Tag: Love

Today is June 23, 2020.  Nineteen years ago today, on June 23, 2001, my wife and I were married at a beautiful chapel in downtown Denver.  We met and fell in love in college and we’ve been together ever since.  Happy Anniversary honey, I love you!

My wife and I have been through a lot of suffering and trials together.  From the very beginning, our marriage seemed destined to face trials and tribulations when our country was attacked just 3 months later on September 11th.  Quite a start into the economy for a newly wed couple trying to make it.  I was selling cars back then.  Thank God that 0% financing came out after that, or we probably wouldn’t have sold any cars.  My wife was still in college at the time and we lived in a small apartment outside of our University’s campus.  Neither of us had celebrated our birthdays yet that year, so I was 22 and my wife was 20 the day we got married.  We were young and deeply in love and we still are.  Well, in love anyway.  Not so young anymore.

We committed our lives, marriage, hopes, and dreams to Jesus and He is the reason we are still together today.  The Lord has given us two beautiful children and we are blessed to watch them grow and live peaceful healthy lives.  Even through all the pain and suffering of Celiac Disease, the Lord has held us together strong and He has never given up on us.  He is a mighty God that deserves all our praise!

We have weathered every storm together and come out strong and resilient in Christ!  My wife wrote a beautiful note in the card she gave me this morning.  I would like to share part of what she said.

“When a tree is tested by the wind, its roots make the tree stronger so it can withstand storms.  That’s our love and life together.  We have been tested and tried, but have come out stronger.”

-My wife

It’s so true!  When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease on 1-6-2012, it flipped our lives upside down.  Our daughter was 4 and our son was not even 2 yet.  I was 33.  We had two small kids to raise and bills to pay, and I had just been taken out by a horrible auto-immune disorder.  I couldn’t work, in fact, I could barely eat or walk.  It radically changed our lives and put immense pressure on our marriage.

Jesus carried us through that fire and He strengthened and refined us like silver.  He held us through all the arguments and disappointments.  All the job loss and debt.  All the stress and attempts by the enemy to tear us apart.  Jesus held us through it all!

You don’t get to 19 years of marriage without trouble.  Love takes your whole heart and marriage will prove that to you.  Marriage takes sacrifice, hard work, and lots and lots of forgiveness.  Believe me, you will not go far without forgiveness.  Whatever trials you are going through today, let those hardships bring you together, not tear you apart.  Love and forgive as Jesus loves and forgives you, and let it go.  Don’t keep a record of wrongs.  Move forward in love and stay strong together as one!  That is what 19 years being married to the same woman I fell in love with in my youth has taught me.  Hold on to Jesus together and never let go!

“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.  But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Those verses in 1 Corinthians spell out exactly how we are to love each other.  That is how God loves us.  We are not perfect in loving each other this way, but our marriage has survived a culture that hates the holy union between a man and a woman because our marriage has been rooted in God’s love from the beginning.  You will both make mistakes in your marriage and we all need grace and forgiveness.  For the newly weds out there, please don’t expect it to be perfect and be sure to give each other room to grow and do so in love.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

Tend the garden of your marriage well and fight for each other.  Don’t let weeds sprout up and choke out your joy and love.  Take care of those weeds right when they pop up and dig them out from the root!  Stand firm together in Christ and don’t let the evil one ever get a foot hold!  You truly do become one in the Spirit and you must fight back together by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The evil one will try to separate you and pit you against each other.  Fight for each other in Christ!  Fight back through prayer, God’s Word, and putting forgiveness into action!  Fight back through love!

Marriage is not easy, but I would do it all over again with the same beautiful woman I am with today and will be with for the rest of my life!  She is the mother of our children, my best friend, and the woman I love, and I am forever blessed to have found her!  Thank you Jesus for all you have done for us!

Grace and peace to you all!

Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and all the great Dads out there!  Being a father is a great honor and responsibility, and I pray all of us who are Dads will love our children as our Father in Heaven loves them.  I can’t even express in words how much I love our kids!  It’s awesome being a Dad!

My number one job as a Father is to love and protect my kids with all my heart.  The best way I can do that is to point them to their Heavenly Father who loves them perfectly.  I teach them His Word and pray with them and for them every day.  They know how much Jesus loves them and they have since they were little.  They know all my stories of what God has done for me and they know I’ve had a very weird life, and they love it.  They know all things are possible with God!

