​ Three cheers for Dunkin Donuts!   Woohoo!   Recently I was visiting family in another state while some of them were on vacation.   Wonderfully, I was asked to watch my grandkids, to which I was extatically willing to do.   My daughter-in-law, who is a joy, wanted to make everything as comfortable and pleasant for me as possible.   So, one morning, when a new franchise of Dunkin Donuts was opening, she got in line at 4:50am to see if she could take advantage of their Grand Opening special offer of “free coffee” for the next year.   To my benefit, she was awarded this prize.
 
Upon my arrival at their new home, I was given a grand tour, explanations of the school drop offs and pickups, and what to find in the surrounding neighborhood.   On the refrigerator I was shown a set of coupons for a free cup of coffee from the local Dunkin Donuts.   As a long-time coffee coinsurer, I was pleased that it was Dunkin!   So, onto Dunkin I go on that first morning of drop off at the local school.   Before I go any further, I want to explicitly state that my comments here are not meant to be negative or discriminatory in any way, but instead, realistic and complimentary.
 
As I entered the parking lot the line for drive-thru extended around the building and beyond.   I decided that since I was in no real hurry I would simply park and go inside.   It was a great choice!   As I entered the store, I could tell that the “newness” had not yet worn off, as everything was sparkling clean and the smell of fresh-baked donuts was fantastic.   As I approached the counter to place my order, it was clear that the staff was super busy.   So, I do what I usually do, I watched.
 
“Welcome to Dunkin, what can I get for you” remarked the young lady behind the counter?   “I’ll have a medium black coffee” I said.   I went on to show her the coupon my daughter-in-law had given me, and she asked if I wanted any cream, sugar or anything else with my order.   “No thank you, that will be it!”   Again, in no way being critical, the young woman appeared to be a bit “flustered” and not quite sure how to handle it.   She put my order in the computer, scanned my coupon and said “It will be ready in a few moments.”   “Wonderful.”
 
So again, I watched.   In the area of the coffee making machines was a middle-aged woman preparing the plethora of coffee orders coming from the counter and the drive-thru.  She too was a bit flustered.   But to her credit, she was “getting-it-done!”  
 
“I hate coming to this place” a man behind me said out loud.   Clearly, he was upset that his order was taking too long, as his patience was running short!   At this time the staff could sense his frustration, so to clear the air his order was processed immediately.   I can’t help but say, I doubt that he could have done better than what I was watching.   Kudos to the staff!  
 
It appeared that the counter person and person preparing the large intake of orders were trained but probably needed more time and experience to become completely competent.   But here’s where I get to the point to this whole story.   The attitude in the store, from all the other workers, of whom I assume was at least one manager, was nothing short of complimentary, encouraging and supportive!   Unfortunately, in so many cases that I have witnessed in the past, new employees that are still experiencing the “learning curve” are demeaned and made to feel incompetent or foolish.   Not the case at this Dunkin Donuts!   What a great place to be hired into!   I only wish I lived in this town!   Great job Dunkin, whoever runs this store needs a huge pat-on-the-back!
 
The Christian principle I see here is one of compassion.   It’s one that Jesus exemplified in His ministry.   The management at this facility showed understanding while holding the staff accountable yet compassionately nurturing with the employees while they learned and figured out how to apply their new knowledge and understanding to their lives.   Isn't that what we are supposed to do with our understanding of who Jesus is?
 
NOTE TO SELF: Next time donuts or coffee need to be ordered, go to Dunkin!

​I remember in school I was taught that science was the way to go!   I was taught that science “proved” things, and that science showed the “truth” of the concepts it was dealing with.   I also learned that it was trustworthy and involved no guesswork.   In science classes we would talk about certain principles of physics and Natural Law and proved them to be true.   One example I remember, even though it was super simple was this: if you take an ice cube and put it into water, the heat of the liquid was absorbed by the ice cube and after a short period of time the liquid felt cool to the touch.   Exactly!   That’s why I put ice in my tea!
 
