When I first started with the Lord, I was happy to be alive. I was learning about God and His kingdom. Studying the word of God, praying and sharing my new found faith. God woke me up one morning with a scripture in the book of Mark, chapter 10. The scripture talks about James, John and their mother coming to Jesus to ask a favor of Him. They asked if they could sit at His right hand and His left. Jesus answered, you don’t know what you are asking. He further said that it wasn’t up to Him, that those seats would be chosen by the God Himself. Jesus went on to say, but you can be baptized into My baptism. He turned to me and said you can be baptized into My baptism. I knew what He was saying to me. Jesus’ baptism was death. At any time or place my life could be required for the kingdom. I couldn’t give an answer right then and there. I had to think about this decision. For 3 days and nights all I thought about was death. I knew I didn’t want to die. But I wouldn’t receive the blessings of God through His plan if I didn’t. But I didn’t want to die. I had to make a choice. What was I going to do? I counted the cost. And I finally make my decision. I say yes to God. That was almost 40 years ago. And my life is still required by the Kingdom of God.

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The end of the beginning is the beginning of the end. It’s kind of like the tail wagging the dog. But the statement is true. The hot topic these days is global warming. The earth is heating up in more ways than one. They say if the polar ice melts the oceans will rise 200 feet. That means I would have to move to Arkansas or there abouts. Where I live is only 25 feet above sea level. I like the mountains, but everybody and their brother would move to. Have you seen all the TV shows on the end of the world? With the coming of global warming, more scientist have said that the world is coming to an end. Duh! You know when God talked about this very thing, after the flood. He told Noah that the earth would never be destroyed by water again. Next time it is by fire. That is about 5000 years ago. Jesus was talking to His disciples. They asked Him when was the end of the earth and the beginning of the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, (Matt.24:4-8 KJV) “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Sounds very like the evening news, doesn’t it. That is because it is. This was spoken over 2000 years ago. And it is true today. Is it the beginning or the end for you?

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Tomorrow the promise of the future for us. What will happen tomorrow? Who will I become? Will I even recognize that person? Do you know that we are not even guarantied tomorrow? The only thing that God guaranties for us is now. Today is the day and now is the time for salvation. So our tomorrows are based upon the good graces of God. All the best laid plans of mice and men aren’t worth a pile of beans without God in our lives. So what are supposed to do? How are we going to live or survive this world? Man wants what he wants. The heart of man will strive to create something for himself. Even though it will not last past our lifetime. Man will continually strive to build or make for his glory. When you look at the grand scheme of it all, what man can do is no more than a joke. God didn’t design us to be alone. God’s plan is for us to be part of His plan. He designed us to accomplish His plan on this earth. The bible says that there is nothing new under the sun. What was shall be again. Why isn’t there something new? Why can’t we have original thought? God didn’t design us to be frustrated. God wanted us to live our lives in peace and harmony on this earth. He wanted us to enjoy the life His gave us. It is man because of sin, who thinks that he is god and can do anything. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, their eyes were opened and they saw that they could walk away from God. And man has been doing just that ever since. Tomorrow is guaranteed when we join with God and His plan for us. All you have to do is ask God for help. And He will answer you.

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We all look at the past as something cherished. Even if it was the most horrible time in our lives. We all compare our lives now with what we had. It isn’t fair because the past is gone and can’t be changed. No matter how good or bad it was, it will remain the past. The only thing that is real in our lives is change. It can be good for some and bad for others. But it will happen. God designed us that way for our benefit. He wanted us to have the opportunity to be able to improve our lives. Sometimes it looks like what we are doing is just useless. But there is a plan for our lives and it does unfold in our lives. Whether you can see it or not. It is funny to watch people who think that they can stop God or His plan. Yet people think that they are greater than God. They tried even to the point of death to do their thing. You have heard me talk about a death spiral. It is the last effort of someone or something to stop what they put into motion. There is only one person who can stop a death spiral. That is God Himself. God designed this world to the very detail of life. There is no one that knows what to do except God. We are the image and likeness of God. He wanted to share His life with us. Our spirit, who we are, will never die. We are eternal beings. That is where we get the idea and sometimes misguided that this flesh will live forever. This flesh that we wear will return to the earth where it came from. Our spirit will go on to be with God or not. That is the question that every person must answer in this life time. As we say, it is time to pick your choose.

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What I have to say is really going to offend some people. Before anyone can understand, they have to face the truth. Although, I will say man. I mean mankind, both men and women. The most low-down, backstabbing, lying, cheating, stealing worthless animal on this earth is mankind. There is no intrinsic value in man. Human beings have devolved into the lowest form of life on this earth. Despite the strides man has made in knowledge, they have become useless. All the animals on this earth, except for man, are doing God’s will. Man is the one who is destroying the earth, our home. There is only one redeeming value that man has. It is that God’s loves us unconditionally. God is trying very hard to bring us home. God works miracles to keep us alive long enough to make that decision. You know what is the saddest part of all this is, that most of mankind will not choose God. Have you ever figured out what the torment of hell is? It is that God loves those in hell as much as he loves those in heaven. But those in hell can’t share in God’s love, forever and ever, Amen.

