it anyway. We drove to the trailhead for our 7 mile day hike. The trail led to a lush cove with two 100 foot waterfalls cascading close to each other, in stunning symmetry.
We lingered at the falls, and then began our return hike. We hadn’t seen anyone on the trail until we came across a couple that asked, “Have you passed a girl with a dog?” We had not. The couple said, “She must have gone on to the falls.” But that wasn’t possible, because we were just at the falls. Maybe she had made a wrong turn. I asked them if she had a map, and they replied, “No, we have the map. She just wanted to go on ahead of us.”
Eventually, all ended well with this story, but many times there is not a happy ending. That day, Danny and I both had maps. I also had a map on my phone, and at 5:30 that morning I had memorized portions of the map, because maps are essential.
The same principal applies to our lives. God knew that life would be confusing. So many choices, yet there is only one path that will leads us Home. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, so He gave us the Bible…the most essential map we will ever need.
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One dark, stormy night, while driving on the backroads in the mountains, I experienced stress that was caused by stress. Let me explain. It was raining so hard that I had my wipers on high, trying my best to see the road. Suddenly, my driver’s side windshield wiper arm broke. I immediately had to lean, with my seatbelt on, to the other side of the car, while impersonating a pretzel.
If you have never driven much in the mountains, there is a fact you need to be aware of….you don't just pull off to the side of the road. There may be very little shoulder or no shoulder at all! If you do pull over, you may need to be wearing a parachute. So, after a few menacing miles of driving, I found a place to stop and waited until the rain let up.
My vehicle was already scheduled for an oil change, so I had the wiper arm replaced while at the dealership. As I was sitting in the lobby, I began to think about the many conveniences drivers enjoy today; GPS, satellite radio, windshield wipers and many more bells and whistles. Still, they are only conveniences. When my wiper arm broke, I lost my ability to see.
My wiper arm was replaced for a nominal fee. Haha! Now that is good comedy. The mechanic said this had happened because of a small stress fracture in the wiper arm. In life, we can have undetectable fractures that eventually cause a complete breakdown. This not only causes stress, but can also keep us from safely moving forward. I am so thankful we can trust the unfailing, strong arms of God to protect us and carry us throughout our lives.
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For years, I have enjoyed driving through the valleys of California while admiring the beauty of the almond orchards, especially the almond blossoms in springtime. But long before I saw the orchards, I loved eating almonds in my favorite candy bar. Just one bite of an Almond Joy and you understand why the word joy is part of the name.
I was flying into California for a concert, and some friends, Gary and Kathy Oostercamp, picked me up at the airport. The Oostercamps are almond growers, and I love asking them about their
orchard and learning about how equipment and harvesting has drastically changed over the years. We discussed nutrients and pruning, and how their water supply comes from the snowcapped mountains in California.
They took me to their orchard to watch their machinery in action, and my favorite machine, hands down, was the tree shaker. It had an arm that embraces the tree trunk, and in three to five seconds, it shakes the tree, causing all the almonds to drop to the ground. If I had owned one of these as a young boy, I would have been in a lot of trouble.
After watching their process, one thing I realized is the correlation of a healthy almond tree and a healthy spiritual life. The tree needs to be fed, and we need nourishment from God’s Word. The tree needs plenty of water, and we need living water. The tree needs to be pruned and so
do we. So, if you feel like you are being shaken or pruned right now…be patient…God is not finished…you are about to yield a great harvest for the Kingdom.
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When I was a child, my parents loved to camp in the Smoky Mountains. I distinctly remember one vacation when we were passing Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I spotted a large cave opening on the side of the mountain. I felt like Tom Sawyer, and I wanted to know more about this
cavern.
As a teenager, I began spelunking and throughly enjoyed the hobby of exploring caves. And although I’ve been in many caves over the years, I have never forgotten the cave I spotted as a child.
Several years ago, while driving past Lookout Mountain, I told my wife about my childhood experience.
So together we started scanning the area and finally spotted a very small cave opening. It had seemed much larger when I was a child. Over the years, I drove by it several times and became convinced that
my memory must have played a trick on me? The cave entrance wasn’t as big as I’d remembered it to be.
But one cold January day, while I was passing through that area and looking for the little opening, I spotted the immense cave entrance I had seen in my childhood. Over the years, vines had grown around
it, and the leaves had kept it hidden from view. I had been searching in the wrong season. Mystery solved.
You may be searching for the right opening to a new chapter in your life. Many times, we have allowed vines of distraction to block our view. Maybe it’s just not the right season, and there’s a bigger
opportunity a little farther down the road. Always remember that God’s love is higher than any mountain and deeper than any cave. He wants the very best for His children. Just keep looking.
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Nearly everyone loves gifts, and Christmas is definitely the season for them. Our friends at Forbes state that Americans spend more than one trillion dollars during the Christmas season. Did you wrap your brain around that number? Pun intended! That’s a lot of gifts, especially if you’re shopping at the dollar store!
One trillion is a huge mathematical number, but during this season, I think I’d rather think about the number one. One baby like no other, Jesus, the One and only Savior born to save the world.
On the night Jesus was born, the shepherds were told about this special birth, so they went into Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and the miracle baby. But the shepherds not only praised God for Jesus, they were compelled to tell others. This birth, which is a gift to the whole world, must be shared.
And today, we still can’t keep the good news to ourselves. Because of His birth, the Christmas soup kitchens will be flowing with nutrition and love for the homeless. Choirs will be singing old and new songs to honor and celebrate His birth and the reason He came to earth. Shoe boxes will be filled with gifts for children all over the world. Wells will be dug by people of faith, offering both physical and spiritual water to the thirsty around the world. Pastors and missionaries will lovingly retell this life altering event.
And if Jesus now lives in our hearts, may we be like the shepherds who not only heard about Him, but shared the news of his birth. This Christmas, may we all share the gift.
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Friendships are so special. It has been said that a friend is someone who truly knows you and still likes you! The friends I have the longest history with are the Syferts.
My dad’s first time to preach in their
home church in Indianapolis, Indiana was in the 50s. That evening, after the church service, Norm and Eileen Syfert invited my parents and my oldest sister, Pamela, over to their house for cake and coffee. The two families laughed and talked, and a lifetime friendship was born.
I grew up taking camping trips with the Syferts. They had four boys, and we went from Pogo sticks to fast cars in a hurry, with lots of laughing along the way.
When my wife gave birth to our daughter, Gabrielle, the Syfert’s daughter-in-law, Charlene, became a special aunt and a big part of Gabrielle’s life. When Gabrielle was four, Aunt Charlene started a tradition of baking Christmas cookies with her.
It was not until a few months before Eileen Syfert passed away that I actually knew the complete story about our family's connection. She shared,“I was very bashful years ago. But the Lord put it on my heart
to invite the visiting pastor and his family to our home for cake and coffee after the service. I was out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I did it.”
You see, God always blesses when we are obedient to His calling. In this case, His blessing was a friendship that affected generations to come. I will soon smell Aunt Charlene and Gabrielle’s Christmas cookies baking in the oven, and it all began with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.
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Have you ever known someone who is addicted to the weather channel? I have a friend who can tell me the barometric pressure in Bulgaria or when a tropical storm is going to hit the Samoan Islands. Although he never leaves his farm in Stinking Creek, TN.
But I don't have to watch the weather channel to know when it is going to snow here in east TN. If I walk into Walmart and everyone is grabbing bread and milk like it’s the last time in their lifetime to buy them, then I know the local forecast is snow. We can have a prediction of one inch of snow, and people still buy enough food for one year.
