Artist on the Farm: Gina of RoseThistleArtworks

Joy and Peace in His Truth

2011-04-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

Be pleasing to God. Live His Way. Find Peace and Joy in Him.

His Way is found in His Word, line by line, chapter by chapter. Jesus is the Living Word.

John 1:14 KJV And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the ONLY One who was born through woman, through the bag of waters AND lived perfectly in service to God. He showed us the Way, He IS the Way. We all may try our best, but we fall short of His perfect obedience and love. He is the only one who could offer the perfect love sacrifice of The Lamb, whose Precious Blood covers the doorposts of our minds and forces evil to Passover us.

Exodus 12:5-14 KJV 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded , your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

Hebrews 10:1-14 KJV 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come , and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect . 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered ? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith , Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure . 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool . 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Jesus is God in the flesh, Immanuel=God with us.

Isaiah 7:14 KJV Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel Matthew 1:23 KJV Behold , a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Emmanuel is Immanuel, just in Greek instead of Hebrew language), John 14:9 KJV Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

He served His people while in the flesh, and opened up salvation to 'whosoever believeth in Him' John 3:14-17 KJV 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up : 15 That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish , but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

Salvation is now available to the House of Israel and all the nations to any individual who 'will believeth in Him' no matter under what man made government they may be living in Matthew 27:51 KJV And, behold , the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake , and the rocks rent Mark 15:38 KJV And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom Luke 23:45 KJV And the sun was darkened , and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst

With His ultimate service of laying down His flesh life to those who were so confused and riled up, they killed the Messiah. Jesus The Christ, did not have to lay down His life. He had power to take it up at any time, but He served the will of God by serving the will of the people, to His flesh death. In that sacrifice He rent the veil of the Holies of Holies and 'whosoever believeth in Him' is allowed direct access to our Father through prayer and repentance in Jesus' Name, our Intercessor against the accuser of this world.

Revelation 12:10 KJV And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down , which accused them before our God day and night.

Likewise, He earned the role of our King of kings and Lord of lords in our hearts. He did not have to. As our Creator, He could've made us all robots who automatically love Him.

Hebrews 12:1-18 KJV 1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard , lest at any time we should let them slip . 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness , both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? 5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come , whereof we speak . 6 But one in a certain place testified , saying , What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 Saying , I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is , the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted

But, He did not make us like robots without feelings and emotions. We learn, grow, mature, change all the time in what challenges we are going through or overcoming, in what we are learning. He showed us a challenge on how to have joy in our lives with Him when we choose to try to mature in His Way.

John 15:11 KJV These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full He wants us to have JOY. Jeremiah 33:9 KJV And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it

Isaiah 9:1-8 KJV 1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

The only Way to do that is to live His Way, with Him as our King of kings, Lord of lords. Only His Word is infallible and will help us navigate and slice away lies from Truth that truly feeds the soul.
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool.

Isaiah 66:1 KJV Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool : where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Acts 7:49 KJV Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool : what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Mark 14:58 KJV We heard him say , I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

There are different levels to that. He is King of kings, Lord of lords, so He rules in heaven and in earth over ALL.

Ezekiel 18:1-4 KJV 1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying , 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying , The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge ? 3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth , it shall die

He deserves and earned our respect and love and the position of our King. He did not have to and could have subjugated us all. But, He loves us and wanted our love to be genuine. He did not have to earn our respect as the very best possible King, but He did so through ultimate humility of service.

Isaiah 53:1-12 KJV 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed ? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised , and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken , smitten of God, and afflicted . 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed . 6 All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed , and he was afflicted , yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb , so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief : when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors

At the one level, Jesus gave us power over all the power of the enemy in His Name in our own personal lives when we have faith in Him and His promises and through His Name.

Luke 10:19 KJV Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you

He always shows us the Way through. God and you make a majority, no matter what struggles you are facing.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

He wants to help us through our struggles, but He is a gentleman and will not interfere unless we ask and seek Him to be in our lives and we work to meet His very reasonable qualifications of us asking and repenting/trying to learn to do better to be pleasing to Him when we fall short. And when we fall short as we learn and grow, when we repent, He forgives and wipes clean. We may remember so we can learn from it, but He does not want to hear about it ever again. To bring sins forgiven up again is to doubt Him. Faith in Him and His promises require that when He says 'clean', He means it.

He loves us that much that He came through in the flesh to teach us this and to show us that He does not ask us to do anything that He had not done, Himself. He lived in the flesh in perfect humble service to all of us to the point He laid down His life when in our immaturity we were riled up, emotional and wanted Him gone, The Light that showed us our weaknesses which is painful.

John 3:19-21 KJV And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

The Light of our lives, the Love of our lives, sees our weaknesses and when we realize that we are not perfect and we fall short in front of the One we love most and most want to please, that is a very painful moment, but He laid down His life to show us that He will not mock or be cruel to us in our imperfect love for Him.

Luke 23:34 KJV Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots

Even when we deserved it and when the cruelest intentions of murdering His flesh came against Him, as He was on the cross, He only taught and forgave. He is long-suffering and wills that ALL come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 KJV The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish , but that all should come to repentance.

The cross was the ultimate lesson that when He or His disciples (disciplined in study in His Word and Way) are teaching they are to turn the other cheek as He taught "the disciples".

Matthew 5: 1 KJV And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying... Matthew 5:39 KJV 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also

He taught this to those who would be teaching His Word and Way and does not include self defense from attacks that come outside of teaching. In other words, if a person becomes riled up against you because of teaching His Word and you caused them to be riled up, then turn the other cheek so they are not offended so much they turn from God, let them be offended with you so they may still investigate God's promises when they calm down.

If someone means you harm in evil intent and it was not caused by you teaching God's Word, then self protection is required by God in order to preserve the disciples/teachers so they can continue to teach.

1 Timothy 5:7-8 KJV 7 And these things give in charge , that they may be blameless. 8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel

Luke 11:21 KJV When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.

The cross was also the ultimate lesson that His Word comes to pass exactly as written.

2 Timothy 3:16 KJV All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

As Jesus was on the cross, He was teaching Psalm 22. The events written by King David, a thousand years before, with Divine guidance, were coming to pass, exactly as prophesied a thousand years before, right down to the Roman soldiers gambling for his robe. What profit would the Roman soldiers have in following prophesy? It was by Divine guidance that all Scripture was fulfilled as written, even through those who most likely did not know Scripture.
Psalm 22:18 KJV They part my garments among them, And cast lots upon my vesture.
Matthew 27:35 KJV And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
Matthew 27:46 KJV And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying , Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mark 15:34 KJV And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying , Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

(note: Jesus never called God, 'God', He always called Him 'Father' as an example to us Matthew 6:6-13 KJV But thou, when thou prayest , enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly . 7 But when ye pray , use not vain repetitions , as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen )

Psalm 22:1 KJV My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Then at the end of teaching Psalm 22, He concluded with "It is finished"

John 19:30 KJV When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said , It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The word "finished" in the original language of Greek of the New Testament before translation into English is 'teleo' # 5055 in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Greek Dictionary, which means 'done'. It is also the word 'accomplished' in John 19:28 KJV After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst

Psalm 22:31 KJV They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this

Psalm 22 ends with the Hebrew word for 'done' which is 'asah'. #6213 in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew Dictionary.

"It is finished" = "He hath done this".

Do not be confused, though, our Father is not impotent against evil and there is a time appointed where He will pour out His wrath on those hard heads that will not hear His Word, continue to rebel and do evil. As our King, He protects His own from the cruelty our immaturity and/or choices inflict on ourselves and each other. There IS a point, as written, where He has given the lessons and we either learned or we have not. The choice is ours.

Hebrews 2:3 KJV How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

If we have learned to personally/individually train our minds and become self disciplined in His Love, in His full Word, His Way, with the end goal of being able to fully experience the range of emotions that we were naturally born with in discipline and the safety of His love, then we have the JOY of Him.

John 14:22-23 KJV Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

If we have not bothered to learn and are like wild toddlers flailing around at every whim and emotion, hurting ourselves and hurting others through our lack of maturity, training, and discipline in His Word, He HAS to rein us in, in His timing, in order to protect us as well as those around us. Sometimes spanking us and showing us through what we understand, (even when we are out of control like a toddler), 'strength', that we are NOT as powerful as Him and we are NOT in control of anyone or anything but ourselves, but He is above all.

John 19:11 KJV Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Even that tough love discipline is in Love, teaching us our boundaries. As any parent, we can understand how He probably wishes to never have to discipline us and it most likely hurts Him more than us to need to discipline us which is why He went to such extremes to show us His love and willingness to forgive with such a simple request that we think about it and repent and try to learn to be better. 7 x 70 times He will forgive, as long as we repent.

Matthew 18:21-22 KJV Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

But if in our toddler stubbornness, we refuse to submit to His Way or to even try, He will discipline. We have no power against anyone who has faith in Him and calls on Him for protection unless it is given from Him.

John 19:11 KJV Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Luke 10:19 KJV Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

But for those who do not call on Him or trust in His Name, His Word, His promises, we can hurt each other, but even allowing that, He is allowing discipline, so hopefully we WILL turn to Him and appreciate His protection over us thank Him and ask Him for it and mature and become people others want to be around.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Luke 17:19-21 KJV 19 And he said unto him, Arise , go thy way : thy faith hath made thee whole . 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come , he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

WE are to be actively involved over what we can control, which is ourselves and our reactions to events around us and our choices. WE choose to study and be disciplined in Him...or not. WE choose to personally investigate His promises and His Word...or not. What we lose when we choose to not do these things, is Him now and in the eternity and eternity with all our friends and family that have decided to have faith in Him, in His promises, in His Word and do actively work to be pleasing to Him and have Him in their lives. That is a seriously harsh and lonely decision for a soul to make.

2 Corinthians 7:10 KJV For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

When we choose Him, we are never alone, He is always with us and it is a joy to know that His love is fully available to all we love, too.

Hebrews 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

One sign of maturity that God appreciates is when we trust Him enough to thank Him for keeping us in line, knowing He only allows what we need.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

When we become 'abel'/able, or mature, our emotions can still be enflamed and jealousies over loved ones or God, can temporarily override our sensibilities, but as long as we stay strong in Him and His promises, repenting when we go astray, asking for His guidance, He bridges that gap in ourselves and carries us across. The temptations pass over us, (1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV) though our minds pass out in such strong emotions and passions. HIS Passion, covers us as evil passes over us where our passions become too much for us to handle on our own.

James 5:17 KJV Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Cain's offering was not pleasing to God, Cain did not work to be pleasing to God or trust in Him, so when his emotions of jealousy were riled up, he tried to destroy his brother Abel by murdering him.

Genesis 4:1-8 KJV 1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived , and bare Cain, and said , I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect . And Cain was very wroth , and his countenance fell . 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth ? and why is thy countenance fallen ? 7 If thou doest well , shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well , sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him

As though removing what he falsely believed caused those emotions (Abel) would fix the hurtful feelings that he was dealing with of his work being rejected. Those feelings that hurt us are feelings of disappointing God and those we love. Removing those we love, trying to remove God, does not fix those feelings. They stick with us no matter where we go and can be a heavy burden, until we repent to God in Jesus' Name and open our hearts and minds to learn and mature.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

How can you reason with God if you don't know what His promises are? There is only one Way through and that's His Way, in decisions we make for ourselves to self-discipline in His Word and Way. When we choose Him, He will guide us in His Way to the Light, to forgiveness, to relief in His love and even to JOY in learning how to mature to the point we can experience the full range of our God given emotions with Him and each other-safely in His love. That's not safe without discipline, without His love, as Cain's actions show. IF we choose to go it alone without God, we do not have His protection and this world can be very cruel.

2 Corinthians 7:10 KJV For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

We can actually be very cruel to ourselves, too, by choosing this path.

Abel is still alive. He is with God having died in the flesh while working to be pleasing to God and through no fault of his own his flesh life was taken. Cain is still alive. When his flesh died and he returned to God, Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 KJV 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed , or the golden bowl be broken , or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it, he had committed a sin that was not forgive-able in the flesh, 1 John 3:15 KJV 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, he did not get to be with God and is on the other side of the gulf in heaven. Luke 16:19-31 KJV 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores , 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass , that the beggar died , and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died , and was buried ; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said , Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said , Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed : so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said , I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said , Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent . 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded , though one rose from the dead

Cain is awaiting, as we all are, the millennium of teaching and the final Judgment Day Revelation 20:11-15 KJV 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened : and another book was opened , which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Jesus went to the ones on the other side of the gulf and taught those there.

1 Peter 3:11-22 KJV 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled ; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so , that ye suffer for well doing , than for evil doing . 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient , when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing , wherein few, that is , eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

One can hope that Cain has realized being without God or those who love God and His Way is a much worse situation than working to be pleasing. And he has truly repented and is working to mature and will be acceptable in God's Kingdom and find JOY there with loved God and loved ones. One thing is for sure, God will ultimately judge fates of each soul in His timing. It is written.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

That choice is ours to investigate, reason with, study His Word or not.

2 Peter 1:7 KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

John 3:6 KJV That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 8:31-32 KJV 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

John 13:38 KJV 38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice

John 14:6 KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

John 14:1-4 KJV 1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know

Bambi for breakfast

2011-03-03T10:55:00.001-08:00

Bambi for breakfast
Originally uploaded by RoseThistleArtworks

Well, this little guy was waiting for me this morning when I went out to feed the farm animals. I think he's the 6 point that dropped his antlers here a while back. It looks like the winter and rut season's been rough on him. It's really cool to be able to see a wild creature like that so close. His little hooves are so black and shiny and his eyes are so sweet.

Wild Deer for breakfast

2011-02-28T22:48:00.001-08:00

Wild Deer for breakfast
Originally uploaded by RoseThistleArtworks

Geoff went to feed the llamas the other morning and this wild deer stuck around. Her herd ran over the hill. But, she decided she wanted some grain, too. So she stayed around and ate right out of the bucket in his hands. Animals trust Geoff in an amazing way I don't think I've ever seen before

Christmas Jesus the Christ, Immanuel "God with us"

2010-12-25T02:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

This is the day Christians celebrate when Jesus the Christ first dwelt "with us" in the flesh. Jesus' birth and conception IS written in the Bible.

The Old Testament foretold of this time that we celebrate.

Isaiah 7:14 (King James Version) Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

And the New Testament recalls this prophecy in Matthew 1

Matthew 1:23 (King James Version) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The exact date of Jesus' conception and birth is determined with a bit of study in His Word.

Luke 1 (King James Version)1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, (translated this name means most beloved of God), 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: (this course is a set week of duty in the Temple, 1 Chronicles 24:10, it was June 13-June 19) and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias(Elias in Greek, Elijah in Hebrew), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years . 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, (Gabriel translated means, man of God), that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. (June 19th was the weekly sabbath and no traveling allowed, so he would have left for home at the earliest June 20th. He was an old man stricken in years, at least two-four days travel to get back to his home. That would put conception of John at June 24th) 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying , 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (John was now in the womb six months and this date is December 25th)27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold , thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David: 33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. (Hebrews 5:5 and Hebrews 5:6) 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (note that she did not doubt this was to happen, as Zacharias had. She wondered how) 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, (note that Gabriel is saying Elisabeth is Mary's cousin. Elisabeth was of the daughters of Aaron as in Luke 1:5. That means that Mary's mother, Elisabeth's sister was Levitical and in Luke 3, Mary's lineage shows her father was of Judah, through David's son, Nathan. The words 'as was supposed' mean 'by law' like we say 'in law' today to describe married into family), she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; (the baby John, six months in the womb, recognized Jesus in the womb of Mary) and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on them that fear (revere or respect) Him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; 55 As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Six months later, September 29th, JESUS was born at the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles and circumcised on the 8th day. The shepherds were with their flocks, working in the fields, when our Saviour was born.

Christmas is a very special time of year when our Lord and Saviour first dwelt with man, conceived this day in the womb of Mary.

A precious gift of great love offered in freedom for each soul to choose from God to the world.

Ezekiel 18:23 (King James Version) Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

2 Peter 3:9 (King James Version) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish , but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 15:11 (King James Version) These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Merry Christmas!

What is Judeo-Christian? How does that align with John 14:6?

2010-08-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

The following is an article written by CR Dickey sometime between 1938 and 1967 - Article from Biblical Treasures (Volume I) – C. R. Dickey. For more information on her from the editors of Biblical Treasures (Volume I), refer to the bottom of this post.

The question asked is "what is Judeo-Christian" as so many site America's founding as and how is that so in light of John 14:6?

THE ENTANGLING ALLIANCE OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS

One of the strangest and most inexplicable movements in approximately two thousand years of Christian history is developing rapidly and almost imperceptibly in our midst at this time. Scan the church notes and news items of lectures in any large daily newspaper for abundant evidence of the reality and growth of an amazing confederacy of Jews and Christians. Jewish Rabbis are frequent speakers in Christian pulpits. The National Conference of Christians and Jews has become a going concern which influences the policy for the major portion of American Protestantism.

Unthinking church laymen accept this situation without even feeling the need of a shock absorber. To them it seems a friendly gesture based upon brotherly love and mutual goodwill. Christian ministers and laymen sit at the feet of Rabbis today rejoicing that they are not as the narrow-minded publicans and sinners. They feel virtuous and proud because of what they term their liberality and tolerance. If an earnest Christian, who cares more for discovering Divine truth than for the tradition of men, ventures to point out the incongruities of such fellowship he is pounced upon with charges of religious bigotry and racial prejudice.

It is not necessary to beat a retreat in the face of such charges if one can be sure that his position is supported by the teachings of the Scriptures. Truth may be “crushed to earth” for a time, but it is sure to “rise again” as inevitably as the handwriting on the wall by the finger of God. In any discussion of this subject there is only one important thing to consider and that is the message of the Bible. What does the Christ of Christianity have to say about this problem? What counsel regarding this matter did the Lord’s chief ambassadors leave for our edification?

Before attempting to answer these questions, let it be understood throughout this discussion that the writer is voicing no personal prejudice nor dislike of the Jewish people. Neither is it stated or implied that all Jews approve of the motives and methods of certain leaders among Jewry whose activities, if not curbed, will bring both Judaism and Christianity into further disrepute among men and into a greater measure of Divine judgment. Let us keep in mind also that leaders of Protestantism who disregard the counsel and warnings of our Lord are equally guilty in making alliances detrimental to His church. As these Protestant officials do not truly represent the main body of Christian believers, so do we recognize that officials of Jewry may fail to represent the majority of their people. While our Lord denounced the crafty and designing officials, He had compassion on the multitude. His example inspires the intent of this discussion.

The Apostle Paul, master interpreter of the Gospel, writing to the Galatian Christians, sounded a warning that could not have been more timely for the day in which it was written than it is for our generation:

”Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1.)

Now what was this “yoke of bondage?” It was the saddling of Judaism to the Christian church. Everywhere Paul carried the Gospel of Christ he was followed by Jewish enemies who attempted to control and confuse the Christians. His entire Galatian letter is a powerful dissertation and warning against the entangling alliances of Jews and Christians.

That Jewish leaders are making friendly overtures to Christian churches is evident throughout the country. They are subtly identifying themselves with Christians from the pulpit, on the lecture platform and in the press. A prominent Jewish writer and lecturer is quoted by a reporter as saying in a lecture recently, “Between Christians who are Christians and Jews who are Jews, there can be no differences; we want the same things.”

