5 Things Christ Will Undo and Redo at His Return. Retire? What Do You Bring to Church? Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

5 Things Christ Will Undo and Redo at His Return

“Mankind has done much damage to this earth, but God has a plan to fix man’s many mistakes. What will Christ “undo” and “redo” when He returns to earth?

As a software developer, I consider “undo” to be an essential tool, and I use it often. When making changes to software, I occasionally realize I made a mistake. The easiest way to fix that mistake is to undo the changes I made and go back and do it right. I am fortunate to use an editor that remembers changes I made even after it has been closed.

Wouldn’t life be great if we could undo our past mistakes and have a redo? Though life doesn’t provide us such an option, God has a plan that will undo the damage we humans have done to this earth, to one another and to ourselves. His plan is in motion and soon will be evident to all mankind when Jesus Christ returns to earth to establish God’s Kingdom here.

Under Christ’s perfect government, mankind will learn to “redo” life, but this time following the perfect laws of God.

Let’s consider some of the major things that will be undone and redone after Christ’s return.

1. Swords and plowshares

Undo: War between nations.

Redo: Peaceful, mutually beneficial relationships between nations.

After Christ returns, He will teach the nations His law, which is based on love Just before Christ returns to the earth, there will be a period of intense worldwide warfare when people will be beating “plowshares into swords” and “pruning hooks into spears” (Joel 3:10). This is ancient language describing implements of food production (which sustains life) being turned into implements of warfare (which destroys life).

But after Christ returns, He will teach the nations His law, which is based on love (2 John 1:6). When godly love is understood and practiced on an international level, the nations will turn “swords [back] into plowshares” and “spears [back] into pruning hooks” (Micah 4:3).

2. Food shortages

Undo: Hunger and malnutrition affecting millions of people.

Redo: An abundance of food where everyone’s needs are met.

As we covered above, after Christ returns, the nations will no longer devote their economic resources to warfare and defense, but will instead redirect their economies to food production. Christ will restore an emphasis on agriculture that will allow the nations to sustain healthy populations. The prophet Amos foresaw a world where the “plowman shall overtake the reaper” (Amos 9:13).

3. Dangerous animals

Undo: The instinctual nature in many wild animals that makes them dangerous to humans and each other.

Redo: A transformed nature of wild animals that makes them docile, tame and harmless.

In the creation described in the first two chapters of Genesis, there was perfect harmony between the animals and mankind. But when Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, they found many wild animals were now hostile to human beings. Christ will change the violent natures of animals so they will dwell safety with one another and with mankind (Isaiah 11:6-9).

4. Knowledge of God      Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/5-things-christ-will-undo-and-redo-at-his-return/

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Retire

How does God view the retiree?

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/pTQ_MFBqLt8

[Steve Myers] “Many people look forward to retirement. You get to a certain age, and it’s time for something different. But retiring from work and all of those activities and our labor, does that mean that we can retire from being a Christian? Or does it mean that there isn’t any use for us when we reach a certain age, and we’re just seemingly put out to pasture?

Well, Psalm 92 gives us a lot of information about that very fact. Psalm 92 – in fact, we’ll begin in verse 12. It says this: “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” That sounds like something for a young person. But a little bit later in verse 13 it says, “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of God.” Verse 14, “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there’s no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalms 92:12-14).

You see, Christianity isn’t just for young people – it’s for old people, it’s for retirees. And yet, we’re not just put out to pasture as, you know, elderly Christians. Psalm 92 makes it very clear that even though we’re old, we can still produce something. We can produce something spiritual. We can produce good spiritual fruit. And in fact, I think it’s the NRSV that says, “They’re always green and fresh.” And so even elderly have lot to offer when it comes to Christianity. So don’t ever think that you’re just put out to pasture when you retire from your job. As God’s people, we can always be fresh and green and contribute in major spiritual ways.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/retire

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What Do You Bring to Church?

Before you write-off going to church, ask yourself this important question.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/u-Q2a4hy3Qc

[Darris McNeely] “Have you been one of those that occasionally will say, “I don’t get anything out of church. I think I’m gonna quit this church, go find another church that’s more exciting, better music. More personable pastor,” whatever it is, “I just don’t get anything out of church.” Or maybe you’re one of those that just don’t attend anything, any church any longer. Why is that? What happens? You know, it’s a common thing that is reported on. I’ve heard it many, many times. And to be honest, I’ve felt it a few times more or less in my own years as a pastor and as sitting in congregations. But as I’ve thought it through, it actually betrays a misunderstanding that a lot of us have about God, about church, and about its purpose.

Consider this, if you don’t get something out of church or you get nothing out of the service or whatever, could it be that you haven’t brought anything to it yourself other than your own body? You’ve not brought any desire. You’ve not brought any passion. You’ve not brought any emotion. You have no needs that you’ve brought needing to be fulfilled. What about you? Think about that. You know, we’re in an age of instant gratification, just like that. We have our smartphones, we have social media, and if we don’t get 150 likes within 30 minutes after posting something to our Facebook page or whatever, we feel like we haven’t succeeded, nobody loves us. And we have to get that text. We have to get that email, and if we don’t, again, we’re not…something’s not stimulated within us. We’ve done this to ourselves. The culture has done that and the instant gratification to where we realize or think that we don’t have to really put something into something to really get a solid lasting return. And that when it comes to faith, when it comes to God and church maybe the question for us all to consider, and so what have you brought?

Now, this doesn’t negate the fact that maybe truth needs to be in your church. Maybe your church isn’t really worshiping God in spirit and in truth according to biblical standards. That’s another issue altogether, but let’s just start with ourselves. In Psalm 63 there’s a very interesting passage and the Psalmist talks about his desire as he comes before God. Let me read a few verses. It says, “Oh God, you are my God. Early will I seek you.” Early. First thing, priority. “My soul thirsts for you.” Just like we need a cool drink of water on a hot day we also need God every day and we need to quench that thirst, that spiritual thirst that we have. “My flesh,” it says, “longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Our culture today and our world today is too often barren and dry, creating that spiritual thirst that only God can fulfill. He goes on, “So, I’ve looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory because your loving kindness is better than life. My lips shall praise you.”

What is it that you bring to church? What is it that you bring to God? Lot of things to consider about your church, your faith, or even your understanding about God. But perhaps the first thing for us all to consider is, what are we bringing? And when we consider that, then we can accurately tackle the issues of what we’re receiving and whether or not there was truth there, whether or not there is true spiritual food where we may be trying to find the true God. Something to consider if you’re one of those who thinks that I get nothing out of church.”  2 comments  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/what-do-you-bring-to-church

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Update. 

Well, another trip to the Drivers License place, this time I went to Bryan.  I had looked at the link that the other office had told me to check after 5 days and all it said was “sent on to agency” and to call. That didn’t tell me whether it was confirmed or not.  Have you ever tried to call the drivers license place and talk to a people?  A real person doesn't seem to exist in their maze of extensions in their phone lines. 

