My calling was literally a calling. I heard my name being called from a great distance. I thought I was loosening my mind for a while. But my name was being called and I would turn around to see who was talking to me. When I discovered who was calling and what was required of me, I committed myself to service in the kingdom of God. I wasn’t trained as a minister. So I didn’t know really where to start. I began to read the bible for the first time in my life. I read it like a book. I started in the New Testament. When I read what Jesus had done for me, I cried for days. I didn’t want my relationship to be superficial. I was going to commit myself even unto death. I was all end unto the death. So as I studied I found out who I had committed myself to. I was surprised at what I found. Jesus was and is a real person just like me. He had the same temptations that I have. His life on this earth was about relating to me and paying the price for my sins. He had a mother and father and family on this earth. Jesus committed Himself to them and to God the Father. His earthly parents not quite understand all that was required of them in their relationship with God. But they were willing to commit themselves. So I saw they were like me. Their commitment raised Jesus and saw Him die on the cross. I saw that I could do no less. My training wasn’t a formal education, but it took place on the back side of the desert. I was glad I didn’t have to unlearn that formal education as Paul had to do. God began to piece together what the kingdom of God was about. It was given to me a little at a time, here a piece there a piece. Then I began to see the picture of the kingdom of God. You know what is amazing is that picture is one of Jesus. I saw Him as He is, literally.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Both of my Grandfathers and Grandmothers and my parents are gone. I remember them with great detail. Both my Grandfathers were farmers. One raised cotton and the other sugar cane. It is funny that they didn’t want to stay on the farm. And both became railroad conductors. One on the Kansas City Southern and the other was on the Southern Pacific. They both were strong men and had a good family life. My father’s dad was injured on the job and retired from the railroad. My mom’s dad died from Tuberculosis when he was 54 years old. They both knew each other. They passed on their family values to my mom and dad. My dad worked for the post office and my mom was a school teacher. My mom and her 2 sisters always had the family to gather together at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. As the years went by our gathering grew and grew.  The cousins were all boys. So when we gathered we played baseball or football. As we grew older, the family began to play cards. We split into 4 per table and played a game of spades called 500. I miss those times and my family that gathered. My younger brother died about a year ago about this time. My dad was considered a wild child when he was young. He was the baby of the family and got away with things. When he had sons and only sons, he knew all the tricks of the trade. So we couldn’t get away with much. Mom just didn’t understand. It is the same with my sons, no daughters. My wife just didn’t understand boys. But the one thing that has stayed with me all these years is that my dad got on his knees every night praying for his family. That God would help him raise his children the right way. So to my father and grandfathers, I honor them this day for all the hard work they put into their families.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Before a soldier goes into battle, he is trained to do whatever it takes to win the battle. Roman soldiers were trained for 5 years before they ever enter a battle. They were trained to defend 6 feet of ground with their lives. This is one reason why the Roman army was so effective. Most of us aren’t soldiers but we are trained to accomplish our goals. The training is to be able to accomplish our goals and to bolster our resolve. No matter what the objective is our training will kick in. And according to our training is how effective we are. Before any Roman citizen enter the army, they had to make a choice about entering into that level of commitment. To them it was an honor as a Roman citizen to serve in the military. This is why they conquered the known world. It is the same with us in any profession. We make decisions based on our knowledge and training in that particular field. We go into our chosen profession with gladness and open heart. We go into our arena with the hope that we don’t have to inflict damage on anyone. Or that the damage is minimal. Or that we will come out of the arena unscathed. Sometimes it is necessary and sometimes it is just collateral damage. But we always questioned did we do the right thing? We are moral beings. No one starts out to crush everyone else. And when it does happen there is always self-recrimination. I know I have pulled some bone head stunts. And I have hurt people I didn’t want to. One was a life changing stunt. I have only found one place where I can go to ask for help to change my mini disasters. That person is God Himself. He alone has the power to reverse my mistakes. And I know that He has done so for me. That is one of the reasons why I trust God with my life. And why I will continually serve Him with my whole heart. Praise be to God.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Death and Life are the opposite sides of the same coin. One places us here in this world and the other in the next world. You can’t have life without death. They come hand in hand. Yet they are both monumental in every aspect of our lives. And both scare the hell out of people. People are afraid to live like God wants them to live. Then death puts fear into every person. Death is one scary being. But on the other hand God made death. So tell me who is more powerful? Death has to go to God to ask permission to do anything. Every created being owes their existence to God. And at any time God can require the life of any being. Yet man has tried to prove that they are god and are all powerful. If it won’t so pathetic, I laugh my head off. And this isn’t a new development. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Do you know what the Tower of Babel was built for? The king of Babel wanted to shoot an arrow at God to say that they didn’t need God. At that time everyone spoke the same language. Then God scrambled everyone’s language and each group left Babel a deserted city. God intervenes in the affairs of man. Thank God for that. One of His such interventions was Solomon. He was the youngest son of King David and he became king over his brothers. God gave Solomon the wisdom of the ages. Wisdom far beyond any man. Then God gave Solomon great wealth and God gave him control over the known world. He is the only man ever to do that. In the wisdom of God, Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. Most of it was written in one day. Solomon said this in Proverbs 18:20 “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” O death where is thy sting and grave where is thy victory.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Where will you fall in line when God calls all people to judgement? I don’t like to think about that but it is necessary to prepare for the end of life. When I was young I was going to live forever. I was invincible and could do anything, so I thought. Life is about learning. God says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child and discipline will drive it far from us. Have you ever read what God calls an eighty year old man, a child? Slowly I began to understand what the Lord required and my part to play in this. It took almost thirty years before I was willing to do what God said. As a child, I wanted my way and to do what I wanted to do. Otherwise I was going to take my ball and go home. I am thankful for the mercy and longsuffering of God. You can plot and plan all you want, but if God isn’t part and parcel of your life, it is a futile gesture. Take a good look around you and see what is really there. Pray that God will send someone into your life to show you the truth. The truth is that we, as humans, are separated from God by sin and need Him to forgive us and accept us back into the family.

