Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
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Bench Tuesday
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Hi there, Leon💕
Good morning Patience, that was my first thought when I saw the picture. ❤️😁
😊 Good morning, Pa ❣
Morning, Patience and Ma🤗🤗 All His blessings to you ladies. Hoping your day will be a no drama one, as befits this Thanksgiving week. Drama days shouldn’t be allowed anyway…that’s my view.😊
Good morning to you, Betsy❣️
Hope your wonderful and thoughtful wish is granted. Thank you.
So far, so good. 😇
Yes…., drama should only be permitted with presentation of festive attire, makeup, spectacular gifts, favorite foods and desserts or blessed good news.
-if only
🙏🏻
Exactly so, my friend. I like your “recipe” 😍
Morning, Leon…we’re gonna need a bigger boat…strike that….bench…
Morning Bet, definitely a bigger boat 😂. Those kitties all look well fed. ❤️😘
Good morning, my friend. THE first thing I noticed as well. 😁. There is cat which has shown up at our house just recently. I have no idea if he belongs to someone in our neighbourhood, but he must do, because fat??? He’s quite friendly. Nevertheless, I put out a scoop of dry food…just in case😉💕
I’m sure that he doesn’t refuse it. 🙂
No… He looks as if there has never been a meal he has refused. I do worry for strays. He is somebody’s I’m sure…
We have a neighbor’s indoor/outdoor maleccat drop by regularly for a snack (which my dear wife lovingly provides). He makes his rounds thru the neighborhood most days excluding bad weather. They had a female cat who did the same until the cat passed away in 2020 of cancer. That cat was very friendly and let my wife hold & pet her, which the Mrs. did at every opportunity…
My wife also bought a heavy-duty wooden cat shelter box that has an inside chamber to shield a cat from bad weather if necessary. It’s on our back deck and stays there year round.
Oh Lord love your wife, GB. She sounds just like me. I worry so for our resident feral. He lets me pet him and brush him but I think it would be a no go on the picking up part I am sad to say.
We have an old couch my husband keeps wanting to get rid of. It’s in the garage. I have put old quilts and towels underneath and arranged them to block out the weather. I have also made sure on the outside of it all the droughts are blocked. I stuck my hand under there on a quite cold day and it was surprisingly toasty. We’ve just bought a fleece lined square which arrived today. It remains to be seen if he’ll go into it.
Please give my loving regards to your caring wife. She has a big ole soft heart just like mine.💕
Betsy, I kid you not, we’d own a farmette if we could have afforded one around these parts 35 years ago. We seriously looked to buy one, but at that time none were within our affordability range. She is perfectly at ease around any critter from guinea pigs to cows and every size domesticated animal in between. Just yesterday she visited a local farm only minutes from our house and loved the baby Berkshire piglets they had.
40 years ago we once cared for a 15 acre farmette when the couple (members of the church we attended) who owned it had to go to Montana to bury a deceased parent.
There were 4 cows, 2 – 600 lb heifers, 3 goats, and a handful of cats and dogs. I helped by shoveling the dirty straw & waste out of the livestock area under the barn and spreading the bedding straw. She handled all the watering, feeding and petting (😁) They used an old bathtub for the watering trough. After a week we realized (a) we liked it and (b) it was darn hard work. So we started looking for a farmette…to no avail.
The only problem I do see is if we DID have a farmette, we’d probably both have become vegetarians years ago. 🤣
What a lovely post, GB. What adventurers you two are. And so sweet to volunteer for friends while they were away.
And like you, if I were to do it on a full time basis, I’d probably be a vegetarian as well.
In Wales we were surrounded on three sides by sheep, sheep, and more sheep. So adorable when young, morphing into the adult versions which weren’t so cute. There were times our neighbour’s daughter had to come drag the odd escapee from their fields from our meticulous garden, their having found a passageway through the thick hedge rows which separated our properties. She was only little, but she grabbed them by the wool on their backs and shoved them back through. I was impressed I can tell you.
The thing is because we essentially lived with them there was no way I could ever eat lamb. I am more like your wife. An expert petter. I guess you’re lucky there were no “stowaways” in your car when you went back home😉 What a jolly good story you’ve told. Loved every bit of it, GB💕
And here I thought “…..little lambs eat ivy.” 🙂
Yes, farmers tell us – never name any livestock you intend to eventually eat. All of our critters would have names with the first hour.
We were definitely adventurous in our youth. Today, going to the Safeway food store is enough of an adventure for us.. 😉
This one is for Frank Field and Rah
https://ifunny.co/picture/how-i-want-to-wake-up-in-heaven-uwl4XaZi9
Howdy Garrison 🙂
Mornin’ jay. Haven’t heard a little Tony Rice in awhile. Some great flat-pickin’ here . . . 🙂
Picking and grinning 😁
Now that’s some fancy fiddling right there, son. 😁😎
🙂
Good morning, Garrison🤗. I need something this morning to get myself going…I think these will absolutely do it.😉
Good morning, Betsy. Me too! 🙂
It comes to us all, does it not?
Good morning Garrison!
Mornin’ Gramps. Have a great day. 🙂
Good mornin, my guy Garrison😎
Aawww Shucks, Patience (scuffing toe in dirt) . . . Good morning, darlin’ 🙂
Frances Of Assisi is on Movieland tv on Roku. Well worth the watch.
Beautiful picture…thank you for sharing this…I always ask him to “guard my commute” or travels,,,and truly I think he does….
Last night, I almost hit a deer…(its mating season in my region so they are out and about)…
Beautiful doe in a gully along the highway, suddenly stood up looked at me and darted across the highway…she made eye contact with me…like that little squirrel who stops in the middle of the road, sits on hind legs and looks at you as you swerve…..
My Adrenalin response took a bit to quiet! All was well and I attribute that to him. or my Guardian Angel who I ask to keep me safe!
Tuesday, Aggiegirl!! Isn’t this Puppy Day?? Please let us know.
Good morning, dear Colkitto😘 What a complete joy to see you with this stunning picture of St Francis. So wonderful to see it grace this church of ours. I’ll see if we can access Movieland.
