His Faithful Love Endures Forever

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
"Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
"Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.
"Give thanks to Him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever."
-Psalm 136:1-4

Little did I know that this particular morning would be full of revealing evidence of God's faithfulness and of his everlasting love.

The phone rang as I was doing my morning worship, accompanied by several of my favorite YouTube worship videos. It was the voice of my boss telling me, "You know you were supposed to be here to open this morning, right?"

What the heck?! R U Serious?!

I had worked the previous night covering for a co-worker. Usually on Thursdays, I work in the evening as part of the closing crew. Since I needed the money, I gladly agreed to cover for my co-worker when he called me with desperation in his voice - sort of. So now I'm all screwed up schedule wise.

Actually, I wasn't. I just didn't check my schedule... shame on me.

So when I woke up on the morning of July 29, 2010, I was under the impression that I had to be at work at the usual time, some time in the evening.

"Holy Mary mother of ..." I really don't know what I said. "Dude, I'm on my way!"

So I got up, took a quick shower, got dressed, looked for something to eat, and headed out the door with my breakfast. My younger sister was there, so before heading out of the house, as usual, I gave her kiss on the forehead and her last image of me that morning was of my back exiting the front door.

It was around 9:30am when I started on the road to work that morning. It was a typical morning. Typical in the sense that nothing seemed unusual. As usual, I opened the sunroof of my black 2000 Honda Civic EX and put down both the driver and front passenger windows to enjoy temperature outside. And this is how I drove to work that morning. Wearing no seat belt.

As I made my way across the bridge into Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for some reason it caught my attention that the ground was wet. To me it made no sense because it hadn't rained in Philadelphia that morning and this part of Jersey is very close to Philly. Still, I kept driving, with my usual speed around that area, making no big deal of what seemed like an insignificant observation.

As I neared my exit, I safely maneuvered my way onto the furthest right lane of the express way and took the ramp towards my destination.

This is where a typical morning became atypical.

As I got onto the ramp, I suddenly felt my car slipping. The mental image yields to something surreal. I immediately sensed something bad was going to happen. I could see the car about to hit the right side of the curvy road, so I tried to straighten it up by turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction the car was heading. That just created more issues. Quickly, the car was no longer under my control and then it happened. I saw it happen. I couldn't believe it was happening...

During my attempt to regain control of the car and to steer it in the right direction, I sharply turned the steering wheel left, in panic. This means my car was in the process of doing a U-turn at high speed, on a one lane ramp exit. Suddenly I felt the first impact: the front right tire hits the curve and in a matter of seconds I saw me feet raise above my head.

NO WAY!

YES way.

I closed my eyes, held tightly to the steering wheel, and from that moment on the outcome of my life was in God's hands. After closing my eyes I really don't remember much. What I do remember was a pain on my upper back and then opening my eyes. I looked around. Nothing bad happened. To me, at least. "Jesus!" the first word out of my mouth. "Thank you, Jesus!" the next words out of my mouth.

Suddenly I found myself in a crawling position. I quickly looked ahead and saw the opening of the front passenger window. There was nothing in the way so I crawled out. When I reached outside, I realized that my car had landed upside down! My little soldier was crushed! In shock I stood there contemplating the scene in front of me.

How is it possible that I came out of that in one piece? I began to cry, but out of gratitude. I did not cry for the car (I was looking at it from the other side of the road and thought "Sucks to be you, buddy!"). I did not cry in pain. I did not cry out of shock. I was at peace. A peace I cannot describe till this day. A peace that kindles the feeling of gratitude I have till this day. A peace that reminds me how unworthy I am to be alive, yet God saw it fit for me to live and not allow a bone to be broken in my body.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91: 11,12

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness
or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35,37

...and most def not a stupid lil' car accident.



Enjoy this beautiful song: My Help Comes from the Lord

Enjoy & Reflect

Enjoy this music video and reflect on its message.

Hope you're blessed by it. Or, at least, I hope it makes you reflect about your relationship with a Friend we usually take for granted.

