Don't Believe The Lies

24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back

until he fully accomplishes

the purposes of his heart.

In days to come

     you will understand this. Jeremiah 30:24
Because Israel and Judah had turned away from following God. God had them carried away to Babylon. There was a remnant still the promised land. I believe God said for 70 years they would be in captivity. Through the prophet Jeremiah God told his people to marry and eat of the fruit of the land where God had sent them. God told them to seek the prosperity of the city where they lived. There were other prophets that were prophesying good things to happen that Judah would be restored in two years. They were prophesying lies. We do not get to decide what God says, God reiterates his judgment on his people through Jeremiah.  God sent Jeremiah to a false prophet and told him he would die and a short time later the false prophet died. God alone decides his purposes. He was punishing Judah for serving other gods. God had sent many prophets to warn his people but they would not listen. If there are enough righteous people, sometimes they can move the heart of God and it has happened. One of the stories we remember is Abraham trying to persuade the angel of God to not destroy Saddam and Gomorrah because of Lot. But in the end, it was only Lot and his family that was spared. I am very political and many times my blog posts will say something pertaining to politics. It is not a politician that will save us. Unless we turn our hearts to God we will end up in hell. As much as I believe God gave us President Trump, President Trump is not going to save us. It is when we turn our hearts back to God and only then when we will be saved. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 When my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal their land. It is a conditional promise, God is sovereign and shall prevail, but in humility and in repentance we can turn the heart of God. It requires repentance and turning from our wicked ways. God warned Judah over and over again and they would not turn from their wicked ways. In America, we are fighting for the soul of our nation today. God cannot be pleased when we abort millions of babies and disobey the commandment to not murder. Just because that is what we want does not change God's will. We do need to learn to line up with God's word. We do not get to change what thus saith the word of God at our whim. God is sovereign. He desires that all men would come to repentance. God's word stands on its own, we do not get to change its meaning, we must search for God's will and his ways.  God help us in America to turn back to you. God bless, LVZ.

The Journey

I  like to take road trips. I never know what I will see around the next hill or the next curve. I take a lot of junk pictures and then every once in a while I see something that I think that was a good picture. Sometimes it was just a once in a lifetime shot.  It is the journey that I love. Little instances that stick in my mind and I have a story to tell. I was in Wyoming and I saw a deer on the hillside and I felt like she was going to lay down. I don't know how I knew that but that is what happened. I took note of her approximate location and found a place to pull over and park. I got out my camera and found her and took a picture, and I still love that picture today. 
Once I was on Hiway 20 through the Cascades and I stopped at a roadside area. There was a stream flowing over a rock in a beautiful fanning pattern, I took a picture and I loved that picture. Somehow that picture disappeared, it was taken with my 35 mil camera years ago and I no longer have the film or the photo itself. I have been back to that spot to try and get another picture and the flow of the water is not right and I have not been able to duplicate that scene.  There have been incidents that stick in my mind. In small-town Nebraska, I stopped on one of my road trips to mail a postcard. I was across the street from the post office and I was parked in front of a bank with a big picture window. I had some stamps and I was looking for them behind the seat of the truck. Next thing I know there is a police officer asking me what I am doing. It seems the bank employees had seen my out of state tags and me foraging through my truck and I was making them nervous and they called the police. He just said find someplace else to park.  Once in Arizona in December, it was a beautiful sunny day and warm. Being from Washington state, I didn't experience many days like that in December and I pulled over on a side road to lay out in the sun. I had a piece of plywood in the back of the truck and I put it on top of the canopy and just soaked up the sun.  A few minutes later a prison guard in uniform walked up to me and asked what I was doing. It seems there was a prison road crew about a half-mile up the road on the other side and I was making them nervous. He told me to find another place out of their sight.  Another more recent trip I was in Texas along the southern border. I was trying to see how close I could get to the border between the U.S. and Mexico and I got into a restricted area along the Rio Grande. I saw a dirt road going to a dike and there was a street sign so I took it. I thought even though it was a dirt road the street sign said it was a street. When I got up to the dike with the Rio Grande on the other side I saw a U.S. Government restricted area sign and I was going to turn around and get out of there. I backed up looking in my mirror and didn't see a border patrol was already behind me. He honked and I stopped.  They checked me out, asked what I was doing, got my ID and questioned me. There were 3 border patrol vehicles there in a manner of minutes. They explained to me I was trespassing through a farmers field on that dirt road. I think the farmer may have called it in, I am not sure. Anyway, I could not go any farther than Hiway 83 in that area without either trespassing or going into a restricted area and they let me go. A lot of my memories are of the journey itself.  We have an eternal destination ahead of us. It is sort of like a road trip, I don't know what is around the next hill or corner.  But the journey to get there is memorable. I have learned a lot in this life as I have sought God and his direction.  I have met memorable people on this journey that have impacted me. I have had experiences as God opened up his word to me and I have tried to become a better husband, father, friend or whatever. I have met a lot of characters along the way. Living Gods' way has improved my life in many ways so a lot of it is about the journey on my way to where I am going in life. Eternity, it is just around the next hill or the next corner in this life. I have issues I must face every so often and I never know when they appear. But Jesus is with me on this road trip and guiding me. Improving my character as we go. I don't know what heaven is like but it is something I will have to experience for myself, but the journey getting there is worth it. Yes, there have been trials and temptations along the way. I had four flat tires in 11 days on my last road trip and I decided I needed two spares. I made an adjustment and so it is in life, The issues in life cause me to make an adjustment in the way I am living. The journey is a good one and I have enjoyed it. Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me. A lot of life experiences are in the journey to where I am going. I wouldn't trade it. I met some good people that have encouraged me and helped me along the way.  God bless, LVZ.

