+Hope Abounds+

The Wilderness

2022-05-11T00:22:00.002-07:00

The wilderness is hard!

We feel so much pain, completely deserted and feel the full gravity of the battle crushing us. We feel not only the loss, and the void it left, but also feel we are suffocating.

It’s the last place we want to be!

The worst part is, often times, nobody knows it, but the Man in the Wilderness and us.

But to be honest, it’s the rain, mixed with the sun, that allows us to grow and to fully appreciate the Keeper of the Wilderness shows just as much care tending to it as He does His greenest pastures!

It’s in the wilderness, when we feel so alone, so thirsty and hurt so deeply that Jesus meets us there. He is waiting for us— patiently, lovingly, sincerely and eagerly . . . And when He sees us in the distance, He runs as hard as he can to swoop us into His mighty arms, like a child. He hugs us, wipes away our tears, encourages us, gives us His Living Water and tells us He has never left us not even now.

In our darkest, hardest and loneliest moments . . . There is JESUS!

“I’ve been waiting for you! I’m so glad you’re here,” He exclaims with all the tenderness of a loving Father.

We wish we could say the same.

The sweet embrace is everything we hoped it would be. He holds us for what feels like forever, yet really is only a few grains of sand in the hourglass of time.

It’s what Love feels like when it wraps its arms around you.

The pain instantly leaves.

The wound begins its healing.

We can breathe again.

Jehovah Rapha performed the most complex surgery with just one touch.

What brought us into the wilderness is forgotten in that moment.

In the twinkling of an eye, we feel Love in a way we’ve never felt it! We feel completely accepted, validated, supported and unconditionally loved with His cloak of Mercy and Grace wrapped around us.

And we feel, welling up inside us, something we haven’t felt since we entered the wilderness— HOPE!

Hope that things will get better mixed with the Truth, looking into the Keeper of the Wilderness’s eyes; they already are!

Even though, we hate the pain we feel, and that we have to go through it; we’re actually, surprisingly even, glad we’re here!

And it’s in that same place, if we will just be still, that the Creator, who breathed the Universe into being, will teach us. We are both His prized pupil and His beloved child the apple of His eye.

He sits us down and imparts to us all we are willing to learn— the most beautiful, yet often times simple, lessons of life. Out of His lips, they are the most profound and carefully taught lessons with Wisdom only He can breathe— things that can’t be learned in quite the same way in the warmth, and comfort, of the sunshine . . . Only in the seclusion of the wilderness.

It’s in that place, through the noise of the storm, we will hear words that will penetrate our very beings, pierce our hearts and bring nourishment to our souls with the Truth everything will be OK.

“I love you!”

John Mark Brooks

RZN KING

Kissing the Waves

2021-02-27T05:06:00.002-08:00

We humans are funny!

First, we will chase after the wind more than we will chase after the Maker of that wind then blame that very same Maker for not being fulfilled!

Sex, love of money, power, status, alcohol and drugs can only bring temporary happiness, while the destruction they leave in their wake simply isn’t worth it! No matter the addiction, it’s the same monster just wearing a different outfit. I’ve learned the hard way as I’ve put on my tennis shoes and chased the wind with the best of them and still do at times.

If that’s not enough, we rarely kiss the waves. Yet, we won’t hesitate to curse the very waves that throw us on God. We will treat the shore 🌊 as if it’s our only hope . . . Our only refuge. When the truth is where the waves take us is!

On the Rock.

I no longer curse the waves, but praise the Keeper for sending them!

The waves, the furnace, the storms are all meant not to destroy us, but to refine. Akin to God taking off our training wheels on our Bicycle of Faith not hoping we will wreck, but just like our parents cheering us on as we succeed!

It took me 35 years to learn— If He puts me in the furnace, or allows me to be placed in the flames, to embrace the warmth. There are MANY reasons He allows heartbreaks, losses, disappointments and tragedies, but none is greater than whatever the ‘IT’ is to draw us closer to our Savior!

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming I don’t sometimes let my emotions get the best of me and I’m not saying circumstances can’t temporarily cause me to lose focus because, after all, we are only human. But man, I praise the KinG for how much I’ve grown in both areas. I used to FALL APART when a girlfriend broke up with me. Now, I go through pretty serious health issues with a smile, trust and GRATITUDE!

Perspective is EVERYTHING and the biggest thing I’ve learned is it’s all designed to make us stronger, more reliant on His glorious Presence and dependent on Him and Grace and as a tool for growth, maturity and learning contentment in all ways and in all things.

I know the waves are rough and EVERY storm is a brutal place. It feels like it will NEVER stop raining! I know all about crying invisible tears where on the outside you look fine, but inside you’re suffocating! I know what its like to feel hopeLESS. I know what it feels like to not want to go on. I know what it feels like to be drowning and nobody knows it but you. 😢

But the waves are not our enemy, but a friend who carries us down rough roads, so we can land in the only place we are safe— on the Rock!

There is no greater place we can be no matter how big the waves were for us to get there!

+Hope Abounds+

JMB

Psalm 89:9

You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

Open Arms

2020-08-03T20:23:00.002-07:00

In tears thinking about how disobedient I was, and still am, and ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the times I’ve failed Jesus, all the times I’ve brought dishonor to my Father and committed treason against THE KinG— the KinG of the Universe . . . The KinG of KinGs— and how FAI✝️HFUL He is, lovinG He IS and reassurinG he is anyway! In spite of it all! It TRULY blows my mind!!

That’s why I EVERY single day I live from the beautiful intersection of Brokenness and Gratitude, which in light of everything He’s done and does, and just for Who He is, is EASY . . . When considering Who He is and His persistence, encouragement, discipline, love, mercy, grace, peace, JOY, relentlessness and ALL the other side things God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are— It’s the easiest thing EVER to remain humble, broken and grateful.

Because NO matter if I’m on top of the mountain, spiritually, or in the valley . . . The best I can bring is FILTHY rags and while I can’t always guarantee consistency; I can always say I will NEVER come to the Father with empty hands.

He, just by simply being, deserves and demands more!

When I consider Him, ALL His ways, and a Love I continually try to grasp more of . . . I, inevitably, arrive at the same conclusion— I am UNworthy and He is WORTHY and just like any subject and KinG— that’s the way it should be!

The BEAUTIFUL, mind-blowinG thing is this . . . A subject would certainly have to clamor for the king’s attention and would be amazed at any time devoted to him or her . . . Even Cinderella had to mop floors, get a pretty dress and ride in a pumpkin to get to spend any time with the prince.

Then had to try on a glass slipper just to prove she did.

We don’t have to!

We only have to prove He made the right decision in creating us and saving us . . . And you know the unbelievably great news? Even when we don’t, He loves us just the same— with the same intensity and acceptance— as if we did.

Justification means just as if we didn’t! We have been justified by the KinG!

THE KinG— this majestic King— is already fixated on us in ways we simply can’t comprehend. We are the apple of His eye. He thinks we are beautiful! He has chosen us and we can have ALL the time we desire. Every single day.

When I worship, I don’t have my arms outstretched in an effort to draw attention to myself . . . I am only desiring to draw attention to the One, Who gives me LIFE! I am not attempting to appear as one who has it all together . . . Just a grateful ragamuffin of Grace, who is worshiping the One, Who keeps it ALL from falling apart!

In the end, I’m just a GRATEFUL orphan, who, through the cross and a simple request, became a son, stranger, who became a friend and a human being, a jar in the hands of a Potter, who is determined, bound and determined, to make a masterpiece! I am just a man, who is overwhelmed I am able to call God, the Creator of the Universe, my Father . . .

That He fully knows ME— the REAL me— not who I strive to be, not who I am sometimes, not just the me who gets it right . . . But the one with all the warts, the one with ALL my shortcomings, Pride, lustful desires, the one who lies and disappointments, others and himself, the one who if disobedience was measured in drops could fill oceans— yes, He knows me and always has the same response! OPEN ARMS.

✝️ That’s the Gospel ✝️

I get to be part of the KINGDOM . . . That is the greatest marvel of ALL!

+Hope Abounds+

RunninG Out of Time

2020-08-01T21:57:00.006-07:00

Listen to the hidden and we will hear His Voice

The One Who makes us a priority is the One we make a choice

Chaos floats through the air, so I make sure I protect my Peace

For the snake to slither in, he only needs a crease

But he needs not a crease when we’ve opened up windows and doors

Then wondering why we get wet, as the storm rages and the rain pours

And I don’t lessen ANY truth, but compared to the Truth, it’s LESS

IF that offends you can search your heart, I promise you I will not stress

Either God is Who He says He is and things will change when we seek His Face

Or He is not, for He has lied and there is no AmazinG Grace

Many choose to hit a knee during a song, but are we before the Creator

And I simply pose this question, “Which impact would be greater?”

These are just the ramblings of a clear and sober mind

We seek sight in the darkness, while to the Light we remain blind

With each battle we lose, we come closer to eventually losing the war

But my question is, “Who is it you’re really fighting for?”

In the silence, we find our strength for each day the sun will rise

I’m just challenging us to seek Truth when we’re surrounded by the lies

As we wonder how we can heal this great and mighty nation

By turning to the One, Who breaks chains through His perfect orchestration

As you read this, if you don’t agree, you don’t have to pay me any mind

Gabriel readies the trumpet, we are running out of time!

+Hope Abounds+

Less Than

2020-06-30T08:52:00.011-07:00

FeelinG DEFEATED?!?

FeelinG like you just can’t get RIGHT?!?

Feeling like all YOU ever do is screw uP?!?

Are you just simply tired from the fight?

Weary from the waging wars, raging, all around you?

And you feel not good enough? You feel LESS than?

I have news. Not good news, not great news and not even just awesome news. I have the BEST News EVER!

That News is Jesus.

Romans 7:19-25

PauL, and every human being and follower of Jesus Christ, can relate to these feelings! Keep your head uP and read verse 25 over, over and OVER!

“Thanks be to God, Who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!!” 🙏

In verse 24, PauL laments what a WRETCHED man he is . . . Who will rescue me he asks!! The next verse he gives THE Answer. Beautiful and honest. Raw and simple. Powerful beyond measure!

Jesus WILL rescue me . . .

Verse 24 HOPELESSness . . . Verse 25 HOPE!!

Be encouraged! No web is TOO biG! No mistake is TOO final. No screw-up, or sin, TOO much to overcome!

The One, who is GREATER than ALL came to die for all the LESS thans!! Our decisions, poor choices, people, disobedience and our imperfect nature will all make us feel LESS THAN, but He is the God of the . . .

NOT QUITES

CAN’T GET RIGHTS

MISFITS

OUTCASTS

ORPHANS

And LESS THANS . . .

For that we should REJOICE!

Jesus, help me to seek You more than LESSER things and ALL of LIFE is exactly that— lesser things. PhiL. 3:8-9.

+Hope Abounds+

JMB

A Broken Dream

2020-06-18T00:11:00.036-07:00

Dear America:

On behalf of the white people, allow me to say to my black brothers and sisters, I SEE you, I HEAR you, I mourn with you, I pray for you. I walk alongside you and my heart goes out to you. This can be, if ALL/both sides choose it . . . A WATERSHED moment of UNITY and we can come out of this stronger and better than ever as individuals, disciples of Jesus and relations between our two races! I believe in US— A BROKEN dream is not a LOST dream 🤝😢🤬😡✝️😀💪🏼🇺🇸

As many of you are probably, I am . . . Exhausted, heavy-hearted, frustrated, disappointed, sad, all of the above.

My world view has always been ‘woke.’ It’s just who I am and how I was raised. I’ve been the one white kid on a school bus many times, in elementary school, going to Oaklawn, went to school from Kindergarten through college with you, sat beside you, broke bread with you, hung out with you at my house, endured the blood, sweat and tears of playing sports as a kid through high school with y’all. I’ve watched the Black injustice films over the years . . . MANY Black films to shed Light on injustices and systemic issues.

I applaud and appreciate the Grey Challenge www.thegreychallenge.com, led by my brother Memphis Grizzlies, philanthropist and business man Anthony Tolliver, but my whole life has been a Gray Challenge. How do I navigate being white, while also seeing although it’s our part of our nation’s mantra— liberty and justice for all— that still hasn’t been achieved?

I remember in 7th grade watching a film of the apartheid taking place in South Africa and knowing, in my heart and in my mind, it was indisputably WRONG! I remember reading and seeing the “hard to look at” pictures— the sit-ins, rallies, riots, the fire hoses used to spray people just because they had darker skin and the night clubs used to beat them. I remember seeing the signs above water fountains colored people drink here and white people drink there. Just like the schools themselves. From slavery to Jim Crow, all of it broke my heart, made me mad and I believe had I lived in the days of segregation, I would’ve been on the right side of it— the right side of history. I believe I would’ve been arrested for being part of the sit-in at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, been called despicable names and probably been beaten myself.

The powerful speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. resonated in my spirit! He had a hope and a dream, just like Jesus, that we would all walk in UNITY and while there have been strides made in some ways, the DREAM and PRAYER, uttered by Yeshua/Jesus in John 17:20-26, sadly remain unrealized and unanswered.

Any white person, who feels our government and certain systems, have not only been terribly unfair, but cruel, to people of color, I simply think you have your head in the sand or even worse not being honest.

From the horrors of slavery to the Trail of Tears and the entire annihilation of a whole race in the Native Americans, forcing them off their land then having the audacity to think they should be applauded for giving them reservations . . . The powers that be always have treated people of color as LESS THAN.

That is NOT right!

Our Government fashioned over 500 treaties with Native Americans and do you know how many it kept its word on? Exactly NONE of them!! That sickens me . . . From shackles, to rape, to murder to where we are now— changes need to take place.

I do believe racial profiling happens and it’s not right. I also feel a person’s decisions are vital in this fight for a better tomorrow for us and for the generations to come. Racism, toward any race, is WRONG and spits in the face of the God, Who created us! But one thing, which must change, is calling when we, respectfully, disagree racism. That does nothing but trivialize when racism, in all its vileness, actually happens because we are so desensitized to hearing the word. While we should, if we choose not to CELEBRATE our differences . . . At the very least, we should TOLERATE them.

I remember when I was little, my Mom telling me to do unto others as you would have them do unto you and to love everybody— that we are ALL made in God’s Image (red, n yellow, black and white— they’re are “ALL” precious in His sight Jesus loves the little children of the world), so I’m in a weird place with ALL this. We are to LOVE our neighbor and, news flash, our neighbor will not always look like us!

I am not saying this to look good, but I have always seen Black people, heard them, walked with them and when I’ve seen wrong, spoken out about it . . . In other words, it DID NOT take a tragedy/tragedies for me to do that.

