Traditions #mashedpotatoesonmondaynight

If I was to finish that title it would include:

The Good side and the Bad Side

I could start by listing you off a long list of reasons why I hate traditions and maybe I should, but I won't. I'll let you search in this blog post and discover my reasons.

If you have read my all-famous About-Me page(which I hate) you will know that I grew up in a Mennonite Church. I respect the fact that some of you may still be there. I just want to say this... It is likely one of the first places one could refer to when discussing Traditions. This would also be the spot to reference back to the sub-title "The good side and the bad side".

You see, you can have a good tradition of always having mashed potatoes on monday nights, there is nothing wrong with that. Mashed potatoes are good, and if its something your family or you always do and it's a tradition you have put in place, there is nothing wrong with that. But now to all you anti-tradition people I ask the question. Did doing the same thing a couple months in a row make it wrong? Or what makes a tradition wrong?

What makes a tradition wrong?

Back to our mashed potato example. If my family decides to have mashed potatoes every monday night(which we don't) and then all of a sudden one monday night we missed it because Mom ran out of potatoes in the house and now we all feel guilty and feel like we have sinned not only towards our family but towards God and we feel the need to confess to God over missing mashed potatoes on monday night, is that not wrong?

You see the tradition had no point to it. It was simply something that the family decided to start. There was no spiritual value one way or the other... It wasn't a point where our relationship with Jesus Christ was put in jeopardy if we by chance didn't have mashed potatoes on monday night, but rather just a simple decision that we as a family are going to have mashed potatoes on monday nights.

Let's take this a step further... and don't laugh we will continue with the mashed potatoes on monday night scenario.

Let's just say my Dad's Grandparents had the tradition of mashed potatoes on monday night, and their reasoning behind it had no spiritual meaning, but was simply the fact that because of the Great Depression, Grandpa only went to the General Store in the Big City every monday to exchange enough corn from the garden for enough potatoes for one meal as long as they were mashed and whipped. This became a standard by which was passed onto my Grandpa which passed it onto my Dad. Who when starting his home insisted on having mashed potatoes on monday nights. with simply the reason of carrying on a generational tradition in hopes that each one of us children would do the same.

Now if I don't carry on that tradition for mashed potatoes on monday night. Have I sinned?

Should I go back and confess to my parents and to God, for not carrying on the tradition of mashed potatoes on monday night?

Excuse #1: We have done it for years, why change it.
Excuse #2: We don't know anything different.
Excuse #3: Coming from my Dad here, "your mother adjusted" she used to have rice every monday night in remembrance of her Great-Aunt Once removed's trip to India in the year of 1902 which she never returned from because she died of a terrible disease.

You are all likely for sure laughing by now, but do you get my point of how ridiculous this can get and how quickly we don't even know why.

Why do you wear a veil on your head if you are a women? My Church has done it for generations.... AHHHH that makes me want to scream.
Why do you wear a veil on your head? Is is not to show honour and glory to God, and a sign that you respect and believe in God's perfect design(and much more could be added to that).

Or has it simply become nothing more than a tradition, where all you do is make mashed potatoes on monday night because Great-Grandpa did? Or you wear a veil on your head at a certain age because your previous 8 generations back Grandma did the same thing?

That's why I believe it is so important for each one of us to discover what you believe, why you believe, how it is going to change the way you operate, and what are you going to help instil the Bible and its instructions in the next generation so that it doesn't become nothing more than mashed potatoes on monday night.

If you haven't had the opportunity in your lifetime to discover on your own what you believe? What do you believe about God? Who is He to you? What has He done in your life that has changed You? any of those I encourage you to do so. You will be so amazed by what you learn.

All of a sudden a tradition with a spiritual meaning, which you have newly discovered will take a whole new meaning.

Do I say all this to say I am in favour of traditions? No I don't what I do say is this.

"Don't allow the things you do with a Spiritual/Biblical reason and instruction to become nothing more than a heap of mashed potatoes on monday night."

Please feel free to comment... I know some of you have tried... and I am trying to get that fixed... So please comment....

As always God bless,

Courage

Yeah guys, I know, a little off topic but it’s on my heart tonight and I can't quite shake this one…. And it sorta goes along with forgiveness to….

Courage

…the quality of mind that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear, bravery…

A couple of years ago Sherwood pictures produced an all famous movie called “Courageous” it was the story of 4 Police Officers who decided to take Fatherhood to the next level… well I'm not here to talk to the father’s because believe you me I have no experience in that department whatsoever, and let’s be certain I never will. J

Maybe that’s where you find yourself today, I don't know. Today, God is looking for courageous men and women who are willing to stand up for their faith and to stand for truth.

