The Orphan

Many of you may not know how much of a fanatic I am of the Horror Genre. I love most all horror movies. The blood, guts, gore, supernatural, and the feeling of being scared excite the movie watcher like myself. And yes I read magazines like Fangoria and Rue Morgue. These publications as I am sure most horror movies are frowned upon in most Christian circles around the world. One of these organizations, and yes I am going to name drop here, is the Christian Alliance for Orphans. You can see there website here http://www.orphansdeservebetter.com/index.html

This particular organization has a campaign called "Orphans Deserve Better" against a particular movie called "Orphan" released by Warner Bros which is coming to theaters July 24th . The official movie website can be viewed here http://orphan-movie.warnerbros.com/

Although I have obviously not seen this movie yet, but from what I have seen this is your typical movie where a seemingly good child turns out to be bad.



This is what boils my blood about Christian organizations such as the Christian Alliance for Orphans. They put up a website devoted to slandering this movie for what it is not, a ploy to generate a negative opinion about how people view orphans and adopted children. The Christian Alliance for Orphans believes that after watching this movie viewers will come to the conclusion that "lingering impressions that orphans are damaged goods and that adoption can tear apart your life, those who know the deeper truth must speak up." Being a Christian myself one may wonder why I would side with Warner Bros on this one instead of the Christian organization. My thought is this. Christianity has enough issues with non Christians who give us a negative outlook. The only thing I can see coming from such a campaign is the ongoing worldly view that Christians are nothing more than whack jobs with nothing better than to try to force there beliefs down others throats. I can only speak for myself when I say that this is not how I want my beliefs to be viewed. The Christian Alliance for Orphans is asking it's followers to write to Warner Bros. asking that they donate a portion of the proceeds from the movie to help orphans. Of all the ways to raise support for a good cause, this has to be the lowest means is which to do so. I agree that everyone in this country is entitled to their opinion, but to think that by simply watching a movie, this is going to deter people from adopting a child is outlandish. Really if you think about it, all this hype and boycotting will only make others want to see the movie even more. I know I do. So a big Thank You goes out to the Christian Alliance for Orphans for doing your part to promote this piece of cinematic history. They should be ashamed of their tactics, and opinions they are spreading about Christians worldwide. I for one will not be adopting your views on this movie. I plan to take it for what it was meant to be, good entertainment.

Geographic Change

Wow! It's been quite some time since my last blog entry. I suppose diving back in, is better late, then never. Blogging keeps you sane, give you a different perspective you could say. September 2ND will mark 3 months since Dawn and I moved to Florida. Things are different. The people are different, the scenery is different, the weather is different, only one thing remains the same. Life's problems. I guess packing all your worldly possessions and moving over 1000 miles from home, won't change that. I am not implying that I expected such a change. It just is what it is. Geographic change is not going to take care of your problems. Just because you leave one state and move to another, doesn't mean life's daily struggles stay behind you. Because guess what, weather you packed them or not, they come along for the ride, trust me. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say, "If I could just get out of this place, things would be better". Let's not fool ourselves...... please. Don't get me wrong. I didn't move here to escape the bumps that the road of life throws at you everyday. I moved here to be a part of something even bigger. I moved here because God asked me to. God has use for me here is Pasco County, FL. I just need to remember that. Remember that He is bigger than any problem or situation I may ever have or encounter. He remains faithful even at the times I do not. I look forward to growing with Gathering Pointe Church. Amen!

For I Know The Plans I Have For You!

I am not going to go into length with this post. I want the video below, to really speak for itself. The other day I posted about my wife and I being worried about how are plans for Florida were going to pan out. I also stated that I had no doubt of His plans for us. This video brings much affirmation to the fact that no matter what our circumstances, no matter how worried we get, God is in control. He has a plan for each and everyone of us. No Doubt! This video was sent to me by Ross's Mom. It even talks about my favorite verse in all the Bible.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Walking With HIM

