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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

What are some fun, inexpensive ways to update my wardrobe this fall? | MNN - Mother Nature Network

What are some fun, inexpensive ways to update my wardrobe this fall? | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Homemade versions of Girl Scout cookies | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Homemade versions of Girl Scout cookies | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Related galleries | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Useful plants you can find in the wild, the world's most amazing waterfalls, and food staples that will never spoil.  The link below is an interesting site to exploreClick on the Food and drink label across the top.  And then the Healthy Eating label. Then click on carnival foods we dare you to tryScroll down after viewing the last one and click on foods that are eaten alive.  I got as far as the live octopus.  Be sure to read the descriptions.  Yuck!  But entertaining reading.
 Related galleries | MNN - Mother Nature Network

12 Things That We Can Learn From Hurricane Irene About How To Prepare For Disasters And Emergencies :

12 Things That We Can Learn From Hurricane Irene About How To Prepare For Disasters And Emergencies :

NOT TO DEPRESS YOU, TO PREPARE YOU

Below is another article about how natural disasters are increasing with the statistics to prove it.  I predicted a year ago when I wrote But There Is Hope that we would see more natural disasters in the coming months and years.  Earthquakes are increasing in both frequency and intensity.  Natural disasters of all types are increasing in frequency.  An entire river disappeared in Costa Rica.  Gigantic cracks and sinkholes are appearing all over the globe.

Smart people will take this as a warning and prepare.  I don't post these things to depress you.  I post them to prepare you.  Store a supply of food and water; be prepared for the possibility of losing electricity for long periods.  Have a stash of emergency cash set aside. Read up on ways you can prepare for any disasterIf I'm wrong, you've lost nothing, but if I'm right you'll be glad you were prepared.  With another Hurricane brewing that could hit our shores in less than two weeks, my warning isn't so far fetched.
 http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/is-the-number-of-earthquakes-increasing-why-the-5-8-virginia-earthquake-might-just-be-a-preview-of-things-to-come

Monday, August 29, 2011

LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

 The link below contains an article that questions "why is all this stuff happening to America?"  It's a great article because it mentions every natural disaster we've had this year, and it makes you realize how big the list really is.  At the end of the article, the writer encourages people to send in their theories about what's going on.  Here's my theory:  God is angry at a sinful nation and he's shaking things up to get our attention.  It's more than a theory because all these disasters were predicted to happen in the Bible. (Matthew 24:7).  That same Bible says these catastrophic events will increase in frequency and intensity as we draw closer to the end of the age.


But who reads the Bible these days.  Who has the time?  And who really believes in God?  Who bothers to worship or pray?  The answers to those questions is precisely why all this stuff is happening.  This is what God must do to wake up stubborn people.  One day his patience will run out and our fate will be sealed.  The one's who are laughing now will be crying.  And the ones who accepted the warning and turned to Christ will leave this crumbling, perishing earth for an everlasting life with our creator.  Which side will you be on when the chance to switch sides is gone forever?  That day will come like a thief in the night..quickly and unexpected (Matthew 24:37).  Perhaps before you hit the snooze button tomorrow morning.


http://www.infowars.com/hurricane-irene-unusual-earthquakes-unprecedented-tornadoes-historic-flooding-and-horrific-drought-why-is-all-of-this-stuff-happening-to-america/

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

BIRTH PANGS PROPHECY EXPLAINED

"I think all these weather events would make perfect sense if people understood the birth-pangs prophecy that Jesus laid out. In Matthew 24:8, we are told that the last days will be the tail end of an exponential curve of activity. Jesus mentioned a great variety of signs—spiritual, natural, societal, and geopolitical—and then He said that these signs will be like "birth pangs."


As the birth of a baby approaches, the birth pangs increase two ways: frequency and intensity. Thus, Jesus was saying that the closer we get to the time of His return, the more frequent and intense the signs will become. There will be more earthquakes and more intense ones. Likewise, things like famine, pestilence, and war will increase in frequency and intensity. 

In the past, I've warned people that greater weather disasters were headed our way. In 2006, I made the following comment right after Hurricane Katrina:
“The unending avalanche of catastrophes has convinced me that they are part of the end-time warning signs called the birth pangs. The Bible predicts they will increase in frequency as we get closer to the tribulation hour. I expect the world media will soon be covering new calamities in the coming months.” 