Of course, we would get much more involved in various other physical test and processes only to “prove” the Law of Physics associated with the test to be “true!”   Consequently, I grew up believing that Science was humanity’s way of proving the physical world around us to be true, and to understand the way it worked, as well as knowing the reliability of the physics we had just proven.   It was rock solid, close the door, and take it to the bank!
 
I have always been fascinated with the Cosmos.   In college, I studied Astronomy, Meteorology, Geology and other physical sciences.   I “liked” being able to understand and comprehend the world around me.   It gave me comfort, reliability and a growing sense of understanding in the very complex wonderous world in which I lived.   In short, science was fact, undisputable, unadulterated fact!
 
Then came an intense study of the Origin of the Universe.   I remember learning that the universe began as a very hot, intense cluster of gasses and material known as a “singularity.”   This singularity rapidly expanded over 14 billion years ago forming the universe as we know it, and after billions more years cooled to the point that atoms, stars and galaxies could form naturally.   Wow, this was fascinating!
 
From all of this also formed “life” itself.   Over billions of years, life started to evolve on the earth.   Granted earth was also in a perfect place in the universe and Milky Way Galaxy for life to evolve.   But the concept of the evolution of life is for another time.
 
Not to beat this topic into the ground, I appeared to me through science that the physical observable universe was explainable.   So, for most of my life I accepted the teachings of modern science as to the origin of the universe.   But then again …
 
One of the major concerns I encountered caused me to “re-think” my allegiance to “Science.”   Physics, specifically the Second Law of Thermodynamics, states that in an isolated system, the universe, the total entropy of the system will always tend to increase over time.   Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness within a system; therefore, all the physical world goes from a state of “order to a state of disorder.”   How can that be?   Didn’t the universe form in opposition to this law?   Doesn't science teach that the universe was formed from a disordered random cluster of gases and materials into a very orderly structured universe filled with billions of stars and galaxies?   Impossible, at least according to our own understood laws of science!   So now, I’m starting to disbelieve the “absolute truth” of 21st Century Science.
 
One of the major issues I encountered was the unexplainable origin of the original gases and materials that existed billions of years ago.   Where did that stuff come from?   How did it get there?   Actually, how was even “time and space” created, especially since science teaches us that before the universe came into existence there was “nothing!”   Emptiness!   A void of nothing!   Not even something known as time!   Again, impossible!
 
Modern 21st Century Scientific understanding wants us to believe that all of that space, all of these gases of which we have no clue what they might have been, all of that physical material was just “there.”   Really!   Are you kidding me?   After all of the investigation and research regarding the origin of the universe, and all of our published “truth” that we have uncovered through scientific testing, you want me to accept something that is unknown and unexplainable as true.   This was quickly becoming ridiculous.
 
It appears to me that in reality, it takes more “faith” to believe what modern science teaches regarding the origin of the universe as opposed to the description of the origin described in the Book of Genesis in the Bible.   I know that many people who are in opposition to the Scriptures and belief in God often reference how foolish it is to simply “believe” in the Bible account.   Honestly, I think it takes more “faith” to believe in the teachings of “science” than it does to have faith in the account of our origin as outlined by God!  
 
NOTE TO SELF:   Worldly wisdom is flawed as evidenced by our own teaching regarding the mysteries of the universe.   It takes less faith actually to believe in a God that created an orderly universe that deteriorates, not one that evolved from disorder to order.   Unbelievable!

​One of the biggest most confusing aspects of God is how He refuses to answer prayers.   I know what you’re thinking, how could I ever make a statement like that?   But it’s true.    Many times, good people cry out to God for help or answers and receive silence in return.   How can that be the response of a loving and compassionate God?   Silence, in the middle of my storm?   Ridiculous!
 
At other times bad or faithless people ask God for answers, or at least a response to the dilemma they are going through.   But again, silence.   How can this be anywhere close to a loving response from God, whether we know Him or if we are simply crying out to a God we don’t know?   This makes no sense!   No wonder most people do not believe in God!   No wonder many refuse to submit their lives to God that refuses to answer!   It seems like God is simply playing us for the fool, or maybe not?
 
