toddcast

I've always loved maps and directions.  As a child I would be navigator on our summer road trips.  I'd be all settled in the back seat of our station-wagon with those old fold out maps monitoring our progress and predicting arrival times.  Maps make me happy; they give me joy.  There's a certain pleasure calculating the number of miles before the next exit and then, right on schedule, seeing the sign appear around the bend in the road.  Having a trustworthy guide brings me a confidence and peace that produces joy. I have come to treasure the Bible in much the same way that I treasure maps.  My experience is that when I trust God's word and stick to the plan then the map proves to be true and gets me to the specified destination.  There may be times when I encounter annoying traffic or an unexpected detour and even get slowed down by an accident, but I have learned that the map is accurate and can be trusted.  One problem I do experien...

After the NFC conference championship game Richard Sherman, the outspoken defensive back for the Seahawks, was all the rage.  His end-of-the game antics and his postgame interview went viral.  I must admit I had pegged him for a thug, just another example of an ego-inflated athlete with no regard for sportsmanship.  For the most part, it was a mess of his own making, but our collective reaction reveals some of our flaws as well.  Here's a few things I take from the hype: 1.  People will judge you for even momentary lapses in judgment.   If after the NFC post game fiasco Sherman game to me for advice I would remind him that regardless of what kind of person you are people will judge you  based on isolated events.  That is not fair, but it is true.  I would tell him, and I remind myself, that people will take things out of context;  they will judge you not necessarily on your body of work but on those momentary lapses of ju...