It's true that God really does make all things new again in our lives- even when really bad things happen!

because our God is loving and merciful.
79 He will give light to those who live in the dark
and in death’s shadow.
He will guide us into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78

It isn't until you reach the top of that hair-raising climb when you can really enjoy the view. Anyone who lives near mountains can certainly attest to that thought. 

It is only when we reach the top when our Lord points to you those scary moments of your grief journey when you see that those were the moments that He picked you up and instead of two sets of footprints, there was one.

 It is when you reach the top that you become overwhelmed with all of your emotions and bow down at your Savior's feet with a crescendo of praises and thank you's for not abandoning you on this journey. You realized while admiring the view that God does reign in your journey. He does care about you, love you, and desires nothing but the best for you!

It is much harder to reach this place where you can admire this view if you had rejected God when bad things happen if you turn to alcohol ( just another form of depressant that makes things worse) if you stop going to church if you simply quit.

It is after you make this climb that Jesus stands beside you pointing out spectacular views from your climb, and he reveals to you what lies ahead. Het gently turns you around and points to you a much more level path, a path filled with the abundance of good things, and in the process, he reminds you he will continue to walk with you, not carry you, on the rest of your journey. He will continue to have conversations with you as though he were encouraging you. 

 You found in your climb that your Savior has become your greatest ally and your loudest cheerleader while he encourages you to try new things, take risks, and become everything you can possibly be in this life.

As this new day dawns, God reminds you that the greatest praise you can give him is to sing praises to God on the Sabbath by celebrating with believer's where you can encourage them wherever  they might be on their journeys  

It is when you are admiring this beautiful vista that you can remind others to keep leaning on Jesus because one day they will enjoy their own vistas at a timing that is unique to their own journey.

Our God truly does make all things new again.

Man's ideas of what to do about the human condition is opposite of what God sees.

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is a day, we must do the works of him who sent me. The night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  John 9

I sat momentarily inside my Town and Country van watching the babbling brook before me. My hands were on the steering wheel and a Christian music 8 track tape was in the player. I turned off the engine, grabbed my bible, journal and writing instrument and  got out walking toward the old oak tree to recline in the comfort of its shade. 

My mind began to drift to all the things I was thankful for in life. My mind recalled  the prayer I prayed as an 18-year-old high school senior at a little old country church in the Minnetonka Mills, Minnesota.  I remembered those words because they were the seeds that like this oak tree I sat beneath grew. As a young guy who had struggled, those words were the life blood that gave me a new purpose and a reason to live.

"Dear God, I realize I am a sinner separated from you. I can never reach heaven by my own good deeds. But you have made provision for my sin. Right now I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life."

When I said those words it was after years of my parents taking me to church, That prayer was the culmination of learning about the greatest story ever told, that God loved me so much that he died for me.

I sat and pretended I could hear the songbirds singing, and the robins singing, I was born with a hearing impairment and though I wished I could hear those crisp clear sounds, I know that God had a different plan for me. 

I was reminded of God's plan from those words in John :As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Through those words,  I was reminded that each of us enters the world  with some imperfection, but God specializes in using our imperfections to give hope to imperfect people.

Then I reflected on this thought: Man's solution to the human condition is diabolically opposite from God's solution. 

In Exodus, King Pharoah worship many false gods and enslaved the Jewish people, while placing inhumane conditions on them. Moses, with the help of Aaron, went to Pharoah and through a series of plaques tried to get Pharoah to release the Jewish people from the bonds of slavery, but each time a plague occurred the king's stubbornness prevailed which translated to even harsher conditions on the slaves.

It wasn't until the final plague when Pharoah lost his first born son (the Jewish people were told that if they placed the blood from a lamb on their doorposts they would escape the judgment of God on their households.) This blood on the doorpost was representative of the actual blood of Christ yet to come when he would be  called the Lamb of God.

I was reminded by this story in Exodus that man's ideas on how to deal with the human condition is opposite of God's ideas.

I reflected on the evils of Margaret Sanger who's dislike for the undesirables created the groundwork for the future mega machine known as Planned Parenthood. Her views on the things she believes poisons mankind later became part of the mainstream thinking that would cost the lives of millions of children. Sanger's follower's attempted to placate those fears with ideas that could have been easily crafted by the most polished of speech writers. 

