MLB Opening Day...

and my boys had their first game postponed due to rain.

Congrats to Joe Torre on winning his first game as a Dodger. I have a feeling it won't be his last.

Girardi...you got your work cut out for you.

Go Yankees!!!

American Idol Flaws

I admit, I've become a huge AI fan this year. Up until today, I couldn't understand why certain people had not been voted off (Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Jason, and Syesha).

As you know if you've been watching the show, Itunes is offering exclusive downloads for their typical 99 cent fee. You can go onto the itunes store and preview the studio recordings (for the top 10 only). When you do this, you get a totally different feel for the artists.

Automatically, when Ramiele sang "Alone" last week, I hated it. It sounded as if she was screaming and yelling through most of the song. When you click on studio recording, she sounds amazing.

I think this is a flaw in the American Idol voting process. There's no telling how many people download, but Ryan Seacrest did say last week that if they tallied on the top downloads on itunes for the week, 5 of the top 10 would have been AI singers.

Many people go and listen to these studio recorded versions, which are much more polished than the live versions (except David Cook, he's just awesome). The voters then begin to vote for what the studio recordings sound like instead of their ability to perform live in front of the judges.

Thoughts?

American Idol, 63 Days, and Some Change

Anyone watching American Idol? This is the first season I've ever really watched it. In season 2, there was a guy I knew on it. His name was George Trice. That was the only season I ever really watched even more than one episode, but after he didn't make it, I stopped watching it. I had no idea it was this addictive. Glad to see Chikezie go last night. He just wasn't my cup of tea.

Today we have 63 days left till Ladybug Widick gets here. We're officially taking name suggestions. If you got one, let us know.

I realize today why it is that I'm overweight. Not only do I need to eat a whole lot better, but its also the fact that I'm so sedentary. When I lived in Houston, I was coaching 2 or 3 sports at a time, working out, running, exercising, moving around. I don't do nearly enough of that anymore. Maybe I should get one of THESE.

Beginning Month 8, 10 weeks left

All right, for those of you that don't know, my wife is pregnant. She is getting more and more pregnant by the day. She looks so wonderful, beautiful, and happy. I still see little smiles when the baby moves, accompanied with looks of pain when the baby kicks real hard (or jumps on her bladder). The past few months have been really fun, but then again, i'm not the one carrying around extra weight.

Overall, our pregnancy so far has been rather uneventful. No problems, no concerns, no worries. However, as the 8th month has begun, we both are starting to "freak" out a little.

1. We still have not picked out a name.
2. We still have no diaper changing table
3. We wonder why people bother to register, because hardly anyone ever consults the registry before they purchase a gift (sure this neon green blanket goes with our subtle pink room....), but we really just appreciate the outpouring of stuff people have given us (we're just freaking out about the big things that we still have yet to obtain...)
4. Diapers, in a word, are EXPENSIVE. We've decided to start buying a pack every time we go to Walmart just to help get a jump start on some things.
5. From now until the baby comes, we'll go to Huntsville about 97 times. Doctor visits every other week, then every week, plus child birth classes and other classes we've signed up for.
6. Speaking of child birth classes, they start tonight. I'm the most squeamish person on the planet, so the idea of having to watch videos on child birth...um...just make sure its a few hours after I eat.
7. Have I mentioned in ten weeks we're going to be responsible for the little person that fits in those adorable sweaters and dresses and shoes people have given us?

In a nutshell, yeah, I guess I'm starting to get a bit freaked out. But I do want to thank everyone who has given us the outpouring of gifts and love and prayers. It has helped us get through the past 7 months, now help us get through months 8 and 9! Anyone who is a parent that has any advice for a first time father, I would greatly appreciate it!

Hulu

For $1.99, you can purchase television shows to download off of Itunes, or for $9.99, you can purchase movies to download as well. I loved doing this, especially for shows I used to miss, plus, then I would have them for my ipod and on my computer saved.

However, this year, NBC announced they would be pulling shows like "The Office" off of Itunes. I didn't understand...until...I read about HULU. On HULU, you can go and view many episodes (not all, but many) of your favorite television shows, AND movies.

For example, here's a clip of one of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches:


You can embed their clips on to blogs and other sites, but I still have yet to figure out a way to download. That's the one major drawback.

