To Santa or Not to Santa? That is the Question.

To tell the kids that Santa is real or not has long been a dilemma for parents, especially true Christian parents. Santa is part of the culture of the world we live in. Stores are geared toward a Santa theme in their decor. From pre-school to high school Santa is seen in the decorations, plays, in "Secret Santa," and "Kris Kringle," gift giving celebrations. Some parents leave out Christmas cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. Some dress up as Santa delivering gifts. You can see Santa at the mall starting Thanksgiving Day. You can see him at every department store ringing a bell. How can that be? Can he be everywhere at that same time? Even the myths concerning Santa juxtapose that somehow Santa shares some attributes of God to see everything, know everything we do, judge us as good or bad, and be at so many places at once. There are so many things about carrying on these myths that are so damaging to children.

The foremost thing is that when children find out that Santa does not exist after so many years of indoctrination by their parents that trust is destroyed. The child is in disbelief. What they believe about Santa was all a lie all that time and Mom and Dad were the ones who said it was all true. It is statistically proven that children who grow up believing in Santa and then find it's not true have more difficulty in life believing their parents when they insist something is true. Children who grow up knowing Santa is not real fair much better in trusting their parents. Children who grow up believing Santa is real and find out he is not, deal with unintended humiliation at the hands of their parents. They feel like a sucker played out through their parents. There's an immediate traumatic scar that helps build a defensive wall around their heart and emotions. In severe cases some children have needed counseling to work through trust issues with their parents and the humiliation they felt at the instance they found out the truth. Think of how humiliated a child might be who finds out Santa does not exist from kids at school who ridicule the child for believing in Santa. That's a tough situation for the child. Peers gain more respect of their words than parents. Should they trust peers or their parents? This is a tough dilemma for the child. What else can their parents be telling them that isn't true? Even if the parents are telling the truth about everything else, the damage is done. Peers now have a stronger hold than parents do/will. The pattern is set.

Statistics don't lie. New York Magazine (February 2008) recently had an article in which showed that when children lie, they are copying what they see their parents do. The study showed that the number source of where children learn to lie is from their parents! A study was done by Family Central (July 2007) on parents lying to their children. 67% of parents surveyed said they lied to their children growing up. Out of the 67% who lied, 52% of those children had trust and relationship issues. 9% of those children had juvenile criminal records. Be careful parents. The values you model before your children are the ones they will adopt.

Am I being overly dramatic? That depends on your perception of truth and how much you value truth. Deuteronomy 4 is very descriptive in commanding us to teach our children God's truths. Proverbs 11:15 tells us, "the godly are directed by honesty (New Living Translation)." Psalm 26:3 intimates that followers of Jesus Christ are to live according to God's truth.

Believe it or not, it can all start with Santa as innocent as that myth may seem.

Truth is everything. "Be careful little ears what you hear. Be careful little eyes what you see."

Have a blessed Christmas everyone.

The Greatest

There's a verse I've been meditating on for over a month now. It's 1 Corinthians 13:13- "Three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love- and the greatest of these is love (The New Living Translation)." The three are all interrelated, but I kept wondering why love would be the greatest. Another translation, the New International Version, uses the word remain instead of the words, last forever. Either way these three things will endure throughout all eternity. That's pretty awesome to think about. Then I wondered why will faith be needed in heaven? Perhaps we will be interceding for those still living. Perhaps we will need faith just to get over the fact we made it to heaven as unworthy of receiving it as we are. Perhaps hope will be needed too because when you have faith in something there is a hopeful expectation tied to it. Having faith in God gives us the hopeful expectation of seeing Him face to face. There's the hopeful expectation of answered prayers we laid before the Lord in faith. For instance, my wife and I are praying in faith for children, so we have a hopeful expectation of the pattering of little feet around the house.

