A Song of Ascents.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
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152 comments:
na, na, na, na, na, na
Had to do that so I could click "email follow up questions..."
Alesia, Shalom!
(This is a copy of my last post on the last blog.)
If it is not too intrusive, may I ask what is the source of you daughter's PTSD? I'm trying to focus my prayer requests.
One more prayer request:
Eastern Iowa is under a flash flood warning, and flooding is expected to start by Sunday on many rivers in Eastern Iowa. So far it doesn't look as bad as in 1993, but everyone is keeping their fingers crossed. Please pray that the rain is MODERATED, so that we don't have floods but we don't go from floods in the spring to droughts by mid-summer. Thanks!
<><
The post reminds me of a song I've geen singing today by Todd Agnew, called I will lift my eyes.
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountians I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to you.
Well you can add me to the list of attacks now.
Remember my husband flew home last week and sat next to a nice preacher lady.
This time he also ends sitting next to another preacher on the way back to CA. This one is a 7th day Adventist who he speaks w/for 2 hours. This preacher tells him that he doesn't believe everyone who is not a practicing Christian will go to hell. He also has a daughter who started her own church in San Francisco and has many gays in the congregation. Obviously she is ignoring scripture on that as well and the Preacher father feels it's ok and the gays won't go to hell either.Since who is he to judge.
My husband likes that thought process. He never feels like he should "judge" others.
We even just had a great sermon last Sunday about how we should only follow the Biblical principles and not cave into the world view.AS well as how we SHOULD be judgemental in regards to sins against God.
Since this appeals to to my husband's own origonal view it seems any progress made on that point has now been lost.
UGGGGG
Lisa
Lisa,
praying for him too, that his eyes will be open to the truth... and that he will grasp it and receive it.
lori
Sorry to hear that Lisa.
I think I'm going to take Nate's list of us cave dwellers & just run down the list praying for everyone.
One good thing...
Aside from my daughter's problems of late, I, myself, personally have been deliriously happy as of late!
We needed to hear something good, no?
;-)
Grace,
Will be praying for you and your situations.
Listen to that inner voice and find a new place of fellowship. There are enough spiritual battles to be fought and we go to Church to renew our minds and spirits. Sounds like your existing Church if not already dead is dying. His presense will no longer be there.
Matthew 7:6
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
Romans 16:17
"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.........20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly."
They had another earthquake at 12:31pm in Ill. It was a 4.2
8 km (5 miles) NNE (25°) from Bellmont, IL
10 km (6 miles) WNW (294°) from Mount Carmel, IL
11 km (7 miles) E (88°) from Bone Gap, IL
40 km (25 miles) SW (231°) from Vincennes, IN
60 km (37 miles) NNW (332°) from Evansville, IN
207 km (129 miles) E (95°) from St. Louis, MO
BTY there are 1133 earthquake on the USA map right now
lisa,
I am sorry to hear about your troubles with trying to get through to your husband. That must be very frustrating. I will remember you in prayer.
alesia,
Praying for everyone of the cave dwellers is a great idea.
Unfortunately, I am so far behind on my blog reading that I have no idea what has gone on here in the last few days and what the different posters on this blog are dealing with. So...I think I am going to start fresh at your "Psalm 121" post. :-) Can everybody please start over again for those of us out of the loop? :-)
Grumpy and I have been discussing the food crisis that is occurring in various countries and is coming to North America soon. I don't think the seriousness of this can be understated. I am trying to warn people around me, but I am usually met with indifference or worse.
I ran across this article today:
U.N.: Soaring food prices 'global crisis'
This maybe the first time in my life I have ever agreed with what U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said. He usually can't plan a trip to the washroom. However, the following line from the article made me concerned:
"He spoke to reporters at U.N. offices in Austria, where he was meeting with the nation's top leaders for talks on how the United Nations and European Union can forge closer ties."
It is no secret that many of us think that the U.N. and/or the EU is going to be the revived Roman Empire spoken about in Revelation. The fact that Ki-moon wants to forge even closer ties between the two all but confirms to me that they are indeed part of the same "beast".
Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal talking about the coming food crisis:
Load Up the Pantry
And finally, the following article shows that Gore is having to do a bit of back pedaling because of the food crisis:
Food Crisis Starts Eclipsing Climate Change Worries
Well, after reading those articles, I have decided it is time to really get serious about stocking up on food supplies. My wife and I just bought a new house this week (our first). We don't currently have a deep freeze, but we intend on buying a large one after we move into the new house. We are also planning on planting a large garden this year and freezing what we can.
So...as long as the power stays on, we should be all right for a little while. I wish I could put a wind turbine in my new back yard. However, I don't think the noise would impress my new neighbors. :-)
God Bless,
Harold
Has anyone ever heard of this website?
The Ready Store
They sell discount emergency supplies. I am specifically looking at the Freeze-Dried Food.
The "Mountain House ULITMATE Year Supply of Freeze Dried Food" is $2599.95. It sounds like a lot of money, but it is a whole year's supply of food for one person. They claim that it will keep for 30 years.
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this is a good investment or not?
Thanks,
Harold
Harold,
I think it'll depend on the shelf life and do you actually like the food. As for sampler before you make the investment, it shouldn't be too expensive, but better than getting stuck with food you cannot palette.
Actually, I take that back, if you're hungry, who cares what it tastes like.
If you have the $$ it might make sense to do it now before prices go up.
Hi Donna,
Just a few tips if you wanted to 'formalize' a prayer list...this has worked well for me over the years.
I used to pray as I jogged (this was in high school) and each finger was a different group. I started with 'world issues/politics, etc' for my thumb. I then focused on family/close friends with my pointer finger. My middle finger was for school/work. My ring finger was neighbors and misc. people/situations and my pinky finger was personal prayers. I would pray as I jogged and counted each finger (since I couldn't walk with a notepad in front of me, that method kept me focused and organized.)
That evolved into a journal in college where I added a 'praise page' with the same topics. I wanted to come to the Lord with my praises first, so I listed everything that was an answered prayer or reason to praise Him in the same 5 categories.
Today, I don't do much hand-writing, but I keep the same journal on my computer. Now, I have a focus for each day of the week (rather than a finger) since my list is quite extensive....several hundred prayers/praises. I'd never get out of my jammies in the morning if I did the whole list daily! I still scan the whole list for critical prayers every day, though.
I've also recently begun to start my prayers by taking authority of my time with the Lord over any foes who might try to interupt it. I've found that my mind is much clearer when I 'put my foot down' and remind "everyone" just who is in charge in this home! And my first prayer, no matter what day of the week, is for God's people and land.
Hope that's helpful. I know there are many ways to approach prayer time, but for someone who thrives on keeping order, this has really helped to keep me productive and on track!
Blessings,
Jen
Jen, that's cool!
Harold - Congratulations on the new house!!!!
Harold
Look at what they have in the years supply. But then price out what you think you could get by on. They have deserts and some things I thought whould not be considered survival and the main stay items are cheaper if you make your own supply.
Try this site
http://beprepared.com
Sheila
Use the phrase eat what you store, store what you eat.
I just started with the bread mixes and the oatmeal several months back when I started reading the news.
No way do i have a years worth but I can only buy a little at a time. Watch the shipping costs it adds up quickly at some places.
I think Jim had a couple of places also.
HELP - QUICK!
Ok, I sent Grany's comment to my daughter.
This was her reply:
"ya all of that was nice except for this part below...
but if we worry all the time, being constantly in a state of anxiety, then we really do have to wonder about our position as a Christian."
What do I say????
My mommy-in-law sent me this note this morning, perhaps it'll help.... I revised it just a little.
God will take care of us but next time someone brings it up remember that the disciples asked Jesus for the signs. Jesus also told the people that not one block would be left standing at the temple and because the Christians were prepared, they left ahead when the new the trouble was coming and went to the hills. I believe if I remember correctly that is where the Christians that for centuries were in Lebonan, Syria and Jordon as descendants of these original ones. Remember that the Romans were awful and killed most of Jerusalem. Just as he told us the story of the wedding and the bridsmaids who were not ready for the wedding. It was a story of the rapture but can't help but wonder if it couldn't apply here as well. The ones without the oil were left out.
His statement also reminds me of the story of the guy who is in a flood and prays for God to help him.
A boater came and offered to save him but he told him he was waiting on God to save him
Then another boater and finally a helicopter. He finally drowns and when he gets to heaven, he asked God
why he let him drown. God's answer, "I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter".
The Christians that took precautions during WWII in Poland, Germany, etc. were some of the people that saved many of the Jews.
They had supplies and were able to share.
I personally get the feeling that somehow we will be using what we have to not only feed our family but others. The story of the loaves and fishes keeps going thru my mind as if God is preparing me to know that we will be feeding a multitude. In fact this story has been replaying in my mind now for over 3 years -- since I retired. At the time I wondered why. It is only of late, that I have understood it more.
Can't help but wonder if the devil himself might be using Chris to discourage you??????? Just a thought. The news tonight had a big segment on how the South American countries are putting a stop to exporting their rice as has Thailand and others in the East.
Maybe he needs to see the news. Bob went to Cosco and got more rice. They showed that Cosco, Sams and other big box stores were limiting their supply.
No where does it say in the Bible that we will not see that trouble. In fact it says Christians will experience trouble but that he will lead us thru it. I believe that is what he is doing....helping to lead us thru it. In the Bible He went with people like David, but David still had to fight the battles.........
Oops, I should've edited it a little more, but hopefully you get the idea.
Hey Harold,
Just read your posts and wanted to toss this out there....
I've been praying about stocking up and what supplies to get for awhile, but in the last few weeks I've really been seeking God's plan for our family in this area because I, too, see a wave coming that no one else around me seems to detect. I personally feel that a food supply crash could happen so fast, a matter of days/weeks maybe that would leave people so unprepared and with no recourse that there would be absolute desperation in most homes, even Christian families. (Anyone remember that movie a few years ago about the sudden Ice Age that came over the globe in a matter of hours? Kinda like that.)
So I've been asking God what I need to do for our family in order to keep us fed as well as able to bless those around us. And I'm getting nothing in the way of buying anything (except I think I'm going to buy some seeds from the heritage seed site that Jim shared. I can leave them in my Rapture packet for someone else to find if we don't use them.) So I asked God, how are we going to feed our growing kids (and perhaps another on the way this time next year???) if I don't start stocking up? And the only thing that comes to mind are the stories of the Israelites in the desert eating manna and the fish/loaves of bread that fed the thousands. My mind keeps coming back to those stories.
And it's funny that those stories come to mind because over the last few months, I've started to notice that I seem to not need to buy as much stuff as I used to. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but my supplies seem to last longer. I can't explain it, but I know it's happening here and there. Hubby's pay is less with the housing crunch and yet our credit card bill has been been lower lately. (Our biggest non-fixed expense is groceries, but I need more food as the kids eat more, plus the prices have gone up noticeably.)
So I am going to continue to pray about these things, but I'm beginning to get comfortable with the idea that when the future crisis comes, God's going to provide for us in ways that have nothing to do with what I can do on my own. That being said, if God gives me a word to buy 100 bags of pancake mix, I'll do it. I think He'll work in many ways in the following days and we should get used to listening for that small still voice.
I have been sitting on this for awhile, but didn't post anything because it just sounds so crazy. But would I have believed it when it happened in the desert? or in that hungry crowd? Certainly. So why can't God do it now?
I'm asking that everyone not receive this the wrong way. I'm not questioning anyone's efforts to prepare....Personally, I would feel much better if God would give me some clear direction in the matter as well. It's been tempting to run out to Costco and buy up a truckload of stuff after I read every else's plans! And I'm not wanting to sow fear in anyone's heart who is struggling with finances right now. I'm very sensitive to financial difficulties and I know they can be very stressing and heavy to bear when things are at their peak. But I felt that sharing this 'conversation' I'm having right now with the Lord might be an encouragement to others who are wondering how on Earth we're going to come through a worst-case scenario. For me, it has to do with the fact that I've come to believe so strongly in God's word about providing for our needs that I have His peace about the coming days. We need to keep praying and listening, but also trusting that His word is true and He won't allow any harm to come to us no matter how mighty the foe.
*****
Also, so that our warrior ranks can stay strong and consistent, it would be a good idea for everyone to visit the prayer site and give an update on current prayer requests and those that were asked in the past.
Blessings,
Jen
Lori,
I have chills. We posted our thoughts just minutes apart and I didn't read yours until just now....we both mentioned fishes and loaves. Isn't that a confirmation?
Blessings,
Jen
God is our Jehovah Jirah, our provider.
He may use us to provide for others or the stored food may just last for years.
If Jesus could make a few loaves and fishes go to thousands, how much more can he do with what he has instructed us to acquire?
Praise the Lord!
This was on Glenn Beck's e-newsletter:
Special Report: Russia, Iran and Bible Prophecy
Russia, Iran and Bible Prophecy
By Joel C. Rosenberg
Does the Bible really predict the rise of a dictator in Russia? Does it really foretell the emergence of a Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel in the End of Days? And if so, is the military, political and economic alliance being formed in recent years by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad evidence that such prophecies are actually coming true in our lifetime? Glenn and I have been discussing these questions all week. But let me lay them out in more detail here for those interested in going a bit deeper.
