Good morning and happy Tuesday. So is satan winning? According to the news and other media and the opinion of most people it would seem so. Since when does a nation of Christians let an event take them down. I don't know that any are but I don't see or hear many out there pointing to God with this. The message is about evil and sinister things and now that's what we talk about. All satan needs is a small crack to weasel his way into a life. A view just off the mark that may look like God but in the end is not. In the Book of Revelation do you know why John describes those horrible images? That's how he sees satan and evil. That's how Christians will see it. In the end days the world will see a good kind hearted man leading them to their unforeseen doom. The Christ followers will see him as the serpent and dragon that he is. So how do you see the world?  As a terrible place void of God or a terrible place ruled by the dragon. Make no doubt, God is here, and is by the way, satan's God too. We are being allowed this time to come to Him on our own out love for Him. Not tricked or deceived but pure love for Him. Find a way to love the hurting people of this world and not call them names and cast them aside because its easier to do so. That's how we win more souls with Gods love for us and others. We have to make our lives about Him in this chaotic and crazy world that satan uses to draw us away. People will ask, where is God in all of this? He's right there holding a hand some else wouldn't. He's hoping that by putting them in our path we will find the compassion for them He has.  I have so far to go. Help me Lord Jesus. In love always. <><

Good morning and happy Monday. Well, last week God was laying ground work for today it seems. Prayer and the subject of them. With the school shooting and the way the economy is and the election, there's no telling what if anything is being prayed about. There was a man named Saul who wanted Christianity gone. The people of Damascus knew he he was coming for them. What would you as a group of Christians there be praying for? That the wheel on his chariot fall off and he be hurt or killed?  You could rationalize that it's a Godly prayer because if he doesn't get us we can spread the Gospel better. I know if I were there I would have prayed for his demise. Do you think anyone stopped to pray for his salvation instead? Well in spite of us God saw to it and now we read the things he's written about our Lord and savior. The news has been about 26 victims at the school. For God He sees 28, and many more still left alive. There was a mother killed that no one is saying much about. There was a lost boy who no one seemed to understand or at least see this coming. Never to take away from those 26, please understand that. But the point is the same as Saul, what is being prayed over people who are lost? God lost some of His children that day. Some will be with Him I'm sure but who knows where the others were in there relationship with Him. We are so quick to get after the thing we think will bring immediate relief to a situation instead of what brings the best and most glory to God. I would have never prayed for Saul to be saved knowing he was coming to kill me. We need to be in prayer for our leaders, our teachers, our families, our nation, our world, for all of our salvation. I'm saddened by the shooting but from the heart and mouth of child came these words about it; " I feel most sorry for the guy that did this. He must've really been hurting the most to be able to do this". I never thought of it that way, but God does. Be careful what you pray for, and be mindful of what you say in it. You never know how God is going to use the event for His glory. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Friday. How long do we wait for God? Do we just give up at a point and say well I guess it's not gonna be? How do we know the answer is no or if its not yet?  I wish I had an answer, but apparently 4 1/2 plus years isn't too long. I think that for the most part it's about our continual relationship with God. When we stay in touch with our family and friends its easy to know what's going on and needs that may be needed to be met or joys to be celebrated. When it's been a while since we've seen them or talked its hard to have conversation other than catching up kind of news, it doesn't become very personal and close till the gap of time gets closed. I think when we realize that God made us for Himself, we could better understand the relationship we should have with Him. I've made a thousand promises to my kids over the course of their lives, some kept and some still to come. They ask about them every once in a while and about the status of it happening. Nothing big, but still important to them. Unlike God, I can't just make things happen so some will have to wait but they aren't discouraged by how long. We have a relationship. Draw near to God. He asks us to do so. He wants to be all you want Him to be. Be prepared to follow His plan and the direction He is leading you though. You will not win against God. So why not follow along the way that has already be won? In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Thursday. Coincidence or God? Fate or luck? How easy is it to forget or look past God in action, to see His hand in things today? When we read the Bible we easily see how things were put together to bring about the things