Are you enjoying your life? Yes, yes, I know life has burdens. There are things that weight you down. But are you enjoying things and people God has given in your life? I was at a big box store the other day, a young mother and her son and friends came in. The boys were about 7 or 8 years old. There were 4 of them. The mother was in a hurry and the boys were just enjoying themselves. They were arm in arm walking behind the mom. They weren’t making any noise or disturbing the mom’s shopping. They were just enjoying each other’s company. The mom was busy with the shopping and didn’t see the beauty of the moment. I laugh as the boys just kept walking together. I enjoyed the moment as much as they did. There is beauty all around us. It is just looking for it. When you find it, then to enjoy the moment. I have seen people and I am sure you have too, that couldn’t see anything because they were weighted down by life. This isn’t just right or that is just too much. I feel sorry for them. As the expression goes, they can’t see the forest for the trees. There are many horrible things in this life, but what makes this life worth living are the beautiful things you find. I went to a wedding this past weekend and my nephew was taking pictures. I was reminded of the joy and beauty I have seen. I thank God that I have. We were enjoying each other’s company. Although I have gone through a lot with my family, I love them dearly, big belly’s and all. It is one of the things God wants us to do. That is to enjoy the now and look for the beauty in it all.

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My wife and I are fairly conservative. We like a quiet and well managed life. But every so often we like to do something unusual. It is so that we don’t become stagnant or boring. My niece was getting married and we wanted to go. My niece lives in a big southern city. We drove into town and got there about 3pm on Friday. Just in time for the 5pm traffic rush. It takes 2 hours to go over the bridge to the other side. What was a real surprise to us was that all the drivers were courteous to each other. No one was honking horns or yelling and cursing at each other. As we were there 2 cruise ships docked in the port and all the passengers came into the city. We finally got to our 5 star hotel. It was nice. I mean people waited on us hand and foot. It started with the valet parking. Then the front desk personnel did everything but pick us up and carry us to the room. A king size bed with a bathroom as big as the bedroom. It had a Jacuzzi tub that was big enough for 2 people. It was almost country come to town. We went to restaurants that were excellent. Friday night it was a seafood restaurant. We were with friends and family. After the meal, we ordered a Crème Brule that was a big as a dinner plate. 4 people ate from it. Unfortunately or fortunately I ate the most of it. About 3am I paid for it. The next night was even better than the Friday night. We went to a prime rib restaurant. There was so much food, it took 3 hours to eat. That I paid for too about 4am. The wedding was great. We had a wonderful time. The family came together and we took pictures of everything. The young man coming into our family doesn’t yet know what he is getting into. My family has never been shy about expressing themselves publicly. This young man will fit in perfectly. When you feel that there is nothing new to do or see. Go to a family wedding and enjoy yourself. For all that our families are, they want to be with you and share their lives. And do something unusual, share your life with someone else. You never know what will happen.

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A question for the ages, how to know. Growing up I was never certain about anything. My body was never the same size because it was always changing. Everything changes every day. How do you know for sure? As life goes by it like you in movie of your life. Sometimes it is in slow motion. And then again my life has gone by in a flash. Yesterday I was 18 years old, then I looked in the mirror and saw a wrinkled face. How do you know what to do or where to go? When I graduated from high school, my mother said I had a frown on my face. I realized that that part of my life was over and the future was uncertain. That uncertainty cause problems in my life. I like to have things in order, neatly in order. There was a plan for my life, I wasn’t finding it. What I didn’t know was that the plan was unfolding despite me. Learning that you aren’t in control of everything is unsettling at the least. I wanted predictable things in my life. I wanted to see results like I thought should be. When the whole thing collapsed on me, I found the thing that never changes. I wish I had been more willing to listen to the truth. I wouldn’t have suffered as much as I did. But the plan for my life depended on me listening and surrendering my life voluntarily. So when I got myself into a hole I couldn’t get out of, I stopped and listened. I was surprised at what I heard. I found someone who loved me for me. It didn’t make any difference what I had done. I had come home. And my Father was there waiting for me. He opened His arms and held me. I had come home to my Father and Jesus. I began to see how much He loved me and had helped me all along the way. He never forsook me or left me alone. I have lived at my Father’s home for a long tme. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. And all you have to do is ask.

