My Bucket List

The following is my bucket list. It's not concise and it's in not in any particular order:

1. Trek Annapurna in Nepal
2. Trek to Everest base camp and hold daily devotionals with climbers during climbing season
3. Skydive
4. Thru hike the Appalachian Trail
5. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail-probably in sections
6. Compete in the Continental Divide Mountain Bike Race
7. Travel to Israel to see where the Bible was born
8. Travel to Antarctica
9. Run a marathon
10. See the northern lights in Alaska and in Scandinavia
11. Travel to Vietnam
12. Travel to North Korea
13. Write and publish a book
14. Travel to Egypt to see the pyramids
15. Travel to Casablanca, Morocco- best movie ever and I want to see it with my own eyes
16. Hike the Grand Canyon-both from north to south and hike down in the canyon itself
17. Go deep sea fishing
18. Swim with dolphins
19. Climb Mt. Rainier-really want to do some ice climbing
20. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
21. Visit Australia and stay in the treetops
22. Visit Hawaii
23. Climb a glacier
24. See penguins in the wild
25. Dip a toe in the Atlantic ocean at sunrise, board a plane and fly to LA and dip a toe in the Pacific ocean at sunset all in one day
26. Visit China and Japan
27. Visit Rwanda and see for myself the places that the horrible genocide took place
28. Climb Mt. Everest- this one will never happen because I have asthma and I know my limits but how cool would it be to be standing on the top of the world
29. Meet the president-not a past one but whoever is the current one
30. Visit Germany and the concentration camps from WWII
31. Visit Niagara Falls

I know that this list is long and as I get older it will be harder to complete this list but I also know that if I died today this list is meaningless and that I will make it to the best place ever...heaven because I have Jesus as my Lord and Savior and no bucket list could ever compare to the greatness of Him. Peace and God Bless

The church and pizza

It comes in a square box, is round and has triangle slices. Yep it's pizza. I never thought about it until today but it seems odd how the box is square and the pizza is round and the slices are triangles. You never really notice it, probably because we are too busy consuming it. But all those pieces fit together and make a wonderful and whole meal.

In a way the church is quite like the delivery pizza. We have many people of all shapes and sizes that come to the house of worship for the same purpose of consuming the word of God. We have carpenters, doctors, lawyers, children, sales reps, ministers and probably even pizza delivery guys. What's wonderful and interesting is that we all fit together, much like the pizza. We take all of our differences and piece them together to be one, whole being. I don't know how but it works and it's wonderful.

Next time you eat a pizza think about it and next time you are at church take time to see how we bring all our differences together to create the body of Christ. Peace and God Bless

God will NEVER give up on you

He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8, 9 NIV)

What a great passage. God is faithful. What a powerful statement. God will never leave you alone, never give up on you no matter what and always be faithful to you. That's not something that can be said for many of us as humans. As humans we can lose our faith in someone or something when things get hard or they disappoint us. As humans we can give up on people. As humans it's hard for us to remain faithful in the midst of the daily struggles of life, whether it's living in a war-torn country or not knowing how we will make ends meet. But God will never let you down, He will never disappoint you or give up on you even when we disappoint Him through our words or actions. Remember this as you go through your struggles or when someone disappoints you or you are thinking that there's no hope for someone. Never give up on them because God won't give up in them. I have had several points in my life where some of my best friends probably wanted to (and some said they almost did) give up on me. I am a sinner and I haven't always been the best person but I am glad that they didn't give up on me and that God didn't either. Peace and God Bless

The wisdom of Yoda

Small and green at first glance Yoda doesn't seem too intimidating but get him riled up and he will whoop you with his knowledge of the force.

In the Star Wars movie Luke goes to the Dagobah system to seek out the Jedi master Yoda. Luke crashes on the planet and finds this little green creature who, he believes, can't be the great Jedi master. Luke later learns that this small, green creature is the Jedi master and begins training with him. There is a scene where Luke says to Yoda that he is trying to which Yoda replies, "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."

What profound words from such a small and meek creature but I think they are words that we can all learn from. We have all had situations where we have tried and failed. I think that what Yoda is hinting at is that if we truly believe then anything is possible. Instead of calling it the Force we called it God. All things are possible with God. When we are with God and we pray to God, He will not let us fail.

If we bring glory to God in all the things we do then we cannot fail in the ultimate purpose. When we try to do things on our own we will never be successful in the ultimate purpose. So try not. Do or do not. There is no try. Peace and God Bless

I am an addict

"Hi my name is Kenny and I am an addict."
"Welcome Kenny."
These are usually the first lines you think of when you are thinking about being an addict. These words are uttered daily in alcoholics anonymous, narcotics anonymous and other various addiction recovery and support groups. Well I am here to say that I am an addict. I am completely and totally addicted to Jesus.

They say the first step to recovery is to admit that you have an addiction. Well I just did and when I first admitted it at age 7 and again renewed my "addiction" at age 14 I began the process of recovery. Recovery in this case is the gaining of eternal life through Jesus Christ. I will admit that the recovery process is long and at times very trying. It's hard to be a Jesus addict in today's society with everything that goes on around us, all the outside influences, the hate, the wars, the struggle to make ends meet. But there is a great recovery and support group you can go to...the church.

What's great about church is that most everyone there is a Jesus addict. Yes there are those that go to church because they feel that's what they are supposed to do but the 99% go to help with the struggle of being addicted to Jesus.

