Merry Christmas

From my heart, Merry Christmas.

Christ is the reason for this holiday.

PEACE!

Separation of Church and State

I am so tired of people using this phrase, its become ridiculously stupid... All because a group of Justices referred to it, EVERYONE thinks its in the Constitution... WELL IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!

Here allow me...

When un-educated people refer to this phrase, they are referring to a part of the Bill of Rights. IN particular it is the First Amendment. Here is what it says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

In particular, those who use it point to this part of the above... "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Let's break this down...

There are two key words here that has everyone confused...
First 'respecting'...
re·spect·ing: (preposition) about or relating to (something) : with respect to (something)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respecting

 

So with that in mind let's begin to translate the sentence... Congress shall make no law about/relating to... Ok next key word. 'establishment'...

 

es·tab·lish·ment (noun) \i-ˈsta-blish-mənt\
1: something established: as
 a: a settled arrangement; especially: a code of laws 
 b: established church 
 c: a permanent civil or military organization 
 d: a place of business or residence with its furnishings and staff 
 e: a public or private institution
2: an established order of society: as 
 a (often capitalized): a group of social, economic, and political leaders who form a ruling class (as of a nation) 
 b (often capitalized): a controlling group <the literary establishment>
3a: the act of establishing 
 b: the state of being established

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishment

 

OK translation continues... Congress shall make no law about/relating to any all-ready existing religion or creating/setting up a religion...

 

THIS DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SEPARATING CHURCH AND STATE!!! In my own layman terms... This essentially says that Congress can not touch religion and it can not setup a religion, declaring it the "State's" religion. You all remember what country we fought the Revolutionary war against??? Does ANY of that sound familiar??? It should.

 

The phrase separation of church and state comes from Thomas Jefferson. The text of that letter is below:

 

"To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.

 

Gentlemen

The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem."

(signed) Thomas Jefferson
Jan.1.1802.

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html

A group of Supreme Court Justices used this above letter in their ruling. In the case Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the case was brought by a New Jersey taxpayer against a tax funded school district that provided reimbursement to parents of both public and private schooled children taking the public transportation system to school. The taxpayer contended that reimbursement given for children attending private religious schools violated the constitutional prohibition against state support of religion, and the taking of taxpayers' money to do so violated the constitution's Due Process Clause. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everson_v._Board_of_Education) In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the United States Supreme Court was asked to interpret the First Amendment's prohibition on laws "respecting an establishment of religion." "In the words of Jefferson," the justices famously declared, the First Amendment "was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between church and State'...[that] must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach." (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/06/the-mythical-wall-of-separation-how-a-misused-metaphor-changed-church-state-law-policy-and-discourse)

I agree with these Justice's interpretation in that the Government can not say this religion is official and allowed and another is not. This DOESN'T have anything to do with Nativity scenes being on military bases or cross-memorials being on public land. This is about a Government, OURS, saying that this religion is the 'official' one OR creating laws that will prevent/harm religions that are already in existence. OH! And by the way, when it says religion, it's not just referring to just Christianity; it also means Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, etc... ALL RELIGION IS PROTECTED from being ruled by the Government OR being taken over by it.

So please educate yourself and others, don't let the less-informed make their silly attempts to conform you to lunacy. Don't check you brains at the door!

PEACE & Merry Christmas.

Choose.... WAS or IS...

Today I give you a challenge... One that does not require a lot of thought. There will not be a lot of murkiness either in this challenge. It will actually be very easy. You have to choose between WAS or IS. Do you want what WAS or do you want what IS? Real simple. Here let me give you some examples...

Muhammad - Muhammad's claim to his authority from God, according to the teachings of the Quran is based on the Old Testament scriptures Deuteronomy 18:18-22. However if you read these verses, verse 18 says that the prophet would come from among the 'brethren' of the Jews. So if this is true then Muhammad was a Jew. And most people have read enough about him to know that he definitely wasn't a Jew, so then the only logical conclusion is... He was a liar. So, will you choose to follow a liar???

Buddha - Buddha was a man. Though a lot of his followers attributed many supernatural traits to him, he was still only a man. And guess what, he died. I know that those who follow the Maker King's Son also believe that He was supernatural as well. And Jesus died too. However Buddha does not have one feat that Jesus did... Jesus came back from the dead. I don't mean re-incarnation, I mean His body came back to life after three days, and He walked out of the tomb. So, will you choose to follow a dead guy???

