can God love even me?

I have met people who think it is not possible that God would love them... they think they have done such terrible things that it would be impossible for God to love them, and because of this, they believe they could never live in a right relationship with God...  or even live in heaven with God after they die...  and then there are those who think they already live in hell... so why bother? 

The other day, I was reading in the Bible, in the New Testament book of Romans,  and I came across this passage which states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.  As the scriptures tell us, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced'.  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.  They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." Romans 10:9-13  [The scripture referred to in verse 11 is from Isaiah 28:16 in the Old Testament and the scripture referred to in verse 13 is from Joel 2:32 in the Old Testament.]

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul, and in it he is speaking to both Jews and non-Jews [known as Gentiles].  Although he wrote this almost 2000 years ago, he still speaks to people today through this letter.  

Let me encourage anyone who might think they cannot be saved or receive help from God.  In this letter, Paul states very clearly that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved...  this is a promise meant not only for people who lived thousands of years ago, but also for those of us who live today!!  It does not matter what you have done up to this point, or what your life is like now... if you want God [the LORD] to help you make better choices or live a better life, all you have to do is ask.  God is listening!!

what if?

In Paul's letter to the Christ-followers in Rome, we read: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" [Romans 12:2 New Living Translation of the Bible]... 

And in his letter to the believers in Ephesus, he says: "Instead, let [God's Holy] Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy... Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you" [Ephesians 4:23-24,31-32 New Living Translation of the Bible]...

What if?  With God, all things are possible!!



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why are they called "bills"? why not "bobs" or "teds"?

"We would be delighted if you would pay your electric bill....  you will be de-lighted if you don't."  

I read this once a long time ago on some page of puns and jokes...   I was just thinking about it 'cause I have to pay my electric bill.  I complain to myself sometimes about how much it is, and the fact that I have to pay it in the first place...   but then I remember that there are those people who do not even have electricity...   and there are those people who have it, but don't have enough money to pay the bill...   and so they are "de-lighted"...  their electricity is cut off.

It is all about perspective, isn't it?  I may not like to pay bills, but at least I am fortunate enough to be able to pay them.   

We all need to keep things in perspective...  What, in your life, do you need to keep "in perspective"?  And while you're thinking about this, say a prayer for those people not as fortunate as you... 

happy valentine's day!!

The history of Valentine's Day is shrouded in mystery.  It is not known for sure whether Valentine's Day began as a way to commemorate the death and burial of Saint Valentine [which occurred around 270AD] or whether Valentine's Day began as a way to "christianize" the pagan festival of Lupercalia.  

No matter which is the case, it has long been a day for expressions of love towards friends and family.   It is my hope that each of you has taken time to let your loved ones know in some special way how much you love and appreciate them.  

Happy Valentine's Day!!

question of the day... favorite pizza toppings

ok - so what are the weirdest things you would eat on pizza?  I don't know that what I like would be considered "weird", but one of my favorite combinations of toppings on a pizza include onions, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms and pineapples.

oh, what a tangled web... or how'd i get into this??

So an interesting thing happened in my Sunday school class this past week.  Three of the boys were goofing around with some yarn they had found, and after about fifteen minutes, they found themselves more tangled up in the yarn that they had originally planned to be.  With a little help from a couple of people, a knife and a pair of scissors, they were able to get untangled.

Although it was a bit distracting in class, a day or so later I was thinking about it and realized that sin is a lot like that yarn...  we play around with it, many times knowing that what we are doing is wrong...  but after all, we're just playing... and it might even be fun...  for awhile...  but then after a while, we find ourselves more tangled up in it than we wanted to be and we may not know how to get out...  or we may not be able to get out on our own...

That's where Jesus comes in...  Jesus is the one who can help us out when there seems to be no one else who can...  and Jesus can even help us get right with God, since he is the one who took our place and paid the "ultimate price" [death] for the sins that we do.

You can learn a lot from a little bit of yarn...  and it was even red yarn...  

new year's resolutions - revisited

so why am I bring up new year's resolutions at the beginning of February?  these are things that people usually only talk about the first few days of January...  that is, if they even remember them by Jan. 2nd...  

in my post on Dec. 30th, I mentioned that I quit making resolutions because I rarely keep them...  well, this year I actually did make one...  I am reading the Bible through this year.  I began on Jan 1st with Matthew [first book of the New Testament], reading 4 chapters a day...   and have continued from there.  when I finish reading through the New Testament, I will go back to the Old Testament, starting with Genesis, and continue...

I have to admit that I have gotten a few days behind, and so will have to read a few extra chapters each day to catch up to where I should be, but as of now, I have managed to get through the 4 gospels.

from time to time I will post about what I have read, and any comments or questions that you may have are welcome!!  

back in the game

ok...   I admit...  I've been a little bummed that not that many people seem to be checking out this blog, or commenting...  and obviously, I took a little "vacation" from posting...  but, I am "back in the game" so to speak and will start posting again.  Hopefully, more people will check out the blog...  and maybe even leave comments from time to time...