Language

It bothers me to hear all the cuss words or read them on facebook.  This younger generation thinks nothing of using profanity in their posts on facebook. I believe we are being desensitized.  What one generation allows is the starting point for the next generation. Sometime back I shared a political post with other men at church. It was a good post except I had forgotten how many cuss words the man had used in what he was saying. I played it on my phone and I was so embarrassed. It seemed like every sentence had a cuss word in it. I don't even remember what the post was about anymore, but I do remember being embarrassed. Some years back I responded to a post my son had put on facebook, he was also using a lot of cuss words.  I have been blocked ever since. I feel like a public forum like facebook which could be like the opinion page of a newspaper should use better language when posting stuff. Can this younger generation not talk or write without using cuss words? I am sure they think it is no big deal but if Jesus was sitting next to you would you use the same language? Would you use that same language talking to a grandparent? Would you feel comfortable speaking to an authority figure that way? Unfortunately, I think this next generation wouldn't care. We use to not swear in front of children and women, now it is no big deal. It is common for rappers to use derogatory and cuss words in their lines.  I wonder what the generation after this newest one will be like. I won't be here to see it and pretty sure I don't want to see it. We have a respect problem in our society today and I believe it is related. We see so many public servants disrespected from the President to Police officers. We have allowed this in our society and I think it is a bad move. We tolerate bad language but do not tolerate an opinion contrary to ours. Does that really make us tolerant? Which is more important? Is asking to use proper English in public intolerance or teaching respect?  Watching a video of a reporter asking college students why they call a conservative speaker racist or bigoted, it seems collectively they can't come up with a reason or an example, just more profanity. F-Trump or some other conservative is about the most common answer given. I would think college students should be educated enough to formulate a sentence without profanity and at least one example of why they disagree. I have seen this over and over again, and it is amazing to see college kids that don't know who Mike Pence is or other well-known individuals. Who is Joe Biden and they don't know?  How can anyone in this country past High School not be able to answer some of the simplest questions but profanity seems to be all they know. It doesn't take very much education to be able to say the F word. Ask a question and more profanity.    This is just my opinion but I think we should do better than this. Ask a reason if someone says Trump or some other conservative is racist, ask why?  Give me a reason besides some cuss word. People have a right to have an opinion but at least be able to explain your reasoning beyond the F-word.  With my opinion and a dollar, I can buy a cup of coffee at Hardee's. I don't like the disrespect of using foul language. I don't like to hear it, especially when a person is claiming Christianity. I will never forget playing that post that embarrassed me inside the church building.  It just didn't feel right, I guess because where two or three are gathered in his name, God is there. But then if we are Christian, he is with us always.  God bless, LVZ. Just my opinion, but what do they really teach in college? It doesn't take much to learn four-letter words, we did that probably in the first grade.

Isaiah 53

4Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

5But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

6We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6 

This passage of scripture is a prophecy of Jesus. God sent Jesus to die on a cross for the sins of the whole world.  I was raised in the church and probably before I was born had been to church but as an adult, I walked away from God.  I am reading in the book of Jeremiah as I make my way through the Bible. Judah and Israel have walked away from God. God repeatedly warns them again and again of disaster coming their way. They will not listen. Just like the story of Jonah, God had warned of the disaster that was coming, At least for a time Ninevah listen and turned back to God. That is all God wanted. His people to return to him. But Judah would not listen and disaster finally came and the only ones left in the land are the poor. Back to me in the early 1980s. My world was falling apart. My first marriage was already on the rocks. I got laid off from the job I really loved. I lived on five acres in a run-down mobile home without running water or electricity. I was really down. I went up into Green Mountain on a logging road as far as I could go with that little old Pinto station wagon. I had a 22 rifle with me intending to take my own life. That is how far down I was. Discouraged, despondent, lower than a snake, it seemed there was nothing to live for.  I couldn't pull the trigger. I had figured even if I survived the gunshot, no one would find me, I could never make my way out of there. God help me I cried. If you really love me as you say, help me. That is when my life turned around. I still went through my first divorce, and then 3 more divorces in the  11 years after my first divorce, but something was different.  My life didn't just magically turn around in an instant. In January of 1984, I recommitted my life to God. I asked him to help me. Things turned around ever so slowly. I was restored to the job I loved, but even there I faced more trouble than I had ever been through, different kinds of trouble. I got into trouble where I did not want to go to work. I sat in tears one day in the parking lot, telling God, I don't want to go in there. God help me and he did. I think it was about that time, I think it actually might have been an angel that came to me, I am really not sure. But this man came to me where I was working, I had never seen him before that I can recall. After he spoke to me I never saw him again. There are many people that worked there I never laid eyes on but I knew everyone in our particular shop.  I heard talk about you in the shop, he said, but people say you are a Christian and saying terrible things about you. The Bible says no one can say, Jesus is Lord except by the spirit of God. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3  This man asked me can you say Jesus is Lord?  I was almost angry, I am thinking why are you harassing me, I don't even know you. But I struggled and said, "Jesus is Lord".  The man said to me that is good enough for me and walked away and I never saw him again. God stayed with me through that trouble and many more things. I didn't live a perfect life. I struggled with sin but since that day in January of 1984, it was God has been with me through every struggle since then. I look back and I lived a good life, I have been blessed and it started to go uphill instead of downhill since that night. In January of 1984 when a preacher in Burlington WA got up into the pulpit and spoke directly to me. I had gone to take Jenie to sing a special song at a revival. I was still in my downward spiral but Papa had asked me to bring her and I said I would. I sat at the back of the church, I hadn't been to church in over 4 years. I thought I can sit through another service. The preacher got up to the pulpit and these are his words as best I can remember:  "Leon, someday you are going to stand before God to give an account for your life, and God is not going to ask who hurt you or who did you wrong? God is going to ask one question, what have you done with Jesus, have you accepted him or rejected him?" I made my way to the altar and repented of my sins. As I said I went through 4 divorces, troubles on the job many times. Not everything went right from that time forward. There were hills to climb and valleys to walk through but Jesus was with me every step of the way. I point to that night in January 1984 when my life turned around. Even to this day, I have made some bad decisions and suffered for them but Jesus walked with me through every trial since that night. I have never regretted that decision to turn my life over to God. Today I still think it was the best decision I ever made in my life. It was Jesus in my heart that has made the difference.  I think perhaps people think that when they accept Jesus into their heart they will never face another trouble, but that is not true, it is just that Jesus is with you all the way. Sometimes as the footsteps in the sand poem tell us, there is only one set of footprints in the sand, that is when Jesus is carrying us.  Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me. There is salvation in no other name under heaven where men can be saved. Jesus is the only way to God.  God bless, LVZ. 

