Broncos Mania

Jim Gregg

January 16, 2012

Did you get caught up in the Broncos Mania the past few weeks? I know that we did. It was great. All of the cheer and comradery. We are headed for the Super Bowl. Yippee!

The city of Denver hosted an Orange Friday with many companies following along. All things were about Broncos going to the Super Bowl, something that has eluded Denver since Elway led the team on back to back victories so many years ago. Their performance had been rather lackluster since then.

Not now though. We have made it into the playoffs. Championed by Tim Tebow. The miracle maker, the pass thrower, the goal runner. Tebow! Tebpw! Tebow! Chants the crowd.

It has been a long time since the city of Denver had a hero to hold up high with great expectations to do the miraculous, to take us again to the elusive Super Bowl. YES!

What a rush. All of the excitement. Everyone is Tebowing, not out of it’s real meaning of reverence to God, but a sort of mockery of the magic associated with the man himself, Tim Tebow.

Let me add right here and now, Tim Tebow is the most honorable and God fearing NFL player that there ever was or may ever be. When he gets down on his knee (Tebowing) he is praying his heart out to the living God of the Universe. That is Tebow’s life, one of honoring his King and Lord and Savio)r.

It is that aspect that most of the fans do not catch. Christians on the other hand know this and get behind Tebow ever more so. Knowing that honor and glory are being lifted up to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is this total unwavering admiration that I want to address. Tim Tebow has become a savior of such to the city of Denver. He has single handedly made it possible for the Broncos to make it to the Super Bowl. All praise and honor is now thrown to him in hopes of a Lombardy trophy.

Denver was loosing again this year. Suddenly in steps Tebow with some seemingly miraculous 4th Quarter wins. Four in a row in fact. This got the fire going in spite of the next three losses in a row. The uncanny outcome was winning a place in the playoffs.

The lot was cast. The fever began to rise. Could we possible be in position to win again? Yes! Tebow, Tebow.

The first playoff game had a miraculous win in overtime sending the crowds in a frenzy. Win! Believe! Miracle! Tebow! All bets were off, the city turned loose in revelry. Expectations were high.

Tebow Mania was born. All eyes were on him. Every news cast contained much about him. Even the national news was full of things Tebow leading up to the second round of playoff games.

The excitement has now all abated. Tebow can get back to his Christ honoring life and the fans can say “Wait until next year.” In hopes of an even more productive football season. One that assuredly will take us all to the Super Bowl and a win, rings included.

Here is the example point I want set up.

Notice how the entire city of Denver rallied behind Tim Tebow? He is just a rookie quarterback with an air of something special about him. He came in at a time when the Broncos were in dire need of a savior. At a time when the city of Denver was in need of a winning team to rally around. The fields were ripe ready for harvest.

This is when the magic appeared. A spark ignited and the city came ablaze with excitement. Tebow became the miracle man. The one to pull us out of our dismal sports performance. A bright and shining star.

Charisma overflowed and a frenzy erupted. Hopes abounded. Trophies were envisioned. Life regained meaning. Something good was about to happen. Tebow! Tebow!. Super Bowl! Super Bowl!

Man raised this man upon high, rallying around him in hopes of seeing meaning brought back into their drab dull lives. The masses of people were united in a single bond of dreams come true. Life again was worth living.

Here is the real point I want to make.

Man lives in a world where all hope seems to be gone. Most live dull listless lives without a bright future in store for them. They question the meaning of life. There is nothing to grasp hold of to pull them out of the pits.

Man has a spiritual problem. They have a gaping hole in their spirit that yearns to be filled. The world tries to fill it with trash from the pits of hell but that does not resolve the problem. Only the Spirit of God in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ can fill that void and make man’s life full of hopes, dreams, and meaning.

The story above is a real life example of how man will follow after someone with promise to fill the void in their lives (actually their eternal souls). Following the hopes of something meaningful drive people together in a common bond that defies explanation. The charisma of one person can unite a large group of people.

What I am about to say is in no way meant to bring a bad light on the life of Tim Tebow. He is a Christ honoring person whom I have the utmost respect for. God had just revealed to me the comparison of the Tebow Mania that just occurred to the real menace that is about to come in the End Times.

In the End Times (possibly just days, weeks, months, or years away) there will be released upon the earth a man of lawlessness known as the Anti-Christ. His lord and god is non other than Satan himself. His role on this planet is to usher in the end of times.

With a cunning spirit of the craftiness of Satan he will be established in a seemingly calm fashion. Special privileges will be honored upon him as he does marvelous works. In short order the whole world will rally around him as the savior of all that is wrong in the world.

In the real life story about Tebow, a frenzy broke out to fulfill a need to have a Super Bowl win.

In the soon to be real life story about the Anti-Christ, an even greater frenzy will break out covering the whole world. Governments will relinquish control to him in an effort to bring peace to the globe. This will happen for a time…

To see the outcome read the book of Revelations. If you a re a born again Christian you will love the ending, if not… (you gota read it to find out).

On The Fence

Jim Gregg

November 30, 2011

I woke up thinking about “on the fence”. Just what does that mean? Several WEB dictionaries state..

on the fence [Informal] Undecided as to which of two sides to support; uncommitted or neutral.

on the fence [adj.] – characterized by indecision; “some who had been on the fence came out in favor of the plan”; “too many voters still declare they are undecided”

on the fence – not able to decide something

 

We just watched the Broncos win over San Diego last Sunday. Several people in the audience held up signs with a big D and a piece of a fence. D Fence, D Fence they chanted.

 

No that is not quite it.

Tim Tebow was playing and some were chanting Tebow, Tebow.

No that is not it.

My vision of on the fence was about Christians who are indeed Christians but who are on the fence. The profess Christ but not much else.  Jesus talks about the Church of Laodicea in Revelations…

Rev 3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

 

On The Fence Christians are those who do not take a stand on critical issues facing the Church today, or own up to the fact that they know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. If they would just jump back off the fence they would not clog the arteries of the church as it struggles to move forward. Better yet if they would jump forward into belief and action they would help move the church onward.

Just sitting there is a nuisance to believers and God. We are in the end times and things are happening at an accelerated pace. Soon we will be facing the wars, troubles, persecution, Anti-Christ, and terrors spoken of in the Bible. This is not a time to be a pew warmer. Now is the time to be “Who God Says You Are”.

After the broncos game on Sunday Tim Tebow was interviewed by a channel 9 sportscaster. He said “First off I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to play with the Broncos.” WOW! What a testimony. Tebow is not a fence sitting lukewarm Christian. This young man is on fire for Christ. I wish we were all as motivated to speak out in favor of what Jesus has done in our lives.

 

During the game he is often seen on one knee crying out Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He lives and breathes the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

 

This moment of honoring Christ and calling out to God for help has been labeled Tebowing. Some of the news media have tried to make a joke out of it, but Tim continues to honor God by his kneeling in front of millions of people acknowledging the God and Creator of the Universe.

Are you on the fence? Are you just a lukewarm Christian waiting to be spewed out of Gods mouth?

Spew:

intransitive verb 1 : vomit

2 : to come forth in a flood or gush

3 : to ooze out as if under pressure : exude

I pray that you are not in such of a condition. To be vomited up by God does not seem to be what any normal human being would want to happen.

 

Jump off the fence NOW! In the direction of Jesus Christ. Re-commit your life to following Him in all that you do. Take a stand for righteousness. You don’t have to stand before millions of people and tell them about Jesus Christ. BUT – maybe you should!

Have you ever witnessed to anyone about the saving grace of Jesus Christ? I struggled with that for many years. The right time just never came up. In fact the right time never comes up. It just so happens that Satan is fully able to keep that right time totally out of the picture.

You get all fired up to tell someone about Jesus. You get tensed up inside.  You mouth the very words you want to say. Sweat starts to form on your brow. Your fist clenches up tight. Your heart beats like you just ran a marathon. You walk over to the person and just as you open your mouth to say… A friend walks up. Someone walks between you. The person walks away. You stutter, cough, sneeze, anything at all. And poof! The moment slips away.

Like I said. I struggles with this most of my life. It seemed that anything would keep me from talking to my friends and family about Christ. One day I was at a business convention downtown and my wife told me to take some tracks along. When I got off the train in downtown I walked along the mall and started talking to strangers.

 

Many listened to me and took the track. Each step gave me more confidence. Suddenly I was praying with a man about accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. WOW! It was not me but The Holy Spirit who spoke through me.

Since then I have witnessed to my boss and led two co-workers to Christ. Just getting off the fence and making a bold move for Christ is all that is needed. Rely upon Him and take no thought of what others think. For it is what God thinks about you that has any real meaning in the end.

Now that you have a start. How about tackling the myriad of other problems facing the Christian life and walk with God.

Abortion

Gay marriage

Apostasy

The plight of Israel and the Jewish people

Human trafficking

Pornography

Drugs

. . .

Way too many to list here.

Get off the fence. God will direct you if you open up your prayer life to Him. He wants to talk to you, but you must first listen for his still small voice. He is a gentleman and will not shout you down.

You do have to ask Him though. He told us the “we have not because we ask not.”

Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

 

 

Remember above all things that Jesus Loves You.

 

In Christ,

Jim

Hell or Heaven

Jim Gregg
November 24, 2010

I titled this “Hell or Heaven”. Most people say “Heaven or Hell” but I want to stress a point. The point being that we are already destined to Hell from birth. We do not have to make a decision to go there it has already been arranged by Satan sort of a free gift from the father of lies.

Heaven on the other hand is something that we have to ask God for. We get Heaven by asking Jesus Christ to become Lord of our lives and to take control of our very existence. When we do this Heaven becomes a free gift from God the Father of Light and Life.

I just finished reading 2 books that have moved me to speak out.

“23 Minutes in HELL” by Bill Wiese.
“In Heaven: Experiencing the Throne of God” by Dean Braxton.

HELL

The first book “23 Minutes in HELL” was an account of Bill being tossed into Hell by God so that he could warn people about it. The first part of the book jumps right into Hell.

One morning he found himself being thrown into hell naked. He smashed onto the rough hewn rocks which were fiery hot. He was in almost total darkness (the light of the World – Jesus – was not present).

