The Truth and the Media

"The depravity of man at once the most empirically verifiable reality but the most intellectually resisted fact."  --Malcom Muggeridge (and retweeted by DebbieLynne)


Many years ago (when I was much younger in Jesus) I worked in a grocery store in California. One day someone suggested that I become the new owner of a book that was left behind. The book had been sitting on top of the "front end" manager's work station for several days, and at the time it looked to me like it would be a terribly dry and boring book.

This was the book (the newer version has a different cover design):

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At first I was resistant to taking the book (What if the owner comes back? --- but actually it just looked like a book I never would read anyway so why bother?), and another reason I resisted was that I thought the assistant manager (who was Jewish) was mocking me with the suggestion. Looking back on the situation I believe he was indifferent about it and it was my own insecurity that made me think others were thinking my being a Christian was a joke. It doesn't really matter at this point. What does matter is that I did take the book, and I did end up reading it and enjoyed the reading of it very much! I still have it. It is now in one of my many boxes of books that are getting moved to Canada. As I packed it I thought of how many years ago it was that all of this took place, and found myself hoping to read this little gem again soon after we (myself and my books) all are relocated.To think I almost missed a gift that the Lord shared with me? How many other humble messengers were rejected by me? Probably more than I can count, and yet the Lord is ever longsuffering.

Oh, the depravity of man....I'll take that topic to my other blog.

Love and Marriage

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and it was also my last day at the hospital where I've been working for the past 7 1/2 years. I've so been looking forward to leaving that job, it was a tough job that put a lot of strain on my joints and back. It was getting more difficult each day to drag my tired aching body out of bed to get ready for another day of back-breaking activity. And yet, saying goodbye to everyone was bittersweet, and my husband laughed at me when after just an hour of having left that job for the last time, I was lamenting that I was going to miss everyone, after months of hearing me complain of how much I desired to leave. Oh the irony.

While cleaning my locker out yesterday, I carefully removed a piece of paper that was taped to the inside of the locker when I first "moved in". I decided I would make a copy of it and leave the copy so I could take this wonderful page (looks to be a copy out of a devotional booklet) which contained so much wisdom; that way I could have it always. The next occupant of that locker might decide to throw it away if he or she desires and yet I can have this one as a keepsake.

This is what it says:

THE MIRACLE OF MARRIAGE

Read: Matthew 19:1-8

Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Genesis 2:23

   When Pastor Howard Sugden performed the wedding ceremony for my husband and me, he emphasized that we were participating in a miracle. We believed him, but we didn't comprehend the size of the miracle needed to hold two people together; much less become one.

   After 20 years, I realize that the marriage, not the wedding, was the real miracle. Anyone can have a wedding, but only God can create a marriage.

   One definition of wed is "to cause to adhere devotedly or stubbornly." For some couples, "stubborn" is a more accurate description of their relationship than "devoted." 

   God has in mind something much better for us than a stubborn refusal to divorce. The union of marriage is so strong that we become "one flesh." God wants marriage to be the way it was when He first created Eve from Adam (Genesis 2:21-24). That's what Jesus was explaining to the Pharisees when they asked Him, "is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (Matthew 19:3). Jesus replied, "A man shall...be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" (v.5). 

   To pledge your life to another is indeed an act of faith that requires belief in miracles. Thankfully, God is in the business of creating marriages. -- Julie Ackerman Link

The marriage bond that Joins two hearts
   No power on earth can break
If they commit their lives to Christ
   And of His love partake.  -- D. De Haan

A happy marriage is a union of two good forgivers.

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Hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day as well. 

Conspiracy Theories and Where I am Now...

For quite a while I really "was into" reading, watching Youtube videos, listening to audio interviews etc, on anything that could be lumped into the category of "conspiracy theory". I say "was" like in "time past" AND however, I still agree that the "official version" of what happened to JFK and 9/11 is probably not "what really happened", and after watching hours of videos of the evidence for and against the U.S. landing on the moon, I still think we ( and by "we" here I mean a human being) never set foot on the moon.

 Well, can't say I ever went *that* far lol...

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But be that as it may (I may or may not be right about any or all of that) it REALLY DOESN'T MATTER in the eternal sense of who I am in Christ. This world is going to hell in a handbasket, and I think anyone who has his head screwed on straight should know that by now, so knowing what the Bildebergers say behind closed doors, or knowing who belongs to the Illuminati club, really doesn't add or subtract from the plans God has for those who love Him.
*We (and by "we" here I mean those who are in Christ Jesus, washed and regenerated by His blood) are not of this world, and nothing that this world can do to us can thwart what God has in store for us, nothing.
*We will all die here ....

