The Carpenter's Way

People, People

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 13:36:00 +0000

In my life I have known many people. I have known all kids of people. I have known Republicans and I have known Democrats. I have known people who were healthy and people who were sick. I have known people who were Kings, and people who were servants. I have known people who were CEO's, and people who were unemployed. I have known people who were clergy and I have known people who were murderers. I have known people who were kind and people who were mean. I have known people who were black, people who were white, and people who were asian. I have known people who were rock stars, and people who can’t play a note. I have known people who were published authors, and people who can’t read. I have known people who were billionaires, and people who were broke. I have known people who lived in mansions and people who lived in huts. I have known people who were Christian, people who were Hindu, people who were Buddhist, people who were Muslim and people who were Atheists.

Bare with me... I have known people who were alcoholics and addicts, and I have known people who were teetotalers. I have known people who were straight, people who were gay and people who were transgender. I have known people with tattoos, and people with untouched skin. I have known people who's names you recognize, and I have known people who did not have a name. I have known people who were born, and I have known people who have died. I have known people with two parents who were married, people who were orphans and I have known people who were adopted. I have known people who have won awards and people who were in prison.

Thanks for staying with me, as you can see I have known many, many people from all walks of life and with all kinds of backgrounds. Though they all have very different lives and opinions, there is one common thread that all these people have - they are people, human beings, just like you and me. They all have feelings, opinions, experiences, and fears. They all have good times and bad, they all have times of sickness and times of health. Yes, they all have much more in common than you may think. At the end of the day, they may truly be more similar than they are different. We live in a world that loves to divide us. The media thrives on controversy and drama. Radicalization of our faiths have led us to believe that those with whom we don’t see eye to eye are our our enemy. Our society wants to make our value as people based on what we have or how much we earn. Our insecurities drive us to the need to be right, and we have learned to do this by making others wrong.

We as people have always had differences, and always will. We have desires and insecurities that make us want more, but we also have an inner conscious that wants us to be satisfied. We all desire to be loved and we all have love to give. All major religions are founded on a basic principal of loving others and being a good person, and yet our nature has corrupted these core values.

Our enemy is not everyone else, our enemy is ourselves. The solutions is not to stand firm, yell louder and post more on Facebook. The solution is to stop and listen, and think before talking. I am in no way saying anyone needs to step down from their beliefs, but to know that just as they can hold tight to their beliefs, so can others. The problem is not our differences, it is how we deal with them. I say it is time that we stop and take a breath, and see that we are all the same in the big picture, and we all share a similar story. We are products of our circumstances and molded by our perspectives, and our truths are just that, they are ours.

Are there higher truths? Yes. I firmly believe there are, and I am happy to share my views with others, but not impose them. My truth comes from my faith, and that requires me to love everyone, regardless of who they are or what they stand for. That means respecting you as a person, and seeing the good in you as well as respecting all of your perspectives and respecting your right to all of your opinions. You see, I do not believe that it is my job to force my truth on you, but to respect your right to choose what you hold dear, even if it is very different from mine. It is not because I am a better person. In fact, often it is a real struggle to keep my head right and my eye on what I believe. I constantly struggle with my inner-jerk and the ways of the world trying hard to pull me astray. But I desire to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

So please join me in choosing peace and being love. We are the key to changing the divisions in our world - not everyone else. You and me. Not later, but now. And not if they do it first. No, be the change you want to see. I challenge you to join me and start now. If I falter, forgive me, and I promise to do the same; but never should we let that be cause to give up the good fight!

Peace and Love,

Randy

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 23:39:00 +0000

From Randy Toltz

Managing Broker at Coldwell Banker Beach Properties of Costa Rica

Costa Rica

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Randy

Confirm that you know Randy

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Objection!

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 16:28:00 +0000

I Object. There, I said it, and unfortunately, it is true. Not, “I object” like in a court room, nor “iobject”, which I am sure is something apple will be rolling out soon, I, meaning me, “object”, as in the noun, that the dictionary defines as: “object, noun, ob–ject, a material thing that can be seen or touched”. Being as far from an English scholar as humanly possible, I am not sure I can make up a new verb from a noun that already has a verb of a different meaning, but I am going to anyway, and I apologize if I shouldn’t have. I object, meaning I way too often see people as objects and not people. Proper english would be, I all too often objectify people.