One of the ways Jesus was referenced in ancient times was simply as “teacher.”   Teacher seems too simple.   Maybe “Almighty Magnificent Powerful Teacher” would be more appropriate, or maybe not.   As I remember my days in school and seminary, the goal of those teachers was to create an environment of learning.   They wanted me to learn some new idea, or concept, to come to a new understanding of some truth or reality.   They wanted me to be able to apply these lessons learned in ways that would be productive, positive and beneficial.   So, maybe I need to go a little bit further.
 
When a lesson or series of lessons have been given for study and application, the “teacher” always gave the class a test.   An exam, in which we could demonstrate our understanding of the lessons and applications of them.   During those exams, the “teacher” was always silent.
 
Is it possible that our study and time of learning has elapsed in some cases when we are crying out to God for a response?   Are we still seeing the storms of our lives as lessons to be learned, or are we not seeing that God has said that it is time for a test?  
 
NOTE TO SELF: IS THE STORM IM GOING THROUGH A TIME OF LEARNING, OR, A TIME FOR THE TEST?

​Honestly, I have nothing to give, nothing to offer.   I have a desire to give to God, but in reality, as I survey my life there is nothing to give that is of my own making.   Sure, I can do all kinds of good things, and say I offer them to God, but are they really mine to offer?   Hasn’t God’s Word said that all good things come from Him, and that He has prepared good works for us to accomplish?   So, they’re not really mine, right?
 
How could I ever truly give to God something that is of my own making, something that I own or have created?   It is a perplexing current in my heart that moves me from gratitude to shame to despair.   And that is not of God, but of the flesh and evil.
 
So here I am.   Perplexed.   Empty, yet full.   Grateful and depressed at the same time.   How is it that God even tolerates me.   Why is it that my heart and soul have become a battlefield where humanity and holiness are entwined.   It’s a difficulty yet to be comprehended much less mastered.   I feel lost yet I know exactly where I am.  
 
Over the years my constant prayer has been for faith, understanding and direction, yet my deepest prayer is one asking for wisdom.   And wisdom is the lighthouse of God bringing the soul of humankind closer to Him while demanding the incomprehensible from the receiver.   In a sense, wisdom is the gavel in the courtroom, the light brighter than the eye can see.  
 
Friends, life is difficult.   Life is filled with change, and that is never easy.   The question that life presents to every person is “why?”   Why am I here?   What is my purpose?   How do I get there, and how do I know that I’m on the right track?   In so many ways, life and the wisdom of God intersect in the human heart demanding a response, a course.   And many times, I choose to follow “my” course in response to the issue of “why.”  
 
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the writer determines that all of life is vanity, pure vanity.   That the lures of worldliness are simple traps, luring us in as a Venus flytrap waits patiently for the insect.   It highlights the fact that death is imminent, making human pride absolutely absurd.   It destroys naïve optimism, as life is not always fair.  
 
In desperation and darkness, the human heart, my heart, is driven to seek even deeper.   Surely there is a reason, a purpose, something that will fulfill the longing of my heart.   And wisdom points the way …
 
The answer is only found in one place.   In a place of the rejected, the foolish and the enduring.   While life is pure vanity, our Creator and God is found to be the purpose and answer I have been searching for.   He is there.   He has always been there even though I was distracted by the lures of worldliness.   I was lost, and he found me.   And yet for so many these words are simply unbridled foolishness.  
 
As I receive wisdom from God, I also see the world as it is.   It’s foolishness.   Its seductive promises, and I realize my need for God and how desperately worthless I am without Him.   And I respond with gratitude intending to offer to God something of value to show Him how grateful I am, how repentant I am.   But I have nothing.   Nothing of value.   I do have accomplishments, notoriety and worldly status.   However in comparison, I see them as an insult to God as an offering.  
 
So, the question remains.   What do I have to offer to God in gratitude for what He has done in my life?   How can I express to Him the repentant attitude of my heart and soul?   Its simple really … I offer Him my heart, life, soul and everything else … He becomes the very breath that I take …

All I wanted was a loaf of sour dough bread, that’s all!   But no!   What you want, and what’s available are not always the same.  There were all kinds of sizes, varieties, flour, added ingredients and such that the entire isle in the store was filled to the brim.   I never realized that there was such variety, never really paid attention, I guess.   Hmmm, I’ll bet the Israelites would have gone nuts shopping for bread before the great exodus!
 
Oh yeah, and I needed a gallon of vanilla ice cream.   Whoa, I guess I should have brought a dietician along with me!   Regular vanilla (I think), fat free, low sugar, vanilla bean, French vanilla, all of them with luring verbiage that “they” were the best choice!   I picked the cheapest one.   Onto my final shopping assignment … Ginger Ale.   OK, this choice was not so bad.   There were only seven choices, unless I wanted to get into the “low-calorie” ones.   Again, I grabbed the cheapest!
 
In the world today we have so many options and choices!   Sure, there are parts of the world where this is not the case.   Places where poverty runs rampant.   But here in the West, for the most part we are living in abundance, and it feels hypocritical.
 
How can I have so much food around me that I have a hard time choosing?   How can I have so many choices of food that my selection is not based on necessity or health, but on what I “feel” like trying, or what I “like” and how it makes me “feel” when I eat it?   All of this wrapped in a package of poverty and human hunger around me?  
 
Let’s be real.   At one point in my life, I didn’t care.   I didn’t.   My lot in life was a good one, and the lot for others was let’s say, not so good.   But I've come to realize that what Jesus said in Matthew 25 is the real deal.  
 
“Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Whoa!   If that doesn't floor you …!
 
Every time I satisfied my own desires without any cause of concern for the less fortunate, I ignored those that God has placed around me in my life!   Every time I pampered my stomach while listening to the groans of hunger around me, I denied the Lord that gave His life for mine.   I am guilty.   I am selfish, and I am embarrassed to have acted the way I did in the many years God has blessed me with.  
 
So, what is my penance?   What is the atonement that I must make, that is if I should choose so?   Is there any way of repairing the damage that I have willfully created?   No, not really.   It’s done, gone, behind me, there is no way of correction that I can see.   Only God Himself can correct mistakes that have been made throughout time, but only if He chooses to.   At this point I have only two options.   First, I can simply ignore it and forget it.   Afterall, that’s their lot in life, mine just happens to be better!  
 
The other option is the most difficult.   Since I can’t change my past behaviors or their effects, I can only ask for forgiveness and change my outlook and behaviors in order to follow the calling of God.    As referenced above, whatever I do, or don’t do for those around me, I do or don’t do for Christ.   It seems that human free will leaves much to be desired when it comes to being a follower of Jesus.   Just sayin …
 
NOTE TO SELF: It’s never too late to repent, be forgiven and change … just sayin …

​“Doing What It Says” means taking God at face value.    It means that God is still on the throne, holy and perfect and does not need our help in guiding the world toward holiness; we just need to accept His definition of it.   In becoming devoted Disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to accept God’s guidelines for what is acceptable behavior and what is not.   Just because we “feel” a certain way or because we were “born” a certain way does not give us the right to call it “normal” or “acceptable.”   We were born in sin and consequently many of our feelings, desires, understandings etc. are sinful in nature.  
 
I’m sure that Moses didn’t agree with God on many things.   Was it fair that God sent all those plagues?   Was it right that God drown the Egyptian Army in the sea?   How about Abraham, asking him to sacrifice his son?   What about Adam and Eve, after all they had permission to eat everything else in the Garden!
 
Regardless of where you stand on the many issues surrounding our obedience to Scripture, you always end up asking certain questions:
 
Is God’s Word really God’s Word?
Is the Bible really inspired by Him?
Is it relevant for today?
Why do some things no longer apply as they use to?
Would it be right for God to leave us guessing?
 
NOTE TO SELF: Jesus said that the faithful would experience opposition, and ultimately raging conflict within our own hearts.   So, what will it be: God’s way or my way?

