Dealing with Grief and Depression

This year for the season of Lent our church is doing a teaching series that will reach out to people who are in a down time in their life and will also help us to know how to help people who are mourning a loss of some sort. So what I am about to write is a summary of what was taught in my home church this past Sunday, February 24, 2013. We learned about do's and don'ts when reaching out to a grieving person.

Psalm 23: 4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

What is meant by a valley? It is a depression that lasts an extended period of time. It takes on different shapes and forms. It is when something ceases to exist as we once knew it.

Matthew 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
We all hurt sometimes. We all have seasons of pain. Where do we go when we mourn - when we have entered the "mourning booth"? We all must spend time in the "mourning booth".
 We need comfort during our stay in the "mourning booth". No one should need to be there alone.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Pastor Frank brought the message and here is some of what he said:
We are learning how to walk with people who are hurting. Pastor Frank asked the congregation to submit any questions about this topic and they will answer them in our March 24th service.
( *Note from me - if anyone reading this has a question - please leave it in the comment section here. )

How to walk with people who have experienced tragedy

Why should we be involved?
* Scripture commands it
*God is a God of love - as Christians we should be known for our love
* Christians love one another
* Love is an action and will motivate us to act in love that will benefit others
* People everywhere are hurting - in the church as well as outside the church

Excuses we give to not get involved -
* What could I say?
* It is going to be awkward
* I don't really know them that well.

Love is the opposite of selfishness
Love is an action - a sacrifice

The goal of our lives is to become more like Jesus

Do's and Don'ts
Pulling back for fear of not getting it right is not an option


Do
* - Go there - when you hear that tragedy has struck leave what you are doing and go there especially in the case of a family member or a close friend.
* - Ask God to guide your response and to speak love through you
* -  Make that visit, phone call, send a card or offer child care

What do I say?
* - Less is often more - People who are dealing with tragedy do not need a lot of words
Words are okay, just say " I'm sorry"
* - Do not avoid or ignore people who are mourning - they will notice that you are avoiding them
* - Your presence shows you care
*  - Guys often do not talk much, just show up, give a hug if appropriate

What not to say
Avoid saying
* he's in a better place
* God won't give us more than we can handle
*  it was God's will
* don't use humor to try to make the situation lighter as it seems to dismiss the pain that the one who is mourning is feeling
* Only the one who is mourning can use the above phrases and/or use humor

Do not try to correct the one who is mourning-
* even if they are angry with God
* or have doubts
- Only acknowledge that you hear their pain and show you are understanding

Stifle your curiosity
Be careful to not be judgmental saying such things as:
* was she wearing a seatbelt?
or
* were they living together?


Written words 
A personal note is better than a card
Assure your thoughts and prayers are with them

Share Jesus and use words if you must.

Take your cue from the one who is hurting:
Match your words with the sorrow the one mourning is displaying
Remember - this is not about me - its about caring for the hurting one.

Grief and mourning is a process that takes time.
There is no limit to the time that will be required to heal from the grief
It is inappropriate to say "it's time to move on".

Sincere love will be noticed
Don't be afraid of messing up - your absence will be noticed more than your slip up .

Go do the right thing!!

In the world but not of the world...

1 John 2: 15-16  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

We all live here in the world but according to the Bible, God requires that as Christians we do not become attached to the worldly things that we see around us everyday. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Those are pretty strong words. We cannot be loving the things of this world since then the love of our heavenly Father will not be in us.

Worldliness is the enemy of holiness. God is holy and he wants to make us holy through Jesus Christ.

Worldliness is satan's way. We must not love anything that is in satan's domain. Unbelievers being a part of the world system oppose Christ. This is obvious in their lifestyle - living for self and for the things of the world.  Christ demands our complete loyalty and devotion. We cannot be on the fence with this. Choose to live wholeheartedly for the Lord and do not allow self and worldliness to rule your life. We are living in worldliness when we allow our fleshly desires to control us - that is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It is an evil attitude, it is a heart that says " I want this for me and I want it now, I don't care if others are hurt by my actions". As Christians we can not be living a life that serves self and the world. Neither can we live in worldliness and live for the Lord Jesus at the same time. There are many things that people will use to try to satisfy themselves, to fill that loneliness and the emptiness of their heart. Examples are money, hobbies, travelling, job, food, sex, music and entertainment. The truth is that Jesus is the only One who can fill that void in our lives.

