Sunday, March 31, 2024

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE OUGHT YOU TO BE?

 

10 The Day of the Lord will come like a Thief.


THE HEAVENS WILL DISAPPEAR WITH A ROAR;

THE ELEMENTS WILL BE DESTROYED BY FIRE,

AND THE EARTH

AND EVERYTHING DONE IN IT LAID BARE.


11 SINCE EVERYTHING WILL BE DESTROYED

In this Way,

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE OUGHT YOU TO BE?

You Ought to Live Holy and Godly Lives,


12 AS YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY OF GOD

AND SPEED ITS COMING.


That Day will Bring About the Destruction

Of the Heavens by Fire,

And the Elements will Melt in the Heat.


13 But in Keeping with His Promise

We are Looking Forward

TO A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH,

Where Righteousness Dwells.


14 So then, dear Friends,

Since you are Looking Forward to This,

Make Every Effort

TO BE FOUND SPOTLESS, BLAMELESS

And at Peace with Him.


(2 Peter 3:10-14, NIV)

SONG -- I BELIEVE

https://studio.youtube.com/video/_8xbuTIT820/edit

I BELIEVE
By: Taste& See - Lyrics and music by Tom Haeg
I Believe, is the Apostles Creed put to music.
I Believe in God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth
And in Jesus Christ HIs only Son our Lord.
For more songs by Taste&See, go to - youtube.com/@tastesee423
Subscriptions are appreciated.

Saturday, March 30, 2024

HAPPY EASTER: A message to all who love our country and want to help save it!

 RenewAmerica staff

March 29, 2024

RENEWAMERICA —This Easter, we would do well to consider the remarkable words of Acts 10:38, which sum up the key to Jesus’ ministry in a way all of us can emulate as we seek to strengthen our country.

That brief passage says simply, but emphatically, that

    God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Despite the fact that Jesus possessed divine power as the Son of God, He nonetheless submitted His will to that of His Father, as He made clear in John 6:38

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” 

In doing so, He showed us the way to do the same kind of miracles, and exert the same kind of righteous influence, that He Himself demonstrated by His godly life.

It should be self-evident that the way to truly worship and honor Jesus would be to emulate His very mode of living, as best as we are able, as summarized above.

Such sincere effort to improve our influence for good is consistent with God’s emphatic warning in 2 Chronicles 7:14 to all professing believers that

    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

These scriptural words are more relevant today than ever, as our culture continues to move steadily away from God’s laws and America’s God-inspired founding principles as a direct consequence of godless Marxists’ and Leftists' increasingly successful 

Long march through our nation’s institutions” over the past hundred-plus years.

To the extent any of us can do so, we each need to awake and arise and stand forth in courage and righteous indignation and take back our country upon the principles of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible—

with God’s help and the power of His Spirit, as well as with all the faith we can muster as we seek to please God in all we do, and to obey His Spirit in everything we undertake in our daily lives—

just as Jesus did, doing so with “all our heart, soul, and mind,” as Jesus commands in Matthew 22:37, as we seek to bless and help others in the interest of preserving our country.

WHAT IS KILLING THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA?

 

What is Killing the Spirit of America?


It is Leftist Ideology,

An Anti-God Ideology,

That has Permeated Every Facet of American life.


The Gospel of Christ Jesus,

Is the Only Good News,

That Exists in the Human Realm.


When the Good News is Lost,


ALL IS LOST.

An Aimless America: What's Killing Our Spirits

 COMMENTARY WND NEWS CENTER

MUCH ABOUT HISTORY

Exclusive: Allan J. Feifer contrasts today's nation with the past ethic of building and progress

There's lots of blame to spread around; let's start with a few examples of what's killing our spirits:

  • A bridge in Baltimore was struck by a container ship and collapsed; it was the only bridge under which ships could transit. Although vulnerabilities were known in advance, no one focused on solutions.
  • Large road paving projects take up to 10 or 20 years to finish, costing drivers millions of extra hours in traffic and vastly higher public expenditures.
  • Despite record orders for its planes, Boeing will build only a fraction of what it historically would produce in a year.
  • Railroad derailments are at record levels.
  • No major nation spends more on schools and teachers than we do. So why can't Johnny read?
  • Why are people so financially insecure amidst record wealth?
  • Why does it take so long to get any development project approved anymore?
  • Why is it impossible to build affordable housing?
  • Why could we send 12 men to the moon within seven years back in 1969 and now struggle with the technology to do it again, 50 years later?

