People You May Know

As you scroll down through Facebook you will eventually come across a lovely little diversion called "People You May Know."

What an annoying feature. Why does Facebook think I might know these people? Oh, they might know somebody that I know. But then there are some that I wouldn't touch with a 10-ft pole based on their profile picture.

Some people look like dogs. Literally. While others look like only what they want you to see. They look like horses, cars, bunnies, flowers, cartions, etc.

I got so sick of this feature that one day I just started hitting the 'remove' button. Remove. Remove. Remove. And then this thought occurred to me:

Isn't this is exactly what God will do when people come before him trying to get into heaven.

"And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" - Matthew 7:23

Those are words you never want to hear. Those words are a one-way ticket to hell. For eternity.

Instead, wouldn't it make more sense to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant?"

Then the doors will open, and we'll walk in. And we will be welcomed and eternally loved. That sounds WAY better to me.

In heaven, we will see "people you may know" but there will be WAY more of them that we don't know. But you know what? They will ALL love us.

Would you like to be eternally loved?

Yes, please.🙂❤🙏

Teenage Wasteland

I noticed something about us humans this Christmas. It was something that the people in the picture might have missed; glued to their phones as they are. The gift of TRUE relationships.

My wife and I sat down with some life-long friends yesterday. A couple from our parent's generation. What a wonderful visit!

We shared stories from each other's lives. We ate cookies, we laughed, we ate more cookies. It is so good sharing life together with people we love.

Maybe I am overly sensitive but I fear for this current generation, growing up in a technology-filled world which embraces electronic relationships instead of real" ones. People are becoming attached to their phones the way we older generations are attached to human relationships. But we weren't perfect either.

In the late 60's there was this really big rock concert called Woodstock. It was pretty big as concerts go - 400,000 people attended. There were probably just about as many people on drugs and alcohol as there were attendees! Many people tried altering who they were through chemicals and other means to become someone they weren't. That was MY generation. We were just as bad as this current generation. As ALL generations.

The rock group The Who wrote a song about Woodstock and all of the drug use they saw there. It was called Baba O'Rielly. I wonder if wasn't written about ALL generations? Whether we stare into our phones like zombies, waiting for the apocalypse, or alter our minds through drugs and alcohol, we are pretty pitiful examples of perfect relationships. Where are the "other-centered" relationships that Jesus speaks of - those that create life-long bonds? And what about our relationship with Christ Himself?

Relationships are not forged by electronic means. They are nurtured and grown through the application of love. And not from a distance either, but face to face. Love comes from the heart, not through the eyes. Let us love one another and Jesus first loved us. Then we will see REAL relationships based in truth and light. Those relationships lead only to joy and last an eternity.

^"24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25


Baba O'Riley - The Who

Truth Is

We've all seen the "Truth is" Facebook statuses go scrolling by on our news feeds. What that usually means is that someone is really bored. SO bored that they are offering to tell you the truth about your relationship with them, but what does that really mean deep down inside? What if someone really knew the truth about us, beyond what we are WILLING to tell or have known?

Have you ever found out something about someone you never knew before? Or that you never wanted to know in the first place? Maybe you saw your next door neighbor on the news who had a secret meth lab in his basement. Or maybe you learned that the sweet couple down the street was actually keeping their kids in a dog cage down in their basement. Sometimes the truth can be a rather nasty pill to swallow.

If Jesus had a Facebook page and posted a "Truth Is" status, would you like it? Would you be willing to hear the truth about yourself from God Himself?

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well He told her things about herself that few people knew. When confronted with this truth the woman ran off amazed to tell her family and friends.

"28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did." - John 4:28

Is your life clean enough of mistakes and sin that you could confidently stand before God, fearless of the truths He would tell you? Mine's not. There are plenty of things in my past that I don't want anyone to know. Yet, God knows them already. And He still loves me.

As I watch the world scroll by . . . the narcissistic world in which we live . . . I have to wonder if there is hope for us. Truth is . . . there is no hope at all. With one amazing exception.

