Month: November 2022

Seven years ago, when Brian and I moved out to the family farm, we thought ahead to the days when we’d be taking care of my mom and dad, who lived next door to the house we bought.

At that time my dad was in his late eighties, healthy, sharp, and strong.

Life ends, though.

Death is really a curse, but it is unavoidable (except for the Rapture, Enoch, and Elijah), and we must all reckon with the possibility.

A few months back I asked my dad: “Would you rather be raptured, or just go to be with Jesus?”

“It makes no difference to me!” he cheerfully replied.

Dad was a faithful man. He died on Tuesday.

On Monday he ate well, enjoyed a beautiful CD of spiritual music, listened to Irwin Lutzer, and moved around with his walker.

He brushed his teeth, walked over to his bed and had another stroke. This was the end. He passed away the next morning.

I say this to let you know how quickly and how mercifully the Lord took my dad to be with Him, how thankful I am for my dear dad, his long life, his wonderful kindness and generosity.

God blessed him.

Dad was born in Princeton, Minnesota just before the great depression. Times were really hard. His oldest sister was 20, and about to get married when he was born. He was the youngest of six children.

An older brother served in WWII, but dad had health issues, so he went to college instead. He became a teacher. He taught speech and history at the University of Minnesota Agricultural School up north in Crookston. He did that for ten years, married my mom (an RN) and had three kids.

He never really liked teaching, so he left it to come back to the family concrete business. He started building silos all across the state at dairy farms. You know those towers next to barns with checkered board design around the top? Those were their silos. The family business, which he ran with another of his older brothers, went well for two decades.

Good things come to an end sooner or later, and the farm crisis in the 80’s shut that business down.

Dad was such a good business man that he navigated that change as best he could. It wasn’t easy. Things were hard. I was attending Wheaton College, which was expensive, and he asked me to consider the University of Minnesota, which was cheap. I transferred. Times were hard. Life decisions.

Dad loved good preaching. He lived his faith. He was generous, helpful, a good counselor, and a great friend. He had a few lifetime friendships with people, and many, many people became friends with him along the way.

He was sweet and calm, content and trusting, quiet and very smart.

Sometimes we are known by our children. He was Jud’s dad, Bart’s dad, my dad. Each of us has him to thank for his steady presence in our lives.

When Jud was killed in a terrible accident with his wife, Mary, my dad grieved quietly. His faith dictated his measured and appropriate response. Terrible things were accepted with God’s grace. When his son in law died while hiking on the Appalachian Trail he was a tremendous source of comfort to the widow left behind, me.

He reminded me that time would keep marching on. That life goes on.

And that is what I think as I experienced his passing this week. I imagined that he would feel like he was in heaven for about 10 minutes before the rest of us all show up with the rapture….it would seem like that to him as he takes in the glory and the love of those who met him there.

Time is a creation of God, and I’d like to think that it flows differently in different dimensions. Dad is up there waiting, rejoicing, whole, well, complete, and praising God. It will seem like a brief moment.

This is our hope.

This is Christ’s power in us.

God is good.

We do not grieve without hope.

I asked several thousand people to pray for me a few days ago and I want to report that God answered prayer in a way that gave me joy.

Prayer is such an interesting thing. It isn’t magical. It isn’t a guarantee.

⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

2 Corinthians 5:5

Deposit and guarantee. I read this verse this morning in Daily Light. If you see this book at a thrift store snatch it up. I grew up with this little devotional, and it is a blessing. I’m often convicted that I use it perhaps like someone uses astrology, but it is pure Scripture, and it always seems appropriate for the day, a message for my heart to feast on.

But guarantees…I like this word. It means really. It’s going to happen. Promises kept. Hope.

IF you have the Spirit, you have a guarantee.

So, I’m back to my thankfulness, also the prayer that was offered up for me.

IF you think I’m petty about my prayer requests I’d understand. I pray about everything: parking spaces, merging in traffic, money stuff, words that I say, behaviors in the classroom, interactions with my children, losing weight, sleepiness, …

I pray about big things too: people’s salvation (my “snatch list”), Israel, the Rapture, China, politics…

Prayer is an invitation to get in on what God is doing. My prayers don’t change God, but they change me, making me hyper aware of the outcome.

I do ask for stuff.

I asked for a blessed weekend, safety, and sweet spirit, and I asked 4,000 people to pray for that with me last Friday.

