Linus' Blanket

by Jose Barajas

My grandson from birth, loves to hold on to "tags" on a blanket, or his shirts, that we even bought him a blanket of tags. It is his security to know that when he is holding that, he is comfortable and also his security. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is filled with so many messages of humility and basic messages of what the true meaning of Christmas is and should be. One of the most unnoticed things is that of Linus dropping his blanket after he goes to the center of the stage to recite Luke Two, Eight thru Fourteen. Right at the point of verse Ten where it says, "FEAR NOT," he drops the blanket. Now if you know anything about Charlie Brown and have watched any of his specials or cartoons, you know that Linus is known for carrying that blanket around everywhere he goes and in everything he does. Regardless that everyone else makes fun of him, or tries to take it away from him, or convince him, he doesn't need it, he never let's it go. Because it is his security, his comfort, his way of being able to do anything, because his blanket is protection. In the same way my grandson holds his "taggies", so does Linus hold that blanket.

Jesus when He calls His first disciples, ,Peter, Andrew, John and James, who would become His inner circle, and most referenced disciples of all others, says in Mark One,

Tamales

by Jose Barajas

"Growing up in a Mexican home, Christmas time was always a happy memory for me. My dad liked to have people over but especially during Christmas time, as it was more of a reason to celebrate his birthday which fell on December Twenty Fourth (Although sometimes he'd say it was the Twenty Fifth.) (Now on another note, Jesus was not born on December Twenty Fifth and if you didn't know that, sorry for the spoiler alert) The thing that most non "Latino" families, (Hispanic, is deemed a derogatory term to many of whom that term was created for by the Census bureau) associate with this time of the year is TAMALES! Now if you know my family, its truly the most wonderful time of the year because of this rite of passage. My mom has a restaurant size mixer, as tamales are rolled out by the dozens when my sisters and brothers come to the house to make the often made, but never replicated, or better than those that come from my family's house. 

This Psalm I Sing

by Chuck Ness

I got angry, and I stepped out in the flesh in my response to something that I perceived as a wrong. However, it is not my place to correct the World, for the World is lost, and so who am I to fix that which I cannot. All I can do is share the truth, while remembering to do so in love, or else I will be a poor ambassador for Christ Jesus.

I understand it's OK to get angry at those who act as the Pharisees did, because Jesus got angry with them. For they walked around in a way to be seen for their good deeds, while in truth their hearts were only Word for their own worldly profit. Those men who claim to teach the Word of GOD, but are just wolves who deceive with their words of silk and songs of love, deserve our wrath but those in the World do not.

Wake Up World Leaders

by Chima Anaele Sylvanus

Radical Islamimic agenda has always been an issue since the 20th century, mind you, all this was started by the war lord himself whom the Holy Roman Catholic Church feared during his bloodsheding days, historically the lack of unity amongst European leaders and the church made it easy for Saladine The Great to conquer more lands in The Eastern Continent, it is sad to see how this men are trying so hard to revive a weak and barbaric 7th century mindset and the Ottoman empire kind of rule which is only a backwardness..

Establishing a Caliphates would always be a great treat to western civilization and religious freedom.

But i fear this could also be Nigeria and Africa in few years if we continue to sleep at the strategy of Boko-Haram, Al-Nusrah Front, Afgan Taliban, Al-Shabaab,Al-Qa'ida, true Islamic radicalism will never give up until it establish a caliphate and its sharia principle all over the world which was the false prophet desire in his imaginary book...

Thankfulness Daily

By Jose Barajas

“Every year and every day for the month of November people have been posting what they are thankful for. I don’t know what to think about this as I know some like it and some are like really enough already. I look at it like any other holiday or trend that hits social media, some are funny and some are like, huh what is that about ? I’ve never been one to follow the crowd of doing things cause everyone else is doing it. Maybe my parents told me if one of your friends jumps off of a bridge, will you too, one too many times and that’s why I don’t, or maybe I’m just awkward. Now please don’t take this wrong as there is nothing wrong with saying what you’re thankful for, but that’s like me only telling my mom and wife happy Mother’s Day on that one Sunday of the year. 

