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Joan Ambu

Death Does Not Invalidate Our Sins

JM Perez By JM Perez5 min read126 views

Death does not invalidate sins; rather, it sends us swiftly to our judgement day. ― Joan Ambu

By all means death is such a painful word, without adding the sadness and void the living have to face. After going through the pain of death myself and accepting the fact that death does not discriminate and can knock on anyone’s door at any given time, I changed my ways and my view of life.

Some people think that death will invalidate their sins since the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father (Galatians 1:4 – KJV). Some people continue to sin believing that they can get away with it because our Lord Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us. That’s far from the truth since we will all be judged by what we did and what we didn’t do. As Christians, true Christians, when it comes to the Word of God, we should believe it in its entirety and not choose what to believe. We can either accept the Word or reject it, but we should not choose.

Image Source: Pinterest.com.

Had death been the end of sin, many who didn’t live a righteous life, would care less about their judgement day, would not be worried, panicking, attempting to right wrongs, and requesting a religious leader (Priest, Pastor, Imam, Cohen, Pujari, Bhikkhu, etc…) for confession and absolution when close to death. I don’t know why some people wait until the end to recognize and call upon the name of the Lord; however, it’s better late than never. This being said, I acknowledge the importance of confession and absolution, especially as it pertains to the young, the old, the sick, as well as for those who for some reason can’t express themselves.

I want to believe that confessing our sins and receiving absolution can wipe away our sins, if we are truly remorseful of our bad deeds and intend to change our ways. What I know for sure, is that God alone can forgive our sins as He looks at our hearts and sees our intentions (Jeremiah 17:10 – ESVUK). Yet, the question remains: does absolution by a religious leader truly forgive all sins (venial and/or mortal)? The living can only hope so, but it’s for the dead to find out. One thing the Bible is clear about is that a person who doesn’t forgive others will not be forgiven by God. And not being forgiving by God means that your sins will be held against you.

As long as we are alive, there is hope for all.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

We are all sinners in need of God’s grace.
A Christian, as defined by Compassion.com, is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ. A non-Christian on the other hand can be defined as a person without beliefs (or a person who hasn’t heard about Jesus Christ). The similarity between the two is that both are sinners. The difference is that a true Christian (believer) will turn to God for help whenever they sin, and try to do better. A non-Christian just does what he or she wants. There are three types of non-Christians:

  • The righteous non-Christians. Although these individuals don’t know the Gospel, they act in accordance with moral laws (Romans 2:14 – KJV). A great example of this can be found in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
  • The non-believers. People with no religious faith or who don’t believe in anything.
  • The unbelievers. These individuals tend to be ignorant due to lack of understanding of the Christian message. Rather than accepting the Bible/Word of God as truth, they choose what works for them. These are the people who refuse to accept truth even when they see proof.

Just as every single one of us fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 – NKJV), there is hope for everyone because God’s message of salvation extends to everyone (Romans 10:12 – ESV), and God alone can save us, Christians and non-Christians alike (Ephesians 2:8-9 – ESV). As long as we seek to know God, we can all be saved.

It is important to remember God in good and bad times. God is good all the time, even when we are not. Sometimes we do the most despicable things, yet, God still loves and forgives us. Whenever God shows us mercy, we should be grateful and thankful. We must refrain from doing and saying bad things, and turn from our wicked ways. It is the fate of every living thing to eventually die. For believers death means life (Philippians 1:21 – NKJV). True believers as well as those who live a righteous life are not afraid to transcend when the time comes. Everyday we are alive, it is not because we deserve it. It’s simply by the grace of God and His abundant mercy that we are saved.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5

Image Source: Steemit.com.

Although we are conceived in sin (Psalm 51:4-6 – ESV), those who were too young to profess their faith as well as those who died in infancy for instance, might be those whose sins get wiped away. Also, God will surely have mercy on those with mental illnesses. Perhaps God may also have mercy on those who never heard of the Gospel, yet lived by the golden rule. More precisely, to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31 – NIV).

Romans 2:6 tells us that God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”

Fragrant Roses In The Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read231 views

It’s December and the year is almost coming to an end. Fall decorations are being put away and Christmas lights and decorations are going up all around the neighborhood. We might be the only household around who still respects the change of seasons; though we must admit that it’s heartwarming to see colorful lights and festive activities.

One of my latest plant additions to the front garden is the Angel Face Rose, also know as Angel Face Floribunda Rose. This beauty was purchased at the Lake Arrowhead Outdoor Nursery (The Standard Design Group Nurseries). With loads of vibrant ruffled lavender blossoms, the Angel Face Rose has a very strong fruity fragrance and blooms profusely. Its glossy dark green leaves complement the flower color.