http://www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

There have been many sayings about power. The Air Force Academy has one that says knowledge is power. President Teddy Roosevelt said to speak softly but carry a big stick. Power has always been a prerequisite to building and maintaining a nation. They don’t call us a Super Power for no reason. But it funny how that title is giving to different nations over the years. In business, power is a way of making money. It has an allure that most people can’t resist. People don’t want to be powerless in their lives. They want to be able to achieve their goals as fast as they can. This requires what most people believe that we have power in our lives. Even in the religious world, people believe they must use power to get ahead. With power comes responsibility. When I came to the Lord, I began to understand that I could wield God’s power. When I began to wield that power, I saw results in an instance. I saw the power God had let me use in His name. When I began going after the devil using God’s power, God stopped and asked what I was doing. I told Him I was casting out devils. Then He told me that what I was doing was still following the devil. God said that when I encountered the devil on my journey with God, then I will cast him out. I was to follow after God and everything will fall into place. When Jesus was speaking the beatitudes, He said that blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called the children of God. It is funny how God isn’t interested in how much power we have. He is interested in how much we become the children of God. And the only way is to die to oneself and let God live through us.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

How sure are you about today? Will a disaster strike in your community? Is anyone safe from disasters? There were 2 brothers who lived on this earth. One worshipped God with his whole heart. The other gave lip service to God. And he was jealous of his brother who served God, not that his brother was any smarter or braver or wealthier. He was jealous because God approved the brother who served God with his whole heart. His jealousy became so intense that he killed his brother. God came looking for the righteous brother and found the murderer. God ask where his brother Abel was and Cain answered God saying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I tell you a truth. You are your brother’s keeper. We are responsible to God for each other. What we do to each other will be judged by God Himself. There will be no excuse before God. There are going to people that will stand before God and say didn’t we do all these things. And God will say depart from ye workers of iniquity. I never knew you. It is not just doing good works that counts with God. You have to enter into a relationship with Him. This is the only thing that will secure your future in the Kingdom of God. And it is so simple to do. All you have to do is ask God to forgive you and come into your life. Then it doesn’t make any difference what changes in this world. This world isn’t your home. It is temporary and will disappear in the last days. But until then the bible says it is the beginning of sorrows.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

