All Christians and all humans in general suffer from sin. Many struggle with it, trying to break bad or even deadly habits. It's very hard to live in today's society and really judge anyone as being evil or not, considering all are tainted with sin and breaking from the shackles of sin is very difficult.

During Jesus' time on earth he told great ministries to his flock, he tried to show the importance of goodness and love, and also tried to get the organizations of ministries to focus less on the laws and more so on righteousness. While on the earth and during his ministries he also did some things that many at that time viewed as contradictory to the teachings or even blasphemous. He defended the adulterous woman, he ate and resided a night with the tax collector, and he gave mercy and healing to the child of a Syrophenician woman. During these acts members of the organized priesthood or Pharisees as we know them, were very disturbed. They did not understand why Jesus Christ, the supposed Messiah was helping sinners or giving them his attention. I don't think human arrogance was created in the 20th century, and I'm sure many back then thought, "why does Jesus not give me attention, I'm a priest, shouldn't he talk to only me and honor me since I honor God the right way?". Not only that, but aside from not giving the Pharisees that attention, he focused on sinners, or people that were not following his laws.

I'm sure so many people could try to argue why was this? Why would he help those that sinned openly? Why not give more blessings to those that honor and praise him, but that wasn't the way of Jesus. It isn't to say at all that Christians or even the priests back then were not blessed, and were never blessed again in the future. However Jesus clearly stated to the tax collector Zacchaeus "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost". ( Luke 19:10) Clearly showing that Jesus was always concerned about the lost rather than those who were already doing well or following the commandments, and showing kindness to one another.

In another example in todays day and age in a business, someone is performing well and is at the top of there game, most likely looking towards a promotion even. There is another person who is struggling and barely getting by at there job. If Jesus was in that company he would have helped the one that was struggling. While however a strange analogy we have here, I'll tell you why; it's because the person who is doing well doesn't need any help and the struggling person needs a lot of help.

That in turn is the secret and the riddle of all of this. While it seems strange that Jesus would help the sinners, he didn't just do so in ways to reward them with undeserved blessings. He did so in a way to convince them that he was God and He is the Light of the World. His purpose was not to hand out prizes or gifts, but to hand out faith and start them on a path of righteousness of which someday they might help other people themselves.

Goodness in this world seems fleeting with the media showing tragedies every night on television and the following morning in the newspaper. However if everyone had something good happen to them and then passed on that goodness to try to help each other, the world would do much better assuredly.

The cliche states to Love the Sinner and Hate the Sin. I say this unto you, Love the Sinner and focus on that love and see if you can help them in anyway, including helping them find there own way out of the sin.

Batman is a famous comic book superhero who is troubled by his parents who were murdered by a horrible criminal, later found out to be The Joker his arch-nemesis in the comic book series. Bruce Wayne or his official name when not in his Batman role, later decides to fight crime for the sake or revenge to protect the streets and people of Gotham City to prevent what happened to him, to anyone else. The issue we are discussing here is his duality of persona.

As Bruce Wayne he is an aspiring bachelor seeking love and family, most likely to make up for the great loss he felt as a child. As Batman he is the exact opposite, not evil, but very cold and indifferent while focusing on his goal to protect the citizens against crime. Of all stories of issues with duality his is one of the most well known not just because of the popularity of his superhero character, but also because it's a common psychological issue in many of us that experience a great tragedy in our lives.

From deep trauma we manifest persona's and even more interesting we only show them to certain people. We are one person to our spouses, another to our friends, another to our employers, and another to our family. Dualities can stay as but only two persona's, or as I just stated they can digress further into several sub categories of personalities we display to others.

We all wear masks in life, this is true, and sometimes we hide behind our other personalities because of wanting to hide things from others, and other times it's because we specifically want to appear a certain way to others.

In the end there is no way anyone can keep you from developing these separate persona's of character. One isn't to say whether they can sometimes actually be helpful for you though perhaps in your careers. However too much acting or hiding behind masks, can be dangerous. If you become overly dependent on parts of your personality that are extremely different from the real you, you might alienate yourself away from friends and family. I think the best advice would be to always remember that those persona's should be for a helpful reason, such as being successful at work or showing the proper character to your children and such at the right times. In closing never forget who you really are, and the real you is who your spouse fell in love with, your employer originally hired, and your children recognize as their parent. Don't lose that or you might lose them.

Nowadays we hear so much about recycling, the environment, and power consumption. The fact that we are running out of our natural resources or will at some point, and the cost of oil has gone dramatically higher than necessary. Whether that is because we are on the verge of new vehicles that work with alternative power sources or not remains to be questioned. The fact is that many nations are currently working towards alternative power sources not only for your home's heat and air conditioning, how to make your car move, but of course general electricity as well.

