What is your resolution 10 seconds before Midnight...

J. Michael Shannon (professor, minister, & author) retold a story that I had recent read: “The story is still told about the year 1816. Some call it "The Year without summer." During that year, New England saw a blizzard on June 6th. The deep-south suffered high temperatures in the mid-forties in July. Why did this happen? It was all because of a huge volcanic eruption in Indonesia. Clouds of volcanic dust spread throughout the world. These clouds deflected the rays of the sun.” I checked this story out. According to the Colebrook Historical Society (founded in 1953) at Mt. Tamborain now what is called Indonesia. “Climatologists rank the eruption as the greatest producer of atmospheric dust between 1600 and the present. The dust circled the earth in the stratosphere for several years, reducing sunlight, which in turn lowered temperatures…A farmer, Daniel Sears, kept a running account of what he considered to be noteworthy weather events for a 17- year period from 1803 through 1820. He doesn’t mention 1816.” It seems the major part of this event happened from 1803 to 1809. According to other accounts there was a problem that was recorded in July 4, 1816 with a severe cold weather. Can you image being with no real light, cloud cover, and severe winter weather when it was unexpected? The severe weather happened over much of the country. Think of this Mobile, Alabama or Houston, Texas dropping from 80-100 degrees down to 40 degrees in July? Now if that happened today, with as many Christian who read the signs in the Bible passages of “Revelation” would think it is the end or very near. It is a possibility that it could happen, but in all honesty, a true Christian will know in their heart (without a doubt) it is time. We won’t have to read it in the Bible or compare it to what happened in “Revelation”; we will know it. Always remember that History never repeats itself. It will have similarities; but, it is not identical. When you look up at 10 seconds until mid-night, what will see falling? “In the 25th year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the 10th of the month, in the 14th year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me and took me there.” (Ezekiel 40:1) When the Lord shines on us with his eyes, we see that spiritual life deep in our souls because that is birth of our everlasting life. When you look up at 10 seconds until mid-night, be that earthly angel full of the living Holy Spirit (100% faithfully committed) and not the empty soul who has fallen; the empty souls cover the sun like volcanic ash and allow not the grace of God shine. God bless you all and keep you safe. I wanted to edit and add this because I just found out: If anyone has any information about this please contact the Lamar County Sheriff's office in Mississippi. This information came off of the WHLT.COM news source and is just an insert. The mother of this young man I know personally. Keep Josh Stricklin in prayer. Two days before Christmas, Josh Stricklin, 27, was riding his bike home from work between 7 and 7:30 p.m. "A bicyclist was Westbound on 4th Street about Fox Run Drive, Lamar Co. Sheriff Danny Rigel said. "He was in the center turn lane, and a vehicle was passing in the turn lane and struck him." His brother, Jeremiah, explained he did that because there isn't a bike lane or sidewalks, and cars aren't supposed to drive down the turn lane. "The bike had reflectors and had all the safety precautions it was supposed to, but if you're passing where you're not supposed to be, chances are you're going to miss something," Stricklin said. "And he did. He hit a human being, and then left him there."

December 31, 2013

I was thinking about looks, health and the overall self perception. They go hand in hand. My daughter and I were watching “Dirty Dancing” earlier this morning. We were discussing Patrick Swayze. Then discussion was on Farah Fawcett. We talked about how life can change at any minute for anyone.

A person can be on top of the hill one minute and then lose everything including their life the next. Our health, our genetics, the way we live, our possessions, or our social status have nothing to do with whether we live or die. There is something deeper to that equation that we do not think about because of the fear of the unknown. Regardless where you are, what you are doing, who you are with, health or any other earthly matter—life can end in a split second without notice or really any reason.

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, Peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6)

To be alert and awake, we have to be in tune with our souls, our very essence and our spirituality in accordance with God. Ask yourself, “Are you affairs in order?” or “Are You Spiritual affairs in order?” Do not fear the unknown because God is there and you will know him. Keep in prayer the husband of Anna Perez-Crugliano who has been in the VA hospital ICU for 6 weeks now with a severe bacterial infection showing little signs of improvement. Pray for each other. God bless you all and keep you safe.

Military Charge

Charge of the Light Brigade

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, all in the Valley of Death.

“Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said:

Into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred.

“Forward the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismay’d? Not tho’ the soldier knew someone had blunder’d: Theirs not to make reply, there’s not to reason why, theirs but to do and die: Into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell, boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell rode the six hundred.

Flasha’d all their sabres barem, flash’d as they turn’d in air, sabring the gunners there, charging an army, while all the world wonder’d:  Plunged in the battery-smoke  right thro’ the line they broke; Cossack and Russian reel’d from the sabre stroke shatter’d and sunder’d. Then they rode back, but not, not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon behind them, volley’d and thunder’d;  Storm’d at with shot and shell, they that had fought so well came thro’ the jaws of Death back from the mouth of hell, all that was left of them, left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred.

