Nothing is Unclean Unless...(Walk in Love)

Well, the next section of Romans (14:13-23) is a little hard for me right now. It seems like it makes everything okay, as long as you think it is. I can't figure out if it's talk only about food or if it's talking about other things too. I'm going to have to break it down a little.

Paul says in verse 14 that he is "persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." This is where I get confused. In context I assume he is talking about food or drink, but it's been translated in my Bible as "nothing is unclean". The next verse goes back to causing a brother to stumble because of something you eat. If you do "grieve" a brother by something you eat, you are not walking in love. And I'm learning more and more that love is really, REALLY important for a Christian. It's the root of our salvation. It is the the example Christ's life on earth left us. It is what we were given in abundance from God, so undeserved, by the death of Jesus.

Okay, so there are the first few verses. More next time. I wish I could just stay home and write. Work is lame.

Christmas 2010 is Here

Christmas is this week and I haven't been updating my blog with Christmas music. Booo!!! So here is a great new song from Pomplamoose. Yes, I love them. They are so talented. I'm jealous. Merry Christmas

Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback Return

They are not due out until December 28, 2009, but Tech-Guy-Ted found Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback at the Safeway in Lincoln, CA. I am so excited. We bought all the Pepsi Throwback and two 12-packs each of the Mountain Dew Throwback. I'm so pumped they're back.

Every Knee Shall Bow to Me, says the Lord (God is the Judge, not Us)

Christians have many different opinions on different topics such as what you can eat or drink, whether certain days of the week are more important or "holy" than others, or what music styles are good and bad. But Romans 14:1-12 tells us not to judge one another regarding our levels of faith. If one doesn't eat or drink certain things because he doesn't think it is spiritually okay, another who has stronger faith should not pass judgment or argue with the one who has weaker faith. We will all be judged by our holy God. And if we are all living for God and not ourselves, our level of faith is not going to be a factor in our salvation. We will all glorify God.

This is again rushed because my son woke up and I didn't get to finish my thought before work. Christ died for all and is Lord over all things. We will all face judgment from the Holy God for what we do and don't do. For now, all who believe need to uplift each other and encourage each other to live lives that are glorifying to God. Whether at work, home, church or play, we must all live to by the faith God has given us, and strive to bring glory to Him.

Praise God for His Faithfulness to us.

Reed's Inc. A Healthy (and Delicious) Soda Company

See my first post about Reed's here.

Reed's Ginger Brew, Virgil's Root Beer, and China Soda are the 3 main lines of premium soda's from a not so little soda company called Reed's Inc. Reed's sells these brewed sodas in health food stores, like Whole Foods, and in the big chains that carry healthier or premium sodas. I discovered Reed's after enjoying a Virgil's Root Beer. I enjoyed it so much that I looked further into the beverage's maker and discovered other gourmet beverages. I decided to purchase a few for consumption and review, and I discovered a new world of soda drinking. All be it a more expensive indulgence for me, these sodas have created a more refined and sophisticated palette. I now drink sodas with the goal of naming ingredients used in making the beverage. Things like vanilla, clove, honey, lemon, cherry, apple, licorice, and other spices and natural ingredients are noticeable in the Reed's sodas. Their original line is their ginger brews. Called brews because they are actually brewed like beer, these Jamaican style sodas are delicious and boast of health benefits. They are made with real ginger and other natural ingredients. From their own site, here are the ingredients: Reed’s Original Ginger Brew was our first creation, and is a Jamaican recipe for homemade ginger ale using 17 grams of fresh ginger root, lemon, lime, honey, fructose, pineapple, herbs and spices. Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew is the same recipe, but has 25 grams of fresh ginger root for a stronger bite. Reed’s Premium Ginger Brew is the wholesome ingredients version of Reed’s Original Ginger Brew, sweetened only with honey and pineapple juice. Reeds Raspberry Ginger Brew is brewed from 17 grams of fresh ginger root, raspberry juice, and lime. It is 20% raspberry juice and sweetened with fruit juice and fructose. Reed’s Spiced Apple Brew uses 8 grams of fresh ginger root, the finest tart German apple juice, and such apple pie spices as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Spiced Apple Brew is 50% apple juice and sweetened with fruit juice and fructose. Reed’s Cherry Ginger Brew Our newest addition to the Ginger Brew Family. Freshly brewed from: sparkling filtered water, fructose,22 grams of fresh ginger root, cherry juice from concentrate, and spices. I had the first 3 Ginger Brews, enjoying the Premium the most. It was a little more refreshing then the original, possibly because of the honey and pineapple juice used to sweeten it. The flavor reminded me of my mom's hot honey and lemon water we drank whenever we had a sore throat. But this is served cold and is so refreshing. I'm not sure about all the claims of health benefits, but I did drink one while suffering a headache and I noticed the pain was reduced a few minutes after drinking a Premium Ginger Brew. Now, the Virgil's line has a Root Beer, Cream Soda, Cola, Black Cherry Cream, and an Orange Cream. I've had all but the Orange Cream and I have to admit, the Root Beer is some of the best root beer around, the Cola has a very nice vanilla hint, and the Black Cherry Cream is the best cherry soda in the history of cherry sodas (that I've drank). All these Virgil's sodas have a hint of vanilla that makes the soda such a smooth drinker. The Black Cherry reminds me of black cherry ice cream from when I was a kid. The nice vanilla bean adds a smoothness that, combined with the cherry and real cane sugar, makes this my new favorite cherry drink (if not my favorite drink period). And hey Coca-Cola fans, there's a cola for you too. China Cola from Reed's reminds me of Coca-Cola. Most people know that I have a thing against Coke, since I'm a HUGE Pepsi fan. But, the difference here is this stuff is better, and better for you. China Cola is made with all natural ingredients like Reed's other sodas and was formulated by a Chinese master herbalist, according to Reed's website. It is also the top selling cola in natural foods. This makes since because it's the healthy choice for Coca-Cola lovers. For me, I'll stick to the Virgil's line for cola, root beer, and cherry. Over all, I am so impressed with the goal of the company's CEO and founder Mr. Christopher J. Reed. Founded in 1987 and incorporated in 1991, Reed's Inc. is making great, health, delicious products. They have continued goals and plans for the future, one which includes marketing the health benefits to ginger. They are even planning a line of Reed's Ginger Brews with the R(x) like a pharmisist uses for the "R" in Reed's. I'll be watching for the new line in health food and natural food stores in my area. Good luck Mr. Reed. I love your beverages.