In todays day and age we are barraged with messages that we are ruining our own environment, there are massive holes in the ozone, and that global warming is heating the planet too much. Is all of this true though I wonder. I mean in all actuality if you really think about this the population has grown tremendously from 1900 to 2000 worldwide. On the other hand though, how long have we even had central air, a combustion engine for every citizen, as well as power to even light our homes? All came at different times I suppose, but we could not have had all of them for more than 200 years now at the most. 200 out of 2000 years is only a tenth, and to imagine that we could destroy our planet that fast is rather alarming and almost unbelievable.

I don't mean to debate this evening whether global warming is occurring or not, as I'll leave that for the scientists out there. However as I said many nations are pushing towards alternative power sources. Including geothermal heat, directed solar power, and wind power that all store up and fuel turbines to produce electricity. Currently less than 10% of the United States is fueled by what is known as renewable energy or energy that we can recreate without damaging the environment or little to no risk to it. It is consumable and renewable allowing us to continue to power nearly all of our current machinery in other ways different from standard combustible and non-renewable power sources.

Society is always changing around the world and while none of us might have paid too much attention to energy conservation, it's a problem that has kind of came about because of the times rather than foolishness. Due to massive population growth we are now consuming too much power and too quickly. In order to combat this it isn't so much that are governments don't care, but it is a situation that we now have to play catch up since we didn't foresee this problem.

Without making excuses for anyone or pointing fingers, I won't deny the importance of renewable energy, recycling of materials, and in general, taking care of the environment. But I also don't think we should worry so much about the world melting or being destroyed by global warming. I'm not saying it isn't happening at all, as there is mixed evidence on both sides; but I would allow our governments some time to not only find the best technology to solve energy issues and then create working applications of those systems.

The World is what we make of it, and not all problems can be foreseen, this is simply a case where humanity needs to address it's growth and power consumption, and make the necessary changes for our current use as well as expected future requirements.

The old saying goes, "There are only two sure things in this world; Death and Taxes". We've learned to live with taxes, but death is still a shock to us.

For instance, the shock death of actor Heath Ledger at just twenty eight. Death is only supposed to come for us when we are old and infirm. Who can deny that at such a young age, we think ourselves to be invincible?

The problem is, from the moment we are born, our clock is already ticking. I do believe that you only die when God has decided you will die. He has given each of us the exact amount of time needed to fullfill the life He wants us to live. That's not to say that God is moving us around like a puppet, but He has given us the exact amount of time we need. Even if that time may be far shorter than the time someone else has. The reason this is such a problem for us, is that of course we think we should have extra time. We're afraid we will mess up in the time that we do have and we fear the unknown.

Each person is born for a purpose, with the exact amount of time allotted to us, and we will recieve the resources needed to live the life that God wants for us. But what we need to learn to accept, is that we will have no way of knowing how long we have. All we can do, is make the most of each moment that we have. Live a life that's worthy of God, and you won't have to fear when that inevitable moment does come.

This time the topic is friends.

What are friends? Friends can be many things and come in many different forms. There are the regular acquaintances that come and go. There are the ones where you have a tight bond with and then seem to just fade away. There are the ones that you hate at first and then they seem to just grow on you. I could go on and on about the people that walk on the earth that walk in and out of your life but that would take a long time because every friendship is different.

When you make friends on the first day of kindergarten you really don't think about what is happening. After all you are five. You really don't think about the effort and the importance of maintaining a good friendship. Sure you are nice and you let your friend have your apple on the second day but as you get older the relationships get a lot more complicated. People branch off and go their separate ways. They get new ideals and new philosophies that often don't agree with yours. When that happens you usually start making compromises or you can just go your separate ways. When having an effective friendship remember to: be loyal, stick up for them and don't betray them. Listen, don't talk to much to the point that your friend can't say anything that needs to be said. Be trustworthy, don't tell anyone else secrets that are meant for just your ears. Spend time together, get to know each other better by going out and doing fun things. And last be yourself, after all being you is the reason why your friend is a friend of yours.

There is a huge difference between friends and true friends. Friends come and go with time. True friends are their from the start and continue to be there through the end, whatever that end is. Think of friends as a tree. There are the leaves who come and go with the season. They are just the random people that are there and then just disappear. Remembering that every new season brings different leaves. Then there are the branches. They are the friends that you think are there for you. They seem that they will be with you until the end but as soon as you step out on those branches for help they break. When times get tough they crack under pressure or run away. But there are still those that are your roots. They are your true friends that are their for you through thick and thin. They keep you strong and provide you with everything you need. Anyone that has one or two of these "roots" consider yourself lucky because there are others who do not have them.

