Relationships pt. 2 – Where We Stray

The Walk We Take

³³Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:33

In last weeks post, “Relationship – Where We Begin”, I attempt to illustrate how the foundations are poured that will affect us for the rest of our “religious life” and in our “earthly relationships”. If at a young age we teach to our children by example the best kind of relationships our children will then begin to make the connection of how real relationships work and relate these examples to our Holy Father in Heaven. In this parents, schools, and churches is where our children’s lives are most impacted from the time they are born to the time they are about 18. Their personal walk with God by this point has been laid-out for them, but after age 18 their walk becomes their own. So, it is a test of our teachings and our abilities to mold our children correctly that begin to either bear fruit or not by this pivotal age. The walk we take is either a good one or a bad one, it is largely determined by the foundations we received as children, but it also is greatly impacted by the company we choose to keep. Good people who honor each other can be spoiled by one bad persons lack of morality because we are all not walking at the same degree of committment to God. Therefore, some of us tetter while others walk tall. That is why in our most weak of convictions we need to seek out the Christian Community that best builds us up. Children who are not exposed to this vulnerability often tend to walk away from the church and from God with the intent to experience the world on their own, in the way they choose, and in this mind-set they often are lead astray and are overcome by the world. For without a strong conviction in God they are open to the experiences that corrupt good character. According to Drew Dyck a staff writer from Christianity Today who wrote an article called, “The Leavers: Young Doubters Exit the Church”, that stated, “There has been a corresponding drop in church involvement. According to Rainer Research, approximately 70 percent of American youth drop out of church between the age of 18 and 22. The Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be “disengaged” by the time they are 29.” ~ Dyck (Nov. 2010)

The Right Relationships

^{20 “}Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” ~ Proverbs 13:20

A priest came to my school when I was new into the Catholic Schools as a teacher with this perplexing problem; “How can we keep more people in the church?” The teachers in the room suggested stuff like cater better to the community by holding different masses in the languages of the community. One suggested that our parents need to be Catholic from the start i.e. all our children would then be Catholic and the numbers would be better for retention. Still another teacher who did not like any of the suggests said, “The Church needs to be more accepting to people from other denominations and other faiths.” I sat back and thought, (as a Baptist), ‘that God does not discriminate so why should there be any discrimination among His many churches?’ This idea became something that bothered me for many years after that first conversation with that priest. I after changing my views many times, debating this question with many different people from many different Christian upbringings have sorta settled upon this on core idea. It’s not about retention as much as it is about our morality, what we do, think, feel, when we are alone in our personal lives. It is about our beliefs in both humanity and in the eternal forces which guide or shape our lives from cradle to the grave. It is about the accepted statuesque that is constantly shifting and changing. For religion to grow man must have-buy in, but for there to be belief in God, we must first know God, view His never-changing word and actions. We must understand that the right model for man is the model God has already demonstrated over two-thousand years ago. If we teach what we believe and do it daily and it is based in the word of God then our children when they ask the proverbial, “WHY” then our answers will be aligned with Gods answers to those questions that others had asked in biblical times. Because the word of God is never-changing the answer will be the same for our children’s children and so on as it was intended by God. The gift we then give to our children is an ever lasting relationship with our creator without blemish, stain, or misconceptions. The relationship with God allows all of our other earthly relationships to grow, and thus our wisdom grows with others who are like-minded and the fools of the world will be left to toil alone and condemned alone. Therefore, our walk with God would begin at birth and remain with God throughout our entire lives.

Amen

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As we head towards the season of Thanksgiving it is important to take note of all that we have to be thankful for. Like the disciples who learned all things are possible through the love and compassion of God so to can we the many sons and daughters of Christ make miracles happen for those who are in need and thus in our own way feed the multitude. I urge you to support inner city children through the gift of education by clicking the following link.

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Relationships – Where We Begin

The Beginning of Any Relationship

^{18 “}There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” ~1 John 4:18

Take a deep look into your heart, think about all the relationships you have ever been in. What was your first relationship? Was it with your parents, grandparents, were you adopted, did you have any brothers or sisters whom you became very attached too as a child? Did you have a favorite teacher who you wished would be your teacher for life? Who was that person that you could say that what you had was real? I ask this because the answer for me was God. Yes I loved my parents, my siblings, my grandparents, and I will never forget my 3rd grade teacher Miss Rice who broke not just my heart but all the boys in the class when she got married. I fondly remember we all got together and refused to call her by her married name. My point is that all the relationships I had in my life as a young boy was not real. What do I mean by that? I mean the relationships where not forever relationships. Remember what Jesus said about things of this earth: everything shall wither and die, everything on earth shall pass away, nothing here is forever and that includes your relationships.

^{19 “}We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” ~ 1 John 4:19-20

Relationships start with love, every relationship in our lives always begins with fearless, open, non-judgmental love. Think about the new born babies and how they lay in anyone’s arms. Think about how their heart is absolutely pure, this is the closest we will ever come to experiencing perfect pure love. They only cry for two reasons, when they are hungry and when they are in need of a proper changing. But God in his infinite wisdom also hot wired us to crave love, so babies tend to grow and be healthier when they are touched, held, and when they have two parents that supply this love. “Sarah Tufano, a nationally certified massage therapist, certified educator of infant massage and owner of Massage Therapy of Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, notes that infant and preemie touch and massage are “a powerful means of teaching children, from day one, that they are loved and deserving of love.” ~ Budzienski, Jaime (The Effect of Touch With Preemies: The power of touch helps preemies to thrive). We love because God first loved us, our spirit comes from God, therefore our first relationship is with God.

^{21 “}And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” ~ 1 John 4:21

As a professional educator in an urban inner city school I see on a daily bases children who are not and have never been told they are loved. Ruffly 20% of the children in my school crave hugs, and when I give them these hugs they hold on for dear life. I am blessed to work in a Catholic School because I can tell them all that I love them and that I want only the best for them. In many instances these children focus better, work harder, try to excel once they know I am there for them. In my humble opinion that is what is wrong with our schools and our society at large. Our children are not being given the attention they need to grow and be successful. Parents instead give them electronics and call this love, they sent them on their way to play and entertain themselves and in the end because our children crave love they grow up not understanding what love is nor what a real relationship should be. A good example of this is when my older students say to me when I assign homework, “What do I get for doing this work?” Because some of the older kids have younger brothers and sisters this mentality rubs off on them. Some of my younger students say to their teachers, “What do I get for cleaning my mess? Are we going to get a prize?” Because they are not taught about love they also do not have respect: respect for themselves, nor others, because again their parents and our society has accepted this norm and we as a nation cannot fall in love with God let alone with each other. We see in our early lives that love equals fear, fear of being punished for something our children will never understand nor will be taught if it first does not come form their parents, the educational system, and from our churches. This is the beginning we have as children when it comes to relationships and love in the 21st century. How can we possibly love one another if we don’t begin practicing with our families, with our parents, and with God.

