“And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.” – Luke 2:39

In Luke chapter 2, we see Mary and Joseph going to Jerusalem for a feast per the Jewish custom. After the feast was over, they started home to Nazareth with their relatives. The only problem was that Jesus, who was 12 at the time, was not with them. Mary and Joseph got worried and turned their caravan around to look for Jesus, eventually finding Him in the temple speaking with the teachers and elders.

You may ask how these parents would forget their child, especially the Christ child. The wording the scripture lets you in on a big clue. It’s a problem that many people and especially many different denominations of Christians do commonly. Joseph and Mary focused on the customs and responsibilities of the church rather than keeping an eye on Jesus.

The Bible mentions about “when they had fulfilled the days” they returned home. Those words are small, but important views into the mindset of people who are trying to obey the laws without keeping their thoughts on Jesus Christ. Depending on your particular faction of Christianity, you may have numerous obligations to fulfill. While I’m not downgrading anyone’s religious beliefs or customs, I am saying that it is easy to get swept away by laws and customs and totally miss out on what God really wants you to get. Don’t just look to fulfill your days and obligations, look instead to Jesus and what He’s directing you towards.

Thanks to Moses, there were 613 laws overall, 10 of which being from God’s Ten Commandments. Jesus broke it down to just 2, which sums up all ten of the original commandments.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37-40

It seems as though many people have gotten back to the addition of many supposed laws that Christ says just aren’t as important as one main law. Love.

Don’t put too much emphasis on how many times per day you pray. Instead, put your heart and soul into each prayer no matter how many times you do it. Also, don’t look forward for specific days to worship, but instead, worship God in all you do every day. Unlike other faiths where they must pray five times daily while kneeling toward the East, we as Christians have access to God our Father anytime and anywhere. The Bible teaches that God is always with us, His children, and hears our prayers. We don’t need to attain a higher level of consciousness or sacrifice enough things to get to Heaven, we only need to strive to love God, because He first loved us.

If we mess up, we are not instantly in fear of damnation and hellfire. God is God and He knows all we do. He knows for a fact that we will mess up. That is exactly why Jesus dies for our sins. In dying, He destroyed our death; in rising, He restored our life. Because of His saving grace, we don’t need to lose our minds fulfilling every single custom just to get a chance to go to Heaven. We simply need to come close to Jesus and enjoy the relationship He wants to have with us.

Christ said to His disciples that unless you become as little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. By that He didn’t mean young and ignorant. He meant loving your Father and trusting of what He says. A young child believes his parents without needing proof, they take it all on faith. The child doesn’t need to know how there will be food on the plate or clothes on their back, they simply believe that the parent will supply that need. The child knows that they mess up, but they never question whether or not their parent will still be there the next day because of that mess up. The child always comes running to the parent when the storm comes, they never try to weather it themselves because they know they can’t. They know the storm is bigger than they are and accept that.

Don’t be more focused on your works than you are the finished works of Jesus Christ. You can’t out-give God. You can’t out-work God. You can’t even be on the same level as God, so don’t kill yourself trying. Just be His child. That being said, if you feel like you connect more with God if you fulfill customs and obligations, then good for you and keep trying your best at what you believe is important. Just try not to lose your mind while doing it. Nevertheless, you can lose your mind but please never lose your heart, because Jesus is in there.

Just be His child.

God’s blessings to you. 

DH

“For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4

 

It seems like I hardly ever talk on the phone anymore. Whether in business or personal life, I’m texting many times throughout the day.  If you count the number of text messages per day that I write, the number is pretty high. On the other hand, the number of actual phone calls placed per day from me is low.  It’s not that a text message is always impersonal. Sometimes I’ll even send a quick, “Love you and see you soon!” to my wife to let her know that I’m thinking of her.  I enjoy hearing her voice when I can, but I’m happy just reading a message from her saying that she loves me.

 

Not too many people have physically heard the voice of Jesus or His angels, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t thinking of us. God sent us a text message a long time ago through His Holy Spirit. It’s called the Bible. When we read it with our whole heart and mind, we can see that not only is God thinking of us, but that He loves us and wants the best for us.

