Yesterday I began sharing the first of a series of words concerning God's indictment of America. These words are a stern warning, indicating that God's forbearance with America is ending. Today, I am posting parts 2 and 3 of that series. These portions resulted from my asking God to grant me a greater understanding of HIs concerns.

Part 2

 But I asked the Lord, "Lord, although I think I understand, will you be specific about what has disgusted you?"

 And I believe the Lord responded. He despises

• America's greater love for money and spectacle than for righteousness or integrity.
• Politicians who lie and destroy good people's reputations to gain money and power.
• People who knowingly vote for evil people and evil policies to line their pockets.
• The lazy
  • those who are too lazy to seek the truth and
  • those who are too lazy to work at gainful employment but want to eat the fruit of other people's efforts [This includes both spiritual and physical fruit].
• Those...

The month of July was a busy time for me.  I published and launched my new book, Out of the Ashes.  I also assisted [in a small way] in the launch of another book, Ambushed by Joy,  written by Hayley Hewitt.   So much of July focused on books, advertising, and promotional concerns that I began to dream about it all.

However, that was July.  Today is August 15, and a shift is happening in the heavenlies.  Now, natural, noticeable changes have occurred with the start of a new school year.  School buses are rolling, and parents must deal with new schedules and school supply costs.  However, I am speaking of a much more profound change [or shift].  The time of God's forbearance is coming to an end. 

Over the last few months, God spoke encouraging words to His people.  But, now, God is sending a warning:  It is time to repent, to evaluate our thoughts and actions, and change them if they disagree or fail...

One of my strengths is the ability to focus intently on one activity or problem.  However, this strength becomes a weakness if I allow myself to become inflexible in my thinking or how I work with the people who surround me.  If I focus on my expectations and plans coming to pass exactly as I have planned, I will suffer great disappointment and may miss God's best for our lives.

When our plans are interrupted or go awry, we have the opportunity to use that problem to grow in grace and become more like Jesus, or we can choose to stew in frustration and disappointment.  A recent book Ambushed by Joy speaks of the balance we need to maintain in order to live in the fulness of life that God intends for us.  

I took the unexpected interruption of a rainy day to make a cartoon video!   Please watch this short video to learn more. 

It's summer in the Carolinas!  That means we are having hot, muggy days.  I don't like the heat or humidity but it does mean that I am able to work on the type of projects that I like.

Recently I was thinking about painting an old chest.  Now, this chest was cheap, the sort of chest that would be useful in a college dorm or in one's first apartment.  It was a good size, but I was not sure that it was worth actually painting the chest.  I was talking it over with the Holy Spirit and thought, what I really one is an old, red, beat-up chest with an Americana flair.

Now this thought was not a prayer request, more like an "I wish I had." Yet our Father in heaven likes to grant us some of those little desires when He knows that blessing us in this manner will not corrupt us.  I now have a beat-up red chest of drawers exactly like what I envisioned that I was able to buy locally for a pittance.

This chest had been in someone's garage for over ten years storing...

A division is occurring within the Body of Christ. Terms like "Conservative Christian" and "Liberal Christian" are being tossed around. But the true division occurring among believers is obscured by incorrect usage of such terms. If believers only look at the number of many social outreaches a particular church body is involved in, they will miss the root cause of the division entirely.

Recently I read a very heart-felt editorial from a pastor expressing distress about this division in the Body of Christ. The pastor’s concern and compassion for people were easily discernible throughout the article I read. The pastor expressed dismay that several local churches had joined together to host a men’s meeting that was designed to encourage men to be leaders in the family. The pastor felt the money spent on the meeting would have been better spent feeding the poor. The pastor felt the "Conservative Christians" within the local churches...

This Holy Week has been a little different than I expected.  Some planned events to celebrate the Passover were canceled. I did not participate in others [such as the wonderful event at Free Chapel Gainesville]. Actually, most of my thoughts this week have not been directly focused on the Crucifixion or the Resurrection of Jesus but more on His obedience. God spoke to me very clearly on April 12^th about obedience--both Jesus' and our own.  The following outline comes out of research I did after receiving that word [A few of the verses are printed out to get you started on your own investigation]. I have printed the word I received after this outline.

Part 1:  Outline 

 Jesus said that He came to do the will of the Father.

• John 5:30  “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
•  John 6:38 

Jesus did not go to the cross accidentally....

We of all people have eternal hope.  While wars, deaths, and other troubles bring us sorrow, we do not have to be desolate.  We have the peace and strength of the Lord to draw upon.

I have lost a friend and mentor.  Yet while I will grieve, I know that I will see my friend again.  I know I can love and uphold my friends and the family, knowing we can all come to the Father and pour out our hearts to Him.

Blessed be the Lord who knows and carries our sorrow.

Have the last six months flown by you like a whirlwind? Do you feel shaken and tossed? Certainly, the events of 2021 and the beginnings of 2022 can leave the average person shaken. We are in a period of time in which everything that can be shaken is being shaken. 

God is allowing this shaking so that we will see our own hearts and discover if we really trust Him, or whether we are only giving Him lip service while we allow our own wants and desires to rule and reign in our hearts.  Only as we face uncertainty and adversity do we discover our real heart motivations. It is so easy to deceive ourselves.

And now, when we are weary of the horrors of Covid and  Afghanistan, war has engulfed Ukraine. Like many people, I have been praying and interceding.  Yes, Ukraine has had a very dark history, but a major revival has been arising in the land and the spirit of the antichrist has risen in opposition to that revival. I am praying for my brothers...