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  • Nice shout out to my cousin!

  • Will you allow him to deliver you faultless?

    I was reading the book of Jude the other day and the last two verses really captured my attention. Verses 24 and 25 says, “24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

    Jude ends this marvelous letter by giving salutations and sharing the Gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who “is able to keep us from falling”. It’s interesting how sufficient he is! First Peter 2:24 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

    In addition to having the ability to keep us from falling, there is a honor bestowed on us. You see we, in our sins, are alienated from God. A relationship in Christ restores us by way of a New Covenant which is sealed in his blood. This is how he presents us “faultless before the presence of his glory (or his head –God) with exceeding joy.” Christ brings us back to God and gives us a relationship with him like no other. Because of Christ we now know God as our Father and he deals with us as his children.

    Every now and then there is a need to share the good news concerning the Gospel of the only wise God our savior. By his divine power he has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who has called us to glory and virtue. He gives us access to the divine nature where we have escaped the corruption of the world through lust.

    There are so many ways to given by man to come to Christ. Martin Luther gave a way; John Calvin gave a way; John Wesley gave a way; John Smyth gave a way; Charles Russell gave a way; and even Mary Eddy Bakker gave a way. All of their ways are different and all of them give you another name in addition to Christian – (i.e. Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Jehovah Witnesses).

    If the Queen of England told you she wanted to give you something and asked you to go get her chest of fine clothing and her chest of diamonds, which would you go and get? I hope you said both. You see, we understand that because she used the word “AND” you would grab both because the conjunctions ties together to independent things making them equal. You would never think to grab one and not the other. The word “OR” may make you do that, but not “AND”.

    With that said:

    “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16).

    “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” (1 Pet. 3:21).

    “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:3-5).

    Just saying…

  • Watch “Resolving the Health Care Crisis: T. Colin Campbel at TEDxEast” on YouTube

  • Who’s preying on you?

    How do you shop? Do you shop based on what you know about your needs or do you shop based on desire?

    The world expects us to follow our desires and literally impulse everything. Quick decisions are great as far as capitalism is concerned. We live in a society that encourages buying what you don’t need on credit; living above your means because you desire it; and following our feelings and not what we know.

    As innocent as Facebook started, why do you think they came up with the “like” button? Now we see ads on TV where companies are asking us to go to their Facebook page and “like” them. That’s no accident my friends. The powers that be have already figured out how to turn “likes” into dollar signs.

    By revealing what you “like” it makes it easier to market things at you. I wonder what revealing what you “know” will do?

    We need to be wise in how we proceed. God gave us the ability to process and meditate and it is in these things that our dominion over animals rests. Take away my ability to think and I will be prey. Maybe the bigger question here is who is my predator?

    I tell you this truth: Trace where your money goes to find your predator.

  • Yes! I am talking about greed again!

    So Jesus always has an effective way of getting his point across.

    I love how plain the Savior’s teachings are! What makes those who HAVE neglect those who HAVE NOT? The reason: A lack of spirituality, no compassion and greed.

    As I have said before I will say again, the donations continue to roll in for the President and Mitt Romney as the country continues to struggle. Does it really matter what these guys say to us anymore? Does it matter what congress says anymore?

    I’m very bothered by the fact that these two guys have claimed Christianity, but their actions have not — and I’m just talking about their use of donations!

    Again, the money raised could solve many of our countries problems. But instead what will it be used for?

    So Jesus says this in Matthew 25:35-40: “35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” — KJV.

    The application is simple: Greed, lack of compassion and unrighteousness will cause many so-called Christians to miss the promises of everlasting life. God is the righteous judge of the quick and the dead which includes the presidents and all candidates and we all will have to give an account of our deeds.

    To them and all of us I say, “Wake up! We are not doing this just to that poor man or that poor woman or these orphan kids, we’re doing it to the Savior.”

  • Greed: Just One of America’s Cancers

    The prophet Isaiah speaking about Israel and its sins in chapter 56 says, “They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain” — NIV.

    I have been preparing a series of lessons on the subject of greed and I can’t help but apply what I am studying to these United States. I’ve been thinking of federal and state deficits, the homeless, those without healthcare, the children in trouble, illiteracy, obesity, disease, unemployment and all victims.

