What Have You Taken Advantage Of Lately?

I have been blessed immensely with a family that has been by my side throughout every obstacle in my life. A group of hospice doctors and nurses who truly care about me, and don't treat me like a patient. Pastors who I trust that I can come to about anything. All this thanks to an amazing God putting awesome people in my life.

Do I have regrets? Absolutely. With Muscular Dystrophy, my muscles deteriorate over time. So one by one, I lose the ability to do certain activities. I had opportunities in high school to be more involved, to pursue certain girls I had crushes on. But I was too shy, when I had no reason to be.

I'm here telling you about my situation, not seeking sympathy, but begging you not to take advantage of what or who is in your life. Life is a very fragile thing and not a soul knows when our time is up. I'm not saying run out on impulse and do every crazy thing you always wanted to do. I'm talking about not procrastinating until it's too late. Is there a certain activity you always wanted to do, but keep using the famous words, "I'll do it next year?" Take a man day (or girl day) and just do it. That family vacation you and your family always wanted to take? Start planning and go. Even take your wife or girlfriend out on a romantic evening. Or, for no money at all and huge personal gain, accept Jesus Christ into your life.

Money is not always a good thing. It puts us in chains. "Can I buy this?" "If I buy that, can I still buy that power saw?" There is nothing wrong with fiscal responsibility, in fact it's a good thing. But we can't let it consume us.

God will provide. Having faith in Jesus Christ goes a long way in bettering our lives, sometimes in ways we don't even notice. Do not worry, because He WILL provide. You know, before I was saved, I always thought, "Well, I have time, I don't have to now." I see and hear that way of thinking everywhere. My friends, my family, this country. Like I said above, life is fragile. No one knows when our time is up. I just don't know why anyone would want to take that risk.

Being a Christian doesn't take away happiness, in fact it does the opposite. We aren't brainwashed cultists who can't think for ourselves. God gives everyone free will. We decided to follow Him, just like others decided not to. We still joke around with friends and have a good time. Rebel against our parents. Make mistakes. We are not so different from unbelievers, we just love Jesus, go to church, and have a good time the clean way.

This is Stephen and all I ask is for you to consider my words. Thank you.

America the Beautiful, Do Not Give Up on Her

I had a rude awakening the other day. I realized I was guilty of the very thing I tell others not to do - give up. Specifically on America. I have become too cynical, and that is something we can not be if we want to restore what made this country great. I have been watching Obama and his criminal administration, and I don't think this upcoming election stands any chance of being fair. My mind just shut out any possibility of the United States of America surviving.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We CAN NOT give up. We MUST speak out. We must take it upon ourselves to fix the problems facing this country. Our founding fathers never visioned an out of control government such as we have now. It was never the government's job to take care of the poor. It was OUR job. Christians, Good Samaritans, citizens with giving in their hearts.

We spend so much time complaining about the gigantic federal government, out of control spending and corruption, sending facebook notes and emails in outrage about what Obama has done and is doing. That is all well and good, sharing news that the mainstream media won't tell us. But it's time for less complaining, and more doing. Think about this. If 25 people took their day off and went into their communities, offering their skills to those in need for 6 hours, that would be 150 man hours. If we tapped into that kind of charitable giving, not just for one odd day, but spend a few hours regularly every week, just imagine what we could accomplish nationwide! And when the federal government comes knocking, waving checks they think will magically fix everything, we can tell them, "Thanks, but no thanks. We have everything under control. You can go now." Obviously we are a long way from that, but we can start.

I can not stress how important this next paragraph is. We need to pray. All of us. God listens to prayer and always answers. Maybe not how we expect, but his answers are always what we need, even if we can't see it yet. God has been absent from our country for a long while. We need to invite Him back. We need to witness to our fellow citizens. Not so much in teaching scripture, but more in leading by example. If they want to call us hypocrites, bigots, haters, etc, we will show patience and lead our lives in ways they can not call us those things without looking like fools.

