Blessed in my soul....

I'm sure that there are some of you who are anxiously awaiting my series of blogs on " A Modern Day Sodom and Gomorrah" and I am still in prayer about those blogs but I just wanted to share an experience that I had in God today.

I called another brother in Christ today to touch base concerning church on Sunday morning and we both shared how rough of a week we had both had so far this week. So we exchanged a few more words and then said our goodbyes and hung up. But then, in my spirit I felt the unction to pray, so I called him back and said "let's just take five minutes and lift the Lord up in prayer"

So we did. And immediately after we prayed and lifted up the Lord, I felt what I can only call a "release" in my spirit as if the Lord had completely released us from the roughness of the week. I know that when we got off of the phone this time, he was smiling and happy. And the only thing that came to mind was "how simple it is to be simply blessed"

I believe that too many of us as Christians get to wrapped up in receiving a "tangible" blessing. What I mean by that is that we get to caught up in something that we can "feel and touch". So if we ask God to bless us, then we find a $50 dollar bill on the sidewalk does that immediately mean that Lord has then "blessed" us? And for the most part that could very well be the case, but what if you walk down that same sidewalk and didn't find any money? Are you any less blessed than you were before you took that walk? I would have to answer no, because if you put it in perspective. The fact that you are walking is a blessing but if you had to go down that same sidewalk you could still be blessed even if are in a wheelchair or somehow disabled. How you may ask?

Well, the fact that you are ALIVE and amongst the living of this earth is a blessing. For those of you who read this and are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, you know that "absence from the body and present with the Lord" is where we ultimately want to be and can be a definite blessing because we know that we will see our Lord face to face and be in a place where there will be no more pain, no more tears, no sin. etc. The bible says that "The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and adds no sorrow" But what does that mean? Well my interpretation has always been that when the Lord blesses you there should be peace for He is the God of Peace or Jehovah Shalom. Sometimes good things happen to us and God didn't have anything to do with it. Because what happens is that we begin to think that when good things happen that its God but when bad things happen that its the devil. Wrong!

The bible clearly teaches that "the rain falls on the just and the unjust" no one is immune from the trials of life but because we as believers have a merciful God to help us in our time of need we can usually make it through but only on His strength alone. (That's another blogger)....hint, hint. What surprised me the most today is that I was so blessed in my soul, not with anything tangible that I can touch or feel but my soul was just so blessed to pray for my brother in Christ and together we sensed that the Lord had touched us by his Holy Spirit and would help us have a good day because now He had been invited in.....(another blog)

I will end with this scripture...Revelations 3:20 and it declares "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (NKJV). Today my brother and I heard the voice of God within our collective spirits and he came in and dined with us by His spirit and for the rest of this day, August 24, 2006 we were blessed in our hearts and in our souls......

A Modern Day Sodom and Gomorrah- Pt.1

I'm not sure how many times I have mulled over this particular title to write for this blog but I'm sure that's its been way too many times to count on fingers and toes, that much I am sure. This first part is just what I feel from heart. The subsequent blogs will be much more biblical in nature and filled with experiences from my own life. Actually I am looking forward to these particular series of blogs more than any that I have written except for my testimony which can be found in "A Changed Heart".....Please read at your leisure....

Now on to the blog or blogger if you wish.....This subject has been on my mind for many years because everyday we seem to be coming closer and closer to coming of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that he will "come like a thief in the night". Another scripture that comes to mind tells us that "no man knows the hour" that Jesus will come riding on the clouds to bring his people home to an Almighty and Everlasting God.

With all the problems in Israel and the Middle East, I am again reminded of a scripture that tells us that there will be "wars and rumors of wars"......Does this not sound familiar? I think so.....Ladies and gentleman we are living in the last days on this earth and for those of us who are believers in the Lord, not only do we need to "occupy till He comes" we need to make sure that we are living according to the scriptures. Romans 12:1-2 declares "Be ye not conformed to this world but be ye TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your MINDS" I see so many negative images. From TV to music to books,etc. You can't seem to find to many if any good family shows on TV anymore. My wife and I often discuss this fact alot. We remember shows like "7th Heaven" (which will be back this fall on the new CW channel, after being CANCELLED on the WB), how many of you remember "Touched by an Angel" and "Promised Land"? We remember when TGIF on a Friday night meant shows like "Family Matters", "Full House", "Perfect Strangers" and who could forget "Boy Meets World"........Now we are attacked with shows that feature shallow women who only think about themselves, gay men who live with a straight women, dysfuntional families with fathers who don't respect their wives and treat their kids with no respect.....I could go on and on and on......

