"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

This passage of Scripture is a reminder that even though we are not perfect, God still loves us very much. And He wants us to have times in our lives to start over. He is the God of second chances.

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I grew up in Moore's Park in Charlotte near the airport. The kid at the end of the street was Randy Thompson. We played football in his side yard - which was the end of the neighborhood, so it was perfect. The only problem was that there was a power-line that cut across the sideline along the roadside of his house (our ball field). So we had a rule. If the ball hit the line it was an automatic "do over."

Every year about this time I start to think about playing ball in Randy's yard with Bobby, Ronnie, David, Jimmy (Barker), Steven, Trey, Mashburn, Deke, Brian, Johnny and a few others. That power-line has come to mean more to me through the years than the football, and even the kids. That power-line and the "do-over" reminds me that God gives "do-overs." It's kind of like a rule He has. Sometimes my life gets too close the sidelines, going out-of-bounds, and hits the power-line and messes things up. But God - my Heavenly Father - is always willing to give me a "do-over" - a second chance. Or, in my case, ANOTHER chance (He's given me a lot of "do-overs" through the years).

Let me just remind you (or you may not realize it and so you're hearing it for the first time), God is the god of "do-overs." If you need a second chance at a new life - a new start - He is ready to give you one. I'll be talking about how to RESET your life this Sunday and next Sunday at Rocky River Church. Hope to see you there!