Living Humble In Christ!

I believe all people are good or have some good hiding in them.  God had in mind when he created us to do good and never leave him.  But many have left him and continue to take the path of not doing good.  Even those of us that are Christians are not perfect and still continue to sin daily.  Yet, we Christians puff ourselves up and put on a front of goodness and shun others because we don't think they are good enough.  If you hate Christians I can understand.  There are many Christians that think they are better than others in this world.  They think lowly of others who are poor, not dressed well, uneducated and fear those who do evil.  These kind of Christians wouldn't sink low enough to give any of these people the time of day.  Their status in the church and the community are more important than being in the middle of fighting for the underdog. 

Many years ago a little infant came to the earth born of a young girl and a carpenter.  As they were traveling a great distance on foot and riding a donkey, they finally arrived to their destination.  The young girl and the carpenter were looking for a place to stay that night and found the only space to sleep was an animal stable.  The young girl started her labor and had a little infant and laid him in a manger (a feeding trough!)  There was no applause except from heaven and a lot of angels. No family and friends arrived to see the new infant arrive on Earth.  A bright star  guided a few raggedy shepherds to see the new infant boy. 

The little child was given the name Jesus and would be the "King of all Kings."  His birth had been written about for many years and by many prophets.  Many looked forward to the King's arrival yet many missed it then and continue to still miss it today.  He arrived in the reign of a jealous and mean King named Herod. Herod became so fearful of this child he had all the boys of a certain age killed so to possibly kill the Christ. Herod didn't succeed!

Jesus grew up not rich with great wealth but rich towards God his Father.  His life was ordinary here but spiritually rich with God.  His ministry began in his thirties and he never owned nothing.  His goal was not to be the best but to become the least among everybody.  He taught to love one another and serve those in need.  He once applauded a poor widow for giving 2 little coins in the offering plate, it was all she had. He believed those sitting on the street and not able to move or walk were more important work than making the temple look beautiful.  His life was less important than those around him, he was seeking the pain that man has felt through out life. His heart was motivated toward loving others and giving them healing they have been longing for.

When he healed the man of leprosy he just didn't heal him, he touched his ulcerous hand and then healed him.  His touch was what the man needed for no one had given him any love since getting the disease. Many surrounded Jesus just to be able to be healed.  One woman tried so hard to get to the master that she believed enough that just touching his clothes it would give her healing  from her disease. And it did, and Jesus felt power go through him.

Our world has lost the true meaning of our savior, our lives are filled with becoming the best and seeking the best for our own lives.  We don't think about being humble and giving to others till it hurts.   Today is the day we fulfill our destiny and become what Christ needs us to be.  Giving daily to those who are in need and being able to touch those who are in need. That's our reason for the season. To give until all poverty and hunger is  solved.  Christ came to show us what true love is and when he saw we didn't know what to do he had to show us and then take our sins away that we might be able to live life in freedom.

Remember Christ is the reason for every season.  Every day we should celebrate and cherish both the birth and death of Christ.  But most of all we should celebrate his rise to new life from the tomb.  That is the moment we became free and continue to have his life run through us every day!  Merry Christmas!

Finding Ways To Give.

God is wanting us all to give till we can give no more.  This is a department I have a lot of trouble in, it's not because I don't want to do it.  It's because I don't see any opportunities to do it in my area.  Being the time of year it is there are all kinds of opportunities to give and we have.  So today I tried two times to offer something to those in need.  One chance was a chance to give to this group that I read about in a  book by author Lisa Samson.  I gave them my card and the website wouldn't take the payment.  OK! So I gave up on that.  So I went to Walgreen's to get some things and finally I found the Salvation Army guy ringing the bell.  I figured I would get some cash back from my debit card and give it when I left the store. The dude was gone and the bucket with him! I was perturbed. I'm not writing to brag, I just what to tell you about the ironic situations.

Why is it when you have some spare cash on your person and you want to give it to somebody in need they are never there?  But they are always there holding a sign when you have nothing but plastic on you.  I'm trying to figure it out. 

I have so many ideas about getting something together to help out with the needy, but I just don't know how to get others involved.  It seems nobody will get on the same page as I am on.  The past couple of nights  I have laid in bed and thought how unfair it is for me to be laying in a warm bed while there are others laying on the street sleeping and freezing to death.  How can we all do it?  I guess I am getting to the age where life is meaning more than objects of materialism.  I feel trapped in this town because I know there are needs in other bigger cities and the help is needed. 

Just recently my wife went to Philadelphia and told me how bad the poverty is there.  As they were in McDonald's a woman approached them and begged them for money or food. So they bought her lunch and it was a great act for them to do.  God talks so much in the Bible about being a servant unto those in need, and I just get a proactive feeling in my heart to get those in need some help.  I know that many homeless people have put themselves in those circumstances, but there are many who can't help being that way. Many suffer from some type of mental illness and just got thrown to the streets.  I read a story in a book that talked about a man deciding whether or not to give this guy some money.  The other guy who was with him was a former homeless person told the man the guys story.  He had been injured at his job and couldn't work any more and had no other form of income.  He became homeless and couldn't help it, the job he had was a good paying construction job.  Bad circumstances put him on the streets and made him become a beggar.

Give in some manner! That's what I tell myself all the time.  I can't solve the worlds problems all by myself, but the little I can give will make a difference somehow. I keep praying God will give me many opportunities to serve those in need. I  just need to keep my eyes open and watch who God puts in front of me and all of us.

Making Sense of The Bad And The Good Things In LIfe!

The past three months have been rough on a lot of people around here.  There have been unexpected deaths of some really good people.  It seems it never ends.  I thought this month would be better but we got some bad news of a family member the other day.  A stroke and then through some tests run they found cancer.  It just continues to come and we as humans have no way to stop it, it's the natural process of life.  As many are born, others are leaving through death.  It's a process God has watched over and over and it will continue as life is lived upon this Earth.

I saw God's great strength today and it turned me around and showed me what his power and love can do.  God heals in so many ways, we are often blinded by Satan because he doesn't want us to see how great our God is.

I love listening to children talk because they speak a   totally different language than we do as adults.  They live in a way where nothing matters,  but happiness.  They have no worries and they never understand when they see an adult cry. Their question is always, " Why are you crying?"  It seems an odd thing to them that somebody would ever cry.  Even though every child spends the first five years of life crying about something, you wouldn't think they would think it strange.  I believe God asks the same question to us, "Why are you crying?"  I am here!

Emotions are a strong sense we have.  Emotions make us act in various ways in many different situations in life.  Anger, hate, sadness, loss, happiness are all different ways we react through emotions.  If we could truly grasp God's love, mercy, hope and grace here on Earth we would never feel any sort of loss.  Something or someone keeps us from being complete in God.  We truly will never get the complete package of God and his greatness.  Satan is constantly pulling us from him and keeps us from screaming in total great joy for our God.  We will never get over a great loss of  losing a loved one, we know that one day we will be reunited with them all one day, but Satan makes us  truly not believe that or come to complete understanding of it.   We Christians are the offense and Satan is the defense that keeps us from scoring the game winning touchdown.  We just can't do it!  Satan keeps us busy in our lives with worries and other activities and keeps us from being completely devoted to our creator. 

