Month: September 2017

I have been thinking on this whole NFL thing and listening to all sides and the only thing I think about is that for myself, I think we need to respect those who have put their lives on the line and have given their lives for our country. I totally respect our flag and our country. I am beyond grateful for all of those who made it so we have the freedoms we have. I also think that everyone has a right to protest and while I don’t agree with how they are doing it, I am glad they aren’t killing each other.

Click Here to Read What the Flag Codes Are

What bothers me the most is that there are a ton of distractions and I wonder if the point is being missed. People are taking sides. You are either on one side or another. Over the past year or longer it has been about are you a Republican or a Democrat. There is no middle ground. I refuse to jump on that bandwagon. Just today I have seen post after post about how Liberals aka Democrats should go to hell. I find it horrible when it comes to those who profess to be a Christian.  Players and people are using their platforms as a way of taking sides. I don’t see a problem with people using their platform like the NFL or NBA or whoever else to raise awareness. But. why do it in this way?

This next section is still about not saluting the flag and not saying the pledge. Even though they don’t solute the flag and they don’t pledge allegiance to the flag, they only pledge their allegiance to God.

I have many family members and friends that are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Hopefully my cousin Raelene will be OK with me sharing this. I don’t even think she would remember this since I was about 9 yrs old. She and I were in the same classroom and at the beginning of the class we all stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Since her family is Jehovah’s Witnesses, they didn’t recite the pledge, but she was still respectful. I have always remembered that. They also didn’t participate in holidays. Which is why I don’t do most of the holidays. Even thought I’m not a Jehovah’s Witness, I can’t in good conscience celebrate holidays that have pagan origin. Everyone is different and can choose for themselves, but I can’t do it. I don’t think she realized how much I observed and I learned from her. Even though she didn’t recite the pledge, she didn’t do anything to stand out and make it about her. For her and all Witnesses, it is because of their faith.

I have asked some of my friends a long time ago about why is it that they hate the flag and they said that  even though they don’t solute the American flag they still respect it. Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the governments and flags under which they live.  Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the flag salute is an act of worship, and a “pledge of allegiance” can only made to God.  They make it a point to be neutral. I’m bring up the Jehovah’s Witnesses because I have seen some people on Facebook compare the two things and say that they hate the flag, and that isn’t the case.  But, this whole thing with the NFL is different, I don’t understand what the purpose is.  Click here to read more about why they don’t vote, do the pledge and solute the flag. 

My mother in law would be spitting mad over all of these things going on. I remember many times where she would have been in tears over people not standing when the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh man, would she be upset to the point of tears. I have seen it where she was so overcome when people wouldn’t stand, that she would walk up to the people and she would give them a piece of her mind. She lived through WW2 and my father in law served.  I have to say that I didn’t always stand until I seen how important it was to her.

I would think there would be other peaceful ways to protest. I don’t understand the whole taking the knee. I guess I won’t since they aren’t people or groups I know. But, I do know that I am grateful to everyone who has served our country.  Not just those who are in the military, but those who protect and serve like the police and the firemen.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done and by protesting in any form, changes needs to happen long-term, not just during football games. Are they accomplishing anything by taking the knee and not standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem? I guess in some ways, but, I don’t know what it is accomplishing. I wish there was other ways to come together and support each other. Anymore I feel like it is more about politics instead of human rights. It seems like it is more about Trump instead of what they want to say. I’m guessing others may be confused as well.

Anyone who knows me knows that I didn’t vote for Trump and I wouldn’t in the future. Everyone has a right to vote for the person they want. I am an Independent and I vote for the person not the party. I vote for the person who best aligns themselves up with what I find important which is why I voted for Kacish out of Ohio. Everyone has their own reasons for who they vote for and that’s one of our greatest freedoms. I just wish that for those who want to protest that they would make it about the cause instead of doing things the way they are doing them.

I was watching a town hall meeting on CNN that Anderson Cooper was doing.  Those who participated were Spike Lee and former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and York Jets player Michel Faulkner,  Click Here to watch it or watch clips. I know there are many Republicans who don’t watch CNN and they only watch Fox News. This may be one of those times where you may want to watch it. The reason why is that they are having a healthy discussion and those who have served our country, veteran’s, and people from all sides sat down and talked about the issues. I don’t watch just one news station. I watch them all, that way I am informed.

When I was the video manager at the grocery store I worked at was asked a question by a veteran who just returned to the United States from serving in Iraq. He asked me point-blank what I thought about the United States being in the war. I knew what I thought and believed about it, but I was afraid to answer that question for a couple of reasons. The main reason was because I didn’t feel like we should be in Iraq and the second was because I was at work, and I could get in trouble for talking about religion and politics. I always talked about my faith and felt if I was going to get fired for something, I was OK with sharing my faith in Christ. But, I told him and I was very honest with him, that I felt that we shouldn’t be in the war, but at the same time, I support those who were called and those who served and have served our country and for that I am thankful. If it wasn’t for men like him, then we would not have the freedom of free speech and freedom of religion that we have. I thanked him for his service and told him that I was happy to see that he came home safe. He was part of the 222 National Guard.

If someone was to ask me to stand with them and march against those who are being treated unfair such as those who have been treated badly, killed and judged because of their skin color, I would stand beside them without thinking twice. I have marched against the KKK, hate groups and in support people of color. I have participated in awareness marches and protests when it comes to my faith. I just can’t see what is being accomplished by the taking a knee.

I think the best thing would be if people would start treating people in a respectful way. Change is taught in the home and that we should be treating others as we would want to be treated, no matter the race.  I would find it very interesting for people on all sides of the fence, all colors of their skin to come together and find a way to work with each other in a respectful way.

What is the cotton picken deal with cotton?

Over the past few weeks there has been a great deal of debate over how Hobby Lobby and other arts and craft stores are selling cotton stems for decoration. Some are saying that it is racist to sell cotton like this and that it isn’t respectful to those who are black and those who were slaves. I have my own thoughts on this topic, which is that this is all nonsense.

When my parents moved to Arizona back in the 70’s my dad worked for farmers. For the most part the farmers grew cotton. We lived in a tiny little farming area in the middle of the desert. Betty and Jerome Thompson had cotton farms. They were the most awesome people.

My parents along with my family are Caucasian (white) and we all went into the fields to pick cotton. It wasn’t based on the color of someones skin. A job needed to be done and picking cotton, weeding,tromping and all of the other things that needed to be done were done by everyone. I don’t even think there were any workers that were black.

Men, women and children went out to pick cotton and do other things. We did have a lot of Hispanics since we lived in an area that was close to the Mexican border. My dad worked the cotton pickers, my mom would haul the cotton trailers to the building where they would weigh and clear out the trailers at the cotton gin.

The cotton gin, which mechanically separates the seed from the lint fibre. Whitney named his machine a “gin,” short for the word “engine” that could do the work 10 times faster than by hand.

All of us kids would tromp cotton. We started at 2 in the morning since AZ was so hot. We would have to get into the trailer and my dad would dump the cotton into the trailer and we would have to tromp it down so that it was compacted. The more cotton that could get into the trailer the better. I actually think  many of my health issues are from this because cotton plants were sprayed with pesticides. We were in direct contact with the cotton as it was dumped into the trailer. To this day I hate the smell of cotton fields.

