Dark Skinned Israeli Jew.

Believers - and non-believers - I am going to tell you a story. There was a baby that was brought into this world having nothing at all. His parents had to search frantically for shelter, he did not have a crib, he did not have any toys to play with - he had absolutely nothing at all. They were traveling. Which meant for the birth of the child, they had to find a place to rest, yet because of what was going on they were turned away. Left in the cold or extreme heat by many people who said they believed in God but oh well I don't have a place for you in my life. Until... There was one hotel that had no room inside but they had one outside, OUTSIDE, that they allowed them to sleep in even when it was against the rules. There were bugs and animals outside that were annoying to the parents - but they made it through the night and had a beautiful baby boy.

Now, this part is where it gets even trickier, this family was middle eastern family, so maybe their skin was a little darker or lighter - depending on what color YOU are! :) We just couldn't open our doors for this dark skinned family, who had no shelter, and she was about to give birth, right? We just couldn't allow them to come in and get a shower, or pay for their room for the night, because they didn't look like us, right? Don't dirty my sheets, because you know they carry disease right! Oh, and did I forget to mention that they were Jewish?

Ok, my story is over - how many of you know who I speak of? I am talking about someone most of you know dear to your heart. Someone who loves you more than you could ever possibly fathom. That's right people, Jesus Christ was born in a manger - which is a feeding trough for horses; with absolutely NOTHING! He was a Dark Skinned Israeli Jew and so were his parents - Yet, we refuse to see men who are on the street as people created in his image as well. Yet, we refuse to see the many colors HE created as beautiful as well. Yet, we refuse to step in and be the HANDS and FEET of Jesus to a broken world. The other morning I heard a story of a homeless ministry that a lady was running. She said that it was true to her heart because her uncle was homeless. His reason? Not because he didn't have any money. It was because when his twins were younger - one of them died - and he couldn't bring himself to get over that. His WOUNDS were to great on his heart and he couldn't recover. Why are we so selfish with our Jesus? Why do we want to put him in a box and only allow him to come out when it's convenient for us? or for who WE think HE should help? Our Jesus deserves to be introduced to everyone - made known to EVERYONE no matter their pain. If someone had just given that uncle their Box of Jesus Skittles - then maybe he would have found that emptiness to be filled with God's Love!

This video below is a perfect example of God sharing his love with us. This music artist went to make a music video and had his life impacted by a soldier of Jesus that is on the streets! Remember that Jesus started his life much like the man in this video!

              

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have the faith to say to a mountain JUMP and it jumps, but I don't have love, I am nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I have gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, no matter what I believe, no matter what I do - I am bankrupt WITHOUT LOVE! (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, this version taking from for KING & COUNTRY's song - "The Proof of Your Love") (The song is the first on the playlist, but only the radio version has the scripture!)

Here is what is crazy to me - we judge so many people who walk through the doors of our church, or up to us in the park, or up to us a the store - before we even know their story. For one - It's not our job to judge - Matthew 7 says -  Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Secondly, Jesus was born to a dark skinned family - so that really eliminates the theory that Jesus was white - so, I apologize for bursting your bubble, you know when white people think other skin colors are misprints! You know, somehow their DNA strand forgot to put color in their body! OH WAIT - it did put color in their body because if I remember correctly, you can't color with  white crayons! So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 Remember, Jesus died on the cross for EVERYONE, not just you or your color. The next time someone "different" walks into your church - get up and shake their hand, issue a hug, and tell them you love them - instead of giving them judgmental glances because REMEMBER "YOUR" Jesus was "Different"! Maybe if you remember him as the Dark Skinned Israeli Jew born to a family that had to seek shelter in a barn with animals and his first night on earth he slept in a feeding trough. Maybe this will help you remember what Jesus is all about? Maybe it will help you see people not based on the color of their skin or there outward appearance...but instead you see them as Jesus does. Perfect! Lastly, remember to "Love your neighbor," (Matthew 22:7) no matter who that neighbor is, because without love we have NOTHING! I love you all no matter who you are! Be Blessed!

Joy and God's Humor

I believe that our God has an amazing sense of humor. I believe that sometimes He sits on his throne only to fall out of it laughing so hard at us. For those out there that think that our God is a stiff, let me tell you something that I learned recently and I want you to ponder this as well. Isaac is the name that the Lord our God told Abraham and Sarah to name their child. The meaning of this name is Laughter itself. Oh and by the way, God told a couple that was in their early to mid NINETIES - that's right...90's - that they were going to be having the baby that they have been praying about having. Not only were they told this but Sarah even laughed about it. Ok, now that we have a SMALL understanding of God's sense of humor let's look at my children and some of the things that they have done to bring light to the world.

My daughter, such an amazing little girl, has been asked what she wants to be when she grows up. Her response for a while was not that she wanted to be a doctor or a wife or someone successful. Nope, she wanted to be a Christian! How funny is this to hear when she just fires it off like she has been thinking about it for years. And the innocence in how she prays. Some of her prayers have never made me laugh so hard - not being disrespectful but just what she says. Like tonight she was praying so seriously about how Keegan needs us and he needs us to come get him and I mean she is SERIOUSLY praying and then out of nowhere she says - God, Delilah is so pretty and is the best bunny! Ok, some might not think this is funny, but if you had seen her face...So serious about Keegan and then also about the bunny. My God thinks it's hilarious. He was laughing and enjoying the beautiful innocence that HE created in my little girl.

Let's go to my son - wow - have you ever gotten behind a car and had someone drive it and try to catch it. Now imagine its a NASCAR that you are chasing trying to catch - that's my son. He is all over the place - like take for instance, today he picked something up and tried to put it in his nose and he cut his nose - then he starts crying and everyone is freaking out - including myself - and then he gets back down after 2 seconds of crying and tries to go right back to what just cut his nose. He will run around the house just yelling at the top of his lungs. You know, as I think about it I think he is full of JOY. He sometimes will be listening to music with me and just start singing. Nope, you can't understand a word he is saying, but it doesn't matter to me or anyone around him because he NEVER stops smiling. I mean it - NEVER! He always is lit up with a smile...he could bring Joy to someone even when Joy seems unreachable. He is exactly what Joy is all about. Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure or happiness. John 15:11 says "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full." So that your happiness may be made full. Hmm, this is why I love watching my son grow. 

Now - Let me ask you all a question. If James 1:27 says - "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Then shouldn't we bring joy to these children. These orphans. Keegan is one of them. He has never experienced Joy but still has a smile his face in his pictures. How can this be. This is how. God has a sense of humor and wants His children to experience his joy - to experience His Great Pleasure and HAPPINESS!! It says this in the book of Galatians "But the fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfullness." Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The things that God wants us to have in our life and experience. I am so happy that my God is so amazing and sometimes he can sit back on his throne and watch me, all while smiling at the mistakes that he knows are coming. The times that I may let him down, yet he knew I would and still forgives me. This is PURE JOY to me. 

Something that also shows his humor to me is the fact that I felt his calling to go on the mission trip to Africa, which I had to decline this year because my God had different plans. He wanted me to see some things that will help me in our fundraising process, but I know our hearts have been broken to go after Keegan and that is our "mission field" now. I want him to challenge me with people in Eastern Europe where my son is. I want to show them the true PURE JOY that they are missing. Pray for my family and if you feel a tug at your heart and want to know more or donate, visit our family blog at www.heygardners.blogspot.com. You can donate at this blog to help us bring our son home! Please follow me on this blog and our other blog as I will be sharing more of our stories and How you helped to bring our little one home! I pray that all of you will experience HIS JOY this week!

