Greed

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

Greed is defined as a selfish excessive or uncontrolled desire for possession or pursuit of money, wealth, food, or other possessions at the expense of another person's welfare. It is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. Greed is, like Lust and Gluttony, a sin of excess. However, Greed particularly applies to the acquisition of wealth. Thomas Aquinas wrote that Greed was "a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things." In Dante's Purgatory, the penitent were forced to kneel on hard stone and recite the examples of avarice and its opposing virtue. Avarice is a blanket term that can describe many other forms of sinful behaviour. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason, especially for personal gain, as when someone lets themselves be bribed. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that are inspired by greed. Such misdeeds include Simony, where the sinner feels the urge to make money by selling things within the confines of the church.

In a movie, a self-indulgent character quotes greed like this, "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA." The world embraces this philosophy and puts it into action everyday. "Who would you step on to get ahead?", "Get rich or die trying.", "Nothing personal it's just business.", "He who has the most toys wins.", is their battle cries.

Greed consumes one's soul to the point that nothing else matters. In 2 Timothy 6:10 it says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." These griefs it talks about are loss of family, friends, co-workers, and all you hold dear left in the wake of the pursuit.

A fairy tale tells of greed like this of a dog who managed to steal a large steak from a butcher's shop, and ran into the woods to eat it in peace. On reaching the banks of the stream, he happened to see his face reflected in the water. He did not know that he was looking at himself. What he thought he saw was another dog, holding a large steak in its mouth.

Being a greedy dog, he jumped into the stream to snatch the other's dog meat. Of course, the reflection vanished and he could see no sign of dog or steak.

Only then did he realize that, when he barked to frighten the other, he had dropped his stolen meat. The current was swift and the steak was carried away. So, instead of having two steaks, the dog was left with nothing. Christ says in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness took place with the dark one using greed as a weapon. Luke 4 reveals:

5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The dark one owns the greed of this world. Janwillem van de Wetering is quoted as saying,"Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is never enough."

Greed will corrupt your soul. Once a tycoon of the industrial age was asked a profound question by a reporter. He asked, "How much money is enough?" He responded back with these words that sums it all up. "It's never enough." There is something perverse about more than enough. When we have more, it is never enough. There is a quote by an unknown author that says -"It is always somewhere out there, just out of reach. The more we acquire, the more elusive enough becomes." Greed is an insatiable appetite that is never satisfied. Only One can satisfy the soul to live for something besides yourself.

God will deal with those who take advantage of others in the quest for greed. Those who destroy other's lives in pursuit of profit at any cost. In James Chapter 5 the Word is quoted as saying -11Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Jesus says in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Who will you choose?

by

Lance Gargus

Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

Faith

Don't get trapped by discouragement and sorrow! It will paralyze everything. Memories can be wonderful, but you can't live on them! Make the memories effective in your life. So we experience it and grow it.

Make the memory of Christ so personal that it is like praying without ceasing. It becomes our very nature. Eventually, the emblems won't be needed. We experience Christ completely. We may or may not see Christ on Earth. But we can and must experience Him. For in Him we live, and move and have our being.

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

To be 100% certain of who we are and where we belong is something that most people seek, yet sadly few find. Full assurance of faith means that as children of God we can trust and depend upon Him to do all that He says. It is a matter of faith.

Faith represents the washing and cleansing of the body as the Holy Spirit sweeps over the Believer’s life.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to,and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Isaiah 55:11 NLT (New Living Translation)

by

James and Lance Gargus

Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

The Holy Spirit Has And Will Guide Us Into All Truth

When and if God moves to,
what we might call change,
He does so,
under the former declaration.
Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.
Amos 3:7

And the promise in Amos's discourse has He kept;

so we follow His directions till He decides its time to reveal new truths,

"not new gospel,"

the Holy Spirit has and will guide us into all truth,

as we merit new,

or renewed light,

or responsibility.

If it falls into our area of responsibility,

and we do not respond then the light indeed has grown dim,

or has been extinguished.

Some day some of you may have the privilege of seeing it;

it will not be necessary to have The Lord's Supper-sacrament,

we shall be immersed in,

not just His memory of Him but be immersed in His life and service-

call it "Zion", "Utopia", "Kingdom On Earth".

But,

this has to happen before he can accept His bride,"The Church."

