Dream House

Write about your dream home.

My dream home would be a house on the coast. It would have to be at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. And a hot tub, a outdoor shower, and a fire pit and a place to watch the waves for hours.

Slowing Down In A Busy Life

Sometimes I feel like I am constantly running on the treadmill of life. Sometimes I feel like I can’t slow down and take a break. It’s not easy to slow down in a world that makes us feel that multitasking is a must. t what point to our bodies say enough is enough.

It’s not easy to slow down, but it turns out it’s exactly what we may need. Slowing down is not only good for our well-being, it also helps us feel less stressed while accomplishing more.

Slowing down and giving ourselves more time to make decisions. How many unimportant things do we do each day. We think we need to get it “all done” in one day, when that’s not really necessary.

When our minds are speeding, our performance and effectiveness get slower or weaker. It’s not being slow that most of us are seeking necessarily, it’s the feeling that we have time to do things that matter. It’s when we feel like we can handle our daily tasks, and don’t feel stressed, and have time to rest, be present, and enjoy the good things in life.

In the world today, we are encouraged to be busy, to multitask, and to be as productive as humanly possible. Most of us probably feel the pressure to perform, or at least look like we’re performing even if that means masking exhaustion with caffeine and sugar. But this feeling of “time urgency” or the sense that we don’t have enough time actually leads us to perform worse. Faster doesn’t always equal better, and being busier does not mean we are being more productive.

When we give ourselves more time to think through that questions we have in life, we can likely come up with better answers. Pausing instead of rushing can help our brains work better.

When we feel that life is to hectic because of what’s going on in our heads, maybe we need to short circuit our thoughts. If you’re like me, you get too many thoughts going on in your head at once and finding a way to get all those thoughts out of our heads is key.

There are a few techniques for getting thoughts out of our heads involve mindfulness meditation, challenging out negative thoughts and focusing on positive aspects or journaling. The key is to acknowledge our thoughts without getting caught up in them, and actively redirecting our focus to something calming.

Getting Some Amazing News

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

In America everything is celebrated with food because sharing a meal together is a powerful way to connect with family and friends. This creates lasting memories.

So, I imagine whatever the great news would be I celebrated with a meal and there would definitely be wine involved.

Overwhelmed By Sin

When we are overwhelmed by sin it’s a feeling of being deeply burdened and weighed down.

David says in Psalm 65:3 “Sin overwhelmed me, but You atoned for our transgressions.” Psalm 65 gives glimpse of the enormous burden of sin, A person who has never been overwhelmed by his consciousness of sin will never understand forgiveness in a real sense.

A real understanding of what sin creates in us a sense of being overwhelmed. It has nothing to do with the number of sins we’ve committed.

Sin cuts open fresh wounds in the heart of God. God suffers from those wounds because He forgives His children. Knowing that His children are behaving in ways that sin against Himself, His laws, and His love creates pain in His heart. He forgives us to bring us back to Him, He forgives but that forgiveness is costly to God.

When we realize the sorrow in the heart of God over sin in us, we experience the overwhelming. When we see the repulsiveness of sin to God, then we are able to see the grieving heart of God.

We can experience true forgiveness when we can say to God that we too have begun to understand what it costs for God to forgive us.

Until we realize that we don’t know what forgiveness is, we will not understand what God’s love is.

God is full of mercy in His dealings with us. The moments when we come to know the utter repulsiveness of sin in our lives and feel overwhelmed by it will God take the initiative to forgive us. (Psalm 40:12).

We cannot earn forgiveness because it is a God-given gift. It is after forgiveness that we learn to love God much. He has forgiven us much.

Activities or Hobbies

Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

I used to enjoy hiking but with a rough knee surgery a year ago, I’m struggling to recover from I think my hiking days are over. I am able to walk fine, but I will never be able to climb like I used to.

A Judgmental Spirit

“Judge Not”

No biblical phrase has been more overused, or abused. Was Jesus actually saying that we should have no discernment?  what did he really mean and how do we steer clear of breaking this commandment?

The sermon on the mount where this was spoken, was written primarily to correct the faults religion of the Pharisees.

So what are the signs of judgmentalism and how do we steer clear of it.

  • We shouldn’t exercise authority over people that we do not possess.

