Would You?

Back in the mid-eighties, there was a series called "Amazing Stories". The creator was Stephen Spielberg. It was a kind of a Twilight Zone type of series. I never saw the original, but I rented the VHS with three or four episodes on it. One really stood out for me. The story, as best to my recollection, goes like this:

A man, played by character actor Joe Seneca, wakes up after being in a coma for over twenty years. Everyone is amazed because its like he's been asleep the whole time. They start to give him updates of the news and what has happened in the world. He starts to walk around the hospital floor. As he walks, he can hear what others can't. As he visits with patients, he has great empathy and there is a sense of peace about him. Along this journey, he also finds out he has healing powers. But each time he touches someone and they are healed, it takes something out of Joe.

As you can imagine, word around the hospital gets out quickly. People are asking for him to come to heal them. Joe explains that this is not what he wanted in the first place. One patient that had gotten his attention was a little girl around eight years old. She is terminally ill and she is dying quickly. Her parents reach out to Joe to save their daughter. If he doesn't do something, she will die within the next hour.

Joe goes back to his room to contemplate what to do next. He is feeling weak as he has healed several people. Joe knows that if he chooses to heal the little girl, it probably take his life. He goes back to the girls room one last time. Her parents plead with him to save their daughter. Joe finally goes over to the little girl's bed and he lays over her. Joe gets up and slowly walks back to his room.

As Joe gets into his bed, the little girl begins to wake up. She completely healed. The parents rush over to Joe's room to tell him what has transpired to find out he has passed away.

I don't know why, but the other night, I had a dream about this episode, one which I hadn't seen in over twenty years. I started to dwell on that scenario and began to ask myself the question, "Would I be willing to give up my life in exchange for a complete stranger?" I know it's easy to lay one's life down for a spouse or one's own child, but someone I don't even know? As I have played it over and over in my head, I still haven't come up with a definite answer.

Then I am reminded of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Scripture says, "God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become be the righteousness of God." (2Corinthians 5:21)

We have unmerited salvation, because Christ was willing to take on sin our place. I have eternal gratitude for His sacrifice. I pray you continue to press into Jesus Christ and the Good News He brings! Blessings in the new year.

"I Am This Way Because..."

My Daddy is a disabled vet from the Korean War. You have no idea how proud I am of him. He is my hero and always will be. My dad's kneecap was blown off by an artillery shell. His left leg is three inches shorter than his right. He has to wear a special made shoe and walks with a pronounced limp. His doctors inserted a steel rod that runs from his hip almost all the way to his ankle. He has scars on his stomach, his backside, and right leg where the doctors pieced together his left leg so they wouldn't have to amputate it. He spent almost two years in the hospital from this. He also has a a small piece of shrapnel that floats around his body that they cannot removed.

I have told this story before, but as we commemorate Veteran's Day, I am quickly reminded of it. Several years ago, my little brother, who was about twelve tears old, somehow had gotten a hold of a small American flag. You know the kind, it's glued to a round wooden stick. As any young boy, he ran around the house waving that flag and making it pop. When he was done with it, he just dropped it on the ground. My dad saw him do this and told to pick it up. My brother, not knowing the significance of his actions, asked the questions, "Why? What's the big deal?" I saw the anger build up inside of him and answer with tears in his eyes and a quivering voice, "I am this way, because of that flag!" As he answered, he pointed to his lower torso.

All my life I have been taught to respect that flag, but that day I fully comprehended the sacrifice my dad alongside millions have endured for this great country we call the United States of America.

We are fortunate to have been born in a democracy and we owe it all to those who were willing to serve in our armed forces. For that, we say, "Thank You!"

(In closing, if the picture at the heading doesn't move you and speak volumes, then you'd better check and see if you even have a heartbeat. )

Blessings!

The Forgotten War

A few weeks ago my wife and I went on a week long vacation to Washington, D.C. Neither one of us had ever been and it has been a destination point for the two of us for about five years. We scheduled the trip back in July and looked forward to the trip. The places I wanted to go were: Arlington Cemetery, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Viet Nam Memorial, the Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Memorial, in that order.

Because my dad is a disabled vet from the Korean War, I couldn’t wait to see the Tombs of the Unknowns at Arlington and the Korean War Memorial. I had seen a couple of pictures of the Korean War Memorial, but nothing prepared me for the huge wave of emotions that would hit me when I entered the Memorial. As we got closer, I could see the light gray statues of soldiers posed as if they were walking thru a rice patty. They were like frozen in time. When I got to the front of the memorial and took it all in, I couldn’t help but burst into tears. It was like I was taken back to 1951 and I got a glimpse of what my father had experienced. I walked around to look at each soldier and studied his face. As I went from soldier to soldier, I looked for the one without a rifle. As a medic, my dad carried no weapon. When I came upon the one with no gun, but just a bag, I again started to cry. I told my wife, “That’s him. That’s my Dad.” I have always been proud of my dad and his sacrifice for this great nation, and at that moment my heart just swelled.

Engraved in front of the soldiers is a quote that says, “OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET.” Then the place that also got to me was on the edge of the reflection pool. There was an inscription with the number of wounded and the number killed. It said, “DEAD- USA: 54,246 UN: 628,833; WOUNDED- USA: 103,284 UN: 1,064,453.”

My father was one of those 103,284 and only by the grace of God was he not one of the 54,246. I am thankful the Lord spared him so that he could come to San Antonio, Texas and meet Estefana Trejo, fall in love, get married, and have two handsome sons. (At least one is handsome, I’ll let you decide which one.)

Many people speak about World War II, Viet Nam, and The Gulf War; and they should. But they omit the Korean War. Not this man. I am here because of the Forgotten War.

Thank you Veterans for your sacrifice. Blessings!

The Fragrance

During a Roman triumphal procession, the Roman general would enter along with his men and chariots displaying all his treasures he had collected along with people he had captured as prisoners. During the procession, they would burn incense. To all the Romans, it was the sweet smell of victory. But to the captured, it smelled of captivity and death.

This gives you a little background of when Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2: 14-16- But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

We, who believe in Christ, are to be a fragrance to all those we come into contact. One of the cornerstones of the church that I am a member is what they call “Missional Living”. It means we are to go out in the world and proclaim the gospel in the way we live and interact with the world. On the flipside, to those who have completely turned away from God, we are, unfortunately, a stench.

I was reminded of one my of my spiritual heroes. His name is Bob Curtis. Bob was 80 years old when he took his first mission trip. As a goal that year, he was commited to lead 80 people to Christ. He surpassed that. My wife met him for the first time on a trip to India in 1999 and Bob was 89 years old. He kept up with everyone.

I met Bob the next year and soon I wanted to hang out with him all the time. He was just a joy to be around. And he was not shy about talking about God to anyone. One time he was in the hospital to put a stint in his heart. A pastor friend and I went to visit him after the surgery. He couldn’t wait to get out. He said that there were too many people out there to tell about Jesus. When we told him to tell the doctors and nurses that came in, he said, “They already know, ‘cuz I told them.”

During the last couple weeks of Bob’s life, Stephanie and I went to visit him in a nursing home. His health was failing and we knew it was not going to be long, before he went to be with the Lord. When we got to his room, Bob was asleep. But while in his sleep, Bob was preaching the Gospel. I stood at the foot of his bed and wept. That is how I want to go out. My last words to be about the things that really matter, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I knew Bob was special, but it seems all the people at that nursing home also knew he was someone very different. As you know, they don’t always treat their patients with the dignity they deserve. They did with Bob Curtis. They all called him Mr. Bob. A few days before he passed away in his sleep, a couple of employees knelt by his bed and asked him to pray a prayer of blessing on their lives.

I remember receiving the news Bob was gone. I went into my office and cried. They were tears of gratitude. I was thankful the Lord had allowed me to know Bob Curtis for 4 years and I was going to miss him in my life.

Bob Curtis was a fragrance; a sweet aroma. I want my life to reflect the fragrance of Jesus Christ. How about you? What do you want to smell like; The Savior or the stench of the world?

Blessings!

Friends for a Season

As I reflect and look back at different experiences in my life, I can’t help but think of who was there with me to go thru those experiences. Whether a good one or a bad one, I can probably tell you who was there.

Several years ago, I learned about seasons in life. It seems no two seasons are the same length. The season can be a couple of weeks or could be a couple years. If you look back at the Israelites when they wandered in the desert for forty years, you could say that was a very long season. One thing about a season is that it is not permanent.

Back in 2000, I went thru a real tough season. Shortly after arriving to First Baptist Dallas, I met a lady named Jody. She was a brand new Believer and was a sponge for God’s Word. She was one of those personalities that minces no words and tells it like it is. Here I was a believer for over 35 years and she was asking me questions about my Christian walk that brought me shame about myself. I was suppose to be the one showing her the way and along the journey, yet she was many times taking the lead and asking the hard questions.

One Sunday, we were at the evening worship service. While I was singing out of the hymnal, I looked over to my right and saw that Jody wasn’t singing. I thought to myself, “Oh no, she doesn’t know how we sing the verses and chorus.” After church I sat her down to explain how the stanzas and choruses work. She replied, “Oh I know it all goes. I was just reading the words. Ed, have you ever read the words?”

“Of course”, I replied.
She then looked at me and asked again, “No, have you ever really read the words?” She grabbed the hymn book and turned to the song we had sung earlier. She read me the following words:

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

“Do you get that, Ed”, she strongly asked. “Do you really?”

I have to admit that before that Sunday night, I had sung that hymn a hundred times, but never read the words. From then on, I read and reread the words that I sing to the King.

Jody was in my life for about a year before we went our separate ways, but I will always cherish the season she was in my life. Because of her, and a handful of others, I grew spiritually so much that year. For that I am eternally grateful.

For my pardon this I see. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus:
Oh! Precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know; Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Blessings!

The Sweet Spot

I love the game of golf. I am not by any means a good golfer. As a matter of fact, I pretty much stink at golf, but that doesn’t stop me from going to the driving rang and it doesn’t keep me from playing a round of golf from time to time. I usually play golf with my wife as she isn’t much better.

In golf, when you hit the ball at the right spot on the club, they call that the sweet spot. Now several things have to happen all at once to accomplish this feat. You have to have your grip on the club the right way. Your stance needs to be right. You have to swing the club correctly and not too fast or too hard, but at the right speed. You can’t lift your head up too soon. You have to use your lower body moving in the right way.

All those things have to line up and occur for you to hit the ball on the sweet spot. And how do you know when you hit the ball on the sweet spot? Oh, you will know. You end up hitting the ball effortlessly, you will hear a high pitch “teek”, and the ball will travel much further and straighter than all of your other shots. For weekend hackers, it doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, it feels very nice.

This is the same with your calling in life. I am reading Max Lucado’s book “The Cure for the Uncommon Life”. He talks about the two criteria you need to find your “sweet spot”. What is it you love to do and what do you do very well? As I said at the beginning, I love golf, but I don’t do this well. So, I know I won’t be on the PGA tour in this lifetime.

Can I be totally transparent with you? I love to talk in front of crowds. I often have dreamed of speaking/ preaching in front large crowds and people coming up afterwards telling me how I just inspired them or how what I told them changed their life. I know that is all pride talking there. The Lord keeps reminding me that He did not wire me that way. He wired me to work very well one-on-one or up to small groups. Whenever I get up in front of a large group, I find myself fumbling around and doing a mediocre job. But get me to meet with one person at a time and spend time with them, I shine! That’s not being boastful, because you that know me on a personal level will agree with that statement.

So that’s the question I have for you: What do you love to do and what do you do very well? Once you find out what that is, take it one step further. Whatever that one thing is, be the best at it. In Colossians 3:23, Paul writes: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

A few years ago, I was in New York at a pastor’s conference at The Brooklyn Tabernacle. I had to go to men’s room. In there I encountered a young man whose job was to clean the restrooms. While he was mopping, he was whistling the hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. When I told him he had encouraged me, he got this huge smile on his face and told me he counted it a privilege to be cleaning the restrooms in the House of the Lord. This young man got it. He found what he loved to and did very well. And he did it with joy!

My prayer for you is that you find out how God wired you and how you put this into action. This will bring Him glory! Blessings.

I Am Not Ashamed

The other night I sat down and watched to Joel Osteen on TV for the first time in several years. As I listened to him, I was very impressed with the delivery of his message. It was very good. But if you scrape off the funny illustrations and analogies, he talked about you have to reach down inside of yourself and you have to keep going and you have to put on a smile, etc. It was all the things YOU had to do. Not one thing of leaning on the power of the Holy Spirit. He even used Scripture to make his points.

I had a hard time sleeping that night. I kept thinking of the arena being packed by people who are just being fooled by a modern day snake charmer. As I watched him that night, they had scrolling across the bottom different venues he will be at in the coming days.

The Bible is very clear warning us of the “tickling of the ear”. I am in a weekly study of 1Timothy right now. It is no coincidence the first verse we read of chapter four says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” We have to be very careful who we are listening to and if they line up with Scripture. Paul warned the weak and the new Christian in 2Corinthians 11:3-4- "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."

Preachers have an obligation to preach that –“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph.4:4-6)

I have no doubt nearly all of those in Osteen’s congregation; sincerely believe what they are listening to is truth. But Osteen has stated he will not preach on sin, the blood, and obviously will not preach about salvation. He is afraid of offending people. Well, brothers, the gospel is offensive to the non-believer. It is not now and never will be easy to be a true Christ follower. This is exactly why hundreds of Christians die every year across the world. Come to think of it, it is a complete insult to them when we shy away from the gospel. Paul says in Romans 1:16-17; “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

How do we know if the man preaching is right? You need to know your Bible. You also have to have a close relationship with the Lord. And lastly, you need the discernment from the Holy Spirit to guide you. Remember I told you it was not going to be easy. Just like the fashion designers can tell the knock offs from the real ones, the real Christ followers can spot a genuine from the false ones.

I know this entry has been a little longer than I usually like to go, but this one is very close to me right now. I pray you get closer to Him and that He reveals himself to you.

Blessings!!

A Huge Milestone

Well that day has arrived. Today, July 9, 2009, at 12:46am, I officially turn the Big 5-0! The funny part of this is I don’t feel fifty and I’ve been told by many of my friends that I don’t look it either. I have all my hair (& then some) and very little of it is gray. By the way, I don’t color my hair, either.

As I look back over the years, I see many good accomplishments and many mistakes I have made. All these have molded me into the person that I am today. I have been blessed to have had two great parents who loved me enough to discipline me on a very regular basis, because I really needed it. We’ll leave it at that. Okay, one thing about my dad. Let’s just say my dad played semi-pro baseball and he hit for distance. My parents also loved me enough not to only present to me the Gospel, but they lived it out.

Almost ten years ago, the Lord had to bring me to a painful place to set my path right. Looking back at this time turned out to be exactly what I needed. He restored me to be much better than I had ever been. My middle age crisis has been, “How can I get to know you better God?” He has been faithful and has revealed Himself more and more each day.

I have learned in the last ten years what it means to live under grace. Do I completely understand it? No, but I but I’m learning. It’s hard, because we live in a society where we believe we have to earn His grace, His mercy, and His love.

Many thoughts have been going thru my mind as I turn fifty, you that have know what I mean; you start really thinking of your mortality. You realize your days are numbered. But this time it’s a little more real. Especially for me in the past couple of weeks two famous people died at the age of 50, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays, the Oxy-Clean pitchman.

I find myself standing in awe of our God Almighty. I stand on awe, because in spite of my many short-comings and faults (and I’ve had more than most), He still wants to use me. He confirms each day that He has a calling on my life and I do not want to take that lightly. I want “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-4)

I also want you to strengthen your relationship with the Lord. I want to help you if I can. I am no Bible scholar, I know the One who wrote the Book, personally. I want you to experience the greatness and fullness of God the Father.

I hope you have a great day. Take time today to drink in the Word of God and press yourself into the Savior Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to take you there.

Blessings!

