My favorite songs are church songs. That is because my favorite kind of music is congregational singing. Music and poetry are expressive and dynamic forms of communication. It seems to me that this is why God inspired men like David and Solomon to write psalms. It is also one reason why God commanded Moses to write, and teach to the Israelites, the song of remembrance found in Deuteronomy 32 (Deut. 32:1-43 LBX).

Each and every one of us wake up to a new day. We go through the same routine of preparing before we leave the house. Once we set out for our destinations, we most likely hear the same thing that we hear every other day. “Hi! How are you?” And all too often, from the same response station of our brain, we say, “hmm, good.”

I say all of that to ask this: how are you doing? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you on track in your spiritual life? Is it hard to pray?

Spring is coming. Now, I realize that in Houston the seasons all blend together, but there is usually a week of two where you can tell one from the other. The northern winds are less frequent and not as cold, the birds begin to fly back, and the grass greens up again. These are signs of spring, a breath of fresh air for a fresh start.

I have a special affection for young people. I was one once, you know. I remember some of the feelings, some of the frustrations, some of the sheer fear involved in trying to grow up. It’s fun. But it’s hard.

Five ways to get control.

1. Plan to take the reins.

2. Take time to consider.

3. Don’t move too fast.

4. Listen more, talk less.

5. Resist the external pressures.

Control is a necessary part of who and what we are. Without it we flounder and squander our lives with insignificant and unimportant things. With it we can develop character and make our lives more pleasant.

Time is peculiar to man. We measure everything by it. We begin by the clock and end by the clock, whether we’re speaking of our jobs or our lives. A year is the period of time as measured by the Gregorian calendar in which the earth completes a single revolution around the sun. It consists of 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds of mean solar time divided into 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 or 366 days, beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.

I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine. From one subject to the other, I enjoyed his company probably more than he enjoyed mine, especially when the discussion turned towards religion. When he was speaking about raising his kids in a Bible-based home, he said something that struck me well. He said, “I was instrumental in teaching them how to walk, but not where.”

I always enjoy the last few weeks of the year. Everyone seems to be more light-hearted and joyous. Deadlines are often pushed back until after the first of the year. It’s like a reward for the hard work during the previous months. We are able to escape our monotonous daily routines just long enough to remember the joy of having a normal schedule. The break is refreshing, energizing, and much needed.

I recently saw a list of some of the most famous thieves in American History. People like Bonnie and Clyde were near the top and even Robin Hood was given special mention. But there was one glaring omission. He is not famous in the sense that everyone knows his name or what he looked like. He is not known for what he stole or who he stole it from. He is simply called “the thief on the cross.”

Warning signs are a part of the human existence. Even back before the Weather Bureau, people had warning signs about impending weather changes (see Matt. 16:2-3 LBX). As long as people have traveled—even when they did it on trails—there were warning signs to protect against potential dangers. Today, medical experts keep us informed about signs of unexpected health problems, the highways are full of signs, the labels