One Step Ahead of the Jones

January 25, 2010

Tex’s Thought Provokers 008

One Step Ahead Of The Jones

Monsters, Goolies, and Spookables come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They are cleverly disguised at times but we all encounter them.
From the time we are very small to the time of adulthood they never go away, they just change their characters and make us think they are something other than what they are.
What lived under the bed or in your closet as a child, went through a metamorphosis and now resides with the banker, the hospital, the offspring that needs braces, the boss’s closet, inflation, crime in the streets, and so on. They are still monsters none the less, there to be dealt with.
Stress is a monster that is strangling the life out so many folks today. No wonder, it’s environment is a perfect place to live.
It is my firm belief that one day, those in the world of science will be able to link stress to even more illnesses than they have discovered thus far.
There is good stress and bad stress. We need the good stress to stay motivated and to feel the sense of accomplishment at the end of a task. The bad stress though, we can do without. This ugly form of self devouring scourge is at the root of a lot of sickness.
People say that some of the stress that they have is out of their control. “There is nothing I can do about it.” Or could it be that we have convinced ourselves that there is nothing we can do about it? Perhaps we could say that we humans have caused a lot of this stress our self. We live in a world of status. It has always been that way. “Oh…look he drives a Lincoln, he must be important.” “Look…this man has over one hundred camels along with many goats and sheep…he must be important.” “Say….now he has a sharp suit…it must have cost a great deal…he must be important.” “Wow….did you see her dress and coat and shoes…she is walking in high cotton.”
We have all driven ourselves to the point of no return with what used to be a “keeping up with the Jones” attitude, which manifested itself into staying “one step ahead of the Jones”. We want and need this feeling of power over other people. We want to be noticed. We love to have people think we are important. And we think that a fancy home, car, and other perks, will do it for us.
Once this drug like disease takes a hold of us, we are willing to do almost anything imaginable to maintain this status we have achieved for ourselves.
People take it to limits that are simply mind boggling. And it is not just with money and the things it can buy alone. We see it in many other forms as well. “Look at him hit that ball….where would that team be without him?” “Say… listen to her voice…. Its like an angle sent to earth.” This causes us to become so envious we will stop at nothing until….well you know.
Sadly we have all seen examples of those who think themselves to be better Christians than the next guy just so they can feel important about themselves.
Its not just about money, this monster of a disease has been around a long time, and I suspect it will be around for many years to come. Like I said, it is clever, in as much as it can manifest itself into many shapes and sizes.
The best way to deal with a disease, or any kind of problem, is to first and foremost identify the problem, and then the cause. Now that we know what the problem is, the next step is to admit it to ourselves. Just this alone, is a huge step toward recovery. If we become blind to it, then this means, we likely don’t think we have a problem, denial.
Perhaps we should ask ourselves if it is time to do a little self evaluation again. In this I mean myself as well. Some of the questions I should begin with asking myself are:
· Is my home warm and comfortable? If so, why do I think I need a new one?
· Does my car get me to the places I need to go safely? If so, why do I think I need a new one?
· Are my clothes clean and warm with not too much sign of wear and tear? If so, why do I think I need new ones?
· Am I getting lots to eat? If so, why do I think I need to eat steak every night?
· Is my television still showing me a good picture? If so, why do I think I need a new one?
· Do I catch myself feeling better than another? If so, why?
· Do I find myself feeling jealous of another? If so, why?

The list goes on and on. The media in the form of commercials inundates us with a constant barrage of new and better, more expensive, things for us to buy. Convincing us all that we need to have them, we just can’t survive without them. Our friends and neighbours constantly show us things that they have, and if they can have them, then why can’t we?
Then what about all those so called beautiful people selling things to make us all beautiful? False beauty that is what it is. I can tell you, there is only one real way to be beautiful, living as best as we can like Jesus. Forget about the vanity. To me, vanity for the most part, causes uppitiness, very unattractive, to say the least.
I will give you an example of smart marketing and sound “gottcha” principles.
It is not important to state the name of the company, because you will all know it when I speak of it anyway. In the video game world there is one company that is by far and away the leaders in sales. They had and have a very clever market plan. They introduce a new system, zeroing in on our kids, on purpose, because they are an intricate part of the plan. The kids see the advertisements, hear their friends that have them, and they just have to have it. So us being the good hearted parents we are, we go out and we get the new system.
Some of us even get sucked into playing the system as well. Thus the situation becomes worse.
Just when we as parents think surely we have satisfied our kids, the company then introduces a new and better system and we just have to have it. We find that the games are more expensive and that we can’t buy games for the old system any longer.
This has happened to me four times. And yes I am one of those who got sucked into playing the games as well. I know…I’m a big kid. Aw…to know me is to love me though. (Whoops, there goes that braggy side to me again).
Bigger, faster, more colourful, more life like, we just have to have it. It is the world we live in. A rat race, filled with the stress of trying to stay one step ahead of the Jones. In so doing the monster down at the bank and the credit card company grows.
There are some folks that are in positions to do this with no stress at all. For them the toys are just bigger and more expensive, so same thing only different. The other down side to this is some families are not in a position to do this for their kids as easy. Yet they still do it, thus the credit card monster eats them alive.
Then we all fall into the trap of living for earthly non important things.
So how do we deal with this? Like I said, first we have to admit to ourselves that there is a problem. Then we must take steps to correct the situation. Then it is my belief that we have to go to the bible.
The answers to all of life’s problems are in the Word. We have to put our faith in the Lord to change us from the inside out. We have to trust in Jesus. And we have to trust in his word. Especially the words in red.

