Ups Or Downs

Sometimes when I look at my son, I am often reminded how wonderful it was to be sixteen and in a way I kind of envy him. Because I really miss those days, of being innocent or being free from responsibilities. At that age I have had so many wonderful memories that I can write a whole book or novel if I really wanted too . Being in High School at this age was great, because this was the age where one may determine or dream what type of man or woman they wanted to be. I will never forget my days in High School, because in a way it was my last days, months or hours as a kid. It was a transformation, from being a boy to a growing young man. I was blessed with great teachers, I had two loving parents ,I happen to be blessed, at that time with two living grandmothers, one great grandmother and two grandfathers from both sides of the family. I was a kid that was into everything, I ran track, played football and even though I was a short , I even made an attempt at playing basketball. I had so many dreams, desires and I thought that could do anything. What I loved about high school, was that it prepared me for the outside world. My teachers taught me the value of life and my classmates prepared me how to deal with real people once I was old enough to fend for myself. In my school there were all types of people, there were bullies,lairs, thieves, schemers , people from different races , back grounds and yes there were some honest people there too.

I remember one day in a Social Studies, class my teacher explaining to the class that once we got into the outside world that we all would have to be able to deal or adapt to all types of people or situations. She said, in life there will always be ups or downs , good days or bad days, you just have to be prepared to deal with them as they come. Then she said with a smile , That everybody or everything will have a bad day, so don't be shocked when someone you know is in a bad mood. My tenth grade teacher was a wonderful teacher, because she always gave us  examples to each lesson she taught. My favorite lesson I learned was about the elevator. She would say, Class don't you guys know that even an elevator will have a bad day, do any of you guys know why? As students we all were very eager to answer our teachers question. One student said, well because the elevator doesn't feel like working. Then she looked at him under her glasses and said, "Elevators don't have feelings, then the whole class broke out laughing". Then I said, I know why the elevator had a bad day. Then she said, Okay Holmes give it a try. Then I said well because its broken and it can't go up or down. Then she said with a smile, that's the right answer. What I am trying to explain to you class is that in life, there will be many situations you will face in the world and as young men or women you have to be able to deal with them rationally. You can't get angry or upset when people act up or when things don't go your way. Class when I look out at each of you, I see faces of young eager teenagers, with different backgrounds or personalities. Sometimes many of you are in good moods and other times many of you are in bad moods, but I don't take it personal. The reason for this is because I have a job to do and also because I enjoy teaching. I don't let what you guys do or say effect my mood , behavior or judgment, because just like life there will always be, good days or bad days and Ups or Downs.

Have a blessed day,

Charles

Psalm 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed your commandments.

Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

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Psalm 119:65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD.

My Promise

God is so good all the time. As I think about this last sentence, I can't forget how good he has been to me , my family, children, grandchildren and I can't help but to be grateful for every last blessing that he has given me. God has been there for me through thick and then for better or for worse and has never forsaken me. Even when I wasn't worthy of a blessing God, has always been there. When I think about the words that I just wrote, I can't help but to think about the many times that I have disappointed him and not kept my end of the bargain. I know some may be puzzled by this last statement, to further explain, I was always told by my mother, that any relationship is a two way partnership. What this means to me is when you love someone and this person happens to be good to you, its your duty or obligation to keep your end of the bargain. In other words treat others the way you expect too be treated and if they treat you better than you have treated them, then show them that you appreciate them. What did I do wrong you may ask? Well , I didn't pray as much as I should, I didn't always go to church on Sundays and many times I have broken my promises with God. Many times when we pray, we ask God to help, heal , deliver us or provide us with a blessing and just like he always does he answers our prayers. The question is why can't we seem to keep our promises we make to God or have you ever made a promise to him that you never kept?
I know there may be some who read this and may ask how do they pay back or show God that they appreciate everything that he has done for them? After some thought, I've determined that giving back to God what he has given me or to his children is a hard act to follow. Its impossible to give God back or to even come close to what God has done or will do for each of us while we live. After thinking about this last statement, I find myself asking these questions; What could I or anyone give to a God who has everything? How can I repay him for his never ending love, for not ever leaving me or for the blessings? How can I show him that I appreciate him, love him and honor him for everything that he has done or will do in the future? When I thought about an answer to these questions, all I could do was remember what my mother once told me, she would say, Never to make a promise that you can't keep . In other words if you make a promise make sure you are capable of keeping it.