prophesied. Out of the blue, Augustus decides to count all the people so that brings Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem out of Nazareth. No big deal unless you know about what all was said about Jesus coming from there. But those things are easy to see from our perspective today because we're looking back. Isn't it also in the Bible that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? So if He was doing those kinds of things then ( yesterday ) isn't He still doing those things today and continue on in the future? We are surrounded by His miracles everyday and some wonder where He is in their life. The question is right except the emphasis is on their life and not where is He. Where is He in our life, first, second or even in it at all? That's for us to do. He's been there since the dawn of days so it must be us. I don't believe in luck or coincidence any more like I did when I was younger. Even my golf ball bouncing just right off a tree is not luck. It's how well I use that opportunity to make an errant shot turn out to be a great day at the golf course.  In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Wednesday. What if your prayers get answered? I'll make it easier, what if your biggest prayer is answered the way you would like it to be? Lets leave off the table the health of someone close to you, because those involve a lot of people praying the same thing. You're biggest prayer for yourself, something for you and you alone gets the answer you want? Now what?  How do we change or do we? Does it become a testimony to God's goodness? Do we just keep it locked away and to ourselves so no one knows we prayed it? I'm in the middle of that happening right now and after today and the final stuff is done I will be letting you know how it all turned out. I can't help but feel that a lot of people have let their story of God in their lives die or simply not acknowledged Him being present. As big is our prayers can be, we seem to only let it be known when the big one gets answered. Oh I know it should get some extra bells, hoots and hollers and such but we need to remember the everyday small things He does for us and make those our testimony and praise to Him. Maybe it's the big ones He uses to push us to speak out. Lets all be a voice of God in this world. We all know it could use more of it. In love always <><. 

Good morning and happy Tuesday. Not much to say today except. GOD IS GOOD, always. More to come later. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Monday. Why and when does God answer prayer? Your guess is as good as mine. The one thing I do know is, it is in His time and His time alone. Some may be answered immediately because He's been waiting for us to talk to Him and others because the timing is just not right yet. The first though, of waiting on me to ask Him saddens me most. To think that He's been waiting to "help" or do for me but I haven't asked Him. Then when I do, I feel like that's all I come to Him with is my needs and wants. But wait that's what we mostly do. To think that He is holding an answer to a prayer because I haven't prayed to Him also means I must be trying to do this on my own and without Him. But the one He's waiting to answer is the one that makes me the happiest, at least now that I have grown up some. This is the one He's letting me grow, mature and be ready for. It's the one He's wanting all things to be right so that we can be blessed and people will see Him in it because we gave Him the glory before the answer arrived. We're always ready to pray for others, at least we say we'll be praying for them. How often do we go to Him on our own behalf just to talk out the day and how things went and are going?  When we get to that stage of it all, our prayers to Him are simple conversations and the understanding of the timing to answers is gotten. I like it when He's grooming us and preparing us for the answer to a long awaited prayer. It means we're ready and pleasing to Him so that we may do what it is He is blessing us for, to bless others. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Friday. How do you feel today? How about yesterday? What was the difference between them and say last year at this time? Do you remember what you were doing and how your life felt the day before 9/11? Yeah me either, but we remember where we were that day though. The day before your life changes forever, feels like any other day. Until you know Christ nothing seems different. Everyday is the same and then one day it changes and you wonder how you ever lived without this before. How do we pass this to people so they don't waste days of their life not knowing Him? It's different for all of us but it's a question we have to find the answer to, lives in eternity depend on it. Those days that are behind us are for us to remember so that we realize the day it did change. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was blind but now I see. We have all been lost and blind in the past. Can you imagine physically being blind and then seeing clearly in an instant. Being lost somewhere in the mountains and wondering if death was your next day, and then rescuers turn the corner to find you. Your life would never be the same. You would remember the day it happened, but the ones before may all seem alike. Live for the day He found you and opened your eyes to see. Be an instrument for Him to use to help others the same way. In love always. <><

