He never complained about the manger!

When we look around today at our surroundings we should have no reason to complain.  Our world is so much easier than it was for those who lived in the past.  We were driving to Branson, Missouri this weekend and I looked at the road and the the things surrounding it.  I thought about the man power it took years ago to clear the path for this highway.  All the dangerous blasting it took to get through the hills and mountains to lay a piece of road to make life more convenient for us.

There are jobs out there still that require a lot of labor but machines help also to take away that intensity.  Our lives are so much easier than in the past.  Years ago I would have had to write this blog with a typewriter and then give it to people to read but now it's one click and it can be all over the world in two seconds.

There are times I wished lived in the past for other reasons, yet I like living in a more simple world.  Jesus' world wasn't simple then. When you read the Bible stories and see they are in one city and then the next chapter they're somewhere else.  It took days for them to get to different cities, miles of walking and the heat is bad in that neck of the woods.  I like our world a lot better.

So I often think of how humble the birth of Jesus was.  God knew he could create a sanitary hospital in two seconds to allow his child to born in. Somehow that wasn't in his plans, he wanted his son to come with no pomp and circumstance.  God is not an invader in our lives, he comes only when we finally surrender our heart to him.  When I think of his birth I often feel sad because only to shepherd s came to see him. No one else came to see the savior of the world.  Jesus fulfilled the scripture in Mark 9:35 "Anyone who wants to be first must be last, and the servant of all." Jesus proved to live this verse throughout his short life here on Earth.

He came in a humble way and left in a humble way. Jesus is an amazing person, we never heard him once complain about anything. Not even being born in an uncomfortable wooden manger. His cross was more uncomfortable than his crib, yet he never voiced any negativity about it either.

Be proud you know Jesus and be his example every day, and don't complain  about anything. He never did so why should we.

Posted via Blogaway

One Cold Christmas Morning.

When I was 12 years old I had a paper route, and I hated it.  I had to walk up steep hills and throw the paper as far as I could to hit the right spot by the door.  My Dad helped me deliver Saturday and Sundays papers every weekend. It became a nuisance after a year, so I held onto it for a total of two years and then passed it on to someone else.

The worst part  about the paper route was delivering the morning Christmas paper.  I just didn't what to get up at the crack of dawn to deliver a piece of paper that no one would read until after all the presents were unwrapped. It was just pointless!

My last year of my route I remember that freezing Christmas morning for some odd reason.  I was actually enjoying that peaceful Christmas morning.  A thought ran through my mind about the birth of Christ. Something I'll never forget.  I listened to the peace around me and thought is it possible that this date might actually be the day of his birth?  That's really the only thing I thought about, it's not a deep one but it actually brought peace to my heart to think about it.

We have no idea of the actual date of his birth but ever since that cold Christmas morning I think about Jesus and his birth every year.  I'm past the point in my life where presents are the only thing that matters, I think of Jesus and how blessed I am to always be surrounded by family that love him as much as I do on Christmas morning.

As you get up Christmas morning stop for a little bit and think of the most humble birth in the history of the human race. Don't let anyone stop you from remembering your saviors birth because of legalistic reasons.  Your heart in Christ is more important to God than anything else. Remember the reason for the season. Bring joy to your heart by giving to others and remembering your own personal relationship with Jesus.

Posted via Blogaway

Wise Men Still Seek Him.

In our world you're considered wise if you get a degree of some kind. You're really cherished if you capture a Masters degree or a PhD.  Your pay will increase as you graduate with such things and you will be esteemed by your family and colleagues. 

Life seems to be somewhat satisfying and you feel you have accomplished something, yet if your spiritual life is not right then these things will make you feel empty.

I love this phrase in the photo above. "Wise men still seek him." God cares about things you accomplish in this life but nothing is more wiser to him than seeking his Son. 

In God's eyes you are wise when you give your heart to his loving son Jesus. I often wonder why our world puts more pride in worthless things than in eternal things. 

A lot of people have trouble with the story of Jesus. It's hard to believe in a Virgin that had a heavenly seed placed in her. It's something most people can't grasp. In the times before Jesus arrived it was foretold that a king or savior would be born in Bethlehem. They thought he would arrive in a majestic way, but he came in a humble way that no one ever expected. 