Why aren't we able to do the things we used to do easily?

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Famed technologist and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen thinks we've lost our mojo:

"Our nation and our civilization were built on production, on building. 

Our forefathers and foremothers built roads and trains, farms and factories, then the computer, the microchip, the smartphone, and uncounted thousands of other things that we now take for granted, that are all around us, that define our lives and provide for our well-being. 

There is only one way to honor their legacy and to create the future we want for our own children and grandchildren, and that's to build."

The problem is that we've not only stopped building, we're regressing in many areas. 

Let's stop blaming the pandemic or positing other justifications for what are human-caused failures. 

What we seem to be getting better and better at is building lies and excuses!

Indeed, the pandemic added gasoline to the fire, which has been building for at least 25 years. 

Addressing what's broken in our system is essential. 

We've been living off our former glories and colossal doses of borrowed money for quite some time. 

We're vulnerable and much further underwater than you might comprehend.

Besides the aforementioned debt that is allowing us to get by marginally, three other factors stand out as primary drivers:

A. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, commonly called NEPA, has single-handedly doubled, tripled, quadrupled, or more developments it controls. 

In fact, the number of projects that die on the vine or take five, 10, 15 or more years to get approved amounts to tens of billions of dollars of economic loss each year. 

Never heard of NEPA? You're not alone. 

But tens of thousands of environmentalists, lawyers, scientists and politicians know it well, and it adds to the cost of almost every project built or proposed to be built in our country. 

Its effects are so massive that some economists think NEPA knocks between a half and 1% off our GDP yearly.

B. There is no cohesive national plan of development. Would it surprise anyone that the government is on both sides of almost every issue, promoting propositions through some agencies and then being sued by another government agency to stop whatever it is? 

Congress, the executive branch, the courts and the bureaucracy all take positions that create tensions that never get resolved.

Lacking agreed-upon national goals that are thoroughly thought out and mutually reinforce themselves, we do stupid things that frequently wind up being stopped midway, wasting billions of dollars and furthering no one's interests other than employing more government employees. 

Ultimately, the president of the United States is responsible for herding the masses into some semblance of common purpose. 

We haven't seen that in a long time, but we used to.

C. Our children used to be our Omega. 

They were the beginning and the end. 

Everyone tended to look out for one another, and most of us lived similar lives where children came first, God was a close second, and family and country mattered. 

We've lost something we may never recover with our materialistic endeavors and pursuit of self over sacrifice. 

Let's get God back into the picture and not find ways to continue to deceive ourselves that we can be the center of the universe; we're not..

Building things, making things and visions of what we see for tomorrow are being sidelined by far-left political narratives that place equity as the ultimate goal. 

While Everyman wants the same things his forebears did, progressives speak vaguely and confusingly to encompass end goals that seem lofty and reasonable but don't reflect human behavior and the realities of a world with conflicting priorities.

I just read an article this morning that I think exemplifies my concerns. From the Institute for the Study of War:

Russia cannot defeat Ukraine or the West – and will likely lose – if the West mobilizes its resources to resist the Kremlin. The Russian strategy that matters most, therefore, is not Moscow's war-fighting strategy but rather the Kremlin's strategy to cause us to see the world as it wishes us to see it and make decisions in that Kremlin-generated alternative reality that will allow Russia to win in the real world.

Our other adversaries employ this strategy as well. 

Democracies are messy and sometimes highly inefficient and lack clarity of thought. 

Only outstanding leadership by our House, Senate and our president can change the underlying dynamics. 

Very few of us see today's leaders as the best we could hope to have. 

Petty and shortsighted politics and a few outright crazies dominate our politics today. 

Most of us wish it were different.

The very nature of politics today drives away our best and brightest. I don't see any great solutions to the problem most people can readily see. 

All we can hope for is that Donald Trump wins and turns out to be the man we need at this time to reset the rambling and undefined course we are on that leads to the end of our once-promising experiment.

