Today is the official publishing day of this post.  I already tried scheduling this post in another editor that went out early.

I’ve mentioned multiple times that I feel our time left is short and that the rapture and the tribulation are coming soon.  I feel it with every ounce of my being.  I see it in the rush to evil around us.  I see Biblical prophecy coming to fulfillment and technologies that could not be fathomed 2,000 years ago coming into being in a way that will make prophecy possible.  The question is, what do we do with the time left to us?

### Don’t Be a Foolish Virgin

Matthew gives an analogy of believers waiting for Christs return:

> “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.  Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’  And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’  But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’  Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.  (Matthew 25:1-13)

Christians have been waiting for around 2,000 years for Christ’s return.  It is easy to get drowsy and begin to sleep due to the delay to His return, but we are called to be ready.  “*You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect*.” (Luke 12:40)  Our wait may be long or short, but we are supposed to live our lives like he will arrive today.  We don’t want to miss out on joining Him at His return, but we also don’t want to have to face Him knowing that we were not focused on what He had called us to do.  We don’t want to admit that we didn’t share the gospel to that friend, that we didn’t stand up for the truth when the crowd was speaking contrary to the word of God, or that we acted in an unloving way to fellow believers or to the lost.

The Bible clearly tells us that we “*do not know the day nor the hour*,” but that doesn’t mean that He has not given us signs that the time is short.

### What Should We Be Doing?

If Jesus is coming soon, how should we spend our time?  What should we be doing?  Should we just sit back and wait?

> For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.  For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.  Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.  But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-13)

The Bible is clear that we should work.  This not only means that we should not quit our jobs, but should continue working as we have been doing, but it also means we should put time and effort into kingdom work.  God has given each one of us a purpose and a job to do.  We should study His word and pray and keep our eyes open so we don’t miss out on what He intends as our purpose.  Another analogy is given in Matthew:

> “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.  Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.  In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.  But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.  The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.  And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.  Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.  Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.  Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  (Matthew 25:14-29)

God has given each of us different skills, gifts, and opportunities.  He wants us to make the most of them.  If God gave you skill in business, you can use your wealth to fund ministries, churches, and missionaries.  If God has gifted you with the ability to teach, you can disciple many to grow in their faith and knowledge of God.  If God has brought you into a relationship with someone influential, you can share the Gospel with them and be used to draw them into saving faith in Jesus.  Whatever skills, gifts, and opportunities God has given to you, you need to make the most of them.  You need to grow and make the most of what God has given you.

### What is the Best Use of Our Time and Money?

God wants us to shine a light for Him.  He wants us to make a difference.  There are many ways to do this and we can’t do them all.  We have to pick and chose what is God’s will and what will make the best use of what God has given us.

There are lots of good things we can do, but what is the best?

I used to focus on prepping to be able to provide for my family and others if times get bad.  That was good, but was it best?  I used to grow a garden and grow healthy food.  That was good, but was it the best?  I used to be highly involved in politics and worked hard to support and elect godly men and women into government positions where they could have a positive influence on our culture and our country.  That was good, but was it the best?

> According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.  For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

The best way to judge which actions are best is to see which actions have an eternal influence and to look and see what God is doing and to join His work.  The difference between gold & silver versus wood, hay, and straw is the gold & silver can survive fire.  Whether something is good or best depends on whether the action makes a difference in eternity.  Providing for my family and friend’s physical needs and health is good, but it doesn’t make an eternal difference.  Electing Godly officials makes life here on Earth better, but does it actually make a difference eternally?  Probably not.

What does make a difference?  Sharing the Gospel with others makes an eternal difference.  Standing up for the truth, especially the spiritual truths from the Bible, makes an eternal difference.  Writing a book or a blog sharing the truths of the Bible and Jesus makes an eternal difference.  I’ve tried to focus my time on this type of activity more than the former.  I don’t want one soul to go to Hell because I was too busy to share the Gospel.  I don’t want one Christian to regret their life on Earth because I was too busy to disciple them.  I don’t want to be like the man who received the single talent and buried it in the ground, who, when facing his master, was told, “You wicked, lazy slave.”

### What Is Most Important?

> “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

What are the most important things in our lives?  The most important things are people.

Some people in our lives have never heard about Jesus.  We need to share the gospel with them.

Some people in our lives are hurting and need to be helped and encouraged and taught to trust in Jesus.

Some people in our lives are new Christians or just immature Christians, who have trusted in Jesus, but haven’t grown much since salvation.  We need to teach and disciple them to grow in their understanding of God and who He is.  We need to build up their faith.  We need to encourage them to study the Bible.

Some people in our lives know God and His word, but are unsure how to live out their faith and share it with others.  We need to encourage them and train them, so they can multiply their faith among others in their lives.

What are you doing to make an eternal difference in service to our Lord Jesus Christ?  Are you one of the lazy, unprepared virgins?  Are you hiding the gifts God gave you in the ground or shining a light that can be seen by everyone around you?  Are you so busy doing good, that you don’t see God’s best?

Are you excited about meeting Jesus in the air at the rapture of the Church?  I am!  I hope you are, too.

[Trust Jesus](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).

your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

How should we be spending our time if we believe that Jesus will return soon?

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzdejx56rzd3cx5enjd3cwfncwp


My husband really likes the Kawasaki KLR650.  It is good on-road and off-road and has a very large gas tank, which is handy when it is a long ways to the nearest gas station.  The only pseudo-problem with it is that it is a little on the tall side.  It is taller than I am comfortable with, so if you have short legs, you might prefer something else.


I just happen to own the largest motorcycle dealership in Wyoming.


Wyoming is Constitutional carry, so no permit to carry a gun as long as you are not a felon.  (I'm not 100% on the rules for non-citizens)


Depends on where you live.  The Jackson Hole area is one of the most expensive in the country, but there are areas that are dirt cheap.  The only thing you have to do is verify that water is available.  You can buy vast acres of land for almost nothing, but they don't have water.


Right before going back to college, my son and I were talking.  I believe many (all?) religions other than Christianity and Judaism are instigated by demons or Satan.  Paul says,
"8But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8-9)
In Islam, I believe Mohamed was approached by an angel.  In Mormonism, Joseph Smith was approached by an angel that gave him new revelation.  Paul warned us that we couldn't trust anyone, not even an angel, if they gave us a new gospel.  He said they were to be accursed.

I do find it interesting that the two were misled in the same way even though the two are so different.  Islam is the face of hate and Mormons are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, but they are both misled by fallen angels contrary to the Word of God.

I've also wondered (speculation, not certainty) how every nation in the world could react simultaneously in such a harmful and tyrannical fashion to the covid "pandemic".  If most of the world's leaders were controlled by demons, it would explain a lot.  I don't know if it is true, but it would explain something that didn't make sense to me.


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


I was reading this article on Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov's arrest.
https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/pavel-durovs-arrest-intel-agency
The interesting thing actually wasn't directly related to his arrest.  The US is being thrown out of Niger because it isn't doing what it promised Niger to do.  A Niger officer said, "We respect America, we need their help. But this does not mean that we are ready listen to reproaches and accusations from incompetent people."

They clearly have zero respect for the US leadership.  John Leak then commented:
"The last sentence of the Niger official’s statement strikes me as going to the heart of the matter. The U.S. government under the Biden Administration has unlimited ambition to control the world coupled with unlimited financial resources, but is strangely bereft of competence. Probably never in the history of mankind has a parcel of incompetent nincompoops possessed so much power and ambition.
The timing of Pavel Durov’s arrest raises the suspicion it is a gambit to persuade him to grant French (and U.S.) authorities access to Telegram in order to monitor Russian military communications, as well as the communications of millions of others throughout the world whom Washington regards as presenting resistance to the U.S. national security state’s ambition for total global control."
I thought this was the most interesting thoughts gained from the article.#grownostr  #news  #newstr  #freespeech  #tyrants


And the Bibles says the end times will be the same as the days of Noah.  The saved with be taken away to the safety of heaven and those left will experience the 7 year tribulation where even those who become saved will suffer greatly and more than half will die.


Praying for her and your friend.  Praying for health, faith, blessings, and peace.


Very nice.


It isn't quite what you are looking for, but Zero Hedge posts their articles on nostr.  I think it might be automated, though.


That isn't my concern.  I tend to write long articles and write them ahead of publishing them on substack.  I repost to nostr (hopefully nostr will continue to grow and I might go nostr only).  Because my articles are long, I like to spread them out, otherwise they are likely to get ignored as too much at once.  When life gets busy (like being out of town), it is nice to have them scheduled and have them publish on their own at the right time.


Many of the best things in my life came from dark times.  I would never give up those hard times because I would lose the benefits I received through them.


If you don't want to be in the big cities, you might be better off in Wyoming than Colorado.  The Colorado state government has gone full tyrants, but haven't stopped Venezuelan gangs from taking over apartment complexes by force.  Also, Wyoming doesn't have a state income tax and has lower sales tax.  Of course Wyoming is a little colder and a lot windier, so you have to be tough.  Bonus is that Wyoming has so many areas where there are too few people around to care who you are or what you are doing there.  Make sure any place you find has proper water.


I finally figured out how to make my phone quit autocorrecting my husband's name to the wrong spelling.  It looked like I didn't know how to spell my own husband's name.  I hate autocorrect.  Marking things that it thinks are misspelled is great.  Changing words without my permission is infuriating.


I was right outside Paris a year or two before Notre Dame burnt down.  We decided we didn't have time to go into Paris and see Notre Dame that trip.  I know they are rebuilding, but I don't expect it to be the same.  It is so sad.


It is a blessing living where we can see wildlife regularly.


Thanks.  I'll try it out on my next article.


Thanks.  I very much appreciate that.


Makes as much sense and causes less harm.


This post was inspired by listening to a video by Jimmy Evans on his [Tipping Point Prophecy Update Substack](https://endtimes.substack.com/p/faith-perspective)

There are many things in our lives that seem like giants.  They may be people that influence us.  They may be people who are opponents in some way.  It may be circumstances or events.  These things have gigantic influence on us or overwhelm us.

What should our response be to giants in our life?  Let’s look at two events and how different people responded to the giants in their life.

## David & Goliath

Of course, when we think of giants, most of us think about Goliath first.  Most of us know the basics of the story, but let’s look at the details in the Bible to see what we can learn from them.

> Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.  He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.  He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.  The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.  He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” (1 Samuel 17:4-9)

The Bible says Goliath’s “*height was six cubits and a span*.”  If we take a cubit as 18 inches and a span as 6”, that makes him 9 foot 6 inches tall.  That is a tall and intimidating man.  He was also strong.  His armor weighed about 125 lbs.  When the Israeli army heard this challenge, not one soldier volunteered to face Goliath.  Not one believed they could win a fight with Goliath.

> When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:11)

Ironically, the one and only person who was willing to face off with this giant of a soldier, was a lad (probably a teenager).

> Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)

Why was David willing to fight this giant soldier?  Was this the bravado or foolishness of youth?  No.  What does David say?  “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

David was unafraid because he trusted God.  He knew the battle was the Lord’s.  He knew that God had promised to protect and guide Israel (the circumcised) against the Canaanites (the uncircumcised).  He knew that God would defend His honor.  David knew he didn’t have to fight the fight alone.  He relied on God.

> David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”  Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”  But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,  I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”  And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:32-37)

David once again spoke knowing God had promised Israel’s victory over the uncircumcised Philistines.  He also knew God would not allow His name to be taunted.  David had spent his whole life depending on God in difficult situations and knew that God would be with him in this battle, just like his battles with a bear and a lion.  Experience had taught him that God always fulfilled his promises and always won against those who did not believe in Him.  David did not let the taunting of an unfaithful giant intimidate him and he didn’t let the scorn of the King intimidate him.  He kept his eyes on God and trusted in Him alone.

>  Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.  This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,  and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

David did not just silently trust God.  He publicly proclaimed his trust in the “*Lord of Hosts*.”  He spoke up to let the Israelite army and the Philistine army know that it was God that was fighting for Israel and it was God who would win the battle despite the seeming obvious advantage Goliath had over David.

There is a reason David was called “*a man after God’s own heart*.”  He trusted in the strength of God instead of his own strength.  He knew that God was bigger than any giant.  He didn’t try to win in his own strength or wisdom.  He relied 100% on God.  We should do the same.

### Spy out the Land of Canaan

There is another time that the Bible talks about the Israelites facing giants.  This is when the Israelites were led from bondage in Egypt to the promised land.  When they arrived God tested the Israelites to see if they would put their trust in Him or if they would rely on themselves alone.

> Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying,  “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”  (Numbers 13:1-2)

God didn’t need the Israelites to check things out.  He knew the situation and He knew what He would do.  This was a test, to see if they would finally put their faith in Him after all of the miracles that He had done for them.

> See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many.  How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications? (Numbers 13:18-19)

The Israelites were shown both the blessings God had offered to them if they put their faith in Him and the challenges they must face through God’s power.

> When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.  Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.  Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. (Numbers 13:25-28)

Unfortunately, although most of the leaders saw the blessing, they were terrified by the challenges.  They rightly knew they couldn’t conquer Canaan on their own, but they wrongly failed to trust in God’s promise to provide the land to them.  Despite all of the blessings and miracles that God had shown them, they failed to put their trust in Him.

> Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

There were two men, however, who trusted in God’s power and His promises.  Caleb and Joshua trusted God’s promises and looked at the blessings God had promised them and saw them as being as already received because of God’s promise.  They knew they didn’t have to conquer Canaan on their own.  They knew they could trust God to accomplish what He had promised.

> But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.”  So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.  There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”  (Numbers 13:31-33)

The rest of the leaders saw the Nephilim (giants) as bigger than God and therefore the land as unconquerable.  Who do you see as bigger?  Do you truly see the awesome power of God and His ability to do anything He wishes?  Do you trust God to keep all of His promises?

> Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” (Numbers 14:6-9)

Joshua and Caleb not only trusted God, they defended His honor.  They tore their clothes in remorse at their fellow Israelites not having faith in God.  They begged their fellow Israelites not to “ *rebel against the Lord*.”  They advised their fellow Israelites that “*the Lord is with us; do not fear them*.”  They not only walked in faith, but also encouraged others to do the same.

### What Are Your Giants?

In these two examples, people were dealing with real, live giants, but there are many giants in our lives.  Is your giant persecution for your faith?  Is your giant health problems for you or your loved ones?  Is your giant loneliness?  Is your giant financial problems?

Whatever giant you are facing, God is bigger; God is smarter; and God is stronger.  With God on your side, you don’t need to fear anything or anyone.  You can trust His promises.  You can trust His plans.  You can trust that everything will work out in the end.

There may be things in your life that you can’t handle, but there is nothing that the God and Creator of the universe can’t handle.  If you put your faith in Him, then nothing can overcome you.

Trust Jesus.  In everything trust Jesus.  He will never let you down.

Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

Using how different people in the Bible dealt with facing actual giants to help us to face the "giants" (seemingly unsurmountable problems) in our lives.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzdejx5crywp38yerxv33cmvq6z


I’ve mentioned multiple times that I feel our time left is short and that the rapture and the tribulation are coming soon.  I feel it with every ounce of my being.  I see it in the rush to evil around us.  I see Biblical prophecy coming to fulfillment and technologies that could not be fathomed 2,000 years ago coming into being in a way that will make prophecy possible.  The question is, what do we do with the time left to us?

## Don’t Be a Foolish Virgin

Matthew gives an analogy of believers waiting for Christs return:

> *“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.  Now **while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep**.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’  And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and **those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast**; and the door was shut. 11Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’  But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’  **Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour**.*  (Matthew 25:1-13)  {emphasis mine}

Christians have been waiting for around 2,000 years for Christ’s return.  It is easy to get drowsy and begin to sleep due to the delay to His return, but we are called to be ready.  “*You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.*” (Luke 12:40)  Our wait may be long or short, but we are supposed to live our lives like he will arrive today.  We don’t want to miss out on joining Him at His return, but we also don’t want to have to face Him knowing that we were not focused on what He had called us to do.  We don’t want to admit that we didn’t share the gospel to that friend, that we didn’t stand up for the truth when the crowd was speaking contrary to the word of God, or that we acted in an unloving way to fellow believers or to the lost.

The Bible clearly tells us that we “*do not know the day nor the hour*,” but that doesn’t mean that He has not given us signs that the time is short.

## What Should We Be Doing?

If Jesus is coming soon, how should we spend our time?  What should we be doing?  Should we just sit back and wait?

> > *For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.  For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.  Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.  But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.* (2 Thessalonians 3:10-13)

The Bible is clear that we should work.  This not only means that we should not quit our jobs, but should continue working as we have been doing, but it also means we should put time and effort into kingdom work.**  God has given each one of us a purpose and a job to do.  We should study His word and pray and keep our eyes open so we don’t miss out on what He intends as our purpose.  Another analogy is given in Matthew:

> > “*For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.  Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.  In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.  But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.*

*> *“Now after a long time the master of those slaves \*came and \*settled accounts with them.  The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’*

*> *“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’*
>
>  *“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.  And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’*
>
>  *“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.  Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.  Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’*

*> *“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.  Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth*.  (Matthew 25:14-29)

God has given each of us different skills, gifts, and opportunities.  He wants us to make the most of them.  If God gave you skill in business, you can use your wealth to fund ministries, churches, and missionaries.  If God has gifted you with the ability to teach, you can disciple many to grow in their faith and knowledge of God.  If God has brought you into a relationship with someone influential, you can share the Gospel with them and be used to draw them into saving faith in Jesus.  Whatever skills, gifts, and opportunities God has given to you, you need to make the most of them.  You need to grow and make the most of what God has given you.

## What is the Best Use of Our Time and Money?

God wants us to shine a light for Him.  He wants us to make a difference.  There are many ways to do this and we can’t do them all.  We have to pick and chose what is God’s will and what will make the best use of what God has given us.

There are lots of good things we can do, but what is the best?

I used to focus on prepping to be able to provide for my family and others if times get bad.  That was good, but was it best?  I used to grow a garden and grow healthy food.  That was good, but was it the best?  I used to be highly involved in politics and worked hard to support and elect godly men and women into government positions where they could have a positive influence on our culture and our country.  That was good, but was it the best?

> > *According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.  For **no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ**.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and **the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work**.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire*. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)  {emphasis mine}

The best way to judge which actions are best is to see which actions have an eternal influence and to look and see what God is doing and to join His work.  The difference between gold & silver versus wood, hay, and straw is the gold & silver can survive fire.  Whether something is good or best depends on whether the action makes a difference in eternity.**  Providing for my family and friend’s physical needs and health is good, but it doesn’t make an eternal difference.  Electing Godly officials makes life here on Earth better, but does it actually make a difference eternally?  Probably not.

What does make a difference?  Sharing the Gospel with others makes an eternal difference.  Standing up for the truth, especially the spiritual truths from the Bible, makes an eternal difference.  Writing a book or a blog sharing the truths of the Bible and Jesus makes an eternal difference.  I’ve tried to focus my time on this type of activity more than the former.  I don’t want one soul to go to Hell because I was too busy to share the Gospel.  I don’t want one Christian to regret their life on Earth because I was too busy to disciple them.  I don’t want to be like the man who received the single talent and buried it in the ground, who, when facing his master, was told, “*You wicked, lazy slave.*”

## What Is Most Important?

> > *“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But **store up for yourselves treasures in heaven**, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also*. (Matthew 6:19-21)  {emphasis mine}

What are the most important things in our lives?  The most important things are people.

- Some people in our lives have never heard about Jesus.  We need to share the gospel with them.

- Some people in our lives are hurting and need to be helped and encouraged and taught to trust in Jesus.

- Some people in our lives are new Christians or just immature Christians, who have trusted in Jesus, but haven’t grown much since salvation.  We need to teach and disciple them to grow in their understanding of God and who He is.  We need to build up their faith.  We need to encourage them to study the Bible.

- Some people in our lives know God and His word, but are unsure how to live out their faith and share it with others.  We need to encourage them and train them, so they can multiply their faith among others in their lives.

What are you doing to make an eternal difference in service to our Lord Jesus Christ?  Are you one of the lazy, unprepared virgins?  Are you hiding the gifts God gave you in the ground or shining a light that can be seen by everyone around you?  Are you so busy doing good, that you don’t see God’s best?

Are you excited about meeting Jesus in the air at the rapture of the Church?  I am!  I hope you are, too.

Trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated


I was trying out a new long form note editor that supposedly had the ability to schedule publishing.  It didn't work, It published when I hit post and not when I scheduled.  I'm still in the market for an editor that will let me schedule when a post goes live.

Habla.news will let me get it ready ahead of time and all I have to do is click publish.  That is the best I've found.  Highligher.io, which I used for this post, also won't let me do block quotes which I use a bunch, so I'm probably back to  Habla.  Highlighter does keep the headings, bold, and italics from the substack editor that I copy from and easily does lists, so that was nice, but quotes are such a big part of my posts, that not allowing quotes is a nonstarter for me.


When you look at how things actually work in the US rather than the forms that are still claimed, I'd argue we are no longer a republic, a democratic republic, or a democracy.  We are a tyrannical oligarchy.

The Democrats, that verbally hold democracy so high, are the least democratic of them all.  They actively try to destroy every vestige of democracy or a democratic republic.  They don't want the people choosing anything and they abhor the limitations put on them by the Constitution that defines the Republic.

The Republicans are also terrible, but they tend to look quite good in comparison in the same way poop looks good compared to diarrhea.  (Sorry for the grossness)


When I was a kid, my Dad said most people are stupid.  I thought he was being egotistical.  Sadly, I've found out he is right.  Even more sadly, in his old age he has become a blind follower rather than a thinker and has become what he used to mock.


Yes.

And a corollary would be, there are no rights that allow you to take from someone else what they worked for.  All rights do not cost others anything.  If someone else has to pay for what you want, it isn't a right.  It is theft.


I like it.


I've never heard of worldschooling.  With all of the globalist stuff it sounds awful, but that probably doesn't have anything to do with it.

When it comes to different forms of homeschooling (used generically), different styles work for different kids and different styles work for different families.  The nice thing about homeschooling is you can customize so it is optimized and it works best for each family and each child.  What worked for my genius, but borderline autistic, son would not work for my son with Down Syndrome and vice-versa.  I've been able to optimize for each.  I love it.

I tend to think whatever grows their love of learning is the best approach.  We all learn best when we enjoy learning.  We all have different strengths, weaknesses, interests, and learning styles.


When someone is silenced, it not only affects the speaker, it also infringes on the rights of those who want to listen.


I'm all for everyone being able to speak no matter how wrong they are, no matter how hateful they are, and no matter how evil I believe they are.  On the other hand, I have the right to not listen, read, or watch them and should have the right to turn them off for me.  They shouldn't be able to force me to listen any more than I should be able to silence them.