Proverbs 11:6  The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.

The unbeliever is trapped by his own evil desires. Each of us is accountable to God Himself for our actions. God does not play favorites and each one will receive accordingly to what he or she has done in this life. This is why it is so important that turn our lives over to the Lord and we take our sins to God. We need to confess our sins to the Lord God, turn from them once and for all. He is faithful to forgive us when we come to him in this way. God doesn't give anyone a break or make excuses for anyone's sin - no, he poured it all on Jesus. Jesus took our sin to the cross and died there in our place. Our sin was paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent of every sin and turn your life over to Jesus. May I encourage each of us to CLING to JESUS!!

Ephesians 5:8-10  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Louis Riel Day

Acts 2: 20-21  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Today Is Louis Riel Day here in Manitoba. So I thought I would share a bit of information here about the person Louis Riel.  The picture below is from the site http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca

Louis Riel was a passionate Métis leader. He was the driving force behind Manitoba becoming Canada’s fifth province and joining confederation. Louis Riel’s dream of a province that embraces all cultures is still shared by Manitobans today.

This Day celebrates the life and achievements of Louis Riel. He was a leader of the Metis people. It is celebrated in February here in Manitoba. For most of us it is just a day off from school and work - just a long weekend to enjoy with our families. The information posted below is from the website www.timeanddate.com


Manitoba's government introduced a holiday in February in 2007. This was because there was a long period between New Year's Day and Good Friday when there were no holidays. A competition was held among school children to name the day. The winning name was 'Louis Riel Day' to commemorate this Manitoba politician. The date does not have any special connection to a particular event in Louis Riel's life. The first Louis Riel Day in Manitoba was in 2008.

Louis Riel was a leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. These are an Aboriginal people with their own culture, language and heritage. The area, which was their ancestral homeland, is now in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the Northwest Territories and parts of the north-west of the United States. Louis Riel was also a founder of the Manitoba province and a Canadian politician. However, during his lifetime, he was a controversial figure and lived in exile in the United States for a number of years. He was involved in a number of uprisings and, after a controversial trial, he was executed for treason in 1885.

Louis Riel Day is observed on or around November 16 in other areas of Canada, particularly Toronto. This is the anniversary of Louis Riel's execution in 1885. Louis Riel Day is held in Toronto to commemorate Louis Riel's life and to celebrate the Métis people's culture, language, heritage and ancestral homeland.

Anger ... ( Greg Laurie )

Ephesians 4 26-27  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  Neither give place to the devil.

Normally on a Sunday, I like to write a sermon review from my home church. But this weekend has been a stormy one here where I live so I was not able to get to church. I listened to an online sermon by Greg Laurie and I thought I would share some thoughts from his message.

Greg Laurie began by asking the question - What makes you angry? We all have our boiling point. What is yours? It might be another person's cellphone that gets on your nerves. The cellphone being set to the loudest ring and he or she does not answer till like the 5th ring. Or it may be when you travel, and on the airplane you find yourself seated behind a person who reclines back in his seat and you are left to stare at his greasy scalp the rest of the flight.
We all have things that irritate us. We also are aware that anger can cause illness and heart attacks.
Greg Laurie stated that the angrier we become the more stupid our actions become. Never try to write an email while you are angry. There is no retrieving it once you have clicked the send button.

In the Bible we learn there is also a righteous anger. This is the kind of anger that Jesus demonstrated when he cleansed the temple in Luke 19:45-46  And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;

 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

This was not an uncontrollable outburst of anger. Jesus was showing his authority here and was putting a stop to the evil of those who were buying and selling there in the temple.

We learn in the Bible that Jesus is meek but meekness is not weakness. 

Matthew 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Meekness is not weakness but it is power under constraint, under control.

eg, is a horse under control.

In the Easter story, Jesus allowed himself to be captured and nailed to the cross. We know that Jesus is the great I AM so no chain or nail could really hold him. He stayed there on the cross of his own free will to save you and I. Jesus did not defend himself but allowed these things to happen for our salvation.

God is angry when people stand in the way of others coming to know Him.

The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Each of us who are Christians are a witness for the Savior - What kind of a witness are you?

Be a bridge to bring others to Jesus and not a barrier.

Just as Jesus cleansed the temple, so he also brings about change in our lives when we come to him for salvation. He cleans house. We are the house in which his Spirit comes to dwell.

Sin doesn't belong in our lives. We need to be constantly confessing our sin to Jesus - sin that we commit and sin of omission. 

1 John 1:5-10  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Valentine's Day - more than flowers....

 Happy Valentine's Day to my husband - all my love to you Cliff!





1 John 4:9-11 says  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another

Most of us will spend time and money to get that right Valentine's gift for that special person in our lives. We want it to have meaning and we want to somehow express our love through it. To show this kind of love is important on a special day like today.

BUT..... more important than flowers or chocolate or that romantic supper you have planned for your spouse, is the love that you show everyday. Flowers and chocolate will have very little meaning if that love you claim to have for your spouse today is not lived out tomorrow, next week, next year and the rest of your life!

So what is important?
1) exclusive love - The love we have for our spouse must be exclusive. Our spouse is the only one that holds "the spot" in our heart. No one else will be offered that spot ever nor will we allow anyone to steal that "spot ever"! It belongs to my spouse alone.

2) faithfulness - Faithfulness to our spouse is extremely important. If we fail in this area, our whole life will be destroyed. There is no sensible woman who will accept being "one of many".  No, the fact is true love demands faithfulness, and exclusive love till death do part. No other option is acceptable.

3) in good days as well as bad - Someday either you or your spouse will have a bad day, perhaps due to circumstances beyond your control or due to illness.  Exclusive faithful love is what is required here - there is no plan B. In these times of hardship, your spouse may not be able to meet all your needs but real true love is not selfish. True love is a serving love. The needs of your spouse become the focus and your own needs and desires are put aside. You are not going to fill your own needs and desires with any other thing or person - like I said , there is no plan B.

4) encourage your spouse - Lavish your spouse with words of affirmation and encouragement.  Tell him/her about the love you have in your heart and the feelings you have for him/her. Open your heart up and tell your spouse the deep things inside your heart. Tell your spouse about the exclusive love that you have for him/her. Tell your spouse that you will be faithfull all the days of your life.

5) go public about your love for your spouse - Let the people around you know that your spouse is the only one for you. Say it verbally, out loud for everyone to hear! Even if you have been married for years, be public about this regularly. Hold hands with your spouse. Put your arm around her in church or other public places. Catch the twinkle in her eye that says I love you.

6) issues that need resolving - do it privately and seek help from your pastor when necessary.  Never put down your spouse in public even if you are upset. Show respect one toward another.

7) give your kids a Valentine's gift - the gift of showing love to your spouse everyday of the year, it will help them immensely to see Dad loving Mom and also Mom loving Dad!!

8) forgiveness - There are no lasting relationships without forgiveness. That is a quote from James McDonald. How very true it is. We must be willing to forgive each other. Forgiveness can be hard but it is worth it and the relationship you have with your spouse will be stronger for it.

Jesus has Authority!

Sunday Sermon Review - February 10, 2013
(from my home church I attend regularly)
Topic - Matthew Series - Jesus has Authority
Speaker - Pastor Ben

The service began with singing. "Emmanuel, God With Us" and "I'm Running to Your Arms".

We are continuing on in our Matthew Series. We are in Matthew 21: 23-46 and reads as follows:
²³ And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
 ²⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
²⁵ The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
 ²⁶ But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
 ²⁷ And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
 ²⁸ But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
 ²⁹ He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
 ³⁰ And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
 ³¹ Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
 ³² For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
 ³³ Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
 ³⁴ And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
 ³⁵ And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
 ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
 ³⁷ But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
 ³⁸ But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
 ³⁹ And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
⁴⁰ When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
 ⁴¹ They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
 ⁴² Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
 ⁴³ Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
 ⁴⁴ And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
 ⁴⁵ And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
 ⁴⁶ But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.



