I'm up late!

I am sitting here writing as my wife is next to me preparing for an upcoming speaking engagement in Muncie, IN. She is talking to a group of over 300 ladies. They come from many different backgrounds: social, economic, ethnic, cultural. I am very excited for the ladies that will be present on Friday night. I have heard the topic as well as much of the body of the presentation. It is moving and it is uplifting. More than anything else, it is transparent. It is about the reality of fear. Everyone has known fear in some way, shape, or form. It is indicative of our being human. But I ask you, why does everyone have some experience with fear? I think it goes back to the beginning of mankind. Adam and Eve lived in peace in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2). That peace was disrupted by sin. The willfull disobedience to God mandated a punishment from God Himself. That punishment serves as an example to each of us today. There are consequences for our sinful action. I am afraid of sin. I am scared of letting down God, my wife, my family. I thank God that he is a God of grace and mercy and that hope is available in HIM. His son Jesus died for my sin. My sin is covered by His blood and I don't have to live in fear of the punishment that is mandated for my sin. Jesus has given me hope and because of that I can face today or tomorrow and whatever it might bring! Join me in praying for the ladies that will be in attendance this Friday night that God will reveal to everyone of them that they can live lives full of hope. ttyl!