Beyond the Veil

As a musician, I view "Frail" as a work of art...not just a song.  Each musician is a vital part in this piece...giving of themselves to it.  Every note is intense and each instrument cries from depths within the heart where things can't be expressed with words.  The fragmented lyrics speak volumes. 
The composer/lead singer, Dan Haseltine, says this:  "...the capturing concept of that song is just that in our inability to be weak is born true weakness...and we need to be weak in the eyes of God in order to be strong...and when we're unable to be weak, we truly find ourselves in a place of desperation and barrenness."
(((Been there.)))

Wanted to share this...author unknown...adopted from a post in my prayer group.
If you have favorite scripture not mentioned OR if you have something not listed, please share and I'll make a fresh list.

Along with being German and Dutch, I'm part political-activist.  Below is something I received from the Family Research Council that ought be of concern to parents/families everywhere.  What happens in California often filters down the line to other states, so be prepared...this is a taste of things to come after same-sex marriage (if passed).

Actually, when things like this happen, it's like confirmation that Jesus is returning very soon...so we know God's in ultimate control of everything and won't let anything happen that isn't in His plan. Yet in Luke 19:13, the parable of the 10 servants, Jesus exhorts them to "Occupy till I come."

Can you imagine growing up with Parent #1 and Parent #2 instead of Mom and Dad!!  How impersonal!!  How could this be dealt with psychologically?
We should occupy until He comes...Let's pray and ask God to draw all those involved to Himself for salvation, give them a change of heart, and intervene by raising up people to fight changes like this or perhaps replacing the California Supreme Court judges....however God leads you to pray.

Happy Parent #1 Day

Honor thy Mother and Father should be the simplest of the Ten Commandments to follow, yet as a society we are failing to do so. In California we told, by order of four activist judges, that having both a mother and a father is completely unnecessary in bringing up a child. "Such roles of a Mom and Dad are antiquated" imply these judges, and they can be replaced by Parent #1 and Parent #2, regardless of gender. As in most families, my mom and dad still play very significant and unique roles in my life. What they have taught me--and continue to teach me--will be passed on to my children and grandchildren. Probably unaware of the irony, the California Supreme Court has ruled that this coming Monday, the day after Father's Day, California will put its official stamp of approval on the intentional creation of permanently fatherless (or motherless) families. If it stands, this ruling will effectively eliminate the true meaning of Father's Day, which is to honor the men in our lives who have played a unique and truly irreplaceable role. FRC is hoping to drive this point home in ads running across the state of California this weekend. We encourage you to look for them in newspapers throughout the state! For those of you who would like to get more involved in the debate, visit www.frc.org/marriage, which will be continually updated with the latest news on marriage protection efforts and analysis on how California's crisis affects your state. In the meantime, please enjoy this Father's Day, and if you have the ability, let your dad know that you love and appreciate him.

Additional Resources
Get involved in protecting marriage
FRC's Father's Day ad for California [PDF]

Below is an exhortation to pray one minute nightly for America and the upcoming elections.  The author (unknown) speaks of this as being "the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced", and I share the concern; HOWEVER...regardless of the outcome, we can be assured that God is the One who is in ultimate control.
And His being in control doesn't mean we don't need to pray...but rather helps direct HOW we pray.  We can't please God without faith.

One issue people have prayed about recently is our economy; it was supposed to take a severe downturn by now...but, praise God!, leveled off instead.  (Thank You, Father, for hearing us)  I believe this outcome was the result of God answering prayer.

Blessings to you,
Judy
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....

This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced and from the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values.  We all need to be on our knees.

We believe we can take God at His word.  Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold.  This Scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it.  I challenge you to do so.

We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land.  This election is the scariest I remember in my lifetime.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace.  This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America .  The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever!  If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the upcoming elect ion, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the US.


If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along.  Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.  Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.  

Thank You.

Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to join us.

God Bless You and BLESS GOD AMERICA !!!!!!

SCHOOL  --  1957 vs 2007

Scenario:  Jack  goes quail hunting before school, pulls into
school parking lot with shotgun in  gun rack.

1957  - Vice Principal  comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes
to his car and gets his shotgun to  show Jack.
2007 - School goes  into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off
to jail and never sees his truck or  gun again. Counsellors
called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario:  Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.

1957  - Crowd gathers. Mark  wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands
and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives,  arrests Johnny and
Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though  Johnny
started it.

Scenario:  Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other 
students.