Again, it was a reminder that this woman's response to the human condition is opposite what God's response.

This website put out by black genocide has informative information regarding how and why this thinking got into our mainstream media:. http://www.blackgenocide.org/planned.html

Because of Margaret Sanger's crusade against blacks and the disabled, millions of unborn have lost their livesss.

A powerful movie entitled Marta 21 of which powerfully reveals the truth about man's wayward notions about race, about children with disabilities, and about their worth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HshhtiNm2Kc

Again, man's ideas about what to do about the human condition are opposite God's ideas.

 In 1 Samuel 16 we get a glimpse of why God chooses to see not what man sees, with these words,"

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

The man is all enamored by the athleticism of other's or the number of tassels on their cap, but those are outward things that do not get at the heart of man.

Take, for example, Adolph Hiter, who perhaps is the most hated man in history for what he did to millions of Jewish people, the disabled, and other undesirables at the time. Hitler came with flourishing words, easily crafted by the most skillful speech writer. Some of his quotes are below.
".Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice." Adolf Hitler
"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it." Adolf Hitler


"The discovery of the Jewish virus is one of the greatest revolutions that has taken place in the world. The battle in which we are engaged today is of the same sort as the battle waged, during the last century, by Pasteur and Koch. How many diseases have their origin in the Jewish virus! ... We shall regain our health only be eliminating the Jew.”


"The law of selection justifies this incessant struggle, by allowing the survival of the fittest. Christianity is a rebellion against natural law, a protest against nature. Taken to its logical extreme, Christianity would mean the systematic cultivation of the human failure.”


The problem was that millions of fellow German's hit hard by the great depression, believe what he said and made the Jewish person the scapegoat for their misery.

Again, man's response to a human condition is opposite of God's.

In John I read these words15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep., "
Jesus made it quite clear in this illustration that we must take care of people, not dispose of them like Margaret Sanger or Adolph Hitler or any present or future leaders might propose.

It is clear that the' least of these' is held up to the highest level of esteem by God and that God had a plan for their lives as well, not simply those born without physical or intellectual blemish.

I pause from my writing to notice several butterflies fluttering by with one momentarily resting on my right shoulder as though God wanted me to notice the beauty of nature.

I was reminded that just as there are people with evil intent in this world, there are much more with the heart for God doing positive things that make a difference in lives of so many, and that we as Christian's do make a difference.

The winds were starting to pick up where I sat,and as I looked off on the horizon I noticed rain clouds moving in. I decided to close with a word of prayer thanking God for making me the way I am and using me as a vessel to encourage others who might be struggling with self-doubt.

In the end, God's ways are always best. He knows our hearts and he alone can give us a purpose for living.

Last night while watching students from Legacy Christian Academy perform the Screwtape letters, a timeless writing by C.S. Lewis

“By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools. And since what they are trying to believe may, in some cases, be manifest nonsense, they cannot succeed in believing it and we have the chance of keeping their minds endlessly revolving on themselves in an effort to achieve the impossible.” 

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Last night, my wife and I attended Legacy Christian School's performance of C.S. Lewis's 'Screwtape letters. I was so touched by the performance that at the end I stood up and gave this cast applause-it wasn't long before others stood as well. 

For the sake of brevity, I found this clip that summarizes what this play was about. This play was set in the backdrop of England during a violent war that culminated in many nights of bombs dropping, lives lost, and overwhelming fear capturing the minds of the average British citizen alive at the time.

As I watched this play, I was reminded that every human condition is like a peaceful 'iceberg resting on the surface of the water. What we see on that surface are the smiles of people as they trudge along in this world, pretending to have it all together. But, below that surface is a battle that I will refer to as a spiritual battle for the hearts and souls of mankind. 

 Every single day we are being bombarded by conflicting voices.  Some of those voices are uttering 'lies' into our head and telling us how despicable you are, how you will never amount to much, and life isn't worth living.

 Then here are the other voices, the ones that come from God- you are loved, you have been redeemed, you were worth the blood of Jesus Christ to die for you, with my help (God) you can overcome anything that the spiritual darkness dishes out.

Below that iceberg, we see the struggles, hurts, anxiety, and the fear that overwhelms that human condition. If we look closely, we will see humans ready to give up their faith when bad things happen to them. 