Falling For You - Leeland

Willing

It's been a while so I'll get right to it.

Check it

"Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord,' the man said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.'" Matthew 8:1,2.

Wait a minute! Who is this dude?!
And what in the world is he doing?!
Does he not know his place?! Does he not know he is out of place?!
How dare he?! Eeww!!

What am I talking about; is that what you're thinking?

Check out Leviticus 13 and read until verse 44.

Put yourself in the place of someone who was considered to have a "serious skin disease". Not cool... not cool... Bring it to modern day: imagine having something as serious as AIDS (not HIV) and having to scream out--at the top of your lungs--"Unclean! Unclean! I got AIDS! Unclean!" every time you go out to the mall, to school, to church, on a date, to a party, to the supermarket, an amusement park... down the block 'n round the corner.......... get it?

Let that sink in.

Worst yet, imagine having a HUGE pimple at the tip of your nose and having to walk around with that thing! The pimple would be the one screaming out, at the top of its lungs--if pimple's had lungs--"I'm a pimple! I'm a pimple! On his nose!!"

No, seriously.

Verses 45 & 46: "Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp."

Let that sink in.

Back to modern day, you couldn't go to any malls, to any schools, to any church, on that date, to that party, to any supermarkets, nor amusement parks, not even down the block 'n round the corner because you wouldn't have a home among the normal people; excuse me, I meant the clean people. No. You'd have to live somewhere isolated. Alienated. Forgotten.

That's harsh.

So, now you understand what I'm talking about?
Who is this dude and what is he doing?!

I don't know who he is, but I know this: he had leprosy and he came to see Jesus!

You see, you don't need to know this man's name to know that he was an intelligent person. He understood his condition, which happened to be the worst possible condition. He needed no one to remind him of how dirty and filthy he was. In fact, he had to do the reminding, right? He didn't need anyone to tell him he did not belong. He didn't need anyone to tell him absolutely anything about his physical state; he knew it all too well! As a matter of fact, nothing anyone could have said to him would have made him feel any less than what he already felt. This dude knew, very well, he was at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of the lowest bottom. So he used that to his advantage and made way to meet the person he came to meet. Shouting aloud, "Unclean! Unclean!" he made his way through the large crowd of people. He didn't even have to say "excuse me", people were willingly getting out of homeboy's way; they didn't wanna be contaminated by him. EeWw!!

How ironic, he waited until Jesus came d o w n from the mountainside. Ha!

Notice that he knelt before Jesus. Think of it symbolically. How much lower could this guy go? (No, we're not playing Limbo). Jesus didn't ask him to kneel, but he felt the need to lower himself even more in the presence of the Most High. "...those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:12.

Something interesting is about to happen.

"...if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean", he said. In other words, "if you're willing to give me a little bit of your time and not brush me off like the others; if you can see me for who I truly am; if you're willing to place yourself in my shoes; if you're willing to look past my apparent imperfection; if you are willing to be contaminated by getting in contact with me; if you're willing to be criticized for helping me or even trying to help me; Lord, if you are willing to just give me your minimal.... you can heal me and make me clean."

I remember not too long ago I was going through a very rough period in my life. Not even my own family knew the extent of what I was enduring; I didn't want to tell them. It was mine to carry. I tried my best to not let my pain and frustration and everything else show on my face. There reached a time where I need a hug, someone to put a hand on my shoulder, some sort of contact, something to let me know someone cared: I got nothing, until I prayed for it. And one Saturday, right before the prayer, I asked God something very simple, "God, please give me a sign that you care." As I walked up to the front for the prayer, the pastor came down to pray and decided to stand right beside me and placed his arms around me and began praying.

So I understand why this guy said "if you're willing". He'd been longing for someone to show that they care about him in spite of his condition. He just wanted someone who was willing to love him and notice him even in his lowest state.

