WHAT'S INSIDE ME

          Can you believe tomorrow is November already?  Wow!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then comes Christmas!!  This is my favorite time of year.  

          I grew up in a middle class home near the Jersey Shore (Middletown Township) and was raised by non-Christian parents to be honest, responsible, dependable, kind, respectful and gracious to all.  While my parents are both gone now, they instilled in me a certain level of stability that I still have today.  I know God has been in me by His Holy Spirit since March 21st, 1979, when I gave my life to Christ.  He alone is the reason I still stand.  He graced me with a good upbringing and a love for life.  Now, with Christ as my example, I attempt to challenge others in the faith and outside the faith to embrace Christ and allow God to alter the path they are currently on.  rlkeller

WHAT'S HAPPENING ...

          Things may be leveling off at work.  Stabilizing just a bit.  Day shift supervisor quit.  His replacement comes from within.  I've been working at fixing incomplete customer orders or orders that have some sort of problem with them.  It's challenging and interesting.  Been doing that for the last couple weeks.  I had been seriously considering looking for another job due to the high level of chaos and disorganization, but there is a distinct possibility that we may be slowly turning a corner.  We need to. 

          I have been considering having a shirt made up with something spiritual written in Spanish, since the vast majority of the workers in our warehouse speak Spanish.  I also have in the back of my mind having at least my first book translated into Spanish.  I have some contact info that I received from a Spanish speaking brother at a book signing a few months back.  It's not a top priority for me, but it's been rolling around my head.

          It would appear that my next book, which is progressing very slowly due to the limited time I actually have to write, will definitely be a male perspective on divorce called DIVORCE THROUGH MY EYES.  We'll see how that all develops.  Have a super blessed day!! rlkeller

WHY WORRY?

       Life can be hairy sometimes.  Worrying about things that may never happen and usually don't is counterproductive.  In spite of that fact I find myself being concerned, which is a much nicer way of saying I worry, about things I have no control over as if God were unaware of the situation.  It's so easy to fall into the 'pity party', 'woe is me', 'what next?' mind set.  When the dust settles on any given day I manage to pull it together and come once again to the realization that God truly is in control and nothing will take place in my life that God doesn't already know about.  

       Do you worry about things that are out of your control?  That is a normal reaction.  None of God's children need worry for He's got it covered.  Nothing will take place in our lives that He hasn't caused or allowed to take place for His own purposes.  You may rest assured of that.  So live for Christ knowing that you are in very good and capable hands ... the hands of Almighty God.  rlkeller

TRYING TIMES

          These are trying times for many people.  Jobs are scarce and a workman's wages are not nearly enough to compensate them for the work they are asked to do.  Was there ever a time such as this when God was more needed. Perhaps throughout history we could find other times when the will of people was so sorely tested.  But this time we are closer to the day of Christ's return.  Christians the world over need not panic.  They need not wring their collective hands. God will not fail us.  He never has and never will.  While our faith is tested He is observing to see who will stand up to the test or fall down.  God will lift up those who fall and cause those who have stood up to continue to stand in the face of the fury that is pounding against them.  Where is God in all this?  Right where He always is, on His throne and in our midst, all at the same time.  Trust in God completely. rlkeller

TOTAL DISINTEREST

It has become painfully clear to me recently that people who say they believe in God and even read the Bible have no interest in drawing close to Him in a personal relationship.  They are content to sit in the same pew each Sunday morning and do their due diligence as if it were some religious requirement.  I submit to you that there will be folks who will have gone to church every Sunday morning and perhaps evening as well all their life that will not enter into heaven because they simply did it out of a sense of obligation and not to grow spiritually.  Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  Playing games with your eternal destination is not a good idea.  God desires for us to receive His blessings but they come with one small condition, that you seek His will and not your own.  I don't understand why people are so resistant to growing spiritually.  Perhaps is stems from the fact that all men, not just those who are unsaved, don't like being told what to do.  Submission to the will of God will lead to fulfillment in all areas of your life over time.  It's not instantaneous, it's progressive.  rlkeller

THE 3 R's - brief excerpt

·     What does it mean to carry our cross?

o  It means quite simply to be willing to die to self.

o  We must count the cost to complete the job.

·     God has given us any and every resource needed to succeed in this life. 

·     We only need to surrender our will over to Him. 

o  It’s not designed to be a painful process. 

·     God has proven over time to always have His children’s best interests at heart .  

                       

         [from RL Keller's teaching entitled "The 3 R's: Reflection, Reassessment & Reconnection"]

NOT MUCH OF A READER

          It's funny how I went through a reading spurt where I read about 4 or 5 books in rapid succession.  Now I seem to have no interest in reading.  I've never been much of a reader which I find amusing since I write quite a bit.  With 3 books to my credit I may come across as a conceited fellow who thinks no one can write as well and I do, therefore they are not worthy of my time to read them.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The only reason my writing has any worth or value at all is because it is inspired by the Lord.  And that's a fact.  rlkeller