Fear God

13The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^c 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, with^d every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13:14
This is the whole duty of man, what is this scripture saying? Fear God and keep his commandments.  God will bring every deed into judgment.  Have we lost our soul? Have we become so busy living and doing good things but lost our soul? God will bring every deed into judgment. Even the good things we do. Perhaps we are busy doing good things. Is it possible to do good things and lose our own soul? Many times I have had to look at my motives for doing good things. Do I expect that doing these good things will keep me out of hell and into heaven?  Is it only sin that will keep me out of heaven? Can I get so busy living that I have no time for God? One of the commandments is to keep the Sabbath Day holy. We live in a 24/7 world. We have ample opportunities to do good.  Do we fear God? The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. What is the fear of God? Do we respect and honor God with the way we live? Is it more than just showing up for church on Sunday and Bible Study on Wednesday? Do we have time for God every day of the week? Do we respect God? My understanding of the fear of God is healthy respect?  Growing up we sort of feared our parents, they were like God to us. Unfortunately, parents are not like God, they are not perfect, they do not always have our best interest at heart like God does. God is perfect, I have yet to find a perfect parent.  Was that a respect we felt. If we did something wrong, we would get the belt. Honoring Parents is meant to be more of giving value to their words, not that we agree with every word, but think about what they said, we should ponder it in our hearts. So it is with God when God says something we think about it. What is God saying in this verse above?  A pastor asked, do we have an addiction for God? Do we need him like an addict needs his next fix?  God is a sovereign God, he sees the past, present, and future all at once. God made time for us, he is outside of time.  He sees what is ahead. He sees a judgment day ahead and even knows when we get there, even though we don't know even the number of our days. Shouldn't someone like this be respected (feared)? We make plans and God laughs. We say never Trump and God laughs. No way you say, this is not happening. His commandments are for our good. This Pastor said if you break the sabbath, you will break. The sabbath was made for the good of man, to heal, to recuperate, to rest.  Do we fear God and keep His commands? Are we lost? Did we onetime know God and now have no time for him today?  God bless, LVZ.

Jonah Got Angry

We all know the story of Jonah and the whale or perhaps some versions just say a big fish.  Jonah was sent to Ninevah to warn the people that in forty days God would destroy their great city. It was a city of about 120,000 people. Jonah did not want to go. In fact, he went the opposite direction and the story of Jonah and the whale happened. Jonah repented and went to Ninevah and warned them that God was about to destroy them. The people of Ninevah heard Jonah's message and put on sackcloth and ashes from the King down to the lowest person and God spared them at least for a time. This made Jonah angry. Why God do you send me to Ninevah to warn them and then you don't do it. You are a merciful God and God is not wanting any to perish but that all should come to repentance.  Jonah left and pouted for a while. God caused a plant to grow overnight to give Jonah some shade and Jonah was happy for the shade. Then a worm came and ate at the root of the plane and it withered and died overnight. God was talking to Jonah, Jonah was his prophet but Jonah was angry that God spared Ninevah. God sent Jonah to warn Ninevah that they would be destroyed and then he changes his mind.  But if Jonah had not gone Ninevah would still have been destroyed and 120,000 people would have lost their lives. Because of Jonah's message and reluctance obedience many people were saved. God dealt with Jonah. God told Jonah he was more concerned about a single plant that grew up overnight and then was destroyed in a single night than the 120,000 people in Ninevah. God is a sovereign God and he is outside of time. God saw Ninevah from before he sent Jonah to Ninevah to after Jonah went to Ninevah.  God saw it all. It was his purpose to save the people of Ninevah. Later Ninevah returned to their sinful ways and God did destroy Ninevah.  But here God is dealing with Jonah. We don't always understand the big picture. God has his purposes in mind and Jonah was on his mind as well as the people of Ninevah. Jonah had something wrong in his heart and God was revealing it to Jonah.  God was also fixing Jonah's heart. I wonder as I think about this story what is God doing with me? What is the purpose of the present troubles? God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. Is God seeing something he wants to fix in my heart? We don't always see everything God is doing, we don't always understand God's big picture. God is not willing that any should perish even me. Perhaps God is trying to do something in my heart.
15Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me. 16The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

17“Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ ” Jeremiah 35"15-17.

It seems like we see the same thing in Jeremiah. God is sending a prophet to warn his people of impending disaster but in this case, instead of listening to, the King actually burned the scroll with God's warning on it. In Jonah, the king of Ninevah listen and ordered a fast of everyone in the city and God changed his mind. That is what God wanted in Ninevah and here in Judah in the book of Jeremiah. God is not wanting to destroy people, he wants his people to repent. In the same way, God is wanting people to repent today. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God warns of destruction to come to change people's hearts. Today through many messengers God is doing the same thing, warning of the destruction that is to come. Some of God's messengers are willing to warn people, some are like Jonah, they are reluctant to go. But God's real purpose is just like in Ninevah to spare those that will listen and repent. There is destruction headed our way, God is not wanting to send people to hell. His purpose is that people will repent. Ninevah was later destroyed because after repenting they turned back to their wicked ways.  If we do not come to God, if we do not heed his warning, we will face eternal destruction. Eternity is headed our way. The book of Jeremiah is 55 chapters long, with a warning after warning to God's people in Judah but they would not listen. They killed some prophets, they burned God's word but they would not listen. God's purpose is repentance, not destruction. It worked for 120,000 in Ninevah, what about your life?  My purpose for this blog is to tell about Jesus. Jesus is the only way to salvation. To warn anyone that will listen, an eternity in Heaven or Hell is our choice, Will we be like Ninevah and listen and repent? Some of that 120,000 that repented and made it in, perhaps they died before Ninevah turned back to their sin. Others of that 120,000  turned back to their sin and God eventually destroyed them.  God is the same today, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9. If you are reading this that is God's desire for you to come to repentance if you have not already.  Jesus died on a cross for all of our sins, for the sins of the whole world. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.  It came to my mind that Jonah wanted to fail, he did not want Ninevah to repent, but he wanted God to destroy Ninevah as he said. I had to repent, sometimes I want to fail. I am like Jonah, God is still fixing things in my heart as I write these blogs. Jonah had issues, and so do I. Jonah cared more about the plant that gave him shade than the 120,000 in Ninevah. Jonah got angry, when you think about it wasn't it silly for Jonah to get angry when God changed his mind? God is speaking to me through my own words.  God bless, LVZ.

