Christmas Day 14
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Tag Archives: Jesus Christ
Friday Proverb – Don’t be a Talebearer!
Satan, and the media he controls, is the master talebearer. It is he that inspires every bit of salacious gossip and slander in the world today. He camps out in churches too – leading sheeple to verbally destroy their brethren with “something they’ve heard.” It is sinful human nature to be attracted to darkness. Talebearing is a slippery slope that is often looked-on as harmless, yet the ones who do it are caught in Satan’s sticky web of darkness. The more they do it, the more they want to do it. It is exceedingly sinful.
Proverbs 11:13
A talebearer revealeth secrets:
but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
Brothers and sisters – we have enough of our own sins to be concerned about. Your church family’s, spouse’s and children’s sins should not be shared with others. Not unless you want them talking about you to their friends! We will reap what we sow, no matter what it is. Lying, stealing, greed, and talebearing will all come back to us 10, 100, and even 1,000 fold. One of the reasons FOX News is so incredibly popular is because of its gossipy nature. On the website, it features un-newsworthy items such as “More Sex for Grilled Cheese,” or “Get the latest news on celebrity scandals!” Yes, garbage like that is prominently featured, while zero attention is given to the church’s works of righteousness. The reason News Corp does this, lies in the love of money. As stated before, sinful human nature is drawn to darkness. Darkness makes money. Oprah Winfrey’s wild success is proof positive of this. Not only should we not bear tales ourselves – but we shouldn’t listen to it either!
Do you really want to resemble the “father of lies” in any way? When you do his work, he will not reward you – he will be your accuser!
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Don’t give him any ammunition to accuse you with!
sage
Christmas Day 13
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Happy Thanksgiving from The Vine Vigil
Friday Proverb – What Comes After the Church is Taken?
Perhaps not many view the Proverbs and Psalms as being prophetic. After so many decades of Bible study, I see Prophecy in almost every line of the Bible. As is understood, the Lord reveals things to us in stages. Most often, Old Testament events and poetry, describe an actual event such as Passover – which is a picture of something far more dramatic in the future. Such is the case with this Proverb. At face value, it does not seem to reveal much to the casual reader – but we are here to see what it really says.
Proverbs 11:8
The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
Only those who are truly born-again of the Holy Spirit of God, will be delivered – because only the truly born-again – are considered righteous. When we repent, and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we obtain His righteousness – which guarantees our deliverance. None of the troubles, trials and tribulations of this present life and time, can compare to the Great Tribulation, and the judgments that will befall everyone on earth at that time.
Please do not allow the recent crop of preterists to worm their way into your faith in the deliverance promised to you by God in His Holy Book. It is described over and over again – even in this short Proverb. Every Word of the King James Bible is true – and you can trust it implicitly. Read it literally, and with faith.
and the wicked cometh in his stead.
That’s right. As soon as the church is taken up – The Wicked One will swoop in. Just as a vacuum needs to be filled – this will happen in such a way – that it will not be readily apparent to those who are not alert. Since mankind always seeks to worship something or someone they can see, it will happen all too easily. The Holy Spirit that is indwelling believers here on earth, will leave along with the righteous that are being delivered. Once this happens, the only thing that was restraining the power of anti-christ will be gone! It will happen, but, we will NOT BE HERE TO SEE IT!
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.
sage
For the Lord’s Day – We Shall Behold Him
The sky shall unfold
Preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him
With thunders of praise
The sweet light in His eyes
Shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him
Then face to face
O, we shall behold Him
We shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
O, we shall behold Him
Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord
The angel shall sound
The shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise
From their slumbering place
And those who remain
Shall be changed in a moment
And we shall behold Him
Then face to face
We shall behold Him
O yes we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
We shall behold Him
Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face
Our Savior and Lord
And we shall behold Him
Our Savior and Lord
Savior and Lord
Southern Gospel legend Dottie Rambo died on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008 when her tour bus ran off the highway and struck an embankment in Missouri. Dottie was on her way to North Richland Hills, Texas to perform a Mother’s Day show with Lulu Roman & Naomi Sego. Dottie was 74 at the time of her death and had spent 62 years of her life writing music and singing about her Savior.