The Holy Kiss

Several years ago, when my wife and I were courting, we would send little notes and cards to each other. Do you remember doing that with your wife? And as a Christian courting couple, every once in a while, she would throw a Scripture verse reference. I guess she knew I needed all the Scripture I could get. (I think she was trying to keep my mind as pure as possible.) Anyway, I would read her note and then run to get my Bible to look up the Bible passage. It never failed to encourage me and bring a joyful smile to my face. Until…

One day Stephanie sent me an encouragement card and at the bottom, she wrote: 2Peter 2:14. She meant to write down 1Peter 5:14, which reads: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Instead imagine my surprise when I read 2Peter 2:14, which reads: “They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.” I didn’t know how to take that verse. What was my future bride trying to tell me? Did she see me as a predator? It’s even worse in The Message: “These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. Their evil will boomerang on them. They're so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. They're obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they're experts at it. Dead souls!”

I later asked what she meant by that verse. Stephanie turned various shades of red when I read the passage to her. So the lesson here is to check and recheck the Scripture verse you send out to others. This has become an inside joke between my wife and me.

Blessings!

Biblical Truth

I had the privilege of being part of a special ceremony last week. It was of a close friend and his son who was about to graduate from high school. There were close to forty men there to affirm him and to speak into his life and what some of the challenges he will face as he goes off to college.

One of the men brought up the fact that in today’s society, we are losing more and more of what it means to be a Christian man and the implications. Statistics show that only one out of ten men in church today has a Biblical Worldview.
What is a Biblical Worldview? George Barna has put together what he believes are the eight criteria to having a Biblical Worldview. They are:
1. Belief in absolute truth as defined by Scripture.
2. Accuracy of the Word of God. In other words, the inerrancy of Scripture.
3. Sinless nature of Jesus Christ.
4. The literal existence of Satan.
5. The Omnipotence of God or God is all powerful.
6. The Omniscience of God or God is all knowing.
7. Salvation by grace alone.
8. Personal Responsibility to Evangelism.
I would like to add two more things: 1) The Omnipresence of God or God is everywhere; and 2) The existence of Hell.
It has been hard for me to believe this statistic, but as I read how not even clergy in many of the denominations have a biblical worldview. This is exactly why we are seeing the local church diminish in numbers.
As men, we need to stand for truth, Biblical Truth. And we must never, ever waver. I want you to look at the ten items of criteria and ask yourself if you belief them or not. If not, ask yourself why not. These are nonnegotiable.
The old hymn says it best:

Stand up; stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross.
Lift high His royal banner;
it must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry,
His army shall He lead.
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.

Brothers, raise that royal banner and stand for Biblical truth!
Blessings!

Who's your Barnabas

After Saul’s (Paul) conversion, Paul had a huge problem. He had no credibility, or in today’s lingo, he had no street cred. Saul was well known over the region as a zealot, a guy with a lot of passion. He hated Christians. He wanted them all tortured and killed. But that was all before his trip to Damascus.

Imagine Osama bin Laden coming out of a cave in the Middle East and claiming he was now a believer in Christ. I think most of us would think he was up to something. That’s exactly how Paul situation was. Nobody believed him. He just needed that one person of influence to believe in him and give him a chance. This is where Barnabas comes in. Let’s look at Acts 9:26-28. When he (Paul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

The name Barnabas means Encourager and he lived up to his namesake. This was exactly what Paul needed, someone to vouch for him. It is obvious Barnabas carried some clout with the disciples. All of us have had at least one Barnabas in our lives. For me, one that stands out is a pastor friend that saw something in me several years ago. It was a time in my life where God was doing a huge job of restoration. I thought I was damaged goods. This friend saw beyond the damage and saw a lot of potential in me. He started to introduce me to others and spoke highly of me. He even gave me the opportunity to get into fulltime ministry, and in spite of the lack of any formal education.

Which brings me to you, who has been your Barnabas’? Who gave you a chance when no one else did? Who saw something in you that nobody else did?

Let’s take it even further. Who have you been a Barnabas to? Who can you be a Barnabas/ Encourager to? Who needs you to vouch for them? You never know, you may be able to give credibility to the next giant in the faith!

My prayer for you is to be an encouragement or Barnabas to someone out there. Blessings!

The Centurion

Every Easter I am reminded of a story that happened to me in 2000. I had been attending First Baptist Dallas for about seven or eight weeks and had made the decision to join FBD. I just didn’t want to do it on Easter Sunday. I just thought it was kind of cheesy. A lot of things had been happening to me in those previous weeks. Let’s just say, I was going thru some emotional healing. I had come to the part in the healing process I felt the need to start serving again. I felt if I put my thoughts on others, it would take away the emphasis from my own pain. I spoke with God telling Him I was ready to do anything He wanted me to do, and I would do without question. (Can I tell you to heed this warning? Do not tell God this unless you are really ready to do it! ‘Cuz God will take you up on it.)

So I called one of the ministers who had been very instrumental in me coming to First. When I called Crawford, he informed the Singles were going to have a sunrise service and they needed people to set up chairs on Sunday morning. He wanted to know if I could be there by 6am. I told him gladly be there. I showed up right at 6am ready to serve. They had us unload chairs, wipe them down, and set them up. Easy enough.

I had a gentleman, Clay, whom I had befriended from the first week I attended FBD approached me. He asked me if I had any plans for the rest of the morning. I told him no and whatever he needed, I would do. I should’ve known something was up, because his face lit up and he had huge smile on his face. He told me I would be perfect for this “special assignment”. He instructed me to go to the security office which was located in the Sunshine Bldg. I went without hesitation.