Overcoming The Negatives

This thought came to me as I thought about things I had to overcome. From the negatives that were spoken over us even as children we had to rise above them.  I wonder how much more I could have done if I had parents that would have said you can do anything you put your mind to do. I remember as a teenager, I was about 16 or 17 and I had gotten a job at a grocery store and my Dad asked in a negative fashion, why did they give the job to you?  I remember one time as a young kid in the back seat and most of the other kids were asleep as we were traveling and just talking with my parents and I remember Mom saying I was a pretty good kid.  I still remember those words. Both the pretty good kid and the why did they give the job to you. As I think on these things I realized I have followed the same pattern as my parents, too much negative and not enough encouragement.  I had some smart kids, but did I tell them enough you can do anything you set your mind to do.  I believe I had an impact on many jobs I held but I wonder if I had done better if I had been sent out into the world with parents telling me you can do it. If you go on google and type in a name you can get an article about President Trump or someone well known. Well just because I typed in my name into the google search bar and was surprised to see a picture of me pop up.    It was me and two other men sitting at the Hardee's in Verona.  I typed in my sibling's name and low and behold there was my youngest sister and a friend of hers.  A picture of my Mom showed up.  I wonder what I could have been if my parents had said words of encouragement? I can type in my name and I will sometimes see different blog posts I have written.  I think I saw an article referring to when I ran for a city position. I saw a blurb show up where I wrote to the opinion page of the newspaper. I had a really hard time speaking up as an 18, 19-year-old starting on my way in this world. One boss called me Leon the quiet one. I appreciate to this day the young couple that gave me a place to stay as a teenager turning into adulthood that encouraged me. They did have to talk to me at least once and instruct me about respecting them, but it was done in such a nice way.  I overcame a bunch of negatives in my life over the years.  One thing central to overcoming these negatives in my life, I believe was a relationship with God. I don't know where  I would be today if God hadn't recused me. We are his children and he loves us unconditionally. I read the book "Wrong Side Of the River" and although I had it much better in my raising than Cliff had, I still had to overcome a lot of negatives. Cliff did too as he was raised with many obstacles and he became a respected Police Chief and an author.  He overcame some extreme negatives to be a successful person and a credit to society.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8  God bless, LVZ

Remember The Sabbath #4

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
8“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11
There is a book I want to read called "Take The Day Off". I believe it is on the Sabbath Day. I was listening to the author of this book being interviewed by Mike Huckabee. The author is a pastor of a church in Texas. He made a statement that this is probably the easiest commandment to break. Even pastors that wouldn't think of committing adultery, or idolatry, or murder, or using the Lord's name in vain have no problem breaking the 4th commandment. I remember breaking it many times. One summer during a busy time, I worked 28 days in a row and then after 2 days off I would work another 28 days in a row. During times of divorce, I would rather work on a Sunday rather than have to face an empty house. We live in a 24/7 world. There was a time when most towns would shut down on Sunday, probably back in the 1950s. I am listing to a sermon and the pastor is saying he has been working 7 days a week. His day off is supposed to be Friday and he has been busy. The Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest. I don't think we realize how important the Sabbath is. In 1993 I was forced to take a month of medical leave. I felt really guilty because I knew it was a busy time at work.  But the Doctor I saw at medical that day in January 1993 said when I left her office I was the leave the factory and not come back for a month. I was emotionally drained and in her words didn't have anything left to give to anyone. It took me about a week to realize she was right and I realized I really did need the time off. God's plan was to have one day of rest every week. God is not asking us to take a vacation but to just have a day off every week, more important than a vacation every year. I saw during the time I was working major overtime that after a week or so of constant overtime we started doing less in 12 hours than we use to do in eight hours. I remember the first time I saw a 24 hour Walmart. I was on a road trip and happened to stop in Dickenson N.D. and I was surprised to find a store open in the middle of the night, in small-town North Dakota.  In the first verse of Exodus chapter twenty, the chapter where God is giving the ten commandments are these words. 1And God spoke all these words: Exodus 20:1  It was God that gave us these commandments and the fourth commandment is just as important as the 6th commandment. God bless, LVZ.

Pursue Happiness

20Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.      Ecclesiastes 7:20

  Isaiah has many prophecies of Israel falling away from following God. There are pain and suffering. Pain and suffering can be good if they bring us back to God. It has worked that way in my life. Often in pain, I will call out to God. If we look for a pain-free life, it will not happen. Evil and the lack of goodness in our world were present from the beginning. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes and other places there is none that does good.  Scripture tells us all have sinned and fallen short.  We are actually born in sin and need a savior. It seems we don't have to teach a kid to be bad, it comes naturally, we do have to teach them to be good.  Just look at how many times we tell a kid to say thank you. Life is not pain-free, often pain brings something better. We sweat to build or create something. Often when something is just given to us, we do not appreciate as much as when we work for something. Our forefathers spoke of the pursuit of happiness, it is actually quite odd. Probably the only nation in the world that had that in their founding documents. The right to pursue, happiness not a guarantee but something to be sought after. That is why so many people come here to this country, to be able to pursue happiness. I was born with two good knees but through a lifetime of living, one went bad. I went through some pain, a knee replacement surgery and rehabilitation, it was painful. But after six months I had a pain free knee again. I had to go through a lot of pain to get there. the muscles that were cut to replace the knee wanted to build up scar tissue and you have to use those muscles to keep the scar tissue from building up. If you don't you will have pain for the rest of your life. That is why they send you to rehab to use those muscles that were cut and damaged in the surgery. It is painful for a short while, about six months, but on the other side of that pain, I have had 4 1/2 years of good use of that artificial knee and many more on the way. There is emotional pain in life and it too can bring good results if we will deal with it. Understand it, learn from it and heal. Dennis Prager wrote a book called "Happiness Is  A Serious Problem".  If we seek a pain-free life we will not experience as much happiness. Drowning our sorrows in alcohol or drugs does not bring happiness. We may forget whatever pain for a moment but it comes back. We need to deal with the pain whatever it is and you might say rehab and fix the issue. One example that comes to mind is my first failed marriage. It had been bad for years.  But not dealing with the issues did not fix it. The pain would resurface again and again.  In this case, I had to leave the marriage, even that wasn't pain-free. But after a period of time, I was able to rebuild a better relationship with another spouse.  It took me several tries. I pursued a better life. I could have been stuck in that situation a lot longer than I was. But through good counseling, I realized this relationship was not working. Some relationships can be fixed, I really think all of my relationships could have been fixed if both sides had been willing to pursue and work through the issues. I had to seek something better. In the first one, I got to the place where I was so emotionally drained I had nothing left to give to anyone. I was the only one that could fix it, but I had to leave to do that. Another marriage,  a Pastor said you have grounds for divorce, we are here to support you. You can go through this pain as many times as you want and we will be here for you. But it is up to you how many times you want to go through this pain. I sought something better. Sometimes that is with the same person if they will work with you. If not perhaps it is time to leave as it was with me. I am in a better place but even this requires work.  Do not expect life to be pain-free. Do good, seek something better than where you are at. Don't be content with pain and take pain pills to cope. God is on your side and will help you if you ask him to. He understands us better than we understand ourselves and is well able to help us.  Seek to do good, pursue happiness. It is not wrong to be happy, I believe our forefathers had great insight, divine inspiration to include pursue happiness.  The pursuit of happiness is a God-given right, not happiness itself, but the pursuit of happiness. When we work for something it is appreciated more. This leftist idea of free everything does not work. It sounds good and it seems everyone wants freebies, but it does not work in the long term. Capitalism has brought more people out of poverty than any other system. Socialism spends what capitalism creates. The left destroys everything it touches. We live in the best society on earth. We are the least racist society on earth. That is why even the ones complaining are not leaving. This nation is still the best hope on this planet. Let's work through the issues and not destroy our country in the process. I believe we have the greatest President in my lifetime.  We don't need safe places on our campuses, we need to face issues in life and disagreements and work through them. How come these people that want to follow Venezuela's example don't just leave and go there? The left destroys everything it touches. Their ideas do not work. They sound good and everyone wants free stuff, but it does not work. If they win, they will destroy the best country on the face of this planet. Why don't all these blacks that feel this country is so bad go back to where their ancestors came from?  Why do all these people that threatened to leave if Trump was elected, not leave? Because there is no place on this green earth as good as what we have. We do have issues, that can be fixed. We are the least racist place on the face of the earth. Our President is not racist, the ones that say so want to be in power and will say anything and everything to win. If they win, they will destroy what we have. You can make something better, but don't fundamentally change something that is working and has worked for over two hundred years. I just can't seem to stay away from politics. God bless. LVZ. 

