Conviction Vs. Condemnation

 I was having a conversation with my husband about the difference between conviction and condensation. They are not the same. There is more than one definition for conviction. The conviction God gives you is not unpleasant. It doesn't hurt. It is inspiring. 

The definition of conviction that correlates to the biblical version 

Conviction: is a firmly held belief or opinion:

It is not the conviction that is being found guilty and punished for something. When God puts us under conviction, we find ourselves aligned with Him. When convicted of swearing which was something I did when I was working at a factory. It wasn't because I felt condemned. It was because I WANTED to change. It convicted me because of the scripture:

1 Peter 3:4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I wanted to be precious in the sight of God. I wanted to be found to have a gentle and quiet spirit and when I swore, I didn't feel gentle or quiet.  God used that verse to INSPIRE me to be better. THAT is conviction. 

So what is condemnation? 

 the expression of very strong disapproval; censure: "there was strong international condemnation of the attack"

The action of condemning someone to a punishment; sentencing

The Bible says Jesus did not come to condemn us. He did not condemn the woman found in adultery, though he did say go and sin no more. I am sure she was convicted to change. 

So don't confuse being condemned with conviction. Conviction is good. It empowers you to change. Condemnation means you deserve punishment. It leaves out the opportunity to change, thereby fulfilling the scripture through the change it causes in our lives
.

The Sheep and the Goats - Judgement is Coming

 

The day will come when we will face the Father. When we do, what will he say to us?

Currently, Christians are being tested. Tested in their resolve to stay morally strong. Tested to continue to love the brethren and love the unsaved. 

We are constantly being tempted by the condition of the world and our political situation to get our focus off of God's kingdom and on the kingdoms of the world.

The Jews expected Jesus to come as the Messiah to drive out the Romans and deliver them from their oppressors. We easily could also fall into that mindset hoping someone would solve the problems that we find our government and ourselves in. 

How we all long to be delivered from this world! But our deliverance will be of the spirit. I got a glimpse of this when I was watching an episode of "The Chosen" Season 1 in the episode about Jesus and the little children. The children questioned Jesus about why he wasn't taking on the Romans and he told them that his kingdom was not of this world. It was a reminder to me that we too are trying and hoping for someone to "FIX" things. 

The truth is that by accepting the teachings of Yeshua and following "the way" though it did bring persecution to the Jews and Gentiles alike, it also transformed society and the culture for years to come. The culture changed from that of a pagan culture to one centered around the teachings of Christ. The pagan gods, which were the embodiment of demon spirits, could not stand against the spirit of the risen Lord. Those demon spirits are finding their way into our society again. 

Jonathan Cahn has recently written a book called Return of the Gods. In it, he describes how the gods of old are making their way back into our society and culture. It takes you on a journey from an ancient parables, the ancient inscriptions in Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia that become the puzzle pieces behind what is taking place in our world to this day, specifically in America.

The mystery involves the gods. Who are they? What are they? And is it possible that these beings, whose origins are from ancient times, are the unseen catalysts of modern culture?

Is it possible that these gods lie behind the most pivotal events, forces, and movements taking place in our nation and around the world at this very moment?

Are the gods at this very moment transforming our culture, our children, our lives, and America itself?
Could this mystery have even determined the exact days on which Supreme Court decisions had to be handed down? He describes how the gods portrayed in many of the ancient cultures were in reality the personification of demon spirits. Now that mankind is embracing behaviors that are in line with those gods, we are opening up doorways to their existence and they are making their way back into our world.

This is why we are seeing men and women who have gender dysphoria, An abundance of shootings across the nation, people living on the streets, and parents abandoning the tried and true principles of child-rearing.

 Parents are not parenting. They are leaving child rearing to the teachers, to phones, and to gaming platforms. Some parents, since covid happened, have woken up to realize some of the things their children have been exposed to and are taking back their children from what the state is doing to them.