Seven other people on the bus, including her manager Larry Ferguson and his wife and two children, were injured in the accident. They were hospitalized in Springfield, Missouri with moderate to severe injuries, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. Representatives from her recording label confirmed that Dottie was asleep at the time of the accident.
Dottie Rambo, born Joyce Reba Lutrell in Madison, Kentucky on March 2, 1934, started writing songs at the age of 8 while sitting by a creek near her family home. By age 10 she was playing guitar and singing on local country radio. Her father dreamed of the day that young Dottie become a singer on Nashville’s WSM Grand Ole Opry. When Dottie gave her life to Christ at the age of 12, changing her path from country music to gospel, her father did not agree with the decision, fearing that she would spend her life singing in backwood churches for little or no pay. He gave her an ultimatum; either stop the Christian singing or leave his house. Dottie chose the path that Christ had laid in front of her and was taken to the bus stop by her mother with all of her belongings in a cardboard suitcase and her name and address on a tag around her neck in case she got lost.
By the 1950s she had married Buck Rambo and had her daughter, Reba. Dottie and Buck traveled across the region singing her songs in small churches. Other gospel groups, like the Happy Goodman Family, heard her songs and started singing them. The then- governor of Louisiana, Jimmy Davis, heard her music and flew her and her family to the governor’s mansion so that she could sing her songs for him. Governor Davis paid Dottie to publish her songs and soon after, Warner Brothers Records signed Dottie and her group, The Gospel Echoes, to a two-record deal. When they wanted Dottie and her group to move to folk and start singing Rhythm and Blues, Dottie declined.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.
sage
Friday Proverb – Deliverance and Direction
Proverbs 11:6
The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them:
Hmm. Easier said than done – right? Not really. Of course, it is nigh impossible if one relies on their own righteousness, but the Bible implicitly states in many places, that only God is righteous, and that we, miserable sinners that we are, may receive His righteousness through faith in the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His perfect righteousness is given to us, by Grace.
Philippians 3:9
And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
We are delivered from death and judgment only by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior. He saves us from eternal death in the Lake of Fire, and promises us an eternity with Him.
but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.
Just as naughty children never think they will be found out – the sinner in rebellion refuses to acknowledge what needs to be done. They willfully choose the darkness of this world, and the Proverb states they will be taken in their own naughtiness. Not the misdeeds of another – but their very own misdeeds. Sinners in rebellion will not be able to blame anyone (as is the popular trend today) because the Word says the blame will be squarely laid at their own feet.
In the universities and satanically controlled media, herculean effort is made to convince the lost that their condition is not sin and damnation, but that their misery is caused by others. Hence, the creation of the blame game. The evil one does not want man to repent, and he will do everything in his considerable power to cause the sinner to either kill themselves before they can get saved – or contrive to bedazzle the sinner with psychology and fleshly enticements. But God, in His mercy, has given us a narrow pathway of escape. . .
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
sage
For the Lord’s Day – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
- I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back. - Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back. - The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back. - Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.- Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
- Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
attr. to S. Sundar Singh
Copyright: Public Domain
Singh was raised a member of the Sikh religion. Prior to his conversion, Sundar attended a primary school run by the American Presbyterian Mission where the New Testament was read daily as a “textbook.” Sundar “refused to read the Bible at the daily lessons…To some extent the teaching of the Gospel on the love of God attracted me, but I still thought it was false.”
In the midst of such confusion and while only fourteen years old, his mother died, and Sundar underwent a crisis of faith. His mother was a loving saintly woman and they were very close. In his anger, Sundar burned a copy of one of the Gospels in public. Within three days Sundar Singh could bear his misery no longer. Late one night in December 1903, he rose from bed and prayed that God reveal himself to him if he really existed. Otherwise — “I planned to throw myself in front of the train which passed by our house.” For seven hours Sundar Singh prayed. “O God, if there is a God, reveal thyself to me tonight.” The next train was due at five o’clock in the morning. The hours passed. Suddenly the room filled with a glow. A man appeared before him. Sundar Singh heard a voice say, “How long will you deny me? I died for you; I have given my life for you.” He saw the man’s hands, pierced by nails.
Amazed that his vision had taken the unexpected form of Jesus, Sundar was convinced in his heart that Jesus was the true Savior, and that He was alive. Sundar fell on his knees before Him and experienced an astonishing peacefulness which he had never felt before. The vision disappeared, but peace and joy lingered within him.
Despite his family’s pleas, bribes, and threats, Sundar wanted to be baptized in the Christian faith. After his father spoke words of official rejection over him, Sundar became an outcast from his people. He cut off the hair he had worn long like every Sikh man. Against great opposition, he was baptized on his birthday in 1905, in an English church in Simla.
Conventional Indian churches were willing to grant him a pulpit, but their rules were foreign to his spirit. Indeed, he felt that a key reason the gospel was not accepted in India was because it came in a garb foreign to Indians. He decided to become a sadhu, so that he could dedicate himself to the Lord Jesus. He was convinced that this was the best way to introduce the Gospel to his people since it was the only way which his people were accustomed to. As a sadhu, he wore a yellow robe, lived on the charity of others, abandoned all possession and maintained celibacy. In this lifestyle, he was free to devote himself to the Lord. Dressed in his thin yellow robe, Sundar Singh took to the road and began a life of spreading the simple message of love and peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money or other possessions, only a New Testament.
Sundar journeyed much. He traveled all over India and Ceylon. Between 1918-1919, he visited Malaysia, Japan and China. Between 1920-1922 he went to Western Europe, Australia and Israel. He preached in many cities; Jerusalem, Lima, Berlin and Amsterdam among others. Despite his growing fame, Sundar retained a modest nature, desiring only to follow Jesus’ example: to repay evil with kindness and to win over his enemies by love.
He was quite independent of outward Church authority in all his religious life, thought, and work. He dropped out of a Christian seminary that he briefly attended. Neither did he attach much importance to public worship because in his experience the heart prays better in solitude than in a congregation.
He traveled in India and Tibet, as well as the rest of the world, with the message that the modern interpretation of Jesus was sadly watered down. Sundar visited Tibet every summer and in 1929, he visited there and was never seen again.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh
The story of the song is covered in the Book by Dr. P.P. Job and Indian preacher in His book “Why God Why”
An excerpt from the book is given below:About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England. As a result of this, many missionaries came from England and Germany to North-East India to spread the Gospel. At the time, north-east India was not divided into many states as it is today. The region was known as Assam and comprised hundreds of tribes. The tribal communities were quite primitive and aggressive by nature. The tribals were also called head-hunters because of a social custom which required the male members of the community to collect as many heads as possible. A man’s strength and ability to protect his wife was assessed by the number of heads he had collected. Therefore, a youth of marriageable age would try and collect as many heads as possible and hang them on the walls of his house. The more heads a man had, the more eligible he was considered. Into this hostile and aggressive community, came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope of Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One Welsh missionary succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children. This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity. Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man instantly composed a song which became famous down the years. He sang:
I have decided to follow Jesus. (3 times)
No turning back, no turning back.
Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”
But the man sang these words in reply:
Though no one joins me, still I will follow. (3 times)
No turning back, no turning back.
The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down. In a moment she joined her two children in death. Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”
In the face of death the man sang the final memorable lines:
The cross before me, the world behind me. (3 times)
No turning back, no turning back.
He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some supernatural power behind the family, and I too want that supernatural power.”