“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

The ultimate protection I can give my kids is to protect their souls, and only Jesus can do that.  I would not know what love is or how to love my kids without Jesus.  He fills my heart with overflowing love and compassion for my kids and He gives me wisdom to care for them and help them grow.  It is not easy being a Dad at times.  I’m not perfect and I’ve made my mistakes along the way, but the Lord always empowers me in the Holy Spirit to be the man, father, and husband He wants me to be.  Glory to God for His grace!  He is a loving Father and He never gives up on us!

“We love because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

“…Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

That is the kind of father I strive to be.  My kids know that I will always be here for them no matter what and I will never leave them or give up on them.  They know I will defend and protect them with my life.  They know I will fight and sacrifice and suffer, so they can have a good life.  They know they can come to me for a hug and an encouraging word.  They know I will speak the truth and give them the discipline and guidance they need.  They also know I will forgive them when they do wrong and help them stay on the right path.  They know they are safe and loved beyond measure.  That is what every father’s legacy should be: love.

“Your love, O LORD, reaches to the

heavens,

your faithfulness to the skies.”

Psalm 36:5

Thank you, Dad, for always being there for me.  Thank you for your love, discipline, and guidance and for all the time spent teaching me basketball and baseball, and helping me get straight As in math.  Thank you for working so hard to provide for us and all the sacrifices you made.  I’ve been a Dad now for over 12 years and it has given me a much deeper respect and appreciation for all you did for us.  I love you!

I will be enjoying time with my wife and kids today grilling some bison burgers and playing in the backyard.  Our son loves baseball and we’ve been doing a lot of batting practice lately.  He knocked a couple over the fence yesterday!  Our daughter loves kicking the soccer ball with me, and they both love riding bikes, so we have a fun filled day ahead of us.  It’s a beautiful new day and I am so thankful to be a Dad!

To all the Dads around the world, have fun with your kids today!  They love you!  Encourage them, play with them, and love them with all your heart!  We only get one life.  Make it count every day!  Happy Father’s Day!

Grace and peace to you all!

Due to all the craziness here in America, I have been writing a lot about all the social and political issues swirling around us.  It is always important to include a Christ centered perspective in the nationwide conversations we are having.  These conversations are changing and shaping our society, and we must speak God’s truth to it all.  Today, I want to address the rapidly spreading idea of reparations, and how ridiculous and sinful it is.

If you haven’t heard, the radical leftist hate group “Black Lives Matter” has added a new demand to their list after their wildly successful “defund the police” campaign.  Now they want reparations for the sin of black slavery in America.  That is, they want the government to literally pay every black person in America money for the damages caused by slavery over 150 years ago.  Don’t think it could happen?  Just look how fast “defund the police” caught on.  I could totally see Pelosi writing a bill for reparations.  Look how much money she stole with the CARES Act!

Some have even suggested the government pay every black person a permanent livable wage.  The founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television), Robert Johnson, declared on CNBC Monday morning that the government should pay 14 Trillion dollars in reparations in the form of a cash wealth transfer.  He said white Americans need to recognize “damages that are owed.”  Not only is his suggestion ridiculous because there isn’t even that much cash available in our country’s economy, but the whole idea is ridiculous.

How far back should we go?  How many people groups should we pay back for all the wrongs committed against them?  My ancestors came from Ireland.  When they arrived in America, they were hated and persecuted and they lived in the New York City ghettos with the blacks.  They had to come up from nothing and scrap and fight every step of the way.  Should white ancestors of the Irish, like myself, be paid reparations for that?  NO, and I wouldn’t want it anyway!

How about the Native American Seneca Tribe blood I have in me from my Mom’s side?  If there were ever going to be reparations, I would think it would be best to start with all the Native Americans first.  How much money do you suppose they are owed?  Should every person with Native American genealogy, like myself, be paid reparations as well?

Nobody is denying that slavery was a horrific sin and should have never happened.  But putting that sin on every white person in America is sinful too.  Nobody in our current society has ever owned black slaves.  Republican northerners didn’t own slaves and it was the Republican President Abraham Lincoln who set the slaves free back in 1863.  Democrat southerners were the slave owners and it was the Democrats who started the KKK too.  Even so, no current southerner in our modern society has ever owned slaves either.  I was born in the late 1970s.  If you want to get real specific about it, none of my Irish ancestors owned slaves either.  I come from a persecuted people who were treated poorly alongside black people, remember?

