The headlines read "Chicago Shootings: 11 Dead, More than 40 Hurt in Memorial Day Weekend Gun Violence."

Click here to see news story


This is just one headline, one story of crime and violence in our great country.  There's not a day that goes by without hearing about crime and violence.  The news media reports one story after another and for some, it is too much bad news and they have to stop listening to the news.  Unfortunitly turning turn off the news doesn't stop crime and violence from happening.

Why is there so much violence in our country?  Experts have all kinds of explanations.  Some say it is the lack of a strong family structure, others say it is the bad economy, many believe it is because we have poor schools with rotten lazy teachers, and still others believe violent offenders are born that way.

I think it is very simple really.  I think people turn to crime, which is just another word for sin,  because they don't know who they are.  They don't know how important they are.  They have no idea that they were bought for a price.  They are clueless to the fact that they are blessed and highly favored.  You see if people truly understood how much God loves them and that He sent His only son Jesus to die for them and that He had a plan for them before He created the world, I believe they would behave differently. 

God created man in His own image, so that means that we reflect His physical, intellectual and emotional characteristics.  God hates sin.  He is righteous.  We should hate sin and be righteous as well.  When we are not righteous we act outside of the character of God and the result is sin.  When we sin we hurt ourselves and others.

It is important for those that believe in Christ and live the Christian life style know the characteristics of our loving Savior Jesus and then imitate them.  If we do others will know love, peace, compassion, and forgiveness instead of violence and pain.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us today to be more like you.  Fill us with your loving kindness.  Help us to be good to ourselves and to others.  Let us receive all you have for us so that we may be a blessing to others.  Thank you so much for all you have done for us.  Amen.

Bible Verses

 Genesis 1:27

New International Version (NIV)

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Jeremiah 1: 5a

The Message (MSG)

5"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you:

Oil Spills and Sin Both are Destructive

On Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Present Barack Obama addressed the American people and the world from his oval office at the White House after returning from his third of fourth trip to the Gulf Coast due to the oil spill caused by, or at least mainly, by oil producing giant BP. This oil spill is horrible and seems as if it cannot be stopped in the near future. Thousands of gallons, if not millions of gallons of crude oil is pouring into the Gulf Coast killing marine life, polluting the water, polluting beaches, ending people's careers, and worst of all spreading like a fast moving deadly cancer.

As I was driving to work Tuesday morning I was listening to WTOP a news radio talk show. They asked the question, "What do you want President Obama to tell the American people about the BP oil spill during his address?" They played a number of callers' responses, but one thing I did not hear anyone ask for was the truth. It is amazing how some callers seem to personally blame the president for causing the oil spill and are angry that he cannot single handily end it. One thing no caller asked for was the truth. What is the truth about this entire situation? The truth is that it is a very complex international situation that will take time to resolve and perhaps decades to recover from.

When I think about this oil spill I think about the prophet Jeremiah. He lived at a time when God's people were in rebellion. They just refused to live by God's word. Jeremiah reminded the people time and time again to repent from their sins and turn back to God or they would know the wrath of God. You see God is holy and perfect and he has to punish sin. It did not matter what Jeremiah said or did the people would not listen to him. In fact they hated Jeremiah. They did not want to hear the truth, they were like the listeners of WTOP, they wanted to hear what they wanted to hear, truth was the furthest thing from their minds and actions. Instead of looking at what they were doing and turning away from their sins, they turned against Jeremiah as if he was causing all their problems.

The people of God ignored Jeremiah and after years of living in sin and refusing to repent they felt the wrath of God. I think of it more of God removing his hand of protection and provision, more than anything else. In the book of Lamentations Jeremiah is crying out to the Lord. You see sin affects everyone, not just the person who is living in sin. Jeremiah, the one who lived right, was hated, is the same person crying out to God to have mercy on his people. We see in Lamentations chapter 3 that after God disciplines he restores and gives us hope for a bright day.

If you are facing a problem today, no matter what it is or how or who caused it remember there is hope and if you turn to God he can and will restore you. Never feel as if you are going through something that no one understands. God understands and he loves and cares for you. Lean on him, he is your help.

Read Lamentations 3 and learn how bad things can get and how good God is.

Lamentations 3 (New International Version)


1 [a] I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath.

2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;

3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.

5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.

9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.

10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,

11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.

12 He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.

13 He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.

14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.

15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and sated me with gall.

16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.

17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.

29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.

32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,

35 to deny a man his rights
before the Most High,

36 to deprive a man of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?

37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?

39 Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?

40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:

42 "We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.

43 "You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.

44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.

45 You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.

46 "All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.

47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction."

48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.

49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,

50 until the LORD looks down
from heaven and sees.

51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.

52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.

53 They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;

54 the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to be cut off.

55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."

57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."

58 O Lord, you took up my case;
you redeemed my life.

59 You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause!

60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.

61 O LORD, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me-

62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.

63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.

64 Pay them back what they deserve, O LORD,
for what their hands have done.

65 Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them!

66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the LORD.

If you missed President Obama's Oval Office Address you can view it by gong to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh76oepKFc8&feature=player_embedded#!

Be blessed!

Know God's Word and Walk by Faith

Please click play to watch the video above.

I have to say that I have not posted a blog in a while and it feels wonderful to be able to do so. I am just so thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with others and in turn read and respond to what others are sharing on the Internet.

My mother had hip replacement surgery last week. My father, brother, and I have been extremely busy assisting her during her recovery of this very painful, but necessary procedure. As stated in the video, on thing that my family and I can always rely on on is the word of God. His word is powerful and such a blessing to us. We must spend time reading and meditating on God's word. When we do this we become closer to Him and we are not so easily discouraged when we face great difficulties in life. Knowing God's word brings us peace, success, and many blessings.

My mother is still recovering from her procedure and in a lot of pain. At her darkest moments I was with her in the hospital. It was very late Thursday night (May 27th) and mom was just totally our of it and having a very difficult time. As a lay awake next to her on the hospital chair/bed, my mind raced and my heart broke. Once again, I felt totally helpless to relieve my mom of her suffering. I had prayed for her but at the moment I couldn't pray, so I sang instead. The wonderful thing about singing as a Christian, so many of the songs that we sing are based on God's word. We sang about four different songs. Mom's room was right across from the nurses' station and I am sure if nurses were there at that time they heard us singing. I thought about that as we sang about Jesus and his goodness, but at that moment I did not care. After a few songs mom settled down and we both fell asleep for about 45 minutes, which was about as long as mom could sleep at one time that night. The next day very early about 6:00 am, I heard sining. It was one of the nurses. I was still pretty out of it myself and had no idea what song was being sung, but I had no doubt that the nurse was singing because he heard us singing very early that morning. I am so thankful that singing brought peace to my mom and joy to at least one person who heard it.

Psalm 119 is a chapter you should read and study. It will be such a blessing to you. It is based on the Hebrew alphabet, with Beth being the second letter of that alphabet. Let the verses below be your prayer. Meditate on these words and be blessed by them.

b Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

"Just Another Manic Monday"

Just another manic Monday, are the lyrics to a pop song that was popular back in the 1980's or early 1990's. Mondays are hard for many people. It's the first day of the work week. I heard a report on a news radio station that more people have a heart attack on Monday more than any other day of week.

I have to admit that the Monday morning commute here in the Washington DC metro area is a monster and yesterday was no exception. As I drove to work, there was very heavy traffic on every street and road I traveled on. People do dangerous things while driving and often I pray so I get where I am going safely. 495 is one of the Beltways in the area and when I first moved here I drove on it daily and witnessed accidents (or at least the result of them) at least 3 times a week and was constantly stuck in back up traffic due to those accidents.

I travel mostly back roads now and do not see as many accidents, but yesterday there was a pretty bad one on the west bound lanes of Route 32 in Howard County. I knew something was wrong due to the number of motorist on the road and at the accident site drivers not involved in the accident almost created more accidents by jumping out of their lanes in to the left lanes cutting off their fellow drivers so they did not have to slow down or stop do to the accident. If you do not believe in miracles, if you witnessed some of the near misses I have, you would.

