The Bible Is the Light

Greetings My Friends

I was looking at some pictures I took the last time I was up north. The pictures are nice, but the real thing was much more impressive.

I was standing on a breakwater, that went out into the lake about a quarter of a mile. The day was overcast, and windy. The lake looked angry, and you could feel its power as it splashed up on the concrete.

Lake Michigan has a history of shipwrecks. There were no lighthouses until the early to mid 1800s. Ships would run aground, smashup on the rocks, and sink, costing probably 1000 lives or maybe even more.

The lighthouses were built to warn sailors about danger. It helped the ships steer clear of the hazards. Those that didn't pay attention, were lost.

While looking at these pictures, I heard a small clear voice. It said "you know, life is sometimes like the angry lake, or a deceitfully quiet Lake. This pretty much describes how life can be. The Bible is like a lighthouse".

This comparison really made an impression on me. The Bible keeps us from all kinds of disasters, if we pay attention to it. If we choose not to, consequences we face could be unbelievably more catastrophic.

When it is sunny, and a gentle breeze is blowing over the lake, it does not mean you stop looking at the lighthouse. The lake can get violent within minutes, with no warning.

You see life is a lot like the lake. Just because everything is wonderful at the time, you must still keep your eyes on your lighthouse, which is the word of God. Your life can turn like the weather. But as long as you keep the Bible as your lighthouse, you may get tossed around a little, but you won't sick.

One final thought. The light in a lighthouse can go out, but since Jesus is the light in the word, you never have to worry about it going out. This message may sound a little confusing, but give it some real honest thought, and I think you'll see what I've been trying to say.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all of my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Break That Dam

Greetings My Friends;
You have probably heard about the idea of visualization, especially as it applies to healing. The whole idea is that when you finish praying for anything, you start seeing the result. Go by faith and not by sight.
Some people have a difficult time doing that. That is not uncommon. Don't be discouraged. I heard something that popped an idea into my head. So here it is.
Picture this. satan builds a huge dam in front of you. This dam is to block your answer to prayer. Picture your faith as being like the water behind the dam.
With me so far? Well as you feed your faith, it is like the water behind the dam rising. As the water rises, just like your faith, it puts more and more pressure on the dam.
Before you know it, a crack appears and water starts to flow. More pressure, more flow. At some point the dam will burst, and basically disappear. The obstacle has been totally destroyed.
If you ever saw a video or movie of a dam break, you saw what I mean. Apply it to your situation. See that damn break. From a trickle, to an incredible surge.
God Bless You And Remember
 Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation;
Father, I come to you a sinner, and I ask forgiveness. I truly repent, and believe with all my heart that Jesus died and rose again. I also believe I am washed in His Blood, forgiven of all my sins, and by His Stripes I am healed. With all my heart I accept Jesus as my personal Savior, and ask Him to live in my heart.

