Suicide Is Not The Answer, It Is Only Passing The Buck To Others!

This blog may be a wee bit long.  But I have never posted a blog on a more important subject.  If this will help even one person make the right decision, it is time well spent.

Recently my nephew, Brad Gray, raised a two part question on a very sensitive subject, "Why do people commit suicide?" and "How do we help them?"

In my 37 years as a Christian believer I have discovered that the vast majority of pastors and church elders avoid that question like a plague.  And even with those who hear the question, most will dance around it, but never give a direct answer.

I vividly recall almost 20 years ago while listening to Pastor Chuck Smith on the KWVE Christian Radio talk show "Pastors Perspective" - a lady called in and asked him, "What happens to a believer who commits suicide?" 

Pastor Chuck danced around the question - but never gave the lady a direct answer.  Over the years I have heard Pastor Chuck address virtually every issue with a straight answer.  But not that day.  Why is that?  Let's talk about the issue of suicide.

I cannot blame them, for that question is a two edge sword: 

If Pastor Chuck had told her the truth, that the Bible assures us that a believers cannot lose our salvation, even if he commits suicide - the person may take that as permission to take his own life.

On the other hand, if Pastor Chuck had told her that the person committing suicide will be lost and go to hell - he would be lying to her, he would be deceiving her and denying the promises of Jesus Christ in the Bible.  :So what to do?  The easy way is to avoid the question at all costs.  And that is what most spiritual leaders do.

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Brad Gray posted on Nov 13, 2024:

Heavy on my heart, so here goes! .  .  .  .   This is a real problem.  Twenty-two (22) Veterans each day surrender to their demons.  And its not just a Vet issue.  May I please get two friends or family members (out of all my Friends) to share this post?  Someone’s life may depend upon it.  #SuicideAwareness - CALL: 988 
 
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And I respond to Brad's post:

Hi Brad Gray, That is a subject which has been on my heart for many, many years, since I was saved 37 years ago. Not that I feared it for myself, but because it goes to the heart of the Gospel question: "If a person is a true believer and takes his/her own life - do they lose their eternal salvation?"

About 35 years ago I was in a Bible study and a young lady I did not know from our regular group was there. I am not sure if she knew of our study and came alone, or if she came with someone.

But as we were preparing to start our study and still chatting, she asked a question which seemed to weigh heavy on her heart, "If a person commits suicide, is that person lost forever?" The way she asked that question, I had a strong sense that the question was not for herself, but that she had recently lost a friend or loved one to suicide.

One of our college age members told her, "1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us, 'Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?' " And the rest of his comment I cannot remember accurately, but it was something like, "That person was not killing only himself/herself, but was destroying a temple of God, and is lost." Shortly after that the lady left and never came back. I often wondered about her and the burden she obviously shared and wanted help in understanding. And I felt that we as a Christian group - had let her down. Possibly a member of our group reached out to her, maybe the person who brought her - but I do not know what became of the lady. And that was a failure on the shoulders of our Bible study group. That young college student in our church went on to become a pastor in later years - and I have not found a time, or place, to discuss his response to the distraught young lady. I will say that he has become a very good pastor. Over the years I have considered her question. And I have found that is it a question which most pastors and Bible study leaders would rather avoid. Yet in going to the Bible we do find a positive answer. I do understand a pastors' hesitance to give an answer. If he tells the person, "Yes, that person is lost" that obviously adds to the burden of the person asking the question.
If he says, "No, the moment a person believes and receives Christ as Lord and Savior, that person has His immutable assurance that he/she will NEVER lose their salvation, but has eternal life." That would be the correct Biblical answer.

But I recognize the burden of the pastor in giving that answer directly. He has to wonder if the person asking the question will take his answer as permission to commit suicide? Or if the person is truly concerned about a friend or loved one. If the former, that is a question which can come back to haunt a pastor. So most avoid it. As a believer for 37 years, I have heard only one man of God who spoke the Biblical truth on that subject, the late Dr. Harold Sala, in one of his 5 Minute Devotionals which he shared on the radio and in person, around the world. Dr. Sala assured people of God's love and promise of eternal life - but also assured people that even when you feel that all is lost - God will still provide a way out of any of your problems - if you will let Him. These Bible verses/passages are God's absolute, immutable promises that a child of God, no matter how big your problem, no matter if a person who has believed attempts to walk away from God like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) - God is always beside him/her and within, aka, indwelling, that person. And God, like the loving father in Luke 15, will always welcome the wayward son/daughter home:

John 3:14-15, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up - so that everyone who believes will HAVE eternal life in Him." John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but HAVE eternal life."
John 6:40, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will HAVE eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” 1 John 5:13, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you HAVE eternal life."

And the following passage is God's promise that NO ONE, not even the believer himself/herself, can snatch a believer from the hands of God:

John 10:27-28, "My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (28) and I give them ETERNAL LIFE, and they will never perish; and NO ONE will snatch them out of My hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."

Over the years I have waited for some pastor to present the subject of suicide in a straightforward Biblical way.  I always had great respect for Pastor Chuck Smith, but that one time I was disappointed in him. 

When he was on the KWVE Christian Radio talk show "Pastors' Perspective" and the lady called in asking if a person who commits suicide is lost.  That is one time I heard Pastor Chuck dance around a question without really giving a Biblical answer.  I understand why he did, but I was still disappointed.

The one man who did not disappoint me was Dr. Harold Sala of Guidelines International.  The following is the answer he gave in a 2016 Guidelines 5-Minute Commentary.  

I share his 5-Minute Commentary in full so that you may see that Dr. Sala was speaking Biblically when he shared that the person will not lose his/her salvation - and yet Dr. Sala shares Biblically that this person will still have to stand face-to-face with God, Jesus Christ, and give answer from his failure to believe in God's healing love:

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WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF SUICIDE?
Dr. Harold Sala, Guidelines International Ministry
Series: Guidelines For Living - Date: June 23, 2016
https://www.guidelines.org/sermons/god-think-suicide/

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). 

As (a) police chaplain, Dick Johnson is often called to assist families when someone takes his or her life. 

Johnson tells how he was summoned to help following a suicide-homicide.  As he walked into the home where the tragedy had taken place, the body of a young woman lay on a sofa, an unopened Bible on a table only a few inches away.

Johnson said, "What a tragedy!  There the Bible was laying on the table, with all the answers you would ever need."

For the person who takes his life, suicide has become an apparent solution to a situation that he or she believes is absolutely unbearable.  It is the ultimate and final act of despair.  To those who must pick up the pieces of shattered hopes and dreams, that act is a great tragedy.

There is one more viewpoint, however, which must be considered.  How does God view the taking of a life?  That question, obviously, must be considered because the taking of a life brings an individual into direct confrontation with God and a person's eternal destiny.

If there is no God, then that question isn't important.  But if God stands on the other side of the threshold of death, you need to face that question: "How does God view suicide?"

