Clint's Thoughts

Gods Humble Gift

2011-12-20T01:34:00.001-06:00

I really don't know what my life would be like without God's humble gift. Jesus has always been a prized treasure in my heart all my life. I've always felt like I was meant to follow him. He's always been easy for me to cherish. There has never been a time in my life where I have ever casted him out.
I have failed him thousands of times, and put him to the side while I decided to sin. Yet, he has always been in my heart.
Think of your most prized possession you have ever received and think about how you cherished it?
We all have something special in our lives that we have kept for a long time. A thing that never gets out of our sight, it's sitting right there for you to see. You protect it or put it where everyone can notice it. It's our prized possession. A gift we didn't deserve but it was given to us and we shall cherish it forever.
That's Jesus to me. A humble gift I didn't deserve, yet I will always cherish this gift God gave me. When things in my life got bad sometimes dark I never gave up on Jesus. We cannot be separated from his love. No matter if the worst disaster happened on Earth he would be the first person I would go to.
I've embedded him into my life, my heart and my soul. He is my friend, my completeness in life and my eternal savior. God loved us sooooo much he wanted redemption for his children. He wants all of us to be saved from the fires of Hell.
So God himself came down to us through his son Jesus and became our humble gift. God could've built a luxurious hospital with all the great technology ever created. To have his son born there in such a great place. Yet he didn't! He chose a dirty old stable with animals roaming and sleeping in it with every kind of uncleanliness you could imagine. And had his perfect and unblemished son be born there to a humble couple. What an amazing gift from a loving God. I'm humbled every time I hear the story of Jesus being born. To think he could've come down to Earth with great hoopla. He could have arrived in great fashion, but he didn't! He came to life in the hands of a virgin mother and a carpenter. A star was only noticed by three lowly shepherd. No family came and took pictures no flowers were sent. It was just a humble birth in a humble way. Wow!
Tomorrow try to think how great this gift of Jesus really was and still is today. I thank you God for turning the world and it's thinking completely upside down. Thank you for not allowing Christ to never let go of us. Father hold tight to us and please don't let go, especially when we are trying to go another way. Thank you Lord for loving us always!

I am on a rough road!

2011-12-17T22:59:00.001-06:00

Sometimes being an adult really stinks! I guess I'll change that word sometimes to all the time it stinks. I really feel I am in this life all by myself. Something is absent in life when it comes to being an adult. I think what's missing is guidance and answers to the questions I have.
When your a child you have parents, grandparents and other people to give us answers to our questions. I really believe that's what is missing in my life. I need somebody to just listen to me. That certain friend or person to guide me through life as an adult. I'm lost right now, I just don't know my route in life.
I feel God is being silent to me right now and allowing me to make the decisions. I'm confused about a lot of things. I don't know why I am at this point in my life, but I am.
I'm just not happy! I should be, because I have everything I need. It's like Satan is making me this way. He's keeping me from being the happy and content person I usually am.
I don't enjoy my job, I'm just plain bored with it. There's no time for play just work and trying to sort out our debt.
I'm not around the right people, I need some very positive people in my life.
I spend most of my time with people at work and they aren't the most spiritual people. I need God right now to give me the answers.
I feel I have no right to complain at all because others are in worst shape than me.
I hope things get better soon. I'm ready for a change in everything in my life right now. I've always heard that those who wait on the Lord will truly be blessed. I guess that's where I stand at this moment. May God bless our lives as we bless the lives of others.

Gods Greatness!

2011-11-30T20:40:00.001-06:00

There are many words to describe God's greatness, but no words in any language on Earth will ever come close. Our ability to describe the Almighty is great but never will it reach his true greatness.
I am always amazed by Gods creation. Everything we see was crafted and created by an invisible creator. An artist who put his dreams into action. I get angered by those who say this universe was just an evolution of matter and just happened.
Have you ever seen a painter take a can of paint and just throw it on the empty canvas. Hoping to create a picture that is in their mind. It would just be a blob of paint. A painting takes time, imagination and the right brushes and paint. It also takes a creator for the painting to become the creation it is to be. Same with the creation of the world. It took many hours, many materials and a vast imagination of our God to create it all. God is our great creator and will always be creating through his greatness.
God's greatness cannot always be defined by what we humans say greatness is. When you say someone is great it is usually described by their talents. Michael Jordan will always be considered the greatest basketball player ever. He won 6 NBA titles and pretty much defied gravity when he dunked the ball.
When I think of God's greatness I think about how he went against man's thinking. When people heard about a savior coming from heaven to save this world from sin. Most thought this all powerful wealthy man would he arriving. Yet, God stung our minds when he placed his beloved son in a manger to be born and then stunned the world by having his beloved son to die upon a cross. God's greatness was truly defined by the moments Jesus arrived and died. What a moment of greatness that quickly became great moments of grace.
God will always be a being of greatness, but only through always loving and shedding his loving grace upon us always!

Grace

2011-11-28T21:16:00.001-06:00

God's grace is something we humans just can't grasp. It's so hard for us to be able to just accept that God accepts us just as we are. I have thought that my doing good was what got me into heaven, but it seems what I was taught at an early age just wasn't true.
For some reason I thought my doing the right thing and trying to be perfect was my ticket into heaven. I don't remember who or where I was taught that but somehow it was.
God's grace is an amazing gift I just can't understand. Satan seems to keep us from clearly understanding it. I am loved and cherished by my Father in heaven. My sins are not just forgotten but forgiven. Jesus came to give life not to take it away from us.

There is a passage in the Bible that states that Jesus came to Earth full of grace. As we read about the life of Jesus we never see a moment where he didn't show grace. He was a healing messiah to the sick and needy. That was the grace he was full of. He was never ungraceful at all.
I often wonder if I met Jesus on a bench in a park what would the conversation be? It would be a conversation we all would dream of having. The talk would not be about him it would be about us. He would just ask about us. The attention we would receive would be the grace we would want from him.
Imagine talking to your hero or your most favorite person in the world. A person that you love to be around the most. A person that makes you feel great or most inspired. That would be what it would be like talking to Jesus. Yet, a thousand times better. His grace would blow us away.
I can't wait for that meeting in the sky. The day when we will be rejoicing in a shower of grace and having that conversation with Jesus. A day when all things will be set right and we can talk to Jesus for eternity! Believe in God's grace!

Baptizing My Boy!

2011-10-24T22:45:00.001-06:00

I can honestly say this is my proudest and most memorable moment in my life. Last night I baptized my oldest Brayden into Christ. He was nervous and so was I, but we succeeded and Christ won and the Devil lost another one.
Many churches have given up on baptizing. They seem to think if you just say a little prayer and you tell God you a sorry for your sins your saved. I disagree!
Baptism is the supreme act on our part to show complete surrender of our old life wash our lives into the love of Christ.

It was a neat experience and I hope to one day baptize many more. Thank you Lord for such a great day and such a great Kid.

2011-10-18T23:14:00.002-06:00

I have neglected his blog for some time now. I haven't felt the need to write anything because nobody reads it and plus I haven't had anything to write about. So I am ending it for awhile. Probably forever!

But I am thankful for starting it though, it allowed me to see that I do have some writing skills and that I really felt God did do a good work through me. I have come to figure out that the human race will only read something that is juicy or spreads evil around this globe. I tried to keep this blog a Christian one, that someone might have read it and turned their life to Christ. I hope so!

We live in a world that is too busy to stop their busy schedule and read a simple little blog that is trying to tell people about God. I feel i have succeeded in doing so. If you never read this blog read it, you might get something out of it. So long for now and may God bless your lives!

Halarious!

2011-09-22T15:05:00.000-06:00

We Make Life Confusing and Stressful, Not God!

2011-08-29T22:58:00.000-06:00

IF you look at this picture to the left, it seems that the picture is moving. It looks like water is actually moving, but it really isn't. It's our eyes and our brains that are really fooling us. It's just an actual drawing that is made to look like it's doing something, but in reality it's doing nothing at all. It's actually us making it confusing!

Same way with life it's us who are making life confusing and stressful. It wasn't supposed to be this way. God had no intentions of the world being this way. We humans have made it this way. We put so much on ourselves it's just stupid.

Did Jesus live this way? Did Jesus have to have a master's degree and a PhD to survive in this world? Did Jesus have to have the most prestigious job in the world? Did Jesus have to have the highest paying job? Did he have to worry with the profit loss of his company? Did Jesus ever think of these things? NO! Then we shouldn't either! But the world pressures us through bullying us. We have to have money to pay our bills, and the greedy continue to raise the prices on items we really need. So we have to work harder and work longer so we can survive in this world. To me it's stupid, but if I want to live a comfortable life and be able to keep up with the greed of this world I can't stay on the porch and watch the other dogs win. Through the world's eyes we have to run with the pact or be left behind.

Life is tough and as I get older I see it getting more stressful. People are what make it the way it is. You could use the phrase, "it is what it is!" But I won't, I think things could change but only if we do something to change them. As Satan rules throughout this world and does his best to make things more complicated, it won't be any better. Through a great amount of prayer it could become a lot better, but many won't go to God in prayer. They won't lower themselves to believe in something they cannot touch. Greed is their God, and so it is what it is!

For us who believe in Christ we need to look at his example of how he lived. He didn't have the best of the best. His intentions were not about greed or Phd's. His intentions were about his Father in heaven. His ideals were saving the lost and getting his message across. He came to redo the world and it's thinking. To bring our lives back to the real source of living because they had it all wrong. Living for God and not for the world was his point. Our lives should be about being the best for him not for man. We should do our best every day to impress him not some human manager or CEO.

Bring the real meaning of life back to our world. Let's set our desires on him not the world and it's lies. Be for God, and life will get better.

LIfe Is Rough, But God Can Make It Better!

2011-08-21T22:38:00.001-06:00

In life there are times when things are great and then things go bad, sometimes really bad! Most days are great and then some are okay and then some days it feels like God has disappeared and our life has gone to hell. Those are the days when I really believe God stands in the dugout of the field and allows us to pitch by ourselves. These are the days when things just go completely the wrong way. People treat you bad or just plain ignore you that you feel nonexistent. It's a time when our faith is put to the test, God wants to see us shine through faith and beat this ugly test of life.

I remember the days leading up to November of 2006, things were great and then one day during that month things started bad and then my bad attitude turned very sour. I was fired from my job! I went four months without a job, I was looking hard but nobody seemed interested in me. I felt worthless, I was angry at the world and not too happy with God. I was very disappointed in everything, I was not a good person to be around. After being terminated I became cocky and said to my wife somebody will hire me don't worry! We did! I finally got my insurance license and spent a year doing that, but not much was panning from that either.

I found a radio station called Air one, it's a Christian station that became the turning point in my walk with God. I started to see that my life had not been lived the way God wanted it to be lived. I found humility was becoming my best friend during these hard times. I read a book by Joel Osteen that really hammered into me to start thinking about others. I found a book by Phillip Yancey that taught me about God's love and showed be how to live in his grace. I found different pieces to the puzzle that God was putting together for my life. That puzzle continues to be put together piece by piece by God's grace.

Life is hard for us all and the speed bumps in this life are just reminders to us to become more reliant on God himself. I'm thinking of some people I know right now that are going through some very hard times. Life was good and then they found a speed bump to throw them off their intended path. I wanted to share this section of my life to show that we all face battles in our lives and that through faith and humility we shall rise up in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ and continue on.

I did find a job after awhile, the pay was not good and the hours were part time, but I learned that through tough work and humility you can rise up and become better. I'm still at that current job and making much more in pay, been promoted twice in three years and I still continue to look back to where I was three years ago sweeping floors, loading heavy bricks and mulch to ungrateful customers. Yet, it inspires me to think that God hired me at this job, he gave me what I needed and I showed him what I was made of. He made me more faithful and toughened me up through humilty. This little phrase here is now how I see life. Life is what you make it, by faith is how you build it! Please stay strong in God and he will show you the great things he has in store for you.

Unplugged from the World!

2011-08-17T23:14:00.000-06:00

This is how I feel right now, I want to be unplugged for a while, detached from everything. Just a day or two to be rested from life itself, I want to have somebody take me away like the Calgon commercial states. A day where all of life's worries, drama and its lies just go somewhere and just leave me be.

It seems that some new worry always comes up to pop its head out, and looks me in the eye's and says, " some day I will have to be faced." A bill that you know is coming up and somehow you have to find the ways and means to pay it.

There is always something in the news that makes you feel some type of worry. Our world feeds on fear, the news feels it has to put you on the edge of your seat. Our country is going to fall apart if we don't quit spending. Or they tell us about new studies about new ways we can get cancer. It's too much! That's why I quit watching the news, it's not my cup of tea.

Why does life have to suck everything out of us? Why can't we just enjoy life? Why do we dwell on fear? It just makes absolutely no sense!

I have no answer to those questions, but I do know if you go to God and give your worries to him it can make life much easier. Our world would be a much better place if Satan was gone and out of our lives, for he is the one causing all these problems.

What would happen if the entire world put their faith in God? What would happen if every soul on Earth would all pray at the same time? What would happen if we gave all our worries to God above?

The answer? The world would be a better place! Enough said! Go to God now and have a little conversation, and see how life starts out tomorrow. It'll be a little better.

Neglecting God

2011-07-12T23:32:00.000-06:00

As we reached the final day of our vacation in Destin, Florida we awoke to this. A water spout directly in front of our resort room window. WOW!
When we were getting out of bed I asked my son Brayden to open the curtains up to see if it was raining out. It had been thundering all morning and I guess I just wanted my eyes to prove what my ears had been hearing. I didn't expect to see this!

All week I would go out on the balcony (which was 17 floors up) and just look at the beauty of God and consider the size of the ocean. It was big and I was small, that was when I saw the enormous power of our God.  I thought about the strength of the ocean and all the things that live in it. It was too much to behold.
At night I would look out to the sky and you could see far into space. Shooting stars were doing their thing and other stars would just twinkle. Again it was too much to behold for someone as small as me.

I believe truly that God was showing off to me his work in his creation, that he wanted me to think about such things and be drawn closer to him. As I jumped out of bed and saw this water spout I was in awe of his creation. I still believe he had something else to show me and there it was. It was not threatening to me but very neat. I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Thank you Lord!

This all happened to allow me to make a decision about writing a book.  I am a very observant person, I like to see the world around me. I observe people all the time, I watch their behavior and their facial expressions. I listen to what people say around me and think about what they say and put it into perspective with God's will. I observe my own self and think about how my actions go with God's will.  I'm not perfect!

I think if you truly look at us humans we are an ignorant race of people. We are neglectful of God, our lives are more important than anything else. God thinks differently about that. He wants us to have fun in life and enjoy things he has blessed us with. But we don't honor God the way we should. There are so many ways we can honor God, and I don't think we have done that yet.

Every day we should thank God for what he has given us, and in return we should think less of ourselves and more about him and others less fortunate than us. Grace is a gift from him but we shouldn't be ignorant of it. We should be thankful for it and not abuse it by not giving back to him.

The title of this book will be "Neglecting God." I ask for your prayers on this effort and pray I won't procrastinate like I usually do. I want this to be accomplished and hopefully God will write through me and enlighten us all. Thanks!

Revived By God!

2011-06-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

There is no doubt in our lives that God should be the most important thing. He should be the first thing we think about when we rise from a night of sleep. The first thing we think of when we see another morning and the last being we should talk to before we go to sleep. Our daily routines have allowed us to neglect our God. We often get so busy that we don't stop enough to thank Him for all he has blessed us with.

My life over the past few months has been about me and nothing else. I have been worrying and thinking about my life and not on how I can be of service to the one who created me. I've noticed I have been hateful and really moody lately. I have not been kind to those around me and I have really not given a hoot about anything. I have neglected My God! And I am truly sorry. The other night I got in such a bad mood it scared me, I was tired of being around everybody. I was hating my job, my town where I live and just wanted to leave everything behind and run off with my family and start out fresh.

But then I went to God in prayer and stated I had wronged him and had no clue why I was so hateful about life in general. I just decided to give it all to him and asked for a new start. I had to stop worrying and get back on track of serving him and those around me. I have neglected this blog and have had no intentions of ever writing on it ever again. I felt it was pointless to write on it because no one ever reads it, but then I remembered I also write this blog for myself. It helps me to feel better to see what my thoughts were as I read previous blogs.

My dream is to become a writer and maybe one day author a book about God. To be able to pour out some words on some pages that someone might read and be fulfilled and turn their life to Christ. I have come to understand that It's not about me it's about God and giving my all to him. May God bless us all as we further his story in many different ways. Thanks for reading!

Grace Tells Another Story!

2011-05-10T10:28:00.000-06:00

I often wonder why we humans make the story of God so difficult. Through the years of growing up we were always told to not do this and not do that or we are going to hell. Preachers I have heard over the years seem to not get the story of God's grace. Churches made rules that today don't make any sense to me anymore. Most rules were for our own good and I am thankful I didn't go those other evil routes. But then there are rules that were created it seems to me out of fear.

Like musical instruments in worship, where did that one come from? I prefer the A Capella style of singing but the condemnation I always heard about it to me is just craziness.

I know Christians are to be good hearted people and we need to try to be our best so that we can be an example to those around us. But I just can't be perfect! Nobody can! There are some people who think they are perfect and will never admit they stink of sin as bad a I do.

Our judgement toward others is another thing that is really important to God. I never heard this preached until recently, it seemed if someone caused a sin we Christians were the first to bash the person that fell off the perfection wagon. I always saw others treated better outside the church than they were treated by others inside the church building walls. The church should be the first to rescue that person. Sometimes that doesn't always occur because we don't want to be seen by other Christians and sour our reputation by being around that person. This type of behavior is just as sinful as the other persons sin.

God's grace tells another story! When Jesus came he wasn't quite what people expected. He was not dressed in beautiful robes nor was he born in the King's palace. If he had been he would not have been our Savior, because the king wanted his competition dead. Jesus hung with the rough and despised crowd, the sinners. It was his goal to save the lost and this was where they hung out. Jesus is the story of grace. He is the complete story of our Father's grace.

While others scoffed at his teachings and his magical powers of healing little did they know that they were laughing and judging the creator of the most precious story ever told. Christ is the author of Grace!

Our minds are almost too puny to be able to handle such a story, because Satan has led us astray and told us a different story. A story we continue to follow, one that leads us to follow rules and slander those who don't follow those rules. We are a race of complete idiots led astray by another idiot, Satan!

It's hard for us to go in the direction of grace and mercy when we are being tempted to follow another way. Satan is the one causing us to tear our world apart. He started with the first woman with a tiny fruit from a tree that was forbidden. God told them they would surely die if they ate from that tree. They didn't die, they just died spiritually. They were intended to be immortal in the garden and walk and live with God there. But that all changed the day when Satan came and guided them to another story. From that point on our world and our lives became broken forever. Then God rewrote the story and gave us a chance to see him at his best. Grace tells another story!

India's killing it's girls because they are not boys!

2011-05-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Dear, leaders and people of India

You should be ashamed of your ignorance to your little girls of your country. Letting little girls like this one pictured to the left to starve to death because she is not a boy. Aborting God's children if they are a girl and not a boy. Who cares about your stupid rituals and your overpopulation of girls. Many women across the world can't have children and would take these little girls off your hands in a split second. Yet, you and your people consider financial expenses over life. Who cares if it's too expensive for a parent to be able to pay for a wedding. Make your rituals nonexistent and save the lives of these precious little children. If I lived in your country I would be ashamed to be of Indian decent.

Bin Laden!

2011-05-02T10:24:00.000-06:00

I have read many status updates about Bin Laden's death and how Americans are reacting to it. Some have said he got the easy way out and others said we should've brought him here to the states and drug him in the street. In a way I feel the same, but I saw something more gruesome on TV this morning. I saw real Jewish survivors talking about the Holocaust and the suffering they and others went through. The videos they showed were awful and just inhumane and ungodly.

Those who died in the 9/11 attacks suffered also and the pain they went through is gruesome. I can't even imagine what went through their minds in those moments. I put Osama high in the ranks of Hitler. What he did was unimaginable, to fly two planes into the worlds highest buildings and crash one into the pentagon and one in a field in Pennsylvania. Repulsive!

Even though the world has seen it's devastation of it's people over the years I still don't want to be apart of any monstrosity like theirs by dragging a villain like Bin Laden in the street. The U.S. I feel handled this situation in a humane Christian manner. If we stooped to his level of evil then our citizens would be exposing ourselves to more fear of attacks.

Today we showed the world that we don't take loss of life of our own people lightly yet we dispose of evil people in a manner that doesn't make us look just as villainous as they were. God bless our world and it's anger toward one another. Let us see that it is the way of Satan that makes our world dark and it's not you who causes evil. I believe you our the true judge of the world and that you will bring justice on all who cause great evil and it is through your great mercy that you allow us to come to terms on our own and admit ours sins. We know your arms are open to all who believe in you and repent and confess our sins. Amen!

Finding God In The Storms Of Life

2011-04-28T23:55:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about the recent storms and tornadoes that just passed through our area and most of the southern states. As I watched a recent video of the tornado ripping apart Alabama on YouTube, I was in complete sadness. It was a violent funnel that just cleared it's path the way it intended to do. I thought about those in it's trek and how scared they all were. I just couldn't even fathom surviving anything like that. The shock that comes with it would be the worst part of it.

Last week we had a pretty close call like that, I actually heard the noise everybody talks about when a tornado approaches. At 2:30 in the morning my son and I heard complete calm outside and what sounded like a large fan above our house. It sounded like a train riding the tracks and then everything started pounding against our windows and then our house alarm went off. We were in a panic and all five of us got up and didn't know what was going on. I was hunched over walking through the house not knowing what might come through the windows. Then it stopped and it started raining and thundering really bad. A few people in our neighborhood heard it and were in great shock at such a close call.

In the video of the Tuscaloosa tornado I was amazed at the noise that thundered from the funnel. I thought about the loss of life during it's swirling vengeance against the town. The cameraman was saying, "Lord Jesus help those people!" It was a great disaster for that town and the town of Villonia, Arkansas just 25 miles from our house.

I thought to myself why God would allow such a horrid event to take place? I don't think God had anything to with it. I really have no answer to the question above. It's something I just don't understand but maybe one day when we stand before the creator he will give us all the answers we have been seeking. All I know is God was there when it struck and God is there right now during the clean up. Those that lost their lives I hope believed in him. And now they are in a better place getting the answers to all the questions we continue to stumble over for an answer.

God is good and he is great. Today we got a pleasant view of his peace with one of the most beautiful days I have seen in a long time. They always say, " here is the calm before the storm!" And today I thought as I sat on the deck, "Here is the calm after the storm!" We serve an amazing God. At times he can be very confusing and yet after life's storms come we always see his grace helping us solve those storms. I stand amazed, always! Thank you Lord for allowing us to show the world we can stand up against anything in our path and continue on as we our led by your mighty hand!

God's Grace!

2011-04-05T22:55:00.000-06:00

God's grace is probably a gift we overlook everyday. An action from God we give very little attention to at all. I often forget about how wonderful grace is. We live in a world that gives little grace toward anyone. In our toughest moments in life there is grace being extended to us from above. Yet, we think very little of how great this gift is from God.
When I read a book dealing with the topic of God's grace, it is then when I realize how under appreciated it is. We all deserve to pay a huge penalty for our mistakes but God doesn't see it that way. He gives us his pardon though his great mercy and grace. His grace is huge and beyond our comprehension.
His greatest story of grace is when the criminal on the cross beside Jesus asked to be in paradise with him. Jesus offered him grace right then and there, no questions asked. We see criminals every day on the news and we hope they get what they deserve. But a change of heart and renewed spirit of these criminals toward repentance will lead them to God's grace.

We all live in God's grace, the worst of society and the best, it's extended to us all. The book I have been reading titled "The Grace of God," has lead through all the people of the Old Testament. It has shown that they all made huge mistakes and didn't lead the best of lives, yet God gave them grace and were forgiven of all wrong doing. He continues to give grace toward all of us, especially to all who believe in him.

Our society and the churches we belong to have an order that must be followed. Rules that need to be met. If we don't follow these rules and fail we can a lot of times be put to shame because we failed. I've seen it happen plenty of times. People fail and everyone talks about them and shoves them aside. Leaving the person to go another direction away from the faith and live a life as an outcast. We needed to give grace to them and realize we to have sinned just like that person also.

One of the greatest things Jesus ever said was, "He who has never sinned cast the first stone!" Stones dropped and people walked away. We can judge people a lot because the sin they comitted is a sin we haven't, so we puff ourselves up and heap words of hatred toward them. Our stones were cast and hit that person, it turn we should have thrown the stones at ourselves also. Sin is great but Grace is bigger.

I thank God every night for his grace that has been lavished on me. I need it! The things that often come from my mouth or things I do need a whole bunch of Grace thrown on it. Everything I have is not because of me, it's because of God's gift of grace that I have such things. We don't deserve nothing, but God seems to think we do. I don't deserve forgivness, but God does.

Tomorrow or right now think about how little we think of God's grace and how awful life would be without it. The Lord is planning his giving of grace for our future right now because he knows we need it. Tomorrows grace is already planned. Mistakes are going to happen tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. Our lives at this very moment are good, but tomorrow they could drastically change but God's is already there. Such a relief to know we are going to make it through the tough times because God is there and he's willing to give us a huge gift of mercy and grace.

What Do People Think ?

2011-03-22T23:48:00.000-06:00

I often wonder where others hopes lie. I think it would be amazing to hear what people think inside their head. It's funny how we can't really hear what we want to hear. We all daily worry about what the other person is actually thinking about us. We want to know if what comes out of their mouth is really what they are thinking. How do we actually measure up in that persons life. Do they really think I am a strange person or just a lazy goofball?

It's basically what I would call the secrets of men, it's what we truly will never know. My question in the begining about other peoples hopes is what I want to know. What do they really believe about the world and its Creator? How much do they really think about him daily? The brain is an amazing organ in the body, the way it functions is beyond our comprehension. How many thoughts every brain has thought in every person probably couldn't be counted by us, but God knows how many.

When you sit in a group of people do you ever think about what they are thinking about? I know what my thoughts are but what about theirs? We'll never know unless they truly tell us when we ask. What do you think about daily? I know my thoughts are large in number every day. I really can't remember all my thoughts today, but I do know I had God on my mind today but probably not enough. I thought about my Aunt today that recently passed away. It kind of hit me that I will never see her again. I thought about my children and my wife, I think my job popped in my head. I think I was thinking about a better job and is this really what I was meant to do. Probably not but this is where God has placed me for now.

I watched the recent episode of Secret Millionaire and wondered why I couldn't give some hope to those in need. I had a couple of thoughts about getting a plan together to get a group of people to offer money to help certain charities. But there lies my thought for tonight!!!! If I did this would people think the idea was good? Would they be willing to give a little bit every month? What would they think? That's where this post came about. I guess I will pray about it and put my hope in God.

Life Is So Unfair To Many!

2011-03-20T15:26:00.000-06:00

I just don't think it is fair! Life, that's what I don't think is fair. And it's not ever going to be. We have spent the past two days in Memphis, TN. The things I saw were just unfair, when it came to homeless people and the run down shacks lining the streets.

Why are people homeless? Is it bad decisions they've made? Is it because many are mentally ill? Or is it the conditions they were born into that they became this way?

We decided to travel by foot on Beale street and as we were walking out a door from the parking garage it led to an alley. As we walked out the door I quickly shoved all of us back inside the door. The reason? There was a homeless guy lying on the cold ground asleep. It startled me and I didn't want to disturb him. Maybe he was dreaming about the good times of the past when everything was great and he had hopes of a good life. Who knows? But I felt bad for him and wish I could've done something for him. Seeing somebody lying on the cold ground is very unusual for us small town people here. It will awaken something in you when you see it. Today it awoke in me the idea of unfairness in life.

I often think at night when I am in a warm house and a warm bed about those that are not in such a situation. Why me? Why did I get the good things and that person today got the bad side of life? It's a question so few in this world ask. We often think 24 hours a day about ourselves and how today will pan out for us. Every person in the world thinks they all have it rough, yet for some people they do. If you have a job, a house, a car, food overflowing your pantry and at least $100 in the bank, you have a lot!

In God's mind if you have all this yet have no compassion for the poor, you have nothing. Why would he want us to give to people like this? I mean the general idea we have of the homeless is that they are lazy drunks and drug addicts who don't deserve nothing because they don't do nothing. I believe they have a different story to tell that would change our minds quick! Maybe some are lazy and put themselves in such a predicament, but it is not for us to be the judge of that.

Jesus teaches all over the place in the New Testament to be amongst the poor and the widows. He never teaches us to live life to be number one. To live life so we can have the largest of everything. When it all comes to the end in life it will only matter if you believed and if you did something for the least of these. Jesus taught that the first will be last and the last will be first. Completely the opposite of what the world preaches to us daily.

When I hear of people needing prayer I often put them on my prayer list. It sometimes bothers me when people ask for petty stuff to added to the prayer list. Things like help me get through Med school or pray for a certain bill to be paid. You know that is petty! I've lately thought there are many other people that need more important prayers answered than silly things like that. It's amazing to me how much we pray for petty stuff (myself included). I always put sick people on my prayer list, because that is a dire need. I don't want people to suffer and I want to give that prayer to God for them. When it comes to silly stuff I don't put them on there.

We give more attention to animals being abused than we do the homeless or little babies being aborted. Our priorities are mixed up! How do we go about changing how we feel about the homeless? I think we should start by opening our Bibles and looking at how Jesus treated the less fortunate.