You’ve reminded me…must feed my birds. The little Carolina wrens which visited us in the spring, then disappeared, are back. The jays have made themselves scarce, but our resident cardinals still make an occasional appearance. There is a growing cadre of doves. None of His creations who show up at chez Jones go hungry if we can help it. I have thought often of your bluebirds, wondering if they are migratory, then moving on to wondering what others you may be feeding this winter…
May all His blessings find a path to your door today, my dear friend. Thank you.🙏💕
Morning friend bet. Always a pleasure to correspond with you. Birds have been special to me since I can remember, as well as animals. I have 3 of my forefathers with the name of Francis and loving/caring about God’s creatures seems to run in my family.
I believe the local Bluebirds gather in flocks and move around locally, going after berries when the insects disappear. I haven’t seen them for a few weeks around here. Right now my sunflower seed is attracting White Throated Sparrows, Doves, Cardinals, and Thrashers. I haven’t seen my Carolina Wrens around lately. I miss my Junco’s which have been near non-existent the last few years.
God bless you and your loved ones and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, which has long been one of my favorite days. You are the best!
I found some sunflower chips yesterday at the pet store…no waste. So I hope the squirrels enjoy them as well. Our oaks this year produced no acorns for some freakish reason. Normally they are laden with them for my bushy tailed friends. So I’ll be sure they don’t go hungry. We have three mature holly bushes, only one of which has produced berries, but in such abundance. I’ve never seen that many. I’m sure they’ll be food for the birds, though I’m unsure which.
You’ve got a nice variety. I remember your mentioning your Juncos. Nature is a funny old bird herself, so I hope one day you’ll look out your window to see their return.
I’m certain I’ve told you once upon a time that in Britain, bird watchers are called Twitchers, more in jest which is unfortunate as I find our little feathered friends absolutely fascinating…as you do.
On the site The New Americanist, there is a commenter from Nigeria who posts pictures of birds from all over the world (as well as other delightful things such as scenery and Scripture). And there are some so bejewelled in the most vibrant colours and patterns that it takes the breath away. Truly! I’ll scroll through the comments looking for her to see what treasures she posts, starting with their Morning Muster section. Then through their other sections as well. Her posting name is “Naija Ninja”, just in case you have a few minutes to investigate.
Our Thanksgiving will be just ” we two”, and we will give abundant thanks to Almighty God through whom is given so many blessings. I wish for you the same, Colkitto. A day for reflection and gratitude for so much… but mostly for friends here who have come to be such a part of my life, and without whom my life would be the poorer….with heartfelt affection😘
I am heading to Asheville for a family gathering, a catered dinner (I miss Grandma’s Thanksgiving magical cooking) and doing some vacation stuff as I took some vacation days off. Its really beautiful there except Asheville has been getting some Antifa Democrat activities which may ruin it. (These Antifa snowflake terrorists should try their games in Baltimore/Newark/LA they won’t make it very far)
I will try that site and for your area try ebird.org. There will be local hotspots near you that you can see what people have seen. It’s very cool. I look up my former birding spots that I birded as a kid up in NJ to see what around. I just saw a couple of female Hooded Mergansers, which are somewhat common in the late fall/Winter/early Spring around here.
Ty for the info and kindness. Your local CTH ‘Twitcher’.
I hope you and your Husband have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well as the rest of your family.
Oh how lovely!! Mergansers are so beautiful. What a fortunate sighting for you. Thank you for the site you recommended, which I shall certainly visit.
My mother’s mother lived in Ashville, and I have visited it around Christmas time. We went through Biltmore which was decorated to the rafters. Of course the countryside around it was stunnng.
And yes, I understand that Ashville has changed, for the reasons you stated which means not for the better. But it is typical of the wretched disruptors like the Dems and others to seek out a beautiful spot, move in, and ruin everything, perhaps driving out those who can stand it no longer. I am thinking about cuckoos. You know their habits…
Thank you for your good wishes, my friend. I return mine to you with hopes you have a safe journey to and from, and an enjoyable day of good food and camaraderie.
And remember to put your scales back ten pounds to account for the festive exuberance. Bet🙏💕
Morning Ya’ll 🙂
Good morning, Mr jay. The best of what was. I noticed the early Hank Williams had the year of my birth on it. Oh my!! And there go the years when I wasn’t paying attention…whoosh and yikes!😁
Maidin Mhaith Betsy, not sure if it’s still true but in Alaska awhile back Hank was still the most requested artist on the radio up there. Did ya’ll use horse and buggy when you were a kid 😂🤗
😂!!! I think I have just by the skin of my teeth missed that era. Though in thinking back, maybe not…😘
Well you were raised in Texas so I was assuming.😘
Pretty good assumption.😁
Morning jay, the bucket’s got a hole in it and we cain’t buy no more beer. 😂
Howdy Gramps I use what they call a growler these days. Nice micro brew just a couple miles from my house. 🪣🇺🇸😁🇺🇸
I saw a couple of pictures in the Daily Mail of Wales’ Gareth Bales doing what he does best in Qatar at the World Cup. But the only thing I could focus on was his man bun. Sort of took away from the moment he scored his goal against the US the other night.
Definitely a generation marker/statement (he’s about 30), I think. The guy and his g/f are good videographers, have some carpentry skills, and he can clear brush with a back-hoe. Still dunno about the hair arrangement thing. In my red-neck world that’s not very “growed up”. Maybe a French braid? 🙂
22 November Michael Hutchence (1960-1997) Australian rock vocalist (INXS – “Devil Inside”: “New Sensation”), and actor (Dogs in Space), commits suicide at 37
22 November 1986 (Benjamin) “Scatman” Crothers, American singe, musician (“I’d Rather Be a Hummingbird”), and actor (Chico and the Man -“Louie”, The Shining), dies of lung cancerat 76
Original Scat
Feral Cat version
https://youtu.be/4rrXR6n0RTY
sorry no other versions available that I see that might post properly. Fing Disney.
2022 November Mae West
(1893-1980)
American stage and screen actress, writer (She Done Him Wrong; I’m No Angel), and singer (Way Out West), dies in Hollywood at 87
22 November John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963)
35th President of the United States (1961-63) and Senator (D-Mass), assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas at 46
https://www.google.com/search?q=six+white+horses+came+today+to+take+my+daddy+far+away&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:766db59c,vid:BOhaWQn-9kc
https://www.google.com/search?q=six+white+horses+came+today+to+take+my+daddy+far+away&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1365d8c7,vid:LZJQIDOaZL8
Here is the direct link to that video on YouTube:
GHWBush & LBJ
must be having a hot time
At the end of the day, two children were deprived of a loving parent.
