Perhaps today!
Maybe tomorrow!
Hopefully tonight!
That is to say, I am looking for and praying for the Lord's return at any time.
I am looking forward with anticipation to hearing and singing "HALLELUJAH!" (means: praise Yah or God be praised!) in His presence. Being present for and joining in the glorification of God will be worth all of the struggles we have faced on this earth!
I know the GOOD NEWS that triumphs over all of the bad news!
Update: She has mutiple injuries. Her foot was crushed and looked like "hamburger." (Yeah, ugh!) They have put it back together. She has screws and external fixation. She is recovering at home. She will be out of work for 6 weeks. A big truck (semi, I think) was doing an illegal U turn on the highway at night. She could not see him until a split second before she hit him at the 55 mph posted speed limit. She has a lawyer. If you can take her a care package to Windsor Blvd, lmk. We have sent her a card but would like to do something else like like a restaurant meal.
February 12: A hometown friend was in a "serious car accident" yesterday according to another hometown friend who was the EMT. Those at the scene said it shook them up. That is all I know at this time. Please cover her in prayer.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Matthew 24:3-4
I had friends who went to the Asbury "revival" and asked why I didn't hop on the bus with them to go.
I kept my opinion to myself because I didn't have one at the time. I didn't neither want to criticize or encourage until there was more information.
We aren't called to follow blindly we are called to discern (judge). I believe we are to seek the Holy Spirit for help in discernment before we make that judgment. That can take time.
In Matthew 24, the disciples come to Jesus and ask him three questions. The first thing Jesus tells them is to not be deceived. Deception is easy to fall for if we are not anchored in the Word of God. And, I am so very thankful we have that to RUN to when we have questions. What He has put in His Word helps us separate Truth from the manure we are constantly running into in this world.
The Biblical accounts of revival have certain clear characteristics. I encourage those who are hungry for revival or wondering/questioning what happened in Asbury and other places to study what revival looks like according to the Scripture.
A REVIVAL is the spiritual awakening of a believer who has been asleep. It is a situation where the Holy Spirit convicts and moves one or many to humility and repentance which in turn refreshes their love for and commitment to Christ. It renews their zeal for Christ.
It is purely the work of the Spirit and is not a work of the flesh. It's the Holy Spirit's doing and timing meaning it can't be manufactured or scheduled. Revival will be based on sound doctrine and points people to Jesus' substitutionary death payment for our sins. It doesn't embrace sinful lifestyles, but it brings about the repentance (the turning away from) of sins. That repentance brings about a renewal of Biblical teaching and righteous living which provides a witness to the lost. I see a domino type of effect:
proclamation of the gospel -> Holy Spirit acting -> conviction and repentance in the hearts of God's people -> salvation of lost
Dear Reader, What I see from where I am is a lot of Christians flipping back and forth saying it was or wasn't a revival. A pastor friend who went there with high hopes did not come back with a good report of the situation. The results (fruit) over time will reveal.
Instead of looking there, I believe we should be praying for revival in our own hearts, and we can do that right where we sit. We need to realize we have left our first love and repent. We need to reawaken to the comprehension of the scope of the all-powerful, all-knowing, and always-present God we serve. Our reverence and respect for the Lord should be renewed. The Bible is where we should go to look for the characteristics of revival.
A true revival (bringing back to life or awareness) transforms the lives of sleeping believers and that awakening of the church leads to the salvation of the lost. The Bride casts off any stains in her appearance. True revival will take sleeping "do-littles" into active servants of God in such a way as to bring change in them and around them.
Father God, I ask that You strengthen Your people with more discernment. I also ask that You refresh the zeal for serving You in everyone who calls You Lord. Help us not to look for a fleshly-based experience in a particular place but to look for humility and repentance in our own hearts because of the finished work of Jesus. Let us realize the weight of the sacrifice You gave along with the enormity of Who You are and count our dwindling days as opportunities to serve You. Enable us to run this race with everything we have in a way that impacts the lost for You, for Your glory. Let each of us work as laborers sharing the Good News of Who Jesus is and what He has done for us in a way that brings in the harvest of souls. Let us look for ways to strengthen, encourage, and minister to our brothers and sisters in Your Church. Help us to realize You don't understand our sins ("He gets us"), but that You are calling us out from them to be holy people.