We all do it, some more than others, but objectifying a person is never in the spirt of loving them. We are told that the the two most important commandments are love God and love you neighbor, meaning everybody else, yes everybody. If you are objectifying them, you aren’t loving them, because you are no longer looking at them as people, but things.

We do this by labeling them. “He is an idiot!”. “She is nosy”. The news recently has been full of coverage of Paula Dean, the once beloved cooking show hostess, being fired for using the “n-word”. In other words, she used a term that labeled african american people not as individual people, but objects. Then the court of public opinion quickly pointed out that she is a “racist”. She is no longer a person, who may struggle with her own demons, she is now objectified as well. You see we all do it, all the time. In this case it can feel justified, but I don’t think that is how God wants us to see it. You see people of all backgrounds are still people, individuals, made by God in his image, but we are ALL to quick to forget this.

How about the two guys looking at the girl on the beach in her bikini. Are they looking at the beauty of her soul, or are they looking at her as an object to fulfill lustful desires? Would they look at her the same if she was a bit larger and wearing shorts and a tee shirt? Likely not, but they are not looking at her the person, but her the object. I wonder how that all changes if we add to the mix that it is God’s daughter they are ogling! I know if it were my daughter, I’m would not be happy, and I am not omnipresent, nor all powerful. I know, but, after all, she is just a tramp seeking attention going out dressed like that, I mean what does she expect! Again, we on the “good” side, have to watch how we label as well.

Here is one! How about the A$$ #@%& who cuts you off in the car. Now there is one case that we can justify converting into an object. I mean after all she has no conscious, or care for others, or she would be more considerate in her driving right? Well maybe, but would you feel any different if you knew that she was driving around just to get out of the house, because her abusive husband just beat her up in front of their three kids. Is she still an A$$ #@%&? Or, does she deserve your love and compassion?

You see, we are all people. We are all flawed, and we all deserve love and compassion. Oftentimes, those who appear to deserve it the least, need it the most. Their actions are often cries of pain and loneliness. We are all made to love and be loved, but we often deny ourselves and each other the gift of doing just that. We objectify people to distance ourselves from them, to justify our actions, to make ourselves feel superior, or in some cases, to fulfill our own needs or desires. We are all different, and yet we are all the same - made perfectly by God in His image. But we are made to learn to love and understand our fellow man. In doing so, we learn the unconditional love that God has for us and has designed us for, and in that, we find Him!

Yhea God!

Soul Fool- The proof of the pudding is in the eating

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:32:00 +0000

I have this restaurant I love to go to. The food is exceptional, the service is great, and the owner and I have a fast developing friendship. Now, I will say sometimes, I go in with a hankering for the perfect burger, which they know just how to make, and He will serve me up a risotto, that was not exactly what I had in mind when I arrived. However, it is always ends up being the perfect meal and I never leave disappointed or with regrets. Oh, and did I tell you the best part, the owner decided years ago, that he was willing to pick up the tab for anyone who wants to eat at his establishment.

Now the problem is how do I share this find with my friends. When you find something this good, you just want to run around and tell the world. The problem is, if it is all you talk about, everyone thinks you are crazy. When you tell them it is that amazing and their bill will be paid, many are skeptical and want to know what the catch is. If you say it is the best, with too much force, you end up making them defensive about their favorite restaurant, and then, they shut down and don’t want to hear anything else you have to say.

There is another issue. Many of us who have found this incredible bistro, all love it for different menu items. This often creates confusion for people who have not tried it. If I am raving about the best steaks ever, and then someone else talks about how this is the unparalleled sushi, and then little Johnny says how heavenly the pizza and french fries are, it can create doubt. How can a place that specializes in pizza, have any credibility in sushi, or fine dining? It defies common logic. Of course it is possible, but it takes a bit of a leap of faith to be open to believing it. Once you cross that imaginary obstacle, the proof of the pudding is truly in the eating, then you can decide for yourself.

There are many types of people out there all with different expectations and needs in their food preferences. There are those who always want the same, predictable experience. There are those looking for adventure in dining. Some want quality, some want volume, some are all about value, and others presentation. There are also some people who, for various reasons, don’t like to eat out and want to just eat at home. So for their own reasons, people may or may not be very receptive to your suggestion of a new place to eat.

