I'm Back Even Though God Never Left

It's been a while. I'm back.
Why the absesnce?
I got mad at God. Silly huh?
Especially since I have written about NOT getting mad at God.
It's not His fault that I was taking things the wrong way concerning friends. Heck it's not all their fault either.
I chose how to react.
I was the one who yelled and screamed.
God doesn't force our hand.
God gives us what we need to react in every situation.
Is school hard? Then study hard. Ask questions.
Jesus studied the scriptures and he asked questions.
He even asked His father if salvation might come in a way that didn't involve him being
whipped
,tortured,
spit upon,
mocked,
crowned with thorns,
nails driven in his hands and feet into the wood of a cross
put on display. Naked and ashamed.
Entering a grave.
Going into the pits of hell.
But did Jesus gave into all of that.
Sure he felt that his father had forsaken him. But Jesus didn't shake his fists. He didn't cuss God out. Jesus even asked his father to forgive all who were responsible for the sins he shed his blood for.
The Father was always there.
Jesus is always there.
And through the Holy Spirit we all can communicate directly to God.
No matter where we are.
No matter if the drugs and alcohol made me do it.
Even if my mental illness caused me to sin.
No matter the excuse.
No matter how far we stray from God.
He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Getting Ink?

     I have this idea that I want to get a tattoo. My ink will have something to do with dying to self I become eternal.
     To me this is the essence of my life. I have to die to self in order for God to be able to fill the void that is left.
     That was the case when I overcame addiction. I couldn't just walk away from the booze, weed, pornography, horror movies, and violent video games.
     The chemicals killed my brain cells.
      The pornography killed my innocence.
      The horror movies killed my empathy.
      The violent video games killed my peace.
   But then I gave God a chance to heal those things.
      God used my substance abuse to direct me to get a degree in Substance Abuse Counseling.
      God healed the damage done by pornography by helping me see just how awesome women are. Women are beautiful and not objects.
     God healed the damage done horror movies by putting it in my heart to heal people.
     The violence of the video games helped me see how beautiful peace can be.
     Garbage in garbage out.
     God in our hearts God in our speech.
      So what do you cover yourself with?
      If it's a tattoo really think about what message you're sending.
     Already have a tattoo that may speak to how you used to feel? Perhaps you were angry. Perhaps you felt abandoned. Have you memorialized being depressed and suicidal?
      It's not to late to live beyond what the ink on your body says or implies about who you are.
    Maybe you don't have tattoos but something else no longer fits you.
      Have you lived your life without smiling?
      Like the famous saying says,
              "Smile God loves you."
  

Men, How Does This Make You Feel?

     They say that one of the greatest tragedy's is when a parent has to bury a child. Sometimes such a child is stillborn. Never breathing a single breath.
     I know first hand how horrible this is. My fiance is in a support group dealing with such loss. I know that despite the fact the child isn't mine he has touched my life in ways I never imagined.
     It hurts. I cry.
     I cry despite being taught that crying makes me a "sissy." In my life crying has been a strength. Crying is like free grief counseling.
     So why did I bring the subject of stillbirth up?
     Because so often the women who go through such loss are deemed imperfect. Often husbands leave.
     Why? I feel in part, that the pressure to carry on the family name.
     When people get married there is a great expectation to have kids. If it doesn't happen try try again.
     Not always a choice.
     We sometimes ask ourselves why do bad or unfit parents get to have kids when so many "deserving" parents never have such a chance? It may suck but we may never know in this life.
      There is the hope that once we get to Heaven all will be revealed.
     Faith is the evidence of things unseen.
       We don't know everything.
      God's ways are far above our ways.
       Guys, when the Bible says that we are to be the head of the household we are being pressed into a role similar to Jesus is to the church. We should be there for our wives. We are to be man and like Jesus who does what he sees His father in Heaven doing.
     Jesus would never abandon anyone.
     We are to love unconditionally.
     Like Jesus we are to be OK with laying down our lives for our wives.
      That may mean letting go of the expectation of producing an heir.
     God's calling is as unique for all of us as there are people on the planet.
     So be a man.
      Take up your cross.
      Be like Simon who helped Jesus carry his cross when he no longer could.
         

