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Created by the talented [Link To User poulynoe]")  }  I'm back. I was buried under research and exit papers. However it did earn me this  . I'm pretty proud of it. It makes my second associate to go along with my RBA. I will have the second bachelor probably this fall. I will have my M.Div. in May 2023 Lord willing and my MSW by 2025 Lord willing. "Prompt:Psalm 89:15-18 15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. Explain these verses." I would honestly have to research this in depth before I could give a definitive exegesis of it. I do know that it appears to be a messianic prophecy. Israel long expected the Messiah to establish a material kingdom. When Jesus came many thought He would battle the Romans and set up the Messianic kingdom. It is my belief that Judas's motivation in betraying Him was to try to force His hand. Judas expected Him to fight and cast off Roman rule. That is why I am constantly warning those who have preconceived notions about the end times to just wait and find out. Jesus is indeed coming back. When, how, and what that will look like remains to be seen. I do not believe it will be the way any of us expect.  "Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with Twikkie and found this planet:
Write about this poem today for your Blog entry." I love this poem. It has good flow and a rhyme scheme. It is almost sing-song in nature and those are my favorite types of poems. I did not do a syllable count and I am lousy at beats but I believe this poem to have some type of definite meter. My hat is off to the author. Geese are not very sociable birds. I grew up on a farm where we raised geese. It was not unusual for a goose to sneak up from behind and bite you on the calf. When the do that they bite down and twist their head, in effect giving you a painful pinch. They usually did not harm me because I fed them their corn. However, if they had already eaten their fill of something else they could be mean creatures. One of them attacked me once. He was delicious! "Prompt: "It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened." ~ Philip SidneyWrite about nature and palm trees." I must live a sheltered life. I do not recall ever having seen a palm tree. I know I must have because I was in Florida. However, I do not recall seeing one before. (image:1971183} "Prompt: What Easter be like for you compared to last year?" Easter, Passover, or whatever holiday people celebrate has to be much better this year. Last year I was in lockdown with the rest of the world and did not get to celebrate at all. This year I plan to be in church in the morning and have chapel that evening. I have a big PowerPoint presentation planned.        |
| } I was going to take a few weeks off because I am in a class that is quite intensive and requires a lot of my time. I also have a ton of other responsibilities that require my attention. However, I find myself missing my friends here at WDC and missing my blog. So I will be blogging hit and miss for a while. Prompt:Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. What does it mean for a nation to have God as their Lord? Does America or the nation you live in have God as the Lord? Why or why not? What can you do to promote or encourage God to be the Lord of your nation? We do not need to encourage God to be the Lord of our nation. He is Lord of our nation and all of creation. What we need to do is encourage our leaders to allow Him to be Lord of our nation. Our leaders are constantly passing laws and making policies that fly directly in the face of God. The recent gay marriage ruling passed by SCOTUS for example flies directly against scripture. I know that statement is going to draw fire from many but as a preacher my allegiance has to be to God and His word. My personal opinion does not matter. Personally I could not care less what people do with their individual lives. As a Christian I have to take the Lord's position which says that homosexuality is a sin. I also have to object to the gender changing policies of the current administration. Just because we have the ability to change a person's biological gender does not necessarily mean we should do so. I have the ability to eat arsenic if I wish to do so, but having the ability to eat arsenic does not mean that I should eat arsenic! The results would not be beneficial. God says that He creates humans male or female. He does so biologically and we can all tell the difference. Just because I feel like the opposite sex does not make me the opposite sex. The current administration is treading the same dangerous path that Judah treaded in the Old Testament in that it is rebelling against the word of God and acting in ways condemned by that word. God remains our leader whether people want Him to be or not! Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with the Knight Rider car. That was fun. We landed on this planet:
Write about angels today. I do not know a whole lot about angels. I do know that there are both fallen and unfallen angels. I know the fallen angels are a defeated enemy. God just has not yet enforced the terms of the defeat. It will happen in due time. When it does the fallen angels will join their rebellious leader in the Lake of Fire, Rev 20. The other thing I know about angels is that we often entertain them as guests though we are usually not aware of doing so. The hurting person we ignore on the street may be an angel in disguise. "Prompt: “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning do to do afterward.” ― Kurt VonnegutWrite about frustration." I love this quote. I think I will borrow it and use it as the quote of the week for my peer support group. I am the facilitator of a peer support group each Thursday afternoon here at the West Virginia Veterans Home. While we call it "group", it is more a class than a group. I teach on various topics of how to improve on ourselves. One of the things I teach is the power of a positive attitude. Vonnegut shows a positive attitude when he says that it is easier to laugh than it is to cry. "Prompt: in your opinion what is needed for a habit to form? How much time and what kind of work? Do you believe in those time constraints that say, it takes 21 days, or 3 months, or a full year to form a new habit?"Research says that it takes about three weeks for a habit to form. I do not know because I never really experimented with it. |
| } Prompt: Luke 7:23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. What does it mean to be offended in Christ? How can we keep ourselves from being offended in him? I am doing a research paper on the doctrine of kenosis for my theology class. Theology basically means the study of doctrine. The first part of the word or "theo" refers to God. The second part or "ology" means the study of. So theology is a study of God. Boiled down Christian theology refers to the study of the doctrines of the church. Kenosis is a Greek word meaning "self-emptying". I am writing a research paper about the theology of Jesus emptying Himself to become a human being. When one considers everything the Master gave up to die in our place, one cannot help but get a little emotional. How could we ever possibly be offended by Christ? Yet people are offended all the time. To be quite honest, I have seen times when I have found myself offended when hearing some bozo standing on a street corner preaching. I do not know why but there is just something about street evangelism that bothers me. It's usually because the ones doing it are hypocrites and everybody knows they are hypocrites. That embarrasses me because Jesus looks bad. However I try to remember that as the Apostle Paul stated, I do not care why they are preaching because Jesus's name is being preached. Prompt: "Richard ~ Thankful!!   writes
I hate snow because I nearly froze to death working in it as a child. I learned to despise it. |
| } Prompt: James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. What does it mean to look into the perfect law of liberty? How do we avoid being a forgetful hearer? The perfect law of liberty is a term that is often misapplied. Some think of it as a license to sin. In fact, there is one school of thought called "apocatatasis" that believes every creature, including Satan and the demons will be saved. Such thoughts are preposterous but are taken seriously by writers such as Origen, who taught it. The law of liberty does not mean we are free to do what we want. It simply means we are free from the law that enslaved us to sin. We have been declared not guilty by putting on Christ. Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with Luke Skywalker. He rescued me from Darth Vader. I wasn't with the Dark Lord by choice. Luke and I found this planet: (268) Read this item:
Write about a Birthday. Charity Marie - <3  is one of the rising stars on writing.com and I suspect that one day she is going to make it big time. I just hope she can find the right publicity package to help make her name a household word. I hate it when writers as talented as she is get published and sell only a few books because the public has no idea who they are. If she beats this snag, I think she will do great. "Prompt: "Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair." ~ Rick WarrenWrite about transformation either from a personal point of view or the point of view of one of your characters in a story." I do not have much time to elaborate today as I have a million things to do. However I agree with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church that transformation is a life long process. Humans go through a metamorphosis of sorts. Prompt: Write about St. Patrick's Day.It's green. Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2235060 over display limit. -?- Prompt: John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. What does it mean to believe without seeing? Hebrews 111:1 says that faith is our proof that we believe in the unprovable. Faith makes the unseen a reality. It goes on to say in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith we cannot be saved. It is my belief that God stays hidden until a person believes in Him and then He reveals Himself to them. To reveal Himself before the person believed would be to condemn them because you cannot meet the definition of faith without believing in what you cannot prove. Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with Darth Vader and found this planet: (6) Read this item:
Use these questions in your Blog Entry today. Princess Megan Snow Rose   you are hanging with bad company if you are hanging with Darth Vader! tsk tsk! lol!The three questions are: What kind of world will you create? How will you make it happen? Why HR matters? My answers: I am developing a business. I am trying to find a better solution to addiction than what exists. Relapse rates for addiction, particularly opioids, are over 70% within one year. I am researching to find a better solution and cut those rates to 40% or less. A perfect world for me would be one without drugs. How will I make that happen? I don't know yet. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: What is the best thing and the worst thing about March?" That's easy. Cold is the worst. Flowers are the best. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: “Green in nature is one thing, green in literature another. Nature and letters seem to have a natural antipathy; bring them together and they tear each other to pieces,” wrote Virginia Woolf What do you think about the quote and the difference between the two greens?" I don't follow. Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2235060 over display limit. -?- Prompt: Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. This is talking about the 1,000 year reign of Christ at the end of days. Explain the first resurrection and the second death. Eschatology or prophecies about the end times is not my strong point. I know there are at least three schools of thought, all of which can make logical arguments based on scripture. There is the premillennialist school which believes we are going to be raptured out of here and then return with Jesus to establish a 1,000 year kingdom. There is the post-millennial group who believes we will all be here for the tribulation and then taken to heaven when Jesus comes. There is the a-millennial group who believes the book of Revelation was a prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem under General Titus in AD 76. This group believes Revelation has all been fulfilled except for the last few chapters. My personal belief is that I don't have a belief. I know Jesus is coming soon and what happens between now and His return doesn't matter. If there is a tribulation He will get me through it. I just know He will return. I don't know what will happen between then and now. I do believe that like the first advent, the second coming will be nothing like we expect. Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with Sprinkles, the Unicorn and Bo Bunny and found this planet: (317) Read this item:
Write about this poem in your Blog entry today. Many people think that losing a pet is no big deal. They believe that "It's just an animal. Get over it and move." I know better. As a mental health professional, I know that people become attached to their pets. When a pet dies, part of the person dies with the pet. Grief is real and the person has to allow themselves to grieve. There is no manual on grief. We all deal with it in our own ways. Take time to allow yourself to grieve any loss. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: Count your blessings." As a mental health professional, the very first thing I require of my clients is that they make a gratitude list. It may only have "I am grateful I got to eat today," on it but it is a positive. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: Think of a scent seriously unpleasant to you. Then, think about the scents you really like. What did you feel like in both instances, and why do you think smells of things, whether we like or dislike them, are so important, especially in our writing?" A deer in the forest senses danger based on it's sense of smell. Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- I want to take a moment and apologize to my readers. I have been under the weather for a few days. My doctor is trying to get to the bottom of it and has ordered a battery of tests. The tests are part of the reason I have been so hit and miss on here. Thursday I was in an MRI machine for two hours as they worked me over. In a few weeks I have a surgical procedure. I have been busy. I am also working like four volunteer jobs. I am trying to start a business working with addicts. I get fired up over a break through then hit another major snag. So that keeps me busy. Then I have graduate school also. Image #2235060 over display limit. -?- Prompt: Luke 12:37-40 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. What does it mean to watch and be ready? What are we watching for? We are to watch and be ready because Jesus will return in a manner and and a time that we don't expect. In Acts 1 we read about Jesus's ascension into heaven. The disciples are standing there with Jesus. They still have not figured out that He did not come to physically overthrow Rome and they think that He may begin to do so at any moment. Instead He tells them to wait in Jerusalem for power from on high and He ascends into heaven. An angel appears to them and asks them why they are staring at the sky. The angel tells them that this same Jesus will come again the same way as he left. It is for this second coming that we are to watch. If Jesus returnsd and finds us doing His will He will reward us. Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- I was very sick last night and neglected the prompt. QPdoll is Grateful writes
Jesus makes me who I am. He has changed my heart. At one time I was very selfish and self-centered. I hurt people more than I helped them. Then Jesus turned me around and I focused on others. I don't always see a lot of fruit from my work but I have gained a ton of respect for it. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "What makes you nervous? How do you clam yourself?" Confined spaces and heights. I take a deep breath, know that God is with me, and plow ahead. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Have you ever been the subject of a rumor? How did you handle it?" I ignored it. If people are talking about me, they are leaving somebody else alone. Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: Psalm 119:1-2 1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. How can we be undefiled in the way and seek God with our whole heart? We can abstain from sin and cling tightly to God. If we resist sin we won't commit sin. Of course this also means we have to know what is sin and what is not. Thus we have to study. Sorry for the short answers but I am still not 100%. My stomach is bothering me. Today we are going to do something slightly different. Prosperous Snow celebrating  posted a poem for her mother
I miss my mother. I miss her cooking. I miss her laughter. I miss her sarcasm. I miss her period. I would give nearly anything to have her back but I know she is in a better place. Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2235060 over display limit. -?- Prompt: Isaiah 56:1-2 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. How do we keep judgment and do justice and keep from polluting the Sabbath day? I am probably the most guilty of violating the Sabbath rule. God wants us to take one day out of the week and do nothing that day. However, I find that the best way for me to relax is to stay busy. Otherwise I get bored and want to do things that are unhealthy for me. I overeat and do all sorts of stuff that I should not do when I am idle because I get bored easily. I also spent much of my life doing nothing because I believed the lies that I was "special" and could not work. So I claimed disability and mooched off society. Now I am making amends by working my butt off. Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy and found this planet:
Write about happiness in your Blog entry today. Happiness for me is an often misunderstood term. People say they want happiness when what they really want is serenity and calm in the face of storms and trials. Nobody likes being anxious or scared. I have learned to overcome being anxious or scared by doing my best and then trusting God with the outcome. Even in the face of storms I place my hand in god's hand and walk wherever He leads me, which is usually directly through the storm. {image:1997652) "Prompt: Write about Pecans, Peanuts and Pistachios." I love all of the above! Unfortunately, I can no longer chew them because they get under my dentures. Ouch! That hurts. My dad ate them with his gums right up until he passed. Of course he did not have a screwed up overbite like I do. My mouth closes crooked so my teeth do not line up even with dentures. {image:1971183} "Prompt: Faith. Hope. Cure. Use these words in your Blog entry today." My faith in our government says there is little hope for a cure to COVID-19. Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- } Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2235060 over display limit. -?- Prompt: Revelation 22:12-14 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Explain these verses. My stance on eschatology, that is the study of the end times, is that we should hide and watch. It is coming. I do not think it will be anywhere near what any of us believe. The Jews had all kinds of preconceived notions about what the coming of the Messiah was going to be like. When he did not meet those notions they killed him. Image #2235354 over display limit. -?- Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with George Jetson and found this planet:
Write about this item in your Blog entry today. Winter has a habit of doing that doesn't it? Outside right now the sun is shining and it's about 60 degrees F. One would think it was mid-May but it it only March. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: “Flowers and colours everywhere, I am so glad that March is here” ― Anamika Mishra Let this quote inspire your blog entry." I don't like March. It's still part of winter. {image:1971183) "Prompt: What do you think is the difference between suspense and surprise? And in what ways do you inject suspense in your writing when you can?" You would ask the tough questions on a day I cannot think straight, would you not? {image:2187503-50%} Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- Image #2191828 over display limit. -?- |
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