Are We Alive

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well folks here we are, another Valentine’s Day. February 14th, another day when we get to hear our wives tell us how imperfect we are, and just how much we’ve done wrong.. I know my wife says that we shouldn’t wait for Valentine’s Day to tell our loved ones how much we care about them and this would be her bah-humbug day because of that. I don’t know about you, but it sure is nice to hear that I do not do enough throughout the year to show my love, and to be held to a standard that does not apply to the opposite sex.

Let’s take Christmas for example: every year I get my wife something, be it little or big.. Every year I tell her that it’s okay she did not get me anything because I am just happy to be with her.. Or let’s take our anniversary for another example.. I was working my ass off in another state a thousand miles away so I could provide for my family.. Working 80 hours a week, and yet I still had the time to send her flowers and a card (it even ended up being 2 bouquets, 2 boxes of chocolates, and 2 cards).. I don’t know where the return was on that investment, but I did it because I love her…

There is only so much a Man can do to tell his wife he loves her.. I have made a lot of mistakes, and at times I have been a bad husband, granted. However big my mistakes were the fact remains that I still love my wife and have tried since day one to show it. So I honor this day with the fact that no matter what I do, no matter how much I love, this day is reserved for women to tell their men how little they are appreciated!

2011-02-06T11:23:00.001-08:00

We're all in this thing together,
Walkin' the line between faith and fear.
This life don't last forever,
When you cry I taste the salt in your tears.

-O.C.M.S.

I Feel Loved

2010-12-17T06:43:00.001-08:00

You know, through all of this mess and through all of life’s rollercoaster’s one thing remains true, I feel loved! I’ve been with my wife for 8 ½ years now, and we have been married for 3; we’ve shared a lot in that time. 2 kids, we’ve lived in 7 different places, and now own a home.. Wesley has been through pre-school and is now in kindergarten; Hailey has been walking for a few months now and soon she will be talking our ears off. We have seen our close families go through a lot of adversity, pain, suffering, and healing. We have been through and seen a lot! All of these experiences, good times and bad times, have made me a different and much better person. Regardless of what happens in the near and far future, I have my Wife to thank for the best years of my life, and I pray that these times do not end anytime soon. I love you Kellie!

Hear what I say? Listen to what I said!

2010-12-13T13:27:00.001-08:00

In a life where actions speak louder than words it seems that everyone is so quick to dismiss everything spoken as a mere façade covering what is really true. Your eyes aren’t the only portal in to your soul; your ears and mouth play the same exact role. What you say can be just as much about who you are as anything you do, and your actions are not the only things that set you apart. I go to work every day, I am on time and I know my job well.. It would seem to my co-workers that I have a good memory as I can recall things pretty easy.. That is why they do not believe me when I tell them I have a bad memory, or that I have an issue with being on time to family functions. Looks can be just as deceiving as words, even more so at times. What I say, it is who I am.. Sometimes what I do is trying to be what everyone wants me to be..

I am a lucky guy!

2010-12-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here I am, with my two favorite people in the whole world, my children. Hailey Marie, and Wesley Alexander. I love these kids with all my heart and soul. Through everything, they are my world! Every time I look at them they remind me how important it is to love and be happy!

The American Dream

2010-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

I have not updated this blog in quite some time.. Those were happier days.

When I was a young kid, carefree and happy, I always wanted to be older, to make my own decisions and to not have anyone to tell me what to do.. We’ve all been there… So where did I go wrong? When I was around 11, my parents were fighting through a bitter divorce, my Dad had made some decisions and my Mom had issues dealing with those decisions.. What woman wouldn’t have had an issue? You think I would have learned from all of that. I was an uncle by the time I was 12, and both my sisters had moved out, my Dad moved out, and my brother ran away. My mom suffered a debilitating neck injury at work and was bed ridden for quite a while, and I was doing very poorly in school, and I had trouble making friends. – The American dream!

Fast forward – 19 years later.. Where do I find myself at? Preparing for my own divorce, my heart aching for what my children will think of me, since of course this is all my fault. Good Father? One would think that you’d need to be a good husband in order to be a good father… Can you spell FAIL? I am 31 years old and finally wrapping my head around the fact that life is for real, and this is not a game; always asking myself why the HELL did it take me so long to figure this out? I believe in God, that is evident by my previous blog posts, yet I failed to heed the warnings. Life is precious, and when you have the ability to affect someone else’s life you should always try to have a positive impact, and yet I selfishly wrapped myself in addictions, insecurities, and a hopeless game of control...

Well, as the saying goes, “better late than never.” I will get through this; my kids will get through this, and even though it doesn’t feel like it now, something positive can be made out of all my mistakes. I find myself now finally loving who I am, who I really am.. Even though my wife doesn’t see in me what I now see in myself, my happiness in now no longer dependant on anyone else.

