Category: Take First Steps

November 14, 2018November 14, 2018

Resources:

Scripture

Dennis Prager’s Election Voter guide

When You Boo God, I turn You Off |Moral Truths for Election Tuesday 2018

Before reading anything click to watch Bishop EW Jackson’s encouragement to black voters. I encourage every voter to take the same stand. Then please read this post…

As a registered Independent voter, I have a different view of what is going on in the political world without being subjective to one party or the next. I have voted for both party candidates in the past. But more and more, this has changed for me. I can’t or am unable to reconcile the doctrines coming from the Democratic Party anymore. They are anti everything. The overall rhetoric being conveyed from the top down, is simply frightening.

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A lot of Hispanics, Blacks voters, vote because their families voted Democrat. This was my case. Before I was a Christian, I had heard how awful President Reagan was. What I kept hearing from my family and friends made my thoughts who they were.

To the point which I am now ashamed of admitting, that I grinned when we heard the President had been shot. This was in high school in the early 80s. How awful, lost and pathetic was I?

Brings me to the point I am making. We are what we hear. The social media and news outlets have a 90% negative reporting on President Trump. Even though he has done what he promised while campaigning. He has brought this country back from economic recession. Not that I am a 100% Trump supporter. He makes me cringe sometimes when he opens his mouth. This is in fact, what America is nowadays…more on that in a future post. Just remember, we elected what America is. Our reflection is who we vote in…

Compared to what we hear now in Democratic circles, if you were to take what JFK said in his State of The Union’s, he would sound very much like a conservative today…the shift in Democratic philosophy has drastically swung to the far left, almost socialist….I remember how most Democrats booed God in their 2016 convention.

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This divisive crowd booed in 2012, DNC Chair Antonio Villaraigosa, had to ask three times for votes on reinserting references to God, and Jerusulem, back into the Democratic Party platform. Why? Because the Democratic Leadership knew that it had turned off a good percentage of liberal voters in the country. Some Democrats gave so many excuses when these two events happened. Yet, I see something happening that is very disconcerting. This party is becoming alarmingly secular and socialist. When people I know who are Democrats try to explain these events off as no big deal, I will stop them when I hear this and tell them:

There was a time in America when someone started a prayer, 99.9% of people would stop everything and show respect for the prayer to God. This did not happen in the prayer/ convocation in 2016 nor did it stop there.

Granted, some people defend the boo’s saying that it was the Bernieites who booed against Hillary’s nomination. But, this is my point. Some adults have become like those unruly-screaming-for-everything-they-don’t-get-kids we all see at stores. The ones the parents look and stand by like victims instead of parents….

To the sane Democrats out there, it looks like it’s your responsibility to become the parent who brings back the unruliness of your party. Before it’s too late.

This is the problem I see with the Democratic Party, they have allowed a good percentage of people to dictate and bully their agendas. It’s time for some of my family members who vote Democrat, to really think things through, before automatically voting for their Party. The videos say enough of what is happening. The news media shows off the screamer adult kids who have gotten their way throughout their lives without true parental discipline. Hence, the state we are now in. And hence, my Independence from that Party in decline…and my Independence in voting for what’s morally right, just and will glorify God!

Why vote?

Voter Guide CCCH

Election Forum

AFA Guide

November 3, 2018

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Are You Still Drinking From Milk?! |Quote the Word Not Commentaries!

When I was a kid, I remember wanting to be like such and such soccer player or dribbling like that basketball player, hitting the game winning run like that famous baseball player… Life was good and I, along with the rest of the neighborhood kids would imagine ourselves in big games with thousands of fans cheering for us while we saved that specific sports universe we were playing in. It was fun and it brought discipline to what we were doing in every sport we played.

As I got older, I didn’t want to be like this athlete or that athlete. I wanted to make my own game. I started realizing that I would watch the best athletes competing in their sport and learn their movements. But when I played, I wasn’t playing exactly like specific people. I was taking what I had seen and watched on TV and making it my own.

Sadly, I find that a large number of people who have been Christians a long time, still have the ‘neighborhood kid playing’ mentality.

What is the ‘neighborhood kid playing‘ mentality? It is when a Christian who has been a Christian longer than others in the church, is still quoting pastors he listens to, book commentaries he or she reads, or quotes from social media constantly; and yet, this same person never quotes directly from scripture.

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DISCLAIMER ***** Don’t get me wrong, I still quote all the above but it is not where I end. I usually say, “This pastor wrote this about this, this other pastor wrote this about this subject, here’s what the Word of God says and what I got from it, for application.” **********

So it’s not that I don’t ever quote anyone, it’s that I have found out, the Bible is all I need.

