“Something awful has been unleashed in America.” Daffodils. “How to Pray for Others.”

Something Awful Unleashed 

It was recently said, “Something awful has been unleashed in America.” Few people think beyond the physical in trying to understand today’s world. Yet the Bible reveals a spirit dimension where dwells the God family and other spirit beings who interact with and influence our world. 

The apostle Paul lays it out in Ephesians 6, saying, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (verse 12).

To understand some recent events and trends in culture and society, we must acknowledge the truth of this passage. The irrational, God-defying evil that has erupted upon America—and the world—comes from the realm of unseen evil and Satan’s demonic influence. This evil intends to unravel the fabric of human life. Satan’s kingdom is massing powerful forces of hate, anger and evil. They masquerade as good and fair values that liberate, confirm and advance culture and civilization. But they are doing the very opposite!

When Scripture says love not the world nor the things of the world, it means this world is not your friend and does not seek your best interest. Events and trends have reached a point of no return. A Christian must be armed with a solid faith in God to withstand the battle of life before us. 

It is time to check our faith—protected by a shield that cannot be penetrated by doubt, fear or weakness. I encourage you to begin a personal study of faith. A strong belief and confidence in God’s firm hand in our life can be the anchor we need during these times. Here is the opening chapter to our booklet, “You Can Have Living Faith”.

Take some time to read it this weekend. I think it will lead you into a further study. “  From: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?e=72c729d811&u=1d04480cefc2e7c4492fe4a04&id=359cbd5c27

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Daffodils

‘We're in the cold, dark days of winter, but like the hibernating daffodil we should use this time to prepare for spring; to pause, to reflect, to plan, and to nourish our spiritual lives.”

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/2RviY4FkBwo

[Darris McNeely] “Have you ever wondered what the good of all the cold, hard winter months are, December, January, February? These are daffodils. They don't look like daffodils right now. They're bulbs, but you can see that in time, as it comes up out of this dirt, these will be daffodils. My wife dug those out of our front yard just a few days ago. We had a tree cut down. And before the man came in with his grinder to grind the stump out of the yard, my wife got out and dug these up because she didn't want them destroyed by the grinder, because she wants to see these again in the spring. And so, this afternoon, we'll have to have to put these back into the ground, cover them with dirt, and then wait a few months for them to come back up. And in the spring, we'll have our beautiful yellow daffodils once again.

I was thinking about this because right now we're in the midst of winter. We've past the shortest day of the year and slowly we're gonna be getting to longer days, and eventually, springtime will come. But in the Northern Hemisphere, at least for us right now, it's the dark, short, cold days of winter. What value are they? What should we be doing?

Rather than the reveling and the merrymaking of the false holidays that are somewhat prominent during this time of year, I think God had in mind for His people living in these temperate zones to use that time with shorter days, longer nights, colder weather, where we're not able to get outside and do a lot of other things, we're a bit more dormant just like these bulbs to prepare for the time and the future for the coming spring, for the days that are longer. In other words, for the time when the work can be done.

Right now is the time to be reflecting, to be thinking, to be drawing closer to God during these days. There is a reason that God causes the seasons to change as they do. And when we have these shorter, colder days, it gives us an opportunity to draw closer to God, to think through, and to pause.

Use that time wisely. Plan, nourish your life spiritually, nourish your life like these bulbs. These daffodils are nourished during the winter months in the ground in a dormancy, but still working, so that in the spring, when the sun, when the light and the light begins to come back out, then they will bloom and they will show all that they have been prepared for.

That's what we should be using these times for. That's what we should be thinking ahead for the times when we can bloom as well because we have prepared by being closer to God, by feeding ourselves on the values and the things of life that will help us during those times ahead.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/daffodils

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”God appreciates people who pray fervently for others facing trials. Why does God command intercessory prayer, and how does He want us to pray for others? Learn more in this week’s featured article, “Intercessory Prayer: How to Pray for Others.”  

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Could Biblical Laws Have Prevented Coronavirus? Let Jacob Rejoice. Forgiveness According to the Riches of His Grace. Update.

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What’s Behind the Coronavirus Outbreak?

Had human beings respected and obeyed the Bible’s food laws, the coronavirus outbreak would likely never have occurred.

The coronavirus is causing fear throughout the world. What’s behind this disease epidemic? Is there a solution to it? Will disease epidemics ever end?

Medical workers in protective suits help patients diagnosed with the coronavirus in a temporary hospital in Wuhan, China (Chinatopix via AP). 

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse represent four major trends the world has faced for centuries, but which will intensify to their maximum level in the end times (Revelation 6:1-8).

The fourth horseman is described as riding a “pale horse” (verse 8). This horse is associated with death. By comparing Revelation 6 with Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (found in Matthew 24), we can identify this pale horse as “pestilences,” or plagues (Matthew 24:7). To learn how Jesus’ Olivet Discourse aligns with the four horsemen of Revelation, read “What Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”

The pale horse represents disease epidemics that have killed millions of people throughout history and that will afflict the world on an unimaginable scale in the end time.

Disease epidemics are a major issue in the world right now because of the spread of the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus (currently being called 2019-nCoV). Although China is the epicenter of the outbreak and the most affected country, the coronavirus has already spread to other countries in Southeast Asia, and cases have also been detected in Europe and America.

In the age of the plane, nations no longer live in relative isolation. Now a possible disease carrier can infect people in another country or continent thousands of miles away, all in a matter of hours. As of Feb. 11, there are at least 1,016 confirmed deaths and over 42,000 confirmed infections. The numbers increase hour by hour, which has health officials around the world on alert.

The troubling origin of the coronavirus

Initially, it was believed that this coronavirus originated from bats and was transferred to people through bat soup. Scientists researching the origin of the virus believe it can be traced back to a particular “wet market” (a Chinese marketplace specializing in fresh seafood and other meats).

According to Health.com, “researchers studied the genetic code of 2019-nCoV and found that it’s most closely related to two SARS-like coronavirus samples, suggesting that it, too, may have had a bat origin. But when researchers looked deeper, they discovered that the protein codes of 2019-nCoV were most like those used in snakes.”

The current thinking is that the virus could have been transferred to snakes from bats (snakes often eat bats in the wild), and then transferred to humans through snake meat sold at a particular wet market in Wuhan, China.

A recent article in the Journal of Medical Virology found: “Snakes were also sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market where many patients worked or had history of exposure to wildlife or farm animals. Taken together, snakes could be the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV.”

Though consuming reptiles and bats is repulsive to many in the Western world, these and many other unusual creatures are commonly eaten in many Asian cultures.

Could biblical laws have prevented the coronavirus?

Though largely ignored in our world today, the Bible contains dietary laws that tell us which meats are designed by God to be eaten and which meats are not. Many have found that these laws benefit human health.

Both bats and snakes are labeled “unclean” in the Bible, that is, not fit for human consumption (Leviticus 11). As is often the case, had human beings respected and obeyed the Bible’s food laws by not eating snake or bat meat, the coronavirus outbreak would likely never have occurred.

To learn more about the biblical laws of clean and unclean meats, read our article “Clean and Unclean Animals: Does God Care What Meats We Eat?”

Another example of a biblical law that can prevent the spread of disease is the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.” This law forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and woman (Exodus 20:14). This simple law is insurance against contracting the many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are carried by so many people today—HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital herpes, etc.

(Of course, not everyone who contracts an STI is guilty of breaking this law. Unfortunately, sometimes these diseases are passed to children by a parent or by unsanitary practices at hospitals. Sadly, people’s sins often have repercussions that impact other innocent people.)

God also told the Israelites to bury their bodily waste (Deuteronomy 23:12-13), instead of disposing of it in rivers, lakes and oceans as is often done today—especially in the developing world. This simple preventive measure, if followed, would virtually eliminate the threat of devastating waterborne diseases, such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and others.

Sanitation, cleaning and quarantine were also emphasized in the Bible. Procedures were also given for the treatment of people with various types of sores and infections (Leviticus 15). Virtually everything the person touched was considered contaminated, including dishes, clothing and even where he or she sat.

These laws were given to help Israel stay healthy and show love to each other. When these laws are applied in the modern world, they can have the same effect!

The ride of the pale horse will be ended

Hopefully, the current coronavirus will be brought under control and its spread will be stopped. But we still know from Bible prophecy that even more serious and deadly disease epidemics are ahead of us. The “pale horse” is already riding—and will ride with more strength and speed during the coming Great Tribulation.

The good news is that Jesus Christ will return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. When that happens, God’s laws will be implemented throughout the world (Isaiah 2:2-4), which will result in a healthy world—both physically and spiritually!

Jesus Christ, who will return on a white horse, will overpower and destroy the four horsemen of Revelation, including the “pale horse” of pestilence.

The sins that led to the pale horse’s ride will be corrected when humanity repents and starts obeying God’s good and beneficial laws. Human beings will no longer eat unclean meats or do any of the other things that have historically contributed to disease outbreaks.  Had human beings respected and obeyed the Bible’s food laws, the coronavirus outbreak would likely never have occurred.

Pray for those suffering from the terrible coronavirus—and for the return of Jesus Christ to earth to stop disease epidemics!”    From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/whats-behind-the-coronavirus-outbreak/?

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Let Jacob Rejoice

Psalm 14:7

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

“The story of the Bible reveals a cyclical history of God’s people. God loves His people, gives them His good laws and His blessings, but too soon the people forget to thank God and forget His laws. They begin doing things the way that seems right to them, but which He knows will result only in suffering and death. The people bring negative consequences and even captivity on themselves, only to cry out to God for rescue.

In Psalm 14 David looks to the end of this recurring history and cries out for the ultimate salvation that God desires to give. Many prophecies refer to a great end-time exodus of the descendants of Israel back to the Holy Land (Isaiah 11:11-16; Jeremiah 30; etc.).

The physical peace and prosperity are only a foretaste of the true spiritual salvation God offers to those who repent and commit to permanent faithfulness to God and His ways. This salvation, made possible by God’s incredible mercy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our stead, is the source of the eternal rejoicing that David longed for.”   From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/let-jacob-rejoice/?

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Forgiveness According to the Riches of His Grace

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

The word redemption means “‘buy back’ or ‘ransom.’ In ancient times, one could buy back a person who was sold into slavery. In the same way, Christ through His death bought us from our slavery to sin” (NKJV Study Bible, note on Ephesians 1:7).

The incredible love Jesus showed in being willing to pay our death penalty for us is described with the Greek word charis—grace. “The Greek word for grace is probably equivalent to the Hebrew word chesed meaning ‘lovingkindness,’ a word frequently used by the psalmists to describe God’s character. In the [New Testament], the word charis usually signifies divine favor or goodwill, but it also means ‘that which gives joy’ and ‘that which is a free gift’” (NKJV Study Bible, Word Study: Grace, p. 1737).

Another way to express the meaning of God’s grace is that it refers to God’s great love in action toward us. Grace describes all of God’s wonderful free gifts, from forgiveness of sins to the gift of eternal life.

For more about forgiveness and grace, see “What Is Grace?”   From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/forgiveness-according-to-the-riches-of-his-grace/?

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Update.

