Category: Uncategorized

Daylight Savings Time can save us an hour depending on where we’re at. It can make a giant impact on pending choices; good or bad.  Many people hate the hour-changing ritual.  But what if we could change more than an hour?

In the 70s, Tyrone Davis sang, (If I Could) Turn Back the Hands of Time. Imagine what that would mean to us if it were possible. You might still have a job. You might not have mailed out that letter. Maybe the phone call would not have gone through. She might still be here with you. Someone might still be alive. That email/text might still be there. Or, you might’ve sent that info on time.  You may have made the wisest decision ever. Your investment might have gone through making you rich now!  Or, glad you didn’t sign on time. So many things may be different if we could turn back the hands of time.

But we can’t!  We can reminisce.  We can dream. We can fantasize of all the what-ifs in the world. But they won’t help.  Facing reality is in order.  What’s gone is gone.  But, let’s look at another two what-ifs.  What if you decide not to guess or wonder what your life-after-death might be like, and instead make a choice now to trust the One who knows and can tell you exactly all the details with your life this very moment?

What if you wait too late for that choice and die before choosing life in Christ and end up (for all eternity) separated from God? There, you’ll spend an eternity kicking yourself because you didn’t choose wisely.  You’ll lament not being able to turn the clock back.  Daylight Savings Time won’t help you then. Turning back the hands of time won’t buy you any time.  Sure, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it…and it goes both ways: Choose Jesus NOW, and in Him, you’ll be able to say over and over, “I’m so glad I chose LIFE in Christ, so glad, so glad! And to think, I almost missed it!”  Choose now!  Eternity will have no clocks! “Time will be no more” (Revelation 10:6)!  No Rolex watches will be up there! Neither Sundials, time machines, or time-telling gadgets of any type!  One thing you can trust 1000% is, you’ll never want to go back to your old life-ever once you’re in Christ!

Moving Forward,

God Bless!
Sam

Millions of people (erroneously) think they have their whole lives before them.  Unfortunately, tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone.  We’re all standing on the edge of time; on the edge of life.  Life is fragile. While it’s important to seize the moment and live for now, it’s more important to be ready for falling off the edge of time. Almost daily, there are stories of people trekking up/down, across mountains, peaks, valley, vast tracts of land, and falling right off.  I always wonder how many were ready to step into eternity.  A person’s experience, or hiking gear will not help in these situations. No matter how comfortable or expensive one’s shoes or gloves, nothing tangible aids in the spiritual realm. Nothing in the seen world works in the unseen realm.

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be!  For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes” (James 4:14).

What to do?  We can fall off the edge before realizing it; we can be called into eternity at any time.  Or, Jesus can return for us right now!

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

If you stand on the edge looking down too long, you’re bound to fall in. Step back, look up, kneel, call God to save you and help you.  Be radical! Your buddies will think you’ve gone over the edge; confirm it! Explain it. Share it!

God Bless!

Sam

When our grandkids were small, 3 and 4, we’d play cartoons for them on videos. Each week we’d ask, “This one?” “Uh…no” they’d say.  “Let me see that one, and that one,” one of them would say.  In the end, they’d always pick the same one: “HELP, HELP, somebody help me;” as Huckle Berry Hound would say!

Decades before our grandkids came along, the Beatles sang Help! Remember some of the lines?

“When I was younger, so much younger than today I never needed help in any way. But now these days are gone and I’m not so self-assured, Now I find I’ve changed my mind, I’ve opened up the doors.”

Have you’ve been there? Remember when you needed no one, but now you’re not so self-assured?  The Yogi you’ve followed was a fake, the things you’ve invested in have gone awry?  You thought you had all the time in the world, and suddenly realize it’s almost gone?  Are you finding yourself saying,

“Help me if you can I’m feeling down, And I do appreciate you being ‘round, Help me get my feet back on the ground, Won’t you please, please, help me? Help me, help me Ooh.”

Hundreds of years before this song was penned, King David cried: “Hear my cry, Oh God; attend to my prayer.  From the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1,2).

And again, in Psalm 130:1, 2 either David or Ezra said: “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.  Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to my supplication.”

As time moves on, we tend to find we’re not as agile as in former days.  Maybe not as quick or brave as we once were. Like the song, we needed no one to get by, but maybe now we do.  Like God’s Word, we can cry out to Him.  Even from the depths of our despair, Jesus is present to help us.  From the midst of confusion, He will help you get your feet back on solid ground!  If you need direction for your life this very instance, He will definitely help you!  Check out this scripture:

 “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).

