the Atheist

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane. He turned to her and said,"Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or

Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly.

"OK," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?"

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death, when you don't know crap?"

Thanksgiving...are we Thankful?

I saw a post this morning on facebook that triggered a theme in me. The person was talking about Thanksgiving and Black Friday and how Black Friday was now encroaching on Thanksgiving day and....I had to pause.

WE are the reason for this. We, the consumer have brought this type of behavior to the culture.  WE are supposedly, all into being "thankful" only to go out the next day and become greedy? You will see "fights" covered on the news the day after we as a nation stop to be Thankful. Really? Now people will be passing the turkey and running out the door to shop because of "door-busters" that are now happening all day on Thanksgiving? What? Why are we doing this?

My son who worked retail gave me some insight into these "door-busters".  Most the time they are over-stocked items that "bombed" in their market so they are being "resurrected" and sold as "deals".  Yeah, deals for the CEO's so they don't eat the losses on product that wouldn't or didn't sell.  Many times these electronics are "last years" model and out-of-date (as electronics go).  There is so much "hype" with it all and we, the people, are "suckers" for a deal.

We can stop this, you know. How? By not going. We can refuse to "feed the machine".  We can choose to enjoy family and friends and stay home, stay out of the stores, have a "holiday".  Wow, that's a "new" concept (*insert sarcasm here).   If we don't go to the stores, the stores will not open next year and invade our families because they are about the "bottom-line" and if it doesn't work, they won't do it. I have had children working retail (in the past) and I had a hard time with the bosses mandate as they had to go to "work" because ALL employees HAD a mandatory work day on Black Friday; and not just Friday but 4 hours before the store opens and the entire week-end.  So they had to leave the festivities because Best Buy opened at Midnight last year and all employees had to get there to "set-up" the deals.  They worked all night!  This is MADNESS!  It really felt wrong as he had to leave early to go home to sleep so he could leave at night to work all night and all day.  He left while we were still fellowshipping, laughing and enjoying the holiday but suddenly, it didn't seem so festive as "one of us" was no longer there.


This leads me to another observation. Many people are not even spending Thanksgiving with family anymore. This is tragic and many times, it is because of "choice" rather than circumstance.  As a kid, I remember great aunts coming to the house that we only saw at holidays, and for sure cousins were around when we were small and most definitely, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews and now...now, it pains me. My children will have their siblings and maybe even some friends but grandparents live out of state and so we only get them on the random holidays. They don't get uncles and aunts or even cousins anymore because of choices not circumstance and many of those relatives who could get together (as they live in the same town), won't.  Why?  Many reasons and most of them come down to "selfishness". 

In this month of Thanksgiving, maybe we all could try to give our time more to BEING thankful rather than just saying we are. Actions speak louder than words. Just a thought.

Where will you BE on Thanksgiving? Hopefully with family, laughing, playing games, watching movies, eating and hanging out as you create memories for your children and grandchildren to recall later in their lives.  You are forming traditions by what YOU choose.

Many relatives have come before you with great anticipation of this day as they helped form your traditions. What is the legacy you are making for the generations beneath you? The older I get as a mother, the more I understand tradition and the heritage it is to our seed.  May we choose wisely and go for the eternal and not just the temporal.

Hope!

There is HOPE in the Lord! This is what God tells us.  We are to put our HOPE in the Lord! We are called to higher things; higher ways but we can't get there if we are downtrodden and heavy-laden.  God doesn't call us without equipping us.  Therefore this is a season for HOPE!  God is pouring out Hope; hope for a lost and dying world.

We are to be the ambassadors and prophets of HOPE in this season! WE ARE! Did you hear me? WE are the agents God has put into this place to be His hands, His feet, His HOPE to the lost and dying world.  We are to be pouring out onto others as God is pouring into us.  This requires us to be full of hope!

Wow - this is convicting because we can't GIVE what we don't have. Did you get that? We CAN'T give what we don't have. We NEED hope and upon receiving hope, we are then to go out and give it away! There is darkness ALL around us, but people - we have the HOPE that abounds planted into our very fibers when we were born again. We SHOULD look different to the world. We should ACT different than the world. We should HAVE HOPE and then pour it out for all to see.

We have the HOPE of Glory IN US! The world is looking for HOPE. They are looking at you!  Show them HOPE!  God's Hope never fails, never runs out, never gives up.  He is Hope to the hopeless.  He is our HOPE!

We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. – I Timothy 4:10  Marantha!  Come Lord Jesus - our HOPE!

Take a minute to enjoy this incredible worship song.  It is FULL of Hope...it is Hope's Anthem.  Blessings!

