A World Going Insane. The Daily Challenge. I'll Be Happy Tomorrow. Update.

For Scripture Sunday”:

A World Going Insane

“Sometimes I think the world is going crazy. The rest of the time I know it is.

kali9/iStock/Getty Images Plus

So much that we see around us is indeed a kind of insanity—thought processes and actions that defy rational explanation and make no sense.

I woke up this morning to news of another mass killing, this time in Dayton, Ohio, where a 24-year-old gun-man shot and killed nine people—among them his own younger sister. Another 27 were injured, some by gunfire and many from injuries incurred while running for their lives.

Only 12 hours earlier a similarly deranged 21-year-old murdered 22 people and wounded 24 more in a 20-minute shooting spree inside a large store in El Paso, Texas.

Just a few days earlier, another young man shot and killed three and wounded 15 more at a festival in California after cutting his way through a fence to avoid security officers.

Meanwhile, an average of 56 people are shot per week, 10 fatally, in Chicago alone. In all fairness, many cities in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela have far higher murder rates, so devastatingly high homicide deaths are a worldwide phenomenon. And this doesn’t begin to take into account the ongoing mass murders of Christians in the Middle East and Africa by those determined to stamp out Christianity.

At the same time, those of us in the West live in societies where advocates of the murder of unborn babies lecture us on human rights, socialists lecture us on economics, transvestites lecture us on human biology, and Hollywood actors and actresses with multiple children by various sex partners lecture us on virtue.

Just last week a homosexual U.S. presidential candidate (there’s a phrase I never remotely imagined I would type on my keyboard!) lectured the nation on proper Christian and biblical morals—which in his view requires yet more government redistribution of citizens’ hard-earned money.

On the heels of that, dozens of Hollywood A-listers, politicians, entertainment moguls and celebrities descended on the Mediterranean island of Sicily in more than 100 luxury private jets and yachts (one costing $400million) to stay in $900-a-night resort rooms for a three-day conference. The reason for this meeting? To discuss how to “save” the planet from climate change! (The luxury private jets alone—not to mention the many limousines, sports cars and helicopters—generated some 900 U.S. tons of CO2 emissions.)

Yes, the world truly is going insane.

What do all of these problems have in common? One is that they are all symptoms of a spiritual sickness that pervades our world. So much that we see around us is indeed a kind of insanity—thought processes and actions that defy rational explanation and make no sense. We’re entering uncharted waters where up is down and down is up, or, as the Bible puts it, people “call evil good, and good evil” and “put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

And to anyone with any perception at all, it’s obvious things are getting worse,not better.

Why can’t we find solutions? Because these are spiritual problems, symptoms of spiritual sickness, and the solutions must be spiritual.

Why do I say these problems are spiritual? Because there is a spiritual force and power behind them. Few people realize it, but a dark and malevolent influence is working continually behind the scenes of our world.

The Bible reveals to us information we otherwise could not know because it isn’t discerned by the human senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing or smell. But it is real, as surely as you and I are real. The Bible reveals the existence of an invisible, unseen spirit world. And it records the occasional intersection of our physical world and this spirit world, with results that often terrified those who experienced it!

The Bible reveals that there are spirit beings called angels who serve God. (To learn more, download or request our free study guide Angels: God’s Messengers and Spirit Army . ) But it also shows there are evil and rebellious angels called demons who serve a powerful fallen angel called Satan (meaning “adversary” or “enemy”) the devil (meaning “false accuser” or “slanderer”). He is called a liar and a murderer (John 8:44) because that is what he does.

His influence is so great that he “deceives the whole world” and “the world around us is under the control of the wicked one” (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19, New Living Translation). If you believe in God the Father and Jesus Christ based on what is written in Their holy Word, the Bible, then you must also believe in Satan the devil and his demons, whom the Bible reveals to be every bit as real!