I’ve referred to “submarine” Christians in the past but I’ve also been witnessing more and more of “white tomb” Christians in and out of churches. This means or is a play on what Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke Twenty Three, 

““How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things. It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.” (‭NCV‬‬)

Asleep in the Light

By Jose Barajas

 “During the week like everyone else I’m sure, I have an alarm set to wake me up to get ready for work. Three of the five days I hit the snooze button, it starts with ten minutes then nine, eight until finally I have to get up or I will be late. There have been a few times where I have accidentally hit stop instead of snooze and all of a sudden I jump up out of bed starling my wife and dog as I overslept. I run around looking for my clothes and rush to get ready, brushing my teeth and hair haphazardly, and even at times I’ve put my shirt on backwards as I run out of the house. Then of course because I’m already late, I hit ever light, there is an accident and or I need gas or forgot something that I have to turn around and go back to get. 

Jesus is telling His disciples about His return and uses different parables to convey the message. One He tells about is the ten virgins and their lamps, found in Matthew Twenty Five, 

Set Apart “Elect”

by Jose Barajas

One year, when I was working for the City of Long Beach at Houghton Park, we got the opportunity to go to Disneyland and take the kids from the daycare to enjoy the day. It was Mickey Mouse’s Sixteenth Birthday celebration and many cities were invited to celebrate and be part of a parade in a big pomp and circumstance celebration. We got to go around and enjoy the day on all the rides, but the best part came when they kicked the general public out and only those who were invited, got to stay and enjoy the park, rides, food and drinks for free, because we were “set apart” from everyone else.

Jesus in John Seventeen, which is His real prayer and not what many call the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew Six, in verse Seventeen says, 

““Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.” ‭(NET‬‬) 

Where is our Hope?

by Jose Barajas

I love the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption. It is based on a short story from one of my favorite writers when I was growing up, Stephen King. Andy Dufresne is imprisoned for killing his wife, even though he didn’t do it. After having spent two weeks in solitaire confinement for playing opera music over the prison loudspeakers, Andy is telling his fellow inmates how it was the two easiest weeks because of the music he had in his heart and mind. Him and Red, his best friend in prison, go back and forth saying, 

“Andy Dufresne : That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music? 

Red : I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn't make much sense in here. 

Andy Dufresne : Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget. 

Red : Forget? 

Andy Dufresne : Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours. 

Red : What're you talking about? 

Silver Coins? Why Not Gold?

Mark A. Atterson

“SILVER COINS”? WHY NOT GOLD? These TEN coins correlate to PEOPLE WHO ARE SINNERS, therefore THEY ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE IN THE EYES OF GOD. But isn't** GOLD** more valuable than SILVER? This all depends upon your PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL perspectives. As the late Dr. Chuck Missler pointed out time and again, “Silver is Levitically symbolic of BLOOD. We will find that the Tabernacle rested on silver, with every detail being symbolic of Christ... wood once alive depicted (Christ's Humanity), the gold His Diety, The planks rested on SILVER SOCKETS; silver is the Levitical symbol for BLOOD...” Even Judas, as he threw the 30 pieces of SILVER on the temple floor, exclaimed, “Behold I have betrayed innocent BLOOD!” Matthew 27:4. SILVER CONNOTATES SACRIFICE, THE LETTING OF BLOOD. Everything OUTSIDE the Tabernacle was SILVER, but INSIDE WAS GOLD.

"The law says that almost everything must be made clean by blood. Sins cannot be forgiven without a blood sacrifice"
Hebrews 9:22.

Pour Out Your Blessings To The Lord

Peter C. Steinhagen

He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.
2 Samuel 23:16

What has been like “water from the well of Bethlehem” to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing (2 Samuel 23:16)? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out “to the Lord.” You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If you try to satisfy yourself with a blessing from God, it will corrupt you. You must sacrifice it, pouring it out to God— something that your common sense says is an absurd waste.

