Chick-Fil-A

     I hope you are participating with Mike Huckabee and many others by supporting Chick-Fil-A tomorrow.  He has been encouraging everyone to buy a sandwich at a near-by Chick-Fil-A restaurant on Wednesday, August 1.
   My friend, Mariann, found out the Chick-Fil-A at the food court at Eastern Illinois University is open from 10:30-3:30 tomorrow, so if you live near Charleston and want to be part of supporting this exemplary business who is being persecuted for speaking their Biblical views, join us there.

Tomatoes and corn--our favorite garden products!

   Country Guy's garden has produced so many tomatoes this year!  Friday I picked three more 5 gallon buckets full.  That is at least 11 buckets of good tomatoes we've picked plus many that were thrown to the chickens because they had spoiled, all from only 12 or 13 plants!  They are beautiful and so full of flavor.  Country Guy thinks the bountiful crop is due to the organic fertilizer he has been using on his garden.  (The horse pasture in on one side of the garden and the chicken coop is on the other so he has lots to choose from.)
     I have been making Spaghetti Sauce (see recipe under Miscellaneous on the Recipes #2 Page above) with some of the extras--3 buckets made about 25 containers of sauce.  My mom & sister used several bucketsful to make almost 30 quarts of tomato juice, and I gave 2 buckets to friends who are going to can them.
     The plants are still producing, so next I am thinking of freezing the tomatoes with green peppers and onions to use on Italian Sausage Sandwiches.  We love those sandwiches!  (Recipe under Soups & Sandwiches on Recipes #1 Page).
     The guys always plant several rows of sweet corn with the planter in one of our fields when they're planting our corn and soybeans so there will be plenty to share. but because of the drought the plants didn't produce this year.  Fortunately, Country Guy planted a few rows in his garden which he watered with the tomatoes so we had corn on the cob for dinner several days.  It was delicious!
    We have discovered a good way to freeze corn.  Every time we cook the ears of corn for dinner we add a few extra ears.  We then cut the corn off the leftover ears, place it in plastic freezer bags and date them.  To me, this is so much easier than doing it all at once, and we end up having several bags by the end of the season.
     I hope you, too, have been able to enjoy the fruits of your (or someone else's) garden this year.  There is nothing as tasty as home-grown produce!

Voula Papachristou, Chick-Fil-A, and Other Offenders

        I wish I was better at expressing myself in writing because I am irate right now!  This past week we have seen Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou banned from the Olympics because of a tweet she made which the press and the Olympic Committee have called racist.  Here is the entire content of the tweet:  With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!  
      How is that racist?  There are many diverse cultures in Africa and many white people living there.  Didn't the West Nile virus come from Africa?  We have lost our sense of humor.  And obviously we are quickly losing our freedom of speech!  This young woman has trained for years to compete in the Olympics!  How can some self-appointed "thought police" decide to keep her from competing because of something they interpreted as racist?  She has a right to any opinion she wants to have, just as the committee does, and it should have nothing to do with competing in the Olympics!  She is not competing in thoughts and intellectual ability!  She is competing in athletics!  This is an outrage!!  And no one is standing up for her!!
       How about the uproar over the founder of Chick-Fil-A saying he supports the Biblical definition of marriage?  Well, so do I, and billions of others!  But are we not allowed to have an opinion if it offends someone?  Has the media ever stopped to think or care that brain-washing us with liberal, anti-Christian values is offensive to those of us who believe God meant what He said?  Calling sin righteous does not make it so, no matter how many times you say it.  And no matter how many times we reject the laws of the God and try to pretend they don't affect us, they still stand as law and there are consequences for breaking them.  We can deny that gravity is a law as much as we want, but if we jump off a tall building we will discover rather quickly that there are consequences to breaking that law whether we believe it exists or not.
     So now that Mr. Cathay, the founder of Chick-Fil-A, has spoken in an interview what he believes (and lives) to be the truth, the great mayors of Boston and Chicago have decided they must ban Chick-Fil-A from their cities.  Do they fear those values will be transmitted through a chicken sandwich?  People don't normally think about what the founders of the company believe when they go out for lunch, they're just looking for a good meal.  The mayor of Boston even made the ridiculous statement that they don't allow discrimination in Boston!  What, Mr. Mayor, do you call not allowing someone to do business in your city because they don't think like you do?  The dictionary describes discrimination as treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group,class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.
     I hope you readers are also becoming irate and incensed at the injustice and intolerance that is becoming more and more prevalent in society today.  The thought police are becoming much more outspoken and bold.  We had better wake up before freedom of speech, which was included as one of our rights in the founding of the country, is completely lost.
      