Jesus set shepherds in the church to discern false prophets, and open sin against God‘s Word (1 Corinthians 5). As members of a church, we are called to submit to one another, not judge one another. We should not possess the gift of suspicion.

  • We shouldn’t treat  suspicions or rumors as fact.

Judgmentalism puts opinions ahead of the facts. We must make a full, investigation of a matter to obtain clear proof. Even God came down to see that’s how a Babel and the wickedness of Solomon Gomorrah before he poured out His judgment.

I have an example of this: today I was at the store and bought beer. A lady that goes to my church seen it, and I could tell by the look on her face she was judging me. I’m not in the habit of trying to hide my life from others. I was buying it for some guests coming over that I thought they would like a beer with their meal. She was judging me before she had the facts.

  • We shouldn’t presume to know the motives of peoples actions.

Anyone can judge actions. It is obvious. The problem comes when you decide to know the “Why” of those actions.

Only God knows person to motives. He will judge everyone, including us at the judgment seat of Christ to reveal our true motives.

  • We shouldn’t be quick to detect minor, faults and others, while being blind to our own sins.

Roman’s 2:1 says,

“Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.”

Judgement puts opinions ahead of facts.

  • We shouldn’t judge things that are not clearly spelled out in the Bible.

God’s Word is perfect and does not need us to add to it our own condemnation.

  • We shouldn’t ignore everything favorable about a person and fixate only on an unfavorable trait.

Judgement shouldn’t become personal and not prejudice. In court any juror with a personal relationship to a defendant is disqualified.

When it becomes personal our desire is to condemn a person rather than get rid of the evil in a person.

  • We shouldn’t spread our wrong conclusions to others.

People on social media have a habit of sounding off on people with only knowing a fraction of the facts. Later after learning the whole truth, they make no effort To go back and inform others the whole truth. Which can cost others their reputations.

  • We shouldn’t pronounce final judgment on any person.

Only God can do that. We may judge their actions, but we cannot judge the person themselves.

There is a lot of judgment going on in the world today. Just be careful with your words if you don’t know the whole truth of a situation. Not only can it ruin a persons reputation in some cases it can be dangerous for the other person.

Ask yourself:

  1. Do you have the full context of the situation?
  2. Are there other possible explanations for their behavior?
  3. How would I feel if I were in their shoes?

My Favorites

What’s your favorite candy?

All my favorite candy is slowly being taken off the shelves at the grocery stores.

When my father used to take me fishing with him, we would go gas up the truck on our way out of town. He would let me pick something sweet.

My favorite were the Twin Bing, Idaho Spud, and Rocky Road candy bars. The only one that I can find at any stores near me, are the Idaho Spuds.

It’s funny how simple things like candy bring back old memories. In my case fishing with my father.

God Can’t Be Fooled

“Do not be deceived, God Is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” -Galatians 6:7

Have you ever been filled by a liar? They fed you a line about how much they cared about you. They made grand promises that sounded sincere. They really had you going, and then, the rug is pulled out from under you when you find out which they really were. You feel like a fool. Take heed they will get what they deserve.

No-one can do this to God. He is not mocked. They may be able to fool others with the games they play, but God is not fooled. He not only knows what is done in secret, He knows what they think in their heart. All those things we think we keep hidden from view, those are the very things God will use against ud in judgement.

“No creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him who we must give account” – Hebrews 4:13

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing whether good or evil” – Ecclesiastics 12:14

Don’t play games with God. He is not mocked. He sees all and knows all. Don’t fool yourself. You will reap what you sow.

Take A Break

Do you need a break? From what?

Everyone needs a little time for themselves. Everyone needs to recharge to recover from stress. It improves our performance and restores our energy and mental process.

Giving our brains a chance to rest, to shift our daily habits and let our minds wander. This helps our mind, body, and soul.

The world seems to be moving 100 miles an hour, and we can only go with for so long before our bodies crash.

We must have the courage to listen to our bodies and intuition and invest in ourselves through best we can.

The Silver Cord

If you have ever had or heard of someone that has had a near death experience you may know about the silver cord.

The silver cord is often referred to as the “life thread” because it supplies energy to our physical bodies. If that silver cord is severed, the physical body can no longer be sustained and dies.