How can I pour out “to the Lord” natural love and spiritual blessings? There is only one way— I must make a determination in my mind to do so. There are certain things other people do that could never be received by someone who does not know God, because it is humanly impossible to repay them. As soon as I realize that something is too wonderful for me, that I am not worthy to receive it, and that it is not meant for a human being at all, I must pour it out “to the Lord.” Then these very things that have come to me will be poured out as “rivers of living water” all around me (John 7:38). Until I pour these things out to God, they actually endanger those I love, as well as myself, because they will be turned into lust. Yes, we can be lustful in things that are not sordid and vile. Even love must be transformed by being poured out “to the Lord.”

If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you hoarded it. Yet if you had poured it out to Him, you would have been the sweetest person on earth. If you are always keeping blessings to yourself and never learning to pour out anything “to the Lord,” other people will never have their vision of God expanded through you.

Well,Bethlehem,David,Thirst,Blessings,Living Waters,

Giving Comes With A Price

by Chima Anaele Sylvanus

Sometimes the beauty of our faith is not seen in our preaching, anointing, noise making, programs, nor in our zealousness but rather in our simple act of kindness. Just as David's heart was revealed in the kindness he showed Johnathan's  grandson, Mephibosheth. (2Samuel Ch 9)

For many, ministry is just tool they use to acquire earthly treasures, yet for the Apostle it was the other way round. Their labor was more intense and harder than other men so as to be a blessing to the weak and the poor saints. They did not mind doing anything for the glory of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ.

God's Handywork Psalm 19:1

”To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling of the glory
of God; And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1 (Amplified Bible)

by Adam Lustig

One thing is for sure, whether we are believers in Yahshua or not, the busyness of this life can attribute to us forgetting the essentials of life. Folks that are far away from God get caught up in the trappings of this world and the business of it eventually brings them to a place where they say “where has my life gone.”

I love this time of the year, Nov 01 - 12/31, is my favorite because, thankfulness is on my thoughts. From God’s daily blessings to the birth of the savior of the world, my heart is glad.

In this journey that God has us on, if we are not careful, the relationship we have with our Lord can wane by getting caught up in the trivial things of life and forgetting to pause and say:

“Thank you Father for all you are in my life.”

But God has a genital way of nudging us with his handiwork to remind us how great He is. Back in my Boy Scouting days when I was on staff at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, God would nudge me even though I had not bowed my heart to his son. God was reminding me of his greatness that he would use later to bring me to the throne of Grace. God’s handywork was all around me.

The mountains and majestic pine trees that starched upward, wild animals that would out of ciuriosrituy gently walk toward me with no fear from me or them, all these were God’s handiwork. Deep within the recesses of my mind, I was saying only God could do all this even though I was far from him.

When I was pastoring, I used to tell people that would come to the church questioning me if there was a God or not. I would tell them to drive out to the dessert of Southern California at night get out of their car and just stare into the heavens and God would give them a front row seat to his majestic creation of the heavens.

In this business of life I pray that we all, especially, as we are drawing close to the end of the year that we would stop often look up at God’s handiwork and remember he is still their drawing men, woman, boys and girls into his presence.

Thanks for Listening

Christianity

The Ancient Church of Antioch is in Damascus Syria. It was on the
road to Antioch where Saul of Tarsus met Christ and was converted.
It's also where the followers of Christ were first called Christians.

by Adam Lustig

”Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought
him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught
great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
Acts 11:25-26

Have you ever thought what the world would be like without Christianity impacting it? Ask a secular person who has heard propaganda and misinformation about Christianity and they will tell you everything they have heard minus the the truth of scripture. Many of us get upset the way Christianity has been attacked by the/a lie, forgetting that many of us were there at one time.

A Soldier In Training

by David M Heishman

I’m A Soldier In Training; In God’s Army Enlisted;
I Will March For My Master; And My Father’s Insisted.
He Has Called Me To Share; As I Go On This Mission;
I Will Minister Hope To The Hurting; As They’re Placed In Condition.