A lady came into the store today and saw a bowl was priced for $2.50 stating the fact that she thought it was a little much she asked my co-worker if she could sell it for a $1. When my co-worker refused after a little explaining the customer said “we’ll how are they (the owners) to know what you sell the bowl for?” On hearing this I was taken a little back but yet thankful that we didn't go through and process the sale like the customer would have wanted because who would have had to live with the guilt of what we did? We would have had to. Even if the customer’s integrity would have also been on the line, we would have been the ones that suffered knowing we didn't take courage and stand up, not only for truth but what is morally right and wrong.

Courage is something that most people lack. People, including myself when I say this, do not like opposition. We hate it. We or most people like to roll a long with the punches and try not to get too many feathers in a thither.

I think back in my life to times where I had to take a stand for Truth. It wasn’t easy. Do I regret it, absolutely not. I had the privilege of standing for Truth and watching my friends one by one turn against me. That’s not easy, believe me. There was also times when I should have stood up and didn’t, I regret that. I could tell you example after example and never run out, but unless you are brave enough to stand up for what you believe, it will all be in vain.

A little over a year ago I came home one day with a phrase running through my head “dare to be different”. Ok, don't take that the wrong way, I am not saying go out a buy yourself a burnt orange leather vest just to be different, please. Save your friends eyes. What I mean is “dare to be different” when everyone around you says your Faith in Jesus Christ is not worthy to stand for, STAND FOR YOUR FAITH. Jesus says in the Bible “if you are ashamed of me I will also be ashamed of you on the day of judgment.” It’s no fooling around folks. Jesus was serious here.

I came home that day and through the course of three days I wrote this poem. Now don't go looking to see if it rhymes, because I'll save you the time it doesn’t. But allow the words to penetrate your being and “DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FOR CHRIST.” And if I may add even if it means you loose the friends you thought were the closest.

Dare to be Different

Dare to be different and watch others fight,

Dare to be different and slid right along

Dare to be different and stand with the crowd

Dare to be different and feel restless at night

Dare to be different and say not a sound

Dare to be different and die without a cause.

You stand on the side lines, and watch others fall

You stand on the side lines, and do nothing at all

You stand on the side lines, and wish others the best

Yet daring never to take up the rest

You stand on the side lines, and never flinch

You stand on the side lines, and never miss

You stand on the side lines, and watch others die

You stand on the side lines, and fail at success.

I say NO…

Dare to be different and do what’s Right

Dare to be different and stand for what’s Truth

Dare to be different and don't give up the fight

Dare to be different and stand all alone.

Dare to be different and enjoy God’s peace.

Dare to be different and feel God’s contentment.

Dare to be different and die in with a cause

Dare to be different; your death is your success.

Jesus is waiting, for you this moment,

Hoping you'll trust in Him, for your strength and courage,

Your battles He'll fight, if only you’ll listen.

And stand in the fight, we'll others are slipping

Jesus is calling, for you this moment,

Will you dare to be different, or say not a sound?

Rise up men and women, take courage in the Lord.

Stand up for Jesus, You'll never regret it.

God’s invitation is still open, He is still calling, and no matter how difficult it may seem there is joy in the morning. When we have finally breathed our final breath and pass from this life into eternal life, our pain, our hurts, our sword wounded bodies will not matter anymore because in heaven there is peace, joy, contentment, and the list could go on of all the good amazing things that we will enjoy. Folks, it’s going to be wonderful, and you don't want to miss it. 

Take COURAGE, Stand for your faith in Jesus Christ. It will be worth it. Trust me.

What Would Happen

They cry but no one sees them,

They scream but it's not heard,
They run and no one stops them.
Leading the way for those behind them to repeat this process again and again and again.
The hurting people around us continue to faint and yet we don't see them fall.

We do nothing!!!

Where are you godly men and women?

When will we who know the truth, stand up for what we believe?

As Believers in Jesus it is our responsibility to make sure that every lost soul hears of the truth of Jesus Christ and then applies the Truth that will set them free from their bondage. To be free from bondage is anybody's dream, why then those of us who are free in Christ sit here and do nothing about it...

What if we acted on the benefits of others instead of focusing solely on ourselves?

What would happen if we actually took to heart God's Greatest Commandment "To love the Lord will all your heart, all your soul. and all your might, to love your neighbour as yourself."

Think about it...

What would happen?