"Bold Faith", What Is It & Where Does It Come From?

As Christians, we have the greatest motivations possible to live our faith boldly, an empty tomb and a risen Lord. Yet at times, we seem to be the ones most timid and afraid to live our faith boldly. Sadly I believe  most Christians equate living their faith boldly with arrogance. As such they refuse or fail to do what matters most when it comes to "bold faith", living a life of power and conviction in Christ. The apostle Paul gives us a great example in scripture out of 2 Tim 4 as he speaks of fighting the good fight and awaiting the victor's crown.

Last Friday I was asked to speak at Bellevue Christian School on the topic of "bold faith". Not only did I choose to exemplify bold faith for all present, especially the teenagers, I felt it critical to emphasize what it means for their era and generation. I also provided hard evidence (credible & reputable cultural sources) allowing them to connect with my claims. Sadly the evidences hindering their abilities to live bold faith come both from the secular world and the church. Yes Christians, I said the church which is the body of Christ!

What do you suspect I told them? I'll give you a hint. The book of Acts and chapter seven (7) has a lot to do with it also. They got the message and are enthusiastic, would you?

Here is the video of my speech in two parts:

Zeke Bambolo - JH/HS Chapel - April 26th, 2013

Zeke Bambolo, Jr. - Q & A - April 26th, 2013

Kermit Gosnell, Abortion's Reality Kept Silent!

When we misplace the sanctity of life, especially when we fail to confront evil, the reign of evil asserts itself so prominently. Regardless of how tough (intellectual power & intestinal fortitude) we may be, or if we have literally and frequently faced the reality of death (evil's ultimate prize), it upsets us and is sickening to observe man's capacity and magnitude when left unchecked. We must actively engaged evil with the only entity that always and absolutely defeats it, Truth!

In fairly recent history, some of which you have probably heard of and some not, ordinary people have confronted evil with truth and won.

1. Martin Luther King, Jr protested injustice everywhere he could.
2. Leymah Gbowee and other courageous women ended the vicious Liberian civil war non-violently. Story told in the documentary "Pray The Devil Back to Hell".

It requires us to be diligent and do our homework in discovery, and act upon the truth with which we are convicted as a result. Some desire to give the 'appearance' of confronting evil with truth in order to gain sympathy for an even greater evil by implementing a propaganda (lies) tool.

1. Book: After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90's
2. Evil for the sake of business & financial gain: Planned Parenthood's Evil Deception

Such is another grave evidence of evil which stares us in the face involving the disturbing story of abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell. Gosnell is a Philadelphia doctor who is killing fully born babies and is also undergoing trial for the death of an adult patient. We must all familiarize ourselves with the reality of this evil and make our voices heard for the elimination of injustice. Do not hide behind the lie that you are "pro-choice" while you provide safe-harbor for evil to thrive. Nor should you hide behind the lie of refusing to allow others their rights although you disagree with their beliefs. Willing to face the reality or not, that is exactly what we do when we stand-by and do nothing in the face of evil.

I believe in the power, resilience, promise, healing capacity against all odds, and the spiritual resolve which exist in the confines of healthy family. Our culture and society petitions us every single day by the acts of men and women like Kermit Gosnell to stand tall in the face of evil and say "No More!" We choose more frequently to coward while the lives of millions are lost. We convince ourselves we are not at fault, or we are powerless.

In this post alone I have provided for you enough evidences of the opposing sides of evil and good which exist. There are countless stories all around us. I have also provided for you the truth about ordinary lives who have triumphed. Will you take the first step in a renewed or reinvigorated approach from this day forward by sharing this message and blog (conviction) with those you know? Begin now...

What Is Spiritual Discernment for Your Family?

What does the word spiritual mean to you? How does your family define spirituality as a result of your leadership or existence? What is spiritual discernment for your life and that of your family?