Touch Us And Fill Us With Your Spirit

by David M Heishman

I Prayed To The Lord; Expecting Some Changes;
I Must Thank Him And Praise Him; As His Spirit Arranges.

There’s A Burden Existing, And The Yoke Has Been Broken;
By The Power Of Jesus; Whose Own Words Have Been Spoken.
The Lord Sees All Issues, And The Prayers Are Unending;
He Is With You Forever; All Your Days He’ll Be Spending.

Be Not Concerned; For He’s Planned For This Mission;
For He’s Sent Me To Share; As His Only Condition.
There Are So Many Needs; With My Heart I’ll Be Praying;
As I Wait For God’s Purpose; My Own Faith Will Be Staying.

The Lord Touched With Compassion

by David M Heishman

The Lord Spoke To My Spirit; You Must Tell The Lost People;
They Must Come To Me Now; Those Not Under A Steeple.
They Are Living In Darkness, And They Search For The Light;
As They Ask For My Mercy, And This Hour Is Right.

They Are Looking For Answers; For The Truth They Are Searching;
As They Wonder Alone, And Their Evils Are Lurching.

Do Pets Go To Heaven?

This is one of two opinions being posting,
pertaining to often asked question,
"Will Pets Go To Heaven"

by Adam Lustig

For as long as I can remember, after becoming a Christian, the question often arises "will my pet be in heaven with me?

It's a good question for those of us that are pet lovers, because of our attachment to our pets. I also am a pet lover who has lost two dogs and am now the owner of a terrier/dachshund mix named molly who loves our family to death.

To bring some clarity to this question, of our pets being in heaven with us, I have gleaned some thoughts from Jack Wellman, a Christian author, and pastor of Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read what pastor Wellman has written on this subject if this is a question you are struggling with. And as always, in advance, Thanks for Listening.

DO OUR PETS GO TO HEAVEN? 

Almost everyone has lost a beloved pet. They become part of the family and many couples who are childless consider their pets as their own children. So what happens to pets after they die? Do they go to heaven? Will we ever see our dearly departed pets again? What is their fate? What does the Bible say about animals after they die? These precious loved animals including dogs, cats, horses, and even a few unorthodox pets that families have grown to love and grieve after they are gone. Let's see what the Word of God says about whether or not animals or pets go to heaven?

I Know I Will See Christ Face to Face

by Jose Barajas

“We all gathered as a family the day we celebrated the life of our father with friends and people who had known my dad. That day was beautiful as the sun shone and I had spent the morning crying and admittedly even had a few shots with my brother in law. I was chosen to be one who would speak to the crowd that gathered and really didn’t know what I was going to say.

I remember talking about each of my siblings and making people laugh because that’s what my dad would have wanted but I know I was in a daze! When we took his body to the spot where it would lay, all of my family stood there, and God only knows what they were thinking. However, because of what Jesus did on the cross, I know in my heart that I will see my dad again.

Saturday of Passover week began with Joseph of Arimathea asking for the body of Jesus as he had donated a never used tomb to lay His body. Nicodemus who had visited Jesus brought perfumed ointment made of myrrh and aloes as Jewish tradition for burial. These Two men, who were part of the religious leaders who had conspired to put Jesus to die, now believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. I now did not care what others thought anymore, only what God thought.

He Is Risen

by Adam Lustig

From the day Mary Magdalene met Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus arose from the dead to her pounding on the door of the upper room where Jesus’s disciples were hiding from the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities these three words “He is Risen” have been the heartbeat of every Christian.

Jesus’s promise of His resurrection to His followers while He was alive came crashing down when he died on the cross.

For 3 1/2 years of Jesus’s ministry, He engrained into His disciples “destroy this temple,” speaking of himself, “and in 3 days I will raise it up” the religious leaders of Israel did not understand Him even Jesus’s inner circle Peter, James, and John were doubtful.