One of the most fascinating sets of End Times prophecies in the Bible are found in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. Remarkably, the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel, writing more than 2,500 years ago, was able to look down the corridors of time and see nations not yet born, and alliances not yet formed. In doing so, he actually did foretell the rise of a Russian military alliance with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to annihilate Israel during the earth's "last days." This is known by many Bible scholars as the "War of Gog and Magog."
In a moment, I will walk you through the prophecies step-by-step. But first, let me note that the predictions found in Ezekiel chapters 36 & 37 have already come true. These are the famous chapters that foretell:
The rebirth of the State of Israel in the end times (both chapters)
The return of the Jews to the Holy Land after centuries in exile (Ezekiel 36:10-11, 36:24, 36:37-38, 37:12, 37:21)
The rebuilding of the ancient ruins in Israel (Ezekiel 36:36)
The re-blossoming of desolate, desert lands to produce abundant food, fruit and foliage (Ezekiel 36:8-9 and 36:30-35)
The creation of an "exceedingly great army" (Ezekiel 37:11)
Such prophecies began to be fulfilled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, accelerated in 1948 and 1967, and continue to come to pass to this day. This, of course, raises an intriguing question: If Ezekiel 36 and 37 have largely come true in our lifetime, isn't it possible that Ezekiel 38 and 39 will soon come true as well?
WHO?
That said, let's examine Ezekiel 38 and 39 more carefully. In Ezekiel 38:1-6, the Hebrew prophet gives a list of obscure names that will form a united coalition. In my non-fiction book, Epicenter: Why The Current Rumblings In The Middle East Will Change Your Future, I carefully walk readers through these prophecies and document the historical detective work necessary to determine what modern nations are referred to by the ancient text. But here's an executive summary of the major points.
"Gog" is described as being "of the land of Magog" and as the "prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal." Most Bible scholars believe Gog is not a name but a title, like Pharoah or Czar. He is a dictator who will hatch an "evil plan" (Ezekiel 38:10).
"Magog" - Leading Bible scholars say this is Russia and republics of the former Soviet Union. The first century Roman historian Josephus said the "Magogites" were the peoples whom the Greeks called "Scythians." Scythians were a fierce, blood-thirsty civilization that settled north of the Baltic Sea in what is now Russia and the European republics of the former USSR.
"Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" - Many, though not all, Bible scholars believe "Rosh" refers directly to Russia. Meshech is believed by many scholars to be Moscow (though some believe it refers to an ancient people group in Turkey). Some Bible scholars believe Tubal refers to the city/region of Tobolsk in Russia along the Tobol River. Others say it refers to a section of modern-day Turkey. (Interestingly, in 1964, massive reserves of oil and gas were discovered in the Tobolsk region of Siberia and people now refer to the region as the "energy center of Russia.")
"Persia" - This was the official name of Iran until 1935.
"Cush" - Based in significant part on the writings of the Roman historian Flavius Josephus, Bible scholars today believe "Cush" refers to Sudan and Ethiopia.
"Put" - Bible scholars are confident that this refers to the modern day country of Libya, though it may also refer to parts of Algeria and Tunisia, based on the writings of Josephus, among others.
"Gomer" - This is modern day Turkey, though some scholars also believe it could refer to Germany and Austria.
"Beth-togarmah" - This refers to Armenia and the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia, including the Islamic former republics of the Soviet Union.
"Many peoples with you" who will attack along "the mountains of Israel" - Other countries will be involved in the coalition as well, notably countries that border the mountains of Israel. This includes Lebanon, Syria and possibly Jordan.
It should be noted that conspicuously absent from the list is Egypt and Iraq (typically referred to in Scripture as Babylon or Mesapotamia). This is noteworthy since Ezekiel was writing the prophecy in the City of Babylon, in the heart of Iraq. We would have to expect, then, that neither Egypt nor Iraq will participate. Egypt, of course, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Iraq is now so engrossed in its own internal struggles that it would be unlikely to join a coalition to destroy Israel in the next few years. We are, therefore, living in the first window in human history in which neither of these historic enemies of the Jewish people are likely to be involved in the next major Middle East war.
WHAT?
Ezekiel 38-39 explains that the Russian dictator known as "Gog" will develop an "evil plan" to attack and destroy Israel and seize her wealth. He will begin to build an enormous military coalition, comprised of the countries described above. He will make extensive preparations to strike. When the time is right, Ezekiel says Russia will then deploy this coalition against Israel in a show of overwhelming force, coming against the Jewish State "like a storm."
The Bible makes it clear that when this "War of Gog and Magog" begins, no country will come to Israel's defense. Not the United Nations. Not the European Union. Not even the United States. Israel will feel utterly alone, and her enemies will be convinced that they are on the verge of an historic victory in which the Jews will be wiped off the map once and for all. But Ezekiel then says some supernatural will occur. The God of Israel - the God of the Bible - will bring judgment upon the enemies of Israel, beginning with Gog, the dictator of Russia. The Lord will trigger a massive earthquake in which "all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence." Gog's forces will turn against one another, and then they will be subject to pestilence, torrential rains, hailstones, and even fire from heaven. Israel will then capture her enemies weapons and burn them for seven years and it will take seven full months to bury all the bodies of Israel's slain enemies, so great will be the devastation.
WHEN?
When will all this happen? We don't know for certain. But Ezekiel gives us several important clues. First, Israel will be a country again and Jews will be regathered to the Holy Land. Second, Israelis will be "living securely" before the "War of Gog and Magog," though the Scriptures do not go so far as to say that they will have comprehensive peace treaties with their neighbors. Third, Israel will have a measure of economic prosperity, according to the text. And fourth, Ezekiel 38:16 says explicitly that all these events "will come about in the last days" (that is, before the Battle of Armageddon).
In closing, let me be clear. Yes, Israel has been reborn as a country for the first time in 2,000 years. Yes, a dictator is rising to power in Russia that seems "Gog-esque." Yes, Russia and Iran are building an alliance today for the first time in 2,500 years. Yes, Russia and Libya are now building a new alliance. Yes, Iran is threatening to wipe Israel "off the map." Is all this conclusive proof that the "War of Gog and Magog" will happen soon, much less in our lifetime? No, I don't think we can make that assessment. Not yet, at least. Much more will have to happen to be sure. But can we rule out the possibility that this prophetic war could happen in the not-too-distant future? No, I don't think we can.
As for me, I don't want it to happen at all. But no man can stop what Bible prophecy says will come to pass. The most we can do is to be ready when it happens, and find ways to care for those in the Middle East and Russia who will be victims of this terrible war.
Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of political thrillers like Dead Heat, his latest novel. He is also the founder of The Joshua Fund, which provides humanitarian relief to Israel and her neighbors. For more information on this topic, you may wish to read Joel's non-fiction book, Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
Shalom, all! Please pray for the people of Eastern Iowa. We're having a tornado outbreak, which would be bad enough, except the rain from the storms has tipped many of the creeks and rivers over their banks -- we have full flooding now. I just saw some people escaping from their house with kayaks on the news.
Radar of storm
The storm has passed me by (although something could pop up again later -- just hope it isn't during Glenn Beck!) so I'm not worrying about anything now, but a lot of people are in danger now.
TTYL.
<><
Mat 14:22 - 33 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Alesia, once more, may thanks for holding the fort. Very good post.
Well, mac's off to training now and I'm back in the closet. Do I smell coffee?
Harold, Shalom! Congrats on the home! I wouldn't buy a HUGE freezer unless you have a fairly certain power supply. Otherwise, you just might wind up wasting a lot of food (or sharing it with your neighbors, which you may or may not want to do.)
If you want to ensure a good supply of backup power, there are two possibilities. The Solar PowerPac II is a 60 amp-hour sealed battery unit with a built-in 120V AC inverter. When it's charged up, it can power a 100W load for about 4 hours. It can be charged from the wall or from a 12V DC source, like a car or an electric generator. You can also buy up to two solar panels, each supplying up to 110 watts, that will keep the unit charged during the day.
There are also some interesting wind power generators. By using vertical axis (instead of the familiar water-pump windmill you see on farms) combined with new efficient low-rotation turbines, you can have a quiet, attractive wind generator that your neighbors don't have to know is a generator. One manufacturer pointed out you could paint the "blades" different colors, line your driveway with them, and boom! you have kinetic art! Jay Leno uses one of these (from PacWind) to provide power at one of his car museums. The costs range from $3500 to $6000 installed for a home-based unit. Here are a couple of the most interesting manufacturers:
Cleanfield Energy
Mariah Power ("The Windspire")
PacWind
Windside Production Ltd
I've got a bunch of "Emergency Preparedness" links for buying foods and such. Don't forget to get the sweet stuff. The one thing that people who have tried living on emergency rations have reported is that it is the Pop Tarts and other "non-essentials" that made the experience tolerable. (It's why the military includes small bottles of Tobasco with many of the MREs -- spices can go a long way to creating the variety that keeps up moral.) Here they are, in no particular order:
Yellowstone River Trading
Emergency Essentials
QuakeKare
Walton Feed, Inc. (I've bought some emergency 72-hour kits from them and can recommend them.)
Lehmans This is a place that started out selling things to the local Amish communities and those who live without electricity -- some really interesting stuff, and I wish I had known about this site before my dad died, because I know he would have looked at each page and gone, "OHHH, I remember these things!", explaining how you use this do-dad that I'd never seen before.
<><
Oreo's (double stuff) fetched a nice prize when we were bartering food after the 2004 hurricanes.
I got 1 pound frozen shrimp, onions and a bag of potatoes for oreo's, imagine that!
Also, last month we went to Home Depot and bought two gradual pots and sand from home and garden. They were quite pricey. But we have the makings for our Zeer pot now. Then I went online and printed the information, put it in a plastic sleeve. I did this in case we're gone and someone else is to benefit from the food and supplies.
I have two really longs posts on this string.
Let me know when you're ready and I'll delete them to free up space.
lori
How to Make a Pot in a Pot Refrigerator
Alesia
one wonders because that isn't how it is supposed to be but my personal take is either the person is a chronic worrier by nature and old habits are hard to break, they can't forgive themselves so how could God possibly forgive them, they are a control freak by nature and when things are out of their personal control worry sets in. All are difficult to deal with and I have more experience than I'd like with the last two. Perhaps I'll email you from the health club
Just me Iowa Gal etc were all invited to the cave but suspect they lost the address.
Wilma
Marge says hi and wanted to know if you were ok. I told her about your computer problems.
BTW
there is a book that I am currently borrowing from one of the mormons I work with on food storage-food storage for dummies if you will. He also told me you don't have to be mormon to buy from most of the places that they get their food.
Shalom, all! Just finished watching Glenn Beck with Joel Rosenberg. As usual, not enough time for Joel and all his insights! I spent the commercials reading the quote from Glenn Beck's email, posted by Lori. (BTW, Lori, don't delete anything. A new thread can be easily started sooner if necessary, but information that's deleted cannot be recovered. It can be reposted, but it won't have the same context as when originally posted.) I also read Jen's posting about not feeling called to keep buying food, and Jen, I want to thank you. Thank you for confirming something I've been feeling but haven't quite put my finger on.
Last year at this time I started stocking up on stuff. I told people it was because of the ice storm we had in March, but in fact, it was because I felt G_D was telling me to stock up. I went on another food buying bid yesterday and today, but honestly, it was to just restock on things I had used, like water (which I still need to get more of). I was in WalMart standing in front of the instant mashed potatoes, asking G_D what to do. The "Great Value" (WalMart brand) mashed potatoes were all gone, but there was a fairly large container of the "Idahoian" mashed potatoes, which I had promised Grany I'd try except it cost quite a bit more than the others on the shelf. And I stood there asking G_D whether I should buy it or not, and I felt like I was getting conflicting messages. I finally decided that what G_D was telling me was "Later", so I put it back on the shelf. Now I realize that what I was feeling wasn't so much "Later" as "It doesn't matter." It is the same sort of feeling I've been getting when I pray about getting a new job: "It doesn't matter."
I think something awful (as in "filled with awe") will be happening very soon. I think it will be happening sometime after May 10, associated with the 60th year of Israel but before June 2, the end of the 40th year of the Unification of Jerusalem. I'm suspecting closer to May 10, since there will be so much international attention (or at least international presence, in the form of ambassadors, etc.) focused on Israel at that time.
I think also, that I will write all of this down in one final "Paranoia Update" to my family, final because I'm getting the sense that after this last update, anything else to say on the subject just won't matter.
And, I think that when I pray tonight (no, right now, as soon as I finish this post), I shall be asking the Holy Spirit that, if it pleases G_D, the Holy Spirit please grant me the Gift of Prophecy, not to predict the future, but to predict the present.
<><
Oh, and BTW, Harold, I think I found the freezer for you:
SunDanzer Energy Efficient DC Refrigeration
Can run off 12V or 24V batteries; or can run off a single 80W solar panel.
<><
"I think I'm going to take Nate's list of us cave dwellers & just run down the list praying for everyone."
Alesia, what list?? I've been wishing lately that I had such a list for just that reason! Did I miss something somewhere?
I've been too busy the last couple days to even read the comments, so 10:58am is as far as I've gotten so far.
I agree, I loved listening to Joel and Glen. I will check out the newsletter Glen spoke about, that Lori posted, too.
I'm thinking about making a copy of the show and mailing it to family members.
We have not been stocking up on things much either. But I am going to save the website Shelia posted earlier.
Lori hope you are feeling better!
Saying prayers for you all!
Jim, Jen,
(I'm still here, lurking, just very busy building my faith to prepare for the future, making sure that I am in position to receive all God has for me).
I too agree with your comments on
NOT stocking up too much - the only things we have more of than normal are water and bathroom tissue!!
My wife and I don't feel any leading to stock up more than we usually do (2 weeks food, etc.., and only because we tend to buy in bulk anyway).
Jim, as to your request for the "gift of prophecy", what you need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, then you can pray out in tongues (praying the perfect will of God - so you always know you are saying the right things - even if you do not understand them), and learn to listen to what Holy Spirit says back to you in English (an intelligible word or phrase will come out amongst the tongues). Repeat this back out loud, and continue to pray until it becomes clear to you what you are praying about or for.
Once you have mastered this, you can ask God for direction and wisdom, pray again in tongues and see if you get the interpretation (all this is for your private prayer time).
To "know" about the present (and a bit about the future), you need to allow God (Holy Spirit) to manifest the gift of a Word of Knowledge (past and present information in the mind of God about people, places and things), or the gift of a Word of Wisdom (future information in the mind of God about people, places and things) WHILST you are praying in tongues - then wait for the interpretation.
HOWEVER, (VERY IMPORTANT)do not chase after such gifts - they are given as Holy Spirit wills (decides) not man - the enemy would be more than eager to give you what you want - but it won't, obviously, be of God, or good for you.
Regarding your thoughts of "it doesn't matter" - remember God holds you in the palm of His Hand, He loves you and he wants to take care of you, and give you an abundant life (where you have enough that you never need to worry about whether you have enough!)
Do not worry! [Matthew 6:31]
Pray "in the Spirit" at all times [Ephesians 6:17] (a part of that is praying in tongues, but here is a revelation - "in the Spirit" is also a PLACE - the Throne Room of God!!) [Ephesians 2:22]
My God shall supply ALL your need, according to His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:19] So don't focus on the bank account, the job - they are NOT your source, God is.
Remember not to rob God, so pay your tithes (10%) to your local Church (as long as it is one that is preaching "living waters" of life from Scripture) [Malachi 3, Hebrews 7].
Then you are eligible for God to
"pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 “And I will rebuke the devourer [Satan] for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”"
Finally, get the Law of Sowing and Reaping operating in your life, if you are not already...
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” [Luke 6:38].
Notice how, in this passage, Jesus speaks of giving just once, but speaks of receiving 7 (seven) times!!
1) It will be a good (bountiful) measure;
2) It will be (com)pressed (packed) down;
3) It will be shaken (to settle it all) together;
4) It will be running over (overflowing over the top of the container (=quantity, measure) you originally gave it in.
5) It will be based on the measure (amount you initially give)
6) then multiplied (up to a hundredfold)
7) It will be given back to you by men.
It seems to me that Jesus' focus was on what we will receive, when we give to G_d - remembering that G_d loves a cheerful (hilarious) giver!
John
Ever dream of flying away?
Regarding stocking up, I think we each need to just follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and be obedient and at peace. I had been wondering if we should do it, balking at the idea until I sensed God's Spirit saying "do it and do it now." So, I did. I'm still convinced I did the right thing. The only thing I'm balking about now is buying a wood stove. That makes so much sense to me in so many ways, but, I'm just not getting to it.
Hi Anne,
I totally agree. God's plan for providing for our needs comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It would be foolish to ignore the Holy Spirit's leading. I think God is planning to care for people's needs who will be left behind, too, which in itself is an amazing thought!
I'm still continuing to ask for guidance in this area. For now, I know I'm not being led to have anything more than a few weeks worth of stock because the thought of trying to figure out what to buy, where to keep it, how to keep track of rotating, etc. was causing so much anxiety and dismay that I knew I wasn't following God's lead in the matter. That could change tomorrow, however, and I want to be ready to go if He gives the word.
I have been given an urge to simplify and get rid of stuff that has no practical use, or things that we don't need multiples of, esp. with clothing. It's almost like reverse nesting....I want it out of here! So I'm spending time doing that right now and looking for ways to spread around all the extras we've been keeping here in the house.
I must say it's interesting to see how so many of us are dealing with these similar issues and how we also seem to be the focus of more attacks. Thanks to everyone who has shared their situations and also the timely Scriptures. It's all very encouraging and edifying!
Blessings,
Jen
Just wanted to quickly say that I have all you guys on my prayer list. Have Faith in our Lord and keep looking up!!
Alesia, tell her not to sweat it! Anxiety can be one of the worst habits to rid ourselves of after we are saved. The flesh wants to figure out everything and God tells us to take Him at His Word and to cast all of our cares upon Him. We aren't supposed to worry about tomorrow because we have enough to take care of today but we are to be prepared for all situations in faith. That comes with the walk and God proving he will provide for us. That lesson always dulls the pain of anxiety.
Just always remember the example of the Sparrow. That story has always made me stop and reconsider that God is providing and doesn't need my help in directing the process.
I haven't been keeping up with the conversations today since my last post on the previous topic. I am still working on my email problems. I don't know what happened but I didn't want to expose anyone else to my unwelcome visitor so I just stayed real busy running checks and searching for the little demon that got into my machine.
Jim Carroll, I am praying and pleading for your needs in this messy weather situation. I just enjoy praying for you anyway!
Now, as to keeping a supply of food items on hand. I always have enough food to feed anyone who comes by our home and needs help. I also keep extra for those who are having a rough time for various reasons and our church is always taking meals to shut ins, elderly, sick, new born babies families and of course, bereavement. During the horrible storms that were raging across the area, our police/law enforcement officers were required to spend long extra hours manning the phones and such. We made meals, refreshments and lots of coffee, tea, and cocoa for them. It is amazing the things you can do that gives them an idea that they are cared about by all of us.
We are normally a very family oriented community anyway and this just is part of being a family member.
The way our weather is here in Okieland, we keep things on hand just in case and it is always used by someone. I have plenty of rice and I am picking up some flour suitable to make bread with tomorrow. I keep mine in the freezer wrapped in extra plastic and butcher paper. Our freezer is very energy efficient and costs next to nothing to run.
About 6 months ago, I felt impressed to purchase a Weber grill without all the bells and whistles. I didn't do then but I am going to get one in a week or so. I have a Traeger Grill but it requires electric power to run the auger and fan. Anyway, Summer is coming on and I love to cook outside and with the Weber I can do so without worrying about the electric wires and water on the ground.
Well, I got to close down shop and get some sleep. You all keep the cave nice and comfy for Mr. Hyde. Besure to leave a light at the opening for him to see who is out there.
Grany
That's funny Jen , I have the same feeling. OUT. I'm sick of looking at "stuff." (And boy do we have alot of it. And it's still sitting in this house in boxes from the move.I have ZERO motivation to even unpack anything else.)
Jim,
Be attentive to the Holy Spirit and see where He's guiding you. Jen & I read a great book : Tongues,Beyond the upper room by Kenneth E. Hagin.It speaks about the spiritual gifts. But-before I read that I read the entire chapter of Acts while underlining pertinent scriptures.
RE:Stocking up. As I've stated before I have no urge to do so. Just call me mellow yellow.
Anyone: Did you watch the 1hour Glen Beck interview w/Joel? Right at the very end Joel was going to come on one last time and give his final statements. Then some gardening show comes on early and it was never shown. It was so strange.
Seems like Glen Beck is pretty happy w/things & thinks Ezekiel 38/39 may be fulfilled in his daughter's life. He's interested in End Times events but seems a little foggy to me. Doesn't really want to face it.
But Joel, well he really feels the contractions are continuing right along. (and us women know about contractions!)
Now I forgot what the next thing he said to look out for was. Oh, I think it was Russia proclaiming Anti-Israel rhetoric.
Come Lord Jesus, Come!
hi all;
I have been following the discussions on the attacks of the enemy and will add my prayers to all the others for everyone going thru trials. Since I lost my job about 4 yrs ago, I have been following God's leading in developing a small business. It has been up and down, but just this year it is shaping up to be a lean year because I lost some business due to people cutting back and losing jobs. Jesus has provided for us by leading us to get finances in order before I got layed off from work. He did all this before I knew the company was going to cut back and I would loose my job, Praise God!! I am by nature a worrier and He sure is teaching me to depend on Him. Grany, your advice is something I have learned to practice daily since I don't have that job to depend on. For me it has been quite a struggle, but Jesus is VERY patient with me, and I know He will lead us thru.
Just for the record I was involved in the charasmatic movement in the 70's and early 80's. I have had hands laid on me for baptism of the Holy Spirit and have spoken in tongues some time ago. I have been prophecied over and prayed for the gifts ect. It is not something that I can easily speak about and that is why I have not mentioned it before. So I do know what you all mean when you speak of these things. Anyway I just wanted to get that out.
God Bless!
Hi All,
Just wondering where everyone is. Does anyone have a list of all the folks that use to post over at Joels. Like Dave, Kinderquilt, etc? I am just wondering where everyone went. I had to change computers and lost my little managed bookmarks of everyones blog spaces.
Thanks in advance.
Keeping all in my prayers.
In His Love and looking up!
Debbie
Thank-you to everyone (I don't want to mention individuals in case I miss someone) for all your thoughts and advice about stocking up on food. The advice was great and there were some really good links posted.
I feel that I am being called to stock up on food. I hear what Jim, Nate and others are saying about not feeling led to stock up on food as God will supply their needs. However, I don't know that I am being called to stock up for myself. The Lord has not promised to supply the needs of non-believers. Maybe I am being called to stock up to help my neighbors?
God Bless,
Harold
Deb - Go to my blog. All of us that has a blog is listed there (I'm pretty sure)there may be a few more recent ones I missed. In which case, I'll have to update.
Anne - I'll put that list together & post, there's new additions I need to make sure I add.
Don't have time right now but I'll do later.
Grany, your last couple of posts especially are so appreciated. I can't tell you how touched and humbled I am by them...God providing for us, not to worry and to trust Him, etc.
Funny, usually I am the one telling everyone that. WHen the shoe is on the other foot it is a whole other thing.
We're dealing with a combination of things people here are talking about..nutty people husbands work for (part of the problem w/ my husband not getting paid has to do with the contractor he has been doing work for), $ concerns, its all kind of ironic that all of a sudden we are going thru some similar things.
I am so sorry your daughters are going thru all this stress and school stress! I know all too well about that. I think its terrible the amount of stress these kids go thru.
I can't believe they are still testing kids the way they do. There has to be a better way of doing things.
I think that if the world is still going to be going on for a while, that the entire educational system needs to be overhauled. These kids are bored stiff in half of these classes to boot.
I, too, am more into downsizing all the accumulated stuff we have here for the last 28 years. It sure is a process that takes time.
I will try to get organized about getting rid of what I don't need and getting what we do need.
We are also planning to get our basement insulated better and put a wood stove down there. Its an older part of the house that is very poorly insulated. (you'd think we would have done something about it by now!)
We have a woodstove in a newer section of the house and its nice to know we have some back up heat.
Pellet stoves are really popular around here. No cutting or splitting wood or any of that.
I'm going to print out your last 2 posts, Grany.
Nate we're so glad you made it back safe and sound. I have looked at the link about the feasts but will. I love the whole feast/calendar thing and perhaps will have time to focus more on that.
Thank you so much everyone!
Keep praying and looking up, as Mac said!
In Jesus name we thank you, Father, for all things and we ask and trust that You will continue to take care of us and show us what we should do. We ask you to continue teaching us to trust You for all things and to help us enter into Your rest. Thank you, Father, in Jesus name amen!
Nate, the Feasts of the Lord video was very interesting! I think I will have to pick up their May issue so I can read about it.
Harold, stocking up for the sake of others was one of my main concerns. Only the Lord knows if I will be around to help family, friends and neighbors. If you are interested I can look up the name of the company I used for my bulk food stuff. I was basically happy with their performance (they made a couple erros, but promptly corrected them) and I was able to order samples first.
Funny, my error was in the spelling of errors!
anne,
Yes, I would like to know the name of the bulk food company you used. Thanks.
You are right when you said that only the Lord knows if we will be around to help family, friends and neighbors. If I am not, at least I hope to leave a good supply of food and reading materials behind for those people who will still be here. If only we knew exactly how long we have left and then I could drain my bank account down to the last penny, tell someone where I have stashed all the food I bought with the money and leave them the key. :-)
Of course then there is the problem of would the bank then take my home because I haven't paid my mortgage as I am no longer anywhere to be found? There would sure be a flood of houses on that market at that point then wouldn't there? Well, maybe not that many houses in Canada as in the U.S. as we are very pagan.
God Bless,
Harold
Thank you all for your prayers for my daughter and my husbands situation at work.
Alesia~I will be praying for your Michelle. It is so heartbreaking to watch our children go through all of this. I have to KNOW that God loves them even more than I do.
I agree Jim about doing another test on Monday. *sigh*
God has been speaking with me for a long time about being a better employee even though I really dislike my job.
I listen to myself tell my daughter what she needs to do to recover her grades in school and it is interesting that I am expecting those things from her and they are the very things that I need to do to do a better job at work!
Jim, when you were talking about asking for the gift of prophecy not to predict the future but to understand the present, my heart was really touched for some reason. To have the discernment to get what is going on right now through God's eyes.