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 18:24
Jesus didn't get whipped, spit upon, have His beard ripped out, crucified, and have a spear shoved through Him for feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and holding up hope. No one mocked Him for being socially concerned. In fact, He gained celebrity status for doing such things. He would have been on the front page of every newspaper. Ultimately, he was rejected because of what He said. It was His message that got Him killed. Christians don't need to stop handing out water bottles and giving away clothes, but they eventually need to get around to speaking a very unpopular message - that regardless of socioeconomic status, every person is a wicked, vile sinner in need of a Savior. -Matt Miller
"Cain and Abel stand as the representatives of two great classes of people. They typify respectively the lost and the saved; the self-righteous and the broken-spirited; the formal professor and the genuine believer; those who rely upon their own works and those who rest upon the finished work of Christ; those who insist upon salvation by human merits, and those who are willing to be saved by Divine grace; those who are rejected and cursed by God and those who are accepted and blessed. Cain denied his ruined and fallen condition and refused to accept the remedy God provided; while Abel acknowledged his sinnership, believed the Divine testimony, put his faith in a sacrificial substitute, and was righteous before God. (Genesis 4:3-7)."
It is very serious that we ensure we are not ones who call on Jesus, but practice lawlessness – forsaking His commandments. “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar …” 1 John 2:4. We can’t say that we love Him if we don’t give up our own will and keep His commandments. If we live like that, it is ourselves that we love, not Jesus. ... By reading about Jesus and the way He lived during His time on earth, we can see what His commandments are, what we need to do to follow Him. “Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40. Source
With the many different situations life throws at us, it can be challenging to love an offending neighbor like ourselves. Seemingly impossible. This is where unity in the Church becomes such an asset. Together, we can battle for one another and for the challenges we each face. Encouraging one another to hold the line and teaming up in prayer is invaluable. That team praying around the clock together until something happens can move God to act on our behalf. I've seen it happen time and time again.
A few times in the blog, I have made a veiled reference to situations where some of my children have had to confront and/or report peers who were acting as a danger to themselves or others. The nature of the issues was such that I could not share. Those of my children who had to face this kind of thing had to stand their ground on God's Word and keep themselves from falling into a sin trap in the midst of some of the situations, and they knew they'd probably lose the person as a friend because of their position and actions.
I am happy to report that most of the people who were in those challenging situations are still friends with my childre today. In fact, after the person came out of the sin, they treasured those relationships with my children more because of their stand and measures to keep them from harming themselves or someone else. I am thankful my children felt comfortable to confide in Clint and me, seek our counsel and prayer support, and were strong enough to hold fast to God's Word. For me, it has been a joy to see the person change and the friendships grow stronger.
Dear Reader, It's a challenging world. Evil is promoted as good and good is considered evil. Our young people are being assaulted with continual deceptions. Their minds get easily caught up in sinful ways of thinking. They need a beacon to pull them back to the Lord. It's the unpopular choice, but be an unmoving and steady beacon that is resting on the firmest foundation there is..the Word of God. I'd rather be the one who helped pull them out of the darkness than the one who encouraged them to stay in the darkness. Real love like real prayer can be very hard work.
While there are no pictures I can share, Caleb was allowed to visit a military base in our region and received a tour of a black hawk helicopter. How cool is that?! He even got to sit inside it. Caleb thanked the soldiers for the tour and their service to our country. He was floored when one soldier looked him in the eye and said, "Thank you for being YOU and for giving me a reason to keep fighting for my country. People like you are what I am fighting for." That really touched Caleb ...and his mama too.
Please pray for Tammie and her family. Her 18 year old son was found deceased on the floor last night. He was autistic and had been having seizures that were pretty serious. Please pray for their peace and comfort.
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people
live together
in unity!
