Author: Sandie D

I posted my testimony on my old blog and wanted to make sure to transfer it onto this blog since I moved all my posts and such to this page,

For me the first time I knew that Jesus was real was when I was little and living in Grovertown Indiana where my grandparents lived… I would go to a little Nazarene Church in Knox, that was just over the bridge from Grovertown… But us kids would get picked up from the pastor each Sunday and then he would pick us up for church on Weds… I don’t remember his name, but I guess that doesn’t really matter… But my Grandma Grace was a Sunday School teacher and I would learn a lot from her about what the Bible said and the fun stories in the Bible… I believe that the Nazarene Church in Knox was the first church and the first church camp I went too… I was only in 2nd grade I believe… I was young, so I am remembering as a child on this one… I asked the pastor about being baptized when we still lived there… In the Nazarene Church, you didn’t get baptized till we were at-least 14 and we had to make sure we understood what it meant to be baptized… There was one on one meetings with the pastors and such… Let’s say I didn’t get to be baptized… Remember I was only in the 2nd grade… My Grandma Grace passed away when I was 10 and we moved to AZ…

I will skip all the little stupid drawn out stuff… But eventually we moved to a place called Hyder AZ… It was between Gila Bend and Yuma… You had to go what seemed like an eternity to get to where it was located at in the middle of the desert. Not sure what got my parents to think this was a good idea… I think my parents thought hole in the wall places was the place to be… It was all cotton farms and close to hell temperatures… But I happen to make some friends there and found a little church that had maybe 25 people in it… They came from the areas around Hyder like Dateland, Sentinel, Ajo and other hole in the wall places… Hyder now is a ghost town… Should have been then too… I think peoples brains had to be fried to live there… But back to my topic… My friends and I would swim in the irrigation ditches there… That was really the only way to cool off there… It would be 125 plus during the summer time… But my friends went to church with me and we would act like we were baptizing each other… We would take turns and we did this every time we went swimming, which was every day unless they put sulfur in the water for the farms… We would do the whole thing like we seen in church… We dunked each other in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… We wanted or I wanted to make sure that I got baptized… So I must have really wanted this… It was the first thing we did when swimming…

If anyone has ever been to Hyder AZ, you would know there was bad things lurking around there. We would have to be bussed about 30 miles to go to school in a little town called Sentinel AZ… Our school had about 25 or so kids and it went from 1st grade to 8th grade… It was two trailers and two teachers… I tell ya, there was evil stuff on the drive to that school and all around us… Protection is what we all needed from my point of view… There was this one group called Children of Light where we would go swimming. As little kids, we didn’t realize that we were already protected by God…I count those baptisms that we did every day as my first time and many times I got baptized…

Our family moved to Willcox AZ… For me this was the first real sign of civilization… It has a population of 2000 or so… But I went to the Willcox Church of the Nazarene… My best friend was the pastors daughter… Her father retired by the time I was able to be baptized… But I remember when some missionaries came to our church… Pastor Harry was still there as the pastor… But they asked a question about what would be the one question that God would ask when you get to heaven that you feared… My friend’s sister stood up and said that she would be afraid to stand before God and asked her why she didn’t talk to her friends about Him… And she would say that she thought they already know… She was a pastors kid, so they knew that… And then come to find out that nobody talked to her friend and they lost their place in eternity because of it… This stuck with me all the way through my life… I guess that’s why I’m not really afraid talk to others about Christ and what He can mean to them…

I got baptized on my 14th birthday and the 1st Baptist Church in Willcox, AZ and I wasn’t going to wait till I was 14 yrs old 1 day… I was waiting for years for this to happen and the day was finally here… I am sure my pastor was tired of me hounding him about it, lol… Pastor Randy Tipton was my pastor at the time and he did my official baptism… I don’t know if the Nazarene Church is still that way… If they lowered the age, it is probably because of me and giving them a hard time… But it finally happened and I was happy… Now the hundreds of baptisms in the water in Hyder and this one made it complete…

I really like the Nazarene Church… It seemed to be where we were always doing something to reach out to those around us… We had prayer meetings every Weds… There was a sermon, but it always ended in prayer at the alters at the front of the church… Those who were too old or unable to, would move to the front pews to pray and everyone took turns to pray… Whatever was on your heart… There was invitations to accept Christ… I think I compare a lot of churches to the Church of the Nazarene… I will always be a Nazarene at heart. I also liked that there was a lot of focus on Missions and Outreach… We were always doing something in our community or for someone else… Or at-least the ones I went too… I think society is laxed in wanting to conform to the ways of the world rather than God… I know I would love to have God conform to my way of thinking at times… But then again, the world would be even more messed up and dysfunctional… I guess everyone has their thing and how a Christian should or shouldn’t be… I think though that a lot of churches through out the world and my area are more as a social event than worshiping… Maybe I think that because of how I grew up and my own way of thinking… Who am I to say…I love the people where I go to church at now… It isn’t a Nazarene Church, but they are awesome… I guess each person chooses to worship the way that they do and they all have their own normal… But should we have our normal or God’s normal? Maybe I am wrong, which I probably am…

Nazarene’s Believe: Nazarene’s believe that Christians can experience a deeper level of life in which there is victory over sin, power to witness and serve, and a richer fellowship with God, all through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

There has been a lot of things throughout the years that has happened and I have made good and unfortunately bad choices… Accepting Christ was the smartest choice I ever made. But I know that God knows that no matter what that He is first in my life, even when I forget that and do my stupid things…

I would like to thank my friend who edited this post and she helped it sound like it should… 🙂 I have been working on this post for a month or more now and it is finally done… Good thing I can save my drafts on here, lol…

If you want to read a little article about the Children of Light from Dateland, AZ… You go here... I remember this group because when we wanted to go swimming in a real pool, they had the only one… They lived only a few miles from where we lived… Or at-least in my mind it was a few miles…This link to the Children of the Light has a number of pictures from this group and I remember most of them…

I have been in this heated debate with this guy on Yahoo this past week. The debate is all over those little devices that lenders put on cars for those who have a bad history of paying their bills.

This little device will keep the car from starting if the borrower doesn’t pay the payments.  It doesn’t turn the car off as you are driving it, but it will keep it from starting if the payment isn’t made on time.

My friends had one of these devices on their car and I had no clue what it was until I seen it in action. I have to say I would never buy a car from a place that has one of these because you can get stranded if you don’t pay up. Not only does it not let you start your car, it makes this horrible sound the closer it gets to your payment being past due.

Yahoo – Beyond the ability to disable a vehicle, the devices have tracking capabilities that allow lenders and others to know the movements of borrowers, a major concern for privacy advocates. And the warnings the devices emit — beeps that become more persistent as the due date for the loan payment approaches — are seen by some borrowers as more degrading than helpful.

I can see why lenders would use these because they make it easier to locate the vehicle and repo it in case the loan isn’t paid. And unfortunately some people have to go through these places because they have no place else to go.  These little devices are great for that. I would hate to have to pay the interest rate at one of these places. By the time you get it financed and the insurance it can easily reach over $1000.00 a month. I guess for me, I would just spend that amount on a cheap car and not have to pay that much. But that is me, everyone has to decide for themselves and these places knows that.

I do wonder if I would have gone with my friend in the first place if I had known she had one of those on her car. I got stuck and we had to call someone. That was the last time I went with her in that car though. After that she got stuck a number of other times and needed someone to come and get her. After the payment is made, then they give you a code to punch in and it resets the device.  Like I said, I never went with her again in that car.

The conversation with this guy got out of hand really fast. I was going to loose my cool, because on my comment I stated that they are inconvenient to those who ride along somewhere and they don’t know before you go with. It isn’t like I was going to have them give me their credit history, loan information and so on if I needed a ride somewhere. And with Myasthenia Gravis and my other medical problems, there are times I can’t drive.  It isn’t like too many people are available at 2:00 am to take someone to the ER or other places.

He went on to say that people who have problems like this are deadbeats and a waste of time. They are like the scum of the earth and not to be trusted. He then said there was no excuse for people not being able to pay a bill. If they can’t pay, they are leaches on society and so on. Well, that ticked me off big time.

I had to wait and pray over if I should comment back or just forget about him and the topic. And I basically decided it wasn’t worth my energy, but I did have to throw a couple punches comment style.  I couldn’t help myself.

I explained to him that he must have a very lonely life or full of rich people that never had a problem in their lives. Not all people who have problems paying bills choose not too. They would pay if they could or had the resources. There are times when things change in life and they have to choose what they can pay or not pay.  My friend that had one of these devices has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone.  I don’t base my friendships on people’s wealth. I base them on people.  I then told this guy that I would hope he never needed a ride anywhere or needed help, because the help he may need may be from someone that doesn’t have a big bank roll.  I left it at that and I then told him that I will pray for people like him to really see the love of God and those who may be beneath him. And if he is a Christian, he should re-evaluate who he is putting his faith in and what. Because if he understood the Bible, he wouldn’t be the way he was and treating people with such hatred because they have little.