This was one photo that affected my dad, the most….dad was an immigrant and naturalized, and successful in his career….had spent almost his whole youth and teens, trying to figure out how to get to America. Which he did.
Shortly before this happened, Jackie was teaching John John to salute….there is an old video out there, somewhere.
This is the picture which accompanied the quote I posted referencing a young JFK, Jr, Colkitto.
I should have scrolled down before I left his quote about his friend Donald Trump. As usual, we are on the same page.
As always I am honored.
Bless you, Colkitto.😘
Mafia?
One does wonder about JFK, Jr’s tragic plane crash.
“If my dear friend Donald Trump ever decided to sacrifice his fabulous billionaire lifestyle to become President, he would be an unstoppable force for ultimate justice that Democrats and Republicans alike would celebrate.”
John F Kennedy Jr (George Magazine, June 1999)
************
Incidentally, today is the anniversary also of the beginning of Britain’s long slide into oblivion.
Margaret Thatcher was overthrown on this date by a cadre of her disgruntled ministers. Cowards all, they waited until she was in France to negotiate terms for Britain joining the EU, precursor to the satanic WEF today.
Thank you for posting this – I posted further up. This should never be forgotten – but it is.
Maria Bartiromo interview with
The CyberGuy Kurt Knutsson, discussing drones using Wi-Fi to pinpoint devices in exact locations and why smart homes are vulnerable to security hacks.
(4 minutes)
https://rumble.com/v1w85m4-the-cyberguy-kurt-knutsson-this-kind-of-threat-is-wide-open-for-the-country.html
U.S. politics has become the equivalent of the oldest profession and happily embraces all the deadly sins.
Must people starve and freeze before they awake to the reality of the oppression?
The late PJ O’Rourke’s “Parliament of Whores” remains as relevant today as it was decades ago. A virtual manual for the corrupt workings of a debauched and self serving US government.
For far too many, the answer is “yes” or “darn near.”
The public school system combined with the pop culture have very effectively created nearly two consecutive generations of dangerously ignorant and unaware citizens.
Trump Takes to the Dance Floor at Tiffany’s Mar-a-Lago Wedding
https://rumble.com/v1w1rux-trump-takes-to-the-dance-floor-at-tiffanys-mar-a-lago-wedding.html
This is so wrong!
A father who lost custody of his trans child because he refused to call him a girl: “I’ll appear in handcuffs, her in the judge’s robe, but I’m not taking this tyranny.”
https://rumble.com/v1w86lw-november-21-2022.html
Tyranny all right. And something so so much worse….
November 22 Oswald Chambers
Shallow and Profound
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31
Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow aspects of life are not ordained by God; they are ordained by Him equally as much as the profound. We sometimes refuse to be shallow, not out of our deep devotion to God but because we wish to impress other people with the fact that we are not shallow. This is a sure sign of spiritual pride. We must be careful, for this is how contempt for others is produced in our lives. And it causes us to be a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than we are. Beware of posing as a profound person— God became a baby.
To be shallow is not a sign of being sinful, nor is shallowness an indication that there is no depth to your life at all— the ocean has a shore. Even the shallow things of life, such as eating and drinking, walking and talking, are ordained by God. These are all things our Lord did. He did them as the Son of God, and He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher…” (Matthew 10:24).
We are safeguarded by the shallow things of life. We have to live the surface, commonsense life in a commonsense way. Then when God gives us the deeper things, they are obviously separated from the shallow concerns. Never show the depth of your life to anyone but God. We are so nauseatingly serious, so desperately interested in our own character and reputation, we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.
Make a determination to take no one seriously except God. You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
https://utmost.org/shallow-and-profound/
Reputation is the face we show the world. Character is what we live with when we shut the door on that world.
It is said within a few words an angel can determine a persons love. I do believe we put that aside in our lives and it is a mistake. Character can be seen immediately but people always second guess themselves, the simplest of persons rely on such things.
I expect the best from people, Palerider..is that foolish? Perhaps…
Freedom: William Bradford and the American Pilgrims, an audio drama, tells how they escaped tyranny and ultimately dedicated America to spreading the Gospel.
The second, Mayflower II, is a film about religious persecution in the not-so-distant future.
The project yet to come is a mini series, exploring the Pilgrims’ journey to America and their lives once they settled here.
Freedom: William Bradford and the American Pilgrims
Freedom is produced by Brinkman Adventures, which has been producing “movies for the ears” since 2009.
This offering tells of the first missionaries to reach our shores. The audio drama emphasizes sharing the Gospel with the natives of America was one reason the Pilgrims sacrificed everything to come here.
The audio drama also shows how the Pilgrims’ desire to worship the Lord according to Scripture — not the dictates of men — motivated the group’s separation from the Church of England. In England the Pilgrims concluded they could no longer worship in the government-controlled Church. I play the role of Richard Clyfton — their first pastor — along with some other minor roles.
The Pilgrims fled to Holland but the morally degenerating Dutch culture spurred them to leave for America.
In the opening sequences set in the present the fictional Brinkman family discusses the fallacy of revisionist history. The main part of the story shows how flawed people did the best they could under extraordinary circumstances.
In one of the opening sequences, I also play the role of Charles Deane, who edited the 1856 edition of History of Plymouth Plantation. This part of the story shows how the original writings of William Bradford were rediscovered and establishes the script is based on eyewitness accounts of the events.
Freedom does not shy away from depicting the negative actions of our forebears. A sequence reveals how Pilgrims stole from natives, but in the fuller context we hear they feared starving to death and intended to repay the natives once they were able to communicate and establish trade with them.
Freedom also includes a beautiful reading of the Mayflower Compact, which founded our nation “…for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith.”
