values

Faith. Family. Freedom.

Dr. Mike 2026 , , ,

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

If you were raised in mid-America during the 1960’s, your life was built on the pillar of three important values. It didn’t matter which side of the tracks you were born on. It didn’t matter the color of your skin. It didn’t matter what religion you practiced. Faith, Family, and Freedom were ingrain within you the day you were born.

Faith was an expression of everyday life. Going to church on a weekly basis was the norm. The church service wasn’t a rock concert for Jesus. But the opportunity to meet others, listen to a man speak about God, and share time together in community.

Family get-together were a regular occurrence. Grandparents, their children, and their children would gather together for at least once a month potluck. Aunts and uncles would see one another. Cousins would play together. Family life was the norm.

Freedom was taken for granted. Children roamed the countryside and alleys until the street lights went on or the sun set over the horizon. Any government interference in the daily routine of life was frown upon. People in the community knew who you could trust and who you had to be extra careful in your dealings. Police were respected. The law was followed. If there was a policy that the community didn’t find practical, the council leaders would meet and quickly make changes for the betterment of society.

Faith, Family, and Freedom are all godly virtues held in high priority with Jesus. When you read the Scriptures, you find HIS words and actions to uphold these values.

HE lived HIS faith. HE expressed the importance of doing God’s Will. HE revealed HIS Father God to the world.

Family was the bedrock of HIS culture. Even if one didn’t have a parent, sibling, or child, HE would remind the lonely that those who do God’s Will are included in HIS family.

HIS life demonstrated the freedom one has within the Will of God. Real freedom comes from a relationship with the living God; not through rituals and rules. With God, one has the license to pursue many venues. Yet one realizes there are consequences from thoughts and actions. Real freedom comes with responsibility to serve others and glorify God through one’s choices. 

Over the years, we have witnessed the destruction of faith, family, and freedom around us. The result has shown an increased in mental health problems. The alienation of families. The overreach of governmental powers. The hostility of people between each other. The slow destruction of a healthy culture is happening before our eyes.

Yet, those who have continued to practice the importance of faith, family, and freedom show a different outcome. Ask any rural American today living in a small community what has changed. The world around them has. But their community is still practicing the old-fashion ways. Faith, family, and freedom are still the core values that all within their community practice and share.

Maybe there is a lesson we all can take from them.      

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Focus. Filter. Execute.

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , , ,

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Philippians 4:8

It begins with desire filtered through the mind. When our heart aligns with God’s character, it is a good place to be. When our aim agrees with the reality of God’s Kingdom, we know heaven’s resources are at our disposal. And when our focus allows Jesus to live HIS life through us, we eagerly execute our willpower with HIM. The outcome is a taste of godliness for all to share.

The apostle Paul lists a few godly values we need to focus our hearts on and learn to practice in our everyday life. He emphasizes whatever circumstances we face, we need to learn to focus on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. The acronym I use is “THE J PPLC” approach. (You may want to create your own).

What if every situation you find yourself in, your mind automatically went through this checklist. And you align your heart with your willpower to habitually respond. Like all good habits, it starts with intentional focus. As we practice each step, our mind becomes wired to immediately respond. Then our willpower is trained to follow.

Let’s take the example of social media.

You are flipping through your influencer list and stop when the emotional words hit a cord in your heart. As you listen and investigate further, you are becoming angry. If not equip to handle emotional issues, you immediately comment with an angry reply. The battle begins. But what if instead you followed Paul’s criteria.

Before jumping to conclusions and immediately responding, you did your homework. First, how would you verify what you heard is actually the truth? Is it all true or only a part of it?

Next, what would be the most honorable outcome of such an event? If this be true, how can I best reply in an honorable fashion?

What would Biblical justice look like? Do I have a few Bible examples I can share? How would Jesus handle such a situation? What would an innocent person with a clean heart see here?

How can love lead here? What would be the loving act to perform? How do I reply with love?

Can anyone be commended for there actions here? What can I acknowledge was properly done? How can I commend them?

Was anything achieved beyond the normal? Can I recognize any excellence in the situation? What can I praise here?

These are only a few questions that come to mind. But they are a starting point to filter your mind with a response that is built on godly virtue. At first, it may take a while to sort through the entire list. But this will allow you to gain control of your emotions and seek a healthy response to choose.

The object is to train your mind to filter your desires and the facts before responding. As this over time becomes a habit, you will learn when to respond immediately and when best to wait. As always, you will lean on Jesus in prayer during the process. HE will also open your heart and mind to questions and concerns you haven’t even knew existed.

The bottom-line is to learn how to filter your desires with godly virtue before taking any action.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Courage

Dr. Mike 2025 , , , ,

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!   Psalm 31:24

Someone once asked Charlie Kirk what is the most important value quality to live by. His reply – courage.

He would then explain that without courage, one is paralyzed. Instead of acting in the moment, one freezes. Instead of moving forward as a person, one continues down the path toward immaturity.

With courage, one defeats fear with action. With courage, one precedes to love their enemy rather than fall victim to their abuse. With courage, one faces truth with the willingness to bend. Courage is the backbone that allows all other virtues to shine.

As Christ-followers, we have God’s assurance that HE is always with us (Mt. 28:20). As we lean on the Holy Spirit, we learn to trust HIS counsel. We learn to follow HIS lead. We learn to deny ourself and allow HIS presence be magnified through us.

We learn by living on the foundation of truth. When corrected, we have the courage to change our convictions. We are open to acknowledge we don’t have the answer at times. But we do know who does. HIS name is Jesus. Our courage is built on HIM. HIS faith lives in us and gives us the strength we need in the appropriate time.

Do not fear is a line that God’s messengers kept reminding others when dealing with a difficult situation. Jesus himself stated the same when dealing with truth matters. Instead of being captured by fear’s emotional jailhouse, we need to exercise courage. As children of God, we have the faith of Jesus to help us breakthrough.

Sometimes we just need someone to remind us to take courage into the arena of life. Consider this your reminder.      

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Aspirations and Writings Neatly Bound in Book Formats: (* indicates audio version at Apple Books)

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Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved