Tag: love

Surgery, What Surgery?

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Surgery, What Surgery?

It’s been a year, but it hardly seems like it. With so many things different now then they were a year ago, it’s hard to believe it’s been that long. My recovery from a C5/C6 spinal injury and surgery has been slow, but in that year I have grown. I push myself and although there is a consequence, I decided early in my recovery I didn’t want to allow my injury to define me. Yes, there were things that changed forever, and I would always have difficulty doing certain physical activities, but I have come farther then I imagined in a year. Ironically, as I am at my anniversary I am starting physical therapy once again.

In a year since my surgery I have learned how to surf, I have rope climbed, and I have done a 40+ mile bicycle ride on a recumbent trike. I have come far, and I trust that I will continue to grow. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not pushed myself along the way. There have been days when the pain was horrible and I could barely move, and there were days when I felt like I could run a mile. The difference between having pain, and allowing that pain to control you is strength. We must learn that to grow sometimes it means to suffer a little pain but the end result is worth it.

Christ tells us those who will pick up their cross and follow Him will have trials and tribulations. They will suffer persecutions, and will undoubtedly have friends and family turn their backs on you. He tells us that love suffers long, and if we are to love Christ we to must endure the sufferings because we are just ambassadors in this land. This is not my home. My home is a Heavenly one, and to get there I walk in a land that is not my own, amongst a people that will undoubtedly hate and despise me. The beautiful thing about human beings is also the most heartbreaking thing, free will. Although my options were limited when it came to my surgery, I still had a choice. I could have done nothing and likely died of meningitis, or I could have the surgery. While it doesn’t seem like much of a choice, I could have chosen death.

In the last year I have made the choice to become much more active with the Wounded Warrior Project, in which I’ve posted about extensively. During those times I was given the distinct pleasure of meeting some amazing people, amazing veterans, and I’ve made some wonderful friends. It all started with a choice to take a chance and move out of my comfort zone. I made the choice to go on my first adventure to South Carolina and that trip changed my life. Before my South Carolina trip I went on a non WWP trip to Hawaii. I would say that trip set the tone for me to explore beyond the walls of my house. I watched as I pushed myself just months after surgery to do things I never thought I’d be able to do again. I explored my ability and found I am capable of far more then I ever gave myself credit for. A capability that without doubt has been a gift from God.

In the last year I had surgery, I moved out of my house, I lost my job… twice, due to my injury. I got divorced, yet I’m still friends with my ex. I have continued with this Blog, and now I’m back in school. Beyond all of that I am looking at my future plans within the church and continuing my biblical studies accordingly. While my career has not advanced, and I’m not living where I’d like, I feel I am exactly where I am meant to be. I also feel I’m doing exactly what God wants me to do. I have faith in my Heavenly Father, and I know that regardless of my injuries, my status, or where I live, I will be used to further glorify my Father and bring honor to his most Holy of Names. Jesus Christ has saved me time and again and I shall continue to try and be contempt in where I am. Like Paul before me, I had my own Damascus road. I can’t simply go back and undo what happened to me. I know I must continue to push through my physical and emotional pains, and find strength in my own weaknesses through Christ my Savior. No matter how low your life looks, just know that it won’t always be that way. There is always hope. On the 3rdday scripture says He rose again. The disciples before that were hopeless, they felt lost, as most of them questioned who Jesus was. He rose again, and thus proved forever who he was, and settled the word as stone. Have faith and for every season, times will move forward. Don’t loose hope because Christ is with us always till the day we are called away from this land, then we shall finally go home and truly sit with the King.

 

PSA: I will be away for a few days, and thus, this will be the last post till I return. As always, you can email me if you need anything, or you can post your prayer request on the prayer request page. Go forth and look into your life and see how God is using you, using your gift to spread the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t let whatever is holding you back keep you from your purpose. God has created each and every one of you with a mission and know that so long as you trust and have faith in God you can do anything. Keep fighting the good fight, and I look forward to posting on Monday…. Or Tuesday.

The Life

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The Life

All my life I was bullied. I was teased, picked on, and even beat up. From being pushed in the halls, to the locker room. From my books being taken, and swirleys being given. From being punched or even my things being stolen, I would endure day after day, time after time. Growing up I wasn’t the biggest person in school. Growing up I wasn’t the smartest, or the fastest. Growing up I was average for most areas of my life. Perhaps looks which I was teased a lot about was slightly below average, but no matter what others thought, I was made by God just the way he wanted me. Faith for me has always been apart of my life. I wish I could say that it was faith that carried me through, and maybe on some level it was, but I cannot stand here and say I came through stronger for it. On the contrary, although I made it through, I came out with scars. My whole life I’ve been self conscious, and I’ve had a low self esteem. I never held my achievements in high esteem because I never felt they mattered. I argued with God every night about the life I was given, and why. I argued every night that He wouldn’t deliver me from my hell. I remember one night I was 10 years old and I had recently had surgery. There were complications and unexpected physiological changes, which caused tremendous amounts of pain. I cried harder that night then I think I had any other time in my life. The pain was unbearable and as I laid next to the toilet I begged God to just kill me already. I prayed for deliverance from this life because I knew God hated me, and I was being punished. At 10 years old I had endured so much emotional pain, and physical pain, and if that was all by the age of 10 what would my life be? I knew I didn’t want to be a punching bag my whole life. I was at a cross roads and I didn’t know where to turn.

