Tag Archives: Bible

All Hallows Eve (or Halloween)

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October 31st is usually a cause for people to dress up, go to parties and have a lot of fun. Children dress up and go house to house for candy and then the parents have to deal with the sugar highs that they will have as they polish off the spoils. Many people don’t know that Halloween is a shortened form of All Hallows Eve. All Hallow’s Day or All Saint’s Day is November 1st.

This is a day when Christians think about, and pay homage to, the Christians that came before us. This can include the family members that died in the past year but more common is the commemoration of Saints that were killed for being Christians. We haven’t had many persecutions in the US, but in places like Africa, Syria and China, Christians are being killed just because they are Christians. We need to earnestly pray for these Christians and give to organizations that are trying to help. We can also let Congress know that this needs to stop.

This quote is from John Stonestreet who is with Breakpoint, a part of the Colson Center, in an email and radio broadcast about International Religious Freedom Day:

On June 13, at least 200 Christians were killed in a single day in the Nigerian village of Yelwata. In March and April, more than 250 Christians were slaughtered in coordinated attacks on churches and villages during Palm Sunday services in northern and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria. Survivors described gunmen storming worship services, hacking victims with machetes, and burning families alive in their homes.  

The persecution of Christians is happening in other African nations as well. In February, more than 70 worshippers were beheaded in the Democratic Republic of Congo when ISIS-affiliated rebels stormed a Protestant church in Kasanga, North Kivu, during a service. The dead included women and children. 

In Syria this past June, an ISIS suicide bomber detonated explosives during Sunday liturgy at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church, killing more than 20 worshippers and injuring dozens more. Eyewitnesses, including a surviving woman who refused to flee despite threats, described the blast ripping through the congregation mid-prayer, with shrapnel embedding in icons and pews.  

Recently on YouTube, one of my content creators that I listen to had a person on his channel that was “feet on the ground” in Nigeria. His mission in Nigeria is to house and feed Christian refugees, giving them a safe harbor in all the persecution. Equipping The Persecuted is also trying to get the word out past the officials in Nigeria that tell the world that nothing is going on. Here is the channel if you would like to listen to the podcast. It’s very alarming.

We must remember to pray for those that are persecuted. And as you attend church tomorrow, remind others that there are Christian Martyrs today that can use our prayers and support.

O Death…

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But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 The Apostle Paul is partially quoting Hosea 13:14 here, where is says in part: “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.“

Many people ask me if I was frightened when I went through my brain hemorrhage and aneurism fix. They say, “Weren’t you scared?” My answer is always no. When they told me to get to the hospital because I had an aneurism, I was apprehensive and a bit worried, but no, I wasn’t scared. When I had the brain hemorrhage (see “All the Angels Out There“) I put myself In God’s Hands and I woke up after a day or two. When I had the aneurism (see “My Thoughts...”) I was almost constantly praying, and my family got all sorts of prayer rings going, I mean, wow, I was walking around with a time bomb in my head. Even so, I wasn’t scared in the full sense of the word.

It’s been three months since then and yes; my life has changed. I don’t go out as much, because these two incidents practically back-to-back really hit my physical body hard. I don’t have the stamina I used to. I get tired really quickly and my brain doesn’t work like it used to. But. I’m. Still. Here. I praise God for that.

I’m going to end this post with a song that recently came out. I love it because it so describes me right now. I’m ready to go whenever my Savior calls me. Until then… I keep spreading the message. The chorus in this song is now my theme song. Mercy Me “ODeath”:

Angels in my Life

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Having all of these recent things happen in my life, I have been very reflective on where God has led me. That made me think of all the people he has put in front of me to lead me in the correct way. Also, there are things that have happened to me that has made me think that there are actual angels out there, like a Guardian Angel.

People joke about having a Guardian Angel, but I have found that I have one. In my late teens/early twenties, I had a really bad car accident. Three friends were also in the car when I lost control on a country back road. I still can bring up the image of the telephone pole directly in front of the car. I turned the wheel, and the back part of the car hit the pole. (For you car people, I “drifted” into the pole) My car happened to be a 1970 Chevrolet Impala, and it was a tank. I know that if I had hit that telephone pole straight on, we would all be dead. The reasoning behind that statement is when the car hit the telephone pole (at 45-50 mph) it bent the frame of the car 11 inches. That is a lot of bend for a car “built like a tank”. Bottom line is that all four of us walked out of that car. We had bumps and bruises, but we were alive. After the accident some of the local residents came out and looked over the accident scene. One gentleman was walking, looking at the skid marks when I approached him. He asked whether I was the driver and when I said I was he said (I’ll quote him as much as I’m able after all these years), “Girl, you had an angel sitting on your shoulder to drive like that.”

Sometimes angels come in human form. I when I was in high school, I was invited to sing with a local Christian group that met at a church in our town. This group was all teenagers from ages 13 to 20. This group was led by a man called Darwin. His nickname was Doc. We would meet during the week for practice and over the weekend we might have a church to sing at. The group went on several tours, through Pennsylvania Virginia and one tour went up to Maine and back. This group that I joined was a life-giving activity for me. I grew up in an alcoholic home and even though my father had stopped drinking there were still problems. I was beginning to go down the wrong road when I was invited to join. I loved singing so it was a no brainer for me, and while I sang about the love of Jesus, I also experienced it. I know that if I had never been in this group, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I think I would have killed myself at a young age. I look back now, and I wonder how in the world Doc managed up to 20+ teenagers at a time. Doc and the group were such a blessing for me and a wonderful memory. I’m still in touch with some of the people who were in that group.

I know I’ve been talking about angels a lot, but I’ve seen too much in this world not to think that God has his hand in everything we do. The writer of Hebrews says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (13:2) I think if angels can show up at your door, they could be anywhere.

All of us have had these kinds of events in our lives. Take the time to think about them and then thank the God who brought you through. Even the events that have a lot of pain and sorrow have the hand of the Lord in it. Sometimes you can’t see it until you look back and reflect.

I Interrupt This Blog…

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I have to share something that I’ve found to be a big help to me during these times. It’s a TV show.

Most of us have seen movies and other media about the life of Jesus, and have found them boring and just plain flat. They tell the story just as the scriptures have it and that is good, but it tends to be a flat recitation of scripture. This show, The Chosen, has taken the story of Jesus at the start of His ministry and made it come to life. The apostles are real people, with real problems. Jesus is portrayed as a kind, loving but still strong personality that calls his disciples from their regular walks of life.

This show is one of the first to be “crowd funded” meaning that it is free and if you would like to give toward helping others to see it you can pay it forward. All funding goes toward the production of future seasons and making this a free app so that others can “Come and See”. And yes, there is a “Chosen Gift Store” for devotionals, bible studies and stuff to wear. Any merchandise purchased also goes to production and “paying it forward”.

I have found the stories to be engaging and uplifting. There are dramatic moments along with lighter spirited moments. It carries you along on this wonderful story and you want to see more. The acting is excellent, the staging is wonderful, showing first century life in all the hard ways that it was.

I encourage you to “Come and See” this story. You can download the app on your phone (look for “The Chosen”) or you can watch on your computer at https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen. If you have a streaming service you can stream the show from your phone. You can also view the backstories of the creation of the show and the round-tables with leading christian leaders discussing the parts of the show and how they are presented on YouTube. There is even a FaceBook page so you can follow any updates.