Now that you realize you need Him, have you changed your mind, and are you ready to open up the doors…to your heart, mind, and ways?

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1)

God Bless!
Sam

Ever imagined something one way but it works out a different way? A lot of us have been there.  I once watched a TV program where a young guy climbed a tree and attempted, like Tarzan, to jump to another tree.  Almost as soon as he made his leap, you heard, “Ow, ow, ouch, ouch, that hurt!”

Have you tried painting a few walls like the pros do, or the way people on TV paint?  They paint without getting any paint on themselves. In fact, they don’t even wear gloves, overalls, goggles, or caps.  Last week, I began painting our bathroom. I placed painters’ tape at the bottom of the wall covering the floor tile grout. I had my roller and brush ready. Had the gloves nearby, but who needs that just yet, right? I opted for my mom’s paint roller.  It looked great! After just a few strokes, the roller handle snapped and as it headed towards the floor, I reached for it. My entire hand turned white as did sections of the tiles. I placed the roller on the edge of the paint bucket and it fell right in the paint! I reached in as soon as I could! I guess we can say it was a good thing the tape was there-it spared a few tile-inches from getting fully painted!  Even when I stain wood, using gloves, I still get stain on my hands.

Still recall when, before we married, my wife, only a friend back then, invited my brother Nels, friend Papo, and me to paint her living room. Within a few minutes she was saying, “I didn’t know I called the Three Stooges!  Papo was up on a ladder painting towards the ceiling, and got paint on the side wall-the off-limit wall. I was opposite him also on a ladder painting right to left when, if someone’s head had been there, like the Three Stooges, I would have slapped some paint on his face!  My roller went right off the wall!  My brother had the roller on a broom stick to paint faster…He did! The floors, the wall, himself!  Homeowner, Vivian couldn’t believe her eyes! Of course, we were just testing her!  We made sure to give her more than she bargained for!  I mean, it was a free paint job; might as well throw in some extras, right?!  Overall, we must’ve done a great job…in the end, she did marry me!

 Isn’t life like that; you’re sure things will go like this, but they end up like that. Take King David, he wanted to build a house for God, but God said no. And Peter was ready to go to the grave for Jesus, but ran like a mouse for hidden cheese when the pressure got tough, and, even denied knowing Jesus.

We all have trials, and like the painters, God likes to throw in a few extras, free of charge.  Maybe you’ve planned out your life.  Maybe by 2028, you’ll be all set for the big world out there.  Your significant other is super, and you’re tying the knot.  Might end up with two: a knot in your throat, and a “NOT GONNA HAPPEN as you pictured.

It happens to everyone!  You may never get to walk on water like Peter (Matthew 14:29), or lead a nation like Joseph (Genesis 41:40), but God is in control!

Even when our lives look like a messy-painted floor, not to mention pants, shirts, face, and glasses, God is standing by to clean us up.  He’s the greatest painter! Doesn’t need painters’ tape or drop cloths to daily paint beautiful sunsets or spellbinding sunrises.  He paints a bright future for us better than any artist or professional painter!  And even when we’ve pictured life one way, after all the curve balls, God’s there to see us to His Home, His Way.  And in the end, the Church will be marrying Him!

“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God.  The skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1 Berean Standard Bible).

God Bless!
Sam

Recommended Song: Song of Love Rebecca St. James 2002

Lonely windswept road.  Where does it lead? Questions. Doubts. Steps to take.  Decisions to make. Shots to call. All alone. You walk the road for miles ahead. Waiting for an opportunity. Waiting for a change. Waiting for a chance.  No one shows up. Time alone. No one but your thoughts. No one but your heartbeat.  About face. Turn back home.

Been here before. Nothing’s changed.  You feel the wind in your hair, you feel the cold in your soul. No blanket to warm you.  You shiver; talk to yourself. Your thoughts answer but you’re not sure.

Road stretches for miles in dark, overcast skies.  Snow seems imminent. Your soul cries out for comfort; to be held, to be warmed.  To be listened to.  You’re waiting to be spoken to on a windswept, lonely road that you’ve walked on many times before.  God has been there watching you, hearing your thoughts and listening to your soul.  He’s been there comforting you. He knows your heartbeats. He’s held you up.