The Word of God is and was from the beginning. Jesus is the Word(See John 1) He has spoken His Word into our lives and into His Word, the Bible which makes one wise, disciplines by showing us our true nature and then instructing us to grab on to Christ and not let go(see Hebrews 4:12-13).

How do we become people who can be discipled and disciple others? We must be teachable, learners of the word(See Proverbs 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) ,and be able to pass it on.

Jesus tells us to do one thing. To go into all nations, and make disciples of all nations. We are to be teachable and then go out and teach others(See Matthew 28:19).

Now here is where I do become that neighborhood kid playing, when I start imitating Jesus and Jesus alone.

May I be able to be Christlike always.
May I be able to quote scripture just like Jesus did when being tempted by the enemy(See Matthew chapter 4).
May I be able to withstand everything that comes against me like Jesus did, because I was able to quote His Word, which gives me strength(See Philippians 4:13)…

Want to know more about Jesus?

October 31, 2018October 31, 2018

My House, My Job, They’re My Life |Priorities

“”47 So the high priests and the Pharisees assembled the Council n and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our Temple o and our nation.””— John’s Gospel chapter 11 ISV

This is the conversation which took place after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. These were members of the Highest Court of Israel. They would be like our Supreme Court mixed in with the best Theologians in the land.

Yet all this wisdom and only a few of the leaders were believers of Jesus from Nazareth. Most of them were so empty spiritually, that they had missed out on the over 300 prophecies concerning their Messiah. So much so, that they were willing to keep their beautiful Temple which Herod had rebuilt, and hold on to it and their homeland no matter the consequences. They would have to get rid of the guy that was performing extraordinary miracles not seen since the days of Moses and Joshua.

But before we get all ‘holy” on them, ask yourself this question.

What thins or things are you holding on for dear life to?

You see, this is the same daily conversation that people all over the world have about Jesus the Carpenter from Nazareth.

Do I want to follow Jesus?
What of He wants me to leave all these things I have accumulated behind?
What if I have to give up my party life?
What if I have to stop cheating people out of money at work?
What will people think about me if I become a Christian?
How will I look to my family if I leave their religion?A

The questions you will be asking yourself are valid. But also ask yourself these:

How am I able to handle that high stress job?
Will the stress finally land me in the hospital?
Will I be able to keep the house I could barely pay the monthly mortgage on?
Do I really need the expensive cars and unnecessary extravagant lifestyle choices I have?
Have all the material things and my long hours at work have me slowly drifting away from a relationship with God?

Whatever it is, nothing and I mean nothing is better than having Jesus the Lord, Savior and Redeemer of this world come into your life.

If you choose to have a personal relationship with Christ, watch the everyday miracles that He will do for you in your life. Jesus loves you and asks that you trust Him to lead and guide you. And unlike those temporary luxury things, or high stress job you’re in, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

800px-Gustave_Doré_-_Crucifixion_of_Jesus.jpg — Gustave Doré – Crucifixion of Jesus.

Stop trying to kill Jesus off from your life for the sake of keeping your ‘temple and country’.

Instead of killing Him out of your life, ask Jesus to come into your life and bring you back from the dead. If you commit yourself to him, your life will never be lost again…

Resources:

How can I know God?

October 25, 2018October 24, 2018

Steps to Peace with God

Heal, LORD,Save(d),Praise You |Healing Marriages Series

—Rafaw— YHWH —Yashaw—Yashaw —Tehillah—

The above five simple words come from Jeremiah 17:14.

Heal Yahweh, save, saved, praise

It’s not a magic hocus pocus formula for someone who is in poor health.
It’s not a repetitive prayer for us to keep chanting like a mantra.
But these five powerful words are words we need to know.
We have to remember the state of Jeremiah’s mind and spirit. The Lord used him to warn Israel of their coming doom.
Jeremiah had to proclaim the word of the Lord no matter the consequences. There were false prophets telling people who God would save them.
Like today, we have many “pastors” telling people what they want to hear. Yet the Word of God never changes.
It hasn’t in over 4,000 years and even if the gates of hell open up wide to let the forces of evil influence mankind, the Word of God will always be. Because it’s light and truth. It gives people life, a renewed vitality that shines so bright, the forces of evil scatter.

— Jeremiah spoke these words when Israel was going to be decimated.