I'm proud to be an addict and you should be too. I feed my addiction through prayer, reading the scripture, and going to my support group. Are you and addict and do you feed your addiction? Peace and God Bless

Cheers

Have you ever felt like sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came? The theme from Cheers has been playing in my head today and today I really wanted to go where everybody knows your name. And I am not talking about a bar. I wanted to go somewhere that everyone was glad to see me and that no one judged me and that everyone understood me.

Don't you wish there was a place like this? Here's the good news. There is. It's called church. The church is the body of Christ. Loving, caring, and always welcoming. At my church everybody knows my name, not because they have too but because they want to. They are always glad that I came and they understand me. They are accepting of everyone and I love that about my church.

When I was younger I was a handful. I questioned the status quo, I bucked the system, I wore pants that I could rent commercial space in, I had long hair which was sometimes dyed different colors and yet my church accepted me and loved me ( though I think that sometimes they may have wanted to strangle me). And I love this about my church. It's one reason I still go. I hope that you have somewhere that everybody knows your name and where they are always glad you came. Peace and God Bless

Everybody has a price

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16 NIV)

It has been said that everybody has a price. I don't know that to be true though. Is there enough of something to make you sell someone out? Is it money, or fame? Would you sell out your best friend for a few hundreds bucks? Judas sold out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Then he hung himself.

I don't think there is enough money in the world for me to sell out anyone I know or anyone I don't know for that matter. You see I don't think that everybody has a price. I think that greed can get the better of people and that people sometimes want for things so bad that they will do crazy and regrettable things to get them.

Just remember that Jesus paid the ultimate price when He died for us. Peace and God Bless

The Gospel According to Garth

Garth Brooks is probably one of the best known country artists of the last twenty years. I happen to love Garth Brooks and today I had a song of his stuck in my head. It's a song called Unanswered Prayers. The chorus goes like this:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talking to the man upstairs
That just because He may not answer doesn't mean He don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Have you ever prayed for something and didn't get it? I know I have. I'm sure we all have. And sometimes its just like the song says, it's the one thing we wanted, the one person we wanted for all time, it's the promotion we wanted, or it's the job we wanted. The common denominator in all of this is that it's stuff "we" want. It's not always what God wants and "we" want it in "our" time not His.

Think about those things that you have asked God for and the prayers that have gone unanswered and ask yourself if things worked out better or worse than what you wanted. I bet if you really think about it you will see that things did work out better and I bet you might just thank God for unanswered prayers. Peace and God Bless

Farming your faith

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV)

Farming is something that I do not understand. I was born in a city and grew up in a city. What I know about farming comes from movies like Son in Law and For Richer and Poorer. But I do know that farmers work hard seven days a week, 365 days a year. There is always something to do on a farm from feeding livestock to planting and checking crops. The work begins early and ends late each day and its hard, like really hard.

Farmers don't wait for the perfect weather to do their work. They work in the rain, sleet and snow because they have to. They don't watch the wind of the clouds to know what to do. Just as farmers don't watch the wind to plant or the clouds to harvest, we should also not watch the wind or the weather for the perfect time to share our faith or plant the seed of God in others. It should happen everyday no matter what. If we wait for the perfect weather to plant our faith it will never happen. We have to do it in the rain, sleet and snow. In the darkest of night and the brightest of days. Are you watching the wind and the clouds? Or are you farming your faith. Peace and God Bless

A Lamp Unto My Feet

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:105, 106 NIV)

Have you ever tried to walk in the dark without a light? It's pretty hard to do. I mean sometimes you might find the right path and sometimes you might walk into the coffee table. When we are walking down this path that we call life we need a lamp and a light otherwise we might take a wrong turn.

God is the lamp and the light. He is the way we need to follow. He is the one who can help us on this path.

I read a tweet recently that said, "in God we trust literally means trust yourself! There is no one out there to help you." This bothered me because I realized that this tweeter didn't have a lamp or a light. He was banging into the coffee table and he didn't even know it. I wish this story had a happy ending but sadly when I tried to reach out to this person it was met with hostility. I sent a DM to this tweeter and reached out trying to show them that there was someone out there to help and that someone would help no matter what and would always be there. Sadly the response was not good. But I will continue to pray for this tweeter and everyone else without a lamp or a light. Peace and God Bless

A Son Is Born

As I sit here in the hospital with my wonderful and beautiful wife waiting on the arrival of our child I am reminded of how life is beautiful and wonderful and how the gift of life, the gift of eternal life was given through God's Son. I am reminded of the wonderful story of Jesus birth, of the glory that was brought into this world that starry night, of what Mary and Joseph must have felt, the great awe of having a child and the wonder of the life that had been created.

Isaiah 9:6 says, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Today, hopefully, my son will be born and I know that God has a wonderful plan for him, He chose him before he was in the womb and He will do great things through him. I pray that my son will be an example for others of how to live, I pray that I will be an example for him of how to live, I pray that He will be a guiding force for him. Join me in the blessings that God has given us today. Peace and God Bless.

A Christmas Conundrum

I know, I know it's still October and I am talking about Christmas. But I work in retail currently and we have had Christmas set up for over two weeks, so it's been on my mind. And what's been on my mind is what we really treat Christmas as. Is it a holiday or is it a holy day?

I think the world at large has turned Christmas into a retail free for all. The world at large looks at trying to sell you things you think you really need. But do you really need a new XBox, PS3, Wii, bike or whatever else the retail giants try to make you think you need? Nope you don't really need those things. I know when I was a little kid I really wanted a nintendo, then I got it and all I asked for was new games for it. Not really a bad thing but I didn't really need those things. Even today there are a lot of things that I want but very few that I need. I want a new mountain bike, I want some new camping equipment, I want a new backpack with a nice laptop sleeve. I really only need food, shelter and minimal clothing and I have those. Plus I have the most important thing I could ever want or need, eternal life in Jesus.

This Christmas I want people to give to those less fortunate, to charities that are working for Christ. This Christmas lets remember what's most important. Let's remember that Christmas isn't a holiday, it's a holy day. It's Christ's birthday and He gave us the best gift of all. Peace and God Bless

The Number Game

We all deal with numbers. It's one of the first things we learn as child. We learn to count and add, subtract multiply as divide. As adults we deal with sales numbers, profit numbers, costs of things we want and need, the list goes on and on.

The Bible deals with numbers too, and I'm not just talking about chapter and verse numbers. The world was created in 7 days. There was 1 man and 1 woman created. Noah saved 2 of every kind of animal from the flood. There were 12 tribes of Israel and 12 disciples that Jesus called.

Maybe it's because we are a number driven society that we, as Christians, tend to think that it matters how many people we save. The numbers game. I think we get caught up in our number driven world and feel the need that in order to please God or in order to be a good Christian it matters how many people we personally lead to Christ. The numbers game.

I think that when we are thinking in numbers we start to lose sight of the greater purpose in front of us, honoring God and bringing glory to Him. That's what it's all about folks. Brining glory to God in whatever we do. God wants that from us, He desires that from us. We should give it all to Him, who created us. He gives all of us a purpose and we need to fulfill that purpose. When we get to heaven I doubt our merit will be based on the number of people we personally led to Christ. I don't think He will say, "John you led 155 people to Me so you get to come in but Jim over there didn't lead but 1 person to Me so nope he's out." I think it's so much more than a numbers game. Not saying we shouldn't witness and disciple just saying God's not interested in the number, just that we love Him and glorify Him and live according to His purpose for us. Peace and God Bless

The Mighty JC

I am better than you. I know this because, well, because I am. My nose is held high in the air. My clothes are better, my car is better, my house is better and my faith is better.

Now that I have your attention, NONE of the first statements are true. I not better than anyone else, my nose isn't high in the air, my clothes are just clothes, my car is a car and I live in an apartment. I am not better than you or anyone else. I am me, for better or worse and I am what I am.

Have you ever met someone who thinks they are better than you or even worse knows it in their own mind? I have. I think we all have. I am an avid reader of several Christian blogs. I like all of them equally. What struck me today was the fact that while each of them had a different message, each of them had comments from what I want to call the mighty JC...not the JC you are thinking about either. I am talking about the Judgmental Christian. The one that knows they are better than you, that their faith is stronger and that their belief is the right one. This troubled me greatly because what if a non Christian happened to stumble upon that blog today and see those comments.

I have many friends that are not Christians and many that are. When I have asked some of my non Christian friends what they liked least about Christians many have said The Mighty JC (judgmental christians). When I have asked some of my Christian friends what is the one stumbling block in witnessing to non Christians that you would like to change, the answer is again The Mighty JC.

I think that we as Christians need to think before we speak or comment in these cases. We are all guilty of being the mighty JC at one time or another and many of us don't mean to and some don't realize that they are. We have to be conscious of what we are saying and how we are living because we have to be the example. What example are you portraying? Are you a mighty JC or does the real mighty JC, Jesus Christ, live through you? Peace and God Bless

Where did the good go bad?

Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." The first chapter of Genesis is very familiar to most of us. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Through each of the days He created light, darkness, water, every living creature and man. And after He created these things He said they were good. In the end He said it was very good.

Fast forward to the scene where Adam and Eve eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of God and Evil. This is where it starts to go wrong. That was the only tree that God specifically said was off limits. But temptation is great and they partake of the fruit. This is the first sin we hear of in the Bible. Just like a child touching a hot stove, Adam and Eve were curious. And their curiosity cost them the Garden of Eden.

God created this world to be good. He created it to have fellowship with is as humans. But when we disobeyed Him, the world started to unravel. It's not much later when we see Cain murder Abel. Then Cain lies to God and says he doesn't know where Abel is. See how this is progressively getting worse. You can keep reading and see that sin continues forever.

There is a redeeming grace though. God sent His Son to die for us so that we could be saved.

We are here on this earth to bring glory to God, to sing His praises, to change the world as best as we can so that more and more people are living for Him. Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhi wasn't a Christian but his words ring true for us as Christians. We have to be the change in the world. We have to live for God and bring about a fundamental shift back towards the Lord. Be that change today. Peace and God Bless

Ask, Seek and Knock

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7, 8 NIV)

Just because we ask God for something does that mean that we are going to get it? Probably not. But God does answer our prayers, even if we don't think that He does. God will give us what we ask for when it is part of the plan and it has meaning for our lives. If God gave us everything we asked for we would all be millionaires and very few of us would go to work. God answers prayers in His time as well. He doesn't follow our time.

When we seek the glory of God, however that manifests itself to us, we will receive the glory of God. In everything we do we should seek His glory and if we do we will find it.

When we knock on the door of God it will always be opened. God always has time for us. He will always listen and He will always comfort us.

If we ask for His glory, seek His glory and knock on His door, we will be given His glory, we will always find His glory and His door will always be opened. Peace and God Bless.

