The gossip sites are going crazy. Why? Another megastar has crashed back to earth, or so they think. By now you probably have heard about Tiger Woods ramming his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant sometime around two in the morning.

You’ve probably also heard that his wife took a golf club to the SUV’s window to free her husband. Rumors are swirling everywhere that Tiger’s mad 2 a.m. dash, and subsequent facial injuries, had to do with his wife’s anger after hearing that he’d been linked to two other women–one of whom claims to have evidence proving a relationship.

What else is new, right? “Stars” are constantly doing crazy stuff to get attention, but in this case, Tiger and his wife probably didn’t want this kind of attention. In fact, Tiger has spent years carefully cultivating a clean image because he wants to be seen as a good person, and because he wants to rake in a bazillion dollars through endorsements.He is the most carefully packaged sports star in the history of sport, and that’s saying quite a bit.

But now, his reputation is torn and tattered by the allegations and rumors surrounding the accident and his alleged marital infidelity.

The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of one’s reputation. King Solomon, a man who had a great reputation then lost it, wrote:”A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1, NIV).  Solomon knew what it felt like to be “dogged” by the TMZs of his day. Here are two questions for you.

What do you do when people say bad things about you–whether they are true or false? What advice would you give Tiger on how to restore his reputation?

Mike Vick gets bitten

Okay, he’s not really a dog, but what word immediately comes to mind when you hear the name Michael Vick? Dogs, right? So, why don’t we  just call him a dog? Even better, let’s just make him a dog, put him on a leash, and tie him to a tree? Mike and the stigma of his sin have become one.

The sports world is about to obsess over Michael Vick again. You remember him, don’t you? He’s the former stud Falcons QB who bankrolled a vicious dog-fighting ring out of his Virginia home. Dogs who couldn’t fight–or couldn’t win–were hung, electrocuted, drowned, among other things. The whole thing was rather ghastly.

Vick is back in the news because he’s about to be released from prison to home confinement, and he plans to attempt a comeback. The whole dog-fighting scandal cost him more than 200 million dollars in potential earnings, some estimate.

That’s not all Vick lost, though. People have tagged him as a vicious, Black inner-city “hood” who doesn’t deserve to be forgiven or restored. Based on the hate he’s received–some deserved, some not–you’d think that he lied the nation into a baseless war that killed hundreds of thousands of people while torturing others in dungeons around the world. George W. Bush did that, but he walks free. As much as I abhor the death of animals, they  “ain’t” more precious than people (Matthew 10:29-31).

Everybody messes up in life. Some of us pay for it in a big way–like Vick–and some of us escape the hot glare of the spotlight. There is Someone who sees it all, though, and He judges the star with the same grace and mercy that He judges you and me. If Michael Vick has asked God to forgive him–and I believe he has–rest assured that God has forgiven him.

If God can forgive a king like Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-17; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20), a man who led Israel into idolatry, burned his own children in rituals to foreign gods, and killed numerous innocent people, why couldn’t he forgive Mike Vick? BTW, it is believed that Manasseh is the king who put the prophet Isaiah in a hollowed-out tree trunk and had sawed in half.

God’s forgiveness allows us to separate ourselves from the wrongs we’ve done–me from the hate I sometimes harbor, you from the lies you tell, or whatever sins we both commit. God’s forgiveness allows us to redefine who we are, so that the things we’ve done don’t permanently attach themselves to us.

How does God separate us from the stigma of our past? Ezekiel 36:25-27 shows how God gave His people a new start when they went astray: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Mike Vick needs a clean start and I, for one, hope he gets it, whether he ever plays football again or not. In what area of your life do you need a new start?

It’s Sunday morning in Arizona and I’m about to catch a flight back home. I really can’t explain what I’m feeling right now. You see, for the past few nights I’ve been preaching for a Jesus Loves Jeans youth conference in Phoenix, AZ.

During the last few nights, several people responded to appeals and recommitted their lives to Christ, but nothing really prepared me for what God did on the final night. We had set up a baptismal pool at the front of the church and filled it with faith–and some water. Two kids wanted to get baptized and we were excited for them. But then something crazy began to happen. God started moving.

As I appealed for people to give their hearts to Jesus, people started responding. But get this, they didn’t just want to give their hearts to Christ, they wanted to be baptized on the spot. They didn’t bring extra clothes with them. They had planned to attend the final night, enjoy the program, see their friends, and go home. But God had other ideas.

What’s crazy is, I wanted to close the service because the hour was late, but God wouldn’t let me end it. Every time I prepared to pray, someone else would come down for baptism. By the end of the night, 15 people had been baptized and 5 others wanted to get baptized in the next baptism. Many other kids asked for Bible studies and special prayer. I thought I had seen it all, but I have never been in a service like the one I witnessed last night. It was the best Saturday night I’ve ever had–EVER!!

