And that's exactly what most teenagers are doing. Not all of course but most. Take for example an Article I read about Mike. I am an emotional child, says Mike, a young man 24 years old. At times I’m afraid and even intimidated by others my own age. I suffer from depression, insecurity, and at times I’ve even considered suicide.
In another article I read talked about Ann. Ann, 36 years old, describes herself as “emotionally very young,” having “low self-esteem.” She mentions: “I find it very difficult to live a normal life.”
Mike and Ann are reaping the consequences of a decision they made when they were quite young, that is, to experiment with drugs. Millions of youths today are doing likewise—injecting, swallowing, sniffing, and smoking everything from cocaine to marijuana. For some youths, doing drugs is a way to escape problems. Others get involved to satisfy their curiosity. Yet others use drugs to ease depression or boredom. And once started, many continue using drugs for the sheer pleasure of it. Some may smoke marijuana only for its effects. Not to be cool or for social reasons.
At any rate, the chances are good that sooner or later you will be exposed to or directly offered drugs. Drug paraphernalia is openly displayed and sold where I live. In spite of their popularity, though, there is good reason for you to say no to drugs. Take for example, Drugs Hinder Growth.
Consider youths who use drugs to escape problems, like Mike and Ann. Emotional growth comes from facing life’s challenges, handling success, surviving failure. Youths who rely on a chemical refuge from problems hinder their emotional development. They fail to develop the skills needed for coping with problems.
As with any other skill, the ability to cope requires practice. To illustrate: Have you ever watched a skilled soccer player? He is able to use his head and feet in ways that are nothing short of amazing! Yet, how did this player develop such skill? By years of practice. He learned to kick the ball, run with it, feint, and so on, until he became proficient at the game.
Developing coping skills is very similar. It takes practice—experience! Yet, at Proverbs 1:22 the Bible asks: How long will you inexperienced ones keep loving inexperience, and how long will you stupid ones keep hating knowledge?
The youth that hides behind a drug-induced euphoria ‘loves inexperience’; he fails to develop the knowledge and coping skills needed to deal with life. The lesson that life’s painful moments can be survived without these substances never gets learned.
Ann, who used drugs as an escape mentions in that article: “For 14 years I haven’t dealt with my problems.” Mike expressed a similar thought, saying: “I had used drugs since I was 11 years old. When I stopped at the age of 22, I felt like a child. I latched onto others, trying to find security. I came to realize that my emotional development stopped when I started using drugs.”
I love the fact that some think that marijuana will not effect your heath? Or does it? Marijuana (also known as pot, reefer, grass, ganja, or weed) has been the focus of much controversy. And admittedly, much is unknown regarding this popular drug. For one thing, marijuana is extremely complex; a marijuana cigarette contains over 400 chemical compounds in its smoke. It took doctors over 60 years to realize cigarette smoke causes cancer. It may likewise take decades before anyone knows for sure just what marijuana’s 400 compounds do to the human body.
Nevertheless, after studying thousands of research papers, a panel of experts of the prestigious U.S. Institute of Medicine concluded: “The scientific evidence published to date indicates that marijuana has a broad range of psychological and biological effects, some of which, at least under certain conditions, are harmful to human health. What are some of these harmful effects?
Consider, for example, the lungs. Even marijuana’s staunchest supporters admit that inhaling smoke cannot possibly be good for you. Marijuana smoke, like the smoke from tobacco, consists of a number of toxic substances, such as tars.
There was a study done on 492 U.S. Army soldiers who had used marijuana. Nearly 25 percent of them suffered sore throats from smoking cannabis, and some 6 percent reported that they had suffered from bronchitis.In another study article I read, 24 out of 30 marijuana users were found to have bronchial lesions characteristic of the early stages of cancer.
True, no one can guarantee that such ones will actually develop cancer later on. But would you want to run that risk? Besides, the Bible says that God gives to all persons life and breath.Would you be showing respect for the Giver of life if you deliberately inhaled something that damages the lungs and the throat?
At Ecclesiastes 12:6 the human brain is poetically called “the golden bowl.” Barely larger than your fist and weighing a scant three pounds, [1.4 kg] the brain is not only the precious receptacle of your memories but also the command center for your entire nervous system. With that in mind, note the warning of the Institute of Medicine: “We can say with confidence that marijuana produces acute effects on the brain, including chemical and electrophysiological changes.
And what about the prospect of your one day getting married and having children? The Institute of Medicine reported that marijuana is known to cause birth defects when administered in large doses to experimental animals. Whether it has the same effects on humans is thus far unproved. Remember, though, that birth defects (such as the one caused by the hormone DES) often take years to manifest themselves. So, what the future holds for the children—and grandchildren—of marijuana smokers remains to be seen. Could anyone who views children as “an inheritance from Jehovah” take such risks?
Of course, marijuana is just one of many popular drugs. But it well illustrates that there is ample reason to avoid taking any mind-altering substances for pleasure. Says the Bible: “The beauty of young men is their power.” (Proverbs 20:29) As a young person, you no doubt enjoy good health. Why even risk throwing it away?
More important, though, we have the Bible’s view on this matter. It tells us to “safeguard thinking ability,”. don't ruin it through chemical abuse. (Proverbs 3:21) It further exhorts: “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear.” Really, it is only to those who have ‘cleansed themselves of defilement,’ avoiding practices like drug abuse, that God promises: “‘I will take you in.’ ‘And I shall be a father to you.’”—2 Corinthians 6:17–7:1.
“He that is walking with wise persons will become wise, but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly,” says Proverbs 13:20. To illustrate the point, if you were trying to avoid catching a cold, would you not avoid close contact with infected people? “In a similar way, if we are to prevent drug abuse we need to maintain healthy balanced conditions and reduce exposure to harmful influences.
So do you want to say no to drugs? Then watch whom you associate with. Seek out the friendship of God-fearing Christians who will support your resolve to stay free of drugs.
Someone who unquestioningly follows his peers is nothing more than a slave. That is why the Bible encourages youths to develop “thinking ability.” (Proverbs 2:10-12) Learn to think for yourself, and you’ll not be inclined to follow wayward youths.
True, you may be curious about drugs and their effects. But you need not pollute your own mind and body to know what drugs do to people. Just observe drug abusers your age—especially or those who have been abusers over a long period of time. Do they seem alert and sharp? Have they kept up their grades? Or are they dull and inattentive, at times even unaware of what is going on around them?
A term was coined by drug users themselves to describe such ones: “burn-outs.” Yet, many “burn-outs” likely started using drugs out of curiosity. No wonder, then, that the Bible urges Christians to suppress unhealthy curiosity and to “be babes as to badness.”—1 Corinthians 14:20.
Nevertheless, turning down drugs may not be easy but you can say NO!!!!! Turning down the chance to use a drug is your right. Any friends who lean on you about your decision are chipping away at your rights as a free individual.What can you do if someone offers you drugs? Have the courage to say no!!!!
This does not necessarily mean giving a sermon on the evils of drug abuse. You can just say No thanks, I don’t want to smoke” or, “Nope, don’t want the hassle” or even quipping, “I’m not into body pollution.” If they persist in their offer, you might have to say no, with conviction!
Growing up is not easy. But if you try to avoid growing pains by using drugs, you can seriously hinder your chances of becoming a responsible, mature adult. Learn to face problems head-on. If the pressures seem overwhelming, do not seek a chemical escape. Talk things over with a parent or other responsible adults who can help you to sort things out. Remember, too, the Bible’s exhortation: “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers.”—Philippians 4:6, 7.
Yes, Jehovah God will give you the strength to say no! Never let others pressure you to weaken in your resolve. As Mike urged: “Don’t experiment with drugs. You’ll suffer the rest of your life!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Lord’s Evening Meal
Christmas, Easter, “saints’” days. Many holidays and feasts are celebrated by the churches of Christendom. But do you know how many celebrations Jesus Christ commanded his followers to observe? The answer is, Just one! None of the other feasts were authorized by the Founder of Christianity.
Clearly, if Jesus instituted only one celebration, it is very important. Christians should observe it exactly as Jesus commanded. This observance was introduced by Jesus the day he died. He had commemorated the Jewish feast of the Passover with his apostles.
Then he passed some of the unleavened Passover bread to them, saying: This means my body which is to be given in your behalf. Next, Jesus passed a cup of wine, saying: This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf. He also said: Keep doing this in remembrance of me.This observance is called the Lord’s Evening Meal, or the Memorial. It is the only celebration that Jesus commanded his followers to observe.
Many churches claim that they hold this observance in conjunction with all their other feasts, but most commemorate it differently from the way Jesus commanded. Perhaps the most noteworthy difference is the frequency of the celebration. Some churches celebrate it monthly, weekly, even daily. Is this what Jesus intended when he told his followers: Keep doing this in remembrance of me? How often is a memorial or an anniversary observed? Usually, just once a year.
Remember, too, that Jesus initiated this observance and then died on the Jewish calendar date of Nisan 14. That was the day of the Passover, a festival reminding the Jews of the great deliverance they had experienced in Egypt in the 16th century B.C.E. At that time, the sacrifice of a lamb resulted in the salvation of the Jewish firstborn, whereas Jehovah’s angel struck down all the firstborn of Egypt.
How does this help our understanding? Well, the Christian apostle Paul wrote: Christ our passover has been sacrificed.Jesus’ death was a greater Passover sacrifice, giving mankind the opportunity for a far grander salvation. For Christians, therefore, the Memorial of Christ’s death has replaced the Jewish Passover.
The Passover was an annual celebration. Logically, then, so is the Memorial. The Passover—the day Jesus died—always fell on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan. Hence, Christ’s death should be memorialized once a year on the calendar day that corresponds to Nisan 14.
There is no doubt that during the first century C.E., those guided by Jesus’ apostles celebrated the Lord’s Evening Meal exactly as he had commanded. However, during the second century, some started to change the time of its commemoration. They held the Memorial on the first day of the week (now called Sunday), not on the day corresponding to Nisan 14. Why was that done?
For the Jews, a day started at about six o’clock in the evening and ran until the same time the following day. Jesus died on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., which ran from Thursday evening to Friday evening. He was resurrected on the third day, early Sunday morning. Some wanted the commemoration of Jesus’ death to be observed on a fixed day of the week each year, instead of on the day on which Nisan 14 happened to fall. They also viewed the day of Jesus’ resurrection as more important than that of his death. Hence, they settled on Sunday.
Jesus commanded that his death be memorialized, not his resurrection. And since the Jewish Passover falls on a different day each year according to the Gregorian calendar that we now use, it is only natural that the same would be true of the Memorial. Many therefore stuck to the original arrangement and observed the Lord’s Evening Meal on Nisan 14 each year. In time they came to be called Quartodecimans, meaning “Fourteenthers.”
Some scholars recognized that these “Fourteenthers” were following the original apostolic pattern. In the 2nd century these churches at their Pascha on the 14th of Nisan commemorated the redemption effected by the death of Christ.
After all these years,’ you may ask, ‘does it really matter when the Memorial is observed?’ Yes, it does. Changes were made by strong-minded men striving for power. People followed their own ideas instead of obeying Jesus Christ. Clearly fulfilled was the apostle Paul’s warning: I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you Christians and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.
At issue is the matter of obedience. Jesus established just one celebration for Christians to observe. The Bible clearly explains when and how it should be observed. Who, then, has the right to change that? The early Quartodecimans suffered persecution and excommunication rather than compromise in this matter.
You may be interested to know that there are still Christians on earth who respect Jesus’ wishes and commemorate the Memorial of his death on the date that he established. This year, Jehovah’s Witnesses will meet together in their Kingdom Halls all around the earth. By being present, you too can show your respect for the wishes of Jesus Christ. Remember he said to keep doing this and thus we do what he asks.
We remember Jesus in all that he has done for us. We remember the pain he suffered so that we can gain everlasting life. We must also remember just how hard it was for Jehovah to send his son to die in our behalf. Jehovah loves us so much. He gave us a place to live. He allowed us to love. He allowed us to have children. There is so much he has given us. All that he asks is that we listen to him.....................
Clearly, if Jesus instituted only one celebration, it is very important. Christians should observe it exactly as Jesus commanded. This observance was introduced by Jesus the day he died. He had commemorated the Jewish feast of the Passover with his apostles.
Then he passed some of the unleavened Passover bread to them, saying: This means my body which is to be given in your behalf. Next, Jesus passed a cup of wine, saying: This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf. He also said: Keep doing this in remembrance of me.This observance is called the Lord’s Evening Meal, or the Memorial. It is the only celebration that Jesus commanded his followers to observe.
Many churches claim that they hold this observance in conjunction with all their other feasts, but most commemorate it differently from the way Jesus commanded. Perhaps the most noteworthy difference is the frequency of the celebration. Some churches celebrate it monthly, weekly, even daily. Is this what Jesus intended when he told his followers: Keep doing this in remembrance of me? How often is a memorial or an anniversary observed? Usually, just once a year.
Remember, too, that Jesus initiated this observance and then died on the Jewish calendar date of Nisan 14. That was the day of the Passover, a festival reminding the Jews of the great deliverance they had experienced in Egypt in the 16th century B.C.E. At that time, the sacrifice of a lamb resulted in the salvation of the Jewish firstborn, whereas Jehovah’s angel struck down all the firstborn of Egypt.
How does this help our understanding? Well, the Christian apostle Paul wrote: Christ our passover has been sacrificed.Jesus’ death was a greater Passover sacrifice, giving mankind the opportunity for a far grander salvation. For Christians, therefore, the Memorial of Christ’s death has replaced the Jewish Passover.
The Passover was an annual celebration. Logically, then, so is the Memorial. The Passover—the day Jesus died—always fell on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan. Hence, Christ’s death should be memorialized once a year on the calendar day that corresponds to Nisan 14.
There is no doubt that during the first century C.E., those guided by Jesus’ apostles celebrated the Lord’s Evening Meal exactly as he had commanded. However, during the second century, some started to change the time of its commemoration. They held the Memorial on the first day of the week (now called Sunday), not on the day corresponding to Nisan 14. Why was that done?
For the Jews, a day started at about six o’clock in the evening and ran until the same time the following day. Jesus died on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., which ran from Thursday evening to Friday evening. He was resurrected on the third day, early Sunday morning. Some wanted the commemoration of Jesus’ death to be observed on a fixed day of the week each year, instead of on the day on which Nisan 14 happened to fall. They also viewed the day of Jesus’ resurrection as more important than that of his death. Hence, they settled on Sunday.
