Gas, Minivans and New Years.

We missed our minivan. It was almost like a death in the family we missed it so much. A bit more then 3 years ago when the prices of gas was up over $4 a gallon, my wife and I made one of the worst decisions of our life; We traded our van for a small car. Economically it made sense, it would be cheaper on gas and it would technically cost us about $10 less a month in payments and we, being the environmentally conscious people that we are ,OK all my Liberal friends can stop laughing now , we thought that this would be a good move. We were so wrong.

Two things happened, at least one of which we should have seen coming. The first was that the price of gas started dropping again, OK that's not so bad, still cheaper to run, but the second was this little thing called puberty. My two smallish children suddenly hit puberty with a vengeance and they became large adult sized children crammed into the back seat of a car that was not meant for large humanoids. A large can opener should have been a standard feature...

So what does this have to do with anything?

Well it's the price of gas and my New Years resolution that I want to talk about.
I realise that I don't determine the price of gas, in fact there is almost nothing in the financial world that I have any part of. I get paid and I spend what money I have and ,like most of you, I go about paying my bills and living life.
But it is the price of gas that got me to sacrifice something that I really enjoyed. The problem wasn't with the price of gas, though the cheaper the better is a good motto to me, no, it was listening to all the naysayers and believing almost everything that I was being fed that got to me.

As some of you probably know, I have time on my hands,and I am a news junkie so I have had the time to research and look at various problems going on in this country and the world. I fell into one of the biggest traps of them all and that was simply this; The world as we know it is going to end with chaos and anarchy. We are all going to become slaves of the man, and basically the world as we know it is going to come to an end and only those that are prepared for the chaos that is to come will survive.

I am not saying that their are not some serious problems in our nation and the world. What I am saying is that it became almost my sole focus, leaving little to no room for anything else but cynicism. This way of thinking has all but ruled to the point of where I gave up a vehicle that I liked and moved back ,and into, a place that I am not so fond of just to avoid some of the issues that I can see coming.

I still believe that if things don't change soon that we will have some very serious problems both in this nation and in the world as a whole, but my New Years resolution for 2011 is live my life to the fullest and let G-D worry over the finer details. Let me give you a text to consider Gen. 8: 20-22.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night 

will never cease.”

G-D is in control. He made a promise and He will keep it.
He didn't ask me to spend my time fretting over every stupid thing that government does, though it is good to be aware of whats going on, but if it becomes the sole focus of my life then I will miss out on the "joy of the journey".
I am not a complete idiot, I do understand that we are living in some very unique and even scary times. I also know very well as to what the various prophets have had to say about the end, but I take comfort in the knowledge that G-D is in control, He will deliver His people, even many who don't know that they are His and through very perilous times, but for now we are called to live the life of Ecclesiastes. What is that you might ask?
Two verses sum it up well, Eccl. 9:7-10

Go, eat your bread with joy,
      And drink your wine with a merry heart;
      For God has already accepted your works.
      Let your garments always be white,
      And let your head lack no oil. 

 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

The first is to enjoy this life and to love your spouse and be glad in doing so. The second is love G-D with all your heart and serve Him.

Eccl. 12:13-14

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
 Fear God and keep His commandments,
 For this is man’s all.
 For God will bring every work into judgment,
 Including every secret thing,
 Whether good or evil.

So for me the conclusion is simply that G-D is in control and that all will continue as He says it will until He decrees otherwise and that I am to serve Him with all my heart and to rejoice in this life that He has given us rather then spend all of it in fear.

So while I still live in a place that I'd rather not live, G-D is on His throne and all is well.

My kids are the size of small horses now and this is as it should be and all is well.

We have health and life, a roof over our heads and food for the table and all is very well.

We are still as poor as church mice and that is still OK because G-D is on His throne and all is well.

We have Love and that is definitely as it should be and that is well!!

Oh yea ,we are back to a minivan, but even if we were not, G-D is on His throne and all is well.

My resolution for this next year ,and for the future, is simply to live the life that G-D has given me and spend more time rejoicing then in worry. Be prepared, yes, But do so while rejoicing.

From my family to yours I wish you a very happy and G-D filled 2011 !

Shalom,

Ignacio

Let There Be Peace

This is the time of year, almost above any other time of the year, most people give the idea of peace some serious thought. Our holidays even allude to that ideas of  " peace on earth " and that seems to be across the board. Does anyone who is sane wish for anything else? Yes I know governments and perhaps big business finds war to be a profitable thing, but for the average man and woman who is engaged in that war the vast majority of them will tell you that they would wish peace would break out everywhere.

I want to relate a peace story to you,one that actually happened, no fantasy no warm fuzzies, but a true peace story that happened during one of the darkest times in this modern worlds history.

Some of you may be familiar with the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 during the beginning of WW1, for those of you who are not I will give a brief telling of the story.

Somewhere near Ypres, Belgium on or about Christmas eve 1914, approximentaly 100,000 troops along the western front, these were mainly Scottish, German ,French and Belgian troops, agreed to a cease fire for Christmas. A truce or ceasefire was not that unusual because they were so close to each other, sometimes as close as 30 yards, that they could send messages back and forth. What made this so amazing, at least in my humble opinion, was the massive scale of it. One hundred thousand troops spread over many miles who had been engaged in the madness of killing each other came to a very abrupt halt. In many places even the artillery stopped firing. As one soldier described it " it was an eerie kind of silence". It is said that the German troops put candle lit Christmas trees up on the top of their trenches and started singing Christmas songs and eventually they were joined by the Scotts and the French as well. One telling of the story has a French Opera singer standing at the top of his bunker, in full view of "the enemy" singing "O Holy Night" to the pleasure and applause of all who heard him.
In other places along the lines the troops actually came out of the trenches and exchanged gifts, buried there dead side by side and had memorial services for all the fallen. There is even an unofficial story of the French and Germans playing a game of football ( soccer ) where the Germans won 3-2.
All along the lines men who had been trying to kill each other before, came to understand that the "enemy" was no different then they were, they just wore a different uniform. It is also said by some that this ceasefire lasted a lot longer in some spots then in others, with men and officers on both sides very reluctant to start the killing again.
The stories are varied as to what happened and  the effects, but there was no doubt, at least for a little while that "peace" broke out in that horrible place. The powers that be from all sides had the proverbial cow and ,sadly,they went back to the madness of killing each other.
Some of you may be thinking that this was easy for them to do because they shared, at least, the same religion. I would disagree for 2 reasons. One; They were constantly being told that their enemies were evil and corrupt and that it was their "Christian duty" to stop the spread of this evil. This was told by priests on either side. Second would be my own war time experience.
I was a 37 year old husband and father of 3 children at the beginning of the Iraq war. I carried pictures of my children and my wife through all those dark days and sometimes it was those pictures that kept me going.
We weren't in trenches but many times we found ourselves on trash heaps outside of various villages and cities or behind a freshly plowed trash heap mixed with sand as a defensive posistion or parked right next to open cesspools. The filth and garbage was horrendus and we were constantly being assaulted by flies. I can tell you for a fact that I went 57 days without a bath and I discovered just how badly I stank after I finally got a chance to get clean. So I have a basic understanding of what those who lived in the trenches experienced.
It was on  a patrol one day just outside of a city where earlier we had experienced some heavy fighting and casualties, that I met an Iraqi man and his family. Remember this is in the beginning of this long war, we did little more then shoot and move during that whole time so while I saw people I had not met any of them.
Our patrol came to a halt outside this city, while our recon guys went out to scout, and we set up a defensive perimeter to wait for their return. There were children everywhere. Picking over rubble for usable bricks, pouring through trash to look for anything that might be worth saving and, very cautiously, approaching us.
You have to understand, even something as simple as that can set you on edge, when you don't know what to expect and you see everyone as a potential enemy. Having said that we let the kids get closer.  We also noticed that among the children that there were some adults, but because they didn't appear to be a threat and  they were only approaching us to get some food, we didn't worry...too much.
During this time I noticed a man with 2 children,one was a small boy that he was carrying and the other was a girl who was about the same age as my daughter, and she was wearing a pink dress with ponytails bouncing from her head.
I don't know what it was that he saw in me that made him approach me, but while his daughter was bouncing around from Marine to Marine , he came directly to me and we started "talking". I did not speak his language and he spoke very little English, but between hand motions and a few words, I found out that he was from the village that was out side of the city , which I could see in the distance ,and that they had been hit very hard during the fighting and that they were looking for food and what ever else might be salvagable. He also told me that the two children were his, which I had kind of assumed. I then proceeded to show him the pictures of my wife and children and we discovered that despite apparent differences we had much in common. Not once did we discuss politics nor, other then the damage to his village, did we discuss the war. We were simply two family men put in one very bad situation by people, who would never know the fear of war or of never seeing your family again.
I guess that would really be my point, we were bonded together by our very humnanity. It had nothing to do with our religions, it certainly was not about politics, we were two men with families who shared many of the same goals and fears that all parents face.
I think that this is a lesson that can be learned from the Christmas truce of 1914 and from my own experience.
All of us are human. We have fears and desires, hopes and dreams and it is up to us to bring about a true and lasting peace. For a little while it happend in Belgium during one of the bloodiest wars in history and it happened between 2 men in Iraq. If it can happen then it can happen now but only if we all want it to be.
To quote an Irish song "There were Roses" " the ones who give the orders are not the ones to die, it's Scott and McDonald and the likes of you and I.

At the top I have included a link to Walter Cronkite and the Mormon tabernacle choir giving a rendition through music and words of what happened in 1914
Let there be Peace.

Shalom,
Ignacio

A Rhetorical Question

I have to ask you a rather rhetorical question. I know that it's rhetorical because I really already know the answer to the question or at least for some of you what your answer is likely to be, but once I ask the question I only ask you to do one thing and that's seriously look at the question and then seriously look at yourself before you consider the answer. First a bit of an explanation.

This post was originally going to be an answering of many questions that have come up from some of you and perhaps a defense against those that would suggest that I am somehow "godless" because I believe differently from you. But after writing a rather long explanation and sort of rebuttal, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what it is that I write you won't be able to get past our differences of opinion as to the divinity of Jesus.
You would start quoting from the Greek NT and I would quote from the Hebrew OT and the battle of the ages would continue to be a standstill. We would essentially accomplish nothing.

So my question to myself then ,and to you as well, is what can I say that might make some sort of sense and cause you to think outside the box ? Note I didn't say to convert you to my way of thinking or to try and convince you that you are wrong, but simply what can I say that will make you stop and think.

Now as a general rule I am not rattled by name calling or accusations. In fact, as some of you know, I will even defend your right to disagree with me and call me all the names that you wish, I am a huge fan of the right to free speech, but I guess there does come a point where you have to speak up a bit in your own defense and question the sanity of some people who not only call you names, but would even call into question your moral compass simply based on a difference in religious beliefs.

I recently read an article by a man claiming that he was a Christian pastor who said that if you didn't believe in Jesus as the son of G-D , then you were essentially blind to all the moral decay and was not capable of discerning the difference between what was evil and what was good. If this was the only time I had read something like that I would just pass him off as being some freak of nature, but he's not. Time and time again I run across articles like that claiming to come from one Christian pastor or another stating that because they believe in a man-god that this somehow makes them morally superior to others. Funny how some of those morally superior people let a lot of hatred pass through their lips.

So what is it that  makes you somehow morally superior to others? I read the news, I see the evil that is all around us, I detest it and I fight against it in my own way. What is it that I am missing? I see the corruption in the government and in the governments of the world. I see the moral corruption that attacks our children and our women turning them into nothing but sexual objects. I see the pain of drugs and suicide amongst our teenagers. I see this evil for what it is.I pray for the people and ,where ever possible, I try to help end the suffering.

I once saw a video that included a bunch of people from various churches who went out to help homeless people out on the streets in cold weather. What I found interesting was that they all put their religious differences aside for the purpose of helping out those in need. It was a beautiful thing to behold. They weren't trying to get anyone to follow their particular brand of religion, instead they were simply helping them out. The Love of G-D was shown that day. Not only to those that were being helped ,but by those that were serving and those of us who saw it.

In Deut. 6:4 , which in the Jewish world is called the Shema, it says " Hear O Israel the L-rd our G-D, The L-rd is One. You shall love the L-rd you G-D with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.
That is the greatest commandment, in my humble opinion, and all others lead you to that one command.
Even Jesus, whom most of you believe in, called it the greatest commandment.Of course he would he was Jewish after all, but he added something that is very true as well, when he said that the second greatest would be to love your neighbors as yourself and that you could sum up all the commandments in those two. If any of you have ever taken the time to read all 613 laws you will find that they come down to loving G-D and serving Him and how to treat your family and neighbors,strangers and even enemies.

Now just imagine if all of us actually did those two things just how different a place this world would be.

Instead, we would rather argue over who is morally superior to whom and call others names when they don't agree with us.

There are days when I wish that G-D would do as he did in the book of Job. After Jobs "friends" basically accuse him of being a sinful man, G-D speaks to him and essentially tells him that they haven't a clue on the things of G-D. Job's response was simply to say that he thought he knew who G-D was before but now that he has seen Him, he was going to remain silent. There is a lesson here for all of us.We simply don't know all that there is to know about Him.in fact,like Job, we only know a little.

