400 MILES FROM HOME

If you’ve read my book, “The Journey To Heaven,” you know I left home when I was sixteen years old and started using alcohol and drugs and doing many of the bad things that are usually associated with that lifestyle. After about three years of that, my life was a mess. I was a wreck. I wasn’t happy at all. I wanted to get my life straightened out and get back to being me, instead of the miserable person I was. By this time I was nineteen, and I was back home with my grandmother.

I wanted to make a better life for myself so I started working on a plan. I hadn’t had a steady job for a while so that’s where I started. My cousin and I were best friends and we went looking for a job together. We were introduced to a free job training program that would give us the skills to qualify for a number of job opportunities. The catch was, it was almost four hundred miles away, and I think it was going to take about a year to complete if I remember correctly.

It sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime, so we decided to go for it. We got everything together and kissed our families goodbye, and boarded the bus for an all-day ride with a changeover to another bus. We met some young people on the bus who were returning from a weekend visit home. One of the girls was really nice and talkative. She filled us in on the operations of the place, and the teachers and students and she shared all the negative things she could think of with us. We were not too thrilled with what she told us. It sounded like a prison with some pretty mean inmates. We were young and had never been this far away from home, so the whole situation was a bit scary to us. We were hoping she was only kidding.

After we arrived, we found out that it was as bad as she had said. Maybe even worse. There was a high fence with barbed wire at the top surrounding the building and a big open yard. The doors were locked and had alarms on them. It was like a prison. Some of these young people had been in trouble and were sent there by their parents or the courts to get headed in a positive direction.

It was after midnight when we arrived. The place was a wreck. The walls were just raw plywood. They were dirty and looked like they had been there for twenty years. They had holes all in them and writing all over them. We were shown to our room which we would be sharing with two other guys. It was only big enough to hold two sets of bunk beds with just a few feet between the beds.

One of our roommates hadn’t made it back from his weekend visit home, but the other guy was snoring so loudly that it was hard to sleep. After all, that girl had told us, we had joked that we should sleep with one eye open, and when we looked at our sleeping roommate one of his eyes was halfway open. That’s funny now, but I don’t remember it being funny then.

We did finally go to sleep, but we only got a few hours. At six o’clock in the morning, the door flew open and a guy came in yelling that it was time to get up, eat breakfast, and get our day started. We had orientation all morning, which was very stressful and we had to choose what trade we wanted to start learning. We had a couple of breaks and we were sent outside to a small courtyard with a few tables.

There was a beautiful girl out there, and my cousin and I both kept looking at her. She noticed us staring and finally, she looked at us with an angry face, as she stopped right in front of us. She put her hand on her hip, and with just as much anger in her voice, she said, “Do you like what you see?” We were both shy, and neither of us liked confrontation, so I guess we were in shock having her say anything at all to us, especially with a mean tone like that. We both turned and looked at each other at the same time, and without saying a word, we both turned back to her at the same time and started nodding our heads in a YES motion. She must have thought that was funny because she just started laughing and went back to her friends. Looking back, I guess it was funny.

When lunchtime finally arrived, we were starving, and apparently so was everybody else. When we started lining up in the courtyard, outside the cafeteria, it was like a stampede of hungry cattle. My cousin and I just stepped back out of the way and stood against a brick wall, and waited for the line to diminish. When twelve O’clock came, a big tall guy started beating on the door, cursing and yelling, and saying “You better open this door!”

When they unlocked the door a few minutes later, there really was a stampede. People were pushing and shoving, and one guy got knocked down and trampled. He got up and ran on in with the others. It was madness. My cousin and I went in last and got our food and sat down. With breakfast and lunch behind us, we could see why they were acting so insane about getting in to eat lunch. The little bit of food they gave us wasn’t appetizing at all, and it wasn’t long before we were hungry again. I wasn’t a big guy then, but I still don’t think I could have lasted a year on those kinds of rations.

When we finished our last class we went back to our room. I think we had the third one from the front door. A few of the guys kept going in and out, and the door would take a minute or so to close, then it would automatically lock. My cousin said he was escaping the next time he saw the door open. We got our suitcases ready and we waited. The next time that door opened, he was gone without saying a word. Just then, one of the guys yelled to someone else to get the man who was in charge. When I heard that, I froze. I couldn’t move. I thought my friend was in big trouble and I didn’t know what to do. The man came up the hall and the one who had sent for him, told him he had a phone call. What a relief. He didn’t stay on the phone long and as soon as he hung up and was out of sight, I ran for the open door.

When I made it outside, I headed toward the bus station where we had planned to go. When I turned the corner onto the main street, I didn’t see him anywhere. He was long gone. I met a group of guys walking up the street and asked them if they had seen a guy “running” by. They said, “yeah, he went that way.” I finally caught up with him and we went on to the bus station a few miles away.

We called home and told them what had happened and that we wanted to come home. My mother and my sister’s husband headed out to pick us up. We waited there all night and in the morning before lunch, our family arrived. We were so happy to see them. We crawled into the bed of that little truck and laid down and went to sleep. When I woke up I had a pretty bad sunburn, but I was happy to be headed home. When we finally made it there that evening, the rest of our family was happy to see us, and we were so happy to see them.

In a way, this story reminds me of the one Jesus told about the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32. He went far away from home, and some bad things happened to him, and he was hungry. He wanted to be back home, so he headed that way. When his father saw him in the distance, he didn’t wait for him to come all the way to him, he ran to meet him, and hugged him, and kissed him.

Many times, there are children of God who turn away from him, for a number of reasons. When we decide to return, our Heavenly Father is very happy and welcomes us back with open arms. He loves us and he is always there for us. So don’t be afraid to come to God and allow him to shelter you in his loving arms. It’s the best place you can ever be.

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DRUNK DRIVING IS BAD, BUT THIS COULD BE WORSE

I love writing, and I write about many things. I try to only post encouraging, inspirational things on my blog, but once in a while, I need to vent. If it’s something I think needs to be brought to everyone’s attention, I’ll post it. I did that a few times in the past when I wrote about Common Courtesy and Unprofessional Professionals.

Well, now I need to rant about something that happens to me almost on a daily basis. Several months ago, after a near-miss with another driver, who was on my side of the road, in a curve, I tweeted a line that went something like this; “I’m tired of seeing someone, every day, jerk their steering wheel to get their car out of my lane, and back on their side of the road.” Rarely does a day go by that it doesn’t happen, and I don’t do that much traveling. Usually, the driver swerves in plenty of time, but I’ve had some close calls. It’s not the same driver most of the time either. It’s just becoming too much.

This morning I had the closest call yet, without being struck by the offending vehicle. I thought it was just the typical, everyday occurrence, but I guess the driver didn’t look up soon enough. They came within inches of us and almost side-swiped my Jeep. I’m not the best driver in the world, in fact, when I was younger I was pretty careless. Now, I usually drive as close to the edge of the road as I possibly can, and when another car gets close to me I don’t have anywhere to go except in the ditch. This morning, it was so close and fast that all I could do was hold the horn down and cringe.

When I first noticed the number of these incidents rising, I remember several times asking, “What’s wrong with people?” Well, I think I have it figured out. More and more drivers today are not paying attention when they’re behind the wheel. Sounds simple, but it really becomes more complicated when you think about the number of reasons they are distracted.

We all have a lot on our minds. Many people don’t get enough sleep. Many are talking on the phone, and way too many are texting while driving. These things alone are enough to cause plenty of wrecks and near misses, but as impossible as it may sound, there’s a much bigger and much more dangerous reason why many drivers are distracted these days.

I’m not trying to be funny, but many people on the road today are high. Simple as that. The majority of drivers today are on drugs. You may think that’s an exaggeration, but several major studies have shown that 70% of U.S. citizens take drugs every day. CBS News, reporting on one of those studies, had this to say: 

“Researchers find that nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half receive at least two prescriptions, reports CBS Atlanta. Twenty percent of U.S. patients were also found to be on five or more prescription medications.” 