"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." - 1 Peter 1:3-9

Truth is . . . it doesn't get much better than that.

Voice Of Truth - Casting Crowns, The Story Behind The Song 
 

No Mountain High Enough

These days our main form of communication is phone based. Either it's the text or an instant message of some sort. Or we call each other. But that practice is dwindling in favor of the more impersonal communication means.

When was the last time you received or sent a personal letter? I mean actually sat down and thought about someone. Took the time to think of words to say that might bring a smile to their face. To offer, in your own hand-written words, expressions of love or thankfulness. Has it been a while? Has it been TOO long?

Recently a young friend of mine decided to quit smoking and also end her presence on Facebook. "Shedding negativity," she called it. Good for her! This world would be a better place if more of us did something like that.

Shortly after my friend's announcement about leaving Facebook, I was informed on Facebook that it was her birthday. Great. I had no way to wish my friend a happy birthday. Well, I did. But I would have to write her a letter . . . Hmm.

So I did just that. And what a blessing that turned out to be for both of us!

When was the last time YOU wrote a letter? That long, huh? If someone wrote you a letter, would you read it? Of course you would! Who wouldn't, right?

Did you know that God wrote all of us some letters? He did! 66 of them. Their all compiled for easy reading . . . in the Bible. So why don't we read it?

When I was in college my girlfriend wrote me letters. I read them over and over again. I imagined what she was doing when she wrote them. I could almost smell her perfume as I read the words, "I love you."

We simply don't seem to have that same zeal when it comes to God and our reading HIS love letters. Why is that?

Honestly, I think it's because we don't really believe He wrote them to us specifically. And that's too bad. Because He did.

The following is Romans 8, with a few added words by me . . .

"Dear you,

I would like to remind you once again my dear friend, that there is nothing that could ever separate us. Ever. Death cannot separate us nor life's struggles and trials, nor angels nor rulers. No event in the present or in the future. There is no power strong enough, no mountain high enough, no valley low enough. There is NOTHING in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God, as long as we are IN Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:37-39

Write someone a letter today and tell them that you love them. And try, just try, to beat those words written by Paul so very long ago.

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." - 1 John 4:7-12

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross

Notification

Do you know what this image represents? In the words of Indigo Montoya, "I don't think it means what you think it means."

Most people would say, "Bob, that's a Facebook message notification." And they would be right . . . on the surface. In the life of this humble Christian however, this notification has come to mean something else all together.

Do you get excited when you get messages on Facebook? I do. Someone actually wants to talk to me, which is rare. LOL!

When I see a message notification on Facebook these days I see it as something other than the obvious. I see it an opportunity to serve. There are many things that appear to be one thing on the surface but can turn into something else underneath.

For example, have you ever seen an ice carver at work? These artists can take a block of ice and turn it into something amazingly beautiful! God works a lot like that.

We all start out as blocks of ice, pretty much all the same. But then things happen in our lives that change us. Sometimes the changes hurt, sometimes the changes make us melt. But in the end we all end up where we are.

We often don't understand why some of the things that happen to us . . . happen to us. Sometimes life's events can cut pretty dip. Other times we just slowly melt away into nothingness.

Who is it that God wants you to be. Whether you believe in God or not doesn't change the fact that He exists. Who does He want you to be? Does it conflict with what YOU want you to be? If so, let the sculpting begin.

When I started out in college I had a plan. It was MY plan. That's why it failed. It was NOT God's plan.

What is God's plan for YOUR life? Are you living it? Are you still searching for it? Here's some advice from an old man who has found God's plan for HIS life and how you can find God's plan for yours.

1. Quit looking for "God's plan." It will find you. God has a way of turning you into who He wants you to be . . . unless you are unwilling.
2. Stop trying to find what "God's Will" is in your life. Surrender to His will and there you are!
3. Don't know what God's will is? Read the Bible. It's all in there. Think "Facebook notification" on the cover!
4. When God reveals something to you . . . PAY ATTENTION!!
5. Be obedient! Christians are followers, not soloists. Follow where God leads you in life.

