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NATURE AT WORK: The Deadly Snake Dance

4/8/2021

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Large Cottonmouth Moccasin
Those of you who frequently read my blogs know that I am a nature lover. Living on a small horse farm in North Florida, not far from some swampy land, one of the things you become accustomed to is the presence of snakes.  Snakes serve a vital role in a balanced environment, for they rid the area of many nasty predators like rats and mice and the overwhelming majority are non-poisonous, and yes, their bite still hurts but it is not like that of a poisonous one.  When it comes to poisonous snakes, we have both cottonmouth moccasins and timber rattlers and thankfully rattlers are in far shorter supply than moccasins.  Rattlers can strike with a deadly bite while most moccasin bites ae not nearly as powerful as rattlers, although they can put you in an intensive care unit of the hospital and keep you off schedule for several weeks if struck. And the anti-venom needed for treatment is quite expensive due to being in short supply.

Knowing those things above as I do, as I go to the barn each day from this time of year through early November, I always check around including each stall. I always make my inspection of the stalls before walking in because if a poisonous snake is in the corner, I would have to go by him to get out and they can be from time to time very aggressive. Well, yesterday was one of those days when there were three snakes with two in one stall and another, much smaller in the next one over. The sun was hot so they escaped it to keep their body temperature regulated as they were lying on the pine shavings. The two large ones were involved with some kind of sensual kabuki dance  while writhing together and I realized it was the mating dance. Then they saw me and disappeared over to the stall where the third, smaller snake was lying.  Curious, I walked around to the other doorway and peered in. The two larger snakes ignored him, doing their thing as taught by nature and all was quiet for a moment.  But what was going to happen? I wanted to know so I kept watching with curiosity.

A few minutes later, the smaller snake began to slither toward the larger ones and ingratiated himself to their writhing mass. All was well for awhile until the big male stopped and looked back at the little snake. The little guy looked up and held his ground and finally BAM!!!!! The big snake struck him with rapid speed and then slowly swallowed the little snake head first and I watched until the final wiggling tip of the poor snake's tail went down the hatch.

So what is the moral of this true little tale. Well, it's this. Don't be the little guy on a farm for it doesn't work out too well. But of even more importance is this. Snake or human, don't interrupt the snake mating call. It won't be something you will ever want to do again unless you use stealth and have a weapon or shovel in your hands. And a mistake would likely cost you a couple of days in intensive care with a lot of pain and suffering and a big fat medical bill. Now having said that, I still will take farm life over the city any day, for the rewards of peace and quiet and the scenic serenity along the way always makes it worthwhile. I will gladly recommend, however, to each his own.  God bless you all and have a glorious day.  Just another day, down on the farm.
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RESURRECTION SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: PRAY

4/4/2021

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Today is Resurrection Sunday, or as some of you might prefer, Easter Sunday. On this very special Sunday Morning Coming Down we celebrate the living Jesus since on this, the third day starting with His death on Good Friday, the tomb was opened and He appeared.  Now it is also a great time of family and friends gathering together to celebrate the new life that is spring as well, plus all of the fun of Easter egg hunts that we all grew up with and try to continue for our own children and grandkids and I know that Jesus smiles down on all of these things if used in conjunction with His story.  But what about those less fortunate than us? I am talking about those who are sick and infirm, the elderly who are now fragile, those who have lost someone dear, those who are alone and fearful, those who are trying to rebuild their lives after a natural disaster and so many more possible difficult situations.  Shouldn't we do something for them if we want to live as Jesus taught us? And the answer is clearly that we should.  So, how should we go about it?

The best way is to start by thinking of a specific example, maybe even a particular person you want to pray for and do it, and then you can add other situations or particulars as you go along, or you an go with just the one example, creating new prayers later. Whatever you decide ,remember, the magic of prayer is that it must be sincere and come from the heart, and the style can be formal or like a front porch conversation format, Format means nothing to God, it is substance that He seeks. But there is one exception and that is to always start with praise and thanks. After all, God wants to know that we appreciate Him and what He provides and being our Creator He surely deserves that. 