We decided to study all the Philippians lessons in that series, last Sunday at the Bible study.  Then on Mondays we have been having the weekly “Strengthening Families of the Brazos Valley” meetings here at the apartment club house. Tuesday was Bingo, and on Wednesday, Amerigroup put on a Valentine Party for the residents.

By Thursday, somewhere, somehow, I had put my back out, so it has been difficult for me to bend over to put the leash on the little dog.  Oh, how I wish I had a fenced yard!  My doctor doesn’t believe in chiropractors so he ordered therapy for me.  As soon as I walked into the Therapy building I started sneezing and coughing. 

The therapist didn’t do much for me.  Timed me walking around the corridors of the building six times.  I did one lap per minute.  No massage or any hands-on treatment. Maybe that will be another time.  The sneezing and coughing continued into the next day, and got worse during the Friday morning Bible study.  By Saturday morning, I knew that I didn’t need to go to church to sneeze and cough, disturbing the service, so I took some allergy meds and went to bed.

Finally, I stopped sneezing and coughing, so I went to the afternoon Bible study about Revelation on Sunday.

What Does God Say About Witches and the Occult? Do the Souls of the Dead Live Forever? Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”.

What Does God Say About Witches and the Occult?

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

““There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.”

God outlawed witchcraft and other pagan practices that appealed to the evil spirit realm for their power. To God, it was an abomination for His people to seek help from Satan and his demons. Still, the Israelites were enticed by these practices again and again.

This was not just an Old Testament concern. The new converts to Christianity also took the subject of magic seriously ( Acts 19:19 ). The apostle John also warns that those who practice witchcraft must repent or they will end up in the lake of fire—the second death ( Revelation 9:21 ;21:8 ).

How did Western, so-called Christian nations get caught up in a holiday like Halloween that dabbles in the darkness of evil spirits, witchcraft and the occult? See our article “Halloween: Should Christians Celebrate It?””  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/what-does-god-say-about-witches-and-the-occult/?

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Considering Halloween: The Unfruitful Works of Darkness

Ephesians 5:11

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

God’s way is symbolized in the Bible as light, and darkness symbolizes sin and evil. Many times the apostle Paul encouraged faithful Christians to avoid the darkness of Satan’s lawless thinking and evil influences. For example, he wrote, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

He also wrote to the Corinthians: “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

The custom of Halloween, derived from popular pagan festivities to appease evil spirits, is definitely a time of darkness.

Paul continues by quoting from Isaiah 52:11 , “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

God’s people are to live no longer as the ungodly do in lewdness and greed ( Ephesians 4:17-19 ). How better to describe the risqué adult costume parties and the demands for treats of the younger crowd but as lewdness and greed?

God calls on us to draw near to Him and to resist the devil ( James 4:7-8 ). Should we not resist a holiday of darkness that celebrates evil?” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/considering-halloween-the-unfruitful-works-of-darkness/?

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Do the Souls of the Dead Live Forever?

Ezekiel 18:4

““Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.”

The word translated soul is the Hebrew nephesh, which can even refer to animals ( Genesis 1:21 ) and corpses ( Leviticus 22:4 ). The Bible does not describe humans as having an immortal soul, but as being a living soul—a living creature. As God says in Ezekiel 18:4 and 20 , human souls can die. In fact, death—eternal death—is the punishment for sin ( Romans 6:23 ).

Only God has immortality ( 1 Timothy 6:16 ), and He offers it as a gift to those who believe and obey Jesus Christ ( John 3:16 ; Romans 6:23 ).

For a study of the subjects of the mortality of the soul and hell, see our article “What Is Hell?” Understanding what the Bible teaches about the mortality of the soul provides further reason for Christians not to celebrate All Saints’ Day and Halloween.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/do-the-souls-of-the-dead-live-forever/?

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Update.

It has been a very busy two weeks.  Including slow driving through pouring rain twice, once to Bryan to the Social Security Office, and once to Willis.  It was so cold in Bryan waiting for the Soc. Sec. office to open with the wind chilling us to the bone, that I think that is where I caught a cold.  

With the aid of my helper, Joseph, we have moved all the items from the storage in Willis to a storage here in Navasota. One day it was raining so hard you couldn’t see, then the next day the trip to Willis was in blazing sunshine.  With the sun being low in the sky this time of year, the visors wouldn’t keep it out of my eyes. They seem a lot more sensitive to bright light since I had the cataract surgery.  But at least that is all done.  Now I can start selling a lot of the stuff and empty that storage soon, I hope.

As I have so many lentils I have been trying to get them used up.  For one Sabbath potluck I made Chili Cheese Lentils, then this week I made a Lentil Loaf with shredded carrots, celery, onions and black olives in it . No meat is served at this congregation, and they seem to live a long time.  Our lady pianist is 89 years old and going strong.

The last Sabbath the theme was “His Mercy Endures Forever”  Psa. 136:1, and the Sermon was about Submission.  This Sabbath is was “This Is the Day The Lord has Made, Let us Rejoice and Be Glad In It”  Psa. 118:24, and the Sermon was about Detachment.  Phil. 3:78.  How we should be detached from earthy things.

It is so great to be in this senior apartment, they are sturdily made of brick and well insulated.  I am usually cold and my electric heating bills used to be 50% higher than my summer AC bills.  Now I am happy that I can economically run the gas furnace as much as I want night and day. 

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.

Why Did the Wise Men Bring Gifts to Jesus? Hidden in Plain Sight: The Festivals Jesus Celebrated. Why Celebrating Christmas Is Futile. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Why Did the Wise Men Bring Gifts to Jesus?

“The answer to this question is more important than you ever knew! It reveals vital understanding about the very identity and future role of Jesus Christ!

Why did wise men bring gifts to Jesus Christ as a young child? What can we learn from these gifts? Discover the answers in this short video by Foundation Institute instructor Dave Myers. (click on link at the end to see video)

The scriptural account surrounding Jesus’ birth tells of wise men traveling a great distance from the east to present the young Christ child with gifts. What is the reason for imparting gifts to a small child? Who did these men believe they were honoring?

Confused customs

First of all, the Bible does not tell us the exact number of wise men, and they were not present for His birth in a manger as is so often depicted in nativity scenes every December.

Matthew 2:1, 11 shows that the young child Jesus was already in a house by the time the wise men visited and offered their gifts. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. … And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

This is only one illustration of how Christmas customs have actually distorted the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Other articles on this website demonstrate this fact in much more depth. Be sure to read some of these eye-opening assessments of commonly held traditions.

The question we are exploring in this article is why wise men brought gifts to a child who was too young to appreciate them in the first place. What motivated these men to feel it was appropriate to present anything? Who did they think Jesus was, and why did they come all that way?

The answer reveals an often overlooked reality about the Son of God.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/who-is-jesus/why-did-the-wise-men-bring-gifts-to-jesus/

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Hidden in Plain Sight: The Festivals Jesus Celebrated

Which days will you celebrate this year? Few give this any consideration, but you should. Some little-known holy days can help unlock benefits God wants to give you!

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“A little over 60 years ago, my parents were young and raising two small boys—my brother and me—when they learned about the annual holy days of the Bible.

Having grown up attending a mainstream Christian church, they, like most people, had been observing Christmas and Easter. These were the two most important religious holidays for them, and they had no idea that what they were doing might not be exactly what God expects.

Shortly after they learned that the Bible taught the seventh-day Sabbath instead of Sunday, they started worshipping on Saturdays, except for the half day of work every other Saturday that Dad’s job required. (Read more about this in  The Sabbath: A Neglected Gift From God.)

Then they concluded that they needed to be baptized. They decided to drive up from their home in Houston to attend a church service that would be held in East Texas by the radio preacher who had introduced them to the biblical Sabbath.

Never heard of them

After the church service, they began counseling with one of the ministers about being baptized. In assessing their readiness for baptism, the minister asked them whether they knew about the seventh-day Sabbath and whether they were keeping it. “Yes” and “mostly,” they replied.

When Dad realized that he needed to fully keep the Sabbath every Saturday, he made a commitment to do so regardless of what would happen with his job. (As it turned out, his company allowed him to have Saturdays off, and soon everyone in the company had both Saturday and Sunday off.)

So my parents were baptized and then made an interesting discovery. They learned that in addition to the weekly Sabbath, there were also annual Sabbaths and that one of them—Pentecost—would occur the next day. They had never heard of these annual festivals of God. The church they had previously been attending didn’t teach them, and they had no idea that God intended for these festivals to be observed today.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/biblical-festivals/festivals-jesus-celebrated/

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Why Celebrating Christmas Is Futile,   Trade the glitz of Christmas for the substance of God.

“People try to hold on to something that has been a focal point in their life, but it cannot fill the void. There is a way to worship Christ and to fill that void.

It is that time of year again: When I have to let others know at work that I want to be left out of their Christmas celebrations. Most of my coworkers think it’s a bit odd, but they humor me.

This year I had one person take offense that I do not my want my desk to be decorated or to be included in any of the celebrations. His desk was decorated for his birthday, and I congratulated him. He then raised his voice at me and asked if I had a problem with the decorations. I said not at all. He then said in a loud hostile voice, “Do you know who else has a birthday this month?” Bewildered by his attitude, I said no. He shouted “Jesus! Jesus has a birthday the 25th of this month!” He then continued to loudly restate this in different ways, several times.

I just let him rant and turned back to my own work, as nothing was to be gained by getting into an argument with him. I am sure he felt he was defending his beliefs against the “war on Christmas.”

This man is a manager over many people (not myself), and I shudder to think how someone under him would be treated who had any beliefs different than his. Our company policy strictly prohibits this kind of behavior toward people of different religious backgrounds.

It’s not that I had requested anyone else not celebrate Christmas in my presence, or that anybody refrain from decorating their own desk. I had merely asked that I not be included. I did not try to impose my thoughts about Christmas. I acknowledge that for many people it is seen as a time to worship Jesus and to spend meaningful time with family and friends.

Vanity in worship

Bible scholars place the birth of Jesus as most likely in September. A simple Internet search of “When was Jesus born?” will give ample answers to show Bible scholars pretty much agree on the time of year. God would have made sure we knew the exact date if it were to be a time to worship our Savior.

“Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).

Can you think of anything more futile than celebrating someone’s birthday on a day that they were not born? And on a day used by their worst enemy? If you would not do this to your best friend or spouse, why does it seem all right to do it to the Creator of the universe?

“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

You can worship Jesus and do it in vain? Jesus said you could!

When people ask me why I do not celebrate Christmas, I tell them I only celebrate what the New Testament Church celebrated, and that Christmas was added hundreds of years later.

You will not find any semblance of it in the New Testament Church as recorded in the Bible.

Christmas’s troubling roots

An Internet search will show you there was a celebration similar to Christmas that took place at that time, called Saturnalia, which was held in worship of the god Saturn.

From History Today: “It was a public holiday celebrated around December 25th in the family home. A time for feasting, goodwill, generosity to the poor, the exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees. But it wasn’t Christmas. This was Saturnalia, the pagan Roman winter solstice festival. Saturnalia originated as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honor of Saturn ( satus means sowing). Numerous archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, demonstrate that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century AD.”

