I am blogging again!

Dear Friends, Family, & Blog Readers,

I will be honest I have not blogged in a really long time. One reason was I believe God was training me for the next season in my life and I like to blog about experience rather than theory. If you read any of my past blogs you know, I use to blog about reaching out to the poor, needy and outcasts of society. Through those experiences I learned how and why we should love people and try do the things Jesus did . I am not going to tell you what I think is going to happen in my life because I just want to let it happen. But I have this gut feeling, its not going to be boring and so I think I will start blogging again!

God is doing a new thing in my life with my spiritual life, my family and my business. I will probably talk about all of these subjects in up coming blogs. But first I would like to talk about one of the spiritual things that is going on in my life and there are many, but one is miracles. Tonight I went to a meeting and I can honestly and truthfully tell you I experience and saw three different types of miracles. Thats right miracles.

The idea of God and Jesus doing miracles is a nice idea! Right? It is a good feeling to think that our God can do miracles. Many Christians will say with their mouths that they believe in miracles. But let me ask you something, how many Christians or Church Pastors do you know trying to live it out and seeing the results to back it up? Now let me be real, some claim they are trying to live this out and it is weird, a scam or a trick, because it is not of God but of man created.

I right now would like to testify from my experience when its truely God and God heals someone first hand in front of you, it is not weird. Once you wrap your brain around the fact that God healed that person and he used someone you know personally to release this healing. Well my friends when I began to experience this first hand, I began to praise Him and stop to doubt what God is capable of.

Think about it. When a man or woman actually gets healed of a broken limb, or something crazy happens and a foot or arm grows out of their socket, or the deaf can now hear, the blind can see, the dead are raised from the dead. When you hear these stories of Jesus doing those things, you think, thats a great story. But what if I told you that those happen today where God is using ordinary Christians to do all of the above I just mentioned? Now you think I am a weirdo! But what if I were telling the truth? Yes, even raising people from the dead. Now you think I am a looney! But I want to reiterate, its true! Watch these two You Tube videos and maybe this will help you with your doubt or maybe you will keep doubting. Your choice!





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Same Video Above Just Edited Better

But hearing about miracles and seeing them first hand, well that is two different context experiences. Most people when you hear such stories you think is that really true? Did I just see a magic trick in church or wherever you were or are? Doubts rush in when you hear these things and this is something that I honestly cannot cure or convince you of. All I can say is I have more to lose than gain from telling you that these miracles have happened and continue to happen every week.

When people cannot understand something they sometimes fear it and so that causes them to control it and rational it in their minds. We like reading these stories in the New Testament, but seeing that God can use the children of God to heal the sick and crippled and prophecy over people. Or a person tells another person something about themselves they have never told anyone before. All of these things you might think this is weird because you tried to put Jesus and God in a box. Trying to put God in a box helps us try to understand Him and this for some reason gives us a false peace of mind.

The great thing about God is he is a gentlemen. He will not push His agenda on you. If you want to keep God in a box that you can understand then He will let you do that. But let me tell you something, I know from first hand experience that He does not live in that box. You live in the box! We imprison ourselves in trying to understand God when their is no way we could understand the vastness and powerfulness of God. If we are Christians and we believe in God, then we belive God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, but yet we have little faith that he can heal a person who has a broken arm today by using someone who is ordinary. What planet do we live on?

I am NOT going to tell you the miracles that I experienced tonight. I may soon though, but I want you to understand that my context is no longer trying to put God in a box. I have now released Him out of my box and now want to continue to see greater things happen than what I read happened in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I want to see God use ordinary people do extraordinary things through the power of the kingdom of God hear on earth. May what I saw and experienced tonight be small comparison to what I believe God has in store for us. I believe God is continuing to look for people who want to truely establish the fullness power of His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

Where pro-lifer's and pro-choicers go wrong?

Dear Blog Readers,

Election season is interesting! We find out who we like the best and then elect them as our representative of our nation and trust them to govern our nation by defending our laws and rights.

Many church types want to know who is pro life and who is pro choice. This is one of the factors that many base their vote on. Many pro lifers, like myself, want to defend innocent life. The likely arguement of the pro-lifers is you would never throw away a brand new porche, or destroy a 3 carot diamond earings, then why on earth would you destroy human life.

But there is a flaw that I believe is enrooted in every political and non political stance I know within the evangelistic movement. The church loves to hate sin because it says its wrong in the Bible. But the church has a tendancy to always forget about loving the person commiting the sin.