Source: 

SparkNotes. “The charge of the Light Brigade.” Tennyson’s Poetry. 2013. Accessed 4^th May 2013.                  http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/section9.rhtml

I was watching the movie Blind Side this evening. I had already seen it several times and loved it. In the movie, the father, Shaun, spoke of this poem being about Ole Miss and LSU playing on the football field. I looked up this poem and read it for the first time in my life. How could I have missed reading such a passionate poem? I had to look up the quick reference in spark notes as to the history behind this epic classic.

This was a poem about a disastrous historical military engagement that was in the 1^st half of the Crimean War between Turkey and Russia (1854-56). British forces led by Lord Raglan 1854. He sent his forced of about 650 men and in the matter of a few minutes over 100 men died. Britain lost.  The poem is a moving tribute to the courage and heroism in the face of devastating defeat. Now this military action is considered as a military disaster.

Would this poem apply today? I would like to think so. It makes me think on so many different levels about our soldiers today that face their adversaries on foreign land. They are so far from home in a desert type region fighting for obscure reasons that were made among the leaders of the “free world.”  Yet they do their job. They lay their life on the line every minute of every day while they are on foreign soil. The reasons in which our country went to war do not exactly hold true any longer.

The difference between this poem and now is the gentleman’s war. The British in the Crimean War would line up and charge. Now the soldiers crouch and slowly attack to seek the kill without being killed. There is a difference in bravery compared to the British in 1854 and the NATO Peace keeping force in 2013, which is primarily American Soldiers. I am not saying that they are not brave, but there is difference in the military perspectives on a national basis. Our soldiers are not raised with the military nationalistic value that other countries instill in their youth. We are more of a country based on emotion with an overabundance of personal rights. I wonder about the future of our country, though. I often wonder if the governmental decisions are being made for the honorable reasons and not for some power play over economic money reasons of a few elite.

There is no reason to doubt that our “Light Brigade” is just as fierce now as it was in 1854. I hope and pray that our government is making the correct honorable reasons to justify our losses of so many honorable men and women. I hope and pray that in 100 years that our wars are not voted as government/military disasters to be remembered. God bless our military.  

My Prayer

Many will wake up this Friday morning only to hear more news about violence in the State of Massachusetts.

They seem to be targeted at this time. Why? I do not know. Could it be that they we an honorable lot that helped with the formation of this country? Are these acts of terror some sort of cruel joke among those acting in such a criminal nature? 

Shooting at MIT at Cambridge and then shots fired and bomb went off in Watertown. 

This is truly sad to say. 

While many slept, many wept last night. 

I pray to God not out of fear but out of pleading that this is not the beginning of an age of terror that many of us have never experienced personally other than through the news media.

Oh we can watch and rant about what we would do faced in the brink of such but the strongest weapons we have is our brains. 

If we use them wisely we will prevail. 

I call for a prayer of nationalism and unity among the people and the act with the wisdom that God has bestow on many of us. 

In the words of FDR "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

Do not fear. 

Fear is what true terrorism is based on. 

Do not Fear! 

We need to use our wise judgement to stay calm in the midst of these horrendous acts. 

It is past 3 AM on the east coast and I am sure our President has been awaken with the news of this evening. 

I pray so earnestly for their instructions from God to guide the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches to help unify this country and stop this as soon as possible. May God open the doors in which they should follow as godly men and women. 

I further pray that God keeps everyone calm and rational during this time. 

I lay all this at the feet of Jesus to take our worries from us and soothe our fears and sorrows.

I call for unity and nationalism!  I call for NO FEAR! 

Amen....

The Unborn Life

I have been taking a class on the “Unborn Life in American History.” Prior to taking this class, I was Pro-choice. Now that the class is coming to an end (like all great things) I am now of the contention that there is a medium ground. I believe in both. How can that be? Simple! I am taking a stance that there is such but I am still not sure as to what that is other than questioning the motives of people involved wanting to terminate and those outsiders wanting to stop a termination.

 “For YOU formed my inward parts; YOU covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise YOU, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are YOUR works, and that my soul knows very well.” (Psalms 139:13-14)

What I have learned is there actually is not a verse in the Bible that covers abortion according to the original Church fathers when the canons were being assembled. But, that does not mean that it was not taken seriously as tampering with the wonders that God has created. They continually tried to understand that which has does not have an answer to the question “When does ensoulment begin?” Only God can answer that question and not man.  

In latter Christian modernity, we (certain sects of religious society) started to adapt and apply biblical passages to the forcible termination (abortion) of the unborn. One of the passages that we have applied to this situation is “Thou shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) But in applying this, we come to realize that there are different variations to life and this passage applies to them all. But we must also abide by the laws of the land which is a tradition handed down from the original Mosaic laws as written in the Old Testament.   

When it comes to a child, who is dependent on their life subsistence to the person responsible, it is a different matter entirely. It is a biological fact that a fetus cannot live outside the womb under 20 weeks after conception unless God wishes it so.

That fetus does not belong to the mother or the father as a possession—we have forgotten that fact. When God created Adam, he then turned life over to him. When people make babies, the woman is the vessel that houses the unborn. God breathes the soul (life) into that fetus. When it is born it is the responsibility of society as a whole to become concerned about that tiny soul. We have to set good examples for that tiny child to learn from about life. We forget or just simply do not chose to remember that the womb belongs to the woman; the fetus is a product of male and female in a 50/50 biological partnership; the soul (life) belongs to God and none other. That precious new born is a gift from God.

We do not sit in the shoes of the woman wishing to terminate the pregnancy. We do not know whether she has been in prayer with God to make the appropriate decisions to keep or terminate such pregnancy which is allowed by the law of the land. Therefore it is up to the law of the land to do what is best for all concerned. If that fetus (baby) has any chance of living outside the womb (to breathe independently) then there should not be a choice but the continuum of life. This does not mean that the biological parent(s) are of the appropriate character to raise that child. The same would apply to any adoptive parent(s) as well.

It is difficult to determine, what is the correct thing to do in this situation? There is no easy answer. Pro-life or Pro-choice matters not. Pro-prayer over the situation is vitally important. Ask this of yourself. Are you willing (if you stop an abortion) to get involved with the mother, father, and unborn child? Are you willing to commit to earnestly being concerned about their soul and wellbeing? Are you willing to become dedicated to assisting society in the rearing of this child as Christian sponsor? If you are not, do not protest something you only ½ believe in.  We also must keep in mind that it is impossible to place legislation on morality because God afforded the human being free will.

This is my rendition of a possible middle ground. (I may not be correct, but I have been in deep prayer over this issue.) There should be laws in place for the accountability of every single life. The biological mother and biological father should equally make the decision to terminate a pregnancy because it would not have happened without the man or the woman becoming equally involved to form that fetus. Any fetus that has more than 60% chance of living outside the womb should not be terminated. Each termination of a pregnancy should be considered on a single basis not a blanketed covered law; meaning the biological parents have the opportunity to plead their case on an individual basis based on the character of parents requesting, medical information (statistics), the health of the biological mother including mental health, and or the health of the fetus.

That precious infant can only communicate by body language. If a woman who is seeks to terminate a pregnancy will find a way—legal or not. Do you want a mother or father who continually violates the law through narcotic abuse like smoking crack cocaine that would harm an unborn fetus as well as a living child for their entire life? Do you want to see parents who procreate just to be doing so but cannot afford to care at anytime for their offspring? Do you want to see a parent who cannot take care of their mental health with a child? Loving a child does not make a necessarily make a good parent either. An abuser loves their children very well; so well they kill that child after birth in less than 24 months.   

There is no guarantee how a child will turn out in society, but we as a society that wants to get involved with the unborn life better make sure we are 100% committed to the long road of helping raise and sponsor that child if you personally do not want it to be aborted.

This is my rendition of a possible middle ground. 

What is your secret?

Do you have a secret? Yes I do and I will never tell.  Funny thing about the south and secrets because we all have “skeletons in our closets” and sweep our cat pooh under the rug because we know for fact that our houses are never clean. That is what is called old time evangelicalism. Those antiquities of petrified cat pooh and fossilized bones are found years later by some descendant doing a genealogy research on the family. Our secrets do come out of the closet and blow out from under the rug eventually.

(1Timothy 1:15) “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Those secrets are so often our sins.

Those secrets may be horrible experiences.

Do not fool yourself into thinking that you are not hiding something from anyone—you are only hurting your chances to be free.  Get it off your chest and forgive yourself and talk to God about it. Then it is no longer hidden.

The horrible experience secrets are the hardest to get off your chest. You might ask why forgive yourself? Well you just should. Deep in our hearts sometimes we feel responsible for bad things that happened to us. If we forgive ourselves, then we admonish any doubt in our conscious state.

I once recently spoke of a secret that I had kept for more than 21 years. When my son was 3 months old in 1990, I had a serious gallbladder attack. I rushed to the local hospital thinking my guts were being torn apart. They administered a very strong pain killer which sent my alertness into another world. I was wheeled into the imaging department. I was dressed in hospital gown. A man came over to me and pulled my gown open and felt my stomach to ask me where the pain was. I never saw his face but I heard his voice and saw the necklaces around his neck. I saw them enough to remember as he fondled my breast. I called for help and shushed me and said I was dreaming. I remember him putting his hands in between my legs and then I fought him as much as my conscious state would allow. He stopped because I started swatting at him and making a lot of noise. I wanted to kick him and felt that I couldn’t.  He covered me up quickly because another person entered the room. I remember him saying that I was fretful because of the medication they had given me in the emergency room. Everyone male that entered my hospital room for the next 4 day stay, I immediately looked at their neck. I never saw him again.  

