Some Destinations

Some destinations are just worth the fight!

We can often lose the focus when hardship is in

our view, when we only see the valley or the long

road ahead; God always has a plan and in the end

it's beautiful beyond compare.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
                                                                                  Genesis 50:20

Whatever we face, no matter the trials, God will turn it around

for His glory and we can rest on that perfect plan. His love writes our story each and every day.

~You Prepare A Table~

When all is said and done, God is our strength and our hope in times of trouble. He is ever faithful in preparing a time of peace during our worst struggles, our worst trials in life.

Grave Of Regrets

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

                                                         James 4:6

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

                                                                                   Proverbs 11:2

From This Moment

   There I was, standing before a simple pathway. I had often walked and jogged that same route with ease and not a care in the world, now I was standing there with one leg shaking and quivering and one arm doing who knows what and words and thoughts had melted like wax; I felt a war was going on inside my head. Yes this was the hill that suddenly became my mountain, just after the stroke everything seemed almost impossible to overcome; miles and miles away.

   I quickly looked down at my feet, the very feet that brought me everywhere without any complications, there I was fighting for every step, every moment, every dream and trying to silence every single nightmare. I took the reigns of my worries and doubts and laid them before God and said "I'm here in this dilemma and you are a God of miracles, so make your miracles happen in every fear I face!" I held to those very thoughts and pushed and pushed my way through. Whatever we face, the beautiful thing is this, God is always bigger than our biggest fears, our biggest trials, adversities and our tears. He always has a plan, sometimes it's among a haze, a fog of war but God is the lighthouse and He is ever faithful.

We can have comfort in knowing that whatever was meant for evil, God can make it for His good. Now I'm doing public speaking, demonstrations in martial arts as well as creating art, poetry, photography and much much more. Never let go of God's promises, He is faithful and true...

Without Adversity

Without Adversity

We Can Never Discover

The Treasure Of Courage

The Value Of Tenacity

The Strength In Persistence

And The Satisfaction Of Hope

                              By Ernie Kasper

Run The Race

As I was training yesterday, I had the most difficult time running after cross-training, though I'm sure it was me testing my limits physically, it really felt like a mental battle. I knew that in the back of my mind, the stroke was playing a big part, I had bouts of sudden weakness (stroke symptoms) and word finding was a definite fight. I paused along my run and just took a deep breath and realized this was a good battle, this was a victory I was searching for.
I wanted to tell this stroke again and again that it had no place inside my mind for limitations. I prayed quickly and thanked God for every little ounce of blood, sweat and many tears along this massive uphill battle with my stroke over the years. It had taught me the greatest things I know in life. First off, I train with a purpose both in physical goals and in spiritual goals, for without purpose people perish; people wander and lose their way. Life isn't about how easy it should be but rather how will you overcome it despite the adversity. I trust in God and it is well with my soul and whatever I face I face it with confidence, with a heart after His glory and His purpose and whatever my lot is in life, I will do it well.

Lions Den

When I faced my stroke,

there were many times I couldn't speak,

express my thoughts,

move or understand

but I knew one thing,

I was facing a circumstance for which I could only simply be still and let God do what He does best, turn hungry circumstances of potential great loss into a victory for which only God can be glorified. That is truly what He has done for me :) Just trust Him and keep on praying, keep on living the gospel message and let God do the impossible.

Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.

I Will Remember

~Lord Have Your Way~

I woke up this morning and realized how precious God truly is, sometimes the storms we face are but a turbulent storm that passes in the night and the light quickly comes and warms our faces and we are hardly fazed by our momentary trials. Then there are those moments that seem like an endless storm, as though we are right in the eye of it's deadly anger and we wonder will we survive, will we triumph. Our flesh becomes weak with fear and our minds are shaken by the darkened tide of endless tossing. For such a journey, such heartbreaking adversity does one find strength in God and quickly the weakness of mankind. It is God alone who can sustain us, bring us a lighthouse of hope that no one can put asunder! No torrential heartache, no mind numbing disappointments in our common soothing comforts that once stood by our sides so faithful. When the deepest cut of our trials bleeds us, it is Christ who is faithful, who is understanding, who is devoted in love, faithfulness in compassion. Remember that the storm you face will end someday, some time and in that trial of the heart, mind and soul; remember you are loved and God always has a plan!

Healthy Start

Morning breakfasts are a favourite of mine!

It's the time to pack the healthiest start

to your day and to do it with taste and style!

