One evening about 15 years ago, I was working with my partner in the Police Department and we received a call from headquarters of a shooting about two blocks from where we were. Due to our close proximity to the area my partner and I found it a bit weird, we had not heard any gun shots. We advised HQ that we were around the corner and that we would respond. Upon our arrival at the scene we stepped out of the Emergency truck that we were in. I recall it being a dark night and it was very quiet. Immediately a strong smell of gun power overwhelmed my senses. The smell was very strong, that was an indicator to us that something was very wrong. We began to look around and we came upon a black BMW in the front seat sat a young man that had been shot several times in the chest. We made several attempts to open the door in order to help him, finally I was able to get the drivers side door open and I noticed that every time this young man took a breath blood would exit the wounds that he had received. I reached into the vehicle and was face to face with this young man I could hear him breath I could smell the blood, feel his breath strike my face with every agonizing breath he took. I said to this youngman, tonight you will be in eternity ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be Lord of your life. Immediately after I finished saying this to him he took his last breath.
I often think about this young man and I can remember the day, the smells, the feeling, and the statement I made to him, like if it was yesterday. I hope that when I am called to eternity that he will be one of the many individuals that I will be seeing in heaven and that he says “dude i made it.” We as Christians have been given a mandate in Mark16:15 that is to preach the Gospel through out the world. Take every opportunity to tell someone about Jesus Christ because one day we are here the next we are in eternity. Where will you spend your life? I beg you if you have not yet done this, give Jesus a chance, ask Him to be Lord of your life. That young man didn’t have any idea that he was going to die his 25 years on this earth were like a vapour. LIFE IS BUT A VAPOUR one day your here the next your gone.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Will You Do The Same ?
I recall many years ago, 33 years to be exact a young lady sat me down in her living room and open a book to a paragraph that changed my life. That book was the Bible and that Paragraph was John 3:16 and it read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
When I read that I recall weeping and not being able to understand why. It has been 33 years since this happened. Sept 1979 was the beginning of my new life and the changeother I needed. I chose to follow Jesus Christ and give Him my heart that day. I have had many ups and downs in this life like everyone else. One thing i will do for the rest of my days and that is to tell others about the Love of A Father that gave His only to protect us from being separated from Him. WILL YOU DO THE SAME just ask Jesus to be Lord of Your life.
Permission?
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (2 Timothy 1:9 KJV
The first part of the verses makes it clear that your salvation and your calling has nothing to do with what we have or will do in the present past or future. The calling on our lives have everything to do with the purpose that he has established for us before time. My favorite scripture says that even when we are not faithful He is faithful remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself. Here again we see that it is about Him not us. He has the power, the wisdom, the ability to do what he needs to do in our lives only if we let Him. We must give God the permission or better said the authority to establish His purpose in our lives. We spend a life time being angry with God because certain things don’t work out they way they should but we fail to see that it is us who have not given over to God the Authority to perform His purpose, God has given us free will. We can give Him the permission to perform great things in our lives or we cannot, what will you choose?
Paint A Picture
There are individuals that I have seen that do not have the benefit of being able to use their hands and are fantastic artist. Some believe that it has to do with their willingness to not give up regardless of their circumstance. Others believe it has to do with a gift from God, while others may believe that it is simply a will to live and be able to do something that others cannot. I don’t know what the reason for this is but I believe that no matter your circumstance you can either give up or choose to do something that others are not able to do. At times we allow our circumstances to overwhelm us and we curl up into a ball and just want to die.
Will you allow your circumstances to dictate what you will do or will you find a way to do something that others don’t have the will to do. Paint a picture
Hard Questions
This week 4 young people lost their lives in a plane crash this week pilot Luke Sheets, 23. Along with Sheets, Garrett Coble, 29, and Stephen Luth, 22, died on their way to a Christian event. They were not on the way to a spring break party or an event that was not morally inappropriate. These young men and one young lady were attending an Acquire the Fire youth event where thousands of youth go every year. During their flight something went wrong and the plane crashed in a field, three of them were instantly killed but two of them were able to get out of the plane and reach a road were they received help. The young lady Hannah Luce is the daughter of the founder of Teen Mania Ministries, Ron Luce. The young man who helped her out of the plane was Austin Anderson, 27, a former Marine who did two tours of duty in Iraq and had just graduated from Oral Roberts; he died Saturday at a hospital in Wichita after suffering burns over 90 percent of his body.
