Thanks for Asking BLOG "HOPE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL AND SUICIDAL" In 2018, The world was shocked by the tragic deaths of both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Kate was an internationally Famous fashion designer best known for creating colorful designer handbags. Her company, Kate Spade New York, once had more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the United States in more than 175 stores internationally. In 1999, she and her husband, Andy spade, sold 56% of the brand to Neiman Marcus for $33.6 million. By all earthly standards, Kate Spade had a wonderful life. She had fame and fortune, but none of that was enough to help Kate in her darkest hour. Sadly, this beautiful, bright, creative, savvy businesswoman took her own life at age 55 on June 5, 2018Click Here to Continue Reading "The Social Outcast" There's no doubt that Jesus grew up influenced by people that was like him. He studied in the synagogues. He loved his Jewish people. But it is no surprise that at the beginning of Jesus his public ministry, he intentionally went to three marginalized communities.Matthew chapter 8 says "When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, If you will, you can make me clean" (Matt. 8:1-2). Leprosy was a skin disease that had awful physical afflictions. Leprosy was not only a terrible disease, but it was also defiling; anyone who had it was considered ceremonially unclean and cut off from any religious or social services in the community.Click Here to Continue Reading "The religious Outcast" Jesus Christ crosses the barriers of society, race, and now a gender. Women and Israel were considered second-class citizens because they were born a female. One of the 18 Prayers recited by the religious Israelite men each day was a prayer of thanks to God for not being born a woman. Considering that Matthew is riding to a Jewish audience, you can see God's intention to get across very clearly that Jesus came not only for the Jews, but that the kingdom of heaven is open to all who believe. To be like Jesus is to delight In giving Grace to the Jew, the outcast, the Gentile, the slave, the oppressed, and the oppressor.Click Here to Continue Reading
"Grace for our oppressors" “When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly’” (Matt. 8:5–6). Jesus heals the leper, who is the ultimate outsider, and now he is approached by a different kind of outsider—a gentile Roman centurion soldier. According to Jewish thinking, this centurion was the wrong race, and he wore the wrong uniform. Here again is a very unusual encounter with Jesus. Here is the principle for today: Jesus delights in giving Grace to his oppressors. Roman centurions were loyal to Caesar alone and known for oppressing the Jewish people, so it is a surprise that he addresses Jesus as Lord, not once but twice in the text. For this man to call Jesus Lord is to give up his loyalty to Caesar, and this would’ve been treason punishable by at the very least, a good beating and imprisonment or at the very worst, death. Click Here to Continue Reading "WARNING: THERE ARE FALSE GOSPELS THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE WILL SAVE THEM!" Jesus shared with us the greatest promise you can hear. He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24). Everyone is going to die, that’s a given, because no one will live this life forever. Yet, as common and well understood this fact is, no one really likes to talk about it. But if I could say something without it coming across too harsh, only a fool would go through life totally unprepared for something they know is going to happen. The writer of Hebrews says that it’s been appointed to everyone a time to die, and afterwards stand before God in judgment (Hebrews 9:27). So, here’s the question, do you know where you’ll spend eternity? And what do you base that decision upon? In my experiences I have see far too many people find their hope and eternal security in so many different things. Click Here to Continue Reading "Coming Soon" More to come soon.
