My family & friends know when I'm being serious or not. They know when I'm saying something tongue and cheek and when I'm being real. They get it. Most of them do but some don't. They don't pickup when I'm tweeting things in a humorist off key kind of way. That's not a dig or criticizing them. They just don't it and I get that. I'll post tweets about how 'humble' Donald Trump is and people think I'm serious. I tweeted one yesterday and I got tweets telling me I'm crazy if I think Trump is a humble guy da da da etc. In my mind I'm thinking this is so over the top that people have to know I'm not serious, but they don't. I'm halfway serious and that's what makes them funny. Kind of a hardy har, har thing. Normally I don't care what people think about what I post unless the misconstrued joke is hurting someone. Then I do care. People tell me my humor can be too dry whatever that means. It doesn't matter to me if it's dry or not unless I might be hurting someone. My humor might be dry but my heart is still soft. The only thing I can do is remove the tweets and apologize, and I do. Some things seem to be a do not enter zone and I'll respect that. If you read a tweet of mine and it's so over the top and you're thinking...this guys nuts....is he serious?  There's a very good chance I'm Not serious.  

When I get to heaven, the 1st. question I'm going to ask Jesus is why do you allow so much suffering to continue in the world?  Whenever I think of my youngest brother Joe,  I get a lump in my throat. Even to this day I have to stop typing and clear my eyes sometimes because they get too blurry & can't see the keys.  My brother died in 1994.  Nothing can replace the piece of him I had in my heart.  He was the apple of my Dad's eye and was the youngest boy out of 7 brothers, all one year apart from each other. He never smoked or drank or got into drugs like the rest of us did and he kind of restored the Hedstrom name for my Father and mother because he got them off the hook when they could say,   don't blame us for what the rest of the boys do.  We know how to raise good kids, look at Joe and Ann.   I think there was a part of Joe that felt  because he didn't go to the same river parties we did or hang around the same people we did he didn't feel like an equal to the rest of the brothers. But he could have partied and went down that road if he wanted to. We would have welcomed him but he never did.  The world  in the 1960's-70's was different. Everybody turned on back then (Got high)  You were either a jock, a head or a redneck.  The heads got high and the jocks didn't, and the red necks were red necks.  In school or out of school whenever I saw someone I knew was a jock I'd think....man get it together dude.  You're all screwed up living in la la, land.  Step up and join the real world and live life the way it was meant to be lived.  We just couldn't relate to people on that level. I never viewed Joe like that. I lived with him. He knew what was going on and in hind sight he was smarter than all of us. We didn't know that but he did.  In the 60's-70's violence wasn't cool either, anyone who was into that was a red-neck.   We were "mellowed out" and rejected the society we were living in. I was in a band and I thought I'd be doing for the rest of my life, but the lifestyle I was living would change dramatically in a couple of  years.  God had other plans for me. Lets just say God lifted up the rose colored glasses I was wearing and I saw the world for what it was.  All this peace and love was just sex, drugs and rock & roll.  It wasn't real love and we weren't going to change the world.  All the mellowed out hippies were just fooling themselves.  I knew everyone of us would have to see the real world and what's in it for ourselves and we did.  Financial loss, sickness, suicide,  Fatal Alcoholism, drug overdoses, murder,  all of that would visit one of us sooner or later. But the hardest thing we have to face in life is death. The death of a close loved one will take wind out of your sails. Especially when it comes right out of the blue and makes no sense at all.  My brother Joe had only been married for a one year to a girl from Hawaii. He was only 33 and he had his whole life in front of him.  He bought a new home and everything was good until Oct. 28th 1994. I got a knock on my door and two of my brothers were standing there and I knew something us up. Neither one of them wanted to tell me what happened. And then I heard Berny say,  Joe died!........I couldn't believe what I just heard. It seemed like time stopped.  I thought for sure I was dreaming this. This couldn't be happening.  Joe was the youngest of 7 brothers.  We were all born one year apart from each other so it was like this special tribe we had.  But Joe was special to all of us.  I used to ask him if anyone at school was picking on him and he always said no.  I was ready to make sure it stayed that way.  Joe and my sister Ann were spoiled by my parents but I didn't care. I didn't want them to go through what I did so I never rocked the boat. My dad was close to Joe and vise versa.  I've only seen my Father cry twice.  Once at my grandma Hedstrom's funeral. (His Mother)  And 30 years later at Joe's funeral.  I felt bad for my dad.  He put his heart and soul into Joe and like I say, they were close. I remember my Father looking down at Joe in the casket and I was thinking how can a loving God let this happen?  Why out of all of us 7 did He let this happen to Joe? This part of life I'll never understand. When I see some of the things that go on in the world today my blood boils. This subject tests my Christian faith more than anything else. I don't have an answer for people that ask me these things.  That's what I tell them.  I tell them I don't know. I don't pretend to have an answer for them either. When ever I think about this subject a little voice whispers in my ear...What about Jesus? I Don't want to hear that whisper in my ear right now. I'am trying to understand how a loving God can let little children be beheaded because their of their Christian faith? In my mind I'm thinking, God, you made a mistake when you created us. Man is capable of too much evil on this earth. Stop and start over. If you take a step back and think about it that's what He did at the cross. He gave us another chance at a new life.  How did God let Jesus go through what He did without intervening?.....I have no idea.   But aren't you glad the Son of God came through for us?  Think of where you'd be today if He hadn't gone through what He did for you and I?  God works in mysterious ways. but in spite of all that I learned to trust Him. I'm not going to walk away from the Christian faith because there's a side of God I don't understand. I had a friend who did that very thing in 1987. One day right out of the blue she said if God was a loving God the world would be in the condition it's in.  I could never do that. I'v seen too many unexplainable things happen to do that. And although there unexplainable, they all line up with the word of God. The bible is another trap the enemy will try and mess you up with.   I know what I know and no one will change that. I believe in salvation for the world through Jesus Christ by faith for whomever will come and surrender their lives to Him. I don't have to find the answers to the side of the character of God I don't understand. We can get tied up in the things we don't understand and you just end up with more questions. Questions about why God is the way He is are pointless. suffering and destruction and evil are here today. Don't let those things keep you away from loving God. Do what you can for people and follow the golden rule to the best of your ability because if we're honest we all fall short of that one From time to time.    
     >Rev.11:15<              

Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.  []Mark 9:24[]  That's one of my favorite bible verses in the New Testament because it shows us we don't need this superhuman faith for God to answer Prayer.  Have you ever been praying for something heavy and you Think you're praying with complete faith but when the prayer is answered you're over-joyed with a bit of surprise?  You thought you had complete faith when you were praying but when the prayer is answered your response tells you otherwise.  But God is a good God.  Mark 9:24 shows us we don't need 100% faith in the things we're praying for.  When we pray thy will be done, we're leaving a little bit of wiggle room for prayer to go either way and that takes pressure off of us.  We're honoring God's will above our will.  He's going to answer prayers presented to Him that way before He answers the prayer of someone saying, I believe it, so that settles it. Period!  That's not a prayer, that's a demand. We don't stand on God's word as tho He's under our feet and we're calling the shots by quoting scripture verses.  God want's us to talk to Him.  We forget that we CAN twist God's arm a little bit but with respect and humility.  Lot pleading for more time before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah  is just one example of someone twisting God's arm or for God to reconsider what He was about to do.  God knew who was in the city. He didn't need Lot to remind Him who was still in there.  Lot touched God just enough with his desperate plea that God answered Lot and waited.  God is asking us to talk to Him.  That's what the parable of the widow and dishonest judge is all about.  It's a perfect example of spiritual warfare. Satan knows He can wear us out if he keeps standing in the way, keeps harassing us, keeps throwing a monkey wrench into our lives anyway he can until we fold and throw in the towel.  BUT,......If we keep getting back up no matter how hard the devil hits us and continue to praying (Talk) to God, in time you're going to put a smile on God's face and He's going to come through for you and your prayer.  Unless we have the pure unadulterated faith of a mustard seed,  We're always going to have a little bit of doubt.  Ironically Catholics and not the protestants are the ones who know and recognize this more about God.  I was brought up Catholic, so I knew this at an early age.  Prayer IS WORKS.  It's not easy to "Work" that kind of prayer day in and day out when the enemies doing everything he can to slam you off course.  That's what fasting is all about.  It's tugging at God's garment hem and not letting go, while the devils got a hold of your feet and he's trying to pull you off.  God takes notice of things like that.  Believe me He does.  None of my prayers have 100% pure faith wrapped up in them. There are people reading this blog right now that know exactly what I'm talking about.  All of us are prayer warriors in one way or another but you don't need a mustard seed kind of faith for this kind of prayer to be successful. This kind of prayer isn't what James is talking about when he says the prayer of faith will heal the sick.  Paul talks about praying throughout the whole day. But again, that's different from what prayer warriors do.  Intercessors or prayer warriors don't necessarily have great faith.  They have great tenacity.  The Holy Spirit helps them get up and keep moving. Keep praying.  Wars last longer than one or two days.  Don't be discouraged if God's not answering your prayer right away.  You're lack of faith isn't the problem.  That's a trap door the enemy wants you to believe.  Don't stop praying and don't get discouraged. Get back up and keep moving.            

 And hello. I'd like to clear up some things. If someone shares their feelings with you about something or says their certain God's going to do A.B or C. that's Not the same thing as saying, Thus sayth the Lord, God's going to do AB and C.  Have you ever said to someone,  I'm sure, or I bet, or I'm positive God's  going to something? It's an opinion. It's not prophecy.  If that's prophecy then we're all prophets.  But I even went a step further more than once and said, as far as I know, I'm NOT a prophet. I've never heard God's voice. I see people everyday on twitter that say,  "God just said" You're going to get a blessing,  or God just said you'll have this in a month etc. If God talks to them that way that's great. But I've never heard God's voice that way. There's so much misinformation on twitter, and gossip and lies about people it's insane. People I've never met or never even talked to and have never walked in my shoes or walked the road I have will judge me for what I don't have in life, instead of what I do have.  People that knew me in my past will tell you It's a miracle I'm what I am today. People that knew me from 1977 to 1980 saw a man who was completely isolated within himself. They saw a man that rarely spoke other than yes, no, maybe etc. People wondered what was wrong with me. What happened to him? who is this?   People would talk about me with me in the room as if I wasn't there. My band mates abandon me and why wouldn't they?  I was of no use to them. I was the dude that went "A-Wall". For three years I was like this until I took a chance and rolled the dice and said Jesus, you can have my life if you can help me. My conversion was dramatic. The healing was a slow process but the change in me was immediate. I had changed. The first time my uncle saw me after my conversion he said there was something different about me to my mom and my mother said Matt's excepted Christ into his life.  They both broke down and began to cry. When people say I'm not living my purpose they have no idea what their talking about.  Their looking at me through a very small window. If they could open up the window a little higher they'd see God has already healed me and is still healing me. I'm not perfect. I can be jaded, too opinionated, prideful, judgemental etc. just like everybody else.  I don't care who you are, if you're alive in this world you're going to have issues of some kind or another with the devil, the world, or the flesh.  Sin is death if you want to really get down to it. When God forgives you of sin no matter how great or small, that's a spiritual healing.  None of us will be complete this side of Heaven.  When people from my past see me they know there's a God and that God is real and He heals and restores.  They can see it with their own two eyes what God can do.  God has healed me, or you could say put me back together His way, the way He wanted me to be.  He's still working on me. But what He didn't do is heal me to be a prophet. If God wants to put the gift of prophecy on me that's His business. I'm a Christian who tries to be a better Christian day by day and who prays for others to do the same and succeed in life with gifts and talents I'll never have to help build the Kingdom of God.  I'm never going to meet the standards some people expect me to meet. They think I'm suppose to have all the training and experience and knowledge they do with their careers. I don't. All I can do is work on getting ahead with what I do know and the talents I do have. I'm not going to get ahead with secret promises. If people truly see something in me that can advance their Gig they'll talk to me like people do. If people want to know what kind of a man I'm today, they can talk to the woman who's lived with me for the last 25 years.  I'm not a prophet. And I'm not a market place guru loaded down with cash. Today my real concern is my relationship with God and His will and I've been right on the mark with that. When that's good I'm good. Here's some of who I'am
 >A fun guy with a good sense of humor<

The parable of the widow and the judge (Luke 18:1-8)  shows us some good things.
1st.)  He gives us an insight into prayer and the part we play in it > Consistency<  A lot of spiritual warfare is tied up in being persistent and staying on it day, by day. Prayer and healing are answered in God's timing not ours. And I think most people give up too soon and then say God doesn't answer prayer. (NYdailynews)  When I had surgery on my stomach 3 years ago everything was going wrong and instead of getting better I was getting worse. I thought God wasn't answering my prayers because I messed up my life. I blew it and didn't come through on His plans. I knew I was forgiven and would be in Heaven if I died. But the pain I was in was too much. I caught pneumonia, the wound became infected, my stomach wasn't working like it should be,  I had needles stuck in both arms, a tube up my nose down to my stomach,  and a breathing tube in my mouth.  The worst part about it was the water building up around my lungs that's was keeping me from breathing normal. I had to take short little breaths in and out. As the days went by I kept asking, God, why aren't you helping me? Where are you?  Take me home or help me heal but don't let me sit here and linger. In spite of all I was going through I  kept saying,  God I still trust you,  I'm not losing faith in you, I know you're still with me.  It was the first time in my life God didn't come through for me in dire situations and it troubled me. After two weeks I finally got well enough to go home.  The only thing left was my infection and me getting stronger and I did as the days went by.  Fast forward a year later and as I was taking a walk I asked God....God. why didn't you heal me when I was suffering in the hospital? And I sensed God ask me,  are you healed?  It Stopped me in my tracks. I'd never thought about it in that way. God has healed me. He did come through for me. I'm perfectly healthy today. The next thing out of my mouth was, God, thank you for healing me.  It was slow but He was there behind the scene working.  Keep praying Don't stop.  Prayer isn't always answered right away. It can take time.  In the parable of the widow and the judge is saying He hears our pounding on the door. Keep pounding on the door with prayer. And most of all, don't lose faith in God.  Be blessed.  

Many of us have a sort of vision God wants us to be. We must be true to the vision whatever it is, and we must try to live up to it, by living the way we believe we should live. We can all believe we have a vision of what God wants us to be like. In all persons there is a good person whom God See's in us, the person we could be and that God would like us to be. But many a person fails to fulfill that promise and God's disappointments must be many.
     > 24 hours a day Alcoholics Anonymous <

In his book  >The dreams of my father<  Barack Obama wrote,  if the political winds should turn ugly, I will side with the Muslims. I'm not going to say who is and who isn't a part of the body of Christ, but Christ and Islam don't mix.  Paul said let anyone who preaches another gospel other than the one you've heard from me,  let that one be cursed. []Gal.1:8[]
 The apostasy of the pharisees angered Jesus the most. When Jesus got angry, His anger was usually directed toward the religious falsity and corruption of the pharisees and scribes.  So much so that he actually trashed the Temple in Jerusalem.  Postal?  How would Jesus have reacted to Islam if it had been around in His day with them  Killing infidels and enslaving women as property etc. That would include the Jews and Jesus was a Jew. I know what He wouldn't do.  He would not have turned His head away saying too bad so sad and go on His way.  Jesus and Islam would have collided head on.  That much we know, and God never changes. Our President says jihadist are not a part of Islam.  But jihad is all over the pages of the koran.  Jihad IS Islam and Islam is jihad. You can't separate the two and call yourself a Muslim as The President seems to think.  The truth is the moderate Muslims are real  Muslims, and so are the jihadist, in fact the jihadist are more muslim than the others.  You can call "Moderate Muslims" what you want; Posers, backsliders, whatever, but what they both have in common is their allegiance to Mohammad. They both accept the  koran as their bible.  Try and picture someone in the Hells Angels saying, I don't rape and fight and do drugs like a lot of the other Hells Angels do.  But that line of thinking doesn't work,  he's still a Hells Angel.  He's still wearing the patch that identifies him as one and the same with all the other Hells Angels that do the things they do whether they all engage in that behavior or not. He can't say, the bikers that fight, party, steal  and do drugs aren't the real Hells Angels. It's a part of their "Koran" (Code) and in biker language that means you don't talk about those things with anyone who's not a member of the club. When Barack Obama says He'll side with the Muslims if the political winds change, he's telling you who he is. This is what happens when the church refuses to wake up and get informed about who their leaders really are and what they believe, and what their values are etc. Judgement begins in the house of the Lord,  and there's no doubt in my mind God is judging the church in America today. The good news is there ARE churches right now in 2015 that The Holy Spirit is working in. One of them is Bishop T.D. Jakes (2015)  No that's not a miss print, you read it right. Bishop T.D. Jakes Sunday services are on cue with the Holy Spirit most Sunday's. He doesn't invite God into the service. The Holy Spirit invites him into the service. That's the feeling I get when I'm watching him on line sometimes. And I"m sure there are still pockets of churches in other places that the Spirit is moving in. No matter what our president says or does with this country concerning Islam, we have the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob with us. We have the Father Son, and Holy Ghost with us. We have a remnant still active in this country and that's enough to restart the growth of God's Kingdom anywhere, any time, anyhow. We can't forget who we are. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We can do more than we imagine or think. We're lights in a dark world that are suppose to get brighter, not dimmer. And we will because of who's with us.    