Ian Bultman, producer of Brinkman Adventures was inspired to add this story to their repertoire to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the signing of the Compact, but as he developed the script he realized:
The story hits on so many things we are dealing with today in America. Freedom of conscience and freedom to practice our faith unhindered by government; race relations; how to deal with a society that treats us unjustly; suffering for/with Christ; loving our enemies; a pandemic. In hindsight I really see God’s hand leading us to this project (four) years ago before everything that’s happened in the U.S. I see this as a reminder to America of its roots and heritage, a warning to those who wish to go back to tyranny, and a reminder to the church how to live in troubling times.
Click here for more information.
Pilgrim Mini Series
Keith Perna (writer/director for the films Christmas Grace and the pro-life film It’s a Life Worth Living) is developing a mini series about the Pilgrims. Starting without knowledge of Bultman’s audio drama, Perna also relied heavily on eyewitnesses to the events, especially Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation.
I’m a script consultant on the project, and I think it’s looking great! The mini series follows a similar trajectory to the audio drama but fleshes the story out over five hour-long episodes, and will, of course, add visual elements.
Perna said:
I especially love true stories from history that clearly show God at work in the lives of people. This journey to write “The Pilgrims” started with a trip my wife and I took to Plymouth, Massachusetts. As I learned about their story at the actual locations where it took place, I became very fascinated by it, and I believe God planted this passion in me to see their story told properly from a Christian perspective. I believe this project will be very inspirational and encouraging to the (IFA) audience. The Pilgrims were people who put their faith and trust in God. You can see that through their actions, and you can see the great accomplishments and legacy God allowed them to achieve because of it. I hope it will help the intercessors… follow their example there. Knowing that God is bigger than us and will give us the power to accomplish whatever it is he wants us to accomplish.
Mayflower II
This film looks into a future coming upon us now in many respects, as the heroes attempt to escape religious persecution on earth… by fleeing to a colony on Mars.
Filmed in 2014 but recently released, the movie feels like it was based on stories from http://www.HeadlinePrayer.org! Its theme verse is Psalm 11:3, when the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Mayflower II was produced by prescient Canadians Greg Lammiman and his son Dallas Lammiman. They previously produced another sci-fi thriller, Remember, about a government taking children from their parents and mandating drugs that alter citizens’ memories. Because Mayflower II is packed with special effects, it took some time to get to market, but the timing seems ordained. By the time it was released churches north of the border meeting outdoors were being hunted down by helicopter, and pastors were being thrown into prison for daring to meet during lockdowns. This real-life scenario is played out in a scene in the film when the heroes are hunted by drone as they leave an underground Bible study.
Miles and Kate O’Rourke (played by Justin Lewis, who played the lead in Remember, and Shawna Pliva McGill) are doing their best to ignore government overreach, as those in charge are saving the planet. Miles’ brother, Rich O’Rourke (played by Stephen Hardy, who plays the lead in another Lammiman film, My Grandpa Detective), shows Miles the Mayflower II spacecraft, intended to help Christians escape persecution. Miles scoffs at such an idea, calling his brother paranoid…until the government targets Miles as a domestic terrorist because he happened to be on site during a demonstration.
On the run, Miles and Kate “borrow” the Mayflower II and escape to Mars, but the utopian colony there is showing signs of tyranny.
My wife Joyce Swingle, also an IFA contributing writer, and I play the leaders of an illegal cell group, using unauthorized Bibles the government hasn’t been able to neuter.
The film was featured at the 2021 International Christian Film and Music Festival, where it won Best Screenplay, one of four nominations it had received.
Our Reality Now
The Church today faces similar state control issues as the “fictional” future depicted in Mayflower II and as the Pilgrims faced more than 400 years ago. The Senate recently passed the deceptively named Respect for Marriage Act, and IFA reported how Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) said “This sets in motion a [dangerous] sequence of events… that ends in the … destruction of religious liberty in America.”
We also have global concerns: The United Nations report “Engaging Religion and Faith-Based Actors on Agenda 2030” states the UN Population Fund “appreciates that many faith communities see their role as preserving traditions, culture and morality which can sometimes conflict with the changing world in which young people are forging their identities and making personal choices.” The report goes on to lay out how to leverage the fact that “faith leaders are in a position of power when it comes to influencing norms….” So if the UN is set to use the Church to achieve its godless goals, what will happen to Christians who don’t conform?
Those who went before us escaped religious persecution, and though we have no place else to flee — Mars is off the table — we can be grateful prayer can shape our future. Let’s pray and take action to preserve our rights to use the whole of Scripture and live as it dictates!
I’ll close with a prayer Bultman sent us:
Lord, as the intercessors across this country listen, encourage their hearts and faith through the faith and actions of these Pilgrim Fathers who now stand among the cloud of witnesses. May each listening be reminded that they too are pilgrims, strangers in a foreign land, serving as ambassadors for You with the Good News that each may be reconciled to you through the blood of Jesus. Help us find ways to get this story circulated across the country this year and may it ultimately be pleasing to You and bring glory to Your name.
In your Son’s name, amen.
Here’s a talk back we did with the Lammimans after Mayflower II was screened at ICFF:
https://ifapray.org/
. . . but deliver us from the Evil One.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Amen!
The 50th Psalm
Septuagint
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios the Great of Bithynia (+ 846)
My hope is the Father, my refuge the Son, my protection the Holy Spirit. O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
Amen and Amin🙏
From Small Compline
Rejoice Virgin Theotokos, Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls. (Thrice)
November 22
MORNING
Praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude 20
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24
We … have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Eph. 2:18
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matt. 26:39
The Spirit … helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Rom. 8:26, 27
This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. I John 5:14
When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication. Eph. 6:18
EVENING
There is a hope of a tree, if it he cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Job 14:7
A bruised reed shall he not break. Isa. 42:3
He restoreth my soul. Psa. 23:3
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of. but the sorrow of the world worketh death. II Cor. 7:10
No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:11
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. Psa. 119:67
After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this. Ezra 9:13
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Micah 7:8, 9
J. Bagster
https://dailylightdevotional.org/11/1122.html
“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”
~Charles Spurgeon~
Oh, I like that!
It reminded me of Grandpa sitting in the hospital while his precious new granddaughter was enduring what would be a 7 hour operation. He was talking about it the other day, when groanings were all he could manage. I understand, as many other can, those times when nothing comes in the form of words, only groanings…
I love this as well, Patience.
Oh those times … This particular quote has been in my wallet for thirty years! It encourages me so.