OK so my wife and I are leaving for Florida in exactly 56 days from today. Are we nervous? yes, are we worrying about every detail? yes, are we going,? Without a doubt. There isn't a single doubt in my mind or my wife's mind about where God wants us to be. But yes, the worry factor is defiantly there. It definitely plays a big part of our daily lives. But this is how I look at this. God doesn't take a man, allow him to hit Rock Bottom, then decide to lift him back up again for no reason. That would be like me finding the worst looking bicycle, fixing it up, then letting it sit there only to start rotting again. That would be absolutely useless, let alone a waste of time. God does neither of those two things, wasting time doing useless things. He had a plan already set in mind long before I even picked up my first drink many years ago. He knows how he wants to use my wife and I, and the least I could do is to have no doubts. The least I could do is be obedient, without constant worry. A good friend of mine recently suggested the idea of a list of 10. This list pertains more to adding people, but I am sure God will allow me to stick worry on that list. The Bottom line is even though we are worried, and nervous, we still have to stick to the stuff, meaning always trusting, always obeying, and no matter what always praying and seeking His will for our lives. God has done some incredible things in my life this past year, so I have no doubt that there are many more incredible things to come, for my wife and I. My heavenly Father is calling me to Florida. As his son, I am going to be obedient. Sometimes in my mind I picture God and I walking side by side and wherever he go's I follow. And I know when I get there, he will be there to continue walking with me. Such an awesome awesome feeling. God is Amazing!

This & That

Most mornings while sitting down for breakfast, my mind clicks through the things that lie ahead of me for that particular day. The things I have to get done, the things that could go wrong, the things I really don't want to do, but do anyway. Then my mind starts to wonder and worry about things like, am I gonna have enough money to pay this bill, or that truck repair, or the rent for this month. In the end worrying seems silly though doesn't it. Because after all is said and done, each of those things I worried about, God took care of. Sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in trying to schedule this and make sure theres going to be enough people at that, and not to mention my high expectations for things in general. But isn't that how most of us are? We get so caught up in ourselves, that we loose sight of the one were doing it all for. God. Where is he in all this. I personally believe if I spent just as much time praying as I do trying to overwhelm myself with this, that, and the other thing, It would be a whole lot easier for God to be a part of those plans. So I challenge myself and others to simply pray. God wants to spend time with us, he wants to build up an intimate relationship with us. But most importantly he doesn't want to be a part of our plans. He wants to be a part of His plans he has for us. Pray and ask God what he will have you do today to be a part of them.

Facing our Giants

I tell ya, I really love this movie. Escpecially this particular scene. For those of you who have never seen it before it's called Facing the Giants. Wouldn't it be amazing if everyday we gave 100% to God. Wouldn't it be amazing if everyday we lived with that blind faith of trusting God, and gave him our very best. It seems like most days I stop crawling at the 50 yard line and just give up. I rip off that blindfold and admit deafeat before I even give God a chance. God never promised being a christian would be easy, but he did promise to be there with each yard we crawl, and with every giant we face. God has been faithful in his continuance to give me the power to be sober. He will never give up on me. I think it's time to start completely trusting. Every morning when I wake up, slingshot in hand, to face my giant, I know I can count on God to be faithful.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful, through

whom you were called into fellowship with His Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord

Hello my name is Jeff, and I'm a bicycle addict.

For those of you who didn't know I have another blog entitle Velo Junkie. Theres a link to it on this website. Yes I'm a bicycle geek. I'm working on my first bicycle restoration. It's going to be a Rat Rod, which is basically a souped up bike with a retro look to it. You can watch it develop on my other website. I don't think theres a single person that can say they didn't have a bike as a child, or at least dream of having one. I can remember being a young little boy and my Mom buying me my very first pedal powered machine on two wheels. "Your gonna need training wheels she said", but I insisted that this would not be necessary, because I was a natural. Sure enough as I hopped on the bike, and my Mom gave me a push, off I went, the coolest kid in town, or at least I thought so. Times have changed since then, I'm now riding a bigger and faster bike with more speed and equipment. Theres nothing more relaxing then pedaling down a country road, shifting through those 24 gears, with nothing on your mind but the road that graciously welcomes you with open arms. The wind whispering to you as you gently embrace each turn, wondering what adventures await you with each push of the pedals. Waving to other cyclist you pass as you enjoy the beautiful landscapes God has created, each one different from the next. At times like that theres no place I would rather be then right there in that moment. So the next time your feeling bored, get out that bike and pedal away life's little problems, and come to experience the true enjoyment of something as simple as a bicycle ride.

