Abundant Life Church Rayne

04/26/2026

03/26/2026

Updates...
Where do I start. I am sorry that I haven’t written anything new in a while. Although there is over 2000 blogs stored in the website. As you well know I write about one topic consistently. I try to make my blog as interesting as possible. And I want it to be uplifting also. Since I was a child, my favorite stories have been about two people in particularly. Both lived long ago and now reside in heaven. Those two people are King David of Israel, who is an archetype of Christ and Jesus Christ, Himself.
King David lived 3000 years ago. He ruled Israel for 30 years. He was a righteous man, not a perfect one. The bible says that he had a heart after God. He played music that pleased God. David tried very hard to live the way God wanted him to. God gave him everything When sin came into David’s life, God wouldn’t let him build the temple in Jerusalem. That task fell to his son Solomon. Solomon became the greatest king in the history of Israel. Solomon was the only man to rule the earth partially. When Jesus returns He will reign and rule over the entire earth. David raised his son Solomon to believe and trust in God. Solomon didn’t raise his sons to believe and trust in God.
Jesus Christ lived on this earth over 2000 years ago. He came for one reason, Jesus was God’s sacrifice for man’s sin. Not much is know about his early years, but Jesus grow up in Nazareth and apprenticed in his father’s shop as a carpenter. But during those years Jesus attended a Yeshiva in Nazareth. He begin a Rabbi (Pharisee). And at the age of 30 began his ministry when He was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. Did you know that John the Baptist, son the High Priest Zechariah, was Jesus’ first cousin. Which actually made Jesus the last recorded Levitical priest and the first recorded priest after the order of Melchizedek in the bible.
I studied the word of God for fifty years and my knowledge of God is relative to how big God is. I learn everyday. The only time that I will know everything is when I enter heaven. The update that I am talking about is that Jesus is coming. Don’t give up hope. He will return and we will go home.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

01/16/2026

Grief..
There isn’t anyone that doesn’t suffer grief. It is universal in it’s pain. People sometimes suffer years with this pain. It is never the same with anyone. Some people can express their grief and let it go. Some can’t. Grief is a natural express that we all go through. In biblical times, there were people who were hired to express the grief of losing a loved one. Today it is much simpler. After a funeral, the family will gather to eat and fellowship with the bereaved family. It helps, but it doesn’t fill the loss of a loved one.
I have lost most of my family and now I am the oldest one. I have a younger brother and a few first cousins. It is as life was designed, that the older ones would go on. But it still leaves that hole in my life of all the loved ones that have gone on. The pain of grief isn’t as much as it was. That is healing as I live, but there still is a hole there.
I was listen to some music, when I ran across this piece. This piece of music was written in 1933 by a blind composer. He name was Joaquin Rodrigo. He wrote this piece of music after the death of his first born son. When I first heard it, I could feel the hurt in the music. It is very good and express his grief for his child. The name of the music is Concierto de Aranjuez, the Concerto of Orange Juice. I put a link to the music below. Listen and heard one man’s expression of grief.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

https://youtu.be/WKrn8isOSlI?si=RrDqzbWJbxoQT7yJ

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

01/01/2026

Writing Blogs...
I have written over 1900 blogs. Some have had thousands of views and comments. As I look at the most successful blogs, they have been about fluff. I have talked about time, space, duty, honor, integrity and many other stories. But it seems that if I talk about what I believe in most, no one wants to read it. Stories about life are fine. They will get you from point A to point B. But they don’t solve the basic issue of life. And what is that all important issue of life? It is who you are and where do you belong.

I wandered in life for 30 years. Not realizing that I had solve the issue when I was 8 years old. I didn’t want to believe that the resolution was that simple. So I did my own thing for about 30 years. I ran into walls pivoted and ran into another wall. I kept seeing how dissatisfied I was with my life. I wanted success, but never being able to grasp it. The reason was simple. I was reaching for the wrong things in life. Instead of solving the problem, I was creating more.

A friend saw through me and invited me to join his Amway business. I did join seeing the opportunity. We would meet early in morning at his cafeteria for coffee and business. I would get their early and listen to my friend and other businessman discuss how they solve the issues of life. I listen for 3 months until I realized that I had made this decision and walked away. He showed how I could get back to place that I wanted to be. I am not a religious person. I don’t have dogma’s or doctrines that don’t make sense. What I do have is a relationship. That relationship has given me peace and courage to live my life correctly.

