What To Do When Parents Abuse – By Thomas J. Koester

“Fathers, don’t irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord’s kind of discipline and guidance.” – Ephesians 6:4

When strangers or acquaintances abuse us, it hurts, but not as much as when it’s a sibling, mom, or dad. You see, all of our identity and self-worth are derived from family but especially from our parents. When their abuse is emotional, spiritual, verbal, physical, etc., it attacks the core of our identity.

Toni and I are battling 35 years of abuse with her family, and especially with her parents.

Toni’s father was a pastor for most of Toni’s life. What she encountered as abuse was spiritual and religious in nature, steeped in legalism and perfectionism. Her mother told Toni and her siblings to deny their feelings. To go against instinct – to submit beyond question. To fear fear. Accept failure but to keep quiet. To compromise inner truth for outer fakeness.

My story was filled, as you may know, with physical and violent abuse. I dare say, I prefer the abuse that I endured more than what my dear Toni, has endured, and still does to this day!

I’ve asked a question several times over the years when speaking at men’s retreats and gatherings.

“Which would you rather have, a broken leg or a broken heart?”

Everyone in the room, shouted:

“A broken leg!”

This is because most of us, sadly, are well acquainted with the deep pain of a broken heart and the countless years of suffering.

My wife’s heart, while broken during her adolescent life, is undergoing healing over her adult years as she walks with God. Her healing could be accelerated if her parents would join her in her healing journey.

Yet, her parents want her and me, too, to “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” This silence and blindness to evil has allowed the unmitigated reign of evil over many in her family. It’s painful to watch, but prayer gives us our only hope.

However, religious abuse is hard to see, because it looks socially acceptable—it looks so spiritual! Sadly, the abuse that Toni is suffering has wreaked havoc on her innocence. Her frailty. Her femininity. On her mind. On her heart and soul. This caused her to feel spiritually dirty most of her life and hyper-subjective.

Because her abuse was from religious parents, it locked her into a prison of impossible expectations. A perfectionism that not even God would impose. Right? God’s perfection is imputed or placed upon us by the works of Jesus. Toni was expected to be perfect by religious means and not by divine decree. Sadly, this is the story of many children who are fathered by ministers.

So, how do we forgive mom or dad, or both?

“Honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land and that it may go well with you.” – Deuteronomy 5:16

Remember, this is God’s command with no prerequisites. It’s his 5th commandment—smack-dab in the middle!

One reason God gives us this command is because parents, by design, are to be “lesser gods” to their offspring. The fifth commandment can also be applied to God.

Honor [God] so that you may live long in the land and that all my go well with you.

So, when we dishonor our parents, we also dishonor God, and we put great risks to our well-being and life expectancy.

But what about abusive parents? Are we to honor our abusers?

Here’s the question: Did God give us our parents, or did God give us to our parents?

It’s important to know, for several reasons.

The Allmighty of Scriptures is the Sovereign God. He’s the divine architect and the builder. He is motivated by nothing else than his will and purpose. Also, scripture is quite clear that God is very relational, right down to the individual — the individual parent and child. It boggles the mind, or at least mine, that God thought of you, me, and our parents before space and time!

“Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence.” – Ephesians 1:4

“The Lord formed me from the beginning before he created anything else. I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began. – Proverbs 8:22-23

You see, we simply cannot deny that God put us into the care, good or bad, of our parents. We also can’t deny that God, intimately knowing you before earth began, appointed you to your parents. God is involved in both choices of parents to children and children to parents. There is nothing random about it! We had no say in the transaction.

Rather, God, in his wisdom, has appointed us to our parents, knowing fully that he will establish the commandment to honor them without hesitation and reservation. And that this commandment comes with a two-fold promise — all will go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.

But still, the question of forgiveness for our mom’s and dad’s abuse is unanswered for millions of hurting children of all ages, churched or unchurched.

I do want to address child abuse for those children who are still adolescent. It is not dishonoring to mom or dad if you seek help. This is for those children who are being physically or sexually abused by one or both parents. Speak to a pastor, teacher, school counselor, or coach. These people are required by law to notify Child Protective Services. Your safety is of utmost importance!

But for adult children, whereby we have moved out from mom’s and dad’s house, or perhaps they’re deceased. It’s not that forgiveness is optional. Rather, it is a necessity! Forgiving them is also about honoring them.

Many years ago, while living in Antioch, California, I invited my mother over to have a conversation. It was my plan to recall all the abuse that I had suffered by her hand.

It was just me and mom, sitting together in my home office when I began to unload on her. I was not angry or hard on my mom. I spoke from my heart and carefully described my hurts and scars.

Beginning at age 18 months old, I recalled quite accurately the violent physical abuse my little body suffered in the fit of her rage. I continued each remembrance, each story, as though it had just occurred; from 18 months through my 18th year! At the end of each story, with tears of remembrance traversing my bearded face, I said:

“Mom, I forgive you.”

… My mother just sat there, emotionless, and then replied:

“I don’t remember any of that.”

While her response was painful, I was not completely dispirited. You see, because my forgiveness wasn’t just for her, it was for me, too. While my exchange with mom was difficult, it came from my heart, not to condemn her, but to restore her—to restore us. To move the offense out of the way between mother and son. So that I could love her again. I didn’t need her permission to forgive her, as it was me letting go of all her hurtful acts.

Another twelve years would pass before my mother confessed and agreed to her abusive behavior. Her awakening happened just a few short days before she passed on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008. It was just my mom and me again, but this time we met in her home. Unquestionably, God was there with mother and son. Both our hearts were tenderized by her battle with pancreatic cancer and softened by God’s mercy and grace. I again forgave my mother, and she humbly accepted my forgiveness as I accepted hers.

How do you know you have forgiven? When you can love them again.

It’s humanly impossible for us to forgive those who have treacherously abused or wronged us. Forgiveness is only possible through God’s grace and empowerment from Jesus Christ. And through Him, we can love again those who have wounded us with broken bones and shattered hearts. It’s called Agape Love — the love of God working in and through us.

My mother didn’t deserve my forgiveness, God required it of me. He knew it would bless me with a good and long life on earth. It was my opportunity to honor my mother. Grace, mercy, forgiveness, and God’s love are what triumphed here. It is what empowered me to do the impossible, which was to forgive my abuser—my own mother.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” – Isaiah 49:15

Just a few days before my mom’s death, God rembeberd me, and my mom, too. He rescued us both!

Here’s another helpful verse of Scripture written in the last Old Testament book and in the last two verses of the last chapter of Malachi:

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” – Malachi 4:5-6

God softened my heart, and in turn, he softened my mother’s heart. Because of heartfelt forgiveness, my land is no longer cursed. My life is free from bitterness, resentment, and hate. I can honestly say that I miss my mom. She would be 92 years this past February, 25, 2025. Without a doubt, she’s basking in the presence of God, fully forgiven!

What about you? I encourage you, too, to forgive. Even if your parents and abusers are dead. Even more so, forgive them. You see, if they have died, then they’ve met the judge, and justice was measured upon them. All that is left for you is to forgive them and let them go so that you, too, can live well in the land.

Unforgiveness harms no one but yourself. It rots away your present life and eats away at your future. That’s the definition of a cursed life. Kick pride out of your life. It’s killing you! Humble yourself, and God himself will lift you up!

Now you know what to do when parents abuse.

Have courage, my dear friend, trust in God’s Word, and hold tightly to His promises. Though mom or dad may have forgotten you, God never forgets!

Forgiveness is your pathway to living a long and healthy life in the land!

The Rise of Inhumans – By Thomas J. Koester

If you do nothing, it won’t be long before you, too, become an Inhuman. Stand up today. Tomorrow will be too late.

inhuman. / (ɪnˈhjuːmən) / adjective. Also: inhumane, lacking humane feelings, such as sympathy, understanding, etc; savage, cruel; brutal, not human – lacking pity, kindness, or mercy.

The rise of Inhumans is not futuristic dystopia. It’s already here! It is unmistakably all around us and in our faces. Caged merchandise, bold shoplifters, the elderly beaten in broad daylight, smash-n-grab mobs, and perverted justice are just the tip of the iceberg.

The rise of inhumans has led to the September 10, 2025, martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. The August 22, 2025, brutal stabbing death of Ukrainian, Iryna Zarutska. The fatal shooting of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were killed in DC on May 2025. How about Frank and Maureen Olton, ages 76 and 77? They were brutally murdered in their home in Bellerose, Queens, in September 2025. Tragically, the list goes go on and on.

Our once great cities smell like sewers. Roaming hoards of homeless; drug addicted, and walking dead are everywhere, and in every city and town.

The controlled mass media and deep-state operatives of both parties are intentionally benefiting from whatever crisis promotes their narratives and agendas. They do this by design and intention to advance their power and lessen our liberties.

A culture of death gives the globalists cover to treat us like human chattel—beings without worth, without souls, and without meaning.

Take HBO’s, “Real Time,” hosted by Bill Maher, for instance:

“People who aren’t pro-life, there pro-choice. They don’t hate women. They just made that up—They think it’s murder and it kind of is—I’m just okay with that. I am, I mean, there are 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry. We won’t miss you. That’s my position on that.” – Bill Maher, April 13, 2024

The state has no use for autonomous, self-governing individuals. Neither does Hollywood, for that matter.

The State needs nothing more than a collective, hives of human bots – humans separated from their humanness, led only by lust and animalistic instinct. How about the seven or more migrants that assaulted two NYPD officers? These criminals were released without bail, then fled New York and are headed to a sanctuary city in California!

When the video gaming industry develops games glorifying death and mass shootings, the value and meaning of life is diminished.

When millions of babies are aborted out of convenience and birth control – when they are slain, dismembered and tossed in the trash, or left alone without intervention to die, or their precious body parts are sold to the highest bidder, the value of life is tragically diminished!

When Hollywood continues to produce film after the film of murder, death, suicide, and gun violence after gun violence, the value of life is lessened.

When politicians cry out for gun confiscation, leaving the innocent defenseless, the value of life is threatened. Creating soft target groups by creating “gun-free zones” only entices those sold out to the culture of death to act out their heinous and demonic manifestos.

When the crazed Leftist and democratic mayors demand prisoners to be released, police departments are defunded or abolished, and law and order are replaced with crime, chaos, rape, and murder, America suffers.

When emerging politicians preach the end of the world in 12 years, and the only way to avert disaster is financial ruin, and depopulation, we become nothing more than “carbon footprints,” and the sanctity of life is abolished.

It’s times like these when one realizes that we’ve lost the Republic, and the conservative voices of the elect, no matter how loud, does not affect those that govern.

We have reached the bottom of degeneration, and the voiceless innocence of the unborn has once again been lost. Those of you prefer the freedom to choose death versus the inconvenience and responsibility for life, which has signed the death certificate for our nation.

Furthermore, in our crazed ignorance and selfishness we have devalued our own lives, which, when it too becomes inconvenient for the State, will also be quietly and clinically euthanized for the greater “good” of those that worship death.

When it is of more value to kill your body to harvest your organ or eliminate your “carbon footprint,” it will be done without your consent. The State, and not your doctor, is in charge of your “healthcare” now!

Do not be deceived and be so naive; abortion is indeed birth control and has little to do with “family planning.” Nearly 60 million abortions have occurred since 1973, and it is a holocaust and not healthcare. Even though the hideous nature and actions of Planned Parenthood are laid bare for the world to see, nothing changes.

To those who’ve remained silent against the murder, dismemberment, and trafficking of the unborn’s body parts and organs shall bear the same fate as those who practice such evils.

Hundreds and thousands of innocent people being murdered in a heinous “dark age” fashion, we call it something other than what it is – we call evil everything other than what it is.

The death culture, which is unfortunately being utilized and funded by key governmental agencies, including the likes of George Soros, promotes the devaluing of life to expand and to justify greater top-down control over free people.

To the 278 million so-called believers and people of faith in America, where is your light? Where is your salt? Do you not realize that if judgment comes, and indeed will, it comes first to the House of God before it comes to the houses of unbelievers?

Get your affairs and houses in order and prepare yourselves for terrible days ahead. The Left is pushing our country into civil disorder until death, and violence floods our streets.

History is full of stories of bloodied kingdoms and failed nations. We will be no exception.

Unless you speak up and rise from your slumber, they’ll keep it up until our liberties are gone, all the while we stand silently by in the culture of death.

If you do nothing, it won’t be long before you, too, become an Inhuman. Stand up today. Tomorrow will be too late.

The rise of Inhumans is here and it’s not a Marvel comic book series!

WAKE UP!

We can no longer be silent in the face of evil.

Breaking The Orphaned Mindset – By Thomas J. Koester

Nothing can be more meaningful or powerful as the Father Heart of GOD.

The reason you feel like a victim is because you do not feel like a son or daughter. Having an “orphan mentality” makes you vulnerable and an easy target of doom and gloom.

The longer you see yourself as an orphan, you become a prime target by the Father of Lies and his abusive cohorts. Trust me, the Father of Lies, well he’s nothing but a deadbeat dad. Nothing good can come from him. He can’t offer you a future, but only a darkened past.

The Enemy’s plan? Cause you pain to rob you of your future. God’s plan? Give you a future through your pain and rob the Enemy.

Stop interpreting your hardship as a series of mishaps. If you begin to embrace all hardship as an established fact of your son-ship, suddenly you’ll gain strength you’ve never thought possible. Our God is no dead-beat dad; those whom he loves, he inflicts hardship, and his hardship for your life comes from a good place—his heart.

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.” –Proverbs 3:11-13

“Endure [all] suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?” [Emphasis mine] –Hebrews 12:7

“God corrects all his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him.” –Hebrews 12:8

GOD is fathering you into the best son, or daughter you can be, because that’s what a good father does.

Nothing can be more meaningful or powerful as the Father Heart of GOD.

Maybe you’re simply misunderstanding your difficulties. If you can accept difficulties as a test from God rather than bad luck, you’ll want to pass the test instead of complaining about it.

Maybe you’re not an orphan after all, maybe God is fathering you because he’s in love with you, just like a real daddy.

So, snap out of it!

You’re not an orphan but a son or daughter of The Most High God!

To All Saints and Soldiers — By Thomas Koester

The heroes of our faith and Saints of Old are watching!

“I went round the city and I looked at everything. I said to the leaders, the officers and the people, ‘Do not be afraid of our enemies. Remember that our Lord God is great and powerful. Fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters and your wives. Fight to keep your homes safe.’” —Nehemiah 4:14

I know that you have been absorbing a great deal of information and news, good or bad. I know, like Nehemiah, you too have looked at the condition of our cities, towns, neighborhoods, and schools. Do not be dismayed to the point of indifference. You are desperately needed!

Do not allow what you are seeing and hearing to take you off your mission as husbands, fathers, and godly men. Do not allow yourselves to drift away from the Lord. To the contrary; fight to recapture your heart. Then fight to win again the heart of your wife. Fight for the hearts of your children. Fight for your country.

If things are broken or at odds between you and your wife, fix it now, but not with your “toolbox,” but by listening to her heart. Have compassion for her, and make her safe in your presence and absence. Please, men, let your wives into your heart and speak to them with kindness and wisdom. She’s your partner, and I can promise you this that there’s no one else better suited to be in your foxhole and camp than your wives.

Be gentle and patient with your children. Your actions, attitudes, and words should show them how much you love them and that they, along with your wives, are more important than your man-toys, sports, politics, or even your ministries.

You set the climate of fear or peace in your homes. Choose peace and fight to hold onto a climate of peace in your house. After all, “a man’s home is his castle,” so protect and defend it, but more so, your family which lives in it.

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales

Show your wife and children through your right actions that your trust is in the Lord. This is your job as a man of faith. Your trust in God becomes their trust in God. Your good father-heart points them directly to the Father-Heart of God, which, by the way, is where they find their identities.

Things are going to be rough these next several months. Our nation and it’s people will be tested beyond belief. But hold onto your belief in God, in your marriage, and in your children. They, not your careers, video games, sports, and politics, are your mission. The country will right itself, or perhaps not. This, however, doesn’t change the man you are, nor your mission.

Cling to God and to his Word. Love your wives unconditionally and sacrificialy. Be gentle with your children, and show them great patience. Tell them with words and action that you love them.

Be stouthearted. Be brave. Be courageous. Be men of God. Brothers in Chist. Hold to Truth. Armor up with God’s promises. Hold to the peace that comes from trusting God.

Remember that you are not alone. The God of the Angel Armies lives within you. Your brothers are not far off—we’re in this together!

Lead your families well. It’s up to you, and no other. The term “husband,” means “band around the house.” Be that physical and spiritual band. You can do it because you are on the Lord’s side—you are men!

Again, get right with your wives and children. No excuses. No worries. Be courageous, be men, and make God and heaven’s armies proud!

Demons are shuddering. Angels are gathering. The heroes of our faith and Saints of Old are watching. They are with the Heavenly Hosts, cheering you on to victory!

Abba’s Child – By Thomas J. Koester

Sometimes, it’s the simple prayer of a desperate heart that changes everything!

I know my Heavenly Father has me where he wants me, in his capable hands. But sometimes I forget. It’s not always easy to place my life and my prayers into his hands. When the struggling is over, and I rest in who he is, I find peace and the assurance that he hears my prayers.

I can, and do, at times, recount the prayers in which he’s answered. Since, in most times, my prayers are about major issues, they indeed are worth remembering and thanking him all over again. But those desperate, little prayers are just as meaningful too and worth remembering.

This is why the first word His Holy Spirit teaches us to say is “Abba Father,” which actually means “poppa,” or “da-da” in Hebrew. He wants that kind of trust and familiarity from us. The God of All Creation invites us to call out to him as an infant, frail, dependent, and trusting.

