Monthly Archive: December 2014

Pressure Makes Diamonds

Author: December 27, 2014

James 1:1-4  James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Randall Daluz DiamondsDear Readers:
Diamonds are the hardest materials on earth.  They are created under immense pressure.  They start out as dirty black carbon, without much value; But, over time, the carbon hardens under pressure and becomes a beautiful diamond.  After being cut and polished, that diamond sparkles and shines in the light.  It goes from being soft, black carbon to a hard, brilliant, dazzling stone.

There is a diamond inside of every one of us.  You see, the pressure we feel and the trials we face can strengthen us.  The Lord can use that pressure to create diamonds.  I am under tremendous pressure, but with the help of the Lord, my mind has become stronger.   (more…)

Journal

Christ-mas

Author: December 24, 2014

Luke 2:10-11  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.Randall Daluz | Nativity 1

I love Christmas.  Especially now that I am reborn and understand the true meaning of it.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The truth is, December 25th is not the true birth date of Jesus.  No one actually knows His real birthday – though many speculate – no one is truly certain of the date.

So, how did we come up with 12/25?  In 325 A.D., Emperor Constantine (who had recently converted to Christianity), assembled a council at Nicea.  They were tasked with coming up with a uniformed set of rules to unify the empire under Christ.  Most Romans were Pagans.  In fact, before Constantine, Christians were murdered and persecuted for 300 years by the Romans.  The council – in an attempt to please the Pagans and make their transition easier – chose 12/25 as the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord.  You see, 12/25 is actually the winter solstice which used to be a Pagan holiday. Christians replaced the worship of false gods with the worship of the one true King, Jesus Christ.  What was once a Pagan holiday has become a day to honor the only true Lord of Lords. (more…)

Journal

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Fight The Good Fight

Author: December 20, 2014

Hebrews 12:14  Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Randall Daluz | statue of MLK, Gandhi and other world peace leaders

Martin Luther King with Gandhi and other world peace leaders

Dear Readers:
I have been praying a lot for my country lately.  It was very hard to watch the video of police choking an unarmed man to death.  It was equally hard to see people rioting and looting in Oakland, California.  It was uplifting, however, to see all the peaceful protests across the nation; people of all colors coming together in a sign of solidarity.  Sometimes the most beautiful things come out of the ugliest situations.  America is a beautiful country, but we are plagued by racial disparities and class-ism.  There is no doubt that a segment of our society is being oppressed – not just colored men, but all underprivileged people.  Unfortunately, colored men seem to get it the worst.  Jim Crow is still in effect in our justice system.  People are still being lynched, but it is done in our courtrooms now and sadly, sometimes by police in the streets.  We can change if we put God in our hearts and soldier on.  We must not stop pursuing equality.  We must protest until we see real and lasting change.

I implore you to pray for our oppressors worldwide.  There will be a day of reckoning, a day of atonement, when God’s wrath and judgement will be meted out on the wicked.  It is not God’s desire that any of us shall perish or be condemned  to eternal damnation.  I pray that the wicked repent.  I pray that they change their ways.   (more…)

Journal

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Randal Aube

Author: December 16, 2014

This is Part 6, the final interview in our 6-part series.
Please pray for Randy as he continues to grow in the Lord.

In addition to the interview, Randy has submitted two writings:
“I Have Started New”
and
 “The Source Of Light Straight Ahead At The Crossroad Of Life”   .

Q1: Tell me a bit about your background, your age, where you grew up – that sort of thing.

My name is Randal Aube.  I go by the name Randy.  I am 38 years old.  I grew up in downtown Lewiston, Maine.  I was married for 2 years.  I have 7 kids – 4 of my own and 3 step kids.

Q2: Tell me about your jail history; such as, how old you were when you were first incarcerated and how many years you have done in your life. I do not need to know what brought you to prison unless you would like to share.

My first time ever going to jail was in 1995.  It was for criminal mischief, a misdemeanor at 19 years old.  My second arrest was in 2001 at 25 years old.  It was for assault, another misdemeanor.  This time makes my third time (at 38 years old).  I cannot talk about it now because my attorney told me not to.

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Interviews

“I Have Started New” by Randal Aube

Author: December 15, 2014

Click HERE to read Randy’s interview post.

I HAVE STARTED NEW

Help me, Father, to fix this mess I call life.
All I ever wanted is to be a good Christian man, a loving Dad and a devoted husband!
Now, as I look around me, all I see is strife, too much pain and sorrow cutting me like a knife.
Please hear y cries, dear God.
This is my cry, because with you near, Lord, I no longer want to die.
You give me strength and cause me to soar high.
Help me up with your nail-scarred hands and remain forever high. (more…)

Poetry

“The Source Of Light Straight Ahead At The Crossroad Of Life” by Randal Aube

Author: December 14, 2014

Click HERE to read Randy’s interview post.

THE SOURCE OF LIGHT AT THE CROSSROAD OF LIFE

There is a source of light straight ahead as I look at the Crossroad.
As I stand there at this crossroad, I see a bright light, it’s straight ahead.
When I look to the right, there is nothing but darkness; nothing but darkness to the left.
But, straight ahead there is a source of light.
As I stand here at this crossroad, I look straight ahead to this source of light.
I can hear a voice calling me so soft and sweet.  I look around and darkness is all I see. (more…)

Poetry

Let The Lord Be Your Armor

Author: December 12, 2014

Ephesians 6:10-12  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Randall Daluz _ Armor Of GodDear Readers:
We all face trials and tribulations in our lives.  Sometimes the odds seem insurmountable.  We feel defeated and lost.  Well, let me tell you something in case you didn’t know; Our God is greater than any problem we have.  He is mightier than any pressure we experience.  I want to let you in on a secret.  If you are saved, if you believe in the Lord God with all your heart and soul, you can never be defeated ever by anything… especially not man or the devil.  Hebrews 13:6 says:  So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (more…)

Journal

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Fear Not! For GOD Is With You

Author: December 9, 2014

Hebrews 13:6  So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Dear Readers:
I often share personal things that I am going through with you. I do this because I am currently going through a great trial – spiritually, mentally and physically. I look at it as an opportunity not only to share the gospel but also to show you the strength and wisdom God gives us through our trials. It is yet another testament to how mighty He truly is.  Praise God!

Randall Daluz Fear Not For God Is With You

As you might imagine, the situation I am in can produce a lot of stress, fear and doubt. But, glory to God, my Lord always helps me find peace. With the help of the Lord, I am able to endure things I never thought I could endure. People are often amazed at how calm I am despite my circumstances, but there are times when fear and doubt creep into my mind. The devil uses fear and doubt to shake our faith. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that things of this world no longer matter, for I am saved by grace and thus I have eternal life in Christ Jesus. This week was one of those times. I was nearly blinded by fear and doubt. Something happened that made me feel hopeless and helpless. (more…)

Journal

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Jeromy C. Merchant

Author: December 4, 2014

This is Part 5 of our 6-part interview series.  Please pray for Jeromy as he continues to grow in the Lord.

I grew up in a small town, named Livermore Falls, in the state of Maine since I was about seven years old.  Before that most stuff is a blur so I am not sure the order of it or if some of it is even real.  I have an older sister by two years.  We had a rocky relationship growing up and still have not mended it.  My mother was a stay at home mom that ran a bakery business out of the house and occasionally worked at restaurants as the cook.  My biological father and mother got divorced when I was about one.  I have a step father that has been there since and I consider him to be my dad.  He worked a steady job all my life to support our family.  He is and always has been the essence of a REAL man.  I suffered a great deal of bullying while growing up in Livermore Falls.  Around the age of thirteen, I finally started to fight back and I had a real “knack” for it.  So, naturally, I ended up getting into trouble ’cause of it.

I was never incarcerated until I was eighteen.  Now I am thirty-four and still in lock-up.  I served about a total of twelve years for an assortment of crimes ranging from simple assault to elevated aggravated assault.  I have gun charges, thefts, burglary, domestic violence and even a kidnapping charge.  I have served a sentence in Texas Penitentiary and been locked up in all of the Maine DOC facilities. (more…)

Interviews

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