Finding Laughter In Difficult Times

I don’t know about you, but had I written Psalm 40, it would say, “I waited impatiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”
I inherited my impatience from my parents. My dad would sometimes call one of my four older brothers (though there were 5) and invite them over for various reasons, and then he’d head to the window to watch for their arrival-as soon as he hung up. They usually arrived 2-3 hours later.
But my dad wasn’t the only desperate person around. My wife-to-be’s grandad was the same way. In fact, for our wedding, although I arrived early, she was already there! He lived under, “Time’s a wasting” and “We’re burning sunlight.” So, living about a full 7 minutes from the church, he giddy-upped in his car and drove her there in 2 mins time!
As I’ve written before, the wedding procession was so fast, that she had taken refuge in an office on the altar behind thick curtains, where no one could see her. After the bridesmaids walked the aisle, as people stared back to see her walking down the aisle, she instead just stepped down and took her place beside me. One could hear people saying, “When did she go by, I didn’t even see her!” Made for a fast wedding!
She and I laughed when on a Sunday, before heading to church, as we waited for our son to get up, his youngest son (4 at the time) told us, “Let’s go already!” We said we needed to wait for his dad. His response was, “Just leave him!”
This morning, as on other occasions, my mom called me at 7:29 so I could again contact the church bus driver to go pick her up because it was already ALMOST 7:30 and he wasn’t yet there!
Scripture tells us about the patience of Job (rhymes with lobe). He lost all ten of his children at once, and his cattle, got sores over his body, and a host of things he endured, yet, “In all this, Job did not sin by blaming God” (Job 1:22 NIV).
So, if you’re like me, you need to lean on Jesus’ goodness for help with your patience. But, whatever you do, don’t ask for patience! That would include a ton of trials to test you! Better to stick with King David’s words: “I waited patiently on the LORD…Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD, let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me” (Psalm 40:1a,11).
God Bless,
Sam

One day, an actress’ face is plastered everywhere showing off her beauty. One day, an actor is chosen as Man of the Year. A few years later, they might both be unrecognizable. Time, combined with the effects of sin, cause us to change dramatically.
One day, a child is so cute babbling away, and soon, they’re in school. Life is but a whisp. Everything that’s important now, will soon fade. Like an old foggy mirror reflecting ghostly images, that’s how we’re changing. Sharpness is gone. Clarity is on the way out.
We can panic at what we see, or, we can place our hope in Him. Soon, He will change us! Soon, we’ll be brand new! All our parts will function! No canes, no walkers, no hearing aids, no glasses, no pain, no aging-ever again! God is about to also change our skies; they will fold up like a garment, & roll away.
He said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). “Behold, the old is gone; (2Corinthians 5:17) behold, the new has come.”
One day will become every day!
God Bless!
Sam

Ever gotten lost going from one place to another? I have! I’ve gotten lost just about everywhere. I’ve gotten lost just sitting in front of my TV set. Here’s how that one works. Several times in my life, not being a TV person, I’ve walked by the living room on my way elsewhere and caught a glimpse of some movie my wife was watching. Maybe it was a romance. Somewhere along the way, I’ve finally sat down to watch the “So predictable” movies she watches. Like, girl moves back home after 16 years to run the family business. Of all people there, she’s to meet up with the plumber, mayor, vet, etc. and he turns out to be her former fiancé. The one who dumped her at the altar.
So, I sit and time goes by and the characters are nowhere to be found. The romance movie is now a mystery one. After a while, I realize not only has the plot and characters changed, but the channel too!
God doesn’t want us lost-not even in our living rooms! He says: “The LORD is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patience towards you, not wishing for any to perish (get lost), but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
And, should you get, or be lost, that is, if you haven’t found the road to Jesus yet, God left you a roadmap; His WORD! Read it!
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
God Bless!
Sam

Not only has the world gone nuts, but the number of atheists, anti-God, and Satanic worshippers, has increased dramatically. As is usually expected, these followers falsely believe there is unity or integrity within their groups, which primarily is to stand against God. Their underlying motives are to have nothing to do with Almighty God. They may not know it, but that’s what they stand for. Perhaps if they had a map outlining their ultimate goal, they’d understand it better. Recent TV reruns are featuring a show we had never heard of before. It’s Relic Hunters, and we’re enjoying it. It sure would be fascinating if we had a map for every hidden/lost relic/treasure we’re seeking. Unfortunately, it only happens on TV. Furthermore, who can find lost or hidden treasures in under a week?
Anyone checking the news, is aware that end-time signs are everywhere. If you’re in search of answers, a map is a must. Like every con-man out there, Satan isn’t going to share with his followers his ultimate goal for them or the end-results of joining forces with him while turning your back on God.
Here’s the good news, God has already provided a map for us! You can see where you’re at. If you’re a Satanist, an atheist, etc. you can see exactly what’s coming. Since Satan is the one behind every racial conflict, every lie, every murder, every deception, and every strife, he’s the one recruiting faithful adherents to march with him along with demons and principalities to destroy God’s forces. But, let’s look at God’s map. In fact, let “X” mark the spot of where Satan’s followers will gather with him to fight off God once and for all. Before the great war, as a warm-up exercise, Satan will attack God, but God will be waiting for him.
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of king, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, od of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bound, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gather together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (19:17-20).
After Satan is bound for a thousand years, you’d think he’s learned his lesson, but like a demoralized man serving prison time for his actions and commits more of the same as soon as he’s out, let’s see what he does:
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog to gather them to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:
(Here’s where “X” marks the spot!)
and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall ne tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:7-10).
*Notice that the false prophet and beast are still alive 1000 yrs after being tortured in the lake of fire.
The great deceiver, thieve, and liar, is leading followers in a revolt against God which will culminate in their destruction and torture from God for all eternity with no chance of redemption.
But wait! Turn the tables on Satan right now, this very moment, and ask Jesus to forgive you and you’ll know right now where you’ll be heading!
“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:3,4).
God Bless!
Sam

