Where'd You Go?

A single mother walks the ridge line alone. The sun is dropping, and preparing to set in hues of oranges, and reds. The night sky follows the sun until it pushes it out of sight. The sun is out of sight, but it's not forgotten, it's just not seen anymore in this day. 

"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments." Psalm 119:176 (NKJV Biblegateway 2015)

She walks alone and watches the sunset, and she misses it as it gets darker. She knows that for this day, that for this season that the sun is gone. However, she knows that tomorrow brings a new sunrise. There's the possibility that the sunset reminds her of a few things. She may be missing her child(ren), or the touch of her father's gentle caress against her cheek. She may miss her lovers embrace, and be lonely, but she knows that tomorrow is a new day. The commandment of the rising sun is like that of the commanded rising of the Son, there will be another rising of power. She too, must rise for her sake, and the sake of her loved ones. 

A mother/father is missing her/his child today. A lover is missing his/her helper, and earthly provider today. A child is missing his/her father today. Where are we? Are we helping to ease that pain? Are we His hands, and feet?

Some of those missing are not there by choice. The decision was made, and the absence stings. 

Some of those missing are gone by divine choice. 

The thought of hearing his/her laugh. The stories you can no longer share. It's painful to have to accept that kind of absence. 

You drive down a stretch of highway and think to yourself, "Remember when you sang that song about Snoopy, and we laughed until we cried?!" 

Then you think, "They used to sit in the seat right next to me, sat in my lap from time to time, and now I do not have that opportunity. You do remember, but the one you shared that with is gone. You can't tease them over Thanksgiving dinner about the time they sang that silly song, or when they farted at your in-laws house and blamed it on the dog. They are now just memories. So in my cutting up, let me turn back to seriousness to close, and encourage you not to be selfish, and please do not embrace recklessness, or carelessness. Share with all of your loved ones that you can. Share with blood family, and inherited, or blended family, because we are not promised one day to the next. However, as you are blessed to see another day, rejoice and be glad in it, and share that joy! 

On the flip side, you may have a loved one that needs a break from you. Go share with another loved one. Even a lapdog desires a break from you from time to time, so spread the love!  Whatever you do, and with whatever LOVED one; share, and make lasting memories that you can be thankful for. 

Peace, blessings, and joy... that real PB&J 

Do You Remember The Best Part?

Do you remember what the best part of the cake was? Did you savor it, and enjoy every morsel, or just remember that it was good?

The imperfect Christian stood by his great-great grandmother's bed side and held her hand as she died. After that day, he was fearful of death! The imperfect Christian thought about it as a youngster on a daily basis. As an adult that fearful memory was refreshed, but this time in fear for his children. The imperfect one as a young newly crowned father, had a dream that his infant son (oldest son and no longer an infant) walked out of a skyscraper window, and fell several stories. The imperfect one scrambled in the dream and forced himself to sleep, and to continue the dream, until he could catch his son before he fell to his death.One of the imperfect ones most frightening events for sure!

Then later in his adult life, and being blessed with a girl, the imperfect Christian was sent a message from an angel to give to his little angel. She woke up one night, screaming, and daddy flew to her rescue! She told her imperfect daddy something that tormented him. She spoke of a horrific death that she dreamed about... her own! The imperfect Christian fought back tears until after he talked with her. He thought about the times he dreamed of himself drowning as a child. By the grace of God he swims very well now, and survived childhood by that same grace. So we speak no such curses about death, when it is our time, it is our time. The Word that the angel gave to this imperfect father, and imperfect Christian was... "baby you don't dream of dying, you live, and dream of living!"

Life vs. Death, Heaven and hell, an eternal living God vs. a lying deceitful devil... Who wins, which do we seek most? You see we give in and let evil take way too much from us. We think about the doctor saying, "You are going to die in six months." We don't hear him say, "You have six months or longer to live!" We don't hear GOD saying, "I have prepared a place for you," or "I am the God of the living." We hear that we are going to die. It numbs you doesn't it? It made the imperfect Christian numb to think about hearing those words, he can't lie. How would we face those words? This is how the imperfect Christian chose to face them... See that pound cake above? The imperfect Christian can normally down a piece of cake like that in a breath! Not today, however! Today it took almost 35 - 40 minutes. He tasted the goodness of God through butter, sugar, flour, milk, eggs, and took his time with it. He felt that cake dissolve around his teeth, melt on his tongue, and hit every taste bud on the way down! It was a wonderful piece of cake, and the best part of that cake, was every part, not just the sweet, but the satisfying of sweet, and hunger, and the joy of having something to enjoy. To think someone cared enough to bake it, and share it with others. Thank You God for sharing first of all Yourself, but also the loved ones I get to appreciate on a daily basis, You are too good to an undeserving wretch like me!

Today the imperfect one wants to strive not just to see his children as good, but see the spirit (Spirit) within them, the full vibrant glow in those brown eyes, on each member. The perfect pink lips, and the wonderful white toothy smiles! The active little and not so little fingers with the dirty nails that show the indoor and outdoor activities. All the way down to those long finger toes with complimenting nails. Today the imperfect one challenges you, to savor each moment, and LIVE!!!


Peace, Blessings, and Joy in Christ... that real PB&J!!!

Capital Punishment (Does That Bother You? 2)

This started out with the second part of, "Does That Bother You," then a tweet changed all of that. So here goes...

Does it bother you to see a mother curse out her kids in public, and then does it bother you more to think about what more they are exposed to at home? Not just verbally, but in every manner? Does it bother you to see a younger person sit in a seat, be it a bus, a restaurant, or wherever, when an elderly person is struggling to remain standing, and not offer their seat to that elderly person? Does it bother you to hear people complain about the economy, taxes, health and moral issues, government, church, and everything else under the sun, but never - ever willing to do anything about what it is they're complaining about? It's not just the imperfect Christian, right?

The imperfect Christian had no intentions of writing about capital punishment, but now that there is death in the air he thought he would touch on some news. Nothing like the morbid thoughts of watching someone executed to start a discussion, eh? The imperfect Christian received a notice about a tweet from the NY Times. It was concerning the Troy Davis execution. Kim Severson is the Atlanta Bureau Chief for the New York Times. She currently at the prison awaiting the news of Troy Davis' stay, or execution. One Twitterpation Nation Member asked: How is it that Casey Anthony kills her child, gets a million dollar book deal, and get zero time in prison, and they can execute Troy Davis with no evidence? Well my friend, the imperfect one thinks that's a dandy question. If indeed that is the case, then imperfect Christian would to have a rational explanation, but if it is indeed the case then we all know that there is no rational explanation!

Another man in Jerry Buck Inman confessed to raping and killing a Clemson student. He was convicted and sentenced to death. This Monday the court heard his appeal. It is likely according to another former judge, Judge Watson, that his appeal will be overturned. Judge Watson said at this level, nearly 50% were overturned. Amazing how the law works, or doesn't perhaps would be a better way of phrasing it?

Killing of a relationship, after three different lead singers, or now possibly four, and thirty-five years with their label, Van Halen, is leaving Warner Bros., and moving on. What other news, is there, oh yes... the weather, nothing like perking up your day after hearing about murder, and execution, than to hear it's going to rain all weekend long. Well the imperfect one hates to be the bearer of bad news so he will close with some optimistic rays of hope... The rain should subside on Friday in his area, so the ride will be a dry one on Saturday morn, and there is still no word as to whether or not Troy Davis has been put to death. It has been rumored that he turned down his last meal. Said to believe that it is a sign of good luck, because it has worked at his last two appeals. No news is usually good gu-news! Also if there is no evidence to put this man to death, and he truly is not guilty of slaying the two people that he is accused of murdering, then perhaps this will give the Georgia Law Enforcement incentive to find the person(s) that are responsible... God bless the mothers of the victims, and the accused, and God help the soul of the truly guilty, because their just due may not come now, but if they do not confess, and turn from their wicked ways it will come later anyway, and that time will more than likely be too late.

For those interested, you can get up to the hour, and often up to the minute detailing on this case on Twitter, by keeping an eye on, or by following Kim Severson. A fellow by the name of Big Boi of the "Outkast" is tweeting as well, and getting retweets from the Bureau Chief herself! He (Big Boi) tweets, "Man, I wonder how much all that helicopter gas cost...your hard earned tax dollars at work!" Again great question fella! ;)

Peace, Blessings, and Joy... that real PB&J

Does That Bother You?

Does it bother you as much as it does the imperfect Christian to know that some people would die for the well being of all humanity, while others are dying to kill you, for the sake of self?

What Are You Rejoicing Over?

Ever heard of those people that will believe anything, their called fools... Every heard of those people that believe everything should be acceptable, again fools. They will also use propaganda, that's right, they twist the words of others to say what they want them to say. They are not rational enough to hear anything you have to say, sadly enough most don't even listen or understand a tragedy even when it hits their home, then they look to cast blame on anyone but self...

If the shoe fits wear it.
The imperfect Christian doesn't get offended when people bad mouth Bible Thumpers... he doesn't force his  faith on anyone, but will share it if someone is willing to have a decent conversation. So the imperfect Christian doesn't take it personal, or get tore up over the term Bible Thumper.

Charles Barkley is a huge man from Alabama with African Ancestry, (that the imperfect one is not a big fan of) that has made some racists remarks, and even has a book that somewhat manifest his racists thoughts in the title... "Whose Afraid Of The Big Black Man?" If Charles were to run for President, you couldn't accuse the imperfect Christian of being racist in his vote, because in that election if Charles were running against a man/woman of non-African heritage you simply couldn't pay the imperfect Christian to vote for him (him being Charles Barkley). Yes, Charles, the imperfect one is certain, would call the imperfect Christian "turrable" among other things much worse. Charles would probably say that the imperfect Christian's grammar and run on sentences are worse than his as well. The imperfect one would have to disagree with him on the first half at least! The imperfect one doesn't get bothered over people calling him a racist because he doesn't associate hymnself with Sir Charles ideals concerning ethnicity, or for that matter much else.

What does the Bible say?
The imperfect Christian is not one to wear out a pericope, he prefers to reference and apply the entire Bible in his life, but some verses are better suited for certain situations. Two verses that the imperfect one has seen the most today are from Proverbs. Proverbs 24:17&18, and Proverbs 21:15. Some folks have used their concordance to find their verse for the day, and others just saw it on Twitter or Facebook. A concordance is awesome, it helps you find a verse via a key word search. The imperfect one has used them plenty. But it is also great to study to show yourself approved...

Yes it is great that most (even the non-believer) knows what John 3:16 says. It's even greater when they know what 3:17 says, and are even more intrigued to find out what the rest of that blood given covenant says.

Today the imperfect Christian has seen and heard everything from, "It's a government scam to shake up Al Qaeda," to "He (Bin Laden) got what he deserved." "This isn't the end of terrorism," and "Obama didn't get him!" The imperfect Christian has witnessed people use Bible verses, and witnessed others quote great minds all over the web, and on social networks.

So what do the two verses say:

Proverbs 24:17&18

17 "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him," (NKJV)

Verse 18 ends in a comma, verses 19 & 20 ends that with saying:
19 "Do not fret because of evil doers, nor be envious of the wicked;
20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." (NKJV)

The lamp today, according to reports, was snuffed out...

