Sympathetic sentiments.

We are coming to the time of the year that Christians remember the sacrifice of our Lord God's Son, Jesus dying for our sins, and rising from the dead, so that we may be able to approach God, and some day bow in His presence, because of His grace and mercy.

This is copied from a post on Facebook that has been shared:

Today, I found myself complaining about the rising cost of fuel and then I remembered I have never had to run from missiles. 

I worried if I needed to stock up on a few staples and then realized I have never had to send my children to school with their blood type taped on their backs. 

I shook my head at the thought of our young men and women headed overseas and then remembered that for the Ukrainians war showed up on their doorsteps. 

Then I decided- I won’t sit in my house and brood over the downward turn of the stock market while people are literally facing death. 

Instead I’m going to pray. I know that God will hear me - He will lean down to listen when I pray. The Bible tells me that. I’m going to pray that whatever evil intends that God would turn it around for His glory. I’m going to pray that good would overcome evil and that it would happen sooner rather than later. I’m going to pray that God would hear the cry of every lost soul facing a war they didn’t want and come to their rescue. I’m praying for the overwhelming, supernatural presence of God almighty in every corner of the world tonight. 

I came here to ask if you’d pray with me. Let’s fill the throne room with our voices as we call out for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. May God hear our prayers and turn this whole thing around. 

If He can shut the mouths of hungry lions, split an entire sea in half and raise the dead- He can surely save Ukraine. 

Tribute to my step-father, Gil, and his love for motorcycles and to serve God through the CMA.

My step-father loved motorcycles, and had many throughout his life. He also loved God, and as soon as he learned of the CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association), he didn't hesitate to join.

He would ride and serve God with the CMA every chance he could. He even took part in a special part of the CMA through doing prison ministry.

The Bible (TV miniseries)

THE BIBLE (TV miniseries)

During my life in China, I was pleasantly surprised to find Christianity everywhere I turned. There were home churches where believers would meet. There were jewelry and pictures depicting Christianity. I found the Bible in bookstores, that were in English and Chinese. There were even people would celebrate some of the Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.

For most people in China, they saw the Bible as only another fiction story. The symbols, such as the cross worn as jewelry, were seen as just that, jewelry. Christmas and Easter are only seen as fun activities for the children, and for most of Chinese, have no spiritual meaning.

I should say here, that in my opinion, these latest actions by the Chinese government, are not an attack on Christianity, but a response to disruptions in society because of extremist from other religions in China. Over the years, especially in the northwest of China, there have been numerous outburst in communities that are predominately Muslim in religion.

There are more Christians in China than there are people living in the United States of America. And now, the Chinese government is trying to eliminate all religion in China, and requiring people to denounce their faith and embrace atheism.

A student from Taiwan introduced a website to me last year where I could watch movies and TV series. Today, I saw they had added a new series that I want to introduce to you.

IT IS NOT FICTION.

IT IS A REPRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE.

THE BIBLE IS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION.

THE BIBLE IS FACT.

THE BIBLE IS TRUTH.

You can also watch the 'Jesus' film here.

From my church pastor's blog.

Applauding The Deaths Of Our Little Ones

What a sad day. People stood and applauded. Buildings were lit up in festive pink to celebrate the event. New York State now allows abortions up to birth for any reason.

Considering the gravity of such a move, deciding whether a human being will be violently robbed of life, one might expect more somber looks. One might expect a sad-but-necessary attitude. No. They were happy.

The picture of the signing which circulated in the media shows people filled with joy. They look like a group who just declared a new holiday, another chance for fun and recreation. If this is a holiday, it is a holiday from sanity and common sense.

To add insult to injury, the New York bill is titled the “Reproductive Health Act.” The only accurate word in that title is “act.” This heinous act is an enemy to reproduction. Reproduction, new human life, will be extinguished because of this bill.

And there is nothing healthy about violently denying a baby its right to life. It is not healthy for the mother, her family, for the medical professional, for the community, and certainly not for the baby.

Advances in science over the past 20 to 30 years have consistently supported the fact that a fetus is a life. Successful surgeries on babies before they are born, amazing survival rates of children born long before their due dates, and other astounding medical treatments on little boys and girls developing inside their mothers’ wombs all place the burden of proof squarely on those who would de-humanize the fetus.

Perhaps even more powerful than the voice of science is the testimony of images. Imaging technology has enabled us to see with astonishing clarity the life of our unborn. And seeing is believing. The images are not of disease or random tissue, but of individual lives.

The persuasive power of these images is admitted by those who wish to kill more babies. More than 15 yeas ago a photographer was in the operating room when doctors were performing surgery on a little boy in his mother’s womb. The child stunned the world by reaching up and grabbing the doctor’s finger. The picture was taken, but almost destroyed.

By a strange turn of events the man who snapped that picture stood in my office several years ago. He told me about the outrageous efforts that were made to keep his picture from being published. Why? Because in this case one picture is worth millions of words and perhaps millions of lives.

As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we stand for life. Each and every boy and girl is made in the image of God and deserves a chance to grow up and walk with God and enjoy his blessings.

We believe in more than just physical birth and life. We believe in spiritual life. Every person deserves to hear that God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus, so that anyone trusting in him will not perish (hell) but have eternal life (heaven), to be born again.

