My father and I had a difficult beginning. Because of things that happened in his childhood, he had problems relating. There was a time that we didn’t talk at all. And I regret that. When we did relate I was grown. We had 6 wonderful years of fellowship. He lived long enough to see me married and have my first son. It wasn’t his first grandchild but he treated him like he was. The reason I related to my biological father is because I connected to my spiritual one. When I came into a relationship with God, He began to heal my heart. This allowed me to relate and forgive my earthly father. My earthly dad smoked all his life. At the end he was smoking 2 packs of unfiltered cigarettes a day. The doctors told him quit or die. He quit smoking and lived 10 more years. Those years were for me. God had arranged that my dad would live long enough for our relationship to bloom. My earthly dad and I talked almost every day. If I didn’t call, he would call and ask if any was wrong. I tried to get my other brothers to do the same. Some did but not all. God healed my heart so I could open it and love again. For a long time I was hurt and angry. Most people would not want to be around me then. But as all things do, they change. And I have been changing ever since. God showed me what real love is about. What Jesus suffered and die for was me and you. Jesus did this because He loved me just as much as God did. With that love, I forgave my father and reconciled our lives to be able to know him before he died. My dad has been gone for 33 years and I still miss him.
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Today is a new day and will be different from yesterday. Change is inevitable. My second son likes to rescue animals. He rescued a golden retriever puppy. She was 25lbs when we got her. Just a mere 6 months old. They are very resistant to being trained. She learned some things but not others. It was frustrating so say the least. This is a dog with a double coat that sheds constantly. And she was in the house. I didn’t care for this at all. The dog was sweet and tried to please us. But with the cat and our other little dog, it was mayhem. We build a kennel for her outside. It had 4 foot fence around it, but that was easy for her to jump it. Then she would run everywhere including the street with cars. We put her in a 10 foot square cage with a roof. She stayed there while we were gone, but I didn’t like at all. Finally my older son who has a big dog took her to his house. He began to train her properly and with great success. He worked with her for several months and got her into a good routine. She doesn’t over eat and gets plenty of exercise. Our son asked us to take her this weekend so we did. To my surprise, she is well behaved and gentle even with cat. I never thought that dog would ever change. But she did. I know I am just like most people and hate to change. But change is inevitable. We must change or die. There is no in-between. I have only found one way to change that is too change my heart. I have only found one way to change my heart. You see only God can change your heart. He is the only one with the power to do so. And all you have to do is ask God and be willing to change. Life can be very enjoyable if we let God change your heart.
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In the beginning, man lived for hundreds of years. One man lived over 900 years. Then came the flood that destroyed most of mankind and man lived a shorter life. As man progress, life became shorter. During the Dark ages, man’s life was about 30 to 40 years. And most people died from violence or disease. Still life had never expanded more than 50 years. Then came the Industrial Revolution and medicine. The scientific endeavor to medically help man live longer is still raging. More money is pump into medicines than almost anything else. The pursuit of the miracle pill that will keep us alive for a long time is what the race is about. You know what is funny about all of this is the side effects of the new medicines. When they list all the side effects the last one said is death. So most of the new medicines can kill you. Well then how do you live a long life? You have to look at the people who lived a long life. And most of those were from about 6000 years ago. Most people don’t want to hear why those people lived so long, but here goes. The people that lived long were farmers, shepherds or otherwise lived in the country. Their lives were mostly free from stress. They ate healthy food. They got the proper amount of sleep. They lead a normal life with an extended family living around them. And most of them served God all of their lives. They lived their life as God had intended man to live. You want longevity in your life, then follow their example serve God and live.
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I have seen people motivated by so many different things. The silliest ones were people driven by blind love. They did things you would just laugh at. I have seen people motivated by greed that did things that were horrible. Everyone is motivated to do or accomplish certain goals in their lives. Each one was motivated by a driving force. For us to get off dead center, there is a good reason behind it. Whether it is for love or some other reason in our lives. Our driving force needs to be a correct choice in our lives. There is no mistake that it is a choice. And we are responsible for those choices. It is popular today to say, it was because of my father or mother or brother that I did this or that. But when it comes down to who did it, it is always you. No one can make you do anything. Yes, I have seen people coerced into doing things. But it was always a choice, your choice. Each person chooses what they know. It is more like monkey see and monkey do. I want this because they have it, or it is pretty and I want it. People learn from what is around them. Sometimes to their own destruction. When I think things out I usually can accomplish all my goals. But the driving force behind me has changed over the years. It can change from day to day or some can be with you forever. No matter what the force is you need to make your driving force a correct choice. Let the forces for good influence your life. For that to happen your will need a good moral compass. There is only one place to get what you need. It will never come from this world. The only place I have ever found in this world is God Himself. He is the only person who has ever genuinely cared for me. He was always concerned what happened to me and provide motivation to accomplish the goals that would help me. And all you have to do is to sincerely ask Him to help you.
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Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This saying has been proven over and over again. And yet man still tries to obtain absolute power through every conceivable way. About 100 years ago, a young man, destroyed by WWI, tried to conquer the world. What he did was to destroy a nation and kill over 130 million people. About 225 years ago, a young man tried to conquer the world and destroyed most of Europe. Over 2000 years ago, a young man took his soldiers and conquered his own country. Then he tried to conquer the world. His own friends killed him. Over 2500 years ago, a young man killed his own father to take control of the kingdom. He conquered many nations and died before he was 33 years old. There is nothing new about the pursuit of power. It was in the beginning when a brother killed a brother because he was jealous. The only absolute power is in the hands of one who is not corrupted by earthly things. That is because He created them. God is all powerful. Even one of God angels tried to take the power away from God. Jesus said that He said this angel fall from heaven like lightning. Unfortunately this angel fell on to earth. And has been a plague to man ever sense. God knows how power can corrupt man. So that is why we have to ask God to intervene. Because it is His power not ours. As we build our faith and belief in God, we can get closer to God. With our faith, God will answer our prayers and use His power to help man. Do you know why the world is in such a turmoil? The stage is being set for the return of Jesus. As the bible says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.
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Why are we drawn to babies? Babies of all kinds, human or animal, are cute and cuddly. It seems that every young couple I know has a new baby. They are everywhere. Big one, little one, fat ones or skinny ones, babies are here to stay. Too bad they don’t stay little for too long. That precious smile when we talk to them or when they cry because something is wrong. Life for them is simple and uncomplicated. It is black or white because there is no in between. Then they grow up into whoever. And you wish you had a little more time with that baby that was a handful. My children are grown and I want babies. They were as demanding and selfish as anybody could be. They wanted what they wanted and when they wanted it was now. They were also helpless and couldn’t survive if we didn’t see about them. Yet we didn’t mind because we loved them with all their faults and good points. Love is powerful. It changes hearts forever. Once you love a person, you always will. It like an indelible mark on our soul. We can say that we don’t love a person anymore but it is still there. Hidden in the recesses of our heart. For good or bad, love will change the destiny of our lives. So why does thing happen to us? There is a very specific reason that we love and can’t choose who we do or not. It is funny that way that our heart will choose for us. We were made in the image and likeness of God. God loves far beyond what we do. But He is showing us what He does in our lives. We love people and babies. It is that much more that God loves us, unconditionally.