Jesus commanded that his death be memorialized, not his resurrection. And since the Jewish Passover falls on a different day each year according to the Gregorian calendar that we now use, it is only natural that the same would be true of the Memorial. Many therefore stuck to the original arrangement and observed the Lord’s Evening Meal on Nisan 14 each year. In time they came to be called Quartodecimans, meaning “Fourteenthers.”
Some scholars recognized that these “Fourteenthers” were following the original apostolic pattern. In the 2nd century these churches at their Pascha on the 14th of Nisan commemorated the redemption effected by the death of Christ.
After all these years,’ you may ask, ‘does it really matter when the Memorial is observed?’ Yes, it does. Changes were made by strong-minded men striving for power. People followed their own ideas instead of obeying Jesus Christ. Clearly fulfilled was the apostle Paul’s warning: I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you Christians and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.
At issue is the matter of obedience. Jesus established just one celebration for Christians to observe. The Bible clearly explains when and how it should be observed. Who, then, has the right to change that? The early Quartodecimans suffered persecution and excommunication rather than compromise in this matter.
You may be interested to know that there are still Christians on earth who respect Jesus’ wishes and commemorate the Memorial of his death on the date that he established. This year, Jehovah’s Witnesses will meet together in their Kingdom Halls all around the earth. By being present, you too can show your respect for the wishes of Jesus Christ. Remember he said to keep doing this and thus we do what he asks.
We remember Jesus in all that he has done for us. We remember the pain he suffered so that we can gain everlasting life. We must also remember just how hard it was for Jehovah to send his son to die in our behalf. Jehovah loves us so much. He gave us a place to live. He allowed us to love. He allowed us to have children. There is so much he has given us. All that he asks is that we listen to him.....................
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The feeling that you are alone
If you are thinking of becoming a witness and feel alone because you feel as if you have no support, think again. You have the support of Jehovah, Jesus, All Angels, and of course the entire organization of brothers and sisters. The choice to become a witness is not easy.
Most will say that you are brainwashed. Most will say that we are a cult. Most will say that we twist the scriptures. Most will say that we break up families. If you are a teenager, parents may say take things away because you want to become a witness. Some may even say that because I post the way I do, that I twist and turn my words.
In this blog I've covered many things. I've given examples and backed it up with scripture. My own brother called me brainwashed. If you recall, I was headed toward two places if it wasn't for Jehovah. One would have been Jail or the other would have been the grave. Because of Jehovah, I became who I am today. My marriage remains intact because of Jehovah. My teenage son does not do drugs, does not use foul language, does not sleep around with any girls. He has goals in life and the important goal to him is to serve God. Brainwashed? Far from it. I'm a happy and proud father. I know exactly how I was and I apologized to my mother because of the way I was. I'm a proud father.
I've touched on the cult thing. Cults have secrets, cults have closed doors, cults worship one man. I can go on and on. We are not and have never been like that. Our doors are open to the public. Anyone can learn. Think of this for a second. Everyday brothers and sisters in the rain, in the snow, and in the heat are knocking on doors trying to spread a message. It's the same message that Jesus himself told us to spread. There is nothing about us that we keep secret. You can read all about us on our website. You can check what we believe in backed up by scripture. We are not a cult. Let me repeat...We are not a cult. We are loving, we are caring, we love one another, we are united in Faith, we are peaceful.
We just don't do most of the things the world considers ok. Because of this difference we are called names. We are made fun of in movies. We are called a cult. Those that know me on a personal level should see that my family does not belong to a cult. As mentioned most will say that we twist scripture. This is far from the truth.
Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 it reads " that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself"
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 3&4 reads " If, now, the good news we declare is in fact veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through"
These two scriptures sums it up. It's not that we twist scripture, we don't. We study constantly. We have Jehovah's Holy Spirit to Guide us. He has shown us what is closed off to the rest of the world. 2nd Corinthians says that this God of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, might not shine through meaning not all will understand or accept what is written in scripture. It's not that we twist, our lives show that we live by what is mentioned in scripture. We don't just say that we love God our lives show that we do and thus try and teach others what we have learned.
Jesus taught his followers, his followers taught others, others taught others and the rest is history. Somewhere in history there were dark ages where the truth of scripture was lost. I will post that later but the point is very simple. God created Adam and Eve. He told them to become fruitful and fill the earth. They were not created to Die. He told them that if they ate, they would die. It did not mean that once they took a bite they would fall to the ground, it meant that they lost that right to live forever thus they died. If they never ate, they would be here this very day. Because they sinned they spread sin to all of mankind. Adam was perfect and it took a perfect man like Jesus to buy back what Adam has lost. The right to live forever. Study of scripture will give you an understanding of why Jesus needed to come in the first place.
I mentioned that they say most will say we break up families which again is not true. Most of the time it's families who are tired of hearing us preach. They don't like the fact that we don't get drunk with them. They don't like the fact that we don't do drugs with them. They don't like the fact that we don't use foul language like they do. We live by bible Standard and most of them do not or most of them claim to live by bible standards when really they live by their own standard. Take for example my brother. We don't speak and the last thing he said to me was that I was brainwashed. I never asked him not to speak to me, he didn't speak to me. It wasn't the other way around.
If my family loves me, they have to accept the fact that I love Jehovah. They have to accept the fact that I'm not leaving Jehovah. Jehovah is more important to me than my family. He will never be second to anyone. I love Jehovah more than I love myself. So, it's not that I don't get along with my family at all it's that they have to accept my faith. They have to accept who I am. My mother does, my sister does, my other brothers do and some of my friends do. If they do and I'll use a line from forest gump, we will be like peaches and carrots.
Till tomorrow......I'm hoping to post the video showing the baby so stay tuned.
Most will say that you are brainwashed. Most will say that we are a cult. Most will say that we twist the scriptures. Most will say that we break up families. If you are a teenager, parents may say take things away because you want to become a witness. Some may even say that because I post the way I do, that I twist and turn my words.
In this blog I've covered many things. I've given examples and backed it up with scripture. My own brother called me brainwashed. If you recall, I was headed toward two places if it wasn't for Jehovah. One would have been Jail or the other would have been the grave. Because of Jehovah, I became who I am today. My marriage remains intact because of Jehovah. My teenage son does not do drugs, does not use foul language, does not sleep around with any girls. He has goals in life and the important goal to him is to serve God. Brainwashed? Far from it. I'm a happy and proud father. I know exactly how I was and I apologized to my mother because of the way I was. I'm a proud father.
I've touched on the cult thing. Cults have secrets, cults have closed doors, cults worship one man. I can go on and on. We are not and have never been like that. Our doors are open to the public. Anyone can learn. Think of this for a second. Everyday brothers and sisters in the rain, in the snow, and in the heat are knocking on doors trying to spread a message. It's the same message that Jesus himself told us to spread. There is nothing about us that we keep secret. You can read all about us on our website. You can check what we believe in backed up by scripture. We are not a cult. Let me repeat...We are not a cult. We are loving, we are caring, we love one another, we are united in Faith, we are peaceful.
We just don't do most of the things the world considers ok. Because of this difference we are called names. We are made fun of in movies. We are called a cult. Those that know me on a personal level should see that my family does not belong to a cult. As mentioned most will say that we twist scripture. This is far from the truth.
Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 it reads " that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself"
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 3&4 reads " If, now, the good news we declare is in fact veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through"
These two scriptures sums it up. It's not that we twist scripture, we don't. We study constantly. We have Jehovah's Holy Spirit to Guide us. He has shown us what is closed off to the rest of the world. 2nd Corinthians says that this God of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, might not shine through meaning not all will understand or accept what is written in scripture. It's not that we twist, our lives show that we live by what is mentioned in scripture. We don't just say that we love God our lives show that we do and thus try and teach others what we have learned.
Jesus taught his followers, his followers taught others, others taught others and the rest is history. Somewhere in history there were dark ages where the truth of scripture was lost. I will post that later but the point is very simple. God created Adam and Eve. He told them to become fruitful and fill the earth. They were not created to Die. He told them that if they ate, they would die. It did not mean that once they took a bite they would fall to the ground, it meant that they lost that right to live forever thus they died. If they never ate, they would be here this very day. Because they sinned they spread sin to all of mankind. Adam was perfect and it took a perfect man like Jesus to buy back what Adam has lost. The right to live forever. Study of scripture will give you an understanding of why Jesus needed to come in the first place.
I mentioned that they say most will say we break up families which again is not true. Most of the time it's families who are tired of hearing us preach. They don't like the fact that we don't get drunk with them. They don't like the fact that we don't do drugs with them. They don't like the fact that we don't use foul language like they do. We live by bible Standard and most of them do not or most of them claim to live by bible standards when really they live by their own standard. Take for example my brother. We don't speak and the last thing he said to me was that I was brainwashed. I never asked him not to speak to me, he didn't speak to me. It wasn't the other way around.
If my family loves me, they have to accept the fact that I love Jehovah. They have to accept the fact that I'm not leaving Jehovah. Jehovah is more important to me than my family. He will never be second to anyone. I love Jehovah more than I love myself. So, it's not that I don't get along with my family at all it's that they have to accept my faith. They have to accept who I am. My mother does, my sister does, my other brothers do and some of my friends do. If they do and I'll use a line from forest gump, we will be like peaches and carrots.
Till tomorrow......I'm hoping to post the video showing the baby so stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Why We Should Not Lie
Suppose that a girl tells her mother: Yes, I will come home right after school. But then she stays and plays with her friends and later tells her mother: My teacher made me stay after school. Would it be all right to say something like that?
Or perhaps a boy tells his father: No, I didn’t kick the ball in the house. But what if he really did? Would it be wrong to say that he didn’t?
The Great Teacher Jesus showed us the right thing to do. He said: Just let your word Yes mean Yes, and your No, No; for anything else is from the wicked one.What did Jesus mean by that? He meant that we should do what we say.
There is a story in the Bible that shows how important it is to tell the truth. It is about two people who said that they were disciples of Jesus. Notice.....
Less than two months after Jesus dies, many people from faraway places come to Jerusalem for an important festival of the Jews called Pentecost. The apostle Peter gives a wonderful talk in which he tells the people about Jesus, whom Jehovah raised from the dead. This is the first time many of those who have come to Jerusalem learn about Jesus. Now they want to know more. So, what do they do?
They stay longer than they expected. But after a while, some of them run out of money, and they need help so that they can buy food. The disciples in Jerusalem want to help the visitors out. So, many of them sell things that they own and bring the money to Jesus’ apostles. Then the apostles give the money to the ones who need it.
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, who are members of the Christian congregation in Jerusalem, sell a field they own. No one tells them to sell it. They decide that for themselves. But what they do is not because they love the new disciples of Jesus. Actually, Ananias and Sapphira want to make people think that they are better than they really are. So they decide to say that they are giving all the money to help others. They are really going to give only a part of it but say that they are giving it all. What do you think of that?
Well, Ananias comes to see the apostles. He gives the money to them. God, of course, knows that he is not giving it all. So God lets the apostle Peter know that Ananias is not being truthful about the matter.
Then Peter says: ‘Ananias, why have you let Satan cause you to do this? The field was yours. You didn’t have to sell it. And even after you sold the field, it was up to you to decide what you would do with the money. But why are you pretending to give all the money when you are giving only part of it? By this you are lying, not just to us, but to God.
It is that serious. Ananias is lying! He isn’t doing what he says he is doing. He is only pretending to do it. The Bible tells us what happens next. It says that On hearing Peter’s words, Ananias falls down and dies. God strikes Ananias dead! Afterward, his body is carried outside and buried.
About three hours later, Sapphira comes in. She does not know what happened to her husband. So Peter asks her: Did you two sell the field for the amount of money that you gave us?
Sapphira answers: Yes, we sold the field for just that amount. But that is a lie! They kept for themselves some of the money from the sale of the field. So God strikes Sapphira dead too. You can read about that account at Acts 5:1-11.
What should we learn from what happened to Ananias and Sapphira? It teaches us that God does not like liars. He always wants us to tell the truth. But many people say that it is all right to tell lies. Do you think that those people are correct? Did you know that all the sickness, pain, and death on the earth came about because of a lie?
Remember, the Devil lied to the first woman, Eve. He told her that she would not die if she disobeyed God and ate the fruit that God had said she should not eat. Eve believed the Devil and ate the fruit. She got Adam to eat it too. Now they were sinners, and all their children would be born sinners. And because they were sinners, all of Adam’s children suffered and died. How did all the trouble start? It started with a lie.
No wonder Jesus said that the Devil is a liar and the father of the lie! He was the first one who told a lie. When anyone tells a lie, he or she is doing what the Devil did first. We should think about this if we ever feel tempted to tell a lie.
When is it that you may feel tempted to lie? Isn’t it when you have done something wrong? Even though you do not mean to, you may break something. If you’re asked about it, should you say that your brother or sister did it? Or should you pretend that you don’t know how it happened?
What if you were supposed to do your homework but you did only part of it? Should you say that you did it all, even if you did not? We should remember Ananias and Sapphira. They did not tell the whole truth. And God showed how bad that was by striking them dead.
So no matter what we may do, it will always make matters worse if we lie about it, and we shouldn’t even tell only half of the truth. The Bible says: “Speak truth.” It also says: Do not be lying to one another. Jehovah always speaks the truth, and he expects us to do the same.
Of course we are not perfect and will make mistakes. Someone may look at things as if you lied about it even though you didn't really know that you lied. That's innocent. I recall when it was mentioned that I lied about something. I won't go into detail but my first reaction was to apologize for it. Reason I did apologize was because I wasn't aware that I did lie. It turned out if you read several blog posts ago that I didn't lie at all but the point was, even if I thought that I lied by mistake, I would still apologize for it. I would ask Jehovah for forgiveness. I would repent and try to to repeat mistakes made.
Be truthful in your words always.............
Or perhaps a boy tells his father: No, I didn’t kick the ball in the house. But what if he really did? Would it be wrong to say that he didn’t?
The Great Teacher Jesus showed us the right thing to do. He said: Just let your word Yes mean Yes, and your No, No; for anything else is from the wicked one.What did Jesus mean by that? He meant that we should do what we say.
There is a story in the Bible that shows how important it is to tell the truth. It is about two people who said that they were disciples of Jesus. Notice.....
Less than two months after Jesus dies, many people from faraway places come to Jerusalem for an important festival of the Jews called Pentecost. The apostle Peter gives a wonderful talk in which he tells the people about Jesus, whom Jehovah raised from the dead. This is the first time many of those who have come to Jerusalem learn about Jesus. Now they want to know more. So, what do they do?