Thanks.  Well said.

I have a love/hate hope/fear relationship with AI.  It can be useful for so many things, but can be misused for so much evil.  I was recently  reading about test subjects becoming addicted to (in love with) the talking version of chat AI.  It is always there.  It always listens.  It usually says what the user wants it to say.  Reading about it was kind of scary.  I don't know what the answer is.


Definitely an oldie, but goodie.


I don't know why, most aren't very good, but I do really enjoy a good disaster movie, whether it is a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, volcano, or asteroid, or something else.


If you actively work towards your goals, you have a good chance of accomplishing them.  Yes, there are some goals that are hard to attain like wanting to be a NBA player or wanting to be a Billionaire, but even there, working towards the goal can help you.  You might get a college scholarship for playing college basketball or become a multi-millionaire, but not a billionaire.

On the other hand, if you are a victim and view every failure through victimhood, you will be a failure all your life, guaranteed.


The ending was hilarious when the guys says, "Don't deport me, but Americans eat like they have free healthcare."

It is so frustrating because even things like meat and vegetables are getting contaminated with GMOs, mRNA jabs, toxic coatings, toxic pesticides & herbicides, etc.  You almost can't trust any food you don't raise or grow yourself and that is hard to do.


Can LLMs actually tell the difference between facts and opinions (or interpretations) or does it just "believe" what it is told?  Too many people today don't know the difference.


We used to sell them, but had to stop because of the legal issues.  I think we may still have a few boxes of them in the basement.


and when I'm still not sure if they are right, I see if my dog likes them or not.  :)


That is good.


I like this C.S. Lewis quote because it is so true:
"
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under
robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber
baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point
be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment
us without end for they do so with the approval of their own
conscience."


The problem comes, not just from foreigners being unwilling to buy new debt, but when they decide they no longer want to hold or use dollars.  When all of those foreign holdings come home, the USD becomes almost worthless as too many dollars chase the little we still produce.


I love the sunflowers.  I've become a big fan of sunflowers.  They are so cheerful.  They make me smile.


I agree, but I seem to have a mental block where running is concerned.  I could play midfielder in soccer which causes you to run non-stop for an hour while chasing a ball, but you tell me to run on a track or a trail and I think I'm going to die in about 15 seconds.  I will never be a runner.

On the other hand I dash everywhere.  I dash to the door.  I dash to the printer.  I dash downstairs and back upstairs.  I move a lot and fast, but don't tell me to run.


I have a love/hate, hope/fear relationship with AI.  As I learn more about it I see so many wonderful things it can do to make work easier.  Also, as I learn more about AI, I see all of the horrible ways it can be misused.  I also see the ways it can go very wrong.  I'm very torn.


Some manipulation wouldn't surprise me, but also, as bitcoin becomes more mainstream, it makes sense that it would become more stable.  I still expect it to increase in purchasing power, but it likely won't skyrocket as fast/high or plummet as low.  I think it reasonable to expect a more steady climb, but don't surprised if we still get some spikes and troughs.


So much truth in this post.  Those calling for "free" stuff and taxing the rich need to keep this in mind.


Reading, writing, and teaching, especially Biblical truths.

My areas of passion are science that supports the Bible, the absolute sovereignty of God, and end times prophecy (new interest because it seems to be nearing).

Where teaching is concerned, I have an especial passion for teaching teens and young adults, probably because they are old enough to understand deeper discussion, but young enough to still have most of their life ahead of them.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


I definitely prefer physical books, but if you carry a phone it is handy to have a bible handy at all times.

The small Bibles are nice to have, but as I have gotten older, my eyes have gotten worse.  Carrying a small Bible that has writing so small I can't read it doesn't do me any good.


I like liberty in general, but my eldest son is attending Liberty University right now and I really like the Liberty University.


There was a prophecy made centuries ago that the 112th pope would join the Anti-Christ in his evil works during the tribulation.  This prophecy is not Scripture and shouldn't be treated as such, but  Pope Francis is the 112th pope and he does seem to put earthly things above godly things and in my opinion is an evil anti-christian, so the prophecy seems believable.  I think Pope Francis is 87.  If so, that means the rapture and the tribulation are soon.  (So many other things are also pointing to them being immanent.)


Wow!  Tyrants just have to tyrant.  It is their nature and overwhelms all logic.


I have a bible app on my phone so I always have a bible with me.

I use the "Grace to You Bible App from John MacArthur.  It has the King James Version (KJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the English Standard Bible (ESV).  The Bible only is free.  You can get all of John MacArthur's study notes if you pay a small fee.  My husband has paid for the notes because they are very good.

John MacArthur is very knowledgeable biblically and is willing to stand up to tyranny.  He refused to close his church in California during Covid despite threats of fines and jail time and eventually won in the courts.  They made an amazing movie about His church's stance called "The Essential Church".  I highly recommend it.


wss://creatr.nostr.wine

wss://creatr.nostr.wine

#nostr #relay #grownostr


Good advice


That is one reason I like when you can give different responses to a post.  When someone posts that something terrible happened or points our the evils being perpetrated by our government, I don't want to click a heart or a like, but I agree and think the post is important.  I fret on whether I should "like" something so horrible in order to let the poster know that his post is acknowledged.


I know you are frustrated right now, but you have a plan and a direction you are working towards.  You can see some good things coming and can see your coming ability to do some good things (for your parents).  The transition may be painful, but the good thing is you are heading in the right direction.  Be thankful that you aren't one of the people who are being pushed along by the stream of life with no direction, no purpose, and no idea why things aren't going as they hoped.

Lean on God and watch for the wonderful things He is doing in your life.


We can't work our way to heaven, but if we have truly trusted in Jesus as savior, the works  will abound.


Much of the evil in this world is caused by good intentions and beliefs that sound really nice.  When good intentions and nice sounding beliefs are divorced from truth and logic, they can cause more harm than that caused by those trying to cause harm.

I like this quote by C.S. Lewis
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under
robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber
baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point
be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment
us without end for they do so with the approval of their own
conscience."


If I was judging English purely based on what I see of the English used in America today and using your theory, I would think it was an intentionally simple language created to mislead people and to limit nuance of thought.


If you have trouble remembering your 9 times tables, use your fingers.

9x1 Put down your first finger.  There are no fingers to the left (tens)  and 9 (ones) to the right, so the answer is 9.
9x2 Put down your 2nd finger.  There is one finger to the left (tens) and 8(ones) to the right. 1-8 is 18
9x3. Put down your 3rd finger.  There are 2 fingers to the left (tens) and 7 fingers to the right (ones). 27
...
9x9 Put down your 9th finger.  There are 8 fingers to the left (tens) and 1 finger to the right (ones). 81
9x10 Put down your 10th finger.  There are 9 fingers to the left (tens) and 0 fingers to the right (ones). 90


English is so imprecise.  It also only has one word for love where most languages have many different words.  I'm sure there are lots of other examples.


### The Contradiction?

At first glance the Bible seems contradictory when it commands us regarding fear.  It says:

> Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

but it also says:

> The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  (Proverbs 1:7)

Which is it?  Are we to be afraid or not?  Are we to fear God or fear nothing?

Like other places in the Bible where there seems to be a contradiction, when the Bible is taken as a whole, there is no contradiction.  The issue is more what we fear rather than whether we are afraid or not.

We’ll go through a bunch of verses and see what the Bible says so we can work out what the Bible really says about fear.

### Fear God

Let’s start with the verse we already read:

> The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  (Proverbs 1:7)

If we want to grow in wisdom and knowledge, the Bible tells us we must fear God.  What does this mean.