A Rabbi, claiming to be a pastor of the first American Hebrew-Christian Synagogue, speaking in a church, made the following statements which are quoted at random from notes made at the time: “We have combined Judaism and Christianity….The Jews have their sects, Pharisees, Sadducees, Ashkenazim, Sephardim, etc., today the same as in Jesus’ day….The Rabbis have changed the Old Testament….I lived my whole life without the Bible….The Rabbis consider the Talmudic law more important than the Bible. They use the Torah and Talmud instead of the Bible. The background of the New Testament is Talmudic teaching.”

It was a strange sight to behold in a staid old church, but the Rabbi made a brotherly love plea, then took up a collection and guileless Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists gave contributions to carry on the spurious work of combining Judaism and Christianity.

Let us now compare a few statements from the Lord Jesus on this subject: “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Saducees. Beware of the scribes.” Luke, in Chapter 20, tells of the chief priests, scribes and elders coming to Jesus questioning His authority. Jesus told the parable of the wicked husbandman and concluded with these words:

"He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others.” (Luke 20:16a.)

Now study the result which followed:

"And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected. The same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on Him; and they feared the people for they perceived that He had spoken this parable against them. And they watched Him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of His words, that so they might deliver Him unto the power and authority of the governor.” (Luke 20:16b-20.)

Matthew 15 records another controversy between Jesus and the leaders of Jewry:

"Ye hypocrites, well did Esais [Isaiah] prophesy unto you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men….Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matt. 15:7-9; 12-14.)

From a most casual reading of the Gospels, it is evident that Jesus never identified His work with the program of organized Jewry. If in doubt about this, read carefully John 8. Among many significant statements on that occasion ponder these two statements:

"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me….He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (John 8:42 & 47.)

Paul did not identify himself and his work with Judaism after his conversion. He makes this clear in the first chapter of his letter to the Galatians:

“Ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who…called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem.” (Gal. 1:13-17.)

In 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16, Paul adds further evidence on this point:

”For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own country men, even as they have of the Jews: who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.”

Peter almost became entangled at one time but was set on the straight and narrow path by Paul who tells us:

”I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” (Gal. 2:11.)

Some readers may resent the placing of twentieth century Jews in the same category with first century Jews. Have they not changed in 2,000 years? And does not this classification pronounce harsh judgment upon our fellowmen? There have been changes, to be sure --- but not in unregenerate human nature. And it ought to be possible to face facts without passing judgment, harsh or otherwise. Perhaps we can get a clearer perspective by asking some other questions. Have the radiance, power and fruitfulness of those first century Christians been improved during 2,000 years of experience? On the contrary, we find ourselves struggling in the midst of our modern civilization to duplicate the courage and spiritual power of those first Christians. Then again, has sin changed or disappeared in the course of twenty centuries? Is unbelief any different now from what it was when Jesus walked among men? Have the results of rejecting Christ undergone any perceptible changes?

If Christ only has power on earth to forgive sins and regenerate human lives, will someone explain by what process the Jews of today, who still reject Him as Redeemer, have become essentially different from what they were in 30 A. D.?

One need not hesitate to affirm that the leaders of Jewry are not carrying on God’s work, regardless of how pious they may seem, because Jesus says if they were doing God’s work they would recognize Him as the promised Son of God. Do not be deceived by the complimentary things which certain Rabbis and writers are saying about Christianity. Notice that, while they are getting quite “chummy” with Jesus, the man, they are as far away as ever from the Christ who is to take the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever. Matthew tells us:

"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ?” (Matt. 22:41-42.)

The Jews are still silent on that question.

In the record of events leading up to Peter’s denial of Christ, we read:

”Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high priests: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.” (Mark 14:54.)

This suggests to one’s mind that the palace of the high priest was the farthest point of departure from the Lord. Evidently Peter went in at the back door to sit with the servants. The times do change men’s methods. Today the chief Rabbis are invited to take the seats of honor in the Lord’s sanctuary; though still unbelievers, they sit among the counselors and take part in directing the program of His blood-bought church.

In former days the controversies between Jews and Christians centered in circumcision and in the Talmudic interpretation of laws and ordinances. Modern Jews are not concerned so much about these ancient problems. The emphasis has changed. Now their interest is centered in persuading the Christians to set aside the authority of the Scriptures, substituting therefore “liberalism” --- meaning what? --- atheism and paganism camouflaged.

This is the snare which has most intrigued the leaders of Protestantism. Several volumes could be written about the results that have been accomplished already along this line; for example, the sowing of false doctrines through universities and seminaries into every American hamlet; the control of publicity channels; the propagation of such movements as the Fellowship of Faiths where the Son of God is reduced to the position of understudy of Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Indian fakirs, and Persian Bahaists.

A chief Rabbi, speaking recently at a Business and Professional Women’s Club dinner, stated as one of her objectives the “elimination of unfair and untrue statements about Jews in Sunday school literature” --- obviously meaning by this that certain teachings of Jesus must be barred from publication in Christian literature. The work of deleting the Scriptures is under way on a big scale; one such abbreviated Bible, published by a Jewish firm, is being widely advertised by Christian publications and its circulation further enhanced by the Book-of-The-Month-Club offering it as a gift. Attend a meeting in a Christian church which is to be addressed by a Rabbi and observe how the ministers select the hymns, the Scripture readings and the prayers to fit the tender sensitivities of the Jewish brother. All mention of Christ is painstakingly avoided in deference to the visitor. Does God laugh or weep at such strange reversion on the part of men who claim to be redeemed by the sacrifice of His Son on Calvary?

Strange to say the present objectives of Jewry are not new. They bear a striking resemblance to those met by Paul. Writing to Titus, Paul advised:

”For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.” (Titus 1:10-11.)

Then he cautioned Titus to warn the Cretians:

”Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” (Titus 1:13-16.)

The Scriptures abound in warnings against Christians forming entangling alliances with unbelievers of all kinds --- Jews and non-Jews:

”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col. 2:8.)

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?...Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” (II Cor. 6:14-17.)

Christian leaders must either separate themselves from the evil influences of the enemies of Christ or be overcome by them. The promotion of Jewish-Christian relations on the basis of present-day trends is unfair to the Jews themselves, who will never be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ by such unscriptural methods.

The answer to a vital question is hanging in the balance --- Will Protestantism continue to stand fast in the liberty of Christ, or, will it become increasingly entangled in the bondage of modern Judaism?
===========================
INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.

Happy Passover

2010-04-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today at sundown, we celebrate Passover. This is why we celebrate.

I Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Leaven is yeast which when it is mixed in the dough affects the whole lump of dough and it represents sin that Jesus came to forgive us for not being perfect so we can be a new lump.

Matthew 27:50-53 Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the Holy City and appeared unto many.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Immanuel=God with us, Strong's Concordance Hebrew and Chaldee dictionary, page 89 #6005'Immanuw'el, im-maw-noo-ale'; with us (is) God)

Because of Jesus being the perfect sacrifice that covers all our sins, He gave us power in His Name over all evil.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

And evil/the destroyer must pass over us like it did in Egypt for those who had the blood of the lamb on their door posts (Exodus 11 and 12), like we now have the blood of the Lamb of Christ on the door posts of our mind through studying and understanding His Word now.

Exodus 12:23-25 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel and the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you according as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

Jesus Christ IS the Living Word.

Psalms 40:7-8 Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it is written of me,I delight to do Thy will, O my God.

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I , Lo , I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Another thing to check out . . .

http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=Passover&rc=CON&rc2=&ps=10&s=References

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=easter&t=KJV

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3957&t=KJV

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=passover&t=KJV

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3957&t=KJV

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/easter

Easter-Origin:
bef. 900; ME ester, OE ēastre; c. G Ostern; orig. name of a goddess and her festival; akin to east

OR go to your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and look up the original word that the translators translated to 'easter'. You will find 'easter' on page 293 in the right hand column. Only one time is it found in the English version of the Bible. The word it was translated from is #3957 in the Greek Dictionary portion, (you will find it on page 56 in the Greek portion of the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)pascha; [comp. #6453 in Hebrew] the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival, or the special sacrifices connected with it).

Now look up the word "Passover" on pages 774-775. There are 48 times in the Hebrew that #6453 pecach in the Hebrew Dictionary was translated "Passover" and there are 28 times in the Greek that #3957 pascha was translated "Passover". Only one time in Acts 12:4 was that exact same word #3957 suddenly translated to 'easter'. Why? If an error in translating was made, which word is most likely the error? Which is the truth?

God bless you and all you love. Happy Passover.

God bless you and all you love. Happy Passover.

Love in Jesus Christ,
Gina

The Waters of Shiloah - CR Dickey

2010-03-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at how timely Christina's articles from 1937-1968 are. The ages old war from Genesis 3:15 continues today and the Truth still pertains. Do you think God cares about elections among free people?

THE WATERS OF SHILOAH

Sometimes one’s imagination is captivated by the beauty of a phrase in the Scriptures which, for the moment, appears to be out of harmony with its context. Such an appealing phrase is found in Isaiah’s eighth chapter where the prophet mentions “the waters of Shiloah that go softly.”

The words “Shiloah” and “Siloam” mean “a sending of waters,” as through an aqueduct. Concerning these words, Dr. John D. Davis writes in his Bible Dictionary:

“Siloam --- a pool at Jerusalem (John 9:7), probably identical with Shiloah, the waters of which go softly (Isa. 8:6), and the pool of Shelah, which was by the King’s garden (Neh. 3:15). Josephus says that it was situated…near a bend of the old wall beneath Ophel….The fountain is a small upper basin excavated in the rock. From the lower reservoir, the water flows in a small rill across the road and irrigates gardens in the Kidron valley.”

Now that we have located Shiloah, where the waters go softly, let us read the strange setting of these words in Isaiah’s prophecy, verses 5-8, Smith and Goodspeed Translation:

“Once more the Lord spoke to me, saying,
‘Because this people have spurned
The waters of Shiloah, that flow gently,
And melt in fear before Rezin and the son
Of Remaliah,
Behold, the Lord is bringing up against
Them
The waters of the River, mighty and many,
Even the king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it shall rise over all its channels,
And shall pass over all its banks,
And shall sweep on through Judah, in an
Overwhelming flood,
And shall reach as high as the neck.’”

When Isaiah’s prophecy was spoken, the forces of Syria and Israel were being swept into captivity by the triumphant Assyrian host. As one writer aptly comments on the situation:

“No doubt Ahaz and his court felt they could afford to laugh at Isaiah, who had steadily opposed the alliance which appeared to have been so advantageous. But the triumph of the wicked is short. The unholy success in which bad men rejoice contains within itself the seeds of peril and pain, of retribution and ruin. The ally in whom Ahaz had trusted presently became his oppressor; it was a verification in actual life of the fable of the horse that took a man for its ally. So it is today with all who prosper without God and against God. Their prosperity is, strictly speaking, unnatural, and everything that is unnatural speedily brings on disorder.”

The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy is recorded in II Chronicles 28: 6, as follows:

“For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.”

When prophecy and facts are brought together the meaning of Isaiah’s symbolism becomes clear. “The waters of Shiloah that go softly” symbolize the tender solicitude of God for His people, and the help of His strong arm which is available at all times when they seek Him in faith. The waters of the overflowing River symbolize the might of Assyria’s king and the devastation which would sweep over Judah. In comparison with the mighty Euprates, the little stream of Shiloah seemed wholly inadequate and unworthy of consideration; so the people spurned the one course that could have saved them. Both Israel and Judah were swept by overwhelming floods again and again because they refused the gentle stream of heavenly love and protection. In the Song of Solomon, the potent waters of Shiloah are described as:

“A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.” (Song of Solomon 4:15.)

Mingled with rebukes and warnings to both the houses of Israel, Isaiah inserts this paragraph of finality and hope:

“I will bind up my testimony, and seal my teaching in the heart of my disciples. Then I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Israel; I will set my hope on him, while I and the children whom the Lord has given me remain as signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” (Isa. 8:16-18, Smith & Goodspeed Trans.)

These words are of special significance and must have been in Isaiah’s mind when he wrote the next chapter, which contains his great prophecy concerning Christ’s birth and His future reign upon the throne of David. The familiar lines cannot be quoted too often as the day approaches for their complete fulfillment:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” (Isa. 9:6-7.)

Looking forward to the coming of Israel’s Redeemer, Zechariah wrote:

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened in the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” (Zech. 13:1.)

That fountain was opened freely for all the world when Jesus the Christ came and walked among His people to teach them, heal them, and give His own precious blood to save them from sin and death. In conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus said to her:

“Anyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but anyone who drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty, but the water that I will give him will become a spring of water within him, bubbling up for eternal life.” (John 4:13-14, Smith & Goodspeed Trans.)

The seventh chapter of John’s Gospel reports the controversy which raged over the identity of Jesus at the feast of the tabernacles. John says that on the last day of the festival, which was the greatest, Jesus stood up and cried out:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If anyone believes in me, streams of living water, as the Scripture says, shall flow forth from his heart.” (John 7:38, Smith & Goodspeed Trans.)

Waters that flow gently from this spiritual fountain are the source of cleansing and healing. Jesus said to the man who was born blind. “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7). We are told that the man went his way, washed as he was told to do, “and came seeing.”

In Isaiah 9:16, it is written, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err.” It has ever been so. The nations of Christendom are in their present woeful plight because our leaders, too, have refused “the waters that go softly.” Consequently, the Lord has brought upon them an overflowing tide of Communism and general subversion, as the evil fruits of rebellion against His expressed will for them. The Heavenly Father laments:

“O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” (Isa. 48:18.)

Again He said:

“I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” (Isa. 48:17.)

But, as Israel nations in the world today, we are refusing to drink at the fountain of living waters. Like Judah and Israel of old, we are now floundering in an overwhelming flood tide of evil, “as high as the neck,” almost submerged, but not quite. God is sovereign over all the earth. “All governments are but instruments which He uses when and as He pleases” --- a thought of comfort for the obedient, of terror for the disobedient.

Leaders of nations predominantly Christian in belief should beware of trifling with the basic principles of Divine law and mercy. There is a tendency among political leaders to think that, because God has especially blessed our nation in the past, we may now sin with less risk than other peoples. Such is not the case, for those who attempt to use the grace of God for their own selfish ends will meet the sorer punishment than infidels. Jeremiah says of such leaders and their followers:

“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit….For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jer. 2:11, 13.)

Many churchgoing people consider it a mark of sanctity to refrain from active participation in the affairs of local, state and national government. Yet it is a fact that the Bible bears witness against this foolish idea. The Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary, in Isaiah, Volume I, contains some statements which are timeless in their application, and certainly of vital importance to all Western nations today. We quote at some length from pages 173-174:

“God’s people are to be ‘a peculiar people.’ Their whole life is to be governed by Divine principles. By these principles they will be saved from the grievous practical heresy of abstention from public life. Civilized life, especially in a free community, is a partnership, and no man has a right to take all the advantages of a partnership and evade all its labors and obligations. We are bound to labor as well as pray, that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. The result of abstention on the part of Christian men from public life is the domination of bad men, and the employment of the resources of the community for evil purposes. ‘The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted’ (Psalm 12:8).

“If we need example in this matter, we have the example of the prophets, who were much more than preachers of a monastic piety: they were active politicians, and yet politicians of an utterly unworldly type. By these principles they will be guided and kept amid all the duties and difficulties of public life. They will be uplifted above party spirit in all its narrow and debasing forms. Theirs will be that true patriotism which consists in a steady loyalty to truth, and righteousness, and mercy. If we are to be Biblical politicians, and this is the duty of every man among us, we shall not necessarily be found on the side of the majority. How often God’s people have been called to stand in what is called a ‘miserable minority’!

“We shall not necessarily share in the prevalent feelings of our time, whether they be those of fear or hope. We shall know that no permanent hurt can be done to our nation while it is in pursuit of righteousness, and that no real advantage can be gained by methods that will not bear the Divine scrutiny. Our supreme desire will be, not to conciliate men, but to please God. We shall consider all public questions, and vote for, or withhold our vote from, all public men, as in His sight (Heb. 11:27). This may cause us often to cut ourselves off from our ‘party,’ but this will not trouble us. Hostility may thus be excited against us --- will be excited against us, for such ‘impracticable men’ are the abhorrence of mere politicians; but then God Himself will be to us ‘for a sanctuary.’ We shall never lose sight of the fact that the penalty of ungodliness in public life is ruin.”

Speaking to redeemed Israel, the covenant peoples who have confessed the lordship of Jesus Christ in the latter days, Isaiah said:

“They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.” (Isa. 49:10.)

The waters of Shiloah that go softly rise from mysterious depths, unknown to man. They issue from “that land which human eye has not seen, of which the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple.” The prophet Ezekiel saw the stream coming from under the right side of the temple (47:1); and John, in his apocalyptic vision, saw it proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). Hence he could say with absolute assurance:

“The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17.)
--------------------

Article from Biblical Treasures (Volume I) – C. R. Dickey

INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.
==============================

Perception

2010-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

PERCEPTION

. . . Something To Think About. . .

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

Trying out a new widget

2010-02-04T00:17:00.000-08:00

IF you would like to add this helpful etsy widget to your blog site, or find other helpful etsy tools, check out http://cr8tivity.com

GOD IS BUSY

2010-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

lol I received this in an email this morning. God bless America and God bless all who serve in all the branches of the armed forces of this One Nation Under God.

GOD IS BUSY

If you don't know GOD, don't make stupid remarks!!!!!!
A United States Marine was taking some college courses between assignments.
He had completed 20 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses
had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the
ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me
off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min.'
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went
by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting.'

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his
chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the
platform. The professor was out cold..

The Marine went back to his se at and sat there, silently.

The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in
silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the
Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you
do that?'
The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting America 's
soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an
idiot. So He sent me..'

The classroom erupted in cheers!

A Prayer For Today - CR Dickey article from DESTINY Magazine 1937-1968

2010-01-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Two statements from the Psalms of David sound the keynote of prayer for today. The first is in Psalm 25:5, “Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me”; and the second is in Psalm 43:3, “O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me.” Stated more succinctly, they read: “Lead me into Thy truth; let Thy truth lead me.”

The special need of this prayer for our time is due to the fact that we are living in an era of unprecedented lying and deception. Lying propaganda has always been the chief causal agent in the breakdown of orderly society. It was used prior to the expulsion from Eden, where the tempter said to the woman, “Ye shall not surely die.” It deluded the people of Noah’s time and buried a civilization in a watery grave. Lies played their part in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and in the downfall of every nation and civilization from that distant time to the present century.

Speaking to the drunkards of Ephraim and to all the “scornful men” of his own generation, the Prophet Isaiah said:

“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning it shall pass over, by day and by night and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.” (Isa. 28:15-19.)

Such leaders as Isaiah portrays in this chapter are never concerned about truth. They feel secure in the refuge of lies concocted for them by false prophets, faithless priests and political hacks. Always bent on their own evil schemes, they never inquire, “What saith the Lord?” They do not want to know truth, nor do they want to be led by it. It was available to them, as it is to us. So much Divine truth is set forth in the writings of Moses that men who had access to them were without excuse if they failed to heed his teachings; however, access to both Old and New Testaments ignore the wealth of revelation at hand.

Later, as Isaiah looked down the centuries and saw the Israel peoples regathered under the covenant of their Redeemer, he was saddened by the vision that confronted him. In chapter 59, the prophet gives a remarkable description of conditions as they exist today in the United States, in Britain, and in all the other nominally Christian lands of the Western world. We quote in part as follows:

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity….The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

“Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us:…in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.”

What could better describe the tumult, the conflicting opinions, emotions, uncertainties and confusion of the present time? Truth is fallen in the street. Consequently, equity cannot enter and there is no righteous judgment. When this condition exists, those who depart from evil become a prey, the victims of liars themselves are responsible. Truth must be rescued and reinstated in Christian society if our nations and churches and freedom are to survive.

