An Oddity

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Ideological Bigotry

Ideological Bigotry by Bill Wilson

As we close out 2019, there are several stories that characterize the condition of souls. The news media, to me, is the biggest of them. When freedom of the press is abused as it has been during the past year, it is no longer free, but rather a slave to agendas.

The political intolerance and ideological bigotry of the news media is so far off the charts that it is the story of 2019. For without these characteristics of the news media, the ongoing coup to remove a duly elected president, the false narratives of Russia, Ukraine, and that anyone who voted for Donald Trump or supports conservatism and Christianity is a bigot or worse, would not be established within American society.

This is the story of 2019.

Washington Times columnist Robert Knight recently observed: "Anyone tuning in to CNN, MSNBC and the three major networks - NBC, CBS and ABC - will see nonstop left-wing propaganda. Many media outlets run stories that rub raw the nation's racial wounds. Much of it is designed to convey that liberals and Democrats love people and the truth, while conservatives and Republicans are racists who hate people and lie all the time.

The same goes for nearly every major metropolitan newspaper, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, plus the wire services such as the Associated Press."

Yet when faced with the truth about weaponizing fake news, the media bristles and whines about the "conservatives" and Trump's attack on free speech. At the recent annual White House Correspondents dinner, the president of the White House Correspondents Association, Olivier Knox, said, "In nearly 23 years as a reporter I've been physically assaulted by Republicans and Democrats, spat on, shoved, had crap thrown at me. I've been told I will never work in Washington again by both major parties. And yet I still separate my career to before February 2017 and what came after...And February 2017 is when the president called us the enemy of the people."

Donald Trump did not say the media was the enemy of the people.

He said fake news media was the enemy of the people.

This misquoting of the President is a precise example of the propaganda of the leftist media. But by the twisting of this quote, ironically, the media is not only admitting to being "fake," but also embracing it.

In reality, the media's own agenda is the threat to free speech and a free press-not those who point out the inaccuracies and weaponized media narratives.

This hate by both the media and the leadership in the Democratic Party made 2019 the year of ideological bigotry. This is fuel for persecution and we are seeing it in both the Jewish and Christian communities.

It is ever so important that we respond as a 1 John 3:18 people: "let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

Truth is so hard to come by!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone!

Take-off at 12 Midnight

Duration of this flight is 365 days.

We shall be cruising at accountable blessings per day and a million miles above sorrow level.

The weather may be cloudy but Grace is sufficient.

There may be some turbulence but Divine intervention is certain.

The Prince of Peace will speak ‘Peace be Still’ to your storms.

The Angels are our Cabin crew. They will serve to help supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.

You shall not lack anything good. Our menu includes peace, grace, mercy, favor, compassion, sound health, success and prosperity.

Amazingly, they are all free courtesy of Captain JESUS.

Note that this is a 'No weeping, No mourning flight'.

Please, fasten your prayer belt. You and all members of our family will land safely.

For more information about your safety on board, please always contact your Safety Manual (The Bible) on a Daily basis.

Please remain in an attitude of humility, giving thanks at all times, and let praise and worship be your daily habit all throughout the duration of this flight.

For any questions, The Holy SPIRIT shall give you answers any time.

Enjoy your flight. There shall be no losses in JESUS' name. Amen.

Please, advertise this exceptional AIRLINE to everybody you know.

HAPPY BLESSED, VICTORIOUS And GLORIOUS NEW YEAR!

GOD BLESS US ALL!!!

Philippians 3:13, 14

"13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14

Choose Life

Sorrow vs. joy, loss vs. gain, trauma vs. peace, hatred vs. love, death vs. life. The Word says, "choose life."

Today in History

Today in History
1999
Panama Canal Turned Over to Panama

On December 31, 1999, the United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially hands over control of the Panama Canal, putting the strategic waterway into Panamanian hands for the first time. Crowds of Panamanians celebrated the transfer of the 50-mile canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and officially opened when the SS Arcon sailed through on August 15, 1914. Since then, over 922,000 ships have used the canal.

