ponderUpon...

With the Coronavirus hitting the United States, churches around the country are opting to their hold services online rather than in person lest the Coronavirus cause needless devastation. I believe this is a smart idea. As Christians we are called to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Church is called to protect the body of Christ. What about when the virus settles down or what about even before there was such a worry of contracting a virus our bodies have never contended with before?

America has two major parties: the Republicans and the Democrats. These parties have changed over the course of their inception but has their stance on Biblical values changed? The United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Prager University has a great video explaining the founder's views on their faith which I suggest you watch before proceeding with this post.

cops.usdoj.gov Hello my dear friends. This past weekend I was able to witness a convicting film titled  8 Days   which deals with the very real, present situation of human trafficking in the United States. For those of you who don't know, human trafficking is sexual slavery concerning both sexes. Everyone probably below the age of 24 is a target. No matter race, class, background, etc. anyone in that young age range is a target and this is not just an expanding but a booming business.

Lately I've been waking up, thinking, what if today I just exceed who I've been and be the person God wants me to be. Yes, I desire to live for God everyday, but there are areas where I am severely lacking. The areas where I fall short may be different than the areas where you fall short. But I'm afraid the trap we can fall into is becoming blind to these areas. We have a tendency to put ourselves first without realizing it. We may be great people, but we may only be great people in certain parts of our daily life. Think about it.

Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime-drama directed by Brian De Palma and stars Al Pacino as the titular character. It has been a number of years since I have seen the film, but from what I remember the plot is as follows: Carlito has recently been released from jail and swears not to fall back into his old criminal ways. He begins to run a night club with some old connections who promise the business will stay legit. Eventually, this proves to be detrimental for Carlito with his path to going clean. Ultimately, (without giving away any spoilers of course) Carlito is lured back into his old habits.

I am sure by now everyone who has taken the time to look into it has read what those with a prominent voice are saying about the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church shooting in South Carolina. The three main topics being pulled out of this situation are gun-control, racism, and domestic terrorism. These three topics are deferment for accepting responsibility. However the country is led those are the ways it will go. I have not heard this country being led in the ways of love, not by our prominent leaders anyway. The truth only resides in love and love only resides in the truth. Sadly, this country, I believe, has lost sight of the truth. "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life..." were the words Jesus gave to his disciples so they may go out through the world sharing this core belief. If we do not believe this then all is lost. If we cannot look at our situations with the eyes of Christ, we cannot understand where the truth lies and instead we will substitute