“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”- Ephesians 3:20-21

Do not say that you do not have time for God. The busiest of men will have the most leisure, and the laziest will always be short of time, for the former utilizes time and the latter only wastes it. If you really want God, you will find time for Him. - Hinduism

I’ve said many times that I respect people of all faiths and I admire the passion and faith that resides within people who live spiritual lives no matter what their affiliation. Often on my website I quote members of other religious affiliations but I have always wanted to show here in the pardon me message how similar the teachings of these different religions can be. Today I included words from the Hindu culture, Islamic faith and my own faith of Christianity. The messages are so similar in nature in that they ask us to love God, to make time for God and honor his words.

Upon further study you see that the more spiritual members of these different faiths look to their word to live peaceful, love-filled lives and seek to help one another. At this very moment a friend of mine who shares a different spiritual background is ministering to me about the works of God. She could very well be the brother or sister next you in church who is praying for you but she is not because she follows the Hindu faith. Does that mean she does not have a true connection with God. Earlier today I was reading 2 Timothy and Paul was speaking of false teachings and people who will hold so fast to religion and doctrine and not the holy spirit and how this was not the way. This made me think of a question I asked a mentor of mine. I said “do you believe that Muslims are not God’s children, that people of other faiths are damned. I asked could it be possible that we all are praying to the same God and calling him different names”.

He replied to me that many of God’s people may very well be practicing in a different fashion than we are. He also said something to the effect that many who say they are God’s people are in fact not and will be judged on judgment day accordingly. I sat and I reflected on what he said, and today I am taking a step towards loving God’s people, all of God’s people no matter what race, religion or cultural background. Ask yourself this “are you God’s people because you call yourself a Christian or a Muslim or are you a child of God because you follow his commands and teachings while you spend your time here on earth? Peace and Grace be unto you!

The sun can give heat and light to the whole world, but he cannot do so when the clouds shut out his rays. When egotism veils the heart, God cannot shine upon you.

“You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:11-13

Still no wallet, and the nerve of the conductor today. The man looked me straight in the eye and was like “so what”, pay up. Hands me some paper where he charges me $16 for a one way and makes me sign over my information. Now I could have given him false information, its not like I have my license (lol) but I didn’t I obliged and here I am still venting about the lost wallet. On another note I think a common theme throughout the Bible is understanding how diligently the Lord works for those who relish in his word and follow his commands. So that part of today’s message is obvious but the part that stood out to me is how we know how to give good gifts.

What good gifts, of course I know how to buy my mom plants, that always makes her smile. Or diamonds, you can’t lose when you buy Momma Mack diamonds but what about intangible gifts. A simple nice gesture is a gift, a gift of kindness. How is it that so many people are looking to receive but lack the willingness to give. With Father’s Day around the corner I am thinking how can I repay my father, what gift can I give him. Nothing could repay him for the many lessons, the roof over my head, the food in the refrigerator. But maybe just letting him know how appreciative I am of his time could be a gift, a gift of gratitude. I want to receive all of the blessings the Lord has for me but I recognize that I too must be a giver. Enjoy this Father’s Day weekend and give a little you never know what you might get back. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Adversity causes some people to break down and many to break records.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psalm 51: 11-13

Psalm 51 is a long Psalm and I have quoted from it before in the Pardon me messages. I find strength in repeating the whole chapter aloud after I am done praying to God. It is clear that we all make mistakes. No sin is greater than the other and I’m sure I sin everyday. In this Psalm David says “cast me not away from thy presence”. It’s like, I know I am not perfect and I continue to make mistakes Father, but please do not turn away from me for I am your work in progress. I was laying down last night and I was saying to myself how easy it is to talk about faith. To say with your mouth that you believe everything happens for a reason and that it is all in God’s plan. However, I would be lying if I said that its easy to actually make those beautiful words practical. I guess it’s all a journey and a beautiful test we hope to pass.

Speaking of tests, I took my final exam of my 1L year today. A sense of relief came over me when I was finished with the exam. Anxiety set in too however, when we accomplish one feat we often look to the next ordeal or obstacle without taking a moment to be satisfied with our small victory. But back to this scripture, I love it because he asks the Lord to restore joy to him and he asks the Lord to uphold him. It’s like please don’t turn away from me, I make mistakes, but please hold me up with you awesome spirit. After that I am indebted to you, I will teach your word to others and speak highly of your amazing work. Listen we all make mistakes, and we should try and learn from the ones we repeatedly make. Thankfully, the Lord does not turn his back on us, instead he lifts us up to achieve greater heights and we praise his name for that. Sounds like a good look to me. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Things are easier said than done!

A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones…. Proverbs 16:24

Last night I read something extremely powerful, I did not find it in the word, though I know it was heaven sent. I did not find it in any scholarly text books, nor was it a lecture by a famed orator. Nope, it was actually handwritten, on small sheets of notebook paper. Hopefully one day the contents of this letter I will be able to share with you but what impacted me most were the words. A gentleman who is locked away in prison sent me some of his writings and his words were so poignant, filled with hope and despair, filled with joy and pain. He thanked me for reaching out to him in his time of need and although he knew my reply would be “it’s nothing”, he went on for a paragraph or so just to thank me for taking the time out to build a relationship with him. Reading his words touched me in a way that I did not expect them too. His words gave me a sense of purpose and were extremely beneficial in me then writing three letters to three different brothers who are locked away as well.

With all the judgment that swirls around in today’s world it is easy for people to judge this man and his situation. However today’s scripture tells us that a wise man’s heart guides his mouth! This scripture is subtle yet extremely heavy because often the words that come from our mouths are not from our heart. We let our pain and fears speak for our heart and our lips just let it fly. But if we spoke from our hearts, think of all the good energy we would speak into the lives of other people. The word says pleasant words are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. The young man’s words were healing to me, his compassion, his gratitude. What if we promoted this type of dialogue, would more souls be touched, would we be helping to create a more perfect world in which we are following Christ like principles? Just some food for thought. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.