Time marches on and nothing will stop it. The only time it will stop is when time runs out. There will be an end of time and all that we see, hear, touch and taste will be no more. Before time runs out, our life will end. Then what do we do? We are immortal beings and have no end. Our flesh will end and separate from our spirit. Our spirit is who we are, mind, will and intellect. That is what is immortal. Everybody believes that we are the captains of our destiny. To a point, it is true. We can determine what happens to us. Whether it is good or bad. Usually, it is getting into trouble and not having the power to get out of it. We were never meant to have the power to get out of trouble. That power resides with one person and one person only. This person is benevolent and faithful and trustworthy. Who never changes and is always stedfast in their love for us. No one deserves this love. It is given freely and abundantly. You see, this person made time for us. It is so that we can come to the understanding that Jesus is real and alive. He died for us while we were yet sinners. Jesus gave His all so that we could live. God, the Father, raised Jesus from the dead and made Him Lord of lords and King of kings. This progression is what happens to us. When we accept Jesus as Lord, we are raised from the dead and become the children of God. O to God, that everyone would accept Jesus and live. But hell wasn’t made for humans. It was made for the devil and his angels. But hell is filling up with people, because they refuse to hear what God is saying. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord of all, whether here on earth and in the next world. God wants us to accept Jesus here and now. It is so much simpler and less painful to do so. But you must believe that He is and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Jesus is Lord of all.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Everything changes every day. There is nothing that remains the same as much as we want it to. God’s mercy is new every morning. God forgives us if we are repentant and ask for forgiveness. He also says that now is the time and today is the day of salvation. How patient is God. He has planned our path from the beginning of time. God knew us from the womb before we were even thought about. God gave us time to measure seasons. He also gave us the sun and moon to measure time. We measure time by so many things that God has given. My time is measure by the weekly bible studies I teach. My weeks are like days. God’s days are like a 1000 years. You see time doesn’t exist in His world. All there is only eternity. God’s world is control by Him and His word. And we know His word. His word was written on our hearts 3000 years ago. So we could recognize Him. The Bible says that the word of God was in the beginning. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among men. God’s word is what created all things. The Bible says that nothing in this world wasn’t created by the Word of God. And we know who the word of God is. His name is Jesus. Blessed be His name, which is above all names. And at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord of all. No matter what our timetable is. What is your standard for your timetable? Do you have an understanding of how time works in this world? Time operates by the word of God, Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

When Jesus began His ministry, people began to follow Him. Most people were curious about this young rabbi. They heard that He was feeding and healing people. During that time period, the only physicians they had were nothing more than a basic paramedic. They could sew up a wound or put a bandage on it. But the people of the day had leprosy, were blind, deaf or mute. One woman had an issue of blood and no one could do anything about that. Some were demonically oppressed. The Bible said that Jesus healed them all, even on the sabbath day. The religious leaders accused Jesus of healing by the devil. It was because they saw the hand writing on the wall. That Jesus was and is the Messiah. Most people were just happy that someone helped them with their problems. And He couldn’t turn His back on people in need. You can guess where this is going. Jesus said greater things shall you do because I go to My Father. He meant that we as children of God will do greater miracles than Jesus did while He was on earth. But wait Jesus came back and is now living inside of every child of God. And in the name of Jesus, we can move mountains. In these days of turmoil and trouble, our focus must be about the kingdom of God. We are here to bring the will of God, our Father, to earth through prayer and actions (Matthew 6:9-13). So what is our answer to God? Are you still focused on your life?