They stay longer than they expected. But after a while, some of them run out of money, and they need help so that they can buy food. The disciples in Jerusalem want to help the visitors out. So, many of them sell things that they own and bring the money to Jesus’ apostles. Then the apostles give the money to the ones who need it.
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, who are members of the Christian congregation in Jerusalem, sell a field they own. No one tells them to sell it. They decide that for themselves. But what they do is not because they love the new disciples of Jesus. Actually, Ananias and Sapphira want to make people think that they are better than they really are. So they decide to say that they are giving all the money to help others. They are really going to give only a part of it but say that they are giving it all. What do you think of that?
Well, Ananias comes to see the apostles. He gives the money to them. God, of course, knows that he is not giving it all. So God lets the apostle Peter know that Ananias is not being truthful about the matter.
Then Peter says: ‘Ananias, why have you let Satan cause you to do this? The field was yours. You didn’t have to sell it. And even after you sold the field, it was up to you to decide what you would do with the money. But why are you pretending to give all the money when you are giving only part of it? By this you are lying, not just to us, but to God.
It is that serious. Ananias is lying! He isn’t doing what he says he is doing. He is only pretending to do it. The Bible tells us what happens next. It says that On hearing Peter’s words, Ananias falls down and dies. God strikes Ananias dead! Afterward, his body is carried outside and buried.
About three hours later, Sapphira comes in. She does not know what happened to her husband. So Peter asks her: Did you two sell the field for the amount of money that you gave us?
Sapphira answers: Yes, we sold the field for just that amount. But that is a lie! They kept for themselves some of the money from the sale of the field. So God strikes Sapphira dead too. You can read about that account at Acts 5:1-11.
What should we learn from what happened to Ananias and Sapphira? It teaches us that God does not like liars. He always wants us to tell the truth. But many people say that it is all right to tell lies. Do you think that those people are correct? Did you know that all the sickness, pain, and death on the earth came about because of a lie?
Remember, the Devil lied to the first woman, Eve. He told her that she would not die if she disobeyed God and ate the fruit that God had said she should not eat. Eve believed the Devil and ate the fruit. She got Adam to eat it too. Now they were sinners, and all their children would be born sinners. And because they were sinners, all of Adam’s children suffered and died. How did all the trouble start? It started with a lie.
No wonder Jesus said that the Devil is a liar and the father of the lie! He was the first one who told a lie. When anyone tells a lie, he or she is doing what the Devil did first. We should think about this if we ever feel tempted to tell a lie.
When is it that you may feel tempted to lie? Isn’t it when you have done something wrong? Even though you do not mean to, you may break something. If you’re asked about it, should you say that your brother or sister did it? Or should you pretend that you don’t know how it happened?
What if you were supposed to do your homework but you did only part of it? Should you say that you did it all, even if you did not? We should remember Ananias and Sapphira. They did not tell the whole truth. And God showed how bad that was by striking them dead.
So no matter what we may do, it will always make matters worse if we lie about it, and we shouldn’t even tell only half of the truth. The Bible says: “Speak truth.” It also says: Do not be lying to one another. Jehovah always speaks the truth, and he expects us to do the same.
Of course we are not perfect and will make mistakes. Someone may look at things as if you lied about it even though you didn't really know that you lied. That's innocent. I recall when it was mentioned that I lied about something. I won't go into detail but my first reaction was to apologize for it. Reason I did apologize was because I wasn't aware that I did lie. It turned out if you read several blog posts ago that I didn't lie at all but the point was, even if I thought that I lied by mistake, I would still apologize for it. I would ask Jehovah for forgiveness. I would repent and try to to repeat mistakes made.
Be truthful in your words always.............
Monday, February 23, 2009
Who really is our Friend
I mentioned this to Jesse just this morning that we have to protect ourselves from those in the world. We have to protect ourselves from those we call our friends. I don't mean, not to be nice or even friendly with those in the world but, we have to protect ourselves from those that say they are our friends.
Think about it. If a person offered you drugs because they are taking drugs, are they you friends? You might say yes. Look at this way, if they handed you a gun and asked you to place it to your head and fire would you think that he or she is still your friend? OH but that's different. In ways yes and in ways no. What that friend is giving you is slow death or a life that could end down the drains. As mentioned my sister hit rock bottom because of drugs. She didn't pick it up on her own, a Friend gave it to her.
Friends are people we like to talk to and spend time with. But it is important to have the right kind of friends. Who do you think is the best friend we can have? Yes, Jehovah God.
Can we really be friends of God? Well, the Bible says that Abraham, was Jehovah’s friend. Do you know why he was? The Bible answers that Abraham obeyed God. He obeyed even when what he was asked to do was hard. So to be Jehovah’s friend, we must do what pleases him, just as Abraham did and just as the Great Teacher Jesus has always done.
Jesus told his apostles: You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you. Did he not? Take a look at John chapter 15 verse 14. Since everything that Jesus told people came from Jehovah, Jesus was saying that his friends were people who did what God said they should do. Yes, all his friends loved God.
Some of the closest friends of the Great Teacher Jesus were his apostles.They traveled with him and helped him do the preaching work. Jesus spent much of his time with these men. They ate together. They talked about God together. But Jesus had many other friends. He would stay with them, and they had good times together.
One family that Jesus liked to stay with lived in the small town of Bethany, just outside the big city of Jerusalem. These were Mary and Martha and their brother, Lazarus. Jesus called Lazarus his friend. The reason Jesus loved this family and enjoyed being with them was that they loved Jehovah and served Him.
This does not mean that Jesus was not kind to people who did not serve God. He was. He even went to their homes and ate with them. This caused some to say that Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners. The fact is that Jesus didn’t go to the homes of these people because he liked the way they lived. He visited them so that he could talk to them about Jehovah. He tried to help them to change from their bad ways and to serve God.
This happened one day in the city of Jericho. Jesus was just passing through on his way to Jerusalem. There was a crowd of people, and in the crowd was a man named Zacchaeus. He wanted to get a look at Jesus. But Zacchaeus was short, and he could not see because of the crowd. So he ran ahead along the road and climbed a tree in order to get a good look when Jesus went by.
When Jesus came to that tree, he looked up and said: Hurry and get down, for today I will come to your house. But Zacchaeus was a rich man who had done bad things. Why did Jesus want to go to the house of such a man?
It was not because Jesus liked the way that man lived. He went there to talk to Zacchaeus about God. He saw how that man had tried hard to see him. So he knew that Zacchaeus would probably listen. This was a good time to talk to him about the way that God says people should live.
Zacchaeus likes the teachings of Jesus. He feels very sorry for having cheated people, and he is promising to give back money that he had no right to take. Then he becomes a follower of Jesus. Only then do Jesus and Zacchaeus become friends. You can read more about that account at Luke chapter 19 verse 1-10.
If we learn from the Great Teacher Jesus, will we ever visit people who are not our friends? Yes. But we won’t go to their house because we like the way they live. And we won’t do wrong things with them. We will visit them so that we can talk to them about God.
But our close friends are the ones we especially like to spend time with. To be the right kind of friends, they must be the kind that God likes. Some may not even know who Jehovah is. And when the time comes that they love Jehovah as we do, then we can become even closer friends. We become Brothers & Sisters
There is another way to find out if a person would make a good friend. Watch the things that he or she does. Does he do unkind things to other people and then laugh about it? That’s not right, is it? Maybe it's watching an elderly woman fall and he or she laughs instead of helping that elderly woman to her feet. Maybe laughs instead of asking if that elderly woman is ok. If that was your mom how would you feel if you saw someone laughing? Or Is he or she always getting into trouble? We wouldn’t want to get into trouble along with that person, would we? Or does he or she do bad things on purpose and then think that he is smart because he didn’t get caught?
Even if that person didn’t get caught, God saw what he did, didn’t He? Do you think that people who do such things would be good friends for us to have? Why not get your Bible? Notice what it says about how our companions affect our lives. The scripture is at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 33. It reads: Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits. This means that if we go with bad people, we may become bad. And it is also true that good companions help us to form good habits.
Let’s never forget that the most important Person in our life is Jehovah. We don’t want to spoil our friendship with him. So we must be careful to make friends with only those who love God and with those who won't do us harm or cause us to get in trouble.
Before I became who I am today, I had many friends. I made choices in life that landed me in jail. I did drugs, I was drunk most of the time, and I was very abusive in my speech. I even have two DUI's on my record. All of these things were done when I was younger. My life changed when I received a knock on the door. I was raised catholic but and normally I would have just closed the door. I thought to myself, how can you close a door to someone who wants to talk about God? Her name was Becky and she started talking to my wife first and then I started to listen.
It was as if someone removed what was blocking my eyes and now I can see clearly. Because of this I changed. Because of that change I had to give up those friends who I knew would cause me harm spiritually. It doesn't mean I wasn't friendly toward them. I was but it meant that I wouldn't do things with them that dealt with drugs or alcohol. I struggled a bit with Alcohol but I won that battle. I didn't struggle with drugs or newport cigs. I won that battle as well. Last thing that any of my friends wanted was someone to come up to them who used to drink and do drugs with them, last thing they wanted was for me to talk about God. I couldn't help it. They thought I was preaching which I was but I looked at is as I'm trying to help save them because I love them.
I lost them and then all of them turned on me and started to talk bad about me and didn't like it when I came around because all I did was talk about God. I kept my distance and as I grew spiritually, I became a better husband. My wife became a better wife. After 20 years my wife and I are very much in love. We are very happy and we are thankful that Jehovah came into our lives. I honestly believe that if it wasn't for him. I would not be with my wife today. I would not have the children I do today. I would be in jail or with the same friends or even dead because of the drugs that were given to me or those that I purchased. I thank Jehovah for being there and for listening and most of all being my friend, my father, my teacher. I thank him for keeping me in line which allowed all the pieces to fall in it's place.
Because of Jehovah he not only gave me life now and promises everlasting life in the future, he also gave me so many brothers and sisters that I can depend on. Millions of shoulders that I can cry on or lean on. Millions of shoulders all over the world who share in the same faith. Millions who are united and of course Millions who love Jehovah.
Think about it. If a person offered you drugs because they are taking drugs, are they you friends? You might say yes. Look at this way, if they handed you a gun and asked you to place it to your head and fire would you think that he or she is still your friend? OH but that's different. In ways yes and in ways no. What that friend is giving you is slow death or a life that could end down the drains. As mentioned my sister hit rock bottom because of drugs. She didn't pick it up on her own, a Friend gave it to her.
Friends are people we like to talk to and spend time with. But it is important to have the right kind of friends. Who do you think is the best friend we can have? Yes, Jehovah God.
Can we really be friends of God? Well, the Bible says that Abraham, was Jehovah’s friend. Do you know why he was? The Bible answers that Abraham obeyed God. He obeyed even when what he was asked to do was hard. So to be Jehovah’s friend, we must do what pleases him, just as Abraham did and just as the Great Teacher Jesus has always done.
Jesus told his apostles: You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you. Did he not? Take a look at John chapter 15 verse 14. Since everything that Jesus told people came from Jehovah, Jesus was saying that his friends were people who did what God said they should do. Yes, all his friends loved God.
Some of the closest friends of the Great Teacher Jesus were his apostles.They traveled with him and helped him do the preaching work. Jesus spent much of his time with these men. They ate together. They talked about God together. But Jesus had many other friends. He would stay with them, and they had good times together.
One family that Jesus liked to stay with lived in the small town of Bethany, just outside the big city of Jerusalem. These were Mary and Martha and their brother, Lazarus. Jesus called Lazarus his friend. The reason Jesus loved this family and enjoyed being with them was that they loved Jehovah and served Him.
This does not mean that Jesus was not kind to people who did not serve God. He was. He even went to their homes and ate with them. This caused some to say that Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners. The fact is that Jesus didn’t go to the homes of these people because he liked the way they lived. He visited them so that he could talk to them about Jehovah. He tried to help them to change from their bad ways and to serve God.
This happened one day in the city of Jericho. Jesus was just passing through on his way to Jerusalem. There was a crowd of people, and in the crowd was a man named Zacchaeus. He wanted to get a look at Jesus. But Zacchaeus was short, and he could not see because of the crowd. So he ran ahead along the road and climbed a tree in order to get a good look when Jesus went by.
When Jesus came to that tree, he looked up and said: Hurry and get down, for today I will come to your house. But Zacchaeus was a rich man who had done bad things. Why did Jesus want to go to the house of such a man?
It was not because Jesus liked the way that man lived. He went there to talk to Zacchaeus about God. He saw how that man had tried hard to see him. So he knew that Zacchaeus would probably listen. This was a good time to talk to him about the way that God says people should live.
Zacchaeus likes the teachings of Jesus. He feels very sorry for having cheated people, and he is promising to give back money that he had no right to take. Then he becomes a follower of Jesus. Only then do Jesus and Zacchaeus become friends. You can read more about that account at Luke chapter 19 verse 1-10.
If we learn from the Great Teacher Jesus, will we ever visit people who are not our friends? Yes. But we won’t go to their house because we like the way they live. And we won’t do wrong things with them. We will visit them so that we can talk to them about God.
But our close friends are the ones we especially like to spend time with. To be the right kind of friends, they must be the kind that God likes. Some may not even know who Jehovah is. And when the time comes that they love Jehovah as we do, then we can become even closer friends. We become Brothers & Sisters
There is another way to find out if a person would make a good friend. Watch the things that he or she does. Does he do unkind things to other people and then laugh about it? That’s not right, is it? Maybe it's watching an elderly woman fall and he or she laughs instead of helping that elderly woman to her feet. Maybe laughs instead of asking if that elderly woman is ok. If that was your mom how would you feel if you saw someone laughing? Or Is he or she always getting into trouble? We wouldn’t want to get into trouble along with that person, would we? Or does he or she do bad things on purpose and then think that he is smart because he didn’t get caught?
Even if that person didn’t get caught, God saw what he did, didn’t He? Do you think that people who do such things would be good friends for us to have? Why not get your Bible? Notice what it says about how our companions affect our lives. The scripture is at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 33. It reads: Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits. This means that if we go with bad people, we may become bad. And it is also true that good companions help us to form good habits.
Let’s never forget that the most important Person in our life is Jehovah. We don’t want to spoil our friendship with him. So we must be careful to make friends with only those who love God and with those who won't do us harm or cause us to get in trouble.
Before I became who I am today, I had many friends. I made choices in life that landed me in jail. I did drugs, I was drunk most of the time, and I was very abusive in my speech. I even have two DUI's on my record. All of these things were done when I was younger. My life changed when I received a knock on the door. I was raised catholic but and normally I would have just closed the door. I thought to myself, how can you close a door to someone who wants to talk about God? Her name was Becky and she started talking to my wife first and then I started to listen.
It was as if someone removed what was blocking my eyes and now I can see clearly. Because of this I changed. Because of that change I had to give up those friends who I knew would cause me harm spiritually. It doesn't mean I wasn't friendly toward them. I was but it meant that I wouldn't do things with them that dealt with drugs or alcohol. I struggled a bit with Alcohol but I won that battle. I didn't struggle with drugs or newport cigs. I won that battle as well. Last thing that any of my friends wanted was someone to come up to them who used to drink and do drugs with them, last thing they wanted was for me to talk about God. I couldn't help it. They thought I was preaching which I was but I looked at is as I'm trying to help save them because I love them.
I lost them and then all of them turned on me and started to talk bad about me and didn't like it when I came around because all I did was talk about God. I kept my distance and as I grew spiritually, I became a better husband. My wife became a better wife. After 20 years my wife and I are very much in love. We are very happy and we are thankful that Jehovah came into our lives. I honestly believe that if it wasn't for him. I would not be with my wife today. I would not have the children I do today. I would be in jail or with the same friends or even dead because of the drugs that were given to me or those that I purchased. I thank Jehovah for being there and for listening and most of all being my friend, my father, my teacher. I thank him for keeping me in line which allowed all the pieces to fall in it's place.
Because of Jehovah he not only gave me life now and promises everlasting life in the future, he also gave me so many brothers and sisters that I can depend on. Millions of shoulders that I can cry on or lean on. Millions of shoulders all over the world who share in the same faith. Millions who are united and of course Millions who love Jehovah.
Friday, February 20, 2009
How We Can Tell Armageddon Is Near
God said that he would never again destroy the world by a flood. God did not create the earth for nothing but we also know that the world cannot remain the way it is. Thus Armageddon will take place. The apostles asked for a sign so that they could know when Jesus had returned and when the end of the world, or system of things, was near, see Matthew chapter 24 verse 3
Since Jesus would be invisible in heaven, a sign that people could see was needed to show that he had begun ruling. So Jesus told about things his disciples should watch for here on earth. When these things happened, it would mean that he had returned and had begun ruling in heaven as King.
To teach his disciples the importance of keeping on the watch, Jesus told them to note the fig tree and all the other trees,when they are already in the bud, by observing it you know for yourselves that now the summer is near. You know how to tell when summer is near. And you can tell when Armageddon is near when you see the things happening that Jesus spoke about at Luke chapter 21 verse 29,30.
(1) Jesus said: “You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; . . . nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” Have you heard reports about wars? The first world war was fought from 1914 to 1918, and then there was World War II, from 1939 to 1945. Never before had there been world wars! Now there are wars all over the world. It seems that every day on TV, on the radio, and in the newspaper, we hear or read about wars.
(2) Jesus also said: “There will be food shortages . . . in one place after another.” As you may know, not everyone has enough food to eat. Every day thousands of people die because they do not have enough food. It happens here in America as well
(3) Jesus added: ‘In one place after another there will be pestilences.Meaning sickness, or disease, that kills many people. One great pestilence called the Spanish flu killed about 20 million plus people within just a year or so. In our day more people than that will probably die from AIDS. And there are cancer, heart disease, and other sicknesses that kill many thousands of people every year.
(4) Jesus gave another part of the sign, saying: “There will be . . . earthquakes in one place after another.” Since the year 1914, there have been many earthquakes every year.
(5) Jesus said that another part of the sign would be ‘more and more badness.’ That is why there is so much stealing and violence. People everywhere are afraid that someone might try to break into their homes. Never before has there been as much crime and violence in all parts of the world as there is now and as mentioned a few blogs ago it's going to get worse.
(6) Jesus gave a very important part of the sign when he said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come as mentioned at Matthew 24:14. What group is doing that? What group is preaching all over the world sharing this Good news that Jesus spoke of? Which group is united in faith?
Some people may say that the things Jesus foretold have always happened. But never before have such things all happened in so many parts of the world and at the same time. So do you understand what the sign means? It means that when we see all these things happening, this wicked world will soon be replaced by God’s new world.
When Jesus gave this sign, he also spoke of a special season of the year. He said: Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime found at Matthew 24:20. What do you think he meant by that?
Well, if a person has to escape some disaster during the winter, when the weather makes it very hard or even dangerous to travel, what could happen? If he escaped at all, it would be with great difficulty. Wouldn’t it be sad for someone to die in a winter storm just because he was too busy doing other things to start his journey earlier?
Do you see the point Jesus was making by talking about not waiting until wintertime to flee? He was telling us that since we know that Armageddon is near, we do not want to delay in taking action to prove we love God by serving him. If we delay, it may be too late for us. So we would be just like those at the time of the great Flood who heard Noah but did not get inside the ark.
Notice these scriptures showing that Armageddon is near: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 2 Peter 3:3, 4. and try to compare it with our time.
Since Jesus would be invisible in heaven, a sign that people could see was needed to show that he had begun ruling. So Jesus told about things his disciples should watch for here on earth. When these things happened, it would mean that he had returned and had begun ruling in heaven as King.
To teach his disciples the importance of keeping on the watch, Jesus told them to note the fig tree and all the other trees,when they are already in the bud, by observing it you know for yourselves that now the summer is near. You know how to tell when summer is near. And you can tell when Armageddon is near when you see the things happening that Jesus spoke about at Luke chapter 21 verse 29,30.
(1) Jesus said: “You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; . . . nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” Have you heard reports about wars? The first world war was fought from 1914 to 1918, and then there was World War II, from 1939 to 1945. Never before had there been world wars! Now there are wars all over the world. It seems that every day on TV, on the radio, and in the newspaper, we hear or read about wars.
(2) Jesus also said: “There will be food shortages . . . in one place after another.” As you may know, not everyone has enough food to eat. Every day thousands of people die because they do not have enough food. It happens here in America as well
(3) Jesus added: ‘In one place after another there will be pestilences.Meaning sickness, or disease, that kills many people. One great pestilence called the Spanish flu killed about 20 million plus people within just a year or so. In our day more people than that will probably die from AIDS. And there are cancer, heart disease, and other sicknesses that kill many thousands of people every year.
(4) Jesus gave another part of the sign, saying: “There will be . . . earthquakes in one place after another.” Since the year 1914, there have been many earthquakes every year.
(5) Jesus said that another part of the sign would be ‘more and more badness.’ That is why there is so much stealing and violence. People everywhere are afraid that someone might try to break into their homes. Never before has there been as much crime and violence in all parts of the world as there is now and as mentioned a few blogs ago it's going to get worse.
(6) Jesus gave a very important part of the sign when he said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come as mentioned at Matthew 24:14. What group is doing that? What group is preaching all over the world sharing this Good news that Jesus spoke of? Which group is united in faith?
Some people may say that the things Jesus foretold have always happened. But never before have such things all happened in so many parts of the world and at the same time. So do you understand what the sign means? It means that when we see all these things happening, this wicked world will soon be replaced by God’s new world.
When Jesus gave this sign, he also spoke of a special season of the year. He said: Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime found at Matthew 24:20. What do you think he meant by that?
Well, if a person has to escape some disaster during the winter, when the weather makes it very hard or even dangerous to travel, what could happen? If he escaped at all, it would be with great difficulty. Wouldn’t it be sad for someone to die in a winter storm just because he was too busy doing other things to start his journey earlier?
Do you see the point Jesus was making by talking about not waiting until wintertime to flee? He was telling us that since we know that Armageddon is near, we do not want to delay in taking action to prove we love God by serving him. If we delay, it may be too late for us. So we would be just like those at the time of the great Flood who heard Noah but did not get inside the ark.
Notice these scriptures showing that Armageddon is near: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 2 Peter 3:3, 4. and try to compare it with our time.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
What is Truly Important?
There was a man who came to see Jesus one day. He knew that Jesus was very wise, so he said to him: Teacher, tell my brother to give me some of the things he has.The man thought he should have some of those things.
If you had been Jesus, what would you have said? Jesus saw that the man had a problem. But the problem was not that he needed what his brother had. The man’s problem was that he did not know what was truly important in life.
Let’s think about this. What should be most important to us? Should it be having nice toys, new clothes, or things like that? No, there is something that is much more important. And this is the lesson that Jesus wanted to teach. So he told a story about a man who forgot God. The Story is about a rich man.
This man was very rich. He owned land and barns. The crops that he planted grew very well. He did not have room in his barns to store all the crops. So, what was he going to do? Well, he said to himself: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I will store all my crops and all my good things in these new barns.
The rich man thought that this was the wise thing to do. He thought that he was very smart to store up many things. He said to himself: I have many good things stored up. They will last me for many years. So now I can take it easy. I will eat, drink, and enjoy myself. But there was something wrong with the rich man’s thinking. He was thinking only about himself and his own pleasure. He forgot about God.
So God spoke to the rich man. He said: You foolish man. You are going to die tonight. Now who will have the things that you stored up? Could that rich man use those things after he died? No, someone else would get them. Jesus said: So it goes with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God. Found at Luke chapter 12:13-21.
You don’t want to be like that rich man.His main purpose in life was the getting of material things. That was a mistake. He always wanted more. But he was not rich toward God.
Many people are like that rich man. They always want more. But this can lead to big problems. For example, you may have an Ipod or some kind of electronic. What are some of the electronics that you have? What if one of your friends has a better Ipod or something else that you don’t have? Would it be right for you to try to make your parents buy one for you? Just because you don't have it?
There may be times when a those things seems very important. But what happens to it after a while? It gets old, outdated. It may fall apart, and then you don’t even want it anymore. Really, you have something that is much more precious than any electronic. Do you know what it is?
It is your life. Your life is very important because without it, you can’t do anything. But your life depends on doing what pleases God, doesn’t it? So let’s not be like that foolish rich man who forgot God.
Children are not the only ones who may do foolish things like that rich man. A lot of grown-ups do too. Some of them always want more than they have. They may have food for the day, clothing to wear, and a place to live. But they want more. They want lots of clothes. And they want bigger houses. These things cost money. So they work hard to get lots of money. And the more money they get, the more they want to have.
Some grown-ups become so busy trying to get money that they have no time to be with their family. And they have no time for God. Can their money keep them alive? No, it can’t. Can they use their money after they die? No. This is because the dead are not able to do anything at all.
Does this mean that it is wrong to have money? No. We can buy food and clothing with money. The Bible says that it is a protection. But if we love money, then we are going to have trouble. We will be like that foolish rich man who stored up treasures for himself and was not rich toward God.
What does it mean to be rich toward God? It means to put God first in our lives. Some people say that they believe in God. They think that believing is all that is needed. But are they really rich toward God? No, they are like the rich man who forgot God.
Jesus never forgot his Father in heaven. He did not try to make a lot of money. And he did not own many material things. Jesus knew what was truly important in life.
Tell me, how can we be rich toward God?
We can be rich toward God by doing what pleases him. Jesus said: I always do the things pleasing to him found at John 8:29. God likes it when we do the things he wants us to do. Now tell me, what things can you do to please God? Can you think of any?
Here are some Bible texts that show how to have the proper view of material things: Proverbs 23:4; 28:20; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; and Hebrews 13:5.
If you had been Jesus, what would you have said? Jesus saw that the man had a problem. But the problem was not that he needed what his brother had. The man’s problem was that he did not know what was truly important in life.
Let’s think about this. What should be most important to us? Should it be having nice toys, new clothes, or things like that? No, there is something that is much more important. And this is the lesson that Jesus wanted to teach. So he told a story about a man who forgot God. The Story is about a rich man.
This man was very rich. He owned land and barns. The crops that he planted grew very well. He did not have room in his barns to store all the crops. So, what was he going to do? Well, he said to himself: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I will store all my crops and all my good things in these new barns.
The rich man thought that this was the wise thing to do. He thought that he was very smart to store up many things. He said to himself: I have many good things stored up. They will last me for many years. So now I can take it easy. I will eat, drink, and enjoy myself. But there was something wrong with the rich man’s thinking. He was thinking only about himself and his own pleasure. He forgot about God.
So God spoke to the rich man. He said: You foolish man. You are going to die tonight. Now who will have the things that you stored up? Could that rich man use those things after he died? No, someone else would get them. Jesus said: So it goes with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God. Found at Luke chapter 12:13-21.
You don’t want to be like that rich man.His main purpose in life was the getting of material things. That was a mistake. He always wanted more. But he was not rich toward God.
Many people are like that rich man. They always want more. But this can lead to big problems. For example, you may have an Ipod or some kind of electronic. What are some of the electronics that you have? What if one of your friends has a better Ipod or something else that you don’t have? Would it be right for you to try to make your parents buy one for you? Just because you don't have it?
There may be times when a those things seems very important. But what happens to it after a while? It gets old, outdated. It may fall apart, and then you don’t even want it anymore. Really, you have something that is much more precious than any electronic. Do you know what it is?
It is your life. Your life is very important because without it, you can’t do anything. But your life depends on doing what pleases God, doesn’t it? So let’s not be like that foolish rich man who forgot God.
Children are not the only ones who may do foolish things like that rich man. A lot of grown-ups do too. Some of them always want more than they have. They may have food for the day, clothing to wear, and a place to live. But they want more. They want lots of clothes. And they want bigger houses. These things cost money. So they work hard to get lots of money. And the more money they get, the more they want to have.
Some grown-ups become so busy trying to get money that they have no time to be with their family. And they have no time for God. Can their money keep them alive? No, it can’t. Can they use their money after they die? No. This is because the dead are not able to do anything at all.
Does this mean that it is wrong to have money? No. We can buy food and clothing with money. The Bible says that it is a protection. But if we love money, then we are going to have trouble. We will be like that foolish rich man who stored up treasures for himself and was not rich toward God.
What does it mean to be rich toward God? It means to put God first in our lives. Some people say that they believe in God. They think that believing is all that is needed. But are they really rich toward God? No, they are like the rich man who forgot God.
Jesus never forgot his Father in heaven. He did not try to make a lot of money. And he did not own many material things. Jesus knew what was truly important in life.
Tell me, how can we be rich toward God?
We can be rich toward God by doing what pleases him. Jesus said: I always do the things pleasing to him found at John 8:29. God likes it when we do the things he wants us to do. Now tell me, what things can you do to please God? Can you think of any?