”Usually prayer is a question of groaning rather than speaking, tears rather than words. For He sets our tears in His sight, and our groaning is not hidden from Him who made all things by His word and does not ask for words of man.” Augustine of Hippo
How comforting to know that God collects every one of our tears. He understands and helps.
“You have taken account of my miseries;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book?”
Psalm 56:8
That is one of many things I’m thankful for this season!
It is comforting Miss.Della.B., to know the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we are unable to overtly pray. How beautiful is your post. I know this Thanksgiving there are millions whose Books are sodden through with tears. I offer prayers for them all.
“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:6
What would happen to your media consumption habits if you asked the question “what does this person or program say about Jesus Christ” before you click play?
While there is no commandment suggesting you are to cover your eyes and ears, never hearing or seeing anything produced by the unbelieving world, you are directed to “renew your mind“ and “not be conformed to this world“ (Romans 12:2). As faith comes through hearing (Romans 10:17), so can doubt! It is helpful to understand what the world believes so you are prepared to respond. However, because the enemy is so deceitful, it is critical to know the difference between worldly wisdom and Godly knowledge.
The apostle John made a bold statement concerning those stepping up to be heard, “By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and is now in the world” (1 John 4:2-3).
The term “antichrist“ simply means “against Christ,“ and it is an elementary test to apply to anything or anyone vying for your attention. Even seemingly mindless entertainment may have a distinct spiritual message you may not notice unless it is consciously considered.
Pray for the next generation as they consume media and become producers. Ask God to draw them to Himself so that they recognize those who acknowledge Christ and stand for His gospel as well as those promoting an anti-Christ message. Pray for their boldness, as they apply that knowledge in positions of leadership that guide the nation. ”
https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/daily-prayer-briefing/?utm_source=daily_briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_content=daily_briefing
Poyeema, I’m so glad you are posting these daily prayer briefings along with your beautiful Scripture posts. Thank you.
Father, we thank You for the faith of the pilgrims that built this nation. We pray that You would help us to emulate their faith today, Lord.
IFA Founder Derek Prince explains the true story of the Pilgrims, the first Thanksgiving, and the importance of fasting–all of which can speak to us today.
Having been educated in Britain, I do not recall ever having learned anything at school about the Pilgrims. The phrase, “Pilgrim Fathers,” commonly used by Americans, had created in my mind a vague impression of severe old men with long white beards, probably attired in dark formal clothing like that associated with ministers of religion.
I was surprised to discover that the majority of the Pilgrims at the time of their arrival in America were still young men and women. For example, William Bradford was thirty-one years old in 1621, when he was first appointed governor of the colony. Most of the other Pilgrims were of about the same age or younger. As portrayed in wax in the historical tableau on board the replica of the Mayflower in Plymouth harbor, Bradford and his companions reminded me not a little of the Jesus People who emerged on this continent in the 1960’s.
As I studied Bradford’s own firsthand account of the founding of Plymouth Colony and of its early struggles, I developed a strong sense of spiritual kinship with him and his fellow Pilgrims. I discovered that their whole way of life was based upon the systematic study and application of the Scriptures. With the main conclusions and convictions to which this study led them, I found myself in complete accord.
Having obtained my own degrees in the University of Cambridge and having held a fellowship at King’s College, Cambridge, I was particularly interested to see how many of the Pilgrims’ spiritual leaders had received their education at Cambridge. Three of those most closely associated with the Pilgrims’ story were Richard Clyfton, John Robinson, and William Brewster. Clyfton was the elder of the original congregation at Scrooby, in England. Robinson was the elder of the Pilgrims’ congregation at Leyden, in Holland. Brewster was the elder who actually traveled over on the Mayflower and became the chief spiritual leader of the original colony in Plymouth. All three of these men received their education at Cambridge.
During the months that followed my visit to Plymouth, I traveled widely and conducted meetings in various parts of the United States. I began to share with those I met some of my stimulating discoveries from Bradford’s book, Of Plymouth Plantation. To my surprise, I encountered almost complete and universal ignorance of the whole subject. Many people of at least average education, born and raised in the United States, confessed that they had never heard of the book. A few acknowledged that they had heard of the book, but none, as I recall, had read it.
For this reason, I feel that I need offer no apology from quoting from Bradford’s book various passages that relate to the theme of our present study. All the quotations that follow are taken from the edition published by Modern Library Books, with an introduction and notes by Samuel E. Morrison.
The whole course of Bradford’s life was determined by spiritual experiences of his boyhood and early manhood. In Morison’s introduction to his edition of Bradford’s book, these early experiences are briefly described as follows:
“William Bradford was born at Austerfield, Yorkshire, in the early spring of 1590….At the age of twelve he became a constant reader of the Bible-the Geneva version that he generally quotes-and when still a lad he was so moved by the Word as to join a group of Puritans who met for prayer and discussion at the house of William Brewster in the nearby village of Scrooby. When this group, inspired by the Rev. Richard Clyfton, organized itself as a separate Congregational Church in 1606, Bradford joined it despite ‘the wrath of his uncles’ and the ‘scoff of his neighbors.’ From that date until his death half a century later, Bradford’s life revolved around that of his church or congregation, first in Scrooby, next in the Low Countries and finally in New England.”
Although the Pilgrims were initially associated with the Puritans, there were important differences between them. Both saw the need of religious reform, but they differed concerning the means by which reform was to be achieved. The Puritans determined to remain within the established church and to impose reform from within-by compulsion, if necessary. The Pilgrims sought liberty for themselves, but declined to use the machinery of secular government to enforce their views upon others. These differing points of view are expressed in the following passage from Leonard Bacon’s “Genesis of the New England Churches:”
“In the Old World on the other side of the ocean, the Puritan was a Nationalist, believing that a Christian nation is a Christian church, and demanding that the Church of England should be thoroughly reformed; while the Pilgrim was a Separatist, not only from the Anglican Prayer Book and Queen Elizabeth’s episcopacy, but from all national churches.”
“The Pilgrim wanted liberty for himself and his wife and little ones, and for his brethren, to walk with God in a Christian life as the rules and motives of such a life were revealed to him from God’s Word. For that he went into exile; for that he crossed the ocean; for that he made his home in a wilderness. The Puritan’s idea was not liberty, but right government in church and state-such government as should not only permit him, but also compel other men to walk in the right way.”
