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My Apologies for the appearance of part 2 of Lord of The Rings!

In its draft setup, it appears in a correct format. However, every time I edit and post it, It shows up convoluted. After technical help, it still stays the same. Sorry! May you enjoy it!

God Bless,

Sam

In continuation of the Lord of the Rings, please review the first 10 rings discussed in my last blog!

Our first identification with Christ as our Savior is a desire to be like Him and a willingness to share in His sufferings. The higher calling of God is a bid to lay our lives for Him.   

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer shares in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, page 99:

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.  It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ.  As we embark upon discipleship, we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death-we give over our lives to death. Thus, it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.  When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

The other Rings:

11. Empowering-The Holy Spirit will empower us for the tasks God lays ahead of us. Acts 1:8a reads: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…

12. Outpouring-He will pour out The Holy Spirit upon you for direction, comfort, and confirmation. “for I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah44:3).

13. Ministering-When we feel alone or like we can’t go any further, God’s ministering angles will strengthen us. “Are not angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

14. Sharing-The early church shared with others having all things in common. Can’t be greedy. Acts 2:44 reads: And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

15. Preferring-Put others before you. Consider them as valuable creations of God.  We’re all made in His image. Romans 12:10 Have kindly affection one for the other with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another;

16. Rendering-Give to God what is His and to man what belongs to him. God is not man. We need to know how to separate the two. Matthew 22:21 Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

17. Covering-Don’t hide behind lies or false teachings. If there’s sin in your life, rid it! Proverbs 28:13 reads:  He who covers his sins shall not prosper. But whoever   confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

18. Appearing-We are to love His appearing! We’re to pray for God to return quickly and take us home to ever be with Him. The AMP reads: In the future there is reserved for me the (victor’s) crown of righteousness(for being right with God and doing right), which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award me on that (great) day-and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.

19. Decluttering-We’re told to set aside all sin that easily besets us. Let’s declutter our minds of things that sap our energy. Hebrews 12:1 reads: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that do easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

The ‘Ring’ leading all other rings, the one behind our reason for living; the one that causes men to lay their lives for God’s purposes, is

20. Restoring-The crowning glory in our walk with Christ, suffering, and enduring shame, is for the sole purpose He has had behind our redemption: to restore us to the Father. We’re on a journey with Him with unforeseen challenges and with the ultimate goal being to heal a broken relationship with God which manmade religion can never heal.  Only Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection could mend that relationship.  Why? Because only a sinless person could lay His life for all humanity (God became man not through a regular birth).  He became you and me-billions of times over. That is, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now, being made righteous through Christ

 we can stand before God as clean and as able to fellowship with Him.

 May we have a great year growing in Him as we wear His rings.

God Bless,

Sam

Let’s look at the rest of those rings!

2. Surrendering-upon deciding to serve God in His sufferings, we surrender our lives to Him. Romans 12:1 reads: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.

3. Longsuffering-We must stay in for the long haul come rain or shine, storms of all types, including criticism, sickness, persecution, etc. It is one of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, NIV).

4. Entering- In fellowshipping with God, we enter His presence in the throne room in the holiest (place) by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).

5. Persevering-We can overcome all obstacles with our focus on Jesus. Romans 5:3-5(NIV) reads: Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6. Prospering-John wants us to prosper in health.  We need care for our bodies and our minds.  We need rest as well as activities that rejuvenate us for the tasks ahead. 3 John 1:2 reads, Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and to be in good health, just as your soul prospers (NASB).

7. Remembering-We need to remember our family in Christ. Meet the needs of others. Hebrews 13:3-NASB: Remember the prisoners as if chained with them-those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body (of Christ), parenthesis mine.

8. Offering-Giving of that which God has given us for expanding His kingdom as well as giving ourselves to God’s service.  Offer your life for His sake; the sake of the gospel. Romans 12:1 reads: Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.”                                                                

9. Gathering-Strengthen your walk with God. Hebrews 10:25 reads: Not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.              

10. Sheltering-Don’t function out of your own strength! Plug in to God! “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most- High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty,” (Psalm 91:1 ESV).

….To Be Continued!…

God Bless!
Sam

Some facts and trivia are interesting to look into. About forty years ago, I read something very interesting about Shakespeare. A question was posed asking if he had written the Bible. It stated that he died at age 46 and that his name was found in Psalm 46-sort of.  If you look at that Psalm in the King James Version (KJV), do the following: Count the first 46 words and see what you get.  Now go to the end of the same Psalm and count backwards 46 words and see what you get.  Interesting? Yes, but no, he didn’t write the Word of God. I recently re-watched the extended versions of the Hobbit trilogy and the Lord of the Rings series by Peter Jackson from the book series written by J. R.R Tolkien.  Amazingly displayed on the screen are journeys and dangerous encounters faced almost daily by Christians with all types of God-sent messages for us all. This movie deals with the expeditions we all take when we set out to seek God. We encounter all types of hardships and our endurance is maxed-out. Hounding us every minute of every day is the enemy of our souls, Satan. The powers of darkness increase all around us with every step we take as we strive to get closer to God, to His ways, and to His glory.  Sometimes, in our lives, as in the movie, we are taken aback, or even surprised by unexpected turn of events that attack us, catch us off guard, or just knock us off our feet! My wife and I caught ourselves biting our lips as we saw the grotesque figures that suddenly appeared on the screen. It’s a great thing we don’t see these critters in real life!  Our lives are literally plagued by unforeseen demonic activity.  Ephesians 2:2 tells us that the prince of the powers of the air, whom we used to follow, works in the children of disobedience. In the movie version, twenty rings were cast with one ring being more powerful than the rest, or having authority over the others.  Let’s look at twenty ‘rings’ given to us by God with one Ring ruling over the rest. Did you know that The Fellowship of the Ring is in God’s Word?  It is!!  Sort of! Philippians 3:10 states: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His Sufferings” (capitalized and underlined by me). That’s the first (1^st) Ring and the reason for everything in our lives as well as the foundation for the other rings. God calls us to intimacy with Him through an understanding of His death and resurrection.  By accepting Him into our lives, we choose to die to ourselves and to live for Him. Because He rose from the dead, we too will rise with Him after death here on earth! To look at the rings we need to first understand what is going on and what we are talking about. When we take a stand, or decide to follow Christ, we’re to walk with Him all the way, not from a distance. Walking with Him is different from being religious or following a religion. Religion is man-made and entails man’s efforts to please God on our terms. Walking with God entails accepting the way (to God) He already made for us on His terms. He calls us to join Him in the fellowship of His sufferings for the sake of the gospel. He suffered for our sakes-to save us from the powers of darkness.  He suffered to redeem us from the curse and darkness of sin.  Sin separates us from God and His Holiness.  God dwells in absolute holiness.  There is no sin in Heaven; no form of evil whatsoever.  2 Timothy 3:12 reads: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution for the sake of the gospel.” God invites us to join Him in this fellowship along with our brothers and sisters throughout the world enduring sufferings for the same cause. If, for some reason, you thought there must be something wrong with your life because surely you should not be suffering as a Christian, you’ve been misled.  Perhaps you’ve thought that being stuck at home and being required to wear a mask, etc. is more than enough suffering for Christ, you’re missing the point.  To reign with God, we have to suffer with Him.  Yes, demonic attacks will come and all hell with break loose upon you, but know that you’re not alone! God is always right by your side, and you have a family in the billions upholding you before the throne room of God! Worldwide, there are Christians persecuted, tortured, being starved and abused because they identify themselves with Christ. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena.  We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings” 1Corinthians 4:9)

To Be Continued!

God Bless,

Sam

Matthew 7:13,14 NIV reads, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, But, small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only few find it.” Jesus is the only way in. “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1 NKJV).
Just as glass doors allow light in, God’s Word opens a door of light for us. Psalm 119:30 says, “The entrance of your word gives light.” God’s powerful word, when allowed to enter through the door of our hearts, gives enlightenment to our minds through understanding.
The wonderful song, Awake My Soul (Phillips, Craig, and Dean) touches on this special and magnificent event:
“Awake my soul, prepare an entrance for your glory, and let my heart become a throne for you to dwell.”
In opening our hearts to His word, we’re allowing His light into our lives. No doubt, songs can play a part in God’s word enlightening us. It’s for You, by Sammy Ward, says,
“The love o-f my life has opened the d-oor In-to a part of heaven I’ve never known before.”
If you want to learn about God, go to God. Surrendering to Him will open doors of understanding and He’ll reveal His heart to you. Have you yearned to hear from God? Have you desired to get close to Him? I remember the lyrics from 50 years ago,
“The long and winding road that leads to your door will never disappear…” (The Beatles), reminding me there’s a path leading to someone. I learned over 40 years ago the road that leads to God maybe a rocky one, but guaranteed to lead to the real Door.
Scripture tells us of another door. It’s a door in heaven. A door that will open to let His Church in. Revelation 4:1 reads: After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice that I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, come up hither, and I will show you the things which must be hereafter.”
This door is believed to be the door leading the church, the body (Group) of believers, (Christians) when the Church Rapture takes place into God’s presence in heaven. After this verse, the church is not mentioned again (in the book of Revelation) during the Great Tribulation period or while the judgments are poured upon unbelievers on earth. We’ll not be subject to those punishments. We’re not mentioned until the end; until we’re in His presence and returning with Him (Revelation 19:14).
Only ONE DOOR (Jesus) can get you in to heaven. I know, I know, people will try all types of ways to get in. That’s what’s known as religion. It’s manmade to prove we can get in on our merits, on behalf of our efforts. But we can’t. “So, what’s the difference? I thought religion was good?” you might ask. It’s a relation that you want. We need a relationship with God. This way, you can talk to Him as you would to a friend and He’ll reveal to you His heart; His desires and plans for your life. See, He made the rules and He made the way; He is The Way. Those who will try, and there will be millions, will have missed the Door to the greatest party of all time beginning with a thousand years and flowing into eternity. Which door will you choose? Will you choose
Door #1: the world and its desires,
Door #2: destruction and separation from God, or
Door #3: Jesus and eternal life?
Don’t miss the Door of opportunity.
God Bless,
Sam

No, not the group with Don’t You Love Her Madly?
Nice song, but I’m thinking about the type we can walk through. Hopefully, when they’re open! Have you ever walked through a closed glass door?! Like when doors automatically open and then you get to one that doesn’t? I have! We once visited a friend in the night up in Jersey. Went to her camper. My wife, not wearing her glasses, thinking the door was open, walked right through the screen door!
Way back when I was growing up, there was the TV show, ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ where throughout the show participants had to choose prizes from three doors or curtains and at the end of the show, the winning players had to try to get the grand prize hidden either behind doors #1, #2, or #3. Get it wrong, & you might go home with a cow or some geese. Get it right, and you’d get paid vacations, a new car, & some cash.
Personally, when it comes to doors, I like the swinging type; the ones in saloons. When the mean cowboy walked in, beady eyes scanned the room, spat in the spittoon or on the floor, and wiped his spittle with his sleeve, while everyone got quiet or scattered. Yep, ‘them doors.’ The type that’ll whack you on the rear if you don’t move fast enough. Granted, not everyone likes them-there types. I know, spittoons may be hard to find these days…but you can always…a-n-y-w-a-y…Doors have to fit their openings. Too loose, & they won’t be efficient. Too tight, and they won’t open/close correctly. I saw on a TV show, a man who wreaked havoc for his installers after buying some 40 used doors-each different from the rest. Some were of standard height, short ones, tall ones, and some of different widths or thicknesses. The hinges didn’t line up on several, especially when two doors were needed to pair off. Even the wood species were different from each other. The home owner, wanting his house to be unique ‘dished’ out $250,000.00 for his doors in the process.
To some people doors are far more than something to walk through, or made to offer protection. They like to really walk through them. We’ve read of people “making a grand entrance.” Some, expect applauds and looks of approval upon their arrival. Some like making a scene as they exit. They want others to notice them in their apparels or the flair they walk with.
Jesus, a carpenter, also knew about doors. He spoke of one particular Door: Himself. In John 10:9 He stated, “I am the door, if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” He knows all about them. He knows there are millions of doors leading somewhere, which is really, to nowhere. He knows there are thousands leading to confusion. However, He’s the only Door that’s the right size and the right fit. He’s the right measure. There are, supposedly, “many roads leading to God;” though not true, in reality, only One Door on one very narrow path will get us there. (To Be Continued in Part 2)