Good morning and happy Thursday. I love to meet with people in a group and discuss issues. I like to see and hear other points of view and weigh them out with what I think. Used to no one was right but me and everyone else just wasn't as smart as me.  There are a number of places in the Bible about maturity of the church and how the mature are to deal and help the immature. Thank you Shawn and John and many others just like them who showed me patience and kindness to explain what I didn't understand. It's people helping people. Showing each other the love of Christ. Jesus spoke in parables to His disciples for a reason. Once they matured they would understand the deeper meaning of what He said. Everyone, including the heathens could make something of the surface meaning. Christians today, as I have said many times, are lazy and not really interested in going a little deeper anymore. We take the surface stuff and call it good and tell others how good God is. Then the person they told digs a little deeper on their own and finds out how GREAT God is. We're missing so much of God and our savior Jesus if we don't get into the Word and study and get involved in other people's lives and hear and learn more so we can grow more. Find a group to get involved in that wants to study and grow. Get to a place where you can lead a group yourself. Multiply our passion for Him with others and set the world on fire again with the name of Jesus. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Tuesday. I tried an experiment last night. At least I paid more attention to it anyway. I listened to my phone music in my ear buds all night. Each time I woke up from the ear buds hurting my ear I paid attention to what song was on. I have all kinds of music on there too. But last night every time it was one of my favorite Christian songs. I kid you not. Now what do I make of it? For most people it's just a coincidence and nothing more. For others, big deal. Who cares?  Me, I thanked God for the most wonderful nights sleep and serenade of music. Just a small little thing in my life that doesn't really mean a thing to anyone else. Just something for me from God. When we really look at all the things He is involved in, how can we not be in awe and amazement? With a God who loves us this much, how also can we not love people more. Take hate out of our lives and begin to let the light of the Lord shine for all to see. Yesterday was a call to arms. Today is how it begins. Thankfulness and humbleness before God. Allowing Him to lead the way and us willing to follow. It may start off small at first so don't be looking for the big miraculous event. I wonder how the army felt marching around a city wall for seven days as part of the battle plan? Sounds stupid and ineffective to them. My favorite songs each time I woke up last night. Sounds stupid and unimportant, but both were very effective. Thank you God. I love you. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Monday. At what point in our lives do we realize we really need God? Is it when everything has fallen apart and we feel we have nothing left? Do we live our lives how we want and then decide to receive His grace and mercy at the end of it? Many people have come to Christ in by those situations. Of the many examples, these are just two for the sake of argument.  But the question I would ask is this; If God is good enough to be sought out for at the end or most desperate time of our lives, why isn't He good for the whole thing?  As humans we seem to think we have it all under control, or at least the idea that we can control things in our lives. To some degree we can by our decisions., but we have an illusion that we can do more. We can turn things around. For people who don't believe in God I could see this but Christians do the same thing. The evidence is in a good look at our countries history. Founded on beliefs in God and prosper till we begin to allow satan to whisper in our collective ear that its all ok. We are deteriorating slowly as we continue to push God out of our country and our lives. It's time, it's past time, for the Christian nation to stand up and no longer be silent. Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Tell your church. Make it happen. Quit being comfy in your Sunday pew and realize you're being called to action. We owe it to the One who gave us all. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Thursday. Tell me who this sounds like. He stood and led a crowd that killed a man. He went house to house throwing people in jail for following Christ. He done all he could to keep the word of God from being spread in his country. Killing and prison were the most widely used deterrents. He wrote many books and letters relating his past and present experience with Christians and how they should be living. His name is Paul and was once named Saul until he met the Lord. Jesus changed his heart forever. What if Osama bin Laden had met Christ and changed his heart for God? What if he became a Christ follower like the one Paul did? How would the world be different today?  