I just want to take a moment to write and wish you all a Merry Christmas, and to say thank you for following and reading my blogs. This will be a short one. I heard something very interesting yesterday on KTIS, the local Christian radio station that I wanted to share. Do you know where 70% of all people hear the Christmas story for the first time? Linus VanPelt, from Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. You remember the part where Charlie Brown says can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about. That’s when Linus comes on stage and tells the Christmas story. Here is the 1 minute 50 second You Tube link if you want to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA.
Anyways, the Producers urged Charles Shultz not to put that scene in the Christmas Special, and Charles response was, if I don’t do it, than who will. The last thing that I didn’t notice even though I’ve seen this scene 100 times, is that it’s one of the very few times in any Charlie Brown episode ever, where Linus puts down his security blanket. I just though that these were some really interesting things to share. Merry Christmas.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Death
It’s funny how God works. The last blog that I wrote, I did in two parts meaning, I wrote half of it in the morning, than I had to leave, so I wrote the rest of it later on in the afternoon. Before I started writing it, I know what I wanted to say, and knew what I was going to write. If you haven’t read it, you should, but the gist was what happens when you die and haven’t accepted Christ. About 10 minutes after I saved the first half of that blog I got a text message informing me that one of my coworkers had passed away.
The woman that passed away was 60 years old; I am going to refrain from using her name for reasons that need not be known, or have any significance to this blog. She was very healthy, and had no problems to my knowledge. She actually died in her sleep. She kept to herself meaning that she didn’t share a lot about herself; she was not very open, which is understandable because if your work place is anything like mine, it is gossip central. You don’t tell anybody anything that you don’t want everybody else to know.
Anyways, this woman was not a favorite among her coworkers, regrettably, myself included, and I am going to leave it at that. I was working with her one day about 6 months ago, and I asked her if she went to church, she was very offended and said that is was none of my business, and that turned into a big argument between the two of us that ended up with me in the office with my supervisor and my manager and was told that I was never to speak about religion ever again at work. It was a very short conversation, I nodded my head and said ok, and that was the end of it. This of course didn’t stop me from talking about religion at work, I have done so many times since, and I will continue to do so every chance I get.
So why do I tell you this story, when it is most likely a huge breach in a policy at work that I singed called the “no blogging policy”, meaning feel free to take advantage of these wonderful tools called social media, but leave work out of it? That is why the story that I just told way the cliff note version. Anyways, I tell you this because I am fairly confident that this woman was not saved. I am not the judge, God is, and I pray that I am dead wrong, but if I’m not, than she didn’t go to Heaven and she will be spending the rest of eternity being tormented in Hell.
I did not have anything against her, but I will regrettably admit that I did gossip about her with others on more than one count. She was not a bad person, she was very nice actually, just a little different, but aren’t we all a little different. I am feeling absolutely terrible, for some of the things that I said about her, and some of the jokes that I played on her. I am confessing right now, to God, and to the world that I am absolutely done with gossip, and if anybody catches me doing it, I give you permission to stop me by any means necessary. I never even had a chance to apologize to her, and now I have to live with that for the rest of my days here on earth.
I did attend the funeral just this afternoon. It was a very nice service, and the family was so appreciative that people from work showed up. There 11 of us form work that went to the funeral, and there were at least 6 that I know of that went to the reviewal last night. I do feel a little bit better being able to see her one last time to apologize, I know that may seem kind of morbid, but it needed to be done.
What is my point? My point is that you just never know how long you have. I know that people don’t like to think about death, but death is not the end, it is the beginning. It is the beginning of eternity, and there are only two places to spend it, Heaven or Hell. You have to know before you go; you have to make that decision before it’s to late. I made a bold choice to try to talk to this woman about Christ, and it did not turn out well. But, at least I tried, and her eternity wherever she will spend it, cannot be placed on my shoulders. I don’t mean for that to sound selfish, but as angry as I was than, I am now so glad that I did it. I can’t really say anymore.
I know that I blog on this topic often, and I don’t mean to beat a dead horse over the head, but it is something that I am passionate about. This woman’s death is a perfect example of the fact that anyone can die anytime without warning, you have to be ready. So what is it going to be friend, Heaven of Hell?
The woman that passed away was 60 years old; I am going to refrain from using her name for reasons that need not be known, or have any significance to this blog. She was very healthy, and had no problems to my knowledge. She actually died in her sleep. She kept to herself meaning that she didn’t share a lot about herself; she was not very open, which is understandable because if your work place is anything like mine, it is gossip central. You don’t tell anybody anything that you don’t want everybody else to know.
Anyways, this woman was not a favorite among her coworkers, regrettably, myself included, and I am going to leave it at that. I was working with her one day about 6 months ago, and I asked her if she went to church, she was very offended and said that is was none of my business, and that turned into a big argument between the two of us that ended up with me in the office with my supervisor and my manager and was told that I was never to speak about religion ever again at work. It was a very short conversation, I nodded my head and said ok, and that was the end of it. This of course didn’t stop me from talking about religion at work, I have done so many times since, and I will continue to do so every chance I get.
So why do I tell you this story, when it is most likely a huge breach in a policy at work that I singed called the “no blogging policy”, meaning feel free to take advantage of these wonderful tools called social media, but leave work out of it? That is why the story that I just told way the cliff note version. Anyways, I tell you this because I am fairly confident that this woman was not saved. I am not the judge, God is, and I pray that I am dead wrong, but if I’m not, than she didn’t go to Heaven and she will be spending the rest of eternity being tormented in Hell.
I did not have anything against her, but I will regrettably admit that I did gossip about her with others on more than one count. She was not a bad person, she was very nice actually, just a little different, but aren’t we all a little different. I am feeling absolutely terrible, for some of the things that I said about her, and some of the jokes that I played on her. I am confessing right now, to God, and to the world that I am absolutely done with gossip, and if anybody catches me doing it, I give you permission to stop me by any means necessary. I never even had a chance to apologize to her, and now I have to live with that for the rest of my days here on earth.
I did attend the funeral just this afternoon. It was a very nice service, and the family was so appreciative that people from work showed up. There 11 of us form work that went to the funeral, and there were at least 6 that I know of that went to the reviewal last night. I do feel a little bit better being able to see her one last time to apologize, I know that may seem kind of morbid, but it needed to be done.
What is my point? My point is that you just never know how long you have. I know that people don’t like to think about death, but death is not the end, it is the beginning. It is the beginning of eternity, and there are only two places to spend it, Heaven or Hell. You have to know before you go; you have to make that decision before it’s to late. I made a bold choice to try to talk to this woman about Christ, and it did not turn out well. But, at least I tried, and her eternity wherever she will spend it, cannot be placed on my shoulders. I don’t mean for that to sound selfish, but as angry as I was than, I am now so glad that I did it. I can’t really say anymore.
I know that I blog on this topic often, and I don’t mean to beat a dead horse over the head, but it is something that I am passionate about. This woman’s death is a perfect example of the fact that anyone can die anytime without warning, you have to be ready. So what is it going to be friend, Heaven of Hell?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Accepting Christ
In my last blog I wrote that entrance to Heaven requires two things, first, you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and second, you need to love your neighbor, that’s it. I wanted to elaborate that that. There is a common misconception that the church uses scare tactics, or the “fire and brimstone,” effect to turn people to Christ. These things really aren’t scare tactics; they are verses of scripture taken right from the bible. I would agree that some people use these tactics in the wrong way, but most of these people only love you, as the bible commands, and want to bring you to Christ which the bible also commands, and they want to you know the consequences of not spending eternity in Heaven. Lots of people don’t like all of the so-called rules that you have to follow when you become a Christian. I want to break it down for you in a very easy non-threatening, non legalistic way.
Ok, so here’s the skinny. First of all, Christianity is not about an organized religion, it is about a relationship with Christ Jesus. To gain entrance to the kingdom, all you have to do is sincerely humble yourself before God in prayer, and ask Him to forgive your sins, and ask Jesus to come into you heart. That’s it, if you do this and you are sincere, your sins will be forgiven, and your slate with be wiped clean, and if you died in the next moment, you would go to Heaven, no questions. The only other thing that I would recommend is spending time reading your bible daily. This is so important to continuing a lasting relationship with our Maker.
Here’s the thing about sin and all of those rules. You didn’t start sinning overnight, and you aren’t going to stop overnight just because you become a Christian. Lets say for example that one of your sins is gossip. After you become a Christian you will most likely go right back to gossiping, only this time as you are doing it, the Spirit of God will be with you and convict you, and you will learn to stop. This works the same way with any sin, as you do it, the Spirit of God will convict you, and you will be prompted to stop. This will not like I said be an overnight process, but it will be the start a miraculous change and over time, and with the help of God, you will stop sinning.
I want to tell you a story about 3 people. Lets call them Sam, Scott, and Sally. Before becoming a Christian, Sam lived a pretty rough life. He was heavy into theft, and drugs, and alcohol, he even spent 5 years in prison. He accepted Christ while in prison, and once he was out, he began a glorious new life with Christ. Scott, was huge into pornography, he was always swearing, and he was very disrespectful, and had no tact when telling people what was on his mind, he was very obnoxious. Eventually, he found Christ, he turned his life around, and his life was forever changed. Sally was a great person. She was always willing to help a friend and go out of her way for others. She was very kind and considerate toward others, was very responsible and an all around good person but she never accepted Christ.
One day Sam, Scott and Sally not knowing or ever even meeting each other were in involved in a but accident and were killed. Sam was the first to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. God had a book in His hand and began to read while shaking His head. Sam, you were an alcoholic, and a drug user. You were a thief, and a money launderer. You spend 5 years in prison…Jesus put His hand up and stopped His Father, wait Dad, and hold on a minute, I know this guy; he’s with me. God looked at His Son with loving eyes, and over Sam and smiled and said welcome home Sam.
