THE ROAD

Sometimes we come to a pivotal turning point in our lives and we look back and exam the road (your life) we have just traveled. We begin to remember all the accomplishments, all the failures, all the incomplete tasks and all the things we never thought we would finish yet did. And as we stand there at this “turning point”, this “changing station” if we can call it that, sometimes we are accompanied by individuals that would want to keep us in the very place we stand. Often we are met with words of ill accomplishments. You know those words that stare back down the road with you and ask you, “What did you really accomplish there? I mean, did you even learn anything? Do you have anything to show for your past on that road?” These questions may be accompanied by the feeling of sadness or grief. As we ponder the questions purposed to us, he creeps in, and we suddenly feel like we wasted our lives. We may feel like we have nothing to show for the “Hard Work” we put into the road. At one point the road was bright, exuberant and a joy to be on. Now as we peer back we see nothing but darkness, pain, hurt and confusion. We stand and gaze back on the road, and little by little our station of change gets ever more crowded with those that want you to fail, to give up and to remain motionless. All they want is for you to remain still, remain trapped, and remain as a statue staring back at the road. You see, and object in motion will remain in motion, until acted upon by an outside force. If these individuals, doubt, loneliness, deception, can cause us to come to a stop, they understand the difficulty in restarting from a dead position. They want us to look back on the road and pin point all the negative situation causing us to loose hope, to loose faith to loose the will to continue. But there is always one constant on the road, an immovable variable that we often overlook in the moment and as we re live the road. That constant is the ever present, all sufficient Christ, our Lord our Savior. Take a look back at the road, if you exam carefully (20/20 right?) we can see that in all those times our current companions remind us of, Christ is there. You don’t believe me; I challenge you to exam your road looking for evidence of His presence. The time we needed monetary aid, and it came from what seemed to be nothing. The time we felt all alone yet felt a warm presence we couldn’t explain. The time we received live altering medical news and in the mist of the turmoil had an overwhelming sense that things would be all right. This, the most important moment of all….when we were stuck in sin and damned to eternal grief and torment unless we pay a price that would result in our death and He stepped in, looked us in the eyes with unimaginable Love and stepped up to pay the price for us, thus saving us and freeing us. The roads we travel will be hard, they will be filled with moments of pain, moments of hurt moments of shame. But when we come to our pivotal road changing stations and we look back and examine the road we were just on. We must not allow those negative individuals to keep us motionless. Christ paid to much for us to allow ourselves to come to a complete stop on this journey we call life. Remember: and object in motion will remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force. If we continue moving towards Christ, focusing on Him and what pleases him. Then the pull He has on us will out weigh the forces trying to stop us from doing what he has called us to do. I don’t know what point you’re at in this journey. Perhaps you are like me and you are coming up to a point where you are about to get off the road you have been on and merge onto a new road, one you haven’t been on before. Or perhaps you are still traveling on the road you are on and there’s no sight of a change any where in the near future. Regardless of which one you fall into remember, that there is one constant on the roads we travel. Jesus is always present and always pulling you towards Himself. Focus on the road ahead, and when you get to your changing station, look back and praise the Lord for all He did for you on your journey.

Isaac A Valentin

What weapon do u choose?

Sum call me a handyman/given a task I always say I can/I may not have a master plan/but like master chief I run this land/with my weapon of choice in my hand/and my weapon of choice is the great I AM!!......

To whom it may concern

For to long I've sat around pretending that nothing is wrong and thinking that if something really was going on that I wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway. For far to long I've sat and watched as countless injustices rampaged my city, my neighborhood, my home. Believing the lies that I was useless and that everything was ok, that everything was fine. I've allowed the opposition to brainwash me into submission. To imprison me in a pseudo reality of false dreams and notions. Every time an inkling of truth would penetrate the shield of this false world, I was put in check by fear and uncertainty. Thus never allowing me to see reality, never seeing Truth, never seeing who I really am, and what i was created for.

I cant explain it, I don't know how Truth got trough to me. But a fire was ignited in me this morning. A warrior's inferno rose up within me, now this pseudo reality is the one who should fear. I know my purpose, I know my calling, I know my strength and I know where to draw it from. For far to long I've sat back, I've stayed out of the fight I've refused to accept what was on going. I believed lies and lived in a prison of ineffectiveness. But now I know my enemy, I know his tactics, I know his games. Now it is I, that shall be on the offensive. It's been to long, to many injustices to atone for. So let it be known, I SHALL NOT QUIT, I SHALL NOT RELENT, I SHALL NOT BACK DOWN! YOU'VE FOOLED ME FOR TOO LONG, NOW IT'S MY TURN, MY MOVE, MY GAME! There is far to much at stack for failure, there is to much on the line to quit, to much is riding on this victory. And believe me when I say, VICTORY SHALL BE OURS!!!................


I hope your ready!!!

THE MIDDLE

They say that you are the beginning and the end. While that’s all good, swell, neat, great and all those nice little pleasant words. I seldom hear anyone speak about the middle. You may be the beginning; you created all, brought all into an existence that was previously not. You may be the end, the finisher, He who holds all of eternity in the palm of His hand. But what do they say about the middle. You know the portion of existence that we struggle through, the part of this thing we call life that no one can seem to get a handle on. Are you the middle as well? Or do you conveniently create, sit back and watch as that which you created struggle, stumbles, fight over non fundamental reason and then step in at the end of your creations life and hold a rod of judgment for their lack of understand, willpower, resolve and wisdom. So we hear that you are the beginning and the end, but are you also the MIDDLE? You know, that point in your creations life where they seem to have nothing left to fight for, that moment when they cry out to a “higher power” but get no reply. Are you the middle as well? You know, those segments in our walks on this planted where everything crashes and we have nothing left to sustain a suitable state of being. Are you the Middle too, or are you solely the beginning and the end. Is this destined to be the way of life we are forced to endure, a life where we cry out with no reply, a life where we struggle to make ourselves acceptable, to make ourselves appear more like you……starting something, then watching as it struggles to find meaning, know that the answers lie within us.

Or is it that just as much as you are the beginning, just as much as you are the end, you ALSO are the MIDDLE……Is this existence more meaning full then we could have, can or ever will comprehend? Is it that not only do you encompass what was, and what will be, but that you also encompass what is! Could it be that we, the creation, are so bogged down by the trials of life, the pressures of being, the tests of existence that we focus on what was and what could be, and neglect to realize what is. Are you also the middle? You know that moment in our journey when we must weigh the outcomes of every variation of every decision possible to calculate which is the better, perhaps lesser of all evils, or greater of all great decisions. Are you also the middle, where it appears we are all alone, yet strangely there is a presence of something we just can’t seem to grasp? Could it be that we merely, in our endeavor to succeed, or journey to understand, our quest to figure out what this all really means, glance over the fact that the middle consists of you just as the beginning and end do? Can there ever be a particular fragmentation in the MIDDLE that we see through the questions, through the uncertainty, through the enigma that is meaningful life, and see YOU. We struggle, we toil, we wrestle all for something that we know, we understand, we realize is finite. Yet we labor still. Could there…….could there be a moment, even if briefly, that our existence is transformed by the revelation that not only are you the beginning, not only are you the end, but you are also the MIDDLE. That time in our journey, when everything is wrong, yet somehow we know that it is alright.



Isaac A Valentin

Our True Master

I sit here and I struggle on how to begin this blog. I have wanted to write this for some time, but something impeded my progress every time. It is now known to me what that debilitating force was……………Cowardess. “Wait did he really just say that? Did he just call himself a COWARD?!” Yes…yes I did, just one of many, “Dirty Little Secrets”. You see I’m writing this because it has hit me close to home as well. As Christians we claim that Jesus is our Lord and our master, but it is quite evident that there is another entity that guides our hands, another force that many don’t want to admit, but a force that masters us more then we allow “our Lord” to. We as Christians in America have become Cowards! We hide behind facades and aliases so that we can’t be held responsible for “our” words or actions. We tolerate those who would demean, slander, and hurt others behind a pseudo personality. All because they are afraid of the consequences of their actions, consequences they have no desire of dealing with.
We rather hide behind a Twitter persona and give them power over us, then handing our “dirty little secrets” over to the ONE we claim is our Master and Lord. American Christianity says it’s ok to be a Coward, as long as you don’t portray that in public. Please share your thoughts about others to the world; just don’t let the world know it is really you. We would rather be comfortable then see God bless us in our discomfort. We want to have blessings upon blessings from God, just without the blood, sweat and tears, put into years and years of doing the Lords work. We trade the anointing power and knowledge of God Almighty, for humanly power, and the knowledge of private issues of those around us.
Since when has Christianity been about self gain and exultance? Is not our mission to do the Lord’s work? Is not our goal to bless the Lord with our actions and speech? Is not this life a life that is to be completely surrendered to Jesus? If so, we can not be completely surrendered to Jesus if we are still mastered by a cowardly spirit. If you have not read into my “dirty little secret” by now, then let ME share it with you. For years I have found it easier to associate and befriend those that don’t claim to have a master in Jesus Christ. I’ve had a hidden fight inside towards people claiming to be “Christians”. Why is that? Simply…..for the reason I am writing today (and I include myself first off in this!!!!!). We as Christians in America rather hide behind pseudo realities and hurl slanderous words towards those we see fit. But those that don’t claim to have what we have (relationship with Jesus); don’t seem to have that problem. They will tell you (in detail) everything they think about you. But I guess since we claim to be followers of Christ then we have to wear those masks and costumes and masquerade as if we have no issues with any human on the planet. I guess that is what Jesus died and rose again for. I guess that is what he really requires and commands us to do.
Ill be it, it may be hurtful to have a face to face “discussion” (blow up) with someone. But let us walk through this. I blow up in someone I know or a friend’s face and tell them all the things I think about them or feel about them. We both get angry at the other person, possible storm off and that ends the confrontation. But what that does is allow room for us to return and settle things, to talk about what happened and move on.
But when I hide behind a pseudo persona on Twitter or Facebook, and begin to catapult every dark and dirty thing I’ve kept inside about everyone, all that does is cast out the net of bitterness and perversion that I’ve been trapped under all this time. We say to ourselves: “it’s better that “I know ya’ll” then for you to really know me.” And it seems that we as American Christians would rather have the latter.

