Warning, Warning

Is America in for troubling times? For service today we watched this youtube video. I don't know about earthquakes, though I do believe it's possible. However what concerns me most is civil unrest. Unrest that might cause problems. I have hope for America though.

What amuses me but also concerns me is that the media can't handle Trump. He drives the media mad for some reason. And to be honest, I kind of like that because I don't see the media as a friend of God at times. Always promoting and pushing an agenda that pleases them, an agenda that has no concern what God wants. So when I see the media implode over Trump, it kind of delights me.

Strangely though, I saw one of the subtitles of a book given to Pastor Sam for his birthday today, that said something about the coming war of Christian against Christian. How can this be, but it seems that's how it already has been these days, Christians being divided by politics.

Israel, American must support Israel. I think this may be the number one issue. If we mess with Israel, God will allow satan to mess with America. Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital would be a great start. And then don't interfere with their actions. How about trusting Israel for once, that they know best how to govern their own country. If we try to split their land, God will let our land be split, by earthquakes or hurricanes or civil unrest or terrorist attacks, or mass shootings or anything else.

God will not be mocked, whatsoever a man (or country for that matter) sows, that shall they also reap. Sow good and reap good, so bad and reap bad. That simple. I could go on but let me end this here.

Kaf, the 11th Hebrew Letter

Monday afternoon and the Mission is closed, but I can tell you most likely tomorrow for noonday service we will be going to Kaf, the 11th letter of the Hebrew alephbet:

Jonathan Cahn Interview

Today for 12 o'clock noonday service we watched a recent Jonathan Cahn interview:

Reverse Culture God Shocked

The day after I came back from Kenya, I am thinking I was experiencing severe reverse culture shock, or like a missionary's version of PTSD, and I caught someone doing something at our church and felt it a good enough reason to pay a visit to the local police precinct. Well as God would have it, the detective I talked to turned out to be the detective who was handling my background investigation when I applied for the NPD so many years ago. I tried to jog her memory but she could not remember me. In fact I would not have placed her face had I not remembered her name. It was her name that stuck with me all these years. One tough chick! Just so happens that I wrote about my experience back then and seemed to make it a favorite of mine on Walking Daily with the Lord: I Dreamt I was a Police Officer.

I thought about blogging about this when it happened the other week ago, but never got around to it. Don't think I would have even bothered with it now had I not thought about hitting on that old favorite link just the few minutes ago.

Kenya, My Heart (Two)

Because I am so tired of the post prior this one (Late Night Blogging), I want to just share the video I made of my trip to Kenya:

 

I did just share it on Walking Daily with the Lord too, but since I am having trouble posting a widget of the House of Mercy Mission Fundraiser I started the other day, the above will have to suffice.

Late Night Blogging

12:44am Friday morning, the last day of VBS for our kids today and am planning to wake up around 6:45am to start picking them up. But am feeling restless and have been wanting to blog for a couple hours, so I figured why not get it out of me.

"I go through boys like underwear," said one of my old bosses to me from Tops Dinner in East Newark. Stopped by there after work with a friend who is visiting from Kenya and had me a bomb steak salad. Can't say I have ever had a better salad and have been wanting to hit that joint for some time to see if it still had it, and it did, the salad that is.

Was actually quite an experience I had there, and though the underwear comment takes the prize for most memorable, I had a jolly moment after I recovered from nearly choking on one of the steak strips. The steak was incredible, just fantastic but there was one piece that had a little extra fat and I could not quite figure out how to negotiate it.

Before I go on, part of the humor I found in all this had to do with an EMT textbook that was 70% off at Barnes and Noble which I had looked at the day before. At the time I found myself nearly choking on this tricky bit of steak, the thought crossed my mind that maybe I should have studied that EMT textbook more.

I thank God that I was able to easily eject the offending piece of cow! Though I did not want to make a scene, I would have to save my life. Who wouldn't, right? But the thought of possibly having to made me imagine the hoopla it would have caused. Rightfully so in such a case, but hoopla none-the-less.