Dream # 2

Greetings My Friends;
I don't know why I am led to write about another dream, but here it is. This time a different message came out of it.
Two days after the first dream, I had this one. I was somewhere, but not at home. A woman  was making a cookie or something, the size of a football. It looked like it and it had intricate scrollwork.  At the same time someone else was making a green, mint flavor ice cream.
In my dream I asked my wife who this was for. She hesitated telling me so I asked, is it for Jake? She said no. Then I asked if it was for Josh and she said yes.
I then found myself standing in a doorway holding the confections that were made. The room was full of people sitting on couches that formed a large square. They were all well dressed, and each was holding something. They were waiting to see Jesus. The thought went through my mind, this isn't right, I better leave, I don't belong here. I asked Jesus to explain.
The people sitting in the waiting room were like a lot of people who made sacrifices at the Temple. Meaningless, because you cannot wait for God, you only insult him by doing it. The proper way for a Christian is to come through the door with your key.
You bring your bowl. In it  you put the following items as appropriate at the time. Your sins, love, kind act's, charity, true gratitude, needs and wants, and anything else, such as health, finances, etc.
You must see yourself filling your bowl. Take your key, opened the door, and present yourself and your bowl to Jesus. Jesus never fails to give us what we ask, if we believe. He always makes sure we have an empty bowl for next time. By loving and trusting Him, we are praising Him.
For a perfect example of Jesus love for us I want to get back to the story of Josh that I mentioned at the beginning of this dream. I'm not sure exactly what this particular dream was about, other than the fact that it does show Jesus great love for those who love him.
Josh is my seven-year-old nephew. A while back he was diagnosed with the worst type of muscular dystrophy. The doctor said he would be in a wheelchair within two years, and probably not live through his teens.
His grandfather who was a strong believer, saw him.. He got family and friends praying. A couple of weeks later they ran another series of tests so they could come up with some kind of treatment. Only one problem came up, no more disease. No one could explain it. If those doctors weren't believers in Jesus love and power, I'll bet they are thinking about it now.
This is obviously a short version of the entire story. It is true, and I have no clue how this dream came into play in this story of Josh except for the fact that early on his name came up when I asked who all of this was about in the beginning of the dream. I do believe however, this is a perfect example, of the power of prayer and trust and belief in the Lord. Praise the Lord!
God Bless You And Remember
 Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation;
"Oh God in Heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive Your Word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen"

Can God Use You????

Greetings My Friends;
A lot of people are called by God to do something. It is his plan for you and if you don't follow the call you will miss out on the blessings of the plan. There are a number of situations that come up in a person's life that can hinder them if they let it.
The first situation is that you don't believe that God could possibly use you, so you ignore that quiet little voice in your heart. Too bad. What you may not realize is that it matters what God thinks, and if he thinks you are the one for the job, who do you suppose is right? God has always chosen most of his servants from the unlikely to the dregs of society. So if you're just average, why not you?
Another thing that happens is, we fail to see things from the spiritual outlook. If God wants you to do something, He will give you what you need to do the job, including a helper called the Holy Spirit. If you keep in touch with the Word and the Holy Spirit, you will do things without even realizing you are being guided. Things will just fall into place, and as you complete a step, the next step pops up. Just relax, talk to and listen to the Holy Spirit, and enjoy the ride.
Sometimes when friends, coworkers, and especially family members find out what you are doing, you'll probably get a lot of strong, negative reactions. They will have a hard time accepting what you are doing because they see you as just a regular person who they have known for a long time. Remember that Jesus faced the same thing. People even in his own family did not believe in him until after His resurrection. People saw Him not as the Messiah, but the carpenters son.
I hate to keep mentioning problems, but here goes. As you go about doing what you are led to do, especially at first, you may fall back into the carnal way of seeing and thinking. I think it would be foolish for most people to think that it couldn't happen to them. Maybe things are going slower, are not looking as good as we think. Just let God handle it, He is in charge, and He knows how it should progress.
One of the biggest problems is satan. He is always there trying to discourage you and will try to put doubt in your mind. He will say things like, do you really think God would use someone like you? He will surely bring up your past in order to condemn you. Just tell him you are not that person because of God's saving grace. You have to tell him that he has no power over you in Jesus name, and ignore him. Pray or pick up the word and he will take off like a bat out of you know where. Praise the Lord!
I tell you the things because most of it has happened to me, and I want you to know you are not alone. Just hang in there and do what your heart tells you.
God Bless You And Remember
 Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation;
"Oh God in Heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive Your Word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen"

Types Of Seed

Greetings My Friends;

When you mention seed, most people don't want to hear about it. It is true that tithing is mentioned a number of times in the Bible.

Genesis 28:22 "And this don't know which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you"

Leviticus 27:30 "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lords. It is holy to the Lord".

As you can see tithing or seed planting referred to many things. The Hebrews raised livestock and produce of all kinds. They didn't have much money so they brought what they had.

An example that I have heard many times, is an ear of corn. It is just one ear with let's say 100 kernels. You take the best 10 kernels and plant them. Take care to water them and they will each produce 500 to 1000 kernels. It works the same way with everything. A large return for what is sown.

We usually don't stop to consider the various types of seeds we can plant. Kindness to others, not just friends but strangers too. Any little thing done from the heart will eventually produce results. Volunteer for a worthy cause. Give your time and effort with a happy heart. Take the time to just listen to someone who needs someone else to talk to. You may be thinking, how can this help me? Well my friends, if you do it because you love God, he will bless you. Start paying attention, and you'll see what I mean.

Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God" the parable he is referring to is the one about the sower and the different kinds of ground. If you want to check it out, it is in Luke 8:4 – 10.

This is without a doubt the greatest seed you can plant, and we get it free.  Study the Word diligently, put that seed in your heart. Give it the living water from reading the Word. You will find that you grow into a new man or woman. You will be showered with so many blessings in this life that you will be amazed.

All good works or deeds are rewarded by the most high God.

God bless you and remember

Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive Your Word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen"

Words 2

Greetings, My Friends.

As we grow up, we may not be aware of what is happening in our lives. As we get into the teen years and later, we probably recognize that we have some problems. Those problems probably started manifesting themselves very early in our lives, but we were not aware.

I don't want to sound like a shrink, but many problems and complexes got their start when you were a kid. Many adults trying to be funny can cause the damage. For instance, if someone told you stories about ghosts or monsters when you were very young, you may have certain fears today.

The list goes on. An uncle has fun teasing you, because you stutter. It can actually make the problem worse, and in later years, even if the stutter is gone, you may have a fear of talking to people or groups.

Someone pushes you into water as a joke, and you spend the rest of your life afraid of water. Someone teases you about your weight, and you have weight problems the rest of your life. These are just a few examples of what some people call innocent fun, but it can be devastating in someone's life. When a person experiences this kind of trauma, it usually lasts for years, even for a lifetime.

Most of us don't realize how fragile the human psyche can be. The self-worth that a person has, is usually a result of past experiences. Many problems we have today, would not be a problem had we not been set up for it years earlier.

I have always said that 100 positive things cannot erase one negative one. I believe, if we give our children nothing but positive words,and experiences,  and make their home a good Christian one, showing them by actions, not just words, the chances of them growing up healthy mentally as well as spiritually and physically is very good.

We must think about what we say and do with young people, in order to lessen fears, anxiety, inferiority and personal relationships in the future. We must first use our brains, and our mouth second. We will continue looking at words as they affect marriage and in the workplace.

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your Word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Healing

Greetings. My Friends;

The subject today, is one that has drawn countless skeptics. It seems only true believers acknowledge it, but a small percentage actually experience it. I have heard comments about healing in particular, and miracles in general. People get all upset and talk about there being a catch to everything God does. He does have a few conditions, usually but not always. You have to ask for healing, you must believe  for what you ask, and then you have to receive the healing in your heart. I guess according to some people that is totally unreasonable.

I could tell you of at least a dozen miracles of healing that I know of personally, but that would take too long. Instead, I will tell you of two that happened to me. There were a few others, but I will stick to the two. After surgery. 10 years ago, I developed type II diabetes. The doctor suggested all of the regular solutions. Lose weight, exercise, and so on. Finally it got to the point where I had to start taking insulin. The dosage got up to 45 units of insulin once a day. Diabetes was under control.

A couple of years ago, I finally woke up and spoke to the diabetes and claimed healing in Jesus name. I took a step of faith and lowered my insulin by 5 units for a week. I was checking my glucose readings every day, and the numbers stayed the same. I started lowering my insulin 5 units once a week. I reasoned that if I increased in steps, the reverse was reasonable. Finally, I was down to no insulin. I checked 3 times a day expecting good numbers. They were right on target. They have what they call and A1C test. It measures your average glucose for the past 3 months. They had just lowered the range from 7to6. Under 6 is normal. The 1st test with no insulin was 5.5. The 2nd test was 5.6. I have had about 6 of these tests in the last one and half years, and my highest number was 5.8. Sure looks like I was healed to me.

One more quick story. I accidentally ripped out a big part of the nail on a big toe. It was ripped the long way. Plenty of blood. So I just wrapped it and prayed about it. The next day it looked bad. I repeated my belief in my healing. The next day my toe was swollen and infected. At this point, I told my wife, maybe I should go to the doctor. Immediately the thought came to my heart, do you believe or not? I rebuked the infection in Jesus name and claimed my healing. The next day, the infection was gone, and a few days later, the toe was normal. It did however take a few weeks for the mail to grow back.

I am not telling you to do what I did. I know a couple of people who ask the Lord to help the doctor heal them. There is nothing wrong with that. I did what I did because I have a habit of putting the Lord out on a limb. He has never fallen off.

Isaiah 53:5 "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed."

Matthew 12:15 "Jesus aware of this, withdrew from there, and many followed Him , and He healed them all."

Jesus always said yes!

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive Your Word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name.  Amen."

Charged Up

Greetings My Friends ;

Hello again. This may sound like a funny title for this message, but it will become clear later.

I can't speak for someone else, only myself. As we go through life, we encounter many things that distract us for one reason or another. The Bible does not promise that everything in your life will be perfect, even though you are Christian. Satan tries to discourage us because he hates Jesus for what He did for us. Whatever stumbling blocks he  can put in our way, he will. He is unrelenting.

Satan has a very large bag of tricks. He will use your children, your spouse, and anything else he can think of. Things like running late in the morning, taking the kids somewhere, and a hundred other errands. As we get caught up in these problems, Satan will even help us rationalize the fact that most or all of our daily time with God is gone. It isn't our fault we say. Satan beats us up and we let him.

Faith is built up by surviving problems and trusting in God. What I do is simple. When I feel like I am drifting a little, I tell Satan, my God is greater than him. I tell him he has no power over me, in Jesus name. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me. The Word rejuvenates me. I compare the surge of power I feel, to the charging of a battery. Maybe what I am saying seems a little strange. Believe me, if you try it, you will experience the same power that I feel whenever I do what I am telling you.

God bless you and remember,

 Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and wash in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Unanswered Prayers

Greetings. My Friends;

Proverbs 21:13 "Whoever shuts his ears to the poor  will also cry himself and not be heard."

Psalms 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear."

James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasure's"

In previous messages. I mentioned that one of the conditions for answered prayer is a pure heart. As you can see from the quotes, the Lord makes it pretty plain. He flat out says that under certain conditions, He will not hear, so He will not answer.

Compassion for the needy is something that is required. You are blessed, so the Lord expects you to share what he has given you. Give out of a loving heart and not grudgingly, and you will be heard. Doubt is another big problem. The Lord considers doubt or unbelief as a sin, and will not honor the prayers of someone who does not trust him.

Many times we ask for something that may harm us, someone else, or it does not line up with His Word. Winning the lottery, fancy cars, etc. can lead you on the road to destruction. He will not give you anything that He knows will take you from Him. He does not answer prayers for frivolous things.

When you pray for something totally against his word, he does not hear. Believe it or not, some people have prayed for someone else's spouse, that harm or misfortune would come to someone they disliked, and all sorts of equally destructive things.

One last verse. Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you. So that he will not hear".

God bless you and remember,

 Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Gods Creation

Greetings, My Friends;

Today I am kind of sidetracked. This is a story that might be somewhat reminiscent of something that you experienced some time in your life.

Last Thursday, my wife and I went to visit one of my sons in Door County, Wisconsin. It is a few hundred miles from our home, and takes several hours to get there.

Just as anyone would do, I got on the toll road. As you can imagine, traffic was pretty heavy, and everyone was speeding, including yours truly. I call it self defense, to keep from being run over. A poor excuse I suppose. We kept this up until we were good way past Milwaukee. It was then,  my wife and I decided to take what we call the scenic route. We got off the expressway.