In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is the power of [God in] demonstration.
John 12:26
If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.
sage
Friday Proverb – Riches Will Not Save Anyone
Proverbs 11:4
Riches profit not in the day of wrath:
A great many articles are written about the underground bunkers of the elites and super-rich. These fortresses amount to vast underground cities, with every comfort known to man. Even the not-so-rich, have succumbed to the notion, that they can “ride-out” Armageddon. Bible believers should know, that those who are truly born again – will not need to “hide out,” because they won’t be here. Not only that – but it would be impossible to do so. This is not to say that you should not be prepared for natural disasters, and not so natural ones like losing your job. What is being discussed here is the Day of Wrath.
Revelation 6:16-17
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord‘s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
but righteousness delivereth from death.
It is of utmost importance to understand, that you have no righteousness of your own. ZERO. When you are born again – you can possess His righteousness, and it is overflowing and enough! The good works and deeds you do after being saved, will gain you rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. And that is a wonderful thing to work for.
Philippians 3:9
And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
Revelation 16:7
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.
James 5:1-8
5 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
sage
For the Lord’s Day – Redeemed
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
Refrain
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.
Refrain
I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
Refrain
I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
Refrain
“Oh, what a happy child I am,
although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world,
contented I will be!”
Fanny Crosby, (March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915)
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
sage
Friday Proverb – The Importance of Integrity
INTEGRITY =
1
: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility
2
: an unimpaired condition : soundness
3
: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright shall guide them:
It is sad, but true. Not many find their way onto the narrow path. Blinded by the god of this world, sheeple are drawn to darkness, and in turn, the darkness envelopes them and ultimately destroys them. They believe they have enlightenment, but the light that is guiding them, is the false light of the evil one, the deceiver. He leads the lost to eternal destruction.
While we are still in our flesh, we are incapable of possessing true integrity of ourselves. When we are born again, of the Holy Spirit, we can possess His integrity in our new natures – the only true and completely sound integrity that there is to be had, despite what secular humanists preach. For the new nature in Christ is incorruptible, and when we surrender our bodies and souls to Him, we can live righteously through His power. We can be whole, sound, and complete in Him.
We must daily repent and confess our sins, so that we can stay in close fellowship with Him, and live uprightly. May we be beacons of the true light of Christ – and outshine the perverted, false light of the destroyer!
but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
If you feed your new nature with the Word of God, more than you feed the old nature, with the world, the flesh, and the devil – you will gain more and more of His integrity, and find greater strength to resist all the wiles of the devil. Let Jesus Christ dominate your thoughts, and the devil will not be able to get a foothold.
sage
For the Lord’s Day – Calvary Covers It All
Calvary Covers It All
Verse1: Far dearer than all that the world can impart Was the message came to my heart. How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone, And Calvary covers it all.
Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.
Verse 2: The stripes that He bore and the thorns that He wore Told His mercy and lover evermore And my heart bowed in shame as I called on His name, And Calvary covers it all.
Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.
Verse 3: How matchless the grace, when I looked in the face Of this Jesus, my crucified Lord; My redemption complete I then found at His feet, And Calvary covers it all.
Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.
Verse 4: How blessed the thought, that my soul by Him bought, Shall be His in the glory on high; Where with gladness and song, I’ll be one of the throng And Calvary covers it all.
Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and stain; My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, And Calvary covers it all.
Note: There is little information available on this fine song, written in 1934, or its author, but it’s worthy of consideration both for how it came to be written, and for the aptness of its message. The full story is found in Al Smith’s Hymn Histories (pp. 125-127).
The song relates to a dancer named Walter “Happy Mac” MacDonald, whom comedian Eddie Cantor said had the fastest feet in the world. Mac was talented, but he was also in bondage to sin, and addicted to alcohol. One night in the early 1930′s he stumbled into a meeting in the Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago. When an invitation was given for those present to trust in Christ as Saviour, Mac did not respond. But, as he returned, night after night, workers gradually came to know more about him.
Directing the mission in those days (1918-1936) were Walter Grand Taylor and his wife Ethelwyn, affectionately known as Pa and Ma Taylor. Ethel Taylor watched Mac, and her heart went out to him. She prayed, “Dear Lord, please help us say and do the right things, so that we may win Mac to Thee.” Finally, MacDonald did seek counseling, and Ma Taylor listened as he struggled with his past. “You don’t understand,” he prayed. “You don’t know how bad I am, Lord. Really I’m the worst man in the world. You can’t save me; I’m too bad.”
Mrs. Taylor recalled a message she had heard weeks before. Evangelist Percy Crawford had been a rebel in his youth. But one day he accepted Christ as his Saviour. The theme of Crawford’s testimony was, “Calvary covers it all,” and Ethel Taylor shared those words with MacDonald.
He asked her to repeat them, and suddenly the light dawned. “Oh! Mrs. Taylor, I’m so glad it’s true, and you told me. Calvary does cover it all! My whole past of sin and shame.” The former entertainer trusted in the Saviour that night in 1934, and lived to become an outstanding servant of Christ.
A few days later, Ethel Taylor went into the mission chapel, sat down at the piano, and created the words and music of a gospel song. http://wordwisehymns.com/2013/06/19/calvary-covers-it-all/
Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. . .
sage
Is Man an Animal?
The prevailing trend is to put animals on the same level as man – making continual referrals to our “closest relative” – the chimpanzee. We see many well produced, heart-tugging, and expensive commercials for the Humane Society, or the ASPCA. All the while, crisis pregnancy centers struggle to keep their doors open, and private property owners are forced to surrender everything to an endangered animal.
Man is not an animal, man is God’s jewel of Creation
God. . .breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Genesis 2: 7
Man is special to God
God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion . . .upon the earth. Genesis 1: 26
Man is positionally important to God
Thou wast precious in My sight. . .and I have loved thee. . .Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43: 4, 7
Our God is a Triune God
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord. . .Deuteronomy 6: 4
Man was created a triune being
I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5: 23
The New Age Religion seeks to spread the blasphemy, that not only is man one with nature – but God is also one with everything.
“Swami Vivekkananda, a Hindu guru widely thought of in America, taught that because the Mother-Goddess Kali is all, all in one, and all is cyclical, God is both good and evil:
‘Who can say that God does not manifest Himself as Evil as well as Good? But only the Hindu dares to worship him in the evil. . .How few have dared to worship death, or Kali? Let us worship death!’
Likewise, Lucifer is said to be neither evil nor good. He simply is. Formerly a destroyer, Lucifer now becomes a god – perhaps the God – chosen to shepherd mankind into the brightness of a New Age.
He is the Shiva and Kali of the New Age.” (Dark Secrets of the New Age,p. 87, Texe Marrs)
When young boys and girls are told repeatedly in school that the human embryo is no different than a chicken embryo in the early days of development – this sets the stage for abortion later on. After all – we eat chickens – don’t we?
14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139: 14-16
If you – or someone you know – is faced with an unplanned pregnancy – think about this one thing. . .ending the life that is growing, will not solve anything. Please, choose the miracle of life. Choose God’s way, not Satan’s way. God loves you so much, and you are so precious to Him, that He gave His life, so that you could live – you and your unborn child.
There are lovely and caring women, just waiting to help you, at crisis pregnancy centers all over America. Just look in the yellow pages. You will not be judged, you will be loved. You – and your child.
sage
Transhumansim – The Quest to be Gods
Nothing has changed in over 6,000 years.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. . . ye shall be as gods. . .
Genesis 3:4
James Hughes Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, is a bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut where he teaches health policy and serves as Director of Institutional Research and Planning. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, where he also taught bioethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Hughes is author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future , and is working on a second book tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha. Since 1999 he has produced a syndicated weekly radio program, Changesurfer Radio.