So finally I come to my rhetorical question ; Do you really think that it matters to G-D what our personal dogmas and beliefs are? Do you really think it matters to Him what it is that you think you know?
If someone who doesn't believe as you do, loves G-D in their own way and is doing acts of kindness, following the  greatest commands ever given, fighting against those proverbial forces of evil, do you think G-D is going to just cast them aside because they don't believe the way that you do?
If you believe that way then I would suggest going back and looking at the things G-D said to Job.

My humble belief is that we only have a small inkling of an idea of who G-D is and what he wants. We know what is right and wrong. We have the choice to follow the good or follow the evil. He has told us what he wants from us but I still don't believe that we have a clue as to the whole picture.
The day will come when we will, the prophets make that very clear, but until that day comes we need to stop all this senseless arguing and bickering with each other. You don't like what I believe? Fine, that's OK with me, but let's set that aside and try to do some good in this world.

Shalom,
Ignacio

The Bible, Constitution and TSA

Usually, this time of year, we tend to start thinking about friends and family. We think about all the blessings and all the gatherings that we will attend filled with good food and fellowship and of course we also tend to think of the poor and what we can do to help them.....This is not going to be one of those warm fuzzy posts....

I find myself angry, yes, ticked off ,rip snorting angry at our government , our churches, to include Synagogues, leaders of all these same groups and quite frankly most of us. Why? Because we are allowing our government to violate the word of G-D for some absurd notion of safety.We are letting our G-D given constitutional rights and freedoms get stripped and we have done nothing.We have stood idly by as our wives and daughters ,husbands and sons, have been virtually strip searched. We have seen children groped in a way that would put others in jail if they didn't work for the government and yet we have remained silent. The elderly have been searched while in wheel chairs and others have had to be felt up by total strangers because their prosthetic knee has set off an alarm. Decency and common sense has gone out the window and what is even worse is the thousands who blindly go through the whole process and think that it is perfectly OK . Are you going to feel that way when they start actually strip searching us? If you don't think that will happen, ask the Israeli's about it. They will tell you that the terrorists have become very good at hiding bombs in their body cavities. Are you ready to bend over and spread yourself out?

So what does the word of G-D have to say about this? A Lot.
Of course most Christians are at an disadvantage in this regard because you have all been told that G-D's laws no longer apply so therefore you are most likely not aware of just how strongly G-D speaks against this kind of thing.
 Leviticus 18: 6-17
None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I amthe LORD. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover.The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness.You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she isnear of kin to your father. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for sheis near of kin to your mother.You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness.


Some of you might be reading this and saying; Well that's saying that  family shouldn't do that to each other and the government is certainly not family. I say that you are wrong.


You are the protectors of your family and if you allow someone else to expose their nakedness then you are just as guilty as if you had done it yourself. If you are not going to defend your family and their honor then who else will? I will grant you that an individual doesn't have to fly but how much longer will it be before they are using this on the buses and subways? How about trains? G-D makes this very clear that we are not supposed to allow this kind of thing to go on, in fact in another story a son is cursed for exposing his fathers nakedness.
Genesis 9: 20-27
And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: Cursed be Canaan;  A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.”And he said:Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem....



Perhaps there are some of you that have read this far and you really don't care or even believe what the Bible has to say about these things, fine I have an argument for you as well it's called the Constitution of the United States.

Amendment 4
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons,houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by an Oath or affirmation,and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Are you feeling terribly "secure" as they search through your stuff? How about as they are searching you? Where is the "probable cause"? Where is the warrant that allows them to do this? Since when did getting on a commercial airline constitute you being a criminal? What happened to innocent until proven guilty? How many times have you heard of a small child with a bomb or a granny with TNT strapped under her bra? I'd dare say never. Yet the very people who supposedly caused all this to get started ,from their caves , may wind up being exempt from all this. Perhaps we are not being told the truth? Just a theory mind you, but where is the evidence that suggests that we, the average working class Americans, are the ones responsible for the terrorism? It must be out there somewhere because they are treating us like criminals, or could there be something else behind this, such as blind obedience to a government mandate? The government says so , so therefore you must obey? Just a theory on my part.

The bottom line is this, both the 4th Amendment to the Constitution and the Bible make it very clear that this is wrong and should not happen. I have done my part and have spoken out along with refusing to fly. I have done what I can to protect my family and myself from this evil, and I have spoken out as a man of G-D to you with the words of G-D to show you that this is wrong. The question now is; What are YOU going to do about it ?

To all of you I do sincerely wish you a happy Thanksgiving and G-D's perfect Shalom. (Peace)

Ignacio

Faithfulness to G-D

What does it mean to be faithful to G-D? Have you ever even thought of that idea? We all know what faith means, by definition, but what about  faithfulness? I imagine that most of us who have been to church have sung songs about G-D's faithfulness to us, but how much time has been spent on us being faithful to Him?
He is G-D after all so shouldn't we be the ones showing our faithfulness to Him rather then the other way around?

I have been reading in Genesis about Abraham, Issac and Jacob and I have been struck by their faithfulness to G-D.  What really caught my attention has been how their faithfulness to G-D not only blessed them but how it affected others around them, both at that present time and in the future.

In Genesis chapter 24 we find that Abraham is now getting old and has decided that he needs to find a wife for Issac. The simple thing to do would have been to get a wife from the local people, but Abraham, I am assuming that this came from G-D, decided to send his "servant" back to his homeland ,to his family, to find a suitable wife for Issac.

Abraham has his servant make a vow to find Issac a wife amongst his own people and off the man goes.
We know nothing about this man, not even his name. All we really know is that he was a "servant" to Abraham, but he must have been a man of great faith. When he arrived at the town of Nahor, the very first thing that he did was pray to G-D for guidance. Now where would he have learned that from? Abraham. If you go back  to chapter 14 you will find where Lot and all that he had was taken into captivity. Abraham mounted a rescue consisting of himself and " 318 men born and trained in his house" to rescue Lot. I am guessing here, but I would humbly submit to you that part of the training must have consisted of teaching them about the One G-D. He must have been witness to G-D's faithfulness to Abraham,in saving Lot without losing anyone or anything in the process, but also must have witnessed as well Abraham's faithfulness to G-D. In turn that gave him great faith, so much so that before his prayer was even finished, Rebekah  was there. Again the man shows his faithfulness to G-D by thanking G-D for His guidance; " Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” Gen 24: 26-27.


He didn't take any credit for himself. He didn't strut and talk trash. If he hadn't believed in the G-D of Abraham he might have taken all the credit for himself, but instead he recognized the leading of G-D and showed his faithfulness to Him by praying and giving Him all the glory. Abraham's faithfulness to G-d led to his servants faithfulness to Him and as a result Rebekah enters the story. The servants faithfulness doesn't end there either. Now he gets to tell his story of G-D's blessing both to Abraham and Issac , but also of G-D blessing his mission to find a wife for Issac. By the time he is done telling the story to Laban and Bethuel their only comment is "This is from the Lord; We can say nothing one way or the other" (VS 50 ).  Rebekah herself shows much faithfulness because she was willing to go with this man, essentially based on what she had witnessed and heard. Chances are she was young and likely an Idol worshiper, yet even she saw something in what had happened to start her down the path to faithfulness to G-D. As a result she became a direct ancestor to many nations but in particular, the Hebrew people.