However, it was the thought that maybe I should have studied the EMT textbook, at the exact time I was choking, that amused me. Interestingly even now I am having a thought that maybe I should go back and pick that book up, if it's still there. A sign!

Yeah but then my old boss's comment ("I go through boys like underwear") when I tried to jog his memory to remember me. Obviously he did not.

It was not the exact response I was looking for, but definitely original. My only question is if I should be insulted being that I am 37 years old and told him it was about 7 years ago. It's been awhile since someone called me a boy, but perhaps it was the story that I used to try to make him remember: "I only worked here for about 3 months, but over there [pointing to a particular place] is where I walked out on you."

Yeah I did that, walked out of Tops Diner as a waiter and made a big scene. Eh, it was just a waitering job, so no big deal, right? Well after I walked out I thought about it for awhile in the parking lot and had second thoughts, thinking that was no way to quit a job. And he actually let me come back.

I worked there for a couple more weeks before an underling let me go, saying because I could not work certain nights they had to release me. Anyway, I always thought the boss was cool, and that maybe I was just having a bad night that night. Things between the boss and me were never the same though after that night. Whatever. Many moons ago! Memories, memories.

Alright I think that will do it for now. Good night and God bless!

All Lives Matter!

After thinking deeply about what is happening in our nation, I have concluded that "All Lives Matter" is the correct response to "Black Lives Matter" no matter how offense it might be to some. Let me explain my reasoning because it really took a long time to articulate in my mind what's up.

Black Lives Matter is a response to an appearance of abundant racist police, but my objection to all this was that if black lives really mattered to the black community, why is there so much black on black crime?

Good question, and when I further thought about it, I concluded that crime is color blind, for it does not care what your skin color is, so yeah, crime has that going for it, but I am sure we can all agree that crime is not a good thing.

Next what we have here is what I like to call the "hood." The hood promotes crime, and crime, like I said before, does not care about skin color. However, this color-blind-crime also does not care about people. So we have the hood that creates crime and crime has a voice that says "No lives matter!" It does not say "Black lives don't matter," because crime doesn't care about skin color, but, "No lives matter!"

And well, as a Christian, all lives matter to me.

When I once thought the black community is really the one that does not believe that black lives matter, because of all the black on black crime I see here in Newark, I have concluded that color has nothing to do with it but only the voice that is greater: the voice of crime that says, "No lives matter!" or the opposing voice of God that says, "All lives matter!"

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy birthday America! You are a good country and God desires to bless you, but you must remember to always do what is right and to never forget the Lord. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord! Happy, happy, birthday America, and bless the Lord!

A High Pitch Sound

Well, hello there!

I have been dealing with a certain noise issue here in the city of Newark for the past two month now, shocker, I know, but today I was finally able to confront the person who might be able to do something about it. Wow was he heated! I mean his tone of voice was ridiculous and I could not figure out why he would be so upset over a simple conversation. I left the conversation saying "God bless you!" if that is any indicator of anything. I kept my cool the whole time, even after I was asked to leave the property. What!? A neighbor asking me to leave the property?! What a joke! He was furious over my simple request to adjust a knob on a commercial vacuum cleaner outside the gas station.

Yes, it's the BP gas station across the street and the new vacuum cleaner they installed a few months ago creates a high pitched noise. I believe it's the nozzle with a flat head that is creating the whistling noise and all that needs to be done is the taking off of the nozzle. This is Newark, no one is going to care there isn't a flat head nozzle on a gas station vacuum cleaner. But by the tone of his voice you would have thought I asked the boss to close down. Wow I had to sit down and pray about that one. And while a couple of ideas came to me in prayer, this, blogging about it, came as well. So here I am, writing about a unnecessarily weird incident.

"I'll ask the technician to look at it!" was the reply in the one sided argument, but why all the fuss? Why was he so hostile to me? I almost want to write the type of car he has and what color, but what would be the point? In any case from the look of his car, he is well to do. I just don't like being talked to that way, and I learned a long time ago not to talk to people like that, the way he was talking to me, in this neighborhood. People in this neighborhood don't put up with that and will put you in your place in a hot second. But, that is not me, I let God fight my battles, or a least try to. I am not perfect, I fail at times, but if I can help it I try to always do the right thing. And that is why I haven't snuck over there in the middle of the night with a ski mask and cut the thing off with a hacksaw. They have security cameras, but the Lord knows I've thought of the options. I have even thought of doing it in the broad day light and letting the police handle the matter no matter the consequences. Sainer heads have prevailed thus far. *sigh*

Anyway, we will see what God does, cause the Lord knows how disturbing I find this new noise. And as I end this post I can hear the sound of the whistle. Blessings, blessings, blessings!

Trusting the Lord at All Times

I don't know if this is the right place to write this, but I just feel like writing and here I am. Life is so tricky sometimes even as Christians. It's difficult not to worry. Is the Lord really gonna give us the desires of our heart? Or is it just a trick like a carrot and stick? That's just what life feels like sometimes but that's not the way it is. God is not a man that He should lie, and so then if we are truly delighting ourselves in Him, then He will honor His word and give us the desires of our heart. I choose to believe God and His Word and I choose to trust Him no matter what it looks like or how I feel. God will do what He said He will and that is that. The end of the story!

Glory of Zion

Today for service we watched the teaching part of this video by Robert Heidler on the Hebrew month of Iyar:

Pain and Suffering

Keep going, keep going, keep going! The other day I woke up with terrible upper back and neck pain, and even now it feels like something is being compressed on my chest at times and feels awkward swallowing or even breathing. Ordinarily someone in my situation might go to the doctors, but I don't have health insurance. Despite the Affordable Care Act, health insurance is still not affordable to me. To add insult to injury, this will be the second year I am "fined" for not having health insurance. It's so disgusting! The government interfering with my lack of healthcare. I just can't wait till Trump becomes president and blows this law clean out of the water.

On another note though, I really could use a doctor, but oh well, for the time being I will deal with the pain and hope it just becomes better on its own.

Pray for me, for healing, I know God is able! Thank you and God bless!

Snow

It has been snowing all day today this Saturday. Yeah or nay? Honestly there is so much snow I kind of freak out thinking about how difficult it will be to use the snowblower tomorrow morning. Anyway, it's all in the Lord's hands.

Trip to the Bank

I have long since forsaken what I might consider risky behavior here in Newark, in that where wisdom seems obvious in maintaining my safety, but it appears even now that when we are trusting the Lord and being led by Him, what are ordinarily lines considered black and white seem to vanish. I am not speaking of morality but what might define us traditionally, for example the reason I am writing this, which had me giggling that it actually worked.

Low in my checking account, I know no one else experiences this, I wanted to make a cash deposit for peace of mind, and being that Newark is my home, I knew of only two ATM's not too far but only one has a drive through. Being that it is night, I was inclined to go to the one with the drive through which is a little bit farther than the one without one.

I make my trip to find that all the ATM's at the bank are not taking cash deposits and so I'm left having to choose another bank. Leaving my phone at home so as not to risk losing it in a potential robbery, I know I can be super cautious sometimes, I am left without tech to find the closest branch.

However, I then ask the Lord to lead me and soon find myself inclined to follow a few blinkers. I know, this is not ordinary behavior but I believe in my God, that He can use such "signs" if he so desires. Well I tell after a short little drive I was led to a new ATM, one that I have never seen before and one I would not have found had I not been inclined to follow certain blinkers. It was actually extremely efficient. One catch though, I was still in Newark and this was an ATM on the street all exposed. When I first saw the ATM I kind of danced in my heart, but then I soon found myself uttering the words, "You want me to do what Lord?" Haha.

I scout out the location as I am at a light ready to turn and decide, I can do this, just to the ATM and back. Pulling up to the curb relatively close to the ATM I jump out looking as tough as I can and make a deposit attempt at the first ATM. Cash deposits currently not accepted.

What?! You have got to be kidding me! Lord???

Second ATM, success.

I breath a sign of relief as I take off in my car, and as I said before, giggling over what all just happened.

Whoever said it wasn't fun to serve the Lord?