I think of a 14 year old girl, who comes from a broken home. The girl is then raped by a cerial rappist and she later finds out she is having his baby. All she wants to do is forget about this horrific moment in her life and she does not want to remember it every day when she looks at her child. She wants to abort!

This is a pretty good case on the pro-choice side of why we should have the option of abortion. Pro-lifers will then begin to preach and get on their soap box on why it is wrong to murder innocent life.

My stance is you both have it wrong. First take care of the girl by financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healing her and then help her through the process of deciding what to do with the baby. See I believe this is not a life or death question, it is a community of support question. I believe instead of judgeing and daming these women who are in this process of decision and instead show them love and support. I believe we will not only save their babies, but also save them as well, because the decision of keeping their baby alive and looking for alternatives will be easier when they have the support they need in the process.

To me the question of "is it right to be pro-life or pro-choice?" is the wrong question. To me the right question is "how can we eliminate the need to have abortions in the first place?".

This year my new years resolution is to listen to the broken and down and out because I believe if I listen more to them, I will begin to learn the wisdom of God.

Thanks for reading,

-Justin

The Two Commandments

Dear Blog Readers,

I have some friends that are bored with church. Some of them still go and others don't. Becky and I were talking about how, we're bored too! It not like I feel that my relationship with God has changed or is less than because it hasn't or isn't. I consider to have a strong relationship with God.

I don't think its because we need to go church shopping either! I just think that church has become a production that tries to keep people happy and I'm tired of it being so fake and predictable.

I was reading in the Bible the other night and I read about how Jesus said what the two most important commandments were in the Bible. "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind and soul and Love your neighbor as yourself."

This basic scripture is something I have heard so many times that it seems boring to read once again. But if you look into the heart and root of what Jesus was talking about, it is powerful! I believe that today the church and its members are not making these two commandments the focus of their lives.

Church has become about how good the worship team is, the preachers message, the way the church looks, who's in the church, how fast is the church service, and when can I start watching football and get some lunch. We judge the church service right after we go based on these parameters set by us. Sometimes its good and sometimes its horrible.

But tell me something, what if you made the scripture love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul your only purpose in life.

What would you do today if you decided to put this in to practice? What would you think about if you made Him your focus and you loveed God with all your heart, mind and soul.

But more than that if you put that into practice, who would you become? What would you do? Would you do anything differently? When your with your buddies, would you make different choices if you made this apart of your life? When you're at work, would it be different than how you are today? What kind of father, husband, wife, friend, neighbor, girlfriend, boyfriend or stranger would you be? When you're looking for companionship or friendship who would you want to be with if this was your focus? When you're looking for a job or looking for a place to live, if this was your focus, what would you do or where would you go?

Last but not least how would you're church experience as a congregation be different if everyone in the santuary wanted to make this their focus everytime they go? Would you care about the preachers message, or worship service, or how long it took or..........?

Then once you got that commandment pretty much under your belt, what would happen if you put love your neighbor as yourself into practice.

This means the clothes you just bought for yourself at Macy's, you then buy for a stranger too. This means buy food for the bum on the street by asking him to come to dinner with you at the restaurant you go to all the time. This means when you buy a new set of golf clubs or buy fancy jewelry, you buy those same things for a kid just starting to play golf or jewelry for the prostitue in downtown. You not only mow your own lawn, but you mow the neighbors as well. You don't do this for people who can pay you back, like your family, or friends, or boss. But you do this for people who could never pay you back.

What kind of person would you become if you put this into practice everyday? What kind of friends would you have if they became this way too? What kind of kids would you have if they became this way too? What kind of church would you have if they became this way too? What kind of country or world or city or neighborhood if they became this way too?

The majority of those who call ourselves "Christians" are not putting this into practice and maybe we need to call ourselves on the carpet and start looking how we can change this in our own lives. Jesus did not say these were options, he said these are commandments!

Thats all I have to say tonight! -Justin

Being A Banker

Dear Blog Readers,

My life as a banker is interesting. Everyday people from all walks of life come into the bank and when they have a problem, they see me! People line up before the bank opens just waiting to see me, so they can tell me their problems.

I deal with people going through a divorce, and I also deal with people preparing themselves to get a divorce. I deal with people who's husband, family member, or friend has passed away. Sometimes I deal with someone who has $1.67 in their account and is 66 years old and then the next client has $300,000 in their account and they are also 66 years old. I deal with the poor working class, disabled, and homeless all trying to survive and then I deal with people who has stayed awake at night because they lost some interest on their account, when they have over 1/2 million dollars. I deal with families fighting over the control of money and the distribution of money and kids who take their parents money and leave them high and dry.