I’ll start with a line out of the The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.  Lewis uses his character, a lion named Aslan, as a Christ-type.  The Pevensy children are just learning about Aslan and this conversation occurs:

> “Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

This was C.S. Lewis’s way of telling kids about Jesus and a proper fear of Him.  The God of the Bible isn’t safe, but He is good.  We should fear Him because of His holiness, His omniscience, and omnipotence, but we also can trust Him because of His goodness and mercy.  We can trust Him because He knows all things and controls all things and nothing is out of His control.

Too often today, people treat God as either their buddy or their magic, wish-granting genie.  Both are totally wrong.

Yes, God is loving, but bringing Him down to our level is not treating Him with the awe He deserves.  We serves such an awesome God that we can’t fathom how good and powerful He is.  He always should be honored, respected, and feared even knowing how much He loves us.

As young kids, we knew our parents loved us, but we also feared them when we did wrong.  We feared punishment.  We feared their disappointment.  We feared what they were able to do to us.   We loved our parents, but they were not our buddies.  God is so much more than our earthly parents.  He is so much more holy.  He is so much more knowledgeable.  He is so much more powerful.  He needs to be treated with orders of magnitude more respect and fear than our parents were.

God also isn’t a magic, wish-granting genie that has to give us whatever we wish for.  Yes, God gives believers many good things they ask for, but He only gives us those things that fulfill His will.  He only gives us those things that are for our good and that enable us for the ministry He has for us.

> You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:3)

We need to fear the God of the Bible because “… *He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power*.” (Hebrews 1:3a)  We owe Him our very existence and shouldn’t try to use Him for our convenience.  We should fear what He could do to us if we don’t show Him the respect and honor He deserves.

There are many verses that tell us we must “fear God” or speak well of “fear of the Lord.”  When Peter is commanding believers what they should do, “fear God” is among the commands.

> Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17)

Solomon, immediately after becoming king, was asked by God what he would like to receive from God.  Solomon asked for wisdom.  He started his kingship with great wisdom that was sought after not only by the people of Israel, but by world leaders.  Unfortunately, his wealth and power led him astray and he went seeking fulfillment in things other than God.  At the end of his life, he wrote Ecclesiastes, where he lamented the vanity of everything he had tried and ended with this wisdom:

> The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

The wisest man of all time (not counting Jesus) came to the conclusion that the key to wisdom and happiness was to “*fear God and keep His commandments*.”  Solomon also says:

> Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13)

I love how he says this, “*it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly*."  Do you fear God?  Do you openly fear God?  Solomon also effectively says that a man is evil because he does not fear God.  It is our fear of God that keeps us on the straight path.

We are called to fear God here, today, but everyone will fear God eventually.  Revelation says:

> and he (an angel) said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” (Revelation 14:7) {Clarification mine}

When we fear Him today, we are blessed.  If we wait till His judgement, we will know the ultimate fear as we face the wrath of the holy, creator God that we rejected.  I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

> O taste and see that the Lord is good;

How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

O fear the Lord, you His saints;

For to those who fear Him there is no want. (Psalms 34:8=9)

Fear God now, so you don’t have to fear God at the judgement.

### Fear Not

Although the Bible repeatedly tells us to “fear God” or that “fear of the Lord” is a beneficial thing, it also tells us as often to “fear not” or “do not be afraid.”  Now we will look at some of what the Bible says about not being afraid.

> “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;But you will forget the shame of your youth,And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. (Isaiah 54:4)

Much of our fear relates to shame and humiliation.  We all want to be thought well of by our friends, family, God, and even total strangers.  Strangely fear of humiliation may even be greater than our fear of worse things like sickness and death.  Fear of shame and humiliation is also more harmful.  It frequently leads us astray.

Fear of embarrassment almost always leads us into sin, so God tells us to “*Fear not, for you will not be put to shame*.”  This promise doesn’t mean we will never be embarrassed or nobody will ever think poorly about us.  It does mean that faith in Jesus and faithfulness in following Him will lead us to the right words and actions.  It means we will act correctly and we will not need to be ashamed of ourselves.  It means we will be right with God, and being right with God is better than all the praise in the world.

> For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’  (Isaiah 41:13)

Another reason to not fear is that, if we have trusted Jesus as Savior, we have God’s help and protection in all that we do.  “*What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?*” (Romans 8:31)  If we are on God’s side, then we are on the winning side and there is no reason to fear anything, including persecution and death. God will always be with us.  “*The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you*.” (Philippians 4:9)

Many times we fear that our physical needs will not be met, but Matthew says:

> “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:25,30-33)

God provides for all of our needs.  He knows our needs more than we know them ourselves.  He knows the best way to provide for our needs, whether physical, spiritual, emotional, or social.  He will provide all that we need, but rarely simply what we want.  He looks at eternity and knows what is good for our long-term good and provides for eternity.  Our eternal good only rarely aligns with our momentary comfort.  Still, if we trust God and seek His guidance, we will find joy in His providence, His chastisement, and His will.

If you have trusted Jesus as Savior, you also have the Comforter (Holy Spirit) who will provide for you, empower you, and guide you.  He is with you and always listening to the cry of your heart.

> You have heard my voice,“Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,From my cry for help.”You drew near when I called on You;You said, “Do not fear!” (Lamentations 3:56-57)

If you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is nothing you need to fear.

> There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

If you haven’t trusted Jesus as your creator God and Savior, you have everything to fear.

> “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

Being a born-again, child of God is all that matters. With God we don’t need to fear anything else.

### The Right Fear

In conclusion, if you don’t fear God, you must fear everything else.  You will fear financial failure, being unpopular, relationship failure, illness, accidents, attacks, etc.  Everything is a danger to you and there is nothing you can count on.  On the other hand, if you fear God, then you don’t need to fear anything else.  God takes care of His own.  He has a plan that will be fulfilled even if the whole world fights against it.

We aren’t promised an easy time, but we are promised His eternal good for us.  He does promise us that good wins in the end.  He does promise us an eternity with Him in heaven with no more sin, suffering, or sadness.

> What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?  (Romans 8:31-32)

Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,

Christy

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

For more posts check out and subscribe to my [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).

The Bible says "Fear Not", but it also says "Fear God."  Which is it?  I go through multiple verses to determine what the Bible really says about what we should fear.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzdejxsmnxvee8qcnxwfkzdv57u


It would be tricky.  I store it in glass jars which break and you want to keep it in a good temperature range.  Too hot or cold could kill the live cultures and being in warmth could cause culture growth which would build up pressure and could cause a jar to explode.

I love the idea, but I already have way more responsibilities than I can handle at the moment.


Exactly.  Lowfat yogurt, which also isn't fermented long enough, is thin and runny so they add a bunch of thickeners (the most common is a carcinogen) and other additives to make up for the poor quality.  Yuck!


I make my own yogurt using a sous vide stick heater and quart canning jars (with lid but not ring on top).  This way I can use what ever dairy I want.  (I use whole goat milk because of some food sensitivities).  I get to pick the bacterial strains I want for gut health.  I "cook" the  yogurt for 36 hours instead of 4 hours.  Since bacteria double over time, that means my yogurt has several orders of magnitude more live cultures than normal yogurt.  I also add 2+ Tbs of prebiotic powder to feed the cultures during the long ferment.

It makes great, thick (without thickener) yogurt that tastes great and is healthier.  I used recipes out of the book "Super Gut" by William Davis, M.D.

I have found that the first batch made with the dairy, probiotics, & prebiotics, tends to have a slightly off texture (curds and whey).  When made with a couple tablespoons of the previous yogurt, it comes out thick and awesome.  If you keep things sterile so you don't get contamination you can use the old yogurt indefinitely,  I make 2 quarts at a time.  When I eat it for breakfast in the morning, I add a tsp of prebiotic, some freeze dried pomegranate powder, and a few drops of vanilla stevia.  It is great, low carb, and not overly sweet like grocery store yogurt.