The smell of putrefying and rotting flesh should have killed him, but of course he was already dead. Already dead and destined to be there for all eternity. The thought of never seeing his wife again tormented him tremendously.

He was all alone. There were many other people there all crying out in anguish but they could not approach each other or comfort each other. The were just left all alone without the companionship of one another. Think about that. All alone for all of eternity.

He was not truly all alone, there were beasts there whose job it was to torment him. They were grotesquely shaped with long dirty claws they used to tear into his flesh. The pain was unbearable and it should have killed him, but of course he was already dead. Constant excruciating pain with no relief for all eternity.

In the distance there was a vast cauldron of molten lava and fire. The temperature was unbearable. People were in the lava and fire yet did not burn up. They could not die and escape this eternal fire for they were already dead. His thoughts went back to 9/11 when people chose to jump to their deaths rather than suffer the 15 seconds of excruciating pain of being burnt to death. This was much worse than that since it went on forever.

He saw thousands of small pits of molten lava each one with a single soul immersed in the fire all alone. He longed to give them a hand to crawl out but was denied that ability. They were destined to remain in that torment for all of eternity.

The dark walls all around the pit were covered with thousands of beasts of every size. The gnashed their teeth and tried to claw at his flesh but were attached to the wall. The screams of people being tormented and the snarls of the beast were deafening. A constant roaring of evil and pain.

He was burning hot and thirsty. He sought out a drop of water to cool his tongue but there was none to be found. There was no grass or trees or flowers in Hell. Everything was dead. All of Hell was filled with death nothing lived there.

Suddenly there was a bright light as Jesus came and pulled him out and showed him Heaven. While in Hell he did not know that he was a Christian, Jesus kept that from him so that he would experience the utter despair of knowing that this was his doom for all of eternity.

Jesus told him to go and tell others about the reality and extremity of Hell. Jesus also said “I am returning soon.”

HEAVEN

In total contrast the second book “In Heaven: Experiencing the Throne of God” shows a glimpse of the beauty of Heaven.

Dean actually died on a hospital table after complications following a medical procedure. The doctors documented that he was dead for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

He said he saw himself leave his body and was immediately in the presence of Jesus in Heaven. In response to being there all that Dean could say was Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. He said he could have continued saying Thank You for a thousand years.

He said that every thing in Heaven was RIGHT. Everything was Right. Everything was Right. This is quite a contrast with the experience in Hell where nothing was right.

The colors of Heaven were intense in hues indescribable. In fact many things in Heaven defied his ability to describe them. You see the same thing happening when John wrote about what he saw in Heaven in the Book of Revelations. I love colors and can not wait to see the rainbow of new fresh colors splashed out everywhere.

Everything in Heaven was alive and pulsating with life. Everything praised God who set on His Throne. The wind the grass the rock all were alive and sang Praises to the Father. As they sang their very essence radiated worship and praise.

There were many beasts of various sizes and stature. They praised God Almighty in a never ending chorus. A very tall beast rose up and sang out individual notes starting with “A.” He said that he could see the notes as they twirled around on a melodic pathway to God.

The Sea of Glass was there and was alive and pulsated with song. The Sea rose up and grasped around the notes being sung by the tall beast altering their sound ever so slightly so that the melody was even more worshipful.

Everything praised the Father. Everything was pulsating with vibrant colorful life.

He saw the Prophets, Saints, and Apostles of old. They were all doing their part in Heaven. Every creature there had a part to play and went about it tirelessly and effortlessly. He met Angels and communicated with them. They did not speak but downloaded information to each other. You could not listen in on another conversation without being invited.

Jesus was there talking with some Angels. He gave them orders of tasks to perform and they flew away on their assigned mission. Many were sent to Earth to minister to souls and fight battles against the darkness.

He met his ancestors and family who had passed on to Glory. He was surprised at some he saw there that he thought should not have been and missed some he thought would surely be there. No one knows the heart of man, only a heart given totally to Christ will be there with Him.

Family is important to God and he wants all of our relatives to find Salvation in the Redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ. God does not want anyone to perish. It hurts Jesus deeply when just one soul looses his faith and falls into Hell.

He said that God sang songs aimed at just him. He could feel and see the notes enter into his Spirit and enliven him. God’s songs are aimed at each soul on the Earth. Those that know him receive these songs in their Spirit and rejoice. Those who turn a deaf ear on God do not hear or receive these songs into their inner being and loose out on blessing from above.

He mentioned over and over that Every thing was just Right in Heaven. Just Right.

Jesus then told him that it was not yet his time and that he had to return to Earth. Jesus told him to tell everyone about the reality of Heaven. Jesus also said “I am returning soon.”

Hell or Heaven

So there you have it. Both sides of the coin. You can just flip the coin and let it fall wherever it will. But it will always fall on the HELL side every time unless you take an active step in your eternal life. That step is to ask Jesus Christ into your life to be Lord of your life. Nothing else will do. NOTHING.

Do not pass this on as something not worth thinking about. Your eternal soul’s destiny rides on what you do right now. God is a gentleman and will not force Heaven on you. But Satan is a fiendish tyrant and has already forced Hell on you.

To not make a choice is to openly accept the choice that is your birthright – Hell. You do not have to choose Hell you get it as a consolation prize for living on Planet Earth.

On the other hand receiving the free gift of Heaven from Jesus Christ is a choice that only you can make. No one else can make that decision for you. You do not get Heaven by being a good person or living a rightful life. Only by accepting the Redeeming work performed by the Blood of Jesus can you gain eternal existence in Heave.

Pray this short prayer to receive Jesus as Lord of your life:

Dear God, I confess I am a sinner. Thank You
that Jesus took my punishment upon Himself
when He died on the cross for my sins, and
then rose from the dead, defeating death.
Today I repent and place my trust in Jesus
Christ alone for my salvation. In Jesus’ name
I pray. Amen.

Your future is in your hands. Handle it with care. My prayer is that you choose Heaven over Hell.

Jim Gregg

Myriads of Darts

Jim Gregg

November 23, 2010

Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.

A few weeks ago I had a dream. It was one of those dreams that is so moving that it stays with you. It never finished but was just a quick glimpse. Never-the-less it so impacted me that I can not get rid of it. This remembrance compels me to tell the dream.

There was something to the dream that is timeless yet of great importance to us right now as we live this very day. It was a dream of pending doom and terror that is quickly being mounted upon the remnant of believers still hanging on to the hopes of Christ and His Salvation.

If I could make a movie it would be so easy to convey what I saw. There would be special effects galore just to portray the fright and magnitude seen. Being saddled with just words I will do my best to tell the tale as I experienced it.

The Dream:

I was on what seemed like a remote planet somewhere in the far reaches of the galaxy. Like in one of those space movies where the traveler was stranded alone amidst the strange climate and rock formations. Black volcanic looking rock. An eerie looking sky, not the beautiful blue we see on planet Earth.

I was huddled in a small outcropping of rock. There were others there who were busy scurrying around to find protection as I watched.

Suddenly out of the sky from the left came a myriad of darts. I mean thousands upon thousands and ten thousands upon ten thousands. Screaming in from above to the left in an arch as if shot from somewhere far off. The darts were of various sizes and colors. Some of them streaked with fire.

I inwardly sensed that they were deadly poisonous and should I be touched by even one I would perish. Yet I was at peace under my shelter. Nothing could touch or harm me where I was.

The barrage of weapons smashed into the ground all around us in one big splat. There were no trailing darts nor any that came early, they were all in one group like a flock of starlings gathering in the fall for their migration South. The projectiles even hovered and turned in unison as the do the birds.

Once they hit the terror was gone.

For some reason I ventured out into the open. I had a piece of cloth like material in my hand. Big enough to cover over my entire body it spread out like a sheet. Instinctively I knew that it was a protective shield made as thin as silk.

Suddenly as before, the sky was black with another onslaught of darts streaming towards me from the left. They flew deftly straight towards me in a arch as if I was being targeted.

I threw the shield into the air out and around me as a fisherman casts a hand net. I flew out perfectly and covered over my entire being as if guided by a hand I could not see and settled down just on top of me in the nick of time.

The screaming hoard of darts hit with a vengeance as before. I could see them pushing into the material trying to reach me. Their points showed through yet were stopped by the might of protection that had overshadowed me.

As quickly as they came they all dropped dead and spent to the ground. I was safe.

The funny thing is that I never felt threatened by the darts even though I knew they meant instant death. The protective shield gave me a peace that passed understanding.

I suddenly awoke.

I knew this was a spiritual message to me. As I prayed God revealed:

The darts were from Satan and were target to destroy me.

The strange place was the bareness of life that we must walk through at times.

The cloth shield was the shield of faith Eph 6:16.

The hand that guided it over me was Jesus.

Psalm 91:1-8

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:

Dear Pastor

Dear Pastor,

You have been chosen by God to lead, instruct, teach, uphold, and bring enrichment to the sheep that God has graciously placed in your care.

I have been chosen by God to give you these words brought to me out of my deep desire to do His work. So I enjoin you to read through this message and not delete it prematurely or mark it as spam.

My name is Jim.

I am basing what I do on a scripture out of the book with my name.

James 2:14-20 (NIV) 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

I need to be doing, right here and now, and not just sitting by waiting for Heaven to come “In the sweet by and by.”

America Has Fallen

America has fallen away from the Faith based Bible believing country that our forefathers designed 200 years ago. This has been a country that has prospered under God’s blessing until the past few years. In a 1996 poll 85%, or 224 Million, of Americans profess to be Christian.[1]

That being so then how did we let Prayer be torn out of our schools? Or how did we let Abortion kill 40+ Million of our babies? Or how did we let Gay Marriages wreak havoc on our society?

Since 1973, over 45 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States.[2]

America has fallen asleep. She has been asleep for quite some time. We awoke for only a brief moment right after 9/11 when destruction was forced upon us by radical Islam. Seeing a newly released Discovery Channel documentary on this terrible day prompted in me a restless night. God awoke in me my need to tell church leaders to wake up their congregations.

Only a sleeping nation could let a small, seemingly insignificant, group of people force the silent Christian majority into submitting to such atrocities as we have had dumped upon us. If we were awake in 1962, and fought against the court ruling against prayer in school,  then our children would still be blessed by God’s presence every morning as they prayed to Him.

Solution:

  • Start an Intercessory prayer group/meeting to uphold America before God. The sins of our nation are many and deeply rooted. Prayer is the most powerful avenue we have to turn us around.
  • Sign petitions in protest of atrocities being set into motion by our government. Once you start becoming involved many opportunities will be opened to you.
  • Write letters to your Congressmen and Senators. Once you take a stance on an issue the feeling of contentment and peace comes over you.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The Nation Of Israel

The nation of Israel is being bombarded from all quadrants of the compass. Thousands of rockets bombard Israel from Gaza, The West Bank, and Hamas militants in Lebanon. Iran’s tyrannical leader Amadinejad has stated “this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.”[3] Then he will set his sights on America.

The Palestinian government coupled with President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are on a march to force the division of Israel and Jerusalem. America will be judged by God for such acts against His chosen people the Jew’s.

Joel 3:2 (NIV) I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

Here is a quote from Dr. Mike Evans newsletter concerning our Presidents plans for dividing Israel with the Palestinians.[4]

“President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton will pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem and hand over Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians. Mr. Obama has promised King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that he will force Israel to make this unthinkable concession…and that he plans to do it next year once the mid-term elections are over to avoid political consequences here at home.”

God promises to bless us if we support Israel in any fashion. In the book of Acts Cornelius was visited by Peter because he had built a Synagogue for the Jews even though he was a gentile.

Genesis 12:2-3 (NIV) “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Solution:

  • Start an Intercessory prayer group/meeting to uphold Israel before God.
  • Join Christians United for Israel www.cufi.org. Pastor John Hagee has a heart on fire for the support of Israel for over 30 years.
  • Attend one of the many “Nights to Honor Israel“ held in various churches around the nation. Join others as they bring song, dance, and praise to Israel.
  • Join Jerusalem Prayer team jerusalemprayerteam.org. Dr. Mike Evans has been involved in all things concerning Israel and Jerusalem for decades.

Radical Islam

Soon after the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001 we were informed that this was an attack on the Unites States of America by Radical Islamic Terrorist orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, the then leader of an Islamic movement called the Taliban.

I subsequent years there have been many foiled terrorist attacks on America.[5] Many successful attacks have been done in other countries.[6] Radical Islam is a threat to our way of life.

America is feared as an advisory to Islam. The Radical Islamists hate Israel but hate America even more. Israel is viewed merely as an extension of the West (America) which must be conquered at all cost.[7]

“In this connection, we must grasp a crucial distinction between Iranian attitudes to the “Great Satan” of the United States and to the “Little Satan” of Israel. Iranians may chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” with equal fervor, but from a tactical standpoint they well understand that the Great Satan is . . . great. The leaders of the Islamic Republic, even the fiercest ideologues among them, are under no illusion that the United States is about to be conquered by and for Islam in the near future.”

The last time we were in Juarez we saw truck loads of heavily armed federal police roaming the streets to bring order. The shopping market was almost empty where we use to walk blocks just to find parking space.

My wife was told in a vision that the Taliban were behind the drug lords wanting to take over the Mexican government. She also heard that they were already in America planning to do destructive things to us. It is their goal to gain free access to the borders into the US so they can bring in weapons to attack us with once again.

The recent skirmish over Arizona’s immigration law only points out the problems actually facing America over the uncontrolled borders we now have.

In John Hagee’s book “Can America Survive?” Pastor Hagee mentions plots uncovered that have identified seven major US cities as sites in which suitcase nuclear bombs will be simultaneously set off. This united mass destruction of 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 American people will throw our country into terminal shock. Are you ready for this. He also mentions a potential plot of setting off a nuclear blast in the atmosphere over central America. The resulting EMP[8] will cripple all electronic devices, cars, computers, power plants, water wells, thereby critically crippling America.

This one small act, costing less than $100,000) will instantaneously throw us back into the 19th century. Food will disappear from the grocers shelves in hours with no more available since delivery trucks will be inoperable. Even if you could start your car there would be no gasoline since the gas station pumps would not work.

Are you ready for this?

Solution:

  • Start an Intercessory prayer group/meeting to pray for the salvation of Islamic people everywhere.
  • Get informed on what is happening. Pick up a copy of John Hagee’s “Can America Survive?: 10 Prophetic Signs That We Are The We Are The Terminal Generation” at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Can-America-Survive-Prophetic-Generation/dp/1439189854
  • Set up an emergency supply shelf in your house. Food, water, candles, whatever you need to exist for as long as you can exist.

The Third Great Awakening

If the above material is already common place for you then you are to be congratulated for being well informed. If not I hope it was a place to start becoming better informed. We live in perilous times and need intervention from God to proceed.

The last part of my message is to bring hope for a future that is sure and great. God’s hand is about to be reveled mightily upon planet Earth. Get ready.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

We are entering into a period of Christianity called the “Third Great Awakening.”  George Bush mentioned this on September 12, 2006.[9]

President Bush said yesterday that he senses a “Third Awakening” of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation’s struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as “a confrontation between good and evil.”

Glenn Beck has been presenting a series on “Faith, Hope, and Charity” called “Founding Fathers’ Fridays.” On September 3, 2010 he revealed to his audience that many Christians he has talked with believe that we are entering into the Third Great Awakening in Christianity. Here is a quote from his broadcast.[10]

“Something huge is happening in America. I believe it’s the third Great Awakening. George Whitefield, the first one, led to the American Revolution. The second one started with the churches and led to the freeing of slaves with Abraham Lincoln. This one I think is going to change just as much.

It is — an awakening happens when people realize the stuff that they built their life on is meaningless. And there’s corruption and everything else. And it’s nothing political. It’s spiritual in nature.”

There is change in the air. Our church and our Pastor has had numerous prophecies spoken over them concerning a great revival that is about to break loose upon the land. This is not a tent revival put on in an empty lot by a church, rather a whole scale revival of peoples everywhere. The Prophet’s have seen people pulling into church parking lots and running into the sanctuaries to receive the outpouring of the presence of God.

This will be an explosion of the filling of the Spirit that has not happened since that Pentecost morning spoken of in the book of Acts.

Acts 2:41 (NIV) Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

We have ministered in Mexico for many years working with orphanages and in building up small churches. In the past two years those doors have been closed to us by the drug lord terrorism ravishing the land especially in Juarez.

On of the pastors we have worked with in Juarez and in Orizaba, Vericruz told us that a revival encompassing all of Mexico was spoken to him in prophecy. He put this on a banner hanging in his church showing the State of Mexico with a large arrow going from Juarez to Veracruz and the words Revival emboldened across it.

As we approach the end times and evil overtakes us a revival of the greatest scale is needed to wake people from their sleep and bring them to their senses. A renewing of the Spirit of God within us is needed to prepare us for the end of all things. God’s Holy Spirit is afoot roaming across the land. Great things are beginning to happen.

I had a vision that we are approaching the crossroads of eternity where the past, present and future all meet. The revelations of the Bible are unfolding before our very eyes. Miraculous happenings will be common as the Spirit of God empowers us to reach out to the rest of the world. People are seeking answers to all of the turmoil.

Even the Earth is travailing with birth pangs as we have seen Hurricanes, Fires, Floods, Oil Spills, Earthquakes, and on and on just this past year.

Matthew 24:7-8 (NIV) Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

God is ready for the revival, He is waiting for us to take action. God does not bring the revival, people bring the revival. When the firestorm of revival breaks out the evil of this world will know it’s place and flee from the Anointed Majority (formerly the silent majority).

Solution:

  • Start an Intercessory prayer group/meeting to pray for the unveiling of revival in your church and area.
  • Start a revival. The match is already lit, pick it up and fan the Spirit of God into flames.

Prayer

Here are a couple of prayers that I copied from John Bevere’s book “Extraordinary.”[11] I felt that were appropriate to share with you. It is my prayer that you become who God says you are.

“Lord thank You for my pastor and church leaders. I pray that the fire to valiantly proclaim the pure truth of Your Word would persistently burn bright in their spirits. I ask that You give them a holy boldness to continually walk in the fear of the Lord and not the fear of man… in Jesus’ name, Amen!”

“Rise up, leader! Rise up, Christian! Our God is calling you to make a huge difference in our generation. We’ve been called to go against the grain of the spirit of this age, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience, the spirit of this world. We’ve been called to bring heaven to earth!”

What Will You Do With This

  • Nothing since you have already deleted the email and marked my address as Spam.
  • Nothing since you think that I do not know what I am saying and this is worthless.
  • You read the email with some interest but think it not worthy of consideration.
  • You read the email and thought some things of interest, possibly to be followed up later.
  • You read the email with interest but do not have time or commitment to do anything more about it.
  • You read the email with interest and want to make a difference in the sheep placed under your care. You are the reason God prompted me to write this in the first place. He does not give visions to people to perform just to give them something to do. He always Has a plan to unfold in the hearts of man. Nothing is wasted by The God of the Universe.

Isaiah 55:8-12 (NIV) 8″For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

P.S.  I am sending this using a newly created email address so I can control the potential Spam and inappropriate mail it may produce.

If you email me with reasonable questions I will respond if led by God to do so. My time is limited and I am not looking for pen pals.

I will not respond to arguments. God led me to write and send this to you through His Holy Spirit. If you want to argue then argue with Him. I will not.

Respectfully Yours,

Jim (a humble servant of the Most High God – Jehovah)


[1] Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, DK Publishing, Inc.: New York (1997), pg. 160-161; December Advance Newsletter, 1996, Kainos Press; Adherents.com.

[2] Jones RK et al., Abortion in the United States: incidence and access to services, 2005, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2008, 40(1):6–16.

[3] Arash Norouzi Explains the “Wiped Off the Map” Controversy, huffingtonpost.com, January 19, 2007

[4] http://middleeastmediagroup.com/articless4.php?command=viewArticle&ID=94&currentFeed=1

[5] http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335500,00.html

[6] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jul/07/terrorism.uk1

[7] https://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/eradicating-the–little-satan–13900?page=all.

