Walt's Blog

Well The end is not yet. Jesus did not come on May 21th. What does it mean? It means that we can not pretend to know God’s will concerning the exact day of the end and his second coming. He said there would be false prophets and people who would lead you a stray. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” Matthew 24:26.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Matthew 24:36-44

So what is the child of God’s proper attitude toward His coming? “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. ¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” 1Peter 1:10-13.

Set your hope on the Grace to be brought to when Jesus is revealed at his coming. The hope of His coming and finally seeing the Lord in person puts joy in all those who follow Jesus. “I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you will be also,” this is the promise of his coming when the Son of God will make sense out of it all. The pain and suffering and heart ache will pale in the light of His coming. He will right every wrong, heal every hurt and fulfill every desire of out heart. We will be his bride forever to be with Him. The universe will be remade and evil will exist no more.

The angels marvel at this and rejoice in the grace of God who while we haters of light he reached down and called us to the light. He remade us into the children of light no more children of darkness. A mystery of love which will be revealed in eternity with Him. Delighted in this we retain this hope of his second coming and look to that day when we shall see Him in His glory.

Of the season of his coming we can know for we live in those days. The birth pangs of the end days are here. The events point to his soon coming. The sun set and sun rise both remind me that the days are short. Love life and enjoy the relationship we have in Him. Work for it is still daylight because the night comes when no man shall work. Consecrate your self to this, reach out to his mercy and love each other as he gave us commandment. For in this the world will know that we belong to Him. Come into the light. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.

We have billboards all over town by Family Radio and it’s members stating Judgment Day

Harold Camping

is coming with the date May 21,2011 this year. On the website they give their reasons for the exact date and how they arrived at it. Harold Camping is president of Family Stations, Inc., a California-based religious broadcasting network, including more than 150 outlets in the United States, as well as a Web site. Camping host the Open Forum program on Family Radio stations and is the driving force behind the date setting of Judgment day and the return of Jesus to the earth. You might remember him from his book named 1994 in which he proclaimed that Christ’s return might be on September 6, 1994. In that publication, he also mentioned that 2011 could be the end. He did put a disclaimer in his book that “the possibility does exist that I could be wrong.”

This date setting by Camping is highly controversial and not accepted by most of institutionalized church and scholars of the bible. In 1970, Camping published The Biblical Calendar of History (later greatly expanded in Adam When?) in which he dated the Creation of the world to the year 11,013 BC and the Flood to 4990 BC. This was in contrast to Bishop James Ussher’s famous chronology, which placed creation at 4004 BC and the Flood at 2348 BC. While Bishop Ussher’s dates are up to debate at least the Bishop used time factors in the bible plainly shown in Genesis. While camping had to say that the word begat in the bible did not speak about a strict birth of a son to a father but skipped a few generations adding to the length in the time-line in the bible.

Well if you are confused I don’t blame you, it is confusing to me why people would believe this man has a possible chance to predict the Day of Judgment, or the second coming of Christ. He recently declared the end of the Church Age and Camping teaches that all churches have become apostate and thus must be abandoned. In the place of church he encourages personal Bible study and listening to his Family Radio broadcasts. And I am sure that the donations to Family Radio have increased and will grow as the date May 21, 2011 approaches. I think my cynicism is well founded in words of Jesus “The Hour and the Day no man knows but the Father in Heaven.” This was talking about the end of the age and the coming of Jesus.

Jesus spoke to us about the season that this these will come to pass but never encouraged date setting. It is dangerous ground Harold Camping is going down and he will be judged himself by the disappointment and confusion he is causing. I will think of this on May 22, 2011 when nothing Camping predicts comes to pass. And I will pray again that the Lord God will come in His own time. Since the time of Jesus’ coming is unknown, we must watch and be ready (Matthew 24:36). The best thing we can do is have a wonderful relationship with Jesus as the Lord of our life walking with Him every day. It is the Hope of the Church to see the Lord in His coming to be gathered unto Him for eternity a date set by God and Him alone. As the early church said come quickly Lord Jesus.

Walt

As I get older I become more cynical. More distrusting of others and on my guard about the motives of others in my life. I question everything and don’t just open my personal life to anyone. How did I get this way and what do I do about it? What did I gain in being cautious and what do I loose? Is it a healthy way to live?

Life can be hard sometimes and the lessons even harder. A life of hard knocks can make a hard individual, one who trust no one and strikes out at everyone. All of us have met someone who we would rather not have any relationship with. One who is argumentative, condemning, narrow minded, unforgiving, loud, boisterous, apathetically to things of importance, and just not great to be around. Pity or anger is all you can seem to have for them. It is very hard to have a constructive relationship with them. Toleration of their action is very hard.

When we were bullied at school our Mom always said “two wrongs don’t make a right” and all you wanted to do is bash his or her head in. And when you did strike back you never felt quite right about the triumph of vengeance. And you traded places now you are the aggressor and the bully, something you never intended to be. I have been there and understand the frustrations of dealing with an unruly person, sometimes not doing a very good job.

There was a man riding a subway in a major city in America. He was on his way home after a tough day and wanted some peace and quiet.  Another man entered his car with three kids they looked about 12, 10 and 8. The other man went to a seat and looked out the window lost in thought. The kids were running around hassling passengers and being totally unruly. How could this other man let his kids act like this, why can’t he control his kids. Finally the man seeking peace and angrily walked over to the other man and spoke sternly to him “why can you control your children, they are totally out of control.” The other man turned from his stare out the window and told the kids to come and set down and behave and said this is no way to act. The kids came back to the other man and set down by him and began picking on each other for amusement. The other man looked up at the peace seeking man and said I am sorry I was lost in thought we just buried their mother this morning, she passed away from cancer and the kids are confused about what happened. Please forgive them. The peace seeking man was taken back by his lack of understanding of what was really happening right before his eyes.