Here are some Bible texts that show how to have the proper view of material things: Proverbs 23:4; 28:20; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; and Hebrews 13:5.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
When to depend on the Father
As young children we look to our parents for answers. We look to our parents for support. We look to them at times because we need a shoulder to cry on. As adults we forget that our parents are still there. We forget that even though we are older, they still have wisdom to share. Our relationship with God is no different and it's more or less the same. As a child we are taught to pray and throw our worries on him. We are taught to pray before we eat, when we wake, and when we sleep.
As an adult we tend to forget that God is there and like our parents, God has wisdom to share. At times adults loose that close relationship they once had with their parents. It could be that maybe the parents were abusive. It could be that the parents were to strict expecting their child to be perfect in school. It could be that the parent expected or should I say demanded that their child be perfect in all that they do.
There is no parent that is perfect in this world and they should not expect their child to be perfect. Mistakes will happen and at times the child needs to learn some of life's lessons on their own. It could be anything that causes strain on the relationship between children and their parents. But let me ask you? Even though parents can be harsh and demanding, What has God done to you?
Have you stopped praying because you got older? Have you stopped praying you felt that God didn't answer you? Have you really looked into what God is saying and have you applied what you have learned? There isn't one person who is reading this or hearing this that doesn't have problems. The problem is we forgot to look at God as the person who should guide us. We forgot to look to him for answers. There is nothing that he doesn't answer that would not make our lives better.
It's one thing to believe in God. Anyone can believe that he is but do people really depend on God? Do they look to him for answers? Sadly most of the world doesn't. Most only pray when they want that new TV or wish to win the lotto. Have you ever cried while praying? I mean so intense that you cry trying to get the words out?
Jesus prayed the night before he died so hard so intense that even scripture mentioned that his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground. Jesus mentioned that The spirit,is eager, but the flesh is weak. All of us need help and we cannot depend on humans who are no where near perfect. We need to depend on God. We need to pray to God. We need to look to him for answers. We need to apply the answers given. If we do, we will find that inner peace that so many lack in this system of things. We will find that our dead loved ones will return, we will find that in the future no one will say that I am sick, we will find that our parents that are alive are not aging any longer and that they are returning to their youth, we will find that Satan is no longer there to hurt us spiritually.
God has the answers, we just need to ask and apply the answers given. He is there to protect us, to guide us, to show us the way. Pray to him....Not only when times are bad but talk to him when times are good. Thank him for all that you have and all that you look forward to. Depend on him.........
As an adult we tend to forget that God is there and like our parents, God has wisdom to share. At times adults loose that close relationship they once had with their parents. It could be that maybe the parents were abusive. It could be that the parents were to strict expecting their child to be perfect in school. It could be that the parent expected or should I say demanded that their child be perfect in all that they do.
There is no parent that is perfect in this world and they should not expect their child to be perfect. Mistakes will happen and at times the child needs to learn some of life's lessons on their own. It could be anything that causes strain on the relationship between children and their parents. But let me ask you? Even though parents can be harsh and demanding, What has God done to you?
Have you stopped praying because you got older? Have you stopped praying you felt that God didn't answer you? Have you really looked into what God is saying and have you applied what you have learned? There isn't one person who is reading this or hearing this that doesn't have problems. The problem is we forgot to look at God as the person who should guide us. We forgot to look to him for answers. There is nothing that he doesn't answer that would not make our lives better.
It's one thing to believe in God. Anyone can believe that he is but do people really depend on God? Do they look to him for answers? Sadly most of the world doesn't. Most only pray when they want that new TV or wish to win the lotto. Have you ever cried while praying? I mean so intense that you cry trying to get the words out?
Jesus prayed the night before he died so hard so intense that even scripture mentioned that his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground. Jesus mentioned that The spirit,is eager, but the flesh is weak. All of us need help and we cannot depend on humans who are no where near perfect. We need to depend on God. We need to pray to God. We need to look to him for answers. We need to apply the answers given. If we do, we will find that inner peace that so many lack in this system of things. We will find that our dead loved ones will return, we will find that in the future no one will say that I am sick, we will find that our parents that are alive are not aging any longer and that they are returning to their youth, we will find that Satan is no longer there to hurt us spiritually.
God has the answers, we just need to ask and apply the answers given. He is there to protect us, to guide us, to show us the way. Pray to him....Not only when times are bad but talk to him when times are good. Thank him for all that you have and all that you look forward to. Depend on him.........
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
We found out!!!!!
That we are having a boy. This weekend we went to a place that gives 4D Ultrasound and we were able to see the baby. My mother in law and all my kids were there to share the exciting news. For a few months we wondered just what the baby would be and now that we know it comes down to the name.
What we were thinking of was Joshua but we are also thinking of Joesph which is my wife's fathers name. He died when she was really young. He died in his sleep. So since this is our last child we were thinking that would be a great name for the new baby.
This weekend out in service was amazing. Let me just tell you just a few experiences. We knocked on this one door and this woman answered. Well, Jesse knocked on the door. Before she came to the door we noticed signs that said beware of Dog so of course that told us that she had a dog. Jesse knocked and started to talk to the Lady when her Dog which was a big dog came to the door as well.
She then said to her Dog, Jesse go over there. Then Jesse my son not the dog said to the woman Wow, that's my name. We all started laughing. Then after Jesse offered a bible study, the woman declined but was willing to accept the awake and watchtower. When we started to leave, Jesse asked the Woman's name and she said her name was Arlene which is my wife's name. LOL
Her Dog was Jesse which is my son's name and her name was Arlene which is my wife's name. That was very interesting. Another door we knocked on was this gentleman who didn't believe in God or the Bible. He mentioned that it's all make believe and that the bible isn't real. So I asked him, if I could give an illustration which I did. I said to him " Let's say I told you that I could tell the future. Then I said you can test me. So then you asked me what the lotto numbers were for next week and I gave them to you. You go play and wait till the day Lotto gives out the numbers. You are shocked to find that the number I gave you were all accurate and you won.
You are now thinking that I must have been lucky so you come back to me and ask me for next weeks numbers, you wait and win again. That goes on for a few months. After a few months you ask just how am I doing this. I then say, I told you, I can tell the future. Then I ask you, do you believe me and because my words were always accurate and true you say " YES "
That's exactly what the bible is. The bible contains scripture that tells the future and since it's always been proven by man that the bible accounts were accurate it must mean that's it true. So this is what I told the man that bible prophecy contained in the bible came true before it happened. That was proven by man. So like those lotto numbers that were always accurate and that guy who received the numbers believed that I could tell the future, well it's like the bible. It gives accurate information that told the future. It's a book you can believe in.
After giving the guy the illustration, he didn't grasp what I was trying to say. So I asked him if he wanted a bible study or if I could come back so we can discuss why he feels the way he does. He declined but I thought it was an interesting chat. I looked over and saw a brother laughing at me. I asked him why? The brother said that he knocked on the door and the guy said the same thing to him. LOL I told the brother, thanks!!
Then there was this other door that a kid answered and his parent came so during our chat I asked this kid to finish this song and if he knew it. He didn't so I gave the answer away and left him and his parent laughing at the door. It was a great day out in field service. Combined with finding out that we are having a baby boy, this weekend was indeed a great weekend.
Till Tomorrow......
What we were thinking of was Joshua but we are also thinking of Joesph which is my wife's fathers name. He died when she was really young. He died in his sleep. So since this is our last child we were thinking that would be a great name for the new baby.
This weekend out in service was amazing. Let me just tell you just a few experiences. We knocked on this one door and this woman answered. Well, Jesse knocked on the door. Before she came to the door we noticed signs that said beware of Dog so of course that told us that she had a dog. Jesse knocked and started to talk to the Lady when her Dog which was a big dog came to the door as well.
She then said to her Dog, Jesse go over there. Then Jesse my son not the dog said to the woman Wow, that's my name. We all started laughing. Then after Jesse offered a bible study, the woman declined but was willing to accept the awake and watchtower. When we started to leave, Jesse asked the Woman's name and she said her name was Arlene which is my wife's name. LOL
Her Dog was Jesse which is my son's name and her name was Arlene which is my wife's name. That was very interesting. Another door we knocked on was this gentleman who didn't believe in God or the Bible. He mentioned that it's all make believe and that the bible isn't real. So I asked him, if I could give an illustration which I did. I said to him " Let's say I told you that I could tell the future. Then I said you can test me. So then you asked me what the lotto numbers were for next week and I gave them to you. You go play and wait till the day Lotto gives out the numbers. You are shocked to find that the number I gave you were all accurate and you won.
You are now thinking that I must have been lucky so you come back to me and ask me for next weeks numbers, you wait and win again. That goes on for a few months. After a few months you ask just how am I doing this. I then say, I told you, I can tell the future. Then I ask you, do you believe me and because my words were always accurate and true you say " YES "
That's exactly what the bible is. The bible contains scripture that tells the future and since it's always been proven by man that the bible accounts were accurate it must mean that's it true. So this is what I told the man that bible prophecy contained in the bible came true before it happened. That was proven by man. So like those lotto numbers that were always accurate and that guy who received the numbers believed that I could tell the future, well it's like the bible. It gives accurate information that told the future. It's a book you can believe in.
After giving the guy the illustration, he didn't grasp what I was trying to say. So I asked him if he wanted a bible study or if I could come back so we can discuss why he feels the way he does. He declined but I thought it was an interesting chat. I looked over and saw a brother laughing at me. I asked him why? The brother said that he knocked on the door and the guy said the same thing to him. LOL I told the brother, thanks!!
Then there was this other door that a kid answered and his parent came so during our chat I asked this kid to finish this song and if he knew it. He didn't so I gave the answer away and left him and his parent laughing at the door. It was a great day out in field service. Combined with finding out that we are having a baby boy, this weekend was indeed a great weekend.
Till Tomorrow......
Friday, February 13, 2009
The End of the Economy
Yes I said it and it's not a prediction it's a fact. It's going to happen. What happens when it happens is hard to say but many will lose their jobs. Crime itself will go up because people have nothing to lose.
It's no shocker here that 800+ fema camps were constructed. It's no shocker here that the military is operating inside the United States. It's no shocker here about Main Core and it's database that has 8 Million plus Americans in it.
It's no shocker here that Depopulation will happen within the next 4 years. You are going to hear of Bio weapons being used by so-called terrorists and then it will happen. Millions of people will die. The fingers will be pointed toward Bin Laden or other terrorist groups. It's hard to imagine that our Government will do this to their own people and most reading this will have their eyes closed and not opened to the possibility that maybe it could happen.
Should it happen? Will it happen? Is it going down now?
2009 will be an interesting year because what will happen will be a global problem that will have those in power asking for a global solution. The United Nations will take control. Before that happens, World War 3 will happen with the Attack on Iran. The puzzle is all over the place but if you put to together you can see clearly that we are on the verge of World War 3.
We are on the verge of Martial Law in the United States. Anyone who compares what is going on now to the great depression should have their brains checked. This is worse than that. At the end of 2008 we saw retail sales: women’s apparel down 23%; home furnishings and electronics off 27%; luxury items down 35%. These are Depression Era collapses. We saw major bankruptcies, such as retailers Circuit City and Linens and Things. One bankruptcy after another. Then we saw store closings. Starbucks, Home D&D Power and down the line.
The question becomes who is going to take all of the vacant retail space? Who is going to rent it? The answer is - nobody! Now we look at the financial collapse in 2008, we saw the Merrill Lynch mob go under the bed and the Lehman boys went bankrupt. You saw bond companies, brokerage firms, and banks go belly up. Who is going to rent all the vacant commercial business space that they used to occupy? The answer is - nobody! The commercial real estate collapse that’s going to happen in 2009 is going to dwarf the residential real estate collapse.
Think about this. There are two sets of books that the government keeps. When they measure up unemployment they don’t add in the people who are no longer looking for jobs because they have become discouraged since they cannot find employment after looking so long. And they don’t include part-time workers. When you put that number into it, the number is 13.7%. And that’s a government number. And this is just beginning.
We saw in one day some 61,000 jobs evaporate off the map. You’re going to see Great Depression numbers. Because, as I mentioned, with this commercial real estate collapse, all of these retail stores closing, like Starbucks and Macy’s, you go down the line. You look not only at people who work for these places that no longer have jobs, but how about all the supportive industries - the advertising, the manufacturers, the products. They’re going to be laying off people as well. We’re going to see Great Depression numbers. In that effect, this is going to be worse than the Great Depression. You can't even compare the two! SIGH>>>>>>
When I say it’s going to be worse than the Great Depression, I mean WORSE than. To be using 1930s models to get the U.S. out of this is really stupid. Back then when we first crashed most people didn’t have homes. There was no such thing as home equity loan. And back then, people didn’t have credit cards. The consumer wasn’t 14 trillion dollars in debt. We had a manufacturing base that built the world out of the Great Depression following World War Two. We no longer have that.
Now people are at the edge. They’re stressed out. Look, the Americans are the most depressed nation on the world already. They take more antidepressant drugs than anybody, plus the other kinds of drugs that they are taking. You’re going to see crime levels in America that are going to rival the third world. You’re going to start seeing people being kidnapped in this country like they do in other underdeveloped nations. So it’s going to be very violent in America.
You might be reading this and think I'm kidding. Mark my words, I’m not exaggerating, the facts are there. I have a saying: when people lose everything and they have nothing to lose, they lose it. You’re going to see people saying, off with their heads. There’s going to be another revolution in this country.
We’re going to start seeing a tax revolt in the United States. People are one job away from losing everything. We’re seeing more and more closures, people are being laid off. People are stretched to the limits. And what do they do in New York State? Some 130 new taxes are being proposed, they’re raising sales taxes. There’s going to be a tax revolt in this country from property taxes first and school taxes second. That’s what we’re going to see start to happen.
People are hopeful, they are desperate and they are fearful. And they’ll hang on to anything. Let’s look at the facts for just a sec. A man of change, who did he bring into Washington? You know they say by their deeds you shall know them. Let’s look at his Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, former Robert Rubin from the Clinton administration, the former president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Change? How about Larry Summers, the former Clinton Secretary of Treasury? I never remember a newly elected president bringing in basically the national security team from the last administration who happen to be from another party. Change?
By their deeds you shall know them! If I bring in a baseball hitter that strikes out every time and I want him to play in the World Series is he going to hit the ball over the fence? They brought in Larry Summers, Timothy Geithner. Look at the crew. Look who they are. They’re strike out artists, every one of them. The only thing that they know how to do is not to get their finger nails dirty.
