The beginning of a new year generally encourages reflection on the previous year. Today at church all the men of the congregation stood up and gave a general update of the state of the union, if you will, from the past year. It was encouraging and divinely challenging. We have been so blessed as children of God, and we need to live our lives in a manner that manifests our appreciation of this familial blessing. I began my short time (that lasted longer than I planned) with these words from Luke 11:11-13: " What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” God is a powerful Father, but more significantly, He is a good Father who seeks our good. As Romans 8 tells us, He ...