When we see those Facebook notifications we should see an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. We should see an opportunity to love others as Christ first loved us.

Each opportunity, each struggle, must be looked at as being for God's glory. The sooner we forget about OUR desires and start thinking about God's desires, we are on our way to becoming something very important. A tool in the hands of a master carver. Let Him begin His work on you today.

Let the sculpting begin!

"38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:38-39

Ithaca Ice Wars

The Thinnest Of Veils

As we walk through this world we live in, we are never more than one bad decision away from disaster. One misstep can change "what could have been" into "what have I done."

Many factors make up our day-to-day decisions. Often we choose what we want in life by our own selfish desires. Does any of this sound familiar?

"I really want that new phone!"

"Sure, I'll have another drink."

"See that girl over there? She's gonna be mine tonight. I got me some Rohypnol!"

"I'll make some copies at work. Everybody does it."

Can I ask you a question? When you look at Facebook, what do you see? Do you see an endless stream of pictures, updates and memes? I see something else. I see windows. Windows into the hearts of millions. The screen we stare at each day is simply a veil . . . between perception and reality.

We need to ask ourselves . . . . is this how I want to live my life? Just watching the lives of others and the things they do? Or should we unplug ourselves from the computer screen and the phone and live the lives we were meant to live. A life filled with peace, hope and love awaits anyone who wants it. Yet few grab God's offer of eternal life, unconditional love and the endless supply of hope a life in Christ can bring.

So ask yourself this morning. "Is this all there is? Is this life I am living REALLY what life should be? Or is there more? Should I keep walking through this world wishing it would get better? Or should I give up on the day-after-day "surfing" in hopes of finding happiness and finally, fully surrendering my heart to Christ?

My life was forever changed 10 years ago when I chose to walk a different path. Your life can change today. Chose life, not death. Walking around with no hope is not really any way to "live." Choose Christ. Embrace the veil that was torn. Look at His example of a life lived . . . and live like that. You'll be glad you did.

"50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,  52 and the graves were opened;" - Matthew 27:50-52

Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets

Broken? Betrayed? Abandoned? - Is This You?

There are days when I feel like nothing is going my way. Do you ever feel like that? We get frustrated with life and we feel like the whole world has left us behind. If that is you, take heart. There are people in this world who are going through far worse things than us.

I don't mean to be mean, but there is definitely a tendency, no, a desire, deep within us to have the world to take pity on us and our current situation . . . whatever it is. We have a need, I think, to be significant or noticed in some way, so we can find some meaning in our lives. Social media has got to be the number one place where people unload all their built up drama and put on display everything "we" find important. Do you know what that's called? Jesus spoke against it many times in His teachings. It's called pride.

"3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2:3

There is a story in the Old Testament book of Genesis that speaks about someone who was REALLY oppressed. High school drama pails compared to what THIS guy went through. Instead there was hatred, attempted murder, abandonment, being sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison. How do those things compare to your common everyday high school drama? This is the story of Joseph.

"3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him." - Genesis 37:3-4

If you are discouraged lately or feeling betrayed, persecuted and alone, there is great encouragement we can take from the example of Joseph's life. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) is one that is filled with lies, deceit, hatred and betrayal. But is also filled with encouragement, honor, justice and mercy. And incredible, unconditional love. If one looks closely and meditates of this story and its meaning, it is easy to see a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Christ, in Joseph. I encourage you to read it.

A friend of mine was telling me about a song he was playing repeatedly. The lyrics seemed to fit the story of Joseph. What do YOU think?

"Surrender"

I am tired

I am broken

Unsure at every turn

Though You told me where to go

I lost the road

Been a while since I have heard You

And doubts are creeping in

How can I continue walking on my own?

I need to know you’re here

With me

Cause I become a desperate soul

When Your unfailing love feels far

I need to know You won’t let go

Through it all

You can have my broken heart

Everything that’s left in me

And I will surrender

Surrender, surrender

Your promises feel distant

Though I’ve followed them this far

What is there left to hold on to

When You’re gone?

And it’s hard to keep on breathing

As the question tears my heart

What if I am left to fight this on my own?

I’ve seen the way You love me

I’ve heard the things You say

I’ve felt the way You held me in Your arms

Surrender - Nine Lashes

Challenge?

It seems like every time we open up Facebook these days we are seeing another video of someone doing the Ice Bucket Challenge to help fund research for a cure against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It's kind of fun seeing people dump ice water all over themselves, getting totally soaked, and frozen, for a good cause. And everyone is doing it. I've seen quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning, Larry the Cable Guy, David Beckham, and former president George W. Bush. Even my own son has done it. These videos want to make us join in on the fight. And it's all for a good cause, right? Right?

We humans are so easily amused. As Pink's Floyd's Roger Waters once wrote, "We have amused ourselves to death." We love following the latest trends. We like to be "hip" and "cool" as my generation called it. We will follow anything as long as everyone else is doing it and it's fun. We seldom stop to think things through and that is the case with people and the Ice Bucket Challenge.

On the surface this cause is a noble one. We SHOULD show support for those willing to fight terrible diseases such as ALS and cancer and Alzheimer's. But should we abandon our faith and beliefs in doing so?

Amidst all the videos I see scrolling by and amongst all of my friends who are supporting and participating in the phenomenon, accepting and giving Ice Bucket challenges to each other on Facebook, I have seen only a handful of people expressing their concerns about what goes on in the actual ALS research these challenges are supporting. I applaud them. They are actually thinking. They have done their research, They have counted the cost.

In the Book of Luke Jesus tells us this about "counting the cost" FIRST before we undertake anything in our lives. Jesus is The King of doing what is right and giving good advice for us to follow. If we'd only listen. Read His words and see if they are not true.

"28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?" - Luke 14:28-31

While we think about what Jesus just said concerning counting the cost BEFORE we get involved in anything, I'd like you to read something from the ALS Association. We will are beginning to count . . .

“Adult stem cell research is important and should be done alongside embryonic stem cell research as both will provide valuable insights. Only through exploration of all types of stem cell research will scientists find the most efficient and effective ways to treat diseases.”

Anything jump out at you from that quote? How about EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH?

What is embryonic stem cell research? Well, it's where scientists "create, harvest, then destroy human embryos" in the name of research. Gee, I wonder what God thinks about that?

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" - Jeremiah 1:5

The article I am getting my information from is from a Catholic website. A friend of mine provided a link to it on Facebook (you may read the entire article by clicking on the link at the end of my blog). There are several theological disagreements I have with the Catholic Church but standing against embryonic stem cell research is not one of them.

When we blindly write out a check to ALSA, or support these Ice Bucket Challenges, a portion of our money goes straight to embryonic stem cell research, where human embryos are being terminated in the name of research. Where did someone come up with this horrific idea? It smacks of Nazi Germany and Josef Mengele's "human research" at the expense of the Jews.

It's okay to support ALS research. But there are ways to funnel donations to areas of the ASLA's research where human embryos are NOT being used. But people . . . we MUST look into thin ANYTHING before we simply join in.

Just as a side thought, do you think people in areas of our world effected by drought enjoy see people dumping water all over the place? Or people in countries where they HAVE no clean water . . . how much they might desire the very thing we Americans are dumping on ourselves. Be we don't think. That's the whole problem with so many of the world's situations today. We simply don't take the time to think.

The Bible is full of Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Our problem is three-fold - we do not read it, we do not understand it and most of us don't even think about applying it to our lives.

For example, the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Was HE thinking when he robbed a convenience store and then walked down the middle of a road at two in the morning, blocking traffic. Didn't he think that might draw some attention from the police? I'm thinking Mr. Brown hasn't read his Bible, therefore, he didn't learn anything or have the opportunity to apply it's wisdom to his all-too-short life.

The same with the ALS researchers. They spent so much time hoping that they COULD find a cure for ALS by killing human embryos, they didn't stop to think whether or not they actually SHOULD.

May God have mercy on us. He has provided us with His Word. He has provided us with His unconditional love, despite our unworthiness and continual sin. He has provided us with everything we could have ever needed. Yet we chose to follow our own selfish desires. We chose to "do things because they are cool" or "because everyone else is doing it."

So many people want to be "popular" and "to fit in" with our friends and with society. But we are called to "be holy as I am holy" (Leviticus 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16). Do you know what the word "holy" means? According to Strong's Greek Dictionary it means to be "set apart." How can we be set apart from the world if our desires are to fit in?

Please, donate to the ALSA. Let's fight a good fight and find a cure, but direct your funds appropriately. Don't partake in the Ice Bucket Challenge and don't support the challenge by challenging others. Support God. We need to read His Word so we can better understand where and how He wants us to direct HIS energies and HIS resources that He entrusts to us in ways that are God honoring. Thank you for letting me vent.That way HE gets the praise, not us.

What’s wrong with the ALS bucket challenge? - Greg Kandra (a deacon in the Catholic Church)

Selfie

"19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

 

Well, did you hear? Oxford Dictionary has announced its Word of the Year for 2013. It's "selfie!" (Funny, my spell-checker doesn't recognize the word, yet it seems to be in use practically everywhere!)

 

A selfie is a self portrait, a picture taken of one's self. Although, I think you can have more than one person in a selfie. It seems the name comes from the act of taking a picture yourself, no matter HOW many people are in it.

 

On a related note, the most photographed room in a typical home seems to be the bathroom - a popular place to take selfies. You see you can either take selfies by pointing the camera at yourself or taking a picture of your reflection in the bathroom mirror.

 

While I was on Facebook a couple months ago I read an interesting comment from an observant young lady. She said, "I love how people crop the top of their heads off so we can see their boobs." The truth of that bit of sarcasm was revealed a short while later and I scrolled down to find a selfie of a young friend with the top of her head cropped off so she could make some middle school boys day.

 

We as a society have become addicted to ourselves. Even our president is getting into the act, much to the dismay of his wife, Michelle. The three immature heads of state at the left are taking a selfie. The reason Michelle is so upset is that her husband and his friends chose to take their selfie during Nelson Mandela's funeral. Classy. That is just SO incredibly wrong, words cannot due it justice.

Today's society is enamored with itself. We are all stars of our own little movies and everyone else is our supporting cast. It's all about us. We've never known otherwise because it has ALWAYS been about us. Even Facebook posts about other people in our lives are really about us because WE made the posts. And everyone else feeds off each other. Everybody else's posts are really all about me because they are just players in MY life. I hope you can taste the sarcasm.

In reality, all the Facebook and Twitter and Pintrest accounts, they're all about us, the things WE want to say, the things WE like. Even this blog is a selfie of sorts. It IS all about MY life and where I see God working in MY world.

So what should we do? Terminate our Facebook accounts? I've thought about it on more than one occasion. I probably will do it one day - pull the plug on the whole social media thing. But from this day forward I have decided to make a pledge.

I am going to keep track of my computer time, my social media time, and make sure I spend MORE time reading God's Word or spending time in prayer. Maybe it would be more profitable to spend time with others, spreading the Gospel or serving others in my community than it is updating my status. One thing is for sure. Jesus was not "all about Himself." He was all about God and doing His Father's will. He was all about spreading his message of sin, repentance and forgiveness through our belief in Him to ALL nations and we, quite honestly, should be doing the same.

Are we, as Christians, denying The Cross every time we post something about ourselves? Every time we take a selfie? Think about it. God is.

 "And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23

Is your Facebook Picture a Selfie by Jimmy Kimmel