There's also over 50 movies you can watch from the site as well. And they aren't bad movies either. Titles such as Master and Commander, Ice Age, Me Myself and Irene, The Three Amigos, Weekend at Bernies, Sideways, ALL FOR FREE. Other movies on the site just have clips instead of the entire movie, but its still fun to watch if you have a spare moment during lunch.

The site has selected entire episodes of 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The Bob Newheart Show, Family Guy, The Incredible Hulk, Mad TV, SNL, Monk, My Name Is Earl, The Office, and classics such as Remington Steele, Starsky and Hutch, Welcome Back Kotter and Who's the Boss?

Its a great site, but just be careful that you don't get too caught up in it. Especially going back and watching old Saturday Night Live skits.

Happy viewing, for FREE!!

The Truth

Watch this all the way through, paying very close attention to the words. Pretty amazing.

Kristen and "Ladybug" Week 29

Hey all! Kristen and Ladybug are doing GREAT!!! I just had to post some pictures of them at week 29.



I think she looks wonderful!! We also thought we'd share some of the Nursery Pictures. Its not completely done, but here's a few:




And here's a picture of poor Chloe, who already isn't getting as much attention. She wanted her picture taken during the "photo shoot".

Some of the best music out there

I've recently stumbled upon a wonderful music program that is web based called Pandora. I encourage all of you to go and check it out.

All you have to do is simply register (its free), and you get to choose your station that you want to listen to. They have everything from Hip Hop, Jazz, New Age to Country, Rock, literally all you could imagine.

I've already heard Styx, James Taylor, John Denver, and Dave Matthews. I've also heard many new artists, independent artists, etc.

So go ahead, give it a listen, its FREE. If you like ambient new age music to listen to at your office, they got it! They got it all!

A Good Ole Flick

Recently, I've discovered Channel 258 on my DirecTV, which is the Fox Movie Channel. I've watched some great old flicks, movies that have reconnected me to childhood and teen years. Recently, we watched both Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride part 2.

However, on Sunday night, I recorded a movie that I hadn't seen in such a long time, and I was so excited to see it. It was the movie "Aliens'. Now, there was the movie Alien, and then there was (or were, which should be right, but isn't at this time) "Aliens". Sigourney Weaver played Ripley, a woman who had seen her whole crew destroyed by an Alien, and on this movie, she sees basically the same thing, but with a lot more action.

I also recently saw on the channel the movie "Dumb and Dumber", which was always a classic. So what about you guys? Is there a movie that connects you to your past that you always love watching when you get a chance?

Sign up to win FREE stuff

Yeah, that's right, free stuff. All you have to do is go to my website at LOOK GOOD FEEL GOOD and sign the guest book. You don't even have to buy anything! Just sign the guest book! You will be entered to win 35% off a one time total purchase!

As an added incentive, if you sign up as a client (which is free) and actually buy something on your visit as well, you will be entered to win a free RE9 Kit!

Since September, my wife has been selling Arbonne products. Arbonne has everything from skin care, hair care, makeup, and health and wellness products. Since September, all we have used in our house is Arbonne. I can tell a huge difference in my face, and in the way I feel.

Here's a few things you need to know:

Most types of lipstick in the cosmetic industry contains lead. That's right, lead. There is no regulation on the cosmetic industry, so there is no problem with them doing this. And, its not just your cheap lipstick, its name brand, department store lipstick as well. Arbonne's lipstick contains no lead, is botanically made, and contains no animal by-products.

Most types of mascara contain bat poop. That's right, good ole bat poop. Arbonne's is poop free.

The face and body care has no animal by products in it. Did you know there are kitchen's and restaurants who sell their used grease to body care companies to put into their body wash and face wash? Arbonne does not.

It has now been a week without caffeine and oh yeah, I'm still FAT!

Okay guys and gals, I've gone a whole week now without caffeine, unless you count the microscopic amount that is in chocolate, which I am not eating a lot of either. One week down, and here's the lowdown-

I can live without caffeine. Caffeine is not my ruler. Caffeine is not required to pay attention, wake up, energize or any other excuse we use. However, even though I'm drinking mostly water, and eating significantly better, i've gained weight. I realize that caffeine is a metabolism boosting agent, and without it, it is harder for me to do this whole lose weight thing.

