PRAISE THE LORD!!!

a great brother sent me an email! Praise God!
when God was helping Elijah escape from Ahab and Jezebel, God told Elijah to go out to the mountain and wait for the Lord to pass by. Elijah searched for God in the strong winds that were so powerful that they were crushing rocks, but God wasn't in the wind. Elijah looked for God in an earthquake, but God was not there. He looked in the fire, but still, God was not there. God manifested himself to Elijah in a tiny whispering sound (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13).

God won't always give you clear and tangible signs of his presence. God is everywhere. (It's not about feeling God, anyway... more on that maybe later.) When you feel God's air blowing on your face, drink his water, play football on his grass, drive on his earth, walk through his forests, or do anything on his earth, remember that God's fingerprint is on it. But even more than that, us human beings not only have his fingerprint, but are made in God's very image and likeness and he breathed his breath into us (Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7).

brothers and sisters, the next time you look at someone that you don't particularly like, remember that you are staring down the face of God. we're not necessarily called to like everybody we meet, but we are called to even be able to recognize our distaste for others, love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

our bodies are sacred. (that's a whole different book to write, but know that much for now.) we are God's vessels. if we fill our bodies with temporary thrills, those all come to an end. yes, we go through ups and downs with serving God, but in doing so, we're working for eternal life with God. alcohol, drugs, materialism, sex, food, for whatever your vice is: those are temporary highs. we can't take any of it to heaven. it doesn't mean that some of these things aren't actually good. for those 21 and up, a glass of red wine may bear healthy-heart properties. food is pretty amazing (haha i'd know!). recreational drugs are still bad no matter what.. but you get my point.

But store up for yourselves heavenly treasures, and "seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:20, 33).

i challenge all of us to be God-fearing. fear offending the man who, himself came down to earth to see just how difficult it is to live in our shoes. fear offending him because he loves us, and we would never want to do anything to get in the way of his love for us (not that anything can except for us completely rejecting it (Romans 8:37-39)).

the earth's moral standards continue to change. they seem to decline, or at least become more muddled each passing moment. but God's love never changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). let us really be a holy people. to be holy is literally to be "set apart." let us set ourselves apart from need of anything besides God. yes, we still have lives to live and responsibilities to take care of while we live on the earth, but remember Matthew 6:33. our earthly duties are not incompatible with God's will if we only yield to him and dedicate everything we do in this life to his glory. having fun is so ridiculously compatible with serving God. it is an honor, a privilege, and a JOY to do his work. i've never had more fun in my entire life than in these past three weeks. i really want to share this joy with everybody.

    Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27). 　Peace is lost in the world without Christ. People worry, wait, doubt, and long for things they covet. They want. They need. They demand. They must have just one more thing, or one more fulfilled desire. Without direction from God, they ingrain in themselves false needs and hopes which are out of the will of God and then complain to God and doubt Him when their self-centered prayers go unanswered. The result is a lack of peace. So, to solve this problem people often try to create a false peace with alcohol, drugs, sex, or other addictions. Sometimes they deny their sin and push away the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They no longer feel the touch of God's correcting movement in their hearts. They are left to their own ways.

    True peace can only be found in being in the will of God. True peace is a gift from God found only through Christ. Think about it. If you knew you were in the will of God, and even though things were tough, would you have peace in your heart? I hope so. If you did, then your confidence and hope in life would not be based upon the situations around you, but upon God who lives in you. That way, true peace will always be yours.

    I  can remember a time in my life when the simple answer "yes" or "no" would have a profound affect on the direction of my future. If I answered "yes" then I could stay in the profession for which I had been trained for since God created me. If I answered "no" then I would have to leave it and find something else to do.  I knew that I could tell them what they were hoping and then I would be able to remain a the leader I was. But, I knew I could do nothing but answer as completely truthful as possible, according to the conviction of my heart. At that point, realizing the seriousness of the decision, I reflected on my relationship with God. I wanted to please Him, even if it cost me. So, I answered according to the convictions of my heart. As a result, I lost  NJ as my state, to which I had been called. But, I had peace in my heart knowing I had been as truthful as I could be before the Lord. If I had shaded my answer just a bit, I could have remained in the pastorate. But, I knew I would have had no peace in my heart and would have no right to preach if I gave an answer that others wanted to hear. It was not worth it. I answered the call of integrity knowing that God was looking at my heart. I answered truthfully. It cost me greatly. But, that is okay.

       Peace is rest in the heart. Though life may be hard, though our bodies be frail, though pain is our companion, to be in the will of God is to abide in the peace of God. Let me find the will of God and walk in it and let all other things be as they may.

    "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence," (1 Pet. 1:2-3).

    This past Saturday I went to the church to take confession. When I walked in, there was a Lady in the confessional doing her business and I was standing by the door and reflecting on the past 5 months. While I was "examining my conscience" I thought of a lot of sins I wrongfully committed. Once the lady came out of the confessional, I sat down in front of the priest said a couple of the things I reflected then all of a sudden I blank out. I completely forgot what I had planned to say. But then during this confusion, something else popped into my head. It was not some other sins but instead it was a situation with some of my close friends. I expressed my feelings toward this situation and I asked him for advice. The rest of the confession was more of a advice session. Nonetheless, it went well.
    Okay so that wasn't really what I planned on blogging but I thought it was funny, so I wanted to share.

    After confession Kristina ,a sister from Vegas, picked me up cause a bunch of the youth was hanging out later that night. So on the way to to Red Rock, it was SUPER windy , dark, gloomy, cold, and just one of those day where the whether makes you feel sad. I was looking out the window and I saw the large mountains that were surrounding the city of Las Vegas. At one point I was staring at them and I pictured where I would be in NJ if I was not there. Then I took a second glance, and for some reason my heart began to melt. I can literally feel as if my heart was jello. Do you ever have those moments when you look at something, or you realize something and you may be in the most awkwardest place but then you feel like you want to cry or that you're in complete awe?
    At that moment, I thought about God. I thought about how much He loves me to witness the beautiful creation around me. And not only that, but to actually be there. God is so big, so loving that He allowed me to be in one of the most sinful areas of the U.S and realize its beauty. Looking up I imagined God on one of the highest mountain tops looking down right at me, and saying this is for you!
    Many times God puts us in situations, places, and moments in our lives where we feel lost, confused, hurt, loved, distant, afraid, strong, faithful. But did you ever realize that each time the Lord was there saying it is for you? It is all for you, because I love you? God is all loving and all good, and whatever it is He hands to us we must embrace. The only way we can get through His tests is if we trust in him and embrace it with love.
    Remember who you were before and who you are now. Realize how the Lord above has touched your life. Reflect on how many times you've fallen and God has been there for you to pick you back up. Through out my life, He has never left me. He has never guided me a stray. He has never denied me. He has never done me wrong. He has never stopped loving me or anyone in this world. God is LOVE.! I forever STAND in AWE