Love your neighbor

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-39‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Love your neighbor as you love yourself is more than just a direct message. You must love yourself first. You have to see yourself from God’s view of you. You have to see you as He does, through the blood of Jesus. It’s a pure love, clean and unblemished, sinless and free. It’s a love full of forgiveness. When our perspective is that of the Fathers, it removes all fear and doubt, which allows us the peace we need to see us in the moment, not our past.  We then can love with an unconditional truth of who we are in Him.  This allows us to love our neighbor in the same way. We get to see them through His eyes also, not their inequities but their value. We get to see their worth as He does. We then can love like He loves them, for He is in them just as He is in us. 

So here is the truth in the message, how you love yourself is how you will love them. How you value yourself is how you will value them. The lack you see in you, you will project on them. But the Father sees no lack, no sin. 

If you doubt Him and His love, you will doubt yourself and view yourself from that perspective, which is not a His. You in turn will have a skewed perspective of yourself and of your neighbor. 

We live in a fallen and broken world this is true. Through the teachings of Jesus, we can change this, it is possible. How do we know this? 

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When we follow these teachings, we may not be able to change it all at once, but God can! In His time and in His way. It starts with us doing our part. It starts with us embracing His love and having value in it. Then we spread that around, just as Jesus did. After all we are all sons and daughters of He who rules the world, it starts Him goes through us and continues through Him. 

Love yourself as He loves you and take that step into what we have been called to do. Let’s continue on with what Jesus started, let’s do more than just exist. Let’s help God instead of hindering Him. Let’s change the world, together!

Are you approachable

This morning I received a happy Father’s Day message from my daughter. She is my daughter by marriage, but my true daughter by heart. I love her as if she is of my blood! We had many growing pains along the way, it was tough stepping into her life as she had known it to be for so long. I did lots wrong, the worst being, is I appeared unapproachable to her. I didn’t think I was, but in her eyes, I was. The truth is, that is all that matters, her perspective. Today is much different, not perfect, but we are working towards perfection together.

This lead me to thinking about many things and people in my life today and in the past. People whom I know I can go to with anything and they receive it with grace and value you feedback. People who truly value feedback are rare, they say they want it, but when push come to shove, they will go straight into a defensive position and defend their actions without thought. They may even turn it around and begin to blame the person whom has living tried to talked to them. I know this person well, I was the defending king. I still today have to fight myself to not do it. Now I work hard at listening and do my best to soak up any and all feedback. I use it to better myself, to become a better man in all parts of my life.

I have found there is a giant gap between saying you are approachable and being approachable. Take a second and do a quick self inventory, look at how you respond, your reaction, your body language when someone says, “can we talk?” This is where approachability starts. Do you instantly say to yourself, “here we go” , “here it comes” or “what now?” What you may not realize about yourself is that your face and body language is doing the same thing. I have seen hands drop, people set back into their chair or even sigh. Now ask yourself, does that seem approachable? I have seen fear come across their face like you are getting ready you punish them. In all of the above examples I have found myself wishing I had just kept my mouth shut. Is this how we want to be viewed? This all happened and no words gave been exchanged yet.

The next part of the equation is at hand, words. The first thing that leaves your lips will set the tone for the rest of the conversation. I have been in situations where I didn’t even say what I was going to talk about, just by what their response was to me. “What?” That is always the best reaction. That has always made me feel comfortable to give any sort of feedback. Add the right tone to it and I may not say nothing at all.

As the conversation moves forward, that is if you make it to a conversation, how you accept feedback or they accept your feedback will set the tone for next time, if there is a next time. A sure way to stop a next time is to get angry and or defensive. It’s a guarantee to stop them from coming back or at least thinking twice before they do. One of my favorites is looking off into space, like they don’t hear a word you are saying, this unimportant feeling you give or are getting is a sure way to make an approachable feeling. Talking over them or telling them what it is they are thinking are two more great examples of being someone people will avoid a conversation with. All of these I have used myself at some tine in my life. It’s first hand knowledge of something I am not proud of.

Let’s go back to the beginning, are you approachable?