The difference between Puritans and Pilgrims could be expressed in the two words reformation and restoration. The Puritans sought to reform the church as it existed in their day. The Pilgrims believed that the ultimate purpose of God was to restore the Church to its original condition, as portrayed in the New Testament.
This shines forth very clearly in the first paragraph of the first chapter of Bradford’s book, where he expresses the Pilgrims’ vision of restoration in the following words: “the churches of God revert to their ancient purity and recover their primitive [i.e. original] order, liberty, and beauty.”
Later in this chapter, Bradford returns to this theme when he declares the Pilgrims’ purpose: “[They labored] to have the right worship of God and discipline of Christ established in the church, according to the simplicity of the Gospel, without the mixture of men’s inventions; and to have and be ruled by the laws of God’s Word, dispensed in those offices, and by those officers of Pastors, Teachers, and Elders, etc.; according to the Scriptures.”
With this purpose in view, the original believers in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire: “joined themselves [by a covenant] into a church estate, in the fellowship of the Gospel, to walk in all His ways made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavors, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.”
Later when the congregation moved to Leyden, in Holland, Bradford described their way of life there: “they came as near the primitive [original] pattern of the first churches as any other church[es] of these later times have done.”
Again in his fourth chapter, Bradford describes the main motive of the Pilgrims in undertaking their journey to America: “Lastly [and which was not least], a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation… for the propagating and advancing of the Gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be even as stepping stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.”
One distinctive practice employed by the Pilgrims to achieve their spiritual goals was that of united public prayer and fasting. There are various references to this in Bradford’s book.
One of the most poignant passages describes the Pilgrims’ preparation for their departure from Leyden:
“So being ready to depart, they had a day of solemn humiliation, their pastor [John Robinson] taking his text from Ezra 8:21: ‘And there at the river, by Ahava, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble ourselves before our God, and seek of him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance.’ Upon which he [Robinson] spent a good part of the day very profitably and suitable to their present occasion; the rest of the time was spent in pouring out prayers to the Lord with great fervency, mixed with abundance of tears.”
Bradford’s use of the word humiliation in dictates that the Pilgrims understood the scriptural connection (explained in chapters 6 through 8 of my book Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting) between fasting and self-humbling.
Robinson’s choice of the text from Ezra is singularly appropriate. Both in motivation and in experience, there is a close parallel between the Pilgrims’ embarking on their journey to the New World and Ezra’s company of exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem to help in the restoration of the temple. The end of Robinson’s address is given by Edward Winslow in Verna M. Hall’s “Christian History of the Constitution:”
“We are now ere long to part asunder, and the Lord knoweth whether he [Robinson] should live to see our face again. But whether the Lord had appointed it or not, he charged us before God and His blessed angels, to follow him no further than he followed Christ; and if God should reveal anything to us by any other instrument of His, to be as ready to receive it, as ever we were to receive any truth by his ministry; for he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of His holy Word. He took occasion also miserably to bewail the state and condition of the Reformed churches who were come to a period [standstill] in religion, and would go no further than the instruments of their reformation [i.e. those who had been leaders in the Reformation].”
“As for example, the Lutherans, they could not be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw; for whatever part of God’s will He had further imparted and revealed to Calvin, they [the Lutherans] will rather die than embrace it. And so also, saith he, you see the Calvinists, they stick where he [Calvin] left them, a misery much to be lamented; for though they were precious shining lights in their times, yet God had not revealed His whole to them; and were they now living, saith he, they would be as ready and willing to embrace further light, as that they had received.”
“Here also he put us in mind of our church covenant, at least that part of it whereby we promise and covenant with God and one another to receive whatsoever light or truth shall be made known to us from His written Word; but withal [be] exhorted us to take heed what we received for truth, and well to examine and compare it and weigh it with other Scriptures of truth before we received it. For saith be, it is not possible [that] the Christian world should come so lately [recently] out of such thick anti-Christian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge should break forth at once.”
John Robinson’ message on this occasion sums up the essence of the Pilgrims’ theological position. This is indicated by their very choice of the name Pilgrims. They did not claim to have arrived at a final understanding of all truth. They were on a pilgrimage, looking for the further revelation of truth that lay ahead as they walked in obedience to truth already received.
Bradford himself believed firmly that he and his companions were in the same line of spiritual pilgrimage as the saints of the Old and New Testaments, and he habitually resorted to the language of the Bible to express his feelings and reactions. He describes the arrival of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, and the many dangers and hardships which the Pilgrims encountered. He concludes the chapter with this:
“What could now sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace? May not the children of these fathers rightly say: ‘Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity.’”
[This is Bradford’s own paraphrase of Deuteronomy 26:5,7.]
“Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good; and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord His lovingkindness and His wonderful works before the sons of men.’” [This is Bradford’s version of Psalm 107:1-5,8.]
It is not possible to quote the many instances of answered prayer that Bradford records, but there is one further instance of a public fast that must be mentioned. In the summer of 1623, the corn crop which the Pilgrims had so carefully planted was threatened:
”by a great drought which continued from the third week in May, till about the middle of July, without any rain and with great heat for the most part, in so much as the corn began to wither away….it began to languish sore, and some of the drier grounds were parched like withered hay…Upon which they set apart a solemn day of humiliation [fasting] to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer….And He was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer, both to their own and the Indians’ admiration [i.e. amazement]…For all the morning, and greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hot, and not a cloud or any sign of rain to be seen; yet toward evening it began to overcast, and shortly after to rain with such sweet and gentle showers as gave them cause of rejoicing and blessing God…”
Normally, if rain had fallen at all in such conditions, it would have been in the form of a thunderstorm, which would have beaten down the corn and destroyed the last hope of a harvest. But on this occasion, Bradford goes on to relate:
“It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly…soaked therewith. Which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits; as was wonderful to see, and made the Indians astonished to behold. And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest…For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving.”
This practice of setting aside special days of prayer and fasting became an accepted part of the life of Plymouth Colony. On November 15, 1636, a law was passed allowing the governor, and his assistants “to command solemn days of humiliation by fasting, etc. and also for thanksgiving as occasion shall be offered.”