    Then I look at our elected officials and their inability to solve anything. The people we have entrusted to solve the problems in America are at the same level of awareness that created the problem. In short, they cannot help us. Our three branches of government are for profit — both democrat and republican.

    They are feeding their own bellies and do not care about us. In the midst of our infirmities, just in the presidential election both Mitt Romney’s camp and President Barrack Obama’s camp have raised more than 130 million dollars for the month of May. The one percent is flexing their power and spending millions to get their guy elected. There is a lot more money to be made and whatever side wins the election gets the cash.

    As for the 99 percent, we get the same old dry promise that we too can share in the American dream. We’re promised that if we just try hard enough we too can have what they have.

    When will we get tired of the promises? The residue of greed within us won’t let us to get tired.

    I challenge you to keep track of the money donated in this particular election. It doesn’t take an accountant to see that the money spent on this coming election would solve most of our problems in America. The money donated for this election alone would create jobs, end homelessness, stop hunger, educate everyone, end obesity and provide healthcare for all.

    The sad part is that you won’t read any news stories about this. You won’t hear or see Fox news or MSNBC make this a topic of discussion and you definitely won’t read it as an Associated Press story. This is a shame before God!

    Stevie Wonder wrote in 1972 concerning our country’s leadership in the song “Big Brother”. He said,”You killed all our leaders. I don’t even have to do nothin to you. You’ll cause your own country to fall.”

    And we’re not any better 40 years later. Sadly, we’re worse.

  • What being a dad means to me

    I’m in love with being a dad,

    I give my kids what I wished I had.

    They live their little lives and have no clue

    of the sacrifices made and the things I do.

    I watch them grow up and I’m surprised at what I see,

    a son and two daughters who remind me of me.

    I get to provide for them, I’d die for them; I love to make a fuss,

    I teach them to be responsible and try not to cuss.

    With eyes so big and full of joy,

    he’s full of potential, I’m talking about my boy!

    Two heads full of hair and smiles that light up the night,

    My daughters are gorgeous and they’re being raised right.

    To be their protector and teacher is an honor for me

    I learn more from teaching them who they really ought to be.

    I thank God each day for the three I got,

    You put your hands on my babies you will probably get shot!

    I love you son, daughter and baby girl too,

    I hope you appreciate your dad as much as he appreciates you!

  • Another school year in the books!

    Well, it’s June and that means most kids (and some are already out) are wrapping up another school year. It seems like they just started school and now it’s over. I used to get caught off guard every time school ended for the summer. By off guard I mean every year I would say that I wanted my kids to be active and have a fun, educational summer, but I had no idea of what they would do.

    I was so used to seeing kids go wild over the summer! Teachers even prepare to received these little wild ones in the fall. Someone had to put a stop to this!

    I decided that it was time for my kids to make good use of the summer and as much as I wanted them to be active and have fun, I also wanted them to not stop learning. I wanted them to have fun learning and stimulate their minds as well as their physical bodies. Here is a list of five things that I have used in the past to accomplish this goal.

    Summer bucket list:

    1) Visit the library weekly — the library is a fun and inexpensive way to stimulate the mind of your child. This is great for the whole family. The library has a full list of activities to enjoy.

    2) Take a field trip with the kids once a month and — dare I say — have them do a report on what they learned. I had to pay my kids for this, but they did learn. We went to museums, festivals and even a concert. These become great conversation pieces at the dinner table.

    3) Have your children write a reaction paper to the movies they watch over the summer. They can discuss the movies with you and then put their thoughts down on paper.

    4) Teach your children about the wonderful fruits and vegetables that come in season over the summer.

    5) Cook with your children so they learn how to be self sufficient and they get hands on learning.

    These are my top 5. You can also make sure they are reading books, they have chores to do regularly and you limited their television viewing. Kids tend to watch more TV in the summer than any other time of the year. More than anything else, make it a summer that they can remember. Don’t forget that you are building life long memories.

  • Us big folks have to stick together!

    Here is my pre-summer appeal for America to wake up to the fact that we are waaaay too big! When I say way too big, I mean fat. America is obese and I would like to do something to help.

    I’m not talking about any diet you have ever heard of. This blog is specifically for big folks like me. As an experiment for the summer, please join me  in three months of healthy eating. I call it the plus, minus, plus diet (+-+). For the first month, you still eat everything you normally eat and I just want to add some things to your diet. Then, for the second month we will eliminate a few things. Finally, the third month we will add some additional things and see what Mr. Scale says then. (I’ve learned to respect the scale!) This will just cover June 3 – September 3. If you like it and this diet works for you, email me and I’ll give you the next three months. The next set is called minus, minus, plus (- – +). I lost 100 pounds in 13 months doing exactly what you are going to read next. Now of course I went from eating everything to being a pescetarian who doesn’t eat any dairy and still no bottom feeders. This happened in my ninth, 10th and 11th months of dieting, but I’ll talk about that at another time. The bottom line is I feel great and I want you to feel great too! Ready?

    For June:

    Eat whatever the heck you want (or just what you are currently eating), but you have to eat these additions first. It does not matter if you are diabetic or not. Make the proper adustments.

    You are to add five servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables. Two servings of vegetables can be cooked, but the rest (five pieces of fruit and three servings of vegetables) MUST be raw! When I first started doing this I thought it would be hard. I didn’t know the variety of vegetables I know now and I didn’t know how to appreciate a good green salad. I made green smoothies and  you can knock off two of each category that way. Be creative and make sure you get the quality stuff…you deserve the best! This is the point when I discovered the Whole Foods Market!

    The next thing to add is filtered water — lots of it! Undoubtedly your biological system needs to be flushed out so 60 to 80 ounces of filtered water would be appropriate. This is easiest to accomplish by just making water your drink of choice. Wake up in the morning and drink 20 ounces of water before you do anything. This will jump start your organs and help flush out anything leftover from the previous day. If you do it this way, it makes reaching 80 ounces easier. Your urine should be light yellow or clear — that’s what you are going for — clear pee! 🙂

    For July:

    You are going to look hotter than July when you take away the following things from your diet. You do not need to eat processed foods, dairy or red meat. I would love it if you would drop these things completely, but I know it is not realistic for everyone to do that. So, to make this as guilt free as possible, (and don’t forget to carry your additions from June into July), make an effort to eliminate these things. If you cannot go cold turkey, then start with a meatless Monday, or eat processed foods for just 10 days out of the month. Red meat should be treated like a delicacy and it would be better to eat chicken and fish than the red meats. You also need to stop all fried foods. It’s too hot to eat fried food anyway, is it? Purge these things from your diet and get active. Most of the time we eat because we’re bored. Get out an enjoy the summer!

    For August:

    At this point you should have had some level of success and you should be emailing me about the next phase. This month is easy because all you are going to add is consistent exercise. You should have more energy, but all you have to do is something that is consistent and will make you sweat. Walking is awesome! You need to take just 30 minutes each day (yes, seven days a week — it’s only three and a half hours!) to raise your heart rate, break a sweat and have fun. Consult your primary care physician before beginning any exercise program. This would be a great time to start with a personal trainer if you can. If not, there are several million books and dvds — the goal is to exercise. I strongly recommend getting a partner to exercise with. You two can be accountable to each other and be a source of encouragement. Don’t forget to carry June’s and July’s routine into August.

    There you have it! My + – + diet to a new and better YOU! Make sure you pray and meditate at the beginning and end of each day. I’m here if you need me!

  • Memorial Day: A call for true patriotism

    We have reached another Memorial Day weekend and with this being a presidential election year we really need to pray for the families of our fallen solders and our country.

    We hear a lot these days about patriotism and we have been desensitized by politicians and the media to think that being patriotic means to be obedient to the state.

    In these troubled times we have been discouraged from speaking out about our country’s debt being the result of wars we had no business participating in. Our economic crisis is the result of one thing only: Greed. Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Our greed has caused the death of many, homelessness, financial destruction, loss of dignity, self respect, worldwide shame and dishonor.

    The media still hasn’t run a story about the few that benefited from our wars. I have yet to see the documentary that exposes the truth about the last 20 years of how our government has performed. The closest the media has come to this feat is a recent book by MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow called Drift. I highly recommend it. She created a wonderful history book that paints the complete picture of what happened during the administration of the last 10 or so presidents. It’s very interesting that the Revolutionary War was all about patriots fighting government abuse of the rights of the people. Back then, a 2 percent tax hike was TOO much.

    In the 21st century, when do we reach too much?