God's Moving

Hey Everyone. I hope this post find you all doing well. I personally am doing outstanding. I have found so many things that I feel like God wants to do in my life but I have to take them one step at a time. I wanted to take this blog and update all those around me about what he is doing specifically in our family and my life. For starters, this year has been amazing. I have been able to get so many things lined up that I wanted to and really prayed about at the end of the year last year. One of the coolest things is I have this overwhelming want to adopt all the orphans in this world. Every last one of them. Special needs children specifically. Did you know that special needs kids get INSTITUTIONALIZED at like age 4 or 5 and they pretty much are given up on and die. I have seen pictures of children who are 9 years old and weigh 10 pounds! WHAT? Seriously ten pounds. Gods angels had their hands in that one because I believe she found a family - but should have died from malnutrition. I have my eyes opened to what goes on in other countries just because a child is "Special." And not only did I find that other countries treat these children like they don't belong, but our own country apparently does to, when a family sues for not finding out about there kid having Down Syndrome and wins this insane amount of money because had they known they would have taken that child's life through abortion. I pray that the child involved in this finds Jesus's arms as they spread across the cross for that child as the start of an embracing hug. That the child involved would know that even when the family didn't care - Jesus Did! Not only was I bothered by this story in our country but just around the corner from us I find out about a woman who had a baby and then took her child and dropped her off behind a church to die. Just left the baby there and took off. PEOPLE, where is your value for life. Where is your love for these children. We never know someone's story so it's not our place to judge. Then I see a story about a family who makes there child exercise for so long that she finally collapses and dies. REALLY? I just don't understand how you can look into your child's eyes and say I don't want you so I will just kill you or give you away. Abortion is killing plain and simple. The woman who dropped that child off was being hunted for attempted manslaughter - HMMM - i just don't understand the difference between that and her walking into an abortion clinic! Adoption is strong on my families heart right now and will be for the rest of our life. So many kids needs are not being met simply because they are SPECIAL - no quotation marks needed. They aren't special needs they have special gifts. God has given them something for us to mold and hold! Now that the tangent is over I have some happy news. I have also been praying that God would open a door for me to go on a missions trip this year. Man, i never understood what he would have planned for me this year. I feel he has called me to go on a mission with Dig Deep Give Well to AFRICA. REALLY? I haven't really been anywhere much less out of country. So there are a lot of things that I have to get straight. I have to get a passport, shots, items needed for the trip, and I have to raise 3500 for the trip alone not including money for my family to take care of them while I am gone. Now, am I asking for donations from you guys? Yes...but at the same time if you can't help in donations...pray and pray HARD. I will be going to Tanzania and I can't wait. The cool part in this is how it all came to be. I wasn't even thinking he was going to move this fast. I had a biology test a couple saturdays ago and my wife wanted to go to a consignment sale in Pensacola. I didn't think I was even going to get back in time to go, but I did - and it was a God thing. One of the ladies who runs the consignment sale has the ministry - Dig Deep Give Well - and I spent like five dollars at the sale. As we were leaving we actually got to talk to her for a minute - not expected - and she tells me that she has a position available possibly and she needs it to be someone who is good with teenagers! I love those teenage people - LOL. But I was so excited because this is where my heart is. Working with youth! I was overwhelmed and started crying - told her I was a weeper - LOL. We laughed and the rest is history. I hope that if you have any questions about this that you would PLEASE ask me - My favorite part is this. Remember me telling you my heart is with the orphans right now. We are going to be visiting orphans while we are there. Can't wait to show them the love of Christ. To share what he has done for me to these children. To just hug and hold a couple of them. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus or did some of us forget? I haven't and I am ready to go. I want to not only be the hands and feet but the whole body! I have added a donation button to the top of this blog. If you feel that God has called you to help me get there - then please donate - if not - then please prayers are just as welcomed. I am SOOO excited and I hope you will be with me as I take these next few steps that God has placed in front of me. And as for my family, pray that God will move mountains in the means of allowing us to at least bring one child home through adoption before the end of the year! Be Blessed and remember Faith without works is DEAD!

Take a second and listen to JJ Hellers song in my playlist - It can bring a tear to your eye!

His Love

Chorus:

(J.R.)

Oh

I just wanna be/I just wanna be

Closer to Your heart/You will find me there

Everything I am/It’s because of You

It’s because of You/And now, we sing

Tonight/I’m giving You all of me

Tonight/I let go of everything

Tonight/I’m giving You all of me

Tonight/Tonight/Tonight

I give You all of me

Verse 1:

(Flame)

Let’s pray

Dear Father in the name/Of Your holy Son

I desire like Jesus/Prayed for us to be one

I desire to give/I desire to serve

I desire to love/Others with more than my words

Bless me to be humble/Bless me to be meek

I want to be a joy/When people come around me

Give me a gentle spirit/Bless me to be content

Please keep me from my sin/Let me quickly repent

Please give me discipline/Give me self control

To know when to stop/And when to say no

Make me a bold witness/Please remove fear

Replace it with faith/Pour out Your spirit here

Fill me up Lord/Let me overflow

Let me overdose/Make me holy/Keep me close

I want to give it all/Until there’s none left

But I can’t beat You givin'/Look at Your Son’s death

Chorus:

Verse 2:

(Flame)

I can see You talking to high priest/Peter just denied You

For the second time/One more time he will deny You

One of the officers smacked You in the face/But he didn’t understand that You were actually grace

But the people would rather see the release of a thief/Than to know forgiveness and be with the Prince of Peace

And as they screamed for Pilate to crucify You/I hear my own voice because every day I deny You

But yet You still bore the cross on Your vertebrae/Walking to Golgatha

What a display of grace

I see Your weakened body beaten/Can’t keep me from crying

Your cross was very heavy/They gave it to Simon

Then You were crucified/They divided Your clothes

Like the Scriptures prophesied/You died and You rose

Two thousand years ago/Slaughtered on the tree

You gave all of You/I’m giving all of me

Chorus:

Verse 3:

(Flame)

This I pray Lord/To be like Abraham

Ready to give it all/My only son as the lamb

Ready to sacrifice/Everything if You ask

Because nothing is mine/Not this life that I have

Everything I own/Oh Lord is a gift

So who am I/To hold it with a firm grip

I give You my talent/I give You my time

I give You my eyes/I give You my mind

Now people take a second and read this prayer - put to words by Christian Rapper Flame - This is a prayer that you can actually say - you can become exactly this - The one verse that hits me hard is "And as they screamed for Pilate to crucify You/I hear my own voice because every day I deny You" - Wow - how many chances do we avoid or pass up in a day to tell someone about God about the Grace of Jesus - He describes the walk to Golgatha - but he doesnt go into description of it - Let me break it down for you - Imagine being beaten with two by fours full of nails and multiply that times ten - humiliated in front of all the people he LOVED - bleeding to death - spit upon, ripped apart, stones thrown at him, people screaming how much they hate him, stabbed while on the cross, PIERCED BY NAILS AND A CROWN OF THORNS - blood flowing everywhere from his beaten body - PEOPLE - this is not even close to the real description of what happened but i want you to try and visualize it - just try and see - I just can't understand what he felt - noone can - His father (God) having to stand there and watch his child being murdered - JUST SO YOU COULD HAVE GRACE - Just so YOU could have freedom - Just so YOU could truly know what love is! All the while he hung on the cross not embarrassed or destroyed but full of LOVE - He is dying and takes time to recognize US and how God should still forgive us -

LUKE 23:34 says -

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

WOW - he is dying on a cross, crucified as an innocent man, beaten, bruised, and yet still finding time to call out to God to forgive us! Wow if that isn't LOVE then I don't know what would count as LOVE! Hope everyone who reads will pray for those who need to hear this and understand that Jesus just wants a personal relationship with them. Wants them to love him so he can show them the awesome plans he has for their life! Be blessed everyone! Jesus Loves you and so do I!

Tim Tebow and what God is doing

The fact that Tebow had 316 yards passing and averaged 31.6 yards per pass in the game didn't escape notice on Sunday night. Tebow wore "John 3:16" on his eye black in the 2009 BCS Championship game and has since become identified with the famous Bible message. The coincidental stats caused millions of fans to perform Google searches on the Bible passage in the past 24 hours. Here's one more unbel...ievable stat: John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that the final quarter-hour television rating for the Broncos-Steelers game was, you guessed it, 31.6. (Yahoo sports)

All I have to say in this is WOW! Last night the number one trending topic on yahoo was John 3:16 - this morning its dropped to number 4 - This man is affecting people for Christ! ARE YOU? You don't have to be famous to do so - start with the people you know - the easy ones to talk to and make your moves from there! Think about this - Tebow has a selfless heart. Every interview its not about what he does or what play he made - it's about God first and foremost and then its about his TEAM. Surround yourself with a great team and GREATNESS can happen! It's so awesome to be a Christian and know that here is a man affecting so many people and them not even know it. How many people do you think that have criticized him have looked up John 3:16 - people this is one of the most important scriptures in the bible - "For GOD so loved the world that he GAVE his only begotten SON that whosoever believes in him should NOT perish but have eternal life" WOW - just that one scripture can be the defining moment in a persons life - ok - If you have trouble talking to people I understand - but take a moment and pray specifically for the people reading this or reading John 3:16 because of Tim Tebow or reading about God for the first real time or because of anyone out there who is making an effort to do what tim does everytime he steps on a football field! Take the time and pray right now - you can help God to move in so many ways - James 5:17 says "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years." - this tells me that if we just pray - and continue to pray - and even after praying we pray even yet again - that God will move and we will see it in a magnificent way - please remember this - Take time to pray for Tim and yourself and that you would have courage to step out and tell people about Jesus - who loves you more than anyone or anything can ever love you - that he cares for you more than anyone cares for you - that he wants to see you prosper and be the man or woman that God has planned for you to be. Your prayers can change someones life around you. I have seen this in people I know - even like I said before if you can't talk to them - for whatever reason - about Jesus - that's ok - PRAY! Be blessed - Jesus loves you and so do I!