I'm humbled by the way Jesus came into this world. Arriving in an animal stable is probably not the most sanitary of situations, but that is how God planned it.  Our God is humble in every way, he accepts all who come to him by accepting his  son. Our God promises us eternal life if you accept Jesus and live by faith throughout your life. If you just do this you'll be considered wise in the eyes of our creator forever.  Only wise men seek him. Be wise!

Reaching For The Savior!

I like December for many reasons, but we've taken the reason of the season to more greedy level.  I was raised for some odd reason to not remember Jesus during Christmas, I was told it was not biblical to do so.  Somehow that got misconstrued by Satan.  If December 25th is not mentioned in the Bible then we don't celebrate it as Christ's birthday.  Well we don't know if it's his real birth date or not, but it's a day we make special mention of him.  It's the Christians day to stop and think about Christ's humble entry into our world physically.

It's a day to stop and see the beginning of the greatest story ever told in our world. We all know Jesus didn't come to get the lowest or best price on a flat screen television at Wal-Mart.  He came not to make sure Billy got the new Xbox one either.  He came because he loved us and he saw the world couldn't take away our own sin.  He came not decked out in the glorious robes of kings, but he was birthed in a humble way.

The next 25 days I want you and I to discover the true love of Jesus Christ through this blog.  I want Jesus to be praised through our learning about him. Follow me as I try to learn about Jesus intimately through seeing through his eyes. Let's reach out for the savior.

Posted via Blogaway

No Pain In Heaven!

This week I approached the 40 mark. So far the last  few days have been good to me. Physically I'm 40, mentally I'm 20. 

As each day starts and ends I feel old physically.  My knees hurt, my feet hurt because of heel spurs and my mind is becoming a little forgetful. 

I see these hurts and weariness in my body as reminders of what the future holds for me and all of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior. 

These pains one day will he gone. I will one day in eternity jump higher than Michael Jordan. I will run faster than Walter Payton and feel the joys of complete love in an eternal bliss.

When you come to a point in your life where earthly things stink and heavenly things matter more, then we can all say we have matured in our Christianity.

When we see the signs God gives us and we use them to see his glory, we have the love of Christ in us. When my heels scream in agony for the first few minutes of hitting the floor I think of heaven. When my mind forgets something I think of an eternal mind that will remember everything.

Give God the praise for the good and the bad things and use it for his glory! Amen !

Give God the Glory!

To God be the glory! 

We have heard this said a thousand times and we know what it means. But are we doing it? Am I doing it? Probably not as much as I should. 

So what does it mean?  Is this just something we do only on Sundays? No it should be done with every word that comes from our mouths.  But it doesn't. Now there are some people I've met in my life that have mastered this statement. It just doesn't come from their mouths but its also revealed in their actions.  These are the people who are willing to drop everything and help somebody no matter what. They're giving God the glory! I love these examples. 

Am I a person that drops everything to help a person out?  I'm hoping one day I will be. But I do give God glory by being thankful to him for everything. By blaming all good things on him. I sing hymns under my breath and pray as much as I can during the day and try to not include all my requests in my prayers, but leave room for others who need prayer. 

There are many ways we can give God the glory, we just all do it our own special  way.  Our problem is we leave our praise and worship to God at the doors of the church building. We don't take it with us.

I know it's hard to be spiritually correct in the world. It's one of the hardest things in life.  Our flame burns like a blow torch during worship and then by mid week the flame is gone. We're puttered out because Satan and the world around us are good at what they do. 

If your church has a mid week service then go to it. It'll help in more ways than you know.  Read your bible everyday and your spirit will be refreshed. 

If life is throwing you curveballs give God the glory that you are standing tall through these trials. He is right there guiding you to the light at the end of the tunnel. 

If you have a job, a roof over your head, and food on your table give God the praise for it all. 

God is wanting praise from his children. He is not a being with an ego problem he's a God with a love problem. He wants to give you all things if you just have a relationship with him.  We're still going to face bad days and we're not going to get everything and every problem solved. But he is always for us, he has our lives planned out. We just need to give him the praise he deserves.  