Happy Smart Successful Good

I want to talk about our troubled world. We see so much violence, so many shootings, and everyone has a theory about why this is happening. We want someone to blame; violence on TV, violent video games, poverty, fatherless homes, too many guns in our society, medications being given,  and I am sure the list could get bigger. I was reading a Dennis Prager book "Think A Second Time", and although I find I don't agree with everything he says especially when it is on religious grounds. Dennis asks a lot of questions, pertaining to this issue. What was our priority in teaching our children? Were ethics and integrity at the top of our list. I know the church was at the top of my parent's list. We were always in church. but even here I question some of their priorities.  When we lived on a farm, the nearest congregation of our denomination was 80 miles one way. We might go once a month and pile six kids into a cab of a pickup truck. In those days they only had a front seat. There were a lot of good churches closer in the neighboring communities. But it was the emphasis on that particular denomination that was a priority. I look back and I have some not so good feelings toward that denomination.  I once was talking to a Pastor about the way I was raised and we talked some about that denomination. The Pastor was watching my body language, as I was talking I pushed a Bible that was near me on the desk away from me. As I became an adult, I saw some things that didn't fit well with biblical teachings. One subject was divorce and remarriage, it was almost like divorce was the unpardonable sin. I probably wouldn't be accepted in that denomination because of my past history. I know my parents wanted good grades, I was getting B's but no A's and they made me a promise that they would give me a dollar for every A I got on my report card. My very next report card, I got an A, but they didn't follow through on their promise as I recall. At least that is what I remember. I wonder if that could have also been a lesson in integrity for me? A negative one. Do we really consider what we teach our children and do we make being good a priority? Is being successful or happy or smart more important than integrity and ethics? Are those things (happy, smart, successful)  more important than treating siblings and others in the world around us with integrity and goodness? Do we insist on children saying thank you and being grateful?  I wonder if a lot of the things we blame are partly to blame but I wonder also what were our priorities we taught our children?  What would they say was the most important thing their parents taught them. We see adults dumping water on police officers and I wonder did we teach our children to be good? A lot of times we can't change others around us we can only fix ourselves. Is being good and integrity and ethics the most important thing in our life. I know we teach God is to be first but is God trying to teach us to be good?  Think of the story of the Good Samaritan. The religious leaders walked on by. But the good Samaritan did what was needed. I think Dennis Prager is asking some good questions. We are not naturally good, nor are we naturally evil, but do we make teaching to be good a priority? In our 24/7 world with both parents working have we failed to teach our children to be good? Do we expect an hour of quality time (whatever that is) to take the place of just being there? Maybe a lifestyle change is needed? God bless, LVZ.

Reply

I have set up an email to use to reply to any comments on my posts. I discovered recently that it is not that easy to do on Blogspot as it was on my Wordpress site. Lloydvilhauer@gmail.com is the email I set up. I don't get comments which is OK. This page is for my opinion and I don't desire to argue back and forth with anyone.  Word press site I did get an occasional comment now and then but have only received one comment on this site. I am not sure why that is. After that comment when  I had a hard time replying I decided to set up the email in my Header blog description.  The person that replied said he was critiquing not criticizing but if you look up the word critique, the definition is the act of criticizing, so I really didn't see a difference.  People like to say when they talk about the Word of God, they want to give truth not their opinion, but there are some things set in stone in the Bible but as we see in the religious world there is a lot of difference in many minor issues. It is my opinion that often opinion comes in to play like it or not.  Some people believe the sabbath to be on Saturday, many believe on Sunday or probably any day of the week. The Bible tells us to be persuaded in our own minds. I recently when to a Seventh Day Adventist funeral and part of that Adventist pastor's sermon was a large part of their belief in keeping the Sabbath on Saturday. He even gave out Seventh-Day Adventist Bibles to anyone at the funeral that wanted one. I do believe there are things set in stone. Jesus is the only way to salvation. Jesus is the Truth and the Life. If you go to a Church of Christ, they do not have musical instruments in their worship service. They are very opinionated about that subject. I do not doubt their Christianity in either of those denominations. As much as I'd like to say I give truth on this page, I also know I believe differently than I did fifty years ago. Would I have gone to heaven if I had died fifty years ago as a child with those beliefs intact, I believe so just as I would go to heaven with my beliefs today.  I would recommend anyone reading my post about scripture to read for yourself and don't just take my word on it. You can trust God but men do fail. We have seen the Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Jones, and many others fail. It used to upset me when someone I admired like Jimmy failed, but it seems to happen too often. Trust in God, not in man. Trust in God, not a particular denomination. I often get too wound up on politics. A politician is not going to save us or this country, only God can save us. On this blog, I will tell you what I think. I hope and pray my words and the meditations of my heart are acceptable to God.  God bless. LVZ.