So I knew I had to drive to one of their offices, and chose Bryan, because my daughter, Wendy lives halfway there.  I drove to College Station and visited Wendy, and even though she had hurt her ankle, she went with me.  There wasn’t a long wait at the Bryan office, at least it was a large place and everyone was inside in the AC.  There I found out the problem in getting my ‘green card’ confirmed.  My old license had my maiden name as my middle name whereas my green card has my real middle name. The boss lady there said she would call me when it was confirmed. 

This week, I had intended to spend some time making trips to Willis to try to empty my storage unit there.  The weather forecast stopped that, but I did venture out to the grocery store and then down came a deluge.  I couldn’t get back to the apartment the usual way, got lost, stuck in the mud, and the van started having a tapping noise.  Found out that the oil pan is dented and something in the engine is hitting it.  I was told not to drive it, so one of the elders at church came and got me and my neighbor.  I had made some more lentil soup as it was so well received before.

The theme was Isa. 58:11 “Where God guides, He provides”, and the sermon was about being “Comfortable”.  Don’t be comfortable when you are doing nothing to help your fellow man.   We prayed to those affected by the storm in Houston and everywhere.

Fortunately, my next-door neighbor is going to follow me as I carefully drive my van to the well recommended shop on Monday.

MLK, Chasing The Dream. Murder in Memphis. Never Caught. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

CHASING THE DREAM

“On August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a stirring speech with a vision for the future. The speech was delivered as the United States of America struggled with fighting a war on two fronts. One was a military battle overseas in a place called Vietnam, while the other was a civil/social battle, a war on its own soil grappling with segregation of black people from white people.

Martin Luther King’s speech “laid out four major grievances: discrimination by private businesses and local government; barriers that kept black Americans from voting; unfair treatment by police; and what might broadly be called social mobility and economic opportunity. ‘We cannot be satisfied’, King said, ‘as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.’”

Five years later on the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated as he stood on the balcony of his Memphis hotel room. He was 39 years old. Since his death, the United States has continued to struggle as a nation to reconcile race-based inequities that Mr. King spoke so forcefully about in his most famous speech—“I have a dream.”

King spoke of an America that will not have rest or tranquility if changes were not made in the “desolate valley of segregation.” These words were shown to be true in the city streets of Ferguson Missouri. He noted, “the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”

Another well-known passage from Mr. King’s speech reads: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Mr. King addressed the character of those affect when he cautioned “…we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

With the riots and civil unrest of 2014 still fresh in the minds of many Americans, Martin Luther King’s dream is arguably as far from our grasp today is it was over 50 years ago. Certainly there have been some advances in our cultures, but none to change the content of the human character.

Martin Luther King quoted Isaiah 40:4–5 from the Holy Bible where “every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A short four verses later we read of the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Yes, Mr. King’s vision will one day be reality, but not as long as the prince of the power of the air ( Ephesians 2:2), the ruler of this age (John 14:30) remains in place. The news of 2014 was only a foretaste of what lies immediately before us, all of which is a prelude to Christ’s return.

If we wish to both understand and be protected during the trying times just ahead and become part of the solution that Jesus Christ Himself will bring, we must change; change from selfish to selfless, self-centered to Jesus centered, self-righteous to the righteousness that comes from the power of God.”  From:   https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/commentary/chasing-the-dream

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Murder in Memphis

by Jim Franks on April 8, 2013

“Do you know where you were on April 4, 1968? Some of you may not have been born yet; but those of who were, does that date mean anything at all to you? And the rest of you, do you know what happened on that day?

I can tell you exactly where I was on that date, and I will always remember what happened. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

I was a senior in high school that year and had been selected to be a member of a special high school student council developed by the governor of the state of Arkansas, Winthrop Rockefeller. The special council included student body presidents from all Arkansas high schools.

We held our final meeting that year at the city convention center in West Memphis, Arkansas, a small city just across the Mississippi River from Memphis and only about nine miles from the Lorraine Motel. On Thursday afternoon, April 4, we finished our work and prepared for a special dinner and dance that evening.

At 6:01 p.m. and only a few miles away, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was hit by a sniper’s bullet. Dr. King had been standing on the balcony in front of his room when, without warning, he was shot. The .30-caliber rifle bullet entered his right cheek, traveled through his neck, and finally stopped at his shoulder blade. Dr. King was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.

Back at the convention center in West Memphis, less than 10 minutes away, just before 7 p.m., the music abruptly stopped and the convention center was filled with Arkansas state troopers. They quickly rounded up four black teenagers and escorted them from the building for their safety. An assistant to the governor somberly announced that Dr. King had been shot and taken to a hospital. Memphis and West Memphis were put on high alert, and no one was allowed to leave the convention center until further notice. Within a few minutes the announcement came that Dr. King had died. The dance was over; we were to go to our lodging, and no one was to cross the bridge into Memphis. State troopers and local police were everywhere.

That was 45 years ago this past week. (Now nearly 50) It was clear from the outset that the killing was racially motivated. Even though Dr. King advocated nonviolence, the civil rights movement was plagued by considerable violence and upheaval in the streets of America. My family and I attended church services every Saturday in Memphis. It was rare in those days for churches to be integrated, but ours was. On more than one occasion leading up to that spring day, we had to walk around demonstrators and long rows of police with riot gear just to get into the Ellis Auditorium, where our services were held.

As a country, America has made considerable progress in race relations over the past 45 years; but hatred for others because of their beliefs or their race still exists. And violence still seems to be an easy option for people who are angry. In the past year, we have seen that violent part of society rear its head at Sandy Hook Elementary and a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. While there is no evidence that either of these was motivated by race, it is indicative of our society that violence is often the answer for hatred or anger. Mentally disturbed people especially fall prey to the ease with which they can kill others.

Ezekiel the prophet wrote of a time when violence would dominate the streets of our cities. He wrote, “Make a chain, for the land is filled with crimes of blood, and the city is full of violence.”
Human life is precious and not to be destroyed by senseless acts of violence. Human beings have the potential to enter the family of God and live for all eternity—not in heaven, but ruling with Jesus Christ here on this earth.

One day the words “Murder in Memphis” will be a historical footnote and a lesson from a far distant past. Gone will be the anger and hatred that have characterized our society for way too long!

The prophet Isaiah described this future when he wrote, “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders.”

Can you imagine a time when there will be no murder? When everyone will live in peace and prosperity? If you would like to know more about that future, which isn’t the “going to heaven” idea that is commonly taught, then read our website and the literature we offer. You may be shocked to know the real truth from the Bible.

The murder in Memphis of Martin Luther King Jr. took place on April 4, 1968. I can tell you every detail about that evening, but I can’t tell you that the world is better today. In fact, I would say the evidence is that it is worse. Only the return of Jesus Christ will bring a better world, where there is no more murder.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/murder-in-memphis/

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Never Caught

An Amazing Fact: “Long before such a feat of engineering was thought possible, Lockheed Aircraft designed and built the most impressive aircraft to ever roam the skies. The first flight of an SR-71 “Blackbird” took place in 1964. For years, the Blackbird’s maximum speed and altitude was kept top secret. But we now know the aircraft set two world records for absolute speed (2,193 miles per hour) and altitude (more than 85,068 feet).

For more than 30 years, the SR-71 flew with impunity. With a normal cruising speed of Mach 3 and altitude of 80,000 feet, no missile or plane, then or now, could catch it. As a result, despite hundreds of reconnaissance missions over hostile enemy territory, not a single aircraft was lost to enemy fire.

The Blackbird could fly from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in one hour! It flew so fast that to refuel in-flight, the sleek jet had to fly as slow as possible and the refueling aircraft as fast as it could to prevent from being run over! The capabilities of the steel bird have not been surpassed: It could survey 100,000 square miles per hour. The SR-71 was retired in 1990, although it saw temporary reinstatement after Gulf War reconnaissance shortcomings. Even with all the amazing advances in modern aviation technology since, no aircraft can fly faster or higher than the Blackbird.

We would do well to learn from the Blackbird. The Bible encourages us to watch carefully and not be caught off guard regarding Christ’s second coming. “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34, 35).

When we take time every day to study our Bibles and live with an awareness that these are the last days, not a single Christian will be “lost to enemy fire.” Like the Blackbird, we will never be caught off guard.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36”

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Another week of a lot of inactivity, and nothing done to the mini-house, but a lot happened. 

On Tuesday, the Siamese cat was vaccinated with her regular shots, and had an appointment to get her rabies shot and blood tests done the next day.    But Tueday night she had a bad seizure. I held her gently until it was over and she had settled down, then I put her in a big cage for her own safety.  But the next day when we arrived at the vet she had another Grand Mal seizure, so they quickly took her in the back and put Valium up her nose to stop it.  Just before it started she was howling very loudly, like she knew it was coming. The vet did all sorts of blood tests on her and she doesn’t have Feline Leukemia or FIV, and her bloodwork looked normal.  So the vet assumed that she must be an epileptic cat and prescribed meds “just in case”, to be given twice a day for life, including some Valium in case she seized again.

I was too tired to even think about giving the meds to her that night, and too busy the next morning, anyway I wanted to see if she would have another seizure before I committed to giving her medicine twice a day for the rest of her life, or mine!  My SPCA boss was miffed because I hadn’t given the cat the meds, and didn’t want the other cat, “Flower” anywhere near her, so they came and got Flower.   The Siamese hasn’t had another seizure and has completely settled down since Flower left, she is really quiet and seems much more at home.   Maybe cat-hating Flower was threatening her under the door that was between them!

I know that vaccinations can cause trouble in most species, cats, dogs, and people, so this seems to be the case with this cat.  They often have aluminum, mercury and terrible ingredients, inluding parts of aborted fetuses.  https://thinklovehealthy.com/2017/07/06/what-you-should-know-about-human-aborted-fetal-cell-dna-in-vaccines/  I have never had flu, nor a flu shot, and don’t intend to ever get one.  Never had pneumonia, or the shot, either.

I am getting tired of this, because my back still hurts after another trip to a chiropractor.    I have been to the fitness center a couple of times, and then just walking around our great big Kroger store helps me do my 10,000 steps!

To try to get in shape, I have been eating differently.  No more meat or dairy for now, just to see how it goes.  Just eating restistant starches, and lots of veggies.  Coconut milk creamer and a smidgeon of honey in my coffee.  I feel better already, having lost 5lb which was partly responsible for making me breathless, so I hope I keep on losing until I no longer have a ‘spare tire’.  Then we will see ‘how the rubber meets the road’.

For the church potluck, I made some more jimaca, but this time I made it into oven fries, I also made some rutabaga oven fries.  At church, there were folks standing at the stove, eating them right out of the oven after they had been warmed up.  Some foods, like rice and potaoes, are better for you if they have been cooled and reheated.   Also, I made a crockpot with millet, sweet potato, apple and spices called Sweet Millet Congee, and I took some cantelope, too. There was corn beef, lasagne, chicken, chili-mac, and other meat dishes at the potluck, but I didn’t eat any of them.

Jay’s mother was moved from the hospital in Conroe, TX to a Hospice, and then his sisters had her moved to a hospital west of Houston, near them.  Her doctor said that they are just trying to “prolong it”.  Needless to say, Jay was sober and all religious for a while, and went to church with me on the Sabbath.  They are always pleased to see him, and try to be supportive.

The Bible readings were Exo. 1:1-6:1, Isa. 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23, and Acts 7:17-35, and the Teaching was about “Obey My Voice”.

It was very cold, so turtleneck, sweaters and coats were the order of the day.

The Feast of Tabernacles: A Bountiful Harvest.

For “Scripture Sunday”. Late again!

This is The Week of The Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles: A Bountiful Harvest

“The Feast of Tabernacles, during the fall harvest season, pictures 1,000 years of God’s Kingdom on earth. This will be a bountiful spiritual harvest.

With Satan removed (pictured by Atonement) and Jesus Christ reigning as King of Kings (pictured by the Feast of Trumpets), the knowledge of God will spread around the world. Those who were faithful to God will serve with Jesus Christ in teaching and administering His way of life for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4).

Consider some of the prophecies of this time of peace and prosperity that will result from living God’s way of life:

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’

“For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:2-4).

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

These and many other Bible passages paint a beautiful picture of good news about this coming millennial reign of Jesus Christ that will inaugurate the eternal Kingdom of God.

Past and future celebrations of the Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles was so important to Jesus Christ that He went to Jerusalem to celebrate it even though He knew His life would be in danger (John 7:1-26).

And the Feast of Tabernacles is destined to be a major international festival of the Kingdom of God, celebrated even by nations that resisted it at first (Zechariah 14:16-19).

Since Jesus Christ celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, and since He will force people to honor it in the future, it only makes sense for us to celebrate it today.

Significance of tabernacles

The name “Feast of Tabernacles” comes from the tabernacles or temporary dwellings that God commands His people to stay in during this seven-day festival. These temporary living quarters rehearsed the exodus from Egypt, but also serve as a reminder of the temporary nature of our physical life (Leviticus 23:43; 2 Peter 1:13-15). This helps us realize this physical life is not all there is, which helps us focus on those things that are eternal (2 Peter 3:10-13).

As much as everyone will enjoy the time of peace and prosperity, the real accomplishment of this 1,000 years will be in the people who fully commit themselves to God, repent and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. We believe a large harvest of future children of God will come from this time in history.

However large this harvest is, it seems it will not be as large as the harvest at the seventh step in God’s plan, pictured by the Eighth Day or Last Great Day.

More articles on the same subject: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/feast-of-tabernacles/ 

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The Millennium: 1,000 Years of Peace

Revelation 20:4

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The book of Revelation contrasts those who worshipped the evil beast and received the mark of the beast (symbolic of compromising with God’s law), with those who worshipped and obeyed God to the death, if necessary, and received the seal of God, the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:3; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:19).

The faithful followers of Jesus Christ will be resurrected or changed to immortality at Christ’s second coming and will help Him set up the Kingdom of God to rule over the earth (Revelation 5:10). This thousand-year rule has become known as the Millennium, from the Latin word for a thousand years. Although not all people will immediately accept Christ as King of kings, it will quickly grow to be a time of peace and prosperity as people see that following God’s laws brings beneficial results. This utopian time is pictured by the annual Feast of Tabernacles,”

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When Was Jesus Born?  Was it really on December 25th?  No, During Feast of Tabernacles.

