JohnD

In John 1:14 the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John to write that Jesus tabernacled among us (the Greek for "dwell") giving a messianic meaning for the feast of tabernacles (prophetically enacted by the Jews in the wilderness wandering). A prophetic sojourn of the LORD's sojourn into humanity itself. IF (and I say if for the sake of argument)... If this is an indication that the Lord Jesus was born during the feast of tabernacles (September / October) it would line up with the account in Luke as during a time when the shepherds were out in the fields by night. It is a historic fact that Christmas (Christ Mass) is the result of a Roman Catholic decree that December 25th was the official date that Jesus was born (based on nothing other than the decree itself). Some speculate it was to Christianize a pagan winter fertility feast (Saturnalia) which feel on December 21 - 27 depending on the day of winter solstice that year. Even the year that the Catholics assigned to Jesus' birth is in question by as many as 7 years. This was one of many holidays (holy days) Rome forced upon cultures it conquered (rather than converted by choice which is what Christ is all about). Some claim it was to appease these cultures as is evident by the inclusion of pagan practices like the Druid tree worship (Christmas trees) or the Yule log (symbolic of the Nimrod and mother cult) or Mistletoe (pagan fertility symbol). This is not to mention the paganism of Easter (named after the goddess Astarte) with fertility symbols of eggs and bunnies... overshadowing the greatest event in human history (the resurrection of our Lord Jesus). Jesus warned in Mark 7:7 and Mark 7:13 about the traditions of man nullifying the Word of God and making even the worship of him in vain (a waste of time). merry xmas

Shoutin' John (Shirley Caesar). Amazing Grace (Blind Boys of Alabama). Get Ready (The Imperials) People Get Ready (Crystal Lewis) He Who Began a Good Work (Terry Clark) Strangers and Aliens (Petra) Anything by Phil Keaggy or the 2nd Chapter of Acts.

I think I've seen this one before. Blessed kitty.

Another happy ending.

Just goes to show how man (under the devil's misleading) makes a religion out of everything (especially the unimportant minutia) like the snake upon a pole (Nehushtan), others on the site (or believed site) of the crucifixion... the garden tomb... etc. etc. The devil through Constantine and his mother Helena laid the foundation for the Roman Catholic Church: the greatest misstep in Christian history where the traditions of man and paganism were inculcated into the faith... sadly most Protestants have not reformed nearly far enough from this evil: Christ Mass (Christmas) celebrating on a former pagan fertility feast (Saturnalia) the alleged birth of the Savior when no one knows for sure when he was born Easter (named after the goddess Astarte) celebrated with pagan fertility symbols of eggs and bunnies for the resurrection of our Lord the greatest event in human history... Yule logs symbolizing Nimrod (satan's moses) and other pagan symbols like mistletoe, Druid's pagan worship of trees (which the Christmas tree commemorates) Roman Catholicism inculcated many pagan traditions to appease pagans they essentially forced their version of Christianity on. They not only falsely perpetuated the virginity of Mary, they made her co-redeemer with Christ and worship her for these.

Hebrews 9:16–17 (KJV) 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. This subtle passage has a dynamic impact on scripture when you consider that the Old Testament was in effect until the cross of Christ. And that the New Testament did not begin until then: Matthew 27:50 Mark 15:37 Luke 23:46 John 19:30 The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 - 7) was under the Law of Moses and not the Law of Christ (yes, Grace is Christ's Law: 1 Corinthians 9:21). And thus the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' own divine commentary on the Law of Moses. Case in point: Matthew 5:27-30... Matthew 5:27–30 (KJV) 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. The Law of Moses: obey the Law or perish. The Law of Christ: believe in Jesus or perish. In fact, Ephesians 2:8-10 specifically points out that salvation in Christ is by faith and not by works of any kind. Another example of the Law being in full force and the object of the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6:15 (KJV) 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Old Testament. Law of Moses. New Testament Law of Christ (Grace): John 6:29 (KJV) 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 16:27 (KJV) 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. John 3:16–18 (KJV) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Salvation sets us free but it is not free... it has the highest price ever paid (the blood of God: Acts 20:28). And while there are guidelines of godliness dating back to the 10 Commandments, the Law of Christ has only the qualifications that you are a human being and that you believe in the genuine Jesus Christ. Grace is supposed to be easy: "My yoke is easy, my burden is light..." "Woe to those who lay heavy burdens on others..."

Bless you!

