Tag Archives: Jesus

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.

Do We Care?

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This has been a very bad week for me. From the murder on a subway in Charlotte, NC to the school shooting in Colorado and finally ending with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, my head feels like it’s going to explode, and my heart is very heavy, and it hurts. Tears come quickly and I’ve been very emotional. A lot of people are talking right now, and I figure I’ll add my voice. This is not just for now, these things that have happened have changed my way of thinking.

So far, I’ve been keeping my voice light and upbeat. The things that happened to me and how God has brought me through it is miraculous. I’ve been filled with a sense of Awe and Wonder as to why I’m still here. Now I think I know.

Many of us in the background of Christianity stay quiet. We go about our days watching society crumbling around us. Many of us pray fervently for our society in general and the people around us. It’s now time to stop being quiet. Don’t get me wrong, these people are needed, prayers are needed, however, many that have been quiet need to speak up.

I hate labels. I’ll put that out there. I hate them because they box in people; put people in categories. I’m a woman, mother and a grandmother. Those labels are what I am, not what I believe in. Far Left; Far Right. Conservative; Liberal. Those are labels. I believe in truth. I believe that the Bible is true. I believe Jesus rose from the grave to save me. Those are my beliefs. Within that framework I have further beliefs that a lot of people will say that I’m wrong. I think that now you will hear what I believe in.

Charlie died because he stood up in front of millions of college students and said what he believed. There was a time in this country that you could do that without fear of being murdered. People call Charlie a fascist without truly knowing what it means. Look it up, people!! Mussolini was a fascist, and you dared not speak against him or you were dead. The same with the nazis. Charlie invited people to come and challenge his beliefs be they spiritual or political. That’s not a fascist.

My question at the top is “Do We Care?” Do we care that a voice has been quieted? That a good man, a good husband and a good father has been taken away? I get physically sick when I hear people rejoicing over his death. That Charlie got what he deserved. Did the girl on the subway get what she deserved? Did the ones in Colorado that got shot get what they deserved? Only those acquainted with Satan would celebrate death.

This week this song has been in my head and I can’t get it out. Charlie this is for you:

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”:

All of the Angels out there…

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At the beginning of this month, I was made aware (quite rudely, if I must say so) of how many angels of care that the Lord has stationed out in the world. You see, I had a brain hemorrhage at the beginning of January and I’m still here to tell the tale. In fact, as I was in our local emergency room waiting for the medical helicopter (yes, we did that!), I said a prayer to the Lord and it was like this. “Lord, if you are ready to take me now, I’m ready to go. However, if you keep me here on earth, there must be a reason, so guide me through this.”

I was air-lifted to a hospital about two hours away (15 minutes by helicopter), where they had a team that could take care of me. And take care of me they did. I don’t remember too much of my first two days, but I woke up in a Neuro ICU and I was clear-headed. I could sit up, walk (very slowly) and discuss my condition with the doctors and nurses. From the moment I woke up I was ready to go home, but I had to stay at least 14 days (21 days is the norm), due to a medical standard. It’s too complicated to write here, trust me.

The angels that took care of me were just that, angels. I came across so few workers that were grumpy or discontented. Most did their jobs most excellently. They were wonderful people.

Yes, I told the Lord Jesus that I’m ready to go, and I am. But the Lord has kept me on this earth for some reason with all my faculties intact. As I was pondering this in the ICU, my thoughts turned to this blog that I started years ago and haven’t written in for 2 plus years. I was prodded to awake this blog, turn it around and, instead of focusing on me as a caregiver to my husband, make it about the people in the world who give care and how we can give care to others in our world. There are people in our lives every day that we can encourage and help. Keep a look out for them!

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.