.jpg)
“While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.”
~Angela Schwindt
My family and I attended a wedding this past weekend, and during the ceremony I was thinking—“Is there any single event in life that produces a wider range of emotions than a wedding?” There’s the excitement the groom feels as he waits to see his bride. There’s the sadness a father feels as he gives away his daughter. There’s the nervousness of the wedding party, hoping everything goes smoothly. There’s the awkwardness of half the children in the church when the Pastor gives the ok to kiss the bride (my 8-year-old-son buries his head in his lap and refuses to look). Think about it—nearly every emotion imaginable is present in one way or another at a wedding.
A popular thing to do at weddings within the last ten years or so is to show a video of the bride and grooms lives from birth to present. And that’s the part that always gets me emotional. It’s not the vows, or the daddy giving away his baby girl, or the bride’s tears of joy (although someday when that’s my little girl up there, I will need six or seven boxes of tissues)--it’s the video. Why? Because it reminds me just how quickly my time with my children disappears. All those pictures of the bride and groom when they were babies, then toddlers, then teenagers. All those pictures of their special moments with their moms and dads and brothers and sisters, shooting baskets in the driveway, celebrating birthdays, taking vacations, and the like. It reminds me of the important things in life, that regardless of my selfish desires like my own hobbies and my career, I need to spend as much time with my kids as possible. It’s been said that when one is at the end of their life, they never wish they would have worked more, they wish they would have spent more time with their families.
My mother-in-law has a framed quotation hanging in her living room that I absolutely love. I thought about it a lot during the wedding the other day, especially during the video presentation. It says, “Don’t be too busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” It’s a great reminder the next time you’re having a bad day at work, or feel a little overwhelmed by the anxieties of life. Families are one of God’s greatest blessings. Enjoy every second with them!
Did you know???
--June is the most popular month for weddings.
--The wedding industry is a 70 billion dollar a year industry.
--The average cost of a wedding is $22,000…guess I better start saving for my 4-year old daughters wedding right now!!
--The average age for the bride/groom is around 26 years old.
--The average bridal gown costs $800.
--67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.
(All information taken from the National Association of Wedding Ministers)
Waiting
Is there anything harder in life than waiting? My daughter was so excited to go to the zoo this week, she would have fast-forwarded right to Friday if she could have, constantly asking us “How many more days ‘till we get to go to the zoo?” I’ve watched one of our college students count down the days until his wedding for seemingly months now and today is their big day. We have aspiring missionaries in our church waiting for the Lord’s provision for them to get to their respective missions fields. We all have friends or loved ones battling health issues, waiting for the Lord’s healing, hoping to return to their normal, healthy lives. Waiting is difficult. It’s easy to be like little kids, constantly asking God, “Are we almost there yet?”
We live in an age of instant gratification. We want that new car or house NOW, a new job NOW, that vacation NOW. We want to do things OUR way and on OUR time schedule. But God tells us to be patient, to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” We learn in James 5:11 that God “blesses those who endure” and that He “is very compassionate and merciful” on them.
Waiting is a daily struggle with our sin nature. Even infants cry when they don’t get things immediately. Relationships suffer when we’re not patient with one another. Parents pray and wait for their children to walk in obedience with the Lord. Those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior wait for un-saved loved ones to do the same. We all struggle with patience and waiting in some aspect of our lives, don’t we? I love music and I have a favorite song about waiting that I’ll share with you to close. I found the video on YouTube. It’s a good one to keep on your “favorites” list and listen to whenever you are struggling with the waiting game.
We live in an age of instant gratification. We want that new car or house NOW, a new job NOW, that vacation NOW. We want to do things OUR way and on OUR time schedule. But God tells us to be patient, to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” We learn in James 5:11 that God “blesses those who endure” and that He “is very compassionate and merciful” on them.
Waiting is a daily struggle with our sin nature. Even infants cry when they don’t get things immediately. Relationships suffer when we’re not patient with one another. Parents pray and wait for their children to walk in obedience with the Lord. Those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior wait for un-saved loved ones to do the same. We all struggle with patience and waiting in some aspect of our lives, don’t we? I love music and I have a favorite song about waiting that I’ll share with you to close. I found the video on YouTube. It’s a good one to keep on your “favorites” list and listen to whenever you are struggling with the waiting game.
Life is a Vapor
“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14a
Another year of teaching our College Sunday School class is drawing to a close. Graduations are taking place on high school and college campuses around the nation. My children are finishing yet another year of elementary school in the next couple weeks. Our little girl, the last of our children, starts early kindergarten next fall. Life goes fast doesn’t it?
For the last 12 weeks or so, our Sunday School lessons have come from the book of James. It’s been a blessing to prepare and study these lessons on “Genuine Faith.” This Sunday’s lesson was about making plans. We talked about the ways people plan for college, vacation, retirement, career advancement, weddings, etc… While we can’t ignore the importance of making plans and specific details of them, it’s important to remain flexible to God’s will and keep Him as the focal point of all our plans.
