MURDERED by HYPOTHERMIA of the HEART

Several years ago I was camping in the Adirondacks during the winter. The digital thermometer we had froze at 15 degrees below zero. We have no idea how cold it got that night. We were sleeping in a log lean-to which is a rather primitive 3 sided structure with a wood floor and an open front. It's kind of like sleeping on your front porch when the temperature is well below zero. Do ya feel me?

I wear a hoodie at night to help me stay warm. I made the mistake of climbing into my sleeping bag wearing the same hoodie that I had been hiking in. We had climbed a mountain during a very snowy day. The snow in my hoodie melted from my body heat. Wet and cold are partners in causing heat loss. I started to shiver as the coldness seeped down my back. I hoped that my body heat would dry up the wetness. I thought that maybe by breathing harder inside my closed sleeping bag that I would get warm. I tried running in place. Imagine yourself "running" in a sleeping bag while you're curled up in a fetal position. Nothing worked.

I knew that I would have to make myself more uncomfortable if I wanted to get warm. I lay there hoping I would get warm and also thinking about hypothermia. I wondered how long it would take before my I lost my mental clarity. Once that happened I would not be able to make healthy decisions. I knew I had to get up and cook some soup and remove the wet clothing. I fought through the onslaught of sluggishness and shivered my way out of the sleeping bag. I lit my backpack stove but the water bottles were all frozen. I carefully thawed a bottle by letting it sit in the heated pot. I was able to cook my self some Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup. IT WAS AWESOME!

After I finished the soup and put on a dry hoodie, I added one more life saving measure - a foil emergency blanket. I crawled into the sleeping bag and within a half an hour I was asleep. I woke up several hours later covered in sweat but I was warm and insulated by the emergency blanket. I had survived mostly because I was prepared. It's true that I made a bad decision in going to sleep with snow in my hoodie but my preparedness for emergencies saved my life.

Two days ago, someone I love was murdered. A cold person murdered him and now his body is cold. Last night before I drifted off to sleep, i had what you might call "a vision." In my minds eye, I saw myself standing in my backyard. I was only wearing a t shirt and some jeans. I was standing in the middle of the snow and frigid cold. My wife came out and tried to talk to me, I was incoherent. It was like the news of another murder had numbed me to the point that I was losing my mind. I thought a lot about that this morning.

Over the past 12 years I have seen many young people die. I never get used to it. My heart brakes and I cry for each murder victim. The vision was like the murders were causing a numbness in me that resulted in a kind of physical paralysis or a spiritual hypothermia. Would I become so disoriented that I would no longer be able to function? I know people like that. Fortunately for me, I am surrounded by people who watch my back physically and prayerfully. Their love and friendship thaw the coldness that murder causes. I need clarity that allows an unfrozen river of the Holy Spirit to bring fresh wisdom into my thawed spirit.

How many victims of spiritual hypothermia are walking around in Buffalo today? The freezing starts at a young age. Maybe it begins with a life devoid of love. Mom or Dad are absent or abusive. Bullying, sexual abuse, drug addiction, alcohol can become freezing agents used by the devil to help cause a spiritual hypothermia. People who are hurt develop a tendency to hurt other people to protect themselves. Each act of coldness lowers the heart temperature eventually causing it to freeze. A frozen heart has no compassion.

If we are not careful, it can happen to us. Life always has cruel blizzards of destruction that cause a freezing in our hearts. We have to be prepared for each season in our lives. After the first murder, it becomes easier to pull the trigger in the second murder. In the course of time, murder becomes an unthinkable act in an unfeeling heart. I hurt for the unfeeling heart that has been frozen by icy acts of bitterness.

The devil has already been defeated by love. The devil murders, steals and destroys. The longing in your soul to be accepted and valued has been placed there by God. You may not believe in Him but He believes in you. There is no pile of dirt that He will not pull you out of. There is nothing that you have done that He can't wipe away. There is no coldness that He cannot thaw with His love. I know the coldness of evil and I know the warmth of God's love. I choose love and I don't murder.