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

With everything in life, there is a starting point. And with that conclusion, there is a finish line. So, Where do you begin? People look for that starting point all their life. Some find it and some don’t. It is very sad when you see people that are lost and dying. It always moves me to compassion. Some I cry over and some I try my best to help. Let’s get back to the starting point. I was drifting through life until I was 28 years old. I had no point to my life. I can tell you from experience that having no point to your life wreaks havoc on your life. It was as if I was drifting through time and space. Someone reached out to me and began to talk to me about my life. I listen for 3 months before I even considered what he had to say. If I had thought that what he said was not real and justified, I would have walked away. I wasn’t going to commit myself to anything that wasn’t real. My friend changed my mind about what was real and necessary for this life. My friend and I got together after almost 40 years of not seeing each other. And it was like I saw him yesterday. He led me to that starting point and I am so thankful that he did. There are people around you that will lead you to that point. And all you have to do is look around and see. Everyone is looking for a reality. Not everything that you can see or touch is real. I have only found one reality in this world. And it isn’t what most people think. And unfortunately, most people have rejected what is real and have chosen nothing. My reality is only one person and His name is Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In this world of doubt and fear, we have to live. As we go along, sometimes we wish that our time on earth would be over, because what is before us is overwhelming. Then there are times that we want our lives to last forever, because everything is great in our lives. It seems that our lives are a combination of both good and bad. What is that old saying, I take one step forward and two backwards. The time that we have on earth is limited. We aren’t going to live forever on this earth. Today our lives are about eighty years, give or take our lifestyles. It seems today the biggest industries we have in America are sports and medicine, sports to keep us entertained and medicine to prolong our lives. Yet if we look at America, it is in sad shape. The homeless population is over a half of a million people. Uneployment stats reached 15% of the general population this year. In the great depression of the 1930’s, the unemployment was at 14.9%. People have lost hope that we can do anything. Without hope there is no future. But getting back to time. How much time do we have on this earth? This is no definitive answer to that question. I have known people who have lived for 3 months and some that have lived for a 100 years. Their lives were according to who they are, whether they were good, bad and indifferent. So, what can we do to make a difference? All we can do is to live our lives to the fullest. And I am not talking about wine, women and song. I am talking about hope in our lives to make a difference where we live. The only thing in this world that makes us truly happy is giving or sacrificing our time for others. There is a chemical release in our body that happens when we give of ourselves to others. That chemical release is proven to prolong our lives. And it is free for the taking. So, how much time do we have? It all depends on us and how we live our lives.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Another Day in Paradise.

Years ago, I was the Music Director for a Christian radio station. I didn’t listen to secular music. We were always told in the church community that it would affect your walk with God. Because everything that enters into your ears and eyes goes directly to your spirit. This is a true statement. This is why we are warned in the bible about it. Then I heard a song from a rock star and things changed. When I heard this song, I began to cry. What I heard in this song was the heart of God. It moved me so much that I wanted to put it on the Christian radio. The song is Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins. It about the homeless, the lost and dying people of our generation. When Jesus looked upon the people gathered to hear Him and to be healed, He was moved by compassion for the people. I thought how can this rock star write this song about the compassion of God. The word paradise is Persian for garden. Then God showed me Nebuchadnezzar, the heathen king of Babylon, was called the servant of God. Then I knew that God had ordained this music. The homeless is a passion of Phil Collins. He remade the song in 2016. The song first came out in 1989. This kind of compassion only comes from God. I have a friend who’s first born in homeless in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, he risked catching Covid-19 to try and save his son. He spend seven days on the streets of Los Angeles. Today on the streets of Los Angeles, there are 60,000 homeless people. So as we live our lives in our paradise, garden, what becomes to the lost and dying on the streets? I can still see Jesus weeping.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@Juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Gauche and Droit

It is French for left and right. The word droit not only means right, but correct, straight, careful, skillful, nimble, able and expect. The word gauche not only means left, but clumsy, awkward, ungainly, left-handed and sinister. That is an unusual meaning of a word. It really isn’t if you knew where the word came from. We use the words gauche and adroit in English as well as French. There are many words that are in both languages at the same time. America is called the melting pot of the world. There is many words from all over the world that are used in American English. But getting back to the two words, gauche and droit. Left and right are used everywhere. Our hands are left and right. Does that mean that our left hand is sinister? Or that our right hand is an expert? Or could we say that our left hand is ungainly or awkward? Or maybe is the right hand that is handsome? How can you tell which is which? Do they look different from the other? The words don’t mean that our hands have any ability one way or the other. They are just hands. But it does speak to which way our heart is going in. You have to go back to the original meaning of the words to understand what they mean. The words come from the bible and are referring to the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Jesus. The thief on the right asked Jesus to be with him when He entered His kingdom. Jesus said today you will be with Me in paradise. The thief on the left just cursed he way into eternity. The thief on the right became righteous and the thief on the left became sinister. Which are you? Will you ask God today and become righteous or will you curse your way into hell?