So everyone who reads this think about your friendships and think about how you can make them better. Think about the times you've had together and how you can make more!

Thanks for listening to my long rant about friends! I hope you will be blessed with friends that really are true!

Lately all I seem to reach is some sort of emptiness of emotion. I don't know what tomorrow will bring and I also don't seem to care too much. I don't wish this feeling of nothingness on anyone, but it isn't as bad as it seems I guess. Without going too in depth I just feel ok with everything, whether it be bad or good to me, I don't really have a preference. Obviously I suppose I would like good, but it seems I've now been cultured to the point of just accepting life as it is.

Of course it won't be easy all the time, will sometimes be hard, and sometimes fun and pure hell. But that is what life is. People live, die, grow, learn, make more life, prosper, and become destitute. In my feelings of oblivion I strangely find some peace that I have not felt before. It's not suicidal or complete apathy, but it is a step in the direction of acceptance, perhaps a large step or I might even have went too far. But I feel decent. I feel relaxed and even though everything is going wrong in my life, I feel hey, that's alright, there is always tomorrow.

If tomorrow never comes, so be it. If I lose my job, my home, my love, so be it, what can I do? I am just a man. I have no control over anything, so what's the point of expending energy to fight off impossible and uncontrollable events?

It isn't to say that you shouldn't work hard in life and chase after things you want, however at the same time, there needs to be a level of relaxation and peace to your soul. You need to get to the point where you can say, I really want this, but if it doesn't happen, Praise God just the same. It's most people's inability to accept failure and defeat that makes life hard. It isn't that any of you or I are bad, or weak for losing something, we just didn't win is the short story. So you either keep playing the game, or you give yourself no chance ever of success.

Without this becoming an "I have a dream" speech. I just ask that you try for the things you want in life, and if you want nothing, fine. You be who you are, have no motivation and enjoy your life alone if that is your desire. No one should judge you for that, and if you find pleasure in a sweet oblivion of emotion, than who is to say you are wrong? On the other end of the spectrum if you truly treasure something and want it badly, go get it. Do everything you can, there is no point to just lay down and give up when you can fight and you could win. I said could, not would, but still, give it everything you have and maybe the consolation prize if you don't win it all might not be that bad.

The only thing wrong with feeling oblivious is wanting everything that you aren't feeling.

What is wisdom? Who has it? How do you get it?

In my last weeks bible lesson I learned a bit about wisdom. And I'd like to share what I learned a little bit.

One of the quotes that I liked very much regarding wisdom was, "science is organized knowledge, wisdom is organized life". -Immanuel Kant

This leads me to believe that wisdom, or the lack thereof, can probably be seen by how one lives their life. Perhaps you can measure a man's wisdom by their success in life. So where can you find some? Perhaps a proverb? Or even the book of Proverbs!

"Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways" (Proverbs 3:31)

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1)

Makes sense. Some might appear pretty obvious to the reader, but... knowing and doing are two very diffrent things. And I wonder who would actually PRACTICE the wisdom that one might be taught?

The lesson also mostly centered on Solomon, son of David, and how when asked by God to ask for anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom. Solomon's request so pleased God, that God made him the wisest man that ever had lived, and ever will live and gave him riches and fame as well. The bible says that King solomon wrote 3000 proverbs.

When I think about proverbs and wisdom in general, and read a few, It becomes clear to me, from where it is that we as human beings obtain wisdom. This knowledge is God given. It's the best knowledge to have because it teaches us how to live peaceful honest lives.

"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6)

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:6, 7)

"The fear of the Lord is the begining of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline" (Proverbs 1:7)


To me, wisdom, and knowledge, can also mean justice, and fairness. Because you would have the wisdom to know to be fair, to know to be just, and to know how to live in peace with the people around you. Morality probably comes from wisdom as well. If not the other way around. (or the same thing). Either way, wisdom is good. Go get some!

As I drove home this evening my eyes had trouble adjusting to all of the bright lights of the streets, the stores, and other cars. It got me thinking about Justice and how so many people would like to believe that it truly is blind and that the system of law always works in crime & punishment. Many a lawyer if asked the question, do you believe in the law, would most likely answer yes. However most of them are also answering from the perspective of the money that their career grants them, rather than actually believing in the system of law in the land.

Regardless of country many innocent men and women have been held for crimes they haven't even committed, had to appeal to get themselves freed of crimes they were innocent of, and the worst case those that have died wrongfully through the death penalty for a crime that later they were found to be not guilty of. While acknowledging imperfection of our own species it goes well beyond that when dealing with the question of justice being blind or not and is the justice system fair.