Speaking of snow, one cold, rainy night last winter I went to the gas station near our home. It was 33 degrees when I left the house, and as I was pumping gas I noticed the beautiful rain glistening under the station’s bright lights. All of a sudden, the raindrops started turning into beautiful snow flakes right before my eyes. Definitely a surreal moment.
I didn’t feel the difference, but I saw water droplets turning into beautiful snowflakes with only one degree difference. That one degree made a change for me and everyone else in our town. What if we could be that one degree difference in someone’s life? Perhaps one prayer or one word of encouragement would be the tipping point to drastically change their outcome. What if one statement caused someone to commit to the cause of Christ? One degree can change everything.
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Years ago, a close friend and I flew up north to a city covered in snow. Arriving at the airport, there were three people there to pick us up, and one was wearing that little black cap. You know, it was a limo driver.
With the wind howling, we all climbed into the warm limousine and took off on the most memorable limo ride of my life. About 30 minutes away from the airport, we felt the car engine sputter. Everyone giggled nervously, like you do at the beginning of a rollercoaster ride. All of a
sudden, the limo died. We coasted, and the driver was barely able to get the car off the road. And this happened BCP, which means before cell phones! The driver opened his door and said, “I’ll be back with help.”
With the limo not running, it cooled down fast. As we began to shiver, I was thinking my last meal may be the smoked almonds that had been offered as a snack. There was now ice on the windows. Time was as frozen as we were.
All of a sudden, we saw the reflection of a yellow flashing light. The driver opened a door and said, “I got a tow truck, but there’s only room for me to ride with him. Hang tight.” The next thing
we knew, the front of the limo was being raised in the air. I felt like an Apollo astronaut. We laughed at the absurdity. When we pulled into the limo lot, I got my first look at the tow truck. It was beat up on the outside, but the engine was full of power due to regular maintenance.
As believers, we also need regular maintenance and tune-ups. With prayer and Bible study, the Holy Spirit can empower us to do God’s will.
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“Ok, I’ll do it.” Have you ever said those words and regretted them later? I have. I was in fourth grade when my teacher, Mrs. Lyles, told me she had an idea for a school program. She explained that one of my classmates would sing a sad country song, and I would walk out on stage and pretend to cry. “It will be funny! Will you do it?” Although I felt like it was an awful
idea, I said, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
I slowly rode my bike home while thinking, ‘No one is going to laugh. This will never work.’ But I had agreed to do it. The dreaded day finally arrived. Nervously standing back stage, I heard the girl start singing a Hank Williams song. Mrs. Lyles said, “You’re on!” I walked onto the stage and started pacing, crying and looking forlorn. To my surprise, the audience burst into laughter. I recall leaving the stage for a moment and, as the soloist sang “When tears come down like falling rain,” I emerged from underneath the curtain, crawling on my hands and knees, moaning louder than before. The audience laughed even harder. It worked!
The best part of the day wasn't the sound of the laughter or the hug from Mrs. Lyles, but a teacher I didn’t know stopped me and said, “That was so funny. I laughed so hard.” Then, in a very serious tone, she said, “I really needed this today.”
In that moment, I was given a glimpse into the ministry of laughter. When we step out of our comfort zones, we learn a lot. Maybe it’s time for you to say, “Ok,I’ll do it.”
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I’m wondering if any of you remember your first day of school. For many of us, it was a long time ago, but the smell of Elmer’s glue still sticks in my memory.
What about the size of our first pencils? They had the circumference of a giant redwood tree. My generation didn’t have superhero backpacks, but we did have super awesome lunch boxes.
Another thing I remember about my first day of school is that the teachers took us to the playground, and all of the first graders had a race. Our teachers really just wanted us to enjoy our first day of school.
My good friend Larry Pate and his wife Vicki have five grandchildren. Their grandson Jamison, or Jamo, as they call him, is full of questions. Jamo was thrilled when his first day of school finally arrived. He had been anticipating that day for a long time. His teacher let the children
have a fun-filled day, but when she made the announcement that class was almost over, Jamo raised his hand and asked, “Are we going to learn something today?” He then added, “That’s why I came to school—to learn something.”
His question and comment were not only funny, but profound. I wonder what would happen if we applied that zest for life and knowledge to everything we do? What if we approached each day with a quest to learn and to continue seeking wisdom? Let Jamo’s passion for life inspire you to learn something new today. Thanks, Jamo!
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The USS Alabama, a World War II Battleship, has been visited by millions of people since it was first brought to its permanent home at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile Bay. What a lot of
people don't know is how several young children helped move the 45,000 ton ship.
The Mighty A, as she was nicknamed, served for three years during World War II as the floating home of 2,500 valiant crew members. She eventually received nine Battle Stars for her meritorious service.
After the war, she was eventually decommissioned and was sitting at a Naval station in Seattle, Washington, where she was going to be scrapped and forgotten. Several patriotic citizens from Mobile, Alabama, decided that something needed to be done to preserve the Mighty A and to
honor her history. They created a fundraiser and began the efforts to relocate her.
As the money was being raised, someone had the brilliant idea to get Alabama schoolchildren involved. I think I was in second grade when our teacher informed us we could help make a difference by raising funds ourselves. When the time came to donate our money, I brought what
I had collected from picking up coke bottles and cashing them in.
Children all across Alabama opened up their piggy banks and their hearts. When the money was tallied, it was just shy of 100,000 dollars. Astounding!
You’re never too young to make a difference, so encourage the young people in your life to join forces with a worthy cause. They might just move a mountain…or a ship!
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If you watch television, you have seen a zillion commercials; advertisements luring people to purchase items they don't need, like knives that cut through concrete, glue that can hold a rocket ship together
and a Chia pet that looks like Darth Vader.
Many of the ad agencies use a catchphrase to appeal to the listeners. Some
commercials sound like this, “Are you tired of flashlights not working? Well, we have the best light in the world, guaranteed, for only nineteen ninety five...BUT WAIT...THERE’S MORE! You also get a light to hang on the bow of your boat, and with this low price, we’ll also send you a light specifically designed for your bicycle…BUT WAIT...THERE’S MORE! If you order today, we will send you an extra flashlight for free!” And you're
sitting in your recliner thinking, I don't have a boat or a bicycle...but I can’t pass up this deal, because everyone loves to receive more than what they were expecting.
The absolute best deal on earth is knowing the Lord. When we ask Him into our lives, He gives us forgiveness and joy, blessings and purpose. We become joint heirs. He enriches us with wisdom through
His Word, and He gives us love. Not just any love, but perfect, unconditional, endless love. Our cost for all of this...well, it’s free.
BUT WAIT...THERE’S MORE! Someday we’re going to our eternal home. Heaven is a destination so incredible that it cannot be described in an earthly language. So, as much as we enjoy walking in abundant life with Christ on earth, just wait...there’s more...so much more to come!
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My late Uncle Otis had a saying, “If you are looking for me, look for the shade.” I was remindedof his expression while performing at an outdoor music festival. It was not a typical hot summer
day…it was a scorching, sizzling, mind melting day. The large stage had a roof, so I didn’t see a sunburn in my future. However, I was concerned for the festival attendees.
By the time the concert started, the sun was beyond brutal. I was sitting backstage, listening to a group and waiting on my slotted time to perform when I noticed the covering over the stage was affording a shady spot on the ground to the left of center stage. And yet, no one was sitting
there.
Just then, I saw a lady in the audience stand up. She proceeded to take her chair to the shady area and sat there by herself. A few minutes later, three of her friends joined her. Then, slowly, people
started moving to where she was sitting. Soon, there were probably 75 people sitting near her. It only took one person, making an obvious right choice, to encourage others to do the same. With
very little effort, she became a leader.
Making the right decision does so much more than just having a positive impact on our personal lives. It affects others around us and can even affect people we may never know.
