The Shadow of a Cloud

"You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled." - Isaiah 25:5

We've all experienced the hot and humid days of summer. There's nothing quite as uncomfortable as doing yardwork during the heat of the day under a cloudless sky. But wait! What's that? A cloud!

When a cloud comes between us and the sun we can actually feel the temperature drop. Even more so if the cloud begins dropping water.

As the shadow of a cloud reduces heat from the sun, so we can be to others as we comfort them with the love of Jesus.

I have a friend who recently experienced the loss of a family member. If I am to be "a cloud in the heat of the day," how do I "cast my shadow" on them to comfort them?

1. Contact. A timely phone call or text can really help. It gives the person the opportunity to vent or open up about what's been hurting them.
2. Listen. Sometimes simply listening is enough to show you care. And listen to learn, not simply hear.
3. Empathize. Let them know you are feeling their pain along with them.
4. Guide. Share an appropriate Bible verse or a story about how you navigated a similar situation.
5. Pray. Pray WITH them. Hold their hands, put a hand on their shoulder, or while delivering a hug. Appropriate physical touch is huge.
6. Continue. Don't let the conversation end. Promise to keep in touch. And DO IT!

We have been chosen to complete a mission for Jesus. We can do that by obeying His first, and greatest, command for us.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself." - Mark 12:30-31

The China Syndrome

In the first chapter of Genesis, God commanded, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it." - Genesis 1:28

However . . . China was a little TOO fruitful and began regulating birth in their country. They instituted limits on the number of children a family could have. And handed out actual penalties if you had more babies than what the government allowed.

In a recent Wall street Journal article (link below) it was reported that Chinese billionaires are fathering hundreds of children through surrogacy. In the United States! Here's some facts from their article: 

• Xu Bo has 100+ U.S.-born children through surrogacy
• Some clients request up to 100+ babies via multiple surrogates
• Surrogacy costs reach $200,000 per child
• Babies born in the U.S. automatically receive U.S. citizenship
• Surrogacy is illegal in China
• Nearly 41% on international surrogate parents in the U.S. are Chinese

So, what's going on here? Well, our current surrogacy system ALLOWS this to happen. But beyond that, WHY are these Chinese billionaires doing this?

One, because THEY CAN, but secondly, their country's population is collapsing, due to their own regulations. But thirdly, their "children" can take care of Daddy via the U.S. medical and Medicare systems. In short, you and I will take care of dear old Dad with OUR tax dollars.

China used to be the most populace country on the planet, but it no longer is. India has claimed that title, but through no effort of its own. China's population is in decline. 2.1 children per family are what is needed to maintain a population. China's fertility rate is 1.1 - the lowest in the world.

There is a link below called China Population (Live). You can actually watch China's population dying (statistically) as it happens.

We humans think we control our own destiny. Here's a different perspective.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." - Proverbs 19:21

If we charted the number of people in any given healthy society, we would expect to see a pyramid shape. A few old people on top and lots of kids on the bottom, right?

Here is China's chart ....

China Surrogacy - WSJ (pay wall)

China Population (Live)

The Cost

This guy is (or was) an NBA shooting guard named Jaden Ivey. He played for the Bulls until March 30th of this year when they waived him. Why did they do that? Was he a bad player?

Jayden was the #5 draft pick for the Detroit Pistons in 2022, so he is VERY good at basketball. Jayden's "problem" is that he's a Christian.

Team management said it was, "for conduct detrimental to the team." That sounds pretty bad. What specifically did he do? For one, he posted this comment on social media:

"They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA," they say. 'Come, join us for Pride Month' to celebrate unrighteousness."

That's it? But wait, there's more! He also talked about Jesus in the locker room. Apparently, Christianity and the NBA don't get along so well.

Jesus can be a very controversial figure ANYWHERE, but in some circles He is extremely disdained. For example, it wouldn't be a good idea to go sharing the Gospel in downtown Tehran. But what if God told you to go there for Him? Would you go?

Jonah was sent to an enemy country to warn them of God's impending judgement, but he refused to go. Not right away anyway. But, when he finally obeyed the Lord, the Ninevites repented.

Being a follower of Jesus can be costly. Millions of people have died for their faith, and there will be many more that will do the same.

"Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." - Luke 14:33

Would we do that? Would we give up everything for Jesus? That was Him talking to His disciples in Luke 14. He was also talking to us.

At the present time there are "churches" who support LGBTQ+ behavior in their membership and even in their pulpits. Was Jayden wrong to say what he did? The NBA says 'yes he was.' What do we Christians say? I don't know about you, but I'm with Jayden.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴Do everything in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

(from  the picture above)

Breaking The Bow

Are you ready for a little trip? Let's go! First, open up your Bibles to Jeremiah 45:35-39, then hold on!

"Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam*, the foremost of their might. ³⁶Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all those winds; there shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. ³⁷For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the Lord; ‘And I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. ³⁸I will set My throne in Elam, And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord.

³⁹‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.” - Jeremiah 49:35-39

*Elam was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of what is today Iran.

Well . . . is Elam's bow being broken as we speak? Iran's air force and navy have been destroyed (aka broken). It certainly looks like what is going on in Iran aligns with that prophecy from Jeremiah.

Look at verse 36 where God says that He will scatter Iran's people to every nation. I just read a story that said 3.2 million Iranians have been displaced due to this current conflict. 🤔 Not to mention the estimated 45,000 Iranian protesters who were murdered by the Iranian regime.

We are living in the last days. As we watch the news headlines, it would be wise to have a Bible on our laps while doing so.

Iran won't be destroyed completely however. They have to be around for the BIG war when they again fight against Israel along with Turkey and Russia. But we won't be here for that one, according to the Bible anyway. The Christians will be removed.

Are YOU a Christian? A BORN-AGAIN Christian? Jesus said we must be born again.

"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” - John 3:3

Getting back to Elam's bow being broken, as I mentioned earlier, it can't be TOTALLY broken as Iran has to be around for the Ezekiel 38 war that takes place during The Tribulation. So, the current efforts of Israel and the U.S. must fall short. A peace treaty perhaps?

I'm not a prophet, but I do read my Bible. And I do believe that Jesus will return for His Church. We are seeing signs all around us that His return is imminent. Be ready. Be prepared by becoming a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. And sooner, rather than later, would be good.

Even If

In my previous story about our lovely little ice storm this past week, I detailed some of the events that happened. However, God was not done writing HIS part of the story yet so here you go.

Thursday night, after all of this had transpired, we were sitting in the livingroom, listening to all of the ice and branches still falling from the trees and onto our roof. Non-stop. Both of us were very tired and had just spoken about going to bed. Then, it happened.

A loud thump followed by the sound of shattering glass. A pine tree behind our house had snapped in half, the top half of which came in for a visit through our sunroom window. 

My wife picked up glass and vacuumed the sunroom carpet while I went outside, in the rain and debris, and tried to get the branches cut off the tree trunk and away from the house. We got all of that accomplished, I got dried off, and we went to bed, overtired and ready to sleep.

That's when I felt my wife's hand searching for mine. And, finding it, we both fell asleep. 

When God said, "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18), He was SO right.

Then Saturday morning came, I got done posting my story for the day, and then I "found" this song. Thank you, Lord.

They say sometimes you win some

Sometimes you lose some

And right now, right now I'm losing bad

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't my hope is You alone

Even if we had lost every tree in our yard to the storm, our hope is still in you alone. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe. Thank you for bringing our kids over for a visit, scheduled weeks in advance, to help clean up. You are MORE than able.

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" - Jeremiah 32:27

Even If - MercyMe

It's A Miracle!

This is the season for miracles. But my wife and I never thought we would witness one in our own house.

Our local weatherman said we were going to have an ice storm Wednesday night and into Thursday. Umm, well, he was right. And what a storm! We lost five of our trees, two of them falling on our carport, and crushing it.

We lost power on Thursday about noon. Right in the middle of my wife baking some of her apricot bread, our favorite. She was really upset about that. Me too. It's delicious.

It was a long day of cutting up fallen trees, one of which spanned the entire road in front of our house. I even had to use the snow shovel to remove all the ice from the roadway.

We had two of our neighbors stop and offer to help. That was really nice, and I told them so, but I was just about done and they drove off.

The power came on at 4:00. I'm happy to say that our new generator worked perfectly (Generac 2000 if you're looking for a good portable).

Now, here's the miracle. After all of our unexpected work at damage control, my wife opened the oven to remove het half-baked bread.

"It looks done!" she exclaimed. "How is that possible? We had no power."

She cut open the loaf to make sure it was done, and it was! Then she cut us each a slice, we buttered it and ate it. It was, indeed, perfect.

"I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread." - Psalm 37:25

It's Your Breath

"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." - Genesis 2:7

When I was a young boy (aged 9-10) our family lived on a sheep farm. Early one morning my dad took me over to my grandpa's barn. It was dark outside, but not in the basement of the barn. My grandpa was already down there working. It was lambing season!

Have you ever witnessed a birth; human or animal? The whole process is quite amazing, and definitely a God thing. Here's a young life. It's heart is beating, but it is not actually breathing until it exits it's mother's womb. Not until that moment did it ever breathe one single breath.

I'm no medical expert but WHY do we all start breathing at that very same moment? And, now that I think about it, I've heard of women giving birth where the baby comes out under water. Here's an explanation.

But think about it. How did this whole process ever begin in the first place? It's definitely a God thing in MY mind. I would even go so far as to call it a miracle.

Why, suddenly at birth, do we breathe? What causes us to do that? If we go back to Adam and Eve, neither of them were born. Both were created - Adam using dust and Eve using one of Adam's ribs.

Then the first baby was born - Cain. Cain had the very first belly button. He was also the first baby to take his first breath after exiting the womb.

These things are all too amazing for us to understand. But we believe they happen because they DO happen. Miracles DO happen! We are LIVING proof! Let us praise God for the miracle of His creation! And thank Him, for without His creation, where would WE be?

Great Are You Lord - All Sons & Daughters

Confirmed!!

No, this is not a story about eighth grade confirmation class, although I have many tales I could tell. Rather, this is a brief appreciative note about how God works and how the Holy Spirit leads.

The further along I get in my faith journey, the more I appreciate the signage along the route, confirming that I am traveling in the right direction. God is WAY better than any GPS system or Google Maps app. Here's the latest example.

I wrote a Bible study for our youth group at church. I presented it this past Friday night actually. It was initially about giving our testimony. But as I was writing it, it turned into more of a discussion about the Holy Spirit and how we can tell if He is living in us. In the study was this verse from 2nd Corinthians.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Weeks after I "finished writing" the Bible study, our pastor was giving a sermon out of Romans 6. He used this scripture.

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." - Romans 6:8-11

During his message he then said this: "Turn with me to 2nd Corinthians 5:17."

Really?

So, I turned, and there it was. The verse I was going to use in my Bible study. Was this a sign that I was on the right track? Does God use signs and confirming "God-incidences"(sun, moon, stars, animals, other humans) to guide our thoughts and actions?

You betcha der heh!

If you Google "signs from heaven" and click on "Images" you will notice something. Lots of birds in particular. Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Hummingbirds. People seem to think creatures deliver confirming messages. But what does the Bible say?

"And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years." - Genesis 1:14

"There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven." - Luke 21:11

"The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." - Joel 2:31

There are more examples than these, of signs from God.

Have you ever encountered one of God's signs? Was it delivered by another human? An animal? A very real and true prayer is for God to "show me a sign."

"And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs." - Mark 16:20

That's good enough for me!

Endings

I finished reading the book of Nehemiah this week, and each time I get to the end of it, I am always struck by the last words.

"Remember me with favor, my God." - Nehemiah 13:31

Focus on those words for a bit. What a beautiful way to end a prayer. Or a life.

Speaking of endings, March 28th is a day that I will never forget. It's my birthday. Every time I go to the doctor, they always ask what my date of birth is. They are using my birthday as a test, just to make sure "I am who I am."

But the reason March 28th is a day that I will never forget is because it is also the date on which my niece chose to end her life.

Each year, on or about my birthday, I go downstairs to my office and pull out the stack of letters that my neice sent me. She was new to her faith in Jesus and had many questions which I was more than happy to help her with. This was her favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Ironic . . .

Her favorite musical artist was Phil Wickham. She was quite jealous when she learned I had seen him in concert. She and I were planning a trip to see him before . . . well, before things ended. Again, speaking of endings, the thing she always wrote at the end of her letters is the same thing I often use in my correspondence with others to this day - "love you and miss you."

And that I do. That I do.

Here's a question: How can your niece be your sister?

When you both have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

Love you and miss you, my sister.

See you soon. 🙂❤🙏

Remember - Nilsson

Flowers - Phil Wickham & Jamie MacDonald 

Why Love Matters

Let's start off this story with a line from the old Don Henley song, The Boys of Summer.

"I thought I knew what love was.  What did I know."

We go through our lives with changing ideas about just what love is. It begins with the simple, honest love of a small child. Jesus wrote about these kids and their faith saying, "

"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14

Is a child's love different from their faith? Not really, if you think about it. Both are simple, honest, and unconditional.

As we grow older our "love definition" changes, as do our beliefs. They become conditional and more self-centered. It's all about me instead of all about Thee. Both get entangled and mixed with other feelings - lust, and selfishness mainly. One word - sin.

We find ourselves alone, wondering what happened to the love we once had?  That childlike love, when things were simple and life was good. Do you ever long for those days? Would you like to go back to that simpler time and experience true love all over again? Yes, be we can't.

Our love for others continues to become more complex and we lose track of its true meaning and intention. It becomes contaminated by the world we live in.

Finally, we come to the end of our lives, when someone is in their last days of life, what does of love look like for them then? Often it is extremely lonely. What can be done? I have a few suggestions.

1. Love everyone we meet. And love them unconditionally. Jesus already commanded us to do this but we always seem to forget just what His love was like, to our detriment.

2. Get off our butts and GO love someone! Visit someone, invite them to lunch. If they're not doing it, we should call them up and take the initiative.

3. Send someone a text or message. Maybe they're having a really bad day and when we reach out, they know someone cared enough to actually act.

If we sit at home and "hope" someone is doing okay, what good is that? We could, and should, pray for people. But God placed us here for a reason. Not simply to think, but to act.

How are we doing with that?

"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." - Revelation 2:4

The Boys of Summer - Don Henley

Conflation

"While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." - 1 Thessalonians 5:3

If you have watched the news for any amount of time it's easy to become discouraged; especially these days. There are SO many bad things happening in the world right now. And then to find out that Chuck Norris has died!?! Oh my....

So, today I want to talk about a theory I have about these times we are living in. I am not a prophet nor a pastor, but I study my Bible pretty intently and there is something going on that has made me, and mamy others, take notice.

First, let's begin with a little scripture from the Book of Daniel.

"There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." - Daniel 12:1

Check. ✅ That's happening right now for sure.

So, here's my theory. These things that we see happening now are merely the visible portion of what is actually occurring. We are only seeing 10% of "the iceberg," so to speak.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I just see news headlines and find myself asking questions. (My favorite question is "Why?" and my favorite statement is "Follow the money.")

Here's a word to ponder as you consider this theory of mine. Conflation - a fusing together; a merger of two or more things or ideas into one.

And one more word. Technocracy -  government by technicians. Specifically : management of society by technical experts.

As we watch gas prices rise we can read headlines like this and begin to ask "Why?"

Saudis Warn Oil Going to $180, Gasoline to $7 at Pump

Oh, it's war the with Iran, Israel bombed an Iranian oil field, or Iran bombed a UEA oil field. Saudi Arabia has cut production. All of those are true, but here's where my conflation theory comes in. What are we NOT seeing and hearing? Why would someone WANT to see oil prices rise? Could it actually be God's will? I have no idea, but read this:

“Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” -Revelation 6:6

Does that sound like inflation to you? And "do not damage the oil?" Trump just told Israel "Don't do that."

I recently listened to a podcast by a panel of five men, all of them are pastors who specialize in eschatology. One of them brought forth an article he had written about Donald Trump, what's happening in the world today, and The Board of Peace.

Did you know that Trump is the self-appointed head of the BoP? And did you know that he is the chairman? FOR LIFE? Yep. You can check it here.

These present-day events are a reflection of scriptural prophecies in the Bible. If these events that we are seeing today are just the tip of the iceberg, we will probably be leaving soon. And for those who remain after our departure, repent, believe, and forever receive.

In the meantime, keep reading your Bible so that you are not caught unaware. These are crazy times, but also exciting times as we see the day approaching.🙂☝️

Prophecy Roundtable

All Rise!

I've been working on a Bible Study for our church's youth group. We decided to teach our kids a little bit about giving their personal testimony. As I was sorting through scripture I was struck by the number of legal terms that were popping up. In addition to "testimony" I was seeing words like "evidence," "conviction," "trial," "witnesses," and "judgement." Here are a few examples.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." - Revelation 12:10

"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." - John 16:8

Then this "trial" theme really came home when I  read this:

"And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One (Jesus) who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead." - Acts 10:42

Each of us will be put on trial when we stand in front of Jesus one day. I believe our trial will take a split second, if it takes THAT long. Jesus already knows which of us are His. Our names are already written in the Book of Life.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he wad thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15

We will be judged by what was written in the books and by what we have done.

Gulp.

Here's one of my favorite songs. In it there are a few lines to consider.

1. "Am I proof that You are who you say You are?"

2. "Is there evidence that I've been changed."

3. "When they see me do they see you?"

Something to consider before we walk into the throne room.

Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets