A Treasure From God

Guys, or I guess I would be more correct in say," Ladies", because women are 10 times more likely to read a long article than a man. Us guys just will wait on the Cliff Notes or for our wives to tell us about it. That, in a nutshell is what I'm writing about. Watching Perry Stone recently, he spoke on this very same topic and I found out I wasn't by myself, we agree 100%. I'm about to tell you ladies something that most men don't want to get out, but when you sink an anchor of emotional attachment into us, we will pretty much follow you like little puppies. That can be good or bad, which leads me to a subject that I discuss with a lot with my guys. You need to be very careful before you allow a woman to get close enough to sink those hooks in. She will be a steering force in your life, for the good or bad. Once you are on the hook, its often too late. The damage will be done before you ever realize what everyone else has been trying to tell you since you first started losing your mind. So, the million dollar question is how or why? The answer is because we need them and God knew it. Without them we would still be walking around with our knuckles dragging the ground.
If we go back in time, we could use any name in the place of Adam and I'm sure it would have still turned out the same. Put Steve in there and they would still be called woman.. Why? I'm sure knowing the male species and being part of them, it went something like this. Adam woke up and looked over and saw this beautiful creature laying there in all her glory and Adam shouted Whoa - Man !!!!! So, God said, Ok we will go with that.. We are pretty simple creatures. After all we did come up with cat and dog.. Deep thinkers I know.. But, I for one am grateful he made woman. Can I get an amen. Throughout history there have been many women that have been the downfall of many men. Men that seemingly had it all and threw it all away on a whim, pretty eyes and everything we weren't born with. But on the other hand, there are so many men that achieved greatness because they had a good loving woman behind them. The men had a good start with a sure moral compass when it came to dating and made good decisions when it came opening themselves up to love and allowing a lady to have that position of encouragement. We have heard the statement before, when a man was being honored for some great achievement, that I couldn't have made it without the encouragement and strength of my wife. That statement has more truth than we realize.
Every man that has walked the Earth has felt the impact and power of a lady. I don't care if your loafers float, we were all born of a lady. Even Jesus himself, although he never had a wife, knew the impact of a lady. Take the wedding for example. We all know the story of how he turned the water into wine. Have you really paid attention to the underlying story? Mary apprached Jesus and in todays terms was almost in freak out mode. The weddings those days lasted a week and it was a community affair. So providing food and drink for all guests was a pretty big deal. They run out of wine and surely the neighbors were going to be talking. So, Mary appraoaches Jesus and says something to the effect ( again in todays words ), I'm so glad you made it son, we are out of wine, I need you to do your thing.. Well Jesus looks at her and says its not time for me to show up and show out yet. I can see it now, Mary pauses, looks at Jesus, smiles, and turns around and shouts to everyone "just do what he tells you." Right there, to the creator of the universe, a mother tugs at her sons heart strings. Guess what he did? His first miracle, lol..
As Perry said, in that moment Mary showed the connection of her to God. Remember that Jesus had her blood in him but not of man. She was his mother and God was his father. He was connected and bonded to his mother as we all are. But if you look back in time through the old testament, you will see that God did not always answer mens prayers but you will find that he always answered the Godly womans prayer. Women are more tenacious and persistant than us guys. For example, in the parable of the woman before the judge, she keeps coming back to the judge until she gets the answer she wants. She basically pesters him to death until he gives in. But she gets what she wants. Women are like that when it comes to praying. They are much more intense and straight to it than us guys. We have to call it a prayer breakfast for us to get together and pray. Then it's all about what we are having and spending the whole time talking about praying. Women just say, hey we need to do some intersessory praying and they just get after it. Not saying there aren't good Godly men that are prayer warriors cause there are a lot of men that I look up to. But seriously guys, if my life or soul depended on a group praying, I think I'd put my future in the hands of the prayer chain at church. I could still be there waiting on my miracle while the guys are still frying bacon, where as the ladies would be wearing their knees out crying to God.
Whats your point Steve? My point is that when some of us guys get on our high horse and think we have a monopoly on talking to God we need to check the attitude. When we think we are all that and a bag of chips, again the attitude. If you think that women can't fill the postion you have at church, chances are she could and would do it better. I know how God talked about men being the leaders of their church and families and I'm not going against the big man for sure. But I think that has a lot to do with the men in that family or church. If the men won't or don't step up to the responsibility that God gave us, then it might very well be that the ladies have to. And I personally know some Godly ladies that make up for endless amounts of weak backboned pastors that are more apologetics than mighty men of God. They are more worried about hurting someones feelings and not being liked than they are loving the person and showing them the truth that will save their souls. These ladies wouldn't sit on Larry King and deny that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. Guess he was more worried about being politically incorrect to the Muslims than he was about loving them and showing them the truth. But, here I go and getting sidetracked. I get accused of that a lot.. lol
I, for one, am grateful that God looked down at us and saw how truly pathetic and lazy we can be as men. So much so he created a help mate that would inspire us, motivate us with the gifts God gave her, wrap us around her finger, and if need be nag us til we get off our rear ends and get busy. Might as well admit it men, we need them. Fortunately for us guys, God created this system to where they need us too. Or at least like us, he put something in them that wants us around. He created us to grow up, find a Godly partner, marry and become one. In that union is every blessing that we could dream of. If we are being the Godly fathers and husbands, leaders, that he called us to be then we shouldn't have to worry about having a lady that honors you as the leader of her family. Our wives, or future wives, are given to us a gifts from God. We are responsible for how we treat them. One day God will take them back and will look to see if we built them up, honored and loved them. He will want to know if we made them our treasure only behind him.. The love of a good Godly woman is a gift to not be taken for grant it. Remember this also, it's never too late to start. The farther you go along the harder it's going to be, but start at this moment. Humble yourself before her. Show her that she is a treasure and only God is more important in your life than she is. She can have more impact on your life than any CEO. She can guide you in a direction that will change your life forever. If things have not been great and you see no hope, try anyway. Take her to church and be a Godly leader for her and your children. Watch Fireproof. Stop listening to those egotistical jerks at work and become wrapped around your wifes finger again. She needs you to be a man, and I think you will find as you become the man in her life you become the man of her dreams. She will want to be the woman of your life. Be strong when appropiate and be gentle in her arms. We were given a great gift that day in the Garden of Eden. Show her how precious you hold that gift and how grateful you are for her. Most of all get on your knees, thank God for her, and ask him to help you be the man you should be. God Bless and go honor your wife.

