Jesus Wept

Jesus Wept. Short and simple statement if you want to call it one. So what does that mean? Is it just to say Jesus wept and nothing more? It is short and sweet all wrapped in a box. It is called the shortest verse in all of the Holy Bible. So why did Jesus cry? Does it really matter to know this fact in history? What about other facts in history? Are they important and matter to be known? The shortest statement of Jesus Wept is an amazing example, I believe, to show how simple life really is and yet complicated at the same time.

Why does the legal system make things so complicated every day? Why do lawmakers really not care about the American people in Washington, D.C. and pad their own pockets with pork? Does anyone in life have the right to make things so complicated and morally unfair to another human being? Are Environmentalists important and do they care since they try to make things greener? What have been the conclusions to their agenda? All that I see is complex nothing. Gas prices have gone so high that it is one of the reasons why the economic system world wide has broken down so we can’t even pay the low stuff now.

How do I know this? It has been one of the indicators watched very carefully before the Wall Street / Economic bust. The ice caps have not melted recently but indeed grown. No Environmental group wants to admit that and that is a shame. No one wants to stick their necks out these days to predict what will happen with the economy or the housing market or you name it. Why? Complex maybe?

Now that Washington doesn’t know and the environmentalists don't know, what is the simple solution? Jesus wept and died for all people in this world whether they want to admit it or not. Jesus is the simple solution. Pray to God for forgiveness and see what happens. It’s ok and no one needs to know but God. Jesus wept is a simple statement and the shortest verse in the Bible for a reason.

Remember KISS in school? Keep it short and simple! Why do people want to always forget that? Obama doesn’t have the answers to all our problems. Bush did not either. Why do we look to Politicians and business people for answers? They keep getting us in deeper troubles. You can not serve both God and money. God wants to help so why not ask? Jesus wept, I believe, for all He saw then and for future events and still died to save the world. If you want to discuss this blog then email me or reply with your thoughts. Be blessed!

Brad

Oversold

Ok I am decided to start something a new here on my blog and will do this from time to time. It may be monthly at first but can be more often based on request and demand. If there is a movie that you would like reviewed from a Christian perspective or a family rating then by all means e-mail me or respond to this blog with the title and how soon. If it is really quick like a day or two before your viewing it then provide an e-mail address so I can just directly contact you. Now on with my first review….

Oversold is a new independent movie from SUMOJACK and Elevation Church which is directed by Paul Morrell. This movie is a live adaptation of the biblical story of Hosea. It is a story about a young man Joshua that is a pastor of a church and is confront with sin and persecution right in his face. Joshua meets a stripper while visiting Las Vegas on a vacation one week from his church. The stripper Sophi is not what she wants to be and yet is what she had to be for many years. Joshua spends a lot of time with her and they fall in love and get married. In an alarming set of real world events and behavior shows the raw emotions of people and how they deal with sin from multiple sides. This is a great story of redemption and grace. The music is a great touch for the movie as well with familiar voices that people may have heard on the radio. Jill Phillips and Sunshop23 are just two acts that have appearances with their music in this film.

Oversold is a movie that I would recommend to anyone for a cheap yet good entertainment value. I give this movie 3 ½ popcorn tubs out of 4. I hope that future productions from SUMOJACK are an impact and even better going forward. Be blessed!

Brad

Take Care How You Listen

Recently, I have been pondering about ideas. When I come up with an idea is it me or is it God? Doctors say dreams are the brains way of understanding events in your life. Pastors I have heard speak say the dreams are God’s way of communicating with us. Is this all true? I have also heard it said that if you believe it it will come true! Wow that is a load statement. Can this really happen? What I find hard is when I think of something whether Godly or not, what will happen? I believe that God does exist and that he will not give you an idea unless you need it or he needs it. How do I know that he exists?

Miracles that are happening every day are one example. The events that have been written about many thousands of years ago in the Holy Bible are coming true or have been already uncovered which is another proof. Now that God is real and the inspirations that happened many years ago have become true, do inspirations still happen even today? I say yes. I believe God proves it with what he gives us to deal with and ideas if we will listen and be quiet long enough to hear Him.

How do dreams become reality? Do you act on them? If you do like me then God makes them real. But you might say I believe some idea given to me is real and I can see, feel, taste and want it so bad and I can’t take it anymore by my actions. Some wise person once asked me, “What are you not doing to make it happen?” I would say there is nothing I am not doing but I want to quit because I can’t take it anymore. He then told me, “then that is what you are not doing. You are not doing what it takes to see it through. God does not need you to achieve anything in life but instead wants you.” I have remembered those words for the last 12 years. While I forget them a lot of the times, when I do remember it makes me look at my life differently. What my dreams are telling me are God’s way of giving us glimpse of our futures and expectations. It has been tough for me though the last several years in my life and I want it to go better.

