The End of Days... Faith over Fear

 If I told you that we were living in the End Times would you believe me?  The Book of Revelation is a scary one..  There are a lot of terrible things that will come to pass in those days.  Take a look around and you will see proof of these things happening now.  This world is in turmoil, tearing itself apart at the core.  War, famine, chaos, natural disasters, violence, and the list can go on and on.  Even through all of this I have Faith in God and Jesus.  I know how this story ends.  No one, not even Jesus Christ knows when this will all come to fruition.  Only God The Father knows this.  That's why it's his plan and his plan only.  There will be suffering and Hell on earth for those with and without Faith.  Amy is hopeful that those who have given their life to God and belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God will be Raptured up and taken to an indescribable Heavenly house party.  LOL.  I hope she is right, but part of me believes that things will get worse before that happens.  It's not a lack of Faith in anyway but just a belief that God is always a teacher and showing us what we are leaving seems accurate to me.  I could be wrong.  I hope I am.  Now in preparation for this world continuing to spiral out of control you need to build your Faith stronger.  It's kind of like going to the gym, making your muscles stronger by using them you should be doing the same with your spiritual muscles.  Prayer doesn't have to be anything special or even out loud.  Just a conversation with God is what he desires most of all.  We all like to hear ourselves talk so this should be easier than we all think.  I'm going to confess something now that only Amy really knows.  I have two daughters who are amazing, I am so proud of them and love them with all of my heart.  I Fear for them and their eternal souls.  This Fear puts my Faith to the ultimate test everyday.  They grew up in a home that was loving but I failed them.  Their Mom doesn't have Christian beliefs and this has really taken hold of them.  I pray to God daily to show me how to reach them or could he do it for me.  My greatest Fear is that it will be one day too late and they will suffer for all eternity because I failed them.  My Faith is tested when you Fear that your children may be cast into Hell for all Eternity.  I continue to pray for them daily and try to reach them when I feel I get the opportunity.  After God saving us from our car crash I felt that this was the opportunity.  I have tried and not succeeded, however I don't feel it was a full blown failure either.  I feel like it planted the seed of hope in their minds.  I have Faith that the Light will help that seed grow.  Anyone who reads this blog I would ask for prayers that my children would come to know God and Jesus and what he did for them because of Love and Mercy.  The End Times are upon us, you have to feel this, but you don't have to be Fearful.  With just a little Faith you can be grateful that a place has been prepared for you.  Repent, change your life, with a little help maybe change the lives of others.  Live without Fear, Have Faith in God.  

Under Attack

 There is a quote, "To have peace, you must prepare for war."  Brett Parks if you read this I promise I'm not stealing your latest sermon. On Sunday the message was about the Fall of man in Genesis. How the serpent used his cunning to convince Eve of a lie and will cause the first Sin.  You and I are under attack from the enemy at all times, everyday.  Every temptation, is from the enemy.  Satan and his minions use temptation to attack you from multiple angles.  It could be as complicated or simple that they want to make it.  Questioning did God really say that?  Is he really stopping you from knowing this because he is jealous or actually afraid of you??  We are created in Gods image.  According to Genesis we were the first creation that he considered Very Good.  The deeper your Faith in God and Jesus the harder Satan will come after you.  He will try everything he can to change your mind, cause you to lose Faith in God The Father.  I actually hate the statement that God will never give you more than you can handle.  I believe that he will give you whatever is necessary to get you to him.  He is always there to help you.  He's the best ally you could ever ask for.  No matter what, he is there.  He will never abandon you.  Satan wants you to believe anything else.  This is a war for your soul.  There are no higher stakes.  This is a battle you can ill afford to lose.  Eternal life with The Father and Jesus Christ in Heaven is far greater than torment and suffering in Hell.  Satan hates you, he is jealous of the Love that God has for us.  Getting closer to God and Jesus will put him in full attack mode.  He will tempt you and pressure you over and over.  Satan knows that we are sinners, prone to bad decisions and impulses.  He will use this against you.  What I suggest is Repent for those sins.  Repent can be a confusing word.  Some think that you have to feel terrible about a decision you have made, feeling guilty.  It's actually much simpler than that.  God doesn't want to see you unhappy, he loves you.  Repentance is as simple as turning to God and asking for help.  There is no judgement, and you will never be told no.  Repentance is a change of heart and thinking.  Going to God and Jesus with your problems and not trying to do it alone.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE, ALL OF YOUR SINS HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY JESUS ON THE CROSS.  Remember this and realize it to be true.  Satan wants you singled out and alone.  God created Eve for Adam because he knew it wasn't good for man to be alone.  Alone sucks, trust me I've been there.  I thought my life was cursed.  I thought that God had abandoned me.  These were all lies put in my mind by my enemy.  When I finally asked for help my life has changed.  When I realized the Truth my life has changed.  My relationship with God has shown me that truth.  I laugh at these attacks, Satan you have no control over me anymore.  God has never been against me, he has been fighting for me my whole life.  Do you feel like you are struggling, in pain, need help, alone, or cursed??  Run to God, repent of your sins, build that relationship and see how things in your life change.  You will find a peace that you never thought was possible.  Just remember to reach that Peace there will be a War.  Be prepared but I promise you it is worth the fight.  Don't give up, keep fighting but know that God is on your side and Jesus has your back.  