My people don’t want to hear the name of the person who saved my life from destruction. But I have a relationship with the one person who is able to keep me until I go home to heaven. And His name is Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

[email protected]

Joseph1637.com

12/19/2025

Having a Merry Christmas...
For most of my life, I have worked in retail. I liked the work because I came in contact with people. All throughout the year I would see people shop for sporting goods or food. One year they decided that I would be a door greeter around the Christmas holidays. It was interesting to interact and watch people as the holidays got closer. First was Thanksgiving. People began to shop for food and decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. People smiled and greeted me warmly. There wasn’t a grumpy person among them. People would ask about Black Friday deals. I usually had flyers about the deals. Thanksgiving was about food, family and friends and also football. It was a happy time of year.
Then came Black Friday. I was there at the front of the store were everything was stacked up on pallets. One year when they opened the doors at 6am, people came in like a stampeded herd. Then they started throwing TV and other large boxed items at each other to get whatever they wanted. I jumped up on the register counter just to get out of the way. Today is different. You have to get a ticket to get an item or buy it online.
From Black Friday on the mood changed. People were not smiling any more. They came into the store grumbling. I greeted them with a smile and they mumbled under their breath. Only one time did they actually curse at me. But the smiles were gone. The mood had changed. Because you can literally go bankrupt buying gifts for every person in sight. We, our family, decided the we would pull names to buy a gift for the adults. Anyone could buy gifts for the children. This saved a lot of money. We also made pastries and pies for neighbors and other people.
Christmas is a special time of year. It is a time to think about family present and past. It can be a very lonely time if you aren’t surrounded by people who love and appreciate you. And of course, there is Santa Clause. He actually was a real person. Nicholas of Myra, Turkey. He would give food and clothes to poor people in his parish. He was Bishop Nicholas of Myra and Bari, Turkey. He lived in the 4th century. Saint Nicholas is a patron saint in the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches. His example of caring for people is a goal we should have not only in this time of year, but whenever the need arises. You want to get out of the Christmas slump. Start giving to people who can’t return the favor. Help someone in need and watch what happens in your life.

I want to wish you and your family a very blessed and joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

12/10/2025

Christmas Season 2025...
We are in the Christmas Season. That time of year where we begin to think about different things. What we think about depends on how old you are. We all look forward to presents, but if you are a child, less than 12 years old, it is toys and more toys. Today is my birthday and being 15 days before Christmas, my parents decided to make my birthday about clothes. Christmas would be reserved for toys. My younger brother’s birthday was on December 5th. I can remember some of the toys. One Christmas I received a set of pistols and holster from the TV show “Have Gun will Travel”. I still have one of the pistols.
As I grew older, Christmas became about family. All my family, parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents would gather at our home for the Christmas meal and fellowship. All the men were in the front room watching football. All the ladies were in the kitchen cooking the meal and talking. All the cousins were outside playing. All my first cousins are boys. Growing up we played on the same football and baseball teams. Of the 9 first cousins on my mother’s side, there are only 6 of us left. With most families, my family lives across the country. My sons and there families join us for Christmas. But I miss 30 to 40 members of my family filling my home. My grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles are all gone. We are now the older generation.
I miss my family terribly. What we did for Christmas was to make memories that would last a life time. Make sure that you and your family make memories that last. Because once the time slips by and you don’t, you can’t go back.
I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joeseph1637.com

11/24/2025

The Mouth Speaks...
I have known people who could not close their mouths. They would speak none stop. Then I have known people who would not speak at all. You could not drag words out of them. Most people try to be in the middle of all this and speak moderately. There was a survey done on how men and women speak. It said that men used about 10,000 words a day. While women used about 30,000 word a day. I don’t know where I fit in all that, because I like to speak to people. I talk to strangers just to start a conversation. Maybe it is just culture of hospitality or need. I learned long ago that if you listen to people, they will tell you their story. It usually takes about 10 minutes for people to tell you their life’s story. It is interesting.
3000 years ago, King Solomon said in book of Proverbs, that life and death are in the power of the tongue. It is true we can lift someone up by the words that we use or drag them down. You know what I’m talking about. A kind word can encourage a person to go on. Or angry words can destroy people. It all depends on what is in your heart. You see words come from your heart. Whether we mean them or not. I have spoken many words that cut like knives. And at the time I meant it.
The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the speaks. This means that what you say is what you believe. Even casual words or jesting still comes from your heart. That brings up a whole other issue. The issue is knowing what is in your heart. The bible also says that as you believe so are you. Facing who you are is one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life. What I am talking about is seeing yourself truly. Your words, your heart and what you believe are one and the same. There is no difference between your words and your heart. So recognizing what come out of your mouth is seeing who you are.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

11/21/2025

Disconnect...
Did you know that the most common thing in the world is a cell phone. Everybody has a cell phone. Most people use it like a second ear. I have seen more people drive with a cell phone struck to their ear. I always wonder what people have to talk about. If that cell phone gets disconnected they pitch a fit. It is a convenience for most people. Lately I have seen and felt a disconnect between people. People are talking to each other but not communicating. I tease my wife because she likes to speak in French. For every English word spoken, there are ten French words spoken. My wife likes to talk. Computers take so much time just to browse. Video games take hours of time to play. We have so much time in our lives. There isn’t any more time to have. Once the time goes by it is over. It will never come again. What is important to you? What do you hold more precious than anything else? What do you want out of life? I left a good job so I would have more time with my children. I did it because they were more important than the job. The bible says where your treasure is there will be your heart.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
[email protected]

11/16/2025

Who is in Control?
If you look around yourself and the world, you will see people trying to control their lives and the world around them. People are scurrying to control their destiny or reality. To shape what happens to them by being in control. Except that control is an illusion. When the Covid pandemic started in 2020, what little control people had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It is not to say that we don’t have some control. We do, but the real control over our lives is not ours. There is always something larger that controls our destiny.
We chose our paths when we are young. We are influenced by our circumstances and situations are we grow up. Even if we had the perfect circumstances in our lives, there is always something that will skew our lives in a different direction. My dad, after he came home from WWII, wanted to go to college to be an engineer. He married my mom and settled down and was attending university. Then my mom became pregnant with my older brother. Dad quit college and began to work to provide for his family. As I got older and began reading our evening newspaper, I would see engineering problem written on the newspaper. Dad never returned to college.
The bible says that when we are young, we can go where we want. But when you are old, you are led where you don’t want. Understanding who we are and where we belong in the universe is the questions we have to solve in our lives. Everyone knows from the beginning of our lives who is in control of the universe. It has been written in our hearts and minds. I see many people struggle against this knowledge over their lifetime. You see there is only one person who is in control of our lives and the universe and His name is Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

11/15/2025

Not Everything that glitters is Gold...
Throughout my life I have met people, some extraordinary and some not so. When I worked for a Christian radio station, I interviewed most of the religious leaders of major denominations in the US. I have met and talked to many major Evangelists from around the world. I have talked to presidential candidates and leaders of the Nation Right to Life organization. I have spoken to many influential business men. They all had something in common. Many were wealthy individuals and some weren’t. Many of the people I talked to were educated, but not all of them. When I started interviewing or talking to people, I didn’t treat them differently. I spoke with respect and kindness to each of them. But I didn’t use any difference with them. I didn’t try to curry favor with anyone. And guess what happened? They treated me with respect. I was expecting them to be aloof or entitled. But it never happened. It surprised me to say the least, but I enjoyed talking to them.
I found gold in those interviews and talks that glittered all the same. It wasn’t that I got to meet those people or were in there presence. It was that they spoke to me as a decent human being, with respect and kindness. The conversations were interesting and I learn many things. But it was the decency of each person toward me that struck me the most. In these days of power dynamics, corporate structures and hierarchy, people tend to lose the nature of being decent to one another. This is the gold that glitters that everyone can see.

Crain Blanchard.
[email protected]
Joseph1637.com

11/11/2025

Gauche and Droit, Left and Right...
It is French for left and right. The word droit not only means right, but correct, straight, careful, skillful, nimble, able and expect. The word gauche not only means left, but clumsy, awkward, ungainly, left-handed and sinister. That is an unusual meaning of a word. It really isn’t if you knew where the word came from. We use the words gauche and adroit in English as well as French. There are many words that are in both languages at the same time. America is called the melting pot of the world. There is many words from all over the world that are used in American English. But getting back to the two words, gauche and droit. Left and right are used everywhere. Our hands are left and right. Does that mean that our left hand is sinister? Or that our right hand is an expert? Or could we say that our left hand is ungainly or awkward? Or maybe is the right hand that is handsome? How can you tell which is which? Do they look different from the other? The words don’t mean that our hands have any ability one way or the other. They are just hands. But it does speak to which way our heart is going in. You have to go back to the original meaning of the words to understand what they mean. The words come from the bible and are referring to the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Jesus. The thief on the right asked Jesus to be with him when He entered His kingdom. Jesus said today you will be with Me in paradise. The thief on the left just cursed he way into eternity. The thief on the right became righteous and the thief on the left became sinister. What will you do when the call comes?
Crain Blamchard.
www.joseph1637.com
[email protected]

NOW IS THE TIME, TODAY IS THE DAY OF CHANGE

11/08/2025

When our Values change...
I was over at my brother’s house. It was a birthday party for a friend. My wife couldn’t go so I went alone. It is always interesting to go to my brother’s house for an event. We gather for football games, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any social event we deem fun. Last night was typical as any event I have gone to. Most of the people there know I am a conservative Christian. But that doesn’t stop anyone from speaking out on most any topic. We are the most diverse group of people you would ever want to meet. The spectrum is from conservative to liberal. We like each other and respect each other’s view. But that doesn’t mean we won’t discuss a hotly contested topics with passion. But we will walk away being friends. They are very sweet people and care deeply about the world around us. But they are still a crazy group of men and women. There is every age there. But I have noticed how people’s values have changed over the years. Due to circumstances and other disasters in their lives, it has forged certain ideas. I don’t agree with them all, but some have merit. I love my brother and sister-in-law and want to be with them. No matter how crazy their ideas get.
Crain Blanchard.
www.joseph1637.com
[email protected]

NOW IS THE TIME, TODAY IS THE DAY OF CHANGE