I’m tired of hearing about “white privilege” too.  What white privilege did my Irish ancestors have?  They worked hard labor building this country.  They sweat it out in the factories and mines and laid the tracks that took our nation West.  They didn’t demand reparations and we still don’t.

I’ve been working hard since I was a kid and so has my family.  We are all subject to the controls and forced inflation of the Federal Reserve no matter our color.  People don’t need handouts.  We need good steady jobs in a thriving economy!  If you want to make it in this country, you better be ready to work hard for it.

What white privilege do I have?  I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease on 1-6-2012.  I lost everything!  My job, my money, my health insurance, and it almost cost me my life.  I have been unemployed for 8 years now as I fight this disease every day.  It doesn’t matter that I’m white!  Nobody will hire me and nobody cares that I’m white!  Our state doesn’t even allow disability income for people with Celiac!

Should I talk about how all of you healthy people discriminate against those of us who are chronically ill?  Should I demand reparations and talk about “healthy privilege” and how you get all the jobs, benefits, and money while we are cast out of society like lepers?  It’s easier for a healthy black person to get a job, than it is for a sick white person.  Hashtag healthy privilege, right?!  Chronically ill, injured, and disabled lives matter too.

Reparations for slavery is absolutely ridiculous!  I did not commit the sin of slavery and I am not a racist.  I have nothing to apologize for regarding my white skin and God does not hold me accountable for the sin of slavery.  That sin is not on me or my children, and we don’t owe money to anyone, no matter what color they are.

Jesus Christ died for the sins of all mankind.  Each one of us is accountable to God for our own sins, and we must all individually stand before Him at our last breath.  The only way to be forgiven of our sins is through faith in Jesus Christ.  When you believe in Jesus, your sins are nailed to that cross and you become a redeemed child of God!  There is no condemnation in Christ and God keeps no record of wrongs!

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

John 14:6

“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

“Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 10:17

We don’t need reparations.  We need reconciliation with God!  We all need His forgiveness and love, and that is the only thing that is going to truly change this world.  Blaming all white people in current day America for the sin of slavery that we did not commit is only going to bring more pain and division.

BLM is not seeking healing and reconciliation.  They are seeking revenge.  Hate, anger, and fear are their fuel and they are burning down our country with it.  A BLM mob even vandalized a statue honoring a man who was a slavery abolitionist.  Do they even know why they are knocking down statues?!  No, they don’t.  They are knocking them down simply because they are statues of famous white people from our history.  There is a word for that, it’s called racism.

BLM is not fooling me.  They get what they want through threats, intimidation, force, and violence.  Hating cops was just the beginning.  Their whole agenda is actually based on hating white people and they want to make us pay in any and every way they can.  Some in their group even called for making black only hospitals!  I suppose they want to put up signs that say “No Whites Allowed” and make us sit at the back of the bus too.  Would that satisfy their vengeful hearts?

I pray against their hatred and I pray the Lord heals their hearts.  I’ve said it before and I will say it again, divisions of the flesh come from satan!  Are there real racists in this country?  Yes, and they come in all colors.  Not one race has a monopoly on racism and it is sinful and racist to suggest that only white people are racist.

BLM is spreading hatred based on lies.  They are spreading the hatred of the evil one, and sadly a lot of people are buying it.  This is an attack on the very fabric of our society and the truths and freedoms we all hold dear.  Will we love our neighbors or hate them?  Will we bow to the lies or stand firm in the truth?

We need to pray for revival and healing in this country.  Pray for truth, righteousness, and justice to spread in our land!  Pray for God’s love to increase and overflow in our hearts for each other!  Pray for evil to be exposed and cast out!  Pray for lies to be cut down and pray for people’s minds and hearts to be opened to the truth!  Ask the Lord to pour out His Holy Spirit on our country and save souls!  Amen!

Only God’s love can heal a hate filled heart, and it is the only thing that will heal our nation.  May His love flow through us all and bring great healing!

Grace and peace to you all!

I’m really encouraged to be sharing this today!  I’ve been wanting to introduce you to this man for awhile now.  If you don’t already know him and his music, I encourage you to check him out!  My friend, fellow Patriot soldier, and brother in Christ, Bryson Gray, just came out with an awesome new song preaching truth in love about race in America.  He also speaks bold truth about the deep state, BLM, and the leftist agenda.  Bryson loves Jesus and he and I are a lot alike in our passion for patriotism and preaching the Gospel.

