Dan Walsh's Blog, page 29
November 25, 2013
Homemade Christmas Ornament – Novel Contest
I’ll be writing another Christmas novel very soon and would love to get some help from my readers, fans and friends. A part of the book will involve Christmas tree ornaments. What I’m looking for are humorous, interesting and/or touching stories about making homemade Christmas ornaments with your kids. Even if they turned out badly.
From all the stories I receive, I’ll pick out the best ones (probably 4 or 5) and actually incorporate them into my novel, as I write it. The ones I choose will receive:
A signed copy of my novel Remembering Christmas, or one of my last 2 novels in the Restoration series (The Dance or The Promise).
A signed, complimentary novel when it comes out (Title not confirmed yet).
I will mention your name and your story in the Acknowledgments page in the back of the book.
HOW TO ENTER
It’s easy. But don’t enter here. Write out your Homemade Christmas Ornament story (a few paragraphs, up to a page is plenty), and email it to me at danfb@danwalshbooks.com. If you have any pics of the ornament, attach them. Just write “My Ornament Story” in the subject line, so I get it in the right folder. I’ll read each one myself.
I’ll be running this contest from now through Sunday, Dec 8th. If you know any family or friends with great Christmas ornament stories, could you let them know about this contest for me (or, if they’re okay with it, you could write their story and send it in).
Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season!
Dan Walsh






November 22, 2013
JFK’s Assassination 50 Years Today
“Where were you when John F. Kennedy was assassinated?”
If you’re able to answer that question and you actually remember what you were doing when you first heard the news, you’re probably in your mid-50s or older. Because today marks the 50th anniversary of that fateful moment in history.
I remember. I was 6 years old (that’s me about that age).
I lived in the house pictured below, a screenshot compliments of Google Maps. It’s on Oakwood Drive in Glenolden, PA, a small suburb southwest of Philadelphia. It’s the one with the awning and the wood deck on the side, although neither of those existed when I lived there as child. And the fancy landscaped entrance by the sidewalk wasn’t there, either. Actually, it looked almost identical to the townhouse just to the left of it. Back then, they weren’t called townhouses but row homes.
We moved there from downtown Philly when I was two and stayed there until the summer after second-grade, when I was seven. That year we moved to Florida, where I’ve lived pretty much ever since.
But I lived at this house the day JFK was killed.
It’s the second picture of my neighborhood (below) that is forever riveted in my brain. When the news broke, I was in my first grade class at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic school, a few blocks away. My brother and I walked there every day along with dozens of other kids from our neighborhood. It was a much more innocent time, a safer time. Parents never worried that their children would be abducted or harmed in any way.
We were sitting in class being taught by a nun. I don’t remember her name, only that I feared her more than God, and she was able to control 50 kids all day with nothing more than a dark stare and a yardstick.
There was a crackling sound over the loudspeaker hanging on the wall above the chalkboard. The familiar (and even more terrifying) voice of Mother Superior began to speak. Only this time, her voice seemed shaky and upset. She informed us that the president had just been shot in Dallas, Texas, and that school was closing immediately. All children were to go home right away, except those whose parents drove them; they were to come to the office where their parents would pick them up shortly.
Being only 6, the full impact of the news didn’t hit me. What did was the look on our teacher’s face. We had never seen her lose her composure for a single moment until that day. She said, “You heard Mother Superior. Everyone get your things together and go home. No talking until you’re out of the building and on your way.” We instantly obeyed.
The only memory I have right after that is the view from this picture looking down our street as I walked home. The only thing missing are the dozens of young mothers who had just left their living rooms after hearing the tragic news, and were now gathering on the sidewalks to cry and grieve together.
Seeing that, made me realize just how horrible this thing was. Obviously, I knew JFK was the president and that Jackie was his wife. They were always in the news. But until that moment, I had never paid them very much attention.
Over the next 3-4 days, that’s all I remember doing, watching the news. Or at least, watching my parents watch the news. We were even watching when 2 days later Jack Ruby gunned down Oswald, live on TV, in that parking garage at the Dallas police station. And, of course, we were all glued to the TV during JFK’s funeral.
Well, that’s my story? How about you? Where were you when JFK was assassinated? What do you remember?






November 8, 2013
A Nice Way to Honor a Vet on Veteran’s Day
This coming Monday is Veteran’s Day. Last week, my pastor asked for my help with a project he wanted to do to honor our veterans this Sunday. In the process, I found out that my novel, The Reunion, was on sale at Christianbook.com for only $2.99 (paperback version).