Let Him deal with the Idiots

I once heard about a man who was cruising down the road in his decked out Jesus mobile. You know the type. WWJD, Life's short pray hard, My boss is a Jewish carpenter. All those bumper stickers plastered to the rear window, topped off with a couple of Bible verses. I guess he wants the world to know how much he loves the Lord. At any rate, after being cut off by another driver he becomes enraged and starts flipping the bird, followed by an onslaught of derogative commentary. A police officer who witnessed the entire event decides to pull over the enraged driver. You may or may not be wondering why he decided to stop the enraged driver instead of the guy who cut him off. It's actually quite simple. He thought the car was stolen. Having noticed all the Jesus memorabilia he figured there was no way a man of God could be behind the wheel. It had to be a criminal who has just committed grand theft auto. I suppose for a second the man forgot who he was and what he had plastered to the rear window of his testimony on wheels. I tend to be just as forgetful at times. It's easy to lash out and get angry at others for the ignorant idiotic things they do. But if you think about it, after acting like that who's the real idiot here. It's at times like this you need to stop and walk to the back of you car and do a little familiar reading, and think. What Would Jesus Do, he certainly wouldn't issue an on the spot licence to fly the bird. Yes life is short you should pray hard, just don't forget to pray for self control. And sure your boss may be a Jewish carpenter, but I'm sure he'd never tell you to blow your testimony. So the next time your faced with anger, just give it to God and let Him deal with the Idiots.

Phony Disclaimer: Jeff is not calling you an Idiot.

The Marionette & the Warden

Well it's been 151 days. 151 days since I was released from prison with my cell mate the Marionette. That's sort of a medafore for the way I look at my addiction. For 13 years it kept me locked up, chained, and shackled. It kept daily tabs on me, making sure I didn't step outta line or decide to make a break for it. Making sure I was going to stay faithful to it, and not sell it out. It made sure I was always at a certain place at a certain time, with it's eyes moving to and fro, lurking in the distance as if to strike with the first sign of disobedience. It was like being kept in a maximum security prison on the most hellish place on the face of this earth. I say these things with anger, an anger pointed directly at this addiction, this false imprisonment this puppet master of sorts. At times it made me feel like a stringed little boy, the marionette laughing aloud as he pulls my strings and makes me do exactly as he wants. Lifting my hand to my mouth do drink this cup of poison, followed by a shot of self disgust and hatred. Leaving the proof that he controls me. But theres only one person the Warden and the Marionette couldn't control and his name is Jesus. Thanks to this man I now have my freedom. The freedom to enjoy life without having to look over my shoulder to see if the Warden is still on the hunt, or put on a happy face for the Marionette as he pulls my strings. Thanks to Jesus I no longer have to answer to the Warden or be controlled by the strings of the Puppet Master. He graciously served my sentence and cut those strings of bondage. For this I'm thankful. I'm thankful for 151 day of sobriety today. Thank-You Jesus.

The following has been rated CA (Christ Approved)

What if films came with such a rating. It sure would make your Netflix picks or that trip to Blockbuster a whole lot easier. It's so tempting to go right up to the shelf and grab that movie you know you shouldn't be watching. But it happens every time. For me it always seems to play out in the same way. Your sitting there in your Sunday morning worship service listening to the pastor preach his message. All of the sudden you start to feel the conviction, and you say to God "OK Lord I promise, starting this week I'm gonna watch movies only you would approve of " only to find yourself 3 hours later watching Colin Farrell curse up a storm inside a New York City phone booth, as he tries to convince a sniper not to shoot him for crimes of fornication against his wife. After all is said and done your back to were you promised God you wouldn't go anymore. So until they come up with the CA moving rating I need to discipline myself in having a little more video logic. A person can only watch The Passion of the Christ so many times. If I were to see it again I'd probably invest some money in whatever stock Kleenex is selling on Wall Street. That movie really brings tears to my eyes. I feel pretty ashamed knowing the price that God paid for my sins and still not being able to do something as simple as watch the right kind of merriment. At times I'm probably no better than those people who found it enthralling to watch Christ be crucified on the cross. Perhaps saying that is a bit drastic, but never the less has some truth to it. It's good to know that in this world some things are rated CA, and that something is You.

Rock Bottom Man was a Drunk.

For those of you who don't know me, I was an Alcoholic for 13 years, and just an all around miserable person. You wouldn't have known it by the show I put up on the outside. Looking back those were not what I would call my glory day's. I'm sure my wife would attest to that as well. Those were some of the worst times of my life, but let me tell you something.......(In a Whisper) "In a weird sorta way I'm kinda glad I went through what I did". I'm not saying that I praise God for that time in my life, I guess it's just that I learned a lot from it. I now know what a Christian doesn't do. If I may let me share with you what I think some of those things are. A Christian doesn't go around trying to be someone he's not. A Christian doesn't live a life of lies, or disrespect others. A Christian doesn't throw his dinner across the room at his wife after it got too cold because he decided he wasn't finished getting drunk. He doesn't live a life of selfishness always putting himself first. He doesn't go to church or even try to establish a personal relationship with God, in fact he doesn't really think much of God at all. He doesn't threaten his loved ones with hurt full words or fit's of rage and anger. He doesn't bring his loving wife to tears just because she couldn't take his degrading insults. He just wishes that the nightmare would end. The list in my case is pretty much endless. Having said all that, I can know for the first time in my life get excited about something as simple as going on a beautiful bike ride with my wife. A nice sit down meal, the dignity of having a job, the birds singing praises to the Lord, or even just having a normal relaxing conversation with the one's you love. Sometimes in life you have to tear something down in order to build it up again. I believe that's what God did for me. He let me stray away from him in my so called Christian Liberty. He let me let myself hit rock bottom. For that I have no one to blame but me the former Rock Bottom Man. But ya see, by hitting rock bottom that paved the way for God to build me up again. It also allowed him to put certain people in my path at just the right time. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says 'For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, Plans for welfare and not calamity, to give you a future and a hope". God didn't put that sin in my life but he sure laid down his plans to deliver me from it. It's just so awesome to know that if you wonder a million steps away from God it only takes one step to get back. I just want to end by saying I'm so grateful for God's loving, kindness and gracious mercies. If your going through troubles and tribulations in your life, Just reach out, and HE will reach in. Thank -You for reading and God Bless.

Why do we leave expensive cars in the driveway, when we keep junk in the garage?

This thought enters my mind from time to time. Why in the world do people do this. Theoretically it makes no sense. You would think someone would put that dream machine in the garage just for the sake of protecting it. Instead we would rather have it sitting out front for the whole world to see. To see how perfect and glorious it is in the shinning light. Or how wonderful it looks just after you detailed the outside of it. Does any of this sound familiar? Does this describe you or someone you know attending your Sunday church service. It seems we want everyone to see how perfect and glorious we are on the outside, when all we wanna do is hide what's on the inside. We seem to put on this front at times like everything is just hunky dory in my life, "I don't have any problems". I think sometimes we need to be put up on a rack just to get ourselves checked out. Let's get real folks, we are not these shiny happy people we want others to see. Instead of opening up that garage and showing what we rally have inside we put on that happy smile and pretend like every thing's OK. The reason we go to church shouldn't be to impress your fellow Christians. You should be going to church to be real, not really fake. If we all just took the time to be more open and honest and pray about the real issues inside of us, we would be a lot better off. So the next time your sitting around in your Sunday school circle, and somebody asks "How can we pray for you _______ (insert name here) open up that garage and let it out man. There is true power in prayer.

II Guy's From Petra

Hello There!

Well this is my first blog ever, so I'm really not sure what to expect, or what you expect, I should say. On Sunday August 12th I had a great night out attending a II Guy's from Petra concert. If your as much of a fan of Petra as I'am you have to check out their new set up. John Schlitt & Bob Hartman get on stage and really entertain you from the start. They start out by singing some old and new Petra songs, followed by their personal testimonies. John Schlitt's is very moving. I never new he contemplated taking his life before he was saved. They also really get you laughing with their on stage antics. If you ever get the opportunity check out one of there shows, I assure you won't be dissapionted. Schlitt's vocal's still rock. Well that's all folks. Adios till next time.