Today’s Challenge: Parents – write a letter to your children telling them that you love them. Children – write a letter to both of parents telling them how much you love them and are grateful for all the things they do for you. Everyone – write a letter to God telling him how much you love Him and need Him in your life. Ask Him for His divine mercy and everlasting love.

Amen

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Feeding the Multitude

Matthew 14:11-20

¹³When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.¹⁴When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ~ Matthew 14:13-14.

THE CROWD

God see’s what we need. He see’s not just the physical but also the spiritual needs of every human being. In this God cares for use through grace, and it is this grace we call compassion do we the human race find true healing. The crowd followed Jesus not out of curiosity, but through the hunger they felt deep inside. The spirit within them needed to be feed. This crowd Jesus took compassion upon and healed the sick, but through their faith in him so too was their soul also mended. If you read the scripture just before Matthew 13 you will discover that Jesus had been told about His cousin John being beheaded. It was this which made Jesus seek seclusion. But even in this state of mind of grief Jesus was very much aware of the multitude and of their many needs. It was not His grief which took center stage but it was the needs of the living. Our God loves us so much He puts all other things aside and tends to us filling our heart, mind, and soul with the spiritual food we crave. For our God is truly a loving and compassionate God, one of grace and compassion.

^{15 “}As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’” Matthew 14:15

MAN’S COMPASSION

In this we see the compassion of man for the disciples of Christ noticed only one need, that of the flesh. For the people had by this point been following Jesus for some time, they had not gone home to eat, to take a bath, to tend to their flocks nor had they brought provisions. For the disciples, food took center stage in their compassionate plea to Jesus. But again as mentioned before God see’s all of our needs. So Jesus argued against not sending the multitude home for food, but rather argued to keep them close to tend to all their needs personally.

¹⁶Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” ~ Matthew 14:16.

GOD’S COMPASSION

Let’s take a moment and break this statement down as the disciples must have. There were hundreds of people of all ages. They were all in the wilderness nowhere close to any immediate food source and night was upon them. So to the disciples the question of feeding the multitude became one of, “how”, shifting from their first concern of, “where”. For in this one statement by Jesus the responsibility then shifted from allowing the people to feed themselves to the disciples feeding them just as God feeds us. Their confusion and misgivings, or lack of faith in both Jesus and in themselves prevented them from seeing this miracle which was to unfold and replaced it with blindness making it impossible for them to comply and is seen most readily within the comments they make next to Jesus,

¹⁷“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.~Matthew 14:17

BEGINNING OF THE MIRACLE

Here we see two concerns happening, the first is the amount of food, which is to be the disciples dinner. Secondly, the amount of food was not enough so logically it made no sense to keep the multitude with them. Therefore, what must have struck the disciples the hardest was if they give what they have away then how or what were they going to eat. This disbelief of the disciples is the failing of every human being as we all tend to see the facts and discount the possibility of things we do not or cannot see in those facts. This then leads to lack of faith in God and His ability to see past the facts and pull forth the impossible. This also leads us to forget the love God holds for us, his caring nature, and his want in taking caring of all our needs. These two things lead us to falter and stumble even when we have seen His love in action before as the disciples had. The power which gripped the disciples in this moment was rooted in their inaction to believe in what they could not see, it was their refusal to look beyond the physical or to admit that they could feed thousands with so little food and this instead lead them to question if it could work even with the Son of God present, for this is called the power of doubt.

¹⁸“Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ~ Matthew 14:18-19.

OUR GOD…

In all things our God is one of order, He is one who takes great care to account for each instant perfectly calling out each detail of our lives, deeds, misgivings, loves, worries, and triumphs. Our God is one of prayer, giving thanks for what you have for it was so delivered to us by God. Our God is one that provides everything that we need, in every instant that we live for all things belong to God. Our God is one that calls us forward to be His helper, teaching us what we need to know in every facet of our complicated lives. The lesson we see here is that God can do anything for His people, He can move mountains, build empires, create planets, and die a brutal death to cleanse us our sins, for there is nothing our God can not do. In giving the disciples the responsibility of feeding the multitude He teaches them how it is possible within the right frame of mind, heart, and soul to connect to our loving father in heaven who feeds us making the impossible possible.

²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketful of broken pieces that were left over.²¹The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. ~ Matthew 14:20.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The miracle was in the belief that so many could be feed with so little food, with the prayer of thanksgiving, and with the compassion of God. For the Lord left no one out as everyone was feed and within this so too did the servants of Christ find that the love of God even extends to those who doubt such as they had. Our God leaves no one out from his gift giving as he keeps everyone in his sights like a good Shepard. Our God is fair and unchanging in his love that he gives to everyone of us. He calls each one of us to Him by name and within this He again knows what we individually need and so He cares for us the same. He leads us not astray but rather holds us close to Him and shelters us from evil and forgives us our sins in the same manner.

Amen

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I Do Not Know!

28 “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” ~ John 5:28-29

Have you ever looked at your child and truly have no clue what they’re thinking? Have you ever looked at a co-worker and thought, “This person has totally lost their mind!” Have you ever wondered what makes people do the things that they do? In today’s special blog posting I wanted to put forward an idea that is not new but rather very straightforward and more logical than we would like to admit. That simple idea is that none of us have any clue of what’s going to happen in our future or what happens after we die. And that idea scares the hell out of everyone of us! Sin is such a major part of our lives and we hear almost on a daily basis from so called men and women of faith which sins will get us condemned forever. I was thinking not to long ago how thinking about sin is equal to walking in a mind field, take the wrong step and bam you are gone forever! Shortly after I had that thought I heard on the radio ministers talking about after life, and how some people have had “life after death” experiences then wrote about them, only to later admit after selling thousands of books and making hundreds of thousands of dollars that they made it all up. In that I know those authors may have been influenced by money but even still is money worth risking your immortal soul? “What are they thinking if death is not the end of life?” John tells us very plainly that those of us who have lived good honest lives even though dead will come to life once more to God and eternal happiness, but those who have done evil will come back to a life of judgement. If this is true then we must also assume logically speaking that when we die we are dead, or asleep as Jesus puts it, and only until we are all called do we live again at some future date. For the critics why believe in this crazy idea of judgement or even life after death or salvation of the soul anyway? I mean doesn’t that make a person live under a gloomy cloud always knowing that sin is real but is the punish also real? Death in a way is a punishment for sin isn’t it? Or is death just a natural process of life as scientists like to tell us? What should we believe in this age of technology and modern day miracles anyway? What I would like to assert on these points is history. We should believe in the resurrection of Christ as an example of our own impending resurrection, because John himself faced death for his faith in the risen Christ by being boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. But yet through his faith was he delivered, only to later be sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. It was here that John has visions of what life was like after death, and what the ultimate judgments of sin where within the Book of Revelations. Being set free John then became the Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. John was the only apostle saved from martyrdom. John was once a fisherman catching fish, and was transformed into a fisher of men! I use John as the example because it was John who told us what to expect after we die and he got his information directly from our Lord Jesus Christ who was risen on the third day.