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Not long after that surgery I returned to school where I would befriend a classmate. He was always quiet and reserved, but our friendship didn’t come of our own doing. No, it would come as a compromise to a problem we faced in class. We both wanted to do our report on Abraham Lincoln so our teacher proposed we do the report together. Agreeing to her terms, we set out to do the best report we could, and after a weekend at his house I foresaw a great friendship rise. All these years later me and him are still friends, and in fact after living with them on and off for 6 years, we became brothers. Had it not been for that relationship, at that time in my life, I cannot say where I’d be now. Looking back I realized God had answered my prayer, He just didn’t do it in a way I thought he would. The weeks turned to months, and then years, and now looking back 24 years later at everything I’ve endured, I have learned one simple truth. God does not choose the strongest, or the smartest, he chooses those he knows will endure the test of time. Look at the Apostle Paul for instance. Here’s a man that hated the Christians. He persecuted them, and in his hatred and rage hunted them and in some cases executed them. Christians knew his name and were in fear of him. I think we all have our own Damascus road. Paul was chosen I feel for many reasons. First was his unique citizenship, he was both Jewish, and a Roman citizen. He knew scripture front and back, and he came with a high education, and authority. Of all these things, Paul would be able to use his past to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would be made to endure hardships beyond our dreams. He would face physical and emotional pain the rest of his life. God didn’t choose him to stand up to the Romans and fight an army. God chose him to build a legacy. God knew Paul could faithfully endure and in those hardships he showed as an example of how to live in Christ. His teaching changed the face of the Church forever, and even though he would be tortured and eventually murdered he shows us how much a man can take in the name of the Lord.

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When the bad things happen, trauma, death, sickness, economic hardships, we often ask the same question, “Why Me?” The bigger questions, is why not you? I know this doesn’t sound fair, but give me a moment, and I’ll explain. First, bad things happen for a few reasons, either A: Your own choices caused it to happen. B: Someone else close to you caused it to happen. C: God allowed something to happen. No matter the reason, it happened, and we have a choice on how much the why will bother us. We can ask God for an answer but if I have learned anything it’s the answer may not present itself for years or in some cases decades down the road.

We cannot expect an answer because if life is the test, what kind of test would it be if the professor gave you the answers? Sometimes we need to learn things for ourselves, and we have to do the one thing that’s stated over and over in scripture, and that’s to have faith. Growing up through so many hardships I know my faith was on rocky ground. I know for a long time I was angry with God for allowing me to go through so much pain and suffering. I was so furious that for many years I barely spoke to God. He became the estranged father and even though I was angry and we didn’t speak, I always knew he was still there. God let me be angry, but never left my side, and never stepped letting me know He was still there. When I moved in with my Grandpa life had turned around for me. School was good for the first time in forever, and even dating started for me. Life wouldn’t be without it’s ups and downs, but for the first time in as far back as I could remember I was genuinely happy.

As the years would move forward I would find myself going through horrible situations, but I never asked God why. It would be years before I would beg God for release and when he said no, and this time I heard him, I knew the power and grace of God. I finally got it, and would understand the purpose. I have spoke in depth about the process of sword making, and I have realized that even though I wasn’t the strongest physically, or even the smartest, I would have one quality that God wanted. I would be able to shoulder the responsibility and walk with Christ. I could carry my cross and preach and teach the Gospel, but only because all those years of suffering, of pushing through, I was being trained. Everyone has divine gifts but no matter what they are they must be used and practiced. We must put forth effort in order to have these gifts grow and become useful for God. The things I endured I would be able to look back and see how I can now use it to preach the Gospel. One thing I’ve learned is God waists nothing. Every hardship we face God can turn into a blessing for us to use to Glorify His name. God wants those who can fight the good fight and will shoulder the cross. Often times those who have been broken will be the ones to be remade in Christ and set forth as soldiers. If you think about it, it makes sense that if someone’s lived off the silver spoon and never had to work for anything; on what authority do they have to speak of hardships? Those who struggle and have made it through have experience on their sides. We can share our testimony and people can relate to hardships.

Psalm 118:6-9“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Trusting in the Lord isn’t easy, and it takes a lot of work, but the rewards for that trust are beyond our imagining. I realize now that each and every one of my horrible things has been preparing me and guiding me down where I would be able to use those horrible things in my life to help others. Romans 8:28“28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” For all things God is working out the plan. I never would have dreamed my experiences as a child would be so useful as an adult, but now with my direction as a crisis chaplain I will undoubtedly encounter small children and I can put myself in their shoes. Have faith that just because you don’t know the reason today, doesn’t mean you’ll never know it. Trust in God’s big picture, and you will do just fine. Change your perspective from the negative to finding something positive. Remember your brain is like your body, if you put bad stuff in, that’s what you’re going to get out of it. If you put good stuff in you’ll be positive and healthier. Changing your focus isn’t easy but with hard work and practice you’ll do just fine. God Bless.

 

 

I Gotta Do Just One Thing First

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I Gotta Do Just One Thing First

Throughout most of my life I’ve gone to church and in that time I’ve heard many people tell me, they can’t go because they have some things in their life to ‘get right’ first. In my opinion saying you need to work on you, or anything before you step foot into church is like saying you’re going to get better before you go to the hospital. Others have raised concern about going to church and being called a hypocrite. No one sin is greater then another at the foot of the cross. Because of that, we all fall short. There are no such things as a good person before God. There are believers and non-believers. We are all sinners and if our works before God are no better then a menstrual rag (yes that’s what it means in the Hebrew)

Ephesians 2:1-2 “2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,” Before Jesus we were sinners with no hope of salvation. After Jesus and the sacrifice needed to pay the blood debt to reset the balance, we are still sinners, but we are sinners by Grace we are given the Golden Ticket to Heaven in which the price is our heart. We all must one day stand before Christ at the foot of the cross and understand that it’s not about if we’ve sinned or not, it’s about where our heart and loyalties lie. If we truly believe that we need to be sinless before entering church you don’t have the fist clue who Jesus Christ is. No matter if you’re Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, Muslim, or any other faith on the planet you are a sinner and thus all are welcome at the table of Christ, and his blood was spilt for everyone.

