Profound and Sometimes Preposterous Ponderings of Pete

I am reminded often of my unworthiness, but too often I have felt worthless.  They are not the same.  I can never and will never be worthy of God's gift of grace. The apostle Paul very clearly states this in all of his letters and very thoroughly in Roms 1- 7.  But here is the rub, this in no way means worthless!  Let's analyze this for a second.  The God who created the universe as well as us, loved us so much that he became one of us.  He underwent all the temptations we do, was rejected by us, and finally died under punishment reserved for those who committed the most heinous of crimes.  He did this because He thought we were worthless?!  I think not! He even calls us his craftsmanship or masterpiece in Eph 2:10. So when I feel worthless, it is like me saying that I am a better judge of worth than the God who created me!  Oy veh!  Sorry, I reverted to my Jewish roots.  This means that as a born again Christian, allowing myself...

I was soaking my kidneys and praying.  Yes, I pray in the bathtub, I also pray on the toilet and many other places which probably will offend some sensibilities.  God doesn't mind. As a matter-of-fact, He likes it.  He sometimes thinks it is funny that He gives me some of my best ideas in places and during situations that many would find quite awkward.  I digress.  Here is a little something that I believe has been revealed to me by God through his Holy Spirit who dwells within me. When Corinne and I first were married we had a small debate on which was the first sin.  She said selfishness and I said pride.  I have come to learn that pride and selfishness are 2 sides of the same coin.  From that sin sprung lust.  Most of us think that lust refers to sexual feelings but that is only a part.   Lust is the strong and often overwhelming desire to possess and or control that which does not belong to you or that, over which, you have no aut...

If I could go back in time and visit the younger me this is what I would say (there is no specific order here): Stay in school, I know it is not fun but do it anyway. Stay away from alcohol. In spite of what you know for sure what they have done, your friends know nothing about sex and even less about women. You know far less than you think you know. Life is short and long. God is real and he does indeed love you and know what is best for you. People do and will fail you. Forgive them anyway. Forgive yourself. Stay away from sugar. Stay away from porn. You are not a loser. Don't be so angry. Even though nice guys finish last, keep being a nice guy.  The bad boy thing doesn't work for you. Listen long, speak short. The Bible is true. Place your faith in Jesus Christ, not in people. Science fiction and fantasy is exactly that and not possible. Women are people, not objects. Love is not a feeling. You need to look beyond how you feel. You and your body are N...

Last week, I returned from the Phillipines.  I was there for my son's wedding.  The Filipino people are a wonderful, gracious, and beautiful people and my stay there was a dream. Our stay at the resort for the wedding was luxuriant.  My son's in-laws, the Soriano family, welcomed my wife , my other son, Nick, and myself into their home and included us into their family even though we were strangers.  Again it was living a dream come true and this part of my trip was a check-off on my bucket list. The trip was so wonderful that I have hesitated to even post this but my heart was stung deeply and I have to make mention.  When we were in the city of Manila, we were stopped at a traffic light and a 3 year old little girl knocked on our car window.  She was naked from the waist down and was begging for money.  We were told before hand that something like this might happen and that we should not give money because it only hurts them more.  That they ...