Are You Screaming?

Do you ever feel like you are alone in the wilderness screaming at the top of your lungs with no effect when actually you are in a crowded room screaming at the top of your lungs with no effect? Some of the most frustrating times in my life were when I was trying to help someone(s) and the reaction was as if I hadn’t said anything at all. People can be rather stubborn all the facts can be laid out before them and still they will continue to ignore. God with all his love could not hold it in anymore and had to create. He made a world filled with beautiful landscapes filled with living things that all feed each other in great balance and then he made us. In his Image and with free will he gave us the grand gift of life. He gave us man and woman and wanted us to love each other and love and care over all he created. Even when we took our free will and broke his command and ate from that tree he still loved us. When Cain killed Able he still loved. When the world was so wicked he brought the flood he still loved and saved Noah. He wanted to give us guidance so he chose a special people to teach to love. When they became enslaved and could not find a way out, he loved and sent Moses to free them. When the “law” became confusing and not of love he had Moses give us 10 rules (commandments).

When his people lost their way he would send a prophet. Again and again these were ridiculed and killed because men could not see to love. Finally when things had become so bad again God sent his son Jesus out of love. Jesus gave us 2 rules. Love God with mind, body and soul and love each other as yourself. Jesus fed, cured and forgave sins. He loved with all his heart and for us he died. Jesus took the blame for all the sins for everyone that would ever live because he loved and still to this day some choose to not listen. Some so lost, angry and full of despair refuse to listen. They choose to only fill their own desires and God still loves them. If we choose to walk away it saddens God but he gave us free will. We are not slaves, but he is waiting with open arms to hold and love us and share all he has. So when you feel like you are alone screaming with no one listening, know that God hears you. Turn your conversation to him, you may not like everything he has to say at first but then again you will never find such a overflowing love anywhere else either.

Luke 13:31-35

31At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" 

Fat Dumb Know It All?

I never thought I would be here. Many years ago I got a call from God and I decided to let it goto voicemail, as it were. For selfish reasons I turned my head and then my back and started down a path that took me into a dark lonely forest. At the time it seemed like a good idea. I was chasing the wrong passion for the wrong reasons. When I realized my mistakes and what I should do I would have be happy just to live a solitary life learning and studying and working charity. Now I have 4 children and a wife that depend heavily on me. I teach nearly every minute of everyday and that is not even how I make money but it is my career. I am happy making no money from it. I am humble and happy to do what I can and to find new ways to help God month after month. The rewards from giving myself to God are not measurable. I have never found so much happiness and peace in my life ever.

God knows all, he gave us free will, a wonderful intellect and a desire to do better than yesterday. Unfortunately many use these gifts to forward our selfish ways, and upon our success we think that we are “Masters of the Universe”. We given the opportunity far to many times look inward to ourselves. We think that we are wise and great and wonderful for conquering achievements, but God wants us to look out. He wants us to see the many that are hungry, unclothed, homeless and lost. He wants us to look to him. He wants us to love and forgive and to not hold prejudice. God wants us to love him and show thanks, learn from Jesus’s teachings on how to love and forgive and then focus outward and bring everyone else in to learn so they are no longer alone. You may think that you are not worth of this task but you are. And if you think that you are above it that someone else should do it instead then I caution you. No one is above loving their fellow person. Everyone is called to help and love. All you have and all you are is because of God. Ebenezer Scrooge or Mother Teresa do you want to be?

Luke 5:1-11

1While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret. 2And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 9For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