Having a near death experience causes you to hover above your body. As if you’re floating outside your body.

I know it sounds like New Age misinformation. But if you experience it or know someone who has experience, they’re probably the most sincere person you’ve ever met.

The silver cord is known in many religious circles, it’s even in the Bible.

“Before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” – Ecclesiastics 12:6-7

The Bible clearly supports the teaching of many eastern religions, if the silver cord is severed, your consciousness can no longer be filtered through the physical vessel.

the sole purpose of the silver cord, or life thread, is to provide the subtle and physical bodies with vital energy. umbilical cord to receive and transfer Prana (a vital life force that is believed to be the bases of all life). Without this, the physical body could not operate as it does. That is why once the silver cord is severed the physical body has no choice but to die.

The silver cord is symbolic, and its representation of the connection between the body and the spirit. the cord snaps, the spirit returns to God and the body returns to dust. Silver in the Bible represents redemption.

Ecclesiastics 12:3- 7 explains the process of death. Some preachers refer to this a “the secret of death.” I will add to this to better explain. This is the way I learned.

“In the day when the keepers of the house (the hands and the arms) tremble. And the strong men (the feet and the knees) bow themselves. And the grinders (the molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those who look out the windows (the eyes) are darkened.

When the doors (the lips) are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding (of the teeth) is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird, and the crowing of a cock, and all the daughters of music (the voice and the ear) are brought low.

Also when the old are afraid of danger from which is high, and fears are in the way, and the almond tree (their white hair) blooms. And the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and desire and appetite fail because man goes to his everlasting home and mourners go about the streets and marketplace.

Remember your creator earnestly now before the silver cord (of life is snapped apart, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern (the whole circulatory system of the blood ceases to function) then shall the dust (out if which God made the body) return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it”- Ecclesiastics 12:3-7.

Important Invention

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

I believe the most important invention of my lifetime has to be Coronary Bypass Surgery.

In 1967 Rene Favaloro performed the first coronary bypass surgery, taking a length of vein from the leg and graphing it onto the coronary artery.

This allows blood to flow around the blocked section. In part the advances, the number of deaths from heart disease can be decreased by 50%.

The Narrow Path

Let’s face it: walking with God is hard. It’s not, it shouldn’t be an easy walk, a straight way.

Matthew 7 13-14, warns us of this by saying,

“Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life. Few are those who find it.”

The Bible cautions us that following God is hard, and we must be prepared for challenges that come. Thankfully, we have a guide on our path to eternity, to life. We have been given the Bible as our helper. We don’t have to walk the narrow path, clueless, and downtrodden. When it gets tough, we can always find the encouragement we need to keep on the path to eternity.

Training, reproving, corrected, and training in righteousness makes life complete. By the spirit of God through scripture, we can become completely equipped for our walk on the narrow way. The Bible gives us all the tools we need.

In order to be taught by the Bible, though we need to be willing to learn. It is nature that our human nature is stubborn and doesn’t want to accept help. instead we want to be self-sufficient. But instead, we need to rely on God, not ourselves. And this requires a change in our mindset.

We need to admit that we are incomplete apart from Jesus’s work in our lives. We need to soak up what we read in the Bible and implement it. we need to humble ourselves before the Word of God. We need to remember we are weak, but God is strong. he wants what’s best for us and part of His best for us is the growth and instruction that can only come from the Bible.

Whether we are confused, lost, or depressed we can turn to the Bible as our comforter. In Psalm 143, David cries out for God’s mercy. It reminds us. We all need a good cry, every once in a while.

God’s love is boundless, limitless, and a comfort in every battle and struggle. Embracing God’s Word and His comfort will bring us peace.

David confirms in Psalm 119 that God’s Word is a light to his path,

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” -Psalm 119:105

That light is our encouragement on the narrow and hard path.

The path is difficult and leads to life, we have to enter it to experience new life (John 17:3), Jesus said “This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ.

Although we may be hated and mocked, we have a better quality of life because of our intimacy with God. There can be peace in the middle of a storm, and joy in the middle of hardship. Jesus said,

“I came that you may have life and life more abundantly” -John 10:10

Ultimately, those who follow this narrow path will spend eternity in heaven. Heaven is our hope on this path the light at the end.