Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee, similar to rival areas like Missouri and Kansas. As he was going into a one red light town, ten men who had leprosy, a horrific, contagious skin disease, met him. They stood at a distance and hollered in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. (Can you imagine seeing your skin heal before your eyes?)

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice and giving Jesus three claps. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him, and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then Jesus said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19 with a few additions)

What a tragedy it would be if only 10% of people ever took the time to go give thanks to people who changed their lives. During this month in which our nation celebrates Thanksgiving, I urge you to take the time, go back, and give thanks to people of your past who God has used to change and shape your life. For example, this morning I sent an email to the person who invested two years in my life when I first became a follower of Christ in 1982.

Let's play catch! Your turn to throw!

Back in my baseball days, our team's favorite trash talking statement to an opposing pitcher when we were winning was "Stick a fork in him! He's done!" At least we thought it was hilarious back then.

But do you realize that God does not say that to His children? The apostle Paul declares that God has begun a good work in us and will carry it out to completion (Philippians 1:6). In essence, God says that we are not done. We still have room to grow. We still have room to learn.

Are you a learner? John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach, once declared to his players, "When you are through leanring, you are through!" Do you set goals each year to learn new things? In the past year, what have you learned from God?

Personally, this year has been packed with learning. I have learned how to plant and harvest a vegetable garden. I have learned how to shoot a bow and actually hit a target. I have learned how to shoot clay pigeons with a shotgun. I have learned that father/daughter road trips are a blast! Most importantly, God has taught me how to commit my children back to Him. And I have learned that what God requires of me is not out of reach for me.

If you know Christ, He is not done with you. What are you learning this past year? Let's play catch! It is your turn to throw!

Have you noticed the changes in recent days? The leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees. The temperature is changing. The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series for the first time in their history. My once vibrant tomato plants are now slowly dying. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are ranked for the first time in almost a decade.

Change happens all around us, if we take the time to observe. But the most important part of a change discussion is about whether or not each one of us will make necessary changes in our lives. Leo Tolstoy once said, "Everybody thinks of changing humanity, but nobody changes himself."

As we see changes around us this fall, what needs to change in your life or what changes are you already making? For me, there are a couple of personal changes that are in progress. First, I am living my life with more urgency for the gospel of Christ. I am more urgent in proclaiming the gospel to people. I am more urgent in living the gospel. I am more urgent in pressing others to proclaim and live the gospel. And for me, the gospel in a nutshell is the saving and redemptive work of Christ in all areas of our lives and society.

Second, my prayer life is changing. I am praying scripture more often, especially the Psalms, and it is very refreshing for me and I hope for others as well.

As you notice the leaves changing colors, what is changing in your life for the good of the kingdom of God? Let's play catch! It's your turn to throw!

You are prone to be prejudice. I am prone to be prejudice. People of all races are prone to be prejudice. In this hotly contested political season, racial and prejudice accusations are being thrown by people of all political parties. The sad but comical truth is that all people are prone to prejudice.

Prejudice can be defined as making a judgment beforehand without getting the facts. And aren't we all guilty of doing that frequently or almost daily. For example, you made a judgement about the slow driver in front of you on I-70 before you know the facts. You made a judgment about the person in front of you in the check out line in Price Chopper before you know the facts. You made a judgement about the overweight person before you know the facts. You made a judgement about the single mom before you know the facts. You made a judgement about the good-looking athlete before you know the facts.

Prejudice can lead to horrible attitudes and acts toward people. For example, as a young boy in the deep south I remember seeing the KKK burn a cross in my neighbor's yard just because of prejudice. I remember many people calling me "white trash" because of where I lived and who I spent time with each day.

Prejudice runs deep in my life and in your life; therefore, we have to walk in step with Christ and seek redemption in all areas of our lives. In Christ, we are a new person, the old attitudes and thoughts are gone. One exercise that helps me overcome prejudice is to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (Second Corinthians 10:4-5). Another exercise that helps me is to go gather facts before I make a judgement.

There is no doubt that God does not want us showing favoritism or prejudice to others (James 2:1ff). Let us seek to be renewed in Christ each day and seek to be a good imitation of Christ each day.

What exercises do you practice to overcome prejudice? Let's play catch! It's your turn to throw!

Have you ever thought something was out of reach for you? Dunking a basketball on a ten foot is out of reach for me. Being a handy man around my house is generally out of my reach.

Nonetheless, there are times we reach an accomplishment that we once thought was out of reach. For example, when I first learned to be a pitcher in the game of baseball, I thought throwing a no-hitter was out of reach. But when I was 14 years old, I threw my first no-hitter against the George County All-Stars in Petal, Mississippi. It was awesome to reach a goal I once thought unreachable!

In a similar way, we may often think what God expects of us is unreachable. Deuteronomy 30:11 declares that God's ways and commands for us are not out of reach. It is only a matter of us choosing life with the Lord and being obedient in His way. There is no doubt that God's ways and commands will be a stretch for us, but God reminds us that what He desires for us is not out of reach.

Eight years ago, God stirred my mind and heart to plant a church. At first, I thought God was crazy because being a pastor much less starting a church was way beyond my reach. Nonetheless, I went the path that God marked for me and here I am today as the pastor of a church plant that is in its seventh year of existence. And to be honest, I have had the time of my life being stretched by God as I continue this very day to learn what it means to be a pastor

What will you reach for today that God has given you to do? Let's play catch! It's your turn to throw!

There was a time when my life was empty and aimless. Then God orchestrated my life in such a way that I crossed paths with Peggy Young and Jeff Powell. I was in my late teens, Peggy was my Sunday School teacher, and Jeff was the student pastor where I began to attend church.

God used Peggy and Jeff to influence me to commit my life to Christ and I have had no regrets ever since. I have often reflected back on those days and tried to pinpoint in practical ways how God used them to usher salvation to my life.

My discovery led me to understand that both Peggy and Jeff never gave me advice that was not based in scripture. They were scripture machines! And they made scripture come alive for me. Plus, they lived their lives according to scripture as well. No obvious hypocrisy in their lives.

Another discovery was that Peggy was a picture of grace. She and her husband invited me to their home very often for fried chicken and football games. While eating and watching football games, they always gave me the utmost value. It seemed like every time they saw me, they were glad to see me.

One final discovery was that both Peggy and Jeff asked me great questions and they were not afraid to let me ask questions of them. They took the time to answer my cynical questions and they took the time to ask me probing questions that made me think like never before. I soon came to grips with the truth that I was not the Christ!

As I often reflect on my present ministry, I often see myself doing to others what Peggy and Jeff did in my life, except the heavy dose of grace part. :)It gives me great joy each year to know that God takes me on a journey with a handful of people each year and God gives me the unbelievable privilege of ushering people to salvation in Christ. There is nothing comparable to being used of God to make an impact for eternity.

Take a few moments and reflect on your salvation journey. What were some key moments in that journey? What are some ways that you try to pass on your faith in Christ to others?

Let's play catch! It is your turn to throw!

Object lessons are one of the best educational tools known to man. And Jesus used object lessons throughout the four gospels. For example, Jesus taught eternal truths using salt, a wineskin, bread, a vine, a mustard seed, and a needle to name a few. Think about some of your favorite object lessons that have remained in your mind for years.

One of my favorite object lessons is a button. I have been told for years that if you get the top button on your shirt done correctly then all the other buttons will line up correctly, but if you get the top button out of line, all the other buttons will be out of line. And that is true for life as well. If you seek God first, then all the other things of life line up correctly in their appropriate timing and place.

A few days ago, I went outside for a few moments and observed how many object lessons I could recognize within a short distance from where I was standing. I saw a garden and then immediately thought about the parable of the sower and the different kinds of soil. I felt a strong breeze and thought about the Nicodemus story and how Jesus taught him that the Holy Spirit blows like the wind in that you cannot control it or manipulate when it comes or where it goes.

As the wind blew with strength, I heard the leaves on the tress make sounds as if they were clapping. I immediately thought of the scripture that remins us that the trees will praise God if we do not. I saw birds soaring with the wind beneath their wings and of course I thought about Isaiah 40:31. I saw adults and children playing with their respective pets and I thought about the Book of Genesis and was reminded that God has given man dominion over the animals, birds, and fish.

Take a few minutes and look around and locate what objects remind you of a life lesson or eternal truth. Let's play catch! It is your turn to throw!