The Family...pt 1.

I drive around in the endless sea of boredom. Roaming from here to there as sanity strives to keep its grip on the frail world that it reluctantly claims residency in. Pondering how to purge this world, which holds my service in it’s twisted hands, from the stench of the action less beasts that wander in stagnancy and pollute the air of those who dream and desire the ambitions of a world more active and fruitful. I see the faces of those that would dare to aspire for a greatness alien to this world that keeps them captive. I see their noses cringe and the countenance disintegrate as the beasts of this world intoxicate them with their stench of indolence in successful efforts to murder any spark of motivation in the hearts of those that would rise up and topple the current regime’s power and authority. Day after Day, my mind battles and wars with ways of breaking the bondages that the foul beasts have places on the people of this world that I grant my service to. Day after Day I see dreams torn apart and desire burned away by the acidic poison that corrupts that air that is inhaled by its inhabitants. I fear that one man is not capable of overthrowing the power of this world’s lord. So as I drive from here to there I am ever vigilant, training my eyes to spot those that I may introduce to The Family. Secretly hoping that one day, as The Family grows, our unity will bring relief from the grasps of sub-mediocrity that we all now face.

Who are we as Christians supposed to be?

Who are we as Christians supposed to be? Were we saved to sit walk around and paint a beautiful picture of life with no worries, no cares, and perfect family and social relationships? Is that what Jesus came, died and resurrected for? I mean I hear and see bible preachers get in front of their perspective congregations and tell them that if they give their live to Jesus, He take care of everything for them. It’s like one lady right after President Obama got elected, she said; “I’m so happy, now I don’t have to worry about putting gas in my car or paying my mortgage.” As if President Obama himself was going to personally pay for everything in her life. Is that the picture that we as Christians are expected to paint to those that we are speaking to about what we believe? “Just come to Christ and He will pay all your bills and take care of your children, they will never get into any trouble and grow up to be lawyers, doctors, and possibly the next president.” “If you give your heart to God then he make sure that your never feel pain anymore and you will never have a challenging moment or time of struggle every again in your life.”
If that is what is required from this generation of Christian, then I will never be able to measure up to those “difficult” requirements. Mainly because of what I read in the Bible, perhaps those preachers that preach “happy-go-lucky” sermons don’t read everything in their Bibles, or maybe its just that they are people pleasers and they don’t want to offend anyone, or maybe they are all about the size of their congregation and they feel like light, easy sermons will bring more people through the building doors. But the bible I read has numerous accounts of Christians going through hard and strenuous times.
2 Corinthians 1:8 (ESV)
8For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,[a] of(A) the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (ESV)
3We(A) put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but(B) as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:(C) by great endurance,(D) in afflictions,(E) hardships, calamities, 5(F) beatings, imprisonments,(G) riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6(H) by purity,(I) knowledge, patience, kindness,(J) the Holy Spirit,(K) genuine love; 7by(L) truthful speech, and(M) the power of God; with(N) the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8through honor and dishonor,(O) through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and(P) yet well known;(Q) as dying, and behold, we live;(R) as punished, and yet not killed; 10(S) as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;(T) as poor, yet making many rich;(U) as having nothing,(V) yet possessing everything.
Just in these two passages we see that the biblical Christians knew what suffering and hardship was. So if they suffered for the name of Jesus, and faced hardship some to the point of “despairing of life itself”, who do we think we are?! Do we seriously think that becoming a Christian will magically transform our future from pain and struggle to meadows of daisies and fresh air? No, rather Jesus inside of us gives strength and endurance to make it through the hard times. When struggles and pain come, Jesus whispers in our hearts; “keep moving forward, I know it’s hard now and it hurts, but I KNOW how you feel. I’ve been there too, and I will help you get through this.” Jesus doesn’t magically take us and move us AROUND the difficult times; he walks with us THROUGH them and sees us to the other side. And once we get there he looks at us and says, “See I told you that you were stronger then you thought you were.”
So if there requirement for Christianity is to paint a easy care-free life, then I’m never going to be able to be a Christian in that sense. Rather I will preach and teach that hard time will come, but that Jesus, our savor and our King, will help us through and see us to he other side.

Simon Says…

I traveled back in time and met a man name Simon Says. Simon Says said that he was the one that invented, conjured up, made that global children’s fun time activity. Simon Says do this but don’t do that, it was simply harmless and entertaining. I asked him if he wanted to go to the future to see how his game impacted the world a large. Simon said “Take me please”… (Traveling through time)…As we entered into the future Simon was appalled at what he saw. He saw nations of people standing around like zombies doing nothing but waiting. He turned to me and asked “what is this? What is going on?” “Shhh…watch and see” then suddenly and all at once screens all over every city turned on and a figure appeared on them and said “Simon Says turn around and walk” immediately the masses turned and began to walk. Simon asked me where they were going. I replied, “I don’t know, and neither do they. They hear the figure that calls himself “SIMON” give orders and they obey. We then saw thousands walk into the sea…”What are they doing! They will die if they don’t stop!” “You know that Simon and I know that, but they do not. They think that if “SIMON” says it, it must be right and good for them. What ever “SIMON” says is truth and should be followed.” “Why are they so blind, why can they not see that they are being lead to their deaths?” You see Simon they have become so accustomed to blindly following orders that they have put reason aside and are now letting even their own lives to be dictated and determined for them. They stand around and with for the figure to come one every day and tell them what to do and decide who will live and who will die. Your innocent children’s activity that was all so entertaining back in your day, has turned out to be exactly what the world has become. Peoples with no capacity to think or act for themselves, they stand and wait for someone else to tell them what to do and how to live.

Mental Rampage........

(I don't know why, but I just had to write, and this is what came from that urge.)

"My mind tells me that I'll never win, that's it just quit. History show us the frailty of humanity. Yes, many are chosen and few are called, but even the called, fail and run into a wall. Your destined to fail, your destined to ruin the lives of all those around you, all those that come in contact with you. Can't you see the end?!!! Can't you see that I AM RIGHT!!!!! The proof is in the past, look at your family, you think that your friends are ACTUALLY your friends. Those people you see with careers and money, and a happy family. Yeah, you will never have that!! So stop trying, give up, it's over, YOU NEVER HAD A CHANCE. Listen to me, I know what I am talking about. Don't make a fool of yourself!"

(At the same time I felt like God was saying this)

"My child, listen, come walk with ME. Let me speak into your heart. I created you, I know you better then you know yourself. I have a plan and purpose for your life, I believe in you and I Love you. See how much I love you, I sent my son to right your wrongs and take the punishment for your crimes against me. You are important to me. IF you feel like no one else is there, remember, my Love covers the earth. Do not listen to those foolish thoughts, I am here with you, I will help you through all the tough times and all the easy times. Come, Come walk with me, I will show you the potential I have bestow to you. Remember I believe in YOU, so believe in YOURSELF. I am here with you."

God vs. Man

My wife and I were driving the other day, and I looked over at an abandoned parking lot to my right. I noticed that there was grass growing through the cracks in the pavement. At that mometn a thought ran through my mind. I thought: "Man, God's creation is relentless!" Then I began thinking about that thought. Here we have an abandoned parking lot, something that man created, and when it is left unattended, and unkept, we see that it can not continue performing the task that it was created for. But yet there is grass growing the cracks that were formed in the pavement. Grass, something that God created, and yet even though it is not taken care of and watered every day, it still finds a way to grow and to fullfil its life purpose.That made me think that that which God creates and gives purpose will always find a way to fullfil that which God has created it for, even if there is a man made obsticle in the way. The abandoned parking lot showed me that man made objects will fade and wither and loose their ability to complete what they were made for. But God's creations will push through, fight and find any way to complete their task. Even if it means taking over the object that is hindering them from moving forward. So it was kind of an encouragement(yet the grassy abandonded parking lot)to see that. It helps me to know that God doesent create us and give us purpose so that we can fail. Rather He gives us purpose because we will succeed at the task He has bestowed upon us. We see that a small creation such as grass is relentless in its mission in life, how much more should we, a much greater creation hold nothing back in completing the mission that
God has given us. The creator created us to succeed not to fail, no matter how immovable the man made obsticle might be that stands in our way. We can see that all of God's creations push,fight,claw and find a way to squeeze through the smallest of space and overtake that very obsticle that hinders our foward motion.

?_?

Have you ever felt, that you give and give, but never get in return? Have you ever questioned whether the golden rule is actually a rule at all. You do unto others as you would have done unto you, and yet you still don't see the positive outcome promised? Sometimes in this life I feel like, if there ever was evidence against the Bible, it would be that very "rule". But i sit here and know that God is faithful and will always provide. In my history, I have learned that sometimes when we obey God and follow his commands, that promises that ensues from our obedience may take years to come to fruition. I know that during that period of waiting it may seem like your turn will never come. It may seem like God enjoys blessing others, but you who strives to follow God and do his will, get left in the dark, dusty cloud of those around running off to experience and enjoy THEIR blessings. I guess there is only one question for me to ask us. "Are you willing to wait for what God has for you?" I know that I spoke on that a few weeks ago to the teens, but it has reemerged in my mind as I began writing. Are we truly willing to wait for what God has for us, or are we so impatient that we will let our greed and selfishness cause us to make unwise decisions that will leave us wishing we would have waited.

Not Easily Erased

Not Easily Erased

In light of future events I began thinking of my history here on this earth. I (as most on the surface of this planet) can say that are things that I am not proud of and that if left up to me, would be completely obliterated from what is known as “Isaac Arodi Valentin’s” historical time line. What I must realize is that my history is indeed what has cultivated the present person that most perceive me to be. As much as I want to get rid of my actions they are who I am and what God will use as he pleases. Those things (as much as I wish they were) are not so easily erased from the fabric of time. If I could go back then I would bring the Taser I have now and Tase myself to make sure that I would have walked a different path. And in light of future events (and I guess finally get this off of my convicting flesh) for the first time I will relinquish memories that I myself had suppressed for years. Memories that are not ones I wish to have bouncing off the canvases of my mind. Now this is not a my version of therapy, but as a man in the beginnings of his ministry, how can I expect God to use me to help teens who may battle with similar enemies as I have, if I can not praise God for my victory of those enemies.
In my early teen years, I found myself in the grasps of homosexuality. I had never thought about it growing up as a kid, the battle began and I am afraid to say that it was not one that I won at first. I had a girlfriend at the time, but I was also sexually involved with one of my male friends. These things I am not proud of, but as I sit here now and reflect back on those times, I am completely thankful to God and to Jesus for my victory here today. Like I said, when God finally granted me freedom from perversion that had consumed me, I subconsciously locked the memories of what I had done away in the deepest recesses of my mind. It wasn’t till after I got married that God brought them into light again. And although I, God and my wife have worked through these things, I still have those memories, memories that if left up to me would not exist today. But that is how the mind works, and that period of my life is one that I wish I would not have gone through.
You see, in our lives there will always be crucial moments that arise, and in those moments we have choices. The decisions we make in those moments can either MAKE or BREAK the very fabric of our historical timeline. In my history, when I chose to give in to the perversion that was before me, it ripped that strand of my time line, and now when I look back at my life, instead of seeing a beautiful tapestry of events that lead up to my present state of victory. I see missing and incomplete images, followed by periods of shame and self unforgiveness.
You see when you face this pivotal moments in your life, you must truly turn to Jesus and rely on his guidance. I’m sure in my case, Jesus would have told me to flee, and not some passive “fleeing”, but to flee as if I had just murdered some one and I was trying to leave the country. Jesus should be the center of it all. When we look back at the tapestry of our history, we should see, countless woven masterpieces of when life brought us pivotal, life altering moments, and we turned to Jesus to guide us the path that HE sees fit for our future purposes in HIS grand scheme of eternity.
In the end what every path we take, how ever we decide to handle our life of opportunities. Whether it is to allow Jesus to guide us or to allow our own selfish curiosity and desire to be what we follow. The outcomes are not so easily erased.