Proverbs 21:15 Reads:

"It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity." (NKJV)
"Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers." (NLT)
"When justice is done, good citizens are glad and crooks are terrified." (CEV)
"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." (NIV)

In the imperfect conclusion the imperfect Christian would have to say this:
The killing of Osama Bin Laden may not have come from a gun that contained the trigger finger of President Obama, it may not bring back 2,977 NY Lives from September 11, and countless other lives in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan, it may not even be true at all that he is dead... however, if he (Bin Laden) is dead, it is not gloating, or even a rejoicing in one mans death, or pay back for 2,977, it is praising God for the fact, that the one dead man, will no longer be able to master mind the killing of 2,977 with less than one percent of the people that he was responsible for killing.

Freedom, Hope, Peace, Perfection wish You were here... Perfection left the physical a little over 2,000 years ago. We won't see Perfection again until He returns... until then keep Him in your heart press toward the day of Perfection.

Peace, Blessings, and Joy... that real PB&J

One Month To Live

What would you do if the doctor told you that you had only a few more days left?



What would you feel?



The imperfect Christian initially felt fear.


The imperfect Christian had this book (One Month To Live) lying around in front of his closet in the huge clutter called his bedroom. He saw a book that he had picked up from a gracious and generous distributor for free at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). It was a book that he had never read, never even touched! Then after years of pretending to be a faithful person, he picked up this book. He read the intro and asked himself, how am I going to take this seriously? I am not dying in a month that I know of due to illness, and if I were, I certainly wouldn't spend it chasing money, be concerned with paying the light bill, or buying groceries. Heck no, bring on the beach! Give me a board, and a bike and turn me loose!!! Well just so happens God answered me immediately on this one. He allowed me to feel that experience to a certain degree through a nightmare. He has since placed others in my life to wake me up as well.




The imperfect Christian placed his fro covered noggin on his pillow in hopes of a warm, peaceful slumber only to find himself restless and tossing and turning! Into the night came a horrific vision of his aunt asking him about a spot on his leg. It's appearance was like, and pardon my graphic discription, a nubby nipple. It grew rapidly before our eyes, and my aunt being a critical care nurse said, "That is bad! The way it's growing means that it's probably in your blood stream and you do not have long to live, a couple of weeks at the most." Now of course this is a dream, and the imperfect one has never heard of a growth growing from the size of your pupil to the size of a plum in just a few minutes, but it seemed so real!!! I was initially horrified, literally scared to death! I then turned bitter. I was angry that this was happening to me. Then stage three saw me being angry enough to do something about it!!! The imperfect one that was once filled with fear, and then bitterness, was now filled with strength from the Holy One. The imperfect Christian took this news as a wake up call and said, "I will not go out like a coward, I refuse to let satan still another second of my joy! I will honor and glorify Christ even to the death!"




You ever get that, "I'll show them!" mentality? That's what I felt. I woke up that morning and started a diary, and asked a couple of friends to ask me about my experience when my month was up, and I have a story, man do I have a story. Why because it didn't end at the dream, He spoke to me through another compassionate heart, when I was wide awake. This has been some ride, and the imperfect Christian has work to do. Pray for a brotha, and if you need prayer, please do not hesitate to hit me back here in a comment!

What's Next?

The imperfect Christian has been to sanctuaries that represent almost every church that you can imagine, in both Protestant and Catholic settings. He has even witnessed a sayonce/seance, use which ever spelling (no pun intended) you prefer? The imperfect Christian has sat, kneeled, and stood in Cathedrals, Synagogues, and Chapels all over North America, and even in some island provinces of Jamaica. He has been to a couple of state penitentiaries, and mentioning ball and chain, he has even done a few weddings (Laughing). The imperfect Christian has partaken in funerals, or as the spiritual churches refer to them, he has been involved in a few Home Going services.

The imperfect Christian spoke at his youngest uncle's funeral, and that was a tough pill to swallow! The imperfect one spoke at his inherited dad's funeral, and that was a tough one too. On the day that his inherited dad went to be with the Lord his dad looked up over his shoulder, and just stopped breathing. He administered CPR, and the whole 9, but as the Skyline Boys would say, "When he saw Jesus it took his breath away." He was glad that he was with him, and was glad that he was there for his mom. That is what family is about. Being there for each other. Which brings us to this story.