We usually do this, because it is like entering a new world. For the most part, our speed is drastically  reduced . We drive on country roads. My wife enjoys seeing cows and horses spending their days eating and enjoying their surroundings. You go through many small, even tiny towns and watch how people go about their business. We will usually have something to eat in a no name, ma and pa place. We are in no hurry, so a casual conversation is welcome to us.

When we got to my son's place, it was very peaceful and beautiful. We went to bed at the start of a downpour. I don't know how much of the sound was from the rain, the trees, or both. What a pleasant way to fall asleep. My son lives in a heavily wooded piece of land among the trees. When we got up, there were 2 dear, a mother and her little one, not 20 feet from our window. They were in no hurry to leave, I guess they knew they were safe.

After breakfast, we went exploring as we call it. Since we were only a couple of blocks from Lake Michigan, we went to the marina. A few charter boats were just leaving with their cargo of happy tourist fisherman. We walked out to the tip of the marina and sat looking at the lake. There was a stiff  breeze, making it feel cooler than it was. The sun warmed my bare skin, and it felt so good I could have stayed all day. Only our Lord could accomplish all of this.

Next we checked out vast areas of beach. Beautiful, clean beaches with no people except us. The small white caps were rolling in with their distinctive sound. The sun was bright and warm, and you could feel the power in the lake. In spite of its size and power, the Lord set boundaries where the water could go.  Absolutely beautiful and pleasant to look at.

That night we sat on the deck and looked at the sky. It was as though I had never seen it before. The number of stars was unimaginable. If I was Abraham, and the Lord told me that my descendents would be as many as the stars, I could not imagine a world big enough to hold all of the people. It seems impossible that anyone could look up in the sky, see all of these stars and deny the existence of God. Every one of the stars is where it is supposed to be and doing what it is supposed to do. Chance? I think not.

A couple of days later, we went to small-town to see their parade. Hundreds of people showed up. The highway was closed.  To a city slicker, this probably seemed like a joke. Everyone there, including us was there to have a good time. No marching bands, no impressive floats, just regular people and homemade floats. The whole parade took about 15 or 20 min. People were so nice to each other. We needed to use a bathroom, so we took a chance and went into very nice motel on the route. With hundreds of people around, the person in charge of the motel was very accommodating and very nice.

On Sunday morning we went to a small farmers market on the lawn at city hall. Everyone looked like they were there to socialize, and if they bought or sold, so much the better. My son had his 2 Basset hounds with him because they love people and they attract people. One of the vendors gave the dogs some water because they looked like they could use it, even though we didn't buy anything. I think when most people are away from the stress of everyday life; they start to act as God intended. We had an absolutely wonderful time.

Yes, we took the scenic route home. Check out the pictures. We saw the creator's hand and love everywhere.

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Bless Your Children

Greetings, My Friends;

The best, most loving thing you can do for your children is to introduce them to God. They are never too young to hear about Jesus. Tell them Bible stories for starters. There are some good children's Bibles. When they are going to bed, show them the pictures and tell them the story.

I have seen young children who have so much faith and love for Jesus, it warms my heart, and I am sure the Lord is happy beyond measure. One boy at our church, his name is Paul, came to one of our meetings and asked us to pray for his sick dog. He asked, because he believed Jesus loved him and his dog. His dog was fine the next day.

Most of us want our children, or someone we love to be saved. A person who is saved, and reads the word, has a quality of life for better then a nonbeliever. A believer isn't affected by circumstances the way everyone else is.

There are some things to remember that can be pretty big. Don't constantly beat someone over the head with God. People get tired of it and the opposite happens. Don't preach. God has his time, and it is perfect. Don't get upset or doubtful if you don't see anything happening. Just relax and trust God.  He honors and answers sincere prayer. Show your kids and everyone else by your example. Our job is to plant the seeds, and God makes them grow.

When you take the time to teach your children, or to witness to other people, you are doing the greatest thing you can do. All the seeds in God's garden flourish.

