the gift of mondays

 who told you that lie? that you aren't good enough. that you're not worthy. that you'll never amount to anything. who told you that your failures are final. that your mistakes can't be overcome. that your life is over. who told you that no one could love you. that you're worthless. that you're beyond saving. i don't know who told you those lies but they're wrong. you are good enough. you are worthy. you have value. the Bible is full of people who had the same lies told about them. cheaters, murderers, adulterers, prostitutes, thieves. names the world called them. names the world determined they would always be. names they had earned but names they didn't have to keep. because God had the final say. and He said the world was wrong. about them and about you. because God isn't concerned with your past, He's concerned with your future. He's not interested in where you've been, He's interes

i miss my dad. though he's been gone for almost ten years, i still miss him. though i haven't heard his voice in almost a decade, i still hear him. though i haven't seen him in forever, i still see him. i see him in the older man shuffling up the aisle at church. bent over a bit, holding on to each pew for support. i see him, body sick with cancer, still going to church. still encouraging others. still holding on. i hear him in my own voice, talking to my children. instilling his values and wisdom to the next generation. "don't forget your friends", i hear him saying, "don't forget your family". "tell the truth and the truth will set you free."  advice i heard a hundred times.  advice i still hear.  advice i still believe to this day. i find him in the sunday paper. the one with the big crossword puzzle. the one with the hard words and the intimidating clues. i see him, cigar in the corner of his mo