Around the first of the year I was totally compelled to make sure that we have our financial things in order. We had way too much debt. God provided miracles and we only have a few debts that we are still paying on. Next is keeping a bit of money for emergencies so when things happen it is not such a panic.
I do feel the need to stock up on things that can keep for awhile. I bought 2 big bags of rice the other day. Hubby and I discussed stocking up on some things soon, if for no other reason, that food prices are going up so quickly that it is better to buy it now if you can store it.
I watched the video on the feasts. Great stuff.
Donna, I loved your post about the worrying and will share it with my hubby.
Grace
I've had several families at our church approach me about stocking up on food.
I've told them all, DO NOT buy extra unless the Lord instructs you.
God will always provide for us.
Harold I think you're right. The Lord may have some of us purchase extra for other families.
Nate I'm going to have to watch that video when I can get some dsl time in at my mommy-in-law's house. She's so good to let me take over her computer when I visit.
Thanks for your prayers. I have no new welts today.
I have an interview for Monday morning for a job. I haven't worked outside the home since 1986 so I could use some prayer for that too. Found it on Craigslist. I really need the few welts I have to disappear before then. I want to be a contagious person, but not in this way! Also, I mentioned the interview to a friend from church, and she knows the man who I'll interview with. She said he's really nice and as it turns out, I'd be working for the same company.
Gt I put my prayer language on the back burner for a long time and it was one of the darkest few years of my life. Since I started praying in tongues again, I've experienced more victory than I have in my whole life. I would like to encourage you to begin again. Life is never perfect, but it can be victorious.
I think God wants to do something special in your life.
Question to all ... Does anyone else feel like everyone is choosing their side? I'm not just talking about the countries. I'm referring to "with God" or "against God."
campsmore;
Thank you for your prayers for me concerning the gifts and tongues ect.
Question to all ... Does anyone else feel like everyone is choosing their side? I'm not just talking about the countries. I'm referring to "with God" or "against God."
You have hit the nail on the head, WOW. I have felt that this is what the Lord is doing at this time and was going to ask the same question. I have felt that he is leading His faithful to draw close to Him and at the same time others are "going their own way". Sort of a separation of the wheat and chaff?? I believe it is one of the reasons He says 3 times to not be deceived as you see the time drawing close!! And there is soooo much deception out there. I believe that the gift of discernment is VERY important in the times we live in, so easy to get off track. It only take a little leaven to spoil the whole loaf. This is also one of the purposes of the trib, "to try those that dwell on the earth".
nate;
Very interesting post on the feasts and astronomical signs. As God has said, he has set the signs in the heavens to mark the seasons and it seems in every way we are in the season of His return!!
Also Glenn Beck's program with Joel was fantastic. To see such a program on a major news network has to be God's work!! He was also appealing to those who don't look at the times as well as those who don't believe the Lord will return.
God Bless!
Oh, Lori, yes, a thousand times YES! People, country and governments are all choosing sides: God or no God!
It started gradually and when it did start, it was a shock! Back in the 70's there was bumper sticker that said "God Is Dead" and it was seen as a stupid, dumb thing for misfits to say. Well, anyway, that was the thinking of the Churchy group toward the sticker. I didn't take them seriously and considered it was another "Shock Statement" that teenagers tend to use. But it all began with Madelyn Murray O'Hare when she went to the courts to stop praying in schools. We didn't fight back! Now, the stage is being finalized and the players are all taking their places. Russia will announce her new agreement within days and this summer will be a very dangerous time in history. Maybe the reason some of us feel the need to get stores laid up is we will be living in the affected areas of disaster while others won't be.
When you all started sharing these feelings, that is what went through me as I began to inwardly question "God, what is happening". Just as the floods that are taking place right now are not affecting my dwelling place, others are in danger of damage and destruction. It really doesn't have anything to do with where we are with Christ. The word tells us that the rain will fall on the just and unjust at the same time. It has to do with judgment.
If we knew what was coming at us with the force of evil, would we be able to stand in faith? Would we look at the storm approaching as Peter did as he tried to walk out on the water? Maybe! Would we sink or call out like he did for God to save us? Did you know that if Peter had kept his eyes on Jesus and trusted him, he would have walked on that water too?
I believe that it will depend on our relationship with God at that very moment. Our salvation won't change but how deep are our roots will determine our cry and outcome.
My prayer might sound strange to some but back in the middle 90's when it became obvious that God was taking giant steps toward bringing all of this rebellion against him to an end, I prayed that God would provide for all of His people who can't survive without their meds, physicians, and necessary equipment for life supports. My mother and brother were still alive and both of them were very dependent on all of these. My mother was in her 80's and had survived one major bout with cancer (then healed), had a pace maker, and was on hypertensive meds. My brother was dependent on others because his mobility was a wheel chair and, as a survivor of a massive brain hemorrhage, he had many, many physical/medical needs. But we never had a crippled attitude about life. We did everything as simply as we could and didn't bang our heads against the wall bemoaning the situation. Just lived each day with as much grace as we could.
Within 2 years of praying for God's mercy in the manner in which I did, my mother and brother left Planet Earth for their Heavenly Abode. My prayers were not meant for their departure but it turned out that way. Since that time, I have lost so very many of our like limited believers. I know God not only heard my prayers but responded because he does have a Father's heart. Mercy moved God's heart to send Jesus Christ.
You realize that this election has centered and spoken more about faith and personal beliefs than any election that I can recall in my entire life. I remember the election process of Pres. Roosevelt (Franklin of course), Harry, Ike, John, Lyndon, Dick, Gerald, Jimmy, Ronnie, George H.W., Wild Billy, and Georgie now. But, and this is important, what do the present candidates really believe?
I share Joel's fire about what is happening right now with Israel, Russia, Iran, Syria and the USA but I still think the puzzle piece to keep watch for is Turkey. They have to come into alignment with Iran and Russia before it all starts to fall into place big time. It will probably be something about not joining the EU but don't put that into concrete.
I have been saying for over 3 years now that the next big scene on God's map will be Is. 17 and Syria with Damascus destroyed forever. Gaza will be dealt with in the time frame also and then all bets are off about our future. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem but I also pray that God's promises to Israel will begin to be fulfilled regarding Israel's enemies.
Do you suppose we are gathered here by divine design to become the watchmen on the walls for the nations that we live in? Now count how many nations are represented here. Where do you suppose the biggest danger exists, determined by the number of representatives!
Just my thinking and now I have to get to work.
Love you all,
Grany
Harold, I purchased from Grandma's but tried the samples from both companies. I really think Pleasant Hill has a better product, but I can't remember why I chose Grandma's. BTW, the website at Grandma's is different now, it was called Pioneer Gourmet or something when I ordered.
When you get your delivery, be sure to check inventory. They made a number of errors but were quick to help and send the right stuff. They didn't ask me to send back the extra things they mistakenly sent (that would be bad business, wouldn't it).
If I were to do it over, I would somehow combine the two companies and choose more of the dehydrated fruits and vegetables from Pleasant Hills. Maybe I still will order just that.
Grandma's Country Foods
Pleasant Hill Grain
Hope this helps.
Good comments by everyone. Have been enjoying reading everything. Still praying!
Interesting video interview:
The 'greatest scam in history'
Let's not forget about the ReigndownUSA.com prayer meeting being held on the D.C. mall and at venues around the United States today. It's a day of worship, prayer and repentance.
Starting times:
Eastern Time Zone: 6:00 PM EDT
Central Time Zone: 5:00 PM CDT
Mountain Time Zone: 4:00 PM MDT (Arizona: 3:00 PM MST)
Pacific Time Zone: 3:00 PM PDT
Alaskan Time Zone: 2:00 PM AKDT
Hawaiian Time Zone: 12:00 PM HST
They also have:
Direct TV's ch. 365
Dish Network ch. 217
Streaming Faith, live webcast
Local venues
anne,
Thanks for the info.
nate,
That was an amazing video! At one point a few months ago I did the same thing as Mark Blitz (the guy interviewed in the video) and checked for a correlation between Blood Red Moons, Solar Eclipses and Jewish Festivals. However, I didn't pay any attention to anything after the year 2012. I guess I should have searched further! :-)
Thank you, Lori! I did forget!
I also want to let all of you know that I,too, am praying for the various needs even if I don't remember to mention it.
Grany, wonderful post at 12:31. "Watchmen for the nations..."
I like that.
You're welcome, Harold.
Remember that Bible passage about the "coastlands" not being a safehaven?
I've heard the possibility that it could mean a necular attack in particular.
Cities & Rising Waters
I saw this and thought-maybe.
Of course we won't really know until something happens.
So it looks like we should be looking up this July 31st-Aug 1st at the Total Solar Eclipse.
(Or is that going to burn our eyes out?)
Then the same thing happens on the same day in 2009 & 2010. The years sure work out well for it being 2008 for the 7year trib to end in 2015.
That was a great video!
People do seem to be thinking more about what is going on in the world today.
Some of my non-practicing Christian friends are giving what I say some thought and do have interest. But-seems like they let the hectic pace of life get them too wrapped up to really get serious.(If the Trib does come soon I think they may be the ones to then switch gears.)
Then my skeptic friends really just want to remain self-involved. Seems like they have made their decision although they politely listen to what I have to say. They probably think I've gone off the deep end but they also admit to seeing how in all actuality what I've said could really shape up in current world events.
I don't know what it is but they really just live in the past or the here and know. The DO NOT want to be concerned with any spiritual matters. They rather just focus on President bashing and complaining.
My husband is coming back from SD tomorrow. Maybe he'll sit next to yet another pastor on the plane.
I had emailed him several scriptures to combat that last attack. Looks like this in going to be a gloves off TKO battle.
(My husband's sweet w/my spiritual encouraging efforts. Thank goodness for that)
I just remind myself that He who is in me is much stronger than the opponent. Thank you Lord for sending us the Holy Spirit. How could we stand firm in these days without you?
Lisa
OK, I found several sites that will inform me about internet slang. I stared at "TKO" for the longest time, thinking "I'm not going to ask, I'm not going to ask..." and then I figured it out. The site I'm looking at didn't have TKO, though, so good thing I had my thinking cap on.
Do you know TINC means?
There Is No Cabal, a term discouraging conspiracy theories
Shalom, all! Haven't been in all day because I've been at a job fair. I'm praying to be open to what G_D has planned for me.
Harold, just for the record, I'm one of the people that was stocking up. I believe that G_D will provide, but so often He provides because he called other people (who listened!) to set things up, sometimes months in advance, so they would be ready when G_D called them to share. My point was that at this time last year and until September, I felt called to stock up and save things. Now, the call has stopped, except for replenishing what I've used. The thing that really interested me was that there were all these people (which is how the thread started) who suddenly (and I mean SUDDENLY) felt the need to start stocking up. It almost sounds like that is happening again, to a different group of people.
There was a real debate about this over at the Rapture Ready bulletin board. The moderators had to go in several times to delete messages, etc. because people were arguing over "being called to prepare" vs. "having faith the Lord will provide." The thread started sometime in July 2007 but now the first message is dated from August 2007, and the thread is still going! Lots of people were saying that they felt they were stocking up for other people, and so included messages, charts of the Tribulation times, and bibles with their food supplies.
I'm trying to do some downsizing, but that's just because I'm a packrat. I'm trying to learn that throwing something away is a perfectly reasonable organizational technique. Besides, it looks like I'll have to get my back bedroom ready for my oldest daughter. She took so long to apply for the University (just got accepted) that I doubt she'll be able to get student housing, so it looks like I'll have to provide room and board for a while, and see if those stories her mom has been telling me are true.
As for Lori's Question to all, I think it's ALWAYS been about choosing sides; it's just that before there always seemed to be time to change your mind. Now I feel there is the sense that there will be no more chances to change your mind -- the choice you make will be set. Like in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings" when Boromir tried to take the Ring away from Frodo. He had made a choice that was evil, yet he still had the opportunity to repent before he died. Now, however, we are closer to the battle, and soon there will be no more chances to repent, no more chances to reconsider our actions and perhaps hear the Voice of G_D telling us to change our ways.
Grany, quick question: Do you think the war described in Psalm 83 is the same as Gog-Magog, or will it be a precursor war? Maybe the event that leads to Isaiah 17?
And Lisa, I looked at that slideshow and thought about the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma. That's the one where the western flank of the volcano started to slide into the ocean a few years back, and if it goes, you can expect waves between 10 and 25 feet high hitting the east coast of America.
<><
campsmore;
On your question to all about choosing sides, what is your input on it and how did you come to ask about it. I am very curious because I had thought to ask the same thing.
God Bless!
Jim, I believe we are living Psalm 83 right now. When I read the question you asked, my spirit said "Now" then as I went to that particular psalm, again I felt "Now is the beginning" and there is more to come. We will see it and the heavens will not hold back. I believe with all of my heart that Gog/Magog will be the climax of all the smaller skirmishes that will be played out before the rapture happens. Who will pray and stand in the gap for Israel if God removes the Christians now? Who will lift their voices to heaven and ask for God's intervention if not the Born Again believers? Who will God listen to if we are silent? WHO! Is that the reason USA is not listed or mentioned in the end time prophecies? In checking back on my info I found a very inspiring web site that you will probably enjoy: Turn your speakers on.