You can find him on twitter at: @RealBrysonGray

He also has an album out called “Maga Ain’t Got No Color” which I love and listen to a lot.  MAGA (Make America Great Again) is not racist as the left wants you to believe.  It is about having a thriving and free country for all Americans where our Constitutional rights are preserved and protected.  It is about loving our country and loving each other!  We reject the left’s socialist ideology of sin and death!  We want freedom and we will fight for it!

Bryson’s music is encouraging and clean rap that promotes Christian conservative values, and we need more of it!  Bryson is not shy about speaking the truth in all things and he is unashamed and unapologetic about his faith in Jesus.  My kind of guy and he definitely has my respect!  We fight side by side on Twitter against the rising tide of evil in our country.  We both get persecuted by Twitter and slandered by leftist haters too.  He is my brother, and my white skin and his black skin have nothing to do with it.  We are both warriors for Christ and we are one in the power of the Holy Spirit!

I completely agree with his message in his new song “Color (All Lives Matter).”  I don’t care what color you are or where you are from in this world.  You are my brother or sister as a fellow human being on this earth.  I love you and care about you and I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.  I don’t see color.  I see souls, and I want you to go to Heaven.  That love comes from God alone.  All the hatred in the world comes from the father of lies who dwells in darkness.  God’s light and love shatters the deepest depths of that darkness and sets us free!

“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

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:26-28

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

NO MATTER YOUR COLOR, I LOVE YOU!  JESUS LOVES YOU!  JESUS DIED FOR YOU!  YOU WERE CREATED TO BE KNOWN AND LOVED BY GOD!  THERE ARE NO RACIAL DIVISIONS IN HEAVEN!  DON’T LET THE EVIL ONE DIVIDE US BY RACE!  DON’T LET HATE GROUPS LIKE BLM AND ANTIFA PUSH THEIR HATE INTO YOUR HEART!  DON’T FALL FOR THE RACE BAITING LEFT WING HATRED, LOVE EACH OTHER!

Hatred is a yoke of slavery.  Dividing each other by race is a yoke of slavery.  Stand firm in Christ in the freedom He bought for us with His own blood!  Stand firm in His love!

“If you’re white, you’re my brother, if you’re brown, you’re my brother, if you’re black, you’re my brother.  We goin’ ride for each other, no dividing each other, I don’t care about your color.”

-Bryson Gray

Grace and peace to you all!

Hello everyone.  I wanted to write a quick post asking for prayer for our family.  I hope comments are working now.  I wanted comments open on my post yesterday, but for some reason comments were closed.  That was really frustrating to me because I hadn’t written for a month and I wanted to talk with everyone.  Anyway, if you wanted to comment on my post yesterday, but couldn’t, please feel free to do that here.  Now, about my prayer request.

Most of you know that I have lived in Colorado for most of my life.  I will be 42 this summer and I have lived here for 34 years.  I was born in Illinois in the 70s, but I was raised in Littleton, Colorado from 1981 to 1991.  I went to high school in Illinois, then came back here for college in 1996 and have been here ever since.  This is my home and I love it here.  I love everything about it.  Our children were born here and we are raising them in an excellent, safe, and peaceful community.  I don’t want to leave.

Unfortunately, democrats have increasingly taken over our state and they have raised taxes to a point that it is becoming unaffordable to live here.  In the last few days we have had some difficult and interesting conversations about possibly moving to Florida.  My wife has family down there in Fort Walton Beach and she grew up visiting them.  She is interested in the Sarasota area and she is already looking at teaching jobs and homes.  Colorado has reciprocity with Florida for teaching licenses, so it is easy for my wife to get a Florida license.

I have only been to Florida once.  We went on a cruise that docked out of Miami.  I don’t know much about Florida other than what I’ve seen on TV and heard from my wife.  It has a lower cost of living than here for sure.  It is becoming like California here.  The housing market is way overpriced and everything is expensive.  We just can’t keep up with the constant tax increases anymore.  Florida doesn’t have state income tax, which is very nice.  It’s also a majority red state with a strong Republican Governor, which I also like.  The white sand beaches in Sarasota look very nice too.

My wife and kids are excited.  My kids keep talking about Disney World, beaches, the ocean, dolphins, and all the other attractions to visit.  My wife is tired of winter and she would love living in a hot place year round.  Plus, she loves Florida and loved going there as a kid.  They are also pumped about having a house with a pool.