In my particular situation which clearly needs prayer, I learned of someone I know being in a most difficult health situation and it is truly concerning me. This person is a friend, a very private person so I will maintain anonymity in my prayer, but they have been in London in recent months successfully completing their work when, about ten days ago they were stricken by COVID-19 and in a short text last Monday they informed me they had been hospitalized. They sounded quite optimistic but did ask me to pray. Six days later, that is the only time I have heard from them and I am concerned, yet I know of no way to find out any more information. This person has been very helpful to me and my wife and so I have been praying and will continue to pray for them. And here is what I said.

Dear Lord Above,
 
On this glorious Resurrection Day, I praise and thank you for your wisdom, love and grace in bringing your only Son, Jesus Christ, into my life in human form to make His story and His promise so true and clear. Lord, I know that you are my Master and my Creator and I also know that you always have great purpose for the things that you do and I must accept that. You also, however, have great compassion and therefore I ask humbly of you that if you can see it in your power to save my friend I know that they will live the rest of their life doing great things for you and I, in turn, will do my utmost to spread your message of love in all that I do. This person should have many more years of life to share and grow where needed right here on earth these days.

Lord, I know that my friend is over four thousand miles from home, alone in a hospital in London and I have no idea whether they are awake or unconscious. But I ask and pray that you might place your healing hands directly on their heart and rejuvenate them to life so that they might recover and become active again in service to you and your mission here on earth. They will have the resources to do much good and know that they will with great joy and compassion in their heart. And I will do my part as well. 

Thank you for hearing my prayer and for always being there for me, sinner  that I am. And I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, who we celebrate today for all that He did and continues to do for as according to  your will, Amen.


Is that prayer a perfect one? No, far from it, but that doesn't matter as long as it comes from your heart. So, just do it! Pray on this Resurrection Day for something that will show God who you are and what you need that is not just for you but can be used for the glory of God as well. He is listening, and while sometimes He doesn't provide things just the way you want, He will provide. 

God bless you all and have a wonderful day on Resurrection Sunday.
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What Good Friday Means to Me

4/2/2021

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The Cross at Calvary
Normally  on Good Friday I tell the story of the horror an sorrow of that day so many years ago in Jerusalem, where Jesus was tried, quickly convicted, beaten and whipped and ultimately humiliated so much more so than most prisoners meeting their fate, yet he carried it through to the end as He knew He must. No, today I will write of what that event means to me, and I will do so by discussing some of the similarities we face today in a world that is very similar in temperament today to what it was back then.   Why? Because the world is made up of, and controlled by mortal men with weak souls which is so disappointing to God.

So, why are we like this? The very mortality of man make it so. We humans were given the gift of life by God along with a beautiful planet that He granted us dominion over. Yet, we have so many failed Him in that regard just like we fail Him when we sin and try to act as if it really isn't a problem. The added gift of being able to make our own choice, be it right or wrong, through free will has allowed these things to happen due to turning away from God. And He is troubled, but allows these thing to happen because He knows that the decision to want goodness and not darkness is an individual choice and that very process makes it so much more valuable when we choose correctly. And all of these things have happened since the first sin was committed by Adam and Eve and there is on escaping it, since while we have dominion over the earth, God gave Satan, the fallen angel, free run of the earth. 

Greed, debauchery, cheating and lying, murder and causing others to suffer and so many other things have been in the realm of possibility of mankind ever since that day and they continue today. The Romans and even Israel's leaders, were not happy with the stir that Jesus created. He gave so many hope at a time when the lesser folks were threatened, murdered and reduced to working almost as slaves for their upper crust masters. Jesus taught them of a better place and way to come and they responded. Yet when Jesus was set up to be found guilty of something that was no way a crime, even those people, save a very rare few, ended up calling for His crucifixion when the heat was applied to them. Remember, even Peter, who professed that He would never turn away from Jesus, denied Him three times before sunup on the night of His arrest. And this all led to His horrible death.

Times of old were cruel. Governments wielded iron fist rule over their land, with people often facing hardship from invading armies, sometimes even from their own rulers. Confiscation of property, and he taking of crops in an agrarian society sometimes meant people would go hungry or even lack good shelter in tough times of weather, and these things just continued.  From earlier times through the Roman Empire and beyond to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union and now to Communist China, these things have  happened. And even today, right here in the USA there are some who want to eliminate free speech, selective eliminate religion, and even our God-given inalienable rights and so many just shrug and accept it as if it would never happen to them, just others. But yet, it never does that. 

