April 28th, 2026

Dear Friends,

After more than 40 years of ministry, I have come to understand that it’s not a good thing when the worship leader glumly sits down on the edge of the stage and says that he’s had a bad week and doesn’t feel like worshiping. Worse yet, his instruction to the waiting congregation is, “Worship however you want.”  Ironically, my message topic for that morning, after the worship had ended, was the importance of choice. I was being handed the best illustration ever and I couldn’t use it, out of respect for this struggling brother.

When the worship (which, by the way, improved — the leader eventually got back to his feet so that he could be seen by the people he was leading, and his partner sang with the voice of an angel) was done and the announcements and scripture reading had been completed, I was called upon to bring the sermon for that day. And so, I stood and I talked about Joshua’s injunction to the people of Israel, “Choose today whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:14-15) 

Have you ever thought about the fact that you can only make a choice today? You can’t do it yesterday or tomorrow for obvious reasons. They don’t exist. Today is all you get.

The past can have only two major effects on you. It can inform you (i.e. you can learn from both mistakes and successes) or it can capture you and keep you chained to it (because you choose to allow it to do so).

The future, on the other hand, either neutralizes us (like the Thessalonian Christians who were so convinced that Christ was about to return that they quit working and spent all their time in holy huddles — a practice which Paul scathingly rebuked) into thinking that it can’t be changed or paralyzes us with fear (i.e. we see no possibilities and have no hope, so, what’s the use of preparing for something that won’t happen?). 

Every choice we will ever make, we will make in the present — today. Our choices can be informed by the past (we call that “wisdom”) and they can most definitely affect the future, but they can only be made in the present. “Choose this day, whom you will serve!”

You can make at least three good choices every day: choose to accept that you are loved unconditionally and absolutely by God; choose to love God by obeying him in what you know you should do; choose to love others in ways that add value to their lives. Another good choice is to not abdicate your choice to your feelings. Yet another one is to fill your mind with what is good, true, right, and worthy of praise. There are many more but you’ll figure that out.

Choose well today. Then, choose well again tomorrow. Do it again and again and again, day after day, until the habits of good choice are so deeply ingrained that you make them automatically and that you can’t imagine making poor choices. This is how you build a godly character and an impactful, contented life. The circumstances of our lives are allowed to test us every day. This is by God’s design. So, make good choices. Build a good and eternal life. Do the work — today!

Blessings!

Doug