p.s.  I read that Mike Huckabee is recommending that everyone who wants to show support for Chick-Fil-A buy a sandwich there on Wednesday, Aug. 1.  I just discovered there is one in Charleston at the University so I am planning to pick up a few for others when I go.  Want me to get one for you, too? 

An explanation for the degradation in society

     Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise, but they are fools; instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles.

     And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.

     Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.

     Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

       Does this sound familiar?  It seems to precisely describe our world today, don't you think? The  passage is from Romans 1:20-32 (Good News Translation).  As I was reading it today, I was struck by how it describes much of life in America.  How we need to repent!  It has always been such a puzzle to me why we would want to go our own way when God's ways are so much higher and greater than ours.  Is it because we want to be in control no matter what the consequences?  Have we just not understood and believed how much He loves us?  Why do we not turn to Him?  What will cause us to recognize our need for Him?
     I have found life is so much more exciting and adventurous when I daily surrender my life to Him to use in any way He sees fit.  I then trust & believe He is leading me and guiding me.  Each day becomes an adventure of meeting new people He brings into my life, new experiences I wouldn't have otherwise had, new opportunities to go places I've never been and do things I've never done.  I call those divine appointments.  I believe God has so much more for us than we could ever imagine.  He is patiently waiting for us to wake up to the fact that we can ask Him to be Lord of our lives.  He wants so much to lavish us with His blessings.  What are we waiting for?  Why do we need uncontrollable circumstances and catastrophes to cause us to turn to Him?  I choose Him now.  Won't you?

Frightening weather and other predictions

      What I wouldn't give for one of those 2, or 3, or 4 inch rains I was complaining about last year!! Forgive me, Lord.  The weather is so hot and dry that it's frightening!  Today it was 104 degrees again!  I've never seen so many days in the upper 90's and 100's and not a drop of rain.  Country Guy said at noon he saw the National Weather Service is forecasting this weather to continue through October, and possibly longer, if the wind pattern doesn't change.  

      Our corn is beginning to burn up in the fields.  We were holding out hope for the soybeans, but they no longer look promising either.  One of the brokers we deal with at the grain elevator said their estimates are that we will run out of corn and soybeans this year because of the drought.  Even so, I read yesterday the EPA is continuing to mandate ethanol in our gasoline.  The article stated the amount of corn used for ethanol would feed 412 million people.  Is that absolute stupidity, or what!!  We (and much of the world we have been feeding) will starve in order to comply with regulations for ethanol in our gas!  I can't believe how short-sighted (or is it self-serving?) our leaders are!

      Country Guy said he was talking with a stock broker in Omaha today who told him that irrigation systems in Nebraska have now been shut down by the state because of the shortage of water.

      You might be interested in watching the video below.  It is a message given by John Paul Jackson in 2008 or 2009, that contains predictions he believes the Lord showed him about 2012, and beyond.  I watched it when it first came out, but hoped it wasn't true.  Recently I looked it up again so I could re-watch it because I realized many of the things he talked about then have begun to unfold.
      The message is posted in 6 videos on YouTube--each about 10 minutes in length, so you can watch the rest by going to YouTube.com and searching for John Paul Jackson, The Perfect Storm, if you want to watch the whole message.  I am only posting the first one here.
     I would be interested in your comments if you want to share them.