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I have seen people pray and think that God didn’t answer them. I have never seen God not answer a just prayer. God may not tell you the answer but one will come. When I was younger, I had a roommate 1 summer. He kept asking God for answers and he said he hadn’t received any. That summer he was inspired to write 25 songs. He was a musician. Take a wild guess where the answers were to his prayers. This is the 3^rd story about God’s providence. This story is from the 1970s and 1980s. This story is about a young black man born in poverty. He went to a public school and excelled in basketball. His mother was raising him alone. She prayed that the inner city wouldn’t take her son away. The city was going to move the family into the projects. She knew that her son would have no chance to survive. She went to mayor of her city and asked if she and her family could stay out of the projects. The mayor knew who the young man was and agreed. Not only did he agree, he help this young man to get into a private high school. The only problem was this young man’s education was poor. He had to build his vocabulary. He had to learn 5 new words every day for a year just to catch up. He did. In his junior year, he led his high school team to the state championship. In college, he did the same. He was drafted into the NBA in 1981. He was the #2 pick in the draft. He went on played in the NBA. And final ended up coaching. Of course I am talking about Isiah Thomas. Without his mother’s prayers and God providing for his family, you would have never known about him. God takes what you have and uses it to provide for you and your family. It doesn’t matter what we think, God is always there and working in our behalf. It is part of God’s inheritance for His children.

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There are 3 stories about God’s providence I want to tell. I don’t know if I can tell them all in one blog, but I’ll try. They are all true stories. My first story happened about happened about 2800 years ago. One of the preachers in the school of the Prophets suddenly died. He left a wife and 2 sons and vast amount of debt. The creditors weren’t going to take his house, they were going to take his sons as bondsmen. Literally they would be slaves unto the debt was paid. His widow went to the head of the school, who at that time was the prophet Elisha. She asked Elisha for God’s help in this situation. Elisha asked her what she had left in the house. She said all they had left was a pot of oil. It was about 1 or 2 gallons of oil. Elisha told her to go to her neighbors and borrow pots. As many as she could get into her house. Then he said, shut the door with your 2 sons and pour the oil into the pots. She did exactly as Elisha said. She filled all the pots she had. When there was no more pots the oil stopped flowing. Elisha said sell the oil and pay the debt and the rest you can live on. And so she did. God took what she had and used it to provide for her and her sons. My next story happened in the 1950’s. This was a very similar story. A young woman lost her husband. She had three young children at home. Her husband was the bread winner. She was a housewife. After the funeral was over and the family had gone home, she didn’t know what to do. She was praying, asking God for help. Every time that friend or family would come over to see about her, she would bake a pie for them to eat. She was a very good cook and her pies were delicious. Friends and family started asking her to bake pies for them. They paid her for the pies. At first it was just to help out financially. But the volume of sales of the pies began to increase. Until it became a business. God had answered her prayers. God took what she had and used it to provide for her and her family. I’ll tell the 3^rd story next time.

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We are hard wired with compassion. It is a trait to help people in need. Some look at it as a weakness. But it is actually a strength in our lives. If we are moved with compassion to help people, we will need moral courage to carry it through. When you see people hurting or in dire need, there is a strong feeling to help that rises up inside of us. That is compassion. It isn’t based upon who the person is or what they have done. It is based on the need in their life. Sometimes we can’t help them directly, but there is always something we can do. Jesus was moved with compassion as He looked upon us. Then He did something about it. Compassion is looking at people through God’s eyes. This is where we see passed their front into their heart. It doesn’t take anything away from us, but it can be a great reward for us. A great joy in my life has been helping other people. It is fulfilling as human being to know that I helped someone. When compassion will rises up in you, let it out and see what happens.

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What is going to be your legacy? What are you going to leave behind that is worth something? Many people plan for an estate to be given to their children or whoever. It could be land or whatever you think is worth something. What about your prayers or your wishes for your children? Could it be as simple as your values you try to pass on to your children? Every parents wants the best for their children. They work all their lives to provide food, clothing and shelter, but an opportunity to do better than they did. My parents not only paid for college, they also said if I graduated they would give me a car. I didn’t finish. Girls and Vietnam got in the way. I tried to go back, but it never really worked. So I went to work after my time in the US Air Force. When I did marry I wanted more for my children. 2 of my sons graduated from college and the other 2 are working. I have dedicated my life to God. I pursued Him with a whole heart. I taught my children God’s teachings and how to live a good life. I never gave up on my values. God says to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not depart from it. I’m counting on it. My sons have chosen to live their own lives. I keep praying for them. And I’m believing God that His word will work in their lives as it did in mine. I believe a legacy can be your prayers and wishes for your children as well as other people. I know that the prayers of my ancestors are still working in me.

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They are the opposite sides of the same coin. There seems to be a real push for pleasure. Sports venues are bigger than ever. Since the 1960’s, sex has been taken to the height of religion. Drugs and alcohol are the standards of the day. It seems that morals are disappearing. You know that the US Army had to begin teaching a moral standard during basic training. They did this not to train mercenaries. There is so much chaos in this world, that people are looking for a way out. It seems that pleasure has been the go-to answer for people. But the only thing that the pursuit of pleasure has caused is pain, the one thing people want to escape. The pursuit of pleasure is a force multiplier of pain. It’s a vicious circle. And if you don’t stop, it will become a death spiral. I have never met a human being who has the power to change their lives. Man doesn’t have the power. The only person who has the power to change lives is God, Himself. And I know that the pursuit of pleasure is only a pretense to block God out of man’s consciousness. You can chase any pursuit you want. Nothing on this earth will change a person’s heart except God. And the pain will not stop until your heart is changed. Then the answer really is the pursuit of God and His righteousness to change your heart and stop the pain. And God is waiting for you to call.

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