The idea is simply this; Be faithful to G-D in all that you do, because you are being watched . If Abraham had been unfaithful to G-D, his servant might not have been faithful to him and as a result Rebekah might not have entered the picture, thus not having Jacob and no Hebrew people. Yes G-D could have made this happen in some other way but look how much better and simpler it is when His people are faithful to Him and are obedient. Abraham obeys G-D, The servant obeys G-D and his master Abraham and Rebekah gets to see the one true G-D in action and as a result she believes and obeys as well.


Faithfulness to G-D, those three words can move nations, literally.


Shalom,
Ignacio

Would You Change Things?

Have you ever played a game, in your mind, that asks the question; What would I say to my younger self if I could go back in time, or what would I change given that opportunity?
I know that I have. Sometimes I will be thinking of various scenarios of things that have gone on before where I made a total idiot of myself or did something that got me in a lot of trouble and then I think of what I might have said or done to change it. It is pure fantasy and I know it's impossible, but if you could would you really change things?

There is an episode of Star Trek, Next Generation, where the dreaded "god like" creature known as "Q" takes Captain Picard back to a time where he had a fight that almost got him killed, this was the one event that Picard said he would change if he could. He did, he avoided the fight, but then everything in his world changed. "Q" then brings him back to the present where everything in his world is different. Instead of being the Captain of a star ship, with a notable record, he is a science officer on the Enterprise who has but a mediocre future at best.
The short end is that he goes back again , has the fight, almost dies but then everything is returned to what it was.
I know it was just a show, but you know I think it speaks to the heart of all of us a bit.We often dream of how things might have been better if...pick your if, but then you wouldn't be the person you are now. Your world might improve, but then again you stand the chance of it being worse.

I know a man personally, who spent a good chunk of his adult life in prison for a crime that he didn't commit. He had some hard choices as to how he was going to spend that time ( he was sentenced to 99 years ) he could go out and kill the next person that he saw and there would be nothing that they could do to him , or he could choose to try and do something positive while he was there. He picked the positive route and wrote many books  and articles, that wound up being published, and he was able to positively influence many people including me. My grandmother wrote to him about her juvenile delinquent grandson, me, and he responded by sending me tapes  from his prison cell telling me all about the " glories " of prison life. I can tell you it made a difference for me.
I bet if you asked him, he would probably say that he wished that he had never gone to prison, but then on the other hand if he hadn't, if he had made some different decisions, then he might not have had the time to write and to counsel troubled youth. I am not advocating prison here, I am just saying that his past, effected my past, and I am better for it, and now that he is out he is working with troubled youth making a difference for them.

In reality, I don't think I would change anything about my youth. Yes I was a delinquent, and yes my growing up years were hard, but now I am able to empathise with others that have gone through the same kinds of things. My wife and I get along real well because we come from similar backgrounds. I have spent a lot of my time around younger adults and teenagers, whom I can relate to and help, because I have been in their shoes.
I have been to war, I have seen the ugliness associated with it, but that again helps me to understand the younger men and women as they come back from war. I would not change any of it because I am able, through the grace and timing of G-D, to help others .

G-D tells us in Psalms 139 that he knows everything that there is to know about us ; Psalms 139:1-6
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up;You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down,And are acquainted with all my ways.For there is not a word on my tongue,But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.You have hedged me behind and before,And laid Your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;It is high, I cannot attain it. 
 Some of you reading this might be thinking ; That if G-D knows all this already then why doesn't He fix things? I would reply to that by saying that if G-D does know us and has ordered our lives the way that they are, then surely He knows what is best, not only for us, but in the future as to how we might do good for others. He saw you suffering and also saw that through that suffering you might be able, if you are willing, to help others who are in the same boat. We live in a world full of heart ache and tragedy, but it is also filled with people who know that tragedy and suffering and are able to use that knowledge in the helping of others.


When the time of G-D's kingdom comes and His anointed one is in place, then will come a time for the healing of the nations and a return to what G-D meant for us in the first place. See Ezekiel 36:33-35, 47:12.
It will be then that we will have to answer to G-D for our lives ,and I never want it to be said of me that I whined so much about my "rotten childhood" that I refused to help others who were in need as I was.
Can I wish that some things had been different? Yes. But reality sets in and I know that I am able to help people only because I understand what it is that they are going through.
No, I will never be a star ship Captain, but it will be enough for me to know that I have done the will of G-D and have served Him by serving others. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the kingdom of G-D then have all the riches of the world but be useless to others.


Something to consider,
Shalom,
Ignacio

         

"Why do the wicked prosper"

Have you watched or listened to the news today? I must confess that as of this writing I have not, today. Yet. However at some point, I will ,and being the most humble of non-prophets I will predict what it's going to generally say; Politicians are lying to us and are power hungry, another famous celebrity is caught doing something wicked, evil abounds and is prosperous, death and war continue today, unabated, as those who prosper from it grow richer....
Am I sounding a bit cynical? I don't think so, I think,rather, that I am taking some general headlines and pointing out to you a truth that we tend to miss. Evil and corruption seems to pay and apparently pays well.

I am not the first to see this, frequently you can find even the prophets of G-D asking Him why this is so;
Jeremiah 12:1-2 "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit.You are near in their mouth But far from their mind."
Jeremiah even points out that these people invoke the name of G-D when it suits them to do so, but that G-D is far from their hearts. How can this be? How can G-D let such evil run rampant while good people get trampled down to dust? Why is it that evil flourishes while the good dies?

I think I may have an answer or at least a part of one.
We let it happen. Yes the blame falls squarely on us, particularly on those of us who claim to worship and serve G-D. We are the ones to blame.

We let the things that really matter such as "character" and "integrity" get hijacked by people who have a political agenda but were, themselves ,corrupt.Instead of holding them accountable as they break laws that would get us thrown in jail, we re-elect them and give them a pass. It is no wonder that they scornfully look upon us and laugh at our demands, there isn't enough of us with any moral fiber ,or will, to put an end to them.

We are addicted to entertainment. People who normally wouldn't let a bit of porn into their homes frequently watch shows and programming that are just as suggestive and trashy as anything you might find behind the counter of 7/11, but because it comes from Hollywood and is meant for entertainment and they put a rating on it (that everyone ignores) we assume that it must be OK.

We worship our sports heroes and pay big bucks to see them run and jump and hit things and then we are surprised when they take that worship of ours literally and start acting like they are "gods" and can do as they wish. Worse yet, when the dirty laundry does come out ,we watch it, salivating like a bunch of hungry dogs, just waiting for a piece of their flesh to fall off so we can chew on it.

