"Who's your daddy?"

I have to admit it, I have again fallen prey to the lure of the success of others.Our society is so engulfed in it that I too,"Mr. Christian" got caught up in the same smoke screen. It is quite sad that most people,especially Americans, have such mediocre lives that we have to ride on the coat tails of someone elses success to face the day and feel like somebody.Whether we want to admit it or not, that's the "fix" that sports has on most fans.Living vicariously through others we in essence feel like we are part of the team, and when they win or become champions,we feel like winners as well. Most are too prideful or blind to see it but that is the addictive draw of sports.
I'll have to be honest,unfortunately we Christians have failed to show and share with the world the real Jesus that Jesus intended for us to share and model. All sports teams lose, they have their runs of success and their runs of rebuilding years.Don't let your happiness hinge on whether or not your team wins.God has already defeated death and the cross, satan will be defeated and when we stand before the Almighty God, what team colors we wear will be the last concern on His mind and yours. ALL that will matter is what you did with the time He gave you on this planet. From a Christian to a non-believer, my apologies for not sharing and modeling what Jesus is all about..for if you really knew, you would understand that anything that this temporary world offers can not even compare to what He has for us  to enjoy in the next life. Check out the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf22ke_pOl8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkZg1ZflpJs

Trying to leave the nest...

Apparently many "Christian" parents have foregotten their role, or should I say, lack of one, in an important "parenting" area. Time and time again we have heard in recent years of  how neglect, emotional neglect, lack of discipline and bad role modeling have led to the decline of the family. Unfortunately one very important area has been overlooked. Gennesis 2:24 says "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Matthew 19: 5 says "‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’" The problem arises when the two leave the nests to try to  become one , and the parents want to tag along. This creates major problems for newlyweds and even couples who have been married for years. I am sure our parents didn't want their parents and in-laws trying to control their lives, so why do they insist on controlling ours? That is a good question,which has a variety of answers which vary from family to family. What's really sad is when the parents attempt to help and give advice to the couple and the couple has it together much more so than the parents! I could go on, but simply put, this is a serious matter. Marriages have been ruined over controlling parents. Don't let it happen to yours. Set boundaries and enforce them, mabey they will get the hint!
   Marriage was instituted by God and nowehere in the bible does God tell us that we are to take the parents into that holy union!

Just a thought...

If you knew you only had 24 hours to live, how would it change your short-term plans? How do you know you are promised tommorrow? Something to think about. Live each day as if it were your last, It may very well be!

Any Questions?

If you are like me, you have at some point in your life, had questions about God or spirituals issues. Please leave any questions you have in the comment box below and we will try to get you some answers!

While you were sleeping...

People tend to think of horrific images when they think of satan; red body with horns, evil beastly features with long teeth, straight out of a horror film. Actually he can  present himself very beautiful, charming and appealing. Well the truth is, the bible calls him the great deciever and father of lies. Way too often we tend to forget him for  his deceptive ways. In my line of work I had the opportunity to access sensitive material pertaining to terrorists ideals. I can tell you that they are very organized, mission oriented and patient when organizing their attacks. They are fully surrendered and dedicated to their mission to the point of giving of their lives.We as Christians on the other hand, sadly have fallen for the devils schemes and lies, giving him the results he wanted : disunity among the church, idolatry among believers ( lovers of pleasure, materialism, and other worldly desires ) mediocrity, and boredom, and the end result : dying or dead congregations of " believers".
   Satan, like terrorists has a plan also. He works night and day to do nothing but take as many people to hell with him as he can. Shouldn't we as Christians work just as hard doing the opposite? There is a story told explaining an interesting characteristic of frogs. If you were to place a frog in a pot with cold water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog would stay in the pot till it was boiling.
Satan has been using that on  humans for a long time. Take a look at the movies and tv shows that are on tv today. If you were to have viewed the same shows  30 years ago would you not have culture shock? We gradually accept a little "bad" at a time and next thing we know we are way out of line from where we started. C.S Lewis in his book "Screwtape letters" says that the easiest road to hell is the "gradual one, soft under foot". There is a world of truth in that statement. Examine yourself to see where you stand, are you  in hot water and don't even know it? Like the terrorists, we are called to die to earthly desires and distractions and give fully of our lives to the mission at hand, which in our case is sharing Gods love to a dying world. If we don't reach them with the good news, satan will definitely not miss a chance to snag them. A current popular tv show is called "The walking dead", unfortunately this phenomenon exists. Satan has the wool pulled over the eyes of so many Christians to the point that what God considers worldly ,( materialistic habits or distractions) we accept as normal American pastimes. Gods word says that we can't serve two masters. To whom is your allegiance? seriously? It's time to wake up, game is on and it's not to be taken lightly!

"Pope" you're not serious?

People never cease to amaze me. God made humans smarter than the animals but apparently many of us fail to take advantage of all our brain cells. Recently there has been alot of media attention surrounding the "pope". In all of my 44 years I have never once read in the bible where I , you or anyone else for that mater, needs a pope! Most catholics I know want to live life the way they want anyway so why would they embrace a religion with so many rules, regulations and man-made nonsense. Once again, wasted brain cells. Jesus on the other hand offers freedom where "religion" offers regulations and restrictions made by man. Look for yourselves...contrary to what your "priest" tells you, you can own a bible and read it and apply it to life. You don't need a priest or pope to access God. God himself is just a prayer away from right where you are. Use the brain God gave you, it's not rocket science, it's common sense!

Thats the facts Jack!

Unfortunatley it appears that a great number of "belivers??" still believe that the " hymns" came down the mountian with Moses and the ten commandments. Well guess what, they didn't! From my experience, the congregations that have grown  the most are the ones that have finally layed aside the meaningless man-made "traditions" that are merely  superficial and  that have nothing relevant to do with salvation. To believe that a "church" must contain pews, stained-glass windows, a piano, hymnals and be topped off with a steeple is simply not biblical at all.We have become very near-sighted and have accepted beliefs that were just passed-down or we simply are just taking someone elses word to be Gospel instead of opening the word to see for ourselves. I tend to believe that the singing in Heaven will be very energetic. I don't think God would allow Heaven to be filled with music such as would be heard in a funeral parlor. In fact, if we were to actually open our Bibles we would find what Psalms 33 says:

Psalm 33
 1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Notice here several characteristics. 1. Emphasis on the word Joy : Some folks sing as if they just lost their best friend, don't we have something to be happy about? If not, then I suggest checking your spiritual pulse! 2. Instruments : Yes, and they are not limited to the piano and organ! 3. New song : Yes, you read it right a NEW song..not the same songs that were sang hundreds of years ago! 4. Shout for joy : Here again is the emphasis on being loud and joyful. Why is it that we can freely express our excitement in the football stands but have much less zeal in expressing excitement over God loving us so much that He sacrificed Jesus in order that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven?? There are those of us who have layed aside meaningless customs and have embraced God, and I mean every day of the week, not just on  Sundays. If you seek God you will find Him. If you find Him you can't help but to sing Him a new song out of the overflowing joy of your heart....and when you do, you can't help but to use a familiar language and style that represents how you feel...not how someone else felt a hundred years ago.

And by the way...

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

 

 

 

A note on " Love" for Valentines Day...

Contrary to popular belief, "manliness" is not defined by how big his truck is ,how big its pipes are, how loud its pipes are,how many cars are in his garage or how much money is in his bank account.
Anybody can play follow the leader. Real "men" are not afraid to go against the current, ( "He who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd"). It takes guts and courage to do the right thing as opposed to the popular thing. Over 2000 years ago a man gave His life showing us the ultimate example of "manliness". He sacrificed his time for His neighbors. He helped the outcasts and diseased. He loved and cherished children, as opposed to abusing or neglecting them. He humbled himslf instead of exalting himself ("A man all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.") He was'nt afraid to cry and ultimately He gave His life for others out of love.Yea, the definition of a man has kind of gotten distorted over the years but on this day, lets not forget the example of He who for the love of His Neighbors stretched out His arms to show us how much He loved us and was nailed to a tree: 1 John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters

Where is the victory?

As a teen I used to enjoy watching a popular tv show at the time, called "Unsolved Mysteries" I remember in one episode a young boy who was unusually smart for his age , and he said something that I still remember. "The death of our nation will be like that of the Roman empire...the worship of sports and entertainment." I could relate to that some then but I certianly understand now. I enjoy watching a good game of football just like the next guy; and yes, I have been guilty in the past of making football an "Idol". Something really sat uneasy with me today when I heard a local minister say that " We will not be having services tonight due to the super bowl." It's a sad thing when the Christian community, who is supposed to be "seperate" from the world embraces it!

   I have always harped on the fact that our priorities in general, have greatly  hampered the growth of our personal relationship with God and the success of the effectiveness of the church in society. As I have said in previous posts ,what we do with our time proves what or who we serve, whether it be TV, sports, material things of the world, popularity, or God. Someone recently said " If God doesn't destroy America, He certianly owes Sodom and Gomorah an apology." Strong words, but a lot of truth in that statement. What does this say for you church?, hundreds of thousands meet every weekend in their massive "sanctuaries" to worship their idol (sports) and every week in our much smaller sanctuaries there are plenty of empty seats and a lot less enthusiasm over the topic at hand. To sum it up church, I think we have "dropped the ball ". Read your bible, pray...no, really...pray, set aside time to get to know God and you will find that you REALLY do have something to cheer about.This world is very temporary, the next life never ends, where will you spend it...your actions will tell!

What a difference a second can make!

I have had a couple of close calls "near-death experiences " if you want to call them that; in recent weeks. In one incident a friend and I were driving down a local four-lane road when we decided to slow down and stop to take a look at a car that was for sale along the road. Just as we passed an intersection I heard wheels squalling and looked in my rear-view mirror to see a car that had excessively ran through a stop sign , hit the front of the car behind me and flip over just a few feet behind me. Fourtunately, no one was killed.That incident constantly reminds me that death is just a second away ; from me , from you and every living soul. I began to realize how precious life is. I began to realize that I need not take the blessings in life for granted! I began to think about words said that should have not been. I began to think of words not said that should have been , love expressed that was not, hugs given that were not and spiritual conversations shared with the broken hearted that were never spoken.
My dad always told me, as he dropped me off at school in the 7th grade "Son, today is the first day of the rest of your life." Thats a very true statement. We can not change the past, but we can greatly influence the future. In this crazy world  of  hustle and bustle  take time to stop and smell the roses. We never know what tommorrow brings cherish Gods simple pleasures, love those in your life who need it, you know who they are. Forgive those in your life who need it...you know who they are as well. Be the person God is pleased with, you never know at what second you will be standing face to face with Him. Live smart and live each day as if it were you last...it very well could be.