To bring to pass the immortality and eternal live of man-

this is not over night,

but line upon line,

precept upon precept,

we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

by

James Gargus

Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

Flattery

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

Romans 16:18

As I have stressed many times before, superlatives, adjectives, or flattery without constructive behavior to support whatever we are promising or perhaps unthinkingly committing ourselves to verbally, we make vows superficially without thinking of the consequences of shallow words only.
All the praise and flattery toward the Lord is useless, if we are attempting to bribe or bargain with Him. If we promise Him something and not validate, not only are we committing the sin of omission, but the sin of commission, lying and breaking a covenant, or contract sworn to-
I'm almost certain that no one reading has been guilty of this consciously, I pray,; but may have inadvertently slipped into this trap. To those who have used this ploy so long, it has real appeal, also to ones they may wish to impress with many flattering phrases and superlatives.
But we must be honest with the Lord; He knows our real thoughts and judges accordingly.
He knows He's more than all the praise and adjectives. Because all things are resident in Him, He in all things and all things are in and of Him!
by
James Gargus
Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

Alive

I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
Revelation 1:18

I am ... alone
weary
disconnected
weak
broken.

I feel ... turmoil
pain
loss
grief
sorrow
anger
resentment
doubt.

I have ... questions..

I lack ... patience...

Through Christ I have ... wisdom
trust
humility
strength.

Through Christ's faithfulness I am ... safe
protected
redeemed
reconciled
ALIVE!

by Lance Gargus

Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

The Stones Will Cry Out

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:40

It's always the obvious and the simple things I overlook. These things are right in front of me. You, my God, are trying to give me a message. Isn't that the way life is? In front of your eyes, you miss the little things.

My children continue to lead me in small ways. They help me to see the unseeable. The angels guide their hearts to always seek Him out in the world around them. Their eyes see the hidden treasures God has planted everywhere. Even in the worst, they find the light. Children who believe are God's secret weapon against the dark one.

My daughter, after we were finished eating, was doing as she always does after a meal. She ran outside the restaurant along the river to explore. She sat down on the ground and proceeded to pick through stones. Searching ever carefully and discarding one after another. This quest was quite amusing to me. I had seen her stack them and other things before. Now it had took on an intensity to find the one. "Daddy, I found it. This is the One," was her shrill of excitement. Handing me the stone I opened my hand. "Girl, it is just a stone," I said glaringly smiling at her. Then, like she has before, said to look closer. "See the cross inside a house," she politely pointed out with her girlish voice.

There it was sure enough like a hidden treasure. It was the first time I had seen something like that. It was rustic and primitive and seemed to carry so much insight. This cross was not made by man, but made by God. It seemed to represent a message of God's love inside our hard hearts. I never lost the image of that stone.

Archeologist continue to find sites that confirm the Bible's authenticity. As the church become more complacent and quiet in this Laodecian church period, the stones will cry out His name. But who would hear them, but those with a pure heart. Matthew 11:25 says, At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. " Amen and Amen.

Pray, then, as we all soul search that we can see the hidden things of God.
by
Lance Gargus
Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

Tears Are Prayers, Too

Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? Psalm 56:8

Are we afraid the tears won't stop falling down like rain? That we might drown as we fight our fears. God bottles every tear that we cry. Think about it. We have cried oceans and rivers of tears of grief and sorrow as well as tears of happiness and joy since time began. Tears that travel to God even when we can't speak. These tears are prayers to God on the deepest level.

It is a known fact that in Bible lands and other middle eastern countries there was a tradition that when someone died, tears of those present were collected and placed in a bottle. This bottle was considered sacred for it represented all the sorrow of the family and was buried with the deceased. Many of these bottles have been found in ancient tombs. In ancient Rome, mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes people were even paid to cry into cups, as they walked along the mourning procession. Those crying the loudest and producing the most tears received the most compensation. The more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. In some war stories, women were said to have cried into tear bottles and saved them until their husbands returned. Their collected tears would show the men how much they were loved and missed.

God collects them to let us know he cares and takes notice of us not only when we cry tears of sorrow, pain, anguish, repentance, confession, and joy but in everything we do and say. God notices all our wanderings in this short earthly pilgrimage of ours. He loves us so much and is ever touched by our burdens, our anguish of heart, and feelings of infirmities.

If you notice that these tears are recorded in a book. The book is God's book of remembrance. Every word of tender pity, every act of sacrifice, every suffering, and sorrow for Christ's sake is faithfully recorded.

It is amazing how one so powerful can love one so lowly as to know every tear that has fallen. He catches it one by one in his hands. To bottle them up for a time that is to come.

So remember that your tears do not fall in vain. There is one who holds each one in a bottle and write's it down in his book of remembrance. And I feel like that as he does this he feels our pain, too. He felt the pain of those mourning for Lazarus and the Bible says,"Jesus wept". (John 11:35) How profound are those words that as we weep that our God weeps with us. Now that is Love.

by

Lance Gargus

Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

Speak

But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:9

They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.
Psalms 17:10

How can we travel through this short life and not feel the pain of others? Why are we afraid to speak? We bottle up all that we think and feel. Except of course if it is anger. Then we turn this loose on all those around us.

