Tag Archives: god

The Mouth Speaks…

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I have known people who could not close their mouths. They would speak none stop. Then I have known people who would not speak at all. You could not drag words out of them. Most people try to be in the middle of all this and speak moderately. There was a survey done on how men and women speak. It said that men used about 10,000 words a day. While women used about 30,000 word a day. I don’t know where I fit in all that, because I like to speak to people. I talk to strangers just to start a conversation. Maybe it is just culture of hospitality or need. I learned long ago that if you listen to people, they will tell you their story. It usually takes about 10 minutes for people to tell you their life’s story. It is interesting.

3000 years ago, King Solomon said in book of Proverbs, that life and death are in the power of the tongue. It is true we can lift someone up by the words that we use or drag them down. You know what I’m talking about. A kind word can encourage a person to go on. Or angry words can destroy people. It all depends on what is in your heart. You see words come from your heart. Whether we mean them or not. I have spoken many words that cut like knives. And at the time I meant it.

The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the speaks. This means that what you say is what you believe. Even casual words or jesting still comes from your heart. That brings up a whole other issue. The issue is knowing what is in your heart. The bible also says that as you believe so are you. Facing who you are is one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life. What I am talking about is seeing yourself truly. Your words, your heart and what you believe are one and the same. There is no difference between your words and your heart. So recognizing what come out of your mouth is seeing who you are.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Gauche and Droit, Left and Right…

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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. What will you do when the call comes?

Crain Blamchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseoh1637@juno.com

Will it be Passion or Obsession…

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There is a difference between passion and obsession. Passion is doing something with your whole heart. Obsession is doing something because you have to. The last week of Jesus’s life is called the passion of Christ. Why passion and not obsession? Jesus, like every other man, had a choice in the way His life went. When Jesus was 12, He went with His parents to Jerusalem for Passover. When it was over, His parents thought that He was with the other children in the caravan. After a day’s journey, they looked for Jesus and could not find Him. They rushed back to Jerusalem. They found Him in the temple discussing the law with the priests. His mother expressed her fear for Him and He went home with them. The Bible says that He grew in wisdom and favour with God and man. A choice He had to make. His ministry was a choice that He also made. The religious leaders wanted to kill Him from the start. Because He was a threat to them. The last week of His life, Jesus was in the temple in front of the religious leaders for three days. It was to fulfill the scriptures saying the Passover lamb had to be inspected to make sure there were no blemishes. Jesus had to face His killers. Then after the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives for Him to pray. Jesus had to make a choice and God gave Him the choice. Jesus prayed that He didn’t have to die. And He did this three times and then made a choice to go to the cross. This is passion. Making a choice to do the right thing even though it will kill you. Jesus went to the cross with joy, knowing that God’s will and plan would happen. Passion is what God wants for us. With passion, we can face all the difficulties in the world. Passion rules out fear and doubt. It gives us clarity in our life. We can see God’s will and plan for us. Passion will take us from here to home. So, it is up to us to decide what we are going to do. Will it be passion or obsession.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Crucible of Life…

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When people think of a crucible, they think of the military in war. They are fighting to take or keep a hill. In the military, there are many crucibles. My parents generation would say that the military will make a man out of you. The crucible of leaving home and becoming part of a military unit is definitely a crucible. When I left home to join the military I was afraid of the unknown. That was my first crucible, working through my fear and developing talents that I always had. I have never liked change. And that is a crucible for me.

A crucible is a trial by fire. It is where a person is tested to the limit of their endurance. Sometimes they are tested beyond their limit. It is to find out what the person is made of. Even if the person fails, it still shows what is in your heart. It is a trial that you don’t want to go through. For the most part it is always necessary for the person’s future life. Fortunately or unfortunately, we go through many crucibles. It is a simple as leaving home or starting a family or joining the military. Sometimes it is as hard as watching a relative die of cancer or your parents dying. Your life will never be the same again. For better or worse, it will change the way you look at life. When Cain went through his crucible with Abel, he told God after he had killed his brother Abel, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer to the question is yes. Are we linked together in some invisible way? Again the answer is yes. God says we are watchmen on the wall and if we don’t sound the alarm to protect our brother and sisters. We are guilty of their blood just like Cain was guilty of Abel’s blood. So what is your crucible? Are you able to make it to the other side?

