Posted in Evangelism, Leadership, Life Inspiration

How to Find Hope in a Today’s Reality

I spend much of my day searching for news in an attempt to grow The Ridgeview News. I also spend a lot of time listening to national news because it’s of great interest to me. But the news that I love more than all is the Good News of Jesus Christ. It stirs my soul, it encourages me and gives me hope. I’m not sure how anyone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as their Savior survives. I remember clearly my days pre salvation. I think it’s important to remember the days of no hope, because the days of hope become that much sweeter.

My question for today is how do we share and enjoy the hope we’re given in the face of reality?

I have friends who do not watch the national news. I’m not so sure they care for my news, and I totally get it. Reality can suck the life out of you. Knowing it can create anxiety, there’s usually no answer on a local level, and little we can do about the national level. So why am I so drawn into it, and feel it’s necessary for my life? Why do I tell other’s about it? Do you want the bad news or the good news first? Being that you’re not in my living room to answer this morning I’ll start with the bad and then we’ll end on a good note.

Everyone Needs a Reality Check

That’s exactly what bad news does. It’s also what drives me to share the truth of my neighborhood, my nation and my Lord. It’s not always an easy decision and doesn’t always make me popular. Usually quite the opposite, I mean… who wants to be around a negative nelly. I try not to be, but reality is considered a negative subject. It’s also a relative subject and less appreciated when it’s about people we have a relationship with. But knowing the truth should be what we desire. But it’s not for most people.

I cannot help but think of the prophet of Lamentation and Woe, Jeremiah. You know people crossed the street to avoid him. He never had anything good to say. And yet, he’s got his own book in the Bible, so obviously God approved of what he had to say.

Jeremiah 1:1-10 KJV
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: [2] To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. [3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. [4] Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. [6] Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. [7] But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. [8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. [9] Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. [10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

From the beginning of Jeremiah’s life (which was before he was born) until the end of his life, God had a plan for him. It causes me to wonder how many aborted babies would God have done an amazing work with if only they were given the chance. I also have to consider how many chances we’ve been ehgiven and failed to use. Jeremiah didn’t ignore reality and he didn’t fail to sound the alarms on the bad news of the day. How else can people be prepared?

Reality has Bad News

The reality of this world is, if you’re not saved you cannot prepare for what’s coming, your mind could not possibly comprehend the evil that will be on the face of the earth when God calls the church home. And if you’re saved, you should know what’s coming and be able to warn your people. But at no point did God say give up. We have job to do until He calls us from this earth and understanding the Prophets who foretold the reality of the future is a very important part of our life’s work.

So lets talk about reality for one paragraph and then I’ll move onto the good news!

There is so much I would like to say, and if I thought you’d read my paragraph for hours perhaps I’d tell it all, but I’ll abbreviate it for now. The majority of the people I talk to do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ (even those who are saved) in which they converse with Him and study His word. They do not discuss the fact that Jesus is going to come back anyone not saved will be in a literal hell on earth. They do not discuss the fact that there are people in our schools, workplaces and even churches that are not serving God’s agenda, but Satans. And by allowing those people to have their say without a response from the children of God is basically saying it’s okay to indoctrinate the people you care about with lies that can send them to Hell. Nobody wanted to hear what Jeremiah had to say, and nobody wants to hear what an outspoken Christian has to say, but it didn’t stop Israel from facing judgement and it won’t stop America either.

Reality has Good News

But you have to embrace the truth of it all. There were people in our community hurt recently because people spoke truth about politicians and it was viewed as contempt. That my friend is a lie of the Devil. He loves it when good people get upset about the truth because for certain they won’t share it, and if anything they degrade it until people don’t listen. Yes politics is ugly. And I long for the day that politics won’t exist. We’ll have one King, Praise God, and there will be no division. But that’s not now. We have people serving a Heavenly King (Jesus) and we have people serving an earthly king (Satan) and even if it’s in positions that don’t seem to matter in the scope of eternity, it does. Because these people are influencing our people. The Good news is that for those of us serving King Jesus, we are given the opportunity to share the truth of Jesus Christ and be honest about the truth of others. If I say “so and so” is a good person and good for a job, and it is know that that person is a scoundrel, why will anyone believe what I say about the Lord? And in the same line of thinking, if I warn you about someone who could do your community harm and it’s proven, will people not take my word when I warn them about the return of Christ? Is there human error on both sides, of course!

James 4:17 KJV
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Living in Reality would Make News!