This is why our many problems are so entrenched and unsolvable in spite of humankind’s best efforts. Without God’s help we cannot solve them. They are spiritual in nature and require a spiritual solution. Spiritual forces we cannot defeat are behind them and fill our world with violence, hatred, hostility, murder and lies.

So what is the solution? God can and will do what mankind cannot. The time is approaching when He will intervene and send His Son Jesus Christ to earth to end Satan’s reign as “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).  It’s why we encourage you to join us in praying, as Jesus taught, “Your Kingdom come!”” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/a-world-going-insane

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The Daily Challenge

God tells us that in everything we do, we should avoid this at all costs.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/8WgT1b0o76Q

[Steve Myers] “Here’s the BT Daily Challenge. In fact, it’s not just the BT Daily , it’s a daily challenge for every single one of us, that God inspired the apostle Paul to write about. Here’s what he said in Philippians 2:14, probably a familiar passage. Paul wrote this, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Now, talk about a daily challenge. This is certainly one of them. Not once in a while should we try not complaining or disputing, but he says do everything that way.

That’s a challenge, especially if you dig in to the Greek words that are used here. When he says, “Do things without complaining,” that word for complaining can mean murmuring or grumbling. Different translations will actually use those words, grumbling and complaining. Well, what is that about? I think that Greek word points to what’s happening on the inside. Because, if you’re grumbling about something, you usually aren’t understood, you know, you’re mumbling to yourself, and it’s something that’s going on on the inside. You’re thinking about something that’s really irritating you, and you’re letting that circulate in your mind. So Paul points to that as well.

But God also inspired him to write “Do all things without disputing.” And that second word, it can mean complaining, but it points to arguing and bickering and fighting. Now if that’s what you’re doing, that’s something exterior. That’s something on the outside. So I think that’s why this is really a powerful passage. Because, let’s say you’ve got control of what’s happening on the outside. Oh you look peaceful, you look nice, you seem to be getting along. But inside, you’re murmuring and grumbling and complaining. That’s not going to be helpful. That’s not the right thing to do. That’s not the spiritual thing. So here, God’s pointing out we’ve got to take care of both. It’s not just about what’s the outside, the exterior, but also what’s going on on the inside.

So, the daily challenge that we have, it’s inside out. It’s both. Both inside and outside. So, let’s do everything we can to begin to get a handle on our thinking, so that we don’t have this nice exterior while other difficult things are going on inside. Let’s put God in control of our life. And let’s pray and ask him, “Help me not to murmur. Help me not to grumble. Help me not to complain. And certainly help me not to show any of those things on the outside, to really have the mind of Christ.” That’s the daily challenge.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/the-daily-challenge

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I'll Be Happy Tomorrow

“Are you an individual who does not allow joy and happiness into your life?

Bruno Cervera/Unsplash

In order to be happy, choose to be happy today by placing God first in your life.

Do you often tell yourself you will be happy when you graduate from school or college, or when you buy a new car, find the right job, get married, have a family, make enough money, have the perfect home or retire? Instead of waiting for a certain milestone to occur in your life in order to be happy, choose to be happy today by placing God first in your life and obeying his laws. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Happy is he who keeps the law.”

Each day we have on this earth can be filled with joy and happiness, so as you are seeking these blessings consider Gods promise to you: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Be happy today!”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/ill-be-happy-tomorrow

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Update.

Well, I have a lot to be happy about.  I love it here in slow paced Navasota, and I thank God every day that I got out from under all that stuff and work that my former house and guest house entailed. Hopefully, I won’t ever have to rake up another pine needle again. Everyone here is so nice and polite, and everything is close by.  It is about 30 years since I lived in town, and I had forgotten how convenient it is.

All those materials, parts, and tools that I had were just too much now that I have officially retired, but I did bring a lot of tools with me.  Tools are always easy to sell so that will give me a little more income.  Now, I am just having to find room for what I did bring with me here to this apartment, and then cope with the things that I have stored in Willis and Navasota.  I will probably keep my little storage place less than a mile from the apartment. It is small and cheap, and I have to keep the extra things like my carpet/upholstery shampooer, dog grooming stuff, foster cat equipment, and the things that are for sale, somewhere.  I hope to foster a cat soon.

