"Only one life, 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last."

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Like many others, including the Queen of England in her Christmas address, I must acknowledge the darkness in this world this past year.

How can we ignore it?

In our despair I am comforted and strengthened by the promises of the LORD, and the surety of His return.

Yes, we all wish it happened yesterday...

But each new day we can thank God for another opportunity to praise His name, thank Him for everything He has done for us, and learn to be patient.




We are in the midst of holiday celebration and a few more house project tweaks. We are putting a tile floor into the basement after ripping up the carpet.

All of this involves a lot of moving, carrying, and jockeying in this new house.

There have been so many little things that needed attention since we moved in, but now that the old house has sold we have the time and energy to devote to this house.

The snow finally came during the night. It's beautiful. It finally looks like Minnesota!

Margaret promptly put on her skis and went for a refreshing work-out.

I should join her, but I'm too busy wrapping up loose ends in the house.

I wanted to wish you all, dear readers and friends, a wonderful New Year, and a very happy Holiday season.

I was particularly blessed by a short message from IBLP about what the stable in Bethlehem really was, and why the shepherds knew exactly where to go to see the baby Jesus.

It was very logical and fascinating. Look it up if you are interested. I'll try to get the link to you if you want it. Just message me.

As the light increases in the season I pray the light increases in your spirit.

May God bless you and keep you.

With love,
Costanza



Monday, December 21, 2015

Social Justice

A Thief...

Apocalypse at Christmas

A few corgi hollows moments:

Orchestra Hall. Christmas concert

Margaret and two of her cousins

Wearing a dress her grandma wore as a bridesmaid!

Corgis are Good for the Heart

Monday, December 14, 2015

Jason A

Behold the Hand, Behold the Nail

The Assault

Refugees

If only the world could be a simple place where evil did not exist and we all could live in peace.
Ideology drives us, and it lends itself to discord.
Accepting truths about human nature and religion (man's search for God) is the beginning of finding the solution.
Accepting religions and the respective rules thereof is part of finding truth.
Jesus said that the way to eternal life is narrow and few find it. A recent clip illustrating the flux of world religions put out by Business Insider is a stark picture of this Biblical truth.
Those of us who believe the Bible have little hope in anything BUT the promises of the  Bible.
Truth.
God's Word is True.
So how should we regard the hopeless, the lost?
Compassion and wisdom.
Evil must be acknowledged. Good laws should be kept. Citizens should expect a return for their taxes in public defense.
The elephant standing in the room is the religion of Islam and the practice of it according to the teachings of Mohammed.
Why don't people read the Koran?
It isn't hard to do it, although it is a book of dark spiritual origin. Anyone who reads it can see that.
Christians and Jews are the victims of pure Islam. For centuries the different Islamic factions were in complete discord among themselves, keeping Islam from a complete takeover.
It has spread significantly throughout the world, especially recently in Europe and North America.
While most Moslems are quietly nominal in their religion at least 1% and as many as 25% of all Muslims actually believe the tenets of Islam.
This should be of concern to non-Moslems. That bodes ill for anyone who does not adhere to Islam.
World domination is their goal. Yes. It is. It is in the Koran.
We are all witness to the beheadings, the breasts cut off of young rape victims, the burnings, the hangings and stonings.  The photos are all over the interwebs.
The massacre of Americans at Fort Hood and lately San Bernardino are harbingers of future events bound to occur by that creed.
It's inevitable.
So when you "stand with Moslems" you have made a deliberate choice to stand against freedom of religion. Islam dictates that.
To all the Moslems I know and those who read this:
My faith dictates that I love and serve you. I pray you convert to faith in Christ, as that is the only way according to the Bible.
I pray with you that pure Islam will not spread in the world, and that we would be kindhearted toward one another.
I pray that my country would protect the rights of Christians and Jews, and your right to live peacefully among us.
I pray that you would find the truth of Jesus Christ, but no one forces you to convert. You have free will here.
I pray that the people who have been abused by your religion find peace, healing, and a safe refuge in the world, even in America. They only want to live.
I pray that you would be kind to the many former Moslems that are increasing in number despite the despicable threats against their lives.
I pray that Yeshua HaMeshiach becomes your Mesih.
Isa Mesih.
Savior.
Shalom.

History

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

"Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old. O LORD; and have comforted myself.
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgimage.
I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.
This I had, because I kept thy precepts."

Psalm 119: 49-56

I have been delighting in the offerings of the holiday season. Concerts, treats, visits, and preparation for Christmas.

Yet in the back of my mind I hear the struggle of these days we live in, and it surely lends a dampening to these festivities. I struggle with the pagan influences that take over.

This is, after all, the kingdom of the Prince of Darkness.

He may not reign in our hearts, if we believe in Yeshua, but he certainly reigns on this earth!

"Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on earth to men of good will!"

You don't hear it that way very often, but there are translations to this effect.

It changes the thought remarkably, and it excludes much of mankind. In the Reformed tradition it would mean those who are of the elect, the ones who believe in Christ. These are the ones with the goodness of Christ in their hearts and souls, and as Paul says, "There is no one good," Romans 3:11.

We all know good people: our friends---family----neighbors---philanthropists---churchmen and women. Goodness seems to abound.

God bless these good ones.

Yet those washed in the righteousness of Christ's blood sacrifice are the truly good, declared good, by the Holy God of creation. Our goodness is a declaration, not a characteristic.

We are called to being good. We are called to do good. We are declared righteous. (Even if it doesn't seem so!)

And this makes everything so wonderful.

We bask in the love of our savior, Jesus Christ, Messiah. We do and love out of His power and His goodness.

It's not us. He has made our spirits alive, born again, and it is His Spirit which reveals His thoughts and direction to our lives, through His Word, the Bible.

