Memories

Well, Christmas is gone, along with a whole lot of money! But money well spent, as long as we remember that the reason we exchange gifts is not for fun, but in remembrance of a little baby born in a Bethlehem stable over 2000 years ago.

I hope you all had a wonderful day spent with loved ones. For all of you soldiers overseas, I hope you took time out of your schedule to realize that you are not over there in vain, and that your sacrifice is remembered and greatly honored by most of us on this side.

I remember all those Christmases that I missed...nothing will bring those back, and that makes these later ones so much more cherished. For our children grow up all too quickly, don't they? Memories are forever- make sure you remember that and make yours worthy of remembering.

I remember in 2000, I was in Kuwait during Christmas. I served in an Air Defense Unit, and I was the Satellite Monitor that watched the skies over Kuwait City, and I had duty that night. I went outside to smoke, and I remember how clear the sky was, and how beautiful the stars were. . I wondered if the skies over the Middle East had been that clear while those Magi crossed the deserts from Persia. One of the benefits of working in a Joint Command Center was that I had a phone that could call any where in the world, so after receiving permission from my British shift supervisor, I called home. Roxann and the kids were in Germany, and she was having a really rough time. She had three kids in diapers, and her plans to return to Ohio were thwarted because she had lost one of the kids passports. She was in a deep, deep, depression, and I felt so helpless. But on that night, by the grace of God, we were able to reach through that heavy fog and help each other see the big picture.

And another Christmas when I was in Korea. This time, I was alone in my barracks room, and had noone to share my misery. Roxann had went home to visit our families in Ohio and Alabama, and I was worried sick that our van was not up to the trip. I tried to focus on school work, etc., but I remember feeling so lonely...and then a Peace like you had never known, or at least I hadn't, settled on me, and I realized that I was never alone! And it was like a huge weight was lifted off of my chest. So I got out of my selfishness, and decided that I was being pitiful. 90 others in my unit were also alone on this Christmas. And 8 of those were "my" soldiers. They were young, and for a lot of them, it was their first Christmas away from home. They looked to me for strength and leadership, and I was in my room having a pity party. So I went to them, and visited them in their rooms. Laughed and joked with them, but most importantly, I listened to them; I let them tell me what they missed the most about home, etc.

So I hope you all made the most of this time with your families. Remember, there were a lot of people that spent Christmas surrounded by people, but were really alone. Soldiers and policemen, firefighters in Florida...they all missed their Christmas so you could safely have yours. And enjoy those pre-dawn wake-ups by the kids...cherish them, because their will come a time when you wished they were there on Christmas morning waking you up at or before the sun came up.

And most of all, thank your God in Heaven, that He allowed His Son to come to us and spend a little time on this old hunk of dirt to show us all the way. Want to know what that "way" is? Jesus said, I Am the Way...

So I hope you all had a joy filled day. Thanks for making this blog so popular this year, and thanks for all of your kind words and comments...and even your criticism. I look forward to another year, and many, many more friends and even more "memories."

Jesse

Extra Bibles

Hey friends, there is an opportunity out there to help missionaries and Pastors in Africa, and this is not asking for money. More new Christians are baptized in Africa every day than the rest of the world combined! Did you know that? Another fun fact, almost all of the Pastors in the tribal villages do not have their own bibles. Some walk for over 20 miles to a neighboring village or missionary to copy portions of scripture on scraps of paper and animal hide. Some use napkins, or any thing that can be written on, as paper is scarce. And that is all these ministers have.

There is a ministry that is dedicated to getting a Bible in the hands of the Christians in Africa. First to every village and town, then to every Pastor, and then to every Christian.

The average American Christian household has 9 bibles in it. They are asking that we donate any extra Bibles to them. Surely we have one to spare. What we would call old, wore out, and out dated, they would call a miracle. Please consider rounding up your extras and donating them to this ministry.

Go to www.bareyourbookshelf.com and register on their website, and then follow the directions there. You can also find a story about this ministry in today’s Faith News Network News Brief.

This is a unique opportunity for us to stand with our Christian Brothers and Sisters and ensure that they receive a complete Bible to study and to use in their worship. Boy, do we take a lot of things for granted, or what?

And the even better news: The Gospel is getting closer to being preached to all peoples, which means we are getting closer to our Blessed Hope, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ!

And then help spread the news to all those you can so they can take it to their churches as well. God bless you all!

I Wonder?

Sometimes when I am meditating or reflecting on God, I begin to wonder about some things and ask some what if's. You know, like what if Jesus had come today, instead of the 2000 years ago. And I find myself really dwelling on the state of The Church today. Not my church, or your church, but The Church. The one that Jesus prayed for His that last night before the crucifixion. The followers He prayed would be one, like He was One with the Father.

but really, what would He say to us today, if He just dropped by to visit?

I wonder what He would tell the Pharisees of our day? Lord the church is full of them. Legalism and pride have decimated the congregation.

I wonder what He would think about all the racism and hate still going on in the world 2000 years after He showed the way of Peace and Love, and Kindness. About the prejudices' and hatefulness from the pews of His Church? I wonder?

I wonder what it is like to spend your first Christmas in Heaven. I wonder if the Angels would mind letting us hear the story from their point of view.

I know, just sentimental thoughts of a young fool, but I am misty eyed thinking about it. And all of the ones I loved so much that have went on to be with Jesus. I am reminded of Whintly Phipps reciting "Go Down Death" and feel sorry for those that would not listen to it because of his skin color.

I wonder how often the angels in heaven gasp at the actions of men, and then gasp again at the Glory of God? I wonder why the ears of men have grown dull and their hearts hardened? And that's just the ones that claim Christ. I also wonder about the ones who have no chance because someone was too shy to share a man called Hope with them? Or about the abused child who languishes because we are "minding our own business".

Its ironic, that we will mind our own business about a child or woman undergoing abuse, but will light the ears of anyone who would listen about a Christian Brother or Sister. Gossip about their clothes, their tithes, or about how they have backslidden because they miss a Sunday at Church. I wonder what Jesus thinks about that?

I wonder why more churches are not feeding the hungry, taking care of orphans and widows, healing the sick, and visiting the prisoner? I wonder why we turn a blind eye to all of the violence and hatred in our world, then rain judgment down upon a Christian brother or sister?

I wonder why sinners believe me when I tell them what God has called me to do, but Christians do not. I wonder why the miracles in our Churches are not brought up when we are evangelizing. I wonder if the Church is even evangelizing at all?

Don't you all ever wonder these things? Take a moment and be silent. Listen. And then wonder. And ask yourself, have I been faithful to my calling? Have I followed Jesus. I mean really followed- that means in loving others, showing kindness to those we wouldn't be caught dead socializing with before our Change.

Following Jesus is so much more than just claiming Him. So much more. And I wonder, am I following Him? Can I humble myself low enough to see, in this age of Me and I?

Are we really following Christ? I mean, really following Him? Jesus said that the world would know His followers by their love for one another. Do people recognize you by your love and kindness toward others?

Are you aware that other people are watching you? In a survey of preachers and workers done by Charisma magazine, did you know that the #1 excuse for people not attending a church was because of the behavior of other Christians?

Out of 1000 people who say they have been saved but do not attend Church, 80% said they no longer attend because they had been hurt by other Church goers. Going deeper, it was the legalists in church that did the most harm.

Pharisees and Legalist's are ever present today. They consider themselves the perfect Christian. You know them, not by their love for other people, but by their "holier than thou" attitudes. These are the ones constantly bragging about how often they pray, how long they pray, where they pray, the money they give, how often they read the Bible, how much they read of the Bible etc. When praying out loud, they try to be the loudest.

And they are the first ones to judge, criticize, point fingers, gossip, and hurt other people.

They put on Christ and take Him off like a jacket, whenever it is convenient to them. They wear a form of Godliness on the outside, but their inside is filthy. Everything Jesus said to the Pharisees in the Gospels apply to them today.

We are to follow Jesus, and to do what He did. Do you know how many sinners Jesus judged or condemned while He was here on Earth? Not one. Not a single one.

do you know who He DID criticize and who's behavior He did condemn? The "church-goers" of His time, the scribes and Pharisees.

So much for being sentimental, huh? But really, have you been hurt in Church? Well I have, and quiet recently. And I am a preacher! I had some awful and hateful things said about me, but you know what? I am still here! I am still standing, and am still doing what God called me to do.

So I wonder, how to address this cancer in our Churches and congregation? I will tell you how.

Love more. Be kind. Have faith. Know that they did the same thing to Christ. He was not welcome in the "religious" establishments of His day, and He would probably not be welcome in a lot of our organizations here. And for that reason, He has already left quiet a few of them.

But be of good cheer! Do not judge all churches like the one that hurt you. Their are true Churches out there doing what God called His Church to do. And there are Christians who love deeply any one, regardless of who they are. And you will know them when you see them. How?

By their Love and Kindness, of Course!

How we celebrate Christmas

Continuing on with our last post, I would like to share how we celebrate Christmas. In these days of mall trampling's and fighting over toys, it seems like America has forgot what we celebrate. Christmas has long been about giving and receiving gifts, and in the process we forgot about The Gift. The Gift that God gave us all those years ago in a small town in Judea called Bethlehem. The Gift was more than just a baby, and became more than just a man, He became our Savior, and will one day soon be our King.

Christmas was supposed to be about giving and receiving gifts and then preparing and eating a feast in honor of Christ, and what He did for us. Just think about how humbling it must have been to leave all of the Glory of heaven to be laid in a feeding trough. And then to put Himself within the limits of a human body, and grow, and then die. We have a hard time relating to any of this, because we seldom give up anything for anybody, let alone die in their place.

