I went to California last week on vacation. It’s the first time I have ever been. I arrived home last Sunday. And this week has flown by.  I don’t remember time moving so fast. I was so blessed by friends,  that I really didn’t want to come home. They treated me so wonderfully,  I felt like a king. But what it did to my spirit, was to refresh me. I was a new man. People who love you can do this for you. It is what God says, so do unto others as you would have do to you. Short message this morning.  Love ya’ll.

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com

I keep pieces of the past because of the uncertainty of the future. I have my great grandmother’s dresser. I also have my grandmother’s china hutch. I have my mother’s secretary desk. I kept them because they are a comfort to me and because they are beautiful. It still doesn’t replace them in any way. But reminds me of who they were and the life they led. We restored my mother’s buffet and let our oldest son have it. It is made out of walnut. Our other sons don’t quite appreciate those things yet. But I know that one day it will come to them. It is important that we remember the past because of the future. My great grandparent’s walked across this country after the Civil War to settle in Louisiana. They were cotton growers. Many of my family left their homes in Europe to come to America. Most of them had no money and carried the possessions on their backs. They were farmers, merchants, doctors, lawyers and even privateers (pirates). They built a life for themselves and their families. Many things were handed down from one generation to the next. My mother had a wedding quilt from her grandmother. It was over a 100 years old. My great grandmother’s dresser is 150 years old. I had it restored and one of my sons will get it. So that he can appreciate the effort his family from the past put into providing for his future.  

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Everyone knows what it means to be caught between the rock and the hard place. It’s not the place  you want to be in. You want a good and comfortable place to be in. David was chosen to be king of Israel when he was a teenager. He had to grow into that position. But before he became king of Israel, king Saul tried to kill him. He was on the run for a year with his family. Joseph, son of Israel was sold into slavery by his brothers. God allows us to be placed into those positions to learn. It is to develop character in our lives. And we learn or it’s one more time around the mountain. It means you learn or just keep struggling with it.  How many times around the mountain are you going to go? When are you going to stop and let God have his way? This what being caught between the rock and the hard place means. And all you have to do is turn to God and ask for forgiveness.

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com  Continue reading →

How far do you trust anyone? Do you include the people around you? To what level do you trust them? Depending on where you live and work really is the judge of how much you trust someone. Do you see the people around you as trusted friends that you can confide in? More and more I see that the trust matrix is being broken down. When I was young you could leave your doors to your house unlocked. That began to change drastically as the crime rose in our community. It wasn’t certain who you could trust. The murder rate in this country has risen drastically over the last 30 years. Of which I believe it is due to one event in 1973. It was the US Supreme Court decision for Roe vs. Wade. The decision to allow abortions in this country. You see there is no law protecting the sanity of life. If you can kill babies then why not adults also. The government has dug a hole that they can’t get out of. One of the greatest efforts of that decision is lack of trust one person has for the other. So it is black verses white. And Hispanic verses black. The lack of trust is so wide spread that nothing real or substantial is being done in this country. No one trust anyone. The media will tell you a half-truth to make you believe a lie. So how do we get back to trusting each other? Trust is always earned. It is developed over time by people who are consistent in their lives. There are trustworthy individuals out there. You are just going to have to find them on your own. And when you do trust will build your security. Trust and believe in Jesus. Let Him be your security.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

I am back home from California. This is the first time I have ever been to California. My parents went on a summer trip to California the year I graduated from high school. But I was to big to go on a family vacation. So, I missed that trip but I wasn’t going to miss this one. God has a plan and a place for all of His children. No matter who you are there is a place for you in the kingdom. And God sees about every one of His children all the time. This trip was about renewal. It was to renew my faith, courage and place in God. I had gotten weary in well doing. It is a tough spot to be in. I needed help. I went with an open mind to receive. I really didn’t know what to expect. But I knew that God was going to be there before and stay with me the whole time. For my friends in California, it was the same. God did such a work in us, we did know what to expect next. His church is on fire. Burning as brightly as the altar of God. The beauty of the countryside was beyond me. I woke up every morning to scenes that were drop dead gorgeous. His home overlooks the bay in Santa Barbara. The Sierra Madre mountains at his front door. The mountains along were beautiful. We say sight I could hardly describe. Sea otters playing in the surf. Elephant seals sunning themselves on the beach. I didn’t want to go to any tourist traps and we didn’t. We eat lunch in a 150 year old stagecoach way station, now a restaurant, in the mountains. More than all of this, God healed me and my friends. I didn’t want to leave, but it was time to bring home what God gave me. More than all the souvenirs, I brought home the love and healing power of God. This gift is not just for me. It is for everyone. It is simple. Just turn toward God and ask for forgiveness. And He will forgive you and bring you into the family. Where you will have a purpose and a home forever.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Words have meaning. When I was in college I took a course on words. It was an English class on the meanings of words. In the class we broke the words apart to find their origins. The American English language is composed of words from England, France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy, Greece, Israel, Africa, Middle East, China, Japan, Polynesia, Spain, Portugal and Native Americans. Our language is a mixture of all languages around the world as our country is. You know who invented the telegraph? The French in the 1850’s because Napoleon III wanted to talk to his troops in Turkey fighting the Crimean War. Today there are so many ways to talk to someone around the world. The capabilities grow every year. There seems to be no stopping it. It is the Age of Information. Words by themselves have no real power. But when they are spoken they come alive. So why is that? It is because we give words power. People sometimes don’t even understand how much power we give words. As the bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. I have seen it. People say I can’t do it and they can’t. Or they says I wish I would die and they do. The spoken word has changed the entire universe. But it isn’t a broad sword to use on your enemies. You should think before you speak. And when you speak you should mean what you say. God has always meant every word He spoke. As He has said in the bible in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (KJV).