So here it is, my promise to you Lord is never to forget you, to always remember that its because of you that I live and anything that I accomplish is because you allowed it or made a way for it to happen. I know Lord that you answer prayers and from my own personnel experience, you have answered many. Lord no matter how high I go or how successful I may get I will never forget or forsake you, because its you that loves me unconditionally and I know many times that you have saved me, even from my self. My promise is to pray, even when I am not on my knees, to go to church even if its only on Sundays, to talk to you regularly even if it just a simple prayer. I promise to share my love and affection for you ,never too keep you to myself. To tell the whole world how good you have been to me and to tell others too that if they keep my promise they too will know, of your great love or sacrifice. I promise, my promise too you.

Have a great day,

Charles

Acts 17:27   That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Jeremiah 23:23 "Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away?

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Acts 14:17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

How Do I Go On?

Every now and then, I get a e-mail, letter, text message from a friend, relative or a reader , that touches my heart. This letter comes from a young lady who happens to live in a country called Malaysia. Its a country that I am not very familiar with, but this lets me know that it doesn't matter where we go or live, there always will be a need for God. After all he is our reason to live and our everything. God loves us all and all he wants is for us to know him. He also wants us to have a personal relationship with him and to pray with an sincere heart daily. If we learn who God is , then ask him to answer our prayers in his time we all will be blessed. Now to the question of the week, How do I go on?


Dear Charles,
How are you and your family? I know that you don't know me, but you inspire me. Your love for God, your web page and your writings have done so much, for me , I just want to thank you. I know that you are truly a man of God and that is why I am writing this letter. I am tired, thinking about giving up on my life. I have been in tears for over two years. Everything that I have ever owned is now gone , because of peoples jealousy,wickedness and evil. I don't know where to turn or what to do, how do I go on?
Geena


Hello Geena,
How are you? I just read your letter and even though it was short ,it was straight  to the point. So I'll try to give you the same courtesy as you have given me. First I would like to say, that I am honored that you reached out to me. I know by doing that you must have enough faith to share your thoughts or your problems with me. Every now and then we all face our shares of trails, tribulations or problems, but through it all God still loves us. Yes life can be difficult when we lose material things and as hard as this may sound, its only temporary or only a storm. God has a plan for your life , he wants you to go on and to trust him. He wants you to know him and who he is. Who is he you may ask? Your life, because of his breath that resides deep inside you and God is  your provider, even though you may have lost everything you have not lost your life . He is also an healer, if your heart happens to be broken, then look to him to heal all that hurts you. God can and will remove the bad, then replace it with blessings. What ever those people took from you will be given back to you and your life will be even better than it was before. How do you go on? First with prayer and second with God as the head of your life for as long as you live.
Be blessed,
Charles
Samuel 22:2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

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Psalm 31:3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

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Psalm 31:4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

Which Road Will You Take?

In each of our lives, we all will be presented with many opportunities'. Some choices are very obvious to make while others are hard to determine , but if you chose to follow Jesus all of your pathways will be made straight. As we get older some choices, chances at love or opportunities , if not taken advantage of will disappear  forever. My late grandmother would always express to me why it was so important to live in the moment or today and not for tomorrow. Her words exactly were," Nothing in life is promised, so if an opportunity presents itself, by all means take advantage of it today". And stop living in the past baby, she would say, because its gone just like the wind or the storms of yesterday. She went on to say,  Chuck , in life there will be many roads, paths or journeys a man or woman can make, but its who or what you chose to follow that may determine your fate. When I question my grandmother about her statements, she went on to say, that every man or woman has a choice to make. She would say," Chuck there always will be good people and then there will always be bad. There also will be people who learn from their mistakes and do better. Then there will be those who never learn, never grow up and will always be in the same position that they were in their previous years. Those who learn become wise and those who refuse to learn, become like the average person, then fail. The question I have for you my grandson,  Do you chose to fail or do you chose to succeed ?