And despite these things, the event we commemorate gives me great hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, a better world, and a better place when my time here is done. Through the ultimate gift of His own life for us, Jesus Christ gave us forgiveness for our sins at the very moment He died on the Cross. And all we have to do to attain salvation through Him is to accept that offer by believing in Him by faith, and faith alone.  And that is the hope which sustains me and gives me the strength to carry on. And that drives me to believe and to follow Christ's advice to love others, even those who wish to hurt us.  Forgiveness of someone who has wanted to do bad to us yet is earnest is seeking it, is the first big step to ending the strife.  Oh, I don't mean to walk into a room filled with thieves and to proudly announcing your intentions won' work. But let God help you develop discernment and use it to identify those who want to change their ways, and  you will find yourself on the road to ending the strife. Just think if we all did this at the same time, oh, what a world it could be.

God bless you all and I hope your Good Friday is a good one and God's Spirit will fill you as we approach Resurrection Sunday. Enjoy.
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An Evening of Joy and then Sadness

4/1/2021

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​Maundy Thursday was a very important day in the Easter Story. The early part of the day was uneventful, but as late afternoon came things began to ramp up. Jesus spent most of the time from dusk to later evening with His Disciples in what would be the last great gathering that they would hold together during His short, thirty-three year lifetime. The evening meal was the traditional Jewish Passover meal and the evening was a most important time for the Jews. Sadly, we Christians often forget that Jesus was a Jew as were those disciples who shared the Seder with Him. But they also shared  with Him the faith they had been taught of His mission for God that evening  by combining the traditional Passover meal with the practice of also serving the new Holy Communion to those who they would teach after Christ was gone.  This new and living concept would form a natural follow-on the the strict Law with the addition of forgiveness to make a strict regimen one which was softened by love. Sadly, those of His own heritage, leaders of Judaism would see this as a threat to their power, wealth and prestige which would be damaged and so Jesus had to pay a vicious price. But as the story would unfold, it would become clear that it was designed by God Himself to make the story lasting and real.

The Passover Seder is a very lengthy meal. It allows for much discussion as well as remembrance of the meal's significance and how it plays such a central place in Jewish history. But with Jesus the Jew who was now representing a New Way, taking traditional Jewish Law and adding a living component, Himself, He wanted to also explain to His followers that His coming at this time was not permanent but that He would return.  He showed His love through His washing of the feet, a tradition of welcome after a long day on the dusty roads in sandals and a welcome relief when the journey was done. He wanted them to know that His departure would mean their lives would be much more difficult, but they must remain true to Him. The Communion would be a lasting remembrance and the washing would show His dedication and commitment to love.  He offered the sacrament of the Holy Communion as their remembrance of Him, with the bread representing His body and the wine His blood.  And while they listened and partook, they just didn't realize what that all meant. But this Last Supper, Jesus' last meal before His death on the Cross, would become the standard by which we recommit to Him symbolically in Christian churches the world over even today.

Even when Jesus washed their feet, clearly a duty of a servant, they really didn't understand His significance, thinking it strange that the King of Kings would perform such a menial task.  But there was a reason for every action He took, and He knew that after He departed, these things would come back to them and they would understand the full significance of the act, symbolically meaning their life as Christians was to be one of service and love.

Toward the end of the meal, Judas Iscariot, known by Jesus to be the one who would betray him, dipped his bread in the wine, the signal which Jesus said would identify his betrayer. He came over, kissed Jesus who responded by telling him to go quickly and do his evil deed, and Judas hurried away. Like so much more that evening, the Disciples didn't fully comprehend what was happening and they were puzzled. Shortly thereafter, Jesus rose and departed from the room and headed to the Garden of Gethsemane.


Upon arrival in the Garden, Jesus told the Disciples to watch over him by staying awake as He went off by Himself to pray. He was in anguish, shaking and sweating profusely, many reports saying the sweat actually included His blood.  He knew what was expected and asked His Father to release Him from his required commitment and at that moment He felt entirely alone. The sins of the world were sitting on His shoulders and He was heavy laden.  He knew that He must go forward with the plan that filled Him with dread.

Returning to His Disciples, even they had let Him down, falling asleep when told to stand watch, but Jesus knew this was part of what He had to bear and it wasn't long thereafter when the soldiers, led by Judas, came near.  Judas came forward and identified Him with a kiss, and the soldiers took Him into custody. The Disciples wanted to fight, with Peter even cutting off the ear of one of the warriors, but Jesus silenced them. Jesus healed the wounded soldier as His Disciples fled in fear and the soldiers led Him to the High Priest, pushing and punching and mocking Him all the way.

