Chains

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Sometimes we might not understand the chains of Christ, but that doesn’t mean we can’t trust that He is doing what is best for us. Praise God!!

Chains

In a dark cell
Alone,
Knees bent to the dirt
I speak your name,
Your chains embrace
My body.

Velvet, caressing at the start
Then biting, burning
Stinging
But the joy that comes
With each sting,
The presence of your
Face!

Cold steel against
Soft, warm flesh
Painful yet enveloping
In ecstasy
As they tear, shred into
My heart
Then raise me from the
Dead!!

Death comes as it
Must
You destroy only to
Raise to perfection
In glory,
Newness from the ashes
Of life once gone astray.

The Eternal Now

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God is eternal and unchanging, always with us even when we are not aware of His presence. Unseen physically, but not unfelt. You can be as close to Him as you desire. He will never turn you away. He will be closer than a brother. His love is absolute, deep, passionate, profound, unchanging and perfect. He is with you every second and every heartbeat. He is your Eternal Now.

An Eternal Now

An Eternal Now
Looming on the horizon
Getting closer as I view
My life and thoughts.
Beauty unsurpassed
Intertwined within this life.

Lingering to watch
And hope for such
A life
Of pure joy and wonder
Unexperienced before.

it is Always Today in His
World, God’s level of existence,
Never out of his sight and care,
This Eternal Now!

A Responsibility and A Rap!

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Our pastor was going over 1Tim 3 a few weeks ago and did an extremely good job with it. This is the chapter where Paul lays out the qualifications for church leaders like elders or bishops and deacons. It could have been a very dry, rather dull sermon, but he managed to bring it to life. The main lesson he wanted us to get was that yes our religious or church leaders have certain responsibilities, but we have the same responsibilities. We should all live clean lives before God for we are all a part of a royal priesthood assigned with the task of trying to lead people to Christ before it’s too late for them.

Heaven is real, but so is hell. Christ himself spoke of it as a place where there will be weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth and where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. Besides, if we love our neighbors then we will feel the responsibility to speak the truth, of course, always with love.

So do not be embarrassed or ashamed to say the name of Jesus of Nazareth in public, at work or at your grocery store. I wrote the following poem with that idea in mind. Love Him enough to be willing to take some persecution for His name’s sake.

Bold enough to Blush (With a Rap Rhythm)

Do not be ashamed
If a man
Said to die
on a cross
Comes to visit
your house.

Be Bold
To let him in
Tell a friend
Who He is.

Do not be Ashamed
Of Him
Before the others
Even if they Jeer
Turn a deaf ear

Throw a stone or two.

Be BOLD enough to BLUSH
If that’s what it takes
To speak His name

And Let Him in.

Jesus Saves.
Jesus Saves

Let Him in!!

Victory

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Did you realize that when you become a follower of Jesus Christ you literally become a new creation. He looks at you as if your old corrupted nature is dead!! Paul said we are buried in baptism and anything that gets buried is dead so we are rebirthed, reborn a new creature. Satan has no power of us anymore. The name of Jesus and the presence in inside of you is who you are now. Sure we may stumble and fall and mess up, sin, again, but that is no longer our identify. We get up and carry forward as our new self, a child of the Living God!! Praise God!!

Christ determines your destiny and that is heaven itself. He died so we can have an eternity of bliss and ecstasy living with Him and His Holy Father and Holy Spirit. It is not I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me. Bible-Verses-On-Love-Galatians-2-20-21-Trees-HD-Wallpaper Choose Life, and it will choose you!!

Don’t take life for granted but ew! I swallowed three bugs!

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Today I got to ride my bike for the second time. I really enjoy the ride along the river bank. It was a warm, pretty day, and I got to say hello to quite a few people walking and biking on the greenway here in our town. It means so much to me to be able to do this simple thing after the five years of cancer treatments. I get to go back to my local church and can drink coffee again!! The cancer chemotherapy was so strong I could not enjoy my favorite drink at all. That first cup in the morning is always the best.

So don’t take the little things in life for granted. When all of a sudden you can’t do them anymore you miss them; a walk through a park, your favorite food or just a bike ride in the park. However, today, it was a little buggy outside so I accidentally inhaled three bugs on the ride. I guess there’s always a little cloud in every silver lining. Oh, well.

I hope God blesses your day. Just keep on riding!

Music and in Living Color

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Sometimes I have very vivid dreams. I was dreaming early this morning about my old job when all of a sudden without warning I was in the middle of a large group of black slaves. It was so vivid. It was like watching a movie. I could see everything so clearly. I don’t know why I was dreaming about this. Maybe from the Lord, maybe not.

Anyway, they had been loaded into the back of an open air wagon pulled by a horse. There was the sense they were in the process of being moved from one place to another, and they were singing this song. I could hear their rich, deep voices singing as they were riding down the road. It was this:

Oh, what do you do when you need Jesus? What do you do when you need Jesus? What do you do when you need Jesus?

Lord, take me home soon. Take me home soon.

The music was beautiful and the sound powerful. Everything was in color. The men were wearing white pants and shirts and the women were in colorful dresses, some in yellows, some in oranges with white kerchiefs around their necks. It was very moving. I could sense their pain.

I woke up and could not get the sound of the music, the words and their voices out of my head. In spite of their pain, they were looking to their Lord for their comfort.

Christ is everything. He is the Lord of this life and Lord of the next. In our pain, He wants to be close and intimate with you and be your comfort and to give you his power, strength and His joy. People talk so much about the gifts of the Spirit such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, teaching, giving generously, healing, but oh, the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. NIV

These are the core essence of the Living God. He is trying to turn us into Himself. Hallelujah, Praise God!! May He bless your day.