 

I remember one time that my mom left me a note about how to make meatloaf. She wrote me directions that, if I followed them, the meal would turn out good. I’m sorry to say that I glanced at the note without really having it sink in. I didn’t follow the directions and sure enough, the meal was a disaster. The same thing goes for God’s Word. He’s telling us about this life and how to live it, but when we don’t really take the time to let the scriptures sink in to our hearts and minds, we are headed for a disaster.

 

I hear many people say that they wish God would just come right out and tell them what to do about certain situations. Well, He did. What would Jesus do is more than just a bumper sticker. Whether in our personal or professional life, God told you and I how to live. All in all, God said one word to us. Jesus. He’s got nothing more to say. Jesus is our example and is the embodiment of the message God wanted us to hear. To put it plainly, if Christ wouldn’t do it, it shouldn’t be done. On the other hand, if Christ did something, you’d better believe that we should be following in those footsteps.

 

Don’t think that God stopped communicating to us just because we don’t physically hear Him. One day, we will come home to paradise and see our Heavenly Father face to face. For now, God sent us His text message. In our fast paced world, you may not have the time today to read all 805649 words in the King James Bible, so please allow me to sum them all up into one short text message.  ‘Love you and see you soon! – God’

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” – Psalm 46:1

 

You’ve got to love Texas weather. It’s a place that’s big enough to have all four seasons in the same state. And if you don’t like the weather, just wait a couple hours because it will change completely. I bring this up because we were caught in the first North Texas tornado of the year.

 

My family and I were staying in a Dallas hotel when the news started saying that a tornado was touching down just southwest of us. It was heading straight in our direction, so we get the kids and head to the only interior room we had, the bathroom. The kids hunker down in the tub, while my wife Monica and I are on the floor and listening to the TV in the background. The lights go off. The only sounds were the rain, wind and hail outside, but also my kids and wife. They were all praying. At that point, amidst all of the commotion, I was washed over with a sense of peace from God. I knew that when situations go too far out of our hands, nothing is ever out of God’s hands. On my phone, I pulled up my go-to Psalm in tough times, Psalm 46. It ends with the lines saying to “Be still and know I am God,” and that our Lord is with us always. It was kind of perfect that the Word of God was the only light on in that dark room for a while. I’m happy to say that the tornado passed without causing too much damage, the storm broke up, and we all were safe. Not all tornado stories end on a good note, but ours did that day. I know it wasn’t from anything I did, but what God did.

 

Life has many good times, but it does have its share of trouble as well. God has a plan and I promise that it’s better than what you and I could come up with. That’s hard to think about when there is sickness, wars, and death all around us. The truth is that we cannot see the big picture the way God does, so we have to go on faith; and it’s those trials and troubles that test our faith daily to see how real it is.

 

Steel only gets hardened when the fire is really hot. I knew my parents loved each other, but I only saw true and complete love when my mom got sick with cancer and my dad stayed at her bedside. She took her last breath and I saw this old man suddenly jump to his feet and rush to kiss his beloved bride one last time. That was a man of steel, hardened and tempered in the fires of life.

 

I’m crying as I’m saying this, because I miss my parents so much. I’m not sure of God’s plan most of the time, but I am sure that I love the Lord as much as I can and that He’s got us safe in His arms. I believe in Jesus Christ; His life, death, burial, and resurrection. I know without a doubt where I’m going when I die, not because I think I’m all holy and stuff, but because of Jesus and His finished work on the cross. That’s where my whole faith is. Jesus Christ and nowhere else.

 

There will always be tough times. The storms of life are inevitable, so you’d better know where to turn. And when things get so bad that you would like to pray but don’t know what to say, “Help Jesus, Help” will always work. Better yet, speak God’s promises back to Him straight from the Bible. He says that He will be our ever present help in trouble. He is our refuge and He is always with us. Believe in the Lord, our rock and our eternal salvation.