The voice of truth will not be denied. God’s Spirit will raise up men and women to courageously stand for life. Let’s answer that call. If our children see us retreat, then they will be more likely to retreat and our grandchildren will suffer. If our children see us stand firm, then they will be more likely to stand firm, and our grandchildren will benefit.

May God’s Spirit inspire and empower us to speak the truth in love,

Brother Richard

Birthday lesson.

This past weekend, I went to Little Rock with my older daughter to see and have lunch with my father on his birthday.

The restaurant we were going to go to didn't serve for lunch what my daughter wanted to eat, so we chose a different restaurant and told my father to meet us there instead.

We arrived at the restaurant and he wasn't there, so we waited. I tried calling him, but he wasn't answering, because he had left his cell phone at home. 

After waiting for 45 minutes, we guessed that he went to the same restaurant, but at a different location, since this was a restaurant chain with at least four or five locations in the city, so we went ahead and ate without him.

My daughter's birthday is the day after my father's birthday, and she wanted to go to a shopping mall. We left the restaurant, and drove to towards the mall.

Before we arrived at the mall, the stopped working in the middle of an intersection. We had to push the car into a parking lot. I took a look under the hood, and discovered the belt that works everything had come off, because some bolts had broke.

Now at this point, different people would handle the situation in different ways. Some might panic, and not know what to do. Some would call for a tow or a mechanic. Some could try to fix it themselves if they knew how. I knew how, but I felt the easiest would be to call a mechanic. I later learned that this was the wrong decision.

The mechanic came about an hour later, and said he could repair it. Four hours later, he told me that he had to order the correct size bolts, and that they would not be in until the morning. He said he would be back then to repair the car.

Now, for this next part, I know there are many people that would tell me that what I did next was a big mistake, and I agree. My daughter had also brought her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's brother with us, so I called my mother to drive two hours from our home to come get all of them.

In the meantime, my father had returned to his house and called me. He agreed to come get me, and let me stay overnight with him, since he lived not too far away, so I could get the car the next day when it was fixed, and drive it home.

I wanted to meet the mechanic the next day after he was finished with the car, and I would pay him then. Since I was going to stay overnight with my father, I decided to go to church with him the next morning. What happened next is the part where most people will disagree with what I did next.

The mechanic said he could fix the car in the morning while I was at church with my father, and if I paid him in full now, he would leave the keys with me, and I could pick the car up at anytime. He seemed like an honest guy, so I agreed.

The next day, after church, we went to check on the car. It was still sitting there just as I had left it. I contacted the mechanic, who told me the bolts he ordered at the parts store had not come in yet, and that it would be later.

We waited three more hours, and then I took matters into my own hands. I went to the parts store, and found some bolts that would work. I bought an inexpensive tool set, along with the parts I needed, including a new belt for the car. I borrowed a special tool I knew I would need to install the belt. And then I went back to the car and fixed it myself in only about an hours time.

If I had done this yesterday, it would have only cost me $45, and would have been fixed in an hour, instead of staying overnight.

That's not the main lesson learned. The main lesson isn't about the money. It's not about the time. It's not about what who was right or wrong. The main lesson came from what I didn't do after the car broke, and before I even made a decision on what to do.

When I went to church with my father that morning after the car broke, I learned that God wants us to talk with Him. He wants us to not only pray, but to simply communicate with Him. God still wants us to bring our problems to Him, but He also wants us to ask for advice. And then, after asking for advice, we should listed to what He has to tell us. If we regularly talk with God, and read the Bible, God will communicate back with us through the Holy Spirit.

The main lesson to learn here, is that I should have stopped after the car broke, and talked with God to ask him what I should do. He might have told me to fix it myself. Or, he might have told me to call the mechanic anyway, since that course of action led to me being able to stay overnight with my father and spend some time with him, including going to church together.

As a believer in God and that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins, we not only have the opportunity to communicate directly with God, but we have an obligation to do so on a regular basis. God is with us always, whether we choose to acknowledge Him or not. And He cares for us with great love. He is the perfect father, teacher, lord, and master.

Spring Break 2018 day 3:

Had a great Sunday with my daughter, father, my nephew David, and God. We went to church, and then my father took us to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We came back to my father’s house, where the kids rode a 4-wheeler, and spent the whole afternoon playing. Tomorrow, we are going to take my nephew with us to three museums downtown.

Spring Break 2018 day 2:

It was Saint Patrick's Day on Saturday. We went to Burger King for breakfast before going to the zoo. We were at the zoo when they opened the gates at 9 a.m., and stayed at the zoo until 2:45 in the afternoon. We saw lots of animals and even went on a train ride. We had lunch at the zoo, and while walking around after lunch, we found $28 on the ground. Our feet were sore from all the walking by the time we left the zoo, but we still had another stop to make before going back to my father’s house. We drove to the Verizon Arena in time for a real feast. There were games for kids. Destiny had lots of fun. There were a lot of people there. We ate catfish, chicken, buffalo, quail, deer, bear, turkey, and pig. We also heard singers singing songs of praise, and speakers giving their testimony. (The name of this event was called: John 3:16, which is a Bible verse that says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not parish, but have eternal life.” We left about 5:15 p.m. to return to my father’s house about 5:45. Enjoy the pictures.