The Bible mentions eight individuals who committed suicide, with Judas being the most notable in the New Testament, and King Saul, who fell on his own sword in disgrace, being the most notable in the Old Testament.

Christianity and Judaism have uniformly condemned suicide, pronouncing it self-murder.  Roman Catholicism historically has viewed suicide as a serious sin which sends a person to hell.  Protestants, however, generally view it as a sin for which a Christian must give account but not one which keeps him or her out of heaven.

But how does God view suicide?  That's the real question.  What I'm about to say is conjecture, but I think that God would meet someone at the door of heaven and say something like this.

"Son, daughter, I wasn't expecting you just yet.  It's not your time.  Remember, I said in My Word, ‘It's appointed once to die,’ and this wasn't your time.  I had planned so much more for you, things for you to do, things to enjoy, things to experience.  I so badly wanted to help you, to show you a way out of your difficulty; but you wouldn't turn to Me, you wouldn't give Me a chance.  You gave up on Me before I could lead you out.  You didn't understand that with Me there is never a situation which is beyond My grasp."

I think God would add, "I'm saddened because of what happened.  I'm also grieved because of the pain your death has caused to your family and friends.  Oh, you didn't know there were so many people who cared, people who would grieve your death?"

"What you did was wrong - there's no justification for it.  The taking of a life, even your own life, is My right, not yours.  But I sent My Son who died for the sins of the world - even for the sins of My children who believed on My Son."

Would God slam the door of His heaven to a believer who takes his or her life?  Personally I don't think so.  There is a better way: trusting God to meet you at the point of your pain and show you (a way) out of your difficulty.  That plan is found in the pages of His Word, the Bible.  Don't leave it laying on the table.  Read it today.  Resource reading: Psalm 34

The excerpt below is from another resource on this subject from Dr. Sala: SUICIDE – THE CRY OF THE DESPERATE Dr. Harold J. Sala - Guidelines International Ministry Series: Guidelines For Living - June 20, 2016 https://www.guidelines.org/sermons/suicide-cry-desperate/

"Dear Dr. Sala,” begins a letter from a very discouraged friend of Guidelines, who neither gave his full name nor an address. Jason tells about a broken home and the heartache he has experienced as his dreams and hopes fell apart. He says, “Many times before I left, I cried to God and begged him to save my marriage. What happened? Where was He? Why didn’t he knock some sense into us?”

He described his ordeal as a long valley through which he was walking and then, thinking about taking his life, asked, “How long are valleys supposed to last? Would you address the subject of suicide?”

For many today like Jason, suicide seems to be the trap door that delivers you from the dark valley of depression and difficulty, but is it really?

Is suicide a problem-solving technique that puts an end to a bad marriage, or to suffering, or loneliness - or is it only the means of inflicting greater suffering on those who are part of the network of our lives – people we often don’t think really care, but who may care, far more than we know? . . . .

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Can I, Bill Gray, understand the desperation of a person who has reached bottom and finds it hard to see an open door or window anywhere? Absolutely! Let me tell you about my times in the valley of darkness which I tread several times, as a believer.

I began my computer career in August 1958, fresh out of the Air Force. Over the next almost 50 years I had great successes, as a Computer Field Engineer, as a Computer Sales/Marketing Engineer, even rising to the position of Director of Sales for a California computer company. But after about 40 years, I began to see the computer industry beginning to change, drastically. In the days of the expensive computers used in business, science, research, etc. - computer companies could afford to send technically qualified Field Engineers and Sales Engineers around the world and all across America selling and repairing those computers. Seemingly overnight I saw the sophisticated computer sales market dying and being replaced by telephone sales people who knew some technical terms and words, working on commission.

One company where I worked briefly, CMS Enhancements, had contracts with Seagate, a large disk drive manufacturer, to take one million dollars a month in new disk drives. Pallets of hard drives came in the front door - and had to be moved out the back door to customers - so that CMS could make room to take in the next month's million dollar in drives. I actually saw them sell pallets of disk drives for less that they paid for them - just to make room to meet their contractual commitment to take the next month's quota. It was crazy. I asked the president, Jim, how his sales people earned commission when the product was sold at a loss.

Commission was based upon a percentage of net profit - with net loss there is no commission. Yet the sales people were pushed to get the product out of the door, regardless of price. And when they did sell for a net profit - it was so small - which meant the sales person's commission was small. I was in a different division of the company. But my division was indirectly supported by the Volume Sales group - and eventually was closed. Even though in a number of companies over the years I had been successful, closing a number of million dollar sales - that world suddenly disappeared and was taken over by the net profit/net loss companies - and I had no place to go. I found periods between jobs beginning to grow longer and longer - at times up to a year of unemployment. During that time I would send out resumes, then follow-up with a phone call, but to no avail. Even though I had researched and found the right persons of authority in those companies - they would not even take my phone calls. Desperation time kept raising its ugly head, but I stayed persistent, even after a year.

Then in one week suddenly I had three companies responding and wanting to talk. I told Dory, "All three companies look good. Regardless of money offered, the first to offer gets me!" And I did find the right company, an Ireland based company with American headquarters in Atlanta - and they wanted to talk with me in person. I packed enough for a two week stay, for I was determined to close this sale - and I flew to Atlanta. I met with several officers of the company, then sat down with the president who happened to be there from Ireland.

I smiled when he asked, "I know in America we are not supposed to ask this question, but how old are you?" I told him, then he broached the question of the starting base pay I had proposed, saying, "We do not pay the sales people here that much." And I told him, "Georgia is not California."

That day I accepted their job offer to be Regional Sales Manager and thanked God for providing this opportunity after such a long dry spell of unemployment. As it turned out, the other two companies which had expressed interest in me - were not in business a year later.

Yes, God did guide my decision making, even though at the time one of those companies was offering more money, but had not made an offer yet. With His guidance, I chose the right company. But, what if in despair I had given up before that window of opportunity opened - and ended my life? Did that thought enter my mind? Yes, but what a waste that would have been, and what a burden for my family. Suicide is not the answer. Yes, you will be in His presence, yet with a few questions you must answer when you stand before Him. Do you really want to meet your Savior with your head hung low? God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day, Bill 

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Have You Experienced This?

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THIS? ~ I almost burst into laughter when I saw this cartoon, thinking, "Oh no, art imitating life again!" Not because I am dissing prayer - for that is the time we are speaking directly to God, thanking Him, praising Him, and asking for His continued blessings. So no, I will never speak bad of prayer.

But I have discovered a new kind of prayer. I call it Gen Z Prayer - and it is one of the negatives birthed by the advent of the iPhone generation. Forget going to church holding a Bible, or praying from your local church printed prayer list - no need, they, and many others, are in your iPhone. Forget praying from the heart - no need, a list of hundreds of prayer recipients has been sent to your iPhone by your pastor or prayer meeting leader.

Believe it or not, I experienced this phenomenon as early as 1990 - brought to us via e-mail and the internet. In 1990 I was a relatively new believer (1987) and seeking knowledge and leadership wherever I could find it. Brings to mind an old song "Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places." But besides my home church, the Fil-Am Church of Irvine - I discovered Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa's KWVE K-Wave Christian Radio. There I found Pastor Chuck Smith and many other great Calvary Chapel pastors.

Unfortunately I also found my way onto the CCCM Prayer List (Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa) which lists hundreds of folks to pray for - by name only. Once again I am not dissing prayers for our missionaries - but since I am not familiar with each of them personally, wouldn't a prayer for God to protect, provide for, and encourage "ALL our missionaries" as a group be more effective - for God does know each of them personally, while we do not. Then we could concentrate on praying for the needs of our local brethren, whom we do know.

And I have experienced this Gen Z phenomenon in more recent years. I was attending the combined Bible Study/Prayer Meeting of a local church and right away found that their prayer meeting was a Gen Z iPhone Prayer Meeting.

After a devotional, we would break up into small groups for prayer. I would seek out one particular group, for my blessed, intuitive, dear Friend/Brother, Danny, sensed my discomfort in trying to pray into an iPhone - and allowed me to only do the closing prayer. But still, sitting there listening to people read names (almost like reading from a telephone book, another blessing unknown to most Gen Z brethren) - could lull one into a short nap.

Once again, I am not dissing prayer, for prayer is like having God on your Speed Dial, always there. While I have been comparing the impersonal iPhone prayers to "let's hold hands and pray" type prayer - a beautiful memory came to mind. Circa 2000, Dory and I had gone to an evening service at the Fil-Am Church of South Orange County - and as was usual, Pastor Sam Lacanienta had a short devotional at the rear of the church before the service began.

Dory and I were in that group and when Pastor Sam asked us to choose a prayer partner for prayer - a young boy about 10 years old, Eduardo, asked if he could be my prayer partner and I was thrilled that this young boy would ask an older man to be his prayer partner.

Eduardo and I went to another pew and I offered an initial prayer, then Eduardo began to pray. He prayed for a while and then sat silent for a period of time which I took as time for a closing prayer. When I began, a blessed thing happened - I heard Eduardo saying, "I was not through yet!" And through a big smile, I told him, "Please continue."

Later the week, Dory and I attended a Youth Bible Study at Eduardo's home. Right away I noticed that Eduardo, the youngest in the group, was the one most actively leading the study. Talking with his dad later, I told him, "I believe you have a future pastor in your family."

Yes, all of these thoughts rolled out of my mind when I saw this cartoon. And the thoughts have blessed me.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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My God Is Real, In My Life, In My Heart, In My Soul - Do You Know Him?

Mary Gray, My Sister-In-Love, Shared The Graphic Below ~  And not only did each of these affirmations resonate with me, I can name specific times when I know each occurred.

1. I Have Felt God's Loving Arms Around Me:  In 2020 Dory and I were helping our pastor hold Bible Studies at the Vintage Terrace Senior Apartments in Corona, California.  A number of the residents there were members of our Fil-Am Church of Corona (now CICF) and that gave us a good base for Bible studies in the apartment complex.

At one Wednesday Morning Bible Study, a gentleman, Frank, showed us black wart-looking growths on his face - and shared that they were confirmed to be cancer.  A couple of days later, I began to notice my comb snagging on something in my right temple sideburn.  When I looked, it was a black growth much like on Frank's face.  I had never noticed that growth before.  Yet here it was, snagging and bleeding when I combed my hair.

I showed it to Dory and we agreed that I should see a doctor right away.  That night as I lay in bed, I placed my finger on the growth and prayed that God would remove it.  Immediately I felt a warm glow wash over me, a peaceful feeling as though God was telling me that my prayer had been heard.  I rolled over and peacefully slept like a baby. 

The next day the growth was a little smaller, the following day a bit smaller yet - and on the fourth day - it was gone completely.  But God left a white discoloration where it had been, maybe to remind me to be thankful?

Atheists and other skeptics on the TimesDaily Religion Forum began to ridicule me when I shared my story, smirking such comments as, "Bill has a magic finger!" -  "Bill has been drinking too much of that Jim Jones cool-aid!" -  and on and on. 

A few years ago I shared this story with a Baptist pastor friend and showed him the white discoloration.  He said nothing, just turned his head and walked away - obviously questioning my sanity.

That is okay, for I realize this was a special moment between God and me - so if folks refuse to believe me, that is not a problem.  For when I see that discoloration, I just smile and thank God.

2.  I Have Heard His Voice: In 1993, my step-father moved my mother from her comfortable home of 50 years in Alabama - same phone number, same address, same neighbors - for 50 years.  Mom had previously, over a couple of years, had several strokes, but had recovered from all and was still able to function well.   But he used the excuse that her several strokes over the past couple of years left her confused. 

He sold her home and moved her to Little Rock, Arkansas, so he could be near his daughter.  I was angry, but said nothing.  A couple of months after moving her to Little Rock and using the money from selling her home to buy a mobile home - he and his daughter put her in a nursing home.  I was furious and it is probably for the best that I was not near him then.

While I was fuming inside, furious, I felt God reminding me, "You prayed for a way to make sure she is saved.  This is your opportunity."   Did the Holy Spirit speak to me audibly?  No, He spoke to my heart - and I heard Him loud and clear. 

For 20 years my step-father had her in the Herbert W. Armstrong cult church.  And even after 20 years she was shocked when I told her that Jesus would forgive any and all sins that a person commits - past, present, and future - even murder, if that person would believe.  Her response, "I didn't know that!"  After 20 years in the cult church, she did not know that Jesus died to forgive ALL our sins.

I called the nursing home in Arkansas and asked if there was a Baptist church in the neighborhood.  I was told there was one next door - and they did Bible studies at the home.  I called the pastor and told him about my mom.  He took her a Bible and got her involved in their Bible study.

A month or so later he and I were talking and he told me, "Bill, I led her in prayer to receive Christ, but I am not sure she understood."  I told him, "I know, pastor, that is why I have not tried over the phone."  So when my mom had a final stroke, was in a coma for several days, and then passed away, I had no confirmation that she was really saved - and that was a burden on my heart.

It was maybe a month after the pastor and I talked that she had a stroke and was in a coma.  I flew to Little Rock and after a few days when she did not wake up,  I went for a walk in the evening - and  as walked I was praying to God, "Lord, I am in a dilemma, I want to be with her if she awakens, but I don't know how long to stay.  Many folks stay in a coma for months or longer - and I have to go home, back to work.  But I do not want to fly home and then be told she passed away while I was traveling.  What am I to do?" 

I walked back to where I was staying - and ten minutes later the nursing home called to tell me she had just passed away.  That was God answering my prayer question.  He knew it was time for her to come home.  We transported her back to our hometown in Alabama on Wednesday - and on Thursday evening we had her Viewing. 

Before the people arrived, I went into the room where she lay to be alone with her.  As I was standing looking at her, I heard a voice as clear as if I were standing and talking to you.  The voice said, "Do not worry, she is with Me now!"

Friends who know me will tell you that I am a very conservative person, both in my personal life and in my Christian faith.  Yet I know, beyond all doubt, that the Holy Spirit spoke to me that evening - audibly.  Why was I so blessed?  Only God knows the answer to that question - but I am so blessed and thankful that He did give me that assurance. 

The next day when my Friend, Pastor Vince Arnaldo, called from California and I shared about that moment with him - his immediate response was, "Bill, that is His Blessed Assurance."  And I had to agree with him.

Later I asked my brother, Bob, if he had heard His voice that night, and he had not.  Never before and never since have I actually heard the Holy Spirit speak to me audibly.  But that night I did - and it was not that I was waiting for it, nor was I expecting such a miracle. 

I went into the room just to share one last quiet moment alone with her.  But we were not alone, He was with us.  That night God gave me a miracle of assurance that i will see my mom again some day.  And for that I am forever grateful to Him.

3. I Have Witnessed His Work In My Life:  I have had an exciting career in the computer industry, almost 50 years.  The first 12 years as a Computer System Field Engineer, most often the go-to guy when the local guy could not fix a problem.  Then I moved into Computer Sales as a Sales Engineer.  In both aspect of my career, I met many amazing people and was involved in many interesting applications of computers.

During those episodes of my career I would travel, meet with clients or prospective clients, to make their computer run again, or to talk face-to-face with them to understand their need and suggest the right computer product to fit that need.

Then one day I began to notice a major change in the computer industry.  Knowledgeable Sales Engineers who could visit clients, sit with the clients, and help solve their problem - became a thing of the past. 

Overnight all sales were done over the phone, often with sales people who knew only ten technical words and was working on straight commission and had to sell a volume of products to make a living.  And for repair forget the Field Engineer going to the client's site to solve a problem - ship it back to the dealer or the factory and wait until it could be fixed or replaced. 

Helping a client solve his problem by sitting down with him was gone forever.  Now it was, "How many can I ship you and how soon do you need them?"   Volume became the key word.

I worked for a while for a company in Orange County, California, which had a contract with disk supplier Seagate.  The company was obligated to take one million dollars a month in Seagate disk drives.  Each month, Seagate shipped them a million dollars of drives stacked on pallets.  It was up to the client company to have room for all those pallets of disk drives.  Basically it was push last month's pallets out the back door - to make room for more pallets coming in the front door - contractually.

The pallets received the month before must be out the door to customers - or the company would have no room for the new pallets.  I saw the company sell pallets of drives for less than cost - just to make room for the incoming million dollar order.  It was crazy. 

I asked the president of the company, "If you are selling products for less than cost, there is no net profit.  Your sales people work for a percentage of net profit.  When the net profit is negative, how are your sales people earning a commission?"  His answer, "Oh, we work something out."  What?  Increase the net loss?

During that period, I sometimes found myself being unemployed for long periods, at times as long as a year.  It was a new world for me.  But Dory and I never lost hope, for we knew that God was working in our lives.  How well I recall one Sunday when Dory and I drove down to Laguna Beach after church just to walk on the beach and relax. 

As we were leaving the beach I stopped to put gas in the car.  I pumped $5 of gas, which at that time was almost a full tank, not today.  After getting gas, all we had left was the change in my pocket.  But Dory and I were not stressed, we just put our faith in God and relaxed.

Sometimes God would provide our needs through our daughter, Lana.  Other times it seemed as though our needs were met - and looking back, we are not sure now where that came from, but we know it was God working in our lives. 

I remember one Sunday we were at our Fil-Am Church of South Orange County where Pastor Freddy Cortez was the senior pastor.  Dory and I had not said anything to anyone about needing money.  But as we were all getting ready to leave church after the service, Pastor Freddy's dad, Fred Sr., shook my hand and left a folded $20 bill in my hand. 

Just an act of goodness and Godness on his part, but it was really appreciated by Dory and me.  I will never forget that blessed handshake.   Thank you and God bless you, Fred Cortez, Sr.

4. NO ONE Will Ever Convince Me That God Is Not Real: I recall once when we lived in Orange County, I was in our family doctor's office waiting to have an x-ray.  Since I was alone in the room, I started looking around and noticed a chart of the wall which showed the muscular structure of the human body - not the organs, not the skeletal structure, not the massive number of nerves.  In other words the chart showed very little of the amazing human body - yet it was full showing only the muscular structure. 

I remember looking at the chart and wondering how any doctor could have that knowledge, and justify not being a Christian, not believing in God the Creator.  The level of complexity found in the human body could not happen by chance, no matter how many millions or billions of years Evolutionists and Old Earth Creationists might attribute to science.

And over the years as I have debated with atheist, agnostics, and vanilla-flavored non-believers - I am more convinced that even the atheist really knows that God is real.  But they deny Him for one reason, they fear they will not be in control of their lives if they turn to God.  When they say God is not real, they are really convincing themselves, more that we who share with them.

The beautiful hymn written by Kenneth Morris in 1944 says it best:  "My God Is Real"

There are some things I may not know,
There are some places I can't go,
But I am sure of this one thing,
My God is real - for I can feel Him in my soul.

I thank my beloved sister, Mary, for sharing this graphic, causing me to look inside, causing me to remember and Thank God for patiently proving His love for me through those long 50 years I was walking with the world before believing - and for reminding me that He has always been with me, even when I was running from Him. 

Like an earthly father, our Heavenly Father never gives up on us while we struggle in this mortal body.  I pray these thoughts and remembrances resonate with you as they have with me.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Red Skelton's Pledge Of Allegiance

THIS IS A BLOG I POSTED IN 2015 ~ And several times since.  It tells of a chance meeting with Red Skelton in 1959 - and I recall it as though it happened yesterday.  In 2015 I shared this blog in my Friends Ministry eNewsletter and on Facebook. 

It speaks of the character of a great American and it speaks of his love and appreciation for the America we grew up in and in which we live today.   God bless, Bill

Subject:	WHAT DOES AMERICA MEAN TO YOU?
Date:	Sun, 01 Mar 2015 16:24:05 -0800
From:	Bill Gray <billdory@pacbell.net>

Hi to all my Friends,

WHAT DOES AMERICA MEAN TO YOU? -- To me, it means a nation where God, Family, Country have meaning.  It means a nation governed in freedom - of the people, for the people, and BY The People. 

When you accept a new job, you accept the fact that the owner of that company has the right to tell you how to do your job.  When elected officials accept a job in our nation, that means that he/she accepts the fact that he/she works for us -- not against us.