Jesus did teach us to turn the other cheek, but I have to believe he would also want us to protect ourselves too. The founding fathers knew this by writing the Second Amendment into the Bill of Rights. With the citizen population armed, the government can not enslave us. That is why we MUST be diligent and keep the government from further taking away our rights to gun ownership. It is also a proven fact that cities with tight gun control laws have more violent gun crimes than cities without these laws.

You may not like guns or want them in your home, but I am a firm believer that everyone should at least be taught how to safely operate one. If I had a family, I would make sure my wife and kids, if they were old enough, knew proper gun safety. Unfortunately, In these times, there may come a time (God help us) when that skill is needed.

Above all, we need to send prayers to the Lord. Pray for our country, that our American exceptionalism of years past will return. Pray for the safety of our families. Pray for wisdom to plant seeds in the lives of those we know who need Jesus in their hearts. Pray for the sinners in our society, that their hearts will go out to Jesus, who will wash away their sins.

There is NOTHING that God can not accomplish. Let us all be prayer warriors in this fight to save our beloved United States of America from those who seek to "fundamentally change" her. America is not beyond saving if we trust in the Lord and have faith He will hear our plea.

Yom Ha'atzmaut

(I'm a couple days late with this message, but it means all the same.)

Yom Ha'atzmaut, or in English, Happy Independence Day to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel. On May 14th 1948, Israel was established as a nation and recognized by the UN. David Ben-Gurion was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence and became Israel's first Prime Minister.

The picture above shows Israeli Air Force jets flying over the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The image was taken nine years ago and symbolizes God's hand in transforming a helpless people, who were all but exterminated, into a nation that can defend themselves. Being a nation the size of New Jersey surrounded on all sides by much larger hostile nations, Israel is well rehearsed in defending themselves every day.

If you told the Nazi SS in control of Auschwitz that the Jews would have their own country in four years and what they would eventually accomplish, they would laugh in your face and probably throw you into the camp. Evil may flourish for a time, but Goodness will always prevail in the end.

I may be talking about Israel, but the fight between good and evil also resides in all of us on a daily basis. We may experience suffering, trouble in our lives when we just can't seem to find the exit sign. Jesus died on that cross on the hill of Calvary for us. When our sins weigh on us, Jesus forgives. When our burdens become too heavy to carry, Jesus lightens the load.

Because the Jews are God's chosen people, we have an obligation to stand up for them. But we also must pray for them. Pray that the Jews find the true identity of their messiah, Jesus Christ.

Put Your Trust In God

Watching the news these days, with all the GOP debate and primary coverage, can be very frustrating. So many are so caught up with beating Obama, they put their weight behind the candidate who they think has the best chance of doing so. I agree that getting Obama out of office is very important, but we also need to make sure we are endorsing candidates on their merit. Their moral integrity, their faith, and their honesty. Not how well career politicians can lie their way into office with empty promises. I will tell you right now that the two at the top right now will not fix this country. They may slow the decline, but they won't stop the decline. It's frustrating to me when the honest candidates with long histories of moral integrity and faith in God are knocked out or swept under the rug. It's like people are so cynical, they believe career politicians are the only candidates that can get elected. But if more people trusted God and had the faith to stand behind an honest Godly candidate, they would get elected and things would begin to change for the better. With a foundation centered around God, this nation could return to it's former Glory.

I believe in prayer and I will pray for our country until my last breath. The problem is we live in a sinful country full of moral decay. We have people that live by their own rules, full of sin without remorse. We also have Christians who go through the motions, but still live in sin. This is why we need to witness and minister to these people every chance we get. I've said this before, we are living a very crucial time and need to spread the word of Jesus Christ. We are living on a teeter totter. At one end is a restored America, and on the other end is a collapsed America. The scary part is that we are teetering towards collapse.

The message we need to send is this. We can not put our trust in the world and our faith in man. Man without God corrupts the world. Those not with God are with Satan, weather they want to believe it or not. And Satan is here to deceive, kill, and destroy. Ask if they really want to put their trust in a world full of turmoil, or accept Jesus and put their trust in Him, someone who loves them unconditionally and will guide them through their troubles. We have to do our best to send this message. If our country collapses anyway despite our work, we have the satisfaction of knowing we did our very best for God and went down swinging.

