Thankfulness Daily

 “Every year and every day for the month of November people have been posting what they are thankful for. I don’t know what to think about this as I know some like it and some are like really enough already. I look at it like any other holiday or trend that hits social media, some are funny and some are like, huh what is that about ? I’ve never been one to follow the crowd of doing things cause everyone else is doing it. Maybe my parents told me if one of your friends jumps off of a bridge, will you too, one too many times and that’s why I don’t, or maybe I’m just awkward. Now please don’t take this wrong as there is nothing wrong with saying what you’re thankful for, but that’s like me only telling my mom and wife happy Mother’s Day on that one Sunday of the year. 

I’ve referred to “submarine” Christians in the past but I’ve also been witnessing more and more of “white tomb” Christians in and out of churches. This means or is a play on what Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke Twenty Three, 

““How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things. It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.” (‭NCV‬‬)

Asleep in the Light

 “During the week like everyone else I’m sure, I have an alarm set to wake me up to get ready for work. Three of the five days I hit the snooze button, it starts with ten minutes then nine, eight until finally I have to get up or I will be late. There have been a few times where I have accidentally hit stop instead of snooze and all of a sudden I jump up out of bed starling my wife and dog as I overslept. I run around looking for my clothes and rush to get ready, brushing my teeth and hair haphazardly, and even at times I’ve put my shirt on backwards as I run out of the house. Then of course because I’m already late, I hit ever light, there is an accident and or I need gas or forgot something that I have to turn around and go back to get. 

Jesus is telling His disciples about His return and uses different parables to convey the message. One He tells about is the ten virgins and their lamps, found in Matthew Twenty Five, 

Hurry Up

 “We have passes to Disneyland which we’ve always had since our children were small as I’ve stated before. We go but we don’t rush around to get on every ride and to see every parade each time we go. We take our time and stroll thru the park and look at things that most people probably don’t spend time doing if they only have a one day pass or a weekend pass. We go on our favorite ride Pirates of the Caribbean most every time we go, but like last night we went on Casey’s train ride and storybook boat ride, and stood and watched the fireworks in front of the castle. Each time we go we see something new, although the whole park is the same and the structure mainly hasn’t changed, there are always new and exciting things that have probably been there, but we never noticed them. For me as a kid, Disneyland was totally amazing and I was able to enjoy it and now as a parent and grandparent, I get to see the joy in my kids and grandkids faces as they discover the wonder of it all.

The writer of Hebrews says in chapter Four, 

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (ESV)

Our Heart of Worship

 “I remember hearing the "Heart of Worship" for the first time, it was not only heart felt, but listening to the lyrics allowed me to understand that God wants more that a "pretense" or false worship. I was not on a worship team at the time, but knew that it was a song that I wanted to learn and play over and over again.  

Matt Redman’s home church in Watford England was going thru a tough time spiritually, but the people were only there to hear the music and the band. Mike Pilivachi, who was the pastor of the church  asked his congregation, 

“what they were bringing to God in worship, or if they were just there as consumers, soaking up the music?” 

In His Eyes

 “In the Eighties, cheesy movies ruled the day and I loved and still watch most of them. One I like is “Say Anything” that stars Jon Cusack, who is in quiet a few movies I like. In the movie, he is trying to be with a girl who is above his level in terms of looks and where she lives, and when she ends up liking him many are shocked. The most famous scene that many movies have copied and or even, I’m sure many a high schooler or hopeless romantic, like me, is when he takes his boom box and in the rain holds it up with the song, “In Your Eyes.” Part of the chorus says, “In your eyes

“The resolution of all the fruitless searches; In your eyes

I see the light and the heat; In your eyes; Oh, I want to be that complete; I want to touch the light; The heat I see in your eyes.” 

The lengths we go to prove a love.

When man rebelled against God, the original love was broken, but not forgotten by God, in that He sent Jesus to restore that bond of love. It’s very hard for us to understand how that is or even works, because when someone doesn’t love us or hurts us, we become bitter and quit on them. But God’s love is different, as Jeremiah says in chapter Thirty One, 

A Cloud of Witnesses

 “I remember talking to my nephew back when he was in the Marines about his experience in boot camp and on how difficult it was for him. He had said that a one point about five weeks into it, he started to fell real burned out. He said that he never thought of quitting, but his body just couldn't take it anymore and that he felt like he would not make it. I asked him how he got through it and this was his response. “I started reading the letters people were sending me and saw that people were praying and loving me thru these letters. He said he had gotten the letter Arianna and me had sent him. It was a letter that contained the Lord's prayer Arianna had made for him in Sunday school. At the bottom it said, "Please protect my cousin while in the Marines." 

At times we tend to forget that even the simple words in life makes all the difference to someone. We think that we have to do something special all the time, or get “x” amount of attention, or come up with a perfect speech to lift people up. God in His infinite wisdom knows the words that need to be said to someone going thru trials and with His Spirit allows us to express the right sentiments. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in chapter Twelve, “ 

Set Apart “Elect”

 One year, when I was working for the City of Long Beach at Houghton Park, we got the opportunity to go to Disneyland and take the kids from the daycare to enjoy the day. It was Mickey Mouse’s Sixteenth Birthday celebration and many cities were invited to celebrate and be part of a parade in a big pomp and circumstance celebration. We got to go around and enjoy the day on all the rides, but the best part came when they kicked the general public out and only those who were invited, got to stay and enjoy the park, rides, food and drinks for free, because we were “set apart” from everyone else.

Jesus in John Seventeen, which is His real prayer and not what many call the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew Six, in verse Seventeen says, 

““Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.” ‭(NET‬‬) 

God’s Not Dead

 “God is Dead” was proclaimed by Nietzsche in the Nineteenth century. He was an atheist for his adult life and by his statement, he wasn’t saying that there was a God who had actually died, rather that our idea of one had. He believed that men wouldn’t be able to handle a world without a God, but as time has progressed, we find that first this concept is not new. Agnostic means not knowing, they are basically on the fence people, of they don’t know if God is real or not. These people were around when Paul taught, the people in the times of Moses, believed in every form of god and worshipped images made by men, ranging from birds to animals and even moon and sun. To think that God didn’t exist and or that faith is blind even has troubled prophets, and I early on in my walk and at times had questioned if God was real. I think it’s a valid thought and struggle for all mankind. People say science proves God doesn’t exist, that death and famines, prove it also. Billy Graham before he started his Los Angeles tent revival said he went to the desert with his Bible and questioned whether God was real. This after his longtime friend and co-evangelist Charles Templeton lost his faith after seeing a Life magazine  picture with a starving child on it and said God can’t exist.

Hebrews Eleven is known as the “Faith Hall of Fame” where it recounts many people in the Bible who lived and died for their faith in God. 

Hebrews Eleven verse Six says, “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” 

Where is our Hope?

by Jose Barajas

I love the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption. It is based on a short story from one of my favorite writers when I was growing up, Stephen King. Andy Dufresne is imprisoned for killing his wife, even though he didn’t do it. After having spent two weeks in solitaire confinement for playing opera music over the prison loudspeakers, Andy is telling his fellow inmates how it was the two easiest weeks because of the music he had in his heart and mind. Him and Red, his best friend in prison, go back and forth saying, 

“Andy Dufresne : That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music? 

Red : I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn't make much sense in here. 

Andy Dufresne : Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget. 

Red : Forget? 

Andy Dufresne : Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours. 

Red : What're you talking about?