Confucius - Again Confucius was a man who lived in China a long time ago. I will admit, he was extremely smart. His ideas for law and organization was grand; he was even wise in agreeing with the King on how we should treat others. However Confucius worshiped his ancestors. Dead people, who could care less about you or I and really don't even know if their being worshiped or not. So, will you choose to follow someone who may have had great moral ideas but was lost following dead people???

Then there is the Maker King's Son, Jesus. Jesus did exactly everything He said He was going to do, exactly as He said He was going to do it and exactly at the time He said it would happen. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that relates to the Jewish teachings of the Messiah. And as I stated about, HE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD! And many witnesses witnessed him rise into Heaven, where He is still alive today and reaching out to us everyday. SO!!!

Will you choose someone who was a liar, someone who was alive, someone who was a confused moral teacher or someone who is ALIVE. Jesus is the way, is the truth and is the life... Choose Him today and find out for yourself.

My bride...

The King wires people in many different ways. One way that has been perverted over time is that of guys and gals; and our natural connections for each other. Of course, this old connection hasn't come to an end, because no kidding, I wouldn't be writing this and you won't be reading it either. Guys still go after the gals and visa versa.

Now for me, before I met my bride, I was a flaming heterosexual. I loved women. And I mean that exactly how it's spelled. L. O. V. E. Women. LOL I know I can't help it. Again this is the way I was wired. And I loved them in all shapes and sizes. Of course I have the pig in me (hey, I'm a man; all men are pigs, even the nice ones have lil'oinkers in them), and that pig blinded my choice and made me picky. AH! It made me an idiot. So many wonderful women that I could have had great relationships with, I passed right on by.

Then a little over 15 years ago, the King brought into my life this beautiful woman. OH MY STAR AND GARTERS is she beautiful... And I was hooked. I not only swallowed the hook, the line and the sinker; I also downed the bobber, rod and a large part of the arm of the fisherman (he's still not talking to me; in fact I don't know who he was, poor guy). And let me tell you the piggie in me was happy happy happy.

Ok, putting all the swine talk aside, my beautiful bride was, is and I'm fully expecting to be amazing. She is a great woman. She has become the most amazing mother for my children and I could dive into the subject about her being my lover... Well, let's just say that I'm still happy happy happy.

My wife is so awesome, and I'm not typing all of this to get brownie points (that's what doing the dishes yesterday was for). I looked through the Holy Word and I found an awesome verse to explain to you how beautiful she is to me...

Song of Solomn 2:2 "As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women."

With all the focus of the word today on sex, beauty and perfection... They have yet to reach the lever of my bride. And from what I've seen, they won't ever get close.

I love her so much. The you Maker King for allowing her to be my bride. I won't say that I don't deserve her, or else You would not have brought her to me. And I won't say that she deserves better, because you brought me to her. Thank you King for stoking the fire of our love for each other after 15 years. Thank you God for her. 

Some will be scratching their heads, a few will smile and understand...

As some of you know me very well, you know that I have passions in my life. First is my Maker King and His Son, then comes my family (wife and daughters) and lastly is the joy I receive from anything Star Wars. Yeah I know, but it's true; Star Wars. I have enjoyed this aspect of entertainment since my small boyhood (1977 to be exact, sound familiar?). And in 2010, the King allowed me to join an organization that I'd known about for a long time. A world-wide group of people that use the fantasy-world of Star Wars for the betterment of others through charity and service. This group is called The 501st Legion.

Described basically, they are a group of people, with movie-authentic costumes, that use those costumes to help fund raise for charities and serve for various reasons in their communities. And as a 2+ year veteran, it was AWESOME!!! Now when I joined this group, I always said that there was one thing that would cause me to leave; just one. My King. If He called me out, I would walk away and leave it behind. Well... He did something similar to that about two weeks ago...

Who am I kidding, He's been bidding me to do that for weeks now and I finally yielded and was obedient to His wishes two weeks ago. Now a lot of people who know have seen this as a negative thing. PLEASE! DON'T JOIN THEM!!! I don't, not at all. I've had no reservations about doing this at all. Granted I'll miss some of the very things that I loved doing in the Legion, but I have no hard or ill feelings toward the King for asking me to do this.

You see in Romans it says, "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (6:16 ESV)

I know I type these words about my allegiance with the King and His Son but now I have a wordless testimony towards it. When I'm asked why I did what I did, my easy answer is, "God called me to do it." And I can say that with a boldness and confidence. Not in boasting of my actions, but in the fact that I've been obedient to Him. I've fulfilled His desire for my life, in this one moment, with 100% assurance. Even if it is a brief moment in my life, I can say for at least this moment I have done what my King has told me to do.