I gave  $25.00 to the potters house ministry with Bishop T.D. Jakes last week. I know it's not much but I gave it anyway because it's good soil,  the man is saved,  and he speaks my language.  every Sunday His sermons speak to me in one way or another.  He can bring a tear to my eye, or step on my toes or what ever.  I can relate to 85% of his sermons every Sunday.  I'm not talking about one or two Sundays,  I'm talking about months.   I'm either crazy, or God is behind this crazy thing. I'm not going to go into the M.O. God uses  to Yay, or Nay something. But this Sunday He gave me three of them. They were all Yes and amen.
If I lived in Dallas I'd be a member of his church.  There are no churches up here that lift up Jesus and preach like he does.   In fact, Nobody preaches like him. I ran into him on you tube a year ago and said to myself, this man was born to preach.  Preaching has never been my thing,  but I've always admired preachers that can preach like that.  Their gifted no doubt.  His message today was good soil verses bad soil.  I don't know if the soil I'm in is good or bad.  But I do know I'm not growing like I should be. I'm not using what I have as well as I could be. I've been knocking, and knocking on doors that never open. I even wrote a book And shared bits and pieces of it on twitter & my blog hoping someone might be interested in helping me get it into the right hands to better me financially and better enviorment and someone stole it and copyrighted in her name or someone Else's name.  I don't know which or what was stolen from the book , but now It's all chopped up with missing pieces that could be anywhere in the story.  she did this with pride and congratulated herself on being a slick criminal woman who takes advantage of people. ( Those are her words, not mine ) The hate I had for this faux Christian was tearing me up inside. God took care of it the last time she tried to destroy me. And I surrendered it to Him. I even unblocked her on my twitter account. She's muted but she doesn't know that. She's in God's hands.  She threw a monkey wrench into my best opportunity and thought she finally put a stake through my heart......and it failed again.  She doesn't have to tell me what kind of soil she's in. Her actions say it all. There are no 'criminal Christians in the body of Christ.  The soil she's in is bad soil anyway you slice it.  It's Bad Soil!  I don't want to end up like that. I don't want to look back at my life and say where did I go wrong?  God knows me.  He knows I'll do whatever it takes to stay in good soil and to be in a good environment.  I've got to find the weeds and pull them up. And if that doesn't help I've got to move.  Plant what I've got somewhere else.

You have to be careful when you hear testimonies of people who have died and come back to life.
I believe the secular people who have died and come back to life when they say their experience was good on the other side.
And I believe them when they say they felt unconditional love and they were met by a being of light and guided to a beautiful place where they met their loved ones. I'm not doubting they experienced that.
But this doesn't necessarily mean they stay there forever and that they won't be judged for their lives sometime in the future. Remember the parable of the wedding feast Jesus taught? When the King came in to look at the guests, He saw a man who wasn't wearing a wedding garment and questioned him.
When the man had no answer, he was bound and cast out from the wedding. >Matt. 22: 12-14<
Jesus is saying, there will be people inside the Kingdom Wedding who will be removed. Could these people be the secular people who have died rejecting Christ?  I don't know. I don't claim to understand the ways and means of God's judgement.  But I do know the word of God is true. And I believe what it teaches us and warns us about.  We can't accept the experience of people who've died and come back to life to be the final destination for all of us. If the devil comes as an angel of light, how are we to know and recognize what's true and what's not? We know by weighing the information against the word of God. We're not lost sheep without a Shepperd here trying to guess our best with what we hear and see as being true or false. Jesus is the Word of God. The way, the truth, and the Life.  Heaven and earth will pass away. But the word of God will never pass away.

I'm just going to say this because it needs to be said. This whole idea about forgetting your past and moving forward or staying in a positive state of mind and avoiding any negative energy or people is not how Christians are suppose to live their lives. I'm just passing on the instructions that were given to us by Jesus Christ that still hold true today.  Jesus didn't come for the healthy, He came for the broken, the lost and hurting people (People with negative energy) >Luke 5:31<
  How and when did this new age "energy " life style or belief  find it's way into the Body of Christ?   If someone is telling you Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit is in that stuff their lying to you.  If you want to serve and grow in the Kingdom of God, You have go and do what Christ did. You have to pickup your cross and follow Him. Any negative energy someone has in them has to bow to the Holy Spirit inside you. Everybody has their own limit and dedication of surrender they'll give to Christ but here's what people forget---> God is pleased by how much faith and obedience we have toward Him.  Not our nicey nice and Mr. and Mrs. Church and their volunteer work. That stuff is needed and important. Very important, but it's not what God wants most from us. It's our faith and obedience. It's so simple it goes over most peoples head. The Just shall live by FAITH not good works. I try to be nice and kind with people, but don't keep stepping on my toes. I'm  human too. And God gets angry too. If people can't get along with me it's because their not trying to. Despite our flaws God still works through us by our Faith, not how sweet and kind we are.
 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the word of God. One day a week the church comes together to be reminded of who and what we are in Christ. How to seek first the Kingdom of God. How to grow in righteousness and Holiness. How to forgive your enemies and walk in love. Who Jesus Christ is. And last not least how to grow in faith. everything else can wait outside for 2 hours. And the only energy we should be concerned about is the energy and power we get from the Holy Spirit.  God works in mysterious ways.    

There are too many problems with the church today that you don't know where to start. One of them is how sanitized the church has become. Nobodies honest with each other. There's no room for problems or pain and if you're not cheerful 24/7 stay out of the church, it's negative energy and we're not about that in 2015.  Lets be honest, the face you bring to church on Sunday isn't the same person you live with the rest of the week. You can shake your head and say I'm wrong but that won't change a thing. Either you truly don't see the denial your living in, or you do and your denying it. Either way THAT'S Toxic energy.  The church today isn't for the suffering.  Jesus clearly said anyone who wants to be my disciple, let him take up his cross DAILY and follow me. Sounds to me like Jesus is telling his followers we're going to have some kind of a cross until the day we die. That's not today's Christianity. Today's Christianity says don't be sad or confused or angry or mad, if someone sins against you just ignore it and forgive them, don't rock the boat and follow what everybody else is doing. Christians don't read their bibles today. God doesn't work through robots. the people He chooses to work through are human beings that still know what it means to be human, their not afraid to admit their undone. They don't live in a fantasy land and pretend like everything is perfect. And if they get pushed hard enough they'll call you out like Jesus did. Christians today don't want to admit Jesus got into it with people.  And if they do the subject is changed right away. He even resorted to name calling if you pushed Him the right way on the right day. >Matt. 23:13-33<  Names like hypocrite, Snake, Fools, Blind guilds, and children from Lucifer. When Jesus like John the Baptist said how can you escape the coming hell fire They were in affect saying.....your going to hell. That's not today's church. Today's church is do not offend. Don't rock the boat. Do not Step on anyones toes. Like when Jesus went postal in the Temple and started throwing money around, tipping over tables? God is Love and here comes love rockin the boat, steppin on toes and offending people. Until Christian start rocking the boat, offending people and stepping on toes the church is going to stay right in the middle of this spiritual drought. Why are people so afraid of offending someone today. The people who aren't afraid are those that don't have an image to live up to and don't have to live up to and what other people expect them to, those people are free to say what they want to say which is what Jesus expects us to do. Jesus wasn't P.C.  He was just the opposite.  Keep your eye on the prize-----> Heaven!  