Look at the word Christmas. It is a Latin word of a combination of "Christ" and "mass", and has its origins in the Catholic church, meaning "a mass to celebrate Christ", but "mass" can also mean beginning, and Christ literally means "Messiah, or Savior". So for those of us who are not Catholic, in defining the word outside of Catholic lingo, Christmas literally means in secular language "the beginning of our Salvation." Salvation would not exist if Jesus had not had to come. This is explained extensively in the last third of the book of Isaiah, the entire book of Zechariah, and most of Hebrews.

So, how do we celebrate Christmas? Like I said in our previous post, we try to make Christ the focus. This is challenging enough for adults, but with five young boys, it is even harder. Try telling a 7 year old about the story of Christmas, and you will get "Yeah, yeah, but what did I get?" So it is a challenge, but it is easily overcome.

This is what we do. First, we made it clear when we decided to serve Christ full time that Santa Clause had to go. we told our kids the real story of Christopher Kringle, and that was that. Then we began setting our own traditions, and sometimes add a little more of it.

On Christmas Eve, we gather as a family, and I read the story of Jesus' birth from the family Bible. I am a pretty good story teller, so I make this as interesting and fun as I can. And then me and Roxann answer all the questions that we know the answers too, and then we put the kids to bed.

When it comes to presents, we used to go all out. We let our budget decide on how many and what kinds of gifts to buy. But last year, and again this year we decided on three gifts only. we let the kids give us a list of 5-10 things they want, and try to stick with those when possible. We then wrap the three gifts in colors representing the gifts the Magi, or wise men gave on that night. Gold for Gold, Deep red/maroon for myrrh, and earthy brown for frankincense. We also describe these gifts Jesus received and their meanings on Christmas morning.

Now these gifts are only the ones from us. Gifts from grandparents, friends, relatives, etc. are not considered to be our gifts. We then spend the day cooking and singing, and generally praising God. We remind ourselves and the children about why we are celebrating. And then we eat. We devote the day to kindness and love. Of course, we try to do that every day, but go out of our way on that day, and pledge to do the same the rest of the year.

And there you have it. Now, this is not to say that the way we do it is right, or your way wrong, but I hoped to answer the question so many of you have asked about getting the focus of Christmas off of money and on the One that money cannot buy.

I have two more post I am working on, one a sentimental one, and the other on a subject most like to avoid, the one of tithing. With the economy in the shape its in, tithing becomes harder, and around Christmas it becomes even easier to give less and take some for yourself. So we will look at ways to remain faithful while pinching pennies. And it will be all scriptural, and hopefully will ease some of your worries about preachers taking your money and buying yachts, etc.

Until next time, may God rain down blessings on you and your entire family!

Christmas in June?

Our last discussion went kind of well, but not many responses, so I will switch gears for this one.

Many of you have probably seen on the news in the last day or so (It was on Fox and Friends this morning), but a team of scientists think they have finally figured out when Jesus' real birthday was. They did this by studying the stars, and using new information regarding the stars alignment and how fast the galaxies are expanding, have pinpointed a phenomenon that is similar to the one we have been witnessing over the last month.

If any one has noticed the two really bright "stars" outside at dusk that look like you can touch them, well they are not stars at all, but the planets Jupiter and Mars. They line up like this every so often.

So using that data, they have discovered in the year 4 B.C. (which correlates with Luke and Matthews Gospel on the year), these stars lined up one on the top of another, and along with Venus, looked like an arrow was pointing at....can you guess where this is going? Of course it was pointing at Israel. They cannot pinpoint it no further than that, but I would guess that if they could, it would look like, at least from Iran, that it was over Bethlehem. (BTW, Magi are from Iran according to Daniel, where Daniel was "Prince of the Magi and Wise Men")

And the month was June. Previously, for those nerds like me that are very interested when science studies Christianity, scholars thought it was in September. Any astrologer or astronomer would have noticed this phenomenon, but only three went to "check it out".

Now, where did come up with December 25th? Glad you asked. All of you history buffs probably already know this, but for those that don't here is an abbreviated version. A disclaimer: Pharisees and other uneducated people will not agree with this "true" history, but here it is any way.

Emperor Constantine seen a vision of a cross in the sky, and made a new decree: In the Roman Empire, Christianity would be the state religion. As a matter of fact, it would now be the only religion. As a gift to the underground Churches, he gave all of the temples and pagan worship areas, to compensate them for all of the persecution they had undergone.

As would be expected, some of those temple priest's and priestesses were not over joyed with this, so several cults arose. Most of these have become Catholic Doctrine through the years, like praying to Saints, dead people, and the worshiping of the Virgin Mary. Quiet a lot of the rituals got passed along too.

Keep in mind that all of this "integration" did not happen immediately: the True Church worked in the Empire for a long time before finally breaking away and forming Independent Churches again, that were soon drove underground; only this time by their fellow Christians. To put this in perspective, Mary Worship did not become "official" Catholic doctrine until the 1960's Vatican Council. (although the "mother-son" cult was always present, they were considered a sect, or cult for a long time).

OK, one of the Roman Goddesses, Dionysis (not the Greek God of Wine, like on Hercules the series, but another Dionysys), was a fertility goddess. we know the "popular" ones like Zeus, Hades, etc, but their were over 100 fertility goddesses, and Dionysis was one.

Every year, it was said she was born on December 25th and died on the first Friday in April and was resurrected on the following Sunday. Her "familiar" was a rabbit, by the way. Fertility=rabbit, naturally.

Any way, to celebrate her re-birth every year, people decorated trees with green, red and blue and exchanged presents wrapped with green, red, or blue bows.

So you can see how easy it was to "hide" this cult within Christianity until one day a Pope arose who was a member of the cult. The rest is history, and now Christmas is a national holiday in over two-thirds of the world!

Just so some won't be offended, it is not known when the early church celebrated Jesus' birthday or even if they did at all. The Gospel of John was the latest Gospel to be written, and it was thought to have been written for the Church he (John) pastored at Ephesus, and he doesn't mention Jesus' birth, at least directly. The historian Justin mentions only His Resurrection being celebrated, and it was celebrated every Sunday when they met. And since Jesus' birth is really not specifically mentioned at all for several centuries shows me that they either did not think it was that important, or they thought His death and Resurrection was more important.

So, feel free to comment, or add what history you know to fill in the gaps, because the spread of "cults" into Catholic doctrine is much, much, more complicated and drawn out than can be allowed here. And leave us your thoughts about whether you think this is even important at all. And is Jesus' birth as important than His death and Resurrection?

There is actually controversy over this scientific inquiry. The pagan celebration I told you about is very well docuemented, but folks will argue that December 25th is "in the Bible". Check out YouTube and you will find a lot of the people that argue that Jesus' birth was December 25th are the same that will tell you the KJV of the Bible is the only inspred version of the Word. (Never mind the original scriptures arguement, they will argue with a telephone pole).

But you will also find lots of Christians refusing to celebrate on this day BECAUSE of the orgins of the holiday. And thats fine with me. I don't think you will go wrong by dedicating a day to focus on Jesus coming to the Earth. That is, as long as Jesus is the focus. My next post will be about how me and my family celebrate Christmas, and yes we do it on the 25th of December. If God knows everything there is to know, and has a personal relationship with me, then He surely knows whether I am celebrating Christ's birth or a pagan fertility goddess!

Until next time, Peace and Blessings on you and your family!

Jesse

Rebuke

Now it is time for our quick lesson on rebuking. I said in the last post that this was a new one for me, and I share it gladly with you.

Us Pentecostals will rebuke anything. And I am not saying that to be funny, but if you are from a Pentecostal congregation, you know what I am talking about. People go up front, and the preacher, Elders, and even a prophet or two start anointing with oil, laying hands on you, and rebuking whatever is bothering you. You know, like "I rebuke this sickness in the Name of Jesus, I rebuke this enemy, and I rebuke this devil or that devil."

That is all fine and good, but we have been doing it wrong. The wrong word in those sentences is the small word "I". Now "I" gets us in enough trouble by itself, but that is another lesson all together. You see, we have no business going out and fighting with any demon, devil, or Satan himself. As TD Jakes says, the best way to beat the devil is to "not get into the ring."

Now don't get me wrong, you will be involved in some battles. And God has equipped you to win those battles. Read Ephesians Chapter 6 and review the Armor of God. Jesus tells us that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven" . But these should all be defensive battles! These should all be responses to attacks on you.

A little disclaimer, one sure way to know that you are doing the right thing for God is if you are being attacked by the devil. This is why Christians always seem to be under attack and people living like hell have such an easy go at it (most of the time). They nailed Jesus Himself to a cross, after all, and He promised some of us would "drink" the same cup as Him, which is die for our beliefs.

But again, Christians are equipped to deal with these attacks, and God allows them to happen. God allows them to happen for various reasons, but the main ones are the testing of your Faith. This includes a smorgasbord of others, such as drawing you closer to Him, teaching you a lesson in humility, and strengthening you for future battles. But a lot of Christians fail miserably at these tests, and Jesus is always there to pick us up and wipe the dust off, and then send us out again. We fail because we do not use our equipment right. The armor of God is another lesson entirely that could never be put in one post, but today I want to talk about an offensive weapon greater than any others, and that is the Word.

See, when we talk about "I rebuke you Satan in the name of Jesus", we are using OUR word. Sure, Jesus said whatever we ask in His Name, He would give it to us, but study a little more and you will see that He was not talking about this, but something else.

