Happiness vs Joy

...the pursuit of happiness.

There is no guarantee, no obligation, no entitlement to happiness. But, we can receive Joy. Joy is one of the Fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22). We all can get Joy by looking up, and looking in; accepting Jesus into our heart - then walking the narrow path.

Children

I became a dad at an older age. Because of this I do cherish the time with my kids.

Sometimes I smile when they are all talking at the same time. "Don't touch me!" "I'm not touching you." Hey Dad, Hey Mom - they are all seeking attention now. I'll admit sometimes it irritating and my patience are stressed, but for the most part I feel a warm glow.

Being with my family is like breathing. All my life I've felt that being a dad and husband is what I was meant to do. God gave me this family. I don't want to let God down. And I love every second. I hope no one takes this away from me for a good long while.

Light and truth in telling.

Sometimes when I talk to my kids about God, I feel (hear) the direct work of the Holy Spirit because what comes out my mouth is clear and true.

Yesterday I was saw a bumper sticker on a car. It was a variant of a Christian fish, but instead the tail was truncated and it had legs. Inside the sticker was the word "Darwin."

I pointed it out to my son and explained that the person was mocking Christianity. He said, "He's mocking us!" I said, "I don't really care if he is mocking us, but he is mocking Christ."

I said, "That person could be a real nice person, a real good person. His sticker shows his religion Darwinism. The theory of evolution is a theory. It is not fact like gravity. It has not been proven. There are holes in it. That's why its called a theory. So, he has beliefs. Just like Christians have beliefs."

I told my son that we cannot judge this person and say he's condemned. I did say that if he continues without Jesus and mocking him, to the end, he'll go to hell. "

I had a personal insight and expressed it again to my son. "You know, I realize when it was when I fell in love with Jesus."

"In a Gospel, I don't remember which one, Jesus was on the cross and beside him were two thieves. One mocked Jesus, and one, just before death accepted him as God. Jesus told the one who accepted him that he will go with him to be with his Father - go to heaven. "

WOW - God so loves us that the worst scoundrel in the world has their whole life to be bad, then at the end if they accept Jesus as their saviour, they're in! I'm not advocating being bad - I'm recognizing God's love.

Grace by Faith

I thought my first blog should be my beliefs.

• There is one God.
• God is love.
• God is expressed to us in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
• paraphrased: God loves us so much that he sent his only Son, not to condemn us but to save and free us. Whoever believes in the Son will have everlasting life.
• We can do nothing to gain entry into heaven. All we have to do is to believe in Jesus Christ as our personal savior and know that he died for our sins before he was raised from death to join his Father in heaven - wow that's sooo cool - Thanks God! We can't buy our way into heaven, we can be just a "good" person - it takes faith and belief. From that faith, God has given his grace to us.
• What the above point also means is that we cannot condemn another's life just because they've done bad or awful things. God gave us our whole life to come to him. If you confess your sin and accept Jesus into your heart, you're saved - even a second before you die. Wow - Thanks again God! I thought I believed in the death penalty - I guess not...
• Although we may be saved, what now? Lets go sin some more and all we have to do is ask for forgiveness - let's party! NOT In joyful gratitude we must live out our faith...
  

These are some of my beliefs.