Tag: Jesus Christ

Afghan Women’s Robotic Team Opening Doors

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

I am sure everyone knows what is going on in Afghanistan with the Taliban taking over since America decided to pull out.  Being that the Taliban are fundamental, hard-line Islamists, I worry along with the world that Afghanistan will return to its’ tribal system.  A system that honors killing for opposition and women resume slave-like existence.  Yep, we are already seeing it unfold in the news now.  The Taliban is going house to house and killing people.

Soapbox speech coming next.

America and her allies helped to stabilize the region and assisted all Afghan people to pursue their dreams for a better country, a better life.  But we mindlessly sent billions of dollars to the wrong Afghan administrators.  We made them wealthy and they were able to flee the country when the Taliban took over.  I think we should hunt them down and get our money back!  And one more thing I do not understand is that America has bases all over the world, why not leave one in Afghanistan to help the country remain secure.  Do not flood their country with our money, they can develop commerce just like the rest of the world!  Afghanistan has very valuable resources.

Stepping down from soapbox.

As the Taliban has started searching the homes, one lady was worried about the women on the Afghan Olympic Robotics Team. These are young women, ages 16 to 18, who were studying to be Scientists and Engineers.  Their dream of pursuing careers in these respected fields was about to end and maybe along with their lives.  Along comes Allyson Reneau, a 60-year-old Harvard graduate with a Master’s degree in international relations and US space policy.  She had the knowledge, the means, and a way to get the young ladies out of Afghanistan. But all the right doors had to open, they did, and the window of opportunity was “a now or never” scenario. So it was now!  God Bless Allyson Reneau for her fortitude and courage in getting those ladies out!  And thank God for providing Allyson, open doors, and windows of opportunities!

I believe God initiated his plan before the young women were born to give the ladies doors of opportunity for education, for meeting the necessary people, and for putting them in Allyson Reneau’s life.  And now He has opened the way for them to pursue their dreams and remind us that in the end, we win!  (Read Revelation and you will understand Jesus defeating satan/evil.) We all have doors and windows of opportunity in our lives. Some we don’t see until after the fact and some present us with a which way to go predicament.  Be sure to pray and allow God to lead your way. God is the real eye and door opener.

Pray for Afghanistan and pray for our own leaders to possess good discernment concerning the volatile situation.  Pray for the Afghan Robotics team, for Allyson Reneau, and her family. If ever there was a time to pray it is now!  Scientifically the world is slowing down but humanity is reviving up the evil and only God can cover us with His protective hem of His garment!

Heavenly Father,

I come before you to ask that you forgive me of my sins and forgive America for her sins.  Father, I ask that you put your hem over the Afghan people and protect them from the evil that has now taken over their country.  I ask for wise discernment to be given to our President and those who are his advisors.  Open their eyes to the evil they have opened the door for it to go through!  I ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Amen!

God Bless You!

Weird Easter

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

Easter Sunday was a little on the weird side and yet it was wonderful too! We did not have any colored eggs or chocolate bunnies at our house.  Of course, our children are grown and I have type 2 diabetes so sugar-free is my new lifestyle. We streamed our Easter service and did not bother with making the usual Easter dishes for dinner. There were a lot of changes to embrace this year for my family.  But the one who has never changed and never will change is My Savior, Jesus Christ.  He was crucified, dead, and buried, and rose for my sins thousands of years ago.  Easter came as faithfully as all of God’s promises!

I am enjoying the new weirdness of worship that churches have come to embrace this past month. And it is exciting at how churches have stepped up their technological game. Their outreach has not only surpassed the pews but they are now venturing where even the missionaries can not go; i.e. directly into American homes and homes worldwide. For someone like me, who for the past two years has been unable to attend church services and bible studies on a regular basis because of health issues, these technological advances have blessed me with the opportunity to rejoin my fellow brothers and sisters in worship. And I pray churches will continue these opportunities after we have been released from our quarantines.

There have been other options when I am unable to attend church events like numerous televangelists who flood our airwaves.  But, after spending eight years in the Houston, Texas area, my eyes were opened to the prosperity preachers, the scamming pastors, and a slew of other devious individuals using the name of Jesus and God for their own wealth and sinister devices. Funny how a big city can take the blinders off your eyes.  I will admit to watching some of them on tv only to be disappointed at their money-raising telethons or the way they manipulate the viewer into giving their money to them.  The promise of healing or release of debt if you provide them with your funds seems absurd to me. God loves a joyful giver, not a twisted arm one.  I want to be able to watch my church that preaches God’s word truthfully and interact, even if it is virtual. A place where I have roots and connection, even when I can not attend in person.