Life! Church Conference

      We just returned from a conference at The Life! Church in St. Peters, Missouri.  Ray Hughes, a musician who has written many songs, was the speaker.   It was an exciting and mind-expanding  conference.  The worship at Life! Church is like nothing we've ever experienced, but we loved it because it was totally in the flow of the Holy Spirit.  Life! Church pastor, Kingsley Walker, and James Nesbit of Prepare the Way Ministries, were totally of one accord in conducting the services as one enhanced the other to bring a flow to the meeting so that amazing things happened.  Only a few of the songs--maybe 2--that we sang on Friday night and all day Saturday were actually pre-composed songs.  The rest were spontaneous songs to the Lord with parts of the worship continuing only as instrumental.  It really was an amazing, indescribable experience, and one I long to be part of again.
    Ray Hughes is a humorous, good 'ole boy from Alabama-type speaker.   He has a great depth of knowledge, insight and revelation on the effects of sound and music in worship and the life-changing results that happen when we recognize we have a sound to contribute that is uniquely ours.
    I'm truly grateful we were able to participate in this life-changing, attitude-adjusting, mind-altering conference!  We couldn't decide which was the best part--participating in this extra-ordinary worship or learning about sound and the effects of music from Ray Hughes.  If you have the opportunity to visit Life! Church, or to hear Ray Hughes in person, I would highly recommend doing it.

A great explanation which I couldn't have said better

     I read this on http://right-onthemark.blogspot.com/.  It is also my belief and experience and I couldn't have said it any better.  If you want to read the entire post go to the above link and search for the post: "You Can't Have One Without The Other."


"Let's bring this down to practical living.  Over the last few years I've found that when my heart's desire is to follow God with my very being; when I think about the Lord all day long even while at work; when I lay down at night and ask the Lord to be a part of my dreams and sleep; let me be pretty straight forward.   When I do these things, not just because I want to follow the letter of the law, (as the saying goes) but because I truly am in love with Jesus, well there is very little, if ever any, stress in my life.  I see God's hand guiding me, leading me and helping me to make right decisions.  I can't begin to tell you how I see God's favor over me and my family.  How many times He blesses with little things and sometimes great big things.  When I run into problems (and you always will no matter what) I am always aware that my Father has my back and will carry me through, and He never fails.  It's just the way it is!  I hope that doesn't sound arrogant, because that is the last thing I ever want to sound like.  If God will do this for me, He will surely do it for you. 

On the other hand when I slip a bit in my time with the Lord; when I might allow Him to slip down to second place; I don't see those things nearly as well as I would like.  That, my friend, is why I try my very best to not let up anymore.  Remember it's all about relationship with the Lord.  It's all about running as if to obtain a prize.

It really saddens me when I see people who constantly write on Facebook and others places on the internet that, "this day totally sucked," or "I never get a break," or "just once I would like something to go my way." (You can think of several examples.)  I'm not going to sit here and judge.  I'm warned not too,  but I just want everyone who even sometimes falls into those categories, to be honest with yourself as to the ratio of time that is given to God compared to other pleasures in this life.  Yes, I know that there will always be an occasional bad day, but as a whole that just shouldn't happen very often. 

God WANTS to do great things for His children.  He desires to give good gifts.  Sometimes we are the ones who limit just how many blessings we see.  If I spend hours and hours watching baseball, but seldom crack open my Bible or pray, things are bound to be out of whack.  Pretty soon days would become lousy and so would my attitude. 

Is it fair to God to want the best stuff, without giving Him our best, too?
You can't have one without the other!!!!!!!!!

May you meditate on the Lord this day,
Mark S."

FYI: The Accidental Intercessor (Hard Copy)

      For those of you who are interested in ordering a hard copy (printed book) of my friend, Melinda Fish's new book, The Accidental Intercessor, I now have the link which makes that possible:  https://www.createspace.com/3920527.   You can also order it from Amazon here.
    If you're interested, I posted a review of the book several weeks ago before it was published.  In the earlier post I said I would let you know where you could order it when it became available.  I previously posted the link to the Kindle edition of it on Amazon, but at that time the printed book was not yet available.  
     As I said before, I loved this book and highly recommend it.

How to Help Prevent Breast Cancer by Dr. Mercola

      I recently read an article by Dr. Mercola on the dangers of mammography and how to help prevent breast cancer, which I found interesting.  I'm posting this excerpt because I'm always glad to learn of things I can do to stay healthy.  You can read the rest of the article here.
      It seems we have become a world of people/businesses/politicians/etc. who only have their best interests in mind, not the interests of us whom they serve.  I find it difficult to know what is the truth about anything anymore.  Dr. Mercola gives a different perspective and appears to also be trying to get to the truth in medicine.  I have read several articles in which he has changed his mind about specific treatments for diseases after discovering research that refutes claims made by drug companies, etc.  He is into natural medicine and discovering ways to help the body heal itself.  So am I, which is why I find his approach helpful and hopeful.

