A Christian author helping people come to Jesus, helping people understand the Bible, ministering to a lost and hurting world, and speaking truth to power.
Good morning everyone and God bless you all! Today is the first day back to school for the kids, so I’m back to the normal stay at home Dad routine. Back to spending the days alone, yet never really alone, in a quiet house with the Lord. Summer break always goes too fast. I have been reading the Book of Romans this morning and I was struck by the power of the introduction. The very first chapter of Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome could have been written to my country, the USA! Matter of fact, my fellow American brothers and sisters, it would be awesome if everyone in our country would read the entire Book of Romans!
I am speaking specifically of verses 18-32 in chapter one. Those verses make me think of the depravity and madness that has spread like a cancer throughout my country. You can’t kick God out of everything in society and expect that your nation will be peaceful. The more people go down the wicked road of twisting God’s order, the more suffering there will be. My nation and all the nations of the world must turn back to God and invite Him back in to every part of our societies! Trusting in man is not going to bring peace. The governments of man are a sad spectacle of the spiritually blind leading the spiritually blind. What people are missing is a relationship with Jesus, the lover of their souls!
Take a look at these verses and see for yourself if they remind you of the immorality and depravity we are seeing in America and many other nations in the world today:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:18-32
That is what the whole world has done; exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and now we have shameful lust and every kind of wickedness running rampant in the streets! Our societies will not be at peace as long as people refuse God and His Word. You cannot kill babies, invent more ways of doing evil by passing even more laws to kill babies right up to birth, approve of, glorify, and promote the abomination of homosexuality (including promoting the abomination of gender confusion even to little kids, which is child abuse), and expect there to be peace. You cannot pump society (especially our children) full of pharmaceutical drugs that make people depressed, suicidal, and murderous and expect peace. You cannot degrade and persecute the holy union of marriage between one man and one woman and expect there to be peace. You cannot worship creation and shun the Creator and expect peace. You cannot hate God and expect there to be peace!
God created us to be in a relationship with Him. The further we get from that relationship, the darker the nations of the world become. This is evident on the news every day all over the world. People do not want to be told that they are sinful and they need forgiveness. People do not want to repent, so society continues to suffer under the weight of justifying sinful desires.
“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
Romans 2:4-5
There will come a time when God will no longer put up with the arrogant display of depravity around the world and He will bring justice to the earth in great power and glory. Praise God that He loves us and He offers us forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus! He does not want us to suffer the wrath that will come upon the whole earth in the end. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the salvation of the whole world! Turn away from the depraved thinking of our time! Do not exchange the truth of God for the lies of this world. God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen in His creation and we are all without excuse. Just look at the above photo I took while flying over the Grand Canyon coming home from California! There is a God, One True God, in Heaven who loves us all! He wants all of us to come to repentance and receive eternal life! He does not want any of us to perish in the coming judgment!
“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 Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”
2 Peter 3:9-15
God’s kindness is leading the nations toward repentance! Turn away from the maddening lies of the evil one and turn to God and live! Through faith in Jesus alone, we are forgiven of our sins and saved! Through faith in Jesus alone, God reconciles and redeems us from the godlessness and wickedness of this world! When you believe in Jesus, you stand justified before God!
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:1
“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.”
Romans 3:22-24
My prayer for my country and all the nations of the world is that the Lord would spread holy revival on the whole earth and billions would be at peace with God through faith in Jesus! May all the nations flee the wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity of our time and may we all retain the knowledge of God and live to please Him!
In Matthew chapter ten, Jesus sends out His twelve disciples to begin their ministry in His Name. He gives them very specific instructions along with warnings, advice, and encouragement for the dangerous road ahead of them. The words Jesus spoke to them are just as relevant and important in the perilous times we find ourselves living in, and they give us great hope and courage to press on despite the dangers.
“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”
Matthew 10:1
In verse 17, Jesus begins warning His disciples to be on their guard against men and He foretells what will happen to them. It must have been very difficult to hear and I’m sure the men were fearful of what they would suffer, but they kept following Jesus. They stood up courageously and refused to live in fear despite the violence of their time.
“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Matthew 10:17-20
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:21-22
Jesus was sending His disciples out into a very violent world that hated them, and He wanted to brace them for what was coming. Jesus continues with an encouragement and exhortation to live without fear despite the threats they faced. The Lord’s words still hold true for us in the violent times we live in, and we find great comfort in His truth.
“So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:26-31
Jesus does not want us to be afraid. We live in a world of constant threats, but we do not need to be afraid of those that kill the body. If you believe in Jesus, then your soul is safe and secure! Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that truth as He sent them out like sheep among wolves. He wants us to remember it too! Do not fear man, fear the Lord!