The Pretenders

The Pretenders

I have recently gone through some things that had you asked me prior if I could deal with it, the answer more than likely would have been no. Probably some kind of phrase muttered, "I'd rather be dead." But come to think about it it, the previous mountain climbed would have resulted in the same response. The time before that, and before that, etc.. You get the picture. Point is, from the time we are children, we have limitations placed on our lives. Some are imposed by others, while some are just self imposed by our surrounding environment and just being taught, we are just humans, we are not suppose to be able to handle everything. Well, at least there is some truth in that phrase, kinda. We are humans, and we seldom handle things correctly, especially when it's our butt on the line. It's that sympathetic nervous response Walter Cannon nailed as the fight or flight response. High tech language we have to learn in the medical field but it basically means, we freak out. We become the Chihuahua of the human species. In our defense, this has saved many men and women in situations that seemed unachievable. But for the rest of us, especially me, it has caused me to forget the thought process altogether. In the majority of my life, had I just slowed my breathing, my pulse, and just started getting some oxygen to my brain, I may have thought of a much more logical way out of my predicament. But then, who are we talking about? Steve...... So I freaked when I should have thought and screwed everything up so much worse.

So, here comes the Great Pretender.. Shakespeare would've been so proud of me so many times. So, here we are again, we have inevitably messed something up so bad it just can't be ignored. Now, this is where my theory I call my, Bill Clinton Syndrome kicks in. The one thing we all have in common is that , yes, we are all humans. Some of us perform our roles with a little more admiration than others but at some point we all fail. It's that sin nature passed down through thousands of generations, when our dear ole Grande Eve and Papa Adam decided it would be cool to be smart as or smarter than God. Fast forward, the Bill Clinton Syndrome. Now, when we mess things up, and I mean really mess up, sure someone is going to be mad, maybe even hurt. But if we stop it there, then we may still be in the forgivable range. After all, we are all humans and even the purest have messed up. But, nooooooooo. We will compound that mistake a million times over just to avoid the brief moments of humility and pride swallowing we may have to do. Of course, while we are in that fight or flight response, we are not coming to the obvious conclusion that at some point that simple little error is going to be found out. When that happens it's going to look like a pinhead compared to the mountain of lies we just emitted in our freak out moment to cover it up. This has inevitably been mine and a lot of our lives. Does it mean we are bad people? Some, maybe, but for the most of us no. It just means we made a mistake and instead of just squaring our shoulders back and facing it, we had the crazy thought we could just cover it up and no one would get hurt. I believe in most of our hearts, that's the case.. We are good people that made mistakes and really do not want to hurt the ones we love the most. Most of us would gladly take a brutal beating before we hurt the ones we love. So we try to prevent it. But, in the process, we compound their pain.

When I sat down tonight and started to write, I had a whole different direction I was going. "The Pretenders" topic was suppose to be geared toward how we pretend everything is ok, when in reality on the inside we are hurting. I know for myself, there may be a few I open up to and let know some of the pain that is going on, but even after a while you start feeling guilty for using them as a dumping ground. To me, and this is my own opinion based on observation of people that I watch and my own actions combined, I think one of the biggest issues in God's church today is that we are not transparent. We play that Stained Glassed Masquerade. But do you know what happens? It's the same inevitality that by hiding our own hurts and pains we hurt those closest to us. They see us as having it all together and hold their pain inside. God gave us a 24 hour hotline to him to pray or just talk to him about these things. We are to lay all of our burdens at his feet. He wants us to take these chains we carry and lay them on his shoulders, to give us peace. The price he paid to be able to do that is a price none of us can ever imagine. See, before we were ever created, God created a place called hell for a band of rebellious angels including Satan. It's a place of such eternal torment that our minds can never comprehend. But, he had no intention of us ever going there. Unfortunately, the one hell was built for travels this earth, seeking to devour and destroy as many as he can. We fall right into his trap. Because we choose to follow his lies and fall to his deceit and we will be taken down with him. Many say God is a God of love and I will say you are right. He doesn't want his children in that hell. He himself felt the temtations of Satan as a man. He knows his power. But these games we play as humans only play into the hands of a doomed man wanting to take down as many as possible. The 24 hr open line of communication to God is there to help us. But he also wants us as his church to stop playing these masquerade games and lean on each other for strength while we turn to him for guidance. For those that think hell is just a fairy tale, that God would never send his own children there, let me ask or tell you this. There is a reason he left paradise to come to this God forsaken Earth to be beaten, humiliated, tortured and killed on a cross. A pure sacrifice had to be given in order to save his misled children from that nightmare designed for the one that deceives us all. He gave all that up and was butchered so we do not ever have to experience that. Listen, as a man that has faced many hellish things on this Earth, the pain from MS or for those poor souls that have gone through so much worse than I can ever imagine, there is hope. There is hope because he loved us so much to go through so much pain, agony and humiliation as the King of this Universe to give us the hope of something so wonderful he has waiting for us. All we have to do is just make the choice to do so. Stop being bitter and a scorn in your neighbors side, tell them you love them. Stop being the one no one wants to be around because you are always negative, be the one that lets his light shine. Stop pretending everything is ok when its not. Be real, get on your knees and cry out to your father whose heart aches for you but stands in the paradise he created for you if you will just hold on a little longer. And church members, stop putting on your suit and ties and pretty dresses and painting smiles on your faces when your world is falling apart. God called for us to join together as a body. To lean on each other for strength. Remember, he knows how hard it is. There is a reason for the parable of the one lost sheep. Well there are a few, but one very important is that together as his sheep we are strong under his watchful eye, but let one of us wonder off and in the brush there is a wold that is ready to devour us. We have to stick together as his sheep, under his protection. We need to know his voice and listen when he speaks. Above all else we need to put all our faith in that voice, without it we are doomed. Yes, there is a hell, a place of torment never ending, but he left heaven to face hell head on so we never have to experience it.

I've learned a slow painful lesson. Like a dog beaten over the head multiple times I'm slowly starting to get it. There is a way and only one way. We are going to face trials here on Earth, but he will never leave our side. I also learned that I am much stronger and able to defend myself against the attacks of that doomed one if I am surrounded by other Godly men and women. Not perfect, just people that have learned like me that the only way is through Jesus. Sometimes when I start these things I never know where he is going to lead me and this is one for sure I didn't know but I believe it's probably one of the most important. We have been given just 2 commandments in the new covenant established by Christ. If we follow those then the rest take care of themselves. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor.. If you do that then we will all one day be singing praises to our creator in our glorious home, Heaven.. God Bless and I love you all..

Where Are You Church

Where Are You Church?

Steve Fricks

Running the risk of offending the ones,

Who claim the truth and proclaiming the son,

Forgive me if I'm the one to ask,

Where was your love when the homeless man you passed;

See there's a hurting world outside the walls,

Of stained glass and ivory halls,

Jesus turned tables over in the pit of vipers,

So called leaders of faith and God's disciples;

A slaughter unfolds before our very eyes,

While we the church sit on our butts and watch a generation die,

Thinking we are all of that and then some,

We forget is wasn't long ago we were the ones;

The lepers, the outcasts, sinners and unclean,

But have you looked in the mirror lately and seen,

For it wasn't the high and mighty he came to save,

It was the humble, the broken, the ones enslaved;

So tell me what did you do today,

How many did you reach out to, just to say,

I love you brother, and I know the one,

Who holds the keys to free you son;

Did you climb down in the ditch, crawl in the mud,

Or were you afraid to get your suit dirty, were you too good,

Guess you forgot the blood, pain and tears in his eyes

He shed the day he paid your price;

So what will your answer be when he asks,

Why when I was homeless did you pass,

And didn't you know it was my children you judged,

Those begging on the street, just begging for love;

Time is short, my children are dying from broken hearts,

Put your working clothes on, it's time to start,

Forget the ivory towers and stained glass masquerade,

It's time to get dirty, bring my children home today:

Why?

“I will walk by faith even when I can’t see because this broken road prepares your will for me” Jeremy Camp…

Time after time I’m amazed at how God works and helps us despite ourselves. Last night I was in a pity party, depressed and not feeling like doing anything. I was just sitting there focused on the storm surrounding me and thinking to myself that I’m helpless and can’t do anything about it so why even put forth the effort. Even in my mind knowing that the “why me” card was one of Satan’s most frequently used weapons to undermine our faith, I still fell for it. It’s a place that we all have been to and can relate to, even though some of us respond much better than others, like me. But being Wednesday night I was asked if I was going to church, and my instant response was “I don’t feel like it”. In my mind I was thinking, “I don’t want to be around a bunch of people that are going to make me get out of my pity party. I was comfortable wallowing in the muck of self-pity.  But, if you have been born again, you know how that convicting power of the Holy Spirit can burst your bubble.  He irritates the crap out of me when he does that. Hey, I’m just speaking what you have already thought. Anyway, I said, ”Fine, I’m just going to get this over with” and out the door I went. Right out of the gate someone hits me up with an encouraging word about the ministry God called us into and puts my mind on thinking of someone other than poor Steve. Then our Bible study was about Jesus’s lessons and peace he gives in the middle of the storm and an ensuing conversation took place for me to “vent” to people that understood. Realizing that you are not the only one that has or does feel this way is liberating and takes away the guilt Satan tries to shove down our throat. I was also reminded that Christ himself had his moment of questioning in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was praying to God to “take this cup from me”. It’s at that point it became clear that having fear and doubt are normal human qualities. They are a useless waste of time but however a realistic emotion that we all go through, even Christ. But what matters is what we do. He got up and delivered the greatest gift ever to mankind, despite being so stressed that blood flowed from his pores. So today I was thinking about the question “Why”. And he made the answer clear.  “Maybe I don’t want you to know why because then it wouldn’t really be faith, would it”? So, like a thousand other times, I took my shut up juice and just smiled. Of course he knows it won’t be long till I’m screaming and cussing, angry, resentful, or just broken hearted and on my knees crying in a moment of weakness. But he will be standing there with his arms around and holding on tight until I open my eyes and see that it’s going to be alright, my father has me. 

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron.......”

     Stepping out of that car, what seems like a lifetime ago, and watching one of the last bridges to the ones I love drive away, reality was setting in. My God, what have I done and what have I become? Everything you dreamed as a boy, all the great things you were going to accomplish, had been destroyed. The enemy wasn't some mystical creature that had forced his way into my life, destroying every facet of it. No, the enemy I kept with me at all times; it was the face that stared back at me in the mirror. I had allowed this to happen, even asked for it. The consequences of turning my back on God were mounting, and they didn't come from him, they were all of my making. Now I had lost all sense of direction, purpose, but most of all hope. Having it drilled into my head over time by a Yankee ball cap wearing Drill Sergeant, we don’t get to this place as a principle of choice. No, we get here only when it becomes a better option than where we are at, and for me that was in hell. Once depended on by several cities to take care of thousands, now I couldn't even take care of myself. Newspaper articles about kids pulled from a burning cars were long gone, replaced by my obituary written by Satan himself..