I can’t say I’m excited.  I’m more in shock that we are even discussing moving to Florida.  A place I never thought I’d live and I never wanted to leave Colorado again.  This is my home and it’s hard to even think about it at this point.  I’m liking winter less and less as I get older, and it would be nice to have warm temperatures year round, but I would probably miss having four seasons.  Even our winters are pretty mild most of the time.  It’s the spring blizzards that are annoying.  Our summers are always nice with a mild fall and our skies are almost always bright blue with over 330 days of sunshine per year.

I do not like humidity even a little bit.  I’m a mountain man and I like the crisp high altitude air we breathe here.  I’ve never been in a hurricane, but I wouldn’t like it.  I don’t like nasty bugs, snakes, or mosquitos either and Florida has plenty of that.  And don’t forget gators too.  I can deal with mountain lions and bears, but I don’t like swamp critters.  And what’s up with the terrifying sink holes in Florida?  Man, that one dude was swallowed alive while laying in bed!  I’d rather be high and dry and safe from gaping holes in the earth here in the Rockies.  We have spiders and snakes here too, but nothing like Florida, and no cockroaches.  I do like fishing though and Florida has great fishing, and plenty of sunshine, so there is that.

There is so much to think about and so much to do if we do move.  Just selling our house and finding a home in Florida is daunting.  My wife has to get a Florida teaching license and apply for jobs first, then we’ll go from there.  It would help us financially to leave Colorado for sure, but at this point it would take a miracle for us to move there.  To me it feels like the Red Sea is in front of us and God needs to make a way or we won’t get through.

Please pray that we would have wisdom and discernment in how to move forward in all this.  Pray we hear the Lord’s voice clearly and follow His will.  And if you live in Florida or you have experience living there, please let me know your inside knowledge.

Thanks for your prayers!

Grace and peace!

“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

Hello friends and family.  I hope all of you are well despite the current state of stress and chaos in the world.  It has been a month since my last blog post on Mother’s Day.  May was Celiac Disease Awareness Month and it was because of Celiac that I didn’t write much last month.  I appreciate those of you who reached out to me and encouraged me with your kind words and prayers.  I’ve also been fighting hard on Twitter preaching the Gospel and speaking the truth regarding social and political issues.  Here in America, we find ourselves in dangerous times.  The violent savagery, murders, and chaos are heartbreaking.  Anger and hatred are in the air, and the enemy is smiling.  Jesus told us the love of most would grow cold in the end, and that is exactly what we are seeing.  Take heart!  Jesus warned us all these things must happen before the end, God is still in control, and He knows what He is doing.

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Jesus speaking in Matthew 24:12-13

Yes, we are most definitely seeing an “increase of wickedness.”  Not just in my country, but all over the world.  This increasing wickedness is causing people’s hearts to become calloused and hard.  The warmth of God’s love is growing cold within them and it is being replaced with hatred and division.  That is what the evil one does; he steals, kills, and destroys.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:10

How do we stand firm and prevent God’s love from growing cold within us?  We must cling to Jesus and let Him pour out His love into our hearts!  All of this racial division is from satan.  Divisions of the flesh are not of God.  God made all the different races on earth and He loves us all!  We are a beautiful tapestry of colors before Him!  Don’t ever feel ashamed for what color God made you and don’t ever bow down or apologize to anyone for how God made you either!  Any and all racism is sinful and evil whether you are black, white, brown, tan, or whatever.  The evil one wants us to hate each other.  Jesus told us to love one another.

“A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Jesus speaking in John 13:34

The death of George Floyd was a horrific tragedy that no person should ever have to suffer.  No police officer should ever abuse their power.  I agree with police reforms like banning the choke hold and the knee on the neck, and making sure officers hold each other accountable on the job.  I do not agree with hating police, defunding police, or disbanding police.

Also, how did BLM go from defund the police to bow down and feel ashamed because you’re white?  I reject the accusation that America is a deeply racist country with a problem of “systemic racism.”  You can be anything you want to be in this country no matter what color you are, if you are willing to work hard and earn it.  I also reject the accusation that I am racist just because I’m white or only white people are racist.  Black lives matter, of course (as do all lives), but the violent leftist hate group “Black Lives Matter” is pushing racism and hatred disguised as “social justice.”  Getting rid of police and hating white people is not the answer.  It’s just more racism, hate, and division.