God bless you and remember,

 Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Complaining

Greetings, My Friends;

Many people are unhappy for many different reasons. Marriages, children, jobs, money, are all among the things that are most common things for people to complain about. A spouse that doesn't understand, children that aren't acting the way you expect, your boss doesn't appreciate you, and on and on it goes.

It's too hot out. It's too cold out. Too much rain. Not enough rain. On and on. We find so many reasons to complain. What a lot of us don't realize is the damage we are doing to ourselves when we complain. We feel sorry for ourselves, and I believe it does 2 things. You are predicting your future, and 2nd, your mind closes to any possible solution.

Believe it or not, what ever you vocalize becomes your future. When you constantly talk about something negative, you convince your subconscious that what you say is chiseled in stone. Your subconscious will then guide you to the fulfilment of what you complain about.

Let me give you a simple example. You come home from work , and tell your wife. I really had a tough day today, I don't think I can cut the grass this evening. Your mind and your body are happy to go along with that idea. Keep complaining and talking like that and it won't be long until you can't even drag your  worn-out body to the couch.

The more you complain about something and talk about it, the worse it gets in your mind. This type of problem is tough especially on family members. It is depressing when you are constantly bombarded by a complainer. Anyone that tries to help just gets frustrated because the complainer is enjoying being miserable. It is a good way to alienate anyone that comes in contact with them.  Then true to form, the complainer starts complaining that no one likes them.  Pretty sad.

What does God say about complaining?

Philippians 2:14 "do all things without complaining and disputing"

Numbers 11: 1, "Now, when the people complained, it displeased the Lord, for the Lord heard it, and his anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.  Forget complaining and try seeing the blessings from God. Just as negative produces negative, positive produces positive.

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Choose to Believe

Greetings, My Friends;

Many people say that they would like to believe, but they just can't. They love to knit pick the Bible as though they were an attorney pleading a  case. The sad part is that they usually don't know anything about what they can't believe in. People take a few words here and there and conjure up their own story to match what is convenient to them. If they took the time to read the verse in front of, or in back of the words they just picked out a year, they might discover the real story.

The solution to the whole problem is pretty simple if you give it a chance. Start out with the thought that eternity is forever. If you don't think that you have at least 20 min. a day for the Lord, the devil will make sure you don't.

Okay, that's covered. Now we begin. Set aside time for the Lord every day. You can get an MP3 player loaded with the Bible. Listen in your car. If you prefer, get a good study Bible. A study Bible has the story on the upper part of each page, and an explanation of each verse on the bottom of the page. This will really help your understanding of the Bible. Take your time, you aren't in a race.

If you don't understand something, read it again. If something doesn't make sense, do what I do. I know the Bible is the word of God, not by my intellect, but by my spirit. Therefore, I choose to believe what it says. If God said it, and he did, I figure there was some way he said it so we can understand.

If you follow this plan for a while, you will begin to see what I'm talking about. You will begin to see how much God loves you and wants you to be with him forever. In my own opinion, and this is not biblical or something. I heard a preacher say as I said strictly my own opinion, the Bible was written the way it was to test our faith. Many things were written for believers to understand. When you seek the Lord with all of your heart,  He helps your spirit to understand. Anything else that still remains a puzzle will be answered in eternity. Remember eternity is forever. Give yourself another chance by seeking the Lord . Choose to believe.

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you!

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

A Christians Journey

Greetings, My Friends;

Many years ago a man named John Bunyan wrote a book called Pilgrim's progress. It is about a man called Christian and his journey from his hometown to Celestial City. It really is the story of faith. He encounters all kinds of diversions that get him off the path temporarily. He presses on and eventually makes it. I read the book, 3 or 4 times and enjoyed it so much, I wished that I had written it.

Actually, that story has many likenesses that we have heard about, and a few you may have experienced.  For instance,  the space program.  If they want to go to the moon or anywhere else,  it takes more than just  aiming a rocket. Years of study, computers, computer programs, and endless training, just for starters. It takes dedication and perseverance to make it all work. Once the rocket takes off, it goes through countless course corrections and other adjustments to reach the goal.