15 Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. People do not get life from the many things they own.”
Luke 12:15

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “ I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
Hebrews 13:5

7 “When you are living in the land the Lord your God is giving you, there might be some poor people living among you. You must not be selfish. You must not refuse to give help to them. 8 You must be willing to share with them. You must lend them whatever they need.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8

4 The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.
Matthew 18:4

12 People who think they are better than others will be made humble. But people who humble themselves will be made great.
Matthew 23:12

48 Then he said to the followers, “Whoever accepts a little child like this in my name is accepting me. And anyone who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me. The one among you who is the most humble—this is the one who is great.”
Luke 9:48


17 Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. 18 Tell those who are rich to do good—to be rich in good works. And tell them they should be happy to give and ready to share. 19 By doing this, they will be saving up a treasure for themselves. And that treasure will be a strong foundation on which their future life will be built. They will be able to have the life that is true life.
1 Timothy 6: 17-19
What it all comes down too, is we have too much. We want too much. And we are willing to do almost anything, including selling our soul to old “Spineless Slim”, all dressed up like a credit card representative.
When we read things such as; “In the west, you measure a man’s wealth by his possessions. In this country, we measure his wealth by his friends.” (Ethiopia)
John Ortberg, “When The Game Is Over – It All Goes Back In The Box” Chapter 2, page 30.
We get an eye opener. If we begin to do a bit of research, we find that compared to many other parts of the world, including even some parts of our world, that we choose to ignore, we are very fortunate people. We have so much; we are all so very rich. And we take it for granted every single day.
How many of us are going to bed hungry? Do we set and wonder if we will be blown up if we go to the store? When we walk down the street, do we think of perhaps being shot?
How many junkies have we seen living in a cardboard box on our sidewalks? In the evening do we see our streets lined with prostitutes? How many drive by shooting have happened in the past week? How many teachers have been beaten and left for dead do we know?
When you are sick do you go to the hospital, what if you could not afford it?
How many times have you really been persecuted because of your faith?
(The above statements are based on my area)

See, to me part of our problem in this area is, we hear and see these terrible things on TV, or we read about them. We feel truly sorry, but we are so far removed from this that we just comment on how terrible it is, and then get on with our lives. After all it is someone else’s problem. And it is far far away from our world.
Those that went on the trip to New York seen things to a certain degree, and the one that comes to mind is the man that went to the streets everyday, and boldly approached people. Putting his life at risk every day for other people’s souls.
Well folks, I can tell you, that these types of hideous living environments with all the craziness that goes with it, is getting closer to us every day.
Once we start to put things such as this in perspective, we begin to change from the inside out. We find ourselves looking, searching, reading, asking, what we can do.
I can tell you one thing for certain sure and with all that is in me. Turn your eyes toward Jesus, because he is our only real hope.

7 Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give.
2 Corinthians 9:7

35 I always showed you that you should work just as I did and help people who are weak. I taught you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘You will have a greater blessing when you give than when you receive.’”
Acts 20:35

There are many things to give besides money. Your time, your gifts that the Lord has blessed you with, your help in anyway you can.

