Like a Lion

I have been very excited lately, I can feel Christmas coming and at Church at The Cross that means one thing. Journey to Bethlehem. An interactive journey that takes you on a path that Joseph and Mary might have taken on their way to Bethlehem, there are Roman Soldiers, Magi, Shepherds (That's me!), and of course the city of Bethlehem! Well yeah that is pretty awesome, and if you are in the North Texas area it is definitely a great event for people of all ages, so you will probably see more of that as we get closer to the dates in December 1-5.
Well today I just wanted to encourage you with some songs and some Bible verses. 

I love this song because it really reminds me of the awesome and mighty power of our God, and in our times of trouble He is there. He is alive, and He roars like a lion. Reminds me of Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia, which if you have not read The Magicians Nephew it is a must read. The way it shows Aslan (who is supposed to be God) creating the world is powerful and an interesting and creative way to look at it. 

Another great song to remind you that even though Jesus did die, He was brought back to life. We do not worship a dead God, He is alive! And if he can beat the ultimate test of death, what can he do for us? There is no sin to great or large that Jesus can't take on. Keep this in mind as you go on through your day!

Verse of The Day:

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" Colossians 1:15-20

Thought of The Day:

What are you sacrificing for God today?

God Bless,

-Simple Man

On the Bench

In chapter two of James, we hear a very sobering fact about who believes in God, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." So while many of us believe in this God how many of us are actually following Him? James reminds us that even the Demons believe in God! So what is so great if we believe in God? We can go to church every Sunday, take notes during the sermon and even Worship Him, but what is it all for if we simply believe in God? There is an epidemic in the church today, we believe because we do these things we are following God. Churches try to get people coming back by delivering sermons that do not challenge you but rather inspire you. That is not what the Bible teaches though. We are taught in Luke that to follow Him we must give up everything and pick up our cross daily and follow Him. I wonder what would happen of every church in america did the unpopular thing and challenged their congregation to really live for Jesus. To not just sit on the sidelines and watch, but to get in the game and participate along side Jesus. Can you imagine if all the Christians in America stopped believing in Jesus and made a commitment to follow Jesus? I believe that, like in the Church in Acts, there would be widespread revival! There would be more people attending church, and it just may change the course of our generation.

The question I pose to you today is, Has following Jesus cost you anything? If not have you made a commitment to follow him, or just to believe in Him? I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments


Your Guiding Scripture for today: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" Micah 6:8

I am not a fan of Jesus.

That is right I said it. I am not a fan of Jesus.


You see my Sunday school College class has started the bible study of Not a Fan. Sunday was our first lesson from the study, to say that it impacted me to the core would be an understatement. I have never thought of this idea that people could be fans of Jesus, and not be followers. That the people who were fans of Jesus, at the time of judgement, would be separated from Him, because they were not truly followers. I knew that some people were more committed to their relationship with Christ than others, but to say that some of us follow Him and others of us are simply fans? Now that was something I never considered.
I was deeply moved when the lesson asked whether we home rooms in our spiritual life that we do not want Jesus to go into. The answer for me was of course yes, but it made me think of why I wouldn't let the person who bled for me help me out in my troubles.


Then we were asked if we were to die today, what words would we want said at our funeral about us. Now that was a question I think all of us could say great answers to. But what would people really say about us when we die. I said I would hope that I would be remembered for trying to give  of myself so other people may prosper. The key word there was trying. I can't say that right now I am doing that to the full extent I could be. So what did I need to get there?


I guess that is the great question. How do we get to the point of being followers of Jesus, instead of simply fans of Jesus? Well we can't just answer that in this short blog, or discussion. We have to live it out. This question is different to each person. What do you need to sacrifice, what do you need to do differently, or more? Some of us may not want to know the answers to this question, but without that how will you transition to being a follower of Jesus.


Remember that nobody ever said that following God would be easy. Jesus says in Luke 9:23 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." 


I know I probably didn't answer many questions, I actually probably just brought up more, but take this time to consider these questions.

So define the relationship with Jesus. Are you a fan or a follower?

Wednesday Night Devo!

Paraphrased from Wednesday night church, Church at The Cross, Pastor Pete Brooks

What do you think God thinks about you?

1. On good days, we think God thinks about us well, and vice versa.
2. We think the way others thinks about us is what God thinks about us.
3. Our culture says performance plays highly, so if performance is bad, then we think God thinks lowly about is.

But that is simply not right it is not about what we do or what we have done, because He loves us regardless. God is not like us, he does not think like we do, no matter what we have said, done, or said. He STILL loves us. Jesus liked people that were not like Him, but not only that people that were not like them (sinful) had people liked Him!

 (Luke 15:1) Tax Collectors and Sinners sat around Him and wanted to hear His every word. But the Pharisees did not like this, because these people were not righteous in their sight.

Jesus tells them the Parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. He then tells the story that rocked their world, The Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Read the Parable in Luke 15) To go to your father in that time and ask for your inheritance before he was dead was a slap in the face. Both parties could relate to this story. This story could be  applied to all in the audience, and that was the genius of His stories. SO the sun builds his case, and goes back to his father. His father was filled with compassion. Both parties were stunned, the sinners and the Pharisees! Then they celebrated his return, imagine how the audience thought at this point. God wanted the audience to change their view about how God thought about them! Not that they had to do all these things to earn His favor, but that no matter what He loves them!

So after this how do you think God thinks of you?

A New Start

I have started this blog because I wanted to write devotionals for people and basically share my Christian views, and all that jazz. I am starting this not only to share with you, but hopefully to learn more about our God. And I hope you will join in me in that new journey. I have another blog called Simple Man Review's if you want to check that out, since it is where I primarily post.  Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read this.


Don't forget to leave your opinions and comments below!
-Juan Coronel a.k.a. "Simple Man"


“Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:7-9