I would rather...

I would rather die in Christ than live in this world.

I would rather see a sermon than hear a sermon.

I would rather walk the narrow road than the one paved in gold.

I would rather sing His praises than sing my own praises.

I would rather pray for others to be healed than to pray for myself to be healed.

I would rather live with nothing and know I am saved than live with everything and not know Him.

I would rather be loud in my faith than be quiet in the corner.

I would rather carry my cross than let someone else carry it for me.

I would rather walk uphill to my reward than be given it without work.

I would rather love than hate.

I would rather have peace in my God than be lost without Him.

What would you rather be or do or see or hear today? Peace and God Bless.

Walking in the light

It is wonderful to walk in the light of day and see all the beauty that God has made, the trees, the sky, the people. 1 John 1:6-7 says "If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." Walking in the light, walking in God can be a hard thing. If we want to walk in the light we have to love our brothers. If we say we walk in the light but harbor hatred to our brothers then we are really walking in darkness. Being in the light is a great feeling. I love the sunshine, I love seeing all that God made. Walking in the light of God though is the greatest feeling in the world. God is light, God is love and His love is so amazing. His light is so amazing. In Him there is no darkness. Will you walk in the light of God today? Peace and God Bless.

Stumbling on the path of Righteousness

"Father please forgive me for I cannot compose the fear that lives within me or that rate at which it grows. If struggle has a purpose on the narrow road you carved why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar. Do they see the fear in my eyes? Are they so revealing? This time I cannot disguise all the doubt I'm feeling. What if I stumble? What if I fall? What if I lose my way and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble, and what if I fall?"- What if I Stumble by DC Talk.

These words struck a note with me tonight as I was listening to them on the drive home.  So much so that I put the song on repeat and probably heard it 8 or 9 times on my drive.  I think that this is a great concern to all Christians...What if I stumble or fall on the path of righteousness?  What if I lose my way in this crazy world? And why am I so afraid of the struggle that might lie on the path that God has set out for me? 

On the topic of fear, there are several verses in the Bible about conquering fear.  Psalm 23:4 says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me." Isaiah 41:13 says "For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."  Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you."  Psalm 21:7 says "The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?"  Hebrews 13:6 says "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Also, every time an angel came and appeared or the voice of God spoke to someone it always started with "Fear not" or "Do not be afraid."  There are more than 300 verses in the Bible that deal with fear and in one simple phrase they say, "Do not be afraid."  God is there for us and He will never leave us so with God we should have no fear.  But we are human, and as humans we do have fear.

So what happens when we stumble and fall?  God is there to catch us.  We will constantly fall, as babies do when they first learn to walk because we are human, we are sinners and we have all fallen short of the glory of God.  But when we fall we have to get right back up and keep going.  The path is narrow, the path is difficult, it's not lined with gold and the going will never be easy but...we will keep going, we will persevere, we will be victorious and we will praise God with every breathe we take.  When we stumble, pray.  When we fall, pray.  When we fear, pray. And God will listen, comfort and guide us down the narrow road he carved.  Peace and God Bless.

What instrument do you play?

Psalm 100:1 says "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth."  God wants us to praise Him, God wants us to make joyful noise to Him.  This noise doesn't have to be a singing because not everyone can or wants to sing, and it doesn't have to be with a musical instrument because not all of us can play a musical instrument.  God just wants us to make joyful noise, that can be through spoken word or a poem or even through prayer.  I know someone who can't carry a tune in a bucket but get that person talking and the noise for God is amazing.  God wants to use us to be instruments for Him.  Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed you in the the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."  Before God formed us He chose us, for a special purpose, for a special reason.  God wants to use us for something special, if we will let Him.  Not everyone chooses to believe in God and chooses to follow the will of God for themselves.  Some people live by their own rules, make their own way and that hurts God because God wants us to make this world a better place for Him.  God created this world and we, as humans, messed it up.  But there is redemption.  We can change this world.  We can make this world great again if we let God use us as instruments for His glory.  If we choose to live by God and let God live in us and through us then He will help us make a joyful noise in this world to Him.  It doesn't matter what instrument you play because you have to be the instrument that God uses.  You the person...so what instrument will you play today? Peace and God Bless

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?

I think many people today know who Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is.  He played football at University of Miami, was "The Rock" in the WWE and went on to a successful career in acting.  But this isn't The Rock I'm talking about.  The Rock I'm talking about is God.  In 2 Samuel 22:2-4 David sings this song of praise to the Rock after he is delivered from his enemies and the hands of Saul.  "He said: The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior; you have saved me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." Have you ever sang this song to God, the Rock, when you have been saved from your enemies? Have you ever asked God to save you from your enemies?  Do you know who your enemies are?  Maybe your enemies are less like those that David faced in his time.  Maybe your enemy isn't a giant Philistine or a jealous king, but maybe it's an addiction or a lack of faith or crimes you have committed or really anything that doesn't bring glory to God.  I have prayed to God to help deliver me from my enemies, and sometimes God has, and sometimes God hasn't or at least didn't in the time that I thought He should.  See God works in His own time and not on our schedule.  When God cooks, sometimes its quick in the microwave and sometimes it's a slow process over a small flame.  If you have smelled what God is cooking, eternal life, beauty and wonderful praises, it smells like nothing you could ever bring words to describe.  I have smelled what God is cooking and I still smell it right now.  God's blessings are wonderful but you have to believe and you have to smell.  Do you smell what God the Rock is cooking? Peace and God Bless.