“Fear of man will prove to
be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the
Lord is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29:25
Jesus is the lover of our souls and nothing can snatch us out of His hand! No matter what happens in this world, remember that Jesus does not want us to be afraid. There is great hope in Jesus! He is the greatest hope of all mankind! May we always be able to say, the Lord is our helper; we will not be afraid!
“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
Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!
“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.”
Photo by Ryan, Roadside sign in Anaheim, California
Yesterday, I wrote a post asking for prayer for El Paso. This morning, I was disturbed in my spirit regarding all the violence in my country and I spoke to the Lord about it. I talked with Him again about the people who lost their lives in California, Ohio, and Texas and I lifted all of the families up to the Lord. As I prayed, the first thing that came to my mind was this: “Jesus already won the war.” That gave me a lot of hope and peace today and I wanted to share that great truth with you! No matter how many battles we face, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is victorious forever as King of kings and Lord of lords! He won the spiritual war when He set us free from sin and death at the cross and He has given us great victory over the evil one!
“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:16
These spiritual battles of chaotic violence we see are the work of a defeated enemy who knows his time is short. The enemy knows he will be thrown into the lake of fire for all eternity and he knows Jesus Christ is Lord! Jesus is exalted to the highest place and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That includes the knees and tongue of the evil one!
“Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place
and gave him the name that is above
every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under
the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Revelation 20:10
The times are getting darker as we see the end drawing near, but take heart! Jesus will return very soon and we will lift up our heads and see Him coming on the clouds with great power and glory! May His will be done in all things and may He strengthen our hearts to endure and stand firm to the end! Soon, very soon, Jesus will crush satan under our feet!
“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”
Jesus speaking in Revelation 22:7
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
Romans 16:20
We fight this war with God’s love. Keep standing up for Jesus and sharing His love with the world. Only the Light of the World can pierce the darkness of evil that is upon the whole earth. If you don’t know Jesus, come to Him today and receive the victory He has for you! There is no greater gift than the free gift of salvation that God offers to us by His grace through faith in Jesus!
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
“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
“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
This world desperately needs the light of life in Jesus! We all need forgiveness for our sins and forgiveness of sins is only offered through faith in Jesus. You do not need to fear death any longer! Jesus defeated the devil almost 2,000 years ago! God does not want you to perish and He does not want to condemn you! God is offering you eternal life!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“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.”
Romans 3:23-24
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Take hold of that precious gift today before it is too late! Please consider God’s offer with all of your heart, mind, and soul and turn away from the darkness of this world. Receive forgiveness and eternal life and be at peace with God.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2
“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
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Jesus is our only hope of escaping the darkness of sin and death. Jesus is the only One who ever died to forgive our sins and reconcile us to God. Our sin separates us from God and there is nothing we can do to earn or work our way into Heaven. Only Jesus can end that separation. Salvation is a free gift from God that must be received by faith. This world needs salvation and light, and God has offered that to the whole world through 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. 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
Don’t ever forget that God loves you and He wants to be with you in Heaven forever! There is still hope in this dark world and His Name is Jesus!
I am praying for my fellow American brothers and sisters in El Paso, Texas today. I am asking the Lord to bring healing and comfort. I am also asking the Lord to stop the hatred and violence that plagues our nation. Please join with me in praying for healing and revival for our nation and the world. We are living in dangerous times and we need to trust in Jesus with all of our hearts. We must stand firm in His love and not give up!
If you are not familiar with what happened, there was a 21 year old man from Allen, Texas (about 30 miles north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area) who drove down to El Paso yesterday because he wanted to kill Mexican immigrants. Those are the first reports anyway. I don’t trust the news, but it looks like he wrote an anti-immigrant rant online before he committed the crime. What we do know is that he killed 20 people and wounded 26 more.
This is going to be a hot button issue in the news. If you are not familiar with American geography, El Paso is located at the farthest western edge of Texas right on the border with Mexico. Juárez, Mexico is literally about 300 feet across the border. It has been run by the drug cartels for a long time and the people of Juárez suffer from poverty and violence. We have a friend who grew up in El Paso and she has some stories to tell about the scary crime that goes on along the border. My wife also went on a mission trip to Juárez to build a house for a family when she was in college and she saw the poverty and suffering firsthand. There are many American Christian groups who minister to people in Mexico. Americans and Mexicans do not hate each other as the media tries so desperately to portray.