He did it so the glory of God could be revealed. We have a lot of relearning to do about Jesus. He's is completely different than what we were taught when we were little. The cross and the resurrection are probably the most important things we remember and heard about Jesus. But Jesus is soooo much more than that. He was a compassionate person and a true giver of life. He was selfless and loved to be around people. He came to reteach the world of the story of God. He came to save sinners not the righteous of his day. He's amazing and as you read more about him he is different from any other person that ever walked the Earth.

What would Jesus had done if he were in my shoes that day I saw the guy lying on the street? I believe he would have reached down and told the guy that he loved him and given him every hope in the world. Won't we do the same?

SwCC Summer Tour 2008 with George Pendergrass, Jesus You've Been Good To Me

2011-03-10T10:53:00.002-06:00

I believe this is the greatest and most spiritual singer to ever walk the planet. George is the former lead singer of the Christian singing group"Acappella." I know his singing over the years has been a big reason in my walk with God. This video will prove it.

We Were Not Meant To Be Perfect!

2011-02-16T00:10:00.000-06:00

The human race has always been lost and has never found its way. Even we Christians are still very lost. We know our path we are intended to follow and stay on, but we still fall off the path all the time. When you look at the plan God has laid out through his son, it seems so simple. Why do we make it so difficult?

For those outside of Christ, they think we are people who think we are perfect and unblemished. It's not true! Christians fail just as much as those outside of Christ. I fall and fail all the time. The pressure we have put on ourselves to be perfect in our steps, to make sure nobody thinks that we have sinned. It's pressure that is ridiculous, it is something we Christians have put on ourselves.

I will tell you that my failures are bad, if I didn't have Jesus to intervene for me I would be a mess. He's the only thing to me in this world that makes sense. My policy is and has always been, you get what you see. A person who will never try to live his life to impress anybody.  I'm a work in progress that is being constructed by Christ himself. That's it and nothing more. And to him I am grateful!

We are shocked when another Christian has repented of a sin and has embarrassed their family and brought on all sorts of problems for others. I understand it's hard to bring out something that you've hidden for some time. Shame in front of other people is a horrible thing to bring about, but when you boil it all down its the work of Satan. Yes, we made the choice and we knew the decision was wrong but that's where God knows it's his time to step in. He comes down and takes care of everyone who has been hurt in the situation.

One of the stories in the Bible that really showed me the grace of Jesus was the story of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law were really waiting for this girl to make this mistake. They were ready to catch her and exploit her in the eyes of everyone around.   They really were not to concerned about the woman but they wanted to know Jesus' view on the matter. They wanted him to blaspheme the law and they wanted him to say the wrong thing. As they approached the first step of their legalistic soap box they picked up a stone and started their speech about stoning the woman. According to the law of Moses the woman should be put to death for such a sin. Stones were ready to be hurled, but Jesus bent down and started drawing in the sand and said the words that bring me great relief. "He who is without sin, cast the first stone!" Stones were not launched, but dropped. Amazing!

We Christians have become stone throwers. We are ready to launch quick with our gossip and our finger pointing.   Jesus was the one without sin, he was the only one who had the right to cast the first stone. But he didn't, instead he flung grace. He didn't do anything we would've done. Standing there he rewrote the law of Moses and continues to erase all the laws and writes the word grace on each page.

I have come to know the love of Christ, yet I am imperfect of showing such a love.  I am a lost sheep in the dark forest of life just like every human who has ever roamed this Earth. I am a mess but I am saved by the blood of Christ.  I will always believe in Christ and I will always know he expects me to strive for good always but he knows the test for perfection is hard and very difficult to ace.  He became the curve for all of us to pass, to all who compete in the race and hang on to the finish line the reward is eternal life. And the best thing is it doesn't matter if we ran or walked the race just as long as we finished. There is no ribbon at the end just two pierced hands waiting to give a hug. Amen!

We Are Not So BIG!

2011-01-19T00:05:00.000-06:00

Until you walk outside at night and look up from your feet, you will then realize how small we really are!

I needed an awakening and I got one. I have always liked the message of a preacher named Louie Giglio. He has some important lessons about the vastness of our universe and about how small we really are.

It's amazing for a person of my height (6'-2") to walk around and be taller than most people. You feel a real power when you stand above most people. You feel invincible and feel that nobody will ever mess with you. Until you meet someone a lot taller than you. That's how I felt one night when I walked outside and looked at the twinkling stars above me. I felt small and realized that I don't do this enough, that I don't look at the night sky as much as I should. It's big, real BIG!

When you get right down to it, we are a small tiny dot on the map of the heavens. Yet, for some odd reason we feel huge. When you hear this message by Louie and see the pictures he uses you get a strange feeling inside. You really see how small we are, I mean really small. But for some reason we feel we are the most important planet in the universe. At least we think we are because we have yet to find another planet that is like us or one that has anybody living on it. It makes you wonder about what God hasn't told us yet.

Why do we feel so significant? I don't know!

When you think about the things we think are important, like wealth, power, beauty and self entitlement. Doesn't it all seem foolish to think about such things? I mean when you hear a message like this that truly points out the fact that we are a tiny fragment of dust in the universe, it all seems useless to try and be something special like the things mentioned above.

God wants us to be more. To be something less in the eyes of others, but to become great in His eyes. To serve others not self. To think of the greater prize awaiting us in heaven not here on Earth. To be or not to be, that is the question? To be Eternal or to be something "NOT Eternal?

On the next clear night take a walk outside your door and look down at your feet and slowly look up. See what God wants you to see. See that his work just doesn't extend to our existence or the stuff around us. Look out to infinity and beyond. Look as far as you can see and see God. Creation here on Earth is a great way for all of us to see God, but to look beyond the sky and remember that that is also his creation , is something to behold. God is so good!

Missing Aunt Monna!

2011-01-17T19:33:00.000-06:00

It's been a week since the passing of my Aunt Monna, and I still can't believe she is gone. She was a kind and giving person. Her heart was always geared toward the concerns of others.

Living with a crippled leg caused by the Polio virus since she was little, it never seemed to stop her at all. As she became older her brathing became somewhat limited and her strength to get around was geting harder also.

In the end the Polio that had hurt her earlier in life came back to be one of the main causes of her sudden death last Sunday. She had what they called a Polio lung and her lungs became like a leather bag instead of a more flexible lung for her to breath easier.

This picture was taken at her house on Christmas eve of this year where we celebrated my two boys birthdays. Little did I know it would be the last party and the last time I would see her. We all caught the stomach virus and felt we didn't need to be around her in case she caught it. I have plenty of good memories of my Aunt and am very sad she has left, but she is now where we all want to be. In the loving hands of our Creator! Rest in peace Aunt Monna. We love you and will truly miss you!

Living Humble In Christ!

2010-12-24T17:28:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-12-15T23:57:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-12-03T00:05:00.001-06:00

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

2010-11-22T23:07:00.000-06:00

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?

2010-11-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-11-01T08:28:00.002-06:00

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?

2010-10-26T20:49:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-10-10T22:48:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-09-29T20:29:00.000-06:00

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????

2010-09-21T08:15:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-09-18T00:40:00.000-06:00

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.

2010-09-17T07:34:00.003-06:00

This Little LIght Of Mine.

2010-09-15T22:49:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-09-14T08:31:00.001-06:00

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

2010-09-05T20:43:00.002-06:00

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?

2010-09-03T11:16:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-08-31T10:57:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-08-22T22:29:00.000-06:00

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?

2010-08-18T19:46:00.001-06:00

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?

2010-08-16T08:10:00.001-06:00

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.

2010-08-08T21:11:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-07-30T21:23:00.001-06:00

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!

2010-07-10T00:14:00.002-06:00

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

2010-06-24T22:44:00.000-06:00

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

2010-06-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

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

2010-06-20T21:41:00.003-06:00

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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

Part 5 A Short Story

2010-06-18T21:57:00.002-06:00

Weeks had past since Paul's criminal acts had caught up with him. Still staring at the ceiling of the hotel room, he had no idea how he was going to get out of every misdeed he had done. It wasn't that he was going to get out of anything. He had a criminal trial that would be coming up soon and he remained out on bail for the time being. No one had called to help him in any way. His life for the time being was in complete shambles. Nobody wanted anything to with him except for his million dollar lawyers. They were just in it for the money and really didn't care if he went to jail. But it was their duty to protect Paul and do their best to get him out of trouble or get an easy prison sentence.

Paul shut his eyes that night and went into a deep sleep. A deep came over him, and a vision came to him and asked him one question, "Do you trust me?" The question was repeated a few more times before he woke up. His vision was of a man with a suit on and had a dingy look about him. His hand held out and he asked the question again "Do you trust me?"

As morning approached Paul's wife was getting used to her new routine. With no husband home she was the one to get the kids fed and on to school. Her heart broken really smashed and destroyed by the man she had trusted for so many years. She remembers the day they were married and how sweet of a guy Paul was. His ability to preach at their church and the blessed words to come out of his mouth were a deep memory she would never let go of. Because that was the Godly man she would always want to remember. The new memories of the scandal and his obsession with power were the ones she had erased from her mind for now. The past was the only thing she could cling to, not the future.

After dropping off the kids at school she had no idea where she was headed for the day. The house had become a lonely place for her almost dungeon like. Getting out was her escape from the matters at hand. She decided to take a drive past Paul's hotel just hoping he might be walking out the doors and she could get a glimpse of him. She was a forgiving person all her life and really wanted to put this matter behind them and be married and in love the way they used to be. That would only be a dream in this reality, you can't just snap a finger and have everything go back to normal. Prayer was all she could grasp onto for an answer and healing. As she drove on, a sign approached her that said, "Do you trust me?" Chills went down her spine as if that was what she was just thinking. Trusting in God would be the way to get through all this. But could she regain her trust in Him like she used to, in God or Paul. Life was baring down hard and was getting worse as the days lingered on. How much more could she take? Silence from Paul was killing her she just wanted to talk to him, and trust him again. To be continued....

Part 4: A Short Story

2010-06-14T11:46:00.002-06:00

As Paul walked back to his hotel he encountered many different signs on his way. He walked through a park full of people enjoying themselves. Children running and playing with each other, parents holding infants and having picnics. It seemed before his presence that these people knew what life was all about. Their troubles in life seemed to fall away from them right now, like they had a reason to get out and put behind them the troubles of their lives. A sunny beautiful will do that to you.

He continued his journey back to the hotel room and ran into a camp of homeless people, and though they were living in the streets and had nothing to their name except their clothing they still looked somewhat happy. He was finally seeing life outside of his office. A life he used to know, before he took his high classed job as a CEO of a large company.

He began spending long hours at his new company. Every waking hour was about the company and how he could make it a successful one. His priorities were too be an honest CEO and give back to the employees and the city he worked in. His good intentions turned into something worse. He found a way to start stealing money from his company and its clients. His power became his hunger for more, to the point he started cheating more and stealing more. His lust for more power had become his downfall.

He decided that the money he had stolen had not been enough to suffice his immoral hunger. He became a cheater in another game, a game of wooing women on the side without his wife knowing. At times it became clear that his lifestyle was wrong and that one day his addiction would lead to his own destruction. The power of addiction though will make you feel it is OK and that addiction made him want more. To be continued.....

Part 3: A Short Story- The Coffeeshop

2010-06-09T19:47:00.001-06:00

His stay at the coffee shop was brief and Paul really wished he had
never entered the doors. Gerald could not allow him to leave without
giving him more kind words a handshake and a business card, that Paul had placed in his suit coat before leaving.

As he made his escape from Gerald's grip, he scampered out into a world that he really was unsure of. His wife had basically told him to stay away for awhile until she thought this mess through. Friends were very small in number right now and going to his office was not a place of safety either. His only place right now and for awhile would be his room at the hotel.

As he walked through the doors of the coffee shop and into the open air he looked to the darkened sky and let out a huge sigh and thought about his next move. Being caught was not his intentions of his little
escapade of thrills. He thought now about not trusting anybody with
anything in his life. The one he trusted to keep things hush hush was
actually the whistle blower. A person he didn't realize would fall quickly to his conscience. Before he was found to be in trouble he had felt out who he could trust in his circle of friends and one stuck out to him like a giant tree of trust.

Instead he became like a tree in the midst of a hurricane. Easily bent when he saw the storm coming! To be continued...

Part 2 Short Story

2010-06-08T00:01:00.003-06:00

She didn't care if he'd ever talked to her again. He'd been keeping

secrets for some time, sneeking behind everyone's back for his own purposes. She knew things were tense between them and things hadn't been right for some time. She decided to let things take care of themselves, and maybe God would make their marriage right or perhaps the way it used to be, perfect!

He was a kind man, he gave to everybody and stayed right with God for the better part of their marriage. His children thought he was a king and so did she. Her love for him had never swayed until yesterday. When it all came upon her and her children. What became of him? What path was he choosing to follow? Why was he so easily deceived? Questions that had to be answered, yet who had the answers? Who would actually stand up and give the true answers to what he had become?

Many days had passed since the man woke to his nightmare of reality. He started making a list of those who got caught in his storm of deceitfullness. Hoping to find at least one person he could lean on and ask for help.He left his hotel room about about 8am to go to a coffee house down the street. His hope was not to be seen by anybody he knew. The embarrassment of the situation had been too much to bare. Yet he needed some breakfast and had no choice because the hotel didn't serve breakfast. As he entered the coffee shop he felt as if everyone knew of his sin. As he thought he felt the eyes of every patron were looking at him in judgement.

Nobody even knew him or even what caous he had caused to destroy and hurt so many people close to him. He looked around for an empty table and found there were none available. Only one seat open at the bar, with an awkward shaped older gentleman sitting there. He went to take his seat and place an order for plain black coffee. The older man looked over to him and asked if he wanted to read the paper, the man said no. little did he know his face and his embarrassment made front page news. "My name is Gerald" the older man said. The man stated, "That's nice!" Gerald turned away and drank his coffee and ignored the rudeness of the younger man. "Do you live around here?" The younger man said "Yes, I do!" "What's your name son?" said Gerald. "Sir, my name is Paul, and I would really like to keep to myself right now." Being shrewd was not a trait from his past, he had always been a man full of life and great kindness, but his burden weighed upon his shoulders now. Being rude was his best defense to keep others from seeing his shame. To be continued....

A Short Story- To be Continued!

2010-06-03T21:04:00.003-06:00

The man woke up one morning and felt he had been wronged by somebody. His world had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye. His life has always been great, he had his share of ups and downs and failures had been over come. Yet, things in His life weren't right. He made a choice against his will. A choice he didn't think he would ever make, but sometimes choices can't be decided on their own, someone has to make them. He did!

How can he make this bad decision go away? He hurt many including his family. He could take actions in his own hands, but sometimes those who are hurt can't be so easily swayed by an apology no matter how sincere it is. Verbal wounds can penetrate some and others allow harmful words and actions to cut deeply. Forgiveness is not on their menu of correctness. Wounds continue to bleed for some and then their are others that can take the wound and allow it to heal over time.