When I read the remarkable biographies of believers who have since passed away I am so encouraged! The work of the Spirit is so evident in their lives! It just thrills me. It is the most wonderful thing.

I am currently enamored with a website called "One For Israel" which features testimonies of Jewish believers. It is the most sweet and inspiring place to spend some time each day. The love of our LORD just shines on the faces of those testifying. It's wonderful.

How I hope that the love of our LORD shines on my face, that the daily grind of dealing with pain, cancer, mental illness, and discord is erased. I pray that the true strength of the Holy Spirit is the prevailing attitude anyone can see.

A few weeks ago, when I was having a particularly hard day, I was encouraged by the LORD. I cry out to Him regularly when I'm in the car alone, driving somewhere. Eyes open!

I was crying about being unable to handle a certain situation, one that I've had to deal with for awhile.

"Stop Trying!"

"Find your peace and joy in ME, and LIVE FOR ME!"

I don't claim to be like Sarah Young, or hear the voice of the LORD. I'm too afraid to claim any special inspiration. I have real issues with anything claiming to be Jesus. (Test the spirits, and DON'T use occult means to find your path!)

Yet there is, in a believer's soul and spirit, a direction of thought and action which the influence of TRUTH from the Word of God can surely shape. It happened for me that day.

I can't fix the ones that need fixing. I'm not called to that. I can only have the prayerful and peaceful attitude that Christ has commanded me to have.

How freeing! How wonderful! I am called to live my life in obedience to Christ alone, and that is the most wonderful and joy-filled calling any person could have.

We may be mistaken, or have sinned, or chosen unwisely----all a part of the human condition---but we have the most wonderful solution to this!

We believers have the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of God's Word, setting out a direction for each of our lives.

SO, dear friends, it IS the most wonderful time of the Year! It's always wonderful! It's living in the joy of the LORD, and obeying His commands and precepts. It's being confident in worldview and message. It's loving others as they should be loved, sharing truth, helping, correcting according to God's Word!

As we deal with each other, all of us sinners, all of us fallen, we should be flat on our faces before God in awe of His tremendous love for us.

A baby, born of a virgin, the story written in the stars from the dawn of time! Distorted, to be sure, by Nimrod and Semiramis, Isis and Horus, and countless other evil powers. This baby (not born in December!) sent as a pure and holy sacrifice, pure blood, there can be no other substitute. It had to be Him.

This One, this precious gift to mankind---PEACE!----is the Way to God. This is GOD'S WAY.

Once you've found it you will be forever changed, forever His. There's no going back!

The Truth wins.

How wonderful.

Don't forget to repent and believe today. Don't wait! Time is running out.






Sunday, December 6, 2015

God put a tree

In the garden of Eden God placed a forbidden tree.

It was a test of man's will.

Adam and Eve failed the test, as Lucifer failed before them.

God gave freedom, but His created chose a dreadful path.

Another tree was significant, the one on which God sacrificed His Son Yeshua.

This tree, the cross, was the remedy for the first tree's debacle.

God's great merciful idea to lovingly save a creation He kindly brought forth.

Perspective.

It matters.

Wait until we know Him face to face.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Babylon Code 3

https://youtu.be/9frZRoAZ29M

Hiding Out

Ed and I are at a secret location in the US swimming and reading, being quiet, making plans and resting. No sight-seeing. No visiting.

It is a much needed vacation.

Back to the normal daily grind soon.

It's fun.

Must Reading

On my third time reading it.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Answer to ISIS

http://www.assistnews.net/index.php/component/k2/item/1228-canon-andrew-white-believes-the-only-answer-to-islamic-state-isis-it-to-radically-destroy-them

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Spirit of the Season

Kyrie - arr. Paul J. Christiansen

I Believe - Mark Miller

Lo How a Rose/ The Rose - Craig Hella Johnson

Word

And He said to me, “It is done![c] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things,[d] and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving,[e] abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”


What a list there, in one of the last chapters of Revelation.

We are memorizing the verses in the little red book known as the "Treasure Path to Salvation."

Each week there are five or six verses to memorize that emphasize a concept of man's need for eternal life in Christ.

Verse 8, above, is one we're learning this week, and I have thought about it quite a lot. What a list. 

Fearful---cowardly: You won't be heaven. What???!

Unbelieving: Well, that's a given.

Abominable: What could this mean, really? Hitler? Stalin? Pol Pot?

Murderers: Certainly those that haven't repented

Sexually Immoral: Do you have a natural sexual relationship with one person who you have pledged yourself for life? If the answer is no, or ever has been no, you'd better repent quick.

Sorcerers: What about occult practices?

Idolaters: Have you decided God's characteristics, or did you get the description from the Holy Bible?

All Liars: Won't some people be surprised? "It was just a little lie! A white lie! It was partly true!"

All liars.

Get your heart ready to meet the Eternal Judge. Believe, repent.

These are hard verses in Scripture, but they are there for our good.

The Bible tells us to be salt and light.

What if there were NO righteous-minded people in the world? What if there were no God-given standard of righteousness?  What if no one knew what was good or right?

We who want to keep Christ's commands are admonished to be righteous. We act as a preservative in this world. When we leave, evil will be the most powerful force. Suffering will be rampant. 

Satan is the ruler of this world. He is the prince and power of the air. When Spirit-filled believers leave he will reign supreme.

For a time. 

God wins in the end, but those who have not chosen Him will perish eternally.

No lie.

On this Thanksgiving Day, why don't you choose a new eternal life. Leave evil, and follow Christ.

It is really that simple.

You know the Truth, now. Believe it.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Israel's Future?

Intense Living at Corgi Hollows

Well, the old house is sold, the keys are in the hands of another. The doors are shut on the past.

I was melancholic last week after we signed away the property. There is such a finality about selling a place you lived in and loved for 16 years. No going back, really.

I don't want to sound ungrateful or unhappy about where we are now, but there is this sense of loss that borders on sorrow about the past and no return.

I do love our new house. We are discovering all the little foibles it has in facing the new season of cold in Minnesota! We have had to tear up the floor in the kitchen due to leaking, and fix dozens of other handy-man type projects. We are going to update the floor in the basement, and install shelves and hardware to make things work right.

Margaret is having the most difficult season of her life. Besides surviving what could have been the most awful of car accidents, she has endured car trouble (the clutch) and late nights of working at the coffee shop. She has her job of life guarding weekly at the YMCA too. Add to that her senior project (a huge paper) and a full credit load at the University-----and she graduates in December!

Let's hope. Let's hope stress doesn't get the best of her. That crash was enough to rattle her nerves for the rest of her driving life----

But she's persevering. She's getting through it all.

My husband and I had our fall concerts with the Northern Lights Chorale. I was asked to play the flute at the end of John Rutter's "Agnus Dei." This was not easy for me, as I hadn't picked up my flute since Ed's Leukemia diagnosis.

That's over a year ago now...

There's something called embouchure (French for "mouth") that can be developed or diminished by practice or lack thereof.

I lack currently.

I tried the solo, and it came off, barely, with much trembling. I would like to get back to practicing more, as I don't want to lose my flute skills. I love the flute, and I've always been fairly confident playing it.

Another loss.

I'll post a YOUTUBE video of this piece if it gets chosen to be publicized. It is a powerful work.

Our season with the chorale was difficult for me. I think I'm finally really weary of all the life changes we've undergone in the past 3 years. Even the things that bring joy have dulled.

It certainly could be weariness, or even normal depression.

I can attest to the power of the Holy Spirit in keeping us on track, going forward, functioning every day, meeting challenges and simply getting up every morning to meet the demands of our lives.

It does take a bit of prodding to face a day that is spent at the clinic getting an infusion of chemotherapy, or a must-do appointment at the YMCA swimming to halt the effects of AVN (Avascular Necrosis) on Ed's knees.

It's Thanksgiving this week, and I do have so much to be thankful for.

I can't help it but look up at the Lord and ask----"Why in the world are we still here??????"

It's depressing.

But He has his purposes. He has his reasons. He is patient, and not willing that any should perish.

There are still a bunch of people on my prayer list that I'm praying for, for their salvation.

I pray they read my pleas for them to turn to Truth and a Biblical knowledge of salvation through and in Yeshua alone.


That's what we're here for, anyway. Life IS short. It's just seemed long lately.

Now that we don't have the other house to take care of we can curl up by our fireplaces and knit, read and be cozy as the nights lengthen into solstice. I guess the Norwegians have perfected the art of winter living, and I need to see it as an advantage.

With my first grandson on the way I have plenty to do with the knitting needles! I have a grand-nephew now, too----and the sweater I'm knitting for him is 3/4's finished. I need long evenings with hot cocoa or tea and a Jane Austen movie. I have projects to finish!

Margaret does too. Please keep her in your prayers.

We had a fun weekend with my husband's parents, delicious meals eaten out, and a spontaneous breakfast for 14 people this morning as our friends passed through on their way home from a trip down south.

Life is certainly interesting. Intense.

Maybe, just maybe, it will quiet down some?

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!




Aspergers

The following lecture is very helpful. If you know me personally I'd like to request you watch it.

Aspergers is a complex problem---or asset---depending on how you look at it.

Dealing with it can be trying, frustrating, and often humorous. It is a life journey that is demanding and draining.

I know.


Could It Be Aspergers?

The Following Film "The Third Jihad"

I think you shouldn't have an opinion about the "refugee crisis" unless you have seen this important documentary. It is several years old, but completely current in its information.

One of the lies bandied about by the political left is that Islam is a peaceful religion.

It is not. It is amazing to hear people lie about Islam even after the terrorist attacks that continue all over the world.

Some liberals concede that perhaps 1% of Muslims are "radical." Any liberal source of statistics will claim this ridiculous percentage.

The truth is that 1 in four Muslims believe that Sharia law should be implemented worldwide. One in four Muslims believe that Islam should be the religion of the entire world. One in four Muslims believe that suicide bombing is a legitimate way to wage warfare.

That's 25%, folks. There are billions of Muslims in the world. One quarter of these people think that the rest of the world is filth.

That's a lot of people.

Fear is something that a follower of Christ has no part in. DO NOT FEAR! is said 360 times in the Bible. Once for each day of the year,about. No follower of Christ can ever be fearful.

But we can be wise as serpents----harmless as doves.

It is not sin to protect people.

Satan is the master of death. He loves to kill----destroy. He is the one that drives the ideology behind radical Islam.

I have Muslim friends that I love. I know that they have no intention of harming me, or my family. I know that many nominal Muslims are very lovely people. I know them.

It's the ones that really believe their prophet that I would like to see thwarted in their life purpose of bringing Islam to the entire world.

There is nothing wrong in wanting Islam to have a minor influence.

All this talk of being a coward, of putting on "big boy pants" and being yellow is completely insulting, and the ones it is aimed at don't miss the slight.

I don't. I don't care what anyone calls me, but I know there are things in this world that can harm and destroy. Satan, first and foremost.

We can fight a supernatural war, but that doesn't discount our material existence.

If people need refuge we should help them, absolutely. I remember when our church took in refugees from Cambodia back in the 1970's. Many people helped them to assimilate here in Minnesota, including our family and many of our friends.

Helping refugees is nothing new.