Over the past thirty-nine years we have had lots of ups and downs. Finding laughter in tough times in no way diminishes hardship, tragedies, or the difficulties encountered along the way. I seek not to make light of situations but rather to find grains of sands that would make our journey more tolerable. Laughter comes naturally for me. I inherited it from my mom. She always finds something funny in everything. That was passed on to my youngest brother, Nels. He was always the family clown. He made us laugh even when no one felt like it. From me, that gift of laughter has passed on to our youngest daughter, Sarai. She’s another clown with quick quips at all times. Laughter seems to have also passed down to our five-yr. old granddaughter. Praise God for that.
You have noticed several people pictured in my blogs. They are the friends I grew up with and have had many memories established with over the years. Here are a few notes on some of them.
Back in 1980, Nels got diabetes at the young age of 20. He’s been carrying that cross 40years. Life hasn’t been easy for him, but he makes the best of it.
Recently, I posted a picture of Benjamin, Terry’s brother. I probably met Ben back in 1967 when I was ten. The guys on the block never spoke to them. We only saw them on their way to church at night. They’d hop in a car with their parents and grandparents but never came out to play. We really came to know them in 1978 when they moved back into the same building (Terry for only six months) after moving out in 1974. In 1978 she brought me to the Lord, though I didn’t make that decision publicly known until May, 1979. One day in 1988, I saw and spoke to Ben as I was riding my bike. A few days later, he was dead. He was shot and killed in front of his young wife and toddler kids. Killed right in front of where he lived and grew up. Being the same age as my brother Nels, Ben was only 27. So sad.
Gil’s brother Angel, the husky, fast, switch-hand baseball player, and deejay, worked as a train conductor for New York’s MTA. Along the way, he ended up needing dialysis 1-2 weekly. This one day in 2008, he was home with Gil in the same apartment where years earlier, they lost their mom and then their dad. As the brothers talked in the living room, Gil asked him if he wasn’t going for his treatments. Angel told him, “I’m not going today, I have this under control.” The phone rang some 25 feet away in the adjoining kitchen. Gil went for it and answered it. As he said, “It’s for you…” he began to scream at Angel who died that quickly. One phone call called him home. Another friend gone.
Later, when I moved with my family to PR. We met Terry and her parents. Once-in-a-blue moon, she would visit us. One day, she was with us and we invited her to our church’s Christmas party about 40 minutes away. Terry headed home first promising to return, but never showed. We called several times, to no avail. She vanished.
Five years later, I received a call from her! She had been desperately trying to locate us with an important message. I asked if she was in PR. She was, and had been so for several months. I asked why she hadn’t called or visited, and she said she was trying to reach all the important people in her life. She then told me, “It’s that I’m dying.” I asked what she meant and she said she had stage 4 cancer. We went to visit her. As you’ll see in the picture below, she was known for her long, jet-black hair. When we saw her, her hair had turned white and she was hunched over. We thought we were looking at an 80+ year old lady. Our son walked in a few minutes later and motioned ‘Who’s she?’ As soon as he heard her voice his eyes opened wide in disbelief. Sadly, Terry passed away August 11, 2011 less than three months before her 54th birthday.