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

 

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23 is a commonly read scripture. It goes, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters…” If you are not familiar with this verse, I encourage you to please read this. It is beautiful.
 
There is one part that many people read, but don’t clue in on. “You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies.” This is saying that God isn’t going to take your troubles and your enemies away from you completely. Instead, God is going to bless you in the midst of your troubles. Food is meant to sustain you so you can keep up fighting the good fight.
 
Don’t worry when troubles come your way. We all are given problems to fight through. Just know the old saying that if God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. This is one of many scriptures that make that promise.
 
God is for you and not against you. He will not only sustain you, but will make you a champion. Don’t avoid the enemies, because they need to be present for you to eat the banquet that the Lord has in store for you.
 

God’s blessings to you. 

DH

“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but much increase is by the strength of the ox.” – Proverbs 14:4

 

There are times where people can be harsh or overly critical of your actions, your ideas, or even you as a person. I have experienced this at different jobs or stages of my life and it always got me down, until a good friend and mentor of mine said, “If they aren’t talking about you, you aren’t doing anything.”

 

People, for the most part, fear change. They like the status quo and they don’t like to make waves. One thing I hear in business is, “That’s how we’ve been doing it for twenty years.” To which I reply, “Well, you may have been doing it wrong for twenty years.” Just because somebody did something along time ago doesn’t mean that it was the best or safest way of doing it.

 

My point is that you have to challenge the status quo now and then. Question the answers. Some people won’t like that, but that’s ok. People talk to me about Jesus all the time with questions, but if you can make me not believe just by asking a few questions, then the Holy Spirit isn’t really what is driving me.

 

It was once unprecedented for a runner to break the 4 minute mile, but everything is unprecedented until somebody does it. The impossible can be achieved, but it takes hard work and dedication to something bigger than yourself. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that everything is possible for God. He created it all and has it all within His power. God will definitely help you fight the good fight, but you can’t just sit idle hoping that something is going to change. You can’t let people’s talk stop you from achieving the greatness God has planned for your life. If you want better, you need the courage to do something about it. You can’t just think your way to a better life, you need to put forth some effort and break through some barriers. You need to do what, in legal terms, is called an “act in furtherance.” You have to show and prove that you really mean what you say. Don’t just talk about it, be about it or you’ll live without it.

 

It’s true that you could avoid many mistakes by never trying anything new and that you could make fewer waves with people if you just follow the status quo. You won’t get your hands dirty if you go with the flow, but remember, dead bodies always float downstream. You are not dead; you are alive and reading this right now, which means you have opportunity to change something for the better. God placed you in this exact moment at this exact time. The Bible says that you are wonderfully made, you have a purpose, and that God is always with you. You can achieve anything that God is pushing you towards, because He will always give you the strength and resources to accomplish His divine will.

 

Failing hurts and gossip hurts, but I promise it will hurt worse to never accomplish your dreams and look back wondering, “What if…” Don’t worry about what people will say or think, worry about what God will think. When this life is over and you stand before Christ, don’t be sorry about a life spent letting opportunities and blessings pass you by.  Instead, be joyful when he says to you, “You have been wise in using what I gave you. Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

 

 

With the upcoming year upon us, I wanted this sermon to be the gospel in a nutshell. I wanted to make this sermon brief, but bold, in order to keep Christ at the front of your mind this next year.

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between. I know that because I’m here too. You and I are not here because of some one-in-a-zillion random chance. You and I live because God wants to be loved. And because of that need for love, He gave us the freedom to choose Him or reject Him. Love is a gift, and a gift that is forced is no gift at all.

 

As ignorant humans, we often pull away from God’s desires for our lives. We do bad things, called sins. Those sins can’t just disappear, or else what have we learned from them? The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Plain and simple, if you commit evil, you can’t get into Heaven. That’s why there is Jesus.