Then there were the stories that flowed out from this production. When the production ended the cast stayed so  the audience could ask questions. Midway through this this question and answer period I raised my hand and asked, "Can several of you share how this performance impacted your faith." To which, several people applauded. Several hands went from this cast, all of them wanted to share.

Then there was the story of one young man.

I learned last night that one young man had confessed that he was an atheist until that was just before the start of the first performance,  he made a decision to accept Jesus into his heart. This same young man had shared with the school chaplain that he was giving Legacy one more year before deciding to throw all these  faith things out the window.  A few of them said that there were hours and hours of prayer that went into preparing for this play. One young man who played the part of the devil said that literally, each night equipment was breaking to the point that on the surface it was comical, but below the surface the knew that the devil did not want this play to go on because, in the end, God's redemptive story wins.

In the end, our faith and corresponding walk with Jesus Christ is like a journey that will no doubt be filled with good times and bad. Babies will be born and people will die, and when the latter enter our lives, our Savior Jesus is whispering assurances into our ear that remind us to trust that he knows what to do with your pain.

As C.S. Lewis reminds us in  his timeless writing, this battle has been won because of what Jesus did on the cross/ He has gone to war on your behalf with the spiritual darkness and he has won this battle for you. 

Those former voices you heard that discouraged you are now being replaced by the actual words of Jesus and the mighty prophets. They are your cheerleaders, rooting you on to the finish line of life.

There is nothing you should fear in this life because Jesus has risen and in Jesus will in the end make everything right

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

The longer I live in this world, the more I am filled with the peace that only my living Savior Jesus provides.  In this world, there are many symbols of faith from people who desire to know God who simply has lost their way in life. Instead of being on the one road leading to hope, peace, and the love of God, they get lost on a never ending road filled with pot holes, danger signs, and hair rising cliffs with the occasional cascading cliffs as they drive by.

The political climate with its many varying opinions is enough to make one sick. Instead of turning to the one true source for what gives us hope, we fall into a system of beliefs that living in a bigger house makes me happy, living in the right zip code, having status, titles, is the secret to happiness. I've live long enough to know that none of that is satisfying. None of what the world tells us is the secret to happiness is true. If one were to fall for that false belief system, it will lead you to more disappointment, more headaches, more debt, and a misery that would be unimaginable to comprehend.

It makes me sad to see hurting people. I guess the spiritual gift of mercy will do that to me. I was born to encourage people, to help them thrive, to give them hope that everything will be Ok. But this gift isn't something that I got from textbooks, from rising on the ladder of success, nor earned from many promotions and public recognition. No,it was a gift that was freely given to me by my Creator God, my King of kings, my savior Jesus. 

Instead of engaging public discussion on the current fad, of who will lead our country of who holds the current snake oil of success, I desire to ask this one question: what is your spiritual gift and are you striving to use it every day for God's glory?

2 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b]11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I have also learned that our political system cannot save us, but Jesus Christ who has the ability to change the hearts of men and woman can save us. Which is why former Muslim's are coming to the realization that Jesus Christ is the answer. Which is why many former new agers are finding Jesus. Which is why people once filled with the trappings of success, too much debt and a mountain of health problems are finding a new life with this Savior king, Jesus. 

We were created by God to bring hope to this hopeless world and the greatest thing we can do is to learn more about your spiritual gift and use it to help change people's hearts toward Jesus.

In the final analysis, it isn't your bank account,nor your titles and all of the other trappings of success that will save you, but it is knowing Jesus and making him known to a world filled with forgotten people.

Do you want to know the best kept secret to processing the pain, nightmares in your life after sudden losses occur? Read on.....

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you 1 Peter 5:7

When we were created, God gave us a brain that would become a powerful hard drive, capable of collecting information, storing memories, and the skills needed for our survival.  When sudden losses occur memories may live on in the form of flashbacks that typically awaken us in the middle of the night depriving us of a fitful night of sleep.

Those who treat veterans with PTSD know first hand the impact these bad memories can have on those returning home from those fierce battles on foreign land. Sadly, many veterans turn to alcohol and drugs just to cope with the pain of such traumatic images. Sadly,  are the thousands of veterans who commit suicide each year because they are simply unable to process this pain. In one such study on veteran suicide http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-veteran-suicide-20150115-story.html, the following was reported:

Among veterans in the current study, there was one suicide a day.