So years ago God decided to send us his son to get us to that end zone and score that game winning touchdown, every day.  No matter what happens we our redeemed from our sins and able to have the help we need to survive a loss of a loved one.  Humans were made in the image of God, we continually light the world and break the darkness of this place.  We need to know and understand that whatever happens good or bad in this life that there is help right next to us.  God is in our hearts if we let him in.  No matter how dark Satan makes this world God is continually reinventing us and making our light brighter and brighter.  Soon our light will be so bright that Satan will run out of darkness and we will make the world a better place.  We just need to be in him because he is in us, and he is constantly brightening our world every day. 

I am here! Come to me! Listen to him and make life better and more enjoyable.

Family Feuds And The Roll Of The Peacekeeper

I have many things to be thankful for in my life.  I tell myself every day that the life God has handed me is blessed in every way possible. I'm not rich with great wealth nor am I a famous person.  I wish I was at least a little well off just to pay some debts off, but I don't think it's his desire for me. 

I'm thankful for so many different  things right now I couldn't even write them all down.  One thing I am truly blessed with is a family that gets along and truly loves each other.  I've never known my family to be at odds or at the point to where nobody is talking to each other.  It's just not our cup of tea.  I could say it's because we're all Christians and that is the main reason, but even families of the faith have these difficulties at times.  Sometimes each family has at least one or two people that are sensitive people who love to drag out an argument with hate or by shutting themselves completely off from other members of the family.  In most of these situations there is always somebody who believes so strongly in keeping the family together and at peace. I call them the peacemakers because they see deeper than the  blood that runs through each family member.  They believe in great love and they want what Christ wants, true love at all times. 

I love those that are keepers of the peace in battles of family feuds, they are the ones everybody hates because they think they just don't understand the situation.  They want them to side with them or another  side so they can add them to the fight, but they won't join, they stick themselves in the middle and will do anything to stop the fighting and show each side how to love one another. 

Christ did the same thing when he came to this Earth, he stuck himself in the middle of the family feud.  He hung between Heaven and Earth and absorbed the battle of hate and love so both sides would see him become the peacekeeper.  The peacekeeper is a vital part of our world as we feel and visualize the battle between heaven and hell.  Christ won and as the peacekeeper he is both adored and hated.  It's a roll nobody wants to play but somebody has to keep the peace in this crazy world, and that's all of us who are called Christians.  We are the peacekeepers until God sounds the horns and Jesus comes to bless us who followed the peacekeeping job.

Is Your Arrow Bent Or Straight In Life?

Our life here on Earth is not a straight arrow but a crooked one pointing upward to heaven.  I continue to see things about life that really confuse me and really needs some answering.  My answers really get answered easily by going to the Bible or continually reading different Christian authors.  It is through these books that I have really come to see life as a bent arrow instead of a polished and straight arrow with no blemishes.

If your life is not been bent or blemished then you haven't lived life at all. At least in the context of how God describes life for his children.  This life is not meant for us to seek our own comfort, but to seek the comfort of his love.  Heaven is real and it is where we are meant to be, yet some choose against it all day every day.  Many don't believe in a living God because they see him as an evil being who doesn't care for the suffering in the world.  Their thesis for life against God is, " How can a loving God allow all the suffering that goes on in this world?"  Yes, He allows it just like everything thing else that goes on whether it is bad or good.  We have a choice to choose, it's the choice he allows, yet we all live in his grace.  It doesn't matter if I have God in my life and you don't, we shall all suffer in some way.  But I have someone to go to with all my problems and God always responds in some manner, but whatever he chooses I will live with that decision.  A Non- Christian has God also  to go to but they choose another path- their own path not God's!

I see death in a different way now, I don't see it as the end but the beginning.  Another door will open as another one shuts, this new door will be the door I have always seeked and there I will be happy forever. As I watched "The Passion Of The Christ" the other night I was moved as I watched the beating that Christ took for me.  The other criminals weren't as beaten as Christ was.  It shows that this world condemns blasphemy worse than a petty little thief.  Words against this worlds thinking is more powerful and more threatening to our ego's than any other crime. So we continue to bash Christ and other Christian more than anyone else who does the wrong thing.  People today still think were are a bunch of crazy people talking about crazy things.  I think the same of those who don't believe also!

Suffering for God and His Son Jesus is what they want, they see us in this world and see what we Christians are up against and from above they continually send out angels to  be by our side as we proclaim his word to a dying world!  If you pray every day and don't get the answers you want, don't be worried or lose your faith I get the same answers also.  But my faith is increased as I continue to struggle and believe God will answer and that I am being covered always by His loving hand. 

As we go through life make sure your arrow  have as many bends and dents in it as you can, I believe the more your arrow has been damaged the more he will give you in heaven.  A straight arrow means you have lived for yourself and never went the extra mile to live your life. As long as my arrow is bent and beaten is great, but it also needs to be pointing upward toward him also. If it's not pointing to him it doesn't matter how beaten and crooked it is he wants a direction in your arrow also and it needs to pointing right to him!  

Christ's Referees!

Life has its way of confusing us in many ways.  As Christians we live in a way that has to be justified by a higher power.  In the past people lived in a way that every situation had to be answered by going to the Bible.  They looked for many answers in the living gospel.  I don't see that today, even in my own life I don't usually go to the Bible for any answer.  It's more of a conscience decision from battles I have faced in life that I find the answers.  The answers I come up with usually follow God's pattern of life though.

In today's world we have no code for which we live.  Rules are becoming an enemy of our world today.  I have been raised to do the right thing, to do things that are good and live by the rules.  So when people throw me a curve ball question sometimes I  go to the scriptures that I know and it's the answers God wants to be said, but the people of this world just don't want that answer.  I guess it doesn't make sense to accept a biblical answer that doesn't fit the world's answer.  They want a solution that fits with them, they don't want an answer that goes against their decision they have already made. Every time a question arises that is going against biblical principle it's not going to be the answer they want.  Basically, everybody has their mind made up before they ask the question.  So I wonder why they ask the question if they are going to go against the word of God.  I guess they just feel convicted or that we might say that it is ok and move on because God's will doesn't really matter. Wrong!

Legalists are what we call people who follow the rules of God's word.  The Pharisee's were the rule keepers of Jesus' day. They held to the ceremonial part of God's will, by strictly observing the rules of the temple and cleanliness of God's people.  When Jesus appeared he threw them and the world a huge curve ball.  A curve ball the world still can't hit and never will.

The people of that day were expecting to see the King of King's to arrive with a great entrance and blow their socks off.  He didn't arrive in any way shape or form, he arrived as a knuckle ball, not a perfectly thrown fastball.  He turned the world upside down then and continues to be the most controversial person ever to walk upon the Earth.  The rules of the old way of life were thrown out, Christ came to show what love really was to be about. Something the people of this world had forgotten about. The rules of that time became to overbearing for everyone, and the supposed to be appointed leaders of  God became to hostile with their rules and Christ came to give healing for those who had been persecuted by those rules. The refs were controlling the game to much and nobody was having fun playing the game anymore, to put it in a worldly sense.

But Christ didn't abolish the rules completely when he came.  He has a pretty good set of rules that we must follow to the best of our ability.  The Bible is our plan for playing the game the right way now.  If you want to continue to play the game eternally we must follow the rules in some manner.  If we played a football game with no rules the game would become a mess.  There wouldn't be any boundaries, you could put as many players on the field at once.  You could basically bring weapons in the game and take out anybody that got in your way.  It just wouldn't make any sense!  The refs are basically legalists, we boo them and say they need new glasses and that they look like zebra's.  We make so much fun of the refs that I can't believe anybody would want to be one.  That's how the world feels about Christians, we are the refs the rule keepers. 