A Though: Time for Sorting

One thing no matter how hard I try to understand is evil. I am talking the Hitler type of evil. I don’t know if its my path in life or how and where I was raised but I just don’t understand it. I guess some people do just like to watch the world burn. For whatever reason that flips their switch. One thing that I do understand though is that evil doesn’t just show up on your door step one day and say, “Hey why don’t you try me out and have some fun.” It seeps in slowly like a water running over rock a small trickle over time becomes something as large and massive as the Grand Canyon. Each time evil passes through it just takes away a little more of the good in us and creates a cavern that craves to be filled. Unfortunately the things that try to fill it don’t and so more is sought. Its the, “Hey its been a tough week I am going to try something new. I deserve it I worked really really hard this week and I want to feel good.” So you try just a little bit. Whatever your “vice” may be, drugs, sex, alcohol or pornography you try just a little bit. Then next week its,”hey last week that was a fun way to end a hard week, “I’ll try that again”. Then slowly it becomes a crutch and instead of after a bad week its a bad couple of days, or one bad day, then a couple of hours. For some it can be so bad that some may dismiss other morals in life to attain their new vice and thats when things really get rolling. God gave us free will we don’t have to love him. We don’t even have to acknowledge he exists, but it is his home that he made in which we live. We don’t play by his rules then we don’t get to rise into heaven. I know that in a world that tries to preach that “nothing is wrong” or “its all your own point of view” the idea of right and wrong gets blurred. There is true right and wrong. I don’t mean to offend anyone but its a fact. God loves you and he wants to spend time with you, but at the end of the day if he must he will lock you out of the house. I hear stories of parents at their wits end trying to help their children that have chosen the wrong paths. Its so heartbreaking, again and again they try but for some they can’t get through no matter what help they try to employ and so they have to let them go before it ruins the entire family. The same is with God he hopes and loves till the very last day. He patiently waits at the window waiting for you to walk up the sidewalk and knock on the door asking for forgiveness so he can let you in. He wants you there. No matter what you have done he will forgive you. He loves you that much but you have to be willing to let him into your life. He won’t do it for you. He won’t make you. He loves you enough to give you the freedom to make your own choice. All you have to do is pray and ask for him to come into your life. Take some time to get to know him, pray and read the teachings of Jesus in the Bible. Most importantly go to Church. Nothing is more helpful trying something new than surrounding yourself with a team of people with the same goal. God is waiting cause he loves you.

Matthew 13:47-53

47"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 51"Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." 52And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." 53And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,

A Poem: "Something Fades"

"Something Fades"

My love swells and rolls out my eyes 

Pooling on the ground you walk through it

The trail you leave I follow

The further you go the less that's left behind

Your footprints fade the farther you walk

What are you chasing? 

Perhaps the sun thing undone

Alone in the night I am cold

As dawn rises so do you over the horizon

Like a wind you blow the leaves of tasks blow down the road

Over cracks and potholes they roll

A lonely bird takes notice, chirps twice then soars to the sky

The sun arches through the sky

With its warmth so does yesterday's tracks fade

Onward the wind blows

Onward the leaves flow

And again tracks made fade to nothing 

A Thought: Waiting

Last night we were running about town and once again my wonderful children got me and my wife to get them some ice-cream. They are such good negotiators, but they were having a hard time waiting to get it. “When are we getting the ice-cream? Is this the last stop?” When you know that a good thing is coming it can be hard to wait. I would imagine that the people of the Old Testament were feeling that way. They were told that a savior, a great king was coming, and they waited and waited and waited. Its hard to understand God sometimes just like I am sure that it is hard for my children to understand why they had to wait for ice-cream. For them it was simple, they were in a car that could get to the ice-cream place and they wanted it so why not go from point A to point B and get it done. They didn’t understand that Mommy and Daddy had things to get done along the way that were just as important. Whenever I get frustrated cause my requests from God go unanswered I think of my children and the lessons that I try and teach them about waiting. Perhaps God has somethings that he wants me to get done on the way to getting what I want that are more important. Perhaps what I am asking for isn’t good for me at all. This is where patience, prayer and reflection come in. The world is a tricky place as they say, “Be careful what you wish for.” As frustrated as I get sometimes I do feel lucky to be where I am and who I am. I am glad that I came after Jesus. I would have loved to have met him personally but I am glad that I have the benefit of his teachings so readily available. I think about how my life would be without knowing how to love. I remember the days of wanting everything to be fair and if I was wronged then revenge was in order and justified. Problem was it only created more strife and more pain. Resolution was rarely found. Peace was so hard to attain if ever at all. Once I learned to love and with that forgiveness and repentance to others and God I found a much more peaceful life. I am by no means perfect or better than anyone else but I am thankful that I have a discipline to follow that teaches me how to find and create peace. I encourage you to do the same. Take some time and open your eyes to Jesus’s teachings. Listen to what he has to say. Even try and put it into practice. If you have questions, ask, pray and reach out to other Christians (going to Church helps). Know though that God loves you and sent his son with the lessons of a lifetime.

Matthew 13:16-17

16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.