Here is some of what Pastor Ben taught:
This was Jesus' last week on earth. He had just cleared the temple.
It was the God-given responsibility of the priests to care for the temple. The Levites the decendants of Aaron had been given this duty.
So the chief priests question Jesus on His authority. Jesus is not a Levite.
a note from me: We know from the book of Hebrews that God chose Jesus as our Priest, He is not a decendant of Aaron, but Jesus is a chosen Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews7:14 and 17 ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
¹⁷ For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Questions on Jesus' Authority
 The chief priests question Jesus on His authority. They are out to get Jesus, to have him arrested. Jesus points back to John the Baptist who was a prophet called to prepare the way for Jesus.
Is Jesus authority from God or from man? The chief priests give a politically correct answer.

The Parable of the sons in the Vineyard
Jesus calls them out.
These parables are warnings.
The one who obeys also does the will of God.
God is not impressed by our words when we don't obey - when we come to church but live the rest of the week for ourselves.

Why is it that the tax collectors and harlots came to Jesus?
And why did the religious leaders not come?
Why did some obey and give their lives to Jesus and others did not?

The tax collectors and sinners came because-
* - Jesus brought them hope for a better life
God is a God who cares for us and He invited the tax collectors to come to Him.

God will set you free and change your life.
* - Jesus brings forgiveness -
We are not our past failures though they do shape us.
Our past does not define us.

* - God is the God who gives second chances -
You are precious and loved.
God will reside in you, we become His dwelling place.

Why would the religious leaders not want this?
The next parable will explain.

The landowner and the vineyard
This is the story of Israel - rejected the prophets of old, rejected and killed the Son Jesus.

Parables are Warnings
- if you don't produce fruit in your life - you will wither.
- To be part of God's kingdom we must be willing to give up our power and stuff.

They refused to give the owner what was rightfully His.
They were desperate to hold on, to cling.

To be part of God's kingdom we have to give to God - our finances - Everything you think you own belongs to God.
It requires faith, loyalty, trust - I believe you will provide for me, not my finances.
Everything we have is a gift from God including the very air we breathe.
- give up our very lives - Hands surrendered to God.
To live with open hands. Obedience is not about rules. They were clinging to their rules to retain power.

What does it look like to live with open hands?
eg. * - its when the seniors in our church do not demand music to be the way they like it but they allow the young people to provide it their own style.
 * - accidental generousity - you notice you have been more generous than you meant to be.
 * - when young people choose to do what is right in this crooked world.
* - when kids say they don't need presents but rather give to charity.
* - its not hoarding things

What is God calling you to let go??


Note: We will be taking a break from our Matthew series now and will be focus on Lent!
 

My Birthday Hyacinth ( picture )

Ecclesiastes 3:11- He has made everything beautiful in its time.

My Birthday Hyacinth gift

Back in October, my sisters and my Mom surprised me with a 50th birthday party. On that day my sister gave me a hyacinth bulb kit. It contained the appropriate glass to grow the plant in, the bulb itself and of course instructions on how to grow it. So after waiting for 4 months for the bulb to grow and to blossom, I am now happy to say that I have a beautiful hyacinth plant blooming happily for me! Thank-you sister!

If anyone is interested in reading my two posts describing my surprise 50th birthday, link to posts here:

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/10/yep-im-turning-50-part-1.html

http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/10/turning-50-part-2.html

A Bible Study on Aging

I wrote this Bible study on aging for my "Live By Faith Bible Studies" blog but I would like to post it here as well for anyone who has not read it yet.

Have you ever wondered if God will be with you in the later years of life? Does anyone understand the difficulties that our seniors experience day in and day out? Well, it shouldn't surprise us that God would take most of an entire chapter in the Bible to explain the difficulties that the senior years bring. I think He wrote Ecclesiastes 12 to bring comfort and encouragement to our seniors and to help us all realize that He does understand our situation. He sees and knows your situation and He will see us through to the end - to the day He calls us home to heaven to spend eternity with Him in glory.

Isaiah 46:3-5 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?