Now, lets look at our text: Jude Verse 9. "Yet Michael the Archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

Now, lets get you a little background. Moses went on a mountain to die, and they never find his body, even though Joshua allowed the people to look for it (Deut Chapter 34). The story of Satan and Michael fighting over the body comes from an Apocryphal book of the Bible that is not included in our current canon.

The story goes that God sent the strongest angel He had ever created, Michael, down to earth to retrieve Moses' body. If you remember from Revelation, Michael is also the battle leader, or warrior, that leads the angels in the last battles. So he is a pretty powerful angel. When he arrived on the mountain, Satan met him there, and they "disputed", or argued over his body. Satan used some pretty rough language, promises, and blasphemy to convince Michael to allow him to have the body of Moses. Michael refuses to confront him out of fear of disrespecting God. God has withheld the pleasure of defeating Satan for Himself, and actually does it twice during the end times. All Michael would say was "the Lord Rebuke You!", and Satan immediately fled because he thought that God may actually show up Himself.

If the strongest angel (other than Satan) ever created refuses to rebuke Satan, should we? In every direct confrontation in the Bible between Satan and someone else, what defeats him? Think about that for a second. Think about these direct occasions where Satan did not send a demon or evil spirit, but left his customary place of accusing the Saints before God's throne and directly confronted somebody: Eve, Job, Jesus, and Michael the Archangel.

The answer is God's Word. Cursed Eve, restored Job, Glorified Jesus, and allowed Michael.

Want to know how powerful God's Word is? Have you seen the sun move from its place since He said "let there be light?" If your a woman and had a baby, did it hurt? When it rains, are there still rainbows?

The Lord rebuke you. Not I, not we, not in Jesus name I, or we, but The Lord Rebuke you.

You would be amazed at the results of believing and using this phrase. Now, this is a hard pill for some of you Pharisees to swallow. You like thinking you have all of this power and can single handily whip any demon, devil, or even Satan himself. You like thinking you can push around a supernatural being by yourself.

But our power comes from the Word, which comes from God. YOU have no power on your own. Your heads have become so swelled that it makes it hard for anyone to share your pew seat.

The Word. His Word. Your power.

The Lord Rebuke you! Try it, believe it, or continue getting knocked on your hiney. Your choice.

Admitting defeat, and future lessons.

Just a quick hit to admit defeat! My Alabama Crimson Tide was defeated today by the Florida Gators, and will now likely play in the Sugar Bowl. It was a great game, and I hope some of you watched it. A solid performance by two very good teams. It was one of those games that you hated to see anyone lose, but at the end somebody had too. So a mighty congratulations goes out to the Florida Gators!

Small message for Coach Bob Stoops: As a Christian, you should know that unsportsmanlike conduct is not Christlike, and as the coach, you should set the example.

Now, in the next day or so, I am going to be posting a teaching that I just learned myself today. And that is how to defeat the enemy, the devil. For those that don't believe in a real devil, you should follow along too. It can't hurt, and it can definitely help. See, I have been going at it all wrong. I have fought the devil hand and tooth; especially the last couple of months. I have been going at it all wrong. My spiritual mentor set me straight today, and I will be passing it along to you within the next few days.

So, your assignment: Read the Book of Jude. It is towards the end of the New Testament, and is very short. You should be able to read it in about 10 or so minutes.

And this is the thought I want you to keep in mind: Its all in the rebuke; we have been doing it wrong (especially us Pentecostals)

Until then, God Bless and keep you. May He rain down blessings on you that fill your cup to overflowing, and bubble forth from you and infect all of those around you! (Say that to yourself, and believe it, and then look out!)

Comments and Questions

Hey guys and gals, thought I would post some admin things while waiting on the Alabama- Florida football game. Roll Tide, by the way.

Please, use the comment link at the end of each post as often as you like. You can even disagree! Just keep it clean and no vulgar language. Also post your questions there; that way we can share with everyone else! And I don't get 1000 e-mails a day on my blackberry! An "interactive" site requires you to interact too, not just me. I WILL respond to all, except vulgar ones, which will be deleted.

I encourage all Bible or God question's! I will do my best to answer them, and not in a Pharisee "holier than thou" way. Directly from the Bible, and not a specific church's point of view. Of course, if a church is in direct line with the Bible, it should be the same. But then again, we would not have churches every 100 feet in America that hates each other and think all others are going to hell.

Listen-getting to heaven is easy, and no church can get you there. Only by the BLOOD can you be saved. If Church could get you to heaven, Jesus would not have had to die, He could have just started a church! But Church IS important. It is an institution of God. God only "built" three holy institutions: Israel, Marriage, and the Church. Look at what Satan attacks the most- Israel, Marriage, and the Church. And all three are made up of PEOPLE, consecrated by God.

It sounds simple- so why isn't everyone saved? Because God is holy, and they would rather not be. Too much fun down here, right. Look, you are only down here for a short while, and eternity is a long...long...LONG time. And I have a blast being saved! If you are a miserable Christian, you have missed something along the way! Well, it is time to go watch an Elephant run over an alligator...ROLL TIDE!

Horses and the Good Lord

Well, to say traffic has picked up on here would be an understatement! Thanks for all of comments. I may actually get around to answering some of your questions as well. I hope you are all doing and feeling well. I thought I would post real quick before finishing up an accounting project for school.

It looks like I will be buying a horse tomorrow- a beautiful 18 month old buckskin filly. I should be riding her by Spring if I can get my back to working again. I tell you, it has never hurt this bad until they "fixed" it, ha. Well, at least it keeps me occupied.

Now to the Good Lord. The Great I AM, El Shaddai, Elohim. It looks like He is preparing the way for His coming. Keep a close watch on the news, and re-read Daniel and Revelation. Then quickly skim the last part of Ezekiel and all of Zechariah. Looks like CNN headlines, doesn't it? But for those of us that are ready, keep a watch on that Eastern Sky, because it shouldn't be long. Now mind you, not immediate. There are still a few things that need to happen. Scholars the world over have always wondered where the US was in the end times, and why we did not come to the aid of Israel. There are two lines of thoughts: that we have failed as a nation and are out of the picture, or that we are the Eagle that protects Israel on her way to Petra while they are fleeing the Anti-chirst's persecution.

It looks like it could swing either way friends- if China cashed in all of its treasuries with the credit market froze, the US as we know it would cease to exist. Even our great military would grind to a halt, because it is now financed by credit.

But be of good cheer! Our Lord is in control, and is coming for us! For those left behind- feel free to use this blog as a reference. I hope to put some actual teachings out there so those non-Christians can understand what I am talking about. Even a lot of Christians do not know a whole lot about end time prophecies, so it could help them too! Until next time Shalom and God Bless!

Jesse

New Kentucky Law

I wanted to post this news blast real quick. I think this is awesome! Jesse

Kentucky's Anti-Terror Law Stresses 'Dependence on God'

A Kentucky lawmaker believes God is the state's first line of defense against terrorism.

In legislation organizing the state's Homeland Security division, state Sen. Tom Riner tacked on a provision that lists the agency's "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth" before its other duties, which include analyzing terror threats and distributing millions of dollars in federal grants.

The department is also required to credit God in its annual reports and to post a plaque at the entrance of the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

Riner, a Southern Baptist minister, said acknowledging the state's need for God's protection is appropriate. "This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Some lawmakers say crediting God distracts from the department's mission. "It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," said state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, who is a frequent critic of mixing church and state. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost." But Riner says keeping Kentucky safe is too big a job for the government alone. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap," he said. "The job is too big for government."

(Source: Charisma online)

Still Thankful

First of all, I need to add a disclaimer. In my previous post about your church only asking for your attendance and tithe check, I want you to know that I was not talking about any specific church. Of course with a blog that has over 1500 subscribers, you are going to say something occasionally to offend someone, and this was not the comment that I would have thought would, but it did. So accept my apology in that regard. Their are however churches out there that don't ask much from their members, and if THAT offends you, you probably go to one. I was simply contrasting that we in America take Church for granted. Christian in other countries are arrested, tortured, and even killed for attending church. And you know what? They attend any way. They may not go on Sunday at 10am and 6pm and Wednesday at 7pm like the Bible says (I am being sarcastic, please no hateful e-mails- really I know what the Bible says), but they go any way. But alas, I digress.

I must admit, that my church attendance has not actually been very Pharisee like itself. As a matter of fact, after my last flare up was over, I only went a couple of times. I preached on Sunday at a different church, went to my home church Sunday night, and then skipped Wed. night. Actually I don't remember if I did or not, but lets just say my joy in attending my current Church has went away. I attended a few weeks after my flare up, and then have not been back. As a matter of fact, I am resigning my membership their and moving on to what God has for me next. Why, you ask? None of your business, really. There was some conflict, and I asked God to open some new doors for me if He wanted me to move on, and He has opened several! Leave it to the Great I Am to give you some awesome employment options!

I actually would like to go to Dallas and to the Potter's House Church there, but the Lord says no, they don't need another preacher working from there. Sorry Bishop Jakes! You will have to get Roxann's Dumplings another time, ha.

Any way, I did not go to church this Sunday either- I had back surgery Saturday at the VA Clinic in Lexington. I guess it was more like a procedure, but boy did it feel major! They could not use anesthesia because they needed to know which nerve to "burn" (BTW I had microwave ablation of some spinal nerves). Can I just tell you it hurt! So Roxann and the kids went to the Church of our neighbors, Seven Pines Pentecostal Church while I enjoyed the Potters House Live from my computer screen. They liked it- the boys loved it, and I will try it out tomorrow night.