El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico border crossing
The left will of course blame Trump for the tragedy in El Paso and continue to say it is his fault and that he is a racist and that protecting the border is racist and on and on they will go. They will also blame gun owners like me and say it is our fault and that all of us should be rounded up and all guns made illegal. It is a sad and tired game of politics in this country and none of the left’s blame holds any weight and nobody with a sane mind is listening to their hateful rants.
The fact is people are sinful. We all are. We live in a fallen world full of sin, and real evil exists on this earth. What that man did was sinful and evil and it was of the evil one. You could ban all the guns in the world and criminals are still going to get guns. The only thing banning guns does is disarm law abiding people leaving them defenseless against armed criminals. There would still be crime and murderers would still murder. The problem is with the fallen state of man on this earth.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
1 John 3:8
As much as I can’t stand the constant race baiting from the left, we all know there are actual racists out there. Can I just say, enough with it! Those divisions of the flesh are straight from the pit of hell! We were all created by God and we were all fearfully and wonderfully made in our mother’s womb. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is or what country you are from. God loves you and He died for you to save your soul!
“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.”
Romans 3:22-24
I live in Colorado, which is real close to Texas. We could drive straight south through New Mexico and be to El Paso (and Mexico for that matter) in about 9 hours. My sister and her family live in Fort Worth now. I am all for protecting the border to keep dangerous criminals like the drug cartels and gangs out of our country. In my experience, most of the folks that come to Colorado from Mexico are just normal families that want a better life with more opportunities.
I grew up working landscaping jobs with a lot of guys from Mexico. I speak pretty good Spanish, so it was always fun. The guy who just came to stain our fence was from Mexico. I spoke with him for a little bit in Spanish just like I would talk with one of my neighbors in English. He appreciated me telling him “Dios Te Bendiga,” which means God bless you. Most people don’t have any problem with the folks from Mexico and we have all gotten along just fine for many years. Colorado has that name because our state was actually first settled by the Spanish. Mexican and Spanish culture are evident and appreciated throughout Colorado and the entire southwest.
Our country’s southern border has been a volatile political issue since the Alamo and Santa Ana’s subsequent defeat. Protecting the border of your country is not racist. I am all for people coming over legally just like my Irish ancestors did when they came through Ellis Island in New York. We need our borders, they need to be protected, and there needs to be a legal process for immigration. The new world order (NWO) controllers are desperately trying everything they can to break down every nation’s sovereignty and remove our borders because they want a one world government.
Don’t believe me? Do some research on the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Committee of 300, the Club of Rome, the Illuminati (Scottish Rite Freemasons), and the Tavistock Institute and that is just for starters. Yes, there really are a group of people who serve the evil one and they are actively building a one world government that the anti-Christ will rule during the 7 year Tribulation (the time of Jacob’s trouble). In order to do that, they cause chaos in our current order, so that all the nations will give up their sovereignty and freedom, lay down their arms, and willingly agree to be absorbed into a totalitarian one world super power. Their motto is “order out of chaos” and they are deadly serious about achieving their wicked goals.
The attack in El Paso could be a crime committed by a deranged man who has nothing to do with the NWO. There have also been times where crimes like these are staged by NWO traitors in our own government as a false flag designed to cause more anger and chaos in our country, so that they can take our guns and our rights. Believe me, they will use this tragedy to attempt to do just that either way. Do not let them take your freedom, your rights, or your sovereignty! Do not be tricked into giving up and just walk right into their trap of slavery they have planned for the whole world! You don’t want to be a part of the evil one’s one world government and you do not ever want his mark (spoken of in Revelation 13:16-18) put on you! Don’t let them ever put a microchip or any kind of RFID tag on you! They want to control us all like animals. Run to Jesus and be free!
I know I have said a lot here, but it needs to be said. We are in a spiritual war between Heaven and hell and we are seeing it heat up exponentially in our time. Hold onto Jesus! Cling to Him! If you do not know Jesus, now is the time to come to Him. We need to love the Lord with all of our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves like Jesus said! We are in a time when the love of most is growing cold. Don’t let His love grow cold in you! Pray for His love to increase and overflow in your hearts for each other and for everyone else just as the Apostle Paul prayed (1 Thessalonians 3:12). Love each other! No matter what color or culture we are from, we must love each other!
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:10-13
I pray Lord that You open the eyes and hearts of every person in this entire world and You reveal Yourself to the nations! Thank You for dying for us Lord! Thank You for setting us free! Pour out Your Holy Spirit on all the families who lost loved ones and all those who were wounded in El Paso. Please pour out Your Holy Spirit on us all Lord, deliver us from evil, and spread revival through the whole world!
