Weird Week

Good Day

What a weird week, it started off normal enough, but quickly descended into controversy. Thank God my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is by my side and through him I am more than a conqueror.

Since quitting drinking my social life has suffered immeasurably. There is a documented socio-economic link between socially active alcoholics and success in business, especially sales. I find it very difficult to strike up friendships with strangers without a drink in my hand and I'm sure there are many others who experience this frustration. I just pray that God directs my steps and introduces me to the correct people.

Just yesterday, my professional character was attacked by a person whom shall remain nameless. Thank God I have supernatural favor and grace because the enemy was setting me up to be fired. The enemy will use every weapon against us, even our own confidence. My spirit man has been pushing me to be bold. I've been hearing Proverbs 28 over and over "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."

I will continue to fight the good fight and pursue my heavenly and earthly responsibilities, God has blessed me, I am aware of how blessed I am, God practically spoils me like I am one of his favorite children, at least that's how I feel. When others attack me I must remember to love my enemies and forgive them.

Just this morning I read about the passing of Jason Rabedeux; Jason was the UTEP basketball coach who took over for Don Haskins. He was responsible for kicking me off of the UTEP practice squad and firing G Ray Johnson (the family friend who had assisted me in my foray into college hoops as a young athlete). He was only 49, his wife left him 2 years after he got the job at UTEP and he was replaced at Utep after 4 unsuccessful years. Later he was forced to migrate to Asia in order to coach, where he died. I am deeply saddened by this news, I remember meeting with Jason in his office he seemed like a depressed man, he had no love, life or light in his eyes. He dismissed me without a second thought, I hope and pray God forgives him and accepts him into his kingdom.

God Bless

Work Day

Good Day

Thank God for giving me such an enviable life of leisure, I work hard at everything I set my hand to. Thank you Father, for allowing me the enjoyment of reaping the rewards of a good harvest. I believe, God gives his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 "It is vain for you to rise up early , to sit up late , to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep."

A good work ethic was part of my upbringing, I respect men and women who lead difficult lives and struggle through rigorous labor to provide for their family. I don't enjoy being in a situation where my life is a daily struggle, however I know what it feels like to be stranded in a foreign land without money and having to rely on Jesus for your safety and survival. I am blessed to have been able to avoid having to endure extended difficult circumstances, God has shown me financial reward. I pray for Gods direction on how to use the tools he provides for Jesus's glory.

I feel God has equipped me with certain talents that I have yet to fully realize. If God directed me to go work on a farm or heard sheep I would be honored but I may not be excited. I was drawn to athletics, money and success as a child, I honestly felt I was capable of achieving success on a massive level. By the age of 9 I had fully realized my dream of owning my own corporation (Berger Industries) including limos, skyscrapers, super cars and jets, all designed and drawn up in detailed precision by me during arts and crafts time. Although the skyscrapers, jets and the corporation have so far eluded me, I am confident, Lord willing, they will eventually come.

God gives me an intuitive mind, able to search out and recognize opportunities and discern falseness by discernment and good judgment.

Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness, through the atoning blood of your sacrifice on the cross. His forgiveness is much more than just another chance when we make a mistake. His forgiveness was the sanctifying act of sacrifice to end all sanctifying acts. We no longer need to carry the guilt, he took that guilt on the cross and gave us forgiveness. He took every bad thought, every evil look, every time you say something and you wish you could take it back, he took it back for us! He just wants us to walk with him. He just wants us to walk like he did.

Sunday

Good Day

Thank God for his wonderful mercies, for this creation, his patience and the care he takes with each of us. This brings me to one of my favorite Bible verses in recent memory Matthew 6:25-34

"25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

You can't really expound beyond the authors statements. This is a defining statement representing all that God is in one of the most minimal explanations possible. This is our guiding statement to heavenly reward, this is the Magnum opus of Christianity. It is an awe inducing spectacle of words carefully designed by the Father to bring forth joy from the inner springs of our spirit. Jesus shows the varying degrees of relationships between God and his creation and confirms the Godhead's devotion to humans as his children. There is no doubt left in the readers mind of the individuals own self worth through the value placed on human life by God. There is a clear, distinct, family like connection to our God.

We had a great day yesterday; Michael is a very good spirited child, I have given over the responsibility of the care for him to Jesus, his mom hasn't been a good example for him. Since his dad is not around he looks to me for direction and I want to be a good role model, Erika gets frustrated and jealous and sometimes unnecessarily accuses Michael of misbehaving. He's a good looking kid and real athletic, he has a good chance at being something special. I will do whatever God leads me to do to help him. 

My rottweiler is a joy, she loves to play around with her toys and bothers me to play along. Jesus miraculously healed Eva from bone growth plate damage that developed after she fell off a chair as tiny puppy, she had been limping for months and I was worried about her, my wife and I prayed for her and took her to the vet. Vet didn't have any easy options so we decided we'd let God handle her. Last month we were on vacation for a week and left the dogs with a Kennel service. To make a long story short when we had returned, Eva was miraculously healed! She no longer limps at all and she has twice the strength and endurance when she runs. Thank God for his wonderful promises to us his children!
Our chihuahua became ill while she was at the Kennel service. First we prayed for her,  then we took her to the vet to get blood tests done because she had been vomiting. Thank God the tests came back negative, Amen. After a few vet suggested treatments the tiny little furball is back in perfect health! Our God is an awesome God, I am sure God gave us these wonderful pets to care for and nurture just as he cares for and nurtures us.

The Day After

Good Day

Things have calmed today, my wife offered to cook me breakfast. I declined not out of anger or un-forgiveness but rather, she has unsuccessfully made breakfast a few times this week and I can't stomach the idea of another less than appetizing experience. Very peculiar that she is able to cook a delicious feast for lunch or dinner but breakfast always evades her. I am very comfortable in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

I read a few passages from the Bible (1611 KJV) this morning about kind David. What an amazing life David lived, the rich experiences, the closeness with which he walked with God. Amazing he was so well liked by God and held in such esteem, someone who had strong faith but he was overwhelmed by his flesh and lust, a very sobering realization. Like many youths in Bible school I imagined myself to be like King David, a conqueror defeating giants for God. I pray to never endure the same temptation that King David endured.

We must thank God for the wonderful gifts he has bestowed upon us, every morning when I wake up I should thank God for giving me another day to learn and experience his creation. Many days, however, an appointment or a phone call or a business deal distracts us from our relationship with Jesus and Father God. I find some of the most spiritually invigorating moments are experienced while showering alone. I begin to pray and thank God for his works in my life, this leads to soft singing of his praise and worship and eventually speaking in tongues. Talk about feeling clean after a shower!

The individual pursuits each of us hold dear to our hearts should not interrupt our relationship with Jesus. My personal favorite pursuit is auto's, I have always loved cars, trucks, SUV's, ATV's, boats, airplanes etc. Jesus allows for us to have the things we want, John 16 23:24 "23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

God has blessed me with 2 homes in the past 7 years. Unfortunately the enemy stole my condo in Colorado but God is going to bless my family with something even more unbelievable in the future. There is no lack for the Children of God we share the inheritance of Jesus. The first condo God gave us in 2007 was 1,000 sq ft, 2 bedrooms/2 bath new construction in a safe neighborhood in Parker, an affluent suburb south of Denver, CO. After years of struggling with addiction and work problems God directed me to relocate back to El Paso in 2010. After losing the Condo in 2011, through a series of miracles God has given us a beautiful 2,000 sq ft, 3 bdrm, 2 bathroom home. The home needed renovations but God has provided the provision we need to upgrade our residence.

I don't have a college degree or any type of financial instruments working in my favor other than the faith I have in Jesus and his promises to us about his father God. God is miracle working God, financially or otherwise and I am proof of it.

Premier Post

Good Day

My name is Erin, I was born as a male in Monticello, NM U.S.A. My parents are James and Theresa. I am about to turn 35 this month. Through the direction of Dr. Charles Stanley, this journal will eventually become my legacy. My hope is to keep an account of each and every personal interaction with my God in the most detailed and honest manner possible. My goal is to provide contextual evidence to others that the Biblical God is real and my personal relationship with Jesus does actually exist.

I am a born-again Christian, I believe Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible is the son of God and my name is written in the Lambs Book of Life. I believe the previous sentence to be the most important personal statement I have ever written. I also believe that God sent the Holy Ghost to comfort us until his son's return.

Erika (my wife) and I have been believing God for a miracle, we have, so far been unable to conceive a child. My wife is Catholic and I underwent Cathecism in order for us to be married. She has been an absolute heaven sent blessing to my life in every way imagineable.

No one besides God is perfect, I still have anger issues; today while driving, my wife yelled in my ear for honking at a bad driver and I took out my frustration on her by yelling back and making it a big deal. I was a recreational cocaine user for over a decade. I quit drinking alcohol 3 years ago in an effort to stop using cocaine and along with the help of Jesus I was delivered from multi-substance abuse including cigarettes

Living as a believer in Jesus for several years without straying from the faith and backsliding is real progress for an ex-drug user. There have been moments of temptation where I have failed and looked for forgiveness but as time goes on it gets easier to be an over-comer through Jesus. Today I can honestly say I have no urges whatsoever to drink and do cocaine. I consider my recovery from drugs and alcohol the  most significant miracle God has ever performed for me. That is something significant because Jesus has performed many large scale miracles in my life.

I grew up on a farm in southern New Mexico near the farm town of Monticello, NM. Only about 100 people lived in the area. The nearest, decent sized town is 30 minutes away.

Having never committed adultery in my 8 years of marriage, my sexual deviancy hinges mainly on pornographic material. It was the pubescent door into my sexuality. My parents divorced, we were a good looking bunch of people but without God and family we soon began to drift apart. By the time I was 20, I was using internet porn. That habit continued into my marriage and proves to still be difficult to defeat. I am now able to abstain from pornography, I credit God with miraculously delivering me from a habit of pornography, I fight the thoughts and urges with Jesus.

My wife, Erika, is a beautiful, strong willed woman from the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua. Many from the area will attest to the fact that the women from Chihuahua are usually very attractive. Erika's family spoiled her because she was so well behaved as a child, apparently her and her twin sister were actual child saints.

I read the Bible out loud to my wife in the mornings, more often than not. This small habit, along with a prayer to finish up, has made a huge impact in our life together. A couple of years ago, during the bad times I wasn't reading the Bible to her, we weren't praying together and there was more fighting. I skim through the New Testament and find a chapter that speaks to my spirit, if I cant find something quick then I'll move over to Psalms or Proverbs for some inspiration for the day. This little act of making time for God and the message of his son Jesus in the morning is such a big game changer, I cannot impress upon you enough how important this practice has become to us.

  

This blog is about me and the miracles God has done in my life. If you just look over the last few paragraphs you might see the other miracle, I haven't mentioned yet. The other miracle is my wife; I prayed for years and God provided me with a woman who I can trust and love. Erika stayed with me in my years of neglect and has helped me to overcome my substance abuse. I want to help her and anyone else who reads this and wants to have a relationship with our savior Jesus.

God Bless you and your family!