I often listen to people gripe about their issues in life. They whine and cry about everything, if only they gave it all to God. If they would trust him and give him the praise things might  be a lot better. God is the only being that keeps this world together. 

He does so much for us every day and A lot of things he does we don't ever see. We need to praise him all day every day. 

When you wake up be thankful you did. Because he allowed to happen. He is love! Follow him and give him the glory.

I love God!

I love sports! I love almost every sport except golf and soccer. ESPN is really the only channel I watch. 

I love to be at games and watch them on TV. I grew up 59 miles from Pittsburgh, so I am a fan of all three of their teams. 

I get aggravated when my teams don't win and I am in a great mood the next day after they win. I have always been obsessed with sports. 

I always hoped one day I would marry a girl who would enjoy sports as much as I do and I found that girl.  I remember talking to this girl I worked with and she said she hated sports and was thankful her husband didn't either. I felt very glad I didn't get hooked up with her. We'd been divorced in no time. Lol!

I am not as much in love with sports as I am with the one who created me. I love the story of God!  I am humbled every day cause of the blessed life he has given me. I call upon him day and night. I study his word every day. I still stand in awe that he pierced my heart back on a cold January Sunday and asked me to be his son for  all eternity.

I think about the days of early childhood when in recess or gym class we had to be picked on a team. There were times I would get picked toward the middle and sometimes last. There were times I would be devastated that I didn't get picked first. That's not the way God chooses his sons and daughters. He chooses us at the beginning but we usually pick him last.

What a day it is when we choose Christ through baptism and he gets our hearts ready and prepares us for eternity throughout our entire life. 

Many days we choose the world first and then give God our attention for a few minutes each day. I'm guilty if this. I try to put God first in every day but Satan always has his own agenda for me with his usual distractions. 

Our life needs to be focused on God every day. No ifs, ands or buts about it. We need to be God focused.  We need to make every decision through him. He will lead us but we have to allow him.

I love our creator and his son more than anything else in the world. God first, everything else last. God has never just handed me everything I've asked for, he has given way more than I have asked for. God is love, no other religion teaches love as much as God's word does. What an amazing story he has written for us. It still leaves me more excited than a touchdown would ever make me do.

The Tree Chosen for Christ's Cross.

Many pieces of wood over the years have been chosen to make a variety of crosses. One tree was marked to become the cross of Jesus. Trees are meant to make the world beautiful and protect the Earth from the sun. 

We burn wood, we use pencils to write. Building houses of wood has been man's greatest use to make shelter from the storms and other dangerous weather. 

Boats, birdhouses, housing and many other things used with wood have been a source of protection for every creature on the planet.

The cross of Jesus is an object for our protection from our sin.  Man became so entangled in our sin that God finally sent his most perfect gift to die and save us from our wrong doings. He lived among us and gave many hours of his life not for himself but for every person who has ever lived.  Many thought he would come in a great and lavish way. He chose to come in the silence of night. Few came to see him yet he still came in a silent way. 

He left in a silent manner also. He never retaliated toward those who beat him and spat upon him. He remained silent all the way to his final breath. The tree chosen also remained silent. It had a job to do and so did its victim.  Christ became its job. To hold him up between heaven and hell. The cross didn't know how awful it's job was but it also didn't know how important its duty was either. 

As it held the nails that pierced the savior of the world it would also become the most important and symbolic tree ever created by God.  Many don't  remember the tree that became the cross, but many remember the man that hung from it and took on the worlds sin. The cross is our constant reminder of Jesus Christ and God's love for all mankind.

His Depth of Mercy

My thoughts today are geared toward our sin and God's amazing mercy. Our world shows mercy in many ways but it is hidden a lot of times. The news shows no mercy when they broadcast their stories. Bosses usually show no mercy to their employees. Thieves and murderers never show any mercy. Taking the possessions of others and taking the lives of innocent people.

Where do we see complete mercy in this world? Our churches try to show mercy to our sins but it cannot compare to God's mercy.

We know a little about mercy, many in this world have been given some type of mercy. Yet, God made his plan for this life and his people to show complete mercy. No matter what we have done his love for us runs deep. His mercy and grace also run deep.