How to Help Prevent Breast Cancer (Dr. Mercola)

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 200,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed each year in the United States, making it three times more common than other gynecological cancers.

Preventing breast cancer is far more important and powerful than simply trying to detect it, which is why I want to share my top tips on how to help prevent this disease. In the largest review of research into lifestyle and breast cancer, the American Institute of Cancer Research estimated that about 40 percent of U.S. breast cancer cases could be prevented if people made wiser lifestyle choices. I believe these estimates are far too low, and it is more likely that 75 percent to 90 percent of breast cancers could be avoided by strictly applying the recommendations below.

• Avoid sugar, especially fructose. All forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and promote cancer. Fructose, however, is clearly one of the most harmful and should be avoided as much as possible.
• Optimize your vitamin D. Vitamin D influences virtually every cell in your body and is one of nature's most potent cancer fighters.
  Vitamin D is actually able to enter cancer cells and trigger apoptosis (cell death). When JoEllen Welsh, a researcher with the State University of New York at Albany, injected a potent form of vitamin D into human breast cancer cells, half of them shriveled up and died within days. The vitamin D worked as well at killing cancer cells as the toxic breast cancer drugTamoxifen, without any of the detrimental side effects and at a tiny fraction of the cost.
  If you have cancer, your vitamin D level should be between 70 and 100 ng/ml. Vitamin D works synergistically with every cancer treatment I'm aware of, with no adverse effects. I suggest you try watching my one-hour free lecture on vitamin D to learn more.
• Get plenty of natural vitamin A. There is evidence that vitamin A also plays a role in helping prevent breast cancer. It's best to obtain it from vitamin A-rich foods, rather than a supplement. Your best sources are organic egg yolks, raw butter, raw whole milk, and beef or chicken liver. However, beware of supplementing as there's some evidence that excessive vitamin A can negate the benefits of vitamin D. Since appropriate vitamin D levels are crucial for your health in general, not to mention cancer prevention, this means that it's essential to have the proper ratio of vitamin D to vitamin A in your body.
Ideally, you'll want to provide all the vitamin A and vitamin D substrate your body needs in such a way that your body can regulate both systems naturally. This is best done by eating colorful vegetables (for vitamin A) and by exposing your skin to safe amounts sunshine every day (for vitamin D).
• Get sufficient amounts of iodine. Iodine is an essential trace element required for the synthesis of hormones, and the lack of it can also cause or contribute to the development of a number of health problems, including breast cancer. This is because your breasts absorb and use a lot of iodine, which they need for proper cellular function. Iodine deficiency or insufficiency in any of tissue will lead to dysfunction of that tissue, and tumors are one possibility.
However, there's significant controversy over the appropriate dosage, so you need to use caution here. There's evidence indicating that taking mega-doses, in the tens of milligram range may be counterproductive. One recent study suggests it might not be wise to get more than about 800 mcg of iodine per day, and supplementing with as much as 12-13 mg (12,000-13,000 mcg's) could potentially have some adverse health effects.
• Avoid xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are synthetic chemicals that mimic natural estrogens. They have been linked to a wide range of human health effects, including reduced sperm counts in men and increased risk of breast cancer in women. There are a large number of xenoestrogens, such as bovine growth hormones in commercial dairy, plastics like bisphenol A(BPA), phthalates and parabens in personal care products, and chemicals used in non-stick materials, just to name a few.
• Improve Your Insulin Receptor Sensitivity. The best way to do this is by avoiding sugar and grains and making sure you are exercising regularly, ideally by incorporating the principles of Peak Fitness.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. This will come naturally when you begin eating right for your nutritional type and exercising. It's important to lose excess body fat because fat produces estrogen, which can fuel breast cancer.
• Avoid charring your meats. Charcoal or flame broiled meat is linked with increased breast cancer risk. Acrylamide—a carcinogen created when starchy foods are baked, roasted or fried—has been found to increase breast cancer risk as well.
• Avoid unfermented soy products. Unfermented soy is high in plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens, also known as isoflavones. In some studies, soy appears to work in concert with human estrogen to increase breast cell proliferation, which increases the chances for mutations and cancerous cells.
• Drink a quart of organic green vegetable juice daily. Please review my juicing instructions for more detailed information
• Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for cancer.
• Curcumin. This is the active ingredient in turmeric and in high concentrations can be very useful in the treatment of breast cancer. It shows immense therapeutic potential in preventing breast cancer metastasis. It's important to know that curcumin is generally not absorbed that well, so I've provided several absorption tips in a previous article.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, or at least limit your alcoholic drinks to one per day.
• Breastfeed exclusively for up to six months. Research shows this will reduce your breast cancer risk.
• Avoid wearing underwire bras. There is a good deal of data that metal underwire bras increase your breast cancer risk.
• Avoid electromagnetic fields as much as possible. Items such as electric blankets can be particularly troublesome and increase your cancer risk.

How to Read the Bible for Life, Not Just a Year

     I came across this helpful information on the Cerulean Sanctum blog when I was looking for a different way to read my Bible.  You can read the entire article here.
     Cerulean Sanctum was a new discovery for me.   I found it interesting and thought-provoking so I added it to My Blog List, and plan to check it out more thoroughly when I have more time.  There are so many good blogs out there in cyberspace (wherever that is) that I could spend my entire day on the computer!

How to Read the Bible for Life, Not Just a Year

The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program, as I see it, moves beyond this piecemeal approach to reading the Scriptures. It has nothing to do with the proud announcement that “I read through the entire Bible this year!” Instead, it has everything to do with knowing the word of God and putting it into practice. It’s not a one-year reading program, but a “rest of your life until they bury you in a pine box” program. The first way of thinking is marketing; the other is transforming.

Here’s how The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program works:

1. Find a quiet, undisturbed place to read. Start in the New Testament since the New Covenant is necessary for perspective on the Old Testament. Might as well begin with Matthew. 
2. Read through one entire book in a single sitting. Obviously, the first five books of the NT are going to require some time. But do it. (You’re eternal. Live like it!) These books are whole units and are meant to be read as such. We need to experience their coherence. Trust me; the Holy Spirit will bring the entirety of the book to your mind in the future in a way you’ve never experienced before.
3. When you’ve read the book once, don’t move on! Read through it again. For the first five books, if you must break them into chunks, go with five or six chapters—whatever maintains the arc of the narrative.
4. Re-read that one book. Note the way the narrative and themes flow. Commit those stories and themes to memory. Note where they exist in the book.
5. Re-read that one book. Pay special attention to the way the Lord is portrayed.
6. Re-read that one book. Examine the relational aspects of the book, God to Man, Man to Man, Man to God.
7. Re-read that one book. Note the Lord’s redeeming and salvific acts within the greater arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.  (This first pass through the NT assumes you have a modicum of OT understanding. After reading the OT through, the second pass through the NT will clarify things further.)
8. Re-read that one book. This time around, note all the Lord’s commands and how we’re told to practice them. Consider how they might work practically in your daily activities.
(By this point, you’ve read the same book seven times. Depending on the length of the book, it may have taken seven days or seven weeks. It doesn’t matter. This is about changing your life and relationship with Christ. This is about sixty years of discipleship. It’s not about getting through the Bible in a certain length of time.)
Now comes the hard (and controversial) part…
9. Take everything you’ve learned in this book and put it into practice. Take a month to do nothing but concertedly meditate on what you’ve just read by making it real in your own life. It might mean that the only Bible you read this month are the parts of this one book that you still aren’t getting and must re-read. Doesn’t matter—do it. (If you absolutely have to read something every day that isn’t part of this program, consider a few Psalms or a cycle of Proverbs. They’re the most suited to broken-up reading patterns since they are collections of wisdom and less unified than a book like Romans.)
10. After your month, take stock of all that you’ve learned by reading and practice. Make a mental assessment of the themes of the book and how they apply to your discipleship. If you’re confident you’ve read and practiced this book, move on to the next one. Once the NT is finished, move onto the OT. (I realize some of the OT books are daunting in length for a single read-through. Make a concerted effort to read them in one sitting. Failing this, some of the OT books are narrative, which allows for breaks in the story. Psalms and Proverbs are easily segmented, as noted above. All prophets must be read in one sitting the first time through. A book as enormous as Isaiah is hard to partition, so consider reading it on a weekend day.)