If we examine the promises given in Isaiah to those who practice the kind of fasting approved by God, we see that these come to their climax in this verse: “And they that be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.” (Isaiah 58:12)
History has demonstrated that the results of fasting promised in this verse were achieved by the Pilgrims. Both spiritually and politically, they “raised up the foundations of many generations.” More than three-and-a-half centuries later, the people of the United States are still building on the foundations which the Pilgrims laid.
Originally published in an IFA newsletter on October 4, 1997. Author Derek Prince (1915-2003) was an internationally known Bible teacher and a “founding father” of IFA. Born in India of British parents, he became an American citizen primarily due to his unwavering belief that our biblical heritage made America the strongest hope to ignite a revival for the restoration of godly government and a restoration of biblical standards before the return of Jesus Christ, Lord of the Church. His best-known book among intercessors, Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting, portrayed his belief in prayer and fasting to receive God’s highest blessings, both for individuals and for our nation. Photo Credit: Canva.
https://ifapray.org/blog/the-true-story-of-thanksgiving-2/
Tarawa Atoll, November 20-23rd, 1943
Betio Island of Tarawa Atoll is the battlefield where Americans faced the most concentrated fury during WW II. The cost in casualties per square yard on such storied fields as Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, and the Hurtgen Forrest, do not even come close by that measure.
The whole and partial remains of Americans and Japanese are still turning up there. They found the remains of 30 Marines there in 2019 and there are certainly more American and Japanese remains yet to be discovered. To this day not all the missing have been accounted for and since so many died in the water and their bodies were not recovered and many others so mangled they were unidentifiable never will be.
Only on certain small sections of some battle fields during the Civil War are there places where the cost in Amercian casualties per square yard of ground was greater than it was on Betio island. One of the several examples being the 20 acres of the Wheatfield at Gettysburg where more Americans fell in about 3 hours than the total estimated American casualty count for D-day Normandy, France and where according to multiple contemporary accounts, it was possible to walk across the field in any direction stepping only on bodies. But of course, the combatants, and thus the casualties, on both sides were Americans during the battles of the Civil War.
Tarawa is an atoll in the Gilbert group of Islands in the central Pacific. Sand, coral and palm trees as is typical of such atolls. Betio Island of the atoll was where the main American assault was aimed, total area of the island is only .59 square miles. But of course the waters immediately around it from the reefs in were all killing fields. Especially on the Lagoon side.
On and immediately around that tiny island about 1,100 Marines and integrated naval personnel primarily medical personnel were KIA, DOW (Died of Wounds), or MIA. Additionally about 4,500 Japanese combatants and Korean laborers were killed.
After the carnage the smell of death pervaded the whole island.
The mistakes were many and I will not get into listing them nor in an account of the battle. Tarawa was a learning experience and the price of the schooling was very steep. But what was learned certainly helped to decreased US casualties in subsequent invasions against strongly defended islands.
I will however note one detail. From the time the official Naval Historian Sammual Elliot Morrison published his history of this battle as part of the official Navy history of the campaigns in the Pacific, it was assumed that his statement about the 8″ naval rifles the Japanese used on Betio island had been taken from the British defenses of Singapore was correct.
It turns out that it was false. Those 8″ guns are still on Betio and the markings on them prove that they are of British manufacture. But their serial numbers prove that they were a lot sold by the British to the Japanese during the era of the Russo-Japanese war and were manufactured in 1905.
I enjoy your postings about WW2 and the CW.
Keep them coming.
Don’t forget the mass casualties in such a short time span at Cold Harbor.
Have a great day.
A little history with the namesake, for our USN Treepers.
…I always thought it was an air craft carrier…ah once again wrong…but memories. The conspiracy theory of he day included it was brought in to intimidate Panama as there were ongoing rumors of insurrections around the Treaty negations
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-W79-7d24ec89a43bcd1d1f063a8262bb0637/pdf/GOVPUB-W79-7d24ec89a43bcd1d1f063a8262bb0637.pdf
Scroll down to page 3 or so after a few blank and red pages at the start…USS Tarawa Transits. At the time, it was the USN newest amphibious assault ship.
On pages 24 and 25…I highly recommend the rum balls and bananas baked with rum!
Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end…….
I spent a short time on the USS Iwo Jima when we were leaving Lebanon. We were transferring from a CH 46 to a CH 53 that took us on to Larnica, Cyprus.
Greetings Treepers!
Big day today. Our border collie must go down. Her name is Ruby but we’ve always called her Pup. Rhonda picked a spot in our garden area the bees and butterflies love. I’ll use my router to etch her name on a small cedar cross. This is the end of a 15 year chunk of great memories with a great living dog.
You were right Gramps…”you’ll know when it’s time.”
You’ll meet her again at the Rainbow Bridge.
RAINBOW BRIDGEThere is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called Rainbow Bridge because of its many splendid colors. Just this side of Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills, and valleys with lush, green grass. When beloved pets die, they go to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who are maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other. There is only one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on earth. So each day they run and play. Until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up!
The nose twitches. The ears are up! The eyes are staring. And this one suddenly runs from the group. You have been seen! And when you and your special friend meet, you take him in your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more more into the eyes of your trusting pet. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together… Never again to be separated.
I am so very sorry….there really aren’t the words. 15 years is a good life. And memories…yes and yes. They are family (any cats? Well, they are family too,).. much to be said about love, loyalty and companionship.
I had to make the decision back in April for my larger than life sheltie rescue. Yes, you know when the time has come.
Ironically, today is my long awaited “Puppy Day”–…
and please know that when I pick up my little fur ball, I will be thinking of you.
And you will also know when the time is right, for the newbie. God Bless!
I have no connection to this fransiscan friar but his book offers much spiritual peace based on scripture:
Friar Jack Wintz “Will I see my dog in heaven?”
There are a lot of naysayers out there, but he seemed convinced.
I went to the Rainbow Bridge and found it goes to Heaven/Spirit World where our loved ones are. My father was taking care of our Dogs and Cats. His name was Francis. All our family animals loved him especially his Belgian Shepard.
💔….and yet 💕
That story has really touched my heart. Dogs just know…but cats? If even they were drawn to him, Colkitto, your man must have been an incredible loving man.
True story friend Bet. I was wracked when my very special Corgi mix friend died I went to a Animal intuitive. She identified all 4 of my dogs and my awesome Cat and they were in the care of my father. She stressed to me that they are very determined to make them know that it is really them and that they are with us. So she told me something that he (my father)told her to tell me that no one else would know unless they were around me during plans I had to go to a German village for a vacation. I was floored. He even told her about my Cardinal statue I have in my yard! Heaven/Spirit world is real to some one like me who just has to know. There is more, but I proved it to myself.
Our loved ones never really leave us and that includes our animal family members.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your wonderful Welsh Husband!
How could it be heaven when any creature you have loved so much is not there to be with you eternally? No one will ever convince me that animals do not have souls. No one, ever!
Peace to you and Ruby
And with this news, Frank, my heart has broken into a million pieces. We, as with too many others to count, have been where you and your family are now. There isn’t a one of us who doesn’t understand the heartbreak. I am bereft for you all.
It has been said, rightly, dogs’ lives are too short…their only fault really.
Tis true…
What comforted us most when we lost our Penny was knowing with certainty that no matter how long she lived, there was no dog who had a better life than she had…loved and cared for so much.
It is a gift to her that, as G said, you give her respite from her infirmities, knowing she couldn’t be here forever and understanding the cost in making that decision. Bless you for that, dear Frank.
See the beautiful picture St Francis above. He is no doubt waiting for her….I’d very much like to believe it is so.💕
Frank 😢
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The Power of the Dog
Rudyard Kipling – 1865-1936
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie—
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
But… you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long—
So why in—Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?
My condolences. Our animals are family.
I had forgotten this one, my friend. I am so glad you had not, and posted this wonderful poem. It has always brought me to tears… and this time is no different.
I believe with all I’ve got that we don’t know or understand the half of our four legged companions, and other creatures on this earth. But I do know that of the animals we’ve been blessed with, there are times when they seemed to me to be more human than some people who crossed my path.
Mornin’ all!
ouch – – but true
Amen, amen, amen.
PLEASE PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
http://cdn.simplesite.com/i/6e/51/286260055715238254/i286260064358210089._szw480h1280_.jpg
Imagine the joy of discovering an empty tomb and that message delivered.🙏
PRAYING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD
Father God, I now follow your command to put on the full armor of God, because my battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the unseen world.
I first pray on the Belt of Truth that it may be buckled around my waist, may I be centered and encircled by your truth dear Lord. Hem me inside all that is true and right, and may I be protected and held up by the truth of your living word, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Breastplate of righteousness, please protect my vital organs and my inner man, cover my integrity, my spirit, and my soul. Guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life, please strengthen and guard the most vulnerable places in my life with that which is right, good, and noble that I might not receive a fatal blow from the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Gospel Shoes of Peace. I choose to stand in the shoes of your good news, and on the firm foundation of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the solid eternal rock. All other ground is sinking sand, I pray that I will not slip or fall, but that my feet would be firmly fitted on your lordship, my Lord Jesus. I choose to stand on you, so that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, the eternal Rock of Ages. I receive your holy peace now my Lord, from the sole of my feet to the crown of my head, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray the Shield of Faith into my hand now. As I take up the shield of faith, I ask that you might extinguish every dart and arrow, that is launched from the enemy to take me down spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and every attempt of the enemy to destroy my joy. I ask that my faith in you would make it flame out. Extinguish every flaming arrow that would come against me, my life, my family, my home, or my ministry. May my faith always be out in front of me like a shield. Give me the courage to “faith my fears” by choosing to walk by faith and not by sight, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Helmet of Salvation, that you might protect my mind from the thoughts that can lead me astray. I choose to take every thought captive, and arrest all intentioned ideas and motives that would harm others, or distract me from your holy will for me. I submit every captured thought to the Lordship of my Lord Jesus Christ, and ask that you would imprison those thoughts that are not of you my Lord. Transform my mind and renew my thinking that I may think God thoughts, and have a sober mind that is focused on your glory. Please protect me from being double minded that I may allow my mind, I reject to live an earthly life, because I choose to live a holy one, governed by you My Lord Jesus, the prince of peace, please have my mind to be saturated with the holy mind of Christ, in my Lord Jesus name.
Finally, I take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the holy word of God, I pray this powerful offensive weapon into my hand, and ask that your holy word would be fitting for every encounter I face. As the enemy gets close to me, please give me the insight, wisdom, and skill to wield the word of God to drive away the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.
May the enemy and his team flee from me, upon hearing the word of God spoken by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Give me the sword of the spirit to cut through the wiles of the devil, so that I may discern the schemes of the enemy when he is near.
With all kinds of prayers, supplication, and intercession I pray to you my Lord God as the one who fights my battles. Now that I’m in your holy powerful armor, I walk away covered and ready to face my day as you go before me, and please protect me in the midst of the spiritual warfare in this unseen world, in my Lord Jesus name.
Thank you my Lord, for the spiritual weapons of armor and prayer that you have given me. It is written no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses me.
Thank you Father God, my Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that I am more than a conqueror in my Lord Jesus. I pray all of this in the mighty name of my Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
AMEN.
BE MY VOICE
BABY LIVES MATTER
JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN
Verse of the Day for Tuesday, November 22, 2022
✟
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Thank You, Jesus, for blessings received and prayers answered!!!
VERY APPROPRIATE FOR THE TIMES WE LIVE IN
Bartley O’Donnell – This World Is Not My Home
Just wanted to remind everyone of the significance of this date in history – 59 years ago President Kennedy was gunned down by the CIA and military. This was one of the first psyops perpetrated on “we the people.” They got away with it and our country has gone downhill ever since. This subject is covered in children’s history books in at most three sentences, if at all. JFK was assassinated by a lone nut – end of story. I hope some day this terrible wrong will be recognized and the blame placed where it belongs.
Joan, my view of what happened that day and who was responsible for it has evolved over the years.
The authorities who should have released sealed records have once again demurred. Which only solidifies my believe this was an assassination ordered from the bowels of the US” Intelligence Departments”. I am absolutely convinced of it.
Amen.
Amen
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
✝️ Lord, thank You for the day. Amen.