In the heat of daily battles, may we all strive to make the right choice. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Look for the shade.
A few years back I was doing a concert in Ohio, where I was introduced to a very kind gentleman, Dwight Spearman, who had fought in World War II. I thanked him for his service, and he was very gracious, but like most heroes, he turned the attention away from himself and humbly gave honor to the soldiers who
didn’t make it home.
His stories and laughter were so enjoyable. Very few veterans from this war remain, and I cherished our limited time together. In parting, I said, “You served your country and helped win freedom for the world,
and I only served in the Boy Scouts.” He laughed heartily, and then profoundly remarked, “Well, we should all be prepared.” In case you didn't know, “Be Prepared” is the Boy Scout motto.
Later on, I reflected on Mr. Spearman's words. Not only did all of those valiant soldiers go through intense boot camp training, but they were eventually prepared with battle plans to fight the war. Victory belonged to those soldiers, not only because of their bravery, determination and sacrifice, but also due
to great preparation.
Doesn't that beautifully apply to our daily walk with the Lord? We can be prepared by studying the Bible, be prepared by putting on the full armor of God, be prepared by fighting battles on our knees in prayer. We can be prepared to defend and share our faith. And most of all, we should be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Fellow soldiers of the cross, we are enlisted in the army of the Lord to fight for the poor, the marginalized and the weak. We are commissioned to love everyone and stand for the truth. Be
prepared.
There are many things that contribute to a successful garden, and pulling weeds is one of them. My family had a small gardener when I was growing up, and I’m actually one of those strange people who enjoys weeding.
Several years ago, I was visiting some dear friends in the mountains of Virginia. They had a beautiful garden, and one afternoon my friend, Maurice Baer, was going out to weed, and I tagged along.
As we were pulling weeds, he said, “Be on the lookout for arrowheads, we have found a few this year.” Sure enough, a few minutes later, I removed an unwanted weed and found a treasure; a beautiful arrowhead.
I he’d it up to the sunlight and marveled at the detail. It had been buried for hundreds of years, and it was discovered because I was weeding.
The unwanted plants use water, nutrients and fertilizer intended for the garden plants. The same can be said of life. There are many things that can stunt our
internal growth. That’s why parents have a huge responsibility helping their children weed out character issues in their formative years.
As adults, we are simply responsible for pulling the weeds within ourselves, recognizing that weeds always try to return, so we must be diligent. Daily, we need to drink the Living Water and be nourished by God’s Word, while allowing the Fruits of the Spirit to grow within us. As we work the fields and become more fruitful for the Kingdom, it is also super exciting to know there are hidden treasures just waiting to be found.
There’s something special about sharing stories. Let me explain. One of the many zany songs I have written over the years asks the question…what happened to tomatoes? The chorus says, “What happened to tomatoes? Beats all I've ever seen. The ones you buy in the store are red, but still taste green. What happened to tomatoes? Does anybody know? They’re probably genetically altered in a scientific laboratory eighty-five feet below in a bunker in the middle of the desert somewhere in New Mexico!” Well, it’s not a song you will ever find in a hymn book…if you can find a hymn book.
I was performing a few shows at DollyWood theme park in TN, and I sang the tomato song in only one of the shows that day. After the show, a local hospice nurse and her friend from Oregon came to my merch table. The nurse told me that my song reminded her of something she had recently experienced. She had a hospice patient who had asked for one thing, a homegrown tomato. But
they were now out of season in TN. The nurse told this story to her friend in the Northwest, and her friend said she still had tomatoes in her garden. She then picked a luscious tomato and traveled with it to Tennessee.
The hospice patient was granted her one special request; to eat a delicious, vine ripened garden tomato. Hearing the tomato song caused them to share their story with me, and I’m so glad they did.
Sometimes the seemingly ordinary is actually something extraordinarily priceless, like a single red tomato. Remember, there is power in telling stories, so don’t miss an opportunity to share yours!
At the Lovelace House we make coffee in a variety of ways. We have drip coffee, pour-overs, french press, Keurig, percolator, and more.
Mary Alice has a couple of coffee makers from Germany that I call her Science project. I always feel like I need to wear a lab coat and refresh myself on the table of elements before I walk near it.
Although I love a full bodied cup of coffee…let me tell you how I made the weakest cup of coffee in the universe.
I was going to leave early one morning, so the night before, I decided to prepare a small coffee pot. I began by pouring the proper amount of filtered water, then placed a natural filter, avoiding the
bleached paper filters that result in bitterness. And this is not even the science project. Then I set out some freshly ground dark roast coffee on the counter. As I was coffee prepping, our dog, Lola, gave me the look that she wanted to go outside. When she returned, she wanted to play. Trust me, she doesn't need caffeine.
The next morning I heard that wonderful sound. I walked into the kitchen to discover a carafe of hot water! No way! I had left out the coffee last night. Talking about weak coffee! Although I was doing a good thing by playing with Lola, I became distracted and left out the most important ingredient.
In our spiritual lives, we can be so busy doing good things that we get distracted from the main ingredient…God Himself. May we all daily taste of His goodness
A couple of years ago we had a small earthquake in our small town. Everyone was talking about it. The last time our town talked this much about an event was when we had a grand opening of
a new Dairy Queen. We were the epicenter of east Tennessee hot fudge Sundaes.
After our quake, neighbors would ask, “Can you believe how loud the rumble, and how it shook everything in the house?” I would honestly answer, “ I didn't hear or feel anything.” They looked at me in disbelief.
Let me explain. I arrived home from some concerts, and was unpacking at my usual
hyperactivity, break-neck speed; my cat , seemed spooked, and ran past me in the yard at the same speed I was walking, as I carried a suitcase, guitar and backpack.
I rushed into the house and noticed my daughter Gabrielle doing homework.
I went into another room, when
I heard Gabrielle say,” Whoa! Did you hear and feel that? I said, No, I’m working. She said it last several seconds and moved thing on the mantle. I can’t believe you didn’t feel it.
Later that day the official Richter scale reading posted and I told Gabrielle the quake was a 3.8, to which she quipped, “ Just think, since you couldn’t tell it was happening, you are at least a
3.9.”
I am sure the earthquake story in the Bible was much larger than 3.8. God used it to unshackle prisoners and draw others to Him. God also moves and shakes our world spiritually for a greater purpose. Let’s not get so busy and focused on our current circumstances that we miss the magnitude of the great things God is doing in our lives.
The beauty of the New River Gorge in West Virginia, and the bridge that spans this mighty gorge, is spectacular. When built, it was the worlds longest steel single arch bridge. Eight hundred and seventy-six feet high.
Every year, on the third Saturday in October there is an event called the Bridge Day. They stop the traffic on the bridge so you can walk out on it. Adrenalinejunkies from all over the world come to rappel, zip-line and base jump.
I went to experience bridge day one year, and it improved my prayer life, especially when I looked over the rail and recalled the scripture…LO I am with you always.
They had a special built platform for base jumpers. These guys and girls would take turns climbing up the platform and jumping off the bridge. They were not only jumping, but also doing flips, falling backwards and more! Every time a person jumped off the bridge, my stomach went with them. Someone nearby said, “Don’t worry, they are experts. It’s mostly math.” Math? What I’m seeing is trust in the person who folded the parachute. It would take a lot of faith and bravery to make the leap.
As my wobbly knees helped me walk back off the bridge I heard a young man loudly sharing his faith in Christ to strangers. Most people passed him by, but a few were listening. Some may have questioned his method, but I admired his passion. I looked back at the bridge and then to
the young man, realizing he was the bravest person I’d seen all day.
Living and sharing the Good News takes a leap of faith. May we all, as believers, take that leap of faith!
