Everybody knows that phrase. It is part of a burial rite prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayers written in 1559. The saying is biblically based upon what we are made of. God took the dust of the earth and water and made man. Several years ago, when terrorism was fresh in our memories, it was thought that a water supply system in Louisiana was poisoned. The government suspected terrorism. Systems were shut down one by one and were tested. They kept finding strychnine in the water. A lot of people didn’t know what to do. After cooler heads prevailed, they realized that every water system had strychnine in it. It turned out that it was a trace element in all water. So were every trace element. We have zinc, manganese, iron and every other element in us. Water is filtered through rocks to be purified. And we are made of the dust of the earth. It is the saline solution that flows through us. But keeping our bodies in that perfect balance is a job of a lifetime. Any one of those elements in concentration can kill us. We are wonderfully made. You see our bodies are made of the elements of this world. When we died, those elements return to the earth. But we as a spiritual person go on to the next world. Our bodies are mortal, but our spirits are immortal. Question, are you ready to go on into the next world? Have you prepared against that day? You see, once we died, it is all over except for the crying. The chance to change your life is only here on this earth. When we die then the judgement of God comes into play. So, my advice is to prepare now.

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We all want to receive our reward for services rendered. You are expected to work and do the job placed before us. You want to do your best at whatever you do, so you can have a legacy. It is important for our self-esteem and the people around us to respect our efforts. But it doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes everything just goes sideways. And you feel like running away. I guess one of the toughest things I had ever done is to stand up and taking my share of the blame for a botched endeavor. I don’t like being blame for something I didn’t do. I want to lash out at people who, for a lack of a better term, throw you under the bus. I was at the grocery store and saw this older woman being an absolute pain to the cashier. I saw the cashier’s angry. But I also saw the pain in this woman’s heart. And how she found no relief anywhere. And I knew that my time and work on this earth wasn’t over. Although I want to go home to heaven and God, He said to me, but not yet. There is still too much work left to be done on this earth. Each of us has work to do on this earth. When it is time to leave, we will go home. So, I am caught between this world and the next. As Paul said, it is better for everyone else to stay here on earth. My reward is still there and waiting for me. It piles up in heaven, just waiting for me to get there. So, until that time, I will be working here, doing God’s work on earth. You see my time to go isn’t here yet.

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Can the dreams of the past hold you back from the future? You see your future and wonder what will happen. Then you begin to build an idea of how it’s going to work. Hoping that you can indeed make your dreams come to past. You add bit by bit until it looks good and real to you. You make plans on how to accomplish your dreams. You work hard at it. And it works or it doesn’t. But it is never quite perfect. Part of your dreams work well and the other part you scrap. But why didn’t it work like you dreamed it? That is an easy question. And most people know the answer to it. It is where reality and dreams collide. Your need dreams to think of possibilities for life. I have seen more people stop about this far from their dreams because of this, that or the other. Nothing is perfect on this earth. But we can achieve many things if we persist in our dreams. God has endowed us with much power. We can use this power to achieve many things, good or bad. Hopefully, we will use our ability to produce good on this earth. No matter what we do in life, we are going to have to work for it. When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, He told Adam that he would eat by the sweat of his brow. He had to work for it. Solomon said that what man accomplishes by his own hand, it is a gift from God. Everything that we have or do for good on this earth, it has been given by God, including your dreams.

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As important as our lives are there is no discernable sense of direction. It seems that our lives just float along until something hits and moves us one way or the other. Why don’t people remember from one generation to the other? Wars are fought because of selfishness and jealousy. Where whole generations are wiped out and no one remembers how terrible it really is. Why is the honor of sacrifice only reserved for soldiers on the battle field? Where is the honor for those that sacrifice their lives for you to live a decent life? Or where is the honor for those who loved so much that they sacrificed their lives to change the world where you live? You see history repeats itself. Most people have short term memory and their long-term memory fogs out. Most people’s focus is on the here and now. They are more concerned on food, clothing and shelter than where they are today. It is a sad commentary on the human race. But what is to done with mankind so they will understand and change their world? This is where push comes to shove. Change is the word for the day. But change takes effort on our part. Is not always easy, but it is very simple. So, is this where history repeats itself or we are going to improve our lives. It is funny or I should say it terrible that people know how to change their lives and just won’t. It takes 30 days of doing something different to change a habit. Are you willing to change, then stand up and be counted. We need people all those people today.

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Why would I spend my life learning things that most people don’t want to hear? There is a vast difference between what is real and needed and what most people want to hear. The bible says that people heap to themselves teachers to hear things that will satisfy their itching ears. It doesn’t make it true or even needful, but it satisfies an itch. It seems that like clockwork, there are ideas that appear and capture people’s imagination. You look around there are dozens of ideas that are circulating today. And just as it was in Jesus’ day, He said to combat heresy you tell the truth. It is unfortunate that many people will not accept the truth. Why, because it means not only they were wrong but will have to change. So, they go on with heaping to themselves teachers. When Paul came to Athens to preach the gospel, there was a free forum for anyone to speak. People from everywhere would come to express their views. Paul was given the opportunity to talk at the forum. After he shared the gospel, people just dismissed what he had to say as just another philosophy. There itching ears had dulled their senses so much that they couldn’t hear the truth. And it isn’t just in the first century that this happens. There are enough theories going around today to choke a horse. None of them are true or real, but people will fight to the death to defend them. People laughed and made fun of Noah, until the sky became dark and the rain fell. But it was too late for those people. There is a reference that Jesus made about the last days on earth. He said just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be again.

