We are at war!

“When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant.”

Deuteronomy 31:20 NIV -- http://bible.com/111/deu.31.20.niv

We are at war! Yes, we are at war with ISIS and Islamic Extremists. But, the war is broader than just with this hate filled group. The war is against Satan and the devaluing of human life itself. Our nation and really the world as a whole, have been given blessings beyond measure. In our "abundance" we have forgotten the great God of creation.  We have become selfish and completely focused on our own lives, neglecting the lives of others. Satan has buried his lies in the hearts and minds of Islam. He has also filled the hearts of many of our own citizens with death through abortion and abuse of drugs, sex, and alcohol. We have lived so well that we have ignored God. We have been given a land flowing with milk and honey. We have eaten our fill and thrived. We have now rejected the same Lord that filled us with abundance. We have backed down when our faith is challenged. We have displayed a air of weakness and vulnerability and the enemies, from Satan himself, are on the attack. I cry out to the Lord for strength to change hearts. I ask for wisdom and guidance to stem the tide toward hate and death. I know, Lord, we win in the end. In the fight that is today and now, I beg your blessing, wisdom, and strength. Help me be a messenger of your love, your grace, and your mercy. Help us defeat ISIS and the radicals that want to destroy our faith in you. Please send leaders that listen to your word and your wisdom. We can not do this without you! We need you Lord!

Do not Panic

“He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.”

Deuteronomy 20:3 NIV -- http://bible.com/111/deu.20.3.niv

I have ISIS on my mind, as does the rest of the world. The attacks in Paris last week may be a sign of a new offensive. This "war" is being fought in a very real way. I just heard about a High School group in Dekalb county that have cancelled there trip to Paris in 2017. I'm not sure what I think about that. Regardless what some people think, we are at war and I personally wouldn't travel abroad right now. But, two years from now? I think our fears of war, our fears for confronting evil can get out of control. We can't let the enemy change our lives. That is exactly what they want.

It's not just the fear of terrorists. We fear many of the evils in this world. We need to take this verse to heart. WE can't be fainthearted. We can not change the way we live our lives because of that evil. We need to hold dear our powerful, wonderful God. My wonderful Heavenly Father is with me. He is with those that love him and call upon his name. I will NOT be afraid!

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you for your protection. I praise you for your love. I do not fear evil because you are with me. Please Lord help our leaders be strong in the face of this terrible threat. Give them wisdom and strength to continue the fight against evil in this world. We owe it to the weak and vulnerable to protect them with all our strength. We need to be strong and not panic or live lives filled with terror. We can only do that with you! Amen!

Still a heavy heart!

“May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.”  Psalms 35:26 NLT -- http://bible.com/116/psa.35.26.nlt

I am still struggling a bit with the tragedy last week in Oregon. The fighting and use of this tragedy for political gains is disgusting and appalling. The enemy rejoices at the turmoil unleashed by this lone gunman. I wil say it again and again and again, you can not legislate morality. You can't change hearts with the signing of a law. People that are not grounded in the reality of life, that don't value the lives of others or even their own life, will not live by ANY law created by man. We need to do everything possible to create citizens with hearts for love, that care deeply about their own. 

Satan is laughing with every moment he can distract us from our one mission, turning cold hearts to warm hearts for our savior. When we lose focus on bringing the lost to a saving relationship with Jesus, we lose hope. Satan does not win, our hope is real and that hope remains forever in Jesus. It does not matter what Satan does, it does not matter how humiliated or disgraced you feel, we are triumphant now and forever.

Dear Lord, I sincerely come to you with a heavy heart for the families of those lost on Roseberg. Make your presence known to them. Give them comfort and oeace in this time of great grief and shock. We know you are in charge and the enemy is already defeated. Help us to defeat that enemy here and now. Amen!

I see people being crushed!

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. (Psalm 143:3-4 NIV)

As you know, I am thrilled with my life. God has blessed me in great abundance. When I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner this week, I will not be able to contain my thankfulness. But, this is not to say, there is no evil in the world. As a matter of fact, I see evil everywhere. The enemy is at the door, he pursues us and his plans are to crush us.

I have seen the hedge of protection around me and my family, yet I am affected about the evils of this life. I see a young lady battling with cancer as she tries to raise her two young daughters. At the same time she fights a serious divorce. When I hear this I want to shout to God, "Leave her alone!! Protect her because she is being crushed and the enemy pursues her.