If you want to be happy in this world it’s important for you to be walking in Christ, and once you submit to that authority of the universe, you will then seek your spiritual gifts in order to pursue your God given talent in ministry for the Lord. It’s in purpose we find fulfillment, and it’s in that purpose we find our happiness. Must like our founding fathers knew that the pursuit of happiness would be one of faith, they also knew that many will seek it, but not all would find it. If you are not walking with the Lord you are walking in the world, and if you’re walking in the world, you’re walking with the demons in this life. You will walk in the lusts of the flesh, and you will only find the thorns never the rose.

God the father loves us, and when we wrong we expect to be disciplined. A fathers love, a true fathers love will never take enjoyment from punishing your children. As a parent disciplining your children is inevitable, but life never prepares you for the difficulty ahead. Our Father set the rules for us to follow, and how to love Him, but when we break the rules, we need that correction. Our Father gains no joy from our punishment. It’s never our works that will earn favor with the Lord. We can never do enough, but when we find ourselves longing for Christ, that’s when our hearts open, when we can submit to the Lord, and stop running from our calling. Ephesians 2:8-10“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Since works along will never be enough to save us from the dismal fate of Hell, we must seek a higher understanding of what it is the Lord wants of us. It seems so simple an idea, so beautifully crafted, that the only need necessary for the triumph of evil in your own heart, is hate. The difference between life and death lies solely in our own power. We can choose our own fate and yet, so few will know the Lord because of one reason or another. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

We want to believe we are the masters of our own ships, that no one, not even the ‘cosmic fairy’ from above can make us do something we don’t want to. While it’s true many people will fight the calling from the Lord, and many will be faced with signs that they should be doing something else, the Lord never forces anyone to do anything. Sure, much like a father, suggestions are made, guidance is given, but ultimately we still choose to follow or not. “Ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God.”(Unknown)We are terminally sick, and the only cure is found in love. Strange so few will realize this, but its pride and vanity that will keep people away. When we think what we do is us, which I did something, that’s boasting and that’s like telling God you’re better then Him. In Ephesians 2:10 it talks about how we are created to be workmanship, that God is the potter, we are the clay, and we were made with divine purpose. I don’t know about you, but so many people ask their entire lives what their purpose is, and the answer is right in front of them the whole time. Follow Christ, submit to the Lord, and your purpose will flourish as your works in the Lord grows.

Everyone has a purpose, and when you say you have things to do before going to the Lord that’s your own pride talking. Equally if sin is a disease and you won’t go to the Doctor, you allow that stubborn sensibility get in the way of finding the cure for your sickness. Faith isn’t easy, but look at the Polio vaccine. While it wouldn’t cure Polio it did eventually eradicate it from existence in the 1stworld. People were skeptical of the vaccine and thought it was a trick, or too good to be true. Salvation is much in the same. It’s so easy; we are saved by love and grace. We love the Lord, and we are saved. It’s such a simple and small thing, yet so few will find the cure to the sickness that has engulfed our world. Don’t wait for you to get your life right before coming to Christ because there will always be one more thing, one more issue to deal with, one more problem you’ll face, and you’ll never find peace till you step up and accept Christ in your heart. Don’t waist your life in search of something that’s been right in front of you the whole time. God knew you before you were created. God loved you before you were conceived. God made you in your mothers womb for a purpose only you could fulfill. Stop looking for the meaning in your life in all the wrong places. Find your purpose, the reason for your existing in the only place that matters, at the foot of the cross.

 

 

Sufficient

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Sufficient

The morning sun rises, and never can we know for sure what fate will bring. The pain that can infiltrate our hearts in the blink of an eye is very real. It doesn’t matter how good the day, one thing can change it all. We all have pain, and we all have sorrow, and I know that in my time of need, that when I’m not strong there’s one place I can turn, Jesus Christ. I know that I need his grace because my own is nothing. I know that in my pain and my drop in faith, I know that in my weakness there is strength. I know that I can call on my Father above and I can lean on Him. No matter what problems I have, I know that Christ is sufficient in all of my needs. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Weeks such as these, this is the verse I recite in my head. We all have them, and it doesn’t matter how faithful you are, we are human, and the Devil is always on the prowl. All we can do is put our faith in the Lord. We must go to the Lord on bended knee and rise up our sorrows, rise up in our weaknesses, and allow the Lord to make us strong. Live can be hard, and it can be unfair, and heartbreaking, but in each of these the Lord is making something beautiful. We must trust and have faith. No matter how many times we are hurt, or beaten down, no matter how many struggles we face, the great and love of the Lord will always triumph over all things.

We always want more as people. I’m single, but I want more. I don’t have a hiking pack, but I want one. I want a hiking tent, and other toys and gadgets. There’s always just one more thing to add to the shopping cart, or the wish list. What about things that aren’t stuff? When we look to our significant others, people we claim to love, are we wishing for the ‘just one more’ things? Going through two divorces both from affairs, I often asked myself what I was missing. I asked what the other person had that I didn’t have. I blamed myself over and over for their actions. I’m not perfect, and now coming up on two years with no forward momentum in my romantic life, I have found myself asking the question, ‘what’s wrong with me?’ As I have been battling with depression for some time now, it’s a constant battle to stay focused on what’s important. One of the hardest things we as people have to do is be patient. For me, patience on God with a romantic relationship, and a career has been the most difficult. I’m not a personality type that likes being alone, so for me these last two years have been trial by fire.

