Nuked?

Before we get started, please understand that my heart goes out to the Japanese people.  For if the damage from the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami was not enough, the possibility of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant takes the full gravity of the dire circumstances that they are now facing way over the top.

Nonetheless, it is becoming quite clear that this time they got nuked by their own government.  For not nearly enough safety precautions were taken on a number of different levels.

Contentment's Device

***This is being posted by me for Chris Mousseau***

Surprises stir amidst the darkest room
Budded core ignites this precious bloom
Surrendered passion evolves the night
Simplistic pleasures brought true delight

Gifted glory, a glimpse of paradise
Mission to succumb contentment's device

Mysterious presence appeases the mind
Unspoken truths searches to find
Bewildered expression with recognized release
Accepting events gracious with peace

June 2001
C.Mousseau
[http://poetryrs.blogspot.com/]

Divine Timing

***This is being posted by me for Linda L. Johnson***

Many of us have witnessed children who want things right now!  I must say that as adults our attitudes as it relates to this haven’t changed much.  We still want it our way or the highway. We want our small business (as if we could really handle it) to grow leaps and bounds— now!  We just got there yesterday, and we already want a job promotion—now! We want our children to grow-up—now!

It would do us good to become cognizant of the importance of time.  Did you know that over 20 times in eight verses the wisest man that ever lived instructs us of the appropriate “timings” in which to:  speak, be silent, laugh, mourn, build, restructure, and to tear down?

Though Sarah and Abraham grew old, weary, and impatient with God’s promise--baby Isaac’s birth came at God’s perfectly “set time." 

I thought about David, it was many years from the time he was initially anointed king before he actually functioned in his calling as king. 

So be mindful, because of delay, we will birth Ishmael’s along the way, simply due to our inability to wait.  Yes, sometimes years, on God's due season for a thing.

Like King David, Sarah and Abraham, I want to caution you that in life, what we want and when we want it involves “the process of divine and set timing.”  Beloved in your lust and hurry to “want it now” remember God has not forgotten you and that HE has ordained a due season, a “set time” for your birth, and your very own Isaac.  In the meantime continue patiently waiting for his divine timing.

Scripture references: [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8], [Galatians 6:8-9]

Email blog comments to: lindaljohnson06@aol.com

Hear the Online Podcast on Spiritual Birthing at [theministryoflindajohnson.podbean.com] as it relates to this blog post.

Website:  [http://theministryoflljohnson.org]

A Perfect Example of Demonic Possession

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Link: [On MSNBC]

Please forgive me if you believe that I am being way too harsh, but if you heard what I did, I cannot see how it could be anything else.  For who in their right-mind would make such claims with such a straight face?

Okay, it may just be a matter of demonic influence, but does it really make a difference?  For I honestly believe that [Rev. Bell] honestly believes that he is telling the truth, and that is the most insidious of all of the devil’s tricks.  Furthermore, there is just enough right mixed in to make nothing sound all that wrong.

Trees In The Forest

After going around and around with another who doesn’t really want to believe that our Heavenly Father still seeks to directly communicate with us, I asked again, “How do you describe what something looks like to someone who has been blind their entire life?”  Almost immediately, it was brought to my attention (again) that this was not really the case.  For our Creator has been talking to all of us since being in the womb, and it is only because of not recognizing His voice that most do not hear Him.

Hence, the title of this piece.  For what we are dealing with here is an inability to see the forest for the trees!

FreedomfromHunger Won!

I wanted to give an update to my posting on Freedom from Hunger and the vote to see how much of $23,000 they would be awarded. The contestants were; FreedomfromHunger, Habitat for Humanity and Homes for our Troops. I am very proud to announce that my favorite charity, FreedomfromHunger took 74% of the votes! Their share of the $23,000 was $17,020 and I am proud to say I helped!
It doesn't take a lot to make a difference in the lives of the poor, just 30 cents a day gives women the tools and education needed to make a difference in their lives.

Mali: As the meeting time approaches, the 20 or so women appear from between the mud-walled buildings and down the dusty paths to take their places under the shade of a tree. Upon each head is a small rough-hewn stool which is lowered and enveloped by the folds of each woman's dress as she sits and greets her neighbor. The women always sit in the same configuration to simplify record-keeping because, in areas where literacy is low, each woman is tasked with remembering her own savings and repayment transactions and those of the woman sitting next to her.
God Bless!
Susan

What Are Your Needs?

Each and everyone of us have needs. We need oxygen to breathe. We need food to eat. We need water to drink. We need clothes on our backs. We need a roof over our heads and we need money to assist in meeting most of these needs.