I am not talking about being "woke" or some of the other things the news is talking about. I'm talking about the moral decay that has been seeping into our culture. The only answer is more of Jesus. More of His spirit, more of His love and likeness in us. We may need to be willing to be persecuted just as the early Christians were, but it will be worth it as we stand before Him. Do we want to be counted as sheep or driven off as a goat?

The Importance of Faithfulness

Why is being faithful important and what does faithfulness look like in our everyday life?

Since the pandemic happened I have noticed our church had suffered greatly by a lack of attendance. Factually church attendance has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. It makes one wonder if this isn’t a separation of the sheep from the goats that is spoken of in the bible of the end times. With the cries of war and the ominous outlook on our economy, people should be flocking to God as our only true hope. 
As Christians, we are encouraged to be faithful, but that is something that is contradictory to the way people are currently living in modern society.

Most people live spontaneous lives and let circumstances drive their activities. If things get difficult, or if fun activities come up, it becomes easy to set aside what it takes to be faithful in attendance at church and in life in general. We drop our obligations and commitments in order to fulfill our neverending quest for fun and entertainment. The pandemic has made it easy to drop out of an activity that maybe didn’t mean that much to some, to begin with. 

Consequences of faithlessness
As a kid, I grew up in a family that attended church faithfully until I turned twelve. Then, after moving to another state my parents decided for some reason that church was no longer either important enough or fulfilling enough to attend faithfully. 

Eventually, they quit attending at all, which meant that we kids no longer attended either. The lack of faithfulness had a profound effect on my spiritual journey. As a result, I fell away from God and pursued a path that caused me to make life choices that were not the best. I became agnostic. I lost the fervent faith I had as a child and spent my teen years feeling lost, drifting without purpose and entertaining lifestyles and choices I would never have chosen had my faith in God and His precepts held an important role in my life. I questioned things like sex outside of marriage, drinking, and drugs which I never would have questioned had my faith in God and continued instruction in His word had been present. 

I am blessed, however, by a God that holds us with a two-handed hold. He made sure I found my way back to faith. My little brothers, who were much younger, however, never benefited from the twelve years of faithfulness that I got. They haven't found their way to God yet. 

As for my own family, while it may not be convenient or fun to be in church every week or to keep commitments without compromise, it is the example to them that is most important. It is so important to demonstrate faithfulness and to emphasize the value that a life based on faith in Yeshua and the things of the spirit.

I want to encourage you, though we don't want to be bound by the law, we do want to demonstrate faithfulness first to our families but also to the world at large. If the only time we attend church, bible studies, visit the sick and help the poor is when it is convenient or fun for us; what does that say about how important our faith in god is?

A country in need of spiritual healing and guidance.

Yesterday 19 school children were murdered as well as two adults. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This scenario has happened multiple times in our country over the last few years. 

Many politicians try to label it as a gun problem, however, our country has had guns for all the years it has been in existence. This tells me it is not a gun problem but a people problem.

Things that have changed in the past few years. are the handling of news and the advent of a technology and social media explosion. We have suffered a decline in our spiritual condition as a country.

According to Gallup: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.


In 20 years' time attendance in the church has fallen by 20%. That is a lot of people who have become disheartened, discouraged, and disenfranchised from attending church. Of course, attending church is not the only measure of a person's spiritual condition, but it is a measure of the general attitude of the population toward religion in general.



God's word says there will always be a remnant of believers throughout the bible time after time.
Isaiah 10:22
Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming, and righteous.


There were believers before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and there were believers before the great flood. There are believers now, but my question is; What are we willing to do as believers? Are we willing to pray? are we willing to stand up to a government that is increasingly intolerant of religious views?


2 Chronicles 7:14

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Schools affected:

Thurston High School.

Columbine High School. 

Heritage High School. 

Deming Middle School. 

Fort Gibson Middle School. 

Buell Elementary School. 

Lake Worth Middle School. 

University of Arkansas. 