He thought hard all morning how to make his actions to be an easy forgiveness, no good ways to do it came to his mind. He challenged different scenario's to say the right things to those he hurt. Nothing came. The situation had become a bad one in a matter of minutes, he thought of ending it all. To him that was no way of take care of making people love him again. He hoped people would call him and tell him it was okay and that they forgave him, no calls came. People were instantly erasing his number from their address books on cell phones. His thoughts were of people alienating him completely, there was no remorse for what he had done. Where were the answers? To be continued........

The Two Roads In life To Choose From!

2010-05-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

The road to life, is a narrow road states the Bible. But wide is the road that leads to destruction and death.

If you think about how many people that have roamed, lived and died in this world of ours, what are the the roads chosen by them. There are only two choices, narrow or wide.

One life is all we have here on Earth. We often go through each day thinking about what we need to do. We stress about petty things all day long. Bills, money, food, oil in the ocean, sickness and many others. We don't spend a lot of time stressing about the two roads to choose about life or death. I don't think I spend enough time thinking about either one. A lot of times those roads seem unimportant to me. Daily life keeps thinking about my own problems all the time. When you really take the time to ponder the two roads, it can really get you back on you track. The two roads allow you to think about how you should live here upon our Earth. It scares me to think about the possibilty of going to judgement and God telling me that I am not making the Heavenly team because I thought that Earthly decisions were more important than having a relationship with him.

I read a book not to long ago that talked about the eternal punishment of Hell and it made some sense to me. The writer explained that Hell is not going to be a place of constant fire, but a place where those who haven't excepted Christ in this life here will be left in a state of constant misery and unsatisfaction. I guess that is what we would feel like if God just left us here and went somewhere else. We don't realize how lucky we are to be living in God's grace right now. He holds us together because he is here and we can go to Him in any moment of life. But to be without God would be a living Hell. We don't know or even have a clue what that would feel like because He is here now.

So why is the road to heaven a "narrow road?" Is it because many will not choose that road and the road to eternal punishment is wide because many choose that road. That's my guess! It's time we put petty things behind us and remember we are here to choose the narrow road to eternal life. Our lives should be a life of constant communication to our Lord above. We need to include Him on every decision and praise Him for every gift He gives. That will keep us on the narrow to heaven!

Crossing Our Bridges Of Fear!

2010-05-22T16:49:00.000-06:00

I have known people to be very leary about crossing this bridge back home. It is the Wheeling Suspension bridge built by the indians that resided there in the late 1800's. It is a steel bridge that crosses the Ohio River from Wheeling, WV to Wheeling Island. As you go across it you can feel it move and to some that is frightening, especially to one of my Aunts.

In life we all have to cross bridges in life that frighten us sometimes. We have to take the risks that God puts in front of us. Our fear keeps us away from crossing those bridges in life, and doesn't allow our faith in God to be true. A lot of times I feel an urge to take a risk in life but I often weigh the negatives out first before I see the optimistic views. The negatives always win, and then my faith in God wasn't executed the way He planned it. Does God frown when we don't take risks of faith? Does He sit back and watch us screw up a good decision because our faith was weak? Tough questions to answer but Satan is the author of these questions. I believe God if He was right here in front of me physically would say go ahead try it, see what happens when you do it in faith and see what happens when I am behind it. Great things will prevail and He won't disappoint us. We may go through tough times when we cross a bridge of fear but that is when our faith comes in handy. We always have a bigger source behind us to get us through.

So today if you have a bridge that needs crossing and your fear is bigger than your faith, just reverse those orders and let your faith determine the outcome, then maybe we'll see each other on the other side of that bridge!

Why Am I A Christian?

2010-05-12T22:09:00.004-06:00

Matthew 13:17 "For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

I don't think anybody has ever asked me why I am a Christian. I think this verse sums it up, because I want to see and hear what those disciples saw and heard.

As human beings we long to see something or somebody great in the world. We want to see the extraordinary instead of the ordinary. We want our longings to be fulfilled. That sums up me, I want to see the great things on this Earth. I am a critic about everything. Whether it be music, sports, movies or humans and the way they perform these tasks. I critique or judge, because I want to see the best in everything.

I would have been amazed if I would've been present at the birth of Christ. The perfect one, God himself coming to this planet to be among us. The way He came would have humbled me then as it does today. The king of kings in a animal stable lying in a manger or feeding trough. He didn't live as a king here, yet his words and love would have been overwhelming to me. Finally, someone who could relieve us of our pain and our need for satisfaction. To be around Christ would have been comforting. No more questions about life because He was the answer to our life. We would've been complete from wandering about anything. What will He say to me when I get to heaven? Whatever it is I will never be or feel lost ever again. That's why I am a Christian!

I've learned a lot over the past couple of years about the reality of being a Christian. I learned about judging others by not judging yet I find myself passing judgement on someone. I don't want to do that, it's wrong. I learned that Christianity is not a list of do and do nots. Yet, we must live as good a life as we can. I use the measure of WWJD. What would Jesus do in this situation? And I find myself not indulging in those sins. I am not perfect and never will be, but it helps to know whatever I do wrong I can repent of those wrongs and continue on in living a life for Christ. Mercy beyond measure, that's why I am a Christian!

Another world beyond ours. An eternal place that has no end, no worry, no tears, no pain, no lonliness, no disease, no loss, no being judged, no handicaps or disabilties, no financial problems and no harm. A world where we will see things that have never entered our mind. We've dreamed of this place and have done our best to picture it. Whatever we have imagined will be way more than our minds could behold. A world where our God reigns and Christ glows with great love and radiance. Keep hoping of such beauty and grace that continues to overflow with no limit. That's why I am a Christian! Period.

Why Do We Shop? It's A Pointless Activity!

2010-05-02T22:03:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about this theory for quite some time. It's a strange thought, but it is has been on my mind. Shopping? I listen to people at my place of work and everything they say sometimes just sounds so meaningless. Most of my work experience has been in the nursery/landscape business. I found this to be my calling because I found a Holy reasoning behind it. As I listened to customers this past weekend I could not help and think about how pointless our needs are sometimes. One customer was asking about a certain plant we had and she said, "I will be back tomorrow to get that tree, because so and so really wants one really bad!" Why doe s she really want that tree so bad? Is it because her life might become truly satisfied if she had it? I don't think so.

I really like plants and how beautiful they really are. I see a plant as an object created from the mind and hand of God. That is my Holy reasoning behind my interest in plants. But I don't really need any certain plant to satisfy my needs. I really don't need any material possesion to satisfy my life, but sometimes my want overcomes my real needs. The massive overflow of people in our store has really got me thinking lately. I like to shop sometimes, I don't like to shop for my needs but I like to shop for my desires. I'm not one to go and spend a lot of money on massive things like a new stereo system or a huge plasma so I can impress somebody. That's not who I am, and I have no reason to impress anybody. Yet, many people do buy things for that exact reason. They want to be seen by others with their mass inventory of stuff.

Shopping is not always not a bad thing, we do need to go to the grocery store and get food and sometimes we need to go and buy some new clothes because our other ones are complete rags. I understand the reasoning for people coming to a place like I work at. To buy things for their house or to fix something that is broke or to buy a plant to enjoy a beautiful creation of God. But, sometimes the other reasons are because of want and not necessity. I often think and get mad because I have to be at work on a Sunday morning and miss church because people have to come in for their unecessary wants instead of their real needs. I could be spending valuable time with my family and my brothers and sisters in Christ in a Holy worship service praising God. Instead, I have to be there because of the companies need for greed and money and also because somebody decided that their needs were more important than worshiping God. It irritates me a lot!

Our country has gone in the wrong direction in it's desires. The world's true desire should be going to those who are in need, not just needs in material things but a need for a Savior. I often think when I am at work and see people shopping that I could be doing something for Christ and for those who are lost, but instead our world puts its faith in money and wealth instead of true wealth in Christ. Our desires are in the wrong place, our needs instead of Christ's. So instead of doing God's work and furthering His word, I have to wait on customers and load their needless desires into their car. Let's shop for lost souls instead of our worthless desires that will never satisfy our lives. Store up true wealth in heaven instead of worldly things that will be taken away from us in a split second.

Bad Weather Allowed Me To See the Strength Of Our God!

2010-05-01T23:59:00.001-06:00

The past couple of days here in Arkansas has really been bad for weather. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and dangerous lightning have bullied our state. And I am not a huge fan of any of this, at all.

Many have lost a lot in the past 48 hours to tornadoes and bad straight line wind. I have seen many pictures and many news reports in the past 48 to last me for awhile. I can't say I am not fearful of any type of severe weather,  I would be lying if I said I wasn't.

We've been lucky here in our town of Searcy lately. A tornado ripped through a small town a few miles from here at the end of March. I took a drive to see what the damage was like. What little there was amazed me, you could see a path right through a wooded area that had half trees standing. The trees were laid down and some were standing with the tops twisted off them. Tonight, a huge black cloud past overhead where I work and I was ready to see something awful happen. There was a slight twist to the clouds and it just made me think how powerful our God can be. It started raining and lightning bad and then it all stopped and complete stillness in the air. That's a bad sign, a possible tornado could come down and take away everything we had. I thought as I stood there and watched that cloud pass over, what would my chances be of running from it? What would it be like to be  caught in one of natures greatest display of strength? I didn't want to find out!

I think of the same thing when Christ comes back to destroy all evil. What will it be like if he says to you and I that we are not going with Him to Heaven? Life would be darker than we have ever seen it.  I believe the devastation would be worse or about as bad as that tornado coming down and sweeping us away from all eternity. Our God is a powerful being who wants no one to perish, but if we don't start living in Him our path will become tornadic.  Life will be no more, and we will be in that dark cloud forever. Today I am going to live for Him and not for the world.

Our Great Ability To Create Great Things Because Of God

2010-04-15T22:13:00.001-06:00

I took a ride today to get away from all the hustle and bustle in town. There are times when I just need to be away from everyone. So I drove and told myself just go and enjoy the beautiful weather God had blessed us with today. The path I took today is somewhat pretty, I guess. The view I took in were the low big white clouds that hung over top of us here in Arkansas. They were just great, and made me feel small in this world. I was in awe of our world, sometimes we think we are the biggest thing in this world. That we are the most important being here. Funny thing is, to God we are. I often wonder what God had planned for this world and His creatures. Is what we have done exactly what he wanted.  I'm not talking about the way we've acted or sinned. I'm talking about what men and women have done here on Earth.  Look at this picture of New York City. It amazes me when I look at these buildings. Were these buildings what God intended to be here? Is this what God planned for us to build? I often wonder what was His plan was after he created the entire planet. What did He want us to make the rest of His world to look like. Did He intend for there to be huge skyscrapers and large stadiums to be here?

We've taken this Earth and have decorated it with great vision, and I really think we have done a great job. God laid the foundation and we created through Him the background. Humans learned through an evolution of learning to build and use our imaginations to make great things. Through great minds the world became a lot easier with new gadgets and many other inventions. We went from discovering fire to being able to have a cell phone with computer capabilties in the palm of our hand. All because God gave us free will to create through a tiny brain contained in skulls.  It's amazing how the past is tied to our present age. We learned from our mistakes and continue to learn from them to make great things to help us in so many ways. Our God is a God of "Free Will." Allowing us as humans to create and think for ourselves to become great in His sight.

Free will to do many things because He gave us the abilty to do it. When you look at what we have and have accomplished through His free will to create things. Why can't we accept Him? He gives us the free will to accept Him and His Son Jesus.  You either believe or you don't! The Bible states that He has revealed Himself through His creation, so if you can't look around and see that something great was behind all that we see then you have no excuse.

There are times I have doubts, we all do. It's Satans way of blinding us from God, but my small brain just looks around and I try to wrap my mind around the world. I find that creation is just to vast for me to figure it out to be a big bang theory. The world is just too complex and put together to well for there not to be a creator. Then I think about the things we have created on this planet to be to awesome for us to create without God not being behind it all.   I stand in awe of our creator and how he has made everything for us. To Him I will always believe in because it makes things seem easier to figure out. Thank you Lord for everything we have is yours and a gift to us.

Grace Reclaims!

2010-04-08T22:10:00.001-06:00

"Grace reclaims what the world disowns."

I just heard this phrase from a song by a group called "Starfield." I thought this was a great and profound statement. I often think of how powerful the word "Grace" is. The word itself sums up the entire mission of Christ's ministry here on Earth. None of us deserves any part of the definition of grace. Especially, me!

I find myself to be a very impatient and easily annoyed person recently. I just have no patience for anybody. I don't know why, I think it's a need for a vacation or it could be that the spring shoppers in the garden center this year where I work are shopping in record numbers. I think it's all that combined. I need God's grace so much that I can't even express how much I want it.

This sentence in the beginning of this post says something to me that words would not be enough to describe it. Our world has neglected so many, that a lot of times we don't even realize those who have been overlooked. A number of people over the years have been pushed aside for so many reasons, never given the chance to be who they really are. Our world chooses those who are pretty, thin, smart and strong. We have been told that those who are among these numbers are the one's who can get it done.

We walk upon this Earth with our heads held high trying to be noticed. But who are we trying to be noticed by? We all try to be something we aren't. We try to keep up with the strong, thin and smart but we often fail. Those who are the weakest of the vine are usually left to fall off while the other part of the vine becomes strong and prospers. We say to those who are weak and ugly that they don't matter, only those who are at the top of the food chain matter. Basically, it's called the "survival of the fittest" and it's something I don't believe in. I often have trouble with this also. I also at times cheer for the strongest and forget about those who can't fend for themselves. Then I read in the Bible about Jesus saying about the meek and the humble and weak are who heaven is reserved for. After reading those passages I am back on track.

This past week we all witnessed the NCAA finals that was somewhat a David vs. Goliath match between Duke (Goliath) and Butler (David). I watched Duke start playing rough toward the end of the game and closing in on victory. I was sort of mad about them winning, I wanted to see the underdog win it, and they almost did. My thoughts after the game were, "Duke may have a trophy, but Butler won the heart."

I believe that is what God thinks. The mighty may have won all the treasures here on Earth but the left out, the weak and the humble won the heart of God. I believe that is all that matters. Win less here and earn more up there in heaven. Grace always wins for all of us. That why it's grace, a gift from God to reclaims his own back to Him. Cheer for the underdog, those that have been disowned by us. Give your heart to somebody or give it to everybody. If you know anybody has been diowned by this world, do something for them. Reclaim them! God Bless!

Pray Because You Want to, Not Because You Feel You Have Too!

2010-04-04T22:03:00.000-06:00

Where would my life be without prayer? It would not be as it is right now. Life is not how exactly how I want it, but it is what I am given for right now. We all look at our life and say it's not quite what we expected it to be. Why can't it be better? So we pray and pray and still continue to see no results. We want to see the results right now, not later. I've come to realize through the years that is not how God works. He answers in His own time. So why pray?