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Our lives are to be examples. We are not only learn how to live in this world but an example of what is right. Our parents did their very best to teach us the difference between right and wrong. And in turn you teach your children. It is supposed to be an unbroken chain. In a perfect world that is what is supposed to happen. Now in the real world, it doesn’t always go like that. My parents both worked. Mom was a school teacher and dad worked for the post office. Which means they were busy. Dad’s method of teaching was a firm hand. Mom being the teacher tried her best to show us the way. Dad had this thick black belt and he was always chasing us boys. I have 3 brothers and we were a handful. We went to a good high school. It was a college prep school. And each of us went to college, but only 2 of us finished. Our parents offered each of us to pay for college and a car upon graduation. But things get in the way of life. Mine was the Vietnam War. I went into the Air Force instead being drafted into the Marine Corps. My older brother was drafted into the Army after he finished college. In the Army’s wisdom, they sent him to medic school. He had a college degree in Personal Management. He ended up delivering babies at the Army base in San Francisco. Life has such twists and turns, no one knows exactly what is going to happen. But I know someone that can be trusted to guide my life in the right direction. It took a while for me to find Him. And to my surprise, He was always there. He looked out for me since my birth. And His name is Jesus. Call upon Him and ask Him and He will help you with your life.

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I have heard that term for at 30 years. At first it was the fringe element scientists that were using that term. Nobody was listening because most normal scientists were fighting the fringe element scientists who were preaching evolution. Charles Darwin spent time on the Galápagos Islands. In the 1850’s when nobody lived out there, he went and discovered that there was no God. He discovered that man was God and we evolved from apes. Personally, I believe that he had a mental breakdown and all the people who want to prove there is no God hopped on board. It is a theory that is taught as a physical law in the universe. This theory became fashionable. So to be cool, scientist started saying that this theory is true and we should all believe. You can believe that you came from monkeys, but I was creation by God Almighty. So the truth about Global Warming got lost in the shuffle. I heard recently that an entire university staff filed a law suit to make people believe in Global Warming. There is a scripture that comes to mind, it says, man thinking himself to be wise became fools. The sad part is that these men believe that they are brilliant. Back to Global Warming, Scientist of the last 30 years discovered it. And they are the ones who only know the truth. In the recent copy of National Geographic magazine, it is devoted to Global Warming. It shows how man can survive Global Warming. Again this was put together by scientist who don’t believe there is a God in heaven. I want to laugh and cry at these people. The idiocy of their ideas is beyond pathetic. I didn’t say that I don’t believe that this planet is experiencing Global Warming. Because I tell you for a fact that the earth will be destroyed by God  by fire.

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Noah was a righteous man who lived in a time of rampant corruption. God said that He couldn’t see any good in man except Noah. Everyone was doing what was right in his own eyes. Sounds familiar. There was immorality throughout society. There were murders, adultery and every evil thought man could think of. God said I will destroy man and start again. God told Noah to build an ark to the saving of his household. God told Noah exactly what size and shape this ship was to be. Noah didn’t build it next to the ocean. He built it on dry land. People thought it was a big joke. God made Noah rich so he could purchase the wood for the ship. Noah would tell everyone that a flood was coming and they needed to prepare for it. People laughed at Noah. Do you know how long it took Noah to build the ark? It was about 100 years. That is how long Noah preached the gospel to mankind. No one would listen to Noah until the waters began to rise. Then people realized Noah was telling the truth. Can you imagine how people ran to the ark just to find out that it was closed and it was too late? They were going to die because of their unbelief and sin. God is very specific and will let everyone know what is going to happen. There are many people who are sharing the gospel with anyone. More and more people are just laughing at these people. It is a big joke. More people are leaving churches. Immorality is becoming the religion of the world. Until God says it is enough, as it was in the days of Noah. The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. It has been almost 5000 years since Noah’s time. God promised that the earth would be destroy this time by fire.

