Read Matthew 14:22--36 A Master's Degree in Cheerleading! Just before I started to read Matthew 14:22--36, my wife had the television on and on the news they were talking to a guy who has a master's degree in cheerleading. Interesting. I wonder if people tease him. Then I started to think of most of my work as a preacher and a teacher and it is trying to make people think and feel better, to be happy and to be filled with joy. Finally, I started reading the passage from Matthew and the disciples are caught in a storm while in a boat. Jesus appears to them, coming to them walking on the water. They are frightened, believing He is a ghost. Then this happens, 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid (Mat. 14:27). Jesus was in a certain sense a cheerleader. He led people in being cheerful. Certainly not in the sense that cheerleaders do at a college football game, but He labors to bring cheer into our lives. Is that what I am doing with my life as a disciple of Christ? Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100 http://www.plymouth-church.com/dons_corner2.html http://associate.com/groups/emaildevotionals/