Happy Valentines Day!
Tonight, I am putting Valentine's Day candy on my children's pillows including my adult children who own their own houses. Bethany is getting a treat mailed to her. This mask is going into Brandon's fridge. He hates clowns, and I've used them a lot with him. He chuckles about it. SHMILY= See How Much I Love You. We've been playing that family-building game since they were little, but it became more interesting when they grew to be teenagers. (I put a big, ugly rubber rat in Brandon's fridge last week with SHMILY on it and a note to keep it going. He told me he likes the rat too much and is going to keep it in his fridge.) We have a lot of fun because everyone is a good sport.
Shared with a friend who said the mask would scare her: "I think we are all shockproof after the years of playing with each other. Brandon will love it. You have to really know your target. 
Joshua would like this mask too. Joshua would keep it and wear it at his friends' houses to make them laugh. SHMILY used to be sweet and fuzzy until they became pre-teens and teenagers. Then it became more fun and a little crazy."
Late winter can be depressing. Playing around with like this is an easy way to "check on" people and lift their spirits. It also lets people know you are thinking about them and helps strengthen bonds. This stuff may seem silly to some, but it serves good purposes in a fun way.
Another SHMILY story I shared with a friend: There was one time I scared Amanda for a few seconds. It didn't last long, but it got her. She likes snakes and had a corn snake in her house for a while...until it escaped and was never seen again.
I hid a rubber snake in her bed AFTER she hid one in MY BED. Her bedroom is very dark due to the paint and curtains. When she hit the snake with her bare arm she grabbed it to see what it was and felt it was a snake. She jumped clean out of her bed as she slung the snake across the room. Then she turned on the light to find it. She told me she had a bad moment until she saw it and realized it was rubber. Then she threatened to put me in a nursing home when I got old. 
She still talks and laughs about it...and threatens me some more. 
"Maybe you’re stridently committed to a political party or ideology, to the point that it has become your god. You’ve heard what the Bible has to say on the issues of the day, but if it disagrees with your political stances, you refuse to accept its truths.
Or perhaps you view the Gospel of Jesus Christ as irrelevant to your life. It’s great for other people, but not for you. Life is going well, and you simply don’t see the need for God, much less a Savior.
Or could it be that you consider yourself a Christian, or at least a spiritual person, but you have yet to surrender to Christ, and therefore you haven’t experienced the hope, forgiveness, love and peace that He offers? You’re skimming the surface, checking the box, maybe even borrowing from various worldviews to form a “religion” that works for you.
If you recognize that one of these examples describes your situation, it could be that there is an issue of pride holding you back from surrendering to Christ as Savior. The Bible has a lot to say about pride and its consequences.
For instance, Proverbs 16:18 reads, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Psalm 10:4: “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’”
Pride causes you to build yourself up to a level greater than God, focusing on yourself instead of on Him. It leaves no room for the Savior, and it sets you on a very dangerous path.
The other side of this coin is pleasure, which often goes hand in hand with pride. Many refuse to turn to Christ because they find fleeting pleasure in the things of this world.
For people like this, their god is usually sex, pornography, relationships, alcohol, drugs, money or materialism. They’re trying to “live their best life” and “follow their heart,” focusing on the moment rather than their eternal soul. They want to be comfortable, have the newest toys and satisfy all of their desires. This puts up a wall that keeps them from seeing their need for God." Read the rest--> Source
The last one was popular, so here is another headline listing. It takes me a bit of time to sift through everything that comes my way, so I don't make any promises on when or even if I will do this again.
What we are watching are world events positioning themselves to facilitate the completion of God's plan of redemption. I find it fascinating in a way that highly motivates me to be prayerful and share the gospel at every opportunity. If you want to be a laborer, it is time to get busy! There are so many ways to wake up people to the truth of what is happening that there is really no excuse.
As I read through the headlines and reports and listen to the different analysts, I tend to take note and think about how it could apply to what we know of Biblical prophecy. I try to keep the attitude of a student of the Lord. Jesus didn't tell Christians to broadcast our opinions. He told us to WATCH aka OBSERVE.