I remember when I was about 5 years old, and learning how to ride a 2 wheel bicycle. I didn't know anything. My dad would hang onto the seat and run alongside. He kept saying keep pedaling. As soon as he let go, I crashed. The poor guy finally gave up. Well, there I was with my bike, so I tried to ride on my own. I went 2 feet and crashed. I got up again determined to go farther. You guessed it, I crashed again. Several tries later, I guess by instinct, when I started to lose balance, I moved the handlebars. Shaky at first, but I was riding. My poor well-meaning dad neglected to tell me or show me that the crucial part of learning was to move the handlebars.  When I taught my son's how to ride, I explained it and showed them how and when to move the handlebars. They were riding. 10 min. later, and I didn't have to run alongside. They didn't have to learn the hard way that trying to go straight, will usually cause a crash. Everything requires adjustments.

A few illustrations of how life itself works.   If we aren't taught, we are in trouble. If we don't prepare for our next venture, we will crash.

There are a lot of examples like these in life. The trip can be bumpy and hazardous. If we prepare ourselves with the word of God, listen to what he is telling us, we will reach our destination. God does not tell us we won't fall, get hurt, or have problems. However, we make the journey and how long it takes is up to us and our free will. He is telling us He will be there to pick us up, sooth our pain, and get us going again. The Lord gives us all the tools, but we have to use them.

God bless you and remember,

Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation;

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Idols

Greetings, My Friends;

The dictionary defines an idol as an object of worship. Today I would like to talk about idols. Idols as you know, were probably the most common and treasured objects, people had in Old Testament times. The Old Testament had many stories of people and their idols. There were idols for each of the hundreds of god's. There was a god for everything. Many craftsmen made a very good living, their entire lives, just making idols.

Idols took the place of the one true God. When you think about it, it is pretty funny that a God and a chamber were both made from the same lump of clay. Don't you wonder how anyone could believe that a piece of wood  had the power to do anything. As you know it couldn't.

When Moses got the 10 commandments from God, this addressed the issue. The 1st commandment told them, "I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have no other gods before me." This should have solved the problem right? Wrong. In spite of the miracles in the wilderness, the events in Egypt that led to their freedom, they still worshiped idols. Unbelievable.

Now we look at our times. We have the Bible.We have read about Jesus, his death and resurrection.. We see his countless miracles and his unconditional love for man. We have many spirit filled preachers telling us about salvation. They keep talking about the grace, blessings, and favor, we receive from God. By grace we are saved, not by anything we did or will do. It is a gift from God.

So let's recap briefly. God gives eternal life, blessings in abundance, favor, and the only thing we have to do is accept Jesus as our personal Savior. I am constantly amazed at how many people change the subject, upset, or just find something else, they decide they must do. They don't even take the time to figure out what they are turning down.

Don't think for 1 min. that the days of idols or false gods are over. It is probably worse now than it ever was. Whenever you become obsessed with anything to the point where you have difficulty living without it, it is an idol to you. Our God wants us to enjoy life, and not forget Him. A lot of people  have indeed replaced Him. They have become obsessed with things of the world. Objects such as, cars cell phones, computers, video games, other people, and any number of objects that you can name, including jobs or businesses. These people don't have 5 min. for God, but they have a lifetime for things that may cause them to perish. You can have just about anything you want and more, just put it in its proper place.

As far as I know Solomon is in heaven. Take the time to read Ecclesiastes and you will find the story of his life, and as he puts it, all is vanity, meaning the futility of what we think is important in life. To me, one of the most chilling lines in the Bible, is in Luke 12: 20 God said to a certain rich man. "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you." It would be a good idea to read a couple of verses before and after verse 12.

Put it all together Ecclesiastes and Luke and see how you feel about eternity. We will all go there someday. We, I choose God Almighty and his son Jesus the Christ. There is a heaven, and there is a hell. God allows you to make the choice.