My favorite title in all the world is “Daddy.” It was my precious daughter, Tessa, who’d call me daddy, while my boys would call me dad or pops. Daddy is the title that would melt my heart and soften my face.

I truly believe that our Heavenly Father loves us to call him “daddy,” “poppa,” or even “da-da.” I think he wants to hear that name and title from you. I believe that Abba may be God’s favorite name.

One lonely and rainy morning, I was traveling to Castro Valley, California, for work. It was 5:30 a.m., still dark, as I was approaching Vasco Road in Brentwood. I had been prayerless for weeks, as I had drifted away from God. I desperately wanted to pray, but I had lost my words and was filled with shame.

I remembered a simple prayer that I read in a book by Brennan Manning, titled: “Abba’s Child” – The Cry of The Heart For Intimate Belonging.

I began reciting the words:

“Abba-Father, I belong to you—Abba-Father, I belong to you!”

Over and over again, this prayer bubbled up from my desperate and lonely heart.

With the rain pounding my windshield, tears began streaming down my face, making it harder to see.

With more than a few dozen cars ahead of me, I came to a stop at the dreaded lighted intersection of Camino Diablo and Vasco Road. While traffic was inching along, I kept desperately praying that simply prayer, “Abba-Father, I belong to you.”

In my desperatness, I added, “I am my beloved’s and he is mine, his banner over me is love,” taken from the Old Testament book, Songs of Songs.

I finally made it to the intersection, as one by one, each car negotiated their turns. The rain still pouring down, I completed my turn onto Vasco Road, heading towards Livermore to catch HWY 580, still crying and praying with all my heart.

As soon as my headlights illuminated the car in front of me, their license plate frame brightly reflected to me the following words:

“ABBA’S CHILD.”

I had to wipe my eyes, just to confirm what I was seeing was real! My heart became instantly alive again. My soul began to soar! I heard God, loud and clear, in the depths of my heart and with my own eyes!

God had heard my simple but desperate prayer. He reminded me in that moment at Camino Diablo and Vasco Road that I am still his child.

I am Abba’s Child! God’s miraculous reminder changed me in an instant and restored my soul!

God hears our prayers! Even when we’ve brushed him off or drifted far away from him. Abba-God rushes back at the sound of our cries—at the sound of our awkward prayers, he comes back into our lives just as a real daddy does.

I ask you to look at the photo below and imagine yourself in Abba’s embrace. Now, release your fears, worries, concerns; your sicknesses, and diseases; your loss of love or marriage; your suffering and finances, and all your loneliness and let it all go into Abba-God’s strong and sure embrace. Take a deep breath, relax—let it go, he can handle it all.

“The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.” –Psalm 37:23-24 Amplified Bible

Do you see? You belong to him, as a legitimate son or daughter—you’re his responsibility.

Now thank him and sleep well tonight, and when you wake up, remind yourself of this little prayer:

“Abba Father, I belong to you—Abba Father, I belong to you.” I am my beloved’s, and he is mine; his banner over me is love. Amen

The Oyster & The Pearl – The Power Of A Joy-filled Life – By Thomas J. Koester

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

Could it be possible that the very ugly and scary things that you are facing this very moment can, if you’re willing, become a peal of great value?

You can not climb to the heights of joy unless you first plumbed the depths of despair. Yes, even your despair can be valuable. It is the pressures of despair in the depths of your soul where something precious is being formed.

This little article should be read as a road map, a map showing you the way to find joy when joy is the furthest thing from your mind, will, and emotion.

I’m a pretty optimistic guy with a fairly even-keeled personality. I didn’t choose to be this way. I am fortunate to have been born with a sense of optimism. When I was younger, I used to have surges of optimism, but now in my sixties, not so much.

How about loved ones; family, friends, and acquaintances that have the opposite? Instead of optimism, they suffer from depression and anxiety, and because of this, they’ve become pessimistic. Trying to cope with periodic or ongoing bouts of depression and anxiety can be hell on earth. I have seen what it looks like in the faces of my loved ones.

So here is the thing, as fortunate as I am to be optimistic, upbeat, and positive, I must choose joy, just as much as one suffering from depression must choose joy. There is a problem with both polar opposites. Both depressive and optimistic personalities, in their extremes, are void of joy.

You see, being controlled or mentally dominated by optimism or depression leaves no room for joy. Joy, real joy, is a choice. The choice is not easy for the depressed and the optimist.

But far too many people bypass joy for a new lover, new home, or even a baby, hoping they’ll find happiness.

The scriptures, more or less, indicate that joy is a command from the heart and mind to the soul, or vice versa. Even a command to our bones! Yep, I can attest to that; being sixty-something, I have a lot of aches in my bones; my bones speak to me; no, they really do, they make all kinds of sounds when I walk!

“Make me hear joy and gladness that the bones You have broken may rejoice.” – Psalm 51:8

“The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy.” – Proverbs 15:30

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.” – Proverbs 16:24

Joy is medicine to our body, heart, mind, and even our bones!

Like all medicines, many of us must be reminded to take it, perhaps even forced. Ah, but when you do follow the doctor’s orders or your wife’s, the medicine helps with whatever ails you. And so, you must also choose joy to receive all of its benefits.

I did a word study on Joy in the New King James Version of the Bible. Did you know that the word “joy” appears 192 times in both the Old and New Testaments? Just studying the word “joy” brings you joy!

But still, choosing joy in the midst of depression, worry, sickness, betrail, and even divorce seems almost impossible. Trying to reign in our emotions when our mind and body seem out of control is like trying to rope a bull elephant!

So many people suffering from depression, anxiety, and traumatic events, such as betrail, divorce, etc., show the signs of their condition in their bodies and even in their bones. Everything aches, and most things lose their significance, such as food, relationships, and even life itself. But this is why joy is so important and why the Bible mentions it 192 times!

Sacrificial joy, that is, choosing to be joy-filled when things are not right, is real medicine. As I mentioned earlier, joy is a medicine that sometimes you must force yourself to take.

I had written an article a few weeks ago titled:

“My Allergic Reaction To Asking For Help.”

This is a story of my unintended flight down a set of stairs, whereby I had ruptured and shredded my quadriceps above my left knee. They snapped like a dried twig! Well, it wasn’t the painful surgery that gave me grief; it was nausea from the general aniestic!

I absolutely hate nausea. It began post-surgery, and as soon as my wife took me home. The orthopedic surgeon hadn’t prescribed any anti-nausea meds. So there I am, writhing in nausea, dizziness, and fighting the urge to throw up. Toni saw how terrible I looked and felt. It was late, but I begged her to go to the pharmacy and bring home some anti-nausea meds.

While Toni was away, I was so desperate that I turned on a Christian Radio Station, K-LOVE, and listened to worship music while alone in my living room. I struggled initially, but I started to command my body, heart, and mind to be joyful. I began singing praises and thanksgiving to God, thanking him, even for the dreaded nausea. In a matter of few minutes, my nausea vanished, and my pain began to diminish.

Soon, Toni showed up with the anti-nausea meds, but when she handed me the bag, I said, “Oh, um, I’m feeling much better; the nausea is over.” She looked a little perturbed, only because I sent her on a wild goose chase for drugs that I didn’t need. I should’ve started with joy.

Early the following year, I contracted a form of the H1N1 virus. I had never been so sick. I reached a point where I got my inner house in order, so to speak, because I actually thought that I might die! While burning with fever, I again started to praise God and sing a joyful song to Him. It wasn’t at all easy or even natural to push through, but nonetheless, I did.

I lay there on my sickbed and began singing Psalms 100.

“(A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands…

… I will enter into His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, and into his courts with praise: I will say this is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice in Him and be glad.”

Yeah, I actually thought I might be entering the Courts of Heaven that night, but God had other plans. Forcing myself to express joy helped me to triumph through that dreaded virus.

Actually, to “rejoice” is just that it means giving joy to God until it is given back to you. To rejoice in the Lord is the worshipper becoming gladdened, exuberant, and jubilant by taking great delight in God. Heartfelt Joy is reciprocal. It is also contagious.

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. – Proverbs 3:12

God sometimes brings correction through the things we suffer because He knows that suffering can produce the precious commodity called joy. Just like an oyster and a grain of sand, which to the oyster is an irritant. From this irritant comes a pearl.

Probably one of the most impactful examples of this was on, of all places, America’s Got Talent TV show.

Jane Kristen Marczewski, known by many as Nightbird, (December 29, 1990 – February 19, 2022), on AGT, viewed by millions, and a recipient of the coveted “Golden Buzzer,” told the world the following after she sang her original song, “It’s OK”:

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

The audience, and especially Simon Cowell, were stunned. I was, too.

Really, Jane’s words were so powerful because they were true, not just her truth, but right from the Bible. They are God’s truth, and that night, they were spoken by a frail and tiny but courageous woman. I think the shock of it all was profound because it was spoken over the backdrop of her story; her battle with cancer.

Jane had learned the power of joy and happiness in spite of the cancer eating away at her future.

Happiness or joy is now, not later. It’s in the middle of your darkest nights, dreariest days, and deepest despairs. Joy and happiness are choices. Yes, hard choices. If they were easy, they’d have far less value with no real healing and no inner peace. That night, Jane Kristen Marczewski became God’s pearl.

God allows irritants to enter our lives, too. He does this with intricate perfection and purpose.

“Thus says The Most High, The Exalted One who inhabits all eternity, and is holy, and holy is his dwelling with the humble, and with the weary of spirit to give life to the spirit of the humble, and to give life to the heart of the suffering ones.” – Isaiah 57:15

When we are at our worst, choosing joy is most powerful. The Isaiah verse above tells us The Most High God, The Exalted One, who lives in all eternity while He dwells in a high and lofty place, He is near the humble, the sorrowful, and the sufferers.

When we command our body, heart, mind, and yes, even our bones to rejoice in God, He gives life. He refreshes. He restores, and He reciprocates our sacrificial joy. “He will quiet us with his love.” “He will rejoice over us with gladness” and even “rejoice over us with singing.” Because God is not a distant deity, He is your Heavenly Father, and he is much nearer than you can imagine.

Like the oyster, we can’t see the development of beauty inside our lives. Our struggles with depression, anxiety, worry, and overoptimism distract us from the work that God is doing. Instead, we feel abandoned by God, orphaned, and on our own. The truth is that God is there with us in the midst of our pain. It requires us to believe and trust in God’s promises. The Bible says God would rather dwell with us than with kings and queens.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3

He would have to be very close to you to heal your broken heart, bind up your wounds, and save your crushed spirit.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” – Psalm 145:18

Then God sends us His Son, Jesus to rescue us…

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him.” – Luke 4:18-19

Don’t live life without joy.

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.” – Jane Kristen Marczewski, “Nightbird”

Choose joy, and in a very short while, you’ll understand. Maybe you’re becoming God’s Pearl, too!

The Power of Forgiveness – A True Story – By Thomas J. Koester

“Reconciliation Starts Here – Forgiveness Starts Here–This is Why it is Such A Powerful Weapon”

Christ came to reconcile our past and future so that we may live real and abundant lives in the present. Time and forgetfulness can not heal old wounds. This is why Christ announced his anointing through the reading of Isaiah 61:

“The Sovereign Lord is upon me and has anointed me to preach good news to the spiritual poor and impoverished, to heal the broken hearted; setting captives free, and proclaiming release for the imprisoned.”

Yes, he came for our salvation, but he also came for our healing; to release us from our captivities and to set us free from our bondages. All of these things are from our past. The above list is most often what has happened to us, and Christ is ready to go there with you.

I was the guest speaker at a men’s retreat a few years ago for a men’s group from a church that I had not visited or was I familiar with. At the opening of the retreat, I was introduced to all the men in the group, and one of the men was familiar to me. I introduced myself to this gentleman, and I immediately recalled that this was the man who had molested me as a child, some forty six years earlier.

What ended up happening was nothing short of a miracle and the beauty of the Kingdom of God – peace between the lion and the lamb was about to occur. God had given me the message of reconciliation and forgiveness a few days before the retreat. But before God would allow me to share this message, he asked me to reconcile with that man now, and at that moment, and to forgive him before I do anything else.

So, with God’s grace and power, I cooperated with His Spirit of forgiveness and mercy. I had kept this man’s offense to myself and proceeded with the rest of the retreat. I walked with God into my past. Christ Jesus brought us peace, healing, freedom, and release. Chains fell off that weekend, and a new friendship was born.

Later, I learned that this man had become a Christian shortly after he had molested me so many decades ago. But, until I had forgiven him, I was buried under a mountain of shame.

God, through Christ Jesus, is reconciling the world back to God and even our past. Sometimes, his Spirit of Grace brings us backward to reconcile past hurts, past captivities, and past imprisonments. Whether it’s us behind the bars of hatred and unforgiveness, or the whether we’re the jailer, holding the keys for someone else’s past offenses. We have a divine weapon against fear, hatred, and bitterness, and its called forgiveness!

Through the Men’s Retreat, God had shown me that we can only stumble over our past if it is left in a state of unforgiveness and left unreconciled. Because God is eternal, the Alpha and Omega, he exists in our past, present, and future. The works of Christ, destroying the works of the Devil in all the areas and seasons of our lives, are both completed and ongoing in a multidimensional way, unhindered by time and place.

All governments are upon his shoulders. The expanse of his Kingdom shall know no end. He is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, and the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6. He is there all the time, and in every area of our lives, past, present, and future, but you must believe and obey Him and listen to His voice.

I can not stress how significant the voice of the Lord is and how important it is to listen, follow, and obey. Read the Bible as though it’s written to you first before anyone else. You’ll then know what to do and how to do it.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” – Micah 6:8

We can enter into our future with triumph, because Jesus Christ has triumphed over our pasts, and if we work with him, he will bring us to the place of forgiveness, even forgiveness for our past enemies, abusers, and those who’ve betrayed our hearts. It worked out for me, and it can work out for you too!

Forgiveness is such a powerful weapon for good!

God presented me with the opportunity at that retreat – God did not force me to forgive. He simply set up the circumstances. I could’ve gone on hating the perpetrator, exposing him to public shame, condemnation, and ridicule. But hatred condemnation, shame, and self-ridicule were the same mountain on top of me, too.

God softened my heart and Jesus gentley lead me to the cross, and there, at His cross, in a miraculous way, both of our mountains were removed, our hearts softened and forgiveness was granted to us both.

Journey with God, as he leads you, and do not dismiss your past, but have the courage and faith to follow Him wherever he takes you.

Maybe the circumstance that you’re presented with here and now is your opportunity to also give and receive forgiveness.

I can promise you this, when you forgive it’s because God is already there.

“Reconciliation Starts Here – Forgiveness Starts Here – This is Why it is Such A Powerful Weapon.”

Tears of Sweet Nothing – The Unseen One – By Thomas J. Koester

“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn, through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache is written in your book.” –Psalms 56:8

“He has not forgotten the one who is hurting. He has not turned away from his suffering. He has not turned his face away from him. He has listened to his cry for help.” –Psalms 22:24

Our family consisted of eight people, and we lived in our tiny 1400-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath home in a housing development in Martinez, CA. I lived there from late 1965 until July 1978.

During those years, I was forced to share a bedroom with my older brother Jeffrey, who is only sixteen months older than me. I had always thought it was a mistake for our parents to room Jeffery and me together, as we constantly fought and were at each other’s throats!

But at the same time, we were both there for each other, especially after we both were terribly beaten, sometimes separately, and at times together, we were lashed, punched, or kicked. During Those moments, Jeffrey and I would become friends and assuage each other’s wounds or share our complaints and anger about what had happened and the unfairness of it all. And maybe our brief times of fellowship and friendship were based on the principle: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Still, Jeffrey helped me as my older brother by caring for me when I was abused.

At times, we’d become fellow cellmates, imprisoned in our bedroom together for hours or perhaps for an entire day. However, I think Jeffrey had it much worse than me, if you can believe it!

At ten years of age, my life began to exhibit evidence of being soul murdered. Although physically alive, my trust and sense of safety were nearly gone. I was incapable of bonding and receiving love or belonging to anyone. The hole this created in me was too broad and deep for any human to fill. I was unwanted and unloved. The abuse was so horrific that it impacted my identity.

During those abusive years, I developed new titles: The Discarded One, The Disgraceful One, and the Unwanted One, which began to dictate my life and identity. My mother bestowed those titles upon me during her fits of rage.

I became a lost boy, un-fathered and un-mothered by nurture and love. My home was my house of horrors. I found solace in living a secret life of fantasy and daydreaming, similar to the 1947 movie with Danny Kaye called: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

In elementary school, I would sit there, daydreaming of some incredible feat or be far away on a voyage to uncharted islands of mystery. I always imagined myself as the hero.

After my father had passed away, I found a bundle of old report cards. One report card from my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Dodd, stood out. On the back of the report card was written a personal note to my parents:

“Thomas just seems to sit here in class, daydreaming.”

Growing up, you were always guilty in our home and never allowed the opportunity to plead your innocence. Even if one of my siblings tattled on me, it would often end up with a beating or punishment. The only thing protecting each of us from excessive tattling was the military doctrine of “Mutual Assured Beatings!” Even the tattler could be swept up in our mother’s rage, suffering a beating, too! So, we used tattling sparingly.

This created a hypersensitivity to injustice, yet I felt powerless to do anything about it. Even today, I am acutely sensitive to injustice against myself and others.

“Fate, it seems, is not without its sense of irony,” said Morpheus in the movie, “The Matrix.”
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Like Neo, the movie’s central character, he was powerless and a slave to a programmed existence. My “sense of irony” showed up in my career choices. I believe my sensitivity to injustice is why I have successfully settled claims on behalf of fire and water damage victims. I am empathetic to individuals and families being abused by Impersonal insurance companies that place shareholders above policyholders.