The rates were highest during the first three years out of the military.

Veterans who had been enlisted in the rank-and-file committed suicide at nearly twice the rate of former officers. Keeping with patterns in the general population, being white, unmarried and male were also risk factors.

Men accounted for 83% of the veterans in the study and all but 124 of them died from suicides. They were three times more likely than women to take their own lives.

Female veterans, however, killed themselves at more than twice the rate of other women — a difference much bigger than the gap between male veterans and non-veterans.

Although I cannot relate to the savagery these men and woman see on the battlefield, I can see how those constant images can effect their ability to function upon returning home. Especially when society expects them to return to what they were doing before the war as though it was a simple process. 

Inside the minds of all of us affflicted by the powerful images of how our loved one died is a war. A battle is raging in all of us as we reach for our weapons to fight the onslaught of those painful memories..It's as though we're in the trenches trying to kill the memories which seem to come from all directions.  From my own experience,  unless you are able to find a way to process those painful memories, the battle will linger on with no end in sight.

But there is hope. The most important skill I developed from my younger years was the skill of journal writing. This skill was one I learned from my involvement in a Men's accountability bible study called Navigators.http://www.navigators.org/Tools

As I look at my bookshelf I see many of my journals from my younger years filled with pages of items that I struggled with in those years.  It was those skills that would become my way of coping and processing my own memories from 2007. When I read those earlier journal entries, I see a pattern of God constantly coming to my side and rescuing me. I see that I wasn't abandoned, forgotten, nor forsaken.

Today,  we have a wonderful new tool known as the internet that makes it easier to keep track of our thoughts.  Blogging has become a new past time for many people. 

 Blogging has now become a common method and I believe will become a more common method  for anyone still in the trenches fighting their war. I'm including this link for anyone interested in learning how to set up their own personal blog. www.blogger.com

The American way of processing pain has traditionally been to 'just get over it', 'it;s been 6 months since your loved one died', or 'just keep busy.' As well meaning as this advice may sound, it hardly helps the person who wakens at night unable to sleep because of the war with their traumatic memories they are fighting.

Blogging does not replace the need for professional counseling, but blogging combined with counseling will help them heal quicker.  If we all develop the ability to write out what is troubling us, the healthier we will be in the long run.

Sooooo, what does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?

What does it mean that God wants to have a personal relationship with us?

Just before Jesus made his final ascension to heaven he made this promise to all believers:

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

From the moment you pray to receive  Jesus Christ into your heart, God desires to be your partner in this life. He gives his believers the  gift of the Holy Spirit which becomes the inner voice that prompts you with what to do, what to say or changes in your life he desires  you to make. The desires you had before Christ came into your life no longer are satisfying and that is ok because God has given you a new purpose with new desires that are far more satisfying.  It is as though God revealed to you the more satisfying path you should be on than the one you were on.

God loves you so much that he desires his children to have a life free of wrong desires that do nothing but bring us down. That inner voice prompts you when life is taking you off the secure path.

It is as though we are on a backpacking trip navigating a terrain that is complete with rough patches of stones , boulders and thistle impossible to navigate when Jesus becomes your guide through this uncertain path.

Often, we  do not sense his presence until terrible things happen to us in life.

The death of a child
The death of a loved one
The loss of a job
The diagnosis that comes out of nowhere

Through each painful incident you encounter in life, Jesus is  prompting you with those verses from the ancient texts to remind you that you haven't been forsaken, nor forgotten.  Verses like:

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; Romans 5:3
“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. Nehemiah 9:9
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

For some of us who are unable to continue the journey, Jesus will quite literally pick us up, and instead of two sets of footprints, there becomes one. As those storms become intense with the loud thunder and lightning and heavy rain, he reminds us through the prompting of the Holy Spirit that things are going to be okay.

To God, you were more than just a number. You are someone worth dying for. You were someone he desires to have a relationship with in these uncertain times.He understands that your  life is going to be filled with pitfalls and gut-wrenching physical and emotional pain and  he wants to help you recover from that pain. In God's eyes, you were fearfully and wonderfully made and the life you're about to travel is like having God's personal GPS.