If you are not sure how to answer these questions I am not entirely surprised. While the dictionary definition of spiritual has not seen as severe a change, the cultural definition has seen a tremendous makeover. The definition of spiritual has always been consisting of spirit; not material; incorporeal; as a spiritual substance or being. The soul of man is spiritual (1828 American Dictionary of the English Language). It is no question the word spiritual has always contained somewhat of an out-of-body context in its definition. As a matter of fact, beginning with Christians and all other religious cultures spirituality is a sense of elevated enlightenment in the likeness of a supreme being. For Christians as I am, spirituality is a sacrificial act of service and worship before God whose merciful acceptance of our offering brings us the greatest joy (Romans 12:1).

Christians understand we have a conflict of two natures which rages within us; the flesh and the Spirit. In my opinion, that is the signature of the Creator on mankind. As such, every human regardless of our belief systems struggles for a greater elevation, or to fill a void by our natural longing for that spiritual enlightenment (Romans 7:14-25). Christians understand that void can only be filled by God and we pursue spirituality to His end desiring to live in the Spirit at all times (Romans 8). Or else, the nature of our flesh dominates, oppresses, and suppresses us into a limited life of selfish pursuits.

Therein lies the conflict we feel in seeking to define the word spiritual in our current cultural context. Do your research and ask those around you to define spirituality in their lives or their family. You will uncover definitions such as:

• Self-discovery; who we are or want to be
• Reaching beyond current limits
• Connection to the supernatural (self-evolution)

We now often define spirituality as separated from religion, and portrayed by a humanist evolutionary psychology with mystic and obscured traditions. We will often mix in a feel-good ritualistic ploy aimed at personal well-being and development. In short, spirituality has become a limited and empty selfish pursuit for personal happiness. Authentication of our selfish pursuits often culminate with a superficial attempt to grace the edges of the realm of others' material poverty, frequently blinded to our own spiritual and emotional poverty.

Would you like to understand and exercise true spiritual discernment? Listen (click show title) to this episode of the Motivation With a Purpose weekly broadcast with our guest Dr. Karl Payne. Dr. Payne is the author of the Amazon #1 Bestselling book titled Spiritual Warfare. He is also the organizer of the annual Worldview Apologetics Conference. Be prepared to pursue authentic spirituality hence forth.

What is Easter About For Your Family? How Can We Forgive?

What is Easter about? Is it centered on the story of unmerited favor and forgiveness? Is it marred by the brutality which exists in the hearts of mankind, yet forever etched on the souls of  men by the unconquerable redemption and resurrection of Jesus Christ? How can we forgive ourselves and others for wrong and guilt which so effectively and visibly destroys us from the inside out?  I believe it is said the prisoner is the one who refuses to forgive. We must "Live To Forgive"!

Jesus Christ gave us the greatest example the world has and will ever see by His life. He live a sinless and perfect life. He taught, loved, healed, and even fed natural and spiritual food. None of those items which are at the core of every human's existence was enough to ensure His embrace by all mankind even today. His mere existence should have been enough, but He went to the cross and was crucified also. Sometimes Christ's achievements appear unreachable in our flesh and blood daily struggles (Gal. 5:16-18). We inaccurately pursue schemes to reach/be God rather than embrace his free desires to reach us, only to be exhausted in discouragement.

In our desire to restore healthy family relationships, forgiveness is all so vital. We can make incredible multi-generational strides by the powerful exemplification of forgiveness. In our Easter episode of the show Motivation With A Purpose which airs weekly on Talkzone.com, my co-host Rich Hallstrom and I spoke with Dean Smith about his life and documentary called "Live To Forgive". Achieving what Jesus Christ accomplished by forgiving mankind may be out of reach. But Dean forgave his mother's murderer, his step-father. Could you? Click on the link (show title) above and listen to this remarkable interview.

Is Isolation Truly The Devil's Playground?

I spent some time this weekend in Wenatchee, Washington. I spoke at a men's conference on the topic of isolation. My specific title was "Is Isolation Truly the Devil's Playground?

Far too often when we hear of stories of isolation we are drawn to the stories with the "wow factor". Stories like Karp Lykov and his family who isolated themselves from civilization in the unforgiving and harsh Siberian wilderness for 40 years as told by Smithsonian.com. The Lykovs in fear of religious persecution isolated themselves so gravely that they absolutely missed the occurrence of World War II. They were only discovered unexpectedly by Russian geologist conducting new mineral explorations by helicopter.

Too often we miss the opportunity to properly decode messages we are receiving when it comes to isolation in our own lives. I am speaking of messages and simple truths which easily go unnoticed but are at the core of our destructive isolated lives. Did you realize this simple truth of women "confront to connect", while men "withdraw to resolve"? As a result, men have a greater tendency to disconnect and isolate (withdraw) themselves from their spouses, families, and so much more. Think about it, how much would that simple but powerful truth save you and your dependents a great deal of pain if you understood how to properly react to the natural tendencies we have been given by the Creator?

The general definition of isolate or isolation is having minimal contact or little in common with others. From a biblical context, words and expressions which have been used to reference isolation include quarantine, imprison, desolate, seclude, wilderness, go away, went away, withdrew, withdraw, shut out, and exclude. As such, in order to define or more accurately decode isolation we face I thought it would serve our purpose best to explore the various faces of isolation.

In such a pursuit, here are a few faces of isolation which are commonly in our midst and circles yet we frequently fail to notice them as signs of isolation.

• Dysfunctional families (with troubled children) frequently exclude themselves in shame or are excluded by us.
• Growing divorce rate and frequent geographic moves have left many elderly adults isolated. Middle-aged adults only care for parents when they stand to gain.
• Individuals with disability and/or parents of children with disability (estimated 40%) have absolutely no connection with the community in which they live.
• Andrew Solomon writes, "Syndrome and symptom cause each other: loneliness is depressing, but depression also causes loneliness." Who are the depressed in your circles?
• Isolation marked family of teen who claims captivity. As in Mitch Comer's case, abusers often isolate themselves, their families, and their victims.
• Dating and marriage relationships with controlling individuals often end in isolation.
• Many spouses live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, but are absolutely isolated at the heart. This is frequently exhibited by comments which viciously cut to the core of the other.
• Under the Kanun, an Albanian code of behavior that has been passed on for more than 500 years, "blood must be paid with blood." Many males live in self-imposed isolation for fear of death, and many families are practically killed off.

Furthermore, in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes and chapter 4, King Solomon the world's wisest man gives us a look into the isolation man has imposed on himself due to a craving for vanity. He begins (verses 1-3) with claims that neither the oppressed nor the oppressor finds any comfort. While those who have passed on from this life are extremely fortunate, even more  fortunate and blessed are the unborn who have never seen this life, he said.

1. We isolate ourselves in moments of jealousy and envy. (v.4)
2. We isolate ourselves in idleness and laziness. (v.5)
3. We isolate ourselves by misinterpreting busyness, especially in career, as success. (v.6)
4. We isolate ourselves by becoming self-centered, greedy, & selfish. (v.7,8)
5. We isolate ourselves with an arrogant and know-it-all attitude (v.13,14)

Solomon then provides a few simple but effective reasons we ought to reject and avoid isolation:

1. Many hands make light work (v.9)
2. For the reason of support (v.10)
3. Companionship in marriage and the warmth it delivers (v.11)
4. For reasons of protection (v.12)
5. With humility, even in notable brilliance (v.15)

So is isolation truly the Devil's playground? In Luke 4:1-4, "The Temptation of Christ", note the strategies and tactics of the devil. These are the same strategies and tactics he uses with us and others who find themselves isolated such as the faces we discussed above. Note also the differences in our moments of isolation, than that of Jesus Christ. Satan will:

1. attack when we are alone and potentially at our weakest point
2. test and question the core of who we say we are ("If you say you are the Son of God...")
3. offer up a fake of what we desperately need most (Jesus was famished)

The usual difference between us and Jesus which will guarantee a victory over the attacks of the devil are:

1. Was Jesus really isolated although we frequently think He was when reading this passage? No!
1. He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit
2. Jesus went into the wilderness seeking companionship with the Father
2. When we isolate, we go it alone. We are prime target of Satan's strategy and tactics.

The solution to isolation is "companionship", not only with God the Father, but also His greatest creation; mankind and those he has entrusted to us for fellowship and community.

Parent & Child Relationships for Successful Family Legacy!

It has frequently been said for ages now that all children want is to be heard. In the same breath and extent of parental existence, we frequently hear from parents that children are to be seen and not heard. It sounds like we are forever faced with proving the impossible; mixing unpredictable components, or as is often said "mixing oil and water". So what gives in this ageless argument?

For the parent-child relationship to flourish, we must first embrace our respective roles. As such, within our roles we must obey, honor, and embrace the promise to live well and long. We must also make certain not to provoke, but instead to nurture and nourish souls. See below for instructions on how to conquer this amazing feat.

The Truth

To remain a successful and healthy family in today’s environment you must possess the spiritual acumen, emotional stability, and cultural awareness to navigate the culture and its many obstacles. More importantly, teach your dependents, your spouse, children, circle of influence, and so on, to continue to propagate a healthy family legacy that has been passed down by you.

Today’s children and tomorrow’s parents are absorbing from you the traits and characteristics that will allow them to succeed in life and pass on a healthy legacy to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Contrary to what you may perceive, they are deeply interested in gaining insight from you that relates and impacts their future successes. They want to see and experience now results they can glean from and apply in their futures.

The Process
We (you and I) must form the foundation of our thinking and approach to this culturally elusive dialog from the greatest book of wisdom our world has ever seen; the Bible. Observe the following scripture out of Ephesians 6:1-4 (nasb):
Family Relationships

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² Honor your father and mother(which is the first commandment with a promise), ³ so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.

⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

I find no better way to unpack this discussion in the context of family legacy than to explore some key words within this scriptural passage which govern or express the sentiment and reality of healthy parental-child relationship.

1) Obey (NT Greek: Hupakouo)

Parents must set the tempo; children must follow. There must be an existence of order and hierarchy within the parent-child relationship. Far too often in our culture and era anymore we find parents seeking to be friends with their children rather than parents. Does the adult-to-adult relationship change between parent and child later in life? Yes! But face it, you will never be friends. (Biblical usage: to listen, to harken to a command, the duty of a porter, be obedient to, submit to)

2) Honor (NT Greek: Timao) 

In keeping with the provided order the word obey has gifted us from the start in defining this familial relationship, children must adopt an aura of reverence for their parents in order to enable proper functionality. As one would expect, parents must foster and atmosphere (mature responsibility) which allows and enables them to receive/embrace the honor being offered by children. (Biblical usage: to estimate; set a value, value of personal belonging (ownership), to revere, to venerate)

3) Promise (NT Greek: Epaggelia)

For a culture which is ever so focused, in recent times, on personal satisfaction and self-improvement, it is a wonder for me how we miss the offer of a benefit that flows out of our commitment and decision to honor our parents. The statement is plain and simple, execute on the definition of honor defined above and there is an automatic God-ordained flood of prosperity coming your way. What is the promise? So that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth. (Biblical usage: announcement, act of promising, a promise given or to be given, a promised good or blessing)

4) Well (NT Greek: Eu)

Observe some of the literal definitions and the usage of this word "well" in the Bible. In Acts 15:29 it refers to abstain from harmful circumstances and things such as idols, fornication, etc. In Luke 19:17 and Matthew 25:21, 23 it speaks of prosperity that comes with displaying faithfulness and responsibility. In Mark 14:7 it portrays the act of doing good to others. There is also the apparent promise of long life which usually comes with good health. Is our concern and inability to adopt or seize this blatant promise fostered by our interpretation of well or prosperity as strictly materialistic? (Biblical usage: to be well off, to fare well, prosper, acting well)

5) Provoke (NT Greek: Parorgizo)

As parents, especially father, we have a great opportunity to impact the lives of our children. Because of the amazing God given order which has been naturally written on our hearts, especially as children, parents also possess a deep connection and ability to hurt their children. That scar and hurt is most evident in the circumstance of parental abandonment. Regardless of how long it has been since we last connected with our child as a parent, there will always remain a parent size void that can only be filled by the biological parent. A personal relationship with God the father does have a miraculous ability to sooth and re-purpose a great deal of that deep emotional struggle. When we refuse to allow our children to be heard, we walk a similar fine line as abandonment. (Biblical usage: to rouse to wrath, exasperate, anger)

6) Bring (NT Greek: Ektrepho)

The word "bring" in this scripture refers to the process of nurturing and nourishing a life. Its accurate embodiment also involves characteristics such as cultivating a relationship, encouragement, development, and being supportive. (Biblical usage: nourish to maturity, to nourish, to nurture, to bring up)

As a parent or a child, the ability to create and foster a healthy familial relationship requires each of us to fulfill a specific role, and incorporate the respective characteristics from the list above which applies to our life.

What Is Family Legacy, a Successful One?

A successful family legacy is the process of utilizing the accomplished societal, passionate or expressive, and religious (sacred) attributes purposefully handed down to us by our parents (ancestors) to live currently in a manner above reproach. It also involves living an exemplary life that allows our dependents a similar or enhanced success for generations to come.

In all fairness to society, many people do not even acknowledge or realize the existence of such a term, much less understand its meaning or necessity. As a result, the definition of the word "family" has a varied meaning across ranges of ethnicity, generations (age), life-style, religious, political, and many other cultural distinctions. Yet its failure or deficiency, as well as our ignorance of the psychological victimization we are subject to is the most costly of any endeavor we undertake as a culture. As such, I believe a great place to begin what will be a series discussions designed to empower your family legacy is by defining family and the hindrances to its successful existence.

What is Family?

The actual definition of the word 'family' has not changed in centuries. It is even more commendable the definition of family in the American Dictionary of the English Language (written in the year 1828) with a heavy emphasis on Christian values:
a. The collective body of persons who live in one house and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children and servants, and as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.
b. Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe or race; kindred; lineage. Thus the Israelites were a branch of the family of Abraham; and the descendants of Reuben, of Manasseh, were called their families. The whole human race are the family of Adam, the human family.


However, which communication medium has done the most to define the word family over the last few generations and decades? In my humble opinion, nothing has done more for the changed definition of family on the culture and society than the television. We are a visually stimulated people, and it is no doubt that the eyes are the gateway to the heart, through our emotions. Walk with me on a short journey of the power of television just through my brief lifetime.

Gradual Change in Defining Family
When it comes to the definition of family by television beginning in the '60s, there were family programs like The Andy Griffith Show, or Family Affair. Although I do not claim any of my references were perfect castings of family, Family Affair for example embraced the context of healthy family, even by its title. It portrayed the embrace of necessary responsibility selflessly by a fun loving bachelor for the benefit of children (nieces and nephew). Forward on to the '70s and you have urban pleasures and delights such as Good Times, a true testament of family and community despite incredible adversity where familial love always wins out. Even the family television programs which were birthed from the negativity of the culture such as The Brady Bunch managed to remarkably portray traits that edified the family structure. Furthermore, it encouraged those struggling through blended family situations to take courage and stay the course. The show's creator Sherwood Schwartz came up with the idea when he heard some 20% - 30% of all families had at least one child from a previous marriage.

I should note however that these family friendly sitcoms did a tremendous job (not perfect) of not portraying or endorsing affairs, jealousy, in-fighting and other destructive familial behaviors although they existed in the culture without a doubt. It would seem those important cultural and challenging family adversities were significant enough to allow specific professionals to tackle them for the health rather than destruction of society.

In the late '70s and '80s came a string of family dramas like Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crests, Knots Landing, and others which began to display and entice our visual stimulative souls with the lures of affairs, in-fighting, misuse of wealth and power at all cost, and more. That era of family television practically endorsed it is okay to outmaneuver and swindle others vindictively without remorse. And guess what, we bought-in greatly as a culture. Although sitcoms like The Cosby Show fought hard to maintain the homogeneous and effective family definition from generations prior, shows like Three's A Crowd began to project a dad who refuses to allow his daughter's cohabitation with a young man as outrageous. Take into consideration also the new influx of the liberal and right-wing debate on other shows like Family Ties.

The '90s and 2000s, riding on the wave of cultural breakdown we have previously described, brought a "rush for a free pass at the box office" by introducing what we today term as the MTV culture. It is a rush for accepting public display of ridiculous and unimaginably bad family behavior. This was surely evident by the many late night adult programming (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc) allowed on public airwaves. In addition, a string of talk shows like The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, Montel Williams, casting individuals with no recognition or desire to privately address destructive personal family matters arose for the sake of prime time ratings. We, as a culture, were by this point addicted to the modeling of bad family behavior on public television. Add to that a string of animated (Family Guy, The Simpsons, and more) and live-body sitcoms which took on a design to regularly portray men and fathers as unproductive idiots who do not know how to manage their spousal relationships much less their responsibilities as head of home and family. These men (boys in extended adolescence) would prefer to entertain everything else that selfishly entices them. By the way, I have not yet touched the tip of this iceberg and have only been speaking about the power of television as a source of the culture's current definition of family. Much more can be said about other mediums such as the gaming industry (online, gambling, video, professional sports, etc) and more.

Victimized by Psychology
Now television chooses to portray cultural hits like Modern Family (note the title) as an absolute redefinition of family. At its inception we find endorsements from established community media outlets like The Michigan Daily stating "Modern Family is a dysfunctional domestic sitcom done right". Folks, last I checked there is nothing right about dysfunction; deviating from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad. Examples of dysfunction portrayed as right is when a sitcom like Modern Family chooses to portray (jamming; a deviant psychological tactic) the union of a homosexual couple, and their adoption of a young child as the circle of life, while deliberately singling out (see video here) the one person who opposes. Due to his (opposition's) visually awkward moment (all but him gathered around baby and couple) he succumbs to the pressure and accepts their dysfunctional behavior. Without realizing it, that leaves you and I with an affinity to accept that bad behavior (visual and psychological stimulation) as a new definition for our concept of family.

The reality is that a homosexual family will never advance the circle of life no matter how beautifully artistic it is portrayed on Modern Family and other such television programs. They will only propagate an embrace of death to us as a people, culture, and mankind. Why do I say that? Heterosexuality is designed by The Creator for the propagation of life through child birth. It does not matter how many children homosexuals adopt for humanitarian appearance and cultural acceptance or equality with heterosexual couples, when it comes to promoting family legacy and a legacy of life, their own design and choices defeat their agenda. The propagation of the homosexual lifestyle through their adopted children eventually leads to the extinction of their lineage. The union of homosexuals can never naturally produce life as such it is unquestionably dysfunctional and bad social behavior; not good for the family life they want to claim. Homosexuality becomes nothing but a personal selfish choice of individuals rather than the twisted humanity Modern Family and others try so hard to portray. In short, be aware and stop allowing yourself to be 'jammed'.

Surely, the long established definition of family has never changed. However, the imposition of our flawed desires for sinful and destructive behaviors, which tear at the foundations of a healthy and life giving family structure has changed. Therefore we are paying the costly price.

Beginning today and for the next several weeks and months to come we will be tackling the question, "What is family legacy?" The goal ultimately is to define and provide for you relevant and specific strategies. Topics like significance, purpose, functionality, difficulties, failures, successes, implementation, propagation, and more will be discussed concerning successful family legacy.

As we begin these series of discussions on family legacy via this blog and more, I would love to hear your comments on a few questions (5) regarding what we have discussed today. Here they are and feel free to choose any or all to respond to:

1. What makes the current culture destructive and complex for the family?
2. What factors are contributing to the complexities of raising a family in today's environment?
3. Which aspects of the culture represent your greatest challenges to leaving a healthy family legacy?
4. How have these factors affected your ability to succeed at the task?
5. What do we need to manage theses challenges?