Back to my back. By Monday, I felt pretty good, so me and a guy named Red, who is my handy man that I hired to help take care of this place and who will also be the full time caretaker of our horse farm (more on that in another blog). So we moved my office and study downstairs into the basement, and then cleaned up my wood shop/garage. Felt really good. Called the Pastor of our old Church to try to explain why we were resigning, and again she refused to listen- I was wrong, and that was that. Its hard to argue with someone who is convinced that their position makes them right 100% of the time. So I stayed up all night in prayer (again, and for the same reasons as before). Then God told me what to do.

Remember in a previous post when I said what true worship was- adoration of God. To Adore your Creator. I put on a song by the Gaither Vocal Band called "Worthy the Lamb", and I just sat back and adored my Lord and Creator. And God gave me a message to give to my Pastor. I typed it up, and mailed it out. Which is what He told me to do. Not to speak-words are worthless when they are not listened to. So now she has a letter penned directly from God, and she will know exactly what to do next.

So, by this time Roxann is awake, and there is a good amount of snow on the ground, so she asked me to remove the snow from the van and drive down the road to see if it was safe enough for her to drive. Boy the things you do for love! So it was, she left, and I went back to prayer.

Kids did not have school because of snow-oh great, I have been awake for two full days and nights, and was really looking forward to sleeping while they were at school! So I wait until they get up, fix them breakfast, and Tyler offers to be the boss so I can sleep. He said, "Dad you look like death walking-like Spawn from my comic book". So I took him up on it and went to sleep. And boy, I slept like the dead. Me and my cat Sheba both didn't move for nine hours....at all.

Now back to my back-see there is a method to my madness! When I woke up, it hurt. Badly. Very Badly. I called the Pain Clinic where I had the procedure done and they said don't worry, your fine as long as there is no bulging or spinal fluid leaking. Now bu now, yall know my luck right. Of course, I had both. On all four puncture sites. So they said whatever you do, don't apply heat. So I take the heating pads I already had on off (ok, stop laughing), and then they said come in immediately. Screw that! I'm tired of doctors. So here I am in another sleepless night-this time because of pain. I can take no pain killers-you know us former addicts know better. It only takes one, and then there goes the vicious cycle all over again. And really friends, my former Pastor thinks that is why I am leaving the church anyway, that I have started doing them again, so it would be easy to go back. I have a stack of prescriptions a quarter of an inch thick I haven't gotten filled (wonder how much those are worth-kidding, no e-mails pleas), so why not?

I'll tell you why not. Did Jesus have pain killers when He was strapped to that Roman whipping post? NO I am sure His back hurt a whole lot worse than mine.

I thought about trying the vinager and gaul thing, but since I have no idea what it is, I'll have to pass. The Greek word for it seems to be "sour wine", but my Greek is a little rusty, and I don't like good wine, so sour wine will just have to wait as well. Now a good shot of Jack Daniels maybe. Look, I am just kidding again- remember I am the preacher that listens to AC/DC! I have a little bit of a sense of humor, and have not had a drink of alcohol in a really, really long time. SO for those of you critics and Pharisees that just take the negatives from these post to use as ammunition against me- there you go. By the way, Jack Daniels used to cost $41.00. That was another joke, but a rather cruel one. The one it was intended for knows exactly where it came from. Oh yeah, $41.00 was also the amount of the tithe from my kids birthday money. They gave me the money, I wrote a check, and was told I stole from God! Did that sound bitter? I must pray some more, because I told the Lord I was over that.

OK, thats it for me tonight. This was just me rambling since some of you said you missed my humorous post's from the old blog on myspace. I hope there was some lessons in it too, and not about the price of Jack Daniels. I have no idea what it cost now, and do not care to know, but since 100 or so of you comedians are going to tell me anyway, I'll post it next time. BTW, welcome to the new subscribers from the desert paradise of Iraq. I was with you the first time 108th, and I would be lieing if I told you I wished I was with you now. I miss you guys and gals, but not that much! Jeez, you almost got me killed last time. But I will send you the Bibles as promised- they will be in Arabaic, so I need to figure out how to "camo" them so customs don't burn them. Give one to the gold dealer with one eye-he'll know who its from. He will curse you and yell, but will keep it. He's got good prices too! Sandy, you know the one I am talking about, he asked you for a piece of your hair! I pray for your protection daily.

One last note, the missionary from Northern Iraq is back in country now. His family is safe. Thanks for the prayers. Sorry this post is so long, but I hope I kept you entertained. It is now time to go wake the kiddos up for school and then go meet with a Preacher who is looking for a youth Pastor in good ole Anneville Kentucky.

Oh yeah..ROLL TIDE

Are you Thankful?

Being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I have given a lot of thoughts about the real meaning of Thanksgiving. It is more than a day off work, or a miniature break from school. If you ask people, they say: family, Jesus for saving me, friends, etc.

But lets look at this another way. When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed for you and me. Don't believe that? Read John 17:20-26. In the first part of the chapter, He prays for Himself, asking God if it was possible that this cup could be taken from Him. He then prayed for His immediate followers, the Apostles. And then He said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (that's you!), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I AM in You. Is your Church and its closest neighbor one? Are you one with other believers? Re read those verses again, and then read Romans 14. How does your church stand up to this Biblical COMMAND? How about you? Are you truly Thankful that your church only asked for your attendance and tithe check?

Now let me tell you what we should be thankful for above all else.

Be thankful that Jesus did not call 12 Legions of Angels to deliver Him (Matthew 26: 53)

Be thankful that Jesus chose to "drink that cup" (John 18:11)

Be thankful that God allowed Gentiles to accept His Salvation (Romans)

Be thankful that Jesus did not ask his Father to remove Him from the Cross.

Be thankful that your name was not in the obituary's this morning

Be thankful that you can freely worship at the Church of your choosing. In some countries, Christians are killed for going to church, in others they are killed for not going to the "state" church.

Be thankful that it was not you at the whipping post and on the cross-it should have been.

Be thankful that you have an Advocate on Judgment day. You will be alone, and what you've done means nothing. The only thing that will be important is whether Jesus recognizes you or not.

Did you go hungry last night? Did you freeze last night? Do you have a job? Do you have shoes and clothes to wear?

So let me ask you again; are you thankful?

If you are, how can you show God that you are? Besides accepting His Son as your Lord and Savior, their are other ways.

Worship Him! Worship means "to adore"-not go to church, sing three songs, doze through a sermon, and then run over old people trying to leave. Take some time, raise your hands torward heaven and truly ADORE HIM.

Praise Him! I mean, really Praise Him...loudly and for everything.

Love Him- He said "if you love Me, keep my commandments". So, do you Love Him? Its not a yes or no question, it is proven with action.

Now, let us vow today to truly be thankful! If we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of those other things are added for free!

Praise Jehovah, the Great I AM!

Now is the Time

Well, friends, the election is over, and while the person I was pulling for did not win, that is ok. God is still on His throne and is still in control. There is always a positive in every election, and this was no different. We made history with this election with women and African Americans making tremendous gains. It is really shameful that it is 2008 and we are just having our first black President. It has not even been 100 years since women were given the right to vote, and we had a serious female contender for President and Vice President. Pretty ground breaking, huh. And Obama did not just win, he won big. And for all of us concerned about his socialist leanings, he has already began to move toward the center, where most Americans are. We should all pray for him every day, both for his safety and for his wisdom to listen to God.

As for us, we still have a lot of work to be done. All over the world, Obama is being called the first "World President". The words "In God We Trust" are being removed from the Speaker of the Houses podium during a remodeling, and the Bible that Lincoln placed his hand on during his second inauguration is being removed. A left wing political organization has purchased millions of dollars of Anti-God ads to be placed on buses, in airports, on TV, and subways saying "Why Believe in God? Be good for goodness sakes" and are scheduled to run through Christmas.

My friends, the world is being prepared for a great day! For some of us it will be a joyful reunion, and for others a day of horror and fear. Jesus said people would go and hide in the mountains and cry out for boulders to fall on them to hide them from the wrath of "the One Who sits upon the throne." So yes, there is work to be done.

Christians should be working with a sense of urgency. There are still people who have not heard the gospel. There are still prisoners that have not been visited, sick that have not had hands laid on them. People are still hungry, and the poor are "always among us."

So don't sit at home, work! There are hundreds of ministries you can work with, and if God has given you a vision, start your own. Christian leaders are retiring at a record pace and are looking for those that will carry their work forward...it may be you. Its time to stop being selfish, and start putting others first, and ourselves last. That is service. That is being a Christian.

So you are hurting, or sick, or under attack...work anyway. Jesus did. Afraid of rejection? Jesus said for us to know that when we are rejected and persecuted to remember, that He was first! And it is not us who are being rejected, it is HIM!

The time for excuses is over. The time for sitting at home worrying and praying is over. The time for letting other people work is over. It is time for us to take a step in faith and just start doing. I heard a great message from a great man of God once called "Shut up and DO." We have talked enough about what needs to be done. Now go do it. And as soon as you feel an excuse about to pass your lips...rebuke it immediately. Excuses will not stand when we are before God's throne. There will be no excuses allowed, they will be consumed by the fire from God's throne, along with our vain works. (1 Pet 1:7, 1 Cor 3:12-15)

So are you going to "go in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" while "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt 28:18-20) and "preach the Good News to all creation" (Mark 16:15)?