So you see, what most see as negative, I see as a great positive. Now I can't wait to see what the Maker King has in His robe sleeve for me in my obedience of Him. He is a loving King & Father; I know this to be 100% true. I hope that one day, if you don't already, you will know it to be true, too. Peace.

15 years ago...

I was and still am blessed beyond all measure. I love my beautiful bride, yesterday, today and forever.

May this stand as my testimony...

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 ESV

I believe that the man named Jesus who lived about 2000 years again and holds the title Christ, was and is the Savior of this world. He lived and taught in His home country and its neighbors. He is the Spirit-begotten Son of the Most High King of the Universe. About the time of His 33rd year of life, He gave Himself for the cost of all human sin on this world. He was hung upon the most gruesome of execution device ever conceived by humans; a cross. And after His death, He was placed into a grave and it was sealed. After three days, He was resurrected from the dead. Meaning, He fully, 100%, came back to life (not undead or zombified; but completely, clinically alive). After His triumphant raising, He showed Himself to numerous individuals of all genders and importance. Then He rose into the realm of Heaven (on what appeared to be a cloud) and promised to return one day to establish His complete Kingdom on this world. He is coming soon, and Lord Prince, please let it be the moment after this phrase is completed. Amen.

"For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”" Romans 10: 5-13 ESV

Prepare for eternity: Believe, Confess, be Saved.

End is nigh...

The end is nearer than you think. Who's side will you be on? The King's or the deceiver's? Choose.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Teenagers... Sebastian was right

I am a father of a teenager. I am a blessed man. My teenager has helped me grow more than I have in thirty nine years. I have learned patience. A sense of humor (though I'm still working on that one). And most important I have learned how God sees each one of us, with unconditional love. Thank you God.

Emotions...

There aren't any scriptures on this one friends... This is an exploration of emotions...

You scientist are trying to quantify emotions into something that they can fit into a test tube. But I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they won't find a test tube big enough to fit even the smallest emotions.

I am an emotional person (my darling would affirm that) and the last couple of years, my emotions have been up one side and down the other. From the depression of missing my family dearly, to the pain and confusion in the passing of a loved one.

I've been emotional all my life... There have been times where my emotion took me to the very edge of pure joy and times where they took me to the edge of a balcony wondering what it would be like to fall 13 stories (I bet that's a shocker for some of you).

I can see how many a wise man in history as instructed their students to get a hold of their emotions. They can rule you and with far more influence than that loved one who you cherish dearly.

There times where we need to have our emotions for the compassion that we have for that hungry person asking for a meal, to the birth of our new offspring.

Emotions are not bad, they are not good, they just are... I hope I didn't lose you, it was just an exploration of emotions.

Peace!

Daily battle...

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Ephesians 6:12 ESV

You know that person that you hate so much???

Well your fight is not with them. Don't hate man or woman. Don't hate anyone! From the terrorist to the murderer; from the rapist to the thief. Don't hate ANYONE, from the homosexual or the heterosexual; from the person of a different color or the person of a different political party. DON'T HATE ANYONE!!! When we hate a human, FOR ANY REASON, we give Satan a feather for his cap (and trust me he isn't making macaroni).

Satan is who you need to hate. Hate all of his machinations, hate all of his minions, HATE SATAN!

"You (those of you who are not followers of the Maker King and His Prince) are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 ESV (notes added by me)

You see, Satan is wanting nothing good for anyone. So don't hate the human, hate the father of lies. Don't hate that person who just cut you off in traffic. Don't hate that person who just beat you for a promotion. Don't hate that officer as he hands you the speeding ticket. DON'T HATE HUMANS!!!

HATE SATAN!!!

Now your hate has been focused correctly, meet the Prince of the Maker king, Jesus. For he comes to bring note hate for our fellow humans, but love for each other.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." Matthew 5:43-44 ESV
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 ESV

Believing in Jesus is not a prison sentence from having a free will... It is an opportunity to take your free will to a place you've never been too before... Love. And not just a love for things, or a lover for a partner or a love for life... I mean a love so LARGE that you will serve those you love, you would even die for those you love. And that is exactly what Jesus did for all of us. He died for all of us. So believe with you heart (exercise faith in the fact that Jesus did exactly what everyone says He has done) and then confess those things with your mouth and receive the ability to love, live you've never received before.

Hate Satan, Love man, see where life takes you. Peace.

A new anthem...