— I want to encourage you today. Whatever calamity you’re going through. Whatever dark and deep valley you’re stuck in, remember, the God who created all things, the One who calls us by our names, He is here! Still reigning and still in control of all things.

So if you are feeling down, or see nowhere to hide, call out to the only One who can help your situation.

—Healer, LORD, save, let me be saved. I will praise You!—

You see, Jeremiah saw what God would do to Israel. He saw the future calamity. No wonder he is called the weeping prophet.
Had I seen what Jeremiah saw, I would be in a fetal position crying out and with my thumb in my mouth trying to comfort myself.
Yet this prophet of God endured the visions and called out for Israel to repent and draw close to their God.
The God that had worked miracle after miracle with their ancestors.
The One who parted the stormy sea for them to cross to safety.
He is still here, and He still does everyday miracles.

—Call out to Him today! Let Him take your calamities and let Him part the deep storm you’re treading in.

Heal LORD, save! You have saved us, and we praise You!

Timeline of Jeremiah

Get to know God:

October 19, 2018October 19, 2018

October 15, 2018October 15, 2018

I wish Siri Had A Please & Thank You Button |LETTERS TO MY KIDS

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Please and Thank you…Those wonderful almost extinct words that are going away like the cassette recorder, the landline phones, and prudent public education.

Gone are the days that I hear kids asking for something without sounding like dictatorial commands. I see it everywhere. I see it in this millennial generation but they are not the only ones. People my age are beginning to be affected. It’s like one of those zombie movies which starts out by patient zero contracting a deadly form of virus. Then turning patient zero into a walking dead like person moaning and groaning at everything without any form of intelligible words coming out of them.
When I hear a person barking out orders to people in public, it makes me cringe. Especially if they have kids around them. We are becoming the Siri and Alexa Commander Generation.

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I wish Siri and Alexa had a special button that would make everyone asking them questions say please before their services could answer anything. Then in order for Siri or Alexa to take the person asking to the links or information, they would have to say, “Thank you, Siri,” or “Thanks, Alexa!”
Imagine a world where you go to order food or grab a coffee, and you hear every single person saying those two precious words!

When I do hear those tow precious words coming out of someone, I hear angels in heaven rejoicing because another angel has earned their wings….okay, not really but it’s almost like that in my mind.

Believe or not, when I do hear those two words being used by a family, I will go by and thank the parents for doing a wonderful job in teaching their kids those two very small but hugely important words.
You see, without the constant training of kids asking, there is no humility. Without kids thanking, there could be no spirit of gratitude.

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So parents, adults, and everyone in between; let’s please get back to having a spirit of humility and of gratitude…Thanks and God bless you all…

Groaning for Home |Not Of This World

This week my wife and I found ourselves taking some time off to babysit our grandson. His parents were going to the hospital for delivery of their second child. We are always joyful for the opportunity of taking care of my him.

As the days passed and my grandson would only see his mom and dad a few hours at a time, I saw his mood changing. He loves his Nana and Poppa, but I noticed he had a burden in his little heart. No one had to tell me what it was. Because when I was a kid, I had to go and live with my aunt for about a year. She and my uncle were always great with my siblings and me, but they were not mom or dad. I still feel that separation and know my grandson is going through some anxiety being away from his parents. He loves to be here always, but his place belongs with his mommy and daddy, and now baby sister.

We as Christians should also be looking towards our precise destination. We love God’s creation but groan inwardly for our real home. The home that Christ has been preparing for us since the foundations of earth.

You see, this home that we are looking for had already been built once, in the garden for the first humans to live and thrive. It was a perfect paradise with everything needed for a beautiful and productive life. God was active in His guidance with the first couple, but the first couple was not ready for what was coming. They were duped into doing something that went against their Creator God. So God being who He is, had to expel them from His perfect paradise setting. He could not have imperfect people in a perfect place.

Fast forward to the time where God Himself would provide the perfect way to reunite humans with their Creator.

His Son Jesus’ death would suffice the price Adam and Eve would have had to pay for their sins, and the sins of all humanity.

Like my grandson who is happy and well-adjusted here in our house, yet wanting to be reunited with his parents and new baby sister, we as Christians also live in this world but want something more. That something more is being reunited with our Lord and Savior Jesus, who has promised us a safe and incredible place to live when our bodies no longer can live in this world…

If you don’t know what I am talking about, get to know Jesus personally. All you have to do is ask Him to come into your life and change you from within. Here’s how:

Links to knowing Jesus Personally:

September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

References to verses:

John 17:14-15 and Philippians 3:20-21

John 14:1-3

Jesus paid the price for us