Empathy... Gift or Curse??

 I will start this by saying not in any way, shape or fashion am I claiming to be psychic or have a special ability to converse with spirits or anything like that.  This Isn't a story about the sixth sense where I claim in a huge twist that "I See Dead People."  Which btw I feel was a very well done movie and yet so creepy.  What would you describe as Empathy?  Google says Empathy is The ability to understand and share the feelings of others.  Now you can go both ways with this.  A lack of empathy is what most professionals would say that psychopaths have.  They don't feel that taking a life or causing that kind of pain isn't normal.  A true lack of  an emotional connection to the world around them.  Now a confession about me that only a few know.  I have been called an empath because of my uncanny ability to feel others emotions.  This is something that I have kept secret and, until now most have never known.  I don't have much control over what I feel or how I feel it.  It can be great and amazing or can drag me down depending on the situation.  This is why sometimes I ask God why do I experience these things in this way?  To this day I don't believe that I have ever heard a voice communicating to me as God the Father.  When a person says they speak with God this is confusing to me because I have never experienced this.  Perhaps this is something we can discuss at a later date.  So back to my X-Men mutant ability.  I mean come on this has to be like half a step from Professor X level abilities right??  LOL.  There are times when I feel overwhelmed with emotions for reasons I can't explain.  I have teared up at the simplest of things but and been angry over nothing. Here's an example, the other day Amy was dealing with some stressful issues that weren't actually caused by me,(btw most are, I know I'm working on it) and before I walked into the house I could feel this rush of emotion just hit me like a tidal wave.  I did my best to stay in control but it was clearly winning, to the point hat Amy thought there was something wrong.  I tried to tell her that I'm fine just have to unplug for a bit.  When you're married to an overthinker spoiler alert this doesn't help.  I had to give it to God to help me.  A silent prayer asking for his help.  On the flip side there are times that I experience so much excitement or happiness that I can't stop the tears from flowing.  When I was younger I felt that this was a curse.  God punishing me, making me endure not just my pain but everyone else around me.  I will be honest with you, I really felt this way at times until recently.  I believe everyone on this earth are given gifts from God. Some people are skilled hunters, craftsmen, artists, athletes, and writers.  You get the point.  Clearly writing wasn't mine.  Empathy is a gift.  I experience the world in a different way.  I now see that this gift has brought me closer to God and Jesus.  This gift has changed my life.  Amy has helped me to understand this.  I would not be the man before you now, without this amazing Gift.  This blog isn't easy for me.  I have mostly kept my feelings to myself.  Keeping people at a distance, even family.  Changing my perspective from this is a curse to a gift from God has been life changing.  In closing I will just say that in times of need or struggle, go to God.  A silent prayer will start you on a path of communication with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, changing your life forever.  Things that you see as a curse can really be that gift you need in your life.  It's all part of God's amazing plan.  