In my lifetime, I can think of no man for whom I have more respect that Red Skelton.  I will never forget the day, in late 1958 or early 1959, when my classmate, Bob Davis, came through Los Angeles on his way home after being discharged from the Air Force.  He spent a few days with me and my family.  And, then I took him to the old Los Angeles Airport, an airport with one small Arrival/Departure room and one Ticket Counter room.

As Bob and I were waiting in the Arrival/Departure area, a door opened and a porter with a luggage cart holding about 15 to 20 pieces of matched luggage came into the room followed by a man.  I knew he must be someone important, but at first I did not recognize him.  Then, when he smiled, I instantly knew it was Red Skelton.

Most celebrities, then and now, will just rush through a room full of people - not wanting to waste time with them.  Not Red Skelton.  He lit up the room with that Red Skelton smile -- and then went around the room greeting and shaking hands with every person in the room.  That is a good man first, a celebrity second.  That was Red Skelton.  

And that is why I accept what he tells us about the Pledge of Allegiance and take it to heart, for I know that he is truly serious when he tells us what the American Pledge of Allegiance means to him. 

So, gather your Friends, Family, especially your children and grandchildren, around and let them all hear and understand what the Pledge of Allegiance means to Americans, all Americans. 

With many of the negative things currently happening across America and in Washington DC, and as we all are, or should be, thinking about the upcoming election and VOTE IN 2016 - this explanation of the Pledge of Allegiance should take on even greater meaning to you and to me.

I want to thank my nephew, Brad Gray, for sharing this video with us on Facebook today.  

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTjwQUvP0Q

May our Lord watch over and protect you, your family, and our homeland, America.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge: 

Are You Going To Vote For Samo-Samo?

During World War 2, those serving in our military forces had an old saying, "samo-samo" - an expression meaning “just the same.”  It was later Americanized as “same old-same old.”

And with the Woke Leftist Democrats, nothing ever changes.  Hillary could have cared less about you, your family, or the lives of babies.  Her predecessors were the same.  And her successor, Cackling Kamala, has become a devout evangelist for ABORTIONS!  At every given opportunity she rants about "Women's Right To Abortions!" - meaning "Women's Right To Kill Babies With Abortions."

"My Body, My Right!" is true ~ however that baby is NOT your body, but is a totally separate body within your body.  A car parked in your garage does not become a garage.  It is still a car - and at the right time that car will emerge from your garage - unless someone damages the car first, aborting its ability to function as a car.

And a baby, at the right time, will emerge as a beautiful little human being, wanting only to be loved and cared for - not painfully torn apart in the mother's womb and suctioned out by an Abortionist!  Unless attacked by someone - that car will still run, and that baby will still live.

The Woke Leftist rant is:  "What about those women who have been raped, or are victims of incest?  And what about the mother's health?"

Great questions ~ But according to the Guttmacher Institute, a Liberal organization which was originally a part of Planned Parenthood, still closely associated with Planned Parenthood - tells us that Rape, Incest, and Mother's Health represent less that 1.5% of ALL Abortions.

The other 98.5% of Abortions are for other personal reasons.  In other words, the vast majority of Abortions represents their "preferred choice of birth control" for those who are too lazy to protect themselves - or too worldly to abstain.

This is not a new phenomenon, it has been happening for most of our lives, and even before.  In 1965 I spent six months in Seattle working on a Boeing designed NASA Space Flight Simulator. 

During that time the girl I was dating told me of her friend, a young lady 25 years old - who had already had SIX Abortions.  That is insanity!  And that insanity did not begin with that young lady, it was something she grew up hearing, "My Body, My Choice!" and she took it to heart.  As a result, SIX young lives were painfully destroyed!

Folks, we must control this insanity called Abortion, aka, Infanticide - and we CAN do it with our VOTES.

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote Conservative, On All Issues And For All Candidates!

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote To "Make America Great 'ONCE' Again!"  Vote MAGA PLUS!

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote For Trump/Vance!  MAGA PLUS! All The Way!

God Bless America and ALL babies,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge: 

 

The 2024 Presidential Election Is Fast Approaching

THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS FAST APPROACHING ~  Are you ready and prepared to vote for the virtual life of our America, our American Freedom as we have long known it?   Folks, that is no exaggeration. 

The outcome of this 2024 General Election will either bring Conservative Values and Light back into America after four years of Biden / Harris bottom feeding Darkness and Make America Great Again - OR - the outcome could sink America even deeper into the Dark Abyss of perverted immorality and child abuse via Abortions, Gender Change Mutilations, and Socialist / Marxist Indoctrination in all our schools.

We will be voting between: Open Borders, flooding America with millions of Illegals, Terrorists, Drug Smugglers, and God only knows what else - confused, indoctrinated, and abused children - continuing Inflation and higher prices of food, necessities, and housing - and a society controlled by the Dark Agenda

- OR -

We will vote to Make America Great Again by Closing our borders - giving Parents Full Control of their children and what they are taught - bringing Inflation and High Prices DOWN - and Making America "Energy Independent" once again - and Making America Great Once Again.

For many years, prior to each Election - I began my research by visiting three Reliable, Conservative, Christian sources which I have depended upon in past Elections to give me well researched advise on California and National candidates and issues.  I trust them and find that I have seldom disagreed with their advise.   They are:  Craig Huey, Robyn Nordell, and Nancy Sandoval - and through them, referrals to other Conservative sites. 

1. Craig Huey ~  The Craig Huey Report provides Conservative Voter Guides, news analysis, and critical reports about the issues. 

Craig Huey 2024 California Voter Guide
https://restoringthecaliforniadream.com/

2.  Nancy Sandoval, aka, Nancy's Picks ~  An American Patriot, a Conservative Republican, a Christian, who in 1996 started to get serious about doing a better job in Voting Her Values.  The word spread, so she began typing & printing her recommendations, which eventually led to her Nancy's Picks web site in 2004.  Her goal is to help Conservative voters, who doesn’t have a lot of time to do the research, but who want their votes to reflect their Conservative Values.

Presidential GENERAL election OF NOV 5, 2024
https://www.nancyspicks.com/vote-picks

3. Robyn Nordell shares her Conservative California Election Website, i.e., Conservative Voter Recommendations and Resources for the upcoming Election.  She believe in seeking an abundance of counsel from wise people -  and has consulted more than twenty Conservative Advisors in the process of making her election decisions for the 2024 Presidential Election. 

Robyn Nordell's Conservative California Election Website
https://robynnordell.com/

Robyn Nordell also recommends the iVoterGuide web site.  I visited the site and it offers Conservative Voter's Guide for most states.  Just as a test, I put in my Sheffield, Alabama, address from my younger years and was able to pull up the Alabama Voter's Guide.  It showed the candidates, but not the issues.  I am sure you can find a local Conservative Researcher who has covered the issues for your state.

iVoterGuide, Division of AFA Action.
https://ivoterguide.com/#map-banner

Grounded in God.- Rooted in Research.  ~  Elections are the front lines of an everyday, year-round, fifty-state battle for the soul of our country. iVoterGuide is fighting the good fight by equipping everyday Americans with the tools they need to vote wisely.