I've titled this Bible Study - "God Understands Aging" and I just want to go through a good portion of Ecclesiastes 12 in order to begin to understand what our seniors are going through. It will help all of us to be a better friend to our elderly loved ones and it will help us all to prepare for our own golden years which for some of us ( including myself ) - it is just around the corner! So lets begin.....

Ecclesiastes 12

Verse 1 - Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:We are encouraged to be saved, and to develop our relationship with the Lord in the days of our youth - in our younger days. We must not wait till difficult times come our way to seek the Lord. It is a blessing to seek the Lord early in life and then to walk with Him all our days. We need to settle the fact in our hearts that God is good and He has our best in mind - then come what may, we know we can keep trusting ourselves to Him.

Verse 2 - While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain. This refers to vision problems. I can identify with this as I now must wear glasses with graduated lenses - they used to call them bifocals.

Verse 3 - In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
The "house" in verse 3 refers to the human body that is aging, "keepers" are the arms and hands. The body is not as strong as in the days of youth or as in the mid years of life. The "grinders" are our teeth which also are not in great shape. Some people have many fillings in their teeth and others must wear a denture. "windows grow dim - the eyes once again are becoming weaker and it becomes harder to do one's daily activities and it it becomes harder to see for reading, or doing other fine work.
Verse 4 - When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low.
"risisng up at the sound of a bird" refers to sleepless nights.
"music brought low" - It becomes harder to hear and many elderly people benefit from the use of a hearing aid. My own mother greatly benefits from her hearing aids. With the need to wear a hearing aid come other problems such as difficulties in hearing in a group setting where there are many people and higher noise levels - such as in a restaurant or a family get together.

Verse 5 - Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets
The fear of heights and of slipping and falling becomes a very real problem in our senior years. Things that used to be a regular part of life can now bring fear and pain. Many elderly people need a cane, or walker or wheelchair to get around.
"the almond tree blossoms" - refers to the white hair of an elderly person. Personally I think white hair is beautiful. Elderly people are beautiful people!
"desire fails" - this refers to sexual desire. The years of child bearing are over and love between an elderly couple continues and is expressed in a variety of precious ways.
"eternal home" - death will come to each one of us in our own time and place and those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior will dwell with the Lord forever.

Verse 6-7 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
When we pass away, the soul separates from the body. The soul or spirit of a Christian goes straight into the presence of God in heaven as it says in verse 7 And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Conclusion

Verses 13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
So from this entire study we can see that God clearly understands our daily struggles in our senior years. May I encourage us all to trust Him with our lives whatever stage of life we are at. Settle it in your heart to trust him rain or shine, day in and day out, through the days of youth, through the childbearing years, through midlife, and through the senior years. It's only a matter of time till we all stand before God in heaven. It won't be long...... it really is only a matter of time!

My Prayer for you...

Dear Heavenly Father, Please be very near every elderly and senior person who is lonely and struggling with life. Wrap Your arms of love around them and carry them every day. Draw each one who reads this close to Yourself and bless them,
I ask in Jesus Name, Amen

The 666 Surveillance Tract ( Tracts - Part 2 )

Do you ever wonder what will happen in the future? Well, God has revealed the future to us in the Bible. Sharing these truths with an unsaved person can really encourage him or her to realize the urgent need of salvation in his/her life. That is why I would like to share this information on the 666 Surveillance tract with you.
Perhaps as you share this tract with your friends and family, the Lord will speak to them about the urgency to accept Christ as Savior into their own hearts and lives.

The tract I am speaking about is titled " The 666 Surveillance System", written by Dr John Mcternan from Defend Proclaim the Faith Please link to his website here: http://defendproclaimthefaith.org/blog/


Dr Mcternan has made the tract available for you to order or to print off yourself and share with your friends. Please link to the printable tract link below and read the entire tract :

http://www.defendproclaimthefaith.org/printable_pdf_tracts.html






Here is a portion of what Dr Mcternan has written in his tract. I would encourage you to go to his website and read the tract entirely.

