The Year of Spiritual Revolution by John Mark Poole

This excerpt from an article by John Mark Poole sent today from The Elijah List is especially encouraging to those of us who are praying for revival for this land.

    "We can certainly expect to see natural and spiritual shaking in our nation and in every part of this land until America returns to our spiritual roots and a passionate love for God. The Lord God will do the shaking, and what remains is His forever.

            Holy Fear and Awe of God Is Returning To His People

     We are about to experience the greatest move of God this world has ever seen. This will be marked as a season of the apostles combined with the prophetic movement to produce the most unstoppable force of God with signs, wonders and miracles ever seen by humans. We are not moving indoors, but instead this move of God will be taken outdoors and on the streets.

     There will be a resurgence of great outdoor meetings. People will begin to gather in parks, public meeting places, houses of prayer, and will worship God without ceasing. For this mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, true worshippers and hungry hearts will come to public meetings and not be able to leave. Many people will be filled with the anointing of Holy Ghost fire, and mighty miracles will happen before the eyes of the world!

• Media will finally film the miraculous, showing this nation and the world God's amazing miracles.

• Children's camps will spring up in rural places and the youth everywhere will demonstrate unprecedented prophetic gifts, miracles, signs and wonders.

• Apostolic and prophetic teams will travel across America and the world; we will see nations turn to God in a day.

• Many occult workers will be invaded by the light of God's glory and be won over to Jesus Christ.

• There will be many spontaneous outpourings of God's Spirit.

What the Enemy Meant For Bad, God Is Turning For Good

     As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20

      When America seemingly chose the plan of evil over the plan of God, I asked the Lord for a word, and He clearly said to me, "It is not over yet; I am not through with America!"

       This is going to be a year that initiates the greatest spiritual turnaround our nation has ever experienced! Just like with Joseph's life, the past experiences taught us that God brings good from evil for those who trust and love Him. Trust the Lord now and experience the greatest breakthrough and a new life in God like never before. It is not over for America yet! The true Bride of Christ will be purified, blessed and prepared for Jesus' return."

John Mark Pool
Word to the World Ministries
Email: MarkandSandyPool@aol.com

The Dangers of Aspartame (Diet Coke Zero Side Effects Poisoning Pepsi Ma...

For years, ever since a medical student told me they were shown in medical school that aspartame turns into formaldehyde when heated, I have been trying to spread the word that it is a substance that should be avoided at all cost.  Every day more studies are showing the same thing, but because of the huge profits involved most of those studies don't make it to the public eye.  We must do all we can to tell others about this terrible hoax.

Here is more supporting evidence that aspartame can destroy your health:

http://aspartame.mercola.com

http://aspartame.mercola.com/sites/aspartame/studies.aspx

Commitment

      Have you ever noticed that 'commitment' seems to be a dirty word these days?  I was thinking about the number of people who live together without getting married this morning.  Those people appear to be unwilling to make a life-long commitment and that's what marriage is supposed to be.  The Bible calls marriage a covenant.  It's to be a physical example of the spiritual truth of how Christ loves the church.  We certainly are not giving a very good impression of that are we?
     Have you ever studied the history of blood covenants?  In ancient days, animals were cut in two and each half laid opposite the other on a slight incline, so that the blood ran together in a little stream.  Two parties made a deal and then walked between these animals in the blood path to say "let this (that has been done to these animals) be done to me if I do not hold up my end of the bargain".   That is serious commitment, don't you think?
     Country Guy and I will have been married 47 years in April.  That sounds like an amazing length of time to me considering that when I think about how old I feel before I remember how old I am, I think of myself as about 45!  :o)  We believed when we got married that we were making a covenant for the rest of our lives.  It has not always been easy--of course, if Country Guy would just shape up, it would be easier--Just joking!
     Since it was a serious commitment, one we didn't enter into lightly, we had no choice but to stick together and work things out.   We believe that we were to honor the commitment we spoke in the words "for better, for worse, in sickness & health, till death do us part."  Just repeating those words give an indication that all things won't be rosy.  There is a warning inherent in them.  It is the commitment for life that gets us through those times we would like to avoid and makes us stronger in the process.
     It seems to me we have become a nation of wimps because we've forgotten our covenants, or broken them when times got tough, or never made them to start with.  We've chosen to do what feels good to avoid the trials that bring growth.
    I once read a book by Gary Thomas entitled, Sacred Marriage.  In it, his premise was that God didn't create marriage to make us happy, He created marriage to make us holy.  In the covenant of marriage we are given a perfect opportunity to learn to prefer others, die to self, love unconditionally, and to practice all those other commandments Jesus gave us.  If we are committed for life we might as well get to learning how to do those things because the problems are not going to go away!
     I believe that's what we're missing today.  We all want to be happy, but the Bible says our goal is to be holy.  Let's think about what our lack of commitment says to those who don't read the Bible.   In fact, I believe if we are serious about this Christian life, we need to look at our entire lives to see if they are true representations of what Jesus did for us, and if not, to ask Him to help us become a true disciple--doing what He did, living as He lived.  How much that surely would please Him!
    