Update...

2010-02-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

2008 - 2009 Years in Review... Sorry it took so long to publish..

2008 YIR

2009 YIR

Welcome to the Family, Baby Hailey.

2009-08-26T00:23:00.000-07:00

Hailey Marie Koecher
Born August 25th 2009
Time: 9:22 pm
Weight 7lb 10oz

Updated: These are new picks on August 26th. Spent all day at the hospital, Mom and baby are both doing perfect. Hailey has a heart murmur (ASD) but the doctors say she will grow out of it (hopefully).

Tiny Hope

2009-08-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

Planted these this year. They only reached about a foot tall or so, but they are nice.

Wesley

2009-02-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some current pictures of Wesley; he doesn’t particularly like to get his picture taken, but he follows along if I ask him to.

I bought him a Run DMC shirt today and he is freakin adorable, THAT’S MY BOY!!

In posing, Wes likes to make different face expressions, here is his “deep thought” face.

Our Liberty is diminishing; our hope, fading!

2008-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today, July 10th 2008 our Democrat controlled Senate passed by a vote 69 – 28 a bill that allows our government to spy on us without repercussion. It gives immunity to telecom companies that assisted the government in illegal wire-tapping since 9/11; the same companies that will surely continue to assist them in the future. Our Congress, Senate, and Whitehouse have some of the lowest approval ratings in history; yet we do nothing to stop them when they are overreaching their authority.

Ralph Nader said it best: “President Bush and the Democrats who support him argue that the telecommunications companies were only doing what they were told by the President and were acting as "patriotic corporate citizens." This is pure hogwash. First of all, corporations aren't citizens. Second, the President can't order anyone - citizens or corporations - to break the law. This legislation, which the Senate is debating right now, sets up a double standard of justice. Break the law as a citizen, go to jail. Break the law as a corporation, go to Washington and get immunity.”

Senator Obama voted in favor of this liberty sucking legislation today, and in doing so went completely against some of the things he “stands” for; we now see the distinct similarities between the 2 major candidates - more war, more injustice... What options are we given? McCain (Anti-Liberty) and Obama (Anti-Liberty)? Third parties have to battle their way onto ballots in the 50 states, and fight legal challenges to their ballot access while Democrats and Republicans have a free pass. Third parties struggle to get any kind of worthwhile media attention while Democrats and Republicans get 24 hour media support.

Many Democrats voted in favor of this legislation but I call to task just one of them: West Virginia Democrat, and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; John D Rockefeller IV. This is the Senate Democrat that supported the build up to war with comments like: “There has been some debate over how 'imminent' a threat Iraq poses. I do believe that Iraq poses an imminent threat, but I also believe that after September 11, that question is increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these weapons, and the way they are targeted against civilian populations, that documented capability and demonstrated intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on further evidence could put some of our fellow Americans at risk. Can we afford to take that chance? We cannot!" Quoted (Update - that quote has now been removed from the Senate.gov website but Washington Post has it here)

After the Iraq war Mr. Rockefeller assaults President Bush and the Republicans for the failed intelligence: “Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence,” Rockefeller said. “In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.” Quoted

What a joke! I agree that Bush lied to Americans, but so did Rockefeller which totally discredits almost anything he says about the “War on Terror” today. The more I care the sicker I become. I will continue to vote my conscience and I will continue to exercise my right not to vote if my only options are Democrat or Republican.. America, I fear there is no hope for the Human race. We must now trust our faith in God above our faith in men!

Our trip to Laughlin, NV

2008-05-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Wild and Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino were kind enough to give away several trips to Laughlin, NV. We were fortunate enough to win, so we made reservations to fly down on Saturday May 3rd and stay until Wednesday May 7th. While I enjoy anything that is free this was a little different; the anxiety that preceded our vacation was because of my fear of flying. I didn’t know I was so afraid of flying, since the last time I flew was over 12 years ago when I was 16. The days leading up to the trip had me almost calling it off; if it wasn’t for my wife’s excitement, I just might have put the kibosh to the whole thing. Maybe it’s a fear of heights, maybe its just lack of control… Whatever it may be, flying is so far my least favorite thing to do!

Beyond my least favorite thing to do is my most favorite thing – Going away on vacation with my wife. As you can see from my last blog (in 2007) we like to get away and spend time together exploring new places and meeting new people. This trip turned out to be no different (beside the fact I developed a sinus infection shortly after arriving). Upon landing at Bullhead City airport we stepped out of the plane to experience something we hadn’t felt since last August, 90 degrees! It was amazing to feel 90 degree weather and not have it be encompassed by 90% humidity. The air was dry, and the heat felt nice (but apparently I am allergic to dry heat).