[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse

[9] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594.html

[10] http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,600802,00.html

[11] http://www.messengerinternational.org/Display.asp?Page=Home

Israel 2010

Israel 2010

Jim

March 17, 2010

Israel. What about it?

How does this small nation (called a state) cause such a stir in world politics? It is slightly smaller than New Jersey with 20,770 sq km or 8,019 sq miles; containing 7,026,000 million people.

What on Earth could cause such a stir over this piece of turf? I know. Hopefully I can relay that to you in a meaningful manner; having just been there and experienced it in its grand blessed glory.

Amnon, our tour guide, revealed a lot about the tension the residents of Israel live with on a daily basis. At times he became almost angered about what is happening. At one point he said that he wished that the Palestinians were not allowed to live there at all.

Amnon stated that they live with fear constantly. When he goes to work he is never sure if he will see his kids once he returns home. They may be hit by a suicide bomber or other terrorist activity. The children in schools are trained to find cover within the 15 second warning received for an incoming rocket.

Israel accepts freedom of religious as part of its core beliefs. They allow any person of any religion to worship, live, and prosper in their country; much as we do in America.

Yet some of those religions have relatives, just over the borders of Israel, who wish to do terminal harm to the Jews living there.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, has vowed on many occasions to wipe Israel from the map of the Middle East. He calls anyone, not a Muslim, an Infidel worthy of a quick and decisive execution. His country is in active pursuit of nuclear capabilities and will soon have a bomb to use just for that purpose.

As we toured across the beautiful land we constantly were aware of the smallness of the state and the closeness of their enemy. We would cross over into Syria, then Jordan, then the West Bank and back; all in just a few hours of touring.

Several times we were told of a place where there was a wall which has been torn down as the borders constantly change. Amnon was quick to point out the ever present bullet holes in the sides of Limestone buildings.

As we drove through the country side and within the cities we could see Jewish Synagogues on one side of the bus and Muslim Mosques on the other side, their towering minarets standing tall against the sky line. Some times they would be in close proximity.

As we walked along the Via Delorosa the street was jammed with Palestinian shops and Palestinian people all wearing their shemagh headdresses and burka dresses; living in a seemingly peaceful existence with the Orthodox Jews.

Yet we could sense the tension between them. We were given many evil eyes as we passed by. Amnon shied away from these shops and only took us to ones run by his fellow Jewish friends.

Throughout Israeli history nations have been warring against the Jews, In several instances the Bible tells us of periods of time where the people have been taken into captivity and subsequently restored to their land.

When Moses led the people back to the Promised Land it was after a 400 year exile. Some other exiles were shorter in time. The in 70 AD the Romans sacked Jerusalem and the Jews were scattered in the Diaspora.

This destruction of Jerusalem pushed Jews all over the world and led to populations in German, Russia and Poland. These were the victims of the Holocaust of WWII. Those who survived started immigrating back to their home land after Israel was once again opened up to the Jews in 1948.

Many times since then there have been skirmishes and wars that pushed and pulled at the borders of Israel. But in all of this the Jewish people never lusted after the lands of other nations. They just wanted to regain their on land promised to Abraham and his seed thousands of years ago.

All of the other surrounding nations want to annihilate, destroy, enslave, or destroy all of Israel and the Jewish people. The Jews only want to retain what is theirs from the beginning of time.

A quick search on my computer Bible reveals that Israel is mentioned 2,319 times. A lot of those are for the patriarch Israel, but not all. Some of these references are for the nation of Israel. I get 767 hits for the word Jerusalem, all of which are for the city of God that we visited.

The Quran does not mention either Israel or Jerusalem. So it is funny how the Muslims want to claim it as theirs when it has been so well documented in the Bible as being the home of the Jewish people. Jerusalem has always been the undivided capitol of the nation of Israel, since time immortal.

I told you earlier that I knew why this little piece of land was causing such a stir in the world we know today. Part of it is because of Abraham; but not all. The real reason goes way back in time. I will tell you about that later on.

Abraham is a key person in the state of the Middle East of today. God had promised that he would make a mighty nation out of Abraham’s seed; too numerous to count, like the sand of the sea and the stars of the nighttime sky.

But good old Abraham could not wait for God to accomplish this. Being of many years he and Sarah took it upon their selves to give God a helping hand. Go lay with my handmaid Hagar and we will then have the offspring God promised to you.

Well this little ploy worked, but it was not in Gods will for them. God intended for Abraham and Sarah to produce the offspring of promise. This began the clash of nations that we are now living in today. The entire Muslim nations stem from Ishmael born of Hagar; whereby the Jewish nations all stem from, the true born offspring of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac.

God blessed both sons of Abraham and would make them both mighty nations. Ishmael’s was to be a warring nation always at odds with his neighbors. Isaac was to be the one who would produce the Salvation of the World, Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that Abraham went to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his only begotten son Isaac. The Quran says that it was Ishmael. So both nations claim the same father in Abraham, as well as much of the history that follows. They both claim Israel and Jerusalem as their own place of worship.

Satan has a way of taking the blessing of God and making a carbon copy imitation of it to lead many lost souls astray. Out of Ishmael came Allah and his prophet Mohammed. Hence the war began. Good against evil.

We found the Jewish people to be very peaceful and loving. Have you ever seen a picture of a radical Muslim who did not have his face covered, or waving his fist in anger at the camera, or holding a grenade launcher, or an automatic rifle shouting hatred and kill, kill, kill at the press?

The Bible teaches peace, tolerance, love, compassion, hope, forgiveness and conversion. The Quran teaches death to all who do not believe. Which way seems to be from God? Would a benevolent God want his people to love each other as He loves them? Or would he want his followers to be murderers and terrorists?

So this little story is getting back to the real problem; the original problem that goes way back into time.

In the beginning God created….

Lucifer was cast out of Heaven…

That is it. That is the beginning of the trouble we are experiencing on Planet earth in 2010. It is the age old battle of Good vs. evil, God vs. Satan.

Since the fall of Lucifer from Heaven Satan has been at work trying to stop or delay his eventual casting into the lake of fire.

He tempted Eve causing the fall of man. He brought about Ishmael to be in control of the lineage of Abraham. He tried to kill Moses, stop the flight to Israel, kill David, mess up the lineage with Beersheba, stop Joseph from marrying Mary, kill Jesus on the cross, destroy Israel and the Holy city of Jerusalem (so there would be no new Tabernacle to worship at), and on and on.

He has tried to stop you from accomplishing the calling God has placed on your life. He has tried to stop me. I spent over 40 years wandering in the desert of confusion and apostasy.

He tried to stop us from going to Israel or returning. Each day is a battle to keep our eyes on God and not the evil working on Earth.

BUT! God is in control. His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. The end times will happen as God has laid them out and the prophets have predicted. The city of Jerusalem will once again house the Holy Temple of God sitting on the Rock where the Dome now sits. This must be accomplished so that the Antichrist may desolate the Holy Place and usher in the last 3 ½ years of Earths history.

We toured Megiddo where the last and final battle of Earth will be wages. It is called Armageddon. What a blessing it was to stand on this mountain where the end of all evil will happen. I have been to places where there had been wars waged but never to a place where a war was to be waged in the future.

Israel has a glorious future. It will not be blown from the face of the map of the Middle East until the completion of Gods time for it.

So what about all of the unrest in the Middle East right now? It is quite a mess isn’t it?

Not to worry! Our beloved president wants us to just sit down, have a beer, and shake hands. That will settle it all. Right?

At least get them to stop building new houses. That is sure a sore spot in the realm of things. If they would just stop building new homes for their children and new refugees returning to their ancient home land things would be all better. Right?

Never mind that just a few hundred miles away there is a nut case making ready for nuclear war. Nuclear war is nothing in comparison to building houses on your own property. Is it not?

Let’s get a signature on a piece of paper and we will settle this ancient battle over good and evil once and for all. Never mind that the Palestinians have repeatedly turned down offers of land of their own.

Or that when Israel gave up the Gaza Strip that it was used as a launch pad for over 7,000 rockets aimed at the Jewish people. Surely that was just a small irritant to the nation of Israel. Not quite an act of aggression or war. Right?

I am sure that if Canada threw a few thousand rockets at Detroit or Buffalo no one would mind; Silly people. Let’s just get them to sign a piece of paper and put this all behind us. Right?

After being bombarded with thousands of missiles the rash Jewish people finally struck out in an obvious violation of the UN peace treaties. Never mind that they dropped thousands of leaflets stating that they were going to attack the rock launch sites, or that they made thousands of phone calls to pre-warn the people of the coming attack. They are obviously warmongers and should be condemned for their acts of war. Right?

Now there is a pending doom so terrible that it is hard to imagine. Iran wants to send nuclear bombs against this small peaceful nation. The US is not responding, well maybe with some sanctions to impose restrictions of oil importing and exporting. These papers will surely stop this madman from carrying out what he views as a holy, god sanctioned act. Jihad. Right?

What happened if Israel strikes first? Will they be praised for their actions in stopping this holocaust from happening? I think not. I believe that the world, the US included, will shake their self righteous fingers at them and call them war criminals.

All that Obama and Clinton can do is have meetings talking about getting the Israelites to stop building those confounded houses. So what if Iran starts a full scaled nuclear war. Not our problem. Right?

The Bible tells us that if we stand with Israel that God will bless us, If not He will curse us. I believe that the government of the United States of America is about to turn its back on Israel. God help us all.

There is a remnant of believers, scattered across this great nation, who are making a stand for Israel. Most of us belong to CUFI (Christians United for Israel) founded by Pastor John Hagee. We firmly believe that God will honor our commitment and not let the nation of America fall. Our government may come to an end but we the people will survive.

At a Promise Keepers rally we chanted “Never Again” “Never Again” “Never Again”. On top of Masada we chanted “Masada will never fall again”

My wife and I stand for Israel and will hold to the bitter end for our brothers. For we are adopted Jews and under the Abrahamic covenant which God honors for all times. We have put on a yellow star and stand arm in arm with the Jewish nation.