Nobody likes us because we try to keep the world from going completely nuts.  People get all crazy when we give our opinion to the craziness.   The world does not want our answers to their questions, yet they continue to ask us our opinion.  And when our opinion is stated they rake us over the coals because they don't understand why we are so insane and why we would give such an answer, or to them it becomes a judgemental statement.  We become controversial and they make a mockery of us because what we said was right but not what they think is right. 

The world is a mess and it's becoming more of a mess because the rule keepers have gone to the bench and have let the game get out of control.  Is that what Christ wants us to do, to not stand up and blow our whistle anymore? We as Christians can't join the game as players but only as refs.  We don't have the talent to be a player we are to convicted to do the right thing.  Our lives are completely different but in a good way.  We can't be fans of the game because we are to convicted to sit and watch.  Our hearts have been pierced by a higher power, to see that everyone goes to where we want to be. 

We all dream about being a player, but life as a ref is not a fun one unless we make it fun.  But within the boundaries of the owner in heaven, we must keep our job as peacekeepers and lovers of those who are lost.  We must not be persecutors of those who are going against the boundaries but helpers.  We must not convict those who go outside the lines of life, we must show them where we have gone out of bounds in life also.  We are helpers we don't  throw penalty flags all the time.  We don't punish those who are going against the rules but show respect to those who do because we continue to fall out of the lines also. Our lives were a mess at one time also, but now we have been cleansed and our mistakes will continue to happen.  We are refs who have been penalized and have spent our time in the penalty box and have been fined by the league for as much as we can be fined.  Our dream is one day to be promoted as the owners of the team one day. Until that day comes we will continue as refs who can't find our new glasses and wear uniforms that make us look like convicted felons.  Maybe one day we will get the game ball and all the heavenly beings will sign it. It will be the game ball we have earned!

Some Are Blessed And Some Aren't. Why?

There are some things in life that really bring out the "the creativity" of God.  Pumpkins came to mind when I decided to write this.  Pumpkins are the staple decoration of the Fall, they bring joy to me every time I see one.  I could look at pumpkins all day every day and never get tired. 

When you think of Fall there are many different things that are unique.  The color of the trees, the cool air, Halloween and of course the pumpkins.  I remember as a child the things we would do as a family in the fall.  We would often make trips to Uniontown, PA and cross over the Maryland border for a great and colorful fall ride.  I remember those rides and the beauty of the leaves adorning the trees for the last time until spring.  You haven't experienced fall until you have experienced one up North.


I remember going to Barnsville, OH to the pumpkin show and seeing the huge 500 pound pumpkins and wondering how they got so big.  The October fest in cold October is one of great memory to me, the smells of the things cooking, the parade and the wonderful West Virgina fall scenery.  I wish I could have all these times back and experience them again.  Life is short but the memories are everlasting.  Our life is full of things that make us remember the good times of life, and fall brings great memories of my loving family. How blessed I am.  I don't know why God gave me such a great life, I don't deserve it. For some reason he gave it to me and to Him I am grateful!

As we drove through Little Rock Saturday, I saw homeless people and wondered why they live such a life.  Seeing them pierced my heart, and made my soul cry to God  about why this type of life was given to some and not to all.  I read a book not long ago about grace and how we all live in His grace.  But seeing people living in the streets makes me wonder about that statement.  I believe many didn't choose to be homeless, but many have become homeless by choice.  Many homeless are mentally incorrect, they have no other reason for being that way.  Mental illness scares people and so help is not given and so the streets are where we throw them.  I saw one guy who was so dirty and dingy and didn't look like he was in a right state of mind and he was walking somewhere with a sack of something in his hand.  It may have been some type of alcoholic beverage or it might have been food. Who knows? All I know is that I said a silent prayer to God to not let this be, that help was on the way for him and others soon. 

I wish I had Donald Trumps money  then I could give some type of help to people like this, but I don't!  We saw a man in North Little Rock sitting with a sign for help.  I couldn't pass him up.  He had no shoes and the sign read need work.  As I rolled the window down he came over and I gave what little bit of cash I had and he didn't seem mentally all there.  He was saying the ants were biting his feet, I think he was high or maybe he was mentally ill. I don't know, but  I was happy I didn't pass him by.  I'm not bragging but we can't pass up anybody in need anywhere.  We have never seen an angel of God, but just maybe he was.  You may argue that our God would not send an angel as someone high or mentally ill, but that our God is not about those who our dingy or dirty.   I disagree!  God is a God of compassion and will do whatever it takes to help us realize life is not about having the most things, but giving a lot of those things to those who don't.

Most of us have never given till it hurts, yes we can pass along some money and we think that is enough.  But to really get down into the heart of those who are homeless and give our love to them is what he really wants.  Give till you are out of  breath and ability.  I believe many have done this and have been given their crown in heaven.  Many have compassions for other ways of helping the word of God spread and that is good, but for those who have a great desire for helping those in need are also doing the will of God. I wish I could give everything up and give my life to those who are poor and needy, but I have a family to raise also.  I want God to lead me to where ever he needs me soon and that life will make sense some day. 

I plan on starting work on a book at the first of the year and I will devote all of it to us and our ability to give up most of our desires and live for what God is calling us to do.  I ask that you would pray for me on this endeavor and that maybe it will become my passion in life to write for God and tell people the truth of life. Thanks and God bless!

The Boring Routine Of Life!

I get tired of the same routine all the time, it just gets me down some times.  I think about how boring I have lived my life, I feel there is so much to do and so much to see and try to accomplish, yet I have allowed life to rule my life.   As we live life we see people doing great things and see how exciting their life is.  Going to places all over the world and doing things that are fun and just enjoying themselves.  I have heard some really interesting stories about people who have accomplished great things through just a little hard work or with just a simple vision and they went forward and succeeded. 

I don't believe God put us here to be just plain and boring routined people.  He gives us ideas all day long but fear makes us put these visions aside and places us in these boring routines.  We don't truly do what we were made for, most of us are just boring people who do nothing but keep to the mundane routine of life.  Well I am one of those people also, I have so much adventure and ideas in me, yet I don't act on them.  We never know what we could accomplish in this life if we could just let go of our fear and just do it.

I read of the apostles adventures in preaching the gospel and I see no fear in them. They were told one simple commandment to go to all nations and preach the word of God and they did it.  I could say that they did it because they actually saw the Lord and were with him and had great visions put forth by him. But I don't think that is all they needed to accomplish his work, they were a devoted group who knew what lie before them after all their hard work was done. They knew that they would have a place in heaven and knew they would face all kinds of opposition in their work, but they did it. 

Fear stinks! It is our greatest enemy and is produced by the greatest of enemies "Satan!" He will do anything to make our lives boring and routine. He will do his best to keep us from being what God wants us to be and that  to be great and adventurous in this life.  I have great ideas to get his work accomplished and help those who are in need both spiritually and physically but I fear of the opposition I would face and the lack of workers to do the work.  I have always had a dream to write a great book and watch it soar through the hearts of many and change their lives, but Satan keeps me from it by not allowing to be adventurous and willing to actually sit down long enough to complete it.

I want to find a great person in life who has accomplished many great things and find out what gave them courage and motivation to accomplish  things in this world. I'm a person who loves to be around positive and inspirational people but I seem to always be surrounded by people who would rather sit on their rump and go to the same boring job and collect their paycheck.  I don't want to be around that kind of company anymore. I want to be around people with great ideas and a mind full of great adventures.  They are the ones I aspire to be, I need that kind of motivation. 

My friend Al was one of those people who had great stories to tell about his life.  I paid close attention when he told about them, it was a life full of adventure and it was all spontaneous.  He just went with the wind and that is how he went out of life also.  We need to be a people who don't follow the world but be a people the world follows.  If we put forth all our abilities into our dreams and talents so much could be accomplished in this world.  But for some reason we don't and things don't get done.  Let's accomplish and take the risks needed to make great things happen.  I'm gonna write that book soon, God needs to put the words into my head now! I'm ready to do it!

God's Intended Path We Continually Miss Every Day!

This day has brought a hope of many possibilities to maybe happen to me. None of which have happened yet, but if I am patient enough they
might. God gave me a passion for life that I can do all things through him, that is great!

But what are "the all things through him" that I am to do? That's a hard question to answer. We are reared as children to go to school and do well. To act right in certain places and around certain people. It's like a system of prison rules,sometimes! If you really think about it we have been ruled and raised by societies rules. Not really Gods intended path for us. Yes, God wants us to be kind and well behaved people, but not people who feel we should be judged by people of this society by the way we act.  We're all going to act badly sometimes, but for somebody to look down on anybody because of certain mistakes is just not right. 

It's amazing to me that Jesus never went to college to be a biblical scholar, but if you don't have that piece of paper in your Hands that gives you credit for proof of being a biblical scholar then nobody is really going to listen to you. That's not Gods intended path!

I believe we have a different idea of the phrase "intended path" than what God had intended! My life and ideas have drastically changed over the past few years. I have been trying to find the real meaning of Gods story, and  I think I have found it. I don't want to be a Pharisee any more. I don't want to miss out on the big picture that God has been holding up for many years now. Many men have missed it. Opportunities have been missed because we put to much red tape into it. To much red tape in front of just giving a cup of water to a homeless person. We judge to much over the most simplest tasks.

As I got in my truck tonight after work I saw an opportunity missed, but I saw who God wanted me to serve. Those hopes of opportunities left me as I watched a young kid push his crippled mother across the parking lot! They looked like they needed something I just didn't know what it was though. It was something that God had intended for his path to righteousness. I got it real quick! 

As we get ready to elect some new officials in the next 30 some days, we are all getting up tight about it.  We waste so much time on who's right and who's wrong in the realm of politics.  I think it is completely worthless and many would disagree with me on that.  I used to get into politics and would rant and rave about who's  screwing up things in Washington and why people would elect them.  As life went on and people were elected I just lost all intrest in all the trash talking and how nothing will ever be resolved to any problems in the world through government. 

Now life in Christ is more imporatant to me now and this worlds view of life  is pointless.  I want to be in heaven one day and see the intended world God has planned for us all.  I've seen some people lately that God has intended for his realm of holiness.  He has set before me people who need help more than those of us who have all the things we need.  All three people I have seen at work for some reason, one guy was mentally challenged and had no ability to do anything for himself, he is here for a reason.  That reason was to show people like you and I that God wants us to help people like him. The kingdom is his! 

As I walked out the door of work I was walking behind a lady who was severely crippled yet walking.  The way she walked just put pain in my legs by thinking about how it would feel to walk like that.  I thought how hard life has been for this lady.  Not only by having to walk like she does, but the remarks many have made toward her growing up and those who continue to laugh at her right now.  The kingdom is hers!     

There is a time for everything, and now is the time to live by faith and start rescuing those who are considered to be weak by the worlds standards.  The world takes those who are crippled, homeless, mentally challenged and diseased and puts them into their own category in life.  "Just stay back and the strong will make the world move, but we don't need you here on the field just stay on the sidelines and watch."  The sidelines are a place for the forgotten and nobody really cares or thinks about them there.  It's our shame to be like that.  For the kingdom is theirs! 

Will it be ours or are we to busy here to make a life for ourselves?  A life we will lose one day and never see again.  It's time we take the worlds BS out of our lives and go to the sidelines and make it the place to be.  This is a lesson for me and all who want to share the kingdom of God with those mentioned above.  The meaning of life is not to prosper ourselves, but to help those who can't, to prosper!

What Did God Say To Us Before We Were Born????

He said go and live upon the Earth and enjoy your life with two people called your parents.  You will be called human and you will walk about the Earth and roam and live amongst other humans.  I will be with you always and please don't forget that. 

There will be things you will see that will remind you of me.  Things will make sense over time during your life and you will have days where you will forget where you came from.  You will have others trying to keep you there and telling you are there forever.  Humans will teach the good things about me, but others will teach you of another.  I will lavish great gifts upon you and you will live as if I haven't given you anything.  Many will try to give you their knowledge and tell you I don't exist, but their teaching is in vain.  I am here and I am real!

Your goals in life will be pressed by the standards of that world but my teaching will always be in your heart for I have written my instructions there.  When trouble faces you look inside yourself and you will find all the answers I have given you.  I have blessed you and that is all you will ever need.  Live there for a time and believe in me and my son your brother and I will come back and bring you here your eternal home.  Go child, go be born into time.  Bless you my child and don't forget me! - Clint Singer

The Homeless Need Us Now!

The Homeless, it's a topic that has been on my mind for a good while.  I've always had this fear of them, not really a fear of them hurting me but a fear how to approach someone who is homeless.  A lot of times we hear people say of them that they are lazy and don't deserve anything from us, but they do. 

There is a verse in the Bible that states,
" If a man doesn't work he shall not eat!"  Which is true if a person is lazy and just wants to pan handle off people all day long.  I have come to learn the difference between a lazy person and someone who really needs help.  I read a couple of books over the past year that have really opened my eyes to why people are homeless.  These two books were written by a homeless guy and a rich white man.  They are titled "What difference do it make and Same kind of difference as me."  Two great books that I think everybody should read. 

A lot of homeless people are from an underdog status, they can't help the way they turned out.  Some are mentally ill or were brought up by bad parents or were raised in poverty and never found their way out of that upbringing.  I remember as a kid walking to Pittsburgh Pirate games there would be a line of homeless people there asking for handouts.  It was sad and I remember many just walking by and giving nothing and then I remember seeing others doing the right thing and giving something to them.  How many angels did we Pirate fans pass by that night?

I think we should all come out of our bubble and see what opportunities we are missing by serving God and helping these people out. Not just by giving money but actually coming out of our comfort zones and talking to these people one on one. 

I remember last year (and I am not bragging but it is a good story to tell) we were coming off a ramp in Little Rock and we saw a woman holding up a sign. I told my wife we need to do something, so we went to the closest restaurant we could find and bought a meal for that girl. By the time we got back she was gone.  I looked up and saw her sitting in a parking lot and when we pulled up there were 6 others just like her sitting there also.  We pulled up and I gave her the food and I just felt bad because we didn't see the others there. But one of them said, "thank you and God bless you." It brought tears to my eyes and I told them I would pray for them all. 

It changed my day, I didn't think they were skanky people or they were people who were lazy. I thought they were good people that Jesus planted there for us to do his goodwill for the day.  But I wish I could have given more, I wish I could have solved all their problems. I couldn't! 

 I pray for all those who are homeless but that is not enough.  I must come out of my bubble of comfort and go to them. If you ever need any inspiration in wanting to help those in need read these two books I mentioned above or read a book titled "Finding Calcutta" it's about the ministry of Mother Teresa.

It's time we serve and give back to God what He has lavished on us. I am writing this also to myself, I am not one to come out of my bubble of comfort. Living in the town I do there are no homeless people right in front of you, so it's hard to know where to start and who to help. I believe if we pray for God  to lead us to someone in need he will show us and send us. May God bless us in our giving!