Junipero Serra High School. 

Santana High School. 

Bishop Neumann High School. 

Pacific Lutheran University. 

Granite Hills High School. 

Lew Wallace High School. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. High School. 

Appalachian School of Law. 

Washington High School. 

Conception Abbey. 

Benjamin Tasker Middle School. 

University of Arizona. 

Lincoln High School. 

John McDonogh High School. 

Red Lion Area Junior High School. 

Case Western Reserve University. 

Rocori High School. 

Ballou High School. 

Randallstown High School. 

Bowen High School. 

Red Lake Senior High School. 

Harlan Community Academy High School. 

Campbell County High School. 

Milwee Middle School. 

Roseburg High School. 

Pine Middle School. 

Essex Elementary School. 

Duquesne University. 

Platte Canyon High School. 

Weston High School. 

West Nickel Mines School. 

Joplin Memorial Middle School. 

Henry Foss High School. 

Compton Centennial High School. 

Virginia Tech. 

Success Tech Academy. 

Miami Carol City Senior High School. 

Hamilton High School. 

Louisiana Technical College. 

Mitchell High School. 

E.O. Green Junior High School. 

Northern Illinois University. 

Lakota Middle School. 

Knoxville Central High School. 

Willoughby South High School. 

Henry Ford High School. 

University of Central Arkansas. 

Dillard High School. 

Dunbar High School. 

Hampton University. 

Harvard College. 

Larose-Cut Off Middle School. 

International Studies Academy. 

Skyline College. 

Discovery Middle School. 

University of Alabama. 

DeKalb School. 

Deer Creek Middle School. 

Ohio State University. 

Mumford High School. 

University of Texas. 

Kelly Elementary School. 

Marinette High School. 

Aurora Central High School. 

Millard South High School. 

Martinsville West Middle School. 

Worthing High School. 

Millard South High School.

Highlands Intermediate School. 

Cape Fear High School. 

Chardon High School. 

Episcopal School of Jacksonville. 

Oikos University. 

Hamilton High School. 

Perry Hall School. 

Normal Community High School. 

University of South Alabama. 

Banner Academy South. 

University of Southern California. 

Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

Apostolic Revival Center Christian School. 

Taft Union High School. 

Osborn High School. 

Stevens Institute of Business and Arts. 

Hazard Community and Technical College. 

Chicago State University. 

Lone Star College-North. 

Cesar Chavez High School. 

Price Middle School. 

University of Central Florida. 

New River Community College. 

Grambling State University. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School. 

Ronald E. McNair Discovery Academy. 

North Panola High School. 

Carver High School. 

Agape Christian Academy. 

Sparks Middle School. 

North Carolina A&T State University. 

Stephenson High School. 

Brashear High School. 

West Orange High School. 

Arapahoe High School. 

Edison High School. 

Liberty Technology Magnet High School. 

Hillhouse High School. 

Berrendo Middle School. 

Purdue University. 

South Carolina State University. 

Los Angeles Valley College. 

Charles F. Brush High School. 

University of Southern California. 

Georgia Regents University. 

Academy of Knowledge Preschool. 

Benjamin Banneker High School. 

D. H. Conley High School. 

East English Village Preparatory Academy. 

Paine College. 

Georgia Gwinnett College. 

John F. Kennedy High School. 

Seattle Pacific University. 

Reynolds High School. 

Indiana State University. 

Albemarle High School. 

Fern Creek Traditional High School. 

Langston Hughes High School. 

Marysville Pilchuck High School. 

Florida State University. 

Miami Carol City High School. 

Rogers State University. 

Rosemary Anderson High School. 

Wisconsin Lutheran High School. 

Frederick High School. 

Tenaya Middle School. 

Bethune-Cookman University. 

Pershing Elementary School. 

Wayne Community College. 

J.B. Martin Middle School. 

Southwestern Classical Academy. 

Savannah State University. 

Harrisburg High School. 

Umpqua Community College. 

Northern Arizona University. 

Texas Southern University. 

Tennessee State University. 

Winston-Salem State University. 

Mojave High School. 

Lawrence Central High School. 

Franklin High School. 

Muskegon Heights High School. 

Independence High School. 

Madison High School. 

Antigo High School. 

University of California-Los Angeles. 

Jeremiah Burke High School. 

Alpine High School. 

Townville Elementary School. 

Vigor High School. 

Linden McKinley STEM Academy. 

June Jordan High School for Equity. 

Union Middle School. 

Mueller Park Junior High School. 

West Liberty-Salem High School. 

University of Washington. 

King City High School. 

North Park Elementary School. 

North Lake College. 

Freeman High School. 

Mattoon High School. 

Rancho Tehama Elementary School. 

Aztec High School. 

Wake Forest University. 

Italy High School. 

NET Charter High School. 

Marshall County High School. 

Sal Castro Middle School. 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Great Mills High School

Central Michigan University

Huffman High School

Frederick Douglass High School

Forest High School

Highland High School

Dixon High School

Santa Fe High School

Noblesville West Middle School

University of North Carolina Charlotte

STEM School Highlands Ranch

Edgewood High School

Palm Beach Central High School

Providence Career & Technical Academy

Fairley High School (school bus)

Canyon Springs High School

Dennis Intermediate School

Florida International University 

Central Elementary School

Cascade Middle School

Davidson High School

Prairie View A & M University 

Altascocita High School

Central Academy of Excellence

Cleveland High School

Robert E. Lee High School

Cheyenne South High School

Grambling State University

Blountsville Elementary School

Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)

Prescott High School

College of the Mainland

Wynbrooke Elementary School

UNC Charlotte

Riverview Florida (school bus)

Second Chance High School

Carman-Ainsworth High School

Williwaw Elementary School

Monroe Clark Middle School

Central Catholic High School

Jeanette High School

Eastern Hills High School

DeAnza High School

Ridgway High School

Reginald F. Lewis High School

Saugus High School

Pleasantville High School

Waukesha South High School

Oshkosh High School

Catholic Academy of New Haven

Bellaire High School

North Crowley High School

McAuliffe Elementary School 

South Oak Cliff High School

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Sonora High School

Western Illinois University

Oxford High School

Robb Elementary School

Dependence on God.

 Do you depend on God; for everything? I know I don’t but I can see the day, coming when we will all need to depend heavily on God’s mercy and provision. Stress that we have all been under due to the pandemic, world events, higher prices, and shortages, are driving people to the brink of their ability to deal with life in a civil manner. -..

Just in the past week, we as a nation watched a man mow down people attending a Christmas parade. California and New York as well as other states have seen people smashing, grabbing, and looting stores. It appears some of these events have been. coordinated by gangs or cartels of some sort. In my small city, not many years ago one murder a year was the most violence we would see. Now it seems to be more like one a week. The fabric of our society is breaking down.

Technology is taking the place of parenting and honest, face-to-face communication between spouses, our children, and others in our lives.. As a teacher, I can see the results in the classroom as do most teachers I know. Students put in little or no effort and their quality of work when they do turn something in is poor. Students who do well are only those whose parents keep a close reign on the habits of their children.

We as Christians must turn to God as our provider and healer. We have another variant of the Covid virus getting ready to hit. People are weary of being told what to do, weary of wearing masks, and weary of the stress of how this pandemic has affected our mental state and our health. The “miracles” of modern medicine are becoming obsolete. 

We as a people don’t see miracles because we think we don’t need them. We are fooling ourselves if we think we are not dependent on God already. But soon we will see our need and hopefully bend our knee to our deliverer.

We are like Rome

I've been reading A Voice in the Wind, a book by Francine Rivers. As I read it, she describes Rome which has become a den of immorality. They tolerate nearly everything. Homosexuality, Beastiality, bloodsport slavery, and all kinds of degredation, believing in a multitude of gods, or no belief at all. 