Because I am in a different county now, Grimes, instead of Montgomery, I had to get a different health insurance.  An insurance broker spent a lot of time with me, and was very knowledgeable about the local facilities and signed me up with a new health plan and a highly recommended doctor in Navasota.

For the Sabbath, I made lentils and veggies in the crockpot for the church potluck, and it was complimented.  The teaching “Do What You Can While You Can” was given by the pastor and enjoyed by both the English and Spanish speaking congregations at the same time.  Because, after Bible study, they joined us in the sanctuary and an interpreter repeated each sentence in Spanish.

The weekly afternoon Bible study in the Community Room at the apartments was about Rev. 1.   The same people seem to be there each time. A preacher from a church in Anderson comes to teach us every Sunday.

Would Jesus Do Valentine’s? 3 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day.

For Scripture Sunday”:

“What Would Jesus Do?” Would Jesus Do Valentine’s?

“A few years ago the acronym WWJD became really popular—it stands for “What Would Jesus Do?”

So here’s a question for this time of the year: Would Jesus do Valentine’s?

Well, why not? one could argue. It’s all about love, romance and showing sweetness to someone special. Sounds like the kind of thing Jesus is all about!

But think about this for a minute: The only reason we have Valentine’s Day today is because someone started it somewhere. We can’t simply put Jesus in our context today and ask if He would be celebrating Valentine’s, without first asking would He have celebrated it when it first became popularized.

So let’s rewind history just a bit. Going way back, centuries before Jesus, the Romans had a big, three-day long religious celebration—a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Faunus was the Roman equivalent to the Greek god Pan. He was also associated with the god Lupercus, from which this festival got the name Lupercalia, which was celebrated between the 13th and 15th of February.

All the lore surrounding the goings-on of this festival is a little murky. Some say that after the sacrifices and rituals to pray for the gods’ blessings for fertility, the bachelors would draw from an urn the names of young women, and they would be paired with them for a year, maybe longer if the relationship worked out. Others debate that, but we do know enough to conclude that, well, let’s just say that the pagans knew how to mix a lot of illicit sex into their religious celebrations.

So skip ahead a few hundred years and—I’ll just quote from a National Public Radio report—“Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals.” Knowing how popular it was with the masses, though, he said, we’ll still have something on Feb. 14, but we’ll honor Saint Valentine, a fellow Catholic legend says was martyred. As NPR says, “The festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, ‘It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love.’”

The AmericanCatholic.org website says Gelasius “changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year (a change that no doubt disappointed a few young men). Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine.

For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine’s name.”

And let’s not forget about Cupid—where did he come from? Well, in Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. He himself is the god of raw desire, erotic love and attraction; and he was worshipped because he could cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his love-potion arrows. So, that cute little cherub on your greeting card?—a Roman god.

So would Jesus have done Valentine’s Day when it first appeared on the scene in modern Christianity? Would He have said, “Hey, I don’t have any problem with you borrowing a little religion here and there from the pagans. Want to weave their idols and gods into My religion? Go for it. Don’t worry about that silly commandment about idolatry and no other gods before Me. My God, Roman gods—no big deal.”

“Valentine’s and WWJD”—what would Jesus do? That’s pretty clear. The real question is “Valentine’s and WWYD”—what will you do?”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/would-jesus-do-valentines/

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3 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day

“As Valentine’s Day draws near, many will celebrate romantic love. But what about true love? Here are three ways to escape the superficiality of Valentine’s Day.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, millions of people have already made plans for romantic getaways, ordered flowers or chocolates and started writing valentines. For the holiday that is supposed to epitomize romantic love, it is very materially based and commercialized.

Can a married couple express true love in better ways than heart-shaped chocolates and bland, poorly worded cards? You bet!

