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It was early in my freshman year of high school. I was happy because it was a rare day for me to eat hot lunch in the school cafeteria, rather than the usual bologna sandwich from a brown paper bag.

It happened again. I have a hard time resisting a Wendy’s chocolate Frosty. So much so that it seems every time I buy one, I wind up with a brain freeze.

Dr. Fred Faust tells of the following man: “Early in my ministry, I met a man named Worral. He had been stricken with rheumatoid arthritis at age 15, and when I met him 30 years later, he was totally paralyzed except for 1 finger, could barely speak and was totally blind.

When the type on his printer began to grow faint, Bob called a local repair shop, where a friendly clerk informed him the printer probably needed only to be cleaned. Because the store charged $50 for cleanings, he told Bob he might be better off reading the printer’s manual and trying the job himself.

There are days, and sometimes weeks, when disappointing circumstances can seem overwhelming. You feel like you're barely keeping your emotional head above the water, and then you see a giant wave approaching.

There are so many good things in life that God has given us to enjoy. Family, friends, work, church, physical exercise, hobbies, outdoor recreation.

Poor guy. He made his dream escape! And it’s not easy to escape from the Washington State Penitentiary. It took a lot of planning, perfect timing, and hard work. But he did it!

I was 46 and leaving a church Linda and I started in our living room 19 years before. Our kids ranged from 11-19. We were leaving a larger church to come to a smaller one. We knew this project was different from church planting. This was a turn-around church project. In my mind, it would be a lot harder than the church plant I’d pastored the last two decades.

It was tearing me up. I had to watch my son take care of a discipline issue with one of his daughters. It was hard to watch. I knew it was necessary, and I’m so glad he didn’t let it go and take the easy way out.

I know it’s a hard habit to form and even a harder habit to keep. It’s a habit that the evil one will send distractions to excuse you from maintaining it. But there is no more valuable habit you could ever form and maintain in your life than the habit of reading and meditating on Scripture.I’d like to help you with this over the next few weeks.

You know it’s a problem. You may not want to admit it to those close to you, but you are a critic. If there is something negative to be found, you find it. Whatever organization you are part of, work, school, even church, you always seem to know what “they” are doing wrong, and of course, you know better.

Most of us can point to our greatest regrets in life as things we did or didn’t do when our feelings were in control. It’s always a mistake to let your emotions guide you.