I’m hurting, like all of us, are, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I feel like I’m hearing “white people” as in ALL not SOME or even many need to _______ . . . When many of us have already done said-suggested actions or always have lived their lives with our eyes wide-opened. So, that’s frustrating too!!

Nobody likes being painted with a BROAD brush— no race and no person! I believe there are many white people, who have always ‘gotten it.’

There were, and are, good white people, like President Abraham Lincoln, who penned the Emancipation Proclamation, to abolitionists Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Seward, John Quincy Adams, William Lloyd Garrison, Henry David Thoreau, Benjamin Rush, Lucretia Mott, James Garfield, Franklin Pearce and many others . . .

On behalf of those— I can say we do NOT like being grouped in with the close-minded, prejudice and unsympathetic! I stand on the side of RIGHT, knowing what’s wrong, and I refuse to let somebody dictate my beliefs, tell me what my stance should be and guilt me into believing, or feeling, anything.

Let’s believe, and walk in, our own truth, which should be Truth itself vs. playing the part in somebody else’s narrative— a narrative of DIVISION!

I will NOT walk in white guilt, while I acknowledge as a white man . . . I do have the benefit of the doubt, or privilege, as most call it. Every race, and person, should be proud of who God made them and every person, and race, has imperfections, flaws and sins of the past and present. Unfortunately, there is much blood on all our hands.

I’ve, largely, disconnected from Twitter and Facebook, because the constant consumption and continual commentary of what’s going on. I encourage you to do the same. Your mind, heart and spirit will appreciate the rest. When we are STILL, we give ourselves a momentary reprieve of the fierce storms we continually subject ourselves to on social media. Everybody’s opinions, feelings and soap boxes, are simply too draining— spiritually, mentally and emotionally!

It will pierce and break our spirits, while weighing us like a two-ton elephant, which is ironic because it has become the elephant in America’s living room. Over the last three weeks, when I have logged into social media, I’ve just sat back, haven’t said much and observed. If the s*#-show I’ve witnessed is any indication of fertilizer; I believe we can grow something beautiful!

I see people who can’t even applaud peaceful protests, but have no problem pointing out just how terrible, and evil, the rioting and looting are! I read, and hear Black Lives Matter, which they do, followed by Blue Lives Matter, which they do, and it leaves me exhausted. I see the arguments, including out of all things what color Jesus was. Jesus was white, Jesus was black and guess what? Both are WRONG! Jesus did NOT have pale skin and blue eyes and He was not black. He was a Middle-Eastern man from Nazareth, Israel with brown skin.

I see SO many celebrities, companies, movies and things getting canceled when what I wish was canceled is the notion we are on different teams!

Most arguments lead to more division, while listening, and understanding, lead to compromise, forgiveness and reconciliation.

I’m an empath, so I feel strongly and deeply, but we don’t have to be an empath to simply be empathetic and as I survey the broken state of today . . . I don’t see much of that or the greatest tenet we were given— not just as believers but as human beings — to LOVE! We may not understand, but we can still CARE.

I see people, on all sides, being offended except for what we should be offended by the most . . . That we don’t have UNITY! I used to believe we are better than this, but we can not BE better until we DO better! As Christians, we must start fighting the ENEMY Satan instead of fighting each other! As people, we must put down our pitchforks and torches and exchange them for hearing aids and muzzles.

If I’ve learned ANYTHING over the past 3 weeks, it’s this— two things can be TRUE, and just as valid, at the same time. Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter!

But two other things are also true— we can admit we have made strides of improvement over the past 50 years, while acknowledging, to quote Robert Frost, we have miles to go before we sleep! I wish we would focus on what lies ahead instead of what’s in our rearview mirror because as long as we stay fixated on our past, we will continue to crash our car— both in the present and ruining any hope for the future!

From Jackie Robinson, George Taliaferro, Earl Lloyd to black athletes in every sport excelling and embraced. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Tiger Woods and so many who have used the sacrifices made by their ancestors to truly achieve greatness. From black movies to feature roles for black actors in Hollywood, like the Black Panther. From Stepin Fetchit, Lincoln Perry, Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier to Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan. From George W. Johnson, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Charley Pride to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Usher, Darius Rucker, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Tupac and Biggie. From George Washington Carver and Garrett Morgan to the creatives of present day, the black community is well-represented in all genres— in film and television, on the airwaves, and on courts and fields.

From black people being teachers, lawyers, doctors, policemen, soldiers, media personalities to having the first black president in Barack Obama . . . we have made a ton of progress in our great land America.

A HORRIFIC past does not dictate a TERRIBLE future unless we let it by refusing to LEARN from our PAST mistakes and atrocities.

Black Lives Matter . . . Retired police chief, of 38 years, 77-year-old David Dorn, who was killed in St. Louis defending his good friend’s pawn shop— his life mattered! He was a HERO!

All the countless young black men killed in Chiraq AKA Chicago in the thousands of murders in the Windy City— they matter! Since New Year’s day in 2010, there have been 12,000 shootings, with 14,000 people struck and over 2,000 killed in Chicago alone. Chance cares . . . Does anybody else?!?

And finally, the millions of black lives, promising futures, beautiful potentials and amazing successes lost to abortion . . . Their lives matter too! Planned Parenthood, championed in some circles, was started by an evil white woman Margaret Sanger, who wanted to destroy the black community as she took a page out of Adolph Hitler’s book in pursuit of a ‘perfect race!’ What’s its impact now? They KILL 247 black babies EVERY DAY! Since Roe v. Wade, the benchmark Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in 1973, abortion has been responsible for killing an estimated 20 MILLION black babies. To put that number into perspective, that’s more than the whole black population of 1960! Even though they comprise 13% of the population, the black babies are murdered at a 36% clip in terms of the abortions in our country. Damn it, their lives mattered! But NOBODY wants to talk about that! I wish the black community would demand Planned Parenthood clinics, located in, or within foot, in 79% of black and Latina communities would demand for their doors to close!

Heavy-hearted but HOPEful

While the current state of our country, and race relations, leave me heavy-hearted . . . I am HOPEFUL because I KNOW Jesus loves BROKEN— He has a compulsion of HEALING, redeeming, restoring and reconciling people who are broken!

The blood, which flowed down from Calvary, can cover ANY sin! It covers racism. It covers hate. It covers any vile, heinous, despicable act that ever happens in this fallen world. It covers prejudices. The blood of Jesus makes me HOPEFUL! The blood sent a very simple, resolute, message throughout the history of time— NOTHING, not even this, is TOO big for God! At the foot of the cross, we are ALL loved. We are all equal and we all have HOPE! No matter how much blood is on our hands, His blood washes us clean!

It’s that blood I pray will flood this great nation of ours. I pray we will all start seeing each other as children of God, made in His image, for such a time as this.

I am HOPEful because there is no such thing as hopeless when we start viewing this world through the only lens that matters— LOVE! I am HOPEful because there is NO such thing as hopeLESS when it comes to God! I am HOPEful because if we can tap into our vulnerability, humanity and the deep resolve of the human spirit, we can chart a course for a not only a better future but a restored TODAY— one in which we are stronger, better, kinder and TOGETHER!

I am HOPEful because as long as we can have the difficult conversations, continue praying, growing in humility, sympathy and understanding; I believe this complicated and DIFFICULT journey can lead to a BEAUTIFUL destination!

I Will NOT be Silent

2020-05-06T22:37:00.002-07:00

This 💩 certainly looks like premeditated, and definitely was murder, to me. Certain cases, the silence can be deafening— and I refuse to be silent!

Why? Because if the McMichaels would’ve stayed home instead of treating their neighborhood like the Wild West, taking justice into their own hands like a vigilante, Ahmaud Arbery would still be alive. What would you do if a truck pulled up, and the two occupants had weapons, and said they wanted to ‘talk?’ I believe he fought because he feared for his life— fight or flight— and tragically, the very thing he fought for . . . He lost.

All because he matched the description of a home invader? It’s unbelievable. Even IF he was the one who was breaking into homes. . . You can’t load up, both in the truck and your guns, pursue a faceless culprit, then claim self-defense!

This may be clumsy, but my heart hurts, I’m mad, sad and I have great compassion for my brothers and sisters, who happen to have been born black. After all, we are all Imago Dei (Made in God’s Image) and none of us get to choose what race we will be. Black lives, white lives, brown lives are equal in the eyes of the Creator!

I love y’all and when any of you hurt, I hurt.

While it’s true, none of us get to choose our race, we do get to choose whether we stand up for what’s right and just— especially as believers. I stand, with understanding, for compassion and want justice!

I, simply, want to say it’s incomprehensibly ridiculous this happened in February and they haven’t been arrested and it’s May 6th! I watched the video and it was heart-breaking, sickening and, once again, disappointing. We are BETTER than this as a people and better than this as Americans.

At NO point, unless our lives are threatened, should we take the law into our own hands. Nothing but bad things happen when anyone does. This was hard to watch, and read about, but the whole purpose of this was simply addressing the elephant 🐘 in the room before it becomes one, being proactive in heading off the devil before he can try to divide us . . . as Americans and in the body of Christ.

And while that’s important, I simply want to say I stand in solidarity and march alongside you in this hurt. Your crying does not land on deaf ears and your mourning moves my spirit. May God give us His Grace, Strength and endurance to deal with it. I think of Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Freddie Scott, Adadou Diallo, Eric Garner and Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams (policemen shot 140 rounds into their vehicle), etc. the heart-breaking reality is, it could be the kids of some of my best friends.

Young black males are profiled, harassed and often times treated less than. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. Not every incident is racism, but what can’t be overlooked is in many cases, there is no legal accountability or justice. Administrative leave, or even being fired, is not in proportion to a life lost.

I do not pander to the black race, or any other race, and I am not a race-apologist, I’m proud to be white, just like every race should be proud of their own culture, race and heritage, but we must never be so proud of our race that we ignore grave injustices, turn our eye to bigotry and racism and not express our compassion to people of another race. When one hurts, we ALL should hurt! When one is wronged, we ALL are!

Black lives MATTER! ALL lives MATTER . . . Their’s NO less than mine!

Sadly, since we live in this time— I am not chasing CLOUT . . . I am chasing COMPASSION! Not just for black people, for ALL people. Compassion for orphans, compassion for those enslaved, for those being sex-trafficked, compassion for widows and widowers, compassion for those who have lost their businesses, or are struggling, wondering how they’re gonna go make their money stretch to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads during this Coronavirus pandemic and compassion for the homeless. Compassion for the voiceless, compassion for those marginalized and compassion for the voiceless! Compassion for situations, and people, who demand it. Because guess what? ALL are deserving of compassion!

Just like with any of us, being white, black, brown etc. doesn’t make us WHO we are . . . We are so much more than the pigment of our skin! We are ALL masterpieces and God created us to be a BEAUTIFUL mosaic not pictures of hatred and division! Damn that notion and attack from the enemy!

So, this was just my feeble attempt at saying my heart goes out to you and even though I can’t wave a magic wand and make it all better, or rectify the situation, I simply wanted to say my heart goes out to you and like the song goes . . . You’ve got a friend in me!

On this National Day of Prayer, we should examine our own hearts about how we approach events that may not affect us directly and the ones that do . . . We should pray. asking God for justice, asking His Son’s blood to cover our racial division and asking Him to turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26.)

#AhmaudArbery

Please look at attached picture. It’s a shirt I bought a few years ago, which is sadly fitting in this instance.

+Hope Abounds+

JMB

Unto Your Glory

2020-05-01T00:37:00.000-07:00

I ain’t cleaned up sittin on the mountain peak 🏔/Ye though I walk 🚶‍♀️ through the Valley of Imperfection listening to the Lord speaK 🗣

And I ain’t tryin to sound HOLY like an acapella of AmazinG Grace 🎼/I’m just a SAVED fella who has seen Jesus Face! 🕊

I’m running my race 🏁 not a sprint more like a lifelong marathon/would rather walk in Your footsteps 👣 that’s the stuff I’m on

Like DMX I’m slipping n I’m falling but I don’t stay down/Smile painted on my face like The Joker 🃏 used to be a frown 😢

N I’m on a mission n it ain’t about RTs n likes/It’s to tell of the AWESOME Love I found in the arms 💪🏼 of Chris✝️ 🕊

More or less, It’s a ✍️ of MORE and LESS . . .

MORE about progress LESS about perfection/LESS about my failures n MORE about Your RESURRECTION! 🤷🏼‍♂️

I find His Protection safely under His swings
His Love better than Life, so my soul sings

I’m learning how to be a prince and no longer a pauper
And I’m praising the One who forgives me Time ⏰ after Time 🕰 like Cyndi Lauper

I know I don’t deserve it, I’m under no illusion
Just so you know, I’m a redeemed sinner so there is no confusion

I’ll never understand why He saw it fit to save me
I never look in the mirror and say, “Brave me!”
I simply fall to my knees and raise my hands 🙌🏼 in praise
I’ve ignored Your decrees Ancient of Days

With Sword 🗡 in my hand, I’ve covered by Your shield 🛡
And only unto Your Glory may my Spirit yield.

+Hope Abounds+
JMB

Stripped Away

2020-04-26T00:08:00.001-07:00

Sometimes God will let our hearts get shattered so we can grow

Mines been broken and tattered, but it’s not cold like the snow

I’ve learned compassion through all of the hurt

A sample of the passion being drug through the dirt

Without the valley, I’d never know the beauty of the peak

In the wilderness, we learn to be quiet and listen to You speak

When it’s all stripped away, we hone in on that one single sound

And without any delay, we learn it’s OK to drown

Drown in Your Love not in the pain or being broken

How could we doubt the One Whose words are the sweetest we’ve ever heard spoken?

I would love nothing more than to say it’s really that simple

I’ve heard Your voice at home, felt You move in the temple

But that doesn’t stop this fickle heart from claiming it knows best

When things go wrong, it’s easy to forget how we’re blessed!

At the end of the day, I’m just an imperfect man

Who finds it easy to sway and stray from Your plan

So, here I am down on my knees crying out for help

Thankful Your Grace isn’t just out of reach like the top shelf

Mercies are new and the greatest Love I’ve ever known

Yet, somehow I’m rewarded for every good seed I’ve sown

I know I don’t deserve it, I’m just a broken jar of clay

And no matter how many times I fall, I will praise You the rest of my days!

+Hope Abounds+

JMB

The Weeping Willow

2020-04-19T23:50:00.003-07:00

The Weeping Willow

Heart hurts, invisible tears on my pillow

Flowers bloom right next to the weeping willow

Losses chip away at me like I’m made of granite

So many regrets, wish i could do it all over again— damn it

But don’t misunderstand it, the whole play wasn’t bad

Just certain acts hurt, the regret makes me mad

Why couldn’t see what I so clearly see now?