What is one to believe? How can he know what is true and what is false in the midst of bedlam? There is only one way to know --- and that is the way of prayer --- earnest, prevailing prayer. When Israel’s beloved King and Psalmist faced problems similar to our own, he prayed:

"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day….O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” (Ps. 25:4-5; 43:3.)

Now, in this crucial election year, Christians of the United States should keep this in prayer in their hearts and lips. Already the political campaigns are heading toward an all-time low in demagoguery. The former Democratic and Republican parties, in which each served as a balance wheel to the other, no longer exist; they are now merely two arms of the same international body, which General Douglas MacArthur referred to in one of his speeches as “the invisible government.” Unless a powerful new movement arises from the grass roots soon, voters will have no choice at the polls in November. Both parties have been captured by anti-Christian international conspirators. A vote for either party promises to be a vote for more Socialism to speed Zionism’s dream of World Government.

The editor of Christian Economics writes as follows under the headline, “Are We Disfranchised?”:

“In his new book, Affairs of State – The Eisenhower Years, Richard H. Rovere points out that the Eisenhower administration resembles the Truman administration. Harry and Dwight are more alike than either would suspect or admit….

“Both believe in increasing socialization not only in fiscal affairs, but in schools, ‘social security,’ conscription, universal military training, enormous payments to farmers in return for producing goods that are not needed or wanted at the prices demanded, and special privileges for unions that amount, in some cases, to subsidizing Socialist governments abroad, thus increasing their grip upon the people and so postponing, if not preventing, the achievement of more freedom which would result in greater production and increased well-being.

Both pay lip service to free enterprise, while following a program that leads more and more toward statism. We said before the last election that, if one wanted more Socialism, he could vote either ticket and be sure of winning. How true that prophecy has proved to be! The country is urgently in need of a new political alignment that will permit those who wish to vote against Socialism to register their convictions at the polls.” (May 15, 1956.)

Unless Christian patriots with influence and wealth launch immediately a new political ticket dedicated to the preservation of the Constitution and the sovereignty of the United States, the means with which to do this, both monetary and legal, may be wiped out overnight by judicial or executive order.

It is time to emphasize the fact that a Christian has not done his full duty when he supports a church program and maintains his respectability. As a citizen in the “Commonwealth of (Christian) Israel” (Eph. 2:12), he is responsible for righteous government under God’s direction and laws. If one doubts his responsibility toward the maintenance of good government, let him note what happens to churches when nations lose their freedom. We need to pray for an awakened sense of obligation, not only in national affairs, but in the separate affairs of our forty-eight state governments. Many of us have known the truth about the Divine source of good government, and our duty to uphold it, yet we have failed to let that truth lead us into active participation in the processes of free government.

Nonparticipation on the part of good men and women has left the cultivation of political fields in the hands of the wrong kind of people. No wonder the tares “sprung up” and brought forth evil fruit “while men slept.”

In American Mercury, June 1956, Board Chairman Russell Maguire wrote:

“World Government is the Beast who will lead us to destruction….Never forget there are two strings on the Devil’s violin:

“1) You can get something for nothing.

“2) It’s too late; you can’t do anything about it.

“Both are phony promises. You definitely can do something about it! Will you?”

We would like to add a third string to the Devil’s violin:

“The Supreme Court has spoken. It is the law of the land. Nothing can be done about it.”

What fools people are to accept such palpable untruths! Any schoolboy with a smattering of civics ought to know better than that. The Supreme Court is not a legislative body; furthermore, its members, being liable to the elected representatives of the people, are subject to impeachment by Congress for improper acts and decisions.

Editorial writer and columnist for The Dallas Morning News, Lynn Landrum, who is versed also in legal matters, made some pertinent observations recently in his column: “Thinking Out Loud.” We quote a characteristic bit of wisdom which heads the column and follow with excerpts from the article:

“When judges write the laws
To make us bond or free,
The throne is then the bench
And bondsmen all are we.

“In the opinion of the column, our present Supreme Court of the United States is dangerously subversive in that it tends mightily to destroy and set at naught the system of restraints on power which the Constitution of the United States established. Indeed, we are drifting rapidly toward a situation where what the Constitution says will make no difference to the court and little to the country….

“The present court, packed by the New Deal --- Queer Deal --- Re-deal (Roosevelt, Truman & Eisenhower), has lost respect with the country and has just about lost with it the practicing bar. Numerically, gravest accountability is on Roosevelt and Truman. But Eisenhower’s Chief Justice Warren is a toothy sample of as an unqualified judge as ever sat in such company. Mr. Warren was a Governor and his teeth are good. And he is on the bench. Therefore, he is Chief Justice of the United States….Not being real judges when appointed --- with such exceptions as, by their nature, add no prestige to the court --- our nine gentlemen on the bench cannot agree with themselves. Indeed they cannot stay of one mind on one case for as long as 24 months in succession, with the inglorious result that a litigant who wins a judgment confirmed by the Supreme Court is not safe in taking the money, lest, after he has spent it, the Supreme Court turn upon him and demand it back again.

“Mr. James F. Byrnes, himself a former Chief Justice on the Supreme Court, thinks Congress can do something about all this. Article III, Section 1, of the Constitution is what he is talking about. And Mr. Byrnes is not a man to talk through his hat. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is subject to exceptions and regulations ‘as Congress may by law direct.’ It is time to direct.

The chief aim of deceivers is to make us think that we are helpless, that there is nothing we can do to counteract their ruinous policies. Truth falls in the street when citizens believe their lies and submit to their outrageous depredations. The Lord sees it, Isaiah reminds us, and it displeases Him when His people exercise no judgment in dealing with traitors.

All Western nations are being shoved toward destruction by widespread deception in high places. We have touched briefly on deception in the realm of government. But its poisonous tentacles reach into every phase of our personal and corporate lives. It would require volumes to record the ramifications of lying propaganda in the vast areas of education, both secular and religious, and in the various channels of public information --- the press, radio, television, cinema, et cetera.

Among the people who regard themselves as exemplary Christians, there are many who do not realize what a serious thing it is to tamper with truth. It may surprise some to find that the Bible puts liars in the same bracket with the lowest of criminals. Consider the following thought-provoking statements:

“A sword is upon the liars.” (Jer. 50:36.)

“Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers [kidnappers], for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” (I Tim. 1:9-10.)

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:7-8.)

Surely it is time to pray to be heard throughout all Christian lands. Someone has said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. James says in his Epistle, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7).

The Scriptures contain many helpful prayers to guide our thinking. He who seeks them out and makes them his own will grow in grace and truth and wisdom. Suppose all who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ would pray in sincerity every day: “Lead me in Thy truth; let Thy truth lead me.” Who can measure the power for truth one such prayer could generate in the world today?
Articles from Biblical Treasures (Volume II) – C. R. Dickey

INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.

OTHER BOOKS AND BOOKLETS BY THE AUTHOR

One Man’s Destiny
An Emerging Civilization – out of print
The Basic Principles in Bible Study – out of print
The Bible and Modernism
The Bible and Segregation
Facing the Sunrise
Origin and Transmission of the Bible

HEALTH AND COMMON SENSE

2010-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

HEALTH AND COMMON SENSE This is an article from DESTINY Magazine 1937-1968 by CR Dickey

An American Bible Society pamphlet by Daniel A. Poling is titled “What is the Bible?”. Dr. Poling begins an answer to the question by saying:

“What is the Bible? It is inspired common sense. The humblest man reads it because it meets his various needs; it appeals to his sound judgment; it is reasonable.

“What is the Bible? It is common sense adapted to every walk of life….And in all particulars its effectiveness has not diminished since its first edition came from the press. Human publications have their days and become obsolete; but God’s Word is like Himself, ‘the same yesterday, today and forever.’”

Does the Bible – this potent, unchanging volume of “inspired common sense” – have anything to say on the subject of health, which sooner or later becomes a matter of deep concern to every family? Indeed it has much to say, in fact, and says it with finality.

From the Bible we learn the incontrovertible source of health. It is announced clearly and emphatically in Exodus 15:26:

“If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

David, Israel’s beloved psalmist and king, states the source of healing and vitality in Psalm 103: 2-5:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

There are scores of such informative statements on the subject of health from the writings of Moses and the prophets and the apostles. God’s concern for the physical welfare of His people may well be measured by the amount of time His Son, Christ Jesus, spent in healing diseases during the short span of His ministry. His healing activities, as recorded in the Four Gospels, absorbed Him so completely at times as to overshadow temporarily other phases of His great work. By His never-failing compassion for the infirmities and sufferings of humanity, Jesus demonstrated the divine source of man’s health and general well-being.

While most Christians agree that God is the ultimate source of health, there is much honest disagreement as to His methods of healing. Some devout believers hold that all healing must come through the direct intervention of God in the manner which was used by Jesus and His disciples, and they feel that it dishonors God to seek help from any other source, even when it is used as a supplement to one’s faith. Others, equally sincere, feel justified in using the professional services of men and women who have developed their natural gifts of healing.

How can we know who is right? How may we determine the method, or methods, God uses to restore health?

From the way different Christian sects have wrangled, often bitterly, over this question it may seem that authoritative information on the subject has never been available. On the contrary, such information is not only at hand now, but it has been silently awaiting recognition since long before the Christian era began. The answer is found in the Old Testament Apocrypha, literature which was familiar reading to Jesus, His disciples and the early Christians. It was formerly included in all our English Bibles. Since its removal from our Old Testament, numerous cults have arisen to plague Christians throughout the world with strife, schisms and an abundance of false teaching regarding the matter of health. The book is Ecclesiasticus, from which we quote the first 14 verses of chapter 38:

“Honour a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him. For of the most High cometh healing, and he shall receive honour of the king. The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration. The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them. Was not the water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known? And He hath given men skill, that He might be honoured in His marvelous works. With such doth He heal [men], and taketh away their pains. Of such doth the apothecary make a confection; and of His works there is no end; and from Him is peace over all the earth.

“My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and He will make thee whole. Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make a fat offering, as not being. Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him. There is a time when in their hands there is good success. For they [the physicians] shall also pray unto the Lord, that He would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life.”

How can the question of God’s method of healing be answered more completely? Where else can one find “inspired common sense” expressed with more clarity and simplicity? All the necessary elements are there – not implied but explicitly declared. There is no room for misunderstanding and argument. Wayfaring men, though fools, can read and comprehend the simple instructions which promise freedom from pain and the prolongation of life.

Only the Lord Himself knows how much suffering and how many untimely deaths might have been averted if these fourteen sentences had remained in our Bibles and had been frequently called to the attention of the people by consecrated ministers. Most clergymen and a few laymen now have copies of the Apocrypha. Some Protestant councils have advised ministers in their fellowship to use the Apocryphal books in their preaching. But this has been done rarely, if at all; thus only a comparatively few Christians ever hear of Ecclesiasticus 38:1-14.

Study the foregoing formula and note these eight factors involved in the process of healing: 1) the power of God from Whom all healing comes; 2) the skill of the physician; 3) medicines out of the earth; 4) the skill of the apothecary; 5) prayer on the part of the patient; 6) prayer on the part of the physician; 7) leave off sin and practice clean living; and 8) express gratitude in a memorial offering.

While recognizing the Most High as the Great Physician, we must also consider the fact that He utilizes physicians and medicines as cooperative agents in the process of healing. Many adherents of faith healing sects will not agree with this statement. They remind us that Jesus and His disciples went about curing all manner of diseases without physicians and medicines. In all sincerity they feel that we dishonor God by our lack of faith when we use any material means or human agencies. They ask, are we not promised that the prayer of faith shall save the sick?

On the other hand, it is well to remember that the work Jesus did in curing diseases and raising the dead formed a major part of the signs and wonders which necessarily accompanied His ministry in order to prove His Messiahship and to inaugurate the great Christian movement. In so doing Jesus used invisible forces still unknown to men. When some emergency arises prayer can bring these same forces into operation again, as it has done on many occasions in the past and is still doing today. Missionaries in our generations have reported thrilling instances of healing and protection when they were overtaken by disease in some lonely spot far from medical aid. Our servicemen in the present war have already sent back many stories of divine intervention when they were injured and stranded at sea or on barren islands – and the half of such remarkable testimonies have not yet been reported.

It is acknowledged by all reasonable thinkers that God can heal diseases fully and instantaneously with no visible means; it is further acknowledged that He has done so in the past and continues to do so now when necessity demands it, or when such demonstration serves His holy purpose. The question is, should Christian believers dispense with all the natural means of health at their disposal and expect the Lord to perform some special miracle of healing on their behalf? There is a principle expressed in the temptation of Jesus which seems to answer this question:

“Then the devil taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matt. 4:5-7.)

Note in this example how Satan misapplied a Scriptural promise of protection in his effort to goad Jesus into committing a rash act. According to Jesus’ answer, one should not challenge God to uphold his willful disregard and violation of natural laws. Therefore, it seems that the man who demands instant and miraculous healing may be guilty of tempting God. Jesus knew that if He cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple in defiance of the law of gravity, merely to please the devil, He would suffer the consequences. And so it is with a sick man who spurns all divinely appointed aids for his recovery, meanwhile dictating to God the manner of his healing. God seldom works by the spectacular method of signs and wonders; more often He uses the slower processes of revealed laws and their operations in familiar, normal channels.

The one great hindrance to good health on a national scale is the personal equation, consisting of the indeterminate foibles, idiosyncrasies and pet aversions of each and every one of us, doctors of all kinds included. First, we ignore the fundamental principles of health for the nation as a whole; second, we pay no attention to the dietary regulations prescribed in the Bible; and third, we neglect contacting God, through Christ, in daily devotion and prayer.

Read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 to learn the basic principles of health. Speaking to the newly formed Israel nation – not Jews, mind you, but the whole House of Jacob-Israel – the Lord God said:

“Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence My Sanctuary: I am the Lord. If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

“I will set My tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.

“But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.”

Specific rules regarding diet are recorded in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Other suggestions will be found in various passages from the Pentateuch. For instance, Aaron was instructed to burn animal fats. We soak fried foods in lard and suet, leave fats in the gravy and actually eat the fat portions along with the lean meat. Surely we have no right to expect God to perform miracles of healing for us when we violate His rules of health, either willfully or ignorantly. Yet people as a whole are stubborn beyond all reason when it comes to changing life-long eating habits.

Modern physicians also have much to learn about these fundamental principles of health. They too are required to seek counsel of God in prayer. Because of their failure to do this, many secrets of healing have not yet been revealed to them. Furthermore, they are not giving due consideration to the Bible as a source of health knowledge; consequently, they often prescribe for their patients food that is forbidden in the Bible regimen. Doctors, like preachers, are slow to investigate anything that is not endorsed by the school in which they received their training. The heavenly Father does not confine all wisdom within the narrow limits of any particular school. Men should ever be on the alert for new revelation wherever it may be found.

Nutritionists have pioneered ahead of the medical profession in the science of foods in relation to health. They have rendered notable service in the matter of better balanced menus. Some among them, however, are obsessed with the idea that their method is the infallible cure-all for every known disease. Without discrimination and knowledge of conditions, each one unhesitatingly recommends his theory as the answer to Ponce de Leon’s desire for eternal youth and vigor. Sometimes it is an exclusive diet of fruit juices for days at a time – between fasts; or it may be raw vegetables that will turn the tide in the battle for health. While all these things are good in moderation when balanced with other essential foods, they may be positively harmful if used alone or to excess. Many people are allergic to raw foods and to certain fruits. But these extremists have one formula for all, without reckoning with the old adage, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”

There is another important question the sick man must consider if he wants the Lord’s help; namely, what use does he intend to make of his strength? Will he use the gift of health for selfish ends only, or will he dedicate his renewed strength to whatever work will best serve the Lord and his fellowmen? Any honest man’s labor becomes hallowed when his purpose is to honor God and do His will. But he will miss if his motives are self centered:

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts [pleasures].” (James 4:3.)

An essential question faces the physician also. He must ask himself, why do I want power over disease? Do I want it in order that I may cooperate with God in alleviating human suffering and prolonging life? Or do I want it primarily to accumulate great fortune for myself, as many of my colleagues have done? A physician’s calling is too sacred to be guided by mercenary motives.

Medical science was practically undeveloped in Jesus’ day and what little was known at that time was inaccessible to the poor. So Jesus and His disciples graciously healed all who sought their help. Masses of people then were afflicted with diseases which modern surgery and medicines now eliminate readily. Yet unfortunately, at the present time, there is an increasing tendency to set a prohibitive price on all branches of medical service. It is felt most keenly by average middle-class people, who are not eligible for the free service in county hospitals and would not accept charity in any case. Physicians must see that proper care is within reach of all classes of citizens. It is a responsibility they cannot escape.

There remains one last fact to be taken into account: “It is appointed unto man once to die.” That verdict must be considered at some time in every life. Again, there are times when one may serve God’s purpose better in affliction than in health. We do not know to this day why Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was not removed. But we do know why he had to be imprisoned. It was for the purpose of writing his imperishable Epistles to the churches. His freedom to travel and preach had to be removed before he would take time to record his teachings for posterity. So in praying for restored health, remember always that even our Lord Jesus added these submissive words to His prayer in Gethsemane:

“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42.)

In Ecclesiasticus are many statements worth remembering. The following are little commentaries on life, health and death, expressed in the philosophy of common sense:

“Let the counsel of thine own heart stand: for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it. For a man’s mind is sometime wont to tell him more than seven watchmen, that sit above in an high tower. And above all this pray to the most High, that He will direct thy way in truth. Let reason go before every enterprise, and counsel before every action.

“My son, prove thy soul in thy life, and see what is evil for it, and give not that unto it. For all things are not profitable for all men, neither hath every soul pleasure in every thing. Be not unsatiable in any dainty thing, nor too greedy upon meats: for excess of meats bringeth sickness, and surfeiting will turn into choler. By surfeiting [immoderate indulgence] have many perished; but he that taketh heed prolongeth his life.

“O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions, unto the man that hath nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things: yes, unto him that is yet able to receive meat! O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto the needy, and unto him whose strength faileth, that is now in the last age, and is vexed with all things, and to him that despaireth, and hath lost patience! Fear not the sentence of death, remember them that have been before thee, and that come after; for this is the sentence of the Lord over all flesh.” (Ecclesiasticus 37:13-16, 27-31, 41:13.)

Thus death was the sentence over all flesh when man renounced his allegiance to his Creator. Even so, there is a reason why the inspired writer could say, “Fear not the sentence of death.” Long after His work was done, a Man came from God and gave Himself a ransom to break the bond of death. The prophet Hosea foretold His coming in these dramatic words:

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.” (Hosea 13:14.)

Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, registered the fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy:

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Tim. 2:5-6.)

The Christian hope will not acquiesce in a sentence of death, because Christ brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. We look for the day He promised, when “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (Rev. 21:4).

In that day we shall see “the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2).
===============================
Articles from Biblical Treasures (Volume II) – C. R. Dickey

INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.

Colorado Winter Sunset 122909

2009-12-30T05:53:00.001-08:00

Colorado Winter Sunset 122909
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Beautiful winter sunset as we finally got to just above freezing yesterday! Where's our global warming? lol

Ronald Reagan - We Must Fight!!!

2009-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

"Political Correctness" died on a plane with heroes that said, "Let's roll".