I didn’t report it until the nightmare started about a week later. They were horrible. I was 2 months into being 30 years old when that happened.  Needless to say no one in my family found out about it until this very night.  I told my son (of course he is no longer three month’s old but in his 20s.) He was listened intently with a great deal of concern for his aging mother.

I remembered this incident when I started thinking about secrets we store. I had to forgive myself over this because I my ignorant mind I thought may I had provoked the attack so I asked God to forgive me. But you know what I didn’t provoke it or cause it.   But the ultimate solace came from the word of God.

So what secrets we have in our “closed door closet” or “under our rug” let them out. If you never tell anyone, confess them privately to God. The union of the Holy Trinity will ease your pain and suffering.

May each of you be blessed and nestled safely in the arms of God.

If you need me to pray for you, leave a message, or email at juliaburns253@gmail.com

You will be missed but never forgotten.

This I believe that the American Dream is not one of material success but to leave a legacy, some proof that we have been here, something so simple that we often overlook. The neat thing about this is a child’s touch, a mother kissing her babies check when they are 30. A father’s kiss on the forehead, when he covers his little one who is 20 and home for the weekend just to do dirty laundry. It is a dog or a cat running to see their human parent when they arrive from work. Sometimes jumping up and down, barking wildly or meowing to let their presence be known. These are the loved wonderful things that are truly ours, our memories. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) Our simple legacy is that we are the memory in someone’s heart and soul that will never be forgotten. Let us make sure that it’s a good memory that we leave in the minds of others—a pleasant memory that will wipe out all the “negative” parts of us that exist. Our prayers are simple today. Let us pray for everyone that needs a prayer—let us pray for each other.  Let us pray for eternal happiness and a settled spirit, for healing, for love, for strength, for perseverance.  From this day forward, tell someone everyday for the remainder of your life that you love them. God bless you all and keep us safe cradled in God’s arm.   

Mrs. Larry (Patsy) Keating went home on 4th March 2013. She will be missed but never forgotten for the love she shared on this earth. 

Not Guaranteed Tomorrow.

Mathew 24:36—“No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven nor the SON, but only the Father.” That is the most powerful statement that I have ever read about the life in which we live. We have children and we raise them to the best of our ability. We honor or parents and try to care them in their golden years. Then the cycle repeats itself. It is centrifugal because as stated HE is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega.  

We often sit at the sea shore watching the waves come in and reflect on the wonderful time of life in awe. GOD created it for us. We grow up, get jobs and become productive citizens. We are surrounded by all these wonderful things, bobbles I will call them (cars, houses, and utterly fantastic trinkets). There really is nothing that belongs to us here. We claim ownership but it isn’t really, not even our own bodies. To prove a biological fact, when our skin dies (not us but the skin), it flakes off and turns to dust. Therefore it returns to nature and who is the great creator of that nature?  None other than GOD!

In Genesis 2:7, “HE formed man from the dust of the earth and he breathed life into his nostrils.” What more proof is needed that GOD exists? We came into this life with nothing, and we go out with nothing other than our memories.

A lady that I know will eventually come home to God if it is his wish. It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow. I call her a lady because she has always represented herself as such in my eyes. The woman I speak of is the wife of a former teacher. They are in pain at the thought of loosing someone from the earth, as we all are. Yet the ANGELS of GOD dance around us more than what we think. Psalms 91:11.   We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We are just here in the now, this moment, millisecond of feeling and compassion we have for each other.

So…..before you take your next breath, think: why are you breathing? What is your purpose, your existence here on earth? Are you really doing everything spiritually you can do for that ultimate high...GOD’s high? Are you willing to drink up everything HE has to offer? Read his words and get closer to GOD. Give him your all. Turn it all over to the blood of the Lamb. Jesus symbolically dies for us every year. Now is the time.

If you are in need of a prayer, contact me, leave a comment. I will pray for you.

GOD bless you and keep you safe from harm.

Just say the word.

If you have a need for prayer. If you are afraid to say something. If you need me to pray for you. Just say the word. I have a need in the comments. When I read it, I will pray. If you need someone, a friend to listen. Just say the word in the comments. If you need a shoulder just say the word.

I will pray for you...just the word...

Take Stock, Inventory.

Great Orations of American History often go unnoticed as years start to pass and they fade into the history books in which we are forced to read as young people in high school and sometimes we never read or hear them at all. This week’s blog is dedicated to inserts from great people that you never thought would have spoken such wonderful words with meanings that a grand to each and every one of use born in America.