I will say that stopping the whole Diet Dr. Pepper craze has helped me realize that I do control what I put in my body, and that I CAN control the cravings. Its just a rather difficult thing to do.

I'm pushing 260 now, officially reaching the most I've ever weighed. There's a guy on the Biggest Loser this season who just went home last night that weighed 285 when he got there. I'm reaching a weight that people are going on television reality shows for now. This past week has had a big impact on me in regaining my control of myself. I know that I can do this. I just have to stick with it. Even at my lunch the other day with Jason, at a Mexican place, I drank water. Last night at the State Playoffs for basketball, I drank water with my meal. This is hard, because we've trained ourselves to think that soft drinks just go better with certain meals. Its not true!

So It has been requested of me by my dear loving wife that I weigh 225 by the time the baby gets here. As difficult as it my be, I'm game to try. I've written on here many times about starting this out, and failing miserably. NOT THIS TIME!! I've got more control now than I've had in a while. I just have to get off the couch and move.

The Aftermath of a Day Without Caffeine

I decided to kick it in to high gear yesterday by simply just quitting on caffeine. With recent reports that Diet Sodas actually don't do what they're supposed to do, I decided it was only hurting me in my effort to lose weight, which if you haven't figured out by now, is a huge issue for me.

So yesterday, I consumed no caffeine (to my knowledge). I usually start the day out by drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper (DDP) first thing when I get to the office. Then I'll drink another one mid morning. Then I'll usually have at least one with lunch. Around 1:30 or so, the mid afternoon slumps start to kick in, and I consume another. Then, depending on the rest of the day, I may have one with dinner (especially if we eat out). Over the course of any given day, I may consume 6 to 8 cans of DDP, or more diet soft drinks if I eat out (I love refills, especially when I pay $3.00 for a soft drink).

Yesterday, I had no caffeine. Yesterday went well, no real effects, just a little fatigue, and nothing more. I thought to myself this would be easier than the last time I kicked this little habit. I went to bed last night earlier than usual (go figure) and rested well. I woke up this morning, and ....

BAM!

It was literally like my head had been beaten with a blunt metal object. It had been at least 30 hours since my last known caffeine consumption, and I was feeling it in a major way, and I still am. It is now 10:38 a.m., and I am moving slow and starting to feel sick. I've read about how different people respond in different ways to caffeine withdrawal, most experiencing headache and fatigue, but others have physical symptoms like runny nose, neck pain, and the jitters. Check, check, and check, yup, I'm experiencing them all.

Baby Girl Widick (a.k.a. Ladybug)

Things are really getting exciting around the Widick household. We've nicknamed Baby Girl "Ladybug". I've finally been able to feel Ladybug move around. Not a whole lot, but enough to feel her move a slight bit.

Last night, after reading about playing music through some headphones placed on the pregnant woman's belly, I picked up my Ipod and scrolled through the music. I thought long and hard about what song I wanted to play first for her. I thought about all sorts of songs, and finally settled on a song done by the Zoe Group, an A Capella song called "Great Is the Lord".

This song was the song Kristen and I used for the lighting of our unity candle in our wedding. Here are the lyrics:

Great is the Lord
and most worthy of Praise
In the city of our God,
the Holy Place
The joy of the whole earth
Great is the Lord
in whom we have the victory
He aides against the enemy
We bow down on our knees before you
And lord we want to
lift your name on high
And Lord we want to thank you
for the works you’ve done in our lives
And Lord we trust in your unfailing love
For you alone are God eternal
throughout earth and heaven above.

We have yet to visibly see Ladybug move or kick. However, last night, after this song repeated through the second time, right after the line "And Lord we want to lift your name on high", we saw her kick. She didn't just kick, it looked like she was kicking a 60 yard field goal into the wind. Kristen said it was the most pronounced kick she's felt yet.

I can't help but think that Ladybug is already praising God and worshiping Him for the life she will live, and last night, God gave us comfort and joy with that one slight movement, and I won't ever forget it. I am so excited and thankful for the joy that she has already brought. God be praised.

Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don't

With many apologies do I write this. We've been swamped at church lately, especially with our annual pilgrimage to Gatlinburg, TN for Winterfest. Just about every free moment I have outside of normal church activities goes toward getting people in rooms, groups, vehicles and more for Winterfest.

But since the Writer's strike is officially over, I feel like I should get back on task. Sorry for the delay. Thanks to Greg for calling me on it.

Baby Widick is doing well. We go back to the doctor on Thursday for our monthly check up. How's that for Valentine's Day? After which, we'll have a our Junior High Valentine's Fun Night at the church building.

We spent the past two weekend in preparation for Baby Girl. Last weekend we painted the nursery a color called "Candy Mix", which is basically a light pink color. We put new blinds up, we've bought a rug, got the crib ready, and now the room could handle a little girl. Except for the fact that we don't have a mattress yet, maybe we'll be able to afford one of those before she comes! Baby stuff is expensive! (Cough, hint hint, we're registered at Babies R Us if you'd like to purchase us some gifts...)

Profound Lesson from a Strange Old Man

Working in a church building daily always has its fair share of interesting people who stop by. More often than not, when the door bell rings at our building, it is a case for someone needing some benevolence. While the church always wants to help everyone, there are times when churches run out of funds. This is the case for us now, as January was a hard hitting month for people needing assistance, and we ran through our budget rather quick. I never know what to do with the people who come seeking assistance after we are out of funds for the month. I always offer them a prayer, or an opportunity to come in and talk. Today, at around 3:30 the doorbell rang. Philip, our minister, was meeting with someone in his office, and our secretary is on vacation, so I got up to answer the door. I was already going through what I was going to say in my mind: "I'm sorry, we're out of funds for the month, but can I pray with you?"

As I opened the door, a feeble man of about 75 years of age stood there. He appeared not to be a benevolence case. I introduced myself and asked if I could help him. He looked me as straight in the eyes as anyone ever has, and said: "I've been a Holy Roller, a Pentecostal, a Baptist and a Catholic. None of them worked for me. So I thought I'd give you guys a try. What can the Church of Christ do for me?"

I stood there baffled, not knowing what to say. I usually am pretty quick on my feet when I am asked a question, but that one took me off guard. What can the Church of Christ offer me?

Now I must let you know, it ended up that this guy was a long time friend of one of our Elders, Mack Whitaker, and had some clothes to drop off for our benevolence Clothing House. He was just pulling my leg, and the guy is a faithful member of a church nearby. But the question still lingers in my head - what can the church of Christ do for me?

I'm going to have to get back to you on it, because I'm not really sure if I have a real answer to give. Any of you guys have any thoughts?

Follow Me

“Simon, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes Master you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
He then asked a second time “”Simon do you love me?”
“Yes Master, you know I love you.”
“Shepherd my sheep.”
Simon was upset as Jesus asked a third time “Do you love me?”
Simon answered “Master you know everything, you’ve got to know I love you.”
Jesus said “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Simon would glorify God. And then he commanded “Follow me.”
Turning his head, Simon noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?” Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?
You – follow me.” John 21:15-22

What would your life look right now if you decided to completely follow Jesus? Would it look a lot different than it does now? Why would your life look different if you decided to completely follow Jesus?

Think on this for a moment: When people hear your name, what do they think of? Is Christ thought of at all when someone hears your name? Think for a moment of all the things that might go through someone’s mind when they hear your name.

Spend some time in prayer over your commitment to God, and examine yourself to see if you are being truly committed. Are you ready to take ownership of the name God has given you and be the Christian He needs you to be? Are you ready to completely follow Him?

Reality is sinking in

Kristen is now almost 21 weeks pregnant. She is starting to fill out the belly of her maternity clothes. It is obvious now that she has something growing inside of her. Its been that way for about 4 weeks now.

But it wasn't all that real until last Thursday at the doctor's office. He clicked the lights off, turned on the ultrasound machine, and voila! There was our daughter. My how she had grown. She went from being the size of a grape to being the size of a banana.

My brother and my sister both had girls first, so I felt in my heart that we would probably have a girl as well. The doctor asked if we had a preference before he started, and we told that we didn't, but we felt like it was going to be a girl. We explained that it kind of ran in my family.