In closing I will leave you with this to think about. If you have gifts, they came from the Lord. Remember what has been given to you. The number one thing is the gift of life ever lasting from Jesus. The greatest gift ever given. How blessed we all are!
Until next time, may the Lord bless you with a heart that is hungry for Him, one that is willing to go where He leads you, and one that strives to do what He wants. In Christ’s love Tex

Everythig Old is Everything New

January 21, 2010

Tex’s Thought Provokers 007

Everything Old Is Everything New

This one folks will require some very deep thought. At least, it is my hope that you will all take the time to think about it. It is my hope as well that you then go back and read very carefully the first six.
Jesus had a way of telling a story, the stories were many times parables. Am I comparing myself to Jesus? Not now, not ever, not even remotely so. For I am in competition with Paul, he claimed to be chief of sinners. In my heart, I feel that I am in the running for such a claim.
In my writings, I know by now that some of you, if not all, are finding a negative tone. It is far from my intention to be negative. Yet, each time I go to write one of these I ask Jesus for his help. I ask that he guide what I say. Each morning I ask my Lord to walk with me, and be with me though out the day. When the day comes to a close, the last thing I think of is Jesus.
Does this somehow make me better? Not in the least, for everyday, even though he walks with me, I mess up. I ask him for his forgiveness and I keep on keeping on.
Now that I have given a bit of an explanation, again it is my hope that you read this writing very slow and thoughtfully. Then I pray you go back and read the first six, with the same thoughtfulness.
Because you see, there is a message in these writings.

9 All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Back in the summer of 1991, I was on a bad wildland fire at a place called Mosquito Lake. A fire does not have to be extremely large to do a lot of damage, or to be very dangerous. There is a list of common denominators on tragedy fires or near miss fires. In nearly every situation, the fire where some one lost their life, or some one had a close call, the fire had been small, or a small portion of a larger fire.

This fire was only 800 or so hectares, or, 1977 acres. Believe me, this is not a large fire as far as wildland fires go. There were a lot of serious close calls on this fire, and I know, that the good Lord was with us all, that was what kept us safe. At least I know this now.
It is not the intention of this writing to give an account of the details as they occurred. If anyone is interested, I will gladly sit down sometime over a cup of go-go juice (coffee) and tell you.
I discovered something on this fire though, that I found to be of great interest to me.
The fire burned very rapid and extremely hot in the first few hours. Most of the damage it caused was in those first few hours. By dark of the second day, we had the fire contained. It was far from being out, but it’s spread was being held.
It took us another thirty days or so to call it out. I was there for sixteen of them.
A fire, just as a living thing, goes through stages. It has a birth, it breaths oxygen, eats and consumes fuel, it starts very small, it grows, it reaches maturity, then it wavers and starts to decline, then it dies.
I am not saying that it is a living thing, but it does have a close similarity. And, there have been many times when I thought the thing could think, for it has many times, tried to out flank, or out think me.
My discovery was in the declining stage of this fire on what we call mop up. I had my troops in search mode; we were looking for those small smoldering would be monsters that we call sleepers. They like to hide in the ground, in the very top of trees, in old fallen trees. Any place where they can just hide with the hope that all seekers will leave before finding them, will do nicely. With the hope that once all the fire fighters have left the area, they can spring to life and gain monster status once again. For all fires seek to become monsters.
It was during our march through the black on about day twelve; I noticed some new ground vegetation emerging up through the ashes.
In the days that followed, this new vegetation would attract a host of creatures at the bottom of the food chain. Thus these new creatures would further attract some middle management critters that prey on the lower animals. The new vegetation would further attract some larger mammals that eat the young and tender shoots that were produced. Then even more middle managers would be attracted to these creatures. A brand new cycle of a process of eating and being eaten had been born.
All part of God’s perfect plan. A plan that did not just happen; it is a perfect plan created by the supreme perfect being, God.
Some seeds can lay dormant for hundreds of years before germination takes place. In some cases, fire creates that perfect set of circumstances that produce this rebirth.
Early Indigenous peoples knew this. They would set a fire in a forest that had reached maturity, where very little wildlife lived. They did this so they could then in a year or two move their encampment close to the burned area, which by that time would be teaming with wildlife.
So then, not all fire is bad, and not all fire is good, it is just how we perceive it.
Shakespeare once wrote, “there is nothing completely all good, or completely all bad, it is our mind that makes it so.”

A very dear friend and I had a discussion recently, and I said. “Ya know….there is something that has been troubling me.” He smiled and said lovingly. “With you, I am almost scared to ask…what is it?”
I had been thinking very much about this. I wondered. “In the bible we surely see a lot of miracles… in the old testament…and the new. Folks kept askin fer proof…I wonder, how much more proof did they need ta have? And then….it states a whole bunch of times in the new testament…that them there Pharisees and law makers…and evil leaders such as that there He Rod feller… was scared to do anything ta Jesus…on account they was scared of an uprisin by the people…cause they all knew that the people loved Jesus. What troubles me the most…is…where da ya spose all them there folks followin after Jesus went to…when he needed them ta stick up fer him? I mean…they was thousands from all over the place…an when push come to shove…they up an freed that there Barabbas feller.”
My friend, who seems to like the way I talk, smiled and said. “Well…I wonder about that too…perhaps they were only following Jesus to see what they could get…to use him…and as soon as they seen that the end was near…they wanted to back a winner…or so they thought. But all through out the bible, it shows one example after another of their character. They seemed to be a very fickle people.”

That is when Ecclesiastes jumped into my head. It just so happened that at that time, I was reading that very book of the Old Testament.
9 All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Now I have been thinking a lot lately, or more than usual. Scary… ain’t it? Anyway, I have been, and I got to thinking over my life and the things I do, my family, the people I know, the things I believe, my work, and I have tried my best to do as Jesus has instructed me too.
I like to watch folks not for bad reasons, but to learn. And I have come to a conclusion about all of us human beings.

16 “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace.
One group of children calls to the other group, 17 ‘We played flute music for you, but you did not dance; we sang a funeral song, but you were not sad.’ 18 Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon* inside him.’ 19 The Son of Man* came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine. He’s a friend of tax collectors* and other sinners.’
But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.” Matthew 11:16-19

Be dinged if ya do…and be dinged if ya don’t. People are never content and never satisfied.
Words….leave life long scars. Words…..can sometimes hurt more than anything that hurts us. If I break my arm…it hurts….but the pain subsides… at some point. But words…sometimes the hurt never goes away.

It would appear that verse 9 of Ecclesiastes 1 is right. Proving yet again, the word of God is good for all ages.

We talk of unity….unity of what….the church? The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the church…no one else. The church building is just that, a building.

12 When you enter that home, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ 13 If the people in that home welcome you, they are worthy of your peace. May they have the peace you wished for them. But if they don’t welcome you, they are not worthy of your peace. Take back the peace you wished for them. 14 And if the people in a home or a town refuse to welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.15 I can assure you that on the judgment day it will be worse for that town than for the people of Sodom* and Gomorrah.* Matthew 10:12-15

Friends…brothers…sisters…people I love… I would never claim to be a profit…I am nothing more than a simple man…. But I know that soon, Ecclesiastes will become relevant.

For as long as I am able, I will continue to write and send these writings to those that want to receive them.

In closing, I will leave you with these.

26 “So don’t be afraid of those people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything that is secret will be made known.”
Matthew 10: 26

2 Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. 3 What you say in the dark will be told in the light. And what you whisper in a private room will be shouted from the top of the house.” Luke 12:2-3

Do not put off until tomorrow…what you can do today.

I am a better person for knowing each one of you. I love you all. Go with Christ in all that you do.
Until next time.
Tex

Faith

January 18, 2010

Tex’s Thought Provokers 006

Faith


It has been said that we know that an atom is there, we can’t see it, but we know it is there. We can accept this because of science and it’s being able to prove the existence of these invisible parts of mater.
The same goes for germs and other tiny organisms that are not visible to the naked eye.
It seems that we humans have trouble accepting something unless it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. However, when we see things proven before our eyes, to me that is not accepting them through faith.
Jesus did many miraculous things, and many times he told the people not to say anything about the miracles. Now that for some folks is like giving them a green light to go and tell the world. One of my thoughts on this was that Jesus knew that if he said don’t tell anyone, that it would be the best way to get the word out, knowing the nature of people. Then I had another thought. I got to thinking that Jesus wanted us to believe through faith rather than hard proof.
There is a big difference in believing through proof and believing through faith. When we believe through proof, we can easily start to take our belief for granted. We become nonchalant about it because we know for a fact that it is there. Now if we are honest, unless we are in danger of the unseen atom or germ, how often do we really think about them? On the other hand, when we believe through faith, we are constantly thinking about it because faith and hope go hand in hand.
As an example

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel.* Matthew 8:10

There are many more examples throughout the bible where Jesus exemplifies great faith.


Our Lord wants us to have great faith.
In this world of technology, immoralities, and a constant barrage of non-believers doing and saying everything imaginable that inevitably cause us to doubt, the struggle to stay strong in our faith is tested every day.
This is why prayer is vital. Talking with the Lord on a regular basis is a key to staying faithful. Reading the bible every day is just as vital to remaining strong with the Lord. Being with other believers as much as possible is yet another key. Reading what other believers have written in books is also very helpful for me. Just plain meditating in faith is also a very important part of what I do a lot of. Regular worship, bible study groups, prayer meetings, are all important as well.
When we constantly make the Lord a part of our lives, putting Jesus first in our thoughts, and first in the things we do, we go a long way towards keeping our faith strong.
The Lord also reminds us to never be ashamed of our faith.