(Sorry there was a technical malfunction on the blog, vid fixed.)

 

This song make me want to go out and kick some demon onos..

                                                             This is my new anthem...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Not Gonna Die

Skillet

Verse 1
Death surrounds
My heart beat slowing down
I won’t take this world's abuse
I won’t give up I refuse

This is how it feels when you're bent and broken
This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen
When everything you love is leaving
You hold on to what you believe in

Pre-chorus
The last thing I heard
Was you whispering goodbye
And then I heard you flat-line

CHORUS
No
Not gonna die tonight
We're gonna stand and fight forever
Don't close your eyes
No
Not gonna die tonight
We're gonna fight for us together
No, we're not gonna die tonight

Verse 2
Break their hold
Cause I wont be controlled
They can't keep their chains on me
When the truth has set me free

This is how it feels when you take your life back
This is how it feels when you finally fight back
When life pushes me, I push harder
What doesn't kill me makes me stronger

BRIDGE
Don't you give up on me
You're everything I need
This is how it feels when you take your life back
This is how it feels when you fight back

Not gonna die
Not gonna die
Not gonna die tonight


Written by: John L. Cooper and Korey Cooper

Narrow minded...

I'm slowly learning to wear this title with a little pride and not pride in myself, but in Whom-I-believe that I receive the title...

You see as a believer of the Maker King, and doing my best to live in His Courts, many in the world have pointed their "righteous" fingers and labeled me "narrow-minded." However now I accept it gladly. If I'm narrow-minded, then so be it. Ok let's look at this from the point of views of those who bestow the title...

Merriam-Websters defines narrow-minded as...
lacking in tolerance or breadth of vision : petty

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrow-minded

And just so I'm thorough, petty is defined as...

1: having secondary rank or importance : minor, subordinate

2: having little or no importance or significance

3: marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty

OK... Well yeah, I am narrow-minded. Because I have 100% confidence in the Maker King. I have 100% confidence in the fact that He is who He says He is. I am 100% confident that He will come again, and the only way to heaven is through Him. Is it arrogant of me to say these things? NOPE! It is not arrogance that I have, it is confidence. So of course I'm narrow-minded. 

I have seen many, MANY things in the world that would try and make me think otherwise AND IT HASN'T WORKED! I'm narrow-minded!!!

Now does that mean I'm better than anyone else? NOPE (that would be arrogance). Does it mean that I'm more special than anyone else? NOPE (again that would be arrogance). Does this mean that I am hopelessly losing myself to a ridiculous myth that is propagated through history by men who wish to control the minds of countless lackeys??? NOPE (that would be just plain stupid). 

You see (and trust me, I know this is subjective, but fortunately my King only says that I have to speak [type] this, I don't have to convince you of anything)... 

Jesus of Nazareth; the same Jesus that was brought before the Roman Governor Pilot by the Jewish leaders of His day, who was then crucified (as confirmed multiple times by history), who then rose from the dead (as testified by numerous witnesses) is the Son of the Maker King, and as His Son, has been given all authority in all of the known & unknown Universe. The Prince of Creation wasn't just killed, He gave His life as a ransom (or even better, liberation money) to pay the debt of sin. Then through His rising from death, gave the 100% seal-of-certification that we as mere humans can be insured that we can have a place in the courts of the Maker King, for eternity by placing our faith in Him. 

 

I believe all of those words above with all my heart, mind and soul that I can muster. As Jesus himself said...

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Matthew 7:13-14 ESV

 

I am doing everything I can to stay inside of that narrow gate. I can not even imagine going back to the wide gate, because I know that it ends in nothing but death and separation from the Maker King. 

 

So please all you worldly-wise, keepers of the worldly morality, continue to call me narrow-minded; I celebrate it. I claim it as a badge of confirmation that my walk in the courts is remaining narrow and focused on the King on His throne. So is my confidence arrogance? I don't think so, but I will tell you this...  

 

"For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:5-13 ESV

 

PEACE! 

The killing side to knowledge...

You know I was always taught that the more knowledge you had the better off you were. In most cases I would completely agree with that (especially in one particular case, you'll see later). Everyone should remember the phrase, "and knowing is half the battle (Yo Joe!!!)." Yet can more knowledge kill you? Well if you were a spy and knew too much, that could get you killed. If you have a P.H.D. in physics and tried to get a job at a fast food joint; that could kill your employment chances. But could knowledge kill you spiritually? Well I would say yes... Allow me to elaborate.