Or are you just going to sit there and continue to do nothing?

God, the Promise Keeper

I snapped this beautiful picture from our balcony earlier tonight. There were actually three rainbows, but only two showed up. But I was reminded about the purpose for the rainbow. God gave Noah the rainbow with the promise that He would never destroy the earth by water again. Noah has went on, but we still have the proof of God's promise. Has the world been destroyed by water again? So if God keeps His promise to a dead man, just think of what He has in store for you! Every promise in the Bible will be kept!!! And the rainbow is our reminder of that important fact. God is a Promise Keeper!

Voting on Nov. 4th

Friends, I just wanted to drop a really quick post to remind you all to vote this coming Tuesday. It doesn't really matter who you vote for, just vote. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and vote. Lots of great men and women have died and suffered to defend this right of yours, so do them some honor by going and letting your voice be heard.

I am of the line of thinking that if you do not vote, you should forfeit your right to whine and complain about politicians until the next election. If you do vote, then you can whine and complain all you want!

This is a really important election, and some of you will get to vote on things just as important as our next president, like gay marriage, prayer in school, ROTC in our schools, and illegal immigration, so let your voice be heard!!

And believe me, every vote counts...have you seen the latest polls? Remember in 2000 when Bush was elected by fewer than 500 votes? Your vote DOES count!! And don't give me the excuse that you don't know most of the candidates outside the presidential race! Just leave the ones you don't know blank or vote according to your traditional political party!

Until next time, God bless!

PS. My surgery seems to have been successful this past week, as once the soreness wore off, I seem to be doing a lot better! Hey, I can even feels some of my toes now!! Praise God!!

Christians Being Persecuted

I would like to ask prayer for a missionary family that we support. I cannot give their names, but rest assured they are real people.

You may have seen on the news that the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq's Nineveh province have been being killed and kidnapped. They have burned churches, and executed at least ten people in front of their families.

I received this short e-mail on Saturday: "Please pray! Christians being persecuted in Mosul and Nineveh. Our church burned...We are going to try to make Turkey...were turned away from the US base. A nomadic tribe has offered us safe passage in exchange for medical supplies. Thank God our children are no longer here as we sent them to their grandparents three weeks a go. Please pray in your churches tomorrow."

Its a shame that we in America see it as a challenge to wake up on Sunday mornings to make it to church and consider persecution as someone "talking bad about us." A real shame.

As someone who has worked with missionaries before, let me tell you it is not an easy task. But if you want to truly see the Holy Spirit move, spend a week or two with missionaries. You can find them through your congregations mission board or denominations main web page. They always need extra hands, and they will help you reach them.

In the Middle East, these people are being flogged and beaten for going to church...yet go any way.
They are executed for preaching Jesus to Muslims...yet preach any way.
Their children are forced to attend Madrasas...yet they "un-teach then any way.

Now friend, tell me...Jesus said we would be persecuted for serving Him if we were true servants...are you being persecuted?

Jesus said that the world would hate you because it hated Him first...Does the world hate you?

If you read in the book of Revelations, you will notice that a special place is prepared for those that lose their lives for the Gospel; the Bible calls them martyrs. They are in the presence of the throne of God at all times, and beg Him daily to take vengeance on those that persecuted them and to bless those that helped them.

Which category do you fit in? Made fun of Christians lately? Talked bad about the church down the street? Or do you bless them and support them.

It is not easy being a Christian in America; just look at the two presidential candidates who have suddenly "found Jesus" and the vice-presidential candidate that has been ostracized for attending a church that "speaks in tongues." So we either have a false relationship with Jesus or we are made fun of for truly believing in Him.

But that has no relation to being a Christian elsewhere. Those people in India and Thailand that are tied to a metal post and whipped until they are almost dead would surely trade places with you; they would have loved to be made fun of for believing...yet they continue believing, and you stay in bed so people don't see you going to church?

A real shame...

Watching Them Hurt

Isn't it hard to stand by and watch one of your friends (or maybe family) fall off of the deep end? In this case, I am talking about addiction (to pain medicine), but you could put any situation in here, whether it is domestic violence, depression, drugs, etc.

Drug addiction is a hard battle to win, but no one can do it for you. In my line of ministry, I see people fail every day because they are "doing it for my ______". You have to do it for you.

Something all addicts have in common is they hit rock bottom. Looking back, and talking from experience, I will tell you the feeling I felt was utter despair. You start believing your own lies, and everyone else becomes a liar. You start to dip into depression, and maybe even violence. (Thank God I missed that one) But it always happens, and this is a critical time in their addiction cycle, because one of three things ends up happening: 1. Death (overdose, suicide, etc) 2. Lose your mind, causing harm to others, or 3. You start the process of becoming clean. This is absolute rock bottom, and some people have to hit it several times in their "cycle" before becoming victorious. Some never make it. The text's and "experts" probably will not agree with the above statement, but I am speaking of reality, not their "utopia" world of "hello, my name is ______ and I am an addict." That could be why our program has a 97% success rate, and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) has a 20% success rate.

What brings this up is not someone who is going through our program, it is a very good friend who is probably not a friend any more, due to pain pills. He was in the "panic" mode of desperation because he was out, and he accused me and his dad of having some and not wanting to share. We were liars (to him), no matter what. He is at the stage I spoke of above, and refuses any help. Believe you me, I have offered, but he "doesn't have a problem." And no one in his family thinks he has a problem, except his dad, and defend him and help him justify his behavior.

It is sad, but it is not hopeless. We as friends, and especially as Christians, should not think in terms of defeat. Keep offering encouragement, and pray, pray, pray. Remember the woman who Jesus healed? She prayed for 16 years, and then Jesus told her, "Woman, thou art loosed." It is the same with addiction; keep praying, and keep encouraging. When they get clean, they will seek you out and apologize for their wrong doings toward you. That is part of the process of defeating Satan's weapon of choice, addiction.

But it still hurts! It hurts for your best friend to call you a liar! Them's fighting words for most men...its up there with calling them an sob, but today I walked away. My pride has hurt, but I am praying that God will deliver him from his affliction and take his excuses.

I know this post seems jumbled, but I just wanted to share this with you. Don't give up, and remember pride is a root for a lot of hurt and evil in this world. It is what caused Satan to be thrown from heaven, so if yours is challenged, remember the words of Jesus, "I have overcome the world", so He can definitly help you overcome pride.

Which Bible?

OK folks, its question and answer time again. Here it goes:

Which version, or translation of the Bible should I be using? My church says I should only use the King James Version.

This is one of those "touchy" areas that I will be more than happy to give my spill on. Let me give you the short answer first: Pray, and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Now for the long answer: There are literally hundreds of English translations of the Bible. The most popular versions in America according to the American Bible Society are 1. King James, or Authorized Version 2. The New International Version 3. The New Living Translation 4. The Message and 5. The New King James Version

If you included all of the translations done by missionaries, there are well over 1000 English translations. But of those, only THREE, yes three, come directly from the ORIGINAL Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. They are the original King James Bible, the New International Version, and the New Living translation.

A panel of scholars recently (1995-1999) spent over 10,000 hours pouring over the original text's to make a decision on which were the most accurate. They included the top scholars of all the major denominations including Baptist, Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, Church of God (Cleveland), Assembly of God, Catholic (eastern orth. and Roman), Lutheran, Anglican, etc. And over 20 non denominational doctors of Religion. Their conclusion: There were no "perfect" English translation of the Bible using today's language.

Consider this: Since the King James Version was first published, the English language has grown by more than 9,000,000 words and phrases. It was concluded that this version of the Bible was accurate at its time of publication, and could still be considered true scripture today. Just a note, this version of the bible has been updated over 1100 times since its original publication. There is exactly 1 "original" left at Oxford university, and most of us would not understand one word of it compared to today's version.

The most up to date version that was the closest to the original scriptures is the New International Version. This was the version the panel recommended for use in today's church. They compared it to Luther publishing the Latin Vulgate in German: This is an up to date English version that is even more accurate than the KJV. This is because the scholars that translated the NIV had 5,000 more manuscripts than the translators had in 1600 due to archaelogical finds.

The worse English translation: The New King James Version. Their report calls this version the "biggest travesty of scriptures since the Vatican changed scriptures with every new Pope". They reccommend not using this version at all.

Another accepted version was the New Living Translation (NLT), which uses original manuscripts along with the KJV, NKJV, an NIV and puts in into todays language. They reccommend this version for new Christians and for "home Bible studies".

They did not say a lot about The Message Bible, but found that it "may be useful in bringing teenagers into the church, but it should not be considered authorative because it is a "paraphrase" of original scriptures and is used in many New Age Churches.

Bored yet? I use the King James Version and the New International Version, with a Holman Illustrated Bible as a back up. If you are serious about Bible study, consider getting a Interlinear Bible, which has the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic scriptures with the direct English translation word for word underneath. You will be amazed at the difference and you will quickly realize why an up to date Bible like the NIV is needed.

This is my reccommendation: If the King James Version seems like a foreign language to you, go with the New International Version. It is easy reading, and is more accurate than any other version out there when compared word for word to the original text's.

And a shout out to all of those who are preaching that any version other than the KJV is heretical, I will be sure to tell all of the Apostles that there versions of Scripture were wrong when I see them in heaven, and you say hello to all the Pharisee's for me as well. I'm just joking, but see how ridiculus this whole debate is???

Jesse

Jesus, where are you?

I have been away for quiet a while, and I will tell all of those that already do not know that I have been facing an attack like you would not believe. First a physical attack, then emotional, and finally spiritually. An attack from whom, you ask? See the earlier post on whether hell is real, and draw your conclusion from that.