Here are some of the quotes readily available with an Internet search of “Why is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25?”

“The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December” (source: whychristmas.com ).

It is questionable whether Constantine ever actually accepted Christianity, as he continued to worship the sun god throughout his life. However, it is undeniable that when Constantine imposed his will at the Council of Nicaea, he influenced many of the common beliefs of Christianity that come down to us to this day.

Here is another one:

“Christmas is on Dec. 25, but it wasn’t always. Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus’s birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem. The earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth” (source: Washington Post ).

This one shows the common thought process today:

“Regardless of the pagan background of so many December traditions, and whether or not Jesus was born on December 25th, our goal is still to turn the eyes of all men upon the true Creator and Christ of Christmas. The light of the world has come. And the Christmas season and celebration presents the church with a wonderful opportunity to preach the good news—that men can be made righteous and have peace with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ” (source: Grace To You ).

Don’t be ensnared

How does celebrating a birthday on a day it did not occur, with entrapments of pagan celebrations and fables, turn people to God? Unfortunately, this celebration can be a major problem for people to give up in order to worship God in truth.

To His people Israel, God said: “Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).

That is what God has to say about it!

And the apostle Peter wrote, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

These traditions and the cunningly devised fables that surround Christmas actually mask who our Savior was! Some of these traditions can be traced all the way back to the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. In Revelation 18 God warns to come out of that Babylonian system so you will not have to receive the plagues that they will receive.

More and more fables are added year after year, and those of us on the outside looking at it can see it is getting more frenetic as time goes on.

People are trying to hold on to something that has been a focal point in their life, but it cannot fill the void. Christmas is a cherished family tradition, and many feel threatened by the references to the obvious syncretism with paganism.

There is a way to worship Christ and to fill that void, and that way is to worship on the days when Jesus Himself worshipped. Those special days have meaning about the hope for mankind, and are completely lacking in any ancient pagan practices.

If you are interested in knowing what many other people believe, observances that give meaning and hope to this chaotic world we live in, check out God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind .  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/why-celebrating-christmas-is-futile

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Update:

Well, with all the rigamarole of getting the doctor referrals, and my HMO’s permission for chiropractor’s evaluations, x-rays and the such, my back is still out, so not much has been done. That took all week, and now it is a holiday, maybe it will be done next week.  In the mean time, I have trouble bending down, getting up, and my knee still hurts.  This has hampered my exercising too, and I need to be in shape for my treadmill test next month.

Zack has been here to help me a little bit.  We got the dog room ready for “Flower”, the cat whose house was damaged in Harvey.  It still isn’t fixed, so she is still here.  Flower had to be moved away from the rest of my house into the dog room for a week as she attacks little timid abused “Puddin” who came home from the Cat Habitat for the holidays.  Again, Puddin’ didn’t try to sell herself for adoption at the Habitat, and just hid in the little ‘cave’.  She is so glad to be here and stays pretty close to me day and night.  We just hope that the right home can be found for her. A couple thought about adopting her, but she is terrified of men and he wanted a lap cat, so that wasn’t going to work.  My dog room is no longer used for boarding or grooming, just as a mail room for items to be sold on eBay, but the name stuck.

Jay’s mother, Claudia, who had the liver transplant and just now is getting over stomach cancer, came home from the rehab.  Jay promised to take good care of her and was sober and pleasant for a few days.  He forgot to feed her most of the time, and then he really fell off the wagon, and has been really mean and dangerous to everybody.  Claudia had to call the police twice when he was poking her in the stomach, but they wouldn’t lock him up, just told him to go to his house next door.  Jay threatened me with a knife when I took some food to her then threw the food at me, and I just want him to stay away from us, but at least she has got him move back to his house now.  He broke all the phones in her house before he left, so now bedridden Claudia is alone in her house with just us two neighbors to try to take care of her. 

Zack swept out the carpets in the van, to try to make it look better for the Sabbath, and he vacuumed the living room for me, as I can’t push that heavy vacuum while my back is out.  He tried to make my printer stop saying that there is a paper jam, as there isn’t, but nothing has worked.  I have spent hours this week trying to fix it, even uninstalling it and re-installing it with the disc.  So I will go and buy another printer that uses the same ink, as soon as I can.  I had just bought new ink for it, and that costs more than a new printer!

Standing in the kitchen wasn’t too bad, so I made Claudia a baked sweet potato stuffed with grass-fed ground beef and gravy, with tiny garden peas on the side.  Everything has to be really tender as she has new teeth and they hurt, so she doesn’t like to wear them.  The next day I had made her some overnight steel cut oats and apples in a little crockpot, and a New York Strip Steak that was so tender it could be cut with a fork.  I seared it, then pressure cooked it, and served it with homemade mixed veggies.

I had made a lot of veggies so I took a crockpot full of Cheesy Veggies for the church potluck, another crockpot of Butternut Squash and Pears, and an Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie Recipe - BettyCrocker.com .  Normally I don’t entertain white flour products at all, but I was given a box of Bisquick, and that’s what gave me the idea.  The recipe isn’t on the box any more, you have to look it up.  It was just as delish as it always was.  The pastor’s wife didn’t tell me that she was still under the weather, so I arrived at the church having to ramrod the potluck again.  We had several great dishes, including Chicken Alfredo, Chicken and Rice Enchiladas, broccoli, buttermilk pie and some homemade healthy brownies.

The Bible readings were Gen. 41:1-44:17, 1 King. 3:15-4:1, and Rom. 10:1-13, and the Teaching was “Spiritual Growth and Progress” (1 Peter 2:2 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.)

It was cold in the church, and I was glad that I had a warm jacket to wear. The heater would blow cold air when it was cooling off the heating coils.   56 deg. was the high for the day.

Where did Christmas come from? When Was Jesus Born?

 

For “Scripture Sunday”: late again as I just got my old computer back.

Where did Christmas come from?

“If it can be shown that the historical birth of Jesus wasn’t the real root of the holiday, where did it come from?

Hislop explains this as well: “Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen [that is, the pagans], at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed” (ibid., p. 93).

Secular and biblical evidence shows that the modern Christmas traditions came from the ancient winter solstice or Mithraic festival, adopted and celebrated by the Romans.

“Christmas has its origin in two ancient festivals, the great Yule-feast of the Norsemen and the Roman Saturnalia. During the Saturnalia, gifts were made by the wealthy to the poor in honor of the golden age of liberty when Saturn ruled the known world, and slaves were allowed to change places and clothing with their masters. They even elected their own king who, for the period of the festival, ruled as a despot. The Saturnalia involved the wildest debauchery, and was a festival of Pan himself” (Richard Cavendish, Man, Myth and Magic, 1983, Vol. 2, p. 480).

The Catholic writer Tertullian complained around A.D. 230 about the ancient festival period that led to Christmas: “‘By us … who are strangers to [Jewish] Sabbaths and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year’s day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians’” (quoted by Hislop, p. 93).

“Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostacy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin” (ibid.).

The bottom line: Christmas came from a pre-Christian, pagan festival."

From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/would-jesus-celebrate-christmas

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When Was Jesus Born?  (It is easy to figure it out by the Bible)

Did His birth occur on December 25th? Can we even know when Christ was born? And, should we really be celebrating His birth?

"We find the important clues about the real time of Jesus’ birth in what the Bible tells us about His cousin, John the Baptist.

Maybe you’ve read the Gospel of Luke and thought it was strange that the book and the story begins not with the story of the conception of Jesus, but with the story of the conception of John the Baptist. There’s a very good reason for this. Luke was sure to tell us in very specific detail when John the Baptist was conceived and born.

In Luke 1, it tells us that John’s mother, Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Jesus was conceived.

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary…” (Luke 1:24-27).

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were cousins. That means that from this verse, we know that John was six months older than Jesus. So we can discover the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born.

Now let’s look at what the Bible tells us about the time of John’s birth.

John’s father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Temple at Jerusalem. The Bible tells us that he and his wife were both righteous people who put their hearts into serving God. Zacharias, we’re told, was a priest who served in “the division of Abijah” (Luke 1:5). At this time, the Temple priests in Jerusalem were divided into several different “divisions” or what were called “courses” - or groups of priests that would take turns performing Temple service during the year. It’s like a yearly schedule for those serving at the Temple. There were so many priests at the time that they had to be set up on a schedule to have their time to serve in the Temple.

Now, here’s what’s important. Historians calculate that the course of Abijah mentioned by Luke, during which Zacharias served, happened from June 13-19 in that year ( The Companion Bible , 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).

The announcement therefore to Zacharias in the Temple as to the conception of John the Baptist took place between June 13-19 as our calendar has it today in that year.

During his Temple service, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and announced to him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived the cousin of Jesus; the child that would one day become John the Baptist (Luke 1:23-24). It seems that John’s conception took place near the end of June which was after the division of Abijah and Zecharias completed his Temple service, adding nine months brings us to the end of March the next year as the most likely time for John’s birth.

Adding another six months - the difference between the ages of John and Jesus (Luke 1:35-36) - brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus’ birth.

Now, when we look back and we look at this timeframe, we learn some interesting facts.

Zacharias, remember, was serving during the course of Abijah which was in the middle part of June of that year when he heard the announcement of his son’s birth. He went home, his wife conceived John the Baptist toward the end of June that year. Nine months later, John the Baptist was born in the spring, probably during the month of March as we know it today.

Six months later, Jesus Christ was born. Therefore, Christ is six months younger than his cousin and was born most likely in the fall sometime in the timeframe of September or October of that year.

So, if it’s provable using what we know from the Bible and some historical research that Jesus was born in the autumn of the year instead of the middle of winter in December, does that mean then we should keep Christmas or Christ’s birth and celebrate it in September instead of December? No it doesn’t.

For this reason: Nowhere in the Bible is there any instruction or command to commemorate or in any way celebrate the day of Christ’s birth. The fact that so many specific dates are given about other important and even less important events in the Bible, yet this exact date - the date of Christ’s birth - remains vague, that is significant.

For this reason: Nowhere in the Bible is there any instruction or command to commemorate or in any way celebrate the day of Christ’s birth. The fact that so many specific dates are given about other important and even less important events in the Bible, yet this exact date - the date of Christ’s birth - remains vague, that is significant.

God didn’t intend for this specific date, the date of Christ’s birth, to be celebrated. Now God does give us other specific days to observe that honor Christ and the Father. We do not need to invent our own days and times to do this. For those who love God and His Son, it is only natural to desire to worship both of them. But it is far better to worship God and Jesus Christ on the days and the times God has set.

As for the celebration of Christmas in December: Remember what we read earlier about the Roman church adopting pagan practices into the Christian faith to create Christmas. Jesus wouldn’t want us to celebrate pagan days as a means of honoring His birth. Now how can I make such a statement?

How do we know what Jesus would or would not want us to do? God makes it very clear He does not like pagan practices and He pretty well lays it out for us in one passage of the Bible that we should take note about. It says this in the book of Deuteronomy.

“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. ‘Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to [it] nor take away from it’ ” (Deuteronomy 12:29-32 ,NKJV)."

Excerpt from: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-television-program/when-was-jesus-born

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“What’s all this about?” 

