I NEED GOD!!

       I've often wondered how people live this life without God.  I shudder to think of where I would be if I hadn't received Christ back in '79.  What a mess I've made of parts of my life even WITH the Lord.  God is patient, loving and merciful.  He is a necessity in my life without question. 

       With all this crazy talk about how God doesn't exist and man is autonomous, I can honestly say I've never, ever regretted my decision to give my life over to the Lord.  Not once.  I've failed Him miserably at times and yet He is still there with open arms to comfort me.  I am a better man today for having known God and will only be better going forward.  God is absolutely NOT an option for me; He is very much a necessity ... every day!! rlkeller

IT'S TOUGH - BUT STILL I PRAISE HIM

          It's been tough lately.  Book sales are abysmal.  Open doors for employment have been non-existent.  Money is getting very tight.  Tensions are rising.  And in the midst of it all is the Lord, ever mindful of the situation, ever watching to see how we handle each day's challenges.  I am getting a little tense but I trust the Lord.  He's never failed me ... ever.  I know that He may take me to the edge of the ledge, but He will neither let me fall, nor push me off.  Things could always be worse and as long as I'm above ground and breathing I figure I'm doing alright.  May God be praised for His marvelous mercy, patience and love.  May His grace be made known to us in a fresh new way today.  In Jesus name ... amen. rlkeller

A WORD ABOUT BEING ANXIOUS

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

       Is it wrong for believers to become anxious about impending circumstances that arise?  We are told specifically in scripture not to be anxious, but we do.  Are we sinning?  Some would say YES.  I say "Hold it right there."  We aren't perfect.  Yes, in God's economy we needn't worry or be anxious for anything.  But this is a learned attribute and not something that comes very easily at times.  It is as we spend time with the Lord that we find out first hand about His trustworthy nature and begin to allow the anxiousness to dissipate.  rlkeller

A PRAYER

I'm back.  Saturday was a crazy day.  No time to write.  A new week starts today.  I wanted to post the prayer of confession from our service yesterday.  I believe it's worth repeating, as they often are.  If you agree with this, pray it aloud to the Lord yourself.  

"Holy God, in Your presence I are calm & strong.  But too often the troubles & busyness of the world pulls me away from You.  I worry about many things: how to provide for those I love, how to spend my limited time, how to behave in a world that judges by appearances.  God of mercy, forgive me that I lack trust in Your constant care of my life.  In Your compassion, restore my faith in Your power & will to order & provide for my lives.  I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen."

I took the liberty of replacing 3rd person pronouns with first person to make the prayer more individual and therefore, more personal.  rlkeller

WHAT AM I READING NOW?

       I had misplaced a good book I was reading last year.  Guess where I found it ... in the shed in the back yard.  Duh!  What it was doing there I don't know, but I have it on my desk and am planning to continue reading it.  I might need to start it over again ... it's been a while.  The book:  Letters from a Skeptic - A son wrestles with his father's questions about Christianity.  The son is a former atheist who is now an evangelical pastor in St. Paul, MN.  His father was a self-taught man who was very intelligent and very skeptical toward religion.  The book is comprised of letters back and forth between the two.  It's pretty fascinating.  I'll give a brief review once I'm finished.  

       So now I am in the middle of reading a biography about George Mueller, a autobiography by Tim Tebow, a book about 'Forgiveness' by Matthew West and this book.  Will I ever finish them all?  Stay tuned to find out.  rlkeller

ARE WE LIKE DOGS?

          A thought just crossed my mind.  We're a little like dogs when it comes to our relationship with God.  When dogs are hungry, they bark.  When they need to go out, they bark.  When they want your attention, they bark.  Are we really all that different?  When we want something from the Lord we call out to Him.  Do we converse with Him other times?  Generally speaking, no, not really.  We become caught up in our day and at times forget all about who hung the moon and the stars in the sky until we need Him again.  Kind of a one sided deal, wouldn't you say?  God desires fellowship with us.  He desires for us to worship Him and praise His name.  Our free will provides no clauses that bind us to required worship of Him.  We are supposed to do it simply because of who He is and who we are in Him.  rlkeller

DISCLAIMER:  Before someone gets all offended, thinking I am calling them a dog, let me point out that it's nothing more than an illustration of how our actions resemble in some small way that of a dog.  I could have used an infant just as easily, but a dog is what entered my mind first.  In this age of political correctness, if I've offended anyone with this illustration I am sorry.  It was unintentional.  rlk

A LOOK AT PAUL'S DILEMMA

          We look to the Apostle Paul as a vital part of the beginnings of Christianity.  His missionary work was essential to its' growth.  Had he not been obedient to God's calling the church would have taken on a much different flavor.  God would have sent someone else, for His plans are never thwarted, but the church's beginnings wouldn't have had Paul's imprint.  We hold him in very high esteem and that is precisely why I marvel at his words in Romans 7:15-20.  

