Welcome To My New Blog!

Three years ago, I began a journey that would change my life. As I penned the opening pages of Royal Reign, I had no idea my passion for writing was so fierce. All I knew was that I had a story about a basketball team that was desperately aching to be told. There was just something inside of me that couldn't keep it contained, so I took the leap of courage and faith and decided to write a book, despite knowing the fact that some people would think I was crazy. After the book was written, I still had the passion to write, so I began my first blog: Sports Caffeine. This new blog, Faith Caffeine, an extension of my original blog, is designed to share something else that's inside of me, something else that's way more important than sports, that also desperately needs to be told. It's something else I can't contain, and while people still may think I'm crazy, I begin my first blog post for Faith Caffeine.

Thirty years ago, at the age of five, I began the ultimate journey that would not only change my life, but more importantly, my eternity. My parents regularly took me to a tiny church in Union, Iowa by the name of Calvary Baptist Church. From the day I could understand teaching, I was taught the Gospel, both in my home and at church. The Gospel is the message that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a life without sin, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, raised again the third day, and lives eternally in Heaven. Those of us who believe that message and accept Christ as our Savior can look forward to also spending an eternity with Him. A couple of key verses in my salvation are Romans 10:9-10 which says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast." The key to understanding the gospel is knowing that there's nothing we can do on our own to earn salvation, there's no way we can do enough good things, or try to be good enough. The key to understanding salvation, is to know that the penalty for the things we do wrong (sin) has already been paid for by the blood of Christ when He died on the cross for us. All we have to do is confess our sins and accept that free gift. It's so simple.

Living a life of faith is not so simple. Accepting Christ as our Savior is the easy part. Living out a life of holiness and faith every day is the tough part. Hopefully, as we grow both in age and maturity, our faith grows stronger day by day. This new blog is designed to allow me to express myself in ways that are not always easy to do otherwise. It's a way for me to share my faith with others more creatively. It's a spot I hope you'll enjoy coming to, participating in, and growing in your own walk with God. It's designed to stimulate a stronger faith in God through scripture, music, and life experiences. It's caffeine for your and my faith, and I couldn't be more excited.

Andrew Gogerty