So, when God came to earth to tabernacle among Men it appears that He timed His arrival in the Bethlehem manger to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. That was only appropriate, for the Feast of Tabernacles is the most joyous of all the Jewish feasts. It is, in fact, their feast of thanksgiving.

According to Luke 1:24-26, Mary conceived Jesus in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist. This means that Jesus was born 15 months after the angel Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband, Zacharias, and informed him that his wife would bear a child.

According to Luke 1:5, Zacharias was a priest of the division of Abijah. Luke 1:8 says that Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was serving as a priest in the Temple.

We know from the Talmud and other sources that the division of Abijah served as priests during the second half of the fourth month of the Jewish religious calendar — which would have put it in late June (the Jewish religious calendar begins in March with Passover).

Fifteen months later would place the birth of Jesus in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. That would be in the fall of the year, in either late September or early October. His conception, not His birth, would have occurred in December of the previous year.

The seventh month of the Jewish calendar is the month of the Feast of Tabernacles. John 1:14, speaking of Jesus as the Word, says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” The word “dwelt” that is used here is the Greek word “skenoo” which literally means “to tabernacle”!

So, when God came to earth to tabernacle among Men it appears that He timed His arrival in the Bethlehem manger to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. That was only appropriate, for the Feast of Tabernacles is the most joyous of all the Jewish feasts. It is, in fact, their feast of thanksgiving.

The total meaning of that feast will not be fulfilled until the Lord returns again to tabernacle among Men for a thousand years while He reigns over the earth from Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. Isn’t the Word of God marvelous?”  More at: http://christinprophecy.org/articles/when-was-jesus-born/

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Update:

This week my young neighbor helped me with a few jobs around here again, but nothing was done to the mini-house as he doesn’t do plumbing, electrical or carpentry.

Sometimes it was frustrating this week.  If you put your automatic vehicle in any gear but P or N, it won’t start will it?  It just does nothing!  Well my van suddenly did the same thing that it did a while back.  It did nothing even when in P or N, no noise, no nothing!  So Thursday I waited three hours for a wrecker outside Conroe Krogers with my friend Chris.  At 7.00 pm we told the Emergency Road Service to postpone it, and Chris took me home.  I was very upset because the ERS was sending a wrecker out of Houston, 38 miles away when there are 18 wrecker services in Conroe.  The next day we set out early and the wrecker arrived prompty and the van was taken to the place that ‘fixed’ it before.  BUT, now the van started right away.  Now that is crazy.  It seems that whatever locks it up, unlocks it as soon as the van is towed.  This is the second time it has done this.  The mechaninc can’t fix it when it is working right.

Friday morning, while I was in the wrecker showing him the way to the repair shop I got two phone calls.  I had forgotten that I was supposed to be at church in half an hour for our start of the celebration of The Feast of Tabernacles.  I had to go dressed as I was, with no food offering.  Chris was following the wrecker so that she could take me home, but she took me to church instead.  Another lady at church lives on my road, so she brought me home.

The Friday Bible readings were Psa. 105, Lev. 22:26-23:44, about the Feasts, Zech.14:1-21, and the Teaching was about The Seven Feasts of Yahweh which Jesus and the disciples observed, and we should too.  The Feasts are all about Jesus.

Hans, my German neighbor, took me to church on Saturday, the Sabbath, and stayed for the service.  He likes our services.  I didn’t have any food prepared for the church potluck, and as we are not supposed to work on the Sabbath, I grabbed a big container of leftover frozen cooked Beef and Veggies, and a crockpot.  It defrosted nicely in the crockpot during the service.  But our potluck didn’t do too well as the oven started acting up.  The pastor’s wife did what she could with moving the food out of the metal oven pans onto pyrex dishes and reheating them in the microwave.  We all had a good dinner anyway, and fun time talking.

The Bible readings were Deut. 21:10-25:19, and as we had a couple of days this year when we could not have a service we doubled up and Deut. 26:1-29:8 was also read.  Then Isa. 52:1-10.  Again the Teaching was about the Feast. We are reminded that we Christions are grafted in to the Jews in Rom. 9:24,25. 10:12,13, 11:13 & 17-19,  Acts 15:14,  Amos 9:12, and Eph. 1 & 2.

Another phone call was from Roy.  He and his friend were staying clean, and he wanted to work some mornings as he had the use of a car, so I let him start work on the mini-house again on Sunday.

Is It Okay to Wear a Cross? A Little Child’s Prayers Matters to God. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Is It Okay to Wear a Cross? Why or Why Not?

“Why don’t we use the image of a cross—symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ—as a symbol of our faith? Should you use a cross as the symbol of yours?

The symbol of the cross is used around the world to represent Jesus Christ and Christianity. Yet, if you visit a congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association (which sponsors this website), and meet our members, you may notice that they are not wearing or displaying the cross to demonstrate their faith. You may also notice that the cross is not displayed on our website or any of our publications—even though we are Christians. We believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and recognize Him as our Lord, Savior and the Head of our Church (Colossians 1:18).

So why don’t we use the image of the cross—typically symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ—as a symbol of our faith? Should you use the cross as the symbol of your faith?

The Bible and history help provide answers to this question.

The cross predates Christianity

A study of ancient history reveals that the cross was used as a religious symbol long before the first century A.D.—when Jesus Christ walked the earth, was crucified and resurrected. The Bible does not record the use of the cross as a physical religious symbol in either the Old or New Testaments. But historical records of other civilizations do make record of the cross as a symbol.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition, records: “From its simplicity of form, the cross has been used both as a religious symbol and as an ornament, from the dawn of man’s civilization. Various objects, dating from periods long anterior [preceding] to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world” (Vol. 7, p. 506).

George Willard Benson, in his book The Cross: Its History and Symbolism, writes: “Centuries before the Christian era ancient crosses were in use as pagan emblems. They have been found carved in stone dating back to remote ages” (p. 16).

It is a historical fact that the cross has been used as a symbol of pagan religions going back to antiquity. Further study reveals that the cross can be found in the ancient religions of Babylon, India, Syria, Egypt, Rome and other ancient pagan cultures.

The Bible is clear that God forbids the practice of syncretism—mixing elements of pagan beliefs and practice with the worship of the true God.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 plainly states that worshippers of the true God are to be extremely careful not to try to worship and honor God in the way that pagan nations worshipped and honored their gods. It is very clear, based on history, that the cross was used to represent and worship the false gods of many cultures and religions.

Cross adopted after the Bible

The cross as a physical symbol is also absent from the writings of the New Testament. The Bible does not say anything about the apostles or early Christians representing their faith by displaying crosses. History records that the cross wasn’t adopted as the institutional symbol of Christianity until about 300 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Encyclopaedia Britannica records: “It was not until the time of Constantine that the cross was publicly used as the symbol of the Christian religion. … Under Constantine it became the acknowledged symbol of Christianity” (11th edition, Vol. 7, p. 506). Constantine the Great ruled the Roman Empire more than 250 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Not necessarily a cross

Many are surprised to learn that the Bible does not actually specify that Jesus was crucified on a cross. Though the word “cross” is used in most English translations of the New Testament, it is important to remember that the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language.

The word commonly translated “cross” in English is the Greek word stauros. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, the word stauros means “an upright pale or stake.” This classic reference on biblical words also states: “Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of the two beamed cross” (p. 248). Theologian E.W. Bullinger also noted this distinction in Appendix 162 of The Companion Bible: “Our English word ‘cross’ is the translation of the Latin crux (kruks); but the Greek stauros no more means a crux than the word ‘stick’ means a ‘crutch.’”

Even though it’s probable that Christ was crucified on a single piece of wood without a cross beam, we can’t be absolutely certain what the shape of the device was. Romans used crucifixion devices of all shapes—sometimes they were upright stakes, sometimes they had crossbeams and sometimes they merely crucified criminals on trees. The shape of the stauros is not important. What is important is the meaning and significance of Christ’s death to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind (1 Peter 2:24).

Worship in spirit and truth

The Bible forbids the use of physical icons to worship and represent the true God. The Second Commandment plainly states: “You shall not make for yourself any carved image” (Exodus 20:4). God did not intend for His people to use physical icons, pictures or images to represent Him. Jesus Christ teaches us that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

Based on the above reasons, members of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, do not use the physical image of a cross as an object of worship or as a symbol of our faith. We believe that we are to worship God “in spirit and truth”—focusing on the spiritual truths of His Word and not trying to represent Him through the use of any physical objects. We focus on the magnitude of the incredible truth behind the crucifixion of Jesus Christ—that because of Christ’s suffering and death we can be forgiven of our sins and be reconciled to God (Romans 5:8-11).”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/idolatry-second-commandment/is-it-okay-to-wear-a-cross/

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A Little Child’s Prayers Matters to God 

“God wants a relationship with your child, so teach them to pray.

Teach your children to pray, because they matter to God!

I recently bought a doll for my little granddaughter, Stella Rose. Someone made the comment that it reminded them of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. That comment brought back some awesome memories.

Years ago, when my daughter Michelle was 4 years old, Cabbage Patch Kids dolls were so popular. All of her friends had one, but we could not afford to buy her one. They were $45 at the time, and we could barely put food on the table, so we certainly did not have that kind of money to buy a doll. I told my daughter to pray about it, and she did.

The very next weekend, my daughter had not one but two Cabbage Patch Kids dolls given to her! One doll was given to her at church by her friend’s mom, and the next day she received one from her grandmother; both brand new and different from each other. Now, 36 years later, my daughter still has those dolls. Those dolls symbolize how much God cared about her and her sweet little request when she was a child. I consider those dolls a gift from God.

God values our children so greatly that He demonstrated it: “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’ ” (Matthew 18:1-5, New International Version throughout).

When people brought little children to Jesus for him to place His hands on them and pray for them, His disciples rebuked them and sent them away. But Jesus corrected them: “ ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there” (Matthew 19:13-14).

He went on to command His disciples: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). God wants a relationship with your child, so teach them to pray.

Here are just a few examples of how to teach them:

1. Start with giving them examples in the Bible of how valuable they are to God.

2. Tell them to talk to God just like they do to mommy and daddy.

3. Teach them through example by praying with them.

4. Encourage them to pray for their friends and family.

5. Teach them to thank God for all the things they have.

6. Share with your child the times that God answered your prayers.

7. Teach them that they can talk with God all day long and that He is always there for them.

8. Remind them to always ask God for protection for themselves and their family throughout the day, and for God to protect their minds.

9. Tell them it is okay to ask God for personal blessing, like my daughter did with the Cabbage Patch Kids doll.

10. Teach them to ask for wisdom. Read them the story about Solomon, and how he desired wisdom above any material things, and God blessed him with both.

11. Most of all, teach them how special they are to God and that He wants them to talk to Him.

12. Teach them that sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we do not think or understand, but He always knows what is best for us.

Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

My daughter Michelle is a praying woman to this day! She knows that God answers prayers. Sometimes not as quickly as with her dolls–her prayers for a child weren’t answered for eight years. But she prayed with conviction knowing that God knew what was best for her.

So teach your children to pray, because they matter to God!”

From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/a-little-childs-prayers-matters-to-god

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Update:

On Monday, we worked on more light fixtures in the mini-house (guest house),  and on Tuesday we did a bit more down at Roni’s place, now mine, maybe!  Because Roni availed herself of several “free” services like food stamps, and Medicaid, the State of TX now wants their pound of flesh.  But they may decide that the run down property is not worth fooling with, as it is valued at less than $10,000. 

The 16 ft. maple tree that was in front of my house has gone. It had grown into my sewer and it blocked the view of my front door, a security risk.  The couple came with a front end loader, some shovels and after about an hour they hauled it off on the trailer with the front-end loader.  Seems bare without it.

On Wednesday, I took my helper to the VA Hospital in Houston, and sat there all day while he had a balloon put in his esophagus for his really bad acid reflux.  Maybe he will be able to eat and keep food down now.  He is as skinny as a rail.  Thursday, he wasn’t feeling too chipper, but still arrived to work, so we did the kick boards on the cabinets that I bought at a yard sale.  We had the cabinets on their tops, and I pried the fiberboard kickboards off the bottom and he screwed real wood ones on. 

The next day, Friday, he was feeling better, so we moved some stuff out of the new workshop to make room for the cabinets.  It took two handtrucks to move the big 5 foot cabinet, and I was at the top of the three little steps yanking on that hand truck for all I was worth, (no, I shouldn’t say that, as I am not worth much), anyway, I pulled on it as hard as I could, and we got it up there.  The smaller, 3 ft. one was easier. Then in the afternoon, as it was ‘preparation day’,  I was cooking, washing my hair, and setting out my clothes to be ready for church the next day.  Then at 5.30pm every Friday everything stops while I watch “Creation in the 21st” on TBN.  This week it was about the formation of the Grand Canyon.

Saturday was the Sabbath, so I had already made some Parsley Butter Mashed Potatoes for one crockpot and some Beef Stew for the other.  Gary at church had given dozens of eggs from his free-range chickens to anyone who wanted them, so I had hard boiled a dozen.  My helper and I had egg salad for lunch and still had plenty left over. So I made some chopped up hardboiled eggs in a sauce, like Eggs Goldenrod, but I wasn’t too crazy about it, so I didn’t take it to the potluck.  I will titivate it a bit to make it more tasty, and have it for my supper tonight.

Also, on Saturday, I became a ‘grand’ again, I have a new grand-dog! 

Since their great big German Shepherd died, their little Australian Sheepdog has become lonely.  So my daughter and son-in-law have adopted a 6 month old white German Shepherd/mix puppy from a shelter.  He has blue eyes!  They can’t pick him up until next week as he hasn’t been fixed yet.  My daughter asked me what I thought he was mixed with, and I took one look at those ears and said “A donkey”!

The Bible readings were Lev. 14:1-15:33, 2 Kings 7:3-7:20 and Matt. 8:1-17, and the Teaching was “New Life in Messiah”. 

We are a small congregation, and we all are close.  We have a lot of laughs and fun together so the Sabbath is always a great day,

Passover. Christ, Our Passover. Christ’s Fervent Desire. “You Also Ought to Wash One Another’s Feet”. Update.

 

For “Scripture Siunday”:

Passover 2017

Passover begins at sunset Monday, April 10, 2017 and ends at nightfall Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

The Festivals of God

‘'”The seven annual festivals are special times of assembly. Given to ancient Israel by God through Moses and kept by Christ, the apostles and the New Testament Church, they are commanded to be observed today. These festivals reveal God’s plan of salvation for mankind. They will continue to be observed during the Millennium.

Scriptural support: Colossians 2:16-17; 1 Peter 1:19-20; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 15:22-26; 16:8; James 1:18; Exodus 23:14-17; Leviticus 23; Luke 2:41-42; 22:14-15; John 7:2, 8, 10, 14; Acts 2:1; 18:21; 20:16; Zechariah 14:16-19.

The Passover

The New Testament Passover service is one of the most personal of all the Christian festivals. It also teaches a great lesson in forgiveness.

The Passover is to be observed in the evening, at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan (Abib) in accordance with the Hebrew calendar as preserved by the Jews. The New Covenant Passover symbols instituted by Jesus Christ on the night before He died—foot-washing, unleavened bread and wine—are part of this service. Christians follow Jesus Christ’s instruction and example by observing the Passover annually as a memorial of His death.”

Scriptural support: Exodus 12; Matthew 26:18-30; John 13:1-15; Luke 22:1-20; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7.

 

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Passover: First of Seven Annual Festivals

Leviticus 23:4-5    

“These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover.”

Leviticus 23 lists all of God’s commanded appointments—His annual festivals and Sabbath days. The first of the annual festivals is the Passover, which the New Testament shows is a memorial of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.

Learn more about the Passover in “Passover: What Did Jesus Do for You?” Read more about all of the festivals and how they picture God’s plan of salvation in our free booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.

and 1 Corinthians 5:7.

⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Christ, Our Passover

1 Corinthians 5:7

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

The apostle Paul drew on the lessons of the spring festival season to encourage the Corinthian congregation to remove sin from their lives. Jesus Christ fulfilled the type of the Passover lamb whose blood protected the Israelite firstborn from death. After the Passover festival comes the Feast of Unleavened Bread, where yeast and other leavening become a symbol of sin.

Study more about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in our free booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.

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Christ’s Fervent Desire

Luke 22:15

“Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.””

Jesus Christ knew the terrible things He would suffer in the day ahead, but still He focused His mind on His disciples and using this last opportunity to teach them as much as He could. Much of His teaching on that Passover night is recorded for us in each of the Gospels, and especially in John 13 through 17. He set us an incredible example by focusing on God’s festival and God’s plan even when He had every excuse to focus on His trials and Himself. How can we do any less than to “do this in remembrance” of Him (verse 19), with fervent desire?

Study more about Passover in “Why Jesus Had to Die.”

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You Also Ought to Wash One Another’s Feet

John 13:14

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

Washing feet was a sign of kind hospitality, generally assigned to the lowest slave. It was dirty work considering the dusty roads of the Holy Land. Yet our Creator and Savior was willing to lower Himself yet again as a powerful lesson we are to copy.

Washing feet as part of the New Testament Passover reminds us to always look for ways to serve, whether menial or major. The Christian life is a life of service, with a foot-washing attitude.

Study more about Passover in our article “Passover and Forgiveness”

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Update:

Well, it was a lot easier just having two trash pickups this week, as we are running out of loose trash to sack up at Roni’s place (now mine).  We are picking up the several sheets of broken glass that are propped up around the buildings, hitting them with a hammer in a box to condense them, then sacking it up in tough feed sacks and getting all that dangerous stuff hauled away in the trash. 

When we tried to glue the Formica down on the mini-house (guest house) kitchen countertop it cracked so badly that we couldn’t use it.  It had been stored in the attic since I bought it two years ago and it must have got “old”.  We cut out the bad part and the rest of it might be able to be used elsewhere, but that meant a trip to Houston to buy more Formica.  My helper went with me, just to keep me company, but he slept all the way there and back with the passenger seat in the reclined position.  It didn’t take long to whiz down the freeway to N. Shepherd/Garden Oaks where 3 Formica dealers are located, and then scoot back to Conroe.  It was the stops in Conroe that took the time, so we didn’t get to work that day.

We started to work on the mini-house front door and storm door, that still isn’t quite finished as we still have to rehang the storm door.  Jay had installed them wrong, and so my helper wanted to correct all that.   We made the door frame ready to hang the two little closet doors that pull outwards, and installed the jamb for the bathroom door, and we will hang it next week.  On the days that we go down to Roni’s we don’t like to start a long job in the mini-house in case we can’t get it done before it’s time to quit at lunchtime.  After lunch I have to start my other job online and my helper goes to work at his friend’s place, or they go fishing on their boat.

I have two granddaughters, (the third was killed by a drunk driver), and I don’t know if they have ever even met, but both got new puppies this week.  Kimberley has a little female pug pup, and Michelle got a little female schnauzer.  So I have more great-grands, girls this time, as I already have three human great-grandsons!

For the church potluck I took some spaghetti and meat sauce in one crockpot, and cabbgae cooked in onion sauce in another.  Both had been made a month ago and frozen, so I defosted them because I didn’t have time to cook anything.   Friday was one of those days when everybody interrupted me when I wanted to get ‘a cookin’.  I always have my dishes ready before the Saturday Sabbath.

The pastor’s wife still hasn’t been able to get out of her house with her bad knee, but she assures us that she will be at church for the Passover Bread and Wine on Monday night.  Then Tuesday will be a our Passover Supper (Seder) and Wednesday will be a Holy Day, and no work will be done. Then the Wave Sheath Offering on Sunday the 16th.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread is from the 12th to the 18th, but not all those days are Holy Days.

One of the ladies comes to church with her helper, and they were having trouble with their truck not accelerating properly.  The lady stayed at the church for the service while the helper took the truck into Conroe to have it checked out.  When she returned, she was so happy….. the floor mat had bunched up under the pedal and that was causing the poor performance.   Whatever next ?! She was so sorry that she had missed the service, but got back in time to enjoy the potluck.

The Bible readings were Lev. 1:1-6:17, Isa. 43:21-44:23 and Heb. 9:23-10:10.  The Teaching was about “The New Passover, Our Christ”, but I couldn’t really hear it while I was in the kitchen getting the frozen veggies ready, as the lady who was helping me was talking so much.

Another great day, and I thank God for each and every day.

Turning Points. Major Challenges Facing America. Problems With Dry Pet Food. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

“Our hope is that all nations might experience some kind of positive turning point and not experience the continuing, escalating problems we have brought on ourselves due to turning from God.

Stockfresh

God offers each of us a turning point, nationally and individually.

Taking a page from former President Ronald Reagan, Trump pledged to “drain the swamp in Washington” and “make our government honest again.” While many of his campaign promises appear to be clear examples of overreach, a number of his cabinet appointees indicate that he is deadly serious about changing the ways of Washington and altering the trajectory of the nation.

And the trajectory of the nation certainly needs to be altered!”

More at: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/turning-points

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^{Major Challenges Facing America}

This is a tough message to accept, but America without God holding back the storm is in a very dangerous place.