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The term values actually refers to morals. No one wants to call them morals because it has a religious connotation. Do you know that the US Army has begun teaching values as regular part of basic training? It is not hard to understand why. Do you know what a soldier is called if he doesn’t have any values? He is called a mercenary. Everybody knows what they are. The US Army recognized the need to teach soldiers values when they began recruiting people from the world. Yes, any person from any country, as long as he swears allegiance to the United States, can be a US soldier. You know what happens when trained soldiers have no morals. They become death squads, terrorists or an army for drug cartels. The US Army has had it fair share of problems in the past few years. During the Roman Empire, it was considered an honor for young men to serve in their military. So they never had lack of volunteers. Until the Roman people didn’t think of it as an honor anymore. So the Roman government started hiring foreign nationals to serve in their military. And voila, the end of the Roman Empire. Values are needed to have constraints on the people to live a normal life. Everybody wants a home, a family and prosperity. When all authority breaks down what do you have? What you have is Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. When the people of Kentucky didn’t want to pay the federal taxes on whiskey, George Washington sent his army to put down the rebellion. We don’t always agree on what is to be done to keep the peace. But we all know what is right and needs to be done. Values/Morals are needed in everyone’s life with no exceptions.

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In the 1960’s, values about American life were questioned. It seemed that everything was turned upside down. Nobody knew to what extent all of this was going to go. I think most people just followed along to be cool. I don’t think too many people saw what would happen. Rebellion is always a part of growing up. To a certain extent, you rebel against your parents to become an adult. I thought my parents were idiots until I grew up. The 60’s turned into chaos. So much was happening in civil, political and social life of American. The war in Vietnam wasn’t a just war. It was about gaining political advantage over the Russians. The Vietnamese people were just pawns. Their country was being destroyed. No one seemed to care except the Vietnamese people. All of this turned the American people against the government. It wasn’t until 10 years after the war did an American president begin the healing of America. Values had gone out the door. Who wanted to do what was right with all the corruption in the government and the world. One of the most hideous acts of villainy that our government performed was the justifying of the killing of unborn babies. This was the Roe vs. Wade decision of the US Supreme Court. Who needed values when life was deemed not worth anything?  People went along with the government because they wanted freedom to do anything they wanted. It is called a lack of values. Have you ever heard the term A-Moral? Most everybody has. It is a term applied to series killers or terrorist. They have no moral code to live by. So, they can do anything they want. To Be Continued……………

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I have made my share of mistakes. But I have always tried to be honorable by standing up and acknowledging the mistake. Some have cost me everything. And it took years for the pain to go away. It is funny, that I have a high tolerance for pain. I have been a Christian for 39 years and it doesn’t get any easier. When I was young, I never wanted to be blamed for anything. It was because of the fear of rejection. It was strong in my youth. God took me from that scared, easily frighten young man to a Christian. I had to walk where no one else was. I went through trials without anyone holding my hand. I was so afraid sometimes shook in my shoes. But I had to learn what honor was and how to stand when no one else did. Many times, I was belittled and berated for my mistake. But I had to stand with honor, if I was going to be an example of Jesus on this earth. Being honorable is a life-long task of which I don’t want to shrink from. Romans 13:7 “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

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Where do you stand in this world according to your interpretation? Where do you stand in this world according to other people’s interpretation? What is the purpose of your life? Have you accomplished the goals in your life? Have you set goal to be accomplished in your life? What do people see when they look at you? Does your word mean anything in the world? Are you willing to listen to the truth about yourself? How do you judge whether or not what you think is the truth or the right way? How can you do what you believe is the truth? What is the right way? What is the wrong way? Questions, questions and more questions. Why are there so many questions to life? Why is everything so uncertain in this life? Why can’t we have the questions answered before we go out into this world? Why do we have to answer everything ourselves? Isn’t there a better way to get the answers we need for this life? Why does it take 20 to 30 years to learn what we need? Why can’t the learning curve be just a few years? Who put me on this earth to be so confused about life? Doesn’t He know that I am in need? Does He care what happens to me? Again, what is the purpose of my life? Who am I that I should receive this life on this earth? Questions about life are important. You have to ask to find out what is really going on. I didn’t understand why it took so long to learn what to do.  But as I learn I saw the reason why and understood. Sometimes it takes a while to learn. But I did discover who I am and my purpose for this life. I know now and believe in the truth about life itself. You see I am in this world, but not of it.

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