What does love have to do with this, you ask? I think love is the goal of the first two, faith and hope. Faith brings hopeful expectation. Hopeful expectation fires love up. It stokes the flame of love. When the expectation of something is fulfilled, there is a deeper love and appreciation for the one who fulfilled it. I think of it as a child who has faith in their parent to get them a birthday gift they wanted. They have hope the parent they love will do it. Upon receiving the gift, the child has a greater love and appreciation for the parent.

How does love prevail over faith and hope? Well, this thought just occurred to me recently through a recent event. Sometimes we may not have much faith in God. Sometimes we may not have much hope in anything. Combined, these faith and hope deficits lead us to give into those sins that so easily besets us (Hebrews 12:1) and thus we may even hurt those we love most by our actions, even God. But love endures.

Love remains. God still loves us. In spite of what we have done, nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). The enduring love of a mother hurt by a child she loves and continues in faith to pray for their salvation. The hopeful expectation that God will hear and answer her prayer. The love and adoration of God who saves the child in answer to her prayers. Love prevails over faith and hope and faith and hope deepen and enliven love.

I am so thankful that nothing can separate me from God's unconditional love. I am thankful for my wife's enduring love. I am thankful for the love of my family and friends. I am so blessed. The greatest of these is LOVE!

Thanks for What?

Gobble. gobble, gobble. Loads of tryptophan flooding our systems and making us sleepy after enjoying some turkey. Bellies that are full but still have a little room for something else. Meals shared with family and friends. Conversations in every part of the house. Football games on TV all day long. Snoring men on the couch holding their stomachs. Women sharing recipes and chatting away. Long parades in large cities with marching bands and giant balloon characters. The aromas of food, food and more food filling the house. Laughter at familiar stories we've heard around the table often throughout the years. Cameras clicking as bribery photos are taken. Some people playing dominoes, spades, monopoly, chess, or video games. Some planning their early morning visits to the stores in Black Friday.

What is this day of Thanksgiving all about? Is it about spending time with loved ones and sharing some good food together? Yes. Is it about socializing? Yes. Is it about football games? This one really depends on who you ask. But for many it is a tradition, while for some it is utter nonsense. Is it about big balloons of cartoon characters and marching bands? Not really, but for many this too is a traditional thing to watch or partake in. Is it about making a plan of attack for getting up at 3am in the morning to be at the stores when they open up at 4am for Black Friday? No. But for many this is their best chance to get everyone affordable Christmas presents, it's become a tradition as well for many.

Many can't really tell you much about this holiday other than the traditions they uphold and maybe mention the pilgrims without much more detail given. When was the last time you thought about all the things you're thankful for? Are you breathing? You can be thankful for that. Do you have fresh drinking water? can you think clearly? Can you see and hear? Do you have a bed to sleep in at night and a roof over your head? Do you live in a country where you are free? Do you have a job? Do you have a comb or brush for your hair? Do you know that more than a third of the world don't have combs or hair brushes? More than half the world does not have a mattress to sleep on. More than 40 percent of the world does not have fresh water to drink. More than half the world is not able to bathe every day. More than a third of the world does not know what a tooth brush is. More than 35 percent of the world does not have a regular home to live in. Tens of millions of people live in countries where they have no freedom or security.

We have an awful lot to be thankful here in America. Those who are devoted followers of Jesus Christ have so much more to be thankful for. Yet we forget because we are blinded to how blessed we are. God forgive us.

I am thankful for: salvation, for God's mercy and grace, for the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life, for the gifts and talents the Lord has given me, for my wife, for my family, for my friends, that I can read the Bible in my home, car, and a public place; I can eat, read, run, hear, see; I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep on, fresh drinking water, a shower, tooth brush, soap, deodorant, clothing, shoes, electricity, a car; I can preach the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ anywhere without getting arrested or imprisoned! I can go to school. I am thankful for air; the stars; the moon; the oceans; for laughter, tears; I can share my emotions with others; I can feel the emotions of others; I can write whatever I feel like writing; I have a cell phone. There is so much I am thankful for that I could keep writing this blog post for the next dozen years or more. God is so good and I love Him. If He were to never do another thing for me again, I still have so much to be thankful for.