When we got to our room we noticed our beautiful view of the Colorado river and the gorgeous mountain landscape.

(Actual view from our room)

The biggest complaint I have of the trip is actually of the Riverside Resort – Hotel and Casino itself. I am not a gambler (good thing) nor is my wife, we strictly gamble for entertainment. Suffice it to say we did not do much gambling, because “The Don” Laughlin himself has those slot machines geared up so tight that it takes you $20.00 just to win $.05… Weak is the only word I can muster about it! They set you up with their casino club membership, the kind where you have your card inserted into the slot machines; if you go, just throw away the card unless you plan on spending thousands of dollars. Every time I used the card, my money went faster and that is no joke! I do however understand that obviously the chance to win money is very slim on any slot machine anywhere; but nowhere else have I pulled a slot machine 12 times without winning a single penny! My brother would have loved it though, because tobacco is CHEAP!!

One of the greatest things about the trip was that Kellie’s sister Lynne and her Husband Billy came up from Sand Diego for two nights. They have so much energy I was tired by the time we ate breakfast.. Ha Ha.. I am sure if the tour boats, and trips to scenic places weren’t so damn expensive we may have been able to do more. None the less it was great to spend time with them!

We tried as hard as possible to wake up early in order to enjoy as much of the day as possible and by the time the sun would peak its face over the eastern mountain skyline, it was already 70 degrees. Our mornings started off with a quick shower and a brisk ½ mile walk to another casino for their breakfast buffet; then we would mosey on back to the casino for a 2-3 minute session at the slot machines. We would work up our appetite by visiting different casinos along the bank of the Colorado, and then find time to eat lunch, usually eating spectacular food. Most of the money we spent went to great food and it was worth it.

We didn’t do any of the trips because they were very expensive from our budget's perspective; but there was some great sight seeing along the strip to make this trip worth the price we paid to get there (we won the trip so of course it was worth it).

Another very memorable part was Monday night, Kellie and I were sitting in the hot tub and all of the sudden two Security guards come out to the pool area. One of them turned to us and said, “look, do you see that” pointing up behind us. We turned and looked, the only thing I could see was a security camera. Instantly I thought, what did we do wrong? Was I too close to my Wife in the hot tub? Then he said, “we don’t get those around here?” After hearing that I had to look back and yet again I could not for the life of me figure out what he was talking about!! I was kind of getting nervous because we were so far from home. Then finally he said, “They say it might actually drop some rain”. Hell no, was he talking about that tiny cloud in the sky? I looked again, and to my entertainment I realized that cloud had a little bit of gray in it. We had kind of noticed a small tuff of clouds that seemed to be dropping a small amount rain on the mountains to the east; I never realized how excited folks would get, then again we were in the desert! Actually the clouds got pretty large for the desert but as you can imagine, the rain evaporated before it came close to hitting the ground.

All in all we had a great time, and since The Don likes to give away trips to fill his casino, we may just go back.

Our Honeymoon

2007-10-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hello all, it takes me a long time to post because I am very busy. In fact, we went on our honeymoon in the beginning of September, and her we are almost half way through October and finally I am here posting pictures.

We traveled up I35 toward the north shore, but of course what drive up north would be complete without stopping in Duluth? It was a little cloudy so the pictures where a little dark but here we are at the big rest stop along the way, beautiful overview of Duluth!

We continued north on our trip, our destination… Beaver Bay!

Ah yes, Beaver Bay. A beautiful spot on northern Lake Superior, very small town. All in all it took about 3 hours to drive there, but it was worth the trip. Here is where we stayed, a nice place called Cove Point Lodge.

Our favorite place by far on our trip was Iona’s Beach! A natural preserve, thanks to the DNR and the wise choice by Iona to sell it to the DNR; and the fact that her kids didn’t want it. It is a long story, but I will tell you this much: Iona and her husband owned a resort on Lake Superior, the beach was made up of red stones that formed through hundreds of thousands of years of Lake Superior bashing against cliffs or red stone.

It was so beautiful, the rocks themselves sat above the lake about a foot or so. That meant when you where standing close to the water, every time a wave hit you could feel the rocks moving just a little. The sound of it was so great!

Around Iona’s Beach there where other smaller beaches, all made of rocks and stone. This one was particularly beautiful, the waves where coming in, and the water was so clear!

We went other places too, like the Split Rock Lighthouse. I am not even going to show you pictures of the lighthouse that you’ve probably seen a million times. So I will just show you some of the cliffs and other cool things

The views from some of the hills were just beautiful!

We just had so much fun, we are going back every year if we can afford it! I get kinda choked up looking at the pictures, just remembering what it looked like, how it smelled, and all of the sounds. It was amazing!

