Ryan Callahan's Blog

Good morning everyone!  I want to start by thanking you all for your prayers for my family.  My Grandpa is still in the hospital, but he is doing better.  He is with family and he is getting the care he needs right now.  He believes in Jesus and the Lord is with him!  The Lord showed me a really cool section of Scripture today (I think the whole Bible is really cool)!  I was thinking about the birth of Jesus and Christmas, so I opened up the Book of Luke.  I started reading in Chapter 2 verse 21 about Jesus being presented in the Temple eight days after He was born.  That section of Scripture is right after the historical account of the shepherds and the angels and it talks about two people who were a blessing to Joseph and Mary after Jesus was born.  May I introduce you to the servants of the Lord named Simeon and Anna and how they were a blessing.

“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.  He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.  When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you

have promised,

you now dismiss your

servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen

your salvation,

which you have prepared

in the sight of all

people,

a light for revelation to the

Gentiles

and for glory to your

people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.  Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 2:21-35

Wow!  Can you imagine if somebody said that about your child?  What a blessing!  And the soul piercing sword?  Mary had no idea that Jesus would later be crucified for the forgiveness of the whole world’s sins.  The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and the Lord spoke through him in power!  I think it is beautiful that the Lord promised that to Simeon and he was blessed to see the baby Jesus with his own eyes and hold Him!  He held Jesus when He was just a precious baby at eight days old and he gave glory to God as he preached a powerful message of who Jesus truly was and why He was born!  Simeon waited patiently and faithfully, and the Lord blessed him to be a blessing to the Savior of the world!  That is just incredible, praise God!

Right after that amazing encounter, Joseph and Mary meet a woman named Anna who had the gift of prophecy.  A prophet or prophetess is someone who speaks messages that come directly from God.  In the simplest explanation, they speak God’s truth and they are quite literally God’s messengers.  Let’s take a look.

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.  Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Luke 2:36-38

It is so beautiful that the Lord chose Anna to see her Savior with her own eyes and preach about Him right then and there!  She had lost her husband only seven years after getting married and she stayed single for the rest of her life.  She suffered a terrible loss, but remained faithful to the Lord.  As we see, the Lord was so very faithful to her and He blessed her to preach about Jesus and the redemption He would bring!  Amen Lord, thank you for using us for your glory!  Thank you for the blessings of Simeon and Anna!

After all of the amazing events of the shepherds and angels, the Magi’s visit, and these amazing events at the Temple, Joseph and Mary returned home to raise Jesus.

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.  And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.”

Luke 2:39-40

This Christmas, may we remember the Lord’s faithfulness to Simeon and Anna and may we remember their patient trust in the Lord.  God is so very faithful to all of us and I pray we would all be faithful to God, not just during this season of celebration, but every day in all things.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like holding Jesus at eight days old, but I am sure anyone who held Him could feel His power flowing through them.  Makes me want to take a knee and bow just thinking about it!  Jesus is Lord!  Glory to God in the highest!

Grace and peace to you all and Merry Christmas!

What an amazing and beautiful description of Heaven!  Rest in that comforting truth today.  When you believe in Jesus for the salvation of your soul, nothing can take that great hope away from you!  Nothing can snatch you out of His hand.  Once you belong to Jesus, you belong to Him forever and that section of Scripture in Revelation gives us an excellent glimpse of what Heaven will be like!

I love what the next verse in that section of Scripture says.

“The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true.  The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

Revelation 22:6

Angels are so cool and there are a lot of them in Heaven!  God’s Word is trustworthy and true and we can rest in the promise of Heaven through faith in Jesus Christ.  In chapter 21 of Revelation John talks about the Holy City he witnessed coming down out of Heaven.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.  He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Revelation 21:1-7

Heaven is a place of perfect peace!  There is no pain or darkness there.  It is a place of perfect love, peace, and light!  The one who overcomes will inherit Heaven, so who is it that overcomes and what are we overcoming?  Jesus taught us the answer to both questions.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Jesus speaking in John 16:33

Jesus overcame the world when He defeated sin and death at the cross!  He destroyed the work of the evil one and He offers us that same victory!

“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

Faith in Jesus Christ=Victory over the world!  What is the world?  You know it.  We all do.  It’s this place of sin and death that we live in.  The fallen sinful state of this world has hurt all of us and if you are human, then you have experienced the suffering of this world at some point in your life.  God has given us a way out and that free gift of eternal life is offered to every human being on earth.  He rescued us through the perfect atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and you can only be saved through faith in Him alone.

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:21-26

Here is another glimpse of Heaven from Revelation.  Here is what the Holy City of Heaven looks like!

“The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.  The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.  The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.  The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.  The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.  Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 21:18-27

That is an incredible glimpse at the glory and beauty of Heaven!  Do you want your name written in Jesus Christ’s book of life?  Then receive that victory and believe in Jesus!  He will forgive you of every sin and purify you, so that you stand holy and redeemed before God!  Amen!

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 1:5-7

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

1 John 1:8-10

“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.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13

I will end with some words Jesus said.  No matter where you live or who you are, Jesus is inviting you to Heaven!  That promise can be yours this very moment!

It’s up to you to accept His offer by faith.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

“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

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus in John 14:1-4

Keep the Word of God deep in your hearts and be blessed!  The Kingdom of Heaven is near and all those who believe in Jesus are promised a place there!

Grace and peace to you all!

Friends and family, this has been a trying week.  I got word from my Mom that my other Grandpa just had a stroke today and he is in the hospital.  He will be 92 the day after Christmas!  He has a blood clot, which caused the stroke.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for my Grandpa and our family.  Thank you!

God bless you all

“…the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

With my Grandpa’s passing, I can’t stop thinking about Heaven.  If the only thing you knew about Heaven was just that one single verse from Revelation, it would be enough to make you want to go there for all eternity.  No more tears brothers and sisters, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain!  We cannot truly imagine such a place while here on earth, but such a place exists and it’s called Heaven!  The Way to get there is through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the only One who ever died to forgive our sins and He will forgive you too!  I pray you accept His free gift of eternal life and spend eternity in perfect peace in the glory of Heaven!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

Jesus speaking in John 5:24

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus speaking in John 6:40

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:28-30

“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

“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

Grace and peace to you all!

God bless all of my family as we remember Grandpa.  All my love to all of my family!

All my love to all of the people on my blog too!  Thank you all for your kind words and prayers for us!

If you missed my post about my Grandpa, you can read it here:

“In Honor Of My Grandpa”

Jesus is Lord and He will bring us home safely to His Heavenly Kingdom!

 

I have been on the phone and email with my Mom all day today.  Her Dad, my Grandpa, passed away early this morning.  He was 87 years old and he was battling Alzheimer’s Disease.  My Grandpa believed in Jesus and we are at peace knowing he is at peace and he is no longer suffering.  To all of my family, I am praying for everyone and I love you.  We love you Grandpa and this is for you.

When I was talking to my Mom this morning, she told me how her Dad taught her the Lord’s prayer and she told me how he would pray with her when she was little.  My Mom is the oldest among five kids.  My Mom and I both shed tears talking about how she said that prayer with him, but I want you to know we mourn with hope.  With a great hope that can never be taken away!  Those tears have joy in them too because we know that he is in peace at home with his Savior who taught him that prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer:

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily

bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into

temptation,

but deliver us from the evil

one.'”

Jesus speaking in Matthew 6:9-13

My Grandpa was a kind man.  I remember his kindness to me and I still remember him playing guitar to my little sister and I.  That’s us in the picture above back in the early 80s enjoying Grandpa’s peaceful playing on his nice acoustic.  I always remember him smelling good too.  He was a fun guy to be around.  I can attribute my love for playing guitar all the way back to watching him play.

Here is my sister and I hanging out with Grandpa in our country gear.  Check out my sister’s bonnet.  Classic!

My Grandpa served in the Korean War and I would also like to honor his service to our country.  He was about 20 years old when he entered the war and he served our country with bravery and honor.

Here is what my Mom emailed me this morning:

“Grandpa was called to active duty from Jan. 29, 52 to Dec 30, 53, but he was a member of the Illinois Army Reserve for 2 ½ years where he also spent time in Japan and was a fireman.  In Korea he did the tanks, and ran the electric generators and set up army telephones.  I was born while Dad was in the war, so he didn’t see me until I was 11 months old.  After the war, he was an electrician, he went to night school.  He was an electrician his whole career, at least 40 years.  In California he did the bidding for jobs for an electrician company.  He was a Corporal at the end of his service.  If he were to stay, they were going to make him a Sergeant, but he wanted to come home.”