1957  - Jeffrey sent to  office and given a good paddling by the
Principal. Returns to class, sits still  and does not disrupt
class again.
2007  - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie.
Tested for  ADD. School gets extra money from state because
Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario:  Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his
Dad gives him a whipping  with his belt.
1957  - Billy is more  careful next time, grows up normal, goes
to college, and becomes a successful  businessman.
2007 - B illy's  dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed
to foster care and joins a gang.  State psychologist tells
Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself  and their
dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario:  Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957  - Mark shares aspirin  with Principal out on the smoking
dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from  school for drug
violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario:  Pedro fails high school English.
1957  - Pedro goes to  summer school, passes English, goes to
college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state.  Newspaper articles
appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a 
requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action
lawsuit against  state school system and Pedro's English teacher.
English banned from core  curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway
but ends up mowing lawns for a living  because he cannot speak
English.

Scenario:  Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of
July, puts them in a model  airplane pain t bottle, blows up a
red ant bed.
1957  - Ants  die.
2007 - ATF, Homeland  Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with
domestic terrorism, FBI investigates  parents, siblings removed
from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on  a terror
watch list and is never allowed to fly  again.

Scenario:  Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes
his knee. He is found  crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him
to comfort  him.
1957  - In a short time,  Johnny feels better and goes on
playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual  predator and loses her
job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes  5 years
of therapy.

This is my rendition of the Prayer of St. Patrick (from his breastplate)...
inspired...just going by memory and praying with my heart.

Christ with me, Christ within me
Christ before me, Christ behind me
Christ above me, Christ below me
Christ at my left hand and Christ at my right hand
Christ when I sit, Christ when I arise
Christ when I sleep, Christ when I wake
Christ in my heart, Christ on my mind
Christ in my mouth, Christ at all times
When others speak of me, let it be Christ in their mouth
...be it friend, family or neighbor
Christ comforts me, Christ restores me

 

1 Corinthians 13 (NKJV)

The Greatest Gift

 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

As time goes on and we learn more from God's word, certain parts of scripture can tend to become a focus.  When this happens, other parts of scripture can tend to lose focus.

After reading in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, my attention was brought to chapter 1.  What kept knocking at me was the word "may".  So I did a word search on "God may" and found quite a bit of scripture that

1 John 5

 1Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, of God he hath been begotten, and every one who is loving Him who did beget, doth love also him who is begotten of Him:

 2in this we know that we love the children of God, when we may love God, and His commands may keep;

 3for this is the love of God, that His commands we may keep, and His commands are not burdensome;

 4because every one who is begotten of God doth overcome the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world -- our faith;

 5who is he who is overcoming the world, if not he who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God?

 6This one is he who did come through water and blood -- Jesus the Christ, not in the water only, but in the water and the blood; and the Spirit it is that is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth,

 7because three are who are testifying [in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these -- the three -- are one;

 8and three are who are testifying in the earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are into the one.

 9If the testimony of men we receive, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that He hath testified concerning His Son.

 10He who is believing in the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself; he who is not believing God, a liar hath made Him, because he hath not believed in the testimony that God hath testified concerning His Son;

 11and this is the testimony, that life age-during did God give to us, and this -- the life -- is in His Son;

 12he who is having the Son, hath the life; he who is not having the Son of God -- the life he hath not.

 13These things I did write to you who are believing in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that life ye have age-during, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

 14And this is the boldness that we have toward Him, that if anything we may ask according to his will, He doth hear us,

 15and if we have known that He doth hear us, whatever we may ask, we have known that we have the requests that we have requested from Him.

 16If any one may see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give to him life to those sinning not unto death; there is sin to death, not concerning it do I speak that he may beseech;

 17all unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

 18We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him;

 19we have known that of God we are, and the whole world in the evil doth lie;

 20and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during!

 21Little children, guard yourselves from the idols! Amen.

Karl Heinrich Von Bogatzky (1690-1774) said this:

The nearer to Heaven, the higher the Mountains, the Deeper the Valleys, and the sharper the conflicts. Be not discouraged; it is only the trial of our Faith. God also gives more strength, carries us through all, as He has done from the beginning, and suffers none to be ashamed who trust in Him. Sometimes we may seem to be tempted above measure and are afraid of being confounded;but far from it; it is quite impossible that we should. Here are the plain words of the Lord. Take hold of them and wait on His time; for since the world stood, none have been confounded in anything who have waited on His promise; and surely He will not make you the first instance of the failure of His Word. By no means.

Covenant Living
A covenant is taught to be an "inviolable contract". And it is. But it's more than that. In Psalm 89:3, the Lord says "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant".
The Hebrew word for "covenant" is beriyth and means "a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)". The dictionary doesn't specify whether it's literal or figurative. However, I've come to believe that it's where the Holy Spirit resides in us...between pieces of flesh...beyond or between our DNA. That's how deep God's covenant with us goes. He's not superficial by any means.
Check out Psalm 89 ~ it holds the Davidic Covenant and the latter verses explain how the Lord fulfills His promise to our seed.