As crime increases, we’ve seen individuals up their ante to stealing. “Why wait?”, they figure. “Thieves deserve everyone else’s belongings. Why should they have to wait for the night like they used to? Why wait for stores to be empty when broad daylight is all the same?” they reason. And so, grab and go is the perfect solution. Comparable to snatch and go, they go in, smash display cases, windows, and anything standing in the way of their prized possessions. Little do they know God will SOON be doing the same thing-except, they’ll be left out to continue on their road to destruction.
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord does come. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:40,41,42,44).
God will “grab and go” His beloved from this world. He’ll snatch us away, and the world will sink into utter darkness as has never been known.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
Are you seeking to protect/preserve your life? Are you seeking to remain sane? Looking for answers? Are you searching for a way out? Jesus said,
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).
Meaning, if you want to hold on to your ways in life and your pleasures, in the end, you’ll lose it all. But, if you’re willing to give up everything for His life, you’ll find/gain eternal life with Him and He’ll give you more than what you ever imagined-according to His will, but you’ll have to live for Him. To me, it sounds like a great plan.
I’m ready to be snatched away into heaven. Are you?
God Bless,
Sam

I’m pretty sure I mentioned this a few years ago, but it’s worth mentioning again. The events took place on a train from Manhattan to Brooklyn in the winter of 1984. I normally rode my bike to work each day. Now and then, due to excessive snow, I would have to take the train. That was the case on this day. Picture two guys in their late twenties yapping away.
So, Gil, it’s a miracle that you’re wearing gloves today” “You’ve never worn gloves in all your life” I said. “Yeah,” says Gil. “You wanna know why? It’s plain and simple: I couldn’t afford them, that’s why!” “But Gil, those are, like, $2 gloves,” I said. “Yep, actually, not even!” “They were $1.50.” “So, for all these years, you couldn’t afford a cheap pair of gloves?!” I asked. “Yeah, it has taken me years of saving up and scraping just to afford these!” “I can’t afford, like $6 gloves” he said. “See these muffs, I worked 6 months for these!” “Arent’ those like, .75?” I asked. “They are!” He affirmed. “They’re cheap, but they keep my ears toasty warm.” “You know what I need? I need a coat,” Gil continued. “But with the new raise, forget it!” “What’s the raise, like, two dollars per week?” “More like $2 per year” I said “If it took me years to get these cheap gloves, imagine how long for a coat!”
During the conversation, we had an audience; a young girl, probably in her late teens who was laughing hysterically! “You know what I’ll do, asked Gil, I’ll probably get me a scarf, yeah, that’s better. At least, I should be able to afford that for now!”

Living on a $2 monthly raise was somewhat of a joke. Yet, the guys at work were thrilled! I thought it was weekly, but not so!
Gill has always been a good laugh! That poor girl was rolling in her seat! But it was true that we could barely afford anything on our salary, considering we worked for a top-of-the-line upholstery company raking in millions yearly.
One day, God will give us a raise! Not your typical one; but an everlasting one! For starters, everything that’s owed us, He’ll restore because He’s Righteous and Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14). But more than that, He’s promised to raise us to new heights!
“And this is my Father’s will and purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Believe in Jesus as your Savior today!
God Bless!
Sam

In the mid-80s, I was either running after my three little ones (all under age 5), or running from them. Oftentimes, we played hide-and-go-seek. In our newly-built housing apartment, we had plenty of space to run and hide. Decades later, I still seek after my kids for relationship, but they’re generally busy.
Our first parents, Adam & Eve shared similar experiences. They may not have run after kids, but they did chase after God. Chase, in the sense that they pursued Him; they spent time with Him. When they weren’t running after Him, he was running after them.
A common practice was for God to walk through the Garden of Eden where he had placed them, and chat with them awhile. On a particular day, says scripture, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou” (Gen 3:8,9)?
In a hide-and-go-seek fashion, Adam “…said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10). In a nutshell, though found, man continues to hide from God.
God continues searching through His “gardens” for His kids. He too misses those wonderful times together. As kids, most of us had a sense of God within us. In our innocence, we sought Him and talked to Him. Once older, or once problems came along, we ditched Him; we left Him calling out our names in the garden as we hid(e).
One of the thrills of playing with my kids was their shrills of glee when found and when finding me. Same thing with God. He gets excited when we make time to seek Him, as well as when He finds us. Run after Him! Allow yourself to get caught by Him!
God Bless,
Sam