“Often when people talk about health conditions they’re talking about chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, Dr. St. Sauver stated in a Mayo Clinic press release. However, the second most common prescription was for antidepressants — that suggests mental health is a huge issue and is something we should focus on. And the third most common drugs were opioids, which is a bit concerning considering their addictive nature.”

Drugs not only impair thinking and reasoning, but they also cause reaction time to drop considerably. That’s for the ones who are on legal drugs and take them as directed. What about those who take more than the directions say? Then there are those who take other people’s prescription drugs and those who take illegal drugs. Now many want to legalize marijuana so they can drive around high, making the roads even more dangerous. Really, they don't even care anymore that it's illegal. They drive around smoking it all the time now. And that smell; People who smoke marijuana these days smell just like a skunk, and they're walking, and driving around everywhere risking their lives and the lives of others. I've heard all the arguments, but anything that makes you high is harmful and dangerous, and it definitely lessens the smoker's reaction time in traffic.

There’s more. These may not be as strong as marijuana and other narcotics, but Caffeine and Nicotine are drugs, too, and they adversely affect the brain as well.

I understand we all have problems. We all have aches and pains at one time or another, or all the time. Some pain may be temporary, some may be chronic, and sometimes it can only be controlled by medication. I’m not against medicine when used “as needed”. It’s sad though, that so many are on antidepressants. It’s the second most common prescription. I know depression is a serious thing, but I think many are often misdiagnosed. For the ones who actually do suffer from depression and anxiety, I don’t think pills are always the answer.

Many of the problems go away when we turn to Jesus and give everything to him. Studies have shown that people who believe and trust in God, have less stress than those who don’t. Things are just better when Jesus is in your life; When you know that you have a purpose in life. When you know that he's always there to help you, you can make it through anything.

So, if you’re on any medications, please take them as directed, and stop taking them as soon as your problem is gone. If you’re on strong medication that impairs your thinking, or your ability to stay on your side of the road when driving, then please park your car, and get someone to drive you where you need to go. Protect your life and the lives of others. Please, do it before it’s too late.

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IS GOD LOVE, OR IS HE A TYRANT?

Several years ago, I was talking to someone about Jesus, and he told me he was no longer on the “Jesus Plan.” He said he used to be stressed out all the time, thinking he was going to hell because of a certain sin he was not willing to give up. He said he looked at some other religions, searching for one that wouldn’t “rule” him, and “doesn’t threaten” him “with punishment” for things he does. Now, he’s “an Ex-Christian with no stress about going to hell.”

At first, I thought to myself, “this guy’s crazy,” but later, after carefully considering what he said, I think I can actually see where he’s coming from. I certainly don’t agree with his decision, but I think I somewhat understand his thinking. None of us really want to be told that we’re doing something wrong. We don’t want anyone to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do, and none of us want to be threatened with consequences for doing something we really enjoy. We certainly don’t want to hear that we’re going to hell if we don’t give it up.

Human beings are stubborn creatures, and we want what we want. Even when we love God, and are trying to obey him in every way, we’re still somewhat selfish. That’s human nature. It’s not always easy for a loyal disciple of Jesus to give up something that God says is a sin, but when you’re not completely committed to obeying God, then giving up a cherished sin is impossible. We make all kinds of excuses for hanging on to it, and as hard as it is to understand, many even turn and walk away from God rather than give up the sin.

That’s why a close, personal relationship with God is crucial. That’s what my book THE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN is all about. We can’t be good by ourselves. Oh, we can do good in certain areas of our lives, but there are areas where the flesh is just stronger than we are. For those areas, we need the supernatural intervention of a power much greater than anything we could ever conjure up. We need the power of our creator to change our hearts.

Here’s something that many people don’t understand. The first step to real change is simply this: We “must be born again” (John 3:1-7). Only then will we truly want to obey God. Many are being deceived into disbelieving that the Bible is really God’s inspired word to us, and yes, many are choosing not to believe because they don’t want to obey God and give up sin. Others, however, refuse to believe and serve God because Satan and his followers have perverted and twisted many teachings of the Bible.