This story is an amazing story but there are questions that are lingering that many are asking themselves? For example what happen to the plane? Where was God? Weren’t these young men and this young lady Christians? What happen to God’s protection? Why was Hannah the only survivor? Why did this have to happen to them? These are important questions that many would like answers to, Christians and none Christians alike are asking these questions. There are those that are shaking their fist at God and are very angry with him right know, this is normal when a parent looses their child or when a wife loses her husband or when a sister loses her brother. God understands and his heart breaks when our heart breaks, he understands suffering like no other. Let’s not forget he gave his son to die for us. We need to understand that God is not afraid of those questions that we ask and he will deal with them head on, in his time.
We as Pastors sometimes need to be able to say I don’t know what happen only God does, I don’t know why one person was spared and another died. I don’t know why they took that specific plane I just don’t know. But one thing that I do know is that these Young men are in front of Gods Throne rejoicing in his presence and have reached their heavenly reward. They made it, they are eternally secure they knew what there eternal destiny would be if something like this would happen. There was no doubt in there eternal destiny. We are said that they are no longer with us and it was a devastating and tragic accident, but we rejoice because they are home with Jesus.
IMPOSSIBLE?
What is it that you would like to accomplish today? Zig Ziglar said there are three things that are IMPOSSIBLE to do. First push a rope, second put toothpaste back into it’s container and third sell sawdust. Well, the last two have become possible in this time and age. But are you trying to push a rope? Do you feel at times that you are trying to push a rope or stop a dam from rupturing with your fingers. Life gives us the challenges and opportunities to turn what seems
IMPOSSIBLE into the possible, but I have found that there is nothing IMPOSSIBLE when your dependence changes from trusting in yourself to trusting in God. Gods Word says lean not in your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge God and He will direct your path. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD
A New Day
It’s been a while since I have posted anything on my blog as you know many things have happened in during this short time. We are excited in what God has been doing in our lives and ministry. August 12th we will have our grand opening of our new campus in Times Square New York City at the AMC theater on 42 st. and 7th ave.
Please keep this in prayer and believe with us that we will remain faithful and obedient to what God has called us to do in this new journey.
On this resurrection day we are remembering that Jesus is no longer in the tomb. What man could not do God did, Jesus has risen. For man it seemed impossible but for God NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE.
Make Ready
Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, there is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.
What are you expecting, what is the miracle that you need? Elijah spoke, then he went and prayed and he told his servant “Make ready,” because it is on its way!
Yearly review
What are you waiting for? What are you expecting of yourself this year. Do you want to repeat last year like an old I love Lucy Re run or do you want to do something new? We hear may excuses for not doing what we have been created to do in life. What are you expecting of yourself? If the CEO of a huge cooperation was doing a yearly review of your skills and how you have impacted his cooperation how would you respond to the following scenario, you are sitting across from the CEO’s desk and he ask you “how are you going to bring my company to the future with your extraordinary mind, ideas and dreams.” WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE?
?
It is so hard difficult to understand why certian loved ones make devastating decisions. Those that are left behind begin to ask the questions “if I was there or if I would have listened more or if I would have called 30 seconds earlier”. Depression is a very hard thing to cope with, sometimes you feel like if your head is being ripped apart and you just want it to stop. It is extremely painful to the person that is going through it. As a friend or a love one you want to help and bring healing to him/her but it so hard to accept any help when you are in that condition. Then your worst fears come true and there gone. You then begin to ask “why” did they do that? WHY WHY WHY. I dont know why but one thing that i have learned, God’s mercy is everlasting and is new every morning. We continue on this earthly journey at times not being able to answer the hard question of WHY but we know that God is next to us consoling us with his love and our loved ones are in God’s hands. Surely God’s Goodness and Mercy will be with us for ever more….
All rights reserved written & Copyrighted by Richard Perez 01/12/2012