Islamic extremists can take advantage of that humanitarian impulse to help very easily, and those of us who would take in a family (or families) in a heartbeat are not to be faulted for being cautious.

Islam is, after all, an ideology. One must ALWAYS look at the roots and the ends of an ideology. Where, exactly does this ideology take you?

To love, to be salt and light until Christ comes?
Or to take over the world and subjugate it to Allah?

Face the facts. Look at the roots.

Then you will become a conservative, faithful fundamentalist who loves everyone, but hates sin!

Horrors.

Let your conscience tell you, and open your heart to Biblical truth. You will be eternally right.

Take the time to educate yourself. Watch this film:

The Third Jihad - Radical Islam's Vision for America - (A Clarion Projec...

Guiltsgiving: Feel Guilty for Your Blessings!

I've Got Something That Works

"The term “useful idiot” is thought to have been coined by communist mass murderer Vladimir Lenin. It describes naive communist sympathizers in the West (liberals). While Lenin and the Soviets held these stupid liberals in utter contempt, they also saw them as useful tools for dispensing propaganda."--from Google


If you have had your blood pressure rise in the last couple of weeks since the Islamist terrorist attack in Paris you've been on social media and you've been aware of the incredible disunity in our world, in our country.

There are some things which a majority of people don't have any knowledge of and ideology appears to be one of them.

I am a great fan of ideology. I love it. It drives me every day and gives me purpose for life.

I have an ideology that is firmly rooted in something completely outside my own reason, my own structuring. 

I have an ideology that is successful in absolutely every facet of human existence. My ideology is the best one in the entire universe. I want everyone to know it, to accept it, to believe it.

My ideology is God's ideology according to the Holy Bible.

And----just according to the Bible. Not any other religious book. 

The Bible is God's Word to mankind, and when you believe it you have a foundation for a universal network that exceeds reason. 

It's supernatural. 

It's the only way, the narrow way, the path to life, eternal and present.

The ONLY way.

Believe it or not, you will bow before the KING OF KINGS and you will confess that HE is LORD, and your eternal life will be affected by what you do now-----believe, repent, confess---Christ as Savior.

No second chance.

"It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; That ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

ALL THE WORLD

Lenin knew that his views were effective, but he had a low opinion of those that followed them. He called leftist liberals "useful idiots." When you follow someone who calls you an idiot you should question that leadership.

Christ Jesus, on the other hand, demands complete surrender. He is love, and He is holy. He demands that you follow HIS WAY and none other. 

His way was the only way from the dawn of time.

It is so encouraging to see people finding Christ in the worst of circumstances. It is wonderful to see blind eyes opened to the perfection of life in Christ. 

And there is no going back once you find the truth.

It is worth all, even to the point of death.

We don't base our hope on something unproven. God is ready and willing to show Himself to anyone who humbles himself and asks for forgiveness.

Come to the TRUTH. Obey God. Change your heart. Repent!

Your eyes will be opened, and you'll find a new family, one stronger and better than any genetic link! Your spiritual family will be your anchor, your mooring, your stronghold.

Reject religion, and come to Christ. Find HIM in all His perfection.

Religion can never satisfy. It will only bring sorrow and an end in eternal flames.

RELIGION STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN


Christ JESUS, Yeshua, Isa Mesih, Lord Sabaoth! The one who saves.

Stop the madness of thinking man's way. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit and instruct you in HIS WAY.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Delusions

It is a fact that when I have engaged in a social media discussion on anything that divides opinion I put myself in the line of fire.
It's fact that I try to argue ideas without insulting my opponents, that I encourage them to find sources of information they haven't tried.
It's fact that my opponents resort to some form of insult before they check out of the discussion too.
I am thick skinned, but rudeness speaks volumes.
Here's some advice for my ideological opponents:
When you resort to insult or rudeness you have lost your argument. Try to politely excuse yourself from the conversation rather than firing a stinging remark.
You only make me sorry for you, that you cannot come up with an intelligent response to my statements or questions.
Life is short. It is too short to be bitter about people who hold opposite views from yourself.
Debate requires give and take.
When you mock or howl with laughter you have lost the game.
Your insecurity is manifest, and you need to realize that you have worth, worth enough, to follow your arguments wherever they lead, be they false or true.
Be willing see the other side!
Find your plumb-line of truth and test it constantly.
But don't be rude.
It isn't nice.

Don't Miss:

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Exciting Organ Concerts

Ed and I have been able to attend several organ concerts recently:

The American Guild of Pipe Organists Twin Cities Organ Crawl

Dr. Stephen Self, Bethel University

Nathan Laube

Kenneth Dake and Dr. Charles Kemper


We have a wealth of talent coming to entertain us here in the Twin Cities. The instruments here are also top notch.

Each of these concerts was special for its own presentation.

The Organ Crawl was fun, as Ed got to play each of the organs featured. He played the beautiful space of St. Thomas More Catholic church on Summit Avenue, the famous St. Clements Episcopal Church (designed by Cass Gilbert---his architectural "jewel"), St. Stephanus Lutheran Church, and St. Paul Church of Christ.

We met some wonderfully sweet and generous people at the last concert who are helping Ed get an organ that has virtual sound. Amazing.

The concert by Dr. Stephen Self was wonderful because he played such a great recital of significant works, among them "Cathedral Music" by Gunnar Idenstam. Ed just loved this work. He went home and researched all of the pieces in the work, and I'm hoping he'll be playing them for me soon!

Nathan Laube is simply amazing. He played at Benson Great Hall, Bethel, and he did that beautiful organ justice. His repertoire is amazing. It was amazing. Amazing.

The fun surprise (for me) was the concert this past Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church on Lexington. Kenneth Dake is the organist at the Marble Church in New York City. He and our own Charles Kemper (He taught Joe piano lessons a few years ago) did a duo; piano, two pianos, piano/organ, organ solo---with flair and talent---that was impressive and very entertaining.

They performed Rachmaninoff's piano concerto in E, with Charles at the piano and Dake impersonating the orchestra on the pipe organ. Fantastic. Charles displayed his piano prowess beautifully. Each piece played was inspiring, nine in all. They wrapped it up with Holst's "Jupiter." Very moving. Their concert was titled "Spirit's Fire," and really, they should take it on the road.

There was an excellent turn-out for the audience. The concert was recorded, and I'd really enjoy having a copy of it!

I'm still thinking about that Rachmaninoff...

Now we look forward to the next two weekends of the Northern Lights Chorale Fall Concerts!

Lovely music.



Apocalypse Now

What an interesting time to be alive.

Last night I finally was able to watch the latest "Watchers" DVD, "Watchers 9" by L.A. Marzulli. Its title is "Days of Chaos" and it documents the most current of happenings---even things in September of this year.

Quite remarkable.

People I know are beginning to talk of bunkers and shelters, and we are all looking up at the skies, wondering what the next day will bring.

Aren't we?

It appears that most of society is trembling in fear. We are distracted by political races, or whatever inane activity pop stars are up to, but the underlying truth is that we are vulnerable, and things aren't as they were.

Here in the Northland we are enjoying warm days unusual for us in November. Each new day of sunshine I thank the LORD for the time to accomplish another neglected task.

We are reading Holocaust stories in our home school, because Thursday evening a Holocaust survivor is sharing her story at our local church. Anita Dittman. She has a wonderful story, and it's being made into a movie now.

She's coming to our neck of the woods. I can't hear her this time, (though I've heard her speak and I've read the book "Trapped in Hitler's Hell")  but Ed and Cherie are planning to go with the grandparents.

We are reading about Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler, Le Chambon, Padre Niccocci, and the Danish Underground.

I am encouraged by their stories, people willing to sacrifice their lives for a belief in what was moral and right, going against the tide of social conformity.

It's only 80 years ago that Hitler began his rise to power.

We live in a different world now. There is probably little chance of actually hiding from anything with the technology of this era.

The truth is, it's just not possible.

So what if we were to have to disagree with the powers that be?

Scripture is plain about the events to unfold. Dissenters will be eliminated. Period.

Scripture is incredibly precise about the coming times. The Bible has always been reliable. Prophecies are always fulfilled to the letter. We can expect that the future will likewise be easy to recognize from what is written.

It is already.

WE are seeing prophecy unfold: Gog (Russia) IS on the northern borders of Israel. Israel IS a green and lush land, once a desert. Jews ARE coming back to the Promised Land in droves. Israel IS standing alone politically in the world, all other nations aligned against her. Damascus IS practically leveled. There IS a world-wide technology to mark every human being. There IS a faction of elites that are endeavoring to bring about a New World Order. Animals ARE dying off in unprecedented numbers. Earthquakes ARE increasing. There ARE plans for a new temple in the Holy Land.

These things are prophesied in Scripture.

So, my dear friends, WE are to be looking up. OUR redemption MUST be drawing nigh.

Let God be true, and every man a liar. Romans 3:4


So today I ask you------------Are you ready?

Have you come to belief in the Son of God? Have you repented of your sins?

L.A. Marzulli asks a great question at the end of "Days of Chaos."

"Are you sure you know the LORD? If you are not sure, YOU DON'T KNOW HIM."

Get sure, friends.

I get emails from prophecy watchers like myself. Several of my contacts are very interested in the Bible Codes and Gematria. I am interested in this too, but cautious. One of my contacts is convinced (via codes and mathematical equations) that November 11 is the start of the Great Tribulation. He's sent dozens of emails with reams of information proving his point. I am skeptical.

But what IF tomorrow WERE the beginning of the Tribulation? In my understanding of Scripture the Church is gone by that moment.

That means the great catching away of the Bride is BEFORE THAT!

We are to live with a daily expectation that the LORD is coming. I like to have a special expectation on certain days just to shake up my own tendency to loll in the daily grind of life. We need these days to make us aware!

I ask myself---Is my house in order? Am I ready to abandon everything here?

If my heart is tied to something here, am I willing/ready to meet the LORD? He talks about not looking back.

I have the most wonderful expectations of seeing Yeshua. I know that to be with Him is going to be perfect. Nothing could be more lovely, beautiful, completing, and joyful.

So why do I have these little thoughts of darkness: Will the translation from the body to the eternal be scary? What will happen to our beloved pets? Am I leaving a mess for someone to find? Will I know CHRIST---or will I be one of the deceived? (Yes, because Scripture warns about this I DO ask myself this)


I am revealing the darkness in my heart here...

Certainly I have reasoned out answers to all these questions, but they remain unsolved mysteries!

I have my suspicions about my friends and family that don't know Christ, and I have reverted to the coping mechanism of hope regarding their spiritual state. I pray that they will turn to Christ, AND be strong enough to face certain death by the Luciferians.

Yes, it is dark to think such things. I do though.

As one who believes in Christ I can only love my brethren, love my friends, family and those I know who are lost. I can HOPE that they will find salvation in the ONE TRUE GOD.

"I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father but by ME."----Jesus

 Come to Christ.

A million Iranians are now Christ-followers. They have seen the dark side of Islam and converted to Christianity. They risk their earthly lives for this, and yet more and more are coming to Yeshua daily. They know the truth.

I posted a video (it's long, I know) from Walter Veith the other day. He talks about the "Mark of Cain." I always find his lectures fascinating, if controversial. I think he was completely correct in saying that Cain tried to make God in to something Cain wanted to believe in.

That could be witchcraft, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Secularism, Atheism, Agnosticism, and even Christianity that goes against Biblical doctrine. It could be paganism, occultism, or heresy.

This is the mark of Cain. Making God in your own image is a violation of the first four commandments.

A few years back I had my own epiphany about the Biblical God. There were things I didn't like about Him. At the least He seemed harsh on poor mankind. I still believed in Him. I accepted Jesus as my savior.

Perhaps it was the process of sanctification, or just growing in faith, that made me know the Character of God better, and I had to grapple with what I believed or liked about God versus what Scripture had revealed. I chose to go with the Biblical God, revealed through Scripture, without trying to twist Scripture into something I could accept.

It was a moment of revelation for me.

I became aware of the most holy God, and that HE loved me.

I still struggle with this....daily....How can God love ME? I know He does, but I am so aware of my own insignificance, my failing, my daily sin struggle, my pride.

But God does love me. And He loves you. He wants you to repent and believe in Him.


He's bigger than you thought, beyond your comprehension. Beyond any close-minded doctrine defined by any human. Bigger than the Catholic church or the pope, bigger than Lucifer. He's amazing.

He's the one true God, and He's scary.  He's awesome, He's amazing.

He is love.

Dig into your Bible. Cry out to Him today! Say you are sorry for your presumptions about Him!

Come to Him.

The time is short, and the seven years of wrath are soon to begin. I am pretty certain of that.

Escape the coming wrath.  Humble yourself and believe. Turn away from your worldly assumptions and follow the Truth.

It will set you free.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Wolsfeld Woods

For years our family read the St Paul Pioneer Press, and in the "social media" section there was a place for readers to share life vignettes.
There was inside talk, ways to label certain kinds of stories and jokes.
One type of story was termed a Baader-Meinhof. This had little to do with the terrorist organization except that the first instance of this type of story regarded the infamous terrorists.
A Baader-Meinhof is hearing about something new, that you've never heard about ever before and soon after in a completely different context you hear about it again!
Well, it truly happened to me last night, and since it may have merit to some of you I'm going to tell my Baader-Meinhof!
On Saturday evening our friends came over for dinner. She and he have been my friends since I was in grade school. Now they live just about 3 miles away.
She mentioned hiking with her grandson in a beautiful woods nearby. "Wolsfeld Woods" is a gorgeous stand of virgin timber, and it stands behind the church in which I had piano recitals growing up!
It sounded intriguing to me, and truly, I had no clue the public woodland was there!
Last night I opened up the "Minnesota Conservation Volunteer" which came yesterday and started paging through it. I came to an article about a woods. It sounded very familiar!
Yes, it was about Wolsfeld Woods!
I think it's fated that I encounter this lovely place!
Soon!
And now I've had my own real Baader-Meinhof.

Morning...

Monday, November 2, 2015

Read:

Fall

Fall

Fall

Fall

Fall

At the Minnesota Wild with Ed

Too Much

I've had a couple of busy weeks. My thoughts are cooking, though, and I think We are experiencing a lull before a storm.

I just feel it.

I've done some reading, some web surfing, some preparation for a "storm." Ultimately I'm hoping that Jesus is on His way.

I see what is going on in Israel, Europe, and here in the U.S.. I can't help think we are on borrowed time.

We are, in a sense.

Our days ARE numbered, you know.

There is this crazy guy down in Australia who goes by the name "Humble Horse."

I can't stand his music, but I have to hand it to him----he sings all about prophecy and expresses my thoughts about the days we are living in precisely. I have to smile.

It's only a matter of time when the financial world reels under the heavy debt. The powers that be must have some diabolical plan up their sleeves to control and re-set the economic trends. It simply cannot go on as it has.

Change must occur.

I have my faith and trust in the LORD alone.

We are doing a bit of study on the Holocaust right now, reading stories of people who saved Jews during the war in Europe. Anita Dittman is coming to our town to speak in a week, and we hope to hear her again. She was a Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust in Germany.

What a story.

It's good to read these stories, but to try and compare that era of history with this one is ludicrous.

Perhaps protesters were able to hide out in the 1940's, but I don't think it's even a possibility these days.

If you protest now you're done. Technology has advanced to that level, at least.

Survivalists and bunker builders are in for a nasty awakening.

The most important thing anyone can do is prepare your spiritual condition to meet God. "Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved."

That's about it.

So enjoy the ride until that day! Don't worry. The LORD will be your comfort, your mainstay, your helper. You will be safe in His care.

Whatever comes, trust in the Heavenly Father to help and sustain. That is our hope, and it is in Him alone.

$20,000,000,000,000

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Fun and Games

I'm taking a moment out of a hectic time to write this afternoon. I can't elaborate on how busy things are, but they are.

Selling a house, keeping up two houses and yards, getting fall yard work done, keeping up with the demands of home-schooling, trying to keep a sane haven for my college student, putting up tomatoes and apples, cleaning, laundry----

It's a miracle my husband hasn't checked into therapy yet!

And, I forgot momentarily----medical demands.

Tomorrow is a clinic day, so that is on my mind.

The LORD has been gracious to us with a long autumn. Yesterday, in scattered sunshine, we raked up the leaves in front of our new house. If the rest of it doesn't get done until spring, so be it. This year the leaves fell before the wind turned turned wicked, and I appreciated being able to work outside without chapping my hands and face!

No, it's not done. Does it ever get done?

I've visited my favorite apple orchard a couple of times (Dumas Apple Orchard) this fall to buy Firesides, Prairie Spy, Honey Crisps, and Haralsons. The grocery store had Sweet Tangoes, and a good friend brought me some of those too.

Oh my. Sweet Tango!

I love apples, and I could feast on them this time of year. I limit myself to two a day.

I also love baking with them. My pie recipe is pretty good, if I say so myself.
The key is using Haralsons.

And sugar. 1 cup.

Cinnamon.

My mouth is watering. Sadly, sugar is not good for me. I'm trying to limit it.

Tonight, "Wishes and More" gifted Ed with tickets to see the Minnesota Wild play. I've never been to a Wild game before, so I'm excited. Hockey IS my favorite spectator sport, and has been, since 1980 and the Lake Placid Olympics. If I actually had time for professional sports I may even know how well they are doing this year! I don't, but I'm going to enjoy the game anyway!

Cherie is nursing a cold.

Ed has been doing organ events over the last two weeks. We've been privileged to hear several organs and gifted organists play. Ed got to try four different organs in the Summit Avenue area last Saturday.

Out of that day he made contact with a very compassionate and generous person who is making sure he has a suitable organ to play here at home. Our musical instrument saga is ongoing, and it is quite the story! We feel very humbled! People are so good to us!

Fun. Games. There are days when I think life is just a bowl of cherries.

And then I wake up from that thought...

Sometimes my heart is just aching so badly I yearn for the LORD to snatch us out of this earthly quagmire. Don't you have those days?

It is His patience that allows us to come to Him, to believe in Him, to wait for the very last one who WILL believe.

And I must be patient too.

I've had an ongoing headache for the past few days, and that means tension. I'd love it if you prayed for me and that it would ease. Thank you.

I don't see the therapist until next week.

Thank you for checking in here. I love all of you readers. You have been so good to us!

I must run...

 

Friday, October 16, 2015

Stan is Writing Again

Corgi Hollows

Love.This.Song.

Luke writes

Luke 21:34, 36 KJV
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. [36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Back Again

After a wedding (absolutely perfect), grown children home, medical procedures, a brief overnight trip to the colorful northland, house guests, and trying to work in a new requirement to our schedules (swimming) we have been otherwise occupied.

And selling our old house. An offer came in. We want to make it work.

Two yards of fall leaves...
School...
Life

And October is gorgeous. Across the road the soybeans have been harvested and the field has been discked. That is a word. I use it.

The birch are flaming gold, the red oaks are----red. The maples seem to be touched with fire.

There is so much beauty around that I find I ache. Color affects me.

I ache, too, because the world is crashing all around me.

Zapping Brain Reduces Belief in God

I've been mulling over the information from two prophecy conferences, various communication with prophecy students, and the book "The Babylon Code," which came out last week. I also watched The Illuminati and the One World Government by Amir Tsarfarti.

We're in for it.

The Blood Moons (four of them) which occurred over the past two years on Jewish Feast Days truly signaled that life on Planet Earth is in for Change.

The days of quiet waiting in September have produced a new era in the spiritual make-up of the world. There has been another falling away.

Even as the ideas of "Higher Criticism" came about in the late 18th century, then affected all of Christendom, so have these days of prophecy fruition become a refining fire for believers.

Many have fallen away.

Some stay true to Scripture.

Broad is the path that leads to destruction. Narrow is the way to life, and few find it. (That's Scripture)

Mockers and scoffers abound. Those that can't take it fade away. Those that observed with interest, perhaps having a smattering of faith, have been caught in the weeds of deferred hope, and lost it.

This is a time of delay, a time of grace. Jesus is coming soon, and the world is going toward a Luciferian agenda. Lucifer will manifest as the anti-Christ, deceiving the majority of the world.

The Majority.

If you are rooted in the Word of God you will not be swept into the abyss of falsehood.

You will cling to the infinite truth while the world crumbles around you.

Satan knows how to win battles. He's really good at it. God allows him his time to destroy mankind. All mankind is condemned, headed for hell.

But God has provided His way to salvation.

Repent, confess, believe on Jesus.

There is a curious part of becoming a follower of Christ that has occupied my mind these last few weeks as I've observed the peeling off of many faithful folk. This part has to do with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

I really believe that if you are a follower of Christ your life will be a testimony of the power of the Holy Spirit.

You will live it. You will share it. You will be victorious! Your life will not be characterized by homosexuality, fornication, adultery, obscenity, or pornography. You won't be drunk with anything but the Spirit.
(You won't even WANT to drink alcohol!)

We are supposed to be SOBER! WATCHING!

I know that drinking intoxicating drinks is not a sin. Tell me something I don't know. But God has specifically stated in His Word that drunkenness IS a sin, and in order to drink even ONE DRINK you risk that sinful state. Even that first beer, or new wine, or whatever you chose to start drinking on, made you punchy. Admit it.

Sin.

For a believer, I think there will be a mark on your life like you've never seen before. You will be a new creature, transformed by the blood of Christ. You will be convicted of your sin every day! You will want to confess it, repent, and ask forgiveness IMMEDIATELY! You want to restore fellowship with the Holy Spirit!

There aren't too many people like that out there. I'm convinced.

There are far too many wolves in sheep's clothing, bullies, those that wink at impurity, and Fakes in our world.

Ask yourself, who is that bully, masking as a towering saint?

Who is that young man, whose life is characterized by homosexuality or fornication, claiming to be "Christian?"

Who is the young lady who spews "O MY G-------" every time you meet her?

Leave them. Love them, but leave them. Pray for them.

Are they filled with the Holy Spirit?

No. Admit it, and move on.

Time is too short. We are looking for that glorious appearing of our LORD JESUS CHRIST!

I keep going back to this, but it bears repeating.

There is a book called "The Real Meaning of the Zodiac" by D. James Kennedy. (I do not endorse his theology, just to be clear, but this is a great book! The man is now in heaven)

In the book Kennedy talks about the age of Pisces coming to an end, and the age of Aquarius beginning sometime around the beginning of the 21st century. 

I think that time is now. The church age is coming to an end, and the time of the outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT is at hand!

The Millenial Age is almost here. This astronomical fact has influenced my thinking about the timing of historical events regarding prophecy significantly.

Friends, we have some incredible times ahead of us. The pangs of earthquakes and wars, pestilence and politics are raging all around us.

If we pay $10,000,000 a day for 1,000 years we wouldn't have the national debt paid off.

This is a burden too great. Let's face the facts and bow to the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the savior of our souls.

Time is short. Prepare now.

Join us in becoming light and salt, preserving our dying culture until Jesus comes!

As the beauty of fall is the harbinger of winter, so are the events prophesied in Scripture a compassionate warning to the world.

Repent. Believe.

Pitch away the idolatry of your own belief in a god you've made up, and believe in the God of the Bible, on His terms. The Bible is the only reliable source we have to know Him. It's truth. Base your faith on the Written Word, not your own manufacturing.



Monday, October 5, 2015

That Pause

I heard a message that had an illustration about a demolition project. When a downtown church was to be removed for a new building project the experts came in to take it down.

The dynamite charges were set off in strategic places, but for several eternal seconds it seemed nothing had changed.

Then the earth shook and the building caved into a massive pile of rubble.

The preacher said that, metaphorically speaking, we are in that pregnant pause as a country right now. The charges have fired. The destruction is inevitable.  It's coming.

He pointed to three things that "charged" America's demise: in 1962 God was pitched out of school, in 1973 abortion was legalized, and in 2015 marriage was degraded.

We, the people, thumbed our noses at a Holy God.

I think that September lit some final charges for the entire world. The powers that be enacted a global agenda, (Eliminating all the poor people was number one!---what a convenient way to get to that 500,000,000 population goal!) Russia swooped into Syria, and the world passed the baton of "Super Power" to Vladimer Putin.

Israel was left to itself with the Iran deal, and we all know that if you align against God's chosen it's "curtains." You're done.

So now we wait. Every thing is in place. We can practically hold our breath!

We've had an exceptionally gorgeous fall here in this part of the country.  It's been warmer  and milder than normal, allowing the most bountiful harvest in Minnesota history.

I see it metaphorically.  What a generous "pause" we've been dealt! It's time to turn to the One who made the weather, the harvest, the beginning and the end.

As I've watched Bible prophecy unfold these past 70 years--(I've been alive 50 of them)--since the re - gathering of Israel--- I've seen things that I expected (foretold in Scripture) and things that amaze me. The accuracy of God's Word is astounding.

To think that the world would welcome "tolerance" in the form it has, allowing debauchery a place at the table, is only prophetic. To think that political alliances predicted 3,000 years ago would suddenly form at the minute they did is almost unbelievable.  Russia, Syria, Iran...You can't make this up!

It's as if they used the Bible as a playbook. I've wondered if Putin actually knows Scripture,  atheist KGB communist that he is!

God gave sufficient detail to recognise the events of this time as the times depicting the end. Remember, the Apostle Paul said we were in the end times. As Time goes, we are. It is the end of the end. It's here, and if you are not ready for it you need to know these things.

Seven years of specific events are about to unfold.

You won't be able to buy or sell without some type of "mark."

You will hear the words "peace and security" over and over.

One individual will come forth as THE world leader. One person. He will govern a global community.

There will be a temple rebuilt in Israel. Jerusalem will be considered a city for all religions.

People will start to die in spectacular natural disasters. Two thirds of the world's population will simply perish.

Animals will suffer.

The sky will look different.  There will be periods of darkness that are unusual.

Christians will be beheaded. Yes, that archaic form of execution will be brought back. (Oh, wait, that happened already. )

God will make terrible sores, boils, appear on people and they will be in such pain they will wish they were dead. 
They won't be able to die though.
Weird, but that's what the Bible says.

The entire world is going to change. Fire figures heavily in this destruction.

God was so specific about these signs!  Everyone will recognise these things, and who Jesus is, but they will choose Lucifer over God's only begotten Son.

They will believe a lie from the pit of hell over repenting from sin.

God will leave His signature on all of this activity,  and still people will deny him. They will choose to believe anything but God.

They will continue to define their own gods, refusing to submit to the Creator, YWHW.

When you see these things happening you can expect to see Yashua Messiah's return. Those who are His followers will be with Him, having been hidden away for this "week" (7 years) of trouble. 

We're out of here. Either we've been killed, or taken. We like that greek word harpazo,  or taken up. It means rapture, but we like to really define it.

There is a time of feasting with the Son, the bridegroom, Jesus---for us.

Us. Not them, not you who don't repent.

So repent.

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and transform your whole life. He can change your heart, birth your spirit again, lead you in paths to peace and safety. Let the power of God change you into His desire.

Call on Him.

The Pause is now. We don't know how long, but it is here. He will not delay long! Escape the this demolition site NOW!

It's not as men see it, but His compassion for many, that drives this moment before the end.

Believe. It's never been so easy!

Ask God to soften your crusty old heart to see His ways, His plan to save you.

I Like You

I've never met someone I didn't like.

I love you if I've ever told you that you need Jesus,  and you need to repent.

I may not trust you. You might have hurt me, and I have tried to bless you in those cases, however that manifests. I've tried to forgive. I probably disagree with you on something.

If I've looked in your eyes I've seen your pain,  your distrust, skepticism,  your disdain! If it's there I've seen it.

You may see the world in a completely different way than I do. You might see me as completely zany.

But I like you, if I've met you. You can be sure of that.

I love you enough to tell you to love Christ.