My niece was married in Chicago on Saturday, and I was asked to participate in the wedding festivities, singing. It was my first long drive without Brian, solo, and I was tired from my life’s responsibilities. Driving while tired isn’t good.

I report that it went GREAT. Everything went GREAT.

The drive was beautiful. Perfect driving conditions. I stopped for coffee and I was never drowsy. The truck functioned perfectly. I’d taken it to be checked over at the dealer the day before.

The wedding was beautiful. The event was a three day affair, and I sang an old song that my niece wanted me to sing. That went fine.

My niece is a musician, a singer, and half of the guests were her musical entourage, those integral to her productions. The Lord helped quell my nerves in such an august crowd.

Half of the guests were Swedish, from Sweden, since my niece’s groom is Swedish. It was fun to meet them. I think they are all marine biologists. Seriously. Or at least several of them have something to do with the oceans and biology and education and whatever saves the earth.

There were sculptors and artists, designers and architects, fashion icons and beautiful people.

And I was there, too.

It was a beautiful thing, and I was happy to see God answering my prayer in a way that gave me joy, not sorrow.

There is still much to be prayed for. People need the Lord. No matter how beautiful you are, how famous, how rich—-YOU NEED JESUS.

I bless my niece, who has a sweet heart, who has seen dark times and dabbled with painful things. I’m praying for her marriage. I’m praying for dear ones to be saved.

Let’s see how God answers this prayer.

Today I’ll be back at the pool, the gym, and back to fasting. The weekend of fest is past. Anticipation has become reflection.

I reflect that God is good.

This is the month of thanks, and God is good.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Maranatha.

When your life hits the fan (so to speak) it becomes a real challenge to look for the silver linings in the clouds of despair.

That said, I want to focus on positive things. As you know, I pride myself in being a pessimist. Life is always marginally better than what I expect.

So what can I be encouraged about?

On the macro level I see disenchantment with the world systems. People are really questioning things after the pandemic. Many will succumb to the blood disorders that have resulted from the vax and the disease itself, but overall people are waking up to Big Pharma, the Puppet Masters, the Oligarchy and the New World Order.

Even if a few are seeing things, the scales are falling off, it is an improvement. This is good. Depopulation has always been the goal of the Luciferians. They hate life. They are selfish, prideful, hateful folks, and they serve their like-minded master. From abortion to war, Lucifer has master-minded and manipulated his cache of puppets. He plays both sides, too, double-minded, and people, who like the world in black and white, get completely taken in by the poles, never dreaming that they are virtually on the same side.

Stepping back from all of the prophetic events taking place all over the world I simply see little hope in things here below. My focus isn’t on this earth, it is on eternity.

Jesus IS coming back. Isaac Newton (the science guy) predicted Christ’s return around 2050. Can we hold out another 30 some years?

It gets rough waiting, but since I’ve been waiting close to 60 years already another 30 or so should be doable.

Life is hard. No lie.

This is the month of being thankful, though, so I will be thankful. (Sometimes your will must force your emotion to comply).

I have two sweet pups who are adoring companions. My three cats are on duty protecting the house from small intruders. When Topi (the black one) deigns to snuggle with me my heart is full.

The colors of the land outside are a privilege for me to see every single day. I am blessed to live in this beautiful spot in the country. America is beautiful, God’s earth is beautiful. I get to feast my eyes and senses on His creation and His provision. America has been good to me.

Tomorrow is election day. I’ll vote against the oligarchy, against socialism, against any known link to the New World Order/Globalism. I have the liberty to vote that way. Will the vote be counted? After the last election I am hugely skeptical, but God’s in charge anyway. Kudos to the ballot box watchers and those willing to blow the whistle on the unscrupulous globalists who seek to destroy our nation.

I was an election judge a few years back. It seemed above-board at the time. Things change, though.

Fake people, computer entities, scams, are everywhere. What can one do? I pray. I witness. I hope for the best, and to reach hearts that are buried in the deceptions. I want people to wake up to the real agenda that the devil has been trying to implement since he fell from God’s side millennia ago.

Beast system is about to commence.

Acknowledging that we can quietly walk our own path which leads to eternal truth, we can persist.

We should certainly expect harsh criticism, pain, suffering, persecution, and perhaps death. When you take a stand against both earthly and spiritual power you welcome those things. Even your friends and family will think you’re nuts.

I remember writing something edgy on my blog a few years ago and someone I knew begged me to take it down.