Wish I tended to the garden, now all I can do is plow

I’ve screwed up more times than my name got written on the board

But my name is on the hand of the Most High Lord

I’m His affection the apple of His eye

Like a balloon that inflates me when I find it hard to get by!

Sigh . . . Life is a roller coaster full of twists and how it can suddenly turn

How do You make beauty from ashes when all I do is burn?

Say, “I’m fine” with a smile on my face

Sometimes I wish life was softer like lace

But GRACE means regardless of how much I’ve failed and tried

His song over me is Truth no matter how much life lied!

Whispers pierce my heart like nails through His wrists

Try to hold onto life as it slips away like a midst.

+Hope Abounds+ JMB ✍️

+ Part of being an artist, a creator, is to express emotions you’ve felt, or maybe people close to you are feeling, even if you’re not feeling them when you write it . . . So, please don’t ask me if I’m fine.

Where is God?!?

2020-04-11T11:44:00.003-07:00

Are you WAITING? Does your life, or maybe just an area or two, feel like one gigantic holding pattern? ✈️

Are you FRUSTRATED? Are you SAD? Are you DISCOURAGED? Do you feel like what’s the point? Is the thing you’ve prayed about never seeming to come to pass? Do your invisible tears soak your pillow, while your shiny smile says you’re fine?

BE ENCOURAGED! That’s what today is ALL ABOUT!! The Messiah’s body is in the tomb, His followers scattered and in mourning, as the devil and all of hell rejoices! God seems to be ABSENT.

There are times when we feel like God has forgotten us like we’ve somehow slipped through the cracks of His Sovereign hand. That would be HARD to deal with if it was just us, in a vacuum, but when you’re constantly surrounded by people who have what you desire . . . Man, it can be TOUGH! But like Catherine Mullins said, “Do we want the DREAM or King more?

The litmus text of GRATITUDE is being CONTENT with what you have where you are and genuinely rejoicing for others who pass you in line.

But, remember the teacher is ALWAYS silent during the test. He/she wants to see what his beloved pupils, and prized students, have learned. I believe God is the same way! He wants to see not only what we’ve learned, but more importantly how much we TRUST . . . not just His plans but how much we trust Him!

So, MMOG Mighty Man of God/Grace

DOGG Daughter of God/Grace . . .

Know this— the Creator of the Universe is working on YOUR behalf! In the waiting, in the darkness, when it seems He is nowhere to be found— He is working ALL things together for Your GOOD and His Glory! 🙏🤷🏼‍♂️

It’s like when we go see a play, maybe when we were children on a field-trip or as adults . . .

Something TRULY magical happens— in between scenes and acts . . . The production crew is working frantically behind the scenes!

God is TOO!! And just like when the new scene starts, the work is completed and the result is BEAUTIFUL . . . He is faithful, and just, in our lives no matter what as well and the result will be BEAUTIFUL! We won’t be able to believe our eyes! God don’t make JUNK.

When the enemy whispers lies, saying God has forgotten us . . We can REST in His Promises!! Like Spurgeon said, “All of God’s promises are ours if we just REST in/on them and believe.”

The silence can be the Great Revelator and Reminder or the Ultimate Liar. The choice, my friends, is ours!

I have no wife, no kids, no career . . . yet, I ALREADY have EVERYTHING I’ve ever wanted and NEVER DESERVED—

JESUS . . .

I know the Lord is faithful, so I will continue to praise Him in the hallway— not so He will open the door, but because He is WORTHY!!

In the furnace . . . I will worship!

From the bottom of the pit . . . I will praise!

When the Red Sea doesn’t split and I am captured by the army . . . I will glorify His Name!!

When He doesn’t shut the mouth of the lions 🦁 and they devour me . . . With my last breath I will say, “Thank You!”

I believe, no I know, ALL my biggest dreams, and deepest desires of my heart, will come to pass— He told me they will!

But in the meantime, I know what Jesus lived, and was reminded of in the Garden of Gethsemane, that our Father is FAITHFUL . . .

He is LOVING . . .

And He can be TRUSTED . . .

Even in the SILENCE!

+So, hold on friends— Just a little bit longer! Let the people who love you, love you and go to the table where Love is being served and you are excitedly-welcomed instead of the table where you beg for acceptance and to be tolerated.

Your life will be SO much FULLER if you do!

Grace and Peace ✌️
#SilentSaturday

+Hope Abounds+
JM

Easter IS

2020-04-04T12:25:00.002-07:00

Easter is everlasting VICTORY!!Death snatched out of the hands of a DEFEATED enemy!|Unbreakable HOPE renewed|The Dunamis Power of Heaven displayed|INDESCRIBABLE Beauty from tragic ashes|Love keeping His PROMISE|Undeserved redemption|unworthy PARDONUnfathomable FREEDOM in exchange for chains|God stepping into the impossible and making it reality|The Temple rebuilt in all its GLORY|A Prophecy fulfilled|Not the establishment of God’s LOVE, but a beautiful continuation of it|the exclamation point on a PERFECT life lived|a layover on the way back to Heaven and a comma saying our KING Jesus our Champion will one day come again!!

+Hope Abounds+

John Mark Brooks

The Prodigal Returns

2020-03-31T11:43:00.002-07:00

Sitting here in tears. Regarding the Prodigal Son

“There was a time when I didn’t know if the Father would EVER want me back!!”

Mike Devine

I won’t showcase my talent of writing by adding onto that except to say for ANYBODY who feels this way— it’s a LIE straight from hell.

God is head-over-heels, has your picture In His wallet, you as the wallpaper on His phone, pictures you drew on His fridge, no matter how bad they are, doodling YOUR name on His cosmic notebook, texting you ALL the time, can’t wait to see you at lunch, or catch a glimpse of you between third and fourth period, hold your hand at the movies, IN LOVE with YOU! That’s the case . . . No matter what you’ve done, no matter who you’ve been and no matter what you STILL struggle with! The cross didn’t establish God’s Love; it simply, and BEAUTIFULLY continued it . . . FOREVER!

+HOPE ABOUNDS+
John Mark Brooks
@JMBrooks17

The devil doesn’t want you back Home with the Father because he knows what WHO He is, what He gives us, that his candy can NEVER bring lasting fulfillment and that we will never want to leave the Father again!

The Father, MEANWHILE, RUNS to US! We don’t have to run to the Father (although I love the song) as much as He runs to us! The Bible says when the father saw the son, IN THE DISTANCE, He ran to Him was FILLED with Compassion and kissed him! Got the robe, brought the ring and killed a calf— it was time to CELEBRATE the son was Home!

Luke 15:11-32.

It didn’t matter where he had been.

+Hope Abounds+ JM

Entering the Throne Room

2020-03-31T11:41:00.004-07:00

There is GREAT BEAUTY that happens in the midst of brokenness, great bravery when we dare to be vulnerable— in front of God and in front of each other— His Presence surrounds us, His humility and gratitude envelop us and His Nature goes with us when we seek His Face! His Love fills us like an endless Well of Living Water when we— like Mary— pour out our Love and Adoration on Him in all our IMperfect frailty and humanity!

Those who enter the Throne Room, with empty hands, not wanting blessings but to use those empty hands to continually cast their crowns before the King are the ones He blesses with His favor, anointing and charisma and those who enter the Throne Room come to dive in the Ocean and swim to the place where deep cries out to deep . . . They know His blessings— spiritual, family, financial, power, status, respect etc. are NOTHING more than mud puddles compared to Him— the One Who sits on the throne— an endless, beautiful, beautiful Ocean 🌊. . . One we have unlimited access to!

So, would we truly be foolish enough to desire mud puddles when an Ocean of Living Water awaits?!? I should think NOT!! Yet, as fools . . . We still do!

In these uncertain days, let us seek the OCEAN, Who satisfies FOREVER, gives us PURPOSE and FULFILLMENT instead of mud puddles, which will only bring temporary happiness, satisfy us but for a moment and, like a bucket with a hole in it, will only stay full for just as long as the pour lasts 🙏🙌🏼👑

+Hope Abounds+ JMB

NOW is the Time

2020-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

I was writing to my friend Valerie and God just poured this message into me— I wrote it in 10 minutes. Wow!!

Over the past 5 years, I’ve had so many vivid, hopeful, powerful visions of Jesus coming back— I saw Him riding on the clouds (just like the song says) and I heard the trumpet and felt ALL the emotions of that unbelievably AWESOME moment!!

Time is getting short! We must NO longer tarry!!

We must be WHO God made us and who He called us to be regardless of our current thorns in our sides or struggles . . . We must not delay! Our IMperfections must NO longer weigh us down like an albatross! We must do TODAY— in this moment because this moment may be ALL we have!

More so, it may be someone’s (who is lost) last moment! So, the questions are— do we love them? Do we want them to have what we have? Do we care about their souls?!?

Do we care where they will spend ETERNITY?!?

If so, we just go FORTH as mighty soldiers for the Kingdom in our beaten-up, Raggedy-Ann doll-like armor no matter how ill-equipped, unworthy, scared or insufficent we feel!

We have the flaming Sword 🗡 of the Word of God in our right hands! We have the shield 🛡 of fai✝️h in our left and does not the Lord God Almighty— the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega— go before us into battle?!? Has He not trained our hands for war and our fingers for battle?!?

Is He not WORTHY of our love? Does He not deserve to be shared with as many hearts as possible? We certainly do not determine whose soil is fertile!! The Farmer does. We are the workers!

If not us . . . Who?!?

If not now . . . When?!?

Do we not care about their souls?

NO more EXCUSES!!!! NOW is the time MIGHTY soldier! Did not God find Gideon hiding behind a rock, paralyzed by fear with cowardice draped over him like a cloak, and STILL called him a MIGHTY warrior?!?

It’s because God sees something in each ONE of us we don’t! It’s also because He sees Himself the Holy Spirit living inside us Who can do ALL things!

If we don’t share, and give them Christ Jesus . . . They will settle for a CHEAP, FALSE substitute— just like we have the tendency to do! We weren’t made for COUNTERFEIT! We were made by REAL for REAL. If this time in our lives tells us NOTHING else, or does nothing else, it’s this—

Now is the TIME! We are being called forth! We just MARCH.

We must go forth— NOW— and share Jesus! The ONLY Hope for the hopeless!! The One Who makes BEAUTY from ASHES! The One who steps into the IMpossible and makes it a REALITY! The mountain-Mover, sea-Splitter, the One Who shuts the mouths of lions, cares enough to step into the furnace with us and the One Who gives us the COURAGE to slay any GIANT bold enough, foolish enough, to dare step in front of us! The One who LOVES us enough to HEAL us 🙏🙌🏼👑✝️

Jesus our King and Champion!

+Hope Abounds+ JM

In Vestigia Christi In the Steps of Christ Part I

2020-03-31T00:44:00.006-07:00

Everyone has a Bucket List.

All my life there has been one place I wanted to go before I died—the Holy Land.

I wanted to walk were Jesus walked.

And in the middle of February, 15, mostly, strangers, or at best acquaintances, set out to do just that—walk in the steps of Christ.

For every Christian, there is one place that’s on their Bucket List—Israel . . . to walk and talk where Jesus did. Seeing where He was born, the places He learned, He taught, preached sermons and performed miracles is an intimate encounter with the Son of the Living God-- Jesus. It is a life-changing experience. How could it not be? To see where He died on the cross for my sins, as the PERFECT sacrifice was almost too much comprehend or anticipate.

A couple of months ago, when we found out the day we would be leaving, I could barely believe my eyes—my Mom’s birthday, none other than Feb. 14 itself. The day known for love would begin the pen strokes that made us fall more in love with Jesus! Valentine’s Day has always held a place near and dear to my heart because without it I wouldn’t be here, and I’ve always viewed it more as my Mom’s birthday than for the day I remembered being shot by cupid’s arrow.

She turned 69 Friday and I bought her two cards . . . because someone as special as her simply deserves two! One card couldn’t contain all the gratitude, love and appreciation I have for her. I gave her a little teddy bear and it was off to the airport. Fifteen pilgrims excited to experience a sacred place—The Holy Land, God’s chosen territory! I was certainly no different.

From the moment we arrived at the airport, it was clear God’s divine orchestration had already started. The airport chaplain Karen Cloninger had two connections to our group. As Providence would have it, she learned under Amber in Bible study for 34 years. When I was at the Lincoln Times-News, I wrote about her son Erich, who was a standout baseball player at East Lincoln before starring for the Liberty Flames and playing in the Boston Red Sox organization.

Her enthusiasm, infectious bright smile and joy of Jesus added to our anticipation. She, in essence, prepared the way—she was our John the Baptist for walking in the steps of Christ. There was a palpable excitement in our group aged 40-79. At that moment, we were all simply little children excited to go see where the King of Kings once lived. Looking to the right, left or straight ahead, you saw the same thing—people laughing, smiling and brimming with anticipation to get to Israel.

In a strange, indescribable way, in my spirit, I felt I was going home.

God made provision . . .from us going through security without a hitch, to our flight being on time, to everyone feeling good. It was clear His hand was on us.

The couple of hours, to get to New York, passed in a blur and before we knew it, we were at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Mark Muckler led us through the airport in a fitting, symbolic way. As our shepherd for the next nine days, he made sure all his flock was accounted for and found pasture to eat and rest. With the same love, care and compassion he leads Mt. Pleasant, he took care of us. While 13 sheep found pasture at Buffalo Wild Wings, Mom and I opted for the pasture of Pizza and Vino. How can you go wrong with New York-style pizza in New York?!?

Anyway, I was so happy I got to have my Mom all to myself on her birthday. It was really special being able to take pictures together, share conversation and break bread, errr pizza on her big day! See, I love my Momma! While Jesus was, is and will always be my Big Rock, my Mom is my sweet Little Rock. I love spending time with her. Every now and then we butt heads, like all parents and children, but I love seeing how she loves, how selflessly she gives and I love her big, and beyond generous, heart! I love seeing her eyes light up like a little child, love seeing her earnest smile and love hearing her laugh. If I listed all the things I love about her, even the way it takes her a while to take a picture because she wants to get it just right, we would be here for a while, and I would start to run out of paper!

We had a six and half hour layover at Gate 41-B. Remember how I said it was a trip I know, without a shadow of a doubt, was orchestrated? I would turn 41 in three days, wore the No. 41 playing high school football and as Providence would have it . . . there I sat at Gate 41. God cares about even the most minute details of our lives. He is constantly searching for ways to show His awesome love for us and there’s no doubt He longs for our attention and love as well.

