I have always been goal oriented. I have worked since I was 13 years old. In college I worked 40 hours a week and took 12 hours of classes. It worked for me until a girlfriend and a fraternity came along. Then it all went sideways. Then came the military for 6 years. I wish I had taken the advantages offered me in the military. When I didn’t have a job or a goal, I felt lost. It was like the world had stopped for me. I was 28 years old when I took on the biggest challenge of my life. It is strange because I am a quiet person. If I don’t know you I usually don’t speak very much. When I took on the biggest challenge I had to become an extravert. I had to learn to speak well and convince people I was sincere. I would have rather not opened my mouth. I have learned that words have power. They can create or destroy. So I began to speak and people responded to me. I have always had a saying, say what you mean and mean what you say. So I did and I saw results that I never had before. There was a young man I knew. He sat on a fence post most of the time. He wouldn’t commit himself to anything. I told him a story one day. I said, what would you say about a person who saw his neighbor’s house on fire and said nothing. He knew that his neighbor was in the house. You would say that person was no good. Then I turned and pointed my finger at him and said, your house is on fire and you are dying. I told him that Jesus died to set him free. God has offered a promise that is good only for your lifetime. He is there waiting for you. And all you have to do is ask.

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Taking responsibility for one’s actions has always been a choice. The prevailing thought today is that it’s somebody else’s fault. It is funny how 150 years ago, people stood up and took responsibility for their own actions. But there creeped in an idea that it was your mother’s or your father’s fault. It is prevalent in the judicial system. The gun made me do it. So it is the gun’s fault. If you look at TV today, the US government is trying to sell us the same idea. Instead of taking responsibility for their actions, it’s everybody else’s fault. I wish that people, especially in power, would be truthful and stand up and be honest. Taking responsibility sometimes is a very hard thing to do. Because it may kill you. Even though a person must be true to their selves and made the choice. Living a lie isn’t easy. It is actually harder than living the truth. I know about this because the first part of my life was a lie. It took me almost 30 years to come to myself. But where I did I found that God was already there waiting for me. I cried a lot. I saw the lie for what it was. It was the death and destruction that was plaguing my life. Once I saw the truth, I had to make a choice. Whether I was going to follow after God and live. Or if I was going to continue in death or destruction. I’m glad of the hope in my heart that God put there. I made the choice to follow God. I have never been disappointed in that decision. It hasn’t always been easy. But my life has been simplified. Make the choice today, choose God and His kingdom. Take responsibility for your actions and live a better life.

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One of the hardest things a parent has to do is to bury one of their children. Life is hard enough to accomplish all that you want to do. When we bury a parent, we understand that they lived their life. And it is their turn to go on. I know I grieved for my mother for several years. I know how hard it was. My younger brother died about this time last year. I shut down for almost a month after his death. But to lose a baby, I don’t know if I could have survived. My 3^rd son had spinal meningitis when he was 6 months old. The doctors said if he lives. He will probably be vegetable. The pain began to swell in me, then something happened. The peace of God overtook me. God brought peace to my heart. God healed him after 3 days. He is almost 30 years old. Death is a part of life, our lives. The older we become, we understand that it is ahead of us. And it comes to us rather quickly. Sometimes as a friend, but sometimes it happens in violence. Mary was the mother of Jesus. God had spoken to her before she became pregnant. Mary accepted God’s will. Then her betrothed accepted God’s will. Jesus was born and reared by loving parents. By the time Jesus started His ministry, His father Joseph has died. Jesus understood why He came to this earth to die for our sins. Mary may have known all along but it was never easy. She believed God and saw after her son, Jesus. When the time came, Mary was at the cross where they crucified Jesus. I can only imagine what she suffered. But Mary didn’t leave and turn away. She believed. But to bury your son I can’t imagine the pain she suffered.

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Our lives are filled with many emotions. We are taught as we grow up that we need to control our emotions. We have all seen what unbridled emotions can do. Last week in Orlando is a perfect example of it and road rage and many, many others. But this doesn’t mean that our emotions are bad. They just need to be controlled. Emotions are a part of life and truthfully if we didn’t have them life would be empty. Do you remember when you were young and you discovered something. And you became passionate about it. You were so excited you couldn’t contain yourself. Your excitement became contagious.  People were seeing what you saw. This is passion. In my life I have seen many things and some I wish I had never seen. But when I saw God for the first time and felt His hand on me, I became passionate. There was nothing else in this world that could match God Himself. I wanted to do nothing else but to tell people about God and His grace. Not everyone accepted what I had to say. But those who did, their lives turned around. And they became passionate. It is unfortunate that people want what they want and aren’t willing to hear. It has been 35 years since I met God and accepted His promise. And I am still as passionate as I was in the beginning. I wouldn’t want to live any other way. God is waiting for you. All you have to do is ask.

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What we know is a mere shadow of the unknown. Our knowledge is limited by who we are. When I began to walk with God, I literally threw myself into the pursuit of God. I read the bible with an unquenchable desire to learn about God. I had a bible at home and one in the car and one at work. I read wherever I was. I made notes on things that I learned. I kept gaining in knowledge and pursuing after God. The more I learn the more I wanted to learn. I went from being a servant to being a son with all the benefits that involves. As a son, I had a lot of privileges. I began to test the boundaries of these privileges. As I did my faith began to grow experientially. I saw what Jesus said I could do on this earth. Do you know that Jesus said that great things shall I do because He goes to the Father. I don’t know if you know all the things that Jesus did on this earth, but they weren’t small. I have seen many miracles and it isn’t over yet. With my faith, I could ask God to do things for me. And God would hear my prayers and answer them. Jesus taught His disciples to pray. It is called the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer. It is an example of how to pray. There is a part in that prayer that says, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This revolutionized my praying. I literally was bringing God’s will to earth with my prayers. My praying became very serious. I wasn’t going to waste my prayers on foolishness. Then I discovered that my prayers will stay in effect on earth long after my death. They will accomplish God’s will until the end of time. Which means that all the prayers that my family prayed 500 years ago are still in effect. My pursuit of God has taught me one thing, my knowledge of God is just the tip of the iceberg. What is known to me is just a little of the unknown.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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