Dr Mcternan writes the following:

666 Surveillance

System

( Where is the Internet Heading? )

There is not a more spine chilling chapter in the

entire Bible than Revelation 13. This chapter describes

a world dictator, who appears just prior to the Second

Coming of Jesus Christ. He is commonly known as the

Anti-Christ or the Beast. This Beast uses a universal

numbering system placed on people called “the Mark

of the Beast”. It is like a tattoo. No one can buy or sell

without this “Mark”. It seems that everyone knows

about the number 666, even those with little knowledge

of the Bible, as it is identified as the infamous

“devil's number”! This is probably one of the best

known verses in the entire Bible.

Revelation 13:16-18 And he causeth all … to receive

a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had

the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number

of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding

count the number of the beast: for it is the

number of a man; and his number is Six hundred

threescore and six (666).

For centuries, the fulfillment of these verses was a

mystery. No one could understand how a marking system

could control buying and selling throughout the

entire world. It no longer takes “simple faith” to believe

this, as the literal fulfillment is now coming together

with incredible speed right before your eyes!

Computers, Internet, Wi-Fi, social media, all modern

technology, plus worldwide trends, such as a one

world economic system and government, are creating

conditions that can fulfill Revelation 13:16-18. As the

Prophet Daniel wrote 2500 years ago, knowledge

would explode at the very time the 666 Surveillance

System is coming together.

Daniel 12:4 … and seal the book, even to the time of

the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge

shall be increased.

Today a person can use a credit card virtually any

place in the world. It has become the universal financial

instrument. This instrument is taken for granted,

but think how technologically advanced transactions

have become, when a person can make a purchase in a

foreign country without currency! And, this purchase

then is instantly registered and the funds withdrawn!

All merchandise now is identified with a RFID label or

the Quick Response (QR) Code for electronic tracking.

A smart phone can read the QR Code. IBM is now working

to identify and track every item manufactured and

sold in the world; this is in the trillions. Then it will be

very easy to match these items with the purchaser.

With the rapidly advancing technology, this is not far

off. The technological ability to operate a world-wide

cashless economic system is now in place for a good

percentage of the world. The elimination of cash is all

that is needed to bring this system on line. A worldwide

economic crisis could be the catalyst to set up

this system.

The Bible states that no one is going to buy or sell

without a “mark in the right hand or forehead”. This

“Mark” is in the advanced developmental stage with various

applications to put “electronic tattoos” on the

body. The idea is to merge technology with biotechnology.

The micro-electronics technology is called an epidermal

electronic system (EES). The idea is to have a

substance like silk laced microelectronics that dissolves

and leaves the circuits on the skin! This system

is planned to be tied into a universal Wi-Fi. With this

system in full operation, there will be real time monitoring

of everything being sold. No one will be able

buy or sell without government approval. It is on the

way!

Tied into the ability to control all buying and selling

will be the complete monitoring of everything concerning

you. The Mark of the Beast is a numbering system

and now through your Social Security Number, all

information about you can be monitored. You need

this number for everything from bank accounts to a

driver's license along with all medical information and

credit cards. Everything now revolves around your SSN.

With the technology coming, everything controlled by

the SSN will be centralized into one file and controlled

and updated in real time. This is not theory as this is

on the way.

Starting in 2013, the federal government will have

the Utah Data Center (UDC) in full operation. This is a

$2 billion complex with 100,000 square feet of computer

space. All of the Global Information Grid will

be routed through the UDC with computers that

can store yottabytes (10 to 24th power).

There is no higher magnitude!

Everything that is digitalized about you will be stored:

everything, down to parking tickets!

Nothing will be left out!

To handle this vast information, the computers will

operate at petaflop speed a second (10 to 15th power).

By 2013, the computers will operate at 20 petaflops!

They will break 256 bit encryption and nothing will be

hidden. To transmit this vast amount of information,

researchers invented chips with built-in lasers which

use multiple wavelengths of light that can transmit

data at terabit speeds. They are heading to create this

system so it operates in real time! It is not very far into

the future.

In addition to controlling buying and selling, we are

now heading into a time of a total surveillance society.

Every day surveillance cameras are being installed in

vast numbers throughout America. Every mall is under

total surveillance. By 2015, the government plans for

30,000 surveillance drones in the sky. There are now Xray

machines that can peer through the walls of your

home and auto. The government is using robot insects

wired with microphones for spying. There is now software

that allows tracking hundreds of cellphones at

once and as well reads tens of thousands of emails!