Ronald Reagan – We Must Fight
Now let’s set the record straight. There is no argument over the choice between peace and war. But, there’s only one guaranteed way you can have peace. And you can have it in the next second. Surrender. Admittedly, there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson of history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement. And this is the specter our well-meaning, liberal friends refuse to face; that their policy of accommodation IS appeasement and it gives no choice between peace and war; only between fight or surrender. If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand, the ultimatum. And what then? Well, Nikita Kruschev has told his people, he knows what our answer will be. He has told them that we’re retreating under the pressure of the Cold War. And someday when the time comes to deliver the final ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary, because by that time, we will have been weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side he’s heard voices pleading for peace at any price, or better red than dead, or as one commentator put it, he’d rather live on his knees than die on his feet. And therein lies the road to war, because those voices don’t speak for the rest of us. You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin? Just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refuse to fire the shot heard ‘round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools and our honored dead, who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis, didn’t die in vain. Where then is the road to peace?
Well, it’s a simple answer, after all. You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, there is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance. Winston Churchill said the destiny of man is not measured by material compensations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits, not animals. He said there’s something going on in time and space and beyond time and space which whether we like it or not, spells DUTY. You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We’ll preserve for our children, this the last best hope of man on earth or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

AMERICA HAS BEEN TOO BUSY

2009-12-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

AMERICA HAS BEEN TOO BUSY - article from Destiny Magazine 1938-1967 by CR Dickey

George Washington, in his Farewell Address to the people of the United States said:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morals are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props to the duties of men and citizens.

“And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, both reason and experience forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle….

“It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and at no distant period a great nation to give to mankind the magnanimous and, too, novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence.”

That the revered Father of our Country referred to Christianity in particular, rather than to religion in general, we know from his record as a Protestant churchman and from such statements as the following which he made when appointing the hour for worship in the brigades:

“The Commander-in-chief directs that divine services be performed every Sunday at eleven o’clock. While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”

It is a well-known fact that Washington and his compatriots built our national structure upon the principles of Jesus Christ and the Common Law, both of which are rooted in the writings of Moses and the prophets. These notable statesmen were the instruments of Providence to lay the foundation of a unique nation in a new land. It has been said that “Washington was as divinely selected, endowed and blessed as any man in the world’s history.” One cannot find outside the Bible narrative a record of men so devoted to “exalted justice” as were these moral and intellectual giants who charted the course of our Republic and framed its Constitution. They trusted not wholly in their own wisdom, nor in the force of arms, nor in commercial genius; they knew, as did the Psalmist, that “Except the Lord built the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” (PS. 127:1).

We Americans in a world at war must think on our ways. We must re-examine our beginning if we would maintain those elements which guarantee life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

In I Kings, Chapter 20, there is a strange little parable. It was directed to ancient Israel and yet, oddly enough, it is even more strikingly applicable to modern Anglo-Saxon Israel. Let us review it briefly.

One fateful day Ahab, king of Israel, traveled along the highway toward Samaria. A prophet in disguise met the king by the way and related to him this story:

“Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle: and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And as they servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” (I Kings 20:39-40.)

Quickly the stranger removed his disguise and the king discerned that he was of the prophets. Facing Ahab boldly the prophet gave an explanation that was also a stern accusation:

“Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.” (I Kings 20:42.)

Then Ahab understood the parable. Israel’s king was the servant; Benhadad, the Syrian king and Israel’s deadliest foe, was the man whom God had delivered into Ahab’s hand for utter destruction. While Ahab dawdled --- busy here and there with peace negotiations and covenants --- Benhadad slipped through the noose and was gone.

“Thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.” In anger and heaviness of heart Ahab continued on his way to Samaria.

Alas! America too has been busy --- here and there --- extending hospitality and undue consideration to the nation’s enemies. It would be most interesting to know how many malignant foes have slipped through the hands of our national administrators during the generation of which we are a part. Danger lurks in the fact that we can never get our foes deported, nor keep them in prison long enough to serve a sentence. They ought to be put to death; that is the Scriptural method and the only one ever known to work effectively. How much longer will the present laxity be tolerated? How many more of the nation’s youth will be sacrificed on the altar of criminal negligence? Their blood will be on the heads of those who protect the traitors among us; but that will not bring back the dead, nor mitigate the sorrow of wives, mothers and children. It is to our shame that, instead of punishing the betrayers in our midst, we persecute the men who point them out.

Again let George Washington speak these words of warning; “Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens), the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy, to be useful, must be impartial.”

This same warning is stated innumerable times in the Bible as a safeguard to the Lord’s people. Israel was never known to win when in league with the enemies of God. We are not profiting as we should by our knowledge of Israel’s experiences. Unfortunately, many of the nation’s leaders are heeding neither Bible, nor the counsel of George Washington. Using the war emergency as an excuse, they are injecting totalitarian methods into our national life with increasing frequency. Yet is it logical to suppose that America’s treasured freedom can be preserved by adopting the methods of dictators?

Bishop James E. Freeman spoke wisely when he said: “Nothing alien to our traditions may assume to govern or control us in our course or determine for us our relation to problems at home or abroad….The recognition of the immutable laws of God, unfailing allegiance to those fundamental principles of life given to mankind by Jesus Christ, these we may not ignore or neglect, except to our peril.”

We have been too busy worshipping Mammon and chasing empty pleasures to see the totalitarian secret agents at work within our borders. While crafty masterminds were forging ahead in Europe and Asia with well-laid plans for world conquest, they kept us talking about disarmament, peace, reconciliation, brotherly love and international good will. And now our hearts stop a beat and a sickening horror fills our souls as we read that American boys --- precious boys like yours and mine --- are being captured and dragged into enemy camps to suffer a fate that we dare not contemplate. Like Ahab we are facing the results of our stupendous folly. Having disregarded God’s decrees for our national safety, we are now under the sentence of His irrevocable verdict: “Thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.”

Many of America’s enemies have come from foreign shores; others were born in this country but maintain alien connections and loyalties; and still another group --- the most contemptible of all --- is composed of native stooges who serve as a smoke screen for the first two groups. World revolution, as a means to world dominion, is the program of certain internationalists who own allegiance to no nation and are traitors to the welfare of all. We are forgetting to watch them at the present moment. When the watchman sleeps, or is busy elsewhere, the betrayer has his opportunity. If we become too absorbed battling rats at the back door, we may not see the bear and the wolf when they enter the front door to take possession of the house.

Subversive workers find ridicule a most efficacious tool. They use it in season and out of season on everything that gets in their path. For some years they have directed ridicule toward the good old American virtue of patriotism. They know that the easiest way to produce disintegration in any country is to break down the affection and loyalty of its citizens; to convince them that there is really nothing worth fighting and dying for. Ridicule is a subtle and poisonous barb; many grew lethargic under its influence. That is why it took the Pearl Harbor stab in the back to wake us up.

A true patriot’s attitude is summed up in this terse sentence: “My country, right or wrong, when right to keep her right; when wrong to put her right.” Valiant men are going out now to die for our country. Do we, who remain on the home front, have the stamina to live for it and make it right? Have we the courage to overthrow every civil system that thrives by exploiting our citizenry and undermining our republic? If not, then we, like millions in occupied Europe, will pay dearly in blood for our cowardice.

Out of a glorious past comes this thrilling challenge from Daniel Webster: “I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American; and I intend to perform the duties incumbent upon me in that character to the end of my career. I mean to do this with absolute disregard of personal consequences. What are the personal consequences? What is the individual man, with all the good or evil that may betide him, in comparison with the good or evil which may befall a great country, and in the midst of great transactions which concern that country’s fate? Let the consequences be what they will, I am careless. No man can suffer too much, and no man can fall too soon, if he suffers, or if he fall, in the defense of the liberties and constitution of his country.”

What now constitutes the direst threat to our freedom and to what we like to call our American way of life? It lies in the fact that so many honest, true-hearted citizens do not realize what is happening to our republican form of government. Again we have been busy --- here and there --- too busy to notice what enemies within have been doing to our cherished liberties.

How naïve we are! What simple means serve to confuse us and blind us to elementary truths! A carefully designed misuse of a single word on the part of clever propagandists has led approximately 130 million people to accept a fundamental error: and that word is “democracy.” Perhaps no other word was ever used so much and understood so little. It adorns the pages of every newspaper, magazine, and book; it resounds in oratorical splendor across the continent from the little red school-house to the congressional and senatorial chambers of the national Capitol. “Our Democracy!”

Does no one remember that our Founding Fathers almost never used the word democracy? In their public addresses they talked about “our Republic” and “our republican form of government.” Democracy? The following paragraphs from Lawful Money Explained by Gertrude M. Coogan, answer the question briefly but adequately.

“The stock-in-trade of a demagogue in all controversy and confusion is the skillful bandying about of words. He artfully uses words in a way intended to convey different meanings to different listeners.

“A word now artfully and deceptively used in this country is DEMOCRACY . Democracy means rule by direct action of the people. Our Constitution did not provide for a democracy, and real democracies have ever produced nothing but chaos and slavery. They have always turned into mobocracies.

“The Founders of America established a Republic. Under a republic the power of government is vested in the citizens, but is delegated and exercised by the representatives of the people. The specific powers our representatives received from us (citizens) were granted to them in our Constitution and its amendments.

“In our particular type of Republic three branches were set up; the legislative could pass laws in accord with the power granted by the citizens and the States, the executive was to see that the laws were carried out, and the judicial was to interpret the laws in accord with the Constitution.

“In speaking of a Republic or Democracy, we are not referring to the Republican or Democratic political parties. The Republican party of today was born sixty-five years after the Constitution was adopted. Partisanship has nothing whatever to do with the fundamental principles underlying our government. All elected officials, whether Democratic or Republican, take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. The immediate job is to get rid of all, regardless of party, who have not kept oath!

“The Constitution would not have guaranteed one form of government if those intelligent men who drafted it had another form in mind. According to Webster, a Republic is ‘A state in which the sovereign power resides in the whole body of the people, and is exercised by representatives elected by them.’ A Democracy is ‘A form of government in which the supreme power is retained and directly exercised by the people.’

“The word ‘democracy’ or any of its derivatives is not to be found in our Constitution but we do read in Article IV, Section 4: ‘The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion.’ The public utterances and writings of those who drafted the Constitution of the United States should be considered authentic evidence of their intent.”

George Washington, in his reply to the Senate, said that he was happy in the conviction “that the Senate will at all times cooperate in every measure which may tend to promote the welfare of this confederated Republic.”

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, said in his first inaugural address: “If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error or opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.”

James Madison, who is honored more today for the part he took in drafting and ratifying the Constitution of the United States than for his career as President, stated why he and his illustrious coworkers decided upon a Republic instead of a Democracy. Ponder these relevant words from the “Father of the Constitution”:

“Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. A Republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking.”

Despite this irrefutable evidence that the United States of America is a Republic with a republican form of government, men and women, claiming the intelligence to lead their fellowmen, speak and write incessantly about the glories of our Democracy. That shows how dutifully they are following the path prescribed by our enemies!

Professor Harold J. Laski, who numbers among his faithful disciples most of the pseudo “liberals” of Britain and America, tells us that “Soviet Russia is the world’s hope of democracy, alongside of the United States.” There you have the key to the situation! Professor Laski does us a real service by pointing out the ultimate aim of the democracy now being foisted upon unsuspecting American citizens. This spurious democracy is exactly the same thing as Communism in Russia, Nazism in Germany, Fascism in Italy and military dictatorship in Japan. It is designed to undermine the form of our government and to negate the principles and rights guaranteed under our great Constitution. If allowed to complete its deadly course, it will turn our Republic into a totalitarian state and destroy the last vestige of freedom in America, just as it has scourged and desecrated the lands and people of Europe and Asia.

Doubtless unwary citizens in those conquered lands were busy --- here and there --- before the day of desolation and did not see what was happening to them until it was too late. Can it happen here? Will it happen here? It can and it will --- unless --- the populace rises in mighty indignation and rids the land of ALL traitors, regardless of nationality, race or sex.

Will the destroyers of freedom escape justice at our hands as Benhadad eluded Ahab? If so, we need no longer sing, “God bless America”, nor pray “God help America”, for God blesses and helps only those who help themselves.

Theorists who have spent a lifetime advocating various “isms” and the overthrow of representative constitutional government have nothing to offer in its place as a satisfactory way of life. Note the wistfulness in this confession of defeat by England’s veteran socialist, George Bernard Shaw: “I am ready to admit that, after contemplating human nature for nearly sixty years, I see no way out of the world’s misery but the way which would have been found by Christ’s will if he had undertaken the work of a modern practical statesman.”

Joseph Chamberlain was once asked why, in his opinion, so many fall short of the goal. He answered, “They come to the place where they turn back. They may have killed the dragon at the first bridge, and at the second, perhaps even at the third, but the dragons are always more formidable the further we go. Many turn back disheartened, and very few will meet the monsters to the end. Almost none is willing to have a try with the demon at the last bridge; but if he does, he has won forever.”

In conflict with satan, Jesus Christ won at the last bridge. His weapon was the Sword of the Spirit --- “It is written.” Today the United States needs more men who are acquainted with that Sword and not afraid to use it; more men who realize that the independence of our nation was established by statesmen unashamed to acknowledge their dependence on God; and more men who know our beginnings as recorded in the Holy Bible and in the annals of this American Republic.

FRUITS OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL by CR Dickey

2009-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

FRUITS OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL article from Destiny magazine 1938-1967 by CR Dickey

During the momentous years between 1920 and 1940 that strange phenomenon known as the Social Gospel reached the apex of its popularity. Many church conferences of that era were built largely around the Social Gospel as the main triumphant theme. Church dignitaries vied with one another in extolling its glories, all of them confident that its application would bring harmony and peace to the whole world within a few short years. The old Gospel of salvation by repentance, by faith in the efficacy of Christ’s death and resurrection, was laid aside like a worn-out garment. At last society had found a way to save itself.

A few of us detected sour notes in the theme. At that time we knew nothing about the background of the Social Gospel, or its ultimate intent, but instinctively we didn’t like its overtones and undertones. It just didn’t seem to ring true; consequently, it made us vaguely uneasy and left us cold. Soon we were seared by the withering scorn of seminary professors and leading pulpiteers for refusing to accept the teachings and aims of the Social Gospel as the highest expression of the will of Christ. So completely did our colleagues go all out for the newfangled salvation, that we sometimes wondered if novices like ourselves could possibly be right.

So, as pariahs, we sat apart and watched our church and other leading denominations organize various councils and committees to promote the Social Gospel. Queer revolutionary doctrines, alien alike to the spirit of the churches and to the spirit of America, were openly presented in ecclesiastical assemblies. A steady stream of mail began to flow from these councils and committees to the churches across the nation. Bulletins, newsletters, plebiscites, program suggestions, et cetera, deluged the churches; they were designed for the church school, and for every department including men, women and children. No group was neglected in this program of indoctrination. Speakers were sent out from the headquarters of these various Social Action councils, and churches were urged to use them when available.

Before considering the results of the Social Gospel, let us examine briefly its beginning and how it was handed down to us. In an excellent summary of this development under the title, “The Origins of the Social Gospel,” Irving E. Howard, minister of the Hope Congregational Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, writes:

“The Social Gospel was born in the optimistic atmosphere of the nineteenth century conquest of the vast American continent and its abundant natural resources. Man was rapidly becoming the master of nature, aided by the new mechanical inventions which were creating both an industrial and an intellectual revolution. Men everywhere were embracing two new congenial dogmas, that progress was inevitable and that man was essentially good.

“These two doctrines became the fundamentals of the Social Gospel and the impetus to a shift in faith from God to man, from eternity to time, from the individual to the group, individual conversions to social coercion, and from the church to the state. The main inspiration of the new movement was non-Christian, and from the beginning it drifted readily into doctrines increasingly removed from biblical faith.

“Both Unitarianism and Transcendentalism were a part of the blooming of this spirit. Ralph Waldo Emerson became a patron saint of the liberal Protestant, and Emerson’s dogma of an immanent God inherent in nature, and of man who partakes of God to the extent that he himself is divine, became an important dogma to the new movement.

“The pagan origin of the Social Gospel was from the beginning apparent in its readiness to sacrifice Christian faith to the new order. As early as 1873, for example, the Unitarian, Octavius Brooks Frothingham, published The Religion of Humanity, dismissing altogether any faith in God in favor of the new god, man. His challenge, although premature, revealed clearly that the drift was from God to man, and that the new dogma would be preserved through sacrifices in theological faith. Collective man and his society were the new god and the new Jerusalem.” (Faith and Freedom, May 1852.)

From these facts one can readily see how the pagan rationalistic philosophy, which flourished in European universities and theological schools in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, paved the way for the so-called Social Gospel. German historical criticism undermined belief in the authority of the Bible and opened the door to humanistic interpretations of religion and life. Prominent clergymen lost the biblical concept of individual responsibility and began to apply the collectivist idea to the interpretation of Christian teachings. Horace Bushnell, in 1847, published his book Christian Nurture, in which he applied John Locke’s theory of environmentalism to religious experience.

Concerning his work, Irving E. Howard says:

“Instead of converting the individual by evangelism, Bushnell argued, children should be molded by a religious environment. Apart from the obvious fact that children should be taught religion, this was the beginning of an idea that formed the core of the Social Gospel. Instead of the converted individual changing his environment, a changed environment was supposed to convert the individual. It is not difficult to conclude from this, the Social Gospel viewpoint, that the environment, not the individual, is responsible for human behavior.”

Twelve years later Darwin’s Origin of Species appeared and, it was thought by some theologians, put a prop under man’s revolt against the authority of the Scriptures. “The Puritan tradition leaned toward science,” comments the Reverend Howard on this point, “and by the 1880’s the majority of the clergy in this tradition had adjusted their thinking to Darwinism. They drew from the Darwinian theory the optimistic conclusion that an immanent God was at work in history evolving by slow process the Kingdom of God on earth. This furnished the Social Gospel with its philosophy of history.”

Next in the development of the Social Gospel was the idea of using the force of the state to bring about social righteousness. This idea was introduced at a conference at Saratoga, New York, in 1885, attended by such notables as Washington Gladden, Simon Patten, Edwin F. A. Seligman, Edmund J. James, John Bates Clark, Richard T. Ely, Andrew D. White and Woodrow Wilson. Some of these men “were fresh from graduate studies in Germany where they had become enamored with Bismarck’s use of the state in the area of human welfare.”

In 1889, Gladden spoke on “Christian Socialism” at the National Council of Congregational Churches. At that time he said:

“It begins to be clear that Christianity is not individualism. The Christian has encountered no deadlier foe during the last century than that individualistic philosophy which underlies the competitive system.”

Josiah Strong was another exponent of this “nameless drift away from individualism”, yet he said in Our Country, published in 1885, “Socialism attempts to solve the problem of suffering without eliminating the factor of sin.”

Thus we see how Socialism occupied the minds of men almost an hundred years ago. In 1889, an Episcopal minister, William Dwight Porter Bliss, was so influenced by Henry George’s Progress and Poverty and Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward that he organized the Society of Christian Socialists consisting of about twenty ministers representing the Episcopalian, Congregational, Unitarian, Universalist, Baptist, Methodist and other denominations. A monthly journal published by the Reverend Bliss declared its purpose in the first issue as follows:

“Business itself today is wrong…it is based on competitive strife for profits….But this is the exact opposite of Christianity….We must change the system.”

Under the influence of the Baptist, Walter Rauschenbusch, and other intellectual lights at the dawn of the twentieth century, the Social Gospel began to take firm root in most of the large Protestant denominations. Official organizations were set up in the churches to advance the Social Gospel. One of the first was the Presbyterian Department of Church and Labor of the Board of Home Missions. In 1901, the National Council of the Congregational Church founded a Labor Committee. The Federation for Social Service was organized by the Methodist Episcopal Church (North) in 1907. The next year thirty-three denominations organized The Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America and adopted a Social Creed much like that of the Methodists. 1912 saw the beginning of the interdenominational “Men and Religion Forward Movement,” which advocated government ownership of land, mines, water and other resources.

During the early 1920’s, there was a temporary reaction against socialism which led the “social gospelers ” to shift their emphasis from class conflict to international and interracial affairs. This was a period marked by countless peace organizations and spurious racial propaganda. The ineffective League of Nations was hailed by the Federal Council of Churches as “an international manifestation of the Kingdom of God.”

Then came the economic crash of 1929. It provided a most favorable opportunity for the spread of socialism. As Irving E. Howard aptly says, “During the depression, a reawakened Social Gospel found the time ripe for its message of sanctified covetousness.”

In 1934, delegates to the National Council of Congregational-Christian Churches established a Council for Social Action to carry out the program set forth in the following resolutions:

Therefore be it resolved: That we set ourselves to work toward:

1) The abolition of the profit system, the elimination of its incentives and habits, the legal forms by which it supports, and the moral ideas by which it justifies itself.
2) The inauguration of a thoroughly planned and organized social economy, which apply all our natural and human resources directly to the meeting of human needs, in pursuit of values, democratically chosen: which will,
a) Adjust production to measured consumption requirements, and maintain and extend social services --- health, education, recreation and insurance for all.
b) Eliminate private ownership in the means of production and distribution wherever such private ownership interferes with the success of a planned social economy, making profit unnecessary and impossible.
c) End unemployment, abolish poverty, enable maximum prevention of disease and crime, and stimulate the fullest development of the arts and sciences. Be it further resolved: That this Council urge that the members of our Fellowship increasingly seek to understand and cooperate with the forces and groups making for the above changes in our society.
The Council for Social Action was an extension of the functions of the Social Relations Commission. In “A Proposal for the General Council,” published in the Advance for May 10, 1934, Dr. Arthur E. Holt said:

“With these considerations in mind, it would seem appropriate that the Department of Social Relations be lifted to the rank of a major society in the denominational structure, taking rank alongside the societies which represent church establishment extension at home and abroad; that it be equipped with resources and personnel comparable to the magnitude of the demands upon it.”

Immediately the new Council for Social Action went into high gear, with the same personnel, organization and program as the old Social Relations Commission. Hubert C. Herring became director of the Council for Social Action; two of his assistants, Miss Helen G. Murray and Miss Katherine Terrill, were formerly coworkers in the Department of Social Relations.

It is important to know how these directors of the Council for Social Action propose to accomplish the ends outlined in the resolutions adopted by the General Council. Therefore, we shall let them speak for themselves on the subject. In a News Letter for April 1, 1934, put out by the Department of Social Relations, Miss Murray refers to a speech made by Mary Van Kleeck and discusses it in part as follows:

“In conclusion Miss Van Kleeck drew a picture of a classless society where there will be production for use instead of for profit, the only way out of our difficulties, using the Soviet Union as an example not only of how things must be managed, but also of how power is to be taken from the exploiting class. It is primarily a struggle of the workers against their exploiters, she maintained, and in this struggle Christian people should be on the side of the exploited --- not to give leadership which must be in the hands of the workers themselves, but to serve quite humbly under their direction.”

On June 23, 1934, Mr. Herring delivered an address to some nineteen hundred delegates to the General Council in Oberlin, Ohio, on this subject, “A Crusading Church in Days of Revolution.” His address was printed in full in the Advance for July 5th and 12th, 1934. It is so amazing, so revealing, that we quote at some length:

“It is revolution. The old patterns are torn up. Rugged individualism, the sacred right of capitalism, the vaunted right of a man to run his business as he sees fit without regard to the rights of society, are dead….

“I am not speaking as a protagonist of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The New Deal represents a gallant and chivalrous effort to meet the challenge, and to save in orderly and peaceful fashion something out of the wreckage of our capitalistic order….

“I marvel at the logic of those who damn the New Deal….

“We cannot turn back. Roosevelt’s New Deal, halting and shifting as it may be, is a halfway house along the road which leads to a new ideal of the democratic state.

“Toward what are we to work? Is it the state in which a revived and controlled capitalism shall be enthroned? Is it the socialist state? I dislike labels, especially labels redolent of European conflict and experience. I am not afraid of the word socialism, nor are you. The ideas comprised by the word are the ideas which steadily push toward the fore….

“Assembled amid the ruins of a bankrupt society, we can be sure that the future holds a very different kind of state than any we have known. We may not like the idea of change. We may hanker for the old fireside and the old slippers, but the fireplace no longer draws, and the slippers are lost. Mr. Insull took them away from us.

“We can but conjecture as to the blueprint of the new society. It is dangerous to prophesy, but what, after all, are speeches for if not for conjecture and prophecy? Let me, then, suggest some of the directions in which we may be embarked.

“First, we are definitely headed toward the totalitarian state….The state will increasingly become supreme, and the rights of the individual will correspondingly decrease. In such a state, individual freedom will be disciplined and regimented. This may be distasteful, but it is inevitable….Social control of the means of production is a clear postulate of democracy….

“Second, we hope to move toward an increasingly democratic state….

“Third, we will move toward new motives. The profit motive rules supreme in the industrial era. The profit motive stands bankrupt, shivering and shaking as the chill winds of economic revolution bear down upon it. The day of profit is done, in any such sense as the word has been used during the past one hundred years. The assumption by the state of the principle of responsibility for the welfare of all its citizens carries the corollary of increased taxation. The makers of profit, on the one hand, create a national economic situation in which from ten to fifty million do not share in the profits. The state turns upon the profit-makers and cuts ten percent, twenty percent, seventy-five percent from their profits in order to equalize the load. This happens today. The next step is already apparent. That state says to the steel master, You must use more men, each man will work less hours, each man will receive more pay. The state goes on to say, You must cut your executive salaries, you must limit dividends, you must coordinate your production with your competitors. If this does not work --- this controlled and regimented capitalism --- the time will soon come when the state will say to the steel master, Your business is no longer yours; you will move out and the state will move in. You do not like the picture? It does not matter. The logic of events will transcend our likings.”

It must have been in the autumn of that same fateful year that the Mid-West Regional Meeting of Congregational Churches convened in Grinnell, Iowa. Mr. Herring arrived from the meeting somewhat travel-stained, having come directly from Mexico City, and was received with the acclaim of a warrior returning from a victorious and decisive battle. Shortly before this, newspapers had carried reports of Leon Trotsky’s flight to Mexico. We learned later that Hubert Herring, along with Nathan Straus of New York and a few more radical Protestants and Jews, whose names do not come to mind at this time, had been on a pilgrimage to the Mexican retreat of the late Jewish Communist Trotsky (real name Bronstein).

The enigmatic Dr. Edward A. Steiner then held a professorship in Grinnell College and was one of the principal speakers at the conference. Just what common purpose created a bond of fellowship between Straus, Herring, Steiner, Trotsky and company may very well be known by scrutinizing the points quoted from Herring’s speech. The air at Grinnell was charged with something indefinable and evil; with whisperings and sly meetings of small groups; with strange sayings from the lecture platform which had no place in the thinking of loyal Christian citizens of the United States.

It is significant that one of the main plebiscites sent out by the Council for Social Action for the signature of all pastors and church members was a pledge that they would never take up arms in defense of the United States, even in the case of attack by foreign country. So, the Council for Social Action “was lifted to the rank of a major society” for the purpose of selling a program of revolution to the churches. It is almost unbelievable that American Christians would give their approval to such treasonable acts against God and country.

Let no one think, however, that the Congregational-Christian Church is alone in permitting such treachery. We merely use it as an example of what has happened in many denominations, both large and small. At the recent Quadrennial Conference of Methodist Churches, the delegates demanded that the Methodist Federation for Social Action (or Service) drop the word “Methodist” and move out of the Methodist headquarters building. If memory serves us rightly, a similar move was attempted years ago, yet apparently no change was made to the organization’s policy. Many Methodist pastors and laymen are rising up against the Federation but, unless certain Marxist bishops are removed from seats of authority, there will probably be little change in the status of the offending organization.

As a matter of fact, the Federal Council of Churches --- now the National Council of the Churches of Christ --- has been dominated from its beginning by a strong, aggressive left-wing group that advocates the complete program of radical socialism. This minority presumes to speak for 320,000 Protestants, who have never authorized it to speak for them on any subject whatever. Nevertheless, this element always manages to take over the educational work of the churches and the publicity for everything concerning them. Consequently, a whole generation of Christian youth has been brought up under the baneful influence of socialism, internationalism, and poppycock racialism, disguised as social aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By such means the secret plotters provide a religious background to conceal their real goal of world government or, more accurately, international dictatorship.

Congregationalists too are now rising up to protest the trends and coercion of the Social Gospel, but, like Rip Van Winkle, they are twenty years behind the march of events. Twenty years for the sowing of tares; twenty years for them to blossom and bear their evil fruit --- and what will the harvest be?

In a recent brochure, “Congregationalism and the Social Gospel,” Howard Conn, Minister of Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, writes:

“There is moral objection to the use of denominational funds for propaganda purposes. Such monies are raised from the membership-at-large, and ought not to be appropriated by any group to be used as propaganda in opposition to the convictions of many of the donors….

“The Council for Social Action should be prohibited from all lobbying activity, from testifying before Congressional subcommittees, and from attempting to speak in behalf of the Congregational Churches. Any such activities as these are a violation of our principle of the autonomy and independence of the local parishes. No person or group can speak responsibly or authoritatively for us….

“Therefore it is organically wrong for the CSA to speak in behalf of the Congregational Churches. It is wrong even when the Council tries to make clear that it speaks only for itself because the impression given is that this agency is in some way spokesman for a great body of one million Congregationalists. The distinctive genius of Congregationalists is that they will have such spokesman.”

In Matthew it states:

”Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matt. 7:15-16.)

At last the fruits of the Social Gospel are revealing the nature of its promoters. They stand exposed as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their evil deeds are finally catching up with them. Irving E. Howard puts it this way: “The Social Gospel has been challenged to produce its intellectual and ethical credentials --- and it has none.”

Socialism never could have taken root in Christian society if it had not been propagated by the clergy. If church leaders had stood firmly on biblical principles and denounced the Social Gospel for the false teaching that it is, no other influence within or without could have induced Christian citizens to accept the doctrines and policies that threaten our nation today.

Some people, for instance, have been led to believe that the social aspect of Christ’s Gospel require the elimination of nationalism. But nothing could be farther from the truth. What, indeed, would be the consequences to the Gospel itself if national entity should be destroyed? One can find the answer to that question by noting what is happening to the churches in countries which have already lost their national character. A whole nation pays the price when its church leaders are sold a false bill of goods.

Walter R. Courtenay, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee, said in one of his sermons:

“I have a feeling that, if Jackson and Jefferson should visit the Democrats in Washington today, they would challenge about 85 percent of them to duels in the cherry orchards within the next twenty –four hours. I cannot imagine these true Americans feeling at home with the present administration or feeling that the wise men who are leading us to Statism and a ‘planned’ (Socialist) economy are Americans save by birth.”

We heartily agree with this statement. However, the picture is incomplete. If preachers like John Wesley, Whitefield, and Charles G. Finney should visit our churches today, they would challenge them to unfrock all socialistic clerics and boot them out of Christian pulpits. This would give our elected representatives in Washington the moral support they need to deal with the nation’s enemies. Too often they have felt the pressure of the church against them in their battle to hold the line for constitutional government and national sovereignty.

It is interesting to observe that the social gospelers --- those who graft the branch of rational theology on the vine of Marxism and loudly decry the evils of the profit motive --- are most eager to hold positions which make them the recipients of other people’s tainted profits. What will they do when the tithers and taxpayers no longer have any profits with which to support the parasite?
=============================
Articles from Biblical Treasures (Volume I) – C. R. Dickey

INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.

DOUBLE Dog Dare Ya!

2009-11-28T21:11:00.001-08:00

DOUBLE Dog Dare Ya!
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Xoie on a freezing day, goes for the double dog dare!

*amazingly . . . her tongue did not stick.

LIMITING GOD article by CR Dickey

2009-11-26T17:26:00.000-08:00

LIMITING GOD

Among the magnificent peaks of the Absaroka Mountains in Montana there are many beautiful lakes. Some of them are nestled in the very top of the peaks. Shimmering there in the shadows of clouds and trees, they create the illusion of having wafted out of the heavens through rainbow mist to crown the gleaming, snow-capped mountains with halos.

One of the most interesting of these pools in the sky is Mystic Lake. It is thousands of feet above sea level and men have not yet been able to plumb its depth. But men did become aware of the dormant energy hidden beneath the surface of its deep placid waters. In order to use that energy, hardy engineers hauled machinery up the mountain and built a power plant to harness and distribute the vast resources. Then they released water from the lake and sent it tumbling down the steep, rugged slope. Energy thus created now supplies electricity and irrigation for many square miles of fertile valleys below. The process continues year to year, but the lake itself remains calm, and its resources apparently undiminished, after meeting the requirements of numerous homes and fields.

One of the things about this great power plant which particularly fascinates an observer is the ease with which the unleashed forces of nature can be controlled by man’s mechanical skill. A foreman delights to show the visitor how quickly he can manipulate the mighty forces at his command; by touching an electric button, he sets levers in motion that shut off the power entirely, or release it in any quantity desired.

Mystic Lake is a miniature illustration of the unknown, limitless resources of God. Certainly man has not measured the power of God, nor has he ever used it except in a very limited way, although it is not God who does the limiting. Man will not apply himself to learning the secrets of tapping spiritual energy with the same determination and assurance of success that lead him to the mastery of dynamos and other methods of producing physical energy.

A few years ago Charles P. Steinmetz went to Wellesley Hills to visit Roger W. Babson. In the course of conversation, according to a report in Utica Observer-Dispatch, Babson asked his guest, “What line of research will see the greatest development during the next fifty years?”

The scientist was quiet for several minutes. “The great discoveries,” he answered finally, “will be made along spiritual lines. We scientific men have spent our lives studying physical forces. And now --- having made the most sensational discoveries in the history of the world --- we learn that our knowledge has not brought people happiness. Material things will never bring happiness. Scientists must now turn their laboratories over to the study of God, and prayer, and the spiritual forces. Here is the field where miracles are going to occur. Spiritual power is the greatest of the undeveloped powers, and has the greatest future.”

Coming from a man of science, that is a remarkable statement. Spiritual power is the greatest of the undeveloped powers, said Steinmetz. What an unconscious rebuke to all of us who confess to be followers of Christ! Why is spiritual power still undeveloped after nineteen hundred years of Christianity? The answer is couched in Psalm 78, verse 41:

”Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”

They --- the people --- God’s covenant people --- limited Him. The entire Psalm reviews Israel’s mountain peak experiences for the very purpose of showing the many times and ways they limited the operation of God’s power and thwarted the consummation of His great plans for their future. The Psalmist reminds us:

”He [the Lord] established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.” (Ps. 78:5-8.)

Furthermore, the writer declared that the children of Ephraim had been defeated in the day of battle because:

”They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law; and forgat His works, and His wonders that He had shewed them.” (Ps. 78:10-11.)

When the covenant was confirmed at Mount Sinai, the people vowed, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” The Psalmist testifies that even though God, being full of compassion, had marvelously kept His part of the contract, Israel was notoriously faithless except for brief periods of repentance after severe chastisement:

”When He slew them, then they sought Him and they returned and inquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant….Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Ps. 78:34-41.)

It is obvious from a study of Psalm 78, and many other chapters, that obedience to God unlocks floodgates and releases His power through men; conversely, disobedience limits the power of God to energize, enlighten and bless mankind according to His expressed desire and purpose. We can find little to condone the failures of Israel in the distant past; and, if that be true, surely there is even less excuse for limiting God in these latter days when He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and manifested His power through the Holy Spirit.

Human limitation of Divine power began in the early morning hours of recorded history. Limiting God was a cardinal sin in the earth long before the Israelites provoked and grieved Yahoveh in the Wilderness. It began in Eden, when our first parents dared to oppose the Divine Will, thereby frustrating the advancement of the original perfect order which its Creator had pronounced good. In so doing they shut off the glory of God’s illimitable power and consigned their posterity to “shallows and miseries.” We suffer the consequences to this day. On the other hand, the bow in the cloud has illumined the sky with prismatic beauty since the time of Noah, as a reminder of one man’s complete obedience to the holy purpose of God.

As individuals we continue to limit God. Notwithstanding all the compassionate efforts of Father, Son and Holy Spirit to show us the way, we have not recaptured the knowledge of utilizing the Father’s boundless resources. We accept the idea that “with God all things are possible,” forgetting that He permits us to limit Him by the exercise of our free wills. Each of us can shut out the Spirit of power from his own life, much as the engineer can control the volume of energy which flows from the mountain lake.

Doubtless, unbelief and disobedience are the most common obstacles to the development of spiritual power today, as in the time when the poet wrote Psalm 78 --- so little has the heart of man changed during the intervening centuries. Disobedience is usually the result of unbelief, since one rarely disobeys with willful intent until he first comes to doubt God’s Word. “All things are possible,” said Jesus, “to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). What man has sounded the depth of that statement? Who is strong enough in faith and courage to test it fully? Jesus Himself is the only one who never limited God, yet He said to His disciples:

”He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.” (John 14:12.)

There is one truth in the New Testament which is emphasized by all its inspired writers, and that is no man can appropriate spiritual life and power save through his acceptance of Jesus Christ as the resurrected Son of God. Again Jesus declared:

”Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.” (Acts 1:8.)

Now upon whom does the Holy Spirit come? We know that He comes only upon disciples who have first confessed their faith in Christ as the Son of God. When Christ becomes the author and finisher of a man’s faith, he is then ready to receive power from on High --- power to become --- and power to overcome:

”As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.” (John 1:12.)

“This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (I John 5:4-5.)

What amazing forces any humble man, woman or child can release from the throne of God by simply believing and doing all that the Bible teaches!

We are prone to reject spiritual forces because we cannot see and understand them. How inconsistent! One does not refuse to turn on his radio, although he can neither see nor explain the power which makes it work; one does not turn a deaf ear to the music of a great organ, even though he cannot see the wind and understand the electric energy which drives it so harmoniously through the pipes.

Someone has related a little story that illustrates the point. A tourist in Arizona accidentally backed his car off a bank into a deep hole. As there was nothing else to be done, he walked to the nearest garage for help. The place was close to a railroad track and, while the traveler was away, a work train came along with a big lifting crane. The train stopped and the crew let down the crane, picked up the automobile, lifted it out of the hole and set it in the road. Then the train went on its way. What was utterly impossible for one man was just a little amusement for the trainmen with their mighty steel lifter and giant locomotive. Soon the tourist returned and to his astonishment found his car in the road, ready to be driven off. He looked all around but could not imagine how it got there. He could see no signs of human hands, nor tracks of human feet anywhere; it looked miraculous, very mysterious to say the least. However, he accepted the miracle, got in his car and drove away rejoicing.

If we could fathom the tremendous forces which the Almighty commands, we would see that what we call miracles are but the operation of natural laws unrevealed to the mind of man. When we refuse to appropriate spiritual power because we cannot comprehend its laws, we are as foolish as the tourist would have been had he refused to ride in his car until he understood just how it got out of the ditch.

A God of love desires to bear the burdens of His people. He invites us to cast our cares upon Him. But we can’t turn them loose. We trudge through life weighted with all the imaginary woes of the past, present and future. We trust God to about the same extent as a well-meaning woman in the Texas Panhandle who, when asked if all varieties of crops had ever failed in the same year replied: “No --- but we are always expecting them to.”

As individuals we limit the desire of God to answer our prayers and bless us according to His gracious promises. Jesus taught:

I am the door: by Me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9.)

That is, he shall have access to the Lord’s abundant store house:

”Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened….What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them….Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My Name, I will do it.” (Matt. 7:7-8; Mark 11:24; John 14:13-14.)