For all my Friends in Southern California, and beyond - are YOU ready to vote on November 5, 2024, for the Life of American Freedom?  If you visit the links above under Craig Huey, Nancy Sandoval (Nancy's Picks), and Robyn Nordell - you will find their recommendations and information.

For all my Friends in other states, I am sure you will find the iVoterGuide web site very helpful.  And I am sure you can find equally qualified Conservative Christian Patriots in your area, similar to the three I have chosen to use in California,.  Do it now - for November 5 will be upon us very quickly.

I copied this list "17 Reasons Not To Vote For Kamala" from Nancy Sandoval's Vote Pick page.  I am sharing it here, for as you can see from my parenthetical comments, she and I are on the same page.  All parenthetical comments are mine.

17 REASONS NOT TO SUPPORT FAR-LEFT KAMALA HARRIS:

1. Co-sponsored legislation to protect ILLEGAL migrants from deportation  ~  (Building Democratic Voter Base with ILLEGALS)

2. Backed Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All  ~  (Socialism / Marxism For All)

3. Backed banning private health insurance  ~  (Federally controlled healthcare)

4. Supported giving taxpayer-funded coverage to ILLEGAL immigrants  ~  (Leaves our Vets / Americans homeless - while housing ILLEGALS)

5. Supported banning fracking  ~  (Keeping gas prices sky-high)

6. Backed defunding the police  ~  (Replace Law Enforcement Officers with Social Workers)

7. Compared ICE Agents to the KKK  ~  (Another form of limiting Law Enforcement)

8. Wanted to ban plastic straws  ~  (More global warming extremism, making AOC smile)

9. Defended banning offshore drilling  ~  (Keeping gas prices sky-high)

10. Wanted to “undo” the Trump administration’s border security, taking 94 executive actions in their first 100 days to rescind Trump-era measure  ~  (Working hard to ensure OPEN BORDERS to allow millions of unvetted ILLEGALS into America)

11. Supported decriminalizing illegal border crossings  ~  (for ILLEGALS breaking into our home, America - not a crime)

12. Said she wouldn’t “treat” illegal aliens as “criminals”  ~  (for ILLEGALS breaking into our home, America - not a crime)

13. Called for “starting [ICE] from scratch”  ~  (Wants to remove ICE Agents and replace them with Social Workers)

14. Argued that temporarily closing the border violated federal law  ~  (Harris does not know our Constitution)

15. Raised money for the Minnesota Freedom Fund (BLM), a far-left organization that paid to bail out of jail violent criminals, including accused murderers and rapists  ~  (Personally raised BAIL funds to release Criminals back into our society)

16. Supported Los Angeles’ cuts to their police department  ~  (Replace Law Enforcement Officers with Social Workers)

17 . Called efforts to add more police to the streets “wrongheaded thinking”  ~  (Replace Law Enforcement Officers with Social Workers)

Folks, I will close with these suggestions:

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote Conservative, On All Issues And For All Candidates!

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote To "Make America Great 'ONCE' Again!"  Vote MAGA PLUS!

On November 5, 2024 ~ Vote For Trump/Vance!  MAGA PLUS! All The Way!

God Bless America,

Bill

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

How Big Is Your God?

HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?  ~   "Bill, that is a silly question!  God is God, all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present.  Are you asking a rhetorical question, or a serious question?"  Glad you asked.  No, it is not a rhetorical question, it is a very serious question.  There are folks who will sincerely proclaim faith in God, but then feel that they must help Him, or correct His decisions.  "What do you mean, Bill?"

Before I answer that question, let me take you back about 25 years to the Filipino-American Church of Corona, aka, Fil-Am Church of Corona (later renamed CICF).  It was a relatively new church planted by Pastor Sam Lacanienta, a daughter church of the Fil-Am church of Irvine (FACI).  We were visited by a Caucasian missionary couple, Steve & Leslie, who had been commissioned by FACI as missionaries to the Philippines. 

During their 12-year Philippines ministry, they would annually return to the U.S., as required by the American Immigration Service, and use that time to visit supporting churches in America to give an update, and to seek continued ministry support.  On one yearly visit circa 2000, they came to our fellowship in Corona and Steve's message has really stayed with me, for it gave us a unique perspective on the Great Commission.

Let me refresh your memory on the Great Commission, which through the apostles, Christ gave to ALL believers throughout all time.

Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' "

That with Acts 1:7-8 comprises the Great Commission, "But He said to them, 'It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.' "

To summarize the Great Commission:  "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them . . . And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and in all the earth."

Let's not overlook a key word:  BOTH!   Christ makes Jerusalem the highest priority as He tells us, "you shall be My witnesses BOTH in (1) Jerusalem, [highest priority] and (2) in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth."   He gives a strong priority, first is your Jerusalem where He has placed you.  And THEN to all Judea, Samaria, and all the earth.  That tells me that God wants you to concentrate the vast majority of your efforts, especially your initial efforts, where He has placed you - Your Jerusalem!

Steve's message was:  You as a believer are responsible for carrying out the Great Commission.  To accomplish that, your order of priority, as Christ taught it, is:  First, your Jerusalem:  your family, your local fellowship, and your community.  THEN your Judea:  your city and state ~ your Samaria:  the nation in which God has call you to serve ~ And finally in all the earth which is self explanatory.

I realize that traveling to other countries to plant churches "in all the earth" may seem more exciting.  During my many years in the computer industry, I loved traveling all over America and to other countries.  It was exciting.  But for all believers, but especially pastors and elders - is that God's priority for you? 

Or does He want you to cultivate your Jerusalem, your family, your local fellowship, your community - first?  The answer to that question is very simple:  How many daughter churches have YOU planted in your local community, once your initial local fellowship where God put you has become self sufficient?  Have YOU planted any local daughter churches?  If not, why?

Is that where God called you to serve?  Did He bring you to this country - so that you could then travel back to other countries to plant new churches?  If so, I have to ask, "Is your God too small to raise up pastors or church planters in those countries, without your help?" 

Notice in Acts 1:7-8, "in all the earth" is His final priority, not His first.  Why?  Because God can raise up pastors wherever He wants them.  He does not need your help to do that.  He brought you here.  Do you doubt that He can raise up pastors in those countries, like He did you in America - without your help?

So what should be done when God plants a person as a pastor or as a mature believer in a new location, maybe a new country?  Let's say God has called you to relocate to America.  Where is your new Jerusalem?  It is the local fellowship and community - in America - where God has planted you.

Your first priority is Your Jerusalem - getting your family and your local fellowship on a solid Christian foundation.  Then your task is to saturate your local community.  That done, you move on to your next priority, saturating your city, then your state with the Gospel.  Part of saturating your local community, city, state with the Gospel - is planting daughter/sister church fellowships in those locations. 