So I must examine myself…. I must ask the hard questions.


Am I a COWARD?


Who REALLY is my MASTER?

A Book and its Cover

As I made my way to work today that popular phrase came to my mind. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I can remember times in my life when I was judge simply for the way I looked or dressed. I can also remember times when I in turn have formed judgments about others simply for outward attributes. I thought about this and realized that those covers that individuals choose to place on themselves tell the observer a lot and nothing at the same time.

How many times have I pick up a book, and simply because of the illustration (or lack there of) I decide that that book is not worth investing my time in. I don’t know if any of you have done that, but for me that is the story my history tells. If the outward attributes (the things I can see) don’t intrigue me, then I keep moving on in search of something to place my time and effort into. This can also be applied to our relationships (or lack there of). We meet, or see someone for the first time and it’s like picking up that book. If the outward attributes that person has chosen to clothes them selves with (the way they dress, how they carry themselves, their hair style…etc.) don’t intrigue us or draw us in, then we simply move on and say, “That person is not worth investing my time in”.

So what is the point of “not judging a book by its cover”? You see the cover of a book doth not make the book. A cover may tell you a few thing, perhaps one main event in the book, perhaps the author of the book or perhaps it doesn’t tell you anything at all (blank covers). Only when we jump into a book and read each word on each page can we fully understand what a book is about. Each page gives us a small amount of the intricacies of what that book is trying to convey to us. Only at the end do all those intricacies culminate to paint a picture of what the author wanted us to read, and why a specific cover was chosen (if one exist).

By judging others merely on outward attributes, we neglect and pass over the opportunity to jump into the pages of their story, to read each word on every page of their history. We never get a hold of the intricacies of their life that culminate at the present time and allow us insight on why they have chosen to place on themselves the specific cover they wear and we possibly miss out on an opportunity to make a life long companion in this life. I have a friend now that I thank God I was able to meet, even though our judgments of each other would have never allowed us to create the friendship we have. When I first saw Nick, my judgment of him was nothing less then negative and I received a like judgment from him. I thought he was one of those people I try to stay away from, because they irk me too much (It can also be said that he thought the same of me.) But by chance a few years later we ended up on the same traveling drama team. This gave us the opportunity to get to know one another (whether we wanted to or not. Let’s just say I should have kept driving the van…haha….sorry if you don’t know what I’m talking about). Once we relinquished our past judgments of each other we realized that there were some chapters of our live that had similarities. And now I can say that Nick knows more about me then anyone of my other friends. That type of bond can not be created through passing judgment on glimpses of ones “cover”. The only way to build a close bond, a tight relationship is to get past the cover and dive into the words and pages of someone history, what story do they hold. What does that story tell you about the cover they have chosen to wear?

A book may have its cover, and the cover may be extraordinary, but what really matters is what the pages of that book hold. What story do they tell, what history will unfold as the pages begin to unfold and turn. The answer to these questions can not be found simply by judging the cover; rather one must dive into every word on every page. Only then will everything culminate and you will see the true picture that author is trying to convey.

By Isaac A Valentin

The Giver of Life

At night I try to strain my eyes to see exactly what's going on. The darkness clouds my vision blurs. But I’m still amazed at how God can bless a sinner like me… you see the thing that shrouds my sight, is the sin I commit outwardly and inside. The guilt sets in and blocks my heart it stops and threatens my life as part of just retribution. I breathe, I gasp for air’s not there. My lungs collapse, I think, I track my past for facts. This cold it rushes flushes my every limb. The facts set in; I could’ve fought my sin. Alas the past has passed this fate on my plate, nothing left but to accept and wait ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Warmth invades my chest as I rest and wait, is it not too late? I squint I try to focus my eyes, a hand, a face the blur remains. A scar, a hole, could it be, the warmth enters my veins, the spread relieves the pain. The blur subsides, the darkness hides, and my eyes lay hold of the Giver of Life. I sit and stare as light illuminates as far as I can see. As I rise to my feet, the Giver of Life smiles as he looks at me. But NO…my fate was transferred away from me, I stare, I look, I gasp as the Giver of Life shuts His eyes. His breath ceases to be, the life I received, I know now was not free. The tears they pour, I can't take no more. My feet ache and begin to run. Life I try to understand why the Giver of Life gave his life for me. I run and run as far as I can see! STOP!!! Wait…could it be? The Giver of Life is standing in front of me. But I saw, I heard, I witnessed his end. But truly the Giver of if here with me. I sense, I feel a LOVE unreal. This is it, now I know; the Giver gave His Life so I could see. That He loves and cares and wanted to see me free. His life for mine, my life is His. The Giver of Life, Jesus Christ, my freedom paid, now I to live my LIFE!