 If you have read this and would like to thaw your heart, I invite you to contact me. You can text or call 716-830-8340. I will never give up on DeMario. I never gave up while he was physically alive. I won't give up on him now. I pray that God forgives him as He forgave me. I pray that he lives in the warmth of God's love forevermore.

Romans 12:17-21
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”[b]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we - JLYASDW

I Feel Numb

NUMB
I feel numb.
It's not the cold weather.
Cold bodies - his & mine.
Someone who had a warm spot in my heart
no longer has a heartbeat.
I feel numb.
He was young
He was growing.
He was hurtin'.
He's not hurtin' anymore.
He's sailed across the Red Sea.
Moses complained that Pharaoh had a hard heart.
I complain that the kids never listen.
"Jesus loves you and so do we."
I repeat it over and over.
Sometimes they say it back.
I've learned never to give up,
Especially when the plagues of life seem to go against us.
I know that God will shut down the pharaohs of deceit.
I know that God will guide us away from the Egypt of self.
I know that God will eventually open up the Red Sea.
I know that Jesus Blood is the Red Sea
 that opens to eternal life.
God I thank you for the life of DeMario. Thank you for all of him - the goods and the bads because we've all got them. I pray that he is in your hands right now. I pray that you gave him a final piece of understanding. I pray that you molded him into the image of your son. You knew DeMario's pain and suffering. You knew his joys. I pray that you find a way to give him eternal joy. Please forgive him as you forgive me. May he rest with you forever. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Don't Stop Until the Holy Spirit Stops You!

    

      

          I once walked across a mountain Ridge called: "Knife Edge" on the trail up Mt. Katahdin in Maine. The name Katahdin is an Indian name meaning: "the greatest mountain." One of the descriptions of Knife Edge reads something like this: "Knife Edge is a ridge that at some spots is about one foot wide with a drop off of 1000 feet on either side. The Ridge is about 1.1 miles long." DO NOT HIKE KNIFE EDGE IF IT IS WINDY! Somewhere around 44 people have died since records started being kept in 1926. I have climbed 23 of the United States Highpoints and Katahdin is among my all time favorites.

           When you are on top of a high mountain, your view is a 360 degree panorama of more mountains. It's like the immeasurableness of God. Most folks agree that you cannot live life on top of a mountain and that's a physically true statement. Is it really a spiritually true statement? Yesterday my wife and I attended Life Church Buffalo. We were invited by my good friend/mentor/teacher/pastor Mike Pelechaty. The preacher was a dude named Craig McLeod. His message was about Paul the Apostle and his fervent passion for becoming like Christ. To sum up what I heard him say in my spirit, it would sound something like this: "Don't stop until the Holy Spirit stops you!"

           My wife and I love hiking on mountains. My good buddy Daryl Boss and I have been taking young people mountain climbing for many years. We are Mentors who help teach people how to climb the Mountains of Life. We will keep on climbing until the Holy Spirit stops us. Sometimes He will use a physical representation of His power to stop our physical climb to teach us a spiritual lesson.

           I have been stopped from reaching the summit of Mt. Marcy because of a blizzard. Marcy is the tallest mountain in New York State. A blizzard caused my visibility to shrink to less than ten feet in front of me. That is not good on top of a mountain. I was approximately 800 yards from the peak. I knew this because I had been here before and I recognized the terrain. For the first time in my life, I turned around on a mountain before I had reached my goal. God taught me a few lessons. I believe the Holy Spirit stopped me.

           What did I learn? Not all mountains are to be climbed. Every mountain (or idea that is birthed in my spirit) is not for me to personally climb. I have to know when to recognize the signs of spiritual seasons and make the necessary route changes. The shifting of spiritual weather patterns are like contrary winds that will cause us to leave familiar terrain and launch us to new destinies.

           Last week I became a small cog in a great big machine. A force of nature in the form of a flood had left 70 homes with substantial damage. A physical weather pattern caused a spiritual growth pattern. An army was summoned to don the gear of servanthood. The staging arena was the Winchester Community Church. Over 220 people volunteered there time to help folks in need. Leaders like Daryl Boss, Joe Lenhard, Pete Andrews and others marched up and down the streets - unstoppably!