Never give up. I don't know God's will. But I have the peace of mind knowing Jesus is with me always, and when things get tough, I know he will see me through. My mission in life is to help others see and love Jesus like I do, so they too can feel the peace that I feel every single day.

The Gift of Life

In my last blog entry, I admitted that I have endured dark times throughout my life. My faith in God and Jesus Christ turned most of that darkness into light. There are still moments when I lose hope and wonder what the point is. Why I'm still here? What can I do when the world is ignoring all moral thought? Then God gives me perspective. This light turns on inside my head, my heart, my soul and I just know what I have to do. Either make a choice, speak out about something, or live a certain way to lead by example. I sincerely believe that is God speaking to me.

I live a life where I am literally imprisoned inside my own body. Muscular Dystrophy deteriorates my muscles slowly, making me lose ability after ability. I don't fully know why God let me be born with this disease, but He gives me ways to use it, to gain perspective. I know the value of life, the blessing that it is. Every night I pray to God, thanking Him for each breath of life. I thank Him for blessing my life with my wonderful family, the great friends I have known and those that I still know. I thank Him because He has given me such a great life.

How am I so thankful when I have lived my entire life with a muscle deteriorating disease? Because I know the value of life. It is common for us to not realize the value of something until we lose it. We have all heard stories of people who have held on to life destroying vices until they were faced with losing almost everything, then came back to be amazing human beings. I'm thankful I have Muscular Dystrophy because if I am honest with myself, I know without it, I would not be the person I am today. It took me a long time to accept that.

The main purpose of my blog is to inspire people and bring them closer to God. Because if I can endure this life and still be thankful to God and believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, I hope it tells others they can too. I hope it tells others even though they may be going through a tough time, they can get through it. There is an untapped strength in all of us, there to help us endure anything life throws our way.

I wish with all my being that I could reach the world and help everyone realize what a gift life is, and who gave us that gift. That I could also tell them this: When your having a good time with good friends, take a moment to make them know how much you appreciate them. When you realize you love someone and never want to let them go, look them in the eyes and tell them how much you love them, every single day. If you have a spouse, kiss them the same way you kissed them on your wedding day, every single day. If you have children, take a moment to hold them and tell them that you love them, every single day. Tell the Lord you love Him, every single day. And thank God for every breath of life He grants you.

Stand Up Against Anti-Semitism

It is very frustrating for me to hear all of the anti-Israel anti-Semitism hate going on throughout the world. Because I am someone who can not stand up and do anything about it. All I can do is speak out against this, and like many other writers and bloggers, hope people hear me and seriously consider what I am saying. When anti-Semitism goes ignored, it grows out of control. The Jews and Israel have to put out the wildfire, but they need our help, or it will consume them.

The hate for the Jewish people and anything Israel I see happening in the world today just astounds me. I don't believe many of these people (Activists, Palestinians, and Muslims) even know what they are talking about when it comes to Israel. Most, if not all of the hateful rhetoric they speak of are total lies. These lies have been repeated and exaggerated so many times, a lot of people are believing them without question. Palestinian children are taught lies and misinformation in attempts to rally them against Jews and Israel. I can not tell you how frustrated that makes me, because I am someone who has studied the truth and can see through the anti-Semitic propaganda.

I'm going to go through a few things. I hope I can clear things up and set the record straight for those who are reading this and do not know the whole truth.

"The Jews came in and stole the land from the Palestinians who were indigenous to the region."
False. Biblical and Archaeological evidence proves the Jewish people have lived in the region for over 3,000 years. Palestine was a name given to the region by the Roman Empire when they conquered Jerusalem. In the late 1800's, many Jews began to come back to the region, buying and settling the land legally.

"Israel is an apartheid state."
Lie. Apartheid (put simply) is when a minority rules over and oppresses a majority. That is not true in Israel. The Palestinians are governed by the Palestinian Authority, not Israel.

