What Is Juneteenth All About?
by Kevin Epps
“You may have heard of Juneteenth, but what is it about? It’s not listed on most calendars, but most states in the U.S. recognize it. What can we learn from it?
“Juneteenth,” a combination of “June” and “nineteenth,” celebrates the freeing of the last remaining slaves in the United States on June 19, 1865. (It is also sometimes called “Freedom Day” or “Jubilee Day.”) It was on that day that slaves in Texas were finally given their freedom.
Technically, the process started two years earlier with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, but for the enslaved people of the South, it really began only after the Confederacy was defeated earlier in 1865.
This proclamation was delivered by Union General Gordon Granger:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Absolute equality
Perhaps the most significant part of the proclamation was the words “absolute equality”—not improved equality. Though it wasn’t realized at that time, these were the right words. From God’s perspective, race relations are about equality, not just improved rights. More at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/what-is-juneteenth-all-about/?
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Breast Cancer Facts
“No money, no races, no ribbons, just breast cancer facts.
Before Breast Cancer Awareness month is upon us, I feel that it is important to help you better understand how to prevent this cancer, and quite possibly other cancers as well. The University of Virginia Health System has just published that an unhealthy gut causes breast cancer to become much more invasive and spread more quickly to other parts of the body (1). Mind you, this occurs after a breast cancer diagnosis. Let’s talk about preventing breast cancer based on real scientific data and give you a better picture of the role of healthy intestines in the prevention process. What we swallow ends up defining the health of our intestines. So, medications, food and drinks become our intestines! Let’s take it from there, because these references are from some of our most respected medical sources.
• Use of antibiotics is associated with increased risk of incident and fatal breast cancer. JAMA. 2004; 291(7):827-35
• Compared to women who don’t drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15%higher risk of breast cancer (2).
• A high carbohydrate and starch diet increases the risk of breast cancer. Eating sweets and starches causes a rapid rise in the body’s blood sugar levels, which in turn cues the production of insulin and triggers a biological process that ultimately can influence carcinogenesis by causing cells to proliferate.
No one increases their exposure to breast cancer with one round of antibiotics, one glass of wine, or one baked potato. When we think of carbohydrates we think of grains, and yes, even “whole grains” are sometimes contaminated with fungal poisons called “mycotoxins.” Mycotoxins do increase our risk of and do cause human cancer. It should surprise no one then, that our major exposures to these mycotoxins come from cigarette smoking, alcohol and antibiotics. Each expose us to mycotoxins. Armed with this information, I hope you consider appropriate lifestyle changes that might really have you sleeping more comfortably knowing that your cancer risks can be diminished.” From: https://knowthecause.com/breast-cancer-facts/?
Related Articles: Why Antibiotics Should be the Last Line of Defense
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All Who Are in the Graves Will Hear His Voice
John 5:28-29
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
Jesus Christ’s statement supports the biblical teaching of the need for a resurrection of the dead. Nowhere does the Bible teach that immediately at death we either go to heaven or hell. Instead it talks about those who are dead waiting in their graves for a future resurrection when they will be brought back to life to receive their judgment.
When all the passages about the resurrection of the dead are put together, it becomes clear that there is more than one resurrection described in the Bible. The resurrection of Jesus Christ to spirit life was the precursor of all other resurrections into God’s family. Then Revelation 20:5 talks about a “first resurrection” of the saints when Jesus Christ returns to begin a thousand years of peace (verse 4). The saints will become immortal in this “resurrection of life.”
Then the “rest of the dead” will not be raised until “the thousand years [are] finished” (verse 5). In this second resurrection to physical life, people come before the judgment seat of God (verses 11-12). The Greek word translated “condemnation” in the New King James Version of John 5:29 is krisis, which means “the process of investigation, the act of distinguishing and separating” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “condemn, condemnation”).
In this time of judgment, all will be declared guilty of sin (Romans 3:23), but God will ensure that everyone has a full and complete chance to repent and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). God’s Holy Spirit will be offered to those who repent (Ezekiel 37:14) to prepare them for eternal life in God’s family.
The Bible has much more about resurrections, but it is seldom taught in churches today. Read what the Bible says in our section on “Life After Death” and our booklet The Last Enemy: What Really Happens After Death? From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/all-who-are-in-the-graves-will-hear-his-voice/?
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The Father Raises the Dead
John 5:21
“For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”
Jesus Christ explained that He had been given the same power His Father had—the power to bring a dead person back to life, and the power to give immortal life to mortal human beings! In fact, the following verse shows that the Father had delegated all judgment to Jesus Christ (verse 22).
We can be very thankful to have Jesus as our judge. He lived a physical life, understands our temptations and knows our weaknesses, and He was willing to give His life to pay for our sins. He is a merciful judge who greatly “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Read more about the resurrections in our section on “Life After Death.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/the-father-raises-the-dead/?
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Update.
My helper and I did some more work moving my items out of the large storage unit with the heavy lift-up garage door into the smaller storage with a regular house type door. Oh, it is so much easier, I can go over there and sort stuff out by myself. But on Friday he suddenly dropped it on me that he couldn’t work for me on Monday and Tuesday mornings because he had a two day job in Anderson, so we had to get the storage unit empty right then, because the end of the month is on Tuesday. We made it, but it will take some sorting to get it organized.
A trip to College Station to the doctor for a check-up, and all is well, thank goodness. My daughter had met me so we had a nice lunch together. While I was there I looked for a TV stand with drawers and found one at the Goodwill.
My cat is still in Conroe at my vet tech SPCA friend’s home, he had a little problem with his neutering surgery healing like it should. But apparently he is a lot younger than what I was told. I really wanted an old cat, one that no one would want.
On Friday, once again my church neighbor and I went over the Bible study ready for the Bible study at the church on the Sabbath the next day. Once again it was on Zoom, and the sermon was a live video of a campmeeting because our pastor had to do a funeral today.
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