I just want to rescue and feed and care for them all over the whole world.

Heart breaking until the improvements... BLESS THEM O LORD ! ! !

Thank you, my dear Sister. And the LORD sees all your loving kindness to people and critters of all kinds as well! Bless you!

She is gorgeous! All cats have certain traits in common. We have a feral munchkin cat (one of three in the liter) but only she is feral. Gi Gi to this day is skiddish around me (though at times she climbed up in my lap for some petting). We guess she's just skiddish around males (I'm the only one in our house of two adults, two pups, and four kitties). Gi Gi and my Beloved Bride get along as if Gi Gi wasn't feral at all. We've had other ferals in the past who were so comfortable with both of us that we forgot they were wild until a stranger came into the picture. This is Gi Gi:

Kermy was gentle as a lamb though stout even by horse standards. Big fellow. Whatever breed. It's been 16 years since we lived in San Diego and he was retired so... probably not here anymore but will be waiting for us in heaven!

Until legal decided volunteers could no longer do this, my Beloved Bride and I turned out horses one by one at the Helen Woodward Animal Center for several of the 14 years we volunteered there. Often we turned them out on corals or a covered arena, sometimes in a fenced field we called the outback... they were such big beautiful babies who loved loved loved the carrots we bought by the bushel and chopped into bite sized treats. Their slobber from eating them was what we called carrot juice. Pictured is Kermit a, former police department horse. If memory serves, he was Clydesdales??? We turned them out so the hired hand could clean their stalls. I don't believe they were ridden except in riding therapy on weekdays (I had to work but my Beloved Bride often volunteered as a side walker for handicapped riders).

I don't miss those conflagrations at all! 2003 and 2007 San Diego fires.

Hebrews 1:3 in the Greek charakter and Colossians 1:15 eikon refer to external attributes... he is the [visible] image of the invisible God. I don't know just how perceptive our spirit sight will be in heaven once we are perfected, but the only visible sight of God we can see with our eyes in this life is Jesus.

You cannot define the totality of the incarnation based on verse which only describe the incarnation in part. Example: 1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV) 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, The fact of the matter is that he preexisted the incarnation. John 1:1–2 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. John 1:14 (NKJV) 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In Philippians 2:6 the Greek is far more explicit about his deity and that he remained in that deity even when taking upon himself the second nature of a man in the phrase "morphe theos huparchon" = never ceasing to be God. Furthermore, Isaiah 44:24 states twice that the Creator of all things created in the beginning did so alone by himself. And it refers to him as YHVH / the LORD. Therefore John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2 all clarify that this lone Creator is the preincarnate Jesus which Genesis 1:1 clearly states was God.

Voted last week early voting for all Republicans (especially Trump / Vance).

And he made these videos to share and to raise money for the animal shelter he ran. Bureaucrats enrage me like few people can.

It breaks my heart that this little guy who was so full of life is no longer alive... murdered by people running a system of senseless tyranny. Peanut was more animated than my little Mia (blind cat) but not much more. Mia was climbed up and perched on my shoulders until a moment ago. She often climbs up there when I'm on the computer. Sleeps in my lap every night (I sleep in a recliner due to apnia), she is on the arm of my chair most nights at dinner time whiffing my food with front paws on TV tray. We couch potato our meals... she chatters with me when I talk to her or make cat noises (I'm into vocal sound effects have been my whole life). And Mia not only gets along with our two pups, she and Dakota (lab / pit mix) hug... Dakota nudges Mia and when Mia has had enough she raises up and grabs Dakota's snout playfully. We threaten to video Mia to post online but never get around to it. She loves to roll on the floor for my attention to pet her and flops side to side when I do. As a kitten her eyes had to be removed because they were too small (this is what her records say). And she was an outcast at the SPCA (the other cats picked on her and would not let her eat). She had to eat from the litter box to survive. When we found her there, she was backed into the corner of the room the cats were in. I picked her up and fell in love with her. We adopted her and when the three munchkin cats we had reacted to her I was ever at her defense. I guess that's when we bonded. I've also seen the video of this man after the hideous actions of the police and department responsible for Peanut's and Fred the raccoon's euthanization. It breaks my heart as if it happened to my own....

May the best MAN win!

Gideon's fleece time here.

Compared to putting down ISIS, or the Afghanistan withdrawal... this is quite insignificant wouldn't you say?