The drive in, like many mornings, was stressful, and due to the accident I was running a few minutes behind schedule for work. As I turned onto one of the last streets headed for my place of work, I passed by a construction site. Those of you in the Maryland/DC area know all to well about the ICC. The ICC is a huge project of creating this road that connects two or three counties and it is supposed to relief traffic volume in the area. The ICC is very controversial and the whole project has been in and our of court for over 30 years. Thousands of residents have lost property, and now everyone is dealing with construction sites all over the place, which, yes, creates even more traffic jams.

I pass a few of these construction sites to and from work, and yesterday as I passed the one on Layhill Road between Norbeck and Bel Pre roads I saw something that touched my heart and made me smile. I saw the construction workers, with their gear on, complete with yellow vests and yellow hard hats all in a circle. There were about 25 of them and it looked like they were praying. Some mornings if I am running behind schedule, I see them in this circle stretching, but yesterday, they looked like they were praying. If I was a painter I would paint this scene. It's about 7:00 am, the day is just getting started, and these men and women, who have a very dangerous job start their day off in a circle of prayer. It was a beautiful sight and it blessed me so much.

How do you start your day? If you think Mondays are hard, if you do not know how you will do all the things you have to do in an excellent way, then I recommend that you take at least 10-15 minutes and just pray. If you do not know how to pray, get your Bible turn to the book of Psalms and just read a Psalm aloud. I wish every organization started off their day like the men and women I see each morning. Many mornings I see them getting out of their cars as they arrive at their job site, but on my most difficult commuting mornings, I see them in their circle and seeing them reminds me that I am surrounded by the presence of my mighty Abba Father and so are you, you just may not be aware if it. Take the time and be aware of his presence, love, mercy, grace, protection, and love.

As you reflect on today's posting think about these verses and quotas below:

"Trust in Him at all times, you people: Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

"Faith that is sure of itself is not faith. Faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is." Oswald Chambers

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." I Corinthians 16:3

"People do not so much lose their faith as cease to use their faith." Os Guinness

May 5th - A Day of Miracles

Today is May 5th and for many like me, it is extra special because it is my birthday. This year my birthday falls on the day I was born. I feel so blessed and I have enjoyed my day. What did I do? Well, I went to work and I saw one of my students, Susie. She found out it was my birthday yesterday and presented me with a card today. It was a lovely card, but it was what she wrote inside it that was extra special. She thanked me for always encouraging her and called me an angel.

Susie did something that in our society today we often do not take the time to do and that is sit and write down our feelings and thoughts of thanks to others. You see yesterday Susie was late to school, had received an unexcused tardy and was down right depressed. When I saw her in the hallway looking a bit lost, I called her name and we went into my office. She immediately opened her note book and showed me an acceptance letter and a scholarship letter from a private university in Washington DC. I saw the letters and was very excited, but when I saw Susie's I knew something was wrong. Instead of beaming with joy and pride, she looked sad and beaten.

I asked Susie what was going on and she told me her father was extremely upset that she had been accepted to the university. She told me that he said that she thought that she was better than everybody else, and that he wasn't going to pay for her to go to school in Washington DC, when she could go to the county community college. Now, I have to say, I have a degree from a community college and proud of it. My father was the vice president at the one I attended and I got to go for free, so it was to my advantage to go, my brother on the other hand went straight to a four year university after high school. We both have graduate degrees and successful careers. We each have our own journey, and Susie's is to attend the university where she has a scholarship.

Susie told me she was not like her father and other family members, that she wanted more out of life. She asked me what was wrong with her. Her mother lived in another country and could not take care of her, her father lives here in the United States, but resents how hard he as to work for a living, and it seems like neither parent ever wanted her and that she was just a big mistake. She then broke down and cried. Now I am a public school educator, what on Earth was I supposed to do? I told Susie the truth. I told her she was not a mistake, she was right for wanting a better life, and that she was going to accept enrollment and the scholarship, live on campus, work hard, get good grades, graduate and have a successful career. I told her the details will work out along the way, and that she is a child of God and was born for a purpose.

It is amazing, all the complaining about public education, unless you work at a public school keep your mouth shut, you have no idea what our students face today and the pressure and accountability we teachers and administrators are under. Did I think about the separation of church and state? Of course I did. Did I care? Of course I did. But I cared about Susie more, and she is 18. In a few weeks she will be out of high school, and from what I can tell totally on her own. I do not know if I will ever see her after she graduates, so I told her the truth.

