Homework?

     Okay so I started my 2 classes this week for the semester.  I figured they would be easier classes than what I have been taking the past few years.  Creative Arts and Spanish. Don't laugh about the Spanish. I never have really had formal education with Spanish. I was thrown to the wolves in Puerto Rico when i went to live there with my Dad.  Between him and his wife they forced me to just read, read, and read!!! Highlight the words I did not know and look it up in the dictionary.  I could get away with speaking English, because Most Puerto Ricans are taught English in School.  Whoo hoo! But I tell you it was the most frustrating thing that I can remember doing in my life! But because of it I am 97% fluent in speaking and reading. I am rusty so, that is the other 3%.. I can write it but if it weren't for Microsoft WORD, i could not tell you where the accents or the little squigly lines go.   Again, I did this mostly on my own.  While in School there I was in 9th grade and my Spanish class was 9th grade Spanish, which is like 9th grade English here.  I looked at the teacher like she had three heads, when she would get up and teach!! But she made a deal with me. She would not give me any grades on my report cards until the end of school, as long as i passed the final. Then and only then would she give me my grade. I laughed in my own Joe Style and said yeah right, but took on the challenge. My Step mom and my dad looked me straight in the eyes and said you can do this and there is no getting out of it.  They gave me a dictionary, a newspaper, and a red pen.  Needless to say my first few weeks the paper was redder than white!  But it was something I wanted to do, no matter how frustrating it got.  When it was time to take the final, I told the teacher “here it goes”, she knew what I had been doing at home, and said just take your time and read, you will be fine.  Again I laughed!  I passed the final with a "C". So the teacher gave me a "D" for the year! This is Good because I would have probably received below an “F” if that exist!!! I was able to graduate!  

So what the heck does this have to do with God? Nothing I just wanted to brag about myself!!!

Just Kidding!

I was thinking about how hard we study for work, school, etc. we put in a lot of effort tears and RED INK, and yet when it comes to God's Word many of us do not put in as much effort, maybe at the beginning when it is all so new, or because you have to because you are coming up with a lesson for a class or bible study. But we don't take the Time to underline scripture on our own on a regular basis to see what God is really trying to tell us, teach us, and speak to us.  If as the Bible verses below state, that God is the Word, and the Word is God, you would think We would be all over it, rather than relying on others to tell us what His Word is telling us. Now I am not saying going to church or Bible study is not a good thing, they are very important, but we need to make sure we are double checking for ourselves what our teachers are telling us or what they think God is telling us. They are human too, and they make mistakes. It also shows you really want to understand what God has to tell us, Que No? (Right?)

You have heard that people go to Sporting events and lose their voices and are raising their hands and getting all into it, but when it comes to God it can be the total opposite. 

QUESTION: Why do you think we are this way?  

 Let me hear from you!

John 1 (New International Version)

John 1:1-5

The Word Became Flesh

 ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1 (The Message)

John 1:1-5

The Life-Light

 ^1-2 The Word was first,
      the Word present to God,
      God present to the Word.
   The Word was God,
      in readiness for God from day one.

 ^3-5Everything was created through him;
      nothing—not one thing!—
      came into being without him.
   What came into existence was Life,
      and the Life was Light to live by.
   The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
      the darkness couldn't put it out.

Prayer:

Lord, You are Awesome! Thank you for Sending your Son to cover us in your Grace and Mercy and Love! Lord I pray for those that are looking for work. It is tough out there right now, and the Enemy can easily take advantage of this. I ask you put some fires under people’s butts to go out and look for work. I pray for interviews, peace for the ones being interviewed and Wisdom for the one doing the interviews and making decisions. And of course Lord, i pray that we take extra time in your Word to not just read the letters or the words on there, to say we are "reading" the Bible, but to truly try and figure out what you are saying to us, or if we are following up on what we have been taught, that You open our eyes, ears, and heart to you your Word, to YOU!

Depression!

I was blessed to see my old Pastor Today while visiting a new church. Not old in the sense of age, but he used to Be the Senior Pastor of the Church i attended, served, and worked at for over 10 years.  he was filling in for the Church's Pastor who took some time off to go skiing.
Anyway, today he talked about Depression, fear, anxiety and how we will bend over backwards for people who are in wheelchairs, or missing a limb, or physically handicap in some way, yet we really don't do anything for those suffering from clinical depression.  He talked about how many churches and or people in the secular world, look at people suffering from this illness and think that they will  just get over it or they need to snap out of it. he shared his personal story of battling depression, which i have heard many times, but he never really mentioned how people are treated. Clinical depression is not a fly by night issues, it is chemical. He explained when someone is really down because of losing their job or missing out on a promotion, they say they are depressed, but if they rebound after something exciting happens and "Snap" out of it, they are good to go.  But many people stay depressed even if they get that promotion or raise, or someone new in their life. This is the Clinical and just telling them to "snap" out of it is not going to happen. 