When Animals Attack: Bible Edition

When Animals Attack....what a great show that was.  For those not familiar they would show clips of animals attacking humans...ok, so maybe it wasn't a great show, maybe it was kinda morbid.  Did you know that When Animals Attack originated in the Bible?! Yep, it did.  In Exodus, God sends plagues of locusts and frogs on the people in Egypt because Pharaoh won't let the Israelites out of slavery.  But today I want to look at a verse that many have probably not read in a while.  Today's blog is brought to you by the youth of Woodhaven Baptist Church because we read this verse last night.  2 Kings 2:23-25 "Now Elisha went up to Bethel; and while he was going up some boys came out of the city and jeered him, saying 'Go away baldhead! Go away, baldhead!' When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty two of the boys. From there he went to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria." Okay, so first things first, who is Elisha? Elisha was Elijah's right hand man. He was a disciple of Elijah and traveled with him.  When Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha became the accepted leader of the prophets in Israel and according to 2 Kings 5:8 was the "prophet of Israel."   Okay now that we know that Elisha was a prophet and a man of God, what can this verse teach us? One, it's not nice to jeer and mock someone, especially a prophet of God.  Two, bald people can have great power. Three, God doesn't like it when we jeer other people, as witnessed by forty two of the boys who were mocking Elisha as they were mauled by bears.  Four, God is awesome (seeing as how he sent out two bears as a curse on the boys.)  To summarize, Never mock a bald man of God or else he might curse you in the name of God and you could get eaten by a bear.  So remember be nice to bald people, or get eaten.  Peace and God Bless.

What does Love look like?

Love can be defined as an intense feeling of deep affection; a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another; a feeling of warm personal attachment as toward a friend, child, spouse or family member.  Love is the thing that helps you overcome fear and turns your dreams into reality.  Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.  Love never ends."  What is interesting is the word that Paul uses for love...Agape.  God's love. This isn't a sappy romantic love, this is a powerful, never ending love that God has for all people because all of us are created in His image and all of us are children of God.  Love looks like God, love is God and God is love.  Therefore we are called to love others as God has loved us.  God was willing to let His Son die on the cross, the ultimate sign of love, and He wants us to love the same way.  What Paul is saying in Corinthians is that God's love is patient, as God is patient; God's love is kind and not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude, just as God.  It does not insist on its own way and neither does God.  God gives us the freedom to choose the things we want.  Do we want niceness and goodness? Are we out just for ourselves and we want fame and fortune? Do we wish to serve God and let God live through us?  If God wanted to He could pull the strings on the marionette that we call earth and this thing we call life but that's not what God wants.  God wants a personal, intimate, loving relationship with all of us, if we are willing and if we want the same thing.  Love looks like the wonder and power and loving relationship with our Lord.  At least that's what love looks like to me.  What does love look like to you? Peace and God Bless.

What does Faith look like?

Faith can be defined as complete trust or confidence in someone or something; allegiance to a duty or a person; loyalty; a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion.  Faith is what we have in something we can't physically touch.  Faith is the foundation, the roots, of our being.  Faith is what keeps up going when things are bleak, when there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  Faith is the thing that lets us take the first step.  Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  In Matthew 17 a man brings his son who suffers from epilepsy to the disciples and asks them to heal him.  The disciples cannot and Jesus asks for the boy to be brought to him and rebukes the demon and the boy is cured.  The disciples ask Jesus why they could not cast out the demon.  "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith.  For truly I tell you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you," (Matthew 17:20).  Do you have any idea how big a mustard seed is?  Well its tiny.  What Jesus is saying is that with even a little faith you can move mountains and nothing is impossible.  With the smallest of faith in God, you can slay a giant, you can part a sea, you can be delivered from the sins of this world and given eternal life in Jesus.  There is a man who is in prison because of his faith.  His name is Youcef Nadarkhani and he may be executed in Iran for being a Christian and registering his church.  For him faith is more real than anything imaginable.  He has faith, he has hope, he has the love of Christ flowing through him.  What does faith look like?  It looks like Youcef Nadarkhani.  Does it look like you? Peace and God Bless.

What does Hope look like?

What is hope? Hope can be defined as the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled; a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  Hope is what can get us through the day, through the times of hardship when things looks bleakest.  The Bible gives us several examples of hope.  John 3:16- For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  This is a great example of hope.  Hope looks like eternal life through Jesus Christ.  In Exodus the Jews are being held in captivity as slaves.  Things are bleak, things are at their lowest point so far for the people of Israel.  Then God sends Moses and Aaron and they demand that Pharaoh let their people go.  At first it seems like things are still bleak but the people have hope that Moses and Aaron through the will of God can convince Pharaoh to release them from captivity.  Then after several plagues the people of Israel were led out of slavery in Egypt.  Hope looks like deliverance.  Noah was approached by God and told to build an ark, and to take into that ark two of every type of animal on the earth along with his family because God was going to "blot out from the land the people I have created--people along with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."-Genesis 6:7. But God saved Noah, and He saved two of every creature on the earth.  After forty days and forty nights of rain and then several more months for the waters to subside Noah opened the ark and let everyone and everything out to the dry ground.  Hope looks like redemption in God.

