It’s Not Complicated!!!

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America, boundless love, extravagant love, Father's Love, fear, imperfections, love, not complicated, outrageously loved, shame, simple, sin, sinfulness, unconditional love

It really is simple! For thousands of years, men of education, and assumed intelligence, have sought to explain what is elementary enough for the youngest, most simple-minded among us to grasp. We complicate it with sophistication, assuming we can improve the experience of history: HIS-STORY! We complicate it with lofty knowledge’s elaborate words trying to impress … whom? God? or man?

From before Creation was spoken into existence until the time of His-story’s culmination, GOD is LOVE. That’s it! Every thought, every word, and every action of God is motivated, directed, and empowered by LOVE. Unconditional Love. A Perfect Father’s Love.

Problem: Burdened by inexplicable (and unaccepted in our society) guilt, we hate our Self. And because we hate our Self, we are unable to fully love any one or anything. We can’t give real love or receive it. We Fear instead. We fear alone-ness. We fear one another. We fear our differences. We fear our sin. We fear our Self. And we blame God.

Our imperfections, our sinfulness, cloud our understanding of God, of Love, so we distrust Him. This causes a separation resulting in loneliness, which is not about people, but about missing our closeness with Father God. In our loneliness, our vision (still clouded,) we see the brokenness and imperfections in others and feel repelled and rejected.

NEWSFLASH: GOD IS LOVE!!!!! Not just ambiguous, unfocused, vague, and random, but person, intimate, accepting and individual love. Every minute of every day, GOD is literally moving heaven and earth to LOVE YOU. He will not quit until your life’s last breath is gone.

Just a few of the hundreds of promises that are yours and mine!

What’s more … Every promise, every promise, every promise contained in His book … between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22 is a personal promise for YOU (and me.) But to see these promises fulfilled, though some again make it complicated, the only requirement is that you RECEIVE them. Of course, to do that, you must first have some belief that God can and will actually come through.

From the beginning of time, God knew we would fall, we would not always do the right thing. God knew, and because He didn’t want us to be estranged from Him indefinitely, so He set up a plan to reconcile us. It meant sending Himself in human form, Jesus, to live as a sin-free man. This enabled Jesus to choose to pay the price of my sinfulness, suffer and die on the cross, then walk out of the tomb, conquering death. Why? because He loves us and wants to hang out with us. Everything he says, everything He does, and everything He speaks comes from that Love … Everything!!!! He wants to love us outrageously, lavishly, happily, boundlessly forever! It’s really that simple!

Ray Comfort: Here is a rule of thumb when reading the Bible: “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”

Now you can believe that seas can open, food can fall from the heavens, the sun can stop, whales swallow people, animals can fit on a boat, arks float, walls tumble, and fish can multiply. It’s really quite simple.

Nothing is impossible in your personal life. Nothing is impossible in your family. No thing is impossible in this nation, if we return to God, receive His love and pass it on to one another freely, as He commands! God can fix what is broken in America, but first, we have to ask Him!

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Has God indeed said?

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Adam and Eve, America, ashamed, faith, Garden of Eden, justification, love, shame, sin

Do you remember what happened in the Garden of Eden? Whether our understanding is literal or figurative, SIN entered the human experience. (Sin being the deliberate and willful disobedience to God’s word.) Interestingly, the immediate response to the “eye-opening bite” was SHAME. Adam and Eve felt the need, suddenly, to HIDE themselves.

Note: Eve had not been created yet when God told Adam not to eat of this particular tree. Although Adam later told her, for centuries she has been blamed when in reality, God instructed ADAM! Just sayin …

We’re told God made two special trees in the Garden, a Tree of Life and the Tree of the KNOWLEDGE of Good and Evil. When Adam and Eve shared the fruit from the Tree of the KNOWLEDGE of Good and Evil, their eyes were suddenly opened, and they were aware they had SINNED. They felt shame and guilt, they attempted to justify it, but death became part of Life. Prior to this event, Adam and Eve were blissfully unaware of evil.

I find it fascinating that God did not forbid them to eat of the Tree of Life until after sin entered the world. Had they chosen its fruit, we would live forever as pure babes! But, the gnawing desire to be “like God” lured them to the one forbidden Tree. Only then, did GOD set a guard to prevent them from the Tree of Life.

Again, I find it interesting that the “knowledge” of good and evil is a divine characteristic. Something to “chew” on …

“Has God indeed said …?” God told Adam if he ate of the tree he would surely die. When the serpent came along to “tempt” Eve, he simply introduced a tiny measure of doubt – “Has God indeed said …” It doesn’t seem like much to you and me, but prior to that God had never been questioned or contested. Funny thing is today, that “serpent” continues to use the same tactic …

• “Has God indeed said a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh…?” God’s idea!
• “Has God indeed said all men are created equal and should be treated equally regardless of wealth, religion, sexual preference, race or eye color? God’s idea!
• “Has God indeed said his followers should live in this world but yet be separated from it? Live differently? God’s idea!