Everyman watches as the course of our history is set out before him, with little we can do except pray that God is not finished with us quite yet.

God bless America.

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Media Begins Warning Public Of Soaring Cancer Rates Among Vaxxed

 HEALTH

SHOT HURT 'ROUND THE WORLD

'We are facing an emerging toll of illness and death in the young'

(Image courtesy Pixabay)

(SLAY NEWS) – American media outlets have finally begun warning the public about the links between Covid mRNA vaccines and the spike in deadly cancers since the injections were rolled out in 2021.

The Washington Times has published an Op-Ed exploring the possible causes of rising cancer rates, particularly among young people. 

The article, authored by Dr. Pierre Kory, president and chief medical officer of the FLCCC Alliance, and Mary Beth Pfeiffer, an investigative journalist, highlights the link between mRNA shots and cancer.

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Kory and Pfeiffer state that “we are facing an emerging toll of illness and death in the young. 

We cannot shirk from asking what is causing it.”

Read the full story ›

State Legislature Adopts Plan To End 'Religious Liberty

 FAITH U.S. WND NEWS CENTER

WND

Leftists' 'gender identity' agenda deals blow to constitutional right

It's not been much publicized, but the actions of the state legislature in Minnesota have resulted in what essentially is the "end of religious liberty" in the state.

It is Allen Quist, a former three-term Minnesota state lawmaker and retired professor at Bethany Lutheran College who has written at The Federalist that already one faith-based school is being targeted by a complaint from the state.

The issue is that lawmakers and the governor schemed to add a so-called human right, "gender identity" to the state's Human Rights Act.

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And they included no provision for exemptions for religious people or groups, "demonstrating their intent to deny religious freedom to Minnesota citizens, churches, and schools and to engage in persecuting Christians and some other religious bodies."

He pointedly noted, "If the state can tell churches and schools what they cannot say or do on 'gender identity,' then it can tell churches and schools what they cannot say or do on other subjects too."

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A legislator tried multiple times to correct "this violation of First Amendment rights," only to be rebuffed by leftists in power in the state.

Quist noted, "This leaves us with concerning questions. For instance, does this new law criminalize using truthful pronouns in speaking or writing, rather than false 'gender identity' pronouns? 

If pastors, teachers, or any other Minnesotans speak or write in opposition to the use of wrong-sex hormones, transgender surgery, or puberty blockers for minors, can they be charged with a crime under state law? 

If parents try to protect their minor children from such practices, can they be charged with a crime? 

Can their minor children be removed from their custody if parents refuse to follow such laws? 

And can a transgender-identifying person be denied employment by a Christian school, church, or other Christian organization, such as counseling centers, charities, or pro-life groups?"

He said Minnesota "has crossed the Rubicon" with its agenda.

After all, with other leftist campaigns in the past, the state has included a protection for religious liberty, but not this time.

"Democrat legislators are now working to force the acceptance of homosexuality and other such beliefs on us the same way," he said.

He said lawmakers and the governor now need "to follow the U.S. Constitution.".

"That founding document, and specifically the First Amendment, protects our God-given right to practice our Christian faith as we wish. 

In addition, the Declaration of Independence states that the purpose of government is to secure this and other rights for all our citizens," he said.

Lawmakers, he pointed out, don't adjourn until the end of May and still could correct their behavior.

Or a lawsuit may resolve the problem eventually, he said.

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If You Were God, How Would You Judge America?

 COMMENTARY WND NEWS CENTER

REPUBLIC IN PERIL

Jerry McGlothlin yearns for a 'collective moral awakening' to bring nation back to its foundation

The fabric of American society has been marred by a series of flagrant sins, increasingly divergent from the biblical path. 

Consider the issue of gender identity and the surge in transgender surgeries, including those performed on minors. 

This phenomenon could be interpreted as humanity's overt defiance of the divine design, a bold declaration of dissatisfaction with the Creator's choices. 

The alteration of one's gender, especially in children, could be viewed as a stark affront to God's sovereignty, a tangible manifestation of rebellion against the natural order established at creation.

Abortion, particularly the distribution and utilization of abortion pills, presents another profound moral quandary. 

Recent signals from the Supreme Court suggest an acceptance, if not endorsement, of these practices, contributing to an alarming increase in abortions, contrary to the anticipation of many who hoped for a significant reduction following legal and societal shifts. 

The convenience and anonymity afforded by abortion pills have only served to exacerbate this issue, pushing the sanctity of life further into the margins of societal concern. 

Space precludes me from opining in detail on fentanyl, human trafficking and dozens of other blights on our once-great nation.

Moreover, the moral landscape of the public education system presents its own set of challenges, with a curriculum often steeped in moral relativism or, in more extreme cases, teachings many would deem inherently evil. 

The dilution of absolute moral truths in favor of a more subjective, individualistic approach to ethics further complicates the societal adherence to biblical principles.

The prevailing work ethic, or lack thereof, particularly among younger generations, highlights a shift towards entitlement and aversion to labor, starkly contrasting the biblical valorization of hard work and stewardship. 

This cultural shift towards laziness and the demand for unearned privileges further undermines the foundational values of responsibility and diligence.

In this hypothetical divine judgment scenario, one might consider employing symbolic warnings to capture the nation's attention, mirroring the prophetic signs of old. 

For instance, the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge could serve as a powerful metaphor for the impending consequences of continued moral decline. 

Such an event would disrupt physical connectivity and serve as a poignant reminder of the fragile nature of freedom and the consequences of straying from foundational principles.

The irony of this example is palpable, as the very symbol of American resilience and freedom becomes twisted and compromised, a reflection of the nation's current moral and ethical state. 

The potential ignorance of historical figures and foundational moments among the younger generation only exacerbates the problem, indicating a disconnection from the past and a lack of understanding of the sacrifices and values that built the nation.

In judging the United States from a divine perspective, the focus would inevitably fall on a call to repentance and a return to biblical principles. 

The judgment would likely be stern yet underscored by a desire for redemption and restoration. 

The ultimate goal would be to steer the nation back toward a path of righteousness, emphasizing the need for a collective moral awakening and a recommitment to the values that once defined and could again fortify the fabric of American society. 

But if biblical history proves anything, there has never been a moral revival without significant pain and suffering, leading up to repentance and revival. 

Let's hope and pray for a first: a moral revival without too much pain beforehand and for it to be a lasting movement. 

But if that proves impossible, bring on the pain necessary to see our God-fearing Republic's rebirth.

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TRILLIONS Of Cicadas Are Set To Invade The United States For The First Time In 221 Years,

TRILLIONS of cicadas are set to invade the United States for the first time in 221 years, scientists say.

In late April, two large broods of periodical cicadas are expected to emerge from the ground for a noisy mating frenzy.

Two large broods of periodical cicadas are going to emerge from the ground in the US in late April, scientists say
6
Two large broods of periodical cicadas are going to emerge from the ground in the US in late April, scientists sayCredit: Getty
Brood XIII and XIX have been living underground for 17 and 13 years respectively and will emerge at the same time for the first time in 221 years
6
Brood XIII and XIX have been living underground for 17 and 13 years respectively and will emerge at the same time for the first time in 221 yearsCredit: Getty

"Billions, even trillions, of cicadas are going to emerge at the same time across 17 states," Chris Simon, a professor in UConn's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, told Live Science. 

Brood XIII and XIX have been living underground for 17 and 13 years respectively.

They will soon emerge at the same time for the first time in 221 years.

Periodical broods are found in eastern North America and tend to emerge in large numbers.

https://www.the-sun.com/tech/10925607/trillions-bugs-swarm-mating-frenzy-weeks-founding-fathers/

MARY MAGDALENE

by  | Mar 30, 2024 | Mary Magdalene

One of the greatest cruelties—if not the greatest in history—was done to Mary Magdalene.  

She was once sold on the streets. 

She knew the special insanity of demon possession.  

She knew the yawning blackness of total despair.

Then Jesus rescued her.  Jesus cast out seven vicious devils—devils she thought would never leave.  Once deemed human garbage, she is now redeemed and planted into a family of indescribable love.  Things would never be the same.  Her nights of remorse, her days of futility, her shame, her emptiness, were now all distant memories.

 

For three years she lived a life she could have never imagined, crisscrossing Judea, hanging on Jesus’ every word, weeping gloriously over every miracle.  Each morning, she awakened a more powerful and joyous woman of God!  She thought that this would go on forever.

Each morning, she awakened a more powerful and joyous woman of God!  She thought that this would go on forever.

People use the phrase “nothing could be worse…”  They use it before describing something unimaginably terrible.  I will use it this way: Nothing could be worse than to be in hell, and then taste heaven, only to return back to hell.

Then on that fateful Friday, it all went horribly, horribly wrong.  

How could the One Who called the dead back to life and silenced a storm at sea, be arrested?  

How could the One Who gave words of exquisite beauty, love and wisdom, be tortured and killed?  

No one wanted to save Jesus more than Mary.  

No one felt more horror and helplessness than she.

No one wanted to save Jesus more than Mary.  No one felt more horror and helplessness than she.

That night, profound hope had given way to even deeper bitterness and disappointment.  

She must have thought, “If only I had never met Him.  

If only He had left me to die in the streets.”  

She slept only after exhaustion became more powerful than sorrow.   

Too wounded to go on living, and perhaps too tired to commit suicide…

Mary is of special importance to me today, because her testimony is the best one I can think of as we commemorate this Good Friday, in such a dark time as the one we are living in.  

Mary’s miracle is the miracle America needs now!

 

Here’s why: When the first shafts of Sunday morning light stirred her awake, she dreaded it.  

If ever a heart was broken beyond repair—if ever a soul would rage against the approach of hope—if ever a woman just wanted to go back to sleep and never wake up, it was Mary.

That is why she was shocked when she felt an odd energy coming over her.  

She soon felt an even stranger impulse—to go to the tomb where Jesus lay!  How could she return to the only spot on earth that could reopen her wound?

What overruled her despair?  What fuel was driving her so completely against her common sense and her broken heart? 

What overruled her despair?  

What fuel was driving her so completely against her common sense and her broken heart?  

Paul answers that emphatically! 

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

Do you know any therapist capable of rebuilding the ashes and rubble of her soul?  

Can any drug, any teaching, any relationship, reassemble her heart the way the gentle but powerful Comforter could?

We all know about the power of the resurrection: it was the greatest display of power the universe has ever known; even greater than the alleged “big bang” that, theoretically, began the universe. 

The resurrection sent shock waves through the principalities and powers of darkness.  

It shattered Satan’s power and stripped him of the keys of death and Hell (Rev. 1:8).  

Jesus set the captives free in the bowels of the earth, and “led captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8).

But, the first burst of resurrection power was much gentler. 

Mary was the first human to feel the power of the resurrection.  Her eyes, which were red and sore from sobbing, were now refreshed and clear.  

Her arms which had hung limp from heartsick lethargy were now responsive, strong, and full of purpose. 

She sat up and found hope pumping through her veins. 

She wondered, “Why!”

A notion seized her, gently, but firmly.  

She knew she was to go to the tomb, and she immediately got going!  

Washing up, brushing her hair, and quickly getting dressed. 

All the while the expectancy of an indescribable ‘something’ was building in her soul.  

Before she knew it, she was out the door, and charging toward her worst fear.  

Only, now, she was not afraid.

She found the tomb vacant. 

Then she turned and saw Him whom her soul loved.  

Many awesome things happened that Easter, but none more wonderful than Mary reunited with her Savior.

 She is the best testimony I can think of for our national dreams that have gone up in smoke. 

In the genetically altered, politically charged, drug addicted, violent purgatory that is America today, Mary Magdalene stands as a poignant figure.  

She is the best testimony I can think of for our national dreams that have gone up in smoke.  

Our culture has wearied itself with perversion…hunting down everything natural and replacing it with a disfigured counterfeit. 

It has marched, protested, and boycotted the very color and life out of everything—to the point that everything is a cause for taking offense.

What happened to Mary, is proof that there is nothing better than the Gospel.

America!  This is what you need!

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons” (Mark 16:9).

JESUS APPEARED FIRST TO MARY!  

He had never forgotten her. 

He knew she was suffering the most, so He healed this precious soul first!

Happy Easter! Please pray for Living Proof Phoenix!