When I got there, Brian Hayes was there waiting for some poor unknowing victim. He then handed me a costume. He told me to put it on. It was of a Roman soldier. I went into this room to inspect my wardrobe and put it on. It came with a tan t-shirt, a pull-over breast plate, a pair of what looked like Capri pants, some kind of pleated skirt, sandals, a long pole with a spade at the end to look like a spear, and last but not least, a helmet with a red brush on top. It was more like something Marvin the Martian would wear.

I was instructed of my duties. I was to stand guard in front of one of the main entrances to the church during all the services. As each service was starting, people would walk by laugh at my get up, and then ask if they could take a picture of me with their kids. Of course I accomadated them. As the morning went by, very slowly, I may add, I was reminded of my promise to God.

I looked up to the sky and said this to Him, “You know, God, when I said I would do anything? This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. But Lord, I am here and I will be till the end.”

I can laugh now about it, because it reminds me that God has a sense of humor and He tested me to see if I was going to go thru with my promise. I know there are pictures floating around with me in that outfit. If you ever get a hold of one, I’d love to see it. It has fond memories.

My prayer for you is that you will follow Him without question or hesitation, because He wants your obedience. Blessings!

Sunday Is Coming!

This week is called several things: Pre-Easter, Resurrection Week, Holy Week, and Passion Week. It is a very significant week in the life of the Christ followers. The secular world thinks Christmas is more important, but it shouldn’t be. This week is what we, as Christians, base our whole belief system on. In sporting terms, this is our Super Bowl!

We look at Friday as a solemn day, as it should be, but Sunday is Coming! Christians have the hope, because He has resurrected. This is why when we display a cross; Jesus is not on that cross. We celebrate the fact that He is Risen! I think it’s great that we use the word “is” and not “has” in the phraseology, because He continues to be risen.

I remember watching The Passion of the Christ at the theaters a few years back. All I heard was how the scouring was so realistic. We tend to concentrate on the scourging, the beating, and the nailing on the cross Jesus endured. This physical torture is something we, as humans, can semi-comprehend. But to Jesus, there was a much more painful torture. It was when God turned His back on Jesus. Holy God could not look at Jesus as He was covered with the sins of the world. The Bible says that Jesus’ anguish was so much that while in the garden of Gethsemane, His sweat poured out blood. We tell people, “It’s because Jesus was wrestling with being hung on the cross.” I believe it was because for the first time, ever, God the Father, God the Christ, and God the Spirit were not going to be One. I want you to chew on that for a while. We need to stop thinking on things physical and start thinking on the things spiritual, which is eternal.

I would like you to drink in the person of Jesus Christ and His atonement for our sins this week. One of my favorite songs is “In Christ Alone”. There is a portion that reflects The Crucifixion and Resurrection.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless Babe;
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save;
“Til on that cross, as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied,
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again;
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

With Christ I stand in victory, not because of anything I have done, but because I have chosen to follow Him with my life. Let us celebrate God the Father who loves us so much as to send His Son. Let us thank God the Christ for willingly go to the cross and conquer death. Let us rejoice in God the Holy Spirit for drawing us to Him.

My prayer for you is for you to experience an Easter week like no other. He Is Risen! Blessings!

The Debate

Several years ago I was attending a Bible study at the home of my Sunday School teacher at the time. We were going thru the book of Colossians, which is one of my favorite books in the Bible. After several weeks, a man who attended our Sunday School class sporadically showed up this one Thursday night. He was one of those people who have a lot of biblical knowledge, but I wonder if they’ve ever really trusted the Lord as their Savior.

On this particular evening, towards the end of the study, this man proceeds to try to bait our teacher into a debate about, of all things, predestination. As you know, no matter which side you choose, one can come up with good arguments. Also, our teacher is an attorney by trade and a litigator at that. I was amazed as Ed shut him down by saying this to him, “I would love to debate that with you on another occasion, but tonight’s not the time.” He explained, “You see, when I get to heaven, God’s not going to tell me, ‘You know, Ed, I was very impressed with your debate on predestination back in October of 2001, you came up with some very good points you almost had Me convinced.”

“No,” Ed continued, “I believe that God is going to ask me two questions. One is ‘Why should I allow you into Heaven?’ My answer will be, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and He died on a cross for my sins. I accepted Him as my personal Savior.’ Then God will ask me, “What did you do with my Son?” That second question is the one we need to be ready to answer.

My Sunday School teacher understands his place. The Apostle Paul also understood his place. It is quite evident in this passage: When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5, NLT)

It is not our job to persuade lost people to Christ, for that is the role of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to tell others of what our lives are now that we have Christ living in us. Of all people, Paul could have probably put on a great argument to follow Christ in his day. He was well educated and trained. Just like my Sunday School Teacher, he has been trained to argue with a glass of water and win! Part of me would have loved to see that great debate and see Ed in action, but he knew in the long run, this debate would really not do anything to advance the Kingdom.

Are you spending (or wasting) time on trivial matters that really don’t advance the name of Jesus? I know I used to see that happening all the time at Criswell College. They would spend time debating stuff like predestination, pre-millennium, or post-millennium, etc. Young men trying to impress and show off to each other how knowledgeable they are. This is what the Pharisees did back then.

My prayer for you is that you will spend time lifting up the name of the Lord and not trying to impress man. Grace and peace be with you.

Sweet 'n Low

In our kitchen, we have those three canisters. We keep flour in the big one, sugar in the medium sized one, and Sweet ‘n Low packets in the smaller one. My wife will only use Sweet ‘n Low. She refuses to use Splenda or Equal. She will also only drink Diet Coke. Never, ever offer Diet Pepsi, unless you want her to make that face. You know that face, the one that looks like you just offered her to drink sour milk. Anyway, a couple months ago, we realized that our Sweet ‘n Low canister was empty. We needed to replenish. We don’t buy Sweet ‘n Low at the grocery store, but we make a special trip to Sam’s. Did you know the Sam’s pink Sweet ‘n Low box holds 1500 packets? 1500!