IMHO Trump is God's man of the hour. Hammer, messiah ( small "m" ) imperfect as were Moses, David, etc. etc. Even Nebuchadnezzar was God's man of the hour at one point to do the will of the LORD. So it's not about the character of the man. Even though Trump, aside from being quite bombastic and egocentric, is far better than Nebuchadnezzar and ilk. He genuinely cares about people. With the exception of the America-haters. But as he has proven in the past, he can deal with America-haters who are foreign dignitaries ( Putin, Xi, Un, etc. ) for America's best interests ( not compromising, in fact turning the heat up on those dignitaries ). He is pro Israel. He is pro Christianity. He is pro life. And if he wins the election, this may be the last chance America has to get back to God and Christ and Christian principles ( which are what truly made America great in the first place ). We didn't do it during Trump's first administration. We blew it. Embracing only materialism / worldly prosperity. This is why the LORD allowed Covid and the Biden theft. It was IMHO the last of God's warning shots across our bow. That if we do nothing during the next administration there will be bloodshed by either persecution (which is more likely) or revolution (which almost no one has the stomach for). ← no one was more surprised to learn this than the globalists who locked down DC with fences and the National Guard for months after the fraud election was certified by Pence. The more people have, the more they have to lose... Problem is, it never ends well ( ask the monkeys who died in monkey traps ). In southeast Asia I believe it is, they trapped monkeys by hollowing out coconut shells through a hole just big enough for a monkey to slip their hand into. Then they would stake the shell down to the ground and fill it with sweet figs and nuts. A monkey would then reach in to grab the goodies but with balled fist could not get their hand back out. Trapped they would often squawk and writhe about as their predator causally approached with a club to do them in... all the while the monkey could escape if they only let go of the goodies. Most often they did not. Barbaric. I agree. But quite symbolic of where we are as Americans, or as people. America was founded as a nation of Christians based on Christian principles. We have strayed far away from this. It is beyond compromise. In many ways we find ourselves on the outside looking in ( whereas it was the reverse with paganism and evil in the past ). Just read the headlines. Just read the headlines. It doesn't take a mass deportation of the illegals and globalists, or changing the minds of the haters... it only takes God's people doing this: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) 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.

Question is, come what may... will we follow 2 Chronicles 7:14? Or will we only try to make America rich / richer (while paying no attention to the moral or spiritual climate whatsoever)? America was founded as a nation of Christians chartering a deliberately Christian course through life. 80 years later the world was amazed by the prosperity and well being of this junior upstart nation when Alexi De Tocqueville penned the phrase "America is great because..." The goodness he spoke of is the result of the deliberations of the founding fathers and the basis of American law and society. Christianity was not forced on anyone as a faith, but it was enforced in principle which the world benefited from not only with the republic (often mistakenly called democracy) but also the charity of the American people who under the remarks of President Truman when asked why America should help Europe rebuild after two world wars... "Love thy neighbor..." But we've tolerated / indulged in the chipping away of that moral base over the 70 + years since then... getting rid of prayer in schools, forgetting that the first public school textbook was the Bible allowing atheistic humanism to be taught in schools championing world religions over Christianity the sexual revolution child abuse etc. Now consider the immoral climate cesspool we must all wade through daily growing worse and worse. What are we going to do about it all if we are given another opportunity? Sodom and Gomorrah as usual? Or 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) 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. It doesn't even have to be everyone... just God's people who are called by his name.

I find the difficulty in understanding the nature of God comes from misidentifying which person in the Godhead is what or did what. For example, the Father did not create the heavens and the earth nor the angels, nor eternity itself. The preincarnate Jesus did alone by himself (Isaiah 44:24). It says the LORD (YHVH) did this. And if Jesus is not this YHVH (the LORD) then that would present a problem for John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 which clearly indicate Jesus is the Creator. In fact Jesus (preincarnate) is the LORD (YHVH) of the Old Testament and the primary one in the Godhead who dealt with man. The Father was as much a mystery as the incarnation: Matthew 11:27 (KJV) 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. This would also mean that Adam is the son of God the Word (Luke 3:38 / John 1:1-3 / Isaiah 44:24). While the body of Jesus is the only creation of the Father (John 1:14 / Hebrews 10:5 / Hebrews 1:5). Also making Jesus an entirely different human race (1 Corinthians 15:45) ← "adam" being a human prototype When you take away the misinterpretations and the long standing human traditions built on them, the Trinity is not so complicated a concept.