Can a celebrity get a lighter sentence or have most crimes dismissed because they are celebrities?

Can someone with money get away with many crimes that a poor person could not by not having the same wealth to hire a more qualified attorney?

The answer to those questions and many more are probably and unfortunately yes. We the public like celebrities and those who live in capitalist countries have a mentality that people work for the money they have made. With that fact established, a celebrity most likely will get off with an easier sentence, and the wealthy get away with more than the poor. Easily the scales of justice are lopsided in favor of the well-to-do.

Even worse is the case of image and crime. Many state the cliche that Justice is blind, but I ask how is that possible? Is anyone going to try and argue the fact that people have been convicted just because one or a few of the jurors didn't like the look or race of the accused? It's a losing argument because it simply isn't true. If justice and the system was truly impartial there would be walls in front of the accused, the families of the victim if any or audience, and the jury itself. That way the jury could hear testimony given and would not make a judgement off of the way someone looks, the clothes they wear, or the suspected wealth they have by there grooming, shoes, or clothes.

The fact has to be stated that the system is bent on however horrendous a crime was, how guilty the accused looks, and how much drama can be put into the court. It isn't about truth or the law any more, it's about making it as dramatic as possible just like a tv court drama. However none of that equates to good judgement or a legitimate case, and therefore Justice is not blind. Justice or the act shown forth by humans is one where we decide where someone is guilty before we even look at the evidence, or even hear the trial. It's one where if you don't have a good lawyer your chances of winning the case regardless of your innocence or guilt is slim to none. It's one where if you look guilty, you are guilty.

That is not justice, that is the absence of.

There are many women out there who find themselves in the wrong situation at the worst possible time. But unlike something that comes and goes, like a break up, a bad date, or even something horrible like being raped, there is something that doesn't just go away. You can't run from it, hide from it, and most often, there is no good advice to give someone in this situation. The case in question would be in an abusive marriage. Where your spouse either beats you, talks down to you, sexually controls you, or controls you with fear and ultimatums.

I have been in multiple situations above so I can speak to the women reading and say I understand what your thoughts or feelings are on this subject. Being raped is something like your soul being stolen, or your body being used for nothing more but the delight of someone else. It is the most power driven assault that men attempt on women, and it leaves a women destroyed and defeated. But even worse than rape is a spouse who not only abuses you in one of many fashions, but someone who doesn't leave when they are done breaking you down. They stay, you are married to them, and for many women reading this, you think you have nowhere to go. But that isn't the truth. The reason why you don't go anywhere is because you're either co-dependent with them, like a mother with a troubled and abusive child, or you don't have enough self-esteem or respect to get up and leave.

It's so hard to empower someone who believes themselves to be so weak, so I can completely understand if my words fall on deaf ears, or if they fall to nothingness or hopeless women who are about to lay down and cry themselves asleep again tonight. I have so much empathy and tears for you, and my empathy and pain for you is futile because so many won't help themselves and worse, let their children grow up in an abusive environment, which in turn has a high chance of making the kids turn to abuse on there spouses as well.

So how can I possibly get you out of those home's of horror? How will you know when it is time to work on it or when it is time to leave? Well if it's a first or second occurrence, maybe even third you can start talking to family and to your spouse when they are calm. Consider counseling and possible medication if they have violent outbursts that possibly could harm you, or if you have children, them as well. If you are past these stages and the abuse and violence is beyond question to the point where you are abusing substances, missing teeth, have bruises over your body, or as treated but nothing as a sex object, it's time to leave.

I've found in leaving an abusive spouse the best people to count on are family. Not my former spouses family, but my family. Family has an interesting way of always forgiving you for the past and humans have a natural ingrained trait of wanting to help each other, especially in times of distress. If it's getting too hard or got to the point where there is no return, you need to think of your own health and your children, before any rules of marriage or religion scare you into staying.

As I leave you here tonight, remember everyone deserves a second chance and good for you if you played the power card and left first. But give them a second chance, they deserve one as you would if you had done something equally and horribly wrong in your marriage. If you don't give them a second chance, don't expect to get one from someone else either. If you are physically abused or your children are abused in anyway you need to leave for your own well being and for theirs regardless of your own feelings of love or passion.

A marriage should be one of equality, you are not a slave, nor are you one to be pampered at the expense of your husband. Honor him, but make sure he honors you. After all, that was what the point was in taking the marriage vows in the first place.