Who can measure the scope of those munificent words? Who really dares to try them?

Blind Bartimaeus sat begging on the highway between Jericho and Jerusalem. Jesus passed that way and said to him:

”What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” (Mark 10:51a.)

Prompted by faith, newly born but undaunted, the blind man replied:

”Lord, that I might receive my sight.” (Mark 10:51b.)]/b]

If the average Christian of today stood before Jesus with the same affliction and opportunity as Bartimaeus, it is highly probable that the nearest he could come to the blind beggar’s faith would be to ask the Lord for a Seeing Eye dog. However, we honor God most by asking for the seemingly impossible things, especially if the motive is to exalt Him rather than to gratify our own selfish ends. James explains in his letter why we do not have the things we desire:

”Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume upon your lusts [spend it in your pleasures].” (James 4:2-3.)

Jesus could well say to us, as He said to the people of ancient Judea:

”O faithless and perverse generation.” (Matt. 17:17.)

As a nation we are limiting God. Even now we are shutting off the only power that can bring us the national blessings for which we sigh. After all, the nation is merely the individual multiplied, or “writ large,” as someone has said. What we are individually determines what our nation is to be. Just as God has promised to bear the burdens of the individual, so He has pledged to strengthen and uphold the nation that trusts in Him. Through the prophet God is speaking now to the nations of modern Israel:

”Hearken unto Me, O Jacob and Israel, My called; I am He; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundations of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear….Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” (Isa. 48:12-18.)

In these perilous days of war, countless hearts are in anguish because peace has fled from the earth. Is there no balm in Gilead? no remedy for our besetting sin? no way to enlist the power of God in behalf of Christian people? Yes, there is a remedy --- a way out. It was given to one of Israel’s great kings.

”The Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to Myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people; 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.” (II Chron. 7:12-14.)

Are the people of America ready and willing to meet these conditions? or will some future poet lament our departed glory in the words of the Psalmist --- “They limited the Holy One of Israel” (Ps. 78:41).

When the French went to the Isthmus of Panama to dig a canal, they took doctors, nurses and medicines, but fever took the doctors and nurses along with the workmen, so the French soon gave up the task. When Americans went to Panama, under the leadership of General Goethals, they too took doctors, nurses, and medicines; but they took also dredges for draining the swamps. By stopping the breeding of germ-carrying insects, the enemies of man were overcome and the canal was dug. In appreciation of his great achievement, someone has paid this tribute to General Goethals:

“A man went down to Panama
Where many a man had died,
To slit the sliding mountains
And lift the eternal tide;
A man stood up in Panama
And the mountains stood aside.”

When the redeemed of the Lord stand up in Israel and tap the secret springs of power from on High, then the fullness of God will flow into the nations with more happiness, beauty and progress than this old earth has ever known. Here, indeed is the field where miracles are going to occur, as the scientist predicted.
Articles from Biblical Treasures (Volume I) – C. R. Dickey

INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.

America Won't Back Down

2009-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

Rainbow Sparkle Snow in Colorado

2009-11-16T08:53:00.001-08:00

Rainbow Sparkle Snow in Colorado
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

November snow on the high prairie pasture

Arizona Crater from the window seat

2009-11-05T20:16:00.001-08:00

Arizona Crater from the window seat
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I caught this crater just before it went under the wing of the plane. Pretty cool from that vantage point.

X Marks the Spot

2009-11-04T01:24:00.001-08:00

X Marks the Spot
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Going out to feed and there was the giant X in the sky. Had to take a picture, so I did.

Our almost 3 feet of snow in the almost never snowy October are starting to really melt in our warm 60 degree days now. Good moisture for next year in the pasture.

Goodly Heritage

2009-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Articles from Biblical Treasures (Volume I) – C. R. Dickey

A GOODLY HERITAGE

It has been well said that the founding of the United States of America was like “the divine imposition of hands.” Citizens of this great Republic can truly say with Israel’s renowned poet-king: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Ps. 16:6).

We are so accustomed to the bounty and blessings of our land that we do not realize what a glorious heritage we have, and how it stands out in contrast to all other nations. When our servicemen return from the far corners of the earth, they refer to their homecoming as “getting back to God’s country.” And so it is, for our heritage springs directly from the hand of God.

Speaking through Samuel the Prophet, God said:

“Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more.” (IISam. 7:10.)

The Israelites were already in Palestine when the prophecy was spoken and later were removed from that land; therefore, this appointed place was to be outside the bounds of the Holy Land, in regions then unknown, from which they would never be driven by their enemies. History and tradition lead us to believe that this planting was made in the Western European countries; in the Ephraim-Britain Commonwealth nations; and in the United States, the Manasseh branch of Joseph which settled in the “desolate heritages” of the New World.

Some two hundred years before the discovery of America, God was sifting the continent of Europe and selecting the stock with which to found our REPUBLIC, a New Order in the west. Concerning this phase of history, the late Dr. James S. McGaw said in one of his lectures:

“Martyr fires lighted the heavens, thousands marched to the dungeon and to death, but at God’s appointed moment Puritan, Huguenot, Hollander, Covenantor and Cavalier stood aboard their ships, God’s chosen people for the establishment of the great civil ideal. Like ancient Israel, He carried them across the sea, gave them the land and presided over their establishment as a nation.

“It was more than man who inspired the makers of the American Republic to imbed in the metal of the great Seal of the United States an ensign to the whole world --- THE NEW ORDER OF THE AGES. That statement was not placed in that most fundamental document, the Great Seal, merely for the embellishment of a beautiful design; nor as an oratorical flourish, but as the expression of the spirit, the genius and the prophetic destiny of the nation. It is our confident belief that God placed that statement there as the status of the nation, both for the time that then was, and for the time that now is, breaking upon the world.”

Two profound principles guided the founding of our constitutional government. The first is written into the Preamble to the Constitution: “We the People of the United States…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The second principle is a corollary of the governed.” These two principles embodied in the government of a nation “turned the tide of human history and lifted up on the earth a beacon light of civil liberty that became the ideal and the hope of all enslaved lands.”

Commenting on the significance of these two basic principles some years ago, before the issues were as clearly drawn as they are today, Dr. McGaw said:

“And, if you will receive it, upon those two statements the tide of the world history is now turning. The fact is, they will constitute the main issue in the closing phase of the great war that began in 1914. Perhaps not even the profoundest students of the Israel truth have noted that the real human issue in the coming conflict with GOG, of Ezekiel’s 38th and 38th chapters, will be between two great powers claiming the same ideals of blessing to mankind --- the government of the people, established on American soil, and the Satanic counterfeit, established in Russia.”

Ours is a heritage of great material abundance. Continued and full abundance, however, is conditional; it depends upon cooperation with the Divine will. God promises material blessings to His people as a whole so long as they obey His instructions.”

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.” (Lev. 26:3-5.)

Addressing all Israel, Joshua stated the law of material abundance as follows:

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8.)

Prosperity depends also on personal effort and thrift. The wife of a certain Indian chieftain, who had fallen upon idle habits, one day lifted the dish-cover at dinner and revealed a pair of spurs --- a sign that he must ride and hunt for his next meal. Instinctively the Indian woman knew that man has no right to eat unless he works. This basic principle is ignored today in the profligate give-away programs of inept government planners. Nevertheless, it is written in the Scriptures:

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat….Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger….The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” (Prov. 13:4; 19:15; 20:4.)

“He that hath a trade hath an estate, and he that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honour; but then the trade must be worked at and the calling followed. If we are industrious, we shall never starve, for at the working man’s house hunger looks in but dares not enter. Nor will the bailiff or the constable enter, for the industry pays debts while despair increaseth them.”

It was Thomas Jefferson who said:

“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, the people will be happy.”

Little did he think that by 1954 “liberal” politicians posing as Jeffersonian Democrats, aided by like minded Republicans, would have thrifty American citizens working about three months of each year for the government in order to reward irresponsibles at home and abroad for not working.

Spiritual blessings likewise are the fruits of faith in God and obedience to His commands. More than everything else, citizens of this country need to realize the influence of the Christian faith in the development of national character and strength. Truly we have a goodly heritage of spiritual abundance. Nothing exemplifies more effectively the spiritual quality of our nation’s birth than the following prayer uttered by George Washington:

“Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will.
“Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners.
“Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way.
“Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought out of many kindreds and tongues.
“Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be peace and justice at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.
“In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail.
“All of which we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Every American worthy of his citizenship ought to make that remarkable prayer his own day after day. It begins with an acknowledgment that our good land is a heritage from the hand of Almighty God; and with a plea that we may prove ourselves worthy of it by joyfully doing His will. The next petition is that our land be blessed “with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners.” A volume could be written on America’s present need for these virtues. For to be slack in regard to any one or all of them leads to the evils of the following sentence ---“violence, discord, confusion, pride and arrogancy.”

Sound learning has its origin in the Word of God. Scriptural teachings and faith in Jesus Christ became the cornerstone of our national ideals, laws, and institutions. The Bible was a textbook in early American schools. Its influence was reflected in civil and religious liberty, such as had not been known since the days when Israel lived under the laws of God as administered by Moses and King David. The little schools and churches which nestled in scattered villages were mighty factors in molding the manners and morals of the Republic.

We may well heed today a General Order which was issued by General George Washington in New York, July 1776. It reads:

“The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known in an American army, is growing into fashion. He hopes the officers will, by example, as well as influence, endeavor to check it, and that both they and the men will reflect, that we can have little hope of the blessings of Heaven on our arms, if we insult it by our impiety and folly. Added to this, it is a vice so mean and low, without any temptation, that every man of sense and character detests and despises it.”

In all humility, the revered father of our country admitted in his prayer that only the Lord God Himself can “defend our liberties” and give the spirit of wisdom to those in authority. Note that he says, “those to whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government.” What a noble concept of public service as a sacred trust, a responsibility under God! As Washington conceived it, government officials have a two fold obligation: “That there may be peace and justice at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.”

Here is a recognition of the real function and limitations of federal government. The jurisdiction of government officials ends with securing “peace and justice at home.” It is their place to see that the business and social relations of the people proceed in an atmosphere of tranquility and justice. They have no right to regulate business and set the standards for society according to their own pattern without regard to the will of the people. An illustration of the absurdities which grow out of bureaucratic orders was highlighted by the Houston Post in September 1953:

“The Gettysburg Address contained 266 words.

“The Ten Commandments contained 297 words.

“The Declaration of Independence contained 300 words.

“An OPS order to Reduce the Price of Cabbage contained 26, 911 words.”

Let it be said again that, in the mind of George Washington, the jurisdiction of our government officials ends “at home.” It is not the prerogative of those vested with authority in the government of the United States to meddle in the affairs of other countries. The first President of the Republic was unalterably opposed to what he called “entangling alliances” with other nations. It is permissible to give friendly guidance from the home base when requested to do so; but it is intolerable presumption to move in on other nations and take over their internal affairs, as our State Department did in China, when it forced the Nationalist government to surrender to the Communists. Only time can reveal the disaster that is yet to come upon America, and Christian people everywhere, because our great nation is now trapped and involved in dangerous situations all over the world.

Actually Christian nations have one main duty to perform in the service of other countries. Washington saw it clearly when he said in his prayer, “and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.” That is scriptural. It has been Israel’s mission from her beginning. Our part --- and is a responsibility resting upon both Church and State --- is to so demonstrate the benefits of government under the Divine Law and Spirit of Christ so that the peoples of other lands, seeing our good works and blessings, will be persuaded to seek the Lord in righteousness and join us in praising His Holy Name:

“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (IIPet. 1:11.)

“In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail. All of which we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Thus the prayer ends in the name of the Lord Jesus. It is an authentic Christian prayer. Since the inauguration of the New Covenant, there has been only one way for a prayer to reach God, and that is through Jesus Christ, the Mediator. Nevertheless, at the present time, out of deference to unbelievers, and particularly to non-Christians, most prayers spoken on public occasions omit the Name that is above every name. Such prayers are futile words. God is not impressed by petitions that deliberately ignore the blessed Son and Saviour.

In Barnes’ history we find this statement:

“Who can tell how much of the subsequent brilliant success of the American armies was in answer to prayers of the American General at Valley Forge? To the latest times it will and should be a subject of the deepest interest that the independence of our country was laid, not only in valor and patriotism and wisdom, but in prayer. The example of Washington will rebuke the warrior or the statesman who never supplicates the blessing of God on his country. It will be encouragement for him who prays for its welfare and its deliverance from danger.”

Bishop James E. Freeman said of the fathers who built the Republic:

“They trusted in something more than statesmanship, something more than strength of arms, something more than the genius and cunning of the trader; they believed that only as the nation served with fidelity the God in whom they trusted, and maintained those virtues that guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, would it continue stable and secure.”

These men had a deep reverence for holy things and recognized the fact that all virtue and security resides in obedience to God’s laws. Bishop Freeman adds:

“This [recognition] is wrought into every state paper and characterizes every action of this noble band. The gulf that divides us from this generation of heroic men may seem wide and deep, but adherence to the high ideals and purposes that marked their conduct and devotion to the state is our surest warrant of security, peace, and continuing power. The recognition of the immutable laws of God, unfailing allegiance to those fundamental principles of life given to mankind by Jesus Christ, these we may not ignore or neglect, except to our peril.

“Nothing alien to our traditions may assume to govern or control us in our course or determine for us our relation to problems at home or abroad. This is no affirmation of a policy that is insular in its designs and aims, it is adherence to those institutions, ideals, and purposes that are inherent in our system and peculiar to our conception of government. At such a time as this the guiding hand and pervading spirit of Washington are sorely needed in our life. No new and fantastic conceits born of a passion for change must stay our ship of state of deflect it from its chosen destiny….We repeat, with increased emphasis --- no unhallowed or alien hands shall deflect us from our course.”

In these days of cynicism, materialism and radicalism, it is considered a mark of distinction to belittle love of God and native land. “Beware of the man who scoffs at his own country. Beware of the man who jeers at patriotism.” It was love of God and country that sent Washington forth as a pioneer and patriot. This devotion elevated him to the Presidency and made him “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countryman.”

In a sermon preached on the 200th Anniversary of Washington’s birth, Dr. William Carter said:

“His was a national patriotism. Others, today, boast of their Internationalism. They are the kind of Internationalists who seem to think their own country always wrong and other countries always right. He rejoiced in the progress of other nations along righteous lines, knowing that all such progress led to the success of other nations but, as a patriot should, he loved his own country best….It is such patriotism as this that needs a new birth today!”

Happy is the man who can say with a thankful heart --- I am a citizen of the United States of America; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
====================================================
INTRODUCTION

The Staff at Destiny Publishers, having read all the articles written by the late C. R. Dickey (Christina R. Dickey) found in DESTINY Magazines from July 1938 to October 1967, received such a blessing from her writings that we wanted to share the information with all who are seeking God’s wonderful truths. We are hereby publishing all her articles in two volumes, which we believe you will find most inspiring and of genuine interest and value.

Her knowledge of the Scriptures was unbelievable so she must have had a very close association with her Lord, as she certainly became a champion for His cause.

Our late beloved editor, Howard B. Rand, realized her talent as he published many of articles in booklet form.

The reader should take into account the time element when each article was written, which was from the late thirties to the middle sixties. We found her articles to be up to the minute as though she had written them yesterday. Her writings on various subjects are backed up with Scripture verses, as well as with quotes from reliable sources, when making a point. From her writings, the Lord surely made use of her God-given talents.

Although we do not have any knowledge of her background, we do know that she was a Congregational minister. Her sermons given must have been of interest and value to her congregation. We are sure her articles contained in this book will do the same.
===========================================================

Communist Flag to fly at White House 09/20/09

2009-08-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.redcounty.com/white-house-fly-communist-chinese-flag?taxonomy=24

White House to fly Communist Chinese Flag

By Dr. Richard Swier 08/27/09 08:30 AM EDT 2 Comments

According to ChinaDaily.com:
The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday.
Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC.
Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only because of the sound Sino-US relations but also because China is a responsible country.
"Many Americans admire China due to the success of last year’s Beijing Olympics," said Chen.
More than 1,000 people will attend the ceremony and the performances held after it, according to Zhao Luqun, who will direct the performances.
Zhao said the performances will demonstrate the friendship, magnanimous spirit and kindness of modern Chinese people.
Gee, I spent twenty-three years in the U.S. Army fighting the Communists. I faced the Russians in Europe, American soldiers fought the Communist Chinese in Korea, I fought Communist North Vietnam, which was supported by both the U.S.S.R. and Communist China.
Celebrating Americans of Chinese decent if one thing. Celebrating Communism is another. Now our President will hoist the Communist flag over the White House. How fitting and in sync with his political belief system. I can hardly wait for President Obama's May Day parade.

Raccoon mom and four babies

2009-08-03T03:09:00.001-07:00

Raccoon mom and four babies
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I'm just about to finally go to sleep and I hear a ruckus outside. I took this picture through our screen door of a mama raccoon and her four babies rummaging through our crushed cans.

Double Rainbow over a train in the country 070309

2009-07-04T10:42:00.001-07:00

Double Rainbow over a train in the country 070309
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

We had an amazing thunder/hail storm yesterday out here on the eastern plains of Colorado. Then, this beautiful full double rainbow with so many colors. It was amazing.

Full Double Rainbow over a little church

2009-06-24T08:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, was a rough day. But, then this full double rainbow appeared in a light rain. It was beautiful. I had to splice photos together to get the full rainbow. Hopefully, the magnificence of the rainbow comes through, though.

Genesis 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9:9 And I, behold, I establish My convenant with you, and with your seed after you;
9:10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl , of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
9:11 And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."
9:12 And God said, "This is the token of the convenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations;
9:13 I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.
9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud;
9:15 And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
9:17 And God said unto Noah, "This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth."

Dr. Alan Keyes

2009-05-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

This is video from 1996. I regret not getting to know Dr. Alan Keyes sooner. I would most definitely have voted for him. Maybe that's what scares the people who pulled this travesty on him?

Colorado Stormy Sunset May 15, 2009

2009-05-18T19:51:00.001-07:00

Colorado Stormy Sunset 051809
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

A storm is rolling in from the west. Hopefully it will bring some rain to the crops and pastures out here. It sure makes a beautiful sunset!

Yak Fiber!!! aka Quiviut

2009-05-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today I got my cloud of yak fiber in the mail from Bijou Basin Ranch which is very near to our ranch.

This fiber is SO SOFT!!! It's like my hands can not comprehend how soft it is. It's crimpy, too. So, I'm hoping to be able to needlefelt with it. It looks like it will work out just fine.

I hope every fiber lover gets a chance to touch yak fiber rovings or clouds. This is amazing!!!

Martial Law? Oathkeepers say "NOT ON OUR WATCH!"

2009-05-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

Martial Law can't happen unless the men/women of the Military knowingly break their Oath!!! http://tinyurl.com/d2yqyu

Swine Flu Martial Law Bill Clears Massachusetts Senate
http://www.resistnet.com/forum/topics/massachusetts-is-ready-to

Lllama Mist 050109

2009-05-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

Lllama Mist 050109
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Thick mist envelopes the pastures and farm today. This melancholy song suits the day so perfectly. I love John Mayer's music. He just twittered last night that he was smoking crack. I really hope not. I twittered a reply that is a dead end . . . literally. I hope he finds true happiness.

Ahhh. Now I can see you. LOL Hey! You look marvelous!!! What a great looking bunch you are that stop by the ole artist on the farm blog. :)

There are very few pictures of me. I'm trying to overcome it.

"Gracie" Border Collie Portrait Sculpture

2009-04-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

"Gracie" Border Collie Portrait Sculpture
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I created this pet portrait sculpture of "Gracie" the Border Collie with polymer clay, painted, then coated with acrylic.

