I have walked with God for over 35 years. I have seen many things happen in and out of the kingdom of God. Nothing has every happened that I didn’t see it beforehand. God has revealed many things to me. Some I would have rather not seen. God is serious about everything He created. We have some of the same emotions that God has. You see we are the image and likeness of God. Just like you can tell when your father on earth is going through something that bothers him. You can see it. I know it in my heart when God is bothered with something. Usually it is something very serious. I knew before Hurricane Katrina came into the Gulf of Mexico. It was going to be devastating. I prayed until God told me to stop. His plan was going to happen. As God’s children, we have a right and privilege to enter into His presence to petition Him. We can ask God to do things for us. Many times He will, but when it is His plan for man He doesn’t. It is like He is brooding over something. I don’t quite see it. But it is there. There is a lot wrong with this world. It is like the people have unity to build a tower to shoot an arrow at God. And we all know how the tower of Babel turned out.

There is a special relationship between a husband and wife. It can’t be seen. It isn’t physical. It is the same relationship that we have with God. It is a spiritual bond between two people. The bible says that as husbands are to their wives, Jesus is to the church. I have been married to the same women for 34 years. I love her very much. I don’t always like her. But we work out our differences. My brother’s father-in-law died 6 months after his wife. They were married for over 50 years. He was relatively healthy. He missed his wife so much that he didn’t want to live anymore. And so he died. That is how strong the bond is between two people. I have talked to young people about going from one partner to the other. Each time you do, you divorce that person. You wonder why it is so easy for people to divorce each other. The bible says that the man and woman become one flesh. It means that half of you is in her and half of her is in you. You wonder why it is so hard to get a divorce. And I am not talking about the court proceding. You are literally ripping yourself in two. Jesus said divorce is because of the hardness of your hearts. God always has a way out of any trouble. Only if you are willing.

My cat loves to sit in the kitchen window facing the backyard. She watches for anything that moves, especially birds and squirrels. Calli is a beautiful orange calico cat. She has one ear that is bent over. She is healthy and has learn many things from us. She knows how to open doors. We found her as a kitten, starving and abused. It took a long time for her to trust us. We also have a small dog named Olivia. She rules the house. No animals can come into the house without her permission. We brought Calli to Olivia. She took one look at the kitten and began cleaning Calli like she was one of her puppies. Calli began to follow Olivia wherever she went. Olivia became her mother. They play hard sometimes. Olivia has taught Calli how to hunt and ponce on prey. Olivia is afraid of the lightning and thunder. She begins to shake uncontrollable. Calli sits beside Olivia and calms her down. They have become a surety for each other. What kind of surety do we have in this world? Who is looking out for us in this world? Where would we go to calm our fears? Jesus became our surety through His death and resurrection. All we have to do it to go to Him and ask for forgiveness.

When I first started with the Lord, I was happy to be alive. I was learning about God and His kingdom. Studying the word of God, praying and sharing my new found faith. God woke me up one morning with a scripture in the book of Mark, chapter 10. The scripture talks about James, John and their mother coming to Jesus to ask a favor of Him. They asked if they could sit at His right hand and His left. Jesus answered, you don’t know what you are asking. He further said that it wasn’t up to Him, that those seats would be chosen by the God Himself. Jesus went on to say, but you can be baptized into My baptism. He turned to me and said you can be baptized into My baptism. I knew what He was saying to me. Jesus’ baptism was death. At any time or place my life could be required for the kingdom. I couldn’t give an answer right then and there. I had to think about this decision. For 3 days and nights all I thought about was death. I knew I didn’t want to die. But I wouldn’t receive the blessings of God through His plan if I didn’t. But I didn’t want to die. I had to make a choice. What was I going to do? I counted the cost. And I finally make my decision. I say yes to God. That was almost 40 years ago. And my life is still required by the Kingdom of God.

The word means being thoughtful and wise with what is going on around you. Seeing your circumstances and being careful. I look at young people and wonder what they are thinking. I have seen and have done foolish things myself. My dad had a big car with a big engine. I went to pick up my girlfriend for a party. On the way I drove the car 130 mph on a stretch of road. I could have killed myself and anyone who got in my way. I suffered the consequences. I was caught by the State police. Thank God I wasn’t hurt. I didn’t think about my future or what was going on around me. To walk circumspectly is to think about who you are and what you are wanting to do. We have choices to make in this walk. We aren’t children acting foolishly and still can get away with it. Consequences sometimes can be greater than we can bear. I like to have fun. I love to travel and see new places and people since I was a little boy. I choose what I was going to do with my life and pursued it with my whole heart. The fruits of my labor are apparent to all.