The imperfect Christian has had some struggles y'all. Times have been tough for most of America. But you know that a blessed family will tell you that they don't need a lot of money. They don't need to feel like they have a higher status than others, they only need each other. As long as we have each other, we have everything! The glue that keeps us together is the Christ! So on to the Imperfect weekend... the imperfect one had every intention of doing yard work, and wound up getting rained on all night Friday, and most of the early, early morning Saturday, so no mowing with the push mower. The riding mower needs repairing, and he just did not get to the weedeater at all! So what did the imperfect Christian do? He took a Saturday off! He did however, rush to make every attempt to get to a very special ladies birthday party, and then got there 4:30pm CPT 30 minutes late! The host family was waiting as the imperfect Christian and his crew drove in. The host family was there riding the horses by the pond trotting in a single file, and the imperfect one felt a little less than perfect for sure this time! They were waiting on the imperfect Christian and his family so they could trail ride. Both families rode for a little over an hour, and the horses were great! Everyone seemed to have had a blast! The imperfect one got to saddle up with Clyde, and he was a hoot! Clyde was a big caramel colored horse that matched the imperfect one's skin tone (smile and saying in his best Dr. Evil voice "It's twue). Clyde bucked his head a few times chompin' at the bit, but was a pretty gentle horse for the most part. I think both were chomping at that bit because they were both ready for a nice run. Old Clyde was steady and didn't slip much. The crew rode through the mud, and the hills, over some rocky areas, and then through the river, it was a great time. The imperfect Christian even videoed a portion of the ride on his iberry. Well what's next? The video if the imperfect one can get it uploaded here. LOL

The crew finished their ride, and then all went back to the young ladies house where everyone was going to bunk for the night. Well everyone bunked in the house to avoid the lightening and the monsoon! The imperfect one slept between two snoring ladies and woke up due to excesseive snoring like Ulysses "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" McGill, and said, "What!?" I don't think he shook his head or checked his hair though. He could have but don't think so. The younger crowd pulled an all nighter. They slept (made their sleeping quarters) on the carport, after the storm threat lessened, but did not sleep at all!!! One el Tygre fell asleep that morning after staying up all night, and missed all the morning excitement! He had pulled two consecutive all nighters, and was spent! The others got up early and went back at it again! That's when the imperfect one got the text. What happened next, humbled him, and showed him the awesome power of Almighty God!

The text was from a wife that loved her husband, and was trying to help. She was trying to get a better understanding, and also to better love her husband. The text said, "imperfect Christian we need you!" His friends father had been pretty sick for a while, and they needed someone to come with a calm, and high spirit about them. He wondered why she chose him! He wondered why God chose him, the imperfect Jonah! The imperfect Christian that ran from the Call so many times before, and was trying to do so again. The same imperfect one that said he would never preach again, and did not feel that he could please God in any way, received the Call. So why is God calling? Why do we as humans allow are hearts, to get so beat up, and our minds to wander so far!? He called because He does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called.

The imperfect one was tore up, but couldn't say no. His friends needed him. How are you gonna turn your back on your... oh wow thought the imperfect just before completing his sentence with... friends. The imperfect Christian turned his back on his best friend! Turned his back on the One Who said that He would never leave nor forsake us. Well no longer. The imperfect one realized that Christ had called him through earthly friends. That is our commission after all to love one another correct? Therefore the imperfect one informed all in his party that something urgent had come up and that they needed to be ready to leave asap. Man I feel for the pastors wife! Well the imperfect Christian left for Skyland and the Big View. When the imperfect Christian got the place where the land meets the sky he found his dear friend pictured above in the final stage of his physical life. The imperfect one was greeted at the door, by his missus, and by his son, and daughter-in-law. He (Mr. C) was in a coma since early Saturday. He was pretty much on his way to be with our Savior. He was just waiting for the opportune time to be alone, so he could go with Him. As a racer, and a driver Mr. C was now as the Hoppers would sing, "Just Waiting On My Ride." Once his son, and his wife had left the room, and gone outside, Mr. C went on that new first ride with his Savior.