The Christian Walk is a Battle

I'll start chapter 14 next time, but I want to say a few words about this thing we call the "Christian walk." The older I get, the more "real world" experiences I have, and the more responsibilities that are on my shoulders all point me to the fact that there are a lot of things in our lives that pull us away from God. And they pull with a lot of force. To combat this force we need to be in constant communication with God through prayer, studying of His word, and even involvement with other Christians. "Christian walk" makes it sound too much like a leisurely stroll through the park. It's more of our daily battle. We must constantly fight to avoid sin. Although salvation does not come from good works, we believers must live to glorify God. We have a responsibility to live lives that are good and holy and honest. We are to put off the old self and put on the new self. We are to live as though we are the temple of God. God dwells in us who are believers and we must live as though that is true in our own lives.

Praise God by Glorifying Him Today.

30 Rock's HD Camera Gag...So Funny

I haven't laughed so hard in a long time; this hi-def camera gag on 30 Rock almost made me pee my pants. I cried laughing. And now that I've built it up too much, enjoy. I love the fact that Alec is younger and more handsome. This show is so great.

God Answers Prayers

Without going into a lot of detail that I don't really want public, God answered a prayer today. There is a lot of human stress in my life right now, to the point where I'm wondering what day the heart attack is going to come, and I've been weak in my prayer time about it. I finally cried out to God yesterday about one part of it and today I found out He answered that prayer. Now, I do believe God hears and answers every prayer, but sometimes it's not the answer we want so it doesn't feel like God is listening or answering. Faith is often a difficult thing.

The amount of stress I feel lifted today is huge. I wish I could feel like this more often. I wish my faith was stronger. And as I type that I get scared that God is going to continue more trials and more stressful things to see test me in that. Although He does not tempted us to sin, He does test us. To be clear on this I will quote James 1:12-13, which says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one."

God is Good. Praise God for His Steadfast Love.

The Time Is Now, Live in the Light

Well, Breakfast was canceled because of the weather. I guess Auburn is white and covered in ice. I'm a little disappointed, except I didn't have to wake up at 5:20am.

I had a day of extreme frustration yesterday. I feel like I'm going to give myself a heart attack. So many frustrating and annoying things go on at my work. There is extreme micromanaging from the upper management, so much so that I spend a great deal of my time wasting time with checklists, scheduling programs, and other things that don't earn us business. Beyond that, there are so many things the company could be doing to save time and money, but I don't have a way to suggest it or implement it. (Hold on, the cutest kid in the world just woke up and I have to say good morning).

Caleb is potty training so I had to take him to the bathroom. These are not fun times, but he's doing well. Dry diaper.

Romans 13:11-14 is the wake up passage of the day. "The hour has come for you to wake from sleep." We need to cast off works of darkness and put on the armor of light. This means we need to stay away from the things that lead us into sin. Verse 13 says, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." Although we don't all deal with everything on this list, here in the USA we know that sexual freedoms in society make it okay for people to allow there passions and desires rule. Sex is the center of a lot of our nations problems. There is now no reason to even get married, because people just have sex with any one at anytime.

We Christians need to be a light in this dark world. It is time now for us to be a shining spot in the darkness. Take pride in restraining from sexual immorality. Even things like jokes and inappropriate comments should be refrained from, as these things are only a sign of acceptance of this behavior.

Times up, dang it.

Praise God today. Praise God for Salvation.

The World is Vying For Our Attention, Pay Attention to God

Well, it's been some time since I last updated and that's not good. I've been using my kids as an excuse in my head; we've been experiencing sleeping problems. But yesterday at church, my pastor said something about filling our heads with the things of God instead of the things of the world. He said the world in vying for our attention and we need to force ourselves to focus on God. What better way to do that then to read God's word?

And the passage I read today is a perfect reminder of NOW being the time to focus on God. But I did get up too late to write. See you Wednesday (Tuesday is my breakfast with the guys day). Keep your fingers crossed.

Steven Seagal Lawman

It starts tonight people. Steven Seagal Lawman on A&E at 11:00.

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