How can you tell your friend from India, Raj, that your restaurant has better indian food than the Patel family, who’s recipes have been perfected by their family for generations? You see no matter what you say, you must say it with care, as to not offend. If you put down his culture, traditions and family eatery, you only alienate him, you make the idea of dining with you, unattractive. Even the the owner, of my favorite place, warns about maintaing loving friendships over everything else. You see, He feels that as long as you tell them about His restaurant, He is happy to try and convince them Himself to try it, but you forcing your will on them usually ends in hard feelings, and they will lose all desire to sample His cooking.

Now, I know, that some people want to push their own restaurant on everybody. Often we do it, because we are insecure and feel safer in numbers, or because we don’t want them getting sick by eating in an unhealthy or unclean cafe. The truth be told, most of us just want to share our excitement with the awesome establishment we have come to love. The food is good, healthy nourishing, the owner is a dear friend and the fact that the bill is paid is an believable blessing. The fact is, that we are not always well equipped to channel our enthusiasm properly, it is something we need to work on. We want people to feel our enthusiasm, not push us away, of feel hurt or intimidated by our tactics.

We each have a inherent need to share our excitement, about things we are passionate about. The issue is, we need to do so, in love and not in judgement or with a sense of superiority. We need to do so in a manner respecting that other people may have a restaurant they are just as passionate about and they may not be ready to eat elsewhere, or immediately jump at our suggestion to eat elsewhere, just because we said to. So to them, we need to talk in open discussions about our eatery and be willing, as well, to allow them to discuss theirs, letting them know all along, that while they may not choose to join us right now, that if they change their mind, at any point, we would love to save them a seat at our table. But we also need to accept the fact that not everybody will try it, and we need to also respect their decisions to choose to decline our invitation.

There will be some who are hungry, who can’t wait to check it out and taste all of the courses. Others will join us, who have not felt welcomed at, or liked the food at their current restaurant. They will be anxious to join us and eat, and get to know the proprietor. These people will be the ones we can share our next meals with, and hopefully, over time with loving encouragement, our other friends will join us, as they see our continued loyal patronage at our friends restaurant!

Living, Loving and Losing

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:55:00 +0000

Yesterday our community was robbed, robbed of our security, robbed of our comfort and robbed of our innocence. A child was taken from us and called to join the choir of angels. Taken from his parents in the early years of youth. Their hopes, plans, and expectations revoked in an instant. There is no way to prepare for the feelings of injustice, sadness, violation and heartbreak that this brings forth. Watching children learn first hand of the things adults can not explain, much less process. Knowing that the adults themselves now, have lost a security that they have taken for granted.

How do we deal? What do we do? Where do we turn? The questions fire around internally like a garden hose gone wild. Do we run to God? Yes... well maybe... is the the same God who just robbed us of our loved one? Do we open up and all cry together in love? or is that same love that just made us vulnerable to such profound hurt? Maybe withdrawing into a hardened shell will protect us from further pain. Where to go? What to do? How can we stop the feelings of hurt and violation with no answers.

The answers lie within. We know that love, the very love that makes us hurt so bad is the only thing powerful enough to even begin to repair the hole in our soul. The love that God blessed us with, the hope and promises He instilled in us. By a faith that there is in fact a heaven, we can find comfort in the fact that we can know our loved ones are in comfort, that we can maintain a hope of reconciliation.

The concept of love and heaven are not a doctrine of religion, as most major religions arrive at similar conclusions. It is a seed planted in our very core. Planted by the same creator that gave us a profound ability to love to the point of paralyzing pain. It is internal, hard wired into us. God who created us in His image, created us in love, and also promised us eternal life.

The answer to our healing, is to come together in love, to find comfort in the promise of a life eternal. to not run, hide, shut down, but to live each day with a new respect for the value of the gift it is. To love more, to give more grace, and to seek refuge in a God that willing gave His own son for our benefit.

It is the same God who entrusted us with the gift of our loved ones. Every day we get is a blessing. So we should not look with contempt at the time we did not receive, but live in gratitude for that which we did. The pain we feel is a testament to the true value of the gift we have received.

We can not pretend to understand the larger plans of the Lord. We can not pretend to understand the enormity of eternity from the basis our perspective of time. We need to have a faith, a blind faith in its infancy, but as you learn to trust in that faith, to live in that faith, it reveals itself. It becomes no longer blind, but in fact, it becomes a life based on a knowing, living, breathing relationship with a loving creator. It no longer becomes a leap of faith, but an investment in love.

Though not all are prone to becoming vulnerable enough to find the openness that allows for healing, I ask us all to open our hearts, to be available to ourselves, to one another, to God to allow us as individuals, and as a community to come together and openly grieve, to heal together and to celebrate the gift that we were given, for the precious time we had it.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Is 55:8-9).

Yhea God!

That Day

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:45:00 +0000

That day will come. "The day", the one that we all know and fear. The day that our mortality comes to an end and our time on earth, with those that we love, comes to an end. In that moment, most of us, regardless of our religion and/or faith believe that we will have revelation as to the truths of God and the universe. Those of us who are followers of Christ believe that in that moment our faith will be validated and we will be welcomed into Heaven, a place of perfection and eternal peace.

This week we lost a member of our community, a man in the prime of his life, whom was taken in his sleep. He was a business man, the owner of a local beachfront restaurant and bar, overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. He was a family man, with a wife and two sons, 12 and 15. He was not a poor man, and by all appearances his needs were well tended. I have to imagine that if asked, he would say, that in most ways he had it all. I did not know him, though I do know his family somewhat. But I can see the devastation that his death has caused. I can see the sadness and questioning throughout a community, who has lost one of their own before their time.

I wish I could just convince everyone, this is why you need to find Jesus, and do it now. Because that is, what I believe, they need to do. But I can also say that I am, as a believer in my own eternal salvation, still somewhat unsettled when it comes to my own mortality. I don't want to not be able to see my kids grow up. I don't want to not be with my wife, my family, or even my friends. I am scared. For just as this man in our community died, just as my sister died, or even for that matter just as Michael Jackson died, we never know when our moments on this earth will come to pass, and that is terrifying. Even as a Christian, it is scary, I am glad I have that to hold on to the help assuage my fears.

I know when you really stop and think about it, many things in life become unimportant, insignificant, even ridiculous. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, would you really spend today arguing with the guy at garage about the cost of brake pads, would you make sure to spend the day shopping for a new refridgerator, would you sit in the office all day trying to make that last dollar? I hope not. I know I would would want to spend it with my family and maybe even my friends, doing something incredible, something that I love. It is not that it would even matter doing what, just enjoying my time.

I also know I would also want to devote some of that day to prayer, not praying for my entrance ticket to eternal salvation, though I know I would ask, but praying for God to bring comfort to my family, friends and community as they experience loss. I would pray for God to care for and look after each of my family members and help them navigate the puzzles of life. I would also pray that each and every one of them find it in their heart to have a relationship with God, so that selfishly, I would be able to see them again.

So today this is my prayer for "Trukie", his family, and our entire community. God please comfort each and every one of us, but Lord give special grace and comfort to his family. Father may our fears and frailty be overshadowed by your love and understanding, and we all as individuals be drawn to you. May we feel you love and presence and may through this tragedy, we all find comfort in the fact that we have the opportunity to reunite again in your loving arms. Father, may we put less importance in the demands of the world and focus our time on earth on what is truly important, spending time with those we love and loving those we spend time with. Be with us Lord, and comfort us in our mortality, in Your name I pray. Amen

Yhea God!

The Crickets Song

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Do you try and do the right thing? Most of us do. I know that, I, for one, have devoted a large portion of my life to doing missions work and helping those less fortunate around the world. Many times I have put my safety and comfort on the shelf, to be a beacon of hope to those in need. I have tried to do it humbly and not with any personal gain in mind. Though admittedly, there have been times when I have had to consciously keep my ego in check, as to not make my time serving about me and the attention I was getting from doing it.

Would I say I care about others? Yes, I do. No questions about that. Would I do it for those I don't know? Of course, I do it all the time. After all my rallying cry has always been Matthew 25:40; “And the Lord will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ So in the parable of the good samaritan, where do I fall? As the one the comes along and helps, right? Well, in theory at least.