It's too late for us to fix any of this. We have gone way to far down this road to be able to turn it around.We are where the Romans were just before their total fall. We are spread out too far, we are spending more then we have, but we don't care because we are being entertained, and the size of our enemies, both inside the country and out, is getting larger and not enough of us care.

Am I being cynical? Nope just pointing out the truth.
But there is hope.
Jews and Christians alike can agree on this. It's found in many places through out the scriptures but I just want to share with you a few verses from Psalms 37 starting in verse 7.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off;But those who wait on the LORD,They shall inherit the earth.For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.But the meek shall inherit the earth,And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.The wicked plots against the just,And gnashes at him with his teeth.The Lord laughs at him,For He sees that his day is coming.The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow,To cast down the poor and needy,To slay those who are of upright conduct.Their sword shall enter their own heart,And their bows shall be broken. (VS 7-15)

What more can be said. WE are never going to be able to change it, but G-D Himself is going to intervene. The plans of the wicked are going to fall on themselves and in the meantime G-D says,"wait patiently","rest", "do not fret" and to "cease from anger".
I am not required to understand why it is that those that are full of such evil succeed. I just need to understand that G-D has it under control and when it is time He will do what is needed to fix the problems.
I am going to still try to fight for what is right. I will vote. I have already chosen to leave most of the trash that the world calls entertainment behind. I will stand for G-D in all things and I will not worry to much about the future, because He has made it quite clear that it is in His hands.

Shalom,
Ignacio

Ecclesiastes Living.

You know things just aren't terribly wonderful out there in the so called real world. Because I am somewhat of a news junkie I get daily doses of the madness and ,at times ,I have spread my depressing thoughts and views to my family and to others. Recently though I have come to understand that this really isn't a good way to live life, always being so afraid of what tomorrow might bring that I forget to enjoy the day that is right in front of me. If you find yourself in that place and or category this is for you.

Have you ever read the book of Ecclesiastes? If you have not I highly recommend that you do, however for those who have not I will give you a brief summary of it. Simply put; this was written by king Solomon somewhere near the end of his life. He was a man who literally had it all. He had 1000 wives, horses, chariots,houses , gold and silver. You name it and he had it. On top of that he was ,and still is, considered to be be one of the wisest people on earth. Kings and Queens from around the world came to him for his wisdom and to see the wondrous things that he built and yet none of it brought him happiness. This is the premise of the book. He tells you that he did all these things, he had everything and didn't deny himself anything that could be found under the sun, yet he came to realise that all of that was a waste of his time and was vanity. In his words it was a "chasing after the wind". When all was said and done the same fate was, and is ,waiting for all of us and all these things that we have thought were so great and so important will disappear along with our lives. Or worse yet it would go to someone who would not take care of things the way that you might have so it becomes pointless. He also observed that when our lives were done, that it would not matter one bit what we had accomplished or built , because we couldn't take any of it with us and worse yet eventually everyone would forget who you were in the first place. Sounds down right depressing, but he had a point to make and it was a very simple point that all of us would do well to consider.

Eccl.9:7-8 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

G-D through Solomon makes it very clear, we are to enjoy the life that G-D has given us here, to eat and drink with happiness and to enjoy life with the wife of your youth, and what ever you find to do , do it with all your might! This is what you might call a very simple way to live.
Think about it; Can you really do anything about all the corruption and evil that fills this world? Yes, you can pray, Yes you can go out and vote, but I am talking about the overall scheme of life, can you really do anything about it? No! But just imagine if you lived your life to the fullest and, with great joy, what that might do for you and those around you.

It's awful hard to be depressed when you are around joyful, happy people. I remember my wife introducing me to a family, back when we were dating ,that just radiated happiness. They welcomed me into their home like I was a long lost son and we spent the evening in eating and song and prayer. It was wonderful. They spread their joy to everyone around then and it was infectious. Twenty years later I still remember that well. Ecclesiastes living at it's finest!

The book ends on one other note that is very important to remember even above the former verse, but combined they can make a powerful statement to all those around you.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard;here is the conclusion of the matter:Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Fear G-D and keep His commandments. It doesn't get any simpler then that.

If you combine the two you get a way of life that is simple and very uncomplicated. For some of you this may be too simple a way to live, perhaps all the afore mentioned things just keep your heart pumping and you can't imagine what it would be like to live life so simply.
So let me ask you a question ; When is it that you find the most peace in your soul? When your full tilt boogie into what ever the cause is? Or is it during those quiet moments, when it's just you, G-D and a cup of coffee? I know for me I look forward to those times early in the day when it's just G-D and I and a whole lot of peace. Nothing complicated, no politics, no causes just G-D and myself.

Life can be challenging and there are things that tend to put serious pressure on us and our time and sanity, but consider that if Solomon was filled with such wisdom, and after all that he had accomplished he concluded that this was the best way to live, maybe we should do the same.

Just something to think about.Shalom.

Ignacio

Day of Atonement

This evening at sunset marks the beginning of Yom Kippur otherwise known as the Day of Atonement.This a day of solemn assembly, this is a day of fasting and prayer, because, as the tradition has it, this is the day that the fates of all men is to be decided by G-D for the coming year.It is also the day that the High Priest would have made atonement for the sins of the people and himself as well. Over all it is a solemn day and a time of reflection seeking out the forgiveness of G-D of of our fellow man.

I don't know who reads this blog. I don't have a number tracker on this page so people can come and go and I won't know. I don't know whether or not your Jewish, Christian or Muslim. You could be a non believer I simply have no way of knowing.

Some of you who read this I do know who you are because you comment from time to time and it is to you, primarily, this message goes.

First of all, thank you for reading this. I am not a gifted writer as is my brother and my daughter. I write most of the time because I enjoy it and it gives my mind and spirit a challenge, but I also do it as a way to try and make people think, to not just except the traditional norm simply because that is all you have ever known.

Considering some of the comments I have received ,I would say that I have done that on occasion, and while I have not purposely set out to offend I am sure that I have and to those of you who have been offended I apologize. I am not likely to change how I write, but please know that no offense has ever been intended.

I have been belittled by some and called G-dless by others. Some of you have been very gracious even when you didn't understand my point of view. To all of you I say thank you, yes even to those who were not so kind to me, including the Chinese folks who planted a virus on my computer, you are forgiven. Why would I do that? Simple I love all of you and I want the best for you over the coming year and I pray that HaShem smiles upon you with all His grace and mercy.

Joel 2:12-13
Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning."Rend your heart and not your garments.Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Today seek out you friends your neighbors and your enemies, seek their forgiveness even if they don't give it to you you have done your part. Seek out HaShem make things right between you and Him, He will forgive.

Today pray for you friends your neighbors and enemies.Pray that they would seek out G-D. Pray for their forgiveness, intercede ,as Moses did, on their behalf.