Christmas is here again.

It seems every year some are just trying to find out what the real meaning of Christmas is about. They get tired of the commercialism, the pressure to give the right gift and when it’s all over there is an emotional let down. Something is not quite right. Something is missing.

If you find yourself still asking “what’s all this about?”  . You’re going to be surprised. Christ’s birth is not about trees and tinsel and lights and gifts. It’s about something far more important. Let’s look at “The Real Meaning of Christ’s Birth.”  Read:https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-television-program/the-real-meaning-of-christs-birth

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Update.

To install the new window in the guest house, we had to move the air conditioner.  It had just been put in that wall temporarily.  All this had to be done before we could finish insulating, paneling or put the siding on the outside of that wall.  We framed up for the window and installed it.  Then we framed up the new place for the air conditioner, but it was too cold to cut through the plywood to install it.  We just about froze in there, even with a portable heater going full blast.  The air conditioner is also a heater, so we need to get that back in there ASAP. 

The next day, it was very cold again, so we did some jobs in this, the main house.  One ceiling fan had started making an aggravating ticking noise, so it was taken apart, the cause found and remedied.   As our SPCA cat habitat will be closed for the holidays I would be taking care of my foster-kitten, Purrcy, who has been on display there, so we got things ready for him.  He is a very rambunctious little boy-cat so I had to “child-proof” my bathroom where he would be staying for a week.  He loves it at the habitat so he will go back there to, hopefully, be adopted, just like his sister little Pixie was. 

The refurbished computer didn’t work very well, and I struggled with it until my old one was brought back, all fixed, thanks to a great gentleman at our church.

For the church potluck, I had loaded a great big ground beef, potato, veggie, mushroom soup casserole dish in the van with my Bible and all the other things that I take to church.  But as I backed out I could tell there was something wrong.  It had a flat tire on a wheel that is hidden from view when it is in the carport.  The Emergency Road Service said that there were a high volume of calls and it would be a while.  I called my helper so he came and changed the wheel.  The spare is a donut and it makes a weird rubbing noise, so I want to get that off quickly.  Knowing that I would be late for church, I thought that there might not be time for the casserole to warm up enough, so I transferred the food into an electric chef’s kettle and turned it to ‘warm’ during the service.  When it was time to eat, my food thermometer showed that the food was safe to eat at over 165°.  Most stomach ills could be prevented if everyone followed Food Manager practices.  I know I have become sick after a potluck where that wasn’t done.

The Bible readings were Gen. 32:4 to I don’t know, as I wasn’t there, then Obe. 1:21, Hos 11:7-12:12, and Rev. 7:1-17. and the Teaching was about “Being Saved”, and Deut. 6:5-25, but mostly verse 14 “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the people who are around all round you”  That could be the god of money!  And John 14:15 ”He who loves me will keep my commandments”.

I still have the young little dog who was abandoned, but her owner’s boyfriend is going to pick her up soon.  I hope that they will get her fixed before she has another litter of pups and keep up with the heartworm and flea preventative that I have given her.  Some folks just aren’t reponsible enough to have pets, or kids.

When it warms up tomorrow we hope to get the AC/heater installed in the guest house.  We call it the “Mini-house”.    It is so cold that we decided not to work,  so hopefully I can get the tire fixed today.

The Nepal Earthquake. Baltimore Is The New Ferguson. 11 Hidden Gems of the Texas Hill Country.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

into News & Prophecy

The Nepal Earthquake: 3 Lessons to Make Sense of the Tragedy

"Thousands have died in the recent earthquakes in Nepal. Life in Nepal will not be the same for years to come. How should this calamity affect your future?

As of this writing, over 4,400 lives were suddenly wiped out when a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Nepal this past Saturday, April 25. This number will undoubtedly rise as more bodies are recovered from the rubble. In an instant, a shaking earth destroyed buildings and roads and buried thousands of unsuspecting people going about their normal routine. Over 1.4 million people are now without food, shelter and hope.

Nepal was grossly unprepared for this tragedy—lacking buildings designed to withstand an earthquake of this magnitude and with little monetary or rescue resources to handle the aftermath of the quake.

Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. Tragedies like this should remind us how precious life is and how quickly life can be turned upside down. It’s at times like these that we should turn to the Bible. The Bible gives a unique perspective on tragedies, including difficult lessons we must learn.

Consider these three lessons we should consider:

1. This is not God’s world.

Many see tragedies like this as proof that there is no God. They reason that an all-powerful, all-loving God would not allow tragedies like this. But the Bible shows a different way we should look at it. Tragedies don’t occur because God doesn’t care. They are a result of human beings rejecting God. Essentially, this is not God’s world!

Those who died in Nepal did not bring this earthquake on themselves. Nepal wasn’t necessarily guiltier of sin than any other country. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in a beautiful garden and interacted directly with them ( Genesis 2:8 ; Genesis 3:8 ). There were no earthquakes or other natural disasters in this garden. God was there and provided perfect protection and order. All God required of our first parents was that they live by His instructions. If they did, they would live in complete safety and happiness.

But when Satan appeared in the form of a serpent, he convinced them to reject God’s instructions and authority over their lives (Genesis 3:1-5). Because of this rejection, God removed them from the Garden of Eden and let them live in a world without His protection and influence ( Genesis 3:23 ).

All human beings have been given the same free will to choose their own way of living. God has warned that rejecting His law would bring suffering and death ( Genesis 2:17 ; Deuteronomy 30:15-20). Satan’s influence currently prevails over this world because man follows his way over God’s way ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ). The suffering and anguish in Nepal is a result of living in a world cut off from God.