Today, on my birthday I received so many well wishes from co-workers, family and friends, but it was Susie's card that meant so much. She was doing much better today, and one of the administrators at my high school is working with her and the university to ensure she can afford to attend school full time and on campus. I came home, rested, cooked dinner for my parents, who spent a long time in the hospital due to mom's upcoming hip replacement surgery, cleaned the kitchen, and then cleaned my parents upstairs bathroom. No fanfare. We will do something special on the weekend and I will have the share the spot light with Mother's Day, but I decided a few years ago, I celebrate my birthday the entire month of May.

May 5th is also Cinco De Mayo, and this year is the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. The miracle is that I am here at all. My mother was told when she was 16 she would never have children, but here I am. It was a miracle. The Bible specializes in miracle births. The greatest birth of all was Jesus Christ, but there's his cousin John, the baptizer, then there is Samuel, and Issac, and others. The truth is all births are miracles and each new life is special to God and hopefully to the parents, but too many times this is not true. Those who do not have loving parents, need to know their Abba Father so they can know that they are cherished and that they are blessed and have a purpose in this life that will bless them and the world. Many people do not walk in their purpose. My purpose for this season in my life is to encourage young people making the transition from childhood to adulthood, assisting my parents, and making sure I have time for me.

What is your purpose? How have you been blessed and been a blessing? If you have no answer to these questions then I will encourage you as I encouraged Susie and I will tell you to read your Bible like I told her to read the one I gave her. When you read the Bible you will learn who God is, and who you are and you will know what your purpose is.

These are a few scriptures to help you get started:

Jeremiah 1: 1 - 9
The Call of Jeremiah

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."


Ecclesiastes 11

Bread Upon the Waters

1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it again.
2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight,
for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed [a] in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.

6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

7 Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.

9 Be happy, young man, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment.

10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.

I wish all of you that have a birthday today and this month a Happy Birthday, and those celebrating an anniversary, I wish you even more years, and of course Happy Mother's Day eveyrone.

The Price Is Right: Jesus Is Better

I spent spring break 2010 in Los Angeles, well officially Van Nuys, CA. I had decided to go last year when I was in San Diego for a conference. California is a beautiful state and I was determined to return and see my family and spend time with a dear friend of mine. I used the Internet to try to plan my trip, but found it overwhelming, there are so many wonderful things to do in the Los Angeles area. I decided that I wanted to be on a television show and learned that "The Price Is Right" was taping while I was in town, so I got an online ticket. I have never been on a taping of a television show, so I was very excited about it. I told my family and friends about it and they were excited for me.

I landed at LAX four weeks later. I had a lovely time in LA, with the one dark spot of not being able to see my family. It just seemed as if they could not fit me into their schedule. It hurt me deeply, but I let the hurt and disappointment go quickly so it would not burn and scar me. I also lived through an earthquake for first time, which was just a bit scary.

On Monday morning, April 5th, my last full day in California I got up at 5:00 am. It was raining and very chilly. I was planning to catch two buses to west Hollywood, but my friend did not want me out in the rain so we left her home in Van Nuys at 6:00 am, and she dropped me off at CBS Studio at 6:50 am. I walked through the gates, went through security, and walked up to a table with three 20 something people sitting at in red CBS blazers. I pulled out my Internet ticket as I approached the table. One of the people at the table told me that the audience was almost at capacity for the 12:30 pm taping and gave me a red ticket with the number 229 on it and told me to return at 8:30 am.

I left the CBS lot and walked a few blocks to the Farmers Market, the only place in the area open that early in the morning. There were people about walking who were also planning to be a part of "The Price is Right." I walked around the market place. Most of the stores were not open yet and I enjoyed walking around looking through windows. I found a restaurant and walked in. Immediately, a tall young man spoke to me. I knew he was speaking to me, but I could not figure out why. I was so taken aback, that I could not figure what he was saying. Then a woman who was sitting at the same table as the man spoke to me. I understood her right away. She saw me at the CBS Studio and asked me to join their group so we would have a large enough group to get guaranteed seating on "The Price is Right". I smiled, introduced myself, sat down, and ordered breakfast.