Before the coronavirus, I believe we became stagnant in doing the same old things, the same old ways, and lost our vision for being God’s hands and feet to the world. It is the same experience when we sit around and stay stationary during the day, our bodies become what my Granny use to call being “stoved up.”  Americans, Christians and the world became so “stoved up” that when the coronavirus hit we were unprepared and our response to action was unsteady. We were on auto-pilot with our buttons stuck in place. Circling life, around and around, daily routines and weekly routines over and over again… I think the Zombie Apocalypse really did occur in America!

So, now that we have had our merry-go-round lives derailed, what are you doing about it? Is all of this a weird way of life or a new improved way of life? I believe that the weirdness of Easter has led us to some great opportunities for our lives and we should embrace them! Quarantining does make you pick and choose what you need, not what you want. Here are a few of my suggestions I hope becomes the new normal for people.

Live by the rule that if it is not important for breathing, eating, and maneuvering daily life throw it out without second thoughts.

Honor the real heroes and not the fictitious ones played on a movie screen. 

Revere the good things and people in life, and do not make heroes out of athletes, actors, and musicians.   Their worth should not be in the money they earn, but the life they lead.

Stop the media drain game.  Turn the news off and spend time reading your bible.

Love others as Jesus Loves You!  He loves you more than you will ever know on this earth and gives you grace every day! Share His love and grace with others.

God Bless You!

 

 

 

Love Remains

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

Easter weekend quickly approaches and some will be focused on the cross, and some on the chocolate bunnies.  I will be focused on Jesus and my new year with Him.  In case you don’t understand, I believe my new year to be Easter Sunday not January 1.  I do celebrate the changing of the yearly number, but it is more important to me to celebrate the changing of my soul each year.

We go through so much in a year.  Joys, sorrows, struggles, miracles; you name it, we humans experience it.  So I like to think of Good Friday as the day Jesus takes my past year to the middle of hell and leaves all the bad stuff there.  My brat ways, my control freak persona, my self-centered absorption, unkind words thought and said, and anything else along those lines.  Then Jesus brings back the better side of me, especially my heart.  And on Easter Sunday, I start a new Christian year!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Humans die, kingdom don’t last, fads fade away, countries rise and fall because nothing stays the same.  We are all evolving.  The one who has never changed and will never change is Jesus.  Love remains!

This year why not start a new year with me?  No resolutions or fad diets required.  Just the love of Jesus Christ in your life to share with others!

Love Remains by the Scott Family is the perfect video to explain how I feel.  Like I have said before, if I could sing, I would sing for you.  But I want to protect your ears!

I pray this music blesses you the way it blessed my heart!

God Bless You!

 

How Would You Convert An Atheist Into A Christian?

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

To me it is an almost overwhelming question.  But it is a question someone asked on the Christian forum I am a member.  He wants to start evangelizing and was looking for different opinions and styles.

The background he gave on his imaginary person was a severely depressed young male, who lost his job, doesn’t have a girlfriend, and basically life is on a downhill run.  The young male does not believe in God and is so desperate that he is contemplating suicide.

Have you ever been to that point in your life? I have and I was not an atheist either.  The weight of this world can be a smashing you into the ground kind of feelings for some.  You have no strength left, breathing is a chore and even moving your body is excruciating.  That must have been how Job felt sitting in those ashes covered in sores!

Naturally, I have strong opinions about bringing people to devote their lives to Jesus Christ.  I believe they have to see Christ in you first, before they can find Christ within themselves. Which translates into prayer and relationship to me! I don’t believe you can meet someone, talk to them about Jesus Christ, and then give them the magic words to become a Christian.  It takes more than talk and that is why they say “talk is cheap!”

My thoughts on the atheist young man are I would first get to know him and offer to help. But there are so many intricate threads to this situation. He may need mental or even physical help.  So I am back to prayer and relationship.  Prayer for God to direct me in what to do and relationship of getting to know him and actually providing the help that is required.