It has come to my attention that we are living in a society much like the evil times described in the Bible. Especially those described in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. From what I had read it was a society where anything goes. There was no respect for God in any way shape of form. But before I delve deeper into this subject I want to pray that God shows me exactly how this particular part of scripture is significant to us today. So I hope that all of you that read this and subsequent blogs will be blessed and informed in the Word of God.

Next: Are we really living in a Modern Day Sodom and Gomorrah?

What if..... a sad day in Columbus

I never imagined when I watched the National Championship game between the University of Miami Hurricanes and The Ohio State Buckeyes in January of 2002, that it would also be the last game of a young and promising running back named Maurice Clarett. The latest in this ongoing saga came this past week as he was caught with 4 loaded guns and wearing a bulletproof vest, all this at 3am in the morning......Mr. Clarett was already preparing for a trial in which he was to answer to charges of a robbery earlier in the year. So much potential, so much promise for an exciting career in the NFL, but the question on everyone's mind is "what happened"?

While I'm not 100% sure of all the details of this young man's life it is so apparent on so many levels that he either looked to the wrong people for guidance or made some very, very bad choices. My guess is a little of both. While finishing his first (and last) year at OSU, it was determined that he had falsely reported that some merchandise had been stolen from his car only to open a can of worms into the possibility of receiving unauthorized money from an unknown source. This was just the beginning of this young man's woes. He unsuccessfully tried to get the NFL to draft him early and was soundly denied. So he sat for a year and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round. But he was then ceremoniously cut by the team. His last and final chance to play football (Arena Football) was squashed this week.

Now he is forced to look to some long time behind bars. The saddest thing is that he was supposedly caught in the same neighborhood as a witness to his current trial for robbery. This will not bode well for him at all, if found to be true. I cannot fathom what he was contemplating nor can I fathom the possibilties of what could have happened had he been able to keep his car from swerving in the road which caught the attention of the police in the first place.

I remember a few years ago doing a Men's bible study in my home. The name of the study was "Choices" and we discussed how every decision that we make has a effect on the lives of those around us. The scriptures tell us "choose this day whom you will serve"......Each day that we awake we have a decision to serve the enemy or our souls or serve the Lord. I remember discussing some other OSU football players who were dismissed from the team for beating someone and attempting to rob them. We also discussed the plight of two young men, one which was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio high school sports and by chance played for Ohio State (hmmm!) decided to rob Cleveland Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia for his jewelry and $3500 in cash (only God knows why CC was carrying that kind of money, but that's another blog) Of course that still doesn't make it right to rob anyone.

So what if Mr. Clarett was able to accomplish what he set out to do that fateful night? Apparently according to news reports, he had a half a bottle of liquor that he had been drinking so he was definetely not in the greatest frames of mind when he was finally stopped by police. What if he decided not to go the bar and wait for someone to come out and rob them of their valuables? I am a strong believer in the fact that God does intervene in our lives for His purposes. Mr. Clarett probably doesn't realize it, but it was probably God who thwarted his failed attempt to do whatever Satan had put into his mind that night to do. Whether he ever realizes it, remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, God still loves him and wants to save his soul. Unfortunately he will have to pay for his sins, but God can and will forgive him if he decides to accept it. We cannot judge this man, for God will judge him in the end but we can pray that he seeks the forgiveness that only God can provide for God wishes that "no man perishes but has everlasting life.

Next: A Modern Day Sodom and Gomorrah

God's Wake Up Call, Pt.2

Here's Pt.2!

While preparing my clothes for Easter service this past Sunday morning, I had the TV on and I just happened to come across an episode of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. His sermon was on the Glory of God, but what struck me the most was a story that they did on a young Indian man that was following his families Hindu faith and later found Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

What struck me the most is that he basically rebelled harshly against his mom and dad and all that they believed in their (faith) and also how he became such a prosperous man at an early age, but yet had no peace. He finally came across a man that was a believer and he told this young man that he was a heathen and his business would never prosper without Christ as the head. Of course the young man ignored everything that was said until he finally realized that it was true. So he called the man that he had met and set up a one-on-one meeting with him. Finally the man talked to him about Christ and the young Indian man gave his life to Christ


By now you may be wondering what this has to do with God's Wake Up Call.....Well basically once this young Indian man found Christ he began to share his faith with his family and they began to see him act and treat them differently. Eventually even his father gave his life over to Christ and it basically changed his whole family which all became believers just because of his changed heart and ways.