I have learned two things working as a Banker. Money is the most emotional object there is and I would hate to be God.

Its true, money is so weird! Everybody wants more of it and it is the single object that is at the root of so many conflicts, problems and making dreams come true. It can make you happy or rip you apart. It can let you do things you never thought were possible and it could destroy everything you thought you had. You can have money in your one hand and then the next second it could vanish in thin air. People build fortresses with it, thinking they are indestructible, and then the next day everything they worked for is worth dirt and rubble.

I am caught in this spot where I meet all of these people everyday and I think I would hate to be God. Imagine being God. Some would say yeah being God would be cool, you can speak things into existance, you are in complete control, you can never die, and people from all over the world worship you.

But let me tell you, being a banker has let me seen the other side of the coin. Everyday billions of people gripe at God and they tell God, about all of their problems and how they want Him to fix them right now. And unlike a banker where you work 9 to 5, God hears this 24 hours a day 365 days a year with no vacation or break or retirement in sight. Having God's Job would suck!

Sometimes after a long day at work, I just feel all of these burdens have been spewed out before me and I am exhausted dealing with them for eight hours. This is the life of God and I am so glad he has that job because I am definately am not worthy of his grace, mercy, power, and ability. I am also glad that I can lay my burdens before him everyday and he enjoys being my friend and answering them.

Thanks for Reading,

-Justin Perry

I am the Reject

Dear Blog Readers,

Its been nearly 2 months since I've last posted a blog. Life has been full of work and I am starting a youth water polo team. I was also in a car accident and I've been healing from it. I also been consumed with the usual life normalcies.

But praise God because God answered my prayer. I asked for the perfect truck and God provided. I ended up getting another Ford Ranger. I'm stoked and glad that I serve the great God that I do.

I also want to praise God because Beck and I are just blessed. I have a beautiful home, a great job, a great boss, working at a great company. My water polo team thats forming has received blessing after blessing and I couldn't of married a better person than my wife.

God has literally taken us to the edge a few times on faith, but has always provided for our every need and came through in the end. Sometimes I think I forget the blessings that God has provided me and I am so thankful for each one of them.

I guess after being blessed with so much and a curve ball comes your way it's sometimes hard to take. Last night I found out that I am not going to be a part of something special that is going on in my family. I am not going to go into detail, but I feel that I am the reject.

The reject is a hard person to be especially when it comes from people whom you love. I guess Jesus was the ultimate reject. Oh not today, no today we praise Jesus because we believe he can help us, in which he can. But what if you didn't know he could help you, would you still worship him? What if you lived before Jesus came to earth would you still give him the time of day?

God sent his precious son to show the people whom who he dearly loved that he loved them. The people repaid Jesus by rejecting him and killing him on the cross. But then Jesus and God turned around and despite the horrible thing they did to him, he gave them the gift of grace and eternal life through the establishment of a relationship with him.

Last night I was cruising along in my nice shiny red truck and I went by a friends house. I got out and asked my friends "what they were doing" and they said "that were going to give apircots from their tree to their neighbors". They asked me if I would come and so we went. All of their neighbors are old lonely widows and each one of them greeted us with open arms.

They were so thrilled to have company and they in turn gave us things they have in their home. It was an awesome sign of community, giving to one another and showing love and respect.

I also saw that here are these great woman who built these amazing families and yet many of them rarely see them or hear from them. Rejection from people is hard, but rejection from your family is harder. But its awesome that we serve a God who has been through rejection and we can lead by His example.

-Justin

I went Homeless in San Francisco

Yes, it is true. Now I have gone out on Wednesday Nights to feed and pray for the homeless and others in Stockton. But last weekend I took it to another extreme and went Homless in San Francisco in the Bay View/ Cow Palace Area. Now if you know anything about the city, you know that Bay View is comparable to the crime in Compton, Inglewood, etc. And it was apparent that this is not a fantasy as we heard multiple guns shots between parties across the street three times during the night.

The reason for leaving my home to live on the streets in a cardboard box, to brace the elements of wind, cold, hunger, and to hear the sounds of gun shots, is I was with a group of people who were passionate about living for one night, how the kids are living in Uganda right now.