Mike was a young man with a new family.   His wife and he were building the American dream and literally had the small house, two kids, a dog all surrounded by a white picket fence.   Mike was a builder by trade and very meticulous about his work.   Many of his project houses were listed every year in the Parade of Homes due to his eye for quality and detail.   Life was good and the family seemed very happy and secure, but one day that all changed when Mike enrolled in school to become a Pastor.
 
This was only somewhat of a shock at the time as Mike had been growing in his faith for many years.   He became more involved at his church, started attending small groups and spending more and more time in the Scriptures.   While Mike felt that his life was flowering into something new and beautiful his wife did not.   She felt abandoned and felt like she had lost her husband to something else.   As time went on the arguments became uglier and the time they spent away from each other seemed to fuel the fires even more.   Finally, the camel’s back broke.   Mike’s wife felt that her marriage was going down a path that would be unrecoverable.   She felt ordinary, not appreciated, abandoned and empty.
 
While Mike was becoming more and more involved with his faith, growing and now going to pastoral licensing school, his wife was also becoming more involved at her work.   She was starting to sense the attention and affection of a co-worker.   Over the months, Mike missed the signs of a deteriorating marriage until the day she finally told him she was having an affair.   This rocked his belief in God to the core.   “After all I’m doing for God how could He let this happen?”   Mike felt that since he was following the path God had carved out for him that God was left with the responsibility to keep everything else “in order!”   Wrong!   Mike was putting God to the test!
 
While we are to “Do What It Says” (follow the call of Christ in our lives) we are not to ignore the other responsibilities God has entrusted to us.   Mike had family responsibilities that he had walked away from.   He ignored those that he loved because of his enthusiasm for his new-found life direction.   In essence he had replaced his family with his ministry calling.   In his subconscious, Mike was also looking forward to “God owing” him because of his service in Pastoral Ministry.   Mike’s enthusiasm got the best of him!
 
To be faithful to the calling of God we must remember that God will never ask us to do something that is wrong.   God is good and the plans He executes in the world through us are good too!   These plans are many times difficult, misunderstood and laden with hardship, but they are always good.   We have to remember that “good” in God’s eyes is much different than “good” in humanities eyes.   God is always moving forward toward the eternal redemption of His creation while our attention is many times very temporal.  
 
In the fall of 2015, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mike at a seminar we were both attending.   Things had progressed in his family situation to a full-blown ugly divorce that included using the kids as pawns.   Mike was extremely depressed.   One day in the middle of a class Mike turned to me and said; “I really blew it!   I mentally and emotionally walked out on my family …. now it’s just done.”  
 
As the months went on Mike did his best to become the father and husband that he knew God wanted him to be.   He found out that he could serve God as a pastor and be a loving father and partner at the same time.   It was difficult, as most things God calls us to do are, but he prayerfully started to seek God’s help and guidance to do them all.   The good news is that Mike and his wife started “dating” once again.   Truly God was healing their marriage.
 
As in all situations where we are torn between living out God’s plans in our lives, we have to remember that those plans do not include abandoning the loved ones He has giving to us or expecting God to clean up our trail of broken commitments.  
 
NOTE TO SELF: Don’t abandon those lovely people God has given to you!   


​

The biggest problem for individuals that want to serve Christ, is that they don’t know where to start.   I have a great idea, start by serving either as a greeter or nursery helper in a place of worship.   Both of these ministries are usually understaffed, so check in with the ministry leader for each and get plugged in.   How hard is it to welcome someone to church or change a diaper?   Neither of these ministries is complicated or require great skill, they just require a willing heart.   That’s the key: willingness.  
 
Mark 10:38
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

In this setting the disciples wanted to follow Jesus without completely understanding what they were getting into.   I believe we can admire their faith and choices at this point even though Jesus points out to them that they could never endure all that He was going to.   Their hearts were willing to step into the unknown regardless of how extreme it was going to be.   They were eager to follow but unrealistic as to what it would cost them.   At this point the disciples were relying on their own strength, fortitude and reasoning to be able to walk in Jesus’ shoes.   It wasn’t until later, after the ascension, that the disciples were ready to go forth with the help, strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.   That’s the deal … it is God through the Holy Spirit that provides the wisdom, strength and fortitude to do His will, not the human intellect, stamina or persona.   Our job is to simply be willing …. regardless of the path or outlook!
 