When no one showed, He was there whispering to your heart.  As skies have grown dark, He’s held you near, He’s held your hand.  It’s not your bones or soul that shiver in the cold.  It’s your heart in need of His warmth.

 On a dark lonely road, you tremble. Under threatening and frightening dark skies, God is there speaking to you. It’s time to meet Him. Do not fear.

“And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21).

About face. Turn back home. Take Him with you. Invite Him to your home and in to your heart; to warm your inner being.  Brew a cup of tea for two. Thaw your cold heart.  Warm your thoughts by the fireplace.  Enjoy the cheese and crackers.  God is your friend.  Feel safe in His presence.  Delight yourself in His company. Glimpse out the window at the road. It is long; stretches for miles. You’ve walked it many times before.  He knows it very well; knows the path you’re on. You have a lot to tell Him. Tell Him your pain, your many lonely miles.  Share with Him how far you’ve been, and the many times you’ve stumbled back. Tell Him you want change.  Tell Him you want a chance at being His child. He’s listening. Here’s there to stay. You’re no longer alone.

Welcome Home,

Sam

I remember listening to Elton John’s Philadelphia Freedom back in ’75-’76. Though not meant to, it was associated with the USA’s Bicentennial. Everyone, the world over, wants freedom. Men and Women have given their lives fighting for freedom. We have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom of expression, and others (whom to love, where to live), etc.

All the freedom we have is great! We’re allowed certain leeway in life, and are able to accomplish great and astounding things in composition, written works, architecture, etc. But as great as all the freedom in the world is, there’s something it just can’t offer. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day faced the same dilemma millions face today: They felt they were free men.  They thought their freedom afforded them a righteousness that linked them to God as His people. They thought they were “cool” with God and that He smiled upon them.  And so, they told Jesus, “We have never been slaves to anyone” (John 8:33).

But Jesus desired for them to know a truth unheard of; an intangible freedom. One from within, one that was unseen, yet powerful enough to break chains, yokes of oppression, and offer complete deliverance in their lives. What was He saying?

He told them, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” John 8:32).  In a nutshell, Jesus wanted the leaders to know He was the Truth He spoke of.  He offered the freedom that can only come from God and Messiah.  His truth delivers us from inner turmoil everyone experiences.  He came to set humanity free from the bondage of sin.  Sin eats away at everything: age, beauty, life, loved ones; even the earth, nature, creation, etc. Sin destroys everything in its path. It tears apart families, relationships, honesty and more. Ultimately, sin brought forth death.  Even if you live a pleasant life with no regrets, no difficulties and nothing to complain about, sin will kill you like it kills everyone else.  Jesus’ death on the cross, defeated sin and conquered the grave: He conquered death.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Want real freedom? Want God to break chains in your life? Need deliverance from things holding you back?  Do you want to feel real fireworks in your life? Turn it over to Jesus today. It’ll be the best 4^th of July ever!  As the song, Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin goes,

“My chains are gone/I’ve been set free/My God my Savior has ransomed me/And like a flood His mercy reigns/Unending love, amazing grace.                                                                                 

God Bless! Be Free!

Sam

The year was 1969, and this song spoke to two groups of people. In one group, soldiers, mainly young men, were shipping out to the Vietnam war.  Heartbroken and teary-eyed girlfriends, fiancés, and wives were unsure if their loved ones would return.  The song was burning a hole in the airwaves and in the hearts of listeners.  It challenged the day and added to the uncertainty of tomorrow.

Local visits to our Woolworth, was a delight because as my mom shopped, I would listen to the endless sounds of Motown playing through the store’s loudspeakers.  There was an atmosphere of hope and love.  Being twelve years old, the world of songs depicting pain, hope, and a promising future, was new and exciting for me.  The melodies were enchanting.

But countless people’s lives were impacted by a window in time that made their ordeals all the more real.  Leaving home and not knowing if they’d return was like a punch in the gut for many. To this day, there are many who can attest to never welcoming their loved-ones, home.  Many injured, maimed, and suffering men returned with scarred lives. Such heartache, such tragedy.

A second group consisted of those in love. There were couples at crossroads, and some who broke off their engagements and have always wondered what life would be like if they hadn’t. The song glues them to that time and place in their past.  Two lines say: “A long time ago, my, my sweet thing, I made a big mistake, honey (I said) see I said goodbye.” Many regrets. Many unknowns. That was then, but what about today? Are you living in the past or the present?