As transhuman possibilities increasingly develop, the compatibilities of metaphysics, theodicy, soteriology and eschatology between the transhumanist and religious worldviews will be built upon to create new “trans-spiritualities.” In this future religious landscape there will be bioconservative and transhumanist wings within all the world’s faiths, and probably new religious traditions inspired by the transhumanist project. We will create new religious rituals and meanings around biotechnological and cybernetic and cybernetic capabilities, just as we did around fire, the wheel, healing plants, and the book.
James J. Hughes, The Compatibility of Religious and Transhumanism Views of Metaphysics, Suffering, Virtue, and Transcendence in an Enhanced Future
In the Caltech experiments, the researchers stripped an HIV virus of its disease-causing elements and used it to virally infect single-cell embryos of mice with a gene from a jellyfish.
Any number of different genes could have been selected. For the purpose of the studies, the researchers chose a specific jellyfish gene that could serve as a “marker” to indicate whether the gene transfer was successful. The gene produces a protein that gives the jellyfish a green fluorescence.
When the mice were born, they carried the jellyfish gene in their own genes. Under fluorescent light, all their major tissues and organs—including skin, bones, muscles, lungs, liver, kidney, stomach, brain, and retina—emitted a green glow.
The trait became a permanent feature of the mice genome and was passed along to many of their offspring. (National Geographic)
This has gone much, much farther than glow mice. This description of the fearsome locusts in Revelation 9: 6-12 does not sound all that incredible in light of this.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. Revelation 9:6-12
sage
Hints for Homeschoolers – The Home Library
Anyone may see, how electronics (via the prince of the power of the air) have captured the hearts and minds of an entire generation. A well stocked home library can effectively stem that evil tide! And via garage sales and thrift stores, the home library can be filled to the brim with books for every member of the family. Truly, the warm pages of a book are far superior and more intimate than a Kindle or lap top.
Our local Salvation Army has paperback books at two for $.99. And absolutely free – children’s books and Bibles. Hardback books are $1.99, and some are truly nice. I also have picked up many sheet music books (barely used) at the same price they charge for paperbacks.
Findings published in the journal Social Science Research show that raising a child in a home filled with books positively impacts her future academic growth and job attainment. Specifically, as Pacific Standard reported, the study found that when it comes to standardized tests, “Regardless of how many books the family already has, each addition to the home library helps children do better.” That makes sense: A book-filled home encourages a culture of reading for enjoyment and talking about books.
A growing body of evidence shows that growing up with home libraries boosts adult literacy, adult numeracy (math skills), and adult technological competence, with the greatest returns to the growth in smaller home libraries. In other words, adding just a few books to your home library can make a big difference.
Going from no books at home to some books at home. Going from some books to a few more. This is doable! That’s what we’re doing at BookGive all the time.
In this study, the researchers found that growing up with almost no books was associated with literacy levels at about 50% below average. Having at least 80 books raised the literacy levels to average. Once a home library hits the 300 range, the literary gains are not significant, although we’d never discourage folks from surrounding themselves with lots of books.
https://bookgivedenver.org/why-home-libraries-matter/
Our home library is significantly smaller now that our family has grown up and out, but we still feel that books are the gateway to knowledge. Some of my personal books are so well loved, they are more tape than paper… My sewing books are in the sewing room, cookbooks are in the kitchen, and and gardening books are all in a corner shelf near the piano. A full set of encyclopedias is stowed on a very high shelf in the linen closet. Because you never know!
The time you spend reading to and with your children, will be remembered with far greater clarity than any cartoons or games children play.
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, And liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, And searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 1:2-5 KJB
sage
For the Lord’s Day – Yes I Know
- Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless, Jesus’ blood can make you free; For He saved the worst among you, When He saved a wretch like me.
- Refrain: And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean, And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.
- To the faint He giveth power, Through the mountains makes a way; Findeth water in the desert, Turns the night to golden day.
- In temptation He is near thee, Holds the pow’rs of hell at bay; Guides you to the path of safety, Gives you grace for every day.
- He will keep thee while the ages Roll throughout eternity; Though earth hinders and hell rages, All must work for good to thee.
We only know that the wonderful words and music to this hymn were written by a lady name Anna W. Waterman, in 1920. . .
From a home with one brother and one sister, Charles Waterman’s urge was to see the country. This took him to hitchhiking on the railroad to California. He was influenced by the worldly crowd and gave himself to become an alcoholic. Even as such, he worked his way up to become an engineer on the steam locomotive. He married Anna, who had a Christian background and did what she could to keep the testimony before him. Anna was discouraged at the path her husband followed because it was causing him to miss work on some of his hangovers. So she asked a lady in her town in California to meet with her and help her pray for Charles to be saved. His wild life went on for three or more years and one night he became frightened while under the influence and when he finally arrived at home, he told Anna he wanted to be saved. She immediately called her friend who came over to their home and they led him to the Lord. He begged the Lord for forgiveness and to clean up his life, which the Lord did. The happiness that followed caused Anna to write this song. A book with over 30 other songs was collected and published. They visited in Lodi, Fountain County, Indiana, and at the Baptist Church, later named Waterman Baptist Church. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/y/e/s/yesiknow.htm
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
sage
Hint for Home Schoolers – Saturdays
Saturday is the day where many home schools “fill in the gap.” That is – get to the stuff not compatible with the ordinary school week. I stress here – I am only sharing with you what worked for our family. Every family is different, with unique needs and interests.
The bread machine at our house chugs away almost every day of the week. But – I really enjoy baking, and my family loves eating what I bake. Depending on other activities – I make it a point to bake something tasty every Saturday. Sometimes I bake in the morning, sometimes afternoon. Sometimes – all day long – as in the case of holidays and special occasions. Pies, cookies, or cakes. . . from scratch. Here is where I strive for variety. The quantity aimed for was an amount that would last until the next Saturday. Once in awhile there was a sudden invading army of teenagers, and what was intended for a week only lasted a couple of hours! But most of the time, the calculations were correct.
If you choose to involve your kids in an extracurricular activity – Saturday is the ideal day for it. It was important to us that our children be competent swimmers – so all were enrolled in swim classes at some point. If you can get them in at the same time, with different class levels – it becomes easier. Saturday is also a good day for any music class, horseback riding, or whatever else is right for your family. Again – if you have more than one child – try to consolidate. For instance, while one of my kids was having a guitar lesson, another was having voice lessons in the same music academy.
I will add this caution – it is far more important for your kids to become grounded in the Word of God, than to become a star athlete, math genius, or musical child prodigy.
Try to adhere to the same sleeping and eating schedule that you follow during the week. You can avoid a lot of trouble if you do, and may quite possibly ward off some infections ( the ones that come when kids don’t eat right or get enough sleep.) Again – teens and pre-teens need a LOT of sleep. They are the ones most likely not to get enough.
Saturdays should be enjoyable, not stressful. Don’t try to squeeze so much in that you don’t know if you are coming or going! Be creative – some piano teachers will even come out to your house! Your kids do not need more than one or two extra curricular activities a week at the most. Make Jesus the priority – not recitals, trophies and certificates.
And – the horror of it all – Saturday afternoon is the best time for “practice driving” with teenagers. [God help you]
Helpful email subscriptions:
Daily Focus Devotional from Alpha Omega Home School (very fortifying) http://www.aophomeschooling.com/
Off the Grid (health and self sufficiency articles from a conservative, Christian perspective) http://www.offthegridnews.com/
I encourage you try a “baking Saturday.” The way to man’s heart may be through his stomach, but don’t underestimate the effect of hot cookies or brownies on the rest of your family as well. The routine of Saturday baking is a wonderful tradition, that reaches back hundreds of years. It satisfies a longing for simpler, unhurried times. Ask yourself – will your adult children remember you driving them to soccer practice? Or will they remember long talks over homemade peanut butter cookies and milk? [My husband’s testimonial -“Have a hot pie off the rack, you’ll never go back.” He loves, loves, loves hot cherry- apple pie with ice cream!]
To emphasize how serious I am about this – one of the therapies employed at a local children’s home (for severely emotionally disturbed kids) is having female volunteers bake cookies for and /or with the kids, in a one- on- one setting. The therapists haven’t even come close to understanding why this means so much to these poor young people.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9
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Recipe for cherry-apple pie
- pie crust for double crust, 9 ” pie
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 3 lbs. peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Place baking sheet in center oven rack (I line mine with foil.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare homemade or store bought pie crust, adding the almond extract. If your kitchen is warm, divide the dough into two, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into disks and store in the fridge.
Spray 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, toss apples with sugar and cinnamon. (I use a mechanical apple peeler – a truly wonderful doo-dad!) Stir in pie filling. On floured surface, roll out larger dough disk into 12 ” circle, and fit into pan.
Spoon the fruit mixture into pie shell. Roll out the remaining dough into 11″ circle and fit over pie, or cut into strips and weave lattices. Cut slits for steam to escape if using solid top crust. Seal, trim, and crimp edges, using ice water as “glue,” if needed. Lightly brush crust with beaten egg.
Bake on hot baking sheet for about 1 hour, 15 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, I always rotate the pie, and then tent it loosely with foil for the remainder of baking time.
I do not add any “thickeners,” such as flour or cornstarch to this recipe, because the canned cherry pie filling usually does the trick. But brands vary! I use Comstock, which is very dense. If you are concerned about too runny pie filling – don’t add more than a tablespoon or two to the filling, or it might get gluey in texture. Also , do not attempt to substitute another apple for Granny Smiths in this recipe, or else it will be too sweet. It is very important that you set this pie on a hot baking sheet at the start of the baking time – or the center will not bake! Not only that -it helps keep your oven cleaner. This type of fruit pie is notorious for bubbling over. Happy baking – but a warning – if your spouse is a fruit pie lover, you may find yourself making this one a lot!
sage
Friday Proverb – Our Life and Hope
The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
Proverbs 10:27
While the Word of God does not guarantee a long earthly life to truly born again believers, it does follow reason that those who fear Him, and forsake sinful lifestyles will have better health and greater joy in life. While we are in our flesh – we long to be with Him, and having the knowledge of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence will prevent us from taking a detour into the dark side.
Living the Holy Spirit filled life is a matter of surrendering our wills to His will. It is a matter of getting rid of our household gods and fleshly desires, and allowing the Holy Spirit to completely fill us. And while it seems that the wicked are holding sway at this moment in time – remember – that to God – there is no time! Time only exists here on earth – it is not a part of the heavenly realm.
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
Proverbs 10:28
Yes – we must fear our Creator – but we must also hope in Him. One need only see the hard, brittle, look in the eyes of the abrasive atheists when they are attacking the Bible and Bible believers. It is a cold, dead expression – void of hope. And if the eyes truly are the window to the soul – what does that tell us? There is death where there is no hope – spiritual death. And then in the not so far off future – eternal death in the Lake of Fire.
We can be truly glad of heart, and take joy in the fact that our futures are already secure, and written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. There is no reason to fret over evil doers – because their future is already determined if they remain unrepentant. What a terrible thought.
The next time you hear news of murders, corruptions, and all the sundry evils that satan has in his arsenal, it would be wise to think where your hope is. It is not here! not in America, not in anything other than our blessed savior – Jesus Christ.
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
[Forgive me. I so wanted to post a video with the classic hymn – “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” but was unable to find one without a sensuous back-beat.]
The Vine Vigil 