I see students at school that battle with bullies, confidence, and being socially outcast. My heart aches for their pain. I see the same students abandoned by their parents, fighting broken relationships, and struggling with poverty. I scream, God protect them from the evil of this world. Stop anyone bringing harm to them and punish the evildoers severely.

I see bikers hiding behind sin,convincing themselves their is no God that could love them. I see them lose the battle of destructive decision making. I see satan taking hold of their weaknesses, stealing hope, and providing temporary joy.

Yes, there is much evil in this world. It shames me to see it. But, the Lord saves me. He saves me for his purpose that I might serve the lost and those fighting a losing battle with evil. I praise God and pledge my life to spreading true joy through him!

Daylight Savings Time

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19 NKJV)

Daylight savings time ends this weekend. I'm sorry to see it go. I know it's not popular, but I love it during the summer. Sure, Saturday night it will take a while to reset the clocks and there are some businesses that it hurts. There are also some that it helps. Regardless, getting those extra hours of daylight on the motorcycle is awesome or the extra fun times on the beach more than make up the inconveniences. The dark and gloom of winter is just around the corner and I will long for the sun drenched afternoons of summer. I love the light. 

I do know people who love the night. They don't really come to life until after hours. Night, to me, has one sole purpose.............SLEEP! Yet, these night owls don't see it the same way. They want to party all night. In my 53 years of life there is more harm than good taking place at night. 63% of rapes and 71% of car thefts occur at night. (Wiki.answers.com) Night time is a time for no good.

When Jesus came to this earth, he brought with him a great light. People didn't notice it then and they are still not noticing. Jesus Christ is our light. He destroys darkness and the evil accompanying it. Bring his light into this cold dark world. We need the warmth, the light, and the Love!

Measure it!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)

Life is so complicated and full of peril. This world, our country, and our lives are in peril. We teeter on destruction every moment of every day. We have wars, terrorism, death, disease, famine, disaster, tragedy, and a mood of evil everywhere. Our streets are not safe, innocent women and children are not safe. It isn't even safe in our own families. Fathers and mothers are abusing their children. In churches, pastors and priests assault the weak and vulnerable. Through all the pain and suffering in this moment, you can have a light heart because of Christ. You can be strengthened with power and blessed in the midst of evil. The knowledge of a God that created all things loves you in a way that can not be described with mere words, is truly amazing. 

We are not alone, all Christians stand together to know his love and take part in this wonderful life we have been granted. He loves us beyond in and through the evil of this world. You can't take a ruler to measure how much he loves us. You can't measure it in one, two, three, or four dimensions. The blessings are immeasureable even by Gods standards. Praise God that he loves us. He is our way through this world. He has prepared a place for us and I can't wit to arrive!

Innocence: Teach your Children Well!

Romans 16

 ¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

One of my grand daughters is spending the weekend with us. I just love having her here. I always enjoy having them visit and stay with us. After living for 51 years and witnessing the good and the bad in life, it is fun being able to spend time with someone who has not been tainted by the world. I love the innocence of children. As parents, as grandparents, as educators, one of greatest callings is to preserve that innocence as long as we can. We are to protect them from evil. We want them to know as much good as we possibly can. We want them to know of the good in this world, not the evil. 

God wants us to be wise of the good around us. God wants us to know of the good within us. God wants us to be innocent of evil. As Christians, we have a choice to dwell on all that is wrong with the world, our world, or we can dwell on the goodness. It seems that evil in this world is growing and it is easy to get wrapped up in it. The times can seem to be hopeless. But, we know that our Good and Holy God is in control and there is hope in him. God is Great. He wants us to be innocent as children, as grandchildren.

Thank You Lord for your love. Thank you for your hope. Protect us from evil. Protect the innocence we have remaining in our lives. Amen!

Black and White!

Psalm 36 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ¹ I have a message from God in my heart
   concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:^[b]
There is no fear of God
   before their eyes.
 ² In their own eyes they flatter themselves
   too much to detect or hate their sin. ³ The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
   they fail to act wisely or do good. ⁴ Even on their beds they plot evil;
   they commit themselves to a sinful course
   and do not reject what is wrong.


 ⁵ Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the skies. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
   your justice like the great deep.
   You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. ⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;
   you give them drink from your river of delights. ⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light.