It was a LONG layover, but the last couple of hours went by in a blur.

Next stop Tel Aviv, Israel.

Just a jump, a hop, a skip and 10 hours and we would be there!

I had taken a Valium in hopes of it knocking out for the duration of the flight, but it wasn’t to be. After sleeping just 15-20 minutes, if that, in the first four hours; the next 6 hours were spent with my head stuck in a vomit bag. I was completely MISERABLE! My main objective was to simply make it to the ground without having a repeat performance of how my day started—throwing up.

So, there I was covering my forehead in water, rubbing ice on my head, while I silently pleaded with God to just get me through it. “Your Strength is made PERFECT in my weakness. God be with me. Please help me feel better. You say when we are STILL You fight our battles for us. (Exodus 14:14). I believe You’re able to do exceedingly more than I can dare to dream, ask for or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20). By Your stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3 and 1^st Peter 2:24). Though You slay me, yet I will hope in You (Job 13:15).” I prayed and cried out to the Lord, but it was as if my prayers were being sucked into some cosmic Black Hole before they reached Heaven. I know they weren’t, but that’s how I felt!

I grew increasingly more miserable. I kept in mind that since God allowed His only Son to suffer that it was a badge of honor He was allowing me to suffer, and I wish I could tell you that helped my morale as much as it should’ve.

But such is the case with life . . . often times, I have found Jesus in the least likely of places, an unexpected one—a vomit bag! My disappointment had become an appointment with Him, and I was grateful for that. But couldn’t my growth happen some other way? LOL

I am 100% sure this wasn’t the first time I had uttered those words to Him. But His ways are not our ways and what we regard as wisdom if beneath His foolishness.

After reaching ground, I found I wasn’t the only one who was having some issues. May Barber was also nauseated and Amber’s right ear was still closed. I prayed for all 3 of us, despite just a few minutes prior I wasn’t even able to muster up any excitement when my Mom said, “John Mark, we’re in the Holy Land!” Did I mention I was miserable?

The Lord, Who never ceases to amaze me, opened up her ear right there on the spot. Mrs. Barber started feeling better too. What a faithful and awesome God we serve!

If He cares for the sparrows, every single hair on our head (even those who don’t have many), hung every star, and knows them ALL by name . . . how much more does He care about the one creation made in His Image—US!

With prayer being one of the best gifts—inviting our Savior and Creator of the Universe into the situation—it baffles me why we don’t give it more!

Our EO guide Tamar picked us up from the airport, and she was friendly, sweet, welcoming and you could tell she was a woman of faith. One of the first things she said to us, after we were seated on the bus, was, “Welcome home!” The strange thing is in some ways that’s what it felt like—home. She taught us the meaning of the word “shalom,” which is used in three ways in Israel—hello, bye and peace. Over the near-hour bus drive to the hotel in Netanya, she poured information, and interesting facts, into us. She was engaging, but you could tell from the outset, she was also no-nonsense, leaving us all to believe we were going to be learning a lot during our Pilgrimage.

We arrived, after the 45-minute commute, around 6:15 p.m. at the Lagoon Hotel in Netanya and it was beautiful, sitting right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. The view from our hotel balcony was simply breath-taking—in foreshadowing of what was to come.

The hotel was top-of-the-line. It was modern, had amazing views from our balconies, of the well-lit boardwalk and city lights, and had friendly staff at every turn. We went to dinner at 7. It was buffet-style, contained a smorgasbord of options and a plethora of dessert options. After a day of traveling 20 hours, there was just one way to complete the day—thanking God for His Protection and traveling mercies! Finally, it was time to hit the hay.

Even though I’ve been very sick over the past year, I was the most exhausted I had been in a very long time and one thing was certain . . . I am sure I wasn’t the only one.

Day 2

After eating breakfast, Mom and I went on our own little adventure.

Since we had less than an hour, we had to stay close, but we got a lot done in the small window. We walked up the hill, on the boardwalk to a gazebo that perfectly overlooked the Mediterranean. As is the case with adventures, you never know what you’re going to find. This was no different. First, we ran across a large mosaic whale sculpture, made by Ruslan Sergeev, made of many different colors, sitting right next to the sea.

As we checked out the whale and took pictures of it, I couldn’t help but notice two HUGE wings across the road, which I later learned is The Victory Monument. The monument, which was opened by Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is poignant and powerful. On the right side, the vile, heart-breaking nature of the Holocaust is depicted, while on the left side the war between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is depicted. After walking through the black-bunker of a maze, you end in front of the wings—symbols of victory, hope and peace against the coastal backdrop.

Hurrying back to the bus, we were then whisked away to Caesarea Maritima. Let me preface the rest of this writing with a disclaimer . . . while I did take notes; I did not take copious notes on every place we went nor transcribe all the facts about every site. I did pay careful attention, but I tried to BE in the moment. Everybody has their own idea of being in the moment. Mine didn’t involve writing every single detail down as much as the significance of the place to me and how it made me feel.

Now, that we got that out of the way, let me continue.

After watching an informative video on the history of Caesarea Maritima, one I wish I could insert here, we went to the second coliseum I’ve ever visited. The first being THE coliseum in Rome, Italy, which even as a 12-year-old kid, I was blown away by! The architecture, the beauty, the enormity all were impressive, but the coliseum in Caesarea was different in that we actually got to sit in it. Just like that, in the snap of a finger, I felt 12 again! Other than the architecture, the rich history of Maritima was impressive. How it bounced back and forth from Roman ownership, Christian ownership and even Muslim ownership.

For 1800 years . . . let’s close our eyes and imagine all the happy times, the smiles, the laughter, the joy those grounds saw, all the money exchanged, deals made, ships sent out on voyages and all the heart break, war, sadness and despair. While this is true of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, and the Holy Land, in general; it’s particularly true of this ancient city in the Sharon Plain.

The two most notable figures relating to this seaside community are Cornelius and Paul, while Pontius Pilate, Herod and Caesar Augustus, for whom the site was named after, also are notable figures. Cornelius was the first Gentile convert. Although, it was relatively inevitable, sooner or later, there would be one; it’s not a stretch to call Cornelius a trailblazer of the Christian faith and a fearless Roman who blazed his own path. Cornelius was a centurion in the Cohors Italica Civium Romanorum. He was stationed in Caesarea-- the capital of Roman Judea Province. Before his conversion, he was known as a devout man and for his good works. But as I walked around, the gravity of Cornelius was not lost on me. Without Cornelius, who knows if we, ourselves, would believe.

What’s so powerful and beautiful is the series of events, which led to Cornelius’s salvation found in Acts 10. An angel appears to him and tells him his prayers have been heard and for him to send the men of his household to Joppa where they would find a man called Simon Peter. Peter then has a vision, which includes many different animals being lowered from Heaven. He refuses to eat some of them, the first time, keeping in accordance of Mosaic Law. A Voice then challenged him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. (Acts 10:15).

As Peter was struggling to understand the meaning of the vision, the Spirit spoke to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So, get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19-20).

Peter reached Caesarea two days later. Once there, Peter asked Cornelius why he sent for him. Cornelius told him about his encounter with the angel. Peter told him of his vision.

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Many Gentiles were there, the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. Peter, and the circumcised, were amazed as they heard them speaking in tongues, praising God, so, he ordered they all be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (verse 48).

The second figure linked to Maritima is none other than Paul . . . yes, that Paul! The Romans sent Paul to Caesarea for his bold preaching of the Gospel thus fulfilling the prophecy of Agabus, who prophesied that would happen 16 years after 42 A.D. when he prophesied there would be a worldwide famine. Paul was imprisoned two years. While here, Governor Marcus Antonius Felix, and his Jewish wife Drusilla, would regularly send for Paul to listen to him speak about his faith in Jesus.

Pontius Pilate, whose name will forever be linked to the trial of Jesus, had a seat in the amphitheater—one which bared his own signature and remains on the grounds. Caesarea Maritima was built approximately 25 to 13 B.C. and named by Herod the Great. In 13 B.C. it became the Roman civilian and military capital of Judea.

Simply put, the grounds were filled with history. Standing on the beach, taking in the picturesque views of the ruins and what was reconstructed, along with the Mediterranean Sea, rocks and beach, was breath-taking, refreshing and peaceful.

I was impressed with the grounds—both natural and built—but the most powerful part of Maritima came in the form of a revelation. The amphitheater, which sits over 4,000 people, stood out to me. Ever since seeing the Roman Coliseum in Rome, as aforementioned, I’ve been intrigued with coliseums and architecture in general.

But it was a hidden, pun intended, fact that completely blew me away! After the Byzantine reign, the theater was covered by sand . . . for hundreds of years . . . it was FORGOTTEN! Out of sight, out of mind, it was not relevant and was, for all intents and purposes, discarded. Here’s what I find interesting. The sand could’ve DESTROYED it, but it instead PRESERVED it, which speaks to God’s Grace and Mercy with us as the Potter, but it also brings to mind Genesis 50:20—“That which the enemy intended to use to destroy me, the Lord has turned it around to give me life, so that I can give others life.

That’s powerful enough, in and of itself, but then it called to mind the Scripture Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

Around 10 times this stone is mentioned in the Bible, which explicitly refers to Jesus as he was the stone rejected, which/who became the cornerstone. Making this connection, through the Holy Spirit, completely rocked me.

It’s not that the theater was rejected, as much as neglected, but what was once neglected has, indeed, become the cornerstone of Maritima. Throughout Israel, if a singer wants to say, “I made it! I’ve finally arrived,” they have to perform at Caesarea Maritima. This is what went through my mind . . . many people will neglect you, forget you or treat you as if you don’t matter—but the theater, once, neglected has NOW become the STANDARD—the cornerstone! WOW!!

Where do you go from a place so doused in history, doused in culture, doused with empires—a place where, if you shut your eyes, you can envision the busy harbor, the busting markets, the joy and happiness, the wars, the tragedy, the rebuilding, the ground we stood on rising once again like the Phoenix from the ashes—how about to one of the most holy and special places in the world . . . Nazareth.

Nazareth-- the hometown of Jesus . . . the place He lived 30, of His 33, years. My mind was blown. My thoughts raced. My spirits soared. As we pulled up to the town square to get off the bus, all I could think of was His footprints were all over this town—literally. I activated my imagination and pictured little Yeshua/Jesus—like seen in the movie “Young Messiah”—maybe run to the well for his parents Mary and Joseph to get water, go buy something at the market or just playing with his friends. Who knows maybe He played “Hide and Go Seek,” raced down the dirt streets, splashed each other at the spring like kids do.

In my near 41 years on earth, my journey had never crossed with my Savior’s. Sure in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit, there had been a beautiful intersection of His life and mine, His Love, His forgiveness, His Grace, but never where He actually walked. That fact wasn’t lost on me as I fought the temptation of being in tourist mode and treating this place like just another place.

This would not be the first time I would have to fight this fight. When your days start at 6 a.m. and you don’t reach the hotel until 6 p.m., going in non-stop, break-neck fashion, and you’re taking so many pictures it would make National Geographic blush, if we weren’t careful, like grains of sand slipping through our fingers, the gravity of what each place meant would’ve been lost.

And this land . . . this Holy Land is simply too special, too holy and too amazing of a place, filled with Biblical history, echoes of the past and the fabric from which all of us were cut to let a single grain meet the ground before we’ve squeezed it for all its worth.

Our first stop was the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation also known as known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Gabriel, which was completed in 1769. In relation to Biblical times, 1769 sounds fairly modern, and young, but when remembering the United States was founded in 1776; that thought is quickly whisked away!

Many believe this is the very place Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce she would become pregnant with the only Son of God, our Savior and the Messiah Yeshua, Who is more commonly referred to as Jesus. This story is found in Luke 1:27-35.

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

The exact location of this holy event—the BEST news the world has ever received, or ever will receive—was not recorded, but according to a 2nd century apocryphal text called protoevangelium, meaning prior to the Gospel, the announcement took place at both places the spring and at their home.

"She took the jar and went out to fetch water. Then a voice spoke to her: 'Greetings, you who have received grace. The Lord is with you, you blessed among women.’ The text continues to state that having looked around and seen no one, Mary returned home, placed the jar of water aside, and began to spin, whereupon the angel appeared before her to continue to inform of her appointed role.”

According, to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, this is also the place Mary sent Jesus to get water at six-years old. When I read that, what I had imagined, when I first got off the bus, likely actually happened as Jesus came to fetch water and probably played in the spring too.

The spring was located at the far end of the church. You had to descend seven steps via the underground chapel, built in the medieval era, to get it. The little tunnel was comprised of brick with Armenian tilework and framing with crosses making up the arch. It was fenced in, but it was still a sight to behold, knowing the spring we were looking at is the same spring Jesus, along with his parents Mary and Joseph and brothers James, Simon, Judas and Jude, came to! To make the moment even more powerful-- there was a spigot that pumped the water of the spring into the church . . . so we were able to anoint our heads and hands with the same water Jesus drank.

I couldn’t help but think of Jesus and His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

This water, in all actuality, is just water, and can never, as holy as it may be, compare to the Living Water (Jesus), but it was really cool and special we were able to touch the same water His hands once touched.

The church itself appealed to me. It was made of white brick and honestly just looked like an ancient church. Aesthetically, it was nothing special. From the outside, it was what it was . . . just like us. But on the inside, it was beautiful! The dichotomy between the exterior and interior was sobering as soon as we walked in. It was yellow and baby blue representing the sky featuring decorative murals on the columns and walls. We all come in different sizes, shapes and colors, some short and some tall, but it’s what is on the inside that makes us special. Sure, I’m talking about our hearts and who we are, but more than that I’m speaking of Jesus! Jesus lives inside us, any and all believers, no matter how many times we’ve failed Him . . . He stays right there, inhabiting our very being in the form of the Holy Spirit! Is that not an incredible thought!?!

Leaving the church, walking the streets of Nazareth, making our way down Casa Nova Street to the Basilica of the Annunciation, was surreal. I was walking where Jesus once walked. I tried to take it all in, making sure I didn’t take these steps for granted. Sometimes, it’s just a good thing to remind ourselves how big of a blessing it is to be healthy and be able to walk—a blessing I was reminded time and time again with Debbie fighting to take more than just 20 steps at a time. She was a trooper, demonstrated the heart of a warrior and was determined not to let her health condition prevent her from being in each moment she could—a fact I admired.

As you walk onto the grounds, into the courtyard, you are met with beautiful mosaics—43 of them to be exact—with each providing a cultural glance of Mary, the chosen virgin Mother, alone and some of her with Jesus. These gorgeous pieces of art and adoration are found on the West and South wings. The mosaics were exquisite, a rainbow of colors and plethora of styles, which left an indelible impression on each one of us. Audible gasps, me saying WOW, which would become a staple of the 10 days, and wide-eyes abounded as we took in these beautiful pieces of art.