 While people may come and go from your life, your personal relationship with the creator of the universe is something you can count on!

Sooooo, what does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?

Just before Jesus made his final ascension to heaven he made this promise to all believers:

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

From the moment someone prays to receive Jesus Christ into their hearts, God becomes your partner in this life. This gift of the Holy Spirit becomes your inner voice that prompts you with what to do, say or changes in your life he desires for you to make.

You see, God loves us so much that he wants to be your life's partner to hold you when the burden of this life becomes a bit much for you to handle, to lead you to other believers to encourage you and refresh you with the encouraging words, and through time help you become like Jesus.

In the beginning of life's journey, these changes will be subtle from who you choose to spend time with or the inner prompting to pray for someone or eliminating words from your vocabulary.

It is as though we are on a backpacking trip navigating a terrain that is complete with rough patches of stones and boulders and thistles, and Jesus becomes your guide on this uncertain path.

Often, it seems, we really do not sense his presence until terrible things happen to us inlife--

The death of a child
The death of a loved one
The loss of a job
The diagnosis that comes out of nowhere

Through each painful incident you encounter, Jesus is beside you prompting you with those verses from the ancient texts to remind you that you haven't been forsaken, nor forgotten and that he will be there for you as those tough times are encountered. Verses like:

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; Romans 5:3
“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. Nehemiah 9:9
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

For some of us who are unable to continue the journey, Jesus will quite literally pick us up, and instead of two sets of footprints, there becomes one. As those storms become intense with the loud thunder and lightning and heavy rain, he reminds us through the prompting of the Holy Spirit that things are going to be Ok.

To God, you were more than just a number. You are someone that He wants to walk with on this life's journey. He understands that life is often filled with pitfalls and gut-wrenching physical and emotional pain but through his son Jesus Christ, wants to help you on your journey.


The person who helped you to receive Jesus into your heart may be long gone from your life, but the gift of the Holy Spirit lives on in you. Now, that is something you can count on.

Tuve un sueño. Yo estaba de pie en la divisoria continental mirando hacia el este cuando sentí el suelo bajo mis pies temblar ....

Tuve que apoyarme para no caer cuando descubrí que el suelo que estaba debajo de mí se separaba, lentamente, poco a poco, más rápido, hasta que hubo un gran abismo que separaba lo que antes era Estados Unidos de América. Miré a mi izquierda y luego a mi derecha y descubrí a la gente en un aturdimiento mirando hacia el este a personas similares, sorprendidas y desconcertadas por lo que acababan de ver sucediendo mirando hacia el oeste.

 Todos miramos hacia abajo este nuevo gran cañón que separaba nuestro país. Todos queríamos que nuestro país volviera a ser como antes, porque ninguno de nosotros nos gustaba lo que vimos, pero ninguno de nosotros sabía cómo solucionar este problema.

La mezquindad de nuestra política finalmente nos ha alcanzado, separándonos a lo largo de nuestra división cultural y económica.

 Cuando nos negamos a entender lo que es caminar en los zapatos de nuestro hermano o hermana y la experiencia de la vida, que están experimentando, entonces nos estamos permitiendo a crecer frío y despreocupado como los depósitos calcificados recoger en nuestros corazones, por lo que es literalmente imposible de entender Y conocer a la gente donde están en la vida.

Cada vez,

Pasamos por delante de alguien de una fe diferente dirigiéndolos con desprecio
Cuando empujamos a alguien con nuestros novillos fríos y helados, deseando que no estuvieran aquí,
Cuando hacemos declaraciones generales basadas en cuentas de redes sociales de lo que creemos que son los musulmanes,
Cuando no respetamos la opinión de alguien hablando sobre ellos y haciéndolos sentir menos que humanos

Luego noté que la división crecía más y más, con el aumento de las bajas en ambos lados.

Cada vez...

Le damos a alguien el dedo,
Elegimos cortar a alguien con palabras de acusaciones
Lanzamos a alguien debajo del autobús sólo para adelantarse a ellos en estado

Veo que la brecha se hace más grande de tal manera que esta gran nación era ahora muchas islas más vulnerables que antes de esta división.