You see, you won't understand unless you've been there. You can't feel the pain in his words unless at some point you've uttered them. His words contain fatigue, hopelessness. These are words of a broken spirit, a tired body, mind, and soul. Don't try to understand if you haven't been there. You can't. You won't.

A few days after the earthquake in Haiti I spoke with my uncle who is still there, telling him that I'd been glued to CNN in order to keep up with how things were developing over there. I wanted to let him know that the pain he was living over there was the pain I was feeling over here. Then he said to me, "...you'd have to be here... to feel what I'm feeling." I could tell in his voice that his spirit was broken, that things seemed almost hopeless. The earthquake had pushed my favorite uncle and thousand others to that point, that small margin between sanity and insanity.

I couldn't understand the earthquake; I wasn't there! All I had was CNN... and it was impossible to know what my uncle was living (still is) through a tv screen: I had to be there.... get it?

So...

As lowly and filthy and worthless the man with leprosy felt, I've been there for different reasons. So I understand, even deeper, the desperation in his words, "if you are willing..." You feel so unwanted that you're practically at the mercy of whoever. Your own body, mind, soul, and everything and anything else that comprises you rejects you! The weight of both your internal and external condition overpowers and subdues you into the darkest pits of depression and self doubt: trust me, I've been there! Every sin is magnified. Every mistake is magnified. Every little thing you ever did wrong in your life seems bigger than you are...!

...trust me, I've been there.

I sank so low; I mean, the man with leprosy sank so low, no human could possibly reach out to touch him.

Have you been there?

Glory be to God, because...

"Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared." Matthew 8:3

You see, Jesus is never worried about what others have to say when it comes to the healing and salvation of a soul. He is never worried about getting his hands dirty or being contaminated. Jesus is always willing, and since he and God are one, that means that God is also always willing. Not only is God willing, but he is able!

Never think you're too dirty or too lowly that Jesus isn't willing to help you. You could feel that you're the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of the lowliest bottom's bottom: Jesus will come down the mountainside to meet you there. And even there, he'll reach out to touch you, and he will say as he told our homeboy, "I AM willing. Be healed!"

Enjoy "Hold Me Now" by my man Kirk Franklin

Pieces

Pieces

With lifted arms I stand before you
Life's broken pieces in my hand
Singing the song of a heart hurting
Hoping that you'd understand

Unable to see the road ahead
Haunted by memories behind
Engulfed in clouds of darkness
My footing hard to find

Using a broken compass
Uncertain where to go
My strength quickly fading
Weakened by every blow

My head is soon exploding
Too many thoughts on my mind
Why must I suffer hardships
While for others life seems so kind?

I don't know who I am now
Or what your plan for me is
So I'm reaching out to touch you
Begging take my hands, please.

I'm drowning in desperation
It's difficult as I wait
I want to take the shortcuts
Deviating from the road straight

On the outside I seem stable
Though hiding the emptiness inside
Wanting to escape my troubled thoughts
To find a safer place to hide

I'm told you've never left me
And through it all you're there
In this darkness, please, come find me
God, tell me that you care

Take these worthless pieces
Which are things I have gone through
I certainly don't need them
So I give them all to you

I'm tired of feeling tired
Sick of feeling sick
Hurt from all the hurt
And weak from feeling weak

There's so much pain inside me

Seeds of hate begin to grow

Resulting in these pieces

Of which I must let go

Look into my heart
Would you count its tears?
It's forgotten true happiness
Since it's been two years

Now I turn to you
With nowhere else to run
I've consider ending my life
I only needed the gun

I pray, please, take these pieces
And everything which don't belong
Free me from my troubles
Give me a joyous song

02.12.10
Poem by: Kelly Jean Philippe

"But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter;
and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8

The Chamber

The Chamber

Trapped in this chamber

No wider than ear to ear
The shadows of memories dark
And perversions of thoughts once clear

Whom have I become?
Blood runs not through my vein
I am heartless and cold
I am Cain

Unwanted and despised
As repulsive as can be
A monster ever growing
A monster that is me

Unleash me filthy devil!
Release me! Let me free!
Trapped in this chamber of memories
The battle within me.