A guy named Joe made this comment:  LOL so I’d hate to see u in a pickle. Hope u never get sued. Hope your kid never gets in trouble. Maybe your life will be peachy. But once you walk a mile in their shoes and struggle, may the person whose in your shoes now not say the same to you.

I guess you just can’t fix stupid people and then you have those who have a holier than thou attitude and I don’t like to waste my time or energy on stupid.  I will leave it at that because history has proven that the world is full of stupidity and hate minded people. I will take a poor friend  any day that is sincere over a rich friend who has no heart.

I’m pretty sure that almost everyone has heard the saying or reassuring quote of, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” If you haven’t heard of it, you may be living under a rock or someone who doesn’t believe in God. This is a subject that I struggle with and would love to do a home Bible study on.

There have been times in my life that I have had to really question this saying and I wanted to see what the Bible had to say on this. For some when they are told this, it is almost like saying that if you can’t- you must not have enough faith or you are not worthy enough to make it through the circumstances in life that are overwhelming. For many years this was a touchy topic for me, mainly because of the misconception that as a Christian, you shouldn’t have problems dealing with life or bad news. I know many would assume it is encouraging and a way of giving someone hope. But, I can say for myself, it hasn’t and isn’t always encouraging to me. The words that are meant for encouragement can often serve to only create discouragement. When things are falling apart and health issues are getting worse and there is no cure, knowing that God will never give me something I couldn’t handle wasn’t doing it for me.

At times, this encouraging verse, or saying, was making me angrier at God and I wanted to deck the person that would say it to me. What it says to me is, “If I am supposed to handle this, then why can’t I handle it?” And, as a Christian, we are supposed to take God at His word and trust that things will work out. So, for a long time I felt like I was failing at something, because I wasn’t handling things all too well and was thinking my name should be Job not Sandie.

Since I was very much feeling like I have failed at this test of endurance and strength, I wanted to see where the Bible verse was for this. The truth is, God never said He wouldn’t give you more than you can handle. What I did find out is that God never said He wouldn’t give you more than you can handle.

There will be times in life when you will feel like you are never going to make it through whatever it is that you are going through and there is no one to help you. I think that this is one of those phrases much like “God helps them who help themselves” that people repeat so often that they assume it is in the Bible but it actually is not!

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 Paul wrote: We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, Paul’s warning is tied to the reality of temptation and sin that meets us every day.

OK, so the exact wording isn’t in the Bible. Whew on that one. I do feel better about that because I felt like I was failing the test of trusting and thinking I was doing something wrong-so, I was being Job.

I would have to say that I think God allows us to be in situations where we can’t handle it and when it is beyond our strength so that we might depend on Him more!

I actually think this phrase can be dangerous and hurtful in some ways. It can also lead us to believe the lie that we can do it ourselves- that we can handle it. Which raises the question, “If we can handle anything that comes our way, then why do we need God at all?”

We need to realize that sometimes we can’t make it on our own. In my life, if it wasn’t for God, I would never have made it through the things I have and I would have no desire to. The reality is that sin and hardships happen every day of our lives.

Paul was talking about temptation- not suffering. With temptation, we have a choice, but with suffering we often don’t have a choice. When Paul pointed out that we have choices, we can run from them or we can give in and sin. I believe that God will provide a way out of those temptations and a way to escape.

When I hear about how God will never give us more than we can handle. I know for certain that God is faithful! In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says that, “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

In moments when I feel like I can go on no longer and I get tired of fighting medical issues and problems living in this world, I have to remember that as a Christian, I should be imitating Jesus Christ and putting my faith in Him.

My dear friend Lisa has been having some difficult moments emotionally and because of her faith, we can sit, talk, cry and realize that God will never forsake her. Instead of standing up and proclaim that we can handle it alone, we need to call on Jesus. The night before Jesus was executed, He cried out in the garden, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Jesus told His father, “This is too much for me!”

What I have learned from some of these verses and this saying is that it is OK not to be able to handle it. We can cry out to the Lord “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.” And when we do this, we find God—the one who, in the person of Jesus, suffers with us.