The love, grace, and mercy of Jesus be with us all!
“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.”
Photo credit: Discovery Channel, #IsleofJaws, Andy Casagrande in photo (Lead diver, researcher, and photographer)
This last week has been Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Our family loves Shark Week and we record just about every episode we can. Today I was watching one of the new episodes that I really liked called “Isle of Jaws: Blood Brothers.” Emmy Award winning cinematographer and conservationist Andy Casagrande goes back to the Isle of Jaws to confirm research he did last year on two Great White shark brothers, and what he discovers is awesome. The research Andy and his team are doing is crucial to understanding shark behavior, but they do so at great risk to their own souls. This episode was intense at times and the risks they take made me think about life and death and testing God.
The Isle of Jaws sits 80 miles southeast of the coastal town of Esperance, Australia, and the waters surrounding the island are full of Great White sharks. Most people would not dare go in those waters even in a cage, let alone dive in open water with the sharks, but Andy and his crew do just that. When they got out of the cage to film the sharks, I was saying, “Get back in the cage!” I felt like praying for their protection right in that moment, but of course the show is not live. I do pray for God to protect them though and I pray they are never attacked by a shark, especially a Great White.
Esperance, AustraliaIsle of Jaws, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week
It is so crazy when they get out of the cage! I am always sitting here thinking, “What are these guys thinking?! Are they crazy?! Why can’t they just film the sharks from inside the cage?!” It makes for good TV and it has us on the edge of our seat holding our breath, but at what cost to the people in the water? I don’t want people risking their lives to make exciting TV shows. Human souls are far too precious to be put into danger like that.
At any time Andy and his crew could be killed. In a flash, with a quick strike, those Great White sharks could kill them. What is stopping those sharks from killing them? I say God is protecting them, whether they give Him glory for it or not. How far is too far and when does research become testing God? Some might say even being in a protective cage in shark infested waters is testing God. More might agree that it is testing God when they get out of the cage and swim with the mighty killers in open water. I would not want to do either, but I definitely would not trust my life to the whims of a Great White!
Great White shark, Shark Week 2019
I see nature for what it is. Great White sharks eat meat and when we are in their waters, we are meat. It’s just that simple. I really can’t stand it when they say sharks don’t eat people. Sure they do! As we have learned in this season of Shark Week, there have even been times where sharks are actively hunting people year after year as evidenced by the 22 attacks and 11 deaths in 8 years in the waters surrounding the island of Réunion.
Most of us will never dive with Great White sharks. Those who do have stared death in the face and I truly hope they consider their eternal souls. Life and death are not a game. Most people go about their day without giving a single thought to their soul or what will happen when they die. Many people take life threatening risks. Some take risks for research, some for money and fame, and some do it just for fun. I am not saying live your life in fear. I had my times taking risks doing things like climbing a 14,000 foot mountain and snowboarding from 12,000 feet. What I am saying is please consider your soul and what it is worth.
Our souls are so precious to God that He died for us to save us from sin and death! He does not want us to perish! He wants all of us to come to repentance and receive His free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus!
“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 Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
“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
It’s very easy to become caught up in our lives and the busyness of the every day grind. How often do you stop and consider your soul? We go to work and come home and watch our shows and the routine can make us numb to the serious reality of mortality that we all face. Watching people risk their lives swimming with sharks makes for entertaining TV, but let us remember just how fragile the line between life and death truly is. We will all take our last breath someday and that is nothing to play around with.
The Bible says now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Now, not later! Today is the day, not tomorrow, because we might not get a tomorrow. Do not become complacent with your soul! There is a God in Heaven and He loves you and He is offering His salvation to you! Forgiveness of sins and Heaven are only offered through faith in Jesus and mankind has no other Savior. God sets before each of us life or death every day. What will you choose? I pray with all my heart that you choose life in Jesus Christ!
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
“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
How do you choose Jesus? By faith! As the Apostle Paul said,
“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
Whether you swim with sharks or not, please consider your eternal soul with all of your heart and remember, none of us are immortal. We will all face our Creator someday and He offers His free gift of salvation to everyone…and that includes you!
Thought I’d let everyone know that our home state of Colorado turned 143 years old today. Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876 and we have come a real long way since the old gold mining days. I grew up in this state as a kid in the 80s and I have lived here for almost 34 years of my 41 on earth. It is a beautiful place to live and raise kids and I hope to see our kids raising children here someday. To celebrate the Centennial State’s birthday, I figured I would show some of the scripture pins I have made over the last year using photos of Colorado.
Enjoy and please feel free to use these pins on your social media accounts! Sharing the beauty of God’s Word with the beauty of His creation is always a good match. God bless you all!
