Judgement Day

Family Radio International, a Christian radio-based ministry, has been prophesying across the world that on May 21, 2011, God will render His Final Judgement and will "...destroy the world because of the sins of mankind."  How they determined the exact date to be May 21, 2011, can be read in their website:

http://www.familyradio.com/index2.html

You can read it and decide for yourself! My purpose here is not to debate their prophesy because soon enough time will reveal the truth.  For those of us now in the Body of Christ, we're always anticipating Christ's return as we try to live according to God's Will, so if Jesus is to return in a few weeks from this posting - Hallelujah !

Many of us have seen "End of the World" prophesies before along with many false prophets that claim to be the Christ or to have been given special dispensation from the Son of God.  Heck, this has been going on for over the past 2,000 years.  Even Holy Scripture warns us against false prophets.  

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."   

1 John 4:1

And just for clarification, I am not accusing Family Radio International of false prophesy - how would I know?  But because they have resurrected the issue of Judgement Day, there are two scenarios that should be considered:

Scenario 1:  They, Family Radio International, are right - May 21, 2011, is God's Judgement Day? 

Scenario 2:  They are wrong? 

May 22, 2011, will reveal the truth. 

Seriously though, if May 21st is Judgement Day:

ARE YOU READY

 and if not

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Once again, and as always, the Bible shows us the way to salvation:

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Romans 10:13:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8

You see, even if Family Radio is wrong about May 21, 2011, eventually you will die!  No one gets out of here alive!  If not on May 21st, then when?  No matter when or how we meet our demise, we will face our own individual Judgement Day, so the above questions are still pertinent - are you ready and if not, what are you doing about it? 

Something else to consider about this Judgement Day prophesy.  Repercussions!  That is, if we all wake up on May 22nd, what will those that are not followers of Christ now say about Christianity?  What about their expected accusations that the Holy Bible was and is wrong?  Even now many atheist groups are planning Judgement Day parties in direct opposition to the Family Radio's message, and although Family Radio has a fall-back position, it appears to me that the Body of Christ would have been better served if we just continued proclaiming God's Word without putting a "drop-dead" date on it.  Yes, I know that God is bigger than all of this and He can overcome any and all of our dilemmas, even if our intentions were good.  Thank You God!

So where do we go from here - both literally and figuratively?  Because God gave us "free will" we get to decide exactly where we go from here.  We just don't get to know or decide WHEN!

Hey, if we are still around after all of this, maybe we can talk about the Mayan calendar next - ha!

Criminals

As Christians, we are very familiar with the Gospel accounts on the crucifixion of our Lord and Christ, Jesus. Part of that story temporarily focuses on two criminals (Luke 23:39-43) that were crucified along side with Jesus.  One criminal on Jesus' left and the other to His right.  Little is said about these two individuals or what their crimes were although some translations refer to these two as thieves.  What we can agree upon is that these two men were guilty of their crimes and were receiving their "just" punishment whereas Jesus, totally innocent of any crime, was nailed on a cross between these two criminals.

So why do you think that the the Gospel of Luke goes into detail about the remaining moments of these two other characters when surely our concern should entirely be on Jesus.  Well, we will find that the focus is still on Jesus once we examine who these two criminals represent and what Jesus offers to them.  You know - the Big Picture!

My interpretation of this scene is that these two criminals are not just two bad guys receiving their justice, but rather, in reality, they were not individuals at all but the collective representation of mankind - all of mankind, from Adam through the end of time.  All of mankind is guilty of sin and the consequence of that sin is death.  Hence, man's sinful nature, and the consequences thereof, were exemplified by the two criminals hanging next to Jesus.

Now, let's look at the individual characters of these two criminals.  As with all in the world, both were guilty of sin and both surely died for their sins.  But before we go there, let's momentarily return to Luke 23:39-42:  Here we find that in the world there are only two kinds of people: those that are unrepentant of their sin and mock God and those that repent and look to Jesus for salvation.  One criminal represents the former group (the lost) and the other criminal represents the latter group (the saved).

We Christians believe that even as sinners we can be rescued from our sins and anticipate life eternal with Jesus because, as we conclude in Luke 23:43, Jesus assures us, the repented, that we will be with Him in Paradise.  Jesus, the One without sin, became our sin and died on the cross so that we would have the promise of salvation.  It took a criminal to show us, the world, that if we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ Jesus then we will be set free.  Unfortunately, too many in the world elect to follow the other criminal and dismiss the One True God in favor of other worldly gods.

So, does it bother you that you are considered to be a criminal subject to death by crucifixion for your sins?  Actually, the more important question to ask yourself is:

Which criminal are you?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

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Mission Impossible

At the beginning of each episode of Mission Impossible, secret agent Jim Phelps received a package from his boss which, when activated, played a tape-recorded message that self-destructed after playing once.  The recorded message, which always started as "Your mission Jim, should you decide to accept it ...." described what Jim's mission was, and of course secret agent Jim always accepted his given mission.  Jim and his team always knew what their mission was and were given the tools, techniques and plans to achieve each and every mission.  There was no doubt as to what Jim's mission was.