Entonces oí estas palabras de Jesús:

30 Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma, y ​​con toda tu mente, y con todas tus fuerzas. [A] 31 El segundo es éste: "Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo." Mandamiento mayor que éstos ".



Y entonces oí estas palabras de nuestro Señor,


"Has oído la ley que dice: 'Ama a tu prójimo' y odias a tu enemigo. Pero digo: ¡Ama a tus enemigos! ¡Ora por los que te persiguen! De esta manera, estaréis actuando como verdaderos hijos de vuestro Padre que está en los cielos. Porque da su luz del sol tanto al mal como al bien, y envía lluvia sobre justos e injustos Mateo 5: 43-48


Entonces se me ocurrió que cada vez que ...



Se esforzó por caminar en los zapatos de mi vecino y tratar de entender,

En realidad hablar con un amigo de la fe musulmana en lugar de ofrecer fríos y helados novillos de desprecio,

Respetuosamente no están de acuerdo mientras ayudan a alguien a mantener su dignidad,



Entonces noté que la gran división empezaba a hacerse más pequeña. Me di cuenta de que otros estaban notando las cosas buenas que estaba haciendo ahora, y ellos también las están haciendo ... Noté que la ira empezaba a desaparecer y que la gran división se unía,

Así que eso,.....

De modo que las islas estaban ahora unidas,

El golfo se había ido

La gente está ahora unida

Y la nación era ahora más fuerte.

Aprendí de este sueño que no somos tan diferentes el uno del otro como creemos que somos. Aprender a caminar en los zapatos de otros y construir relaciones entre sí es el comienzo de la comprensión.
Unidos estamos parados, divididos nos caemos

At the very core of these freeway protests are woman who have been harmed by the 'male indiscretions' of life

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Last night, I watched the live video feed of the mass protests on I-94 in the Riverside area that for a brief period of time shut down that main thoroughfare.  I asked myself why would these protestors do that? 

Then, I started listening to the heart of those protesters. When Bill Clinton stated that, " I did not have sex with that woman in the oval office', or when incoming President  Donald Trump excuses his statements toward women  as 'lockerroom indiscretions', it  invalidates woman and sends a message to all woman that the pursuit of the female is like going on a safari hunt pursuing that big game trophy. 

 While their victims lay in the path of destruction,  men are lighting cigars and talking about their male conquests like it was something to  be proud about. 

As parents, we need to do a better job raising our son's. to respect and value woman, not as conquests, but as precious vessels worthy of respect.  Instead of excusing their conquests as 'boys will be boys' we need to teach them how to truly treat a woman.  

 Woman want men who are willing to open up their hearts with them, not mow them down with harsh words as though you have a machete in your hand.  

Donald Trump needs to come clean this time, not by excusing these female indiscretions as things of his 'younger me', but  needs to apologize, seek forgiveness, and lean on God to help him to morph into a new life that truly respects women. 

In fact, all men ought to recognize the damaging effects their  words and actions have on women and confess them to God.  Men need to know that we have a sin problem that needs to be addressed. 

When men pursue money, status, and career goals instead of the very things that God wants for them , they are  causing collateral damage to every human in their path. 

 The recent freeway shutdown is a reminder of the damaging effects our words and actions can have on them. 

I offer these suggestions for men to change their thinking and their hearts. (1) Make God a priority in your life by attending church regardless of how you are feeling at any given moment. Go when you are depressed. Go when you feel guilty. Just go because by going you just may receive a word of encouragement either from the pulpit or from other men you cross paths with.

 (2) Have regular 'talking times' with God- alone times where you and God can talk about matters of the heart, and where God can reveal things that you need to process.

 (3)  Learn to treat a woman like the precious vessel they are, not some conquest from a safari hunt. Learn to listen to their hearts, not talk over them as though their hearts didn't matter. 

 Finally, many men didn't have stable male role models growing up and in fact may have been victims of abuse from those machete waving men.  If this was the case for you know that Jesus Christ wants to be your role model--to shape you into the man God wants you to be. Get yourself a red letter edition new testament and begin reading the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and really listen to Jesus as he speaks to you.

 If we all did this we might find that this could be the biggest game changer in our lives. If instead of mowing down woman, we find ways of building them up with encouraging words, women will be able to venture out in life's activities without fear of becoming victims and our boys and girls will be filled with a greater sense of security. 