Hello everyone! It’s just the kids and I for the last week of summer break, so I’ve been pretty busy running around getting things done before school starts. After they go back next Wednesday, I will be blogging more consistently again. In the meantime, I wanted to share a book with you that I read while on vacation. It was written by a blogger here on WordPress named Thuam Siam Ngaihte and it is a very comforting and encouraging book for those who have endured or are enduring suffering.
I met Thuam last year when I first started blogging and we have been reading each other’s blogs ever since. Thuam has suffered epileptic seizures for many years. Many times the seizures are so severe that he is hospitalized. His book “Unconsumed: In His Abiding Grace” is a beautiful testimony of a man trusting in Jesus through the pain. The biggest thing I can say about Thuam is that he is a man of hope! He is a humble man of God who loves his wife and children dearly and his hope is fully in Jesus. He is also a stay at home Dad like me, which is cool! We are both home due to a chronic illness doing our best to serve and protect our families as we walk with Jesus despite the thorn. His blog posts have been very encouraging to me over this last year.
I read his book on both flights to and from California. His book was so comforting and encouraging to me that at times it made me tear up. As many of you know, I have Celiac disease and have suffered and fought this horrible autoimmune disorder for the last 7 1/2 years. Thuam encourages those who are suffering to not give up hope as he gently introduces us to Jesus, and inspires us to trust and rest in Him. Thuam’s heartfelt and loving words are comforting and he helped me see my suffering in a fresh and better perspective. I am very grateful for that. Anyone who has suffered chronically for years knows how hard it is to keep a positive outlook on the suffering. If that’s you, then you will be blessed reading the hope filled words written from the heart of a man who understands your pain.
Please show brother Thuam some love in Christ and check out his book. You can find his book on Amazon right here: Unconsumed: In His Abiding Grace
Thank you brother Thuam for your comforting and encouraging words. They are a great blessing to me! I pray the Lord uses “Unconsumed” to comfort those who are suffering and lead people all over the world to Jesus! God bless you and your family brother!
That’s me at Laguna Beach telling my wife and kids to come on in.
Hello everyone! Remember me? I’m still alive! Thank you to all of you who have contacted me the last few weeks to ask how I was doing. I appreciate that. Everything is okay and we are blessed. We got back from California on July 11th and it has been a crazy two weeks since we’ve been home. That is why I have not been able to get back to blogging like I wanted to right after the trip. We had a lot of fun enjoying eleven days out in Cali, but it was not without adversity. We encountered some unique challenges and troubles when we were out there and we have had even more troubles to overcome here at home, but the Lord has been with us and His blessings and deliverance have been with us too. After this vacation, we are all just really glad to be home!
We flew into California on July 1st and we just chilled that day because it was already late afternoon. We stayed at a VRBO rental house in Anaheim right next to Disneyland. We could hear and see the fireworks from the park every night and it was a cool little neighborhood. The homeowner was professional and he made sure we had everything we needed. We were even able to meet him later in the trip due to some issues in the house, which I will get to in a bit. On July 2nd we did some grocery shopping, then we just rested and enjoyed the pool all day. The plan was to do Disneyland July 3rd, 4th, and 5th and then do the beach and chill for the rest of the trip. That was the plan anyway.
VRBO Rental HouseBeautiful flowers around the pool area.
It was a beautiful home and it was the perfect place for our family. Gotta love those Cali palm trees and a little fun in the sun! The kids went swimming just about every day and they loved it. My wife and I did too!
July 3rd was our first day at Disneyland. I call it the Gauntlet of Disneyland because of how many miles of walking it takes to complete the whole thing. I prepared myself the best I could for the physical punishment and we had a great time. We had the 3 day park hopper pass, so we could go anywhere in the main park and the California Adventure park. The kids were pumped and we had a lot of fun.
Walking up Mainstreet in Disneyland.My wife and kids next to some pirate musicians. The ride was closed that morning, but it opened back up later.
Our son wanted to see the new Star Wars land (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) first, so that is what we did. It was really cool how they had it all set up and we even saw Chewbacca at the entrance. My wife and son did the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run ride and our son said it was like a big video game. My wife had to close her eyes because the images on the screen were too fast and intense. I stayed off that one and waited with our daughter because she didn’t want to go on it. I took her to the Winnie the Pooh ride instead and we just chilled.
Check out Chewbacca in the background.
The guy in the Chewbacca suit was great. He looked real and he walked around the crowd giving hugs and taking photos with folks. I grew up with all the Star Wars movies and so have our kids. It was really cool walking through all the different scenery. They did a great job with it.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers RunKids making droids at the Droid Depot.
