An excerpt from one of my "Letters"

 

Hi All: Again, this past holiday in my adopted country of England I had another experience with another person who is in trouble. On Wednesday night, the 23^rd of June 2010. I had gone down to the Mc Donalds in Thornton Heath for supper [sic]. The reason for there is I really didn’t feel like going to a pub that night. Pubs tend to get expensive after awhile. After “supper” I had started walking towards Streatham Hill with the idea I would stop at the park atop Pollards Hill for a period of mediation.

While I was walking I decided to stop for a minute and have a cigarette [sadly I still have a problem with the use of those things]. I had no sooner lit mine when a man came along who was apparently drunk and asked me for one to which I obliged. After his was lit he started talking to me somewhat incoherently. I was soon able to calm him down and was able to learn that he no longer wished to live. Upon hearing this, I quickly dropped my smoke and motioned for him to sit on a nearby wall and talk to me. I had learned his name was Loannis and he was a member of the Greek Church but since the presence of that church appeard to be weak in London and he felt very alone,

He kept saying he didn’t want to live and I, in turn, tried offering spiritual, scriptural and psychological advise. He had told me he was looking for Jesus but was never able to find him. I kept reiterating to find Jesus he need look no farther than his own heart for this is where Jesus lives in all who believe in him and confess his name.

After a bit he said he wanted to go and I asked him if he would like me to pray with him and anoint him with oil to which he consented. So here I am, on the sidewalk of a very busy street in South London [The A23] praying with this man and anointing him with oil. When we were done, he held my left arm gently with both his hands and said, “You are a very kind man” and staggered off. I can only pray when he sobered up he will realise what happened and will hopefully get the help he desperately needs.

All I can say here is good luck, Loannis, wherever you are and you are indeed in my prayers.

After he was gone, I went to the top of Pollards Hill for a period of prayer and meditation. The question I keep asking myself is why me? And why London, especially South London? I know I don’t have the answer to that. This makes the third time in two years something like this has happened to me.

There are some letters I never finished writing. Someday, I will explain why not.

I quit smoking on Decenber 8th, 2014 :D 

Terry 

Lesson for the week 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

 

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

New King James Version

¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for ^[a]instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Preach the Word

4 I charge you ^[b]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead ^[c]at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

May you, the reader, be blessed by these words

Terry 

Lesson for the week 2 Timothy 2:8-15

 

2 Timothy 2:8-15

New King James Version

⁸ Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, ⁹ for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the ^[a]elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
¹² If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
¹³ If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

Approved and Disapproved Workers

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to ^[b]strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  

May you, the reader, be blessed by these words.

Terry 

Lesson for the week 2 Timothy 1:1-14

 

2 Timothy 1:1-14

New King James Version

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of ^[a]Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

 ² To Timothy, a beloved son:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy’s Faith and Heritage

³ I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, ⁴ greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, ⁵ when I call to remembrance the ^[b]genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. ⁶ Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher ^[c]of the Gentiles. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Be Loyal to the Faith

¹³ Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

 

May you, the reader, be blessed by these words,

Terry 

A Weekend with Friends

 A story of something that happened to me in 2009:

 

A weekend with friends

Romans 13:9

Dear Reader: Here is an accounting of a weekend I recently spent in North Carolina with friends in Christ. I try to visit these people at least once a year. These people are true friends and have stayed with me in my struggles over the past two and a half years.
Normally these letters are of my trips to England but I thought I would write about something that happened here in America.
Sometime ago I had asked when would be a good time to visit and it was finally decided the weekend starting the 17^th of July 2009. I was asked if I could help teach a Sunday School Class that Sunday to my friend’s first grade class. I consented and he sent me some material I had to learn because I was the one who would be reading it to the class.

 Finally Friday the 17th rolled around and I was off at 05:30 in the morning. I know this sounds like a rather early departure but please remember I had to go through Baltimore and Washington D.C. and I really didn’t want to get jacked up in the horrendous traffic in that area on I-95.