2.9.10

Poem by: Kelly Jean Philippe

Haiti Cheri

I am asking all of you - anyone who follows this blog - to please, please, please keep the island of Haiti in your prayers.

It may seem like there is nothing you can do; there is: keep the Haitian people in prayer.
If you want to donate, please go through this website: www.CNN.com/impact

Any of these organizations is a good choice to make a generous donation...

My heart goes out to any one who has the unfortunate weight of the loss of a loved one burdening their hearts.......

Mission imPOSSIBLE

"This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged

by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s...
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions;
then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you,
O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid
or discouraged... for the Lord is with you!" 2Chronicles 20:15-17

To what extent is God willing to go to in order to save his children?

Better yet, to what extent is God willing to go to in order to save me?

God has done some pretty amazing things for me in my lifetime. Sometimes when I think about them I just marvel as to how he makes everything work together at the right time.

I always say:

God is never too early.

God is never too late.

God is always on time.

But really, how far is God willing to go for my sake? When I'm in desperate need, or simply in need, is there something he cannot or will not do for me?

Joshua 10

So he was scared out of his royal mind, Adoni-Zedek was. He did not know what to do. One of his informants told him that the king of Jericho and Ai were killed. Not only that, but the city of Jericho and Ai were also whipped out!

ADONI: "Who's responsible for this?!"

INFORMANT: "It is Joshua and the Israelites, my lord. They're the ones

causing such havoc! And from what I've been informed, the
Gibeonites have joined them too, my lord."

ADONI: "I'm scared out of my royal mind!"

I'm sure he didn't say that. Although it would be kind of funny if he did...

Homeboy really did not know what to do. Surely he thought this Joshua guy and his Israelite clan would come attack him next; so he summoned his crew to figure out how to take this Joshua guy and his clan out.

"Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and completely destroyed Ai and killed its king, just as he had destroyed the town of Jericho and killed its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel and were now their allies. He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors. So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. 'Come and help me destroy Gibeon,' he urged them, 'for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.' So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon." Joshua 10:1-5

Sounds like he was scared to me... Honestly, I would be too; I'd be screaming like a little third-grade girl.....

Disregard the above statement.

So Adoni-zedek and his other king friends jump the Gibeonites. And the poor Gibeonites are getting the life kicked out of them.

One of them escapes to Joshua and pleads for help.

DUDE THAT ESCAPED: "Joshua, you gotta come save us!

Adoni-zedek and a bunch of other dudes are kicking out butts!"

JOSHUA: "Dude, and you left your people behind while

they're getting their butts kicked?.. Dude..."

I'm sure that didn't happen either; although it would be kind of funny...

This did happen though:

"The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. 'Don’t abandon your servants now!' they pleaded. 'Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.' So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon." Joshua 10 :6-7

You see, this is what these kings did not know: they didn't know that God had made a promise to Israel. They didn't know that after Moses' death, God told Joshua,

"I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you." Joshua 1:3-5

You can only imagine what happened next. Without hesitation, Joshua and his army set out to defend the Gibeonites. They left with a little extra assurance, because God said:

"Do not be afraid of them...for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you." Joshua 10:8

What a fight that was! What an assurance for Joshua and the Israelites to go into a fight already knowing the outcome: victory, guaranteed by the Lord.

So they fought throughout the night and they fought until the next day. The fight was so good that even God had to get in on it:

"As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword." Joshua 10:11

Up to this point, it is clear that God is willing to get involved personally in order to deliver me - as noted in the verse above. But is that all? Could he take it one step further?

Check it

"On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

'Let the sun stand still over Gibeon,
and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.'

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!" Joshua 10:12-14

I've found myself in situations where I think that God, with all of his powers, cannot do absolutely anything to rescue me or provide for me or pull me through. I think to myself, "There is absolutely now way... absolutely no way, that God can possibly help me out this time around." I recently heard myself saying to several people, "I think I've ran out of miracles, because I don't see how I'm gonna overcome this situation this time..."