Scott was the second to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. God began to read from that same book while shaking His head. Scott, you were a porn addict, and you were always swearing, and disrespecting everyone that you met. Again, Jesus stopped His Father and said, Dad, he’s cool, I know this guy, he’s with me. Again God looked at His Son with loving eyes, and over at Scott and smiled and said welcome home Scott.
Now it was Sally’s turn to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. She was confused as God began to read from that same book. It took her a second to realize that the stories that she had heard on earth about God on His Son were true. Sally, you lived a very good life, you were always kind to those in need, and you were always going out of your way to help your neighbor. Jesus, couldn’t bare to let His Father continue as He stopped His with tears in His eyes, Dad, I never know this young women. Jesus looked at her with a sad smile and said I’m sorry Sally. Two angles met Sally, one on both sides of her and led her away.
It’s really quite simple my friends, that’s all there is to it. If you take the fist step, Jesus will take the rest of the steps with you.
Ok, so here’s the skinny. First of all, Christianity is not about an organized religion, it is about a relationship with Christ Jesus. To gain entrance to the kingdom, all you have to do is sincerely humble yourself before God in prayer, and ask Him to forgive your sins, and ask Jesus to come into you heart. That’s it, if you do this and you are sincere, your sins will be forgiven, and your slate with be wiped clean, and if you died in the next moment, you would go to Heaven, no questions. The only other thing that I would recommend is spending time reading your bible daily. This is so important to continuing a lasting relationship with our Maker.
Here’s the thing about sin and all of those rules. You didn’t start sinning overnight, and you aren’t going to stop overnight just because you become a Christian. Lets say for example that one of your sins is gossip. After you become a Christian you will most likely go right back to gossiping, only this time as you are doing it, the Spirit of God will be with you and convict you, and you will learn to stop. This works the same way with any sin, as you do it, the Spirit of God will convict you, and you will be prompted to stop. This will not like I said be an overnight process, but it will be the start a miraculous change and over time, and with the help of God, you will stop sinning.
I want to tell you a story about 3 people. Lets call them Sam, Scott, and Sally. Before becoming a Christian, Sam lived a pretty rough life. He was heavy into theft, and drugs, and alcohol, he even spent 5 years in prison. He accepted Christ while in prison, and once he was out, he began a glorious new life with Christ. Scott, was huge into pornography, he was always swearing, and he was very disrespectful, and had no tact when telling people what was on his mind, he was very obnoxious. Eventually, he found Christ, he turned his life around, and his life was forever changed. Sally was a great person. She was always willing to help a friend and go out of her way for others. She was very kind and considerate toward others, was very responsible and an all around good person but she never accepted Christ.
One day Sam, Scott and Sally not knowing or ever even meeting each other were in involved in a but accident and were killed. Sam was the first to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. God had a book in His hand and began to read while shaking His head. Sam, you were an alcoholic, and a drug user. You were a thief, and a money launderer. You spend 5 years in prison…Jesus put His hand up and stopped His Father, wait Dad, and hold on a minute, I know this guy; he’s with me. God looked at His Son with loving eyes, and over Sam and smiled and said welcome home Sam.
Scott was the second to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. God began to read from that same book while shaking His head. Scott, you were a porn addict, and you were always swearing, and disrespecting everyone that you met. Again, Jesus stopped His Father and said, Dad, he’s cool, I know this guy, he’s with me. Again God looked at His Son with loving eyes, and over at Scott and smiled and said welcome home Scott.
Now it was Sally’s turn to walk up to the gates of Heaven where God and Jesus were standing. She was confused as God began to read from that same book. It took her a second to realize that the stories that she had heard on earth about God on His Son were true. Sally, you lived a very good life, you were always kind to those in need, and you were always going out of your way to help your neighbor. Jesus, couldn’t bare to let His Father continue as He stopped His with tears in His eyes, Dad, I never know this young women. Jesus looked at her with a sad smile and said I’m sorry Sally. Two angles met Sally, one on both sides of her and led her away.
It’s really quite simple my friends, that’s all there is to it. If you take the fist step, Jesus will take the rest of the steps with you.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Slowing down
It’s been a while since I have posted a blog. I have been keeping pretty busy, as I’m sure everyone is this time a year. On of my favorite quotes is, Life is to short to be in a hurry. Kind of an oxymoron isn’t it, but when you think about it, it’s so true. Sometimes, I think that we need to remember to just slow down and breathe and just enjoy life and the many things that it has to offer, in moderation of course, but that’s a whole other blog.
Three in a half years ago, I was pulled over 3 times in one month for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. All three times I got a warning. This was my introduction to slowing down and following the rules. I was very lucky, and I have come to a compete stop at every stop sign since with very few exceptions, mainly being if it is snowing, or icy, and if I do come to a complete stop, and there is a change that I will not get moving again.
About a year ago, I was pulled over 4 times in about 3 weeks time, twice in one night. The twice in one night was because I had a head light out. I got pulled over in one city, and than pulled over again 15 minutes later in another city for the same thing. Another time I was pulled over for speeding, however, I wasn’t speeding, the cop pulled me over when he should have pulled over the guy that was in front of me. The last time, somebody behind me called the cops on my claiming that I was swerving, so they pulled my over to make sure I hadn’t been drinking. Understand, that I don’t get off of work until 12:30am, so when I am driving home, it is the middle of the night, and there are no cars on the road, so the few craizies such as myself that are on the road get to be the ones to amuse the police during their down times.
This all happened less than 3 months from my born again date, and I realized that even though I was not in essence doing anything wrong or illegal to get pulled over, it made me realize that being a Christian is about setting an example in every area of your life. That month, I made a decision to follow the rules of the road without exception. I do not speed, and I do come to a complete stop at all stop signs, and when somebody wants to cut me off, or get in, I just let them. It really is amazing at how much more you can accomplish when you just slow down.
I have said in the past that becoming a Christian is like losing weight. When you want to lose weight, you can’t just go on a diet, you have to change the way you live, by exercising, eating better, getting plenty of sleep and reducing stress, and you have to keep it up pretty much forever if you want to keep the weight off. It is a change of lifestyle literally. Becoming a Christian is the same way. You have to change the way to live by live a Godly life and be an example in every area of your life, even when nobody is looking, or you become a hypocrite. Please understand before you decide to make comments that no one is perfect, all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Romans 3:23. It is impossible to be a perfect example in ever area and every situation every time, but as a Christian, we sure do need to try. But, the best part about screwing up, is that we are saved by grace through faith which brings me to the main point of my blog.
I just finished studying the book of Micah. There were some good verses in Micah. I want to share two of them with you now. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness. Micah 7:8-9.
As I have been reading through and studying the Old Testament, I have noticed a very common theme. The Israelites screw up…a lot. Every time God is about to write them off, someone, usually a king or a profit prays for God to give them another chance, and God has compassion on His people, and He says to Israel, if you turn back to me, your sins will be forgiven. This is great news for everyone. Basically when we screw up, God will forgive us, if we confess our sins to Him, and repent, of course we have to be sincere about it.
Another common theme in the bible is love. I am going to quote another verse from Micah. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8. Entrance to Heaven requires two things, first, you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and second, you need to love your neighbor, that’s it. Of course you need to do that whole lifestyle change with it, which shouldn’t be a problem if you really want to follow Christ. Remember friend, no matter if you are a Christian and have fallen off the bandwagon, or if you have never accepted Christ before, no matter what you have done, or no matter how bad you have screwed up, it’s not t late for you. You can’t change the past, so don’t try, just learn from it. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It is said that even Jeffrey Dohmer in the last moments of his life accepted Christ. If he did in fact sincerely accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, and repent of his sin, than he is in Heaven right now enjoying the fruits of eternal life. If Jeffery and make it, than so can you.
Three in a half years ago, I was pulled over 3 times in one month for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. All three times I got a warning. This was my introduction to slowing down and following the rules. I was very lucky, and I have come to a compete stop at every stop sign since with very few exceptions, mainly being if it is snowing, or icy, and if I do come to a complete stop, and there is a change that I will not get moving again.
About a year ago, I was pulled over 4 times in about 3 weeks time, twice in one night. The twice in one night was because I had a head light out. I got pulled over in one city, and than pulled over again 15 minutes later in another city for the same thing. Another time I was pulled over for speeding, however, I wasn’t speeding, the cop pulled me over when he should have pulled over the guy that was in front of me. The last time, somebody behind me called the cops on my claiming that I was swerving, so they pulled my over to make sure I hadn’t been drinking. Understand, that I don’t get off of work until 12:30am, so when I am driving home, it is the middle of the night, and there are no cars on the road, so the few craizies such as myself that are on the road get to be the ones to amuse the police during their down times.
This all happened less than 3 months from my born again date, and I realized that even though I was not in essence doing anything wrong or illegal to get pulled over, it made me realize that being a Christian is about setting an example in every area of your life. That month, I made a decision to follow the rules of the road without exception. I do not speed, and I do come to a complete stop at all stop signs, and when somebody wants to cut me off, or get in, I just let them. It really is amazing at how much more you can accomplish when you just slow down.
I have said in the past that becoming a Christian is like losing weight. When you want to lose weight, you can’t just go on a diet, you have to change the way you live, by exercising, eating better, getting plenty of sleep and reducing stress, and you have to keep it up pretty much forever if you want to keep the weight off. It is a change of lifestyle literally. Becoming a Christian is the same way. You have to change the way to live by live a Godly life and be an example in every area of your life, even when nobody is looking, or you become a hypocrite. Please understand before you decide to make comments that no one is perfect, all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Romans 3:23. It is impossible to be a perfect example in ever area and every situation every time, but as a Christian, we sure do need to try. But, the best part about screwing up, is that we are saved by grace through faith which brings me to the main point of my blog.
I just finished studying the book of Micah. There were some good verses in Micah. I want to share two of them with you now. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness. Micah 7:8-9.