Interest in finding a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific originated with explorers in Central America in the early 1500s. In 1523, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V commissioned a survey of the Isthmus of Panama and several plans for a canal were produced, but none ever implemented.

U.S. interest in building a canal was sparked with the expansion of the American West and the California gold rush in 1848. (Today, a ship heading from New York to San Francisco can save about 7,800 miles by taking the Panama Canal rather than sailing around South America.)

In 1880 a French company run by the builder of the Suez Canal started digging a canal across the Isthmus of Panama (then a part of Colombia). More than 22,000 workers died from tropical diseases such as yellow fever during this early phase of construction and the company eventually went bankrupt, selling its project rights to the United States in 1902 for $40 million.

President Theodore Roosevelt championed the canal, viewing it as important to America’s economic and military interests. In 1903, Panama declared its independence from Colombia in a U.S.-backed revolution and the U.S. and Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, in which the U.S. agreed to pay Panama $10 million for a perpetual lease on land for the canal, plus $250,000 annually in rent.

Over 56,000 people worked on the canal between 1904 and 1913 and over 5,600 lost their lives. When finished, the canal, which cost the U.S. $375 million to build, was considered a great engineering marvel and represented America’s emergence as a world power.

In 1977, responding to nearly 20 years of Panamanian protest, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panama’s General Omar Torrijos signed two new treaties that replaced the original 1903 agreement and called for a transfer of canal control in 1999.

The treaty, narrowly ratified by the U.S. Senate, gave America the ongoing right to defend the canal against any threats to its neutrality. In October 2006, Panamanian voters approved a $5.25 billion plan to double the canal’s size by 2015 to better accommodate modern ships.

Ships pay tolls to use the canal, based on each vessel’s size and cargo volume. In May 2006, the Maersk Dellys paid a record toll of $249,165. The smallest-ever toll–36 cents–was paid by Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 1928.

Thoughts on Today's Verse

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." — Revelation 1:8

Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware

From beginning to end, our God is there!

What is there for us to fear?

What can happen that can change this one undeniable reality?

We belong to the God who is always there, who always cares for us, and who will always work to bring us salvation! No matter what happens to us tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that, our destiny lies with the God who stretches from beginning to end and who secures for us life that never ends.

My Prayer...

Father God, thank you for the blessings of this past year. Please guide me as I seek to use your blessings in the coming year. Inspire my confidence about your future for me and fill me with joy because of your salvation. For all that has been good, holy, and gracious, I give you thanks and praise. For all the ways I've sinned, failed, or stumbled, I ask for your forgiveness. And for tomorrow, and another new day and another new year, I await with anticipation and gladness for I know that I will see them come or I will be at home with you where days and years no longer matter. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Six Ethics of Life

Before you Pray - Believe. Before you Speak - Listen. Before you Spend - Earn. Before you Write - Think. Before you Quit - Try. Before you Die - Live.

eminentlyquotable.com

Six Ethics Of Life

Before you Pray - Believe. Before you Speak - Listen. Before you Spend -…

Before you Pray - Believe. Before you Spe

Biggest Threat to U.S.

"If MY people, who are called by MY name, will humble themselves and pray and seek MY face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

As we approach the new year, the biggest threat to America is not cyber attacks from Communist China or a new cold war with Russia, but a turning away from God, which will cause His hand of blessing to be removed, said Rev. Franklin Graham.

About this website

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Rev. Graham: 'Biggest Threat' to U.S. is 'That We Turn Our Back on God'

As we approach the new year, the biggest threat

Today in History

Today in History
1916
Rasputin Is Murdered

Sometime over the course of the night and the early morning of December 29-30, 1916, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, a self-proclaimed holy man, was murdered by Russian nobles eager to end his influence over the royal family.

