At least that is what inmate Terry Nichols says.  Nichols who is serving a life sentence for conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter for the 1995 federal building bombing in Oklahoma City, says that “he is not getting enough whole grains and fresh food.” And becasue of this it causes him to “sin against God.”  Unbelievable!

This is not the first time someone has decided to sue for something that is ridiculous.  In 2000 Cleanthi Peters sued Universal Studios for 15k.  She claimed to have suffered extreme fear, mental anguish and emotional distress due to visiting Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights haunted house, which she said was too scary.

In 2005 Austin Aitken sued NBC for 2.5 million.  He claimed that an episode of Fear Factor caused him “suffering, injury and great pain.”  He said he watched the contestants eat rats on television and that it made him dizzy and light-headed, causing him to vomit and run into a doorway.

My personal all time favorite was when 79 year old, Stella Lieback sued McDonald’s for serving hot coffee.  Stella suffered third degree burns, was in the hospital for eight days and had multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

We are always looking for someone else to blame for our faults, aren’t we?  What Terry Nichols and the rest of us need to learn is that food does not make us sin.  I got some other news that might shock you, the devil can’t make us sin either!  You and I sin simply because we are sinners.  Romans 3:23 says “all sin and fall short of the glory of God.”

I have a friend who recently lost both his parents due to medical issues.  He told me one day that he is adamant about going and getting a check up, because he has the gene.  But he said, “it is up to me to make it better or worse, by the choices I make.”  I thought what a great statement.  You and I have “the gene.”  That is why we sin.  But like my friend we can decide to make it better or worse based on our choices.

Although we have the gene, God has provided the cure in the form of His perfect sinless Son, Jesus Christ.  If we will choose to accept the gift that He gave and enter into a relationship with Him, we can be free from the punishment that our sin brings upon our lives.  That punishment is eternal separation from God.

Now just because you enter into a relationship with Jesus, doesn’t mean you will automatically stop sinning.  But God did promise us a helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16) The Holy Spirit will try to constantly remind us who we are and help guide us to make choices that will keep us from constantly sinning.

Lets stop blaming others for our sin problem and accept the responsibility for the choices we make.  Realizing that we sin because we have “the gene,” but thank God, He has also provided us with “the cure.”

Happy Fathers Day to all of you who have children.  It is an awesome experience being a dad, even when they cause us lots of heartache.  The bible says, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.” (Psalm 127:3)  If you have been a Dad for any amount of time, you know that there are times when your children don’t feel much like a reward.

For instance, my 15 yr old daughter just got her permit.  My wife took her to the school parking lot to just get a feel for driving.  My daughter ended up hitting a pole and running over a mail box in a matter of minutes.  Causing thousands of dollars in damage.  Unbelievable right?  All of a sudden your children seem like angels huh?   Well my daughter called me crying hysterically.  Needless to say, I was not happy, but after a couple hours I began to gain a little more perspective on the situation. I took that opportunity to tell my daughter that I love her and it was an accident.  Besides, it is only a car, nobody got hurt.  In times like this you really find out how materialistic you are.

That is the kind of advice that can only come from a Dad.  Too many folks today are just settling for being fathers.  Any sperm donor can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a dad.  That is why young people like, Desmon Hatchett who is only 29 years old, really bother me.  Desmond has made history in the state of Tenesse.  It seems he has fathered 11 children from 11 different mothers.  Since the state is only allowed to take up to 50% of his check, each mother only gets $1.98 a month.  That means the state will be left to pick up the tab. 

There are countless examples out there of men who are leaving their responsibilities of raising their children to others.  Because of this we have a generation growing up that have no idea what a true Father is suppose to look like.  1 Corinthians 13:11 says, ”when I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”  Men lets put down the childish ways and become the men that God has designed and called us to be.  We cannot do this if we are settling for just fathering children.  We must take it to a “hole notha level” and become a real dad to our kids.

I have been on a traveling world-wind.  In the last two weeks, I have been from Florida to California back to Florida.  Then up to New Jersey then to Philly and from there to Portland Maine.  I then drove from Maine to Boston for a five days.  After that we drove to New Jersey again and back to Boston.  We then flew out of Boston back home to Florida.  Unbelievable right?  And you were just complaining about how bad your life is. 