When I think of my life and all the medical diagnosis’s and life’s challenges I become aware that most definitely life will give me more than I can handle. But, I also know that God is faithful and He will be there through the pain and the problems that living in the world can bring.

A friend of mine told me a long time ago that we need to constantly depend on God. I have to remember that I need/have to depend on God and let Him have control of my life. It took me a long time to come around to this way of thinking.

When I realized a long time ago that I was giving him only 90% of my trust, things got better. I guess it is like tithing when we are told to give 10%. I was keeping that 10% instead and I needed to increase my tithing to the Lord by 90%. I needed to give 100% of my everything. There is no greater investment than investing in God. I wasn’t fully trusting God- I am now though. Peter instructed the Church to cast our fears, worries, suffering and pain on God. God loves us more than anyone or anything ever could. So why not trust Him fully? When life deals us more than we can handle, we can rest in the reality that God can handle it. I want to end this post with this simple thought or promise. When it comes to pain, depression, grief, temptations, trials, heartache and burdens, it doesn’t say it won’t be more than we can bear. Instead the Bible says it best:

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11: 28-30)

First the blessing part of this blog. There has been a video that has been going around on Facebook that shows military guys singing “Days of Elijah”. I have watched this a number of times and brings me peace that there are troops that are bringing God to the forefront and fighting for our country.

There is religious persecution going on all around us. Everyday there are more and more challenges when it comes to the first amendment. When I watch this video it reminds me that no matter what the first amendment may say and the persecutions we go through, God is present and in control.

Now the part that ticks me off!!!  The government has now made it where those who take the oath they can leave out the part where it says “so help me God,”. This is a comment that is from the United States Air Force. “We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed our client has a First Amendment right to omit the reference to a supreme being in his reenlistment oath,” Miller said in a statement Wednesday. “We hope the Air Force will respect the constitutional rights of Atheists in the future.” The American Humanist Association applauded the decision. Read entire article…

I have no problem, well I guess I do when it comes to leaving God out of anything. I believe that is what is wrong with our country and all the countries that are having these wars. If God was present in their lives, then maybe they wouldn’t be having the problems they are having now. If they are worshiping the wrong God or no God and have spit in God’s face, why would He bless them? They have turned their eyes away from Him.

God loves everyone and there are Christians everywhere. Missionaries are living in these countries that are dying because they are standing up for their faith in Jesus Christ. I have to say I get angry that there are Christians in prison like Pastor Saeed and Asia Bibi. We have missionaries our church sponsors, and they put themselves out there to help bring the Gospel to those in need. Only because of God can they find peace. But so many don’t get it!

I know a number of people that are atheists, Wicca and whatever other religion or no religion. Honestly I don’t understand it. But that is their choice. If it wasn’t for my faith in Christ, I would have given up a long time ago. And it is incredibly sad to think that so many have no hope in anything or false gods. I need a arsenal of hammers to knock sense into people. But then I realize that we all have free will.

With free will, people choose for themselves. But I don’t get why they have to force their free will on everyone else. I actually hear more about pushing the agenda from those who are not Christian. If someone doesn’t believe in God, fine, do what you want! But, why would their rights be any greater than our rights. I don’t see Christians bashing and going to court to fight for their rights. It may seem like it, but most of the times it is the other groups or organizations that are stirring the pot. They don’t to be dragging everyone else down because you/they choose not to.

I best get off this topic because it is a huge soapbox for me. I just want to say that I absolutely love to see our troops putting God first and then going out and serving our country. And for those troops that don’t believe in God, well, I guess I won’t go there, because that will be a book. Thanks to those who put God first, gives me a sense of peace knowing they are.

Today has been a nice day. I was given the chance to go up to Beryl Junction, Utah to visit some dear friends. It has been a very long time since I have just sat and visited with them. I did have a purpose to go up there and that is to bring my sisters little dog to her. But for me the best part was seeing the Brinkerhoffs. They have got to be one of the closest families I know.

I went up there to get the puppy which is named Gracie. She is a tiny chiwinnie dog. While walking around their property I couldn’t but think about how strong they are in their faith. Their children are awesome and when I think of families like them, they are a great example of a loving home and who puts God first.

A few of the kids showed me around outside. Today reminded me of how much I miss living in Veyo. The landscape and openness is indescribable. They also have the cutest pets. I think I could spend a couple days up there and just take pictures and relax. I think if I had a cabin I would go up there for a three day weekend, that would be awesome. Of course I would have my camera ready. They have some cool buildings up there. Some people wouldn’t be interested in living so far out, but they make it work.