Rasputin, a Siberian-born muzhik, or peasant, who underwent a religious conversion as a teenager and proclaimed himself a healer with the ability to predict the future, won the favor of Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra through his ability to stop the bleeding of their hemophiliac son, Alexei, in 1908.

From then on, though he was widely criticized for his lechery and drunkenness, Rasputin exerted a powerful influence on the ruling family of Russia, infuriating nobles, church orthodoxy, and peasants alike. He particularly influenced the czarina, and was rumored to be her lover.

When Nicholas departed to lead Russian forces in World War I, Rasputin effectively ruled the country through Alexandra, contributing to the already-existing corruption and disorder of Romanov Russia.

Fearful of Rasputin’s growing power (among other things, it was believed by some that he was plotting to make a separate peace with the Germans), a group of nobles, led by Prince Felix Youssupov, the husband of the czar’s niece, and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, Nicholas’s first cousin, lured Rasputin to Youssupov Palace on the night of December 29, 1916.

First, Rasputin’s would-be killers gave the monk food and wine laced with cyanide. When he failed to react to the poison, they shot him at close range, leaving him for dead. A short time later, however, Rasputin revived and attempted to escape from the palace grounds, whereupon his assailants shot him again and beat him viciously.

Finally, they bound Rasputin, still miraculously alive, and tossed him into a freezing river. His body was discovered several days later and the two main conspirators, Youssupov and Pavlovich were exiled.

Not long after, the Bolshevik Revolution put an end to the imperial regime. Nicholas and Alexandra and their children were murdered. The long, dark reign of the Romanovs was over and something at least as sinister had begun. The people of Russia and other states under the control of the new government, would be subjected to further tyranny under the new regime.

The Jesus Family

The Jesus Family by John Van Schepen
Scripture Reading: Mark 3:20-34
"To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:12

I grew up in a large extended family. It’s so large that I don’t know all of my first cousins.

Though most of us love our families, we know there can be times of making mistakes, hurting one another, and dis­agreeing with each other. When conflicts come up, we should try to resolve them. And when we need wisdom, it can help to be able to rely on the family of God, which can offer love and support as well.

Today’s episode took place early in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was attracting large crowds because of his teaching and healing. His family members had heard some reports, and they thought Jesus might be “out of his mind”—though he wasn’t, of course.

When he was told they had come looking for him, he gave what might seem a surprising answer. Jesus began with a question: “Who are my mother and my brothers?” He was not disrespecting his biological family here; he used this as a “teaching moment” for all his listeners—including us.

He pointed out a much larger and more important family, the family of God. Then he explained how to become part of this family: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus, God’s Son, invites all of us into his family. And to all who receive him and believe in his name, he gives “the right to become children of God.”

Trust in Jesus today as your Lord and Savior, and you will be part of his forever family.

Thank you, Lord, for inviting us to become part of your everlasting family by trusting in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Amen.

The High Cost of Miracles

The High Cost of Miracles
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
December 30, 2019

"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit'" (Matthew 1:19-21).

There is often a cost associated with a miracle. Mary carried a miracle within her. No other woman in history had the distinction of birthing the Son of God. It was a one-time event in history.

However, for 30 years she was viewed as a woman who was often judged, shamed by public opinion, rejected by her own, and thought to be an adulteress by her townspeople.

I can only imagine her cries at night, "You are God, you can help them understand I am not an immoral person. I am doing the will of God! Why must I be shamed and judged the same as a prostitute!"

God's silence must have been difficult. She would not be accurately viewed for years to come. In many ways, she was called to the same path as Jesus was. He was rejected by His own people too.

Her finance Joseph was going to break off the engagement when he discovered she was pregnant. Had he not had a visitation from an angel, he too would have rejected her. However, he married her and also carried the stigma associated with a pregnancy that most assumed was immoral.

Sometimes we are called to experience rejection for the Son of God living in us. When we carry the cross of Christ, the world and even our families sometimes look at us as though we have a few marbles out of place.

Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace. Even our families would judge us and think wrongly of us.

Yes, a miracle often has a cost. But that miracle is the seed for something imperishable. It is the seed of eternity in our hearts.

Gun Control

Gun Control

Gunman kills 2 at White Settlement church before 2 members fatally shoot him - Dallas News

A gunman killed two people during a Sunday-morning service at a church in White Settlement before members of the congregation fatally shot him, authorities say.

Police in White Settlement, about eight miles west of Fort Worth, were called before 11 a.m. to the West Freeway Church of Christ at 1900 South Las Vegas Trail after two members who were part of the church's security team opened fire on the gunman.

"We lost two great men today, but it could have been a lot worse and I am thankful our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves," said Britt Farmer, the church's senior minister.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, speaking at the evening news conference, highlighted changes in state law that ensured the right to carry concealed weapons in churches. He credited the church's volunteer security team for protecting their fellow members. "The heroism today is unparalleled."

Thoughts on Today's Verse

"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another. ... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being, I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:8-9

Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware

No matter what happens over the next few days,months, or years, God is already there! He is not bound by space and time. He creates reality by his powerful word. While some may tremble with fear because of the unknown, Christians can take comfort in knowing that wherever we find ourselves, our Father is already there. He is already working on our deliverance and salvation.

Even now he is declaring new things for us — things about our future that we cannot see. Therefore, as we journey into our unknown future, let's make sure we journey with the One to whom the future is not unknown.

My Prayer...

Thank you Father!

You know where my life and my world are headed.

With so much tumult about the changing of the year and the passing of time, I consciously and confidently trust that my future is in your hands. There is no other place I would rather it be!

Please bless me with confidence and banish anxiety from my heart as your future unfolds before me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Isaiah 7:14

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

Quote from Ronald Reagan

“Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeer, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.” Ronald Reagan

Today in History

Today in History
1940
London Devastated by German Air Raid

On the evening of December 29, 1940, London suffered its most devastating air raid when Germans firebombed the city. Hundreds of fires caused by the exploding bombs engulfed areas of London, but firefighters showed a valiant indifference to the bombs falling around them and saved much of the city from destruction.

The next day, a newspaper photo of St. Paul’s Cathedral standing undamaged amid the smoke and flames seemed to symbolize the capital’s unconquerable spirit during the Battle of Britain.

In May and June 1940, Holland, Belgium, Norway, and France fell one by one to the German Wehrmacht, leaving Great Britain alone in its resistance against Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s plans for world domination. The British Expeditionary Force escaped the continent with an impromptu evacuation from Dunkirk, but they left behind the tanks and artillery needed to defend their homeland against invasion.

With British air and land forces outnumbered by their German counterparts, and U.S. aid not yet begun, it seemed certain that Britain would soon follow the fate of France. However, Winston Churchill, the new British prime minister, promised his nation and the world that Britain would “never surrender,” and the British people mobilized behind their defiant leader.

On June 5, the Luftwaffe began attacks on English Channel ports and convoys, and on June 30 Germany seized control of the undefended Channel Islands. On July 10–the first day of the Battle of Britain according to the RAF–the Luftwaffe intensified its bombing of British ports. Six days later, Hitler ordered the German army and navy to prepare for Operation Sea Lion.

On July 19, the German leader made a speech in Berlin in which he offered a conditional peace to the British government: Britain would keep its empire and be spared from invasion if its leaders accepted the German domination of the European continent. A simple radio message from Lord Halifax swept the proposal away.

Germany needed to master the skies over Britain if it was to transport safely its superior land forces across the 21-mile English Channel. On August 8, the Luftwaffe intensified its raids against the ports in an attempt to draw the British air fleet out into the open.

Simultaneously, the Germans began bombing Britain’s sophisticated radar defense system and RAF-fighter airfields. During August, as many as 1,500 German aircraft crossed the Channel daily, often blotting out the sun as they flew against their British targets. Despite the odds against them, the outnumbered RAF fliers successfully resisted the massive German air invasion, relying on radar technology, more maneuverable aircraft, and exceptional bravery.