B.C.

This Little LIght Of Mine.

Light, it is an amazing thing to me.  Darkness is the absence of light without it we would not see a thing. Without the sun we would be a sphere of complete darkness, our own planet relies so much on the light of the sun.  Without it's light we would not be able to survive.  There are so many comparisons to light in the Bible describing Christianity.  One comparison is a verse stating that we would not light a candle and put a shade over it to cover its light. Then the whole room would not be lit. We want the whole room to have the light.

The same goes for us, we are the light of Christ, we don't want to hide our example of him.  Yet we often do.  All of us smolder our light, we don't completely snuff it out but we hide our light in certain places and in front of certain people. What if we showed our light to everyone? What if we showed our Christian light to others in a different way?  Many in our world hate us who are in Christ, as we have seen in such tragedies as 9/11.  Some of us Christians don't really know how to shine our light in the right way.  Some have over the years have been a fierce hypocritical light.  We look down on others because they aren't doing the right things and we gloat by thinking we're perfect and they don't deserve the love of Christ.  Others have given the light of Christ a bad name and have snuffed out the lights of many unbelievers by being a bad example and not the right one. 

I see the light of Jesus being a gentle light like this candle in this picture.  I'm not saying that Christ was by no means  always gentle. He was stern in his teaching, especially when it came to the Pharisees and their blindness.   But he was a gentle light when it came to helping the sick, the crippled and the lost.  He wanted those who the world didn't give a chance  to have a chance.  He wanted their wick to be lit and held out so their light could shine also.

We are all lights for Christ, some are waiting for us to help them light their candle of passion for Christ.  We must keep our fire burning so others may see how good a life in Christ can be and how great the reward at the end of life will be.  If your candle has been covered it's time to uncover it and show the light of Christianity.  It's time we show others how good the light is and that all may share in that light.  Our light is to be a kind, loving, merciful and a compassionate light.  Just because my light is burning doesn't mean I don't have troubles keeping it lit.  Satan is the wind that will always try to blow the candle out, but God is always there lighting the match for it to burn again. Each time it blows out it's lit by Holy hands and the light just keeps getting brighter and brighter.

LIfe Is Short!

It's amazing how life can be taken so quickly.  My fellow co-workers this morning are mourning the loss of great man.  He had an accident at work last night by falling off a ladder.  He was a very kind man and was always saying hi to me and asking how I was doing. I always returned the favor in asking him the same thing. So sad, but yet I rejoice because he is where we all want to be right now, in the loving hands of God.

As Christians we must live by faith, that means making decisions of risk by living by that faith.  There is a song that states, "live like you were dying!"  Which really means live it up, give it up and be kind and loving to others. Be Christ like and if you have to make a risky decision take the leap of faith and do it.

Every day we should tell others that we love them, because we just don't know when God is going to take us home.  We're not immortal here but mortal, every second of the day could be our last.  We just don't know when our last breath will be.

To those who don't believe in a higher being, I say you better start and challenge Satan every day that he tells you there is not a creator. There is a God above, how can anybody not believe that.  Just take one look out your door and see God in his best through his creation.  That is when I decided to say in my heart for Christ to take over and lead me to a higher power.  One question you have to answer, "Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?" That's it and then be baptized into him, that's it just believe and you will be saved. Of course God wants you do your best to live a good life and not give into earthly desires. But just believing in him will save you.  Do it and do it now, for your souls sake! May God bless us all!

Memories Of The Past

I often wonder if in heaven if we will be allowed to relive the great moments in our past life.  If we do I want the memories of this farm to be one of many.  This is a picture of  my Aunt & Uncles house and farm that my cousin sent to me.  Aunt Hazel and Uncle Carl were the best people I ever knew. They knew how to make a holiday special when all the family arrived. 

Fond memories these are of mine, and I will always cherish.  The things I remember of them and their farm house is the best homemade bread anyone has ever made.  It was the best!  I remember my Papaw and Uncle Carl sitting in lawn chairs under the apple trees talking about anything for hours. Papaw would be smoking his pipe and Uncle Carl would be chewing I believe  Beech Nut chew. 

I remember us cousins playing in their huge yard and going and watching the chickens and the other animals do their thing. I remember my cousin Drew and I playing on their natural gas tank. For some reason we were always drawn to that thing.  Our many trips to their pond to fish was also something special, my sister one time caught a huge snapping turtle there.  I remember seeing a cow patty for the first time and how horrible the smell was, it would become a favorite smell in later years.  I remember the bon fires we would build there and the roasting and burning of hot dogs and marshmallows.  The few times we spent the night we would sleep on the front screened in porch and just listen to the bugs and the outside noises.  WOW, I miss those days!

I am very blessed by God to be born in to this family of mine.  I often think about this farm and how beautiful it really was, it was almost something out of a storybook.  It seems to captivate my mind all the time, I wish there was a way to go back to these times and capture all the moments I saw.  If only!

God is going to have a huge surprise for us on the day he comes back to take us all home, great things we can't even imagine.  How awesome it is to have such a hope. To know if  I finish the race in this life believing and being faithful to God and his son, I will be blessed in this great hope forever, and maybe I will be able to fish in that pond one more time.. Thank you Lord !

Why Bad Things Happen?

This time of year is probably the most exciting time of year. I really don't like summer anymore because of where I live. Arkansas is just to dang hot to be able to enjoy the summer.  Our attention turns right now to college football and the fall festivities.  We get excited for what the future might bring us this time of year. We look far into the future for our lives to be completely normal, we hope that our lives will be better but we never really see what bad could happen.

I'm the same way, I really feel eternal here sometimes, that nothing bad is going to happen to me.  But how foolish are we to think that we are invincible, that nothing will happen to us.  I sometimes call it strong faith, that I feel God will not bring anything bad to happen to me.  I am dead wrong on that kind of thinking.  God doesn't bring bad things on people Satan does.  He is the one trying to defeat us and God at the same time.  Faith is a word to me that has a lot of different meanings. 

It can mean that we simply believe in what has been done already in God's story that we believe his son was killed on a cross or that we believe in God as the creator.  Faith can really mean also that whatever bad happens to us that we have a belief that God will be behind us no matter what. Life can bring many awful things to all of us.  "Uncertain living" is what we are living here on Earth, we have no idea what the day will bring, hopefully though through our Faith we can have a comfort or a feeling of security.

I think of the story of Job, his life was great and that normal day of life became tragic to him and his family. He lost everything, his health went downhill really fast.  Job had no idea things like this would go on, but Job's faith was strong and he believed in God and Satan lost. Faith is our main tool to fight off the bad things of life, it's our spiritual immune system.  If our faith is weak then we shall fail, if our faith is strong we will stand fast no matter what life throws at us. 

Testing. It's what Satan likes to do.  He advertises his ways as great and hopeful, but destruction is his game plan.  He doesn't like anything that has to do with God and his son Jesus.  He tempts more and more everyday yet every time he fails and he is reminded of his loss.  If there was ever someone to be born  a loser it's Satan, a natural born failure.     

When the question is asked about why bad things happen to good people. The answer is that bad things happen to everyone, it is Satan challenging us and those around us and it is God watching us win by our strong faith in him.  When we struggle and life battles us through and through, if we can stand up and laugh and say to Satan I still believe on God.  He will run and find someone else to weaken and destroy.  Life is not here but in another place. Our place here is temporary like a footprint in the sand, eventually the tide will erase it.  Our home is in heaven to be eternally loved and protected from Satan.  What a day that will be.

Waking Up To Heaven!

I felt a cooling breeze upon my body a flow of air that was new to me.
I breathed a huge breath of the cleanest air, filling my lungs like
never before.

My eyes opened and never have I seen a light so bright, a light that
should have blinded me. Yet, the light was pleasant and an unknown
peace came about me. Something my spirit has longed for.

Confusion was set upon me but I wasn't confused. For some reason I
knew where I was. A place I called home before I was ever born. I
liked this feeling that had approached me. A feeling I've always
wanted to know yet for some reason could never feel.

I walked through the light and felt as light as air. The pains I had
always felt every day were now non existent. "Where am I?" I thought.
As I approached through the light I saw people, people I could
recognize. Humans that have passed before me in life. They were
clapping and singing, their arms extended and hugging me. I never felt
so much love. Love that is holy and awesome and sincere. Life has
never given or would ever give this kind of love.

They led me to a man who stood before me and he reached out gave me a
hug. He was strong and his smile was sincere. He said follow me. We
came into the most beautiful place my eyes had ever seen. Heaven is
maybe where I am, I don't know though because this is more amazing
than what I ever dreamed of heaven being. We approached a throne and a
man looked at me. He looked me over and then said to me, "welcome
back, your home for good now, well done good and faithful servant."

From that moment I fell to my knees and bowed before the creator. Or
my true father, the one who gave me life and made me who I am. A
follower and lover of peace! Today I am where I always wanted to be,
home! By Clint Singer

In loving memory of our friend Kenny Robertson 8-31-2010

Kenny was killed in a air vac helicopter crash this morning leaving behind a loving wife Angie and three beautiful children.

Our Unfair World!

Do you ever feel like nothing goes right? That you continue to work hard do the right things and yet you never get the breaks that others do. You show up on time for work you never violate company policies and yet things always pan out for the other person. 

Don't you just hate it when you hear of somebody getting cancer and you wonder why it happened to them and not someone else?

Do you ever just sit back and look at the people with money and see them just blow it on stupid stuff when they could've given it to someone in need? I get really aggravated by that situation, I believe if I had the money others have I would give as much of it away as I could. But life just doesn't seem to work that way. 

We live in a world of complete unfairness, a world that has really turned itself upside down from the way God had intended it to be.  Two bites of an apple took the whole theory God had in mind for this world and turned things in the opposite direction.  I often wonder when I do something sinful why is it my fault.  I didn't create sin so why should I feel guilty?  Why are we stuck between God and Satan's battle here on Earth? It is a strange way of life and  sometimes a crazy story, but to God it makes sense.  Devotion.  Devotion to him is what this strange story of life is about.  When I think of the word "Grace" it really starts to make sense.  His grace is given to all of us, if we just simply accept him as father and Jesus as his son.  The word grace makes the whole theory of fallen man easy to grasp.  He says it's really not our fault, things happen and to make you free from what happened in the garden I give you my grace, my pardon from this act of sin.  My son is my gift of grace, believe in him and you will not perish because of your sin. So easy!

Yet many just can't grasp this gift. They feel they have to push God as far as they can to try and prove the theory of creation or that there is such a thing as a creator.  They just can't accept the true fairness of God through his grace and mercy.  He has pardoned us from the unfairness of the world and made it fair enough for us to live in.  To me it seems he's saying this thing called sin is not your fault it's Satan's and I will deal with him when the time is right. But accept my pardon, my grace and this will protect you and be your ticket home. Devote yourself to God's calling and make sure your ticket is with you so he doesn't one day shut Heavens door on us and say, " I never knew you!" This is my thought for tonight. God Bless! 

God's Job. Could You Do It?

We live in a world of great wonder, with so many things living and breathing.  A world full of history that is so vast that we only have so much of history recorded.  Our world is a living rock full of so much that we can't comprehend it all in one lifetime.  We probably would never fully know it all in a million lifetimes.  Our world is so amazing that it has to be a wonderful story that God is just waiting to tell us all how it all was created and how He did it in 7 days.

When you think about  how much goes on in a days time it's too much.  Billions of people going about their busy lives doing whatever it is to keep their world running.  Trillions of animals moving, flying, swimming to keep the food chain going, it's just astounding to me.  So how do you think God keeps it all going? The little bit I have going on in  my life seems complicated.  So what does God do to keep the ball rolling here on this planet?  I don't know and won't know until he calls my name and tells me to come home. He may never tell us how he did it, but I really hope he does. 

God's work to us is a complicated matter, he sees so much every day. He has so many prayers to listen to, he has Satan keeping him busy in the forgiveness department, he has to keep the world spinning, the weather patterns are his job also so we don't burn up or freeze. Plants and animals depend on Him to keep things going also.  Could you imagine doing the job of God?  In the movie "Bruce Almighty" Bruce tried to do just that but he failed  and found the job was way past his human ability.  I couldn't do it and neither could you.

I hope after reading this we will come to a deeper respect of our living Creator.  That those who don't believe will reconsider their disbelief.  When we do things that are against God's will I hope we will think about how much He does for us.  We are nothing without God and will always be the apple of his eye. Thank you God for all your wonderful creations and taking time daily to consider a sinner like me. Amen!

Can We Define Paradise?

Paradise.  What on Earth can we call paradise? Many call the beach or any tropical area a paradise on Earth.  Which I could say tropical areas are  sort of a paradise. The beauty of the water and and the white sand and the motion of the water.  It astounds many people to go to these places for vacation.  But if you have been to  the ocean it is a very busy place and there is not a lot of peace there.  It's loaded with a lot of people and commotion and sometimes we don't get the peace and rest we need.  Really there is no paradise on Earth and to find the peace and quiet we need it's not really here.

Are we tied to this Earth?  Do we think about or desire the true Paradise awaiting us in another world? Are we trying more to make a spot here on Earth? Or are we living in a way to reach the other paradise?
I watch people all the time here and I see many enjoying life and I see others trying to hold onto life here,. Many spend there days trying to keep a grasp on life here instead of preparing for an eternal life somewhere else. They are driven for success that doesn't matter to God. They want to please people instead of God. Their desires are to become powerful and rich with money.  I don't have these desires really ever.  I would like a huge sum of money to be dumped in my lap to be able to pay off all of my debt, but I don't have the desire to please men.  I don't have the attitude to become successful to make myself big in the eyes of others.  It's just not my cup of tea.  Yet, others live life daily to become great in wealth and want to become powerful with their money.  One person that really irritates me is Donald Trump.  He just acts like he deserves all of the worlds attention because he is successful and thinks he is powerful with his money.  Yet he's probably forgot totally about the little man.  His head has become so inflated by Satan's lies that he just thinks he is in his paradise.  He's wrong!

A humble life is a tough thing for all of us.  To be completely humble and become a servant for others is the path that leads to the other paradise.  To become a person great in God's eyes is hard for all of us. I heard a song last night that was titled, "A strange way to save the world."  Well you can think about that title in the same way when it comes to living in a humble way.  "A strange way to live!"  The world tells us one thing and the Bible tells us another.  Which way do you live? The way the world tells us to live or the way the Bible tells us?  I would live the way the Bible tells us to live.  Because it is the smart way.