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

My friends live on the hill overlooking the Pacific ocean. The town winds around the bay along the shoreline . The homes are beautiful many with Spanish motif.  It is a peaceful  and quiet town. Every now and then you hear the train go by. Although there are many cars, traffic is minimal, except on the freeway.  They live in the middle of the mountains.  There are many earthquakes.  They endure fires every year.  This year one came close enough that 8000 firemen were in this small community by the sea. Last night a fire broke out on the mountain.  Within a half an hour,  the fire traveled a mile across the mountain.  The new unfinished church was in the path. Pray that the fire is put out.  Yet there are many people living there and wanting to live there. The peace of God is in their home, that passes all understanding.  They have lived all over the country.  Going each time God called. The raised their family of 3, here and there.  They have 5 grandchildren. The sweetest bunch of coconuts, little girls you ever want to meet. God gave them this beautiful home on the California Rivera  overlooking the the bay. And my point is that God blesses and rewards obedience to the word of God. And all you have to do is to turn to God and ask forgiveness. Then your real life will begin.

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com

I have 2 days left here. And I am thinking about going home. It is strange,  but I’m not ready, I don’t want to leave. My life is 2000 miles away,  but my heart is here. My family in California consists of my closest brother and his wife and family.  As they say, he is a brother from a another mother.  And I don’t want to leave again.  I know in my heart,  that I will never see him again. And that what makes me hesitant about leaving. My wife and family are waiting for me. But I have suffered too much loss in my life. I want it to stop. California is beautiful.  Where they live is called the Spanish Riviera.  This is where the mountains meet the sea. I believe even if I lived in Death Valley, it would be beautiful to me.  It isn’t where they live, it6 being with them. We are both getting older with all its frailties.  We are  two old war dogs for Christ. We gave our lives in service to God. And we don’t want to give up. It’s the young people’s time to rise up in service to God. And we must make room for them. God has a plan for every life on this earth.  And to find it, all you have to do is turn to God and ask.

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.con

Every year Americans gather to celebrate the 4th of July,  the day of Independence from the British.  The story is as phenomenal as what happened to our nation. We the people of America worked as a nation and as individuals to build a life worth living. We are founded on moral laws that give us enough room to make mistakes. As a nation, we came back and corrected those mistakes.  Then we moved on.  As individuals and corporately, America was built from sea to shining sea. Then beyond. My friend’s family and friends gathered to fellowship and watch the fireworks.  Why fireworks? It is the reenactment of the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. There were over 100 British warships bombarding the fort to make the Americans surrender. The Americans had a giant flag that survived the bombardment.  It did because Americans held the flagpole up. As they were killed by the bombardment,  another American took his place. In the morning,  the British stopped the bombardment because the American flag was still there. This is where Francis Scott Key wrote our National Anthem.  And so we celebrate with fireworks and pride in our nation,  America.  By the way,  that flag is in the American History museum at the Smithsonian. God bless America.

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com

Monday we began to roam across California.  We went north along the coast highway. It was a surprise to me that the rocky mountains go down to the sea.  People even on the coast live on the side of mountains. They call them foothills, but they rise to 2000 feet.  My home state is flat as a pancake.  We are only 26 feet above sea level.  My constant surprise is the people.  I was expecting people to protest my US Air Force cap. We went to see the sea otters and elephant seals.  We toured William Randolph Herst castle, San Simeon. I am always amazed at the amount of money people have spent for pleasure.  I know I am a country boy come to town, but it is beyond my reckoning.  God gave people the ability to acquire wealth. The real challenge is not letting the wealth acquire you. I am overwhelmed by the beauty of God in His creation. God has a plan for each of us. It is a good life.  But we as individuals have to find out what it is. As I have said before, it isn’t easy, but it is simple. God is waiting for you.  And all you have to do is to turn to Him and ask.

http://www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com