The experience was similar to a U.N. refugee camp with food rations, living communalily and hearing stories of the Uganda people. We left our homes for 1 night to live on the streets, but the Uganda people have been living this way for 20 years. Some of the participants said, "That's longer than I've bee alive". People as far as Las Vegas came to this event to stand up and try and put pressure on the U. N. and the United States government to bring peace talks between the Uganda Government and the Lords Resistance Army.

But this one night of becoming a homeless person wasn't just going on in San Francisco, it was going on in 15 cities across the country. 80,000 people came last year and because of that movement, schools were built, peace talks were made, and hope began to circulate that their could be end to this 20 year war.

This all came about because these 4 teenage boys went to Uganda Africa for a senior trip and saw first hand how this rebel group was abducting young kids and turning them into killing machines through a process of brainwashing, drugs, and making them kill. They documented their experience into a film called, "The Invisible Children". This movie has sparked a movement to begin putting a face and a story to the faceless people of Uganda.

This experience was eye opening as we felt a touch of how depressing it feels to be homeless, unwanted, and a reject of society. But it also gave me a sense of what a high calling Jesus had on his life. They called him a homeless rabbi because as he said, he had "no place to lay his head". Could you imagine that what you were called to do was be homless, heal people, become known as the Son of God, and then executed for the sake of the love your father has for you and me.

3 years Jesus did it. 20 years the Ugandan people have done it. I did it for one night.

An interesting experience with an interesting perspective.

-Justin

Do I have common sense?

Dear Blogster Readers,

Last night was an interesting night in the ghetto of Stockton. My pastor came out with me as our wednesday night group fed and prayed with people on the streets.

We clearly saw a women on some type of substance, probably heroin, and we went up to her and ask if she was hungry and if she wanted us to pray for her. I think all of us were supprised to see that as soon as I asked her, she grabbed our hands and wanted immediate prayer. Then after we prayed with her, she followed us wherever we went. I find it interesting that when people are clearly on drugs they follow us and many times want to be in our presence. But I think that it is not us that they want to be around, it is the Holy Spirit and God's presence that has a direct affect on them in their current mental capasity.

We went into Morman Slough which is a dried up revene that smells like urine and is very dark. We go down there because in pitch blackness under the overpasses, we ask if anyone is there and if they want something to eat. We found a couple sitting under a bridge and it was one of there birthdays. We gave them food and then sang happy birthday to her in pitch black, under a smelly bridge, in the ghetto of Stockton and made a woman named Evelyn smile.

My pastor said. "it takes a step of faith to go under those bridges" and then he also said, "some would say that we don't have alot of common sense". My reply was, "When did Jesus have common sense?"

Seriously, read what he did. Everything he did, apeared to as if Jesus had no common sense". His disciples were poor fisherman that could not support his ministry. He healed a blind man with spit and mud. He had plenty of chances to avoid dieing on the cross. He did not make friends with the religious people who could of supported him in his ministry. He hung out with sinners, outcasts, lowlifes, superfreaks, the very same kind of people we go and see on wednesday nights. Jesus had no common sense and he put his life at risk and yet, when people say their people of the faith, do they actually practice doing the things Jesus did or do they practive doing church.

My pastor also said something interesting, he said "it was a good exercise". I asked for clairfication because I thought he was talking about working out. But he was saying that it was a good thing to do, a good practice, a good thing to be reminded of. Exercise is an interesting term because it means a choir or trying to stay in shape. I began to be convicted that night because I often struggle with, am I doing what I am doing because it is an exercise or am I doing what I am doing because it is a lifestyle.

Jesus did not do what he did because he was exercising. Jesus did what he did because it was his lifestyle. He made it his lifestyle to love the broken, the poor, the blind, the lame, the outcasts and the sinners. He had no interest in creating a kingdom on this earth, but his interest lied in building a kingdom that was not of this earth.

Sometimes I think about what I am trying to build. The world wants you to build a kingdom of wealth, power, position, pretige, to be someone, or make a difference. Jesus' life reflects a world where you leave all of that and create a lifestyle on focusing on the things building a kingdom of heaven, which is the result of doing the things Jesus did and more on the earth today. But to do this you must leave this lifestyle of trying to build the kingdom on earth, but take a lower position and make a difference in this way.

I think even the church today is in this model of trying to build a kingdom on earth instead of doing the things Jesus did and to try and build a kingdom that may not look like much to our own eyes, but to God, it is like night and day.

-Justin