The United States isn't mentioned in the book of Revelations. It's as tho God is giving us a chance to live in the freedom of His word, or Big brother Caesars.  It wasn't just the Jews who conspired to put Jesus to death,  it was the Government of Rome too.  Caesar declared he was king over all,  Roman or Jew.  Anyone who said otherwise would be put to death.  Jesus was preaching there was another king (God) over the heavens and the earth Including Caesar. Today 'Ceazar' our Government is slowly stealing power from us and making it illegal for the church to preach Jesus Christ as the King of Kings again. The Government wants to be your king and lord it over you, me, and any other American including our Military.  Today Military chaplains cannot pray in the name of Jesus or use His name in any public form.  They can't have a bible or a cross or a picture of Jesus Christ on their desk. As Christians we believe there's power in that name and there IS.  If you make it illegal to pray in Jesus name then how are the soldiers going to know who or what your praying to?  Buddha?  Allah? the Jews? The Government has taken away the Chaplains right to practice their faith with the men their serving with in the time of battle or State side.  men want to know that someones got their back and will be praying for them if they get wounded. They want to know that the faith they were baptized in as a child will be the faith they go out with as a man.  If you look at old pictures of the soldiers before they went off to stop Hitler you'll see large groups of men listening to their chaplain encouraging them, giving them hope or receiving Holy communion. Today it's against the law for ANYONE to have a bible on their work desk,  a picture of Jesus or wear a cross around their neck in any Government building. Yesterday a man in California was arrested for reading a bible in a public park and this is happening more and more.  We became a country because men wanted the freedom to practice their religion without the Government breathing down their neck and being arrested if they did. That's what and who we are (Were) as a Nation.  The Caesars today say their christian yet celebrates gay marriage and light up the white house with the gay rainbow colors while Christian genocide continues to go on in the middle East with hardly a peep from them. You don't see any street corner preachers anymore because they know they'll be arrested if they do. Our faith has been under attack and everybody is afraid to say anything because it's not politically correct and they might be attacked.  So what? I've been attacked many times and I'm still here.  Is that where we're headed as a country?  Afraid to let people know who we are as Christians because of the PC police?  There have been a few,  but outside of Franklin Graham I haven't heard anyone speaking out against what's happening in the middle East or to our religions freedom.  This country has no Billy Grahams anymore.  The devil knows a good thing when he sees one and he's been working overtime. We have to save the religious freedom we have left.  I feel like God is telling us today, right now that He's trying to help us. It's not too late. People have to remember our God is king over Caesar today just as He was in Jesus time. When peter and John were arrested for preaching in the name of Jesus they were warned to never preach in that name again, and they answered them by saying, who are we going to obey,  God? or you? Who are WE going to obey, God, or Caesar?  Men make laws. God over rules them.  He over rules them through me and you.  If the Government stripped our chaplains right to pray in the of name Jesus,  that means they can do it to you too.  We have to wake up and realize what we're letting slip right through our fingers.  We can do this. We can change America back to a Christian friendly country.  God's Spirit is beginning to move and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.  With God ALL things are possible.   >Matt. 19:26<        

Martin Luther King Walked in the way, the truth, and the light of Jesus Christ. He was for real hope and change. There was no deception or cover up in what he preached or stood for. He brought out the best in people. God was with Dr. MLK and people from all races and genders, rich or poor were too.  Al Sharpton and those like him will never bring us peace. I believe America is at a tipping point right now. If we can't bring out the truth and work with each other now,  when will we?  If S.C. shooting doesn't wake up ALL Americans then what will?...It would have to be something worse than what happened in S.C.  If people can't or wont invite the Holy Spirit in as part of the racial  solution today then their the wrong people to move forward with. Other wise it will be the same song and dance we've heard for the last 10 years. If I was in Charleston's S.C.  I'd be asking the leaders of the black community churches to find a Godly man of Truth and integrity to stand up and lead us out of this mess America has fallen prey to. We need to heal this Hatred between the races. The people who want to continue to deny and look away, Let them. One day they'll stand before Jesus Christ and give an account as to why they ignored the growing hatred and division between the blacks and whites until the lid of hatred and evil  finally blew it's top off.  If we can't stand by and help stop the racial violence people are living with because of the color of their skin,  black, white or any other, then we might as well  go back to our cushy lives and let them kill each other and work it out for themselves while we watch America continue to implode on itself.  These 9 God loving christian that died that day blew the whistle on what's happening in America and they died with God by their side.  God was no where near this racist killer. Their deaths don't have to be in vain.  Most of the responsibility as to how we got here as Americans lies in  the media's hands.  They decide what you and I will be informed about.  If they had done their jobs and worked on the real and significant issues plaging our country ten years ago, we wouldn't be where we are today.  We don't want jacked up sensationalized news anymore. Today everything is "Breaking news". We need a real and legitimate news station for people to get their information from that doesn't lean left or right but gives us news that can keep us in touch of important information and issues that affect our daily lives. Martin Luther King would probably say America needs God again but most Christians don't care about the condition Americas churches are in today.  Jesus Christ does.  And He cares about the racial divide America is going through today.  Who are we going to listen to?  What has our faith taught us as Christians? Today all our attention is on our next blessing from God, and the Golden Rule with racial harmony gets shoved back into a corner. America needs God again.