As I have been reading through and studying the Old Testament, I have noticed a very common theme. The Israelites screw up…a lot. Every time God is about to write them off, someone, usually a king or a profit prays for God to give them another chance, and God has compassion on His people, and He says to Israel, if you turn back to me, your sins will be forgiven. This is great news for everyone. Basically when we screw up, God will forgive us, if we confess our sins to Him, and repent, of course we have to be sincere about it.
Another common theme in the bible is love. I am going to quote another verse from Micah. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8. Entrance to Heaven requires two things, first, you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and second, you need to love your neighbor, that’s it. Of course you need to do that whole lifestyle change with it, which shouldn’t be a problem if you really want to follow Christ. Remember friend, no matter if you are a Christian and have fallen off the bandwagon, or if you have never accepted Christ before, no matter what you have done, or no matter how bad you have screwed up, it’s not t late for you. You can’t change the past, so don’t try, just learn from it. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It is said that even Jeffrey Dohmer in the last moments of his life accepted Christ. If he did in fact sincerely accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, and repent of his sin, than he is in Heaven right now enjoying the fruits of eternal life. If Jeffery and make it, than so can you.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Taking it for Granted
Last night we watched the movie, Letters to God. If you haven’t seen it, it is a movie that you should add to the top of your netflix queue, because is was amazing and is an absolute much see. This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Back on March 8th 2010, I wrote a blog titled Christianity and Star Wars. I would suggest going back and reading it before continuing with this blog. I feel sometimes that my obviousness to the world is keeping me from the potential that God has for me. Letters to God was just another reminder of that. Here’s what I mean.
I woke up this morning in my nice warm house, in my king size bed and serta mattress, I was hungry so I got up and had breakfast. I had some left over pizza from last night, and my kids had some cold cereal. After breakfast we all got dressed, and brushed out teeth. Than, I partook in my most favorite morning routine. I made my 30 ounce turtle mocha and sipped it for almost an hour. I listened to a podcast on my iPhone, and surfed the internet for a wile, as my kids watched TV. I put the kids in the car and drove them to the MN Zoo. If it was a Tuesday or a Thursday, I would have brought Faith to preschool. For lunch we decided to treat ourselves to McDonalds. Of course the kids got a happy meal toy, and before we left I made sure to get a free refill of my diet coke. Than we came home for some quiet time. Faith colored while Japheth watched Mickey Mouse. We sat in our nice comfy house all afternoon. Tuesday through Saturday at 3:00 I would leave for work, but today I am off. For dinner I made some homemade pasta from scratch using only the freshest ingredients, and made some homemade bread sticks to go with it. Of course we have Halloween candy for dessert. After dinner, I fill the sink up with hot soapy water to do the dishes, and the food that the kids didn’t eat, I throw into the garbage. While I am doing this Jane is upstairs giving the kids a bath. She uses soap and shampoo, and for Faith also conditioner. Than the kids get to play and splash around for a while in the tub playing with some of their bath toys. After bath its time the kids get their pajamas on, they brush their teeth, and floss, than they get stories and hugs and kisses, and we put them into their warm beds with nice clean sheets. We turn on some music for them, Japheth listens to KTIS the local Christian radio station, while Faith listens to a play list on her iPod, that is docked to her iPod stereo. Than me and Jane put on our pajamas, brush and floss our teeth, and crawl into our beds. Tomorrow, we will wake up and have a very similar day.
Let see how this story would be different for little Juan and his family who live in, oh, I don’t know, let’s say, Ecuador.
As the sun rays peeked into the little mud hut from a hole in the roof, Juan who is 7 woke up from his dirt floor bed. He didn’t pay any attention to the fact that he was hungry, because he is always hungry, so he doesn’t know any better. He was warring an old ripped up pair of pants and a very dirty t-shirt, the same one that he had been warring for days. Him and his mother need to collect some water, so they walk barefoot 1.5 miles to the river and fill up buckets, and they carry them back on sticks hoisted over their shoulders. This takes up most of the morning. Not knowing anything about lunch, he would partake in daily chores around the villages, spending his afternoon, collecting wood, and maybe trying to sell a chicken. His parents could only dream about what it would be like to have a job and have any income at all. It started to rain, to his family of 8 went into the 15x15 mud hut, to seek shelter, but with all the holes in the roof, they still got wet, and the rain was cold. After the rain was done, Juan got to play with some of his friends; they got to jump in mud puddles. They ran around laughing and playing, this would be the highlight of his day. About once a week he would get to go to the river for a bath, and also about once a week his mother would wash his cloths in that same river. Tonight was a very special night, because he was going to get to have a meal, which was a rare occasion. He was served about 1 cup of rice. It was like heaven. He could almost see it going into his belly where his ribs were sticking out of his chest. Once it was dark, there wan not a lot to do since there was no electricity, there were no lights. So the family would sit around sharing stories and singing songs. Than, he could go back to his corner, back to his dirt floor bed, where there was a small puddle from the rain, and he would go to sleep. He didn’t have to do things like brush his teeth, as a matter of fact he had never brushed his teeth, he only had a few, most of them had fallen out due to his lack of personal hygiene. Juan had malaria, and had been very sick for a while, of course there are no doctors, or medicine; go he goes to sleep not even knowing if he will wake up in the morning.