I always used to see prayer as a place for my requests. A moment to give God my wants and needs and maybe a little time for others needs. I see it now as a place to talk to someone who wants to hear it all. The good the bad and the ugly. I see prayer as a place between me and a Being much bigger than me. A Being that has the ability to do it all, but a little at a time. I see my prayers to God as a Father/Son relationship. I have seen this through raising my own children, they make their requests and I make a decision on those requests. Sometimes I have to say no and other times I give all I can to their little pleas. Most of my decisions are benificial for their character and by making them it shows my love for them. As a parent though I don't have all the resources to fulfill their needs and wants. Where our Father in heaven has all the resources to do all things, yet he sees and knows when to give those gifts to us.

So, prayer for me has become a place to talk to my Maker one on one. I have seen the reason of prayer as a continuous need in my life and it has given me the encouragement I need. Prayer can be many things for all of us. Some pray in dire need. Many have only prayed on these occasions, their life has drastically changed and sickness may be ready to take them soon, so they resort to prayer. Others pray quick prayers, they make requests and hope for the results they want. They take no time to give God the thanks he deserves, they just want their needs met and that is it. Then there are those that pray out of religious practice. One example is the Muslim religion, they all stop at a certain time of the day and face the same direction and pray out of religious practice, these prayers have no heart in them. They just do it because they fear that if they don't they are going to be harmed in some way. I used to feel that way sometimes that if I don't pray I felt fearful and had let my God down. Not true!

Prayer is a conversation with you and God. A conversation to be done in private for nobody to see you doing it. I don't know exactly why God chose it that way, you would think He would want it done in public to promote his name. He doesn't want it that way, He wants us to be humble and to not be distracted, he wants our complete attention. God wants us to draw near to Him. He wants us to be complete in Him and wants to hear more than our requests. He wants to have a conversation to release our true self to Him. God may not speak clearly to us but He speaks to our hearts. Prayer always makes me feel relieved, I feel like I have talked to the most important being in the universe and the heavens. And I always do. I feel listened to, nobody can interupt me when I speak in prayer. When we talk to others here in life, we're always interupted by someone or something. It makes me feel empty a lot of times. I want to be heard but life and it's obstacles keep us from being heard. I always want to let people know who I am and about my life and it's experiences, but there is always an interuption and no one ever gets the whole conversation. So I go to the one who really wants to hear about me and how I want to be heard and not interupted. God gives us His whole attention and never allows anything to interupt our conversation. What a great thing it is to pray and talk to the God of all that is. Change your prayers from a list of demands to a conversation with a loving Father. Do it that way and you will do it not because you feel you have too, but because you want to. He's waiting and all lines are open.

I Will Be Back To Writing Soon!

2010-03-24T21:56:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted anything since February 19th. You may be asking where have I been? I don't really know! But I will get back to it soon. I am currently reading a book titled, "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers." I am hoping that reading this will get me back in the groove. I had some ideas about some things I wanted to write about, so bare with me. I will be back within the week to write again. Please continue to read my older posts and I will see you next week. In Christian love,Clint

Jesus Is Neither Republican or Democrat! He Has His Own Agenda!

2010-02-19T10:02:00.004-06:00

It's hard for me to judge all Democrats as "unchristian." It's also very hard for me to call many Republicans as "Christians!" The person I go to get my haircut by, is a major Christian Republican! I believe he feels that all Democrats are evil and Republicans are going straight to heaven. I wish I could change him, but I see no possibility in doing that. It would take a totally neutral person who is very knowledgable about politics to do so, I am not that person.

The discussion came up because of the guy who slammed the plane into the IRS building in Texas. There was a guy on Fox news channel who had written a book on politics and hope for the people of the US. The anchor asked if he believed Jesus was a Republican, and the guy answered "No!" He said Jesus would be niether! So my barber said Jesus would be a republican, because the Bible said so. I never read that in the Bible!

Wasn't the Pharissee's a basic form of the Republican party? The Republican party use the Christian stand to get elected, they don't really mean to be true Christians. I'm sure there are many good people in that party that are Christians, yet it's not what Jesus wants to be. This type of legalism is what he taught against and tried to escape. I believe Jesus would agree on many issues that both parties try to represent, but I don't think he would join their party, if he wanted to be politically correct he would have joined the Pharissee's agenda. But he didn't! The Pharissee's were the code of conduct police back in the day, that is really all they knew. When Jesus came he turned the table over when it came to living religious. He was a new hope in the world and many didn't understand how this teaching was right.

My barber continued to repeat the things that Democrats believe in. Homosexuality is one he repeated with great emphasis! I'm not a person that believes in homosexuality and really believe God is against it, so I will be also. I stated that there are Republicans that are gay and have abortions. The room got silent,very silent! He had real no answer for that. So I left it at that, I'm not one for confrontation, but I could have gone a little farther. I just decided to let it go.

I quit going to him for a little while because I get disturbed by his comments on Blacks and other things. I might be looking for new barber again ,but maybe I will stay and give him the true teaching of Jesus. Jesus was not political, he was not a judge of anybody. He seemed to me to be more critical of the Pharissee's than he was of the lost. So he chose to go the other direction of the world. He came to save those who were being judged, he came to save the Underdog. Christ was merciful to those who were judged by a Republican gang that demanded cleaness. Through Jesus we all became clean, from the world's judgemental mindset. We're free! Thank the Lord for his love! I'm am eternally grateful. Don't live by the political realm of who's clean and who is not. I claim no party, except the wedding party Jesus has waiting for us in the end!

Holding Up Signs In LIfe!

2010-02-18T13:42:00.000-06:00

I often can look at a picture and sometimes that is where a post comes from. Many of my blogs I just looked at a picture and out came a new post, but today I can't do that. I have the day off and have been to a few stores and drove around town for a little while and that got boring. So I went to mazzio's and got a salad to go and came home and talked to my wife for a few minutes, and she left to go take a test.

So I thought for a minute about what I could do around the house and I quickly lost interest in that. So \I decided to shut myself up in the computer room put earphones in my ear and start writing another post. I decided that this would be the best way to spend my time off today. I figure the best thing you can do when you really have nothing else to do is try to write something to maybe inspire somebody who needs it. I don't know what people think about this blog and I don't write it to get any kind of attention or great responses, but I do pray every time it will turn somebodies life around.

As my wife and I went to Little Rock yesterday, we passed a few people holding signs up against abortion. I really never have seen anybody do that in real life, I have only seen it on TV. I wondered how their sign holding and protest actually stopped abortion. To me I thought it was a waste of time. I'm a person who want to dig in to the real problem, I want to see quick results. Many would say to me that I'm not seeing the whole picture. I often think if I don't go to the top cause of the problem I won't see results at all. It's like when you call about a problem on one of your bills, we don't want to talk to some little customer represntative, I want to talk to a manger or the CEO, if I had it my way. Usually, when you do talk to a manager you get the results you wanted. So me holding a sign would not be productive, I would want to have a personal appointment with the staff and doctors of the clinic. I want to go in and choke it by the neck. Obviously, sign holding in front of an abortion clinic is about the best way to share your religious beliefs on the matter. I don't know if anybody has ever spoke to amy staff members at a clinc, but so far all I ever see are signs.

My blog sometimes feels like I am holding a sign sometimes. I don't really know the results of my writing sometimes. Over the past couple of years I have seen the big picture of my blogging. Most of my readers are from the United States and I have had a few hits from a lot of different countries. Which is great! I know I won't reach everybody in the entire world, it would be nice to reach every person, but the statistics are always going against it. In my heart when it comes to preaching or writing about Christ, you won't reach everyone, many will take time to read and many will skip over it altogether. I normally post a link on Facebook which has helped, yet the readers are few. That's Ok though, if I can reach one person that is great results and mankes the effort all the better.

Life is also like holding up a sign. Human beings are always trying to hold up a sign to get some kind of attention from others. Here are some of the signs I see everyday in life. The way people dress some very dressy in the best clothes others dressing in a very different rebellious way. Political signs on the back of their vehicles, they really want people to know that they are Republican or Democrat. This sign can usually get you in the right place or the rebellious side of life. If your an elephant you have good standing with Christians and if you are a donkey your considered Satans best friend. (Which is completely stupid!) Many of us wear our titles as our sign of greatness in life. Like DR. or CEO, which makes people think you are smart, which they do have some brains but makes them no different from the person living in the ghetto or the single mother trying to raise children by herself. The underdog who survives life is my true hero, not somebody with a title.

So why do we hold the signs up in life? Why do we care what people think about us? I used to think that I had to be something to have somebody give me praise, then I realized Christ's teaching and the way he lived his life. Humble was Christ who wore no title at all. He was the greatest man who ever lived on Earth, yet he never made himself greater than the master, he was a servant not just for his father but for all of us. I hate titles they are the signs that separate the world from each other, and that is not what God's want. He wants us to be in unison and to be together for all eternity. Hold up a sign that states, " I am nothing but a messenger for Christ, let's talk!" To all who read my blog I hope you continue and hope it helps in some way! Thanks

The Real Meaning Of Jesus!

2010-02-12T00:28:00.000-06:00

Those of you that know me, know that I am not a very serious guy.  I am always cracking a joke of some kind, and really never serious about anything. I just am not that kind of person. I often say I don't worry, but I do, probably more than I let on. I usually don't worry about some things that other people do. I catch myself worrying about finances, time, funny feelings I get in my health. I usually don't tell anybody about my worries though.  I just don't feel they are worth telling anybody about.

I do have a serious side to my life, my walk with Jesus is probably the most serious thing I think about. I constantly read Christian authors to get a better understanding of the story of Christ. I think about our world and how we really have turned the true story of Christ upside down. I don't like a lot of things we as Christians are doing to share our message of Christ. I don't like it when Christians use a political agenda for their Christianity to shine out. To me that just discourages people outside of Christ. We do need morality to be pushed, but not in a political way. We as Christians have totally missed the point of Jesus being here. I don't think He would've pushed the death penalty, even though he died in a death penalty way.  I don't think he would've marched in front of abortion clinics or raged a huge battle agianst homosexuals. Even though none of those things he is for, but he would've communicated a different way to those who go about doing such things.
The more I read about the life of Christ, I am amazed at who he really was.  Jesus defined the word "love." His compassion continues to blow me away. How loving he was to stop what he was doing and heal a person or hug little children. He loved the one's the world had set aside. He had no intensions of leaving anyone behind. The people he hung around were considered the worst of the community, and to those who thought they were something thought he was crazy. He was the shepherd among the sheep, the lost sheep.
Our world today puts no thought into saving the homeless, hungry or drug addicts. Only those who really understand the true compassion of Christ believe in these causes of need. I want to have that compassion, I want to be selfless.  I want to deny self and give myself to others, and give them the love they need. Yet, I fail in an awful way of beng like that.
Deep down beneath all this earthliness inside of me is a person who really needs to find himself in Christ. I want to continue throughout my life to be like Christ. I want every person also to have that same understanding of him. Life here is not about being the best or the richest. Life is not about getting all the attention on yourself, it's about compassion and love for others, especially for those who can't help themselves.
Tonight my prayer is not to gain but to give. To show the world about the true mission of Christ, and his real story for being here on Earth. He wanted to save us all, he wants no one to suffer Hell but to be with him forever. Forever in an eternal paradise that we can't even imagine.   Give until it hurts! Love until you fall over dead. Let's all open our hearts to the real meaning of Christ. Love never fails!

Prayer. Why do we not do it?

2010-02-05T09:41:00.003-06:00

How many times do you pray? That is a question  I need to ask myself everyday. I do pray and miss many oppurtunities to pray daily. My prayers are little tid bits here and there. Usually at night and one in the morning. But during the day it becomes more difficult to pray. I am one to not let anybody see me pray. I don't pray aloud in restaurants like I see some Christians doing. For some reason that bothers me, I guess it's because Jesus stated to pray in private and that is exactly what he did. I don't ever recall Jesus praying in public, he usually prayed off in a quiet place. So when I pray I try to keep it to myself and God. We need to pray daily. We aren't forced too, because of the free will God has given us here on Earth. He has given us the option to pray or not to. The choice to follow him or not, the choice is ours and if we don't follow we may suffer an eternal punishment.

Prayer is needed for all, and many need our prayers. My prayer list increased by five people in one week, people around me and in my life have become sick and I feel it is my duty to pray for their well being.  I do love to pray for others though, I don't know the outcome of my prayers, but I do know it is good to hope the best for others lives and they do deeply appreciate it. My prayers in the past have been about my needs and how I needed an immediate answer from the Creator. As I have matured I see prayer as giving thanks to God for all He has done for me and a time to pray for those who are hurting or are sick or in great financial need.

Prayer for me has taken off many stresses I have had in life. For many it's a religious necessity a ritual, they feel if they don't do it that they are going to be cast to hell or be on God's bad list. I don't think that is true! I used to feel that way also, but I now look at prayer as a time to converse with God, an intimate conversation between two friends or a father.   I try to converse in a way that feels comfortable, giving thanks because God has given me peace and has kept me safe in his grace. I thank him for the good times and also for the bad times I go through. A lesson can be learned from bad times in life, and I ususally tell him what I have learned from rough experiences and thank him for the lessons I have learned. I always try to visualize God listening to my prayers. I see him leaning with His hand on his chin and listening to me with great excitement.  I see him wanting to answer all my requests, wanting to show everything to me but he doesn't. He is just like us as parents, he gives little by little. He doesn't give in huge amounts, because that would spoil us and we would become expecting massive amounts and never learn the lessons of humbleness. Same with us as parents, we know if we constanly give into our childrens wishes and give them all they need they become spoliled and greedy. They expect a new toy everyday, and never learn the lessons of earning the toy through good deeds or working for something.

For those who only pray in times of great need and never lift a word toward heaven any other time need to learn God is listening. God is not not our magic 8 ball. I believe God wants to hear form us but not just in certain situations though. He is listening still to all prayers at all times. He listens to all who pray in dire emergencies and to all who converse to him every day.   Not all prayers are answered though.   That's where people get discouraged, they expect an answer to their request then, not later. So they give up on God and never return to him again. God does answer, but usually in his own time and what he wishes. So that makes him not a magic 8 ball God. He wants constant communication. He wants you to see what He has planned for you over a long period of time. He is a mysterious being that has nothing but good intensions for us all. So as I learn to communicate with him and you do to, realize God has answered most of our prayers we just need to sit back and see how he has answered them. If you take time and look at all the great things he has given us, then you will realize how great he is and how wonderful it is to talk to him. Pray at all times, because he is waiting to hear from us!

2010-01-25T12:50:00.003-06:00

Funny Email!

2010-01-22T09:12:00.000-06:00

I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, the wars, jobs, Savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc......

I called Lifeline.

Got a freakin' call center in Pakistan .

I told them I was suicidal.

They all got excited and asked if I could drive a truck.

Time For God

2010-01-20T10:03:00.000-06:00

I knelt to pray but not for long,

I had too much to do..

I had to hurry and get to work

For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,

And jumped up off my knees.

My Christian duty was now done

My soul could rest at ease.....

All day long I had no time

To spread a word of cheer

No time to speak of Christ to friends,

They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,

That was my constant cry,

No time to give to souls in need

But at last the time, the time to die

I went before the Lord,

I came, I stood with downcast eyes.

For in his hands God! held a book;

It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said

'Your name I cannot find

I once was going! to write it down...

But never found the time'

Seeing God In A Different Way. Praising Him For What We have Been Givin.

2010-01-03T00:14:00.000-06:00

My whole being, praise the Lord;
all my being, praise his holy name.
My whole being, praise the Lord
and do not forget all His kindnesses.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He saves my life from the grave
and loads me with love and mercy.
He satisfies me with good things
and makes me young again, like an eagle. Psalm 103: 1-5

I believe this verse says it all for a Christian. I believe we only love as much as we want to. We don't fully know how to love like the Lord. His love sees nothing, but who the person is. He doesn't judge or show favortism. He is complete in all things. He gives us more than we can ever imagine. Our cups overflow and yet we don't realize it and continue to ask for more. Over the past couple of years I have learned a lot about true Christianity. I have learned about how compassionate Christ really was and I know I will never be able to be as compassionate as he was. He saw the sick and the hungry before anybody else did, he had their problems solved before he ever spoke to them. He was and is something I strive to be everyday, but yet satan keeps holding me back. Satan keeps us from being who we really are. We try to escape his grasp, but he always has a hold. His grasp is on our leg, but not around our neck. Even though he has a hold , my eyes are always looking at Christ. Even when I fall he lifts me up and tells me it alright just keep going.

I've been a fool for so long, only because Satan made me feel that way. I was blinded for so many years by legalism that it made me judge others and allowed me to puff myself up. I believe we all make mistakes all the time, and from now on I will not judge you I will look at you with eyes of Christ as I hope you will look at me the same way. For he didn't judge anybody only those who judged people according to the law.

Life is good no matter what comes our way. Heaven is ours, believe and it will be yours. This year I am going to make real changes. I'm not concerned to much with normal resolutions, they are not the one's Christ is concerned about. Losing weight and quitting smoking are great, but how does that help your soul? I want to give my heart to God, I want to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. The other day in Little Rock we passed by a homeless women holding a sign, needless to say we helped her and it made me feel good. Not to puff myself up, but we did it because we wanted to. I'm not telling this to brag but things need to get done. I want all to share in the gifts that God has lavished on me. Everybody needs a chance and they deserve it no matter what. We are all equal, we need to start seeing that through the eyes of Christ.

I want to change as a person. I want to be more giving and be less selfish. I don't want to live in fear, but live by true faith. I want to take the risks God wants me to take. I want others join me and feel what I am feeling. We shall be guided by God through good times and bad. It's all part of life, good and evil. Let's all be high strung and live in the goodness of God. Share your wealth and knowledge and save the lost. make your resolution toward Godly things and he will see you through. God bless and Happy New Year.

Happy 10th Birthday Brayden!

2009-12-30T19:21:00.000-06:00

As I look at this picture it really has become one of my favorite I have taken. It really shows me how much Brayden has accomplished in his ten years of life. He finally crossed the bridge of 10 years of life.

I cryed the moment he arrived to this life. For 9 months he relied upon God to develop him in his mothers womb. To make him perfect and enable him to go from complete darkness to a direct light he had never seen before. I often wonder if God had one last word to him as he came to be. Did he say, "Go on, come and meet life and don't worry I will be there with you all the way."

Having children truly amazes me all the time. We really don't know what we're going to get until their arrival. I was hoping Brayden had all his parts and that he was going to be healthy. Birth is God's fantastic show in life, it is a process that truly is awesome. I have enjoyed the ten years we have had with Brayden. He's a funny kid who likes to laugh a lot, especially when I do stupid things to make him laugh. We have had some good laughs so far in life, and hope we will always laugh together no matter what life brings us. God has truly blessed us, and to Him I will be enernally grateful. Thank you God for your precious gift of Brayden.

The Magical Feeling Of Christmas.

2009-12-24T20:45:00.000-06:00

I remember when I was young and how exciting it was to be Christmas eve. I remember my Papaw and Aunt Monna coming over and all of us just enjoying one anothers visit. They would stay the night and they would both get my sister and I excited about Santa coming during the night.

My mother would go all out and make a good Christmas eve meal and we would indulge ourselves and then eat all the cookies she had made until we were sick. It would be cold outside (unlike here in Arkansas) and we would be huddled up by the fireplace and try to get warm. I have always enjoyed those many Christmas eve's and still enjoy the memories of them all. Christmas Eve is a magical time of year. I miss them!

For some reason I have lost that magical feeling and I don't know why. I guess because Christmas here in Arkansas just doeosn't feel very Christmas like.

As the evening progresses I can feel a little of the magic left, but it just doesn't feel like it once did. Maybe it's because I have grown older and the magical feeling I once had is slowly disappearing somewhat. I hope it comes back one day, but for now I will always have the precious memories of past Christmases in my mind and heart. I'm thankful to God for memories like these. Thankful for two hard working parents who went all out to give me the best Christmases ever. I'm thankful for the memories of a loving Grandfather who made my life and Christmas very special. With all the presents I have received through the years nothing is more important than these special memories. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We're Not Lucky, But Blessed

2009-12-23T01:13:00.001-06:00

All my life I have always said I am lucky. I recently had a thought run through my mind that found that to be untrue. We all say we have had some kind of luck come into our lives, but it wasn't luck was it? It was something else. I believe everything was set in place a long time ago to happen in our lives. It's a story and that I believe is what were are living. Reasons behind everything that happens in our lives each day. So, the thought that ran through my mind is all part of the process that God Almighty is putting into my life as a story. Nothing is luck it's a blessing from Him.

I try to put into perspective why so many are given to greatness and many are put into poverty and loneliness. Why others are given much and others are given so little. I remember when Jesus healed a man and his disciples asked him who sinned his parents or him. And Jesus said to them neither, but it was for the glory of God to shine through. It was a blessing for him to be blind so that he could see the gift of healing and praise God for his blessing that has been put in his story of life.

Last week we were driving back from Little Rock and as we were headed home we stopped off at some stores. As we approached the on ramp, it stopped suddenly and I veered off to the side of the highway. I just happened to be looking in the rearview mirror and saw two cars slam into each other. I said I was lucky, but then realized I was blessed by God to have not been invovled.

What we think as luck is not, but is a contiuned chapter of our life that God has planned to happen in our lifes story. I thought about my past life and thought my life could be read as a book. It may be boring, but my life reads like a story. If you think about all the predicaments we have gotten ourselves into there has always been a way or a blessing from God to get us out and over such things. We think it is luck, but it is a blessing from the author of our storied lives.

How do we use these blessings? If you win the lottery how do you use that blessing? God gave it to you for a reason. Not to consume it all for yourself, but to use to help those who are in rough shape. Blessings are a test from God, he wants to see how we use it for his good. When I lost my job a couple of years ago, I lurked in my own fears on how I was going to be able to get out of this mess. God wanted me to pray for his help. I did for a long time, he gave me a new job and taught me the lesson through His blessing to be faithful and not to take anything for granted that He has blessed me with. A friend of mine had recently lost his job, and now I am telling him my story of that hard time in my life. I told him to pray and not take anything for granted that God had blessed him with. My hardship had happened to bring God his glory.

Were not lucky, but blessed with great blessings from God above. Our cup overflows more than we know. We live in His grace everyday, and through his grace we shall tell others about our great story. So that His glory may be praised. Merry Christmas!

Recession Christmas Cards 2

2009-12-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas Recession Cards

2009-12-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

Do You Live To Impress Others?

2009-12-01T13:33:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here really trying to figure out why we live to impress others. I remember back in my early years of life that is all I remember life being about. I'm sure during our school years we remember having to have what everbody else had. Whether it was clothes or any other type of material possession. We had to get it because we wanted to fit in. We didn't want to be the only one on the outside of the ring of popularity.

When I was little I had this neighbor kid right next door to us. He had every Star Wars thing you could imagine. I would get jealous because I didn't have that specific toy, yet I did have every Star Wars toy there was except this one thing. So I would get over it because he said I could play with it as much as I wanted. I remember in the sixth grade everybody had to have a pair of "parachute pants" to be cool. There were all kinds of things in those days that we all had to have so we wouldn't be the misfit. I remember one winter back home I had passed by this Catholic elementary school. All the kids had the same coat. Almost every child had a certain type of Notre Dame coat on, they all looked like an advertisement picture for the university. I thought in my mind how stupid is that? Then I realized kids in my school were just the same, we all had the same clothing to impress someone. I have a lot of friends from high school on Facebook. If I asked them about the stupid fashions we all went through to impress each other they would probably think it was all silly. Where did all this lead us, nowhere really! Were all still friends to this day and actually the clothes are forgotten and it really didn't matter one bit.

Living in the adult world fashion is not really a factor anymore. It seemed we grew out of all that nonsense, but have we? How do we do it now? If you take a look at yourself, how are you today as an adult living to impress someone? Obviously, it's with material possessions, but a little higher priced possessions. Our possessions now are the cars we drive, and the house and neighborhood we live in. To many, it states a sign of wealth and states a certain stature in life. Don't get me wrong it's ok to have possessions that you have worked hard for, it's the flauting part of it that is wrong. Possessions can signal to those who don't have things like this that we are untouchable, that we are better than everybody else. It's true, it communicates to people that they are unworthy to communicate with us. It makes others fearful of us. When I watch the movie stars on TV and I think all the time I would never be able to talk to them or have a real conversation with them. Because they are really untouchable, I don't really live where they live, plus they are protected by a dozen security guards. But then they really are real people. That's the life they chose, we didn't choose a life of being untouchable we live in the real world. Trust me there are people who want to talk to people who have great wealth. They want to feel they matter to them, and they want to know that the "real world" is not full of untouchable rich snotty people.

Our world is a crazy one. Satan is a demon working us hard, but in many different ways. He makes us all feel like we are important in this world that we have a right to impress sombody and the right to pull others under our dirty rug of popularity. It doesn't really matter to me if I impress somebody, I chose years ago to not live my life to impress others. With me you get what you see. I would rather get to know somebody and help those who think they are unworthy to talk to anybody feel special. I'm not saying that to impress anybody either, it's just the way I am programmed.

I would like to see one President go and walk the streets in the roughest neighborhoods of America and shake hands with those who think they don't count. I know Jimmy Carter has built houses for the poor through Habitat for Humanity and that is impressive. Today I ask you to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Go to somebody who you think might think may feel inferior to you. A person who you think you would never speak to, maybe it's an employee that is afraid of you because you holder a higher postition. We as the human race need to remember we are all human and God wants us all to be friends with each other.

I write this because when I sit in Walmart and sell Medicare insurance I don't usually talk to the wealthiest people in the area. My plans I sell are a $0 premium, so if people have money they usually don't discuss these plans with me because they can afford to not have them. I usually get some pretty rough people talking with me and it really doesn't matter who I talk to, as long as I can meet their finacial need for affordable healthcare. This topic just kind of came to my mind today and I felt it needed to be written. Impress somebody with your kindness and not with our wealth or power.

Thinking of others on Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T19:41:00.004-06:00

"If you think about it, the human race is pretty self-absobred. What I mean is, as a human, I am flawed in that it is difficult for me to consider others before myself. It feels like I have to fight against this force, this current within me that, more often than not, wants to avoid serious issues and please myself, buy things for myself, feed myself, entertain myself and all of that. All I'm saying is that if we, as a species, could fix our self- absorption, we could end a lot of pain in the world." - Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz

I think about my own self - absorption all the time. I am coming to a point in my life where my wants don't really matter. I still fight the selfish ways of life everyday, but it seems like it just doesn't matter anymore. I have had a good life and now I want others to have what I have been given.

I thought about thanksgiving tomorrow and how many will not have what we will have in front of us. A large feast! Many will be living their normal life tomorrow, a life with nothing to cherish. They made it another day. Another day of begging, another day of not feeling like they matter to society, another day with nobody caring or giving them the time of day. I'm sure a lot of homeless people in New York City have been kicked out of their normal spots because of the parade tomorrow. It's amazing how we live in a country that says all men are created equal, yet we are all unequal in somebody else's sight. Our government will send millions of dollars across seas to help other countries and their poverty stricken people. But our countries poverty level continues to increase by the day.

We are a self- absorbed society. Considering ourselves before others, our desires first, then whatever is leftover we give to others. Jesus walked among the worst people of society, and others will condemn us if we are seen with a bad person. Same way with Jesus in his day, the people he hung out with raised the eyebrows of the church leaders in his day. They scolded him for being where he was, and we do the same thing today.

What would happen if we took a bunch of homeless people into our house for an amazing feast on thanksgiving. The neighbors would be talking, not all but a few would be. They would be judging us for some reason. Would you care? Probably not, you did it for unselfish reasons. Our hearts our amazingly hardened in this world, mostly because that is what Satan does to us. He puts judgement into our hearts and places also self- absorption in there. We really aren't bad people we are kept by Satan from being who we really should be. He keeps us from being complete in Christ. If Satan didn't scheme us all the time could you imagine what we could do in the name of Christ. Exactly what Donald Miller said in the last sentence of his quote. We could end a lot of pain in the world. I remind myself everyday to have the compassion and eyes of Christ. I fail at this all the time, but I strive to see others as Christ saw them. Not a problem or an embarrassment to society, but an important part in life. Look and see tomorrow what you see with the eyes of Christ. You'll be amazed when you put yourself behind you and others in front of you. Happy Thanksgiving

Who is Right When It Comes To Gay Rights Or Anything Else?

2009-11-20T21:49:00.000-06:00

Today there was a video posted on Facebook about a kid who won't say the pledge of allegiance in school until our country gives gays and lesbians equal rights. So I offended some people with my comment about the video. I said, "when did gays become a race. No equal rights!"

I offended a friend of mine whom I didn't know was gay. So I have spent my Friday night defending God and His holy word. I referred to the scripture in Romans 1:26-28 and then got bashed for using the Bible as a weapon and then was told by the person that is a Christian that the Bible was a book of errors written by men and their own historical point of views. Another person commented and said I was a disgrace to all men.

Here is my stance! There is no victory in a country that has gone away from God and his Holy word, a country that is relying on its own beliefs and then say they believe in God. You can't serve two masters. If you are Muslim, atheists or whatever believe in what you believe that's your choice. Respect my beliefs also. I don't push them on you and don't push yours on me. If you have a question and need some help then I will gladly share my beliefs in my God. Nobody will ever win in this world, when it comes to all people accepting one true belief. Only through Christ is there complete victory!