The months turned into years, and the birth pangs kept rolling in with greater frequency. It seems that we’ve reached a point where the kindness of God must be at a limit. If we can have nine calamities in less than eight months and still not get man’s attention, any more warning would be pointless. Only God knows for sure, but I think the judgment stage is very very near."
-- Todd Strandberg
http://raptureready.com/rap16.html

WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY IN REGRET?

My daughter was putting a puzzle together today when the table began to shake.  I was busy in the kitchen and didn't notice.  The dog barked.  Then the phone rang.  "Did you feel that too?" she said to her dad on the other line. "I thought I was going crazy."   She had just experienced her first earthquake and her dad called from work to share what had happened.  He felt it too.


I've been on this earth for 49 years and I never had a day like today.  My son sent an email asking if the earth shook here.  Then my sister called and told me about her experience when the quake hit and how it sounded like things were falling down inside the walls of her house.  People in California would probably call us "sissy," but we don't get quakes that we can feel on this side of the continent.  Today we got one.  And it proves what I've been saying all along.  Earthquakes are intensifying. 

But stubborn people will continue to brush these things off as no big deal.  They'll say things like, "People are paranoid."  They'll refuse to believe that the unusual events of our time have anything to do with God or the last days that Jesus spoke of in the Bible.  These people are called scoffers and Jesus even warned us about them. He said that in the last days, there will be scoffers asking where is the promise of His return, for everything is the same as it's always been. 

A scoffer will say, "We've always had earthquakes."  And now I can say, "Yes, but we haven't always had them in Halifax, Pennsylvania.  Wake up America.  This is not business as usual and you had better prepare.  Get your house in order and get your heart in order.  God is shaking things up to warn you because He is a merciful God.  He's giving you time to decide where you want to spend eternity... time to get your heart right with God.  Eternity is forever, it's a long time to regret your own stubborness.  -Danelle 


"Americans, too, are being shaken. We face arguably the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Nearly half of all Americans believe we are heading towards another Great Depression. Unemployment is over 9%. Housing foreclosures are skyhigh. People have lost enormous sums of money due to depressed housing prices and stock market volatility. 

The federal government is trying to spend our way to prosperity but is making things worse. Our annual federal budget deficit topped $1.3 trillion last year. This year, it looks like the feds will spend more than $1.5 trillion beyond what they are taking in in revenue. Our debt is skyrocketing. The U.S. is now on the verge of financial default, and hampered further by political ineptitude in Washington that threatens to compound an already precarious situation.

What if these events are not all random? What if the God of the Bible is allowing these to happen to shake us, to wake us, to get our attention, that we might turn to Him and ask Him to have mercy on us and help us?....

Bible prophecy is clear: the Lord shakes individuals and nations that we might let go of all of the flawed political, philosophical, intellectual and religions notions that we cling to that won’t give us true peace, that don’t give us real hope, that can’t bring us any security, that can’t provide forgiveness from our sins much less eternal life for our souls. The God of the Bible wants to shake us loose of such things that we might turn to Him, and to the life He offers through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord isn’t letting us be shaken because He hates us. He’s letting us be shaken precisely because He loves us and wants us to repent and turn to Him and call out to Him, as individuals, as families, and as nations. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
-Joel Rosenberg

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/the-lord-is-shaking-the-world-physically-spiritually-financially-why-and-how-should-we-respond/

MY INSIGHTFUL WEEKEND

By Danelle Carvell
I spent the weekend at a friend's house.  We lounged by her pool and chatted about our families, the world's problems, and the mystery of making marriage work.  We agreed that men don't talk enough, and when they do say something it's not what we want to hear.  We also came to the conclusion that fear and insecurity is what drives negative behavior.  For example, a chronic complainer feels the need to criticize others because of his own deep fears and insecurities.  By criticizing others he makes himself feel better.  If everyone else is inadequate, then he doesn't feel so bad about himself.


For two people who were raised differently with different values and ideas about life to be put together and expected to live in harmony is a huge undertaking.  Few couples are up for the challenge and many throw in the towel when things get messy.  Each person comes into the marriage with certain expectations and when those expectations aren't met, a certain dissatisfaction develops on one or both sides and a couple becomes more and more distant.  We begin to regret even marrying in the first place.