Thanks for enjoying these pictures, and if you want to see more, email me here

And just for Mark, here is the split Rock lighthouse!

Summer break is over, and meet Mrs. Chris K. (Kellie)

2007-08-27T21:33:00.001-07:00

You heard right, on July 28th 2007 I married my brand new, beautiful wife Kellie. Thank God for her and my wonderful son Wesley.

So I have not updated my blog in a long, long time. 4 months you say? Well, its not like there are a lot of fans waiting to hear my opinions, this is mainly for myself to vent. If you do read this, you will have to grow accustom to me taking a couple of months off here and there. I have a wonderful family, and it takes time to have, and keep that. Though I love to jaunt my feelings and ideas down, I would much rather have a happy family.

So the last 4 months had been preparation for the wedding. We were married at my fathers house, and we had the reception at a low key restaurant that serves AWESOME Italian food.
The last month after the wedding we have been working; and trying to keep pace with our son, Wes. (It’s hard sometimes)

Well I hope y’all come back, in the next week or so I will be on here with current events, and things you all know and love!!

Thanks Dad and Jean, thanks Mom and Kay. Thanks Ken and Bonnie... For everything

I love you all, and God Bless!!

Holy Wars Part 4 – Science by design

2007-04-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Lord, please help us to see clearly the nature of your plan. Please be with those who struggle to find the difference between this kingdom and your kingdom. Lord, please be with me as I write this so that I may share only thoughts and words that are in line with your will for me and all who read this.

Thank You Lord!

This is an insert into the Holy Wars series, this is so important. Science, it is talked about a lot these days. Science has advanced human technology and medicine very far, and it is speeding up. Science has unlocked secrets to medicines that treat sicknesses; it has unlocked almost unfathomable secrets to our galaxy and universe. People look at science as a way to preserve life and livelihood, so it is not wonder that people would follow science to the end of their days. I put this into the Holy Wars series because it is having a profound effect on our civilization, and I think it will be used as a tool for our demise eventually (if it’s not already). People look to science as the answer to why we are here; but science cannot answer that, it can only answer how we are here. What answers has science given us to the reason for our being? They say that our universe was compacted into a small unfathomably dense object until that object started expanding therefore creating the known universe. While that may be true, that does not answer why, it only answers how.

God has designed this universe to be a universe of free will, and unlimited choices. In order for God to create a universe so complex and yet free, he must have had to do so under a set of rules that he created. Therefore “science” was created, and that set of rules is what keeps this universe in motion. Without God, there is no science. Even God has to follow those rules, that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t change the rules or break them, it just means that if he does, this world no longer would exist.

Following science can be a dangerous thing, there are certain concepts that we should not be messing with. This is how science will bring the end of this worldly kingdom (our demise), and make way for the Kingdom of God (Heaven, our salvation).

Here are the 2 products of science which I think are most dangerous:

Nuclear energy – Do I really have to explain this? Ask me and I will tell you but it should be self explanatory.

Most important of all, genetics – This one is truly the master plan of Satan. While I sinfully covet science advancements to heal the sick, there is no excuse for genetic science. The biggest lie ever told is that death is a bad thing. People are afraid of death; they are afraid to die, and afraid to loose someone. This fear has powerful repercussions, and scientific advancements I believe is the worst.

What actual good does genetically altering our food do?
Does it make it more nutritional?
Does it make it better for you?
Does it really do the consumer any good?

NO!

I believe that genetically altered food does the corporation the most good, allowing it to sustain a longer shelf life. It allows them to grow it in different climates. Allowing them to grow more colorful, and maybe even better tasting food in order to woo the consumer into submission.

Have there been any long term studies to show what damage genetically altered food might have on our precious eco system? Does anybody know if these mutant plants and animals will live peacefully with our planet? Well Jesus’ prophetic teachings in the bible that talk about the last days tell us the world will be full of droughts, famine, and sicknesses.

I know those of you that don’t believe in God, or Jesus would say, “Why do I care what Jesus taught?” I understand how you feel, but think about this with a level head. What good could possibly come from genetic altering? You might say, well we could heal the sick, or we can detect cancer from the time you are a baby etc…. Have you not already learned that this world is made up of life, and death? The more we try to cheat death, the crueler it becomes. We must all face death at some time, don’t be afraid!

To Be Continued........

Does This Appeal to You?