No matter what your ‘thing’ is that you desire, we must always remember that though we will want things, we must never want them more then the Lord. We must stay away from idol worship which is anything we put as more important than God, and that includes ourselves. In my walk with the Lord I am constantly asking for my path to be made clear in my relationship life, and I’m constantly asking for understanding of the plan ahead of me. It’s not easy being in a situation that causes discomfort, but looking back at the Apostil Paul and everything he endured for the Church, I cannot honestly say my loneliness, or desire to find a new place to live outweighs what he endured. So I pray that God’s grace is sufficient for me, and I continue to explore options for my life as I follow in Christ. Above all the relationship with Jesus Christ always has to come first, even when it’s not easy.

 

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It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share the blessings and teachings of Christ with all of you. For those who read my works in Christ, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Recently I came across an amazing home business based in Travel and Entertainment that’s the real deal. The savings found through this business are amazing. If you shop online, like to go to movies, or travel, this gift card for you can save you up to 50%. Please enjoy your gift as a symbol of my appreciation and gratitude. God Bless.

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The Cost Of Freedom

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The Cost Of Freedom

As we celebrate today another 4thof July in the greatest country on Earth, I reminded that our freedom came at an extremely high cost. Not only did it come at great cost to get, but an even greater cost to maintain. I remember in basic training at Fort Knox a cadence we used to sing while we were marching along. “Some say freedom is free, but I tend to disagree, I say freedom is won, by the barrel of a gun.” There are things I will never forget during my time in Iraq. The things I saw, and the horrors that fill my dreams remind me the true cost of Earthly freedoms. I can remember dead bodies, mangled and sometimes, in pieces. I was witness to vehicle born suicide bombers, IED attacks, brutal scenes that Hollywood hasn’t come close to duplicating. I watched as women in Iraq were able to vote for the first time. The blackened fingers as they were finger printed for the new record system in the country. A proud exclamation that even though there was opposition and threats to attack the voting polls, they were not afraid. I saw what it was taking to allow free democracy to take hold. Love or hate the war, the freedoms we gave to the oppressed is priceless. In our own history we fought for our freedom from King George. In the revolutionary war we lost 25,000 soldiers with another 25,000 wounded. The cost of freedom has been pain in blood for this country and many more over the years. Once we obtained our freedom from Great Britton at the time, achieving freedom has been one thing, keeping it has been entirely different. In the wars since to maintain our freedoms or interest good or bad politics withstanding we have lost more then 1,354,664 men and women. More then a million people have served this country and has paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. No one can truly sit and think about the sacrifice made to keep our freedoms. It’s not just the million plus lives, but all the friends, and family that have suffered from those losses. How many spouses lost the love of their life? How many fathers, or mothers never came home? Freedom you see comes at a cost, and the cost is always blood. For the vast majority of our wars, military service was voluntary and thus knowing war is a possibility at any moment, sacrifice is always apart of the job. John 15:13“13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Blood is the life force that flows through every creature on this planet. It takes oxygen to every point within our bodies, and it sustains our life. It’s no surprise that in order to give us true freedom it took blood to be sacrificed. Jesus Christ considered us children of God, but also friends. He was willing to lay down his life to save all of humanity. Jesus at any time had the power to bring himself off the cross. He at any time could have turned the water around the palace to wine. He could have summoned a storm to prove he was the Son of God. He could have turned the entire Roman Empire to a pile of ashes with the snap of his finger. Jesus had to choose to stay on the cross every moment during his crucifixion. He had to choose to endure the pain, the suffering, and the ridicule. He had to choose to allow himself to depart from God so thus he would take the full wrath, the full anger, and the full pain from his father. The Son of God endured the full might of sorrow upon himself as his blood spilt from him down the cross to cover the whole of the Earth in a cleanse that saved us from the eternal damnation that awaited us. He laid down his life for all of us, and thus paying the ransom so we might not die.

Freedom’s cost is always high, but so long as good people are willing to fight the good fight, and stay the course, we should remember the fight and those who fought it. Today we fight one another in this country. We fight over politics, health care, sexual preferences, foreign policies, and even if statues should remain standing or not. Statues might I add that were American Citizens and despite differences still fought for this country. (I’m not even southern and I respect the soldiers.) We fight each other instead of sharing the Gospel and spreading the message and love of Jesus Christ. We should be ashamed at how we conduct ourselves. There’s a right and a wrong way to voice differences, and we have fallen steeply down the wrong rabbit hole. We fight one another over trivial things, and we stand our ground and are willing to die on that hill, but truly, what are we fighting over? This nation has lost heroes and we’re worried about what some statues represent that have been erected for over 30 plus years. We’re so worried about it that we talk about moving entire cemeteries because it’s offensive. Have we truly become so sensitive, so hateful that in every day life and news, people protesting sound exactly like the radical faction the Westboro Baptist Church. The truth is we dishonor those who’ve fallen in this countries pursuit of freedom, and we dishonor the sacrifice of Christ, which gave us the greatest freedom we could ever hope for, the freedom from eternal Hell.

 

Lee Greenwood, God Bless the USA

If tomorrow all the things were gone

I worked for all my life

And I had to start again

With just my children and my wife

 I thank my lucky stars

To be living here today

‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom

And they can’t take that away

 And I’m proud to be an American

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up next to you

And defend Her still today

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt

I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

 

So as we go out today and we remember our great nations birthday, let us remember the freedom we still have and the cost. This nation was founded by those who believed in Heaven and God, and the words in the Bible. We see this in the early letters and documents written by the founding fathers, in the Mayflowr Compact, and on every piece of cash or change in the United States. We are a nation built upon the Christian faith and thus it’s time we return to it. Christian’s stance is about love. If we don’t love the sinner we are not loving God. If we aren’t walking the walk of Christ, we aren’t loving God. We must learn to come together and find a way to solve our differences without hate in our hearts. We must learn to come together without using violence to get our point across. Put a little love in your heart, and God bless this nation. Happy Birthday America.