Many of us grew up when the ice cream truck roamed our neighborhoods playing music and ringing a bell that was music to our ears! I recall one day when I heard the truck go by, and I asked my mom if I could buy one of the seven cent banana popsicles. She said, “The ice cream
truck has already made the neighborhood loop.” What?! She continued, “It has already passed our house twice?” I told her I knew the truck always turned left on Second Avenue and asked if I could try to catch up to him on my bicycle. She agreed.
I grabbed my coins and jumped on my red bike. I was heading west on my aptly named Western Flyer. The truck made a couple of turns, but I was following the sound of the bell. I kept pursuing until he finally made a stop. I peddled up to the truck with one minute and seven cents
to spare. I purchased my popsicle and knew the Alabama sun would soon start melting it, so I sat down by the ditch, peeled back the thin, white paper and enjoyed the best popsicle in the world. With a popsicle-stained smile and sticky fingers on my handle bars, I slowly rode back home.
As adults, what are we pursuing? Are we chasing social media trends? Are we racing after money or notoriety? Are we trying to follow someone else's dream for us? Better yet, WHO are we pursuing? In Jeremiah 29, God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Don’t let this moment pass you by.
I attended Saraland Elementary school as a young boy. Every year, we had a Fall Festival to raise money, complete with a cake walk, bobbing for apples, and we even had a small enclosure for a makeshift jail.
The fifth graders were in charge of the jail. I looked forward to being a fifth grader for two or three years. Finally, I was old enough, and the teacher gave us
badges and told us we had the authority to arrest everyone. The convicts would have to pay 10 cents to be released.
I knew what to wear to the festival, because we had western shows on TV, like Gun Smoke and The Lone Ranger. Complete with dungarees, a cowboy hat and a red kerchief, I may have
looked like Opie Taylor, but I felt like “Dead Eye Timmy” going to the OK Corral.
When I arrived at the school with my family, I was ready to make my first arrest. I saw a few teenagers walking down the sidewalk, and I sauntered up to them and said, “You are under arrest. I am taking you to jail.” They laughed, and one of them said, “You’re not taking me anywhere.” I realized this was not going to be easy. I looked at those big boys and felt more like Barney Fife than Marshall Dillon. I soon discovered grandparents were much easier to arrest.
You see, I was dressed like a sheriff, had a badge and had been told I could arrest anyone, but one crucial fact remained…I was not a sheriff. The Christian walk can be the same way. We can attend church, say religious cliches and even believe them ourselves, but authentic Christianity
is only found in a life lived for Jesus.
Because I have a crazy song entitled, “Living In a Coffee World,” I am often asked when I fell in love with coffee. My love for java happened when I was a young boy, but trust me, I wasn’t drinking it at that age. I was way too hyper for that, but I would go with my mom to the A&P
grocery store each week, and there was one aisle that would ambush my nostrils with the wonderful aroma of coffee beans. Mom would place the beans into the silver bean grinder and tell me that a good cup of coffee starts with freshly ground coffee beans. Then I would smell the
coffee before she sealed the bag.
My parents’ percolator was like the loudest alarm clock. I recently had a teenager at a concert asked me what a percolator was, and I told him it’s a Keurig on steroids.
Some of my earliest memories are of my parents sitting on the front porch sipping coffee and talking. When I became a teenager, I started sipping coffee in the morning with my parents and
eventually entered a world of front porch communication with them.
Now that the hands of time are spinning like a windmill in a hurricane, I have a family of my own. When I’m having coffee with my wife, I savor so much more than the coffee.
If you are not a coffee drinker, enjoy some hot tea or even a glass of juice with a loved one. The big question is are we making and taking the time to pause for cherished moments; time to talk, laugh, encourage or be encouraged? Drink in the moments that are stronger than a cup of coffee.
When I was a young boy, we lived across the street from a large wooded area. I remember going out to play one day, and our yard was full of baby frogs. It was like an Egyptian plague, but for a five year old this wasn’t a plague. This was a party. I caught several of the frogs and played with them all day, but I did wonder where they were coming from.
It happened again the next year. So, when I was seven, I mustered enough courage to investigate. Armed with a pith helmet, Swiss army knife and a coffee can, I set out to tackle the woods and see where the frogs were coming from. I discovered two large ponds and finally solved the mystery. I scooped up a few tadpoles and took them home. I told my friends I was going to watch them turn into frogs. Metamorphosis was not in my vocabulary yet.
When they finally crawled out of the water, what totally surprised me was the fact that they still had a tails. That blew my seven year old mind. The frogs had tails. I didn’t know there was a transition from tadpoles with legs to frogs, but I found out that during this process they’re called froglets.
And now some of you are now wondering if I am going to compare our lives to frogs. Well, don’t croak, but yes I am. You see, God is in the process of changing all of us. He has begun a spiritual metamorphosis in our lives. For believers, we are not who we once were, but we are definitely not who we will be in heaven. We are continuously becoming more like Him every day, changing for the better, and that is good news.
Airplanes use to offer two seat options, first class and economy. Today there are many different options; main cabin, comfort plus, etc. Before long they will say, “Everyone who didn’t fully understand the Broadway Musical ‘Cats’ may come forward.”
But there is one coveted row where everyone wants to sit, and that is the emergency exit row. Many airlines are now charging extra for the row due of the extra leg room it affords. When flight attendants will ask for volunteers to sit in the exit row, hands will shoot up like it’s a low bid at an auction. If you’re assigned to that row, you will be asked if you’re willing to remove the emergency exit door and assist others in exiting the plane.
Only once, in decades of flying, did I witness someone question what was happening. A kind lady who was sitting in the emergency exit row said, “I have a question. How much does the emergency exit door weigh?” The flight attendant responded, “Hmmm, approximately 40 pounds.” The woman said, “Honey, if I can’t open this small pack of pretzels you gave me, how in the world am I going to lift that big ole door? Just seat me somewhere else.”
It was refreshing to see someone who took a potential emergency situation seriously. She was willing to sacrifice more leg room for the sake of what would be best for everyone else.
Emergencies happen all around us, but what if we approached life with an awareness of others who may need help opening a very special door? Special because of Who is standing on the other side. When that door is opened, lives are changed eternally.
Technology is changing every nanosecond. I’m never super excited about the latest gadget, because in a very short time, the latest and greatest becomes the latest joke going around the office. Pagers used to be hip on someone’s hip. Now they are in museums. Blackberrys were savvy, and now I only hear the word blackberry when someone is asking for jelly at a restaurant. And not too long ago, everyone flipped out over the latest flip phone.
And although the upgrades in the phone cameras are awesome, that is still not the game changer for me, so don't try to sell me on phones with cool colors and new sizes or other bells and whistles. I simply want to be connected.
I travel all over this country, so I need a phone with the best coverage nationwide. I’m not interested in buffalo behavior, you know, roaming, because if my phone has the cutest little features and I have frequent dropped calls, I lose the real reason I have a phone—to be connected.
On our faith journey, the focus should not be trying to become a cool, hip Christian. For instance, we may know the latest Christian buzzwords, read every new religious book on the best sellers list and listen to Christian music 24 hours a day, but it's imperative to be truly connected. Connected to God through His Son Jesus. When we use His prayer plan and His power source, we can dial directly to the throne with no dropped calls, and the bill has been prepaid at Calvary. Now that is something to get excited about.
It seems like only yesterday that my four-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, asked me to teach her
how to make a rock jump across the water. I was just thankful she didn't ask me to explain
quantum physics or something even harder, like setting an alarm clock in a hotel room.