Today, pray for our nation and our leaders that they might hear the voice of G-D and do what is right, not whats politically correct.

Today pray for Israel and her people that she might live in peace and that the Messiah might come soon to reign.

Why do this? Because as Joel writes "Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

The formula for this is simple; Return to G-d, but how are people going to know to do that if we don't forgive each other and show them what the love of G-D is really about? This is really the message for today. We need to forgive each other and then G-D will forgive us and that in turn makes it possible for us to show the rest of the world what the love of G-D truly is.

So today, put down your politics and your anger, set aside your differences with people and love and forgive each other just as G-D has done for you.

May you come out of this day with great rejoicing in your heart and a greater love for G-D and your neighbors.

Shalom

Who is this amazing G-D?

Who is this amazing G-D that we serve? Who is this G-D that has so much compassion for His idol worshiping children that He practically begs them to return before they suffer. Who is He that He has so much love and mercy that, even in the knowledge of His people turning their backs on Him ,that He tells them that they will return to Him and that He will forgive them? Who is THIS? This is not the G-D that I grew up with, the one that I heard about. The G-D that I heard about had a whip in His hands waiting to strike you down for even the tiniest of mistakes, who seemed to get more pleasure out of our shame then out of our joy. WHO IS THIS G-D!!!!

Hosea 14:2-10
Return Israel to HaShem your G-D for you have stumbled in your iniquity, take words with you and return to HaShem; Say to Him may you forgive all iniquity and accept good intentions and let our lips substitute for bulls. Assyria will not save us we will not ride upon horses,and we will no longer say," O our gods" to the work of our hands; for it is with You that an orphan finds mercy. I will rectify their waywardness I will love them gratuitously; my anger has turned away from them. I will be to Israel like the dew, and he will blossom like a rose bush and his roots will strike out like the Cedars of Lebanon. His tender branches will go forth , and his glory will be like that of the Olive tree and his fragrance like that of Lebanon. Those who dwell in His shade will return;they will revive like grain and blossom like a vine;their repute will be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim will say,"what more need have I of idols?" I will respond and I will gaze upon him, I am like an ever fresh Cypress tree your fruit will be provided by Me.Who is wise and will understand these things;who is understanding and will know them? For the ways of HaShem are straight; the righteous will walk in them and sinners will stumble over them.

This , my friends is a G-D, who loves His people! Not only does He plead with them to return, He even tells them what to say to Him when they return.
He isn't interested in their animal sacrifices, He IS interested in their confession of their sins and in their hearts return to Him.
In Verse 5 ( Stones Edition) He says that He will rectify their waywardness. In other translations that "He will heal". No matter how you look at it it indicates the Love of G-D for His people and His great desire for their return to Him.He wants them back and when they return He forgives them! What makes this all the more amazing to me is that He tells them all this, through the prophets, even before they have been carried off to captivity! He doesn't just leave them in the dark with the future, He tells them of their return as well. This seems to be a very common theme through out the prophecies.It is G-D's love for His people being shown.

In Joel 2:12-18 G-D tells His people what they needed to do to avoid the punishment that was coming. He didn't want to punish them at all, He was all about them turning their hearts back to Him. He says right in verse 12 "Even Now" meaning it was not too late even at that time for them to change their ways and return to Him again.

Even now," declares the LORD,"return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning."Rend your heart and not your garments.Return to the LORD your God,for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love,and he relents from sending calamity.Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.Blow the trumpet in Zion,declare a holy fast,call a sacred assembly.Gather the people,consecrate the assembly;bring together the elders,gather the children,those nursing at the breast.Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,weep between the temple porch and the altar.Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD.Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,a byword among the nations.Why should they say among the peoples,'Where is their God?' "
Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. Joel 2:12-18

What an amazing G-D, He spells it out for them, tells them exactly what it is that they need to do to come back to Him. It wasn't just that one or two people were to gather to ask for G-D's forgiveness but all the people, young, old, bride and bridegroom, everyone was to come, everyone was to fast and all were to seek His ways again and then what happens? Verse 18 "Then the Lord will be jealous for His land and take pity on His people."
G-D takes no pleasure in punishment, he gets no joy in the suffering of His children. He will let things run their natural course if a people and a nation reject Him, but His plea is still the same to us as it was to them, Return to Me with all your hearts and I will bless you!

Micah 7:18-19
Who is G-D like you, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression for the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His wrath forever,for He desires kindness.He will once again show us mercy,He will suppress our iniquities. You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Does this sound like a G-D of vengeful wrath to you? Don't take me wrong, their is a day of reckoning coming and man will be judged, but I have come to believe that G-D is much more interested in hearts turning to Him rather then punishment. If He wasn't why would there be so much warning? Why would G-D go so far out of His way to tell the people what they needed to do after they turned back to Him. If He was all about punishment and wrath ,as some would have us believe, then He would have just let His people suffer without giving them any kind of hope whats so ever. Instead He chose to tell them of what was to come and what they needed to do when that day came, which has been going on for sometime now, and He told them about the future blessings that were to follow.

Who is this amazing G-D? Who does not hide His ways from His children who make His ways plain before them? Hosea 14:10 ...for the ways of HaShem are straight; the righteous will walk in them... Jer. 6:16 This is what the LORD says:Stand at the crossroads and look;ask for the ancient paths,ask where the good way is, and walk in it,and you will find rest for your souls... Isa.30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

G-D's ways are not hidden from us. We can refuse to seek Him out, we can go after other gods if we wish, but His ways are clear and His path is before us.
He loves His children and all His people and He prefers return to punishment, a repentant heart to the sacrifice of bulls. He is truly amazing.
And this heart rejoices in Him.

Missing Message

In one of my first attempts at writing , I talked about perspectives, how different people in similar situations can view things in very different ways. The more that I write and the more that I study, the more true this has become for me.

I am neither Christian nor Jew. I have been in both the Christian world and the Messianic Jewish world. I have been an Ordained minster. I now follow a form of Judaism that is known, at least in the Jewish world, as being a Noachide. I have been an Agnostic and I have studied the teachings of some of the Pagan religions. So as you can imagine I have a somewhat different perspective of life and religion then many people do. But when is all said and done, my loyalty lies with G-D and his love for us and His commandments. I love the Jewish people and I have a great respect for Christians and really all people who would help their fellowman.

I give this short back ground to you so that you will understand the rest of the message and take to heart that I hold no bias or hatred for anyone, though at times, while writing, from my own perspective, it may seem that way.

I think what has happened is that the message has been lost. Not just my message, but all of ours.

We ,as religious people, have been caught up into the very dangerous and destructive world of politics. Back in the day, you didn't mix religion and politics and you certainly didn't hear it from the pulpit, but times have apparently changed.