     So, this was my step up? A mission in the ghetto proclaiming, “Where Lives Are Reshaped By The Hands Of God”? Where was God's hand here? I mean this place looked like a bad scene out of a South Central L.A. Gang movie. Yeah, keep that article close Satan, it's about over. Faith of a mustard seed? Well I was still alive, breathing, and IN A MISSION... Call that a mustard seed if you want but little did I know then that was enough for him to work with.

     After being rescued from “the ghetto” and sent to the set of “Deliverance”, things started looking up. At least now my death would come in the peaceful country, more than likely as a sacrifice beside some ritualistic camp fire thing they do here. But I sucked it up and did what they said. The cool thing was that I actually started realizing there were others just like me here; same hurts, same pain, felling lost and lonely. A bond started developing and before I knew it we started leaning on each other. Some light was leaking it's way into that dark cave we had all been in. Can you say it? Yes we started having a brotherhood that a lot of us had never felt. Something real and true, not based on selfish wants, but on common ground and caring for each other. God is a slick one. That mustard seed was growing.

     Over time as guys came and went, there remained a core that stuck it out together. As with every graduating class, a bond was forged that no one that hasn't been through could ever understand. Forged through the same fires of hell, I will be forever be bonded with these guys. My brothers. We have laughed, cried, destroyed property to relieve anger and resentment ( Uh, not really Pastor Bill, Dusty and Mike ). We have watched brothers go through the hell of having divorce papers handed to him, parents pass away, children dying, and still having the audacity and tenacity to stay where God put them. I have watched shells of what were formerly men, the walking dead, transformed into mighty and powerful warriors for God. That wife, with the divorce papers? I just saw on their facebook page where she was telling her New Husband how much she loved him. I say new, but it's the same body as her old husband with a different man inside. A man on fire for God and his family. Gods promise of restoration in full effect.

     I came here with nothing left. Everything destroyed. No reason to go on.. But with the faith of a mustard seed that God has watered and fed I'm leaving with more than I could have ever imagined. Ask me about God? There is a 17 year old girl, put through hell by her father; a father that doesn't deserve to still have her in his life; but on that Sunday she will be sitting in that church. Why? Because she said she wanted her daddy back. By God, she's getting him. People that you thought would never leave, are gone and people you never dreamed of or even knew are standing proudly by our sides. 

     But to my brothers, know this. Christ said he will never leave or forsake you, and being a new man striving to be like him, neither will I. A week from now, a year from now or 20 years from now, if you called in the middle of the night needing me, I will be there. I use to think I wanted to hang at the Country Club and let my kids run and play with the “elite” crowd. Guess what? I still do.. But my Country Club is on an 85 acre farm in Cullman, Those kids belong to some of the strongest and most courageous men and women I've ever had the honor to know. Yes, iron sharpens iron, and those men helped make me the man I am, and showed me the way home to my father.. God Bless You and I Love All Of You!!!

Guilty.... The Judas Doctrine

　

     For 2000 years now the world has sought to place the blame of Christ's death upon individual people or groups of people. Some in the Christian community place the blame upon the Jewish people, after all it was the Jewish leadership that attempted and succeeded in setting him up. Others want to blame the Romans, and convict the whole Gentile group of peoples. Then we have some that just break it down to individual persons that led Christ to the slaughter. We have Judas, the trusted disciple, that sold him out for money; Pilot that had the power and authority to let an obviously innocent man go free; or even just Caiphus, who's jealousy sought to destroy a threat to his way of life. But who was really to blame?
     One of the clear revelations that I had to face in my walk through the fire was that the person that sent Jesus Christ to the cross, and caused him to be tortured and murdered was me. It was the man in the mirror. He was beaten, humiliated, and butchered because of the decisions that I have made in my life. Despite my constant rejection, and my constant denial of him, he walked that hill with that cross on his back because he loved me. What kind of love is that? I put the crown of thorns on his head. I mocked and humilated him. I drove the nails in his hands and feet. I stuck the spear in his side. But still he had the love for me that outweighs human comprehension.
     As we set in our thrones of judgement everyday, we need to keep one thing in mind, we killed the Son of God. It was our actions that did it. We may want to set back and look at others and think, well, at least Im not as bad as them. I haven't sunk as low as those guys or done the evil things they have done. Going through the things that I have been through has brought me to a new level of humilty and understanding. We are all guilty.
     This is a lesson that was drilled into my head by conviction when I heard the story of a mother who's son was murdered by a drug dealer. She has been mocked and called crazy. Why? Because she has the audacity to want to hand her sons murderer a Bible, and tell the man that Christ loves him just as much as he loved her son. Know why? Because she gets it! We have all sinned and fallen short. You may think your sin isn't as bad as that guy in jail, or the one selling the dope, or yes, even the murderer, but guess again. In the eyes of the one that created you, all of our sin is equal. More than that, we are all his children and he loves us all.
     So when you break out your judgemental gavel, be aware that judgement you are passing on someone else is judgement that should be passed onto you. You are guilty of murder!!! I am guilty of murder!! Your sin, my sin drove the nails into that man 2000 years ago in the greatest display of love this world has ever seen. Tonight when you look into the eyes of your child and think there is no way you could love anything more, realize that person you judged today is being looked at by his or her father the same way. No greater love.... That is the name of that lady's ministry. We all should live by that creed.. We ALL killed Christ.. But he took it because there was, No Greater Love... Share that love today... Share it with someone the world says you shouldn't but he gave his life for..

