"Does life make sense?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

A friend of mine who listens to life recently told me about going to a home to inspect it for a client. He pulls up in his truck and immediately notices how unkempt the front yard is—the waist-high grass needs mowing, the bushes cover the windows; the place is just generally a mess.

Next, he peeks around to the backyard and it’s immaculate. No bushes growing up the side of the house. The grass is manicured closely, even around the chain link that runs around the backyard.

And so he stands there, wondering to himself, “Why in the world would anyone take such good care of their backyard, which no one really can see, and let the front yard go in such a miserable way?” Just then, my friend sees coming around the corner of the house, in the backyard, a goat.

Life doesn’t make sense sometimes, does it? Our normal expectations for what goes on in life fit less and less in this rapidly changing world, and there are more and more goats showing up. Today, suspend your normal expectations and just look for God coming around the corner.

Discover more great stories like this one!

"Are you far from God?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

Our older daughter recently flew to London where she’s in a study abroad program her university invited her to participate in. Frankly that’s the farthest away from home she’s ever been. My wife and I can’t be with her very quickly if something should happen like she gets sick or has an accident.

Yet, she’s still our daughter, a vital part of us. We taught her the best we knew at the time and now it’s her turn to put into practice those lessons. And she is. She’s doing great and learning decision-making at a level she hasn’t previously. She still checks in with us through email, instant messaging and we talk by way of internet telephone through www.skype.com.

I’ve thought a lot about the wonderful experiences she’s having. And it occurred to me the other day that just as she’s far away from us, but still our daughter, that when you’re far away from God, you’re still God’s child. You can still practice those lessons God taught you. Even when God seems far away you can listen to your life for the whispering voice of God, quiet the noise around you, and still make a life, not just a living today.

Discover more great stories like this one!

"One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, but does God make junk?"

A friend told me about a story about a 14-year-old boy who has two parakeets. He bought two different kinds of bird feed for them. The first was the healthy variety with vitamins and minerals. The second was like a birdie junk food. He gave the parakeets both kinds and, of course, they chose the junk food. He even mixed the two types together in hopes of tricking the birds into eating the healthy food. They picked through the healthy variety and ate only the junk food.

The boy didn’t want to throw away the healthy food so he put it in a small bird feeder he kept outdoors. He noticed that the only bird who would touch the seed was a very poor-looking cardinal who obviously wasn’t well and even losing feathers. The next day he returned with a female cardinal who looked like her mate.

The boy kept putting the healthy seed out and the cardinals kept eating it. And their health improved and they looked brilliant again.

One bird’s junk was another bird’s treasure, but then God doesn’t make junk, does He?

Discover more great stories like this one!

"You just never know who you’re holding, do you?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

I first met my nephew Dan when he was about five months old. My wife and I baby-sat him while her sister and husband went to a party. He was a good little guy, pretty typical of five months old. You know the drill— sleep, eat, change a diaper, play a little, go back to sleep. Nothing special there.

I’ve watched Dan grow up through the years. My wife’s family gets together once a year for a week at the beach and 5 month old Dan is now about 26 years old.

When I baby-sat him and held him and watched him growing up, I had no idea that I held and watched the future starting second baseman for the National League’s Florida Marlins baseball team. This past season was his rookie year and he had a terrific one, hitting over 20 home runs, driving in around 90 runs, and playing well in the field.

As you listen to your life and make a life, not just a living, the next time you’re holding a baby, remember that he or she could grow up to do something spectacular…with God’s help.

Discover more great stories like this one!

"Have you noticed that God’s love is infinite?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

Last month marked the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina assaulting the southern U.S. coast. Lives were lost. Property damage was measured in billions of dollars.

What the American people have continued to do over the last year to alleviate suffering of residents from the Katrina region is nothing short of amazing. Generous homeowners in communities thousands of miles away took strangers into their homes, and many of them still live with them a year later. Some friends of mine went down last month to rebuild a church facility so that congregation can help their neighbors. Persons continue to generously give money, do free concerts, and offer many, many other kindnesses to those affected. And all of this more than a year after the event.

God’s love is infinite. Where you are, God is. God never grows tired of helping that divine love pour through you and into the hearts of others. So listen to your life today and help others make a life and a living.

Discover more great stories like this one!

"Do you love cookies?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

Finally, somebody created a theme for a month that I can truly celebrate. This month is National Cookie Month.

What’s not to love about cookies? I mean they come in all sizes from mini’s to humongous, birthday cake sized cookies. There are all sorts of flavors—oatmeal raisin (my favorite), chocolate chip, macadamia nut, peanut butter, macaroon, pecan, walnut, gingerbread, lemon, chocolate with crème filling, chocolate with peanut butter filling, chocolate with mint filling, and…I’m getting hungry so I’d better stop. And don’t start talking about how fattening they are because there are no-sugar, low-fat, cookies, too. Why, there’s even a Cookie Monster!

Cookies are kind of like people. There are all sorts and sizes and shapes. And no two are exactly alike. Sure, you prefer some over others, but you still love them, right?

The next time you hear yourself starting to judge, criticize or accuse another person, think “cookie” and listen to your life today for what God has to say.

Discover more great stories like this one!