Another suggestion would be once he does accept God into his life, don’t leave.  A new Christian needs guidance on where to start in the bible, study help, and more importantly prayer!  As you can see, I take evangelism seriously and I see the responsibility part which most street corner Preachers leave out.

What about you? What would you do?  Do you see yourself as being an evangelist?  Leave your  own suggestions if you want to do so.  Different perspectives can be extremely helpful!

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

Charity PanHandlers (A Phone Call Away)

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

My family and myself had a Sunday reminiscent of Sunday’s past.  We went to church, had a lunchtime supper, and came home to rest.  Not to mow the yard or other chores waiting for us, we just wanted to rest.  So, my husband and myself decided we should take a nap.

Around 30 minutes into the nap, our house phone rang.  I jumped up quickly to answer the phone and not disturb my husband. The authoritative male voice (on the other side) told me he represented a law enforcement charity and wanted to know if I would help the officers and their families out.  I politely explained to him that I would have to research his charity to find out how much of the donations actually went to officers and their families, before I could give him my decision.

He readily gave me the information of 10 % of all donations went to officers and their families. I shook my head and asked him didn’t he think that was not much money and was it because they had large salaries being paid to those head of the charity.  Maybe next time I would want to give, was his response.  End of conversation.

So many people are proud to say they run a non-profit or charity, because it is the new career where you can earn big bucks!  Just like the highway panhandlers, who do it because they make $500 to $700 dollars a day by only looking ragged and holding their hand out.  I understand some of these panhandlers do this because they mentally or physically can not hold down a job.  And they have my empathy and money. But the rest of these scam artists and scam charities make my blood boil!

The next thing  I did was to pull my American Heritage Dictionary out and look up the word charity.

3.  An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.

I don’t see the words to help yourself to the money listed or pay yourself a salary from the charity either!  Maybe if a looked up selfish or charity selfish, I might find those instructions listed.

Charity from the Christian perspective means love.  Jesus did address the type of charity, where you take care of the needy in Matthew 25:34-36, 40.

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me . . . I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”

So whatever action a charity takes concerning the division of funds, they also do it against Jesus Christ.  While a charity CEO makes $100,000, $150,000, or even $ 250,000 a year; the trickle down of the donation may result in Jesus Christ receiving a nickel or even a penny.  They are giving Jesus Christ, the one who saved them from death,  a penny.  Jesus Christ, who gives life everlasting, mercy, grace, and love to each person equally.  These upper class panhandlers, pull a paltry penny from their pockets for their Savior.

Do you see it from my perspective?  The next time you are asked to give to a charity, find out how much goes to salaries and how much goes to the people/Jesus.  You may even find out these charities have been reported for not dispersing the funds.

You can go to http://www.charitynavigator.org and find out the best charities and the scammer charities.

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

PreBap (What Are You?)

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

My youngest son and I were having fun discussing the way I view myself religiously.  Since I had been a Presbyterian for almost all of my 54 years, and had only been a Baptist these last four years, I proudly proclaimed that I am a PreBap.

The truth is I am a follower of Jesus Christ.

My Presbyterian views on Christianity are still a strong influence in how I live my life.  So why become a Baptist?  When we moved to Fulshear, Texas, my husband had already visited River Bend Baptist and liked the people.  They are warm and welcoming.  Our youngest son, still in his teenage years, loved the youth group and their Youth Pastor.  Decision made.  Because when your kid enjoys a church, you can be sure they will attend.

Some of the Baptist traditions were foreign to me at first, like no Ash Wednesday and Lent season.  I depend on the Lent season to usher in my new year on Easter Sunday.  It is like a spring cleaning for my soul.  I only went one year without Lent, and have now returned to my Lent traditions.  This year, I gave up Facebook and my writing productivity is up 1000%.  When I do take FaceBook back up after Easter, it will be only a once a day glance.  To check birthdays and see if anyone is in the need of prayer. No more phone notifications either.

See what I mean about a spring cleaning for my soul.

I think that we have to be very careful, as Christians, about putting an identity moniker around our necks.  I want to be known as a follower of Jesus Christ, a servant of God, and a listener to the Holy Spirit. Because that is where true freedom is found in the grace of Jesus Christ. And just because God told Adam, he had to name all of the animals, we do not have to continue placing label on top of label.

We silly humans can over complicate the simple in life!

Be sure your children know they are Christians first and not Baptist, Presbyterian, or even Catholic first. If we erase these identity lines which separate us from each other, subsequently separating us from Christ, we might find racism to be erased also.  I also believe it is a church’s responsibility not to promote the line of division between each other.  For isn’t that judging, and a part of racist profiling?  Two of the things that followers of Christ are told not to do.

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus Christ…

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”       John 15:16-17

He chose us! He chose to love and save us! We are to go out each day and show the people we are followers of Christ by our actions.  And we do this by loving one another.  There are so many statements made by Jesus and the only identifying moniker we are to wear is the one which states we are followers of Christ.

So think about it, what moniker do you wear?  Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian or a follower of the one who chose you, Jesus Christ?

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

 

 

 

Gooey Good Stuff

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

This time of year brings to mind boiled peanuts, hot chocolate, apple cider, and s’mores!  Campfires or fire pits, and family gathered around start dancing through my mind.  Yes, it is another fall season and another reason for more family time.

I have found it beneficial to buy these small wire basket-like utensils, with long handles on them.  I know they have a name, but I am never technical about fun stuff.  It has to be the ones which will not transfer the heat to the handles.  Take a note here and learn from my own “hot” experiments.

The baskets keep things like marshmallows, graham crackers, and other food items from ending up in the fire and not in your belly.  There are also enclosed baskets for popping corn too! You can find containers to sit by the fire to keep your warm beverages warm.  And remember that heat should not transfer to the handle.

Where do you find these wire basket-like utensils, you ask.  Any store that sells camping supplies.  Or you can improvise and make your own.  Necessity is the mother of inventors.

Now, you have your special fire cooking utensils and you must decide on the food.  But how do you make it a little more healthy and not so sugary?  Think about food this way, before stoves and ovens, the open fire was the only way to cook.  Anything you can cook inside, you can cook outside.

What about taking the s’mores and adding dark chocolate for milk chocolate, and bananas or strawberries instead of marshmallows?  Ummm, yummy.  Hotdogs can be turkey or vegan and vegetables become soft and tasty when roasted on an open fire.  The limit is your imagination.

But the most important factor is your family. Time sitting around talking, laughing, and enjoying each other. If the kids are younger, you can tell bible stories like David and Goliath.  If the kids are older, talk to them about school and what is happening in their worlds.  Let your children know their importance to you.

And slowing down does not hurt your blood pressure either.

If you need a bible verse suggestion, I think Hebrews 12:28-29 is great for campfires.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our  “God is a consuming fire.”

So much to discuss in one statement.  God’s kingdom cannot be defeated, changed, or shaken.  We should worship God and talk with God in the right ways.  And God is a consuming fire because He wants your love for Him to burn deep inside your heart!

Just watching a fire burn and the heat it releases is how we should feel for God.  Which should be expressed in our actions and our words.  Of course, you will have to decide the level of discussion, depending on your children’s age.

Don’t forget fire safety! Whether it is a campfire or a fire pit, all necessary precautions and permits should be taken care of first.  Then you can enjoy a safe, fun night with your family.

Now, I have to ask you…What are you doing this weekend?

 

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

 

I Am So Disgusted

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

From time to time this world gets on my nerves.  It may be because we are so connected to instant everything, we see more of the ugliness of evil.  Today, my view was of ugly, loathsome evil running rampage on the children of the world.

It disgusts me!

I am not going to mention the articles and pictures I saw on my new’s page.  Because I believe that breathes even further life into others searching for ways to be more grotesque  concerning children. But I will say this, if ever there was a time when parents, grandparents, and all adults need to focus on Luke 10:27, it is now.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.”

It is not about memorizing a bible verse but living your life based on the bible verse. For in Luke 10:27, there is no room for evil. Your example to your children is how they will live their lives. Give them a Godly example!

And if you know or see something being done to a child, say something or report it.  Because for so long, we have forgotten how to stand up to evil and it runs freely through our streets and neighborhoods. Another fact which turns my stomach is when someone steps forward to say they knew something was happening.

How can anyone turn a blind eye and allow the children to suffer?

Children are a blessing from God! They are our golden nuggets of love and joy!  Parenting is not easy but with God in your life and your home, you can do it.  And this will start the sowing seeds of love and understanding throughout our next generation of adults.

Remember, no action is siding with evil and our world displays these results loud and clear.

Stand with God and protect our children! Change our world!

 

God Bless You!

God Bless America!