Jews and Christians are the exception who are either enslaved, crucified or sent to the arena to be fed to the lions or enslaved as gladiators. As a contrast to the degredation of Roman society a Christian, Jewish, slave girl serves her masters as she would serve Christ with not only obedience, but joy. Her character speaks for her as she never criticises and only shares about her faith when asked. The story has many more layers but this part of it has stood out to me as I ponder what is happening in our country. 

Like Rome, our government is exerting more control and many have become critical of any who do not fall in line with liberal views. We as Christians, however, are missing the mark. I would encourage people to read this book as it will speak to you about where we as a country are headed and how as Christians we should handle our response to the coming persecution. 

There are pockets of places in the U.S. that are more tolerant of Christianity, however, there are more places that tout lawlessness, immorality, tolerance of blood sport, and riotous living. Our cities are experiencing murderous activity like never before. I live in a city that a few years ago saw maybe one murder per year and now we are seeing at least one a week if not more. Nothing will change these trends but a spirit of revival as we as Christians repent of our own lawlessness and wicked ways and embrace the love of Christ. We must exude HIS love to others. Only HIS love and mercy coupled with a people who portray morality without judgment will bring the world to a place of acceptance of a loving God who has sent HIS son as a sacrifice to take our place in the judgment of humankind. Every knee will bow and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord. 

This is a long quote, but it spells out what we must do. 

Unity Through Humility
Philippians 2

Therefore if there is any [a]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it [b]robbery to be equal with God, 7 but [c]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Light Bearers
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without [d]complaining and disputing,[e] 15 that you may become blameless and [f]harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

Praying in the Name of Jesus

 Over and over again we hear about praying in the name of Jesus. And even Jesus said if you pray these things in my name it shall be done. But what does that really mean? What does it mean to pray in somebody’s name? What did that mean to the Hebrews of Jesus' time?

In order to really get a handle on this we have to know what the name meant to people in that day and time. A person’s name was given to them to reveal a person’s character. Methuselah’s name meant Judgement will come or When he is dead it shall be sent. Methuselah was Noah’s Grandfather and he was Enoch’s son. If you do the math, Methuselah lived 969 years and he died the year of the flood. The Biblical flood was God’s judgment on mankind for the rampant sin that had become commonplace. Another cool math fact: Adam was still alive when Noah was born. So if we wonder why or how all these stories can be accurate, they were told firsthand for hundreds of years.

Another telling tame was Abraham’s name which God changed from Abram to Abraham. Abram means exalted father. Abraham contains the added meaning of multitude to the name. God had promised Abraham he would be the father of so many that they would be numbered as the stars or grains of sand. He not only fathered the Israelites but also most of the Arab nations through Ishmael.

Jacob’s name meant supplanter. He supplanted or took the place of his brother Esau who was older than him. Although they were twins Jacob was the younger and he made a deal with Esau for his birthright. He even managed to fool his father into giving him the firstborn blessing.

Later God changed his name to Israel, which means struggles with God. this happened after Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord one night. He was wrestling in order to keep God with him and be blessed by Him.

Ruth’s name means friend. Ruth very much exhibited her character as a friend to Naomi through her faithfulness. Ruth was the grandmother of king David, a man after God’s own heart. Jesus‘s name means salvation. His character was definitely exhibiting what it means to provide salvation through the sacrifice of his own life for ours. God definitely puts credence on names. Names are important.

When people were talking about a name they were talking about the character of the person. Jesus said in John 14: 13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

So what does it mean if we are to pray in the name or character when we pray in HIS name? Whatever we ask in HIS, or Jesus's name shall be done could mean whatever we ask in his character, it shall be done. Does that change what we are asking? What would Jesus do is definitely something we should consider as we go to pray with the confidence that it shall be done.