What happened to the church?

So over the last few days, I have been taking a lot of time searching the Lord for what has happened to our beloved United States of America.  The shock of how our nation has embraced this President AGAIN has brought me to the conclusion that judgement will be coming on our nation as we have turned our backs on God.  I already felt we were on thin ice before the election but the election was like our final chance to turn-away from the things that were abominations to God; like abortion and gay marriage.  It saddens me to see how Godless our nation has turned.

I can't help but hear the recounted story of Noah in my head as the people mocked and laughed at him for his "bold, "outrageous, judgmental" statements, they said.  The people scorned him as he continued to plead with them to repent for their evil, but they laughed.  Finally the door on the arch was shut by the hand of God himself and the drops of rain later began.  I can't even fathom the horror outside as those inside must have been wrenched in pain hearing the cries for "another" chance.  Please!  Help Us!

This, I believe, is about to be manifested in our lifetimes too.  It was as if hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call, but few were even paying attention to the Lord. In the last few days, I have had two private facebook messages from "friends" who want to find their way back to the Lord.  They "sense" something has "shifted" even though I am not sure if they did or did not vote for this president; they KNOW something is wrong, terribly wrong at the core of our society.  I also received a message "laughing" at me for my choice had failed.

The "day after" the stock market fell and the dollar fell in value and as all this was happening, I saw many friends on facebook gloating at their "victory"!  It makes me cringe as they mock God, Christians, the "far-right", those "radicals" and on and on.  But this is not the half of it, what is really troubling is that most of this "mocking" is coming from people that call themselves "believers".  Yes, SHOCKING!

I can't tell you how many people I have had "discussions" with regarding the bible and Christianity before the elections and the troublesome thing was these discussions were with people who call themselves "Christians".  Christians "challenged" me that Romney was from a "cult" and as a Christian, how could I vote for him.  Well Obama seems more like a Muslim to me, but that didn't stop them for voting for him.  They want to say that endorsing this president is "the right thing" because he has a heart for the poor but they won't address his agreement to the slaughter of innocence in the womb or more over, the endorsement of killing babies who survive abortion in "born-alive".  This is murder and yet Christians seem to be a-okay with that.  Really?

I have been a member and I know people who are members of churches where the message has been so watered down all in the name of being "seeker" friendly and with that, people have no understanding of this loving God who is also a God of "justice".  Seems like the "fire-and-brimstone" message has been replaced with this soft, "Grace for all" message.  I think there is truth to be found in fire and brimstone and in grace but to replace one with the other is error.

This video is interesting and his bottom line is exactly where the Lord has brought me to.   Over the course of the last years, especially the last months, weeks and then days, I have felt a tremendous burden (even warning) in my heart for the pastors who have watered-down the message of the gospel to fill their pews and build their programs and buildings.  It is evident to me, that they have been found "wanting" as many who voted in this election still call themselves "believers" yet we have this outcome.  Even the demons say they "believe".  It's not enough to believe.  We have to LIVE what we believe.  God is a "fruit inspector" and he looks at the fruit, not the intention.  Lord, have mercy on us.

Obama and Faith

A pastor friend on facebook posted this link so I watched it regarding Obama and faith.  I was quite troubled by it, to say the least.  I am at a loss for the lack of understanding of what Christian means and now to a pastor too.  It is painful for me to watch the country I love move from a "Christian" nation to a socialist one.

How can the God of life be pro-choice or worse, pro-abortion?  How can a God who clearly states that Adam and Eve were to complete each other and He made Eve for man be ok with gay relationships?  How can a God who states that Israel is HIS land and not to divide it be ok with people dividing HIS land?  He isn't and he can't.  It's against His very nature and I understand me stating this very "politically incorrect" statement won't be received by many but I don't live to please many.  I live to please One!  I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and I will not deny what His word states, even if people don't like it.

The deception in this land is great and even the elect will be misled (Matthew 24:24.  Time will tell Obama's true colors and I pray I am wrong, but deep within me, I believe these people are the ones who are deceived.

Hope and Change TODAY!

HOPE AND CHANGE!

EVERYONE: PLEASE READ, COPY AND SHARE THIS. TODAY'S THE DAY WE MAKE A CHANGE...A REAL CHANGE!!!  (Posted by a friend on facebook.)

Quit trashing President Obama's accomplishments. He has done more than any other President before him. He has an impressive list of accomplishments:

First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.
First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.

First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States.
First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
First President to spend a trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as 'shovel-ready' jobs.
First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign.
First President to terminate America 's ability to put a man in space.
First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation.
First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.

