Monday, March 30, 2020

1 Samuel 13-17




PATIENCE: Our timing, versus God's timing. It is interesting that He is so patient with us, while drawing us to Him in a process that takes a lifetime...but then, like Saul, when we pray to Him we expect our answer on our terms and our timing. Where is our patience? Where is our trust?

OBEDIENCE: Then, on the one hand, "I did it my way"-Saul is taught that his way must be in alignment with God's way to receive God's blessing. We also see that obeying is of greater value than offerings. At the other extreme, David understands that all he needs is God to fight the battle. Two approaches, one leading to failure and one to victory. And we must understand that victory is the Lord's. 

Covid-19...we must turn to God in prayer! Whether a giant or a tiny "bug," it is only God who saves, and His timing is perfect. 

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Judges 10-12


In response to another's YOUVERSION post as we are going through the Bible in a Year together:

I don't know if it "wrong" to ask God for His assistance in whatever obstacles we face with a promise that we will obey whatever He chooses...isn't that what covenants are about? If...then. I need to think about that some more...they are good questions. What we need to be ready for is God's answer, which may not be as we expect. These verses with the 6 judges remind me of Peter asking Jesus how many times should he forgive someone who had sinned, to which Jesus replied: "70 times 7" (Matt18:21-22). Again we see the Israelites being saved, then over time forgetting their commitment to the LORD...He abandons them to their own devices, but when they turn back to Him, He saves them. God is truly the God who saves! He does so for me, 70 times 7. Listen to "I'm Alive" by Big Daddy Weave (hopefully below). The striking line for me is, "...but God..." after all the mistakes we/I make.



Sunday, March 8, 2020

What are you voting for?


I saw a FACEBOOK post from "the other side," purporting "facts" concerning the 2020 election. For starters, it seems that again folks are still lamenting the 2016 election. I am no fan of the seemingly incessant Tweets, but the media only posts negative information. So, here are some positives for consideration. As I discover more, I will add. 

My intent here is to "satisfy" my desire for political commentary without posting on FACEBOOK and other locations where I might cause others to stumble and also increase my blood pressure, due to the consistent lack of facts, but high emotion some people provide.

So here it goes:  

1. You're not just voting for President.
2. You're voting for who replaces RBG on the Supreme Court.
3. You're voting to end the impeachment madness and inform Congress they need to do their jobs
4. You're voting for federal judges.
5. You're voting for the rule of law.
6. You're voting for the word  "legal." It should not be a difficult concept.
7. You're voting for people who didn't become millionaires when they were supposed to be serving.
8. You're voting for American small businesses who can now prosper due to reduced regulations.
9. You're voting for Red lines that mean Red lines and not avenues to surreptitiously funnel millions to our enemy.
  1. You are voting against the murder of unborn children:
  • Such as the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act that provides funding for states to develop maternal mortality review committees to better understand maternal complications and identify solutions & largely focuses on reducing the higher mortality rates for Black Americans
11. You're voting for not interfering with other nation's elections, like we did to Israel several years ago.
12. You're voting for America to continue being the largest producer of crude oil and a net natural gas exporter.
13. You're voting for Christians to not be oppressed/punished/discriminated against.
14. You're voting for “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA), which includes the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” (SESTA) which both give law enforcement and victims new tools to fight sex trafficking:
  • Such as dismantling an organization that was the internet’s leading source of prostitution-related advertisements resulting in sex trafficking.
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested 1,588 criminals associated with Human Trafficking
15. You're voting for airports to provide spaces for breastfeeding Moms.
16. You're voting for veterans to get the care they deserve:
  • Such as requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life
  • VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, which expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
17. You're voting for better healthcare:
  • Americans can comparison shop because healthcare providers must now disclose the cost of their services so that Americans can comparison shop and know how much less providers charge insurance companies;
  • Americans should never be blindsided by bills for medical services they never agreed to in advance;
  • Hospitals are required to post their standard charges for services, which include gross charges, the negotiated rates with insurers and the discounted price a hospital is willing to accept from a patient;
  • Allowing some drug imports from Canada, so that prescription prices would go down;
  • Allowing up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for millions of federal workers;
  • Right-To-Try legislation which allows terminally ill patients to try any experimental treatment that wasn’t allowed before;
  • Legislation to advance childhood cancer research and improve treatments;
  • Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (CARES) signed into law which allocates $1.8 billion in funding over the next five years to help people with autism spectrum disorder and to help their families
18. You're voting for prison reform through activities such as the First Step Act and Second Chance hiring:
  • First Step Act, a criminal justice bill which enacted reforms that make our justice system fairer and helps former inmates successfully return to society;
  • Addressing inequities in sentencing laws that disproportionately harmed Black Americans and reformed mandatory minimums that created unfair outcomes;
  • Creating rehabilitative programs to inmates, helping them successfully rejoin society and not return to crime;
  • Second chance hiring, which gives former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment;
  • “Ready to Work Initiative” which helps connect employers directly with former prisoners.
19. You're voting for increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by more than 14%.
20. You're voting for wilderness protection & conservation:
  • Created five national monuments, expands several national parks, adds 1.3 million acres of wilderness, and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund
  • Commissioned more than $124 Million to help rebuild rural water infrastructure
21. You're voting for cleaning our oceans via the Save our Seas Act which funds $10 million per year to clean tons of plastic & garbage from the ocean.
22. You're voting for a continued drop in the US poverty rate, which thus far has fallen to a 17-year low of 11.8%.
  1. You're voting for Increase in school choice funding by $42 million thus far; also increasing apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers.
  2. You're voting for ISIS containment now that the caliphate property has been reduced to nearly zero.
  3. You're voting for freed Hostages
  4. You're voting for Creation of "Opportunity Zones":
    • Opportunity Zone Incentives promote investment in 8,764 low-income communities across the country (expected to spur $100 billion in long term private capital investment in economically distressed communities).
  5. You're voting for continued drop in unemployment rates across all demographics.
  6. Welfare reform - Requiring able-bodied adults who don’t have children to work or look for work if they’re on welfare.
  7. You're are voting for our allies to contribute more for global defense and not rely as heavily on the US, thus putting more dollars to work for the US back home.

No human is perfect. One more time…no human is perfect, so "purity tests" will not work. Examine the policies of all who would like your vote in their native form, not as "pseudo academics," "biased media," "entertainment industry," and others would have you understand. Examine policies accomplished and policies promised.