One of the primary reasons I wrote this novel was to honor our veterans, especially those who served in the Vietnam era. I’ve received many emails and book reviews from veterans who served in WW2, Korea and all through the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (and from their family members), saying how much this story touched their hearts.
It gave me an idea…to suggest that you consider buying a gift copy of The Reunion for a military vet you know and get it to them, in honor of Veteran’s Day. At $2.99, how can you lose? I’m certainly not doing this for the money (at that price, I’d make only pennies per copy). But this novel has been my highest-rated novel of the 9 I’ve written so far (136 5-Star reviews on Amazon).
Click here to order it at Christianbook.com.
Click here to get a copy on Kindle (for just $3.99)
Reading the feedback from Veterans and their family members has been one of the most satisfying things I’ve experienced as an author. Here are a few excerpts from these Amazon reviews:
“Every Vietnam Veteran should read this book! As one who served in Vietnam, I can only say this is a must read book. It captures how the country felt about the returning veterans and some of their thoughts. There are still others who never made it back, but are still alive in the states today.” — Wildrover 99 (Amazon review)
“My dad is a Vietnam veteran and my hero. He was a Lieutenant in the Army and served in Vietnam for sixteen months in 1967 and 1968. He was wounded in combat a couple of times, but went right back into battle each time…I knew from reading Dan’s previous books that he would perfectly touch the emotions of veterans and their families in this book and he certainly did…I loved this story and just as I expected, it brought me to tears. It was everything I hoped it would be: touching, sentimental, romantic and VERY patriotic. It focuses on the importance of love, family and forgiveness.” — C. Kendall, Vine Voice (Amazon review)
“This book touched my heart. I served in Vietnam from February 1967 until February 1968 as a Combat Engineer. I am very grateful that the majority of my fellow citizens now are grateful for us Vietnam veterans. I especially thank authors like Mr. Dan Walsh for writing good positive books about us veterans. While wiping away tears after reading this book I say a heart felt thank you to Mr. Walsh!” – Jerry Prigmore (Amazon review)
“Be sure you have tissues on hand when you read the final scenes. I don’t normally get too personal in my reviews, but my husband is a Vietnam vet. Reading about Aaron’s (and the other men’s) struggles brought me to tears more than once. In addition to being a gripping novel, The Reunion is a tribute to Vietnam veterans, all of whom bore the brunt of our nation’s dislike of an unpopular war at that dark time in our history. I recommend The Reunion wholeheartedly.” — A. A. Shorey, Oregon (Amazon review)
“I am thrilled that Dan Walsh has used the Vietnam War as the focus of this story. Having a grandfather who served in WWI, a father that served in WWII, and a brother-in-law who served in Vietnam, I am aware of the way our veterans have been treated. This book allows us to celebrate the men and women who served in Vietnam War. We can honor them, as we do our older veterans, with pride. Thank you Dan Walsh for another heart-tugging look at human emotion. I am not one who cries often, but this book filled my heart and brought tears to my eyes several times. This award winning author has served up another winner.” — Marilyn in Wisconsin (Amazon review)






October 19, 2013
Some Fun Book Updates
My latest novel, The Promise (Book 2 in the Restoration series) has been out about 6 weeks now. It’s doing very well, and the reviews for the most part have been extremely encouraging. That’s always a concern for a second book in a series, especially when the first book (The Dance) did so well. Will the readers like the next book? Will they be disappointed? Will they want to read Book 3?
Here are some of the highlights over the last 6 weeks:
A 6-page spread in the October Issue of Book Fun Magazine, which now has a circulation of 250,000 readers. It’s me interviewing my co-author Gary Smalley. All kinds of behind-the-scenes stuff. Click Here and go to pg 42.
Here’s a link to one of the best and most thorough reviews on The Promise I’ve read since it’s release. If you’ve been curious about the book, check this review by Lynda Schab with BookReporter.com. http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-promise-the-restoration-series-book-2
In the 2nd week of October, my novel Remembering Christmas reached #1 on Amazon’s Christmas bestseller list, beating out some serious competitors. Here’s a screenshot I took of the moment.
This was kind of cool. I received a copy of the Dutch edition of Book 1 in the Restoration series, which we called “The Dance.” I’m so grateful when my books are picked up by a foreign publisher. But it’s odd to open the cover and not be able to read a single word. Here’s a pic of “De Dans” next to it.
What Am I Working on Now?
Believe it or not, I’ve just finished the edits for Book #3 of this series with Gary. We’re calling it The Desire, and it features Jim and Marilyn’s daughter, Michele, and her husband Allan. As well as introducing a new main character, Christina, a young woman in a crisis pregnancy.
I’ve actually started the 4th book in the series, tentatively called The Prodigal. Today, I’ll be working on Chapter 5.
Oh…and this just in…I learned 2 days ago that my wife and I are going to be grandparents again. My daughter is expecting her 2nd baby, due this summer!






October 10, 2013
Happiness and Low Expectations
I used to love roller coasters. The wilder and faster, the better. My wife? Not so much. In fact, my love of roller coasters almost ruined my honeymoon way back in 1976. We were at Six Flags near Atlanta and, after expressing my love for roller coasters, I asked her if we could go on the Scream Machine together. It was the wrong question. The right question would have been: “Do you like roller coasters?” Had I asked, her answer would have been, “No, I’m terrified of them.”
But I was 19 and duller than a 5-watt bulb. So, we went on the Scream Machine, and she screamed all right. But so did I. The difference was…mine were happy screams. Hers were screams of sheer terror. Still limited by my dullness and wholesale lack of discernment, when the ride ended I asked if she’d like to go on it again. Through tears, she managed to say: “No, thank you. I don’t ever want to go on a roller coaster again.”
We’ll call this a “teaching moment.”
Over the years, she loosened her grip on this roller coaster moratorium, but just a little. Certain theme parks have kiddie-coasters with slow speeds and small hills, no sharp turns and certainly no upside down loops. We could go on these together. At the end, no screams, happy wife, bright future.
I didn’t know it then, but this roller coaster experience would later serve as something of a metaphor in our marriage. You see, on an emotional scale, my life is more like that roller coaster with big ups and big downs, crazy speeds and sharp turns. My wife, emotionally speaking, goes through life much more evenly, like riding that kiddy-coaster.
We’ve been married for 37 years, so we’ve gone through most of life’s trials together. I’m well aware by now of a certain pattern, a way we react towards the challenges, difficulties and disappointments that come our way.
Cindi’s mostly happy and, if she gets down or discouraged at all, she bounces back quickly. Her faith in God is rock solid. I envy her. Emotionally speaking, I’m all over the place. I’m riding the Scream Machine. I get discouraged much more often, get hurt far more easily, and take much longer to recover.
We’ve talked about why many times (usually when she’s trying to help me get to a better place). I believe it has something to do with where we set our expectations. I tend to set mine very high. Too high, as it turns out (see the roller coaster car rising, hear the click-click-click sound). As a result, since I have to live in the real world where almost nothing goes the way I planned, real life hits and falls so far short of my expectations. I come crashing down (see the little car now flying down the hill at breakneck speed).
Only on the roller coaster of life, my screams aren’t like the happy screams on my honeymoon. It can leave me feeling sad, hurt, even depressed. And it takes me way too long to get to a place of joy and faith than it should.
I don’t believe the solution is simply a matter of lowering my expectations, although that would help some. Cindi’s approach is really rooted in the wisdom of Scriptures like these:
“Hope deferred (i.e. expectations delayed or postponed) makes the heart sick…” (Prov 13:12)
“My soul, wait upon God only, for my expectation comes from Him…” (Psalm 62:5)
She has learned not to set her expectations high in earthly matters (including people), so when things don’t turn out as planned, her emotions don’t suffer the level of heart-sickness mine do. And she, generally, looks to God more often and more easily, allowing Him to set her expectations at what He provides.
I want to be more like her. So…what kind of roller coaster do you ride?






October 2, 2013
Breaking Up Our Routines – a Good Thing
This is the view I saw as I got ready for breakfast this morning. Sometimes it’s good to break up our routines.
Every Wednesday morning, I meet with a group of guys from my church for breakfast. Normally, we meet at Bob Evans. Last week someone suggested we meet at this little restaurant stuck out on the end of a pier instead, in the Daytona Beach area where we live.
It was a good call.
Instead of walking into a crowded parking lot of a franchise place with a decent but predictable menu I got to see this: the sun rising off the ocean, the pleasant sound of crashing waves, a greeting from an interesting variety of friendly birds, a cool sea breeze blowing in from open windows, and a view up and down the beach that can’t be beat. And if I wanted, I could’ve ordered Eggs Benedict with crabmeat. I didn’t. I ordered corned beef hash with scrambled eggs, but it was nice to see so many unique things on the menu.
Like I said, sometimes it’s good to break up our routines. Even this men’s breakfast is a change from my routine. Normally, it’s a bowl of Life cereal eaten while watching Fox & Friends. Oddly enough, I enjoy this routine. For a few moments, I was even tempted to skip out on the men’s breakfast. I was tired. This new place was an extra ten minutes away. It costs money. With coffee and a decent tip–a little over ten bucks (my Life cereal costs about 50 cents a bowl).
But I was brave and courageous, a manly man. I overcame my obstacles, grabbed my keys and headed out the door. Once I got there, within the first five minutes I was glad I did. Besides all the things I’ve already mentioned, spending time with real friends is way more refreshing than spending time with 3 people I don’t really know, watching them sit on a couch and tell me all the things I already know are wrong with the world.
Know what I mean?
Isn’t it sad how easily we form habits and routines? It’s like some involuntarily thing inside us just clicks into place. We do something once, then we do it again, and soon…this is what we do, this is how it’s done. As if we can’t bear the weight of having to make one more decision.
It’s why we sit in the same seats at church. Even as we drive into the parking lot and walk through the front doors, we’re not just going to find a seat in the auditorium. We’re heading for our seat. And when we sit down, most of the people around us look very familiar. With good reason, they did the same thing. They sat in their seat.
I’m not saying this a bad thing. But I think sometimes giving into this…thing, isn’t always a good thing. It has the potential to lock us into patterns that can keep us from experiencing some wonderful blessings God has in store for us; blessings that lie just beyond the borders of our habits and routines.
Think about Jesus in the Gospels. I’ve been rereading them in my quiet times. And I’ve noticed something. Jesus hardly ever does the same thing twice. Every day for the disciples must’ve been like a brand-new adventure. Jesus constantly said and did new things, different things than anyone else they had ever met.
But he wasn’t being different just to be frivolous or artsy. He told them that everything He did and everything He said were the things the Father wanted Him to do and say. Just looking at God’s creation, we can tell that God is faithful as a rock and reliable as the sunrise, but that He is also infinitely creative and possesses a wonderful imagination.
There are almost 28,000 species of fish alone. I drove by a condominium complex recently that boasted five different floor plans to choose from (count ‘em…FIVE). God’s imagination and creativity boggle the mind. Ours? Not so much.
We think going to a different breakfast place is something.
How about you? Done anything ‘wild and crazy’ lately? Something totally out of the ordinary, totally not like you?






September 3, 2013
Celebrating Release of The Promise – 5 Book Giveway
The Promise, Book 2 of the Restoration series, co-authored with Gary Smalley, just released this week! To celebrate, I’m offering 5 free SIGNED copies of either this book or The Dance (Book #1, if you haven’t read it yet). It’s easy to enter for the drawing. You can do it in 1 of 3 ways:
Like my Facebook Page (if you haven’t already). The link is www.facebook.com/DanWalshBooks
If you have already Liked my FB page, leave a comment there (on my FB page).
Leave a comment HERE, on this blog page.
Remember to specify in your comment, which of the 2 books you want if you win. I’ll be picking the 5 winners in 2 Weeks on Tuesday, Sept 17th!
Here are some early reviews of The Promise:
“In the second installment of the Restoration series, authentic characters and challenges, beautiful and uplifting prose and solid marital advice flourishes…The story is so captivating you’ll find it difficult to put down.” – 4.5 Stars, Top Pick! RT Book Reviews
“The Promise is a moving tale, filled with authentic human emotion and believable drama. It delves into problems plaguing many families, illustrating the value of communication and understanding. It also deftly points out the importance of a father’s role…An inspiring read.” — The New York Journal of Books
“With sympathetic characters and an uplifting ending, this second series entry (after The Dance) by Christian Fiction author Walsh and relationship expert Smalley is sure to please their fans…” – Library Journal
“Walsh’s and Smalley’s ministerial backgrounds take The Promise from merely a family-based novel to an insightful drama of faith about the challenges, and the different ways people handle them, in today’s marriages.” – Booklist
“The Promise by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley is the emotionally-charged second novel in the Restoration series. This book reads well as a standalone novel, but you will appreciate characters and parts of the story much more if you’ve read the first book, The Dance.” – Vine Voice (5 Star Amazon Review)






August 29, 2013
1 Adam-12, 1 Adam-12…
We still don’t have flying cars. I’m a little bit upset about that. We were supposed to have flying cars by now. As a kid growing up in the 60s watching the Jetsons every Saturday morning, that’s what we were promised. Sort of.
But we have almost everything else the Jetsons had, and a few things more. Like Netflix. How crazy is this? You can watch movies, miniseries, documentaries and entire TV series (with no commercials) all at the touch of a button. Some of you might say, “I remember when you had to drive to the video store to get something like this and had to pay for each one individually.”
To that I say, video store, what’s a video store?
I remember when there was no such thing as videos. All anybody had was a TV, many of them (like in our family) were black-and-white. There were no cable channels; everyone used antennas to get often fuzzy reception on only one of three available channels. NBC, CBS and ABC. That’s it. If you didn’t catch the show when it was on, too bad. It would never play again.
We didn’t even have remotes. We had to get off our butts every time we wanted to change the channel or adjust the volume. Our parents would say, “That’s why we had you kids.” And we had to sit through every single TV commercial. It was barbaric. And movies? You had one chance to see those, in theaters. When they left the theaters, you had one last chance to see it when it showed up on TV, one time only, three years later. You weren’t home that night, too bad. No way to record it.
That was then. This is now. Now we have Netflix.
So, the other night I’m searching through our 10,000 choices (as my wife groans beside me) when I come across Adam-12. All 174 episodes, from beginning to end, one click away. Back in 1968 we had to eat our spinach and do all our homework just to see one of these episodes prime time. “You want to watch one?” I asked. “Sure, why not,” she says.
4 episodes later (they’re only 24 min each this way) we couldn’t stop talking about how much life has changed since we were kids. It was shocking, really. But great fun. If you grew up in the 60s and you have Netflix, do yourself a favor…watch at least a few episodes of Adam-12. Here’s a few of the things we observed without even trying:
Everybody smoked, no one thought a thing of it.
During morning briefings, the cops wrote down what the sergeant said using paper and pencils.
They booked suspects using manual typewriters.
Once the cops left the squad car, they had no ability to communicate with each other or headquarters.
They came across an unconscious child in an apartment and had to ask to borrow a telephone to call for an ambulance.
Nobody swore, all the women dressed modestly and the bad guys didn’t seem very bad at all.
It was set in LA, but the streets were mostly clean and free of traffic.
The big crimes depicted were a thief stealing color TVs, a prowler throwing rocks through windows, and a stoned hippie breaking into the house.
Every episode had at least 2-3 glaring bloopers.
Folks, this is great entertainment. The thing is, at the time this show seemed perfectly normal and perfectly consistent with life as we understood it to be. Of course, 1968 ended up becoming a pivotal year in the cultural revolution sweeping through the country.
This was the year:
Martin Luther King was assassinated
Bobby Kennedy was assassinated
The antiwar protests became extremely violent
The Vietnam war escalated and public opinion began turning against it
But the harsh realities of life seemed to fade when we heard those familiar words: “1 Adam-12, 1 Adam-12, see the man…” You knew Reed and Malloy were on it, and they would make things right.






August 21, 2013
The God Who is There
Recently in a quiet time, I read a fairly familiar Scripture passage followed by a fairly familiar exhortation. Still, they fed my soul and encouraged my heart and were much appreciated. It didn’t matter that I had read this passage many times before, or that I had read similar encouraging words before (I’m sure I’ve even preached sermons on this theme many times before).
The Scripture verse was about waiting on God and trusting in Him as you wait. The encouraging words talked about the benefits of allowing God to be in control, especially in challenging or chaotic times, and not giving into fear or anxiety, filling your time with busyness and hyper-activity. Such things only ever add to our troubles.
Funny, that I would still need to hear this and that it would still speak life to me after almost 4 decades of following the Lord pretty closely. You’d think after all that time, such a devotional message which strike me as a boring rerun. Blah blah blah, been there done that. Where’s the remote?
But it didn’t. It was like a drink of cold, fresh water, on a blistering day. Like seeing a sign directing you back to the correct highway when you’ve been driving around lost for the last 30 minutes. A welcome relief.
Then I did what the Scripture passage and the encouraging words suggested. I spent time alone with God, resting in Him, releasing my cares into His control, allowing the Holy Spirit to refresh and strengthen me.
And He did.
He always does whenever I draw near and allow sufficient time for this exchange to take place. Because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is faithful and His love is everlasting. He’s not just faithful to strengthen me this way, He’s been doing this very thing to those who turn to him for, literally, thousands of years.
A living stream that never runs dry.
That’s why I can read words penned by His followers written in the Old Testament, by Christ’s disciples in the New Testament, by His followers throughout church history, and even by contemporary devotional writers (like the one I read yesterday) and Christian psalmists writing songs I hear on the radio. All telling of this same wonderful exchange that happens whenever God’s children turn to Him in times of trouble, instead of turning to other things.
We draw near to Him, and He draws near to us. And then, somehow, He brings a peace that surpasses understanding. He calms our fears. He lightens our load. He eases our sorrows. And He restores our hope.
Then it dawned on me…this can only happen–this almost universal and timeless experience–because we are waiting upon a God who is There. Think of the absurdity of sitting all alone in a room, talking to no one but yourself and the 4 walls. Hoping for relief from an invisible being that doesn’t really exist, who isn’t even there.
Nothing would happen. It would be a pathetic waste of time. Our energies would be better spent drinking a fifth of bourbon, smoking a joint or some crack, downing some serious narcotics. But these things don’t really help those who turn to them. Not really. And many of them create serious, destructive kickbacks.
But we pray to a God who is there. Who is paying attention. Who is willing to help. Who will not only work-together-for-good the various (even messed up) circumstances in our lives but who will, in the meantime, offer us the pleasure of His company to sustain us and strengthen us, as we await His deliverance from our troubles.
This, I find, is not a bad deal. In fact, it’s the best of deals. It is welcome news to my soul, no matter how many times I hear it, read it or experience it for myself.
Thank you Lord. I join with millions who have gone before me to say, there is no one like you in Heaven or on earth.
Tell me, can you relate to any of this?






July 24, 2013
Things Are Tough All Over
I’ve been pretty sick the last 5 days. Got an infection that generated fevers, chills and body aches off and on all day and night. Think my body’s finally starting to beat it. Being this sick, it’s been hard to write, even to read. Sometimes all I could do was watch TV, try to take my mind off how I was feeling.
When it gets like that, you find a willingness to watch things you’d normally pass over. I watched a number of shows in a series called “Mountain Men.” If you know me, I belong pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum from these people. The most I ever got out in the wilderness was camping. Even then, it was with a pop-up with A/C, never more than a week at a time, and haven’t done it in years. Enjoyed it tremendously, in the small doses we dabbled in.
But these guys, they’re serious. They’ve left the city and civilization way behind. Living out in the mountains of various parts of the country (the show follows 4-5 of them), miles away from the nearest town, sometimes from the nearest neighbor. And they like it that way. No more big city hassles, putting up with people and their nonsense. Living off the land, the way man used to do for centuries.
Now, you’d think getting out there in all that fresh air, unhindered by the junk the rest of us have to put up with on a daily basis, living as they please, doing as they please, these Mountain Men would experience tremendous freedom. Stress-free living every day. No schedules to keep, no one to bother you. Work hard and reap the benefits of your labor. No one there to undermine your efforts or stab you in the back.
But that’s not the case at all. One episode after another. They may have left one kind of trouble behind, but trouble didn’t have any problem tracking them down. Seems like nothing goes right for them. None of their plans come off without a hitch. Something always comes in and messes things up. If it’s not the bears stealing things, then the raccoons or possums. Sometimes even mountain lions. The weather never cooperates. In fact, it seems the forces of nature may just be out to kill them.
Watching this show made me think, “You know, there’s a reason our forefathers left this kind of life to form cities.” But then another thought dawned on me. Something Jesus said:
“In this world, you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33)
Another way to say it, “Things are tough all over.” Always have (since the Fall), always will be (till He comes again). Can’t escape it. Can’t avoid it. Live in the city, live in the country. Live on Mars, if you can.
Trouble comes.
But the next thing Jesus says, is the answer. The only way out. The best refuge we can experience in a fallen world full of trouble. “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The Psalms are filled with David’s troubles. David, the Bible-hero, the man after God’s own heart. But they are also filled with David’s humble expressions of gratitude and sometimes over-the-top shouts of exultation and praise to the God who is “a very present help in time of trouble.”
Paul, the hardest working apostle, the author of 2/3 of the NT Epistles, doing nothing but serving God with all his heart, had more troubles than any believer I know. And yet, he found the Lord’s presence to be his primary refuge through all his storms. He says, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” (Phil 3:8-9).
Whether in the mountains, down in the valley, or stuck on a couch watching dumb TV shows, the greatest treasure, the greatest gift is knowing Him, being able to experience Him wherever we are.
It’s Jesus, folks. He is the prize.





