“Faith Promises”

I believe all have this in common: that we want to be happy. We do not all agree on what brings the greatest happiness, but we do all long to have it. Of course, this does not mean that there is no discipline or no self-denial.

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" Mark 8:34, 35.

But it is clear from Jesus' words that self-denial is a means to saving our lives. This means simply that we must stop seeking our happiness in one way and start seeking it in another. Therefore, what sets Christians off from the world is not that we have given up on the universal quest for happiness, but that we now seek our happiness from a different source and in different ways. My point is that we should "get wisdom." We should bend all our efforts to become wiser tomorrow than we are today. And I speak this, to all. "Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding." Proverbs 24:13-14 my questions to you are, why is it so important and what is the implication of wisdom in a servant’s life?

My thoughts on this goes back to 1973 my first year as a freshman football player at Iowa State University. My coach Earle Bruce use to always start football camp with a Poem, “The Pig”. At the time, I always thought what a stupid hokey story by coach, by the time I was a 5^th year senior, that wisdom of a story started to resonate to me and in a sense, I asked myself, “was that biblical? For me, it related to Proverbs 4:8, which says, "Prize her highly and she will exalt you; she will honor you for your embrace." These are not cheap words. To prize something and to embrace someone of integrity. Wisdom must be valuable for us. We must be willing to sell all in order to buy or trust it: "Seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure"Proverbs 2:4. Listen to the words as you read:

“The Pig”

It was an evening in November,

As I very well remember,

I was strolling down the street in drunken pride,

But my knees were all a-flutter,

And I landed in the gutter

And a pig came up and lay down by my side.

Yes, I lay there in the gutter

Thinking thoughts, I could not utter,

When a colleen passing by did softly say

‘You can tell a man who boozes

By the company he chooses’—

And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

"My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding. That you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one."  Proverbs 5:1-3 & 8-9



It doesn't take a Christian leader very long to realize that it's easier to give good advice than to follow it. Solomon proves the point. He tells us repeatedly and with great conviction that only fools fall into adultery. Solomon knew very well the spiritual issues at stake in marriage, for he declares, "The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths" (Proverbs 5:21). 



And yet, somehow, this same Christian leader failed to heed God's explicit warning against kings taking many wives (Deuteronomy 17:17). Solomon blatantly disobeyed this command and married seven hundred women. The result? "His wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God" (1 Kings 11:4). 

Wise leaders not only give good advice; they heed it. How different the fortunes of Israel might have turned out had Solomon acted on the wisdom he so forcefully expressed to others!

Consider these five biblical instructions for wisdom that I have learned over the years, but do not think that you can fully understand them simply on your own. These words are meant to sequence you into The Way of Knowledge (Biblical steps), not to define The Way of Knowledge. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 1:7

·      First, desire wisdom with all your might.

·      Second, since wisdom is found in the Word of God, we must apply ourselves in study and meditation to know the Word and do it, With others.

·      The third thing we should do to get wisdom is pray.

·      Fourth, think of the shortness of this life and the infinite length of the next.

·      Fifth, there is one last, absolutely essential thing to do if you would "get wisdom": you must come to Jesus. He said to the people of his day, "The queen of the south will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold something greater than Solomon is here Matthew 12:42

Make this journey my friend, not simply trying to understand it. But a journey of a Faith Promise to yourself for life! which is directed by the help of the Holy Spirit. Making this journey is a path of learning pure Truth. As your Wisdom grows, as you gain this new foundation of Faith, this new ability and this new experience in life, Knowledge will emerge within you. And you will be able to receive it, to follow it and to express it with love to those people for whom it is intended; your 100-foot circle, according to your nature and design that God has planned for you. Remember this greater purpose that you are learning is to serve like Jesus, the art of being in a life of daily Action; with a great purpose and the great mission of the Good News.

God Bless You and This Ministry!

Together as a Christian Team

"Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus . . . He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him . . . On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed."  (Acts 18:24,26-27)

As people do we really care about each other? Do we have that deep relationship where we grow spiritually

each day together as we have our face buried in our phone or social media? Sometimes I think we have that waving neighbor attitude. We see each other as we leave for work, at church etc. but never get to know each other as an example of love between God and Man.  Some may say, “They do not need to know my business, it must be confidential or who can we Trust?” as always scriptures comes to mine when I hear this: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" 

Psalm 139:23-24

As a football coach, I would often ask my athletes at the beginning of the season (a bonding exercise

question), “what is my job?” They would respond often with,” all about me answers” such as; help us get a scholarship, to be famous and make a lot of money, girls, respect from a people or the best I can be.” My answer to them would be,” To Love You”! Pausing enough to get through the chuckles and half-suppressed macho thing, “oh coach get out of here.” I would say, “To Love You”! Then I would say, what is your job, silent, your job is to love each other. Every practice I would end with this. Finally, they began to recognize and appreciate each other’s unique qualities which lead to a development of a hugging, caring team defined with shouts of Love! We became unified. My question to you as believers of Christ, What is our Job?

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.1 John 4:7

Put your Trust in the Lord and it will allow you to serve another as a single unit for the glory of God, which is to Love each other unashamedly!

Gods Blessing and this Ministry!

The Past meet’s the Present

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

This is undoubtedly Paul’s happiest letter he has written, for he is rejoicing in the great blessings both he and the Philippians believers had experienced. He encourages them to rejoice in the Lord always, for his bounty, glory, and provisions. He wants them to know God has noticed all they have done in the service of the Lord, both to Paul’s ministry and other areas, and that God would certainly reward them faithfully.

In the midst of all this joy, he also wants to warn them to stay on the right track. In the text, he begins by saying “I’ll end up repeating a lot of what I have said in other letters, so I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. But you need to beware of all of those religious folks who are totally convinced they are the only ones who are right about anything. They are the ones whose are all bark and no bite”. He explains that these folks feel they are more interested in appearance than they are the soul, and they think they are the only ones right with God. But the real believers are the ones who are led of the Spirit of God in his service, who fill the air with the great praises of Christ!

One of the great challenges in our Christian history has been to bring a Christian influence to bear on the structures of the world without becoming too much like the world. Jesus said that his follower was “the salt of the earth” not the stew! When Christians tried to be the stew, they were distasteful. For about a thousand years, during what we today call the middle Ages, Christians sat on most thrones in the Western world, but today the Church must still live down the scandals, distortions and misbeliefs that arise among us who tried to live it up when they were in positions of power. Plus, as traditional Christians, sometimes we deal with a lot of people not knowing what we stand for. My question, what is our Identity that would get people excited, without us losing the Truth, as the word with the help of the holy spirit, teaches us?

Reflecting on Paul’s letter makes me think of the present.  To me, Paul’s says, back then I thought I was really somebody. I thought I knew a lot of stuff, but I found out when I really came to know Christ in a real personal way, I didn’t know anything! And in my present state, I realize all of the accolades, awards, achievements, knowledge, traditions and credentials I ever gained are like dog dung in comparison to what I have in Christ I’ve dumped it all away just so I can embrace Christ. I can’t change my past life, but my present life is looking pretty good!

Paul goes on to say at the end of Chapter 3 “there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of a higher heaven, awaiting the arrival of the Savior Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious ones.”
As in the old song, “Ahead there is joy and gladness, and rest for my weary soul…”
Since I know Jesus in the right now in such an awesome way, my eternal future is so much better than anything here. I can boast in the Lord that I’m about to be absent from the body and present with the Lord! I’m going home with Jesus in the twinkling of an eye. When he calls, I’m going with him, because I’m ready! Oh yes, my eternal future is looking really good right about now!

While the Church attempted instruction of the world in the past, some would say didn’t make sense to the masses, let’s give credit for many significand contributions of Church to society in the Middle Ages. 

The Church did attempt to put Christians ideals into practice in society with a changing culture. Despite various mistakes and abuses, the Church did refuse to retreat into the merely private realm that seems to be becoming the one socially-acceptable niche for religion in that day. The Church was seeking to penetrate society with its influence While it may have stretched Jesus images of the Church as light of the world and salt of the earth, at least it took them seriously. With all its faults and excesses, at least it tried to hold up the Biblical view of God’s Kingdom as involving true change in society, and not merely in individual interiors. Hum. Perhaps a question for us today is: Are we willing to seek a Christian world less through the use of stubbornness toward tradition, raw power of no change, I wasn’t raised that way, I just need some time, I’m not ready to give it up, I’ve got too much going on to get saved, I’ve got hurt too often in church etc. But really is none of that, a good reason to let our present state live outside the presence of God!

 Let’s think about service with a relational missionary focus (each one of us evangelize one or two people at a time) rather than an event-based focus. Regardless of what our past was like, if we presently are not in tune with God (through his word), we’re in danger of missing a great future. Think about it: as a Cristian family let us serve God and others with the commandment in John 13:34-35, which says,” a new commandment, I give you Love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We who stay in the past are the missing piece of the future. Why not turn your life to him today and instead of being a waving neighbor how about being a hugging neighbor with deep relational love!

God’s Blessing and this Ministry!