First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate increases.
First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.
First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal).
First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-Corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists.
First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office, 102 to date.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
First President to go on multiple global “apology tours” and concurrent “insult our friends” tours.
First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayer.
First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.
First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
First President to repeat the Holy Quran & tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.
First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they “volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences”.
Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion.
First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona).

How is this hope and change working out for you?  God Help Us!

THE NAMES OF GOD - who is our God?

THE NAMES OF GOD:

Thank you Lord that you are the faithful and true, the mighty one of Israel, you are:

ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1 meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6 meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4 a reference to God's divine salvation.

JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13 meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1 meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35 meaning "The Lord who is present" 

JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26 meaning "The Lord our healer"

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6 meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14 meaning "The Lord will provide" 

JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15 meaning "The Lord our banner"

JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24 meaning "The Lord is peace"

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3 meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

JEHOVAH-GMOLAH........Jeremiah 51:6 meaning "The God of Recompense"

EL-ELYON..............Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14 meaning "The most high God

EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13 meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1 meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31meaning "The everlasting God"

Christians WAKE UP!

I know this is a controversial post to make but I feel as though we as Christians are ducking TOUGH issues. There is a deception that has crept into the church all in the name of being "seeker friendly", "tolerant", "loving" and "keeping the 'givers' happy". I am totally about loving but to turn a blind eye to things because we "don't want to offend" is incorrect. Jesus was CONSTANTLY offending people; the religious higher-ups never took too kindly to what He was about or saying yet He continued on with the mission of establishing the Kingdom.

With that, we NEED to be praying for mercy from the Lord as our nation has slipped from righteousness, honor, favor, and basically and bluntly...GOD! Can't help but recall all the times God "had enough" with his beloved Israel and let them face the consequences of their drifting, rebellious and hardened hearts.

I pray that God's hand of protection will not be removed from America on my watch. Father

FORGIVE US! MERCY FATHER, MERCY! Teach us how to love AND confront the darkness that blatantly, boldly and crassly keeps pressing further and further in. As Israel has had to deal with (and as articulated via Benjamin Netanyahu), there is a RED LINE and many Christians are slipping over the edge into tolerance under the name of "love"; they are becoming lukewarm. Father God, wake us up! Send your REVIVAL Fire! Maranatha!

With that, here is what Mike Huckabee (a Baptist Minister) shared on his wall today. Mind you, this is GRAPHIC and I am sure, some will have a problem with it but God is not allowing me to be silent about HARD things that even many Christians find "politically incorrect".

--- DISCLAIMER VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED ---

"Viewer discretion is advised with this video. I am sharing it because I want you to know what's at stake on Tuesday." - Mike Huckabee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v45SU9TnBxM&feature=youtu.be

COME HOLY SPIRIT, WE NEED THEE!

Ken Blount - Minister

Saw this on facebook and just had to share it with you.  I will only add this first paragraph to his writing.  It is a post from Ken Blount.  (He played Nicodemus on the Gospel Bill Show in the 1980's and '90's of then Willie George Ministries.  He was and is a minister as well.)  My kids LOVED him and this show and are forever changed because of their ministry.  Good stuff from a whole new perspective.  ENJOY!


"Before you vote, please read my daughter-in-law Sarah's blog that i am reposting...

1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

Thus says the Lord of hosts! That is pretty intense stuff. The Lord wanted Saul and his armies to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Even the nursing babies. I read that this morning and I had to find out what on earth these people had done to deserve this.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 fills us in. 17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt. 18 You were tired and worn out. They met you on your journey. They attacked everyone who was lagging behind. They didn’t have any respect for God. 19 The Lord your God will give you peace and rest from all of the enemies who are around you. He’ll do it in the land he’s giving you to take over as your very own. Then you will wipe out the memory of the Amalekites from the earth. Don’t forget to do it!

When the Israelites were leaving Egypt the Amalekites attacked them. For no apparent reason. And they did it like cowards. They attacked the people in the back, the people who were weary and weakened. I’m sure this group of people consisted of the elderly, small children, nursing mothers and their infants. This infuriated God. He wanted them wiped out. He was not going to let them get away with killing innocent, defenseless people.

Precious, innocent, defenseless people being murdered… sounds a lot like abortion to me. God was not okay with the Amalekites attacking those Israelites. And He’s not okay with abortion. God takes this killing innocent people stuff very seriously.

