THE NEW EWE
THE NEW EWE"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"
Luke 15:4-6
March 20, 2024
LIFE
IN THE FOLDThere's a children's song that most of us probably know: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....."
The Gaither Vocal Band has a song that they sing that is called, 'Shine' (The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Light).
We live in a world that, in many ways, has become a dark place filled with sin and evil. People want the option to choose to live however they want, without any rules or anyone telling them that they are wrong. When anyone disagrees with them, they are offended. So many people don't seem to understand that you can disagree about things and still get along, love, and be kind. It's a fallen world that needs Jesus!
For the past several years many churches and christians have fallen into that trap that accepting sinful behaviors is the godly thing to do. They call "good" what the Bible calls "sin". In an effort to not offend and be charitable and love, standards have been lowered and in a lot of cases there's a thin line between godliness and worldliness. Not according to God, but in many church settings and in what's being preached and accepted and lived by those who call themselves christians, this is the case.
The closer we get to the return of Jesus, the worse this world is going to become. Just in the past few years we've already seen things beginning to change. I believe that things are going to begin happening at a faster and faster pace, and we may see things that we never dreamed possible.
For example, remember back to March of 2020. I was babysitting my nephew's two youngest kids when the area schools went on spring break. We never dreamed that schools would remain closed for the rest of that school year and that grocery store shelves would empty and there would be shortages and items almost impossible to find. Many businesses had their employees work from home and many stopped eating out at restaurants. There were businesses that failed and had to shut down. The government stepped in and tried to help families, but then those stipends made many people want to stop working and just draw a check. After months of being at home and not attending school in a social setting, it was extremely difficult for so many students when school finally did go back to in-person. This all happened so very quickly and we saw changes take place, seemingly overnight.
I heard people comment, "I can't wait for things to get back to normal." But really I think in many ways we just found a new normal, after the pandemic. I believe that changed our world, even when things opened back up.
Many churches struggled afterwards, because people got used to staying home on Sundays and not attending service. In many ways, Satan used that to try to destroy the church and convince people that fellowshipping with other believers was no longer necessary. It seems as if during that time, the love for God grew lukewarm for many.
In the past several weeks I have heard of so many people who have had dreams/visions who have been talking about things that God has been revealing to them about the end of time being near and things worsening in the world and the need to be prepared. It's been too many for me to just ignore. I believe that God is giving us warnings so that we can prepare our hearts, first of all. But, also, so we can pray and ask God what we need to do to prepare our homes, finances, and perhaps even what supplies we need to have on hand for whatever lies ahead.
Whatever lies ahead, I believe that the world will face a time of darkness. In the Old Testament this happened to Israel many times when they began to do evil and stopped worshiping God. Their hearts would become hardened and they had total disregard for God, so He would finally say enough and turn them over to their enemies. The main reason was so that they would recognize their need for Him and call out to Him for help. When they did so, He would answer and come rescue them. As long as their hearts stayed repentant and they worshipped God, He would be with them and there would be peace. But when they cycled back into sin and began to ignore God and thought they had no need of Him, He would once again hand them over to their enemies, until they chose to repent and ask for Him to come help.
Whatever happens, we must choose to be a light in a dark world. The darker the night, the brighter our light will need to shine. We need to be men and women who will draw others to Jesus. As moths are drawn to a light in the darkness, we need to be that light that the lost are drawn to when everything around them looks dark and hopeless. People will need the hope and encouragement and peace that only comes from God. When situations look hopeless and it seems as if everything around us is crashing and we see devastation everywhere we look, the light of Jesus needs to shine even brighter through believers.
Be the light of Jesus that shines brightly to everyone around you! Never allow your light to dim or go out.
JON'S
PERSPECTIVE:Proverbs 27:1 says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring;" and James 4:13-15 says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
The next 12 months look like they will be a troublesome time. We have another presidential election, as well as wars and global issues going on. But to be honest, I don't have any firm ideas about what will happen. I have some guesses, but they are nothing more than guesses. Only God knows for sure.
Whatever happens, I want God with me through it. I'd like to be careful, though. Many people might interpret that to mean I think God will prevent anything bad happening to or around me. I don't mean that. The Israelites were taken into captivity again and again, including the few who still worshipped and obeyed God. Most of Jesus's disciples were killed for spreading His word. And many christians were killed by the Romans in the early church. In fact, many christians are still killed every year.
If you believe that praying to God will exempt you from all of the events to come, you may face a crisis of faith soon. Stand strong, be with God, and have faith in Him. Be prepared for difficult times. And give thanks to God for the easy times we enjoy now.
ON
THE MENEWE:How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 400.
Cover the top and sides of a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Lay the bacon on the sheet pan in a single layer.
Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness, until crisp, but not brown.
Store any leftovers in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator.
Reheat the bacon in a hot pan to crisp up or loosely wrap it in a paper towel and microwave for a few seconds.
THIS,
THAT AND THE OTHER:Jon's brother had a pet squirrel when he was around age 10 or so. He really liked that squirrel!
One day, Jon and his mom were home alone, and the squirrel attacked Diane; hanging onto her arm. She was terrified and was screaming at Jon (who was 4-5 at the time) to run into the closet and close the door for safety. Jon was puzzled why she was so scared and wanted him to hide!
Jon's brother had to get rid of the squirrel after that happened. But it was as if the neighborhood squirrels knew that Diane was scared of them, and they would terrorize her! She would come home, and they would sit in the middle of the sidewalk staring at her, blocking her path to the door. When any other member of the family was outside, the squirrels would run up the tree and not bother them.
To try and help her fear of squirrels, Diane started buying squirrel related items and reading information about them. The bad thing is, there were lots of pecans in the yard, which meant there were always a lot of squirrels running around!
The squirrels also liked to terrorize an ugly long-haired tabby they had. She would try to stalk one squirrel while the others were on guard. When the cat got close, another squirrel would chatter behind her, then they would all run past her while she ran back and forth trying to reach one.
THOUGHT
TO PONDER:If you look at the world, you'll be distressed.
If you look within, you'll be depressed.
But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest. - Corrie ten Boom
OUR
HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:We love you!
Loretta & Jon