BLM and Antifa both use violent tactics to get what they want.  Both are highly organized and well funded (research George Soros and his Open Society Foundations) and both are pushing for the destruction of law and order to achieve their leftist goals.  BLM even has a curriculum that has already gone into the schools in Baltimore that teaches kids that violence and destroying property are an appropriate form of protesting.  This is not just about holding police accountable and recognizing black lives.  This is about a radical agenda that will cause chaos, anarchy, and death in American communities.

You will never see me calling for the destruction of police and you will never see me feeling ashamed or apologizing for the white skin God gave me.  I see exactly what BLM is trying to do with their vile hatred and shaming, and I encourage you to not fall for it.  Both BLM and Antifa are weapons of the globalists who are trying to destroy our country.  They hijacked the peaceful protestors and they are using socialist insurrection tactics to tear down law and order.

Jesus proved all lives matter when He died for all of us.  He ended the debate about race almost 2,000 years ago when He gave up His Spirit on that cross and opened the way to Heaven for all of us.  We must seek reconciliation in love, not hate.  More hate is not going to heal anything.  Attacking police, looting, burning buildings, and murdering innocent people in the streets in mob violence is not going to change anything.  It has only caused more suffering.

“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

I stand with the peaceful protestors who seek real reforms without talking about the insane ideology of getting rid of police and blaming white people for everything.  The majority of our police are brave heroes who protect us from evil every day and night.  People need to be able to call the police for help if they are in danger from crime or any other help they might need.  We need to pray for the police and support them.  We also need to hold them accountable, but we absolutely cannot get rid of our police forces.  The authorities are established by God for our protection.  Any bad apples will be dealt with accordingly and removed from power.  The police and the people must never bow to criminals or to those who want us to bow to criminals.  God is just and we must have law and order in society.

Love is growing cold, but we must stand firm to the end as Jesus said.  Stand firm in Jesus on the foundation of God’s Holy Word.  In a time where more and more people are calling evil good and good evil, we must continue speaking the truth boldly in love.  We must call evil and chaos out for what they truly are, and where truth falls in the street, we must pick it up, dust it off, and send it on its way.  I receive hatred and slander just about every day on Twitter.  Twitter also continues to harass, shadow ban, and throttle down my account.  Their hatred won’t stop me.  The love of God burns hot within my soul and it keeps my heart warm in the power of God.  My prayer is for the Lord to pour out His love on us all and bring great healing and revival around the world.

Don’t let His love grow cold within you.  Fight that horrible pull towards hatred and seek peace through God’s love.  His love alone can heal all of our hearts.

Grace and peace to you all!

Hello friends and family and God bless you all!  Well, we made it through April!  Happy May 1st, 2020!  I haven’t written a post in a few days because, as you know from my last post, our great state of Colorado reopened on Sunday April 26th and we are no longer under quarantine, so I’ve been outside taking care of the lawn.  The seasons don’t stop, so welcome to spring!

I did the first mow on Tuesday and I turned on our sprinkler system.  The mower started right up and did a great job, which was very nice.  Actually felt pretty good mowing the lawn again.  It’s fun using my battery powered trimmer too.  Unfortunately, the sprinklers were not so easy.  There is a leak coming from one of the valves inside the main box.  That’s the way it goes sometimes, but it will be fixed soon.  The system still works, which is a blessing.

A couple years ago, I had to replace one of the solenoid valves (black things on top with wires coming out).  I worked landscaping summer jobs for many years, so I have some sprinkler repair training, but I had never done that before.  I watched a YouTube video and it worked out great.  That is my wiring job with the newer connectors in the middle.  The leak is coming from the main valve on the upper right (the circular gray piece).  That is a bit more complicated than changing a solenoid.  Looks like I would have to disconnect some pipes and more, so I’m having the landscape company tackle this one.  I will watch and learn this time.

Plumbing is no fun.  Onward, to the backyard!

Our Serviceberry tree is starting to bloom its beautiful soft white flowers.  It is always so pretty and a sure sign that spring is finally here.  I’m really glad winter is over!

During spring clean up I cut back all the native grasses, rake the yard and landscaped areas, prune trees if needed, then do a nice mow and trim and finish with the sprinklers.  I did work like that for many upscale homes and businesses in the Chicago area back in the 90s.  It is knowledge and experience that has been very useful in owning and caring for my own property.  Saves us a lot of money too!  A spring clean up like that would have cost us at least $250 to $300.  All it costs is my body being sore for a few days, which is also why I haven’t written since April 26th.  I will get back to publishing posts more regularly and reading everyone’s blogs very soon.

May 1st is also Law Day, U.S.A, and we show respect to our nation, our Constitution, and our laws by flying our nation’s beautiful flag.  I am very thankful for our country, our laws, and our rights, and I am a Patriot who stands ready and willing to defend our country against enemies both foreign and domestic.  God bless America, and may we be a light and blessing to all the Nations of the world!

The kids only have two weeks of school left, and we are all looking forward to summer.  2020 has been a very unique and challenging year so far.  I am praying the Lord will bring great healing and spread revival through the world!

Do not be discouraged or dismayed!  God is in control and He is bringing peace to this time of worldwide trouble.  Many states are opening back up here in America and it won’t be long before our country and every country is back to work.  Keep praying and never give up hope!

“For I am the LORD, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13

I pray everyone has a blessed Friday and weekend!

“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!

After blogging since August 10th of 2018, today will be my 500th post.  I figure that is some kind of blogging milestone, so I wanted to celebrate it and give praise to God.  This whole blog is all about Jesus and helping people come to know Him, and I pray many people get saved reading my blog!  I pray the Lord uses it for His glory and bears fruit through it!  I am simply one of His servants dispensing a gift (called evangelism) that Has been given to me.  May His will be done!

WordPress gave me this badge along with a message of congratulations right after I published this post, so I’m adding it now.  Thanks WordPress!

It is a great honor to be used by the Lord and all the glory goes to Him for building this blog!  May He continue to use me as He sees fit and write through me what He wants to say from sharing the Gospel to end times warnings and everything in-between!  This blog is all about helping people come to know Jesus, helping people understand the Bible, ministering to a lost and hurting world, and speaking truth to power.  It is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love, and I pray you find that in Jesus!  People are held prisoner by their fear of death and they need real hope.  I’m here to tell you that Jesus can take that fear and He alone can deliver you from sin and death and save your soul!

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

John 14:6

“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

The choice is yours.  We receive Jesus by faith.  God has made one way to Heaven and that Way is through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.  His Blood was shed for our sins and no one else has ever died for our sins.  Do you want your sins forgiven?  Do you want to go to Heaven?  Then believe in Jesus and you will be saved!

“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

“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

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

“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

Upon believing in Jesus, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, which is God’s seal on you guaranteeing your salvation.  We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus alone, not by works.  We cannot earn our salvation through good works.  We are not good; we are sinful and we need a Savior.  There is no boasting in Heaven.  We must be born again by the Spirit of God to be saved and share in His holiness.  It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to be holy and have the strength to serve God and leave our lives of sin, and we can only receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus.  The good works we do after accepting Jesus are done by the power of the Holy Spirit in obedience to God for His glory, not to earn salvation.  It is the Blood of Jesus alone that covers our sin, and that is eternal forgiveness we never deserved and could never earn!

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

“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

“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

John 3:3

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Galatians 5:22-24

“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 3:24

Today is the day of salvation, and none of us are promised tomorrow!  Make peace with God today!  If you don’t know Jesus, may God have mercy on you and open your heart to His love this very moment!  God loves you and He does not want you to perish!  He wants to give you eternal life!

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

“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

Always remember, Jesus loves you so much that He died to save your soul!

Grace and peace to you all!

Good morning everyone!  It is a beautiful chilly spring day here in Colorado.  I am glad it’s Friday!  It’s been a rough week, but God is good and faithful to always bring peace to the troubles.  I just wanted to do a short post today giving praise to God for a new day and thanking Him for His mercy and grace.

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are

not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

I took all these photos this morning at 8:54 a.m. MT.  We were blessed with a real nice rain last night and the Rocky Mountain air was a crisp 43 degrees early this morning.  Supposed to get to 55 today, then be in the high 70s next week.  I am thankful for the changing seasons and I am thankful that God is in control and we can trust Him.  Just as He controls the clouds and weather, He is in control even now during this time of trial on earth.  The Lord has a purpose in all things and nothing is too hard for the Lord.

“This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

Thank You Jesus for being so merciful, loving, forgiving, compassionate, gracious, and good to us!  Please spread revival and healing through the world and deliver us from evil!  May Your will be done in all things!

Always remember: Jesus loves you!  Jesus died for you!  Jesus Saves!

Grace and peace to you all!

“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