28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” ~ Matthew 10:28

“Because the Bible says so doesn’t make it real!” How often have you heard this? I would be rich if I received a penny every time someone said this to me. The idea that John would be willing to die for his faith in Christ allows me to make that jump in faith that indeed there is life after death and because I tried all my life to do good, I will be resurrected to life and not judgement. But, I can not prove it true and that very fact is what faith is all about. Matthew’s testimony is also very appealing because it assures us that no man no matter how powerful or cruel can not take away or kill our life force, or our immortal soul. The cloud of impending gloom and doom of judgement should be lifted with this assurance, because again Matthew, like John got his information directly from the risen Christ Jesus. Matthew also goes one step further however and gives a purpose of there being a Hell, which is to destroy both resurrected body and soul. I think what also makes these scriptures relevant in our age of technology is that no matter how smart we get as a species we will never unlock all the mysteries of God. Thus, I would argue in the light of this truth it is easy to understand why all the disciples of Christ never once denounced their faith in Jesus even when it was obviously leading them to martyrdom. In fact they all did exactly what Jesus had also done years before. Faith was the core to their strength and unity and it was based on truth because a lie about the resurrection would eventually fall apart and be discounted, yet the truth has span two thousand years and is still a matter of faith for millions.

13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” ~

I tell you now my brothers and sisters that the time has not come and we have a sliver within the eternal calendar of God to get our lives right before God. We who are alive have a responsibility to build the best model of faith for our young, to be the greatest generation leaving behind a better place than what we found it. We are called to leave behind the negative attitudes of our ancestors, walk away from their petty differences and prejudices and instead live as one race with God and rejoice in His splendor for He is our creator and our Lord of Lords, King of Kings. We do these things without doubt as we have all the teachings before us to have ample faith in God, and it is assured over and over that live does not end after death, but what I and you shall find I will admit I do not know, but yet I still believe and so should you. Never again wonder about what others do, think, or feel as there is a reason that is a mystery kept from us as God Himself has kept some things as a mystery known only to Him.

Amen,

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God Bless America?

^{9 “}But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” ~ Titus 3:9

Political Candidates in America today love to say when it benefits them the most these three words, “GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Most of them do not attend church regularly on Sundays, and most of them supported voting out the Ten Commandments from public government buildings. But where they shot themselves in the foot is taking religion out of the public school system and stopping the flag solute. According to Titus of the old testament all of these issues where fools errands! Yet if you look hard enough as our politicians preach their message in this years run-up to the Presidency you will not hear anything about God except when it benefits them! I urge everyone to look at each candidates record while they served in public office, look hard at what they voted for or against, and compare that to the Bible, how did they represent our Lord and Savor, how did they protect the rights we fought and died for when creating this great nation in the first place? Ask yourselves if their views on such issues as abortion, gay rights, immigration, helping third world nations, war, the homeless within our own country, veterans benefits, education, ill trained police, racism and racial profiling, economics, and / or protecting our religious beliefs in America today is in line with your beliefs. Ask will they stand up when the time comes to fix these problems and address these social issues which are completely against our God? Will any of them stop their foolish talk, their controversial opinions, cease and subsist the stupid quarrels about the laws they have passed and / or are trying to pass, and admit that these activities are fools errands!

^{17 “}Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” ~ 1 Peter 2:17

Think for a moment on how controversial this was when Peter said it. “Honor the emperor.” Honor a man who forced many christians underground and who killed thousands of christians and for a few well-known ones were made into martyrs through this gruesome process? For them to stand up for the issue of the day was also in line with defending God, preaching the gospel as Jesus instructed them and us to do. For us the idea of “Honor the emperor” is a command to honor our leaders, pray for them and ask God to give them the wisdom to make decisions that affect us all in a meaningful way. My criticism is strictly based within defending God, defending the Bible, and defending what our founders fathers fought for because again they all where religious men who honored everyone, they loved their brothers and in doing so they all where God-fearing people. That generation that sparked a revolution did so within their righteous indignation and we all could use some of their spunk, focus, and drive. God is the master, the creator, the alpha and omega, He alone protects us and is the source of all wisdom. With that said Peter was also saying in a very indirect way to “Honor your God the Holy Father which resides in Heaven!” That statement back then as now is controversial; it is an idea that if preached allowed could get some arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and even killed over. But ironically our politicians and presidential hopefuls can spread a line of craps for as far as the eyes can see, some of which becomes policy and which harms millions and no one gets into trouble for it, none of them get arrested, convicted, jailed, beaten, or even killed over it! In fact few of them ever really give too much thought to what they say because ninety-nine percent of it is after all just how the “game of politics” is played. No one has to agree anymore, and in this standoff millions of people lose their jobs and even lose their houses. Few if any of them can really say they have protected Gods Children, protected the country, protected the sanctity of marriage, and protected our economic standing in the world by fighting for these things in the trenches. For many of them who shall remain nameless in this post but I will explore their past in future postings, can not tell the American people that they have any experience in defending God’s people because they are to focused on defending their own self-interest. Now is that someone you want running Gods nation? To be honest; I thought I would never say this let alone write this, but I agree with Donald Trump on only one of his comments and I am a Democrat. Politicians aren’t going to make our country great again, “Politicians are never going to solve all the problems we have. They’re too deep-seeded.” ~ Donald Trump April 2015, WMD. Donald Trump also recently stated that, “He argued ‘the greatest social program is a job,’ vowing to be ‘the greatest jobs president that God ever created.’” ~ JUNE 16, 2015, BY 5NEWS WEB STAFF, again this statement is one example of how potential presidential hopefuls use God in their sentences when it benefits them the most, again another promise to get the votes that is coming from a person who does not need a job!”

^{34 “}Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” ~ Proverbs 14:34

To define the most harmful sin in America today is that of gay marriage and most of our politicians though they oppose it in private applaud it in public. Their sin is to stand by and watch as a sinful act is happening, and those who live the life of a gay person their sin equals that of an abomination against God in the highest order. Sin does not beget good but rather the opposite, sin begets sin until stopped! Therefore, there is no righteousness within homosexuality, there is nothing honorable in this life style that people enter into out of a personal choice. Yet these people would like God’s people to ignore the sin and embrace their culture of continuous sinning while looking away with a blind eye; within that forcing Gods people into sin also. The web of sin demeans humanity which the devil hates with all his unrighteous being and tricks us into hating ourselves, tricking our morality into impure acts against God, and in this humanity has no more respect for itself and thus we being the long decline into tearing ourselves apart. Lies is the devils practice that which brought many great nations into ruin. We only have to look back into history to see the politics of Egypt, Israel, Greece, Roman, the Soviet Union, Germany, and so many other countries in the ancient past and within the last seventy-five years which all have fallen from some sort of perversion within the hearts and minds of the people, sin that was allowed to flourish unchecked and without question by the leaders whose sole focus was to gain power and popularity. For our own politicians there is a stark reminder of how fragile righteousness is and how it can lift up a people into a super power, and how quick sin can; be it personal or on a national level, bring that nation to ruin. To not stand up and address modern-day sin in our political system, in our religious organizations, and in or modern culture is tantamount to ignoring it for profit, and in the eyes of God there is no greater sin even if that sin is an abomination in the highest order because to some degree it takes national buy in from everyone. When this happens we can see the corrosion on our national and social programs such as education, jobs, and the denigration of our american nuclear families which leads to higher crime and imprisonment of our nations youth. To ignore social issues is a sin simply put and I personally do not see any 1%er defending Gods people from any of these problems by fighting in the trenches with us rather they secretly work against us as they make all the profits then boast that they are richer than snot! I ask you all my brothers and sisters how this is a prerequisite to the presidency?