That does not mean that you have to be the pastor of all those church plants.  We know that God wants new church fellowships - and we know that our God is big enough to raise up a pastor to lead that new church fellowship - while you go back to your Jerusalem and begin planning your next local church plant.

If your local church has been established in America for 10, 15, 20 years and it has NOT planted more church fellowships in your Jerusalem - are you really living the Great Commission?  Really?

Let me give you two great examples of God planting pastors in Orange County, California.  It was the same year, 1965.  The two new churches were about 10 miles apart.  But their Great Commission impact was far more separated.

Robert Schuller came from the Midwest to plant a Reform Theology church in Orange County - and he began his Great Commission calling well, with fire and imagination.  Not having a church facility, he first started Sunday services preaching from the roof of a drive-in theater concession stand.  That unique approach caught the attention of a lot of folks and his new church plant began to take fire. 

Pretty soon the Garden Grove Community Church was born and he carried forward the drive-in theater approach by allowing folks to sit in their cars and hear the sermon on their car radios, with a large door which opened so that Schuller could be seen by folks inside the sanctuary and at the same time, by folks in their cars.  Again, that unique approach caught on and many people began to attend the Garden Grove Community Church.  No doubt a good number were saved during its years.

Down the road in Costa Mesa, God had called Chuck Smith to pastor a floundering, small Calvary Chapel fellowship of only about 20 members.  Not very long after becoming pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Chuck and his wife, Kay, became aware of the large number of Hippies living in Orange County, many of whom were seeking something better than the drug and free love scene of the 1960s.  Chuck and Kay went to the streets, embraced the Hippies, many with their minds virtually blown by years of drug use, and began to bring them to Calvary Chapel Cost Mesa,  Soon that fellowship was overflowing.

Chuck knew that music was another way of reaching the Hippies, but not hymnal music. Hymns were too deep for their drug-messed minds.  He and Mike McIntosh began to seek out young musicians who could write and play a simpler music which contained the Gospel message.  They began to make cassettes of this new music and Mike McIntosh with cassettes in the trunk of his car began to visit all the Christian book stores. 

Thus Maranatha! Music was born with Mike initially as the director.  That became the Contemporary Christian music and praise choruses we know today.  That was all part of the Jesus Movement of the early 1970s, begun by Chuck and Kay Smith at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

Then Chuck Smith began to send out young converts to lead Bible studies in other areas.  Greg Laurie came to Riverside when he was 18 or 19 years old to lead a Bible study - and from that grew Harvest International Ministries.  Mike McIntosh went to San Diego to lead a Bible study - and Horizon Christian Fellowship was born.  Jon Courson went to Oregon and Applegate Christian Fellowship was born. 

And all went on to plant daughter churches within their subgroups. These three are example of what grew out of the Jesus Movement which emanated from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa - and that kind of Great Commission spirit spread all across America and into every free nation of the world.  One church fellowship, one Great Commission pastor who knew where God planted him and what he needed to do to fulfill God's calling - in his Jerusalem, then beyond.

Over the years Chuck Smith replicated those ministries all over America and in virtually all countries in the free world.  No, Chuck Smith did not travel to all those cities and other counties.  Chuck trusted God to raise up new pastors and Bible teachers whom he could send out to begin new Great Commission ministries.  And when each was planted, they began to plant daughter churches in their areas.  That is the kind of Great Commission Steve spoke about at our Fil-Am Church of Corona in 2000.

Robert Schuller's Garden Grove Community Church flourished in the beginning, but no daughter church fellowships were being planted.  Then Schuller decided he needed a Crystal Cathedral platform for preaching his Reform Theology.  Instead of planting daughter churches, he built a cathedral.  Was that what God wanted - or what Robert Schuller wanted?

In the late 1970s Schuller spent $!8 million (equivalent to $145 million today) to build the Crystal Cathedral.  And only in later years were two other church fellowships to come out of the Garden Grove Community Church / Crystal Cathedral - one by his son, Robert Schuller Jr, who planted a church in San Juan Capistrano, California - and another by Dr. Harold Leetsma in Laguna Hills, California.

RESULT:  Over the decades before it went into bankruptcy, Robert Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral planted only two other "your Jerusalem" churches. If he had concentrated on doing the Great Commission instead of building a cathedral - that ministry might still be serving the Lord today.  Instead it went into bankruptcy.

RESULT:  Since Chuck Smith came to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in 1965 - there are literally thousands of Calvary Chapel fellowships across America and in virtually every free nation.  Chuck Smith was truly doing the Great Commission the right way.
 
Now let me get back to my initial question:  "How big is YOUR God?"  And the point I am making is that if God brings a pastor to America, or from one part of America to another, that is his new Jerusalem.  That is where God wants to see his Great Commission flourish.

God brought Pastor Sam Lacanienta from the Philippines in 1971, planted him in Orange County, and told him, "This is your new Jerusalem.  Be faithful to your Great Commission!"   Okay, that is my paraphrased version of how I would imagine God would have spoken His wishes to Pastor Sam.  And as you will see later in this blog - Pastor Sam was faithful in obeying God's command.

When God brings a pastor to America as He did Pastor Sam, that is His implied command:  That he should be faithful in accomplishing the Great Commission in America.  Not in the country where his pastoral journey began.  I do not believe that God brings a pastor to America from another country -  only to have him doing all his church planting in his old home country. 

That would imply two things:  First that God made a mistake in bringing him to America.  Second that God is not capable of raising up pastors to plant churches in the old country - so our new American pastor must travel back to his old country to do what God is not big enough to do without him.  In other words, his God is not big enough and needs his help.  My God is not that small.

So, how big is your God?  If He plants you in California, does that mean He wants you to plant churches in California - OR - does that mean He needs your help to plant churches back in the country where you were before He moved you to America?  Does He REALLY need your help back there?  Or does He want to see more local church fellowships in California?

Let me give you a wonderful example of a true and very successful Great Commission Pastor:  Pastor Sam Lacanienta.

Sam Lacanienta attended the Far Eastern Bible Institute and Seminary (FEBIAS), founded in the Philippines in 1948 as an interdenominational Bible school and later changed to FEBIAS College of Bible.  He was ordained and began to pastor a church in the Philippines.  In 1971 God brought the pastoral couple, Pastor Sam and Ida, to America, and planted them in Orange County, California, where Pastor Sam became an associate pastor at a small Southern Baptist church in Santa Ana, California.

A couple of years later, Pastor Sam moved, becoming an associate pastor at Woodbridge Community Church in Irvine, California, which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, home of Bethel University, a Baptist seminary founded in 1871.  A friend referred him to the Almeda family.  He and Ida began a Bible study in the Almeda home, where he led the family (Fred, Nattie, and their children, Audrey and Arnel) to faith in the Lord. 