The Bible clearly tells us that we are the supposed to be the "salt of the earth" and be examples to all that are around us. This young man did exactly that, he not only witnessed to them verbally he also witnessed to them with his lifestyle. The Scriptures tell us to "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have, but do it with gentleness and respect" How many of us yearn for our love ones and co-workers, friends, etc. to see our lives as a reflection of God's love and see them join the family of believers.

I know in own life I yearn to see my unsaved family members, co-workers and friends come to know Christ. I often wonder if my life is truly reflecting Christ. I sometimes get certain comments that lets me know that I'm seen as someone who is different. I mean don't use profanity, I don't drink and I'm forever talking about my family and my wife. To me these are the things that set me apart from most men that I know. Most of my co-workers use excessive amounts of profanity, talk about tying one on for the weekend, talk terribly about there marriages and can't stand their kids, etc. Now don't get me wrong there are plenty of believers at my place of employment and they do a pretty good job of showing their faith but there are also the few who act like they don't know who Christ is in their lives.

There's a scripture that was ringing in my head the other day that says "having a form of godliness but denying its power"........My question is how can we as believers be godly and yet not rely on His power to be godly? Hmmm.....We must all realize that "without Him, we are NOTHING"......Yes we as believers need to "wake up" and quit making excuses on why our families, friends, co-workers are not saved. Is it because we are not really trying hard or is it because we are relying on our power and not His? I would say the latter.......We are allowing to much of us and not enough of Him.

Let's all be like the Indian man and live a life worthy of Christ so all around us will seek the face of God and seek His salvation......

God's Wake Up Call

As I reflect back on today, the one thing that stuck in my mind was what my own Pastor preached on during our Easter service.

The name of the sermon was "God's Wake-Up Call".....He basically talked about how God uses different situations in our lives to "wake us up" and what we need to do to heed them.

Its funny how God uses the simplest of formulas to get our attention, but how many of us recognize that its even God's that's speaking when situations arise in our lives. The Bible tells us that "His ways our higher than our ways, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts".....In other words when God is trying get our attention we will not always understand his motives nor will it always feel good to us. That's where trust comes in.

I have learned that God speaks in many different ways. He speaks through His Word (The Bible), he speaks through his people (Believers), he speaks through the Holy Spirit and finally he speaks through everyday situations. I remember hearing the testimonies of people that were supposed to be in the World Trade Center in NY and for whatever reason didn't make it into the city. There was one in particular where the person's alarm clock didn't go off that day for some reason. There were some that were caught in traffic, late getting out the house, etc.

How was this tragedy a wake up call you ask? Well, look at the increase in church attendance at most churches across America the Sunday after the tragedy. How many people gave there lives to Christ on that day? The Word tells us that "All things work together for the good of those love the Lord and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28-30)........There were many who cried "Where is God in all this tragedy"? He was right where he always is.....Right by our side, waiting for us to call out to Him. I believe that there were many who received Christ inside and outside those burning buildings on that day and there were many that went home to be with the Lord.

Unfortunately, there were also some who left this earthly existence without knowing the saving grace of Jesus Christ......and that is truly a (or should be) a "wake-up call" to all of us who call him "friend"......

I remember discussing this very issue with my wife. We often talk about how many of our family members and friends, co-workers are unsaved and on their way to damnation. 9/11 was a definite wake up call because one never knows when his/her time on this earth will be over. As much as we think we have forever, no day is PROMISED to us!

There will be a Pt.2 to this blog, but there's one thing that I want the ones who read this to do is look and reflect on their individual lives and see where God may be issuing a "wake-up call" in their lives. After you have done that, would you please respond with a comment. I look forward to seeing how God is using this blog to change the lives of His people. Because ultimately this is all for His glory, I am only His willing vessel..........

Sacrifice- A True Father (Pt.2)

I would like the opportunity to continue my discussion on what a true father is from a purely biblical perspective. (I promise this installment will not be as long as its predecessor) If we look at the nature of God and the fact that we often refer to Him as "father", then we must to realize that it is infinetely within his nature to "love" because He is LOVE. A familiar scripture comes to mind in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life"

Now meditate on that just a bit. The Lord God Almighty loved us so much that He was willing to "sacrifice" His "only" son so that we would be able to have life eternal. Let's look at the word "sacrifice" for a minute. The word "sacrifice" means " to forfeit something for another thing considered to be of greater value" The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a necessary sacrifice for the sins of the world. He took the punishment that we deserved.