I want to take a second and encourage all devoted followers of Jesus Christ with these two verses from Colossians 2:6-7:

"And now, just as you received Jesus Christ as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then, your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
-New Living Translation

These verses beg the question, what is the condition of your faith? If it is not growing, then there will be little thankfulness and probably more bitterness. Faith that grows will always bear the fruit of thankfulness.

Many years ago I listened to the Christian rock group Petra and fell in love with one of their songs. The title is, "Thankful Heart." Here are the lyrics. Let it be your prayer.

Thankful Heart:

I have a thankful heart that You have given me
And it can only come from You

There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There are no words to express how you've become so real
Jesus, You've given me so much I can't repay
I have no offering

There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There's nothing more I can say, and now way to repay
Your warming touch that melts my heart of stone
Your steadfast love - I'll never be alone

I have a thankful heart that You have given me
And it can only come from You
I have a thankful heart - Words don't come easily
But I am sure you can see my thankful heart

Help me be a man of God
A man who's after Your own heart
Help me show my gratitude
And keep in me a thankful heart 

Is the Potter Creating or has He Created Everything Already?

Not long ago I was in class my good friend was teaching. We were talking about God and creation. During the course of our time together we talked about God having created everything already that will ever exist. Good points were made supporting that theory. However, a verse came to my mind about God being a Potter. Isaiah 64:8 says, "Yet, O Lord, You are our father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand." I began thinking about a potter as an artist, which they are. I'll share my thoughts with you.

I've actually taken a few pottery classes earlier in my life. Yes, it's true. though a potter works with clay, the potter is always creating, just like an artist. An artist never paints or creates the same thing over and over again. Where would we be if all Michaelangelo painted over and over again was the Sistine Chapel?How boring it would be if all Leonardo Da Vinci painted everywhere was Mona Lisa? What if all we saw around us were Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night?" How boring and redundant that would be. Its splendor and magnificence would be lost.

If very person from the past, present and future were all alike, what would that be like? There would be no individuality. We'd all be the same height, weight and color. We'd all sound the same. We'd all have the same personalities and mannerisms. All our clothes would be the same in style, color, and size. There would probably be only a few types of perfumes and colognes. There would be nothing to distinguish us from one another. But yet, we're all different.

What if, like the movie "Groundhog Day," every day was exactly the same? What if each sunrise and sunset were exactly the same every day? What if every single moment of every day was exactly the same as the previous one? Some people like predictability, but even that would drive the sanest person crazy. Think about the Tom Hanks movie, "Cast Away," where he was isolated and alone on an island after a plane crash. Every day the same. Boredom everywhere you look. Mundane life. Unhappiness. Melancholy.

Could you picture God bored? If He is the Creator God, then He must be always creating. The universe is ever expanding, even scientists agree on that one. How is that possible? Simple, there must be a Creator. No two sunsets or sunrises are the same. No two people are exactly the same, even identical twins are the same. Their DNA is similar but distinctly different. Their fingerprints are different. People from Africa are different in language than British people are. There are various sizes, colors, and shapes of all peoples from the same country and even from other countries. Unborn babies will look different from anyone ever born before. Tomorrow's day will go much differently from today for all of us. We'll see someone new in our day as we travel. A child may walk for the first time. We might see a sunset we've never seen before. Perhaps a star will fall from the sky, which might not have happened today. Perhaps a woman will get pregnant for the first time. Perhaps a doctor will perform a routine surgery in a new and revised way.

God is always creating because He never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4). He's always working. A Creator creates just as a painter paints. Never the same thing created the same way twice. God doesn't use molds, He makes everything fresh.

Good Samaritan-itis

There are many things that all human beings have in common. We all get sick at one time or another. We all die, as a matter of fact one out of every one persons die. We all grow from the moment we are born, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. We all feel horror of watching someone get mugged and beat up. Whether you live in the rain forests, the mountains, jungles, or big cities, we all poop the same way, out of the same part of the body. We all need air to breath. We all feel pain. We all need water to drink. We all cry. We all laugh. We all feel the grief attached to the death of a loved one. We are all the same on the inside, physically, lungs, heart, veins, organs, blood, no matter what ethnicity you are, black, white, brown, yellow.

We all feel compassion when a tragedy happens like the horrors of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the Tsunami that hit India, the earthquakes that hit China, Hurricane Ike that hit the coastal cities of Texas, etc. All of a sudden people from all over the world want to help. I remember when the attacks of 9/11 happened and firefighters from all over the world went to New York City to help out. These are people from other races, ethnicities, religions, all coming together to help. Even enemies came to help out. I remember growing up in the late 1970's when New York City was hard hit by a major power outage. Neighbors who didn't get along were helping each other. It was strange to see blacks and whites helping each other without regard to racial tensions or differences. Everyone treated one another as equal and with compassion.

It seems at times like this that it is somehow inside of all mankind to forget what separates them politically, religiously, racially, and in other ways, in order for acts of compassion to flow through them and towards those in distress and in deep need. I wonder why that is.

If mankind evolved out of a chaotic event, and chaos is seen in everything around us, how can all mankind have the same reactions to these events? You don't see animals reaching out to help those in need. I mean if we evolved from apes, wouldn't apes then be helping us in times of distress? There would be some kind of feeling in them to help us, wouldn't that be a logical assessment?

I think it is way simpler than that, but harder for many to believe. I believe that God, the Creator has built the capacity for compassion and love into all mankind. Why would all human kind have compassion like this and not each and every species of animal? Since some believe that we are linked to and have evolved from animals? How could compassion, so uniform in all humans come out of chaotic event that caused evolution, according to scientists? They are unable to explain this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an animal hater. I've had several dogs throughout my lifetime. I've rode horses and swam with dolphins. I saw my own dog save my mother's life once. I've heard of heroic acts by dogs and dolphins, but, they do not have the compassion of human beings. It's just that I've never seen a dolphin walk in dry land to save someone from being mugged. I've never seen a cat moved by compassion to start raising funds to meet the needs of the people in New Orleans. I've never seen a horse swim in the ocean to save someone from drowning. I've never seen or heard of a discovery of half human, half animal hybrids walking around. Where's the linkable evidence?

I believe it was God who gave human kind the great capacity for love and compassion. I believe God built some scriptural instincts in us to do these things. The scriptural instincts come from Proverbs 24:11, "rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering to slaughter." Proverbs 25:21, "If you enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink." Ephesians 4:32a, "Be kind and compassionate to one another..."

Could you do me a favor? If you ever see a dolphin walking on dry land and helping someone, a cat raising funds for the needy, or a horse swimming to rescue someone, would you let me know? While you're at it, take some pictures and you'll be a millionaire in no time!

Does God help those who help themselves?

Does God help those who help themselves? Well, first let's see if this is a biblical principle. Ok, let's open up our concordance of the bible and see if we can find the location of these words in scripture. As I fumble through my concordance I find all of these words in the bible but I can't seem to find them all together in one particular verse. Let's see. I've heard this quote for most of my life, hundreds of times over. It seems pretty popular since I even hear it among followers of Jesus Christ. I remember even seeing this quote on a plaque in High School. I've heard it quoted by politicians, actors, religious leaders, some very good people. Surely they must be taking it right out of the Bible. Some very educated people have quoted this statement. Many of them much more educated than me, surely they must know more than me, they must have experienced this quote as a real experience because they quote it with such conviction.

I have scoured the Bible, commentaries, concordances, on line resources, talked to pastors and theologians, and I cannot find this quote anywhere in the Bible. Even as a biblical principle I do not find it in scripture. It is never even hinted at in the Bible and most importantly by Jesus himself.

The quote itself comes from none other than Benjamin Franklin, a learned man. Benjamin Franklin was one of America's founding fathers and has had an enduring impact on many American philosophies. He was not, however, a follower of Jesus Christ. I can only surmise that he based his statement on his worldly knowledge without a personal active relationship with Jesus Christ, on his impersonal, imperfect, worldly knowledge and wisdom. It sounds great to all those who are unaware or not knowledgeable in the Holy Scriptures. I believed it for many years, even as a young follower of Jesus Christ. It even sounds logical. However, it is not scriptural nor even correct in principle.

The truth is that God helps those who are totally dependent upon Him and are fully devoted to Him. Think about this, followers of Jesus Christ (True Christians) are children of God. Think of yourself as a child. Did your father ever tell you to do something yourself when you were say ages 3-4, knowing you could never do it on your own and stand and watch you frustrate yourself? As imperfect as my earthly father is, he never did that. Now seeing yourself as a child of God, would He (God) tell you to do that? God wants us totally surrendered and dependent upon Him so He can get all the glory and do things perfectly and in ways we could never imagine. He wants to take the burden and stress from us so we can be at peace in His perfect peace knowing that He does all things well, even what is impossible for us. What a wonderful and loving God!! All we have to do is give it all to Him. There are times when we do need to do the things that God calls us to do in order to take part in the help He is offering, but never will we ever have to do it alone, in our own strength and resources.


...... I just had another thought. If God helps those who help themselves then Satan would be on God's throne. Satan wanted to help himself to God's throne but God did not help him accomplish that. God is the only wise, powerful, loving, pure and holy God.

Below are just four of dozens of scriptures that address this issue and may encourage you regarding God's help:

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The words of Jesus Christ)

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Be blessed my friends.

Two Stalkers You Want

Ever get the feeling you're being followed? I remember back in the 80's and seeing the movie "Nightmare on Elm Street." I was walking home from the theater with my friend Paul, we were about 14 or 15 years old. Every time we walked past a dark alley way I got the distinct feeling Freddy Krueger was going to jump out and cut me to pieces. It took us forever to walk home and it was less than a mile!! That was scary to say the least. What a horrible feeling it is when you think someone is following you intending to harm you.

I also remember a time when I was young and riding a bicycle in my neighborhood. I guess I was about four or five years old. The training wheels on my bike were recently removed and I was doing fairly well. Every now and then I would peer over my shoulder and see my mother walking not far behind me. It gave me a warm feeling and let me feel a little more adventurous knowing she was near. I wasn't paying too much attention to what I was doing one time and I was about to take a nasty crash into a fire hydrant. Before I could even hit the fire hydrant, my mother who was behind was now in front of me and stopped me from hitting the hydrant thus prevented me from destroying my bike and injuring myself. Although one time she wasn't around and I did hit the very same hydrant, flying over the handle bars and landing on my side and hands. OUCH! This was before helmets and gloves, when it was safe to nearly kill yourself. Anyway, that time my mom saved me because she has following behind me was awesome. I was so proud of her and it warmed my heart to know she was always looking out for me. It gave me confidence to go forward knowing she was around to help me out.

Let me tell you a little bit about two guys who are always following me around. One guy never gives me my just punishment, what I deserve, whenever I treat him badly. I'm astounded all the time by him. I get some punishment and ramifications when I act badly, but never what I fully deserve. I appreciate this guy a lot. He's a merciful Stalker! Then, there's this other guy who follows me around and he is always giving me things I don't deserve, like gifts. He's a gracious Stalker! Who wouldn't mind having a stalker like that around? These guys I can never get rid of no matter how often I try to run from them. If I try and hide they sneak up on me. When I want to shrink in fear from something in front of me they come up behind me and support me and give me supernatural strength. They are always encouraging and looking out for my good. When I want to quit, they remind me of all the times I made it when I thought I couldn't. As a follower of Jesus Christ I can honestly say these guys are always around. Let me introduce you to goodness (grace) and mercy:

Psalm 23:6-
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (New King James Version)

These are definitely two stalkers you'll always want with you. They will ever remind you of God's faithfulness, goodness, and mercy towards you. They'll help you move forward. They'll strengthen your faith by reminding you of all the times God enabled you to make it when you thought you couldn't move another step.