“It is probable that in no period of human history has more pains been taken with the education of women that was taken in Greece; in all their accomplishments, in learning, in music, in dance, in poetry, in literature, in history, in philosophy, even in statesmanship, women were very highly educated—provided they were to live the lives of courtesans. The fact is simply astounding that in the age of Pericles intelligence and accomplishment were associated with impudicity, and were the signs of it, and that ignorance and modesty were associated ideas. If a woman would have the credit of purity and uprightness in social relations she must be the drudge of the household, and if any woman appeared radiant in person beauty and accomplished, fitted for conversation with statesmen and philosophers, it was taken for granted that she was accessible. We have thrown on this subject in the New Testament, not well understood hitherto. That noble old Jewish book, the Bible reveals a higher station to womanhood in the ancient Israelitish days than in any other Oriental land, and form the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of it there is no limitation of a woman’s rights, her functions and her position. She actually was public in the sense of honour and function; she went with unveiled face if she pleased; she partook of religious services and led them; she was judged, she was even a leader of armies; and you shall not find, either in the Old Testament or in the New, one word that limits the position of a woman till you come to the Apostle’s writing about Grecian women, for only in “Corinthians” and in the writing of Paul to Timothy, who was the Bishop of the Greek Churches in Asia Minor, do you find any limitation made. Knowing full well what this public sentiment was at the time Paul said: ‘Suffer not a woman to teach in your assemblies; let your women keep silence.’ Why? Because all, in that corrupt public sentiment, looking upon intelligent teachers in the Christian Church, would have gone away and said: ‘This is done of licentiousness, women are teaching:’ and in public sentiment that associated intelligence and immorality it is not strange that prudentially and temporarily, women were restrained. But that has all gone; woman has risen; not only in intelligence, she is the universal teacher not alone in the household but in the school; not alone in common schools but in every grade; till she has attained professorships in universities and even presidency in  women’s colleges—at least in our land. She is the right hand of the charities of the Church; she walks unblushing with an unveiled face where men do walk; and she is not only permitted in the great orthodox churches of New England to speak in meeting, but when they send her abroad, ordained to teach the Gospel to the heathen, there she is permitted to preach. When they come home women may still teach in a hall, but not often in a church, for dear old men there are yet so conservative that they are reading through gold spectacles their Bibles, and says: ‘I suffer not a woman to preach.’”  Henry Ward Beecher

Beecher, Henry Ward. Lectures and Orations. Fleming H Revell. New York: 1913. Pg 97-99.

[Thayer Award] “Coming from a profession, I have served so long, and a people I have loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily to honor a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code—the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the animation of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of rind and yet of humility which will be with me always. Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, not that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean. The unbelievers will say they are but words but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some other of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule. But these are some of the things they do: they build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation’s defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. They give you a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy of inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman. And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory? Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms.”

General Douglass McArthur. “Duty Honour Country”. New York: 1962. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurthayeraward.html  (accessed 20^th February 2013.)

These are just two great inserts that were very charged! What has happened to our society? Do we not have great men or women to stand at the pulpit or the helm and speak, to mold the hearts of our countrymen anymore?  Have we all forgotten what it is important in our lives? We were once a great nation, but as I have aged it doesn’t necessarily seem that we are great anymore. We are hated outside our shores for being lazy and contemptuous.  What was once our ally’s now spit on what is important, the flag of our nation. Yet, our government has failed to make the destruction of what we hold so dear a crime on our own shores. For we are a nation that cries bloody tears from the shores where our ancestors have once stood proud and protecting of this great nation we call America. We have lost our way.

We are now a nation of confused people that is unable to understand the truth from falsehoods. We are a nation that has become ignorant in the hearts of our young. It is the truth that we cannot back track into the history of our past, but we can repair the future of what is to come and point it into a righteous direction. Have we lost the original meaning of faith? We still in essence have a moment of silence, which gives us the option of prayer in our schools, we still stand and say pledge of allegiance, we still have all our civil rights in order to give us our liberties and freedoms and yet we still walk upon soil afraid of the unknown. Is it because we say we are believers and yet follow a crowd walking through the motions?   

This is where we must take stock of ourselves. Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (6)And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he reward those who earnestly seek him…(14) People say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. (15) If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. (16) Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (40) God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

Do we still have the faith? Oh there are so many that say yes, but do you really mean it? Do we have hope or have we used the word that hope is warned out?  What are we going to do to about it because the overall essence of our society shows that many have lost that faith in God and replaced it with manmade objects? Are our social statuses so important that we look the other way when our brother asks us to share a dime? That dime is a tithe—a tenth (being represented by 100% of a US Dollar bill); that tithe is also 10 minutes or every hour or 10 hours of every day or 10 days out of every month, or 10 months out of every year or 10 years out of every life. It matters not. But, do not ever mistake that a tithe means to write out a check and be done with it. A minister once said, it is not a sin to be wealthy but it is a sin to die wealthy.