So, unknown to me, the terrible injustice I suffered as a child had fatefully trained me for my vocation. Perhaps it is more likely that the sense of irony is not fate, but rather, I became attracted to my career choices because of parental abuse and their unjust treatment.

Had there been an actual “Morpheus” in my life, it would have been so helpful to extricate me from the matrix of horrors. But, in fact, there was. This is why my hopeless story is so hope-filled. The name “Morpheus” actually means: ‘He who shapes.’ As you read on, you will learn through my story that there has indeed been, and continues to be, a “Morpheus” in my life.

Nevertheless, an undeniable force is shaping me through a maze of pain and struggle of good and bad days to a present joy-filled life, which now I would never trade or abandon. It would be like saying to a diamond, “Turn back into coal,” or to a pearl, “Turn back into a grain of sand.” I’m still in the “rough,” so to speak, and in between two extremes: the lightness of joy and contentment and the weightiness of pain and agony.

This precise pressure point masterfully creates diamonds of joy and the pearls of contentment within my life. Pain is never the product of this process, but joy and happiness are. Pain and agony are elements necessary to produce “suffering,” which produces eternal qualities and degrees of character that can not be developed in any other way.

So, in a nutshell, “Don’t waste your suffering!” It is the process of suffering that can lead to a fulfilling life! And so it is, I believe, for you, too. Your story is not an endless season of reruns but of purposeful and significant meaning.

“Rest, the answers are coming…” Said Morpheus to a perplexed and doubting Thomas Anderson at the beginning of his transformation into “Neo.”

By the way, you are transforming, and what that is will be revealed in time. The process you are in may be painful and even hopeless, but everything good and true, of worth and value, comes with pain and suffering. It is all a part of living and transforming. Until then, my dear friend, “Rest, the answers are coming…”

Be brave enough to journey into your past. Not alone like you have so many times before; no, this time, journey back with God. Invite Him into your past as your guide, comforter, and healer. Ask Him for wisdom and understanding. Then, prepare yourself to forgive those who’ve wounded and harmed you. Forgiveness is pivotal. Without it, you’ll remain imprisoned and tormented.

This was the journey that I took and am still on. This is how I learned the importance of forgiveness and the value of tears. Tears are the beginning of transforming from The Unseen One to God’s Beloved One.

God bless you on your journey!

The Story of My Second Birth – By Thomas J. Koester

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he can not see the kingdom of God.” –Jesus of Nazareth, John 3:3

Religion, unfortunately, can be filled with do’s and don’ts; traditionalism, legalism, hierarchy, and elitism are its hallmarks. I’m sure many of you have had good and bad experiences with religion.

My story isn’t about religion, however. It’s about new life, freedom, and forgiveness. I have gained hope and a future that can’t be found in any of the world’s religions or cults. It’s about an intimate connection and communication with the living and real presence of an incredibly loving God!

I wasn’t seeking God, nor did I strain to appease his wrath or try to win his favor. God pursued me. He revealed himself to me in such an amazing way! Even though His Word and Holy Spirit convicted me, God didn’t leave me in my guilt and shame.

You can’t turn away from your sins. That would make you your savior. Without a Savior, you’re left in an endless cycle of rinse and repeat. The active ingredient is true repentance, which comes only from God.

You see, this is the difference between true salvation and religion. Religion leaves you in your guilt and shame, but true salvation removes the stain of sin, guilt, and shame. Religion offers bondage, but God’s salvation, through Jesus Christ, brings forgiveness, a clear and clean conscious, and amazing freedom!

Okay, on to the story of my second birth…

I was ten years old and in Sunday morning service in Martinez, California, at Bethany Baptist Church, “The End Of Your Search For A Friendly Church,” their sign read.

Like so many Sundays before December 20, 1970, I heard the offer of Salvation at the end of each service. Only this time, as we sang a hymn, “Just One Plea,” which convicted my troubled ten-year-old heart.

Nonetheless, I sat there frozen, wanting to stand up but was too afraid. Sitting at a distance, to my right, was my Sunday School teacher, John C. Morgan. At that time, he was 84 and a Christian for 64 years. I loved that man as though he was my grandfather.

As the song continued, I struggled to sing the following words:

“Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me And that Thou bid’st me come to thee O Lamb of God, I come, I come…”

I looked towards John Morgan, and at his old leathered face; he gently smiled and motioned with his head in the direction of the center aisle. His gentle smile and motion gave me enough courage to stand up and walk my green mile to the altar, where I did business with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Whereby I confessed and repented from the sins of a lost and guilt-ridden, ten-year-old little boy. Can a ten-year-old boy be guilty of sin? Do birds fly? Any honest parent or sibling knows the answer!

I placed my faith and belief in all that Jesus accomplished here and in heaven. I wept every step of that short journey to the altar but found indescribable joy at the moment of God’s salvation.

I am so saddened that many churches no longer do alter calls, or they do them, but only with every head bowed and every eye closed. No, my dear brothers and sisters, let salvation be seen! Allow God’s lost sons and daughters their time of triumphant entry into God’s amazing grace, mercy, and love!

Praise God for his indescribable love to those who believe and obey his good news! Seek God through Jesus his Son, here, now, while he can be found. Confess your sins, turn from them, and believe in the Son of God!

This December 20, 2024, will be my second birth celebration of 55 years as a Christ-follower.

I am a child of the Most-High God, all because Jesus Christ, His Son, took upon himself all of the wrath of God in my place.

God is the secret behind my 44-year marriage. He guided me as a faithful father. He made me into a man of peace. He softened my heart. He healed my broken and abused heart. He forgave me all of my sins. And, very importantly, he calls me son and allows me to call him Abba-Father! “Abba,” means daddy or poppa.

“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”’ –Galatians 4:6

Don’t fall for burdensome religion; fall in love with God. He first loved you–loved you enough that His Son, Jesus Christ, took God’s wrath upon himself, so you, too, can become His son or daughter! Amen

Happy Holidays! Oh, And Please Pass The Aspirin! – By Thomas J. Koester

Because Stress Doesn’t Belong In Your Christmas!

During the early morning hours of October 11, 2013, I checked myself into the hospital for heart attack symptoms. The test results were negative for a heart attack but positive for stress.

On November 13, 2013, I tripped down the stairs, overloaded with my stuffed laptop case on my left shoulder and my overnight bag on the right, heading out of town. My first stop was Groveland, CA, where I was to meet with a few good men to evaluate a retreat center for Wounded Warriors. Then, I was to travel to the Bay Area to cram in a few field assignments.

While overloaded with baggage and in a rush, I tripped, descending the stairs. I tore my quadriceps in three places! All my body weight of 240 lbs. plus 40 lbs. of luggage was transferred to my left leg in a fraction of a second, which caused me to overshoot two steps.

Suddenly, a loud “SNAP” and instant pain shot from above my knee, crumbling my leg beneath me and launching me forward like Superman! Flying without a cape, with legs kicked out and arms stretched forward, I belly-flopped on the hardwood entry floor from the midpoint, landing unfortunately without superpowers!

While In flight, I yelled:

“NO! No … no, not again…”

I landed my face softly on my laptop case, which was catapulted ahead of me, but the rest of my body hit the floor with a mighty thump!

I lay there clutching my laptop case, writhing in pain, tears rolling down my chin when I thought of another visit to the hospital! We lost our health insurance on July 31, 2013, because our premiums were higher than our house payment!

“The Lord will make you go through hard times. He will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him anymore. If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you, saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.” – Isaiah 30:20-21

There are many things that I believe God is teaching me through these injuries and the stress I have been under. God was teaching me dependence; dependence on Him and others in my life. I tend to be too independent and self-reliant, overworked, and overloaded.

I need to take a break from the busy “Martha Neurosis” and pursue the “Mary Calmness” at the feet of Jesus.

I need to live more in the reality of Jesus’ presence and truly rest in that all Government is on his shoulders, not mine, nor the Republicans, Democrats, Independents; not the Libertarians, the Greenies, Commies, Socialists, or MAGA.

I need to relish and relax in His governance and be swept up in its epic and eternal expansion.

It’s not a matter of whether God is on my side or their side; the truth is, God is on neither the Right nor the Left’s side; God is on His side. And I must join His cause and let the “talking heads” of the alphabet networks talk to themselves.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counselor?” – Romans 11:34

“But who can teach a lesson to God since he judges even the most powerful?” – Job 21:22

I need to prioritize His ever-expanding rule of His present Kingdom and tap into its economy instead of creating my own or following the world’s economic priorities, which always leads to emptiness, exhaustion, and death. His Kingdom must expand its rule within and beyond us.

His eternal Kingdom’s expansion within us will inoculate us against the ever-increasing pressure of this world. If we all were to become Kingdom-minded and submit and yield to the Lordship of Christ, we would move from being overcome to being an over-comer!

I need to seek out his Wonderful Counsel hourly, benefit from His omniscience (his all-knowing) of me, and listen to his whispers before they become a painful megaphone. God will never cancel my therapy sessions but will forever counsel me. All I must do is show up, as there is no deductible, co-pay, or cost! Oh, and no appointments are necessary. Just pray right in!

I must relinquish my puny strength and small-mindedness and humbly stand beneath and behind God’s Mightiness and title, “The God of the Angel Armies!”

I need to exchange my war-weariness and shell-shocked life and take comfort and confidence in God’s authority, who’s never lost a battle and ultimately will win the war. He loves a stacked deck because he loves to come through for all those who belong to him and have the patience to wait on him.

I need to surrender the un-fathered and incomplete areas of my heart, mind, and soul to the Everlasting Father-heart of God. I must accept the challenge, correction, and discipline, even loss and pain, as initiation (teaching) and fathering from God. I need to agree with the legitimacy of my identity as God’s beloved son and not the conspiratorial voices of darkness that impose on me the false title of “Victim.”

“Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:7

I need to allow the Prince of Peace to usher His reign of peace, calm, and good tidings of great joy into the depths of my being until my heart rejoices no matter what state I may find myself in. I need to celebrate His Peace, even in the presence of my enemies, whereby I can feast without intimidation or fear. I need to relax when I open my winter’s electric bill and read it in peace, knowing confidently He reigns even over things such as these.

I need to focus on the quiet streams while driving the busy streets of life and drink God’s thirst-quenching flow rather than virus-infected cesspools of worldly wants and desires, leaving one spiritually dehydrated and drained of life.

I need to completely trust in God’s judgment and enrich my life, every bit of it, with His justice so that all my actions are just and fair, not only to myself, so that I may live healthy and whole, but that the fruits of my life may encourage health and wholeness to others. I need to: “… do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with my God.” – Micah 6:8.

I need to be a man who taps into the counsel of The Wonderful Counselor, whereby He faithfully counsels me with wisdom and insight. His counsel protects me from the lies and seductions of the world and the inner voices of self-destruction.

I need an Everlasting, Never Leaving, Never Busy, Always there Father-God, who loves me and you so much that He puts his Spirit in us to teach us His most favorite Name: Abba, Poppa, or Daddy!

I want peace in my life, marriage, home, church, business, and everywhere.

Don’t you?

And, this Jesus, whose name is maligned, marginalized, cursed, and removed from our telecasts, prayers, and our speeches, from our schools, courtrooms, and public places, came to us as a babe, a child in a manger that became Jesus our Savior!

He is the Prince of Peace, and “… the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with righteous judgment, with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7

And The Zeal of the Lord already accomplished this 2000 years ago!

With so much authority, honor, and titles given to Jesus, don’t you think He can save you? He is your connection to the Father-Hearted God of Heaven.

It’s far better to listen to His whispers than through His megaphone!

Happy Holidays! Oh, and please pass the aspirin!