We are in the battle of our lives; a battle whose lines were drawn at the dawn of Creation and will carry to the end of times on Earth into the eve of Eternity.

Israel Trip 2010

February 26, 2010

Friday before going to Israel.

Eph 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask of think, according to the power that works in us.”

It is God’s power that works in us. So the exceedingly abundantly above stuff is a real no brainer. Is it not? If God indeed created the whole Universe in all of it’s complexity by just speaking some words like “let there be light” then taking care of me is a no brainer.

It is just my responsibility to believe Him. Or that he has done it. Yet this passage does not require me to believe. Only to ask or think. It is His Power that works in me that brings about the abundance.

Tuesday night I condensed my drams and visions into two words. “Financial Independence.” I backed up these words with a seed of $500. Much more than the $100 I first thought of then had changed to $200.

Pastor Mark said to make the seed proportionate to my faith. I believe that was so. I could have given $10,000 but we do not have that. I believe that I have proven my faithfulness in stewardship over the past 2 years.

Pastor mark was animate about coming out. I am coming out of the 40 years of desert wasteland> These past few years have been ones of intense struggle as we started moving through the woods just before entering in to the promised land.

It was like the Israelites with Moses. 40 years ago I became a Christian (was delivered from Egypt).

I went to the Holy Mountain and received the 10 commandments (Immersion in Gospel Chapel).

I was sent off to spy out the Promised Land (Literature Crusades).

Came back fearful of what I saw as the other spies (Let Tongues ruin my calling – and the Coop at church).

Wandered for 40 years in the desert/wilderness (Total un-involvement in church) (Apposty, falling away)

Was delivered again as Joshua (WOLCC and Ana)

The dreams of old have been cast off and new dreams put in place. Calling, vision, words, prophecies. Yet an intense struggle through it all.

Pastor Mark enlightened us Tuesday. We, as the Israelites with Joshua, are going through a forest just beyond the Jordan. The thickets tear at our clothing. The enemy is strongly resisting my every advance. For he knows that I am back on track to accomplish that which God had started in me 40 years ago.

When I first became a Christian I was totally on fire for God and missions. Yet so many things were thrown at me to stop my progress. Richard, Lowell Ramsey, LC. And it did stop me. Dead in my tracks. I did nothing meaningful for Christ all of these years.

The trip to Africa got my photographic spirit fires up. Yet the trap of Satan killed any good that could have come from it. I then I spent the trip to Kansas praying for deliverance and guidance. Immediately the opportunity to take pictures in Juarez came up and my meeting Ana.

That very fateful day started our journey out of the desert towards the Jordan and the promises land. But the forest of trees came into our walk. We have been struggling for the past 2 years trying to make it through.

What Pastor mark said has opened our eyes and enlightened us to what is happening. We now have renewed hope that there is an end in sight and that we will break through in just a few months. A break through where all of the doors will be opened to us.

Next week in Israel is going to be a great time of revival and change. Our future will open up and new direction will be unfolded before us.

My asking for Financial Independence will be the gateway to our future. We have demonstrated our ability to travel, preach, witness, tithe, pray, study, read. With uninterrupted resources we will then have means to make many trips and sponsor many outings.

To this end we go forth my Lord. You who will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Amen.

March 1, 2010

Today we set off for our trip to Israel. Up at 3 and feed the dogs, shower and shave. Then off to the airport. Parking and checking in bags. Oops! This one is 1 lb. over and this on is 3 lb. Over. With a little rearranging we are on our way. They had wanted $150 for the excess weight. No thank you Satan. Then the in-humanity of the security check in – all because of the radical Islams the threated every day to kill us infidels.

Then we eat a bit and have a coffee. Then to the gate which is already boarding. BUT. When we give them the boarding passes they tell us to come over here. The flight from Minneapolis to JFK has been canceled as well as many other flights to NY. Another bout of prayers were sent off to Heaven and the attacks of Satan once more rebuked.

The attendant found a non stop to JFK that leaves at 10:45 and gets in at 4:55. This gives us just over an hour and 20 minutes to make the connection. We had her check for other ones but they are all being canceled due to the snow.

I called Frosh Travel and they said to take that flight. They would guarantee us another flight leaving JFK to Israel at 11:30. We had the bags checked all the way though to Israel.

Father we thank you for you Grace and care for us. We are going to Israel to fulfill a calling we have had on our lives. We will accomplish this in Your Name. So we are again set for our trip. A bit frazzled but going nonetheless. Spite of what the enemy is trying to do to us. Satan we put you on warning. God is with us on this trip. Nothing you can do to us will hinder us from accomplishing what we have been called to do. We rebuke your attacks and assignments in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

It is because of Jesus Christ that we are going on this trip. We desire to connect with the very place that He walked and talked and preached. We wish to breathe the very air that He did during his 33 years on Earth. We desire to touch the stones, walk the dirt, and see the sea’s that our Lord did 2,000 years ago.

So now we sit for another few hours before our flight takes off. This was brought about for a divine reason. We are in a position to minister to some one that we otherwise could not have. Or to be in a place at a time we would not have been otherwise. I do not know. I can only thank you Father for this change in plans. Bring glory to yourself through what Ana and I are going through and accomplishing this week.

Frosh called back and said that they will guarantee us on the next flight to Israel at 11:30 tonight. If that be so Lord we will be on it. I would rather catch the 6:20 one as planned. There are things the tour was to do that I do not want to miss out on. I believe they were going to plant trees in a valley.

Lord, give us an overpowering dose of Your Anointing and quiet our queeze stomachs as we wait for this day to unfold. All for You glory.

12:00 we are I the air on our way. I took my glasses off to get a little rest, when I tried to find them they were on the floor and had been stepped on. Brought back memories of when I snapped a pair in half one Saturday evening. Lord help me get them straightened out so that I can see. Just another hit by Satan as he tries to dampen the Glorious Spirit that is flowing through Ana and I.

Step out of the way evil one. We are on a holy mission for God and you will not interfere in it any more. We will overcome and have dominion over you; because He that is within us is greater than you who are in the world. No weapon formed against us will prosper. The Word of God is mightier than anything the devil can throw t us.

This has started out as a great trip and will continue as a great trip. Many things will be revealed by this adventure. We are not just going on a trip to Israel, like going on a trip to Disney Land, No! We are going on an assignment to the Holy Land to be filled with new and wonderful Spiritual Gifts from God.

The past few days at church Pastors have spoken about things just as this. We have the seeds of Spiritual Gifts already planted within this Earthly vessel, out bodies. The rain comes down from God to water the seed and activate it’s hither to for dormant state into one of life and activity. These new gifts will spring forth in our lives to be used to glorify the Father who is in Heaven.

The gift of prophecy, or healing, or discernment, or one of 6 others, is laying dormant deep within me. It had been planted their by my Heavenly Father before I was ever conceived. It has been dormant awaiting an awakening and nurturing to bloom into a glorious praise to the Father.

Yesterday we were anointed by Pastor to pull out of him blessings that would awaken in us new spiritual gifts. By honoring the Prophet of the house we will receive a prophet’s reward. We were also told that we would be receiving a double portion of Gods anointing. As the mantel is passed down to us we will be wrapped in it entirely. Surrounded by its glory and filled by its richness.

This new anointing is coming to us because we are the chose generation to enter into the Promised Land that lies just before us. This is a new generation, a new age, a new decade of prosperity and glory for God.

Pastor spoke of people being hungry for a personal touch from God. Not just any touch but a touch that has the Supernatural dripping from it. This is like Sid Roth’s Supernatural presentation to 400 Jews in NY where nothing was made spiritual or religious yet ½ of them received Christ into their lives.

The message was about Supernatural happenings that Sid had been involved in. This led them to Christ. Peter Youngren mentioned a similar thing. He goes to preach to 100 of thousands of people. They are told there will be healing there. They come for the healing but wind up getting that plus salvation. After receiving the supernatural healing it is only a short step to receiving the divine salvation of Christ.

This is what Ana and I are about. We are a part of the new era of Word of Life. We are about being used of God to bring healing and salvation to many people; much more than that though. Just what it will be I do not know.

Pastor mentioned that we are going to a place that no one was ever at. That there were no maps prepared for it. We are going in with just God as our guide. We are going into the unknown but not un-anointed. This place has been anointed as ours since the beginning of time. Prepared before the world began have been created for just a time as this.

This trip to Israel is the trip spoken of. It is the trip as we have left the 40 years of wandering around in circles and have started towards the Promised Land. We are going through a forest of tangled snares and torments from Satan as he does his last ditch effort to stop us from advancing.

But we are advancing in the direction of the holy Promised Land. It is just around the next corner. It is coming into view where the doors will be opened up wide. Not just a door or two, but all doors will be knocked down making our entrance into the land freely available. We will find much favor as we venture forth.

Pastor mentioned that when we arrive in this new land, and this new era, and this new age that people will already know what we are about better than we know ourselves. They will tell us to preach them the truth and lead them into salvation; they will give us their inheritance for doing so.

As the children of God were lavished with the spoils of Egypt when they left there, we will be lavished with riches as we leave this forest and enter into His promised land; the wealth of the wicked that has been laid up for the chosen ones. This will be the fulfillment of our prophecy of a miracle in our resources.

It is getting very bumpy on this flight and I can not type well now. Bye.

We made it to JFK at 4:20 and got through the ticketing process OK. The rail system was out of the way but quick. Customs/security was nothing more than we had at Denver. I thought the international would be tougher.

As we approached out gate there were several hundred soldiers waiting to go obviously to Iraq or Afghanistan. When they went to board all of the people clapped for them. That was warming to the soul.

There were many people wearing John Hagee badges as we found our gate. We were only there 10 minutes before they started boarding the large 747-400. It was exciting to say the least. There were a dozen or so Jewish men there in black suits, long beards, and big black hats. Several were carrying Hebrew books, probably the Talmud.

We anointed the plan as we entered the door as we always do on any flight. Asking God to bless us and protect us. This was a big plane. We were to set in row 42 and they were boarding 50 to 62.