First! Read Romans 7:7. Let's use the Message translation...
"But I can hear you say, “If the law code was as bad as all that, it’s no better than sin itself.” That’s certainly not true. The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the succinct, surgical command, “You shall not covet,” I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it." MSG
2002 Eugene H. Peterson by NavPress Publishing

So knowledge, in this case the Law (as given to Moses from God), is and continues to be our doorway into the knowledge of sin. As Paul points out, we would not know that coveting was bad if God had not told us that. So that now we know, we know it's bad (and later in that chapter Paul talks about how even though he knows something is bad, he struggles with doing it). Now I know that this will come off as I'm trying to bash God or blame my (or others) sin on Him, but really I'm not. Sin is our problem, not God's.

Ok, read it from another translation... 
"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”" ESV brought to you by Crossway

Does the knowledge of right and wrong lead me into the knowledge of what sin is?

Let's look at it this way...
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”" Genesis 2:16-17 ESV

AH HA! We're faced with an Adam/Eve situation everyday. That single commandment led Adam and Eve into the knowledge of the sin of disobedience. And what happened after that? Well just like for you and me, the father of sinners came in, "dressed up" sin, or the knowledge there of, and both Adam and Eve gave in. Like Paul they knew what was right, but did wrong anyways.

So my point is this; knowledge does have an edge to it. Some of the knowledge that we receive in this world can lead us to the very gate of hell. Examples? Darwinism... That we're all just lumps of flesh that should be killed off when it is better for someone else (abortion). Newage-ism... Turn to yourself because you have the power to do anything (yet everything you do will eventually fail and fade away and again you'll be left with nothing). I'm sure there are others, they are not coming to my mind at this time. 

But don't be discouraged by all of this talk, there is a knowledge that can bring life...

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians... "...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him..." Eph 1:17 ESV (That's the case I referred to earlier, yeah[!], God baby!)

Knowledge of God and who He is brings life, always. And like Adam and Eve; He wants us to make that choice. The choice of the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong, life or death. And as Moses said, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live..." Deut 30:19 ESV

Don't let knowledge kill you off....  Know Him, know love, know life. PEACE!

A new frontier...

Well I've transitioned from Facebook to my blog on a regular basis. I'll go over again why I did this...

Put it simply, I'm eliminating distractions in my life. I truly care for all of the friends and family that I had connected with on Facebook over the last few years. However, God wanted more of my life, so that was one way to give Him more.

I'll post blogs on here as I sit down to write them. Hopefully they will continue to be a blessing like my Facebook page was.

God bless all of you who read this!!! And God bless those who don't, because we all need to be blessed; no matter how it may be. :D

PEACE!

This morning the Lord revealed to me something that I did not now the reason for and this something happened 16+ years ago... Let me set the scene up for you...

I was soul searching something fierce in my mid-twenties. I had accepted Jesus as my Savior & King, but I didn't understand what it was to be a Christian. I had a mixed up doctrine, and my line up with where I needed to be was not right. Then entered the woman who would be my wife. Through challenges that she gave me I started to understand where I needed to be. Other relationships in my life started to change and take different directions. Then the Lord asked me to do something that I was surprised at, but I obeyed...

He asked me to separate myself from a close-knit group of friends that I'd known for a long long time. We had been through a lot together, and I honestly thought we'd go through the rest of our lives together. I had planned to ask all of them to be in my wedding, to be some god-fathers for my children; they were my brothers. When the Lord came to me with request I struggled with it, but I obeyed.

My friends did not take it very well and I can understand why. Now mind you first off, all of these guys are great men. Some are married, some are fathers and some are still single. All of them ARE great men. They are kind, generous and loving. They cherish their families and their friends. However one thing I know about most of them (and I'll admit, not all of them), is they do not know the King (if one of them reads this and I'm wrong CORRECT ME{!!!} I'll be glad to admit my error). I believe that they did not know Him then, and unfortunately, I believe they do not know Him now. Does that make them bad??? OH HECK NO!!! It just makes them, not saved. I've done my best to witness to them, but I am not the harvester in their lives.

They were a big influence in my life when I was with and around them. I love them greatly, I would jump for joy if I see them in the King's Court. So here is what the Lord showed me today...

Psalm 14:1 - Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (NLT)

My friends confessed that there was no God. And as I said earlier, they were very influential on my life. The Lord showed me today that He had to separate me from that influence so that His Spirit could solidify in my life and become the influence that had dominance. You see, I would have been the one that would not heed this verse...