Changes

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The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
 2Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

I'm moving!

The last few months have brought changes, some enjoyable, some not so much. I must confess that I don't handle change well, I guess that is the main reason that as far as politics goes I lean to conservative much more than to the liberal side, because from what I've experienced liberal changes are usually bad.

HOWEVER...

I am learning to let go (I'm somewhat of a slow learner in this department). It is in God's hands after all, and it isn't up to me to try to keep things (or people) from growing worse and worse. I cannot change people. I cannot even change myself, or keep myself from changing (aging, for instance).

So reluctantly I let go of those things that are behind me, and look forward to a fresh tomorrow, with my wonderful husband beside me. Sure there will be difficult days...and sometimes I might even wish for "the good old days"...but God promises much better things which He has in store, so the difficult challenges are there to prepare me and stretch me so that I will be better able to serve the Lord, and give back a portion of what He has blessed me with.

Guard Your Heart

 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.   But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13  (ESV)

Hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. The worst sin is pride. It caused satan to think he was superior to God Himself, and cause others to come with him and join him in his falling from grace.

If a person is truly saved, changed from the inside, born again, it is impossible for such a one to lose their salvation (Jesus said so)...and some may lose their way temporarily, but will return to Him because He draws His own to Himself (John 6:44) however there are those who have an "appearance of godliness", they appear "good" but it isn't the goodness that comes from God because they deny His power, and we are to turn away from those.

2Ti 3:1  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2Ti 3:2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
2Ti 3:4  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2Ti 3:6  For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
2Ti 3:7  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

However there are warnings in the Bible. There are things to avoid, just as we would avoid anything icky and disgusting and horrid. In the Old Testament there were rules for how to deal with lepers. They had their own area that they had to be in so the healthy would not be in contact with them. They had to remain "outside the camp" until they were deemed cleansed.

I have been reading the Old Testament beginning from the beginning. I'm now in the book of Numbers. There is a scene in the text where Aaron and Miriam stand against Moses, and God punishes Miriam (I wonder why not Aaron? oh well) with leprosy. Moses pleads for Miriam but God says she has to endure the disease for 7 days after-which she

The Worldly "Wise" (wise in their own eyes, that is)

That was me at one time, and thank the Lord He didn't leave me to "my own wisdom".

Posted this in the comment section of a friend's blog, and decided to repost it here:

The ways of this world have a way of seeming to be stemming from wisdom, it seems right, but it leads to destruction. What if we can gather all the comfort and happiness and wealth of this world, and live in a peace that this world gives, and have everything that our flesh desires, and not have the Lord, and lose our soul....Jesus asked that question, what would it prosper us? Trading a few temporary years for a vast eternity. It sounds wise to those who have no hope for eternity I suppose, but God's word tells us such "wisdom" is very shortsighted. He knows the bigger picture, and has promised us so much more than we can ever comprehend with our mortal faculties....and He who promised us such splendid promises also keeps all His promises. Why be short-changed by a few temporary amusements? Because the devil makes them seem like they are all there is, like it is the only thing that matters at all, just as he did with Eve and the first temptation to doubt God's wisdom and providence. God loves us so much, and He knows that we get easily distracted and dissatisfied and grumbly, to our own hurt. When I truly thank Him and praise Him, He fills me with His joy that surpasses all the junk we can try to mimic that blessed feeling that the Lord desires to bless us with. One day, in His presence, no longer battling this awful flesh, and the temptations of the evil one, we will enjoy the passion, the praise, the honor, the glory of being in the company of the most glorious and loving being there ever was and ever will be, and it won't be a roller coaster life of ups and downs like we have here...it will be constant peace, constant love, constant joy, constant honesty, constant reverence, forever, and ever, in holy communion with our Lord and Savior and Friend. 

I have seen those who call themselves "Christian" coming out of their "closets" and exposing who they really are, wise in their own wisdom, with all the stealth and smooth words of the devil himself, and getting approval of other atheists like themselves for their "boldness" and "wisdom" for "telling it like it REALLY is". The Bible does tell us about these scoffers who scoff what He has to say, and their final end. Does it really matter that they come to a place here where they are satisfied with themselves, and gain approval of god-haters? What will that gain them