For his service to our nation in defense of the Korean people my Grandpa earned the Korean Service Ribbon with three Bronze Service Medals, the United Nations Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.  He served in the First Cavalry Division and he also served as a Fireman in the 8th Regiment’s Headquarters Company.  He did his basic training at Fort Knox in 1951.  He was also good at fixing generators and the Army telephone lines.  He saw brutal combat and he fought for the freedom of the Korean people.  My Grandpa courageously put his life on the line for others and I am very proud of him for his service.  What a cool guy!

Here is a picture of him coming home from the war on the ship.  I think he looks like a movie star.

My sister interviewed my Grandpa about the war when she was in high school.  He said his worst memory of the war was seeing his friends and fellow Americans who had died in battle.  He said war is a terrible experience.  When he came home and arrived back on American soil at the port in Seattle, Washington, the first thing he saw were all the Christmas lights and he was very glad to be back home.  When he got back home to Illinois he said the first thing he did was give my Mom a hug.  It was his first child and he had never seen her before.  I praise God for keeping my Grandpa safe during the war!

My Grandpa was also a Master Electrician and a Pilot after the war.  Check out his cool plane.  He was a man of many talents!

Here he is doing some work on a grain elevator in town.  My Mom said that old grain elevator is still there and she drives by it often.

This is a photo from 1974 from the town paper called The Register Mail.  My Grandpa did some electrical work there on a new printing press.  I like how those guys are lined up looking at him.  You can tell those guys like and respect my Grandpa.  He did high quality professional electrical work and he had a good reputation.

Here is my Grandpa as a young boy.  He was born in 1931.  Good lookin’ lad!

I love this picture from my Grandpa’s 75th birthday party!  He always had a great sense of humor.

This is a recent picture of him enjoying time on the water.

We love you Grandpa and we will miss you!  I will always remember your kindness and love.  We will see you again in the glory of Heaven!

Grace and peace to all of my family!  Be at peace knowing he is in perfect peace for all eternity!

I love you all!

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

“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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone and God bless you all!  I hope this Sunday (or Monday in some parts of the world) finds you well.  I have not been so well today.  I am humbly asking for prayer from all my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I just spent the last three hours suffering a severe blood sugar issue due to my Celiac.  The morning started off fine, but after breakfast I was on my knees with my head hung low for almost three hours straight.  I felt dizzy and hot and so nauseous it dropped me to my knees.  This happens sometimes with Celiac.  I don’t know if I ate too many waffles at breakfast or what, but I had a massive blood sugar spike and I just about lost my breakfast all over the floor.  Thank God I didn’t get sick like that, but it took me since 11 a.m. to get to the point where I could stand up and walk around again.  It caused a bad headache, which usually accompanies a blood sugar drop or spike, but that went away too, praise God.  This disease can be debilitating at times, but I know the Lord is holding me.  I can feel His power in me like a lion!

I was going to write a post this morning, but instead I faced another battle.  I am fighting this disease in the power of the Lord, so I appreciate your prayers!  I hold onto my faith in Jesus every day and my hope in Him is unwavering despite the constant suffering.  I am 100% sure of what I hope for and I am 100% certain of what I do not see.  Sometimes it may seem hard to keep on in the faith, but don’t ever give up!  Keep the faith!  We are not home yet and we can’t see Heaven here in the valley of the shadow of death, but we sure can feel it inside our souls!  When I was on my knees today suffering severe nausea, I whispered to the Lord through the pain and simply said, “Help me Lord.”  I could feel His power within me giving me strength in the midst of it just like I have so many times before since I was diagnosed.  I have been trained by this suffering to run to Jesus without hesitation.  He is my rock and my fortress in times of trouble.  He is my rock and my fortress in my whole life!

That is what we should be doing in all areas of our life.  Run to Jesus and don’t hesitate!  Not just when we are on our knees doubled over in pain, but at all times in all things.  One thing is for sure, when this disease knocks me to my knees, I sure get a lot of praying done and I rise stronger every time!

I’m not sure what happened today, but I know the Lord is using it and I trust He has me.  He told me He would make a way regarding my health and finances.  I know He hears my prayers and I know He loves me.  I will keep pressing on in my faith and trusting that He has good plans for me to prosper me and give me hope and a future.  If you are suffering today, know that you are not alone and you are not abandoned.  I know it hurts, believe me, I know.  I also know God’s love is greater than any hurt this world can throw at us!  Keep your faith in Jesus sure and strong!  He is alive and He is coming back soon!