Jeremiah 52:28-30 KJV
This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty: [29] In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons: [30] In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

Jeremiah’s prophesy came to reality. And so will that of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of us who know Him as Savior, that’s going to be a great day. We need to do more to help people understand that the reality of this world is wicked, but the hope and glory in the Heavenly Kingdom is a reality far beyond what we can imagine here. God put us in this world with purpose, just as He did Jeremiah, let’s live in it!

Start with church on Sunday that is where you’ll find hope for living in today!

Posted in Uncategorized

Things I don’t understand about the world

There are so many things I don’t understand! But it seems that now there is a level of stupidity and evil in leadership that is impossible to comprehend. Both here and abroad, both governmental and citizen. This morning I listened to the news as I do so often, but I heard things that I, who is relatively well versed in societal news, was in shock.

Did you know that children in kindergarten in several schools in the United States are being taught how to have sex with each other. Children so young that when being taught both heterosexual and homosexual acts they must use graphic pictures in their books because the words are too difficult to understand, and they’re being told not to discuss this with their parents because their parents won’t understand. The pictures could not be shown by the news agency because they’re considered pornography, nor could the words even be spoken that were in the children’s text books, but they’re acceptable to be taught in public schools. Did you see the video of the Presidents Press Secretary Jen Saki weeping because of the “bullying” of children. A Florida ban on the ability to teach such things was why she was so upset.

Don’t automatically assume our schools are immune. While I have asked the Superintendent of Calhoun Schools if any of the curriculum I had seen was making it’s way into Calhoun Schools, she assured me it had not. But, that does not prevent any teacher from discussing things that we as parents and grandparents would not accept as proper. Keep a dialog open every day with children.

Did you know, and it was reported (although not by anyone except conservative news outlets) that a box of aborted babies (parts and whole bodies of babies including 5 fully developed babies) was found on the street outside an abortion clinic in Washington D.C. Imagine the horror of opening the box. It was found by a pro-life activist who received a tip who works for the Pregnancy Resource Center in Portland that the box was left outside. She took the box home, not really knowing what to do with it, and then through another series of tips to the police the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Police homicide unit arrived to pick up five late-term aborted babies for forensic examination. Their late gestational ages, as well as their apparent sustained injuries potentially, show violations of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act as well as the Born Alive Infants Protection Act which are federal crimes. Liberal news outlet CNN did report it but not from the victimization of babies, but rather the audacity of the woman who made it known.

How have we gotten to this level of wickedness in our nation that people are no longer shocked by it? And what do we do about it? Most of us don’t have to deal with it. Or do we? Over 1,000 babies are aborted each year in West Virginia. Other states have far more, but still… that’s 2 or 3 babies each day being aborted and 2 or 3 women being traumatized or lied to. What are we as the church doing?

As a young girl in school, I had a friend who had an abortion. I think about that baby often. It would be around 42 years old. It will be wonderful one day to see them in Heaven. But what would they have done if they’d have been allowed to live?

Through abortion and through the the corruption of little minds we are allowing the demons of Hell to take over our land while we sit in the pews. That’s how I feel today. I know in my own mind that I have not done enough to protect my part of the world.

In Proverbs 8:13-16 (KJV) Solomon speaks:

13 The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. 14 Counsel [is] mine, and sound wisdom: I [am] understanding; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth.

Evil. Pride. Arrogance. Certainly sounds like the world to me. And the froward mouth? No body watches what they say any more in front of women and children. Women wanted equality? Well we’ve gotten it. They treat us with as much disrespect as they do each other.

Solomon said the “fear of the Lord” is to “hate evil.” That fear does not come from his judgement and wrath but rather our love for Him and reverence for who He is. A good God. One that has never committed evil or brought any of this upon us. But rather desires, as we do, for His children to avoid the corruption of the mind that comes from being exposed to it. We should have that same hate that God does, to the point when we see our children being exposed to the evils of this world we stop it with all that’s in us.

What about pride? It is a prideful act that any man or woman determines that they have the right to end a life. Listen to God’s words against Satan when He removed him from Heaven:

Isaiah 14:12-15 KJV
[12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! [13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Pride was certainly apart of who Lucifer was. It is said that he was the most beautiful of the angels that God created. And yet, knowing what God had done, Lucifer wanted to be the one making the decisions. Just like man. Whether it’s at the beginning of life, in between or at the end, it is not man’s decision to end a life. But man wants to cloud those decisions by adding thoughts like “They’ll be better off, it’s for the best, we’ve spared them pain.” When we know none of that to be true.

As for Jen Saki and her comments yesterday on Florida’s ban of teaching children about “lifestyles and sexual acts.” At what point would you want your child told about homosexual acts in great detail? Every time I think about stepping away from the youth ministry I think, “No. Who is going to protect the minds of these little people and fill them with God’s words no the worlds?” I’m not applying for sainthood, there are weeks I can barely do it. And I whine to God about it. But someone must! We have to take a stand for our kids. Those born and those unborn.