There can also current instances of hope.  When my wife and I first tried to get pregnant we spent two years being unsuccessful.  We went to some of the best doctors in the country who all told us that barring a miracle or using fertility drugs we would not get pregnant.  We took it to God, through prayer and left it in His hands.  Now we are expecting our first child in just a few weeks.  For me Hope looks like new life.  Peace and God Bless.

I sucked my thumb in public and 5 other reasons I am a Freak

Okay so the last time I sucked my thumb in public was probably when I was like 4.  And no that does not make me a freak, because I am not talking about your typical freak but the world of freaks like me, Jesus Freaks. I, hopefully like most of you reading, am a freak for Jesus and here's why:

5. Jesus showed us the way to live and the way to love.  Jesus lived with the poorest of the poor.  Why? Because He chose them.  He could have lived like a King but He lived like a slave and like the least among us.  In Matthew 22:36 Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment in the law is and He replies "Love your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself."  This is awesome.  It is summed up that the way to live is love and the way to love is to love God with every part of your being and to love your neighbor the same way!!

4. Jesus walked on water.  Yeah, he did it.  Matthew 14:25-27: And early in the morning He came walking toward them on the sea.  But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified saying "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said "Take heart it is I; do not be afraid!"  This is one of the many signs that are written about that let you know that Jesus is Lord.  He is the power forever and ever.  Plus you have to admit, walking on water is pretty cool, and "freaky.

3. Jesus turned water into wine.  No this isn't Chris Angel, this was real.  In John 2:1-10 Jesus is in Cana of Galilee and is attending a wedding when the wedding runs out of wine.  Jesus instructs that six stone water jars are filled with water and he turns it into wine.  And not just any wine but the good wine.  The chief steward doesn't know where it came from but says that usually they serve the good wine first and the bad wine later but that this wine, the wine Jesus turned from water, is the good wine.  This was the first sign that Jesus gave to His disciples that He was the Son of God.  Today we can see some really neat "tricks" or "magic" but this was real.  This was "freak"y.

2. Jesus raised someone from the dead.  I am a fan of zombie movies, but this is not what Jesus created.  He literally took a dead man, Lazarus, and brought him back to life. Lazarus had grown ill.  Jesus and his disciples were travelling when they got word of Lazarus being ill.  Lazarus died and Jesus went to see Martha and Mary, who were Lazarus' sisters.  Jesus asked them if they believed in Him and if they thought that Lazarus would rise again.  They said yes that when the last days came that Lazarus would rise again.  Jesus asked them to take Him to where Lazarus had been placed.  Now remember he had been dead for four days.  Jesus told them to move the stone away from the entrance to the tomb.  Then Jesus thanks God for hearing him and says in a loud voice Lazarus come out!  And out came Lazarus.  Alive...pretty awesome and probably a little "freak"y.

1. The number one reason I am a Jesus Freak is because He died on the cross so that He could save me.  That is the most awesome sing of love in the world.  Nothing will ever compare to the suffering that He endured because He was a freak for me, you and the whole world.  If for no other reason you should be a Jesus Freak for this.  Jesus died for me and I would die for Him.

I am a Jesus Freak.  Will you be one with me? Peace and God Bless.

A Disciple For Jesus

I heard something again this morning and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I know that many of you may have heard this before but this morning for some reason it is very powerful for me.  I would like to thank @PastorPaul (twitter) for sharing the link that helped me hear this:

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.  The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.  The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.  My past is redeemed.  My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised or rewarded.  I live by faith, lean of His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer and labor by Holy Spirit power.  My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way rough and my companions few but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.  I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.  I won't give up, shut up or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and preached up for the cause of Christ.  I AM a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He won't have any problems recognizing me because my colors are clear! I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS!!

Take Up Your Cross

Jesus tells us in four passages in the Gospels to take up your cross and follow Him.  Matthew 10:38 and 16:24, Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23- Then He said to them all "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."  The verse in Luke is particularly powerful as it includes the word daily.  Jesus tells us that to follow Him we must deny ourselves.  How do we do that?  First we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and then we let Christ live through us, we live for Christ instead of for ourselves.  This is a hard thing to do when the world around us is filled with things to worship, whether its money or respect or celebrity, whatever, there are many distractions in this world that make it hard to live for Christ.  Next Jesus tells us that to follow Him we must take up our cross daily.  How do we do that?  Again we live for Christ, we love for Christ and as Christ loved us, we share our faith and wear Jesus on our sleeve as we go through each day.  This again is a hard thing to do, with work or school and trying to fit in or not buck the status quo.  But remember Jesus didn't fit in, He ate with prostitutes and outsiders, He overturned the merchants in the temple, He questioned the status quo.  So, how do we know if we are ready to follow Christ, to take up our cross?  Ask yourself some questions:

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means possibly losing some of your closest friends?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means possible alienation from your family?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means you could lose your job?
Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means you could lose your life?

If you can answer those questions with a resounding Yes, then you are ready to take up your cross and follow Him. Peace and God Bless

Never Forget, Never Forgotten

Today is the day before the ten year anniversary of one of the worst tragedies that ever happened on American soil.  It is a moment that has defined my generation.  The question of my parents generation was "Where were you when JFK was shot?"  My generation is "Where were you on 9/11?"  I was at work, the phone rang and I was told that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.  My first thought was wow a small plane hit the World Trade Center, that's terrible.  I walked back to the break room, closed the door and turned on the tv.  As the screen came on I watched in horror as the second plane hit the World Trade Center.  I was dumbfounded.  I didn't know what to say or what to do.  This was no small plane, this was a jet, a jet like those I had flown on before.  Before the day was over, I had seen the towers fall, the Pentagon get hit by a jet and heard that a jet had crashed when the passengers decided to take the situation into their own hands and foil the plans of the hijackers.  It is one of the hardest things to comprehend, that a tragedy of this nature could happen in America, in New York City or Washington, DC.  In the days that followed Americans were stunned, heroes were born and heroes died.  The response of America was one of great unity.  It was amazing to see all the American flags flying from cars or on houses.  But within that unity came a great anger, an anger that made some Muslims in America fearful to leave their homes to go to the grocery store or to work or just to get gas, for fear that there would be retribution.  Some Americans judged all Muslims by the work of a few radicals.  There have been many radicals in Christianity as well, take for instance the Crusades, where Christians killed people in the name of God.  There are radical Christians in America right now, take Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas and Fred Phelps (his website and that of the church is godhatesfags.com which I think says it all).  I am not judging these radical Christians, or radical Muslims, or radical Jews or radical Atheists...What I am saying is that we should remember what Paul wrote in Romans 13 "Love your neighbor as yourself."  This may be the hardest thing to comprehend.  God wants us to love everyone.  God loved Osama bin-Laden, God loves Fred Phelps, God loves me and God loves you.  God loved the hijackers, the victims, the heroes.  God will judge them all, as God will judge us all when we see Him.  I know it's hard to understand because we are human and no matter how hard we try we will always judge people and we won't, no matter how hard we try be able to always love our neighbors as we do ourselves.  So as we move from today into tomorrow I think we should pray for the victims, their families, the heroes.  We should also pray for the families of the hijackers and al-Qaeda, pray for them to Love their neighbors as they do themselves.  Never forget what happened, never forgotten are the ones who lost their lives.  Peace and God Bless

A Prayer for today

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to us so that we could be saved and have eternal life with You. Thank you for giving us the blessings of life and love, the ability to love others and show others Your love for them. Thank you for being You. Peace and God Bless

Are You Someone Worth Dying For?

Am I more than flesh and bone
Am I really something beautiful
Yeah, I wanna believe, I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
That you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I wanna believe, Jesus help me believe that I
Am someone worth dying for...

These lyrics are from the song "Someone Worth Dying For" by Mikeschair.  If you haven't heard the song you should really listen to it, what a powerful message.  The question that many of us have asked in our own lives, are we worth dying for?  The answer is Yes!! Jesus died for all of us, everyone in the whole world, that includes everyone, the poor, the homeless, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, everyone.  Jesus loves us all and died so that we could all have eternal life and join Him in paradise.  In Luke 23 we see Jesus on the cross, with two criminals being crucified next to him, one on the right and one on the left.  "One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying 'Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!' But the other rebuked him saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.' He replied, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.' Luke 23:39-43.  Jesus died for the criminal that asked Jesus to remember Him when He entered into his kingdom...and He died for the criminal that mocked him.  Jesus died for us all so yes We are all someone worth dying for.  Peace and God Bless.

Rules and Love

This week I have been preparing a Sunday School lesson for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade youth at my church.  The lesson is on Romans 13:8-14, where Paul lays out the "rules" of the Ten Commandments and sums them up with "Love your neighbor as yourself."  It got me to thinking about rules that my parents made for me when I was younger.  At the time I thought my parents were mean or that they were controlling or sometimes they were just downright wrong.  Most of the rules centered about what I was not to do, "Don't stay out past 10pm, Don't drive downtown its dangerous, Do your homework," etc, etc.  All of us can relate to these rules from when we were younger and hopefully most of us now understand that those rules weren't a list of don'ts but really were created to keep us safe and were created out of love.  Now that I'm a parent I see that many, okay to be honest probably all, of the rules my parents created were out of love and concern.  As a parent I feel like I still give my kids a list of don'ts, and sometimes I get that look of "well, is there anything I can do?!" I stop to reassure my kids that really this is out of love and concern.  When I tell them don't go out in the road or don't swing that stick at your sister, it's because I love them.  Maybe my parents were right after all...yes Mom and Dad I think you might have been right after all.  Peace and God Bless.

Rocks and Sand

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house of rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was its fall."-Matthew 7:24-27

I was reminded of this passage this week as we dealt with Hurricane Irene and the flooding and devastation that she brought.  When we build a house we want it to have a good and strong foundation because if it does not have a good foundation it will crumble and fall and we will lose everything.  It is the same with Christ.  Since we seek eternal life in the glory of God we need a good foundation which is Christ.  When we build our house (our life) in Christ and on Christ then we are built on the rock and have a solid foundation to weather the storms that life will bring.  However, if we build our house (our life) on sand, like money or fame or drugs or any other thing that is not Christ Jesus, then our foundation is shaky and weak and when the storms of life inevitably come we will be lost and we will lose everything.  Like Jesus says, it is "a foolish man who built his house on sand."  Who will you be today, will you be like the wise man and build your house on the rock of Jesus or like a foolish man and build it on the sand of the world?  "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," Joshua 24:15. Peace and God Bless

The Dojo of God

Yes that's right the dojo of God.  One of my favorite movies of all time is The Karate Kid, no not the one with Jaden Smith, but the 1984 classic with Ralph Macchio.  One of my favorite scenes is when Daniel and Mr. Miyagi walk into the Cobra Kai dojo and John Kreese, played by Martin Kove, is talking to his class of students.  He says, "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it? Pain does not exist in this dojo does it? Defeat does not exist in this dojo does it?" Now it goes on from there but I want to focus on those lines.  John Kreese is trying to get his students not to show mercy but I want to take it in another direction.  God has a dojo.  If we believe in Jesus as our Saviour then we will get to God's dojo.  It's a place where fear, pain and defeat truly does not exist.  It is eternal life in heaven with God.  When we get to heaven there will no longer be any fear because we will be with our Creator.  There will be no pain because He will take it from us and there will never be defeat.  We cannot lose with God.  We cannot lose when we get to heaven.  In the Bible when angels appear to people they say "Fear not."  I have no fear with Christ, I know that one day I will not feel pain because I am part of the body of Christ, and I will not be defeated by death but will live eternally with God in heaven.  Fear does not exist in God's dojo does it, pain does not exist in God's dojo does it and defeat does not exist in God's dojo does it? Peace and God Bless.

Luke 12:48

I know I said earlier in the day on Facebook that today's blog would be about 2 Timothy 2:11-13 but then I ran across this scripture on a twitter profile of an mma fighter that I follow and it kinda hit me that maybe this is what I should talk about today.  "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required." This scripture got me to thinking about what God has given us.  He gave us His Son, Jesus, so that we would be saved and could live eternally through Him and to glorify Him.  He gave us everlasting life but what is required to receive that? Belief in Jesus Christ, plain and simple.  It goes beyond that though, we have to let Christ live in us.We have to let Christ work through us and we have to let Him lead us.  Remember He is the way, not a way but THE way. In Christ all things are possible and in Him we can receive much, but remember He requires much in return.  James 2:17 says "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." Christ calls us to have faith and to show that faith through our daily lives.  You can't just accept Christ and not let him live in you.  Always have faith. Peace and God Bless.

Distractions

As I sit here writing this I am getting ready to go to work, the tv is on and my phone will not stop ringing...ah, the distractions in this world.  There are many things in this world that can distract us from God and listening to and for God.  Whether it's the tv, the phone, or even work, we have to make time for God each day.  I don't mean penciling him into our already busy lives but stepping away from the business, stress and distractions of our lives and deliberately seeking God each and every day.  Make it a plan in your life to deliberately make time to pray, listen and go to God.  Peace and God bless.

If only my one heart...

If only my one heart
Was all you'd gain from all it cost
Well I know, you would have still been a man
With a reason
To willingly offer your life

What a great lyric from Sea of Faces by Kutless.  I love this lyric (and the song, and the band).  It makes me think though.  Jesus died for all of us, so that we could have eternal life and salvation from our sins but would He have given it all if it would have only been for one person?  The answer is an easy and resounding YES!  It's amazing but true that Jesus would have sacrificed himself for just one of us.  That brings an interesting question, what would you be willing to sacrifice for one person?  Would you give your life for one person?  It's easy to say yes, of course I would, but when you really stop and think it's not that easy a question.  Hopefully all of us can say yes I would for my spouse, children, parents, or relatives and hopefully for most of our true friends. But would you die for a stranger? What would you sacrifice for a stranger? Would you give your clothes, your food, your home?  Jesus died for strangers...true God knows all of us and Jesus is part of the Trinity...but Jesus didn't physically meet everyone He died for.  Jesus willingly gave his life for us.  I would challenge you to think about what you would sacrifice for a complete stranger and think in the context of what Jesus calls us to do.  "Then the king will say to those at his right hand 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? and when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Matthew 25:34-40.  Peace and God bless.

How do you serve God?

I had a very interesting and wonderful conversation today.  In it we talked about how fewer and fewer of our young people are feeling a call to full time Christian ministry and why that may be.  In talking about this I thought back to my childhood and teenage years.  I grew up in the church and recently made public my call to Christian ministry.  But thinking about my childhood and time in my church youth group I realized that the subject of Christian ministry wasn't talked about much.  As I became and junior and senior in high school the questions that I was asked were basically, "What are you going to be? Where are you going to college? What do you want to be after college?"  There were few questions about how what I was going to be or what I was going to do would truly serve God.  Not saying those questions were wrong but they got me thinking, should we be asking different questions of our young people?  When children get to high school they are guided by counselors to choose a path for their life based on test scores and grades.  We are asking 17 and 18 year olds to make decisions on what they are going to do with the rest of their lives when they haven't yet grown enough to know what to expect from life.  I think that maybe instead of asking "What are you going to do?" or "What are you going to be?" we should be asking "How will you serve God?"  Maybe when we talk to young people and they say, "Well, I want to go to college and become an accountant" we should ask "Is that what you feel God leading you to?" or "In what ways can you serve God in that career?" I'm not saying that everyone should go in to full time Christian ministry because we still need doctors, lawyers, accountants, car mechanics, pilots and every other vocation and career in the world but what we need to ask ourselves daily is "How do I serve God?"

Peace and God Bless

I created this blog as a place for everyone, Christians and non-Christians, to discuss topics that may range from favorite Bible verses to interesting questions to breaking news stories and newsworthy material.  I want to write about the things that I am thinking about and generate good and helpful discussions on these topics.  I want to caution everyone that some topics may be sensitive to some groups of people and to remind people that everyone is entitled to their own individual opinion.  Most of the topics discussed here will not have right and wrong answers, therefore I expect everyone to respect everyone's opinions regarding each subject.  I hope that many of you will enjoy this blog and interact with it.  Peace and God Bless.