Have you ever wondered why it is that the world hates Jews and Christians so much? More so the Jews, but now more and more Christians are being hammered as well, have you ever asked the question as to why?

I have a thought for you. It's probably going to differ with what you believe but I'm going to run it by you anyway. It's our hypocrisy and our hatred. Does that shock you? Does that make you angry? Or do you think I'm wrong?

One of the things that both the Jews and Christians share is that G-D is a G-D of compassion and mercy and yet as a general whole we don't tend to show it. We have committees and boards that will spend time and money to protest Gay marriage and Abortion but balk at the idea of supporting some outreach program that might actually help someone. I saw it happen. I almost broke out in tears one day, when the first questions that was asked, ( we were considering a program to help out some poor families in the area) was "how much is this going to cost". Nothing came of it and since that time that church has had a lot of trouble. The human cost is high.

My experience since leaving various Christian denominations and Christianity as a whole has been somewhat condemning and if not outright hostile. I have been told that I am G-D - less because I don't follow Christianities version of G-D and we have been left quite literally alone. Is ostracizing people a part of the Christian religion? On the flip side of that I have been blasted by some certain Jewish people for asking too many questions or appearing to consider myself smarter then the sages of old.I don't consider myself smarter, they were just questions. Where is the compassion in this, where is the Love of G-D?

When HIV and Aids became front page news back in the 70's the religious world had a chance to reach out in compassion to these people. Instead all that we heard was that Aids was G-D's punishment on the Gay community and people quoting scripture. We ostracized people instead of showing compassion. Now, 30 years later, I know people who will never darken the doorways of a church or Synagogue except for a funeral or wedding, all because the "religious" didn't show any of the compassion that they were supposed to have had in their hearts. You want to quote scripture? Go ahead, but you will get no where, most of the Gay people I have known, know those scriptures by heart. You are only re-enforcing their idea that you hate them and their is no compassion to be found.

We are quick to condemn and slow to compassion. That is just the opposite of what scripture teaches.

There are many examples that could be used here. There are many fingers that I could point with but then I'd have to point some at my self because I have done the same. I am not in a position to judge people nor did G-D put me here to do so. I also know that this is not true of everyone or all groups but the sad truth is that the world sees us as having no compassion because our main focus seems to be on politics rather then mercy. If all anyone ever knows about religion is that there is crazy guy on TV telling him or her that they are going to go to hell for anything and everything under the sun and they are shown no real mercy or compassion, who do you think is going to be held responsible for that?
Do you really think that G-D is going to be interested in how big your church was if you ignore the homeless, the widow, those that are sick with Aids? Do you honestly think that having a large congregation is a substitute for helping out a drunk or a prostitute or someone who is just down on their luck?
G-D makes two commands very clear, and from these the rest follow. Love G-D with all you are and with all you have and love your neighbors as you would wish to be loved.

I'll end with a more positive note. There was a group that I saw , not to long ago, that consisted of about 70 people ,from various denominations, bringing food and clothing and blankets to various street people. They set up tables and did everything from serving them a hot meal to cutting their hair and washing their feet.
The only complaint that I heard was from one of the ladies who was washing the feet of someone when she said that she wished that they didn't have to wear gloves to do this. She didn't care if the person was dirty and homeless, she knew what human touch and real compassion was all about. Just as a side note they were not there trying to convert people either, they were there to SHOW them the Love of G-D.

That, my friends, is the message that has been lost, compassion, mercy, love.
Pray that we find it soon.

Shalom,
Ignacio

Train Up A Child....

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Are your children cool? Are they the trend setters, the ones that everyone looks to for the latest fashions and styles? Do they watch all the hip shows and do they own all the newest and latest gadgets? Do they have their own computers in their rooms and their own high tech cell phone? Have they driven you crazy with their requests for things that are unreasonably priced, but they put the pressure on because it's the new cool thing and everyone has one?

If the answer to any of this is yes, then let me state for the record you are being targeted. Actually it's your kids that are being targeted but the side effect is that it targets you as well, you have more money then the kids but you are actually only the secondary target.

This weekend I was sent a couple of links that showed just how corporations and big business have been teaming up to target your kids and, secondarily, you into buying whatever product it is that they are trying to sell at the time.None of this is terribly surprising to me and I suspect that it wouldn't be for most of you as well, but I guess what did shock me, somewhat, was just how far they would go to do so.

For the most part they would start out by interviewing teenagers and young adults out on the streets asking them all sorts of questions on their likes and dislikes, they would in some cases pay the kids for their time and take pictures of everything from their clothes to their tattoos and get just as personal with the kids as they could be. They then take this info and share it ( for a price ) with the major corporations and develop strategies as to how to market various products based on this info.

I am not against business making money on a product that everyone needs or wants, I am, however, against the methods of how they sell it to our kids.

I will give you one of the ways that they sell both a product and a band/way of life to our kids and most of the time it is subtle enough to slip under the radar while other parts of it are down right shocking.

I will not use names here because I don't need the hassle, but the scenario is real and it did happen.

A corporation owned 3 businesses that were having some problems and they were looking for a way to bring in more revenue based on those products and they came up with a brilliant idea. They would host a televised party that would feature the beverage as the sponsor, a music television show as the host and they would bring in some well known bands to play. They then proceeded to pay kids to come and dance and be "cool". The beverage that they were trying to feature was predominately displayed and the popular band was seen with the product name all over them and they introduced a new band in the process. The end result was that this beverage became the most popular beverage, the new band became world famous, and the music television show became top dog once again. Their target audience was the teenagers and young adults and it worked. From a pure business point of view it was brilliant, from a profit point they made a killing and they didn't have to spend a lot to do it.

Another method that has become popular has been through the movies and television shows. TV having advertisements is nothing new, but now you find it in every form of entertainment there is. There was a Disney movie recently that featured this princess coming up from out of the sewers right into the middle of Times Square in New York,as she pops up all you can see around her is billboard after billboard displaying corporate logos everywhere, it is a brilliant marketing move on their part, but again it was aimed at the kids and indirectly at you.

What became apparent as this went on, was just how easy it was to influence the kids.
I am not going to give you a blow by blow of all the sexually graphic ways that they present their products, via shows on spring break or on supposedly teenage shows where all the characters are sexually starved and promiscuous. What was interesting about that part was that the man who was doing the documentary on this subject came to the realization that it was the influence of these shows and marketing schemes that was turning these kids into sex crazed kids and NOT that the shows were a reflection of the culture but that they have caused the culture.

Again I realize that for most of you, this comes as no surprise and we can only sit here and wish that they had paid us to tell them would should have been blatantly obvious.

While none of what I saw was really all that shocking, it occurred to me that the one factor that was missing in all this was the parents. Where were the parents? Where was their influence in all of this? Not once was parental influence even mentioned, yet they featured kids at Daytona beach during spring break, both high school and college age and not a parent to be seen. The only conclusion that I could come to was that there is either a whole lot of orphans or the parents were not involved or perhaps, even worse,didn't care.