Friend, something is happening. I have heard from friends in ministry that similar things are happening all around the world. Jesus is coming soon, and He’s making up His number–the people who will go with Him to heaven.

Are you saved? Have you given your heart to God? Please, please, do it now!

I first saw these awesome pictures at MSNBC.com. That “caaarrraaazzyyyy” guy with the lions is Kevin Richardson, a.k.a the Lion Whisperer.

Maybe little Kevin was out to lunch when his Momma gave the “Humans Don’t Play with Lions” speech, because obviously something is wrong with this guy. Now, let’s be clear. Kevin Richardson is a zoologist. He understands animal behavior, so he’s totally off his rocker for trying this stuff, but does he really want to be this cozy with LIONS?!!! I understand animal behaviors too. When I need my lion fix, I go to the zoo, Cuz! Lay down with the most powerful predator on earth? FOGGETTABOUTIT!!

Mr. Richardson has had some close calls (Duh!!). Once a lion began biting him, and believe it or not, his knowledge of lion behavior saved his life. He remained calm, knowing that if the lion sensed any tension or aggression, he would be dead. So, he played it cool and the lion released him.

Dude, that would’ve been enough for me right there. I’d have to switch my line of work to, say, ants? When I saw these pictures they reminded me of that awesome Scripture about how things will be in the new earth when Jesus returns:

“The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them. Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent. Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide. (Isaiah 11:6-9, The Message)

Kevin Richardson’s pics are awesome, but I’ll wait to try it out in heaven. The animals up there will be “DIFFERENT”!!!!!

I got a call last night from a guy I used to know, like a year ago. He needs my help, but I don’t want to help him. In fact, I want to hurt him.

I know that sounds bad, but you don’t know what he and his girlfriend put me through. You see, “what had happened was,” my wife and I rented our home to he and his girlfriend, after we moved away. The housing market was in a death spiral, so we couldn’t sell our home. They had a young son, needed a place badly, and so we decided to help them out. They seemed cool enough. Dude, but then they moved in and all hell broke loose.

They threw trash everywhere–the side of the house, in the back yard, everywhere. It got so bad that my former neighbors started calling me to complain about the mess. To make matters worse, he and his girlfriend broke up and she called the police to get him out of the house. The neighbors blew up my phone with the blow-by-blow. Of course, the neighbors were mad because my tenants were dragging down their property values. All of a sudden, the “ghetto” had come to the suburbs and they were hot! 

When I tried to call the guy to find out what was going on, he wouldn’t answer his phone. When he did, he’d give the phone to some little kid who just mumbled and hung up. (CUZ, I WAS SOOOOOOOO MAAADDDDDDDD!!!)

After he moved out, his girl continued the trashing of our home, and then she moved out. One day I went to the house to see the damage, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Can you imagine walking into your home and seeing dog feces caked into the hardwood floors, the stench of dog urine everywhere, the dirt piled high? The damage they did cost me close to $5,000.

But now he needs my help. He and his girlfriend are in court over the charges she made against him. While on the stand, she lied about something, and I have the document that can prove that she is lying–if I can find it. He needs that doc. I don’t even want to tell you what’s running through my mind right now.

I really don’t want to help this guy, but I’m going to look for the document, and if I find it, I’m going to give it to him. There’s only one reason why I’m going to help him and it’s this: I love Jesus. Jesus would do it for me.

Jesus once asked, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” (Matt. 5:47). What Jesus is saying is, anyone can love someone who loves them. But true love, His love, also includes loving the people who did you wrong, hurt your feelings, and messed you over!

I’m not there yet, as you can tell, but I’m working on it. Is there someone you need to forgive, someone who needs your help?

This morning I was trying to think of something to write about. Sometimes there just isn’t anything to say. At those moments in my life, I feel a call to pray and listen to God.

I checked out the news today and heard about the plane that crashed in Butte, Montana. There were 14 people on the flight–7 children–and no one survived. You can watch a news report of the crash here though the exact number dead was later changed from 17 to 14.

Would you take a minute to write a one-sentence prayer saying what you would like God to do for the family and relatives of the people killed in the crash? They could really use your prayers right now. Here’s mine.

“God, I want you to give the family and friends who lost their loved ones Your peace, the peace You gave the disciples after You lost Your Son died.”

This was gonna be the last time. The end was at hand. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of being sick and tired. Something had to give. Let me explain.

I’m one of those people who hates to be late to stuff, especially stuff that I’m supposed to be in charge of. I hate to be late for appointments. I hate to be late for work. I hate to get home late. I hate to be late. Period. But as much as I hate being late for those things, nothing makes me more crazy than being late for church. Dude, I’m like a Nazi about that. My Pops is the same way, so I guess I got it from him. He doesn’t even want to go to church, if he can’t get there one time. We don’t agree on a lot, but I feel Pops on this one.

I’m the teen Sabbath School teacher at my church. I have a back-up teacher, but I’m the guy who is supposed to be there–on time. Lately–since the birth of my son, DJ (below), four months ago–I can’t seem to get to church on time. (As I’m writing this, he’s laying right next to me about to wake up. He has no idea that I’m about to hang being late to church on him. Don’t feel sorry for him, though. I’m sure he’ll urinate on me sometime today to get me back.  But, I digress.)

Anyway, yesterday I came up with a solution to my problem. I had made up my mind to quit being the teen SS teacher. That’s not that deep to you, but it’s a big deal to me, because out of all the stuff I do–heading up Insight ministries, speaking to teen conferences, etc.–the thing I probably love most is being with my kids in teen Sabbath School. Sabbath School is hot to me. I know I’m weird, but it is.

I talked to one of the kids about my frustration, and he was like, “Yo, you can’t quit. Who’s gonna teach us?” I knew that God could send another person, so his little guilt0-trip wasn’t about to move me. I “ain’t” irreplaceable. He wasn’t buying my justifications. Right after my class, something happened that made me re-think my decision.

One of the teen girls that I hadn’t seen in a while pulled me aside. She needed to talk. I dropped everything to listen to her. Here’s what she told me in a nutshell. She hadn’t had her monthly period since January–she is pregnant. She got pregnant after she ran away from home and moved in with her boyfriend. Her mother is a prostitute and drug addict doing time in prison. Her father is not in her life. She knows that abortion is wrong, but she has been thinking about doing it, since she doesn’t know how she would care for a child. Oh, and her boyfriend is in the middle of a divorce from his wife. When she got done catching me up on her life, I was speechless. What would you say to that?

I was angry about being late to church, like that’s some big deal, when here was someone with real problems. (Dude, I felt so stupid, so ridiculous.) I believe God used her to kick me in the stomach, to get me to stop majoring in minors. I’m sure God would’ve sent someone else to help her, but I believe He sent her to me to warn me not to quit doing the work that He had called me to do, over something like being late.

I know what my purpose is. God put me on this earth to help young people get to know Jesus, and to help prepare them for His soon return. That’s it. That’s why I exist. Teaching SS is a part of my mission–until God calls me elsewhere.

There were things about saving the world that made Jesus wince–such as carrying the weight of the whole world’s sins on His shoulders. But He didn’t quit. Here’s what he said to his Dad: “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup [of suffering] be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine” (Matthew 26:39). If Jesus didn’t quit, the I ain’t quittin’ either.

What has God called you to do? Hit me up and let me know. I want to pray for you. Even if you’re not sure what your calling is, drop me a line anyway. I want to ask God to show you.

I don’t even know this woman. I’ve never seen any of her movies–atleast none that I remember. I know her husband, Liam Neeson, the Irish actor, but that’s about it. I’m not sure why her death has hit me the way it has.

People in our world die all the time. I live close to Philadelphia, PA. There’s a murder every day in Philadelphia. In fact, last year we had more murders than we did days of the year. The same is true for many other cities around the nation, and let’s not even talk about places like Darfur, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. Death is everywhere in our world, Dude!

But something about the death of actress Natasha Richardson has left me sad. In case you missed the story, she died after falling during a skiing lesson on a beginner’s course at a Canadian ski resort. According to news reports, she didn’t die right away from her injuries. In fact, she told medical workers who responded to her fall that she was fine. Hours later she complained of a headache, was rushed to the hospital in Montreal, and later transferred to New York, where her family had gathered.

I guess what’s troubling me is the suddeness of it all. She had a accident on Monday, was basically brain dead by Tuesday with little hope of recovery. By wednesday she was pronounced dead. That’s it. A whole life ended in less than three short days.

Natasha Richardson’s death got me thinking about my life. When she arrived on the Montreal slopes for her lesson on Monday, she had no clue that by Wednesday her life would be over. I often leave home, jump in my car, and speed off without even so much as a prayer. I act like God’s just supposed to protect me, like I’m guaranteed to make it back home okay. I guess I act like there isn’t a Devil prowling around (1 Peter 5:8), ready to snatch my life were it not for God’s grace. Do you act that way sometimes?

