Let Go of the Past!

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."Isaiah 43:18-19 Time sure passes quickly nowadays--it is New Year's Eve again. As we close the door on 2014 & look back on the year that is now past, let's be grateful for the good & relish in our accomplishments. Let us also accept the negative & learn from it as we move forward into a New Year, a new chapter in life. New Year's is a time for reflection, but it is also a time of anticipation. 2014 is done, with whatever it brought with it. For some--like myself, it was a year of change and a year of challenge. For others, it was a year of loss & mourning. For others, it was a good and prosperous year. And for others still, it brought a mixed bag of both good & bad. I saw the end of an era in my own life when I was released/retired on disability from AT&T because of back issues. My season working in telecommunications was good to me. It afforded me much, allowed me to raise & provide for my children & provided me with a means to take care of my wife during her illness and bury her upon her death. After many years, my heart was no longer there & I found my work meaningless & mundane. As that door closed, GOD saw fit to open a door for me to work in the ministry of Teen Challenge, where I had been working part-time for the past couple of years & found very rewarding. My income changed dramatically, but GOD is making provision for me daily and I have no reason to doubt He will continue to do so. My Social Security Disability was denied but is still possible. My attorney is diligently working to secure it for me and I know that it is part of GOD's plan for my life, it will happen & if not--well, I don't want it. I only want what it is GOD desires for me. I've learned that if I try to run ahead & help Him--I tend to make a royal mess of things. It is best to wait on Him. My life isn't what I thought it would be but regardless of that, I am blessed. I'm looking forward to what GOD has in store for me in 2015. I'm open to His Will & want nothing else. Many think I should be in a serious relationship--I' not opposed to it, but not seeking it. Many think I should move elsewhere--I will if GOD so leads. Many think they know what it best for my life--I trust GOD alone. Many think some of the things I do are completely nuts--they might be, but Jesus was seen as a radical & if I am imitating Him--maybe I need to be radical as well. Let us all bid farewell to 2014 and move into 2015 with a positive attitude & great expectations. "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:15-20 Let us look forward rather than backward. We will only stumble in in our attempts to move forward if we are looking behind us instead of before us. My prayer is that 2015 is a year of blessings for us all and that we will conduct ourselves in such a way as to point others towards the cross of Christ. Blessings! Tony

My CHRISTmas Wish...

"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:1b-6 NIV I'm opinionated. I know it. Most of my friends & family know it well also. Here goes... CHRISTmas has become so overly commercialized that for all practical purposes, it has completely changed what people see as CHRISTmas. While there is nothing wrong with gathering with loved ones & exchanging gifts, it is my opinion that we've bought Satan's lie. We see the holidays as a time to celebrate, a time to party, a time for gluttony & drunkenness--a time for Santa and his elves and sleighs & reindeer--a time for anything & everything except what it originally celebrated--the birth of Christ. As Christians, we are expected to be tolerant of everything, everybody, & every behavior. However, no one is asked to be tolerant of us, of our beliefs, of our morals and especially of our Bible-based opinions about wrong & right. Granted, it is not our place to police the world. It is not our place to judge the world. However, it is our place to tell the world of a loving GOD Who sent His One & Only Son into this cruel world to serve as a sacrifice, an atonement for the sins of mankind. At CHRISTmas, we celebrate the beginning of that earthly, solitary, sinless life that was GOD Incarnate, Jesus Christ. How about we all put our judgements, our prejudices, our cultures aside and learn to love one another, to accept one another--regardless of race, regardless of nationality, regardless of religious background, regardless of denomination. Unity is what it's about. Our country is made of of the melding together of the multitudes of the world. We have much to be proud of. At the same time, we have much to be ashamed of. We are still a nation divided. After many years of racial unrest, for the most part we still segregate ourselves along ethnic lines. Even in our Houses of Worship, we separate ourselves as predominately caucasian churches, predominately black churches, predominately hispanic churches, predominately asian churches--I think you get the idea. On top of that, we separate ourselves by denomination--there are Baptist churches, Methodist Churches, Pentecostal churches, Catholic churches, etc., etc., etc. I fully believe each church exists to reach a certain segment of society that only that body can minister to. There is nothing wrong there. What is wrong is that churches act as if they are in competition with one another. They point their boney finger of righteous indignation towards one another & speak ill of pastors, churches, denominations or complete races of people. Somehow, I can't see this as the spotless church, the bride that awaits the Return of Christ. Let's learn to love and accept one another, faults and all, and come together in a spirit of unity for the cause of Christ. We are not fighting one another. Together, we should be standing against the god of this world and sharing the message of hope and love with a world bound for Hell. This is the cause for which Jesus was born, for which He died. It'd be nice to honor the season of His birth by living in a spirit of love--the love that compelled GOD to give the greatest gift of all. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 GOD has a plan, a purpose for every life He creates. We squander His precious gifts and spend our time on earth quarreling and fighting amongst ourselves when we are called to be a people of peace--especially during this season of peace. While it'd be nice to make it a year-round thing, the CHRISTmas season is a good place to start. Let us truly love one another without regard to our differences. This is my CHRISTmas Wish. Something to think about.. Blessings! Tony