Sometimes silence hurts worse than the angriest curse. The silence of callousness. Some call it stuck up, snobbery, better than you, or even shyness. Look they say he has never cursed with his mouth. Neither had the Pharisees or Sadducee's. The people who walked by the man in the good Samaritan story never spoke either. The good Samaritan spoke to him and helped.

To be friendly is considered to babble on by those who don't want to listen. Am I speaking to help that individual or to hurt someone? People are social creatures and have this wonderful gift of communication.

The angels are constantly cheering Holy, Holy, Holy in God's presence. Never does he say silence to them. If we don't talk about Him the very rocks will cry out.

Why then when we refuse to speak do we hurt each other and others who choose to speak do so to hurt others? We build ourselves up in our own minds by belittling others with words or giving the cold shoulder. Was man not made in the likeness of God? To treat each other like this is treat God like this. To withhold love from others is to withhold love from God.

Speak to each other in kindness and love. That silent person is hurting and that one who only says things to hurt others is hurting. Pray for them fervently.


Prayer is talking to God. Like saying hurtful things or refusing to talk to Him also hurts our Heavenly father, too.


So the next time your in a restaurant or standing in line be friendly to that person next to you. Show the love that is there in your heart. Some may accept and others may not. But you may have in a small moment planted a seed that will grow inside their soul. For after the winter comes the spring. And that seed you planted with God's love becomes a beautiful lilly.

by

Lance Gargus


Books:Christianity,Bible,Jesus,Angels,Soul,God,
Holy Spirit,Doves,Love,Children,Heaven

A Pocket New Testament

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
Luke 9:24

You know the kind of New Testament. It is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Mine was given to me when I was born. In later years, I came to treasure it like an heirloom. Never really looking at in much detail in my busy live.

One night I felt drawn to pick it up off the shelf where it had been sitting. Other Bibles I read sit by my bedside nightstand. This one stood out from the others. Not only had it been given to me at my birth, but what also made it unique was its exterior. My family's home had burned to the ground not long after my birth. Few things were salvageable from the fire.

This lone New Testament was one of them. Just like me it had made it. And like me in life it was forever scarred by what life had done to it. The exterior was burned and though I was not scarred by the flames I forever changed. The fires I face like this book was trials by fire. The part that burned in the interior was only the book of Revelation.

I don't know if this has special meaning or not. My life seems to become the most burned toward the end later in life. As the trails come in life, they will grow in more intensity. But like this pocket New Testament I will survive to the end. Whatever God wills,will be. Whether I live or die, God is still Lord and if through my living it spreads His gospel so be it or my death so be it. My life is not my own but His.
by
Lance Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

The Purpose, The Cause- The Effect- of "The Life of Christ"

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

Adam's creation-

his life assignment,

his success and failure-

were all for known and contingencies in place-

all because of one basic law,

and blessing,

that of "free agency of man",

that even "God" in all "His" greatness,

once established,

could not,

and most importantly,

would not,

violate.--

All Adam's experiences,

fore ran,

or were foreshadows,

or symbols of "Christ's" purpose.

Adam knew the greatness of God,

the importance of his function,

in the ongoing process of keeping,

developing the creation of God;

He had one "role model",

"God",

yet,
the opposites of that role model was Satan,

Satan could never have invaded The Garden of Eden initially.

Through his deception he had to have an inside contact,

to open,

or unlock the "door of rebellion",

desire for power.

The impulse for disobedience,

the foreshadow of ,"do your own thing".

All these things,

with all their dire consequences were the historical markers in history-

or background that told us "to beware" of pitfalls,

already encountered.

All experiences in life,

for ourselves,

and our forebearers,

are of invaluable importance to us as we weave our way through life;

all in order to "beat" the paths,

guide the way,

mark the spot,

blaze the trail,

that we may,

receive the torch of of life at each "last mark;"

we are not not to retrace but "replace" with fresh vigor and new out look,

receiving and utilizing the past,

that propels us forward,

with the "past",

the "present" and the "future" as an "aura" of God's purpose encircling us.

"Christ" was and is,

co-creator with "God" in all,

and as he,

as co-creators in all things.

He came,

not so much as Savior,

as Redeemer-

Trailblazer-

Champion-

Guide,

Exemplar of Love-

we are saved,

so many ways;

but,

first and foremost by love and obedience-

obedience to Christ,

to follow His example through love,

love for fellow man through love of Christ-

How would we know to obey-

or the way to follow,

except someone has gone on before?

by

James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

Crosses Everywhere

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24


The hope of my life you are. The love of my life you are. Oh, the wonderful cross. Would I embrace my cross or run away? I stared at the cross in the reflection in the dresser mirror. The depth of the cross seemed to sink into the mirror infinitely. This was brought to my attention by a sweet,little innocent child. You can find crosses everywhere if you just look. God's constant reminder of His presence.

"Daddy, do you see the cross in the mirror?" she inquired. The deep blue eyes staring up at me waiting on a response. Shaking my head I looked back at my daughter. I didn't see anything. "Look one more time," she begged with a look of belief. "Alright, but this is the last time," was my reply. As I stared into the mirror I thought of this week and the events preceding it. The Vacation Bible School that week and how excited she was about Jesus. Her optimism was so hard to understand at my age. As I get impatient and refuse to wait upon the Lord, she takes me by the hand and leads me back. Today was Father's Day. And in my grief of the loss of my father I just didn't feel like this. The frustration of everything tearing up at my house and my mother's house was pulling on me. Oh, how I missed him there to help me with all these home repairs. My heart breaking from the load as I struggled to see.

There from the moonlight was the image glowing being reflected on to the mirror. A shelf gave a dual image on the mirror to make a cross. "I see it, now," my eyes finally revealed. "Amazing isn't it, Daddy?" was a small child's words of faith. A little child shall lead us. What strength there is in that little girl leading me. God reveals these things to us in due time.

It was Dad's way of reassuring me. He just wanted to remind me what I am living for. To remind me I don't walk alone in my soul searching. Walk by faith, not by sight just like a little girl.

by
Lance Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

Inner Peace

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

Ephesians 2:14
All through the years of my distress,
an inner voice gave me no peace-

as this passage of scripture kept pestering me,

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God."

Even in my darkest moments,

in the depth of despair, it never let me rest.

I tried to stop my inner ears from even sensing this compelling voice but no,

it always there.

Then I began to question my part or worthiness to even consider this call to repentance and mission,

once I had a ready and willing ally,

Satan saying don't listen,

don't heed,

we've gone too far.

Then as my real self began to listen,

the impelling words of Revelation started to trickle into my consciousness.

Not only was I withholding the Gospel and the keys of the mystery of the kingdom from myself,

as well as the power of Godliness in practicing and administrating the ordinances from others.

by

James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven


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Superficial

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.


2 Corinthians 4:18



Things in life we pursue often times can be and are "superficial."
That is to say we may cast aside at any point,
any one or more of these.

And what would cause this particular change of character,

or trait?

Here we have as we had in the acquisition thereof,

the interaction,

or intra action.

As, in anything that changes,

there must be an initiator,

and a receptacle.

In other words , the object changed,

has to be acted upon,

before there's movement by it.

So, where does this change get its initiator?

And why does it succumb

or lend itself to change?

Mainly because some outside influence brought pressure to bear,

i.e.: in case of "fear"

it was discovered that fear was unjustified,

proven false.

And as a result of this change,

what happens to the receptacle,

or the place fear occupied?

Every void,

no matter how small,

must be filled with something.

So we have here an initiator,

concern,

concern prompted action,

action investigated,

and investigation discovered no cause for fear,

a burden was lifted,

a void created,

relief was a result.

What to do now with the void;

it is still a receptacle or holding place?

Unoccupied,

or seeming so,

temporarily.

There again is the unending chain of (change) action and interaction,

cause and effect.

There's always a sort of restlessness involved in this process,

till the receptacle has a tangible occupant,

good,

bad,

or indifferent.

by

James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

Prayer Lines

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 16:13





Prayer lines are open.


God knows your needs,-


pour out your heart,


it melts the clogged arteries of communication,


humbles the heart,


makes tender the sensibilities,


chains our honesty,


implants sincerity,


don't ring the wrong number.


Know the voice on the other end of the prayer.


Even tho he knows your innermost thoughts,


He desires constant communication with his children.


And the bonds of child, parent, God and man with love grows.


This becomes a natural part of life.


by


James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

Two Doves

"Who are these that fly along like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
Isaiah 60:8

Doves symbolize transcendence, eternity, timelessness, faith, and hope. The dove is universally a symbol of peace, purity, love and tenderness. Doves are timeless creatures. The dove has been a powerful human symbol since antiquity.