 

Jesus is God in human form. God lowered Himself from His heavenly throne and was born of the Virgin Mary. She needed to be an untouched virgin to let there be no doubt that it wasn’t of human means, but God’s. Jesus was born to not only experience what God’s children experience, but to show us a better way to live the life He’s blessed us with. However, remember earlier when I said that the wages of sin is death. We deserve punishment because of our bad choices, but Jesus took that punishment for you and I on the cross. Then, just to show that God has power even over death, Jesus rose from the grave. Life, death, and eternity; nothing is too far out of God’s reach because it’s all His.

 

When we accept Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we are telling Him yes, please take our sins away. He can have them all. All of the sins we’ve done and all we will ever do, He has washed them away by His blood. In dying, Jesus destroyed our death. In rising, Jesus restored our life.

 

This upcoming year, keep Christ first in your life. Let Him go before you in all that you do so that you may prosper in every area. His promise to you is that He will work all things for the good for those who love Him. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because if you do, you will be forgiven of your sins and experience a love so complete and wonderful that it will take all of eternity to show you just how much God truly loves His children.

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

“Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose and we have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2:2

 

One the night Jesus Christ came into this world, there was a particular star that shined brightly above His birthplace. That star was many things to many people. To the wise, it was a symbol of hope and freedom. To the sinner, it was a stop sign. To the kings and pharisees, it was an eviction notice. To the entire world, that star was a sign that nothing would ever be the same again.

 

Whether you believe in Him or not, Jesus Christ has changed the world forever. Our common calendar is based off of Christ’s birth. Phrases used every day, such as “Go the extra mile,” “blind leading the blind,” “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” or “straight and narrow” are all words straight from Christ’s mouth. This whole time of year especially is because of Jesus. You can say happy holidays all you want, but the truth of the matter is that Christ is the reason for the season. Even in places that are cynical of Christian values, I have heard Christmas music playing. Take the time to listen to those songs. Those are songs of praise and worship and they are being played all over the place and even all over the world this time of year.

 

To paraphrase the book of Acts, if this whole Jesus thing was just of men, it would turn to nothing. However, if this really is of God, there’s nothing in this world that can stop it. It’s been over two thousand years since the birth of Jesus and there is no silencing the believer, no matter what heretical laws are passed and no matter how politically correct this country becomes. Why? Because the person who has been forgiven of much shows the most love for the Lord. I have been forgiven of many wrongs in my life and, if by chance I am ever rendered mute, my actions and my very soul would still sing out in praise of the God Most High.

 

That’s why there was a bright and shining star. Even the universe shows praise to the Creator. So remember this time of year, Christmas time. Praise Jesus for what He has done and for the promises He’s given us. A believers’ future is sealed by complete and boundless love and it all started because a star was born, and His name is Jesus Christ.

 

 

Merry Christmas and God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

 

“…Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” – Matthew 22:21

In Matthew 22, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and others who were trying to trap Jesus in his speech. They asked Jesus if they should pay their government taxes. Jesus asked them to look at the coin and tell Him whose image they saw. They replied, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” This banter has been made famous for many reasons, but there really is a follow up question to this.

Go look in a mirror. Whose image do you see?

The bible teaches us that we were made in the image of Almighty God. Just like a self portrait of a great artist, you are a reflection of God and His likeness. One bible translation even says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s masterpiece. Just like any masterpiece, you are one of a kind. Not a duplicate or a carbon copy, but a single work of art.

This is what makes us special. The creator of the heavens and earth also made you. It’s not about your name, your job, or your good or bad deeds. You are special because of whose you are; whose image you are endowed with. That’s why it’s so important to take care of yourself. Your Father in Heaven made the person you see in the mirror. If He wanted you to be someone else, He would have made someone else. Be proud of who you are.

You can’t make something without putting a piece of yourself into it and that’s just what God has done with you. The bible says that God formed man and “breathed into him the breath of life, and thus man became a living being.” The very seeds of greatness and the power that created everything also courses through your veins as well, so much so that we have been allowed by God to enter into His creative power in order to bring new life into this world. New life that, just like you, has been created to know God, love God, and serve God so that we may be happy with Him in Heaven for all of eternity.

Don’t give up on yourself, because when you do, you are giving up on your Creator. God is perfect and although we are definitely not perfect, we are on the road to that perfection that is allowed to us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rest assured that the Creator has a plan and that plan includes you. Not who you think maybe you should be, but YOU!