I don’t understand a lot about the world. But I understand it’s wicked. Even so… some Lord Jesus.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration, Purpose

Let God be True and Social Media a Liar

Today is Friday, August 30th, 2019. Winding down and the summer and heading into fall. Much like I feel about life right now! How did I get here, you know… 57 years after the picture of me graffitiing my Mother’s belly? Time is swift and not for the faint of heart. Beauty is fleeting, it’s a good thing I never felt that I had it. (Not asking for compliments or pity, just being real). It wasn’t something that I put a lot of stock in as a young person.

Now I attempt to beautimitize myself (totally a made up word) as I travel about and I am concerned a little more about the flavor of style when I’m up in front of people. But none of the frilliness of life ever interested me or caused me to want to do make up tutorials and style videos. Those things were not things I was purposed to do.

My immediate family consists of a dozen, myself and husband, two grown daughters with husbands, and six growing grandchildren. Five boys and one girl. The little girl I get… I raised two of them, the five boys! Oh my stars they are so different from girls for obvious and not so obvious reasons. But mostly because God designed their hearts differently from the womb. So when I read a verse like Romans 9:11 it causes me to ponder what God will do with them, and me!

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth;)

It draws me back to one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

For me, that verse answers the abortion debate. Before we were even in the belly, God had a plan for us. So, nobody will ever tell me that a little fella or gal in the beginning stages of formation in the momma’s womb isn’t somebody. They were somebody, before they were a body! Glory!

But back to my point of God’s plan.

While I would love it if my plan for each of my children and grandchildren were God’s plan, I have to look at the very real potential that it’s not. But understanding that their potential is God’s to do with what He will.

Paul was teaching the Romans, and the Jewish people in these passages, that no one can claim to be chosen by God because of his or her heritage or good works. God chooses who He desires to choose to use, and He uses those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Jew or Gentile. God uses them all. He can use anyone lost or saved to accomplish a task, but no one will live up to their potential unless their in Christ.

Three Prayers for my dozen

So that is my first prayer for those that I love and myself. A right relationship with the Lord. It’s the beginning of every good plan.

My second prayer is the will of God for our lives. As I said, “I have many ideas about direction for theses kids.” But if I project my plan onto their life, I may have them headed down a road to destruction. So, I have to leave well enough alone, and boy is that hard! But what I always fail to remember is that it’s hard enough to keep myself in check with God. I’d do well to leave everyone else to Him before I rurally mess things up.

And my final prayer is that our potential is made known so that God can be glorified through us. It’s where I feel parents (myself included) can discourage their children and their selves. Trying to put anyone into a position that God did not ordain for them, really is like putting a square peg in a round hole. It will not work.

Social media is the bomb. Until it explodes in our face. Looking at the seemingly perfect lives of people and their staged photographs will put unrealistic goals into the minds of anyone. Yes, me too! I follow artists, speakers, singers and I love it! But then I hate it. Because I begin comparing myself to their look, style, design and I feel like an unworthy dirt dog.

I need to stop. If you’re doing that, you need to stop.

That crazy baby in the womb, who loves graffiti. That’s me for realsy. I need to love her. And so that’s my prayer for all my peeps. Let God be true, and social media a liar. He determines our destiny. Not the numbers or the masses.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

Beware of Dry Bones

A Nation of Dry Bones

Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14) came to him after God had directed him to prophesy the rebirth of Israel in chapter 36. God was using Ezekiel to restore Israel to her land of blessing. But it didn’t seem humanly possible. Israel was once again in captivity having fallen away from God’s grace through rebellion. In that state it would take a miracle to find hope! Something like dead men’s bones coming back to life.

When God told Ezekiel to tell the bones that God would make breath enter the bones and come to life just as He had created Adam, Ezekiel obeyed. He’d been transported to the valley of dry bones already so no doubt he was in a mind to listen. When that body of bones resurrected with flesh and blood to stand as an army it symbolized the coming together of the Nation of Israel in end times.

As I read commentaries of the Ezekiel’s valley experience, I couldn’t help but see the implications against us. We’re  in captivity and aren’t even aware of it. At least Israel knew.

This morning’s breaking news with regards to New York Governor’s celebration of the abortion bill passing that would allow unborn children up until birth to be aborted made my eyes well with tears and my stomach roll over. It’s murder. Plain and simple and there will come a day of judgment that I wouldn’t want to be in the vicinity of. That smug look of self-righteous indignation on the faces of the “victors” will be removed by God Himself.

