0006. Start of Something God

Shalom (שלום), or peace and hello as they say in Hebrew! Welcome to the beginning of CCTG Ministries, a newly created micro ministry. New beginnings start somewhere, and this site is dedicated to God in carrying out the Great Commission. You could say it is the start of something God, or God is up to something!

Origin

Before the COVID pandemic, I was like most Americans. I had a well-paying full-time job, and the rest of the time was keeping myself busy by watching television, playing video and board games, reading, and hanging out with friends. I attended church once a month and gave my offering like a dutiful Christian should. Life was good, or so I thought. Then the world came to a standstill. After two months of home confinement, my will had been ground down by the pandemic, the news, and no end in site. I remember being full of stress and anxiety, sitting on the floor against a wall, but without any energy to move forward. It was at that moment I turned to God and asked him what to do next, because I honestly had no clue. His response was quiet but firm, “Come closer to me and I will show you.” I realized then that I needed to make a choice: continue to live the way I had, or put my faith in God and follow him. I chose to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And over the past couple of years, God has put a new spirit and new heart in me and has shown me new things I would never have conceived of before, culminating with the creation of this site. I hope to share these insights with you over time regarding the complex, but necessary relationship between God, ourselves, and our culture.

Purpose

The best way to describe this site is that it is a mirror. It is a reflection of our relationship with God, and the culture we interact with everyday. A reflection only displays what you are showing: the good, the bad, and the ugly. As such, this site will not sugar-coat anything or hide any flaws. It is not meant to be an affirmation or condemnation of your life and actions. There will be articles that stir your heart, and others that challenge your way of life. However, you will not find absolution or judgment on this site, just topics to make you think and help you grow closer to God. Therefore, everyone is welcome, regardless of your life’s circumstances, your denomination (if any), or your current relationship with God.

Articles

Early in my life, I was horrible at writing. I barely managed to avoid landing in a remedial English class my freshman year at college. It didn’t get much better during college. It wasn’t until I was at my first job that I was figuratively thrown into the deep end of the pool. My supervisor liked the work I had done on a project and told me I would be writing a paper on it for a convention. That frightening experience would be the catalyst for me to publish eight more articles in various publications over the next decade. After that, writing became a natural tool for me. Between 2003-2008, I led a local financial literacy club and was halfway through writing a book when the 2008 financial crisis hit. Needless to say, there was no interest in finances following that, and the book went by the wayside. However, the urge to keep writing never waned over the years. And as Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Little did I know that my life experiences with writing would lead to a new creation in CCTG Ministries.

I am an engineer in real life, so numbers, proof, and logic are my reality. Therefore, in my articles, you will not just get broad level sayings like “have faith” or “love God”. Instead, I will be making observations that you can verify yourself if you have an open mind to God and the world around us. My articles will avoid giving you advice on how to live your life. We are all different people with different life experiences. As such, each new relationship with God will be unique. My goal is just to lay out the truth the best way I know how. Then you will have free will to decide how much of yourself to give to God.

Many of my articles will deal with the culture we live in today. This site defines culture as primarily American culture, and to a lesser degree Western world culture. For those of you outside of these cultures, you may find it difficult to relate to these articles. Hopefully though, you will still be able to gain some useful insights from them.

My articles are not politically motivated, nor do I wish them used as such. For the record, I am registered as a non-partisan voter and not affiliated with any political party. While some of my articles may align with the platform of one party or another, it does not mean I support that party’s platform, nor am I telling you how to align yourself politically and/or vote.

Origin

Purpose

Articles

Categories