Nothing about this modern-basilica was common—including the door. The door, which is approximately 10 or 11 feet, was made of bronze and depicts 12 scenes of Mary throughout Jesus’s life. Above the relief, there is a statue of the 14-year-old virgin Mary as you enter. The lower floor is giant circle with a grotto sitting down in the middle of it. The feature piece of the grotto is the cave where Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived. This is also, in Catholicism, believed to be where Gabriel announced to the teenager the awesome news she would bare, in her womb, the Messiah.

An altar, believed to built in the 18^thcentury, was built on the holy site with Byzantine and Crusader remnants found around the grotto A column, from the 4^th century, on the right side of the altar designates where the messenger appeared to Mary. This, like many of the other sacred places in Israel, I believed to be symbolic. There is no way really of knowing where Gabriel appeared, but what we do know is this . . . we were in the vicinity of and that thought was amazing in and of itself. See, people sometimes get bogged down by specifics, but, honestly, I don’t feel the exact spot is what matters.

I also believe this is by Heavenly design. God does not want us to make to take these holy places and turn them into idols, so, yes time, destruction, poor records have all played a role in not being able to point to an exact place and say, “Here is the exact spot ______ happened,” but I also feel we’re simply not supposed to know. We walk through life looking through a glass darkly (1^st Corinthians 13:12) and walking through the Holy Land is no different. While it’s undisputed the land is special, certain things also remain a MYSTERY and I believe that is intentional. After all, God cares about the details, doesn’t He?

Growing up, my Mom and Step-Dad always said, “Close doesn’t count except horseshoes, hand grenades and the Holy Land . . . OK, that last part isn’t true, but I discovered it is true nonetheless.

The words on the altar are, “Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est,” which means, “Here the Word was made flesh.” That phrase comes from John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.

On the second level of Basilica there are 16 paintings on each side of two rows of pews, which are used for mass and those who want to pray. While the outside courtyard is known for its Mosaics, the upper church, or second level, is known for it’s stunning cupola, which is a dome on the interior of the Basilica. The 195-foot high dome represents Mary’s purity as it’s in the form of a white Lily. Slightly beneath is the dome are stained windows.

With the sun shining through these broken vessels, there is a warmth, peace and tranquility that reminds you of the Lord and also makes me think of us.

I’ve heard broken vessels are the ones that shine the most light. While that saying likely refers to the refraction and reflection of the light, it also makes me think of how people who have been broken tend to have the most compassion, enjoy serving and putting others ahead of themselves and love speaking words of Life (Proverbs 18:21) . . . because they know what hard times are, they know what it’s like to need an uplifting word and not receive it, they know what hopeless feels like, so they go out of their way to lend Hope. I think people who have truly been broken are NEVER the same again because they live from a beautiful intersection of Brokenness and Gratitude! That’s the way I try to live my life. I know what it’s like to be broken and I realize I don’t deserve the embarrassment of riches, in terms of blessings, that flood my life. But more importantly than any blessing, is the posture of gratitude.

Gratitude—three syllables, but there is so much power in that word and so many reasons to have it! I’m beyond grateful for God’s Love, that Jesus died on the cross for me and paid a debt I could never pay and one He didn’t owe, I’m grateful for my life, my five senses, a house to live in, food and drink, my family, my friends, for life’s lessons, for the great times, the terrible times, the awesome times and the sad times, for the victories and failures because all of it is undeserved!!

Once you come to that startling realization, you have perspective and once you have perspective, you’re UNSTOPPABLE because you learn to find it’s never as bad as it feels, even losses can be turned into victories and God truly makes BEAUTY from ASHES!

Gratitude, remaining broken, not in terms of emotionally broken, but from the standpoint you never forget, and perspective have the capability to radically transform our lives!

Perspective is a hidden key, which has the power to unlock the silver linings for many of our dark clouds and allows us to feel the warmth of the sunshine right smack dab in the middle of the storm!

See, God has restored my life from Rock Bottom—a place I’ll never return, but one, ironically enough, I’m thankful for! When the Lord takes that which was meant to destroy you and turns it around to give you life, so that you can give others life Gen. 50:20 . . . you smile bigger, laugh harder, cry more, say I love you more often and the little moments you used to miss, you now embrace and treasure!

Like Spurgeon said, “There is no university for a Christian, like that of sorrow and trial,” and I’m thankful I’m learning what it means to have compassion, what it is to love, how to encourage and what it means to be a servant. It’s simply much easier to live a selfish and defeated life instead of living from a place of victory.

Speaking of gratitude and perspective, it was easy to be grateful as I took a step back, with immense perspective, and pondered I was looking at the place Jesus lived 30 of his 33 years on Earth. This was truly beyond a special place!

After leaving the Basilica, we went to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and ate falafel, think hush puppies, chickpeas and one of my new favorite foods shawarma, which is chicken or beef cut into thin slices. I had mine in a gyro and it was delicious. This was my first taste of local cuisine. Now, every time I eat shawarma, I will think of the first time I ate it being in the hometown of Jesus.

Our final stop on the day was Mt. Precipice, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you of two other places we passed through—Mt. Carmel and Cana. Mt. Carmel is the site of one of my favorite Biblical stories. It’s where Elijah, who had more faith in his pinky than most of us have in our entire bodies, challenged the followers of Baal to a showdown, which is found in in 1^stKings Chapter 18.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.

“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

Although, we weren’t able to get off the bus on Mt. Carmel just knowing we were driving over it was enough for me. I want to have Elijah-like faith and obedience.

Cana was the place of Jesus’s first miracle where He turned water into wine at a wedding feast found in John Chapter 2.

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Driving through this town, it was hard not to think of what it must’ve been like to see such a miraculous feat—his first in a long line of miracles. As we passed through, the Bible verse John 21:25 came to mind, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

And this was the very first one!

Reaching the summit of Mt. Precipice, after passing by a craggy garden of trees on a short walk to the summit, was absolutely breath-taking! We were blessed with a clear, sunny day, with blue skies, and the result was spectacular. Mt. Precipice is believed to be the site of the rejection of Jesus described in Luke Gospel 4:29-30.

"The people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah tried to push him from the mountain, but "he passed through the midst of them and went away."

Turning to one side, we had an amazing view of all of Nazareth, which made for some great pictures of the Jazreel Valley as well. In the middle, there is a big olive tree with three stones and a pillar marking the place as Mt. Precipice. On the other side, looking at the Mt. Tabor, in the distance, is the one of the most extreme dichotomies I’ve ever seen.

Taking in the beautiful green, lush pastures of Har-Megiddo, it was hard to fathom this is the place of violence and chaos that Zechariah referred to in Zechariah 12: 9, 11): “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem… In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”

This peaceful and serene valley is the future site of the final battle Armageddon referred to in Revelation Chapter 16 (specifically verse 16). “16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”

As I stood there, gazing into the distance, the prevailing thought I had was I do not know when that final battle will be waged, but what I do know is Who wins! Actually, it’s more accurate to say . . . I do know who ALREADY WON . . .

When the stone was rolled away from the tomb!

Yeshua, King Jesus, is VICTORIOUS! He is RISEN!!

Yahweh, Father God, won my soul, won my heart and slowly, but surely, my LIFE!

So, while the final battle has not been fought . . . the war has already been won!

In Vestigia Christi— In the Steps of Christ Prelude

2020-03-27T00:04:00.002-07:00

In Vestigia Christi— In the Steps of Christ

PRELUDE

“While some are busy congratulating themselves, I simply marvel that I am saved at all!” Charles Spurgeon

I do marvel at that often, so I need to clear up something before y’all read this. I view myself as a REDEEMED sinner, a ragamuffin of Grace and someone who is SO unworthy!!

I don’t think I’m holy. I can’t stand holier than thou . . . At all! That attitude sickens me. I’m more of a “Me, Lord,” type of follower of Jesus. In other words, picture Him pointing into the crowd at someone. Your initial denial He’s really pointing at you in quickly washed away in Living Water! His eyes lock onto you and He peers right into your soul. Nobody has EVER looked at you like that before. You point to yourself as if to say, “Me?”

He opens His arms to you. You run to Him, embrace Him and instantly burst into tears— STILL AMAZED He picked you! You can’t believe, as you try to tell Him sorry for the things you’ve done and places you’ve been, He chose you! He simply says, “It’s OK. You’re not there now.” As you ramble on, He says, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember.” That type of GRATITUDE only comes from knowing Jesus didn’t have to pick you . . . He WANTED to!! That’s what type of Christian I am.

SO grateful He would pick ME out of the crowd. SO thankful He didn’t just throw down the broken jar, ME, and start again, but rather has extended His Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness and Love an embarrassing amount of times.

Having said that, I used to be SO excited to go to strip clubs, was on numerous adult/naughty dating sites, to go to hotel rooms to have sex and to look at porn for hours on end and more!

Now, I’m SO excited to go to church, Study the Bible, dig into Spurgeon and A.W. Toxer, pumped to worship Jesus, love learning more about Him through deep conversations with others about their relationship/walk with Him, talk to my King and read His Word!

HALLELUJAH! My Champion LIVES!! 🙏 He’s changed my life. So, people can cast stones, until their arm is tired, and I can assure you those measly stones can’t compare to the boulders of self-condemnation I buried myself under for YEARS.

But I’m not under them any more!! Those boulders, like the one at the tomb, have been rolled away! I’m FREE! You can read my past transgressions from a book, read a certain paragraph, a certain sentence— one I’ve either taken back to the library, or burned, all you want — But it’s a waste of time! Plus, need I remind you . . . Whether you’ve been an addict or not— we ALL have BAD chapters we’d like to forget!

I know who I am now better than ever.

I’m a human who happens to love Jesus!

I know I’m UNworthy. I know I STILL struggle in certain areas of my life and there are many days the good I want to do, I don’t do, and the things I hate, and don’t want to do, I end up doing. But the desire of my heart is to please Christ, yet, I can still screw up with the best of them. I would love to say I do my level best every day to be the best version of myself, and please God, but that would be a lie!

What would be true is this— I praise Him because I know I’m NOT remotely close to who I used to be 10-15 years ago (or heck even 5 years ago or last year) and not yet who I’m going to be! I’m growing. I’m improving, yet I’m LOVED, and accepted, right where I am! That excites me!!

See, I’ve learned throughout the history of mankind, and Scripture, He has a habit of using way less than perfect people! Screw-ups, outcasts and misfits . . . I’m THANKFUL for that!! Since, I fall into those categories, that means He can use me!

The desire I have for Him pushes me to love Him more and fail Him less. I’ve begun to see how LOVED I am. I know I’m a new creation and that the old has passed away!! (2nd Corinthians 5:17) And when the ‘old’ me pops up, in the form of current struggles, I know His Grace covers it. I repent and begin anew the next morning, starting fresh with Hope I’ll get it right next time.

Being a “Christian” isn’t about being perfect and quite frankly, the world 🌎 doesn’t need another holier-than-thou, judgmental, non-compassionate and cold Christian! It’s FULL of them!

It needs more believers who aren’t scared to be real about their struggles and ones who can share their failures just as easily as their victories . . . The times they miss the mark as quickly as the time they hit the bulls eye.

For years, because I wanted my actions to always match my words, and they didn’t, I wouldn’t write. Those days are over. Accept me for the BROKEN jar I am, one who simply wants to tell of my Savior’s GOODNESS, Faithfulness and Unconditional Love! Just a jar who wants to share His messages of Hope and is quick to point to ALL the Power coming from Him and one who will always deflect the praise and reflect any glory to Him!! (2nd Cor. 4:7, Romans 11:36).

That’s all I want to be . . . a JAR— one who wants to share the BEST news of the Gospel, encourage people, share everything that makes Him AWESOME, with as many people as I can, and let people know WE are ALL in the same boat!

Nothing more, nothing less.

No matter how many times I fall, I will get back up! No matter how many battles I lose, I will fight again! I simply want to live a life that is pleasing to Maker . . . no matter how many times I fall short.

I hope “In Vestigia Christi,” with a little faith and imagination, helps you walk in the footsteps of Jesus and help you fall more in love with Him! Not to sound holy, or better than, but it’s truly a HUGE honor, and very humbling, to share My Pilgrimage, our Pilgrimage, with you!

The best . . . The GREATEST thing that has EVER, or will ever, happen to me is getting saved— knowing Jesus, walking with Jesus, being in service to Jesus and used by Jesus!

Philippians 3:8-9

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Whether you’re a great writer, or a bad writer, or somewhere in between, it would be an impossible task to do the Holy Land justice . . . Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem . . . Israel, but I’ve poured countless hours into attempting to do just that.

To walk where He walked truly has changed my life and will stick with me the rest of my life! It was one of those watershed moments . . . Where life will never be the same after it happens. It’s my hope, and belief, it’ll change yours as well.

+Hope Abounds+ JM

One Love for QB Number 1

2020-03-17T11:16:00.002-07:00

Dear Cam,

where do I begin? We watched you grow from an immature pouter, when things didn't go your way, to an awesome leader! You went from a No. 1 draft pick to the MOST dynamic player in the NFL-- you were, and are, a dual-threat we've never seen the likes of . . . the blend of size, power, strength and speed was like you were from another planet and truly a sight to behold!

You were the Lebron of the NFL. Too fast for defensive linemen, too big for corners and safeties and too strong for linebackers. Nobody on all three levels, of the defense, wanted to tackle Cam Newton! Many made business decisions. You were a game-breaking talent running the ball with a cannon for an arm. You maybe weren’t always the most accurate passer, but you were just about always the most dynamic player every time you took the field. And you did it all with that trademark Kool-Aid smile on your face-- one that seems to say I know something you don't.

We have always LOVED you here in Carolina. As a diehard Panthers' fan, I've watched every single one of your games. The magical Super Bowl run of 2015 we will NEVER forget! Your MVP was well-deserved, but more than that, you took Charlotte and the Carolinas on a ride we have never seen before-- not in the way you did it at least. True to form, of your whole career, like Frank Sinatra you did your way. After all, the dab was the coolest celebration and one of the coolest things in the history of Carolina sports. Not only was it hip, and a rallying cry of the team, but it also was unifying-- there were literally Mamaws dabbing next to 5-year-old kids. It didn't matter what race, age or background . . . if you were in the Carolinas, or a Panthers' fan, you were dabbing.

We cheered you and we booed you, but just like with any relationship, you have to weather the storms together and not just throw in the towel! We did that-- you and us. We have always loved you even when we were disappointed by the results, we still believed in you and supported you!