/www.acwitness.org/psalm83english.html
Grany
Here is the Glen Beck/Rosenburg 1hr transcript if anyone wants to read it:
Glen Beck
anne,
I hope the internet slang for TKO is the same defination as what I had in mind.
I grew up watching boxing matches because my dad liked them.
Total Knock Out
See, Lisa, I knew we were sisters!
I LOVE boxing - but the old timers: Muhammed Ali (Cassius Clay), Kenny Norton, Joe Frasier, George Foreman, etc.
(Likewise, my dad was a boxer in his younger years)
Ah, the good old days....
Lisa and Alesia,
I too grew up listening and then later watching Boxing matches with my grandfather. We huddled around the radio and listened to the likes of The Brown Bomber Joe Lewis, Jersey Joe Walcot, Rocky Marciano and the German man that I cannot remember the name of, so many contenders for the title with The Brown Bomber. Then the fights started on TV and we were in hog heaven. After I got old enough to understand, my mother told me that my father had been the Golden Gloves champ of his weight division in Iowa for a couple of years before his death at the age of 22 years. My father died of pneumonia related to gray iron foundry dust that he was exposed to at Maytag's factory. I guess the love of boxing was from him. Of course, I was just a little kid during all of those memories. HEHEHEHEHEHE!
Those were good years but they were very sad years also and this country was involved in rough times during all of them.
Love you guys and I think I am going to hit the bed early tonight.
Grany
But I always thought that TKO meant Technical Knock Out. The ref would call it after one of the boxers was knocked down three times.
You be right Wilma - Technical knockout it is - O wise one!
Cool - The girlies are talking about boxing!!! ;-)
My favorite boxers were really before my time as well. The fights I most like to watch were from before I was born or shortly thereafter!
I also grew up watching boxing matches with my step-dad. I'll never forget Ali's early days and of course, who could forget the fight with Foreman?
Scientists Urging Reno to Prepare for Big Quake
"Scientists urged residents of northern Nevada's largest city to prepare for a bigger event as the area continued rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a two-month-long series of temblors."
Hmmm.... Maybe I SHOULD have invested in that oceanfront property in Nevada...
<><
Here's one we needed when Joel's was still allowing posts:
DFTT - Don't feed the trolls
(I think I'll be reading these things for awhile. I hope I don't bore anyone.)
I'm also watching the Wall Street Journal Editorial Report (Foxnews) right now and they are about to do a segment on the food shortage and how people are stocking up
Here are some that we could use at the cave:
GMTA - Great minds think alike
LYLAB - Love you like a brother
LYLAS - Love you like a sister
IWLFAOTBTAWBSEOSN
(I will likely forget all of this by tomorrow and will be spelling everything out, so nevermind.)
Goodnight, all. LYLAB/S
Hey Anne,
Here's something for you to figure out....I got this a few years ago from a friend and as a linguist, I found it interesting.
The human mind...try to read this!
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.
And dnot wsate yuor tmie dinog a sepll ccehk if yuo frwaord tihs
msesgae!
Blessings,
Jen
Wow. Something really neat on the USGS earthquake site! I was looking at the "Latest Earthquakes in the USA" map (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/) and as I renewed the display, I saw three red squares appear. The red squares means the earthquake was in the last hour. As I refreshed the display one more time, a fourth red square appeared in San Fransisco. When I checked the stats, I found that of the original three I saw, they were all between M1.0 and M1.5, that the one north of San Francisco and the one in Reno both happened at 8:36PM local time, and the one south of Reno occurred about 30 seconds later. (The fourth one in San Francisco happened about 10 minutes later.)
So, yeah, things are really shaking out west!
<><
Jen, Shalom! Your posting reminded me of a tagline I used to use by a comedian that I'm too lazy to look up now:
I used to think the brain was the most interesting organ of the body. Then I realized what was telling me that.
<><
Shalom, all! If you have cats (or even if you don't) you need to check out these videos:
Simon's Cat 'Cat Man Do'
(This is how my Mercikat wakes me most mornings.)
Simon's Cat 'Let Me In!'
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Yeah, your right it is "technical" knock out.
Do you think a "total" knock out would be more finite than a "technical" knock out?
Oh, never mind.
We have a book called "God in my corner. A spiritual memoir" by George Forman.
He had died and went to Hell. Then God rescued him and he said it felt like a giagantic hand reached down an snatched him back. He had other supernatural experiences happen right then as well which forever changed his life.
Now after reading several accounts of people going to hell (as well as u-tube videos) and coming back to share there experience-I have to admit. Unless they are all retelling the details from the same story-the recounts of the events are almost always identical.
There are almost no discrepancies in the descriptions of these Hell experiences.(Which leads me to believe they're true. I don't think that many people would lie or copy someone else's stories.)
Shalom, all! Just two more sites, and then I'm off to bed. Caught these on the CBS News tonight, and given the topics of conversation lately, I thought you'd be interested.
The Bees And The Wanna-Bees
This is about the growth of people taking up bee-keeping as a hobby, as a way to fight against colony collapse. The teacher of a workshop on starting a beehive said something like, "Last year we had 6 people in the class, this year we have 27 FAMILIES."
The War Over Modified Crops
This is about the strong-arm tactics that companies like Monsanto in order to protect their patents. If your neighbor is growing genetically modified soybeans and your neighbor's soybeans pollen reaches your non-GM soybeans, Monsanto will sue you for your entire crop. Shameful.
<><
Hey Jim,
Those cat videos are hilarious! The wake-up call is exactly what my poor hubby suffers through each morning (the cats know better than to mess with Mama! I keep a supply of small, throwable objects on my nightstand so I don't get bothered much.) I affectionately call him Dr. Doolittle because all the pets cram themselves onto his lap each time he sits down....he never gets a break. It's either 3 animals or 3 kids!
You also reminded me of a Jeff Foxworthy page-a-day calendar that my parents had one year. Mom used to send me redneck jokes that she knew I would appreciate. One was "You know you're a redneck when a different cat sleeps on your head each night." And my personal favorite...."You know you're a redneck when your prenuptial agreement mentions chickens."
Well, I'm off to take my nap. That's about all I get these nights! LOL!
Blessings to everyone,
Jen
I watched an archive from my old SD pastor tonight re: God's Glory and how the Jewish temple was set up.
He brought up one thought which really touched my heart.
Moses and the Firey Glory of the Lord in the burning bush.
God tells Moses to "take off your sandles for the ground upon which you stand is Holy ground."
No where in the Bible does is say "why" or "what" does that mean.
So you think well maybe because his shoes are unclean and dirty.
God says "The ground upon which you stand is Holy-take off your shoes."
This is what the pastor thought of:
This ground was filled with a tangeable expression of God's presense. He doesn't want ANYTHING to seperate Him from us-not even a pair of sandles.
In the heart of God he was saying "I want to feel your feet on the sand which is filled with My Glory."
At that time people were still seperated from Him by the sins of mankind.
Yet the day will come when My Glory will come up through the sand and into your bodies to become the very temple in which I live, move, and dwell.
So let's praise Him and thank Jesus for his sacrifice as we are all in "the day" we can be bathed and washed clean in the Glory of our Lord. To think that he loves us so much he wants NOTHING to ever seperate us from himself again. Not even a pair of sandles.
The ultimate price was paid.
Hallelujah!!!Hallelujah!!Hallelujah!!! Your love makes me sing!
Morning, all!
Thought the history buffs might be interested in a news item I found this morning....
Yossi Harel, the ship captain who brought thousands of Jews from Europe to 'Palestine' illegally after the Holocaust, died today. Since I have no concept of that period of time in Jewish history and really can't tell you anything about the region before the Israeli state was formed, I did some exploring on the topic. Really interesting info at Wikipedia (I take it with a grain of salt, of course, but this article seems pretty straightforward and factual.) It's about the first ship "Exodus" that Harel commanded and what happened to those Jews as they tried to get to Palestine. Interesting that the bungled results led to the state of Israel being formed. Ties in well with Israel's 60th anniversary coming up.
Exodus ship
Blessings,
Jen
UK jump in teen suicide
Looks like Satan is targeting this little town.
I can't even imagine what is going through the minds of the people in this village.
UK jump in teen suicide
Goodmorning!
I need someone to stand in agreement with me regarding my older son. Not unlike some of the recent prayer requests here, my son is under attack in his mind. Someone has planted an idea in his head and we do not believe it's God's will.
My daughter tried to talk some sense into him. He's kind of immature for his age and got an idea to just up and leave for NY on May 4th. He doesn't even know how to change a tire or keep a checkbook. He told my daughter that he wants to leave to teach his parents to "let go." He had plans to go to Bible college. Now he says, he's "being led in a different direction."
We don't have a problem with him growing up. His dad and I have been trying to teach him to become more independent, but he's constantly "kicking against the pricks." I'd love nothing more for him to go out into the world, so long as he's adequately prepared. He's only had a job since October. He has no checking account. He had planned to take his car, which won't make it out of the state of Florida. Now he said he's flying to NY... near the city. When we asked him about buying the ticket, he thought he could just take his luggage to the airport on May 4th, buy a ticket and hop on the plane. He has no plan.
This all started when he befriended some guy at church who was looking for a ride home to NY. He got Ross all excited about a road trip. When we made him realize the car situation was unrealistic, Ross told his friend who's parents decided to fly him. His friend had offered to let him stay at his house while he stayed up there and work all summer, now his parents said no. I can't say that I blame them. They don't know my son, why should they let him stay at their home? They said he might be able to rent a room somewhere...
I guess what I want agreement with, is that God would open Ross's eyes to His will and that Ross would follow. Also, that God would help my husband and I to let God do whatever work in Ross's life that he needs to in order to use him effectively. And that Ross would come to full emotional and spiritual responsibility.
Thanks and BTY, ILYALAB/S and IYWHIBABCAMAPOC
(by the way, i love you all like a brother/sister and if you were here, I'd bake a big cake and make a pot of coffee.) he he he
Lori, Standing firm with you my little sister. Lord, open Ross's eyes that he might see and understand the wisdom of his mother and father's counsel. You promised your wisdom would be given to us all without reproach from you and we are asking for an abundance of it to handle each and every situation and temptation that comes up. Give us discernment to know the truth and your perfect will for our life. Amen
Grany
Wilma - AMEN!
Lori - Sorry to hear about Ross, am praying for you all.
What is going on with our kids???
Nevermind, I think I know the answer.
OK - Here is the list of our Cave brothers & sisters. (45 in total)
I'm sure there are a few that were invited that I don't know about, though.
Please forgive me if I left anyone off the list - Please speak up so that I can add you.
Alesia
Angie
Anne
Blood bought (Mary)
boatman909 (John)
boro_eagle (Scott)
By HIS stripes I am healed
campsmore (Lori)
Daveschatology
DeuceBeanLiliBugFess (Robin)
Dibdabdeb
Donna
Dr. Bobby Person
Forgiven daughter
Grace
great grany 5 (Wilma)
Grumpy
GT
Harold
Homeward bound
IowaGal
JCChick23
JEC
Jen
Jeri from SA
JIB
Jim Carroll
JustMe
Kathy Hall
late night Lisa
Lightshine
Lindalou
LW (Wayne)
Mac / Mr. Hyde
Marge
Missy in Africa
MommyJen
Nate Lewis
Sara
Scott Robinson
Sheila
Stacy
TexanforChrist
TexasDave
Thuunda
If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
-William Penn
Thanks for your prayers. My sister has an intervention scheduled for Weds. am.
Alesia, That's some list...46. I think there are more.
If you're not mentioned on the list and just come here to lurk, speak up so we can add you to our daily prayer list.
lori
China's US war strategy
What do you think about China knocking out the US if we were to come to Israel's aid?
They have a very large oil interest in the Middle East and now are also in control of two of our ports.
Ezekiel says no one comes to Israel's aid. Is that because the US shuns Israel or because circumstance makes it so that the US is unable to? (Like in Dead Heat-but in that senario I think it was Iran planning the firing of missles directly at the US off the container ships)
Lori,
Sorry to hear about your older son.
Ray Bently, my former pastor, had told us his personal experience of his own son doing something very similar to yours.
I'm going to see if I can somehow find it in the archives.I think I had heard it last summer.
It was very painful journey but in the end his son came back (after a failed suicide attempt thwarted by a neighbor) to the Lord.
Lori,
Sorry to hear about your older son.
Ray Bently, my former pastor, had told us his personal experience of his own son doing something very similar to yours.
I'm going to see if I can somehow find it in the archives.I think I had heard it last summer.
It was very painful journey but in the end his son came back (after a failed suicide attempt thwarted by a neighbor) to the Lord.
Lori,
Sorry to hear about your older son.
Ray Bently, my former pastor, had told us his personal experience of his own son doing something very similar to yours.
I'm going to see if I can somehow find it in the archives.I think I had heard it last summer.
It was very painful journey but in the end his son came back (after a failed suicide attempt thwarted by a neighbor) to the Lord.
What did Lisa have a severe case of the hiccups?
;-)
I've had that before
Hi all,
Anyone read Joel's latest post on Putin's religious crackdown against non-Orthodox Christians/support for Islam & mosques plus bid for Russia's entry into the Islamic Council? I just saw the post and hadn't heard those details yet.