Proverb 13:20 - Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (NLT)

He knew I was going to get into trouble. I would not be where I am in Him today had I not obeyed. He showed me that I am blessed, strong in Him (which I'm getting stronger) and I'm heeding his Word; all because I obeyed Him that day 16+ years ago. 

I've reached out to these friends and thanks be to the King, I've been able to reconnect with most of them. Our relationship isn't the same as it was before, but we still stay in contact. I hope that my influence in their lives is a positive one and I hope it directs them to the Maker King so that I will get that chance to see them in His Court. 

I hope if any of them read this post, they'll have an understanding into what happened back then. Of course, even if they do read it; they may not understand. And you may not either. If you don't yourself, why not? There is a reason, and HE would love to show you why.

Why do we do what we do?

Why do we do what we do???

Have you ever asked yourself that question before. I mean seriously sit down and look at what you do in life and then ask, "why am I doing this?" I've asked this before, plenty of times and at various different occasions. A lot of time, I have an answer, and sometimes I don't.

The reason why I ask this is I've noticed lately with various different people in various different
situations their reactions and responses to situations they are in. And those peoples' response/reactions make me scratch my head and say to myself, "why are you doing that anyways?"

A great example of this is one of the groups I am a member of. We do a lot of charity work at the
invitation of our hosts. Our guidelines stipulate that we're not to expect anything from the host except
the chance to do good. However individuals I've worked with in this group complain about the locations we have access to, the amount of supplies made available to us, the type of food we're given or the treatment we're given for being there. Now granted as invited guests we do have some level of expectations of being treated reasonably. However our own groups guidelines tell us, (paraphrased) don't expect anything other than time. I want to open my mouth to those individuals and ask, "what are you doing here if you're just going to complain?"

I know I wont ever get an answer for this. It just boggles my mind beyond understanding. I guess there could be reasons of obligation, however I would even question that. Our actions are our actions; we should have a reason for all of them. Just like Paul calls for Christians to have a defense of thier
faith when the time comes; I believe EVERYONE should have a reason for their actions. So ask yourself, why are you doing what you are doing? What is the motivation or reason behind it. You never know you may shock yourself at the answer. I know I have.

Disclaimer: I am not God, I know I'm not God and I know this is only my opinion; no matter how wrong or right it is. Thanks!

Christians Suck... Well at least sometimes...

This goes out to all of the atheist or non-believing people that I've ever met or may meet in life some day...

I want to give some perspective about Christians that you may not have heard before. Hopefully this will shatter a lot of stereotypes and help bring some brotherly love in the world...

Christians are not perfect!!! :D I know right, huge revelation...

But guess what, for some Christians, that is a huge revelation. I will admit that there are a lot of Christians (and I've been guilty of this myself) that have said & done things that were no where near Christ-like; which in turn drove more people away from us than draw them closer to us. Now mind you I'm not going to give us Christians an excuse for these actions. Because, frankly, some of them were plain stupid and unloving; and because of them (at that moment in time) we sucked.

Yet one thing that Christians forget is that we're not any different from you in the fact that we love, care, hurt and hate. We have raging emotions and feelings that can be hurt as well. We sometimes get it in our heads that since we're "saved," we're far better than everyone else. And that mentality is WAY wrong. We're not better, higher, worth more or any of that more than a non-believing person.

Now I will say this... We Christians may come across as having a very arrogant attitude towards aspects of life. But, speaking from experience, it's not arrogance... It's confidence. You see the Creator of the Universe has given us a promise that we've placed our faith in. And our faith hangs on that promise. And the life, death & resurrected life of one Jesus of Nazareth locks-in, solidifies and guarantees our faith in that promise. So we have a confidence that this same Creator has guaranteed our place in the future (both alive and dead).

Back on target... Jesus Himself showed us who we (Christians) are supposed to be going to & helping. Even if a person doesn't become a believer by what we say or what we do; we're to still server and love.

So now I will close with this... It may not help and it may be too late, but I am going to say (type) it regardless. On behalf of all Christians in the world; we're sorry for sucking at some point in the past. Some of us are trying our best and we do fail. I hope you'll forgive us. PEACE!!!

Romans 12:9-11 "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically."(NLT)

Non-mid life crisis...

Thanks to modern medicine, mid-life crisis is coming later in life than ever before. Plan now to take full advantage of your crisis, today... :D I know that sounds silly. But I can't help but think about it. Today is the eve of my 39th birthday. Since the last year of my 30's is on the verge of entering into history, I got to thinking about mid-life crisis.