Getting to the nitty-gritty, have you walked away from God?  Do you recognize your mistake in saying goodbye to Him, or (ever since that day) All I want to do, oh, is cry, cry”?  Hey, God knows the stories behind your tears.  He’s waiting for your return.  No questions asked.

The song’s purpose is to give us hope of someday reuniting with  loved-ones.  Everyone wants to hold that little one on their lap, or hug that teenager ever-so-tightly.  Many would love the chance to hold their dads or moms at least one last time.  It might appear impossible to some, but there’s hope.

Likewise, from eternity to eternity, God’s plan has been to reunite with His beloved creation: you and me.  Before He founded the world, even from everlasting, God’s plan of salvation was already in place, and His promises still hold true.

Just as the song says, “I long for you” King David in his many Psalms talks about a longing for God.  Psalm 42:2 reads: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.”  

You might be hurting over memories of the past.  Maybe your loved one didn’t make it home, or maybe (s)he got away. But we have a hope in Christ that we’ll see them again; if they, and we, are saved.

 The “war” (of good over evil) soon will be over, and God, our Beloved, will be coming home, not confused, unstable, or unrecognizable, but triumphant!  Will he have injuries? YES! He’ll have the piercings as proof He’s the real deal, but alive forevermore!

In Christ, there will be plenty of tears of joy and happiness when we stand in His presence surrounded not only by myriads of angels, but by those who have gone before us. And once that delight hits home, the celebrations begin!  That “Someday,” will have arrived!!  But the tears of sadness will be gone!

Revelation 21:3, 4 NIV tells us: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”

God Bless!

Sam

By Diana Ross and the Supremes

Beginning somewhere around 1982, as our family began growing, we needed to do something to survive. I was the breadwinner while Viv was a stay-at-home mom.  We had two little ones and another would soon follow. I remember my low-paying job and how little we got paid.

I recall the joy on coworkers’ faces when we got our “raise.” I asked Terry and Hector, “Two dollars?” “Yep!” they replied.  “Is that 2 bucks per paycheck?” I asked. “Ha-ha, ha-ha” they laughed. “That’s $2 per year!” they said.  I couldn’t believe it!  “For this they were so excited?” I asked myself.

It was true, they were practically doing a jig; arm around each other and dancing in a circle! Life was good!  They danced some more-Hee-Haw style.  Me? I couldn’t believe we were actually working for peanuts; I mean pennies-a-day.

At home, we discovered a meat warehouse where I’d buy 40 lb. boxes of chicken legs for $.29/lb. or $11.60 per box.  Sometimes I’d get wings at $.9lb. or $3.60 per 40 lb. box!  We also discovered Murray’s on Broadway Ave. (Brooklyn) who sold meatloaf for $4 carton and 100 small patties, good for our tiny tots. A sure winner for us was Big R Supermarket where we’d buy 60 boxes of entrees of varying types to go along with our mashed potatoes, fries, rice, etc.

Hey, being on a tight budget called for extreme measures! One day at my job, I told them we had actually gone out to eat over the weekend!  When they asked where we went, and I said “Church’s Chicken,” they laughed!  Not understanding what was so funny, I was told, “For a guy who eats chicken all the time, you’d think he’d go to eat something different!” It was fine by me!  Would you believe I was earning some $5800 yearly?! I soon left that job during a difficult time for us: my parents were moving to Puerto Rico at the end of October, 1984.  We were left with no job and three kids aged 4, 2, and almost 1.

When March, 1985 rolled around, it was great when, after volunteering at a school, I finally got hired as a paraprofessional earning some $11,200 yearly!  We were rich! We were finally able to throw some $.59 lb. steaks on the table!  We were h-o-w-l-i-n-g and dancing our own jig!  No doubt, God was good!

In February, ’88 I officially began teaching. With a promised yearly salary of just over $21k, we were able to purchase our cabin in the woods!  Through lots of tears, chicken legs, disappointments, chicken wings, bad news, steaks, and good news, we were no longer flying low.  We were scaling new heights!  When I finished my BS degree in ’87, my wife began hers right after. At that point, it was my turn to care for the kids after work for the next three years. Armed with degrees, the skies were the limit.

