Even the rocks will cry out....

By Him All Things Consist

Very cool "sounds" from space

Embedded video from


NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology

The Tongue (and the Fingers) - How God's People Are Steered Off-Course

I'm grieving in my spirit today....I feel SO sad.

It started last night while I was watching the news....they had another wild-eyed woman on TV talking about "Second Amendment remedies".  Which apparently involve the use of guns against Democrats who have won elections over any of their favored Tea-Party/Republican candidates!  She literally said that if she did not like the results of the election, she would head for the hills to round up like-minded people to start a revolution!

There have been a number of people shouting this type of rhetoric lately; the really scary thing about this is that many of them claim to know Jesus Christ!

Then this morning a Facebook post got to me.  I don't log into FB that often, but I like to check on my friends and relatives from time to time, so I did log in today.

On Facebook I stumbled across a discussion amongst a group of Christians about our right to bear firearms.  There was a quote, purported to be from George Washington, which had sparked the debate, and the only disagreement between these brothers and sisters in Christ was whether or not Washington had truly said this.  Someone was insisting that it had been debunked, that it was not a true saying by GW.  But EVERY SINGLE ONE of them agreed that they needed their guns, to ensure that their rights would never be violated by the government!

Here is the bogus quotation:

Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. The church, the plow, the prairie wagon, and citizen's firearms are indelibly related. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable. Every corner of this land knows firearms, and more than 99 99/100 percent of them by their silence indicate they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place with all that's good. When firearms, go all goes; we need them every hour. 

 --- Falsely attributed to George Washington, address to the second session of the first U.S. Congress.


OK, TIME OUT PEOPLE!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????


Well, for ONE thing, if we are Christians, it means that we are supposed to be "Christ-like", right?

So FORGET what George Washington may or may not have said.....what does JESUS say about the government, and resistance or fighting for your rights or "Second Amendment remedies" or whatever??

Luke 6:29  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (NIV)

Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (NIV)

SO WHERE EXACTLY DOES JESUS SAY, "LOCK AND LOAD!"???

I hate to break this to all of the so-called Christian Right out there, the Tea-Partiers and Republicans who HATE the current administration, but Romans 13:1 is talking about, among many others, Barack Obama and his White House, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid!!

(Yes, I admit that this scripture was very hard for me to swallow during the Presidency of George W. Bush.  But I tried to accept it.  It's still a tough one to deal with whenever I see John Boehner on TV.)

But what can we conclude from these scriptures?  Can ANY of you read those verses and then conclude that Jesus truly advocates "Second Amendment remedies"??

Incredibly, this very UN-Christian meme, this truly evil idea (that is, using Second Amendment remedies to ensure our rights) has spread like wildfire, like an evil weed, just like the kudzu vine has spread over the South and choked the native vegetation.  This idea has spread throughout the Christian community in America via the Internet, and few Christians are apparently aware of just how evil it is.

They should know better, of course, but...they read it on the Internet...and it even came from a "Christian" person (they think)!  Therefore this idea, that of using violence to make things come out their way, even against a majority vote, must be OK!  Right??

And of course it appeals very much to the flesh, doesn't it?  We all love the idea of getting our way!

But here is what the Bible has to say about such ideas, these fleshly ideas that are extremely anti-Christian, these ideas that spread like wildfire.  The word "tongue" is used here, but you can probably substitute "fingers" for tongue in many places in this passage, since typing words on the Internet is the primary means of communication for many people these days:

From James Chapter 3 (NIV):

⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

   

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. 

If any of you "Second Amendment remedy" people out there are reading this, and you know Jesus, it's not to late to turn back to Him!  Don't let yourself be led astray by this scheme of the enemy!  We all know who our TRUE enemy is!  And he loves to deceive us...don't let him fool you this way any longer!

I am praying hard for our country....for all of us, Republican, Democrat, and Independent.  Repent of your anger and your hatred, and pray with me, please.