But Adam and Eve, along with each of us, rejected God’s way and insisted on our own. They ate and instantly they KNEW good and evil, and they KNEW they were naked. Before, they were naked and unashamed. Now, they were compelled to cover their nakedness. They were ashamed.

Immediately, too, they began to attempt to justify their sin. When confronted, Adam blamed the woman, and she blamed the serpent. “Not my fault!”

As I look around this once great nation, example after example of this same pattern is evident. We fall prey to “Has God indeed said …” and SIN always attempts to justify itself by claiming popular approval. Adam tried to explain to God that the woman God gave him lead him to eat, so he ate. We hear our children say, “Everyone else is doing it!” (whatever IT is!)

Bottom line, though, we KNOW good and evil. We inherited the Knowledge of Good and Evil! We are intimately aware of our SIN. What we don’t know is GOD’s unmatchable and boundless love for each of us.

This is precisely why we must live what the Word of God says –

1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge. James 2: 1-4 CEV

Now, doesn’t that sound like what’s happening in our nation?

1 in 5: Learn to Cope with PTSD

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"life lessons", adjustment issues, aloneness, American Interests, American Veterans with Brain Injuries, AVBI, Blog, character training, confusion, Conservative opinion, Democrat, depression, dreams, Hope * Change, Human nature, Human Rights, isolation, Jesus, mental illness, Military appreciation, nightmares, PTSD, shame, spiritual, VA, Veterans Affairs, Women's Issues, wounded warrior project

NO SHAME!

What is PTSD?

“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others’ lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening.

“Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include:

Combat or military exposure

Child sexual or physical abuse

Terrorist attacks

Sexual or physical assault

Serious accidents, such as a car wreck.

Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake.

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With the way war is waged at this time, everyone who serves in the military should periodically be screened for signs of PTSD. Our brains, our emotions are simply not constructed to process all that is seen, heard, smelled, felt in battle or traumatic disaster. It leaves scars. Some vanish in time, but some we can only adjust ourselves to – they are a permanent part of us now.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT, AND SELF-HELP

“After a traumatic experience, it’s normal to feel frightened, sad, anxious, and disconnected. Usually, as time passes, the upset fades, and you start to enjoy life again. But sometimes the trauma you experienced is so overwhelming that you find that you can’t move on. You feel stuck with painful memories that don’t fade and a constant sense of danger.
“If you went through a traumatic experience and are having trouble getting back to your regular life, reconnecting to others, and feeling safe again, you may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When you have PTSD, it can seem like you’ll never get over what happened or feel normal again. But help is available—and you are not alone. If you are willing to seek treatment, reach out to others for support, and work on developing new coping skills, you will be able to overcome the symptoms of PTSD and move on with your life.” Continue reading

New Randy Travis CD Sold Exclusively At Cracker Barrel To Benefit WWP

“Country music star, Randy Travis, and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® have come together for a good cause. When you purchase the exclusive new CD, titled Randy Travis, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project™. Randy Travis CDs are now available at all Cracker Barrel locations and online. The CD is a special collection of Randy’s hits and three new songs exclusively compiled for Cracker Barrel. Randy is proud that Cracker Barrel will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project.” Read more

AMERICAN VETERANS WITH BRAIN INJURIES

About AVBI~

“American Veterans with Brain Injuries (AVBI) was organized in 2004 as a grassroots effort whose mission is to offer support to the families of American Servicemembers and Veterans who have suffered brain injuries. AVBI.org went live on the Internet in 2006 to provide a web based peer support network and information resource. In January 2009, in order to expand support services and programs specifically designed for these veterans and their family members, American Veterans with Brain Injuries, Inc. was incorporated as a Not for Profit organization.” CONTINUE READING

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Sometimes I Wonder

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"life lessons", confusion, God, grace, life, poem, poetry, purpose, shame, uncertainty

Perseid Meteor ShowerPhoto by Joe Westerberg

Sometimes I wonder why I try,
Why I always seek to find
The high road that seems untried,
Why I yearn for more,
To learn, to grow, to soar.

Sometimes I wonder what You want from me,
I give You my best,
I struggle, but I rest
In Your amazing love
That I know covers me from above.

I’m at a loss for words, it seems,
And I don’t know what is next,
Where do I put my foot,
Where do I place my hands.
I feel completely vexed.

You are my Father, my Lord, and my Friend,
Did I hear You wrong,
Did I miss your song
That floated on the tender breeze
Tell me what’s next … please.

I will wait for You and try not to panic,
I will trust in Your sovereignty,
I rely on your constancy;
You are always the same,
And in You, there’s no shame.

Sometimes I wonder why I doubt You,
Why I panic and question Your ways,
Why I long to see Your face,
Then I realize it’s Your grace,
Walking me through this worldly maze.