A question to all of the Christian readers out there: Have you ever come to the point where you just want to hang it all up? Tell God the price is too high and to go find someone else to fulfill your calling? Before you skeptics start bragging about how Jesse's Jesus "phase" has finally ended, wait until the end.

I do not remember if I spoke about it here, but my old blog it was quiet a topic, but let me summarize. A lot of you know that I was medically retired from the Army for a combination of injuries received while serving and a disease called Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease is a auto-immune disease of the digestive system which is poorly understood and is incurable. Your immune system pretty much attacks your stomach and small intestine (for me any way). It can attack the large intestine, but I have missed that one. A very small percentage of people with Crohn's also develop a rheumatoid like arthritis. I am in that percentage. An even smaller percentage develop a condition called spondylarthropy, which is where the joints in your spine calcify and grow together. Yes, you guessed it, I have that. I have been in remission for a couple of years now.

Now fast forward to about a month and a half ago. I just did not feel right, and knew a flare was coming so I went to the VA (Veterans hospital) emergency room. They said there was nothing wrong, to go home. Mind you, the VA hospital is 2 hours away. That was on a Saturday. On Monday, I got really sick, vomiting blood and passing it as well. No way was I going to go back to the VA, so I went to my family doc, and she gave me steroids which brought the flare under control. 1 out of 10 people who take steroids develops a really bad infection. Guess who got a really bad infection? You got it. So I finally got an appointment to see my GI doc at the VA, and she tells me whatever is going on, its not Crohn's and she is not real sure why I came to see her!

So here I am, really sick, and no one knows what the h** is going on. I have been to church exactly 1 time in the last 6 weeks (not good for a minister), and only leave the house to go to the Dr. or to visit those in our drug ministry who are in "crisis". I can stay out of bed for about three hours at the most, and then I collapse out of exhaustion. So there is the physical attack.

Along with that comes the emotional attack. My Pastor doesn't say much, but she has definitely let me know that my church attendance is interfering with her giving me any responsibilities withing the church. This is not really surprising, as I would have done the same thing in her position, except that she doesn't like my "style" and has basically let me know that I really wasn't needed around there except to come to church and pay my tithe. But that is another story, as I am there for the long haul because the Lord will not let me leave. So since I can't really get out of bed, I get to think about that a lot. Top that off with me not being able to cook for the kids (my job, since my wife works 14 hour days), play with them, or do anything with them it starts wearing on you. I let our garden die and rot since I could not pick it.

Now for the spiritual attack, and the Christian message (now you know I couldn't let that go...that's the whole purpose for this blog). I have a wonderful walk with God. I am not bragging, just trying to set the background. He guides me, leads me, corrects me, and is my best friend. Yet through all of this...nothing. A man who has been called a prophet since he was 14 years old hears the echos of silence when praying, singing, meditating, or worshiping. I can feel the Spirit nearby, but the presence of my Savior....not there. I mean He is there, but not answering. He let me know long ago that He would heal me, to be patient, but never have I felt so alone. I who have seen countless people healed miraculously is lying in bed hoping to die. At this point healing or death is both victory, because if healed I can continue to lead others to Christ, and death brings me home to Him forever.

All of this brings to mind the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Remember that story from John chapter 11? What most of us remember is that Lazarus was raised from the dead and many Jews "believed on Him". (v 45). But that is not the part of the story I want you to focus on.Before Lazarus died, he was very sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, immediately sent for Jesus, telling Him "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick" (v3). In today's language we would say, hurry, your best friend is about to die. Now verse five states that Jesus "loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus". But you know what? Jesus DID NOT COME!

Ever been there? Ever been at the absolute end of the line; rock bottom, and cry out to Jesus, "Lord, where are you", and He did not come? That is where I am right now.

Is the welfare people coming for your kids? Repo man for your car? No food to eat? Bank foreclosing on your house? A loved one dieing from an incurable disease? LORD WHERE ARE YOU? And He did not come.

NOW, read the rest of the story. Go ahead, I have time to wait........OK what did you see? Jesus did in fact come. Four days later than when His friends needed Him. Now these were not just any people, these were Jesus' "people". They knew Him and they had a personal relationship with them. He stayed in their home when He was in town. When He arrived, He wept because Lazarus was dead. Or did He? We know He wept, but was it because Lazarus was dead or because of His disciples lack of faith? They had seen Him raise Jairus' daughter.

Now, here is my point (finally). Jesus' followers were looking for Jesus to do what He did every day: heal someone that was sick. Jesus was looking to fortify their belief and show that He was more than a prophet and a healer. He was more than a future ruler of Israel, but would also rule the greatest enemy of all: Death. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 15:26 that the last enemy to be destroyed was death and Revelations records death and Hades (the grave) being thrown in the pits of hell (Rev. 20:14). Jesus told Martha, "I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25-26.

Of course I believe this, but where does that leave me lieing here in absoloute pain? I'll tell you: with a sweet blessed Hope. My Lord and my God may not come when I want Him to, but He WILL come. Isn't it great, that our Lord is so powerful that He can come four days late and still be on time! Praise God Al mighty, who reigns forever and ever.

I hope and pray that this strengthens you as it did me. If you are not going through a crisis right now, save it, or highlight it in your Bible, because eventually you will. And there Jesus will be, right on time!!

Why God?

In light of the recent hurricanes and earthquakes, and all of the violence going on, I would like to do a short post to answer a question submitted by one of our readers:

"Brother Jesse, if God is so Loving and does not want any to perish, like you said in your online sermon, why does He let so many horrible things to happen?"

This probably one of the most frequent questions I get as a minister, and it is one that has been asked throughout history. The Psalms in our Old Testament are full of "Why do the heathen rage and prosper, and the righteous perish and die" questions (Note-the preceding quote is mine and is not from any specific verse). The entire book of Job, minus the first two and last 4 chapters, sees Job's friends trying to figure this one out.

Here is my best, Holy Spirit led, answer: God is Love, and God is a loving God. He loves us so much that he allowed His son to die (as a matter of fact, Isaiah says God is the one that killed Him), and He does not want any of us to perish.

But you must remember, that God is also a Holy God. He is so Holy, that he cannot stand the presence of Sin, and He only asks us one thing, to serve Him. I think God is very sad when tragedy happens, but fore the last 100 years we have totally thrown Him out of our lives. We have banished Him from public, school, and even our churches. So God is doing exactly what we asked Him too: He is leaving us alone.

Remember, God's love endures forever; His patience does not. I am not saying that God is trying to kill people, or that righteous people do not have tragedy. God is God, and He is Holy. We cannot ever understand Him, but we can serve Him. He has made provision for us: His son, Jesus Christ, whose Blood allows us to stand before Him when we do go on to the other side.

Presidential Election

Here is my spill on the upcoming election. As you can read on some of my earlier post, I think God pays at least a little attention to these things, yet leaves us free choice, kind of like He did with Israel and Saul. They asked for a king, He told them what would happen, and then He gave them a king who acted just like God said. ( See 1 Samuel Chapters 8-10)

Also you will note that I think America is the "Promised Land" for the Gentiles, and that a large part of our reason for being is the protection of the true Promised Land, Israel. And lots of prophesy scholars believe that the symbolic eagle mentioned in Isiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah that helps Israel flee the anti-Christ in the end times is America. I cannot say whether it is America, but I find it hard to believe that if Israel is being invaded from the north and east by two different armies bent on her destruction that America will not be around in some way. All we can say for sure is that God supernaturally intervenes and Israel is taken to Petra (an ancient rock fortress and city in the deserts on the border of Israel, Syria, and Jordan; mostly Jordan) and that some of the prophets mentioned both a bear and eagle being involved. let me remind you that the national symbol of the US is an eagle and a bear is Russia's. The Bible actually almost names the bear (see Ezekiel, where Meschac, Tubal, and Roosh are mentioned). Let me remind you also that Russia has a strategic plan of invading the Middle East to control oil in the event of nuclear war, and the US, Israel, and NATO also have contigency plans.

Now, what does this have to do with our election? OK, it will seem like I am going off into left field, but bear with me here: You would think that a country who has over 80% of the population professing a belief in God, 60% in Jesus, and 47% in both as 1, that we would have no problem electing a President who upheld our values, but we don't. Here is why: Out of the 60% of people who proclaim Christ, less than 20% vote in every election. Of the 40% who don't claim Christ, 88% do. So a small minority of the people make decisions for the rest of us, and we let them do it.

Ministers are not supposed to become very involved with elections; at least they are not supposed to tell their congregations how to vote, but I feel this one is different. See, Barack Obama has said that the defense of Israel is not our top priority, as it has been since 1948. (To let you know, other than defense of our homeland, protection of Israel is a fundemental military doctrine of the US). He also states that not only does he think women should be able to have abortions, but if the abortion procedure fails, and the baby survives (which is possible after the 6th month, maybe earlier) that the doctors should not provide life-saving procedures on the infant. He also states that he believes homosexual marriage is not only not a sin, but that God is ok with it. And to top it all off, he is on record as saying that the far-left wing fo his parties basic ideals should trump party members religious beliefs. Of course, we know McCains stance on all of these. While he is not a "religious" person, he does oppose all of the above vehemently. BTW, you can find all of those facts on Obama's own website. You will have to dig, but you will find it, and much more.