"Israel has committed war crimes and genocide by massacring Palestinians."
Lie. No one can prove this because it never happened. There are no reports of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) gunning down Palestinian civilians in the streets. Anti-Semitic groups charge Israel of genocide at their rallies, yet never give any proof of it ever happening.
In the case of Palestinian terrorists attacking Israel, that makes them enemy combatants. Israel has every right to defend themselves against their enemies.

"Israel is a terrorist state."
Lie. The IDF only target terror cells and military installations. In fact, the IDF has a history of dropping thousands of leaflets, warning civilians to leave the area prior to striking terrorist targets. On the other hand, Palestinian and Hamas terrorists intentionally target Israeli civilians in their attacks.

"Israel wants peace with their neighbors."
True. The Jewish settlers hoped that restoring the barren land would benefit everyone, and that is what they did, drastically improving the standard of living. Then conveniently, the Arabs began starting riots and mob attacks in the 1920's through 1940's, aligning themselves with Adolf Hitler. In the 1960's, Egypt helped form the Palestine Liberation Organization, hence the name Palestinian. For decades, the state of Israel has been offering land in negotiations. Yet they receive rejections and escalating violence.

"Palestinians only want a land to call their own."
False. When the state of Israel was formed in 1948 with the help of the UN, it was to be partitioned with a Jewish portion and an Arab portion. Instead, Arab leaders invaded in an attempt to seize the entire land. If Israel concedes to Palestinian demands, what will stop them from doing the same thing again?

The Palestinian demand for their own state is only a smokescreen for a much larger agenda. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority does not accept Israel's right to exist. Hamas, a terrorist organization, is aligned with the PA and openly calls for the killing of every single Jew. If Israel is forced to go to the borders proposed for the Palestinian state, genocide will become very real.

That is why knowing the truth about this issue is so important. If we do not stand up against anti-Semitism, who will protect the Jewish people from a second holocaust? This is not a theory, this is real. Radical Islam and activists around the world openly call for Israel's destruction. History is literally repeating itself. No one believed Hitler was a threat until it was too late. We must not let that happen again. I am asking all of you to stand up against all forms of anti-Semitism.

Battle of Life vs Death

I haven't told many people this because I don't like talking about it. It was seven years ago, just before my tracheotomy operation, when I was really sick. I didn't have any energy, Everything made me short of breath. Eating, drinking and sleeping. It was terrible and thoughts of suicide did come up. I just wanted everything to end. I wasn't strong with God and I didn't know Jesus. I sure didn't know suicide was a sin. I do not believe I would have been able to do it, but it scares me that I even thought about it. Little did I know what my life would turn out to be. A great life with an inner peace only the Lord can provide.

God created our bodies with a purpose in mind for each and everyone of us. Doing harm to our bodies is a grave insult to Him. God sees all, knows all. Trusting Him to lead us and trusting His son to give us the comfort to get us through is faith. We must hold on to that faith during the bad times and trust we will be led to even greater times. Only God knows how we fit into His grand plan. We do not. When someone decides to destroy their body because they can't see any way out of their situation, they are telling God, "I don't trust you and I don't believe you can help me."

The thing about suicide, they can not ask for forgiveness because they are no longer alive. I see suicide all the time in our culture. So many don't even bat an eye when hearing a report of someone committing suicide. Euthanasia being promoted as a means of "dying with dignity". Hollywood glamorizing suicide, portraying them as finally being at peace and suffering no more. Our culture's view on suicide could not be more wrong. This is very harsh to think about, but they are not at peace and their suffering will become much worse.

God does not wish any to perish, and nor do I. Hell is an awful place, and it physically and emotionally hurts me every time someone has to go to that horrible place. I wish I could lead them all to Jesus and away from Satan's deceit, and I am sure many besides me have that same desire. Unfortunately, it just isn't very realistic.

That is why we have a job to do. To continue spreading the message of Jesus Christ. When you see someone down or overwhelmed, give them a warm smile and offer a helping hand. If you see someone going through a devastating time, no matter the cause, sit down and be there for them. With people in a vulnerable state who can't see a way out, the best thing we can do is make them feel loved. That God, that society, has not given up on them. Pray that they will find a reason to live through our efforts.