Let’s try not to forget just how fortunate we are, and try to take some time to remember and maybe even pray for people around the world that don’t have basic things that we take for granted. God has blessed you and he has blessed me more than we realize, so let’s remember to give God the credit that he deserves.
I woke up this morning in my nice warm house, in my king size bed and serta mattress, I was hungry so I got up and had breakfast. I had some left over pizza from last night, and my kids had some cold cereal. After breakfast we all got dressed, and brushed out teeth. Than, I partook in my most favorite morning routine. I made my 30 ounce turtle mocha and sipped it for almost an hour. I listened to a podcast on my iPhone, and surfed the internet for a wile, as my kids watched TV. I put the kids in the car and drove them to the MN Zoo. If it was a Tuesday or a Thursday, I would have brought Faith to preschool. For lunch we decided to treat ourselves to McDonalds. Of course the kids got a happy meal toy, and before we left I made sure to get a free refill of my diet coke. Than we came home for some quiet time. Faith colored while Japheth watched Mickey Mouse. We sat in our nice comfy house all afternoon. Tuesday through Saturday at 3:00 I would leave for work, but today I am off. For dinner I made some homemade pasta from scratch using only the freshest ingredients, and made some homemade bread sticks to go with it. Of course we have Halloween candy for dessert. After dinner, I fill the sink up with hot soapy water to do the dishes, and the food that the kids didn’t eat, I throw into the garbage. While I am doing this Jane is upstairs giving the kids a bath. She uses soap and shampoo, and for Faith also conditioner. Than the kids get to play and splash around for a while in the tub playing with some of their bath toys. After bath its time the kids get their pajamas on, they brush their teeth, and floss, than they get stories and hugs and kisses, and we put them into their warm beds with nice clean sheets. We turn on some music for them, Japheth listens to KTIS the local Christian radio station, while Faith listens to a play list on her iPod, that is docked to her iPod stereo. Than me and Jane put on our pajamas, brush and floss our teeth, and crawl into our beds. Tomorrow, we will wake up and have a very similar day.
Let see how this story would be different for little Juan and his family who live in, oh, I don’t know, let’s say, Ecuador.
As the sun rays peeked into the little mud hut from a hole in the roof, Juan who is 7 woke up from his dirt floor bed. He didn’t pay any attention to the fact that he was hungry, because he is always hungry, so he doesn’t know any better. He was warring an old ripped up pair of pants and a very dirty t-shirt, the same one that he had been warring for days. Him and his mother need to collect some water, so they walk barefoot 1.5 miles to the river and fill up buckets, and they carry them back on sticks hoisted over their shoulders. This takes up most of the morning. Not knowing anything about lunch, he would partake in daily chores around the villages, spending his afternoon, collecting wood, and maybe trying to sell a chicken. His parents could only dream about what it would be like to have a job and have any income at all. It started to rain, to his family of 8 went into the 15x15 mud hut, to seek shelter, but with all the holes in the roof, they still got wet, and the rain was cold. After the rain was done, Juan got to play with some of his friends; they got to jump in mud puddles. They ran around laughing and playing, this would be the highlight of his day. About once a week he would get to go to the river for a bath, and also about once a week his mother would wash his cloths in that same river. Tonight was a very special night, because he was going to get to have a meal, which was a rare occasion. He was served about 1 cup of rice. It was like heaven. He could almost see it going into his belly where his ribs were sticking out of his chest. Once it was dark, there wan not a lot to do since there was no electricity, there were no lights. So the family would sit around sharing stories and singing songs. Than, he could go back to his corner, back to his dirt floor bed, where there was a small puddle from the rain, and he would go to sleep. He didn’t have to do things like brush his teeth, as a matter of fact he had never brushed his teeth, he only had a few, most of them had fallen out due to his lack of personal hygiene. Juan had malaria, and had been very sick for a while, of course there are no doctors, or medicine; go he goes to sleep not even knowing if he will wake up in the morning.
Let’s try not to forget just how fortunate we are, and try to take some time to remember and maybe even pray for people around the world that don’t have basic things that we take for granted. God has blessed you and he has blessed me more than we realize, so let’s remember to give God the credit that he deserves.
Monday, October 18, 2010
What Christianity is all about
This paragraph is directly quoted from Chip Ingram from the living on the Edge daily podcast. I thought that is was good, and I wanted to share it.