What a slap to the face to the One who says to me, "Do not be afraid of them [meaning any situation I may find myself in]...for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you." Joshua 10:8

What a slap to the face to the one who says to me, "...the battle is not yours, but God’s... you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory." 2 Chronicles 20:15-16

God is able to do even the impossible for me & for you too...

He is not only able, but he is more than willing to do even beyond the most impossible in order to save me & you whenever we're in need.

...and I need him to do the impossible for me as I write this

I serve an amazing God

Enjoy this cool song by MercyMe: I Know

THE KING OF KINGS & LORD OF LORDS = My KING

Happy New Years! I hope that we're able to take this new opportunity God has granted us as an excuse to want to get even more closely to him.

By now there are probably two questions you should be asking: 1) What's up with the picture of LeBron? & 2) Who the heck is LeBron?

Both are very logical questions - if you know nothing about basketball, that is..

Friends, meet LeBron James! LeBron, meet my friends..

Now that the intro is done and we're all well acquainted, we can get to the good stuff.

I once heard a sports commentator say, "When LeBron speaks, his word is gospel." An interesting comment to make, in deed. He's been called King James - which could explain why "his word is gospel", you know, King James (Version) - and The King.



By now there are probably two questions you should be asking: 1) What's with the picture of Triple H? & 2) Who the heck is Triple H?

Both are very logical questions - if you know nothing about wrestling, that is..

Friends, meet Triple H! Triple H, meet my friends...

Now that the intro is done and we're all well acquainted, we can get to the good stuff.

BTW: don't ask what Triple H stands for; I have not the slightest clue; you can always GOOGLE it. Still, as you can see, he does not need much of an introduction. I mean, why would you if you're 'The King of Kings'? Look at the picture, it says "there is only one", so if you're one-of-a-kind and you go somewhere but no one knows you, then you must really suck! - I'm just saying.


By now there are probably two questions you should be asking: 1) What's with the picture of Michael Jackson? & 2) What's with the two questions, dude?!

Both are logical questions... wait, that doesn't work here.....

Friends, well, you already know Michael Jackson - so well that you call him M.J

M.J, meet my friends...

Now that the intro is done and we're all well acquainted blah blah blah good stuff.

When M.J died not too long ago, some said that "the King" died. Some where more specific and said "the King of pop". He was such a King that his coffin was made of gold! And when they lowered his body into the ground, there was a crown on it and the stick thingy kings carry around. Very interesting, indeed.

The common thread that ties these three is the fact that they're called kings; but this is my question, where exactly is their kingdom? Can these kings save? Are you the one they rule over?... am I?

Check it

I am a huge basketball fan! LeBron happens to be one of my favorite basketball players, so I have nothing against the guy. For his age, the kid got skills! Also, I am a huge Michael Jackson fan & that didn't happen after he died. I have M.J songs in my iPod and sometimes before I go play basketball I listen to "You Wanna Be Startin' Something" to get pumped up. I wasn't saddened by his death or anything, but it sucks that he died.

Still, LeBron James & Michael Jackson dubbed as kings... eh, not my cup of tea.

Can these kings provide my every need? Are these kings interested in me and what makes me who I am? When I need their help, do they come to my rescue? When I am defenseless, do they stand up and defend me? More importantly,

do these kings know I even exist?

Well, we know one of them don't...

Allow me to introduce you to someone I know. He's a friend from a High place who is not afraid to come down and spend time with someone as lowly as me. Indeed, he is THE KING! Not only is he THE KING but he is the true, the authentic, the original KING OF KINGS.

Yeah, that's my KING!

2010 is already five days old. For the remaining three-hundred sixty days of 2010, I know I will live comfortably because my KING will provide for me & take care of me. You see, he's already promised me a mansion where he lives... so if he has already given me that, why shouldn't I believe he can give me what I need down here?

Yeah, he's my KING!

& he could be yours too...