I am not a political person. I don’t watch debates, not sure who the vice president is, don’t know anything about either of the candidates, don’t care what the health care options are, but I do know that one party is for abortion and one party isn’t. When I go to vote this week I am going to vote for the party who is against killing innocent babies, because God is against killing innocent babies. I don’t want their blood on my hands in any way. I don’t want to be grouped in with people like the Amalekites. It was 400 years after the Amalekites had attacked the innocent Israelites when God ordered Saul to utterly destroy them. Their sin and lack of respect for God affected the generations that came after them, much like abortion affects future generations.

Now more than ever the thought of abortion hurts my heart. These little babies are not just statistics, they are real people that God had a plan for. My son Felix was born still and weighed only 12 ounces. But at 17 weeks God had already formed his tiny hands, tiny feet, tiny ears, tiny nose, tiny heart, and his big spirit. I have his tiny footprints to prove it. Felix mattered and so do all of the other unborn children in the world. Vote for them!"

Lesser of Two Evils - Really?

Praying for our nation, our election and our God to forgive our land.  I can't tell you how many times in the last months my heart is gripped to pray for our nation.  God has my attention - does He have yours?   How can we (the church) really believe that God is OK with what we are doing as a nation?  He rebuked Israel, His beloved, many times for having a heart that was far from him and we think, we in America, won't face the consequences of our luke-warmness?  Church - WAKE UP!  We can't have evil AND good.  We can't be for things that God is against and expect God to bless us.  We can't sit by and DO nothing!  Remember the parable of the three servants?  (Matthew 25:14-30).  God rebuked the servant who DID NOTHING!  God is a REWARDER of those that DILIGENTLY seek Him, not who casually talk about Him or have a bumper-sticker on their car or a cross on their neck!

I am PRAYING for the Christians in this country to WAKE-UP, stop drinking the "kool-aid" and listening to the voice of deception (it is in the church you know) and VOTE for things that God DOES care about...like protecting LIFE, defending MARRIAGE, LOVING ISRAEL!  These things DO matter.  Remember the scripture in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" - (by-the-way, these are written in RED) as Jesus was saying what matters is the KINGDOM not the ECONOMY!  "Politically correctness" will burn up in the presence of the fiery red, piercing eyes of Jesus when He comes back as KING!

I am SO into the love of God, but God is also a God of justice and this nation will be found wanting if we continue on this course of destruction, thumbing our nose at God and doing our own thing, seeking our own pleasure, and living life our own way.  God made a way of escape, for even one BEFORE He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, that is my hope; He will make a way of escape for me and my family too (I am even asking for my friends, my church, my neighborhood and my nation but they must humble themselves and bow their knees to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!)  Father God, SAVE US from ourselves!

So for those of you who get the question from friends and family about the struggle of voting "the lesser of two evils" or possibly you are struggling yourself, I wanted to share this piece by David Barton that he published today.  It puts the matter into a very concise package.  ENJOY!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Are we really dealing with a lesser of two evils this election?
by David Barton/WallBuilders on Friday, November 2, 2012 at 9:34am ·

I keep having people tell me that in this election, the only choice we have is to vote for the lesser of two evils. So, let me see if I have this right:

One is pro-abortion, one is pro-life; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is pro-gay-marriage, one is pro-traditional marriage; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is pro-Muslim, one is pro-Israel; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for increasing debt, one is for reducing debt; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is against increased energy exploration, one is for it; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for violating the rights of religious conscience, the other for preserving it intact; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for dramatically cutting the size of the military, the other for strengthening it; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is against parental empowerment and school choice, the other is for it; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for appointing judicial activists to the Supreme Court, the other for original intent constitutionalists; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for the government takeover of private businesses, the other for entrepreneurship and free enterprise and private ownership; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is for an expanded role for the United Nations in American affairs, the other for a reduced role; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?

One is against American Exceptionalism and wants to be like Europe, the other promotes American Exceptionalism and America as a unique, special, blessed nation; so, both positions are evil, but one is lesser so?


I'm not sure that I get the lesser of two evils thing, unless folks are deliberately excluding all of these (and many other) serious issues and just looking at the ones they want to pick and choose. The fantasy of two evils are our only choice can be sustained only if one denies the above issues.

David Barton

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *


For more information of this issue, please see: Lesser of Two Evils

Jesus is Coming Soon

My sister and I sang this song together with my children years ago. I loved it then and I still love it now.

Jesus IS Coming Soon but too many are fooled into thinking that is folk-lore, imagination, speculation, fairytales and the list goes on and on.  Believe as you choose, but I KNOW my redeemer is drawing nigh.  He lives and He is coming back for me, His bride.  Are you ready?