People talk of dreams and they talk of reality. Often cliche's will suggest that it is always important to never let go of our dreams. But there is a major conflict between these two terms. Dreams or the fantasy world are not reality, and reality is not our dreams. We go through the ups and downs of a day and a roller coaster of a life and yet we always hope and dream of doing better than we are now. Whether we are looking for financial improvements or perhaps hoping to get married or have children. I wouldn't argue that we our a race that is always looking to improve or push forward in areas of technology, but on the personal level of our own growth, the feelings aren't necessarily the same.

We've all done good and evil, wrong and right, and over time have learned things in many ways including trial and error. It's not just an issue of wanting to improve but one has to consider perhaps we are a greedy creature as well that always wants more than what they have and are never satisfied. The cup is either half empty or it's half full. It all comes down to your perception of things, but whether it's half empty or full, it could be filled higher is the point.

I wouldn't ever suggest someone to give up on dreams they have. Regardless of how far fetched they seem, everyone deserves the opportunity to chase down those dreams. While admittedly saying that I hope they can do it without hurting anyone else in the process of course. I mean you might want a lot of money, but I hope you don't rob a bank to get it. I think in a discussion of fantasy and reality one has to acknowledge the probability of certain things and see how possible they even are. Shooting for the stars is great, but it's a far fall down as well. There has to be some middle ground to all of this, a point where we can say, that is an achievable goal.

Fantasy is always going to be better than reality, no matter how good or bad things are for you right now. If you have goals in life, chase them, but don't sit around and wait for them. The dreamer who works for what they want is not really a dreamer, they just had an idea and acted on it. The dreamer who does nothing to achieve there goal has themselves to blame before anyone else. There are so many stories of under privileged kids that turned there lives into something remarkable, that these should be stories of hope for anyone whether small or large dreams.

So to recap in dealing with our dreams it's best to assess the possibility of success and then give effort based upon the results of small victories leading towards that goal. If you're making progress there is no reason to stop, keep going, as you have no idea how it will turn out. Yes, in the end you might lose, but at least you tried to make it a reality. Those who don't are unfortunately left with regret of not trying.

Dreams typically never just happen, they are worked for and executed.

Every few years the world stops it seems for about six to nine months and everyone focuses on the United States of America and their Presidential Election. That time has come once again when we citizens of the USA ponder who to choose for the next person to run this country. The candidates will travel through most likely all 50 states making an appearance and trying to inspire people to vote for them.

I don't wish to put anyone down with this message but I can't help but think each time when this happens that I'm hearing a list of promises of things that will never come to pass. It's as if promoting yourself for the presidency is merely sucking up to what everyone wants to hear and not actually what anyone is going to accomplish. It isn't to say that no President has no accomplishments under their belt, but at the same time, I just wonder how many things they said they wanted to do and did not get done.

I won't blame it all on one person as I think that's not the case. I personally believe that many who try for the presidency and even those who win it, do so and have a rude awakening later of what they can and cannot do in what is imagined to be the most powerful postion in the world. Not only in limitations of there own responsibilities but also realizing how much of an affect the other branches of the US government have on possible laws and bills to help society.

I don't care if people will argue this or not but I still think that using an electoral vote system instead of popular vote is actually in effect unfair to the individual voter. Not only that but the election in itself seems more like a popularity contest more than anything. Whoever spends the most money or is in the most magazines or gets the most exposure is going to win it all usually and that isn't necessarily the best choice for the country.

I have another theory as well that in todays day and age the two-party system is outdated. I just don't think it's as effective as it used to be. Because even though you can claim to be one side or the other, find me a candidate that you absolutely agree with all of their ideals on, and make sure they are also on your side of the two parties. I believe both todays voters and todays candidates are all independents whether under a guise of a party to align with or not.

This year we also have multiple religious figures making an impressive attempt at the presidency, as if religion alone can win the election. I obviously wouldn't put down my own religion or anyone else's, but that doesn't automatically dictate a good candidate. The United States needs someone who gets things done. They cannot be a fence sitter and they have to get things accomplished and put forth the effort to make a difference. They cannot just be reactionary towards tragedies that occur, but they need to be proactive to accomplish changes to benefit both citizens of the United States and the other countries they interact with on an international level.

In the end here I hope that everyone goes out and votes this year. There are plenty of good candidates, some better than others, but it's all in the eye of the beholder and what you think is the most important aspect as your nations leader. Do you support gay marriage, do you want stiffer criminal punishments, do you want better gas prices or lower taxes? If so, closely examine your candidates and what not only there positions are, but look for what there plan is as well. If they don't have a plan I'd lift a curious eyebrow as to how they think they are going to achieve positive change then.

Vote for the candidate that you think is best and hopefully after the election this nation will be blessed with positive change for it's citizens and the nations allies as well.