The thing that I question is why we put such impossibly high standards on each other.  Why is it okay for us to expect so much from our spouse and yet we are not willing to give that person what they need to feel fulfilled.  We focus on every little thing that person isn't doing and we don't realize how little we are doing to make that person feel loved.  Do we even know what our spouse wants or needs?  Do we make an effort to give the one we promised to love honor and cherish anything to indicate that we do love honor and cherish them?  And do we express appreciation for the things they do for us?


Women don't feel loved and men don't feel respected.  Those are the number one complaints of couples.  And the number one complaint of children in the marriage is that they don't receive gentle loving kindness and their parent's attention.  They are spoken to harshly and treated like inconveniences.  They don't feel appreciated.  When they do something to help around the house, they are belittled for not doing it right.  They begin to feel like they can't do anything right and they wonder why they were even born.  They openly say things like, "I wish I never would have been born.  Why did my parents have me if they didn't want me?"


It really is sad the way we treat each other.  The one place where we are supposed to feel safe and loved becomes the one place where we feel the least appreciated.  We think that we're doing a good job taking care of everyone and then someone says something that feels like a knife to the heart.  Harsh words spoken carelessly chisel a wound so deep we feel like giving up.  Nothing is ever good enough for those who place impossibly high standards on the ones they love.  The house is never clean enough.  There's never enough money.  Dinner could have been better.  Our minds are always on the negative.  We just can't be grateful for what we have.  We can't express appreciation.  We can only complain.


Before Ann Voskamp wrote One Thousand Gifts, she was challenged by a friend to write out one thousand things that she is grateful for.  This challenge took on a life of its own as Ann began to see the beauty in everything.  She stood at the sink washing dishes and would marvel at the colors radiating from her soap bubbles.  She dropped everything she was doing one night before dinner to go outside and soak in the warm light and amazement of a rising full moon.  She even got excited about cheese.


Why is it so hard for us to appreciate?  Why do we always want more?  Why can't we look at the ones we love and realize that they're doing the best they can?  Why can't we be thankful for the things and people God brought into our lives?  Why must we always focus on what's wrong with everything and everyone around us?  If we changed our attitudes and instead focused on what we have to be grateful for, would we become more content?  I guess the only way to find out is to try.  Ann Voskamp accepted the challenge.  She discovered the joy of being grateful and wrote a book about it.


The invitation to thankfulness is waiting.  How many of us will open our eyes and see the blessings we've been given?  What will it take for us to truly appreciate each other?  Will our loved ones have to die before we realize their good qualities?  And are we truly living if we can't appreciate them?













Monday, August 22, 2011

THE CHURCH IS SLEEPING

"America is in trouble, morally, spiritually and financially. Yet no one seems to have any answers. The politicians seem clueless. The media certainly doesn’t have any answers. Academia seems more out of touch than ever. Sadly, far too many Church leaders are asleep, as well — or too timid, or drifting off course spiritually and theologically — just at the time they could and should be powerfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only real hope of mankind. God hasn’t failed us. We have failed God. Christ is ready to come help us, care for us, get us back on the right track, if we would only turn to Him en masse. The Church’s job is to be a light to the nations, ours and the world. But too much of the Church is sleeping. We need a wake up call." - Joel Rosenberg

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/we-need-another-dunkirk-30000-turn-out-to-pray-fast-for-america-and-israel/ 

Signs of the Times: Ezekiel's Prophecies Set to Unfold

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/August/Ezekiel-38-and-39-On-the-Horizon/

MICHELE BACHMANN ON ISRAEL

http://youtu.be/G7cMxE1oFf0

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A NATION IN NEED OF HEALING

By Danelle Carvell
It might be the most challenging piece of artwork she's ever created, and it's definitely the most controversial she claims. But it's exactly the kind of work she's been praying for. Deanna Wiseman recently completed a limited-edition print titled, “If My People.” Based on scripture, the print's intended message is a moral and spiritual healing for our nation.

“I want my artwork to have a spiritual purpose,” said Wiseman. “One that will draw people closer to God.” She believes that the talent she was given as an artist should be used to lead people to Christ. That's why it was an answer to her prayers when someone commissioned the print.

The person who commissioned the print chose not to comment, but according to Wiseman, the painting was requested by someone who has a great concern for the future of our nation. “God has been removed from our classrooms and courtrooms. Churches have become so liberal that the gospel has lost its meaning. And parents are losing their children to the things of this world,” she said.

The print's title was inspired by 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads “If my people which are called by 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.” It conveys the message that our nation today can only be saved if we bring America back to God.

The painting was inspired by a letter which was written and published in the Wall Street Journal during the Great Depression of the 1930's. In that letter, the editor of the Journal said, “What this country needs to bring us out of the depression is not to build more factories, but... for men to go home early on Wednesday afternoon, hitch up the horse and buggy, get the whole family ready and go to the little white church in the grove of oak trees and attend Wednesday evening prayer meeting.”

With that letter in mind, Wiseman prayed for a week before beginning the painting, asking God to show her how to proceed. She envisioned a church nestled in a grove of oak trees with the sun breaking through the trees and a scroll of scripture unfurled in the clouds. Also included in the painting is a horse and buggy passing by a church sign which invites people to Wednesday evening prayer meeting.
Some people will view the print as being old fashioned or not relative to today, Wiseman says. But the painting was created for Christians. “This is a way to get Biblical scripture displayed in Christian homes where it can remind us to pray for our nation and stay accountable to God,” she said.

Another reason the print is relative to today is because people are so busy. “Most people would say that Wednesday night prayer meeting was fine for the early 1900's but today they have a hard enough time getting to church on Sunday,” said Wiseman. As a self-employed artist, she understands that attitude. Her evenings are often consumed by work-related activities, so attending a weekly evening prayer meeting is a struggle. Yet she feels pressure to set a good example since creating the print.

Wiseman said she's created many paintings that represent the Autumn season, but this is the first work of art that depicts a scene that's set toward evening during a harvest moon. “The family in the wagon has left their crops in the field during a time when they could have worked late into the night by the light of a full moon. They chose to attend church at a time when they could be gathering wheat or corn. This symbolizes their commitment,” said Wiseman

A book given to her by her mother-in-law has been a valuable tool in helping Wiseman to complete the painting. The Rebirth of America declares our country's freedoms and Christian heritage. It also tells the dramatic story and impact of America's great spiritual awakenings. “I used the book to inspire thoughts and give vision to what might be included in the painting,” said Wiseman The book was published in 1986. “They thought our country was in the gutter then, from the way the book reads,” she added.

If My People was commissioned by someone with a great concern for what life will be like for that person's grandchildren. Wiseman shares that concern if God chooses to bless her with grandchildren. She considers it a privilege to paint something with such spiritual significance, but she says she doesn't know how much longer she'll be able to paint. “I'm slowly losing the feeling in my hands due to a severely degenerated disc in my neck,” she said. “It's very difficult for me to paint, and surgery may be in my future.”

Wiseman grew up in a Christian home and she believes that her physical ailments are part of God's plan to keep her humble and useable. The pain she endures is a constant reminder of Christ's sacrifice for her. “I'm a vessel God uses to get the message out,” she said. “I don't want any credit. This is for God's glory.”

Wiseman believes that people are more open to God and spiritual things with everything that is happening in the world,--wars earthquakes, droughts, floods, and economic turmoil, “I hope that this print will take the viewer back to a simpler time, when we had more time to focus on what's really important. I hope that Christians will want this print framed and displayed in their homes as a reminder to take their faith seriously because the future of our nation depends on it,” said Wiseman.

During her career as an artist, Wiseman has painted hundreds of landscapes and portraits with historical purpose. She claims that all of those paintings had a special meaning to those who commissioned them.“This painting has a message for God's people,” she said. If we as Christians don't stand up for our beliefs, then there's no hope. Our nation as we know it is gone.”

If My People” will be published as an Open Edition. The first printing will be limited to 100 prints plus 25 Artist Proofs. Prints will be available for purchase by late summer, but can be reserved now by calling Wiseman Graphics Framing Gallery at 570-758-2770. http://www.drawingfromthepast.blogspot.com/










Thursday, August 11, 2011

THANK GOD FOR WOMEN LIKE THAT!

I wanted to post this video along with my recent blog about modesty titled, A Fine Gold Ring In A Pig's Snout. Scroll down a few entries if you haven't read it.  The link below is a guy's take on modesty.  It's a surprising message and one that every girl, every woman should hear.  Please pass it on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVMZoZoKT-o

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

REALISTIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY

 An excellent site for learning how to become self-sufficient.  I could spend the next four weeks learning from this valuable source of info.  This is survival the way our great grandparents did it.  Nothing fancy, but very effective survival skills and tips.

http://www.grandpappy.info/hself.htm

BE READY FOR ANYTHING

"Is a worldwide famine in your future? I don't know. But I do pay attention to the news and I do know that the United States of America is having serious planting problems with millions and millions of acres of their agricultural land in the Spring of the year 2011. And many of the other major food exporting countries around the world are also experiencing severe planting and/or harvesting problems this year. And many, many news commentators are now predicting a significant increase in food prices later this year. If food prices significantly increase at the same time that tax revenues are down and the true unemployment rate is exceptionally high, then this combination of events could easily lead to massive worldwide unrest due to a simple ordinary worldwide famine. If this happens then living conditions will be leveled worldwide and everyone everywhere will be living in a nightmare third-world economy. The reason is because politicians and governments can't simply create food by passing new laws or making long speeches. All they can do is try to deceive people into believing that they have everything under control and that the horrible growling noise that everyone is hearing from their stomachs is just their imagination playing tricks on them. This is the one speech that nobody is going to believe and when thathappens then the people of the world will revolt in a most unpleasant fashion."  -Robert Wayne Atkins

I discovered a great article and a great blog.  The Survival Mom has a lot of useful tips that will help you to be ready for anything, whether it's food shortages, an economic collapse, no electricity, or whatever else might come your way.  In case you haven't noticed, the world has gone a little crazy.  The TILT light is flashing and it's time to prepare for the possibilities.  Be ready for anything, because with all this economic uncertainty, unpredictable weather, and civil unrest, anything can happen.
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/07/28/the-quick-start-guide-for-getting-prepared/

A FINE GOLD RING IN A PIG'S SNOUT

The way women dress, the way they speak and the way they think is the subject of my latest speech.  So when I came across the below article, I was inspired to blog about modesty.  My daughter and I disagree about what's modest and what isn't.  I would guess that many mothers are having conversations with their daughters about the way they dress.  Celebrities are paving the way to making it okay to dress scantily.  Everywhere I look  I see exposed cleavage and lots of leg.  And the attitudes of the women who dress that way is, "If you don't like it, don't look."

I don't agree with the way my own daughter dresses at times and that makes it hard for me to speak about the subject.  I can't tie her down and dress her myself.  Modesty has to come from the heart.  So I pray that she will have a desire for modesty.  The thing that women don't realize is how they cheapen themselves when they put their bodies on display.  They become objects instead of people.  Objects to be lusted after.

When I was in my twenties I dressed a little on the scanty side.  I wore short skirts and heels quite often.  I dressed that way because I wanted attention and I wanted to feel pretty.  Looking back, I see that all it got me was attention from men of lesser character.  The good guys aren't attracted to women who show a lot of skin.  The good guys want women of purity and virtue..women who look like they have self-respect and high standards.  If she dresses scantily, men assume she gets around.  Of course, some men like women who get around, but they only like them for a night.  What I didn't realize in my twenties is that if I want a guy who'll love me forever, I need to dress like a girl who deserves that kind of love.

"A beautiful woman lacking discretion and modesty is like a fine gold ring in a pig's snout."  According to Proverbs, that's how God feels about women who dress scantily.  I wish someone would have told me in my twenties that I hurt myself when I dress like a show girl.  I downgrade myself from a person to an object.  That's why I always feel sorry for girls who show so much skin.  I've been there and I know what they're trying to do and I feel saddened that they don't have more respect for themselves.  They're hurting themselves and they're making every man's struggle for purity more difficult.  For another interesting reason to dress modestly, click on the link below. 


http://www.ncregister.com/blog/modesty-helps-women-be-friends