 

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It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share the blessings and teachings of Christ with all of you. For those who read my works in Christ, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Recently I came across an amazing home business based in Travel and Entertainment that’s the real deal. The savings found through this business are amazing. If you shop online, like to go to movies, or travel, this gift card for you can save you up to 50%. Please enjoy your gift as a symbol of my appreciation and gratitude. God Bless.

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.

 

Seasons of Love

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Seasons of Love:

I’ve been thinking about the past and how I’ve gotten through the storm to sit where I do now. I feel like I’ve been climbing a mountain through storm after storm. I have watched those on the mountain with me have fallen away. I have watched as people with me have tried to cut my ropes. I’ve climbed with people that would climb off without me. In this climb I have found strength I didn’t know I had. I have shed tears of heartbreak, loss, and some in victory. I have watched as close friends have stabbed me in the back. I have watched as close friends have abandoned me with no word. In all the bad, there’s been good too. I have grown in my faith with Jesus Christ. I have found a path that has been laid in front of me by God. A path I have to hold onto and try to remain focused on is my service to God.

In the last 24 hours I was hit with something pretty big and it’s had a sizeable impact on my life. I have climbed this mountain for a long time now, and once in a while I’ve been hit with someone so hard it felt like a punch from the hulk. In times of struggle all we can do is turn to the one who can make a difference Jesus Christ. This message was supposed to be one of hope, and of change, and one of positive direction. Instead I want to talk about the seasons of love we all enter.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4we a couple words that stand out above the rest. “4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”Charity is the word Agape which is the purest form of Love in ancient Greek. There was no love greater. The next and last word I want to discuss is suffering. To endure completely, to love and not keep track of the transgressions, but to continue in the ways of love because it’s about the spirit of Love, not the benefits of what’s in it for ourselves.

Love won’t be an easy thing as it never has been, and of course it never will be. There will be days that you are fed up, you are tired, and you want to throw in the towel, but I say to you, in your heart is it love you feel? I have loved and lost, and many have asked me how I can say I love someone after all they did to me. My response is always the same, “Love suffers, and it does not keep score.” I usually give a half smile. “Love endures all things.” I always follow up with, “Forgiveness is not a suggestion, it’s a command, thus we must forgive not because they deserve it, or have earned it, but because it restores balance in our hearts with God.” Love takes effort, it takes work, and sadly if it is not cared for, the fire can go out.

As I have walked for many years up that steep mountainside I know one day I will reach the top. One day I will sit with Jesus on the edge of the summit and look out over the world below. I envision beautiful trails, and waterfalls, rainbows, and perfect animals all around for the nature lovers in Heaven. As I close my eyes and I’m taken to a place my heart has longed for, I’m reminded of the raw power I received a glimpse of for only a moment. How great it will be to enter unto Heaven and find myself exploring the perfect forests, the perfect land. I open my eyes and I’m back on the mountain clinging to the side of the rock with a long climb ahead of me. Today the storm came and all I can do is pitch the tent and ride out the storm.

Working in security I found myself doing a job I was good at, but never truly feeling fulfilled. The very rare occasions that came up for me to make a legitimate difference in someone’s life were so fleeting it never sustained the gap between them. Several weeks ago when God closed that door in my life, I realized the seasons were changing. When winter starts to dwindle and spring is coming there’s a time period when the environment is just rough. The snow has melted and the ground is soft and muddy, the clouds are still thick and gray, and nothing has started to bud with new life. Every season has a transition period and as I enter mine, I am reminded of the promise made by the Lord. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 3

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

In this time of change I am going back to school, and moving along this path I have set out on. While I don’t know where this path will lead me, I do know God has laid this in front of me, and I shall not wander away. Much like Dorothy on the yellow brick road I assume there will be dangers along the way. We must learn what things are priorities, and be willing to change those priorities as needed along the way. For over a year I have placed this blog as one of my top priorities in my walk with Christ. I have been faithful in writing and in my ministry and my worship of the Lord in this forum. It’s with a heavy heart I must realize that this season is starting to change. With school on the horizon I realize I won’t be able to put as much time and energy as it’s taken to maintain this blog 7 days a week. It’s with deep sadness I must take some time to reevaluate the frequency in which I am able to post new messages. This has been a major part of my life for over a year now, and walking away is certainly not an easy thing. But as I have learned, just because the winter ends doesn’t mean you get rid of your snow boots. I will keep the blog around, and when I am able I will post new messages. Sadly, this will be the last day of the every day messages.

I want to thank those who’ve read consistently. While the traffic to my blog never reached my desired goals, I cannot deny the impact my blog has had around the world. This post is number 553. I have reached over 100 countries and I have had over 15,000 views and more then 7000 visitors. There’s no doubt in my mind, while I didn’t receive much in the way of feedback, the messages that were published reaching that many people had to make a difference to at least one person. As I continue on with my education in the pursuit of my pastoral counseling degree, I will continue to take note, to stockpile ideas, and when time allows, I will write and post again. The page will remain up and active and the prayer request page will be available. Please feel free to comment at any time on there for prayers, or you can find my email on my contact page. Go forth my brothers and sisters and continue to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to those in your lives. Be hopeful in your walk because this life is just another season, and the next one is perfection. Right now I am hunkered down on the cliff waiting for the cold brutal storm to pass, but I know, I believe, I have faith that in due time the storm will pass, and I will climb once more. God Bless all of you, and I look forward to being able to share updates as my journey continues.

Why God?

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Why God?

