A Christian author helping people come to Jesus, helping people understand the Bible, ministering to a lost and hurting world, and speaking truth to power.
Today is Memorial Day here in America. It is a federal holiday to honor all of our brave soldiers who have died fighting for our freedom. All of our soldiers have my utmost respect for their service, bravery, and sacrifice, and my prayers are with all of you who have lost those you love to the battles of war.
May every American never forget the heavy price that has been paid for our freedom. May we always lift up the families who bear the weight of that burden, and offer them the love, support, and prayer they deserve. As Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” May we always remember those brave souls who laid down their lives, so we could live free.
We know what love is because Jesus laid down His life to save our souls. To lay down our lives for each other is true love, and all of our fallen soldiers proved that love on the battlefield. May we all live with that love and courage burning brightly in our hearts, and love each other and our country deeply.
Grace and peace to all the military families. Grace and peace to America. Grace and peace to you all.
It was a beautiful night last night, so our family went to Venice Beach to watch the sunset. As we watched the sun dip into the ocean, three people carrying flags came walking up the beach right by us. I ended up talking with them and sharing encouraging fellowship as they were fellow believers in Jesus, and the flags they carried gave Jesus glory and preached the truth regarding the current culture war we are in. It was very refreshing meeting them and seeing the bold flags they carried for all to see. May their courage inspire us to be bold for Jesus and never give up.
All photos by Ryan
When I introduced myself, I let them know that I loved their flags and thanked them. I also let them know about my blog and asked if I could feature them in a post. They agreed and gave me permission to do so. We talked about Colorado and why we left, and the current state of our country and how sad it is that so many liberal states are no longer free. The brother carrying the “Impeach Biden” flag asked if I believed Christians should be more involved in politics. I said yes, and told him I speak the truth about all the issues and I take heat because of it, even from other believers.
I told him we came to Florida because we wanted to live in free America. He said it is crazy that we’ve come to the point in our country where we have states that are not free, and people are having to leave those states to find freedom. I agreed. We also talked about their “JESUS IS KING” flag, and had a good conversation about keeping Him number one and giving Him glory. There were a lot of people at the beach and we talked about all of this openly. Many people were taking pictures of their flags, and stopping to show their appreciation with a word of encouragement and gratitude. It was awesome.
It was so encouraging seeing these two brothers and the sister standing up boldly for Jesus. It was also encouraging seeing so many people show their support for the flags they carried. It would have been very different if Florida was a liberal state. Flags standing against Biden, socialism, and abortion, along with flags standing up for Jesus, faith, America, and police are not welcome in liberal dominated states. In fact, carrying those flags could get you killed in a place like New York City, L.A., or even Denver now.
Meeting them last night reminded me that no matter how dark it looks in this country, we must keep fighting the good fight and never give up. We must take a stand, defend right over wrong, and preach the truth. We cannot let those in power continue to call good evil and evil good as they defile and degrade our country with their immorality and lies. They are not God and they will never beat God. No matter how much they boast and gloat over God, His church, and His Word, the Lord will be victorious and give His people the final victory. That victory was sealed in the Blood of Jesus at the cross, and nothing can ever change that eternal truth.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -Jesus speaking in John 3:16
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” -1 John 5:1-5
To my new friends from the beach, if you are reading this, thank you for standing firm. It was truly a pleasure meeting you and sharing sweet fellowship with you. My heart was encouraged and inspired by your faith in Jesus and your Patriotic love for our country. I pray the Lord blesses and protects you all as you serve Him, and He anoints your every step with favor as you preach the truth to this dark world.
Always remember, Jesus is King over this world, and He is coming soon!
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
Hello friends and family, and God bless you all. This post brings good news regarding the trouble we have been dealing with. God has moved in power on our behalf, and we are giving Him all the praise and glory! The Lord truly has good plans for us and He is so good!
If you read my post “Leaning On Jesus,” then you know my wife suffered discrimination, persecution, and false accusations at her job recently. I can tell you now that she was unjustly forced to resign, and we were faced with both of us being unemployed after just buying a new house. It has been hurtful and stressful, but we trusted that the Lord would provide, and He did.
Since my gallbladder surgery, I have been feeling much better, so I applied for several jobs. Most of you know I have been fighting Celiac Disease since 2012, and I have not worked a normal full-time job for many years. I wasn’t sure how employers would respond to my resume, but I updated it and created a profile on Indeed. After praying and committing it to the Lord, I started applying for jobs. I applied to 4 jobs, and within a couple days I received a call from my top choice offering me an interview.
The interview was last Thursday and it went perfectly. It was a group interview where I answered questions from the manager and 2 other team leaders at the same time. The Lord really blessed it and all of them liked my resume and my answers. After the interview the manager spoke with me privately and let me know that he wanted to hire me, but he just needed to wait for corporate to clear my background and credit checks. I am very happy to report that he called me this morning and officially offered me the full-time position! Thank You, Jesus!!
God is so good to us, and He deserves all the praise, glory, and honor! Thank you to all of you who prayed for us! Just a short time after my wife was forced out of her job, the Lord has provided a new hope and future for us. It is also enough to cover all our bills on my salary alone, praise God!
I will be a sales representative for a really cool company that helps inventors fulfill their dreams and bring their ideas to market. I am so thankful to be able to provide for my family again! It is something I have been praying for since being diagnosed with Celiac 9 years ago! God is so good and faithful!
My wife has also had 2 great interviews, and one of the schools told her they will hire her once she takes and passes a particular state exam she needs for her Florida teaching license. Thankfully, now that I have a job, the pressure has been lifted off my wife and she can have more time to find a teaching position she really wants. She is looking forward to a much needed and well deserved break spending time with our kids this summer.
We are so excited and blessed by this new opportunity and all that God has planned for us. God cares for His people so much and we are truly at rest under the shadow of His wings. He is our great provider and He has never let us down! He vindicates us and lifts us up, and we glorify His Holy Name, amen!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11
The Lord has prospered us and delivered us from harm, and we will not be losing any income from the unjust attack on my wife. God has rescued us from our troubles as He has faithfully done so many times before, and we bless and praise His Holy Name! May His will be done, and may our lives always be used for His glory! Thank You, Lord, for knowing the plans you have for us! Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and love! You are so good to us, Lord! May Your Name be glorified forever!
Today is a special day to honor all the mothers in the world. With all of my heart I want to wish my Mom, my wife, my sister, and all the moms out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
My wife wanted to go to the beach for Mother’s Day, so yesterday we went to beautiful Siesta Key Beach. It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time relaxing on the beach, and playing in the Gulf. This morning we listened to an excellent sermon at church given by our Pastor and his wife. They talked about God’s design for marriage and family (Ephesians 5:22-33, 6:1-4), and the peace we receive when we submit to God’s will in that. Serving each other in love is crucial to a healthy family, and it is beautiful when a mother and father honor God and do His will.
“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” -Proverbs 31:28-30
I’m posting this later in the afternoon because I’ve been installing our new curtains in the living room. Our daughter helped me, and it turned out very nice. The beach trip and new curtains were perfect gifts for my wife this year. She has worked so hard and she has been through a lot this year. Despite our current troubles, we are thankful for God’s blessings on this Mother’s Day weekend.
I want to thank my wife for all she does for our family. You are a blessing to me and the kids, and I love you forever and ever!
I also want to thank my Mom for all she has done for me and all the love she has shown me and our whole family. Thank you for always being there for me, Mom. I love you forever and ever too!
Take care of your moms, and love them with all of your heart!
Hello friends and family, and God bless you all. It has been awhile since my last blog post because we have been busy moving into our new home. It has been bittersweet due to a challenging trial regarding my wife’s job, but we are standing strong in Jesus, and leaning on Him fully as we put our trust in Him to see us through this. Although this trouble has been very hurtful and discouraging to our family, we trust that God is in control and He will never leave us nor forsake us. We are thankful to be in our new home in our new town, and we pray for the Lord’s will to be done.
I cannot give details at this time, but I can say my wife has experienced false accusations, persecution, and discrimination, and we are dealing with the fallout from all of it. All we can do is trust in the Lord and lean on Him and His understanding. The Lord has a purpose in all of this, and we know He will help us and bless us.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6
The photo above was taken in our new neighborhood near the community pool. The Lord spoke that verse from Proverbs to my heart as the sun was setting. The storm is raging all around us and my heart felt broken, but the Lord spoke a word of calm and comfort through the turmoil. He is with us, He is in control, and He will make our paths straight.
Thank you for praying for us. Our family needs to be lifted up to Jesus. May His will be done and may His Name be glorified in our lives.
Photo by my daughter, Sunset, Venice Beach, FL, 4-16-21
Hello friends and family, and God bless you all. It is a little after 4 a.m. Sunday morning here in Florida. It has been a blessed week, and I am recovering well from surgery. My Mom has been visiting since last Sunday, and it has been such a great blessing to have her here. She flew out from Illinois to help take care of me, and it has been very refreshing and encouraging spending time with her. Thank you, Mom. I love you!
God’s Word, the Bible, admonishes us to honor our father and mother. It is a command that comes with a blessing. In a time where the love of most is growing cold, may God’s love shine through us even brighter. May we always love our parents, honor them, and lift them up in prayer. It is such a blessing to be surrounded by those we love. Never take that blessing for granted.
“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
Even at my age of 42, it is still so comforting to spend time with my Mom. It had been several years since I had seen her, and it was so good to hug her again. For those of you who live close to your parents, I encourage you to visit them often. Time goes so fast. It has been a week already, and we are driving my Mom back to the airport today. I wish she could stay longer.
If your parents are right down the street, never take that for granted. Go see them today. Love them, encourage them, and give them a big hug. Take full advantage of that blessing, and be a blessing to them every day.
My Mom loves spending time outdoors and visiting new places. She had never watched the sunset from a beach before, so we took her to Venice Beach on Friday night. It was a beautiful evening, and the Lord displayed a glorious sunset for us. It is one of my favorite memories now that I will cherish forever.
Photo by Ryan, Our kids enjoying playing on the beach as the sunset began
Thank You, Lord, for such a beautiful time with my family. You are truly amazing, Lord, and I give You praise! Blessing be upon my parents. Blessing be upon your parents. May we always bless the Lord, and bless our parents!
I love you, Mom! Thank you for being here for me. I love you too, Dad. I wish you could have visited too, but I know you are working hard, and teaching high school is a lot of responsibility. We are praying for you and asking God to heal your high blood pressure. To my brothers and sisters in Christ, prayers for my Dad are appreciated.
Love, honor, and respect your father and mother well. This will go well with you in life, and you will be blessed and be a blessing.
Hello friends and family, and God bless you all. I am home resting today after going through quite an ordeal this week. I suffered incredibly torturous pain Sunday night through Tuesday night, and by Wednesday afternoon I was in emergency surgery to have my gallbladder removed. Although I am very sore, I am doing well and the terrible pain is gone. The Lord has restored my hope, and I am looking forward to a much healthier life now.
It all started Sunday night at 10:30. I was about to go to bed when my gut was hit with severe cramping and pain. I thought it was related to the cramping episodes from Celiac that I have been suffering for the last 9 years, but it was much worse than those. The pain lasted all night and didn’t stop until around 8 a.m. Monday morning. It was so bad that I was up all night. I also started vomiting at 3 a.m. and threw up 5 times until 7:30. I finally slept from 8 to about 1 p.m. on Monday, and I was okay for the rest of the day. My appetite was bad though and all I could eat was a banana for breakfast and a few bites of brown rice noodles for dinner.
I thought it was just another cramping episode and the pain was gone, but I was wrong. I went to bed Monday night at 9:30, but woke up at 4 a.m. on Tuesday in severe pain again. It was absolute torture and it lasted all day long. I couldn’t find any relief and I was writhing in pain. I also started vomiting again and did that several times all morning and afternoon. It was pure agony. I couldn’t eat all day, and after eating half a banana around 4 p.m. it just made it worse. By 5:00 I had my wife take me to the ER at the hospital.
The doctors put me on an IV because I was severely dehydrated. I had only drank a couple small cups of water all day. They also did a CT Scan and Ultrasound of my abdomen. The results showed that I was suffering a severely infected and enlarged gallbladder. The doctor put antibiotics through my IV right away, and informed me that I would need surgery to have my gallbladder removed or I could die.
They transported me by ambulance to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where I was admitted around midnight Wednesday. By 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon I was with the team of surgeons being put to sleep to have laparoscopic surgery to remove my gallbladder.
The lead surgeon called my wife afterwards, and he said everything went well and very smooth. He also said he felt bad for me and it was painful just seeing my gallbladder. He said it was severely infected and packed with stones, and he was very glad to remove it. He encouraged my wife that I would be feeling much better now and would not suffer the cramping pain anymore.
I am very thankful to be alive and have that nasty gallbladder out of my body. I suffered that for many years. I am also very glad we went to the ER. The pain was so bad that I had to be put in a wheelchair when we arrived.
Part of my decision to go to the ER was because of a blog post I read on Monday. Our good friend and brother in Christ, Benjamin, from “Brother’s Campfire” just had the same painful episode and surgery on Monday. You can read his post about that here: Gall, Fortune Cookies, and Raising Young Men. After reading about his pain and having his gallbladder removed, I wondered if that was what I was suffering from as well. It made me want to get tests to see if my gallbladder was okay, and I told the doctors at the ER that I wondered if it was my appendix or gallbladder. What a weird coincidence that Benjamin and I had the same emergency surgery just days apart. We are official gallbladder buddies now too. I’m so glad he wrote that post and so thankful God had me read it!
Please pray for Benjamin’s healing as well as mine. We are both feeling much better now. I am sore and it’s hard to move around, but my appetite is good and it’s so great to not have that torturous cramping pain anymore.
On another note, please pray for our good friend and sister in Christ, Vivian and her husband Mark. Many of you know Mark was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. Vivian writes the blog “God’s Whispers of Truth.” Please read her post about Mark here: Crisis. He has been given 1 year to live and will be starting chemotherapy soon. It has been devastating to their family, but they are standing strong in Jesus. Vivian also suffers from complications due to a traumatic brain injury she suffered as a teenager, and she has MS. Mark is the sole provider for her and their 4 kids. Donations to help their family can be sent to Vivian through PayPal at helpoutviv. Please pray for Mark’s healing and send whatever help you can.
Nothing is impossible for God. He can heal, and restore hope at anytime, even when life is at its most painful and dark. As Vivian recently texted me, “I feel the prayers of believers! And I know God’s chosen Mark for this! I told him yesterday God’s trusting us with this trial. And to not give up! Ever!” Amen, sister, may we always stand firm in Jesus, and never give up! She also told me, “They’ve told us one year…. but they told Bill Sweeney 2 or 3 and he lived 24!! God numbers our days, not Drs.” Amen to that, sister!!
There is so much suffering in this life, but we must not ever lose hope. All the suffering I have endured since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2012 has taught me to press into Jesus even more and never let go of Him. He has always been faithful to lift me up, and He has restored my hope again with this surgery. I feel like a new man with a new lease on life. Sorrow may come for a night, but joy comes in the morning. May we never forget that promise of God’s love.
Thank you to all of you who prayed for me and my surgery. Thank you for praying for my friends too. I am so very thankful to be alive, and I am excited to live out all the good plans He has for me and my family in the future. May His will be done in all things at all times!
Hello friends and family, and God bless you all. It has been over a month since my last post. I have been taking a break from blogging and all social media since February. Thank you to all of you who have emailed and texted me to offer words of encouragement and prayers. I have been having a hard time with Celiac and feeling homesick, so I truly appreciate your support. Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, so I wanted to share some of my past Easter posts to honor Jesus and be a blessing to you all.
The most important thing I want you to remember about Easter is that we have great hope because Jesus lives. Those who crucified our Lord and Savior did not do so by their own power. They had no power over Jesus. It was God’s will to give us His Son to save our souls, and Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. Indeed, the Romans would not have been able to lay a single hand on Jesus outside of God’s will. Jesus defeated sin, death, and the evil one at the cross, and He proved He is truly the resurrection and the life when He rose from the dead in glorious power.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
-Jesus speaking in John 3:16
The great hope we have in Jesus is that death no longer has any hold on us. Those of us who believe in Jesus have already overcome the grave through our faith in Him. Through His victory we are also victorious over sin, death, and the evil one, and we stand redeemed, reconciled, and forgiven before God.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
-Hebrews 2:14-15
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
-Romans 5:1-2
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
-Romans 10:9
When Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of the world, He had you on His mind and in His heart. He shed His blood to set us free and open the Way to Heaven. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He is our only and greatest hope of salvation.
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
-John 14:6
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
-John 11:25-26
We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus alone. My prayer is that if you do not know Jesus, the Lord would open your heart and draw you near to Himself, and you would receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior by faith this very day. Easter weekend is truly a beautiful time to come to Jesus and receive the salvation of your soul.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
-Ephesians 2:8-9
I have written many posts in the past few years that include in depth research of the powerful events that took place during the crucifixion and resurrection, as well as the historical sites in Israel where they happened. I pray they are a blessing to you as you celebrate, honor, and worship Jesus this Easter weekend.
If you would like to learn about the supernatural events and powerful miracles that happened during His crucifixion, please read:
Hello everyone and God bless you all. I’m sitting at Venice Beach again today. It is a beautiful sunny 81 degrees, and I am very thankful for such a warm blessing. The birds are enjoying it too. The Lord has been speaking a phrase to my heart lately, which has been very encouraging as I have been fighting discouragement and depression. The phrase is, “Rest in my grace.”
The Lord is impressing upon my heart that nothing can separate me from His love. Not my past sins, mistakes, or failures. Not my regrets, shame, or guilt. Not this painful disease I fight every day, or the hopelessness it makes me feel so often. Nothing can separate me from His love! His grace will always be sufficient for me, and I can truly find rest in His grace and love.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39
As believers in Jesus, how often do we truly rest in that never ending promise? How often do we allow our focus to shift to the hurts and pain that drag us down? Let us always remember just how much God loves us and how wonderful and amazing His love and grace truly are.
Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love. Once you are His, you belong to Him forever, and nothing can ever change that. The Lord is faithful to us, He always fulfills His promises, and His grace is always with us. Rest in that eternal truth today and always.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Grace and peace to you all in the precious and beautiful Name of Jesus!
Good morning and God bless you all. I am sitting on the beach in Venice, Florida right now. I’ve never written a post using the WordPress app on my phone, so I hope this goes well. It is Valentine’s Day weekend, so my thoughts are turned towards love. We all want to be loved, but it is crucial that we understand what love truly is to love and be loved properly. My hope is that this post will help answer the age old question: what is love?
On my way to the beach this morning, I passed a church that had a simple and powerful message on their sign, which stated “God is love.” That eternal truth is where we must start to truly understand what love is. We know what love is and we have love because God is love. If God did not exist, we would not have love. Love only exists because God exists and He is love.
In 1 John 4:16, John wisely writes, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 we discover God’s character and how He loves us. We also discover the true definition of love and how to love each other.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” -1 Corinthians 13:4-8
That is real love, my friends, and that is how we are to love and be loved. God is love, and that is how He loves us. God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.
God loves us so much that He died for us to reconcile us to Himself and give us eternal life! May we always rest in His glorious and perfect love, and pray to love each other as He loves us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -Jesus speaking in John 3:16
There is no greater love than the love God has for us. God is love, and He is the true love we all long for in our hearts. Let us always remember just how much God truly loves us, and may we always be at peace in His love.
Have a blessed and beautiful Valentine’s Day in the love of God. Grace and peace to you all!
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