The kids loved visiting the Droid Depot. They were able to choose which droid they wanted and build it themselves. Both of our kids chose the BB-8 droid. Our son got his in black and our daughter chose purple. They were ridiculously expensive, but they are actually real remote controlled robots and they move around just like BB-8. Pretty cool!
July 4th at Disneyland was a fun, long, and even a bit crazy day for us. My wife and son decided to ride Splash Mountain in the morning and while they were on it, there was an earthquake. Our daughter and I did not want to ride crazy Splash Mountain, so we were waiting outside to take pictures of them when they came over the waterfall. My gut can’t take big drops like that anymore. We were waiting for a long time and then we saw empty logs going over the waterfall, so we wondered what was going on. We didn’t even feel the earthquake, but my wife said later that the park operators had to stop the ride and make sure everything was okay. My wife and son eventually made it over the falls at the end of the ride and they had a blast. Check out the photo below. My wife is sitting in the back with the blue shirt and our son is at the very back behind her. I told my son he was very brave. My wife is screaming and closing her eyes, but she loves it for some reason, hilarious!
Splash Mountain
Praise God that nobody was hurt during the earthquake! That would be the first earthquake we would encounter on the trip, but not the last. The 4.5 magnitude quake that hit southern California on July 5th was much worse and we felt all of that! I will get to that in a moment, but first fireworks!
Disneyland put on a great show for July 4th with music and fireworks. The homeowner of the rental house gave us some great tips about Disneyland and he told us the best place to watch the fireworks is from the New Orleans district, so that is what we did. He was right. The show was right in front of us and it was one of the most memorable 4th of July shows I have ever seen. They had water spraying up out of the lake that they used as screens to project various patriotic images on them while a narrator talked about the history of America. They played several classic American songs like “This Land Is Your Land,” and everyone was singing along. The fireworks display topped the whole thing off and it was just awesome. It was really cool to be in such a huge crowd of people of all different races celebrating together in peace. Thank You Jesus, please bless our country and spread revival here and throughout the world!
It was hilarious trying to leave the park that night. The fireworks didn’t start until 9:30 p.m., so it was after 11 p.m. when we left. It was a very long day and late night for all of us. We had fun, but we were exhausted. There were huge lines waiting for the trams that take people back to the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage and it was like herding cattle trying to organize all those people into lines. Everyone stayed pretty civil though, although I did have a small lady try to push me out of the way and cut me off when I was getting on to the tram. My wife, daughter, and son were in front of me and they all piled into the seat. I was about to get on and sit next to my son when this lady started pushing me from my left. It was actually kind of funny. Even though I am really skinny from Celiac and I don’t weight much, I am still 6 foot 1 and the lady was only about 5 feet. I didn’t say or do anything to her. I just stood there with her pushing against me and she finally just gave up. I finished getting on the tram and said a quiet prayer for her. She is one tough little lady, I’ll give her that! We laughed about that for awhile.
On July 5th we decided to stay home because by the end of the day on July 4th I was limping. I wasn’t going to let Celiac stop me, so I went all out for my family until I was completely done. Specifically, my left hip, hamstring, and right foot were done and were telling me they didn’t want to walk anymore. I left it all on the field at Disneyland that’s for sure! I just needed a little rest before we did our third day at Disneyland on the 6th, so we spent the day swimming and enjoying the nice weather. Around 8:30 that night the house started shaking and it lasted for about 30 seconds. It was one of the craziest things I have ever been through and I can say with all my heart that I do not like earthquakes!
I was in the living room and my wife and kids were in the bedrooms. I was looking out the windows at the pool when I started seeing the blinds shake back and forth slapping against the glass. I immediately knew what was happening and I ran to a door frame and called the kids to me. Our kids came running to me and I put one arm around them while holding one side of the frame with the other. The house swayed violently left and right and it was scary for the kids and for us. My wife said that 30 seconds is a long earthquake and she was getting worried because she wondered how long it was going to go. Praise God it stopped and nobody was hurt!
I don’t know how people live in an area where the earth beneath you can move like that, but I don’t like it one bit. God bless and protect all of you who live in earthquake prone areas! The news said it was a 7 point something magnitude quake out in the Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest about 120 miles north of where we were that caused the 4.5 quake we experienced. Crazy! So, we were five days into our vacation and we had already gone through two earthquakes and I was recovering from the first two days at Disneyland, but there was still more fun and trouble to come.
July 6th was our third and final day at Disneyland. Many of you might have heard on the news about a big fight that happened at Disneyland that day. We were actually in Toon Town that day, but we were not there when the fight happened. I really pray for that family. Toon Town is specifically designed for really little kids and it is crazy those folks were having a brawl there. I called it the Toon Town beat down and I’m glad we were not there during the fight. Sometimes the magic does end and Disneyland really needs to get better security procedures in place, so that doesn’t ever happen again. We had a good time at Disneyland, but we were all done by the end of three days there.
On July 7th and 8th we were worn out, so we just chilled at the rental house. The night of July 7th more trouble hit as water started leaking out from the base of one of the toilets and then sewage water was coming up into the tub. I figured it was from the earthquake on the 5th and I immediately notified the homeowner and he sent out a plumber. Thankfully, he was able to fix the problem pretty quick. While the guy was fixing it, an alarm started going off in the house. It was a loud pitched sound and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. The plumber finally figured out that it was a moisture alarm in the crawl space, so he crawled down there and got the alarm. Quite a guy and we were thankful for him being there.
It wasn’t fun having to clean up the floor and the tub, especially on our vacation, but that is life. Jesus said in this world we will have trouble. Trouble doesn’t stop just because you are on vacation and I have learned that many times. We can keep a positive attitude and overcome all the troubles through Jesus though!
On July 8th, the DirecTV in the house stopped working, so the homeowner came over to meet us. He was a great guy and we had fun talking with him. He got the TVs working again and he appreciated us communicating with him about all the trouble in the house. He ended up inviting us to come back sometime and we now have a friend in Anaheim. It is amazing how God turns trouble into good and I praise Him for that!
On July 9th we decided to go to Laguna Beach for the day. It was a gorgeous day and the beach and ocean were beautiful! Laguna Beach is a very nice area. My parents took my sister and I there when we were kids and it was awesome being able to take our kids there now. It was awesome splashing in the waves with the kids. The beach and ocean are one part of California I will always miss.
Unfortunately, our day at the beach was not without trouble either. On the way to the beach, I stopped at a gas station to get a bag of ice and some water to put in the cooler. When I walked in the store, there were no other customers inside. There was a guy behind the counter, a guy in the back room, and a guy stocking shelves. There were also a couple guys delivering sodas just outside the main door. As I came into the store the guy behind the counter grabbed at the right side of his chest and started wincing in pain. He was an older gentleman from India and I thought he was having a heart attack. I asked if he was okay, but he was in so much pain he couldn’t speak. He started grimacing in pain much worse and then he slid down with his back against the wall all the way to the floor.
I ran to the guy in the back room and said, “hey, this guy is having medical trouble!” A young guy came out of the room, but he seemed shocked, so I ran to the other guy who was older and said, “sir, this guy needs help” as I motioned for him to come over. By that time the two guys outside the door came to see what was going on. It turned out that they worked with the guy from India who was hurting and they were just there delivering products to the store. We all made sure the man was okay and asked if he needed an ambulance. He denied medical care and after sitting on the floor for a little bit, he said he was okay. All of us took a deep breath and had a sigh of relief. It was pretty intense and I’m just glad he wasn’t having a heart attack. He thanked me for helping him and I told him, “God bless you.”
Whatever is causing the poor guy that much pain, I hope he gets it checked out and God heals him. I was really praying hard the entire trip because I could feel the spiritual battle intensely out in Cali. I am really glad the Lord put me in the store, so I could help the man and pray for him. Please bless that man Lord.
I packed my lunch that day since I can’t eat out, but my wife and kids ate at a Gyro place in Laguna Beach. My wife mentioned that the cilantro didn’t taste right, but the rest of the meal was fine. That night she was really sick with food poisoning. Thank God the kids did not get sick, but I felt so bad for my wife. She was laid out for the rest of the night and the entire next day on the 10th. We flew back to Denver in the morning of July 11th, so that was how the trip ended. Thankfully, we had a relaxing day on the 10th and my wife felt completely better by that night. For a minute there I thought we were going to have to change our flight.
I was feeling really down on the 10th. We had been through so much during the trip and I was upset about my wife being sick. I had to go to Walmart that day and while I was driving there I saw this sign while stopped at a red light:
That says it all right there! There was a really encouraging song playing on the Christian radio station in the car at the same time and the Lord lifted me up! I immediately began to praise Him and thank Him. It was an awesome moment with the Lord and I drove back to the rental house encouraged with a better perspective on everything. Thank You Jesus!
