Please Pray For My Son Brayden

Our son Brayden has been in the hospital all weekend. He had a severe reaction to a bladder medicine he was taking for a UTI infection. He was hallucinating and seeing things all night Friday. He had another reaction this morning that was almost like a seizure. Please pray for him and hope that he comes through this. Please pray that I don't doubt in my prayers. i believe God is on the case and HE needs me and my to be faithful. Thank you Clint

The Negro League & Their Fight Against Racism

This afternoon I watched a special on the MLB Network. It was about the history of the Negro Baseball league. I thought it was very interesting to watch. I am a person who dislikes the very thought of segregation. I believe it is an evil past of our country and really saddens me that something like this ever happened.

The players who were still alive to do this documentary told of how special this league was to them. They believed they were deserving enough to play in the Major Leagues, but the whites felt they weren't. How shameful those white people were. It's embarrassing to be a white person sometimes when you hear of how evil and cruel our race was to another race.

The old timers of the Negro League tell of how they were mistreated as baseball players. Especially on road trips, they said they would go three or four days without a shower because the hotels would not allow them to stay anywhere because of the color of their skin. They mentioned how they would go to a restaurant to eat they had to enter in the back door and get some handouts.

As they went to the deep south to play games they would be treated terrible. One night they were in Georgia to play a game and the Sheriff of that particular town told them there would be no game tonight. He said the field they would be playing on would be the sight of a KKK rally. In my mind those white people were idiots and disgraced their own race. I hope they repented later in life. Those who played in the Negro League were tough and really deserve great respect because of all the hatred they faced.

I literally hate racism! I really feel for all who were hated for the color of their skin. I feel no remorse though for any white person who ever beat, hanged or mistreated another person for the color of their skin. They will get their due penalty one day.

I know there is still racism going on today, but we have become more loving in this generation and have come to not look down on someone because of their color. Yet living in the south I hear things that really can set me off. And it disturbs me greatly! Live life with all no matter what our outside differences are. Christ would.

A Prayer And A Psalm For A Friend

Nothing was going right for me today and it all just added to the clutter in my life. I thought I was having a bad day until my wife gave me some good news and some bad news. A friend of ours is both rejoicing and mourning at the same time. I won't give you the details but I will say God is a good being who knows exactly what He is doing. We try to tell Him what to do in our prayers and ask for more than we deserve. Yet He gives us more than we shall ever need, and we still beg for more. But I will pray for my friends at this moment in time. And thank Him for what he has done for all of us today.

I found a Psalm that is just right for us all today.

Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have led a blameless life;

I have trusted in the Lord

without wavering.

Test me, O Lord, and try me,

examine my heart and my mind;

for your love is ever before me,

and I walk continually in your truth.

I do not sit with deceitful men,

nor do I consort with hypocrites;

I abhor the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence,

and go about your altar, O Lord,

proclaiming aloud your praise

and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

I love the house where you live, O Lord,

the place where your glory dwells.

Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with bloodthirsty men,

in whose hands are full of bribes.

But I lead a blameless life;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

My feet stand on level ground;

in the great assembly I will praise the Lord. Psalm 26

Who I am : )

I believe every day we all try to think about our life. How others feel about us. How we can make our mark in this life. How we fit in this world and how we got here. I think about my life a lot. Sometimes I wonder what people think of me. I don't think a lot about what people think of me. Sometimes I just really don't care. I believe it is my life and I will lead it to the best of my ability or however God wants to lead it.

Many who read this don't know me or don't have a clue who I am. I thought I would share some things with you so when I write you don't think I am a hypocrite or some kind of nut. :)

I believe in learning something new every day. Doesn't matter what. Just anything. I believe in moving forward and not falling behind. Even though a lot of times I am falling behind.

I have failed at many things, but I have never quit anything. Even though I have thought about quiting a lot of things, but I just hung in there no matter what.

I have high expectations in myself and others and in a world that lacks those high expectations. So sometimes I can really be rough around the edges about certain things I write about. A lot of times I can be very soft in my writing about things it just depends on my mood. And then sometimes I can write in anger about things. If you are consistent reader you probably know that. I have gone off on subjects that have really urked me. I guess it's those high expectations I have.

Over the past few years I have really found out who God really is. He is not a record keeper of my wrong doings, but a God of great love yet a God of judgement though. I have complained about where I live and have said some rude things about my town. But life can't always be perfect! I am still adapting.

I am a person who has become very grateful for every day. I love my wife and my three children very much. I couldn't live without them. Even though they can be way over dramatic sometimes.

I used to a very sinful person in years past. Living for the moment and not really giving any thought to my Christian life. All I thought about was myself. I know better now.

I really love to defend the under dog. I don't like rich people who hoard their money. I believe the person who has little is much better off than those who have a lot. I read a book who says to always become better than you were raised. Not me I will always be blue collar and I will always defend the blue collar people. Those are the people I was raised around and those are the people I will always stand by.

I love everybody I come in contact with in my life and that will never change. If they don't like me or think I am an idiot I don't care. I will still love them because God loves them. Rich, poor, black, white or Hispanic they are still people. Even if they have a handicap license plate and drive slow in front of me I will honk my horn and not be mad too long. :)

I am a forgiving person. If you make me mad or offend me I won't hate that person or hold any bitter feelings. I'm sure I have done the same thing to someone else before. My temper only lasts about five minutes and then its over.

I don't plan anything for the next day. I just see what it brings to me. Why plan when interruptions happen all the time. Or your wife will always change your plans. She likes to plan a month ahead of time. I don't!

I am very good sleeper. No problems at all. I don't worry about anything. But I do feel bad for those who can't sleep, I really want to help them with that. It's so easy to go to sleep. I don't understand why people have trouble with it.

I don't understand why people want to do the evil they do. I just want to have a conversation with them, and ask them why they do what they do. Osama bin laden. I just want to talk to the guy and see if I could get through to him.

I don't tolerate arrogant people. I'm going to write a book about our arrogance. It is definitely a problem with many of us Americans. Read Finding Calcutta and you will get a real good lesson about humbleness.

I know the Bible says not to love the world or anything in it, but I love a lot about this world. But I will be ready to meet God one day. I have some pain and weird things that I feel and go through almost every day. I try to figure out why? But I believe God gives me things for some reason. When my back is in great pain or I have back spasms. I realize that there will be a place of great healing. Where the pain that you and I go through will not be anymore. Every pain makes me think of Heaven and its pain free, worry free and tearless policy. How great will that be?

I am thankful for who I am. God has blessed me in many great ways. I may be in debt and not perfect but I am warrior for the Great Almighty. In Him I will stand forever. Will you stand with me?

Taking Christ's Cross Lightly

I often am guilty of taking the death of Christ to lightly. We believe it happened and that He suffered great pain through the beatings and the nails. I remember watching the movie 'The Passion Of Christ," and it really brought me to tears. Someone had finally shown the reality of his death and a realistic view of the pain He had gone through. There is no way any man can bare the pain that Christ bore for us all. He literally went through Hell pain wise. Yet we still miss an important fact of His Crucifixion.

When we read the verse in the Bible where He screams "My God why have you forsaken me?" We really don't give a whole lot of thought to the depth of despair He felt when He was forsaken out of the bosom of the Holy Trinity. The perfect circle was broken. Christ felt a lonesome pain that man has never known. A feeling that none of us could ever bare. Christ was left by His Father. He was forsaken by the Creator of the world. His world became dark and alone. God turned His back on his Son and left him. Christ went to hell for us, to bare all our sins that we may be saved from death. Do we ever stop and think about what it would be like to be denied or left by our God? For he is the one that holds our lives together. I believe we would have a complete loss of life. No meaning to be living. An emptiness that we couldn't bare. Some will feel that pain one day as they enter hell and are cut off from the vine of the Living God.

I now understand why many say Christ had a broken heart. To have God turn His back on you and be that alone would completely devastate us all. Christ bore so much on His cross that we will never ever comprehend what really went on between heaven and hell. What we do know is that he did it for us. We didn't deserve such great love like that. Some Christians give up something tempting during the days of lent, like smoking or sweets. I think that is mocking the cross of Christ. I think that is weak minded and foolish. I believe we need to give up a lot more than that. I believe we all (including myself) need to really stop and focus on our sins and try to be the best possible people we can be. We have all taken the Cross of Christ way to lightly. We need to understand the price that Christ paid for us all to be free from sin and the price of His love.

It's time we all get it together and really love Jesus, and stop making excuses for not loving Him.

Suffering for Christ

" The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be shown to us." Romans 8: 18

I know there are many people in this world like this guy in the picture. Many are just to the point of just giving up. They just don't know what direction to go in right now. They thought their job was secure, and "BOOM" their jobs were gone. I feel no security anymore in the job market. The past three or four have been rough. But I suffered for a little while and prayed a lot and remained faithful till God opened a door for me.

Everybody wants to know what the answer is, and if I could talk to every person in the world right now I would tell them to pray, be faithful, truly believe in God our creator and don't use Him as a scapegoat. Truly believe He is the answer and when He answers don't run away from Him and forget Him, remain in Him always. But we can't talk to the whole world at one time or any other time. Many would think I am crazy, for suggesting to speak to an invisible God. Like that works, Uh...... it did for me!!!!!!

I am reading a book titled "The Reason For God." Great book! I am reading it for the second time because I just couldn't capture everything this guy says. The author interviewed a few New Yorkers about their belief in God. Many said they couldn't believe in a God that allowed suffering in His world. They obviously have never read the Bible, it has a lot of suffering in it. Especially the Crucifixion of Christ. Suffering for God is our reward for loving God and His Son. Suffering builds character. It increases our faith and makes us stronger. It draws us closer to God in prayer and faith in Him. I believe I finally found my reason for loving a higher power in my times of suffering. I was in a rut and couldn't find my path to follow. So I gave it to God and he had been taking care of me the whole time. I knew He was, Satan just clouded that view of God from me. I'm sure there will be more suffering in my life in the near future. But I will be prepared for it. He will build me up for my future sufferings and he will be right there in the middle of it all.

So if you have just lost your job and are just clueless in what you are supposed to do, get on your knees and give it all to God in prayer. Cry if you have to, there is no shame in crying over your problems. Get it all out and step back up to the plate and take your swings at the world. Not every pitch is going to be a home run, but at least your beating the world down with every swing. Get out there and do something and show Satan you won't allow him to win you over. We are the children of God we can't lose. We are Sons and Daughters of the Most High, what can man do to us.

I was in a very down and hopeless mood the other day after all that has happened this past week. I drove around for a few minutes and put in a CD by Wayburn Dean titled "Immeasurable." Did it hit at the right time, tears came to my eyes and I just felt the love of God wrapped around me. The words to some of his songs are put just right. I thought about God's goodness in my life how good it is to be a child of The Most High. Then two days later I was back in that rotten mood. The past two days at work were just horrible and I was getting worked up about the whole situation. I asked God to deliver me from this stress. I don't get stressed really about anything. When it happens, I go overboard and get very upset at people. But he released me by allowing to not to care about it so much. I thought why am I worrying so much about something so stupid, if it doesn't get done somebody else can do it. I am a child of God, what can man do to me. Boast in God, and remember he will do whatever for us.

Our world's financial and job loss situations can only be solved by us taking up our cross and giving it all to Him. Be faithful through your suffering and consider it an award from God and remain in His love. Then you can do all things through Him.

Seeing The LIght At The Other End.

My family and I had a rough time last week and this week has turned out to be another rough one. WE had one child in the E.R. last week and she is better now. Then my wife went to use our debit card at Taco Bell and it was declined. Come to find out somebody had stolen our debit card number in "ROMANIA" and charged at least $300 dollars and another $300 and put our account in the negative. So I got a little upset,and all I could think about was finding this person and wringing his neck. So now it is in the process of getting fixed and we will get our money back. But I am still angry about it.

So today our oldest child went to the E.R. with a bladder infection. I humbly ask for your prayers for him I hope everything is OK with him. Then tonight at work, there was way to much for me to handle. People just don't do the work they are supposed to do. So it was left to me to get it all done. So the manager and I are going to have a talk tomorrow. I started to get stressed out about all this, and then thought my problems are really not as bad as others. So I will not complain anymore.

I took this picture the other night. It's a flower off our Camellia bush. It blooms every spring and it never lets me down. I look at this picture and it makes me think how wonderful our God is. Through all our tragedies and trials that Satan throws at us he will never win. A little flower of God's Holy beauty took me away from our disastrous week and made me think about how God will renew all things for us all. We may go through hard times, but the sun will always rise to give us another day of His wondrous grace. Stand tall during the evil trials of life and God will show us the path to follow.

God is: Love, kind, merciful, patient, eternal and never far away. May we love God at all times. Our world talks about bailouts. For all of us who follow Christ know he will be our bailout for all eternity. Thank you Lord for all that you give us and giving me the strength to see the light at the other end.

Communicate Your Problems.

This week has been a very good week. We had a good time with my parents visiting from West Virginia. They are great people. I realize how blessed I am to have such loving Christian parents. As we get older we come to appreciate our parents more and more. I remember a time when I didn't want them to tell me what to do or even be in my business, but now I realize how important it is for them to everywhere in my life. Being 900 miles away from them I realize I don't see them much and how much I do miss them. I hope my children will feel the same way about Shannon and I. I hope they realize how much we love them and how important it is for us to be in their lives every day.

As you go through life and live day to day it is important to feel the love of your family. I have recently heard how families don't get along and how a wall of anger has been put between families. I realize that our world has a lack of communication and selfishness in it. Many families have split apart because of hurt feelings and hatred. We fear of talking out our problems and things never get solved. I have no fear of approaching a person with a problem. If our world would step up to the plate and communicate our problems and say we're sorry. Maybe we would have less split families and less divorce in the world. Christ would always put himself last and others first. His love would prevail over anger and He would communicate to all. Show your love to others especially to those closes to you, your family. Love one another!