In the biblical creation story, Noah sent a dove from the ark three times. When the dove returned with an olive leaf in its beak, there was hope in the midst of the treacherous flood. Later Christians used the dove to symbolize the Holy Ghost over the Christ's head, associating the dove with transcendence and compassion. Much later, the legendary artist Pablo Picasso used stylized doves to evoke peace, enlightenment, and immortality. The sighting of a dove is auspicious in every world culture. In China a dove seen at life events is a sign of longevity. In Japan, a dove along with a sword to represents the nation's commitment to peace. In all nations, two doves shown paired together represent the unity of love, when two individuals join together in a partnership.

Two mourning doves followed my father to church every Sunday a year before he died. It was a sign to Dad cause he knew he was dying. The weaker he became in his body, the stronger God grew in his life. Those doves were waiting on the powerline every Sunday for his trip there and return trip home. This lasted until his death. After that we haven't seen the doves since. I feel this was his blessed assurance of God's presence.

Why two instead of one? I have often wondered that. Is it to show the unity of love between my mom and dad married all these years? I don't know. Maybe it was to show the beauty of the partnership of him and his savior. It could show both.

I ponder on this and many things. My shaky walk and the many times I continue to fall down makes me question my path I am on. But there is still something about the sight of doves in flight that does my heart good. So my search continues with hopes of revealing my dove to me.

by

Lance Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

The Precipice

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

My grandfather was a complicated man. Life had hardened him toward most things including his family and children. Times were tough and life was tough. He tried to deal with the stresses of the times of a large family and utter poverty. To relieve this stress he turned to alcohol in hopes of some kind of release. He was not a bad man per se. But a lost man in trying to find strength in the bottle. He was just a man with failings and weaknesses as we all have. He didn't want to rely on anyone which regrettably included God. He didn't realize he was relying on alcohol as a crutch, and as a result was hurting himself and all those around him. Most importantly, a young son who was following after his footsteps. My dad was this young son who always wondered why his dad never returned the love and approval he craved. Here is a poem he wrote about his relationship as a boy with his dad.

He cringed in the shadow of his darkened room-
Fearful to venture out from the vague safety of the gloom.
He'd been disobedient and the penalty he now feared,
As father's return from his work drew near.
This scene was re-enacted time after time,
Just the battle for attention and affection was his only crime.
He stood at the door of our hearts begging entrance in,
Hurt and dismayed with a battle he just couldn't win.
With tears in his eyes and tears in his heart,
Hoping to gain entrance with each new start.
He ask and ask but received no reply-
As his hungry heart wondered ,"Why, Why, Why?"
by
James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven

The Untouched

The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Proverbs 19:23

I walk the pathway of life swiftly,

As the breeze of time flows gently by.

Never hesitating, in my quest for the new,

needless of the ones passing by.

For some,-somewhere, out there, over there,-there's adventure, something uniquely mine.

The enthusiasm, joyful exuberance of youth,

blissfully unaware of the shifting, changing, passing sands of time.

I tread the road of life expectantly, sure,

that the hidden treasure of a new experience

a new me world, is there for me to find--

The pace, the pace---is more measured now,

the high anticipation isn't quenched.

As I stalk the untouched, be it even the

unstoppable ever moving sands of time.

I trudge the rugged, hilly, terrain of life,

and now, often pause and gaze at the faces,

of those I meet.

As perhaps in their eyes I may see,

the lost joy of friendship,

the golden gem sublime;

that I shunned,

even as I hungered, unknowing,

for someone to share with me,--

as I face the inevitable, lonely sands of time.

Life is more subdued now--as trembling legs, move me unsure-

I treasure now each word, each sound,--things, before I just--endured.

As my eyes grow dim, and dimmer now, I must hold some one's guiding hand.

I valued little, before, keen senses, vital health,

good friends, and now, late;

and slowly and surely the sands of time, has slipped through my unwary hands.

I hear my mother's voice now as in my childhood days,

calling "Jim"-"Jim"--"Come home"!

I hesitated then to heed that call,

for a boy treasures nature's lure to--wander, and roam.

But wait!

There's another voice, and another, joined in that melodious call,

-now a command

"Come home Jim, come on home to us"-

"And shake your Mother's and your Master's hand"!

I know I must respond to this final call,

en route, no tiring hill to climb.

I'm going home again!

-where there's no worry about earthly cares, and quivering, shifting, sands of time.

The treasure of time, "God" gives to us,

is immeasurable in terms of value, and true worth.

To be contemplated, dedicated and joyfully utilized,

in the most vital sense of the term here on earth.

Wake up to each new day,

to a new life,

to new joy,
let your glad voice sing!

Of a time to love,

a time to care for all people, places, and things.

by

James Gargus

Key Search Words:Christianity, Bible, Jesus, Angels, Soul Searching, God, Holy Spirit, Doves, Love, Children, Heaven