“Behold, I am coming soon!  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

Jesus in Revelation 22:7

Give Jesus your pain.  Pour out your heart to Him.  Receive the free gift of salvation He offers you through faith in Him!  The power of the Holy Spirit inside of me is greater than this disease of this fallen world!  If you do not yet know that power, I pray you receive it today!  May the Lord pour out His great healing on all of us in the Name of Jesus, amen!

“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

Grace and peace to you all and thank you for your prayers!

I would like to thank J-M from J-M’s History Corner & Blockbusters Reviewed for nominating me for the Liebster Award!  I am humbled and honored and all the glory goes to Jesus!  I wouldn’t even have a blog if it wasn’t for Jesus!  I recommend checking out J-M’s blogs!  He has done a great amount of research on a variety of interesting topics.  I always enjoy talking with him about all of his research!

The rules:

Acknowledge the blogger that gave it to you and display the award

Answer 11 questions that the blogger gave you

Give 11 random thoughts about yourself

Nominate 11 other bloggers and notify them of their nomination

Ask your nominees 11 questions

This is from J-M’s site regarding the Liebster Award:

“This award is meant as an instrument to encourage and mentor new bloggers. From The Global Aussie: “The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011.  Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”  The award initially focused on bloggers with less than 2,000 followers, but as its popularity burgeoned, this number has gone down to 200.”

He said the 200 is more of a guideline.  There are currently almost 300 people reading my blog, but I am still a fairly new blogger as I just started on August 10th this year.  I appreciate everyone who takes time to read my blog, thank you!

J-M’s Questions (from J-M, “OK, so I couldn’t think of 11):

If you’re spiritual, when did you start to follow that path?

What’s your favorite movie?

What’s your least-favorite movie?

What motivates you to blog?

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

If you’re married, how did you meet your spouse?

My Answers:

I am most definitely spiritual–by the power of the Holy Spirit!  I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior my Freshman year in college in October of 1996.  I did not grow up going to church.  I came to Jesus because our family lived in a house haunted by a demon when I was in high school.  I cast it out by the power of the Holy Spirit after I got saved.  I was 18 years old and just a couple months after I accepted Christ I was put into battle.  I have been serving Jesus Christ fighting this ancient war for 22 years now.  Jesus is Lord!

My favorite movie is a tough one.  I used to love Point Break (the old one) when I was younger, but it has too much cussing in it for me now.  I like Quigley Down Under, The Man From Snowy River, Jeremiah Johnson, and A River Runs Through It, and I still like Dances With Wolves and the Indiana Jones movies too.  I also loved watching the old WW2 movies with my Dad growing up: Where Eagles Dare, The Great Escape (where Steve McQueen does his own motorcycle stunts), and the Dirty Dozen are classics.  I also love old John Wayne movies.  One of my all time favorites though is Waking Ned Devine.  If you have not seen that, do yourself a favor and watch it.  It’s a hilarious Irish comedy!  I’d say at this point in my life that is my favorite movie.  I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland–my ancestors are from County Cork.

My least favorite movie or better yet, types of movies, are horror films.  I can’t stand them and I will not let that evil into my home.  There is nothing funny or entertaining about spiritual evil, especially when you grew up with a demon living in your house!

The number one thing that motivates me to blog is what Jesus told us before He ascended into Heaven.  It’s known as the Great Commission.  I am here blogging for Jesus to preach His truth and help people come to know Him.  We live in a lost and hurting world and I am here to minister and help people in the power and love of Jesus!

“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

My most embarrassing moment was probably when I started crying as my wife walked down the aisle on our wedding day.  I was filled with so much joy I was a blubbering mess.  I eventually got it together, but it was intense!  I’ll never forget that beautiful day as my lovely wife walked towards me in her gorgeous dress.  I love you honey!

I met my wife in college at the University of Northern Colorado.  We have been married for 17 years now and we have two beautiful kids.  Our daughter is 11 and our son is 8.  I love my family so much I think my heart will explode sometimes!  Praise God!

11 Random Thoughts About Myself:

I like guns and I own a bunch of them (12 gauge Winchester SXP, nice old 20 gauge Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight from my father in law, Marlin XS7 .30-06, Del-Ton M4 5.56, .45 caliber Glock 30SF, 9mm Glock 19 which was my first pistol, Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum, and a few pellet rifles and pistols for varmints).

I like training with my guns, so I can better protect my family (love always protects).