The Patriot Post on Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade at 40 Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of the most tragic Supreme Court decision in American history, Roe v. Wade. The primary issue remains the right to life affirmed in our Declaration of Independence -- a right tragically denied to the more than 55 million unborn babies sacrificed on the altar of "choice" since 1973. One political party advocates this at all costs, while calling for Liberty-infringing gun control in the name of saving "even one child's life." How disgustingly hypocritical. It has always been evident to us, scientifically, morally and logically, that life begins at conception. For the last word on the matter, we consult our Creator's guidebook. The Psalmist wrote, "For You formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother's womb." He then noted, "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." Imago Dei! The Alabama Supreme Court agreed on Friday, ruling that "unborn children are persons with rights that should be protected by law." The case centered on two women who took illegal drugs while pregnant. One of the children was born prematurely and died of "acute methamphetamine intoxication." The Court's ruling is a great victory for life.

A Day To Pray

           Don't forget to join Governor Mike Huckabee tomorrow for A Day To Pray.

Prophetic Word: The Ball is Rolling! by Chuck Pierce

Chuck D. Pierce:

Prophetic Word: The Ball is Rolling!

A New Path of Breakthrough!
    Dear Overcomers, here is a recent word that will encourage you to press forward:

    "I'm starting a ball rolling and I am going to roll over what stood in your way in the last season. I'm starting a ball rolling and I am going to make a way and pave a way for you to come on through. Move quickly behind Me, for things are now rolling from Heaven. For you have rolled your cares upon Me and now the ball is rolling on your behalf and becoming a way opener for you.

     "I have rest times along the way, and I have refreshments prepared for you, but don't stop till you see My table. And don't be afraid, for many times My table will be prepared in the face of your enemy. Eat and sup with Me and your enemy will even give up the spoils that are in his house.

      "I'm removing a coat of rejection from My people. No longer will they be afraid to be rejected. As they go and sit I will use them to determine who will receive My grace and who will choose My judgments. Remove your old coat of rejection and put on the armor of glory that I am contending for you to wear.

     "My harvest fields are two layers down. Therefore, you must remove the iniquity out of the ground, and as the iniquity flees, the seed you've sown will begin to rise. Open your eyes, for I will use you like I used Judah to plow the fields that were sown in other generations. Your Redeemer is already in and has the field planned for you. But the crop has yet to spring forth.

      "Watch carefully for a new crop is springing forth and your eyes will see it flowing in the wind, and you will say, 'I am ready to go in with my Redeemer.' And what wasn't redeemed in last season, I will have you bring out with arm loads in this season.

      "The sound that has captured you, that held you serving the slavery of your bloodline, I say I will liberate you from that sound. Where you have wealth strategies, I will uncover those strategies; and where you had healing hands, I will anoint those hands; and where you had the ability to write I will cause you to write and pen what will cause even the learned to come alive. My redemptive gifts will come alive in My people this season.

      "For you've been in agreement with poverty and you've been in agreement with lack and you've been in agreement with infirmity. But I say there is a shout of 'SOW!' coming up within My people. And when I hear it, what you've sown will then come alive. For through the ages I changed the call of My people and I called them to accomplish My purpose. I say your call is changing and Heaven is releasing a call to new fields – a call to plow and a call to see what has been sown in the last 50 years."

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
Email: chuckp@glory-of-zion.org

OBAMA SECOND TERM PREVIEW: WE ARE ALL CHICAGOANS NOW by Joel Pollak

     I found this interesting and revealing article on Breitbart.com, a conservative website that publishes many stories the liberal media ignores.  According to recent polls nearly 50% of U.S. citizens have been duped into believing that big government is good and can be trusted.  We had better wake-up soon or there will be no United States of America!
     Since I believe a return to God is the only answer for our country and prayer is the way we partner with Him, I am posting Dale Gentry's daily prayer (see earlier posts) below this article.  It seems to sum up all that we ask for our president.

OBAMA SECOND TERM PREVIEW: WE ARE ALL CHICAGOANS NOW

by JOEL B. POLLAK 17 Jan 2013, 6:00 AM PDT 591POST A COMMENT

In March 2003, amidst simmering legislative controversy over the future of Chicago’s lakefront airport, Meigs Field, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley sent bulldozers in the dead of night to carve the letter “X” several times into the runway, rendering the airport useless and ending the debate. That stunt is a model for President Barack Obama’s second term, in which he is determined to exceed the boundaries of his power.

On every front, the Obama administration is testing its constitutional limits. Yesterday’s announcement of 23 executive orders to implement gun control without the consent of Congress is only the most recent example. Obama knows that some of the orders will not stand, just as some of the legislation he has proposed will not pass. But if he can make even a small dent in the Second Amendment, he can change the debate forever.

Likewise on the debt ceiling, where Obama has indicated bluntly that he will not even negotiate with Republicans. In 2006, Obama railed against a new debt ceiling increase, when the national debt was $8 trillion--half of what it is today--just as he raged against what he saw as the expansion of executive power under President George W. Bush. Now that he is the one in control, Obama is determined to seize whatever he can.

The list goes on. Obama has already used his executive power to create a “Dream Act” by fiat, staying the deportation of illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. He is challenging the First Amendment religious liberty of faith institutions that do not wish to provide insurance coverage for abortion or contraception. He is usurping the Senate’s power to review appointments or even to determine when it is in recess.

In other words, welcome to Chicago. 

It is worth remembering that at the outset of his improbably fortunate political career, Obama dared not dream of the presidency; his ambition was to be mayor of Chicago, just like Harold Washington, whose pioneering victory drew Obama to Chicago in the first place. He began by railing against the Daley machine. He ended by submitting to it, then winning its support and making it his own.

Obama now rules America the Chicago way. He plays to racial and ethnic divisions and resentments, stoking class warfare while convincing business leaders that he is the only game in town. He punishes opponents harshly and rewards supporters generously, putting the “bully” in pulpit and the “crony” in capitalism. He behaves as if Congress is the Chicago City Council--a one-party chamber whose rancor can be safely ignored.

The results for Chicago are a forecast for America. The city enjoyed a renewal during the Bill Clinton--nay, Michael Jordan--era. But the city’s economy is struggling--one in three Illinoisans lives in or near poverty--and its population has been declining, even as it struggles with huge debts and unfunded pensions. The rich huddle in small pockets while the murder rate skyrockets and the mayor fiddles with distractions like gay marriage.

Obama is not offering solutions in his second term to our pressing fiscal and economic problems. He is focusing on marginal but divisive issues to stun the opposition and put in place as many radical changes as he can before his time runs out. His Cabinet picks are undistinguished men who have been wrong about everything, and whose chief qualification is their ideological conformity and their unquestioning loyalty to his agenda.