While on my tour I met with a variety of people.  Many of which are common everyday folks with real life problems.  Most are Christians or at least claim to be.  I don’t say that to be mean, its just the truth.  I don’t know if everyone who claims to be a Christian really is.  I am always asked by church folks to tell them who are the “Christians in the NFL.” Or, I get someone come up and ask me if I know so and so, then they will proceed to tell me that he is a Christian.  Really?

I got to be honest with you, the only person I know, that I know is saved, is me.  Now that may make some folks a little uneasy, thinking I am trying to be self-righteous.  But think about it, do you really know if the person that you sit next too every week in church is saved?  None of us are the judge, although many of us think that we are.  Now that does not mean we are not allowed to call a spade a spade. 

Matthew 7:15 Tells us ”beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”  (v.16) “You will know them by their fruits.” 

Here Jesus is teaching us that we have a lot of anti-Christians, that are posing as real Christians.  So how do you know?  Well, you really don’t know.  Jesus is the only true judge.  Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 

Now, if someone tells you that they are a Christian, then you have the right to ask them, “if you say you are an apple tree, then why are there bananna’s hanging off your ears?”

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? (v.23) And then I will declare to them, I never knew, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness. 

Scary right? So the moral is, stop asking me if certain NFL players are Christian!  And, I say that with as much love as I can muster up.

I bet I got your attention with that title didn’t I?  I read the other day where a man from West Palm Beach is suing a local strip club.  He claims he suffered severe damage to his eye after being kicked by a stripper in the face.  I know your probably thinking, well he shouldn’t have been sitting so close to the stage.  Well it turns out that the guy slapped the stripper on the butt and in reaction to that she turned around and kicked the guy in the face.  Can you believe that?  One could say if she is working in that kind of establishment, what does she expect.  But, I got to say if someone came and slapped me in the back of the head I would probably turn around and punch them in the face. 

Now I know that some of you super spiritual people would say, “now Don, the bible tells us to turn the other cheek.”  You are right.  However, Jesus wasn’t no punk and neither am I!  While there are many spiritual points we could make from this story about immorality, I would like to come at it from a different angle.  The man who is doing the suing thinks he is justified, because he got injured.  The stripper thinks she is justified, because he shouldn’t have put his hands on her body, at least not without permission.   So who is right?  Well they both are depending on whose eyes you are looking through.

The bible tells us in Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath.  (v.21) He goes on to say, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  This is a lesson that is easier said than done.  Often times when we are wronged by someone, we want them to pay immediately.  We will go so far as to try to punish them ourselves.  But God says, I know that you can get your revenge.  But if you will just let Me handle it, I will do a far better job than you could ever dream of doing.  Oh and by the way, this kind of thing would never have happened if he would just stay out of places that are full of immorality.

Today we tend to forget about the golden rule

Have you ever just had one of those blah…blah…. blah…. type days.  That is me today.  I am normally a very positive and upbeat kind of person.  And I try to never dwell on the negative.  But today is just one of those days.  I am in my office looking out to the pool where my kids are swimming and enjoying the summer sun.  It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Southwest Florida.  So what in the world is wrong with me?  It is times like this that I sit and start to take an inventory of my life. 

2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?  Unless indeed you are disqualified.  I have been chewing on this trying to apply it to my situation today.  So here is what I’ve come up with.  When we are having one of the blah type days, we must examine our lives.  1. Make sure there is no hidden areas of sin that is bringing us down.  2. Then we need to take the pulse of our faith.  Am I down because I am worried about something in my life? 3. Then we must realize that Jesus Christ came so that we could live an abundant life.  He did not die so that we would live a blah life.   

David prayed in Psalm 42:5 why are you cast down O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.  Psalm 90:12 Moses said, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Here’s the point.  God only gives us so many days in this life that will be over in the blink of an eye.  We cannot allow ourselves to waist time wallowing in discouragement, disappointment and dispair.  Lets place our eyes on Jesus and look to Him to get us through and turn that frown upside down!