Joesph and Mary were a days journey away back  to Jerusalem before they noticed Jesus wasn't with them.  >Luke 2:42-45<   They just assumed he was, and headed back with the group. You almost know for sure that once Mary and Joesph were out of sight people were probably saying things like; what kind of parents would leave their child behind without checking to make sure he was with us first before we left?  My God that's terrible.  What in the world are those two thinking doing something like that?  etc.  Have you ever taken off on some project assuming you had Jesus approval when you didn't?  Last year I did some volunteer work for an organization call little brothers of the elderly.  You've heard of big brothers?  this is just the same only we visited and made friends with the elderly who were lonely. They would match you up with someone who had the same likes & dislikes as you,  and you would take them places like the zoo or different places  around the City.  They matched me up with a guy name Robert who use to run a liquor store in Mpls  called zips with his brother. There's a good chance Robert or his brother waited on me years ago because I use to buy my liquor there from time to time.  Roberts brother was shot and killed by a guy who robbed the place but I can't remember what year it was. What I do remember is the pain I and my family went through when my brother Joe was killed back in 1994. He was only 33 years old.  I remember thinking God, why did you let this happen?  You could stopped this. Something like that can shake your faith up real good.  But Robert an I had a lot in common.  About two months into my volunteer work we all got an email  from the local little brothers center that they would be changing their volunteer work and would be serving strictly the LGBT community starting sometime in October.  I was angry. I've got nothing against gays but why single them out and exclude the rest of the old folks?  I asked the other volunteers what they were going to do,  some would stay, and some would go. I would honor my three month commitment with them,  but after that would have to leave.  As a Christian I couldn't volunteer for a LGBT organization and keep a clear conscience. I rushed into this thing without praying about it first.  I figured why pray?  Why wouldn't the Lord want me to do this?  I rushed into it and left Jesus behind.  Nothing good came out of this whole thing and had I prayed first I probably could have avoided a lot of nonsense.  Like Joesph and Mary I took off on and left Jesus behind.  It's another lesson I learned the hard way. Pray first, then proceed.   P.S. I'll bet I'm not alone on this.     >Be Blessed<  

You would be surprised at how well prison wardens can control the bad apples within the prison. It's not by giving the inmate more time to serve. Most of the trouble makers are doing life without parole, More time served means nothing to them.  They control them by throwing them in the hole. Today it's called the Shoe.  In the shoe you've got no privileges at all. Nada. The only activity for the day is listening to them bring your food around 3 times a day. It's hard time to say the least. No books no radio, no time out of your cell, Nothing. The saying, you don't know what you've got till it's gone fits the shoe perfectly (Pun intended)  After a while If an inmate in the shoe can prove he can follow the rules he goes up a step and, he gets his books back. After a certain amount of time if he's still cooperating he gets his radio back. within time if the inmate is still following the rules he gets to go back to general populating and given all of his privileges back.  The penile system has found this is the best way to control inmates. It's not by punishing them with more and more time served,  It's through the reward system.  So why doesn't this reward system work for young kids and gang bangers on the street?  1st. What are you going to reward a teenager with if he stays on the good road?  More basketball courts?  That doesn't work. More Scholarships to collage? that doesn't work.  Unless a kid is fortunate enough to get born again he has a good chance of heading straight to gangs and crime and that means more prisons and more of the same. My Mother wasn't mother of the year by any means. But the one thing she did right is she made sure we were all in church on Sunday morning.  I hated it.  But just by me being there and hearing the Gospel,  Kingdom seeds were planted. God's said My word will not come back void.  And within 10 years those tiny mustard seeds would begin to break open and I became born again Christian and my life completely changed. I wasn't perfect and I would have slips with alcohol off and on (About 3 times a year?) for a few years, But I was yoked up with someone who was perfect.  People are surprised there are born again Christians in jail but their are more than you'd think. Didn't Jesus say I was in Prison and you visited me?  And you know what?  The Christians in jail have a perfect avenue to wittiness to people that nobody else can reach.  I did. And the most troubled inmates are the ones who seemed to listen the most. I don't have all the answers to turn around troubled kids. But if you can start early enough and let them hear the Gospel and the life Of Jesus Christ you can let the Holy Spirit do the rest and not only turn a kids life around in the future,  but give them eternal life as well.  There is ONE thing an inmate gets to keep when he's in  the hole, it's the Bible.  After a while an inmate can get so bored he'll read anything. And there have been men who have found Christ in the hole.  You can ask any warden in any prison if A REAL jail house conversion with an inmate isn't one of the best rehabilitation's an inmate can get and he'll say yes. The answer for gangs, crime, violence, rebellion etc. Is Jesus Christ. The Government has proven over and over again they aren't  helping. It's the church. The church has got to reach out to these kids someway, somehow to turn this around. They've gotta hear it from someone who's been there and has come out of it. There not going to listen to a priest or a pastor tell them Jesus loves them because they've never walked in the kids shoes. You need someone who's been where they are and has come out of it. You know who helps an alcoholic get sober? It's not the doctor or the priest or family.  It's another alcoholic. He's living proof. He's the one who can give the alcoholic hope again and help get him out of it. Too many churches are failing at making any kind of a REAL effort to save our kids. How is helping people get to the next level in church going to help these kids?  Their killing each other and we're worried about how we can get blessed. Why do we serve ourselves and call it Christianity?  I want to end on a good note by saying there are churches and communities and organization reaching out to these kids and making a difference. Kids are hearing the Gospel and without a doubt lives are being changed. We just need more churches to step up and do the same.  Bottom line, we need more Christians who care.  

John appeared in the wilderness and all the people of Judea & Jerusalem came out to him <Mark 1:44-5< ...you're thinking What?....They came out to John? That weirdo people talk about that lives in the desert dressed up with camels hair like a cave man?..Yeah, that John. Sweet Lord Jesus whats John preaching out there?  Its gotta be how God can bring you favor, right? No!  Then it's about how God can bless you in some kinda way,  because people don't trudge all the way out into the wilderness with snakes and wild animals roaming around to hear what this homeless loser has to say unless it's something good. What's John talking about?....John's talking about sin, repentence and, pointing people to the true messenger. It doesn't make sense does it?  People don't want hear Sin. In fact that's about the last thing people want to hear. It makes more sense to think the people would be going out there to shut John up. People are getting irritated listening to him telling everybody their sinners and they need to repent, he needs to repent.  But King Herod protected John >Mark 6:20<  This crooked  king with blood all over his hands actually like to hear John the baptist preach. That blows me away. This is the same guy that would order John's execution in the very near future. Corrupted power will make you do things you don't want to do, to insure things keep running smoothly and you can save face.  What  John had was the Truth. Give them the Truth and the people will come. Because when cultures and societies get so corrupted, in time people don't know who or what to believe anymore, and they just want the TRUTH. God is a God of Spirit and truth and without that nothing changes.  It's just more of the same slice up and diced up over and over to get people in the pews, and the only think that happens is the  people remain dry . Their dieing of thirst and nobodies giving it to them.  Jesus said come to me all ye that are thirsty and drink from the river of life.  John may have been in the river in Jordan, but his message had the truth that led people to the river of life good glory to God I'm gettin happy just preachin to myself.  John new the truth would set them free, and he new they were ready to receive it.  He was preaching and the people kept right on coming and he just kept on preaching cause you know John was a shoutin Holy preacher praise God. It don't matter if it's a hairy, scary cave man preaching way out in the wilderness,  when people get hungry enough for the truth they'll come. I wonder how many times the devil tried to shut  John down?  Personally I think that's why John lived where he did. He must  have got so tired of dealing with the the presser and resistance and haters he was up against that God finally said John,  move out of there.  John was was human too. You know he was dealing with some powerful principalities, and that can affect you emotionally, spiritually, and physically. He finally got to the point where he had to removed himself from the drama. Even Jesus the son of God would remove himself from the crowds to be alone from time to time. John didn't care if he was out of the picture. In fact he wanted it that way saying I must decrease and He must increase. John cared about the message not the messenger or who brought it. He didn't have a secret agenda, He wasn't competing with people, he wasn't even thinking on that level.  John was all about pointing the people to the right person, Jesus Christ. There are some preachers who are beginning to open up with the truth. I'm surprised at how little some Christians knows about Christianity. It almost hurts.  But if God is behind it, nobody can stop it. One way or the other God's will is going to come out on top. I've seen how God can come through with situations that look impossible again and again. We just have to keep any loose ends tighten up and keep praying and get out of the way. God's going to do it. ----->Be Blessed<----