I could give you advice or tell you how I have done better in my life, but truth be told, it’s common sense. Just be approachable! Thrive on feedback! Treat others the way you want to be treated! Live it, don’t talk about it! Be an example of it! We make life way more difficult than it needs to be…

Distractions…

Distractions and offense. They are his best card tricks , his illusion to keep us off our game. He makes things that are simple seem difficult. He makes things that are not a big deal, seem like a giant issue. He takes something that once hurt us and throws kindling on a weak ember to start a roaring fire. Past hurt is a bomb in his arsenal of weapons, we can spend weeks lost in something that should have been just a blip in time. A thought that should have been taken captive and given to God. He uses our past, to awaken the fear of those past transgressions, that sent us spiraling out of control.
Now we find ourselves trying to grab onto the wheel, before spin even starts. Trying to control chaos that doesn’t even exist. Trying to manipulate the future of what could be, because of what happened before.
There is so much to do, yet here we are, focusing on things that we should have and should now put in God’s hands. Do we forget who He is? When fear rises, when the hurt comes to the surface, when that ember turns into a flame, do we forget? We trust Him with this and not with that. We allow Him to rule here and not there. Why?
The truth is, as much as we like to believe we have let things go, that we have fully surrendered it all, fear and hurt can wipe that all away. Cloud our vision of the Most High! Cloud His vision for us, His work through us.
What is distracting you from your call? What are you trying to control? Where is your focus? What is keeping you from your Father’s work?
Don’t ever lose sight of the fact of, God is listening and is always in control!

Release your mind to your heart…

I spend time with God every morning, to get my day started in His presence. He speaks clearly some days and this morning He told me to release this to every outlet I have. So here it is…

I cannot defeat what you choose to deny. I can minister to you on the ways of the Father, but cannot make you believe. I can show you how His influences has changed your life, but doubt is yours alone to crush. I could show you signs and wonders, but you if choose justification over Him, then your choice is not of Him. You ask for proof, yet when I show it to you, it becomes a question instead of an answer. You seek more of Him, but deny His works. You seek more of Him yet deny His authenticity. You ask for more and when He delivers, you question instead of receive. Pure faith is trust in something you cannot see, but something you surely can feel. He is the one, when you ask for help, has always showed up. Go now and do my than talk of faith, but be in faith. Release your mind to your heart, become one with He who seeks a relationship with you! 

God bless and unite in Christ!

Honor, where is it?

Do you think honor exists today like it once did? Do you think the respect of the leaders that guide us is still present in today’s society? If you use Facebook, you don’t have to go to far to find the answer to that question.

Let us start at the top, the President. Don’t add a name after it, just say it, The President! The title alone holds honor and respect, but put a name behind it, Trump, Obama, Clinton or Bush. Oh boy, depending on your stance (party) you can see people get all worked up and instantly forget the title. As a matter of fact some don’t even put the title in front of the name. They just say, Trump or Obama. You may even be guilty of calling them an unpleasant name instead their real name. Is this honorable? Is this respectful? I can hear it already, actually have heard it, but he did this, he said that. I can’t respect him, just look at what he has done. The truth is… they are all human! I know, I just blew some minds up with that statement. Guess what, so are you.

It is easy to sit back in judgement of others, to look at what they are doing and not agree. But should we really be judging?

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:37‬ ‭KJV‬‬
Think about all the times you have been judged. Think about the times you have done your best, but it wasn’t good enough for some of the people around you. You didn’t do what “they” wanted. Let that sink in. After all should everyone do what you want them to do? Should you do what someone else wants you to do? Why not? After all you are all knowing right? You’ve never made a mistake, took the wrong road or made the wrong decision?

I give the above example to get to this. We do this in every part of our life, from The President to our Governor to our Pastors. Leadership is a calling, it is a tough job, no matter at what level it is on. We have all thought we could do a better job than those above us. The truth is we don’t know, unless you have been there. It doesn’t change the fact that we should honor our leadership, our head. I once heard that you must be able to follow another mans vision before you have your own. I will go even farther by saying if you can’t follow someone else’s vision, you should not have an expectation of someone following yours.