The story of the Bible put very simply is that this high Holy God created the world. There was a coo, and mankind rebelled against God that produced a chasm between God and man; the bible calls it sin, or missing the mark. God out of his great love before the foundations of the earth, new we would rebel, and the trinity had a conversation, and the Son said, I will go, and I will die in the place for all the people out of our love even though they don’t deserve it. The only way they will have relationship with a pure and Holy God, is by a perfect sacrifice. I will go and I will live upon the earth, I will live a perfect life, I will raise the dead, I will fulfill 700 prophecies so it’s objective, and they will know that I am in fact God. And then I will give up m life, and I will die upon the cross, so Father you can pour out your just wrath on me. Everything they deserve, I will take, and I will be there sin payment. And then so they know it’s true I will rise from the dead, but it won’t be in secret, I will walk upon the earth, for 40 days for over 500 witnesses in space time history, and I will commission them, and I will power them, and then those who come to believe, the instant they believe, the Spirit of God will come into their heart and into their life. They will be adopted into God’s family, they will be placed in the body of Christ, they will be sealed with the Spirit of God, they will be granted Spiritual gifts, and that Spirit dwelling in them will manifest the very presence, and power of Jesus. He will lead and guide them into all truth, to that that Spirit living in them, will illuminate their mind into what is true in his word, and they can pray and that Spirit will bare witness with their Spirit that they’re actually children of God with assurance and love and will give them direction and power, to live out a super natural life. That’s what Christianity is all about.
The story of the Bible put very simply is that this high Holy God created the world. There was a coo, and mankind rebelled against God that produced a chasm between God and man; the bible calls it sin, or missing the mark. God out of his great love before the foundations of the earth, new we would rebel, and the trinity had a conversation, and the Son said, I will go, and I will die in the place for all the people out of our love even though they don’t deserve it. The only way they will have relationship with a pure and Holy God, is by a perfect sacrifice. I will go and I will live upon the earth, I will live a perfect life, I will raise the dead, I will fulfill 700 prophecies so it’s objective, and they will know that I am in fact God. And then I will give up m life, and I will die upon the cross, so Father you can pour out your just wrath on me. Everything they deserve, I will take, and I will be there sin payment. And then so they know it’s true I will rise from the dead, but it won’t be in secret, I will walk upon the earth, for 40 days for over 500 witnesses in space time history, and I will commission them, and I will power them, and then those who come to believe, the instant they believe, the Spirit of God will come into their heart and into their life. They will be adopted into God’s family, they will be placed in the body of Christ, they will be sealed with the Spirit of God, they will be granted Spiritual gifts, and that Spirit dwelling in them will manifest the very presence, and power of Jesus. He will lead and guide them into all truth, to that that Spirit living in them, will illuminate their mind into what is true in his word, and they can pray and that Spirit will bare witness with their Spirit that they’re actually children of God with assurance and love and will give them direction and power, to live out a super natural life. That’s what Christianity is all about.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Extreme Christian
I would rather live my life as a Christian and die to find out that there is no God, than to live my life not as a Christian, to die to find out that there is.
A year ago, I decided to create an email alias, ExtremeChristian@me.com. I wanted to use an email address that told people who I was. I want to talk a little bit about what I believe to be an Extreme Christian.
Being a Christian is not an uncommon thing. There are many people in the world today that call themselves Christians, myself included, however, I am also a disciple. Why, because a disciple will make him/herself known. They don’t keep their faith to themselves. They are bold when it comes to talking about Christ, and speaking the bible. They don’t care what other people think of them. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the profits who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
In this verse 11, Jesus is saying that is it ok for us to speak the truth. And guess what, when you do, people will be offended. Now please understand, when we speak the truth, we need to do it gently and appropriately. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it. And if we do it the wrong way, we need to be humble enough, to admit that we screwed up, we need to take ownership, we need to repent, and be forgiven. When I screw up, I have no problem admitting my fault and asking for forgiveness, that is what helps me to grow. But you know how the old saying goes; you can’t please all of the people all of the time. The bible is a dangerous topic, but we need to be bold enough to speak the truth, and even when done appropriately, we will still offend people. Now we are at verse 12, if we do these things than great is our reward in Heaven. And right after that, he compares us to profits. I am not talking about the false profits of the law; I am talking about Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, etc.
Friends, being a Christian is the hardest thing that you will ever have to do. You have to literally change the way you live, and it is not by any means easy. You have to constantly watch what you do and say, in the open and behind closed doors. We tent to forget that even though people can’t see what we are doing in the dark, God can still see. Have you even gone through a day where you did not lie at all? You would be amazed to find out just how many times each day we tell just a tiny little fib just to get out of some trouble or to look just a little bit better. But who cares about looking good, it’s not about us, it is about Christ and what He did for us on the cross. We cannot just talk the talk, we have to walk the walk, and if we don’t we will be found out, this is the type of person the Jesus calls a hypocrite. You cannot just clean the outside of the cup when the inside is filthy dirty. Matthew 23:25-26. If you call Jesus Lord, you will be persecuted for it, and if you aren’t being persecuted, than you are doing something wrong. Someday, you may have to die for your relationship with Christ, are you willing to do that?