Addiction and the Devil.. HMMMM

 So I'm watching a show about a famous person who was struggling in their life and trying to be a leader and a father.  Ultimately he un a lived himself.  Then not too long after, a video he posts about fighting his demons and the devil all the time is shown.  The next thing there is a "professional" therapist diagnosing that only people who struggle with substance addiction and or trauma use these terms.  Behaviors that you can't control.  He then claims that people that are in treatment or have been treated stop the use of the words like demons and the devil.  Personally I think this is the biggest load of psychobabble I have ever heard.  This man was in a struggle for his life with the devil and his demons.  He didn't know where to turn for help.  Sorry but only God and Jesus Christ can help with that struggle.  I'm not saying that therapy isn't effective.  Talking about your struggles and problems is therapeutic, however talking with God the Father and surrendering all to him offers so much more.  God is real, he is the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning.  Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He took on all of our sin so that we may be saved from what we as sinners deserve.  What we deserve is eternal suffering and torment in Hell with guess who??  The Devil and his Demons.  No amount of therapy can change that.  Only Christ can and did.  I do battle the devil and his servants on a daily basis.  I am like everyone else constantly are attacked, tempted, and offered ways of dealing with my life just not seeking God for the answers.  In my past I took those routes way more than I should have.  I know the truth now, my life is blessed and better for it every minute of every day.  I thank the Lord for every breath I get to take.  The Devil wants you to believe that you have no worth, a failure, broken, abandoned by God.  This is so he can take over in your life.  He wants control of the wheel.  The truth is you are not alone, are priceless and precious, you might have been broken but you have been made whole again by Gods Grace and Mercy, God and Jesus Christ will never abandon you, all you have to do is ask for help.  it's really that easy.  No credit check, no application, no waiting period.  You have been approved instantly for God's Love and because of that Love, and a sacrifice by Jesus, All is Forgiven.  Does this mean that all your struggles stop??  No it doesn't.  The stronger your Faith in Christ, the harder the Devil will try to convince you otherwise.  Don't lose Faith, keep that communication open with God the Father and I promise you he has your back.  

Jesus wore Jordans...Maybe

 This one is dedicated to Eli.  He should get a kick out of it.  Lol.  It was probably almost 2 years ago when we were on our way to church one morning when this crazy thought entered my brain.  Jesus wore Jordans.  From the first time I met Eli he was obsessed with shoes or kicks (as the kids these days call them), especially Jordans, specifically Jordan Ones.  I can't blame him I mean Michael Jordan is the GOAT and has some pretty sweet shoe designs through the years.  During the ride there I said to him "Hey did you know that Jesus wore Jordans?"  His response was probably something like that's dog water, no cap.  LOL.  Evidently that is the new language this generation uses basically meaning no and I'm stupid for thinking this.  I then went on to explain to him why I believed this to be true.  Jesus in his time here on earth with us as a simple human still needed simple things like clothes and shoes of some kind.  Jesus was quite the traveler in his day and it was done on foot.  Meaning that he would probably wear out his sandals or shoes quite often.  Now his travels would have taken him through the country of Jordan.  My belief is that there was a shoe store of some kind in the country of Jordan and that Jesus would have possibly purchased new sandals or shoes from this place.  Since marketing or advertising at this time would have been different from today I speculate that this store owner was proud to be from Jordan and would call the shoes and sandals he made, Jordans because who wants a pair of Egypt's right??  Therefore proving my theory that Jesus wore Jordans.  Later that year we were finally able to get Eli his first pair of Jordan One's as a Christmas gift.  That moment he was the happiest person on this planet.  Nothing was going to ruin that moment.  My point in all of this is a simple one, everyday you are blessed by God The Father.  Be as excited about this as a boy was about receiving a gift one Christmas morning.  Let nothing ruin your day because as a child of God you are Loved, Cherished, and Precious to him, even more than a pair of Jordans.  Jesus and the Father desire a relationship with you.  Start small and let it grow.  It only takes a little Faith to start a change.  Change your life today, and perhaps the lives of others.  

Stress & Anxiety vs Faith, And the winner is????