I wish I could stand here and tell you I’ve never been on the outs with God. I wish I could tell you I’ve never felt like I was the cosmic punching bag. The truth is, when I felt like I was being punished for something it was me that had the wrong perspective. It’s not easy living life through the trials, the storms, but the thing I get asked most often, “why?” While I don’t always have the answers to why, I want to talk about perspective. We’ve become a society of passing the buck. We blame all manor of things, but more often then not, the things responsible are ignored or underplayed.

Recently I was thinking about my own past. When my ex had her affair I blamed God. I blamed God saying “Why would you do this to me? I’ve been faithful.” Interestingly enough, looking back from where I am now, I think of Luke Skywalker, “Amazing, every word of what you just said, was wrong.” We often find ourselves angry when we are in pain. Pastor Glen Newsom told me an example recently, when we hurt we’re like a bear caught in a trap. We will lash out to anyone or anything that comes near us. When we’re trying to help people we often have to get close enough to that bear to be hit in the face. Sadly when dealing with a bear trap, you might have to tighten it causing more pain, before you can release the bear from the trap. Counseling and aiding those in need is sometimes the same. We are angry and we hurt, and we just want the pain to go away, and we’ll do anything to make it stop. When I was angry I didn’t think twice about the source, I blamed God. In all reality my problem was me. I knew the past of the people I had been in relationships with. I knew there were a few things that seemed morally questionable. When the time came around and I was the one cheated on, instead of blaming them, and Satan, I targeted the wrong entity. I know that God has the power to step in, to change the way things are, but to do so would be to take away the second greatest gift we’d ever be given, Free Will. Of course the first greatest gift is Jesus Christ.

To this day I still don’t have an understanding of why my ex wife left. What I do know is sin and lusts of the flesh are powerful motivators. Sin and free will can be a dangerous combination when we aren’t walking alongside Christ. We cannot place blame on God for the sins of Man. I was thinking about that recently. Blaming God for the things people do, is like blaming the police for not stopping a murderer from killing, or blaming firefighters for the fire because the arsonist burnt the forest down. Blame is our scapegoat. We don’t want to think it’s our loved ones fault. We don’t want to think somehow we are responsible. Instead we want to pass the buck to the easiest place possible. The hard part about responsibility is when we’re told all the blaming we’ve done, all the finger pointing should really be turned inward. No one wants to hear the truth that they are responsible, or their loved one’s at fault. How could someone we love and care about be the cause of so much pain? Of course this falls into play when you talk about the stages of grief. Denial is a powerful stage and if you happen to be the sorry soul to point out truth, be careful, the swings will come, and you’re likely to get punched in the face.

All My Hope, By Crowder “All my hope is in Jesus, thank God my yesterdays gone, all my sins have been forgiven, I’ve been washed by the blood.” When we look to yesterday we are gifted with hindsight which they say is 20/20 vision. Sometimes though even when we look back things are only clear to the ones wearing the glasses. As they say about history it’s written by the victors. Our eyewitness accounts would vary drastically from one person to the next. Deuteronomy 11:26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:” When we’re in the middle of the storm, we can’t see the size, the distance, even the worst to come within that storm but radar can. We are not able to see it because we aren’t God. It’s not a healthy path to start questioning your decisions too much. I’ve always been an advocate of healthy after action reviews to improve upon every major decision made, but we cannot get caught in a loop of the what ifs. We will never have those answers within this life, and so we should not worry ourselves about hypothetical rhetoric. Trusting in the Lord to work out every bad situation to be a learning tool, a blessing, or correction for our own bad behavior will come with faith. God does not control the actions of man because God has blessed man with free will. When most people are asked if they believe in destiny or fate, most will answer with a resounding yes or no. Those who say no often say it because they don’t like the idea they aren’t in control of their own actions. Those who say yes often agree that we are destined to get a certain job, or go through certain things, but when you break it down to the smallest detail, ‘are you destined to have Cheerios one morning, or Fruit Loops?” Their tune changes a bit when you start talking about the true nature of destiny and free will. God does not want slaves, but he wants his Children to love Him. I am not a parent, but I imagine if I were I would not want to force my kids to love me, I would want to know they love me of their own free will, because they want to, not because they have to. We can’t have it both ways, we cannot blame God for the wrongs of every person, and want our own free will. We get the good and the bad when it comes to free will.

When people get sick with a disease, or die in an accident, one of the first questions asked is ‘Why would God let this happen?” There’s no answer myself, nor anyone could ever give that would be right on purpose. We don’t know why a smoker of 50 years dies the ripe old age of 95 never having contracted cancer, and someone who smoked for just a fear years dies in their 40’s of lung cancer long after they’ve quit. We don’t know why babies are taken home to be with the Lord so shortly after coming into this world. We don’t know why God allows the body to have miscarriages, and so many other incidences that plague our lives. Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” While we often say, ‘I don’t disserve this.’ We don’t disserve life, but we were blessed with the opportunity to ever lasting life through our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s an opportunity because it’s not mandatory for us to enter into Heaven. Heaven is a gift, but one we must accept. It’s a gift with a single stipulation, and that’s to love Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul. We must trust in that love and understand that as Christ suffered trials and persecution we to will undergo trials and persecutions to test our own faith, our own resolve. 1 Thessalonians 5:18“18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We think ourselves mighty if we believe we don’t deserve the trails and sufferings we encounter in this life. We are no different then those who drove the nails into the hands and feet of an innocent man. We are no different then those who cast lots to divide up the clothing of a man who was blameless. We are no different then the wicked men of our forbears. We believe we are basically good people, but at the foot of the cross we are no better, nor worse then anyone else who’s ever lived before us, or those who will come long after we’re gone. How can you say we don’t deserve the trails that come when all sin is created equal, and the only way for us to be rid of it, is to give ourselves, succumb completely to the Love of Jesus Christ. We are not worthy of that love. Grace however is given to those worthy or not. Love is given to all without cost, without reward, without score, and yet we are short sighted in our ideas of love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. Why does God love us? Why do bad things happen to us? The answers are simple, and yet so simple people have a hard time understanding and or respecting the answer. Bad things happen because Sin entered the world. Bad things happen because people live in the world by the worlds rules rather then living for God. God loves us because He can. God wants to love us, and that’s all the reason He needs. God loves each and every one of His children more then we can wrap our heads around the word Love.

