E Piph A Ny

I have been down on USA Christians for awhile now.

We tend to not live like Jesus, we have led so many of us to believe that Jesus would be a Republican, we are not nice to people who are different from us and our presence on social media does not draw non-believers to want to follow Jesus.

It's true, but it hit me recently because I have felt my own heart harden and feeling distant from The Holy Spirit.

We surround ourselves with bitter, angry people because they are tired of being pushed around and told we are wrong and mocked, and ridiculed because we cannot believe or even understand the changes that are occurring in our culture.

And as we are pushed, mocked, and stand for what we believe in, our hearts harden.

In fact, there are people on social media and you may even have friends who like to troll you, they want to make you upset, they want you to behave the opposite of what Jesus would do, they get joy from it.

And it hardens our hearts more until this happens so much that we have descended into being angry, Republican Jesus followers...and that's just wrong.

Maybe that's not you, but I can tell you as I have wondered why God seems so distant from me, I realized how I have been the one who has traveled away from Him...God is not going anywhere.

So I am in the midst of heading back to Him.

I am trying to listen to more worship music, I am trying to not check Twitter or even read the negatives from any side on an argument, and I am trying to let the trolls, well, lose because they're not getting a reaction from me.

I am reading my Bible more, reading faith based books more, and trying to remember what Jesus would actually do by doing it and not just wearing a bracelet.

And I can feel that slight sound of "come home" in my ears.

We live in a tough, negative world that is doing everything it can do to remove you from your relationship with Jesus...are you aware of it? 

Are you really?!

So here's what I plan to do.

1. Understand it's happening.

2. Turn to my Bible and faith based books.

3. Be proactive in listening to worship music.

4. Don't get trolled online or by friends.

5. Go...to...church.

Hamtramck, Michigan

The summer of 2023 was an up and a down.

I wasn't able to go to Azerbaijan because of visa issues which were all of my own making.

But I did go to Michigan for a week and help out Sports Reach's Zac Arrington in Hamtramck which is just outside of Detroit.

Hamtramck is the first majority Muslim city in the USA with a Muslim city council and Muslim Mayor.

Hamtramck was first full of Polish immigrants, but it has changed drastically with Yemani and other Arab groups moving in.

I got off the interstate after driving through Detroit, but when I drove through Hamtramck most of the businesses were in English with Arabic underneath in parentheses.

Lots of women were wearing burkas, the full length hijab which I had seen before even in the USA, but not this many.

The kids were a little rambunctious, didn't really want to be there at times, the basketball court was outside and we had no cover from the heat, but I enjoyed it.

Kids are kids and you have to understand that, and I do, maybe I am just becoming the bitter old man as I age.

I don't know if I will go back, but it wouldn't be bad if I did.

It Happens

I am alone in my own thoughts, a lot, in fact, too much.

I wish I didn't think that much about every little thing, most of which do not matter.

I wish I didn't take every single thing so personally.

But I do, and I do.

I feel I will only feel better once I quit coaching and/or my kids aren't playing organized sports anymore.

Then I can just go to school, do my job and live my life without worrying about what anyone thinks (Yea, I know, shouldn't care, but I do).

But then it will be time for grand kids and I will worry about them.

So, I guess the question is not when will I be able to relax, but would I feel "right" if  did or could?

I've learned to live the way I am believing that any slight by any single person must have some deep, well thought out reason for them to negate me, bad talk me, think less of me, or even not think of me because that's what I do.

I think too much.

I play some imaginary world in my head.

And I am usually wrong...or am I?