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I guess one of the hardest things in the world is facing the truth. I am not talking about our own reality or truth as we see it. But what is real in this world. Everyone has their own version of what the truth is. You get 12 people to describe an accident and there are 12 versions. It all goes back to how the accident related to the person. This is why the bible talks about in many counselors there is much safety. In all the people asked there is a truth that weaves through all of their stories. But how do we know the truth in the first place? God said that He wrote His laws in our heart and minds. So they were there to start with. If that wasn’t enough God made sure that the earth and all the heavens explained the truth about God. So God says that man is without excuse or there is no reason not to know God. It is interesting how it all points to God. It is very clear and understandable how God made everything. Man doesn’t have the power to create. Yet why is it so hard for man to accept what God has said? I know from my own struggles with God’s truth what it took for me to come to an understanding. That was that I was a sinner and separated from God and needed to come back home. I ran as long as I could and was as miserable as a person could be. I hate to tell you what happens to the person that doesn’t reconcile themselves to God but most people know anyway. It is seeing God for who He is and believing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
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One of the most rewarding things I could do in this world is to help people. It stirs my soul like nothing else. But it seems like helping people has lost its luster. When I look at the news, local or national, the special story is about someone helping someone else. It looked like the only reason that person did help the other was to get on the news. That is a sad and pathetic testimony of mankind. Jesus talked about the Pharisees that made a great pretense of praying great prayers on the street corners of the city. He said they have their reward. But if you want God to bless you, pray in secret and God will reward you openly. The same is about helping people. You help people because are in need not to make a show of it. There are people who I have helped and no one knows about or ever will. It is not for sale. I went about doing good to make things right in this world. A kind word or gesture, like opening a door for people, goes a long way. Even if the person doesn’t see the gesture, you have done something for yourself. It is always a joy to me to know that I did a small gesture of kindness to anyone. It doesn’t make me weak or ineffective in anything. If fact it is a sign of strength of character in my life. Helping people used to be the standard in every community. People would come for miles to help build a barn or harvest crops. No payment was required. It was gesture of kindness in their lives. Now I wonder how mankind will survive in this world. People killing each other over nothing. There is only one outcome if it continues. That is the total destruction of man and this earth. The bible says if you want friends then show yourself friendly.
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All my life I wanted to express myself in some form or fashion. I wanted to be able to tell people something worthwhile. I didn’t want to tell a joke or antidote. Although I have developed a very dry sense of humor. Of which not everyone appreciates. But I have lived with people not getting me or understanding what I was saying. At first I thought it was because of the dyslexia I had. Words would get jumbled in my head and wouldn’t come out right in my mouth. But soon saw that it wasn’t the case. I was never loud or forceful. What I had to say was quiet but important. So when I arrived at college I figured that communication would be a good field for to go into. So I did, but became distracted with all the activities of college, especially fraternities. I didn’t stick to my plan and flunked out of school. I still wanted to communicate with people. I have never lost the desire to speak or write or teach. I went back years later but it wasn’t the same. I had developed the story telling ability in me. I can spin a good yarn or tale. I can transform people to different places with my stories. What developed was children’s stories. I work in radio and wrote a radio show for children. I still have the original recording with all the sound effects. And I worked in television. But this wasn’t the forum for me. I wanted to write. I can express myself anyway I want when I write. Writing seems to be a dying art form. I have always like to read. I used to get Time magazine. I would read it from front to back. It was interesting me about the world and its antics. I read all the time. It is the best way to learn things. As the bible says, for in a multitude of counselors there is much safety.
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In each person’s life there comes an adventure. This adventure will take you somewhere you have never been and will possibly never see again. It is an exciting journey that may even scare you. But it is something that we each go one. Some people’s adventure may lead them to foreign lands, while most of us just stay home. But the world is open before us. Where we go or what we do still depends on you. On our journey starts in our home. We get glimpses of what lies ahead by the stories our parents tell us. We see marvelous things that are possible. This is why children want to be so many things. Each one is as real as the other. We are never really sure when the adventure starts. But when it does, it like a roller coaster. It is exciting, scary and very pleasing. I was young and now I am old and my adventure is almost at an end. It has taken me to faraway places. But I always came home. I never wanted to journey away from home too long. Because I would get homesick. My adventure started the day I figured out I could do something worthwhile. I began working to that end and have never stopped. My parents and grandparents are gone. My younger brother is gone also. I have seen changes in this world that I don’t like. I have helped make changes for the good. And I would stop until it is my turn to go home. You see my adventure is my life. All the things for good or bad I have done make up my journey. That is why old men dream dreams of their adventure. And young men see visions of theirs.
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