Meanwhile, our nation’s troubles continue. We will likely see another debt downgrade soon, which the media will again fail to blame on the president. New threats to our national security are emerging from an expanding Al Qaeda and an emboldened Iran and China, while our allies are on their own. The generation that voted Obama into office, both times, is ironically the least hopeful that they will live better lives than their parents did.

Rahm Emanuel famously observed, at the dawn of Obama’s first term, that “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste” because it “provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.” Obama still wants to do many things that could not--and ought not--be done. So he creates new crises to exploit. America cannot move forward except on his terms. 

Hizzoner, the Mayor of America. 

Welcome to Chicago.

Photo credit: Chicago Magazine

Dale Gentry:  Good Friday morning Everybody! It's time to pray America!   "Dear Father God............we respond to your word today that declares we are to pray for those in authority...........that we might live a quiet and peaceable life...........we pray in agreement today for our president and his family..........we pray that you will protect President Obama from any assassination attempts...........we pray for a Jesus encounter for our president............that he would seek wisdom from above........that he will govern this nation according to the Constitution of The United States..........that he will surround himself with wise and righteous counselors............that he will adopt pro-life convictions and stand against same-sex marriage............that he will be free from all pride and will humble himself before you oh God.........that you will use our president to bring reconciliation to both parties as well as the different races in our nation...........we pray that other nations will not be able to work through him to gain access to our citizens..........we pray that his door will remain open to the church........that peace and blessing will come through his administration for the sake of our kids and grandkids............that all of our leaders will maintain a good relationship with Israel...........we pray today for a revival in America from the White House to every house.........we ask these things in Jesus name.........amen."

A Good Lesson In Irony

From a friend:

A good lesson in irony The Food Stamp Program,  administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever. Meanwhile .........the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed the Animals."   Their stated reason for the policy is because "the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves" ...........  This ends today's lesson

Cooking with coconut oil

      What kind of oil do you use for cooking?  I have listened to the so-called experts who have said we must use unsaturated oil to replace butter, lard, etc. because it is so much better for our health, but now I am reading from several sources these 'experts' have been wrong.  Many, including Dr. Mercola, whose insights into medicine and health I enjoy, have been recommending using nothing but unrefined, virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and butter in the kitchen.  Dr. Mercola says we should throw out any other oils we have used for cooking because they are so bad for us.
      Well, I haven't gotten to that step yet, but I finally bought some coconut oil--which to my surprise wasn't oil at all, but instead looked very much like lard--a solid white substance.  In our small community it has been difficult to find, and now that I have read comments on other sites, I may not yet have the right kind since it is not unrefined or virgin.  (This that I have has no taste or smell but I have read the unrefined has a slight nutty flavor and slight coconut smell.)
      I have begun experimenting with using it instead of the oils I previously used in recipes.  Country Guy made popcorn with it last night, which was delicious!  Yesterday I made stir-fry for lunch--also delicious!  Today I am making dinner rolls with coconut oil as the shortening added to the recipe.  If it has even some of the health benefits I have been reading about, I see no reason not to use it instead of the oils I've been cooking with.  A few more experiments and I will be convinced, I think.
      Here and here are a couple of the many articles to read on the internet explaining the benefits of coconut oil--which include using it as a skin moisturizer..

A Word for 2013 from J. Lee Grady

(Emmanuel College)
Please don’t judge—pray instead. God can orchestrate a miraculous turnaround in our nation.

What is God saying as we enter 2013? Many Christians have a gloomy outlook. They are focused on the negative events of 2012: Freakish weather patterns, mass shootings, political division and the looming fiscal cliff. Others wring their hands over our national shift in values and declare that God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah if He doesn’t judge us swiftly.

There’s no doubt we deserve fire and brimstone for our sins. Yet when I pray for my nation in the light of the cross of Christ, I am reminded that His plan is redemption, not destruction. And I believe God has redemption in mind for 2013.

At the end of each year I always seek the Lord for a clear prophetic word for my own life, and sometimes He speaks something to me about the nation. This year the message has been clear. He told me: “Pray for a great awakening in the younger generation.”