"If A Friend…" Messages From The Pulpit

1 Corinthians 8:13
 "Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall."
  OK so maybe eating meat isn't a sin per se but with my fiancé's family always has meatless options for my fiancé and I who are vegetarians.
 As a person who has over 5 years without a drop to drink I always appreciate when
those same people don't drink beer or wine coolers when me and my fiancé are around.
It is so awesome when people close to us are so supportive.
  We are currently in the season of Lent.
For many people this is a time to give up one thing or another as a sign of restraint.
Of course the most well known of these self imposed restrictions is giving up red meat on Fridays. Many people replace Fish for red meat which lead to Friday fish fries.
There are endless things we can fast from at least once a week during Lent. But how much of a sacrifice is it? And would you be willing to give up said indulgence forever?
 Will you really miss it?
I'm giving up candy this year. Everyday for 40 days.
Just two days after Ash Wednesday it hasn't been too hard.
I admit I will miss my favorite candy, Hot Tamales but I know that I can do it.
  No matter what you may give up during Lent (or New Years or any other day for that matter) it is my prayer that you find at least one person to support you.
You may even find that your friend may find that they too can live without….
Giving things up that we love which may not be good for us isn't always easy.
  But remember that Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert for 40 days. Jesus never fell for the temptation Satan threw at him.
Jesus used scripture to counteract Satan's silver tongue.
  And as children of God we have the same arsenal at our hands.
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us about the spiritual weapons of warfare.
The Whole Armor of God. The Belt of Truth. The Breastplate of Righteousness. Shod our feet with the Readiness of The Gospel of Peace. The Shield of Faith which can quench the fiery arrows of the devil. The Helmet of Salvation. The Sword of The Spirit.
Stand ready. Stand together. Stand with Jesus who overcame sin by dying on The Cross.          

"If I Had Been Raised In A Different Culture..."

For my final semester I am taking Cultural Anthropology as my final elective.
It's a great class.
Part of the reason I am taking this class (as opposed to any other elective class that was offered) is my deep desire to learn more about the world around me. I live a very diverse neighborhood and this just fuels my desire to try to understand the people that represent lands foreign to me.
Some people eat bugs. But most people in the United States would probably avoid eating bugs.
I have chosen whom I am going to marry. Others come into a fixed marriage.
I chose to follow what Christianity teaches (to the best of my ability).
The question was raised about what would have happened if I were raised in a different culture.
What if I were raised in India?
The climate is different.
The culture is different.
But what about God?
Would I have been raised in a Hindu home?
Lets say that I had.
India is home to many religions and spiritual traditions.
I believe that if God wanted me to find him and the direction he would have wanted me to go in.
If I am to assume that a monotheistic religion is the right way then I assume that two of the most prominent monotheistic religions in the area I would have been drawn to either Islam or Christianity.
Many may doubt this. Many people say that if I were raised Hindu I wouldn't stray from Hindu culture.
But God lead me to where I am now.
I was raised to believe that the Catholic Church was almost all wrong. Nonetheless I was drawn to the Catholic Church.
Is there a perfect church? Not necessarily. But I finally feel at peace when I go to church (for the most part).
God never said life would be easy.
But he did promise to get us through it.
So no matter what God is always with us.
No matter where you're from God's reach is endless and eternal.  

"Give It Up For Jesus"

While Jesus was gathering his disciples he often asked them to give up their lives to follow him.
Peter was a fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector. Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.
There was a time when a man who was wealthy asked what he had to do to follow Jesus.
Jesus told the young man that he had to give up his riches. The man walked away sad because he wasn't ready to give his possessions.
Many of us have given up our preconceived notions about what God really stands for. I personally had to give up on prejudice toward gays and even The Catholic Church.
Maybe you had or have an idea about what God has called you to do only to realize God's plan may be vastly different than yours.
Maybe God is calling you to leave behind a group of friends that lead you to sin.
The ultimate desire of God for us is to repent and turn our backs from sin.
For God leads us not to temptation.
    

"Horror at the Checkout Counter"

    I'm used to seeing trashy things on the magazine rack at the checkout counter. Most of which involve celebrity gossip and bad airbrushing to make some of those celebrities look awful.
    Then the other day I came face to face with the cover of the latest issue of Cosmopolitan.
     The headline was, 52 Holy S**T Sex Moves.
    I was shocked. It wasn't because the article was talking about sex so much as the language they used.
    Pairing the word holy with a dirty word  is bad enough but when you (and children) see it right in front of them makes me scratch my head as once again shocked at just how low society goes when considering their marketing choices.
    Everywhere I go and on nearly every channel I see things that I find shocking and immoral.
     As a new year came  at midnight last night may I suggest a resolution for all of us?
   When we see something like swearing and sexual content on magazine racks or on TV for that matter perhaps we can send a message to the ad department or whomever is in charge of what we're seeing on TV.     But maybe the most powerful thing we can do is pray.
     We can pray that despite the decay of morality in this world that especially when it comes to our children we can ask that The Lord will protect our children from what is being thrown at them at the speed of a bullet from a gun.
     We can teach our children the true meaning of the word Holy. Lets define the word Holy.
Looking at my Thesaurus some synonyms include: blessed, clean, divine, godly.
      Webster's College Dictionary says: related to, belonging to, or coming from a divine being or power.
 So when raising children aren't the meanings of the word holy be something we should model and have our kids aspire to?
     The Lord says be holy as I am Holy. Holiness comes with action in which we do all we can to imitate the character of God.
 It is to rise above our sinful human nature and to be a light in a world of darkness.