These and other acts of rebellion as a nation are dry bones to beware of. We will be held accountable for our votes and our attitudes of remiss when standing against those who support such atrocities.

A Church of Dry Bones

The only thing worse than government leaders being elected who stand for abortion is churches that stand with them or those who take no stand at all.

Edmund Burke said it well when he said that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

How true that is. It’s what’s happening in our churches today when church leadership is refusing to take a stand against what the bible plainly lists as sin for fear of government repercussion or offending their congregations.

I thank God for churches who stand in the gap for these unborn children. They are children, they have names! God that in Jeremiah 1:5 that before we were in the womb He knew us. We have a name and a purpose long before we’re born.

The infants that the governor of New York celebrated their death may have been the doctor who cures cancer, Alzheimer of eradicates drug abuse through some revolutionary tactic, but it will never come to pass because they were murdered. They may have been the preacher that leads your grandchild to Christ, but your grandchild will never cross their path, because they were never born. Drama? No, reality.

A People of Dry Bones

We cannot change our nation and our churches until we’re ready to believe that God can resurrect the dead.

I will not give up on my nation and the churches across this great land because I know a lot of great people who are willing to take a stand for the cause of right. I believe that’s the only reason God hasn’t eradicated us.

But there’s not enough of us willing to make that stand known. Sometimes it’s because we don’t know where to start. Other times it’s because we don’t have enough support in our own troops.

Start by taking a stand on your own. In life, on social media, where ever the opportunity arises. Ask your church to get involved in awareness and then contact every political leader telling them your position and assure them that you’ll make their position known.

When Ezekiel made those bones dance, he did it through the power of God but it no doubt made him shake in his own shoes a little; mainly with excitement that God would revive His people again. He will. And He will revive us if those who say they stand for right do it.

We need to beware of dry bones but we need to be prepared for possibility that they just might come to life and bring this nation back in God’s grace once more!

Whether or not it happens only time will tell. But we will stand before God and answer for our efforts, or lack thereof.

Posted in Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration, Political

A Man and His Concubine (An American tale?)

chick tale

So this morning I sat out to spend some time in the Word of God and settle for myself a scripture that I had heard over the weekend being used out of context. Funny thing about God… my ways are not His ways. In the process of searching out that scripture I found three references, the first of which was not the one for which I sought to understand. That of course was the one God opened my eyes to. The scripture reading for me today was in the book of Judges, Chapters 19-20. I was drawn into a dark, gruesome and horrific story of a man and his concubine.

Judges 19:1-2

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.

That’s quite the story opener is it not? Here’s what caught my eye: Israel has no leadership… wow, doesn’t that sound familiar. You’ll note I’m not asking a question. We all know that we have no leadership. Well… technically poor leadership. By the biblical responsibilities of the tribe for which he belonged this unnamed Levite man of the story should have been a minister of God. But to Shari quote what I’m reading, he’s shacked up with an unscrupulous chick and has to go chasing after her back down to her daddy’s house in Bethlehemjudah where life is just one big party. His father in law convinces him again and again to spend the night in party central until finally after five days he says, ‘I gotta go.’ So he, the dame, and his servant saddle up their donkey’s and hit the highway. The first towns they come to are heathen towns for which the servant suggests they stay. But the Levite informs him that they’re not staying in a town belonging to people who are not Israelites. It must have been their version of Las Vegas. So they passed through those towns and come to their own people in Gibeah, who won’t give them the time of day or a place to stay! So now they’re homeless in the street; when along comes an out of town farmer who has a place to stay there in that city and brings them in for the night.

The story only gets worse.

Sodom and Gommorah rises from the ashes as some men in the city (of their own people) come to the farmer’s house “wanting the men” to join them. The farmer decides to appease them by offering up his own daughter (which they deny) and the Levite’s concubine (whom they accept) and take her and rape her all night, returning her dead in the morning on the farmer’s doorstep. Horror movie in the making. So the Levite returns to his hometown, cuts his dead concubine in pieces and sends the pieces out to his own people in the form of a shock-o-gram intending incite war on the Benjamites who killed her.

Following the Lord’s approval the war ensues, killing twenty-two thousand of their own Israelites the first day, and eighteen thousand the second day; which caused them to question God if this battle was such a good idea.

God said go, so they went and victory was theirs the third time.

When I read this terrible tragedy my first thought  was, “sounds like America.” This could possibly be a State of the Union address illustration if we’d get a President who was saved. Totally judgmental I know… But I’m not taking it back. I’m tired! I’m tired of America whoring after whoever or whatever it is that’s out there in all of their political correctness with total disregard for what we’re marrying into (literally and figuratively). The Iran deal that’s on the table is like climbing in bed with the terrorist and when they slit your throat proclaiming…. “I didn’t see that coming.” Really? Our Washington representatives allowing the President to visit and call the  homes of criminals while making no attempt to comfort the hearts of grieving police families is every bit as appalling as the farmer and the Levite’s willingness to sacrifice their women so that the men would leave them alone. And every bit as stupid as their shock when the woman was returned raped and murdered. So by comforting people who kill cops… cop killers will stop, is that the theory? American powers that be have given our children to be killed in abortions, but we’re shocked that they would cut the babies apart and sell them.

Suddenly the story in Judges isn’t so unfamiliar is it?

And so they incite war within America. They turn it into a racial, gender, rich vs. poor, educated vs. non-educated, etc. etc. until everyone has something against someone. The 40,000 people lost in the battle for justice in Israel were killed by their own people. The average American sees it but sits helpless. What’s the answer?

Here’s a few ideas:

  • Israel didn’t need a King, they had God. So do we!
  • Stop sleeping with the enemy ourselves. As servants of God, why are we marrying the world’s ideas? It doesn’t matter what the world says is right. If God says it’s wrong it is.
  • The enemy that’s doing the most damage is in our own camp. It’s not the people who “aren’t like us,” that we have issues with. They, like us, need God.
  • Stop allowing access to our children (those born and those unborn)
  • We’ve literally had the body parts of an innocent child sent to us.

Today’s blog isn’t meant to incite war, it’s meant to cause you to first examine yourself, and then the world around you.

What state are you in?

  • Spiritually? Do you have a right heart with God?
  • Literally? I’m in West Virginia… where are you?

It’s time to examine both and start cleaning house. Don’t wait until they’ve taken your family and then start the battle. Start protecting what’s yours.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration, Political

Three Reasons I Woke Up Fed Up

CHICK FED

I woke up fed up, but made up my mind not to give up. American politics didn’t change who I am but it did change how I view people. God created me with a heart of compassion, even pre-salvation my tender heart always wanted to right the wrongs of other people. I have no prejudice in me because of the color of a person’s skin, or a lifestyle of sin. Sin is committed by all of us, and it’s not justified by any of us; but forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ upon the acceptance of Him as Savior and the price He alone paid on Calvary. I can’t work for it nor will my compassionate heart gain me any brownie points with God. Compassion is expected.

So why did I wake up fed up this morning?

  1. Because the Lord feeds His people the finest cuts of meat and they spit it out on the ground in exchange for ice cream.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Preachers preach their hearts out expounding the truth in the Word of God, but because it goes against what the “world” deems as acceptable, even the parishioners who are in the house of God on Sunday don’t want to hear it and rally against it as if they have the authority of Almighty God to change what is right and what is wrong. I’m fed up with that non-sense! But I still believe that there’s a few of us left who believe the Bible from cover to cover, who don’t read between the lines or change the lines, we just accept it as truth. And because there are a few of us left I believe God has been merciful to America and would love to show this egotistical lot of Americans who it is that’s in charge and Almighty. But the few of us who are left must be bold.

  1. Because the world views the life of an animal more valuable than the life of a human.

Mark 5:13-15

And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

This is slightly out of context of Mark 5, because I don’t know that the pig keepers cared more about their pigs than they did about the crazy man in the cemetery. But I can say flat footed today that the people of America (as a whole) would care more about the pigs than the crazy man. Don’t get me wrong… I love critters, and believe that they should be pampered and loved on. But if it came down to the life of my dog or the life of my child, it’s not up for debate. My child wins, or anybody else’s child in harm’s way. But Americans will scream bloody murder for the rights of a dog that maimed a person but will say nothing when a child is murdered before it’s allowed to be born and it’s body parts sold by Planned Parenthood. How much longer will God be merciful to us who say nothing?

     3. I’m fed up with those who mock Christianity and attempt to belittle the Lord Jesus Christ.

They can’t honestly belittle the Lord. I mean really… the Creator of all the Universe. How can you talk down to He who looks down upon you from on high and could by His breath speak you out of existence? It’s laughable… if it weren’t so doggone scary! Jesus spoke in Matthew 25-40  saying

Matthew 25:37-40

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

God said, “I saw you feed and care for my people.” Even though the world tries  to belittle what Christian’s do and to stop the ministry of feeding hungry souls the Word of God, we just need to continue on, fed up or not. Just keep feeding people the truth, because God sees, and one day those who mock will mock no more.

Love the unlovable. The crazy man at the tomb may have been a politician.