Last month this theory was put to the test, and I am sad to say I failed, miserably. Yes, me, Mr. travel the world helping people, loving them, feeding them, I failed the true test. I was driving through the barrio of Liberia, a moderate sized town about 20 minutes from our home in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The particular barrio was just outside of town and was quite poor with an extremely rough and rocky road. I was coming back from picking up my car at the mechanic and though I was not overly late, I was on a timetable. As I am driving and older guy obviously well beyond drunk was staggering down the road. As I approached him I slowed way down, less he stagger in front of my car. I can see as he gets closer that he is babbling something to himself. Immediately, I feel bad for him.

My pity rapidly turns into panic as I watch him fall face first onto the rocks. He landed on his face, no attempt by his hands to break the fall. Yep here it is, my confession. I watched as he tried to get up. Bloodied and unable to right himself, I watched. Knowing I probably could not understand his inebriated version of Spanish. Knowing, I did not want his blood all over my car. Knowing, that I had no idea where to take him or what to do. I drove on, hoping the next car coming down the road would have his good Samaritan. As I failed him, I failed myself, and I failed my God!

So now I sit here knowing that it is not Matthew 25:40 that guided me when the chips were down, but Matthew 25:45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me."

Yes, Lord, I have failed you, forgive me. I am not the man I thought. I am not the man I want to be. I heard my conscience, but chose to ignore it out of convenience. This has been riding on my for the last six weeks. I doubt the man died, I doubt it was the first, nor last time he walked that street with the same result. But I could have made a difference, I could have been the one to promote the change. I didn't, but I pray that next time I will have the courage to do it.

So my prayer for each of us is that we sing the song of Jiminy Cricket and always let your conscience be your guide. We know what is right, but are we strong enough to do it? So far, I have yet to prove myself, but I refuse to give up!

Yhea God

Faith, it is an all in proposition.

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:11:00 +0000

Early this morning, long before the sun came up, I was outside praying, meditating, and pondering the realities of life. I was thinking of some of the daily challenges that we each face, and I stumbled upon the thought that I hope I have enough faith to deal with the challenges that will come my way today.

Suddenly, it was as if it was daylight all around me, lit by the HUGE cartoon lightbulb that appeared above my head. Not literally, of course, but it was almost that dramatic. The veil was lifted and the the view was clear. There are no degrees of faith, you either have faith or you don't.

The dictionary defines faith as; "great trust or confidence in something or someone." Great confidence, not some level of confidence, but great confidence. That does not leave much room for doubt.

I remember one time while driving through Central Mexico, with a pastor on the way to a mission trip. We were behind a slow truck on a twisty mountain road and we were lamenting the need to pass this truck. He looked over at me as we started into a blind corner he hit his left blinker and said,"Randy, tienes, fe?" (Randy, do you have faith?) He was just kidding, but there was a time of silent counting in all of our heads, waiting to see if a car or truck would come flying around the corner that would have represented our death. For the record, it would not have ended well. My kids and I often play that game now to pass the time while driving.

But that game in the car defines faith, a blind trust in a yet to be determined outcome. But in that game, and in life, it is a yes or no proposition. There are no degrees or maybes. You are all in or all out. It does not mean you can't think about your decision, but at some point faith requires a firm commitment. Are you in or are you out? Do you have what it takes to pull into the other lane?

So my challenge to each of you today is "tienes fe?" Do you have faith? Well... do you? If so, put your turn signal on and move to the other lane, as life is a journey and you are already on the highway. Of course this blog is about religion and spirituality, but I truly believe that this applies to every part of our lives!

Yhea God!

The X-Games

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:53:00 +0000

The X-games is where Christians around the world and especially across the United States fall flat on their face. They crash and burn like a North Korean missile in an illicit test launch. The X-games are where we play self serving mind games designed to make us feel better by excluding others.

This is where we judge everyone who doesn't make the cut in our book, not to be confused in any way with "The Book" (AKA ,The Bible). See the truth is the woman who chooses to get an abortion is a sinner, but so is the church going businessman who looks twice at the cute waitress, even though he has no intention of it being more that a fleeting thought. Sure the gay couple fighting for their right to marry are not living in a way pleasing to God, nor are those of us living debt ridden and materialistically who are not tithing the fist ten percent of our income. See the Bible tells us that no sin is any greater than another, and Jesus was the one who taught us not to judge each other. So when we start imposing our flawed values on others, we have only achieved two things, exclusion and alienation.