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I have never been shy about sharing what was on my heart. It is a trait that has been with me since I was small. I would see something and say what I saw. Now people didn’t always appreciate what I had to say, but I said it anyway. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me. But it was a gift of God functioning in me. Being honest with people takes a lot of courage on your part. For part of my life, I just didn’t talk to people. It produced loneliness in me. I wanted someone to talk to that would understand what I was saying. I did find one person who knew exactly what I saying, because He actually gave me the thoughts to say. Our relationship has stopped all the loneliness. And I actually have found several people who understand what I am saying. Unfortunately, they don’t all live around here. But the bond between us is as strong as anything. My faith was built a little at a time, line upon line, precept upon precept. It was built this way by God for one purpose. So, that my faith in God wouldn’t wane at the first sign of battle. You see my words are a sword to be used in battle. They are as sharp as any two-edged sword, cutting both ways in battle. As it says, dividing asunder even soul and spirit. It took a long time and lot of practice to be able to handle this sword correctly. But I can run through a troop and leap over a wall with no fear. Because my faith in God will carry me wherever I go in this world.

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Years ago, I went into a Christian bookstore. I was looking for a certain book. This was a new bookstore located in our town. A young couple operated the bookstore. The young woman was behind the counter as I came in. As we were talking, a man walked in. He said he didn’t need any help. To look at him, you would say that he was a derelict. His clothes were worn and tattered. He hadn’t take a bath in a while. The bookstore was just 2 blocks from the railroad tracks and all kinds of people would get off the freight trains. The young woman became afraid passed me a note asking me to stay in the store. We talked more as the man finally left. I said goodbye and left. To look at the man that came into the store, you would call him a dead man walking, without hope and just existing. I wondered about him for a long time. I didn’t talk to him and I believe I was supposed to. Fear came in and both of us didn’t reach out to him. It prevented us from doing what God would have wanted to do. I believe it was a missed opportunity to share the love of God. There are many times the God will bring people to us to share the gospel with them. It happens to me all the time. Strangers will walk up to me to ask a question and I know that God sent them. The bible says that we entertain angels and we are unaware who they are. God does this to see what is inside of us. Whether or not we are ready to give an answer about our faith to anyone that asks.

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Wanting to understand has been a lifetime desire of mine. I always wanted to understand how things worked. I would take things apart just to see. Sometimes I couldn’t put them back together again. My quest for knowledge has never waned. I am driven by this quest as much as when I was young. Wisdom is a combination of knowledge/understanding and experience. With the wisdom comes a different prospective. You see things as they are, not as you want them to be. As I read of the stories of Solomon and his wisdom. I knew that I wanted this kind of wisdom. Solomon asked for wisdom from God. God gave him wisdom and extreme amount of wealth. When I asked God for wisdom like Solomon, He gave me the wisdom of the ages. God also gave me another gift, He said my words wouldn’t fall to the ground but accomplish where I sent them to do. For a long time, I didn’t speak much. I have only written this blog because God wanted me to. Solomon said this about wisdom, it brings grief and sorrow. Understanding a situation and seeing what is really there, brings sorrow. He wrote this at the end of his life in Ecclesiastes. It is one of the reasons that God doesn’t tell us everything in advance. These gifts were given to me to help in my ministry of prayer. And to be able to speak to people about situations in their lives. I have seen the beginning and the end and understand God’s purpose. And all I want to do is cry, because I know how it all ends. Never be afraid to ask God for wisdom in your circumstance. God will give it freely to any of his children. Wisdom is needed to live our lives according to God’s will. So just ask.

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A Full Moon

I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than a full moon. The bad weather came and went. The skies are clear and the moon is shining. After all it is spring and the rain cleared the air. The earth just righted itself. And I am thankful to God that He hears me and answers my pray. I really didn’t want to be running around in the rain all day. It seems that I am more like a cat each day. I like my comfort. It isn’t always like that. There are times that I just don’t want to see, but I do have to go through it. As God says in every temptation, He always makes a way of escape. So that I or anyone else will be able to bear the trial. I try to learn as much as God is willing to teach me. Because if I don’t learn it the easy way, I will have to learn it the hard way. It is funny how everything is moved through pressure. The wind, the waves, the weather and us are all moved by the amount of pressure applied to us. At the full moon the barometric pressure upon the earth is released. Sometimes strange things happen at the full moon because of this release. But I am enjoying the beauty of it all. It is so easy to find ugly in this world. All you have to do is just look around. But finding beauty sometimes takes time and effort. As you know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is a lot to be said about looking for beauty instead of the ugly. As God says in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” {KJV}.

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We search for the place where we belong all of our lives. From our birth, we are looking for a place that we can call home. we look for a place that is comfortable and fits our life. You know what is unfortunate, is that homeless people are searching for a place to belong. We will find a place that fits most of our needs before settling down. There isn’t a perfect place on this earth. but we still look anyway. My wife and I just bought a home. it is the right size for us and for the most part we really like the house. And yet we still look for that perfect place. This life wasn’t made to be perfect. It was made to be livable. There are things that are predictable, a spouse, family, job, debt, and education. But then there are times that are almost perfect. We think about those times and hold them up as examples of what we could have. There is a plan and purpose to all of these searches. When we come to ourselves, we see that on this earth there isn’t perfection. There is only one place that I know of where we can reach perfection. And the funny part about it, is that it is offered to every human being. If only everyone would accept it and be able to reach that place of perfection. The bible tells us about this place. It says in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many go in, because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few find it.” So, where is your place?

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