Do we seem to go overboard at times thinking that our wants are needs? Maybe so! Where do we draw the line between wants and needs? For many there is no such line. It is either one or the other. Those who tend to lean in the direction of the world will see all their wants as needs, while those that are seeking spiritual wealth will see needs as needs and will be content.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having material desires, but one must be very careful not to let these desires overtake their lives. Let's remember that there is a difference between needs and wants. Needs are inward or outward lack of something; a compulsion to something. A want is something that is not absolutely necessary for survival. If we do not know the difference, God does!

If you have ever watched the TV show Seinfeld, you know that Jerry’s next door neighbor, Kramer, is very much at home in Jerry’s apartment. He probably spends more time there than in his own apartment. He has his own set of keys, and lets himself in whenever he wants. He eats whatever is in the refrigerator, and takes anything else he wants from Jerry’s apartment, usually returning it broken or not at all. In a way, that’s the way Jesus wants us to feel about His Word, the Bible. He wants us to spend a lot of time there, and has given us His Holy Spirit as the key. God wants us to be "at home" in His Word, to be ourselves there, and to make use of all that it has to offer. The blessings in the Scriptures are ours to take freely without having to repay. Jesus wants us to use His Word as our home. [Contributed by Frank Gallagher]

That is a refresher thought, is it not? To know that a want can be turned into something very positive. Spending time with God is something we should want to do but at the same time we should see it as a need too. God's word tells us to seek His kingdom first...(Matt. 6:33). Are we truly seeing this as a need and want in our lives? Only you can answer that question today!

Rob Bell and the Emergents: A Satire

Did Jesus Abandon and Forsake His Family?

There is generally little discussion about the legitimate family of Jesus. He has been called the Son of Man; he is defined as the Son of God Himself, and he is the child of Joseph and Mary. According to a host of religious sources, he was begotten by the Holy Spirit, which implies that Joseph was not his biological father and that Mary was a virgin.

Yet the image of Mary as a virgin persists despite the fact that she had other children after Christ. It is known that Jesus had siblings, but apart from a few passages, we know very little about them, nor are we told much about his extended family.

One could counter that Jesus may have been physically brought into this world by his mother Mary and may have been taken care of, protected and educated by Joseph, his father, but that all this time, Jesus has been beyond the scope of this realm and is a unique and spiritual Child of Heaven.

But regardless of the motives and circumstances, Jesus did leave and abandon his family. Jesus seemed to have broken the commandment about honoring your parents. He follows his own path and picks strangers as his disciples, basically anyone willing to love him and follow his path. When he meets his mother years later, he answers that she may be his mother, but that essentially, he is motherless.

In other words, Jesus did not only abandon and forsake his family, he denied them. Why would such a person who is filled with love and who inspires others to love and forgive each other, be so cruel to members of his own flesh and blood? Did he himself not follow what he preached?

The problem is more complex. In fact, he probably had no other choice. Familial love and concern would have limited the impact and the grand ambitions of this exceptional and influential man. For example, his parents would have never agreed with his lifestyle – a nomadic life with prostitutes and cripples – along with the dangers that their son would face, leading eventually to his tragic and painful death.

In many ways, if he had not abandoned his family, he would have felt limited and constricted by their protective love for him. It was a liberating and even necessary move to remove the familial shackles and to create something that would last far and beyond into the future. As such, he extended the human notion of family to include and embrace all of humanity.

D-Block Allocation

I just read an article on the online version of the [Springfield (MO) News-Leader] about the proposed legislation to allocate the D Block for public safety that has me perplexed.  For it is being co-sponsored by our first-term representative, [Billy Long], and he claims to know nothing about the part in the bill that authorizes the sale of the frequencies that are used by [ham radio] operators to commercial interests to help pay for an upgrade of our communication capabilities.

Please, don’t think that I am against an upgrade to our current system.  For I was absolutely aghast to find out a few years back that most police departments, fire departments, search and rescue and other emergency entities cannot directly communicate with each other—let alone with federal agencies and the military!

Furthermore, the [Emergency Broadcasting System] here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. has never really worked right, which brings us to the significance of possibly forcing ham radio operators off of the air.  For they are the ones who often get the word out the best when a tornado is bearing down on a community, or when a rescue is needed in a remote area.

Okay, I will admit that I am probably knee-jerking here.  For I certainly don’t know all of the particulars, but apparently, neither does our [Tea-Partier], which I find rather disturbing.

So, is he lying or clueless?  Either way, it is not looking good for this part of the [Ozarks].

