Suffering/Sin/Death/Life

Regardless if you are suffering or sining in any way, God can and will help and use you. We all have some sin (1 John 1:3-9) and we all will suffer (Philippians 1:24). This is the human condition. And, especially in the Christian earthly life. But, in spite of it (Or, because of it) you are being used by God (Even if you don't know it yet). And, yes you are forgiven and loved by God unconditionally because of what Jesus Christ has done and is still doing. One way of looking at it, is that suffering is a process of growing away from our sinfullness. Sin is breaking God's Law. So, everyone is guilty of that physically. But Spiritually, we are growing tired of doing that and therefore, we become more willing to be free of sinful actions. In our new Spiritual state as God's children sin is no longer controlling us (Even if it is still in our fleshly bodies and in our world.) The Law of God shows us mortals just how evil we really are. But, the Holy Spirit in us shows us how we are becomming more and more Spiritually perfect like Jesus Christ. Our physical suffering and sinfulness is just a means to an end and it won't last forever. We will be free from suffering and sinfulness someday when Christ returns or even if it occurs at our physical death. And, physical death is just a door we pass through to our Spiritual Eternal home. God, through Jesus Christ will determine what and when and where that will be, either Heaven and the New Kingdom of God on Earth or not. The quicker we accept what God has revealed by inspiration from the Holy Bible, the easier and quicker and more happy, joyous and free we will experience now in this life (And Eternally). If you doubt me (And I am not important, only Jesus is) then try to honestly and sincerely pray, read, study and learn to follow God's Word. If you are an unbeliever then what have you got to lose? If you are a Believer then you already know. Either way, at first, you probibly won't understand much to begin with, but God will reveal only what you need to know, when you need to know it.

Hope and Dispair/Depression and Faith

I suffer from great episodes of depression. I often dispair, lose hope and my faith is almost gone. When it comes upon me I start praying fwevwntly. I keep reading my Bible and other religious and spiritual literature even if I do not understand it. As John Newton author of the song "Amazing Grace" said in his last years as Dementia erased his memories, "I remember two things,"I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior." Well said John, so am I. I often can hardly get out of bed very long. I don't work, I eat poorly and seldom exercise. I am tortured often with grief over losses. I have terrible nightmares often, PTSD symptoms of war and violence from my earlier military career. Sometimes I wish I had never been born (Like some of the old testament Prophets). But, I fear God's wrath when such suicidal evil thoughts enter my sick mind. I decided long ago that since I did not create myself and God brought me into this world, that He has the only right to take me out of it and into Heaven. So, no matter how miserable I am, my hope is in God. The other day while on my sickbed suffering and praying, I thought I heard a soft voice inside me saying,"Get up, Eat and Write." So, I did and this here now is what I am writing. I hope and pray these are God's Words and Not from MY crazy mind! I really do not feel like writing. I'm not even thinking well now. The keys on my computer are just moving in my hand. I'm done for now. No more words. I just want to finish this posting with one promise of God's. from His Word, it is in Romans Chapter 8: Verses 15-39. I believe it true and hope you do too.

The Good And Bad News

Recently I wrote a letter to my God and it came out like this.

If you have ever suffered from depression, anxiety, fear or despair, I've got some good news (And maybe some bad news) for you. What shall we tell you first?

OK, we'll start with the bad news first. The bad news you already know about! It's mostly in the thoughts. To quote Mark Twain, "I have suffered many calamities in life, most of them never happened."

That idea was also spoken by Jesus, "In this world you will have many troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world!" So much for the bad news and therein also lies the Good News!

If you study the Bible prayerfully and honestly, you will find Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) is removing all the bad news (Perhaps you are unaware) and replacing it with His "Good News." Which is His Love for us.

Perhaps the best thing further I may say, that God already said, is summed up in one verse in the Bible, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only beloved Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, But Have everlasting Life" (John 3:16). The Bible in a nutshell.

It is the BEST NEWS we have ever heard, if we believe it. Anyway, it's a great place to start and return to for having the right kind of life and relations with Him. In fact, it is the ONLY way to have Peace with Him.

Just accept it a true and let God do the rest. More will be revealed in His time and ways. Do your best to remember it (And ask Him to please help you to, with thanks to Him).

Blessings in Christ Jesus!

Is Freedom Free?

I am impelled by the Holy Spirit to make the following statements about America's future. These are not my own words, but came to me from God as a prophecy in line with His Divine Revelation to me as a minister of Jesus Christ. And I have no choice but to warn you all my fellow Americans of the coming disasters, unless you decide to take a new path along God's way of doing things. This is not my usual type of blog article. But, I am compelled to write it, even knowing I may suffer for doing so. And, if that be the case I do accept it with joy!

America is failing God! Not all Americans however, only about half of us seem to be asleep at the wheel, so to speak, and are oblivious to the obvious facts that an evil is consuming our great God given land by a socialist regime that is  quickly burning away our liberties like an uncontrolled fire burns away everything in its path. I have seen I happening for most of my 61 years of life and it is burning at an alarming and increasing terrible rate!

Few Pastors will jump into anything that smacks of politics, but I am not one of them. I view religion and politics and economics  as one and the same in the sense that God has already shown us how these should be interwoven properly for His plan for mankind. I do not support any political platform or agenda of man. I do support our government as long as it supports us. I do support people who know that they must remain vigilant and ready to defend themselves and America against injustice and the freedom that God desires for all people everywhere. That freedom is now and has always been under attack from some few socialist leaders and supporters.. Many of our leaders are caught up in the socialist methods of political means to an end just to try to help u, and they believe they act with good intentions. But, even they are being used and manipulated by certain higher officials who are intent on selling America away for personal gain. For example, America has supported the Nation of Israel since it became a country after WWII. Why has our High leader implemented policies to support Israel's enemies? Why do we pay our taxes to support countries who are intent to destroy an old and faithful alley and a land promised to them by God?

It is my belief that our present leadership intends to ally itself with the powers that have the resources that we want and turn against the very moral and Godly principles that demand allegiance to Israel and other allies who God long ago said were his chosen people.  These few leaders we have now are not doing what God ever intended to have done. It is much like betraying your own family because we as American's began our Nation based largely upon the Judeo-Christian ethic derived from the Bible and the principles of Israel and its law. Our country has forgotten its roots. We have begun to take to road that Carl Marx and social economists have prescribed. Our founding Fathers were against such politics and actions. They warned us of future possibilities from certain people who would try to govern us with their own agenda of control and Federal government dominance. And, the worst thing is that, "We the People" are allowing them to do it to us!

My gift of Prophesy is now telling you that we as a Nation are turning away from God. Like Isaiah or Jeremiah my Brothers, America has taken the wrong turn away from God's way! It is only a matter of a few tear (Maybe 50 or less) that we all will become slaves of a totalitarian regime governed by a few economic, political and apostic religious people. The last Anti-Christ is here now! You know his name! It is just a matter of time before he and the others conglomerate there resources and power to go to the final war against God Himself! But, we can and should try to delay this if possible by getting rid of them now.

I am not suggesting that we use violence to try and stop them (Although it has been done by Liberty loving people in the past). The truth is that history even shows us that to use violence to oust the present regime may male things different or even seemingly better for awhile, but our human nature will again show up as selfish interest and attempts to control by the new leaders eventually. No, insurrection will not work anymore. What we need is a new way of fighting against tyranny within our government. What I am suggesting is that unless we all find one common reason to fight against the present socialist/communistic regime will will certainly fall victims all to the burning fire around us because it will eventually come right up to your pleasant home! You cannot hide anywhere anymore! Your obsessions with earning money or having a nice home or living in peace or enjoying life as you do it now will vanish! And, you are going to become slaves! It is a fact I promise you, if you do not change and fight against the fire and return to God!

Oh, there is so much more I need to say! But you cannot hear it yet! However, you may feel free to contact or comment on my prophecy. You may also find one of my friends a useful help for more insightful information, his name is Chad Hovind and he has a great book and a great website called, "Godonomics" that you must read. You can contact him at www.Godonomics.com or write to me.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Dale

Rejection and Acceptance

One of the greatest forms of abuse is to ignore. It is worse than hate. Rejection and neglect are forms of being ignored, because there is no attention, acceptance or recognition from other's; interaction and communication cease entirely and the victim is left alone in isolation. In my experience, it is the worst of all social acts committed upon another.

How much can the human soul endure these? Who can long endure being the "Scape Goat" that carries the sins of other's into the wilderness?

To cut someone off intentionally is a form of social murder. Yet, we do it all too often to those we meet and those we say we love and care about. How many of us come from a family that loves unconditionally? A family that really cares esteems, guides and accepts us for who we are right? But, do they really know WHO we are? Even if they try hard to provide for our basic human physical needs, do they know how to provide for our emotional and spiritual needs? (Now, I'm specifically referring to our Temperament needs.)

The primary failure in human interactions is based to a large extent on understanding and encouraging a person's Temperament needs, strengths, weaknesses. We as a society and civilization are leaning toward and embracing individual conformity and have not, and do not love unconditionally. That's because there are "conditions" upon which the individual must be accepted. And, it is not happening in the correct way.

We as American's have sacrificed our children to the god of conformity by the unconformed majority! You may ask, what do I mean by that statement? Simply put, I mean each person is a unique and wonderful creation of God. But, our individual uniqueness must be conformed to what God's desires and Will are, not to the material hedonistic secular ideas most embrace today. We do not have the choice nor the right to dictate terms to our children or each other apart from what God has already said.

We exist because He chooses to allow us to exist. It is our responsibility as individuals to conform to and teach our children or other's if we have no children that God's way is right and true. That conformity to His way is the only way to live to good purpose. Other than that, we are free to decide the many ways to bless ourselves, love one another or to ignore one another. But, God is the giver of right being and right action, not us. We as human beings apart from God are only naturally capable of causing harm to ourselves or other's. I can't and you can't be or do good. Only God is good and does it as it pleases and glorifies Himself.

Now, I am not saying that religion has succeeded in teaching God's way, nor has it entirely failed either. It is true that much harm has come from extremist religious and secular beliefs and actions misunderstood throughout human history. It is also true that much good has been done. We must not judge harshly any religious people as a whole just because some have misused it rightly. We need not judge the "Forest based on only a few of its trees."

Today, in our generation, we have as a Church forgotten or been misled into all sorts of non-Christian beliefs and actions. We Christians for the most part now have settled for the comfortable ways of doing our faith, rather than doing the "Way" of the Cross of Jesus. As far as I can tell from my teaching as a counselor of the Lord, we are at present "Luke Warm" (Read the book of Revelations in rear of the Bible) at best. We do not like to suffer for or suffer like Christ Jesus. And, we do not teach the bearing of His Cross as the fundamental nature of life as a true disciple. Nor, do we allow or permit our children or follow to endure suffering like and for Christ. We want our churches and families and friends to all do things according to the ways we have been taught individually.

But, where is The Holy Spirit in all this? Where is Jesus Christ? And, what do those have to do with God and ourselves? I say the Trinity has everything to do with these experiences. And, so does the Holy Scriptures we call the Holy Bible. You are saved for eternity by Faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God because of what He did, not anything you can do. Your efforts are determined by The Holy Spirit. And, if you believe and have these, God The Father is pleased with you and you are at peace with Him. As human's we all sin, as Christians we are at one with God because He chose to save, forgive, love and bless us no matter what good or evil is happening in our individual lives or worldwide. He is in charge and owns everything!

I have a little wind up toy stuffed lamb doll that plays an old tune from my childhood. It goes like this, "Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so." How simple is that? Even a child can grasp the truth! So, what is your excuse?

To Turn To God?

We read a lot in The Bible about "Turning" to God.
For some of us turning to God will be a slowerprocess than for others. We each, when called by God are given an opportunity to accept Him and then a measure of Faith when we do, either much or little or of some amount of faith anyway.

For those of us who are weaker in Faith, try to think of "Turning" to God somewhat like trying to turn a large ocean liner at sea going full speed. It takes time for that ship (Us) to turn around. Like the Titanic, we try to turn ourselves around (Like we are in control!) while going too fast, but we only have a very small rudder (Our Faith or Will). And, if we are such kind of people who have lived long in sinful ways we too can (And usually do) hit the Ice berg and sink. But, if we slow down, even a small rudder can slowly help turn us around back to God.

I've been such a person much of my life. It has taken me a very long time, and I still feel I'm turning. The point is to just begin. Take time to slow down and draw near to God and He will draw near to you. He will turn you around in His time and His way with Jesus at the helm if you let Him.

Remember that old story about "The Tortoise and the Hare"? (I believe it was a Aesop's Fable long ago). Do you remember (If you read it) who won the race? Slow and steady Turtle won and he didn't let Rabbit or anyone else stop him with their jokes and criticisms about him. Well, being a Christian to me is a lot like that story!

Now, I do not want to sound flippant or boastful. But, the fact is, that I can't help what I write about. I really do not even like to write! But, I have to do it. I avoid writing at almost any cost, but for me, I know it is The Holy Spirit making me write. He is like a giant that bursts into my home, grabs hold of me  and forces me to write. It's kind of like that old joke that says, "When you dance with a Gorilla you don't stop until the Gorilla is done dancing." So, likewise, The Holy Spirit is a lot like that Gorilla for me when writing.

Also, rarely do member's of God's true Family grow up under the same roof. Even Jesus' half-Brothers, James and Jude and it seems none of his Half-Sisters (But the Bible doesn't really say about them) and even His Step-Father and His Mother Mary didn't quite understand Him for a long time. Later, His Mother Mary and James and Jude believed He was the Christ. But, while Jesus walked the earth among that generation no one really fully believed him much. Even His disciples has doubts of His Divinity.

Jesus spent His life on earth misunderstood, doubted, rejected and friendless by people. Most of the people just wanted something from Him in a material way, like a miracle, food, healing or rescue from the Roman's. Some did believe, but would not do what He said (Like Nicodemus) for fear of public disapproval. From what I read only John, one of the twelve really loved Him. He was the only one present at the crucifixion (Along with His Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene it seems).