We returned to CBS, I was given a lime green custom made "Price Is Right" t-shirt by our group leader, and then all of us (6 more people were recruited) waited to see if we were going to be on the show. We waited and after about an hour we finally got the official confirmation that we were going to make the taping. We were outside under an overhang and it was pouring rain and the temperature went down. We were all freezing, but so happy we were going to be on the show. Then the staffers of the show came around to all of us and checked our IDs, and gave us that famous "Price is Right" name tag. We then had to stand in line in numeric order. Every hour we stood in line, I ran to the bathroom, which was an adventure in itself.

There where over 300 people in line and everyone was happy to be outside in the rain, freezing and trying their best to be animated so we might have the great chance to be selected as a contestant on the show. I have to tell you after several hours freezing in pouring rain, with frizzy hair it is very hard to be animated but we all did our very best for the entire time we were in line. We were divided into groups of ten about 11:00 am, a producer spoke to each one of us for about 30 - 60 seconds. I put on my best smile and tried to look and sound happy. The producer gave me 15 seconds and moved on to the next person. Two of the friends I met that were also recruited to my group also only got 15 seconds. We all knew we were not selected to be contestants. It was a disappointing feeling, but we were all glad we were going to be on the show.

We then had to check our cell phones and cameras because they were not allowed in the studio. More waiting in line, and then finally through some double doors, up some steps, and in a quick moment we had arrived. I saw "The Price Is Right" set. It looked old (1970's) and a bit cheesy and it was a small studio. We were directed to our seats and they were in the back right-hand corner of the studio. After everything we were in the back of this tiny studio with half of the stage blocked from view due to this huge hanging camera.

The show announcer game out and everyone screamed and clapped. He told us to take our seats and gave us about 10 minutes of instructions. I could hardly see the set due to the five huge cameras on stage and a camera person for each one. The there were these young (20 something) producers that came out on stage and told us when to clap, what to yell, and when to sit. We had to practice all of this before the show started. Finally, Drew Carey, came out on stage. The crowd went wild. Personally, I like Bob Barker, so I clapped but I did not yell and scream for Drew Carey. He seemed tired and bored to me, but he was engaging and funny and talked to a few people in the audience. He made it real clear that he did not like LA and that he was from Cleveland, OH.

The show started and we were instructed to clap and so on. People were called to be contestants. The stage was so small, with so many people on it that I could not see the contestants or the prizes half the time and I got tired of clapping, yelling and smiling, hoping that the hanging camera would come our way. Drew Carey made a number of mistakes, but was treated like royalty, and he acted like it as well. The the taping took about 50 minutes and then it was over. We were showed the way out. I was exhausted and glad it was all over.

I am happy I was on "The Price it RIght" the episode I was on will air on May 3rd while I am at work. I have no desire to be on another taping of a television show, it's better to watch them from home, with all the mistake edited out and no standing in line waiting hoping to be chosen to be on the show and then a contestant. I remember thinking during the taping that being at the taping was a lot like being at church. The producers that told us when to clap, yell, and what to yell reminded me of a praise team at church encouraging the congregation to praise and worship the Lord.

I have thought about that day several time since. How I had gotten a ticket online a month ahead of time, how I had to plan to get to the studio, how I was almost turned away, how I joined a group of people I had never met before to make sure I got on the show, waited in line for 3 and and a half hours in the cold rain, and checked my cell phone and digital camera, and then had to sit in the back corner of the studio where the camera man seldom pointed the camera in our direction. All of that and it was over in a flash of an eye.

I have made a conclusion that I rather be in church than on a taping of a television show any day of the week. I also realized that I don't have to wait in line, Jesus is always right here waiting to provide the love, support, and wisdom I need. I don't have to act a certain way to be accepted by Jesus, I can be the person he created me to be. I think it is very exciting to win money, great prizes, and trips to beautiful places all over the world, and wonderful things to receive, but small in comparison to receiving Jesus as my Savior.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a very young child. I did so because of my parents' love and teaching. It is because of them that I accepted Jesus, but it is because of my personal relationship with him that I have lived my life as his child. There have been times when I have wondered if I made the right decision so long ago, and every single time, I know that I have because his love and concern is so good and sweet.

