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America Has Forgotten Its First Love!

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When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. Pr. 29:2 NLT

The word wicked means those who are morally wrong, hostile to God, anti-God and that describes many who are in authority today in our country.

A country that denies God as its Creator and moral Compass is headed for doom and disaster.

Our founding fathers knew that and so they based the Constitution and Bill of Rights on biblical godly principles. They were men who went before the Lord seeking His guidance. Our country was established on Judeo/Christian values that recognize God created the earth, He created each of us, and people who honor their Creator will succeed. Those who try to deny God and go against the laws of God will fail miserably.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1 NLT

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27 NLT

I always laugh at the term “climate control.” Man doesn’t control the climate, God does. Man can barely attempt to predict the weather. But man has no say over when it rains or when there’s a drought or hurricane or the sun comes up in the morning and the moon at night.

Only God knows when He will say it’s time to end the world as we know it. Only God!

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,, but only the Father. Matt. 24:35-36

Many have foolishly tried to play God or give the impression that they had godly powers, always for personal gain, but eventually they’re unveiled as the charlatans they are.

America Has Forgotten Its Identity is in Christ Alone!

Last week Jason Whitlock, a black Christian sports journalist, podcaster, and host for Blaze Media for the show Fearless with Jason Whitlock, appeared on the Tucker Carlson show and clearly put into perspective what’s happening in our country today. Here’s what he said:

“We should be taking our identity in Christ not in skin color. Not in these superficial things your sexual preference or your gender identification. All of these identities have taken precedent over what used to be our primary identity: Are you a believer? Are you a Christian? Once you identify as that, now I can see the commonality between Tucker Carlson and Jason Whitlock.” [Tucker nods his head in agreement and says “Right”]

Jason continues, “We’re both believers. We’re both Christians. We both love our country. Those things that unite us they’re telling us to disavow and embrace things like skin color and sexual orientation, gender identity, those things that separate us they want us to lean into and lean away from God. That’s the mistake we’re making here in this country.” 

Jason gave a sermon right there! And who is the “they” he’s referring to trying to divide us? I wrote about them last week in my blog: We’re No Longer One Nation United Under God. It’s those on the left, including Biden and his administration, who want to turn America into a Marxist/Communist country. The only way they can succeed is to create division among the population and denounce and marginalize Christian Conservatives and our beliefs. They want to deny God!

Jesus wrote about what happens when a church forgets its first love. Imagine what’s going to happen to a country that forgets its first love!

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” Rev. 2:4-5

Removing the lampstand from a church meant that they would fail as a church. That’s exactly what’s going to happen to our country if we forget our first love, Jesus Christ. America will fail.

We’re Watching Authoritarianism Replace Democracy in America

The latest attempt is to silence parents protesting in School Board meetings about the racist, sexual deviant content of what their children are being taught and the fascist attempt to mask all children and even force them to be vaccinated, which has already started in California.

Biden has made it clear the government is coming for our children by characterizing parents who want to have a voice in what their children are being taught as potential domestic terrorists, when it’s the government using a fascist game plan to suppress opposition and take over our country.

I hope that parents aren’t intimidated and continue to take a stand for protecting their children from indoctrination and harm. Don’t let the government have your children. Be respectful and passionate but let your voices be heard. God’s word, not the government, is the final authority and benchmark on how parents are to raise their children.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Pr. 22:6 NKJV

Next, the Biden administration wants the IRS to monitor every person’s bank account over $600! Oh, and that will require 80,000 new IRS employees, but of course only those who’ve been vaccinated. They want to know if you buy a new couch or computer or sell something on EBay! They’re not going after tax fraud in big business and the wealthy; they’re scrutinizing the middle class struggling to survive or spying on where you give donations.

The left think they’re clever the way they hijack the conversation and come up with their own definition of terms. Justice is really revenge. Equity disguises discrimination. Public safety justifies mandates. Women’s health legalizes murder. Their main goal is to control words and repeat them enough until we start using their words and thoughts too. We must not let that happen.

3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 2 Peter 3:3 NLT

So What Do We Do?

We keep close to God by reading His Word DAILY and praying asking what He wants us to do. He has a plan for each of us. We were all born for such a time as this.

I’ve said many times that God has a purpose for you and me. You’ll not experience fear or frustration when you feel like you’re doing something to make a difference.

“When people quit talking to God, they quit talking to one another. And people who quit talking to God soon get very lonely and depressed. They are actually lonely for God, hungering for communion with Him, yearning for His close love and nearness; but instead of recognizing these needs as spiritual, they blame their lack of fulfillment on their husbands or wives.” ― David Wilkerson

While it’s terribly infuriating and makes us even angry to watch the damage our current administration is doing to our country and our world relations, they are showing their hand clearly and God told us this would happen.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 we read, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power. “

Gather together with those who love the Lord like you do for encouragement and support, but also use whatever platform the Lord gives you to share Jesus with those who don’t know Him. Like Jason Whitlock, look for open doors to explain why you can still smile and be hopeful in the midst of the turmoil and chaos we see all around us.

I end conversations and encounters with everyone and anyone cheerfully saying, “Have a blessed rest of your day.” It’s amazing the responses I receive, all positive. Some seem a little surprised but say thank you. Others reply, “You have a blessed day too!”

Remember we don’t belong to some secret society! Just the opposite! Jesus came to earth that all might be saved and He told us not to hide our light but to let it shine brightly for all to see.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:14-16

That’s exactly what Jason Whitlock did on public TV and it’s what we can do in our private life.

Interesting that the prophet Isaiah could’ve been talking about America when he wrote,

I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord. Isaiah 43:11-12 NLT

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October 11, 2021
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We’re No Longer One Nation United Under God!

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It’s been a subtle shift of disunity over the years as God became degraded and discarded in our country and the two political sides became defined by whether they stood for godly principles. But two recent significant events have clarified and delineated the spiritual political divide: Covid and the disputed election.

Let’s start with Covid. A pandemic, like any traumatic event, should’ve united our country in fighting it together, but instead it divided us, even in the church. I wrote a few weeks ago about Don’t Let Vaccines Divide the Church, and then last year, Don’t Let Covid Divide the Church: We’re on the Same Team! But because Covid has been politicized, the country and the church are divided often along political lines. And we’ve let it happen. Lies from the media blame Conservatives and Christians for causing what they now refer to as the “unvaccinated pandemic,” when in actuality the highest number of unvaccinated are people of color regardless of party affiliation.

Democrat politicians show their ignorance about God by trying to claim that God wants everyone vaccinated and yet they’re the party that voted several years ago at their convention to take God out of policies and programs, even the Pledge of Allegiance. They wrongly think they can pretend to represent God now as they show their biblical ignorance by taking Scriptures out of context and trying to manipulate a Christian population they know nothing about.

It was the liberal blue state governors that forbid churches to meet during Covid lockdowns calling them nonessential and even imprisoning pastors and fining parishioners who defied them and met anyway. With never an apology, they think they can tell us they’re now speaking for God concerning His desire for vaccinations. Even going so far as to say you’re disobeying God if you don’t get the vaccine!

Which brings me to the next great divide: Diabolical progressives and godless liberal Democrats used Covid to perpetuate voter fraud and take control of our country, while falsely claiming to be the party of unity. Their idea of “unity” is agreeing with them or you lose your job, are fined, or even put in jail.

But good can never unite with evil, without denouncing faith.

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 2 Cor. 6:13-15 NLT

Let’s look at just some of the differences of Conservatives vs. Progressive Liberals (which have hijacked the Democrat party).

Conservatives Believe                                                           Progressive Liberals Believe

Sanctity of life protecting unborn babies                               Slaughter/sacrifice babies

Scientific biology of male and female                          Scalpels can change genders

Police/Military protection                                                       Defund police/woke military

Medical treatment is personal                                                Government forced medicine

Following the Constitution                                                     Destroying the Constitution

A country with borders                                                           Borderless country

Freedom                                                                                  Mandates

Work ethic                                                                              Social welfare

Democracy / civil rights                                                     Marxism/Communism

Against racism                                                                        Critical race theory

Judeo/Christian foundation                                                     Godless government

God reigns                                                                               Government rules                                                                   

I’m sure you can think of even more differences like equality vs equity. But you get the point that there can never be a compromise, reaching across the aisle, or meeting of the minds with a political party or position that excludes God. We can never support a government that refuses to submit to godly principles and only uses God when politically convenient, but fundamentally wants to rule as gods themselves.

This radicalization has been slow in coming, but living up to their name, it’s been progressive. Several years ago, everyone was laughing at AOC and Bernie Sander’s “New Green Deal” and today it’s included in a massive spending bill before Congress with only two legislators holding out against it and progressives mad because the bill isn’t even bigger and include more socialism. And those two holdouts probably will go with the bill if the price tag is lowered, but it would still be a bill that allows the government to spy on your bank accounts, the IRS to harass you, tax your driving miles, and turn us into a socialist welfare state.

What’s Changed?

Over the years, we’ve watched the changes in government officials like Pelosi and Biden and the Democrat Party. They weren’t always totally godless as they are today, but they’ve succumbed to the alluring sin of power at any cost, even renouncing the ways of the God some claim to know. I don’t know the spiritual history of all the Democrats in Congress and the Senate, but no one in Congress who voted for the latest deceptively named “Women’s Healthcare Act” allowing babies to be killed up until birth, could have a clear conscience if they had a relationship with Jesus. Only one Democrat Congressman was brave enough to do the right thing and vote against it. I wrote about this in my blog last week, Satan is Running Scared: He Knows His Time is Short!

I’m not an historian, but I do believe the downfall of America began with Roe v Wade and has been on a steady decline to the historic deterioration we’re watching today. When a country decides that unborn babies should be violently poisoned and viciously ripped apart in their mother’s womb and taxpayers actually pay for it, God cried. God was angry. He’s still crying and angry! How could He not be?!

They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! Jer. 7:31 NLT

You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me. 1 Kings 14:9

And the worst part is that Christians and the church have actually done very little to reverse this atrocity or keep child sacrifice in front of politicians until recently and the Dems have noticed our sudden advocacy. What started over 50 years ago as a practice only to be used in an extreme emergency has evolved to killing babies on a whim and even as a form of birth control. Yet still for the most part the church and Republicans have been fairly quiet as millions of babies are murdered.

Last year was the first time a sitting President, Donald J. Trump, appeared personally and spoke at a National Walk for Life in Washington DC. It seemed like the Republican Party and the church became emboldened. Some red states are beginning to pass laws forbidding abortion, especially after a heartbeat, which is a beginning. Now we have a political party in charge of our country that wants to, as Nancy Pelosi’s own Bishop said, pass a bill that could’ve only been written by Satan.

I hear more Conservative news pundits willing to call out what we’re watching take place in our government for what it is: evil! They use the word evil! Finally, people willing to verbalize what is happening in our country and world today. But is it too late? I don’t know. But what I do know is God is only going to put up with what He’s watching for so long, just like in the days of Noah.

God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to forgive those who repent from their sins but that promise is shouted down today by rioters, Marxists, and corrupt legislators who encourage sin and violence instead of repentance and forgiveness.

We will never be a united nation as long as evil rules in our nation.

Our only chance to take back our beloved nation is to vote the Democrats and Communists out of power and keep them out of power forever unless they have a spiritual awakening. They’re not going to go quietly and they’re going to do as much damage as they can while they’re still in the driver’s seat. You can see them squirming and frantically scrambling as I wrote about last week, that Satan is running scared because he knows his time is short. How short? I don’t know, but I do know that we can’t give up the fight and sit back and wait for the next election because maybe God’s not waiting. Any day He could say “Enough!” and it’s over.

So…

Be ready

Make your voice heard now for godly justice.

Vote and do your part for voter integrity.

Run for local offices like school boards and state legislators.

Make sure the people you love most are ready when Jesus comes to rapture His people.

38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Matt. 24:38-41

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October 4, 2021
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Satan is Running Scared! He Knows His Time is Short

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Newscasters often open their show with, “This has been a busy news week!” Actually, it’s been busy news days for the past few years. We’re bombarded with so many conflicting stories of world events that sometimes we just become numb and want to tune it all out. I agree there are times we should do exactly that when we feel overwhelmed and need to take a break to clear our heads and seek God’s perspective, but then we need to jump back into the battle to pray and take action wherever God directs us.

With the recent news flurry about illegal Haitians flooding our borders and cities, Covid related mandates, the search for Brian Laundrie after his fiancé was found dead, bogus lies about Border Patrol agents on horseback, Biden blaming the unvaccinated for his economic disaster, Biden’s Afghanistan fiasco, the Hunter Biden laptop story, two vaccinated cohosts on The View testing Covid positive live on the show after just lecturing the unvaccinated . . . one critical news story was buried or barely covered.

I almost missed this headline myself: “House Passes ‘Extreme’ Pro-Abortion Bill to Wipe Out State Pro-Life Laws and Permanently Enshrine Roe!” Where did I see this? I subscribe to CBN News (News with a Christian Perspective) and I would encourage you to follow them also. Friday morning, September 24, 2021, Congress voted to approve what they labeled the “Women’s Health Protection Act,” a sweeping bill to wipe away state pro-life laws like the one recently passed in Texas preventing abortion after a heartbeat is detected. Sadly, the House bill passed as you would expect by party line 218 to 211 with only one brave Democrat voting against it.

Democrats are so worried about Roe v. Wade eventually being overturned that when the Supreme Court refused to challenge the Texas pro-life law, they quickly put together their federal bill that not only disallows states’ rights to pass their own abortion laws, it would codify Roe from ever being challenged!

 It’s obvious why the Dems wanted to bury this news on a Friday morning, but one pro-life congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, was willing to challenge them on the steps of the Capitol while they attempted to hold a press conference gloating over their success. Rep. Greene shouts at Democrats on Capitol steps over abortion: ‘Try being a Christian!’ It’s disappointing Greene didn’t have more Congressional Republicans out there with her, but kudos to her for making enough noise to get this atrocity recognized by the media filming.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) tried to challenge Greene by shouting the only verse that Democrats seem to know and use out of context against Christians speaking up against the wrongs in our country: “You should practice the basic thing you’re taught in church: respect your neighbor.” [As if murdering babies is respecting your neighbor?!]

“Try being a Christian and supporting life!” Greene hit back.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) who opposed the measure in Congress warned, “This bill is far outside the American mainstream and goes far beyond Roe v Wade. For the first time ever by congressional statute, H.R. 3755 would legally enable the death of unborn baby girls and boys by dismemberment, decapitation, forced expulsion from the womb, deadly poisons, or other methods at any time until birth.”

This diabolical bill allows abortion up until the moment of birth and opens the door to prevent state protections for children from abortion based solely on their sex, race, or diagnosis of a genetic abnormality such as Down Syndrome—policies that, in the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, ‘promote a State’s compelling interest in preventing abortion from becoming a tool of modern-day eugenics’!

It removes all rights from the state regarding abortion and transfers them to the federal government. It also prevents abortion to ever be challenged in the Supreme Court!

Of course, ‘Catholic’ Biden says he would sign the bill and ‘Catholic’ Pelosi praised the bill saying, “it’s about people’s medical choices.” Notice she didn’t say women’s choices, a distinction the crazy dems are trying to devoid of motherhood, even though it’s called the Women’s Health Protection Act. Pelosi said, “This is about freedom. About freedom of women to have a choice about the size and timing of their families – not the business of the people on the court or members of Congress. It’s about themselves. But it’s also about freedom from the danger of vigilantes.”

Dems Want to Codify Child Sacrifice

Christians know this bill is satanic! It has nothing to do with women’s health and is purely child sacrifice on the altar of pleasure, convenience, and personal gratification. Everyone knows, whether or not you believe in God as our Creator, children are conceived through sex. No one wants to bring up the inconvenient fact that the male sperm permeates the female egg creating life during sex.

While the Dems are so eager to talk about climate control and vaccine control, when’s the last time you heard them talk about birth control?!

Another thing this bill would circumvent is a waiting period or showing an expectant mother an ultrasound before she chooses abortion because they know that no one can look at an ultrasound or hear a heart beating and deny there is a child in the womb who will be murdered. Yes, abortion is murder by torture.

Calling abortion a “medical or health procedure” is another one of the Democrats’ ludicrous attempts to brainwash and gaslight with terminology. Medical/health procedures preserve life, not destroy life. Abortion will negatively affect a woman’s mental health for the rest of her life.

Is God Loosening His Leash On Satan?

I know I’m preaching to the choir for most of my followers, but we must acknowledge the pervasive satanic evil in our legislature. Every pastor should be talking about this very subject from the podium!! We’re blessed that our pastor did talk about this bill on Sunday morning. And he also brought up an interesting point. Could we be experiencing God pouring out His wrath on the world by loosening Satan’s leash?!

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matt. 10:34

Nancy Pelosi’s Cardinal also speaks out. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Pelosi’s home diocese, criticized her stance on the Hyde Amendment. “Let me repeat: no one can claim to be a devout Catholic and condone the killing of innocent human life, let alone have the government pay for it,” he told CNA.  

In response, [to Pelosi’s Press Conference in July regarding eliminating the Hyde Amendment] Archbishop Cordileone said: “To use the smokescreen of abortion as an issue of health and fairness to poor women is the epitome of hypocrisy: what about the health of the baby being killed? What about giving poor women real choice, so they are supported in choosing life?”

“This would give them fairness and equality to women of means, who can afford to bring a child into the world. It is people of faith who run pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics; they are the only ones who provide poor women life-giving alternatives to having their babies killed in their wombs.”  

He added: “I cannot be prouder of my fellow Catholics who are so prominent in providing this vital service. To them, I say: you are the ones worthy to call yourselves ‘devout Catholics’!”

What Can You Do?

This so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act” still has to pass the Senate where Republicans can invoke the filibuster and require 60 votes to overcome the 50/50 partisan division. So while it doesn’t seem the Democrats will be successful, don’t think this will be their last attempt! Satan is running scared that Roe v. Wade could be overturned and children’s lives could be saved.

So you need to contact your Senators and tell them to vote no when this atrocious bill hits the Senate floor. Chastise any of your legislators who voted for it in Congress.

Then we need to pray, not only that this evil satanic bill is widely defeated, but for the soul of every blinded legislator who would vote for such a horrific atrocity to fellow human beings. Only Satan could distort the value of innocent life in the womb. I’m not saying those who vote for it are satanic, but I am saying they are being influenced, persuaded, and deceived by the author of evil. They are intentionally taking a purely political power stance without considering the ethical or moral ramifications.

There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Pr. 6:16-19 NLT

I doubt that any of the Democrat legislators have watched the movie Unplanned and graphically watched what happens to a baby in an abortion. If they have and still consider killing a baby as a legal “right,” then they have definitely sold their soul to the devil, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t redeemable and salvageable. They need our prayers for the blinders to be removed because they will be held accountable for their detestable actions.

God can and does change lives, even liberals.

I was inspired to write this blog because with my Saturday morning coffee, I watched Sean Feucht in front of the Supreme Court in D.C. with others praying for legislation concerning the lives of the unborn. As I prayed with them, I knew what this week’s topic would be. Let God speak to you every morning too about what He wants you to focus on in your thoughts and in your prayers. Christians are carriers of Christ to a lost and hurting world.

Do not let the opposition beat you down. Don’t become discouraged or lose hope. Don’t give up the fight. That’s what they’re counting on but they don’t know the perseverance and determination of Christ followers!

“The mystery of God’s presence is revealed through those who wear it well.” Chris Tiegreen

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Col. 1:27 NLT

Satan’s time is running out . . .

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. Rev. 11:15 NLT

Note: I know that someone reading this article has experienced an abortion and I want you to know that if you haven’t already asked God for forgiveness, He’s just waiting to hear from you. He is a merciful God and doesn’t want you living with guilt and sorrow, but He does want you to share your testimony with other women to help them know the power of Jesus in your life. You can also help pregnant women find solutions for their baby other than abortion. I would encourage you to read a blog by my friend Patti Smith in which she gives her own abortion testimony, Nobody Told Me the Truth.

If you or someone you know is suffering post abortion, I’ve heard good things about Hope After Abortion.

I’ve written several previous blogs on abortion.

Why You Should See Unplanned Movie
Abortion a Crime of Passion
Who’s Behind the War on Women?

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September 27, 2021
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Don’t Let Vaccines Divide the Church!

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Yesterday, I stopped by our local medical clinic and a flyer on the door said that flu shots were now available. I, like many of you, have wondered why the flu has seemed to go dormant during COVID. What happened to the flu?

But what struck me as most interesting is that flu shots aren’t as controversial as Covid vaccines. I don’t remember ongoing debates about whether to get the annual flu shot. Or those who chose not to get the flu shot being villainized even though the flu is extremely contagious, hospitalizes thousands, and results in many deaths. Still everyone seems to concede that whether you get that jab is completely up to you and your doctor.

During flu seasons, the healthy didn’t wear masks and schools and businesses all stayed open as usual. The White House and the media weren’t in cahoots that if you didn’t have the flu shot you were a bad person, a murderer, probably a Republican, and should lose your job and livelihood.

Fast forward to 2021 when a vaccine that scientists, medical professionals, and we the people admittedly know very little about its effectiveness or side-effects is being touted by the White House, the media, and many converts as the savior of the universe.

Let me stop right here and say that I am not anti-vax. I am anti-mandates! I am anti-government draconian overreach. I am anti-forced medical treatment. I am anti-vaccine passports.

I am pro doing research and prayerfully making an educated informed decision about what you choose to put into your own body.

My Pastor’s Thoughts

Several weeks ago, our pastor started his sermon sharing how he had paced the floor and struggled with the topic God wanted him presenting to us. I understand that struggle because I confront it every week when deciding the topic for this blog.

He said he felt called to talk about the “elephant in the room.” I wondered which of the many elephants in our world today he meant. We’ve been studying in the Book of Acts, but I could see from the study notes that this Sunday morning we were going to be in Romans 14:1-12 and his topic was “Freedom of Choice.” He went on to explain that the choice he was referring to was whether to get the vaccine and how we as Christians should relate to each other about vaccines.

He pointed out that Paul wrote Romans 14 to a culture of Jewish and Gentile Christians in conflict. At issue was what food they could eat and days to set aside for worshipping God. Today we have the great divide between vaccinated and non-vaccinated, even in the church.

But verses 4-10 underscore why we are not to judge others’ health decisions. It’s between each person and the Lord.

4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

As individuals, we’re all held accountable to God for our own choices and decisions not for those of others. Don’t boast about being right, strive to be righteous. Paul explained this concept in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

The Gospel Outranks COVID

We can certainly each have our own opinions, as I do, but we need to let the Holy Spirit guide our speech and actions with each other and with the world. I’ve said many times that I personally wish Christians were more diligent about sharing the Gospel than their political, Covid, and vaccine opinions.

It’s a given that we’re all going to die at our appointed time and of course we want to take care of ourselves and our health as best we can, but what’s most important is knowing that we will spend eternity with Jesus. And that should be our main concern for those God puts into our lives!

Yes, we want to protect them from Covid and any other earthly harm, but what about their forever-heavenly life?! Are they ready to die at their appointed time? Have we shared Jesus with them? Do we pray as hard for their spiritual health and wellbeing as we do for their earthly health?

I once had a conversation with my oncologist who said he was an atheist. I told him your goal/purpose is to save my earthly life and I’m so grateful; but my goal/purpose is to help others experience salvation for their eternal life.

God gave us free will. He doesn’t mandate that we all become Christians and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior for now throughout eternity. It’s our choice. The most important decision we’ll ever make to save our life is ours alone. No one can make it for us.

Also, no earthly person can replace or have the authority of God even though unleashed power and ego can make some misguided people feel like they are a god. In speaking about vaccines, Biden said last Thursday in a speech to the nation, “This is not about freedom or personal choice,” as he mandated that all businesses with 100 or more employees must have all employees vaccinated. Does that sound like the President of the free world or a dictator trying to outrank God and eliminate our free will and choices?

What about all the employees who’ve already had Covid and have antibodies precluding the need for a vaccine? Doctors were trying to harvest their antibodies for blood transfusion treatments last year. Now we don’t even hear about that. What about the health care worker shortage exacerbated by firing employees who don’t succumb to this tyrannical rule? Or small business owners barely staying afloat? Or teachers who choose not to be vaccinated causing a teacher shortage?

I do believe we’re political pawns as the real goal of Biden is to take credit for having a large percentage of Americans vaccinated, even if by coercion. While ironically, he’s encouraging millions of unvaccinated illegals to flood our southern borders!

Biden ended his speech with, “My job as president is to protect all Americans.” Unfortunately, we’ve yet to see Americans be Biden’s priority. If he really cared about Americans’ safety, he would close the borders!

What we have seen instead from the White House and their media arm is an obsession with creating divisiveness and dissent in America. We cannot, we must not, let that infiltrate our churches. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual lifeblood of Christians and we need to let our speech, thoughts, and actions be under the Spirit’s direction. I do believe, along with many others, that spiritual revival is the only hope for America.

We are not each other’s enemy. Satan is our enemy! “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Satan wants to destroy the church and what better way than to have us infighting over a vaccine instead of uniting to share Jesus during a time when many are living in fear and uncertainty.

I don’t think God is done with us yet, but He needs His army acting as one under His command. So whether you get the jab or you don’t, here’s a closing word for you from the apostle Paul.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph. 4:9 NLT

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Phil. 2:1-2 NLT

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September 20, 2021
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Take a Labor Day Rest

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restful-labor-day-550x320

I’ve always looked at Memorial Day and Labor Day as the bookends of summer. Both are now three day weekend holidays that also commemorate the end of one school year and the beginning of the next—although today’s schools don’t stick as closely to that schedule anymore.

Now that we live in Idaho, the leaves changing colors and the brisk mornings let us know that fall season is on its way.

You probably have memories, or maybe you’re planning this year, Labor Day picnics, family reunions, and barbeques commemorating the official end of summer; but beyond that, few stop to think about why we even have the day off. What is Labor Day anyway?

History of Labor Day

In 1894, Grover Cleveland made Labor Day a federal holiday after a failed attempt to break up a railroad strike. Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers.

Traditionally, all stores closed on Labor Day so that most workers could celebrate the holiday. Today, most stores are having Labor Day sales and their workforce is hard at work on a day that was supposed to be about resting from work. Many people work on Labor Day without realizing, Hey, I’m a worker who has contributed to my company and I should have a day of rest! Stay closed today.

It's Labor Day take the day off

Work and Rest

A Crosswalk.com article, Labor Day: Your Need for Both Work and Rest by Nick Batzig, caught my attention. It starts out . . .

“As we come to celebrate another Labor Day, it may be beneficial for us to step back for a moment and consider what Scripture has to say about the rhythm of work and rest—i.e. the cyclical configuration by which all the events of our lives occur.”

The article discusses God’s original plan for work and how that all changed when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and why God wants us to have times of rest and refreshment. Batzig listed several changes over the years that have resulted in work being motivated by prestige, self-esteem, peer pressure, fear, anxiety, and lack of purpose outside of work, rather than work simply being a means to provide for our family. The following point resonated with what I see happening in families today:

“Whereas traditional societies said that you got your meaning in life through your family, and through basically fulfilling a fairly prescribed social role—either as a mother or father, or a brother or sister, or husband or wife, or a son or a daughter…You just needed to find a way to make a living because family was what everything was about. But we’re the first culture in history that says, ‘You define yourself by defining what you want to be and by attaining it—and then you have significance.’ There’s never been more psychological and social and emotional pressure on work to be either fulfilling or at least lucrative. There’s never been a culture like that.”

How Can We Find Times to Rest?

I’ll admit that I’m a recovering workaholic. The only way I’m able to balance work and rest is to prioritize what’s most important to me—serving God and my family. My ministry is About His Work Ministries, so I’m fortunate to be able to serve God through my work of writing and speaking.

I also make sure to schedule times of rest with my hubby, and we often plan those times into speaking event travels and trips to see our grandkids. We also serve in ministry together by leading a Couples Bible study. Dave assists me in my ministry and at speaking events he runs the book table.

When I’m spending time with my family—my husband, children, and grandchildren—I set aside “work” and focus on family.

That doesn’t leave much time in my schedule for “extra” activities, and so I’ve had to learn to say no to some good things. Before I say “yes, and find myself with no time to rest and refresh, I’m trying to remember to do two things:

1. Pray and ask God if it’s something He wants me to do.

2. Assess if I have the time and energy to add this activity to my calendar.

If I sense God telling me to go for it, I know I must remove something from my calendar or I’ll become unbalanced trying to get all the work done and rest will suffer.

What do you do to find times of rest and refreshment in a world that values work over rest?

“Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NLV)

I wrote a Bible study about finding ways to live a balanced life based on Paul’s ministry and his work and ministry helpers, Priscilla and Aquila.

Face to Face with Priscilla and Aquila: Balancing Life and Ministry

Finding rest on Labor Day

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September 6, 2021
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How Can We Have Hope During Times of Crisis?

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As I sat in the swing on our deck one early morning last week, sipping coffee and drinking in the serene beauty of the forest where we live, my mind and prayers were consumed by the horrors of what our country has done in Afghanistan. I was safe and comfortable while thousands of people were living in fear for their life and praying they aren’t discovered and killed before somehow they miraculously can escape. Honestly, I had little hope for them if they were depending on our government to save them.

How could they trust the same bungling American government that put them in these dire circumstances in the first place?!

I’ve felt the heavy burden in my last two blogs to awaken those whom they might reach to the evil being unleashed not only in our country, but in the world, How Does God Define Evil vs Good? How Do You? and Take the Spiritual Battle Seriously, Don’t Become a Casualty. We carry on with our daily life, which we must, but the Bible warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

For the Afghani Christians and underground churches, they know their only hope is in the Lord. If He chooses that this is the time for them to meet Him face-to-face, then perhaps it’s God sparing them for glory and not the gory fate awaiting them from an evil regime that Biden just handed them over to after twenty years, while he went on “vacation”!

It’s hard to process the incompetence and inaptitude in our government and military leaders right now. How could they have so misjudged what would happen so quickly? How could they leave behind in harm’s way Americans, interpreters, and Afghan nationals who helped our military? Not to mention abandoning all our weapons and military bases? What was their end game? Why?

Watching the chaotic fiasco that has just occurred on the world stage, one that impacts our allies as well as the Afghanis, how can we trust our own government about anything? They’ve created a crisis at the southern border, lawlessness in our streets, wokeness instead of greatness, inflation, racial division, Marxist Critical Race Theory in our schools, and used a virus as a weapon to try and force Americans to forfeit our autonomy and freedoms.

When you look at the pictures of the packed cargo planes and crowds in Afghanistan, do you see anyone aside from a few reporters in masks? Those people are running for their lives and social distancing and Covid rules are the last thing on their mind.

When you see the pictures of the hordes of people coming across our southern borders are they wearing masks or vaccinated? Was anyone wearing a mask, showing vaccine papers, or social distancing at Obama’s huge birthday party? NO!

When the elites are caught enjoying life without a mask, or ignoring their own rules, you know it’s because they must know the masks don’t really work! Yet they want to mask our precious children in school! Vaccinated people are still getting Covid!?

I had to go to a hospital last week for a bone density test. When we walked in, we were handed a paper mask and told that we had to wear their mask, even though we had our own masks. When we questioned why we couldn’t wear our own masks, no one could explain why. Their only answer, “It’s the rules. Wear our mask or leave!”

Can you remember when we had outbreaks of the flu virus? BTW whatever happened to the flu? The flu hospitalized some, and yes there were deaths, but we didn’t all wear masks. Vaccines were available to those who wanted them, but they were optional and even if you got one, you were told they didn’t cover all the variants of flu. Schools, churches, and businesses weren’t closed. Life went on. People took precautions but there was medicine available if you did get the flu and there’s medicine for treatment of Covid too, but it’s being sequestered by the government. Why?

I’m going to make one more point that’s been on my mind. Israel had the strictest lockdowns, masks and vaccine mandates, and yet had extremely high cases of Covid and when the Delta variant came around, Israel had one of the worst outbreaks. Same thing with draconian controlled blue states and yet many red states that let their citizens make their own choices had lower numbers then and now! We’re being played because hyperbole and fear lead to control, dominance, and acquiescence . . . if we let it.

There are so many issues today that could divide us, let’s not let Covid be one of them. If you want to wear a mask or get the vaccine, it should be a choice. Prayerfully do your own research, don’t accept what you hear or read. Just remember that statistics can be manipulated and reported to prove any outcome desired. Every time I hear the word “mandate” arbitrarily being imposed on our citizens, I cringe.

Many will disagree with me, and again, that’s you’re right, but the more freedoms we give up the less we are “the land of the free.”

It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person. For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? 1 Cor. 10:29 NLT

40 A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.

41 Moved with compassion,[a] Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Mark 1:40-41

What’s In Our Future?

Hal Lindsey, author of The Late Great Planet Earth, wrote in his newsletter this week, “The US debacle in Afghanistan is further destabilizing an already unstable world. In other words, planet earth is being rapidly prepared for the coming leader known as Antichrist.”

To those of us who believe that Christians and the church will be raptured before the Antichrist comes on the scene this actually gives us hope that Jesus will be returning soon!

It couldn’t be far off when you see the emerging attempts that seem so much like the mark of the beast when places like New York City are requiring vaccine proof to eat in restaurants and go to indoor public events, even gyms!


15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666. Rev. 13:15-18

My husband and I have been watching the Victory Channel for news from a Christian perspective. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, they have a program called Flashpoint where they discuss “how prophecy and current events are aligning to usher in the greatest awakening the world has ever known. Host Gene Bailey, along with regular contributors Mario Murillo, Hank Kunneman and Lance Wallnau, are joined by special guests that include prominent prophetic voices in the Church today, as well as political, governmental, business and church leaders. FlashPoint focuses on pertinent issues currently facing America and delivers news and commentary under the anointing—encouraging evidence and hope that God is indeed working to bring about His plans and purposes during these turbulent times. Join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.”

Last Thursday night, 8/19, the guest was General Michael Flynn who presented his views of what could be going on right now under the current administration. He spoke from his years of military service including in Afghanistan, serving in the White House, and being targeted by the evil deep state. It was distressing to hear, but he concluded that he still has hope.

His hope lies in the fact that in times of crises with incompetent leadership like we’re watching now, a strong leader emerges! After reading Hal Lindsey’s comments, I wondered if that leader truly would be the Antichrist or if it’s not yet time for him to emerge and it will be another Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump type leader.

Only God knows!

Until then, we need to pray for our own personal wisdom and discernment and for patriotic wise leadership to emerge on the local levels.

Don’t live in fear live in faith! Stop listening to the screaming, threatening talking heads and listen only to the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. You’ll hear that still small voice when you pray and read your Bible.

Like General Flynn, I want to leave you today with a message of hope from my devotional The One Year Salt and Light by Chris Tiegreen, August 20.

No situation in this world is hopeless; even the worst events have threads of redemption running through them. God has told us so, and we have seen it ourselves. We have no reason to despair

Even so, people around us will despair. That’s where we come in as bearers of good news . . . When we point others to the hope we have been given despite what we experience on earth and put a positive light on today’s headlines, we are bearers of good news. The media will give us a constant stream of tragic circumstances, but we see the bigger picture. God is at work in this world, amazing things are happening, and we get to participate in and tell the story.

How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
    the news that the God of Israel reigns! Is. 52:7 NLT

Here is a beautiful prayer by Anne Graham-Lotz for Afghanistan. Keep praying for them as the ruthless Taliban moves into power.

I also wanted to share three talks that were given by William Federer at Pastor Jack Hibbs Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Church. Federer traces events we’re watching in our culture today through history and the Bible. Fascinating.

Day 1 : Understanding the Culture with William Federer – YouTube

Day 2: (Day 2) Understanding the Culture with William Federer – YouTube

Day 3: (Day 3) Understanding the Culture with William Federer – YouTube

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August 23, 2021
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Never Poke A Mama Bear

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I’m sure by now you’ve seen the video clips that went viral of moms and dads confronting local school boards protesting the mandatory teaching in schools of Marxist critical race theory where children are taught to judge each other by the color of their skin. If your skin is dark, you’re oppressed and if your skin is white, you’re the oppressor.

You can’t get more racist or Communist than to teach these radical untruths to children in school and foster their mistrust and animosity toward each other at an early age. This is the exact opposite of what our Constitution and God affirms that all men are created equal regardless of race, color, or creed.

So I say bravo to those brave and concerned parents, like my daughter Kim in the opening picture, who are not going to allow their children to be indoctrinated in Marxist/Communist theology and ideology.

The parents speaking up at these school council meetings are black, white, brown and some had escaped Communist and oppressive countries and were not about to let their children be raised in a country where the leadership and school boards are quickly shifting their values to resemble the countries they fled.

When an interviewer asked one of the mothers at a school board meeting, who just happened to be black, why she was speaking up against critical race theory she responded, “Never poke this mama bear.” I think every mother knows exactly what she meant. When you start messing with our kids, moms are always going to rise up to protect them. Or at least they should.

An article titled “Largest teachers union says critical race theory is ‘reasonable and appropriate’ for kids, outlines what these parents are up against. Here’s an excerpt:


The National Education Association has approved a plan to “publicize” critical race theory and dedicate a “team of staffers” to assist union members looking to “fight back against anti-CRT rhetoric.”

New Business Item 39 also declares that the union opposes bans on critical race theory and the New York Times’ controversial 1619 Project – which roughly half the U.S. states have already implemented.

Additionally, the resolution calls for the union to “join with Black Lives Matter at School and the Zinn Education Project to call for a rally this year on Oct. 14 — George Floyd’s birthday — as a national day of action to teach lessons about structural racism and oppression.”

Get Involved!

Do you remember during the 2016 election when Franklin Graham went to the Capitol in every state pleading with people to vote their values? My daughter and I took the three grandkids to hear him as he stood on the Boise Capitol steps and one of the points he made was for Christians to get involved with the governing of their cities and states. Run for office. Make sure Christian and Conservative values are represented and heard in local government and decision making issues. He specifically mentioned running for school boards because there’s nothing more important than guarding the education and minds of our children.

It almost seems like Franklin was prophetic as we watch the lunacy of liberal school boards. Not just in wanting to teach Communist indoctrination, but also in the pornographic immoral way many are presenting “sex education” starting in Kindergarten. Teaching gay and transgender lifestyles as normal options for children. Fostering gender confusion.

I heard former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany say in an interview that she’s only going to send her little girl, who is now a toddler, to parochial schools because she knows she won’t have to worry about what her daughter is being taught. This mama bear is protecting her cub from danger.

The Devil always goes after the children because they’re the next generation who will influence the world for either good or evil. We’re watching the fallout of teachers who have gone through the liberal progressive school system themselves and are onboard with biased teaching. Any teachers who speak up or refuse to teach what they know is wrong are often fired.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 1 John 3:9-11

But parents and grandparents, you can’t be fired! You can protest and refuse to let your sweet innocent children be taught what you know is wrong.

You have a voice. You have a vote. You have a choice.

Masks and Vaccinations for Children

Another area you’re going to face in the fall as schools open up is school districts who want to enforce mandatory masks and vaccinations for your children to attend school. There are numerous studies showing how unsafe both of these practices can be for children.

Do your own investigation. Be informed. Pray about it. Make an educated decision and then take a firm vocal stand for what you know is right for your child!

In Communist countries, the government has more control over children than the parents do. Don’t let this happen in America. Don’t surrender your rights as a parent.

You might think I’m being a bit dramatic, but the way Satan gets a foothold is to subtly and slyly slither into normal life and before you know it, evil has become the norm.

I’ll be writing next week about the War On Women! One of the liberal’s sly strategies is to devalue and demean the role of mothers by referring to them as merely “birthing people.” Cancel motherhood! We can laugh at how ridiculous this is but the Democrats actually wrote that insidious term into the infrastructure bill so they weren’t laughing. They were serious.

Black Lives Matter’s manifesto is to eliminate the nuclear family and have BLM take over that role. As BLM infiltrates Democrat government and teachers unions, we’re seeing their influence and ideologies seep into language and legislature.

One of the first things the Democrat house majority ruled in January 2021 was to eliminate the use of gender identity including mother, father, husband, and wife. As reported in the Washington Examiner . . .
“The proposed rule package seeks to “honor all gender identities” by striking words including “seaman,” “chairman,” “father,” “mother,” “sister,” “husband,” and “wife” from use and replacing them with gender-neutral terms including “seafarer,” “chair,” “parent,” “child,” and “sibling.”

“Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi praised the “visionary rules package,” saying in a statement the package “reflects the views and values of the full range of our historically diverse House Democratic Majority.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy mocked the proposed changes, calling them “stupid,” while Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Green called the measures a “blatant denial of truth” and an “attack on families.”

Why would Nancy Pelosi, a wife, mother, and grandmother, now praise eliminating those endearing ageless family terms? Since she admits that this “reflects the views and values of the full range of our historically diverse House Democratic Majority,” you know the left’s views and values have become sinister and dangerous.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Is. 5:20

So Mama Bears, you’re being poked from all directions.

Pick your battles.

Pray for guidance.

Protect your children and family.

Publically make a difference.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

The father of a righteous child has great joy;
    a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
    may she who gave you birth be joyful. Pr. 23:24-26

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Political cartoon is by editorial cartoonist A.F.Branco A.F. Branco Cartoon – You Know, the Thing – Comically Incorrect.

Picture of the parents is from the article cited in the blog.
Opening picture is my daughter Kim Mancini taken on Mother’s Day!

July 5, 2021
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How “God Winks” Can Help Us Through Difficult Times

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When I said in my last blog that I’d be taking a break for my husband’s knee replacement surgery, I didn’t expect to be MIA for six weeks. We heard stories of people having this surgery as outpatient or at best coming home the next day. I had no idea the journey that lay before us and we’re still venturing on, but God did. My husband continuously says he doesn’t know how anyone goes through this without God!

Praise God, He was our constant companion, even though I must admit I had a few meltdowns along the way!!!

For those of you who prayed for us, we’re grateful. Please keep praying! If you didn’t know about what we were going through, I’m sure you know someone having a difficult time right now and I encourage you to stop reading for a moment and pray for them. They’ll feel your prayers. They need your prayers.

Back to our story . . .

Dave got off to a rocky start when he had a bad reaction to the meds and anesthesia used during surgery. While he was in the hospital for five days, his oldest daughter Michelle and I were with him all day and evening. Michelle had flown out from Chicago to help us with his transition home.

Then to my shock, the doctors determined he wasn’t home ready and needed to go to a rehab facility where he would be placed in COVID quarantine. We could no longer see him! He had a negative COVID test right before they moved him, and we were all vaccinated, but those were “the rules.”

We walked with him as they wheeled him down the sidewalk to the rehab facility, but when the elevator doors shut, I was shut out of his life. Half of my heart ripped away!

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 2:7-9

I’d been his advocate in the hospital and now I was standing on the outside. I couldn’t stop crying. I’m crying now just remembering. I was one of those people you read about kept from their suffering loved ones. It’s reality to me now. It’s cruel.

I came home alone and Michelle flew home. Our family’s only visible communication with Dave, doctors, therapists, and nurses was FaceTime. Dave was there for eight days where he received physical, occupational, and recreational therapy and excellent care, but this was so beyond what we had anticipated.

I stared blankly when people asked, “Why?” Every time I heard that question, or about people who came home the next day, it only made me feel worse. Sad. Heartsick. Despondent.

There’s a lesson for us all. When someone is going through a traumatic experience, hearing how someone else sailed through it only impounds the hurt and trauma. All I wanted was a hug or a prayer. Compassion.

My worst nightmare became reality when 5’5” 122 lb. me, who had recently had surgery, would be bringing home by myself 6’4” 230 lb. hubby who could barely stand up and move by himself, even with a walker. He would have to stay in our basement “Man Cave.” It would be a long time before he could navigate stairs up to our living level.

And so the journey began even though I felt completely inadequate for what God was asking me to do on my own to successfully help this man I love so much recover well and safely. It seemed overwhelming. It was overwhelming.

But of course, I wasn’t completely alone. That’s when the God Winks started!

God Winks Don’t Miss Them!

Dave and I had prayed before his surgery and during his recovery that we would be a witness and light for God’s goodness to everyone we met, and that they would see Jesus in us, no matter what. Maybe that prayer set us on this trajectory because God wanted to use us for His glory. I can’t say I always represented Him well. My emotions at times overtook me when I couldn’t stop crying or heard myself having an unkind outburst, but there were also some amazing experiences where God’s glory shown through in spite of us.

God Wink #1

I thought daughter Michelle came to help after we got home, but it turned out God wanted to use her to support me while Dave was in the hospital and through the experience of sending him off to rehab. Michelle was my rock, a calm and steady voice, gentle pat on my back, and hug that guided me through the crisis and chaos. When I was too upset to eat, she located a smoothie shop nearby that’s now become my favorite!

We live 1 ½ hours from the hospital and rehab. So our daughter Kim, who lives closer, welcomed Michelle and me to stay as long as we needed, which meant my two granddaughters gave up their bedrooms and slept on the couch. No complaining. That’s what love does.

While I was away from home, neighbors Joni and Mike, who are also part of our Couples Bible Study Group, watered our plants and mowed our lawn. Mike takes our trash to the dump when he’s home. (We live in the rural mountains, no trash service.)

God Wink #2

One of the male nurses in the hospital stopped in Dave’s room, even though Dave wasn’t his patient that day, and said he had looked up my books on my website! He was a Christian too.

When Dave was in rehab, I brought some of his favorite juice to help him get more fluids since his BP kept dropping. The nurse that came to the door began comforting me about not being able to see him and I noticed the cross around her neck. Turns out, she’s a Christian also and Dave was her patient for the day. I knew he was in God’s hands.

She assured me that rehab was right where he needed to be. He wasn’t capable of coming home yet, but they would work to get him ready. Rehab was actually a God-Wink blessing.

God Wink #3

Several days before I brought Dave home, three men from church came over and helped prepare the Man Cave by taking off doors, moving furniture, making repairs, and taking Dave’s recliner downstairs.