If we believe we are at the end of the Church Age and on the cusp of the Rapture and Tribulation, then how should we live? We should stay prayerful. We should keep our eyes on the Lord and not on the storms all around us. We should be very concerned about the lost and act as laborers in evangelism. I find it easy with the different forms of social media and tracts and day-to-day encounters to make opportunities to share the gospel. I am not unaware of the things going on, but right now, we still have the freedom to express our faith publicly. Use that freedom for God's glory. We should also consider preparing our homes to share the Hope of Jesus and to minister to those left behind.
Pestilence:
https://gizmodo.com/who-warns-bird-avian-flu-jump-to-humans-mammals-1850096371
I was told (hearsay) that in order to purchase chickens in Canada, one must register their small flock. This link seems to verify that Ontario, at least, has been asking people to register small flocks which can be anywhere up to 300 chickens since 2010. "it allows for rapid location and identification of small flocks (up to 300 birds)" The person sharing said they had to register online before being allowed to purchase just a few birds at the farm supply store which has never happened to them before. The farm supply would not sell to them until they had the registration information.
Famine/Hunger:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11716253/Eggs-expensive-Americans-smuggling-MEXICO-300-jump-number-seized.html
Food prices are expected to grow more slowly in 2023 than in 2022 but still at above historical average rates. In 2023, all food prices are predicted to increase 7.1 percent, with a prediction interval of 4.2 to 10.1 percent.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/
Wars and Rumors of Wars
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366967
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/04/report-biden-administration-tried-to-hide-chinese-spy-balloon-from-american-public/
On the aggressive nature of China and how it relates to prophecy: re: 6th trumpet "If considered a literal enumeration of the army, it would represent the largest armed force ever known to man. Considering the millions of people in the Orient, the literal interpretation is not impossible, especially in view of the population explosion. The number of the horsemen here is comparable to the innumerable chariots of God mentioned in Psalm 68:17.
There is no direct statement as to the origin of this army, but the implication is, from the fact that the angels of verse 14 were bound “in” or at the Euphrates, that the army may come from the East. A similar and later development mentioned in Revelation 16:12 following the outpouring of the sixth vial also depicts an invasion from the East." source
I find it a curious point to note that the WEF Global Risks Report for 2023 (https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/) does not have nuclear war as the largest risk facing us while the media is hyping it up at every opportunity. It's on the chart of risks, but it is not as big of a concern for them as you might think based on the media.
Military officials said the test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile serves as a reminder that the U.S. can ‘deter twenty-first century threats.’
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2023-02-10/u-s-test-launches-icbm-into-pacific-as-part-of-nuclear-deterrence-mission
Earthquakes/Weather:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64608535
https://wtop.com/local/2023/02/small-earthquake-recorded-off-maryland-virginia-coast/ (This is near my home. We were told it happened in relation to the quake in Turkey.)
USGS Earthquakes Map: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/story/nasa-captures-piece-of-sun-breaking-off-baffles-scientists-369798-2023-02-10
One World Government/One World Currency Technology/One World Religion:
https://thenewamerican.com/un-pushing-new-age-spirituality-on-schoolchildren-with-sel-neuroscience/
In the future, China will build a number of Daqi satellites, which will be used to monitor atmospheric pollution, support environmental authorities with remote sensing data, and aid scientific research into global climate change, according to a March 2021 press release.
“Daqi-1 will be networked with other satellites, including Daqi-2,” according to the statement, “to realise greenhouse gas monitoring and assist China in decreasing carbon emissions.”
It will be interesting to watch if China succeeds in deploying these green atmosphere-detecting lasers.
Foreshadowing the Antichrist's Treaty with Israel:
Saudis want robust, trustworthy alliance with Washington in face of Iran threats
https://allisrael.com/exclusive-interview-saudi-leaders-tell-jewish-group-they-re-ready-to-normalize-with-israel-but-first-need-to-normalize-with-u-s
Babylon:
https://thecradle.co/article-view/20928/iraqs-silk-road-port-and-canal-project-set-to-transform-baghdads-geopolitical-clout
“You will never find joy in Bible study
until you understand that reading God's Word
is not first a call to duty,
but an invitation to
receive a wonderful gift.”
- Paul David Tripp
For 28 years, I prayed a very specific prayer regarding personal ministry. A week ago, the answer started.
Last night, it was
completed
and exceeded
AND we have been given future opportunities!!!!!
God gave me much more than "younger Wendy" asked.
Pray big. Pray long. Watch God work.
We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home
as Romans.
-Voddie Baucham
“Wish it need not have happened in my time,” said
“So do I,” said
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.
If we believe we are right on the cusp of the great time of trouble known as the Tribulation, it would make sense we would see things setting up for those events.
If you are awake and watching, you know these links are just the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to point out prophetic things are setting the world up for the Tribulation in hopes it might wake up a few more Christians and maybe lead a few souls to the Lord.
Pestilence:
Of course, you remember CoVid. Did you know Bell G8z is predicting a deadlier pandemic of manmade origins? Right now, we are dealing with:
"It is rare that bird flu jumps over into mammals—and rarer still that humans catch the potentially deadly virus.
But the virus has recently been found in foxes and otters in Britain, a cat in France, and grizzly bears in Montana. All the mammals were suspected to have eaten infected birds."
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-peru-hundreds-sea-lion-deaths.html
Famine/Hunger:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/grocery-food-price-freeze-1.6733100
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230207191603.htm
Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/feb/15/why-silicon-valley-billionaires-are-prepping-for-the-apocalypse-in-new-zealand
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/food-shortages-are-starting-to-become-quite-serious-all-over-the-planet/
2023 Crop Predictions based on weather outlook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2gClnm3NNw&ab_channel=Adapt2030
Canadian dairy farmer is speaking out after being forced to dump thousands of liters of milk after exceeding the government’s production quota.
https://fee.org/articles/canadian-farmer-forced-to-dump-30-000-liters-of-milk-as-dairy-prices-surge/
Wars and Rumors of Wars:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/un-chief-says-world-is-heading-towards-wider-war-issuing-warnings-for-2023/2808926
https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korean-leader-orders-military-to-improve-war-readiness/6951135.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/7/iran-unveils-underground-base-in-response-to-us-israel-exercises
An adviser to the Ukrainian military told the Financial Times that Kyiv had obtained “very solid intelligence of intent” by Russia to launch the attack, adding that it could come within 10 days.
https://www.ft.com/content/268bd522-4794-4f3d-895f-f58a55536af9
https://nypost.com/2023/02/02/russia-warns-it-will-gain-worlds-attention-year-into-war/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-displays-ballistic-missile-with-death-to-israel-written-in-hebrew/
Earthquakes:
Buffalo, New York, area is hit with the strongest earthquake in 40 years
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/buffalo-new-york-area-hit-strongest-earthquake-40-years-rcna69282
Interesting correlation in timing to the earthquake: This week, nine Western nations either closed down their consulates in Istanbul or issued travel warnings to citizens visiting Turkey, citing security threats.
https://apnews.com/article/politics-turkey-government-mevlut-cavusoglu-5352f4c538b50898815ffb5bbdd2c4e6
Also look into the strange cloud that appeared over Turkey 18 days before the earthquake that closely mirrored the earthquake map.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeS0MRN2PPc&ab_channel=BBCNews
Quakes Global Incident Map
https://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/
Earthquake information and forecasts Dutchsinse https://www.youtube.com/@dutchsinse/videos
One World Government/One World Currency Technology:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/investing/bank-of-america-ceo-brian-moynihan-debt-default/index.html
https://techmonitor.ai/technology/ai-and-automation/chatgpt-cyberattacks-openai
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/02/07/chatgpt-security-risks/
The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/technology/artificial-intelligence-training-deepfake.html
https://www.today.com/video/get-a-first-look-at-the-giant-statue-coming-to-21-cities-across-the-globe-111691845786