According to the websites Wikipedia and weekand.com, Rosa ‘Angel Face’ originated at Swim and Weeks nursery in Southern California and was introduced in 1968. Developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers, ‘Angel Face’ is a cross between floribundas, (‘Circus’ × ‘Lavender Pinocchio’) and hybrid tea, ‘Sterling Silver’. The ‘Circus’ x ‘Lavender Pinocchio’ was the female parent, and ‘Sterling Silver’ was the male parent. On a side note, ‘Sterling Silver’ was the first modern mauve rose, introduced by American hybridizer Gladys Fisher in 1957.

Angel Face Rose.

My Blue Moon hybrid tea rose pulled through this year with gorgeous, vibrant roses, after a year of not putting out flowers. The lilac blooms have an intense fragrance and the plant has an upright, vigorous growth.

Blue Moon Rose.

Purchased as a bare root rose, I didn’t think my Perfume Delight Rose would make it passed this year, but it pulled through. It is thriving and I am grateful.

Perfume Delight Rose is a pink hybrid tea rose, developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers in 1973. The bright deep pink flowers exude an intense damask fragrance and are said to be be rain resistant and as well as disease resistant, with large, glossy, leathery foliage.

Perfume Delight Rose.

Fall is a beautiful season! Many trees in the neighborhood have graced us with their gorgeous colors; I want to believe that it has a lot to do with the rains and cool weather we’ve had this year. A couple of weeks ago we caught the gopher that was wrecking havoc in the front yard (digging holes and leaving behind mounds of dirt, mostly).

We relocated a few Agave Ovatifolia as well as a couple of Yucca Pendula from the backyard to the front and transplanted six young and healthy Heavenly Bamboo to the left side of the front yard. I am growing a few Spanish Broom from seed to gift to family, friends, and neighbors in the Spring.

Happy Gardening.

Fundraiser for Frédéric V. Mamia

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read331 views

Dear Friends and Readers,

I am reaching out today, on behalf of the Mamia’s family, to let you know that they need your help.
Just a few days ago, their son, brother, and our friend, Frédéric Mamia, was rushed to the hospital unconscious and has since been going in and out of consciousness.

Our friend is gravely ill and needs urgent intervention. He is very sick, and his treatment is too costly for his family to pay for alone, but we can help ease the financial burden and stress that they are facing.

I have organized a few fundraisers in the past; however, those fundraisers were to support the bereaved.
This is the first fundraiser I am organizing to assist the living, and I hope that you can all lend a hand.

If you’d like to show your support, you can help in the following ways:

  • By sending your donation directly to his senior brother, Matthieu Mahouve, at +(237) 6 99 93 82 07
  • By donating here. For transparency purpose, names of donors and donation amounts will be listed here. Should you prefer to remain anonymous from the public, let me know.
  • By praying for Frédéric and his family

Please take a minute and make a donation. Frédéric, who has given us so much joy over the years and is now fighting for his life, truly needs our help. Any funds donated will help save Frédéric’s life.

Frédéric Mamia.

“If Kindness could be passed along, unrestrainedly, as forward messages, the World would be a better place.” ― Joan Ambu

CONTRIBUTORS LIST:

  • Joan Ambu – $200
  • Lionel Njeukam – $50
  • Anonymous – $80
  • William Fotso – $80

Summer End Happenings

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read286 views

It has been quite an interesting couple of weeks here. The weather has been hectic and it’s hard to tell if we are still in Summer or moved onto Fall. One week it’s scorching hot and the next it’s very cold; then having to deal with allergies and everything in between. Nevertheless, it feels good to welcome a new season.

A few days ago, a young chicken found itself into our backyard, and it was quite hilarious to watch my kids run after it in multiple attempts to get it to return to where it came from. One of our close neighbor’s have a chicken coop, and strangely, the chickens prefer to sleep in a tree. It took a while, but in the end, the young chicken climbed onto a bench and flew into a different neighbor’s backyard. We all had a good laugh and workout out of it …

Young Chicken Perched on Palm Tree.

A few months ago I experienced first hand how invasive the ‘Madame Galen’ Trumpet Vine can get.
Last Fall, we trimmed the vine back to the main trunk and relocated it by an opened area next to the storage shed. We thought we took out all the roots, only to find out a few months later (after it rained heavily) that this plant is extremely invasive. Young plants began emerging and worsened each time we got rid of it. Two weeks ago, we dug a large area, found the main root and pulled it out. Keeping our fingers crossed!

‘Madame Galen’ Trumpet Young Plants.

Finally, after months of trial and error, we caught one of two mischievous squirrels. These rodents are becoming smarter when it comes to avoiding traps. They have destroyed so many of my tender and younger plants that I am now going back to using chicken wire to protect the most vulnerable plants.

Trapped Squirrel.

I have been doing a lot of cleaning in and around the house. Indoors, I have been sorting, organizing, re-organizing, getting rid of, and giving away stuff someone else could use. There’s still much to do, but as of now, it’s good. Outdoors, we finally finished the deck.

Happy gardening.