ENCOURAGEMENT 42 APRIL 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition I marvel at how many folks in this country obtain ultimate success despite being unable to achieve their original dreams. There are many ways to earn a profession or career here despite missing the mark on the initial plans. Yet sometimes, like a first romance, some pine about earlier days and retrace their steps in an attempt to experience "what could have been" or just "return to the scene of the crime." I did just that after failing at a professional baseball career. Ten years after unceremoniously being shown the door of a minor league locker room, I doubled back by joining a semi-pro league in the El Paso area, where I was stationed at the time. I ended up playing for a small west Texas team called the Van Horn Diablos (Devils) who played in a peculiar bright red uniform to conform to the "handle" of the ball club. To top it off, we played Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, thus I "represented" the evil one using the same schedule where today I worship my Lord and Savior. Sad to say that I was so disconnected then from spiritual things that I failed to realize I was advertising for Satan. Thankfully, through the mercy of God and many personal trials, I was able to right the ship and make some headway in doing what the Lord has called me to do. Leaving losses behind Having the privilege of being surrounded by successful business entrepreneurs (of which I am not one), I have noticed that most are skilled at discarding failed actions and utilizing positive results as the foundation for future endeavors. They are adept at what John The Baptist said about Jesus in Matthew 3:12, "He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire." Their reward in business comes from leaving behind the losses while appreciating the lessons. They are unwilling to take chances on repeating failed experiences instead relying on modest victories as the foundation for future pursuits. This contrasts significantly from usual government work (with some exceptions, of course), where preserving the status quo and settling for mediocrity becomes the norm. The question for us believers as we pursue our faith is do we learn from our mistakes, allow Him to assist us in the process of sanctification and release the Holy Spirit to take precedence over the flesh, or do we just settle for "conventional wisdom" and continue in our merry way expecting new results from old actions? Or to put it more succinctly, do we yearn to become a Christian producer or an entrenched "holy government employee"? Stuck in the middle This may sound simplistic, demeaning, patronizing and/or degrading, but at least I have some standing on the matter, being a Christian as long as I was a Washington employee. Many folks have the same negative reaction when we point out the "simplicity" of salvation; that there are only two tunnels at the end of the road... Heaven or Hell. We get to choose which one to take, but what experiences will be selected to make the decision? Do we cling to conventional thinking where as long as we are "a good person" and did not commit "major sins" that our ticket is punched, or do we adhere to the "patronizing and unreasonable" words of Jesus recorded in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"? The decision then must be intentional and supported by mental and psychological maturation as well as by spiritual awareness. Unfortunately, many are stuck in the middle, much like the church of Laodicea which was neither hot nor cold, leading to the Lord vomiting them. They were stuck between the safety of the status quo and the challenges of spiritual progress. I have standing there also; my faith is too often "safe" and lukewarm. Reality check Hell is a reality. Jesus spoke about judgment and the pit more than anyone else in Scripture. Do our "spiritual leaders" react accordingly, or do they become spectators rather than contributors preferring not "to take sides" in order to appease church attendees? Whereas the famous 1741 sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards entitled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," regarding hell and God's ire, may be a little "over the top" for today's believers, the indulgent approach of some of our current pastors leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to addressing the projected destination of the majority of folks today... just a thought. It certainly was not me who said "it is an eternal and unquenchable fire where the worm does not die, a place of outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth, a fiery furnace prepared for the devil and his angels for eternal punishment, a place where the unrighteous will go away to while the righteous have eternal life in heaven... it was HIM. Given the horrendous consequences facing so many souls, it should be mandatory and normal pulpit conversation worth the expense of empty seats. This is not my first rodeo when it comes to discussing the contemporary church and considering their approach to hell. I have received some push back from the clergy in the past in response to similar articles, citing numerous reasons as to why underworld discourses should not be emphasized. Although my simplistic mind doesn't really grab it, I realize "they know better." On the other hand, as seasoned believers cringe when Hell is used profanely, and for good reason, for me the apprehension is that hell is more than a curse word, it is a cursed world. Most people "juke and jive" through life trying to place themselves in the right place at the right time in order to achieve success with the likelihood of ending up in the wrong place (eternal damnation) at the wrong time (forever). They need to be told that the time is today, and the place is God's Kingdom. And they need to be told by the church... you and me. They need to be told not to look back but forward, to learn from past mistakes and put their sins at the Lord's feet and that they have a say in their final destination, of which there are only two. And they need to know that hell is a real place where they would not want their worst enemy to end up. Lazarus of Bethany is not just the friend of Jesus, the brother of Mary and Martha and the fellow the Lord resurrected after four days in the grave. Lazarus also is the beggar in Luke 16 who ate the crumbs from the rich man's table, died and went to heaven. The wealthy person ended up in hell and in the torment he was suffering asked for only one thing; that the beggar come from heaven, dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue......enough said. Omar Aleman is a retired federal agent and consultant. He and his wife Julianne assist and support several Christian non-profit organizations both here and abroad. - Omar Aleman - Aleman and Associates Where You Stand Is Where You Sit
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