Jim, I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
Blessings,
Jen
Lisa, honey you don't know how hard I laughed when I say your 3X post. I been there and done did that one too. I told everyone it was a nervous reflex action of my trigger finger. LOL
I just have to tell you all that I watched the Fox News Network's complete posting of Sen. Obama's pastor's sermon from the beginning to the almost end. I had to quit after he started singing with the choir because hubby wanted to go to Ft. Smith. The man was giving Sen. Obama his theme for the election and it all started with that sermon. Jim and I both were glued to the monitor and believe me, we cannot begin to know the depths of Rev. Wright's anger and I will say, hatred of the white people and government. I think we need to be praying for him because he does have an active and vocal audience. We don't need another race war in the USA and I was of the opinion we had moved on from that position to one of co-living. Here is the link in case you want to hear the whole sermon:
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352661,00.html
This man troubles me and no matter how charming Obama tries to be, I don't have a good feeling about this whole thing.
Grany
well now that I've caught up
1-I'm a planner by nature AND a control freak (goes really well with my job thank heaven) so I've bought some stuff mostly stuff we use except for the flour. I have no idea how long it will take me to go through that much flour but I figure when bread prices start sky rocketing I can barter with bread loaves for stuff I want.
2-I also am having the get rid of stuff sense and I am a MAJOR pack rat. right now I just want everything out of my house.
3-Interesting that some of you said you have the sense that it doesn't matter any more. I have been praying for what to do about my son's schooling after this coming year for a long time and I am quite familiar with "wait for the answer" or "no", not so familiar with "yes" but the "it doesn't matter is a new thing". may be it's because I have actually turned it over to God and know that He will guide and direct and provide or may be it really won't matter.
4-My shopping gene has been partially turned off. I still enjoy going but for the most part not as interested in buying stuff.
Jib and others.
I just had the thought that maybe since we are truly relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us-(He's the same guide to us all)- That we have been put in a "cruise control" mode.
To cast all life's worries and problems onto the shoulders of Jesus is truly freeing our spirits to focus our attention upon heavenly pursuits.
Isn't that one of the main messages of the gospel? But how many people really "give it up" completely? To put every earthly carnal desire behind and follow Him.
This song came to mind by Jars of Clay:
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away
Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away
To a land on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away
When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away
Oh how glad and happy when we meet, I'll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallellujah by and by, I'll fly away
Grany,
I'm glad my hiccups brought out a laugh!
(I saw that and thought "oh brother!And I can't delete it!)
My computer has been a real pain lately-but this time I think my monitor is on the brink again. I had it fixed once but they did not guarantee that the problem would not return. Something overheats in it and causes my screen to break up and do crazy things.
Jen, I did read that post on Joel's. All I thought was- Yep, everthing is lining up as anticipated. Makes perfect sense.
My guess is that Russia and the Islamic Nations will turn on each other in the end as they attack Israel.
As Joel put it when Glen Beck asked if he thought Putin was actually Gog.He stated that he can't tell that yet but Putin sure is Gog'est.
after reading all the comments I don't remember but one of you, Lisa maybe?, commented on the near death "hell" experiences. A cardiologist actually has written a book about this-sorry can't remember either his name or the books name-what I found interesting is the following
1- A LOT of people have this experiences and it coincides with what the Bible says about hell and even hades
2- he interviewed people right after their near death experience and then some time later with generally 1 of 2 results-either they disavowed the experience completely or told him he had it wrong and then claimed to have had a positive near death experience of going to the light
Speaking of near death experiences, has anyone heard of the "Columbian vision" where a group of believers were praying together and all had the same vision of hell and heaven. You can read about it here.
I don't know if they are telling the truth or not, but as someone said, if they aren't they sure went to a lot of trouble to make up a lie.
(I meant Gog-esk)
Mexico Earthquake
Are there more earthquakes this last month or what?
You hear of one almost every day or so.
Has anyone watched Prophecy in the News and J.R Church and his latest "Feasts of the Lord"? I have not had time to go back to see if anyone here has mentioned this before so I am sorry if they have. It is awesome! Sorry, don't know how to do the linky thing, but it is a must watch video and you can look it up.
I skimmed through the surface as far as reading bits and pieces of what people are saying and it looks like there are needs out there for prayers. Please, if you have the time, present your requests in the prayer section and any updates from previous requests that you may have had.
Alesia, I just want to say thanks for sharing with me your story. I did walk away with much to ponder from your situation and to carry along into my own relationships. Thanks again.
I just want to say that I'm blown away by cetain events in my own life as it pertains to this relationship with my daughter who never was a part of my life until she turned 23. I gained quit a bit of understand into her upbring that it really just made me so sad as to all that I learned. I will just say that the mother of my daughter was an alcholic while raising her four children, and during it all, had a revolving door of men in her life(three marriages and three divorces). I just want you to get a picture of this situation as it is a sad one. She was also living with another man who was not divorced from his wife at the time my daughter found me. There has been a history of mental illness that runs in the family, and when the mother has been official diagnosed with 8 personalities, and gave up in getting help a long time ago, then I think you would cry also. Yes there are lots of things to cry about here. I had so many questions but it was hard to find the answers to them all and I am still scratching my head. There is so much more, but at this time I will just say that last year, according to what the mother told me, she has agreed to act as the middleman between me and my daughter as far as getting things like gifts or letters to her. I really feel that I will never talk to her again or see her in person ever again. I believe that God has allowed my daughter to find me for one reason only and you all know what that is. I have also grown quit a bit as far as spiritual growth is concerned and felt that although my daughter dropped all contact with me, I still felt I needed to reach out to the rest of her family. At Christmas time last year, I had bought everyone Christian gifts from the Christian book store (except for my daughter in which she got some really nice non-Christian gifts) and included letters to all of them. They were very nice gifts for them all including my daughter's sisters children. Well, when I had gone to visit the mother about 3 weeks after Christmas where she works, she was very mad and was not herself. It was very strange. She finally said D_____ came over and got the gifts! I didn't know what this meant but had a feeling that she took all of them. What could cause my daughter to act like this is beyound me. I finally talked to her sister about 4 weeks ago and asked her is she ever got the Christmas gifts I had sent to her and her children, and she said she did not. Hundreds of dollars of gifts gone and now the sister won't talk to me anymore. Well, I've realized that its not about flesh and blood anymore, but I believe that there is much demonic oppression here like you wouldn't believe. Perhaps God is leading me toward helping the mother see the truth and to also help her to be delivered from the demons that might be living inside her. Wow, I am sorry for the long post but feel I could maybe write a book about this, lol, but its really not funny though. One other thing is, that I will continue to see my daughter and her new baby boy due in the middle of July (and no one knows I know this because they want it a secret from me) because I have done a search on myspace and guess who showed up? Her and her boyfriend are not married and it looks as though she is following in her mothers footsteps. Also, the younger sister had a child out of wedlock at the age of 16, the younger brother is heavily into pornography, and the older sister is an extreme pathalogical liar. I won't even go into my daughters life, at least for now. At least I know how to pray for them. Again, sorry for the long post.
-Jec
hey everyone! I received this from Child of the King and thought it was a video many here would be blessed by...I know I enjoyed it!
http://elshaddaiministries.us./video/eclipsevideo.html
Lisa, I just read China's US war strategy. Sobering. I'm afraid I'm one of those who don't pay much attention to China, though I know I should.
I'm very interested in other's opinions.
Alesia, et al. This is Grumpy, but I decided to retire the Grumpy name and photo. I'm now using Armageddon_Through_To_You and using the Blood Red Moon as my pic : )
I know the name is too long to write, but just abbreviate it as ATTY.
That ProphecyintheNews.com video from Pastor Mark Biltz that Nate posted about and Harold tipped me off to, WAS INCREDIBLE - WOW! I'll be thinking about it for awhile
Forgiven Daughter, I watched the link you posted from Pastor Biltz. It's an hour long and starts slow, but halfway through starts getting VERY interesting!
Jib, Shalom! Thanks for the bread comment -- reminded me that I should probably get some yeast to go with the flour I've got set aside!
Lisa, I think you hit the nail on the head: cruise control. There's nothing more to do to prepare, so we wait.
Grany, I like watching "Reliable Reports" on CNN Sunday morning. This morning, they were discussing Rev. Wright's tirade. The reporter commenting on the story said he had been getting emails from lots of people saying that he needed to see the quote "in context". He watched the whole segment and said the Obama campaign should be very glad that the "G_d d*mn America"segment was the ONLY segment they used.
And Jen, the religious situation in Russia has been getting worse for years. Because of all the Poles and Lithuanians that Stalin shipped to the gulags, Siberia and eastern Russia have a fairly large concentration of Roman Catholics. There were problems after the Soviet Union collapsed when different agencies refused to return Roman Catholic church property that had been confiscated during the Soviet era. About two years ago, the bishop in charge of Siberia and eastern Russia went to Rome for some meetings, and then was refused re-entry into Russia, even though he had a valid visa and passport. Without a bishop, they can't consecrate new priests. I'm not sure how (or if) the situation was resolved.
The Moscow Patriarchate has always had "difficult" relations with the Latin Patriarchate (the Roman Catholic Church along with several other regional churches), mostly related to "spheres of influence". What areas the Moscow Patriarchate has, it doesn't want any other churches in there. Moscow takes it's role as "the Third Rome" very seriously. (Constantinople was the "Second Rome"; when Constantinople was threatened by Islam Moscow was declared to be a separate Patriarchate, co-equal with the other Patriarchates set up by the Apostles. The Tsar at the time said that "Moscow is the Third Rome; there will be no others.") With Constantinople in the hands of Islam, Moscow took up the mantle of the leader of the Orthodox faith; so much so that it considers the Roman church to be an apostate faith. Moscow has been noticably absent from the meetings and dialogs between Rome and the Orthodox Patriarchates geared to healing the East-West division of the Church.
Simply put, while the idea of a Crusade is not associated with Moscow, it's not unknown. During the Soviet era, the KGB had a very strong influence in the Russian Orthodox Church -- priests were recruited while in the seminary; bishops had to be approved by the Kremlin; and there are rumors that the present Patriarch of Moscow, Alexis II, was/is a KGB officer. (Probably true, since he would not have been made a bishop unless he was under the thumb of the KGB.) This means that Alexis II and Putin would think alike. There might possibly be a deal where whatever land Russia occupies would be under the religious control of the Russian Orthodox Church, in exchange for the Church's support of Putin and his actions. Add to this Russia's attempt to become a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and you have a truly unholy alliance.
<><
I'm gonna miss the Mr Wilson pic but I do love the new one. Nice to hear from you, ATTY. You do know, though, that I'm going to be thinkin' Grumpy when I say ATTY!
Rising Tsar
he's looking more "Gog-esque" by the day
I finally got a chance to watch Joel's interview with Glenn and just have to note-I don't think it will be long before Putin and Russia start making anti Israel remarks. The man wants to be in an Islamic group and likely head it up for crying out loud-how better to get the street cred to go a long with the membership. talk nasty about the Jewish state and try and do something about it. It fits
Jec, Interesting that you mentioned the feasts. My mommy-in-law and I have been reading a lot about the feasts. It's interesting how many parallels there are between many of the feasts and the fulfillment of Christ.
I'll be praying to bind the satanic strongholds from your family.
To all: Thanks for your prayers for my son. He has decided to put off the trip until after his birthday on the 16th...more time = good... letting go, letting God.
Nate, I have to say, my son would probably never join the military. He even has a shirt that says, "I'm a lover, not a fighter." My younger son would love to join just so he could fire a .50 mil. For some strange reason my 16 year old loves weapons. Must be in his blood from his great grand dad.
Also, the whole Putin thing is weird huh? I saw the original article last week and posted in my newsletter headlines. There is something going on with him. He's letting the muslims build mosques there like they're going out of style.
And then, on top of everything else, selling nuclear material to Iran to be filtered into other countries to support Islamic terrorism... Russia is in deep.
a couple of interesting commentaries from this last week from the american Spectator
Israel's Future Prospects discusses some interesting trends and polls from Israel by someone who lives there
Insight into Putin offers some insight into Putin.
Particularly telling was the following paragraph
"It's a time of success, and Vladimir Putin has just arranged that time will not run out on his direction of it. At 55 Putin is at an intellectual and political prime. According to Garry Kasparov, the Russian chess master and political dissident, he has been encouraged to believe that his cognitive ability far exceeds his fellow world leaders'. Surrounded by the siloviki, a praetorian guard of his former intelligence and security comrades, little occurs to challenge that view. " I found the rest of the commentary to be very interesting.
Nate, God's word will not return void!
How exciting that you were able to share this with her.
Once the future budget is engaged it may prevent trips like the one you just took. So cool that you got to go on this one.
You won't find this article in the PB Post! Muslim scientists/clerics called for adoption of Mecca time to replace GMT "A prominent cleric ... said modern science had at last provided evidence that Mecca was the true centre of the Earth"
Yeah, Nate, can you believe that Likud comment? I was shocked to read that.
Moslem Hackers Close Down Bank of Israel Website
Morning, all!
I need to ask for your prayers for my hubby and me today. Nutshell version of events: last night we talked til 2AM about financial matters in our home and the economy at large (he's in the housing industry and this week got reports that his sales are 60% down from last year, so no bonuses/low commission as a result. He's actually one of only 4 reps in the whole country to have had growth last year, so we're in a good market, all things considered.) I can tell he's starting to feel squeezed because his work ethic isn't able to control factors such as the economy/gas prices/food crisis, etc. which impact our bottom line. Before, it was a matter of him working hard to see results.