           In what seemed like the blink of an eye, I found myself in a closet pulling nails from the floor. A few minutes earlier I was marching up and down the streets from one house to the next in my typical hiking style. The Holy Spirit stopped me.Now, my face was inches from the wall and I was alone - with God. I thanked Him for stopping my busyness and placing me in a closet. He had me alone. It was a quiet, peaceful, enveloping awe inspiring moment - I was on the Mountain of God - in a closet!

           God will stop you even when you think you are doing the service that honors Him. What He wants the most is your fat. He wants your finest or your first fruits. I can serve until the cows come home, but If I don't first seek Him and His kingdom, I might as well be in a closet or a mountain top without him. Both places would be like spitting in the wind. Read God's Word and be a doer of His Word, the Holy Spirit will stop you when in the proper season. Stop what you're doing. Drop all of your plans. Roll your spirit into oneness with Him. Read the weather as a Holy Spirit forecaster.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

 

2 Samuel 22:29-31

Suddenly, God, your light floods my path, God drives out the darkness. I smash the bands of marauders, I vault the high fences. What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him Makes it.

 

Job 22:11 The Mesage

Suddenly the tables have turned! How do you like living in the dark, sightless, up to your neck in flood waters?

Leviticus 3:16-17

“All the fat belongs to God. This is the fixed rule down through the generations, wherever you happen to live: Don’t eat the fat; don’t eat the blood. None of it.”

 

 

Fresh Starts

I have walked in a blizzard on a mountain top.
I know what divorce does to a family.
I have hiked down from a mountain in the dark.
I know what bankruptcy is.
I have slept in the wilderness at 15 degrees below zero.
I know what abuse is.
I have shattered a windshield with my head.
I know what addiction is.
I have felt the final heartbeat of a murdered teenager.
I know what loneliness is.
I have felt the grace of God in the midst of hell.
He never once left me or forsook me.
He was the mountain who felt my pain.
He was the light on the darkest nights.
He helped me understand what true riches are.
He healed me.
He unshackled my spirit.
He gave me His Presence.
He drew near to me though I was far from Him.
He knocked on the door of my heart relentlessly.
He knew me before I knew myself.
He made a way for me to start fresh.
Yeah, He's the God of fresh starts.

Isaiah 61 The Message
[ Announce Freedom to All Captives ] The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace— a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies— and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks and foreigners to work your fields, But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God. You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory. Because you got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, Your inheritance in the land will be doubled and your joy go on forever. ...

YOUR LIFE is a BOOK of HOPE

Within the folds of the turning pages of time
lies the space of anticipation.
The flip of a page represents knowledge gained
and knowledge yearned.
Memories cherished and memories spurned.
The book of your life as yet being written by you,
was inscribed in the heart of God before you were born.
In His heart, your potential is indelibly printed in love.
His vocabulary is the verbiage of hope and encouragement.

"I know what I’m doing.
I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you,
not abandon you,
plans to give you the future you hope for.
Jeremiah 29:11 The Message

I'm A Law Breaker

When was the last time you did 55 in a 55?

I'm A Law Breaker

Obeying the speed limit is one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do. A few months ago I resolved to try and drive at the posted speed limit. Driving at 55 mph in a 55 mph speed zone can cause dirty looks. Young folks (and old folks) drive by as they glare at me with a look that says: "Press the pedal you turkey!" Well, I don't really think the word they used was turkey but this is a family friendly Facebook Post. So I will leave out cuss words.

Why do I want to obey the speed limit? It is not because I think that obeying laws will make me a better person. If that concept worked then the Pharisees would have been Jesus homies! (If you haven't heard that story, the Pharisees were folks who couldn't see the truth and caused the killing of Jesus.) I guess there was something inside me that caused me to look deep into the reason I was breaking the law.

I have had a habit of not leaving on time for appointments. So I hurry to get to appointments on time. I like shaving minutes off of my projected time of arrival on my GPS. It's like saving time. Saving time by speeding is deception. I've been deceiving myself. You don't save time by being late and then playing catch up as you break laws to gain the time that you have lost.

Slovenliness is a bad habit that slithers throughout your character and spreads deceit. Being an adrenalin guy I'm always flying by the seat of my pants. That in itself can be a strength. Unbridled passion without wisdom becomes a weakness. I'm finding that some of the physical habits that I have are symptomatic of spiritual weaknesses. Planning my day with wisdom will give me enough time to arrive at appointments safely, on time and lawfully.

By prioritizing my day through the seeking of wisdom first, I have gained extra time. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." Matthew 6:33 The Message

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 KJV

Dad Rode Donkeys to Heaven

My wife in a manger with a donkey.

           I was scheduled to speak to a group of people on a Sunday morning. The venue was a church that was located in an old bar. The Pastor called me the week before to confirm my attendance. On the phone I told him: "Yes Pastor Jimmy I'll be there and I'm going to talk about the Keys to the Kingdom!" As the week progressed, those keys went through a metamorphosis.

          Studying is something I love to do at a very deep level. As I sat at my computer and typed in the words: "keys," I presumed that I would find Bible passages about keys to the kingdom of God. I expected to find the ones I was familiar with, verses like:

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

or

"I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." Revelation 1:18

          Those were the verses that I thought I would find and begin my study. God (as usual) flipped my common sense approach to studying upside down. My computer search didn't only reveal the word keys but it also revealed the word: "donkeys." I stared at the computer with wild eyes and an escalating heart beat. What the heck were donkeys doing in a search for the "Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven?"

          My thinking shifted to what I knew about donkeys in the Bible. Jesus rode into town on a donkey in a display of humility. A donkey talked to a guy named Balaam about his stubbornness. A donkey was a means of transportation as Joseph led his pregnant wife to manger so she could give birth amongst animals. I know God could piece together a story about the keys to heaven through those stories. Is that what He wanted?

          The word donkeys separated as if it was giving birth to something new. Two words appeared in my mind as my eyes focused on the screen. The words were "Don Keys." I shook my head as I often do when meeting the zaniness of God head on. My Dad's name was Don. He was a church going guy who believed in God. He was not known for speaking his beliefs out loud. He avoided politics and religion. I knew my Dad was a good guy, I know he is in heaven, but was there a sermon here that would give people the keys to heaven? What would be the "Don Keys to Heaven?"

Jerry and Karen used the keys to their barn to serve others.

          My Dad was known for being a good listener and mentor to many of my cousins. They would stop by the house and bring their problems and seek his wisdom. I never knew what it was they came for because I was too young to understand that sometimes the best thing you can do for somebody is "just listen." Dad would sit and invite them in and share a cup of cold water with them. Yes, it's true that sometimes the cup of cold water came from Hemlock Lake by way of a brewery, but Dad shared his heart and his time. He gave a drink from the well of his heart to thirsty young men. 

          In my life I've learned that change seems to be a key that unlocks doors of new opportunity and personal growth. Dad did a lot of changing. He would change his method of coaching when I was in the Lake View Little League. There was one boy on the team who you would describe as mentally disabled. Tim could not hit a baseball. Tim could not catch a baseball. Tim could not throw a baseball. Tim could not run. Every time Tim came up to bat, you knew there would be an out. Me and my friends who thought we were superstars complained to the coach (my Dad.) We wanted to win and Tim could not help us win, we did not want him to play.

          Dad believed that all children should have a chance to play. One day in the middle of a game, Dad went to talk to the coach of the other team. He told the coach to have his pitcher throw the ball at Tim. In baseball, if you are hit by the pitch you get to go to first base. My Dad told the other coach that he would have Tim try and steal second base and then they could throw him out. It happened exactly that way. The pitcher hit Tim, he took his base and they threw him out. I suppose most folks who read this might be thinking: "What's the point?" That day Tim got to go home and tell everybody: "I got in the game! I got in the game!" It was the first time ever that Tim got in the game. It was like my Dad had given him a key to heaven.

          There were many changes in my Dad's life. When he worked at Bethlehem Steel and the Union went on strike, he changed his steel-worker clothes for the clothes of a garbageman. He went and worked on a garbage truck to support his family. Mom used to meet him at the back door where he'd take off his smelly clothes and she'd take them into the basement to wash them and he would proceed to the shower. He changed his love for my Mom too, it morphed into a more excellent love the longer they were together. You've heard about 2 peas in a pod, Mom and Dad were pod people!

