Hello my name is Jasper, all praises to the Lord.
I am a native of Detroit, Michigan and I've gotten used to the Michigan weather. Michigan weather can be very strange at times. Growing up in Detroit I've heard it said "if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes and it'll change". With all the storms we've been having lately across the country, Michigan has been suffering a lot of snow. I hear people complain about the frigid temperatures, about how tired they are of the snow, they're ready for the weather to break and can't wait till spring comes. All their feelings about the weather are valid, but I feel that God's people learn to take every day and everything that comes with that day in stride. I don't complain about the weather, how much snow falls, or how much rain comes down, because I'm just glad to still be here to see it. I remind myself that the Lord makes no mistakes. Whatever He decides to give us is good for us and He gives it to us for a reason. God controls the weather and this is His earth, not ours. He knows exactly what it means. Actually when the snow falls it's very beautiful. Just think, after a fresh summer rain does the earth smell good? It has a clean feeling about it as if God just pours down the rain and washes everything clean. The snow falls and covers the ground, and when it melts it saturates the earth with moisture to prepare the trees, and the flowers, and everything to flourish. God does not like for us to complain or be upset when He does something in the Earth. He said "count it all joy" because everything that He does He does it for our best interest. We may not understand the harsh weather, the earthquakes, the tidal waves, fires, etc. But remember; He also said "my thoughts are far above your thoughts, and my ways you cannot understand". We don't try to figure out why or how God does what he does, we just accept it, deal with it, and accept Him for who He is. Don't be so quick to complain about life's situations and conditions. God always does what is best for us.
My name is Jasper, praise Him.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
What About Todd?
Hello my name is Jasper, praise the Lord.
Many people have said that God works in mysterious ways, well I don't think so. If we read the scriptures He is very definite in what He wants us to do and what He does NOT want us to do. He is not wishy-washy but He is rather straightforward. I would like to dedicate this blog to a friend of mine named Todd. Like most of us I imagine Todd had goals and desires for his life. He probably envisioned his life going a certain way. But Todd ended up in a wheelchair for some 20 or more years. In those 20 years in his wheelchair he faced many obstacles. He quickly learned that the world makes it very difficult for people in wheelchairs. So he began to learn how to get around these obstacles, he learned a lot about insurance companies, people that are in the medical field only for the money. But Todd truly cares about people who have met with unfortunate circumstances and he makes it his business to help people who cannot help themselves. He lets us know when new devices come on the market, he introduces us to people who have learned to live a fruitful life being a quad. Being a quad does not mean that your life is over. It does not mean that you have to stop doing what you love, but rather find ways to do it differently. Sometimes we feel our lives should go the way we planned them, but then fate steps in and everything is turned upside down. It may be an auto accident, it could be the death of a loved one, it could be a divorce, or perhaps a financial disaster. But whatever it is it turns our world completely around. We don't understand it at the beginning but later on when we look back we can see how God put us on a different course. If Todd had not been a quad in a wheelchair he would not be as passionate about helping the wheelchair community. But God changed his life (and also his heart) and made helping seemingly helpless people live a better life. I thank Todd for the wonderful work that he does in helping us have hope, reach goals, and just know that life is not over. Perhaps it has just begun for some of us. Again, thank you Todd. I have another friend who I met because of my injury. I too am a quad in a wheelchair and I have a friend named Ken who is a respiratory therapist. When he was younger he had hopes of joining the military and becoming a ranger, but fate stepped in in the form of a motorcycle accident. He busted his knee and could not be accepted in the military. He had no thoughts of getting into the medical field or becoming a respiratory therapist, but God led him that way because God knew that his services would be needed to help people who are injured. I told him that God did not intend for him to be a ranger, but to be right where he is, in a rehabilitation center where he helps people who can't help themselves. Ken is very good at it and enjoys the reward, the feeling, and the love of helping other people. Above all this is what God wants us to do in our lives- helping one another, caring for one another. The strong should reach down and help the weak. So think about this- if your life is going in the direction that you think it should go but suddenly it takes a sharp turn, it may be God's way of redirecting you to do His will and not yours. It is very satisfying when you see a person recovering from an injury or is in distress and you are able to help them. Helping those who are weaker than you. This is a satisfaction and a feeling that no amount of money can buy. It strengthens your spirit, it gives you a desire to want to do more, it makes you stand just a little taller being able to help someone who needs it. So in closing I want to say again, God bless my two friends Todd and Ken for the wonderful work they do in the Lord's name to help other people.
Again my name is Jasper, all praise to the Lord.