 I arrived at about three thirty in the afternoon and after I unpacked and freshened up a bit, we went to his church. They were having activities and a sleepover for those who are going to be in the first grade in their Sunday school. This is a sort of “rite of passage” for these youngsters. I was very flattered and honoured that I as an outsider would be allowed to participate in an event like this with five to seven year olds. There were some older kids but this was actually open to all grade schoolers. Earlier in the day the group had gone to a pottery mill to learn how clay pottery is made. The place where they went makes all of their goods by hand and has been in business since the late 1700's. After a lunch in the mill’s picnic grove, they returned to the church. They had activities planned by a young lady who is working on a degree for teaching. This young lady not only developed the curriculum but executed it as well. When we arrived, she was in the middle of reading a Dr. Seuss story to them. The story was Bartholomew and the Oobleck (1959), which the kids seemed to enjoy very much. Afterwards, the kids went to tables that were set up out side with some kitchen utensils and bowls on them. There was water, cornstarch and green food coloring provided. The kids were instructed on how to mix the ingredients and went to it. The idea here was to make an Oobleck like substance as well as teach the kids the differences between solids, semi solids and liquids. I feel the most important thing taught here was teamwork. This is perhaps one of the most important lessons that can be taught a child and in my humble opinion; this is an excellent age to do it.

After they were done with the Oobleck, they went back inside to a critique of what they had learned and then went to supper. Supper consisted of Pizza, Pop Corn and “Bug Juice” 

When  supper was over, we had arts and crafts like activities as well as a game of “Bible Jingo”. The arts activities consisted of making our own “stained glass” figures of the fish symbol with a cross inside it [Icthus]. Some of the results were very nice as you can see.

No, I am not going to tell you which one is mine . There was another thing the kids were supposed to paint but by that time most had lost interest in painting. This is when the Minister of Education took over and held a game of “Bible Jingo”. The game is something like bingo only the prizes are not monetary. The game works like this.

The answers are on the boards that are given out. The caller asks a question and if the answer is on your board, you get to place a marker on it. The rest of Bingo rules apply for winning.

After this, it was time to get the kids ready for bed. This is where I had to leave. Since I am not a member of this church, the rules say this is one function I cannot participate in. This church, like most others has a “Safe Church” policy in effect. I returned to my host home for the night and enjoyed a quiet evening with his wife and son.

The next morning I went back to the church to have breakfast with my host and the kids. However breakfast was late in arriving and we had to get going, as we had to be in Raleigh for a show at the I MAX Theater. We stopped at Mc Donald’s and picked up Egg Mc Muffins and Hash Browns and went to his home for breakfast.

We arrived in Raleigh and went to the I MAX for a show that was one of their own productions. I had never been in an I MAX before so this was a real treat for me. I will say the realism is terrific and there is no comparison to the original 3 D movies we had when I was a kid. Afterwards we went to an “Olive Garden” for lunch. This is one of the nicer ones I have been in. The service was very prompt and courteous and the portions generous, generous enough for us to take part of our meals home with us .

We arrived home after a Cooks tour of Raleigh and just kicked back for the rest of the day. I went out and did some shopping and afterwards helped my host with some of the preparation for his Sunday school class the next day.

Sunday dawned mostly sunny and cool for the time of year. After we had a big cooked breakfast, my host had to get going early to set up the classroom and I soon followed to help with this. I also had to mind the room for kids coming in since all of the teachers had an emergency meeting. This classroom is equipped with a computer and the kids can take turns playing interactive Bible games. The favourite seems to be puzzles of different kinds.

After the meeting and a good many of the kids had arrived [some of whom remembered me from previous visits], we started the class. The day’s lesson was on Romans 13:9. There were a number of interactive games devised by my host as well as a monologue done by me. I was dressed in some stage props to look like the Roman Centurion Cornelius. I read the story to the kids of how Cornelius met Peter [Acts 10] and then answered some questions afterwards. In all it was a very successful class with 12 students being in attendance.

After the class, I had gone out into the hallway to talk to the Minister of Education and ran into a 10 year old boy who has sent shock waves through the church. I had met this boy last year and in a way, I helped my host mentor him. The real shock to the congregation came when this past spring, he came forward at an alter call during a revival meeting and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. The shock here is he has been the youngest to ever do this with out parental support!

This boy saw and greeted me with “Hello Mr. Terry, how are you” coupled with a handshake and a very surprising but modest hug. Needless to say, I was very touched by this act.

