Tag: Love of Christ

The New Chapter

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The New Chapter

After 30 days spent in the Philippines, and barely making it back to the states, I found myself returning to a place in turmoil. Grocery stores were sold out of much of their stocks. Milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, meat, etc. all sold out. I would quarantine myself outside of the house in a tent for 12 days to ensure I did not pick up anything I could transfer to my mother in whom I live with. It had been suggested I transition to doing a VLOG at some point, so with the unique position I found myself, I decided it was time. I spent twelve days living in a tent, showering outside, cooking meals, sleeping in the cold, staying cool in the heat, and all the while documenting my experience, but sharing the love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While my YouTube channel was already in existence, this gave me the chance to rename it, rebrand it, and turn my channel into a unique Vlog for those looking for a different kind of preaching style and method. 

Below are some of the highlights or my favorite VLOG posts. 

Self Quarantine Chapter 1 

First Morning Gear Check

Beautiful Brokenness

Christian Meathead

Be Humble and Love

The Boss Is Bigger

Carpe Diem

Do you Feel In Charge

Perimeter Check

The Journey 

Straight As An Arrow

Make the Plan, Execute the Plan

These while not all the links, do show highlights. Of course as with any YouTube channel you can subscribe to get notifications of future publications. 

While I will not be replacing my Blog, I will be doing my Vlog as more of a sermon style teaching base My hope is that many of you, who have read and followed along with my writing all of these years, will also be gracious to continue following me on this new endeavor. I do not know what the future may bring, but I hope you are there with me to see what happens. I will continue to write when the mood hits, and of course with all of my posts, I will continue to bring new photos.

 Please, In this time of turmoil with the Pandemic Covid 19, please be careful, please follow the guidelines set forth by local and federal governments. Please wash your hands, be vigilant to those around you, and love one another. Don’t forget to tell those you care about how you feel, that you appreciate them. Remember in these tough times, there’s a lot of negativity, so we need to be spending more time lifting up one another. Supporting our brothers and sisters and not giving an Inch to the Devil. He aims to derail you. He aims to break your spirt, hurt your relationships, draw a line between you and Christ. Don’t allow him that inch. Keep up the fight, and keep studying scripture. 

I hope to see everyone over on youtube. Please if you do check it out, subscribe, leave a like, and I’d love feedback. They are a little different than the normal sermons broadcasted, but I am honest, and unique, and Love Jesus. As I hope you do too, and if not, please let me share the Love of Christ with you. 

Thanks Everyone for the years of Support! God Bless. 

WHO AM I?

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Who Am I? 

In retrospect I have often called myself something specific. I called myself a soldier, a Cavalry Scout, a husband, a security officer, a chaplain, but as one by one those things have faded away I have found myself asking ‘who am I’?  In retrospect I spent years defining myself since I left the military as one thing or another. As each position has faded into memory I have consistently found myself trying to reinvent myself over and over again. So, who am I now, truthfully I don’t really know. As tonight was my last night as a student seeking his undergraduate degree, it’s met with a bitter sweet night. 

While celebrating I reached out to someone, I thought would have been happy for me. I reached out to someone that, though there had been troubled times, I felt they would have been more enthusiastic and happy for me. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. In fact instead of congratulating me I was met with hostility, and hurtful words. I know I shouldn’t listen, but a part of me thinks I deserved it. So, what am I? 

Today, I see myself as a failed soldier, a failed husband, a failed chaplain, a failed security officer, and through all those failures I don’t know what I am today, except for broken. For years I knew there was something wrong, that something had gone awry. As I sit here listening to Christmas music, Silent Night by Lindsey Stirling I am reminded that Jesus the Son of God, born 2000 years ago came for the sinners, the saints, the wealthy, the poor, the healthy, and the dying. I realize that Jesus came for me. I am not a perfect man, and when I’ve made mistakes, I’ve tried to fix them. I have never intended to hurt someone, and I’ve never done so out of spite. Sadly, I have to admit I have been on the receiving end. 

