Wishing for a better life is not enough. Many people wish they had a better life but don’t want it bad enough to change. It is like wishing you were in good physical shape and imagining running a 10k and crossing the finish line, yet not actually getting off the couch. Ha.

If you could wish for one thing and only one thing and know that the wish would be granted, what would you wish for? That is a very good question and one that is not easy to answer. What wish would make the most impact on your long term life and the life of your family? Take lottery winners for instance. Do you know that in most cases the money they win destroys their life and the life of those closest to them? There is something deep within each of us that wants to earn what we have and not have it given to us. There is a peace and life contentment that comes with striving to make something of yourself and earning it.

So we all should know and realize that free money, unearned money or winning the lottery is probably not what your one wish should be. Over the years I have worked with many older children of wealthy parents that found themselves owning hotels that their family built with wealth that their parents built. You would be surprised how many of these children are spoiled, lazy and leave a ruined life in their wake. They obviously thought that having wealth given to them would fulfill them. Many times it turns out to be the worst thing that could happen to them.

Let me tell you a bible story about King Solomon. Solomon was King David’s son and he had everything. Literally everything. He became king when he was just a boy and God told him he would give him any thing his heart desired. This boy asked God for wisdom and an understanding heart instead of riches and gold. The result was he became the wisest person to have ever lived and his wealth was so great it could not be calculated. No other human will ever have a level of wisdom and understanding that surpasses that of Solomon.

Wishing for something is just that, wishful thinking. The real test becomes if you are willing to make a change that will result in what you have wished for. I wish I was in better shape, the answer is to start getting in shape. I wish I a better relationship with my children, the answer is to start trying to repair that relationship. I wish I had a better education, the answer is to go get a better education. I wish I had a retirement plan, the answer is to start saving with this Friday’s paycheck. The list could go on and on but the central truth is that wishing something would change will get you nowhere. Acting toward change will start you going anywhere. KT

There is a country western song with this title that sounds good and feels good but it is not based on how actual life works. The first half of the title is true but the second half is not a given.

For God, It doesn’t matter how long it has been since you talked to him, he hears you when you pray. It doesn’t matter what you have done, where you have been and where you are now. It only matters that you call on him.

The gospel isn’t magic and you cannot snap your fingers and have all your problems go instantly away. There are certain sins that effect your heart and soul and there are sins that affect our external lives. Like for instant if you left the buggy in the parking lot at the grocery store instead of returning it to the corral or driving 56 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. These things can be forgiven and covered without usually having any repercussions. Now, if you go on social media and tell a blasphemous lie about someone else, this can take on a life of its own. Or, if you rob a bank at gun point, these missteps will take longer and will be much more expensive to repair.

There is a misconception that God will always catch you when you fall. Like the title of this blog, he hears you whenever and wherever you call but there is no promise he will catch you every time you fall. He says he will be with you but he doesn’t tell us he will catch us. Going back to the bank robbing example, you can call on him after you get caught and he will hear you and forgive you but you are still going to jail. I know that robbing a bank is a silly example but I use that silly example because talking about adultery, steeling, cheating, fornication, gluttony, lying, gossiping, tearing down another person, unforgiveness, greed etc. are all too deep to get into in a few paragraphs.

The point is, there is no where you can go in life or nothing you can ever do where he doesn’t hear you. You are his child and he loves you unconditionally. There are however things and situations we get ourselves into that is not a quick fix and can’t be repaired with a simple “please forgive me.”

Take my restaurant investments back in the late 80’s for example. Was investing in restaurants a sin? No. Was it a mistake? Yes. That mistake took me eight years and immeasurable financial heartache to get past. Was he with me while during the eight years? Absolutely, but he didn’t catch me and work some gospel magic that would wipe away the bad discussion. He did however give me his wisdom and patience and his blessing during the rough financial period.

So the song title should be, “hear me when I call” or “as often as I call he hears me.” KT

The tongue is the messenger boy for the heart. If you have never read a word I have said before, please read this one. It could change your life.

If you have ever wondered what is in your heart in abundance, think about what came out of your mouth over the past two weeks and you will probably be close. The bible says that whatever is in your heart in abundance will come out of your mouth. It didn’t say it might, it said it will.

Have you recently been angry, jealous or in strife against someone else. Did you say something you wish you hadn’t said? Did you talk about someone recently behind there back? Did you verbally put someone down recently? Are they all against you? Did someone slight you recently? Where you involved in gossip?

Do you have conversations with yourself about what you wished you had said or what you are going to say the next time? See, these are all coming from the heart. The heart is the real you and it will eventually be spoken out of your mouth. You may be able to control it for a while but if you let your heart dwell on strife, anger and jealousy, you will one day say something that you can’t take back. Once it is said out loud, it can never be taken back as though it had never happened. We all know that this is true. Once you ring certain bells, you can never un-ring them.

The place to fix this is in your heart. The way to fix your heart is to have a real honest conversation with God about where you are going. God will not be surprised by what you tell him because he already knows it all. He is just waiting for you to speak it out loud.

In a blog post, you have about 4 paragraphs to get a point across and this point needs 20 pages. We don’t have 20 pages so please acknowledge that your heart is where you make change if you want to change your life. The change can be as simple as talking to God in a full on honest way and beginning the process of changing your heart.

Your tongue is the messenger boy for your heart and if you don’t want to be embarrassed one day by what the boy says, you need to start working on your heart. KT

I was out walking my dog the other evening and he was so playful and wanted to run and be petted so we just had us a little time together. When he right up against me and craving for attention I wondered to myself, is his life good and enjoyable and satisfying? We crate train him during the day and then he gets out in the mornings and evenings. It sounds crazy I know, but I just wondered what it would be like to wait on your owner for 8 hours until they get home. So is he satisfied with his life? I think in the dog world, he is. I personally believe (this is completely unfounded) that the good Lord created all the other animals first and then for the last animal he created one that would need and love the companionship of humans. He created a dog. They are the only animal that needs the love of a human. To a cat, you are simply an inconvenience that they have to put up with to get food. Ha. Not so with a dog. A dog wants and needs you and his life is simply satisfying if he has you.

So enough about dogs. Are you satisfied with your life? Are there fears in your life that only you know about that is holding you back? Is there a history in your life that you just can’t get past. Do you look at your life and wish you could change it? Is there a fear or anxiety that keeps coming up in different areas of your life?

My wife loves to watch the show “Dancing with the Stars”. Because I love my wife, I watch it with her. Well, a new season started last night that will probably be on for two nights a week for the next five years. Ha, but last night there was this one contestant, a young father of three named Noah Galloway that has lost an arm and half of a leg in Iraq and yet is competing in dancing with the Stars. He said “it’s not about what we can’t do, but more about what we can.” What a statement.

What is holding you back? Embarrassment, fear, anxiety, anger, awkwardness, inferiority, health, handicap? What is it? I believe the very first step in getting past a fear is it to identify it and call it by name. Once it is named and recognized, you can began the process of dealing with it out loud and out smarting it. Fear is Satan’s greatest weapon he uses to control us. If he can get you to be afraid, he has won that area of your life. My belief if that if you allow one fear to exist in your life you will not struggle with the second or third fear. Before you know it, you have several fears holding you back.

Fighting fear is not easy in any regard but if you want to teach your children how to combat their fears, you need to first fight and overcome yours. KT