2007-03-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

I break from Holy Wars (although this has a profound relationship to that series)

A few blogs back I wrote about Christianity’s biggest enemy, itself. Now I come back to that point with what I think is a disgusting story. Newt Gingrich publicly admitted he was having an affair during his drive to impeach President Clinton for doing the same thing. Now I know hypocrisy is something every human being struggles with. Humans have developed many evil tendencies, hypocrisy being one of them. This I feel goes further than that. Rev. Jerry Falwell openly praises Newt for coming out about his affair and invites him to give a commencement address at his own Liberty University. Now, I can respect a man who comes out and admits his faults and asks for forgiveness. But come on folks, Newt divorced his wife at that time and married the woman who he was having an affair with, and is still married to her. Where did Newt come out and admit his affair? Focus on the Family, where else? How fitting, what is Dobson telling our families? To divorce your wife and marry the woman you cheated on her with and to be proud of that fact?

Here is another point, why would Newt Gingrich, a long time politician, want to tell us about his affair? We already had a good inkling that it happened, could he possibly be prepping American minds for his campaign to become president? Of course people, this is how it is done in this day and age. We where once ruled by kings and queens. We where told how to live life. That is until the kings and queens discovered that it is easier to give us a choice, and to control what that choice is. We are bogged down by this constant media push in one direction or another, left, right, over and over. So Gingrich is testing the waters to see how America will react to his hypocrisy. Well I have the unfortunate feeling that hardline conservatives will praise him all of the way to the polls. NOW HERE THIS: 2 leading republican candidates have been divorced and remarried, one of them several times (Giuliani) and the other married the woman he had an affair with (Gingrich). I am all about forgiveness, believe me, but when someone continuously practices the same actions over and over, you wonder how much remorse can be in their heart.

My friends, if this is all we have to offer for leadership in this country, I urge you to either find a candidate that has true attributes, or don’t vote at all. The Clinton Monarchy on one side, Newt or Rudy on the otherside…. We knew this was coming; we need to prepare for the future! Lets all pray for the people who need the prayer the most. Let’s take action against evil, let’s shelter the homeless, and let’s feed the hungry. Lets do it all without the government forcing us to. Let’s take the control out of their hands and put it where it belongs, in Gods hands!

Holy Wars Part 3 - Who is the Enemy, and how do We Fight Them?

2007-03-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

I start this edition of the Holy Wars series with what I believe is the most profound teachings that teach us how to fight our enemies. I will start off by running down the verses I am going to touch on, and give a brief overview of these teachings. Later on in the continuation of this series I will break down one by one the details of our fight against evil. The armor of God is our only hope in this battle between us and the evil spirits that lord over this world.

Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Our enemy is not flesh and blood, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, NOT against flesh and blood! Our struggle is against the rulers of the kingdoms of this world, and folks this doesn’t mean kings and queens. There is evil at work behind the scenes in this world. Our flesh eyes cannot see the spiritual realm, we can however sense it. When we take God’s teachings and apply them to ourselves everyday, when we clothe ourselves in the armor of God we wash ourselves of our own sinful nature. We fight evil by not giving in to the lies and deceit that are constantly poured in to our ears, our eyes, our hearts, and our minds. We become as blameless and holy in the eyes of God as possible.

Ephesians 6:13-18
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

All of these things are what we use to defend ourselves and fight against the enemy. With the belt of truth we wrap our lives with truth and honesty, to become free of the webs of lies and deceit that that this world spins around us everyday. With the breastplate of righteousness we defend our bodies, our internal organs if you will, from the unrighteous deeds and sickness that consumes this world. We become as blameless as we will allow ourselves to be. With our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace we will be equipped to move amongst the evil, and to protect our path from the darkness of the devil. The shield of our faith in God that will protect us from anything that the devil or his minions could possibly hurl at us. Not one single thing the devil has can take us from God; with our faith in God we can take any attack! With salvation we are saved, so we equip ourselves with the helmet. The word of God acts as our sword, the only weapon we need to fight the enemy. You see, we will not march to war on a physical level, but on a spiritual level. Remember that your flesh eyes cannot see the battle that is being fought. We must protect ourselves by being righteous, and imitating our lord Jesus Christ.

Holy Wars Part 2 – Weapons against our enemies

2007-02-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

Jesus taught us how to be the most effective warriors for the Kingdom of God that we can possibly be. Reading through the New Testament there is only one conclusion you can possibly draw. Love your enemies, pray for your enemies, and lay down your lives for them!

We cannot lose our focus as individuals on what is just and righteous. God sent his son to die for all of us, even the ones who persecuted and crucified him. It is this way of life that defeats our enemy. Satan knows he is gone! He has only one mission for himself to accomplish; take down as many as he can. When you submit yourself to the pleasures of this world while others who are starving watch and beg you for help, then you have submitted yourself to the enemy. Of course when you sacrifice your things to help those in need, you release yourself from the captivity of this world.

Titus 3:1-5
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

The last part of the above quote from Titus 3 I think is the most profound. People in this world can and will do good things; however a lot of times they do so only for the people whom they deem deserving. This goes against Gods teachings.