We heard on the news there was another earthquake in the L.A. area on the morning of July 12th, so we got out just in time! Sometimes you go on vacation and you never want to leave. Other times you go on vacation and it just gives you a deeper appreciation for where you live. The latter was the case for us this time and it is so good to be home! I am so glad we don’t have earthquakes or crazy freeway traffic!
By the way, I celebrated my 41st birthday last week and we had a blast! I took my wife and kids to Boondocks, which is a fun place with arcades, go karts, and laser tag…and no earthquakes! You can’t see him in the photos below, but my son was sitting with me in the go kart and he loved it. He told me to go fast and keep the pedal to the floor, which I did. Drifting the corners was awesome!
I was like Dale Earnhardt out there! Go karts are so much fun! I highly recommend driving one on your birthday! It was fun watching the kids drive them on the youth track too. It was their first time driving a go kart or any motorized vehicle and they did great. It was a great birthday!
We came home from Cali to a broken garbage disposal and an HOA violation letter about our fence needing staining, but all that is taken care of now. It has been a fun and challenging summer, but we made the most of all of it and we praise God for protecting us. My wife goes back to school next Tuesday because the teachers have to go earlier. Our kids go back on August 7th. The last two weeks since we got back we have been fixing things, buying school supplies and clothes, and enjoying the last days of summer break. It has been a whirlwind at times and I apologize for being gone from my blog for so long.
One of the biggest things I learned from our vacation to California is to be ready for anything and don’t expect it to be perfect. Be prepared and ready for challenges to come, so you can meet them head on and keep moving forward. There were many things that could have ruined our trip, but praise God He gives us the victory over our troubles. God is good and He cares about us and loves us more than we could ever imagine. Trust in Him when those troubles come and He will see you through it!
I will be back to blogging more regularly now, especially once the kids go back to school. I turned the comments back on and I look forward to talking with all of you and reading your blogs again too. I hope you all have had a peaceful and fun summer break!
Grace and peace to you all!
“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
P.S.
The flights there and back were awesome and we didn’t have any trouble on the planes or with our luggage. That was a huge blessing! I didn’t feel sick on either flight and both flights were shorter than expected. Check out these photos I took from the plane coming home. The first one is flying over the Grand Canyon and the second one is flying over the Rockies on our way into Denver. God is so awesome!
Flying over the Grand Canyon.Flying over the Rockies.
Our family is very excited this week because we are getting ready to fly out to California in a few days. I also want to take this week and spend time with my wife and kids before the trip, so this will be my last post for a couple weeks until we get back from Cali. I thought about blogging during our vacation, but I just need to completely unplug and be with my family. I will be turning off comments on my site while I’m gone and I won’t be reading blogs. I will miss everybody and I will get right back at it when I return. I’m looking forward to sharing the trip with you all!
Have a blessed rest of June and I’ll catch up with you all mid July! I am so glad it’s summer, praise the Lord!
Grace and peace to you all!
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Good morning everyone and God bless you! Thought you might like to see a photo of a beautiful black bear that was coming through our area just before 5 a.m. this morning. We get bears out here quite a bit (mountain lions too). They wander down from the Rockies and once they get into one trash can, they keep looking for more. We are getting ready this week to fly out to California on Monday. I need to get some yard work done before we go and I will definitely be looking out for that big guy! That is a pretty good size black bear and it looks very healthy. The animals use the open space behind our house as a travel path, so I will be even more aware when I mow the lawn today.
That photo was taken by a neighbor just up the street from us and she posted it on the Nextdoor App to warn everyone. Bears can look cute and cuddly, but they need to be respected for the wild predators they are and I am thankful our neighbors look out for each other. Thank you Lord for your creation, but please don’t let the bears or mountain lions ever hurt anyone out here, especially the little kids playing outside. Please put a hedge of protection around our neighborhood and bless and protect all the families that live here. Thank You Jesus for watching over us and protecting us with your mighty angels.
Even though we live in an area alongside apex predators that can hurt or kill us, we do not live in fear. We just need to be more aware. Like someone living in Africa. I have never been to Africa, but my African brothers and sisters and I share that common reality. We just need to be street smart with the wild. We use all our senses and pay attention to our surroundings at all times and above all we trust in the Lord.
One way to love your neighbors is to look out for them and warn them of potential danger. It’s still pretty wild out here and we all watch each other’s backs and take time to help our neighbors. When you live in what once was the wild west, it’s still good to circle the wagons whenever a threat emerges. We all need each other and it’s a blessing to have neighbors that care.
“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
Well, I’m off to mow the lawn. If I see the bear, I’ll let you know and hopefully I can get some pictures too. Have a blessed day and may we love our neighbors as Jesus said!
Ryan Callahan's Blog 
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