I’m probably not supposed to get this deep in a blog, but I gotta do it just this once. I’m asking myself the following question, and you can feel free to weigh in on it. Here it is:

What three things would you do today, if you knew that you were going to die tomorrow?

Provided that I am healthy enough, I would:

1. Thank God for the life He gave me. Confess all known and unknown sins to God and ask His forgiveness for them.

2. Make things right with anyone I have wronged. If I even suspected that something I did had hurt someone, I would try to make it right.

3. I would call family and friends to say goodbye. Then, I would tell my wife how much I love her and our brand new son. I would thank her for loving me, for allowing God’s love to shine through her until it warmed me. Then, I’d kiss her and the baby goodbye.

Now it’s your turn.

In 1973 he abducted a 12 year-old boy whom he planned to sexually molest. He killed the boy before authorities could get to him. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

He briefly escaped from prison in 1982. While on the run he kidnapped a couple and threatened to kill them. In 1991, he stabbed another inmate. In September he was released.

This is where the story gets interesting.

After Richard Guay was paroled–the “he” mentioned above–no one in the New Hampshire town where he once lived wanted him back and no half-way house would take him. Politicians think they can dump their trash in our small town,” said one neighbor, Jon Morales. That’s when Reverend David Pinckney stepped in.

Rev. Pinckney is pastor of a non-denominational church in Concord, New Hampshire. After talking with his wife, Pastor Pinckney did the unthinkable. He took Richard Guay into his home, to live with he, his wife, and their four children, ages 13-18, while he looks for a job and a place to live.

While on earth, Jesus made the point that when we help people–the best and the worst–we are really helping Him: “I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me” (Matt. 25:36, GWT). I feel what Jesus is saying here, but does this verse extend to convicted killers?

Here’s the question: Would you take this guy in, or any one else with a history of violence?

As grizzly stories go, this one was pretty bad. On October 5 authorities in San Bernadino, CA discovered that an unemployed father of three had murdered his entire family because he was upset over the state of his finances. He methodically shot his wife, three sons, and his mother-in-law before turning the gun on himself. It was a sad ending to several beautiful lives.

The father, Karthik Rajaram, left two suicide notes and a will. In the notes he described the financial pressure he was under because he had lost his job. Although the family lived in a gorgeous gated community in the foothills of the Santa Susanna mountains, they didn’t own the house. All that glittered wasn’t gold.

In the suicide notes, the father felt that things had gotten so bad that he was left with only two choices. He could kill himself, in which case his family would suffer emotionally–because of his loss–and financially, because he was the only person who worked in the home. Choice number 2: Kill everyone, including himself. That way, no one suffers. Somehow, the financial box he was in had stolen every other choice from him, save two.

It’s easy to dismiss this guy as nut-job who should’ve known that he had more options than to kill himself or his family. But if you live long enough, circumstances in life just might put you in a place where you can see only few options. I haven’t been around that long, but I’ve been there a few times.

Several years ago I remember being profiled and stopped by a police officer who proceeded to rip out the dashboard of my car in search of drugs. I had been married less than a week and my new bride was with me. He patted me down and started moving to do the same to her when I said to him like, “You’re not gonna touch my wife.” He called for back-up and few more officers came, including a female who checked my wife. I felt more powerless that night than I had at any point in my life before. He had no right to stop us. He embarrassed us, just because he could. That night I felt like I had one choice, and that was to hunt down that officer and kill him. I’m ashamed to say it, but that’s how I felt.

Even though I felt like doing the unthinkable, I knew I had other options. I knew even then that my “struggle [was] not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Translation? The stuff that happened to me had a lot to do with an evil force led by Satan, bent on doing me harm (1 Peter 5:8).

If Satan can make you feel totally hopeless and powerless to change your situation, he’s got you right where he wants you. Then, he can streamline your choices and push you in the direction of making the wrong one. But I’ve got some bad news for him, which is great news for you and me. God is so into powerlessness!

In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul, a servant of Jesus, wrote: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Wait, did this guy just say that he “delights” in trials? Only fools do that, right? When you read 2 Corinthians 12 altogether, you discover that this guy had a really bad problem that he begged God to take from his life, but God refused. Instead, God told Him “My grace is sufficient (enough) for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (verse 5).

God was telling Paul, bring the problem to Me. I’ll help you deal with it, because I’m much stronger than you. You can try to fix it yourself, but it wont work. You have another choice, and that’s to let me help you. Paul got so good at handing over his problems to God that he took pleasure in doing so. He (delighted) in the process. Why? Because He had faith that God would see him through.

Do you feel caught? Are you running out of options? Tell God about your problem, ask for His help, and then trust Him.