What season of life are you in right now?

The issue of paying taxes comes up several times in the Bible.

Giving and generosity are great things to aspire to! The Bible teaches that giving and generosity are actions borne of a grateful heart to the Lord, the giver of all good things. Of course, like Thanksgiving, these things should happen everyday, not just once a year.

If you work, have a family or kids, or manage a household, I would guess that you're pretty busy these days. Almost everyone I know is up to their eyeballs in activities and commitments regarding work, church, family, activities for their kids, recreation, etc. with no end in sight.

I think too often we live life without a sense of awe and wonder toward God. We want Him to be so relatable we bring Him down to our level. We want Him to do this and fix that in our own daily lives.

Growing up I was a pretty happy kid! I didn't have a lot of things to worry about and always felt optimistic about the future. It's amazing how time, age, and life experience changes those things. Don't get me wrong. I am still happy and optimistic because I know God is good and He holds all things in His hands (Colossians 1:17).

My dad grew up on a farm in Hawaii. So when we were young, our family would go back to Hawaii almost every summer to visit relatives and pick macadamia nuts and coffee. It was hard work but it taught me and my brother a lot.

Playing basketball growing up, I had more than a few coaches quote the late great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden (who was also a faithful Christian) by telling us during practice "failure to prepare is preparing to fail."