Truth In A Time Of Fear & Lies

Photo by Ryan, Sunset, Venice Beach, FL

Hello, friends and family, and God bless you all. I hope this post finds you well. Yes, I am still blogging. In fact, August 10th was my 3 year blogging anniversary. I have just been taking a break since my last post on July 4th. I’ve been spending time with my family, and doing a lot of reading regarding the current state of the world we find ourselves in. We are living through a dangerous time of fear and lies. A time where truth is being persecuted and silenced, and good is called evil, and evil is called good. Those in power are trying to dominate us with fear and lies. We must not let the truth fall in the street. To that end, I would like to share two inspiring and refreshing articles that I read recently that boldly proclaim the truth over the lie that the government has the authority to control our lives and mandate vaccines. They do not, and I will not let them control me or my family with their fear and lies.

The first article is titled “There Is No American Monarchy” by Abraham Hamilton III. Mr. Hamilton is the General Counsel for American Family Association, and host of the daily radio program “The Hamilton Corner” on American Family Radio. He writes a compelling and sharply intelligent piece proving why Biden’s recent vaccine mandate is completely illegal and unconstitutional. I agree 100% with Mr. Hamilton. America is not a monarchy. We are a Constitutional Republic, and we have no king. The only King I bow to is Jesus Christ. Please read his article below:

“There Is No American Monarchy” by Abraham Hamilton III. Published September 14, 2021. https://www.afa.net/the-stand/culture/2021/09/there-is-no-american-monarchy/

“On September 8, 2021, Politico published an article titled “The Surprisingly Strong Supreme Court Precedent Supporting Vaccine Mandates.” In it, the author works feverishly to project the argument that the 1905 United States Supreme Court decision against Lutheran minister Henning Jacobson and in favor of the state of Massachusetts’ compulsory vaccination mandate (concerning smallpox) provides the legal footing necessary to uphold…wait for it…a U.S. governmental COVID-19 injection mandate. Then, almost on cue, on September 9, 2021, the J. Robinette B. Administration announced “Sweeping New Vaccine Mandates for 100 million Americans.” Gasp! How was Politico so prescient? They just so happened to release their article on vaccine mandates the day before Mr. Biden announced an injection mandate. They weren’t trying to lay the social groundwork for the White House’s executive action, were they? 

We do not yet have the formal publication of the executive action. However, according to reports (including the AP News story cited above), the federal action mandates “that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly.” This will affect about 80 million Americans. And, 

“The roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.” 

The mandate also requires “vaccination for executive branch employees and contractors who do business with the federal government—with no option to test out.” This includes several million more workers. Finally, 

“The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation.” 

In the midst of all of this, AP News reported, 

“Biden’s order for executive branch workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination, according to press secretary Jen Psaki” (in the link cited above). 

Yet, in addition to this newly announced intrusion upon the private employment sector, separately, 

“[T]he Department of Health and Human Services will require vaccinations in Head Start Programs, as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education, affecting about 300,000 employees.” 

Having said all of that, every ounce of this proposed executive action is illegal and unconstitutional. The United States of America is a constitutional republic with representative democratic features. Our Constitution separates power within the federal government. In our federal executive branch, we have a president. Not a king! In our republican form of government, as expressed in Article IV, Section 4 of our U.S. Constitution, we enjoy the benefit of separate sovereignty. The bulk of emergency power in our nation rests in state government. Not in the U.S. executive branch. A president’s role and powers are different than those charged with state governance. Article 2 of our U.S. Constitution sets the parameter, the limits, for executive power. Nowhere in it will you find any authority whatsoever for the J. Robinette B. Administration to compel private companies to force their staffs to inject their bodies with anything or to test them. Period. 

Interestingly, when you read the Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905) opinion Politico cited, you find that the opinion doesn’t support the unconstitutional authoritarian overreach proposed by the White House. In Jacobson, the Court ruled that it is within the police power of a State to enact a compulsory vaccination law. And it is for the legislature, and not for the courts, to determine in the first instance whether vaccination is or is not the best mode for the prevention of smallpox and the protection of the public health. “The State” in Jacobson was the state of Massachusetts. “The legislature” was the Massachusetts state legislature. The federal executive branch has no legal authority to do this. The opinion Politico tried to pass off as legal authority for a national injection mandate is clearly distinguishable from and cuts directly against what the Biden administration is trying to force on the American people. 

More specifically, they seek to shove it into our bodies without our consent. OSHA has no more authority to do this than did the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue an eviction moratorium. This is why the U.S. Supreme Court struck that down too. Which, Mr. Biden knew but sought to expand anyway, even after the Court rebuked him. That should give you an indication of his respect, or lack thereof, for the rule of law. 

We should also mention Mr. Biden’s injection mandate does not comport with the science presented in the Jacobson case. The Jacobson Court observed that the vaccination against smallpox at issue in 1905 was promulgated to “prevent the spread of smallpox.” (Jacobson p. 31). Many well-intentioned people may hope that currently available injections help “slow the spread” of SARS-CoV-2. But, no one today, at least not anymore, attempts to credibly assert that the various injections prevent infection with or the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. I recently had Dr. Christina Parks on my radio program to discuss this very thing. You can find that program here

She earned her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Michigan. She did her graduate research in the field of cytokine signaling. Cytokines are the chemicals the immune system uses to communicate. During the interview, Dr. Parks referred to a study that indicated that all of the proposed injections were designed for the initial strand of SARS-CoV-2, which for all practical purposes, is no longer present. They were not designed for the Delta Variant (or any other variants). Recent studies, indicate that people who’ve developed natural immunity due to having had COVID-19 previously (the disease produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) who also receive the injection may be susceptible to greater health risk. The combined effect of natural immunity plus the injection may be far worse than COVID-19 itself. Dr. Parks testified about this before the Michigan state legislature.

The reality that the injections do not prevent infection or transmission of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be reflected in recent activity by the CDC. On August 23, 2021, Pfizer received FDA approval for its Biontech injection. On September 1, 2021, the CDC changed its definition for vaccination. It now defines vaccination as “The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from a specific disease.” Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky pointed out that the CDC previously defined vaccination as “Injection of a killed or weakened infectious organism in order to prevent the disease” up until 2015. From 2015 to September 1, 2021, the CDC defined vaccination as “The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease. The CDC’s vaccination definition evolved from “prevention” to “immunity,” and now to mere “protection.” The CDC seems to have confirmed what Dr. Parks told me (and a few of my “Corner” friends) and tacitly admitted that the injections do not prevent infection or transmission. 

The national injection mandate seems to also be anti-science. Studies, like this one from Israel, specifically compared the potency and durability of natural immunity to purported injection immunity. The authors wrote that their study demonstrated “natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant” than does the two-dose Pfizer injection (the only one with FDA approval to date). In light of this fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci (“The boy from Brooklyn”) was specifically asked during a recent CNN appearance why Americans with natural immunity would need injections. His response: I don’t have “a really firm answer” on that. Seriously? This from the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases? If this is so, is science driving the J. Robinette B. Administration to implement a national injection mandate, or is something else dictating this decision? 

Whatever the answer, this national mandate is a no-go. It is unconstitutional. It’s not supported jurisprudentially. And, it does not follow the available science. The United States of America is a constitutional republic. We are not a monarchy and we will not abide a dictatorship. The current administration seems to require a reminder of that fact. This abuse of executive power may be just the thing to provoke that reminder.”

Amen, Mr. Hamilton! May we all stand up for the truth and remind the President and his administration that we are a free people, and we will not put up with dictators or abuses of power. Nobody has the right to tell us what to put in our bodies, and the government has no authority to threaten our lives and jobs with an illegitimate, illegal, and unconstitutional vaccine mandate. Biden’s so called “mandate” is nothing more than a suggestion and a bunch of hot air from a delusional power-hungry politician.

I don’t care how many times the President threatens us with his phony mandates, I will not ever submit to taking that dangerous covid vaccine. Thousands of people have been injured and killed by the vaccine, and it doesn’t even prevent the infection or stop the spread of covid! Just look at all the vaccinated people who were still infected with covid. It’s ridiculous and insane! This is not about health or public safety. This is and always has been about power and control. If you can’t see that by now, it’s time to wake up and smell the tyranny. They are using the virus to destroy our freedom and dominate our lives, and they wield fear and lies to take more and more power every day. At this point, they are just seeing what they can get away with. They don’t have the authority to force vaccines or take our jobs or label us “the problem” to kick us out of society, and they know it.

To that point, I would like to share the second excellent article I read. It is titled “What Does A Parallel Society Look Like?” by Andrew Torba. Mr. Torba is the CEO of Gab, and he is also a passionate believer in Jesus who speaks the truth boldly. Please read his article below:

“What Does A Parallel Society Look Like?” by Andrew Torba. Published September 12, 2021. https://news.gab.com/2021/09/12/what-does-a-parallel-society-look-like/

“Many of the people who received either one or two shots are beginning to wake up. They were told by the “experts” that they just needed to get the shot and things would get back to normal. Things are far from normal, and now they are being told that they will likely need to get multiple booster shots and even a pill to treat Covid-19.

Thankfully, many of them are starting to take a stand and fight back.

On September 10th it was reported that a New York hospital is going to pause baby deliveries after a “spate of resignations” by maternity unit workers who refused to inject an experimental substance into their bodies.

Over the weekend I received a direct message from a NASA engineer who informed me that “almost all the engineers here have all banded together and are forcing NASA admin to fire them (both vaccinated and unvaccinated alike). NASA is on a hiring freeze, so firing all these folks would essentially kill the Artemis mission.”

Many people believed they were “fully vaccinated” after two shots. They trusted the system. They believed things would get “back to normal.” They took the shots, often reluctantly, with these things in mind and they are quickly finding out that they’ve been lied to.

Now they are preparing to be labeled “unvaccinated” again if they refuse to get yet another shot. Look on the bright side: Moderna’s shares jumped 5% on news that they revealed a new single shot booster.

Meanwhile tens of millions of Americans face being fired, kicked out of school, removed from our Military, refused medical care, and more for having faith in the immune system God gave them to overcome a virus with a 99%+ survival rate for the overwhelming majority of the population.

This all comes after Pseudo-President Joe Biden declared war on 80 million (or likely way more) Americans who refused to participate in the biggest lab rat experiment in human history.

I’ve been writing about concepts like the need for a parallel economy, a parallel internet, and a parallel society throughout all of 2021. But what does that actually look like?

We are about to find out.

If you’ve already been vaccinated you can join those of us who have not been by refusing to get any of these booster shots. At some point enough of us need to say enough is enough. The way this is going to work is even if you’ve received two shots already they are going to group you in with us “unvaccinated” people because without the booster you will no longer be “fully vaccinated.” So you might as well unite with the rest of us and start building something new.

All of the best, most talented, and smartest people are critical thinkers. They are builders. Doers. They are quickly leaving the existing system. What will be left is low quality talent. The “yes” men people who will shut up, do what they are told, and get their 15th booster shot to keep their job. My heart goes out to these people, but you all know exactly the type I’m talking about.

The existing system will begin to collapse under a sea of “vaccinated” talent shortages, incompetence, and woke political nonsense.

Hospitals won’t (and already can’t) find much needed nursing talent. NASA missions will be aborted. Schools won’t be able to find teachers. Businesses who are already having trouble filling open positions will be forced to compete with businesses who don’t pry into your healthcare privacy.

The society of obedient regime sheep will chug along for a while, but inevitably it will succumb under the weight of market forces from a growing new parallel society.

Companies without mandates will perform better and get all of the best talent. Doctors will start private practices. Families will begin to homeschool their children. Blue states and major cities will see a mass exodus unlike anything in American history.

All we have to do is say no and start building a new society for ourselves. We need to take control of our own destiny here and do what needs to be done to protect our families and preserve our values and indeed our own humanity.

I believe that God has a plan, as He always does, for what is unfolding on a global scale today. Now more than ever we must keep the faith and do as Christians have always done: survive and thrive. Do you think it was “easy” for the Pilgrims to set out for a new land and start building from scratch? Of course not, but they did it and ended up building the greatest country in the history of the world. Do you think it was “easy” for first century Christians to spread the Gospel? Of course not, but today billions of Christians know that Christ is on the throne because of their work and sacrifice.

In a lot of ways we are the modern Pilgrims of our time, seeking religious freedom and sovereignty to escape the rule of a tyrannical elite who hate us. Their blood runs in our veins, the spirit of their plight is in our hearts, and most importantly their God is our God.

We can and must do this. Force their hand. Band together with other like minded people at your school and work to say: no, we will not comply. Then start your pilgrimage to a new parallel society where Jesus is King, family values matter, and freedom rings.