Well, we bought it. We now have a few years worth of Sweet ‘n Low, since we probably go thru about a dozen packets a week. When we got home, we promptly filled the canister up. And all was well in the Sanchez homestead once again, or so I thought.

A few days later, I went into our laundry room, where along with our washer and dryer, and other laundry essentials, we store other items that don’t fit into our pantry. I forget exactly what I was looking for, but I came across a pink box on the left side of the laundry room. It wasn’t the one we had purchased, because that one was still on the counter. (I hadn’t had a chance to put it up yet.) I reached into the pink box and found it to be more than ¾ full! I would guesstimate that we now have approximately 2700 Sweet ‘n Low packets in our home.

But, wait it gets better! I noticed that a couple weeks into our new box, there were several packets that were either completely empty or not the correct amount of product. I don’t know what got into me, but I decided to let the folks at Sweet ‘n Low know of this shortfall. I googled them and emailed them a very nice letter informing them first and foremost, we are very loyal Sweet ‘N low patrons. I even let them know we have tried other sugar substitutes, but have always returned to them. I then informed them of our problem and wanted them to check with their Quality Control people.

The next day I received a reply from Quality Control thanking me for the heads up. They also informed me that they were going to send me another box of 1500 count Sweet ‘n Low! A week later, I received my prize along with several coupons on my next purchase of Sweet ‘n Low. I will never, ever be able to redeem those coupons, as I now have over 4200 pink packets.

This all reminds me how God is with us. He never, ever just gives you with what you need, but gives you an abundance. I was reading in John 21, where the disciples are fishing and aren’t catching anything and Jesus appears to them. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. (John 21:6)

God loves you so much; He makes sure you are well taken care of. My prayer for you today is you will see His provision in you life.

And if you ever are in need of some Sweet ‘n Low, just ask. Grace be with you today.

The Wreck

“Your son has been in an accident.”
Those were the words I heard one evening as I sat on my couch waiting for him to return home form Wednesday night youth group. The rest of the story is that he had been
T-boned by a city bus, the car was totaled but fortunately he suffered only a bump on the head.

I knew I loved my son (both of them actually) but it manifested itself in a whole new way in the days that followed the collision. I was a wreck - “out of alignment” emotionally for the next five or six days. I’ve never felt that way before.

I knew he was all right but maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I needed that collision to jar me back to the place of balance. A place where spending time engaged with my family is more important than the other “stuff” in our lives.

There is a broader application also. It is to think how the Heavenly Father must feel about His children. Although God will never receive the call saying His child has been in an accident (you can’t surprise God), our collisions that send us reeling still trouble his heart. What a comfort – knowing that we have a Father emotionally involved and compassionate who desires health, safety and prosperity for us.

So when you receive “the call”, and you will, know there is a Father who has been troubled much deeper about His Son and a fraternity of other dads who stand with you. And, if you’re willing, they will help you pick up the pieces and find equilibrium once again.

(This posting was written by Scott Ward, father to two teenage sons. Thanks, Scott.)

Blessings!

Semper Fidelis

I admire all the branches of the military, but to me, there is a certain mystique about the Marines. I know some of you will disagree, but there’s something about the Marines. (My dad served with the U.S. Army-Go Army!) I always get a lump in my throat when I see them marching in a parade. My heart swells with pride. They also have the greatest commercials. Over two hundred years ago, the United States Marines were born. Soon after, they adopted the slogan, “Semper Fidelis” which is Latin for “Always Faithful.” (In Spanish it is, “Siempre Fiel.”) Over the years, they’ve shortened it to Semper Fi. As a matter of fact, never make the mistake that I have made in calling someone a former Marine. He will quickly and emphatically correct you and tell you, “I am not a former marine, once a Marine, always a Marine.”

I have written about my dad in past postings and you will have to bear with me as I continue to use him as an example. Dad and Mom were married on June 13, 1953. They made a covenant before God to love one another, to honor one another, to be there for better or worse, for each other thru sickness and health, to forsake all others until death part them. My parents did that until the Lord took Mom to glory. They were married 24 years, 7 months, and 27 days.

On July 23, 1980, Dad made that same covenant with my dear stepmom, Carmen. Since that day, they continue to fulfill those vows. Dad has endured many ups and many downs over the years. He has had many health issues, as well as Mom, and Carmen. Not to mention the lean financial years, which have been quite a few. Growing up, Mom could stretch a dollar like nobody’s business. But we always had a roof over our heads; we never missed a meal, and always had clean clothes to wear.

Dad also is a hopeless romantic. Dad knows how to treat a lady! I remember back in the 70’s, when it was very difficult to find sugar free candy for Mom, somehow Dad found a place in New York that sold sugarless chocolate. He would have it shipped to Mom for her birthday and Valentine’s Day. He would also send her cards thru the mail for those special occasions. He would bring home flowers to her. This is what I grew up witnessing. I saw a man who really loved his wife and took his vows seriously. I have also witnessed him do it again the second time. Because my dad has been faithful in the big things and small things, it has helped me understand the faithful of my Heavenly Father. When God’s Word says, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” I believe it!

My dad has always been “Siempre Fiel” to the women he has been given charge. He will stand before the Lord one day and be told, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” That is what I want for my life. How ‘bout you?