Now to tie these two areas together: Friends we are seeing more Bible prophecy fullfilled today than at any other time since the events surrounding Jesus' birth, death, and ressurrection. We are headed full speed into the last days. While preachers have always said that the "end is near", it has never been this bad before. The world has always been perilous, but never as perilous as it is today. Take the time to re-read Matthew 24 and 25, and then go turn on your TV to a news network. From Jesus' own mouth, you can see that as Christians we should be looking up, for our "redemption draweth nigh". Hallaleuiah.

There is much work to be done. Shouldn't we have a good, conservative, God- fearing president in office when this happens? I can tell you, you don't want to be on the wrong side of the upcoming final battle in which the Lamb claims Victory.

So VOTE. Tell all of your Christian friends to VOTE. Consider holding drives at your Church (with your pastors permission, of course). Don't tell them who to vote for, because if they are in touch with the Holy Spirit, they will know who to choose!

Now this is a long post isn't it? Sorry, but we have a vested interest in all of this. While the Saved will be removed from the earth before the Great Tribulation Jesus speaks of, lots of people we know and love will still be here on earth. Don't we owe it to them to warn them?

In closing, thanks for continuing to read, and let me apologize for being so sporadic in my post, but I promise to get better!! And please, use the comment forum! It is there for you, and it lets me share your comments and suggestions with everybody. You can leave them anomonousley if you are a little embarrased-there is no way that even I would be able to tell who you were!

God bless you all!

Forever Your Brother and Fellow Worker in Christ,
Jesse

Worshiping God

I hope everyone is having a great Lord's Day. We have a couple of us sick here, but as always God continues to bless. I was sitting here thinking and meditating, and a thought came to me that was so good that I just had to share it with you. We call Sunday's the Lord's Day, and a lot of people go to churches all around the world to "worship". I put the word worship in quotation marks because a good majority of us end up not doing it.

Before defining worship, let me tell you what it is not. It is not going to church, singing three songs, listening to a 30 minute sermon and then going home to watch sports. Worship is reverence. It should be done EVERY day. You can do it wherever you are at. While studying and meditating on the Word and attending church is a part of serving God, it is not worship.

So what is worship? Worship is defined as "the adoration of God." Adoration is a Greek root word meaning "to adore". Is that what you did today? I think that we as Christians miss this. We are stuck in our rituals and our holier than thou reputation, we forget to really worship God. We can look throughout the Bible and find men and women worshiping God. I really like the story of King David when they were bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and the Bible said he danced before God and the congregation for all of his might. He did this for 19 miles! And we grumble about getting up early!

I cannot "show" you how to worship. I cannot teach you how to worship. Some preachers and churches hold classes on this, but I tell you with all of the authority God has given me as an anointed servant that only the Holy Spirit can lead you in true worship of the Great I AM. You say how does that happen Jesse? Have you tried asking? Find you a quiet place free from distraction, clear your heart and mind, and then ask the Lord to show you how to worship. Its not words and its not action, it is the adoration of God! Enjoy your time with your King, and I would love to hear how it turns out!!

Thinking about God

I know it has been a long while, but here we go again. Thanks for all e-mails of concern, everything is alright here, just been busy, and not feeling that well either. Been real stiff, but I am doing fine. We just had the greatest day of the year for a stay at home Dad with 5 kids: First day of School. It is a day I look forward to more than Christmas. we have all 5 in school, so the days are a lot quieter around here. My oldest just started Middle School, and he was very nervous, but found that it was pretty cool there.

We also adopted a kitten. Not just any kitten, but a newborn that has to be bottle fed. Her mother was killed by a car. She is named Sheba, and is a cute little furball. Spoiled already, she is doted on by all five boys.

I have been reflecting on a few things lately, and my mind keeps coming back to how good God really is. If us in our human weakness could grasp, just for a second, how mighty and all powerful our God is, we would never worry about anything. Imagine what would happen if every one believed God? I mean, really believed everything He has said in His Word, all His promises, and all of His wishes for us. Jesus said that if one person had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move to the sea, and it would have to obey. For that matter, what if just one Church truly believed God? You that are in Church know that there are few God-fearing, Bible believing Christians left. it is mostly a building filled with heretics on one side, and modern day Pharisees on the other, with nothing getting done. We go in, sing our three songs, zone out during a 30 minute sermon, and then cuss the Sunday drivers on the way home.

But imagine: 1 Church that was praying in one accord! Believing in one accord! We could literally move mountains for Christ. Jesus' only command to the church as a whole was to feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit those in prison, and take care of the orphans and widows. Is your Church doing that? Don't be ashamed, few are. Some are doing some of those things, but I have found very few that are doing all of them.

Ever notice how small a mustard seed is? We used some this week making pickles. They are tiny. Can we not muster just this much faith? Imagine what would happen. I happen to be part of a Church that is small, but doing more than Churches 10 times it size. Why? Because we believe. People come from miles around so that our prayer warriors and elders can lay hands on them. Then they walk away refreshed, strengthened, and healed. But even in our small church there are scoffers, gossipers, and naysayers. We overcome those by the Blood of the Lamb and our testimonies. Sound familiar?

Jesus said the world would hate us, but not to fear, because He has overcome the world. That should have you shouting, because if we are His, we too have overcome the world. So fear not, all you weary and broken hearted, because the King is soon coming! And then we truly will be "more than conquerors."

Before I go, please remember our associate Pastor in your prayers; he lost his son on Wednesday night. Remember my brother, Codey as well. He has checked his self out of our drug program and returned to Alabama, against my advice. Also remember me, as I start the last year of college on the 12th. It only took 10 years, but I did it.

I hope to have some pictures posted soon, and we are working on a website, so look forward to that. It will be a lot easier to interact from a website, than on here. May God Bless and keep you all safe and healthy!!

Jesse

The Ten Commandments

I know it has been a little while, but busy is too nice a word for me in the last couple of days. Working at the ministry, canning and preserving, and remodeling the house leaves very little room for blogging. But I have received your e-mails, and am answering your questions as fast as possible.

I have spent the day in prayer and fasting, and have renewed my commitment to God, family, and my Church. I have to admit, I was getting discouraged. I wasn't sure if I was at the right church, and I was having a pity party and pouting to myself. I met with my Pastor yesterday, and then went home and fell on my face before the Lord. I enjoyed our time together, and He revealed a whole lot of things to me. There were some rumors and some strife going on that I brought to her attention, and we had a big misunderstanding. But isn't God great! That's the good thing about us preachers, we can come together in the Spirit and get to the bottom of everything. She thought I was politicking for a office position in the church, and I thought she wanted me to leave the church. Man, the Devil is a liar. It turns out we were both wrong, and we dealt Satan a mighty defeat, in the name of Jesus.

But that is not the end of the story. God called me into a fast, and He has shown me where I was wrong, and how to get things right. I renewed my faith in Him, and He refreshed my Spirit, and showed me that my pride was getting in the way of my walk with Him. But no longer.

Now on to today's subject, the Ten Commandments. For you international readers, over here there is a war being fought over posting the Ten Commandments in public. The ACLU and other Antichrist groups say it is a violation of the separation of Church and State. The Christians say just the opposite; that we have a right to post them any where we want under the Constitution. So the end result is that we can post pictures of Santa, quotations from the Koran, and Kwanzaa, but cannot post anything dealing with the Christian and Jewish God.

But lets look at this from a practical standpoint. Every Commandment but one has a place in our law books. It is against the law to commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal, or murder. So what's wrong with posting those?

Is it wrong to post a list of rules in schools that say "Do not Steal"? If you are caught lieing in a court of law, you go to jail (unless you are a Democrat, then its OK), so why can we not post them in our courthouses?

The ACLU is "supposed" to protect my civil liberties. But in actually, they stand for all civil liberties, except for Christians. We are not allowed freedom of speech, expression, or the right to protest. We cannot even pray in public without the risk of being sued. In Colorado, a lawsuit has just been filed against two publishers of Bibles, claiming that they are "racist" against homosexuality. The state has already removed bibles from public libraries because they include hate speech. So now you can go to a library and check out Hitler's book, but cannot read a bible! Isn't this ridiculous? I tell you, if the church does not stand up quick, we are going to be outlawed ourselves.

Well that is my soap box for today. Don't forget to vote in our new poll today about the Bible. And also a big welcome to our newest reader from Londonberry, England, who also suffers from the same condition as me. God introduced us recently, and I hope he enjoys the site.

Guess what? I may be getting a PhD in Divinity!! I wanted to be a doctor, so the Lord does answer prayer. I just assumed it would be a medical doctor, but a Dr. is a Dr., at least on paper. I will let you know if and when it happens.

Also got some new links up, so check them out.

Jesse

Language: Is cursing bad?

With ministers on the news using G_ _ D_ _ _ _ from the pulpit and a popular preacher threatening to cut off a Presidential Candidates genitalia, it brings to mind how so many people have a bad impression of us Christians.

A while back, I was talking to another preacher here locally, whose name I will not mention. I knew he was a preacher, but he did not know that I was. He was cussing like a sailor. But when he found out that I was a preacher, his whole attitude changed, and he cleaned up his language. He is popular around here, and I was surprised that he acted that way while not behind the pulpit. Another man I was with told me that was why he did not go to church. When I reminded him that I don't talk like that, he said I was the exception.

Now, I am not perfect; I am far from it. Just the other day I was working in my shop with two of my sons, and smashed my toe with a sledge hammer. I let loose an impressive string of choice words that would have made any sailor proud. Yesterday, I caught one of the same sons cussing on the phone with one of his friends. I corrected him, and he said, "Dad, you cuss, and your a preacher. I didn't use one of the forbidden words."