To God Be The Glory,

Andrew Torba
CEO, Gab.com
Only Jesus Saves”

Amen and praise God! God most definitely has a plan, Jesus is King, and He is on the throne! These tyrants in power are not God, and they will be reminded of that someday very soon. We are already seeing millions of people stand up to their threats by rejecting the vaccine and speaking the truth. Hundreds of thousands have fled blue states in search of freedom in conservative states like here in Florida, and many more will follow. The liberal tyrants in power will not stop their lust for power. They will continue to move the goal posts and demand we all submit to their illegal mandates until they have total control over every part of our lives. I agree 100% with Mr. Torba. We must stand firm in Jesus, and not comply with their attempt to turn our country into a dictatorship.

He said it well that we must protect our families, and preserve our values and humanity. This is not just some political battle. This is a war between good and evil. The tyrants in power want to silence the truth, and take our freedom and sovereignty. They sit up in their high and lofty positions pretending they have the authority to dictate illegal mandates that trample our Constitution and rights. They are dead wrong, and we must not let them control us with their fear and lies if we are to keep our freedom.

There is only One King over our country and this world, and His Name is Jesus, not Joe! Jesus Christ is Lord! May His Name be glorified forever, and may those who believe in Him stand firm in the 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

Grace and peace to you all!

Happy Independence Day

Photo by Ryan, Venice Beach Fireworks show

To all my friends and family here in the United States, Happy Independence Day! I am publishing this late because we just got back from enjoying the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen. I waited to write a post, so I could add pictures and video from the show. They launched the fireworks from the jetty near Venice Beach, and we were standing right next to the launch site. We had a front row view, and we could feel the explosions in our chests. It was a beautiful and powerful display of Patriotic love for our country and we had a great time.

Our country is 245 years old today, and Americans all across America are celebrating freedom with joy in our hearts. As a nation, we are not perfect and we have many sins we need to repent from. We are also divided on many issues, and we desperately need God’s love and healing to flow through us all. Despite our problems, we as believers are called to love our neighbor. This whole country is our neighbor, and I love this country with all my heart.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:37-40

May we never give up on loving each other and praying for our country. You cannot love your neighbor if you hate your country. We can hate the sinful direction many in our country are pushing for, but that is not the direction everyone wants. Always love our country and never give up praying that the Lord will lead many more to repentance. Never give up praying for righteousness and healing to spread through our land.

This is still a country full of God’s mercy and blessings, and He still loves us. We are still a free people, and we must fight the good fight to remain free and honor all those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Never give up standing up for righteousness, truth, and holiness. Never give up standing strong in God’s Holy Word. Nothing is impossible for God, and He can and will unleash great blessings on our nation as we seek Him and turn from sin.

As I watched the awesome fireworks show tonight, my heart swelled with love for my country, and I was reminded that we still have plenty of fight left in us to make things right. Keep preaching the Gospel, keep loving your neighbor, and keep standing strong in God’s truth. May His love never grow cold in our hearts. May it always burn brightly for His glory!

Check out this video from the finale of the show. I pray it encourages you to love our country and be thankful for the great freedom we enjoy every day.

Video by Ryan, Fireworks finale

God bless America, and may America bless God!

Grace and peace to you all!

Remember Those Who Gave It All

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.

Preaching Truth At The Beach

Photo by Ryan, Sunset, Venice Beach, FL

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

Grace and peace to you all!

God Is So Good

Photo by Ryan, Florida Sunset

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!

Grace and peace to you all!

Leaning On Jesus

Photo by Ryan, Florida Sunset

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.

Grace and peace to you all.

Honor Your Father & Mother

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.

Grace and peace to you all!

Great Hope In Jesus

The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, Israel

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:

The Darkness, The Torn Curtain, The Earthquake, and The Empty Tombs

To learn about Jesus’ anointing at Bethany before He went to the cross, please read:

A Very Special Dinner

To learn about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (including historical information regarding the Eastern Gate) on Palm Sunday, please read:

Hosanna In The Highest!

The King, The Prediction, & The Voice

To learn about the prayers Jesus prayed at Passover the night before his crucifixion, please read:

The Passover Prayers

To learn more about the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins, please read:

Be With Jesus In Paradise

If you would like to take a tour of the historical site of the Garden Tomb where Jesus was laid to rest and rose from the dead, please read:

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

To learn more about the resurrection, and to read about the day I stopped breathing and how the Lord saved me with a Lazarus miracle, please read:

Jesus Lives!

May God bless you and keep you, and fill your hearts with great joy and hope as you remember and honor Jesus this weekend and always.

Grace and peace to you all!

Nothing Can Separate Us

Photo by Ryan, Venice Beach, FL

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!

What Is Love?

Photo by Ryan, Venice Beach, FL

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!