I received firearms training from a 25 year veteran SWAT team trainer.

I have Celiac Disease and have been fighting it since 1-6-12.  I am completely gluten free and I cannot eat eggs, dairy, soy, coconut, and especially no oats!

I play guitar and love playing and singing to the Lord.

I stopped breathing on 4-28-12 due to anaphylactic shock from eating oats.  I left my body in the spirit and I was with Jesus for a short time.  I didn’t see Him, but He walked over to me and said, “It’s okay.”  Then He put me back in my body in the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit.  See my post titled “My Lazarus Moment” to learn more about that.

I had two separate angel encounters in 1998.  See my post titled “Remember that time when…” to learn about the demon we lived with before I accepted Christ and to learn about the angels.

I wrote a book about all the supernatural things that have happened to me and my family.  You can find it on Amazon.com and it’s called “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life.”

I absolutely love Colorado and I was raised here near Denver, but I was born in Illinois and most of my family is in Illinois.  I went to high school near Chicago and grew up an avid Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls fan.  Our family went nuts when the Cubbies finally won the World Series!  I even once met and talked to Harry Caray at Wrigley Field!

I grew up playing ice hockey, basketball, and baseball, and I love snowboarding!  Our family also loves to fish for Rainbow Trout up in the mountains.

I was within 50 yards or so of a wild mountain lion one day out in the woods when I worked up at the YMCA in Estes Park in 1998.  There was nothing between me and the lion and nowhere to go, but she didn’t hurt me.  She was sitting in a spot of sunshine coming through the trees just like a cat does.  When I finally saw her, I froze.  We looked at each other for a few moments, then she just got up, turned, and slowly walked up the hillside.  She appeared to be pregnant.  Thank God she wasn’t hungry at that moment!  They are beautiful, powerful, and deadly predators.  I love Colorado!

Here are my 11 Nominees (plus 1) for the Liebster Award:

LoveandGrace

Trophy of Grace

My Jesus Is Amazing

Making Joy a Habit

Resting In His Love

Tired As A Mother

My Journey

Grace Speech

Daily Thankful

Sealed In Christ

Mthokozisi Nyandeni Inspirations

God Still Speaks

My 11 questions for my Nominees:

What made you start blogging?

When did you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

What is your favorite movie and/or book?

Where are you from?

What is your favorite food?

What type of music do you like the most?

Where have you traveled?

Are you married?  Do you have kids?  If not, do you want to have kids?

What was the biggest challenge you have overcome in life and how?

Have you ever had any supernatural experiences?

What was the best thing that ever happened to you?

Thank you again J-M for nominating me for the Liebster Award!  God bless you brother!

Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!

“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

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning everyone and Happy Friday!  I am so glad it’s Friday!  It has been a stressful week.  I want to share a few photos I took with my phone.  The one above is from two days ago on 12-12-18 at 7:19 a.m. Mountain Time.  Such a clear crisp sunrise that morning with some fluffy clouds right over our house.  We sit at 6,115 feet and sometimes it’s like we are in the clouds when the storm fronts come through from the Rockies.  I also want to share a simple verse that encouraged my heart yesterday.

“A cheerful heart is good

medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries

up the bones.”

Proverbs 17:22

That verse encouraged me because a cheerful heart brings healing to our bodies.  That is incredible!  Likewise, a crushed spirit hurts our bodies.  I have experienced both and both are true!  This is one more amazing weapon in my fight against Celiac Disease and I asked the Lord yesterday to give me a cheerful heart and heal me.  I pray you do the same!  Whatever might be ailing you, I ask the Lord to bless you with a heart full of cheer and ask Him to pour out His healing on you, in the Name of Jesus, amen!

With that in mind, here are some more photos for your enjoyment and encouragement!

This photo is of Long’s Peak.  I snapped it on November 27th at 12:59 p.m. in the parking lot of the organic grocery store we go to in town.  That portion of the Rockies is in Rocky Mountain National Park and at the base of Long’s sits the town of Estes Park.  That is where the YMCA is that I worked at in 1998 (and where my friend Bill fell back in the Holy Spirit).  Long’s Peak is 14,259 feet tall and it is one of the highest, coolest, and deadliest mountains in the world.  My friends from the YMCA and I climbed Long’s and stood on top of the summit that summer.  It was amazing!  P.S. There are even people who climb it in the winter when it looks like that!