What I've Seen

We often struggle in our lives, the crux of our own shame

is when we start to believe that God just can't do

what He claims to do. We become distant and withdrawn or

we begin to believe God must be a cruel judge when in fact He shows us patience, love and above all else righteousness. We can easily be fooled by satan when he tells us "See you are worthless, useless and unworthy" Satan has only one job for any christian and that is to uproot whatever God has or is doing in their lives and he is fantastic at discouragement! Take heart and know that the most amazing thing about God is His desire to uphold you, restore you, help you to walk in love, mercy and in joy through Christ Jesus. We as christians are called to live a life that is abundant, not a life of what the world deems abundant but what God values as abundant and that is the beauty of God's love! He wants us to be humble and yet bold in His word, meek and yet courageous in truth. We are here for but a moment and then we are gone but how precious is that moment that we grow in the light of God's grace. We are all deeply loved in Christ Jesus and yes we are sinners but the power of the cross, the work that Christ has done redeems us and our testimony and life is in Him. So take heart and know you are His and His alone.

Do Not Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 

 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 

 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Excuses

Excuses

Heaven Bound

~Heaven Bound~ 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. John 10:10

I read this verse a while back and it shook me to the core, I realized that we
are all responsible for our actions, our choices and our inevitable destination.
Thankfully I chose life and if I had not, most likely I would have died in some
crazy violent way, I was a very lonely, angry human being. I was bullied
so badly as a teen that it made me hate myself deeply
and it carried on into my martial arts, pushing as hard
as I could until I was exhausted with anger. I eventually met up
with one of my bullies years later, after I became a christian as was shocked
at his appearance, he was nothing more than skin and bones with a hollow
look in his eyes. He had used drugs so frequently that it had aged him
and drew all the youth right out of him. He was just a shell of a human being
and all of a sudden I had nothing but compassion for him. God had
rescued me from a lot of pain and I am so grateful for His endless love.

Your Love

Bedrock Of Wonder

The Beauty, The Mercy, The Peace

Your Life, His Glory!

The crayons are the life that God has given you (symbolic) and the blowdryer is the hardships and difficulties you will face but God knew this and designed your life to be a beautiful work of art, a joyful praise to His love and mercy and above all else His victory in your life.

John 12:24

Laugh With Joy

When I had to learn how to read, write, walk and talk again, there was something so deep and so profound that God could only provide and that was the joy that surpases sorrow, that overcomes misery, that triumphs over adversity and that was and is the joy of the Lord; knowing that even in the darkest times God always brings the sunshine of His promises, the joy that overcomes the deepest valley. When I was able to literally laugh again, it was and is a sweet simple joy that I shall use until it is no more ;)

By Ernie Kasper ~ Stroke Survivor

The Light

Remember ;)

The Journey Of A Thousand Dreamers

This Is Called

~The Journey Of A Thousand Dreamers~

By Ernie Kasper

The Art In Me

This is called

~Coffee Break~

By Ernie Kasper

Half Way Alive

A Christian Needs To Go Much Further Than

Church On Sundays

Leaving Their Habits And Preferences At Home

They Need To Step Into The Apostles Devoted Call

To Reach The Lost

To Live The Gospel 24/7

To Bring The Peace That Passes All Understanding

It Transforms The Heart

The Life

The Actions Of The Soul

That Hears The Salvation Message

                                         By Ernie Kasper

Black Belt Truth

Leap Of Faith

Sometimes a leap of faith is the only direction we can go.

I've faced that very dilemma many times when dealing with my stroke and when I couldn't read, write, walk or talk it took me so amazingly far because I knew that Christ was with me through it all. I began making art, writing poetry, capturing photography and doing things such as martial arts, parkour and so much more. God does the impossible :)

In Him Remains The Truth

God Will Always Remain As God

Filled With Truth

And Uncompromising Wisdom

His Ways Are Above Our Ways

God Established Truth

And No Man Can Remove It

Love Everlasting

The Family Does Matter

In today's society, the family is being bombarded with so much sexuality, dogmatic opinions and well frankly "Do What Thou Wilt" behaviour which sadly reflects the satanic bible clearly. It sounds almost outright ludicrous when you think about it but in actuality, tv has become the big propaganda machine for indoctrinating youth for a whole new generation. The real issue isn't media as much as it is for #christians  to stand up and stand out on family values and really take an affect on this beast, called "Entertainment"
If we as christians don't speak out and actually support shows with good values and a safe environment for family viewing then it's time to abstain from these shows in order to get the message across to the networks who only look at their pocketbooks. Hurt them where it counts, in their profit margins and then support healthy tv and strengthen family values among our society as a whole. Now more than ever we are needing this change and this voice; to speak out against the wrong and support the healthy things like love, faith, hope and family values.
#family   #entertainment   #truthbetold  #randomthoughtsofaservant   #tv  