Origins of Valentine’s Day

Where does real romance that is related to true love come from? A solid, healthy relationship. The old adage of “we could talk for hours” should still be one of the most romantic things to us.Before we discuss the meaningful alternatives to Valentine’s Day, consider why we should seek alternatives in the first place. Valentine’s Day is based on a very bizarre, ancient fertility festival called the Lupercalia. This festival was celebrated in mid-February in ancient Rome. The ancient Romans would sacrifice an animal on the Lupercalia and then use the hides to whip females in order to supposedly increase their fertility.

Another component of the festival was matchmaking. Males and females would be paired up at Lupercalia by a lottery and then would remain partners for either the duration of the festival or for a year.

The Roman church later replaced the Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day in honor of a martyr named Valentine. But the popular celebration maintained the romantic and sensual elements of the pagan festival.

The fact that Cupid, a Roman god of love, is associated with this day is even more proof of its deep roots in ancient Roman paganism.

Alternatives

Marriage is a beautiful institution created by God, and there are much better ways to build and celebrate it than a celebration like Valentine’s Day!

Here are a few ideas to celebrate your love for your spouse—without doing it on Valentine’s Day!

1. Get romantic at unexpected times.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/blog/3-romantic-alternatives-to-valentines-day/

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Update

When the back seats where taken out of my van, we covered the rear of the van and the seat tracks with a piece of carpet which we cut to fit.  It had become grubby, so Zack and I took it out and shampooed it, and gave the van a good vacuum. On Tuesday I went with another neighbor, Hans, to the Y and did yoga and senior exercises again.  Yoga doesn’t look strenuous, but you know you have done it! 

Another day, Zack and I sanded down a table top and a few other things, we didn’t get them finished though.  On Friday, Jay came to work and we put some of the siding on the outside wall of the mini-house which is inside the attached greenhouse.  We have had several nights when it went below freezing, so I am glad that I could put my potted aloe vera plants in there.  For the several hundred aloe plants that are planted outside we tried something new this year, we covered them with the endless supply of pine needles instead of cloths.  So far they have fared well.

Then we had another old spell. I didn’t make anything for the church potluck this week as something went wrong with my oven and also I just couldn’t get warm.  On Friday, it was fine while I was working outside, but when I came back indoors I just felt like I was freezing.  A hot shower and an electric blanket fixed that.  My temperature is always below normal, so I really feel the cold, that is why I left England and Washington State.

Then, my desktop computer went crazy and so I had to drag out this laptop. I don’t like the wide narrow screen so you have to scroll all the time. I can see a whole page on my desktop’s monitor. My van is fixed, but now the oven and computer don’t work. It’s always something.

The Bible readings where Gen. 43:15-44:17. Jer. 42:12-17, 43:12-13, Mat. 6:19-24 and all of Mat. 5. The Teaching was about “Messiah, Our Advocate.”  It was so cold that I was wearing two jackets and three warm shirts to make it through the day.

Don’t Feed Ducks Bread! Christian Holidays: Which? Does God Care? Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:  

Stop Feeding Ducks Bread

Image credit: The angel wing condition seen on a Muscovy duck. Cengland0/Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 3.0

“It seems harmless enough, feeding bread to the ducks in your local park; we enjoy it, the ducks get some food, and everyone’s happy. In fact, in England and Wales alone, they feed six million loaves of bread to ducks every year – but this is definitely doing them more harm than good. Most bread is essentially junk food to them, although white is the worst, and can cause a range of problems, including a debilitating disease called “angel wing.”

White bread has essentially no nutritional value – it’s packed full of calories and has little else to offer. Continuously feeding it to birds causes them to rely on us for a food source rather than their natural diet. It’s the equivalent of only feeding your children unhealthy foods; they’ll eventually get addicted to it, and will find it very difficult eating, or wanting to eat, anything else. So, at the very least, feeding ducks bread is giving them a readily-accessible unhealthy diet, leaving them ultimately malnourished.