He showed us the head, and the stomach, the kidneys, some feet and hands, ribs, the spine, and finally he asked us again "Are you sure you want to know?" We told him yes, and he told us "Well, it looks like the trend....will continue. Congratulations, you're having a girl!" He then showed us how he knew (I thought we were still looking at the head) and pointed out the little girl parts. I was so excited. I couldn't see Kristen's face, but I knew her face was filled with joy and tears (which later, she confirmed for me).

Now, it all seems so much more real to me. We have a healthy daughter that God is blessing us with. Each day, I see Kristen growing more and more. Last night, I laid my head down on Kristen's belly, and I felt our little girl move just the slightest bit. Kristen now feels her daily. Everytime she feels her move, she beams with delight (I know that in a few weeks she'll grow tired of it, but for now its still very exciting to her).

God is truly blessing our lives. Money, possessions, appearances...all of those are great, but family is so important. Thank you God for blessing my life.

Its a GIRL!!!

Well, after 21 weeks, we went to the doctor today to find out if we were going to be blessed with a boy or a girl. You can see for yourself:



I've had a feeling the whole time it would be a girl. Kristen did as well. Looks like the voters had it right this time. We are so excited. We went straight from the doctor's office to Babies R' Us to register (hint hint).

Pregnancy: Week 20

Here are the latest pics. This is from week 20. The first two pictures in the black shirt are in a "Maternity" shirt. The second two pictures in the greenish shirt are in a non maternity shirt.

Don't forget to vote to your left!

Boy or Girl?

On Thursday of this week, Kristen and I will go to the doctor to find out if we will blessed with a boy or a girl. I have posted a poll for you to vote on the left. Please take a moment and vote for whether you think we'll have a boy or girl (if you're reading this on facebook, go to www.youthministerlane.blogspot.com to place your vote!).

Do you need to lose weight?

Arbonne offers some pretty good weight loss supplements. They offer protein and fiber shakes, dietary supplements, and energy supplements. If you are interested in looking at these, go to our website at lookgoodfeelgood.myarbonne.com and check them out.

If you are real interested, we are offering the entire weight loss set, a $150 value, for free to one lucky customer. Just visit the site, buy only one item, and sign our guest book, and be entered to win a free weight loss kit. Its good stuff!

What are you hiding?

I know most of you have seen this video, but I just can't stop watching it. Watch, and then read some thoughts I have afterwards.



By day, he sells cell phones. But he wants to do more. Much more. He has a dream to do what he feels he was born to do, and that is to sing.

Notice when he says he is going to sing opera, the British judge gives kind of a "Oh boy, this will awful" look. And the first time I saw it, I thought the same thing. "No way can this guy sing opera. This is a classic "American Idol" screw up audition, and I'm about to laugh".

However, when he starts singing, something comes out of him that no one really expected. Something beautiful, something inspiring.

So ask yourself this: What am I hiding inside of me that I've never let anyone know I can do? Better yet, what talent has God placed inside of me that I've never let people see?

Inside of all of us as Christians, God has placed His Holy Spirit in us. Through God, we can do immeasurable things. God takes those who by human standards are failures and turns them into Peters and Pauls and other heroes from the Bible.

Paul Potts, the guy who sang, said he often lacked the confidence to get up and perform. Don't let lack of confidence ever keep you from doing something for God. He was there with Moses, in front of the Egyptian Pharoah. He was there with Esther in front of the King. He was with Jesus as He walked the long walk to the Golgotha. He'll be with you, too.

1948, A Long Time Ago

On January 7th, 1948, a young Joe Widick was born into this world. Now, 60 years later, no one could have foreseen his impact on the world.

For around 30 years, he taught in one of the most under appreciated systems in the schools, the private school system. Not only private education, but Christian Education was where he landed. He spent many a night staying up late working on yearbooks, slideshows, newspapers, grading tests, driving the bus for sports teams, cleaning the building, counseling with families, preparing lessons, devotionals, classes, coaching, directing plays, and many other things.

Every Sunday, he would wake up to go and preach for a local country congregation of around 30 or so members. He would diligently preach the word of God in the morning and in the evening, and do it again Wednesday nights.

He woke up early every day of the school year for many years to drive the school bus for the kids who had no other way to get to school, most of the times having none of the kids ever saying thanks.