When the crowd wanted to stone the prostitute, Jesus, said, "Let he is without sin, throw the first stone." the crowd disbursed, as nobody could meet that standard. We are taught that we are supposed to hate the sin and love the sinner. How can it be so hard for us to get it through our heads. Christians have become know for being judgmental, and exclusive, rather than loving and inclusive.

My challenge today is that we all make that extra effort to include and love and not exclude and judge. After all, Jesus spent much of his time associating with prostitutes and tax collectors not just rabbis and holy men. If the Bible tells us to spread the good news of Gods love, reaching out to others might make more sense than shutting them out. Especially is our target audience is the one we are excluding. Let's try and change our ways and in doing so maybe we can change the way the secular world sees christians.

Yhea God!

Remembering Danny

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:50:00 +0000

It is April 20th, 2009, the 10th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy. The day the our dear friends Rich and Sue lost a son. The day that we lost a friend. The day that many in our community lost someone special to them. A day that our entire community lost its innocence.

Many a tear has been shed, much pain has been felt, and heartache has reigned supreme, but that is all for not, for it will not change a thing. These are all vestiges of our human frailty. But in truth, today should be a day of remembrance and celebration. A day that we should thank God for the gifts he gave us in those we lost. A day we should see their face and remember the impact they had on our lives. In fact, this is what we should do every day, not just today. Every day we should celebrate all those whom have touched our lives. If fact we should celebrate those who have touched our lives daily, even if they are still with us, for the fragile balance of life stares us down constantly. These are all things that we should do, if we were strong enough, if we were faithful enough, if we truly trust God in his word enough.

The truth is, that our time together here is but the blink of an eye when compared with eternity. If you believe in God , if you believe that God is true to his word, if you believe that God is real, if you believe this with all your heart, mind, souls and strength. Then you know we will rejoin them in a better way in a better place. They are not lost, they are just lost to us. In fact, They are found.

Lord, my prayer today is that you will comfort us in our human frailness, that you will remind us in our souls of your love and your promises, that you never forsake us. Lord we thank you for the time we had with our loved ones and praise you for all the blessing you bestow on us daily. Lord I ask you today that you let the angles we are missing feel our love as they await the day that they can walk with us to your throne. In you name, Lord Jesus, Amen

So Danny, I say to you today you are missed, but we'll see you again.

Yhea God!

When it matters most

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:50:00 +0000

As we are all facing an economy that is quickly approaching disaster status we need to keep in mind the bigger picture. Yes, many of us have lost jobs, or houses, or investments. As are we living in fear of where this ride down stops and just how bad it will get, we need to remember that we are not in this alone. We are all facing it together, every person on this planet, because as goes our economy, so goes the rest of the world. The good news is that what is really threatened is only our material society. I know that for some that may feel like everything, but it truly is not.

In the United States, even our poorest are among the wealthiest from a world prospective. A homeless man on the street of Denver can walk into an ER if he is having a heart attack and get immediate care from some of the finest doctors in the world, no questions asked. In a country like Sudan a man with 2,000 cow, (cows are a measure of wealth there) may not even be able to get to a hospital before dying, as the nearest one may be a couple days of travel away. Even if he were to make it there, who knows the quality of care he could get. Every child in our country has the ability to go to school and learn to read and write, and get a meal while there. This is not true across the globe.

Why the rant, because statistics tell us that 30,00 kids will starve to death today. They are not just statistics, but they have names and faces and parents. As our economy collapses we as Americans are giving less to charities, non-profits, and other NGO's (non-governmental organizations) that help the needy around the world. Now our government wants to cut some of the tax advantages to giving, I don't suppose that this will make us as a society more generous. Not only is the third world losing our support, but as we quit shopping, the sweat shops that make our fineries will slow proportionately. So more of the world poorest will have less opportunity to be self sufficient.

Pastor Rob Bell sites a statistic that the worlds poor can be fed clothed and housed for $20 billion, the amount we in the US spend on ice cream every year! Compassion Ministries can feed a child for $156 per year, how much do you spend at Starbucks a month? The bible says that we are to tithe 10 % of our FIRST FRUITS, 10 % right off the top. If you make less you certainly would therefor be tithing less, but how many of us do it every time? I wish I could say that I have. The torah call Jews to do the same, as do most major religions. So if we all just did as we were supposed to, I contend giving would go way up.

