Happy New Year everyone!

Monieca and I got home Monday night after several days in Kentucky visiting family. It was a good trip. In addition to spending time with family, I preached Sunday at my home church and watched UK defeat Louisville in basketball. That was a great way to finish the year.

Monieca and I spent some time talking with a good friend from our high school days whose adult son is addicted to drugs. He has been kicked out of a rehab center and is in trouble with the law. It’s sad. Typical of addicts, he manipulates people and makes excuses for his behavior. Please pray for our friend, her family, and especially her son.

Addicts are not the only ones who make excuses. We all do!

Just like an addict who makes excuses so he can continue using drugs, we make excuses so we can continue with behavior we know we should change – whatever it happens to be. You know – things like eating too much and being overweight, not planning dates with our spouse, failing to have a daily quite time with the Lord, looking at pornography over the internet, running up credit card debt and robbing God by not tithing, staying mad at someone we should forgive… The list is endless!

Each of us has those things God wants us to change. We know our life would be better if we obeyed Him and made the change. But instead we make excuses.

It took me a “long time” to stop making excuses for being overweight. When I finally did stop and decided on a plan of action, I lost weight. There have been lots of benefits. For example, I just received the lab work for my annual physical. My cholesterol has dropped from over 200 to 155.

What does God want you to do differently? What are your excuses?

What would your life be like if you stopped making excuses? What would happen if for one month you chose to live a “no excuse” life?

Starting this Sunday I’m going to preach for one month on “No Excuses” and I challenge you to be in worship and Sunday School each Sunday in January. I challenge you to let God do something special in your life. This is so much more than making some New Year’s resolutions. This is about a work of God. It is about becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ. It is about a better life.

To help you, daily devotions with practical challenges will be available this Sunday. They also will be posted on the church web site.

Let’s make 2014 a year without excuses in our personal lives. But let’s start by making January a “No Excuse” month.

Pastor Steve Hogg