I didn’t. Sometimes you simply have to stand up for what you believe in.

This is the information age, but unless you have a Biblical-oriented compass or plumb-line you will certainly be adrift in this age of disinformation.

Truth is God’s truth.

Back to blessings and thankfulness: I am thankful!

I am thankful for Chris Pinto and all of his research. Get his materials and spend a week taking it all in.

His stuff has been out for 10 years and it is only more relevant today than it was then.

Get “Game of Gods” by Carl Teichrib. It will open your eyes.

Too many preachers today have worn their voices out screaming about these NWO events for the past 20 years. Eyes can only be opened spiritually. Quietly disclose information and the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to those who are willing to see.

I haven’t written about the deep things for quite some time. Lack of sleep and other difficult matters have sucked the passion out of me. It’s election day tomorrow, though, and we Americans must rally ourselves from lethargy and attempt to do the right thing, the hard thing.

I really don’t like doing life without a partner, spouse, husband. One is so vulnerable alone. The Bible says that a cord of three strands isn’t easily broken. That was the theme of our wedding—husband, wife, and Christ.

Standing with Christ is enough, but the truth remains. IF you have three strands you have a pretty strong alliance. Cherish your marriage. Cherish your spouse.

Life is infinitely worse without that person, no matter how irritating they can be 🙂

Humans are so amazing, complex, interesting.

I have lived long. I have seen much. I have been through deep waters of poverty, wealth, children, grandchildren, loss, disease, pain, and suffering. Each of these things I’ve uniquely experienced, and I know my Redeemer lives.

I am seeking blessings right now. I think I’ll pray the prayer of Jabez this week. God may answer “yes.”

No is also an answer.

That was my Monday morning ramble, an attempt to rally the troops for the election, count my blessings, and hope for the week.

I’m off to get some grass-fed beef from cattle raised by my cousins up north.

Blessings.

Maranatha!

Post Script: Today I am planning to touch base with my graduate school. I took the semester off, and my last two semesters were really a “wash.” I want to finish my degree, but the snags of life sabotaged my studies. I need to chat with my admin.

I am going to a wedding this week, and I’m singing at it. Pray for me to sing beautifully so the bride and groom are blessed.

I will be subbing, doing CrossFit, swimming, and learning Chinese all week, too. That is the plan. I can now lift my dad in his bed, so my muscle strength has been completely improved. I can lift 75 pounds pretty easily now. My sweet manager at the hotel told me I could have time off, work whenever I want, and generally just be happy. #blessed

These are my puzzles, as I care for my dad at night. I am thankful for the weekend professional caregiver that comes to relieve me. So thankful. I’m thankful for my brother who has committed to traveling from NY City regularly to help us. I am thankful.

I could tell that my Chinese hit a new level this week. When you learn a language that is always exciting. Tai Hao Le! (Pinying)

Pray for me to be a witness to several contacts I have on Google Chat. They are real people, but there seems to be a lot of deception, too. I’m there to be light. Pray for eyes to be opened to truth of Scripture, truth of God’s way.

This is a hard season. All the leaves falling, the darkness encroaching, the anniversaries of those lost to me.

I am weary, too. I am surprised at the way my “job” at nights watching my dad has affected my overall health. How do people deal with night shifts? I struggle with getting enough sleep these days, consequently I see decline faster in my heath and ability to think. As a young mom with nights disturbed by nursing babies I was able to recover by napping every day. I could deal with the children, housework, home-schooling, and all of life’s obligations with relative success.

Now that i’m almost 60 I see a major shift in stamina. Despite my efforts to become stronger (and physically I am much stronger with my time at the gym and the pool!) I see mental weariness being the main factor.

I am weary.

Sleep is lovely. Undisturbed sleep is a gift. I wonder if we will have the ability to sleep in heaven. I cannot recall Biblical authority on this.

But I am still praying. If I can do nothing else, I can pray. As I learn more and more about my new job and interests I realize I am only able to pray. Prayer isn’t an “only,” though. It has power.

Ed and I were chatting early the other morning before he left for school. We talked about the effectiveness of prayer and its role in the Kingdom of Heaven.

When we go through dark passages we are better able to understand the difficulty of faith. Faith that hasn’t been challenged is weak. Prayer may be the only thing that lights a path through that forest of spiritual attack.

Prayer. It works.

I don’t understand it, but it is effective.

Come, Jesus!