Your Cares, His Strength

     I remember as a teenager how burdened I felt, how depressed I often was, I felt the world was too big and I was nothing in all of it. I was always the one last picked in every game at school, chuckled at when I ran, walked, talked, laughed etc. I was the misfit who always felt unfit for acceptance. Those days were trying, difficult and extremely lonely days of hurt and pain; often I was praying and asking God for the help and strength to go through another day of bullying, rejection and so forth. One night as I was praying I remember seeing this verse and it really hit home for me, I simply need to cast my anxiety and my worries to Him because He CARES for me. That was a powerful moment, it didn't say that all heartache and rejection would simply fade away. What was important; what was the paramount thing to understand was this: God Cares For You... 

The World tells you if you want God to listen to you, then you need to earn it!

Well here is the beauty in a relationship with God who dearly loves us and like a father only wishes to give good things; His grace is sufficient and His love for us is relentlessly perfect. God sent His son into the world to set us free from the debt we owed, the price we could not pay, our tresspasses, our sins. When Jesus died on that cross He died for you and me and when He resurrected He established a right standing with God. You were worth that cost, that profound sacrifice, that amazing grace that was undeserved and yet it was freely given. So remember this, you are loved and God desires us to trust in Him; no matter the storm, the trials, the persecution. It's not a road intended for the blessings of earthly things but rather the joy in God's purpose, to reach the lost with the saviour! God takes care of His children and He will take care of you...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

                                                                                        Proverbs 3:5

Laughter Within, Hatred Without

     One thing I know for sure I'm really good with, is laughter! I know that way back when I was a teenager you would almost never find me smiling or laughing. There was a time when I was so sad and heartbroken, I was bullied all the time for my looks and my cloths etc. Strange how things change, when we survive something so unbelievably painful and suddenly we either see things in a whole new light or we fade away in anger. I chose to fly above the hatred, the contempt and learn to love and pray for those who treated me so horribly unkind. Amazingly I found a lot of love for those who I first couldn't imagine ever loving. My laughter is deeper than ever, my freedom is lighter than before and my burdens are quickly cast aside. The bible speaks of loving your enemies and in doing so you become a much more profound person of grace, wisdom and mercy. Remember, love covers a multitude of sin... ;)

My Treasure

     We so often get sucked into the rat race, the desire for wealth and prosperity. It either is coming from the media telling you to buy this car and you'll feel important to even some churches speaking about "The Prosperity" message. The problem is that Jesus, who was the most influential person in history, didn't have all the wealth in the world, though He could have had it. His goal was to save the world not His wallet. We are called to reach the lost and to speak to the hurting and to reach out to those seeking. Now the flip side is to understand that we deal with money in our everyday lives and Jesus knew this and in fact he spoke about money 11 out of 39 parables, so it was and is important. It's all about the focus, what is the real goal, is it to give God the glory or ourselves. Do we hide behind the "I'm doing this for God" card or are we actually doing it for God and not ourselves.
     Do we know who is our provider and do we lay everything at His feet, do we trust in Him when our wealth is great and when our wealth is scarce. Jesus walked in total reliance on God's provision but it was done in wisdom, prayer and in trust. Let's remember who really is the composer of our lives and for whom we really play the song, the symphony of praise. Lay everything at God's feet and take each day as it comes and pray in all things. God always has a better plan than what we could ever imagine.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

                                                Philippians 4:6

That Moment

There I was, feeling the immense pain, the throbbing, the mind numbing pain that almost took my breath away; it swept in like a flood and pounded like a jackhammer. Sometimes it would go to an ankle, then to an arm or a thigh and then back down to a knee. It was like someone cutting my body literally apart but no actual damage.
   This felt like a virtual game that I just couldn't shut off whenever I wanted, this game was playing in reality and I had no choice but to endure it, push through it, rise above it. The first few times it happened after my stroke I thought "okay, it's just a few times it will go away" but now it's nine years later and I'm still dealing with it on a regular basis but now I roll with the punches! It challenges me to see pain as only a guidepost, a marker, a banner that tells me to press forward, upward and onward. God has taught me a valuable lesson in all this suffering, learning to read, write, walk and talk again and what He has taught me is so deep and profound and it makes me smile, my faith is deeper than before, my courage is stronger, my persistence is tenacious and my trust in God's plan has only grown like a strong tree with roots that are deep. God sustains me and in my weakness He is strong and the glory goes to Him, my suffering is but a short while and when it's time for me to go home I will have a new body and my soul will praise Him for all the victories along the way!!!

