Caribbean Vacation

My beautiful wife holding a sea turtle in Grand Cayman in pouring rain-
I love it!!!

Time

Every so often humans come across the capacity to bend time. It occurs in those few and sweet moments of pure innocent joy when out of the human heart erupts music and songs of praise. For it is in these delicate moments that we cross barriers of time and space and for the slightest of times we experience heaven. For what is heaven but a place without time where the body and soul is free to praise and worship the creator.

Forgiveness

I wonder if the true sign of ownership is if we can give or sell something. The ability to give or sell an item indicates our possession of that item. I think forgiveness is no different. We can only forgive others if and when we ourselves have received God's forgiveness. When we have fully accepted and own the way God loves and forgives us, then we can freely give the same to others.

When we cannot forgive our fellow man, I wonder if it means that we have not allowed God to forgive us?

May you come to the realization of the grace and love that the living God has for you. May you come to make his forgiveness yours.
May you come to know the fullness of his grace and peace.

Rules

This last Sunday I shared briefly regarding my experience teaching 1st and 2nd graders. Several years back I taught these grades and one area that I really that was new to me was dicipline. I remember sometimes i felt like giving extra homework when the class was not behaving or shortening their recess time when they had misbehaved. I say this because Pastor Kevin has been teaching on the Sermon on the mount. All too often I think that Jesus is taking the Mosaic law and is making things just that much harder for us. Take for example the whole murder thing and then telling us that to hate is to kill. Or to look at someone is like comitting adultey. When i was younger and naive i read this and thought that Jesus was having a bad day in which his disciples were probably being morons and He was ticked off at them.

Now I read Matthew and don't see rules, I see Holiness incarnate. I see the heart of a loving God that knows that we cannpt live up to this sermon unless He first takes a hold of our hearts and lives. I see a new way of living made possible only by becoming a new creation through Jesus.

We are not to live by following rules, instead we are to live in the Spirit, by doing this the rules well they stop becoming things we are suppose to do or not do and they become who we are.

Dance

A while back I was pondering how people learn to dance. I mean how is it that dancing has survived time and generations. As I was thinking of this it occured to me that I really do not know how to dance. And then it hit me- no one ever took the time and effort to teach me.

You see dancing has survived to this day because the last generation taught it to this genration and so on. I think this is the same with becoming a disciple of Christ. How is it that Christianity has survived two millenia? One person at a time-teaching another and another.

I think that this is why small groups and building relationships is so vital; discipleship is taught one on one little by little and in the end we become disciples becuase someone took the time and effort to teach us.
-ruben

I am back

I had lost my password for the longest time and then i could not remember what my username was. I guess I am the victim of multiple PIN'S and passwords and usernames!

anyways i will be more faithful at updating my blog.

thanks Lisa for encouraging me to continue doing this.

blessings

Maybe I'm Afraid

Maybe I'm afraid that when I spent time before God in stillness and solitude I will be exposed for who I really am. A man with faults and sins and things I do not wish to be. Maybe I'm afraid that He will stop loving me or refuse to accept me.

Mr. Tumnus turns toLucy and says of Aslan, "He's not a tamed lion",
Lucy responds, "No...but He's good."
That is my hope and my peace. God's character- he does require rightousness and goodness but he is also a God that is good and loving. And when He se's in me all my faults and sins he does not extend his judgement instead he extends his grace. And so I enter his presence in confidence and humility covered in the robes of the righteousness of Christ.
RL

Construction

During Kevin's sermon yesterday he was mentioning how often we let our guilt and our past controll us, I often look at the ceiling of the church when he talks- it kind of helps me stay focus on the words.
And then a thought occured to me- what if the builders of this church would have given up when they made a mistake during their construction? What if the roofer, the framer, the plumber or electrician would have stopped and walked away when he drilled the wrong wall or cut the wrong cable? That's stupid you say, yeah thats the point, they corrected their mistakes, and finished the project.

Yet so many of us in our spiritual life don't continue. We give our mistakes and our "sins" the power to drive us from this project God has started and wants to complete. Too many of us look like half completed buildings that have been abandoned by their workers.

The beauty of grace is that when we fall and we admit our wrong doing and we turn away from it God is ready to go back to work.
Ruben

Is my flying really that bad?

Here is Catalina airport as seen in our final approach.
Cleared to land and really nervouse for my first landing ever! It was great.
Thanks James for taking pictures.

As some of you know for my 30th birthday Esther bought me flying lessons, I have the best wife ever!
My friend James and I are in our groundschool lessons getting ready for my first flight to Catalina Island.
Piper Seven Victor Pappa cleared for takeoff!

RL

Come On In

So I see you made it, that's great! Grab a chair and make yourself at home. welcome to my thoughts, observations and my experiences.
Before I start please be advised that I did not go to school the day they taught spelling... so I hope the mispelled words will not distract you from the content.

Like I was saying this is the place to meet my family and friends and stay in touch with us.
Ahh leaving already, well yall come back now you hear.

OK bye, see you soon.
RL