Today some friends and I will be addressing, printing, folding, stuffing, sealing and stamping letters and envelopes. As much as we might want the letter to arrive if one of those steps gets missed the letters will not likely reach their destination.

Of course we could be sincere, earnest, dependable and determined. but…
… if the address is wrong it won’t reach the intended readers
… if the print is illegible the readers can’t read it
… if the folds are in the wrong places the letters won’t fit
… if the letters are stuffed in a haphazard way they won’t seal
… if the “seal” on the envelope doesn’t seal the letter may fall out
… if the stamp is not affixed the letter will not be delivered

While healthy parents reflect the love of God, unhealthy shame-filled, uncaring, unloving parents can do just the opposite; especially those who call themselves “Christian.”

God disciplines us like loving parents.  God wants us to experience a healthy sense of “for your own good” fear.

The greatest challenge most people face is their unwillingness to live in and under the love of God. They either don’t know how to experience God’s love, run away from God’s love (as I have) or outright reject God’s love. There are, of course, many reasons for these reactions. Most of which traces back to poor human role modeling by “loved ones.”

In the midst of a loving relationship we can experience God’s wrath.

God disciplines us.

God does so to redirect us from our sinful self-destructive path back onto a journey of joy and peace. The Bible explains that God wouldn’t be a loving God if there was no discipline: “My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either.

It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.

God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children.

Would YOU like to read my story?

My guess was your answer might be “Maybe.  Yes.”

Yesterday, I began telling “my story.”  The “why” was told then. 

You can read it here.

I Love My Parents

I was born at a very young age.  That’s the joke I often tell.

I’ve seen the paperwork.  Here’s a photo of when I was really little, but I don’t remember anything about that time.  These two people do.

My mom, Karan, and my dad, Paul, welcomed little Scott into the world in the fall of 1962.

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of having clear expectations in your relationships.  If you have not read it you might want to do so now.  Here it is:

It’s important to talk through expectations throughout the life of your relationship or sadly it may lead to the death of that relationship.

Below is a quick but provocative quiz listing common but unspoken expectations that affect relationships.

If you’re single and you aren’t in relationship now take it anyway.  Ask a friend to answer it for you and discuss his/her answers.  Either way, copy and paste this quiz into a document to save it for the day you want to take your next relationship to a deeper level.