Question to consider: Are you?

​I love this program!   The men and women on this program risk life and limb for the sole purpose of catching crabs and making a living.   These fishermen sail into the Bering Sea throughout the year in search of large healthy Ophelia crabs.   In many of the episodes I have watched the weather conditions were horrendous!   The risk is immense and these fishermen are faced with long endless hours of monotonous work, extreme cold, massive waves, hunger, illness and even death.   Without a doubt being a crab fisherman in the Bering Sea is one of the most hazardous jobs in the world.   One small slip into the frigid waters will leave the individual in a hopeless state of hypothermia.   Besides that, there is no guarantee that they will catch anything!
 
One-character trait I have observed about the men and women on this program has been their selfless sacrifice for the sake of their families.   They are willing to put themselves in harm’s way and endure countless hours of misery for the sake of providing for their loved ones.   We also see this type of trait with those in military service.   Our military service men and women have made the choice to protect our nation and their families by placing themselves on the firing line, and they do this by choice and dedication.
 
Jesus calls us into the same type of setting: placing ourselves into an uncomfortable or harsh situation for the sake of others.   Crab fishermen do it for income, our military do it in order to protect, we should do it in order to serve others in Christ’ name.   It all seems so simple, but in reality, unless we apply rule number 1 (It’s Not About You), it will never happen.
 
We also need to remember that Jesus dove headfirst into a deadly situation all for our sake.   He didn’t have to, He chose to, for you and me!   I must assume that Jesus, knowing the future, must have seen a great worth in placing Himself in that deadly position as compared to allowing us to fall into the future we were heading for.   Jesus chose to place Himself in harm’s way fully knowing that it would cost Him His life while saving ours.  
 
Isn’t it gratitude for this that should be an overwhelming motivator to serve Him in our lives?   Aren’t you moved to be a light for Him in the lives of others?   Friends, Jesus sacrificed Himself, in many ways, all for our opportunity to be forgiven and be reunited with God our Father.   Truly, nothing could separate Jesus from sacrificing Himself for our sake.
 
NOTE TO SELF: Hmmm … maybe “humanity is the deadliest catch?”

Today is April 2, 2026, and it appears that the world has gone completely crazy!   Political unrest, anything goes sexuality, cancel culture, and most Christians in the USA have become comfortable and “Luke-warm.”   I can’t imagine what the world will look like in a few years!   But regardless of what year it is, the message Jesus gave us regarding doing what the Bible says has not changed and never will.  In short, we are to be faithful in serving Christ in the world and into the next.  
 
Ephesians 4:1-3
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We are to follow to the best of our abilities the pattern of living that Christ has demonstrated and confirmed.   This might make many of us uncomfortable, after all, I have certain plans and aspirations for my life!   I don’t need someone to tell me what to do!   No, I got this!
 
The Bible references various stories, quotations and ideologies in which we are to follow the “lead” of God and not human nature.   “Doing What It Says” (living according to the guidelines of Scripture) will most likely entail some difficult, unpalatable choices that you and I had never thought of before.   Peter never anticipated watching his family martyred in front of him because of his testimony regarding Christ.   Mother Teresa never thought she would end up in Calcutta watching people die on the street, and John Wesley never thought he would be riding around on a horse preaching to anyone that would listen in a field.   Nevertheless, God does things much differently than we ever would.
 
We simply must be ready to accept His will and to the best of our abilities, prepare ourselves for Him to work through us and be open to whatever He sees as fit.   Guess what, I never thought I’d be writing a blog!   But God uses people that are willing, that’s the key.   We must be willing to be used and ready to relinquish our calendar and personal understanding for His purposes.   Ya gotta trust Him!
 
NOTE TO SELF: Wonder what’s next?