For every British plane shot down, two Luftwaffe warplanes were destroyed.

At the end of August, the RAF launched a retaliatory air raid against Berlin. Hitler was enraged and ordered the Luftwaffe to shift its attacks from RAF installations to London and other British cities.

On September 7, the Blitz against London began, and after a week of almost ceaseless attacks several areas of London were in flames and the royal palace, churches, and hospitals had all been hit. However, the concentration on London allowed the RAF to recuperate elsewhere, and on September 15 the RAF launched a vigorous counterattack, downing 56 German aircraft in two dogfights that lasted less than an hour.

The costly raid convinced the German high command that the Luftwaffe could not achieve air supremacy over Britain, and the next day daylight attacks were replaced with nighttime sorties as a concession of defeat.

On September 19, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler postponed indefinitely “Operation Sea Lion”–the amphibious invasion of Britain. The Battle of Britain, however, continued.

In October, Hitler ordered a massive bombing campaign against London and other cities to crush British morale and force an armistice. Despite significant loss of life and tremendous material damage to Britain’s cities, the country’s resolve remained unbroken.

The ability of Londoners to maintain their composure had much to do with Britain’s survival during this trying period. As American journalist Edward R. Murrow reported, “Not once have I heard a man, woman, or child suggest that Britain should throw her hand.” In May 1941, the air raids essentially ceased as German forces massed near the border of the USSR.

By denying the Germans a quick victory, depriving them of forces to be used in their invasion of the USSR, and proving to America that increased arms support for Britain was not in vain, the outcome of the Battle of Britain greatly changed the course of World War II.

As Churchill said of the RAF fliers during the Battle of Britain, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

Loving Your Enemy

Loving Your Enemy
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
December 29, 2019

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:43-46).

If you are a leader you will have conflict sooner or later. How you manage conflict will determine how good of a leader you will be. Jesus handled conflict in many different ways. Sometimes he confronted the issue head-on, other times He ignored the accusation and went on His way. Sometimes He chose to wash the feet of those who attacked Him.

Dr. Martin Luther King, father of the United States civil rights movement modeled conflict management in the following way:
"On Christmas Day, 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. It was based on this passage and the sermon title was, 'Loving Your Enemy.'

Through the course of his sermon, Dr. King suggested three ways by which we can do just that:

First, we must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. Such forgiveness doesn't mean that we ignore the wrong committed against us. Rather it means that we will no longer allow the wrong to be a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness, according to King, 'is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.'

Second, we must recognize that the wrong we've suffered doesn't entirely represent the other person's identity. We need to acknowledge that our opponent, like each one of us, possesses both bad and good qualities. We must choose to find the good and focus on it.

Third, we must not seek to defeat or humiliate our opponent, but to win his or her friendship and understanding. Such an attitude flows not from ourselves, but from God as his unconditional love works through us.

As followers of Christ who seek to lead as He led, we must remember that the more freely we forgive, the more clearly we reveal the nature of our Heavenly Father."*

Today, be proactive about forgiving those who have been the source of pain in your life.

Thoughts on Today's Verse

"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:16

Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware

So, what are your goals and plans for the New Year?

Do you have great dreams and laudable goals? I hope so. But, please join me as I seriously look at why I set the goals I do and make the plans I make.

In the afterglow of Christmas, that great season of giving, let's make sure our plans for the future are not selfish or based on envy, lust, or greed. Instead, let's set our hearts to reach great heights for God's glory and to do great things to be a blessing to others. Otherwise, all our attempts to reach great things ultimately will end in chaos, heartbreak, and destruction.

My Prayer...

Eternal God, please be with me as I seek to set goals for the coming year. I want to do great things for your glory. Please use me to accomplish your will in the world in which I live and in the group of people to whom you have sent me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.