How great would it be if we could know exactly what our mission is, that is, what the definitive purpose is for our lives.  God does not present us with a tape-recorded message that describes in detail what His plans are for us, or what our purpose is, or exactly how we are to achieve this even though He does provide us with the tools and techniques as written in Scripture and as exemplified through the life of Christ Jesus.  But the question remains - what is His Grand Plan for our individual lives!

It appears to be easier for us to look at other Christians and deduct from their professions, actions, or through their relationships what we assume their God-given purpose is for them.  Preachers are to preach God's Word, Pastors are to pastor the Church; Ministers are to minister to the people needs; Musicians and singers are to lead in Praise and Worship;  Bible intellects are to conduct Bible studies; and so on!  Seems obvious to the most casual observer even though we all know what it means to "assume". 

But what about us, the you's and the me's of this world, where our life's purpose is not so clear or concise as we (again) assume we think others lives are so well defined and spelled out?  How do we know if we are truly following God's plan for us?  Most of us are not in the lime-light; we're not leaders of a church or even a small group; we listen to great ones such as Billy Graham knowing that we were not meant to be a Billy Graham; we try to lead "normal" lives to provide for our families while working and succumbing to all those mundane ideals that society puts on us as tests of our security and successes. Where is God's plan for us in all of that noise and commotion?  Where does our purpose get defined and how do we know if we are succeeding if we don't have a recorded message from God?

The book "Purpose Driven Life" by Pastor Rick Warren is a phenomenal manifesto that goes through great lengths and presents many resources to help the readers to determine what on earth they are here for.  Everyone should read that book often but please realize that this book alone may not be the key that unlocks the mystery of your life for you, and the truth is - we, as individuals, may never unlock that mystery!

The point is that we must trust in God and truly believe that He is working His plan through us even if we do not know or "feel" it. Trust God! 

We all know that one day God will call us home; we just do not know how or when but we believe it will happen.  It's called faith.  Well, the same goes that one day we will fulfill God's purpose in us; we just may not know how or when.  Again, it's called faith.  But also know we are not left without plans or directions.  Just like special agent Jim and his team were given the tools, techniques and plans to achieve each and every mission, we too were given all that we need to fulfill His purpose in us. Within God's Word we are given His Plan for mankind; We were given His Son as our sacrifice so that we are free to pursue God's Plan; and from Jesus we were told exactly what we need to do achieve Gods Plan:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

Therefore, our life's purpose is to love others as God has loved us!

Now we know!  And just like special agent Jim Phelps, we will successfully complete our mission just in time and right on time!



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GPS versus GOD

Do you trust your GPS (Global Positioning System) more than you trust GOD (GOD)?  Perhaps if we compare the virtues of the two entities together we may be able to determine where your real faith lies.  Of course, to make this analysis truly objective and fair, we must overlook for the time being that although man (homo sapiens) created the GPS it was GOD who created man.  So, for this exercise we'll begin with the premise that both GPS and GOD are co-equals.

For starters, both GPS and GOD reside in the heavens.  We look up skyward with our questions and the responses stream downward to us.

Both GPS and GOD provide us with directions: GPS can direct us from point A to point B based upon where we are now to where we want to go whereas GOD directs us from where we are now to where He wants us to go.

GPS's coverage is Global; GOD's coverage is Universal and then some.

GPS tells us which direction to travel, which way and when to turn, how far we have to go, and when we arrive at our destination.  GOD gives us "free will" to travel as we elect.

If we deviate from its prescribed path, GPS will "recalculate", correct our wrong turns, and head us back in the intended direction.  GOD forgives our transgressions.

GPS can only respond to what we tell it to do, whether our requests are right or wrong, whereas GOD responds to what is in our hearts.

GPS has to be updated frequently; is subject to blackouts due to various circumstances; must be recharged to maintain operational power; is subject to breakage; comes with a limited warranty and is eventually replaced with newer technologically advanced models.

GOD is All-Knowing, All-Powerful and All-Present.  GOD is the Alpha and the Omega - no upgrades required.

In summary: If you are lost on the road by all means trust your GPS.  But, if you are lost on the road to Salvation there is only one source to trust and it is not found in technology.  AMEN to that!!




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Stuffing

I got this thing about the word "thing".  It's something, anything and everything, or nothing, about this one thing called "thing".  You see, the word "thing" is really a un-word because it has no meaning / definition / description of its own.  Go ahead and look up the word "thing" in a dictionary - it's OK, I'll wait.  See what I mean?  The dictionary tries to define "thing" by listing other words that the word thing could refer to, but there is no specific description for the word thing. Maybe you can call it a "filler" word because it's used to fill-in, or replace, another word; but by itself it's an un-word.

What "gets me" is not specifically the word "thing" itself but how, or why, it's used by its author in oral or in written word.  Next time you listen, or read, to a presentation pay attention for the injection of the word "thing".   When used, it forces you, the audience, to mentally translate / decipher / determine what word, phrase, feeling or thought the author intended to portray but instead took the easy way out and injected the "thing" in place of real words or descriptions. To me, ones who elect to replace their real intentions with the word "thing" are lazy, illiterate, or are severely verbally-challenged (to be politically correct).  In the end, they do an injustice to their work and disrespect their audience because both are deprived of the opportunity for illustrative verbalization.

An ah-ha moment: For those of you that may remember, there is one instance when the word "thing" meant "thing"!  Think back to the 1970's when Honda released it's Thing:   

Another word that falls into this category of un-words is the word "stuff" when used as a noun.  Stuff, like thing, has no meaning of its own; it's used in place of real descriptive words.  Go ahead, look this up too.  As before, I'll wait.

Are you convinced yet?  It's interesting to note that when the words "stuff" and "thing" are combined, we get the resultant word "stuffing".  Not only interesting but perhaps even ironic, that joining these two non-descriptive words actually describes a substance that is typically indescribable.  Confused?  Think back again, this time to a Thanksgiving meal which included stuffing on the menu.  Everyone knows it's called "stuffing" but what contents are used to create that stuffing are usually just described to as "stuffing".  We really don't know what's in that stuffing!  Perhaps I should take my mother's advise and never eat if I don't know what it is I am about to eat!
 
Pay attention please, I am almost done.  I only have one more thing to say about this stuff!

OK.  What is this rambling really all about?  Well, I am known to preach that "words have meanings", or at least they should have meaning.  Say what you mean and mean what you say.  If you use "thing" or "stuff" then not only does your audience not know what you really mean but you also let the audience determine what you mean which probably is not what you meant to mean.  Got it!  Well, enough of this!  If you don't like this thing I'm writing, then "stuff it"!  HA!



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Thank You

Thank you Jesus for the Cross:
For through Your Crucifixian I am justified before God.

Thank you Lord for your Death:
Because of Your Death I know that I too must experience physical death before receiving eternal life with You.

Thank you Christ for your Resurrection:
Without Your Resurrection, I could not look forward to my own personal resurrection.

Thank you God for your Grace:
For only through Your Grace do I gain eternal Salvation in Your presence.


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Memories

Two of the most favorite women in my life have recently expressed concern over my ability to recall past events or to properly interpret current ones.  Specifically, they think that I may be "losing it", mentally speaking that is.  Maybe I should reconsider who my favorite people are - (ha)!

 Both incidents in question can be easily explained by me for clarification but it quickly becomes a situation whereby the further I try to defend myself more credence is added to the initial accusations.  At this point, silence is golden!  However, my pride and ego tell me that I should protect my mental manhood for fear that my silence may be perceived as a guilty plea if left uncontested.  A dilemma for sure.  However, further thought exposes some very positive possibilities for me if I were to simply acquiesce and concede that I am suspect to touches of senility, backsliding, decrepitude, degeneracy, falling off, feeblement, mental lapse, skidding, waning, weakening or whatever term satisfies the situation.  This can be a lot of fun after all and may even save me from individuals that want to control some of my life. 

Follow me on this if you can!  Let's say my #1 favorite person makes plans for me that conflicts with my immediate priorities, like watching the pool water turn green; or if favorite person #2 asks me for some of my time that seriously imposes upon my meditation hour, aka, napping.  Well, now I have a perfect alibi for accomplishing neither request - I FORGOT!  Just think, I can now offer my newly acquired shortcoming to virtually get out of doing anything that I do not want to do and at the same time receive compassionate sympathy for my misgivings!  Wow, what a scam!  Why, I can't think of all the things that I can forget to remember - the list is eternal in its possibilities.  Forgetting can be a beautiful thing!  But, you may ask, what about doing those things that I want to do?  If I conveniently cannot remember those things that I do not want to do, how can I justify remembering to do those things that I want to do.  Have I not then doomed myself from doing what I want to do if I say that I did not remember for the others?  Oh, contraire mon frere!  Here is the beauty of my plan - I simply forgot to forget, hence, I remembered!  A perfect defense for any situation; it simply does not get any better than this! 

Now, going forward, my life will be a sequence of selected seductions scheduled to satisfy only my selfish salacious solicitudes, all thanks to the two most favorite women in my life.  Of course, my one challenge now is that I must not forget to remember that I forgot else remember unless I want to forget that I forgot. 

Got it? 

Polygamy

My wife and I went to the park just to enjoy the day and while we were there we met a pastor from my church.  When I went to introduce my wife to him, he asked: "

Is this your lovely wife?" 

"Yes," I replied;

"I left the ugly one at home!"



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SHEEBA XIBABA

In Memory...

September 22, 1993 - August 14, 2010

Naked Ladies

BEVY OF BLOSSOMING BEAUTIES