Happy Anniversary To The Love Of My Life

                  Almost seventeen years ago, on October the ninth of 1999, I stood in front of a church auditorium full of friends and family and married by best friend.  Amanda Mills became Amanda Mlejnek.  I knew almost right from the very start that she was the one for me.  I fell in love with her and I fell hard.  We were married after dating for only a little under a year.  She was 18 years old and I was 20.    

               I remember asking for her dad’s permission and blessing to have her hand in marriage.  He gave it, of course, but he had lots of questions for me.  He wanted me to give detailed answers on how I planned to support and take care of his little girl and also questions about my past.  He laid out some very important expectations and characteristics for what he wanted to see in a mate for his daughter.  He has always been such a godly example to me and was such a loving, caring, and supportive husband himself.  Amanda was raised by two of the most godly, loving, Christian parents that I have ever met and it shows in her character.

                   People use the phrase all the time, but it is so true in my life, I married way above my head.  I have been blessed with such a wonderful wife.  She is truly a gift from the Lord.  My wife is humble and she does not seek to be recognized for the things that she does.  I hope that she does not mind the public praise I am giving her now, because she has earned it.  She is awesome, I love her, and I want the world to know about it.  

               She has been the most selfless, sacrificing, forgiving, loving, dedicated, faithful, and caring spouse that any man could ever dream of.  She has consistently put my needs before her own and always tries to the best of her ability to make sure that I am happy, comfortable, and that I have everything that I want.  She truly spoils me!  

               In all of the years that we have been together, I can probably count on two hands the number of times that I have had to pack my own lunch for work.  She cooks, she cleans, she does the laundry, grocery shops, washes the dishes, pays the bills, takes care of the children, and she pampers me every chance she gets too.  I’m not sure that I can remember the last time I went a whole day without her rubbing my back for me.  She went with me shortly after we got married all the way to Jacksonville, Florida and worked many hours to help pay for my college classes.

                      She is the most wonderful, caring, and loving mother to our three children.  I could not have picked a better mother and role model for my sweet babies.  She loves Jesus and lives for Him.  After her relationship with God, she makes her family her main priority.  She is smart, talented, creative, and rather handy around the house at fixing things and assembling things that need to be put together.  That is a good thing, because I am not mechanically inclined whatsoever. 

                     On top of all of that, she is stunningly gorgeous.  It’s almost not fair to everyone else that all of these wonderful attributes were given to one person in the same package.  I would never have thought it to be possible, but she has only grown in her beauty over time.  She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside too.  I truly have what you would call a trophy wife.  She doesn’t even need me, yet she chooses to love me unconditionally.

             If you only knew her husband as well as she does and what she has put up with over the years, you would say that she deserves special recognition and a medal.  Despite all of my faults and failures (and let me tell you there are many of them) she has remained right by side through thick and thin.  Always willing to forgive and just keep on loving me, even when I was acting very unloveable.  She has taught me so many things about true love and forgiveness.

              She may not need me, but I sure need her.  I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.  She is the light of my life and she makes me happy.  So,  Happy Anniversary Amanda and thank you for always loving me and never giving up on me.  Thank you for all of your many sacrifices, your unending love, and your faithfulness to our Lord, and your family.  I pray that my gift of words to you will add a bit of joy to your day sweetheart.  I love you always and forever…5013       

                I close this post out with a poem that I just very recently wrote for my wife for our anniversary this year.  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 

I can still remember that fall day when you walked down the aisle and became my Queen 

You had taken my attention, stolen my desire, and my captured heart was the crime scene

You looked so absolutely gorgeous and stunning in that long white flowing dress

It took my breath away, captivated by your beauty, words can't adequately express 

You've stayed faithful to me and kept right by my side from Kentwood to Jacksonville 

If I could have any woman in the world and go back in time, I would choose you still

God has blessed us with three beautiful children; Joshua, Mary, and Mark Anthony 

I could not have chosen a better mother to care for my babies, of this I guarantee 

We have been through the darkest of valleys and stood together on the highest of hills 

You've flooded my soul with warmth since back when you were still just Amanda Mills 

We have been through so much together; happiness, heartache, trials, and tears 

Our love has stood the test of time, it's hard to believe it's already been 17 years 

And no matter where our ship sails from here, to clear blue skies or stormy weather 

Know that you are not alone, as long as I live, we will travel this journey together 

So Happy Anniversary my love as we celebrate the day that we both said, "I do"

I look forward to many more, to sweet times ahead, and growing old with you

You are my very best friend, my lover, my world, my rock, my joy, and my pride

You are just as lovely now as on our wedding day, you are still my beautiful bride

Love, Randy

2016

Heaven On Earth?

       An intriguing question that most everyone has contemplated, whether they consider themselves to be religious or not, is that of, when a person dies, will they live again?  This question was posed in Job 14:14.  Is there life after death?  One thing is certain about this life, and that is, that we all die.  The moment that we are conceived, the aging process begins.  We all have a limited amount of time in this life.  It matters not how much money is in your bank account, how many earthly possessions you have accumulated, what your social status is, how high up the corporate ladder you have climbed, or what level of power or influence you have attained.  One hundred years from now, none of that will matter.  We all eventually die and our bodies will turn to dust.

So is this life all there is?  The moment that you take your final breath and your heart stops beating, do you then cease to exist, or is there life beyond the grave?  Is there a conscious existence beyond this physical world that we experience here with our senses?  If so, what is it like?  Pondering these questions and thinking about death is not a comfortable subject for many people.  It forces you to recognize your own mortality.  Life is fragile and in the grand scheme of things, it is very short.  The Bible says that life is but a vapor that appears for a short time and then vanishes away. - James 4:14.  Nobody is promised tomorrow.

Maybe you have had a loved one pass away recently, as I have, or have attended someone’s funeral.  The topic of life and death is fresh in your mind and you might be struggling with some of these very questions yourself.   I would like to try to convey to you some of the truths in God’s word that relate to this subject.  The Bible very clearly teaches that there is life after death.  This life is not all there is for us.  

The clear teaching of the Scripture is that the moment you die, your soul is instantly transported to one of two places, either heaven or hell.  The Bible does not teach any sort of soul sleep, purgatory, complete annihilation, or reincarnation.  You die, then you either go to heaven or hell for all of eternity.  If you die and end up in hell, your fate is sealed and you can never get out.  For the Christian, the Bible teaches, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord - 2nd Corinthians 5:8.  The Bible teaches that both heaven and hell are literal and physical places, not just a state of mind.  The doctrine of hell, or eternal punishment, is a topic for another day.  For the remainder of this blog post, I wish to focus on life eternal in the presence of the Lord in heaven.  

So, what is heaven going to be like?  The Bible says, “But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. -1st Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV). Philippians 1:23 says that being in heaven with Christ is “far better” than being here on the earth under the curse of sin.  If you look at the imperfect world around us with all of its beautiful scenery, sunsets, and topography, you can imagine that heaven will be even more wonderful beyond our wildest dreams.  

         Paul was given a glimpse of heaven while he was still alive in a vision.  He writes of this experience in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12.  The Lord, however, did not allow him to detail the things that he beheld with his eyes.  In the book of Revelation, God allowed the Apostle John to get a glimpse of heaven in a vision as well.  He does attempt to express to us from that vision the sheer beauty of heaven (Rev. 21).  He writes of gates of solid pearl, architecture made from precious jewels, a crystal sea, streets of gold so pure that they are transparent like glass, a magnificent flowing river, fruit bearing trees.  This celestial city is said to have twelve foundations that have the names of the twelve apostles written on them.  The Bible says that it has twelve gates, each of which has written on them the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.        

When most people talk about heaven, they are referring to what is known as the present heaven or in theological circles as the intermediate heaven.  It is that place where the soul of Christians go when they die to await their bodily resurrection.  It is the dwelling place of God in a perfect environment and where His throne is.  Yes, we will be given a new resurrection body someday.  It will be an incorruptible body, without sin, sickness, disease, death, or the many other limitations of our current earthly bodies.

  All that we know of heaven, we learn from the Bible, God’s word.  There is, however, much that we simply don’t know.  In addition to that, there is also many misconceptions and wild speculations out there that we see on television or in the movies, that have no scriptural basis. 

In the Bible, the word heaven is used to describe primarily three different places.  We read of the first heaven in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Heaven here is used to refer to the sky or the earth’s atmosphere.  In other places, it refers to the stars, outer space, and the universe.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” -Psalm 19:1.  And lastly heaven is also referred to in the Bible as the dwelling place of God.  This is the “third heaven” that Paul speaks of in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12.  He said that he was “caught up” to this third heaven. That is the heaven that I would like to very briefly talk about.  

The exact and precise location of God’s central dwelling place in the present (intermediate) heaven is unknown to us.  The Bible does not give us a set of coordinates or a map of where it is.  It does reveal to us how to get there, but not exactly where “there” is.  The location of the future heaven is given to us and the Bible says that it will be on the new earth that God prepares.              

This intermediate heaven is a place without pain or suffering, but it is not the final place that we will dwell forever.  The Bible teaches that at the end of human history, at God’s appointed time, He will come down to dwell among His people in a new heaven and a new earth - Revelation 21 and 22.  Some scholars refer to this as the eternal state.  It will literally be heaven on earth.  We will dwell with God on this earth, but it will have been divinely “remodeled” if you will.  It will be perfect, as when He first created it, before the curse of sin came upon it.  The capital city of this heaven on earth will be the new Jerusalem.  This city is alluded to in various places in the biblical text, but most in detail in Revelation chapter 21.  It is called different names too;  the holy city, the celestial city, the city foursquare, etc.  We are given the dimensions of this city as being 1,500 miles cubed!  It will be illuminated by the light of the glory of God Himself.  

We will have our resurrected bodies and we will live and reign with Him forevermore.  There will be no more sin, sorrow, death, pain, wars, or conflict.  We will one day live in this perfect environment, with perfect resurrected bodies.  Bodies that won’t have the same physical limitations that we currently have.  The last time God dwelled with man in a perfect environment on this earth was in the Garden of Eden before the fall.  

In Revelation chapter 22 it tells us that there will be a river running through the new heaven and on each side of the river there will be trees.  Much like there was in the Garden of Eden.  There will be water, trees, fruit, and food to eat.  We will be able to communicate and have conversations with others there.  There is nothing in the Bible about floating around on a cloud for all of eternity, strumming a harp in boredom.  Heaven is going to be a magnificent place with such amazing beauty.  It will literally be a perfect environment in the presence of our creator God where we will worship Him and experience joy and pleasure beyond anything our human minds can currently comprehend. 

If you would like to do more in depth reading on this topic, I would recommend a book by Chip Ingram titled, “The Real Heaven”, it is published by  

Baker Books, 2016.  I close this post out with a poem that I wrote on heaven.  As always, I pray that it will be an encouragement and a blessing to you.            

HEAVEN

There will be no more pain there, no more death, and no more night

No more crying, or need for candles, for the Lamb will be the light

Our hearts can't imagine its beauty, eye has not seen nor ear has heard 

Of the place prepared for those that love Him, according to His word

It is the dwelling place of the living God and contains His very throne 

John was given a glimpse, and in a vision, its splendor he was shown 

The true reality of heaven, words cannot adequately express

Access will be exclusive and it has very strict, code of dress

Your good works won't matter or who you managed to impress

It's reserved only for those that are clothed in His, righteousness

One day heaven will be made new, and brought down to this earth

A brand new city for those who have experienced a spiritual rebirth

Gates of pearl, your own mansion, and a street of gold as clear as glass

Like Eden restored, before Eve was deceived, by that snake in the grass

A majestic river flows, and on both sides, trees that bare 12 kinds of fruit

At death, you are transported in an instant, it won't be a long commute

Contrary to popular belief, Saint Peter does not control entrance through the gate

Whether you accept Jesus and His offer of salvation, that is what seals your fate

Architecture that’s made out of precious jewels and what appears to be a crystal sea

Angels proclaim holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to be

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the saints of old will all be there 

To reign with Him forever in that glorious city built foursquare 

The only thing made by man will be the scars in our Savior's hands and feet 

For me, the best part of heaven will be, when face to face my Jesus I meet

Randy Mlejnek

All Lives Matter

       The liberal media, along with some high ranking liberal politicians are fanning the flames of racism while propagating lies, further widening a racial divide in this country.  They would have you believe that there is an out of control epidemic of police violence being perpetrated against black people that is being carried out in the name of racism.  Is there racism that is alive and active in this country, yes there certainly is.  Are there any racist police officers?  No doubt there are some, just as there are some racist fire fighters, postal carriers, UPS drivers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, factory workers, professional athletes, politicians, and movie stars.  Racism does exist from white, black, and brown people in all of those professions.  That however, does not mean that all people are racist.  

       Yes, racism does exist and it is ugly.  Hating another human being for any reason, I believe is wrong.  It matters not to me, the color of your skin, your sexual orientation, or your religious beliefs.  My Bible tells me that not only am I not supposed to hate, but I am to love my neighbor as myself.  It tells me that all men were created in His image and that all of our lives are precious and matter.  

       My Bible also tells me that we are all born sinners and in need of a Savior.  So unfortunately racism will always exist in some form or another in this life.  Just as there will always be murder, rape, and robbery.  No matter how many laws we pass, you cannot legislate morality into the hearts of sinful men.  I believe that someone can only truly be transformed by the blood and power of Jesus.  That's not to say that we are all racists, murderers, rapists, and robbers.  We are all however sinful people and capable of wicked things.  The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9.  

       So often when a person of color is involved in a violent encounter with police, it is broadcast 24/7 across national news media outlets and practically played on a loop.  When this same thing takes place with a white person, most of the time it does not garner any attention beyond the local news.  In fact, just last year alone, almost twice as many white people were shot and killed by the police than were blacks.  That's a fact, but you would never know that by watching the news.  I understand that blacks make up approximately 13% of the population while whites make up roughly 62%.  That is a discussion that can go down a long rabbit trail that I don’t have time for today.  

       The fact of the matter is that not all cops are trigger happy racists with a hidden agenda.  The media is feeding you a bunch of lies and misinformation.  The overwhelming majority of police officers are good upstanding people just trying to do a very unpopular job and go home safe to their families at night.  I could go on to list all sorts of statistics and data to show the true reality of the situation, but again, the facts don't matter to someone trying to push an agenda based on lies.  There are plenty of other articles out there that are full of statistics that you can read.  If all you did was watch the news while ignoring the facts, you might believe that there really is an out of control police brutality epidemic being perpetrated against black America.  We are being told that trigger happy white police officers are actively hunting down black men and just looking for an excuse to kill them.  The facts simply do not bear this out.  

       Again, it is not just the media that is fanning the flames of racial tension on this issue.  The governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, where the recent Philando Castile shooting by a police officer took place, accused the officer involved of being a racist.  He said that he did not believe that the officer would have shot Mr. Castile if he would have been white.  He said this the day after the shooting, before the investigation took place, without talking to the officer actually involved in the shooting, and without knowing all the facts.  There is simply no excuse for this and is, in my opinion, grossly negligent rhetoric by a man in his position.  It has most assuredly contributed to recent violence against police officers across this nation.  Police unions all across his state are calling for him to retract and apologize for his statement.  The President of the United States, Barack Obama, has spoken ill of the police and their actions on countless repeated occasions without knowing all of the facts.  Saying that the "police acted stupidly" or implying that their actions were motivated by racial intent without knowing all of the facts of a situation is deplorable.  