When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed Matthew 26: 39 Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” So if in Jesus' character we pray for something to be done even believing it is in the character of God, we have to be of the understanding that nevertheless, Thy will be done needs to be part of that prayer. Our absolute trust in God will see answers that follow God‘s character. We can have full confidence that God will answer when we pray in His character or name.

The Mystery that is Prayer

Prayer is an important part of our spiritual life, and you would think since it is a central part of the life of a Christian we would know more about it. I've learned some things about prayer in my sixty-some years of life. These are just a few things in a very deep subject. Prayer works. God hears us. He is there and He cares. He wants what is best for us.
God calls us to prayer in many different ways.
We can stand in the gap but must count the cost.
Sacrificial prayer is powerful.

Prayer works:

We may not always get the answer we want but we will get the answer we need. Hindsight is the best sight. I've learned through the years to stay out of God's way. I pray for his will in all things. Only He can see the big picture and how every element of life affects everything else. I have learned to trust him through things that seem like it is not going my way because ultimately he wants the best for us and everyone else. Jesus prayed in the garden that the cup could pass from him, but ultimately prayed never less, thy will be done. It's not easy to take that stance, but leaving all our expectations up to God is the safest place we can be.

God calls us to prayer:

There are different ways that God may call us to prayer. When my baby was little I had a routine of doing my housework and then mid-morning I would take the baby, sit in my rocking chair with him and pray. Every day I did this and if something happened to mess up my routine I felt a pull like a magnet to the rocking chair. I believe it was God calling me to prayer. I valued that time and felt like He did as well. Another type of call to prayer happened in another way. For a season, when I would go to church I would feel like I couldn't take off my coat. I would feel so sad, heavy, and down...and what was weird is I didn't feel like that before I got to church. I grew weary feeling like this and went forward for prayer. A deacon told me the feeling was a burden to pray. It finally all made sense. Why didn't I ever know that could happen before? Why are we not told this information? There is so much to know about prayer.

We can stand in the gap, but must count the cost:

We can put ourselves in between a person and the enemy. My brother once was having a difficult time dealing with the death of our Grandfather. It was affecting his spiritual life, so I prayed that God would let me stand in the gap for him. Right away I got sick. But God moved on his behalf. I recovered and I wouldn't have initially thought that getting sick was a result of standing in the gap, but when I asked to stand in the gap in another instance, again, I got sick right away. Putting yourself in the gap opens you up to the attack the person you are standing in for would normally be bombarded with. It may affect different people differently, but I would warn you to count the cost. Don't take this action lightly.

Sacrificial Prayer is Powerful:

When you are in extremely painful circumstances, possibly under attack yourself, sick, or in pain and you choose to pray for someone else needs, it seems to empower your prayers. At one time I was in labor to have a baby, and while in labor I prayed for not only myself but all the other women that were in labor. (There were three other women in labor rooms nearby.) Within the hour after praying for the blessings of Abraham (an easy and speedy delivery) on myself and the other women in labor, much to the chagrin of the medical staff we all began to deliver our babies at once. I was sure that praying while in the pain of labor was somehow more powerful.

Life is fragile

 When, we are firstborn we are at our most vulnerable. We are totally dependent on our parents, many of

which are very young themselves, having little or no experience with newborns. It amazes me that the human race has seemed to not only have survived, but thrived. Even through times when there was little help from modern medicine the human race grew in population. We survived a mini ice age, volcanic eruptions, plagues and pandemics. How have we kept from dying out but managed to survive when other species have died out. 

Like me, I imagine many of you can relate of several times throughout your lives that you could have easily died had some miracle had not somehow intervened on your behalf. Whether it was modern medicine  or a series of events that just “happened” to fall into place. I don’t believe many of us would be here without supernatural intervention.