2. Unless we change, we will all perish….

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/the-nepal-earthquake-3-lessons-to-make-sense-of-the-tragedy/

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into News & Prophecy

Now Is the Time to Protest

"As we view scenes of the violent protests in Baltimore, we are reminded that the United States, and world, has many unsolved problems.  Is protest the solution?

Baltimore is the new Ferguson. 

It all started when Freddie Gray, 25, died on April 19, 2015, a week after being arrested for fleeing police and being caught with a switchblade. Amateur videos and eyewitnesses seem to indicate that Mr. Gray was injured by police as he was being apprehended.

One video shows him being dragged into a police van while bystanders yell that his leg is broken. Mr. Gray apparently suffered a severe spinal cord injury—either before or after he was placed in the back of a police van. He reportedly asked for medical help throughout the ride, but was ignored until he was found unconscious at the police station.

Freddie Gray’s death has led to violent protests in Baltimore—including looting; burning businesses, buildings and police cars; and throwing rocks at police. The protesters claim that police brutality (directed primarily at minorities) has been happening for years—and Gray’s death has aroused years of anger and distrust seething below the surface of the black population of Baltimore.

But, of course, it’s not just Baltimore.

This same basic story has been repeated in different areas throughout the last year. The most prominent examples have been Eric Garner (Staten Island, New York), Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri), Tamir Rice (Cleveland, Ohio) and Walter Scott (North Charleston, South Carolina).

Yes, there is a problem…   More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/now-is-the-time-to-protest/

The problem in the streets of Baltimore today is the effect of many wrongs committed down through history. We cannot disconnect the present from the past. 

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Spain Seeks to Reconcile With Jews

"In 1492 Spain expelled all its Jews. Now they welcome back descendants of those displaced.

Video: https://youtu.be/SrA6g1SOR7I

Transcript: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/spain-seeks-to-reconcile-with-jews"

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On a lighter note:

11 Hidden Gems of the Texas Hill Country

"The Texas Hill Country is filled with hidden gems, you just have to know where to look.

Flickr/Dave Hensley

The Willow City Loop is a gorgeous 20-mile stretch of road that winds through green hills of the Gillespie County. This route is perfect for motorcyclists and scenic drivers, as it offers a fun, winding drive and beautiful scenery. And, if you’re riding in the springtime, you’ll see an awe-inspiring display of bluebonnets. To find the Willow City Loop, take Highway 16 to Farm Road 1323 (another gorgeous road) and head to Willow City. The road starts there:"  More at: http://www.wideopencountry.com/11-hidden-gems-texas-hill-country/

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Update:

This is the skinny 17 year old foster, Phoebe, with the failing kidneys. She isn't crazy about the kidney diet that she is on, so we have had to get her other food.  Anything to keep her eating.  She seems happy and purrs when I pet her.

On Monday, Jay and I shampooed the upholstery on more dining chairs and a boudoir chair, then he helped me load them and boxes of items for sale into the van.

Ray's son and I took the load to the consignment shop on Tuesday when we went into Conroe to pick up some of his meds.  I picked up a few groceries, as I would be taking BabyGirl, my foster dog for her appointment at the vet for her ear packing on Thursday. 

On Thursday, Jay and I loaded the van with boxes and paper recycling, and the dog to go to the vet.   Early in the day, at the first thrift shop where we dropped off all the paper to be recycled, I did manage to finally find some white pants that aren't jeans.  Thursday wasn't cool like the day before, so when Jay wanted to go grocery shopping at Sam's and Kroger's, I had to say no.  Can't do much shopping with an animal in the car on a hot day.

Ray finally came back on Wednesday, and slept a day and a half before they called him out again on Friday.  While he was gone I had been in his house to feed his cats, see to their boxes, and that is all I did.  I don't go burrowing around in someone else's place.  He showed me his freezer, there was plenty of food, Ray's son just couldn't be bothered to cook it. 

I had petted Ray's 'cat-from-hell' twice each day when I went in there to feed her, but as soon as I tried to pet her in front of Ray, she tore a piece out of my thumb!  What gratitude!

While Ray was away, I made sure that Buddy, one of Ray's outside cats, kept his neutering appointment and he was in my grooming room for post-op observation.  As Ray is gone so much, I asked him if it was fair to keep Buddy?  Why not let him have a chance of a family who will be home to take care of him.  Ray agreed, so Buddy can't go outside anymore, as he has been tested free of FIV and Feline Leukemia, diseases that cats that go outside often get.  Another reason to keep cats indoors is that they kill birds, lizards and things.

So Buddy went to his first Adoption Day on Saturday.  He behaved beautifully, and seemed to enjoy his outing.  Now that he has been checked out at the vet he can be around my other foster cats, and not be relegated to the grooming room.  He and my foster cat Nala keep on following each other around, I think they are going to be good friends.  Here they are on my screen porch.

BabyGirl went to Adoption Day too, but for a different reason.  A young man has fallen in love with her, and his parents who have adopted from us before, wanted to meet her.  Apparently, this is a wonderful new home for BabyGirl where she will be loved and have excellent care.  BabyGirl just has to have a blood test at her next ear packing appointment to make sure that there is nothing else going on in her insides, and then she can go to her new home.

The SPCA foster mom who lives near me took both animals to Adoption Day, while I was at church.  The Bible readings were Lev. 16:1-20:27, Eze. 22:1-18, John 7:1-9:41 and 10:1-16.  The Teaching was about 'Whoever Sins is a Servant of Sin'. 

The potluck was great, as usual, and lots of laughing, fellowship and camaraderie. Thankfully, they didn't have the air conditioning so cold this time, so I don't think it made my cold any worse that day.