I don’t know what type of father you had growing up. If you didn’t have a father that showed you how to love and cherish a woman, find a man in your church that is that type of man. Ask the Father to show you thru His Word.

Our Heavenly Father is Semper Fi! Blessings on you today!

What's In a Name?

If you know anything about me, you will know my favorite church is The Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. I have had the pleasure to worship, work and pray with them on several occasions. One of the things I have done with them is to go out on the streets of NYC and pass out flyers. On one side of the flyer it promotes the Sunday evening service as this is their seeker service. On the backside of the flyer is the plan of salvation. Before they hit the streets, they have an intense time of praise, worship, and prayer.

On one particular Saturday, in July 2002, our group was joining them on their street witnessing venture. We were given strict instructions to just pass out flyers and try not to engage everyone, but to only speak to those who wanted more info. We broke up into groups. In one of those groups was one of my mentors. He is a wise, older, white-haired, godly man who has the respect many at my church. His group was led by a middle aged Puerto Rican lady who is totally sold out for the Lord. After they had piled into her vehicle, she gave them the instructions again, but this time emphasized something very important to her. She told them, “Do Not Do Anything That Will Bring Shame To The Name Of Jesus Christ!” It was so important to her that she said it a couple of times again. Notice she did not mention Brooklyn Tab at all, but the name of Jesus Christ. In a sense she was telling them, “Remember whose you are.” Today we get so caught up on where we attend church that we become “church worshippers” and not Jesus Christ worshippers!

Last week in Bible study, I came across this passage in Ephesians: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Eph. 4:1-2)

I have been chewing on those verses, especially the part that says “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” I don’t know about you, but that hits me between the eyes. This is exactly what I want my life to be all about. I want to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ!

Can you imagine if all the men in our churches were to strive to live up to that measure, how today would look radically different? Men would be leading with confidence and authority. Husbands would be loving and cherishing their wives. Fathers would be Dads. The divorce rate would cease to exist in the church, etc.

You and I can’t change the world overnight, but you and I can strive to “live a life worthy of the calling”. From there, you get your friends to strive; and they get their friends. Before we know it, we have changed a complete generation.

I’m praying for you today. Blessings!

Speak Truth

I have to confess to you a guilty pleasure of mine. I like to watch American Idol. My wife and I have been watching since Season 4. I picked Carrie Underwood to win the whole thing from very early on. We watch it from the tryouts till the very end. Every season, as I watch the tryouts, I am always amazed how people who have no musical abilities, believe with all their hearts, they will be the “Next American Idol”.

I know some of them are just trying to be as outlandish as possible to make it on the show. But there are many who are just horrible who really think they can sing. When they get the obvious rejection, first they can’t believe they’re not making it to Hollywood. Then they will start to cry, because their dreams have been dashed. Many times they have their families there and they’re crushed too. As they try to console their rejected loved one, they’ll turn to the camera and tell America that the judges are just wrong!

These people are in complete denial. For the first time in their life, someone has had the guts to tell them the harsh truth: They can’t sing! Afterwards, they’re hurt and angry. There many a folk out there that are living a life of denial. You may have tried to tell them the truth about salvation thru Jesus Christ and they continue to reject it. They would rather listen to their own ideas and beliefs. It breaks my heart to see so many folks turning their backs on God. As you and I know, one day we all must come before the “One who judges all of mankind”, “the One true Judge.” They are in for a rude awakening.

The Bible is very clear on this. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus is trying to explain the power of Satan and why people do not believe Him.

"Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! "(John 8:43-45)

Pretty straightforward, huh? Jesus understands who Satan is, he is the father of lies. Have you met someone in such denial of the truth, even though they know the truth deep down? This goes for Christians who have allowed themselves to fall away. A few years ago, I was asked to go talk with an old friend of my wife’s family. He had decided to leave his wife after close to 40 years of marriage. He had found somebody else and decided to leave his family behind and marry this new woman. He was so much in denial of the truth and his heart was so cold and hard that no matter what we said to him, his mind was made up. All of this hurt my wife so much as she had always looked up to this man as an uncle. She cried all the way home. To think he was willing to destroy his wife, three grown children and their grandchildren for self gratification. My friend, this is buying into the lies of Satan.

How can we avoid this pitfall? There are four ways:
1.) Stay in God’s Word. Study it, mediate on it, and live by it.
2.) Pray. Stay in communication with the Father.
3.) Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength.
4.) Have a couple of friends to keep you accountable, to help you when you start to stray.

I pray for you to continue to do these four things to know what Truth is.

Blessings!

Night Vision

Throughout the history of warfare, there have always been those weapons or tools that gave an army an edge. Today, there is a military tool that can give the military an edge. They’re called night-vision goggles. Night goggles literally allow the wearer to see an illuminated view of what's going on in the darkness; things that would otherwise be invisible. If you can see through the night, you can see what others can't see and you can operate when others can't move.

For a long time, God has been equipping folks with the ability to see through the night. You don't even need special goggles, but you do need to have a love relationship with God where your heart opens up to things that He wants to show you. And maybe it's nighttime in your life right now and it's gotten pretty dark. It's hard to see where to go, hard to know what to do, and it's pretty scary.

With that said, you're going to love God's promise of night vision to His children. In Isaiah 42:16, God says, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them..." Are you walking down a way you've not known before? Are you headed toward an unfamiliar path? Your Lord says, "I will be your night vision." It gets better. He goes on to say, "I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth." That is awesome! Of course, you have to be walking into the darkness for God to turn the darkness into light. He doesn't say to start walking when He lights up the path. He says to start walking and as you walk, He'll light it up. It reminds me of the clip of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indy has to step out in faith to walk across the bottomless pit. When he takes the first step, he finds there is a bridge unseen to man.