I can understand why (guys especially) go through mid-life crisis. I mean, by the time we're 40 we're supposed to be well established in our careers, on the verge of getting one of the house's bed rooms back from a child going off to college and looking at those sleek touring motorcycles to throw the wife on the back of. Yet, why would you call those situations a crisis? I mean I would take those attributes and classify them as a well lived & planned life. And if all those years were living for God; then it they were even better.

I on the other hand am different. Being pre-39, I've recently rebooted my career, still got a few years before I kick one of the kids out of the house and couldn't even afford to look at a motorcycle, let along buy a moped. Now I have every right to be in a mid-life crisis. Yet as I sit here typing I have no feelings of animosity for not achieving all those "expected" things in life. Plus, who said I was entering mid-life anyways??? Where is that guy who came up with that? I plan on passing from this world (unless Christ comes back first) on my 120th birthday. So you do the math... 120-39=81... Well that will leave a fraction... Let's say... 120-40=80. I still have Eighty years left on this earth. I have tons of time left.

PLUS! My mid-life crisis wont start till I'm at least 60!!! YEAH! Actually I don't plan on having a crisis. You see, I'm doing my best to live for God. And when I reach my 60's I may actually be better at it. And I know that once I have that down, I'll be much happier, healthier and blessed than I can imagine now. So come on 39th birthday!!! I still have 21 years before I start freaking out. Now all I need to do is focus on these daughters of mine and make sure to have them out of the house before then (joking, well, kind'a not) so I'll have room for the motorcycle, hot tub and cinema-sound theater. :D

"What was will be again, what happened will happen again. There's nothing new on this earth. Year after year it's the same old thing. Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"? Don't get excited—it's the same old story. Nobody remembers what happened yesterday. And the things that will happen tomorrow? Nobody'll remember them either. Don't count on being remembered." Ecclesiastes 1:9 (the Msg)

I read this verse last night to my daughters and it really hit me (again). There is really nothing new under the sun. I know it a phrase that many of us have heard (even non-believers). Yet have you thought about it before???

Think of anything... Chili dogs, skyscrapers, guns, Venetian blinds, warp drive, ballet, anything... All of it has been thought before. Now I bet you may wonder that if it is the case, why haven't we seen some of the same things over and over again. Well because as knowledge becomes known to us; we're able to take these ideas and actually make them into reality. People of the past may not have had the means to product an aircraft or the knowledge to build plastic. However as time is roll on, knowledge is opening more and more (see Daniel 12:4). 

You see the more time passes, "new" things will emerge; however if you search hard enough into antiquity, you'll discover that it's already thought of. There isn't anything new under the sun.

To the point...

I have you notice now a days that people can't seem to get to the point??? I mean, say what you want to say. Don't play any silly games, if you don't like something, admit it. I think we've become too emotionally sensitive. I mean, I'm not a hard-donkey. Give me the right Publix commercials and I'm down for the count with tears.

Emotions can be very powerful, but if their toyed with both within ourselves and in others, they can lead to great hurts. Example, the Word says that the most powerful member of the body is our tongue. It is so powerful it can cause wars. Yet if we control our tongues & be honest, things can be a lot better. I like how some people seem to be allowed to talk, yet others are not. I don't understand that either.

AH HA! I'm rambling. Not for good reading I know, I'm sorry. I guess you can call this stream of thought. Let me see if I can put a bow on this... If you mean something say it; don't worry about my emotions, I'll build a bridge. If you have something to say, say exactly what you mean. Don't make me go through a guessing game to get your point. Let you 'No' mean no & let your 'Yes' mean yes.

PEACE!

Obedience...

You know this is a loaded word. I mean, for kids it's a cuss word, for adults is a grudge word. For Christians it is supposed to be a way of life. I try, I really do. 

Yesterday ended a period of time of obedience for me. Until yesterday I had been separated from my wife and daughters for over a year. Now this was not a "we're having problems with our marriage" separation or I'm "an abusive father" separation; it was one of obedience.

Over two years ago, the King called for us to come to the Knoxville area. We didn't know what this entailed, but we wanted to stay in line with His direction. We made plans, and of course those plans didn't work out. So we 'flowed' with what He did in our lives. And part of that was living in two separate states.

I know a lot of my non-believing friends think we're crazy for doing something like this, but hey, you don't believe; you'll never understand. I know a lot of my believing friends thing we were crazy. Well, I don't know what to tell you people.

I believe 100% that this will come out as a HUGE positive in our lives (my wife, my children and myself).