At the far end of the spectrum, there’s “angel wing.” This is a disturbing condition that causes the bird’s wings to point out laterally, rather than resting against the body, rendering them in many cases unable to fly. It’s an incurable condition brought about as a result of a high-calorie diet, one extremely high in protein and carbohydrates, and low in vitamins D, E and manganese – the exact diet a bird would get if they primarily ate white bread. Without being able to fly, these birds soon die.    

The effect of lobbing bread into the canals and ponds across the land goes far beyond the detrimental effects on the health of water fowl: It pollutes waterways, causing poisonous algal blooms, promoting the growth of suffocating molds, and attracts infection-riddled vermin to the area.

“Of course, bread's not the only thing that causes the problem,” says Richard Bennett, an environmental manager at the Canal and River Trust, as reported by the Guardian. “It wouldn't matter if you fed ducks in a clear, nutrient-free environment like an upland stream, but people are more likely to do it in towns and cities.”

Remember: Just because something’s been done for a long time, it doesn’t make it right. That includes feeding bread to ducks.”  From: https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2017/03/27/stop-feeding-ducks-bread/amp/  BLOG.EDUCATION.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.ORG

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Christian Holidays: Which? Does God Care?

“Some holidays are national celebrations, and others have religious roots. Are all Christian holidays the same? Are some really made holy by God?

For many people, a holiday is just a welcome day off from work to be with friends and family. But some days seem to be more significant than others, depending on culture, religion and family values. The Bible actually identifies some days as holy days commanded by God to be observed. Could it really make that much difference which Christian holidays we observe?

There are two basic kinds of holidays, national or religious. In the United States, good examples of the two types would be the Fourth of July and Christmas. The French celebrate Bastille Day and the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. No doubt there are many holidays and holy days around the world of which most of us are completely unaware.

Does it make any difference which days we keep?

National or religious holidays?

We celebrate our national holidays because of historic national events (such as America’s Independence Day, Memorial Day or Labor Day). This is simply a matter of observing the day because some national events are significant, and many businesses often close down that day. You have a day at home to relax or take the family on a picnic or go visit relatives.

But what about religious holidays?

Canada and the United States both observe a national Thanksgiving Day. Many Britons take part in a yearly thanksgiving harvest festival. Such celebrations have religious overtones, in that we take time to give thanks to our Creator for His blessings. Jews observe Purim and Hanukkah as both national and religious holidays.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/christian-holidays/

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Update.

This update was just written, then it suddenly disappeared, so I will try to do it again.  Wow, never had that happen before!

This week, Zack, my neighbor who helps me, and I had to spend a whole morning raking up the massive amount of pine needles and cones which had fallen in the tiny back yard of the mini-house.  There is a very big, prolific pine tree there, and every time it rains, it covers the ground.

Two days were taken up with other people’s appointments, Zack’s medical exam, and Lauri taking her TX driving test, which she passed. Then Zack and I worked on shelves for the kitchen, and bedroom, in the mini-house.  The shelf under the kitchen sink had to be cut out for the plumbing, and the ones for the bedroom had to be sanded ready for stain and varnish.

Another day was with a different electrician getting the parts for the new outside electrical box.  He started to work on it today, but with the rain and other things, it had to be postponed.

As there was plenty of Shepherd’s Pie left over and frozen from last Sabbath, I didn’t take anything for the church potluck.   I did take some frozen chicken wings to the pastor’s wife to do with whatever she wanted.  Anyway, I was going on to the Olive Garden in Conroe to meet some senior ladies.  They seemed like very sweet ladies, but I don’t really have the time nor inclination to sit and chat about hairdoes, fashion, and other ladylike things.

The Bible readings were Deut. 7:12-11:25, Isa. 4:14-51:3, Heb. 11:8-13 and Rom. 8:31-39. and the Teaching was about Keeping the Laws of Moses.  About not to keep the customs of the pagans, but to keep the laws that were given to Moses, The Ten Cammandments, best you can.

No telling when the new outside breaker box will be finished as it is going to rain for the next few days.