Remember these words - No new taxes. I didn’t have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinski.I smoked but I didn’t inhale. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al-Qaeda. Why would anybody believe these people? They have always lied to us and always will lie to us.
The world is very hopeful, using the word ‘hope’, with the Obama administration. And again, we’re going to have to see what transpires, but so far, and again, by their deeds you shall know them. Obama, when he first started to run, he was going to be out of Iraq. As soon as he became president he was going to start bringing soldiers home. Now they won’t be out for 16 months and now their reports say they’re going to bring upwards of 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He was also talking about preventive strikes in Pakistan. So it really doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a smoothing of geopolitical relations.You can see what’s going on.
A great scholar said, “In today already walks tomorrow.” For me, I’m a political atheist. I look at things for the way they are, not the way I want them to be. I don’t colour them or try to change them because of an ideology. So I look at economics, I look at politics, I look at changes in the family, and I look at geopolitics. Connect the Dots folks. I didn't go to college, I didn't do well in school but it doesn't take a scientist to figure out what's going on. I read and connect the dots. A few posts ago I mentioned how to fix it. While there are many idea's on how to fix what's going it here is another solution
All you have to do is to look back to the 1990s when America entered into a recession. We had 7.2 unemployment rate in 1993. What got the U.S. out of the 1990s recession was something called the ‘internet revolution’ that had a productive capacity. Products were invented, designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced. So Anything that’s going to advance the U.S. into the 21st century in an intelligent way. That’s where the job opportunities are going to be. Maybe it will be green technology. But this year is going to be a scary scary year..........
It's no shocker here that 800+ fema camps were constructed. It's no shocker here that the military is operating inside the United States. It's no shocker here about Main Core and it's database that has 8 Million plus Americans in it.
It's no shocker here that Depopulation will happen within the next 4 years. You are going to hear of Bio weapons being used by so-called terrorists and then it will happen. Millions of people will die. The fingers will be pointed toward Bin Laden or other terrorist groups. It's hard to imagine that our Government will do this to their own people and most reading this will have their eyes closed and not opened to the possibility that maybe it could happen.
Should it happen? Will it happen? Is it going down now?
2009 will be an interesting year because what will happen will be a global problem that will have those in power asking for a global solution. The United Nations will take control. Before that happens, World War 3 will happen with the Attack on Iran. The puzzle is all over the place but if you put to together you can see clearly that we are on the verge of World War 3.
We are on the verge of Martial Law in the United States. Anyone who compares what is going on now to the great depression should have their brains checked. This is worse than that. At the end of 2008 we saw retail sales: women’s apparel down 23%; home furnishings and electronics off 27%; luxury items down 35%. These are Depression Era collapses. We saw major bankruptcies, such as retailers Circuit City and Linens and Things. One bankruptcy after another. Then we saw store closings. Starbucks, Home D&D Power and down the line.
The question becomes who is going to take all of the vacant retail space? Who is going to rent it? The answer is - nobody! Now we look at the financial collapse in 2008, we saw the Merrill Lynch mob go under the bed and the Lehman boys went bankrupt. You saw bond companies, brokerage firms, and banks go belly up. Who is going to rent all the vacant commercial business space that they used to occupy? The answer is - nobody! The commercial real estate collapse that’s going to happen in 2009 is going to dwarf the residential real estate collapse.
Think about this. There are two sets of books that the government keeps. When they measure up unemployment they don’t add in the people who are no longer looking for jobs because they have become discouraged since they cannot find employment after looking so long. And they don’t include part-time workers. When you put that number into it, the number is 13.7%. And that’s a government number. And this is just beginning.
We saw in one day some 61,000 jobs evaporate off the map. You’re going to see Great Depression numbers. Because, as I mentioned, with this commercial real estate collapse, all of these retail stores closing, like Starbucks and Macy’s, you go down the line. You look not only at people who work for these places that no longer have jobs, but how about all the supportive industries - the advertising, the manufacturers, the products. They’re going to be laying off people as well. We’re going to see Great Depression numbers. In that effect, this is going to be worse than the Great Depression. You can't even compare the two! SIGH>>>>>>
When I say it’s going to be worse than the Great Depression, I mean WORSE than. To be using 1930s models to get the U.S. out of this is really stupid. Back then when we first crashed most people didn’t have homes. There was no such thing as home equity loan. And back then, people didn’t have credit cards. The consumer wasn’t 14 trillion dollars in debt. We had a manufacturing base that built the world out of the Great Depression following World War Two. We no longer have that.
Now people are at the edge. They’re stressed out. Look, the Americans are the most depressed nation on the world already. They take more antidepressant drugs than anybody, plus the other kinds of drugs that they are taking. You’re going to see crime levels in America that are going to rival the third world. You’re going to start seeing people being kidnapped in this country like they do in other underdeveloped nations. So it’s going to be very violent in America.
You might be reading this and think I'm kidding. Mark my words, I’m not exaggerating, the facts are there. I have a saying: when people lose everything and they have nothing to lose, they lose it. You’re going to see people saying, off with their heads. There’s going to be another revolution in this country.
We’re going to start seeing a tax revolt in the United States. People are one job away from losing everything. We’re seeing more and more closures, people are being laid off. People are stretched to the limits. And what do they do in New York State? Some 130 new taxes are being proposed, they’re raising sales taxes. There’s going to be a tax revolt in this country from property taxes first and school taxes second. That’s what we’re going to see start to happen.
People are hopeful, they are desperate and they are fearful. And they’ll hang on to anything. Let’s look at the facts for just a sec. A man of change, who did he bring into Washington? You know they say by their deeds you shall know them. Let’s look at his Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, former Robert Rubin from the Clinton administration, the former president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Change? How about Larry Summers, the former Clinton Secretary of Treasury? I never remember a newly elected president bringing in basically the national security team from the last administration who happen to be from another party. Change?
By their deeds you shall know them! If I bring in a baseball hitter that strikes out every time and I want him to play in the World Series is he going to hit the ball over the fence? They brought in Larry Summers, Timothy Geithner. Look at the crew. Look who they are. They’re strike out artists, every one of them. The only thing that they know how to do is not to get their finger nails dirty.
Remember these words - No new taxes. I didn’t have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinski.I smoked but I didn’t inhale. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al-Qaeda. Why would anybody believe these people? They have always lied to us and always will lie to us.
The world is very hopeful, using the word ‘hope’, with the Obama administration. And again, we’re going to have to see what transpires, but so far, and again, by their deeds you shall know them. Obama, when he first started to run, he was going to be out of Iraq. As soon as he became president he was going to start bringing soldiers home. Now they won’t be out for 16 months and now their reports say they’re going to bring upwards of 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He was also talking about preventive strikes in Pakistan. So it really doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a smoothing of geopolitical relations.You can see what’s going on.
A great scholar said, “In today already walks tomorrow.” For me, I’m a political atheist. I look at things for the way they are, not the way I want them to be. I don’t colour them or try to change them because of an ideology. So I look at economics, I look at politics, I look at changes in the family, and I look at geopolitics. Connect the Dots folks. I didn't go to college, I didn't do well in school but it doesn't take a scientist to figure out what's going on. I read and connect the dots. A few posts ago I mentioned how to fix it. While there are many idea's on how to fix what's going it here is another solution
All you have to do is to look back to the 1990s when America entered into a recession. We had 7.2 unemployment rate in 1993. What got the U.S. out of the 1990s recession was something called the ‘internet revolution’ that had a productive capacity. Products were invented, designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced. So Anything that’s going to advance the U.S. into the 21st century in an intelligent way. That’s where the job opportunities are going to be. Maybe it will be green technology. But this year is going to be a scary scary year..........
Thursday, February 12, 2009
This is my son
When children do good things, those who take care of them are pleased. When a girl does something well, her father is glad to be able to tell others: “This is my daughter.” Or if a boy does good things, a father is happy to say: “This is my son.”
Jesus always does what pleases his Father. So his Father is proud of him. Remember what Jesus’ Father did one day when Jesus was with three of his followers? Yes, God spoke all the way from heaven to tell them: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.” which is found at Matthew 17:5.
Jesus is always happy to do things that please his Father. Do you know why? Because he really loves his Father. If a person does things only because he has to do them, this seems hard. But when he is willing, it is easier. Do you know what it means to be willing? It means really wanting to do something.
Even before Jesus came to earth, he was willing to do whatever his Father asked him to do. This is because he loves his Father, Jehovah God. Jesus had a wonderful place in heaven with his Father. But God had a special work for Jesus to do. Jesus had to leave heaven. He had to be born as a baby on earth. Jesus was willing to do this because Jehovah wanted him to do it.
To be born as a baby on earth, Jesus had to have a mother. Her name was Mary. Jehovah sent his angel Gabriel from heaven to talk to Mary. Gabriel told her that she was going to have a baby boy. The baby would be named Jesus. And who would the baby’s father be? The angel said that the baby’s Father would be Jehovah God. That is why Jesus would be called the Son of God.
How do you think Mary felt about this? Did she say, “I don’t want to be the mother of Jesus”? No, Mary was ready to do what God wanted. But how could God’s Son in heaven be born as a baby on earth? How was Jesus’ birth different from the birth of all other babies?
Well, God made our first parents, Adam and Eve, so that they could come together in a wonderful way. Afterward, a baby could begin to grow inside his mother. People say that this is a miracle! I’m sure you will agree.
Now God did something that was an even more wonderful miracle. He took the life of his Son from heaven and put it inside Mary. God had never done that before, and he has never done it since. As a result of this miracle, Jesus began to grow inside of Mary just as other babies grow inside of their mothers. After that, Mary married Joseph.
When the time came for Jesus to be born, Mary and Joseph were visiting the city of Bethlehem. But it was full of people. There was not even a room for Mary and Joseph, so they had to stay in a place where animals were kept. There Mary gave birth, and Jesus was put in a manger.
Exciting things happened on the night Jesus was born. Near Bethlehem, an angel appeared to some shepherds. He told them that Jesus was an important person. The angel said: ‘Look! I am telling you good news that will make people happy. Today someone was born who will save the people.’ which is found at Luke 2:10, 11.
The angel told the shepherds that they could find Jesus in Bethlehem, lying in a manger. Then, suddenly, other angels in heaven joined the first angel in praising God. ‘Glory to God,’ the angels sang, “and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.” which is found at Luke 2:12-14.
When the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Jesus. There they told Joseph and Mary all the good things they had heard. Can you imagine how happy Mary was that she had been willing to be Jesus’ mother?
Later, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the city of Nazareth. That is where Jesus grew up. When he was grown, he began his great teaching work. This was part of the work Jehovah God wanted his Son to do on earth. Jesus was willing to do that work because Jesus loved his heavenly Father very much.
Before Jesus started his work as the Great Teacher, he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Then something amazing happened! As Jesus was coming up out of the water, Jehovah spoke from heaven, saying: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.” Don’t you feel good when your parents tell you that they love you? We can be sure that Jesus did too.
Jesus always did what was right. He did not pretend to be someone that he was not. He did not tell people that he was God. The angel Gabriel had told Mary that Jesus would be called the Son of God. Jesus himself said that he was God’s Son. And he did not tell people that he knew more than his Father. He said: “The Father is greater than I am.” which is found at John 14:28.
Even in heaven, when Jesus’ Father gave him work to do, Jesus did it. He did not say that he would do it but instead do something else. He loved his Father. So he listened to what his Father said. Then when Jesus came to the earth, he did what his heavenly Father sent him to do. He did not spend his time doing something else. No wonder that Jehovah is pleased with his Son!
We want to please Jehovah too, don’t we? Then we must show that we really listen to God, as Jesus did. God speaks to us through the Bible. It would not be right to pretend to listen to God but then to believe and do things that are contrary to the Bible, would it? And remember, we will be happy to please Jehovah if we really love him.
Now read these other Bible texts that show what we need to know and believe about Jesus: Matthew 7:21-23; John 4:25, 26; and 1 Timothy 2:5, 6.
Many will say that Jesus is God but Jesus himself said he was the son of God not God himself. Scriptures show that Jesus is the son not God himself. Many will say that Jesus was in Human form. That's interesting because he prayed and of course had to pray to someone. Wouldn't make sense to pray to himself. Oh yes the Trinity you say, well if that were true and the Trinity has always been, remember Jesus had a beginning. Jesus was the first created which also means that something created Jesus. I'll end today with this scripture Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 and 16.
Jesus had a beginning, he was created. He was created by this loving father Jehovah.
Jesus always does what pleases his Father. So his Father is proud of him. Remember what Jesus’ Father did one day when Jesus was with three of his followers? Yes, God spoke all the way from heaven to tell them: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.” which is found at Matthew 17:5.
Jesus is always happy to do things that please his Father. Do you know why? Because he really loves his Father. If a person does things only because he has to do them, this seems hard. But when he is willing, it is easier. Do you know what it means to be willing? It means really wanting to do something.
Even before Jesus came to earth, he was willing to do whatever his Father asked him to do. This is because he loves his Father, Jehovah God. Jesus had a wonderful place in heaven with his Father. But God had a special work for Jesus to do. Jesus had to leave heaven. He had to be born as a baby on earth. Jesus was willing to do this because Jehovah wanted him to do it.
To be born as a baby on earth, Jesus had to have a mother. Her name was Mary. Jehovah sent his angel Gabriel from heaven to talk to Mary. Gabriel told her that she was going to have a baby boy. The baby would be named Jesus. And who would the baby’s father be? The angel said that the baby’s Father would be Jehovah God. That is why Jesus would be called the Son of God.
How do you think Mary felt about this? Did she say, “I don’t want to be the mother of Jesus”? No, Mary was ready to do what God wanted. But how could God’s Son in heaven be born as a baby on earth? How was Jesus’ birth different from the birth of all other babies?
Well, God made our first parents, Adam and Eve, so that they could come together in a wonderful way. Afterward, a baby could begin to grow inside his mother. People say that this is a miracle! I’m sure you will agree.
Now God did something that was an even more wonderful miracle. He took the life of his Son from heaven and put it inside Mary. God had never done that before, and he has never done it since. As a result of this miracle, Jesus began to grow inside of Mary just as other babies grow inside of their mothers. After that, Mary married Joseph.
When the time came for Jesus to be born, Mary and Joseph were visiting the city of Bethlehem. But it was full of people. There was not even a room for Mary and Joseph, so they had to stay in a place where animals were kept. There Mary gave birth, and Jesus was put in a manger.