Hear ye, Hear ye! In this corner we have a host of phony gods. And in this corner, we have The One True God! GONG……
“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nation are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O you kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the heathen that the LORD reigns: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD; for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth” (Psalm 96).
“Ladies and Gentleman, we have one winner!!! The ONE and only, Yahweh, Jehovah God, the One True God of the Universe!!”
God Bless!
Sam

Picture this: You’re a college student who after several weeks begins to tell others that it seems the professor isn’t really serious about grading your assignments. Another student asks you if you’re done with your resources and footnotes. Suddenly you realize it’s a good thing that you still have time, and you get to work on your missing info. After all, you want a good grade. In the end, the delay was a good thing.
This week I read a post from a man who really doesn’t know scripture and claimed that the apostle Paul died disappointed because Jesus didn’t return in his lifetime. He also shared that if Christ hasn’t returned in 2 centuries, He’ll likely not return at all. I compare that to something I once wrote before. When our little ones had to clean their rooms, we’d give them 15-30 mins to do so. On several occasions, I’d hear, “We’re ready” (from our daughter Milcah). Without going in, I’d ask, “Is everything under the bed out?” “Nothing behind the curtains?” “Give me 5 more mins” she’d say. Then, “Ready!”
People don’t realize that Jesus hasn’t returned allowing them time to get their “rooms ready.” It is out of His great love for us that He hasn’t come yet. When we hear that a volcano erupted suddenly, killing hundreds, we’re moved for them. When an earthquake rattles a city and people are buried underneath rubble, we sympathize with them and share in their pain and sorrow.
Now imagine when a mighty thunderclap is heard and the wrath of God is poured out undiluted, what do you think people will feel? People will sense (know) that God is in on it. At that moment, people will not stop to analyze if it’s only a warning or a joke. Nope, His coming is as sure as day turns to night.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Peter 3:9).
God’s saying, “Have you checked your closet floors?” “Have you looked under the bed?” “Have you cleaned your room?” “Have you made room in your heart for me?” Hopefully, you’ll answer, “Ready!”
God Bless!
Sam

Two days ago, Brooklyn, New York was inundated with tons of rain. JFK Airport received some 8-10” in one day breaking a 1948 record. Streets looked like rivers and subways as waterfalls as water poured over the staircases. Cars became stuck and some may have drifted away with the currents. Water can cause lots of damages.
Imagine Genesis’ universal flood where water fell nonstop over a month. There are numerous books (based on scriptures) that cover the subject in detail. According to some Christian scientists, here’s what happened in a nutshell.
Man lived in a dry environment where it had never rained. Gardens were tended from mists of water coming up through the ground (Gen. 2:5,6). God calls Noah and his family to build an ark (not to be confused with the Ark of the Covenant). Noah and his crew build an enormous ark during a period of between 105-120 years (Gen. 5:32; 7:11). Sadly, not one of over 2 billion people alive then, believed rain would fall, and therefore, chose to perish.
Besides rain falling for 40 days and 40 nights, the fountains of the deep (Gen.7:11) were broken and the windows of heaven broken providing additional water. Plus, it is believed that a vapor canopy surrounded the earth like a huge donut. Bursting, it poured tons of water. Additionally, volcanoes may have erupted creating what’s known as new water. Since God’s purpose was to destroy the earth, these events are plausible. But what really caused severe destruction, according to the experts, is what’s not clearly stated in English in our Bibles. The eruptions of volcanoes, the upheaval push of the fountains of the deep, the downpours from the canopy, combined with waterfalls of 40 days and 40 nights, caused the earth to rock back and forth within like a carried aquarium with 6” of water transported from one end of a room to another (voiding all warranties), and creating left to right waves uprooting your plants and other decorations, as well as breaking the glass. Once in motion, the waves cannot be stopped unless the aquarium is set down to settle. And so, during the flood, the continual motions added to the overall destruction of life and the land. The water prevailed and increased. They prevailed exceedingly (Gen.7:17-20, 24) meaning motion in the waves occurred.
Mankind carried on with their lives (rejecting Noah’s words, and possibly mocking him) right up to the time he entered the ark (Luke 17:26, 27) and God shut the door (Genesis 7:16). Rest assured, life changed afterwards, and everyone perished.
God has promised to never again destroy us with a flood; His rainbows in the sky confirms that (Gen.9:11-17). Destruction will next be with fire (2Peter 3:7). As in Noah’s day, life continues as though God will never return. The ark had one entrance door and God shut it when destruction came. Likewise, thousands of years later, Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9a).
As the “floods” of adversity creep up, will you laugh and post your mockeries for the world to see?
The Door, will soon shut, plunging humanity into chaos. If grab and go thugs are rampant now, just wait until millions of people get raptured, their properties go up for grabs, the government declares our disappearance an alien event; and ISIS takes over… Actually, DON’T WAIT! Enter NOW through Jesus, the Door! He’s our ark. Allow His life to flood yours.
God Bless,
Sam