Hi. If you are a guy reading this and think you want to add me as a friend or email me, please don't. I really do not talk to strangers online (or much in person, for that matter). If I were to meet you in a public place in a group setting, I would chat with you, but would still be unlikely to give you my real email address for safety reasons. I hope you will understand.
Now. On to other things. I like having friends, but I don't like having fake friends, people who manipulate or deceive. I like having people around me who I trust, so if you are one of my friends, you are someone I love and trust. It means I will love you for the rest of my life, no matter what happens to the friendship. My friends are a blessing to me in so many ways! You are my family, and I appreciate all y'all very much.
I have a new theme song, "Home." It reminds me of friends and family, and most especially it reminds me of my true home, Heaven. You already know my other theme song, "Legacy," and that I hope that the legacy I leave behind will be that I was a good friend and a real Christian. Take a look at the pictures of my children; they are a legacy I was really blessed to have. My one chance at life and God blessed me with my children. How great is that? He really is an awesome God. And, I get to go home one day to Heaven, where He has prepared a place for me. Isn't that the best news you've heard?
You, too, only have one life to live, so make it count. Don't live for yourself, but live so that others may see Christ in you. Don't waste your life on things that are unimportant. Walk across that room and get to know someone else's story. Tell them your story and get involved in their life. Who knows? Their story may change your life. Your story may be what changes their life.
If you couldn't tell yet, I'm a born-again Christian, but a real life one. Which means I make mistakes, pick myself up again and keep going, once I have asked God to forgive me. If I had one piece of advice for people struggling to forgive someone who has wronged them, it would be to just remember that forgiveness is for your benefit, not the person you are forgiving. No one who has hurt you has done anything worse than you have done in the eyes of God, so forgive people. And love them. Even when you don't necessarily like them and don't approve of their behavior.
In particular, reach out to those who dislike, despise, or even hate you and offer them peace and forgiveness. Do something nice for them even if there is no response. Some day, your act of kindness will be remembered and they will have known what it was like to interact with a real Christian. You will have left your enemies with a legacy of love and consideration, and that will be a blessing not only to them, but also to you.
One last thing. Before you decide you want to judge someone for something they've done, look at yourself first and determine if you are flawless. None of us are, and if you want others to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, you will need to first admit you are a sinner, a sinner in need of a Savior. Then, go read the Book of Romans and you will learn that the wages of sin are death and that all of us have fallen short of perfection and therefore should die for our sins. God, however, provided the perfect way through the life giving death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of His death, and your acceptance of him as Savior and Lord of your life, you are reborn, clean, without spot or blemish in God's eye, and you will experience eternal life when you die. Seriously, go read Romans. Read the Gospels, and see for yourself.
