Walking Life’s Road © Copyright 2014 - Ken Bradford. All Rights Reserved.
Cover design by: Ken Bradford
Acknowledgment Having grown up in the country, where the air was clean and life was simple, I rarely gave much thought to the difficulties my Mama had in caring for me as a single parent. Even though she worked a full-time job at the shirt factory, she still had to come home and do the normal things that mothers do. I never heard her complain; even tough she had every right to. She loved me and I never thought about even questioning that fact. She loved God and her actions always pointed me in the right direction. This book is dedicated to Alma Bradford, my Mama, and the good memories she left me will last a lifetime.
Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Lessons In Life From Our Children Chapter 2: Why Christians Aren’t Perfect Chapter 3: What Believing In God Means Chapter 4: Can An Atheist Receive Salvation? Chapter 5: Why Bad Things Happen To Good People Chapter 6: Why God Punishes Evil Chapter 7: Christianity vs Religion Chapter 8: Did Jesus Know Everything? Chapter 9: Will Same Gender Marriage Destroy “Freedom of Religion”? Chapter 10: Is Hell A Real Place Or Just Imaginary? Chapter 11: God’s View On Abortion Chapter 12: How Should Christians View The Death Penalty? Chapter 13: Is The Bible The Truth or Just Myths? Chapter 14: Should The Bible Be Used As A Textbook In Our Schools? Chapter 15: Is Jesus The Only Way Of Salvation? Chapter 16: Should Christians Work On Sunday? Chapter 17: Is There Proof That God Exists? Chapter 18: Evil Is The Nature Of Humanity Chapter 19: Should Our Children Know God? Chapter 20: Our Relationship With God Today Chapter 21: Does Christianity Have Room For Other Beliefs?
Chapter 22: Can Christians Sin? Chapter 23: Can We Ban Religion From All Public Places? Chapter 24: Are Christians Losing Christmas As A Holy Day? Chapter 25: Are Christmas Symbols Constitutional? Chapter 26: Christmas Gifts From The Bible Chapter 27: Creating A Better Life Conclusion About the Author
Introduction This book is actually a compilation of articles I have written for various online services. It is designed to not only remind you of certain lessons contained in the Bible, but also to provide hope and encouragement in a world that is being invaded by hatred, greed and violence. Our children are being exposed to everything that is immoral, but can't speak the name "God" or carry a Bible to school. So, just how do we motivate our kids to be excited about following Christ? Only when we learn to share the gifts God has given us, can we really be a useful tool in God's hands. If we believe in the teachings of the Bible and know the Scriptures but fail to share our knowledge with others, it can cripple us spiritually. We live in a world that seems to be spiritually frigid. Often our words contradict our deeds. There are those who seem to have no need for God's word as their moral compass. They are convinced they can find their way on their own. There are still others who have the compass, were raised in Christian homes, and were taught the right ways, yet refuse to believe and go about life in their own stubborn way. As you read these pages, I hope you will find some answers to your questions and many other things to just think about. Always remember, spiritual living is directing our faith with the belief that there is a power greater than us.
Chapter 1 Lessons In Life From Our Children I sometimes go back to the countryside where I grew up. The house is gone, but the same hills and creeks are exactly where they were many years ago. I can almost see a small boy running with his dog, Shorty. They hunt crawdads in the creek for a while and then go back to the barn where I played as a child. I can see the boy taking a stick and a lid from a large metal can, driving it into the ground, and traveling to places he had only seen in his dreams. As the youngest child of a farmer and a factory worker, there were many times I was practically alone. There was just Shorty and me. Oh, my Dad would take me to the fields sometimes, but sitting at the end of a cornfield all day could get boring. With a little imagination, we seemed to make it just fine. We never got into too much trouble, but we did have to find ways of providing our own entertainment. My Mom always encouraged me to try different things and she taught me many of life’s lessons like humility and to always respect and appreciate other people. I always knew that she paid a lot of attention to me after I skipped school in the first grade. There was absolutely no one there to see me, but somehow she knew. I guess it was just the sixth sense moms have. Whether it was the experience of having to choose my own peach tree limb or the events that followed, something left a lasting impression and I never skipped school again – ever! Are parents of today too busy to pay attention to their kids? Do they too often allow them to go to their rooms with an iPad or a computer, without really knowing what they are doing and who they are talking to? When it comes time to eat, does everyone grab a plate and rush off to separate rooms, while the table in the breakfast nook or dining room is covered up with Wal-Mart specials? Do we miss valuable lessons of life and business when we decide to buy that new video game or send our kids out-of-town for the entire summer? Parenting is hard, but if we would only take the time to watch and listen to our children, they could help us tremendously. Business owners could build more successful businesses if they
would spend more time and learn to observe and interact with their children. A recent article at Forbes describes leadership as the art of creating environments that cultivate natural talent to grow opportunities to expand possibilities. So, whether you are a freelance writer, skyscraper builder, or shoe salesman, your children have more natural talent than could be assembled in any business seminar. Just watch and listen to learn some very valuable lessons.
Children teach us humility Do you ever get a couple of pieces of charred toast served to you in bed on Mother’s Day? Dads, how about that awful green plaid tie on Father’s Day? Of course, you said you liked it – you just had to. Children are always paying attention to others and are looking for ways to serve. They simply want to do something special and be appreciated in the process. Many people just don’t get this principle. They never accept fault for failures and they don’t give proper credit for successes. If you run a business, your employees are your customers and your top priority must always be to serve the needs of all customers. The next time someone does something nice for you, even when they really don’t have to, show your sincere appreciation. So what, if it’s not what you had in mind.