He gave an example of where it talks about Anxiety, fear, depression:
Deuteronomy 28:64-68 check out the NIV or The Message

He then gave an example where someone was able to realize his illness
Luke 15:13,17  The Prodigal Son

He also used Ezekiel 8:12 as an example of how we as humans easily cave in to Fear, behind the scenes.  We may be strong upfront, but we may go to our closet or quiet places and give in to fear, anxiety, which can lead to depression. 

Uplifting Passages: 

Romans 12 (The Message)

 ^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

 ^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Pastor did say that of course God can heal anyone of anything, but that we need to recognize that Depression is Serious and not something that can easily go away. 

Prayer:

Lord i lift those up right now that are suffering from Depression, anxiety, fear! I know people close to me that deal with this and i thank You for them being able to recognize it and being willing to admit it and receive treatment. But i also know some of them may or may not know You Lord, or if they do they really don't understand You! This is true for many people out there! I pray you open eyes to see, ears to hear, mouths to speak and confess! Lord You are our medicine our Wisdom to receive Secular medicine when needed. You are our Counselor, and our Wisdom to receive counsel! I ask you you touch the live of those suffering from this silent illness.  In Your Precious name! AMEN!

Prayer for Today!

Lord we thank you for who you are! I would like to lift up in prayer those who are struggling with family issues right now. Whatever they may be. I pray for those right now that are doubting YOU Lord for something that has or has not happened in their life. Show them you Love and Grace. Touch them and give them a nice Big Ole Bear Hug, as my wife calls them. The enemy is on the move, and he is taking advantage of us when at all possible. He is trying to blind us with distractions, such as family members getting sick, or being tempted or succumb to the FLESH! You are bigger than that and the enemy knows it, wake us up Lord smack us around gently or hard so that we may remember to put on our amour to help us fight the enemy and not only win a battle here or there but to Conquer him!!!AMEN !! AMEN!!
Have a great Day! Peace and Blessings!

Romans 13:12-14 (The Message)

11-14But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

Romans 13:12-14 (New International Version)

12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 3:27 (New International Version)

27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:27 (The Message)

25-27But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise

Smart Car a Mercedes?

          Okay so i am watching the News and all of a sudden they are talking about cars and mention all the different brands with their Luxury version, Toyota and Lexus, Honda and Acura. Well they showed a little SMART CAR and said it was made by Mercedes. WOW! That totally blew me away that such a small car can be made by such a big company. Same with the Mini Coopers, they are made by BMW.
So the thought of that saying "Big things come in small packages!" That of course reminds me of, Guess Who? David. Small guy kicked Big guy’s Rear end!
          Anyway, so it made me look differently about the Car, if it is Mercedes it has to be well made or good., for you Spanish Back East folk, “Si es Goya Tiene que ser Bueno! (if it is Goya, brand of foods, it has to be good).
I look at what God has done in my life and how he has used little old me , a regular old Joe, over the years to make an impact in Children’s lives and other people’s lives as well as how many people have impacted my life.
        We are not perfect we are all humans, but God will use us no matter what we look like or what we have done in life. He can place us in the right place at the right time and use to impact someone’s life and not even know what we are doing.
         Many get a bad taste in their mouths when they hear the word Christian because they have these high expectations on how Christians should look or act. If that were true, and God expected us to be perfect in His image in the Physical and Spiritual, why bother being a part of His family?
Now that I have ran around the bush a few times. We need to know that GOD loves us unconditionally no matter what we we look like, a Smart Car or a Hummer.

                          1 John 4:7-10 (the Message)

7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

John 3:16-18 (The message)

16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
No matter what we have done PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE God can can use YOU!  So if feel you are not worthy or feel God can’t use you, you are definitely WRONG! He used me, and I ain’t nothin to brag about. LOL but Seriously, knowing what i know and what God has done in my life i know i am something to brag about, we all are, we are His children and we can't go wrong with Him in our lives!