Next time you are concerned with your inward and outward appearance, know that you were born the child of a king. Be cheerful in the image that you see in the mirror, because when you look at yourself, the eyes of God look back at you.

God’s blessings to you. 

DH

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

 

Take a moment to realize just who Jesus is and was on this earth. The God of the universe chose to take on a physical presence among us. He could have chosen to be born a prince or someone with prestige, but He instead chose to be born of simple means. Jesus grew into a working trade, since His earthly father Joseph was a carpenter. Not the most powerful of positions, but God knows what true power is and it doesn’t have anything to do with money or status. It has everything to do with loving and caring for others. That is something that Christ takes seriously and so should we.

 

Jesus wants us to follow in His footsteps. Yes, He performed miracles that we cannot, but His main objective was to help people and show love whenever He could. That is something that we can definitely do in whatever area of society we are in. You don’t have to be big or powerful to show love or to take care of someone. You don’t need to hit the lottery to feed the homeless and you don’t need to be president to change the world. No matter what position you hold in this world, you can change peoples’ lives for the better.

 

St. Teresa of Avila once said that God moves about the pots and pans. What she was saying was that there is holiness and importance in even the most mundane of duties. No matter how great or small, each task can have a tremendous impact on this world if you take the time to see it. If you are a cook, you give people physical nourishment so they can keep strong in their lives. If you are a mechanic, you repair automobiles that can carry children safely to school every day. Don’t think for a second that you or your work is insignificant. You touch lives in ways you don’t always see or understand, but God does.

 

This is not telling you to think that you are better than anyone else. Certainly not. We are all sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We all hold a place of importance and deserve the best. Your attitude should be that you are doing the work for someone you love. You aren’t working for your company or your boss, you are working for the God Most High and His beloved children.

 

If your work is tedious or tough, then all the better to show your sacrifice. Jesus offered Himself to God for our sins out of love. It was a love offering, the highest and best there could be. Just the same, you should offer your best work up to God as a sacrifice out of love; love for God and love for your fellow person. When you show that you care about what you are doing, it makes all the difference in the output of your work. Also, over time, you might just find that your work isn’t as stressful or as boring as it used to be. Your importance rests less on the recognition you get from people and more on the reward of a job well done.

 

You woke up today, you’re breathing, and your heart is beating. Those three things right there should tell you that God isn’t done with you yet. You are important to Him and to His children. Don’t limit yourself to “if only I could…” kind of thoughts, you are significant right here and now in whatever job you do. We all have a part to play in this world, so do your best work. If you do, then I promise that one day, when time gives way to eternity, you will hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

“I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” – Luke 15:7

 

In Luke 15, Jesus is telling a story about a shepherd that has 100 sheep. One gets lost. The good shepherd, knowing the 99 are safe, goes out and finds the one that ran away. Upon finding the little sheep, the shepherd puts it on his shoulders and brings the sheep home. As if that wasn’t enough, the shepherd is so happy to have the lost sheep back that he calls his family and neighbors and has a party celebrating the return of the sheep.

 

That’s the kind of Heavenly Father we have. He knows we are sinners.  He asks us to stay with Him, but we always seem to turn to the bad things in this world for comfort instead of Him. The trick is that when we realize we’ve gone too far down a bad path, it seems like it’s too late. We are virtually buried in our sins.

 

However, while we have breath, our story isn’t over. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, searches for us. And He doesn’t quit until we’re home. Our God loves us enough to keep going until we release ourselves to Him. By then, we are usually broken and defeated by the wickedness of this world. That doesn’t stop Jesus though. He picks us up, puts us on His shoulders, and marches home. And the Bible teaches that whenever a single sinner repents and accepts Christ, the whole of Heaven sings out with joy and celebration, for the one who was lost has been found.

 

Joy, peace, forgiveness, and a triumphant return. That’s what He offers us, even though we don’t deserve it.   Love… That’s my God.

 

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

 

DH