There are two things we must have if we are going to change our way of life.
One is faith, the confidence in things unseen, the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe.
The other is obedience, that is, living according to our faith, living each day as we believe God wants  us to live, with gratitude, humility, honesty, purity, and unselfishness, and love.
Faith and obedience, these two, will give us all the strength we need to overcome sin an temptation and live a new and more abundant life.--->Alcoholics Anonymous 24 hours a day<---

Have you ever been doing all the right things and yet the storms keep coming in over and over? And these storms are bigger, darker, and more powerful than anything you've ever faced. Your prayers and guardian angels aren't winning these face offs. When the dust settles you've been kicked, cut, punched bruised and buried. But through it all God's peace is right there by your side singing closer than a brother praise God. Your "Crew" cut out a long time ago.  you might have peace but you got mud all over you and if they stick around you, they might get mud on themselves....Right?  you done and they gone.  If your a Christian these storms WILL come, and God doesn't need your help when these Monsters come along. A good prayer warrior knows how to find the closest fox hole, jump in, and keep his head down until it's over.  Our "Fox holes" are under the wing of the Almighty God. We may hear the wind roaring, lightning cracking, and things flying through the air at 90 miles an hour but there's peace under that wing as long as you stay there.  As soon as we start  interfering and "gonn'a fix things our way", we're out of God will and that includes His protection of peace. Don't listen to so and so, who just heard from him and them, you said this and that,.......Sorry but I gotta run now see ya later. We can't play with information we hear floating around and take that info and then act on it and expect God's peace to ride along with us. WE KNOW that doesn't work but most of us do just that. What "They say" isn't going to affect what you have with your relationship in Christ. If the devil can't take it away what makes you think John Doe and his crew can take it away? The world didn't give it to you and the world can't take it away.   Believe it or not these storms can be perfect opportunities to let God bless you. (Hear me out on this)  If God says His peace is always with us, then the bigger the storm the stronger the needed peace to keep us peaceful in the storm. I'm not saying I'm looking forward to trials and tribulation but look....You've got two options. Surrender the storm,  or get ripped up and torn. I'm not kidding when I say this. I hope every Christian gets a chance to face one of these twisters from hell. If I had that level of peace with me everyday It would be Heaven on earth.     P.S.  It's the kind of peace that makes you want to jump up, pound your fist on dat table throwing chairs round dat room singing peace like a river good glory to God.   Well, maybe not like that, but you get it. STRONG Peace.        

We have the task of teaching by word and example the truths that others would avoid, of restoring and building up the faith that has been lost or weakened, of promoting unity among God's people, of sowing peace where there is discord or courage where there is weakness or fear.  >Sister Mary Joseph Rogers, foundress of the MaryKnoll Sisters<

I've often wondered if Jesus ever "Clowned around" with His disciples when they were away from the crowds. We know He could get angry (Trashing the Temple) And we know He was a Man of many sorrows. But there's no record of Him in the bible that says He laughed or joked around. In the Psalms it Say's God laughs at the wicked and knows their days are numbered, so we know for a fact God will laugh at us.  Jesus had the joy of the Lord,  I mean come on,  He was God and when the joy of the Lord comes on you,  You can get silly. Joyfully silly. The joy of the Lord is our strength. That speaks volumes. (Devil don't like silly joy)  Christians can take themselves way too seriously today. Especially on social media. The side they portray is "Holy and righteous" and you never see much of their human side of their person. I understand we have an image of Christianity we want the world to see,  but the world never See's the human side of us and I don't think that helps further the Gospel it might even hinder it. I do think Jesus may have lightly teased His followers most close to Him. we should lighten it up a little bit.  Be true to thine own self and be a blessing.  

Praise ye the Lord. In the early 1980's I had the option of being released to the street, or entering a halfway house that worked with men coming out of jail. There was one catch. This place was 100% christian centered. No big deal for me,  I was already saved. What was a big deal to me as I found out later was the house attended church every Sunday. And this wasn't your run of the mill Church. I could already hear the music when we all stepped out of the van that Sunday morning. Whoever was in there was praising Jesus LOUD. When we all walked in it was like a culture shock. I was brought up catholic and we didn't have church mothers in the front row shouting & praising Jesus and it wasn't just them, the whole church was rocking to the music with their hands raised in the air praising God. I wanted to just turn and run out of there. These people have lost their mind. I was sure I had joined some kind of Jesus cult and I wasn't having it. My brother got mixed up with a cult in California and I wasn't about to do the same.  But as soon as we filled up the pew, my fellow house residents suddenly got sanctified and now they had their hands in the air praising Jesus too. WHAT?   You'd think they were life long members of the church the way they were faking it in front of everybody looking around to make sure someone was watching them "Praising God". I'm thinking everyone in this place is nuts. This halfway house is nuts. Those squawking church mothers with the big hats in the front are nuts. Even my friend Tomcat standing right next to me went crazy with his arms waving back and forth in air like he's some wanna be Deacon.  I just froze. It seemed like time stopped. I was backed into a corner I couldn't get out of. There was a battle going on inside me and neither side was winning.  I haven't been perfect in serving God, but I'm not a hyporcite. Not even 10 minuets ago some of the guys were talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the van ride over here and now their Spirit filled tongue talkin, bible thumpin demon stoppers.  But I was looking at it from different perspective than they were, although I didn't realize it at the time. Their not praising and clapping because of what they've done for God or because their even saved. Their praising and clapping for what God has done for them. Regardless of the reason why I did I started clapping too.  and you know what?  something started to changed inside me. Something all the crazy creepy therapy in the world couldn't have done because therapy just works on the mind.  The Holy Spirit works on everything,  mind, body soul and Spirit. I can't explain it but it was healing me in new ways and I began to look forward to Sundays with all those church Mama's asking me..son, you been good?  Yes ma'am and I'm going to do better. Most people would say it's just an emotional thing but it's not. Read the old testament and you'll see that God's people have always worshiped in this way. People that can't or wont worship like this are dealing with a lot of pride issues and God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Pride and being humble are issues we'll deal with our whole life. Even Paul had trouble with pride and God had to give him some thorns. Don't ever be so proud that you wont raise your arms in the air and praise Jesus for what done for you and how Good God is because He's done things for you and me that we're not even aware of.

If you've ever been to the funeral of a close loved one who's passed on, you know the kind of pain their going through. You'll see people you haven't seen in 15, 20 + years show up simply to show their support for you and your family.  There's no clicks over political or economic statuses during this time. Even the person people have avoided, who's struggle with Alcohol and drugs over the years is welcomed with unconditional love. How much money they make or whether their democrat or republican is pointless. You just don't care about those things. You realize what this life is truly all about. Jesus said it,  love one another as I have loved you.  but we don't live that like we should. That peaceful love that permeates the air for one another at funerals is God's Divine love. During this grieving process we can let down our guard, take off our mask and openly show our love and support for one another. That's all God is asking us to do. He'll help us do it if that's what we want.  We don't "Need" a whole lot of what this world tells us we need to have and keep God's peace, love, and joy. Jesus wouldn't have commanded us to love one another as He has love you if this wasn't possible. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. No doubt we'll fail again and again. Especially in the day and age we're living in. But His His Grace is sufficient. Funerals have a way of jolting us back to reality and reminding us of what's really important. The good news is we don't have to wait until someone dies to get grounded into this Agape Love. God supplies this for us on a daily basis. Start your day with prayer and meditation in the morning with a conscious effort to simply live by the golden rule for that day, and God will supply all your need according to His riches. I don't think perfect surrender to His perfect love is the goal. He's looking at our hearts. Do we want to grow and are we trying?  Remember the man that said to Jesus, Lord I believe, Help my unbelief?  Jesus healed that man. All we have to do, to continue in His love is------> Lord I'm trying, Help my un-trying, and He'll come through. you'll see your life enriched in more ways than one.

It's ironic I chose fresh truth to name my blog. Sometimes truth is peaceful and welcoming, And sometimes it can hit you like a truck. Whatever the case, the truth is reality. And if you take away either one of them you're either stuck or off course with people, places, and things in life. You end up running around in circles. Maybe the best way to find the right path when you realize your stuck is to ask yourself, does the love of God fit into this? Can I picture Jesus in this picture? If it's yes, then it's a truth you can follow. If it's no you best move along.    

I believe that all suffering and sacrifice is of value to me. When I am in pain I'm being tested. Can I trust God no matter how low I feel?  Can I say "Thy will be done" no matter how much I feel defeated?  If I can, my faith is real and practical. It works in bad times as well as good times. The Divine will is working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can trust in it.  >Alcoholics Anonymous 24hours a day meditation book<

Have you ever heard the saying,  God works in mysterious ways?  Or you can't put God in a box?  But most (Christians) do just that. We say things like,  I'm baptist, or I'm catholic etc. When we do that we're saying,  we have all the answers for you. We've already covered the bases you're circling. Christianity becomes a legalistic Christianity. we have a law (Belief) we follow. Follow us and it's all good.  And if you don't follow us we put you in jail (Kick them out) When you're excommunicated from the Catholic church, you can never come back. That's cruel and unbiblical.  You can't grow that way. You're stuck. God no longer works in mysterious ways for you, because His mysterious ways are out side the box.  I was watching (Not going to name them)  a church on cable TV one Sunday morning and at the end of the service, they called people up-front who wanted to receive Christ.  And when the prayer was finished he said,  you'll know when you received Christ and eternal life because you'll begin to speak in tongs.  WHAT! The thief on the cross didn't speak in tongs and Jesus said to him today you'll See Me in Paradise.  In fact the thief was never baptised, confirmed, or any other legalistic burden we put on peoples backs today in the name of God.  Jesus said the same things to the pharisees when He was here.  They had the people boxed in.  The law was made for man. Man wasn't made for the law. There are hundreds of Christian denominations active now.  The body of Christ wasn't mean to be divided. A house divided can not stand.  I almost get a lump in my throat when I think about what happened to the Holy Spirit that spread like wild fire in this country during the late 1970's and early eighties. You'd see grown men walk into a church service and begin to weep because the Spirit was so much present with them.  Even some catholic priest got touched by it, which means God, as good as He is to us can over- look the legalistic stuff.  It's the condition of our hearts toward Him, and our fellow man.  How could it not be that?  Today religion beats the golden rule in many, many of our churches.  And we can't put all the blame on the ministers. They can't control you. We're yoked up with Jesus Christ, not a pastor or a priest.  But, here's the good news. God isn't limited to the 4 walls of a church or a particular religion. He's showing up in some surprising places. IV felt the Holy Spirit in some AA meetings within the last 3 years. Their hearts are in harmony, and there pointed in one direction. Sobriety, and following God's will for their lives. >Step 11<  God is good.

Even If your doing solitary confinement somewhere, If you've got Jesus you can make it. God never lets us go through something we can't handle. I think that's why God urged Paul to write the book of Philippians (Gospel of joy) in prison. If he can have that kind of joy in prison then we can too even though we're going through difficult trials and tribulations here. The joy of the Lord is our strength.