‪Over the years, we watched you tirelessly serve the community, pour into the community, give to the less fortunate, feed families at Thanksgiving, become Cam Claus at Christmas and do amazing work through your foundation. What other multi-millionaires would hand out blankets, and meals, to the homeless with NO cameras around? Much less the face of the franchise! No press releases, no publicity, just from the goodness of your heart— that’s special! There are no words to thank you enough— for the ‬blood, sweet, tears . . . For the time, energy, love and effort . . . For the growth, maturity and evolution of being a better version of yourself!

You went from the young man, who acted like a boy, walking out of the Super Bowl press conference, out of hurt/frustration, to the MAN‬ who, stood in the front of the media in the elation and happiness of a great game and big victory or the hurt and disappointment of a bad game and terrible loss and, took the blame! You owned, and wore, the responsibility of a leader and were accountable on a whole ‘nother level! ‬

‪You are SPECIAL! Like you always said, “The Lord gave me a platform, so I want to use it to better other people’s lives, put a smile on their face, inspire them and bring us together!” You’ve done just that! From handing out bracelets and footballs to kids after touchdowns to sitting‬ in the suite with the Levine’s Children Hospital kids, hanging out, taking pictures and signing autographs, despite having your foot in a boot . . . You did it all! You inspired people, brought people in the Carolinas together, gave kids a hero worthy of looking up to ‬

‪Luke 12:48 says, “To whom much is given, much is required.” ‬

‪You have been blessed with much and you have answered the call in living up to that responsibility and living in such a grateful way in essence saying, “Thank You for blessing me with this talent. Let me use it for ‬Your Glory! That perspective and purpose were renewed when you flipped your truck and you were once again reminded even Superman can die and to make the most of your platform and each and every moment you’re blessed with! From the dances to starting the team pictures, which, now, have become a staple in the NFL, from the nicknames for your teammates to the unique wardrobe choices and trademark Cam hats, for remaining LOYAL to us (the fans) even though we haven’t always been faithful ‬

‪We simply say, “THANK YOU Mr. Newton!” ‬

‪Thank you for making Carolina Panthers football electrifying, for smiling, dancing, keeping things loose and fun-- whether on the practice field, the locker room or in the middle of a game, telling Clay Matthews he just thinks he knows what's coming to flipping into the end zone versus the Texans a perfecting ending to a spectacular play! You infused FUN into practices, games and at your events—whether it was the Thanksgiving dinner, your 7-on-7 events in Charlotte and Georgia or Kick It Cam . . . You always kept it FUN and made sure everybody else was having fun as well. ‬

‪We always loved that about you! In an age where pro athletes are criticized for chasing the biggest paycheck . . . You always stayed loyal to us! You always played the game with the enthusiasm of a kid in the candy store! It was Favre-like. You went from a bachelor to a dad, from watching little-to-no film to‬ being the first one in the building and last one to go home . . . You went from aloof to happily-mentoring Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke and the rest of the QB room. You grew up with us over the past decade and we thank you for it!

The two biggest ways we can measure how good of a steward we have been are— how did I make the people, I impacted, feel? And did I leave the ‬organization in a better place than when I found it? You made us North Carolinians feel great, gave us awesome memories, thrilling finishes, clutch passes, breath-taking runs and yes, you did Cam. ‬

‪Yes, you did leave everything in a much better place than when you got here ‬8 years ago. When your shoulder was screwed up, when your foot was too, you kept answering the call, suiting up and going into battle (not war-- I wish ALL of sports would retire that word) with your band of brothers . . . We appreciate that!! ‬

‪So, like with any break-up . . . This is HARD! It’s HEART-BREAKING!! We don’t want to lose ‬you! We hope, pray and believe you will emerge as a top player in the NFL again— like the Phoenix rising from the ashes and we can’t wait to buy our No. 1 jerseys, turn on the TV and root for you unless you’re playing the Panthers LOL 😂 J/K Kinda. ‬

‪Just wanted to take a little ‬portion of my day to simply say THANK YOU! Maybe, one day, when things are different, we can get back together like Peppers . . . Or maybe that day will never come and we'll have to wait until after you've hung up your cleats. Picture this, you’ll come back with a crazy hat, and dope, misunderstood outfit on and be inducted into the Ring of Honor ‬right alongside Luuuuuuukkkkkkkkeeeeee. But either way, we wish you the best! The Carolinas will forever be indebted to you Cam!! Business is business, and we understood most good things come to end, but sometimes it can be SO ugly. That's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. We wish it could be different, but like my Mom always says, “It’s just one of life’s little disappointments!” ‬

‪This is incredibly disappointing!! I know I speak for Panther Nation when I say we wish you could've retired in black, silver and blue. ‬

‪So, as tears fall down, our collective cheeks, and we reminisce on our first date (the draft) and all the memories you’ve given us over the past 8 years at ‬Bank of America, know it’s NOT good-bye . . . Just see you later! And know, while we had our ups and downs, we always loved you brother and always will! ‬

‪☝🏼 One Love, ‬

‪Love Charlotte and the Carolinas
John Mark ‬

We Saw Your Face

2020-02-27T04:22:00.001-08:00

We Saw Your Face
‪
We went to Caesarēa Philippi, we were on the Sea of Galilee, we went to the Valley of the Doves, we saw where He gave the Beatitudes, where He multiplied the loaves and fish, we sat on the “Teaching Steps,” we stood where Jesus was born, we stood where He died, we stood where He was buried.‬

‪We stood where He ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives! We saw where He lived the first 30 years of His life in Nazareth with His family, saw where He lived the final 3 Capernaum, we stood where He stood before Pontius Pilate, we walked where He carried the cross, we saw where He was flogged, beaten and mocked‬.

‪We stood in the Garden of gethsemane where He prayed, we stood in the fields of the shepherds— where they found out the Messiah was to be born, sat in the ruins at Capernaum and Magdala where He once sat as he studied and taught . . . I can’t tell you how many times I was in complete AWE, with my jaw to the ground, with the only word ‬I could say was W😱W!! Yeshua/Jesus was REAL and IS real!! He did live, I saw where He lived, but my overwhelming takeaway from My Pilgrimage is— HE STILL LIVES!!! ‬

In my head, and heart, I knew He was alive, but at every turn . . . I saw His fingerprint on our trip—

‪3 doves on the top of the building at Osar Al-Yahud (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), a beautiful, vibrant rainbow over the Dead Sea, reminding us of His Promise that He will NEVER leave us, forsake us or give up on us. His gentle Presence in the courtyard at Capernaum where many ‬were moved to tears after Dan challenged us to remember our heroes in the faith, who taught us about Jesus and who read the Bible to us as children. Jill’s shrill of excitement, and echo of tears, as she ran her fingers over the Braille of the Lord’s Prayer with her supportive husband Jimmy at her side. The excitement of coming through the tunnel and seeing the Old City Jerusalem for the very first time— it was strange, almost eerie, as my Spirit felt it had been here before . . . It was the feeling of HOME— a small taste of how Heaven will feel one day! ‬Spiritual déjà vu at its finest.

‪His protection was around us as a Palestinian Muslim charged a police officer, trying to stab him, and was shot dead some 300-400 feet away from us. His quietness, and perfect Peace, on us as we broke bread and drank wine at the Garden Tomb as we broke into song, “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own and the JOY we share as we tary there no other has ever known.”‬

‪His Shekinah Glory there, in the Church of Anne, as we sang I Love You Lord, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace. His Love shining through Leigh’s morning prayers on the bus— so heart-felt, genuine and an earnest plea for Him to be with us and to give us fresh revelations ‬that day.

‪His healing Power— Jehovah Rapha— at the Pool of Bethesda in our healing service. The freedom felt by Johnny as he threw his deep grief, of losing his 18-year-old daughter, into the depths of the Sea of Galilee with a simple, faith-fueled flick of the wrist!

‪We felt Your Presence as Cindy prayed over us at the Jordan, as we took the Jordan River water on our foreheads. We felt Your Voice come alive as Mark read Your Holy Word, throughput our Pilgrimage, especially as we stood above Your holy city Jérusalem, picturing what it must’ve been like as Jesus ‬entered the city’s gates riding a donkey as they proclaimed Hosanna in the Highest, blessed is He who comes in the Name of Lord and laid down their palms on the road. We experienced a small taste of Your dry humor, humility and kindness through Jeff.

We saw what it was like to be a servant— carrying Debbie’s scooter, opening doors for each other, deferring to a couple to get off the bus. We put each other above our ourselves. Back to Debbie— she demonstrated the heart of a warrior and exemplified Your victorious spirit! And when you think about it, just like with transporting the scooter different places and allow her to see what she would’ve missed . . . isn’t that what the Christian walk is— us helping people see what they would never see if not for us?

We saw a small taste of Your availability throughout Tamar as she endlessly poured into us ‬and would answer whatever questions, we had, with great patience and understanding. Or Your mercy as we rudely talked while she was talking.

We knew we were held by Your Love each step of the journey, through guiding our drivers hands and feet, as we walked the streets where machine guns are as common as stop signs here and in our flights—In our coming and going.

It was the perfect intersection of history and theology on the road of Faith!

You were El Shaddai— MORE than enough . . . More than enough Presence, more than enough Provision, more than enough Protection and more than enough Peace! You were more than enough Strength for those who were sick and more than enough revelation ‬for those who yearned for the scales to be removed from eyes, so that they could see You— our King, our Champion and Savior— in a way they NEVER have! ‬

‪Your loving, nurturing, protective fingerprints were ALL over our Pilgrimage, and while we felt them, and saw them, something else was just as clear in our mind’s eye and in the deepest depths our heart— Your Face! ‬

‪We saw You JESUS!! In the daily hustle and bustle, of careers, jobs, school, families and responsibilities, we were simply able to simply be STILL, even though we were anything but as our days started at 6 a.m. and didn’t end ‘til 6 p.m., and see Your beauty, feel Your Love and be filled with Your incomparable Peace!

As we leave the mountain top, like Phil so accurately spoke of, after experiencing You in ALL Your Glory, in a real, tangible, historical, yet visceral, way . . . Our prayer is may everyone we encounter know we were with You Jesus on the mountain! And the same way You asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am . . . let us our words, our hearts, and more importantly, our actions answer, “You are the One and ONLY Son of the Living God! You are the Messiah!!” ‬

And if we can do that, we can lead many others to the same peak we just experienced— one where they‪ see Jesus and one where they, too, will NEVER be the same! ‬

+Hope Abounds+
John Mark

Rebuilt from Calvary

2020-02-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

This morning, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and, again, I won’t try to make myself appear holier than thou . . . That’s NOT me!! I’m a beyond GRATEFUL follower of Yeshua/Jesus, nor will I try to put on some grand display with my talent of writing— I’ll simply say this.

Like MANY of the holiest places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the Holy Land in general, the places they denote as THE exact place probably is not; it’s more than likely in the vicinity, but that’s STILL AMAZING!! If it’s feet, or yards, separating you from the holiest acts/events of our faith . . . That’s nonetheless mind-blowing!

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is Golgotha— The Place of the Skull— where Jesus died on Calvary for our sins!! They have an altar where you can crawl under— like my Mom is doing in the picture— and you can touch the place where THE cross was!!

That thought alone is a beautiful mixture of traveling in a time machine and using our imagination to picture the agony, torture and suffering on our behalf— He paid a debt He didn’t owe and one we could NEVER pay! He was the PERFECT Sacrifice! There is a rock there underneath, which is the rock that is believed to have been cracked when Jesus breathed His final breath. There is THE tomb and another tomb, which could’ve just as easily been where Jesus was buried before resurrecting on the third day and if those two weren’t enough . . . There is a slab of stone, which is believed to have been the very place they cleaned His body and prepared it for burial. You’ll see my hand touching it, see me crying (how could you not) and see me happy in that spot in these pictures.

The art work— the sculptures, the mosaics, the paintings— are all absolutely exquisite! Beyond exquisite!! Fit for, well, a KING! I know these pictures don’t do it justice, but it’s my sincere HOPE to take you along for the ride, allow you to be a part of the journey, with me! I’m deeply humbled and grateful to have experienced this more than you could know.

Before I hit send, why do you think I was crying? Because I FULLY-grasp how UNWORTHY I am! I fully-understand how much I’ve spat in His Face, ran from Him, treated His sacrifice like an insignificant act, been sinful, been prideful and just generally missed the mark! I understand without the pardoning of Jesus; I would be in hell and that’s honestly where I deserved to be before Him!

God has rebuilt my life. Over the past 10 years, God RESTORED it from rock bottom and I’m unbelievably GRATEFUL for that! I am PROUD to say I LOVE Yeshua/Jesus!! I’m proud of myself for having the self-reflection and courage to go under the knife and allow Him to perform spiritual-surgery on me. Although, I realize it’s only through His Strength that I’m able to move and have my being, much less improve, I’m still pleased I’m learning to obey Him more, fail Him less and begin to return the Love to Him that He so graciously covers me in whether I’m running toward Him or sprinting away!

So, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, I tried to be fully-present in the moment . . . I pried myself away from the long lines, rude people and pushy guides to just BE. I allowed myself to tear up, be true to my emotions and to return a fraction of the devotion and appreciation He extends to me on a daily basis! I’m glad I was able to do that. When I worship . . . I am just saying Jesus I love You! When I worship . . . I am simply saying THANK YOU— for Your unconditional Love, relentless GRACE, unfailing MERCY and every single blessing, whether big or small, He bombards my life with! But more then ANYTHING; I’m simply saying thank YOU for YOU!!

I’ve said it many times, but don’t spend your time appreciating, and clinging, to the MUD puddles when a beyond beautiful Life-giving Ocean— one of which we gave unlimited access to— awaits and longs for our fellowship, time, love and devotion! I’ve cried a few times on this Pilgrimage, but honestly not as much as I thought I would, but as the journey ends . . . I just have the OVERWHELMING sense of GRATITUDE!

Gratitude to be able to see the Lord— to GAZE upon Him with Love! Gratitude to see the places He walked, talked, taught, learned and performed miracles. Gratitude to see the giants of our faith where they lived and their acts of faithfulness. Gratitude to be able to experience this with my Mom— My sweet Little Rock. To be able to hug her, kiss her, hold her hand, talk with her, listen to her, laugh with her and just enjoy each other in this special place! This is a once in a lifetime experience, whether I return or not, and I’ve tried to soak it ALL in! Gratitude to experience this with my Aunt and Uncle— to walk and talk with them, see them smile and hear them laugh, during long bus rides and at the sites. Gratitude to Mark, who arranged our group from Mt. Pleasant to go on this Holy Pilgrimage. Gratitude for an awesome group of all different ages from 14 to 75– How God has allowed us to seamlessly get along and enjoy fellowship in this truly Holy Land. Gratitude for our awesome guide Tamar, who is one of the most determined people I’ve ever seen, has extensive knowledge of her homeland Jerusalem and who welcomed us with open arms and gratitude for Mospeh, who was a skilled, daring driver, who was more like a magician. And finally gratitude for being able to share it with all of y’all— whether you come or not, my only desire was to give you a glimpse of this beauty, a glimpse of all the history, a glimpse into your own pool of self-reflection. That’s truly been an honor. Jesus has ALWAYS been REAL to me, but He became even more real to me over the past week . . . It’s my hope, in tagging along, or if I experienced this with you walking side-by-side, that He did to you as well!