          Paul starts off by stating that he doesn't understand himself.  I resemble that remark.  I don't understand myself many times as well.  Things I know I shouldn't say or even think I do with a flare as if I am entertaining at the very least myself.  (I will never remain sad for long because even if no one else thinks what I say or do is funny I have this innate ability to entertain myself ... regularly.  It's a childlike quality that I embrace most readily.)  Paul marvels at his ability to say and do the wrong thing rather than the right thing and I fall right in with him in that regard.  

          I think if believers are truly honest with themselves they would agree we all struggle with that far more than we will admit.  Christ was Paul's saving grace and He is ours as well. When we act inappropriately or speak out of turn, we have a God we can turn to at any time. When we seek forgiveness with a sincere heart, we shall be forgiven.  I am very grateful we serve a patient and loving God; slow to anger, abounding in mercy and love.  rlkeller

ASSESSMENTS GONE AWRY

          How does one stop judging by physical appearance.  I can literally stand in an ice cream parlor and make an assessment of each and every person in line.  I can determine their social status, their economic status, whether they're nice or arrogant or just plain jerks.  I can determine all of this just by looking at them.  The problem is that I am more than likely incorrect in my assessment and on top of that it's displeasing to the Lord.  Very much so.  It seems to be a natural reflex with me.  I have trouble seeing folks around me the way God sees them.  I've been working on that, but I am failing miserably.  

          Fortunately for me God doesn't do that with us.  He created each of us and sees the massive potential in us all.  However, if a person doesn't understand their need for forgiveness or still worse doesn't believe God even exists, how can they reach their God given potential.  I speak of spiritual potential.  The potential that emulates Christ and leads others into His kingdom for all eternity.  Earthly potential is something we can achieve on our own with diligence and determination.  Once we become saved from the consequences of our sin our desires are supposed to start to line up with God's.  That's how we reach our spiritual potential.  

          I've been walking with the Lord for over 35 years and I still have much to learn about the ways of God.  I'm working on it.  By His grace and through His patient mercy I will continue to become more like Him each day.  I'm praying that's the case because I don't much care for the part of me that makes assessments.  rlkeller

LIFE CAN BE RANDOM - MY TAKE

       Life can be confusing and more difficult then it's meant to be when we think about things too much.  Know what I mean?  I try to go with the flow of things as much as possible, but people and things get in the way.  I try to mind my own business and be at peace with all men as much as it is up to me.  I find myself liking my dogs a whole lot more than people a lot of the time.  People have agendas.  People can be controlling.  People can be users.  We are called to love all these people regardless of who they are, what they've done or where they've been (OR what they happen to believe).  Not everyone is going to believe like I do.  They don't have to.  

       I struggle with how to broach the subject of sin and forgiveness in a loving, nonjudgmental, non confrontational way.  When folks ask what I do for a living I tell them I'm currently unemployed, but I have written and had published 3 books over the last couple years.  They ask me what kind of books.  Whether I say "Christian" or "Inspirational" I get the same curious responses.  Some folks give me a head nod and a "good for you" or "I think that's great" ... end of discussion ... subject abruptly changed.  Because of some of the polarizing things some believers say and do in the world today, all Christians tend to suffer from the fall out.  We are lumped together into one be mass of hysteria called "Bible Thumpers".  I'm relatively passive by comparison.  I struggle with how people feel about me.  I don't want them to hate me or avoid me because of my beliefs, but I haven't let that alter my lifestyle.  I understand they are only reacting to the mention of God and not hating or  avoiding me because of me.  It's not supposed to bother me, but it kinda does ... a little.  It causes me to be quiet a lot more at times.  Unless of course you want to talk about neutral topics like sports or photography or sports or music or sports ... (uh, did I happen to mention sports.)  Am I copping out?  Am I side stepping the real issues at hand.  Or am I trying to develop an association using common turf lingo to establish a foundation so that I can tell them about my faith once they've let me into their little microcosmic world.  I don't know.  I'm trying to allow the Lord to guide me.  Sometimes I think I'm just operating within my comfort zone, fighting to stay there rather than branch out.  We should pray for believers the world round that we all would listen to the Lord's leading more and our own emotions and feelings less.  Know what I mean?  rlkeller

THOSE IN NEED

Had to hit the road early yesterday so I missed posting here.  I'm back, obviously, and have a question.  It's rhetorical in nature ... how do you broach the subject of God or sin or Jesus or forgiveness or heaven or hell or religion vs. relationship at a casual gathering in someones back yard?   Every situation is different and people are all different.  Friendship evangelism is a good approach as long as you don't disappear once they commit their life to Christ.  