I am not saying that you have to agree with everything our leaders say, but there is an honorable way to handle it. As a Christian this is even more important, at least to me. Let’s use my Pastor as an example. Let’s say that he has a vision for what the entry way of the church looks like, I could have a different idea, but I have to believe that he sought God about it. If I do disagree or see something different, I have an honorable way to handle it. I can go to him and discuss it, ask him and see what vision is about. My other choices dishonor Him, gossip, backbiting or backstabbing. This dishonest behavior is what divides a church, state and country. Why do we think this is ok? Why would we ever think this could help anything? It’s a self willed and self centered mindset.

I believe God puts people in place for a reason. Would you tell God he doesn’t know what He is doing? I’m not saying that our leaders are God’s, but I am saying that as a Christian, I believe in a divine calling and divine invention. He knows when, how and why. That’s good enough for me. If they are seeking Him, who is all knowing, then I will follow their lead. If God says something different, I also must be obedient and talk to my leaders. But to disrespect them, to treat them as if they lack what “you” think is a leader, is far from honorable.

I challenge you, be the one, talk to the people around you. Let’s change this trend of disrespect and dishonor. It really is up to us, follow your leadership, follow his vision. You might just find it wasn’t just his, but someone much bigger… Thank you Father for never leading us astray!

Are you tired? So set yourself free!

It sounds simple, because the truth be told, it can be. I suffered an addictive life and life style for years. I drank and did drugs to mask the pain I was in. I used sex for its euphoric properties, to have false pleasure and fake happiness. I did it for lust, not love. I walked in misery and had no clue what joy looked like.

I grew up in a tough situation, things happened and as I grew up, I found no way to deal with them. I had a part in it, I didn’t tell anyone what happened, how I felt or how it was affecting in the moment. By the time I reached my teenage years I was a mess, I had bottled up the pain so long that I began to think this agony was normal and everyone felt this way. I saw other people around me drinking and the effects alcohol had on them, the way they laugh and the confidence that seemed to follow along with it. That’s what I wanted, that’s what I needed! So the false identity started. As my drinking career evolved I found that it wasn’t enough, I was again looked at how others dealt with life, how they found happiness… drugs.

I began smoking marijuana at eighteen, after three years of drinking, it was quite the game changer. It relaxed me, clouded my thoughts and allowed me to mask the pain in a whole new way. I could do it all the time, anytime and function on it. No hangover or vomiting, what a gift. Nope not really, what came with it was, isolation and loss of emotions. I smoked for twenty five years, it took a toll, I will get back to that. I soon graduated to cocaine and hallucinogenics, you want to talk about escaping, yep they did it, confidence on cocaine was off the charts! It was quite the ride for a while, I had several bad acid trips and many nights without sleep. I even took so many magic mushrooms that I got strychnine poisoning, that was smart. While using and selling “coke” I almost got shot, arrested and felt my heart go to its breaking point. I was having all kinds of fun! All of the that finally lead me to stop using cocaine and other harder drugs but my best friend alcohol and his buddy marijuana stayed with me. Like I said to twenty five years they kept my numb to my pain or did they?

The answer to that question is no! I spent the last several years of my using career in a severe state of depression. I hated me, my life and all that it was. I had nothing, no one who was real, who cared, outside of my family, but I believe they were even getting tired of me. After all I was a blob, untrustworthy, no accountability and unreliable. Towards the end I thought about suicide daily. I use to lay in bed and pray for God to take me in my sleep, I was tired, finished, I could not hide from the pain anymore.

One day I drove out to a woods that was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen, well in Michigan. It was a rolling ridge full of oak and maple trees, full of wildlife. I went there to die! I had half a joint, a shotgun and nothing to live for, so I thought. As I smoked that joint, I prayed for God to help me. Not to live, but to pull the trigger. You see I had held that gun many times but never had the courage to pull the trigger. Not that I was religious or spiritual, it was just something I asked for in desperation. Well , He didn’t answer that prayer. Instead, I got a phone call, that stopped it all. I ended up walking out of the woods and driving home. A week or so later, God helped me, in His way. I got arrested for driving under the influence. I was fined, heavily. I was given probation and made to go to AA meetings. It pulled me down to nothing, I was broke, being held accountable through drug and alcohol screenings and through the guys at AA. Life changing!

I spent 6 years going to meetings, well sometimes off and on, but I was always in contact with sober people and I remained sober because of them. Most of all because of Him, my God. I didn’t know that yet, not to the extent I know now, but He was always there. One day my sponsor told me I should go to a spiritual retreat with him, that I needed more in my life. “More what”? I thought. After a couple of weeks of consistent badgering, I agreed. Well, he was right! I got more, more than I could have ever expected, dreamed of or prayed for. But had I prayed for it? “God help me”

““Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:7‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

The term game changer never meant more than what this retreat did for me. I found more love, more God and met the woman of my dreams, who is now my wife. (that’s a story in itself). Like I said game changer.

While dating, my wife asked me to come to church with her. “Church”? Like many others I had been damaged by church, I had been influenced by some misguided people, so I feared “church”. I feared religion. It caused me to not believe in Jesus, I was sure there was a God or higher influence, but Jesus… nope. When she saw my reaction, she promptly said “come to my church, it’s different and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back”. Oh, the influence of love, how it can make you do things that you wouldn’t normally do. So I agreed… reluctantly.

When that morning came, fear and anxiety were all over me! I could not believe that I was going to church, that I had been “talked into “ doing something I was so against. When we arrived, I remember the giant sigh that left my lungs and exhaled out of my mouth. She actually laughed and told me I was fine and that I was going to be ok. Sure I was! We walked in and something was different, the kindness was not like my remembrance of the last time I was at “church”. We found our seats, I was so unexpectedly nervous, something was happening to me and I was confused, almost disoriented. The worship band started to play, we all stood and everyone started singing and praising. Me, I was trying to figure out this feeling, why I was sweating and then getting the chills. About half way through the first song, I got this overwhelming feeling, a presence like nothing I ever known. It was if someone took my hand and was leading me down a beautiful path. I thought I was losing my mind! All at once my past, everything I had been, everything I had done started flashing through my mind, I began to sob uncontrollably. Then in a blink, the shame, guilt and pain of what I had been, what I thought I was, it lifted! This presence, this feeling, it was Jesus! Everything that I had ever thought or felt about His existence changed! The way I felt about myself, changed! I felt His love for me, I felt His guiding hand, I felt His cleansing of my past, my soul and of what I had been! He was real and was standing right there with me! WOW! The band played a couple of more songs and He just hung out there, no great words spoken, no fireworks or light shining on me, just Him and I, enjoying the moment. Sounds crazy even to me as I write it, but it is factual and is real. As the morning continued, the Pastor gave an alter call and I gave my life to Jesus! What a glorious day! The Pastors message that day seemed like it was meant just for me, I thought he was even looking at me the whole time. Today I know he wasn’t, but it was what I needed and God knew it.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

All of that lead me to where I am today, as the verse says, a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come. I was so tired of feeling the way I was, so tired, even after being sober and clean for over six years. It wasn’t until I gave myself away, surrender to Jesus that my life really changed. I still had codependency issues, lustful thoughts, lying and trust issues. I still struggled with wanting everything my way and the inability to see things objectively. I still had obsession issues, over alcohol, drugs and the euphoric feeling of sex, with anyone. Six years of sobriety and things were still hard at times. In a moment, things changed, it was a leap into faith that set me free. I took many steps along my journey, but that leap… freedom!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That is what happened, the Son set me free! Was it a snap of the fingers to get to where I am, nope, not at all. I can tell you this though, that leap was the important part. If I had not given it to Him, I would still be the same old me, doing the same things and not finding to true joy that only the Lord can provide. Just like all things we do, you have to grow into who you are meant to be, in Christ. The difference with this membership is you become a member first, then you learn how to grow. In the world you have to learn how to be a member before they give you your card or diploma. I am beyond grateful to a God who pursued me, who wanted me, even when I spoke out against Him. He wanted me to join, so much so He orchestrated a chain of events to bring me to Him. Now that’s what love looks like! That’s who He is a loving Father, unconditionally! I stand in great company, with high favor today, because of a God who found me worthy enough to save! Not to bad for an addict, alcoholic, devil music listening to, nonbeliever.

That leads me back to, are you tired? Do you want to be set free?

JESUS… is the answer!

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ””
‭‭John‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is hope! There is a life out there full of joy and happiness! I found it or maybe it found me, either way it exists! I am not religious, I don’t believe that you have to follow a bunch of rules and regulations to go to Heaven. I believe that salvation is given to you by believing in what Jesus did for us. But if you want true joy, true happiness that comes with having a relationship with the Heavenly Father, its what He wants too! It can happen, I live it today, it’s a fee and a love far beyond our understanding, I am thankful of it and grateful for it.

““Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.””
‭‭Job‬ ‭11:13-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I believe with all I am this to be true, not because someone else told me, but because it is my life!

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.””
‭‭John‬ ‭6:40‬ ‭NIV‬‬


A relationship with God

I use to be one of those guys, you know the ones,”Oh God please help me, my life sucks”. This was all I knew of God. The “foxhole” prayer. “God if you get me out of this I will change my ways, I’ll do things different”. An hour later there I was doing the same thing, acting the same way and not even thinking about what I had said or promised. The truth is I don’t think I believed God was even listening. After all, I still was fighting any idea of a savior or of God being able to do anything about what was happening. But let things get tough or not working out the way I wanted them to and there I was… God help me!

As I grew in my salvation and started seeing the favor of God in my life, those feelings changed. My heart changed! I started believing in the power of prayer, I believed He was listening when I asked Him to help us through tough situations. But that was still my relationship, God help me or help us. The greatness of God was present, He did miraculous things, we got our dream house, when we shouldn’t have. My wife was seriously ill and we went to the Cleveland Clinic to seek treatment, we found out there was a waiting list for a year and it was really expensive, even worse our insurance would not cover it. We prayed in to it, believing God would come through, He did! It was a true miracle! A foundation my wife had contacted, agreed to pay for the whole treatment $5500 and they knew a clinic that would get her treatment in two weeks. Wow! That’s God! This is how He showed up for us and continues to. But that was still my relationship with Him, we ask, He shows up.

My wife, though somewhat better, was still ill, CRPS the had toned down from the treatment, but the lupus flares were still keeping her down. Some days she couldn’t even get out of bed. While in bed and looking for answers, she began to connect with God in a whole new way. She has been a Christian since she was a child, but her relationship with Him was evolving. That’s her story to tell, but my part in it is, she began to talk to me about it. To be honest, at first I only kind of listened, well really I thought she had lost her mind! Then one day I decided to go back to our old church, I had always found comfort there through the relationships I had there. While attending the service, I felt something different, a shift in the atmosphere, there He was and He was talking to me. I have to say, I began to think I was crazy, was this really Him? Things kept coming even after the service, our Pastor talked to me for several minutes and God continued to speak through him just as if God himself was standing there. Now even for a believer, this was getting crazy! While in that conversation, a leader of the church came up to me and said, “God has a word for you, do you want to hear it”? At this point, how could I say no? She told me and it was so spot on to everything else that was being told to me, what else could it be, but God? The rest of the time there it just continued and my new relationship with God was transforming. I had no idea where it was going, what was about to happen, but it was going to happen!

I rushed home to talk to my wife and tell her about what God had revealed to me, more importantly, to tell her I was sorry. Yep she knew something I didn’t know and she knew I thought she was crazy. She had already been transforming her relationship, now He was coming after me.

