It Doesn't Matter

It doesn't matter where you've been;
it matters that you go the right direction now.
It doesn't matter what you've done;
it matters that you do what's right now.
It doesn't matter what you've said;
it matters that you speak the truth now.
It doesn't matter who you've hurt;
it matters that you treat people as you want to be treated now.
It doesn't matter who has hurt you;
it matters that you forgive others and yourself now.

Regardless of where you've been, what you've done, what you've said, who you've hurt, who has hurt you;

Regardless of the pain you have felt, or the pain you've dealt;

Regardless of anything and everything in your past, Jesus loves you right now, in the present, without conditions, without questions.
He loves you this very moment. He will love you in the next moment, and the moment after that, and the moment after that, too. He always has loved you and he always will love you. You cannot do anything to make him love you more. You cannot do anything to make him love you less.

I want you to understand this fully and completely. He loves you more than you could ever know or think or imagine. He loves you so much that he sacrificed his very life for you. But the best part is that he came back to life so he could give you the opportunity to love the way he loves. He will love you beyond forever. He wants you to love him, but he won't force you to do so. He wants you to choose him because he gives eternal life. And life without him is hell!

It doesn't matter how you feel about Jesus;
it matters that he loves you now. Period.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

"One, Two, Five..."

Since this is post number 125, I thought it extremely appropriate to post this clip from one of the greatest comedies of all time,
Monty Python and the Holy Grail.



Have you ever noticed the counting sequence only takes three seconds?
Pure genius. You're welcome.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

It's Time

It's time. If you don't know him by now, it's time for you to get to know the greatest man who ever lived. His name is Jesus. He was born to a young virgin named Mary, grew up in Nazareth, became a carpenter, taught teachers the truth, healed the sick and lame. He took all of the sins of the world on himself, allowed himself to be tortured and murdered, was buried on a Friday, and raised from the dead the following Sunday morning. No other person in the world has ever done anything like that, and never for the reason he did. He took all the torture and punishment and death for you because He loves you more than you could ever imagine. There has never been anyone like Jesus, and there never will be, because Jesus is the Son of God. If you don't believe me, I'd like to recommend a book to you that will explain all of this much better than I ever could. The book is called The Holy Bible and it is the inspired word of God. Here's a short excerpt from the book of Romans from the Bible.

Dear friends, my greatest wish and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know they love God, but they don't understand what makes people acceptable to him. So they refuse to trust God, and they try to be acceptable by obeying the Law. But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.

Anyone Can Be Saved

Moses said that a person could become acceptable to God by obeying the Law. He did this when he wrote, "If you want to live, you must do all that the Law commands."
But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, "Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?" Neither will they ask, "Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?"

All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, "The message is as near as your mouth or your heart." And this is the same message we preach about faith. So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.

The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. All who call out to the Lord will be saved.

How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, "Lord, has anyone believed what we said?"

No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.

Romans 10:1-17 (CEV)

So, will you take the biggest step of your life? What are you waiting for? Get to know Jesus personally and intimately right now. Don't wait. You may not get another chance. It's time.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Check This Out

I've been doing something I wondered if I'd ever find the time to do again. I've been reading! Quite a bit, actually. I've always enjoyed reading. The summer after fifth grade, I read 100 kids' books.

Well, I grew out of the kids' books but I still have a passion for reading. And I like to read all kinds of stuff: books, blog articles, newspapers, etc.; whatever is educational, encouraging, entertaining, I'll probably read it.

So, I thought I'd recommend some reading material and see if you have any suggestions for my library.

At the moment, I'm reading this book, this book, and this book. On deck, I have this book that I had started last year, but got distracted and never finished. I also would like to read this book and this book if I get a chance soon.

I read this book and this book and I really enjoyed them... a lot! They are a stark contrast from some of the previous books I mentioned, but they are fantastic in their own rites.

That's a lot of books, so I'll recommend this article, this article, and this article (which leads you to this article).

Hope you are encouraged by any and all of these books and articles. What reading do you suggest?

Oh, by the way, we're moving to Oklahoma. Anyone wanna buy our house?

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Ones

If Jesus would not have come when He did
But was born to be alive here today instead
We might be surprised by the way He would live
And the people He would heal and forgive

I hypothesize He would be a homeless man
Roaming around seemingly no plan
He'd show up at your temple while your rabbi preached
Crack his Father's word and start to teach
His words would amaze and thoroughly craze
His wisdom kickin' law teachers in a rage
Cause He'd expose the grave error of their ways
And all of that before he turned the page

Would we be the ones, the Pharisees of modern day
Proclaiming "the Messiah would not live that way"
Would we be the ones to threaten Him
When He claimed to have the power to forgive sin?
Would we be the ones that had shouted "let Him die"
As fellow legalists stoned Him with their picket signs?
Or would we give up all
Or would we give up all
Or would we give up all
To love and follow Him?

If Jesus would not have come when He did
But was born to be alive here today instead
We might be surprised by the way He would live
And the people He would heal and forgive

I firmly believe He'd love people of shame
Healing their lives as they believed on His name
Prostitutes and drug lords, all people who are unclean
And if you asked Him why them, He'd say "what do you mean?
The well don't need a doctor but the sick do"
The He'd extend the invitation to you
"Forget your life and follow if you believe I am the King Jew,
I'll save you if you give of yourself to share the good news"

Would we be the ones, the disciples of modern day
Proclaiming "the Messiah's come, please change your ways"
Would we be the ones to live with Him
As we claimed His promise of forgiven sin?
Would we be the ones that are witnessing His death
Crushed, yet filled with hope by words He gave His last breath?
And would we let Him down,
And would we let Him down,
And would we let Him down,
And willingly deny Him?

Okay, Jesus came when He did
But He's still alive today and His Church's head
Tell me is He pleased by the way that we live
The devotion we're willing to give

Are we the ones, the Pharisees of modern day
Enforcing on all but us what we see as "the Christian way"
Are we the ones who live for Him
Or are we willfully swaying in the winds of sin?
Are we the ones who are willing to die
To let the Lord have full reign in our lives
Are we the ones, the Pharisees of modern day?
Are we the ones?
Are we living for the King always?
Are we the ones who are willing to die?
Or will we give our all,
Or will we give our all,
Or will we give our all,
Surrendering to Him?

Words and music: Aaron Herman © 1996 Anthony K. Music (ASCAP)
Lead: Aaron Herman, Josh Harrison, and Brishan Hatcher

"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Mark 2:17

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Mighty To Save

No matter what you're going through, remember that God is WAYYYYYY bigger than that. Take a few minutes to worship with Hillsong and know that I'm worshipping right along with you!



Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Another Day, Another Legend

There's a lot happening in our world right now. We as Americans are dealing with war, economic woes, family destruction, you name it. We recently celebrated 233 years of hard-earned freedom in America. At the same time, life, and death, was still happening. And now, we mourn the loss of another well-recognized soul, Steve "Air" McNair.

McNair was one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time. He played with heart, grit, and an iron will. He would not let anything keep him down. He was determined to be the very best in each of his 13 seasons. He broke records in college. He lost the Super Bowl by a yard (I'm still not over that). He was co-MVP. He was a winner.


Despite all his accolades, he struggled like everyone else. I won't speculate about the young woman who died with him. I won't speculate about the relationship between the two of them. What I will say is that I'm sad for his wife and kids. I'm sad for all the young fans who looked to him as a role model. I'm sad for those of us who admired his charity work and all the things he did for the community.

At the same time, it is heavy on my heart that so many young men and women are still fighting and dying for the freedom that we Americans hold so dear. They all have my utmost respect and encouragement, as do their families. I have friends fighting in the war as well. These warriors are so young and full of life. I hate to hear when another one has made the ultimate sacrifice. Their courage will always astound me. May God bless our troops!



Let us be in sincere prayer for all image-bearers of God to bear His image honorably and produce the fruit of righteousness and peace.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate