Take a walk. Its good for your heart. Good for your health. It seems positive benefits are endless. Well, a lot but not endless.

I do have my walking from time to time. It should have been more had  it no been for my excuses lately. To my shame!

The other day I walk. What a refreshing delight. On my right  ,as I pass, the lawn of my neighbor  Joe. He had his mini-pool put up for his kid. That’s why from time to time I hear shrieking,the kid must be enjoying his swim. The lawn is not freshly cut but ,hey, did I see a Robin?

Come next the Pfieffer’s. One of the Pfieffer’s boys was a class mate of my daughter. Eric once attended our church and has never visited the church hence.

Few houses away  come the  house of the former Pastor who used to own our present house of worship. I have only seen him once and that’s it. The last seven years of being neighbors never made us closer as friends. Was it disinterest? Culture barriers? Or simply a case of neither one of  us, is willing to put up a bridge to connect?

Reaching the corner of the block is no sweat. There in silence an old house seats. Well, every house in this block is old…built in early 1940’s.From the corner, easily you spot the Assembly of God Church.Just recently renovated. The chapel now looks alive.

Oops, a vehicle pass by. Top down. A young man drives with a headphone on. Speaking of multi tasking generation! A noise in the sky tell me, a plane is passing by. I wonder, how many had their gadgets on and if ever ,notice creatures down low? From their perspectives, I’m not even a dot. From mine, they’re only a noise. Fair !

I pass the next yard. A Lady with a dog cross my path. She wave. Her dog give me a look.I smile. Earlier, I notice she pick up the “garbage’ her dog unload on the grass. That identify the curious smell I inhale. What a poisonous gas! But which one is worst,picking up the “garbage” or smelling it ?

Then, the corner before mine lies Bro. Bruce’s house. Always, well maintain backyard. Recently , Bro Bruce tell me a humorous story.He’s a good story teller . Several times, he give my wife plants. This time of the day, he is nowhere in sight. He must be at work. His dog must be drooling for his coming, to take that regular walk again.

Now back from where I started earlier. Exactly12 minutes of walk. Suddenly it dawn on me, how that brief walking made a difference in my day?

Twelve minutes of walk and God unfold before me, life in the neighborhood, those I know, barely know, and ,in totally unknown to me. A piece of land share by about 20 families the last seven years yet many, remaining  stranger and alien with one another. There are so many to connect to. To notice and pay  attention to. Grass growing. Birds migrating. Lawn maintaining. kids dipping on their pools.

I started with health issue on my mind. I ended witnessing life. Walking merge both worlds to  enjoy. No wonder there’s so much with this “Arise ,and take up thy bed, and walk…” (Mk 2:9)

I read a good article today on Christianity Today about “The Secret.”

I’m not sure if a lot of people heard about this movement, but once I heard about it, I was very hesitant.  I’m always very hesitant though with large popular “spiritual” movements that promote something other than the grace of Christ, and instead focuses on the efforts of self rather be on the mercy of God.  I am not trying to hate on people’s beliefs, but there’s no getting around how there are so many aspects of ‘the Secret’ that I personally disagree with. 

To read an article on it, click on this: The Secret Exposed

Last week, the I had an online case study discussion with the YB, relevant to recent popular culture that tests what they’ve learned in Galatians and Romans.  Basically, we took a very popular, a much widely listened to iconic figure who was saying that there is more than one way to heaven than through Jesus Christ.  One way, she discussed, was to live a good life. 

But that’s the problem isn’t it?  Goodness becomes relative.  What is good?

The Bible explains that no one is righteous, but because of Jesus, we have been made righteous in God’s sight, therefore eliminating our merit, because we cannot work for salvation nor earn holiness.  Heaven was paved a way through Jesus alone, and that’s what makes grace so amazing! And that’s what elevates Christ.  More of Him and less of us.

Goodness is through Jesus alone.

And we need to accept that whatever happens in our lives- the good and the bad, that we live by grace…believing that no matter what, God is good.  We do not control all the forces through attraction.  We cannot make the world revolve around us and bring us all goodness by believing and channeling positivity.  It reduces our need for God, saying that we control the goodness and blessings in our lives because we attracted those things to us.  But then what about the bad stuff that happens to us?  Did we ask for that too? Disease? Poverty? Heartache? Death?

Do suffering countries not get “the Secret” right?  Mothers who lose their children? Parents that lose their sons and daughters to war and terrorism?

For me, the secret’s already been out, and it’s not so much a secret. It happened at Calvary…when God sent His son Jesus.

And it doesn’t cost a lot of money so you can order the video…they have it at motels for you to read; they give it out at streets, missionaries give them out to poor countries…and we all probably own one in our shelves at home- the Bible…