After my talk with my grandmother, I would always wonder to myself, why did she smiled so much and why she always seemed to be always at peace? Nothing bothered her and for every problem, she always seem to have a solution. One day, I went in to my grandmothers room, because I wanted to know what kept her so happy all the time. To my surprise all I found was a bible, her collections of ceramic angels, crosses, stuffed animals and a collection of her favorite bells. Every where I looked in her room, were pictures of Jesus or Angels. I was so captivated by them that, I lost track of the time and when I turned around there was my grandmother standing right behind me. I was so scared because I thought my grandmother would kill me for snooping around in her room., but to my surprise all she did was smile. Then she said, Chuck you are a very curious child , that's good  because you just only want to know and learn. Then she looked at me and said, Do you want to know why your granny is so happy all the time ? I said yes. Then she said, Its because of Jesus baby. I know that you don't know who he is yet, but he died  for you and me. Then I pointed at that cross on the wall  then she said "Yes baby that's him and that is Gods only son". I said," Gods son granny?" Then she said" Yes baby, his only son. God loved the world so much that he sacrificed his only son Jesus for your sins and mine. Then I asked my grandmother, why would God want to do something like that? Then she smiled and said because he loves you baby, me and he loves everyone in the world he created. If you chose the right path, the right road, then your life on Earth, will always be a blessing. You will have peace , then joy in your life and it doesn't matter what happens in your life . You will always know that nothing happens by chance and if it does happen its always for a purpose. The question I have for you today my grandson, Do you chose the righteous path or the path of destruction? I then had a confused look on my face, then she said," I'm sorry baby, you are too young to understand". So I'll make this simple, Which Road Will You Take? The right road, the path of peace, love and success or the wrong road, the path of failure, drama or stress? The choice is up to you and when you get older you will understand what I mean.

When I became older, I began to understand what my late grandmother meant and  I now have that same peace in my life. I know for a fact she is where I get my smile. From her , I learned that when serving Christ, that God truly answers prayers.It doesn't matter what storm, trail or tribulation that I may face, as long as I have Jesus , Gods son by my side I can over come any obstacle. I have been on many roads, through out my travels call life. Some roads were pleasant and others down right terrible. I can't complain, because I chose those roads and what ever I have been through has made me stronger. I am better because of my past and smart enough not to make the same mistakes as I have in my past. The question I have for you, if you happen to be reading this, Which Road Will You Take? Destruction or success?

Have a blessed day,

Charles

Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knows the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Tough Love!!!

When I was younger, I often remember how my mother use to get upset with me when I didn't listen or follow her rules. I was about sixteen at the time very hard headed, disobedient, stubborn, refused to listen and thought I knew it all. Don't ask me what got into me at that age, because before I made sixteen I wasn't perfect, but I was a good child(I think so anyway LOL) and didn't give my parents much problems.(Because if I did they would have killed me . Smile) My mother used to always, say that," I was smelling myself" . I didn't quite understand what she meant by that until I raised my own child. When God blessed me with the opportunity to raise my own son, it was a breeze at first and then he reached what my mother called," those terrible teens".  I guess the old saying is true, "What comes around goes around or what you do to others will come back to you a thousand times". What I had to learn, is not to be so soft on my son and prepare him to be a man, after all the outside world will not spoil him or take pity on him as I would.  As you know if your daughter or son  happens to be your last or only child it is not as easy to discipline them or administer the  Tough Love that they deserve. No parent wants to punish or to be mean to their child, family member or friend. But when they refuse to follow the rules, break the law or continue to do harmful things to their bodies or to others, one must administer Tough Love. I had to learn this lesson the hard way and as much as it hurt I had to show my son some Though Love. Now I know what my parents meant, when they punished me and said, This hurts me more than it hurts you". What they meant by this statement, is that no parent enjoys punishing their child or children and most of us good parents enjoy giving. Its when our children does something stupid or does something that they know they shouldn't be doing, that keeps us from blessing them and when we as parent has to clean up their mess.

Which brings me to the adults and makes me ask these questions," Why do some adults get themselves into trouble or certain situations, then expect others to get them out of it or solve their problems"?Isn't the problem they caused theirs alone? After all they are suppose to be grown men or women. I understand that sometimes we all slip or fall and require help. But when a person keeps getting themselves in trouble or  doing the same old thing over and over again it becomes hard on the person or the persons that's providing the help. Sometimes this gets old and most people get tired of helping someone who refuses to help themselves.

This question was brought to my attention, by a friend of mine, who happens to be married to a man who has been an alcoholic for over ten years. Her husband knows that he isn't suppose to drive, because he already has had a DUI on his record , but just like any normal child, he doesn't listen then drives drunk anyway. On this particular day, her husband took his truck out for a drive and was pulled over by policeman for his second DUI. Like any good wife would do, she bailed him out of jail and brought him home. What made this matter worse was, that her husband then took his truck out for another drive and in the process hit someone. Now not only does he have another DUI, but also a hit and run. My friend is so stressed out, that she came to me with this question," Chuck, my husband keeps on doing the same thing over and over again. All his does is drink and when I tell him that what he is doing is hurting our family he won't listen! What am I suppose to do? Then I look into her eyes and said, As hard as this my sound, my advice to you is simple,  leave him in jail  and then let him dry out. Sometimes even grown men or women have to grow up and learn how to solve their own problems. I know doing this, may hurt you more than it hurts him, but sometime you have teach them a lesson by letting them experience a little Tough Love.

Have a blessed day,

Charles

Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

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Deuteronomy 8:5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

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Proverbs 3:12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

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Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

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Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

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Proverbs 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

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Proverbs 23:14 Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

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Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

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Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

Is it Really Worth It?

 Many times as a writer, I never know where I may get my next thought or inspiration  from. Everyday thoughts are racing through my mind , because there seems to be so much happening in the world we live in. There is so much crime, drama, pain and everywhere you look, people are doing the craziest things.  Many people are messing up their careers, destroying  marriages,  ruining their lives by doing drugs, drinking while driving , having affairs with under age children and  others are stealing from their employers.  The craziest thing to me is when people commit crimes against children and its hard for me to phantom why anyone would hurt a child, after all they are innocent. But as you know, there are some very sick people in the world. For the ones that are not sick, they just happen to let their emotions get the best of them and that's when they get themselves into trouble, because they sometime loose control.

Which brings me to the question of the week, Is it really worth it? This question came to me after having a conversation with a co-worker of mine. To make a long story short, he has been married for over thirty years and they have raised five beautiful children together , that are now grown. They bought , then build a beautiful four bedroom home and owned their own business. But after sometime their marriage started to fall apart and each of them began to have affairs. Now the business they owned together is gone and the home they built, well they are in divorce court fighting over that property . Instead of being a loving couple, they are bitter enemies and they both claim to hate each other , so much that the wife has began to do crazy things. What type of things you may ask? Well she has been cutting up her husbands clothing, flatting his tires, busting his windshield, coming to over his job to cause disturbance and even destroying parts of the home that they are  now in court fighting over. My co-worker for his part has been cursing out his wife and he has cleaned out both of their bank accounts. He is now involved with a younger woman, who only is by his side because of money. After observing this from afar, one has to ask, Is it really worth it?