When we got on and Ana saw how big it was and after seeing all the people and Jewish men and soldiers, she was in tears for quite a while; being grateful to God for allowing us to be on this flight.

It took a long time for the plane to be filled and I think it was 20 minutes late getting off. But at least we were now on the final leg of our journey and would not have to worry about being delayed or canceled.

Another little dart from Satan hit Ana. She could not find her cell phone though we looked and looked for it. After a short prayer we located it and things are again on the right.

I had started reading a book by Mark Chironna “Live Your Dream”. It is so timely and fits in with what he spoke of and also Pastor Jake and Bagwell. We all have a dream planted inside of us that is our calling to do the work God has destined for us to do. This dream will carry us forward and will be a blessing for the rest of our lives if we let it come to fruition.

I have know of this dream all of my life but have never know just what it was. It is elusive and gets hidden in all sorts of baggage. I once saw it as anything to allow me to escape from doing computers. It masked itself as art and photography and crafts and ….

I am closer to unraveling just what that dream is. It has all to do with what I am doing right now. Traveling to a diverse place on Earth to be about Gods work. I felt this so closely when on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. I felt at home and that this was what God has intended for me to be doing all of my life.

I sort of started out to accomplish this when we went off to Literature Crusades but that was a total worldly attempt by me. I was not anointed or under God’s covering at all. It ended just as it should. But regrettably its ending ended my Christian walk for 40 years.

Father, I know that I am now on the right track to fulfilling the dream You place within me at the beginning. It has just taken so long to come about. Still I do not know its all in all. How it will all come out.

As Pastor said, I am just coming out of a dense forest into the light, going into a place that has no maps since it has not been visited before. But I do have an awesome guide, the Creator of all things. So as this venture begins I am excited and expectant of great things to begin to happen. Sunday I received from the Profit of the House the awakening and anointing of the seeds of Spiritual gifts within me. I fully expect them to start to grow and flourish.

Writing is one of those Gifts that Ana has seen within me since the very beginning. It is a gift that started out slowly and is growing more and more each day. More will crop up as I become more obedient to Him who has called me.

(Eph 3:20 [ASV])

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

This verse still fills me with peace and contentment. It is a great promise of God that I can hold on to and take strength from sine it speaks of the future I have before me.

It is 10:30 New York time. We have 7 hours of flying left. I will sleep peacefully in the rest of God.

March 2

As the sun came up we noticed several of the orthodox Jews doing their prayers. For some it was an elaborate ordeal with prayer shawls and prayer tablets. Others were all in black suits with black hats. All in all it was inspiring to see them humble their selves in fervent prayer.

At times it reminded me of the rituals done by the catholic priests. But it was much deeper than that. One old man had a long white beard and an equally long and white head. He was the first I saw.

Ana was moved by it and picked up her Bible and began her own prayers. We pray a lot together but not with such notoriety as these men.

There is no wonder that God favors and protects the ancient land of Israel. So man revere God in such a way and bring glory to his name.

Soon the lights were turned on in the cabin and we opened the windows. Down below we were passing over the Grecian Islands. Ana said “Did you ever dream that you would be doing something like this?” No I had not, but I knew I would be doing something. This is going to be a trip of our lives, but not the last. I see many more in our future. Paula prophesied that she saw us going often. Ana said it would be nice to bring our prayer team on one of these.

We had a nice breakfast and have just a short while till we land in Tel Aviv. The the journey begins in earnest. Thank You Papa for making this possible. Thank You for letting us make the flight connections and be on this earlier flight. We now have the chance of going on the tree planting trip. It will be nice to plant a tree in this land chosen by God from the beginning of time to last until of time of man and Earth.

Walk with us these net 10 days Lord, as we trod where Your feet trod and see what you saw and touch things that You touched. Reveal to me Your marvelous mysteries and great love for me and Ana. Make us to shine brightly as the beacons of hope that You have made us to be.

We are on this plane filled with people going on the same tours. Many of them are probably committed spirit filled Christians. I believe that the majority are just Christians going on a tour with John Hagee. Ana and I are on a missions trip. To do just what remains to unfold. But unfold it will because that is what we are about and why You brought us here.

It is a beautiful sunshiny day and is 62 degrees at 11 in the morning. The start of a beautiful week with You. I just looked over and see Ana writing like crazy. I think she has written 4 or 5 pages in her journal.

We landed an found that our baggage did not make it. We filed a report.

We caught the bus anyway though we were late. The tour to Tiberius was interesting. David the driver and Amnon the tour guide. We learned much as we made the hour plus trip to the hotel.

The hotel was average not much like the web site.

We went to where Jesus gave the Beatitudes. Ana was filled with the presence of God as we walked around. Pastor Matt gave a nice sermon on the mount. This took the place of the tree planting since it had just rained and the place was too wet for us all to tromp around.

Back to the hotel and we had a nice Dinner – buffet style.

Our luggage was delivered to us around 8 PM. Thank You Lord. During the process of filing papers for our luggage we met Jim and Sharon who became very close friends throughout the 11 days.

March 3

I dreamt that I was fighting with Satan. Pastor Matt was at my side. Then another time I was facing Satan head on and I told him to get out of my way. My big brother is just behind me. There was Jesus standing beside me. Satan fled. I woke up thrusting my hand into the air with a sword in it.

This is the beginning of increased boldness in me. I dreamt more of myself being very bold in speech and actions.

We started the day with a cruise on The Sea of Galilee in 2 large boats. There are 12 buses carrying 580 people. Pastor Matt and Pastor Hagee were on the other boat. After a while the two boats lashed up and we had a great sermon about Jesus walking on the water.

The scenery was gorgeous and the trip was great.

We visited the ancient boat at Nof Ginnosar. It was discovered near Magdalene by the sea. It is close to 1500 years old.

We went to Capernaum where Jesus spent a lot of time and is mentioned many times in the Bible. The guide related the same town to several passages in the Old Testament. Showing how all areas in Israel are towns built upon the ruins of older towns, called Tells. He said that Capernaum was 25 layers deep and that at one time the sea came up to the base of the hill.

Someone asked about the terror now present in Israel. He said it is a constant terror to live with it each day. Never knowing if your children will be coming home from school or not.

This became obvious as we crossed the Jordan into Syria and the Golan Heights. We can see the heights from our hotel across the sea of Galilee; something to think about. Just a few miles away at one time there were big guns waiting to attack at any moment. The threat is evident and ever present.

When we were driving from Tel Aviv he mentioned the walls and fence set up to keep suicide bombers out. They live each day fighting off attacks of Islamic’s who wish to destroy them.

We then visited the site of the loaves and fishes. When we went into the church it was very cold and not at all spiritual. It was catholic.

We then were baptized in the Jordan river near where Jesus was. There were close to 600 baptized by John Hagee. It took a long time and was hard to get changed and carry all the clothing. But the spirit of God was thick. Ana was totally immersed in the anointing. So much so she did not want me to even touch her. The water was cold but waiting and walking and being immersed in it did not affect us. Ana said that he was actually warm. The anointing was thick.

We bought a bunch of items for others. We bought a Menorah for our front room; also two necklaces for Ana and me.

We then had the tree planting service. We each held a tree as Pastor Hagee spoke and prayed. Then he planted a olive tree. Our trees will be planted in a forest tomorrow.

At noon we ate fried Tilapia at a beach side cafe. I used my fingers a did Jesus and his disciples after the resurrection. It was good. I did mess up and gave the man a $50 bill Ana gave me thinking it was as $20. So the enemy took $30 from me once again.

Dinner was an extravaganza. We sat close to the Hagee’s. The meal was good. At one point Ana saw balls of fire in the distance, thinking it was an attack.

Soon a boat pulled up and sat off flares as they played a tribute to America and John Hagee. I went up to Pastor and thanked him for what he was doing for Israel and how his work has pulled Ana and I into doing what we are now doing.

This was a full and tiring day.

March 4

Amnon our guide gave us a long description of the plight of Israel. Sine 1948 till now. The struggle has been to just keep what is there’s, not to war and take away from others.

We passed a point where Israel, Syria, and Jordan met. What a moment, three nations together, each one wanting to take over Israel. He told a long story about when Kissinger was here and decided not to give Golan Heights away.

The world thinks Israel want to take peoples land away but they really only want to keep what was given to them.

We visited Beit Shean an ancient Roman ruins. At first it did not seem like much but it went all over. There were theaters, amphitheaters, Coliseum’s, bath houses, columns, and walls of buildings. It was massive and interesting. We also climbed up the hill to where the original city was built level upon level.

They just uncovered it in the recent past. Floods and earthquakes and covered over with mud. He said there were 40,000 to 60,000 people who lived here. The theater could hold 6,000 people at one time. The bath houses had an under floor heating system.

We spent 2 hours there and walked around a lot. I never knew there were such things to be seen on this trip.

We passed fish raising ponds where they raise the fish we ate yesterday; they did not come from the Sea of Galilee. 🙁

We just passed Mount Carmel where Isaiah prayed for rain 7 times and then saw a cloud the size of a mans fist. There is so much history everywhere. All (most) of the things in the Bible took place in this area. Before when I read something it was always about a people so far away. Now is can see just where they were and it is all more meaningful and personal.

Judges 6-7 –  a spring we just passed is where this happened. Gideon was here.

We just passed Nazareth to the right on the hill.

We went to the orphanage. It was great. The presentation was good. Ana was reminded of her works with orphanages.

We ate Falafel and salad for lunch. I talked with Pastor Matt an explained about the tree. Then thanked and congratulated him.

We went to the aqua Ducts right on the Sea of Galilee. It was reminiscent of Mexico.

We then went for a long tour of Capernaum where Peter was called to Cornelius house. And Paul was in prison before going to Rome. It was all so beautiful.

John Hagee gave a nice message there and explained the prayer shawl to us. Then they had a birthday party for Dianna.

Long drive back to hotel. We had to pack things for the move of hotels tomorrow. We have way too much stuff. I think we will have to buy another bag and pay the excess baggage to get it home.

We are growing closer to Jim and Sharon. They are nice and believe and have heard many of the things we have about Israel, US, Muslims, etc. This will be a nice relationship; they are equals with where we are in our beliefs. We try to eat with them and set with them whenever possible. Thank You Lord for bringing them into our lives.

March 5

The average income of the Israeli’s is $85,000 per year.

We visited a village just outside of Nazareth where Joseph and Jesus my have worked as stone builders. The bible was incorrectly translated since there is not much wood in Israel and all houses are built out of stone.

We visited Zipori just near Nazareth which had many elaborate mosaic tile floors. It is possible that Jesus worked here.

We drove by Nazareth and went to the mount they wanted to throw Jesus off of after he read in Isaiah about being the son of God. It was here that Mary received word of her inception of Jesus and here is where Jesus started his ministry.

Just across the way was Mount Carmel and in the other direction was the Mount of Transfiguration. All of this was within easy view of us; thousands of years of history in just a small area.

Ana asked Amnon if he ever became angered about the Palestinians trying to take away his land. He said yes. He said that he wished that they all be gone and not allowed in Israel. He has to live daily with the incursion of Palestinians into his home land.

When he would read about what Jesus did in a certain place it became more alive since he would point to a place and say this is where Jesus did this and then went up or down to this place, He would point to each place – only a short distance apart. It made things more clear because you could envision what Jesus was actually doing at the time. We were on the mount where they were going to through him off. It was very steep and rocky.

A moments drive from Nazareth and we were in the Jezrell Valley.

We are now heading to Mediggo one of Solomon’s chariot villages. This site has 25 layers of civilization built upon each other. The English removed the top 5 or 6 layers and stopped at the Solomon layer. From this city mount there is a valley all around it. The plains to the South are where the last war will be fought. Armageddon.

I have seen places where battles were fought but never a place where a battle will be fought. The great war will be right there. The Bible tells of the mount being surrounded by armies. It is a very beautiful peaceful place. It is hard to imagine that such a battle will begin there. Not to far from this place we could see Mount Carmel and the Mount of Transfiguration and many other places.

Ana has been passing out prayer cloths to people she is moved to give them to. She pushed one into the cracks of two hewn stones at the top of the mountain. She said that someone will find it in the great battle and use it to heel people. What a soft spirit she has and so in tune with the moving of Your Spirit Lord.

Give me such a discerning spirit that I may feel and become immersed in your presence as she is.

We then toured the shaft from the middle of the city down 182 steps to the springs below where they could get water without being noticed by the encamped armies. This was nice.

As we ate lunch Ana asked me what I was getting from this. Before we left I asked God to change me and fill me with the fullness of his spirit and to anoint me with more spiritual gifts. So far all I have received it the boldness I had battling with Satan as Jesus (my big brother) was standing behind me.

I feel that tonight as we pray at the West Wall that I will be immersed in the Spirit and come barefoot before God; maybe not physically barefoot but in the spirit. I long to be changed Lord.

I have been impressed with the extreme beauty of the land. It is like a garden paradise; not at all like I had envisioned it before. The physical placement of all of the sites we visited is so close together. From now on as I read and hear of a place I will know where it is in real life. I will have been to it or close to it or have seen it.

Lord, give me a dose of discernment so that I can get as anointed as Ana does. I want to feel being wrapped in your spirit as she does. But whatever gift you unravel on me I will accept and use to my fullest. I have asked for the gift of prophecy. That is the greatest gift. That would over shadow any other. Your will be done that I may accomplish what you have in store for me.

Open me up spiritually this week. I want to be filled of your glory and anointed by your grace for your glory Lord.

Jerusalem. We turned a corned and the guide said you are now in the City of God. Awe fell over the bus. He started paying a Jerusalem song. It was wonderful. There are 600,000 people here. The buildings all look alike. By law they are all made of limestone and can only be up to 16 stories high to give the city an manicured look in height.

We went to the temple area around 4ish and were told that Sabot starts at 5 and we could no longer take pictures after that. There are also many different sects of Jews and some take offense at us being there.

A couple days ago the Prime minister told the Arabs that they could not have rights to one of the holy shrines. So there is direst among the many people. When we go near the temple there were many soldiers carrying riot gear and guns. The guide said that the could be acts of violence against the Jews, mostly demonstrations.

At one point he said we were now on Mount Zion. We went to the Upper Room of the Last Supper. Of course it was not the same as Jesus used since the entire city had been sacked in 70 AS. But the Last Supper occurred some where very near. The Place we were in was done up by the Catholics and was again sort of cold. I did not feel anything spiritual about it, but we were close to the actual place.

We then headed towards the temple. We had to pass through security before entering. It was exciting to see the Wall. It was set down lower that I had expected and sort of in a corner. Yet it was touching. It was 4:45 and we only had 15 minutes to be able to take pictures.

There were many orthodox Jews with furry hats and white stockings. People were milling about, many tourists who obviously stood out. We were allowed to go to the wall but cautioned.

We saw John Hagee being filmed there. Later I saw him at the wall.

The women had their own piece of the wall, much smaller. But Ana said that this was right since the men are to be the Priests of their households.

As I approached the wall a young man came out and asked if I was Jewish. I thought he might turn me away. But not, I guess if I was a Jew he would have informed me that I was not dressed properly.

I went up towards the wall. There were tables elaborately covered in red velvet with prayer books on them. Many men sat at these reading. Many more were sitting on white plastic chairs praying. The majority of the black hated men were to the left corner of the mall in a large group. To the right it thinned out and this was the area towards the women’s part.

I was determined to go to the wall even before we got there. So the warnings of the guide were not taken to heart.

I found a spot with a gap in it from men. I walked up and laid my hands on the wall. I prayed. I anointed the wall with oil. I laid my prayer clothe on the wall and rubbed it over the oil and the wall. I prayed in tongues. The Jew next to me was praying in tongues also (Hebrew). I took out the prayer request from Paula and Carolyn and placed them in the cracks. There were hundreds of the crammed into every conceivable place. Many were on the ground having been knocked out and fallen out.

I then prayed the prayer requests we had; our declarations and our prophecies. I then shoved them into a crack to be witness before the spirit of God.

The guide said that when the temple was destroyed that the spirit of God left the temple mound and went to the Mount of Olives. Latter after many years it moved to this place and is why the Jews pray here.

The guide said the Jews will pick up the prayer notes when they fall to the ground and place them in a nice wooden box, and burry them in a holy place. They are still prayers of the people and need honor on them.

I prayed with one of the men from the bus that was next to me. I put my hand on his shoulder. I saw John Hagee go up to the wall. I took some pictures of the men, the wall, and our prayer requests.

We then had a Sabot dinner that was way too much food. The rabbi gave a good talk.

March 6

We drove around and then turned a corner and the whole of the old town of Jerusalem was in view. It was bright and sunny and the Dome of the Rock shown brightly Golden. We all took many pictures there.

We walked down the road to Gethsemane and saw the old trees there and a church in its name. We then walked to Golgotha and the Tomb. There is no way of knowing just where these places are but they can tell the approximate area. They had a 100 year old photo of what seemed to be Golgotha. And then we went into what they believe is the tomb. There were not a lot of people there. It was moving to walk the garden and then go into the tomb. We sat and prayers and meditated for a while. Ana was deeply moved.

Then we went to a very expensive store with $2,000 necklaces. It was poor tastes to go to the rich materialistic store just after visiting the tomb. We also ate lunch there. The same lunch we had eaten the past 3 days. Good but so, so.

After lunch we went down Palm Sunday road to old town Jerusalem where there were many shops like in Puerto. We visited the traditional site of The Church of the Sepulcher. There were thousands of people there. All forms of Catholic and Greek types of priests and people. It smacked of Catholicism to no end.

There was incense and candles and priest and people laying on the stone and rubbing articles on it. There were 4 of the Stations of the Cross there. They had supposedly moved the actual tomb of Christ there. There were lines waiting to go inside the chamber and light candles. People were lighting handfuls of candles and then snuffing them out for relics. It smacked of religion.

We then walked down the Del a Rosa road where Jesus carried the cross. It was jammed with shops and people and cars.

Ana witnessed to Amnon at a coffee shop. He was almost in tears and said he might when asked if he would accept Christ in his heart. We all thought he was a Messianic Jew but earlier that day he said the he was not. Ana had been moved for days to witness to him if he was not a Christian.

She said it was not over yet.

We bought another bag to carry all our stuff back in.

March 7

We had a long drive to the Dead Sea.

We saw many native nomadic tribe people called the Bedouin.

We visited Masada the fortress of Herod. “Masada will never fall again”

Beautiful views of the entire Dead Sea. We could see the mountain where Moses died Mount Nebo.

Pastor Matt had a service from the top. This was the first such service since 1962. It was Sunday and the site is normally shut down. This is the first time they were opened on Sunday since Clinton visited years earlier.

Many date palms and tomatoes growing near the lake. The Israelis have developed an electric plant generating from fresh water, salt water, and gasoline. Amnon told us of the need to keep the sea full, and of plans to make a canal from the Red Sea to fill it up. Their lives and economy depend on the Sea and its fragile resources. There are many rich resources available from the Dead Sea.

Ana and I were discussing why God put his holy temple and the Dead Sea so close together. Ana discerned that the sea was full of things that people will desire and be valuable to Israel.

Many makers of Dead Sea products were there, very expensive women’s beauty care products.

We visited where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in several caves.

We went floating in the Dead Sea and put on mud and let it dry. It smelled and taste like heck. The water is 10 times the salinity of sea water.

Great dinner in a Arabian camp setting where George Morrison’s group met up with us. We had fresh fruits, nuts, bread, etc.

Long drive back to hotel. We got back at 1 AM.

March 8

Since we got back to the hotel so late last night we had a real late start today at 10:30.

We had communion at the Garden of Tomb with Pastor Hagee and Pastor Matt. It was moving and wonderful. We had The juice in small wooden cups which we kept. I picked two sprigs of olive leaves to keep in our bibles.

We visited the university museum where there was an accurate model of the city of Jerusalem.