“After a very bitter and long election, Donald Trump takes office at a critical moment in American and world history. As he takes office he faces many challenges.

America’s role in the world has dramatically changed over the last eight years, a fact recognized by foreign policy experts. Its historic and prophetic role could be turning in a different direction. Let’s look at a list of those challenges.

• Russia has been aggressively extending its reach and influence. It seized the Crimean Peninsula and other parts of the territory of Ukraine and has been engaged in a low-intensity war with that nation for several years. Russian planes have buzzed U.S. Navy ships in the Baltic Sea. NATO and American aircraft have been harassed by Russian aircraft.

Russia’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has prolonged Syria’s civil war and the suffering of its citizens. American diplomatic efforts regarding the conflict have been frustrated by Russia’s involvement.

When Europe has faltered, Russia has been quick to exploit its weakness—desiring to see a fractured European Union rather than a unified bloc of nations.

Given past history, Russia has reason to fear a powerful and cohesive Europe. However, provoking Europe into a reactionary posture, given the stress it has from the massive influx of immigrants from the Middle East, could lead to ominous developments.

• China’s relationship with America is changing. China seeks to replace America’s longstanding influence in Asia. It is rapidly expanding its navy and its interests with regional neighbors like the Philippines and Australia. China wants to be the arbiter of relations between Asian Pacific nations.

Disputes with Japan over joint claims to Pacific islands aggravate the historic bad blood between the two nations. If armed conflict were to arise between the two, America would be treaty bound to support Japan with military force.

China holds more than a trillion dollars of U.S. debt. This fact handicaps America’s ability to effectively deal with serious issues like Chinese cyberhacking and the creation of a hostile business environment for American companies.

Despite diplomatic smiles, China wants to assert itself as the dominant world power. World leaders wish that China would rein in North Korea’s nuclear program. The unstable rogue regime of Kim Jong Un is China’s client. It suits China’s interests to give North Korea a long leash. No one knows how much control and influence China has with North Korea. One wild action could create a nuclear conflagration that could spin out of control.

• Radical Islamic terrorism has not disappeared. ISIS, Iran and al-Qaeda have grown in their capacity to attack global targets. Their ability to strike is wider and deeper than it has been for years.

Over the last eight years America’s economic debt has doubled to nearly 20 trillion dollars. This huge, incomprehensible figure represents another significant national security threat. You don’t have to be an expert to look at this and wonder what keeps America economically viable in the world. The unrecognized fact is that God is, for the time being, keeping America strong and prosperous in spite of this and many other glaring problems.

God is the “angel in the storm” who continues to watch over the United States of America. The long and prosperous history of the nation is testimony to God’s enduring faithfulness to His promises to create this single great nation in the modern world.

While nations like Iran, China, Russia and North Korea and desperate terror groups like ISIS plot and wish to dislodge the United States from its position as the dominating world power, the fact is that they cannot until God removes His hand of blessing from America.

America and its new president have a moment of reprieve. There is time to hear a message of hope and to turn to God in heartfelt repentance.” 

Excerpt from: “A Prophet, a President and a People” at: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/a-prophet-a-president-and-a-people

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Update:

It has been really cold this week, this morning it was 19 deg. when I got up.  Now that’s cold for these parts.  We have been really focusing on insulating every little space in the mini-house (guest house). 

One day we had all the water lines hooked up, but when we turned on the water, there was a leak in the back yard, so it will have to wait for a warmer day when the ground isn’t frozen.

We went around with some loose fiberglass insulation and poked it in every little crack.  We even wrapped the returns of the windows with 1/2” foam board so now one can feel that there is no draft coming in from the sides of the windows. What a difference!  As windows are installed with a space around them to allow for getting them level and plumb, we made sure that they were wrapped so that each side was even.  Some had to be shimmed out, and some had to be wrapped with narrower foam board.  Now when we put up the paneling it will all look even. This extra insulating can cause excessive humidity to form in the house from cooking and bathing, but there are fans and a dehumidifier for that.

My foster cat, Napoleon is getting very friendly and loving, and I have finally found a wet cat food that he will eat.  It isn’t the best, but it is a start. 

“Additional Problems With Dry Food

On a dry food diet, a cat's urine becomes overly concentrated which leads to feline lower urinary tract disease.

Dry food as it is initially manufactured would be of no interest to a cat. It must be sprayed with flavorings and their accompanying odors to interest the cat in eating it. An entire industry has arisen to manufacture such sprays for this biologically inappropriate food product.

Dry food can be contaminated with mold, fungus or mycotoxins due to improper grain storage.¹¹ As kibble is unlikely to be made from the highest quality grain — perhaps grain not fit for human consumption — it is a further concern. Dry food should never be moistened with water, as it creates an ideal soup in which mycotoxins can proliferate.”     From: http://feline-nutrition.org/health/species-inappropriate-the-dangers-of-dry-food

So that is why I felt it was so important to get Napoleon eating wet cat food.  Even ‘people food’ would have been better than a diet of all dry, but he wouldn’t eat it.

Having made a big pot of farro, grass-fed beef and veggies, I loaded it into a crock pot for the church potluck.  As I was leaving the pastor’s wife called me and said that Pastor Bobby was sick so he wouldn’t be there, and that the water was frozen at the church.  Elder Jeff is very capable of conducting the service which he has done many times before.  But with the toilets inoperable until they thawed out, he wanted to cancel the meeting.  I asked the Pastor’s wife if she really wanted to let the Devil have our Sabbath cancelled over a few frozen pipes, and she said that she really wanted us to have the service.

I keep water here for emergencies, so I said that I would bring several 2-gallon jugs of water and two 1-gallon buckets.  If you have nearly a gallon of water and pour it from a height, it will flush a toilet.  I was tired by the time I had loaded ten of the 2-gallon jugs full of water, plus the food that I had prepared, so off I went, in 19 deg weather.  The faucet in the dining room had thawed out, so water could be drawn there and carried across to the church.  It was a good thing we didn’t cancel because some people even came in that nasty weather all the way from Houston. 

It was so cold that for the first time in about 25 years I wore my black ‘beaver’ fur coat.  A lot of little nylons had to die to make that ‘fur’!

The Bible readings were Gen. 44:18-47:27, Eze. 37:15-28 and Heb. 1:1-6.  The Teaching was about New Year Commitments and Using Time Wisely.

My helper had to go out of town on Friday and I haven’t heard from him yet.  He was supposed to work today.

 

 

Biblical Alternative to Easter. Let Us Keep the Feast. Guarding A Dead Rosebush. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday:

The Biblical Alternative to Easter

“Are you letting religious traditions getting in the way of a real, authentic relationship with God and Jesus Christ? There’s an answer to this problem, and it lies in the biblical festivals observed and taught by Jesus Himself.

Jesus clearly teaches us that a religious tradition, even one that seems to honor God, can actually separate us from God!

A story has been told about a Russian czar who was strolling around the palace grounds and saw a guard standing in a neglected, barren patch of dirt. He approached the guard and asked him why he was standing alone in this spot. The guard said he had orders to do so.

The czar called the captain of the guard, and the captain said that there had always been orders to post a guard there. No one knew why. A search of the archives showed that at the time of Catherine the Great a prized rose bush grew in that part of the palace grounds. A guard had been posted to keep people from picking the roses.