Betty and Jerome Thompson moved to Willcox, AZ and we shortly followed. It may have been were we moved first and then they did, I can’t remember. But, anyhow, we once again worked with cotton farmers. When cotton wasn’t being picked, my dad was a diesel mechanic. In Willcox, once again, it didn’t matter what color your skin was. In Willcox, it was also mostly Hispanic and white people. The farmers would go to the prisons to pick up inmates to work the fields. They normally would pick the weeds between the rows and whatever else.

I live in Utah now and the area where I live is also called Dixie.  I have never seen any cotton fields here, but it seems like Dixie is a big name around here because of the cotton fields. I can’t escape the whole cotton thing since my life has been surrounded by cotton and that is even true now. Not really in the literal sense, but in the historical sense.

The settlers began growing cotton and other temperate cash crops during the later 1850s on land that had fed the Paiute. The Paiute population was decimated as a result of starvation and disease. The largest community in the region, St. George, was founded in 1861, when Brigham Young selected 300 families to take over the area and grow cotton, grapes, and other crops. The region was nicknamed Dixie by 1860. Click here to learn more about the cotton history in Southern Utah.

I know that there were times in our countries history where the slaves in the south were the primary cotton workers. I understand that most of them never got paid and they didn’t choose to do that. I find it deplorable that people are treated differently because of the color of their skin. It shouldn’t matter.

I do think that people now days are trying to make statements over some of the stupidest things. Slavery is and was very real. There is nothing funny about people being forced to serve someone because they happen to be black. Nobody should be chained up and stripped of their dignity and taken from their homeland.  I have participated in protests against the KKK, white supremacists and the need to release prisoners that were taken in the 70’s. I have no problem when it comes to standing up against hate. Everyone has a right to stand up for what they believe.

I do want to make one exception, well, maybe a few. But, if you are standing up for something you believe, you should not be destroying property, killing others and spreading more hate. You aren’t accomplishing anything by doing that. Your point is lost because of acting out like heathens.  For example the riots that happened in Ferguson. I have zero issues with them standing up against how they were treated. But, for property to be destroyed and the livelihood of those who live in the community are left in ruins. If you’re standing up against hate, why retaliate with hate and destruction? I don’t get it, I never will.

Everyone was created by God and nobody should be looked down on because of what they look like. This whole thing over a craft store that sells cotton stems for decor is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of.  I could easily take offence to all kinds of things and I could easily take offense over someone selling cotton in a store since I was raised by cotton fields and everyone in our family and area worked the cotton fields. Whatever it took to get the cotton to the gin, then it needed to be done. On another note, none of us kids ever got paid. So I guess I could go cause a stink over child labor offenses.

I’m pretty sure that most people realize that we use cotton each and everyday of our lives. I have compiled a short list of just some of the things that we use cotton for.

• Clothing such as jeans, dresses, shirts, undergarments and socks.
• Bedding such as blankets, sheets, quilts and pillow cases
• Towels, wash cloths, handkerchiefs.
• Cotton balls, q-tips and gauze
• And a whole lot more…

Here is a link that tells you all about cotton and how it is harvested and how it is used. Click Here

I want to close this by saying that if you are going to stand up for something, then by all means do it. I would say that if you are trying to make a change, do it in a way that will draw attention to the real issues and don’t focus on things that are distracting, such as a cotton decoration. Don’t go destroying people’s lives by taking lives, burning buildings and acting like an idiot. Anytime you go after hate with hate, it is a lose lose situation and your point is missed.

Anymore it seems to be the liberals against the republicans, the Christians against the world and so on. As a country, we should be on Americas side and since I am a Christian I am always on the same side as Christ. Hate never wins. 

I have had so many people lately ask me how Chuck and I met and this is how we met. Since I have had many people asking, I figure I will share this with you all. I’m trying to keep it short, but I have a hard time since I’m long-winded lol.

A few years ago I wrote about how my husband and I met and about our marriage.

Chuck and I met around July of 1980. His mom Marjorie came into a donut shop (Winchells) where I worked. She told me that she needed to get two dozen donuts because her son Charlie was coming into town since he was going to be on leave. Chuck was stationed at Fort Hood Texas and he was only going to be in town for a few days. She showed me his picture and I gave her my number in case he wanted to go do anything. I guess the whole idea of a man in uniform sounded good to a teenage girl lol. She took my number and that was that, or so I thought.

When Chuck got into Tucson his dad told him that there was a girl who gave his mom her telephone number. She had no intention of giving him my number, but his dad thought it was awesome.

I received a phone call the next day and Chuck asked me if I would like to go do something. I told him I was in a beauty salon since I was getting a hair cut and a perm. I told him that we could go do something, but it would have to be later since I was still getting my hair done. I told him I can go do something around 4 or so, and he was OK with that. We ended up meeting at the Winchells. I gave him a description of what I looked like and he told me what he was driving. I learned a very valuable lesson that day. That lesson was to look in the mirror before meeting a strange man.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Like I said, I was getting a perm and a hair cut. When I left the salon, my hair was still damp. I didn’t think there would be an issue with my perm. It was supposed to be just a wavy perm. If I knew I was meeting Chuck for the very first time, I would have also chose something else to wear. I was living in Tucson with friends because I ran away from home. I didn’t have my own clothes. I was borrowing some clothes from my friend Robin, which she and her family were more like family since we all were raised together. But, Robin wore totally different clothes than I did. I was wearing shorts, not regular shorts, but ones that were like Daisy Dukes. These were for sure not the kind I wore. I also was wearing a tube top, which was revealing. Since this was at the end of the 70’s and 1980, it was the typical style of clothes. I did have my own shoes, but I had a pair of hers on since they looked better with the shorts.

I couldn’t figure out why I was having people, mostly guys whistling at me and stopping to see if I needed a ride. It didn’t even register with me. I don’t have a picture of what I looked like at the time, well, not till I walked into Winchells and one of my friends gave me this look and it wasn’t a good one at all. By this time my hair was dried. So, let me break down the over all look for ya. I had a perm that wasn’t wavy by the time it dried, it was kinky, not a little kinky, a lot kinky. If you know what an afro is, well, there you go. Then, I had the shoes which was like heels, but I can’t remember the name of them. I had red short shorts and a white tube top. When I seen how my hair looked like, I was assuming the reason I had guys stopping was because they thought I was a hooker. I would have thought I was also with how I looked lol. Needless to say, the following week I had my sister Joyce sneak me back into my house so I could get my clothes.

Chuck was sitting in his truck where he said he would be. I knock on the window of the truck. He opened his window and he gave me this crazy look lol. I didn’t look like the girl who his mom described to him.  He thought I was a hooker also. He couldn’t believe his mom gave him my number. I told him that I normally don’t look like that haha. We hung out for a bout 4 hours and then he went back to his parents home. I never thought I would see him again. If I remember right, he told his parents what I looked like. He ended up going back to Fort Hood that morning, so it was just the 4 hours that we hung out. He told me he would call me when he got there. I didn’t believe him when he said he would call, I was shocked that he actually did.

Over the next 6 weeks, we would talk on the phone and that was about it. He and I would talk about how he thought I should come to Fort Hood and move in with him. I mean, it was just talk. I was pretty impressed that he did call me every day and if he said he would call at a certain time, he called exactly at that time. If he said he would call at 6 pm, it was 6 pm, not 6:01. We started talking more and more about me moving to Texas. At the time I was 17 yrs old and I was still considered a runaway, even though my parents knew where I was living by then.