The arrest was late in the evening and upon arrival at the Temple, the High Priest Caiaphas and His Temple leadership team gathered.  They would find Him guilty, with only Nicodemus showing any strong objection, and then the issue would move to the secular leaders, both King Herod and the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, to seal the fate of Jesus in the coming morning.  As Thursday turned into Friday, Good Friday, Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen and he began to steal himself for the pain and suffering to come.  We should only need to know one thing.  He did this all for us, past, present and future and it was all done before of love. And so, on this day, I hope we all might pray and spend some quality time on this Holy weekend to decide if we are really committed to Christ as expected. If not, pray earnestly and He will show you exactly what He wants, but it may not be in the way or with the answer we were wishing for. What will your answer be? Think carefully, for it is the future of your life now and forevermore.  Amen.
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THE DAY BEFORE THE FIRST LAST SUPPER

3/31/2021

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Jesus relaxes with Mary, Martha and Disciples.
On Wednesday of Holy Week, the day before the Last Supper and His late night arrest, Jesus rested because he was tired. He had arrived in Jerusalem on a Sunday in triumph, spent that afternoon visiting the Temple and was appalled at the carnival-like business activity he saw in the courtyard and departed visibly upset.  Then on Monday he returned to overturn the tables of the moneychangers before departing in a huff. He called it blasphemy against God's Holy Place, and shamed them.  On Tuesday, he returned again, this time to have a scholarly discussion of who He was and what He did in a way that amazed all of his knowledge, especially the rabbinical elders who had trouble believing that this lowly carpenter from Nazareth could have such a gift. But they had to admit He was brilliant, but they also knew then that He had to be destroyed for His impact clearly identified them to be what they truly were and they knew a plot had to be developed and very soon. The planning for His arrest and execution had already begun.

So, it was no wonder He needed a day of rest and it was decided to spend Wednesday in Bethany with friends Mary and Martha and His accompanying disciples. He  thereby escaped the search parties in Jerusalem that the rabbis sent out to find Him and arrest Him. They knew He was dangerous to their ambition and riches and that He could destroy their lifestyle, so the plot was underway. Bethany was the perfect place to go since it was nearby and not a place to attract attention.  Jesus knew and understood the importance of God's timelines. He was aware that His capture, arrest and ultimate death had to come around the Passover weekend.  That was His Father's wish. So, Jesus would spend the time with His close friends and disciples on what would be His last day of rest in this world, for things would ramp up quickly on the next evening back in Jerusalem. He made final spiritual and mental  preparations for the ordeal to come and He did so with love and grace. After all, He knew the event that was coming would be a horrible one, yet He also knew this was the ultimate reason for His being brought to earth: to die on Calvary's Cross.

Perhaps as we ourselves ponder this, we need to think  what it would feel like for us to be in His shoes on that day.  Could we handle the pressure? Honestly, no. Could we follow through if we thought there was a way to avoid the unbearable pain? Highly unlikely.  Would we feel ashamed if we didn't live up to what the Father expected of us?  Yes, but it likely wouldn't stop us from taking the easy way out if we could.

Now God understands these things; after all, He knows that we are made in His image, yet made with the gift of free will. And with Satan running loose on earth to tempt us, He also knows we will falter. One of the chief reasons for Jesus having lived as a man but also still being God is the the Savior represents the addition of forgiveness that mortals need if they are to be strong. The Old Testament, the precursor to the New Testament, provides the Law which dictates our rules on earth. But it was lacking something, and Jesus improved things dramatically by adding the concept of forgiveness,  where He introduced the ability for us to change and improve with practice and devotion and it is a huge blessing He has provided.  So,  don't be ashamed, for God knows that we mortal humans are weak, yet He still wants us to live our lives as Jesus did on earth.  And when we falter, Jesus is the One who forgives us if we believe and put our trust in Him. And the Holy Spirit, residing inside us, will lead us and guide us to Him. That gift of the Spirit, of course, only came later after His ascendance to heaven to reunite with the Father.  And that's what His life was all about. Jesus was all about LOVE, and that's why the Wednesday before His death carries such importance. He spent that day letting His most important followers know just how important love, devotion and forgiveness are.  And now we know.
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CHANGING PERSONAL FINANCES: WHAT'S NEW IN CRYPTOCURRENCY?

3/29/2021

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Bitcoin leads today, but what's next?
Cryptocurrency: a digital currency system that has no central mechanism with its data secured by the most advanced encryption technology in the world. It is not regulated, but allows each individual holding it to buy and sell items that accept it within nanoseconds. And yes, it confuses so many of us today, for we have grown set in our ways about how we handle our finances and just think such a product is too difficult and too confusing to even consider using. And I must confess that I felt that way until recently. It was the day that I received an offer which seemed like it must be too good to be true. It was an invitation to become involved with something new and I was about to just throw it away, but something told me to review it and I did. Well, it was so clearly and thoroughly laid out that it just made sense, so I used the link to join. Now you can certainly just ignore this post if you want because I guess you could call this an infomercial, but it is totally free, requires no obligation other than becoming a subscriber which actually provides a "starter" volume of their particular Q digital currency which will activate when the project is completed and goes live. The currency is digitally added to your new Q account and online almost immediately. And if you will take the time to review it, it makes total sense and addresses some of the big needs in a changing monetary system. 

This new and developing crypto-like currency is called Q because it is the brainchild of Initiative Q, the organization to which subscribers become a member. But, before going in to that, I want to briefly discuss cryptocurrency in general since many of you, like I recently was myself, are completely unknowledgeable of what it is, why it is needed and why it is, indeed,  one of the waves of of our financial future. It is a natural financial tool to grow and prosper since our current dollar system is falling apart due to inflation which has brought it down to a level where if we continue to rely on it, we will be flat broke. Ever since gold was removed as the backing for the dollar, dollars have over and over invaded the money volume, thus driving prices up. Anybody remember during the Carter Administration when mortgage loans were almost unattainable at eighteen percent? Well, with multi-trillion expenditure bill currently popular in the Biden years, the bottom must be soon to fall out. How many of you know that the Federal Reserve isn't an American bank system at all, but instead a private bank owing its allegiance to the Rothschild banking family which has it tentacles into all of the worldwide national network. By controlling these bank that have no real backing, they inflate money with the charges they pass on to you in the name of fees and interest rates. So, the little guy becomes their slave while the big international bankers become our master and things keep getting more out of reach until we today find ourselves borderline into bankrupt as a society. 

There is a lot of talk about gold coming back into vogue as a backer of the currency and that would do much to help, but using it as a currency is hampered by it size and volume and the time it would take to transfer this real property to complete the transaction. And precious metals. But their values are held down to their subjection to regulations, yet the regulations work the their disadvantage by the way their real value is held artificially low by the big banks. How? By allowing to short trade in real assets by borrowing asset by loan on paper while being allowed to play the market as if it was the actual commodity. Other parties are not allowed to do that, but Congress gave the banks the special privilege to have that unfair trading advantage. Kind of like how Congress also exempted itself from insider trading preclusion. Conspiracy theories anyone?

But if we have Bitcoin and other successful cryptos to choose from as an alternative to tradition, why create another system and what is the advantage? The reason lies in ease of operation, a better way to create the initial group to participate under market conditions. and lower cost which comes from competition. Bitcoin was developed in 2008 and released into the market the following year.  The value of one unit of Bitcoin has gone from $1 pegged one to one to the dollar back then to over $58000 today. Just think if you had been and owner of one Bitcoin back then, today it would be worth the huge number cited. And if you had 20 bitcoins then, today you would be a millionaire. Now that, my friends, is the way to tackle inflation and many are moving to it for just that reason and if they got in at the right time, the champagne must be flying, unless you might refer good old Southern sweet iced tea.

The advantage to Q is it will be cheaper, but should rise quite rapidly, but  then, of course, it is also subject to swing patterns, up and down. But using my own experience the potential is quite amazing, for as I said Bitcoin had gone from $1 to $50,000, so what if Q when it goes live merely goes from $1 to $10, which should be highly likely, today my account value would 170,950. Simply WOW! Plus with the added ease of use, it would be much simpler to use, affording us the opportunity to literally have our own bank, posting transactions in nanoseconds like a speed demon of a PayPal account with self-reliance and no regulation. Now, that would truly be cool.

So, I wrote this blog today for Initiative Q is a great tool for learning the system and actually participate from the start, and reap the rewards. Why does it cost no money? Well, it does more than that, for a new subscriber receives at last check over $11800 in Q credits based on 1 to 1 with the dollar and all for just signing up and being accepted by invite.. And you can stop right there or you can carry on and receive many opportunities to earn more Qs from your efforts, and you have absolutely nothing to lose. So, go to the Q and claim your stake. Just copy and paste this link and you will be set when you accept the invite, join and submit. Don't procrastinate, do it today. Copy and paste the link to on your browser and accept the invite that is the link, and I will welcome you in. Contact me on this site so I will know who you are for I only see your name, but not an email or other link to make contact.


Here is my invite link: https://initiativeq.com/invite/X15Z7ncqN




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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: How Many Seconds are Left?

3/28/2021

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So many seconds, but is it enough?
Time. There are so many years, months, days, hours and seconds in the average human body, but is it enough? That's a question we all must face sooner or later and, of course, the closer we get to our likely mortality it takes on a much stronger meaning.  But even then, sadly, many of us just put it off without really considering the consequences of what that means.  I am talking about the decision to commit our hearts and lives to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and offer for life everlasting if only we confess our sins and accept His offer for forgiveness by believing  in Christ, our redeemer, as our Lord through faith and faith alone. And what is the result of we refuse to do this and just put it off? We put ourselves in a position where we might seal our fate in a bad way spiritually and lose our chance for redemption and eternal life.  We must decide and act before human life ends. After that, it is just too late.

Let's take a look at the time we have on earth from the perspective of a much broader spectrum of measurement. If we are now 40 and we use a ball park estimate of say a life span of 38 more years  or 456 months, or 13724 days, 329376 hours, or 19,762,560 minutes to live, those numbers can be very deceiving, and so we allow ourselves to be deceived by saying well, if we have a problem with needing to change our lifestyle to meet God's wishes, we have plenty of time and we go on about our way living in sin. And remember, we also can justify that by saying what we are doing wrong is really no big deal, so we just put our concerns away and continue our wayward ways.

Case in point: Me. Back when I was forty I looked at the numbers above and while I attended church and even taught Sunday school, I was not much better. Oh, I put on the outward appearance, but with my busy work schedule and ambition, I could departmentalize things and justify my very existence and, even then, I figured I had time to make amends later and I just kept on trucking.  It took getting older for me to finally face the truth of my mortality, and while I am still a sinner today, I try much harder to avoid those things which cause us to stray from the Right and the True. But like all of us who whether we admit it or not are all sinners, I have a much clearer understanding of what is expected of me and I owe that all to faith and the discernment it has over time provided me. That comes from practice by reading the Bible, praying and joining in fellowship with others of like faith.

And let's even take look at a simple example, yet in its simplicity it makes things clearer.  I think of this because of the time and season of the year and it is about the month of April which is on the horizon and will be here in just a few days.  We all know, or at least most of us do, the old saying: April showers bring May flowers and, indeed, that is more often the case than not. But it isn't for sure, far from it, and I remember when I moved to Florida those April showers didn't come at all and we were under fire threat through April and even most of May. It made me realize that only God knows at any specific time what will take place since he knows everything. Each day when we awaken and begin our schedule for the day, we could drive to work and find ourselves in a fatal accident. We could have a massive heart attack walking down the street. I have even heard the stories of people chatting in the living room when a plane crashed into the house and killed them. Unexpected is so often the way our death comes that we must consider such things in making decisions.

So, the point I have to make is this. Regardless of our age, health and so many other things, we have no possible way of knowing when our death will come and if we wish to see heaven, we must make our choice before we open death's door. This means don't delay, tackle the issue today and realize that if we want eternity, we must accept our Savior on faith and faith alone as being the one and only Christ, and place Him second to none in our hearts, our thoughts and our actions. If we do this sincerely, we will never have to worry about life, for upon earthly death we will inherit a place at His table in heaven and we will bask in a new life with no pain, no suffering and only goodness and light. And no one can make the decision for us, for we must make it ourselves using our own free will. What am I suggesting? I am suggesting that we make that correct decision and opt for the Lord.  What say you?

Dear Lord, We praise you for all of your greatness and the love and grace you show us every day. You are our Creator and King and we ask that you help us to live for you and in a way that is pleasing to you for as long as we breathe.  Amen.



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After a Long Break I am Back: GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS!