Let me ask all of you (that are fathers or single-mothers) who may read this, a very pertinent question. How many of you would be willing to sacrifice your only sons/daughters the way God sacrificed his? Needless to say, I'm sure not many. That act alone should make us realize the love that He had for us (the world and His son). How many of you could've stood by and watched your "only" son/daughter die a "horrible" death on a wooden cross by nails driven through their hands? Again, I say "not many", especially when he (God) had the "power" to change it........

My point is this. As fathers we are called to sacrifice our lives for our children and our families. But sadly many so called fathers don't see it that way. There are many fathers much like my own, who decide for whatever reason to walk away and live outside the God ordained family structure. I'll never forget my mom telling me that she never asked my father to leave, he decided that on his own. From what I understand all that he wanted to do was "sow is royal oats" without the responsibility of family. Boy, what a cop out! Thank Almighty God that I did not take that same road. Although I did come pretty darn close (Read: "A Changed Heart" from my July archived blogs).

I would be the first to admit that being father (or a parent) is a difficult one at best. Would I sacrifice my life for my children? Absolutely, without question.......The biggest problem is that many of these fathers were NOT taught how to be fathers at all. They simply took the path of least resistance. In other words, they became intimately invovled with someone that they had no intention of committing to and then produced a offspring that they don't want any part of. Pretty sad. I often wonder how much different my life would have been had my dad stuck around. Although he was never told that he couldn't be a part of my life, he decided not to be. But once asked me "if I thought he did all that he was suppose to as my father". Which I resoundly said "No, you didn't".......

Unfortunately in this day and age most fathers just don't get it. They don't think about the responsibility that comes with having a child. I learned by "experience", when my wife had our first child Christian Jeremy I knew nothing about being a father. I took all that I had experienced up to that point and incorporated it into being a father. Needless to say I failed on most points miserably. But at least I was there.

I have learned much in my 11 years and have much to learn still. I have learned the importance of fatherhood. I have learned the importance of having two parents in the home. I have learned the importance of family. I 've learned that if I had not accepted Christ as Savior, I wouldn't even have half the knowledge that I have attained thus far. Finally, many of the fathers that I mentioned in the previous have not learned anything about sacrificing for their kids. I mean there are many things that I would like to have, but knowing that my kids need things is more important than anything that I could desire. I love to be able to take care of my kids needs and see them happy. For a child, especially a boy to have a father to grow up with can make all the difference in his life. All children need some form of discipline and since most fathers are looked at as the main disciplinarian, it would only make sense for the father to be of great need in the home.

Ephesians 6:4 declares "Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord". (Amplified Bible)

If the "real" fathers don't step up soon....We are going to have a very angry set of young men. Do we as a society really want that?

I think not.....

A True Father

I recently read and article from www.agapepress.org (its world news from a christian perspective). The article was called "Fatherhood is More Than a Paycheck" and it discussed how sports icons we know and love basically ignore their responsibilties as fathers. The 1998 Sports Illustrated article focused on former Boston Celtics forward Greg Minor's son Khalid who at the time was 2yrs old (now 7) and how his basic needs were ignored along with his mom and siblings to the point where they were evicted from their home because he refused to make child support payments. Another part of the article discussed former NY Knicks forward Larry Johnson who has five children (four different mothers) and then there's the enigmatic Shawn Kemp (formerly of the Cleveland Cavs, Seattle Sonics) who has 7 kids with "multiple" partners as the article eluded to. Lastly, we have one of the greatest basketball players to ever grace the hardwood (besides Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson). And that person would be former Boston Celtic great Larry Bird, who incidently has a teenage daughter whom according to the article "he does not acknowledge"?

Now I ask, "what is wrong with this picture"?. Well, I'm glad that you asked......The article also referred to former Philadelphia Eagles player Anthony Edwards and what differentiated him from these other three so-called fathers was the fact that he took "responsibility" for his choice to have a child. Like many of the aformentioned, he was a young promising wide receiver at a small jr. college in New Mexico and the last thing he needed was a baby, but instead of shirking his responsibility he in turn did the "right" thing. He quit school and got a job making $6.50 an hr. (how rare is that these days). His girlfriend moved into his parents' house and they slept in "seperate" bedrooms (Wow, what a kid!). Now he could have easily blown her off and pursued his pro football career, but again he did the right thing.