It made a lot of sense because we were born with nothing (naked) not knowing. We should die with nothing (naked) not knowing. If God steals us, our very life, our souls, our existence, God has no use for our world money in Heaven or anything else of this world in this life. The day to take stock in ourselves is today. It is now. 

The Cabbage Patch to Creation

I was born in a much simpler time according to society – the latter 1950s. But, our society was on the brink of change with the fast approaching 60s. I remember asking my mother where babies come from and she said,

“The stork delivered them to the cabbage patch. When they are ripe, parents pick their children, they are taken to the hospital cleaned up and given to the parents.”

Well as a little child back then it seemed plausible because I don’t ever recall seeing a pregnant woman. And if I did, I probably thought nothing of it because all bellies are round.

I remember learning in church that the Bible has all the answers and we should turn our life over to Jesus and God or burn in all hell fire and damnation. I was really scared because fire hurt. My brother’s did that thing where they walked down the long isle at Church by themselves and turned it over to these people mentioned in the Bible. I did not want to burn alive and wanted to see the streets lined with gold in the sky; that place called Heaven. I wanted to walk hand and hand with Jesus.

One day I walked down that isle, by myself and confessed I believe and I accept him in my heart. The minister (that very night) put his hand over my face, pinched my nose, and plunged me backwards into the cold water (in the blue painted cement and glass enclosure) behind the choir seating behind the pulpit. I also received two new gifts. My parents gave me a Bible that was pretty, blue, and had a lot of pictures on it. The minister gave me a Bible also that was little and really cool. I had two of them. I took them to school to help me in my memory verses for class. You had to find the verse, look it up, and tell what it meant—all from memory. That was the total summation of my reading the Bible which went on 1st grade until 8th grade, and then occasionally in high school and up until I was about 28 years old. After all I was saved, repented, sinned and repented again. Is not that what good Baptist are suppose to do?

Only as I got older, the year I turned 40, did I really start to read the Bible. I had read some in Religion 101 in college though, but 40 years old was the year I really started to get into the Bible. I, also, started to be curious about other religions. I checked out Catholicism. As a result, they gave me a really nice Catholic Bible with my name on front because I took all these classes in Catechism. What history I had learned and wanted to know more.

In my latter 40s, I went to work for a hotel. One of the managers and administrative assistants had a Bible study going on during their lunch periods with several people from the downtown area. I started attending these and discovered I KNOW NOTHING!

It took me 52 years, but here I am getting my masters at a Christian University finding myself getting into the Bible more and more and being concerned about people’s souls. I have this strong feeling and it is getting stronger to want to study more and more, to question everything. I started with Genesis in the Septuagint, which is similar but different than any other modern version printed. When I say modern version, I mean anything printed after King James Version.

It has taken me 2 weeks to get through the first seven chapters of Genesis in the Septuagint. I have really been taking Genesis apart, technically going over every aspect of it. I discovered things that I suppose I just overlooked before. The Bible is a text that was put together by order of King James. Without research into his life, I can only assume it was done just to leave some type of positive legacy aspect reign. In King James Version as well as others, it would seem as if two different inspired authors scribed Genesis because the flow is not literarily smooth. This indicates that there are possibly two different creations. If you read the Septuagint Genesis, there is only one author scribe because it flows very evenly in style. The word combination “author scribe” means that God was the author through the human writer.

What really is intriguing to me is Genesis 4 and the life of Cain, his mark, and the 7 vengeances placed upon Cain. There is a variation of spelling in the Septuagint as compared to the Bible. As I kept reading and studying, I get to where Cain killed Abel. The Septuagint (sort of) indicates why God is displeased with Cain’s offering. (Hebrews 11, in the King James Version, gives a comprehensive answer.) There is also indication in the Septuagint that there are other people on the earth. It is clearly indicated in the conversation between God and Cain. (Cain has already killed Abel at this point.) Their conversation is one on one, face to face. This indicates that Cain can see and talk to HIM. Adam and Eve at this point, really haven’t been cast out of Eden, just from the center of it. Cain was sent out and could never see God again. There has never been any mention in the Bible or Septuagint as to whether Adam and Eve had any other children than Cain and Abel at this time.

The assumptions that our theological fathers might have come up with there being other children in Genesis 4 does not make sense. According to theologians Cain was supposes to have married a sister or a niece. I know this is not totally taboo because Abraham married his ½ sister in Genesis 20:12. Then the Laws of God came down in Leviticus 18:9, restricting this type of association.

However, at no time did God or the author scribe of Genesis indicate any other children until 230 years later after Cain had left the region. This shows up in Genesis 5. Keep in mind when Cain was grown, married. When Adam was 230 years old he had Seth. 700 Years had passed and he had other sons and daughters. In Genesis 5, Eve is no longer mentioned. In the 5th Chapter was the first mention of the years or ages of a man, Adam. I tried to look and justify my thoughts as being incorrect and I honestly could not find anything disputing why I thought the way I did in the Bible. The only other plausible thought would be that Genesis 4 went on with time, and Genesis 5 might have gone back to where Adam, Cain, and Abel were younger and Abel was possibly living in Genesis 5.