If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, I encourage you to do so. If you need more information about who Jesus is, I encourage you to read the first 5 chapters of the New Testament in the Bible. Attend a Bible believing church, and pray. Once you have decided you want Jesus as your Savior, when you pray say, "Jesus I know that you are the son of God, and I receive you as my Savior and I thank you for my Salvation. You have saved me for all my sins." It is so important that you fellowship with true Christians at a church, so you can grow in Christ. As you pray, ask God to lead you to the right church for you. Consider this blog posting as recruiting you to join the family of God. You don't have to wear a funny t-shirt, or wait in line for hours, our act a certain way, Jesus is always available to you, and there are many churches that are in your area where you can attend and grow, no tickets are necessary, so attend on Sundays and be blessed.

Tools of the Trade-Establishing a Prayer Habit

Pictured above is my special room where I pray and write Parcels of Prayers (and do other things). I have my big mustard colored leather chair complete with pillow (I switch out pillow) and my green foot rest, and in the corner I have a round table with my prayer book, hymnal, and journal with pen. You can't see it but I have my CD player (no ipod yet) for when I play music (my flute or recorded music). Behind the care I have my printer and laptop where I write Parcels of Prayers and upload pictures and etc. Not pictured is my chase lounge, and I have my Bible (at this time) over by the chase lounge (which also has a pillow that I also switch out) where I also pray. I pray sitting on my chair or chase, but I also kneel on my knees and sometime I lay face down on the floor and pray.

I have learned something very important about being a child of God. To be child of God is like being a professional athlete, or a professional musician, doctor, lawyer, and so on. As a teacher and technology consultant. I have to continue to learn, and be more proficient at my chosen profession. I accomplish this in a variety of ways that include professional development, employee review and evaluation, peer evaluations, taking classes, attending conferences, attending as well as presenting workshops, and good old fashion studying. All of this takes time, money, and effort. Is it worth it? Absolutely, yes!

How many of you desire to be at the top of your field? Is just getting by good enough for you? I certainly hope not. As Christians we should always strive to do and be our best at everything we do. It is not easy, and it takes an incredible about of discipline and at times sacrifice, but it is worth so much more than our Earthly occupations.

Many people graduate from high school and go on to college, earn a degree or degrees to be able to work in their field, or receive some type of professional training or certification, or have done on-the-job-training and have excelled. If we have to do this in the natural world, it is even more important that we do it in our spiritual lives. We do not want to be babes in Christ forever. We want to grow and become mature in the things of God and be a blessing to ourselves, our families and others.

Attending Sunday morning service, Sunday School, and Bible Study, as well as getting involved at your local church are all good things and something that you are not doing, should consider. The fact is no matter how much you go to church or are in activities, it does not make up for some alone time with God. Think about it. When you were school did you understand everything in class? Did you have to ask questions? Did you have to take notes and then spend time studying to pass the exam? Of course you did. You could not do well in school and be on every sports team and in every group, and the same is true in the church. We only have 24 hours a day, and we must pray and ask God the best way to spend our time working, being with our families, being at church, and other activities and responsibilities.

It is important that we spend time alone with God. We need time to read the Bible and pray. If we do, we will grow more knowledgeable and mature in Christ. We cannot get it all on Sunday morning, or go to a Bible study and jot down some notes and never open our Bible at home. Also, God is alive and he desires to spend some one-on-one time with us. He does not only want to hear from us when we are facing a crisis. No! He wants a continuous loving relationship with us. Can you imagine loving someone, but never talking to them, never spending time with them and still being happy? No, not if you really love them. When you love someone, you desire to be with them. God is no different than we are. He created us in his image remember? So if we can get lonely, God can get lonely for our undivided attention and time.

You may be thinking, "I am already so busy, now I have one more thing to do." You may feel that way at first, but you will find that when you spend time alone with God, you gain time. One thing I love about God is that I can be real with him. I can say what is in my heart and he still loves me, and then, if I take time to listen and obey him, he restores me. God also wants you to praise him and thank him for how he has blessed, provided and protected you.

