“Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it.”
–The Case for Christianity, C.S. Lewis

A man took his children to a restaurant.

His six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.As they bowed their heads he said, “God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!”

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, the family heard a woman remark, “That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today don’t even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!”

Hearing this, his son burst into tears and asked, “Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?”As the man held his son and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at the young boy and said, “I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer.”"Really?” the boy asked.”Cross my heart,” the man replied.Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), “Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.”

Naturally, the father bought his kids ice cream at the end of the meal. The son stared at his for a moment, and then did something the family will remember the rest of their lives.

The boy picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, “Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already.”

Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you’d stray Sin will leave you so lost, you’ll never find your way Sin will keep you longer than you ever thought you’d stay Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you’d pay!
-Anonymous

It takes a few times reading through this poem to feel the weight of its words. And the truth of what is says hurts a lot. Sin is one of those inevitable cycles we find ourselves in. We try to be a good person, but in the end we mess up somehow. We try and try in our own strength to conquer this sinful nature. Sadly there is no way for us to win on our own.

“…Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

But thankfully God’s love and mercy has given us a way to escape the cycles and pitfalls of sin through belief in the death and resurrection of Christ. Now this is one of those group hug moments that we all feel warm and fuzzy, but our belief in Christ doesn’t stop us from succumbing to the trappings of this world.

We are suppose to lead our lives after the example of Christ so that we may know that sin does not own our lives, but that doesn’t mean Satan won’t try to win you back to his team. Christianity doesn’t end the temptations of sin but it does give us great hope in Christ. For Christ washed away our sins, and made a way for us to approach the throne of grace with a repentant heart.

Even Christ was tempted in the desert. He spent forty days and nights in the wilderness with no food. Now I know how I am if I just skip breakfast, so I can guess that when Satan said turn this rock into bread Christ’s human stomach said, oh yeah, we can do that I’m starving. And how did Christ combat the temptation? He fought it with his knowledge of the word and character of God. And we can do the same in our own walks. God will never ask us to do anything that is against his laws or character, so the more we know and study God’s word we will be better equipped to fight off those temptations that seem to fall in a grey area. There are no grey areas with God.

Be encouraged that Christ defeated sin, and if you hold him in your heart and strengthen you mind in his words then he will be the one fighting two steps ahead of you in the war against temptation.

May you be Blessed and Encouraged!

Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you’d stray
Sin will leave you so lost, you’ll never find your way
Sin will keep you longer than you ever thought you’d stay
Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you’d pay!
-Anonymous

It takes a few times reading through this poem to feel the weight of its words. And the truth of what is says hurts a lot. Sin is one of those inevitable cycles we find ourselves in. We try to be a good person, but in the end we mess up somehow. We try and try in our own strength to conquer this sinful nature. Sadly there is no way for us to win on our own.

“…Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

But thankfully God’s love and mercy has given us a way to escape the cycles and pitfalls of sin through belief in the death and resurrection of Christ. Now this is one of those group hug moments that we all feel warm and fuzzy, but our belief in Christ doesn’t stop us from succumbing to the trappings of this world.

We are suppose to lead our lives after the example of Christ so that we may know that sin does not own our lives, but that doesn’t mean Satan won’t try to win you back to his team. Christianity doesn’t end the temptations of sin but it does give us great hope in Christ. For Christ washed away our sins, and made a way for us to approach the throne of grace with a repentant heart.

Even Christ was tempted in the desert. He spent forty days and nights in the wilderness with no food. Now I know how I am if I just skip breakfast, so I can guess that when Satan said turn this rock into bread Christ’s human stomach said, oh yeah, we can do that I’m starving. And how did Christ combat the temptation? He fought it with his knowledge of the word and character of God. And we can do the same in our own walks. God will never ask us to do anything that is against his laws or character, so the more we know and study God’s word we will be better equipped to fight off those temptations that seem to fall in a grey area. There are no grey areas with God.

Be encouraged that Christ defeated sin, and if you hold him in your heart and strengthen you mind in his words then he will be the one fighting two steps ahead of you in the war against temptation.