Men have a unique position in life. We are often the leaders. When we first pursue the things of God before we take on the world, great things will happen. As men everywhere recognize their need for God, revivals happen.

  Our nation just may be on one of the greatest revivals in the history of man!

I had a dream....I was standing on the continental divide looking east when I felt the the ground beneath my feet shake violently...

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

I had to brace myself to keep from falling when I discovered that the ground beneath me was separating, slowly, then gradually faster, until there was a great gulf that separated what was once the United States of America. I looked to my left and then to my right and discovered people in a daze looking east at similar people, shocked and bewildered at what they just saw happen looking west. 

 We all looked down this new grand canyon that separated our country.  All of us wanted our country back to the way it once was because none of us liked what we saw, but none of us knew how to fix this problem.

The meanness of our politics has finally caught up with us, separating us along our cultural, economic divide. 

 When we refuse to understand what it is like to walk in our brother or sister's shoes and experience life, they are experiencing, then we are allowing ourselves to grow cold and uncaring as the calcified deposits collect in our hearts, making it literally impossible to understand and meeting people where they are at in life.

Each time,

We walk past someone of a different faith staring at them with contempt

When we shove someone down with our icy cold stares wishing they weren't here,

When we make blanket statements based on social media accounts of what we think Muslim people are like,

When we disrespect someone's opinion by talking over them and making them feel less than human

Then I noticed the divide growing wider, deeper with increasing casualties on both sides falling in. 

Each time...

We give someone the finger,

We choose to cut someone down with words of accusations

We throw someone under the bus just to get ahead of them in status

I see the rift becoming greater in such a way that this one great nation was now many small islands more vulnerable than they were before this divide.

Then, I heard these words from Jesus:

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

And then I heard these words from our Lord,

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike Matthew 5:43-48

Then it occurred to me that each time I.......

strove to walk in my neighbor's shoes and attempt to understand,

actually talk to a friend of the Muslim faith instead of offering cold icy stares of contempt,

respectfully disagree while helping someone maintain their dignity,

Then I noticed the great divide beginning to get smaller. I noticed that others were noticing the kind things I was now doing, and they are doing them too...I noticed the anger beginning to disappear and the great divide coming together,

So that,..... 

so that the islands were now united,

the gulf was now gone

the people are now united

and the nation was now stronger.

I learned from this dream that we aren't as different from each other as we think we are. Learning to walk in another's shoes and building relationships with each other is the beginning of understanding.

United we stand, divided we fall

We must never take our right to vote lightly.

Galatians 5:1 [Full Chapter]
[ Freedom in Christ ] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

In only a few short hours, the American people will be going to the polls to cast their vote for who they want to  lead the country for the next four years.  In America, the dream to be successful is still possible if you had a goal, a plan, and a desire to work hard. That was one of the major reasons why our ancestors risked their lives to come to America. 

Imagine, if you will, you could step back in time to talk with those Eastern European immigrants about to step on the boat destined for America and you could smell their sweat-stained clothing and see the slight smiles on their faces as they leave their hard lives behind for a new life in Amerca.

 Imagine, if you will, your family are holocaust survivors filled with the daily reminders of death and forgotten friends as they wait on the docks in England for that one-way ticket to America where they will be able to worship God without the fear of retribution.

 Imagine, if you will,you are a Russian immigrant, neglected and forgotten in the land of your fathers, as you, your wife and children await to board the ship to  start over in the new land that promises to give hope to the downtrodden and forgotten.

 Imagine, if you will, your ancestors were unable to make the trip because of sickness and death while your image begins to slowly fade as though you had never been born.

America means many things to many people. To some, it is hope and the pursuit of happiness. To others, it represents the most wonderful educational system this world has ever seen with so many ways to  learn a skill and a profession.  

To still others, America represents a new life for future generations of their family and their escape from the hard, oppressive times they once experience in their former land.

I'm reminded of the ink-stained fingers of  new voters in newly minted democracies and the absolute exhilaration they had casting their first vote and seeing themselves with value, as oppose to their former oppressed selves.

Finally, imagine if you will, you are looking into the eyes of your disabled child and reflecting how his or her life might have been like if your family lived in a more oppressive regime like North Korea or China? 

