Thoughts about Heaven !!!

I am 51 years old and the reality is I am most likely.. well OVER HALF WAY
TO HEAVEN.

I live in a society where making the monthly mortgage payment is not a
given anymore. So this glimpse of Heaven where my credit score is good, my
mortgage is paid in full, my joints don't hurt is welcome. In Heaven there
is no financial debt, debt of sin, and all other earthly blooper moment is
drowned in a sea of God's grace. When I have these glimpses of Heaven, my
shoulders relax, my mind is peaceful and I smile.

Unfortunately I know as I finish this blog and return to the challenges of
my day my body will hurt, I will get tired, maybe cranky, and there still
will be RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. Bills will need to be paid, tempers will flare,
bad things will happen to good people, and good people will not always be
good. In summary the HUMAN CONDITION will continue.

But praise God for this spiritual journey, and for the love of our creator.
A love so great that He has always been involved with man to the point of
sending his son Jesus to save us... and then.. SOMEDAY HEAVEN.

Heaven is not an exclusive club of the rich and famous or the few and far
between Mother Theresa's. Praise God for the saints, but Heaven is for all
who believe. Let's today fall in love with this truth. Let's not lose sight
of a God who loves us, and in response love Him and care for others like
never before, THEN.. someday Heaven.

Easter Fun

I enjoy the fun my wife and I have shared with our kids over the
years, coloring eggs, hiding baskets, and all the other fun Easter
traditions, BUT I do not confuse this light fun with the Passion of the
Cross.

The Holy week of Jesus with all the cornerstone pieces of the salvation
message MUST be remembered and honored or we miss the point of Easter.

Now we live in a society where schools have Good Friday off, but don’t call
it Good Friday because that would be ‘too Christian’ and disrespectful of
all the other religions in our diverse society.

Happy is the Nation is who’s God is the Lord.
We should be celebrating the Truth of the Easter message
including Good Friday and quit apologizing for it. My fear is we are as a
nation slip sliding away on the slopes of compromise and are on the cusp of
falling far as just another nation and no longer regarded as a Christian
nation, and will suffer the consequences of these choices.

Two things I know :
1. I AM JUST A MAN and not a prophet, so what the HOOT do I know
anyways, and
2. If we are falling as a nation, God will take us back. So let’s as
individuals prayerfully be faithful and unite as a ONE CHURCH (of many
denominations) but with the ONE PURPOSE in honoring our God by loving Him
and others as ourselves. Then as ONE CHURCH let’s start a revival to become
again ONE NATION under God (not multiple gods) with liberty and justice for
all.

BUT I DIGRESS.. and while my point is serious point is made on honoring the
salvation message of Easter, now let me segue gracefully like a Peter
Cottontail down the bunny trail (or a Norwegian bull in a china shop) to my
secular Easter of bunnies, chicks (the birds, not the girls), colored eggs,
chocolate, and baskets.

May God bless each of you this Easter with safe travels, good family fun,
and a great time of celebrating our Risen Lord.

Easter Blessings

what would happen if we treated our Bible like a cell phone ?

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!

Bit Players and Power Brokers of the First Church

Today let me present Bit Players and Power Brokers of the First Church. So
far I have covered the Old Testament, followed by the Gospels.. so why not
The First Church written about in the Book of Acts.

As soon as Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven the bit players and power
brokers were all busy in their roles in and around the First Church.

- At Jesus Ascension into Heaven there was a few bit player who bubbled
over with nervous chatter.
- Just a few weeks earlier waaayyy SOUTH of Jeruselum there could be found
doubting bit players.
- Matthias, a bit player is chosen to become a power broker (aka disciple)
to replace the recently departed Judas.
- Peter and John were imprisoned after inciting a revival. Rumor was they
set up a Nativity Set in the town square.



