I was reading the book “The Ragamuffin Gospel” and was convicted by the author Brendan Manning’s words on the subject of self-hatred and a person’s own contempt. Manning believes that self-hatred is an enormous obstacle to loving other people. He says that we dislike others not because we love ourselves too much, but because we are not able to love ourselves enough. I believe that. In my life I see people everyday including myself that do not love themselves enough. Of course we act like we got it all together. But when things fall apart we feel unloved and unworthy. We “hide behind anger, sarcasm, or judgementalism because we are convinced that we don’t measure up ourselves”. We are not enough. Today and this week is a good time to start believing that Jesus “appreciates you for wanting Him. That He appreciates you “for giving comfort to another person….for pausing to smile at one of His children…and for learning more about Him”. In Jesus’s World, we are more than enough.

I think it is critical for people, including myself, love not only our neighbors, but ourselves. We all count. Our lives can have purpose. No matter how broken our lives are today we can begin to piece them back together thru our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, He loves us in spite of ourselves. He loves us more than we love ourselves….Amen

God Bless You and have a great week…….

Don’t lean on your own understanding. I admit that there is much about Jesus that I don’t understand. There is much about the Bible I don’t understand. God is Big, really Big ….I am believing in something that is unbelieveable. I really don’t get how really awesome God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are. I am Believing in the God of a universe that I don’t come close to understanding. When I was teaching biology I taught kids about the human eye. Just the eye is a great witness to God. Charles Darwin in his famous book “The Origin of Species” said this….”To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus of different distances, for admitting different amounts of light and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree”.

Jesus came to free us of our sins. He died for us. I guess I am kind of like the blind man who, when asked how Jesus healed him and restored his eye sight, said….”all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.” Thats what my faith is like. I don’t need all the answers. It is simple, “I was blind now I can see.

1cor. 13:12…For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Have a great week and God Bless You……

It is by Grace you have been saved through faith—-and this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God——not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do….Ephesians 2:8-10

Why do most of us have a problem with this free gift from God? Why is it offensive to us? According to writer Tullian Tchividjian the logic of Grace is deeply offensive to our law-locked hearts. Jesus says, “of course you don’t deserve it, but I’m giving it to you anyway”. We wonder…….What is this really about? What’s the catch? This is too good to be true” Grace violates our deepsest sense of justice and rightness. So we choose death over freedom out of fear of losing control. Grace is hard to accept by most of us, if not impossible. Its too good to be true. So we, you and I, continue to resist God’s one way love and miss God’s most precious gift……His son Jesus, crucified on the cross for our sins.

John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God Bless You and have a great week…

What did Jesus die for? Singer/songwriter Twila Paris addressed this question in her 1994 song, “What did He die for”. She sang, “What did he die for, when he died for you and me. Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free. I believe that we will answer each to heaven, for the way we spend a priceless liberty. Look inside and ask the question…what did he die for when he died for me.”

I believe that Jesus is exactly who he says He is and did exactly what the Bible and history said He did. Now each of us must look inside ourselves and see where we stand with Jesus and just as importantly we need to find out who Jesus is. We need to pursue knowledge about the real Jesus because believe me there are a lot of false teachings and information about Jesus.

God Bless You in your pursuits………..

John 4:6 – I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life……….

If someone asks me why I believe in God(Jesus) my simple reply is because “He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…..Jn 14:6. Jesus has shown me that I am broken….a sinner and thats not a negative thing all the time. It can be a positive. The more I learn about who I am and who Jesus is the more liberating it is. Jesus sets me free from the bondage of sin. I’m not perfect, sinless and never will be. But I now have a God that has a plan for me far, far, better than anything I could have done on my own. I Believe! Jesus is taking me somewhere that is beyond my understanding and He asks only that I trust and abide in him. Everyday can be something new. Although I still have my ups and downs, hit a lot of bumps, think and do some stupid things along the way , I now have a God that loves me in spite of myself. His grace and unconditional love is beyond my understanding and thats alright with me. I don’t have to know or have answers for everything. I just need to abide in Jesus and trust him that everything will work for my good. I guess I am saying just hang on and enjoy the ride….And BTW, the greatest book that has every been written with answers to all that troubles mankind is the Holy Bible. Might be good to take a look at it for answers. Jesus and his Word, an unbeatable combination.

Be Still And Know That I Am God……..Psalms 46:10

Have a Blessed week!

The following is written by author Max Lucado.

Grace is a testimony to divine, unexpected, unrequested, undeserved kindness. Do you know such grace. Grace is God as Grand Marshal, leading His ever-swelling parade of has beens and never-weres out of halfway houses and prisons and into His palace. God’s Grace isn’t available just on Sundays. It claims every tick of the clock. God’s Grace isn’t only as good as you are. God’s Grace is as good as He is. God’s Grace is a tiger in your heart. God’s grace did not happen one time, long ago. God’s Grace happens now, today. To anyone who’ll so much as give God a prayer. His grace never Quits…….AMEN

Grace is God’s generosity and kindness in providing what we don’t deserve, particularly in the context of salvation.

I think we all still vastly underestimate the message of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus is the single greatest and meaningful event in human history. The story of Jesus is mind boggling. The message of Easter is that God’s New World has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that we are invited to belong to.

Happy Resurrection Sunday.

In sports we talk a lot about events that are “game changers”. In history we also look at events that have changed history. The greatest of these in all of time was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we celebrate as Easter. Many, many, people still don’t get the significance of this event. From a faith and spiritual standpoint the death and resurrection of Jesus was the biggest “game changer” in his and our stories. It ushered in forgiveness, grace and unconditional love for all that call upon the name of the Lord. The song Amazing Grace says it all with these words…” Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found t’was blind but now I see”.

John 11: 25-26……I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

HE HAS RISEN!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound……We need Grace, lots and lots of Grace and unconditional love. All day long we get bombarded with bad news. People need good news. The best news is that there is a God, his name is Jesus and he loves us always and unconditionally. We need to look at the glass as half full again. We need to be good honest role models for our children and full of unconditional love. We need to introduce them to Jesus and let them run with it. Give them hope everyday. If we fail, get up and try again. Don’t be a spectator. But get into the game and play. Wake up each day with renewed hope that we can find peace and happiness in this world on this day thru our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just remember, “He who has health has hope; He who has hope has everything.

Have a great week and remember that Jesus is not the enemy. God Bless!

Is God really working in our lives? Does He really have plans for us? There are many scriptures in the Bible that point to God working to give us purpose and meaning in our lives everyday. Its not just about our salvation that God cares about, but also our everyday lives and our existence on earth daily. Below are just 5 scriptures from the Holy Bible that point to God’s love and caring for us. There are many others.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Romans 8:28 – ” And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose”.

Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 57:2 – “I cry out to God most high, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.”

Ephesians 1:11 – “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Do You Believe This?