Hope in a crazy world

People often wonder why people are driven to the lure of drugs,alcohol and suicide. All are forms of escape for hurting people with nowhere to turn.Happily, there is somewhere to turn and that solution is what I want to talk about in this post. For a long time I questioned why people wanted to take their own lives. A few years ago I had my own run of bad luck and felt at the end of my rope.
Although I couldn't bring my self to do it, the option did cross my mind.
   I have had the privilege...unlike a  lot of people, to have grown up in a home with a loving mother and dad who took good care of me and introduced me at an early age to God. Christianity gets a bad rap these days from a lot of people, especially from the media but every story has two sides.
I have realized that even though I went through the "religious" motions for years, once I finally "got it" and realized that Christianity is simply a relationship with our creator...not a bunch of rules like: wear a suit,sing hymns,pay your tithes and spend your hour in church every week. A lot of "so-called" Christians fall in that category of what I call "sideline spectators" or zombies,  the walking dead.
 When I actually started spending quality quiet time talking to God, He started working in my life in miraculous ways! God is in fact real and he desires us to search Him out so He can reveal Himself to us. I could stop here and give you page after page of facts that document the validity of the bible and prove its authenticity but that has already been done ( Josh Mc Dowell, Lee Strobell, C. S Lewis). My point is this: God is the only ultimate hope we have. Let me ask you a question. Do you ever buy new things to help make you feel better? It feels good for a while doesn't it, and then we rush out to find the next "material" thing to make us happy for a little while,with no significant lasting effect. We have all done it. Things of this world were never meant to make us happy. Think about all of the rich celebrities who have died of drug overdoses or who have committed suicide.
If money was the ultimate solution to all of our problems, why are there so many miserable rich people. In short, God wants us to have Hope in Him, this world is only temporary. Our next life, and we all will have one, will never end. And God wants us to spend it with Him in Heaven... an indescribable place that He has prepared for those who love Him and who choose to accept His love.If you feel at the end of your rope and are looking for hope and meaning in life..Look to Jesus. He never said that we would not have our share of problems in this world, But He does promise to walk beside us in all the "hells" we face on this earth. His book..the bible, give it a read, He wants to speak to you through it and show you  how to have happiness through the storms of life. I want to leave you with these encouraging words: Matthew 11:28 "“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Fathers Day 2015

With Fathers Day approaching, I feel inclined to share a recap or overview, if you will on manliness and fatherhood. I sense an urgent need for society to rediscover what it means to really be a man/father. As you know, any Joe Blow can father a child, but not every Joe Blow knows how to be a father. Statistics tell us that boys (and girls) who grow up without a stable male role-model in their lives, very often have problems and issues that follow them the rest of their lives.
Rejection in itself creates a domino effect of damaging emotions and insecurities. Society is full of kids without dads in their lives.I'm sure if you ponder for a second, you can think of people that you know personally who had no father influence growing up. These types are more prone to suicide and tend to gravitate toward groups such as gangs and recently, terrorists groups for acceptance, approval and a sense of belonging. So in short, real men stick around and take care of their children, they love them, protect them and cultivate good relationships with them, not to mention mentoring and training them in ways that will make them good productive,courteous citizens in their adult lives. In my opinion, good fathers train their children according to the ways of God. It's only appropriate for the one who made us to know how to guide us toward what is best for us.
Now that I have touched on fatherhood, lets delve into the often misunderstood word "manliness"
The popular 70's band Boston had a song title that asked "What does it take to be a man?" I think that is a good question to resolve for the current society who is under the impression that manliness requires driving a big truck, wearing the popular labels, (regardless if you know what it stands for or not) and simply following the crowd,oblivious to how ridiculous it  looks. Any wise guy can play follow the leader.
When I think of manliness I think of my dad. That man is always going out of his way to help me on an outdoor home project or helping me out of a mechanical vehicle bind. He is very self-giving. He may be tired from working hard all day, but he always puts others first.He took the time when I was younger to show me how to fix my own cars, mowers, and how to work with my hands. He always had time for me as opposed to setting me in front of  video games for hours to keep me out of his way. He taught me responsibility. We had a small farm and I had to assist in caring for animals.I didn't always enjoy his demands at the time but later I learned that he was teaching me character and how to be responsible and punctual. All of which later helped mold me to the person I am today.He was a great provider and care taker of  our family.He was a great husband to my mom. Dad has never driven the latest, most popular vehicles. He does not wear name brand clothes. Simply put, dad does not let culture define him. He practices the qualities reflected in the bible. Qualities like humility,self-sacrifice, good stewardship in finances and self-control.Unlike young men of today, He is not afraid to be what he knows is right, regardless of what everyone else thinks. That's how I define manliness. Stepping up to the plate and facing the crowd with enough guts and self confidence to be yourself, regardless of what the crowd is doing. Yes, in my opinion, If every father could be like my dad, well...the world would be a better place to live! So isn't it time you stepped out of the pattern that the world dictates for you and be the man God intended for you to be...and walk in the pattern that God dictates! I highly recommend you do. Not just for your sake, but for the sake of others who are watching you.

Really guys! "isis"?

So it appears  that  a certian islamic (isis) group is taking advantage of American teens who seem to be searching for direction and meaning in life.If you are reading this and you are one of those searching teens, let me give you some solid advice. Christians who you are personally familiar with may not be the best role model for you but let me challenge you to try God out for yourself.
   If you only look at the fact that Christianity is under more scrutiny than any other faith in the world, that should give you  a hint that just maybe the reason that satan wants to quiet the Christians is simply because Christians are the only real threat to him. If we were not, he wouldn't try to rid the world of them. Long story short. If you're looking for a group of people you can call family, a group who can show you true love and compassion,an imperfect group who succeeds only by the grace and mercy of God, a family of believers who DON'T HIDE their faces like COWARDS, but lay down their lives for their faith, then get to know Jesus. Satan knows his time is short. He is called the great deceiver for a reason, isis is just the devil venting his anger in a last straw attempt to get at God. They are very deceived.The real truth is  that isis will be right there in hell with satan himself.
I can give you numerous facts and historical findings that PROVE that Jesus is the ONLY ONE TRUE GOD. Feel free to ask,I challenge any islam to back their faith up with as many historical facts and prophesy's as there are for Christ?! I'll show you the proof that if you want to experience love power, and inclusion,with an afterlife that's real, not a lie ...give Jesus a try! You won't need a mask to hide behind,because God will make you proud to be who you are,because he loves you and takes you JUST AS YOU ARE!