What is your life worth? Today’s society wants all the freedom they can get. But this all equates to lawlessness. Then after all the laws are broken down, what are you going to do? When there are no law to protect us, where do you go to feel safe? Why were laws invented in the first place? Laws came into being after the flood with Noah. Governments were established to keep the peace. The world had gone crazy because everyone could do what they wanted and no one was going to stop them. Well except all the people who do anything they wanted. Life became chaos. After you have thrown your life away on pleasure and nothing, what are you going to do? Having no laws isn’t freedom. Freedom is having the right to live peaceably. It is being able to have a family and work. It is having a home that is secure enough to live in. It is not being run out of your country because someone doesn’t agree with your politics. Freedom is having life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that doesn’t take it away from your neighbor. Freedom is a nation living together in peace, pursuing a life they choose. We pay for our freedom over and over again. Sometimes the cost is very high, but we are willing to pay the price because it is worth the effort. So, what are you going to do? Will you pay the price? Is real freedom worth anything to you? Only time will tell.

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For the first 4 centuries of the 1^st Millennium, Christianity was practiced openly, for the most part. When the Goths, Visigoths and the Huns invaded the Roman Empire, Christianity went underground. Monasteries were established in very remote places to preserve Christianity. And they stayed there until the end of the dark ages and the beginning of the Reformation. The single act that started the Reformation was Johannes Gutenberg printing the bible. It wasn’t like todays portable bible. It was as big as a desk. But it was printed in the language of the people. So, everyone could read the bible. And when they heard it read, it changed the world. Just like it did in the 1^st century. The bible has become the bestselling book in history. Today in America, most every home has at least 1 bible. Most homes have 4 or 5 bibles. But just like in the 4^th century, there is a darkness coming upon the world. It is creeping in and is insidious. So, what is the Christian world going to do? Are they going to hide in monasteries? Christianity was not meant to be practiced inside a church building. Just like the church in the 1^st century, they took it to the world. And guess what? The world changed. And yes, the Christians were persecuted and killed. But what happened is that gospel was preached to the world. Remember, Jesus said that He was not returning until the gospel was preached to the whole world. So, are you going to hide your light until it goes out?

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My parents believed that telling the truth was always better than lying. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I went to local pharmacy with my mother. While she was busy with the pharmacist, I stole some candy. She discovered the candy at home. Mom took me back to the store. I handed the candy back and asked him to forgive me. My mom wanted me to understand that I was accountable for my actions. This moral code was drilled into me. I never wanted to be a liar or a cheat. As I grew up, morals turned into ethics, especially situational ethics. Where you aren’t to blame for lying, cheating or stealing. It was always someone else’s fault. They made me do it or because they were mean to me and I struck back. That is why the murder rate in this country is climbing. It is the highest rate it has ever been. And we are the civilized nation. Morals are what keep people safe and on the right road. When we believe and trust that doing the right thing isn’t because it is convenient. We do it because it is right. It’s funny that I thought that situational ethics was something developed in the last 40 years. But history is replete with stories of people doing what is right in their own eyes. What is really sad is that we are accountable for everything we have done on this earth. And we will stand before God and answer why. But you see it will be too late when you stand before God. It will be too late to repent of your sins. And hell is the only place you can live.

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How many of you know how to use a hammer? I learned the hard way by hitting my fingers. But once I learned how to use it, I became fairly skilled. I never wanted to make it a living. From my youth, I was always told use your mind not your back. They said you will go further in life. But I wanted to accomplish a certain level of skill with tools. I did just so. I could use them when I needed them. I use to love to watch Home Improvements, where Tim Allen would bring out these outrageous tools and everything would go wrong. He was the salesman, not a skilled worker. I believe there are too many salesmen in the church and not enough skilled workers. You see the Gifts of the Spirit are tools to do the work of God. Many people boast about having the gifts, but couldn’t display them if they had too. It’s not strange at all. To use the gifts, you have to know the giver and the instructions that come with the tools. It is a source of pride with people in the church. Just as Tim Allen wore the little tool belt and didn’t know how to use the tools. I started by knowing God and what He wanted. Then I would practice the gifts and use them how He told me too. The gifts will work without knowing God. They operate in many people today. But they don’t what they are meant for or how to use them properly. The whole key to operating the gifts is to know God. As it says in Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

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My youngest son calls me oldie. My 3^rd son calls me pa. my oldest and 2^nd son call me dad. These men learned who I am by living with me. As they grew up, they learn what I liked and disliked. They found out what happens when they disobeyed their mother and I. Discipline was always required from each one of them. I never corrected a child for spilling milk. But if they ever said no to me they found out what discipline meant. Each one learned about me a little at a time. They didn’t learn overnight. It took years and they are still learning now. Many people called God Father and have no idea who He is. When I started walking with God, it surprised me how personable He is. To me He was always the man upstairs. The reason was that I didn’t know Him. I was amazed at how much He was like me only bigger and better. I should say how much I am similar to Him. You see we are the image and likeness of God. But I didn’t know that until I started to learn who He is. As I spent time with Him and learned about Him reading the bible, God became real to me. God is truly my Father and Jesus is my older brother. Because I am a member of His family. And as I disciplined my children, God does the same to me. Because I am not illegitimate. I am one of His sons. As a loving Father, He will accept anyone into His family. All you have to do is ask.