The doctrine of hell, for example, is very misunderstood. It has been twisted, and distorted for centuries, making God seem like some tyrant who loves to punish people in the flames. The character of God has been terribly marred by the distorted teachings on this subject. In 1 John 4:8, the Bible tells us that “God is love.” Verse 9 offers us proof of that love. Echoing the words that Jesus told Nicodemus one night, the Apostle John says that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son into the world, so we might live because of his sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:8-10).

He loves us with a love that we sinful humans could never completely comprehend, and he wants what’s best for us. He wants to be with us, now, and forever, but sin separates us from God because he is holy (Psalm 99:9). That’s what happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned, but God had a plan to fix everything. Part of that plan is to someday eradicate sin from the universe, forever. Here’s where many are confused about the character of God. Many think he’s some kind of dictator, who wants us all to do what he says, or else. They think he’s up there, looking down on us, just waiting for us to mess up so he can send us to hell, but that’s not the case at all. Take a good look at these three verses from God’s holy book.

9 In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him.
(1 John 4:9)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

11 Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked:
(Ezekiel 33:11)

The fact is, hell fire is designed for Satan, who started the sin problem in the beginning, and for the evil angels who follow him (Matthew 25:41). Hell fire is the method God will someday use to destroy sin from the universe for all time. The sad thing is, many of us allow ourselves to be slaves to sin and that puts a wall between us and God. The Prophet Isaiah said that our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is attractive and fun, for a while. We get so caught up in it, and the pleasures it offers, that we don’t realize we’re slaves to it. In fact, the opposite is true. We think we’re free. We hang on to sin and reject Jesus, like the guy I mentioned earlier. God WILL destroy sin someday, and if we’re still hanging on to sin, then we’ll be destroyed right along with it; Not because God is mean or sadistic, but because we have allowed it to become part of us. Sin actually controls the sinner. Sin becomes the sinner’s master. Look what Jesus said in these next three verses.

34 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
(John 8:34)

24 No man can serve two masters: he will either hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other.
(Matthew 6:24a)

30 He that is not with me is against me;
(Matthew 12:30a)

Just a quick recap here. Sin controls the sinner. Sin is the sinner’s master, and no one can serve two masters. If you don’t choose to serve Jesus, you have chosen to continue serving sin. You have made your choice and you will be destroyed with sin at the end of the world. Do you see how it works? God is not cruel. He doesn’t want anyone to experience the flames of hell. Think about this for a minute. People who live a life of sin are very uncomfortable around people who are truly living their lives for God, and they don’t want to hear about holy things. Many are even hostile about it. A person like that would be miserable in heaven. Plus, sin can not exist in the presence of our holy God. That person would be destroyed just by being there.

That’s the whole reason he sent his Son, cloaked in human flesh, to pay the penalty for our sins and to pave the way for us to get back into the presence of God. So many people don’t realize exactly what happened when Adam sinned. It involved so much more than just being put out of the garden of Eden. It threw everything in God’s perfect creation out of balance. It brought chaos to the perfect ecosystem that God had so carefully set up. It brought pain and suffering, along with death and destruction upon every living thing that God had so lovingly created. It put a barrier between the Creator and the entire human race.

For the past six thousand years, God has been working tirelessly to bring us back to him so when he finally destroys sin, mankind will be able to live in his presence again. That’s the end result of the plan of salvation, but God is holy, and just, and he will not force his will on us. He made mankind with the freedom to choose. He can not save anyone who doesn’t want to be saved. All he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. That’s what the gospel is all about.

Imagine, for a minute, that you can’t swim. You wake up on a huge barge in the middle of a deep, wide river. The sun is shining, and the water is calm and peaceful, so you begin to enjoy the ride. After all, you can’t swim so there’s nothing you can do. Surely it won’t be long until the barge runs into shallow water or drifts to the edge where you can get back to land.

Now imagine that a man comes down the river in a speed boat and drives up beside you. He tells you the barge is headed for a waterfall and he came to save you. The barge is too big and too heavy for the speedboat to pull back up the river, so he wants you to get in the boat with him. That sounds simple enough. All you have to do is step off the barge you are on, into his boat, and he’ll speed you back up the river to safety.