He was in charge of running the scoreboard and keeping stats for the home basketball games, except for when he had to take the yearbook and newspaper pictures.

During the summers of all the school years he taught, instead of taking time off like so many teachers are able to do, my father worked loading and unloading trucks, and many other various jobs, just to be able to help out with the family bills. There's no way we would have survived. He also took pictures as a wedding photographer, sports team photographer, and many other small projects to help make ends meet.

After many years of serving as a teacher, his job was changed to the position of Principal. He diligently did all he could to bring more AP classes to the school, to up the ante on the education of the school. While doing this, he dropped a few of his responsiblities, but worked all the more.

Now, he serves as an Elder and as a Minister for the Maple Hill Church of Christ in Lebanon. He continues to influence people every single day. Over the past 60 years, my father has influenced thousands of people, all the while humbly bowing his head and not taking any credit.

Here's to my father, Joe Widick, a great man with a love and passion for serving our God in any way possible. Thanks for all you've done for me, my family, and all the people you've ever helped, which are way to many to ever count. I love you dad.

Time to start it all

This past week, my wife and I spent a wonderful week in Atlanta, GA at the National Conference for Youth Ministers. After seeing many wonderful friends that I haven't seen in a while. We heard many encouraging speakers and are motivated for this upcoming year. We were real excited to have our friends Jason and Jenny McKnight with us most of the week.

Some of the things I learned this past week:

1. I can live without the internet. I went from Wednesday to late this evening without using the internet...and I survived.

2. Is the church doing it right? Are we too focused on the building instead of the actual church? Is this really how Jesus intended his church to be, confined to a building?

3. I need to be a better minister to everyone. To my teenagers, to my parents, the staff, the members, the elders, everyone!

4. Amos 5:21-22; What does it mean? Is there a meaning for us today that we can learn from Amos? Am I courageous enough to be an Amos?

Thoughts?

Second Thoughts about Jesus

Spiritual Resolutions. They should be a priority. Too often times they are not. Check out my good buddy's resolution over at ALREADY AND NOT YET.

I mentioned in my last post that I would report on my spiritual resolutions for the year. These are never simple, and these should not be taken lightheartedly. On Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at our church in Guntersville. I spoke from the passage of Luke 9:57-62. It reads:

“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me. "But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God".

All three of these guys had a reason to postpone their commitment to Jesus. Here are three things I get from this, and three things I resolve for the year:

1. Jesus needs to know that I have what it takes to follow Him.
2. Jesus needs to know that He is my my number one priority.
3. Jesus needs to know that I won't ever look back on my decision to serve Him.

Jesus knew the first guy was reluctant to follow Him. He saw something in this wanna be disciple that said "The life of a Christian may have trails and tribulations, and I can't handle that. As soon as it happens, I'm gonna give up". Jesus needs to know that we won't give up, whether the task at hand is working in a nursery at church, preaching to the shut ins at the nursing home, dealing with benevolent cases, or praying for others.

Jesus knew the second guy wanted to put a bit more emphasis on his family, friends, home...whatever the case may be... above Jesus. I can't imagine making a decision without my family's support, but if my family is going against what Christ wants, I would have to do so. But more importantly, Christ HAS to be a priority in my life. Jesus does not accept second place. Proclaiming the kingdom of God – the good news of Jesus Christ for us today, demands our allegiance above all other commitments in this world. Let me repeat that. Jesus demands our allegiance above all other commitments in this world. Above our family, our jobs, our possessions, our hobbies, our guilty pleasures, and anything else that you can think of!

Finally, no one can plow a straight furrow in the soil by looking back. We can’t whole-heartedly live for Jesus with constant second thoughts and reservations.

Do you ever have buyers remorse? Maybe you’ve bought a new house or a new car, you know, a major purchase, and as soon as you bought the item, you immediately regretted it. Buyer’s remorse can have a powerful impact on you. However, Jesus needs to know that you don’t have second thoughts about your decision to follow Him.

I so desperately want to be a child of God, an obedient loving child of God. I want to live for Christ without reservation, hesitation, vacillation, indecision or fluctuation. I want to live for Jesus with determination, resolution, perseverance and fortitude. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God to guide and a determined fixing of my eyes on Jesus, this is possible.