3/27/2021

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Good morning, my good friends and readers.  I must apologize to you for I have been remiss on my blogging for a number of weeks but it was necessary. And while I wish I could say that I am a great writer and was on a sabbatical or something similar, I can not. No, the actions around me and some things I needed to do to just keep hanging on for better times, were sometimes so troubling that I avoided the blogs. I just couldn't get in the mood. Now many of you who faithfully read my works might be surprised to learn that I am not always in a most positive mood. I get comments on some of my short bits on social media asking me how I stay so upbeat. But the truth is, I am like everyone else and I have dark days as well as the good ones, but after this recent absence, I decided to do what I always do on my morning welcome posts on social media, just buck up and force myself back to the blogs. And yes, it always works, so here I am. 

Okay, so what message do I want to give today on my first day back. Well, it's quite simple and it's quite simple. Keep hope alive. Yes, keep hope alive, for with hope we can have the energy to do great things. Without it, we are reduced to a shell of ourselves. And real hope comes from God and with what we good Americans face today, we need God more than any other being for He is the answer man and the only one who can really solve these problems and make us as a people of God whole again. And what could be more be better to visualize hope than a picture of the beautiful sea, peaceful and calm, after a terrible storm? For me, a beach lover, nothing could.

So on this Satuday morning and every day, praise God, praise Him for all that He does and is doing. Honor Him and then pour out your soul to Him. We are His sheep, His earthly children and He wants to hear from us and chat about what we are going through and, don't worry, your prayers don't have to be constricted by format, but they do need to start with praise. Now, your prayers can be in the form of a conversation with Him and actually He very much enjoys that. Oh, He already knows all about you and what you have done, but He wants to hear it from you.  And whatever you do and however you do it, pray to Him daily, as often as you like, for it keeps you close to Him and He longs for it just like any good father wants to talk with His daughters and Sons. And God wants us all to be happy knowing that we have someone much greater than us who created us, wants us to live in His image and is very pleased when we do.

So, be blessed, be thankful and have a loving Spirit within you and go in peace today and enjoy. It's Saturday, so have a great day. And God will smile down on you.
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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Precious Nature of Life

3/7/2021

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Picture
Renewal of a Crape Myrtle in Spring.
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
                                                  - Genesis 2:7 (ESV)


Life. Just think about the word and what it means. Even when we think about the word we are part of very life itself, for life is our existence and all that we learn through experience over time and what we do in our make-up that constitutes our very life itself.  We take it for granted and fail often to remember that it is God who made us, made in His image by Him wanting us to live like He wishes and yet we constantly fail to do just that. And why do we fail?  We fail because we are mortal beings, made in the image of God but made in a most imperfect world where we will, regardless of how hard we try, fail in many of our efforts and only our faith  in God can help us recover.

Now recovering from failure with the help of God is quite masterful and special, for when be belief in His Son, our Savior, by faith and faith alone, we are granted His gift of forgiveness and given entry into God's Kingdom while yet on this earth. And then on death, we go to be with the Son in His Father's House, which in heaven itself. Oh, the glory that will be if we can just make it and so, that is our challenge. We must maintain our belief and use it to live as He asks, with the principal result being to love ourselves and therein love our fellow man (and woman) unconditionally, with forgiveness built into our hearts to use toward others. That's not always easy, but it is our requirement and the reward we will receive is the Heavenly Home with a new body which has no pain or suffering and into a joyful eternity. What could be better and how can I know?

The answer to that question is really quite simple. Nothing could be better for God's best works are things which are beyond our full expectations, but let's just say that when we inherit the Kingdom we will know what it is like to be the richest person on earth, for nothing we have experienced can compare. And the knowing part, well, we just have to accept it by faith since that is what provides us Jesus' salvation in the first place. But perhaps looking around us at God's nature can give us some clues, for they are every present and here are a few example. 

How about earth's clock in action, the day beginning with the morning sunshine and ending with the sunset amid glorious color and beauty? How about the majesty of birth and the beginnings of a new baby's life with a make-up requiring the master engineer to design such a life, as well as the lives of all the lives of the many different species of animals and also even plant life? All are intricate and amazing, yet each one is different from one another, designed specifically for the lifestyle they are too fulfill. And if you would like one more, how about the elements and seasons (rain, snow, heat cold and even sunshine) and the  specific purpose each one fulfills? These all provide clear evidence of God's existence and our purpose if we just open our eyes and ears and see and listen in conjunction with the Good Book and prayer.