Yes, you may be in a night season right now, but your God owns the night! In fact, that's usually when you can see Him best. Like the moon. As long as it's daylight, you can only see a pale moon, at best. But when it's dark, that's when you can see the brightness of the moon - or of your Master. Just like the military who get a lot done in the night because they have night vision, your Lord gets a lot done in the nighttimes of our life; often some of His greatest missions. No matter how dark it is around you right now, your God is able to lead your steps, protect you from all harm, show you where to walk, and enable you to complete your mission, unhindered, undiminished, uncompromised, and undefeated no matter what's out there in the dark.

Because, as 1 John 4:4 tells us, "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." So, don't make the mistake of just trusting what you can see, or trusting what you can feel. You need to know that your Heavenly Father is walking ahead of you every step of that night. So, keep walking and keep trusting. Your Father owns the night!

Blessings!

Kurtis the Stockboy

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry-out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand, a distant smile caught his eye - the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.

Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly, she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.

That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us." She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.

Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought. Then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - he had a different mindset. That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis.

At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?

Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona, where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, celebrating Sunday's victory and preparing for the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI and has been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player. As great as these accomplishments are, the most important thing he has ever done, according to Kurt himself, was to trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

When you check out his website, "First Things First" (based on Matthew 6:33), you will find the following testimony... "I was raised in the church, so faith and God were part of my life, but for me it was just kind of there - there on Sundays and when I was going through a tough time. I always had God as a background, but I never truly accepted Jesus until I was about 25 years old. My arena league teammates, a pastor friend of mine, and my future wife were constantly asking questions about my beliefs, and I began to question where I was and whether I had really put my complete faith in God. Their questions led me to the Truth - that faith is about a relationship, and it's about Jesus. Up to that point, I had never really considered that I struggled for so long and so many things went against me. I was swimming upstream. When I finally gave my life over to God - it was then the joy and happiness came into my life. Now, I realize my role here on Earth is not to throw touchdown passes and win football games, although that is the position and the platform that I have been given. I realize my goal is to win as many people to Jesus as possible. I have an open-door policy, where I'm able to talk about what is most important to me, and obviously, God is #1."

Enjoy the Super Bowl this Sunday. Blessings!

Who Are You?

One of my very first jobs was in a Mexican food restaurant as a busboy. I was 14 years old. The owner of the restaurant was a deacon, church treasurer, and song leader. (It was a small church.) He gave me a job, because my dad was the pastor. Abram was larger than life. He was funny and very spiritual at church. He was a great family man and was a successful businessman. I was very impressed by this man, until…

On my first full day at the restaurant, I got to see the other side of the man. He was a total different person. I quickly saw that everyone at the restaurant hated and feared him. He would go off on the employees. He treated the kitchen staff, all here illegally, like dogs. He would work them 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day.

Whenever someone from the church came in as a patron, he was again the fun-loving, good Christian man. He continued this double personality for a good while. Soon, others in the church slowly started to see the real man. You see, he couldn’t keep up that façade forever.

I was reminded of that man as I spoke with a friend and he had had a boss just like that. It begs to ask the question, “Who are you?” You can come to church and play the part on Sundays, but what are they saying about you at work? That’s where the real you comes out. You will spend 40 to 60 hours a week at work. Did you know that your coworkers know you better than anyone else does?

We are to be the example to the world. We are to continue to be Christ to our coworkers. The apostle Paul tells us, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans12:1-2.

This means all of us, whether you are just an employee or the boss. The world is watching you and they want to see if you will walk the walk, not just talk the talk. My prayer for you today is you will reflect Christ at work today. Remember you cannot do it on your own. Ask the Holy Spirit for strength and direction. Stay in His Word.

Blessings!

New Year's Resolutions

Well today is January 15, 2009, which means we are half way thru the month. If you are anything like me, I started mentally writing my New Year’s resolutions back around Thanksgiving. On top of my list was to lose weight. That was going to be by eating better and going to the gym five days a week. I also was going to spend more time in Bible study. I was going to do more things around the house on my “honey-do list”.

Can I confess to you? It will do me a lot good. I’ve been to the gym only three times. I am eating less, but not less enough. My Bible study time is very mediocre. I have not accomplished anything on my honey-do list. I do have one thing I want to say, I was out of town all last week.

All that said, if I fell into the trap I have fallen into in the past, I would be very discouraged. That is exactly what Satan wants me to do. He wants me to just give up. He’s wants me to call myself all kinds of names like: failure, loser, inconsiderate, weak, and many other nasty names.

Fortunately, we serve a graceful and merciful God. He accepts us just as we are. If we are honest with ourselves, we will understand that we will always be failures. I don’t have enough space on this blog to list all my shortcomings. That’s exactly why we need a Savior. If you are a Christian, you need a Savior even more.

I know that under my own power, I am, well, powerless.

I need to lean on Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that much more. Even the spiritual giant, the Apostle Paul, said, “I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them. (Romans 7:18-20)

Again, I want to emphasis to you that we are not in this Christian journey alone. We need all types of help. We need to ask for strength from the Holy Spirit and we need to ask others that are close to us, to keep us accountable.

I promise I will start going to the gym, eating better, spend more time in Bible study, and work on my honey-do list- Tomorrow.

Blessings!