We must keep Proverbs 3:5-6in our hearts and minds always. “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Faith in the plan from the Lord because we know our God loves us, and wants good things for us, not bad. We are to be tested to be the best we can be. We are to be tried because we learn from our failures, we grow, and we mature in our struggles more so then any other time in our lives. Faith, Hebrews 11:1-3 “11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” So ask yourself again, why do bad things happen? Bad things happen because people make sinful decisions. Bad things happen because we make poor choices. Bad things happen because in life we live in a fallen world, and we don’t always get the answers to why. We learn from them, we grow in them, and in all things we are commanded to come to God in our sorrow, our time of need. Crawl into your Abba’s lap and cry, and always ask God to be with you, because He always is. Jesus Christ will never leave you, He will never abandon you, and for every tear you cry, He’s holding them in His hands, and He’s crying along side you. Be of good faith, and know that you will be the sword forged in fire, to be made sharp, and battle ready, tested under combat, and you will prevail, that’s why bad things happen.

The 11Th Commandment

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The 11Th Commandment: 

Now, I know what you’re saying, but Preacher there’s only 10 commandments, and you would be absolutely correct. There are only 10, but as one of my mentors would say, “Always remember the 11thcommandment. Thou shalt not misquote the pastor.” (Rev. Glen Newsome, Jr M.A.C.S) It’s unbelievable how often a pastor will get up in the pulpit and give an amazing sermon, but there’s always one that hears a different message then the one preached. “One of the most disappointing things for a pastor is realizing people heard a message he did not even preach, which often happens when people hear what they want to hear and wrap the preacher’s words around those things they desire to justify rather than what the spirit has spoken through His messenger” (Dr. M David Chambers, senior Pastor Antioch Baptist Church) I have found in my studies of sermon’s, in my studies teaching, one thing you have to do is repeat your intent in the lesson multiple times. You have to make your message concise and clear, and leave no room for interpretation of your message. The Gospel has sadly been misused and misquoted for centuries. The idea that people have used the Word of the Lord to further their own agenda and play on the fears, and the hope of others for their eternal salvation is sickening. Not too long ago I was listening to a sermon and during the sermon I was writing notes as I usually do. What I heard in the verse we were studying is not at all what that verse meant. As I wrote and wrote I had a full page before I realized how I was wrong, and re-reading the scripture I then sank as I found all that work was for nothing. I didn’t hear what the preacher had said and thankfully I figured out that I was wrong before I went forward and used parts of that message in a blog of my own. Don’t twist other people’s words to bend to your own will. Don’t use scripture to further your own agenda because I promise you, God does not like when people pervert the Word. If you want an example from scripture to what perverting the word looks like, take a look at the ENTIRE New Testament and see how corrupt the Sanhedrin had become. These were top priests, men of God of the Jewish faith who had made the laws of Judaism work for them by adding a new law every so often. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees time and again throughout his ministry. And before I move on, I wanted to point out one small thing without going to into detail, all those prosperity sermons that say, if you give x amount of dollars God will bless you, but if you don’t you aren’t going to get as much of a blessing. This is complete and total garbage from the pit of Hell. There is no Jesus plus one. You need Jesus to be saved, that’s it. There is no extra. You follow Jesus, you walk as close to Jesus as you can in this life, and you study the word day and night and allow it to be engrained in your heart, so when the day comes the Devil tempts you, you can withstand the fiery darts from Hell. The world will tempt you, and lie to you, and say things to you to sway your attention. We as Christians must live in the world, and yet apart at the same time. It’s our job to be evangelists and spread the Gospel to all whom we can, and in doing so, we must learn to spread the TRUTH! Not a sugar coated truth, or a watered down truth, but the HOLY TRUTH, truth that would live up to being scrutinized by scripture. That being said your only truth is that which comes straight from scripture, and only from scripture.

What’s one way you can evangelize, spread the gospel, and know that what you’re saying is true? First things first, study the bible. Pick a book at the beginning, and read. When you’re done, reread that book a second time, and a third time. Find words you don’t know what they mean. Read study bibles so you can get an idea of what the author of the book was trying to reveal. Study the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. The English language does the Bible poor justice as we often find our words aren’t as eloquent as the original text. We must learn to see what the words mean and thus understand the true nature of the text. I will give one example, simply because this text has been taken out of context, misunderstood, and used against me as a former soldier in the US Army and as it would be, a combat veteran. I was told I was going to Hell because as a soldier I’ve killed people. First, just because I was a combat soldier in Iraq doesn’t mean I killed anyone. (Not saying I did, or didn’t) Second, to assume someone killed another is bad enough, but to actually tell someone that they are going to Hell because of it. So that being said lets take a look at scripture.