As far as obedience... Imagine this... You're driving on a road and it is curvy. You see one of those pretty white signs with black lettering that tell you that the law says the speed on that road is 45 miles per hour. Well at that moment you have a choice: do you follow that law (in obedience) or do you ignore it and go on??? You see the King gives us a similar choice. And we are free to decide what choice we're going to make. You see... Moses put it the best way...

Deuteronomy 30 [The Message (MSG) translation]

¹⁵ Look at what I’ve done for you today: I’ve placed in front of you
    Life and Good
    Death and Evil.

^19-20 I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to Him, firmly embracing Him. Oh yes, He is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 (Please note, the 'omitted' verses still play a major factor in this point I'm making. They were 'omitted' not to re-enforce or 'prove' a point, but for shear convenience. They in no way nullify the point being made here either by Moses or myself. Please read for yourself in any translation. Thank you.) 

Have a great day friends. I know I will because I now see SOME of the fruits of my obedience. :D

Hello everyone,

I have nothing profound and thought provoking for you today... Just a praise. Praise to the Creator King of whom I jester for in His court...

I'm extremely thankful today for His love, mercy and grace on my life & the lives of my family. A chapter is at the precipice of conclusion and the climb of a new one is over the edge. I'm excited beyond belief.

I feel like my journey will now actually begin, even though I have been walking on it for the past year.

Thank you Father King for everything and thank you for the transitioning to be complete.

A few weeks ago I made this post on Facebook:
     "You know I haven't posted much lately. Especially stuff that is controversial and thought provoking. However something this morning hit me... In the Bible; one of the many times that Jesus was teaching to the people He said that all of the commandments in the Bible can be summed up in two... #1 Love God with all you heart, mind and soul and #2 Love you're neighbor as you love yourself. Now mind you I know a lot of people don't believe in God (and that is fine for them, though I think their missing out on something great), however why can't everyone get the second commandment right? I mean we're all 100% proficient at loving ourselves (especially in the U.S.A.), can't we just learn from that self-love? If we were to get this right, I think it would eliminate what I would estimate to be about 85% of all of the problems that we face in the world. I know, I know some of you will say to me, "well practice what you preach." And that would be true; and trust me, God's been on me for that A LOT lately, so I'm learning. So in my final thought in this post; love someone today. Or better yet, treat them like you want them to treat you. I think you'll be shocked by the reaction. :D PEACE!!!"

I had a 'friend' of mine, who I know is an atheist, post the response, "We are human...thats why #2 isn't going to work..."

I responded to his post with, "AH! But is that an excuse to not try...???" And I did not receive a response to that question.

I mean... Just because I started off my post with a reference to the Bible & God, the rest of the post is not going to work? Reason why I ask that is because later, that same 'friend' posted a meme that basically said that we all need to respect each other. So... For the (almost) exact same thought to be provoking, I can not use God before it? I mean I understand that people don't believe in God. I accept that completely (but as I stated in the post, their missing out on something great).

Personally... (Hey it's my blog, I can be personal) I think it is hypocritical to not accept a thought because of how it was presented, then re-state the same thought and then accept it. Our nation is in a sad state; and our race (and I mean HUMAN race, regardless of color) is in a dire need of help. And if it (our race) wont accept it from God, then blast it accept if from each other. Forget about the package, accept the contents.

intro

I know I can't believe it!!! Andrew started a blog!!!

My wife would say, "it's about time!!!"

I don't know how frequently I'll post on this thing. But I figured I'd give it a shot. I guess first I better give the reason behind the title...

A Princely Jester in the King's Court

Well I'll use some 80's lingo and "break it down!"

Princely - thanks to my Lord and Savior, I am a prince. A son of the most high God.
Jester - I am a fool to many things of life, love and God. I'm learning though.
King - there is only one King of this life we live and He is the Most High, Creator, Lord, God.
Court - the Word says that I 'sit' with my God in His court of Heaven (though I am on Earth)

During 2011 & 2012, God was revealing to me about how He is a King. People in the United States of America have no clue what it means to be under a king. I've read a number of books that opened the door to the idea. I've also studied the Bible about what God said about kings.

I envisioned a grand hall with the Lord on His throne at the end of it, and many courtiers, lords, ladies and warriors standing in His hall. I like to call Him King because it reminds me of who He is.

I hope this isn't rambling for my post, but it probably is. I'll post on political, emotional, moral and many other issues. If you like my words, great, if you don't well, great!

God bless everyone & Happy New Year to all.