When the criminal on the cross was told by Christ that he would be in paradise he was no longer  a criminal. He was given paradise  and was blessed by the grace that only God can give.  So which paradise do you choose? The one that will not last or the eternal one that lives forever.  Live a life every day of humbleness.  Give, give, give everything you have or can.  Choose the direction or path that leads to God's paradise.  If you see others acting in a way that does not lead to that eternal paradise tell them and help them find that path.  Remember were are but a mist that last only for a little while and we only get one chance in this life. Use it to your advantage and give your life to others so you can find the most beautiful place no man has ever seen.  We can never define the word Eternal until we have tasted that which is eternal!

Season of God.

There is a season for everything in life.  We live our life by seasons, there are all the holiday seasons we follow religiously every year. There is baseball season, football season and basketball season.

With all those seasons where do we put in the season of God.  Yes, Easter and Christmas are a season for celebrating Christ and His loving life. But isn't every day the season of God and His story.  Every day we spend our lives working and doing other activities, but do we celebrate God every day.  I don't think we celebrate it enough.

I read in many books about saints and other Christians spending hours daily in prayer and service to Christ daily.  It blows my mind to think about these Christians who spent the better part of their day in complete devotion to God.  I question myself every day about why can't have that much devotion. So I started reading my Bible daily while I am at lunch while sitting in my truck. I try to take any free moment to say a prayer as much as I can.  I have come to learn that Christianity is more than just a Sunday and Wednesday thing. I have come to know that God is listening to me and to all us every second of the day. He always wants to listen and wants to show us the answers to our prayers. Become closer to God by celebrating His season daily and watch how much closer you get to God.

Be Strong In God!

I don't know much about this house but that it is over 100 years old.  My family toured it while they were in South Carolina. It's an old plantation house that has a lot of history and probably a few ghosts lingering in it.  The picture really amazes me though, it still stands after a couple of hurricanes and tropical storms.  Amazing that something so old still is erect after all these years.

I put this picture up because it goes along with my thinking tonight.  We have just come back from a trip back home from West Virginia.  Every time I go there  I look at things in a strange way, I look at them thinking about how things have aged or look older.   Buildings look smaller to me now than they did then.  I don't know why they look smaller but they do.  I looked at every family member and friends and noticed how they have changed over the years and how they all have influenced my life in a positive way.  I often try to talk to and see everyone I can because who knows it might be the last time I see them.
You never know what life is going to bring you day after day.  Life can throw so many things at you all the time, and we want to be sure were ready when it comes.  I believe the building in the picture didn't know it was going to be hit by so much bad weather but it still remained strong through it all. Same with us we need to be prepared when life's storms hit us, we don't know what the situation will be, but being strong and faithful in Christ can make a difference.  Christ said we would face hardships every day because of His name.  That we were considered sheep to be slaughtered. Being a Christian is not what the world wants us to be, it wants us to follow it's pattern in life and that makes us weak.  Then when the storms of life come at us we falter and lose our ground.
Stand tall every day make yourself one with Christ.  Talk to him regularly and make life easier by being prepared to weather the storm.  Build your house on a solid foundation where storms can not break down your foundation.
Most people I know have been through a lot in life some more than others.  Yet, they continue to stand up when they are knocked down.  As we age in life we start to see things differently than we did in our youth.  We become more fragile physically as we age, yet we must keep our minds focused and strong in Christ.  Be strong through life and don't let Satan get to you, make your relationship in God be stronger every day you live.  Make it a priority to be in Him always so one day we may enter his house, a house not made by humans hands but eternal ones. God Bless!

God's Kingdom is Like these Little One's!

There is something about this little girl, she has no fear.  I have always seen this in  her, but the other day I took this picture of her as she approached the diving board for the first time during swimming lessons.  I knew she could do it, because I believe she did it last year. So it wasn't completely new to her. So we encouraged her to do it, and then finally she wandered over to it.  She climbed up the ladder and got on the back of the board and stood there and I could tell she was really pondering her decision.   So she stood there for a few seconds and moved a little more toward the end.

As she approached the very end of the board she stood there and looked down weighing out the situation. Finally she stooped a little and and lunged forward a couple of times and then finally her fear  left and she went in and swam almost by herself to the wall.  I was proud because when I was her age I would not have done such a thing.

As I read the Bible on my Iphone the other night I came to the scripture in Mark 10:14-15 "Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." - "I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  I've been trying to understand  for years what these verses meant. How is the Kingdom of God like little children? Then after looking at this picture I finally understood it.  Our children are dependent on us for everything in life.  We nurture them completely, they depend upon us to be there for them to help them make the right decisions and give them the confidence to face life's pains.  I believe Macy would not have gone off that diving board had I not been right behind her telling her it would be alright that the swimming teacher would be there to catch her.  It was enough to get her over her fear and she did it.

God is our father he is there to give us that love to tell us it is alright to make a certain decision and do it without fear.  He wants us to be like little children and be dependent on him.  We as people need to become better every day to make our faith in him stronger and bigger.  That's who he wants in his kingdom at the end of time, people who were dependent on him like little children.  Wow that is amazing!

Christianity is hard because we make it hard, we depend on ourselves to much to live life when God will help us live it. Our God is a relational God or father.  Accept Him as a little child does us, as parents.  They accept us as a parent because that is all they know. Shouldn't we do the same with our heavenly Father, accept him because he is all we should know. It's hard being human. With God in our lives it can be a lot easier.

part7: A Short Story- The Meeting

It had been a wild day since he received the call from Gerald.  Paul got a phone call from one of his lawyers and they decided to quit the case leaving Paul with no one to represent him in the fiasco. The lawyer had told him they couldn't defend a case like this one because it was a case they couldn't win. It was just too big of a mess and no one would believe he wasn't guilty of his deeds.  Basically, it wasn't going to be a money maker for them, so they bailed. 

It was about time for the three men to meet in the hotel room and Paul had no idea what they were going to talk about.  He heard a knock on the door of his hotel room and he went to answer it.  When he had opened it there were the two men standing there with polite smiles on their faces.  Smiles that were new to Paul yet had a comforting feel to them.  They sat down and he offered them drinks and  they introduced each other and they proceeded to go about business. \

So Paul asked what they could do for them, and the mystery man asks Paul what would he be willing to do for Him.  It was a weird question to Paul because he thought they were there to offer him help. Instead both men wanted to know what he would be willing to do for them.   The Mystery man asked him, "How can you help us to get yourself out of trouble?"  Nervous, he wasn't ready to make any type of bargain where he didn't get anything out of it.  Both men were serious about the question and didn't seem to back down.

Paul sat for a minute and thought about the question and asked what he was supposed to do.  The mystery man said live life the next couple of days and look around and see if there is anything around him that could answer the question.  Then that was it, both men left and said there goodbyes and said they would see him soon.  Paul was confused and didn't understand the point of the meeting. The whole session tore at him and he wanted to know why they wasted his time, but he said nothing and walked the men to the door.  The mystery man told him to remember the question and stay focused on life around him. And Paul said "Okay!"

The door shut and Paul turned around and slid down the door and focused on the question and  he couldn't really get a grasp on it. So he asked the question to himself over and over again and again.  "How can you help us to get yourself out of trouble?" To be continued......

Part 6: A Short Story - The Mysterious Man

As He arrived in the city he had one agenda on his mind.  His job was to come and be the man to clean up the mess others had made.  His clothes were a rugged look  finished with snake boots to match the outfit.  As his plane landed in the airport he grabbed his bag and left the plane.  The stewardess went through the plane and checked to make sure nothing had been left  by the passengers.  He was the last one off the plane and as the lady checked the seats she noticed he had left a book on his seat.

She saw him before she leaned over to grab the book.  She looked and the man seemed to disappear like a mist.  A warmth went through her as she grabbed the book off the seat.  To her shock it was a worn Holy Bible, which she had never found left on a plane before.  She looked inside the bible to see if there was a name inside the cover, just the words, "Trust Me!"  She decided she would keep it in case the man had boarded a flight back.  She just didn't want to part with it, there was something unique about this Bible.  She left it on the plane in case he might come back for it. She wiped a tear from her eye and laid it in plain view.

Paul spent the day in the courtroom going through some proceedings and then met with his ignorant lawyers for the rest of the day.  Ever since his dream about the man asking him to trust him, he started having some different views about what he had done and about the way he had lived his life over the past  couple of years.  He knew there was no turning back to correct the past.  He knew his life would be spent in a prison with others who had done worse things than he had. But life isn't fair and what he had done had finally pierced his heart.  How could he get through this mess without his friends and his loving wife? He was alone and felt unloved and still he hadn't realized how he had alienated everyone else through his ignorance.

 Pauls cell phone finally rang he hesitated to answer it, but he finally gave in and said, "Hello!"  The man on the other end sounded familiar and he said, "Is this Paul?"  Paul answered, "Yes it is! What can  I can I do for you?"   "This this is Gerald from the coffee shop, I have felt sorry for you and have decided to help you out."
"I really don't need any help, maybe some prayers!" Paul said.  Gerald said he was sending a man his way to give him some legal advice.  Paul told him he had a team of lawyers already, but Gerald said he needed to meet with this guy of his and hear him out.  Gerald asked him when he could meet him and Paul hesitated and said he could meet with him right now. "I'll send him over right away!" Gerald said quickly.  Do you know where I am staying?" Paul said. "Yes, I know where you are at!" stated Gerald.  Paul hurried and said "How do you know where I am at?"  "Trust me, I just know and so does he!" said Gerald. Then the phone went dead.  Paul went limp as if he was being watched by somebody and that his life had been in the view of everyone. He has been the talk of the town and the topic of every cable news channel, his privacy had been destroyed and he was the main cause of it all.  To be continued.....

4 Fathers; Two Grandfathers, One Paternal & One Heavenly

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I really have a lot to be thankful  for when it comes to great examples of fathers. I can't be any luckier than to have the father that I do. When other father's are out hanging out with their buddies playing golf or heading to the bars or the horse track. Mine was taking care of his family and loving his wife. My Dad took care of his family better than any other I know of. He traveled almost 200 plus miles a day to a small town in Ohio to go to work to feed his family and pay two tuition's to 2 private Christian schools.

When the weather was bad he and his co-worker were traveling the snow covered roads of interstate 70 to get to work. I thought traveling to Little Rock was bad for five years, there is no way I could've traveled that far for almost 20 + years. But he did, and I am grateful for it.

I try to be just like him with his care free world of no worries, and I do until it comes to finances and then I don't even come close. I am thankful for my father and for his love of his family and Christian faith to always stay in the game no matter how far life pull can pull you down. He would be a great coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even though they have had 19 years of losing my dad would see some way of coming back to win. Thanks Dad for your example of life and for being "The worlds #1 DAD."

I had two grandfathers that were great examples of humbleness. One I was very close with and the other I knew well. I don't mention him much because I just never saw him that much, but I see his example through my own Dad. William Singer was his name I knew him as "Papap." I wish I could say alot about him but I didn't know much about him. We would visit him at least once a week and he would give me and Paula a jar of coins he had collected for us and he would ask us what we had been doing and he and Dad would talk about different stuff.



I remember the smell of the house to this very day. I remember almost being attacked by the rowdy German shepherd next door. I would be half way up my dad's back from fright. I remember going up the crooked and cracked steps on the side of the house.



We would walk in the back door and there Papap would be sitting there waiting to see us. He was a quiet man and always sat in his favorite chair watching his TV. I sit here wishing I knew him better, but I was young and not much for conversations then. But my memories will always linger as I remember my Dad going up almost every night to fix his meals as he was growing older and becoming sick. My example of him is, even though the world was still evolving around him it wouldn't have any change on him. He would remain a humble man and love and appreciate his son very much. Thank you Papap for your love and example in life.



The other grandfather is my "Papaw." I've mentioned him in past blogs and how grateful I am still to this day for his example. I was close to him and his happiness still remains in my life today. I think of him every Christmas that comes around. When I watch a baseball game it reminds me of him. When I look at his smoked set of pipes on my bathroom counter I think of him. His strength keeps me strong in everything I do.



I remember going to work with him when I was little and sitting there as he would fix a piece of furniture for Sears. I remember him coming to my baseball games when I was little and cheering me on. Those were just good times. I remember the time when he was older and couldn't drive very well and him and I and his dog Astro went to go shopping at Elm Grove shopping center. We were going down the little hill to the shopping center and he was going off the road and almost put us over the hill. And I yelled, "Papaw were going off the road." He just gripped the wheel tighter and got right back in the right lane. He said it would be OK. I don't even remember what we were going there for, but it was eventful.



But I am grateful for his example of love and his great ability to teach me not to worry about anything. Just grab your toolbox and go to work. Keep on keeping on was his motto, and just let it roll off your back. He never said that but that is what he was trying to teach everyone around him. He enjoyed his kids and his grandchildren to the fullest and just loved life no matter what.

Thanks Papaw for your example and the great memories you gave us all in life. I only wish he could read this, maybe they have Internet in heaven, who knows!



Out of the the four father in my life, none can ever match our Heavenly Father. His love is abundant and always overflowing. Our cups overflow. We need nothing because of him. Through Him I have these memories in life, through Him I have the ability to live free from sin. With Him I will never be alone in life, even with my greatest sin I am always forgiven. I could be beaten, robbed and stripped of everything I own and he would find a way of bringing me through it.



He is love and the founder of love. He created me for a reason, to become something the world might not recognize. To serve those in need both spiritually and physically. He might not have created me to be in the spotlight, but to maybe give somebody a good cheerful laugh or just to be a good example to someone who needs it.

He moves in a mysterious way to give us a new hope everyday we awake. We can't rely on the world to give us hope, but through Him we can always find the chance for greatness. We look blindly waiting for His answer and take off the blindfold and see He has already given us the answer or another angle to look at the situation at hand.



He is more than deserving of a father's day card. He deserves our full attention every moment of our lives. He deserves the love and praise of every person whoever walked upon this planet, but yet we give Him a couple of hours on Sunday and and hour on Wednesday and we think that is enough. It's not even enough time to fill a tiny glass jar.



He deserves so much more!!!!!!!!!!! I think more about my career and when I will land that dream job or when I will sell my next policy and when it will pay out. I think more about myself and how pitiful my life is, when He's given me and everybody a life greater than any king. When we pass in life where will we be? In a pit of fire or in the glorious hands of our creator? Our lives are our number one priority. We think about the next paycheck and wonder what HD television set we should buy. Instead of giving Him the praise, we give a baseball player on steroids more praise. A home run, a touchdown and a basket have become more important than our love for him.



Everyday should be Father's day for our God. I'm guilty of all this, my lack of faith has been very weak lately. Satan gets his hold on me with allowing me to worry about things and making me put my priorities first instead of our Lord's. I need to give Him the praise He deserves and give Him my problems so I can fulfill His destiny He has planned for me.

Thank you God for all that you are and more. Your example leaves me in AWE!

Posted by Clint Singer at Monday, June 16, 2008