That family of four became the core of a new church plant. That Bible study in the home of Fred & Nattie Almeda grew and soon became the new Fil-Am Church of Irvine (FACI), a daughter church under Woodbridge Community Church.  FACI was Pastor Sam's first church plant in America.

In 1987 I met Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta at a Saturday evening social at the home of Lolita & Meinrad Mueller.  That evening changed my life forever.  I was not a believer when we met - but I could see and feel the love of God in this pastoral couple.  The next day my wife, Dory, and I attended the Fil-Am Church of Irvine (CA) worship service - and I could feel the love of God flowing through Pastor Sam, permeating the whole congregation, and I was caught up in it. 

That Friday we attended their Family Bible study at the home of Ed & Ligaya Nibut - and I found the same Godly love there.  Because of the love I experienced, we continued to attend their worship services and Family Bible studies.  And after about six months, I gave my life to the Lord.  I cannot give you a definite day and hour when I believed, for my salvation was a six month process.  The more I learned about Jesus Christ in those discussion style Family Bible studies - the more I knew that I needed Him. 

During that six months, most of my Bible knowledge was learned in our discussion Bible studies - although Pastor Sam's sermons and Sunday School classes were also a big part of my maturing process over the years.  So you can see why I place such importance on interactive, or discussion style, Family Bible Studies.  Without the FACI discussion style Friday Family Bible Studies, I may never have found my way to the cross.

Side note:  Pastor Sam was also responsible for me finding my calling to do Christian writing, when he encouraged me to write a story about an earth worm I shared at our Friday Bible study.  But I will save that story for another blog.

In the early 1990s, a young man from the Philippines, Lito Carag, was attending our FACI services while preparing to attend Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.  Through Pastor Sam, our church arranged to give a used car to Lito so that he would have transportation while attending Westminster Seminary.  Today that young man is Dr. Anacleto S. Carag,  M.Div and D. Min., president/director of FEBIAS College of Bible, Pastor Sam's alma mater.  Another great example of the Great Commission, paying it forward.

While still functioning as our local pastor, Pastor Sam Lacanienta became Director of Church Planting for Filipino churches of the Southwest District of the Baptist General Conference.  In that role, he began working to plant new Filipino-American churches in California and other western states.  

One of the first he planted was the Fil-Am Church of Long Beach.  One of the young couples in our College/Professional Group at FACI was Charles Patam and May Egenias who would soon marry while Charles was attending Talbot Seminary at Biola University.  Pastor Sam commissioned (could not be ordained until graduation from seminary) Charles as the pastor of the Fil-Am Church of Long Beach.

In December 1998, Dory and I were both in the hospital with the flu. Being married we were able to share a room, which kind of shocked the male nurse the first morning.  When he looked at us, the first thing he said was, "I sure hope you two are married!"   And I assured him we were indeed married.

A few days later I was feeling better, and was reading my Bible when our male nurse came in - and this encouraged a conversation with him.  He was interested in finding a Fil-Am fellowship, even though he was Caucasian, in the Long Beach area.  I told him about Pastor Charles Patam in Long Beach, but did not have the address or phone number with me at the hospital.  Later that day I did get the information, but went home the next day and never had an opportunity to give him the info in person.

After that fiasco, I was determined to not let it happen again.  When I got home from the hospital, I created a tract for our Fil-Am churches and put the graphic image below on the back.  Those are the Baptist General Conference affiliated Fil-Am churches which Pastor Sam planted in Southern California.  There were also others in Washington, Arizona, etc.

"Bill, what is your point?"   Thank you for getting me back on track to answer my initial question:  "How big is your God?"

In 1971 God planted Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta in Orange County, California, as an implementer of His Great Commission.  In other words, God put Pastor Sam in that location - because that is where God wanted him to produce eternal spiritual fruit.  God did not want him traveling to the Philippines or other countries to plant church fellowships, for God could raise up other pastors there for that task.

Pastor Sam spent a couple of years at the Southern Baptist Church in Santa Ana, California, becoming familiar with the Christian communities in America.  Then he moved to the Baptist General Conference affiliated Woodbridge Community Church about 10 miles down the road.  At Woodbridge Community, he began implementing his Great Commission ministry, fulfilling the task God had put him in Southern California, to accomplish.

Over all Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta planted over a dozen daughter church fellowships in California and along the West Coast.  To the best of my knowledge those church plants did not put any financial burden on our FACI church fellowship, with Pastor Sam traveling by car most of the time.

In 2005, Ida retired from her teaching job in the Unified School District in Orange County.  As a young girl, Ida and her siblings had been in an orphans home in the Philippines and the missionary lady, Mom Lynip, who had run it all those years was in her 90s and needed help. 

After visiting the orphans home and their elderly friend, Mom Lynip - Pastor Sam & Ida felt that God was calling them home to help her.  We had a sad send off service at another Fil-Am church fellowship plant, the Church On The Solid Rock in Aliso Viejo, California, knowing that wherever God planted Pastor Sam & Ida, they would continue to be an outstanding Great Commission pastoral family.

At the Send Off Service, most of us stood and gave testimony of how this couple has touched our lives.  But the most touching for me was when Ida shared that her young granddaughter, Bethany, concerned about her grandparents moving back to the Philippines, asked, "Will you still be my Lola?"  A child's heart is pure and straightforward.

Back in the Philippines, they began their Great Commission there, their new Jerusalem - helping Mom Lynip, who ran the Bethany Children's Home in Mindanao, and who took care of Ida and her brother and sister when they were young. 

Pastor Sam also functioned as the Resource Speaker for Word of Life Seaside Bible Camp, was doing radio broadcast messages, doing Inspirational Messages inside several large Manila corporations - and Ida was busy planting the Talakag Church on the Solid Rock fellowship (the only church where she took the initiative to plant a fellowship), a sister church of the Church on the Solid Rock, Aliso Viejo, California, which Pastor Sam had planted.

In 2012 we celebrated the life and ministry of Ida Lacanienta as she was promoted into the presence of God.

And in 2016 Pastor Sam continued his Great Commission Ministry when he planted the Talakag Church on the Solid Rock's sister church - Maigtang Outreach Church. He planted over a dozen churches in America - and after serving the Lord for 34 years in America where God had planted him in Southern California - he went home to the Philippines.

But he did not retire nor rest on his laurels. He continued planting churches and creating ministry opportunities. With his Talakag Church on the Solid Rock fellowship they built a beautiful church building to house their fellowship and ministry. Today, in 2024, Pastor Sam is still very actively working where God has planted him, continuing to pastor their church and looking for other places where he can do his Great Commission Ministry. Now, my question to YOU: How big is your God? When was your local church fellowship established? How many years has your local fellowship been worshiping together in your present community, city? How many daughter church fellowships has your fellowship planted in Your Jerusalem? How many in Your Judea? If none, what have you been doing?

Think about what Jesus meant when He said, "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them . . . And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and in all the earth."

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill

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