How healthy is your heart? It seems that seldom does a week go by in which I don’t hear of a friend, neighbor, or family member who has suffered a heart attack or some heart problem. We all know how vital a healthy heart is to life. Although genetics is sometimes a factor, there are lifestyle changes that we can make that will lead to a healthier heart. The American Heart Association reports that eating the right foods, exercise and fitness, and educating ourselves concerning certain risk factors such as smoking and being overweight can help prevent heart attacks and heart disease.

As I wished my friend a “Happy and prosperous new year”, I thought about what he had been through the past year. Could I really believe that the New Year would be happy and prosperous for him? Was my wishing people a “Happy New Year” just a trite greeting, an illusionary wish? Many people are facing the New Year with tragedy, terror, taxes, and trillions of dollars of national and world debt. But there is hope for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

The sound of croaking frogs filled the air. The stench of thousands of dying frogs was overpowering. They hopped through yards, filled the wells and water supply, jumped across their beds, and covered their floors like a slimy green carpet. Frogs were everywhere - hopping into ovens and jumping out of the kettles in Pharaoh’s kitchen. God has a way of getting our attention and, sometimes, He does so in a dramatic and humorous way. Moses had delivered God’s message to Pharaoh of Egypt – “Let my people go.”

Grandpa Os had several businesses and did some farming. He was the first person to question the existence of God to me. One day he asked me, “How do you know that there is a God?” I was just a young boy but the answer immediately popped into my mind, “Because I talked to Him this morning and He talked to me.” Grandpa Os had no reply. Personal experience can’t be argued with. Grandpa Os died of a heart attack sometime later. But before he died he asked my grandmother to pray with him.

I recently had an interesting conversation with my friend Doug. Doug says that he is a Christian but doesn’t attend church because he has “issues”. Since becoming a believer in Christ attending church has become a highlight of my week. Sometime ago I jotted down “7 reasons why you need to attend church” by Dr. John McArthur. Allow me to briefly expand on these seven reasons.

After several years on a job, in a business, in a ministry, or just living life, one would hope to have learned something. It’s been said that you learn from your mistakes. That is not necessarily true. If we continue to make the same mistakes, have we really learned from them? Once, while visiting my wife’s parents in California, I noticed a humming bird that repeatedly flew into the sliding glass door. Evidently the bird could see its reflection in the glass and thought it was protecting its turf. Fortunately, as humans, we can decide to learn from our mistakes as well as from the mistakes and successes of others. Consider seven lessons in life and leadership.