- Stephen was stoned by the religous right of their day fearing Stephen
would rise from Christian bit player to power broker.
- Influenced by all the public persecutions, jailings, and stonings Roger,
Tim, and Bobemeus enter the very first Witness Protection Program .. as bit
players.
NEXT.. enters Saul the Pharisee Powerbroker until he SAW THE LIGHT along
the Damascus Road reducing him to blind bit player.
- Simon was a bit player in the new Christian movement, but was a power
broker in the emerging tanning industry with his very successful chain of
tanning salons Simons Tanners




- Waaayyy before Simon on American Idol there was a bit player jailer/
music critic who did not believe Paul had what it took to rise from a life
behind bars to become a first century pop star / power broker
- Waaayyy before I ever dosed in Church, bit player Eutychus nodded off,
fell to his death DURING CHURCH, then.. IT'S A MIRACLE.. he is alive again.
Long live the patron saint for those who sleep in church!
- Snake Handlers are misguided bit players in some churches today.. and to
think they were inspired by snake bit power broker Paul.

AND FINALLY..

Besides the life of Jesus Christ on Earth where bit player carpenter was
actually the son of God and true power broker of our Salvation, there has
in my opinion NEVER been a bit player used by God to be a power broker for
His will that all should know Him like the Apostle Paul.

From power broker Pharisee, then blinded by Jesus on that Damascus Road, to
living out his life where all that mattered was telling a lost world the
truth of Jesus Christ. Blinded, beaten, snake biten, persecuted, and
imprisoned..BUT he was too busy serving God to realize it.





I want to be a man like Paul, but I have a ways to go where NOTHING MATTERS
in my life except serving God. I go to church, I am a good guy, BUT.. Paul
raised the bar where few follow.

May God inspire us to love, serve, and be used by Him in ways that are
beyond any bit player status we may believe you carry.

‘Fist to Five’ Theologians

I know a great 4th grade teacher that uses a system of ‘Fist
to Five’ to quickly survey how well her students understand the concepts
she is teaching.

No, it’s not a crude corporal punishment technique where a sock in the nose
(fist) is delivered (to) the (five) students with the lowest scores that
day. How it works is.. after teaching a new concept, Mary scans the sea of
4th grade blank stares and asks.. “Fist to Five”. Raise your fist means if
you have some idea what is being taught, 1 finger if you have a glimpse of
understanding all the way up to 5 fingers if you go it all down pat or at
least think so.

I like this concept, and so I think Fist to Five would make an interesting
little mini Theological test. So here we go Fist to Five. Remember as you
participate .. knowing and believing are not the same thing.

1. Is there a GOD? Fist to Five. I don’t know what to answer here.. but
Fist to Five do I know there is a God? I would like to say Five, but being
honest, I don’t know BUT.. more importantly I believe.

2. CREATION..Was it a literal 7 days, or figurative 7 days? Fist to Five. I
create cartoons not planets and so I would guess creating Earth in 7 days
goes beyond my skill set of coloring between the lines.


3. I understand how PRAYER works? Fist to Five. Which prayers are answered
and which are not? Do some coincidences I give God credit as answered
prayer, while other times I believe God is not listening while instead he
sees the trees from the forest, and answers accordingly. I heard recently a
quote from Albert Einstein.. Coincidences are those moments when God
chooses to remain anonymous.

4. SALVATION: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! What
about the verse that speaks to the fact that creation speaks the truth that
there is a God, and so all man is accountable for this knowledge and will
be judged accordingly. This does not speak about Jesus at all, but creation
does SHOUT there is a creator. So what about those who were never exposed
to the perfect truth of Jesus? What about those devout believers in Jesus
day that were faithful to God but never learned the Messiah had arrived? Do
they go to Heaven? Fist to Five


5. HEAVEN and HELL: Is it fair anyone goes to eternal damnation? Fist to
Five. Ok, even if we could all agree on the Hitlers, Saddam Huesseins, and
Stalins to name a few as pure evil, and on the flip side Mother Theresa,
Billy Graham as truly blessed and used by God... What about the rest of us?
Fist to Five who goes to Hell and who goes to Heaven? Does a loving God
send people to Hell? Fist to Five

6. LOVE GOD.. with all my heart soul and mind and others as myself? How are
you doing on these two greatest commandments? Fist to Five.. How do I love
a God who is not seen with my eyes, or heard audibly with my physical
ears? How does my physical reality reach out to the omnipresent spirit of
the one true God. Fist to Five

7. God Loves Me.. Fist to Five.. Why would the creator of the world care
about me? This logic flies in the face of what we observe in this world..
BUT this is what I believe. I believe in a perfect God with perfect love
and I believe this is the God of our Bibles.