They have three donkeys, one being a newborn and just a few weeks old. I can’t even count how many dogs. They have chickens, geese and ducks. They also have horses, peacocks. birds, small ponies, cats, adult donkeys and a very small baby donkey. I don’t know if they named her yet, but I think they should call her Beatrice. She looks like a Beatrice to me, I think I have it covered. The Brinkerhoffs are richer in so many ways. God has really blessed them. And I feel extremely blessed to call them friends.

I did get some pictures while I was there, but it was getting ready to storm. The smell of rain was awesome and after the rain a huge rainbow appeared. For me it symbolized God’s presence. I know that rainbows is a sign that God said he wouldn’t flood the entire world again. When I think of them, I think of how much God loves us and how He is protecting us and is protecting us.

Rosemary made some awesome rolls. I’m thinking I should have taken some to go. It has been years since I had rolls. I may have to find a good recipe for them. I would like to make some.

Eric made some kind of soup and it was awesome. I don’t know what he calls it, but I think it should be called kitchen sink soup. He threw a bit of this and that in the pot and wahla.

They also camp grounds about 40 miles from where they live. They let churches us it if they want to. I think I might see if maybe next summer we can do a retreat at their campground. I believe it has a few cabins and all the things needed. There would only be one issue for me. I don’t like bugs so I don’t camp. That would be awesome to do for the 4th of July. Since it is so hot in July, it would be a great place to celebrate the 4th at. Maybe even have Pastor Ray could bring his guitar and we can do campfire songs. Now my brain is reeling on this idea.

We got on the conversation of their daughter Sarah. Sarah is 4″ 11 ” and joined the Marines. I will include a picture of what she looks like. Sarah is tough girl and she sounds like she is doing good.

But all in all it was a nice day and I think I need to visit them much more often and have them over for dinner. The Brinkerhoffs are the most down to earth and genuine people I have been blessed to have as friends. Today was also nice because they are the kind of friends that aren’t afraid to be themselves. They have a huge heart for helping people.

We got talking about faith and I love doing that. Jesus is my favorite topics. Basically we were talking about how as Christians we should be acting that way. We also know that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Most of all, it was awesome to be able to catch up and visit with them. I hope we don’t take too long to just hang out. I wish they were closer to visit. They remind me of how I was raised. I would have to say that they are the living example of being in this world, but not of it.

P.S. They have a greenhouse and it was a special treat to have fresh tomatoes and veggies. I was sent home with some green tomatoes and I so can’t wait to cook them up. Tomatoes from the garden and not hot houses have a wonderful smell and flavor.

I wonder if people have lost of the art of having conversations. People know how to talk a lot, but do they really say anything important. I have come to the conclusion that conversations are more like small talk. It must be somewhat common for people to struggle with what to say to someone one-on-one. It’s as if there is this kind of awkward silences.

Our church does a ladies lunch and I have come to the point where I don’t really enjoy going to them. For me the reason is because there isn’t really much visiting and it is like a waiting room in my Dr’s office. I don’t mind listening to others and I truly do care. For myself, I very much dislike talking about my medical stuff in a restaurant or with those who aren’t close friends. I want to have a normal conversation that centered around Dr’s and who is constipated.

One day I was at the Black Bear for breakfast and all the people around me must have been sick and dying. Not one conversation was about anything other than being sick or who was dying. I about choked on my coffee when a lady said she was so relieved that she could finally pass gas.

REALLY? I wonder when life became a medical textbook instead of living each day and being grateful for the good things. But, really, do they need to talk about the last time they went to the bathroom and what a relief it was? I know that people needs to discuss medical things with others and some people may not be around others, but some discussions should be in private. I also don’t like 20 questions about what is going on medically with me, unless I feel comfortable doing that and it is one on one.

There has been research on this topic, lol. I was shocked, but yeah they have studies for everything. They suggest that people start conversations by offering open ended questions. For example,”how is the weather? Have you read any good books lately? What are your favorite movies?”

Some people in this study suggested that if you want to start a conversation to just ask people about themselves, their hobbies, their job or they feel about anything in general.

OK! Well, some people didn’t get the memo of how to have a conversation. When was the last time you pooped was not on the list of conversation starters. I can almost guarantee ya that if you start off with this conversation, it is all downhill from then on. There has to be more going on in life than when a person last went to the bathroom.

Since it is mostly elderly ladies that goes to our brunch it would be awesome to learn more about what it was like for them growing up in the era they did. What were some of their favorite activities when they were younger or what their families did? I would think learning more about who they are and what they enjoy doing would be more interesting. It would be awesome to do a get together that would be a “Window to the Past.”

Well, I’m going to get off this blog topic because I can see that it can end up pretty messy, lol.

Change is going to happen. I’m pretty sure that anyone seeking to effect change will come up against those who like things the same way it has always been done. Change isn’t easy for me, but I know that it is something that will happen, no matter how much I fight it.

It’s been pretty awesome at church. The reason I say this is because new students are starting at Dixie State University. Our church is the perfect location to reach out to those students and families.

As a church and Christians we should be wanting to reach those who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to reach these people. It isn’t about us or the church, it is about bringing people to Christ.

As a church we should be reaching out to the children too. It has been pretty cool to see more kids in Sunday School. When we first started at my church, our girls was it as far as kids were concerned. Eventually I was given permission to start a youth and young adult group. We had over 30 kids show up on Tuesday Nights.

Pastor Ray and Kathi has been very much a blessing to our church and I have no doubt at all that God is smiling down on them both. Little by little the faces are changing and we are witnessing new baptisms and growth. I do want to say that seeing new faces doesn’t mean the old ones should leave. It is nice to see old and new at our church.

I love seeing kids, young adults and just about any other group at church. I would say that we have the friendlies church in our area. It’s kinda like the T.V. show “Cheers”. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name. And if by chance you don’t believe me, check out one of our Sunday services.

I have people ask me many many times about what faith or religion I am. Well, that is a somewhat loaded question. The reason I say that is when I think of what faith I am, I think of how I am a Christian. For some people the denomination of the church one attends is what they are really asking. The way I see it I am a Christian first and I attend a church that is a Bible believing church. Christ should always come before the name of a building.

I have noticed more times than not that people can get downright grumpy and protective about the building they go to church in or to worship in. It’s sad how we put our faith in the things that make up a church such as bricks, drywall, carpet, flowers, plants, instruments and so on instead of worshiping Christ. We aren’t there to take in the beauty of a building, we are there because we are worshiping Christ. We shouldn’t be concerned by all the  aesthetics(beauty) of the building. If we are more concerned about those things, we are going to church for the wrong reason.

When we go to church and invite our family, friends and yes children we are sharing the Gospel with all who walk through the doors of the church. We have an awesome opportunity to reach those who may have never heard the truth. That truth would be that we are saved by grace through faith alone, and that not of ourselves—or whatever denomination we may be.

We could have the most beautiful church in the world, but if we aren’t sharing the Gospel, then we are nothing more than a building.  In Ephesians 2:8-9  it says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.”

I have been to churches where people get all in an uproar over songs, decor and other trivial matters. There was this older lady who made a statement many years ago that they don’t want young people at their church because “they just don’t understand how we do things around here” or “they are going to destroy our church.” The way I see it is that those who complain about these things, they aren’t going to church to worship Christ. They are there just to be there or to out of habit.

The last thing I want to add is that I feel for any pastor and our pastor. I would think that it would be really hard to make changes at an established church. Even when it is in the best interest of the church and in our lives. I wonder if they go home and bang their heads on the wall, haha? We humans are pretty stubborn and want it our way and are creatures of habits, myself included. If you move my pew, I would be a bit stressed over this minor change. But, if it is moved, I would be in shock, but would eventually deal with it and sit somewhere else.

If you are reading this Ray, I would hope you wouldn’t do that, lol. I would think it would be difficult for any pastor to come in and have to listen to how previous pastors or how “we don’t do that here” stuff. I would hope that if we hired a pastor, we would trust him enough to know what is needed. Besides we are there to worship God, not pews and all the other distractions.

With all the protests going on in Ferguson, Missouri, I wonder about equality and fairness. I got thinking about this after watching a video on Facebook. This guy names Johnathon Gentry hits the nail on the head. Click here for to listen to his video…

I completely understand that people are upset over the killing of Michael Brown. For those who may not know what I am talking about, I’m discussing where the police officer killed a African American boy that was unarmed.

What I am going to go into is all the other innocent people that are killed all over the place and not getting the publicity. They don’t have Al Sharpton or the NAACP showing up to help them out because there aren’t cameras rolling.

I have no problem with protecting the rights of all people, no matter what color or race they are. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I have family members of all races, nationalities, faiths and sizes.  I do have a problem though on how people pick and choose who deserves to get more media attention. Yeah, it is important what is going on in Missouri, but it is any more important than a young child being killed because of a stray bullet? Is it any more important than the thousands of innocent lives that are being lost each year because of stupidity or drunk drivers?

There are horrible things going on all over the world and to hundreds of thousands of people that we never hear of. I don’t know if we are hearing more about the shooting of this young man because he is black and the officer is white. To me it would seem that way. If it was the other way around, I don’t think we would be hearing anything about it. And if we do it would be a blurb on the news.

Just the other day, I accidentally came across a video of a black police officer that was killed in the line of duty. Officer Kevin Jordan was killed by some white customers at a Waffle House. When I watched the video on how much he did for his community, it broke my heart to know that he was a fallen officer. Where is the media when things like this happens? Yeah he got local media, but not outside of the area he lived. There were no riots or getting in other peoples faces. It was about remembering someone who made a difference. Click here to watch the video of the tribute video I accidentally came across.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I want to know where all the cameras and media people are when another child dies or get’s diagnosed with cancer. I thank God all the time that my children and grand-kids are healthy. Why isn’t more being done to save these children? Why aren’t picketing for them?

Just today, I was reading about another young child that died from cancer. People should be getting mad and wanting to do something. But they aren’t. Well, some are, but not nearly enough. Richard was laid to rest today. To learn more about Richard, here is a link to his funeral. Even though I never met him, children like him touches my heart and it makes me upset to know more isn’t being done. Are they not worth fighting for? I have been praying for over 30 kids and each week more are added. Each week another child dies senselessly. I want to know where Al Sharpton and the NAACP is? Go to the Jesse Rees Facebook page and look through the pictures of all of the children and families. You will be touched by their stories and strengths. But these children and families don’t have Al Sharpen fighting for them because they aren’t controversial enough I guess.

If just a small about of money and time that was spent on rioting and protesting, a difference can be made in so many peoples lives. I guess it is a pick and choose and see what the media thinks is worth while. To say I am ticked would be an understatement. I will be posting on childhood cancer in September, because awareness needs to happen. I am blessed beyond measure that I don’t know anyone personally with childhood cancer. But I do know many that have cancer of other forms. I guess their lives isn’t worth the publicity and media attention either!!!

With the upcoming release of “Left Behind” I have been thinking about this. They have been posting little tidbits about the movie and book series. Of which I love the book series and own them all. I have also watched all the movies that have Kirk Cameron in them. But the question that they pose is pretty simple, but hard. What message would you want those who are left behind know about?

Someone of the Left Behind Facebook page wrote a message to those who have been left behind and I liked what they had to say. It said.  “Stay strong. Do not give up hope on God. This is not necessarily a punishment but a clear message that this is your last chance to turn to God. Do not grieve for those who are gone for they are with God. Grieve for those who are left and will witness the tribulation of God and will still not believe in him and will rely on false prophets. Stay strong in your new found faith and no that it is not too late. See you soon.”

For those who don’t know anything about this movie or book series. It is about the end times. Nickolas Cage will be playing the main roll in it. For many Christians, they believe that Christ will take his church home before the tribulation period begins.

For those who may not be familiar with the end times and what the rapture means, I will try to explain it. The word “rapture” comes from Paul’s “caught up” remark in verse 17. The words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “to carry off,” “snatch up,” or “grasp hastily.” The translation from harpazo to “rapture” involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptus became the English word “rapture.”

The rapture will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. The Apostle Paul gave a clear description of the rapture event in his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians.

• “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess, 4:16-18).
• “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in-corruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

This is how the Left Behind website describes this movie… The most important event in the history of mankind is happening right now. In the blink of an eye, the biblical Rapture strikes the world. Millions of people disappear without a trace. All that remains are their clothes and belongings, and in an instant, terror and chaos spread around the world. The vanishings cause unmanned vehicles to crash and burn. Planes fall from the sky. Emergency forces everywhere are devastated. Gridlock, riots and looting overrun the cities. There is no one to help or provide answers. In a moment, the entire planet is plunged into darkness. Check out more about this movie  and the trailer at http://www.leftbehindmovie.com/

When I think of the end times, I have mixed emotions. The reason I say that is because I am looking forward to the second coming of Christ. But at the same time it is a time of sadness because of those who won’t be with Christ that I love. Each person has to decide for themselves, I can’t make them. The Bible is very clear on how terrible things will be. There are many theories out there about when Christ will come again. Never trust anyone who says they know, because it isn’t true. We are given signs of the end times, but no year, month, day or hour. If anyone is reading this and the rapture has happened, help yourself to the books, bibles and other resource I have, because you will need them.

I do hope that it is the pre-trib theory. The reason I say that is because I am a chicken and no way would I want to have to even think about having to live through the mid tribulation period or any other kind of tribulation period. It doesn’t matter if it’s pre, mid or post tribulation – what matters is it’s real. It’s coming and it’s close. For those who know the Lord personally, does it matter if it is the pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib. We should be doing the Lords work each day. As things begin to unfold in the world, we will know. God knows when things will happen, we just need to be ready and talk to as many as we can about who God is and what His plan of Salvation is. We should all be reaching out to the LOST, and try, in any way…to reach them, with God’s Good News!

Now, if I wanted to leave a message to those who would be left behind. I would say never ever take the mark of the beast. Once you do that, you have sealed your fate. The mark of the beast is the sign of the Antichrist, and is mentioned in Revelation 13:15-18:

” 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

Secondly, I would say to read the Bible and hide out. Things are not going to be pretty. The Anti Christ will lie to you and most that will be saved during this time will have to find a safe place. Don’t trust anyone and be on guard. I would guess that most who are saved during this time will be killed for their faith. It is better to loose your temporary life then to loose your life forever. As believers in Christ we must realize that this world is not our home!

Also during this time, you will find it almost impossible to be able to buy food, gas or just about anything. The only way you will be able to do anything is if you have the mark of the beast. That mark could be almost anything. Now, my thoughts is that it will be a micro-chip of sorts since they can be read easily. Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it!!!

Lastly, I would say memorize the Word of God and pray. Don’t believe people when they try to convince you that everyone that is gone was abducted by aliens. The only thing that is true about aliens is that as Christians we are aliens in a sense in the world, since we live in the world, but not of this world. Jesus Christ said, In Matthew 24:40 it says “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left”.

No matter when Christ comes, we know for certain that He will be coming again. We know we must be ready and sharing the Word of God. There are many nay sayers and those who believe that this is fiction. Hopefully those who are the nay sayers will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before it is too late and guarantee ya, that if you take the mark, then it is too late.

Most of the images on this blog posting are from the Left Behind website. They are owned by them.

Sorry All, this is a vent… Just having one of those days.

Stupid people drive me nuts. Or should I say stupid comments. And people that goes on and on and doesn’t have a clue and doesn’t need to be in the middle of my business needs to just step to the side. And for the most part I am probably making more out of this than I need to.

This is the whole thing. We have my brother in laws car. The engine is a mess and I want it out of our garage. It has only been in there for over 2 yrs. My car can’t even fit in there because of this beast. Chuck has no time to work on it. He barely has time to work on the cars we drive all the time. And, by the time we pay for an engine, fix it up, we are in the hole. So when someone tells me that this or that can be done with it. I want to shoot them with a rubber band. If someone else wants to pay to have it fixed and spend countless hours on it, by all means go for it. But when it isn’t their time or money, they need to step aside and leave it alone. I have no patience for this at all and sick of the whole thing. The first $850.00 dollars takes it and they can blow it up for all I care. They can even use it for target practice, I don’t care.

I’m thinking since my cardiologist wants to do a stress test and my blood pressure was 210/128 today or right around there, that they should check my blood pressure around people that have no common sense. My Dr’s say to stay calm and away from stress. How can someone fix stupid??? I don’t think there are enough pills in this world to do that.

Now, I know as a Christian I should be nice and slow to anger. But, I want to also add that I understand the verse where it says “we all fall short of the glory of God.” So I am falling short right now and I am thinking there has to be a Bible verse about stupid people. It is human nature to justify things, so for a few minutes or the night, I am going to justify my thoughts on this whole thing.

OK! So I had to go search for Bible verses on stupidity. And low and behold there is some.

• Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
• Ecclesiastes 10:3 – Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are.
• Romans 1:22 – Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
• 2 Timothy 2:23 – Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

So, now I am going to have to end this topic because stupid is something that can’t be fixed that easily. And I get really agitated over somethings.