At that point, you glance across the room for your car keys because in only 5 short minutes the polls will open and you decided for your children to make a difference in their lives by voting.

The good shepherd knows our needs, our pain and will show us the way through the valley of mourning

16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

My wife and I made a quick tri.p to Warren, Minnesota to help honor our Mother-in-law's 90th birthday.  She is the last remaining sibling of her family of several brothers and one sister. 

 Looking for something to read, I decided to pick up the local Warren Sheaf paper where I saw the headline regarding a local 24-year-old man killed in a fiery head-on fiery collision on County road 1. The article described him as a longtime employee of Dale's foods who recently learned that he would be a father.  

My mother-in-law wanted me to pick up some groceries at Dale's the next morning. I was happy to do this thinking it might give me an opportunity to offer my condolences to Dale's for the loss of this young man.

 It was when I pushed my shopping cart around the perimeter of this small town grocery store that I encountered two employees in a serious conversation that I could only guess was about their former  employee.  I stopped my shopping cart, listened and waiting for the right opportunity to share my condolences.  One employee said that he was well liked because of his ability to smile and the impact he had in their tiny community. Then I shared my story and the corresponding website that was created to help others understand grief through faith stories and testimonials.  That was the opener for one female employee to share the loss of her baby when she was just 38 weeks and how difficult it was to heal.  Because of my willingness to step out of my comfort zone and listen, this woman had a chance to share the baby she once had.  

As I reflect on my own faith, I am reminded that it is my faith in Jesus Christ that sustains me, nourishes me, and helps me not only survive, but thrive in an uncertain world we live in.  

 The stories that Jesus weaves into our lives are the stories of hope he wants us to give to those struggling with loss.  God simply isn't going to waste our pain by hiding it in the backroom of our minds, but like the minor and major prophets of old, he wants us to be his living examples of his love for people! 

Our faith is like the lampstand that we display prominently so others can find the hope we have for our lives.

Where is God?

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Psalm 34:18

We live in a very sanitized world that believes that as long as I'm doing well in this life, earning a good income and the more prosperous we become the more blessings God pours out on us. At least this typically what it means to be an 'American' Christian 

On the other hand,when I read the 4 gospels of the actual words of Jesus  I get a picture that God is with the broken-hearted.

He is aat the bedside of a veteran who just lost 2 of his limbs

He is at the bedside of a family saying goodbye to their loved one

He is  walking with a family who just experienced poverty for the first time.

He is with the homeless person as he looks for a place to stay

He is speaking in the dreams of those searching for truth

We have it all wrong when we think that the more prosperous we are the more faithful God is to us. I remember the words from Matthew where Jesus says that it will be harder for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, and thinking 'really?' But, as I reflected on those words I began to see why. Wealth has a tendency to make us self -reliant, self- sufficient and  have  an attitude that I can do all things 'without God'.  In America, we've become so use to the left brain reason side that we push down the emotional dream side as mushy, wishy-washy and not reliable; yet, in other places of the world God is speaking and changing lives through dreams.

When brokenness enters your life, rest assure that God is there with your every step of journey. He is there,

When he speaks to you in a dream words of encouragement

When a friend stops by you, calls you, or sends you an e-mail of encouragement

When the Pastor shares a passage of scripture you believe  was meant for you

When someone from prayer works tells you they have been praying for you

When other people open up with their own stories of encouragement

Recently, Matt Redman, with the help of  thousands of people in Time Square  sang the song '10,000 reasons'. As I watched this video I couldn't help but think that this is what heaven will be like when my life's purpose is complete. In this sea of faces I saw people of all nationalities, all income levels, and on different journey's- loss of a loved one, loss of a job, sickness, disability, etc. I also saw words of praise to God right in Time's square/ I thought, if only this kind of praise would spread all across the country- we just might  have a revival of epic proportions. 

Muslim's converting to Christianity. 
Athiest finding Christ

Christians renewing their commitment to Jesus and allowing the holy spirit to do mighty works within. 

I can just picture the business men and woman caught up with the monetary pleasures of this life taking a break and looking at the spiritual side they had been ignoring all too long.

Men and woman who had lived a life of abusing others repenting and living a new life in Christ

The next time we ask the question, 'where are you God' simply read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John where you will see quite vividly that God is with teh broken hearted.