May you be Blessed and Encouraged!

Give this a try….

“Table for two, Sir?”
“Yes, please,” Aaron answered with nerves dancing in his voice as the host led Aaron and Elise through the ambient lighting to a small candle lit booth.
“Wow this place is nice,” Elise said once Aaron had helped her slide into the booth.
“Patrick suggested it.”
“Looks a little better than the food at the soup kitchen,” Elise said with a laugh as her eyes dived into the menu. Aaron’s eyes ignored the plates, but mainly looking at the prices. But Patrick was right about the decent costs.
“Luke was glad to hear you are doing well, and my Da wanted to say that you and your family are in his prayers.”
“Uh, thanks,” Aaron said unsure if he actually wanted Hal’s prayers. “Guess who called me today?”
“Who?”
“Father Callum, he wants me to go into work tomorrow.”
“Are you going,” Elise asked focusing her concerned eyes on Aaron.
“I don’t know. Ma’s doing better, and the Dr. Laurence is impressed with her improvements. But he’s still pessimistic. Since they didn’t think she would wake up in the first place that we are above the odds.”
“Glad to see you smile,” Elise said setting aside the menu.
“It’s nice to have a reason too,” Aaron said taking Elise’s hand in his.
Not long after they ordered their food came, and Aaron couldn’t remember the last time he has sat still enough to enjoy his food and his company. But as they ate a strange feeling started rolling around in Aaron’s stomach. The food was good, but the air within the eating house took on an eerie chill.
Aaron looked out the front windows to see shadows rushing about the streets and in a snap the window panes shattered and screams rang out. Aaron’s gut was in knots as he slipped down beneath the booth.
“Elise get down here,” Aaron shouted and Elise joined him her eyes filled with shock. Aaron pulled her close to his chest as painfully familiar sounds filled the streets and the restaurant. Gun shots pierced through the air, shouts full of hatred, and fists hitting flesh soon joined by the agonizing noise of police sirens.
Aaron closed his eyes as the sounds danced teasingly around his head. Reminding him of Brody, Faye, and the others he had once shared in the mayhem with. His heart ached at the people he hurt, and his eyes watered at the fact that the woman in his arms had been one of his victims. How could she forgive him so easily after four years, when he had yet to forgive his Da’s executioner?
“It’s safe to come out now,” a police officer said calmly from the end of the booth. Elise crawled out and Aaron followed, but part of him wanted to hide from his past for the rest of his life.

There is a rising trend; I’m sure you’ve all heard about it, of people, including teens signing up for plastic surgery. This shocks me, especially after watching some of those plastic surgery TV shows. But after the shock I am saddened almost heart broken by people who think they need to shove themselves into a mold.

Now I’m not saying I have the best body image or self esteem for that matter, but I am happy with WHO I am. Of course I want my abs tighter, and my hips slimmer, but that’s because I need to get off my lazy butt and work out.

What bothers me the most about this is the lies these people believe. They think that one quick fix with change everything? If they get this fix then everything in their life will fall into place. True plastic surgery has it’s place, but I think the industry seems to feed to the addiction to be perfect with superstar looks.

But if we were all supposed to look like Brad Pitt and Angelina Joli then where would be the fun in that? Where would be the personality that surrounds us in our variety? I encourage you to take the time to walk through an art museum and look at all the men and women portrayed in the art work. It is amazing to look at some of the most famous works of art and see that the men and women in them are not perfect, and even some artists chose to add what would typically be an unwanted feature in order to reveal even more beauty in the subject of their masterpieces.
The phrase beauty is only skin deep is one that I don’t like much at all. True beauty comes from the soul, not your boob size, or waist measurement, but in your actions and in your heart. That is true beauty, and plastic surgery can’t help there.

We are all made with a plan, purpose, and by the loving hands of God. I wouldn’t change anything about my body because this is who God made. And it has been through the aches, pains, and medical conditions God gave me that have brought me closer to him. I love my imperfections cause they make me human and they strengthen my soul.