God bless you and remember,

 Jesus loves you.

Prayer of salvation.

"Oh God, in heaven, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive Your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

A Christian Friend

Greetings, My Friends;

I would like to tell you about a true Christian of love for another person. This is not about some terrific act that was done that put someone in jeopardy or anything like that. We'll call the friend, Carol. But first I would like to give you a little background leading up to the story.

As I said a week or two ago, my sons  built a pond for my wife for Mother's Day, about 14 years ago. Because of the love and attitude they had when they did it, it was one of the most precious things my wife had. I say had, because she no longer has it.

There are two little girls that live next door to us. We found out that when we are away for the weekend, they come over and throw rocks in it and generally hang around. The thing that concerned my wife the most,  was the fact that the girls are small, and the pond was about 2 1/2 feet deep.

My wife called her friend, Carol, who is very artistic and asked her to help design a rock garden to replace the pond. Well, Carol came over and came up with a very nice design.  As Carol and my wife talked, Carol said that she enjoys that kind of work, and she would like to do it. If you saw her place you would believe what she says, because it is absolutely beautiful. I get tired thinking about the work she put into it.

Back to the story.  She came over the next day and told my wife that she was going to redo the pond as a gift to her. She said that since it was a gift, she did not want any help. My wife tried to assist in a few little ways, and I helped by staying out of the way. It looked like a 3 day job, but it only took her 6 hours. I asked her how that was possible, and she replied that the Lord helped her do it.

The new rock garden looks fabulous. 2 days later she dug up some ground cover in her yard, and she and my wife planted it in a drizzle. One of the neighbors in a joking way said, you guys must be dedicated or nuts.

This whole episode goes to show a couple of things. While something like the loss of something you love hurts, if the Lord is involved, it is replaced by something you love just as much or more. Carol blessed us by what she did. She did all of that work out of true Christian love.  A real friend for many years.

God bless you, and remember,

Jesus loves you.

" Oh God in heaven, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with your spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."

Talk to that Mountain

 Greetings, My Friends;

If you watch any preachers, or read their books, they speak of talking to your mountain. In Mark Chapter 11 verses 23 and 24. Jesus says," for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says".

 I believe when Jesus told this to his apostles, He was not referring to when actual amount. He used that word to describe obstacles in our lives that may seem to us as big as a mountain. Examples might be, finding a job, dealing with debt, drugs, or smoking. Any hard things in our lives can be like a mountain.

Let me tell you a story of something that happened recently in my life. Every word is true, no exaggeration or fluff. Last summer was very hot with no rain. It started in early spring. Before it started, though, my lawn was thick, green, and the best looking grass around. My wife's favorite tree got some kind of disease, and the lawn had practically no grass. 95%. Looked like a desert landscape.

Needless to say, I was unhappy. I started to think about replacing the lawn, but that is pricey. I thought about seeds. I didn't know what to do and I thought about that verse from Mark. I then realized I had my own personal mountain. I decided to talk to the lawn and tree. The thought crossed my mind that the neighbors would probably think I was crazy talking to the lawn and tree. The Lord put it in my heart that faith is nothing to be ashamed of. My wife and I agreed together to talk to those mountains.

We looked at the lawn,  or what used to be a lawn and said, lawn. we command you in Jesus name, be lush, green, and better than ever. We then spoke the same way to the tree. Every day we tell the lawn and tree how beautiful they are. That was this spring.

The tree is now disease-free and hasn't been this beautiful in year's. The lawn is looking great again. The mountains have been moved in Jesus name.  I know it sounds like a fairytale to a lot of people, but every word is true. You can move your mountain too. No mountain is too big for the word of God. Praise the Lord!

God bless you and remember,

 Jesus loves you!

"Oh God in heaven, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I receive your word, and I repent of sin. I renounce the past. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive my forgiveness. I receive the new birth, cleansed and washed in the Word and in the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen."