Some of you will remember.

When I was a kid we had a tablet with a wax back and a clear sheet of plastic. It had a plastic stylus that you would use to draw all sorts of masterpieces of art. If you messed up, you simply pulled the plastic away from the wax and the board was now clean for a new attempt.

There are times in all of our lives when we are ready for a new start and, as long as we are not attempting to run away from legitimate responsibilities or necessary commitments, such a new start can be both vital and refreshing. I find myself at such a time in my own life.

For the past 28 years I have had the privilege of preaching at a small but thriving church in Happy, Texas. It is odd, because I never planned (nor even dreamed) of being a preacher. But God has ways of redirecting our lives if we have a heart to serve. And, while my heart was perhaps a bit too reluctant at times, I hope that He has developed within me a heart to serve. My wife and I have been privileged to live in the town of Happy, and we have no desire to leave. Further, I have loved serving in the capacity of a preacher and youth minister, and my wife has supported me in such a way as to have helped me succeed in both of these areas of service.

Having said that, I have felt for a number of years that it is time for a new direction. I felt the same way some 28 years ago when I left the profession of real estate appraisal and packed up the family to move from Wyoming to Texas. I loved the people and my job in Wyoming, but it was time for a change, at least it felt that way, and I have never regretted that decision. I believe that I will have no regrets for this decision for, I am convinced, the direction I am taking will provide fruitful and productive in my service to the Lord.

In short, it is time for a change:

                                                   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  (Psalms 51:10, ESV)

So, I would like to tell you about my plan for a fresh direction. I am telling you this for two reasons: First, I hope that this plan will lead in a direction that will help many people. Second, because I need you and am hoping that you can help. Here, then, is my plan for the foreseeable future:

I have been writing daily articles for the commonsensechristian.com website for over thirteen years now. Due to overloading my own schedule, I have had to take a break from that commitment in recent years. Now that I have stepped down from full-time preaching, I am ready to start again. My wife and I have also developed a 30 Day Bible Challenge which many of you have likely taken. It is a simple program designed to read the Word of God, and then to study it so that you can find for yourself what the Bible says and not have to rely on other people to tell you what God expects of you. So, the first part of my plan is to write daily articles again, and to start back up a program of encouraging Bible literacy, an aspect of Christian life that for far too many has been lacking of late.

The next part of my plan is to put out a podcast and/or videos for a Youtube channel on a weekly basis. The purpose of this podcast will be to provide practical tips for navigating a difficult and sometimes wicked world. There are confusing things going on in this world that need more than a casual thought if we are going to handle them correctly for God. If you are like me, the everyday challenges are enough to distract you from your true purpose here on earth. We are here to serve God and go to heaven! We must not allow ourselves to be so impacted by the things going on in our world at the present time that we forget our primary purpose in life.

This is where I would like to ask for your help. First, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. I want very much to take this venture in the right direction. I am old enough (63 years of age) to no longer have the young man's pride of desiring to be perceived of being right, even if I am wrong. Service to God has no room for such an immature point of view, so I do sincerely request you to be praying that I not go in any direction other than one which will be pleasing to God.

Second, if you find the daily articles helpful, I would ask that you share them with any that you think might also be helped. Obviously, the writings of men have little value, but the Holy Scriptures have the words of life. If you gain something from the Biblical concepts stressed in these articles (and podcasts when I get the technology figured out) then I would humbly ask that you consider passing them along. Liking, sharing, and commenting on articles will help the website to grow, if indeed it needs to.

That's pretty much all. I am "ripping back the plastic sheet of my magic erase board" and starting on what I hope can be a work that is beneficial as well as a worthy endeavor for a servant of The Most High.