The problem was that Catherine the Great—and the prized rose bush—had died many decades before. Year after year a guard was posted in a meaningless spot, and no one knew why. It had become tradition.

Traditions can be good, and traditions can be bad. Do you practice some religious traditions that may be diverting you from what God actually wants in your life?

Traditions can get in the way of authentic Christianity

Like the sentry in the story of the czar and the rose bush, could you be diligently standing guard over religious traditions that have no real spiritual meaning?……..

The Christian observance of the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread

But we do know of a festival period observed by the earliest Christians that commemorated Jesus Christ’s death and being raised to lead their lives. It was a festival period—actually two festivals right next to one another—that provided a profound connection between much earlier commanded observances and the Messiah. And most importantly, these observances were biblical —not mere human tradition.

One of the places we find this festival period mentioned is in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

We know that the Corinthians were primarily Greeks who had converted to Christianity. For example, Paul tells them to stop being involved in traditional pagan practices that Jewish Christians would not have observed.

Replace the Easter tradition with biblical truth

Easter can feel like a wonderful tradition—a time of baskets filled with candy and colored eggs, a time for friends and family, a time to attend a special religious service. But understand this: It is a non-biblical tradition that actually comes from ancient paganism, from the worship of the fertility goddess Ishtar (Ashtoreth in the Bible). This is why Easter’s most popular symbols are eggs and rabbits—they’re ancient fertility symbols!

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the other hand, are biblical observances ordained by God, observed by Jesus, taught to gentiles in the early Church and imbued with the Christian gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This festival period is the biblical alternative to Easter—the right observance to choose. The Christian Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread are filled with rich and meaningful symbols of Christ’s death, resurrection and present work to spiritually deleaven—to spiritually cleanse and heal—those who turn to God. It’s more than human tradition. It is God’s revelation to humanity!”

Excerpts from: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-alternative-to-easter

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Let Us Keep the Feast

“1 Corinthians 5:8

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The apostle Paul wrote more than 20 years after Christ’s death that this mostly gentile congregation in Corinth should “keep the feast” of Unleavened Bread. From the analogy he uses here, it is clear the members were well acquainted with the removal of physical leaven for that week, and he wanted them to think more deeply about the spiritual lessons of replacing sin with godly thoughts and actions.”

Study more about the meaning of this festival in “The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Pursuing a Life of Righteousness.” Read about the meanings of all seven festivals in “Festival Meaning: What Are the Meanings of Each of God’s Festivals?”

From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/let-us-keep-the-feast/

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Guarding A Dead Rosebush

An Amazing Fact: “Years ago in the old Russian Empire the ruling czar, Nicholas II, was strolling through his vast palace gardens when he came upon a lonely guard standing at attention in a secluded corner of the great meandering gardens. “What are you guarding?” asked the inquisitive ruler. “To tell you the truth, O Great Sovereign, I have no idea, but the captain of the guard ordered me to this post,” the sentry replied.

Czar Nicholas then summoned the captain and made further inquiries as to what was being guarded. The captain of the guard replied, “O Great Sovereign, there are clear written regulations specifying that a guard was to be assigned to that precise corner at all times and this has been done as long as I can remember.” The curious czar then ordered a search to find out why.  The palace archives finally yielded the answer. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a special rose bush in that corner, and she had firmly ordered a sentry to be posted there to guard it so nothing might disturb or damage it. Now, one hundred years later, even though the rose bush had died long before, sentries were still guarding the now barren corner of dirt, even though no one knew why!

Traditions of faith can be valuable. They may be useful in preserving special experiences or ideals handed down by family or culture. However, we should be careful in what we spend our time guarding! Many religions zealously defend rituals which have lost their meaning. People may faithfully stand by traditions but not know why.

There is a more serious concern regarding traditions that Jesus warned us about. If a custom should ever stand in conflict with the commandments of God, it should be thrown out.

Christ told us that holding such traditions makes “the word of God of no effect” (Mark 7:13). It’s a good idea to reflect on the traditions we keep. Do they conflict with God’s law? If so, we are stepping away from the Bible. It’s like standing guard over a dead bush.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mark 7:7-8

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Finding a Cure for Cancer

And you wonder why doctors don’t prescribe natural food instead of trying to fix us with chemical prescriptions.   We would all be healthy and no longer need the doctors.  It’s all about the money! “You are what you eat, and what it ate!!”

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Update:

Another unnecessary trip to Homeland Security in Houston to take my marriage certificate that I had taken there before.  The first time the man didn’t want to see it as he said that my driver’s license was enough.  Then I got a letter saying that they wanted to have a copy faxed to them any way.  After spending several hours trying to navigate to the right place, I still couldn’t fax it as their website was so messed up. Calling didn’t produce a real person and just more options which if you didn’t choose the right number, it would say “Bye” and hang up on you.  But I was able to make an appointment online. 

At this second appointment on Monday, which was in a different location, another man said that they didn’t take documents there and to send them by snail mail to Overland Park, KS.  I could have done that 3 weeks ago if they had given me that option.   Their left hand obviously doesn’t know what their right hand is doing. 

All this because my green card needed to be renewed so that I could apply for Social Security.  Now that my main source of income, renting out my guest house which is now destroyed,  I need to get all that is due to me.   He also said that I could use my passport at the Social Security office as my new green card could take up to a year to arrive.

But my British passport expired in 1991, so I had to make a whole new application online and it was easy.  Yesterday our pastor signed as a counter signer for me, verified my passport photos, etc.  Now that has to be sent registered mail to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in England tomorrow.  So much paperwork is making my head swim.

Jay and I have done a little bit more work to the guest house repairs.  Finally, we got the kitchen linoleum (sheet vinyl) cut and fitted right.  We had to move the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom a fraction of an inch to make the wall square and to let the lino lie down right.  It was another worker who had installed that wall, not Jay.  We temporaily moved some of the old lower kitchen cabinets into the new kitchen, just to get a feel of how the floor plan will work.  It is a good thing it wasn’t set in stone, as we did have to change it up a bit.  Also we have been working on the wiring, moving outlets up above counter-height.  Other outlets will be installed on a whole new circuit in the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom.

Jay has been suffering from allergies and sniffling most of the time and so he didn’t go to church.  I had to wait until the cats were picked up for Adoption Day before I could leave.   Three more new ladies attended, a mother and two daughters came this Sabbath, and we sure do hope they will continue to come.  Another new lady who had been absent sick for a couple of weeks was welcomed back.  Sometimes it is a very small congregation and other times the pews are mostly filled.  But no matter how many, we all feel like a family with great fellowship and pray for the ones that are not present.

For the church potluck, I took a Cucumber Casserole (A what!  Look it up!) and also chicken gumbo and rice.  As I didn’t have much rice I also took some barley cooked in chicken bone broth and that was more popular than the rice.

Now that we are through Exodus we started the first 6 chapters in Leviticus for the main Bible reading. The others were Isa. 43:21-44:23 and Heb 10:1-12.  The Teaching was about doing right and Galations 5:15-26.

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Good words to live by.

Even though Spring has sprung it has been cold the last couple of days.