If you are not Christian then common sense says you probably wouldn’t know much about Christian views. Or what some people might think to be extreme. But, there’s nothing extreme or crazy about living a Christian life. It’s just living it in a more disciplined way.

 There are many different things that are looked upon by the Bible - from marriage to homosexuality, all the way to magic and witchcraft. Possibly the most common Christian view is to keep one’s self from sexual relations until marriage.  The Bible even has its own specific views about marriage; specifically, It does not condone same sex marriages.

 Although most religions believe that everyone should be married, the Bible never really talked about Jesus being married. Divorce is not usually looked at through Christianity, except for adultery. Most Christians would say to try to work through your troubles with your spouse.  Christianity also has been pretty up to date with things going on in the modern world. As scientists try to make new discoveries, some are even trying to clone humans and animals. Christians believe that one’s spirit is complete at the moment of conception; conception being from the union of a sperm and an egg. Any other form of offspring is not right. Cloning has been called, “man’s way to play God”.

 Now that you have learned some things about Christianity, you can see that it’s not very different when compared with other religions and beliefs; certainly not extreme.  The main thing is not what you know, but Whom you know; or more accurately, Who knows you. There will be more to come on being a Christian in future articles.

PleasuresForEvermore.com was started to offer one person’s views about our relationship to God, or to get us to ponder, what does God think about us? In the King James Bible, from Ephesians Chapter 1, verse 20, the Apostle Paul writes that God has “… set Him (Jesus) at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 6, Paul continues, “and has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” David wrote in Psalm 16, verse 11, “You (God) will show me the path of life: in Your Presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

According to Ephesians, who is at God’s right hand? Jesus AND us believers who have been raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What then, or who then, are the ‘pleasures for evermore’ as quoted in Psalm 16:11? WE ARE! Now this could be a new thought for a lot of folks … to think that we are pleasures to God for evermore. If so, good! That’s part of our goal, to challenge the way we’ve been taught or thought, and to open our hearts to new revelations from God. Really, they are not new revelations … just what’s been there all along, but brought to light by a fresh wind from the Spirit of God.

More to come later.

Traditional Thanksgiving has come to be known as ‘turkey day’. I, for one, am glad it’s over. I’m more of a steak guy myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the meal we had, the fellowship round the table with family and friends, and the giving of thanks to the One Who has provided all we have. We should be giving thanks not just on this holiday, but every day.

Think about it. Most of us in this country can enjoy products that provide clothing, shelter, medicines, fuel, and, yes, even the food we eat. But we need to be reminded that these products didn’t just appear in a store. They got there thanks to an immense network of farmers, pickers, packers, processors, scientists, regulators, brokers, truckers, shippers, warehousers, advertisers, bankers, nutritionists, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. Why shucks, as I work on this article, I think I’ve convinced myself that Thanksgiving should be more than just a one day holiday. It should be a week-long holiday … no, the whole month of November … no, a year long … no, a daily giving of thanks for the rest of our lives!

Thanks to all who have anything to do with all that I partake of and enjoy. Thanks to God, Who has seen fit to keep everything going for another day. It is my prayer that you will enjoy what you have while you have what you have and while you can. Above all, be grateful in all things. Amen.

America. Land of the free. Love it or leave it. Some hate it. Me? I was born here. Ancestors came from Germany, I’m told. Never been there. I have been in 49 states (all but Alaska), and Canada and Mexico. Have only heard or read about other countries, cultures and creeds. The following is not intended to cause an uprising or revolt; I’m only sharing from my point of view.

America has freedoms that others will never know. It has opportunities others don’t even know exist. We have so many things that I’m concerned: the things have us, not we them. The country is going in a direction that has veered from the paths our forefathers envisioned. There seems to be no direction at all; only discord and despair. We have the freedom of choice, but what’s the sense? What I choose is overruled or out-voted. We talk about change, but it’s really only ‘the same with a face lift’. The names change, but it’s more of the same … and worse.

But that’s what I love about this country. Somehow, in the scheme of things, it all fits into God’s plans. If we have our confidence and trust in Him, even through persecution or death, everything is gonna’ be all right! Ahh, thank God for freedom, even the freedom to express our opinions. For now …

With all the things going on in the world today, like terrorism, the struggling economy, viruses and syndromes, child pornography and mass destruction, it is a very frightening place to live in. It is a shame that today it is considered bad to be Christian. It seems that today we are always hearing about what us Christians cannot do, that we offend others. But yet others can bastardize our religion and we are to say nothing.

I can truly say that I love being a Christian and find many pleasures in living a Christian life. It saddens me to see the overall emptiness and lack of fulfillment in most people’s lives. Today there is a clear sign of the decline of work ethics and family values. Living a Christian life has given me many blessings and the promise of the Lord. We shouldn’t rely on things of the world to make us happy. The real path of life is in following the Lord. The pleasure of being Christian is not only joy, but fullness of joy (Ps.16:11). Being true to me and true to God is a blessed thing. I know that my religion has brought me happiness and hope in troublesome times. Being Christian has opened up my mind to see the wrong doings in the world and has led me to the truth. I am a stronger person today walking with God than I ever was before.

Do you realize what all is available to you? Things that are taken for granted today, didn’t even exist just a short time ago! I’ve been around for a few years, so let me remind you of some of what we have.

Radio, television, motion pictures, washers, dryers, refrigerators, electric stoves, ovens, microwave ovens and the meals to go with them, computers, the internet, cable tv, satellites, telephones, cell phones, dish networks, digital hearing aids, pace makers … and the list just goes on and on.

As a child, the first big ‘thing’ I remember was the introduction of television. Yeah man, big, bulky boxes with black and white screens that took minutes to warm up and forever to turn off. And as I reflect, I can still see Mom laboring with the old scrubboard. Then came the wash machine with the tub and ringers. She’d hang things to dry by the wood stove, which was also used to cook with as well as for heat. The refrigerator replaced the old ice box we had. Oh boy, should I go on? All the items in the list above were replaced with something else we had been using previously. Things that were time savers, like the computer replacing the adding machine and the typewriter. And all the replacements were for the better, except, they weren’t built to last – for durability nor for up-to-date technology. If you’re reading this, I think you’d have to agree. What a pleasure it is – modern technologies, even with their rapidly increasing shortcomings!

Pleasures For Evermore.com was started to offer personal views about our relationship with God, or to get us to ponder, What does God think about us? In the King James Bible, from Ephesians Chapter 1, verse 20, the apostle Paul writes that God, “has set Him (Jesus) at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 6, Paul continues, ” … and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In Psalms 16, verse 11, David writes, “You (God) will show me the path of life: in Your Presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Question: according to Ephesians, who is at God’s right hand? Answer: Jesus and believers who have been raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What then, or who then are the ‘pleasures for evermore’ as quoted in Psalms 16:11? WE are! Now this could be a new thought for a lot of folks … to think that we are pleasures to God for evermore. If so, good! That’s part of our goal, to challenge the way we’ve been taught or thought, and to open our hearts to new revelations from God. Really, they are not new revelations … just what’s been there all along, but brought to light by a fresh wind from the Spirit of God.

More in store. Come on back, ya hear?

I would never have thought that I would enjoy being the ripe old age of 64. As I look back on my life I can truly say I have found great pleasure in growing older. Aging is often looked at as a negative experience to some individuals but once we overlook the physical changes, we can retain our youthful attitudes and focus on the many pleasures of life that lie ahead.

As I look to retire from the 40 hour work week, and look forward to the 24 hour a day, seven day a week personal responsibility, I am looking forward to this transition and believe that it will be fruitful and exciting for me. I love the idea that I can enjoy each day and I will be able to schedule my off days and vacations to my satisfaction. I am ready to throw the alarm clock out the window because it will no longer rule my day. I have put in my time and it is now time for me to reap all the benefits of all that I have sown. I plan to structure a new lifestyle, and I will focus my time on self exploration and utilize each day to my own satisfaction. I plan to enjoy each day to the fullest until the day that my time is up, then I will check out to my eternal vacation.

I have often wondered how so many people can live life with no concern for others. I have tried to live life by doing good because I find that it is good for the soul. I find great pleasure in helping people in need whenever I can. I grew up in a simple household where both my parents lived and struggled to make ends meet. My parents always taught us to be generous and to give unselfishly. We didn’t have a lot of money but we always donated to people in need, whether it was money, clothing, or help in the fields, or chores in general.

I think if everyone would live their lives with thoughts of others rather than over indulging in their own wants, this place would be much better. Happiness is not about just getting things for ourselves. There is a greater pleasure in participating in meaningful activities and helping others. It’s just a good feeling, being able to help others. Joy comes from true love for others, and knowing when and how to be available to help when help is needed.