       Has a person of color ever been unjustly shot down by a racist police officer?  No doubt in our nations 240 year history, this type of thing has taken place.  Do I believe that the police are always right and only act legally within the scope of their given authority, not at all.  I believe these things are not the norm though.  I believe that the overwhelming majority of police officers are hard working, brave, honest, possess integrity, and are willing to die to protect us.  Just look at the recent shootings in Dallas, Texas where police officers were being slaughtered.  There were scores of police officers running toward the sound of gun fire, into the eye of danger, to protect the very people who were there protesting them.  Do not believe the biased and slanted lies being pushed by the media because it is a narrative that fits their current agenda.  

       I won't give my opinion on the recent police involved shootings because I wasn't there and I simply don't have all the facts.  I will withhold my judgement until the investigation is complete.  Were any of these recent shootings unjust and racially motivated, that is entirely possible.  But my advice is just that, don't rush to judgement.  A cellphone video after the fact or from an obscure angle of perspective does not necessarily tell the whole story.  Don't assume that what is being touted on the news media is accurate.  Don't allow them to start a race war and divide us over lies.  Now if the investigations and evidence show unjust criminal intent on the part of a police officer(s), I will be the first to say that they should be held accountable.  Let's make sure that we do our due diligence and not paint an entire profession or group of people with a broad brush.  

       Remember, one of the defining moments of this myth of an epidemic of widespread racist police brutality started with the Michael Brown shooting in 2014 in Ferguson Missouri. That is where the battle cry got started and is still being proclaimed today, "hands up, don't shoot!"  The fact of that situation that came out after the investigation was complete was that Michael Brown did not have his hands up when he was shot by Officer Darren Wilson.  All of the forensic evidence, internal investigations, autopsies, as well as the investigation conducted by Obama's Department of Justice, proved that to be false.  All investigations came to the same conclusion and proved that Michael Brown did not surrender, his hands were not up, he was trying to disarm the officer, and Darren Wilson was justified in the shooting.  The mantra of “hands up, don’t shoot!” was built upon a lie.    

       Regardless of all of this, racism is still a shameful reality in this country.  The level of pigment in one's epidermis should not be the measure by which an individual is judged.  The police are not perfect and a civilized discussion can take place.  I learned a song as a child at church that said, "...red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world."  All lives matter to Jesus and this world would be a much better place if we followed His example and loved our neighbor as ourselves.

  BLUE LIVES MATTER

There are brave warriors who stand at the ready that wear a badge and a gun

These sheepdogs will run into the face of danger to shield you when you dial 911

Their job is dangerous and they put their lives on the line to serve and protect

They deserve our support, encouragement, trust, and have earned our respect

Their every move is scrutinized when in the heat of the moment they have to act 

Many times getting vilified before the full truth comes out, and we know every fact

There may be times when some of them act outside the scope of their authority 

But don't paint them all with the same broad brush, these few are in the minority

Yes, it's true, racism exists, to some extent, in each and every profession 

But violence is not the answer and neither is responding with aggression

So don't be so quick to rush to judgment before all of the facts are known

Two sides go to every story, not everything is revealed on video from a phone

Some spread lies and of their knowledge in police tactics they like to opine

Ignorantly forgetting that their freedoms are maintained by that thin blue line

Do not buy into the false propaganda and myths that some people create

Police officers, as a whole, are noble and brave warriors, not filled with hate

Racism is ugly and hate cannot be justified, for it's always a sin 

 Look at others as God sees them, and not just by the color of their skin

We have to work together for the foundations of racism to shatter

We were all created in God's image, made equal, and ALL LIVES MATTER!

Randy Mlejnek

July 2016