Playing Percentages

Marriage is not a percentage game. It does not matter if my part of the problem is 30% or 70 %. Maturity requires we act and respond according to our percentage of the problem. We cannot fix the other person, we can only deal with our own stuff.  I hate to use this example from my past but I think it is something we all do. My wife and I were riding in my S-10 pickup coming back from an outing on Hurricane Ridge one Saturday. My wife had the radio playing and was listening to a Pastor preach on husbands and wives. The preacher was telling husbands how they should treat their wives according to the Bible. I don't remember the particular scripture he was using. My wife was on the passenger side listening and saying amen about every minute or so. About halfway through his sermon, the preachers said now wives need to.... and the radio got turned off. It was something I never forgot. But in reality, I think many husbands and wives do the same thing. We listen to the other spouses part of the sermon and turn it off when God should be speaking to us.  We can only fix ourselves and we need to understand what the Bible is saying to us. Men and women are very different in the way we think and respond to others.  One author said men have blue sunglasses and blue hearing aids and women have pink sunglasses and pink hearing aids. We respond differently, our needs are different. Our society is trying to tell us there is no difference, we are equal. We are equal in the sight of God, but God did make male and female just as he wanted. we need to listen to our part and to work on us. There are no perfect Christians. All have sinned and fall short. There are no perfect parents and no perfect children. We might as well accept that and get over it. But we can work on our issues by trying to apply the Word of God to our lives. One pastor said if you ever find a perfect church don't join it because you will ruin it. I think the key to Christian living is trying to line up with the word of God, by reading it and pondering it ourselves. I feel more and more these posts are for my benefit. I do share them with the hope of encouraging others to make the same decision to follow Christ. But if I can explain what I am studying and actually write it out in a manner that I understand, I have a better chance of remembering what I read and applying it to my life. It seems our country has gone crazy with everyone being a victim, and so and so did this and that to me. It seems we are teaching victimhood instead of personal responsibility.  We too often focus on what someone did to me and it was wrong and not focusing on our response to these situations. We can make the world a better place by fixing me first, by addressing how I respond to the issues and irritations of life. I can't fix the other person, none of us can, but we can fix ourselves and become more Christlike as we follow Jesus. It really doesn't help to know if I am 30% of the issue or 70% of the issue. What can I do to fix me and look more like Christ? God bless, LVZ.

I Am Responsible

Years ago I got a fleck of a cutting disk in my eye. Another time when I was about 19 I stabbed my eye with a screwdriver. An eye injury is very irritating and if not taken care of can result in the loss of sight. Both times through the help pf doctors I was able to heal the eye injury. A piece of sand or dirt in the eye can, in the same way, be very irritating. That same piece of sand in an oyster causes irritation but in the end, develops a pearl.  Butter left out in the sun will soften to the point of melting, but a lump of clay will harden in the same sun. God gives us instructions on how to respond to many different situations in life. How we respond is a choice we make. That response of our choosing can be good or bad. We are not responsible for the mistreatment we receive but we are responsible for our actions. God teaches us to love. If you look back to the beginning of one of the oldest conflicts in history, the conflict between Muslims and Christians started long ago.  Ismael and Isaac had the same father., one the son of a slave woman and the other a son of promise. There was a victim mentality that started long ago, and as a result of feeling like a victim, revenge was the action taken. Muslims are taught to kill the people of the book, retaliation for not converting to their religion. Christians are taught to love even their enemies. If you make fun of Mohammed as one cartoonist did, you may end up being killed. I don't remember the last time someone was killed for not converting to Christianity or disrespecting Jesus the son of God. It has happened but long before my lifetime.  But in my lifetime people have been beheaded for not converting to Islam. Sara and Abram tried to help God keep his promise to them, it didn't turn out well. God eventually kept his promise when they were old and beyond childbearing age. Ishmael was a son born in a natural way between Abram and Haggar.  Isaac was the result of a promise God kept between Abram and Sara. We are s responsible for our actions. We can create a pearl by handling irritation in God's way. We can create discord and conflict by handling things other than God's way. Do our hearts become soft in the hands of a loving and forgiving God or do our hearts become hard when we reject God and his ways? We are responsible for our actions, even when people do us wrong. God's word tells us how to respond.  One example I like to use is Children are commanded to honor parents, not just if they did well. Parents are responsible for their actions, Children are responsible for their actions. In both cases, God tells us how parents are to treat their children and children how to treat parents. We are failing many times but our actions are our responsibility. We are to forgive and that seems to have no limit to the number of times we are to forgive. God tells us vengeance is his. We need to consider how we respond to the irritants in life. Everything does not always go right or as we like it to. Life has ups and downs, but we choose how to respond. Even in a marriage, we choose how to respond. We can make it better or worse by our choices. I am responsible for my choices. God bless, LVZ.

Attitude Problem

I had an attitude problem and just couldn't seem to shake it.  I prayed about it, God help me I have a bad attitude and just can't seem to shake it. I went into a Dollar General store to buy something and on my way in I passed a young lady carrying an infant. The little girl could talk but not that well, as I was passing by she said to me "hug". She stretched her arm toward me and said again "hug". I reached over and hugged her.  Then she put her hand out and said five. I slapped her hand and gave her five. I said to the little girl's mother, she just made my day. God bless, LVZ.

Obeying The Voice Of God

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3
And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
It seems God does not delight in our sacrifices but just wants us to do right. Righteousness and justice are more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. God gave us guidelines to know what is right and what justice is.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

"And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Deuteronomy 10:12

If we could just follow the ten commandments we probably wouldn't need the police force or government for that matter. If we could follow God's plans, his precepts, his rules, his ways as Psalm 119 says over and over. That is what God wants of us to follow his guidance. 
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105  
God's word is a large part of how God guides us, but how can that be unless we read it. God does lead us through Pastors and other leaders as they bring the word to us and we should listen, but how can we know if they are a good shepherd unless we read the word for ourselves and on our own? What does this word say to you as an individual? I read daily and try to understand for myself. I cannot break down the word as skillfully as my pastor and others but I must read for myself. We need a relationship with God and part of that is reading his word for ourselves.  God bless, LVZ. 

Respect Is Not Always Earned

So many times we hear respect needs to be earned. Love needs to be earned. I disagree. Sometimes perhaps it is earned by people doing what is right towards us in spite of ourselves. I just can't get over the fact that the fifth commandment is to honor your father and mother.  They are not always worthy of that honor, yet the commandment does not make exceptions. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church.  We didn't earn Christ's love. Christ gave his love and extended his grace to us while we were yet sinners. We did not earn it. We husbands are to be like Christ, and give love when sometimes it is not earned.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33
In this verse, husbands are commanded to love their wives, and wives are commanded to respect their husbands. In either case, it is not always earned. Maybe as we practice good behavior, it is earned after a while, but I believe in the beginning it is not earned. It is given because God commands it. I remember reading the book "His Needs, Her Needs" years ago, I really endeavored to meet her needs as a means to get my needs met. Man, I thought if I could just be the best lover, I could get my needs met.  I tried really hard and failed.  I think this is a step beyond that, we meet our partner's needs even if they do not meet ours. This idea out of Ephesians 5:33 is out of a book I am still reading "Love & Respect". (Every time I try and use the and symbol it automatically adds amp;)  (the name of the book is "Love and Respect" using the and (&) symbol)  Even in my explanation, it did it again.   I am careful about reading anyone's words, it can sound good and may be accurate, but do we interpret it, do we understand it the same as the writer intended?, Or the Bible, do we understand it the same as God intended? With so many differences, somebody is wrong. It could be me as well as anyone else. I do want to understand as God intends. but I am sure I miss the mark sometimes. I voice my opinion on this subject. God Bless, LVZ.

Choices

Did you ever realize how important choices are? If God didn't give us a choice to serve or not serve him, we wouldn't be free. It happened in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They had a choice to obey God or not. They could eat of all the trees in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a choice they had, they were free to make the wrong choice. If they had no choice they wouldn't have been free.
And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Genesis 2:16-17.
We are facing something in this country we have never faced before. We have always had freedom of speech since the start of this country. But the left wants to regulate what they call hate speech. They believe in free speech except for hate speech. The problem becomes when who decides what is hate speech. If they become powerful enough to regulate hate speech they will eliminate speech that disagrees with them. They will just call it hate speech. When that happens we will no longer be free. If our forefathers had given us a national religion, we would not have been free. Even today the churches we have are different then what they had in their day. When you take away choices you will no longer have freedom.  If all you have is what you yourself already believe, you will not be free. I have made bad choices in life, I have suffered for those choices. I also made some good choices and have reaped the benefits of those choices. God is the only one who will never fail us. You cannot trust politicians, they have agendas for power, for control. I think we have had examples of political control. I often wondered why with the auto bailout of years ago why they took away so many of the dealerships on our communities. I am not sure why that was even necessary. But I remember a Dodge dealership in Tacoma that lost their new dealership license. It also happened in Amory, Sam Stevens Motors also lost his new car dealership at that time. It went all across the country. When we lose our freedom to chose we will not be free. When we have to vote only for one party, we will not be free. If God did not give us as his children the choice to serve or not serve, to believe or not believe in him, we would not be free. This is what makes it so hard to understand the Blacks in this country, freedom should be so important to them, but if you don't vote democrat or voice conservative thought, they will disown you and call you a traitor to your race. How is that free? I think we need to appreciate the choice we have while we still have them. We need choices to be free. You can call it hate speech if you disagree with it but if you take it away, if you take away the choice that is different than yours, you will not be free.  God bless, LVZ. 

Turning From Our Wicked Ways

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.
This is a conditional promise from God.  For God to heal our land there are things we must do first.
We must humble ourselves and pray and seek Gods face, We must turn from our wicked ways. I suppose some Christians would ask what wicked ways?  That would require some soul searching. One thing I noted in recent years when mentioning Romans chapter 13 which follows: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2.  What I noted when talking about Romans 13 and saying the civil authority is ordained of God, that God gives us our rulers, whether they be Kings, Prime Ministers, or even Presidents. I noted Trump supporters would be reluctant to believe God also gave us Obama. Or that Obama lovers would find it hard to think God gave us Trump.  We can't have it both ways. If we believe the Bible, we must believe it when God gives us Obama and also when God gives us Trump. We should not throw this scripture away when it is a President we do not like.  That I believe could be a wicked way we need to repent of. Those of us that hated Obama and those of us that hate Trump need to repent. According to this scripture (Romans 13), God ordains civil authority. Our country is so divided over who is sitting in that office. When we call ourselves Christian and we disrespect that office because we didn't vote for the man and don't like him, we are wrong and I believe it qualifies as wicked behavior or wicked ways. We need to respect the office of the President no matter who is in office. We have gotten worse and worse over the years with social media being so much a part of our lives. This disrespect has even tricked down to lower offices and other public servants. We have seen people in New York dumping water on Police Officers. We see so many videos of the public disrespecting Police officers in traffic stops. Yes, we have had a few bad police officers. We had some people shot in the back, we have had some people thrown to the ground and so many other ways we have seen bad things happen when our public servants are disrespected.  It is time to recognize we are wrong and we do indeed have some wicked ways in us and repent.  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned-- Romans 5:12. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
We can not or should not expect God to do his part of a conditional promise until we do ours. Our part being to turn from our wicked ways and humble ourselves in repentance and ask God to forgive us for our sins. It is time to pray for forgiveness. God help us to turn from our wicked ways that we might be healed.  God bless , LVZ.

Formed By God

5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Psalm 139, verses 15, 16 are very similar.  There was a time when I started to accept abortion in my political views. But when you read this verse, God is saying before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and God had a purpose for us.  Before we were born God had a purpose for us. Even the defective, that was born with a handicap, God had a purpose. Even though I once agreed with abortion in cases of rape, I don't today.  That doesn't mean I condone rape nor does that mean God condones rape or other wrongs.  It is just saying God in his supernatural existence sees every one of us before we are formed in the womb.  The Bible tells us of the good and the bad and the ugly. There are many examples of who we should not be like as well as people we could follow as they follow Christ. I believe abortion is the biggest reason the left is fighting so hard against this President.  He has in his first term in office already changed the Supreme Court with justices that uphold the constitution and are not trying to change it. When the balance is corrected it is very likely that the abortion issue will be sent back to the individual states. The left wants this mandated by the federal government. But sending it back to the states would be a step in the right direction. If Roe vs Wade is overthrown, it will not immediately end abortion but will simply move us in a better direction. The bottom line is the abortion issue is a spiritual issue. We are in a battle over good and evil in this country and abortion is the hottest part of that battle. A lot of other things are just to keep this President from succeeding and especially from winning a second term.  The reason the left is fighting so hard and trying to impeach this President is that they believe he will win a second term. They don't have even one candidate that can compete with this President. I believe it will get worse before the next election because Trump is even more popular today than when he beat Hillary. This is the truth that comes from  God's word. Even before we were formed in the womb God knew us and had a purpose for each of us. There are so many flawed people that God used to make this world a better place. Abortion is wrong, just plain evil and comes from the evil one himself.  The party that supports abortion and is even making it legal up to birth is the same party that took God out of their party's platform.  Each of us has a purpose-designed by God, from even before we were formed in the womb.  Moving away from abortion on demand is the correct direction for this country to travel. We need to repent as a nation for the millions of aborted babies. Our laws need to change and celebrate every life that is created by God.  God bless, LVZ.

Have You Ever Wondered Why Prayers Are Not Effective?

I am reading a book called "Love & Respect".  It is based on Ephesians 5:33 primarily.  I love to read but I always make sure I read scripture every day. Books are from man, they can have good things in them but the Bible is inspired. A pastor had a man come to him for counseling because he felt his prayer life wasn't very good. The Pastor asked, how are you treating your wife? The man said again my prayer life is not what it should be. The pastor again asked how are you treating your wife? Perhaps as that man, we sometimes don't see the relationship between the way we treat a wife and our prayer life. I use to think I was a pretty good man, I felt most of the issues from the four divorces were from the other side. On the other hand, I was raised in a home where my father did not treat my mom correctly. I learned a lot of that bad behavior being raised in that home. I know I wasn't 100% of the problem but I really don't know where to put the percentages and it really doesn't matter if my part was 5% or 95%. I grew up in a home where my Mom was beaten down. What made it particularly bad, my Dad was a minister for many years. It matters how we treat our wives. How can you be a minister and not have an effective prayer life? Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7 Treating them as a weaker vessel does not indicate inequality. Men are to be the leaders/initiators in the home. Wives have other strong points, and these generalizations are never 100%. The Bible compares marriage to the relationship between Christ and the church. The man is like Christ in the relationship and the woman is like the Church in the relationship according to scripture comparisons. It is talking about the man/woman relationship, but God is not a respecter of persons. There is no inequality with God. Man and women are equally important to God. Christ died for the church, the church did not die for Christ. I saw a facebook page of a pastor in another state and the pastor is smiling in the picture but the wife looks beaten down.  Maybe I see something in that picture because of my experiences. When looking for a Church a good question to ask a prospective Pastor is how is your relationship with your wife. I would take a good hard look at a Pastor and how he treats his wife. If he is not doing right, his prayers will be hindered, and the church as a whole will not do well. I am sure this is not 100%, there are some very powerful charismatic pastors out there that might look successful but if you really want to know, look at the husband/wife relationship of the pastor. If you want to pick a godly man friend, look at the husband-wife relationship. If he is not doing well, he could have a negative effect on you. This scripture above tells us one reason our prayers could be hindered is how we treat our wives.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We want to be effective, we want to have an impact on the world around us. Take a good look at how husbands treat their wives. It makes a big difference, how can you be effective if your prayers are hindered? Men and women are different, just the way God created us to be, but still equal in the eyes of God. Husbands love your wives as Christ also loved the church and Christ died, gave his very life for the church.  I wonder how I am doing? I had a lot of unlearning to do and still do. God bless, LVZ 

I Feel Like Moses

Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Exodus 4:10
I feel like Moses as in the verse above where Moses is telling God that he has never been eloquent, Moses is slow of speech. I have never like talking to a group of people. In a crew meeting or some sort of work-related meeting, I would not want to speak. One supervisor called me the quiet one. When I was 18 years old and I had left home. I was staying with a young couple named Gary and Betty. they really weren't that much older than me but they took me in. I remember needing to talk to them as I lived in their home. I was so afraid to speak up. I would count to ten and on ten I would tell myself I am going to begin talking. Maybe I was going out of town or something, I don't remember what it was but I needed to speak to them and at least tell them I would be gone for the day. It was so hard for me to speak up. Here I am a grown man now, in fact, I am in my senior years. I feel God laid this prayer thing on my heart and I think why me? I want to invite the different pastors and their congregations to meet together for prayer for our nation and our town. I have no authority, how do I ask Pastors to support this? We have a group of men that meet for coffee daily at Hardee's. Most are conservative and most are Christian. But we have at least one died in the wool liberal. He thinks Trump is the worst President there ever was. He is a Christian man and has a servant's heart.  He carries people to the doctor that needs a ride. He delivers meals on wheels and is Christian in many of his action but we are so opposed in our political thinking. I do not doubt his Christianity. I am just as strong in my belief that Trump is the best President in my lifetime. One day this week when I was not there two of these old men, I am talking men in their late 70's and early 80's were ready to take it outside and duke it out. It may sound funny and would have been even funnier to watch, but that is how heated and loud it got.  But that is just an example of the serious divide we have in our country today. And Christians are on both sides of this issue. Both sides think they are right.  Christians are supposed to be loving and even love their enemies. How have we gotten so bad in our country today that we cannot disagree with each other and keep it civil? That is why I believe the faith community needs to lead the way and pray together for God's intervention in our nation.  We of all people need to be able to come together across our denominational divides and pray for God to intervene in our nation. I'll not lie to you, I think I am right in the way I believe. But so does the other guy. Christians are on both sides of this issue. If we cannot show enough love to come together and unite in prayer for our nation, I believe our nation is doomed. I am wanting to get the faith community to gather together in prayer for our town and our nation once a month in a community prayer. We need to invite God back in. We as a society have told God to get lost, we can handle this. We can handle our own affairs. If you look at the divide and the terrible things that are being said, we are not doing such a good job. We need God's intervention in our land no matter who is right.  We need unity of purpose for the good of our nation. We do not think alike and never have.  But why have we come to blows with one another?  This is not right. We really need God's help if this nation is to survive. I believe both sides believe our nation is in trouble. I feel like Moses trying to make this happen.  God bless, LVZ.