We always used the broom handle approach.  Hold the rooster/chicken upside down by the feet.  The broom handle goes across their neck (usually held with foot/feet.  A quick yank, breaks their neck.  If you yank too hard, the whole head comes off (plus or minus depending on your perspective), then hang to bleed out.

₿äretta 🐻❄🇨🇿


Your garden looks great.

I pretty much took a break from gardening this year.  I still had some of my perennials produce, but raccoons got a lot of the fruit. (apples, currants, strawberries, & cherries).


My first book is submitted for publishing, but not available yet and I'm already working on the rest.  I woke early this morning and decided to design a cover.  I've written the majority of the book, but struggling a bit with organizing my conclusion.  I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Once I get the book basically written, it seems to take more time reviewing, tweaking, and formatting than to write the whole book, so there is no telling how long it will take for this new book to be ready to publish.  Hopefully I can pull it off before the end of the year.

Now that I am going back to homeschooling and other responsibilities, I am going to have to be really organized to stay focused and get this done.


You have to pick relays to get information.  You can check out the global feed and follow people who talk about things that interest you (and block anyone you don't want to see).  You can use tags like #grownostr  to find interesting subjects.  The #grownostr  tag is for posts that don't discuss bitcoin.  Once you find people that post things that interest you, you can check out who those people follow to find others with similar interests.  Over time your feed will get better and better.

You will also get more out of nostr if you post interesting stuff and if you respond to others and get conversations going.  Nostr is better than most social media for deeper conversations.  People are also usually friendly and even people who disagree are usually polite.


He is a truly amazing young man.  He makes me look like a really good Mom, but I think it is more who he is.

When I get to feeling a little too smug about my parenting skills, my youngest does something awful like take off his shoe and throw it and hit someone in the back of the head with it.  He is my little humbler.


I agree on college.  I've told people for a while that kids shouldn't go to college unless they know why they need college for their chosen career and have verified that the time and money are worth any benefit.  Obviously some careers require it, but most do not.

I knew there were issues with colleges being woke and not being as rigorous as when I was in college, but when we actually started looking, it was almost impossible to find a decent college.

Liberty University has been a wonderful blessing, but it is almost impossible for us to get between Lynchburg, VA, and where we live.  Originally I had told my son I wanted him to pick a college that was within a one day's drive from home because the world was getting so messed up.  It could be a very long day's drive if necessary.  We didn't find a single college we liked in that range, so he is at Liberty.


I had a very good first day back homeschooling my special needs son.  Hopefully things will continue just as well all year long.

It also seems like he has made enough progress that it doesn't seem like he digressed as much this summer as he used to.


I hope so, but just don't know.

Last time he was a bit naïve and trusted some untrustworthy people.  I'm hoping he learned his lesson, but only time will tell.


The marxists think they are so moral but their whole theory is based on fueling envy and stealing from those who worked for stuff to give it to those who didn't work for it.  They promote theft and slavery.  The foundation of their system is theft and slavery.  That is never moral.


I was always partial to my Timex watch.  I like the indiglo.

I'll admit I have a Garmin VivoSmart at the moment.  It was the only watch I could find that I could turn bluetooth and wifi off, but would do a decent job of tracking my sleep because I was having some significant sleep issues and wanted to figure things out.  I like being able to track sleep and steps, but I really miss my old Timex watch.  I might go back.

FYI, my garmin is linked to an email that isn't used for anything else, so it isn't tracking me like most smart watches.


You know I'm done flying.


He got a 35 out of 36 on the ACT.  At Liberty University that gets you free tuition.  He also qualified for the honors program that gives him $4000 towards room and board.  That makes college worthwhile.  Also, Liberty is not woke.  It is one of a very few about which that can be said.


Welcome


All sin is usurping the place of God.  It is saying, "I know better than God." or "What I want is more important than what God wants."  When you look at sin this way, it opens your eyes to how bad even "little" sins are.


Why would anyone loan money to people to get that kind of degree.  Eveyone taking those courses is making themselves unemployable because no employer in their right mind (yes there are mega-corps that are into this nonsense) would hire any of these people who have been taught to be victims and to sue anyone who looks at them sideways or expects any work out of them.


My eldest son, who was homeschooled, takes being called weird as the highest compliment.  He doesn't want to be normal.  Normal people tend to be unable to think for themselves and emotionally messed up.

When I pulled my son out of school to homeschool him, we attended a homeschool, back-to-school event at a park.  The weather was going back and forth between hot and cold.  I told my 3rd grade son that it was a little cool.  He needed to wear shoes and socks, not just sandals.  He came out wearing athletic shorts, a polo style collared shirt, socks pulled almost up to his knees, and sandals.  I asked him if he really wanted to go dressed like that.  Some kids might think he was weird.  He replied, "Mom, everyone knows I'm weird."  I acquiesced.  I didn't want to train him to be influenced by peer pressure.  He has stayed sure of who he is and can't be pressured into changing.  I respect that about him.

FYI, he's in college on a full-ride scholarship getting a double major in computer science and math, so he is doing alright.


Worse than nothing.  It is backed by debt, so there is not enough money in existence to pay back the debt plus interest.  This means all of the wealth in the world is slowly being transferred to the bankers through interest payments removing the wealth we think we have.  Money created out of nothing would be much less harmful.


JP Sears always helps understand facts in a way that we laugh instead of cry.  I like him.


They no longer feel they need to hide their tyrannical tendencies.  The whole west has gone full tyrant.


Sounds like lots of fun.  I wish I was closer.  This event is in PA

nostr:nevent1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qg4waehxw309ahx7um5wghx77r5wghxgetk9uq3qamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wd4hk6tcpr4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezucnfw33k76twv4ezuum0vd5kzmp0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfnj7qgwwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkctcpremhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet59uq3kamnwvaz7tmhdpjkzapwdpshqurew3shvetjdchxxme0qqs8229f8khy0fauzsj9ccaqrjs7640va030urqmd0j0sf7lefkfrggalcga3


In celebration of my new paperback coming out hopefully this week, I have made a smashwords coupon where the ebook is available free.  I just ask that you review the book.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1589238

https://image.nostr.build/1855868293abd1095421c81bd160be7fbeff12a7d43218b3387ca27dc4628576.jpg


Tempting.  I grew up in the South so I've definitely said my share of Y'alls.  I worked hard to get rid of my southern accent for some reason.  I can't do it at will, but if I hang with southerners (especially Georgians or Texans), it will come back.  I also get a lot of twang when I read Mark Twain out loud.  He writes in southern.  My son used to love having me read Mark Twain out loud.


I don't do social media on my phone.  It keeps me grounded.  It is too tempting to spend too much time on line as it is.


Revelation
Daniel
Ezekiel
etc.


There are a lot of them.

They always made me feel a little uncomfortable, but the more I learn about God's holiness, the more it makes sense to me.


Same


I just submitted the paperback version of my book, “Why I Need Jesus” for publication.  I’ll be releasing links to where it will be available for purchase.  I’m thinking it will start being available in the next day or two, but this is my first paperback book, so I’ll see.

https://image.nostr.build/1855868293abd1095421c81bd160be7fbeff12a7d43218b3387ca27dc4628576.jpg


I guess the right prayer would be to ask for repentance or justice as the Lord wills.


So true.

I think I have been so focused on end times prophecy and it all ending, that I have pulled back a little too much from the here and now especially where the world, my nation, and politics are concerned.

On the other hand my focus on end times has made me more aware that I need to be witnessing and discipling and bringing people to Jesus because the time is short.


Great idea!


All of us, when considering “what is good?” end up using the wrong measuring stick.  We measure ourselves by the people around us rather than by God’s standard written in the Bible or by Jesus’s example given when He lived a perfect, sinless life as a man.  We fail to judge correctly.  We like to say like the Pharisees:

> The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.   (Luke 18:11)

### What Measuring Reference?

More than anything we all like to think of ourselves as “good” people and as “better” than others, but we forget what the Bible says about us and righteousness:

> As it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one;

There is none who understands,

There is none who seeks for God;

All have turned aside, together they have become useless;

There is none who does good,There is not even one.”  (Romans 3:10-12)

Even if we are better than some others (at least in certain areas), that doesn’t make us good.  “*There is none who does good, There is not even one*.”

I think part of thinking we are “good” people is the way we compare ourselves to others (rather than to God, as we should).  We compare ourselves to the worst, to make us look better.  We pick the areas that are our strengths and compare it to those who are weak in those areas, but then we avoid comparing our weak areas to their strengths.  When we have an area where we are weak, we usually either make excuses or put on blinders so we can’t see our own weaknesses.

> For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.  But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.   (2 Corinthians 10:12-13)

The Bible specifically condemns us using our own measure instead of His measure and says, *“when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding*.”

## Confession

Confessing each particular sin is one area where I am weak.  I fully understand that we all (including me) sin continually and displease God with our thoughts, words, and actions.  I fully understand that I fall miserably short of God’s ideal.  I can honestly say, “Forgive me because I have sinned.”  The thing I am very poor at is asking forgiveness for specific sins.  I am terrible at seeing each individual sin, each individual offense against God.  I don’t have an excuse.  I guess I have put on blinders because I don’t want to see my sins.  I don’t want to see how poorly I do.  I don’t want to see how I regularly offend God.  Are you the same way?  Do you regularly confess each specific sin?

> Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?  (Proverbs 20:9)

We are told to Confess our sins to God.

> If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:9)

We are told that failing to confess our sins will lead to our harm.

> He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.  (Proverbs 28:9,13)

We are encouraged to confess our sins to God first and foremost, but we are also encouraged to confess to others.  Obviously, we should confess our sins (apologize) to someone that we wronged or hurt in some way, but we can also be helped by confessing to another because it keeps us honest about our sins and helps keep us accountable.

> Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  (James 5:16)

This could be a confession to a close friend or family member.  It could be a confession to a mentor or spiritual leader.  When we confess our sins to another person, we aren’t asking for them to absolve us from our sins.  Only Jesus can do that.  Having someone to whom we regularly confess our sins, worries, and weaknesses helps us to stay accountable.  Being right with God is what matters, but having a physical person look us in the eyes and ask how we are doing in areas where we are weak can help us stay the course set for us by God.

### Wrong View of Sin

We generally all treat most of our sins as not that big of a deal.  We excuse that “little white lie.”  We discount that moment of pride or jealousy.  We rationalize putting other things before God.

All sin comes down to disobeying God and making ourselves to be our own god over the one true God.  All sin is idolatry.  All sin, no matter how minor we think it is, is an affront to God.

Every single sin is deserving of death.  If we could see our sins as God sees them, we would be filled with terror.

> For we have been consumed by Your anger

And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.

You have placed our iniquities before You,

Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

For all our days have declined in Your fury;

We have finished our years like a sigh.

As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,

Or if due to strength, eighty years,

Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;

For soon it is gone and we fly away.

Who understands the power of Your anger

And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:7-12)

We need to fall down on our faces and beg forgiveness for our blatant offences against our creator God.  We need to see our sins in the same way God sees them, as abhorrent actions that separate us from God.

> Deliver me from all my transgressions;Make me not the reproach of the foolish.  (Psalms 39:8)

Luckily for us, God made a way for us to get right with God despite our foolish, sinful thoughts and actions. God did not leave us alone and suffering in the wilderness of His wrath without a way of escape.

> even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:5-10)

Jesus knew that we would fail.  Jesus knew that we would let Him down.  Jesus knew that we would be unable to makes things right, so He made a way for us.  He lived the perfect life that we never could and died on the cross to take away our sins.  Jesus agreed to cover our sins if we only repent and submit to Him.

### Do Not Judge so That You Will Not Be Judged

Jesus made it so that those who trust in Him will not be judged as we deserve.  Because He has been merciful to us, we also should be merciful to others.  We have failed miserably and therefore should not judge others.

> “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.” (Luke 6:37)

Once again, we have a tendency to judge others who are weak where we are strong or to judge others who are having problems in an areas where we used to fail, but have learned to do better.  Most of us are bad at seeing the areas where we fail miserably and if we can see it, we make excuses while not allowing others to make excuses for their sins.

> “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

Yes, there absolutely are times in which we need to help a fellow believer deal with their personal sin or we need to help an unbeliever see their sins so they can see their need for a savior, but we need to deal honestly with our own sins beforehand and we need to be honest with others about our own struggle with sin.  We need to not lie to them (and ourselves) about our own struggles with sin.  In reality, when we admit our own sins and don’t pretend to have it all together, they are actually more likely to listen to what we have to say than when we pretend to be the perfect little Christian saint.

If we are going to point out another’s sins, the Bible gives us particular patterns to follow.  Our correction of another is not about judgement or embarrassment, but is about reconciling sinners to their holy God.

> “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”  (Matthew 18:15-18)

All correction should have the goal of reconciling the corrected with Christ and the church.  It should be for the good of the person being corrected.  Correction should never have the goal embarrassing the person, winning an argument, or beating them into submission.

If we take a line out of “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer,” and pray “*And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors*.”  (Matthew 6:12) or “*And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation*.” (Luke 11:4) then we are more likely to do correction in a godly manner.

### Do Not Be A Stumbling Block

 In addition to not sinning, judging ourselves and others correctly, and correcting only in a merciful and loving manner, we need to make sure our actions are not a stumbling block to others that either leads them to sin or drives them away from God and the Church.

> He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.  Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”  (Luke 17:1-4)

God has given us many freedoms, but we aren’t to use those freedoms in a way that harms others.  This harm could come from being too lenient or being too strict and legalistic.  We need to act in such a way as to be a blessing to everyone around us.  We need to use what God has given to us to bless others and not to just use it selfishly.

When we use the right measuring stick to judge our own lives and we truly see what an awesome, holy, unfathomably good God we serve, this right view of the world will help lead us in the right direction far better than any list of commands and prohibitions.

Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,

Christy
For more posts check out the [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/).

Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated

What is good?  How should we measure good? What about confession?  When and how is it appropriate to judge another?  How can we avoid being a stumbling block to others?

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzprf5h5jryfqv2cm3wj3akxgc0za2rsfn4mrnndj2yep9naq5hcetqqxnzdejxs6nyvp3xvuryvpnzchmsx


They have to indoctrinate theirs because they are killing off their own.


I need to do a better job of praying for our nation's leaders.  They seem to promote so much evil, but that only means they need Jesus even more.  It is wrong to pray that their evil deeds come to fruition, but it is good to pray that they will come to know the God and creator of the world and the savior.  It is good to pray that they would follow God and His precepts.  It is good to pray that God would control their actions for His good.


They definitely won't be able to control it.  The question is will foreigners be desperate to get rid of dollars and buy anything to get rid of their dollars.  If that happens, the US dollar quickly becomes worthless.

I think we are seeing it in a very small way, but we will reach a point where the dollar will crash.  I could be wrong.


None.


I love that!

Nobody shows God the respect He truly deserves.


Sorry about that.


Right now foreigners hold a lot of USD either in the bank or by holding US bonds.  When they get rid of them (by buying US products and not holding it again) you get lots of USD chasing our little production.  Some will probably do well when the money initially comes back to the US because they will sell products for more, but it won't take long for inflation to hit.

Yes the US exploits people (Americans and non-Americans) and yes the US politicians have bought votes with taxpayer dollars, but none of that changes the fact that we will have tons of dollars chasing a small amount of production (The US really doesn't produce much of value based on the size of its economy)  The US has been able to do a lot of things other nations can't because of the US controlling the world reserve currency, but that advantage is quickly coming to an end.  Them weaponizing the currency against their enemies is speeding that process.


My goal/plan/hope is that we are raptured together and neither of us has to lose the other.  Obviously it is not guaranteed, but with what is happening in the world today, I think we've got a decent chance.


Right now lots of foreigners hold USD for stability so the dollars aren't circulating.  Once the dollars come back to the US and begin to circulate, there will be tons of dollars chasing less and less goods and services.  That is why inflation will get so much worse.

Yes, the right get the new money first before it has deflated and yes other Americans get the money before it moves around the globe and therefore get a little of the benefit before it is fully deflated.  Still, so much is just being held in reserves that we haven't seen the full effect.


It totally depends on the person and how they disagree.  There are numerous people with which I strongly disagree on most or many topics, but I can have a logical, respectful debate with them.  I can respect them while disagreeing sometimes vehemently.

There are other people who disagree, personally attack, lie and try to use government to silence me.  Those people are brain-dead fools and/or evil.

I love a good debate.  I dislike people who try to destroy anyone who disagrees with them.  Sadly the debaters are rare and hard to find and those who try to utterly destroy anyone with which they disagree seems to be the majority.


They think it makes them look fashionable, but it just makes them look like mindless drones.


Ron Paul and his wife are great people.  At the RNC convention in 2012?  A friend and I chatted with Carol Paul for a half hour.  We got to interact briefly with Ron Paul, but he was being swarmed by fans so that wasn't a deep interaction.


When I first put my new chicks in the coop, I put in a box with a small hole cutout which the younguns could fit through, but the mature hens couldn't, that way the little ones could escape if they were being picked on too much.  It worked pretty well.  I'm pretty sure it was in the coop for less than a month and maybe just over a week.


Sadly true and the electorate are so dumbed down they don't know any better because they are incapable of thinking of themselves.  They feel anything spoken by the media is true and right.


As more and more countries move away from the dollar, all of the excess money printing will come home bringing crazy inflation with it.  Look out!


I can't imagine being single and my age today.  When a woman is married, at least if she chose wisely, you have someone to lean on.  You help them when they are down or struggling.  They help you when you are down or struggling.  Home life is more dependable because you have two helping out with everything making things less likely to fall apart if one person goes through a hard time.

It isn't that marriage has nothing to give.  It is that people today are always looking for something better.  We live in a throw away society that throws things away, not just because they broke, but also because they are no longer new and exciting.  People need to be more grateful for what they have instead of spending all of their time looking for something better.


You do a better job at sharing long form notes than most.  For a while I didn't realize that a bunch of people that had posts with a single bold statement were showing the title to a long form note.  Yours, with an explanation and a picture makes it obvious that there is more and gives me enough information to know that I want to click and learn more.

When I post my long blog posts, I might need to do better and share some pictures to go with my title and description.


LOL.

That response is even more you than normal you


Put him in charge of shutting the CIA down.  Put him in charge of Homeland Security and shut the whole thing down.

When he is done with that, he can start shutting down the NIH and FDA next.


I don't disagree  with your basic ., but welfare is not in the Constitution and was stopped repeatedly for being unconstitutional.  The federal government was not involved in welfare until the 1900s, which is also when things got so bad.  In particular, 1913 was a horrible year and set the foundation for the horror that is our current government.


Algorithms are tools.  They are not bad or good in themselves.  It is how they are used and who controls  them that causes a problem.


Agreed.  Algorithms can be useful, but algorithms created by others for their use and forced on us are almost always horrible.  Being able  to choose and move between various algorithms (or design our own when there is not one useful to us) can be very useful.


I can totally relate.  This was an issue between my husband and me when we got married because he tended to leave clothes on the floor.  I can handle clutter, but not on the floor.

We came to the agreement that he had "the chair."  He could pile it to the ceiling and I wouldn't complain until the clothes fell on the floor.  Sometimes the pile was close to the ceiling, but as long as it stayed on the chair, we were good.


It isn't critical for everyone to understand all of the ins and outs of sats and bitcoin just like everyone doesn't have to understand all of the details of how electricity is generated and distributed.

The important thing is that sats are money that can't be stolen and won't be devalued away.  All the other details are nice to know but not critical to know.


That's OK.  We all had to learn sometime.  Some were introduced sooner and some later.  Some people got it immediately and some took a while to understand the wonder of bitcoin.  The important thing is that you learned and you are here.


Sadly most people prefer easy and popular to secure, free speech.  I'd even argue that most people like having opposing speech silenced because opposing speech is uncomfortable and requires a person to actually think.  The government schools have taught people to blindly follow and not to think.  People aren't comfortable with having their paradigm challenged.  Those people will never join nostr.


I'll admit that I tend to view everything in the world through a Biblical lens.  As I read this article, it sure sounded like Klaus Schwab was describing the tribulation.  How much longer till the tribulation is upon us?  I don't know, but I do believe it is close:  days, months, years, or a few decades?  Only God knows for sure, but I think everyone will find out before too long.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/prepare-era-shock-events-wefs-klaus-schwab-warns


Hamilton was the beginning of all that is bad in the Federal government.  He was a smart man (unlike most of our politicians today), but he also had very tyrannical tendencies.  Still, I think he would be appalled with what we have become today (culturally and what our government has become).  As bad as he was, I don't think he would like what we have today.


I used to be way more involved in politics.  I was even an alternate delegate at the RNC for Ron Paul (my husband was a delegate).  That was an eye opening event to see how utterly corrupt the politics are and how undemocratic things really work.  They literally had the results of the voice vote on the teleprompter to make sure they got the "right" answer and not necessarily what the delegates voted for.  They turned off the microphones in the areas with Ron Paul delegates and the main group opposing the rule changes that stole power from the delegates was driven around town on a bus for hours to make sure he missed the vote.  In the rule change vote, they didn't tell the delegates that they were voting to approve letting the executive committee make decisions without the, they just said it was a vote to approve what the committee suggested.  They refused to allow calls for division that would've forced a counted vote.  It was sickening.

Of course the DNC is even worse.  I'm coming to the conclusion that America is doomed.


If someone is incarcerated for years, it harms their life, but it can be made partially right.  Once someone is killed, their eternity is settled.  That is not acceptable.  I don't like the cost associated with incarceration, but it is better than the murder of innocents.


They keep you on your toes, don't they?


If we had perfect courts, I wouldn't have a problem with death penalty for murderers and rapist and child traffickers.  Of course, that is a big "IF".

I don't trust the courts and therefore cannot support the death penalty for any crimes.  As badly as I want these crimes punished harshly, I'd let every one of them off if it prevents one innocent person from being put to death.


Amen!


They are punishing "wrongthing" while ignoring actually commission of crimes by those who think they way those in power want them to think.


Definitely generally.  It is becoming more and more true, but has been true for multiple years.


99 out of 100 are putting more effort into making the Bible say what they want it to say rather than trying to figure out what God really said and meant.

freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


freeborn | ἐλεύθερος


Today, the anti-fascists are the biggest fascists.  The anti-racists are the biggest racists.  The protectors of democracy are the biggest impediment to democracy.  Those claiming to fight for freedom are the biggest tyrants.  Those claiming the moral high ground are the face of evil.

We live in an upside down world.


I've really got to find the time to check it out.