God Wink #4

Leanna, a dear friend from our Couple’s Bible Study Group, got up early to leave at 6:30 am to drive down to Boise with me to pick up Dave from rehab. I don’t function well early morning, but with Leanna in the car and Jesus at the wheel, it was a beautiful morning even though it had been a rainstorm the day before.

God Wink #5

Dave’s second night home he had cramps in his calf and shooting pains down his leg. He was wreathing and crying in pain. Hot compresses helped but he couldn’t stand up. Leanna, who called me every day, had said call us no matter what time of night. So I did. She and her husband Bob and muscular son Ty came right over and the men got Dave up out of the chair and into bed. Ty gave me his number to text if I needed him in the middle of the night or next day.

God Wink #6

Friends Cynthia and Tom, who were dropping off food they had bought for us at COSTCO, were here when the doctor’s office called about Dave’s leg cramps and shooting pains. We needed to bring him to ER (1 ½ hours away) for an ultrasound to rule out blood clots. When we got off the phone, Tom said he would drive us and Cynthia said she would sit at our house and wait for UPS to drop off medication that needed a signature.

This was the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, a heavily traveled day in our area and I had been up all night with Dave. This couple was having a family reunion at their home in a few days, but Cynthia said that taking time to help us was confirmation to her that God had the reunion under control! Praise God there were no blood clots.

God Wink #6

The following day, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, daughter Kim and hubby Toby came up to plant our garden, mow our lawn and do other things on my “to-do” list.

God Wink #7

Memorial Day, Barb from our Couple’s Group stopped by to ask where I needed help. She folded all my laundry and vacuumed my whole house! Amazing timing since around 4:30 pm I got a text from long-time friends from Arizona, Debbie and Jerry, that they were about an hour away and what did I need at the store?! I thought they were coming the next day, but thanks to Barb, my house was ready and I had food to feed them because Gene, another friend from church, had brought over a tray of her famous enchiladas the day before!

Debbie and Jerry had planned this trip to visit us before we knew Dave was having surgery and they said they would only still come if they could be of help. I said, “Oh yes! Please come. I need help!”

They were visiting angels as Jerry is an amazing “handyman” and Debbie just pitched in and saw the many things that needed doing while I was tending to Dave downstairs. Together they cut down on the thousands of steps I was taking up and down the stairs. Debbie went with me to Boise to grocery shop and go to a doctor’s appointment with me to take notes when my brain was exhausted.

I was sad to see them go, but we all were aware of God’s timing in bringing them to “visit” when I needed them most. I finally felt a little rested and ready to tackle Dave’s recovery on our own.

God Wink #8

Now for the over-the-top presence of the Lord showing His face in an act of kindness of two strangers, Scott and Donna May. Physical therapy recommended we get a recumbent bike for Dave. I put a request on our local community Facebook page and began getting messages about bikes for sale. One in particular looked perfect but it was pricey even used. Then there appeared a message from a gentleman who said he had one he could loan us that they only use in the winter and he could deliver it?!

I asked for a picture and it was the exact one I had considered buying. I messaged back thanking him for his generosity and he responded, “Christians help Christians!” I wondered how he knew I was a Christian, but I certainly told him he was an answer to prayer.

When Scott and Donna May brought the bike over the next day, I asked how he knew I was a Christian. Scott laughingly admitted he had looked at my profile and website to be sure I was someone he could trust to return the bike LOL!

Donna May said she refers to these serendipity experiences as “God Winks.” I assured them that God had definitely been winking at us.

And He still continues. Neighbors Bob and Theresa, also in our Couples Group, called and said they’d noticed our lawn getting pretty long again. Could they come over the next morning and mow and spray for mosquitoes. Bob also stops by and picks up our bags of trash to take to the dump.

A physical therapist we’ve been working with in town was concerned about Dave using our shower if we moved him upstairs and offered to come over to our house after work and check it out! He did a survey of our home while he was here to give us tips on moving Dave back upstairs, which we did several days later.

What’s the Take Away from Our God Winks?

1. Ask for Help!

Don’t try to go things on your own. Let people know where and when you need help! We also asked for prayer and I know our church was praying for us and for God to watch over us.

Many times people will just say, “Let us know when you need help.” But then we don’t because we don’t know what kind of help they’re prepared to give and we don’t want to be an imposition.

2. Receive Help

It’s a blessing for others to bless you! Let them. Yes, it’s humbling and maybe even embarrassing, but the Bible tells us that “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecc. 4:9-10 NLT

3. Join or Form a Bible Study Group

Our Couples Bible Study Group have been through many things together and as one woman in church put it, “Your group is really tight.” We’re there for each other to celebrate the good times, help each other through the difficult times, pray and learn more together how God wants us to navigate the world through the wisdom in His Word.

4. Be Alert to Who Needs a God Wink

Because people are reticent to ask for help, or impose, let’s try and notice when and where someone needs help and then just do it. I’m sure there’s someone in your life who needs a “God Wink” right now!

Note: There are many issues in the world today that I want to write about, but I’ve been so consumed with our issues that I didn’t have the energy or brain-power to tackle them. For several nights after I returned home alone, I couldn’t even turn on the news to hear the world’s troubles because I was living through troubles in my own little world. It all seemed like more than I could process.

I told a friend that I’ll know when the Lord frees my mind to write again, and today was the first day I’ve actually sat down at the computer to write. I’m not sure how consistent, but I’ll try to be back on Mondays. We’ll find out this week when Dave will have his other knee done. Yes, we’re doing this again in the near future, but I know God’s winking at me right now and assuring me He’ll be right there seeing us through it.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 2 Cor. 1:3-4 The Message

Photo by Saad Chaundhry @saadchdhry

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June 21, 2021
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What Does It Say When the Leader of the Free World Won’t Say “God”?

2

President Regan used to describe the Soviet Union as a godless Communist State. What would he think today watching America become exactly that with an Administration that wants people to worship government, not God. Socialism and critical race theory have become their religion.

By now you’ve probably heard or read that on the National Day of Prayer’s 70th Anniversary, Biden spoke of social justice, global warming, and racial reckoning in his socialist speech, never mentioning the One and Only God to which we pray?! He was the first President in 70 years to omit the Holy name of God! What he didn’t say that day speaks volumes not only about him, but also about his entire Administration and the Democrat party.

They deliberately left out God, even though God is the recipient of our prayers. At the Democrat Convention in 2012, they voted to entirely remove God from any of their platforms so why should we be surprised they omitted Him on the National Day of Prayer?!

God is an entity they can’t control and they refuse to acknowledge that He is the Creator of our environment and mankind. They cannot harness God, censor God, cancel God, emulate God, or vote God out as Ruler of the Universe, so they try to ignore and dismiss Him, as if anyone ever could.

My question is why more people didn’t notice their godlessness not only at the time of that 2012 Convention, but also during this last presidential campaign when Biden was trying to woo Evangelicals. Why did so many Catholics, Christians, clergy, and Christian leaders support Biden? Was it just because they thought Trump was crude, but they didn’t care that Biden would represent a godless party? Did they overlook that Biden would claim to be a “faithful” Catholic while supporting and endorsing the murdering of millions of innocent souls in abortion?

Putting in a word for Trump right here, I often pointed out during his tenure as President that he was the first President in my lifetime to repeatedly speak of Jesus and the Gospel openly and unashamedly in numerous speeches, especially at Christmas and Easter, but not limited to those Christian holidays!

I have to wonder what all those Evangelicals and Catholics who voted for Biden think about him now and the downward spiral he’s taking our country into Socialism, Marxism, and Communism?! Was it worth it to turn your back on your own faith just because you didn’t like President Trump’s style?

Maybe you didn’t like some of the words he used. Have you heard Biden? He can cuss with the best of them and he’s a pathological liar. Real lies, not just media trumped up lies.

I’m reminded of the Book of Judges when a good Judge who listened to God was followed by a corrupt Judge, until in the end “everyone did whatever he wanted” (Judges 21:25 HCSB). But we don’t have to go down the dark path of the current Administration. We have a choice of whether to surrender to evil or stand up for good and keep America the land of the free. A country whose motto is “In God We Trust!”

Never Be Afraid to Say the Name Above all Names, God!

If Biden won’t say God, we need to say the name of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every chance we get!

No one has ever rejected us when Dave and I tell everyone we meet, from the grocery store clerk, to the restaurant server, to the doctor or healthcare professional, or anyone we’re having a conversation with, “God bless you and you have a blessed day.” Sometimes they’re a little surprised, but seem truly blessed and often say back to us, “You too.” Or “Thank you.” Or “Bless you too!”

I’ve asked in church for prayer for our doctors and then let him or her know others are praying to God for them. We hear, “Thank you!” or “Good!” Or even, “I believe in the power of prayer!”

When Dave explains the pain he’s having in his hand to a doctor he’ll say, “When I go to hold my wife’s hand while we’re praying in church, my hand starts tingling in pain.” A subtle witness.

Describing the pain in his knees, he’ll give the example, “It’s really bad when I’m standing, like when I’m singing in the worship team at church.”

There are so many ways to open the conversation or infuse the conversation with God. To let others know you’re a believer and you’re proud of our Great God!

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col. 4:5-6 NLT

If we don’t keep God at the forefront of our lives, our conversation, our social media comments . . . and we don’t profess our disdain at a government that is trying to remove God from the conversation . . . we will soon find God is no longer relevant or revered in our country. I will go so far to say it will be our own fault! We’ll be held accountable for what we say and what we don’t say.

Joe Biden and the Democrats will be held accountable to God someday when He asks them: What did you do with the life and position I gave you? They’ll be responsible for everything they did or said, or didn’t say and do, and so will we.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. Pr. 10:9

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:12-13 NLT

Don’t be discouraged by the current godless Administration. Keep praying! Actually, pray for many in the Democrat party, especially Biden who has strayed from his Catholic faith, to be guided by God! Keep saying the Name of God, the Name above all names, not just in church but every chance you get!

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:9-11 NLT

Note: Dave is having knee replacement surgery on May 11 so we cherish your prayers for all to go well with the surgery and recovery. I will be his chief caregiver and we’re blessed that our oldest daughter is coming from Illinois to help. I’m not sure when I’ll be back with my Monday Morning blogs, but until then . . . May our Great God bless you with courage, boldness, and opportunities to share His Name and His love wherever you go.

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Cartoon is by A.F. Branco used with permission. Welcome to the Club – A.F. Branco Cartoon – Conservative Daily News

May 10, 2021
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“We the People” Is NOT the Government

8

Like many of you, I forced myself to listen to Biden’s address to Congress because I wanted to know what his plans were for our country. An educated public is a prepared public so ignoring him is the worst thing we can do. It’s like putting our head under the covers and hoping for the best.

We the people need to take responsibility for our country and not think that if we ignore those in power because we don’t agree with them, that they’re just going to go away. They’re never going to stop pushing their Socialist agenda on America until we the people stand up unified and say “Enough!” We’re not gonna take it anymore!

As I listened to his speech, not totally focused, I suddenly became very focused as I heard him refer to his administration as “We the people.”

“It’s time we remembered that ‘We the people’ are the government,” Biden said while trying to convince listeners that we shouldn’t fear government intervention in our lives. We should willingly subjugate our freedoms to big government who would become our caretakers as well as our overseers. We would owe the government complete homage to their will and whim in return for them spending trillions of our dollars to control us, especially our families.

Here’s what the Constitution actually says about “We the people”:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The government is only established to serve we the people, not control we the people. They serve at our pleasure to preserve the freedoms of every citizen regardless of color, financial status, religious belief, political affiliation, profession, or location. We don’t become their minions from cradle to grave to tell us what we can do, think, say, eat, drive, believe or when we can go outside, go to school, work, recreate, worship or mandate we get vaccinated or cover our faces.

So why hasn’t there been more pushback from we the people to Biden’s erroneous statement? Why aren’t Conservatives and Republicans in Congress and government calling him out on such a preposterous position? Why isn’t every American on both sides of the aisle correcting him as to the meaning of “We the People?”

Lies, Lies, Lies!

Then there were his lies about what happened on January 6 at the Capitol with the preposterous claim that it was the worst thing America has encountered since the Civil War!!!

Say what?!

Thousands of people on both sides lost their lives in the Civil War as the battle raged on to free the slaves, which eventually happened after….

The Union and the Confederacy quickly raised volunteer and conscription armies that fought mostly in the South for four years. Intense combat left between 620,000 and 750,000 soldiers dead, along with an undetermined number of civilians. The Civil War remains the deadliest military conflict in American history, and accounted for more American military deaths than all other wars combined until the Vietnam War.

Has Biden completely lost his memory of 9/11 when Islamic terrorists attacked our country and over 3000 people lost their lives, not to mention all those who succumbed in the aftermath?!

He falsely said, “white supremacists” were the most dangerous terrorist threat in our country today, completely ignoring the terrorism and destruction of BLM, Antifa, and the Cartel. Glossing over China’s threat to the USA!

He falsely said, “people were killed” on January 6th. Only one person was killed that day. A Capitol police officer shot Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed, white, veteran, Trump supporter woman who had both hands visible. We’ve heard nothing about the police officer or his justification for murdering her. Why aren’t Conservatives and Republicans in government in an uproar and demanding an explanation and investigation into her death? All we hear are crickets.

Or what about those arrested that day who are still in prison with no bail four months later, while Antifa members are often released the next day or never arrested?!

Congress went back to work that very night on January 6! Hardly an insurrection. I’m not denying things got out of hand, and people went where they shouldn’t have in the Capitol, but the Democrats are treating it like Pearl Harbor!

Biden, with the help of liberals and Democrats, is lying over and over and people are buying into the false drama and fake stories the media promotes to take the focus off the real threat to our country, the current administration!

Why aren’t we the people demanding answers to these and so many more questions?

When we hear Democrats and liberals try to convince us that we’re a systemically racist country, why isn’t anyone pointing out that we had a black President for 8 years and we now have a “black” VP?

Why are we the people allowing them to inflict our country with reverse racism and condemn small children in school for being white?

Why aren’t more parents speaking out against “critical race theory” being taught in our schools and the insanity of having small children wearing masks? Some parents are, and I commend them for their bravery in fighting for the wellbeing of their children.

My Struggle with the Lord

This wasn’t really what I wanted to write about this week, but the Lord kept it resonating in my thoughts. We wrestled much like Jacob* did with the Lord until I surrendered. I’ve received many comments on my recent blogs telling me that I’m putting into words what many of you are thinking but my response is always the same: You have words too, please use them however the Lord leads. Have you been wrestling with Him too about being more involved in the destiny of our nation? Our children and grandchildren’s future? Reimagining One Nation Under God as I wrote about last week?

We the people will soon become Biden’s morbid forecast of “we the people are the government” if we don’t find ways to fight back and take a stand for the freedoms and democracy we cherish in America.

What about We the People Christians? Why are we staying silent? Why isn’t the church speaking out? Why are some churches still closed? Why are some pastors succumbing to the politically correct way of interpreting the Bible?

We’re a mighty force when we unite with one voice but we are weak and ineffective when we retreat to the sidelines as we watch our country being destroyed and do nothing.

We the people have our voice and our vote. We need to ask God how to use both wisely and bravely.                                                     

Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:1-4

PS: I’m so glad that Greg Kelly on NEWSMAX continues to report on the killing of Ashli Babbitt. He interviewed her husband on April 29. He continued the investigation on April 30 and he brings up her name almost every program. I pray he doesn’t give up until we have some answers.

*I also wrote a blog recently for Crosswalk 4 Lessons from Jacob’s Ladder to Encourage and Challenge You.

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May 3, 2021
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