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

                                          Isaiah 40:31

Training Is

Fork In The Road

     I love walking through the forest, taking the time to unwind and just smell the fresh air and hear the birds whistling and listen to the sounds of nature around me. It never ceases to amaze me how God designed everything so intricately, fine tuning everything to it's perfect purpose. I love how the trees give us fresh air and we give them carbon dioxide, just imagine if no one was around to help trees survive or vise versa! Everything was perfectly put in place to explain the glory of God's amazing wonder and we are blessed with His love. Every single time I walk into the forest I see the profound intricate details even in the smallest of things and know that God is a God of detail, of immense wisdom, knowledge, grace, beauty, splendor and so much more. One day as I was walking along a path I came to a fork in the road and suddenly thought of a few moments in life where decisions made a drastic difference in where I am today. I think of many of these moments where I prayed and learned to trust in God's plan over what I thought I needed to see. Sometimes the journey needs to be taken and the experience needs to be felt in order for the greatest impact, we don't always need to know everything but what we do need is a little more faith, a little more trust and a lot more patience. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

                                                                          Galatians 5:22

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

                                                                  Romans 1:20

Courage

Courage is always a tough thing, it requests and even demands immediate reactions at times, it's in those very moments that we choose to pursue the goal set before us or if we back down and let it pass by...

One thing is for sure, courage changes you, makes you see things in a bigger picture, lets you realize what is worth the sacrifice or not. Your character changes, your ideas change, your strength to pursue grows and grows with each advancing step. Courage can easily begin small but end in great big results of victory but it's a decision each and every time...

Making A Power Packed Training Muffin

Making power packed training muffins are just that easy and they are fresh! The house smells like the best bakery in the world and you can add whatever you like from your list of purchased healthy protein options. I simply heat up the oven to 400 and get out my silicone baking tray and use liners if I have them around and then mix my quaker low fat muffin mix (oatmeal) BAM!
Then I add my favourites like dark chocolate chips 50% or higher then I add Qia, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and sometimes I add sunflower seeds and walnuts! Bake it, freeze what you don't need now and bring a few in the vehicle! I like to bake a dozen and then take a few in the car for the kids. It's always a treat and you save on going to fast food places that never really fill you up but add lots of sodium and cholesterol. The great thing is you can buy little bags of organic mixed seeds etc and just add those to your muffins for a change up, or add honey to the muffins halfway through your baking process. Glaze it beautifully!

Morning View

     I woke up and looked at the drapes and thought what a dreary day and of course I was half asleep and feeling groggy. I went through my regular morning routine and prepared my coffee and came to the computer only to realize I hadn't even looked outside. I assumed it was dreary because I could only see dimly through a pair of drapes. I quickly pulled them open, only to see a beautiful sky of so many colours and a brilliant dance of light. How could I have almost missed the view!
    
 Life is like that at times, we assume something is nothing when nothing is actually something wonderful ;)

     We come so close to knowing the truth and yet we walk away because maybe it's easier to just assume but the problem in the end is that it's not the truth and it leaves you in the same place, no opportunity for change, a healthy change.
     God has so many things planned for our lives and yet we want our own way and we want it to be comfortable, routinely fixed and we just want to go through our day but the problem with that is that it's so short of what God truly has planned for us. There may be suffering and trials along the way but eventually there is a beautiful sunrise of change and a brilliant dance of colours filled with faith, hope and love.

     For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
                                                                              Jeremiah 29:11

Making Something New

One of my favourite things to do when cooking is making something new with whatever is in the kitchen, just going off of what I have in the fridge and making a great soup! The challenge I always have is making something that is gluten free because my wife has celiacs disease and it's a serious issue and so no gluten can touch the ingredients or contaminate anything pertaining to the recipe in any degree, not even the cutting board or the utensils. Today I'm making a beef stew and right off the bat I'm going to add water and salt to taste, I find that tasting the saltiness of a stew before adding the main ingredients is a fantastic way to set the rest up for a home run in a tasty meal!

After setting up the taste of the soup base then I progress to adding a teaspoon of garlic powder (or to taste) and then I grind some pepper (depends on how much pepper your family likes) then I throw in fried onions and six small potatoes chopped up into halves and I throw in half a cup of gluten free wild rice and a cup of chopped baby organic carrots and one stem of rosemary. After all that is done I do two swirls of gluten free mustard and then throw in two handfuls of chopped stew beef (preferably organic) then I let it stew for a few hours on minimum. After two hours you have yourself the most amazing stew!

In His Righteousness

We often think that somehow God's desire is to be the super genie in our lives, that somehow the unfruitful things we do will never be trimmed from our walk in Christ but the bible says the following

John 15:2
2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

What God does with our lives is maximize the potential for bearing fruit for His kingdom and He is the farmer over the fields of harvest. The amazing thing is in God's righteousness, His love and yet firm hand of truth. A farmer goes through his field and he looks at his vineyard and his farmland and he prunes what must be removed for the sake of the harvest and for the joy of our lives in Christ Jesus. 

Psalm 1:1-3 
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

The righteous are blessed continually, yes there is hardship, changing of season, drought, cold, heat waves etc. but they are planted by streams of living water and their fruit is in every season and that is worth rejoicing over! Remember that though you may be going through hardship, there is pruning and things are changing around you, don't forget God has a plan that is far greater than what you can see and He knows just how to make you bloom and produce fruit that will bring Him glory and you victory in Christ Jesus :)

Rejoice

This life is temporary and all it's trials are but a shadow when it comes to our eternity. God brings us peace in the most unlikely places, the most unbearable circumstances and it is in Him we have our hope, our joy and our strength.

In Him

How beautiful it is, to know that we have confidence in Christ Jesus, to speak to God with joy in our hearts. We know that God is a God of depth, love, compassion, understanding, righteousness and so much more. He hears us when we call on Him and He is a God of a personal relationship, not a distant grumpy person who doesn't care for our well-being. Know this, He hears you and is calling you into a life with depth and measure.

Why Me

     Those dreaded days when we go through the worst of times, the times where we feel like we are being pressed from all sides. We look for friends who can comfort us in our long journey but instead we find sour words and false judgement. The amazing thing through all of life's disappointments is God's hand of love. 

Under A Thousand Tears

   Sometimes we bear the weight of our deepest fears in silence. We put on a brave face and all the while we cry on the inside, we break into pieces, thinking, pondering, wondering if anyone knows our pain and do they really care. The bible says this in Psalms

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
                              Psalm 34:17-19
     The comfort we receive is in this very thing, that God is ever attentive, He is ever prepared to easily overcome anything we are enduring. He promises that He will deliver us out of all our afflictions. The great joy we receive is in knowing that God stands by His word, even to the cross! His mercy is ever enduring, ever compassionate and full of love and joy. We have hope because God does exactly as He promises and has never failed, His record is 100 percent perfect and He knows exactly everything there is to know about you and how to make all things new in His perfect grace. So take hope in this very thing, you are loved and that love that is so profound that it causes us to soar above the impossible, to do the very things we thought would leave us in the dust of weakness. God delivers! God Heals! God Restores! God Renews!

 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
                               Isaiah 40:31

The World Will Tell You

     The world will tell you "Don't Let Anyone Define You" but the actual fact is something always will. We are defined by our experiences, our circumstances, our thoughts, our goals etc. God says in the bible

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

                                2 Corinthians 5:17

     That in itself is truly beautiful and amazing to know! We are a new creation and if the old has passed away and we are new in Christ then of course we are defined by God our creator and the victory is in Jesus's victory at the cross. We no longer have goals that are our own but rather we are alive in him and our journey is in Christ. We live in His suffering and we also live in His victory! We are defined, we are something beautiful and precious in God's sight and how amazing is that joy. We live and breath as a new creation and everything we do is to the glory of God and by that we have our being. When Satan reminds you of your past, remind Him of your future ;)

You Will Never Be

Take The Step

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

Shattered Melody

America in 2017: The Truth is Being Hidden! (Shocking Events)

Never Stop

Never Stop Training!

You train your mind, you train your body and you train your expectations... Always reach further and farther, from one plateau to another!

Feed your mind and body the right food and practice, train hard
and go the distance never known...

In The Name Of

Forget what islam says... what I believe is that we should preach the beautiful message of the cross, not as people of arrogance or a betterment of society but rather as a humble people with love in our mouths, kindness in our hands and grace in our actions..

The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:31

If we stood for that simple truth would we want to kill others, behead others, stab others, desire the annihilation of others or would we be like a child wanting to share kindness, love, laughter, grace, peace...

                                                    Artwork By Ernie Kasper