So much I don’t understand, and this life is hard, and so at this time in
my life.. I choose to reach out with my faith the size of a mustard seed on
a good day, and believe.

Again let me be clear that understanding, and believing are two different
states of mind & heart. Knowledge is good, faith is better. Faith is the
bridge designed by God for finite man to connect with infinite God.

May this day forward we all choose to pursue God in humility while having
our honest doubts. Any misguided pride or elevated self worth is a closed
FIST to the omniscient, perfect ways of our Creator.
(Found on the web - backpew.com)

Who's in control ?

“May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.” Psalm 72:15

Our nation is a divided one and has been for years. Red states, blue states. But whoever is in office, whoever sits in the Senate or the House or behind the benches of the Supreme Court need our prayers. Whoever governs the state where you live, or the town, or the school board needs our prayers. All figures in authority in our nation of the people, were put there by the people or appointed by someone who was put there by the people. Havre you prayed for them regularly?

If we are to remain one nation under God we must be indivisible through prayer. The person in office may not have your beliefs, values or political support, but God is very clear that we are to pray for them and that all people in authority are there for a reason. We must humble ourselves to His wishes and pray for those in authority even though they seem ungodly. We are a blessed nation, one of the wealthiest in the world. Yet we are often barren in our beliefs, personal disciplines and lifestyles. America is the new mission field. America need prayer. So do our leaders.

Heavenly Father, our times, our nation, our states and our towns are in Your Hands and we lift up those in authority. You are a God of wonder, of promises and second chances. If these officials do not know you, we pray their heart may be turned so that they may come to know Your Son as their Savior to rule over their decisions. If they have strayed, we pray that Your voice will lead them back. If they bend a knee every morning to you, we pray that You will give them strength to follow You in all circumstances and be a beacon of justice and truth.. Until the day comes when Your Son returns and every knee shall bow, keep this land in Your sight and under your protective wings and teach us to pray daily for it and those who govern it. Amen.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1

Preach the Gospel

"Preach the Gospel, if necessary use words" is like saying "feed the hungry... if necessary use food."

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." – Romans 1:16, 17

The Gospel saves. It is the power of God for salvation. It is the Good News that God has rescued us from His Wrath! If you don't believe it, you cannot be saved. If you don't know it, you cannot be saved. If you do not believe one part or if you take one part out, then you do not believe the Gospel and cannot be saved.

Isaiah prophesied in 7:14 ...

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Christians are followers of Jesus. They believe the Bible as the inerrant Word of God and that includes the biblical account of Jesus' conception, birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. Christianity is built upon the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the Gospel, Christianity does not exist.

So, if a church does not believe that, are they Christians? No, they aren't. They may be deluded into thinking they are.

My favorite book of the bible is Jude. I first rear Jude because it was the shortest book in the bible and I wanted to feel good about myself reading a whole book. After I read it I re-read it many times because of the life lesson it teaches. I still read it a lot and see it as what is happening in some of our churches of today. There are people in our churches that say “God is great” but really don’t believe it. Then they get out of church they go out into the world and live like the world. Its like they wear their Christian badge in church, take it off and wear their sinners badge when they leave. When they are in church you would want to be like them but when they leave not so much.

Jude 12: These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Thank God I have read Jude to help me to understand what god wants me to look out for because it’s up to me who I follow and how I behave weather it’s at church or out in the world. I would not want my kids or any kid I teach in Sunday school to see me doing what I preach against in Sunday school. I don’t want to be a hidden rock in anyone’s love feast.

I have added the book of Jude below so Enjoy !! God is Good !!!

Jerry <><


1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied.
3 Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in privily, [even] they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.
9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.
11 Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.
12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.
14 And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words]), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage.
17 But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And on some have mercy, who are in doubt;
23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy,
25 to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.