Many people have said that God works in mysterious ways, well I don't think so. If we read the scriptures He is very definite in what He wants us to do and what He does NOT want us to do. He is not wishy-washy but He is rather straightforward. I would like to dedicate this blog to a friend of mine named Todd. Like most of us I imagine Todd had goals and desires for his life. He probably envisioned his life going a certain way. But Todd ended up in a wheelchair for some 20 or more years. In those 20 years in his wheelchair he faced many obstacles. He quickly learned that the world makes it very difficult for people in wheelchairs. So he began to learn how to get around these obstacles, he learned a lot about insurance companies, people that are in the medical field only for the money. But Todd truly cares about people who have met with unfortunate circumstances and he makes it his business to help people who cannot help themselves. He lets us know when new devices come on the market, he introduces us to people who have learned to live a fruitful life being a quad. Being a quad does not mean that your life is over. It does not mean that you have to stop doing what you love, but rather find ways to do it differently. Sometimes we feel our lives should go the way we planned them, but then fate steps in and everything is turned upside down. It may be an auto accident, it could be the death of a loved one, it could be a divorce, or perhaps a financial disaster. But whatever it is it turns our world completely around. We don't understand it at the beginning but later on when we look back we can see how God put us on a different course. If Todd had not been a quad in a wheelchair he would not be as passionate about helping the wheelchair community. But God changed his life (and also his heart) and made helping seemingly helpless people live a better life. I thank Todd for the wonderful work that he does in helping us have hope, reach goals, and just know that life is not over. Perhaps it has just begun for some of us. Again, thank you Todd. I have another friend who I met because of my injury. I too am a quad in a wheelchair and I have a friend named Ken who is a respiratory therapist. When he was younger he had hopes of joining the military and becoming a ranger, but fate stepped in in the form of a motorcycle accident. He busted his knee and could not be accepted in the military. He had no thoughts of getting into the medical field or becoming a respiratory therapist, but God led him that way because God knew that his services would be needed to help people who are injured. I told him that God did not intend for him to be a ranger, but to be right where he is, in a rehabilitation center where he helps people who can't help themselves. Ken is very good at it and enjoys the reward, the feeling, and the love of helping other people. Above all this is what God wants us to do in our lives- helping one another, caring for one another. The strong should reach down and help the weak. So think about this- if your life is going in the direction that you think it should go but suddenly it takes a sharp turn, it may be God's way of redirecting you to do His will and not yours. It is very satisfying when you see a person recovering from an injury or is in distress and you are able to help them. Helping those who are weaker than you. This is a satisfaction and a feeling that no amount of money can buy. It strengthens your spirit, it gives you a desire to want to do more, it makes you stand just a little taller being able to help someone who needs it. So in closing I want to say again, God bless my two friends Todd and Ken for the wonderful work they do in the Lord's name to help other people.
Again my name is Jasper, all praise to the Lord.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Where do you Stand?
Hello my name is Jasper, praise the Lord.
I pray that my words today don't offend anyone, but I feel that the church is so divided because a lot of Christians refuse to stand up for the Lord's word. I was in a group session recently as someone was reading the current news of the day. There was an article in the news about homosexuality being widely accepted by the younger generation. I presented a comment to the reader and her reply was "that's a very sensitive and touchy subject" and I replied "well that's the kind I prefer to talk about". The point I'm trying to make is whenever we hear or see something that we know is contrary to God's word, we should be about the business of standing up for God. We do not have to argue about His word, but merely correct what we know is wrong and stand on His word no matter what. It should come as no surprise to the Christian when we hear or see certain things happening in the world today. We know that the Lord predicted all of these things many years ago. He said that before He comes back men will turn their backs against God. They won't heed God's word, but they will choose to go their own way, use their own devices, be lovers of themselves, their hearts will be waxed cold without regard for their brother. That's why it seems that anything goes in the world today. Kids killing parents, sexuality, and vile behavior is actually glorified. As I watch the television there are many new shows about zombies, "Walking Dead", eating people, new shows about vampires, new shows about witchcraft. And these things are being piped into our minds. These are not shows that our children and young people should be watching- they do have an effect on certain people believe it or not. I recently was talking to a young lady who watched one of these shows and she said afterwards she couldn't sleep for a few days. Make no mistake about it, we are always in a spiritual warfare and the only weapon we have is the word of God. As we look around at the world today things have drastically changed from the way they used to be- and it's not for the better. The world seems to be moving further and further away from God. They're trying to erase God from everything- the schools, the courtrooms, even the very government is trying to erase God out of the system. We need to be willing to stand up for God at every turn. It has to start at the family level and extend to every facet of our lives. Remember Paul said "we war not against flesh and blood, but the principalities of darkness". We war against things that we cannot see. Some people- even Christians- don't believe, but if you read God's word it will open your eyes and you will see. So I encourage you to be steadfast in the word, keep the faith, and press forward.
My name is Jasper, praise the Lord.
I pray that my words today don't offend anyone, but I feel that the church is so divided because a lot of Christians refuse to stand up for the Lord's word. I was in a group session recently as someone was reading the current news of the day. There was an article in the news about homosexuality being widely accepted by the younger generation. I presented a comment to the reader and her reply was "that's a very sensitive and touchy subject" and I replied "well that's the kind I prefer to talk about". The point I'm trying to make is whenever we hear or see something that we know is contrary to God's word, we should be about the business of standing up for God. We do not have to argue about His word, but merely correct what we know is wrong and stand on His word no matter what. It should come as no surprise to the Christian when we hear or see certain things happening in the world today. We know that the Lord predicted all of these things many years ago. He said that before He comes back men will turn their backs against God. They won't heed God's word, but they will choose to go their own way, use their own devices, be lovers of themselves, their hearts will be waxed cold without regard for their brother. That's why it seems that anything goes in the world today. Kids killing parents, sexuality, and vile behavior is actually glorified. As I watch the television there are many new shows about zombies, "Walking Dead", eating people, new shows about vampires, new shows about witchcraft. And these things are being piped into our minds. These are not shows that our children and young people should be watching- they do have an effect on certain people believe it or not. I recently was talking to a young lady who watched one of these shows and she said afterwards she couldn't sleep for a few days. Make no mistake about it, we are always in a spiritual warfare and the only weapon we have is the word of God. As we look around at the world today things have drastically changed from the way they used to be- and it's not for the better. The world seems to be moving further and further away from God. They're trying to erase God from everything- the schools, the courtrooms, even the very government is trying to erase God out of the system. We need to be willing to stand up for God at every turn. It has to start at the family level and extend to every facet of our lives. Remember Paul said "we war not against flesh and blood, but the principalities of darkness". We war against things that we cannot see. Some people- even Christians- don't believe, but if you read God's word it will open your eyes and you will see. So I encourage you to be steadfast in the word, keep the faith, and press forward.
My name is Jasper, praise the Lord.
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