At the age of three I had severe problems with infections in my throat and ears. I had to have my tonsils removed. Yes, it was modern medicine, but there was an intervention. At four I was nearly electrocuted by an household appliance. My dad knocked my mom flat to get to me and pull me loose from the fan I was stuck to through the electric current. I had measles, chicken pox and as an adult I have weathered cancer, and several auto accidents, one in which I flipped 4 times going 70 mph. One of the occupants put their belt on 20 seconds before the crash. A coincidence that could have saved us all? I think not. 

Recently I had Covid and survived. Most people I know could relate many similar incidents. I know I won’t escape this life. Eventually I will sucuumb to death. But somehow I feel like I have been spared for a purpose.

We feel like we have some control over what happens in this life. However as I went through the bout with cancer I began to realize we have no control at all. It is an illusion. God holds our very molecules together. He orchestrates the universe. Our world is managed with systems that renew our environment constantly. Only an Intelligent all knowing God could have orchestrated this. We are totally dependent on HIM, just like the newborn is on their parents. The difference is that He is totally capable of taking care of everyone of us at the same time while balancing the universe.

The Native American Spiritual Life and Christianity.

I just watched Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I've seen it before, but it hit me differently this time. I don't know why, but I started thinking about how our political parties are like two large tribes that have very different points of view. Then there is another tribe that both of the big tribe have as members. I'm talking about the Christians.


The Christians came to the United States with supposedly good intentions. The truth is that the people who settled in New England were Puritans at first. They anchored their lives and lifestyle into the land and felt that somehow they were going to found a “Christian Nation.” This is a contradiction, because the word says that we are not citizens of this world. We are sojourners. We are to render unto the government what the government requires (as long as we don't give up our faith.) Philippians 3:20 — New Century Version (NCV) 20 But our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.

I see history repeating itself again and again. The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Crimean wars, the slaughter of Native Americans and I am sure there is more. All over, land and power which has nothing at all to do with Christianity, is in a struggle for dominance.. Now it is the Left (Liberals or Progressives) against the Right (Conservatives).. There are Christians in both parties yet they align themselves with their respective groups; holding that we should stand strong to our values or they will disappear.

I would say they disappeared as soon as we stepped on this land and tried to make it our own. Yes, we have to live our lives, but we came here and tried to pound God into a people that already knew Him; apparently better than we did.

In a Washington state tribe, two medicine men got a message from God that told them that two white men were coming to tell them about Him. He told them not to resist them because it would make trouble. God also told them that more white men would follow and asked them to send the Chief's sons to the Christian School that would be built. They did this because “they'' heard from Wankan Tanken, The Great Mystery in whom they believed. They were way ahead of us. They didn't even have a word for “land ownership” in their language because theirs was a spiritual life.

As European Christians we became so homogenized with the ancient philosophies of the Greeks, the ways of Rome, and the Pagan beliefs and customs of northern Europe that the true meaning of what it meant to be a Christian was polluted.

Gone were the days when people met underground if necessary, or house to house.

Gone was the time when we didn't need a leader because we had the Spirit of God with us.

Gone were the people who were unconnected to the government but understood the spirit.

We have become so polluted that very few people really know what the gospel is. They go to church, they experience liturgy, but they don't know the Father and the Son. They don't live the spiritual life that the Native Americans knew in their everyday life.

They were awed by nature. They constantly gave thanks for God's provisions. They called God The Great Mystery because they knew he was indefinable. Perhaps the Native Americans could give us a lesson if there were enough of them that still remembered what they had lost because we took it from them. Now I fear what they experience is only a liturgy of what was.

I implore Christians to stay away from putting down opponents that are against what you believe. Yes vote. Seek God and if someone asks, give your opinion. But berating others does not make your opinion sound better. It doesn't further the Gospel.  1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you has sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's. Seek a spiritual life that does not include a huge pile of things. Lose the feeling like you have a “right” to ownership. (I am not saying we can't buy a home to live in if it is an expedient thing to do.) But if we are not citizens of this world, but of Heaven, can we really own anything here anyway? Does all the angst really belong in our lives? I think not.

Peace Out.

Sage