Battling to Move Forward

Moving forward is something most people struggle with including myself. Making changes are hard for some of us, especially if you're a creature of habit and structure like me. Change can feel like an intruder when you're set in your ways, as happens to me from time to time.

I often wonder when God told Abram (Abraham) to leave his homeland and to go where God was going to lead him blindly, if he struggled with leaving. Did he have strong emotional ties to his family and friends who he was leaving behind? Did he cry? Did he wonder what job he would have when he got there? Where exactly would they live, in a house, an apartment, or a cave? How would he purchase property without a job? Who would give him a loan to get started? Did he talk everything over with Sarai (Sarah)? Were they in agreement? Were any family members going with them? Did he ever think, "God what are you doing?" Was there ever a time he wanted to give it all up?

If we look at Abraham's life we can see that though God called him out of the land of Ur, there were many fierce trials along the way to seeing God's plan played out in his life. Following God's will is never easy. We will make mistakes just as Abraham did, concealing the true identity of his wife on a few occasions, for example. Abraham was able to humble himself and admit his wrongs. God was faithful to forgive him and give him the grace and strength to go on. There were also times he followed God blindly and God blessed him for it. When he as called to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he did so without hesitation only to have God stop him at the last second in honor of his faith. Sometimes God calls us to sacrifice relationships in order to follow Him and He rewards us with many better relationships. Following God's will entails making sacrifices. The good thing about God is that He gives way better blessings for following His will than whatever we try to reward ourselves with for doing things our way. Abraham became the Father of many nations because he followed God's will. The disciple Peter won thousands of souls for the Kingdom after he left everything behind to follow Jesus. God gives great blessings that only bring the honor and glory back to Him. And, as followers of Jesus, I don't use the term Christian much any more because it has such a broad meaning now days, our very lives are to be lived in giving glory and honor to God our Father. So, wouldn't be joyous and fulfilling to live that way? Though life is hard and has many unexpected surprises we have the Lord as the glory and the lifter of our heads. We have the One who rendered death and hell powerless over us watching our backs all the time! We have eternity in heaven to look forward to! After all compared to eternity, this life is just a whisper in the wind. Here for a second and then gone. Moving forward in faith has eternal rewards beyond compare. It is hard? Yes! Is change and growth in faith worth the sacrifice? Undoubtedly Yes! So as you face your challenges be comforted that the Holy Spirit resides within you. The Lord's eyes are ever upon you. His angels are all about you. He gives us the full armor of God to wear for the battle. He's got your back. What an awesome God! Keep pressing onward and upward for the Lord Your God is with you, never to leave you nor forsake you.

Jail House Rocked

First of all my heart and prayers go out to all those effected by Hurricane Ike, especially my friends in the League City, Texas area. May the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) meet all your needs and bring His perfect peace to your souls. Amen.

These are certainly troubling times we are living through right now. Loss of life, property, employment, financial security, world stability, peace and happiness are all around us. Lawlessness is alive in some southern cities devastated by one of the worst hurricane seasons in a long time. There's lawlessness in Darfur with severe loss of life for political reasons. Russia invaded Georgia and killed many for political reasons. Tensions are rising in Korea as nuclear weapons are being tested. Iran is building nuclear weapons. Wall Street is seeing high profile companies fall like dominoes one after another. Things don't seem to be much improved in Iraq or Afghanistan. The unemployment rate is nearing all time highs. What is going on in our world? Peace and security seem attainable but never lasts or it's just out of reach. We have short seasons of stability. Like, the price of gasoline drops under $4.00 a gallon. We breathe a sigh of relief and feel like we can make it again. All of a sudden the market goes crazy and the prices rise again. The temporary relief is gone. Back comes all the stress, wondering if we're ever going to make it. All hope seems lost and the future bleak. The glass is no longer half full or half empty. It's just empty. Bone dry. Despair has taken over. We're on survival mode. We're numb, just surviving. We feel imprisoned by our despair and sense of hopelessness. There is yet hope for a hurting world, a hurting and severely wounded soul.