I woke up today and found that everything has changed in the world. The mass shootings in Orlando, Florida had occurred while I slept. Over 100 people had been shot. 50 are dead and they say the 54 in the hospital are in critical condition. They are expecting more to die. Between 1935 and 1945, Nazi Germany killed over 50 million people and over 80 million Germans died. The whole world became incised and fought a world war. Today if this story last a week in the news, it will be surprising. What has happened? Why don’t people rise up against this? How many disasters has this country gone through since 2000? There are natural and man-made disasters. And they are growing in intensity. Right after Hurricane Katrina, a few brave pastors began to say it was the hand of God. Almost the entire religious community came against them, saying that this wasn’t true. I will tell you a truth. It was the hand of God in all the disasters. And you wonder why they are happening? I don’t wonder I know why they are happening. Right after 9/11, the churches in this country were filled looking for an answer. It lasted for about 3 months until the US Government became their savior. Everyone thought that their problems could be solved with guns and bullets. That is what the terrorists believe. In the past 10 years, people have been leaving the church because they didn’t find the answer to their questions. If anybody should have the answer, it is the church of Jesus Christ, the people of God. Why isn’t it so? It is time for the people of God to repent of their sins and ask God to renew and restore them. Because this is the only answer that has lasting results.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

The uncertainty principle or observer principle says that whatever you look at is never the same. Everything is in a constant state of flux or movement. Even though you think something is solid or steady, it really isn’t. It really can be disconcerting that nothing remains the same. What we see with our eyes is a reflection of what we are looking at. So how can you trust your eyes to see clearly? Well you actually can’t. Your eyes are important in your life. We need them to get around. I have taken care of my eyes since I was a young man. My parents both wore glasses and had trouble with their eyes all their lives. When I reached 40 years old, my arms weren’t long enough to read books. So I got a pair of glasses. But I always wanted to see what was real. I didn’t want to be fooled by anything or anyone. So I began searching for what was real. My journey led me all over the place. Just because someone says they are real doesn’t make it so. There has to be proof of its reality. The more I searched the more I found that it all has to do with your heart. Not the beating one in your chest, but the spiritual one in your being. I found that reality comes from the spiritual world into the physical world. But there are 2 sides to the spiritual world, God’s and the devil’s. I also found that only God’s side was meant to help me live in this physical world. The other side was there to steal, kill and destroy me and my world. I chose God and His kingdom to live not only in this physical world, but also in the world to come.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

From here to there and back again. Did you know that there is nothing new under the sun? What has gone before will happen again. This isn’t a strange saying because everyone knows that history repeats itself. You know what is even stranger is that for most people they are doing what an ancestor did before. I am talking about behavior, occupations, number of children, etc., etc. My father’s family are sets of 4 children, mainly boys. This goes back almost 200 years. So looking forward to the future means looking back at the past. If only we could learn from the past to help our future. Then if you look at your life the other way. Our future is as clouded as it ever was. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. There is a perfectly good reason for it. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. What we have is now. Today is the day that we can do something that will change our lives for the good. I always heard this saying, never put off anything until tomorrow that you can do today. It is because you don’t know what will happen. The older I get the more I see the wisdom of it. It is funny that I seem to be able to do more and longer work as I get older. So I look back to see where I have been and where I am going. Then I look forward to see where I haven’t been to be able to accomplish something important in mine and others lives. I don’t want to waste my life on nothing. My life is too important not only to myself but all the people around me. You see they count on me to help in times of need. So as I travel from here to there, I will make it back again. As I always look forward and I am being mindful of the past.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com