Nobody knows what will happen in the end. That's why I live by faith and know and hope it all is true. That is what faith is. Everybody has a faith in something, if not you are just a walking zomby. I don't judge what people decide in their lives. Chrisitians hope that we can turn others away from their sin and make them a child of Jesus. Yet, many Christians have used bigotry and hatred toward others and have condemned Gays for what they believe. I don't I just want them to realize what they are doing to their souls by being gay. We as Christians should not be hateful but loving. I do apologize to the gay community for the hatred used by many of the right wing. That's is not who I am and I will never use my Christianity for bashing. The scripture I used is what I believe, yet my sin is just as disgraceful.also. To God a sin is a sin. He does not show favortism, but love.

I do not believe in equal rights for gays though, because it is against what God stated in his holy word. But, if you believe the Bible is not the inspired word of God then you might believe differently. I have seen hatred on both sides of this agenda.

I will not go in the direction though to say anything blaspheming against the word of God. I believe God is right, and loving and nothing can separate us from Him.

The Pattern Of God's Creation. Be leaders of His Way.

2009-11-10T09:18:00.000-06:00

To me there is no reason to believe there is no creator. There are too many amazing things in this world to not believe. Creation mezmorizes me, there are to many signs here that seems complicated to just blow it off as a bang theory. I saw two things lastnight at work that really caught my attention. As I was moving a box in the aisle I saw a little beetle. I watched it scamper to a safe hiding place. It was funny to watch it move. I looked at its design, it looked like it could barely make it to its hiding place from me. But it did, slowly. I really wondered what its purpose in the circle of life was. It didn't seem to me it was an important role to me, but that little bug serves some type of purpose. As do all animals, for some odd reason God made that beetle for a reason to uphold our pattern in life.

About an hour later I looked up to see and hear a flock of Canadien geese fly above me. In their normal V shaped pattern. The flock had a leader guiding the pack some where. But they had a purpose and a mission that God was leading them too. About ten minutes later another flock were flying in the same direction. It amazes me to see some thing like that have a natural instinct to know where they are headed. A Godly instinct.
Many in this world want a belief in something. They just feel if there was a God in this world, they feel he would not allow bad things to happen. Not true! Things will happen both good and bad. Jesus told his disciples that they will face great trials and tribulations in life. They will be hated because they bore his name. They did face many horrible things in life. They weren't wealthy with money, they were beaten and imprisoned for what they preached. They faced death all day long.

Many feel they can't believe in something that is unseen, or have faith in a being that never talks or gives them any reason to believe. So they turn to other religions or possessions that give them a temporary hiding place. We as Christians should tell them of our sufferings in this life. We should tell them of how we are protected from death in the next world. We are considered to be slaughtered every day. Yet, we have a hope in Jesus everyday we live.

If you feel someone is headed in the wrong direction, don't press them with a bunch of scriptures, but first let them see your life and how you believe and how you don't let things get you down in this life. Be an example with doing great things for them, then they will know who you belong to. Show them the compassion that only Christ could show, be an example of him and then they will want to be like you. Living peacefully in a risen and loving Savior. We have all turned many unbelievers away by shoving our judgemental views down their throat. We condemn them to Hell for what they do. Yet, we deserve the same punishment. Be loving and not condemning. Christ was not a person who judged a person, he gave them what they asked for and then told them to go and sin no more. We are all odd balls in this world. Baptized or not we are all the same, we just have different stories and situations that have taken us in different directions. The geese would not know where they were going if they didn't have a leader to take them to their intended direction. Same with us who are in Christ, we are to be leaders of the flock and give direction to those that are lost. Be leaders in Christ with love , and not be a bunch of judgemental rats. Understand others stories and tell them about how we have been in the pits of life and how Christ brought us out and saved from this world.

Please Pray, Thanks

2009-11-02T21:02:00.001-06:00

If you wouldn't mind. Would you please pray for my oldest child, Brayden. He is having some issues possibly with passing a kidney stone. We're not sure really waht it is yet, but the doctor said it's possible. Earlier in the year he had these same issues and they seemed to go away for about 4 months but now it is happening again. Thank you and God Bless!

And God Said "No!"

2009-11-01T22:31:00.000-06:00

I asked God to take away my pride, and God said, "No".

He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, "No".

He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grand me patience, and God said, "No".

He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness, and God said, "No".

He said He gives blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain, and God said, "No".

He said, "Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said, "No".

He said I must grow on my own, but he would prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me, and God said, "Yes".

He gave me His only Son who died for me, and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.

And God said, "Ah, finally, you have the idea"- Author unknown

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T21:59:00.000-06:00

My kids went as the "Dynamic Trio" this year. How cute!

Halloween Home Alone!

2009-10-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

Since I have had the flu and have missed work the past couple of days. I have to stay home while everybody else has their trick or treating fun. My fever went away through the night so I'm not contagious anymore. I still don't want to be around anybody though.

I do have candy ready just in case somebody might come to the door. The thing that stinks is there might be nobody come to the door. Our town here is a Christian based community, so they all do trunk or treat. Which I don't like because I am a traditionalist. I like the kids coming to our house and getting their treats. But, as a parent of 3 kids I can understand the safety part of doing this. Plus, it is an outreach for the churches which is good. The churches need to show they can come outside of the building and show others we are friendly and loving and not a bunch of judgemental rats.

I have a lot of good memories of halloween. I remember most of my costumes that my mother made for me and my sister. The best but worst costume she made for me was Yoda from Star Wars. It was made well, but she used burlap for the material. I scratched all night long. You had to be tough in our neighborhood to go treating. It was nothing but hillsides. I believe it was the only time my Dad got exercise. We would do our neighborhood and then go over to my Papaw's and go through their neighborhood. We were very tired by the time it was all over but it was good times I will always cherish forever.

Fighters in the ring of life.

2009-10-30T13:14:00.000-06:00

Today I was diagnosed with Influenza A. I have really felt bad the past couple of days, and really hope it goes away soon. I really can't afford to miss work. I was thinking the other day about how healthy I have been over my life. I have never spent a day in the hospital, never had a broken arm, even though I deserved one. I often think about those who have spent the majority of their life in the hospital. Especially the little children in hospitals like St. Judes. Many fighting for their life before they even have a chance to live their life. I have been praying for this lady here in Searcy. She has been fighting cancer for the longest time.

Her sister is a teacher at Harding Academy and has really helped her during her battle. She often keeps us updated through Facebook on her condition. Some of the people in this world we call heroes aren't really hroes. It's people like this that are my heroes. Fighters in the ring of life. The little infants and children who fight daily to stay alive and want to enjoy life like every other child. I often wonder why little children have to suffer or good people like the lady I mentioned above have to go through such struggles to live.

Many would rather the murders and child molesters suffer more then those good people. But that is not how life works here. It's unfair, but those of us who call upon the Lord know there is a better place. A place that is beyond our imagination, no sickness and no pain. I pray for those who are fighting sickness and disabilities to keep fighting. You are my heroes!

Quilt Of Holes

2009-10-27T21:10:00.001-06:00

This is beautiful!

Quilt of Holes

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.
Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.
But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.
I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.
My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me,and nodded for me to rise.
My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.
And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.
I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes,creating an image, the face of Christ.. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles.
Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'
May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!
God determines who walks into your life ...it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'
I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you....When there is nothing left but God that is when you find out that God is all you need. - Author Unknown

Missing My Grandmothers

2009-10-27T10:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had Grandparents day and it was a wonderful time at Harding Academy. I looked at every grandparent and saw their great joy and pride they had in their grandchildren. The relationships between the kids and their grandma and grandpa is a special one. It's amazing to see the glory of the Lord through this relationship of human beings. I know my parents are proud of my children and who they are and how wonderful it is for them to be here and be around them. This is love at it's best.

I always get kind of emotional on grandparents day. I some times feel a little jealousy, because my kids know both sets of their grandparents and I never did. I never knew my grandmothers. My dad's mother I vaguely remember and my mom's mother died when my mom was young. So i often wonder what they were like, what their voices sounded like. How loving they would have been? Or what kind of cookies they made? Would they be proud of me? I really don't know a whole lot about them, But I know they were very kind and loving women. Just to hear them say my name would be a blessing. I do long for the day when we will all be together and we will all share eternity together. At least believing in a loving and kind God there is hope to see those from the past again. There will be no pain, no fears and no sadness. What a great day that will be. Take time to remember the people in your family you never met and be glad we'll see them in heaven.

A Peace of Mind.

2009-10-11T20:08:00.002-06:00

This morning we talked about peace. How do you find it or describe it? My answer to this two part question is simple. I think we all need to find a peace of mind. Our minds need to slow down and think of things other than the worries of today and the future. We have no control over what is in the future or today. It comes as it happens, our ability to handle the terrible situations means we must take it on with God by our side. We must start today in being deep rooted in our beliefs and the word of God. As we are rooted well in our faith and our knowledge of God's word the battle will not seem so overwhelming. I have done this well. I truly believe I can handle some tough situations just because I have a tough faith and good understanding I am not alone. God is with me and you.

Now worrying is not my thing. I have my fathers genes, he is chilled out about everything, but I am nowhere near his calmness. I have some of my mother's genes also. I won't get into that. :) But a peace of mind I am working hard on, I really believe that all things work out for those who believe. I try not to focus to far ahead in the future, I just see what the day will bring. I have always believed that worrying is someone else's problem not mine. Nothing really gets me frazzled and I focus on what I might be able to do to make the problem less of a hassle. That usually works. But our mind needs to slow down a lot. I know we all have pressures in our families, our workplace and other areas of life, but we need to offer our problems to God. I got a little worked up this weekend because my heart started its funny heart beat and I couldn't understand why it was doing it. I'm on medicine, but I prayed and it has since quit doing it. A relief!

With all the things going on in our world it adds to the stress, but I decided to turn off the 24 hour news stations and just ignore all the lies they state to get their ratings up. The news stations bring a lot of garbage to us. It's to the point where you can't believe anybody on there. So it's gone from my TV, and life has been less of a worry. I read a lot of Christian living books, these books have brought peace to my mind. I have a list of them in the right hand column on this blog. They are defintely worth reading.

As I look at this picture of pumpkins I get a good sense of relief looking at them. I believe God gave us holidays and the decorations that come with them to give us relief, a peace of mind. Fall is a sign of change in our world and our lives. Just like in our own lives we can have a season of change every day, if we allow it. God wants us to change for the good in all things. To become better at life and better in him. To find that peace of mind that only he can give. Give yourself a break and do something great. Take time to help others and give them some peace in their mind. Make room for God and he will clean out those worries on your mind. Be blessed with peace in him and you will find things will be better.

To My Darling Shannon. Happy Tenth Anniversary!

2009-10-02T07:49:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe this is us 11 years ago. Young and in love. Today marks our 10 th wedding anniversary, and I am thankful. Our story started one night when her friends and her boyfriend at the time came over to our apartment. I didn't know who she was then, but I had my sights set on her. About 6 months later she was single and we finally got together and have been together ever since. God started writing our story, and what a great story it has become. Three kids full of great energy and a cat. God has blessed us in so many ways we sometimes have missed the blessings he has given us.

We are a simple couple, we often hide behind the scenes and hang out with our children. I enjoy having lunch with her while the kids are at school and we just enjoy being with each other. We've had our arguments and days of just needing to be away from each other, but we always have a great love that bonds us together. I am thankful for God and His ability to put certain people together for a reason, his reasons. I believe he has blessed me with a perfect girl, someone who loves life and wants the best for all of us. She is my dream that finally came true, my princess whose love will ever consume me. Today I am thankful for her love, and her willingness to love me as a complicated man sometimes. May God bless our marriage! I love you , Shannon

The Amazing Love I See in God's Animals

2009-09-30T22:02:00.000-06:00

I really love to watch the nature of animals and insects here among us. They just amaze me, to see them do what they do. Like this little bug in this picture, what are his or her goals for the day? How simple can their little lives be? What makes them have the ability to do whatever they do? Their brain must be so tiny that you could not even find it without mushing it. Yet, God sees them just as important to life as any other creature on the Earth. I look at our cat Shelby and just marvel at her. The way she acts sometimes is something to behold. I always thought cats were just stupid. They're not like dogs, they don't sniff at the dinner table or lick in you in the face when you pet them. They just kind of do their own thing. Shelby has always liked to roam around in the outdoors all summer long. Sometimes she never shows up till morning or she will pull the meowing at the front door right after I decide to set the alarm for the night.

Since it has become a little cooler during the night she seems to be liking to sleep in the house at night. When she is in the house in the morning she roams around the house looking for the kids while they are at school. She misses them, and when they arrive she is in the middle of them. She has become our spoiled little cat it seems, and I have taken a liking to her though. She is a good cat well behaved, doesn't get on the counter tops or the tables. She just seems to like our being around her. It's almost sad to think that nobody wanted her and just left her near our house. She is just a cat that is sweet and has feelings.

I wander in amazement that God gave us such a variety of animals to choose from to become our pets and be able to enjoy them as much as all of us has. Our God is a lover of his children and his animals he created. He put a lot into making all these wonderful creatures, that they have the ability to make the lonely feel wanted. That they are able to be trained to help the blind walk, to help the elderly smile and make the sickest of children happy and cheerful. For those who feel God is against them or feel that our God is a God that brings evil upon this Earth, think again! He is God of great love. If he can bring love to the simplest animals here, take a look at the love he brings to every man, woman and child. Our God is a living Creator that continues to bring about pure happiness and great love to His people. Make the choice to be loved by the Lord above. Take a look at your pet tonight and see the what the creator put into them to be able to do what they can do. I stand in awe of our Creator!

God's Amazing Gift of Grace

2009-09-28T22:08:00.001-06:00

You know it's funny about all the things man has taken credit for. If someone invents something, the phrase is so and so has invented this or that. Then they make a lot of money and become great among their peers and accept the praise from everyone. Their head inflates about 6 times it normal size. They are known for years for inventing a device or finding the cure for cancer. Even after they are dead they are still held in high esteem for their ability or talent to figure out this mystery of life.

So when I look at this picture of fire what is the phrase that comes to mind about the invention of fire. "Man discovered fire!" In never came out as Man invented fire does it? Why doesn't it state "invent" instead of "discover?" Somebody way back then realized that fire was supposed to be. Discovered not invented. It was God who invented it. Fire was to be a natural part of his creation. It's his, not ours! So why is it nowaday's that it is invented for everything that is really discovered?

As I read more about the fall of man in the garden of Eden, it seems it was all going to be told. God was willing to show man all that is supposed to be in existence. Who knows what God had planned to show man. He was willing to show him all there is supposed to be in creation. There was not to be any question about anything, everything was there every answer to every question. Because God walked with man in the garden. But then the fruit was plucked and then the bite was taken and sin was brought forth. Our answers were turned into questions, and confusion set in and man had to discover what was supposed to be. But instead of discovery it became invention, our creation, and we took the credit and didn't give God any praise for it. I've come to realize over the years that all we have is the Lord's and not ours. Everything we have, see smell, touch and taste is God's. It is all loaned out from Him to us- It's called Grace. Grace is a gift given to the undeserved, which is us. Many live life in God's grace and don't even realize it. The man who claims to have invented something, it's not his idea but the fact through God's grace God set forth to the man or women the knowledge to do something great. But do any of us realize this? Not all! But some do and they realize that God has given us a clue through his gift of grace. The answer or design was already in God's closet of inventions he just allowed us to figure it out so he would get a little thanks for something so great. When we think we have invented something or found an answer to a life long question, don't take the credit give it all to God. Grace is amazing isn't it?