Children are certainly flexible Children see no limits as to what they can do. They know how to express themselves and are eager to try different things. If you want a child to do something, the best way is to tell them they can’t do it – right? Children have vivid imaginations. Have you ever grilled a hamburger for an imaginary friend? Some business owners get hung up on certain ideas and absolutely refuse to alter or eliminate methods that just aren’t working. Some seem to even be insulted by change. To be successful, we must learn to think outside the box. We must learn to be flexible, like our children.
Children can teach us to maintain focus It’s true, children can be easily distracted, but when they get their minds set on something, they are determined. If you tell your child you’re going to the zoo on Saturday, I’ll bet you don’t oversleep. We must all focus on the things that are important to success. Many times we tend to invest a lot of time and energy in things that really don’t matter. By paying more attention to life’s simple things we can learn to take ourselves less seriously.
Children have a vision A lot of children develop goals and dreams very early. Many of them hold on to these dreams until they finally become reality. It is sad that too often it is the adults who steal the dreams of children. Business leaders with no clear vision can’t possibly encourage those around them to believe in anything. To be successful, we must deliver a clear message in order to instill our dreams in the important people in our lives. That could be our boss or our spouse. As children, we were eager to learn and to grow, but as we grew older, we seemed to lose some of the pep in our step. We started to smile less and developed a tendency to lose focus on those little things that once amazed us. Could it be time that we take a closer look at our children and pattern our lives and businesses after those valuable lessons they can teach us? Back to TOC
Chapter 2 Why Christians Aren't Perfect God gave Adam and Eve full reign of the Garden of Eden. They were naked and didn't even realize it or worry about it. They had no worries, had everything they could want, but Eve blew it. She listened to the serpent and ate a bad apple that God had specifically told her not to eat. Eve eating that piece of fruit changed everything and there was no more perfect world. We can find in Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 13-14 (KJV): "And the LORD God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:" So, now you know why Christians aren't perfect and as an added bonus, you even know why snakes crawl on their bellies. God gave us free will and by doing so allowed us to make our own decisions in our lives. He told Eve what not to eat, but gave her the free will to listen or not listen. So, why do some people thank God when times are good and blame Him when situations in their lives are not so good? The reason is because some people just don't want to take personal responsibility for anything. If they are late for work, blame traffic. If they get a cold, blame the weather. If they don't get everything they pray for, blame God. There is no doubt that our country is experiencing a moral decline, like none most of us have ever seen before. Our children have no heroes to look up to and if they are to be taught any type of Christian belief, it must be done at home, because we can't do it anywhere else. We seem to have no problem with other religious beliefs, just Christianity.
One of the main differences between a Christian and a non-Christian is that we Christians know that we aren't perfect. There has been only one "perfect" person to walk this earth and that was Jesus. Jesus knew that we were all imperfect sinners and that was the only reason why He suffered on the cross, to pay for all our sins and allow forgiveness. It seems that other groups are claiming the rights to "perfection"; since they are always telling everyone else they are wrong. It just seems like we could all agree on one simple truth, none of us are perfect. Back to TOC
Chapter 3 What Believing In God Means Even Satan has a belief in God, which can be seen in the book of Luke, Chapter 4 (KJV), where Jesus was tempted three times by Satan. The last recorded temptation of Jesus is very interesting in that Satan even quotes biblical scripture to Jesus. Satan spoke to Jesus, "For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Satan wanted attention and an audience, which is why he took Jesus to Jerusalem in the first place. He used scripture in a futile effort to provoke a response from Jesus, but Jesus quoted his own scripture to rebuke the devil's temptation. I am not quite sure that expressing merely a belief in God means much of anything on its own, since even Satan believes in Him. Belief in God means that we recognize Him as the Supreme Architect of the universe and we accept the fact that unique talents and abilities were placed inside each one of us and it is only by faith that each one of us will recognize them. Belief in God means that we know who we are and, by not taking ourselves too seriously, recognize we are no less or no more than any other human being on the face of the earth. We will not condone hatred and prejudice in our lives. Belief in God means to believe in ourselves, to know our strengths and weaknesses, and to understand that the only way to have true friends is to be one. When we are wrong, we will admit it and when we know we are right, we will fight for it. Belief in God means that we don't take our lives for granted. We live each day with the same faith as when we go to bed each night with very little concern or worry about the coming of a new day. The same faith we possess when we tuck our children into bed each night with little or no expressed concern for their safety during the night.
There are many self-proclaimed Christians among us who sometimes give the impression that the meaning of belief and faith is to go to church on Sunday and maybe Wednesday without realizing that true faith only begins once the lights are turned out in the church. We must not hang Jesus in the closet with our best suit or dress. It is the lasting impression we leave with everyone we meet that will define the meaning of our belief and faith in God. It is the way in which we live our daily lives that will determine our true faith and trust in His love and grace to sustain us. Back to TOC
Chapter 4 Can An Atheist Receive Salvation? My neighbor and I frequently discuss religion and the other day, right out of the blue, she asked me this question. The question really caught me off-guard and even though I already had my own thoughts on the subject, I told her that I would get back to her.
So, what does the Bible say? I looked at three passages of scripture: (1) Acts 10:38 (KJV) “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (2) Matthew 12:31 (KJV) “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” (3) Matthew 12:32 (KJV) “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
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