This was confirmed when I received a prophetic word that was sent out by the Rev. Dale Gentry, a respected church leader from Texas and director of Let’s Pray America. He sent out a message on Dec. 19 that said: “I hear the Holy Spirit saying that He will do nothing until we pray. And then He will do nothing without the youth. No one will be excluded, but the youth must be included. Intercede for the young people. Keep your eyes upon the youth of the nation. He will do a work among your sons and daughters that will cause the nations to tremble.”

My heart leapt when I read this message because it confirmed everything I was sensing. I have my prayer assignment for 2013. Here’s how the Lord has instructed me to intercede:

1. Pray for a great “turning” in the hearts of the young. American churches are aging, and young people are becoming increasingly secularized. Certainly if current trends continue, the impact of the gospel could shrink drastically over the next 10 years in our country. But what would happen if God sent something similar to the Jesus movement of the early 1970s?

I believe we are on the brink of such a miracle, but we must cry out for it. A Jesus movement in 2013 will not be accompanied by tie-dyed headbands, afros or hippie beads. The style will be different. But the spiritual fervor could be just as intense.

2. Pray for a great “recall” of backslidden youth. There have been many times in history when spiritual trends were negative—yet they were reversed by the invisible force of spiritual awakening. This is what was promised in Malachi 4:5-6: "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse" (NASB).

There has been so much generational breakdown over the past few decades. Families have disintegrated and fathers and mothers have gone AWOL. Even in the church the values of parents have not been transferred to their children.

Yet when the supernatural power of awakening is released, hearts are mended, families are reconciled, backsliders return and God’s ultimate purpose is restored. It is this “Elijah anointing” of revival that sparked the first and second Great Awakenings in our past, as well as the Azusa Revival and the Jesus movement. It is time for God to do it again!

3. Pray for great boldness to arise in the younger generation. King David began his rule with a bunch of pitiful losers, but by the end of the story his followers had become “mighty men” who performed valiant military feats (see 2 Sam. 23:8-22). Please remember that the Holy Spirit has not finished shaping this generation!

Young Christians today may seem immature, but they are works in progress. They will end up in the “mighty” category—and they will surprise us and surpass us. God intends to raise up a generation in the United States (made up of all races and immigrant groups) who have committed their lives to missions, evangelism, holiness and radical discipleship.

Will you pray for this miracle? Some Christians prefer to condemn our nation to hell because they are angry at President Obama, homosexuals, abortionists, Hollywood, atheists and Muslims. Some are even mad at young people for turning away from the church. But this angry, vindictive spirit does not even remotely resemble Jesus—and it will not draw anyone to Him.

Please don’t judge—pray instead. God wants to give America another chance. The prophet Jeremiah pronounced many words of judgment on wayward Israel, yet he prayed this: “Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old” (Lam. 5:21). God loves to answer that prayer! His desire is to restore—and He can orchestrate a great turnaround in our nation if we will humble ourselves and cry to Him with all our hearts.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. His latest book is Fearless Daughters of the Bible. You can reach Dale Gentry’s website at letsprayamerica.com.

Join Mike Huckabee in "A Day To Pray"

        Mike Huckabee: January 20th is "A Day to Pray"
Join me for "A Day to Pray", where we will ask God to grant our leaders, from the local school houses to the White House, the wisdom they need for the road ahead. We will gather to ask God for forgiveness and healing of our land and to bless our Country and her people. This will not be a political rally but a spiritual event and hopefully one that can help bring us together as we move forward as a nation. -Mike Huckabee

       "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." -2 Chronicles 7:14

August 1, hundreds of thousands stood in line at Chick-fil-A to affirm a Christian brother's right to his personal view and the freedom to express it without being the object of economic terrorism. It was a historic moment because it was not a carefully staged PR stunt, but a viral response as people from many organizations and ministries simply urged their own constituents to participate. No one "owned" the day – each participating entity encouraged it from their own platform to their audience.

I want to propose that we join together to do something even more significant. What if on Sunday, January 20, we asked America to simply pray? Pray for our leaders and our country. This would not be a partisan or political event, but a sincere effort to ask millions of Americans to pray for our country on that day. Our leaders don't seem to be listening to us; maybe they will listen to God!