          I can now picture my Dad riding on a donkey to heaven being led by Jesus. My Dad served by giving himself away to help others. He was willing to change his way of doing things to help others. Putting others first is a key to heaven. There are many things my Dad did to help others have a better life. Many folks spend their time talking about God. My Dad didn't just talk, my Dad was a doer. My Dad gave me my first keys to heaven. I call them the "Don Keys to Heaven."

The Reger Barn was changed into a Manger Mass at Christmas.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.



 

My Wife

Love can be spoon fed!

 

MY WIFE

My wife's cooking makes me gain weight
but it's not measured in pounds.

Her cooking is an act of love that fills my heart.

We eat heart healthy.

Her love is salt that flavors my life.

She cooks with mustard seeds that fill my heart.

Her cooking reveals that I'm a treasure in her heart.

The food she cooks goes into my stomach.
The love she cooks with goes into my heart.

I'm blessed by a woman who eats the Bread of Life
and then regurgitates it to me.

I love you my dearest wife.

“Let me tell you why you are here.
You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out
the God-flavors of this earth.
If you lose your saltiness,
how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and
will end up in the garbage."
Matthew 5:13 The Message

Hey, Can You Spare A Crumb?

I was hungry and you scraped your leftovers into the garbage disposal.
I was thirsty and you let your faucet drip.
I was homeless and you closed off a room to save on heat.
I was shivering and you still have tags on the clothes in your closet.
I was sick and you blamed it on my bad habits
I was in prison and you forgot about me.

This isn't meant to make anyone feel guilty.
This is meant to make you think about the riches you actually do have
in comparison to those who are truly impoverished.
Give a crumb, share a morsel, spare a drop, part with a thread, show compassion or think about being behind bars.
Better yet, create a job, teach a skill, mentor somebody, instead of blaming demonstrate perseverance by not giving up even if they are locked up. Most folks are as redeemable as they make up their minds to be.
Kindness and compassion are seeds that grow flesh in hardened hearts.

Matthew 25:37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."
The Message
Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

Talking to a Snow Shovel

God can meet you on a mountain or a sidewalk.

"Daddy, why are you talking to the snow shovel?"
 Asked the Heart Farmers Daughter. The big man in coveralls pursed his lips and emptied his chest. His breath became like a rising shroud in the frozen air. The big burly dude looked down at his daughter and laughed. "I wasn't talking to the snow shovel my darling Beauty, I was talking to God. I was complaining about shoveling all of this snow."

The Heart Farmer welcomed the break in shoveling and continued to share with his daughter. "Clearing our neighbors sidewalk seems like such a small thing to do. I was complaining to God about this small thing of helping our neighbor. I told God that we should be doing big things that would help lots of people." The Heart Farmer paused. His daughter took the pause as her opportunity to ask another question. "Daddy, did God answer your question?"

Her dad was leaning on his snow shovel watching his daughter's breath rise into the skies. He smiled again and said: "Yes my beautiful snowflake, God did answer. He told me that when I was busy doing big things that I didn't listen very well. He said I didn't find time to talk to Him when I was doing the big things. He said he sent the snow to slow me down. He said that He has to be able to trust me with one neighbor before He can let me serve lots of neighbors. He said I have to be faithful in little things before He will give me big things. He also told me that my children are watching me help my neighbor. Someday, He said, they will be doing the same things you are doing, in fact they will be doing greater things. Your children will be like you as a father because you became like me as your Father."

A tear formed in the big man's eye. He stuffed his shovel into a snow bank and swept his daughter up into his arms. "I love you my darling Beauty!" He said. The little girl giggled as she curled her arms around his neck. She drew her head back and then kissed the tear on her daddy's cheek. "I love you daddy! I love you to where all the snowflakes are made and back!"

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW.

Was My Dream Meant for Somebody Else?

Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: “Hurry!” The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, “Get dressed. Put on your shoes.” Peter did it. Then, “Grab your coat and let’s get out of here.” Peter followed him, but didn’t believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming. Acts 12:7-9 The Message

       
           I had a dream last night that I think was meant for somebody else.
 (Or maybe I'm in denial.)
Maybe someone will have an understanding about the dream that can become wisdom as they pass their understanding back to me. My wife does that a lot and I am grateful for her. For now, it seems to me that somebody else (or maybe it's me) needs to hear about the dream -

NOW!

          The dream was about someone taking my running shoes away. My shoes were missing and I went searching for them I asked an unknown person if they had seen my running shoes and they gave me a very worn pair. The rubber had already started to breakdown, they had seen at least 500 miles of running. After examining the shoes and knowing they were not mine, I resumed my search for the missing shoes.

          I found myself leaning down at almost ground level and looking into a wood structure. It looked like a log lean-to that you would find in a wilderness area. On the floor of the lean-to I saw a row of many running shoes. I spotted a pair that were multicolored and I thought they were mine. A few months ago my wife had bought me a new pair and they did have some bright colors on them. The pair I picked up resembled the multicolored headdress that would be common in Africa.

    That's the end of the dream as I remember it. Laying in bed this morning, I thought about possible meanings of the dream. I pondered possible questions whose answers might provide some revelation.

•  Is someone trying to steal my "Walk in Christ?"

• Was I no longer running with perseverance?

• Did I misplace my new shoes (new wineskins) and begin running in old shoes (old wineskins?)

• Are the colors of Africa on the running shoes asking: "Whom shall I send?"

• All of the shoes were in a lean-to in the woods, is it time to take more inner city youngsters into the wilderness and guide them over the mountains of life?

• Am I running in the shoes that God intended for me?

• Is it time to run again in a different race?

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

WHY I CLIMB MOUNTAINS

Once upon a minute.....
 
           he stood with me on the mountain of my pride, and he said to me: "You've made it this far, do you see all these other mountains?
I will give you these if you just worship yourself."

           Behind me, the sun was rising. My eyes focused on the blood red hue encompassing the mountains around me. I remembered the trail that brought me to my own personal peak of pride. Tears fell like rain and washed away the dirt of haughtiness staining the edges of my heart. Loneliness had become my companion during my quest to climb the mountains of more. "It's never enough!" Became my personal motto. "Achievement at any cost!" Was my personal mission statement. Slowly the thought of climbing endless mountains of my own pride became a heavy backpack hanging on my shoulders. My body and spirit were sagging from the weight.

           As the sun rose and warmed my bones, my countenance brightened. The sun was rising over the trail that had led me to the top of the mountain. It's powerful rays were washing over the trail in front of me. I heard a still small voice in my heart whisper:

"Do you see all those mountains of pride? I want you to climb them. 

There are many other people standing on those mountains who are lonely. 
I will be your companion as you share our hearts with them. 
Share with them the wisdom of the Son rise 
that redeems the past and brightens the future. 
Share with them the knowledge of the Mountain of God.
 It's a peak of understanding where you will never be alone. 
It's a range of forgiveness as far as the eye can see. 
 It's a grace covered precipice that redeems even the coldest soul. 

Go and make more mountain climbers!"

          My shoulders lifted as the weight of my pride melted away. I was filled with gratitude at the thought of a new day. I was loved unconditionally, I wanted others to know that kind of love. So now I climb the Mountains of God.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

WE ARE

We the people,
We are the Psalms.

We are the rising crescendo of a new day's sun.
We are the crashing wave on the ocean's shore.

We are God's hymnal.

We are the gentle summer breeze
We are the blustery winter blizzard.

We are God's song.

We are the tree branches stretching up and above.
We are the waterfalls cascading down below.

We are the Creators music.

We are the shifting grain of sand.
We are the brightly falling star.

We are His melody of motion.

We are the ice in winter.
We are the bud in spring.

We are His chorus of life.

We are the broken ground of barrenness..
We are the sprouting seed in a field of crops.

We are His canticle of grace.

We are the chaff He turned into a harvest.
We are the irritant He turned into a pearl.

We are God's ballad of redemption.

We are the setting sun.
He is our new day.

1 Chronicles 16:23
"Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation
from day to day."