I was at a small gathering of racers and race fans last night.  Fire going in the back yard, a few were imbibing just a little and we were all poking fun at one another.  Innocent fun.  Nice time.  No opening to share.  Those folks don't know me all that well. We all sit together at the local stock car races each Saturday night from late April thru late September, weather permitting.  They are nice folks.  How do you broach the subject?  I don't know but I will be praying for that opening.  The mother of one of the mechanics that works on our friends race car sits next to us and absolutely LOVES us.  She's read my books and is a dyed in the wool Catholic.  That's a place to start.  God's good and He wants to use us to spread the word that forgiveness is free for the asking.  It's our job to show them in a loving way that they are in need of it.  rlkeller

THE STRUGGLE

How much time are we supposed to spend with God a day?  How much time should be spend in prayer?  How can I truly be like Christ when I am so painfully lacking in His attributes?  Good questions, every one of them.  What's the answer?  I have no idea.  I have received applause for my transparency and candidness, which is great, but I am no closer to the answer than the next guy.  I feel very much like Paul when he writes in Romans:

15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, buthow to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Romans 7:15-20 NKJV)

Our help comes from Christ and Him alone.  There is no other help coming that will eliminate the struggle to be all we can be in Christ.  We are painfully human and always shall be.  We will always fall short, therefore we will always need Christ.  If we could do it on our own He never would have had to die in the first place.  rlkeller

WHAT IS PRAYER?

LIFE IS FRAGILE - HANDLE WITH PRAYER!  Remember that slogan?  Pray is something we do for our own benefit.  God doesn't need us to pray so that He can be aware of what is going on in our lives.  God knows all about our comings and goings.  We pray to receive answers, yet we're conditioned to say something to someone and receive an immediate answer, most times anyway.  It's completely different in God's economy.  We seek God for answers and then wait ... and wait ... and wait ... .  There are times when our answers are immediate.  That's because God knew they needed to be so.  Then there are times when we are made to wait.  That can be a very confusing and dangerous time for the believer.  "Did He hear me?" we ask ourselves.  "Doesn't He care that I am suffering here?" The waiting period is designed to cultivate patience and trust.  The answer will come when and only when God knows the time is right.  His timing is impeccable and His answers are always exactly what we need.  We can go romping off onto rabbit trails on our own in search of our own answers, but they will all lead to unfulfilled expectations.  God is waiting for us to simply say "Your will and not my own Lord."  When we can say it and mean it we will have made progress in our attempt to be more like Christ.  rlkeller

BE A BLESSING

   Not sure I have much to say today. Those that know me will want to mark this date on the calendar cuz this doesn't happen very often. God is still on His throne and prayer definitely changes things.  So with that in mind I shall go about the remainder of my day knowing that God loves me (and He loves you too ... very much so) and is watching over me to guide and direct me according to His will for me as administered by His Holy Spirit (phew. that's a mouthful). So go be blessing to someone, anyone and you will be the one that is blessed.  Auf wiedersehen, aka, until we meet again.  rlkeller

HISTORY LESSON

          Last week the statement was made that "money is the root of all evil".  What they meant to say was "THE LOVE of money is the root of all evil."  No matter.  The angry reply from one close by was "NO, RELIGION IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL! It's caused every war we've ever had."

 < sound of buzzer >  I'm sorry, but that answer is incorrect.

          It's amazing to me that some folks can be so incredibly ignorant when it comes to our own history.  Let's review:  The Viet Nam war ... didn't start because of "religion".  The Korean War ... nope.  Sorry, North Korea wanted to take over South Korea.  World War II ... the economic collapse of Germany in the wake of World War I started that war plus a desire for world supremacy.  World War I ... Germany sought world domination then too, along with some other factors that didn't include "religion".  The War of 1812 ... "religion" didn't start that one.  The Civil War ... wrong again.  The issue of slavery caused that one.  The Revolutionary War ... close.  The first settlers in America left to seek religious freedom; however, the whole "taxation without representation" deal was largely responsible.

          Ignorance is a scary thing, especially when people with loud mouths and empty heads spew untruths.