Graduation time and the end of a school year are always good times to reflect on what has been and what is to come. It’s an emotional season for many—a significant marker of sorts in the passage of time. There’s an old quote I like which says, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” It’s a quote we can remember and think about every single day; it never changes. Whether you’re 18, 38, or 88, this saying is a reminder (along with the verse at the top of the page) that time is precious. We need to take careful consideration for the plans we make, be diligent in completing them, spend every second of our time wisely, and remember to make God our focus in all we do.
So long for now—time to go play with my kids!
Another year of teaching our College Sunday School class is drawing to a close. Graduations are taking place on high school and college campuses around the nation. My children are finishing yet another year of elementary school in the next couple weeks. Our little girl, the last of our children, starts early kindergarten next fall. Life goes fast doesn’t it?
For the last 12 weeks or so, our Sunday School lessons have come from the book of James. It’s been a blessing to prepare and study these lessons on “Genuine Faith.” This Sunday’s lesson was about making plans. We talked about the ways people plan for college, vacation, retirement, career advancement, weddings, etc… While we can’t ignore the importance of making plans and specific details of them, it’s important to remain flexible to God’s will and keep Him as the focal point of all our plans.
Graduation time and the end of a school year are always good times to reflect on what has been and what is to come. It’s an emotional season for many—a significant marker of sorts in the passage of time. There’s an old quote I like which says, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” It’s a quote we can remember and think about every single day; it never changes. Whether you’re 18, 38, or 88, this saying is a reminder (along with the verse at the top of the page) that time is precious. We need to take careful consideration for the plans we make, be diligent in completing them, spend every second of our time wisely, and remember to make God our focus in all we do.
So long for now—time to go play with my kids!
Welcome To My New Blog!
Labels: Opening Statement
Three years ago, I began a journey that would change my life. As I penned the opening pages of Royal Reign, I had no idea my passion for writing was so fierce. All I knew was that I had a story about a basketball team that was desperately aching to be told. There was just something inside of me that couldn't keep it contained, so I took the leap of courage and faith and decided to write a book, despite knowing the fact that some people would think I was crazy. After the book was written, I still had the passion to write, so I began my first blog: Sports Caffeine. This new blog, Faith Caffeine, an extension of my original blog, is designed to share something else that's inside of me, something else that's way more important than sports, that also desperately needs to be told. It's something else I can't contain, and while people still may think I'm crazy, I begin my first blog post for Faith Caffeine.
Thirty years ago, at the age of five, I began the ultimate journey that would not only change my life, but more importantly, my eternity. My parents regularly took me to a tiny church in Union, Iowa by the name of Calvary Baptist Church. From the day I could understand teaching, I was taught the Gospel, both in my home and at church. The Gospel is the message that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a life without sin, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, raised again the third day, and lives eternally in Heaven. Those of us who believe that message and accept Christ as our Savior can look forward to also spending an eternity with Him. A couple of key verses in my salvation are Romans 10:9-10 which says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast." The key to understanding the gospel is knowing that there's nothing we can do on our own to earn salvation, there's no way we can do enough good things, or try to be good enough. The key to understanding salvation, is to know that the penalty for the things we do wrong (sin) has already been paid for by the blood of Christ when He died on the cross for us. All we have to do is confess our sins and accept that free gift. It's so simple.
Living a life of faith is not so simple. Accepting Christ as our Savior is the easy part. Living out a life of holiness and faith every day is the tough part. Hopefully, as we grow both in age and maturity, our faith grows stronger day by day. This new blog is designed to allow me to express myself in ways that are not always easy to do otherwise. It's a way for me to share my faith with others more creatively. It's a spot I hope you'll enjoy coming to, participating in, and growing in your own walk with God. It's designed to stimulate a stronger faith in God through scripture, music, and life experiences. It's caffeine for your and my faith, and I couldn't be more excited.
Andrew Gogerty
Thirty years ago, at the age of five, I began the ultimate journey that would not only change my life, but more importantly, my eternity. My parents regularly took me to a tiny church in Union, Iowa by the name of Calvary Baptist Church. From the day I could understand teaching, I was taught the Gospel, both in my home and at church. The Gospel is the message that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a life without sin, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, raised again the third day, and lives eternally in Heaven. Those of us who believe that message and accept Christ as our Savior can look forward to also spending an eternity with Him. A couple of key verses in my salvation are Romans 10:9-10 which says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast." The key to understanding the gospel is knowing that there's nothing we can do on our own to earn salvation, there's no way we can do enough good things, or try to be good enough. The key to understanding salvation, is to know that the penalty for the things we do wrong (sin) has already been paid for by the blood of Christ when He died on the cross for us. All we have to do is confess our sins and accept that free gift. It's so simple.
Living a life of faith is not so simple. Accepting Christ as our Savior is the easy part. Living out a life of holiness and faith every day is the tough part. Hopefully, as we grow both in age and maturity, our faith grows stronger day by day. This new blog is designed to allow me to express myself in ways that are not always easy to do otherwise. It's a way for me to share my faith with others more creatively. It's a spot I hope you'll enjoy coming to, participating in, and growing in your own walk with God. It's designed to stimulate a stronger faith in God through scripture, music, and life experiences. It's caffeine for your and my faith, and I couldn't be more excited.
Andrew Gogerty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