And that proves my point. People are watching us Christians every day, and delight every time we screw up. The Pharisees make it even worse, as they project us as strict conformist that never sin. The Bible says "Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs..."

That explains itself. We are Christ's ambassadors on Earth. We are supposed to represent Him in every thing we do. Are you?

I heard a preacher say it this way once. " Imagine you are having a routine day at home. You receive a phone call from Jesus, telling you He will be at your house in five minutes to visit (kind of like a modern day Zacheauss). Would you run to the door in great anticipation and await your Lord's arrival, thrilled that He was coming? Or would you rush through the house, changing the TV channel to a Christian station, turn the radio to K-Love, close your kids room so He could not see the posters on the wall, and hide your DVD or CD collection?"

Well, which would you do? I challenge you today to make a commitment to represent Christ well in every thing you do. Of course, you can never be perfect, but you can live live to its fullest the best way you know how. That is what the Holy Ghost is here for: to teach you and show you how to live your life.

Can you do it, or is it too much trouble?

Jesse

Isn't God Good!

Well, it has been a little while since I have posted, as I have been a little under the weather. I have been in bed since Wed. of last week, with only a few trips up and about. Yesterday I made it to VBS, and today, I am feeling much better! For those that don't know, I have Crohn's Disease, which is a major digestive disorder, and had a brief flare up. I feel blessed, because the last flare I had lasted for months, and darn near killed me. But God is good, and no pain this time!! I have been pain free since March, and I do not miss it at all.

Ever wonder what the Apostle Paul would have done with blogs? Man at the insight we could have had if he had a PDA or Blackberry with him everywhere he went. Or even all of the Apostles, at that. Our Bible would have been a lot bigger, and I think they may be a little dissappointed with the Church as a whole. This Pharisee Doctrine of exclusion and holier than thou would send the ill tempered Paul into a frenzy!

And what if Jesus came in, dusty and road weary, with dirt on His brow, and sat down. Some Churches would probably ask Him to leave!! It is both sad, and yet quiet amazing at the same time. Sad, because Love is supposed to be our greatest virtue as Christians. Amazing, because prophecy is coming to pass right before our very eyes, and the stage is being set for the Apostate Church of Pharisees and half truths remain, while the rest of us are out of here. For those workers around us, the harvest is ripe! It cannot remain in the field much longer before it begins to rot!!!

Thank God for His mercy and goodness, and for His provision provided for us in His One and Only Son. We could never be good enough friends. We are just sinners, saved by the Grace of God!

"Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh" Praise God

Take a look at our new poll...and vote. And don't be afraid to post your questions here. I welcome the e-mails, but would love to share with all of you!!

Up date on the Praise report

Want to give you all an update on my brother. Thanks for all of the encouraging e-mails!

Codey was really messed up on Crystal Meth. We went to Alabama over the Fourth, and when I saw him he smelled of death, and decay. Since we run a drug rehab here in Kentucky, I talked him into coming, and then the Holy Spirit done the rest. He gave his life to the Lord, and I look forward to baptizing him soon. This not only saved his soul, but I believe it has saved his life as well!

Praise God!

On a side note, please leave your comments and suggestions on the blog. It is more yours than mine, and I would rather gear it toward your needs and wants. Don't forget about the poll, and feel free to use the search engine. If you use the search from here, or click on any of the ads, it generates revenue for our ministry. Mind you, that you do not have to buy anything, just click on it.

Also, comment on the ads, as I cannot see any of them from here. They are geared toward you, and subject matter from the blog. If they seem inappropriate or offensive, let me know and I can block that specific company. Have a great day!

For all of you wrestling fans, even closet ones, check out http://wrestlingrambler.blogspot.com. It is clean, as I am not one of those Christians, or preachers for that matter, with split personalities! I am who I am, no matter the venue!!!

Jesse

Praise Report

Just a quick praise report. My brother has just recently entered our drug rehab. Well any way, today he went to church and gave his life to the Lord. Praise God! Isn't he Great!!

Jesse

1st Lesson: Hell: Is it real?

For some reason, hell is a touchy subject in Christianity now a days. I a recent Gallup Poll, 87% of Americans professed a belief in God, yet only 27% said they believed hell is real. Well first off, let me tell you straight up that hell is real. As Christians, we must believe it, because Jesus did. As a matter of fact, Jesus almost exclusively uses the most severe word for hell, Gehenna, in the New Testament. Lets start off by going over what the Bible says about hell.

The Bible uses four different terms that are translated hell in the King James Version. If you have a more modern version taken from the original scripture, such as the NIV, or the TNIV, it may be properly translated. They are:

Sheol-This is a Hebrew word meaning "hollow", or "deep" place. It can mean two different things, either simply "grave", or an actual existence beyond death, or after life. It is used 65 times in the Old Testament and can be translated hell 31 times (ie. Deut 32:22, PS 9:17), grave 31 times (Jon 7:9, 14:13) and pit 3 times. (Num 16:30, 33, Job 17:16). It can be simply defined as the "abode of the dead", and is the place where the dead, both righteous or evil, from before Christ dwell until the Resurrection.

Hades-Hades is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word sheol, with one exception. In the New Testament it was always the abode of the "wicked dead:.

Tartaros- This term is only used in scripture once, in 2 Peter2:4, describing where the fallen angels were cast down into. It is a Greek word meaning " the lowest level of the 9 levels of hell in Greek thought"

Gehenna- This is the hell we are most familiar with, the eternal resting place for Satan, his Angels, and all of those who reject Christ, at the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ. This word is almost exclusively used by Jesus, and it originally meant the Valley of Hinnom, outside Jerusalem, where trash and those that were executed by the Romans and not considered worthy of burial was burned. It was a worm, and maggot filled area that would have smelled terrible.

Now, the hell we are talking about in this discussion, is the last one. The Bible says that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. For those of you that believe that Satan is in hell now, that is not biblically correct. Based on Job, Revelation 12:10, Satan is actively roaming the world, and even stands before God accusing believers. Satan angels are the ones that rebelled with him, and were cast out at the same time. How many are there? The Bible said he took a third of the angels in heaven with him. In Revelation 5:11, the "good" angels numbered "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." So if a third was cast out, that would be a whole bunch, as we say here in Kentucky. Some believe (as I do), that these are the demons mentioned in scripture, spirits that people see, and guides that "real" psychics and mediums use. These would also be those that "pose" as other Gods, such as in Wicca, Hindu, and others. They are powerful, but Praise God, not all powerful.

Hell is a place of darkness, and "weeping and gnashing of teeth". A place where the rich man cried in Luke 16:24, "have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." Not a place where I would want to be. For, contrary to what some denominations teach, the Bible says that there is no coming back in the same story. A great gulf, where none can pass from one to the other.

I have went and made this long, haven't I? You have to watch us preachers, we are bad to do that, ha.

So, in wrapping up, is hell real? Does God really send people there? If you take the Scriptures as the very Word of God, (which as a Christian, you should) and believe it to be true, then it is pretty cut and dried: Yes, it is very real! If you are what I call a "selective" Christian, or a "convenient" Christian (this means you believe what is easy for you, or what you agree with, or what you want, and what you don't agree with you throw out the window), then this may be a sticking point for you. Jesus teaches that there will be lots of people that claim Him, prophesy in His Name, and worked in His name would be sent to hell, because He "knows them not", and that everyone that says "Lord, Lord" will not enter into His kingdom. If you don't make it into His kingdom, there is only one other place for you to go. And for those that do not believe, stop for a second.......look around you......listen to the birds.........get real still, and listen to your own breathing......don't worry, we'll wait....hear your heart beat. Do you really think that is all a "mistake" of a monkeys genes? Have you ever seen a monkey jump out of a tree and say "hey, you humans are making it, we are almost extinct, so we are going to evolve into you"?

So now the question I get asked more than any other. How can a loving God, who the bible says "God is Love", and that He "is not willing any to perish" send one of His creations to a place of torment, like hell?

Here is the answer so many cannot come up with. memorize it, for it is a great witnessing tool.

It is true that our God is a loving God. He is Almighty, the Alpha and Omega. He spoke the world into existence. And His love for us is so great that He would send His son to die in our place, so we could be with Him. If He loved us that much, how could He send us to Hell.

God is Love!......But God is also Holy. And Him being Holy, sin can have no presence with Him. He cannot bear to look at it. That is why He had to turn away when Jesus was on the cross, for the sins of the entire world (your too) were upon Him. And we, no matter how hard we try, can never be truly Holy. We may follow as many commandments, follow all the rules our churches place on us, attend church every time the door opens, give thousands of dollars to charity, but we still wouldn't be good enough. We are destined for destruction.

But cheer up friend, this Holy, Awesome God has made a provision for us!!!! Yes, we can never be good enough, but His Son was!! And Jesus said all that know Him, would know the Father. The way to avoid hell, and be able to stand before God unashamed is Jesus. You see, Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man cometh to the Father except through Me".

Man that makes me want to shout!!! When you come to know Jesus (not know about Him, but truly know Him), He stands in for you by covering you with His precious blood. So when God sees you, he sees His provision, not the sinful person we really are. We are all sinners...saved by Grace.

Whew, this is long. Hopefully the next one will be shorter. I plan to talk about "being saved", what does it mean, etc. But, it will be shorter. If you are not saved, and would like to know how, e-mail me. If you want to avoid hell, I cannot save you, but I know a Man who can!

Until next time, remember friends, that God loves you. He cares for you. And He has made Provision for you!!

Jesse