Exciting things happened on the night Jesus was born. Near Bethlehem, an angel appeared to some shepherds. He told them that Jesus was an important person. The angel said: ‘Look! I am telling you good news that will make people happy. Today someone was born who will save the people.’ which is found at Luke 2:10, 11.
The angel told the shepherds that they could find Jesus in Bethlehem, lying in a manger. Then, suddenly, other angels in heaven joined the first angel in praising God. ‘Glory to God,’ the angels sang, “and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.” which is found at Luke 2:12-14.
When the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Jesus. There they told Joseph and Mary all the good things they had heard. Can you imagine how happy Mary was that she had been willing to be Jesus’ mother?
Later, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the city of Nazareth. That is where Jesus grew up. When he was grown, he began his great teaching work. This was part of the work Jehovah God wanted his Son to do on earth. Jesus was willing to do that work because Jesus loved his heavenly Father very much.
Before Jesus started his work as the Great Teacher, he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Then something amazing happened! As Jesus was coming up out of the water, Jehovah spoke from heaven, saying: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.” Don’t you feel good when your parents tell you that they love you? We can be sure that Jesus did too.
Jesus always did what was right. He did not pretend to be someone that he was not. He did not tell people that he was God. The angel Gabriel had told Mary that Jesus would be called the Son of God. Jesus himself said that he was God’s Son. And he did not tell people that he knew more than his Father. He said: “The Father is greater than I am.” which is found at John 14:28.
Even in heaven, when Jesus’ Father gave him work to do, Jesus did it. He did not say that he would do it but instead do something else. He loved his Father. So he listened to what his Father said. Then when Jesus came to the earth, he did what his heavenly Father sent him to do. He did not spend his time doing something else. No wonder that Jehovah is pleased with his Son!
We want to please Jehovah too, don’t we? Then we must show that we really listen to God, as Jesus did. God speaks to us through the Bible. It would not be right to pretend to listen to God but then to believe and do things that are contrary to the Bible, would it? And remember, we will be happy to please Jehovah if we really love him.
Now read these other Bible texts that show what we need to know and believe about Jesus: Matthew 7:21-23; John 4:25, 26; and 1 Timothy 2:5, 6.
Many will say that Jesus is God but Jesus himself said he was the son of God not God himself. Scriptures show that Jesus is the son not God himself. Many will say that Jesus was in Human form. That's interesting because he prayed and of course had to pray to someone. Wouldn't make sense to pray to himself. Oh yes the Trinity you say, well if that were true and the Trinity has always been, remember Jesus had a beginning. Jesus was the first created which also means that something created Jesus. I'll end today with this scripture Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 and 16.
Jesus had a beginning, he was created. He was created by this loving father Jehovah.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Great Teacher Served Other People
DO YOU like it when someone does something nice for you?— Well, other people like it when someone does something nice for them too. We all do. The Great Teacher knew that, and he was always doing things for people. He said: ‘I came, not to be served, but to serve. So if we want to be like the Great Teacher, what must we do?
We must serve others. We must do good things for them. It is true that many people do not do this. In fact, most people always want others to serve them. At one time even Jesus’ followers felt this way. Each one wanted to be the greatest or the most important.
Recall Jesus was traveling with his disciples. After they entered the city of Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, they all went inside a house. There Jesus put the question to them: “What were you arguing over on the road?” They kept quiet because on the road they had argued among themselves about who was greater.
Jesus knew that it was not right for any one of his disciples to think that he was the greatest. Jesus stood a small child in their midst and told them they should be humble like that little one. But still they did not learn. So shortly before he died, Jesus taught them a lesson that they would never forget. What did he do?
Well, while they were all having a meal together, Jesus got up from the table and took off his outer garments. Picking up a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he took a washbasin and put water into it.
His followers must have wondered what he was going to do. As they watched, Jesus went around to all of them, bent down, and washed their feet. Then he dried their feet with the towel. Just think of that! What if you had been there? How would you have felt?
His followers did not feel that it was right for the Great Teacher to serve them in this way. They felt embarrassed. In fact, Peter was not going to let Jesus do this lowly service for him. But Jesus said that it was important for him to do it. We do not usually wash one another’s feet today. But this was done when Jesus was on earth. Do you know why?
Well, in the land where Jesus and his followers lived, people wore open sandals on their bare feet. So when they walked on the dirt roads, their feet got covered with dust. It was a kindness to wash the dust off the feet of a person who came into the house to visit.
But this time not one of Jesus’ disciples had offered to wash the feet of the others. So Jesus did it himself. By doing this, Jesus taught his followers an important lesson. They needed to learn this lesson. And it is a lesson that we today need to learn.
After Jesus put his outer garments back on and took his place at the table again, he explained: “Do you know what I have done to you? You address me, ‘Teacher,’ and, ‘Lord,’ and you speak rightly, for I am such. Therefore, if I, although Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another.” Here the Great Teacher showed that he wanted his followers to serve one another. He did not want them to think only about themselves. He did not want them to think that they were so important that others should always serve them. He wanted them to be willing to serve others.
Will you be like the Great Teacher and serve other people?— We can all do things for others. This will make them happy. But best of all, it will make Jesus and his Father happy.
It is not hard to serve other people. If you watch, you will see many things that you can do for others. Think now: Is there anything that you can do to help your mother? You know that she does many things for you and the rest of the family. Can you help her? Why not ask her?
Maybe you can set the table before the family eats. Or maybe you can clear the table of the dirty dishes after the family finishes eating. Some children take the garbage out every day. Whatever it is that you can do, you will be serving others, even as Jesus did.
Do you have younger brothers and sisters whom you can serve? Remember, Jesus, the Great Teacher, served even his followers. By serving your younger brothers and sisters, you will be copying Jesus. What can you do for them? Maybe you can help them learn to put their toys away when they are finished playing. Or maybe you can help them get dressed. Or perhaps you can help them make their bed. Can you think of anything else you can do for them? They will love you for doing these things, just as Jesus’ followers loved him.
In school too you can serve other people. It might be your classmates or your teacher. If someone drops his books, it would be kind of you to help him pick them up. You might offer to clean the blackboard or to do something else for your teacher. Even holding the door open for someone is a kind service. At times, we will find that people will not thank us for serving them. Do you think that this should stop us from doing good? No! Many people did not thank Jesus for his good works. But that did not stop him from doing good.
So let’s never hold back from serving other people. Let’s remember the Great Teacher, Jesus, and always try to follow his example.
For scriptures about helping other people, read Proverbs 3:27, 28; Romans 15:1, 2; and Galatians 6:2.
We must serve others. We must do good things for them. It is true that many people do not do this. In fact, most people always want others to serve them. At one time even Jesus’ followers felt this way. Each one wanted to be the greatest or the most important.
Recall Jesus was traveling with his disciples. After they entered the city of Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, they all went inside a house. There Jesus put the question to them: “What were you arguing over on the road?” They kept quiet because on the road they had argued among themselves about who was greater.
Jesus knew that it was not right for any one of his disciples to think that he was the greatest. Jesus stood a small child in their midst and told them they should be humble like that little one. But still they did not learn. So shortly before he died, Jesus taught them a lesson that they would never forget. What did he do?
Well, while they were all having a meal together, Jesus got up from the table and took off his outer garments. Picking up a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he took a washbasin and put water into it.
His followers must have wondered what he was going to do. As they watched, Jesus went around to all of them, bent down, and washed their feet. Then he dried their feet with the towel. Just think of that! What if you had been there? How would you have felt?
His followers did not feel that it was right for the Great Teacher to serve them in this way. They felt embarrassed. In fact, Peter was not going to let Jesus do this lowly service for him. But Jesus said that it was important for him to do it. We do not usually wash one another’s feet today. But this was done when Jesus was on earth. Do you know why?
Well, in the land where Jesus and his followers lived, people wore open sandals on their bare feet. So when they walked on the dirt roads, their feet got covered with dust. It was a kindness to wash the dust off the feet of a person who came into the house to visit.
But this time not one of Jesus’ disciples had offered to wash the feet of the others. So Jesus did it himself. By doing this, Jesus taught his followers an important lesson. They needed to learn this lesson. And it is a lesson that we today need to learn.
After Jesus put his outer garments back on and took his place at the table again, he explained: “Do you know what I have done to you? You address me, ‘Teacher,’ and, ‘Lord,’ and you speak rightly, for I am such. Therefore, if I, although Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another.” Here the Great Teacher showed that he wanted his followers to serve one another. He did not want them to think only about themselves. He did not want them to think that they were so important that others should always serve them. He wanted them to be willing to serve others.
Will you be like the Great Teacher and serve other people?— We can all do things for others. This will make them happy. But best of all, it will make Jesus and his Father happy.
It is not hard to serve other people. If you watch, you will see many things that you can do for others. Think now: Is there anything that you can do to help your mother? You know that she does many things for you and the rest of the family. Can you help her? Why not ask her?
Maybe you can set the table before the family eats. Or maybe you can clear the table of the dirty dishes after the family finishes eating. Some children take the garbage out every day. Whatever it is that you can do, you will be serving others, even as Jesus did.
Do you have younger brothers and sisters whom you can serve? Remember, Jesus, the Great Teacher, served even his followers. By serving your younger brothers and sisters, you will be copying Jesus. What can you do for them? Maybe you can help them learn to put their toys away when they are finished playing. Or maybe you can help them get dressed. Or perhaps you can help them make their bed. Can you think of anything else you can do for them? They will love you for doing these things, just as Jesus’ followers loved him.
In school too you can serve other people. It might be your classmates or your teacher. If someone drops his books, it would be kind of you to help him pick them up. You might offer to clean the blackboard or to do something else for your teacher. Even holding the door open for someone is a kind service. At times, we will find that people will not thank us for serving them. Do you think that this should stop us from doing good? No! Many people did not thank Jesus for his good works. But that did not stop him from doing good.
So let’s never hold back from serving other people. Let’s remember the Great Teacher, Jesus, and always try to follow his example.
For scriptures about helping other people, read Proverbs 3:27, 28; Romans 15:1, 2; and Galatians 6:2.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
To much to think of
There are so many things going on it's kinda crazy to just focus on one thing. Take for example the state of our economy. Yeah it's bad but aren't you tired of hearing about it everyday? Don't you feel as if the Media is pushing and pushing and pushing thus causing people to get scared. Causing people to hold onto their money without spending it.
You want to fix the economy, it's simple. You get rid of the federal reserve is one. You allow us to hit rock bottom. We know that two of the three things are still a problem. Gas prices are OK for now. We gave the banks billions of dollars for the housing market.
All the people representing us know where the money went, and more than half the American people know it sure wasn’t put in the right place.Don’t give banks any more money. The federal government should buy all foreclosures at the construction cost of the home.
These homes should be sold at 2 percent loans over a very long time. It should work like the G.I. loan. The people who lost retirement money that was invested in low-risk funds should have their investments refunded or be given a full tax deduction for their loss.
This will put the money back in the right places, and when people have money and feel safe, they will spend.It takes millions of people spending to make the economy work but if you always hear about how bad the economy is dong, people won't spend.
You cannot create money out of thin air and that's what they are doing. Sadly it will get worse and I don't see how it will get better. I do know this that man is not meant to direct his own step. No matter how hard they try, they will always fail.
Well tonight is my Bible reading. I'm hoping to record it or record some of my talks. Till tomorrow...have a great day.
You want to fix the economy, it's simple. You get rid of the federal reserve is one. You allow us to hit rock bottom. We know that two of the three things are still a problem. Gas prices are OK for now. We gave the banks billions of dollars for the housing market.
All the people representing us know where the money went, and more than half the American people know it sure wasn’t put in the right place.Don’t give banks any more money. The federal government should buy all foreclosures at the construction cost of the home.
These homes should be sold at 2 percent loans over a very long time. It should work like the G.I. loan. The people who lost retirement money that was invested in low-risk funds should have their investments refunded or be given a full tax deduction for their loss.
This will put the money back in the right places, and when people have money and feel safe, they will spend.It takes millions of people spending to make the economy work but if you always hear about how bad the economy is dong, people won't spend.
You cannot create money out of thin air and that's what they are doing. Sadly it will get worse and I don't see how it will get better. I do know this that man is not meant to direct his own step. No matter how hard they try, they will always fail.
Well tonight is my Bible reading. I'm hoping to record it or record some of my talks. Till tomorrow...have a great day.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sickness
That's exactly what happened, I was sick as a dog as the expression goes so sorry for the delay. As mentioned most in my house were sick. My wife is still sick. She is going to the Doctors today to make sure all is well with the baby. Speaking of the baby, we are thinking that if it's a girl her name will be
1. Abigail
And if it's a boy we are thinking
1. Joshua
It's still up in the air on names but I think it's set for a girl. The boy's name is still up in the air. We don't have any middle names just yet but we have plenty of time to think of one. Because the baby is one it's way of course we have to move things around our house to make room. I am so thankful that we own our house because we can modify, add, or remove whatever we wish.
Few things I said I would do or talk about on this blog that I have yet to get to and don't worry I haven't forgotten. Tomorrow is my bible reading and although I'm ready, I normally go over it several times before I have to get on stage and read. So with that I will talk to you tomorrow and before I forget, here is the scripture of the day.
Why, O Jehovah, do you keep standing afar off? Why do you keep yourself hid in times of distress?—Ps. 10:1.
The prophet Habakkuk once asked: “How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, and you do not hear? How long shall I call to you for aid from violence, and you do not save? Why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble?” (Hab. 1:2, 3) Habakkuk and David, the psalmist who wrote the words, were faithful men who had a great deal of respect for God. Were they rebuked for raising such troubling questions? On the contrary, Jehovah saw fit to have their sincere questions recorded in his Word. Today, a person who struggles with the prevalence of evil may actually be hungering spiritually—longing for answers that only the Bible can provide. Remember, Jesus spoke well of those who are “conscious of their spiritual need.” (Matt. 5:3) What a privilege it is to help such ones find the happiness that Jesus promised!
1. Abigail
And if it's a boy we are thinking
1. Joshua
It's still up in the air on names but I think it's set for a girl. The boy's name is still up in the air. We don't have any middle names just yet but we have plenty of time to think of one. Because the baby is one it's way of course we have to move things around our house to make room. I am so thankful that we own our house because we can modify, add, or remove whatever we wish.
Few things I said I would do or talk about on this blog that I have yet to get to and don't worry I haven't forgotten. Tomorrow is my bible reading and although I'm ready, I normally go over it several times before I have to get on stage and read. So with that I will talk to you tomorrow and before I forget, here is the scripture of the day.