“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” 

Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

THE COOLNESS OF RELATIONSHIP

          When someone declares that they have had "religion" rammed down their thought all their life and they were tired of it.  How do you respond to that type of statement as a believer?  What if that person grew up in a Christian home and what if their father was a pastor?  Hmmm.  Well, my first thought would be, they are missing an important point ... Christianity isn't a "religion", it's relational.  An individual sees their sinful self as revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, confesses it to God and receives as a result forgiveness ... the redemption of their soul.  It has nothing to do with "religion".  It has everything to do with the relationship that should and can develop after forgiveness is given.  Being a Christian is exciting,  not boring at all.  A believer's life is full of twists and turns and exciting challenges to our faith.  If we take our "relationship" with God seriously and seek its' steady, continued growth, then we will enjoy fall more blessings than sorrows and get to spend all eternity with the One who created us.  How incredibly cool is that?  rlkeller

FOCUSING ON THAT WHICH IS IMPORTANT

          Looking for employment when your passion lies somewhere else can be a little rough.  It's necessary, but at times your hearts just not in it.  God's will can elude us if we focus on the wrong thing.  While we desire to know and do God's will for us, our own desires get tangled up in the process.  Focus is the key.  Actually, a dual focus is required.  We need to first and foremost place our focus squarely on the Lord, for He is the One that will open doors for us.  Then we need to focus on the task at hand ... in this case, finding employment.  It's easier to steer a moving ship than one that is standing still.  rlkeller

GOD'S ATTRIBUTES & IMAGINARY FRIENDS

          Last night I taught on The Attributes of God.  It was the companion teaching to last week's The Names of God.  There is too much info to put here, but I will be putting the basics of the teaching on a separate teaching page on my website sometime today.  It is through knowing God and what His names and attributes tell us about Him that will help strengthen our belief which will lead to greater trust.  God is worthy of our trust because unlike mortal man, He is flawless.  There is no record of failure by God throughout scripture.  He is perfect in every way.  The more we trust Him the stronger our faith will become.  Having said that, we must understand that God's time table of events is way different from ours.  He is not bound by the constraints of time and space, we are.  Time means nothing to Him, yet His replies to our queries are always right on time for He knows what we need and exactly when we need it.  We serve an awesome God.  

          A quick aside ... I noticed a sign online that said simply "Adults with imaginary friends are stupid" and it had a cross with a line through it.  Two thoughts come to mind in response to that sign. It's interesting to me that the most ignorant among us resort to name calling when they don't understand and therefore choose to reject a school of thought.  And this imaginary friend that I belief so strongly in will one day shut the mouths of all those who have ridiculed His very existence.  Who's the stupid one now?  rlkeller

THE STORY OF OUR LIFE

          In putting together my teaching for this evenings Wednesday Night Live class regarding the Attributes of God, I marvel at each of His characteristics.  He is everything we will ever need to make it in this life that He has given us to live out.  Why would we turn anywhere else for wisdom and guidance than His word.  In the Bible are life lessons galore and instruction for living a peaceful, fulfilling life.  Thinking we can make it on our own is simply ignorance on our part.  We think we know but we do not.  It's not easy to admit when we don't have a clue, but once we come to that realization, we will begin to understand all that God has to offer and all He has in store for you.  It's an exciting journey with many twists and turns, but in the end we will be with Him for all eternity.  I can't think of a better way to end the story of our life.  rlkeller

WHAT I'M READING NOW: TEBOW & WEST

       I am reading two books at this time.  Tim Tebow's biography "Through My Eyes" and singer/songwriter Matthew West's book "Forgiveness".  Tebow's book was getting a little tedious for me, so I put it down for the moment.  That's not to say it isn't good, I think God knew I needed to be reading West's book right now.  Not that I necessarily have to forgive someone or receive forgiveness for a wrong I've done at this time ... as least not that I am aware of ... it's just turning out to be a very, very helpful book.  Very insightful.  Very interesting.

       "Forgiveness" is comprised of personal accounts of folks who either needed to forgive or needed forgiveness.  West adds his comments after each account and all is wrathful and thought provoking.  Being the son of a pastor who has been in ministry for over 40 years has obviously helped West in his songwriting and in this effort as well.  I highly recommend it to all who are in need of forgiveness or who need to forgive.  It is a very personal and revealing book that will enrich your life without question. rlkeller

ISELIN & BEYOND

       My book signing in Iselin went very well.  As always, I met some interesting people.  That concludes my book signings for the moment as I have no more scheduled at this time.  But two of the 3 book stores are now carrying my books.  I am contacting a church book store in Sayreville this week to see if they might be interested in carrying them.  Getting the word out is very important to my future as a writer.  While I know without question that it's not all about ME, I must make myself known to the public so they even are aware that I have books available.  My message is pretty straight forward & easy to understand, yet necessary as we tend to forget the most basic concepts of our faith so easily.  If you haven't purchased one of my books, go to the BOOK STORE page on my website [ link:  http://breadoflifemin.net ] and read the blurb regarding their content.  I believe you'll like what you read.  Have a super blessed day! rlkeller