How skeptical of his change would you be? This is what Paul had to face in his day and found himself in the jail he once put people in. And yet, from there he penned most of the New Testament. We Christians study the words he wrote to better know the Jesus he was once hated. That gives me hope for my little petty life of stuff I've done over the years. I haven't been perfect, in fact, far from it, but Jesus did not die for me to just quit. He's paid a very high price for me and you and all our past is covered when we let Him take it and bury it to be remembered no more. The least we can do is live a life as pleasing as possible for Him. To give it all to Him the same way Paul did. To realize that Jesus is exactly who He said He is. To have our hearts changed forever and to live the way we should. Osama's sins are no greater than ours. Sin is sin. But we have the chance to be redeemed where we stand right now in one instant. In one instant a past of bad living can be gone, used now as a witness to others that if I can do it so can you. Paul's life gives me hope in all of us of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Thank you Jesus. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Tuesday. Can you imagine standing at the end of your life looking back at where you right now? What would say to yourself about where you see yourself heading? How different would would have yourself start living from that point to get to the point you see you need to be at? Oh, I think we all can say we're missing the mark somewhere in our lives, and if we could be out into our own future and tell ourselves where to go and what choice to make, we all would have some direction to give. Well someone is already there. He's been there from the beginning and the most amazing part of His being is that He's here with us now also to walk along side us. He gave us His spirit to lead us to where we need to be. We keep choosing to follow our own ideas of where we should be. I watched the movie Looper this weekend. It's got me thinking about how we can change our future memories by changing how we live now. This guys future self is sent back in time to him and he has all his memories of the life he lived. The present guy changes the future guys memories by living different than he did otherwise. It's really an interesting concept. But our future is just a memory to God. And He's sent Himself back to help us get to where we need to be going. I think it's best if we listen and heed the advice of the creator of all things. Just saying. This is not a world of chaos as we see it. It's a perfect plan playing out with all of us making choices that effect others in the world. But mostly it effects us and our eternity with God in heaven. That's the goal folks. Not a thing on this earth should be our objective, except the souls of others. See you on the other side. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Monday. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving week. What are you gonna be thankful for today?  How about everything? Sometimes He just gives us the next breath to just keep breathing, to give us more time to fully understand the grace and mercy He shows to us. Paul wrote in I Timothy that he was thankful for being found trusty worthy enough to be placed into the service of the Lord.  This coming from a man who was locking up and killing those who followed Jesus, that even He could be shown grace and mercy and then to tell others of the same God and savior that can do the same for them. We take this for granted here. We feel entitled to it because we're good people and not like those others. While that may be true, it's seems to me we have lost focus on the real objective, serving the Lord. Entitled people don't serve but are served. I know it's not everyone, but it is many. We need to learn to be thankful for the tasks that God brings us to. It's a chance to show Jesus to someone usually. And then sometimes it's a chance for us to see Jesus in someone else. To be reminded of the stripes we deserved but He took for us. To give us a way Home to God the Father. While its good to be thankful for a lot of things and many blessings in out lives, put your salvation through faith in Jesus first and live a new life for Him. In love always <>< 

Good morning and happy Monday. Just a few days away from Thanksgiving. My prayers this time of year are for us to realize how thankful we should be and that the world of self satisfaction melts away from our hearts. That we find that place within us to love each other and to care for each other,and not just the people we know but the ones we don't. I'm thankful it doesn't potentially cost me my life to worship Jesus. That my family is not at risk for me having a Bible or spreading the Word of God through this message. I pray that we stop taking all this for granted and really apply this to our lives daily and not just on Sunday. That God is first in our lives just like He said He should be. To be ready to give up everything we hold dear to follow after Jesus just like He said to. If we believe some of what the Bible says why aren't we believing all of what it says? In Luke chapter 9 Jesus was not trying to discourage people from following, He was making sure they knew the cost to do so. If you truly are going to follow Him,then be prepared to pay the cost. Nothing here on this earth is worth hanging onto just to loose our eternity with Him. This season be thankful for the smallest of things in your life. Jesus is in all them. He cares about every part of you. Be thankful for the country that lets you read this and your Bible anytime you want without any danger. Use these blessing to be a blessing. In love always. <><