What a contrast of Verses. Verses 1-4 describe the most vile and evil. Yet, with no transition whatsoever, we are talking about the great God of Love. Life is kind of like that. Life is Black and White! Good or Evil! There is no middle ground when it comes to God. You are either described by the first 4 verses or verses 5-9. You are either wicked and reject God, reject what is wrong, are deceitful, and are self-centered, or you flee to God for refuge, soak up the word and council of the Holy Spirit, are blessed by him and will live with him for eternity.

There is no middle ground. So many people think they can have it both ways. So many people don't think of themselves as evil because they haven't killed anyone, or stolen, or some other vile act. But, just the same they are sinners who reject God. It doesn't matter what the sin, we are all sinners. The only way we can make it to Eternity is by the Grace of God. You make the decision. Choose Life or Death. It's not any clearer than that!

It hurts when you get punched in the face!

Revelation 17 (The Message)

 ^9-11"But don't drop your guard. Use your head. 

One of the greatest movie fight scenes ever. Rocky I. You gotta love this.




The most amazing thing about this fight video is how terrible the boxing is. I guess, in order to get the dramatic bloody scene, you need to let your guard down.  It is wild that both of these fighters forgot the number one rule of boxing. Don't let your guard down! The reason this is so important is obvious. It hurts when you get punched in the face! When you keep your guard up, you protect your face from pain.  If you pay attention closely, the announcer says how Rocky is so tired he can't keep his guard up. He looked exhausted, but he sure was able to punch pretty hard.  In my mind, if you keep your guard up and make your opponent use all his energy landing punches to your gloves instead of your face, you will win. As a benefit, you won't get as bloody and the pain is a lot less. Just a thought!

A lot of us live life the same way as these "Dumb Fighters". We forget the number one rule: Keep your Guard up! Use your head!"  We are supposed to question things that go on in our daily lives. I always believe if it looks like a deal to good to be true, it probably is. If we're not sure if it's a sin, it probably is. If we aren't sure its "OF GOD" it's probably not.  When you're a fighter it is just common sense to protect yourself. In life you also need to protect yourself. Who or What from? How about temptation and evil for starters. ".....Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil...." So how do we do this? I believe God says put on the full armor to protect ourselves.

Ephesians 6 (New International Version) ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.  

Don't go through life getting hit in the face. It hurts. Go through life using everything you can to protect yourself from the evils you will see every day! Pray to God, Study his word, Beg his forgiveness for your sins, Listen to his guidance, and Worship him like there is no tomorrow! If we put on the full armor of God, we're going to save ourselves a lot of pain and suffering.  Ultimately, we will save ourselves from death!

Dear Lord, I know I am so dumb sometimes. I put myself through so much needless pain. I know it grieves you to see me hurt. Help me to rely on you and the Full armor you've provided for us. Thank you  for your patience. Please keep us form temptation and Deliver us from evil. In your great name we Pray. Amen!

Tail of the Dragon

Revelation 12 (The Message)

 ^3-4And then another Sign alongside the first: a huge and fiery Dragon! It had seven heads and ten horns, a crown on each of the seven heads. With one flick of its tail it knocked a third of the Stars from the sky and dumped them on earth. The Dragon crouched before the Woman in childbirth, poised to eat up the Child when it came............^7-12War broke out in Heaven. Michael and his Angels fought the Dragon. The Dragon and his Angels fought back, but were no match for Michael. They were cleared out of Heaven, not a sign of them left. The great Dragon—ancient Serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, the one who led the whole earth astray—thrown out, and all his Angels thrown out with him, thrown down to earth.


Motorcyclist call it the "Tail of the Dragon". Cagers (four wheel vehicle riders) call it Highway 129. The Dragon is the most popular motorcycle and sports car roads in the United States. The short 11 mile trip from Deals Gap on the North Carolina, Tennessee Border is filled with 318 curves. It is a challenge to ride or drive. I was so fortunate to be able to ride this adventurous stretch of highway. Here is a couple of pictures of Steph and I on the Dragon:

If you want to get the real feel of the Dragon -- here is a video of a guy riding a yellow Goldwing on the curves. This guy is crazy and a great rider! He makes it look so easy.

Goldwing on the Dragon!