Many times in each of our lives, we will become emotionally attached to someone and fall in love. Some of us may be blessed enough to get married and while  others may take the worldly view by living together. But during these times we all make certain investments into each other, rather it be physically , emotionally and many times financially. What most of us don't realize is that if God is not the head of our lives, our marriages or our relationships,  are destine to fail. The reason why there are so many divorces, broken families or friendships and other things is because God wasn't present. We can't just go to church on Sundays and expect him to be apart of our lives, seven days a week without prayer or a personal relationship with him. God should always be in our minds, our hearts ,thoughts or prayers , even when we become angry. Why? Because only God can calm us down and have us thinking rationally. Only God can heal or fix what's broken and only he can solve the impossible. The questions I have for you today or tonight," Is do you trust him(God) with your life"?  "Is it really worth it to try living life again without him?" Is it really worth it? The true answers to those questions reside within your heart.

Have a blessed weekend,

Charles

Psalm 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

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Psalm 119:81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

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Psalm 142:5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

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Psalm 143:7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Don't Let The Devil Steal Your Joy!

Everyday, when we wake up, then make our daily drive to work or to where we live , life will always present us with  many new challenge or obstacles. There will be certain things that we have to deal with on the daily basis, like our fussy children, certain family members that always gets on our nerves or our spouses that sometimes drives us crazy and Lord, I know that you are listening, please do something with those terrible drivers! On our jobs our employers and even some of our co-workers will try to get under our skin. One can't even have peace while shopping at a store or dinning out at a restaurant, because as you may already know some of the people that are employed there,  may not always be friendly and some may intentionally give you bad customer service.  What I have now began to realize that life, will never be perfect and to make it in this world you not only have to be strong with your beliefs , but also with your convictions. Sometimes you may have to let some people know who you are,(In a nice way) that you are not a person that they can run over and play mind games with or someone they can take advantage of. In life  people will always try to test you and some will try to push your buttons, in order to make you mad or angry. But as my late grandmother would always say, "Baby, they can't eat you and people will always be people, so learn to deal with it". What I have learned to do, is not to take everything so personal, because I may not know or understand what the person in front of me has been going through. I may have caught them at a bad time in their life or there may be something going on in their personal life that has them acting so mean or nasty.

That's why everyday, I try my best to always have a positive attitude, to smile no matter what and to always look at life from the brighter side. I know to some that may be difficult, but if you had a personal relationship with God, as I do ,then you to will also be able to look at life as I do. To the ones that do have personal relationship with God, I have this bit of small advice to offer. Serving God is not only believing in him, but its also recognizing that we all have an common enemy and to always remember that the world we live in is not perfect. People will always make mistakes and sometimes we have to take time to understand, what a person is going through. The devil will always do his best, to ruin your day or (if you let him) your life. That is why you must always pray and as crazy as this may sound, have a deep conversation with yourself. What I mean by this, is when people make you angry, you must then take a deep breath before you say something stupid or do something that you may regret .

My advice to anyone who may be blessed enough to read this, is if you learn to be more patient and not allow anyone to get into your head or to make you angry, then the battle is already won. My mother would always tell me when it comes to dealing with people, "That cooler heads always prevail". What she meant by this is,  if you can talk to a person, calmly , with conviction and strength, then a solution to any problem can be solved. But for the people that are stupid, impossible to deal with, always leave those people in the hands of Lord. Because some people will always be dumb, stupid or ignorant and enjoy their evil ways. They love , drama, hate  and enjoy all  that's evil in world. Because of that main fact one must, never allow a person or a certain situation change who they are, because its who you are or what you are that defines your nature. Everyday, we all should wake up grateful or happy for another day, because its always a blessing to wake up alive. Life as my mother would say, "Life is how you chose to live or how you make it".  No matter what happens during your day or night," Don't Let The Devil  Steal Your Joy".

May God bless you always,

Charles

Psalm 108:13
With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Isaiah 9:7
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

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