These are real situations. We’ve also lost friends Izzy, Joey, brothers Alex and Miguel, and Ray’s brothers Tomas & Danny. We’ve heard rumors that Danny-Boy is also gone. In the last 4 years I have lost four of my five older brothers. So, although I write about laughter interspersed throughout special memorable events, I do so, acknowledging the brevity of life. In conclusion, it’s important to make every moment count. I find it best to laugh along the way, than to cry. There are enough daily situations siphoning our tears causing great sadness.
“They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5).
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

God Bless!

Happy New Year!

Sam

Back in the 70’s at Brooklyn College in NY I was enrolled in a psychology class.  It was a large group.  The professor was a clown! He had us rolling in our seats at each session. Humor was in abundance while he taught the curriculum. He had us ‘in stitches’ as the saying goes.  Just before an upcoming test, he told us things such as, “There are students who will study all day, every day for an upcoming test. There are those who will spend all- day with study groups reviewing for it. Then there are students who will not study-ever, but will cram the night before believing they’ll be able to learn weeks of lessons in a few hours. Whatever works for you, do it.” 

Test day came and I guess some didn’t do too well because he addressed us.  He told us something in a serious tone. Something in the realm of, “I want you to know that the class may be fun and I might tell a few jokes and make it all entertaining, however, do know that the tests are serious.” “They’re not jokes-they’re not trick-questions; they’re based on the material we study and discuss here.” “All the material is serious stuff; the test is real!”

We sometimes look at life like that.  We ‘laugh all the way to the bank’ we take nothing serious. We can show-off or we can hide.  We can cry or party away, but the test is real. I hope as y’all read these entries, you’ll enjoy yourselves and will, at the same time, understand that the contents are real.  I hope you’ll understand the seriousness of God and His Word.

True, we can laugh galore, especially when we’re walking with Him in obedience, but when we’re not, we need to know where we stand in light of His Word.

All jokes aside, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

God Bless,

Sam

Cheers to all of you out there who have posted comments on my blog! It’s way-easier to respond this way.
I appreciate the opinions, comments, and suggestions tossed my way!
This is a new experience for me, having never posted or written anything to be shared with others before. I’m learning as I go along! I’m glad y’all are enjoying the reads!
Some entries may contain more serious topics than others. Then again, some issues have been easier to cope with than past ones. That’s life!
Granted, it isn’t always easy to find humor in some situations, as you will soon see! We can sometimes laugh at things right there and then, but sometimes, it can take months or years down the road, to see the lighter side of an issue. There are times when a topic only deals with life & death situations: providing nothing humorous at all. We’re just trying to make the best lemon-aide out there (when life serves you lemons…)! Drink up!
Thanks,
Sam

I’ve written several pieces about Christmas. There’s mention of snow, Christmas trees, tinsel, lights, storms, gifts, and more! Sometimes, in the midst of all that’s related to Christmas, like in the wrapping and the unwrapping of gifts, or the cooking and eating of sweets and meals, it’s very easy to lose our perspective.  It’s easy to lose Jesus. He’s the real reason we celebrate the day to begin with. If you’ve lost Him, you’re not alone.

Back when He was twelve, His parents took Him along to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover.  When it was all over, as they headed home, they figured He was among friends and relatives.  But they couldn’t find Him.  They had to backtrack and return to the starting point.  After three days, they found Him both listening and asking them tough questions that astounded them.  He was doing His Father’s business (Luke 2:41-49).

Jesus was found! He returned with his parents. Have you found Him? Have you had a ‘run-in’ with Him? Has He returned home with you?  Maybe you have all the ‘hard’ questions for Him.  He can answer them all. And, just as His parents found Him after three days, He rose from the grave for you after three days. Don’t hide Him under a tree, rather, wear Him about you like glimmering Christmas lights. Allow others to see Him through you. Though His parents lost Him, He was found. Like them, you may have to return to the starting point; Back to where you last left Him, or where you first saw Him. You’ll find Him there.

Merry Christmas!
Sam