I want to tell you about two guys who, by all outward appearances was up the creek without a paddle. As a matter of fact they didn't even have a boat. These guys was arrested and beaten by the police for talking about historically proven, eye witnessed truths. Why would anyone want to hurt these guys for simply speaking about absolute truths is beyond me, but it happened. They didn't start a revolution or riot. No one was physically hurt or property damaged while they spoke. As a matter of fact all they did was help a young lady who was troubled in mind. But now here they are suffering from police brutality and wrongful imprisonment. If anyone had reason to give up all hope, these two sure did. They were in a high security prison with guards all around them. They were facing the death penalty with no appeal system in place. Most of us, put in their shoes, would give up. We'd probably be put on suicide watch. All hope of rescue would be lost. We would be numb from the trauma of the events taken place. We would feel as though we'd been mortally wounded. "What's the point? Just kill me already and put me out of my misery!" I must admit those words would probably go through my mind even if I wouldn't verbalize them. The feelings of abandonment and resignation would be there. However, these guys started praying and singing songs to the astonishment of those around them. The earth shook and chains literally fell off!! They had faith and hope that carried them through a difficult storm.

It's a true story. These two guys, Paul and Silas, had hope and faith in the One in whom has all power, Jesus Christ. The songs they sang were ancient hymns of praise. Even in the midst of certain doom Jesus is able to save, heal, and deliver. However, there is a catch for this hope, peace, and security to be apprehended by you. You need to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. All it takes in asking Him to come in and cleanse you of your sins, the things you've done wrong. Ask Him to be Your Lord and Savior. You can have peace, hope, and security you never imagined. Your eternal fate will be secure.

Feeling Forgotten

Sometimes I wonder if anyone thinks about me. It's usually those lonely isolated times when life is rough and I'm questioning my purpose in life or wondering why I was even born. It's definitely not easy livining life with the state of the world is right now. The econmy in the United States is taking a beating. Gasoline is higher than it was last year and with the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico it doesn't look like prices will drop much in the near future. Unemployment is at an all time high. Inflation is up and salaries remain the same, no raises. More and more Americans are moving back home to live with their families to save and sometimes just to sustain themselves. Banks are closing. Mortgage lenders are being taken over by the government. Homelessness is up. Crime is up. Loss of life in the Middle East is up. Cuba is devastated by hurricanes as is Haiti. Loss of life is all over the news. It's getting hard to live and get by now days. It's easy for people to forget about others and concentrate on their own problems and worries. It's easy to feel forgotten and all alone amidst all the chaos around us.

I'd like to let you know, even though you may question his existence or why bad things happen, God is looking for you. You are on His mind. He's trying to get the world's attention and yours too so people will turn to Him and experience His love and grace. Ever have a yearning from within that tells you there's more to life than what you have experienced? That's God drawing you to Himself. Ever look at the beauty of the sky and have a warm feeling in your heart? That's God letting you know He exists through creation. Ever feel bad when you do something wrong? That's a conscience God has given all humankind reminding us that there are absolute wrongs and rights. It's God's reminder that He created us. That longing for more feeling is what the Bible calls eternity and God has placed eternity in the hearts of all humankind so that we would always long for something more and that something more is a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ His Son. You are not forgotten, ever. God longs to be in relationship with you. All it takes in asking Him to come in and cleanse you of your sins, the things you've done wrong. Ask Him to be Your Lord and Savior. You will never be alone again.