^{13 “}No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” ~ Luke 16:13

Politics in America today is about money, our politicians use money from donations and if they are wealthy enough their own money to fund their campaigns. Long dead is the poor man and his aspirations to become President unless he has the right connections, with the wealthiest of Americans, and spouts all the right things that will get him or her elected. This is the political game as fueled by political capital. Ironically everyone loves an underdog, but no one loves a liar, yet capitol hill is filled with them. Long dead is wisdom for there is nothing which has come out of our government lately (past 15 years) that resembles wisdom. I mentioned above how no one has to agree anymore, but yet to not agree constantly is viewed to be strong. I remember the day when disagreeing with purpose was honorable but only if it led to some sort of resolution. But now to disagree to make money is the popular thing, I just want to remind every one of the past Government shut down, the fanaticism of some in the conservative party who pushed this country into a lower credit rating all while keeping their jobs, their pay, their positions, and who are now running for President on a record of moral depravity that stretches all the way to hell and back! Again we cannot elect morally bankrupt leaders no more than you would want a morally bankrupt teacher, priest, social worker, judge, or even a police offer. To do so is tantamount to looking the other way when there is someone directly in front of you who is in need of your help but because it’s not a popular thing to do you continue to ignore their pleas. There is real repercussions to our votes and to vote without wisdom is unacceptable as each vote needs to held as sacredly as those who fought and died to create this nation. In fact we need to look at this right to vote as a holy duty and we all need to pray very hard in asking God to guide us when we contemplate on who to vote for. No one can serve two masters and if this is your creed then God will be what is in your heart because honestly God is who you honor in all your actions.

Amen

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THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

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Earthly Compensation vrs. Heavenly Compensation

^{12 “}So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.” ~ Job 42:12

The Dilemma

From the beginning of the Bible to the end there is one form of compensation which is better than the other. The lessons we are taught in church point to God being all that we need. But the fact that we live in a human – man-made world where nothing is free seems to fly in the face of this biblical teaching that compensation is worthless if it is given to you here on earth. We struggle with this misnomer and many cannot reconcile which to go after. The moral question or better put “dilemma” is made even more profound when we see churches handing their collection plates out for your money calling it tithing, but could this also be seen as pandering? If mortal money wasn’t what we needed then why do churches prize it so? These and many more questions linger in the back of many people’s heads, but the ones who become confused and disenchanted with religion is our children. They hear us grownups say, “You can’t take it with you when you die.”, but yet we work for it everyday, we can’t live without it, and if we tried society would curse us as if we had the plague. Yet after everything there can be found in the Bible itself such verses as these which talk about earthly compensation. God allowed Satan to test Job’s faith in God and the first test Satan gave was that of attacking Job’s money. Money after all is viewed to be very desirable if you don’t have it, but Job had it in abundance. Job had more than anyone else and because of this his status in his community was very high. But take his money, his friends faded away, take his family he is seen as cursed even unto his wife, give him a couple of diseases and he is left for dead. Did Job complain? Yes as a matter of fact he did. But did he lose faith in God? No. Job did not ever lose faith in God. So, can we pull from this a lesson about wealth and earthly compensation that could answer the dilemma of why people view money as being so important even though we can’t take it with us when we die?

Jesus Said to Give Away Your Wealth

^{25 “}What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” ~ Luke 9:25

Going off this principle teaching that we cannot take our money with us when we die, many rich people donate their earthly wealth to non-profit organizations which they hold in high esteem instead of passing it down to their surviving relatives. On T.V. we see law suit after law suit of disgruntled family members who fight over their loved ones wealth often times destroying family ties over something that quit frankly is not as important as that of family. In a way people sell their souls for money in a way Job never did. In this we cast ourselves away to money and lose family where is the good in that? Finding a better perspective Jesus taught that we should give our wealth away as we cannot serve two masters, it comes down to the brass tax; serve money or serve God. This message is stark in contrast to the dilemma mentioned above until you get to the question, “If I give away everything then how am I going to live? How am I going to buy my food and support my family?” To this Jesus also had a teaching…

Don’t Worry – Be Happy

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:25-34

So, money looses value after reading this, if you believe in what Jesus said in Matthew. Jesus acknowledges that we need food, drink, clothing, and a certain amount of money in our life which is required to live. He acknowledges that we need to work for these things but in doing so our focus should be on the kingdom of God and in doing so we will be rewarded with everything we could ever need both here on earth and in heaven. This promise is both daunting and is rife with fear. Why? Because we are being told that though God knows we need money we should not seek it out as the end all of end alls because God is the Alfa and Omega. He alone knows how many hairs you have on your head, He alone knows your needs and with faith you are compensated for your faith. Wow! Replacing the word rewarded with that of compensated we have a whole new meaning to the passage found in Job 42:12. Job was compensated for his losses, rewarded for his faith in God and given more than what he had before. If Job was the only example of this in the Bible on its own is a very strong argument for the truth on Jesus’s words found in Matthew 6:25-34, but there are thousand of such examples of God rewarding or compensating people for their loses. In fact Jesus was raised from the dead by God as a reward or compensation for His faith and doing the will of God here on earth. I for one have to say God has never let me down when I have needed him the most. I may not have gotten all I wanted but God has always given to me what I needed. When we begin to live our lives in this manner money really loses it luster as it becomes nothing more than just a tool no different from that of a shovel or plow. However, that doesn’t mean Satan isn’t there tempting us to look away from God even if for a moment. In fact it is because Satan is ever-present flashing money and things in our faces we have such troubles in the first place. Which should we hold most dear, money or God? What really makes me shake my head at this temptation is that so many people fall into it knowing the teachings of God. Knowing what happened to Satan and knowing that his punishment is eternal for ever and ever. Why listen to Satan? That is my question to you my brothers and sisters when all we need is God.

