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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a great time eating, laughing and being thankful.

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I am personally thankful, most of all, for the Mercy and Grace of God in my life.

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I am thankful for my Family.

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I am thankful for all of my friends and all you great people in blog land.

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May God bless you all on this great day!!

Time Changes Everything

Little Milupa, Timmy and Stephen

Years later.. Stephen, Tim and Milupa.

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Time is one of those subject we don't necessarily like to discuss the older we become. And yet time is inescapable. There is no way anyone can escape the harsh reality that time continues regardless of circumstances and events. Time is no respecter of person, place or thing. All of our decisions are revealed through the process of time. Our characters and true identity is revealed through the ongoing elapse of time. Time is the means by which we measure experience and durability. It is also the means by which we measure failure and expiration. Time is in every aspect of our lives. While you are reading this blog post, time is moving forward and not returning. Even as I sit and type this post, time will only determine the amount of people who will read it.

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By time we determine when we should rise and when we should retire. It is through time that friendships can grow ever closer or further apart. Time seems to run faster everyday. Can we really come up with a definition for time? Is it enough to describe time as being the system or method of measuring space between sequential events, and being indefinite and continuous, and the means by which we judge things to be the past, the present or the future? Time is hard to nail to one certain definition. And yet I think the best way to describe time is, Mystery.

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I would like to know from everyone who reads this post. What do you think Time is?

I know...its been a while!

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

(This one is long. I had to make up for the break.)

I am quiet certain that everyone who has any interaction with the general public has been annoyed at some point by those of us who ask questions. Often times we are uncomfortable with questions when they become too personal or when the questioner passes the, ‘questions allowed’, mark we have subconsciously created in our minds. It is very easy for us to dismiss those who ask questions as being nosey or way too curious. In my own experience there have been many times I walked away from a conversation and labeled a person as being entirely too inquisitorial. However, I had to stop and ask myself a few questions. Was that person asking questions just for the mere fact of being nosey? What were they intending to gain from asking me so many questions? Why am I annoyed that they are asking me questions?

I must first of all stop in my rambling to inform you, I do believe there are those who ask questions just to feed their starving curiosity. Many people are hungry for information and they thrive off the idea of knowing everyone’s personal details. People of this nature will go through great hassles and jump through many hoops to gain information and get a fix for their addiction. These are the types of people who will spend multiplied hours and long nights browsing blogs and constantly checking people’s profiles on various social networking sites to make sure to keep up with the latest events. I don’t believe that all who browse blogs or webpage’s are nosey or overly curious, just some.

I have come to write this post because I find great pleasure in meeting and getting to know people beyond just a hand shake and a back slap. There is a communion and a connection that can be gained through knowing more about the other person. Questions can often times be uncomfortable to answer and also to ask. Sometimes we get the feeling that the question we would like to ask someone is going to be received in a hostile way. And rather than thinking the question through and finding a way to communicate what we have in mind, we dismiss the question and often feel somewhat frustrated in the end when we walk off. The problem in most cases is not the question itself; it is the manner in which the question is asked. It also has a lot to do with the timing, the setting and the mood in which the question is being asked. Another issue that arises is how the recipient will perceive our inquiry.

I understand that I could write an entire book on the what, when, why and how of questions. And yet my goal is to point out one thing that has always amazed and intrigued me. Every conversation that we engage in is made up of questions and answers. Sometimes the questions and/or answers are not verbal. We can ask a question in the way we speak by changing the pitch, tone and/or volume of our voice. We can also answer in the same manner. Many times people will ask a question or answer verbally one way and yet you can tell by their expression that their words are in contrast with their thoughts. As you begin to know a person better, you will feel more of a liberty to ask them questions and bring to them certain propositions you would not ordinarily bring to just anyone.

This is how we draw closer to God. If you desire to know God in a deeper and more powerful way than ever, you must begin to try and understand his ways. And the only way to know more about God is to ask him to reveal himself. This action requires questions. Have you ever kneeled down and just began to pray “God what’s your will for my life? Can you teach me to pray? Will you give me a desire to worship and a passion for your kingdom?” I wonder what we would feel like if God looked at us in disgust and exclaimed to his angels that he was getting annoyed at all the questions those nosey people are asking. I’m sure we wouldn’t want to draw closer or know him more.

The good thing is that God loves for us to ask him questions. Because he loves to answer and when he answers, we get to know him more and more. It is through the process of questions and answers that we build a strong and powerful and unmovable relationship with God. And once that type of relationship is built, then it will be near impossible for others to convince you that God is this or that. It is through the questions and answers that you find out who God “REALLY” is. God will also ask you questions and listen to your answers. And when the adversary brings false charges against you, God will dismiss them and smile because he knows who you “really” are.

So next time you get annoyed at someone for asking you questions be sure to stop and think. Are they being nosey or do they care and if they do care, how much do I care. I believe that it is through questions and answers that we all will find close friends and lifelong comrades. My word to you in conclusion is, ASK A QUESTION!

Switzerland

The Great Fall (Part 3)

There is a war that rages within the heart of every individual between the flesh and the spirit. Paul makes it very clear in Romans 7 that there is a constant battle between wanting to do right and yet still being drawn to the things that are sinful. Paul was struggling with a desire to do the right things and yet he would continue to fall into the very things he was trying to stay away from.
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Paul was trying to get us to understand that he really and truly wanted to do right. And yet he still found himself falling back into the same sin and into the same temptation and back into the very things that he hated. Paul lifted up his voice and said;
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Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
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Paul however, did not leave us in that place of self despair. But he went on to say;
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Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
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Paul realized that if it was up to him he would still be fighting against the things he tried to leave behind. But he let us in a little secret that Adam and Eve didn’t have. Even Satan in his uplifted pride and arrogance went to visit Jesus in the wilderness. And knowing that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days he came to him at his weakest point. And the old serpent began to tempt Jesus the same way he tempted Eve. And yet Jesus response to each one of those temptations was “It is written.” The devil tried the lust of the flesh and he tried the lust of the eyes and he tried the pride of life and he found out that it didn’t work.
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Adam and Eve were tempted and they failed. And Because of the offence of one, sin entered the world to condemn all men. Yet when God looked down upon his creation it was his desire to bring mankind out of the bondage of sin and back into fellowship with himself. He came down in the form of a man and walked this earth and bore in his own body the sins of humanity. And he did this because he wanted us to be able to live in total victory and not be bound by the sins that haunt our lives. It is the good will and pleasure of our Lord to give his children freedom from the failures and mistakes of the past and to not live in that fallen state.
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1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
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We have victory and receive strength through fellowship with Christ. As long as we try to accomplish victory in the flesh and by ourselves we will continuously echo the words of Paul in Rom 7. But when we step aside and allow the spirit of Christ to govern our minds and direct our hearts we will not have to spend another day in what has been so often referred to as the The Great Fall.
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2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The Great Fall (Part 2)

Sin works in such a way that if you continue to look at the things that God forbids it won’t be long until you will find yourself desiring or lusting after those things. And then it won’t be long until you reach out your hand and you will take it. The battle against sin begins in the mind. I believe that when Eve started looking at the tree she began to ponder in her mind why God did not want them to eat of that tree. And in her mind she no doubt tossed the question around and most likely she started looking at the tree from a distance and it wasn’t long until she found herself right in front of the tree and that’s when the serpent began to speak to her.
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The next step after Eve took was that she “did eat” the fruit. The process of sin is a downhill plunge. I have a feeling that when Eve began to look at the tree that she never intended to take the fruit and when she took it she never intended on eating it. And yet once she allowed the desire toward that forbidden fruit to work in her spirit the end result was death. After Adam and Eve ate of the fruit the Bible said that their “eyes” were opened and they knew that they were naked and they were cursed. Sin looks appealing to the flesh and it might seem to be harmless and yet once sin is embraced it will expose you and it will leave you running and hiding from God. And the things you loved will become the things you run from and the happiness you knew will be replaced by an effort to cover up your shamefulness. James said it like this;
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Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
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James is using the example of birth here in this passage. And he is telling us that lust is conceived or another way of saying it is that when lust is seized or clasped. It brings forth sin. And sin when it is finished brings death. The idea is of a woman when she is with child there is a process of growth within the womb and then the child is born. Sin works much like that in that the lust or desire of sin begins within the heart of an individual and if it is allowed to grow you may not be able to tell at first but as it continues to grow you will see notable differences with that person. Attitudes will begin to change, moods will start to change and appearances will change. And in the process of time you will see what caused it all along.
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to be continued...