"Kept" Woman

I cannot take credit for this....I received it in email this morning from my dear mother, who in turn had found it in an email from a friend of hers, Liz, who has MS. It really hit home....I was in a bad place this morning and this message was such a blessing to me that I had to share it:

Am I a "Kept" Woman?

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,

But GOD kept me in perfect peace. "You will keep in perfect peace, Liz whose mind is steadfast, because she trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer,
But the LORD kept me, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go . . . " (Gen 28:15a)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, but GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34) "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

When I was anxious, HE kept me calm in his care. "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Pet. 5:7,

When I was weary, HE kept gave me rest "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).

I'm blessed to be "kept."

Are you...or do you know a "kept" woman?

If so pass this message on to her to remind her that she is "Kept"

I'm Kept by the Love and Grace of God.

He keeps me each and everyday. Without Him, I can do nothing but with Him "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Socialism.....or the Word in Action?

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82: 3-4

For years now there has been a very strange movement afoot in the Church in the United States. Some of those who call themselves disciples of Christ have actually begun to espouse the opposite of the above scripture in certain situations; for example, they oppose government generosity in providing healthcare for the needy and afflicted. They join groups on Facebook called "Socialism Doesn't Work".....they, and those who say they speak for them in the media, claim that people should have to take care of themselves and their own problems. They scoff when an 11-year-old boy talks about his deceased mother, who died because she had no insurance and could not afford healthcare.

I can only speak to what is happening in the U.S. because that is where I live. I pray that this is NOT occurring elsewhere in the world, and that the Body of Christ is functioning as it should be.

The scripture quote at the beginning of this post was spotted in the blog of TUC; she is always an inspiration. It made me think, and brought things in my heart to the surface. These things NEED to be said.

Don't misunderstand me....it is perfectly OK to have opinions and politics different from mine. The healthcare bill that recently passed through the legislature is like every other bill that makes it through; it has its good points and its bad points. There are many, many things in that bill that I do not agree with. But I do agree with EVERY SINGLE ONE of those provisions that are in line with Psalm 82:3-4.

If you are a Christian, you must strive to have a heart of love, not hatred, bitterness and strife. The scripture at the top says it all. It was NOT written by a Democrat, but by the living Spirit of "I am that I am".

It is not OK to disagree with the Word of God. Not unless you are ready to stop calling yourself a Christian.

Please pray for our legislators and our President....they have very tough jobs.

The Beauty of Pain: a LONG overdue post

So much has happened to me since my last post on this site.....I don't think I have the time or energy to share it all now. I have been traveling through a deep, dark valley for quite a while now, but there are still tantalizing glimpses of the glorious peaks that surround me.

Since June 2008, I have been diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases plus fibromyalgia. In less than two years, I have gone from being a fairly healthy, active adult to a wheelchair-bound invalid who is holding onto two jobs by her fingernails. Most days I work from home because I don't feel well enough to go to the office....when I teach, I cannot do that remotely so must get myself to the college somehow. I have had my driver's license taken away due to issues with narcolepsy, vertigo and double vision, so my husband must drive me (or I take the bus).

But the Lord has blessed me beyond measure by leading me into an online friendship with Judy Dillard, author of "The Beauty of Pain", a small book full of humor, profound wisdom, and joy. Judy has lupus; among many other things, I have been diagnosed with a "lupus-like" autoimmune disease. I first encountered Judy in an online lupus group. I have been deeply touched by her testimony in this book....it has helped me to see that, YES, the Lord is able to turn anything to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

He does have some reason for all that I am going through right now; I don't see it yet, at least I don't think I see the whole picture. I know now that one of His purposes is to help me to be a broken vessel, so that He can take the pieces and make me a vessel of honor for His use.

One scripture that has stayed with me lately is Psalm 51: 16, 17:

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it
thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise."

For any who suffer from chronic illness, or who may have a loved one with a chronic illness, this book, "The Beauty of Pain", is a must read.

Blessings to all who may visit this blog.....