Test or temptation?

Does God test us? The answer is yes! "... we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Does God tempt us? No! "When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;" James 1:13. So what about Genesis 22:1? "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am." (KJV). The NIV states it this way - "Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he replied." One must study Hebrew to understand how translating certain words to English often causes issues that may lead to doubt of the Bible's accuracy. So what is the difference? Testing shows we are sincere in our efforts to serve the Lord and makes us stronger. Tempting on the other hand is a form of trickery. Satan tempts us because he wants us to fail. God tests us because he wants us to succeed!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I pray that joy will fill your home, your family and your friends during this Christmas season! Remember the reason for this season is Jesus!!

He weeps for you!

As many of you know the past 2-3 years have really had it's toll on me. Sometimes it seems like the only emotion I feel is anxiety. I truly believe that when we suffer Christ weeps for us. The reason for his tears is two fold. 1) He is concerned because he loves you and 2) He is saddened because when we worry, we fail to trust that He is in control. I often have to stop, take a deep breath and cry out to Jesus. It never fails that I am comforted by talking to him. Jesus should be your best friend. He knows everything about you including your prayer before you say it.

So why does Christ allow us to suffer in the first place? Why doesn't he shield us from anything that would hurt us? If we are honest many of the things that cause stress in our lives are things we have done. When we stray from the Lord we settle into a void or darkness. We feel lonely and heavy burdened. Then there are situations that rip out our heart because other people have failed us. These are tough but they may be opportunities for us to show the love of Christ.

We live in a sinful world and we are sinful by nature. Because of sin the world has another master (satan). Now I'm not saying God always punishes us when we sin. Actually we punish ourselves. It's the failures of Adam to our own rejection of Christ that cause this world to be cursed. If you read the Old Testament you will find that when kings followed God their land would be blessed but when they turned their back on God their land would be attacked.

As long as we are living in this world people will suffer, people will die and evil will be present. But there is hope in Christ. Now if we turn our eyes on Jesus he will comfort us and give us peace. The more we trust Him, the more peace we will have.

33 years...

Friday, December 4 I will be married to my lovely wife 33 years. She is a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother. I was truly blessed by God when she became a part of my life. I love her so much!

At First Sight

Memories take me back,

To the night that I met you.

Back when we were young,

We found a love so true.

My heart skipped a beat,

As you walked across the floor,

Little did I know,

It was you I would adore.

It happened at first sight,

When you glanced at me,

I found love that night,

My true destiny.

Our love grew even stronger,

And we've raised a family.

After all the joys and sorrow,

You're still standing next to me.

So after all these years,

And all the time together,

You're still the only one,

That I'll love forever...

(Sharon Cutshall)

I love you Carla, thank you for all you do! You are the best. You have always be there for me and I know... "God blessed the day I found you!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

We Give Thanks Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father. --Harry Jewell

My son the Marine, the Sergeant, the Soldier...

My son has just completed his 9 year tour in the military. As a parent although I am very proud of him, I am also relieved that he will be here with us; safe and sound. He served his country very well. He displayed mixed emotions about leaving. I know it's hard to let go of something he has devoted such a large part of his life to. He served and did more than most when it comes to protection of our great county. He served with honor, pride and good moral character.

Thank you my son! You are my hero!!!

30th anniversary as a emergency responder...

October 15 marks my 30th anniversary working in some form of emergency services. I have worked as a firefighter, paramedic, EMT, Fire Station Officer, safety director, deputy sheriff, emergency management director and a homeland security director. It's been a long 30 years and I have seen much trauma, delivered babies, searched for lost people, rappelled out of high rise buildings, fought fires (several very large), dealt with major disasters, been spit on, fought with drunks, had saves, saw too much death, dealt with violent crime, involved with crisis debriefings, lost fellow brothers, attended line of duty deaths, seen joy and cried in desperation after the lost of a child...the list goes on! This is a common story that is so real to all those who also serve the public. We will never get rich; we just do what we do to help those who need it.

Taking a break...

I will be taking a break from blogging for a while. Thanks for reading this blog; I pray that God will bless you and help you through the storms of life... (he will if you ask and believe)

Jack Donovan

Declaration of FREEDOM...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

These memorable words were written by Thomas Jefferson, age 33 at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. This document, co-authored by Jefferson declared the United States independence from England. Many fought and died to secure and maintain that independence (or freedom). Not everyone accepted this freedom spoke of in the declaration.

Jesus of Nazareth, age 33 died for independence or freedom. Because of his death we are now free; free from sin. Because of his death our name can be written on a document called the Book of Life. This document is a declaration stating that we have accepted the reason for Jesus Christ death. We will live eternally with the Lord if our name is found in it. Not everyone will accept this freedom given because of the Lord's death.

Both documents are very important but only one will matter in the end. We should honor those who fought and those who died for our great country. We should also honor our Lord who left his place in heaven to come to a world to die for all mankind.