These are not things that you just start doing over night, it takes time to change your life, believe me. Over the last year I have been becoming bolder every day. Today, I can rarely publish a blog, or post a facebook status without being persecuted by someone being smart, trying to get a reaction, or just wanting to put in their two cents. But, I am just being persecuted by strangers, I am being persecuted by my own family and friends. I have lost a few facebook friends over the last few months. What I mean is than of some my previous Facebook friends have blocked me because they were offended by my beliefs; one of them was a close relative. You know what; that tells me that I am making people think, and they are scared and don’t want to know the truth. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right? Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. Luke 12:51-53
Yes, Jesus says that if we want to follow Him, we will be separated from people that we love. Am I offended that I have lost some facebook friends; absolutely not. My time here on earth is a mist. James 4:14. If I am lucky I will be given 85 years over the course of eternity. That’s not a lot of time. I am hear to life for Christ, and if I am rejected by people, friends or family, than so be it, because great is my reward in Heaven, and that will be an eternal reward. I am ready to face whatever challenges I have to, if that means that I have to die a martyrs death, than I pray that God will forgive the one that kills me.
Friends, this is what I believe that it means to be as Extreme Christian, someone who appropriately and gently speaks the truth, regardless of what other people think, and guess what, some day it may even cost me my life. If you are offended by my relationship with God, that’s fine, I am called to follow Christ at any expense. For to this, you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21. So be prepared for an extreme Christian to be a part of your life. And for full and fair disclosure, I do not speak the word or truth to people in person, who do not want to hear about it, and I am well aware of who you are, but Facebook on the other hand is a whole different story. God Bless you all my friends, I love you all in Christ.
A year ago, I decided to create an email alias, ExtremeChristian@me.com. I wanted to use an email address that told people who I was. I want to talk a little bit about what I believe to be an Extreme Christian.
Being a Christian is not an uncommon thing. There are many people in the world today that call themselves Christians, myself included, however, I am also a disciple. Why, because a disciple will make him/herself known. They don’t keep their faith to themselves. They are bold when it comes to talking about Christ, and speaking the bible. They don’t care what other people think of them. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the profits who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
In this verse 11, Jesus is saying that is it ok for us to speak the truth. And guess what, when you do, people will be offended. Now please understand, when we speak the truth, we need to do it gently and appropriately. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it. And if we do it the wrong way, we need to be humble enough, to admit that we screwed up, we need to take ownership, we need to repent, and be forgiven. When I screw up, I have no problem admitting my fault and asking for forgiveness, that is what helps me to grow. But you know how the old saying goes; you can’t please all of the people all of the time. The bible is a dangerous topic, but we need to be bold enough to speak the truth, and even when done appropriately, we will still offend people. Now we are at verse 12, if we do these things than great is our reward in Heaven. And right after that, he compares us to profits. I am not talking about the false profits of the law; I am talking about Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, etc.
Friends, being a Christian is the hardest thing that you will ever have to do. You have to literally change the way you live, and it is not by any means easy. You have to constantly watch what you do and say, in the open and behind closed doors. We tent to forget that even though people can’t see what we are doing in the dark, God can still see. Have you even gone through a day where you did not lie at all? You would be amazed to find out just how many times each day we tell just a tiny little fib just to get out of some trouble or to look just a little bit better. But who cares about looking good, it’s not about us, it is about Christ and what He did for us on the cross. We cannot just talk the talk, we have to walk the walk, and if we don’t we will be found out, this is the type of person the Jesus calls a hypocrite. You cannot just clean the outside of the cup when the inside is filthy dirty. Matthew 23:25-26. If you call Jesus Lord, you will be persecuted for it, and if you aren’t being persecuted, than you are doing something wrong. Someday, you may have to die for your relationship with Christ, are you willing to do that?
These are not things that you just start doing over night, it takes time to change your life, believe me. Over the last year I have been becoming bolder every day. Today, I can rarely publish a blog, or post a facebook status without being persecuted by someone being smart, trying to get a reaction, or just wanting to put in their two cents. But, I am just being persecuted by strangers, I am being persecuted by my own family and friends. I have lost a few facebook friends over the last few months. What I mean is than of some my previous Facebook friends have blocked me because they were offended by my beliefs; one of them was a close relative. You know what; that tells me that I am making people think, and they are scared and don’t want to know the truth. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right? Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. Luke 12:51-53
Yes, Jesus says that if we want to follow Him, we will be separated from people that we love. Am I offended that I have lost some facebook friends; absolutely not. My time here on earth is a mist. James 4:14. If I am lucky I will be given 85 years over the course of eternity. That’s not a lot of time. I am hear to life for Christ, and if I am rejected by people, friends or family, than so be it, because great is my reward in Heaven, and that will be an eternal reward. I am ready to face whatever challenges I have to, if that means that I have to die a martyrs death, than I pray that God will forgive the one that kills me.
Friends, this is what I believe that it means to be as Extreme Christian, someone who appropriately and gently speaks the truth, regardless of what other people think, and guess what, some day it may even cost me my life. If you are offended by my relationship with God, that’s fine, I am called to follow Christ at any expense. For to this, you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21. So be prepared for an extreme Christian to be a part of your life. And for full and fair disclosure, I do not speak the word or truth to people in person, who do not want to hear about it, and I am well aware of who you are, but Facebook on the other hand is a whole different story. God Bless you all my friends, I love you all in Christ.
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