How’s it going with you? Flying high? Flying low?  Running around like a chicken without its head? Drifting under tough circumstances?  God knows your every doubt as well as your joys.  He knows your every fear and disappointment. He knows mine!  He knows exactly where we stand right now.  “Shed those wings” and invite Him into your heart! He’ll strengthen your “legs” too!  Cast your cares upon Jesus and you’ll soon be flying high-in His will!

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29,30).

Recommended Song: Cast Down Your Cares John Michael Talbot

God Bless!
Sam

A great song of the 60s, took a while to get noticed because Jr. Walker kept getting brushed off by a producer.  After a year, the producer agreed to finally listen to the song.  He loved it!  As one line goes, “What does it take to win your love for me?”  God is saying those very words to you today!  His voice is in all the earth. It covers every square inch announcing His creation and glory and love for you.  But some people don’t listen in on it.  Most miss it.

The story is told about a young Native American guy, who with his American friend visited a large city for the first time.  As they walked amidst the blaring sounds of talkers, music playing, blaring horns, and other sounds, he stopped his American friend when he “heard” something.  “Did you hear that?” he asked. “Hear what?” the American asked. “There’s a bird trapped around here” said the Native American. Though the American thought his friend was losing it, they backtracked and looked into a grate on a sidewalk.  There, below the surface was a tiny bird chirping.  The American asked, “How in the world did you hear it amongst so much noise and sounds?”  The Native replied, “It depends on what you’re listening for (to).”

Are you listening for God’s voice echoing His love for you throughout the earth?  Do you hear it?  Don’t you see it everywhere?  Yet, it’s there!                                                                    “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a).

The skinny on it: Without saying an audible word, the heavens and all creation speak volumes to our hearts.  They testify that with wisdom and knowledge, an Intelligent Creator, God, made it all.

As the lyrics continue: “I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried in every way I could to make you see how much I love you, Woo, I thought you understood.”

After giving man His written word, sending prophets, and working miracles, God personally came down to tell you He loves you.  And, lest you misunderstood His message, God performed the ultimate act of love: He sacrificed His life on the cross for yours so that you may live eternally with Him.  Now that’s love! Yet, so many fail to see His love for them.

To answer the question: what does it take to win your love for me?  It begins with faith and believe (on our part) in Him, followed by an admittance that we’re sinners in need of a Savior, and then to say, “YES!” to Him, thereby surrendering our lives to Jesus!   If you wonder why He did it, were He to sing this song to you, He’d say, “Ooh, baby, ‘cause I love you so.”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God Bless!

Sam

Recommended Song: Listening by Christafari

This is another one of those great songs I’ve used before in my writings.  For all those Walter Mitty-s out there, our imaginations are always running!  This song and others like it, paints a picture of gentle, simpler times in our lives.  Who hasn’t dreamt of being swept away in love or whisked off their feet by the person of their dreams?  In our minds, we can write an entire love story with glorious beginnings, happy endings, and omit all heartaches and obstacles.

Recently listening to this song, I read some attached comments. As with other wonderful songs of the 60s and 70s, many people cry over them due to the strong impacts the songs have (had) on them.  The lyrics are only a fraction of the full experience.  The music also plays such an important part in the impact upon our lives.  Emotions are affected by it, as well as the location where we remember them.  The time of day, the season, the reason, the person we sang it to or had it played for us, all contribute to a full experience. You can hear it now and even smell the aromas present when it first meant so much to you.

“But it was just my imagination running away with me…” the song goes. While it’s great to live in the moment of our thoughts, past experiences, and dreams, we need to awaken from Fantasy (Earth, Wind, and Fire-1974) and face the world.

One day soon, Jesus will return for His beloved bride, that’s a fact!  It won’t be just your imagination kicking in high gear when you see the King of all creation standing before you!  You’ll probably rub your eyes in disbelief as you’ll see trillions upon trillions of angelic beings flying or standing before His throne praising His majesty forever!  You’ll join billions of believers worshipping God for His glorious plan of salvation and riddance of evil.

You’ll stand upon streets of gold clear as crystal in a new and perfect world free of death, pain, and trials, and you’ll fall in adoration at the feet of Him who lives forevermore!

If you don’t personally know Christ yet, then it’s He who sings, “But in reality, she doesn’t even know me…”  Jesus longs to hold you near.  He wants you to know Him!  Don’t let Him sing that to you any longer!  Change your imagination to reality!

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).   “Look, I am coming soon bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds” (Revelation 22:12).

The song of your heart is His Number One Hit!

God Bless!
Sam