Moving on….. Love is the weapon God chooses for us to wield, when we help those who need it instead of scoff at them everyone wins. Love goes deeper and further than just helping the needy. Jesus commands us to love our enemies. Since the fall of man we have been at war with each other; fighting, killing, and resorting to hatred and fear. When we push to love our enemies, and we sacrifice ourselves to do so, we ultimately win!

Matthew 5:44-48
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, it couldn’t be clearer. Our weapon is not military or government. Our ability is to love and pray, even for our enemies. The time we spend on this planet is but a fraction of a second compared to the eternity we spend in heaven. We love our families, our friends, our lives, and our possessions. Those things either pass on like you or are diminished when our lord returns. So why worry about what might happen? Lets prepare for what we all know will happen!

Demonic Duopoly?

2007-01-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today I will jump off the series, Holy Wars, which I started on Christmas, to touch a pressing issue I have felt uncomfortable with for a long time. Today my level of anxiety grew even stronger as the mass controlling media made clear their intentions for the presidential elections of 2008. Here it is, enjoy!

Politics are evil; there is no getting around it. The kingdom of this earth falters at every turn; around every corner lurks the shadow of evil. Ever since Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 there has been, I think, a 2 party conspiracy to control the “most powerful nation”. George H.W. Bush, friend and confidant to the Saudi oil empire, took office with Reagan and in my opinion controlled the white house for Reagan’s 2 terms, and his own term. Three terms of cold wars, desert wars, crack cocaine, poverty and in-justice. Then in 1993 it would seem that America’s answer for peace and prosperity had come; just look here on the Whitehouse website. So the cycle started. War through Republican reign, peace and prosperity through the reigns of Democrats. Our country is being pulled right then left, in a conspiracy to control this nation. All kingdoms of this world are controlled by demonic forces no matter what their appearance and this country by far is the worst.

Today Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her bid to be the next president of the U.S. WOW, what a shocker! All of the major news websites, here, here, and lets not forget here, be they liberal or conservative, announced it the same, Hillary is in to win! Imagine, left and right news media pushing the masses in the same direction. If Hillary wins this country would have seen at least 30 years of Bush and Clinton regimes! Since when did this country become ruled by dual monarchies? Since Reagan was elected in 1980 and took office under the control of Bush and co. in 1981! Most won’t even notice how awkward it would be for our country to be under the rule of just 2 different regimes through more than 3 decades, I for one smell the danger!

There is always danger involved when messing around with the affairs of the kingdoms of this evil place, but I fear the evil is escalating. Jesus told Pilate that his Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) when Pilate was questioning him. In fact the whole time the Jews where conspiring to charge Jesus and take him to the Romans in order to have him executed has a profound relation to what is going on in this country today. The Jews knew that by their laws they could not execute Jesus, Pilate told the Jews, “Take him yourselves and punish him by your own law.” “But we have no rights to execute anyone.” (John 18:31). The Jews of Jesus day would protest the Roman rule unless it benefited their own agenda. All the same now, two sides, being orchestrated and choreographed by a hidden evil influence that desires control and power over all of the kingdoms of this world. And now, we have what I feel is a more concentrated, and more powerful form of this kingdom. Two sides pushing the masses in different directions to end up with the same continuous results.

Look it’s not an easy concept to grasp, but it is important to understand the reality of it. The country is politically divided into 3 parts, Right, Left, and the in-between. The ones who determine the winners are always the in-betweens. They are the deciding factor because they are not so one dimensional like the hard-line liberals and conservatives. Whatever the current situation is, usually determines the polarity in which the in-betweens vote. If war has been going on for a long time they swing towards the peaceful choice, and if we have been in peace long enough they forget history and head towards the side of “national security”. The powers that be are smart enough to see this so they push the divide to its limits to control the swing vote. Hard-line conservative, and then hard-line liberal, they influence the vote by pushing the extremes. It is the same people running the same country over and over. Why has the current administration been run by people who have been running our country for 30 years? Back and forth, forth and back, every time the same outcome.

Look, we all know that this world and its rulers are temporary; why must we put our faith in them instead of God? Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world, if it where my servants would fight against my arrest from the Jews.” “But now my Kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36). Jesus gave us our only necessary doctrine, read the gospel and learn from its teachings! Anyone can quote the bible for their own agenda; we have seen political puppets use scripture for their own capitalistic agendas on several occasions. In fact the devil probably knows scripture better than any human. Satan used scripture in Luke 4:9-10 Satan tempts Jesus to throw himself off the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. We must use the scripture in our own lives, and follow the divine lifestyle of Jesus. How would Jesus command us to act under these circumstances? What does Jesus call you to do? Certainly he doesn’t call us to be slaves to this world and its kingdoms. We must be at peace with each other, and live by Jesus’ command to love one another. The devil feeds off our fear, and our mistrust. He lurks in the shadows preying on us as we seek hostility in order to protect ourselves. Long has this world been ruled by Kings who seek only to destroy their enemy’s! But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

Holy Wars Part 1, Santa vs. Jesus

2006-12-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a multiple part series on my view of the current holy war that is going on. This is different from a lot of perspectives; most conservative Christians would argue the holy war is being fought between Muslims and Christians. I however disagree; I think the biggest dangers to Christians are in fact Christians themselves!