Let me provide one more point, this one coming from the plant world, to hopefully even make my point clearer.  Look at the picture at the beginning of this blog and it will tell something clearly. It is of a much maligned crape myrtle, cut low so many times it looks like a gnarly old dead bush, but no, it is a crape myrtle and it shown signs of life as spring nears.  It is found on our farm and it was planted when we moved here over fifteen years ago. It is found next to the gate to our pasture through which have come many horses at least twice a year all of that time. It was what was originally a bearer of plants to keep the horses from crashing into the fence due to their anxiousness awaiting meal time and it worked perfectly. But over the years the horses have broken branches, eaten its flowers until I just cut it low, hence, its current appearance. And despite all that abuse, the old crape myrtle just before spring each year comes back to life. And the small, fresh growth in the picture is representative of a plant's rejuvenation into new life. 

Jesus Christ offers us that very opportunity if only we accept His promise. And while we must always be thankful for the gift of human, mortal life, we should strive diligently for that permanent life as well. What an added gift He offers us. So, be thankful and pray. l That is my message today.

Dear Lord, We thank you for the gift of life and also for the opportunity to extend that life into eternity. We know we are unworthy, but we love and appreciate your grace and will redouble our efforts to make ourselves worthy of that love and grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: What God Expects of Us

2/28/2021

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Picture
Moses on Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments
On this Sunday Morning Coming Down blog of faith, I want to keep it very simple and straightforward for I think sometimes we make our faith much more complicated than it needs to be. And as a Christian, I first want to state the one thing that will attain salvation for each of us, sinners that we are, because it is the sole requirement to gain Jesus acceptance of our devotion to Him. And that is the only way to truly commit to Him and receive the forgiveness that he freely gives us. It is just as simple as this: Believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior based upon faith, and faith alone, and your Savior accepts your offer and gives you a new life with forgiveness for your past.

Now that seems rather simple doesn't it? All we have to do is profess that He is our Savior and our responsibilities are done. But it isn't quite that easy. Why? Because God can see into our heart and He knows if we are just giving lip service to the requirement and that is not loving His Son at all, just words. So, we must be attuned to Him which is what drives us to make the real commitment. And then, while yes, our commitment, if from the heart, does the trick if we really believe it we will live it as well, it also means that we are serious about living His suggested way. That means following the teachings of Jesus, as well explained by the Sermon on the Mount, the words of Jesus offered to His disciples after the Last Supper in the upper room and before he walked to His late night capture in the Garden. And those things aren't so simple to do, for they require real love of self which then allows us to love others and treat them as we would want to be treated.  And while God knows we will falter on such things, He just wants us to try as hard as we can to live by His word, not man-made creations like social justice and earthly things, but by His concept of love. For social justice in the secular sense has nothing to do with God and Jesus, but a concept born on man, not God. And love for one another is what Jesus even alluded to in His life and His life on earth was all about love. It also includes forgiveness  of others, something we have so much trouble doing sometimes. But remember, Jesus forgave what the people did to Him before death and we can do so too with His help.

And here is where it gets very interesting, for God's personage of Jesus and what He wanted of us goes right back directly to the Ten Commandments, the Word emblazoned by God on two stone tablets which He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to take down to His people at the base of the mountain. From this the basics of what He wanted out of us was established. Isn't it appropriate that the definition of Christian (and Jewish) rules for the road of life would come from the Jews. Well, we are cousins, our faith coming out of the original baseline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which set the foundation of law to live by. The coming of Jesus just changed the approach by adding pure love and forgiveness to the equation and not just the harshness of the law. We should want to follow His wishes out of pure and abiding love. And so, here below is the complete Ten Commandments which are provided just as a quick refresher for all of us.


From Exodus, Chapter 20:2-17: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

2
 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. 12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You must not murder. 14 “You must not commit adultery. 15 “You must not steal. 16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” 


And that, my friends, is what God expects of us. It isn't easy, good things never are, but they work to keep societies harmonious instead of being filled with rage and hate. Can't you see why our loss of so much of our faith by so many has led us to where we find ourselves today? That's a question left for each of us to address individually and with prayer and discernment from God. Read and think about those words and bless you all and have a glorious Sunday.
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    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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