October is Coming~ :)

2009-09-26T21:06:00.000-06:00

I thought this was a pretty cool and spooky picture to put on here, because October is just around the corner. October is probably my favorite month of the year. Two reasons, it is my birthday and anniversary month. I will be 36 on the 3rd and will be married for ten years on the 2nd. I always enjoy the fallish weather and the thought of pumkins and the beautiful leaves coming forth. I just love football even more this month. It's just a great time of the year. I'm trying to think of things to write for this month. I have no ideas though, I usually just write off the top of my head. So if you have any great ideas or any inspirational stories to share I would be glad to share them with those who read this blog. I need comments to let me know what you think of this blog, if it's bad or doing some good for most who read it. Feedback is always helpful. So please continue to read and give me your ideas in furthering God's word. Thanks, Clint

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands!

2009-09-23T20:56:00.001-06:00

This is a picture of New York city taken from atop of the Empire State building by a friend of mine. When I look at it I have one thought. There is a lot of things going on in that picture. Even though it's just a picture of buildings. There is a lot of action in this picture. New York has a lot of people roaming that area. So that means a lot of thoughts are going on, decisions are being made, crime is on the loose, people are working, birds and insects and other animals are going about their business also. Homeless people are searching for food to survive. They are holding out cups to get a few handouts. Drug dealers are pushing their products to people and kids to make a dishonest dollar and hooking a new client. Good decisions are also being made in this picture, somebody is probably accepting Christ at that very moment. Many hopefully, have decided that they have had enough and said it was time to give it all to God. There are people in this picture that have decided they can't take anymore and left their spouse or decided to leave this world by their own actions.
There is fear in some people from the day of 9/11 that wonder if a plane is going to strike their building. There are people who are working and thinking about someone else other than their spouse and decide to take the action with the other person that they have been desiring for a long time. I'm sure there are some bad and illegal business decisions going on in one of those buildings. It being morning the prostitutes are resting from there long night of making money for sex. The mafia also are still lurking in the picture somewhere getting ready to make some very illegal decisions to harm somebody in some way. Cussing, there are a lot of people doing that in that picture especially on Wall Street. Yet, I'm sure somewhere in this picture somebody is praying, pleading to the Creator to help all these caught up in the world to take the step and repent.
In one small picture of the largest city in the United States there is so much going on. An anthill in action in constant movement. Probably doing more than what I have mentioned above. Yet, one Being is in control of it all taking care of every thought, every person and every animal and plant and molecule on the Earth. Seeing it all. Keeping it all in control and held together. To me that is amazing! I stand in awe of our God!

So The Glory Of God May Be Revealed

2009-09-20T21:59:00.000-06:00

I think this is a super idea for handicap kids to do. I found this picture on a friends Facebook page tonight. Her stepson is handicap and it was his first tops soccer game. It's awesome to see something like this going on for these precious children. The last time I passed a handicapped child it broke my heart. It just kills me to see a child like that. But it is humbling at the same time. My complaints seem worthless and I feel puny. I have no reason to complain when I see and think of children who are handicapped. They have had a much tougher road than you and I will ever know. I often think about the courage of these parents to live everyday to see their child in this condition. I really think all those parents would trade positions with their child every day if they could. We think the parents have a tough time with raising a handicap child, and we feel sorry for them. But I believe that child is given to parents who are humbled by the experience. I have never known a parent who was ticked off at God because they were dealt a bad card. No! That child is well cared for and loved.

I remember the verse in the Bible when the disciples asked about the handicapped person. They asked, "Who sinned him or his parents?" Jesus said it happened to reveal the glory of God. It does, it allows us to see our selfishness and allows us to see how God works through everything and everyone. It awakens us to think less of our complaints and allows us to want to love more. Almost every person whom I have known handicapped are strong individuals that have excepted their inability to do most things and carry on with daily life. We as individuals are constant complainers and really feel we deserve better. But we have no excuse to complain about anything. Use your God given abilty and talent to give hope to all. Include all, in every one of your activities. Don't exclude anybody for any reason. Show God's love to all and let the world know of God's love through our daily example. Make footprints in time.

The Constant Ride of Life. It's Killing Us!

2009-09-15T08:18:00.000-06:00

There are many in this life that feel like their life is a constant ride on a ferris wheel. They keep going in a circle that won't let them off. They have no end to the ongoing drama in their life. They have no peace, they just keep trying to answer life on their own terms. They believe their life is their own and that they have to do it all by their selves. Many have heard of the peace that God can give them, the rest and answers they are looking for are right there in front of them. Stress keeps their mind at ruin. They don't know how to slow down, and the bad situations they are in have no end.

We have an answer, an end to all this crud that has been put upon us. I came to a point in my life where I just had to say enough is enough. I had to humble myself and go to God and give it all to him. At that moment he came in and made it right. There was alot in their he had to clean up. Guilt, sin, loss of hope, fear and arrogance. It didn't happen over night it took a long time and a lot of prayer. Earnest prayer! I didn't promise God anything I just asked for him to take over and transform me over time. He has and continues to do a good work in me. I found the end of the ferris wheel, the world let me off and I met my Creator there. Many in this world are hard hearted, they believe they have it all under control and that their decison of taking the steering wheel of life and driving it themselves will go in the right direction. It won't!

I saw a sign the other day that read, "Do not conform but tranform." We all conform to this world and follow what the planet says to do, but it doesn't make any sense. We are just like the rest of the world, we conform. Transform. God wants us to transform in him. That we might transform others into the way he wants us. Nothing good comes out of the devils way of life. It's amazing when you see the way God sees things. Interest in money becomes less, helping others makes people happier. Thinking less of self and more of others makes things and life make sense. Take your life to a higher standard. Allow God to come into your life and feel his presence there right with you and in you. He will never leave you, when you have questions he has an answer. Life is great when there is help in all things.

I have a list of books that I believe God led me to. They are listed on the right hand column on my blog. If you seriously have questions these books will give you the answers. Many of them cleared up my questions that I had, they inspired me to believe in a God who is loving yet determined to keep me in line and give me all the insight I need to battle the pressures of Satan. I have been transformed and in a life process to becoming what God wants me to be. Allow him to get you off of the ferris wheel of life and become one with him.

Missing Oppurtunities From God. Lacking in Our Faith.

2009-09-13T21:54:00.000-06:00

I don't give God the praise he deserves. I get so wrapped up in the daily routine that I miss great oppurtunties to give praise to God the Father. There are times in my life that I want to set the world on fire. To show others how many oppurtunities that God has given us. Yet, I stayed away from them because I wanted to play it safe. I didn't want to miss out, but I wanted to play the role of safety. I believe God wants us to take the risks, he wants us to take a leap of faith and trust in him. But we don't! Some do and have found great blessings by doing the leap.

I don't want to play it safe anymore. I want to be that person that takes a huge step out of my comfort zone and takes the risk. If we fall on our face we can always get back up and take another punch or we can play it safe and duck the punch. I usually am the person who is a day late and a dollar short. That's how things have always panned out. Maybe I missed the voice of God calling me to take a step toward an oppurtunity that he had planned for me. Missing the chance to serve him through another person, is something i always play it safe with. To me that is a very sad oppurtunity missed, and it saddens him because I had a small faith. We as Christians need to look very closely at oppurtunities to grab an offer from God.

I have been reading about how we should see with the eyes of Christ. Our goals in life should not be about oppurtunties of making money, but chances to see others with the compassion of Christ. To see somebody in need of love and a slight glimpse of hope. We have been given more than our cup can hold from God. He wants to be served and loved by serving others in the name of Christ. Money is nice, but it doesn't buy our complete satifaction and never will. But serving others is how we will find a lot of satisfaction in life. Satan wants nothing holy in our lives, so he takes us and makes us timid and selfish and we stay right where he wants us. He keeps us focused on ourselves and keeps us from seeking the oppurtunity that God wants us to take on. Our world wants us to be completely focused on our needs and satisfaction. We need to take the leap of faith and seek God's oppurtunities as he presents them for us to do. May God bless us with a faith in him that will take on his unseen journey for us and others.

Go Steelers!

2009-09-10T16:59:00.000-06:00

Well, it's that time again when the Steeler nation gathers around the TV and rejoices to see the greatest team on Earth. My jersey is on and my Terrible Towel is in hand. Here we go Steelers, Here we go!!!!!!!!!!

A Very Good Speech!

2009-09-09T21:25:00.001-06:00

I usually watch these Presidential addresses when they are on. I remember when I was little and I would complain because they were on and keeping me from watching a certain program. I used to complain when Clinton or Bush were going to speak, but now I really don't complain. Tonight was a great speech, I never really study these speeches ever, but I did tonight. I knew there would be some tension in the room where Obama spoke this evening. At one point somebody yelled out "It's a lie!" It's the first time I have seen that happen. It disrurpted his speech for a moment, but it did not stop Obama from making his point.

It was very clear in the speech of what his intentions are for health care reform, and I agree with it. It sounded really like a good plan. Obama addressed the lies, which was a very good thing to do. A lot of the fear and anger have been because of all the misleading accusations from others who don't want health care reform.

I noticed something different about this President than all the former ones. He fights for the underdog, he believes we can all be on the same page in life and he wants to help all who can't help themselves. I also noticed that when people stood there and clapped he didn't stand there and enjoy the applause like former Presidents. He wanted to speak ang not stand in the glory he was being given. If you watch this speech with an open mind, and hear without prejudice ears you will hear and see what I heard. I'm not an Obama praiser or do I support all his actions, but I did see something I liked about him though. Hopefully, this reform on healthcare will pass and workout the way he thinks it will and will do all he says it will do, then maybe we can all rest and finally feel good about something he did! May God Bless Us all

The Fear Against Our Freedom

2009-09-07T22:06:00.005-06:00

I wrote on my status tonight on Facebook asking people to give me a topic to write about tonight. The only one I got was about the controversy facing Obama's speech in the schools tomorrow. Which I have read the text and see nothing but a man trying to do the job that the teachers and parents aren't doing. Bringing inspiration to the next generation, telling them to stay in school and take the responsibility on themselves to get an education. Basically, let's not have another generation of bums. Which is what we're seeing. I know a lot of people right now that have just dropped out of school for no apparent reason. You need an education or you will be seen in the world as a bum. I know that sounds mean and I know there are a lot of people who have been successful without an education. There are few though.

But the controversy drives me nuts! Somebody has decided that they don't like Obama, so they have turned against him and decided to start a fight. I don't completely agree with all of Obama's decision, but nobody gives anybody a chance anymore. We are a closed minded nation who wants nothing to do with change. We went through a lot of crap with Bush for 8 years I'm sure we can take a little more. But hopefully things will be better. Bush started the mess with the bailouts and we now have to grin and bare more bailouts.

We are so fearful of this guy turning our nation into a communist one. We live in fear, we are angered about health care so much, that fights are breaking out in the protest lines. It just doesn't make sense. If you look at our health care, it's a system of total greed! All this controversy is being driven by a bunch of money hungry lobbyists and insurance companies who don't want to lose any of that green paper we give so much value to. Stand back and pray about all these lies that are triggering through our nation. I don't do politics at all. There is to much noise going on between two sides that really don't have a clue of what they're really doing either. It's just a mess. I'm sure I will get a comment on here that will try to persuade me into believing the agenda of either party. But I won't listen, my life revolves around God not politics. If God wanted me to live on the streets I would. Because He would have a reason, so that his will be done. Don't live in the realm of this world and its lies, live to see what God's will is for all of us and then live by His guidance in great faith. Thanks Jim for the topic, I think I went a little farther than Obama's controversial speech though.

Just Believe!

2009-09-04T22:54:00.004-06:00

If you are struggling with your faith right now, you are not the only one I am sure. We're buried in a lot here on earth, and Satan is a tricky and evil player. I know that every bad thing that occurs is derived from him. Because God doesn't want any harm to come to his children at all.

There are people in this world that are deciding a lot of different things right now. Making decisions that could harm themselves or destroy their lives forever. When temptation comes to knock on the door of our lives, it usually doesn't give us enough time to think about what we are doing. We just end up doing it and suffer the consequences later. We live in a world that is constantly trying to reach out to our sense of satisfaction. Money is what all people believe will satisfy our lives. It won't! We're always pressured to buy products that will satisfy all our needs in life. But they don't! So we continue to try and figure out what can bring hope in this life. Nothing that is touchable will ever bring us complete hope for satisfaction in life. Many go to the bars to hopefully put away their sorrows for a little bit, yet it never happens. We are seduced by sex from another person, and that doesn't do nothing, but create more caous. Where do we go? What do we do?

I know you know that I am probably going to say God. And I am! There is hope for a lot of satisfaction in the Living God. The past two days off I had, I got a chance to be alone with our creator. The house was peaceful, nobody was home. So I read a lot and wrote some more on this supposed book I am writing. It was nice because I learned a lot about satisfaction through reading and about asking God to give me his view of the world. To see what he values and what he wants my life to be. I read about how Jesus saw the world, compared to our lousy view. When you try to change your view of life and try to see the world as Christ saw it, it really brings a warmth to your heart.

WWJD (What would Jesus Do?) makes sense. How would Jesus handle our unsatisfied lives. What would he tell us to do? I'm sure if Jesus were here physically and I told him I was bored, what would he say to that? I can't imagine the to do list he would have for me. I believe He would take me on a tour that would blow my mind. The hurting people he would tell me about that needed help. The homeless people he would tell me to feed and clothe. The abandoned children he would tell me about that needed hugs. He would have a huge list of people who were mourning a loss of a loved one that needed comfort. The sick and shut ins he would tell me about who need a prayer and a good conversation. But, His number one rule and his only rule would be "Have great compassion." How would I have time for all that? I think He would make the time for me to do it all, a whole lifetime to get things done.

I have come to realize how compassionate Jesus was then and is today. Our decisions in life are probably not the choices He would make. I don't see Jesus worrying about his stocks going to pot or that his career is the most important thing in his life right now. I don't see Jesus making any of our decisions we make, except the one's that are selfless. The decisions we make about whether God or science has it right or wrong. He knows that answer because he is a major part of the Trinity. Our hopes and decisions in life need to be Christ like. What Would Jesus Do????? What is our first step in this messy world? I would first just "Believe" in Him and the rest will fall into order. We will still constantly be battled. For we our in a war between Heaven and Hell and our lives will continue to be flung around. But just "Believe in Him" and that will be the best decision ever and do what is on His list. There you will find a life satisfied.