One of the few frustrating aspects of our relationship (for me) is the fact that although he was raised in a Christian home, went K-college in Christian school he doesn't apply his faith on a daily basis and dig deeper in his relationship with the Lord. He admits the endless schooling left him burned out (I'm not questioning his salvation) and he doesn't feel a fire to get back into it. I always seem to be the one to initiate growth in that area. Well, last night I initiated some growth alright! I lovingly spoke with him about the fact that he has allowed his focus on 'being responsible with his money and making wise decisions' to replace what God's word says about handling our increase - ie. titheing.
We used to tithe, but it was much easier with 2 incomes, no kids and a good economy. We still give gifts to various charities, etc. but the tithing has not been addressed for many years.
He admits that he knows in his heart I'm right, but it's like asking a man with one kidney to donate it to someone in need right now! His worry is that if we start tithing, we'd have to start paying bills largely out of savings and that would last a year or so. His income won't likely rebound for over a year (I don't have the heart to tell him it may never rebound!) And I'm not ready to look for work for a few more years, esp. if we have 1 more baby. He's really scared about watching the savings account go down. He gave the example of a car driving toward the end of a pier....you know the end is coming, so when do you stop driving? He's struggling SO hard to switch from trusting the "brain and common sense God gave" him to doing these things based on faith. It doesn't help that his family has never really been tested and had to go on faith before. I call them the cardboard cutout family! I come from the exact opposite and have known almost nothing but having to go on faith for most of my pre-marriage life.
I don't want to come down hard on him and crush this opening that I see, so I'm not really sure how to respond the next time we talk. We committed to prayer on the matter and I know with certainty that God will be working in his heart. He's doing that in other areas that I've been praying about for our marriage, so that will be no different.
I even suggested that to start, he could give me an "income" for my work at home and I would tithe on that, just to show the Lord that we want to begin the journey back to faithfulness in this area of our lives. But he said that would just be proof of his faithlessness so he didn't agree to it.
The issue of titheing has come up alot lately from various sources and I sense it is something the Holy Spirit is putting in front of me as I pray about what I should be doing to prepare for the future. But I can't do it without hubby's agreement so this is where I start.
I would appreciate your prayers and any advice/Scripture I could share with him to encourage him. His response to my saying that God promises to increase our bounty when we are faithful in titheing was that there has to be 1 example of someone who tithed and didn't see an increase. How can I refute that? I only know what the Word tells me. I said if that's true, then we can't depend on Christ's work on the cross to cover everyone either. Maybe some people slip through the cracks. Why is it OK to trust our salvation and not other things that God tells us are true? Because salvation is experienced after we die and money is known here and now?
Anyway, this is not the nutshell version after all, but I know I'll need help as I petition the Lord today for movement in hubby's heart. I know the can of worms I've opened is huge and it's not easy to make the switch in mindset, esp. with the current situation, but what better time to get things aligned than now? It doesn't help that he totally ignores world events and thinks I'm nuts for reading Joel's stuff. But I see the first signs that he is perhaps starting to pay attention and I pray that he'll move quickly into the Word so we can tackle the future together in our faith. Right now, he's doing the temporal work and I'm doing the lasting work. I want to badly for us to work together on both fronts.
Well, I'll stop rambling now. I'm going to spend today going back through the posts and updating the prayer requests. We've had a lot lately! Lori, so glad that your son is taking a breather. We'll continue to pray over that situation and expect great results!
Blessings to you all,
Jen
Jim,
So the bottom line of what your saying about the Catholic Church in Russia is that they have severed ties with the main branch and are now doing their own thing?
ATTY,
I like your new "Blood Red Moon" image. The armageddon name too-VERY DRAMATIC! You've been wanting to change it for some time.
(I'll probably still think of you as grumpy in my mind though.My best friend from childhood decided to change her name in her 20's. I still call her by her old name although I address her by her changed name on correspondence.)
Anne,
I was reading through that Hell vision of the 6 people last night. Then my husband comes in and drags me off the computer before I could really get to the Heaven portion.
(I REALLY did not want to sleep w/the last thing in my mind on Hell)
This description was much more detailed than the others I have heard. The metal plaque on the chest,666 ,the posted signs,blood coming from Jesus wounds were all new, but the other descriptive elements were just about the same.
The fact that they all go down into the center of the earth as the location is the same.
So I do believe that Jesus wants us to know there is indeed a real hell. This information must be effective to turn people to Christ or he wouldn't stress it.
In my case it was not the "fear of hell" that brought me back since I was not sure about my belief in that since I came from the JW's who don't believe in a literal hell. It had more to do with just finding the truth in the gospel & Church because I already believed in Christianity and had a conscience of wanting to do what is good.
I think seeing and reading the witness of others that have seen or been to hell has definately sealed up any doubt I may have had on the subject. (And of course I re-read the "hell" passages in the Bible)
So for me I guess you can say it has had some benefit. Not in actually motivating me to come back to Christ but when thinking about the lost and where they may end up.
What I have been compelled to do/change with the help of the Holy Spirit has been out of love and not out of fear.
The one scene in that vision does have me a bit bothered. The writer did point this one out and discussed it. It was in regards to the person in hell who had the "normal person" sign on him. He was in hell because he did not tithe what was required. There really is not any mandatory or stressed tithe in many Churches today. It's a "give of your heart" type message. (As the writer discussed)
Now in my case , I cringe every time the offering bag goes around because my husband is really tight with the money.(He's not tight for what suits him in general-as he's dontated more to the Fox Hunting club in the past than most & given quite a bit of money to "friends" in need) I figure that his heart may change in time and he'll feel compelled to be more generous.
He is also in a very insecure postion at the moment because being "fired" from his job is on the horizon.
I try to give in the ways I can-buy Bibles & books for people, donate money "under the radar" to charitable causes, and other things. If I had control over the purse strings there would be no issue.But if I just started writing an appropriate tithe amount off what my husbands makes (which would be quite large) I'm sure it would cause major strife in our marriage. (I'm not working now)
So if I'm going to be judged on tithing at the moment then I guess it's straight to hell for me.
Allright, I may be getting dramatic here but I'm having issues.
I guess that's the problem with being unevenly yoked.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Lisa
Jen,
God must be doing a work in your husband's life, otherwise I don't think you could've engaged him in such a deep conversation.
This non-tithe philos. is rampant in the church. We have had some of the same conversations here and I personally believe our spiritual and financial lives have suffered because of that one issue.
God doesn't need our money. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and from what I understand, good cattle can go in the tens of thousands. (NOw I'm rambling)
God will bless our obedience. He wants to see if we'll trust him.
Getting the men on board can be daunting because they feel the need to provide. Sometimes it's easy to forget from where that provision actually comes.
Let's pray for each other's hubby's. Also, ask God what you can do, short of working outside the home at this point. Ask him to give you creative ideas so you can help alleviate the stress.
I've been writing children's books. And although I haven't had success with a publisher yet, it has given me a renewed sense of God's work in me. It's certainly a faith builder when the rejection letters come rolling in!
I've been told it's a numbers game.
Just keep doing what you're doing. Raise your children (you'll never regret that) Support your husband and serve the Lord with gladness, anything else is just "packing material."
If God could help us raise 3 kids on one USPS salary, then there's hope.
Lisa, I guess we're all in the same boat. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. My husband does occasionally give, but no where near the 10th. He is convicted and God is dealing with his heart. He just needs to learn how to trust him 100%. But as I look at my own life, I can see many areas where I don't trust 100%
So as far as being unequally yoked, I think that was meant for believers marrying non-believers.
Maybe we should be asking God where we don't trust him 100%. Perhaps then our husbands will be won over by seeing our faith in God?
Jen,
We were typing the same issue at the same time. I have not even finished reading yours yet.
Is this coming from the same article I read about hell or out of the blue?
This issue has been on my mind but just came to a head after I had read that last article.
You know, this is really unreal.
I need to have a V8.
Lisa
Jen, Shalom! Your husband's point about tithing (His response to my saying that God promises to increase our bounty when we are faithful in titheing was that there has to be 1 example of someone who tithed and didn't see an increase.) is what makes this an act of faith and not of magik. (And I'm spelling magik with a "K" for a reason.)
I believe that every person who has tithed faithfully (and by that I don't mean regularly, I mean as an act of love returning to G_D some of what He has given us) is rewarded. The problem with your husband's view is that he seems to view the bounty as a) something that is immediate, i.e., I tithe on Sunday and the next Monday I'm going to get that big contract, and b) something that is financial. To view G_D as a spiritual ATM machine is to turn tithing from an act of faith into an act of magik: by making this sacrifice and repeating the right incantation, we can convince/force G_D to show us some love by increasing our material wealth. G_D loves us and will not abandon us. The rewards will be there, but they won't be right away, and they might not be in the way that both of you wanted or expected, but they will be there.
About three years ago I went through a serious financial crisis. For the previous year, I had been living from paycheck to paycheck, and payday loans were the only way I could even out the financial flow -- otherwise, I'd have things like the phone bill due two days before the paycheck would come, with no money to pay for it. The last straw was when my health plan at work increased the deductible on prescription drugs, so that for the first few months of the year I'd be paying full price for my and my daughter's meds with no reimbursement. I spent a couple of weeks praying for the funds to make it through this period and for the faith to believe that G_D would see me through this time. After a few days, I began to feel much calmer about my finances, as my faith increased. I was able to stay afloat, and eventually, my finances turned around. There wasn't enough for extras (which is what most people think of when they think about "not having enough money") but I did not go hungry, I did not fall behind on rent, and my power was never turned off.
The interesting thing, and I didn't realize it until just now, is that during this period I did not tithe money all that often. During this period, there was some difficulty arranging lectors (people who do the Scripture readings at church and assist the priest in preparing the alter) at the Catholic Student Center where I attend. Frequently, I'd show up and the person in charge of scheduling would say, "We've just had a cancellation, can you do the readings?" This is significant because the way the service is arranged, while the collection plate was being passed around I would be standing up by the altar doing something, so I was not giving money. G_D knew I could not give money, so He arranged that I could give my time and my talent.
My local parish emphasizes a "Time, Talent, and Treasure" approach to tithing: 5% treasure, and 5% time and talent to helping the parish. If your husband is concerned about giving a 10% tithe, see if he might be open to a 5% tithe of treasure, and volunteering time to help the church: re-plaster/paint a wall, fix some plumbing, whatever he has a talent for.
<><
Forgiven Daugher and Child of the King,
Thanks so much for the link to the teaching on the feasts of the Lord. I listened to it this morning (with interruptions from husband and grandson) and plan to listen to it again tonight without interruptions. I found it very informative and very interesting. Much of it coincides with a book that I thoroughly enjoyed by John Ritchie, "Feasts of the Lord."
Maranatha, Lord Jesus!
Thanks again.
Blessings! (Mary)
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the encouragement and advice. I'll digest it thoroughly while the kids are napping today. I plan to spend a good chunk of time in prayer and will perhaps write a bit more if I feel led.
John, just so you know, I copied your tithing post at your blog and am planning to share it with hubby. That, along with the ideas posted here today should give me a lot of good material to work through with him.
And Lisa, no I didn't post my request after watching the videos. Haven't had time to watch them so I find it VERY interesting that we once again are writing simultaneously about something Holy Spirit is speaking to us (and others) about.
To be continued....
Blessings,
Jen
Lisa, Shalom! You wrote:
So the bottom line of what your saying about the Catholic Church in Russia is that they have severed ties with the main branch and are now doing their own thing?
Not quite. I don't know if you've ever heard of the Great Schism. It arose from theological debates between the Eastern part of the Church (which spoke mostly Greek) and the Western part of the Church (which spoke mostly Latin.) The Schism split the Church into the Western Church (or Latin Patriarchate) centered in Rome, and the Eastern Church. The Eastern Church has multiple patriarchates, usually centered around a nationality or ethnicity, such as the Ukranian Orthodox Church or the Russian Orthodox Church. (If it has the word "Orthodox" in the name, it's part of the Eastern Church.) The Catholic Church (i.e., the Roman Catholic Church, or Latin Patriarchate) is trans-national, i.e., with the exception of some local customs, the RCC is the same in Italy as it is in Spain, as it is in Ireland, as it is in China.
Each valid Patriarchate, by definition, is co-equal with the other Patriarchates and share in the Apostolic Succession (i.e., they trace their lineage back to Churches established by the Apostles). Most of the patriarchates look to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, for guidance. The RCC and the other Churches and Patriarchates that make up the Latin Patriarchate are led by the Patriarch of Rome, aka The Pope.
There are Roman Catholic parishes in Russia, so no, it's not the "Catholic Church in Russia" severing ties with the rest of the Church. These Catholic Churches in Russia have been singled out by the Russian Orthodox Church for the last seven years or so because the Moscow Patriarchate thinks the Romans are trying to encroach on Russian territory. The Patriarch of Moscow has been alternately trying to come to some agreement with Rome on the status of RCC parishes in Russia, and declaring that the Roman Catholic Church needs to leave Russia, since if it's Christian in Russia, it needs to be Russian Orthodox.
There are two main issues of concern here:
1. The Turkish government has been cracking down on Christians in Turkey, especially the Patriarch of Constantinople (based in Istanbul). Since the Patriarch of Constantinople is also the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, they see the Patriarchate as an enemy, being both Christian AND Greek. They have forced the closure of the main seminary in Turkey, which means that Orthodox priests will need to go to Greece (an enemy of Turkey) for instruction and possibly ordination. When they return, they can be targeted as enemies of Turkey (even if they are Turkish citizens) and possibly guilty of "offending Turkishness" by their preaching of this Greek theology. If Turkey is successful in squeezing out and closing down the Patriarchate of Constantinople, it means that Islam will have succeeded in destroying a Christian Church that has been in existence since the time of the Apostles, since before Muhammad was born. Since the Patriarchate of Moscow was established by the Patriarch of Constantinople as a "hedge" against the conquest of Constantinople by Islam, it makes sense that the Patriarch of Moscow will attempt to take over the point of influence in the Orthodox world.
2. There have been a number of meetings and dialogs between the RCC and the Orthodox Churches aimed at healing the damage caused by the Great Schism. It's now generally recognized that the Schism resulted from the mistranslation of a number of documents between Greek and Latin. The difficulties were compounded by a combination of civil and ecclesiastical politics. A number of strides have been made in the last few years towards building unity between the Churches. Think of it like two halves of a brain. The Western Church developed the rational skills while the Eastern Church developed spirituality. A united Church would unite these two skill sets and would be a formidable opponent in the spiritual warfare to come.
I believe the Moscow Patriarchate would prefer to see this unified Church as more like a dysfunctional family sharing Thanksgiving dinner. If there is discord and strife among the Churches and Constantinople should be no more, it would be easier for Moscow to claim the primacy of the Orthodox world and use its position to bring order to the Orthodox world. (Why do I hear "Darth Vader's Theme" from Star Wars in the back of my head?) Given that Moscow has been historically anti-Semitic and given the present state of relations between Moscow and the Vatican, it's safe to say that any progress towards healing the Great Schism would be halted, if not reversed.
Hope this helps.
<><
Hi all,
As a result of my wife and I studying about God's promises to provide for us [Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:19], here are some interesting nuggets:
God's promise to supply all our need [Philippians 4:19] is dependent upon us obeying His word, and is linked to our faithfulness in giving into the work of the Kingdom (i.e. tithes and offerings).
If we give to the poor, God regards this as a loan and promises to replay us that loan. [Proverbs 19:17]
If we give to the work of the Gospel, God promises us a 100 fold return, now, in this life. [Mark 10:29-30]
If we tithe, God promises us a blessing we cannot contain [Malachi 3:10-11]. In other words, if we faithfully tithe (= a tenth) all of our increase into our local Church (that's important), there is no limit on the multiplication factor that God will apply in order to fulfill His Word and bless us!!
It is God's desire that we, both as individual believers, and as the Body of Christ, believe (and therefore receive) that God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to us in abundance, so that we may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self-sufficient — possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. [2 Corinthians 9:8].
God even promises to give seed to anyone who lacks something to sow, so that they can reap a harvest.
The basic principle here is that, just as a farmer sows a small amount of grain to get a great multiplication of harvested grain, so likewise, when we sow, we should, as long as we are patient and do not faint, get a harvest - not just what we originally sowed, but a multiplication of that, up to a 100 fold. [2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Galatians 6:9]. This is a Kingdom of God law called the "Law of Sowing and Reaping".
According to Deuteronomy 8:18, God gives us the power to get wealth, in order to establish His covenant.
However, if we do not follow God's prescription and method for sowing and reaping our harvest, we tie His hands, and He cannot bless us.
However, if we do, I can absolutely confirm that God does honor His Word - and the 100 fold multiplication factor works!!!
God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!
John
interesting article on stoking up the pantry from a secular point of view
Stock up the pantry
stoking, stocking what's the difference :-)
Very short on time, sorry.
Lisa, I might have been wrong to even pass on that article about hell. I only read it once because I just don't like reading things like that. So, I'm sorry if it is something that seriously bothers anyone.
The good thing is that there is also something about heaven (can't remember much about it, though)
Must run, will check in soon.
I agree, the link about the feasts and blood red moon is fabulous. Very cool stuff!
anne,
Don't feel bad about the article. I'm the one who always wants to tackle the rough issues.
If I get roughed up in the process-so what?
I found it very interesting and the heaven part was good too. It also was very similar to other witness accounts of heaven. I especially liked the part when one of them got to ride His white horse around. (The one to be used for the 2nd coming.)
In addition to that I was looking at some other articles re:the Chairsmatic movement and other things that may be of interest to others.
So please don't feel bad on my account.
Lisa
Thanks for the lesson... I got to read it aloud to my family...
OOoops! That was directed to you, John.... he he he
Bty, my daughter said, that's what they talked about in church on Sunday.
I found this article by David Reagan interesting. Slightly different take on it than John (Boatman) has but fairly similar.
Holy Spirit Baptism
Jen,
Sorry this is so long, but I felt moved to tell you a story..
I can certainly understand your husbands concerns as I have struggled with the same fear for years. I need to note from the onset that I have been blessed by our Lord with a wonderful well paying job, but like many we still live paycheck to paycheck and have little left for savings or retirement. However I was convicted late last year to try and honor our commitment to the Lord. While we've irregularly tithed in the past, this was our first attempt to actually give 10% of our gross income to tithing. By February I was wondering if that was such a good idea, our tithe is second only to our mortgage so it was quite a hit, but we were able to cut back on some things (especially eating out) and after my wife forbade me from grocery shopping (I tend to not pay much attention to price comparison) we were able to manage.
And then...
We returned from Abilene TX this weekend after enrolling our daughter at Hardin-Simons University (A Christian college). While I knew that the cost of college was extravagant I was still shocked when they handed me the bill for $11,303.98! (strange how some numbers are burned into your head) When I asked about scholarship/grant money they reminded me that according to FAFSA (federal student aid form) you are not eligible for scholarship/grant money until school costs exceed one quarter of your gross annual income (can anyone do that)? By the time I arrived at work this morning I had already convinced myself that I would need to cancel the electronic tithe that our church offers in order to pay for school.
And then..
It appears as thought the IRS didn't really need as much money as we had paid them, turns out that between the tithe's we did pay and losses on my wife's travel agency business, we were due a refund of more the $12,000! which will pay for the first semesters costs plus books(maybe)!!. Needless to say I won't be revoking my tithe and will trust in the Lord to provide EVERYTHING..I still find it amazing how the Lord can reach down from heaven to slap me upside the head..
Mike
Mac,
That article was good.
I found another article from the same site re: Rapture timing.
It has a few points I had not considered before.
Rapture Timing
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing that story! Isn't it wonderful when the solution comes through? It amazes me to consider what the Lord keeps track of in order to fulfil His promises to us, in every situation we encounter. Just think of the billions of lives he is working behind the scenes on!
I'm collecting all these tidbits and will present them next time we have a 'meeting of the minds' on the subject.
By the way, how is your daughter doing? She's still on my prayer list.
Blessings,
Jen
"David Berg, founder of the immoral and occultic group, The Children of God, described how he received something he had strongly desired — the gift of tongues: "I was lying there between Martha and Maria [his illicit "wives"] praying like a house afire, and all of a sudden before I even knew what happened I was praying in tongues... It was probably Abrahim [his spirit guide he had picked up at a Gypsy camp]... praying through me in the Spirit." The fruits of Berg's lifestyle and the movement he spawned make it clear that this was not a gift of the Holy Spirit."
This was also taken from that site-but what I thought was interesting is that it mentions "Abrahim" which is similar to Oprah's channeler friend. Oprah had interviewd on her radio show the "spirit guide" Abraham (demon) though her channeler mentor friend.
(I had posted this awhile back)
I wonder if it was the same demon.
New post is up.
Lisa, I did see that rapture article. David has some fine articles on his site!
Mac, sorry to disappoint you, but the material in the link on the Holy Spirit baptism is a VERY long way from what I have been saying about it.
He has fallen into the trap of religion and tradition, and totally ignores what the Bible actually says.
Just one example:
To be baptized in the Spirit is to be filled with the Spirit. Although this baptism in the Spirit can occur at conversion, it usually happens at a later time. It is a result of learning how to walk with the Lord in obedience to His will. [WRONG!! - Jesus said we were each to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit [Luke 11:13], and explicitly told the disciples that they were to WAIT in Jerusalem until they had received "power from on high" [Acts 1:4-5], BEFORE they embarked on fulfilling the Great Commission - which includes being able to speak in tongues. Jesus CLEARLY distinguishes between the New Birth experience [Luke 24:49, John 20:22] and the "being endued with power from on high"]
This baptism can be a gradual experience, occurring over a long period of time [WRONG!! - you get it, by faith, when you ask God for it], as a person slowly yields more and more of his life to the Lord. It can also be a very sudden experience, resulting from a major crisis that drives a person to his knees in total surrender to the Lord [WRONG - it has NOTHING to do with how long you have been a Christian or on your walk with God - see Acts 10 - the Gentiles received the New Birth and the Baptism of Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues IMMEDIATELY - they had NO time to walk with God or be brought to their knees as a result of a major crisis].
It can also be an experience that occurs more than once. The point is that we are all leaky vessels. We can get full of the Spirit, and then through neglect of our spiritual life, we can drift away from the Lord and begin once again to quench and grieve the Spirit. [This is partially true - you can refuse to exercise your spiritual prayer life by praying in tongues and you WILL drift away and become weak spiritually. If you never seek and use the gift of tongues for your personal prayer life, how can you expect to be "built up" spiritually - see Jude 20]
Jesus said that the purpose of the "baptism of Holy Spirit" was to be "endued with power from on high". This is most definitely NOT the same as being "born-again". This is what happened to the first disciples (not just the apostles), on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover (and Jesus' death), and approximately 10 days after Jesus returned to Heaven.
It is noteworthy that this was accompanied by the manifestation of "tongues".
The first time that the Gentiles were told about the Gospel (the story of the conversion of the Roman Centurion Cornelius that describes this event is in Acts 10, repeated in Acts 11), they too were first born-again, and then immediately received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the account is VERY clear that the reason that Peter and those with him knew this, was because all the Gentiles started speaking in tongues.
Everywhere in the NT, where this baptism of Holy Spirit is described, the result is a supernatural empowering, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. The only occurrence where this did not happen was in Jesus' own experience, when He received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, just before He started His earthly ministry. In this case He did not receive the "gift of tongues", because he received the "fullness of Holy Spirit" (as compared to our "measure") and was able to talk to God the Father directly without the need for tongues. He did however operate in all the other 8 "manifestations" during his ministry. If even Jesus needed this expereince, how much more do we need it, if we are to do the works that I [Jesus] do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. [John 14:12]
Religion and Tradition have nullified what the Word ACTUALLY says.
Again:
The Word says that the Spirit gives gifts to believers as He pleases, "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Paul clearly states that the gift of tongues is not meant for all (1 Corinthians 12:30). Nowhere are we told to seek the gift of tongues.
WRONG!!! Paul says that we should all be speaking in tongues, in fact he "boasts" that he does so more than anyone. You CANNOT pray "in the Spirit" WITHOUT praying in tongues - that's what the phrase means!!
Tongues is meant for ALL - not least because God is not a respecter of persons - if He gave them to all of the early Church, and many, many people since, HE HAS to give it to us today.
In 1 Cor 14 Paul is VERY clear:
2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
In Jude 20, this need that we all have to be able to pray in tongues is defined as the way in which we "build ourselves up in our most holy faith". The word translated "build up" means to construct a building, an edifice - do you want to live in a 2-room shack, or do you want to be "built up" into a towering skyscraper in your faith.
Praying in tongues is the way you allow God to work in your life to do the necessary construction work to build on more rooms, another floor or two, or whatever He wants to construct. Praying in tongues is for our PERSONAL benefit - to not use this is foolish in the extreme - and exposes a very prideful attitude that says we do not need this gift - we can make it on our own!
Again:
I think it should also be kept in mind that history is full of great Christian leaders who were filled to overflowing with God's Spirit, but who never spoke in tongues — men like Martin Luther, John Wesley, D. L. Moody, C. S. Lewis, and Billy Graham — to name only a few.
WRONG!! - both Martin Luther, John and Charles Wesley, and almost all the great evangelist teachers since the Reformation have (and those who are still alive today) prayed in tongues.
Finally, he misses the WHOLE point of the 9 "manifestations" of Holy Spirit. These are given as Holy Spirit wills, NOT man, for the edification of the Church (I think we definitely need that in these days), and for the the healing of the nations. Signs, wonders and miracles are PRIMARILY for the unsaved World - they are God's calling card to get their attention, so that they are more willing to hear and receive the Gospel. Church is where we, the Body, learn to use these gifts, so that we can go out and fulfill the Great Commission, with God confirming the Word with signs and wonders following - through us!
Note also that he does not pray in tongues, does not think it is necessary, and justifies his ignorance of Scripture with platitudes on how important it is to be able to control our tongues. He therefore has NO basis on which to offer any instruction on the Baptism of Holy Spirit or praying in tongues, because he neither believes in it nor has experienced it. Talk about the blind leading the blind!!!
[Sorry for the rant, but time is too short for us NOT to avail ourselves of EVERYTHING God has equipped us with in these days.]
John
John, he makes similar points that you make and certainly differs elsewhere. I'll leave it at that.
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