32 “If you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you belong to me. 33 But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you do not belong to me.
Matthew 10:32-33

Jesus tells us to let everyone know about our faith.

20 Jesus answered, “You were not able to make the demon go out, because your faith is too small. Believe me when I tell you, if your faith is only as big as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move. You will be able to do anything.”
Matthew 17:20

The above passage is very interesting. Essentially Jesus is saying that if our faith were as good as it should be we could do anything. Some of the non-believers would say “what a load of hooey.” Well, to them I say, if this is what you believe, then my heart aches for you.
You see, to me science has only limited knowledge about what the brain is really capable of. There is proof that we only use a small portion to do the things we need to do each day. I know….there are some of us that seem to use a lot less than others, myself included.
But what if we could learn to tap into what we are really capable of doing? What if we could simply block everything out that causes us doubt? What if we could completely accept our faith in the Lord and really believe with all that is in us? What if…….

3 Then he said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom. 4 The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child. Matthew 18:3-4

The little ones believe with all of their hearts. Why? Because we tell them too. Children have a way of accepting what those they trust tell them. In their innocence, their minds are open to a world of wonder. They have not had the chance to see and hear the awful terrible things that happen in this world. We do our best to shelter them from all these horrible things.
But have you ever watched a small child, while they listen to something like a story they are interested in? Have you ever really looked at their eyes and the expressions they make?
The above passage for me makes perfect sense. As well it should because it comes from Jesus. Yet for me, after much thought, I have come to the conclusion, that if we were to accept things like believing in the Lord with the same enthusiasm of a child, our faith would be such that we could do anything.
Unfortunately, especially for me, because I really wish it were true, I don’t think this means we have to start playing tidily winks in the pews on Sundays. Although…..no I won’t say it.
But I do think that Matthew 18:3-4 does really make a lot of sense when you apply it to faith.

17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God’s way of making people right begins and ends with faith. As the Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God by faith will live forever.” Romans 1:17

Paul speaks about faith often in his letters. Above, we can see no better example of how it could be put than the way he says it.
To me this is good news!
So how do we continue to remain strong in our faith? As I stated earlier, there is no better way than to pray every day. And pray simple away by yourself. There is no need to make a big production of it. The Lord loves it when you just talk with him. I find myself talking with him now even when I am in a crowded room filled with people. I am doing it in my mind, but I can tell you that he listens. He answers. He guides me in everything I do. Without him I am nothing. With him there is no end to the things I might achieve.
Then read his word. Don’t just read it, but listen to what it is telling you. We have heard many times that each persons walk with the Lord is a very personal one. This I totally believe. What one person reads and gets from a passage and what another person gets from the same passage may be different. But if you really concentrate on what is being said, you will come to understand what the Lord is telling you. Just relax and let it happen. Put away the doubts of the world and just read and listen.
In my heart I know that we can face anything if we face it with the Lord. Jesus will see us through. Why? Because we have great faith.

13 So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. 1Corinthians 13:13

Faith is one of the three key things to a life with the Lord. Love is the greatest, yes, but faith is there as well. And we must do whatever we can to help each others faith grow and continue in strength.

26 So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a song, another has a teaching, and another has a new truth from God. One person speaks in a different language, and another interprets that language. The purpose of whatever you do should be to help everyone grow stronger in faith.
1Corinthians 14:26

16 That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.
17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 18 So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever. 2Corinthians 4:16-18

1 Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

3 Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen. Hebrews 11:3

7 Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.
Hebrews 11:7


18 God tested Abraham’s faith. God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed because he had faith. He already had the promises from God. And God had already said to him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will come.” But Abraham was ready to offer his only son. He did this because he had faith. 19 He believed that God could raise people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death.
Hebrews 11:18-19

25 Moses grew up and became a man. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose not to enjoy the pleasures of sin that last such a short time. Instead, he chose to suffer with God’s people. He did this because he had faith.
Hebrews 11:25

Above we see some passages that show examples of faith. All of Hebrews 11 speaks of faith.
The one that really is interesting is Hebrews 11:18-19. Yes it shows a good example of great faith. Imagine, if you can, what it would be like to have so much faith that you would offer as a sacrifice your only son. Yes Abraham had great faith. And he passed God’s test.
Now then, thanks to a good friend and sister in Christ, I see something else here in these verses. She informed me of something more than faith in these verses.
I wonder, can you see it too? Perhaps it could be an interesting discussion some time.
So we have talked about faith and how we should try to keep it strong. We have looked at several pieces of scripture.
So I will leave you with this:

2 We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.
Hebrews 12: 2-3

Until next time, may we all work together helping one another’s faith grow strong and stay strong. And know that through Christ all things are possible.
Tex