I quoted from Proverbs in the beginning for a reason. To ask you a simple question.
Are you raising your kids in the way that they should go? Or are you letting the influence of this world and advertisers shape your kids?

In my house we don't have cable hooked up to the TV, our children do not have their own computers hidden out in their rooms not to mention cell phones. You can say to me that I am depriving my kids of the wonders of modern technology until you are blue in the face and I will simply say to you that G-D gave my wife and I children to raise in His ways, not the ways of the world. I can't protect them from everything but I don't have to allow trash into my house when it is in my power as the adult/parent to prevent it. They still get to use the computer but we regulate their time and where it is that they go, they still watch movies and shows that we can find on line, but not without us and not without our approval.We have cell phones but again they are under parental control.

Why am I so wound about this? According to the statistics our children, with all forms of media, are hit with 3,000 advertisements a day! They are being influenced by everything from adds on the cell phones to product placements in movies and shows.
Do you want them to be the ones to influence your kids or do you wish to be the one?

G-D has given us a responsibility as parents to raise our kids. Here is what He says in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

If your kids are spending 90 percent of their time being influenced by the mass media, where is the time for you to teach your kids about G-D's ways?

I know that many of you reading this have raised G-dly kids and that they have become men and women that are serving G-D with all their hearts and you should rejoice in that, but it would seem that too many others are not.

So only you can decide. Am I going to raise my children"in the way that they should go" or are you going to get a shock one day as you see something on spring break and you see your half naked child on a television show proudly displaying themselves and whatever the current product of the day is. Your the parent only you can decide to act like one.

G-D Commands Us To Rejoice!

You know everything we do in this life always boils down to choices. Some of those choices are really simple, such as do I turn left or right to get where I am going while other choices aren't always that simple, which Doctor do I go to, which bill can I skip, and with our choices there always come consequences. If I turn left instead of right I get stuck in a traffic jam, fail to pay the mortgage on time and you lose you house. Choices. There are some scientists out there in the world of Quantum physics that would even suggest that not making a choice in a particular way sets off parallel universes where any and all possibilities intersect with each other. A bit over my head but fascinating.Usually though when all is said and done everything that we do boils down to small choices and usually the results thereof are fairly clear.

In Deuteronomy 11:26-28 G-D gives His people a choice; Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today;and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

Moses has been busy giving his farewell speech to the children of Israel and he had been going over many of both the good and the bad things that have been happening with them since they left Egypt. But here I think he hits a very important point (of course this is G-D speaking through him )he is basically telling them you have 2 choices that you can make, you can choose to follow G-D and keep His commands and Ordinances or you can seek after the gods of the nations,. Seeking G-D and keeping His commands and Ordinances brings about blessings but going after strange "gods" brings about a curse.

He then proceeds to re instruct them in His decrees and ordinances and says an amazing thing to them right in the beginning.

Deut 12:7 "and there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall REJOICE in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you."

He tells them to rejoice! That has surprised me to say the least for it. He doesn't just say it once he says it several times in the course of the next couple of chapters.

It was as simple as this; When they brought their offerings and their sacrifices before G-D, they were to eat and drink and celebrate, rejoicing before G-D ,them and all who were with them. See Deut. 12:12,18, 14:24-26, 16:11,14... it just keeps going.

Why do I find this so exciting and fascinating?

G-D expects His people to REJOICE while celebrating His holy days. This is a much different picture then what I had ever heard as a child. Everything was always a somber ,sober, event with much pomp and circumstance but little too no rejoicing.
Whenever I would hear the stories of the Jewish holy days it was always in that vein of being a somber right that had no real meaning and yet, according to what I have read in the Torah, that turns out to be a huge lie!

G-D essentially commanded His people to rejoice when ever they brought their offerings and sacrifices to Him, you were to remember His blessings and if you are doing that then how can you do anything else But celebrate and rejoice.


So they were given two choices, as we are, you can Rejoice in G-D and all that He has done for you and has provided, or you can follow the gods of the nations and sacrifice your kids and be nailed with curses.

So for this simple minded guy it comes down to this; I can chase after the gods of this world and sacrifice my kids and the life G-D has given me or I can Rejoice in G-D celebrate His holy days with great rejoicing loving Him and keeping His commandments.

I think I'll take the rejoicing....

Sins of our youth...

Have you ever heard any one say that they thought they were paying for the sins of their youth? Perhaps you have said it yourself, I know that I have.
Have you ever considered what people might mean when they say that?

Perhaps they are referring to a time in their teenage years when they climbed up into a tree and tried bungee jumping with a rope and a board and they hit the ground...hard... not that I would know anything about doing something as stupid as that mind you, but they think of those things when their old bones are aching and they say in effect that they are paying for the sins of their youth.

Of course there are other ways to pay for the "old days" as well. You may find this hard to believe but I was kind of wild around the edges when I was a younger man and I did some pretty stupid things,see the above paragraph, things that I would have to say that I am not proud of now, but were done none the less. Back in those days I took drugs, I didn't care what,as long as it didn't involve needles, and I smoked. It could be argued that the reason I never got past high school was because of the drugs and it was just as easy to go with the military. It could be said that if I was to develop lung cancer that it would be due to my foolishness in smoking in the first place. These could be seen as ways that you pay for the sins of your youth.

Relationships. I know for a fact that there are some of you who are reading this that I have hurt in the past.I am truly sorry for the pain that I caused.Some of you reading this have hurt other's. You might not have thought much about it at the time,as kids we generally don't,but now as an adult you remember and are troubled.
You ask questions , such as, what if...pick your if, and you realize that you will probably never know.We can't go back and change it so the memories hurt and you regret them and so in effect you are paying for them.

Really though what is the truth in all this, do we really pay for our past sins,especially those from our younger days ? I would have to say yes, to a point.
If you are Jewish or a Christian then you know that G-D forgives those who come to Him for forgiveness, the sins themselves are gone, but many times we have to live with the consequences of that sin.
If you were a smoker, you could develop lung cancer because of it. If you messed around and got pregnant you may have found yourself with a child. If you jumped out of trees while stoned then your bones are probably going to ache.
I think you get my point.You do stupid things, there is a price to pay.

G-D gives us some sound advice from Jeremiah, kind of wish that I had heard this and had listened when I was younger, might have saved me and a few others from some trouble. Jer. 6:16
This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
If you think about this a bit you will see how it applies. Simply put; If in our youth we had stopped long enough to ask, we might have found the best path to follow, that of course being G-D's ways, the "ancient paths". Might have saved a bone ache or two...OK so maybe not, stoned or not I would have tried it.


So do we pay a price for our own stupidity? Yes. But there is still G-D's ancient path waiting on us; Care to take a walk ?

Shalom,
Ignacio