 Stress & Anxiety.  We all deal with it, struggle with it, and even succumb to it.  What if I told you that Faith would prevent you from suffering from all of it??  Would you think that is possible??  The reason that I say this is because you cannot have both in your life at the same time.  Here is why.  Stress and anxiety is a belief or fear in something that has happened and is difficult to deal with in your life.  Faith is the belief  in something that hasn't happened yet but you know it will.  You can feel both.  You can let both have control of your life, however because they both occupy the same space in your life, they both cannot be present in you at the same time.  Jesus Christ took all of those anxieties away from us.  Having Faith in Jesus and The Father means there will be no need for stress or anxiety in your life, they got this.  You are covered and good to go.  Stress and Anxiety are a chosen weapon of the Devil and his servants used to try to convince you that no matter what you do, you are alone, not good enough, not loved or cared for.  You get the picture right??  Guess what because of God's Love, Grace, and Mercy along with Jesus's sacrifice on the cross those are all lies. You are never alone, you are good enough, and forever loved.  I understand that you may find yourself in a stressful situation, however you must have Faith in Jesus that it will all work itself out in the end.  Spoiler alert, what you want isn't usually part of Gods Plan.  He may take you in a direction you never saw coming.  The devil will try to break you down, try to make you lose that Faith.  Tell that Sucker to hit the bricks pal, I am a child of God and my Faith in Jesus and the Father will conquer all.  There is nothing that you can do that will change Gods Plan for me.  The devil knows his ending is coming but he wants nothing more that to take as many with him as he can.  Please don't take that path.  Place your Faith and belief in Jesus and let him start working in your life today.  Belief that Jesus is the Son of God and Belief in God the father is all it takes to start down an amazing journey with an Ending that you couldn't possibly imagine.  God loves you and has your back in times of need and stress.  Faith will prevail in the end.  Faith is the winner in this fight, I promise you.  Stress & Anxiety have only brought you pain and despair.  Choose Faith, it's that simple.  Remember God is available 24/7 to talk and listen.  Be patient, but Faithful because as I said before it's Gods Plan not ours.  

A New Day

 Holy Week is over and today is a New Day.  Last week was filled with highs and lows Spiritually, and Emotionally.  Jesus went from being revered to hated in just a matter of days.  He suffered more than any man ever will.  Took all our Sin onto him just so that we could be saved and one day be with Him and The Father.  No one ever will do more for you.  There will never be a better gift.  Eli might argue that a Lebron James Jersey or Tom Brady Jersey might be close but he has some issues clearly.  Lmao.  Everyday is a true blessing.  Tomorrow isn't promised.  Keep in mind everyday will present it's own unique challenges and issues.  Like Eli Being a Tom Brady fan.  Some people have the joy of dealing with the public all day.  Not fun sometimes, been there done that.  Some will be in a manufacturing facility and so on.  You get the idea.  Those would be what I consider a situation of necessity.  Most people I know need to probably work somewhere.  Money seems to be necessary to survive in today's world.  Who would of thought??  Everyday you will also encounter situations testing or pushing you.  Trying to break you.  Torment you, make you feel broken or that you have no value or place in this world.  Simply put this is Satan or his servants trying to break you in any way possible.  You can try to just deal with these things but Jesus is there to do this for you.  He has your back and is the best guy to have in a battle possible.  Demons just in The Lords presence begged for Jesus to not send them back to hell, instead send us into pigs.  This is the story of Legion, a man so possessed by demons that he was chained out side of his city to protect the people from him.  You should check it out if you don't know the full story.  Mark 5: verses 1-20 or Luke 8: 26-39.   Everyone battles what we like to call inner demons.  The amazing part is you don't have to do this alone.  Jesus is there to help you.  He will show you the way through all the crapola going on in your life.  He will never turn his back on you and leave you there.  Jesus loves you.  He loves us all, even those who would reject him.  You may feel like you have no value or you have done so much bad that there is redemption for me.  That's not true at all.  We are all sinners.  No one is perfect, yet all our sins have been paid for in full by one act of Love, Grace, and Mercy.  Jesus going to the cross changed all of our futures.  Everyday I wake up I thank God for another day.  I try to see the beauty in everything around me.  I feel that God and I have a private joke in my prayers.  I always say to God that he must have Bob Ross up in Heaven painting all these Happy Little Trees and creating such a beautiful day.  I've been telling you guys that a slight shift in perspective can change your life forever.  A day isn't always perfect or is it??  Everything God does is Perfect in his Plan.  Today is A New Day, enjoy it, Praise your Lord and Savior, change your perspective and change someone's life.  The life you change just might be your own.  

Why is it called Good Friday??

 Have you ever wanted to know why today is referred to as Good Friday?  Today is a day that a perfect, sinless, innocent man will suffer greater than any other person in history.  Jesus Christ endures all of this because of his love for ALL of us.  Can you image the level of love it would take for you to suffer in such a way for not just your family, but strangers and people who mocked and hated you.  Betrayed by those that you trusted and loved for 30 pieces of silver.  Abandoned by those closest to you.  Tortured for being the King of the jews.  He was actually The King of Kings and reigns today as such.  Now how this day became GOOD Friday.  The origin of the English word Good is actually Holy, so Good Friday means Holy Friday.  This is a Holy day.  A day when prophecies were fulfilled.  A day when we were shown what true Love, Mercy, and Grace are.  Today is the day when all of our sins were taken away by one man, Jesus Christ.  I want to warn you that the next part may be a little graphic but I need you to understand just what Jesus endured.  Sometimes I feel like people see a cross and just go on with their day.  The Cross in my opinion should be more than that.  At this time in history Crucifixion was considered the absolute worst death.  This torture was reserved for only the worst criminals.  Before all of this even began he was scourged.  This is where a person was whipped so savagely with a weapon constructed of sharp pieces of bone and metal ripping his flesh with every swing.  His flesh was ripped so deeply that it exposed his muscle tissue.  His face was ripped so severely that his beard was basically torn from his face. This was called the Half Death because half of the men who endured this torture died.  Not Jesus.  While being mocked and beaten by Roman soldiers there was a Crown of Thorns shoved into his head that held thorns that were between 2 to 3 inches long.  This was forced into his flesh with a rod to ensure maximum pain, until the thorns disappeared.  He didn't even look human at this point.  This all was prophesized by Isaiah more than 700 years before this day.  Then he was marched to Golgotha carrying his own cross and stripped of his clothes and thrown onto the cross that was laid onto the ground.  Jesus then had 3 inch spikes driven into his wrists not his hands.  This was for a few reasons.  The spikes would tear through his hands under his body weight so driving the spike in between two bones was the solution.  also there is a tendon located in the wrist that once it tore it would cause Jesus to have to use his shredded back muscles to try to breathe causing yet more pain and suffering.  Next a spike was driven through his crossed feet at the ankle.  Finally the Cross was lifted into the air and placed in a hole.  This is the point where it is believed his joints would begin to separate and pop out of socket.  This suffering would endure for 6 hours.  Through all of this he remained silent knowing it was Gods Plan.  He screamed out to God only one time My God. My God why have you forsaken me??  God had inflicted all of his anger for sin on his one and only son Jesus Christ.  Then his final three words were uttered.  "It is Finished."  These 3 simple words saved us all, for all eternity.  He then died on that cross for us all.  He had a spear driven into his flesh to ensure that he was dead.  I am not trying to ruin your day I just want you to understand what was endured.  This is only a cliffs notes version of what happened.  As bad as this sounds it was incredibly worse.  Completely unimaginable what Jesus went through for The Father to save us.  Spoiler Alert the story isn't over yet.  In a couple days the greatest miracle ever performed will happen.  Jesus will rise from the grave to defeat Death and Hell.  Stay tuned for this story on Sunday.  Today ancient prophecies were fulfilled hundreds of years before Jesus was born.  Jesus is the Son of God. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Only through him will you be with our God The Father in Heaven.  We were all Forgiven by the Blood of Jesus Christ on this Good Friday!!!!  

Grace means what exactly???

 I know we have all heard it said or seen it written somewhere.  God's Grace is everywhere but what does it really mean?  According to google Grace is a gift freely given even though it's not deserved, it empowers people to be able to grow in their relationship with God and receive salvation.  I attended church in a very small town in Illinois and missed this entirely in my younger years.  Youth group to me was a time that I got to hang out with some friends and do the right thing by going to church.  I didn't understand what it really was about.  I believed in God and Jesus but never truly knew them or understood the sacrifice made to give us Grace and make us Flawless.  Then one night at a summer church camp things clicked for me but being honest I kept it to myself out of fear of how people might perceive me.  So my relationship was kept between God and me in private.  I now know this was a massive mistake.  I'm a big believer now in a small change of perception can be life altering.  Fast forward to present, its just a couple years lol.  I met Amy online when I was searching for, well everything.  The very fabric of my being had been shredded and taken from me.  I had no idea that God's plan would lead me to Amy in such an amazing way.  I will save that for another time but trust me its special.  I was reluctant at first to attend church with her.  I don't really know why, silly I know.  I didn't want to include a lot of specific details if possible but I will in this circumstance.  We attend Valley Church in Terre Haute Indiana and this is where I met Brett Parks for the very first time.  Brett is the lead minister at Valley.  He is actually leaving the church to go into missions full time next year.  For selfish reasons we want him to stay.  He is incredible, but we understand why.  God's plan again taking you where you might not expect.  I asked Amy to marry me and to her detriment she accepted.  Sorry sweetheart I'm far from perfect.  We had couples counseling with Brett before the wedding was to take place.  I remember one of the first things Brett asked me was what did Grace mean to me?  Honestly I stumbled through the answer, I wasn't entirely sure.  I still seek info on Grace now.  Funny the more questions you ask the more answers you can find.  God's Grace to me now means that he sent his only son to suffer more than any one person will ever suffer so that he could take on all peoples sins and give us the opportunity to be with God.  He loved his son Jesus so much that he allowed the Crucifixion to take place just so we could be redeemed.  Because of sin we were separated from God and his Grace.  Jesus Christ then defeats death and rises from his tomb.  That is absolutely amazing.  What we all deserve is Hell.  We are all sinners.  That one act washed that all away.  This is what I think about when I see or hear the words God's Grace.  Does this give us permission to go and do what we want??  NO. however what it does mean is that if you do screw up in one way or another there is forgiveness when there was none.  That's a very comforting thought because I make loads of mistakes.  There was only one sinless man, Jesus Christ.  No one is perfect although some think they are, SUPRISE you're not.  Sorry not sorry.  LOL.  God's Grace is there for all of us.  All you have to do is accept it into your heart.  Belief is a simple thing.  Just a change of perception.  Faith and Grace are FREE.  No strings attached.  I mean a Big Mac is like 5 bucks now and the ice cream machine never works so come on.  You have the Holy Spirit in you, if you didn't know that well spoiler alert.  Perhaps one day I can write something about my thoughts on that as well.  God loves you and wants to talk with you right now.  He is an amazing listener.  You may feel scared to let others know what you believe or what place you may be in at this moment but God doesn't judge.  He is the Father, and Loves You Regardless.  

God's Plan

 God's plan is simply God's Plan.  God the Father is in control of everything at all times.  Does this mean that you are guaranteed a great life without struggle??  NO..  Because of sin this isn't possible.  Struggle and loss forms us into not only who we are but also builds and strengthens Faith and a desire to ask God for help.  When you ask for Gods help you are building a relationship with The Father.  He desires this with you more than anything.  You have to give up one thing that all people want.. Control.  You have to let Jesus take the wheel and have Faith that the destination is all part of the Plan.  I have suffered loss in my life.  My father died of cancer in his early 50's.  My grandfather died of lung cancer having never smoked a day in his life.  My little sister was killed while on an operating table for a non life threatening surgery.  My ex wife had 4 miscarriages.  When in high school I was a football player.  We were having 2 a day summer practices and a close friend asked if I could give him a ride home in between practices to grab some food.  I told him that I couldn't, I just didn't have the gas in my car to make the trip.  Michael then got a ride with Jeremy and on the way to Michaels house they topped a hill at a high speed and met a road grater, cutting the car almost in half and killing them both.  That could have and probably should have been me, but it wasn't part of Gods Plan.  I think about all these things all the time with tears in my eyes.  Enough of the loss and pain.  Now in my life I have met the most amazing woman that I could have ever been blessed with.  Because of her my life has been changed forever for the better.  I have two amazing girls, three awesome stepsons who are growing to be men of God and faith, two grandchildren who bring me so much joy that I couldn't start to explain it, a daughter in law who works harder than anyone I know and keeps striving to be better in everyway.  She is incredible.  A son in law that is making me proud to call him son everyday.  I have been truly Blessed.  I have friends that I don't deserve but deal with me and help me, I hope that I help them as well.  Amy's family have accepted me, treated me better than I deserve, I love them all dearly.  I pray to God everyday thanking him not only for the blessings, but also for everything that he has removed from my life.  I ask for wisdom and most importantly I ask for help to be more like Jesus The Son.  I'm going to let you all in on something.  We are not going to be granted access to the Plan.  It's God's plan, not ours.  If we were to know the plan then we wouldn't need God.  Guess what, WE NEED GOD IN OUR LIVES.  We have to have Faith in God and His Plan, regardless of the outcome.  You may not like the outcome or don't understand why.  I get it.  It's ok to ask questions but you may not get the answer that you wanted.  Be prepared that you may be called in a completely different direction than you planned to go.  Let me close this out with some encouragement, God loves you and desires a relationship with you, all you have to do is just open a line of communication.  He will never abandon you.  He is a loving father who wants to talk with you.  Please if you are in a dark place or just need someone to listen I am here, God is available 24/7 and he would love to hear from you.  

The Beginning: An Incredible Miracle

 So, this is how it all begins.  I am not a professional at anything really.  Especially not at blogging.  I guess we will start where my faith and my place in this world was tested by and absolute miracle.  Only by the grace of God are my wife Amy and I even here today.  My life has been full of struggles  but we will have to dive into that a little down the road.  A little over two months ago we were on our way home from church and out of nowhere I have a seizure while sitting at a stop light.  I am not prone to having seizures.  When my body went rigid I smashed the gas pedal to the floor.  My wife through the Grace of God then had to steer this car while trying to get me to wake up for over 30 blocks at over 100 mph.  This is a very busy street here in our hometown.  She dodged traffic in both directions including all of the crossroads.  She shoved the car into park and it did nothing.  This was a 2020 Nissan Altima.  Finally in a desperate act my wife unfastened her seatbelt to try to reach the brake to get us stopped and we collided with a truck.  Unfastening her seatbelt should have been her last act honestly.  The impact set off all of the airbags in the car.  The person that we hit was actually able to drive his truck away after the accident.  Our car was a total loss.  The motor was pushed into the firewall of the cab, that is how hard we hit him.  The paramedics and police that were on scene told me later when I came to that they said we should have never survived this accident.  We walked away unharmed, not even scratches or bruises.  Amy did lose hearing in her ear but regained it in less than a week.  I had more bruises from all the blood being drawn.  The paramedics were so convinced that I had to have crushed my legs they split my pants.  I remember finally coming to in the ambulance and being told we were in a serious accident and that it was nothing short of a Miracle that we survived it.  I remember asking where my wife was, she was in a different ambulance.  Arriving at the hospital a police officer and a nurse came into the room with me.  He was the first person to show me the pictures of the car.  He stated that he believed that only God saved us, the nurse actually cried when she saw the pics and realized the damage and no one was injured.  I am so thankful that no one was hurt.  I truly believe the miracle was that God protected all those around us.  This could have ended so badly.  I have cried, praised our Lord and Savior, and asked what do I still have to do on this planet?  Clearly we were saved for a reason, I am just waiting and praying for guidance and wisdom.  We are all given an amazing gift, the ability to commune with God because of the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus Christ.  We all deserve hell.  We are all sinners.  Because of what Jesus endured on the cross is the only way that we have the ability to have a relationship with God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit.  Please don't waste it.  Tomorrow could be too late. It's so easy, just a belief in your heart that Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords.  God is the alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the end.  Faith in Christ is not always the simplest thing but remember its part of Gods plan. Having Faith when times are good is easy.  The true test is keeping that Faith when times are hard.  Please if you are struggling, reach out for help.  God is the answer, it's that simple.  I will close this first post on a new Blog that no one may ever read with God is always in control, you just have to be willing to let him have control of your life.