Judgement - Not only affects you

                               

So as you sit in your chair and watch this video, I want you to think about what he is saying. We go through our life and we tend to look at the outward appearance of those around us. We don't tend to look at WHO we are talking to or who we are passing by. We just see a biker who has to be someone of the world who can't be loved or love the one who created him. Nope, no way! Instead of seeing a man who is UNCONDITIONALLY loved by the SAME Jesus that loves you, we see a man covered in tattoos and ragged clothes and biker jackets and pants and has a motorcycle. We don't see what Jesus sees. Let's move to someone else. Maybe this would make you more comfortable as he says. Someone who is standing by you in the suit and you are the biker. The man in the suit doesn't know Jesus but needs to know, but you the biker, are afraid to approach him cause what would you have to offer that man. How can you bring the Gospel of Jesus to this man. Only through Christ can the doors be open. While we sit back in our chairs and pass small judgement on those around us we miss the big picture that God is showing us. Maybe you are the parents that sit in the back of the church and wait for the GIRL to come in that you just KNOW is promiscuous and has no self esteem. But instead of actually taking the time to invest in this girl, you turn the cheek and walk away, totally damaging the view that this Girl had of the church, as being accepting, as soon as she walks in the door. Let's flip the script a little and maybe its a homeless man just looking for a bite to eat, but he just shouldn't be sitting on the doorsteps of your church. NO WAY NO HOW! Get him off the steps you say to the elders instead of inviting him in and showing him true love. There are many scripture that talk about how we shouldn't Judge one another. I found one today in the Book of James that really speaks what I would like you to think about. James 4:11 say " Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law..." In verse 12 James goes on to say "There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and destroy. But WHO are YOU to judge YOUR neighbor." Wow! Pretty powerful words if you ask me. God doesn't ask us to be the judge of those around us. That's up to him. He is going to love those people that you judge no matter if you love them or not. But you can help Jesus in spreading that love by being the hands and feet and showing them by your works how much you do love them. Here is another scripture for you to think about. James also says in chapter 3 verse 2 - "For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, HE is a PERFECT man, able also to bridle his whole body." Let's ponder this thought for one minute. We all know that we are not perfect because there was only one perfect person to walk this earth and that was Christ himself. So who are we to pass judgement on someone that we don't even know. Or better yet someone we do know because "Hey, we should be allowed to because they are our friend, and if I don't judge them then who will." God, thats who. Give that part of your life to God and allow him to do great works in your life. God wants you to do more than to just LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR! He wants you to be there for your neighbor, be the strength for your neighbor. James also says to "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed..." You have to lift each other up, be each other's strength and heal each other. God wants us to do this and He says so in his word. If you feel like being a judgemental person is a strong part of your life, just say a simple prayer with me. "Father, I know that I can be critical and judging to those around me. I ask you to forgive me and to be the words that come out of my mouth and help me to curb my judgemental glances. Help me to love my neighbor no matter what they look like." Remember this prayer and the next time you see that Biker make sure to say hi, because he just might be someone standing beside you when you face God on Judgement Day. Be blessed! Jesus loves you and so do I!

Just a little lesson about THANKSGIVING.