My parents came to Tucson to see if I would like to come home. When they came up, they told me that if I came home they would buy me $300.00 worth of clothes. It was close to the beginning of school, so they figured if they bribed me with money and clothes then I would move back home. I actually think it was more my mom who said that. I let them both know that they didn’t have to buy me anything, all they had to do is ask and really want me home. I would have given anything for them to just say that they loved me and wanted me home. I did move back home, but only for a week or so. Mainly I moved back because I didn’t want to be an imposition for my friends. Chuck and I were still talking every day and we were still talking about me moving to Fort Hood.

A week later, I ended up hitch hiking to Texas. I think Chuck was surprised that I made it there. We ended up living together. Chucks parents still didn’t know I was there, that is until they came to visit a month later and surprise, I was there. Thankfully I didn’t look like a hooker any longer lol.

This is one of those rare occasions where I talk about my medical stuff. I try to stay off this topic for the most part. Right around the time they arrived, I started getting sick. Not really like a cold or something like that. I was just really tired. I was a cross-country runner and on the average I ran about 9 miles a day. I loved running. The people we were living with thought I was faking being so tired. I was having problems standing up to do dishes, vacuuming and all kinds of things. The first time I noticed something was really going on was when I ran into town and I was winded. My legs were feeling heavy. I had to rest before I came back to the house. We were only a mile from the little store by us and normally I could do a mile in less than 10 minutes. On my way home, I literally collapsed and I barely made it home.

The guys wife and I got into it because she said I was trying to get out of helping around the house and that I was lazy. At was at that point that Chuck and I found our own place. By this time we only knew each other for 6-8 weeks from the time I met him in Tucson till this point. It was at the end of August or the beginning of Sept 1980. We moved into a small trailer and when Chuck came home from the base, I was on the floor crying. I couldn’t stand up and I couldn’t move my legs and it was getting worse. I couldn’t even get to the phone to call anyone and not even go to the bathroom. To say it was scary is an understatement.

Chuck took me to the ER. The ER couldn’t do anything because I was a minor. Over the next couple of days we went to the ER a few time. Then the one ER that was closer to the base actually took things serious, minor or not. One of the nurses thought I was weak because I was a druggy. They figure with my age and the era we lived in, it had to be drugs. Then the Dr came in and ordered a spinal tap. Within 15 minutes I was admitted and the next morning when more tests came in, they sent me to Scott and White in Temple Texas. That was the one that wouldn’t even let me be seen. They found out from the spinal tap that I had Guillian Barre Syndrome.

Within a couple of days, I ended up on a ventilator and completely paralyzed. I couldn’t open or close my eyes. I couldn’t talk and if I did talk, nobody could understand me. I couldn’t lift a pencil or anything. With Guillian Barre Syndrome, the paralysis starts from the feet and goes up. They found out that I got this from the flu shot. I carry a certain antibody and the flu shot and viruses reacts with them.

After a while, I was able to come home. I wasn’t able to walk or do anything then either. Chuck arranged for me to be dropped off at a friend’s house while he was at work. Now, think about this. He only knew me for a couple of months and some of that was only by phone. So, he would get up an hour before he had to leave work and help me get dressed, brush my teeth, help me go to the bathroom. He had to literally do everything for me. I couldn’t lift my hands. I couldn’t feed myself. He even had to feed me. We also found out that I was pregnant with my daughter Jessica. Chuck would drop me off at our friends. He would have to carry me into her house and they had a bed in the living room for me. He made sure whatever I needed, it was there.

One night after he picked me up, we were talking about how we were going to pay all of the bills. People in the military don’t get paid much and I couldn’t work. So, we only had about $800 a month. We were planning on getting married on December 14th. We did do a blood test since we knew we were planning on that. I think it was funny that we had that date, but neither of us asked the other about if we wanted to get married. It was like an unspoken and assumed thing.

We got the results from the blood tests and the approval that we are able to get married. They use to have it where people had to do a blood test to make sure you don’t have a sexually transmitted disease. But, at the end of October, we were just sitting around. The base was on alert so we couldn’t do anything. We could only go 15 minutes from the base in case of an emergency.

On October 30th, 1980 out of the blue, we said, well since there isn’t anything else to do and we are bored why don’t we just run into Belton.TX which wasn’t far from the house and we can get married. I really wanted to be married to whoever I was going to marry by Pastor Harry Myers. But, that didn’t happen. We grabbed our marriage license and my parents already sent me the permission slip to get married since I was a minor. We grabbed those papers and headed to Belton. Chuck had to carry me into the courthouse and they had office chairs with wheels on them. Thankfully I was a lot lighter than I am now. I was around 95 pounds at that time and pregnant. So, he put me on that and helped me sign the papers. I couldn’t write and I couldn’t hold the pencil on my own.

Ten minutes later, we were married and Chuck carried me back to the truck. Since I couldn’t swallow or really eat, we got an ice cream at the Sonic Drive In and I immediately got sick. I did call my parents to tell them we got married. They could barely understand me. They were relieved I got married. Not because of living in sin, they were happy because now they didn’t have to pay any medical bills.

The medical bills were also a reason we got married early. With how much I was in the hospital, we were really scared about what it is all going to cost. We didn’t know that Scott and White contacted the Shriner’s Hospital. I didn’t realize that my parents wouldn’t sign for any treatments and they refused to pay anything for my care and the one treatment that would have made my life easier was declined. About a week later we got a bill from the hospital and it showed that all of my medical bills, treatments and ambulance bills were paid by them. Find out more about the Shriners 

Since Chuck and I were married now, we didn’t have to worry about the medical bills since all the medical care for the military and dependents are covered. Which is good. I was in the hospital for almost a year off and on. When I gave birth to Jessica, I was barely 100 pounds.

Chuck didn’t have to stay with me. He barely knew me. We were only together from the end of July till October and only 6 weeks where we actually seen each other face to face. I don’t know how many guys would stick with someone under the circumstances that I was in. He never thought twice. I have to give credit to his parents on some of this. They raised their sons to be respectful and to not treat people bad and to not shreak from their responsibilities. I wasn’t his responsibility. He could have left anytime he wanted.

On October 30th, we will have been married for 37 yrs.

This is a little long and I hope everyone will read it in it’s entirety.

My Husband and I were talking the other night about all of the things going on in the world. I was watching a show on CNN about North Korea.  The program is called. “Secret State: Inside North Korea”. The reporter Will Ripley is a CNN international correspondent and he was given special permission from the government to talk to those who live in that country and to freely, well, for the most part they were able go throughout the country. I will be posting more on this program.

In addition to me watching the program, we were talking about the hurricanes that has wrecked havoc in the country. We also talked about how our area has been having some highly destructive lightning storms. I have never seen lightning like we have had this year. The tree in my yard was struck by lightening and the tree came crashing down on my car. That was way to close for comfort. In addition to our tree being hit, the LDS’s Tabernacle was struck by lightening and homes have fallen victim as well. Overall this year has been the craziest I have ever seen. Pictured below you can see the burn marks on the tree after it was hit by lightening.

We were getting ready to bring our garbage cans into the garage and when the door was opened, this is what I seen.

My heart stopped when I seen my car under the tree.

In the picture you can see the burn marks from the lightening when it hit the tree.