What really peaked my learning about the creation period was Genesis 6:2 in the Septuagint as well as the King James Version. “Now when the sons of God saw the daughter of humans, that they were fair, they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.” But this is an unknown factor. God does not really want us to know everything as discussed in the beginning of Genesis with Adam—pertaining to eating the forbidden fruit. But I will continue with my studies and learn more.

Acts 17:26 And, hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.

God made that one blood because he was the breath of life. Do not ever forget that he made it and he can take it away at his discretion. That means, a Muslim person is our brother, a Jewish person our brother, a Christian is our brother, and those lost is our brother. Keep warmth in your hearts for our brothers.

Hebrews 11:1-4, 6 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, buy which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is rewarder of them that diligently see him.

Meaning: Only through faith should we give God our best, our first. We understand that we would not have a soul without him so technically it is HIS. Strive for what your purpose in life through God’s terms, not mans. We have to abide by the physical aspects of life according to the Bible, but our soul should 100% be God’s and our actions – give it your best shot to behave the way God wants us. Keep the faith that God exist always.

If you have unspoken needs I will pray for you.

Valentine's Day.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. We often do not celebrate in my household because of "put away baggage." When I say put away, I mean things that have discussed in a prior time of my life that ended. Although I encourage my children to express their feelings on the day if they so wish. They do by being more respectful to themselves and to each other.

While they were at school the other day, I happened to wonder over to the store where I buy little things from, like cleaning supplies, toilet paper, odds and ends. It is a store called "$1.09" store. Great products that  a really inexpensive. Their jewelry is real, fake, expensive and inexpensive. Of course I am female and every female loves some type of jewelry. I am human and no different. My favorite of his bobbles is Brazilian Gold. The jeweler and I happened to strike up a wonderfully long conversation. This young Pakistanian and I spent an hour discussing God and humanity. The discussion was over the souls of people and how there is only ONE GOD. Where he is Muslim and chooses Mohammed, I am Christian and I chose Jesus. This was more of an investigation discussion whereas he nor I tried to convert each other but to learn about our different cultures in life. That is what is enjoyable about it. To be able to discuss God in HIS infinite wisdom and plans he has for each of us. There is nothing any finer than to discuss the love of OUR God. He is our personal God--there is plenty of him to go around. 

For what ever which religion anyone chooses to follow -- whether it be the path of Judaism, Muslim, or Christianity or any other ...we must never lose the sight that there is but ONE GOD. That is most important. 

It is up to us to decide from there whether or not we will treat our fellow man with humane treatment. To kill and make a point for religion is within the violation of the commandments. To spew hate harms ones eternal soul. To remember there is good and bad in every aspects of life is important and religion is not free of those good and bad aspects. For example there are Muslims, Christians, and Jews that will kill to make a point of their superiority. That is when they have failed to see that the only superiority is that of God. As King David, Job and many others have mentioned, HE knew us in the womb. He breathed life for the wonderful aspects of biology to take over the female vessel. Then he turned that soul over to earthly parents to nurture, and see to the part of raising that child. When we as earthly parents fail--when we get off track, we turn out a person who is misguided. This is where we often fail to openly talk to or discuss the horrors of life in general. 

Of course psychologists would say, only discuss what is age appropriate with the child. Well keep up with the appropriate emotional age of your child or children and not the physical age. I am a Christian and believe in Jesus but I have taught my children to respect their fellow man and make no jest or negative connotation toward any other religion but beware of paganism, witch craft, and Satan worshipers. Learn but never participate and never go into a darker side of life. I gave them an analogy on this subject. Put on all black clothing, long sleeves, boots, and hat. Go out and sit in 100 degree weather, no shade, no water. After 30 minutes tell me how do feel? It is boiling hot and your skin feels like it is on fire. It becomes difficult to breathe; think about living that way for eternity after we are deceased. Without God in our lives you soul will become very hot and unable to breathe and it will feel the heat and fire blaring on the skin. 

Now do you want to be in that position? Do you love yourself enough to make a change? Then do it now, without waiting or hesitating. The door is always open.

"In His Steps"

On Thursdays, I meet with a group of gentlemen and ladies to discuss history. We really had a wonderful time. Last week we covered the differences in opinions of Booker T Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois over lunch. There were about ten of us that showed up and the discussion was so very lively. Next week we will be discussing Charles M. Sheldon. The main topic would be centered around 1900 and what do we think he meant and do we think he was correct when he wrote in The Jesus Newspaper, “It is growing more clear everyday that all so called economic questions are first of all moral questions.”

Deep subject! I must admit I have no idea who Charles Sheldon is. I went on Google and looked, searched, and read. I learned after briefly reading a few e-books that were available to me.

How many remember the acronym from a few years back “WWJD” (What would Jesus Do?). Its height of popularity was during the 1990s. The phrase was initially coined in Sheldon’s book, In His Steps, in the letter 1800s. I read the first 30 pages of this book the other night and deeply cried. It is a book that needs to be read NOW by so many people. Parts of the book that stood out the most were in the 1st Chapter. (Inserts)

(A male stranger is speaking.) "I'm not an ordinary tramp, though I don't know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another. Do you?”…

“ .…. What do Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus?” (He told the story of his wife dying and his daughter staying with acquaintances until he could find work.)

“…It seems to me sometimes as if the people in the city churches had good clothes and nice houses to live in, and money to spend for luxuries, and could go away on summer vacations and all that, while the people outside of the churches, thousands of them, I mean, die in tenements and walk the streets for jobs, and never have a piano or a picture in the house, and grow up in misery and drunkenness and sin.”

(The man fell face down in the church—passed out. He never fully recovered to see his daughter again.) (His last words were) "…You have been good to me. Somehow I feel as if it was what Jesus would do." (He then died.) (But that is not the ending of the book.)

What I learned from the life of Charles M. Sheldon was that he was the Editor of the Topeka Daily Capital for about a week starting in March 1900. As a minister, when he took the position as editor, he decided to spend his time printing a newspaper in the consideration of “What would Jesus do?” The newspaper was a great hit—the circulation of the paper went unbelievably up. Some said that his idea was great but there are dangers in neglecting story telling in the news.

Sheldon also wrote twenty-three books all together. I honestly feel now is the time they need to be re-circulated in society. The reason I am stating this, is we as a collective society are not going through the same economic woes of the 1900s or of the Great Depression but very similar. I feel there are more elite corporate thieves now more than ever. I also feel that our country has become spiritually clogged in the arties. Oh sure, many of us go to church and worship and give our tithes. But what is really being done other than just going through the motions and saying we are Christians. I hear time and time again of Christian women getting together to practice Yoga so they can relax from their stressful lives. Why would Christian women want to use the practices of Buddhism to relax? Whatever happened to a simple retreat where people would gather, spend a half of day in prayer and half a day in Bible Study? I see so many young people stuck in the world of “Grand Thief Auto” or “Call to Duty: Black Ops” to the point they can no longer keep their grades up in school nor do they know how to talk. They learn “KILL or be KILLED.”

Many people state the reason is “Prayer was removed from school” or “The Pledge of Allegiance” is no longer being said. Horse manure! The last time I was in a classroom that wasn’t collegiate was August 2012, and they had a moment of silence (which is used for prayer) and the “The Pledge of Allegiance was said. Are parents talking to their children? Parents control the finances. Why are they allowing such violence in the lives of their children? When my children were little they noticed Arnold getting killed in one movie and wounded in another. That is when mommy explained that this is Hollywood and it is not reality. I also gave them an explanation on death and its finality. I also took the time to be concerned about the souls of my children. I didn’t leave it up to our church or the school. I could continue on this subject about raising children forever! 

Bottom line, I am going to do a social experiment next week. I am pulling a “Sheldon.” I went and purhased 50 "WWJD" (What would Jesus Do?) bracelets and three bags of candy wrapped in Biblical versus wrappers. I am giving them out to as many people as possible. I attend a Baptist University that is spiritually active and is trying not to get the “Spiritual hardening of the arteries” as so many adults get when they become complacent in their lives. Sometimes when we become complacent, then we forget some of the most important issues at hand. All people have issues but loving thy self/family/neighbor, not being afraid of the unknown, realizing we are all interconnected, and there are a lot of people with much less than us is all that really matters.

Brooking, Nancy Jane. Charles M Sheldon and the Social Gospel . April 20, 2001. http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/courses/his338/students/nbrooking/CMS.htm (accessed January 31, 2013.

Kansas Historical Society. Charles Monroe Sheldon - Biography. June 2003. http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-monroe-sheldon/12201 (accessed January 31, 2013). Sheldon,

Charles M. In His Steps. 1899. http://books.google.com/books/about/In_His_Steps.html?id=TEzQAAAAMAAJ

Arrogance

Do not be so proud and arrogant as to know which way to proceed because then we only stumble. Then our 

knees become black with soil and our much and unseen armament that we carry inside becomes broken. And, as 

we dust off our knees we find our hands have become dirty and we cannot get them clean. Why is it we are 

unable to repair ourselves? The repair comes from inside. The spiritual self--we were too arrogant and proud to 

ask for help. If you need help there are two ways (1) God and then (2) thy neighbor. Do not be afraid. You will 

receive it. Why should we tell God? He sees to our needs. Why should we tell our neighbor. Your neighbor (a child 

of God) may have the answer as instructed.