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseoh1637@juno.com

I always thought that the sign of Jonah was Jesus in the belly of the world for 3 days and nights. But as I was reading in John 20, where Mary Magdalene and others went to the tomb wrap Jesus’ body properly. They found that the tomb was empty. They didn’’t know what to do. The angels in the tomb told them the Jesus had risen and go tell His disciples. Peter and John ran to the tomb. They both entered in and saw just the grave clothes. John believed but Peter didn’t. The angels told them to go to Galilee and Jesus would met them there. Jesus did appear to them later that day and told them to go to Galilee. I believe Jesus wanted the core of the church to be out of harm’s way. The disciples went home to Galilee. It took 3 day and nights to get home. When they arrived, they still didn’t believe or understand what God was doing. After 3 years of following Jesus and hearing Him teach. Peter and the rest of the disciples did what they knew. They went fishing.

They had to make a choice. They heard what Jesus and now had to put everything into practice. They were still reeling from Jesus crucifixion. They were caught between this world and the next. They didn’t know what to do. As they were fishing, Jesus appeared on the beach and asked if they had caught anything. Peter, not knowing that it was Jesus, said they hadn’t caught any fish. Jesus said put your net on the other side. When they did, it filled with fish. Peter’s eyes were opened and said it is the Master. Peter jumped into the water and swam ashore. The others brought the boat in. It says that they abandon the ship to follow Jesus into the world.

The sign of Jonah is our journey from unbelief to faith. And yes we have to go into the belly of the whale for 3 days and nights. But once we believe, we will come out on the side. Then we are ready to do the will of God. Jonah repented of his sins and listen to God. God gave him the largest revival in the old testament. Jesus went on the same journey, but not in unbelief. But He is our example to follow.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Jesus and the disciples were headed to synagogue. It was the sabbath. They were hungry. As they walked through a field, they plucked corn to eat on the way. The religious leaders walking with them started complaining to Jesus because it was the sabbath. God commanded that no work would be done on the sabbath. But the religious leaders took it to the nth degree, where you couldn’t do anything, but walk to church. When they got to church, Jesus saw a man with a withered hand. Knowing that the religious leaders would complain anyway, Jesus healed the man. This stirred them up to fuss at Jesus. Jesus asked them if one of your sheep fall in a pit on the sabbath, wouldn’t you pull it out. Then He said that the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath. Jesus left the synagogue and began to heal people. The religious leaders approached Jesus wanting Him to justify Himself. They asked for a sign to prove what He said was true. Jesus said you evil and adulterous generation, the only sign that you will receive is the sign of Jonah. In Matthew 12:38-41, Jesus explained what the sign of Jonah was.

For you that haven’t hear the story of Jonah in the belly of the whale, he was a prophet of God. Jonah was an Israelite, who hated the Ninevites because of what they did to Israel. God called him to preach the gospel to the Ninevites. Jonah refused and ran from God. He boarded a ship to run away. God caused a great storm to stop the ship. It got so bad that the captain wanted everyone to seek their god to stop the storm. Jonah said the storm was because of him. They needed to throw him overboard. Eventually they did. Jonah was swallowed by a great beast. He was in the belly of the beast for 3 day and nights. Until he turned to God and asked for forgiveness for running away. God had the beast vomit him on to dry land. Jonah went to Nineveh and preached the gospel for 3 days. The entire city repented and turned to God, And God spared Nineveh.

I’ll continue the story tomorrow.

Crain Blanchard .

Joseph1637@juno.com.

Joseph1637.com

There are so many saying that Believers have that almost have become cliches. It’s only when it passes from knowledge to experience that the saying becomes real. We teach children songs about life and when they are older hopefully they become real in there lives. My all time favorite songs and stories are about King David and his exploits. The thing about King David is that he never lost faith in God, no matter what he did. Nobody is perfect. We strive for it, but we just never quite get there. Sometimes it’s very frustrating. But it’s not giving up that makes the difference. Of course, I’m talking about scriptures we make into saying. My favorite is a Merry heart works good like a medicine. I’ve walked through hell laughing. Again the only way for a scripture to become real in your life, is experience it. Take your favorite saying and ask God to make real in your life. Then hold on, you are about to go on a journey.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com