In 1989 he did make it to the NFL and played for the Philadelphia Eagles, signing as a free agent. He married (Mary Ann) in 1990 and they committed themselves to the raising of the child "T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R". He felt a need to "take care of his child, because he was "his" flesh and blood......Hmmmm! Nice! There was staggering statistic referred to in this article. It said that from 1960-1995 the percentage of single-parent homes tripled by a whopping 27%. while the proportion of children living with married parents "declined". Today, 24 million children or 34% live without their biological father. In 2000, 1.35 million births or 1/3 of all births, were out of wedlock. On that note, star basketball player LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavs, has a baby by his girlfriend out of wedlock, but appears so far to have accepted his responsiblity as a father and role model to many adoring fans.

The problem that I have with all of this is that we are consistently putting these sports stars on pedestals (yes, even I have done it) without realizing that while some of them are tremendous athletes, they are still just human like the rest of us and have a "moral" responsiblity to do the right thing all the time. Most of the dead beat dad's in sports come from the NBA (not surprising to this writer when you consider the outlandish amounts of money thrown at these very immature young men) They apparently don't know what to do with all that money, so they begin to blow it on unecessary purchases such as jewelry (bling-bling), overpriced homes and car(s). Now don't get me wrong, it's nothing wrong with having things............. as long as the things don't have you. Scripture tells us that the "love of money" is the root of evil. Many of these sports stars come from less than perfect homes that featured single moms that worked many jobs just to support the family so that their sons could pursue their sports dreams, and often the sons go and purchase them new homes, cars, etc. Many of these stars also give back to their respective communities, which is a great thing, but who's there to teach them about the accountability and responsibility that comes with all that talent and money.

That's why many of your high school players are now leaving their senior year of high school, forgoing college and taking on the pro game. Which is faster paced, along with a lifestyle that is nothing short of the same. So as they see the dollars signs, so do the groupies. These new superstars get involved with these ladies and boom, there's a brand new life to reckon with. As I stated before, are these guys truly ready for the accountability and more importantly the responsibilty of laying down with these women? Now, I'm sure there are some who genuinely fall in love with these men and "do the right thing", but I'm referring to those who see the dollar signs and the "no commitment"written on the forehead of some of these athletes. Many times children are born out of "one-night stands"! This is a frightening, vicious cycle to say the least. Its not the fault of the child in how they were conceived, because scripture tells us that "children are a blessing from the Lord. Pity that some of these fathers don't realize that. Many of these "ladies" use their bodies and other allurements to entice these men into sexual relationships just to get pregnant and then demand child support, which I guess they are unfortunately entitled to. But its the motives of some of these women that I have a problem with. They are more than aware of the "possibilities" of getting pregnant and in their small minds they figure "he's got money, I'm set for the rest of my life".......or so they think.

The bottom line is this...."Fathers do matter. They matter a lot." (J. Jimenez, Agape Press, 2005) There is nothing in this world that can replace the presence of a father in a home. No fancy car (Hummer2 or 3), beach front house, multi-million/year contract with incentives can replace the guidance of a father in the lives of their kids. I was one of those kids whose dad left because he wasn't man enough to stick it out for the long haul and work the issues of life with my mom. My mom did the best that she could to raise me the right way and I think she did a fantastic job, considering. But had my father been there for me, teaching me, guiding me, helping to become a man. Many of the issues that I faced would have been a lot easier to deal with because he would have been there to get me through each and every one. After all what does a mom really know about being a man.......?

Now I have 3 boys. They are 10, 4 and 2. That's three boys! I have a tremendous responsiblity along with my wife to raise them right. Scripture tells us as believers in Jesus Christ to "train a child up in the way that they should go, so that when they grow old, they will NOT turn from it". In other words if we as parents period would train our children in the right way, when they grow older hopefully they will make good and moral judgements and have productive lives. Anthony Edwards is the example of a "true father", but I'm sure that he would be the first to admit that he's not perfect and that he has made mistakes. But I also can guarantee that he has relied on the grace and power of God to get him through. Anthony made the right choices at the right time, but more importantly he took the "responsibility" to be a TRUE FATHER......

Next: True Fatherhood (Pt.2)