Of all the trips, and over 18 countries I’ve visited . . . This is truly the MOST special! He lives! His Great Love remains and He will return! What a GLORIOUS DAY that will be!! +Hope Abounds+ JMB

Upon the Rock

2020-02-17T15:29:00.003-08:00

Day 3

After seeing what I saw and feeling what I felt yesterday . . . I, honestly, wasn’t all that excited about what Day 3 had in store for me and my fellow Pilgrims. But it didn’t take long for me to see how misguided of a thought that was.

First, we went to the tribe of Dan’s— one of original 12 tribes of Israel. There we saw beautiful ruins, but the highlight for me was Abraham’s Gate. Believed to be the same gate Abram/Abraham entered through in Genesis 14:13-16. . . That means the gate I was looking at was from 1750 B.C. American Pickers sure has NOTHING on that find as it was uncovered in 1979— the year I was born. I marveled as I looked at the gate they actually believe is the one who Abram entered through. That’s amazing! Abraham’s Gate is the OLDEST arch in the entire world— that’s pretty awesome! Anything that falls in the ‘BEST OF’ category is simply in a class of its own.

Sometimes in life, although it’s rare, we can go from amazing to even more awesome!! In a world, where we often times self-sabotage, fear and doubt extremely too much, living in a waiting for the other shoe to drop mentality, we rarely live with expectation instead of dreading what could possibly coming.

But after Dan’s exploration and Abraham’s prized relic, and symbol of Christiandom, I didn’t think it was possible to get any better especially just a few minutes down the road! I have have never been more wrong in my life.

We went to a place that gave me one of the biggest a-ha moments in my 41 years— Caesarea Phillipi. The Bonia Springs, which flow, peacefully and gently over the rocks, beneath the temple of Pan and cave gateway are as serene as it gets. But what happened today, I simply wasn’t prepared for!

I was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this place from the moment my eyed locked onto it! But what floored me even more was a story you can back up with Holy Scripture. I’m actually tearing up as I type this lying in my hotel room.

Jesus, who I mainly call Yeshua, brought the disciples to this place. He asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” While the disciples meekly- offered up responses; it was Peter who said, “You are Christ Son of the living God!”

Jesus, pleased with his answer replied, “Upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell/hades will not prevail against it!” Matthew 16:15-16.

There I stood, after failing to notice the significance at first, in utter shock, complete disbelief in total JOY!! The HUGE pillar of rock I was gazing upon. The blue, green water in the cave I was looking in were exactly what Jesus and His 12 disciples were looking at a couple thousand years ago!

I had, and trust me, I don’t say this lightly and still can’t comprehend it, just walked where Jesus once walked literally and stood in the same place! Why did Yeshua bring the 12 here to reveal to them WHO He was?!?

Remember that cave I was telling you about? Guess what it served as for the followers of Pan— a portal to hell!” The Messiah took them here to reveal Himself as the Son of God, but also as a LOUD declaration the gates of hell . . . Even the most famous one in the region could NEVER prevail against it!

Talk about my mind being BLOWN!!! It’s one thing to see the Bible— the people, places, things and customs— in word-form, but this journey is making the Bible literally come ALIVE!! Visiting the beautiful intersection of historical facts and devout faith and the wanting, and longing, your beliefs are true and just as real as the God Who saved us, is something that’s hard to put into words. The validity of the facts mixed with the validation your beliefs can be backed up with locations, Scripture and people even by people who don’t believe, or belong to another religion, is something truly something!! See, they don’t have a dog in the fight and still they can confirm this happened even if they don’t believe it for themselves.

My day was close to as perfect as I could imagine. Was I perfect?! NOPE, but this day was like a Hollywood script. Nobody on my bus made a big to-do about birthday when they had volunteered they would announce it earlier. I wasn’t bummed, and a few people wished me a happy birthday along the way. It made my heart smile. My Mom gave me a card, along with my aunt and uncle and some delicious jelly beans . . . Oh, how I love jelly beans!

But ascending the Golan Heights, seeing lush grass and craggy gardens of rocks, seeing a snow-capped mountain and picturesque lake made for a good second half of the day! Tamar, our guide, was again well-spoken, efficient, filled with knowledge and truly a fountain of facts and did you knows? To about 98.9% the answer is NO we didn’t know!

We even ran around, given full access to a castle— a CASTLE!! I’ve seen castles on TV and even explored a couple in Europe, but this one, King Nimrod’s, was absolutely stunning! We marveled how could a castle as maginifcent as this still be not only beautiful with amazing architecture and design, but how could it still be in-tact after all these years?

After we left there, during lunch, we sat outside on the porch, above the aforementioned lake, two of the pastors Pastor Lee and my pastor on this trip Mark Muckler, of Mt. Pleasant Methodist, came out and busted into song.

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to John Mark. Happy Birthday to you!”

With Nutty Buddy in hand, serving as my make-shift birthday cake, I about busted into tears. I was so grateful!

I was, once again, overwhelmed. Mom and I went for a walk on the boardwalk called the Prominade hand-in-hand with my Momma. Did I mention she’s my Little Rock?

We bought some souvenirs then headed to dinner. After a little bit at dinner . . . Boom, it happened again— completely blindsided!! Though I’ve been blindsided by death, heartbreak, feelings of fear and inadequacy; this was the good kind of blindside . . . That has nothing to do with Michael Oher. Nearly the whole cafeteria erupted in singing Happy Birthday! I, not one to be embarrassed, was shades of red!!

I talked to my Mom, Uncle Marcus and aunt Patsy Mullen and ended the night talking to Laughy Taffy, Debbie, Cherie, Amber, Jill and even an Israeli named David. God showed up. He showed out! We laughed, I shared my heart, they cried, I cried. They spoke so many beautiful, life-affirming, challenging and awesome Truths into my life. We talked for over an hour— No surface-level, mundane stuff . . . Deeper, than the deep-end conversation! David shared with me how he had just lost his Dad 2 weeks earlier— a 47-year-old man opening up his heart to me and a table full of Americans. That can only be the work of God.

I encouraged him and told him about losing my Step-Dad and told him grief is more unpredictable than the weather in North Carolina. I was honest about how there would be good days, days where they felt close, bad days, days where the tears seemingly would not end, but I also told him HOPE ABOUNDS even in the midst of death’s cold grip!

We ended the night hand-in-hand praying for each other. Man, you talk about some powerful stuff! It was powerful!! I talked to David another hour or so, picking his brain about his beliefs, what separates Jews, Christians and Muslims. I listened how he lost his dad— One minute he had a fever, next he was on life-support. His lungs had failed him. I cried with him. He opened up to me as if he had known me for years. My Mom and I met him last night. See, contrary to popular belief no matter what race, what religion, background or sex, no matter how DIFFERENT we are . . . We are STILL the SAME!

This was honestly probably the BEST birthday I’ve ever had. If I’ve wronged you, if you hate me, if you hate to read this excitement and happiness . . . I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done and I’m working to become a better man. For those of who in my corner, you are truly the wind in my sail and I’m blessed and happy I get to voyage through life with you! Truthfully, I have to say— this was not just one of my best birthdays, but one of the best days of my LIFE!!

So, I leave you with this. Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” He’s still asking that very same convicting question today. Do I always answer that right? Heck no! Not even close! Not by a long shot, but I want to be able to answer through my words, and MORE importantly through my actions, “You are Christ Son of the Living God!”

Because He is just ALIVE as EVER!!

Remember friends— + התקווה שופעת +

JMB

Ocean of REGRET

2020-02-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

I’m crying this morning. Why? I didn’t know Mia Stokes, who at 18-years-old, died in a car accident last night. Although I did meet her, her sister Mallory and her dad Eric, one night at a Hornets’ game, I didn’t know them, but my hearts hurts for them and I’m crying because of how much they hurt and remembering my own hurt of similar losses.

See, I have a BIG heart— always have, but I live with SO many regrets!! All the wish I would’ves, could’ves and should’ves; I carry them daily. I have forgiven myself, but the scar tissue stays with me like gum on the shoe of my heart. ALL the times I wish I made the time, all the words I wished I said, all the memories I wish I would’ve made . . . It all makes me vigilant moving forward.

ALL of that is gone, evaporating over the moments of time’s tapestry, but there is a blank canvas I receive daily to speak Life into people, to love and serve them, to make sure they know how I feel about them and to make time for the people who really matter to me . . . After all, without sacrifice, there can be no LOVE!

God made me an ENCOURAGER!! Other than obedience, and trying to fail Him less, part of why I go the extra mile to send texts, prayers, words of encouragement, make that visit, is I want LESS regret movinG forward! Damn, I carry enough on my back as it is. I don’t want to add to it!! If I had a tear for every time I felt remorse, I would have an ocean!

There are SO many things I would do over if I could— off the top of my head . . . I would’ve spent more time with Mamaw (even though I spent a ton of it) even though she wouldn’t remember, I would’ve worked with Papaw in the garden more, helped Buddy build things in the workshop, gone to see Buddy more, especially when Mom was gone on a trip, but I could do that when he was older, right? Right!?! I would’ve texted, called, or MySpaced Karson the 6 months God told me to— laying it on my heart in bold fluorescent letters! I would’ve treated A.J. with more patience and love, even though he was an annoying teenager. I would’ve gone to see my Uncle Bobby even though I literally thought what was the point since he’ll be dead soon. I would’ve told my childhood best friend Jonathan I loved him even though in high school guys simply don’t do that! I could go on and on and on and on about ALL the regrets that eat at me like I’m a continual meal . . . I wish I could do SO much over!!

But I can’t, so I do what Hebrews 12:1-2 says . . . I focus my eyes on Jesus and run the race He has in store for me! I won’t always get it right, but I own my failures but not my successes— they belong to Jesus 🙏The marathon— remember, it’s not a sprint—Continues!

Young people, and of all ages, that’s what I would say: Make time for that visit, send that text, let them know you’re praying for them n there for them! Live each day with GRATITUDE and SERVE! You never know when your time is uP or their’s and you don’t want to have regrets of not doinG!

Don’t be too busy with LIFE that you forget to LIVE!! I’m a firm believer in this . . . People make time for the people, and things, that are important to them! If they love you, and want you in their lives, they will make time for you plain and simple. But, as humans, we don’t always . . . Do we! Sad, but true. Now, I do my very best to do just that!!

Some 💩 seems IMPORTANT— at the time— and it’s really not at ALL! Ask God to give you guidance, discernment and PERSPECTIVE about what and WHO really matters! I’m willing to share my PAIN for it to be your LESSON. I can’t force you to learn it— that decision comes down to you! It’s my HOPE this makes you think, challenges you and maybe even prompts you to pick up the phone to text somebody or call someone you love . . . I didn’t always do that— see for yourself.

Read There’s Always Next Year on my blog—

http://jmbrooks17.blogspot.com/2012/11/theres-always-next-year.html?m=1

Get Off My Lawn

2020-02-03T06:20:00.001-08:00

Warning— unpopular message ahead. Oh, and one more thing . . . Glad I’m single so, I wasn’t like the millions of boyfriends, and husbands, who got in trouble with their significant other, or even worse got the silent-treatment or cussed out! 😂

J-Lo and Shakira, passionate women, on the biggest stage and, in all places, on South Beach, but . . .

That halftime show was SHOCKING! It always is, right? After all, that’s what boosts ratings! But as an advocate for women— extremely close to my Mom, my sister and nieces and very close to my Mamaw— and them being treated with respect . . . It was TRASH!!

I knew the suspects and I knew they were in Miami, so, I expected it to be over the top, but this surpassed even my wildest predictions.

I thought of ALL the little girls standing in front of the TV seeing the raunchy dancing, the skimpy outfits, more crotch shots than a bar on a crowded Saturday night, performers/singers/dancers, who are extremely talented but who did something that’s sadly become the norm, taking our daughters, nieces, sisters and telling them this— it’s OK to dress like that, it’s OK to show off your body, it’s OK to mimick sex in prime time, it’s OK to show ALL of you and not only show it, but have specific choreography that focuses on backsides and what’s between your legs and, instantly, no matter how much we’ve tried to protect our little girls . . . They were transported to a strip club. I won’t be hypocritical (as I’ve been in them plenty in the past) but as an adult I have that choice and prerogative. But them? They don’t!!

While I agree J-Lo and Shakira are beautiful, sexy and attractive— seemingly both having found the Fountain of Youth, and while I appreciate the Latina community represented— it made me mad! They are not the problem. Who we have become as a country, and society, is the problem! They are simply a microcosm of that.

And I honestly felt like we were watching something— the biggest spectacle in the world— that was just shy of pornography. Again, let me reiterate, I understand it’s performance art, but as someone who sees how it affects our little girls, all of whom are impressionable, I was appalled, disappointed and frustrated.

Did I enjoy their looks, moves and bodies? Honestly, yes . . . But again, adults weren’t the only ones watching! The present, and future are, and, from that standpoint, it simply wasn’t acceptable!!

Again J-Lo and Shakira are a reflection, like any other award show— a symptom of the sickness— they are not the problem! In terms of just their performance, they rocked it! How do I know our overly-sexualized culture is affecting our youth? Go to ANY dance, or cheer, competition and see their outfits, listen to the music, see how they move . . . They are simply copying behavior that we, as a society, have not only deemed OK but is NORMAL. It’s not!! They are taught the moves on women then we get mad and have the audacity to say they’re trying to grow up too fast or get upset when they wear a revealing outfit, shorts that are too short or or wearing makeup too early!

I’m not trying to be the old man screaming, “Get off my lawn,” but I listened to the reaction from women at my sister’s Super Bowl party and they felt the exact same way!!

Full disclosure— I’ve been a womanizer and an objectifier, of women, in the past . . . and still struggle with being naughty, engaging in pictures and text conversations I shouldn’t— All facts I’m NOT proud of, but it’s not about me, or any other adult, it’s about this: we can’t champion the #metoo movement . . . we can’t call out sex trafficking, rape and other horrific treatment of women, but not have the courage to say, “This is NOT right” even if those words sound a lot like, “Get off my lawn” in this day and age!

But the reality is this— the more we let the lesser things slide, as acceptable, the greater likelihood the bigger things become more likely to happen!! As a believer, and follower, of Jesus, I faced a serious tug of war watching them perform— flesh vs. spirit, the old me vs. the new me, the immature boy vs. the man I’m trying to become and while I lost that, at times, during the 30-minute performance . . . I repeatedly said out loud, “This is ridiculous! Little girls should NOT be seeing this.” They should not be susceptible to these images. It was, in many ways, degrading. The one fitting aspect of the show was the stripper pole— that was apropos for what we were seeing!

Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, who started Samaritan’s Purse, said in America it seems we have always done a good job of protecting our children, in prime time time-slots, and that it could be slipping away. I say this. Shakira’s hips don’t lie . . . Just like the fact we’ve already lost the battle on television, in movies and in music, so it’s IMPERATIVE, we teach our sons, daughters, nieces and nephews the RIGHT way to treat girls and women and how, as girls and women, they should expect to be treated!! I’ve always been challenged when I read: “Close your eyes and think how you’re treating your girlfriend or wife— is this the way you would want your daughter, niece or sister treated?” In reality, sadly, I haven’t always been able to say yes.

We should teach them to open doors for girls, be respectful, walk on the side closest to the sidewalk, pull out chairs, call not text, send flowers, write love notes, pray for, lead, cherish and pursue as the rib God created them from as equals to walk beside and yet to be protected and made to feel valued! We need to teach our girls to expect this or like I tell my nieces, “Find somebody who does!!”

From the playground, as children, girls are taught if a boy likes you, he will be mean to you! That’s simply a lie that transcends, and translates, into adulthood. That’s why so many women fall for jerks, bad boys and a-holes, while the nice guy finishes last! Sadly, it’s a lesson that sticks with them, but what if we taught them something different?

I’ve always taught my nieces their value doesn’t come from what grades they make, how popular they are or what clothes they wear no more than their validation comes from how pretty they are or what their body looks like. While TV and movies push a certain image— have to be skinny, beautiful and air-brushed— I’ve taught them they are already validated, and have infinite worth, based on the fact God sent His Son Jesus to die for them. Because they have been taught beauty comes from within, “That God made only ONE of you in the whole wide world” they don’t have to keep up with Joneses, what they see in magazines, the internet or television, because they are BEAUTIFUL just as they are! It’s my hope since they already have that validation, and love, that they won’t seek it in boys, but later find it in their husband.

In world, that this is now normal, we must teach our little girls to swim mountains and climb oceans and walk to the beat of a different drum . . . In other words let’s teach them to be DIFFERENT, go against the crowd, and as they get older, that their worth is not found in what a boy thinks of them, or in their bodies, or what they look like, but in WHO they are! Let’s teach them to follow God when everybody else is following the crowd! Let’s make sure they know they are WANTED by the KinG is the Universe, and wanted by us, that they belong, in world that tells them they are mainly wanted for their bodies!

I’m not saying I’ve treated girls, and women, perfectly, because I have enough failed relationships to plainly say I haven’t. Hope you agree with this—But if not, I’m content being the OLD, grumpy man screaming from the front porch, “Get off my lawn!”

As long as someone hears me!! JMB

**I’ve been very candid about being a sex addict, and admitting my short comings, I fully-acknowledge that, but this was a message I felt led to share. Hope, at the very least, it challenged the way you think about some things. I’m not saying parts of me didn’t enjoy them, because I did. I won’t BS anybody when it comes to that. They are HOT!! But this was about something much bigger than simple entertainment. That’s the message I’m trying to relay. The aforementioned was NOT just about a 30-minute halftime show, as as parents, we can simply not let our kids watch it, if we deem it inappropriate (simple solution), but I was hoping to evoke thoughts of the bigger picture and bigger issue. Perhaps, they could put a rating up at the beginning of the awards show, or halftime show, to help parents make a more informed decision about whether their kid should watch it. Final thought— we act, and present, ourselves as whores . . . How can we ever embrace the fact we are princes and princesses??

The Jungle

2020-01-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

As I stand in the darkness waiting to hear Light’s Voice, Light appears to light my path.

A lion— the Lion— fierce, strong, with sharp, yet hidden teeth, a majestic mane, deep, yet still, ever so kind eyes turns His head and sees me. He looks into my soul, without speaking a single word, and His unspoken, sweet whisper melts away my FEAR!

In one breath of Victory, Love drowns the pain in the deepest part of my being. I am FREE!! No longer paralyzed by the uncertainty of the future, no longer bound by the mistakes of my past . . . Only FREE to walk step-by-step, moment-by-moment behind the Lion, with the Lion.

With each step, the Light embraces me and guides me. Though wolves encamp me, I will not be afraid! The fog engulfs me. Worry threatens my Peace. Fear wants to render me helpless, but I choose to follow because I’m LOST without the Lion in this scary jungle! I know He’s taking me to a beautiful destination because each decided step, with Him, is exactly that— a Beautiful Place!

+Hope Abounds+ JMB

P.S. I had a prophetic vision, and revelation, one night as I slept . . . I experienced what I just wrote and I’m excited to share it with y’all. I’m in a very uncertain place, but I stand with CERTAIN Peace. I hope it encourages , blesses and challenges you.

Dancing on the Grave

2020-01-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

Let's see ourselves, even in our current struggles, and wrestling of sin, as LOVED, BEAUTIFUL, PURE, ADORED and WORTHY instead of MISERABLE FAILURES, embarrassments, 'can't get rights' and hypocrites like the devil wants us to see when we look into the pool of reflection.

When God says who WE are, who are THEY to say who we AREN'T? I know who I AM. I know who I've BEEN. And I know where I'm GOING, but most importantly . . . I am who I am because the I Am tells me WHO I am! Even though I've failed, I'm NOT a FAILURE! Although I've fallen short, I refuse to stay down! Even though I've been defeated, I won't wear DEFEAT! Even though I've shamed myself, I simply won't wear SHAME! Even though I’ve experienced LACK, I lack NOTHING! See, I won’t wear who I USED to be, because every single day I fight to be the NEW me! I don’t always succeed in that, but I continue to fight.

FAR too OFTEN, we own our shame, our regret, our pain and our failures, but we RARELY own our AWESOME! Each one of us is unique!! ALL people, throughout the history of time, have different fingerprints—is that not amazing?!? Before the foundations of the Earth, before we were in our mothers’ wombs, God knew us! He took His time PERFECTING us and CRAFTING us—We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God had previously ordained that we should walk in them Ephesians 2:10-- and part of our creation was developing a plan for our lives that ONLY you can do! That means EACH ONE of us, every SINGLE ONE of us is IMPORTANT!!

I used to be a sex ADDICT—porn, strip clubs, strippers, webcams, escorts, couples, BDSM, etc. (I would share more, but to protect my family, and out of their consideration, I won't)—I did just about everything. I remember, literally, going to a strip club, coming back that night and messing around with a girl, getting drunk then, without any sleep, rolling up into church. Talk about trying to serve two masters!! That’s on a whole ‘nother level. But the last 7-8 years, I’ve worked extremely hard to let the Potter mold me into a new CREATION (2^ndCor. 5:17)!

Here’s the thing, we can strive. We can toil. We can work. We can promise to do better, but that’s a LIE—in many ways—because the beautiful reality is . . . though our gardens are MESSY—filled with sticky, ugly briars, weeds threatening to overcome the flowers and green grass and is grown up—Jesus sees BEAUTY!! So, I encourage YOU to just REST in that UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and find rest for your weary soul in that pasture. We don’t come to Jesus ALL cleaned up; we come to Jesus to get clean!! I’m still working on that second part. Church is not a museum for SAINTS, but is a hospital for the SINNERS. I’m a redeemed-sinner, so whether I’m sick or healthy; I will remain at the feet of the Doctor of my soul.

For years, I let God speak to me. I listened. I FOUGHT. I RAN. I worshiped. I cried. I felt His scalpel removing things—destructive habits, sin, negativity and evil—and felt Him replacing them with His Nature. I knocked. I sought Jesus! I asked. I learned. I screwed up and missed the mark more times than I’d like to admit . . . and still do, but I have become a NEW person! I REJOICE over that! Am I perfect? FAR from it, still too many pictures, conversations, texts and actions I take part in, but I am CLIMBING that mountain! I will slip, I will fall, I will grow weary and stop the ascent, but I will not TURN BACK!

See, I’ve endured A LOT in my life . . . my little step-sister passing away in a car accident at 16, an ill-advised marriage, and subsequent divorce just months later, my Papaw, who helped raise me passing away at 90, my little step-brother passing, due to a heart ailment, at 22, me losing my job as a sports editor, and writer, after five years due to the recession, me becoming one of two finalists to be the main writer for the Carolina Panthers’ website, which would’ve been a dream job, before ultimately missing out on it, then had a girl I was dating, who, between my generosity and her being a thief, completely drained me of my savings account . . . throw in a porn addiction, and near-insatiable desire for sex, which involved the aforementioned things, and more, I was at rock bottom.

Since the events I just described took place over the span of five-six years . . . all the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking losses took their toil. I lost my peace. I lost my mind.

At my lowest point, I had a gun in my hand, a .38 special, ready to kill myself. But in that moment, Jesus, the One I had worshiped, learned from, read His words, growing up and prayed to, whispered just enough Truth, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love for me to not go through with it! He consoled me, encouraged me, loved me and gave me just enough Hope, in the midst of hopelessness, to find the strength to go on . . . in short, Mufasa had more work for young Simba to do! He loved me right in the middle of my MESS.

When the Lord RESTORES your life from rock bottom an unspeakable change happens. You smile bigger. You laugh harder. You cry more. You say, “I love you” more. And the little moments you used to take for granted, you no longer do—rather, you appreciate them for what they are-- hidden treasures! You learn a compassion that can only be born through tragedy, tears and trial.

In exchange for ashes, God gave me BEAUTY! He’s shown me the flames aren’t meant to consume us, but rather refine us. Storms will come. That is inevitable, but what we must remember, no matter how great the waves, how loud the thunder or how bright the lightning, is Jesus is in the boat with us. That beautiful, powerful and wonderful truth has come in handy over the past year.

I’ve thrown up over 2,200 times, and even though I’ve never abused alcohol or drugs, had severe ulcers in my stomach and small intestine, a loose lower-esophagus, have esophageal spasms, a hiatal hernia and three cysts in my liver, but my faith has NEVER wavered! Has it been exhausting? Has it, at times, been frustrating? Absolutely to both, but I’ve had Peace, which truly passes all understanding over the 14-month ordeal. At my lowest point, in less than a month and a half, I went from 185 pounds to 142. I had 15-20 tests run, in and out of the hospital, and have had three specialists to put into perspective how dire it’s been.

My recent health battle came on the heels of losing two of the pillars of my family—my Step-Dad Buddy, of 32 years, and my Mamaw, who led me to accept Jesus on the porch in Elk Park at six-years old, both passed away in the past three years. As you can see, since having my life restored (Joel 2:25), it has been no walk in the park, but it’s one we don’t take alone. He walks with us, and when we’re too weak to carry on, He carries us, but what I’ve found is there are times in our lives in our lives where we don’t even want to be carried and it’s in those times we can crawl up into our Heavenly Father’s arms and simply be held—held by the Greatest Love in the Universe. Isn’t that an awesome thought?!?

Although I miss them terribly, and long to hug them, see their warm smiles or hear their voice, I’m thankful they’re no longer in any pain and are with Jesus, worshiping before the Throne. I have the assurance I will see them one Sweet Day in a land where there is no more death, no more mourning, no more suffering and no more pain! (Rev. 21:4)

Like the tree planted by the water—I was not, and shall not, be moved! Although, I’ve gained all my weight back, I’m still throwing up a few days a week. While I long to be healthy again, I’m healthy in spirit as I face this battle. Through faith, I hear the VICTORY trumpet before it’s here. I see the light at the end of the tunnel before it’s there. Over the past year, there have been plenty of times, I haven’t FELT the love of Jesus, so it’s a good thing I knew, and know, how much He loves me! See, feelings are fickle, fluid and like mosquitos, in the summer, all over the place, but the Love of God is unconditional, immovable, all-consuming and immune to our mistakes, feelings and seasons of life—whether on the peak or in the valley.

I worked too incredibly hard to crawl out of the debris, from under the rubble that once felt impossible to climb out from under and ruins of my life to STAY under it! The same way God caused the boulder to be rolled away from the tomb; He rolled those stones off me. I WILL complete my mission!

My hope is to share Jesus, and His Love, with a lost and dark world, to breathe Life into everyone who reads my words and to share the unending Hope, Peace and Joy I’ve found not because I am good, but because He is worthy and beyond AWESOME!!

Every day we can love Him, love, and serve, others, walk in gratitude and find humility in the simple truth we don’t deserve a single flower of blessing in life’s beautiful garden. That alone should make us grateful. Any blessing in our lives is nothing more than a MUD PUDDLE, while He is the endless, beautiful Ocean we have unlimited access to. Whether we find ourselves in the pit, or in the palace, let’s cling tightly to the God, Who clings tightly to us. For the palace, without the King, is nothing more than an EMPTY house!

Over the past decade, I’ve gone from a pauper to a prince. Where I used to be lost, now I am found. Where I used to be overwhelmed by the tests, now I am PROUD of my testimony. Where I used to be an orphan, I now know I’ve been adopted by the King of Kings! Where I used to be a complete mess, God has turned me into a beautiful MESSage!!(Gen. 50:20) I’m dancing on the grave that once held me bound—and what a SWEET dance it is!

I used to view myself as an addict . . . now, I know I’ve been called, set apart, chosen, part of a royal priesthood and child of the King and Creator of the Universe all because of the blood His Son shed for me on the cross and me accepting Him as my Savior.

So, let’s TRY, let’s WORK, let’s STRIVE, let’s want more of Jesus and less of us (John 3:30), but if we screw up . . . let’s extend GRACE to ourselves and begin again. The older I get, and further and longer I walk, I want to fail Yahweh, Yeshua and the Holy Spirit less and love Him more! I want to give the angels in Heaven, and the Great Cloud (Hebrews 12:1-2), something to be proud of and something worthy to cheer for!

What shall we do? We should PRAY as if EVERYTHING depends on God and WORK as if everything depends on US and rest in the BEAUTIFUL TRUTH we are all works in progress (Phil. 1:6) and are LOVED more than we could EVER fathom-- RIGHT WHERE WE ARE!!

+Hope Abounds+ JMB