Please Also Visit:

[AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles]

and

[FishHawk Droppings]

Mama ASID's Womens Politics Mixtape

If the brutalization of innocents outrage you, please pay a visit to [this piece] on Mama ASID’s BadGals Radio site.  For aside from what is written, a mixtape is available for downloading.

Be thou forewarned, however.  For if you are allergic to reggae and hip-hop music, you might want to skip ahead to around the 11:18 mark.  For that is where she adds some very pertinent commentary to around the 11:50 mark, and she adds some more from around 26:35 to 29:41.

Yes, I have said much about horrific circumstances all being a part of the plan that our Heavenly Father set into motion long before He created this world.  Nonetheless, there is a big difference between fully accepting the absolute truth of that and refusing to do anything to help those in need when given an opportunity to do so.

No, there is nothing contradictory about that.  For there are times when evil is allowed to fester and grow, and then there are times of cleansing.

Ah, but nothing is to be taken too much for granted.  Therefore, truly hearing our Heavenly Father’s voice is crucial to understanding what is really going on, but who is so deaf as the one who does not want to hear?

Please Also Visit:

[AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles]

and

[FishHawk Droppings]

Seriously, What's In The Tea?

A [former governor of Arkansas] and current member of the fair and balanced [Fox News] team, [Mike Huckabee], is thinking about running for president of the United States of America again in 2012.  In fact, it could be argued that he is thinking quite seriously about it.  For the [Huck PAC] exists, and I do not think it would without his cooperation.

Of course, considering the current state [Republican] politics, he has to woo the members of the [Tea Party Movement], and this has gotten him a lot of publicity lately.  Some would say that it is not good publicity, but he may be of the mindset that any publicity is good publicity.

Economic Crimes Against Humanity

The finance people at AIG were awarded millions in bonuses because their contracts were based on the completed transactions, not the consequences of these transactions.  A 32-year-old mortgage broker quoted, "I knew my job was to get the transaction done.  Whatever came after the transaction, that was him, not me." A long list of corporate executives have reaped rich rewards even if they break the world economy, destroyed billions of dollars in value, and disfigured millions of lives.

Most experts now blame a lack of regulation and supervision for this madness.  Or they point to the wrong incentive programs associated with the push for shareholder value that executive remuneration linked to parts of a firm price. These factors are certainly important, but they ignore the terrifying human breakdown in the heart of this crisis.

When Is Enough Too Much?

It seems like the world is having some real issues lately, what with the earthquake in New Zealand, the trouble in Egypt that is now taking place Iran and other countries. The United States is not in the best shape, unemployment is high and there are too many unhappy people; unhappy with our leaders, unhappy with our deficit and unhappy with any government medical bills that will inevitably lead to the loss of choice. This is how I see it anyways. I have been out of work for some time and finding work has been hard for me. There is high unemployment where I live; as a matter of fact it is the same here as it is nationally, so I have a disadvantage to begin with.

I have taken care of my family with the money I had saved for my retirement and when that is gone I am not sure what I will do. I could take two jobs if I could find them, but I hate to say this out loud but I don’t think I could do two jobs, at least not health wise.  I had a point to this diatribe and now I will tell you of a program I saw the other night on television, yes I know another television show, but with insomnia there is not a lot to do at 2 in the morning. The show was called ‘Outrageous Kid Parties’ and it is hosted by TLC. I usually love this channel and have watched some very interesting shows but this one I watched once and once was enough for me.

The show starts out with the mom and grandmother of a 7 year old boy planning and fighting about planning this child’s birthday party. The boy wanted pirates and the grandmother wanted disco. Well both of them won and the party made my stomach hurt, I actually wanted to weep at the complete ignorance of these adults and what they were teaching this child. This party cost $30,000! Is it just me, or is this like a slap in the face of so many who have none. I know of several ways this child could learn just how good it feels to give of yourself to others who are wanting. I look at the thousands if not millions of people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and wonder how they will keep a roof over their baby’s heads and then I watch the ignorance of those who obviously have more than they need. Is it me? What are your thoughts?

God Bless, Susan

A Letter to the Congregation...

So lately I have been struggling to get to church on Sunday's.  No, it's not a question of faith it is a question of what the church expects of its congregation.  I have been a Christian for 15 years and I have always been an active participant in bible studies and women's ministries but I am not really looked upon for that, what I am looked upon is as someone whose husband does not go to church with them.  

My husband believes in God, believes that Jesus died for us...what he does not believe in is organized religion.  I actually agree with him, however, I do enjoy being part of a church.