This brings me to part 1 of this series, Santa vs. Jesus. Wow, where do I begin? A lot of talk in the conservative news today centers around the “War on Christmas”. What the news is reporting is that we cannot say things like merry Christmas, and instead need to say happy holidays. I understand the concern that this raises, I mean this is a free country; we should be able to sat merry Christmas whenever we want. My question is this, why do we care? Listen, the Christmas holiday was a holiday whose date was selected by Constantine on the exact day that his “former” religion, Paganism, celebrated winter solstice and the fall harvest. With things in our traditional Christmas celebration crossing so many lines with the pagan religion. Yule is one of those things; Yule was a winter solstice celebration of Norse Mythology and German Pagans. We infuse so many Pagan traditions into our celebrations of Jesus, why would we do this? We care so much about whether we are allowed to say merry Christmas, but then we put a pagan and commercial spin on our celebrations. Jesus was thought to have been born in the summer, one of the most remembered stories of Christ’ birth was the Angels appearing to the shepard’s who where watching their flock at night, the only time in that area of the planet that shepard’s took their flock to graze at night was when it was to warm during the day, which means it was most likely summer time!

We need to choose our battles, if we are constantly fighting for things that are just as much Pagan as they are Christian nobody will take us seriously, and really why should they?

This Evil Place

2006-12-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

The more I look at things, the more my heart breaks.

I was reading this article today and it isn’t anything that I haven’t seen before. We all know inside of us that America is wasteful and has almost no regard for the well being of the planet as a whole. We emit thousands more metric tons of carbon monoxide than every other country in the world (See this graphic showing the US compared to the other top emitters and some countries that we should model ourselves after, graphic provided by the World Resource Institute).

I hate to think what may become of our planet, what may become of our future and our children’s future. It makes me SICK to read things like this, people are so content with their lives that they would throw away the future for our children. It seems to me that people do not want to realize the problem, especially Americans. Quite frankly I am convinced that a large amount of us think that ignorance is bliss, and to recognize that humans are greatly at fault for the demise of this planet would require them to take responsibility in their everyday actions.

All of the skeptics will argue that the planet earth runs its own cycles. I will say to you, never before has another life form caused it to happen. I believe that God created this planet and all things on it have been made of it, which is to say that we are “of” this world. We are this planets cycle at this time, but our unique way of destroying this planet could very well destroy it for all inhabitance. Poison in the rivers, pollution in our lakes. We all have a part to play in this; we are not as ignorant as we pretend to be. I will be the first to admit that I need to do more; my actions constantly pollute this planet. Though I hope that I and the rest of the world would clean up our acts, I know better. This evil place will come to an end. The beauty and glory of God will be restored, and this planet will overcome the evil that has engulfed it. Man has fallen, and the world also fell. We are a fallen race removed from Gods glory, but Jesus has sacrificed his life so we would also be restored. I pray brothers and sisters that our children and our grandchildren will see better days, I pray for all to have peace in their lives!

The lighter side of my blog

2006-11-18T16:36:00.001-08:00


I like to get out of the norm and post somethings that make me laugh. Here is one of them! Please play the video and enjoy. Thanks to Weird Al for making me laugh!

Democracy and Capitalism

2006-11-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

How can a nation such as America act so righteous?

Time and time again Americans such as myself stand with our hands covering our hearts, saluting the flag and pledging ourselves to what it stands for. We feel in our hearts that America stands for freedom and democracy; in fact we know that the flag flies in remembrance of the men and women who died fighting for our freedom. Because we feel this way, it makes it right to salute and pledge ourselves to its leaders decree, besides look at what we have done for all of those other countries out there… Right?

Think about it this way, what about all of those other countries we have not helped? While we send supplies and money to the GOVERNMENTS of those countries, it fails to meet the needs of the people who truly make up those countries. We financially support governments of countries like Pakistan and India, all the while this money is going to fund a nuclear standoff in that region, why do we want this to happen? We give money to nations who oppose socialist leaderships, and “non-democratic” countries in the guise of spreading democracy. I for one think that this so called “Democracy” is nothing more than a trick, a nice name for capitalism. In a capitalistic society it is every man or woman for themselves. What will happen to those who where born into poverty, will they have to live their lives paying for the mistakes of their great great grandparents?