Homeland Security recently admitted monitoring Facebook

Twitter and Google.

All the high tech in your vehicle and cellphone can

easily be tracked and stored for your location. All this
will be stored in the UDC.

The Kristin Tract ( Tracts Part 1 )

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.

You may have heard of the Kristin tract. I would like to encourage everyone to take time to read the story of this beautiful young girl and then order some tracts for yourself to share with your family and friends. None of us knows how much time we or our friends have left here on this earth.
Please go to their website to read more and to order your tracts. Click the  following link:
http://www.kristinsfriends.com/blog/?attachment_id=16

Here is a glimpse of the Kristin tract as written by her parents:



The Kristin Tract - ( http://www.kristinsfriends.com/blog/?page_id=6 )




Good-bye Canadian Penny...

 

Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves....That is a quote my dad used to tell us.
Or another common saying is .... A penny saved is a penny earned! BUT...


A handful of Canadian pennies - my picture

....today we are saying good-bye to the penny here in Canada. To tell the truth, it is just a bit sad that we have come this far in our hurried lives and in our greed in this country. My local grocery store has not wanted to deal with pennies already for most of a year. They will always give or take, which ever is required so they can go with the nickel instead.  They tell me that at the end of the day when they add things up, it makes very little difference at all.
I have fond memories from my childhood saving up every penny in my little change purse and then the joy of going along to the store with my dad to get some toffee. Oh so good!!!
I was thinking about the penny earlier today and remembering how the penny was used in school to teach the value of each coin, ( the nickel, dime, and quarter) and the dollar bill. Yes, back then we had 1 dollar bills. Now of course we have the loonie ( which is $1 coin ) and the toonie ( which is the $2 coin). I began to wonder how the schools will teach the children what the value is of each coin. eg. the nickel is made up of 5 pennies - what will the teacher say now? The nickel is worth 5 pennies but the children will not even know what a penny is or was. This is a confusing thought.
I also heard on the radio today that there is now talk of getting rid of the nickel as well. What??  Call me old fashioned but I would rather keep things as they were in the old days...keep using the penny and the nickel!
 As Bible believing Christians, we know where this is all heading. Where you ask - to the cashless society and the mark of the beast. Someday no one will be using any real money at all. There will be no buying or selling except with the mark of the beast...666. None of God's people will take the 666 mark. Sadly those who accept this 666 mark will be doomed to hell.
Revelation 13:16-18  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone



The Canadian Penny - my picture

Here is a short piece on death of the penny from the GLOBE AND MAIL:

The penny is beginning to drop.

Canada’s most ubiquitous coin will play a dwindling part in everyday business beginning today, as Ottawa phases it out to cut costs. The passing of the penny will affect the full spectrum of the nation’s economy, from big banks to the corner store – forcing businesses and consumers to change some of their habits.



Some retailers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to revamp their cash-register systems to automatically round total cash purchases to the closest nickel and train staff about the changes.

But many smaller shops are far from prepared for the overhaul, and will count on cashiers to calculate the rounding manually, potentially slowing the checkout process.

Ditching the penny will inevitably cause confusion in the coming weeks as retailers adopt an array of different strategies to deal with the move. Discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp. will continue to take and give change in pennies until next month, when its systems will start to automatically round out total cash transactions (including tax) to the nearest five cents.

Grocery titan Loblaw Cos. Ltd. will begin this week rounding down cash purchases to the closest nickel. And Sears Canada Inc. is leaving its cashiers to manually figure out the rounding, without current plans to update its systems.

Most major retailers, including Tim Hortons, will round cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment. But the coffee chain, which still does most of its business in cash, will stop giving out pennies as change this week, although it still will accept them

The Royal Canadian Mint stopped producing new pennies in May. After Monday, it will stop shipping them to retailers and banks, saving the federal government about $11-million a year in production costs.

The move was announced nearly a year ago in the federal budget. Still, Canadians are mostly in the dark about the death of the penny, according to a recent poll commissioned by Home Depot Canada.

There is more to the story  link here : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/currencies/retailers-banks-and-shoppers-adjust-to-life-without-the-penny/article8155151/