'CARLOS VALENZUELA' Tagged Posts (Page 3)

THE CULTURE OF NO CONSEQUENCE In the beginning, the Lord blessed man with a paradise garden to keep, trim, and enjoy. Only one prohibition was mentioned. Adam and Eve were not to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17). If they ate, they would lose their place in the garden and forfeit their right to the “tree of life.” They would lose their lives and their special relationship with the Lord. This was the…

WITHOUT THE FULL STORY          Judas and Peter were two of the twelve men hand-picked by Christ to serve as His apostles. At first glance, when we read about these men and consider how the acted and the ways in which they moved in the Gospel accounts we see that one was seemed to be successful while the other was a failure.           There are qualities about the man named Judas that many would look at as good and would even strive…

WHEN OTHERS ARE OFFENDED I had an interesting interaction with a man not too long ago. The family and I were out eating at a restaurant. Our waiter came to the table, introduced himself and kindly asked for our drink order; usually waters for all and then maybe a strawberry lemonade for Arlene, and a root beer for Robert when we order our food. The waiter gets our drinks and says he will give us some time to look over…

NAVIGATING THROUGH NEGATIVITY             Turn on the news and it seems to be negative topic after negative topic. Negativity seems to be much of the worlds focus and a recent survey discovered that more than half of Americans reported that the news brought about anxiety, stress, fatigue, and even the inability to sleep. It is a sad thing to see the media place so much focus on the negatives in this world while the positive and uplifting events seem to slip…

THE ROLES REVERSED Years ago, a military friend of mine got the assignment to be one of a handful of soldiers who were to be at the scene when the president of the United States came to visit the military base where he was stationed. He was honored, but also had to be nervous when given the details of his assignment. The men selected for this moment were there to protect the president. When the president arrived, my friend would…

A BIG FAMILY If you are over the age of thirty, when you hear the words “Family matters” a four-word question probably comes to mind… “Did I do that?” The catchphrase made famous by the character Steve Urkel on the American sitcom that aired in the ‘90’s called Family Matters. It is no secret that family is very important, family does matter, and there are a number of benefits that come from having a close-knit family. I love my family,…

A REMINDER ABOUT SIN When we consider the topic of sin as the Bible teaches, we see that sin can and does do permanent damage to all who engage in it. Sin will bring eternal suffering to all who die in it (Matthew 25:46). God makes it clear that sin is no joke, and that the end of the road for the sinner is a serious and deadly one.  But what is greatly disturbing in our generation today is how…