Here is a photo from last night at 5:10 p.m. Mountain.  My daughter had a choir performance at school and I was driving over there at sunset.  I snapped this sitting at a red light.

These are photos I took of our Downtown Mainstreet area back on November 28th at 8 p.m.  They always decorate the park and the street with beautiful lights!  In the first two below I am sitting in the left turn lane waiting to turn onto Mainstreet.  That’s the old giant cottonwood tree they always light up big time.

 

Here is Mainstreet.  I love how they light up the trees and the gazebo in the park at Christmas!  We love walking up and down Mainstreet.  There is a little frozen yogurt place our kids love down there too.  The area used to be a train station back in the wild west days, which over the years was beautifully updated into a thriving downtown.  The old station building (big building on the left in the 3rd picture below) was kept historic and it has a lot of character and charm.  Welcome to our town!

Have an encouraging and blessed Friday and weekend everyone!  May the Lord bless you with a cheerful heart at Christmas and throughout the year!

Grace and peace to you all and Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Many of you know about my supernatural experiences.  Today, I would like to tell you about my friend Bill from college.  What I witnessed happen to him by the power of the Holy Spirit was amazing and I am really glad I get to tell you all about it!  We are the Lord’s witnesses of the many amazing things He does and we are to tell the world.  So, pull up a cozy chair and let me tell you about the time the Holy Spirit washed over my friend Bill.

Bill and I roomed together our Junior year in college in 1998-99.  He was from the Western slope of Colorado and he was a country boy.  He had the jeans and cowboy boots to match.  He drove a big truck and he came from a family of hunters.  He was a cool guy and he was one of the calmest guys I’ve ever met.

Bill believed in God and he loved the Lord, but at that point in his life he was really struggling with some deep philosophical questions and he was frustrated.  He wrestled with God over many things and we had many conversations.  I was a leader in Campus Crusade for Christ at the time giving sermons almost every Friday night and leading a weekly Bible study, so he would talk to me a lot.  Plus we were good friends and we liked hanging out.

Every year Campus Crusade would do the Junior/Senior Weekend Retreat up in the mountains at the YMCA of Estes Park.  I had just worked there that summer of ’98.  That is the same summer I had the two angel encounters in Denver.  1998 was a big year!

It was some time in the fall of ’98 when we did the retreat up to Estes Park.  Bill and I roomed together during the trip too and it was a blast.  There were conferences and concerts and bonfires and we all had a great time enjoying the wild wilderness of the Colorado Rockies!  I loved living up there that summer!  Great town and great people!

Saturday afternoon we were in the dining hall.  The whole place was packed with Christian college students.  Bill and I ended up sitting at a big round table with four elderly folks (two married couples) in the far corner of the dining hall.  That decision changed Bill’s life, and it ended up being one more amazing thing I witnessed in 1998!

We introduced ourselves and started chatting.  We let them know about the trip we were on from Campus Crusade and they let us know they were a group of Christian healers that traveled the country helping people.  These folks loved the Lord so much and you could see the Holy Spirit power on them.  It was really cool meeting them!

As we talked and ate lunch, Bill got into a deep conversation with one of the men.  I could tell the man had deep concern for Bill and all of his attention was on him.  The other man was quiet as the two ladies talked with me.  They were very sweet and I was enjoying having lunch with them all.

The table was so big that I couldn’t hear what Bill and the man were talking about on their side of it.  As they wrapped up their conversation Bill and the man stood up and walked to the side of the table.  I remember thinking, “what is going on?”  The other man got up and stood behind Bill.  At this point I looked at the ladies and they looked at me and we just stayed quiet and watched.

The man who was talking with Bill started praying and it was not in English.  It sounded like Hebrew and it was beautiful.  He was speaking in some kind of tongue and I’m pretty sure it was Hebrew.  Once he started praying, the two women got up and they started praying in the language too.  I just sat there quiet.  I had just had two angel encounters a couple months earlier that summer, so I was ready for the Lord to do anything.

It was funny because nobody in the whole dining hall was paying attention to us.  There must have been over a hundred people in there, but it was like our little corner table of fellowship was hidden.  As the man prayed he started walking forward towards Bill.  Bill looked over at me with the funniest look and his little smirk like, “what is this guy doing?”

When the man was a few feet away from Bill he stretched out his right hand towards Bill and at that very moment Bill’s eye’s closed, he had a huge smile on his face, his arms went straight out to the sides, and he fell straight back into the arms of the other man who was standing behind him.  The man who was praying never hit him in the forehead like the phony preachers do.  The man never touched Bill.  The power of the Holy Spirit was released in a healing way through that man and the Holy Spirit washed over Bill in power!