Exodus 20 King James Version (KJV)

20 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Highlighted are the 10 commandments. Notice there is the 10, but there’s also more in the instructions. Also, and while we will only look at one of the 10, I encourage you to use this to start your exploration into legitimate bible study of your own. The word in Hebrew for kill #13 is râtsachwhich means “slayer, murderer, kill, murder, slain, manslayer, killing, slayer, slayeth, death”(Blue Letter Bible) When you dig a little deeper the usage was common to be used with premeditation, cold-blooded murder, assassinations. So when put into context, we know that God has divine rule over all, and we see that in some cases war was necessary because of the sinful ways of man, but the word Kill in English is one word. Hebrew has 12 words for Kill in the OT, and in the Greek of the NT, 7 words that mean kill. With so many different variations, the English language simply doesn’t do the scripture true justice. It’s important that in your study you use websites like Blueletterbible.com and study bibles to broaden your understanding of scripture. It’s up to you to listen without a predetermined heart to what the message is saying. Don’t just hear the words spoken, but listen to the message. Hear the word of God and trust in it, but always verify. Don’t just take a pastors word for it, don’t just take a Sunday school teacher’s word for it, trust by verify.

John 4:7-9“7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” What exactly does this verse say? We look at the script earlier and it says either noon, or 6 in the evening. Which during that time period in 6 was noon. But you wouldn’t know how time was recorded unless you look at the history. Second is a woman from Samaria. Women at the time were not allowed to be out of their homes alone. Third is Jewish descendants’ were not supposed to have any dealings with the impure blood of any Samaritan. Talking with a Samaritan was simply not acceptable. As we look at the scripture surrounding this passage, we must both put this passage into context with surrounding verses, but also it’s important to understand the history behind it. You cannot expect to understand scripture if you pull verses just because they sound good. You must understand the author, the environment, the scene as it were, to fully understand what scripture is saying.

Do not misquote the pastors, and do not take away a different message then the one preached. Do not use scripture for your own personal gain by picking passages, pulling them out of context just to fit your own narrative. Be a responsible Christian and study like we are commanded to do so. We are responsible for our own actions and if you find yourself in a situation and your response was ‘The pastor said it was okay.’ Is not going to get you very far. Be mature in your faith. Going to church every day does not make you mature in your faith. Listening to sermons on your phone once in a while doesn’t make you mature in your faith. We must study and commend the word into our hearts. Do not be the one to violate the 11thcommandment. I daresay when you misquote the pastor, you are essentially baring false witness, or testimony of what the pastor had said. The Hebrew for witness in this verse used is ed, and means “עֵד ʻêd, ayd; contracted from H5749; concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince:—witness.” (Blue Letter Bible) You are responsible for what you say, and thus if you cannot listen and take away the message being preached, then you are not listening with an open mind and heart. Don’t make your pastor’s job harder then it already is. Don’t force them to put out a fire you started just because you weren’t listening. Have some respect for not only them, but yourself also. Speak on things in which you have authority, and leave the rest alone.

 

Brethren

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Brethren:

As men of the Lord of all creation, we must learn to stand as figures to those who lay eyes upon us. We will fail and fall short of the Glory of God, but as one of the wisest Jedi to ever grace the screen says “The greatest teacher, failure is.” (Yoda, The Last Jedi)We can learn so much in our failures. When I was in the military we learned that after every mission, after every training operation we always preformed an AAR or After Action Review. We would always go over the good, the bad, and the ugly of the mission. We talk about what went right, but also what went wrong, and we always talked about what we can improve no matter how good of a job we did. In all things we do we must turn to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to keep us accountable in our walk. We must never shoot the wounded. We must not kick someone when they are down. Be a Godly father figure after our Abba Father. We must take heart to the story of the Good Samaritan and we must also be like the Samaritan who helped the traveler. Luke 10:25-37 The Samaritan’s were despised by most people in the known world at the time. The Samaritan helped a man who would have under other circumstances, would not have returned the gesture. Love, always concurs all. In all our ways we must return hate with love. We must not take up arms against our aggressors but return love to those aggressors. We embody Christ and as an ambassador we are the earthly representatives of Christ. As well as we can being sinful men and women, we must strive for greatness, and truth in our walk daily. We cannot just say we are different we must be different.

We are fathers to our children, meant to train them up in the ways of the Lord. We are not our child’s friend, not yet. Ephesians 6:1-4“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” We must embody the fatherly love of the father that gives us life. We must look to our Abba and we must take what we see from our Abba and move that onto our children. They will look to us and they will see what it is to be a man, or for the ladies, what a man should be. We often only get one chance to get it right in front of our children because the smallest slip, the one cuss word, the one big negative action can have long repercussions. Children’s minds are clay and we mold that clay but in both the good and the bad actions. We will make mistakes, and we must learn to also apologize to our children under those times because we must remain humble and show that we are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and no one is so proud they are above sin. So fathers, and mothers, train up your child. Proverbs 22:6“6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” No your children are not animals, and scripture isn’t saying that, but think of training children as a new employee and as an employee we are trained how to do a job, and serving Christ is our job. Always discipline your kids in love and meekness. Walk with a tender heart. We are a body of Christ so when someone is trapped in sin we must help them restore balance to the body of Christ. Matthew 18:12“12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?” In all training and loving, and serving we must remember no one is ever so lost they are beyond grace or mercy.

My brothers and sisters we are all sinners on this earth, and we will never be good enough to disserve the grace and love of God, but we receive it anyway. We would never be able to stand up and work enough, or be good enough to pay for our entrance to Heaven, but our bounty was paid, and we were forgiven in grace by Jesus Christ’s blood. Matthew 18:1515 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” As we look to those who sin against us, we must remember what occurred on the cross. Sin is far reaching and we must remember that as one of Christ’s dying words pled to God, Luke 23:34 “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”Always be fair and listen. James 1:19“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” Approach with kindness and empathy to every situation. Be fair and just. Don’t just be a dad, be a father. Don’t just be a mom, be a mother. Be more then just the biological aspect of creation. It’s okay to make mistakes so long as you learn from them, and use those mistakes as teaching opportunities. We are responsible for the future generation of Christians so let us show them what it means to be Christian in our actions. God shares His great love with us, so share that love with the world.

 

 

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