In Your Face.. The Footsteps Of A Warrior

     Having a conversation the other day with someone, I made the statement that I'm glad I wasn't opinionated. The room busted out laughing. Guess maybe I have become "that guy." But I consider that a badge of honor. It wasn't long ago that I was just the nice guy that didn't want to "rock The boat." Recently I was given a book to read called"The Barbarian Way." If you have read any of the other posts, you have become aware of the major influence in my life known as the "psychotic counselor." But as you are starting to see that guy was anything but that. He knew how to get into my head and heart when I wouldn't let anyone else anywhere close. Well he gave me that book to read. That book was just another stepping stone on the path to finding my purpose in life.
     There is a pastor / rapper that I met years ago that exemplified being, "In Your Face", taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the places that the church wouldn"t go. He lived, "The Barbarian Way." As I have said before, society has developed Christ into this limp wristed wimp, that just wanted peace and everyone to be happy. They act like the man never strolled into the temple and kicked over tables, or like he never called the Religous leaders a bunch of vipers. Just my opinion, and since I have the guts to have an opinion, not much has changed. Now, don't get me wrong, there are alot of mighty men of God that I have met that lead growing congregations in the pursuit of reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, they are the exception, not the rule. That is why I fell in love with this ballsy, in your face, pastor / rapper from the streets of Birmingham. Wearing t-shirts like, "God Last Name Ain't Damn", or "Satan Sucks", he is definately not afraid to step on someones toes in that single pursuit we all should be chasing with all we have, and thats reaching a lost, hurting and dying world. Giving those that have no hope, a glimpse into what Christ has done in our lives. But, once we are rescued, we chose to go into our safe and warm homes. Oh, I know there are men, women and children sleeping under a bridge tonight, but someone else will reach out to them. Or, and this is what really pisses me off, " Well, they made the decisions that got them there." Who do you think you are? But for the grace of God, there go I.
     Now, you may say, Oh Lord here he goes again with these unorthadox examples, but get over it. I was watching a special on Johnny Cash, when he performed at Folsom Prison. As screwed up as he was at points in his life, that man showed the love of Christ through his actions more than most of the people sitting in church on Sunday morning. He knew, but for the grace of God, that he could or should be one of those men in that prison and his heart ached for them. Thats the heart we should have.
     We live a blessed life. I know that I have been given so much more grace than I could ever deserve or repay, but try to repay it I will. My steps are not in the path of some weak man that just, "wanted us all to get along." No, my steps are following a mighty warrior. A true barbarian. He was rejected by us but never let up. He was mocked, beaten and ultimately killed and knew all along that is where his path was leading. But yet, he persevered. His tenacity and the heart of a mighty warrior pushed his to his utimate goal. He knew the cost of failure and refused to give up. In the end, he sacrificed all, and he did it for love. That kind of love takes a real man to live. That kind of love takes the heart of a warrior to pursue and never lose focus.
     So tonight when you drive by those homeless people under that bridge, or that bum in that alley. Tonight when you see that man, drunk or high, because the pain is so great in his life and thats the only way he knows how to deal with it, just remember, they are at that point in their lives because we are not sharing what was given to us. They are there because we refuse to follow in the steps of the ultimate Warrior. No, we are the limp wristed ones. We are the weak. We are the reason, because we have the answer the world is seeking, but are too big of cowards to step out of our comfort zone.     
     Want to change the world you live in? Want to introduce someone hurting to your savior? You have to take him to them!!! Step up!