Set aside religion for a moment, if you had to sit face to face with a child dying of starvation, while you struggled with all of your bills and budget, could you find $13 to feed him or her for a month? I bet each of us could. When I started this today I did not realize that KLOVE, a christian radio network, was doing an all day telethon with Compassion to bring this same issue to light. If anything that compels me that it is even more important to get the message out.

Now is the time to share what you have. As a Christian, the bible says that what you do for the poor, you do for Christ. But I am speaking to everyone right now regardless of your faith, as a human, your fellow humans need you right now. If you truly have no money then give your time, it matters as well. Do what you can and do it in what ever way you feel led, but do it, because it matter most, RIGHT NOW!

Yhea God!

And the greatest of these...

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. At the risk of being cliche, I feel compelled to write about love on Valentines day. The bible refers to love as the greatest of faith, hope and love. I find this interesting when most of us see the bible as a manual for faith, written to give us hope, that talks about love. But I contend that that assumption is wrong.

Is the bible not the greatest love story ever written? Is is not an epic novel full of trails, tribulations, sadness, and triumph? Is not it a great love story about our creator and his undying love for us. It is a manual for us to learn how to love. As you can not tell me human nature is to love our enemies as ourselves. I wish that came naturally to me, but it doesn't. The bible teaches us how to love. Why, because our God is a loving god and he wants us to know his greatest gift.

Our love for a child is like none other, we value them ahead of ourselves. But that is a love that comes naturally to us, one that takes no initial effort. But we were created with this innate desire to find our partner. From adolescence on we search high and low looking for that one special someone for whom we feel at home.

It is in this place that we find the desire to voluntarily surrender ourself and feel that divine comfort. It is not an easy place to get to, in fact some never do. It comes at a hugh risk, as to find it you must risk you innermost self. Once found, it is not easily maintained, it takes a concentrated effort of continual surrender. But in that place of love provided as nugget from God, we can truly find glimpses of heaven and the love God, our father, has for us.

The book of 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 says "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God."

So as we ponder how much we love and as we feel loved, let us remember to be grateful for this gift and give more of ourselves,as we know that we will receive far more than we ever give.

Yhea God!

Hold Strong

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:43:00 +0000

As the economy weakens and we all feel the pinch. Hold strong to you christian values. It is easy to get side tracked by the fear of upheaval. But remember that the Lord has promised to be with us ALWAYS and to provide for our every need. He is faithful to this. Where we get caught is that our every desire and our materialistic tendencies are not always in convergence with our Heavenly Fathers definition of needs.

Does God care that we have to down-size, I believe so, in that he hates to see us unhappy. I figure this is much the same for him as it is for us to watch out kids learn some of life's tough lessons. It is not that he cares about our life style, but he does care about our life and all that encompasses it.

It is times such as these though, where we become vulnerable to the serious temptations. Divorce rates rise, domestic violence increases as do alcoholism and many other wanton practices as we try to self medicate our souls. The problem lies in that it is not our souls that are hurting, but our human egos and insecurities that are coming into full bloom. It is these time that we need to rely on faith and the scriptures to pull us through.

Hear oh Israel, trust in the Lord your God with all you mind, all your body, all your soul and all of your strength. That verse says it all. The shema, from early on in the old testament to right this second those words have been applicable. Never doubt, have faith.

So what I am asking is that we all bow down as ask the Lord to provide what we NEED in these times and then rely on Him to come through. During all that, live your life in peace and do not let worry and strife destroy who you are. Love your family more, learn to enjoy again the small things and release your need for material goods. He is in control and these times are just a blip on the radar screen of eternity.

Yhea God!

Transparency

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:49:00 +0000

I always tell my kids that if they have to hide something or sneak it, then they probably know they should not be doing it. Transparency is the easiest test of right and wrong for anyone who is accountable. We are all accountable to God and the scary part is that in every way we are transparent to Him at all times. He knows our every action, intention and thought. Good thing He is all about grace!

It goes to show just how fallen we are that we constantly make the wrong choices knowing that our all knowing Father will find out. OK, not just find out, He knew we were going to do it before we did it. I guess maybe if we work harder to let Him truly sit on our throne, this blatant defiance would diminish. ("blatant defiance" sound harsh, but if we are to honest with ourselves, that is what it is.) Not as easy as it sounds, as most of us would gladly submit, were it that easy.

I guess we need to continue to try harder to follow His beacon and not our own. Remember Jesus is sitting right next to you every second of every day. Does that bother you? It should in a comforting way.

Yhea God!

Get in the Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:02:00 +0000

I know we all get hit up all the time to give to this, support that, or help out with the upcoming... If you are like me, my first reaction is the definition of schizophrenia. Part of me wants to do everything, fund everything and save the world, and the other part of me cringes, as it shouts that you have no more time, talent or treasure available. As I write this, both seem correct and justified. But the truth is, none of the three T's (time, talent, and treasure) are mine to begin with, all that I have are the gifts that God has loaned me for this life.

But it is hard to truly justify that we have no money, or time or talent if you take an objective look at our society. What we are really saying is that we choose to spend out dollars elsewhere, and likewise , our time. I am not passing judgement on that, but asking that we be honest about our choices. God blesses us each with what he wants us to have, (not necessarily what we want to have), but it seems to me that with that comes an expectation that we need to intern bless others.

I struggle with wanting to fix everything, solve every problem, and do it all. I am not sure that is the point either. We are designed and called to be communal. I believe that God would rather have 10 people give $50 to a project needing $500, than a single benefactor underwriting the whole thing. It makes sense that then there are 10 hearts, minds and souls involved, not just the will of one. (Note to friends: you can write big checks to my projects because I will just make the projects proportionally bigger) It is not always what you give, but that you give. If you have other choices taxing your financial resources, find other ways to be involved. Sometime the contribution is as simple as a smile, hug or words of encouragement. Like everything in a journey of faith, it is not about a destination, but the journey leading there. I am fairly sure He just wants us in the game.

So my challenge to you is to examine your priorities and make you and you resources available to God. I have found that the more I give the more blessings I receive and I am not talking about money. The call is to get in the game, find the position that is the right fit for you and participate. So to quote a famous shoe slogan, "just do it!"

Yhea God!

It Is Not About ME!

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:55:00 +0000

This is tough one, folks. Let's face it, we are wired to be egocentric. We each believe that we are the axis of the world. I do not know how we got to this point, but we arrived none the less. Jesus spent his entire life teaching us to love God and others ahead of ourself and when we do it, the huge effort seems minimal and the blessings abound. Yet, we still fall away.

Imagine how awesome the world would be if we all lived by putting others ahead of ourselves. In a selfless society there would never be an argument, as there would be nothing to argue about. After all, how could you berate a your cousin for borrowing you lawn mower and not returning it. When they not only returned it but they had it tuned up and cleaned as well. You would never have to eat alone as there is always someone who could use your extra food and the would most likely prefer not to eat alone either.

The joy of serving is immeasurable and even in our materialistic society there is no value one can place on a smile. :-)

Yhea God!

Please Pray for The People of Sudan

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:13:00 +0000

For the last year, I have been working with the Eleos Project, a community development organization working in South Sudan. Please join me in praying for the ministry, the country and most of all the Sudanese people.

Stepping Out

noreply@blogger.com (Randy) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:48:00 +0000

I guess the theme today as I penn my first post is, stepping out. Funny, I am not intimidated to travel the globe, even to the most remote places. I do not fret being self employed, even when money is scarce. In fact the things that cause most people anxiety do not tend to bother me, normally the quite opposite. So, I have no idea why I have feared this first blog post for so long.

My favorite quote at the moment is " God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable." I do not remember who originally said it, but I read it in the book Irresistible Revolution . I have used it a ton as we, (my family and a group from our church) have been preparing for an upcoming mission trip to
Nicaragua. I have been spouting it to help encourage others through the trials of life. Now I find myself having to encourage myself. But I guess that is God's plan, even the fearless have fear, even the teachers need to learn, even the strong need strength... OK, you get the point.

That is the plan, the burden of our yoke is that is a journey, not a destination. We are constantly trying to achieve the unattainable. But unlike worldly goals, there is great joy to be found even when you come up short. I guess the upside-down kingdom shows its beautiful face again. It is not about winning, or a destination. It is about beating the mind games and getting the first post out of the way.

Yhea God!!!