Work and Rewards

^{4 “}Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” ~ Proverbs 10:4

The idea of working for your money also can be confusing if all we are to do is to trust and believe in God and He will provide. This notion I have heard from my students over and over though they may not have stated it so bluntly. No where in the Bible does it say to not work, rather the opposite message is given time after time. God wants us not to be ideal because the scripture found in proverbs is so true, if we work then we make something of ourselves and bring in a livelihood for ourselves and family. But when we do nothing then we give ourselves and all those whom we love to poverty. This idea is best represented in the following passage…

^{27 “}Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. ²⁸An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends. ²⁹Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin.” ~ Proverbs 16:27-29

Therefore, to those who employ you God also see’s and hears their heart. For the Lord commands there to be struck an even balance of both pay and fairness in the work place…

^{9 “}And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” ~ Ephesians 6:9

4 “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” ~ Colossians 4:1

^{28 “}There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” ~ Galatians 3:28

We are all one in Christ Jesus. Simple and straight forward and to the point. There is no slave or master in the eyes of God because in actuality we are all employed by God in heaven and thus, as a child of God we are commanded to treat each other fairly and justly. We are in a sense commanded to work so that we are not ideal and do not invite evil, but yet we are not to strive for the sake of money because we cannot serve two masters. In the end Evil is wrapped in the things of this earth and everything of the earth will pass away and we cannot take our belongings and prized possessions with us when we die. It seems to me to be rather clear on what God wants and expects and if we follow this edict then we, like Job will be given everything we need.

Amen,

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THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

Fathers Day 2015

FATHERS DAY TRIBUTE

^{24 “}The father of one who is right with God will have much joy. He who has a wise son will be glad in him.” ~ Proverbs 23:24.

On this special day I wanted to highlight the, “Why” behind Fathers Day, its history, it’s meaning, the many struggles of fathers, and the hope it gives to all us. For past posts on this topic please view: Past Father’s Day Post : Click Here.

The “Why” Factor

So, why do we celebrate Father’s Day in the first place? To answer this question we must first examine the role fathers play in the lives of their children. If you are a Godly father, or a child who was raised by a Godly father, then you already know the answer to this question. However, the easy answer is that children need both parents, and thus it is only right that both parents are recognized for the roles they play in the lives of their children. But this does not address the core reasoning we celebrates our fathers. For this the deeper answer is rooted in the emotional bonds fathers also have with their offspring. Fathers bring to the table many things that are unique to the role of being a father within the family. One of the many assists fathers provide is serving as the spiritual head of the household. Children receive the “Word of God” more directly from their fathers than from their mothers. Reading the bible and explaining it is a core function of fatherhood that stretches back to Biblical times. Fathers teach their children about faith, courage, strength, fortitude, and even demonstrate bravery in problems they face which the family is keenly aware of. Good fathers make better disciplinarians as men traditionally make decisions based on logic more often than by emotion. In this fathers also teach and demonstrate love, compassion, mercy, and morality in a way mothers can’t. Fathers serve as provider, protector, nurturer, and even teach life skills of basic survival again in ways that are unique to fathers alone. As a father myself I found great joy in reading and telling bible stories, teaching morality lessons, and even explaining real-world problems I faced and how I planned to solve them in the hopes that my daughter would see and later use these same techniques and teachings in her life when she faces similar problems. Unfortunately, some men fall victim to our Family Courts who all to often make bad decisions which end up exploiting fathers and these sacred duties we are endowed with by God alone. Most often the role of provider has been twisted and undermine with forcing more men than women to pay child support often ending up in arrears that financially devastate most men and often separates men from their biological children. This perversion cuts so deep as it has been said in my hearing, “Fathers are natures bank.” God gave to all humanity the perfect model of family, and this is demonstrated in every part of nature. So for it to be said of fathers worth being only to “provide” is simply a gross and ignorant description of fatherhood as its underpinnings serves only to destroy the whole worth of men and the role God Himself designed for fathers within their families. I can only pray this is not the path we continue down as it will destroy our fabric of family’s and nation as it strikes at people’s ability to be trustworthy, moral, and loyal.

Joseph’s Example

^{1 “}I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. ¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. ¹³Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” Proverbs 4: 11-13

Our Lord and savior gave to all men the perfect example of fatherhood. His human role model was that of Joseph who through the grace of God was able to sacrifice much for the protection of his new family and in this example we see yet another sacred dynamic of the role that belongs to fatherhood alone in the precise form God had designed. In the same way did our Godly father instruct us in the ways of wisdom and in this all men who teach the message of God to their children will there be found much wisdom in their words and actions. So to in this fashion did Jesus make straight the path of God for all humanity, again leading by example and showing there is no nobler a mission than to be the good Shepard of your flock… i.e. your family and children. I remember telling my daughter when she was about five years of age and afraid of walking down the stairs at my old apartment that if she held onto my hand she will never fall. To this day when she has clung to me she has never stumbled. This idea and example did not come naturally from me alone, but yet from the Bible and the messages and examples that are taught within its Holy pages.

The Mandate of Fatherhood

¹³Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. ~ Psalm 103:13

History has not been kind to fathers as we are the ones most often asked to sacrifice something for the benefit of all, this just being the main expectation of our society. However, in recent years the idea that fathers matter in the lives of their children is slowly becoming a reality again after many decades of fatherless homes and relentless persecution of any man who has a job and a child and is not paying child support. Again, the State Doctrine of Child Support and the system it employs is not just broken, but an abomination in the eyes of God as it is nothing more than a tool to destroy homes and punish fathers while degrading the noble roll of fatherhood altogether. There is simply no other way to categorize it than to call it what it is; that being a tool of Satan. I say this with righteous indignation and contempt for the Family Courts for they are nothing more than a pit of vipers, corrupt and shamefully depraved for their judgments are for sale and can be and often are bought making any of the so-called Family Codes a cheap meaningless money pit of lies for any father today trying to navigate it’s murky waters. The idea that any State or Government assumes the right to tell its citizens that it the State or Government knows what is in the best interest of your child is simply not true as no bureaucracy or bureaucrat cares about your person conflicts nor are they ever truly invested in the outcome. The fake authority they assert is not supported by the Laws of God. For God alone knows what is in best for you and your children and He alone grants the right to make these determinations. In having children, God mandated that both parents share equally in the raising of whom He has entrusted into our care. I cried inside when the court refused to hear this stipulation of its own legislative body who the court is sworn to follow: Family Code 3020.b. “The Legislature finds and declares that it is the public policy of this state to assure that children have frequent and continuing contact with both parents after the parents have separated or dissolved their marriage, or ended their relationship, and to encourage parents to share the rights and responsibilities of child rearing in order to effect this policy, except where the contact would not be in the best interest of the child, as provided in Section 3011.” Thus the presumption that the mother had the right to move away and that this right was some how greater to my right to be part of our daughter’s life was in all regard ignoring this family code. Because if this code was truly followed no move away order could ever be valid as both parents have equal rights that first must be protected. I write this to show preferential treatment and to illustrate how man’s law is inferior to that of God’s Law and in this way the State and it’s courts have no legal binding on matters dealing with parenting. For this is a sacred obligation given to us by God alone for no man to put asunder or interfere with. The best way to see this in by examining the following scriptures in the Bible:

Titus 2:4 – “Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, “

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Genesis 18:19 – “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

History of Father’s Day

According to Sam Price of the internet webpage, Heavy News, who wrote, “June 21, 2015 is Father’s Day in the United States. It was invented by Sonora Smart Dodd, whose single father, American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, raised her and her five siblings. It was first celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington, two years after the first Mother’s Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia. But while Mother’s Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914, Father’s Day didn’t wasn’t recognized until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed it.” In this we see a child, (female), who was so moved by her father’s abilities of child rearing that she promoted an idea that took over half a century to become a national holiday and in this regard proving true Proverbs 23:24, “The father of one who is right with God will have much joy.” But in another regard also proving the bios that exists against men in this country with the example of Mother’s Day taking far less of a time to become a national holiday in comparison to that of Father’s Day which took over half a century, not to mention the observance had waned in the 1920’s. Though there can not be found a day in the Bible were fathers specifically where to be celebrated there are references in the bible that make it clear of how God felt about the role fathers play within their families lives.

For example;(Genesis 17:5), God renamed Abram changing it to Abraham, then proclaiming to Abraham, “I have made you a father of many nations”, clearly indicating fatherhood as a place of honor in His eyes.

“Furthermore, we can follow this theme of fatherhood in the very person of God Himself through countless scriptures (Matthew 5:45;6:9,32;Romans 1:7;15:6;1 Corinthians 8:6). There are many instances that speak of Jesus Christ, the Son, honoring His Father and honoring the will of His Father (e.g.,John 17:1and John 17:5). The apostle Paul taught that to honor one’s earthly father is not only a commandment but the first commandment that, when obeyed, has a promise of things going well and living long on the earth. “Honor your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise—that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3).” ~ Got Questions

No matter the struggles we face as fathers the outcome is ultimately proven through scripture of how well we did or did not do with the raising and instruction of our children. But suffice to say that fathers of all walks of life now have a legally recognized day of national celebration that both includes ans honors their role within the family and community of in which they live. Many children live healthier, longer, more full and rich lives by having known and being active in their father’s life. It is easy to say honor your parents, but it is harder to actually openly celebrate one parent, to single them out to thank them for all they do. But do this with an open heart is more Christianly than we might think.

Amen

If you enjoyed “Fathers Day Tribute”, I invite you to stay in contact with me through the following ways and please do not forget to rate this posting below.

Email: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

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Closing Reminder to Pray

Please do not stop praying for our brother Scott Spinks who is recovering from a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body while he was visiting his step-daughter who lives in Bangkok, Thailand. He is feeling much better and is now awaiting to be discharged from the hospital. This is the first time I have been able to meet a person whose relative have asked me to publish a Prayer Request on Listening Faithfully Blog. To Art I just wanted to say it was and is my great pleasure to post on your step-fathers behalf. It is my sincere privilege to have been able to visit you and your family as well this opening week of April 2015 – till we meet again. I urge everyone to remember the power of collective prayer and to remember to pray for our brother in Christ – Scott Spinks. May the Lord be with him and his family throughout his recovery.

To visit the original Prayer Request Click Here
To stay connected and updated with Scott’s Condition Click Here (My Personal Facebook Page)
To send your prayers please Click Here (Listening Faithfully Community Facebook Page)
To Join Listening Faithfully Community please Click Here ____________________________________________________________________________________

THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

Trustworthiness – A CASE FOR GOD!

²“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” ~ Exodus 15:2, NIV Bible

Trustworthiness – The Want

The word ‘trustworthiness’ is first a want; everyone wants their name to be associated with it. People want others to view them as being ‘trustworthy’ and in that if this word does not appear on the personal description of friends and family then people genuinely get their feelings hurt. Mostly it is indirect comments through general conversation that this word is implied in the good or negative and because of its meaning that we associate with it the word, ‘trustworthiness’ it has the power to build a person up in the eyes of others or assign them to a lowly level on mankind’s social latter. Here is a question I want one needs to think very carefully about; “How many times have you heard your teacher in primary school talk about the importance of being trustworthy?” If you are anything like me you will have heard comments made about this word at least a million times by numerous teachers throughout grade, middle, and upper level school. “Why… I ask?” Because as kids we do not see this word in all it’s glory, but when becoming an adult it becomes everything. It is how we are judged as caring human beings whether anyone wants to say it or not. So here is another question we need to ponder, “From where did we get this idea about trustworthiness? How did it ever become so important?”

Trustworthiness – The Bible

^{16 “}All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV Bible

When researching the word, ‘trustworthiness’ I found roughly 40 different bible verses which are talking about the meaning of the word whether the word itself was mentioned or not including those used in this post. Trustworthiness first and for most is a descriptor word; meaning that we as people unknowingly through the basic function of the need to survive place people we meet into two different categories. Therefore, because we see others as being trustworthy, (which equates to becoming an ally) or not being trustworthy, (which equates to being a foe), we first search for certain qualities in strangers we meet and or continue to probe for the same qualities in our family members and friends. In the days before religion man needed to know who to trust and who not to trust for the simple sake of survival; pick the wrong person and it could lead to disastrous consequences. In that trustworthiness is the first human assessment ever devised. Likewise, these characteristics bleeds into our numerous religious beliefs as time went on because again the more complex man becomes the more complex this word also becomes and the more descriptions of what it means grows as does it’s importance in our daily lives.

Quick Self Assessment Question: “How many times have you felt someone let you down?”

If you are human then you will have felt others may have let you down almost ever single day you live. Before the bible this led people to disown family members that had made a single mistake in judgment and did something that was considered a taboo, to groups of people being outcast from society because they had a disease, to and including people being murdered for the act of cheating on a spouse. This led man to create societal rules that could be easily followed and maintained. The Bible when first being developed was in fact not a singular book of wisdom, but rather a host of singular writings from a plethora of different authors who wrote about trustworthiness and in most instances of the Bible you will find it is either a command from God to trust Him and His divine judgement or a tool to judge others by. From this humanity also found a way to test everything in nature including God Himself. Therefore, the teaching of the Bible follows the theme of the root word of trustworthiness which is trust, (which equates to trust in God.) It was easier to trust in something that was more powerful, something that could be viewed as responsible for the unexplainable which scared the hell out us. With each new description mankind either adopted the teachings or rejected them always keeping in mind; can one trust what is being taught and be viewed as being accurate? This fight still rages on today in our modern society. We need to trust in something that cannot be proven right or wrong because that is the very foundation of faith, and faith allows man to jump past the fear of the unknown element we face in nature and in ourselves. Thus the Holy Bible and other religious texts from the many different faiths around the world serve this most basic of human needs, the need to trust others, the need to believe in something more powerful, and the need to examine both our relationships and ourselves within those relationships.

Quick Self Assessment Question: “How many times have you felt that you let someone down?”

Again, if your human then you will feel this way almost ever single day of your life. In some way we let others we care about down, we make decisions that let events happen that affect negatively someone we care about, and in this process we generally put ourselves first which again satisfies the need to be either trustworthy to a group or to ourselves. In this way also does the Holy Bible help us feel better about our actions through the process of justifying our actions to both the larger group we associate with and in the singular – to ourselves. Our moral conscience or compass in the end only needs to be justified in our own mind before we can be satisfied with any outcomes of those action we took. The link to religion in this way is best illustrated when we pray for forgiveness because this act helps us to make the jump past our guilt of letting others down. Because God is primarily responsible for forgiving our sins and because we never see Him in the physical it is easier to say that we are forgiven because we felt God say so. But for the hardened sceptic religion also has the work around for the absence of God by endowing a person namely a Priest or Pastor that can also forgive our sins which reinforces the presence of God and in other religions idols sever as this reinforcement. How many times have you heard someone else say this? “I prayed so therefore I am forgiven.”

At this point I want to put in this disclaimer: In no way shape or form and I saying or advocating that God is not real or does not exist, rather I am saying we as human beings us the very idea of God as a tool within our own minds to push down negative emotions we are faced with. In this post the topic is ‘Trustworthiness’, but this same line of logic can be applied to almost ever other human emotion.

God is… in every single way necessary and important to human survival. We need to believe in something greater than ourselves because mankind is flawed. We are not in any way perfect, but in every single way in the eyes of God we can find hope, mercy, love, and forgiveness; all the things we need to be healthy and whole. God fills our spirit with the strength to deal with life and all its happenings. Though we no longer need to prove trustworthiness as our ancestors had too, being trustworthy is no less important. God is the connector and we need His grace and wisdom to help navigate our complicated and complex world. God is the justification when we cannot explain events or cannot see the full plan, especially when we fall from the path we set ourselves on. Because we are taught that we first can trust in God, we can view the world with wonder and excitement because even though bad things will happen we have the confidence that we are not alone and more importantly when others let us down we have a place to run too and be consoled. When we let others down god is ready to take us in and forgive us our sins against our brothers as well because God is love.

Trustworthiness – The Moral Guide

^{5 “}This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.'” ~ Jeremiah 17:5 NIV Bible

To have your name associated with this word, ‘Trustworthy’ doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect in all things. Because that is completely missing the point of life in general. We are not perfect because we have free will, we make our own choices and suffer the consequences of those choices we have made. So therefore my brothers and sisters I say to you; “Be true to your heart, listen to God who lives in your heart, and know your not perfect but that is also no excuse for seeking to be better, to be worthy, to be trusted by others namely your family and friends, and most importantly to be trusted by God.” I have found in this life the best way to become trustworthy is by saying what you mean – then doing what you say. There is no stronger example than by standing for your own beliefs and openly practicing those beliefs. But this takes character and a strong understanding of your inner person. So it would not be far for me to tell you to do something without giving you the tools to do it. So beyond simply having faith in God, which many people struggle daily with, I am going to give you a blessing I found while visiting a special friend in Thailand.

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Blessings

Not to associate with fools.

To associate with the wise.

To pay respects where they are due.

This is the highest blessing.

To reside in a suitable location.

To have previously done meritorious deeds.

To have set oneself on the right path (to emancipation).

This is the highest blessing.

To have much learning.

To be skilled and knowledgeable.

To be restrained by a moral code.

To have beautiful speech.

This is the highest blessing.

To support one’s parents.

To cherish wife and children.

To earn one’s livelihood without difficulty.

This is the highest blessing.

To be generous.

To live in accord with the Dhamma.

To assist one’s relatives.

To do blameless actions.

This is the highest blessing.

To cease and abstain from evil.

To refrain from intoxicants.

Not to be heedless of the Dhamma.

This is the highest blessing.

To be respectful. To be humble.

To be content. To have gratitude.

To hear the Dhamma at the right time.

This is the highest blessing.

To have patience.

To be easy to admonish.

Associating with monks.

To discuss the Dhamma at a suitable time.

This is the highest blessing.

To practice austerities.

To lead the Holy Life.

Seeing the Noble Truths.

The realization of Nibbanā.

This is the highest blessing.

A mind unshaken by contact with the world.

Sorrowlessness, stainlessness and secure.

This is the highest blessing.

Having accomplished this one is always unconquered,

one goes everywhere in peace.

These are the supreme blessings.

~Maṅgala Sutta, Sutta Nipāta 2.4

Though these blessings are Theravāda Buddhism published in a book called Without and Within and can be downloaded @ www.bia.or.th ; which explains the basics of the faith, all of the ideas have something in common to the basic Christian tradition. Both are teachings of moral qualities a person should desire to have. I believe these teachings are a contributor to how soft-spoken and welcoming the Thai people are in general. These specific blessings will help build ‘trustworthiness’ and personal character and if you seek to make all these things come to fruition that are found within these blessings then in your life I will guarantee that people will see you as a trustworthy person. Side note to following moral code is that people will begin to notice your faith and practice of your faith grow and this will also exude trust naturally, people will want to follow you and learn from you, and if you take on that responsiblity and treat it with the respect it deserves then the true benefits are unspeakable and indescribable for in this you will have attained the blessings above.

I could have easily stated that trustworthiness is simply being trusted by others, but in doing that it would not have expressed the importance of being a person who is worthy of another person’s trust. In this it is hard for me to simply place my trust in a person without first seeing some evidence, but in God I need no explanation nor evidence. I trust in God above all others in my life because simply put people have let me down. How I deal with it and how you my brothers and sisters should deal with it is by first praying to God, asking Him for guidance, understanding, and grace. Then fall back onto your moral teachings as described above in the first set of blessings which are also found in the Holy Bible, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” ~ Proverbs 13:20, “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” Proverbs 13:7, all of which is a shared belief by most people world-wide. I tell you the truth practice grace and understanding and seek commonalities then there will be peace given to you in all aspects of your life, for that my brothers and sisters is the true goal, peace and harmony in your daily life.

Amen

If you enjoyed “Trustworthiness – A CASE FOR GOD!”, I invite you to stay in contact with me through the following ways and please do not forget to rate this posting below.

Email: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com
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Closing Reminder to Pray

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THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

Special Prayer Request: Scott Spinks

2 ” Oh Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.” – Psalms 30:2

In this life we experience things that are both painful and unexpected. In all truth these events are controlled by invisible currents that sometimes takes us down a path we ourselves would not go down, but in this we have no choice as we are left with nothing but our faith. But it is also true that we are made stronger from those experiences.

It is in this way are we directly connection to our creator and He to us. Our collective pain and triumphs are shared and celebrated equally by our creator and it is His divine will that allows this singular life experience to be filled with all the wondrous things there is to see, hear, and do within our short time here on this Earth. So it is right to celebrate everything the good and the bad, because both motivate and change who we are as human beings.

Thus, it is with a heavy heart I ask all of you to pray with me for a dear friend named Scott Spinks of Texas, that when visiting his family in Thailand suffered a debilitating stroke and is currently paralyzed on the left side of his body. Let us pray with his family who has loved and cared for him in his hour of need. Together in Christ do we pray for our brother Scott Spinks.

Let Us Pray

Oh my precious Lord, God in heaven, master and ruler of all things living and dead, do I humbly pray to you on behalf of a brother who has suffered and needs your healing hand upon his body and his soul. Let the power of collective prayer and a unity in love bring him closer to you Oh Lord, and may your mercy bring him back to his family whole and healed. I ask you, my God, for this miricale to be granted so that all will believe in you and your son Jesus Christ, who suffered and died, and was resurrected by your hand, and that on this day of Easter the pain and shock of this life experience for our brother Scott will be lifted, set right, in your Holy Name. So that it is holy from your hand it comes, as it is so that in you we live, and in your divine will do we stay forever and ever protected and made whole. So we pray for these things in your son’s name Jesus Christ,

Amen

Dear Brothers & Sisters please pray this prayer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that our God will send his love to Scott in abundance and allow Scott to stand and walk once more.

Days of Triumph

⁹ “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” ~ Zachariah 9:9

When I think of Jesus Christ as King it sets a warm loving fire to my imagination for God’s mercy is endless and that is something of a wonder in my heart, mind, and soul. In that I wonder what life for Jesus was really like? I often ask myself the question, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to travel back into time to have seen Jesus, to have witnessed His birth, Baptismal, His anointment by Mary, His Ministry… especially when He picked the twelve disciples, His temptations by Satan.’ The moments that matter most in most Christian’s hearts is celebrated with as much religious ferber now as it was then, and that is Holy Week; the seven days preceding his crucifixion and resurrection. I feel closest to God in this time frame as do most Christians because it is here we begin to see Jesus rule over His people, sacrifice everything for His people, and ultimately demonstrate God’s perfect love for His people, all of His people which in this context is everyone alive then to now and that will ever live in sin; for His love saved all of us with His blood. We celebrate Jesus’s arrive into Jerusalem as a victory, a triumph, and His ride into the Holy City marks the beginning of the Kingdom of God.

Many scholars argue about the meaning of the colt, donkey, or foal. They try and find purpose behind the acts of Christ by the connections they can make to the gospel. But it is not what Jesus rode or whether or not it was really palm branches that was used to herald His arrival, but the fact our King came in the first place and that He loved us so much that He was willing to enter into the city that He knew was ultimately going to judge then put Him to death for crimes He did not commit. In this way we can begin to see life as Jesus saw it, experience His last week on earth as a mortal man, the Son of God.

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” ¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” ~ Matthew 21:10-11

To have seen Jesus riding into Jerusalem first hand must have been something, or at least for those who where in the know of what was happening. The fact is most people during this period of time were clueless to the real event that was going on because they where blinded by what they thought was happening. To explain this further I have to add that in life we all see events one way when they are happening to us, then see them completely different many years later. But rarely do we ever see the underpinning facts of the event which caused it to happen in the first place in the moment, and if we could see the “WHY” that is driving the event we could have the chance, (the choice), to do something completely different. Again, few people in this period of time understood what was really happening as they could plainly see the “WHY” of Jesus, His mission and ministry, they saw first hand within the moment His ultimate goal and stood by Him until His arrest. Jesus on several occasions revealed this secret to His disciples, and all but one rebuked the idea and questioned the “Why” of His death. They say it was love they felt for Him that made them not want to see Him killed. But Jesus saw this in a completely different way. Judas Iscariot understood it and put the plan into action, as he was the only one strong enough to do so.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~ Matthew 6:33

To write this in this fashion is controversial to say the least, but what drives me to this conclusion is found in the many different texts that had been buried, forgotten, that in their own time was outlawed and destroyed. For in the traditional Bible we have but a sliver of the true history of the events we celebrate. Therefore, we see with clouded eyes, we believe in traditions that come from completely different origins, and we collectively call it Christianity. In part I think that is what drives the truth seekers within the various faiths and sciences to conduct such magnificent research to find the truth in our Biblical history. This journey of seeking, documenting, and exploring is one that even the Catholic Church is involved in today. It is not wrong to try and peace together the truth of Christ, but it is wrong to celebrate and declare that we know things that in reality we truly do not know. In faith we believe that Jesus is the messiah, the King of Heaven and of Earth, but until we find factual evidence will truly know. In this we all are like Thomas who needed to put his finger in the side of Christ, touch his hands and see the wounds. Thomas is every man living today and it is this need to see before we believe that makes our faith stronger and more relevant. I say to you all never ask ‘Who is this?” but rather, ‘I know him who came and saved me.’ For truly God did send His son, and His blood needs no proof, His love needs not the “Thomas Factor” nor does His authority over all of His children need to be proven. It is good to know the facts, but it is better to celebrate the man, savior, son of God who came. Seek first the Kingdom of God that is rooted deep into your hearts, and reserve your questions until you meet Him face to face.

Amen

If you enjoyed, “Days of Triumph”, then I invite you to stay in contact with me through the following ways and please do not forget to rate this post below.

Email: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

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The Walk We Take

The Right Relationships

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Special Note

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The Beginning of Any Relationship

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Special Note

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THE CROWD

MAN’S COMPASSION

GOD’S COMPASSION

BEGINNING OF THE MIRACLE

OUR GOD…

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

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Special Note

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THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

The Dilemma

Jesus Said to Give Away Your Wealth

Don’t Worry – Be Happy

Work and Rewards

THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

FATHERS DAY TRIBUTE

24 “The father of one who is right with God will have much joy. He who has a wise son will be glad in him.” ~ Proverbs 23:24.

The “Why” Factor

Joseph’s Example

The Mandate of Fatherhood

History of Father’s Day

Closing Reminder to Pray

THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” ~ Exodus 15:2, NIV Bible

Trustworthiness – The Want

Trustworthiness – The Bible

Trustworthiness – The Moral Guide

Blessings

~Maṅgala Sutta, Sutta Nipāta 2.4

Closing Reminder to Pray

THE PILGRIM SHEPARD

A very honored friend and Catholic Priest; Father Thomas Welbers is going on another Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Below is the general announcement that he published on his blog; The Pilgrim Shepard.

To sign up for this journey with Fr. Welbers please click on the link: SIGN ME UP!

Meet Fr. Tom!

^{24 “}The father of one who is right with God will have much joy. He who has a wise son will be glad in him.” ~ Proverbs 23:24.

²“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” ~ Exodus 15:2, NIV Bible