My morning routine for the past eight months or so was to wake up with God. I would do a devotional and then get into the word. After some time I started hearing that small still voice while reading or after reading and I started writing it down as He spoke to me. I kept thinking is this me? Is this really God? Then the craziest things started happening, His words to me were getting confirmed throughout the day or the next. For instance, God said this to me one morning, “He that is obedient does not seek acceptance from anyone else but will seek My approval. An obedient child will do what’s asked without question and whomever seeks to detour him will be graciously pushed aside for My works are important. My tasks are not meaningless, My tasks are not to be frowned on, My tasks are not of your will, but of mine! Serve with the obedience of child, My child and I will protect you and guide you as I always have!” After that, everything I listened to, read and even to the message at church had to do with being obedient. I was watching a message on TV and the pastor started talking about how God gives us tasks to see how obedient we are. I was like… What! The title had nothing to do with obedience or tasks, but there He was confirming what He had said directly to me. This happened over and over again. Far beyond any chance to say it was coincidence.

It continued that way for a few months until one day I heard someone say that their relationship with God was like talking to a best friend. That they actually carried on a conversation with Him, asked questions and He answered. I thought, how cool is that, I wish I could do that! One morning while reading the Bible, God began to speak to me and like always I scrambled to get it all wrote down. As I was writing it I found myself not completely understanding what it was He was saying and what He wanted me to do with it. Here was that moment that had potential to change my relationship with my Father. I decided to ask, “what does this mean? What do you want me to do with it? He responded, I was shocked and in awe of it! He said that it was for someone else and He wanted me to tell them what He said. Me! Give a word to someone else? I’m not worthy of thatI said to myself … He said “ yes you are my obedient son”. What a life and spiritually changing moment! God actually talks to me! Wow! Not just responds, but talks! Who knew? I found out lots of people do! And so can you!

In this journey I have found out He talks in many ways, dreams, numbers, colors, music, other people and yes the small still voice. When I really started to think about it, why wouldn’t He talk to us? We are made in His image, He is our Father. He calls us sons and daughters and don’t we have or long for a relationship with our flesh born father. Why wouldn’t you want the same way thing from God? My relationship with Him blows my mind and I look forward to when He says, “Hey Jim…”. Even at work He calls, one thing about God if He needs you He will call on you know matter where your at or what your doing. Throughout the Bible God talked to His children and the more you listen the more He talks. If you are an obedient child you will find Him giving you more to do. I find it such an honor to be called on, to have conversations with Him and to have that kind of a relationship with the Father.

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Seek a fellowship, a relationship with our Father and be as Jesus is, an obedient son. Listen and follow His instructions, you have it in you, for He is in you. Don’t sell yourself short of something this special.

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:12-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

What do you hear when you seek the Father? Do you ask question? If not I challenge you to find your comfortable space and ask, then be still and listen. Let me know what you hear. Maybe it’s a word for me!

Power of the tongue

I heard s man say to his child, if you keep it up I’m going to strangle your little ___! Appalling right? But how do you talk to your own children? How do you talk about or to your spouse, mother or father? How do you talk about your boss, coworkers employees, friends or even our pastor behind their backs? Do you think ones is above or better than the other? I know that I am guilty and have been guilty of getting caught up in a moment, of not taking a thought captive and giving it to God! It still amazes me how we can see others inequities, but have lost the ability to see our own. As followers of Jesus, we must not lose this ability, we must walk and talk as Jesus did. We will never be Him, never be perfect like He is, but we do have it in us to be! He is inside each and every one of us, He gave to us the gift of the Holy Spirit and we fail daily to use that gift in everything we do. We chose to not be accountable to that Spirit in us. We chose to act as if we are above it! You have heard the saying, “well if in Rome, act like a Roman”…  The Romans’ crucified people, they crucified Jesus. If you did something they did not approve of, they destroyed you! Your tongue has that same power, it can destroy people, their will, their confidence, their soul. Your words can be as wicked as the physical act of inflicting pain. The Pharisees did not physically crucify Jesus, but with their words, they turned the crowd against Him, they spoke lies against Him, they spoke against who He actually was to the point even the crowd yelled crucify Him. The Pharisees may not have physically put the nail in His hand, but make no mistake, they hung Him on that cross. You have a choice, you can be like Jesus or you can be like a Pharisee. You can pick up your own cross, you can love each other so much that you would be willing to do what ever it takes to lift them up. You would go up against a giant to save your brothers and sisters. You can see them for who they really are or you pick up a hammer and nail… your thoughts are the nail, your words are the hammer. We have choices, we make our own decisions, give that nail to God and to leave the hammer on the ground.