I truly believe that a day of humility, repentance, and prayer could do something that elections can't do.

A DAY TO PRAY is a spiritual event where Believers from all faiths and walks of life will join together to pray for ourselves, our families, our leaders, and our country.

I would hope that pastors would lead their churches in A Day to Pray, and that leaders would urge those in their constituency to do the same.

A Facebook event has been created at www.ADaytoPray.com for every Believer to RSVP for the event and commit to joining us for a national online Prayer Service.

Encouragement to Pray!

   An encouragement & invitation to join in corporate prayer from Connection! and an invitation to join Dale Gentry's national prayer movement:

  ^{Zechariah 8:20-22 "}The Lord Almighty says, “The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.  Those from one city will say to those from another, ‘We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!’  Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing."

Citing Zechariah 8:20-22, Jonathan Edwards said that God’s rich promises encourage us to expect great success from corporate prayer. He said: “That which God abundantly makes the subject of His promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers.” He concluded that when believers persevere in united, concerted prayer, God will grant a fresh revival, which “shall be propagated, till the awakening reaches those that are in the highest stations, and till whole nations be awakened.”  (excerpted from today's Connection! email devotional.)

Have you signed up to pray with Dale Gentry daily?  If you do, he will send you an email to pray with the 3000+ others who are praying with him.  I believe prayer is the most important thing we can do, so I appreciate every ministry who encourages us in any way.

Here is today's prayer from Dale in case you are not familiar with his ministry.  Click here if you wish to sign up to receive these emails.

Good Wednesday morning everybody! It's time to pray America! "Dear Father God.........as we near the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade.............we ask you to forgive us for the fifty four million babies that have been aborted since that ruling by the Supreme Court in 1963..............we repent on behalf of those seven Supreme Court members who handed down that horrific opinion.............and according to Daniel 9:20 we also repent on behalf of our nation and congress for not overturning this death decision..............and as we near the 50th anniversary of the Madalyn Murray O'Hair challenge to prayer being removed from our public school system............we repent for the Supreme Court ruling removing Christian prayers from our schools............we know as a nation that these two individuals changed the course of our nation.............releasing death and violence on this land.............Lord we need another spiritual awakening in this nation............come and heal our land...........we cry out for revival from the White House to the least house..............please pour out Your Spirit upon this nation...............please awaken the church to seek you with their whole heart, mind, soul, body and strength.........we ask these things in Jesus name............amen."

Francis Frangipane, The Transcendent Life

The Transcendent Life Typically when I remind Christians that their core destiny is Christlikeness, most nod, affirming the general truthfulness of my statement. However, I can tell that they really do not believe becoming Christlike is the reason they exist. If they did, they would have a plan. They would be in obvious pursuit of their transformation. Yet, when people think of their destiny, they often first think of something they will do for God, a task that involves the visible demonstration of a unique gift or ministry function. But neither our gifts nor a specific calling represent the core reality of our destiny. It is not what we do for the Lord, but what we become to Him that matters. It is this inner surrender of the heart, this deliberate turning of our soul Godward, that defines our true progress. Our responsibilities and gifts may be as varied as the seasons of our lives - and certainly we should spend time attending to them. But I am speaking of the deeper reality that must develop within us: becoming like Christ. I am sixty-six years old. During my life I have served God in a variety of tasks. Yet whether I was church planting or selling computers, doing odd jobs or starting a training school, I never confused my calling with my destiny. Becoming like Jesus is why we exist. Your Life Focus The sad fact is, we have seen ministry leaders whose gifts and callings were so powerful, so captivating, that they seemed capable of bringing Heaven itself to earth. Then, to our shock, we discovered later that these very same individuals were secretly in the grip of the most disgraceful sins. How could such things occur? When our primary goal is the development of our gifts or calling rather than our character, we become increasingly vulnerable to satanic deception. You see, a time will come when in increasing degrees we begin to master our gifts. We learn how to preach and prophesy effectively; we can minister in perfect pitch in song or praise. We even master the tears of sincerity in our altar calls and ministry. Outwardly our spirituality is convincing, yet inwardly our soul is bored with our staged, religious performance. The challenge of our calling is gone. No one discerns our inner decline, not even our closest friends. In that state of mind, a door swings open to the world of the flesh. Scripture says, "Desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Prov.13:12). The life that sustains us - that should ultimately fill us - is not drawn from seeking our calling but seeking the Caller Himself. This was Paul’s goal when he passionately wrote, "That I may know Him." This "being conformed to His death" was the "one thing" Paul said he truly focused on (Phil. 3:10, 13). Paul lived a transcendent life that unfolded "from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18). Beloved, God created man to be "in the image and likeness of God" (Gen. 1:27 AMP). The image of God is Christ, and it is our conformity to Christ that fulfills the purpose of our existence. We do not need crowds to see us perform nor applause to affirm our ministry. When we pursue the image of Christ, we possess the meaning of life.