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

How a Covenanat works for Mankind…

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Throughout the history of man there have been covenants. Covenants have been made between individuals as well as nations. They are made for many reasons. Some are mutual protection or commerce or just to keep the peace. They can be as simple as a wall or as complicated as a garrison of troops. Because of the hostility of man and the uncertainty of life, covenants like NATO were established. Usually there is a stronger member of the covenant. This will guarantee the protection and commerce needed to survive. And if you break the covenant there are consequences. Sometimes it is catastrophic for the small member. When a covenants was made in ancient times, there was always the shedding of blood to seal the deal. Animals were sacrificed as part of the agreement, signifying what will happen to the person who breaks the covenant. Also to make the bond stronger between the 2 parties. Most people don’t understand what happens when they break a covenant. Divorce is the breaking of a covenant. And the consequences to the 2 parties are real and lasting. God made a covenant with man and sealed the deal with the blood of Jesus Christ. Anyone can enter into the covenant. God has opened it up to everyone. Again those that break the covenant with God the consequence is death. But God has made a way back into His good graces by asking for forgiveness. Man is the only one that God gives a second chance too. As it says in the bible in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). Because of this we have a chance to not only survive but prosper in the covenant of God.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com     

joseph1637@juno.com

Where the Rubber meets the Road #2.

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This happened almost 9 years ago and it still bothers me. In 2016, there was a perfect storm that landed over Louisiana. People say that it wasn’t a hurricane. But if you looked at the satellite image, it was. The storm formed over Louisiana and stayed for 30 days. It dropped 62 inches of rain and the water had no place to go. The storm kept the water from draining out into the Gulf of Mexico. All of Louisiana, from New Orleans to Lake Charles flooded and as far north as Alexandria. To say the least it was a disaster. Over 200,000 homes were flooded. It displaced about half the state residents. Of which my family and I were among them.

The day we began in earnest cleaning out my flooded house, I was not looking forward to this. It is was a real pain. I’m thankful that only about 6 inches of water got into the house, but still it destroyed a lot of things. I had treasures from my great grandmother, grandmother and mother. Again putting it into prospective they are only things. But those things I wanted to hand down to my children. My children responded with enthusiasm and a sense of urgency. And several nieces and nephews and my brother will be there with us. As so often is the case, you don’t know what people will do until adversity comes. I always wanted God to explain to me why it takes adversity to get people off of dead center. But I am grateful that they responded. It was stressful enough just having a flooded house. So many people in southwest Louisiana were forced out of their homes by the water. If you don’t understand we had rains of biblical proportions. As heart-breaking as it was, I am thankful to God that very few people died. And that God is still in control of this world no matter what we think. I will still give Him honor and glory for who He is. Ecclesiastes 3:1,10 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ….I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.” (KJV).

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

To Thine own Self be True…#2.

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Shakespeare’s famous quote from Hamlet was “This above all, to thine own self be true.” What was Shakespeare talking about? And why be true to yourself?  King Solomon talked about the same subject. He said, What was before, shall be again…there is nothing new under the sun. Evil is not just for one period in history. People have lied and betrayed others since the beginning of time. Shakespeare wrote a whole play about betrayal. It’s called a tragedy because everyone died because of betrayal.

We have all known people who have lived a lie. It is a sad situation where they believe how they are living is the truth. But it really isn’t. Everything they are doing is a lie. You want to shake them up and show them that they need to wake up. But they are deceived and believe the deception. For the most part people are the same. They may have different backgrounds. But people are basically the same. We were born with parents. We need to be reared and taught how to live. We learn a skill or job to be able to eat, clothe ourselves and have a home. We learn the language of our parents. And if we are fortunate, we learn other languages. We do so to go out into this world and communicate with others. When we do we find that people have different beliefs than we do. It seems that their truths aren’t the same as ours. If we don’t have strong belief system, things can become complicated. I have seen people switch their beliefs to other cultures. I don’t have to defend myself. I know who I am and where I am going. I know where I will end up. I am being true to myself. Because 45 years ago, I was drifting through time. I had no anchor and didn’t belong anywhere. Now I have a worldwide family and I belong. To Thine Own Self Be True.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Not Remembering the Past.

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There is a saying by George Santayana from The Life of Reason. It says, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” King Solomon said the same thing in the book of Ecclesiastes about 3000 years ago. He said, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The difference is what we choose to remember and do. It is so easy to forget about this detail or that one. Life crowds in on us and we just forget. But time has a way of catching up with us.

Everyone knows what due diligence is. It is being mindful of what is going on around us. It is being particularly aware of what we have to do and how it is going to be accomplished. Sometimes that acute awareness starts when we are young. But sometimes people remain clueless as their life drifts into the void.

I have studied my families history. How 4 families over 400 years have come together in my family. You know what I have seen over those 400 years? I have watched them grown up, be educated, marry, have children and eventually die. They build a life for their immediate family and around their extended family. Some were farmers, some merchants, some pirates, some doctors, but all believing that they were providing for their family. One thing struck me is that they all learned from their previous family, whether good, bad or indifferent.

And in that remembering, we can not only see our ancestors, but we see ourselves and our children and grandchildren. It is because there is nothing new under the sun.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Prophesy, Good or Bad…

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People love to get prophesy. They want direction in their lives. When someone prophesies over you, it is meant to encourage you. The thing about prophesy is that it is only a reminder of what God has spoken to your heart already. It is to encourage you to do the will of God. When someone receives the unction of God to speak to another, the prophesy is conditional. The condition is that you do the will of God. If you are not in the right place at the right time, the prophesy will not come pass.

There are prophesies about pending disasters. These aren’t personal direction in you life. Even though, it will effect your life. When God talks to us about his plan in life, He expects us to use faith to live our life on this earth. We can’t live our lives on prophesy. The Word of God gives us specific direction to live godly on this earth. The last word in any decision we make is the Word of God.

There are things that the Word of God doesn’t say. Like whether to turn left or to turn right. The Word of God says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To obtain wisdom, we must understand the Word of God first, which is knowledge, reading and studying. Then we must experience the Word the God by doing it. Then comes wisdom. In others words, it is called discretion. Once we have discretion, then we will be able to know which way to turn. It is not getting the cart before the horse.

But back prophesy, there is nothing wrong with it. And as we obtain wisdom, we will know whether or not if the prophesy is true. You can’t live on prophesy. You can only live by the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. He wrote everything in the bible. Jesus said, no man comes to the Father but by Me. He also said, I am the bread of life. He that comes to Me will never hunger or thirst. God encourages us to prophesy, but we can’t live by prophesy. Everything has to depend on the Word of God. Then everything will be decent and in order.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Wanting to go Home…

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I am talking to believers now. There is nothing more important in my life than wanting to go Home. Home isn’t my place on earth. This is just a temporary place on my journey Home. The yearning to go home in my heart grows louder every day. There are some days that I can harder do or think of anything else. The first time I verbalized my desire to go home is when my wife and I brought our 3rd son, just 3 months old, to the hospital. It was there that we found out he had spinal meningitis. As I was walking into the hospital, I said to the Lord, I want to go home. His answer was direct. He said to me, I can’t wait until you get here. That was 40 years ago. God healed him on 3rd day in the hospital.

God’s plan for our lives are laid out in front of us. Most people have no idea what those plans are until we stumble into them. When God tells us to turn left, don’t turn right. If He says to stop, He knows what He is talking about. If we will listen and obey, we will find out what God wants and how it going to unfold. Very rarely will God lay out the plan in detail before us. He is wanting us to use our faith to change the world. When we do God’s plan unfolds not only for us but for everyone around us. You see God is using us to affect the world in a positive way. I have seen instances where God called good people home early. There was a young man, age 35 in California, an evangelist, who did mighty works in the far east killed in a motorcycle accident. Another young man, 20 years old, who would have been a pastor or evangelist, killed in war.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:23-24 “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”

This is the real point of the story. We may want to go home early and miss the mess of this earth. But God has a plan for each of us. That plan sometimes means that we stay until our task is finished. Moses was 120 year old, when God called him home. This is what faith is for. We are to believe God and let Him decide how our lives will end. I talked about my younger brother who died of cancer. He knew the Lord. When his time came to go home, he was in his bed with his family around. He simply closed his eyes in peace and woke up in God’s arms.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com