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Time stops for no man. It is relentless. Did you know that time is temporary? It will end. What happens before it ends? Time was given to man to measure seasons. How did man know that there was 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour? Well, did you know that our heart beats 60 times a minute? It is fascinating to see how everything in this world reflects time. It is like someone coordinated everything together and life goes on. There are more fascinating things in this world. The weather unfolds according to time. Weather moves east around the earth. And the earth moves west. The earth revolves at a certain speed so that we don’t fly off into space. One revolution of the earth is timed with 60 (60mins.x24hrs.). The solar calendar is 6×2 months. The speed of the earth is 6x173mph. 6 is the smallest perfect number. 60 is the proportion of kosher (60:1). A gross is 2 x60. An equilateral triangle’s corner are 60 degrees. The Babylonian, Sumerian and Akkadian civilization based their number system on 60. What is it about 6 or 60 or 600? Why is that number so perfect? Oh, let’s not forget that the number of man is 6. And the number of the anti-Christ is 666. It is perfect because God invented or created this world. And God is perfect. So life goes on.

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I have always heard that suffering is good for the soul. I don’t know about you but I don’t like pain. It is funny because I have a high tolerance for pain. When I was young, wasp would sting me and I would feel no pain. As I got older, I broke my big toe and couldn’t move for ½ hour for the pain. But afterwards I walked around. I still feel it when it rains. Physical pain hurts at the onset but then fades as time goes by. It is still no fun. But there is a pain that doesn’t go away. That pain is spiritual. So, what am I talking about? The 1^st time you were betrayed by someone. When a girlfriend or boyfriend dumped you. When someone deliberately hurt you, it smarted with pain. You have heard the saying; I would have rather taken a beating then to suffer heartache. That pain doesn’t go away with time. Even if it is not thought about for a time, it is still there. That pain can shade your judgement. And you may not even remember why. It stays with us for a lifetime. There is only one way to get rid of that pain. You must have a change of heart. And there is only one person who can give you a change of heart. That is God Himself. There is no other way. And all you have to do is ask.

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People believe. It is an important part of our lives to believe. When people find a truth that they perceive, they believe. It may not be true at all, but they believe. Did you know that your heart is the most deceptive thing you own? Man, believes whatever is right in his own eyes. Even half-truths can be as deceptive as a lie. You should check and double check to prove a truth. Therefore, scientist don’t publish theories until they are proven to be true. Faith is a belief. It too should be tested. Faith in the beginning is more hope than belief. It is what motivates us to believe in the 1^st place. If you don’t test your faith, when trouble comes your faith will fade away. The apostle Paul wrote about this very thing. He said, one says that he has faith and the other says he has works. Paul said, you will see my faith by my works. So faith to become belief must be put into practice. I have seen too many things work by the hand of God not to believe. The 1^st time I prayed, I asked God to do something and He did. And He has never stop. So what do you believe in? I ask the question because what you believe is calling you.

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There is nothing in this world that moves me like music. Since an early age, I have had a singing voice and perfect pitch. Every time someone would be singing and step on a note, it would make me cringe. In both elementary and high school, I sang in a choir. When I was in the 8^th grade, the school was forming the bishop’s boys choir. The director wanted only sopranos. My voice hadn’t changed yet, so I tried out. my younger brother also tried out. He made it and I didn’t. The next year, I joined the high school choir. I had the highest voice in the choir. I could hit high C. Then my voice change and landed on tenor. In college, I went into communications. After I had worked for a Christian radio station. I was the music director. I would listen to all the music that came into the station for airplay. That was one of the best jobs I ever had. Listening to music all day long. My favorite music is A cappella. This is where the voices of the people that carry the melody. One of the best examples of that is the song “Carol of the Bells”. Music is what stirs your heart. Because it rings true in your heart. No matter what kind of music you listen to. Do you know why it is true? The reason is very simple. It is because God instituted music. It is a spiritual thing. But there is a song that I am waiting to hear because I will be part of that choir. The song is called “song of the redeemed”. When it is sung, it said that the angels stop and listen to that beautiful song. It is because they can’t sing that song. Because we are the only ones who sing about being redeemed by God.

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I like to cook. Since my youth, I have studied and cooked my way through all kinds of food. My mother as dear as she was, couldn’t cook. I should say she cooked for my dad. And all he liked was meat and potatoes. I started watching cooking shows on TV. My mom was a school teacher and didn’t have much time to prepare food. We were raised catholic and didn’t eat meat on Fridays. Mom fixed pimento and cheese sandwiches. I can’t stand them. To this day I don’t eat pimento and cheese, ever. As I developed my skill as a cook, mom would let me cook the evening meal. Dad, when he knew I cooked, would say he didn’t like. When he didn’t know I cooked, he loved it. So, mom and I didn’t tell him for a long time. My skill improved steadily. I can cook most anything and bake also. When my wife and I were 1^st married, she was glad I could cook because she didn’t. She has come a long way and learned how to cook. But I can cook rings around her. Food has always been the core of family life. My grandmother would always ask me if I was hungry when I went to her house. Because no one was going to leave her home hungry. She lived through the depression and raised a family. They didn’t have much but always shared what they had with anyone. Mom and her sisters learn it. That heritage I learned from my family is that the gift of hospitality is about giving to those in need. And I can still out cook my wife.

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