Democracy and capitalism encourage self-sustained life; it leaves no room for the less fortunate. Sure, people will say, “We have social programs to help the poor”….. In my opinion those are anti-social programs, encouraging bad lifestyles, and containing economic and educational growth. America is polarizing, and not to the left or right, but to the rich and poor. The very top sections of the middle class are becoming millionaires through lucrative investments and things such as that. The lower part of the middle class are drowning in debt and filing for bankruptcy in high numbers, eventually some will drop down into poverty. When you take America and its democracy and you separate it into two parts (rich and poor) you have a beefed up version of communism, “anti-social programs to “take care” of the poor, and the ultra-rich calling the shots and maintaining their government outposts. Tell me, would you pledge your allegiance to a red America?

Did anybody else get this?

2006-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

On Friday, a friend at work sent me this chain email, it reads as follows:

“Love This Comeback...

One of my sons serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them also.But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha.He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U. S. flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi. A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman:

"Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."Everyone within hearing distance cheered!”

Anybody who knows me will know that I hate chain emails, but this one in particular irked me the most! It shows how little patience Americans have. We have never lived in a war-torn country; we do not know what it would be like. Also, when referring to this lady the author of this fake letter addresses her as “the woman in the burkha”. I don’t know about any of you, but I think that there is some spite in the way the author writes that. I just feel like this is an attempt by the author to make his or herself feel a sense of self pride.

I think there is a lot of ignorance in this letter, and I feel it has become the American way to be ignorant. Most Americans would probably feel the same way as the person who “stood up” and spoke out in this letter. Most Americans however would understand that this lady has lived a life full of things that most in this country will never have to see. I respect this lady’s opinion and I feel for her. She was not able to stand up for herself in her country, she would have died. The person in this letter obviously doesn’t understand that.

I have to try not to get angry at things like this. When I sit back and realize how sad the person who wrote this must be, my anger turns to sadness. I am sorry for people who let anger and hatred fester inside of them, that is how wars start!

Don't be offended

2006-09-23T15:31:00.000-07:00


The video above is from The Mind of Mencia show, featuring none other than Calros Mencia. Although it is very funny, it touches on points that most others have a hard time expressing. So watch it, and please don't be offended because if it offends you, then your the dee dee dee!

Protests against Pope Benedict XVI

2006-09-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

We have all seen on TV and read in the news, the Muslim world and others are outraged at the Papal's speech. (Read transcript of the Pope’s speech here from the Vatican’s website). When reading this transcript it dawned on me, the Pope was preaching more about Islam than he was about Christianity. Some of the dialect I had a hard time understanding, but over all I felt that a lot of what the Pope said was based on quotes by emperors and scholars. Something bothers me though; I feel as if a lot of what the Pope said was hypocritical. The Pope was quoting an “edition” written by Professor Theodore Khoury and apparently it was a description of dialogue carried out by Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. In the dialogue he quotes this emperor as stating “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. Now lest we all forget, this emperor ruled the Byzantines and these where times of violence and war. Mostly the Byzantines fought to increase the size of there kingdom driving forces into different Islamic nations. There was a lot of hatred for each other during this time. I feel that if this emperor is going to advise whomever he is talking to that Islam is a faith led by the sword; he need only look at the so called “Christians” of his time. Ruled by kings and emperors most of these empires carried out the will of there rulers rather than of God.

My thought is how untimely this all is, without hesitation the Pope quotes a ruler who is man rather than our King, Jesus Christ. Although during the times of Jesus there was no Islam, Jesus on many occasions told us how to treat our enemies, to treat them as have them treat us. I wouldn’t think that Jesus would have us quote an emperor; I feel that he would have us teach his gospel. The Pope said many accurate things, but I believe in a nature that is sure to offend many people. We need to spread the love of God’s kingdom, not the opinions of men. We need to lead by example, not by intellectual speeches designed to provoke other nations and faiths. This world is in a constant state of war, we have not seen peace for a very long time. Mostly the ideals of people are all that these wars are fought over. The rich rule the kingdoms of this world, but the Kingdom of Heaven is ruled by Our Lord and Savior. Jesus said many times that the Kingdom of Heaven is one of peace and love. Although the people of Islam may be overreacting quite a bit, we need to show love and kindness as Jesus would, rather than just saying we are better than you.

Introduction

2006-09-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of things in this world that I disagree with, and some things in which I agree. When I read the news I usually go off on a rant inside my own head, I can’t contemplate how certain things happen, or how people let them happen. I might post clips from news articles, or quotes from news worthy people. I will take a different approach than most, and because I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ my approach will be geared towards Jesus’ message.

Thank you for your time, and I cannot wait to hear your reactions.

Chris K