Why, O Jehovah, do you keep standing afar off? Why do you keep yourself hid in times of distress?—Ps. 10:1.
The prophet Habakkuk once asked: “How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, and you do not hear? How long shall I call to you for aid from violence, and you do not save? Why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble?” (Hab. 1:2, 3) Habakkuk and David, the psalmist who wrote the words, were faithful men who had a great deal of respect for God. Were they rebuked for raising such troubling questions? On the contrary, Jehovah saw fit to have their sincere questions recorded in his Word. Today, a person who struggles with the prevalence of evil may actually be hungering spiritually—longing for answers that only the Bible can provide. Remember, Jesus spoke well of those who are “conscious of their spiritual need.” (Matt. 5:3) What a privilege it is to help such ones find the happiness that Jesus promised!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Man
Now that I got you sick of french fries what else comes to mind? I call it my warped mind. Well maybe not so warped. Last night I was thinking of Lot and his wife. If you recall Lots wife is the one who turned to salt.
Lot and his uncle Abram were nomadic alien residents in the land of Canaan. Crowded pasturage caused conflicts between their respective herdsmen. To avoid further problems Abram and Lot agreed to go their separate ways. Unselfishly Abram gave Lot the first choice of land.
His nephew chose the well-watered region of the lower Jordan and Salt Sea. He finally settled his tents near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. From a material standpoint it seemed a wise choice. From the spiritual one it could hardly have been worse.
It was so bad that God was going to destroy that City. How were Lot and his family to escape the impending destruction? The very angels who were to act as executioners of the cities’ inhabitants were sent to Lot to give him life-saving instructions. What were he and his family to do? Abandon the city without delay!
How did Lot and his family react to those clear instructions? After being rebuffed by his sons-in-law, who considered the threat of destruction to be a joke, Lot kept lingering around the place. Rather than obeying immediately God’s command to flee, he delayed. But the angels did not.
They had their instructions and obeyed them. In the compassion of Jehovah upon him, the men materialized angels seized hold of his hand and of the hand of his wife and of the hands of his two daughters and they proceeded to bring him out and to station him outside the city.
Did Lot and his family then flee to the mountainous region as instructed? Not at once. Whether he was influenced by his wife or not we do not know, but he implored Jehovah’s angel to let him seek refuge in a nearby city. This was granted and they fled to Zoar.
How did Lot’s wife react to this uprooting and sudden change of home? Apparently she did not trust Jehovah’s judgment in the matter. Like her husband, she was indecisive, but with the difference that he eventually obeyed. She did not. She began to look around from behind him Lot, and she became a pillar of salt. She hesitated and lost.
Just as Lot and his family were instructed to flee without delay from their wicked neighbors, so Jesus gave a similar warning to those of his generation. He told them that in time Jerusalem would be surrounded by encamped armies and that the only escape would be flight to the mountains. He warned of the danger of hesitation or delay.
When the Roman armies temporarily withdrew their siege of Jerusalem in the year 66 C.E., alert Christians remembered Jesus’ instructions. They listened and obeyed. They got out of Judea without delay and fled to the mountains to the east of the river Jordan. The unbelieving Jews and any Christians who doubted stayed behind in what appeared to be a divinely protected holy city.
Four years later the Romans came back with a vengeance and wiped out over a million of Jerusalem’s inhabitants. They left the city in ruins. How happy and relieved were those obedient Christians up in the mountains when they heard the news of Jerusalem’s destruction! Their unhesitating obedience had been blessed.
Is There a Modern Application? What can we learn from these vivid pictures of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and of Jerusalem? Jesus Christ used the annihilation of those cities as a parallel for the time. For Christians today this is no time for hesitation. This corrupt system of things is doomed. Why, then, look back in doubt? Lot's wife should be the example for us all. She deliberately ignored explicit instructions. Was her love for God stronger than her attachment to her home and the material things she had there in Sodom?
When the end of this system arrives will you look back at the things you have now? Do you think that your Ipod matters, your Xbox, your guitar, everything you own matters? What's more important, your life or your items. Don't be like Lot's wife. Don't look back on things that don't matter. Continue to move forward.
Lot and his uncle Abram were nomadic alien residents in the land of Canaan. Crowded pasturage caused conflicts between their respective herdsmen. To avoid further problems Abram and Lot agreed to go their separate ways. Unselfishly Abram gave Lot the first choice of land.
His nephew chose the well-watered region of the lower Jordan and Salt Sea. He finally settled his tents near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. From a material standpoint it seemed a wise choice. From the spiritual one it could hardly have been worse.
It was so bad that God was going to destroy that City. How were Lot and his family to escape the impending destruction? The very angels who were to act as executioners of the cities’ inhabitants were sent to Lot to give him life-saving instructions. What were he and his family to do? Abandon the city without delay!
How did Lot and his family react to those clear instructions? After being rebuffed by his sons-in-law, who considered the threat of destruction to be a joke, Lot kept lingering around the place. Rather than obeying immediately God’s command to flee, he delayed. But the angels did not.
They had their instructions and obeyed them. In the compassion of Jehovah upon him, the men materialized angels seized hold of his hand and of the hand of his wife and of the hands of his two daughters and they proceeded to bring him out and to station him outside the city.
Did Lot and his family then flee to the mountainous region as instructed? Not at once. Whether he was influenced by his wife or not we do not know, but he implored Jehovah’s angel to let him seek refuge in a nearby city. This was granted and they fled to Zoar.
How did Lot’s wife react to this uprooting and sudden change of home? Apparently she did not trust Jehovah’s judgment in the matter. Like her husband, she was indecisive, but with the difference that he eventually obeyed. She did not. She began to look around from behind him Lot, and she became a pillar of salt. She hesitated and lost.
Just as Lot and his family were instructed to flee without delay from their wicked neighbors, so Jesus gave a similar warning to those of his generation. He told them that in time Jerusalem would be surrounded by encamped armies and that the only escape would be flight to the mountains. He warned of the danger of hesitation or delay.
When the Roman armies temporarily withdrew their siege of Jerusalem in the year 66 C.E., alert Christians remembered Jesus’ instructions. They listened and obeyed. They got out of Judea without delay and fled to the mountains to the east of the river Jordan. The unbelieving Jews and any Christians who doubted stayed behind in what appeared to be a divinely protected holy city.
Four years later the Romans came back with a vengeance and wiped out over a million of Jerusalem’s inhabitants. They left the city in ruins. How happy and relieved were those obedient Christians up in the mountains when they heard the news of Jerusalem’s destruction! Their unhesitating obedience had been blessed.
Is There a Modern Application? What can we learn from these vivid pictures of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and of Jerusalem? Jesus Christ used the annihilation of those cities as a parallel for the time. For Christians today this is no time for hesitation. This corrupt system of things is doomed. Why, then, look back in doubt? Lot's wife should be the example for us all. She deliberately ignored explicit instructions. Was her love for God stronger than her attachment to her home and the material things she had there in Sodom?
When the end of this system arrives will you look back at the things you have now? Do you think that your Ipod matters, your Xbox, your guitar, everything you own matters? What's more important, your life or your items. Don't be like Lot's wife. Don't look back on things that don't matter. Continue to move forward.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Yuck
Everyone is sick in my house!!!!
I was the only one that didn't get sick or so I thought I wouldn't. Little by little as the days went on, I realized that I was getting sick. Jesse came down with a fever. Gabriel came down with a fever and so did Daisy. Nevaeh didn't get sick and I thought I was clear but no! It had to creep it's way in and now I feel like crap. LOL
Speaking of sick. Do you like fast food? I'm talking Big Macs, Whoppers, or Ultimate Cheese Burgers. Because I watch what I eat I don't eat from any of those places and no In and out burgers. Yuck.
During our convention we were kinda hungry and pressed for time. OH by the way, I will discuss the convention maybe tomorrow but anyway, Mcdonalds was right there and you know that they have the best fries. After about a week I watched this video that discussed their fries and let me tell you. I will never eat from there or any place like that again. Ever EVER. I would rather go to safeway, buy whatever and cook it at home. Check out this video
Here is another video
At the end of the second video it asks how long do you think the fries last? Well as we have seen in the first video a woman had it 4 years. So before you put another burger into your mouth from any of these places, think about how it is made and where does it come from. Think about the Fries and why it's lasted for years. All of that is nasty and is not healthy. My kids will never eat from places such as those mentioned above or in the videos.
I was the only one that didn't get sick or so I thought I wouldn't. Little by little as the days went on, I realized that I was getting sick. Jesse came down with a fever. Gabriel came down with a fever and so did Daisy. Nevaeh didn't get sick and I thought I was clear but no! It had to creep it's way in and now I feel like crap. LOL
Speaking of sick. Do you like fast food? I'm talking Big Macs, Whoppers, or Ultimate Cheese Burgers. Because I watch what I eat I don't eat from any of those places and no In and out burgers. Yuck.
During our convention we were kinda hungry and pressed for time. OH by the way, I will discuss the convention maybe tomorrow but anyway, Mcdonalds was right there and you know that they have the best fries. After about a week I watched this video that discussed their fries and let me tell you. I will never eat from there or any place like that again. Ever EVER. I would rather go to safeway, buy whatever and cook it at home. Check out this video
Here is another video
At the end of the second video it asks how long do you think the fries last? Well as we have seen in the first video a woman had it 4 years. So before you put another burger into your mouth from any of these places, think about how it is made and where does it come from. Think about the Fries and why it's lasted for years. All of that is nasty and is not healthy. My kids will never eat from places such as those mentioned above or in the videos.
Monday, February 2, 2009
What will I say?
Those were the thoughts I had when thinking of my father. What will I say when I see him again. What will be the first thing that I say to him? I think that at first, I wouldn't be able to say anything. I think the first thing I would do is grab him and just hold him. I would be afraid to let go. I would thank Jehovah so much for making it possible to see and hold him again.
Recall that when he died, I tried to pull him out of this coffin. If anyone has lost a loved one which I'm sure you have, you can imagine how I felt. When I learned that someday I would see him again and that God promised this, I was so happy. But this kind of Gift came with a price. It meant that I needed to learn his ways, that I needed to stick to his ways, and that I needed to change my life. I needed to put on the new personality.
What I was doing would not work. I had to give up drugs which wasn't a big deal since I was never hooked. I had to give up smoking which was a bit harder but I was able to do it. I had to give up my foul language which was very hard because my mouth was very bad. Every other work was a bad word but even then I still had to change many things. I had to look out for my association because if they smoked or did drugs then chances are that I would wouldn't quit.
I had to change and really seeing my father again was worth it but that wasn't the only thing that I learned. Seeing my father was a bonus but how would I get to see him if I wasn't there myself. Jehovah promised everlasting life for me and not only me but also my wife and children provided that they stuck his ways as well.
As parents we are responsible for our children but if our children is at an age where they can make their own choices spiritually then its on them since the scriptures tell us that each one carries his or her own load. So in review, this is what was promised
1. Everlasting life for me and my family
2. I would see my father again here on Earth
or
1. Go old and die and watch my family die or they watch me die
2. The cycle repeats itself not just with me, but my kids, their kids, etc...
Which sounds better to you? You might reason with me and say well when I die I would like to go to Heaven and be with the Father. That sounds nice to but wouldn't it hurt just a little that your children are now in pain, and their children will be in pain, and their children will be in pain. The cycle repeats over and over. God did not intend things to be this way. He didn't with Adam and Eve. He sent Jesus in order to clear things up.
In life we have choices to make. We have two roads we can take. One that leads to death and one that leads to life. God doesn't force anyone and all that he asks from us is to listen to him. To see my father again is great but to wake up by my wife's side each day forever is truly a blessing. To see my children never get sick, never suffer and only cry because they are to happy to hold in the tears is a blessing. To see their children happy and never dying.
All of these things are possible with God it's not impossible. Think about it, God created you and I. Created the universe, created all the planets, all the animals but yet he would have a hard time giving us everlasting life? All things are possible with God. The only thing that God cannot do is lie. If he said that he will wipe out ever tear, he will. If he said that Death will be no more, then death will be no more. Everything that God has told us will happen. It's up to us if we want to be in God's new system. It's up to us if we want to remain in this old system which will come to an end. It's all up to us......
Recall that when he died, I tried to pull him out of this coffin. If anyone has lost a loved one which I'm sure you have, you can imagine how I felt. When I learned that someday I would see him again and that God promised this, I was so happy. But this kind of Gift came with a price. It meant that I needed to learn his ways, that I needed to stick to his ways, and that I needed to change my life. I needed to put on the new personality.
What I was doing would not work. I had to give up drugs which wasn't a big deal since I was never hooked. I had to give up smoking which was a bit harder but I was able to do it. I had to give up my foul language which was very hard because my mouth was very bad. Every other work was a bad word but even then I still had to change many things. I had to look out for my association because if they smoked or did drugs then chances are that I would wouldn't quit.
I had to change and really seeing my father again was worth it but that wasn't the only thing that I learned. Seeing my father was a bonus but how would I get to see him if I wasn't there myself. Jehovah promised everlasting life for me and not only me but also my wife and children provided that they stuck his ways as well.
As parents we are responsible for our children but if our children is at an age where they can make their own choices spiritually then its on them since the scriptures tell us that each one carries his or her own load. So in review, this is what was promised
1. Everlasting life for me and my family
2. I would see my father again here on Earth
or
1. Go old and die and watch my family die or they watch me die
2. The cycle repeats itself not just with me, but my kids, their kids, etc...
Which sounds better to you? You might reason with me and say well when I die I would like to go to Heaven and be with the Father. That sounds nice to but wouldn't it hurt just a little that your children are now in pain, and their children will be in pain, and their children will be in pain. The cycle repeats over and over. God did not intend things to be this way. He didn't with Adam and Eve. He sent Jesus in order to clear things up.
In life we have choices to make. We have two roads we can take. One that leads to death and one that leads to life. God doesn't force anyone and all that he asks from us is to listen to him. To see my father again is great but to wake up by my wife's side each day forever is truly a blessing. To see my children never get sick, never suffer and only cry because they are to happy to hold in the tears is a blessing. To see their children happy and never dying.
All of these things are possible with God it's not impossible. Think about it, God created you and I. Created the universe, created all the planets, all the animals but yet he would have a hard time giving us everlasting life? All things are possible with God. The only thing that God cannot do is lie. If he said that he will wipe out ever tear, he will. If he said that Death will be no more, then death will be no more. Everything that God has told us will happen. It's up to us if we want to be in God's new system. It's up to us if we want to remain in this old system which will come to an end. It's all up to us......
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