Afterwards, we went to the sanctuary for service and while we were waiting for the service to start, this very same boy had taken a piece of paper and made a paper boat out of it. He then turned to me and said, “here Mr. Terry, I made this for you”. I tell you truly, this is one of the most precious gifts I have ever been given by anybody and I have it at a place of honour on my computer monitor where it will serve as a reminder of just how awesome God is.

After the service we went home for lunch and just plain chilled for a while. It was a lazy afternoon and that was fine with me. I’m not one of those people that need some kind of constant activity, I am perfectly happy to just kick back and relax .

After a bit, we went back to the church for the evening activities. This church doesn’t have any organised activities as such during the summer vacation season but it has things like movies for the kids in the evenings. This night we were treated to a movie complete with munchies like popcorn, cake and bug juice. I also took this time to take some photos of the new Sunday school wing.

After the movie it was time to say farewell to my friends there. I met the boy from that morning in the hallway, shook his hand and wished him a goodbye, he in turn did the same to me then he hugged me again and said, “Mr. Terry, Please come back as soon as you can”. In all honesty, I almost lost it right there. I went outside and said my farewell to the adults that were kibitzing in the parking lot and went back to my host home. We had some supper and before I went to bed, I bade his wife and son goodbye as I knew by the time they got up I would be long gone. The next morning I was up and gone by 06:10 and drove a rather uneventful 500 mile trip home.

Some things I wish to point out here. Before meals, grace is always said. Each person in the circle [yes, we hold hands and make a circle] offers the prayer at least once. I usually offer the prayer on Saturday evenings. Also, I have for two years gone to the alter call and have renewed my dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ. This may seem like a lot to some, but it never hurts to let Jesus know you’re still committed to him. Also, I was very blessed this past trip. I was allowed to participate in a children’s Sunday school class even though I am not a member of that church. The trust here came from my host say so. I was also very blessed by the presence of a ten-year-old boy who opened his heart to me and allowed the light of Christ to shine through him. Not only did he give me a precious physical gift, also, more importantly, he freely gave me his unsolicited love. I was very humbled by this act. This is a good example of Romans 13:9 “Love one another as yourself” ; I am a very rich man for what has been given me.

As always, you are in my prayers.

Terry

I might point out the children shown here are now adults in their early 20's.

 

The Holy Spirit using Music

 Isaiah 11:6 

 

 Dear All:

On October 30th, 2024 my wife of 43 years passed on to Glory. While I am a believer, I was still pretty much down in the dumps and feeling sorry for myself with a "Woe is me" attitude.

One night this past February, I came across a posting on Facebook about Polish Christmas music. The music was presented by a famous Polish Highland Band. I had watched quite a few of their videos that night. I came across one in particular where a youngster who was apparently a bit bored or just being playful was clowning around on stage. I will admit, the actions made me laugh a lot since in many ways, I was reminded of myself at that age. That was perhaps the best laugh I had since Ida passed away. I needed that ;) The one thing I did take note of was the energy and joy of the Polish Christmas Music. 

The next morning, after a good nights sleep which is rare for me, I was eating breakfast and it occured to me I had to stop whining abut the loss of Ida and get on with my life as I know Ida would have wanted me to. 

Fast forward. I now listen to a lot of this Polish Highland Bands music. Coupled with this, I have also studied about Poland and her people and learned of a Poland I never knew existed. I say that in a good way. While I am not fluent in Polish outside of some questionable language, I still enjoy the music. What makes it easy is I am able to download the lyrics with English translations :) I am slowly learning Polish through music. This is how I learned the Welsh [Cymraeg] I know.

Since then, I have pretty much fallen in Love with Poland and her people for indeed, they have stolen my heart. I also like the food, my waistline is showing it 😉

In summation, this makes the second time in 20 years where the Holy Spirit used the power of music and  a child to deliver a message to get me to get off dead center. I will be forever greatful for what that young person unwittingly has done for me. In this case, the child did basically nothing ouside of being a child. I think the words of Isaiah 11:6 might apply here “And a little child shall lead them” .

Terry 

 

Note: I NEVER  use names in my post, especially minors. Do not ask me for details, I will respect the privacy of all concerned and keep any information I may have private! This is not negotiable!

 

I have heard and read many arguments on the web about what we call the "Rapture" as not being in the bible. Well, maybe it isn't in that exact word but in the Bible, it is so according to Paul. Read what he had to say in 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

Please keep in mind that those who believe and are saved will only be asleep spiritually until the Lord comes, All others, well, I'll let you draw your own conclusion

"13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

18 Therefore encourage one another with these words."

Pennsylvania and Covid19

Here is something that I came across on Facebook I think all should read.

"How does one dog (or wolf in our case) control all those sheep at once? FEAR...It's actually a very fitting name when referring to certain people.. Do you know Sheep will follow each other, even over a cliff??? That's about what we're witnessing these past couple of months. Fear and panic driven sheep following each other, but never stopping to question why?

Before I went out yesterday with my mom, I called the small Mennonite store we visit often to ask them if they require their customers to wear masks...I do not and will not shop in places that do. The woman said "we prefer our customers to breathe fresh air, and we don't wear them ourselves" I proceed to thank her for not being afraid to do what's right, and grateful for her common Sense, which we are finding is not so common anymore 🙄.
When we arrived there, they were pretty busy. Shockingly enough my mother and I were the only two people out of about 30 that did not have masks on, other than the owners and workers who also did not have masks on!!! It was very disheartening to say the least. Now common sense would tell you that if the owners didn't have masks on, they must not mind if their customers do or don't??? Nope, people still had them on. There was a gentleman who even turned completely away from us and shuffled sideways while walking past us... If you're that terrified, you should seriously just stay home, and have rebels like me and my mom shop for you 😏
it really started to make me think of another interesting fact about sheep... They only obey the voice of their master. If you are I were to try and call a herd of sheep over, they would not obey us, but as soon as they heard the voice of their Master, they would obey. This is Also very profound in the Biblical sense... Unfortunately in this case, the voice of their master is Governor wolf and his side chick, I mean side kick😐 it didn't matter that the owner said it was okay to not wear a mask, they were still obedient to the voice of a tyrant, a wolf, a predator.
People are so blinded by the fear that He and the media has instilled, so much so that many refuse to listen to reason, refuse to listen to facts even when they are presented to them.
It's honestly been nothing but doom and gloom every where we go and there's not been ONE SINGLE TIME that anyone else other then myself, my kids or my mom hasn't had a mask on. Where's all the leaders? Where's all the business owners who have the power to open up, but choose not to out of fear??? Where's all the pastor's that willingly closed the church doors, even though they were exempt, they just handled over their rights??? Knowing what's right but choosing not to stand up for it is an even bigger problem then those who purposely set out to do harm! We the people far outnumber them, but yet we're scared. How many times in history has just a handful of tyrants overthrown many, because of fear? There is power in numbers, United we stand, divided we fall.
I'm not going to give up taking a stand for my rights, and I will continue to be that example for my children. I have had many conversations with people about why I don't wear a mask, or what my perspective is on ALL of this, and I do my best to kindly educate them, as I am a medical professional and one would think that would give me some kind of leverage...lol.. not so much, not with everyone... sometimes it can get heated, and although I thoroughly enjoy confrontation from time to time (just ask my ex 🤔) it gets exhausting, and I just want to shop and be in peace without the glares and comments. There's really no talking sense into some people, so I pick my battles.
Fear has been pounded into our minds for months now by the media. Those of us who see through the agenda are wise enough to ignore it, we know that there's most definitely an ulterior motive... Here's some words that the media uses to draw people in, create fear, and gain control, these words have become a part of everyday language, everywhere you go and every station you turn on you hear them repetitively...it's a form of mind control, just like these ridiculous masks...
Brace yourself especially if you're a sheep reading these, they may send you into a panic attack...social distancing, pandemic, outbreak, community spread, contact tracing, self-quarantine, isolation, contagious, infectious, virus, mitigation, stay home, spikes, immunization, testing, incubation period, compromised, contaminated, essential, corona...and the big scary one..COVID-19...these words have driven fear and outright panic into so many. I get being scared, but we have to stop and listen to reason, we need to be free thinkers and teach our children the same.
So how about that 19 in covid??? It's been around since then, hasn't it??? This virus has been around since about October-ish. So tell me, how is it, it didn't spread like "wildfire" until it hit the news media🤔??? Or did it??? Many of us were sick or knew of someone that was sick anywhere between December and February. I, myself was sick with this mystery virus the end of January into February and it wasn't the flu. There was indeed something spreading quickly throughout my co-workers, church family, my kids and their friends, but we all got better, didn't panic, didn't give it much thought, just became a bit more mindful of washing our hands and staying home if we were sick, you know common sense measures. Several of my coworkers have gotten the antibody testing done, and it's come back positive for having this virus...am I surprised, no. Why isn't that being looked at more. Why is big pharma pushing so hard for a vaccine, when clearly MOST get over it, and many have already had it as we're finding out.
So here we are in May and life has been turned upside down and Don't even think about coughing in public you MONSTER!!! The flu, allergies, and common cold are non-existent in the minds of many!!! It's COVID all day every day baby!!!and The highly coveted mask is the new "false security" for these people. The mask will keep us safe and anyone who doesn't wear The MASK is the enemy!!! I see people walking outside alone wearing a mask, driving by themselves in a car wearing a mask!!! it is extremely unhealthy and very dangerous to be wearing masks like this. It's called hypercapnia, due to carbon dioxide toxicity, which is caused by constantly breathing in exhaled CO2. These masks do not prevent a virus from going through. Do we know that the eyes are susceptible as well? People are told to keep their hands away from their face but yet because of the mask most people's hands are always at their face adjusting it! How about you just go home after shopping and wash your hands? do people realize how many people before them touched that gallon of milk or carton of eggs or anything else you buy, before it made its way to them??? HAHAHA! good grief..nope the mask will protect.
Let me ask this question, Now follow along sheep if you're reading...that's what you do best isn't it... follow?
So when the 💩virus hit the fan back in mid-March, we were told it'd be 2 weeks of quarantine, and only businesses deemed "essential" could operate(I hate that word)...we get to mid- April, a month later, still locked down, people without income, businesses going under...but we weren't doing it right!!!! Fools!!!..We needed to up the ante and wear masks!!!
How is it a MONTH after the media sends everyone into a frenzy, AFTER YOU HAD PEOPLE TRIPPING ALL OVER THEMSELVES BUYING TOILET PAPER!!!! NO MASKS! big box stores packed everyday, that we are not all dead????? HOW???? why are we not all infected??? Could it be it was already here before all the hype??? Could it be many already had it, or many had immunity to it, and some that did get it, didn't even realize what they had! Based on FACTS, I believe we wouldn't have known any different that this thing existed, BUT since the media told us to be afraid, here we are shut down over a facade!!!
We are now into our 2nd month of shutdown over a virus that has affected LESS then 1% of the population. That means there's a 99% survival rate. This had gone from a 2 week quarantine, to being the new norm until about 2022 when a vaccine is developed??? What?? And people are accepting this!!!??? Heck NO!!! To date, more people die from the flu, more die from cancer, no cure for that, no cure for Aids, how long has that been around now??? We didn't shut down our economy over it, or over the swine and bird flus...why??? Why didn't we???? ASK YOURSELF WHY??? heart disease is a biggie!!! should we shut down McDonalds??? Ok forget I said that...the Mcrib is awesome and when it comes around, I'm less edgy...but guess what, despite my choice for eating something that's probably really bad for me😳... MY BODY MY CHOICE!!! Isn't that phrase all you murderous liberals use when taking the lives of millions of innocent babies???? Imagine abortion being a necessity all this time???? and I can't even get my fractured tooth fixed!!! Here's an idea, quit screwing!!! That's also a CHOICE!!!
WHOOOO IM FIRED UP!!! I'm done with the lies, and I'm especially done with Tyrant Wolf and Shim, you know that guy with lipstick🤢... here's a NEWSFLASH... just cause you cover your penis with a skirt, that DOESN'T MAKE YOU A WOMAN!!! All of this is so ridiculous and Most of us knew there was going to be a next "big thing" to distract, and try to destroy our president, since the impeachment hearings didn't work out so well.
Most of us also know there's some really good doctors and medical professionals who are trying to stand up for the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, not to mention how affordable it is, but yet dr. Doom is pushing for another option with astronomical cost. Why? Because he's concerned with the side effects of hydroxychloroquine. Have you ever watched commercials advertising medications and their possible side effects, some of those side effects include death???? I mean it doesn't get much worse than that.
Here's some reasons why this insanity continues... Democrats want Trump out at any cost, and will risk sinking our economy to do just that. They know what they stand to lose, and they want their power back....also, there's a lot of money to be made from disease and a new vaccine... Which is bogus by the way..
Ever ask yourself why people like Bill Gates have any authority on which to speak about this virus? Money, power, Greed, CONTROL... That's what all of this is about and unless we open our eyes and speak up, we will be lead to the slaughter as well. Our freedoms are being stripped away from us, some subtly, and some very obvious. I cautious each of you to be very mindful of what's going on behind the scenes as well. A lot of what's happening is also a distraction. Democrats are pushing for laws that at this point and time we may not be aware of because we're looking the other way...stay mindful on what's going on in other arenas of the government.
I'm thankful for states such as Georgia and Florida that have pushed back and pretty much gotten back to normal. Guess what, no spikes there!!! No uncontrollable outbreaks. As a matter of fact their numbers have gone down since getting back to normal everyday life. Why not us? Control, money, power, greed.
Let's continue to push back. It's important to speak the truth, but we have to be cautious how we approach certain people. Some are just very naive and scared, but willing to listen, some are psychopaths so I caution you to pick your battles 😳 let's be examples of what a TRUE PATRIOT is for our children. This is their future!!! Just like my pappy fought for my freedom, I'll fight for theirs!!!
In closing... finally😳...I'd like to say what an amazing group this has turned out to be! I'm so thankful for the unity, like-mindedness, patriotism and courage... except for those few sheep who get out of their pen every now and then and make their way here, trying to graze in pastures where they don't belong!!!... I know for myself, being here lets me know that I'm not alone in all this...if I could have a party and invite you all...I would...❤️ God bless...let's fight the good fight together...Romans 8:31..if God be for us, who can be against us? Stay strong and vigilant friends ❤️"

Another writing by Bill Dennington

This was written by a friend of mine, Bill Dennigton from Georgia. this is Excellent!

I taught a series not that long ago on the Love of God. The focus of the study was not on how we are to love God, or how we are to love one another; but, how immeasurable God’s love actually is for us. In meditating on the verses that speak of God’s love for us I came to a deeper understanding of just how futile it is to attempt to love God when you have no real revelation of how much God loves you.
One example I saw from the book of Exodus was how Israel responded to God’s great love for them. They just could not comprehend the depth to which God actually did love His Chosen Nation. Egypt had so instilled a slave mentality into that generation that came out of bondage that they saw everything through the eyes of fear. They were programmed with fear in their subconscious mind that no matter how good God was to them they could not see the love and grace He was bestowing upon them.
Everything God did was because He loved Israel and honored the covenant He entered in to with Abraham. That covenant was possible due to Abraham’s love of God. That was what was being displayed when Abraham tithed the spoils of his victory over the armies that took Lot and his family captive. Abraham was not commanded to do that, he did it out of love and devotion for God, even before the covenant had been cut. That love became the catalyst for the covenant. You can see God taking Abraham deeper into the relationship after that event. This was a relationship based purely on love, faith, and grace, on both sides. (Most outstanding when you consider Abraham was spiritually dead at the time!)
Israel, on the on the other hand, was several generations removed from all of that. 400 years of life in Egypt had affected them greatly. That long season of living in a completely heathen society and becoming the object of suspicion and hatred on the part of the Egyptians had brought them to the place where they were now thinking only as a subjugated slave class of beings. They, as a result, had lost all concept of covenant love. Anyone and everyone who came in to order them around was looked upon with suspicion and hatred. Just another oppressor who was interested in only taking from them, not giving them anything.
This mentality was so deeply ingrained into their thinking that God eventually had to let that generation die off in the wilderness. They just could not accept or receive God’s love on any level, and, they were incapable of loving God as He had commanded them to do for they saw Him as an oppressor, not a deliverer.
There is so much more to share along this line, but let me close with this… when you are only loving God because you are commanded or expected to do so, you are still approaching God with a performance based mentality. Any effort on your part to express a love extracted by commandment will fall woefully short of what God really desires. It is love that is pulled out instead of love that is poured out.
Right along with that is that the love that is performance based actually had a fear-based motivation that keeps you from being able to make any kind of real heart-level commitment to God. “Can’t do that, you never know when God might do something to hurt me!” That is the thinking that is going on under the surface.
The Apostle John demonstrates something very powerful that every believer needs to grab hold to and develop in their lives. He recognized and saw just how much God loved him. He saw this to the degree that he titled himself in his gospel as “the one Jesus loved.” He became developed in this, even before the new birth took place, to the degree that he was completely unafraid to stand at the foot of the cross while Jesus hung and died there. Jesus saw that fearless love and turned over the watch care of His mother to John.
We find no mention of John ever expressing his love of Jesus in any of the gospels. However, we do find multiple occasions where Peter boldly expressed his love of the Lord. He even declared that he would die with Jesus. But, Jesus saw that Peter’s love was performance based. He told Peter that he would end up betraying Him three times and that is exactly what happened. Peter was nowhere to be found on the day Jesus hung on the cross for fear had driven him into hiding.
John, in his first letter, reveals that perfect love casts out fear. That love of which he speaks is not our love of God, but God’s love of us. The greater the revelation of how much God loves us we develop in our lives is the degree that we will find all the different degrees of fear that have been planted in our hearts being flushed out. This in turn enables us to begin to express our love of God, not from any performance based motivation, but from a pure heart of true love pouring out of deep appreciation with no strings attached.
Move from just keeping commandments to living a life of freedom from fear and performance. Open your eyes to the awesomeness of God’s great love for us that was shown and demonstrated through Jesus Christ. Love because you want to, not because you have to, and watch how God responds to a fear-free love. It will amaze you and free you!

May you, the reader, be blessed by these words :)

Terry

Comments Welcomed

Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is not fun at all, BUT when I consider the Nonsense  I'm going through because of it now, I know it will be worth it. I just pray I'm not too late to stop or slow down the damage from smoking. All of you young [and old] people out there, take note, it WILL catch up to you specially with these so called fire safe cigs. What ever they're using to make the self exstinguishing is making them even more fatal!

Terry

Hi All:

This was written by a Facebook friend of mine, Bill Dennington. I think you will find it worth the read :)

Terry

Bill Dennington

I have had people as me over the years, “Why did this or that happen to me?” or “Why did this or that happen to Brother or Sister So and So?” We all want to know the answers to these questions, and rightfully so. We want to know the answer to the age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

While there is no way anyone can know the details that play into events in every situation, especially in the lives of other people, I do know and have studied the truth of how spiritual laws govern our lives as revealed in the pages of the Word of God. I have discovered that just in the same manner as physical laws govern our lives, so to do these spiritual laws govern our lives to contribute to how things play out on a day to day basis.
God, in His sovereignty, created both spiritual and physical laws. He has revealed the secrets of spiritual law throughout the Bible. (By spiritual law I am not talking about the Mosaic Law, but the laws of the spirit realm that are functioning 24/7 just like the laws of physics do in the natural realm).
Just as the laws of aerodynamics govern flight, so do these spiritual laws govern the realm of the spirit. If you violate any of the laws of aerodynamics you pay a price, sometimes a great price. So too with the laws of the spirit, violate any of those laws and you will pay a price. Live your life in a manner that is putting those laws to work in your favor and you will live a blessed life; live your life in a manner that puts those laws to work against you and it will be difficult for you.
It takes knowledge of the Word, wisdom from God, and the leading of the Holy Ghost to live accurately in this earth where spiritual law is concerned. No one is perfect, and we all can become complacent in being diligent to stay disciplined in our lives spiritually. Thus, things can happen, even to great Christian leaders that appear to not make any sense at all.
We cannot know all that led up to individual situations playing out, that is why we are not to judge. We can only judge ourselves and do our best to live our lives in a manner that puts spiritual law to work in our favor.
Sadly, the vast majority of churches today do little or no teaching along this line. It is too easy to just blame God or the devil as opposed to doing the necessary homework and get into the Word of God and dig out wisdom and gain understanding and then teach it in a manner that everyone realizes that they have a personal responsibility to live their lives yielded to the Holy Spirit and let Him lead you each and every moment of the day. He will not lead you in manner that causes you to violate God’s Word or spiritual law.
Violating the law of love is a big area that gums up the works in folk’s lives. In conjunction with violating the law of love is violating the law of forgiveness; refusing to forgive is deadly. Having an undisciplined tongue that speaks words that license death rather than life is another area that causes major issues in the lives of people. Too many Christians speak words of fear, sickness, disease, death, poverty, lack, strife, hatred, and other such words concerning themselves and others to the degree that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for God to bring blessing into their lives.
Sowing and reaping governs this planet spiritually. Words are seeds and will produce a harvest. Decisions are seeds and set definite things into motion that produce a certain result. All of these things play into weaving a tapestry of life that becomes extremely difficult to unwind or undo without the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of the blood of Jesus.
This is why renewing the mind to the realities of who we are in Christ, what we possess in Christ, and what we can do through Christ is so important. Our union with Him is what gives us the ability to live in victory. Without Him, we can do nothing, but fail. He is not an escape hatch to use when things get too screwed up to handle it any longer. He must be the One to whom we inquire continually to have the wisdom and understanding to know what to do and say that leads us to victory and success. When we live that way we experience true success and He gets all the glory for we cannot claim any of the results as being due to our efforts. It is only our union with Him and living in total dependency on that union that will produce the desired results in life.
Jesus indicated that we can grow progressively in obtaining those results: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred. So we can grow and develop in these things and increase in our sensitivity to His leading as well. This is what we should all strive for on a daily basis.
The greatest enemy of our day in that developmental process is two-fold: becoming too busy and growing too lazy. Laziness is pretty easily recognized, but being busy is much more sinister as it can be justified in our minds. When we are so busy that we are not taking the necessary time to pull aside and inquire of Him on a daily basis, even if that busyness is ministry or church related, we are in dangerous waters.
Psalm 23 and Psalm 91 speak to this matter. Those two Psalms are closely related, as they both give us insight to the kind of lifestyle that a believer needs to live to be successful in this dangerous world we live in. The secret place is a place that is quiet and still, peaceful and a place where we can listen and commune with Him. Jesus spent much time there, and so should we. It is the one place that we cannot abandon if we are going to live in victory in this dark and dangerous world.

Easter

A bit of a departure from normal posting. Two accountings of the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus.

John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
or

Matthew 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, `He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

May you, the reader, be blessed by these words :).

Terry

Comments welcomed

Hi All:

I would like to invite you to attend any one of these concerts by Libera.

Their voices are truely amazing and their music does indeed bring a message of peace and hope.

 God Bless, Terry

Libera - Silent Night (BBC Songs of Praise Big Sing Carols 2013)

Susan Boyle with Libera - In the Bleak Midwinter (BBC Songs of Praise Bi...

Libera 'Carol of the Bells' - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Boston

My Thoughts and prayers are with all of the people who have died and/or are injured from the terrible occurrence at The Boston Marathon. Please Pray for them.

911 Tribute - YouTube

911 Tribute - YouTube

Helping Libera more directly

Hi All:

The USA point man for Libera has given me permission to post a regular address for sending money if so desired. The address is as follows.

Nathan Zachary
c/o Friends of Libera
PO Box 190286
Saint Louis, MO 63119
United States

You will see the term "Friends of Libera" is used. At this point in time, it is not a public entity that the general public can join. However, in the future it may be. I nor Zach, the point man can speak for the governing body of Libera and all we can do is await their decision.

I am also told there have been responses to this plea. Please help if you can. I, for one, would like very much for Libera to come back to the USA next year and like many of you, would like to see them perform in different cities.

God Bless with Many thanks,

Terry

Home

Hi All: I just got word Libera is home safely, PTL,

This has been announced on Twitter.

God Bless,

Terry