That's when Mr.C's son M.C. came out to inform us that Mr.C took that ultimate ride! The imperfect one had a feeling that they would ask him to conduct the services. He was led to this feeling by an earlier conversation with Mr. C's son and daughter-in-law. The imperfect one was honored that they even considered him. However, he felt really bad honoring such a good man, being so far away from the service of the Lord. He felt horrible about being in the same sanctuary with other good people, and felt like he was letting them down. This family for the most part was Catholic, and they asked a fella that grew up in a Union Church that branched from a Baptist, and Methodist Church to do the services for them. That they saw any good in such a wretch like the imperfect Christian at all that resembled the love of Christ, truly blew him away. Again it was an honor to be considered, but he just felt out of place spiritually. He felt right at home to be among friends, but to be there conduct Mr. C's Home Going made him feel as though he was doing him and his family a huge disservice. He learned during the ceremony however, why it was that he was there. It is not always the messenger that has a lesson to teach when preaching, but oft times it is the messenger that is taught during the lesson.

The imperfect one was greeted by the directors when he first got there. They asked him for an order of service, and he (as he was accustomed to) conducted most everything on the fly. He had been used to doing so ever since he was first Called. He did have plenty notice for this service, which was unusual, he was usually called a day, or a few hours before time for his engagement. Lately he has had plenty of time to prepare, and has taken less and less time to prepare. The imperfect Christian hasn't done things extemporaneously with every occasion, but he has had to make adjustments for sure.

The service was a beautiful service. Family and loved ones gathered one last time to pay honor to Mr. C. Mr. C's son asked the imperfect one to say something for him because he didn't feel like he could hold himself together long enough to make it through what it was that he wanted to say. So with minutes before service they put together some last thoughts. Wow was it a blessing! Three of the four sons spoke, and one did so indirectly through the imperfect one. The other son remained quiet. There was a lot of prayer lifted for the quiet son, and for his family.

Speaking of prayer, the imperfect one went to be alone just before the service and prayed to Almighty God. He met with the director, and was escorted to the alter. The service was opened with the imperfect Christian giving the Invocation. A few words spoken, and an order of service given, then with that Mr. C's younger brother L.C. was called to share and reflect on his most fond memories. L.C. gave a message that the imperfect one called, "The Spearmint Love Message." You know double your pleasure? L.C. said that he remember his big brother taking him places, and telling him at age 14 that that would be the only time in their lives that he would be twice exactly twice L.C.'s age being 28 at the time. He said they spoke on the phone one time, and L.C. told Mr. C that he loved him, and Mr. C said I love you too, double! Henceforth the title above, LOL!!! L.C. shared about a loving brother that he invisioned having a last supper, and being seated in a much higher place now, and being with Christ, and he shared about a man that he looked up to as a youngster, and even as a man. It was a beautiful testimony about a brothers love!

Mr. C's sons spoke of a loving father, and both that spoke on their own did wonderful work. K.C. talked about how Mr. C loved his kids and how he was there for them always, and C.C. mentioned how much Mr. C loved his wife, and he only wished that the family would remain close, and that his brothers would love their wives as much as their father loved their mother.

The imperfect one learned a lesson in love, and learned that no matter how well rounded or how grounded your family is, you can never, ever, never, ever get too much love in, or lovin'! Be blessed good people love one another, and do not sweat the small stuff. The most amazing thing in a lifetime to me is the brevity of it. Love while you can love and live to love for an eternity.

Peace, blessings, and joy... Mr. C and to all of your family!

Love from the imperfect Christian!