American Flag in Distress UNDER Mexico Flag ON AMERICAN SOIL

2009-04-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

Montebello High School in California

You will not see this heart-stopping photo on the front page of the NY Times, nor on the lead story of the major news networks.
The protestors at Montebello High School took the American flag off the school's flag pole and hung it upside down while putting up the Mexican flag over it. (*See pictures below*)

I predict this stunt will be the nail in the coffin of any guest-worker/amnesty plan on the table in Washington . The image of the American flag subsumed to another and turned upside down on American soil is already spreading on Internet forums and via e-mail.

Pass this along to every American citizen in your address books and to every representative in the state and federal government.. If you choose to remain uninvolved, do not be amazed when you no longer have a nation to call your own nor anything you have worked for left since it will be 'redistributed' to the activists while you are so peacefully staying out of the 'fray'. Check history, it is full of nations/empires that disappeared when its citizens no longer held their core beliefs and values. One person CAN make a difference.
One plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one........

The battle for our secure borders and immigration laws that actually mean something, however, hasn't even begun.

If this ticks YOU off...PASS IT ON!
IF IT DOESN'T IT SHOULD!

Dragon Cloud close up

2009-04-23T04:14:00.001-07:00

Dragon Cloud close up
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Hey! I DID see a dragon cloud yesterday, too. I uploaded this for ya Ben Mcfuzzylugs.

I cropped out the dragon cloud from the former photo for a close up view.

Dragon Cloud 042209

2009-04-23T04:05:00.001-07:00

Dragon Cloud 042209
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

View looking east from the highest ridge on the eastern plains of Colorado. And a pretty good dragon cloud up there in the sky.

Heart Cloud

2009-04-21T19:25:00.001-07:00

Heart Cloud
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Colorado Sunset 042009

2009-04-21T19:24:00.001-07:00

Colorado Sunset 042009
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Done snowing. :) Highs in the 70's, no more snow, green pasture grass starting to show through. It's beautiful in Colorado!

Moonlight Sonata

2009-04-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

Years ago I found an accomplished Russian woman giving piano lessons. I told her when I first got there (with no piano experience at all) that all I wanted to learn was Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". She was pretty mad at me, but she taught me to play my favorite piano piece. :)

Spaulding, Mikasa, Happy

2009-03-24T10:21:00.001-07:00

Spaulding, Mikasa, Happy
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Well, I was wrong on that last picture. Spaulding was the one higher up. The wind is blowing so hard it blew him down the hill, closer to the new rumpled Mikasa. But, the sun is coming out, snow is melting and the wind will soon die down. Our llama, Happy, is back under that tree.
Apparently, mikasa was in a junk pile, and got tossed out into the pasture.

Spaulding found a friend in the storm

2009-03-24T09:43:00.001-07:00

Spaulding found a friend in the storm
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Well, this grey blustery snow blew in last night and suddenly, this morning, Spaulding is not alone anymore! I haven't walked out to find out if this new one has a name yet. When I do, I'll add it here. Although, from here, I can see this new one has been through a lot. It's kind of rumpled. Good for Spaulding and his new friend! LOL

Sunny Snow

2009-03-10T12:23:00.001-07:00

Sunny Snow
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Yesterday it was warm and sunny. Today it's still sunny, but it snowed earlier this morning. It's bright!
The ravens or crows were having a good time flying up into the branches and shaking them, creating little snow storms of their own. You can see the snow glittering in the sky above me from their antics.

Good advice from my little sister, Lisa.

2009-03-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

My sister, Lisa, gives some good advice on following your heart, here on this pre-recorded blogtv thing. So I thought I'd share. Subscribe to her blogtv.com channel to get updates when she is going live. Then, you can enter a live chat with her and others watching. She's really up front with the fact that she does swear and talk about controversial subjects, so I'm just letting you know, too.

Needlefelting! Portugese Water Dog and What IS needlefelting?

2009-03-05T22:33:00.000-08:00

I am back doing needlefelting after a long creative drought! It IS just like riding a bike, only no bike, with felting needles and a lot of wool.

I've added a listing for a Portugese Water Dog wool sculpture to my new shop. (A partial shop view is on the sidebar of this blog.) It's a great way to keep up with the Obama family, yet there's no upkeep involved with this puppy. No big vet bills, no dog food bills, no potty training. It's fiscally responsible in these times!

What IS needlefelting? Well, originally in the 1800's when machinery was making mass production easier, a machine was invented with thousands of needles that would repeatedly punch into layers of raw, cleaned wool to create felt which is probably the oldest textile in the world. But, this method required no water, only special barbed needles that catch the microscopic crimps in the wool and dense it down into felt.

In the 1980's someone started using just one of these needles and was able to create 3D forms and wool sculptures. This new artistic technique was born! It's extremely new in the art world compared to sculpting or painting in general. But, more and more people are hearing about it and creating unique artistic and functional items with it every day.

I belong to the largest international needlefelting group of artists in the world. Check out all these amazing and diverse creations from the needlefelter team! http://www.flickr.com/groups/etsyneedlefelt/pool/

Unlike paintings and sculptures, these can not be mass produced. Each one starts as loose wool or "rovings" which are the form cleaned wool is in before it is twisted into yarn. Instead of making yarn, needlefelters sculpt the wool by repeatedly stabbing with the felting needles. There are many types of wool that needlefelters use. I like to create the forms with shetland sheep wool. It is coarse and felts quickly for me. Then, I add the coats, manes, tails with the much finer, softer alpaca and llama wools. I've seen quiviut (yak), silk, camel down, and more used for needlefelting, too. I even used cleaned samoyed dog coat that was blown out at shedding time for a paint horse once. It has a lot of crimp and is so incredibly bright white, it was perfect for the project.

It's HIGHLY addictive and I encourage everyone to "Take a Stab At it!" You can find kits nowadays by searching the internet with the terms "needlefelt kit" or "needle felt kit". The kits come with all the wool, the felting needle and instructions you need to get started with this cheap and easy to learn craft.

I'm so excited to have been invited to participate in Fiber Arts Friday Carnival, by Katy, AlpacaFarmGirl. If you would like to share your fiber arts, please read the following instructions, check out this blogpost http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2009/03/fiber-arts-friday-carnival/ and hop on board!

(This is from the above linked blog post) Welcome to Fiber Arts Friday! I am excited about hosting the Fiber Arts Friday Carnival. I can’t wait to look through the works of the many talented fiber artists on the internet. Each week we will feature a Fiber Artist. Let me know if you are interested in being featured in an upcoming Fiber Arts Friday post.

To participate:

Add the permalink to a specific blog post that features something Fiber Art related, not your general blog address.
Link back to Fiber Arts Friday from your post so that your readers can come and see everyone else’s projects!
Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what helps us all connect!
Double-check to make sure your link works and goes to the right page so it doesn’t get deleted.

OBITUARY

2009-03-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

I heard about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and knew I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary
'Common Sense'

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Where's the love? Feeling down?

2009-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7E302B2711049804

Art Available and Help for a Friend

2009-02-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all having a great day today.

After a loooooong creative drought, I have added a few prints and a listing for a custom pet portrait needlefelt wooliture (wool sculpture) to my new shoppe at http://rosethistleartworks.artfire.com/

RoseThistleArtworks

Buy Handmade

I am currently working on several woolitures that I hope to offer for sale in the near future, too. I've never seen any wool sculptures like the one I am working on right now. It took months and months to find the right supplies that I was looking for. Wouldn't you know it? I finally found these elusive supplies at Red Lobster of all places! LOL We went there to celebrate my son's birthday just last week and my artistic drought was ended when these supplies were found! I'm very excited to finish these projects that have been shelved for almost a year, maybe longer.

I have a very dear friend, Sarah, whose family has been struck by unexpected and sudden tragedy. Her husband, Larry, was rear ended in a traffic accident, (by someone charged with DUI), which caused debilitating injuries to his neck, back and broke his hip in addition to totaling the family's "work" truck. We're all so grateful that he is alive! But, he will be having surgeries and healing over the next year at least and will be unable to work. They also lost their work truck. Sarah has been doing the construction work, herself, to support her family, while she ALSO cares for her husband right now. She is also always extremely supportive of everyone around her, even while going through these trials. She offers so much heart in everything she does. She is a gift and an inspiration to me. I'm hoping to be able to give back to her now while she has a financial need.

I am offering all profits from sales in my shoppe to her and her family until they have moved beyond this difficult time. I will try to post updates here on the blog. Larry is recovering from his first surgery on his neck. He is wearing a neck brace 24 hours a day right now. My friend has been changing his bandages daily, too. She even shaved his face yesterday! I know my husband wouldn't let me near his face with a razor. LOL That's some love and bravery on both their parts!

If you find you are able to help this family out with a small or large gift you can donate directly through http://paypal.com/ to shuntmama@aol.com Since this is a long term disability for the breadwinner of the family, all gifts are greatly appreciated, to help this family during this trying time.

You can see the new shoppe by clicking on some of the listings for sale down below or on the mini shoppe in the sidebar of this blog.

RoseThistleArtworks

Buy Handmade

God's Word written in His stars

2009-02-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

I found this site that lists how the constellations and stars were set by God to declare what later became His written Word. http://mysite.verizon.net/resqw9rh/star/id12.html No doubt, these signs have been deliberately and sometimes not deliberately warped by man. But, His Story remains written in the skies above us every night. His Light, His Word comforting us in the dark.

There are two books that really explain how the stars tell the Word of God. One is The Witness of the Stars by EW Bullinger who also wrote the Companion King James Bible notes and appendixes.
The other is The Glory of the Stars written by E Raymond Capt a Biblical archeologist and researcher.

Deer visits Spaulding 022309

2009-02-23T06:35:00.001-08:00

Deer visits Spaulding 022309
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I opened the front door this morning and a sweet herd of deer greeted me. I tried to get some pictures, but the camera did not co-operate. Every picture was fuzzy. This one is the least fuzzy.
I captured this moment between Spaulding and one of the deer.

The Song of Moses - Victory Song

2009-02-21T01:14:00.000-08:00

The Legend of the Flowering Dogwood Tree

2009-02-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/26/2680/JUZUD00Z/gay-bumgarner-wild-daises-with-blooming-pink-dogwood-tree.jpg

Isn't this Photographic Print by Gay Bumgarner GORGEOUS?!!! I love Dogwoods and Daisies and clouds and open meadows. I love Ms. Gay Bumgarner's work. You can buy this print by clicking on it or copying/pasting this link http://www.art.com/products/p13802182-sa-i2759049/gay-bumgarner-wild-daises-with-blooming-pink-dogwood-tree.htm?sorig=cat&sorigid=0&dimvals=0&ui=12242e96b3f74af08746e1145b3dcf83# His gallery there at http://art.com is filled with heart touching, gorgeous Photographic art that he has created.

Have you heard the legend of the Flowering Dogwood? This site http://www.promiseofgod.com/dogwood has a wonderful description.

Legend of The Dogwood Tree Story http://www.promiseofgod.com/dogwood/

Two thousand years ago, few trees in the Middle East were big enough to construct anything. However, one tree was valued above the others for its thick trunk and fine, strong wood.

When the Romans came to rule over Jerusalem, their government used this same timber to build the crosses for executing criminals. A group of workers were assigned to gather wood for the crosses. Before long, every Roman official knew the best wood came from these gatherers of execution wood, so those workers became popular.

One day, the wood gatherers received a special request. An officer of the Roman court came and said, "The King of Jews is to be put to death. Deliver an extra-large cross made from your finest wood." So, a fresh tree was cut from the forest of the trees with thick trunks and fine, strong wood. An extra-tall (and extra-heavy) cross was quickly made and delivered.

Three days after the death of Jesus of Nazereth, the chief wood gatherer got alarming news. "All of our finest trees are withering!" the messenger whispered. The wood gatherer hurried to the forest and saw that it was true.

Several years later, the chief wood gatherer heard that, every spring, many people visited the old forest that had once made his job so easy. Despite his advancing years, he set out to discover why. He saw the remains of forest, now like a salty bottoms, with only a few trees still standing tall, bare, lifeless and rotting.

But what was this? As he drew closer, his feeble eyes could make out the people walking among thousands of beautiful, flowering bushes. Seeing one of his own workers there, the old man said, "No one could ever make a cross out of this twisted wood. Our finest tree has gone to the dogs!" He noticed the beautiful white flowers, each blossom looking as if it had been burned from the touch of a miniature cross.

As told to Ben Baston by his grandmother, Louise Brown.

There Is A Legend

At the time of Crucifixion the dogwood had been the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus nailed upon it, sensed this.

In His gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering Jesus said to the tree:
" Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross--two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember."

The pink dogwood is said to be blushing
for shame because of the cruel purpose
which it served in the Crucifixion.
The weeping dogwood further symbolized the sorrow.
The red dogwood, called the Cherokee, bears
the color to remind us of the blood shed by our Savior.

Logan's Story

2009-02-14T06:56:00.001-08:00

I just got sent this story about Logan and it really impacted me. So, I thought I would share.

Iran prepares people for "messiah miracles"

2009-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53964

Iran prepares people
for 'messiah miracles'
Government broadcasts series on imminent
appearance of apocalyptic Islamic 'Mahdi'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 27, 2007
1:00 am Eastern

© 2009 WorldNetDaily.com

Official Iranian radio has completed broadcasting a lengthy series on the imminent appearance of a messianic figure who will defeat Islam's enemies and impose Islamic Shiite rule over the entire world – even speculating on specific dates the so-called "Mahdi" will be revealed.

English-language transcripts of "The World Toward Illumination" programs can be found on the website of IRIB, a public broadcast arm of Tehran.

"Be joyous my heart, miracles of the Messiah will soon be here," reads a poem used to conclude the first broadcast. "The scent of breaths of the One we know comes from near. Grieve not of sorrow and melancholy, as assured I was … last night that a Savior will come, it's clear."

Contrary to the views of western theoreticians, who usually depict an ambiguous and dark future for mankind, Muslim experts believe human history, despite its many ups and downs, has a very auspicious fate," explained the program. "Muslims believe hopes for the realization of such a happy ending for the world are called 'Awaiting Redemption,' and means waiting for man's problems to be solved by the Savior at the end of time. This awaiting influences many, and inspired them with activity and enthusiasm in confronting darkness and oppression for changing the existing situation. …"

This messianic figure will be a direct descendant of Muhammad, according to the broadcasts.

"In short, when he reappears, peace, justice and security will overcome oppression and deceit and one global government, the most perfect ever, will be established," it said.

The Mahdi will appear suddenly, according to the report, in Mecca. Though no one can know the day, Shiites believe, the report actually suggests possibilities in the Muslim calendar.

The Mahdi will lead a cataclysmic battle against a descendant of Muhammad's archenemy, Abu Sofyan, culminating in the cities of Kufa and Najaf. His enemy, though, is destroyed later in Jerusalem.

"Another beautiful moment of the Savior's appearance is the coming down of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) from heaven," says the report. "Hazrat Mahdi receives him courteously and asks him to lead the prayers. But Jesus says you are more qualified for this than me. We read in the book Tazkarat ol-Olia, 'the Mahdi will come with Jesus son of Mary accompanying him.' This indicates that these two great men are (sic) complement each other. Imam Mahdi will be the leader while Prophet Jesus will act as his lieutenant in the struggle against oppression and establishment of justice in the world. Jesus had himself given the tidings of the coming of God's last messenger and will see Mohammad's ideals materialize in the time of the Mahdi."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appearing at "The World Without Zionism" conference Oct. 26, 2005

As WND reported last month, in a greeting to the world's Christians for the coming new year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he expects both Jesus and the Mahdi, to return and "wipe away oppression."

"I wish all the Christians a very happy new year and I wish to ask them a question as well," said Ahmadinejad, according to an Iranian Student News Agency report cited by YnetNews.com

"My one question from the Christians is: What would Jesus do if he were present in the world today? What would he do before some of the oppressive powers of the world who are in fact residing in Christian countries? Which powers would he revive and which of them would he destroy?" asked the Iranian leader.

"If Jesus were present today, who would be facing him and who would be following him?"

Ahmadinejad's mystical pre-occupation with the coming of the Mahdi is raising concerns that a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic could trigger the kind of global conflagration he envisions will set the stage for the end of the world.

In a videotaped meeting with Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli in Tehran, Ahmadinejad discussed candidly a strange, paranormal experience he had while addressing the United Nations in New York last September.

He recounts how he found himself bathed in light throughout the speech. But this wasn't the light directed at the podium by the U.N. and television cameras. It was, he said, a light from heaven.

According to a transcript of his comments, obtained and translated by Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, Ahmadinejad wasn't the only one who noticed the unearthly light. One of his aides brought it to his attention.

The Iranian president recalled being told about it by one of his delegation: "When you began with the words 'in the name of Allah,' I saw a light coming, surrounding you and protecting you to the end."

Ahmadinejad agreed that he sensed the same thing.

"On the last day when I was speaking, one of our group told me that when I started to say 'Bismillah Muhammad,' he saw a green light come from around me, and I was placed inside this aura," he says. "I felt it myself. I felt that the atmosphere suddenly changed, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, all the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't move an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating. They were looking as if a hand was holding them there, and had just opened their eyes – Alhamdulillah!"

Ahmadinejad's "vision" at the U.N. is strangely reminiscent and alarmingly similar to statements he has made about his personal role in ushering in the return of the Shiite Muslim messiah.

He sees his main mission, as he recounted in a Nov. 16 speech in Tehran, as to "pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance."

According to Shiites, the 12th imam disappeared as a child in the year 941. When he returns, they believe, he will reign on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.

Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the West.

All Iran is buzzing about the Mahdi, the 12th imam and the role Iran and Ahmadinejad are playing in his anticipated return. There's a new messiah hotline. There are news agencies especially devoted to the latest developments.

"People are anxious to know when and how will He rise; what they must do to receive this worldwide salvation," says Ali Lari, a cleric at the Bright Future Institute in Iran's religious center of Qom. "The timing is not clear, but the conditions are more specific," he adds. "There is a saying: 'When the students are ready, the teacher will come."

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God foretold us all things in His Word for those who take the time to study ALL of His Word with understanding. God foretold in Daniel 11:20 and 11:21 that a raiser of taxes would come and then a vile one. There will be a one world government system and many will cry peace, peace, peace, but there will be no peace until the TRUE Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ returns. The vile one will stand in the place of God and claim that he IS God. THEN AFTER the abomination of desolation stands in the Holy Place where he ought not, and he has killed the two witnesses whose bodies lay in the streets for 3.5 days, Jesus will come, everyone will be changed into spiritual bodies and EVERY knee will bow. If you can pinch yourself and it hurts, then whoever claims to be Jesus is NOT Jesus. If there are people who refuse to bow a knee, then he is NOT Jesus. This world is so hungry for God and He left His Word and His Holy Spirit here to comfort us. Amos 8:11 "Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord" Just because someone calls himself god does not make him god. God told us what to watch for in order to prepare us. He will never leave us nor forsake us if we love Him and don't foresake Him. In order to know God, you must read His letter for yourself and make your own mind up. Don't listen to what this person or any other person tells you He said. Check it out for yourself, do your own studying in the original languages or use a Strong's Concordance to take words back to their original meanings. No one will be standing in front of God with you. Use the tools He gave us and stay out of deception and in His truth.

Full Moon Rising 020909

2009-02-09T17:58:00.001-08:00

Full Moon Rising 020909
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I caught this giant full moon rising as I went out to feed the horses this evening. It looked much better in person. I hope someday to improve my camera and skills to really capture the beauty that is all around.

Chrome Moose in Franktown, Colorado

2009-01-29T16:14:00.001-08:00

Chrome Moose in Franktown, Colorado
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

This larger than life chrome moose sculpture is right in the heart of Franktown, Colorado. He's pretty big. I think larger than life, but I've never seen a moose in real life.

Frozen Spring 012509

2009-01-27T20:42:00.001-08:00

Frozen Spring 012509
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Our dogs slid all over our frozen spring. They couldn't get enough of it!

Small Wooden People by Max Lucado

2009-01-18T22:11:00.001-08:00

This allegory really touched me. I thought I would share the freedom it offers.

Small Wooden People
by Max Lucado

The Wemmicks were small wooden people. Each of the wooden people was carved by a woodworker named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village. Every Wemmick was different. Some had big noses, others had large eyes. Some were tall and others were short. Some wore hats, others wore coats. But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the village.

And all day, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing: They gave each other stickers. Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers. Up and down the streets all over the city, people could be seen sticking stars or dots on one another.

The pretty ones, those with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars. But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the Wemmicks gave dots. The talented ones got stars, too. Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still others knew big words or could sing very pretty songs. Everyone gave them stars.

Some Wemmicks had stars all over them! Every time they got a star it made them feel so good that they did something else and got another star. Others, though, could do little. They got dots.

Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, it would scar his wood, so the people would give him more dots. He would try to explain why he fell and say something silly, and the Wemmicks would give him more dots.

After a while he had so many dots that he didn’t want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb such as forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give him another dot. In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people would come up and give him one without reason.

“He deserves lots of dots,” the wooden people would agree with one another.

“He’s not a good wooden person.”

After a while Punchinello believed them. “I’m not a good wemmick,” he would say. The few times he went outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who had a lot of dots. He felt better around them.

One day he met a Wemmick who was unlike any he’d ever met. She had no dots or stars. She was just wooden. Her name was Lulia.

It wasn’t that people didn’t try to give her stickers; it’s just that the stickers didn’t stick. Some admired Lulia for having no dots, so they would run up and give her a star. But it would fall off. Some would look down on her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot. But it wouldn’t stay either.

“That’s the way I want to be,” thought Punchinello. “I don’t want anyone’s marks.” So he asked the stickerless Wemmick how she did it.

“It’s easy,” Lulia replied. “every day I go see Eli.”

“Eli?”

“Yes, Eli. The woodcarver. I sit in the workshop with him.”

“Why?”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself? Go up the hill. He’s there. ”

And with that the Wemmick with no marks turned and skipped away.

“But he won’t want to see me!” Punchinello cried out.

Lulia didn’t hear. So Punchinello went home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they scurried around giving each other stars and dots.

“It’s not right,” he muttered to himself. And he resolved to go see Eli.

He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop. His wooden eyes widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on his tiptoes to see the top of the workbench. A hammer was as long as his arm. Punchinello swallowed hard.

“I’m not staying here!” and he turned to leave. Then he heard his name.

“Punchinello?” The voice was deep and strong.

Punchinello stopped.

“Punchinello! How good to see you. Come and let me have a look at you.”

Punchinello turned slowly and looked at the large bearded craftsman.

“You know my name?” the little Wemmick asked.

“Of course I do. I made you.”

Eli stooped down and picked him up and set him on the bench. “Hmm, ” he spoke thoughtfully as he inspected the gray circles. “Looks like you’ve been given some bad marks.”

“I didn’t mean to, Eli. I really tried hard.”

“Oh, you don’t have to defend yourself to me. I don’t care what the other Wemmicks think.”

“You don’t?”

“No, and you shouldn’t either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They’re Wemmicks just like you. What they think doesn’t matter, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special.”

Punchinello laughed. “Me, special? Why? I can’t walk fast. I can’t jump. My paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you?”

Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those small wooden shoulders, and spoke very slowly. “Because you’re mine. That’s why you matter to me.”

Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this—much less his maker. He didn’t know what to say.

“Every day I’ve been hoping you’d come,” Eli explained.

“I came because I met someone who had no marks.”

“I know. She told me about you.”

“Why don’t the stickers stay on her?”

“Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them.”

“What?”

“The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about the stickers.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“You will, but it will take time. You’ve got a lot of marks. For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care.”

Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground.

“Remember,” Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door. “You are special because I made you. And I don’t make mistakes.”

Punchinello didn’t stop, but in his heart he thought, “I think he really means it.”

And when he did, a dot fell to the ground.

"Jesus of Nazareth"

2009-01-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

In 1977 when this movie came on tv and played over several nights, God's Word being played out like this saved my life. God's Word, Jesus, the Living Word, continues to save my life. YHVH bless everyone who loves Yahshua and spread's God's Word which saves alive the lost.

The scripture Jesus was teaching, even while He was nailed to the cross was Psalm 22 which was written a thousand years approximately before Jesus' birth, yet describes the events that were happening RIGHT THEN as He was on the cross.
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Eli, Eli, lama schabathani)
Why art Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not;

3 But Thou art holy.
O Thou That inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in Thee:
They trusted and Thou didst deliver them.

5 They cried unto Thee, and were delievered:
They trusted in Thee, and were not confounded.

6 But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised of the People.

7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn:
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 "He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him:
Let Him deliver him, seeing He delighted in him."

9 But Thou art he That took me out of the womb:
Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

10 I was cast upon Thee from the womb:
Thou art my God from my mother's belly,

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me:
Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13 They gaped upon me with their mouths,
As a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd;
And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
And Thou hast brought me into the dust of death

16 For dogs have compassed me;
The assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
They pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I may tell all my bones;
They look and stare upon me,

18 They part my garments amng them,
And cast lots upon my vesture.

19 But be not Thou far from me, O Lord:
O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword;
My darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion's mouth:
For Thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22 I will declare Thy Name unto my brethren;
In the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.

23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him;
All ye the seed of Jaco, glorify Him;
And fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24 For He hath not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
Neither hath He hid His face from him;
But when he cried unto Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of Thee in the great
congregation;
I will pay my vows before them that fear Him.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied:
They shall praise the Lord that seek Him:

27 All the ends of the world shall remem-
ber and turn unto the Lord:
And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord's:
And He is the Governor among the nations

29 All they that be fat upon earth shall
eat and worship:
All they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him:

30 A seed shall serve Him:
It shall be accounted to the Lord for
a generation.

31 They shall come and shall declare His
righteousness unto a People that shall
be born,
That He hath done this.

Sketch from Diabetes Class 01/13/09

2009-01-14T06:28:00.001-08:00

Sketch from Diabetes Class 01/13/09
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Somehow, I just am able to listen better in classes when I draw. (It looks like a picture portrait. LOL) This is what came out of my head while sitting in a diabetes class for my husband. Aaaannnd carrots are a "free" food, and Skinny Cow makes fudgesicles that are okay, too!

Freely offered but NOT FREE!!!

2009-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

This is very powerful. I was filled with tears watching. I love God so much for beautiful, innocent, healing, Jesus laying down His life to bless and heal and protect US. Forgiveness is freely offered but it isn't free! He gave a terrible price for it. I hope everyone takes His gift and does not let such a tremendous gift of pure love for us go to waste. His gift is so precious and His love so apparent. God bless you who love Him and take His gift and are forgiven.

It has come to my attention that the first two statements in this video are ever so subtley tweaked so as NOT TO BE GOD'S TRUTH according to God's Word. The first couple statements that "He became sin who knew no sin" and "that we might become His righteousness" are not Biblically accurate.

Here is the stumblingblock for so many:

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When a casual reader reads this it APPEARS that Christ was turned to sin - HOWEVER, one must stop and take every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God regarding this statement:

He hath made: G4160 look hard at this: it means:

G4160
ποιέω
poieō
poy-eh'-o
Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct): - abide, + agree, appoint, X avenge, + band together, be, bear, + bewray, bring (forth), cast out, cause, commit, + content, continue, deal, + without any delay, (would) do (-ing), execute, exercise, fulfil, gain, give, have, hold, X journeying, keep, + lay wait, + lighten the ship, make, X mean, + none of these things move me, observe, ordain, perform, provide, + have purged, purpose, put, + raising up, X secure, shew, X shoot out, spend, take, tarry, + transgress the law, work, yield. Compare G4238.

ok you might think the above is a little confusing - bear with me. go to G4238 and you will see a clearer meaning of the G4160:

G4238
A primary verb; to “practise”, that is, perform repeatedly or habitually (thus differing from G4160, which properly refers to a single act); by implication to execute, accomplish, etc.; specifically to collect (dues), fare (personally): - commit, deeds, do, exact, keep, require, use arts.

ok so what did he specifically collect on the cross by that single selfless act?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

He bore or took the wages of our sin which is death that were meant for us and we owe him our dues or tribute (Love). Always the High Priest even as the lamb.

Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We know our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law on that cross for us. Absolute pure perfect Love not sin took our death sentences or what was due us as wages.

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Emanuel - God With Us

Christ was not sin on the Cross - he was the most perfect love you could ever imagine on that Cross.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
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The TRUE JESUS CHRIST BECOMES Our RIGHTEOUSNESS, ONLY WHEN We ARE IN HIM, WHEN We ARE IN HIS DOCTRINE and IN HIS WAY

St. JOHN 14:6 JESUS SAITH UNTO Him, I AM The WAY, The TRUTH, and The LIFE: NO Man COMETH UNTO The FATHER, BUT BY ME (The TRUE JESUS CHRIST)

ISAIAH 64:6 BUT We ARE ALL AS An UNCLEAN THING, and ALL Our RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE AS FILTHY RAGS; and We ALL DO FADE AS a LEAF; and Our INIQUITIES (SINS, VIOLATIONS Of YHVH'S LAWS and COMMANDMENTS), LIKE The WIND, HAVE TAKEN Us AWAY!

JEREMIAH 23:6 IN HIS DAYS JUDAH SHALL BE SAVED, and ISRAEL SHALL DWELL SAFELY: and THIS IS HIS NAME WHEREBY HE SHALL BE CALLED, The LORD Our RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Love Letter

2009-01-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Some Ink Sketches 01/07/09

2009-01-08T08:08:00.001-08:00

Parrot Woman Drawing 01/07/09
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I just sat down one day last week with my sketchbook and pen and started drawing. This woman with parrot is what came about . . . surprise to me, too. I really don't know what brought this design out of me?? The only thing I can think of is there used to be a restaurant in Scottsdale called Avanti's that had a beautiful woman/parrot design on their doors and matchboxes that I always admired. But, THIS is so not like that!

Uploaded by rosethistleartworks

This one I was watching "Jesus of Nazareth" and thought I could capture Mary. This isn't an actual portrait. I just drew from my imagination. I'm sure that Mary was much more beautiful than my limited talent could muster. The actress who played Mary in that movie is really beautiful. I think she portrayed "Juliet" once, too.

Take My Hand Precious Lord - Elvis Presley

2009-01-03T17:16:00.001-08:00

Yah. I turned on the music today!!!

2009-01-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

That's right. I turned on the music today. So, kick back and rock out with me all day!!! These are all songs that are very special to me, mainly for my love of God and all that He has brought me through in this short time I live in this earth suit.

If you just can't take it . . . then you can go to the very bottom of this page and hit pause on my playlist.

God bless those who want His blessings!

Pedro the Sheep

2008-12-25T21:38:00.001-08:00

Pedro the Sheep
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

He's shy and it's really hard for me to get a picture of him. He was hiding behind a wire fence that I airbrushed out. I forgot one part in the hay on the ground to the left.

I can hardly wait to shear him. Look at all that fluffy wool!!!

Snowy Sunset through the Aspens 12/18/08

2008-12-18T16:48:00.001-08:00

Snowy Sunset through the Aspens 12/18/08
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

No global warming here. :) We've had days and days of below freezing temps and just at sunset tonight, a storm blew through. The sun managed to break open a bit of sky space for it's sunset, though. Saturday's projected high is 5 degrees with a lot more snow.

The Lady of Shalott Tapestry Weaver

2008-12-10T00:54:00.001-08:00

Years ago, when I was just barely 20 or so, I came across a poster print of "The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse 1888. I just loved it and displayed it prominently where-ever I've moved. I still love the melancholy, rich toned painting. I decided to research it a bit recently and found even more reasons to love it, as well as some other paintings by Waterhouse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott_(painting) I was fascinated to find the Arthurian legend this was based on involved a woman weaving a tapesty which is featured in both paintings.

As a young teenager, I devoured books of Arthurian Legends. "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart 1970 and "The Hollow Hills" also by Mary Stewart told from the viewpoint of Myrddin Emrys also known as Merlin. So, I was surprised to find that The Lady of Shalott was inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem of the same name, written in 1832, and based on Arthurian Legends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Shalott

In my study of the Bible, I've also been surprised to find links to Arthur of ancient times, the Knights of the Round Table, and The Quest for the Holy Grail. "Traditions of Glastonbury" is a very interesting video and book on the subject written by E. Raymond Capt a Biblical Archeologist. This work also elaborates on Jesus' "missing years". http://www.geocities.com/regkeith/rkeith5b.htm

If The Stone of Scone, also known as The Coronation Stone and The Stone of Destiny that literally every king and queen of England, Ireland, and Scotland have been coronated over to this present day, and its FULL history is understood, then it is not too difficult to understand how all these topics intertwine in harmony. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_Scone

Could it be that those rings were how the Israelites carried that Stone, or "pillar" of Jacob for 40 years? Could that crack be where Moses struck the Stone, The Rock and precious Life Giving Water flowed out? Is there yet unfulfilled prophesy regarding this Stone?

Eze 21:27
I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come Whose right it is; and I will give it Him.

If you follow the link on The Stone of Scone, you will see that The Stone has been overturned, overturned, and overturned and now resides in Scotland again.

My husband is okay Thank God

2008-12-05T19:04:00.001-08:00

My husband was just in a 3 car accident. Apparently, there was something in the north bound lanes that caused a north bound car to swerve into the south bound lanes and hit the truck that was in front of my husband's car. The first collision caused the formerly northbound car to spin around a couple of times, still heading into the oncoming traffic. They hit my husband's car next despite his slowing and trying to avoid the scene. His car was totaled. Everyone in the first north bound car came out without injury. My husband has bruising and a bloody nose. But, the man who was driving the truck southbound and was hit first, died. He was not wearing a seatbelt. There were two other people in his truck with him that are hospitalized and should be okay according to the police.

The initial terror I felt when my husband called and told me he was in a 3 car accident, was replaced by relief and gratitude to God to hear he had minimal injuries. But, that has been replaced by grief for that poor man and his two passengers and their families. That man was in his own lane when a car just crossed over and hit him. I ask all of you who pray, please pray for this man's family and friends at this time of sudden shock and loss. He is with our Father now, but I can only imagine the grief and shock for those still here as they deal with this unexpected event. Also, please pray for his passengers to be healed and comforted. My heart goes out to them.

Oh, Lord. I just saw the story on the 10:00 news. The first driver that swerved to avoid an object in the dark road is 16. Please keep him and his family also in your prayers. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/06/one-dead-six-hurt-in-head-on-wreck/

Deer in Morning Snow Storm

2008-12-05T10:41:00.001-08:00

Deer in Morning Snow Storm
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I captured these poor deer on film this morning after they had been hiding in our trees for shelter from our snow storm. They look so cold. Check out the antlers on that young buck.

There were at least 20 spread out down the hill to the left. Our llamas are inside that shelter on the right, watching the deer.

Merry Christmas! another card

2008-12-04T21:45:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! another card
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

In Luke chapter one, Jesus' birthday can be determined if the "course of Abia" is understood. The Levitical priests split up their times of duties in the Temple into specific times for each course. The course of Abia was 06/13-06/19 and the weekly Sabbath. More information on the priests' courses can be found here "(note that Abia is also spelled Abijah) biblelight.net/sukkoth.htm

Once the dates of the course of Abia are understood, we can determine the date of conception for John the Baptist. He was six months in the womb the day Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel. (Luke 1:26) She went "with haste" to her Elisabeth where John the Baptist was six months in her womb and leapt at the presence of Jesus in Mary's womb.

So, December 25th we celebrate the day God gave us His only begotten Son. Jesus was conceived and God truly began to dwell with man on earth.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

God is good and God keeps His promises.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

In Luke chapter one, Jesus' birthday can be determined if the "course of Abia" is understood. The Levitical priests split up their times of duties in the Temple into specific times for each course. The course of Abia was 06/13-06/19 and the weekly Sabbath. More information on the priests' courses can be found here "(note that Abia is also spelled Abijah). http://biblelight.net/sukkoth.htm

Once the dates of the course of Abia are understood, we can determine the date of conception for John the Baptist. He was six months in the womb the day Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel. (Luke 1:26) She went "with haste" to her Elisabeth where John the Baptist was six months in her womb and leapt at the presence of Jesus in Mary's womb.

So, December 25th we celebrate the day God gave us His only begotten Son. Jesus was conceived and God truly began to dwell with man on earth.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

God is good and God keeps His promises.

Merry Christmas!

Planned Parenthood covers up sexual abuse

2008-12-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Indiana Planned Parenthood Covers Up Sexual Abuse of 13-year Old - video powered by Metacafe

Handmade Venues Traffic Rankings

2008-12-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

I just found this fantastic list of so many handmade selling sites and their traffic rankings. I had to share. http://shinyadornments.com/wordpress Thank you Kristy! All this work you've done and the information you've shared is fantastic.

Check out http://artfire.com which hasn't even officially opened yet! They have extensive marketing plans and plan on featuring artists, unlike other handmade sites who focus on gathering more and more shops exclusively, which drowns out loyal shops

Venus, Jupiter and the Sliver Moon December 2008

2008-12-02T23:25:00.001-08:00

Venus, Jupiter and the Sliver Moon December 2008
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I played with the color balance and contrast in Photoshop on this photo of Venus, (lower bright star), Jupiter (smaller bright star higher up), and the sliver of a moon taken 12/01/08, handheld digital.

Venus Jupiter and the Moon 12/01/08

2008-12-02T01:57:00.001-08:00

Venus Jupiter and the Moon 12/01/08
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

Right at twilight on this snowy evening, Venus and Jupiter twinkled brightly just under our sliver moon.

The "rapture" is NOT in the Bible

2008-11-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

The "rapture" is NOT Biblical. Read the Bible and KNOW what GOD says will happen, because He has foretold us ALL things. If you are concerned about the end, start studying now. http://www.shepherdschapel.org

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

I did some research on "Squanto" the English speaking Native American Indian who helped bring peace to the original pilgrims. What I found was how much impact one man can have, at the same time, it was a little sad. I know he found rewards in heaven with God for his sacrifices and gifts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto

http://www.workersforjesus.com/f25-14.htm

I hope everyone has a warm and fulfilling Tbanksgiving this year. In America, we are so fortunate to be able to travel, eat so well, have hot and running water. Even some of the poorest among us live like only kings and queens have in other times. I pray that God blesses, guides, protects, heals and prospers all who search Him out and want His blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Elfin around Drawing from the ER

2008-11-23T20:18:00.001-08:00

Elfin around Drawing from the ER
Originally uploaded by rosethistleartworks

I guess it took my husband getting so sick he ended up needing to be taken to the ER to finally get me drawing again. I know. Weird, huh? Well, there was A LOT of time to wait for tests, etc. He's home now with meds, feeling better.

2008 Election VOTING Day 11/04/08 Sun Rise and Clouds

2008-11-04T08:14:00.001-08:00

WOW! God REALLY made an outstanding sun rise for this special VOTING Day. What a start!
For my American friends:Go enjoy the feeling of being able to vote that so many brave soldiers have laid their blood and lives on the line to protect. It's a great feeling to be given this freedom. But, it wasn't free. So, appreciate the gift.

Does anyone else see the horse here? I drew the outline in the next picture. Beautiful!!