My dreams are to be a freelance writer who makes ideas in words come to life. It doesn’t matter if it is a book, a blog, a magazine article or whatever. All I want to do is do what God wants me to do. How you may ask that I know God wants me to do this? It is because I can’t stop thinking about it 95% of the time and that excites me. This is how I know that God wants me to do it. It bangs around in my head like shoes in a dryer. Some day I believe it will happen! If it doesn’t then God will make new dreams become reality. I don’t think so because I have about gone crazy on these ideas and I don’t accept it will not happen.

In Luke 8:18 Jesus said to his followers, “Therefore, take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.” (Holman CSB) I believe Jesus was using this example to show people that God will give what he wants you to go after and be positive. Let it shine because if not then it will go away. Dreams are not just dreams ladies and gentlemen. They are discussions to give you information to make your life right. Dreams will become reality in one way or another by either you or someone else if you do not listen to God. Are you ready? God wants us to join his loving arms and listen to you every word. Be blessed!

Brad

“The Apologetics Study Bible” by Holman Bible Publishers provided today’s scripture.

http://bhpublishinggroup.com/apologeticsbible/default.htm

Bailouts and Stimulation

Are you getting tired of hearing the same news stories like I am every day about bailouts and the Stimulus Package for Americans? It will help us to be better Americans the lawmakers say. It will grow the economy and even help you pay off your debts is another way it is stated. Somehow though the money never comes does it. The last stimulus package the media says helped the rich people and this one will help the selected few again called the minorities possibly or the poor. If this stimulus package gets sent out and you still get no money, what really happened? All I can say is I don’t care what you do anymore government and media. We are over taxed and underpaid.

Besides people telling our egos that you are a fool for listening, through all of this bailout and stimulus can we ever really get both of these things another way without the government’s help. I say yes. How you may ask? Have you ever gotten on your knees and prayed to God for one solid hour a day for one week? Why not? Have you done things that were easier? You know like, reading a book on how to fix all of these problems or watch an instructional video or TV show about it. Have you called a financial advisor and got an “I don’t know what to do?” If you read or watched and not got a satisfied response, I imagine in your heads it might go something like this. “If all those ideas were easy, then enough with this and then watch a movie or buy beers at a bar to drown the worries away for just a while.”

So now you are back to the prayer idea. I hope that you pray to God for an hour and then you get an answer after a week or a month of doing this. What happens might surprise you. Were you bailed out or stimulated? I say you got insights that many don’t have. Answers of prayer are miracles from God. Do you know how to make sense of them? No you might say, because I have gotten an answer or do not understand what Numbers 20:7-8 says in a prayer.

What do you do about it? Nothing? Did you go to a minister? Did you go find a Bible and do what it actually says? I challenge everyone who reads this blog and anyone you tell about this blog to do something for God. Why God? Why not? You might say, “I don’t believe God is real or God is a hoax or I am an atheist.” But did you really try? I pray that we all ask God for a bailout or stimulation in our lives. It is possible if we will only ask. Be blessed!

Brad

Are you scared or sad? Inspiration follows

How happy am I? How happy are you? Has life been fair and easy on you? Did most everything work out for us? Are you ever scared? Can I be what I really want to be? While I know that I can not answer those questions for you and am intrigued what those answers are, I will take a shot at answering those complex questions and hopefully can relate a good story / lesson for all of us to learn. How happy? I am happy as much as I want to be. I know that is what I want to answer but life will throw me a barrage of problems and it can detour me from maintaining happiness and peace. Why is that you may say? I believe because EVIL wants us to lose so it can win. Who is EVIL? EVIL is Satan. Satan, ever since leaving Heaven many centuries ago, has been learning and getting stronger with Spiritual Warfare. He even attacks many faiths including Christianity and Scientology even if they don’t want to admit it. How happy am I? Most days 90% because of the variables and that is great considering it is about as close to perfection as any human can be. On the other days, it can be as low as 10% and then I get a spiritual boost. How can this be possible? It’s because God exists and talks with me and walks with me. Has life been fair and easy? No. Does most everything work out for us? I believe it is all about perspective. I would answer yes mostly. Now that I have answered some of those questions, I want to tell you a story about a woman who has had a little of Hell go on in her life. She does have though a rose garden the size of the state of Texas filled with love, happiness and family that has taught her so much and been by her side even when they did not have too. Amy lost her father in a car accident when she was young and then a short time later her mother died of cancer. It was just her and a sister for a long time. When you ask Amy about that past she doesn’t want to talk about it much. Instead she wants to talk about all that she has gained. 5 step siblings and they are mostly real close in age. She has strong people around her all the time. She says, “I know my God is real. I know that bad things do happen to good people and that’s ok. I live my life knowing that everything happens for a reason and it makes me stronger. God will not give me more than I can handle. Not everyone is meant to be in our lives forever, some are simply just passing through, making an impact.” When I heard Amy say these things it really got me thinking deeply. How do I look at life and have I really had a bad life? If I know that I am ok and God will not give me more than I can handle, then what impact am I in another person’s life? Then I ask why would a loving God put other people through Hell if I am not or have not gone through a living Hell. Amy helped me with this when she sent me a message via e-mail one day. “There are times when I say why me God…. I see it as life lessons or spiritual lessons which help me define who I am. It’s been repeated to me that ‘I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my parents?’ My reply is you move on with life in their honor. Your past does not define you it is what makes up the pieces of who you are… I know that when I truly turn my problems over to God things get better.” Amy is an amazing inspiration to me because of her grace, love, and strength. While she is not perfect, that is awesome because she keeps going and hoping. I believe it makes her and I strive to be better this day and the days to come. Money and stuff can not define you I believe and will NEVER be possible to take to the next life. That life is Heaven I believe. What do you value most about this chance in life? What do you strive to be better at? Jesus, for Amy and I, values that you love one another and try your best every single day. He came to this life, not to be a Savior even though he is, but I feel to be an inspiration to me and you. Just like Amy, Jesus helps me on a daily basis to remember all the bad and the good in my life and file it away. If I am not better for a long time then that is ok because I am trying to get there. One day when that last breath is taken by me, my hope is that God says "well done my son now rest as a thank you. You inspired others like all my children who accepted me." May Amy’s story inspire you and if not then give God a try and see if he inspires you. Be blessed!


Brad

And so it Begins….

Hello fellow bloggers and readers who have read this blog in the past. I am back to the writing process here on this page. I was going to submit the first blog of the new year a few days ago but I have been sick and now ready to blog away for what I feel will be a very interesting 2009. Why is it going to be interesting? Well, I can be political, philosophical or candid about it. I will give you a little of all of those. Politically, the President to be is going to be sworn in in a few days and he as you already know is black, a Democrat and in uncharted waters which makes it very historical. Philosophically speaking, Mr. Obama is in a minority position for multiple reasons. His views on society and power will be very different than most I believe. Candidly, because of the economy being the way it is and the historical move by Mr. Obama will make it an interesting year to follow both politically and economically. I also believe with all the various new things that each year brings and the shift of powers in the government will test many people’s theories that might all be proven wrong or right. Since we are starting off things fresh and new, I have decided to take a slightly different approach to this blog. I am going to continue themed blogs as in the past but have decided to also address things that are going on in the news and try to address them from God’s point of view and how that impacts us. I will hopefully show the pluses and the minuses of the issue and might even throw in a Bible verse or two that I feel might adhere to this situation. I hope that you will all want to continue reading and even add your thoughts about what I write. I also hope that you find these blogs both interesting and informative. I will try my best and pray that God can use me in the future writings. Happy New Year to you all and be blessed!


Brad

The New Season

Hello fellow bloggers! I am back for "The New Season" of blogging. I have titled this blog "The New Season" because I believe that is what I feel like I am in for my life and that seems to parallel with the fall time of the year, school now beginning everywhere and college football. I have a nephew that is starting a new season in his life this Tuesday as well. He is starting preschool and this is the first time that he will be away from his mamma when it does not mean she is working and Nana is at his house taking care of him and his sisters. I know that he might have some concerns as does his mamma in the beginning but this made me realize a couple of things recently that deals with a new season and uncertainties. I am in a uncertain time in my life after finishing in rough drafts, waiting on final approval from my editor, my first ever book I have written for many to hopefully read. I began this journey of the unknown and writing for a potential career a little over a year ago and the "New Season" has had some bumps and confusions but I know that ultimately I will be ok. I learned this because of a passage I found in the Bible. I think this can apply to me, my nephew and any new Christian that is starting out in this crazy world or trying to survive in it. It is found in Luke 2:40. It says "The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God's grace was on Him." I believe because of this verse, it shows that not only with my nephew starting his new season will be fine but so will I. God's grace is on him, me and you if you want Him there. So now I am glad to be in this "New Season." I hope that with God's grace, I will be something mighty someday just like I hope the same for my nephew. God bless Isaiah and to you all too!

Brad

By the way, the little boy in that verse grew up to be known as the Savior of the world called Jesus. That is awesome and brings a smile to my face!