The end of the beginning is the beginning of the end. It’s kind of like the tail wagging the dog. But the statement is true. The hot topic these days is global warming. The earth is heating up in more ways than one. They say if the polar ice melts the oceans will rise 200 feet. That means I would have to move to Arkansas or there abouts. Where I live is only 25 feet above sea level. I like the mountains, but everybody and their brother would move to. Have you seen all the TV shows on the end of the world? With the coming of global warming, more scientist have said that the world is coming to an end. Duh! You know when God talked about this very thing, after the flood. He told Noah that the earth would never be destroyed by water again. Next time it is by fire. That is about 5000 years ago. Jesus was talking to His disciples. They asked Him when was the end of the earth and the beginning of the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, (Matt.24:4-8 KJV) “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Sounds very like the evening news, doesn’t it. That is because it is. This was spoken over 2000 years ago. And it is true today. Is it the beginning or the end for you?

The chemical element called NaCl, Salt. Man has used it since the beginning of time. The Oceans are full of salt. It also is naturally occurring on land deposit. At one time it was used as money. People have gone to war over salt. A basic item in most people’s lives. We as a human need salt to maintain a chemical balance in our body. If you loss too much salt in your body system you will dehydrate. It is safe to say that it is an important part of our life. It is also a descriptive term that applies to man. You have met a person who was called salty. He is course and abrasive. It is a life giving and necessary item for us. The bible talks about it also, where it applies to man. In Jesus’ first teaching He talked about salt. He said, you are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his effectiveness, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Are you effective in the kingdom of God? If not, why?

People always try to obtain peace through the use of things. People use drugs, alcohol and money to obtain peace. I have seen people contort their bodies to reach peace. Some people climb mountains. Some people isolate themselves to find it. In 1983, Congress declared The Year of the Bible in the United States. They took a Gallup Poll to find out what was the most important things in people’s lives. The results were as astonishing as Congress passing a bill to declare The Year of the Bible. People said what they wanted most in their lives was Love, Joy and Peace. These are the first 3 gifts of the Holy Spirit. You see you can never obtain peace through the things of the world. The only way you can obtain peace is through a relationship with God. You have got to understand that having chaos in your life isn’t the lack of peace. People look at me in the middle of turmoil and think I’m crazy because I’m not going crazy. I laugh a lot also. Because I understand the scripture that says, the peace of God that passes all understanding, will keep your mind and your heart.

Sometimes my sons asked me why I watch a certain movie. The movie doesn’t have much to do with my beliefs. I tell them that there is something there. I see in that movies something that speaks to me. I am very cautious about just watching anything. The bible says that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is how we receive input from this world. The bible also says to guard what you see. It is most important not to damage our hearts. I was a music director for a radio station and listen to many albums. I like music, especially Contemporary Christian. When I listen to albums, usually there was one song that stood out of the crowd. It was funny because the song I liked usually wasn’t the song picked by the music company. I played their music and listened to mine. It is always about what you perceive. People see things and know it is wrong and do it anyway. Do what is right because it is right and not because it is convenient.

Did you know that when Jesus spoke these words in a parable, everyone around Him understood? You see, the temple was divided into 3 sections, the outer court, the inner court and the Holy of Holies. The outer court was for Jewish people and righteous Gentiles to come into the temple to offer sacrifices. The inner court was for the priest only. Now the Holy of Holies could only be entered into by the high priest once a year. Then the priests tied a rope around the high priest’s ankle. So if he died in the presence of God, they could pull him out of the holy of holies. The outer court was called the way, the inner court was called the truth and the holy of holies was called the life. Christians, non-Jewish followers of Christ were called the followers of the way. To most people amazement, Jesus has never been or will be a Christian. Jesus was and is an orthodox Jew. He isn’t Caucasian. He is a Middle Eastern Jew. He has a dark complexion. The bible says He was the most handsome man that live. The understanding of who He is comes with the knowledge of God.