Going forward I don’t know where I’m going, or what I’m going to do. I don’t know where my path is, or what God has planned for me. A part of me wonders if what was said tonight is true, and if it is, I wonder if I should consider where that may take me. Christmas is coming and with it the new year. Can I wipe away all the wrongs this year and start fresh in 2020? I believe that with God nothing is impossible. I believe that God can break through the hardened of hearts. I believe that God can heal the brokenness of peoples hearts. I believe that God values someone who wants to redeem themselves. I believe that I am worth being redeemed. I believe I am valued if not by the person from earlier, then by Jesus. I believe there are people who value me. I believe there are people who love me and want me to succeed in this life. Who, am I? I don’t know, but I know I am a child of the King. Who am I? I’m royalty adopted by the blood of Christ to inherit an eternal Kingdom. I may not know my purpose in this life right now, and while my heart feels like it’s broken, and my feelings have been hurt, I trust in the healing power of Jesus. Who am I? I’m a broken man in need of fixing. I’m someone who has lived and survived through so much. I am a survivor and will continue to do so. I’m someone who’s experienced much hardships, much trauma and so much loss, but I am not a victim, I’m a survivor. I cannot loose faith in that love that Jesus gives to me. I may not know where I’m going but Jesus does. If I am to survive this, I need to trust Jesus and trust that he will take care of my tomorrow, my today, and he will guide me. No matter where I find myself “Psalm 23”, the river, the meadow, or the valley, I am protected by the Holy Spirt. I am loved and that’s who I am. 

You Think It’s Hot?

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You Think It’s Hot?

It’s been hot here in North Carolina. It’s been in the 90’s and the humidity has been 70% or higher. We complain, or rather, I complain about the heat and humidity here in this state. See, my body doesn’t like humidity. I can step outside, do nothing, sit in the shade, and yet, I will soak through a shirt in just minutes. It’s discouraging and frustrating that I can’t do what I like doing in the summer. I think about how miserable I’ve been but then I think about my salvation, and realize while I may be miserable today, this life is fleeting, and I don’t have to be miserable in the afterlife. We see what Hell will be in the book of Revelation 21:8“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” I know when I think about the suffering I go through now, being in a fiery lake of burning sulfur for eternity just doesn’t sound pleasant.

One thing I have heard so often is, people believe in Christ, and often say they are good people. I have heard people tell me that if they do enough good work, be basically a good person, that they would be able to get into heaven. Those who truly submit to the Lord, to love the Lord are ones who will be allowed to enter the gates of perfection. Matthew 7:21-23 21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ While the authorship of Matthew is not known, the canonicity of Matthew has never been in question. Jesus would prophesize the coming generations and for many the path doesn’t end well. As Jesus consistently said many would come, few will enter. And when they come and get turned away, their path is expressed in Matthew 25:46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” So many people say I’m not that bad of a person, I’ve never killed anyone, never stolen anything, etc, but when you look at the first sin, all the way back to Adam and Eve, what sin was committed in the beginning? The first sin was eating of the fruit of good and evil, the tree of knowledge. Eve didn’t have to kick puppies to get there, or break into a max security parameter to get to the tree, instead she could walk straight to the tree, reach up, and grab the fruit. The sin was saying ‘No’ to God. Telling God our way is better, and God can’t control me. The sin in the garden wasn’t inherently ‘bad’ by our standard, but at the foot of the cross all sin is created equal. If that particular action doomed the entire race of man to an eternity of Hell, what do you think your sins will cost you if you don’t submit to Christ?

I’ve been to one of the hottest places on the planet and between Iraq, Kuwait, and Death Valley, I’ve seen hot. The hot we experience on this planet is nothing compared to what an eternity awaits us if we don’t give our hearts to the Lord. I for one would rather not spend that much time in Hell. I’ve seen war, and the statement ‘war is hell’ while perhaps it is hell on this earth, the Hell we are promised if we are turned away from the gates of perfection is beyond our understanding of suffering. Don’t believe the hype that if you are mostly good you’re saved. Jesus is not fire insurance, and is not a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Those who think if they walk a walk, and pray a prayer, then they will be saved, this is absolutely not true. While I am in no position to say if you’re saved or not, that’s between you and God. However, I would urge you to take a long hard talk with Jesus Christ and work on if you’re saved or not. If you come to decide you’re not truly saved, there is no better time then now. Remember John 3:16“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and let God into your heart and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Give yourself to the Lord completely, and submit whole heartedly.