When I consider my own sins I really need mercy. I deserve for him to completely turn his back on me. Turning his back on me or you is something he will never do. Through Christ his son he redeemed us from our sin. He loves us! He doesn't hate us, he really loves us. God is not mad at us. He wants us to be near him and he is always reaching out to us.

Every good thing we do, every time we pray and repent of our sins we knock Satan down another notch of his ladder of evil.

We need to lay our burdens and our sins at the foot of Christ's cross and walk away from them. We need to leave them there and walk into the open arms of Jesus Christ. His mercy runs through us all, just as his love flows in our hearts. God's love has an eternal reserve that will never run out.

The depth of God's mercy cannot be measured. Won't we gather ourselves and those we know who need to experience the cleansing love of God and his son's love and mercy. Why pass up an opportunity that's free and reserved for all believers and all those who are lost. God is good and will be there for us to show mercy forever.

I Love Christmas!

I have three favorite holidays.
3) is Halloween
2) is St Patrick's Day
1) is Christmas

I love everything there is about Christmas. The lights, Christmas trees and the music. I still wish Santa was real, cause it's a neat story. To think that there would be a man that loved children so much that he would come to every child's house (whether poor or rich) and bring presents. I remember those christmas nights when my aunt and grandfather would come over to our house and spend the night and I would be so excited for them to come. I just couldn't wait till morning to see what Santa had brought me. But as we know life makes us grow up and Santa doesn't exist and those I mentioned have both gone on to be with The Lord. It saddens me that I can never have that time in life ever again. But there is another story that we tell this time of year that gives me hope that I will have a better life ahead and that I will see my aunt and grandfather again

Of all the stories man has written and told there is no more beautiful story than that of the birth of Jesus Christ! A story not written by man but by the hand of our creator himself. It's not the way many thought it would be told, but God had a better version of this story to write than what we thought. When you think of the stories told today most have heroes in them that are praised at the end for some great accomplishment. The story of Jesus should get a prize every time it is read, but for some reason the greatest hero our Earth has ever received never gets the praise it deserves. Why is that?

We all have our favorite books we have read and then we tell others about how great the book was. Yet, when we read the Bible we usually don't recommend it to a friend. That's sad! I'm guilty of this also. I'm here to tell you the Bible and the amazing story of Jesus is the greatest book I've ever read. We all should read it! We should read it over and over. The hundreds of times I've read the Bible there is always something new I see in it. Most books I have read I can remember everything about them. When I read the Bible I see new things that I don't really remember reading before.

It's amazing to me that Jesus came to Earth the way he did. He didn't arrive in a fiery chariot that came bolting from the sky. But he arrived in silence and only two shepherds made the journey to see his birth. No family came and took pictures. His arrival came in a humble way, nobody knew he was even here. This seems to be the way his whole life was. Humbleness was his greatest trait. Even today he doesn't force us to accept him, it's our choice to believe or not to believe.

Christmas over the past few years for me has become a realization about the importance of his birth. Because of Christ we have a free pass to heaven. He became the sacrifice that opened the door to the forgiveness of our sins. A door that was shut until he came and pursued every human being. God has a perfect plan for all of us. He knew the story he was writing needed a superhero in it. He knew we needed a superman to give us some kind of hope to get our attention back on track. Unlike Superman or Spider-Man this man/God was for real and not made up. He had real powers to heal and raise the dead to life. Jesus is the most powerful human to ever live on Earth. He didn't ask for any attention, he just wanted us to love him and believe in him. What superhero has ever asked to love him and then get his love back in return. None of the fake heroes we know of in the comic books have ever asked that. Jesus did and still does today.

We need to be faithful and live a life worthy of his calling then we will have nothing to fear after we leave this planet. Today I challenge you and myself included to give another person this story of a great divine hero. Tell them how great it is to know there is hope in this world. That a real hero once upon a time lived on this Earth and continues to live among us spiritually in our hearts. Start with his humble birth and tell of his great life, ministry and his power to heal especially his ability to heal all mankind while hanging on a cross. This is the reason I love Christmas! To God be the glory forever and ever!

We're All Lost Sometimes!

It doesn't matter who you are, we all get lost in this world. Ive been feeling this way for awhile. I finally understand how it feels to be lost and lose touch with God. Our world can really pull us away into our own bubble sometimes. Busyness and other activities can weigh us down to the point that God is put on the back of the shelf.

I've allowed too much to get between God and I. I feel right now that life and I are in a 12 round boxing match and the ring feels lopsided. Life is winning and I'm allowing it to keep throwing punches and every punch draws me away from him.

I'm glad it's getting close to Christmas and I can see the importance of this season. When I think of his birth it humbles me. When I think of his death upon a rugged cross it makes me feel honored that he would lay down his life for someone unimportant like you and I. He endured the pain of death and the entire world's sin because we are important to him.

When I hear of some of the cruel things other Christians say about others it hurts me. Most of us haven't grasped the true meaning of Christ. Many hate Christians because they say we are judgemental and many are. There were times in my life when I was one of those judgmental followers of Christ, but it took the loving hand of God to allow me to see the real and compassionate Christ. I finally saw Jesus for who he really is by reading and studying a lot.

I'm thankful now when I become ignorant and lose sight of God and his son, that they give me the help and clarity I need. The ability to see them through the crowds of life. Satan has a lot of ability to allow us to push away God and put other things first. Our priorities can easily get construed and put us on a path we were not meant to be on. Christ will always wait till we finally realize we have traveled down the wrong road and we don't recognize this part of life. When we finally ask for directions we see him with a lamp in his hand guiding us to safety.

If you're lost right now don't worry we all are. We're in a world not meant for us, our home is in heaven with Jesus. He's just a prayer away. He might be just a song away or a video away. That's how it happened to me. I heard a song and then saw a video that made me realize I was lost. You can find Jesus in everything good. He's there calling to us all to come home because we've drifted off on our own path. Stay firm and just do whatever you can to get your focus back on Christ. He doesn't need to find you, you need to find him because he's always right beside us. It's us who have moved way from him, he never left.

Thanking God!

Our world is an a state of stupidity right now. It seems it's always been this way since the bite into the forbidden apple in the garden of Eden. We humans continue to get ourselves into one mess after another. We see the messes and shake our heads and throw up our hands. We try to find some kind of reasoning for the mistakes happening. We blame others or we blame God.

Every tragedy seems to be blamed on the man up stairs. We take none of the blame on ourselves. We always wonder why bad things happen. Why, why, why??????

I have never blamed God for anything. I won't go there, I usually blame myself or often like any normal human I blame somebody else. The mess our country faces right now I don't blame God. I believe he has everything in control. It's us who have nothing under control. I believe we have failed in going to God with our problems.

In our government there is no mention about going to God for the answers. We legislate to make new solutions but these solutions often fail or become a problem to an old problem. We don't pray! We don't put God first in line for the answers. We don't thank him like we should. This is our failure to our failures.

It takes a big man to say there is no God. It's a path I would never tread, a path no man has a right to walk on.

God is everything here on Earth. He's the creator of trees, bugs, lions, atoms, humans and most of all love. If you don't see these things with your own eyes then I say you are living for nothing. What a waste of a life.

Thanking God is what our world needs to do right now. Give him the praise for everything big or small. Praising him that he has given us grace. That he gave us his son to die for our sins. We should thank him for every blessed new chance we get to redeem ourselves.

If I believe in a great and loving God all my life I will go to be with him in an eternal place that my mind can't even conceive. A place where I don't have to worry about anything. A place I thank him for every day. I always stand amazed every day about him.

I will thank him more and more as life goes on. I often think about the struggles I have had to bare in the past and how I've learned from them. We will struggle but we need to be thankful for those tough times. He's allowing us to grow as we fight our battles with him by our side.

Tomorrow look around and see God and his goodness. Pray to him and say thanks more an ask less requests. Be thankful in everything and he will always look upon us with gratitude and pure love.

Give Because You can!

Many this year are without and many never expected to be out. But life tosses many different things at us. We don't always know what to expect from day to day. We may be blessed with a lot and then in a snap our world is turned upside down.

I learned tonight that a friend I went to junior high and high school with was killed by a drunk driver this morning. I know she didn't expect to not be on this Earth today but life can some times catch us by surprise. My heart goes out to her family and children.

I'm sure those who have been hit with a loss of a job or a sudden hit by a hurricane didn't expect it either. These are times when God says to us, "make a miracle happen" by giving to people in these circumstances.

I'm not the best giver, but I will try my best to help in some way. We all need to find the blessings behind giving. Satan tries to tell us not to give but to keep all we have. He is wrong!

If your gift is small because you don't have much to give, don't hesitate to give it. I think God loves a giver of any amount. Our gift helps no matter how big or small.

There is a story in the Bible about a poor lady giving her last ounce of money to the Lord. It wasn't the biggest gift that caught the eyes of Jesus, but the big heart behind the smallest gift. He saw the heart first before her gift. She gave from her desire to serve God, not to be seen by man.

Don't give your gift with a desire to gain human attention, but give to catch the eye of Jesus. Allow him to see your heart for goodness and love. Don't tell no one just give it and thank God that you could. Great things happen to us when we give, our reward in heaven becomes better and our hearts go away from self and expands to others. May we all give this season to those in need and continue throughout the year. May God bless our hearts to give and help others in many dynamic ways.

Our loving God!

It was an honor this past Sunday night to baptize my middle child Macy. She asked me if she could get baptized a couple of months ago. I hesitated about it because of her age (9). I felt she was too young, but I was wrong. She understands the reason for the process. Plus, who was I to judge her decision. God had obviously determined this for her, so I had no right to say no. So I am very proud of her for making a great decision most adults can't make themselves.

Our place in this world as followers of Christ is an important one. When he said go and preach his word to all nations he meant it. I write this blog in honor of his request. I want to reach the world in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

My prayer is to ask God to write through me beautiful things about him. Our God is not a hateful god but a kind, gracious and loving being. He is determined to save all his people. He is determined to get his message out to all people. He uses his followers to get his work done, yet even if we turned against him he would still get it done without us.

Tonight if you are not a Christian and are sitting on the fence about believing or not believing take a look around your world and see God. Don't listen to those who don't believe just listen to your heart. Listen to the quiet around you. Look at everything you have been blessed with. Most of all look at creation and it's beauty. There you'll find God right there with his hand stretched out waiting for you. He's there you just have to let go of everything and maybe say a prayer or just talk out loud. Talk to him he's there.

Some times there are other Christians who do more damage than most atheists can ever do. Some Christians are into Condemning by scaring people away with their words. Don't listen to them.

Listen to those that speak and preach lovingly. Christ was a loving savior yet he spoke the truth in love. There is no greater example of God than his own son. Look to him by reading the bible. There you will find your savior. Believe, just believe and goodness will flow through you.

My prayer is for all to believe and know how awesome our God is. He loves everybody and he loves you!

Painting God's beauty in our minds!

Our world is a dark place in many ways. Many of us are so blessed that sometimes we don't see the blessings or we take them for granted. A lot of times I don't see the darkness others are going through. I feel blinded to others pain or it's because it's hidden that we don't see it.

As I live life daily I know something else is going on around us, darkness that I know is there. Things like child abuse, children starving, people who are sick and dying, and things people are doing wrong we don't even want to think about.

I read in a book one time about a prostitute who was renting out her 2 year old daughter to other men so she could support her drug habit. I was appalled at such a sickening thing to do to a child. I thought about what I would do to the men who were having sexual relations with this two year old girl. My heart melted when I thought of such evil. My first and only thought would be to beat these men until till their last breath. In God's eyes I would be just as bad as they are.

I believe I sometimes keep myself away from thinking about the pain others are going through. I wash the canvas in my mind and paint it with the beauty of God. I think life should always be perfect. My life has had its share of ups and downs but I always try to find the best things in life to think about and ignore the sadness of others. I am a person who shuns away from sadness and try to find goodness to hinder the bad things in life. That is not what God is wanting me to paint in my mind.

Helping the weak is a victorious painting in God's mind. Devouring evil before it happens to others by teaching others about Jesus is another victory painting. Finding out about what others are going through and standing by their side until the storms in life passes is another masterpiece of God.

While life is grand for us it might be awful for others. Tonight I want to ask God to make me a servant to help others out. To get them through life's problems and help them start to paint their own version of the beauty of God in their own mind. What will heaven be like when we all get there? Will our mental paintings of His beauty be hanging for all to see? Will he call them his masterpieces? I hope so.

Finding The True Gems in life!

Human behavior is a funny thing. Every human being is different in looks, opinion, and behavior. Yet, we always have to fit in or be like everybody else. I love people who don't want to go the same route as everybody else. Because that's who I am.

I'm not ever going to try and imitate another person. I like being like that, I like being different. Some though go a little to far in trying to show others that they are a person who is different than others. Trying to dress or wear your hair different means you're trying to stand out in the crowd. You're a show off in my book. That's not the kind of people I admire.

I love learning about people who are not mainstream beings. These are the people who swim at the other end of the pond instead of where everyone else is. They love life, they explore it. They find peace in God in other ways.

They don't find their God in politics, they see their Creator in all things great and small. Nature is a quality where they see God. They like to work with their minds and hands on certain things. They're creative people yet they have this humble and friendly demeanor that I love about them.

They don't fear what others might say about them. They let things roll off their back. They have better things to do in their lives than worry about the drama of the world. Life is too short for them, they have things to accomplish.

Have you ever met anyone like this? If you have you have been blessed. They are a rare gem in life. I have a found a few people like this. When I am around a person like this I feel God has led me to them. I don't want to be like them I just want to spend time with them. They bring peace to my life.

Our world is just a crazy mess now and has been since the fall of man. Once Satan invaded this planet it's just gone mad. My example of our world and when Satan entered it is like placing a deer in a small building full of wine glasses. The deer will break every glass while going crazy to find his way out. It will tear apart everything and destroy it. Satan has done the same thing to all of us. But I believe there are certain people God has placed here to help us calm the storms in our lives. Those are the people I mentioned above. The calm, cool and collected. In biblical terms they're humble, meek and God inspired people. Gems in life we should be looking for every day in life!

Life! Seeing God in it.

As a believer in Jesus Christ I've always wondered why God wrote his story the way he did. It's a strange story to understand, and one that many have chose not believe in.

I feel sometimes that he should just end it and take those of us who believe to heaven. That's not how he sees it! Our God has put so much into his creation that he's not giving in so easily.

In the Old Testament God is present in the lives of his people. People were there to see great signs of his presence in those times. The Israelites were guided by a pillar of fire during the night. They were fed manna from the heavens every morning by God. Yet they turned away from him and made idols to worship. They had God right there and they were not happy. If that were to happen today many of us would cry tears of joy to finally hear and see a sign from God.

God continued to guide them to the promised land. He still loved them no matter what they did. He is a creator of great love for his people. A love that never gives up!

He continued his story to get his people to love him back. He gave us freedom of choice. To either choose him or choose the ways of Satan. People still continued to turn their backs on him and he still continued to love and give his children unfathomable grace.

Why does he not choose to just speak from the heavens and tell us he is here and in control?

God wants great faith from us. He wants us to give our hearts to him and to be devoted in our belief in him. It's strange but our God wants to see who endures through life and who can face the world and it's problems. He wants his children to be faithful in him till our last breath.

Many witnessed Jesus in his day do his miracles. He healed people in front of many eyes yet some still doubted his claim to be the son of God. There are times I wish I could reach out and slap those who didn't believe. He was right there in front of them and in their stupidity they mocked him and said he was possessed.

I guess in our day and time we know God's story and understand his reasons behind it. People then knew a savior was coming but didn't understand God's story. We know God's story, we have no excuse to not want to love him for all his goodness. He has blessed us beyond great measure.

Our world has turned it's back on God so many times, you'd think God would just give up. There is always somebody fighting to keep God out of schools, government and public places. They can eliminate God from every place or sight in the world, but they can never take God out of the hearts of his children. For the Lord doesn't dwell in a school or a godly statement written on the wall of a government building. He dwells in the heart of those who believe in him.

The atheists may think they are victorious in their ability to mock our God in their actions. But the heart of a God fearing man or woman they cannot even go there.

Creation swarms with God's great ability. He's in his creation, you can see it in everything both big or small. I have never seen his face but I have seen his glory through his creation and his
people.

I will never understand how anybody can walk the Earth and still say there is no God. These people walk with no purpose in their daily lives. Death is their goal and no after life will be awaiting them.

Faith is our mission in our lives. To believe no matter what. To love no matter what. God is here his story is true. Look a the finer details and you will finally see him. Life it's a story, read into while you can.

God is always there in the middle of a crisis!!

I got to thinking today about something someone wrote on Facebook awhile back. He was asking why God lets horrible tragedies happen. Basically, he said God is not there and that God never does anything to help. My friend does not believe in God.

So I got to thinking about what he was saying about my God being absent during tragedy and not being a loving father to his creation.

He's always been there. What would the world be like right now if he had been absent?

The Holocaust and Hitler. Yes a lot of bad things happened there to the Jewish people. Hitler was ruthless in his plan to seize power of the entire world. What would our world be like if the Nazis would have won? We will never know because God stopped him and didn't allow Satan to win. Our world would be in bad shape if God would have stepped aside and allowed this evil German empire to rule.
Our God is a fighter and wants no one to live under such tyranny.

What would our world be like if the Northern army had not defeated the southern rebel army?

African Americans would have remained in a life of slavery. Our country would not be the gracious nation it is now. God believes in equality of every man. He knew the plans Satan had against this nation and to keep us from being truly free. If God would have not intervened we would be a divided nation and not a united one.

When I think about the cold war I know God did everything to keep those nuclear missiles from being launched. Ninety miles off the American coast missiles sat in Cuba waiting to be launched. What happened? God intervened and no missiles fired and years later the Soviet Union fell. Freedom rang and God again defeated Satan's plan for evil again.

Years later two planes hit two towers in New York and broke our world's peace. He could have sent an army of angels to stop those planes but he didn't. Instead many perished and went to meet God in his eternal heaven. Tears and screams flew to him and he stepped in and showed Satan the true heart of mankind. Many stepped up in a huge outpour of love, kindness and grace. God gave mankind his strength, love and heart and we cleaned up the wreckage and showed more muscle than this world has ever seen.

When we finally come to realize that we are caught between a battle of God versus Satan we will then understand all the evil here on Earth. Satan is behind every evil act that comes forth on this planet. God is always foiling his plans. Whatever happens we always come out stronger than before.

We will face travesties of all kind and suffering is part of our lives. Pain has always been here. The first temptation in the garden of Eden by Satan started it all. God now will be there in the midst of evil situations and good ones. You may ask why such things must happen? It just does! God wants to see how faithful we will be when bad things happen. He wants us on his side and not the other side.

I have chosen to be on God's side always, no matter what happens. I have come to a point in my life where I know when bad things strike us God will step in and not let us down.

Whatever happens next step back and watch God hear our cries for help, you will be amazed at what he does.

God Is Amazing!

I might not feel like I am in the right place in my life right now, but I can truly say that God is amazing! I believe God has his hands around those who love him. I might not get what I pray for but God knows what's best for me right now.

I spent a lot of time with family and friends last week and it was exactly what I needed. I live 900 miles away from my family and there are times in my life when I lose my confidence in myself. When I go to see them and feel their love for me I feel the confidence come back. I feel God working through me again. There is no place like home.

God is amazing! When I look at the world around me and look at things in a positive way I feel better. I often let all the bad news and others sour and hopeless moods get to me. They bring me down to their level and I don't move forward in life. That's when I ask God to raise me up and allow me to see hope through him. What a view it is when we see through God's eyes.

I look forward to being in heaven one day. Why? Because when I see all the great things in this world I then see how amazing and awesome things will be in heaven. To see the creator face to face and see all he has prepared for us is exciting to think about.

We who believe in God's son Jesus Christ should remember that if we truly believe in him and remain faithful we will have eternal life. We are saved not condemned. Satan tries every day to bring us away from that very thought. He tries to tell us we are not saved and unworthy of God's love. Not true! We are God's chosen people.

Live every day as a prized and saved possession of God. Stand firm and live every day with a smile on your face, because we are saved through Christ Jesus. We will see heaven and see Christ forever and ever. Amen!