Repeat these ten steps for the rest of your life.

George Barna’s dire poll warnings about Biblical ignorance today in Evangelical churches largely reflect the piecemeal approach we take to reading the Scriptures. Too much of our reading and teaching are topical, destroying the uniformity of the revelation. That so few churches preach through the entirety of the Scriptures in the way outlined in this reading programs explains our ignorance, too. Bible reading programs that reduce the Bible to tatters only compound the problem. So does the lack of digesting what we read.

I can’t guarantee many of the things I write here at Cerulean Sanctum, but I guarantee this: If you make The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program your lifetime plan for reading the Scriptures, you’ll be transformed.

And you can take that with you to eternity.

***

A final note: If you are looking to find out more about Christianity and its core beliefs, please visit this link: “How to Become a Christian.”

Rain

      Parts of our area received over 2 inches of rain on Saturday!  What a relief!  Unfortunately for us we weren't in the part that received that much, but we did get over 1/2 inch.  We are grateful for every drop and are praying for more.
      I have been thinking much about this incessant heat and drought and the analogies that can be made about our spiritual lives.  I know the Bible says that God is our shade and that as He is, so are we to be. Isn't it amazing how refreshing shade from the relentless heat of the sun can be?  It makes working outside tolerable if I can work in the shade, or at least spend some time there.  I've been thinking about what it means to be shade to others.  If I can bring a little refreshment to them through my words and actions so they can endure the trials they are experiencing, isn't that being shade?  Often helping others to see a new perspective on their situation is enough to bring great relief to their parched souls.
      Sometimes I feel so dry and thirsty in my relationship with the Lord that I can identify with the plants in this drought.  They're just holding on--not flourishing, not producing fruit, only waiting for refreshment, barely living.  But just as when rain comes to my plants and they are revived--flowers bloom, leaves perk up, the grass becomes green again--so do I when spiritual rain comes to me.  Both the land and I need that refreshing rain.
     That is my prayer.  "Lord, please send rain for the land and rain for our thirsty souls."

Bruce Vincent is coming to Martinsville

    This is the press release and email we are sending out to let people know about an opportunity that is coming up soon to hear and to meet Bruce Vincent.  I thought it best to post it here in case you haven't heard about it.

    You are invited to the Martinsville High School gymnasium on July 26 at 7:00 p.m. to hear Bruce Vincent deliver a message of hope and of the bright future possible for those living in rural areas and small communities.  You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity!

     Bruce Vincent is a third generation logger from Libby, Montana.  During the past 20 years, he has given motivational speeches throughout the United States and the world.  He has testified on natural resources issues before Congress and has appeared on several news programs such as “60 Minutes.”

     Bruce has been named Timberman of the Year in Montana, National Forest Activist of the Year, the Agri-Womens’s 2007 Veritas Award Winner, and in 2004 received the inaugural Presidential Preserve America Award from President George Bush.

    So often we feel that the tradeoff for the quality of life we have in small-town America is that we don’t matter in the larger scheme of things.  We fear that the state and federal governments only listen to those who live in large cities or who work in or around big businesses.

    Bruce is living proof that this does not need to be the case.  In fact, in light of the economic uncertainty around the world today, the common-sense approach to life, as well as the skills and trades of the people living in the farming and manufacturing communities of the Midwest, will be recognized as a vital part of what makes the United States great again.

     If you’re tired of hearing about what is wrong with the world, getting weary thinking about the hot and dry weather this year, and wanting to hear that the future is still something that can be greater than we imagined, please come on Thursday, July 26th at 7 p.m. to hear Bruce in the new Martinsville High School gym.

     Sponsored by Littlejohn Grain and Bolin Enterprises, with volunteers from Martinsville On The Move, this event is free to anyone who would like to attend.  Free refreshments will be served after the meeting.

      “Bruce is a powerful spokesman and advocate for educating consumers about agriculture in a truthful and balanced way.  We were pleased and honored to present him with the Veritas Award which he has truly earned in all the wonderful work he is doing.”  Yvonne Erickson, president, Agri-Women

Excerpt from Chuck Pierce's letter posted on Elijah List today

      This excerpt from a letter by Chuck Pierce was posted on Elijah List today.  Here is the link to the entire article: http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=11188
       In the midst of the worst drought we have ever experienced in our part of the Midwest it is extremely encouraging.

A Time of Suddenlies!

On Sunday, July 1, the Spirit of the Lord began to stir during our Celebration Service. Both Barbara Wentroble and Keith Pierce began to prophecy regarding the suddenlies and new administration forming.

To those in the Midwest and Florida where there has been so much destruction recently, I sense the Spirit of God saying, "This is an hour where some suddenlies have come upon you that you did not expect. The suddenlies have brought some devastation. But I say this is an hour when I am going to suddenly appear in the midst of your devastation, and restore. I am suddenly going to appear in the midst of your destruction. I am going to cause a rebuilding process. I am going to loose an apostolic rebuilding. That which had been built on tradition and religious spirits, will no longer be part of you. I am going to rebuild. I am causing a blueprint from Heaven to come down. I am loosing the building plan for the future.

"Suddenly, I am going to show up. Suddenly, I am going to change some old religious minds. Suddenly, I am going to break the spirit of poverty off of you. You are going to arise and you are going to build that that I have built in Heaven. It is time that I shall cause it to manifest in the earth. Suddenly, you will see some things happen you did not expect!

"A new administration has formed this day. When the apostle goes first and the prophet follows and the teacher comes behind, there are miracles, signs and wonders in the house. Even right now, what you are warring for in Colorado, what you are warring for from the east, the west, from the north and the south is reconstructive miracles. Today is the day that the new administration has formed. Today is the day that the new order is occurring. Today is the day that the miraculous release is upon you."

Blessings,

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

Busy Time

      This is an extremely busy time at our house.  We have putting things away from the concert Saturday night.  Our daughter's family has been here since Friday to help with and enjoy the concert and to attend the Martinsville Fair.  The kids had so much fun riding the rides at the Fair last night they didn't get home till nearly 10:30.  Country Guy & I came home early because friends were arriving from North Carolina.  We will be enjoying the rides at the Fair and the Rodeo tonight with them.  (The Fair Board has made it possible to enjoy the rides all night each night of the fair for the $5 gate admission.  What a blessing for families!)  Jess' family left this morning.  Our friends, the Terrones', will stay till tomorrow.
     The Festivals & Events Committee decided to have a booth at the Fair to advertise and accept donations for bricks to lay in a path in a botanical garden that will be developed in the new Linn Park, so I was helping to set that up yesterday, too.  The tax-deductible donations will be used to fund the building of an amphitheater in the park.  I have a TV interview at 9:30 this morning at our booth at the Fairgrounds, so as you can imagine my mind is a little scattered as I try to think what to say in the interview, say good-bye to the grandchildren and think about breakfast and having a fun day with our friends.
     I'm sure this isn't the best worded post I've done, but I wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you, too.  Hopefully, I will be able to settle down soon.

A Wonderful Concert!

      Elevate 2012 is now a thing of the past.  Yesterday we braved temperatures that were almost unbearable (one report said the temp reached 109 degrees) to prepare for Elevate and then to enjoy the concert last night.  I am amazed that an estimated 1000 people braved the heat to hear For King & Country, Josh Wilson, and Kutless.  It was a wonderful concert.  One of the perks of being on the Elevate committee is interacting with the band members and crews.  It is so interesting to hear where they've been and what they are doing.  They were all very gracious and thankful for our efforts to help them enjoy their time with us.
       It is always a major production to get ready for the concert.  Several of us worked for 6 or 7 hours on Friday night setting up the stage, preparing food, etc.  Then we all began again at 7:00 on Saturday morning and continued past midnight last night.  We still have several things to pick up and return today.
     For each of the concerts --2010, 2011, and 2012--we have rented a state-fair-quality stage that is brought in from Champaign, and set up on the infield of the racetrack on the Martinsville fairgrounds.  The stage comes as a flatbed trailer which is expanded on site.  Lights and speakers are then hung from the frame and a huge sound board is installed to run all the equipment.  This is an amazing process to watch.  It takes a crew of several men a couple of hours to assemble and disassemble.

       Two large tents--one to be used as a hospitality tent for the bands and the other to sell their merchandise are also erected on the site.

The Hospitality Tent

          In previous years we have used a large tent for the prayer tent, but this year we decided to use shade canopies and have two prayer tents.  This seemed to work just as well as the large tent and were much easier to set up.  We also installed shade canopies to protect the workers who sold water at the event.  Campers which were used to serve as dressing rooms for the bands, and many generators to run the stage equipment, camper air conditioners and to provide electricity for the merchandise tent were borrowed and rented.  Lunch and dinner for 45-50 people was catered.  Picnic tables were brought to the area to be used in the hospitality tent and tables were borrowed from the firehouse for the Merchandise tent.  A refrigerated trailer had to be procured to keep the water and food cold, and 2 horse watering tanks were brought in hold the iced water for sale.  (The local meat locker froze 5 gallon buckets of water for us to use to cool the bottles during the concert.)  Bounce houses were rented and installed on site for the children.  We even brought our Mule to the fairgrounds to be used to transport water, people, equipment, etc.  And then of course, all of this had to be returned.  

     The whole process is a labor of love and a sacrifice of praise to the Lord that makes it possible for members of His body to come together for a night of praise and worship while enjoying a fun family time.  What a blessing!  It is well worth the preparation!

 

     

Test of Fire: Election 2012

     This is a great video produced by the Catholic Church.   I only wish they had used Christian, instead of Catholic, where it is relevant because this message is relevant and applicable to every Christian.   It is time.  We must stand for the moral values God put forth in His Word, or our country will cease to exist as we know it.  We are at the tipping point.
      Let's return to Him.  He has the answer to all our problems.  He has a plan and purpose for our lives that is much more wonderful than we can imagine.  Why does it take so long for us to realize He loves us and that He will do anything that's needed to help us see that?

Do you believe God?

 The Lord God said in II Chronicles 7:13,14, 
      "13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place." 
      Do you believe Him?  This is our last Thursday night to come together as the Body of Christ for corporate prayer before Elevate 2012.  I believe the above scripture is a promise for us in our area, just as it was for Israel and still is for the U.S. and any other country that will humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God and turn from our/their wicked ways.  We desperately need rain.  As you well know, the livelihood of hundreds of families in this area depend on rain for our crops and gardens, but even more do we need rain on our thirsty souls and spirits.  God says that will happen when we pray.  I believe He has given us the answer--cry out to Him.  
       Please join us tonight at 7:00 to pray for revival of our land and of our spirits?  (If you can't join us in person, would you set aside time wherever you are and join us in spirit?)  What a wonderful opportunity to believe God and expect that He will hear from heaven and heal our land.
      See you at the Fairgrounds.

Fourth of July Celebrations bite the dust

      This is the first year I can remember that Fourth of July fireworks have been cancelled in almost all of the towns in the area.  It is so dry!  Some places had a few tenths of rain last night, but that was immediately soaked into the ground.  Temperatures in the  90's and 100's are forecast for the next 10 days with a 30% chance on rain only one of those days--Monday.
      We are very busy preparing for Elevate 2012, featuring Kutless, For King & Country, Josh Wilson, and Terrace Lake Worship.  The concert takes place Saturday beginning at 5:00 at the Martinsville Fairgrounds. (Gates to the infield open at 4:00).  The temperature is expected to be nearly 100, which we hope will not prevent people from attending.  The temps usually settle around 75 by 8:00, so hopefully concert goers will at least come for part of the evening.
      It will be extremely hot for all the workers who will be getting ready for the concert--setting up the stage, the tents, carrying tables and water, and all the other things that must be done during the day.  We would appreciate your prayers.
      You won't want to miss this concert if you live in the vicinity.  I am amazed our small community is able to host such well-known bands!  I have no doubt the concert will be well worth enduring such warm temperatures!

The Accidental Intercessor is now available as an E-book

       In an earlier post I mentioned how much I loved Melinda Fish's new book, The Accidental Intercessor. which had not yet been published.   I said I would let you know when it is available.  Well, now it is.  You can purchase it as an e-book on Amazon.com.  Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Accidental-Intercessor-ebook/dp/B008FRHI8C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_alp_krB8pb0HW3Q0J_tt.  I think it is also going to be published as a hard copy later.
      The Accidental Intercessor will help you see an entirely different perspective on the meaning and purpose of your life.  As I have said before, I highly recommend this book.