Just like that are study habits and work ethics in education and business, there are ones in our Christian lives. I am going to focus this post on prayer. The most important thing about prayer is to practice it. There are all kinds of books about prayer, and ministers and elders who will tell you do pray in a certain way, but I find it best to start by just thanking God for what he has done and talk to him, just like you talk to your best friends. Open your mouth and speak. Yes, I know many people believe in silent prayers, but remember this is your private prayer time, when it is just you and God.

I have some personal tips on establishing your very own personal prayer time with Jesus, please adjust them as needed.

1. Pray and ask God to give you the desire to pray - this may sound strange, but many people find prayer very difficult
2. Go to a regular prayer service at your church whenever possible so you can be encouraged by other's prayers - be careful not to get intimidated, each person is different and prays in a slightly different way.
3. Select a time during the day when you are alone and can pray.
4. Set a minimum time for your prayer time - you may want to start with 15 minutes
5. Select a place in your home where you can pray - pleased be advised, you can pray any where at any time, this is referring to establishing a daily prayer habit

Now that you have the time (early in the morning works best for me) you will need your "tool." Yes, I said "tools." All professionals and experts have the "tools" of their trade.

1. BIble - always try to read the Bible before you pray, you read as much as you need. I like to read the Bible from beginning to end over and over again, but you do not have to read the Bible in order. A great place to start if you have no idea where to start is the four gospels or the book of Psalms.
2. Pray the BIble - when you read something in that really touches you, stop and read it aloud. If there is a pronoun or personal name, change it and read it aloud using your name or "I" or the person's name you are praying for. The word of God is powerful and reading silently, and aloud will bless you.
3. Prayer Book - I have the book "Prayers Avail Much." It is a series of prayers on different topics that we all face in life, all based on Bible verses which are listed at the end of each prayer. This kind of tool provides you support by breaking the Bible down into subjects and topics that are important. It does not change the word of God, it is based on the word of God. The Bible is a wonderful book, but it can be very confusing to understand without some background knowledge and instruction.
4. Give praise and thanks - Say aloud praises and thanks to God, these are from the heart, but I will provide some examples. "God I love you and I thank you for all you have done for me." God you are mighty and strong." "God I thank you for your provision and protection." "I love you, Lord." The book of Psalms has many praises, feel free to read those aloud.
5. Hymnal - I love singing and singing is a great way to praise God. You can sing songs that you know, but if you have a hymnal you will have a treasure of songs that you can sing. I play the flute, so I can read music, so I often sing hymns I have never sung before, but I am always so blessed. Also, if you use a hymnal you do not have to worry about forgetting the words, but if you do, that is okay, you can always sing a song from your heart.
6. Pray aloud - talk to God. Open your mouth and speak to him.
7. Listen - once you speak to God be silent and listen to what he says to you. You may think that God will not speak to you, but he will and does, usually we are not paying attention. He will speak to your heart and spirit. If you hear nothing, that's fine, you are developing a habit, and sometimes God speaks to us later in the day, when we are facing a crisis, the thing you must remember is that you have to listen and you need to block out the noise in your life so you can hear from God.
8. Journal and pen or pencil - write down what God says to you, include the date and time, and when you go back over your journal, you just may discover a pattern, and you will be establishing a habit.
9. Box of tissue - I do not care who you are, when you come before God and you are in his holy presence, it can be humbling, it can be overwhelmingly beautiful, and it can be liberating, no matter what it may be on any given day, there will be days (at least for me) of tears. They may be tears of pain, or they may be tears of joy, but I have found having tissues near by are always a good idea.
10. Furniture and/trash can (for tissues) - this totally depends on what you have and what works best for you. I have my place pictured above.

There are many references to prayer in the Bible. You may read any of them and they will please you, but I have decided to close with the Lord's prayer. In Luke chapter 11 we learn that Jesus was "praying" in a certain "place" and the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. If the disciples who worked and traveled with Jesus need support with prayer, then we all do, and if Jesus, the son of God took time to be alone and pray, so do we. Take care, and take time to pray.



Luke 11: 1 - 4

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]' "