What would you do? You may not believe him at first. You may not understand his motives for wanting you to leave the barge. You may have questions, but one thing is sure, there’s nothing you can do to save yourself. If what he says is true, and you remain where you are, you’ll go over the waterfall with the barge, and you’ll die.

Because of Adam’s sin, we’re all born on that barge. We’re all cursed and condemned to death. Jesus came to earth and lived a holy, sinless life. He now offers us eternal life by substituting his sinless life for our sinful one. All we have to do is accept it. It’s entirely up to us. He won’t force us. As I said, all he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. He’ll keep pleading with us, and he’ll give us chance after chance. If we end up lost, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

The barge in this story represents sin. The one who put you there is Satan. If you choose to stay on the barge (sin) while the man (Jesus) is offering you a free ride to safety (salvation) then you will go over the waterfall (hell) with the barge (sin) and you will die. You can’t blame God because he created the waterfall. He sent someone to save you. There are only two options. The choice is yours. If you refuse his help then YOU are choosing death. If you end up in hell it will be because that’s what YOU chose. You can’t blame God. He did everything he possibly could to save you.

God has made it perfectly clear, he will destroy sin in the lake of fire, at the end of the world (Matthew 13:1-50). If we choose to hang on to sin, we will be destroyed right along with it, even though Jesus is trying desperately to save us. If you’re still on that barge, please, step off now, and let Jesus carry you to safety. He desperately wants to save us all, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone has the opportunity.

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MY OLDEST MEMORIES

The year was 1968. The number one song on the Billboard charts was “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert. The U.S. president was Lyndon B. Johnson. The Vietnam War was still being fought, and the civil rights movement was going strong. Numerous activist groups made the headlines and many protesters were killed during demonstrations, ranging from anti-war demonstrations, racial demonstrations, feminist demonstrations, and student-led demonstrations on campuses that year. Several key figures were shot. Sadly, most of them died including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy.

In the midst of all the chaos, a fifteen-year-old girl gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Yep, you guessed it. That baby was me. I didn’t have a perfect childhood, but I still have many good memories, which is funny, because sometimes now, I can’t remember things that happened last week. Stress, I guess. It’ll kill you.

Anyway, my oldest memory is of my mother giving me a bath in a huge white tub. She told me I was three years old then. I remember that same year I was messing around with her old Gene Autry guitar and told my Grandmother I wanted to write a song. She loved music and she always encouraged us to sing and play. She was always singing hymns while she was working in the garden, washing dishes, or cooking. As long as I can remember she made sure that we had musical instruments to play. So, she got a pencil and some paper and sat down with me, and my sister and I began to “play” and “Sing” what I was feeling. Well, I THOUGHT I was playing and singing. My sister added her two cents and we wrote a song.

The song was about our younger sister who was just a month or so old when our mother first brought her to see us. We had such a great time with her that day, but too soon, it came time for them to go. We had only known her for a few hours, but we already loved her. We were so sad when they left, and that’s when inspiration struck. “Bring My Baby Back Home, Bring My Baby Back Home, She’s So Beautiful, And We Love Her So, Bring My Baby Back Home.” That was basically the song. There wasn’t much to it, but back then, it was a masterpiece to me.

The next oldest memory, I can’t really pinpoint how old I was, but I remember my Grandmother talking to us about Jesus and heaven. She didn’t have a car and she wouldn’t have known how to drive it if she had owned one, but she took us to church. She would have different people from church come by and give us a ride. She would read the Bible, and she taught us the importance of serving God and being ready for heaven at all times. She wasn’t perfect, but she loved God, and she sacrificed so much to make sure we had the things we needed. I praise the Lord for her influence in my life.

But, even with all her love and guidance growing up, I was far from perfect myself. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, but, there were times I would have done a lot worse if not for the things she taught me. I had a good moral compass thanks to her. I was grown before I finally decided to follow Jesus, but I know that I’m a Christian today because she introduced me to Jesus.

Those are three of my oldest memories from my memory book. I hope when I’m old and senile, someone will read them to me and maybe give me a glimpse of a brighter time in my life.

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© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @
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