Violence in America

Could it be with the gratuitous violence of movies and video games, that our children are being programmed at an early age to be numb to violence?  

Perhaps the issue; What is the value of a human life? 

Is it nothing more than hitting the reset button and continuing on your gaming quest to murder as many people as possible?  Or perhaps it is at our local movie theater that shows torture and murder without consequence or conscience.

I do not see this as black and white.  Humans have always found a way to murder.  Whether it be Cain and Able or Newtown, whether it be with a gun or with bare hands; we kill. That is a cold harsh fact.

Our moral backbone is weak.  We are afraid to draw definitive lines as to what is right and wrong. We as a race have faltered because we make the relevance of morality to be irrelevant.

With fists clenched skyward we scream, GOD!! HOW CAN YOU LET THIS HAPPEN???  

We were given the will to choose between right and wrong.  We make the choice to do wrong, we make the choice to do right. Yet, when the lines between right and wrong and good & evil are constantly blurred...what do we expect??  If it is confusing with those of us who are allegedly of sound mind...what does it to to those who may not be?

We need a return to civility on all fronts.  In entertainment, music, the media and most of all directly, in person...to each other.

Not A Christian

THIS WAS MY PERSPECTIVE BEFORE I DECIDED TO LIVE FOR GOD. JUST 13 YEARS AGO I DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHO GOD WAS, AND TRUTHFULLY DID NOT CARE.  I WAS SKEPTICAL AND SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, BUT YOU KNOW...WE ALL HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE.  READ ON, YOU MAY BE SURPRISED WHAT YOU FIND.

Okay I'm not a Christian, but I’ve finally made the decision to come to your church this Sunday. Don’t expect much from me though. If something comes up I might not, but right now I’m planning on it. I feel like I need to go, but I’m not sure why. I want to tell you a few things about myself before you meet me.

1.  I'm not going to understand religious language or phrases so be aware of that when we talk.  I don’t understand slain in the spirit, God is moving in me, covered in the blood, Holy Ghost, you just need to be in the Word, what you need is a new life, etc. If we have conversation filled with religious talk, I'm probably not going to understand half of the words...and maybe think you're a little crazy.

2.  When you ask me how I’m doing, know that I don’t trust you.  I’m probably going to lie and tell you I’m fine. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s just that I come from some pain and am not sure if I trust you yet. How about you tell me your story first? Why are you here? Don’t tell me I need to change, tell me about the change in you. If I like you and get the vibe that you’re not trying to capture my soul or anything, I’ll tell you my story.

3.  I’ve got pretty rough language and I can be bitter and angry about some things.  If I sense in you a mindset of superiority, I’m out.  If you are just waiting for your turn to talk instead of truly listening to me, I’m not going to be interested. Don’t expect me to be exactly like you.

4.  Don’t make a big deal of introducing me to everyone you know.  I understand a couple of people, but please; don’t set up a welcoming line. I’m just there to check it out; I need a bit of space.

5.  I’m going to be looking for genuine interest in me.  Please be real. I don’t want to feel like your personal salvation project or be a notch on your “I saved one” belt. If this Jesus is who you say he is, then I’m looking forward to seeing Him in you. That’s how it works, right?

6.  I’m going to have questions.  I need truth, not your preferences or your religion, so can you just tell me what the bible says?

7.  I need to feel welcomed.  Is there a time limit or something on my visit before I'm supposed to feel unwelcomed? I mean, I’ve been to other churches and there seemed to be a push for me to make up my mind or something. How long until I’m unwelcomed?

Thanks for hearing me out. I’m pretty sure I’m going to come this Sunday. But I might not.

Why I fail.........

God has given me this wonderful two-fold gift of grace and mercy, yet I repeatedly abuse it. I would have expected that the more I walk with God the easier my walk would become. That is not the case, at all. In fact I find the closer I get the more I sin and it is so maddening to have to deal with that!!

Do I read the bible as much as I should? Nope. Do I pray and offer up time alone with God? Not as much as I should. So then I fail, and I feel miserable...yet I still reach out to Him, I still pray, I still desire to give my life to him; yet over and over again it is on my terms...not His.

Why does He bother with me? What use could I possibly be to anyone let alone the One who created heaven and earth?

I am mad at myself for allowing my fear and anger to take control. The spirit of fear opens up the door for all of the other demons I battle. I swear I treat my demons at times like old friends. I am so use to them being around that sometimes I hardly notice they are there, yet the effects are still felt and the sinning continues.

I am this wretched man with impure thoughts and I despise myself for thinking and feeling this way. When will they go away!! I want and need peace!!!

REPENTANCE...........RECONCILLATION...............RESTORATION!!!!!!!!!!

I need the blood of the Lamb, to cover me.

To Hear or not To Hear

About 5 years ago when I lived in Massachusetts I woke up one morning and felt as though I had a jet engine blasting in my right ear. Though over the next few days it lessened, the noise never went away. After visiting my ENT I was diagnosed with mild hearing loss in both ears as well as tinnitus.

Over the past year it seemed as though the tinnitus has worsened and for the first time began to limit my concentration and ability to sleep. Just last week I visited an ENT here in California and my hearing loss is now at a moderate level, meaning it is time for hearings aids.

I am 45 years old and in order for me to hear conversations and function normally within a crowd or one on one I need these devices to fill in where 25 years as a professional musician has destroyed. I never wore ear plugs...ever. In the 1980's as I gigged with a 9 piece band called The B Street Bombers, everything was big. Big hair, big sound, big monitors. Not just floor monitors but side washes that blasted at us for 4 hours, twice a week or more for 20 years...the result.....I am slowly going deaf.

The nerve damage at least at this point in time cannot be repaired however the hearings aids will fill in where my ears are lacking. Also by using them, the tinnitus will not be as obvious and that I cannot wait for.

I have prayed for God to heal me and I know He will but when and where remain to be ....heard. Thank you Jesus for your mercy, grace and provision.

FALL

My favorite time of the year has arrived but in California the weather change is not as severe as it is in the northeast therefore it does not feel exactly the same. As with many things, California seems to work in the opposite direction of the rest of the country. Trees bear fruit and the landscape turns green in December, which still messes with my mind.

In just over 3 weeks I head back to the east for my nephew Kevin's wedding. He is marrying a wonderful young lady named Robyn. They have been dating for years and I expect like his mother and father, they will be married until death parts them. Kevin is a good kid and everytime we hang out the more I love him.

I have to pray for this trip because I wil be spending time with both of my sisters. I love them dearly but as it was 27 years ago when I left for Boston to go to college, I am the blacksheep, the odd one.....and now I am the one who is one of "those crazy Pentecostal Christians". Yes I am, and I thank Jesus everyday I am saved and sanctified by his blood. Old man made new.

I pray to God for a moment to testify to Bridget and Erin, to speak of God's goodness, to praise His name and let His spirit fall upon them.

3 out of my 3 children have had the baptism of the Holy Spirit fall upon them by evidence of speaking in tongues. Certainly no coincidence there.

Acts 2:39 states: "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

Thank you Lord!!!

What a game!!!

I never was a big basketball fan, but since I spent 24 years in the Boston area when the Celtics made it to the finals I figured I would watch. It was made even more fun to watch because now that I live in California, it was the Lakers going against the C's in the NBA Finals. Game 6 was an absolute crushing defeat for the Lakers. They were unmatched in every category. In other words they got "it" handed to them on a shamrock shaped platter.

Nice Job Celtics good to have you back on top!!