PRAYER: 

Lord, i lift up anyone who is reading this right now that may be feeling unworthy of YOU for whatever reason, work, school, church, marriages, friendships, siblings, whatever it is Lord. i pray that you touch them show them and remind them that they are precious in YOUR site.
Red or Yellow Black and White they are Precious in your Site Jesus Loves "His Children of the World".  

Have a great day! God Loves ya! In His name AMEN!!!

Tragedy in Tucson?

Okay, so i have been watching the News the past couple of days and have noticed how the politicians are started to place the blame of the killings to the opposite parties, Democrats are blaming the Republicans and Vice Versa.....?  What is up with this? .....To be continued. 

Prayer for the Week!

Heavenly Father, we come to you asking for your guidance and strength as we pursue excellence in Your Name either at work, school, and home. We know that without you we are nothing and it is through your love and grace that we know success. You provide us with everything we need each second of the day and we ask that you be with us as we praise you, serve you, and honor you with our efforts.In you precious name!  Amen!

Prayer for my Brother-In-Law and his Family!

Lord i lift up my Brother-in-law's Grandfather who had to have emergency surgery out of State a few days ago, i pray for his continued healing and well being.  I also lift up my brother-in-law's mother who just had a heart attack yesterday morning and is scheduled to have Bypass surgery this coming Sunday morning, she happens to be in state.  I pray wisdom for the Doctors and nursers that come in contact with her, i pray full recovery in YOUR name!
Lord i lift my brother-in-law up and pray peace in his heart, wisdom, and continued strength for him as he leaves all of this at your feet.  I pray for peace, rest, and wisdom for my sister who is supporting him.  You are awesome Lord and we ask these things in your precious name! AMEN!

New Years Resolutions!

        Dictionary.com defines resolutions:

a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

        New Year’s Resolutions therefore are a determination to do something. Lose Weight; Stop Smoking; Drinking, Chocolate, Exercise, etc. so we are giving up something or need to start doing something to better our lives or health. We take a look at our lives and see what we can make better or improve for ourselves for the upcoming year. Whatever we decide to give up or do usually requires a lot of discipline.

      
Does this sound like something else as Christians we may or may not do as part of our Christians Lives?  Fasting?

Fasting is defined as

1. To abstain from food.
2. To eat little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.
3. The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food.
4. A period of such abstention or self-denial.

          
Fasting to a lot of Christians is giving up food and drink for a period of time, or to many others it is giving up certain food, or activities as a sacrifice to God.

         
When we would prepare for our annual Kids Kamp at Church, our Team would not only pray for the event would be Life Changing for the children, the parents, the volunteers, and of course the staff, but we would also give up something that was important to us for a period of time. I, would personally give up Soda or Bread. One time i did both! WOW! It was tough, but i can tell you that was one of the most awesome Kamps ever! God was all over the place.
       Most of the time we incorporated our fasting along with Lent. Fasting is not just about giving up food or other items, but it is about feeding the spirit through our obedience to God. It is something between you and God. We are asking something of God and showing Him we are serious about it and asking Him to be apart of what we are asking or praying for.

       
Many in the Bible Fasted. Moses, David, and of course, Jesus! They were either thankful for something God did in their lives or asking God for help with something. Fasting is not always easy to do, similar to resolutions. But they don't have to be complicated. 

Earlier i stated i gave up soda and bread, it can be something as simple as Watching TV or a particular TV show. Listening to certain music, even giving up GOSSIP, LOL this is probably a real hard one for some people.  For some Christians, it has to be food. Whatever, it is for you, it is an awesome experience. It is something you do between you and God, and no one needs to know about it. Almost like a secret between you and God. 

 Matthew 6:16

And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.(NLT)

Deuteronomy 9:18

Then, as before, I threw myself down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the Lord hated, provoking him to anger.(NLT)

Exodus 34:28

Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments —on the stone tablets. (NLT)

          As I have matured in age, what are they calling it now days, "Manopause"? LOL, I have lost some of my Patience, forgetting things, well, you get the drift!  This year I am focusing on coming out of my sabbatical and seeing where and what God has planned for my next “such a Time as this”!

So, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? What do you want God to do in your Life this Year? 

Prayer: 

Lord, you are awesome! I thank you for who you are and what you have done not only in my life but my family's as well. I lift up anyone out there that is struggling with something so strong that is causing them to be ill. Lord i pray for that person who is thirsting to know you more but is scared of the "unknown". I pray that everyone who has a New Year’s Resolutions, that they give them to you Lord.

In your Precious name, AMEN!