The Tail of the Dragon is very dangerous stretch of highway. People that ride or drive this usually do so in a way that is well beyond their experience level.  Most people, attempt to slay the dragon by "Driving on the Edge" for this short 11 miles. Since 1995 12 people have lost their lives on this winding mountain road. I know this road is nothing like a real dragon. But, many riders treat this road just like they do the Dragon of Revelation 12. They feel like they can't be hurt, they feel like the dangers aren't real, and they are different than everyone else, they can handle it. Trust me, the Dragon mentioned in this Chapter is just as real as the dangers on Highway 129. People try to challenge the Dragon we know as Satan, just like many riders ride Highway 129. Most people don't take sin and Satan seriously. They feel like the danger is not real. They don't have the experience or proper skill to defeat him.

We are powerless against sin. We are powerless to defeat Satan on our own. God has an Army. He has the power and the weapons to defeat this Dragon. He kicked him from Heaven and he will once and for all defeat him in the last battle. We need to rely on the Power of Jesus Christ and the Power of God's Army of Angels to keep us safe and protect us from evil. Constantly Pray for his protection. We need to approach every turn and every Esse of the Highway of Life with God as our Driver. He will take us on this wild ride of Life. He will protect us and never let us die! When you take the turns of HWY 129 too fast and you lose control, you can die. When you live life with the backing of God's army, you will also die.

Dear Lord, Thank you for your love. Thank You for protecting us from evil. You are awesome and powerful and we praise you. We worship you with our lives. Amen!

Scorpions, Locusts, Horses, Torture!

Revelation 9 (The Message)

 ^20-21The remaining men and women who weren't killed by these weapons went on their merry way—didn't change their way of life, didn't quit worshiping demons, didn't quit centering their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood that couldn't see or hear or move. There wasn't a sign of a change of heart. They plunged right on in their murderous, occult, promiscuous, and thieving ways.


Between Chapter 8 and 9 in this book, we are told about a lot of death and destruction. Venomous Scorpions, torture, Locusts with Lions teeth, horses with serpent tails, and massive amounts of gloom and doom. Even with all of these wild weapons, some people will not change their ways. I am nobody special, but even in my own life, I have seen overwhelming evidence of the power of God. How can anyone go through life without completely bowing and worshipping the creator of the universe? How could anyone not believe in the power of a risen savior? I may never witness the type of suffering and destruction written in this book, but I see enough suffering and destruction all around me. The break down of the family is enough to overwhelm me. The poverty, faithlessness, and hopelessness is chilling. How can people make it on their own? People are so blind to the power of God. They rely on their own knowledge and their own understanding to make it through each day. This "Revelation" predicts it's not going to get better before it gets worse. Yet, even through the wild destruction that is to come, some people will just go about their lives as if nothing has happened.

So, what do WE do? Should we give up. Should we yield to the darkness? NO! NO! NO! NO! It should raise the urgency of our mission. Christ told us to "Go" throughout the world and preach the gospel. Never has this been more important than now. There is so much darkness. It can seem overwhelming. Yet, we need to share the Light of the World with everyone we meet. Take it serious. Pray for guidance, Pray for opportunities. Pray that the hearts of the lost will be open to the message. Now is the time. Don't wait. PRAY! STUDY! SHARE! PRAY! STUDY! SHARE! The world needs you!

In the shadow of Mordor

Revelation 2 (The Message)

To Pergamum

 ¹²Write this to Pergamum, to the Angel of the church. The One with the sharp-biting sword draws from the sheath of his mouth—out come the sword words: ¹³"I see where you live, right under the shadow of Satan's throne. But you continue boldly in my Name; you never once denied my Name, even when the pressure was worst, when they martyred Antipas, my witness who stayed faithful to me on Satan's turf.

Do you remember in the Lord of the Rings -- Mordor. It was so depressing

You can just feel the evil and the gloom. When I watch the news or deal with broken families at school I get the feeling of gloom and doom. When you see the way that our country has turned from God and how anti-christian our society is getting, it is easy to get depressed. When you see the murder and senseless  destruction of babies, or the extreme poverty, homelessness, and famine, you can be overwhelmed with depression.
But, we/I need to continue boldly  in the name of Jesus. Even when the pressure is at it's worst and we fight our battle on Satan's turf, God is with us. We need to persevere. We need to realize that God is in control. God defeats Satan. These earthly battles are only fleeting. They are mere puffs of wind. God is the wind, he will blow away the evil around us for all eternity. We need to defeat the depression in our lives. In the midst of the shadow and in the midst of the darkness is a perfect Light. The Light of the world is Jesus! AMEN!