We headed to the river in my jeep, and I told her about the importance of finding just the right
rocks. We started searching for smooth rocks that were fairly flat on one side. I showed her how
you have to pop your wrist to get the stone to spin fast and dance across the water. I recalled
the hours I spent alone as a child practicing skipping rocks. After all, patience and practice are
required for everything in life, but you can’t master anything in just one day.
When we left, I suggested we go get some dessert, so I drove to the ice cream shop to enjoy a
messy chocolate treat. The waitress asked Gabrielle if she was having a good day and she
said, “Yes ma’am, and my daddy is a good rock skipper.” It was a banner day!
Later that evening, I thought about little David searching for five smooth stones for his sling.
Before he ever faced Goliath, he was well acquainted with the proper rocks he would need. He
had already killed a lion and a bear and was more than proficient. Yet, he still had enough rocks
to topple four more giants!
We need more prayer time with God and more preparation before we stand before our giants.
Many of us could slay more spiritual giants in our lives if we had the right spiritual stones
My parents’ friends, the Wilsons, had a fairytale farm I used to visit, complete with a milk cow, pigs, chickens and a gentle horse named Duchess. Time spent there was magical—waking up to the rooster, milking the cow, gathering eggs for a huge country breakfast—but nothing compared to riding on Duchess.
When I was around seven or eight, I convinced them to let me ride her down the dirt road by myself. I had watched plenty of cowboy movies, and boy howdy, I was excited! The next morning they helped me saddle her up, and I climbed up on the tall horse and took off on my great adventure, riding past the apple trees and on past Grandma Wilson’s homeplace, singing songs and daydreaming of the Wild West. Whenever I would say “Whoa,” she would stop on a dime. Duchess and I were one.
After what seemed like a long ride, I thought I should turn her around and start heading back to the house. As I slowly turned her round, something happened. She took off like someone had shot her with a pellet gun. No one warned me this could happen. I pulled on the reins to no avail, hollering “Whoa,” but she was too busy trying to break Sea Biscuit’s trial time! The saddle started slipping, and I hung on sideways for dear life. She flew into the barn and I jumped off, with knees shaking and a strong respect for that huge animal. Duchess's one goal was to go home.
All of us are on a grand adventure in this journey of life, and heaven is our ultimate goal. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the ride and know without a doubt we will arrive safely to our eternal home.
My family used to camp at the Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores Alabama. There was a freshwater lake that was always full of fishing boats. I was determined to fish on that lake, but I had a few obstacles to overcome, such as, dad said my cane pole at home was too long for the car, there were no bait shops nearby, and I was eight years old without a boat. So I earned enough money to buy a three-piece cane pole for two dollars. I dug up earthworms the day before our next camping trip. I doubt very seriously that my sisters knew they rode in the car with a Folgers can full of worms near their feet.
The next morning, before the sun came up, I was headed down the gravel road with my fishing gear to the small, covered marina. I watched as fishermen got into their boats and headed out on the lake. As the last boat pulled out, I started baiting my hook and fishing where the boats had been. I could see those boats on the lake, and I wished that I was in one of them, but suddenly, my red bobber started dancing. I started catching fish! It was a hot morning, but I sat in the shade, fishing away. Later, as the boats started returning, one man asked if I’d caught anything. I held up a stringer full of fish and he said, “You caught more fish than we did and never left the dock!”
Jesus told Peter to follow Him and he would become a fisher of men, so remember, you don’t have to have a fancy spiritual boat to be a successful fisherman. Just fish, right where you are. Grab your cane pole and keep your eye on that red bobber.
I’ve been blessed to see so much of America in my lifetime. Not just the big cities, but small cities that most people have never seen, are some of my favorites. One such place is Cave-In- Rock, Illinois. The town has a cave located beside the river, thus the name. Some movies have been shot there, such as “How the West Was Won” and “Tom Sawyer.” And unless you want to take the long route, the closest way to Cave-In-Rock is to take a ferry across the Ohio River. I’ve crossed on this ferry many times. For safety reasons, they have you turn off your engine, and I love to roll down the windows and breath in the river breeze and hear the small splashes on the ferry.
When properly docked on the other side, the ferry attendant motions to which cars he wants to exit first. On one such trip, the lead car was motioned to drive forward. He started his car, panicked, put it in reverse and gave it gas. Wham! He hit the car behind him. With windows down, I heard the girl who had just been hit scream. The driver and passenger of the lead car slowly opened the door. They were an elderly couple who both seemed to be in very poor health. Worry was all over their faces. The lady who was hit never got out of her car to look at the damage. She had already looked at the precious couple walking toward her. She leaned out her window and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s okay. Just drive carefully.”
What kindness! Everyday grace is something we could all give and receive more of.
When snow covers the mountain behind our home, I love jumping in my truck and riding the back roads to the top of the mountain. The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking. During our last big snowfall, Mary Alice started pulling the winter gear from the closet. She knows there is always a danger of me getting stuck and having to walk, so she layered me up like a school kid. She offered earmuffs, but I opted for a stocking cap. She handed me my favorite gloves and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I was handed special sunglasses for the wind on top of the mountain. And lastly, I put on insulated socks and boots that could be worn in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska.
I kissed my wife goodbye as she handed me a blanket. I slowly waddled to the truck, wondering how I would bend my legs to drive. After sliding on snowy back roads, I made it to the top. I parked and went for a walk through the frozen beauty, and I wasn't cold at all, because my whole body was protected from the cold.
Later that evening, I reflected on the thoughtfulness of my wife. Then I started thinking about ways we can protect ourselves spiritually, such as we can protect our ears by refusing to listen to gossip and negative talk. We can protect our mouth by choosing our words carefully. We can protect our eyes by not reading negative social media posts all day long and being careful about what we watch on TV. The next time we put on a hat or a coat, let’s ask ourselves, “Am I protecting today what matters most?” Remember, the best way to protect ourselves is by putting on the full armor of God.
I grew up on the sunny Gulf Coast. We had plenty of sunshine, but when winter came, we were void of snow. As kids, we all knew the winter songs; “Let It Snow,” “White Christmas” and of course, “Frosty the Snowman.” Snow was in our songs, but never in our yard.
But one cold night the weatherman shocked us, saying it may snow tomorrow. The next morning I was up early staring at a blanket of snow like I had only seen in movies. I’m guessing it was one or two inches, which is a dusting for Buffalo, New York, but a blizzard for South Alabama. All of the neighborhood kids went crazy. We had our first-ever snowball fight, and trust me, it was World War 3! Since we lived in flat country and none of us had sleds, our next agenda was to build snowmen. The excitement in the air was almost electric. We all retreated to our yards and started building snowmen. I built mine in the side yard. Mom gave me scarf to put around his neck and I gave him a carrot nose.
Later on, I went around the neighborhood looking at all of the snowmen. There was one in almost every yard. We had all made the most of this special day that soon would pass.
There is something about passion that is so contagious. Excitement creates excitement. Do you remember the first time you told someone about what God had done in your life? Do you recall the first time you saw an answer to prayer? Just like melting snow, we cannot waste the opportunity. Let's renew our passion and work for His Kingdom, building something that lasts forever.
Like a lot of children, I fell in love with drums at an early age. My first drum was a Folgers coffee can that I would beat into oblivion. I think my drumming is why my parents started taking high blood pressure medicine.
When I was around eight years old, I started playing our metal trash cans. We had two cans, and our neighbor would let me borrow her two cans. There was a fire hydrant in the corner of our yard, so I placed the trash cans around the hydrant and put one trash can lid on top of it to use as a cymbal.
A couple of years later, my parents decided to surprise me with a small drum set at Christmas. They knew they couldn’t wrap it and keep it a secret, so they told us they were going to put the tree in front of a different window and would need to make a box stand to put it on, which of course, was secretly my drum set. I admired the Christmas lights every day and dreamed of getting a drum set. On Christmas Day, after all the gifts had been opened, Dad lifted the aluminum tree off the box stand and told me to open the box. There was my drum set! Wow! What a great Christmas!
Sometimes, it can be hard to see the wonderful gifts all around, because we’re distracted by bright lights and commercialism. In reality, the greatest gifts of all may not be store-bought items. Maybe it's a cup of hot chocolate with a dear friend, or a telephone call to someone to tell them how much you appreciate them. Most importantly, in this special season, let’s make sure the cross is lifted higher than the Christmas tree...high enough for everyone to see.
Merry Christmas, my friends!
I was riding home from elementary school on my bike one day, when a classmate asked me for a ride. I pulled over and he sat sideways on the crossbars as I resumed peddling. I turned on to Oakmont Avenue, when all of a sudden I was literally flying. I enjoyed the feeling for a nanosecond, until I realized my bike was no longer with me. My landing removed freckles from my body. I sat up, turned around, and saw Charlie and my bike. In fact, he was wearing it. I ran over to my buddy and noticed that one of his arms looked like a map of Florida. An ambulance took Charlie to a hospital, and I slowly walked my bike home, wondering what had happened.
My mom called Charlie's mom and kept up with his progress. Charlie returned to school with a brand new white cast, but something happened among my classmates. I heard kids saying, “Did you hear that Timmy broke Charlie’s arm?” Some of my friends would sign Charlies cast and glance over at me. I was an outcast until his cast came off.
Months later, I was at Charlies house and he said, “I know why we wrecked.” He added, “I started swinging my legs while you were pedaling, all of a sudden my heel went into the spokes of the front wheel and stopped us. It was my fault.” Wow! Mystery solved.
Sometimes we have shame and guilt when we are innocent but, guilty or not, the feeling of being an outcast is awful. However the guiltless One, Jesus, took all of our shame to the cross, and we can become a new creation in Christ, and that is good news we all can share!
A friend came to visit us and brought an unusual gift, a little azalea bush and a bag of fertilizer. The friend said, “The next time we come to see you, we will see how the azalea bush is doing, so don't let it die.” Oh, no pressure there!
Some people give gifts with a bow on top and strings attached. The problem is that I don’t have a green thumb. Mine is more the ashen gray variety. I planted it, using the fertilizer, but it looked like a pitiful Charlie Brown Christmas tree and got worse with each passing day. The internet told me how often to water the soil, but it still looked hopeless. The soil may have been moist, but the bush had bit the proverbial dust. So I said those famous three words, “Enough is enough.” With a shovel in my hand, and wondering what my friend would say on his next visit, I started to dig when I noticed a small green leaf. Then I said three more words that are not nearly as famous...that was close!
There was life after all. I jumped up and down like a new contestant on The Price is Right.
A few weeks later, one small pink flower appeared. I was thrilled! Now every Springtime, my family enjoys a pink azalea bush with beautiful flowers.
Never give up on others or yourself. In Psalms, David wrote, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither. Remember, our lives too must be planted, fed, watered and rooted in Christ. Then our fruit will come in due season.
Years ago, I had a friend who was a bass player for a nationally known artist, who shall remain nameless. My friend told me how the artist traveled from city to city in a long black limousine, while the rest of the band traveled in a worn out, cargo van. The star rode in style, while the band rode in a pile. The limo, however, began having battery problems, so they carried jumper cables.
Now the star of the show didn’t want any of his fans to see him being jumpstarted, so after every concert there were always a few fans at the rear entrance waiting on the artist to come out the back door. The star would autograph merch, have his picture taken and talk with the fans, hoping they wouldn't stay long. When the coast was finally clear, the chauffeur, hat and all, would put the jumper cables from the van onto the limos struggling battery. Night after night, they went through this hilarious routine. A brand new battery, of course, would have solved the problem.
When we receive Christ, we receive His power. So if the preaching and music fire us up, but our spiritual battery is dead the rest of the week, there may be a serious problem. We may only be getting a temporary jumpstart to a weak or dead battery. However, when God’s Spirit resides in us, our batteries can be fully charged, empowered to do His work. Which option do we choose? Becoming a sleek limousine that is dying inside, or a well-worn cargo van that has the power to do what it is designed to do?
My cousin David and I used to take our Red Ryder BB guns and go on Daniel Boone hunting adventures, which meant we shot a lot of coke cans off a fence post. On one such outing we were walking down a dirt road, when we saw smoke. We heard a truck leaving the smoky area, so we walked a little farther and saw flames. Jumping the barbed wire fence, we starting fighting the fire with all our might, beating out the flames with sticks and pine tree limbs, as well as throwing dirt and stomping on it to beat the band. We both inhaled some smoke and were coughing, but we were on a mission. Eventually, we put out the last flame. Covered in black soot, we were exhausted, but we had saved the woods and possibly some farmhouses, so we were elated. We ran Back to David’s house and retold our firefighting experience to his family. We felt like heroes.
But later that evening a man stopped by and asked my Uncle Paul if it was any of his boys that put out a fire. We told him that it was us, and he asked us not to do it again, because he was intentionally burning off an area of the woods. He added that he had to restart the fire later on.
This was my first time to hear about a controlled fire; how to burn undergrowth, bad insects and more. I learned that fire isn’t always bad. It can serve a purpose. Sometimes the fiery trials that burn into our day are for our good. The book of James explains how trials develop our faith and patience, so when we smell spiritual smoke, it may sound very strange, but count it all joy!
Mention the words “metal detector” and some people immediately think of airport security systems, while others may get a mental picture of someone combing the beach. When I was young, those two words were exciting. I pictured finding rare coins. My cousin, Ron, had a metal detector, and he taught me how to sweep across the dirt and listen to the sound of certain beeps to find buried objects. I found a few coins and a truckload of pull tabs and metal trash, but those few silver coins were more than enough to keep a dreamer digging in search of hidden treasures.
At times, a metal detector can signal something in the ground, and a novice may dig near the surface, spot a piece of trash metal, and then move along. But someone with more experience will remove the junk metal and then sweep the detector over the same spot. There are stories of how a second sweep revealed something that was still buried in that same spot, such as a rare silver coin, or even better—gold.
I have come to the conclusion that we are all born with internal metal detectors. We can easily see the pull tabs, bottle tops and junk metal within people, such as impatience, stubbornness, meanness. And others can see the same pull tabs in us. There is no excuse for someone to treat others unkindly. We often don’t know their story and what they are going through. With a second sweep, we may discover there is treasure buried deeply. And if God is in our hearts, we not only have a treasure, we have a priceless treasure meant to be shared.
As a boy, I built a lot of forts in the woods. I always wanted an impenetrable wall. Please don’t ask me why, because my wall was definitely not protecting gold and silver. The only thing of value was my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an orange crush soft drink. But come to think of it, that cold orange crush was gold to me. I felt extremely safe behind the wall I had built.
Walls can be good or walls can be bad. The Berlin Wall stood from 1961 until 1989. I remember watching President Reagan on television as he said to tear down the wall, and down it came. On a trip to our nation’s capitol, I loved seeing one statue of President Reagan where the sculptor had used some broken pieces of the Berlin Wall in the pedestal of the statue. Symbolically, he is standing on the wall, crushing it beneath his feet.
The big question is what walls are surrounding you and me? Are they walls of insecurity from past wounds? Walls of addiction or prejudice? Walls of doubt and fear? Sometimes we mistakenly assume that walls only protect our lives, when those walls actually prevent us from fully living.
Here is the good news for all of us. There is no wall that God cannot penetrate. With His help, we can stand on the very wall that held us captive! Who the Son sets free is free indeed. Once we are delivered from the walls we have built, we can serve God in His army and help liberate others through the power of the Cross!
Immediately after I joined the Boy Scouts, they announced we were going on a camping trip. I told my dad I needed a tent, and he started telling me what he had learned in Army boot camp—how you can make an emergency tent by snapping two ponchos together. So Dad and I went to the Army surplus store and bought two ponchos. Dad Economics 101.
I then found a scout who didn't have a tent and asked him if he wanted to camp like a real soldier. He was thrilled! The day finally arrived, and the troop hiked into the woods. I was so excited as we set up camp, although I felt bad for the scouts with their new store-bought tents. The boys stood around my authentic army poncho tent, wishing they had one.
After an evening of snipe hunting, we hit the sack. My tent was open on both ends, and as I was lying there, I heard something that sounded like crop dusters, only to discover they were South Alabama mosquitos the size of humming birds. They ate us alive!
We finally had a reprieve when a gentle rain set in. Did I say gentle? When the monsoon hit our camp, I noticed we were on an incline. As a river flowed down our backs, my friend was not a happy camper. He sat up and shouted, “I don’t want to be a soldier anymore.”
And the lesson learned was this…enthusiasm, without proper training is not enough. In Proverbs, we are encouraged to seek understanding and wisdom. Why, even the Scout’s motto is “Be prepared,” and that applies to all of life.
There must be someone who loves blackberry cobbler more than I do, but I haven’t met them yet. As a young boy, I was a blackberry picking machine. Back then, like most of my friends, I lived on my bicycle, so I would “ride and seek” for great places to pick berries. Trust me, the hot Alabama sun, scratches from the sticker bushes and the occasional snake couldn’t deter me from my purpose of bringing home berries, so mom could make a delicious cobbler. Although the snakes did improve my prayer life and my high jump!
I recall one day when my dad told me a missionary friend from South America was going to be spending the night with us. I always enjoyed the visiting missionaries and hearing their stories of adventures in the jungles. This visit coincided with blackberry picking time, and mom asked me to pick some fresh berries, so she could make a dessert for our guest.
Later that evening, as the missionary finished his meal, Mom brought out the warm, juicy blackberry cobbler. When our guest took a bite, something happened inside of me. When I saw his delight, I was no longer in a big hurry to start eating my dessert. As he complimented Mom, I felt the joy of service.
Sometimes we go to church to enjoy our spiritual cobbler. Most of us look for a church with great music and great preaching. We all enjoy being fed spiritually. Yet the reality of being a Christian is so much more. Once we have tasted of His goodness, we should be compelled to share it; worshipping God by serving others. That’s a sweet recipe for joy!
I rarely fly on the day of a concert, but when I do, I watch for last-minute gate changes. On one such trip I started early from Tennessee and landed in Atlanta to change planes. I was extremely hungry, and I spotted a restaurant serving breakfast sandwiches, but I decided not to take a chance on the long line. Instead, I grabbed a yogurt parfait and headed to my gate, as I tried to ignore the smell of the bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches that I really wanted. My flight to Houston was out of Gate B50. I found a seat and opened my parfait, chuckling as I thought about how I had never seen John Wayne eating yogurt parfait by a campfire.
I fly a lot and know that gate changes can happen suddenly, so I always watch the monitor like a hungry hawk. All of a sudden, the monitor changed from Houston to St. Louis. I said out loud, “Here we go.” The lady sitting next to me asked, “What do you mean?” I explained, “The monitor just changed.” She said, “My ticket says ‘Gate B50’ and they told me to go to the number on my ticket.”
Just then, a gate agent announced, “There has been a gate change for flight 1912 to Houston. The new gate is B36.” The lady next to me was dumbfounded as she followed the rest of us to our new gate. You see, Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world, but there was only one flight going to Houston at 10:50 a.m.
The most important ticket we can ever have is to our ultimate destination, heaven, so let’s make sure we don’t miss that flight.
I love to visit Amish country; homemade crafts, delicious food, but I especially love the horses and buggies going up and down the road. When I wake up in a motel in Amish country and hear the clippity-clop clop of the horses, I feel like I’ve done some time-traveling during the night.
One day I was driving through Lancaster, PA, when I saw two stores side by side. One had several buggies hitched in front of it, and the other didn't seem to be doing much business. The wise store owner with a lot of customers had horses and buggies hitched to a large hay feeder. He also had water for the horses. Food and fresh water—genius. Can you imagine if they did that with automobiles? Free gasoline for shopping at a certain grocery store? Why it would take me twelve days to buy a dozen eggs, because I would buy them one egg and one tank of gas at a time!
But as I drove on down that Pennsylvania highway, I thought about how the store owner could have given away t-shirts that say ‘I love horses’ or hats with a buggy stitched on them. or even stickers for the buggies that say, “I drive an oatsmobile.”(Sorry about that one, but it’s too late to take it back.) Nothing worked better than the basics of food and water.
Sometimes we can overcomplicate the spiritual basics of life. The world is spiritually starving too, and gimmicks are not the answer. There is only One who can satisfy spiritual hunger. All of humanity needs the true Bread of Life and Living Water—Jesus Christ.
Like many of you, I started riding on shopping carts at a very young age. We called them buggies. I was around six years old when I started pushing the cart by myself. Until I could navigate the corners, a few cans of soup were destined to roll, but not to worry, I did restack them, so I’m not responsible for the announcement “Cleanup on aisle three.
I especially enjoyed riding a cart through the parking lot. With wide open spaces, I could push really hard, then glide with the breeze on my face. Sometimes I would stand on the smaller end of the cart, then lean, causing the buggy to do a 180 and sling me like a stone in a Roman catapult. So, I probably am responsible for helmet laws today.
I recall one time my father said, “You may enjoy riding on these carts now, but when you are grown, you won’t do it anymore.” I looked up at him and asked, “But what if I still enjoy riding on them?” He said, “You won’t.”
A lot of years have rolled by since my early shopping cart days, but guess what? I still enjoy riding on them, especially in parking lots. I don’t care if people see me, or if no one is around. I do it for one simple reason, it makes me smile. I really enjoy it.
We adults should make time to do some things that make us smile, so dust off that bicycle in the garage and take it for a spin. Go to a lake and skip some rocks. And when was the last time you flew a kite? Live a little, or better yet, live a lot! What do you have to lose, besides stress?
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts bought Panera Bread. They really did. Panera reportedly sold for seven and a half billion dollars, and that is a sweet deal. This is awesome news, because I love both places. I’m just hoping they will combine their menus. Then I can order a nutritious strawberry poppyseed salad, with some healthy grilled, free range chicken and a dozen, yes a dozen, hot glazed doughnuts.
This acquisition is not too surprising though, because change is a big part of life. From politics to music, from computers to the weather, we live in a world of constant change. When I was young, I watched a futuristic cartoon show called the Jetsons and dreamed of flying a car on another planet, and today, private citizens can fly in outer space.
Outward change is everywhere, but what about inward change? Most adults say they wish they could change things in their past. C.S. Lewis addressed this issue using only one sentence, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” I love that! Start where you are.
It’s exciting to know we can choose to change for the better. Personally, I find the greatest change happens when I follow and listen to the One who doesn’t change. In the book of Hebrews, we’re reminded that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we want a better tomorrow, let’s start where are today, while leaning on the changeless One.
When I was a young boy in South Alabama, a local radio station had a campaign that included a ping pong ball drop from an airplane. Yes, you heard me right…a ping pong ball drop. And if that sounds like a dumb idea, you are right. They announced a date and time and invited listeners to a field where hundreds of ping pong balls would be dropped by a World War II airplane. Some of the ping pong balls would be specially marked for prizes like records and cash. I thought, ‘music and money’…count me in!
The day finally arrived and the Lovelace family loaded up the station wagon and made the journey to the field. People were silently standing around their cars and staring at the sky. I held a brown paper bag, because I was planning on picking up more ping pong balls than my faded jeans could hold. Anticipation hung in the air like the cumulus clouds. My dad watched his watch, as time stood still. Then someone yelled, “I hear it!” Before we knew it, the loud plane flew over the field and disappeared, but there was one thing terribly wrong—no ping pong balls. Zero. Disappointed, people slowly got back into their cars and left.
Later that day, the radio DJ explained that when the airplane dropped the balls, some unforeseen winds blew them into a swamp. The event was a total failure because of a change in wind. The proverbial winds of change are all around us, but the Bible tells us not to be tossed to and fro. Let’s anchor to the Lord, avoid the swamps and safely land at our designated home…heaven.
“Hey, Dad! Hey, Dad! I want to tell you thumpin.” is what I heard from a three or four year old boy who was holding tightly to his father’s hand as they were exiting a restaurant. The way he pronounced the word “something” calling it “thumpin” was so cute, but his excitement and desire to talk to his father was the absolute best! Again he exclaimed, “Hey, Dad! Hey, Dad! I want to tell you thumpin. That was really good!” His dad smiled down at him. Then, barely taking a breath, the small boy said, “Hey, Dad! Hey, Dad! I want to tell you thumpin. That was fun!” The dad looked down again with a huge smile.
As they walked across the parking lot, I could still hear him say, “Hey, Dad! Hey, Dad! I want to tell you thumpin…” With a huge smile on my face, I walked into the restaurant. As I waited on my food, I reflected on the exuberance and gratitude from that child and the obvious happiness written on the father’s face. I dearly love these moments of joy that God displays through his children every day; moments that not only bring a smile, but a tender reminder of the power of thankfulness.
We can all easily make a long list of the things we are thankful for, but as important as it is to have a thankful heart, we should also verbalize it. Expressing gratitude is so simple, yet one of the most powerful gifts we can give each other. Let's make it more than a priority, let's make it a habit. And always remember to put a smile on your Heavenly Father’s face…“Hey, Dad! Hey, Dad! I want to tell you thumpin.”
I remember the first time I ever did connect the dots was when I was in first grade. We were learning to write the alphabet, but what I really needed to learn was how to hold that huge pencil…Do you remember those? They were as big around as a redwood tree, and supposedly, when you learn to write by connecting the dots, you should have quality penmanship. But today my penmanship can be described as “Lower-Alabama Hieroglyphics.”
A few years ago my daughter Gabrielle had a connect-the-dots book, and it was awesome. Each page consisted of 1,000 dots that, when connected, depicted the face of an iconic historical figure, such as Einstein, John Kennedy, etcetera.
When Gabrielle finished her first page of 1,000 dots, I was astounded…there was the youthful face of Judy Garland. I thought about how every page in her book had the same number of dots, yet every picture was totally different. The individual dots looked the same, but the difference was in the placement of the dots. Of course, the dots are placed where they are by a master artist and designer.
That is also true in life. God, the Master Artist and Designer of our life, has plans more beautiful than we can imagine. Sometimes we find ourselves asking what the next move is or what the purpose is in a particular circumstance. Although at times life’s moments don't seem to connect and it is hard to see the big picture, as we follow His word daily, step by step, it starts coming together. Before God framed the universe, He had a unique plan for your life…dot by dot.
My wife and I started attending kite flying festivals in Florida back in the 90s. Some of the competitions involved kite maneuvers choreographed to music. I was so inspired I bought a professional kite, but my aerial ballet was more like clogging with the clouds.
I remember the first kite I flew as a boy. Dad and I assembled it, drove to the schoolyard and made sure we were clear of power lines, but there was a problem. On that particular day, the wind gusts were strong, causing the kite to lift, turn abruptly and crash. Dad said, “You need a kite tail.” He tied cloth strips together, as I wondered how it would work. If my kite wouldn’t fly, how would adding more weight solve the problem? Then dad held the kite, while I held the string AND my breath. Suddenly a gust of wind came, and dad let go of the kite. With its new tail, it soared, and I experienced the definition of the word stabilization that day.
As adults we all need to apply that word to our hectic lives. Sometimes we seem to be flying along in our daily lives without a care in the world, but sudden problems arise like a violent gust of wind, and the moment seems to spin out of control. And although we can’t control all of our outside influences, we can control our internal stabilization. That occurs when we daily trust God's Word. He brings peace and balance to everything. Trust the Father to stabilize your life, then you can soar. After all, you were made to fly!
I walk for exercise and enjoyment. Sometimes I walk early in the morning, before my brain has time to figure out what I’m trying to do. But I only walk. I will run, but only if something is chasing me. And I don’t know about you, but some days it just seems harder getting motivated to exercise.
Awhile back I woke up in my hotel room, the morning after a late night concert. Exercise was not on my radar. I needed to walk, especially after all of the late night snacks I had eaten, but as I thought about emails and calls I needed to return, I started talking myself out of exercise. I call that resistance training.
As I was drinking my coffee and trying to wake up, I opened the curtains and saw a lady walking fast around the parking lot. It was obvious she was serious about getting her exercise. She was at least in her 70s and let me tell you, her tennis shoes were moving right along. The frigid morning did not slow her down. I sat my coffee on the desk and started warming up for a morning walk.
Later that day I thought about how that lady had inspired me. I may never know her name, but her commitment had made a difference in my day. She had encouraged me to walk, without ever knowing she had.
That can also be said of our walk with God. Consistency matters. We all know that actions speak louder than words. So may we encourage others as we daily walk in newness of life!
I flew into St. Louis, MO, the night before one of my comedy concerts. I checked into to my hotel and jumped back into the rental car to find a restaurant. After all, the airline miniature pretzels were not cutting it. I was four-thirds starved, and you can do the math. Then I noticed a small diner just across the street.
I drove over and went in as the cook was restocking. After a few minutes I said, “Sir, when you get a break, I am ready to order.” He replied,” One of the waitresses will get your order.” Well, I didn’t see anyone else, but I could hear what sounded like a television coming from a back room. I thought maybe I should just apply for a job, so I could at least wait on myself.
Around 20 minutes later, and that’s no exaggeration, a waitress from the back room slowly strolled up to my booth and asked, “Have you been waited on?” I glanced down at my empty table, smiled and said, “No ma’am.” She poured a cup of coffee and said, “I would have been out sooner, but I have a training video playing for the girls in the back. If you don’t teach ‘em, they’ll never learn.” Curiosity overcame me and I asked, “What kind of training video?” She responded, “It’s called Prompt Customer Service.” Sipping hot coffee and laughing never does work out very well.
Sometimes we can be so busy that we miss a golden opportunity to help someone. In this hurting world, we should be more sensitive to those around us who may be in need of encouragement. No matter where you are, look around and see if there’s anyone you can promptly serve today.
Tim Lovelace shares a story about a fisherman friend of his who took a group of men fishing and experienced a miracle.
Humorist Tim Lovelace shares his thoughts about the variety of coffee drinks available at coffee shops today.
Tim Lovelace shares the story about what happened at his initial routine checkup with his new primary care doctor.
Tim Lovelace shares the story of being on his first basketball team and learning about the importance of teamwork.
I went on a crazy whitewater rafting trip with some friends and gained a whole new appreciation for the importance of listening to instructions from the guide.
Tim Lovelace shares the story of getting his first bicycle and how his dad taught him to ride it without the training wheels, then wraps up with how we all can learn to listen to our Heavenly Father's voice of instruction.