So are you feeling lost? Desperate? Don't know what to do? Empty inside when you look into your mirror? Do you feel like God isn't answering your prayers and He seems distant? I hear that a lot.

Well, welcome to our World of the Church of Christ! We are only human now and this earth is not our home. All men and women throughout the history of the Holy Bible Scriptures have felt and asked these kinds of "Why" questions. We are no different, in fact, we are right where God wants us to be for now and feeling and having troubles as He decides necessary to purify us and reward us later. We are already SAVED! Please do not forget that! (John 3:16). But, trouble is OFTEN the Way toward The Kingdom of God. So, don't think you are being picked on! You are being made perfect (In fact, God already sees you as perfect in Heaven). What God began He WILL finish! And it is GOOD! You may not like the way you are or feel or do or say or think or anything about what you are going through right now. And you may not even understand it at all (I know I don't). But, remember, Jesus above anyone or anything has already suffered more than we can imagine to rescue, redeem and save us. He can turn your ship around and make even your present existence better.

PATIENCE is important. Perseverance is important in spite of seemingly real appearances that all is not well. Reach down deep within yourself and TRUST that God IS leading you to a fantastic future! That is a FACT! Hold on to that. Abraham was over one-hundred years old when God called him. Moses was around 80. Just read what they accomplished and they were pretty human too. Made awful mistakes too! But, in God's sight they were (As we are) righteous because of their Faith in Him. And God always showed up eventually and blessed them all. He will you also.

So, do not worry it only cause you and other's harm. Jesus will (And has) save you and turn your ship back to the Father God (Maybe it's even sinking like He did for His disciples on the Sea of Galilee during that storm way back then). In Fact, He already did save you 2000 years ago, but you may not yet know it! Stay close in prayer, trust and obey Him and your life and yes, your suffering, will have a future and a hope and a meaning and purpose!

Our Church For Fools

I just returned from one of our local church Christmas celebration services. The children sang a nice song, a young woman sang a nice cowboy tune about Christmas and the congregation sang the usual Christmas songs, "Star of Bethlehem" and "Three wise kings".
Then, the senior pastor started talking about John chapter 1 and moved back to Matthew Chapter 1-2 about Jesus's birth.I left then because it was the typical "Baby stuff" for Christians. I've heard it a thousand times and it does not move me to worship the true event of the Bible.

I also noticed how feminine everything was (Not that I am anti female) but because it did not appeal to me or to men. Even the church decor was all feminine. Not one item showed that Jesus was a man.
So, why would a guy like me, or any guy who is a sinner want to look and listen to mushy feminine stuff? What I need (And I think other men need) is a manly Christ to identify with and communicate with. We need His forgiveness, and acceptance as men who fall far short of the obedience Christ taught. So many men (And and Woman) still drink, smoke and do other stuff that is obviously not practices that God would like. We admit it. But, we still love God. And, we know we are not like Christ yet and far from it! I am only trying to find some honest people who are like me.

I need to know that foolish people like me are really trying to find God in a real way despite my messed up ways of living. Where are all the other sick and messed up people who need Jesus? I can not seem to find them in our local church congregations. I'm sure, like me, some of us are going to local churches seeking God's help, forgiveness, love and acceptance, but if you are a man anyway, they just don't seems to fill the empty void within you.

I don't know about you guys (And maybe gals) but, what I need is a place where I can go even if I am drunk (Now, I'm in recovery), loaded or even clean and sober and hear that God still loves and accepts me just as I am at present. That's what Jesus did when He was here on earth 2000 years ago. He made it a priority to call, spend His time a lot with and use people who were outcast from society.

I'm a social outcast too. I don't make friend's easily nor do I conform well to organized religion or other social institutions. But, the way I read the Bible, God loves the outcasts the most because they need saving the most. In fact, Jesus as God's Son incarnate came to earth to rescue and save people who were messed up like me(And maybe you).

So, why do our churches seem to cater to and encourage conformity to being nicely dressed, nicely pleasant to each other? If a person enters a church nowadays drunk or dressed poorly or who smells badly they are usually avoided. Isn't that Hypocrisy?

In my church group all people are welcome and we show in action that we care for them. We go out of our way and take the time from our schedules to make sure that they are treated equal and are respected and have their basic living needs met. We share everything we have among us as did the early church did. Also, we don't exclude people who have wealth or dress well either. To us, all are respected if we have a unity of purpose to help our fellow suffering Brothers and Sisters (Believer's or not) to endure the hardships of this life so to bring them to the future coming Kingdom of God.

The only problem we have is room for all the needy. But, that is only a temporary problem, because we are trying to teach people that once they have God's Holy Spirit to move outward to their communities to make disciples for Christ (The Great Commission). We do not want to be just a Christian day care center. What we want is for broken people who know Christ to move out with the "Good News" of Jesus Christ.

And, that is all we are about.