Bring the Rain

A video that I made to share the story of one of my life's greatest storms in an artistic way and hopefully help encourage others who might be dealing with sudden loss or medical issues of their own

A Poem

When Tomorrow Started Without You

When tomorrow started without you

I felt so much alone

I know I shouldn’t cry

The way I did that day

Thinking of the many things

We never got to say

I know how much you love me

As much as I love you

And each time that I think of you

I know you miss me too

But when tomorrow started without you

I couldn’t understand

That an angel came and called your name

And took you by the hand

He said your place was ready

In heaven far above

But that you’d have to leave behind

All of us you dearly love

As I walked on past you

A tear fell from my eye

For in all those years I’d never thought

One day I’d watch you die

You had so much to live for

So much yet to do

It seemed so unbelievable

That your time on earth was up

I thought of all the yesterdays

The good ones and the bad

I still think of all the love we shared

And all the fun we had

If I could relive your last

Just even for awhile

I’d say goodbye and hug you

And once more see you smile

But then I fully realized

That this could never be

But even though you’re gone

Your memory still lives in me

I know that day is coming

Though it may be far from now

When I too will hear the Angel’s call

And God’s mighty trumpets sound

I miss you more than I can say

But when I pass though those gates

And see you waiting there

I’ll run to you

And cry tears of joy

Knowing that at last

We’ll have eternity to share 

Dedicated To the Memory of: 

Matthew D. Ethridge 

May 20, 1996-August 19, 2003

My first and still my best friend, forever in my heart

This poem was written in the style and as a response to the poem "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me". 

Theosis

Theosis- Greek term meaning deification, the process of becoming Christ-like.

Theosis means that life is a journey, a walk that we can either take with Christ and the Saints at our side toward eternal life, or away from God in the wilderness. Because Christ destroyed the powers of sin and death over our lives, we do not have to be perfect. We all stray from the path, we all find logs and mountains in our way that we cannot move or overcome by ourselves. We will all make mistakes or shy away from doing the utmost of what we’re capable of; and that’s just fine. Because God Loves us! He loves us so much that he sent his son to open the gates of Paradise and show us the way to them.

John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life.”

People often get discouraged when they know that they have sinned and they wonder whether God still loves them or if they have fallen too far. You can Never fall far enough for God to abandon you.

“Listen to Me O house of Jacob and all the remnant of Israel, both those taken from the womb and those instructed in childhood. Even to your old age I AM, and even to your gray hairs I AM. I bear you; I have made you and will forgive you.” (Isaiah 46:3-4)

“For thus says the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he turns from his way and lives. For why will ye die O Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)

“But You our God are kind, true, patient. And govern all things in mercy for even if we sin we belong to you and know your might.”

(Wisdom of Solomon 15:1-2)

These scriptures make it quite clear that if we repent and ask God for forgiveness He Will forgive us. It’s never too late to start on the path and the only way we can fall to far is to not try to get back up again.

However, even taking God’s limitless mercy into account… we still can’t expect to be forgiven for mistakes we don’t realize were mistakes. We have to make the effort to know what God is asking of us and do it. We have to repent our mistakes and then not repeat them. If we just kept repeating the same sins over and over we may as well have glued our feet to the road because we will not progress any further.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1Cor. 6:9-11)

Paul said it clearly “and so were many of you” as in they had repented… they had given up their sins and become better people for doing so!

Jesus also illustrated this quite clearly.

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:3-11)

Now this story shows us 2 very important concepts within this idea. The first is the real definition of repentance, as has been stated before it is to not only ask for forgiveness but to turn away from that particular sin and not repeat the same mistake.

The second is to focus on our own walks of faith. No one but God can truly know a person’s heart and soul. Therefore only He as the authority to judge them and decide their eternal fate. We can, and should, know and stand up for what is right and stand against what is wrong, we can judge the mistake itself but we cannot judge the person, we should also make sure not to misrepresent ourselves. We should only call someone out on a mistake they have made if we are ourselves doing things right in that area. “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

To sum this all up, we are each on our own journey and based on an accumulation of choices we make and how we react to the situations God presents to us we can either walk toward heaven or away from it but no matter how far we stray God will always be there to guide us and to comfort us and he will help put us back on the path that leads to life if we let him.