Life comes at us. Its relentless at times. Fast and furious at times and what we all share in common is the way we deal with it and its victories and defeats. Some people do pretty good at, others utterly fail at it. Still others turn to alcohol and drugs to numb themselves to it. Some try self-help books and others the newest book on human psychology. So is there an answer? Each one of us has to find their own way. The way I chose is Jesus. In the Bible Jesus says, “I am the Way……” I have found many answers, much inspiration, purpose and meaning in trusting Jesus with my life in this increasingly crazy world we live in. It isn’t magic and it doesn’t happen over night. Its a long journey in which I am still traveling as I write these words. I think differently, see differently and feel differently since I began this journey. I make it a point to pursue Jesus everyday through learning about who he is and what he is about. I just keep trusting him with my days (which is hard for me because I am a control freak) and just trying to let go, Below are some of the books that I truly believe in.

The Holy Bible

One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian

Faith That Matters by Fredrick Buechner and others

Have a great week and remember there can by Joy in the Journey….Find your way. God Bless you.

Without Christ, when death comes, there is nothing but hell and all its horror. In Jesus Christ there is nothing but eternity with God and all its joy. The eternal contrast is as black and white as that. Don’t believe any other gray message. When we accept the Savior’s death as death on our behalf, then our final twilight and midnight will be turned to a joyous morning that will never end.

Who does Jesus love……All of us. Everyone, especially those who don’t feel worthy of his love. Following are some of the lyrics from Zack William’s song “Jesus Loves” that identify those people He loves…..Renegades, Rebels, Runaways, Prodigals, Backsliders, up all nighters, Down in a rut, Bruised and battered, Barely hanger oners, Heartbroken, Lonely, souls sitting all alone, Outcast, Stuck in their past, Scared of letting go, All the too proud, The holier than thou, High and mighty, fallen from grace trying to get started again……These are the ones Jesus loves

Get the picture. The door is open and Jesus’s arms are too. A seat at His table is waiting and Jesus saved it just for you. You don’t have to be enough to be someone Jesus Loves. Don’t have to beg Him for His grace. Don’t have to argue for His acceptance. Jesus Love You…..Believe it. Well done Zack Williams…..AMEN

Our faith does not demand us to be perfect. We are going to make mistakes, say the wrong things at times, do the wrong things at times, etc. Of course it would be better for us if we listened to what Jesus is encouraging us to say and do because it will make our lives better. It will make us better and give us hope and a future. What God really wants from us is our hearts. He wants us to have faith, to believe in him and his word. He wants us to trust him. To be still and know that he is God. To be the branch on the vine. To stay attached. There were a lot of ‘Bad Boys’ in the Bible that Jesus used to do great things. And I think the more one grows closer to Jesus the less ‘sinning’ he probably does. But we will never be perfect and there is no condemnation in Jesus. He is all good. People just put words in his mouth and say things that are not true and all of the sudden people get negative attitudes towards him. Like I said before, we need to just have faith and believe. Personally, he is everything to me.

God Bless you and have a great week.

One of the greatest and well known scriptures in the Bible is 1Corinthians 13. Verses 4-7 goes as follows, “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 wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth…..” So if we can be patient, kind, and not envious or boastful or arrogant etc., then God will find our actions Godly. Writer Dallas Willard has a little bit different idea on what’s being said here, Willard feels that what is being said is “that it is Love that does these things, not us, and that what we are to do is to ‘purse love’. As we ‘catch’ love, we then find that these things are after all actually being done by us. These things, these Godly actions are the result of dwelling in Love”. Thus we become these admirable traits or behaviors.

Thank you Dallas Willard for once again shedding new light on centuries old writings—-The Holy Scriptures. They are the writings that just keep on giving. Amen

God Bless You and I hope we all “catch” some love this week.

God loves us with an immeasurable and unconditional love demonstrated by his sacrifice on the cross to atone for our failures (sins). He loves us despite our imperfections and sins. And this one-way love extends to the day we die and after. If we will just believe this. In another words, do we believe it? Our answer to this question is everything. How can something so simple (just believing) be so hard. We the people simply try to find every reason to not believe this. Churches and other religions (even bad Christianity) tell us we have to do certain things and meet certain requirements to gain God’s favor…….not true. Jesus is the Way and the Truth. Just believe this. Everything else is clutter.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy and my burden is light.

One of the greatest and well known scriptures in the Bible is 1Corinthians 13. Verses 4-7 goes as follows, “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 wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth…..” So if we can be patient, kind, and not envious or boastful or arrogant etc., then God will find our actions Godly. Writer Dallas Willard has a little bit different idea on what’s being said here, Willard feels that what is being said is “that it is Love that does these things, not us, and that what we are to do is to ‘purse love’. As we ‘catch’ love, we then find that these things are after all actually being done by us. These things, these Godly actions are the result of dwelling in Love”. Thus we become these admirable traits or behaviors.

Thank you Dallas Willard for once again shedding new light on centuries old writings—-The Holy Scriptures. They are the writings that just keep on giving. Amen

God Bless You and I hope we all “catch” some love this week.

Success is never final, failure is never fatal, its courage that counts.

So what is courage?

Rudyard Kipling writes that courage is “filling the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run”.

Henri J.M. Nouwen writes “the word courage comes from the latin word ‘cor’ , which means ‘heart’. Heart in this instance refers the center of your being, the center of all thoughts, feelings, passions and decisions”. Thus a courageous life is a life lived from the center. In the Bible scripture from 1corinthians 16:13 tells us to “Be on our guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

We are all somebody. We all have a purpose. We all need to believe that we count. We need to have hope. That God has plans for us. God does not throw away anybody. We need to be courageous and stand by God’s word in the Bible that encourages us to live the life that God has chosen for us.

Be Strong and Courageous this week as you begin this new month……..God Bless you.

What are teenagers like? What drives them. I was one once long ago. I think we all are trying to find ourselves in these years, looking for our identity. Teens are kinda wild and crazy. Quiet sometimes, rebellious at other times. But I think, like myself, we are looking for “who are we?”. And you know what, as an older adult I feel like I’m still looking. However, since I have found Jesus I think I have found my identity. It’s in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I have much more peace and understanding of myself and the world around me through my relationship with Jesus. He has opened my eyes to who I really am and what the world is really like. I feel at peace now. But I have much more ahead of me. I am not finished or do I have all the answers. Everyday can be a beautiful mystery if I will only “be still and know that Jesus is God”. That’s what I want to do and that’s who I want to follow.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.

America is the one nation in this world founded under God with “liberty and justice for all.” Yet the citizens of this great country are going astray. Why? Well’ I can tell you America is not the problem and God is not the problem. We the people are the problem. We the people blame all our problems on our country and our God. Well, I have news for you….America and God are not the problem. God has never been the problem. We Are! We the people rant and blame God for all the problems that we have because we don’t want to own up to our own sins. Its human nature…….Bleme God for our failures. But it doesn’t work and we know better. The truth is that this country has been greatly diminished as has God. Jesus in the Bible says, “I am the way and the Truth…..Its time we really start believing this and turn our Hearts toward God.

John 14:6 – Jesus anwered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”