I sat there stunned and filled with joy at seeing the sight of it!  When the man caught Bill, he just gently laid him on the floor and that is where Bill stayed for a little while.  His eyes stayed closed and his smile was so big!  It was like all the worry and strife had been completely wiped away from his mind and heart!  It was beautiful!

After a few minutes, Bill started to open his eyes and they helped him to his feet.  When he stood up he was still smiling and the look on his face was like he had just had the best rest in his life!  The people let us know what had happened and they said words of blessing over us.  They were so kind and Bill was a new man.

We had to get to a conference after lunch and as we were walking over to the next building, Bill could not stop looking up to Heaven and raising his hands in the air.  He was completely filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing!  He couldn’t even talk about it yet.  He just kept raising his hands with this look of wonder and relief on his face.  It was great and it still makes me laugh with joy to this day!

Bill didn’t have trouble with wrestling God after that.  He was at peace and he was one of the strongest brothers in Christ I knew.  God is amazing folks and He can do anything!  So many people had been praying for Bill and many of them were afraid he would turn from the faith.  After his encounter with the Holy Spirit, Bill was a new man!  The refreshing he received from the Lord was a miracle and a great blessing and I hope the knowledge of it blesses you too!

Nothing is impossible for God!  Grace and peace to you all!

 

The Apostle Paul wrote those words while imprisoned in Rome shortly before he was killed for his faith in Jesus.  During his first trial, nobody came to stand up for Paul.  All the other Christians abandoned him.  He was going to be fed to the lions, but the Lord delivered him that day.  Paul ultimately was not eaten by lions.  He was beheaded with a Roman sword.  Paul’s faith in the midst of such persecution is comforting.  He knew no matter what happened to him the Lord would bring him home safely and he gave God glory.

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.  May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.  And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”

2 Timothy 4:16-18

I have endured many attacks in my walk with Jesus and the Lord has rescued me from every one of those evil attacks.  Whether it be legalistic Christians slandering me and my faith, legalistic Catholics, insane leftists, muslims, literal Nazi people, atheists, cult people (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, and even the Brethren), or any other attack the evil one has thrown at me, the Lord has rescued me every time!  I look up to Paul and I respect him for the suffering he endured for Jesus.  Many times while in the trenches of battle, I have thought of Paul and all the first century Christians and what they suffered.  From crucifixion to feeding them to lions to burning them at the stake, they suffered greatly and they deserve to be remembered.

If anybody tells you being a Christian is easy, they are lying to you.  The Christian walk is not an easy road to travel.  It is narrow for a reason.  Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and He is the only way to Heaven (read John 14:6).  The Lord promised that those who follow Him will be persecuted like He was.  Some of us even give up our lives to the point of death.  Even now in our time there are missionaries who are killed all over the world in nations hostile to the Gospel.

“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14

Most American Christians cannot comprehend the kind of violence that Paul and his brothers and sisters faced in Rome.  There are Christians in Islamic and Communist countries that can though because they face the same kind of violence today.  Can you imagine standing on trial for your faith?  What would they say about you?  Would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a follower of Jesus?  Can you imagine being tied to a pole and burned?  Can you imagine being put in an arena with African lions?  It is just too horrible to even imagine it let alone live it!

When we get squeezed we get to see what comes out of us.  Persecution for our faith does that.  Will we bend and retreat when we are put under pressure or will we rise and stand firm?  These are questions we don’t truly know the answers to until we are tested.  God is in control of everything and no matter what persecution comes our way He will bring us safely into His Heavenly Kingdom!

As that sword came down on Paul’s neck, I wonder what He was thinking about.  I trust with all my heart that he was in perfect peace and filled with great joy knowing that in the very next moment, in a flash, he would be home with His Lord and Savior forever!  All the pain he endured from torture was gone and he walked with Jesus in perfect peace to the place Jesus had prepared for him!

I am very much looking forward to that glorious day brothers and sisters!  May we keep our eyes on the Lord and remember that our brothers and sisters around the whole world go through the same battles as we all follow Jesus.  The evil one loves to attack us, but Jesus Christ is Lord and greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world!

“Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever.  Amen.”

1 Peter 5:9-11

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4

Stand firm in Christ!

Grace and peace to you all!