Assault Weapons

      If you, like me, have not been particularly interested in guns, you might find this excellent explanation here of what the 'assault weapon' the President is trying to ban is.  It is extremely helpful and informative.  As usual, we are being brain-washed into believing a lie.  
      You might also want to check out Mark Alexander's declaration "I Will Not Comply" here, where you can also sign his petition, if you agree with his stand.

From The Patriot Post email newsletter today:

For the Record "Here's a little history lesson regarding gun-grabbing and the carnage that ensued: In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th century because of gun control: 56 million. You won't see this data on the U.S. evening news or hear politicians disseminating this information." --columnist Doug Giles

Harry & Bud's

   Yesterday we had a fun & delicious dining experience!
    A couple of weeks ago as we were returning from Terre Haute, I was entertaining myself with my smartphone.  I decided to look up the best-rated restaurants in Terre Haute on TripAdvisor--one of my favorite places to get tips for great places to 'check out' when traveling.  To my surprise, Harry & Bud's European Cuisine was rated #1.  I have lived in this area for 10 years now and had never heard of this restaurant!  A few days later, I happened to check out the Yelp app on my phone, which I use in addition to TripAdvisor to find good places to eat in the area we're visiting.  I discovered Harry & Bud's had great reviews there, too.
     The reviews were intriguing--saying the food was delicious but there were no menus.  They also recommended calling to make sure the owner--who is also the only employee--was there before going.  They mentioned there was no sign on the restaurant to identify the building so it was a little difficult to find if you didn't have the exact address.  All of these things created much curiosity in us!
     Country Guy & I decided we must check it out, so we invited friends to go with us.  I made reservations for 1:30 Indy time yesterday.  For awhile we were afraid we were going to have to cancel because of the weather--raining and 30 degrees, but decided we must go, if at all possible, since we had made reservations!
      We're so glad we did!  For one thing, the owner, Jeffrey, had begun cooking for us at 10:00.  (We discovered this in our conversation with him during our meal.)  We were the only people in the restaurant!  He said he only books one party of up to 10 people at a time!  After being seated and introducing ourselves, Jeffrey began cooking.  He told us to enjoy our time together--that it would take him a little while to get the food ready.  After 45 minutes or so, he brought out an enormous amount of food!  There was a vegetable quiche,  pork roast with a wonderful sauce, roasted garlic, squash, leeks, gnocchi with lentils, shrimp on a spicy risotto, tuna with cauliflower, a French tart and mushroom crepes, orange roughy on split peas, roasted asparagus & brussels sprouts, our choice of black bean or tomato soup, chicken and polenta, a delicious, hearty bread, and then to top it off--a blackberry crumble sprinkled with chocolate!  It was an amazing feast!  We ate till we couldn't eat anymore and then brought home enough food to last us several meals!  All of this for the lunch price of $25/person!  He said he charges $35/person for dinner but cooks more dishes!
     If you live in our area, or are passing through, be sure to try out this amazing restaurant.  It is a dining experience you will never forget!