Well today is Thanksgiving, and we need to really evaluate our lives and give Thanks. For me and family, we went to help feed the senior citizens at the senior center in Foley AL, today. We had a blast as there were some amazing people there. I remember there was one lady who absolutely loved my son. She came in and me, him, and my daughter were the door greeters. My daughter would fire off as they were basically getting out of their car...HAPPY THANKGIVING...I was just a little overwhelmed. So my wife actually came and took over that job...lol. But, I got to do what I love and walked the room and talked to everyone that was there. When I saw the lady who loved my son, she asked me "Where is that cute little boy of yours?" I said he was outside with his mother. She then said "Make sure to bring him to see me when he comes back in. When I did here face just lit up like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in New York. It was so cool and just to see the joy on her face. There was also a man there who loved football and had to turn the TV on to the PACKERS game because that was his team. It was really cool because he would come over and watch for a minute and we would talk and then he would go back to his conversation with the people at his table. This was too funny. My favorite part of the day was actually when I found out there was a man there who LOVED to play pool. I would say he was around 80...just a guess and his name was Chester. I found this out when I first got there so I made it a point to find him and play some pool with him. I have a really fond memory of my own Grandfather that I will never forget. I was younger (about 18) and loved to just play pool. I was actually in the learning stages, but thought I could beat anybody. I have a competitive side that sometimes comes out and gets the best of me...ha-ha. I wanted to hang out with my Grandfather when he came down one year, just me and him. We ended up going to the local bowling alley and played some pool. Now, I knew my Grandpa had a pool table in the bottom of his house in Michigan, but I never thought he played and plus I thought he was OLD. Man was I way off base. I was very confident and kept telling him, I am going to take it easy on you, he would smile. I would make a comment that you’re not going to beat me. He would just smile again. I think I broke the first rack and that was it. He ran the table every game we played. For those who don't know about pool, this is when you clear the table of all your balls and sink the eight ball, the first time you get a shot. He made some trick shots as well and I just couldn't believe that this old man just did this to me. Now, I was upset then but I realized something a few years back. God gave me that time with my Grandpa because that next year I had to make a drive to Michigan with my dad because he was in the hospital. He didn't make it out of the hospital and that was the last time I got to just hang out with my Grandpa. What happened after this, well I blamed God. I didn't want anything to do with God. He took my Grandpa; he didn't let me spend a lot of time with him. All I wanted to do was spend time with him. How dare he take this man from my life? I was angry at God. I told you this story to really help you understand where I was. Shortly after this event in my life, I turned to drugs and became basically an alcoholic. I started not caring about my life. I was really lost. I didn't really care what happened to me. I popped pills, had times where I thought about suicide, passed out on pool tables and under pool tables, JUST DIDN'T CARE! I was dead on the inside. Then while I managed a bar, I met my wife, found God who was still there even though I TURNED MY BACK ON HIM. I gave my life to him again. I started pursuing him and really trying to understand him and his calling on my life. Now, I named this post a lesson in THANKSGIVING. Here is why. All today I heard people pray and never Thank God for his Son. I have seen so many Facebook posts that say they are thankful for so many things and not one time mention Jesus and what he did. I am not trying to say that I am holier than thou. I am also not saying that this was everyone. But I do make it a point to thank God for his SON dying on the cross for me so that I could come out of the life I was so consumed by. The partying, the lies, the drugs, the lost life I was living. I have seen the breakdown in life and the bottom of the barrel and have found my way out - but ONLY THROUGH HIM. Let me break something down for you. God GAVE his ONLY son to die on a CROSS for you so you could be free from sin. Jesus was not only crucified on the cross but in Isaiah 53:5, it says - "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." One of his disciples turned their back on him and denied knowing him even though he said that he would never do that. Jesus said he would deny knowing him three times and to this he said that he would never do that. Wow how that must have hurt even though he already knew that it was going to happen. He was still one of his best friends. Jesus is why I am free today from these things and can look back on these things and say through Him I am SAVED. Psalms 107 - 1, says - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." I have to say this is scripture for EVERYDAY life. We need to give thanks to him every day for all the blessings we have. When we sit down to eat our small meals during the day, it’s because of him that you have that food. It’s because of him that you have a car to drive. It’s because of him that you have beautiful children no matter what situation they or you are in. In the book of James it says "...every good and perfect gift comes from God." God doesn't make mistakes so you, your children, your family, your prizes are perfect in every way. Just how he made you. Just the way you are. No matter where you are at he wants you to call his name and give him praise. I just think of it as amazing grace that I was allowed to spend time with my Grandpa before he died. I loved that man but I also realized that had I truly known what LOVE is in God, then I would have realized that what it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is true as well. "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." I could have been thankful for that small time but instead I was too angry at God to be thankful. So here is my point, yes be thankful for all the wonderful things that you have in life. Be thankful for you house and car and family and friends and job. Be thankful for all the minor things as well. But in all this, give Glory to Jesus because if it wasn't for his death on the cross and his love for you, you wouldn't be able to enjoy those things that you have in life. Be thankful for Jesus FIRST AND FOREMOST because he is thankful for you in all that you do. To finish the story of Chester and myself, I actually brought a smile to his face and ended up winning 3 games to 2. He was happy and so was I as I was reminded of what I am truly thankful for. God bless and remember to show your LOVE by your WORKS! Jesus loves you and so do I!