This is the part of the tree that was hit by lightening. This tree is over 50 yrs old.

As Chuck and I were talking, we got around to the signs of the end times. Everything that has been going on in our world has been foretold in the Bible. I think every generation has said that the end will happen in their generation. I’ve talked with a number of people about why they think we are in the last days and why would past generations think theirs was the last.

Generally, most people thought it was the last days because they have seen things escalate such as crimes, storms, wars and people falling away from Christ. Those who are from my generation feel we are in the last days because of all of the things we see on the news. We are getting information in real-time.  We are living in the information era. Because of the internet and smart phones, we are literally watching things unfold at alarming rates.

Question: “What  are the sign that we are in the end times ?”

Answer: We can look at  Matthew 24:5–8  which gives us some information about what will happen as we get closer to the end of days.  “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” An increase in false Messiah’s, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters—these are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come.

Chuck and I have gotten into some pretty heated conversations when it comes to faith. A few years back before Pastor Ray came to our church my husband stopped wanting to go to church. He had no interest at all. Many of our discussions was about what happens when you die.

I totally 100 percent believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell. The Bible says it is true, so it is true. End of the discussion in my opinion. I may not understand how it all works, but it works. I don’t need all of the details. Like with the end times. I know that Christ is coming again. I don’t know if it will be pre-trip, post-trib, Millennial, Mid or whatever theory there is out there. I am hoping for the rapture though since I am a woose and I sure don’t want to go through the tribulation. When you read about what will happen during the tribulation period, you will understand where I am coming from.

What I Believe

We will all spend eternity somewhere, and we only have two choices: heaven or hell. The scriptures tell us that everyone will live forever in either heaven or hell, with God or with the devil, in paradise or in torment. The choice is ours.

When we die, our body is laid down into its final resting place. Our soul and spirit is no longer there, because death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Our soul also goes to a resting place – awaiting the final judgment. The soul of a person that is righteous goes to a place of rest. The soul of the sinner goes to a place of punishment.

• Ephesians 4:8-10  –Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
• 2 Corinthians 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
• Revelation 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
• Matthew 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
• James 3:6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.Hell is a place of torment.

What Chuck Believes or Believed

He thinks that once you die, you are dead, nothing more and nothing less.

I can’t even count how many discussions Chuck and I have had about the Bible. One time he was saying that he didn’t believe there was anything and he was driving. I tell ya, if I had a hammer I would have knocked some sense into him right then and there. I figured I shouldn’t do that since he was driving and we both would have had to see which one was right when we die and I am certain he would not like where he would be heading.

Pastor Ray just became our pastor at this time. I sent Ray an email to see if he would pray about this ongoing tension. All the way home it was quiet. I actually think the rest of the day was where I wouldn’t talk to him. I couldn’t figure out how someone who goes to church could think there was no heaven or hell. I was dumbfounded.I asked him one question before we went to bed and I tell ya, I should have had two hammer when it came to his answer.

I asked him how he can believe in Jesus  and still not believe there is anything after you die. He was about to find out right then and there what happens when a person dies. I was going to let him have that experience lol. But, he told me that he has to believe in something, so he might as well believe in Jesus. HELLO, even Satan believes in God. Chuck was about to find out first hand.

After this argument, I figured I needed to pray for direction and for God to save me and Chuck from me wanting to knock some sense into him. I had to step back from this conversation and give it over to God. I was allowing me wanting to hit Chuck over the head with hammers to control my life. That was not a good thing for many reasons.Chuck has pretty much been helping with the sound and advancing the slides for church since Pastor Ray was there. I did talk to Ray about my issues with this. I couldn’t wrap my brain around how a person can believe in Jesus and still not believe there is a Heaven or a Hell. But, anyhow, we fast forward till today.

As Chuck and I were watching the hurricanes that hit Houston and Florida, you can see how deadly this hurricane season has been. I have a number of friends who lost everything.

We were also talking about the white supremacists, all of the riots, North Korea and so on. Out of the blue Chuck made a comment about how surprised they are going to be when they die and have to stand before the Lord and where they will spend eternity. I about fell out of my chair. I didn’t even know how to reply to his comment. It was something I never thought I would have heard. I was afraid to say anything because I didn’t want to jinx anything. I know faith and jinx’s don’t work out well. But, I was in a stupor when I heard what he said. I refrained since I knew I would be opening mouth and inserting foot.

Then a couple of weeks ago a friend of ours died and they just had the memorial service Saturday. Just hours after Roy’s service happened, Roy’s wife BJ died. OK, Now, wait for it, 1,2,3… Boom, he said and I’m not kidding, he said that at-least Roy and BJ are with each other and wait for it, 1,2, and 3, in Heaven. I kid you not, that is what he said. I am still trying to not over react. I don’t went to throw a wrench into anything happening.

Then tonight Chuck and I were talking about a conversation that his dad and I had before his dad passed away. His dad was begging me to pull some strings with God because his dad actually felt that I was a real angel. I know he had to be confused lol. But, I collected angels and I have had some angel experiences, I will go into that sometime. But, his dad Harold asked me to pull strings to that the cancer would be healed. He couldn’t understand how I couldn’t go to God on his behalf. Of course I prayed for him and I tried to comfort him. But, I’m not an angel. If I was, I would have the worst bent halo ever.

As Chuck and I was talking about that tonight, he was saying that he didn’t know his dad asked me that. I told him that I felt bad for him because he didn’t believe that he could ask God and there was no need for a middle man or should I say a not so middle angel.  The one thing I felt very blessed about is that my father in law knew I had the kind of relationship with Christ that would have him ask me for this special request.

I did talk to him in private about Christ, but, I don’t know if he understood what I was saying. By the time he asked me about talking to God on his behalf, he was having problems with alzheimers and he was hard of hearing. He actually passed away from Esophagial Cancer. I think that was a blessing in so many ways. I can’t imagine what his life would have been like since he had alzheimers, hard of hearing and he found out just a few months before that he had glaucoma.

Then Chuck said to me that he isn’t the kind of person who shares his faith in Jesus like I do. That isn’t something he is comfortable with. He did say that he believes, but he was raised where men didn’t show the emotional side. He didn’t say emotional side, I am just paraphrasing. But, he told me that it isn’t how he works. He did say that he believes in Jesus Christ and he knows there is an afterlife, which means a Heaven and Hell. In a round about way, he and I talked about if I thought his dad was in Heaven. I told him I don’t know. I know for sure his mom is. But, when his dad said that he doesn’t have enough faith to go to God, I don’t know the answer to that. That is one of those things that only God knows and only God and his dad really knows what is in their heart.

I could tell in his voice that he was worried about his dad. I feel much more relieved and at peace knowing that he said he does believe in Jesus Christ and that he does believe that we don’t just die and that’s it.

When I can’t make it to church, he will tell me what the sermon is about and if he enjoyed it. Usually he will remember the sermons. I’m kind of hoping at some point we will have a sermon about this subject. Even though Pastor Ray has been covering the book of John and this is the one book of the Bible that gives people hope and it lets them know what they need to do in order to be saved. It makes me feel more at ease knowing that he is listening to the sermons.

Chuck and I have also talked about how not everyone was raised in churches. Chuck went to church when he was little, but not that much. He wasn’t raised where he was taught the stories of the Bible. There are many adults who don’t know what happened with Moses, Noah. Sampson and Goliath and all of the other stories of the Bible. I know many adults who won’t get into discussions because they don’t want to seen stupid.

 There is this one man who I know that refuses to play games or discuss things of the Bible because he doesn’t know what I am talking about. Chuck has gotten to where he will look things up to see what either Ray or myself says. When it comes to Chuck, I think that it has helped that Pastor Ray doesn’t speak over his head. He doesn’t use big words that nobody knows what the heck he is talking about.

I just want to close this blog by asking for prayers that Chuck will continue to let God into his heart and that God will use friendships and messages to answer those questions that he doesn’t want to ask me. I have found it best for me to give it to God and that I need to throw the hammer away. It’s not a good idea to hit people over the head with hammers and other lethal weapons, lol. Also pray that I don’t open my mouth and insert my foot. I have a way of doing that big time.

Every now and then you come across a love story that is made in Heaven. Roy went home to be with the Lord on August 30, 2017.  Roy has a tremendous amount of faith in the Lord. Roy was a soft-spoken man who not only lived a life filled with the kind of love for Christ that we should all be living.

A few weeks ago when I was at church I noticed that Roy was having a hard time walking and was even having problems standing. He would try to get up and would fall back into his seat. It was heart wrenching to see how difficult things were for him.  I told my brother-in-law that it looks like something is going on with Roy.  He became so frail and when speaking his voice quivered and it was hard to hear him. My heart broke for him.

After the service began, I started thinking about how no matter how he felt, he wanted to be at church worshiping God with fellow Christians and friends.  We have a time during our service where we can ask for prayers or offer praise reports. I would say about six or seven months ago Roy was given the mic and both he and BJ shared with everyone that they have been blessed by God. They knew that they were coming to end of this life. With his voice shaking and close to tears, he shared that he has had a wonderful life and that whenever God calls them home, they are ready and not afraid. They sat in their seats, holding hands and smiled at each other as they shared their praise with everyone.

Roy’s memorial service was on Saturday, September 16th. He passed away a couple of weeks ago following a car accident.  BJ was unable to attend his memorial service since she was physically struggling. BJ was placed on hospice a few months ago and was living in the care center since Roy couldn’t physically care for her and she wasn’t able to live at home any longer. Roy was on the way to see BJ when he got in the car accident. Even though she was in the care center and had excellent care, he still made sure to be there for her. If she needed anything, he wanted to be the one to help her.

There is a song that I played for my mother in law when my father in law died and it is so fitting for Roy and BJ. It is a song by Collin Ray called “If You Get There Before I Do”.

BJ couldn’t attend the service because she was in a great amount of pain and she wasn’t able to get dress. After the memorial service Roy and BJ’s family took a copy of the cd so she could listen to the service. They also brought the cards that people gave them and read them to BJ. Since she was blind, she had to have things read to her. After she spent time with family and listened to the memorial service for Roy, her family went to Roy and BJ’s home to pick up some things. About 2 hours later the care center called and let them know that BJ passed away around 6:30.  I would think that she knew it was time to meet up with Roy. BJ passed away on September 16. 2017 around 5:16 pm. She didn’t have to wait long to see Roy.

Have you ever heard the song, “Make Me a Blessing?” This song fits the heart and love of Roy and BJ. I wish we would sing that song at church.

• Psalm 90:12 – Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Make me a blessing,
Make me a blessing,
Out of my life
out of my life
May Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray,
I pray Thee, my Savior,
Make me a blessing to someone today.

Roy loved BJ with all of his heart and soul. They are the kind of couple that movies and books have been written about.  Just think about watching couples that are in their 80’s or 90’s walking down the street hand in hand. When they spoke to each other it was  always in kindness and love. BJ was legally blind and she needed help with some of the simplest of things. He took care of her every need and he never said no to her.  Roy and BJ never lost their grace, and dignity.

There are some who have said that it is so sad that they both died and how horrible it has to be for their family and friends. For anyone who knew Roy and BJ, we would say this was a beautiful gift from God. I am positive that they both prayed for each other and thanked God for everything He has given them. The kind of love they shared demonstrates God’s love and mercy.  God gave them a beautiful gift by bringing them both home together.

In the Arms of Jesus

Roy and BJ took their wedding vows serious. I think they were married 44 or 45 years. Right around there. Roy and BJ  embodied the meaning of their wedding vows “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

With all of the health issues Roy and BJ had, I am excited and happy for them. Once they left this life and entered into eternity, they have and are experiencing the kind of happiness we can dream about. There is no way we can find that kind of joy and love here on earth.  I can picture both of them running through the fields of flowers hand in hand.  God loves us, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and believe he is the Son of God, we can all experience that same kind of joy and happiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:17– After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a friend who passed away. His memorial was Yesterday. His wife couldn’t attend the service because she was in pain and couldn’t get dress. A CD was made for her and family took cards they received over. Played it for her then left about 4:30. 2 hours later the care center calls and said she passed away. Goodbye Roy and BJ Alexander you’re together again holding hands and saying Sweetie and Honey. RIP

I posted this as a reply to Craig’s status on Facebook. When I think of how BJ went to be with the Lord and Roy, I know that God had an awesome loving hand in it all. It isn’t goodbye, it is till we meet again. When we have faith in Jesus Christ, there are no goodbyes. They are on the most awesome lifetime of a honeymoon ever. And to be in the presence of the Lord, I can’t feel sorrow for them. I am willing to bet that each of them prayed that they could go like they did. I’m working on a blog post about them. I will share it when I am done

One of the most awesome things about Heaven The most important fact about heaven, is that we will be safely in God’s presence forever. Think of it—no more fear, or sorrow, or pain! Is heaven your destination?

If you aren’t sure where you will spend eternity, then this may be a good time to make sure that you are prepared. If you need to talk to someone about the most important decision you will ever make, feel free to comment below. We can have someone pray with you and for you. We aren’t guaranteed another day, month or year. Shoot, we don’t know what will happen from one minute to the next.

Even though we will miss Roy and BJ, we can know with certainty that for those who have proclaimed their faith in Jesus Christ, that we are only separated for a short time. It isn’t good-bye, it’s till we meet again.  The awesome news is  that we will be reunited with our loved ones, well, the ones who believes in Jesus Christ. What an awesome day that will be. I’m sure the word awesome isn’t even a good word to use.  I think this is a much better word than awesome 🙂 “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. This is what it means;

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was first attested in the 1940s.  The roots of the word have been defined as follows: super- “above”, cali- “beauty”, fragilistic- “delicate”, expiali- “to atone”, and -docious “educable”, with the sum of these parts signifying roughly “Atoning for educability through delicate beauty.” According to the film, in which the word gained its popularity, it is defined as “something to say when you have nothing to say”. However, it is commonly defined as “extraordinarily good” or “wonderful” as all references to the word in the film can be perceived as positive. 

Even though we miss those who have gone on before us, my heart is well because I know that there will be a day when I will be reunited with my loved ones.  There are some who I know didn’t believe in Jesus Christ. They didn’t want anything to do with God and they felt it was nonsense. I will be covering this a bit more in my next blog. I wanted to be sure to keep this blog post about Roy and BJ.

I am very honored and blessed to share this article that my pastor wrote for this blog. Pastor Ray Schroeder is a guest writer for this blog and is the Senior Pastor at St. George Community Church. Thank you for sharing your words and what God has put on your heart.

Today as I write this article the world is following hurricane Irma as it makes it’s way toward Florida. People in Houston, Texas, are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Last night an 8.1 earthquake hit off of Mexico and another earthquake hit in Japan. Many things are happening in the world, including increased tensions with North Korea. Many individuals are feeling stressed-out. They are worried. Others are experiencing something called ‘compassion fatigue’ where they just can’t deal with one more disaster and it’s affect on the victims. Where do we turn for help? Where can we find hope and peace? Only in Jesus Christ and his Word.

Jesus said His words are Spirit and they are life (John 6:63). His apostles admitted there was no one else to whom they could turn because he had the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Eternal life is lived right now as well as forever as we believe in Jesus’ words: we are saved by faith in Him and we are to believe that always. We are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and abundantly (Colossians 3:16). Don’t just read a verse here and there once in a while. If that’s all the Words of Jesus and of God that you are reading then you won’t experience the deep peace and hope that God has for you.

Remember, when Jesus was facing temptation from Satan in the wilderness he responded with God’s Word: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Every word from the Bible is God’s Word and nourishes our spirits with hope and peace. Satan tempts us today with fear and worry. He doesn’t want us to fully trust God’s Word. “Did God say?” was the first temptation from Satan in the Garden of Eden when we tried to get Eve to doubt God’s word. Don’t doubt, but feed daily upon the Bible and you will be strengthened against all worry and temptation

The Bible says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). How does Christ strengthen you? Through feeding upon His words daily. Just like bread nourishes your body so too does God’s Word nourish and strengthen your spirit. Eat them up and devour them!

The great temptation today in the face of so much disaster and fear is people will try to find comfort and help in other peoples’ words instead of Jesus’ words. People turn to self-help gurus, everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Dr. Oz. People turn to other religions, too. Many are reading books from far eastern religions like Buddhism or Hinduism thinking they can find help there. Some of the things that these people say and write can be helpful, in a way. Some of the things they say are even similar to the things in the Bible:  Similar but not the same. There is only one Bible and so only one Word of God. This is the point of what I’m saying. Only the Bible has God’s Words and only God in Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life and hope and peace.

There are some books out there that even use Jesus’ name and say they have heard from Jesus and are transcribing what Jesus told them. One big-selling author today is Sarah Young who wrote the book “Jesus Calling.” People who have read her books say they have been helpful to them and that her teachings are similar to those of the Bible. But they are not the Bible. You see, there is only one Bible. The Bible is only the sixty-six books that have come down to us since the first century as the Old and New Testament. Jesus is found in both those testaments. Nothing else is the Bible. And only in the Bible do we find God’s Words. The Bible is totally sufficient for our needs.

In the gospel of John it says that grace and truth came from Jesus Christ (John 1:17) and Jesus said my grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s words are truth (John 17:17) and they bring grace to those who believe and read them. Now certainly, just reading and memorizing the Bible doesn’t help unless you’ve been born again by the Holy Spirit. We must humble ourselves and receive with meekness the implanted word (James 1:21), then God will lift us up and give us new life. One is born again by hearing, reading and believing the Words of God in Jesus Christ: “You have been born again…through the enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 3:23). This is true because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The word of God, which is the sixty-six books of the Bible, is sufficient for all our needs and by faith it renews our hope and gives us peace in Jesus Christ. Don’t settle for substitutes for the Bible. Besides “Jesus Calling” there is something called “A Course in Miracles” which has sold millions of copies. The ‘author,’ Helen Schucman, said she simply transcribed the words that Jesus was saying to her. By reading books that claim to be words of Jesus but which aren’t the Bible we are setting ourselves up to receive instruction from someone or some source that is not Jesus and will not be helpful. Jesus words in the Bible are totally sufficient for all our needs.

Jesus said that before he returns there will be many come ‘in His name’ saying that they are Him (Matthew 24:24) and they will deceive many. Don’t risk being deceived. Many are coming now saying they have a word from Jesus or that Jesus has told them new and encouraging things. Don’t believe it.  Get back into the Bible and read it daily and feed upon each word that God in Jesus Christ has given us. Then you will have life in you which is His words:–“My words are spirit and they are life.”  Jesus said ‘My grace (and truth) is sufficient for you.” What is truth? God’s words are truth (John 17:17).

Jesus said ‘it is finished.’ The Bible is finished, and it is the foundation given us by the prophets and the apostles (those living at Jesus’ time) and Christ is the corner stone (Ephesians 2:20).  The Scriptures also say that no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Foundation is Christ along with His Apostles and before them the Prophets of the Old Testament who wrote about Him (Ephesians 2:20). But once you’ve laid a foundation you don’t lay another foundation. The foundation is done and finished. It is the Bible—the words of Christ Jesus.  The Bible says “do not add to His (God’s) words lest He rebuke you…” (Proverbs 30:6). Don’t add anything to God’s Word, the Bible.

The world is in great need today of a savior which is Jesus Christ. He has the words of eternal life. His words are spirit and they are life. There are no other words that can give us eternal hope and peace. Only His words. And they are found only in the Bible. To please God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are called to believe Him and His Words and let them dwell in us richly. We needn’t turn to other words when we have the words we need right in front of us in the Bible. And then we can share this truth with others around us. Encourage others to get back to the Bible only and give up other writings and books that claim they are from Jesus.

Beware of any book that says it is ‘another testament of Jesus,’ or that Jesus has directly spoken to them. Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ The foundation has been laid. There is only one testament of Jesus Christ (in two parts) and it’s found in the sixty-six books of the Bible. You don’t need any other testaments. Jesus came that you might have life and have it abundantly. You don’t need to search any farther than your Bible to find that life. Read it and believe.

We live in troublesome times. There are disasters happening daily. People are searching for answers. During this time, people will be deceived. Many will come, Jesus warned us, saying they are the Christ or they have heard directly from Jesus. We must find strength for these times in God’s Word, alone—in the Bible. We don’t need anything else but God’s Word received meekly and in faith through the Holy Spirit. Let us all humble ourselves and receive the implanted word with reverence and trust and then Jesus will grant us His peace, today and everyday!

Pastor Ray

Sept. 8, 2017

This evening while I was on Facebook someone shared a story that was written by someone who is part of the LDS Chuch since she is LDS(Mormon). Since I live in Utah, I know many that are LDS even though I have never been to the LDS Chuch. But, I found the article interesting. I did post a comment on the article she posted, but I wanted to write a bit more about taking the Lords Supper- Communion or Sacrament. The LDS call it Sacrament, the Catholic Church calls it Communion and at my church which is non-denominational we call it the Lords Supper.

This is the link to the article that I was reading in LDS Living

• To the Person Who Didn’t Take the Sacrament Today

Here is the comment that I posted on her page. 

I had someone sitting in my pew at church when my Pastor handed the plates to the ushers. I always take part in the Lords Supper. The person that was in my pew didn’t take it and I asked why they didn’t. He told me that he was taking what the Bible said seriously and that he needed to examine his heart and to truly have a repentive heart and he didn’t feel like it was just a part of the service, it was important to him. He was searching his heart in preparation for the Lords Supper.

When we take part in the Lords Supper, we are united in Christ and we are fellow-shipping with Him. He was a place in his life where he was searching for answers. He could have easily sat there and taken the juice and the bread, but he was doing what we all should be doing. Our pastor that we had then would always make sure that people understand what the meaning is and that we are to examine our hearts before taking part.

I wanted to go into why it is important to examine our hearts and that we are believers in Christ. Well, this is from my understanding. Hopefully my pastor will make a comment that would go into things from a pastors perspective. Since Pastor Ray is pretty awesome in my views when it comes to interpreting the Bible, I hope he will share. Since he reads my blogs, this is a pretty direct hint lol.

In the comment that I left on my friends Facebook page, I shared that we need to examine our hearts. I haven’t really had a pastor before Pastor Dean that would talk about the importance of 1 Corinthians 11:26-29

• 1 Cor. 11:26-29, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly.”

I don’t know about you, but I have friends that goes to all kinds of churches. There are also a gazillion different translations of the Bible. So, naturally you are going to get a variety of answers when it comes to what the Bible says about taking part in the Lords Supper, Communion or Sacrament.  I’m pretty sure my answers to what the Bible says may not be accurate. But, I will try my best to explain what I think.  So, first, what does it mean to be taking the bread and the cup in an “unworthy manner?”

• When we are told that we need to examine our hearts and to ask for forgiveness in a sincere manner, that we would have to really mean it when we ask for forgiveness. I know that I don’t remember every sin I have commented. I will ask God to put my sins on my heart so I can repent for them for reals, not just for the moment. If I am asking God to forgive me for something like wanting to deck someone just so I can take part in the Lords Supper and then right after church I go ahead and deck the person, that is not sincere. When you take part in the Lords supper in a willful and with an un-confessed sin, I would think that would be a problem.
• I would like to add one thing for the above reasons and that would be about asking God to put your sins on your heart. I did that before and God took me literally. It made for a very long week for myself. The reason why it did is because all of a sudden the things I have done to hurt others came flooding in. I was emotionally spent after a while. But, at the same time, I felt a sense of freedom that I haven’t had in a long time. While God put these things on my heart, I needed to know them. I needed that forgiveness. I was a broken person who didn’t think I did any really bad things. Things like killing someone or ruining someones life. The things that were pent-up and buried deep in my heart came to surface. When everything came to light, I was able to sleep and live my life in a way that I haven’t for many years. This was about 15 or so years ago and it was amazing.
•  Actually I think the number one thing should be that you are a believer in Christ. If you don’t believe in Christ and you don’t have an understanding of what it means to  take part, then you might want to pass the plate to the next person. Some have even said that you must be baptized in order to partake of it. Our church has it where any believer in Christ can take part and they don’t have to be a member of our church.

One of the thoughts that came to mind in the article is that the usher was looking at the person who didn’t take the meal instead of the person. I think in general people do that. When I was a deaconess at my church and I had to prepare and help pass out the juice and bread, I would know who didn’t talk part and who did. It would be on the back of my mind off and on during the week. We are fast to judge others when it comes to sin and such, but we have a hard time examining our own lives and sins. That can be a dangerous thing to do. It’s not up to us to determine if someone is worthy. That is between them and God.

 Luke 6:52 NIV: How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

There are many Christians who don’t feel like they are worthy of taking the Lords Supper, Communion or Sacrament.  There were times when I didn’t partake of it because I had some anger issues when it came to God and I was feeling like my middle name was Job.  I didn’t feel like I should be taking part because I knew at that time I wasn’t ready or willing to ask for forgiveness. I had to work things out and God gave me the time and space to do that. He knew I would come around since He knows me better than anyone ever.

Everyone is a sinner and everyone has to deal with their stuff and I had a lot of STUFF. None of us are exempt from sinning unless we are Jesus Christ. If you think you are Jesus Christ, you have a whole other set of problems.  If you have sincerly repented of the sins you have committed and you are trying, it is OK to take part in the Lords Supper. I know that even when I am struggling with sin and I am waging this war on my sins, that I have depend upon Jesus Christ and His grace. I find it extremely important to take part because I need to and I depend upon Jesus Christs grace and mercy.

A number of churches and my church is one of them that practices open communion. When we first moved to Southern Utah, our church was where you had to be a church member and baptized in order to take part of the Lords Supper.  The church I went to in Arizona was this way also. I don’t know if the Nazarene Church has changed or not, but at that time you had to be a member and baptized. The problem I have when we start saying who can or can’t take part in the Lord’s Supper is that we were then judging them.

The way I see it is that you can go to church all day long, but that doesn’t make you a Christian. One person I know goes to church all the time. But, I also know that while he believes in Jesus, there are a number of things that he doesn’t believe. For example he says he doesn’t believe there is anything after this life. I am very close to this person and many things he says doesn’t make any sense when it comes to being a believer in Christ. I have noticed lately by some of his comments that his views must be changing. He will make comments like, “when they die, they may be in for a surprise since they have been doing evil things and they may be shocked about where they will spend eternity.” I have to say I about fell off my chair lol. I didn’t expect that and I didn’t reply. I was in shock, but in a good way.

In my opinion and I am hoping I got this right, a person MUST be a true believer in Christ. Not just a person who believes when they feel like it. Or someone who believes when it is convenient.  Which, basically means that they are OK with believing as long as they can keep doing what they want and they don’t have to be accountable. Sorry to say, it doesn’t work that way.  You can partake of the Lords Supper if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and have accepted that He is the Son of God and that He died for your sins.

Do This in Rememberence of Me- What Are We Remembering? 

1. The Lord’s Supper is to help us remember what the Lord did for us.
2. We remember that Jesus Christ came to live here on Earth for 33 yrs and He died for us.
3. He was beaten, mocked and had nails hammered into his hands and feet. After that He was hung on the cross and then put into a tomb. All of this with his earthly parents, loved ones, beleivers and non beleivers watching and gawking. He was dying not only for their sins but the sins of all mankind.
4. 1 Peter 2:24,“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.”
5.  We remember that even though He was going through horrible pain, the kind we would never experience, he said in  Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” We remember our Lord’s loud cry of loneliness in Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

Last night sometime I had a dream about the Rapture and being left behind. For those who may not know what the Rapture is, this is described and it has been prophesied throughout the Bible. If you go to Revelations in the Bible, you will learn about what will happen during the tribulation period. The events that happen in the Bible hasn’t happened yet, but in my heart and mind, I have no problem believing that Christ will come again.

In my dream I was left behind because  I was living my life according to my own will, not God’s. I trusted and believed in God, but I was holding back secrets and the guilt of lies I have kept buried deep in my heart. In my dream I made tons of mistakes and I hurt many people in my life. Those lies and secrets kept me from fully trusting in God.  In my dream, it was like I needed to participate in a 12 step for Christians. I know it sounds weird, but I guess in a sense I grasped it.

I needed to resolve things that got in the way of relationships with people because I buried these secrets in a place where nobody could find them, not even myself. I would go with one of my sister to her AA meetings. In the meetings different people would share what brought them to the place in their lives where they are at right now. I have had a number of family members and friends who have gone to AA and some who have gone to prison because of thing they did to others and to themselves.

I must have been watching something on TV for me to have this dream. Throughout this dream,, I had to come face to face with those who I have hurt and those I have lied to. That wasn’t easy. Some of the people were dead and others are people I have never thought about since I was a child. Part of AA is where you have to confront the person you wronged and ask for forgiveness. A family member has done this with me. Not in my dream, but in reality.

This young lady saved me for last since I was the hardest one to tell what she did and how she took money and lied to me and did thing behind my back. She was sobbing to the point where I told her she didn’t have to finish her letter. She told me that she had to finish what she was saying. Not really for me. She had to ask for forgiveness for things she has done to me. Of course I forgave her because I loved her more than the things she has done.

In my dream, it was like I was standing on the outside and I caused the division when it came to my walk with Christ. I allowed these events and actions to get in the way of walking the walk. I knew that I missed the Rapture. Everyone that was believer in Christ were taken and I was left standing there. I couldn’t fathom why  I was still there. I knew I was a believer in Christ. Then, God put it on my heart that even Satan believed in Christ. In the twinkling of the eye, everyone that I loved was gone. Those who I never thought would be taken were. Why was I standing here? What purpose what there?

I cried out to God because I didn’t understand. I needed to make peace, but I also needed to get to a safe place. In the last days those who are Christian and those who have accepted Christ will be killed. For some reason in my dream, death sounded better to me. Spiritually I felt dead. I was surrounded by people who weren’t Christians and they were spiritually dead. Well, for a while.

What ended up happening is that I had to ask for forgiveness from those who I have wronged. I know we are forgiven, but it is our human nature to hold onto things. I hold onto guilt. Satan is fast at telling us that we aren’t worthy of forgiveness and that we aren’t nothing. When we allow these thought to enter our hearts and minds, they cause a barrier. In my dream the guilt of things I have done became a sort of prison.

Today or last night, whichever one it is, I have been given the gift of forgiveness, grace and mercy. I don’t know what I was watching or what prayer I was praying at the time, but, I think in a strong sense, God was speaking to me through my dreams because I am a strong-willed person who wants things my way. When I handle things alone, it is disastrous.

In my dream, I was able to ask for forgiveness from those who are no longer here. I was able to confront the demons in my closets and I realized that those demons were of my own making.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how hardened our hearts have become. She was talking about how she felt like she was in this dark place because she is always angry.  I know her heart isn’t hardened. I bring this up because it’s difficult for us to understand how our heart and emotions control us. We let things get in the way of our personal relationship with Christ. P.S. Hardened hearts are covered in my next blog.

OK, so back to my dream. I was able to speak to those people who I have wronged. I was raising my fist to God and wanted to know why I missed be part of the rapture. I was very angry and hurt. Although I was hurt or so, I thought at God, I was having a harder time talking to those that I have hurt in this life.

There came a turning point in my dream. All of those who I have wronged and those who were strangers looked at me and asked what they needed to do so they wouldn’t die. They knew by this time that those who are believers in Christ were taken in the twinkling of an eye. They were looking to me for directions. They knew that I knew what the Bible said because they knew I was a Christian. Even though they couldn’t figure out why I was still there and they were confused. Shortly before I woke up, and my dream was still going on, I felt at peace.

I was able to share with them what the Bible had to say about the rapture and what was going to happen. Once I got past all of the “me” stuff and there was a lot of it, I knew we needed to leave our hiding place.

The city was being surrounded by armies of men and women who were on a mission to kill those who didn’t have the mark of the beast. I prayed to God about what we needed to do in order to save ourselves. We left the house where we thought we were safe. In our hands we held the Bible and some personal items such as clothes and such.

Just moments before I woke up, our group of family members and friends ended up in a secure cabin and we were planning or strategizing how we were going to reach people who didn’t know Christ. We knew that we were on a mission to save as many people that we could. We also knew that if we were caught sharing the Gospel with others that we would die. But, that was a risk we had to take. As I was praying and pleading with God to protect us all, God told me that we need to teach those who don’t know the Gospel the truth so they can be saved. We shouldn’t fear dying since we are going to be alive.

The message that I received in my dream is that time is short. We need to stop wasting our time on things of this world since we are in this world, but not of it. He also made it clear that we only need to ask for forgiveness. His grace and mercy is enough and sufficient. Stop sweating the small stuff.

I’m sure the end times has been on my heart because of the things going on in Houston and around the world. All corners of the earth are having floods, earthquake, fire and tornadoes. I have been praying and thinking about the millions of people who are left homeless.

As I watch how things are unfolding I know that Christ is coming soon. He will be coming anytime now. When I have dreams like this, it is a reminder that we can’t keep putting off the things that we need to do now.

There will be those who deny Christ. we see if happening each and every day. Even when we see these things unfolding in front of our eyes, people have a hard time believing that Christ is coming soon. You can say all day long that it isn’t going to happen and there is no God. While we don’t know the day nor the hour, it will happen and our time could be up. Are you Ready? If you don’t know if you are ready or not, you can message me or I can give you my pastors email address if you need or want to talk to a pastor.

Here are a few verses that talk about the rapture or the second coming. There are o many difference  theories out there and I don’t know which one is correct. All I know is that Jesus is going to be coming anytime now and I want to be sure to be ready.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NIV) ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. Read More... 

• 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (NIV) ⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— Read More… 

• Matthew 24 (NIV) (The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times)... Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ² “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Read More… 

Not everyone believes that God speaks to us through dreams. I know that God speaks to me through dreams because it’s easier to get my attention since I get distracted a lot. I know when I have dreams like this one, that there is a higher purpose. I also feel that God was answering my prayers and gave me answers to the whole, how can be worthy of forgiveness since I can’t even forgive myself. Thankfully God is a God of love, grace and mercy. I don’t need to understand everything in order to have it happen.

There will be days of darkness, we see it all around us. Evil deeds are rampant. You don’t have to look very far to see it. When I think about how horrible it is going to be when the tribulation time comes, it boggles my mind. If we think it is bad now, just think about how horrible it will be then. We will see the natural disasters, terrorists (ISIS), evil like we have never seen, wars  and by the looks of it, even more wars are headed our way. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have people pray for God’s help and He isn’t here.

Right before I woke up, the thought that I was left with is that we need to act now and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior before it’s to late. God loves u so much and He has given us more chances than we deserve. God has forgiven us and wants us to live forever. He won’t make a person believe and He doesn’t want us to die.

One part of my dream was with this woman who I don’t know. She couldn’t understand and accept what was happening. The more I would point out to her what the Bible had to say about accepting Him as her Lord and Savior, the more upset she would become.

I explained to her that one of my biggest issues and downfalls is that I want to be the one in control. yeah, I believe in God, but I had the “I got this” attitude. I think it’s funny how God cornered me in my own dream lol. But anyhow, God isn’t going to make us believe. It’s up to us to say yay or nay. Anytime I have tried to control things in my life, things turn ugly really fast. Instead of getting better, things take a drastic turn and gets worse.

When I have dreams like this one, it’s pretty humbling all in all. I had this group of people who I have wronged from the time I was a young child that are looking at me for answers. While I was trying to correct the bad choices I made in life, I realized that only God has the answers. God is a God of love, peace, hope, salvation and a whole host of other things. While I had these horrible people chasing me in my dream in order to force me to take the Mark of the Best, I came to realize that God is there to keep me safe and everyone who believes and has honestly accepted Jesus Christ. Just raising your hands in the air and saying I believe doesn’t cut it. You really have to believe. Lip serious does no good.

As I was waking up, the thought that came to mind is that you need to be ready and so do I. If you;re not ready, you will find that you got left behind.  Don’t be that person.