So here we are again, as it has been for over 2000 years, and most of the world still in doubt of Jesus’s resurrection, why? because the secular world did not then and does not now understand that Jesus is God.

Two Timbers and A Love Beyond Measure

by Adam Lustig

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NKJV For as long as I can remember, things have been written to malign the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and especially during this time of the year. There have been books written and comments like the following:

..Jesus did not really die on the cross.
..He (Jesus) was only in a swoon sleep when He was taken down from the cross.
..Someone else that looked like Jesus died on the cross.

Sometimes Church Is Hard

by Arianna Freelen

Church is hard.

Church is hard for the person walking through the doors, afraid of judgement.

Church is hard for the pastor’s family, under the microscope of an entire body.

Church is hard for the prodigal soul returning home, broken and battered by the world.

Church is hard for the girl who looks like she has it all together, but doesn’t.

Church is hard for the couple who fought the entire way to the worship service.

Life Lessons From Chariots of Fire

Adam Lustig

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40: 29-31

I just finished watching the 1981 Oscar-winning film from England, "Chariots of Fire", on Turner Classic Chanel. Chariots is on my top 5 list of the best movies of all time. Not so much for the acting, cinematography, or directing, those are excellent but for the message it conveys.

Are You Salty?

by Adam Lustig

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost it's
flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good For
nothing, but to be cast out and trampled under people's feet.
Matthew 5:13 NHEB

Back in the day when I was on staff for two summers at Philmont National Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico, I noticed one of the local dairy farmers in the town of Cimmaron where Philmont was located had salt blocks in his pasture for his cows. Being a curious lad, I asked him why he has these huge blocks of salt in his pasture.

He told me the salt helps his cows replenish minerals they need for proper digestion that they don't get from grazing in his pasture. The more I study the life of Jesus Christ the more I appreciate his parables and analogies and man the analogy at the top of this posting from Matthew 5 is a great one.

If You Go To Hell

by Chima Anaele Sylvanus

"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments"... Luke 16:23

There are many people today who do not believe in what I am about to share or even if they believe they have a watered down understanding..

So let me say this real quick, the doctrine of Hell remain the same just as Jesus preached it. See.

"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy members should perish, and
not that thy whole body should be cast into hell". Matthew 5:29

The Obsolete Man

(Guest Writer)
by Adam Lustig

The Obsolete Man
Opening Narration:

"You walk into this room at your own risk because it leads to the future. Not a future that will be, but one that might be. This is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted a ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advances, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super-states that preceded it, it has one iron rule: logic is an enemy and truth is a menace." 

"This is Mr. Romney Wordsworth, in his last forty-eight hours on Earth. He is a citizen of the state, but will soon have to be eliminated because he's built out of flesh and he has a mind. Mr. Romney Wordsworth, will draw his last breath in The Twilight Zone." Rod Serling

False Grace Teaching

Here is some background on, "False Grace Teaching",
also called, "Hyper Grace", which my guest is writing about today.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great German pastor, theologian, and martyr was asked in 1943 how it was possible for the Church to sit back and let Hitler seize absolute power. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he stated hyper grace: “Was the teaching of cheap grace.”

What follows is an excellent commentary on this false doctrine by my new guest writer;

Chima Anaele Sylvanus

The Cost Of Doing God's Will

Guest Writer
Chima Anaele Sylvanus

"if I perish, I perish". Esther 4:16

I could remember years back when this text became a reality to me. I was about making a crucial decision for God's glory that could literally destroy my whole life and career from a worldly perspective, but I was determined to make the right decision in following Jesus because I had come to the end of my self but in all God favored me because he saw my sincere heart to please him.

I didn't perish as I thought I would, but yet I could see God achieving something in me from that day on, "dying to self"

I strongly believe this is one of God's Call to every believer In Christ. Esther was not even in the new covenant, yet she knew how to die to self. She knew that doing God's will was going to place a cost on her life even if it cost her life or her crown.