“This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We live in a world where we are beat down by the very people who call us friends, brother and sister. We live in a world where the very people who say the have your back, talk behind it. We live in a world that we follow the rules of the enemy instead of the Father. Jesus gave us two commandments,

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭KJV‬‬m

So why is it as Christians we forget these great teachings? Why do we allow our brothers to go on treating our neighbors in such a poor way? Why are we not following the greatest teacher of all time and living by the power of love, instead of hate, anger and selfishness? We can not change people, but we can change ourselves. We can not stop them from saying things, but we can point out scripture and how Jesus handled things. Walk in love, talk in love and live a life full of love.

My Mom’s love

I had no plan of doing a blog today, I am new to this and didn’t want to get all new thing excited and over do it. I have a tendency to do that. I was all kicked back reading my daily devotional and it was talking about how much God loves us, did we really know that? I think I do… That got me thinking about how do we know how much anyone loves us? After all we see them, we are in physical contact or at least we can make a phone call and tell them how much we care. Side note: call your Mom today! Anyways back on subject. While pondering love and how do we know, I thought about my Mom, how amazing she is and after all I put her through, she loves me! How do I know? Just like God, she shows up and always has. Just like Him, she may not say or do what I want, but she shows up!

I was a handful over the years, my brother was a handful over the years, but she was always there. I became an alcoholic as a teenager and drug addiction soon followed. I was a jerk, I said awful things, purposeful things to hurt. I was hurting, so that’s what “we” do, we hurt those around us. My Mom was not exempt from being a target of my pain, rage and hate. I blamed her for my life, the things that had happened to me and the way I was living. I held her responsible for the way others treated me, for the way I treated others, after all if she had just done things different…

WhatI failed to see back then and with a clear head and backed by the unconditional love of Jesus, is she did more for me than I could possibly ever thank her for. Let’s start with the most important, faith. We were not a church going family, as a family we only went a handful of times but she had this unwavering faith. She always knew that it all would work out, no matter how bad it looked. My Dad would be worried about how they were going to be able to pay for something, it looked impossible to him, but there she would be standing in her faith and say “ it will be ok, it will work out”. Every time it would, he would get a side job or the bill would be less than expected. She would just smile and walk through it as if she knew it would happen, because she did, after all that’s what faith is. I look back on that gift now, I see it for what it is, a true gift of how we should always be. We should know that He is going to work it it in our favor, every time, even if it’s not what we want, He knows what’s best for us.

I remember as a preteen we were financially struggling, that is we were just getting by, we weren’t starving but we did sleep by the fireplace a few nights waiting to get fuel oil for the furnace. She always believed that a breakthrough was coming, He (God) would work it out. My Dad ended up getting a raise, his boss didn’t give raises, but there it was! I remember the look on my Dads face as he told her, we had more money and we could order fuel for the furnace. Coincidence? You tell me.

She has always been the rock in our family, doing what ever was needed, doing the impossible and loving her way through it all. When I was a teenager, she had got a job being a lunch and recess monitor at the school. It was the eighties and the fashion was changing, parachute pants and crazy shirts with netting and zippers were all the rage. She would take the money she was making and buy me the trending clothes, cassettes and even expensive shoes, so that I fit in, so that I was up to date. She would buy us special food, snacks and things that we would not have gotten if she wasn’t working. She worked to make our lives special, so we had more and that even our wants were met. She obviously didn’t have to, but giving was important to her. For years, a lot of years I never understood that. Today I look at that in a whole new way, that unappreciative teen is a very appreciative adult. Some say, well that’s what a Mother does… Is it? I look around at parents today and I don’t see the same unconditional love, that do what it takes mentality. I don’t see the sacrifice or the giving before getting love.

These are just a small examples of who my Mom is, what she is and how she lives still today. She is eighty one years old and is still this way. She thinks of her kids, grandkids and great grandkids before herself. She is an amazing Mom, an amazing woman and I am one blessed son, one grateful son that she is my Mom!