I  need to realize that my cynicism about the world around me is not healthy. I don’t always see the whole picture. When laws are broken there is always consequences and that is right but we are not God. God is the rightful judge in all things. He has shown us mercy and blessing that we do not deserve in the gift of His Son on the cross. He died for the homeless the downtrodden and he died for all of humanity. The bible rightfully calls this time we live the “age of grace.” God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called to Him.

Ours is to have relationship with God first and be the first fruit of love to the world. We may be the only glimpse of Jesus that the people we meet see. If my steps are ordered of God then I belong to Him and should act in a loving manner to all. Radical love would change your life. God loved me radically to the death on a cross and I am afraid of a few harsh words spoken by others who don’t understand the big picture. Poor baby, I should not be ashamed of the Lord, and fear rejection by the world of misunderstanding people. God has given us the big picture. We are not in the dark. We are children of the light I humbly believe we have opportunity every day to reflect his love through our life walk, first with God then reaching love to others.

Everyday I pray to lose my anger and replace it with love for people who I really don’t know. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,” Matthew 25:35. They asked the Lord Jesus when did we do these things for You. Jesus answered “when you did it for the least of these you did it unto Me.” God is calling us to a radical love. Some will not hear this message some will hear it and live it. Say yes to the Spirit of God and what he is calling us to be. True contentment and peace and joy come from how you answer God’s calling. God help us to be like your Son. To show His radical Love.

Walt

It’s fall and the weather is changing the days are getting shorter and the air a little cooler. This is my favorite time of the year in California the transition of seasons bring some beautiful days and cool nights. I turn 60 this year and as scary as that  seems to some in life I really don’t consider that old. I don’t need a barometer any more to know when the atmospheric pressure is dropping and the weather changing I can feel it in my joints.

So in this season of my life my I watch more sports than I play and make more trips to the restroom. I can’t loose pounds as easily as a few years ago and exercise is a dirty word. As uncomfortable and unpleasant as I make it sound I love being alive and enjoy people everyday. Love my children, grand kids and Betty (My Wife)  and don’t see them enough. Still work in service and I have met every type of person you can imagine. I really don’t want this blog to be self seeking and about me but I don’t think that growing older is any different for me than others. Basically the attitude and view of life must be consistent with a fruitful and meaningful outlook on living.

Life is a gift, a chance to experience living and grow as you are meant to by God. Our original parents were made in the image of God. Wow, what does that mean? It is a chance to live in harmony with that which is good, God. Now I realize that it is all for a reason and I am still looking for the full meaning of what life is all about. I am sure it is not easy to learn, but I know it s not about having more money or sex or cars or power.

It is about relationships how I treat others from the heart. And the search for that ONE THING in life that everyone wants if their honest with themselves. That would be a healthy relationship with God. In awe as my superior and in love as giver of life. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that there is more living in death if he is with you. Eternity is the gift of those who believe in Him and walk with Him. Living does not end when the heart stops beating for those who choose life with God. That fact should help you decide how to act this side of the grave. What do you believe in? What season of life are you in?

Walt

There was a man that lost his footing at night next to a cliff and fell over the side. As he was falling he reached out and grabbed a bush which stopped his decent into the darkness and he hung there. No one saw him or knew where he was, he was alone on the side of the cliff. In the darkness he cried out to God and said, “Lord please hear me, save me and I will dedicate my life to you, please Lord hear me.” He heard nothing but the wind blow. His arms were getting tired he knew he could not hold on much longer. Finally in desperation he yelled out and said, “Please can anyone hear me is anybody up there? Help please Help!” Still no answer coming. The bush was coming loose from the dirt and he knew he was going to plummet to his death. Finally he heard a voice say “let go, if you believe let go”. He answered, “ Is that you Lord help”. Again he heard “let go, if you believe let go”. He thought for a moment then said, “Is anybody else up there”. The bush finally came out of the dirt and the man fell 3 feet to a ledge that he could not see in the darkness and he survived his ordeal.

If we are going to talk about the important questions in life the biggest query is anybody up there? Is there a supreme being/creator? Does God really exist? In the amusing story the man had his faith severely tested as we all do in life but his was a life and death situation. Is it logical to believe that all you see in the world came into existence without a creator? Even with my limited intellect it does not seem possible. But men with a greater IQ than me hold that view and stake there very being to pure chance not Godly design. I believe that there is enough evidence out there for a man to know for sure, and I have proven His existence to myself.  However you won’t find God in a test tube or prove he is up there with science. That is because knowing God only comes through relationship with Him. You can only come to Him on his terms. He must call you and He is calling but many they can’t or won’t hear Him. ” Let him who has an ear hear“.

Some people are put out by this and think they can come to him their selves on human terms. But God has provided a plan of salvation which involves His Son Jesus. So many despise him and don’t want relationship with Him even though he provided it with the Life of Jesus. For what ever reason they do not want to be ruled by anyone however good that being is. They won’t submit to any so called Supreme God. So people believe a lie and say to their self that no one is up there and when in trouble they look toward themselves or others for help. What path are you on. What do you believe? Do you know is anybody up there? Walt