We saw the actual Dead Sea scrolls which contained the complete book of Isaiah. It was 92 feet long and Amnon said that it reads as accurately as we now have in our Bibles.

We went through the Burnt House which is one of the oldest house found in Jerusalem, possibly one that burned when Jerusalem was sacked in 70 AD.

Then we went to the Jerusalem International Convention Center for The Night To Honor Israel. It took hours to get all the people through security. Prime minister spoke to us and was very blunt about the threat of an atomic Iran.

Pastor Hagee was also very blunt about nuclear Iran. It was great.

March 9

We went to the Holocaust museum this morning. It was very moving and graphic. There is no way to see it all in the time given. There is no way to see it and not feel deeply moved. Ana cried a lot. There were times she had to move away.

They did a wonderful job setting it up. There is no way the world can deny that it ever happened. They had many video stories from actual survivors who told of the terror and inhumane ways they were treated.

We went to the International Convention Center and had a Middle East Briefing. John Hagee gave a good speech. There was a Holocaust survivor who told his story. I filmed it all.

Then one of the CUFI persons gave another moving speech about the plight of Israel.

We had a nice lunch

We gathered at the starting place for the march on Jerusalem. Over 1,000 people were there. Ana and I moved away from our group so that I could film some men beating on drums. It just so happened that this was where Pastor Hagee and his son were standing.

Suddenly they unfurled a banner and began the march down the street. Ana and I fell in directly behind them. I ran in and out the crowd to film from all angles and to film from in front of the marchers including the Hagee’s.

This was beautiful and a powerful witness to all around of our commitment to the Jewish people. Ana had a great time holding her banner high and waving the flags. It wound up at the Knesset where we had some more speeches and a Jewish dance. Ana joined in the dancing.

We had a farewell dinner. One half of the group left for the airport shortly after.

March 10

Last day and it is saddening to think that we have to leave. Part of my body wants to go home to more comfortable surroundings and part wants to stay forever. I had tears in my eyes at times thinking about it.

We went to the tunnel below the west wall. This was great. We saw the largest stone some 60 feel long directly below the west wall. We passed by the closest point to the roc of the mount, about 60 feet away. This would put us under the dome of the rock which is very holy place to Jews.

We prayed there for a while. It seemed to be closeness to God Himself. I started to sing “Let me in to the holy of holies” and Ana joined in. It was anointing.

We then walked down the path Jesus took on crucifixion day again. We then went to the west wall and I prayed there again.

We then went to the city of David and went up the steps that Jesus assuredly walked when entering the temple after Palm Sunday.

We saw David’s palace and the spring of Siloam where the blind man was to wash himself.

We saw The palace of Chiapas the high priest and the dungeon where Jesus spent the night he was captured in before going to Pilate

We then ate and went to a diamond factory. Israel makes over 25% of its export income from diamonds. I decided to look at a 1 carat diamond. It was over 8,000 and would cost nearly 7,000 with the discount. No way. It was an anti climatically experience after the anointed places we were taken to earlier.

This was the second time this dichotomy happened: today and just after going through the tomb. It is as if Satan arranged this to break the anointing that has just been poured out on us. It really did make us feel let down and overpowered by the greediness of the world.

Now we have a few hours to rest and pack. We load the bus at 6 eat at 7 then off the Tel Aviv airport for a 1 AM flight to New Your.

It is hard to believe that the 11 days is about over. It started out as a dream and is finishing as a dream. It all went so slowly at the time but as all things it must end.

I tried to sleep but images of the past 10 days ran through my head.

Why did we come here?

What did I expect to learn and see?

What changes will there be in my life?

What Spiritual awakenings will there bee in me and Ana?

We have a lot of questions.

I feel that I have been in a dream for 10 days. Every moment a new sight peeled straight out of the Bible was unfurled before our very eyes. I will start reading Matthew in a new light. Taking note of all the places mentioned and relay them to what we saw in actuality.

We will start our prayer group “Apple of His Eye” with fervor. We have material to overflowing about Israel; maybe not in paper but in spirit. I just hope that we can remember all that Amnon told us.

Lord help us through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit remember all that we saw learned and did so that we may be heraldor’s and beacons of light to the people back home.

March 11

The day that was.

We arrived at the Tel Aviv airport 3 ½ hours before our flight was scheduled to take off. There were to be helpers from Frosch travel to aid us in the checking process. But they were few and far in between.

There were nothing but confusing lines and masses of people everywhere.

I found that I needed to stand in a line to get my VAT money back. I sent Ana to the other line to have the bags checked. My line moved very slow with only one person working there. It seems that we need to show the actual items purchased. These were buried deep inside our bags.

There was much confusion about the whole process that could have been answered with a short memo before hand. I finally got to the window as a second person started working. They only asked that I show some of the items. I held up 3 bags and they accepted them.

This line was just to get the paper stamped. There would be another place after check in to get the actual refund.

I caught up with Ana who was sent in a different direction then the rest of our group. She had been standing in one place for over 20 minutes without any movement. We rebuked Satan and immediately a man came around asking which bus we were on. Red, Olive, Orange, we said Light Blue and he told us to come with him. We went sort of to the front of the line at the bag scanner.

Wait some more. Finally our bags went through. One of them triggered a warning and we were put into another line. This line was moving so slow that 4 people were laying on the floor waiting. We saw Pastor matt’s security guard being checked out. It took over 20 minutes for them to go through his bags, one item at a time. Scanning them and placing them in individual plastic bags.

Finally we get to be checked, with 50 minutes remaining for the flight to leave. The man went straight into my bag and pulled out a travel book of Israel that I bought in Denver. He questioned where I got it and if anyone had given it to me. Done.

Now another line of mass confusion as hundreds of people formed 10 or 12 lines leading to the 4 ticket agent windows. This is where Christianity seemed to fail as people cut each other off and got angry with each other. Slowly we arrived at the agent who took forever to check the ticket and grant us passage. 600 tickets from the same travel agency for the same flight, seems like it could have been easier. We are through.

Wait. Another security check line. 10 or so lines leading up to the 4 carry on baggage checking station. More mass mania with less then 30 minutes before take off. There was a man in extreme pain next to us. I thought he was having a heart attack. Seems that he had a hernia and was hurting a lot. Once again we made it through.

What? Now another line to check passports. Like all the others there was much confusion. Two more windows opened up to Foreign Passports and we jumped in front of the window only to be told to step behind the line. Which we could not do because of the people pressing forward.

Ok. Now we can go forward. She checks and looks and types and checks and looks and looks Suddenly she makes a questioning face. It seems the computer glitched. I asked if we could step over to another window since we now had near 10 minutes before the flight took off. NO. Finally stamp, stamp and we are off once again.

Now we are through everything and only have to rush a very long distance to the gate. But wait! What about the VAT refund? I asked and yes it was just down the path a little way. I ran ahead and stood in another line. This time it was short. The person in front of me was mad and got the clerk upset.

So very slowly, in true government employee fashion, they looked, checked, stamped, looked, checked, and stamped some more. Finally I had my $$.

Now to find Ana. There she was at the gate waiting. We go through our final line and step on the plan just minutes before it is to take off. We passed Jim and Sharon sitting coolly in their seats. “Where have you been” they asked. They had breezed through the lines and had sat at the gate for 45 minutes and then boarded the plane 45 minutes before we did. Satan is mad at us and is taking more hits at us to try to discourage or break us down.

12 boring hours of flying get us into JFK on time. We did sleep some and feel OK. Whew. We are nearly home.

We get our bags and get through customs like clock work. We have several hours to kill so have some coffee. Then we go find the gate and decide to grab some lunch since we will have only 45 minutes in Atlanta and will not be able to eat there.

There are some rumors about a big rain storm in Atlanta causing 45 minutes delay. I go to the check in desk and am assured that everything is OK. So not to worry.

We board on time and get settled in. The plane tarries pushing off the ramp when the pilot says they are being delayed 15 minutes due to storms in Atlanta. Not to worry. The connecting flights will be delayed also and we will have no problem making the connection.

We push off and head down the tarmac. Then we stop and there is another 15 minute delay. Then we move once again and then stop once more. This time he says that we will be there for another hour or so. The stewardess reiterated that the other flights surely will be delayed and we will make our connection.

Finally we are off almost 2 hours late.

We arrive in Atlanta ½ hour after the scheduled departure of our connecting flight. I ran down to the gate and sure enough – it was gone. I stood in line at another gate and asked what to do. They pointed to some black phones near another herd of people waiting to reschedule their flights.

Ring, ring. Put on hold. Wait, wait. Hello. I missed my flight what can you get me on. Wait, on hold, wait, wait. We can get you on the next flight to Denver tomorrow. How will that be? Not acceptable I tell them.

Wait, wait, hold, hold. We can get you to Colorado Springs tonight and you can rent a car. Will you pay for it? NO. OK we will take it. One moment while I make the changes and reroute your luggage. Wait, Wait, hold, hold. OK. Now you need to go to the automated check in terminal and get new boarding passes printed.

Once again we are on our way. New tickets in hand and 2 hours to kill. Well not quite kill. We need to find a way to get from Springs to Denver.

I tried to call Jeremiah at work but no answer. I called Jill and half way through the conversation the cell phone died. So we made a collect call and Jill had to enter her credit card info. The connection was terrible. She took our information and the pay phone number.

A little while later Jeremiah called and said he would probably pick us up. He gave me a toll free number to call him back on.

We decided to get something to eat and to kill the remaining time. After eating we called Jeremiah and he said he would pick us up.

We are off once again. The plane is not full so we spread out and get some sleep. The flight actually got in 30 minutes early and the pilot apologized for any inconveniences this may have caused. 🙂

We go to the baggage claim area and there was Jeremiah. It was good to see him.

The conveyor belt went round and round. I told Jeremiah what our bags were like and he was to pull them off. It stopped. There were no more bags.

Once again we are in a line trying to find our bags. Immediately they said that there were waiting at the Denver airport for us. They made arrangements to have them dropped off tomorrow morning after 7.

Will this torture or testing never cease?

We go home very tired and meet our little family of puppies. Off to be at 10:30. Tomorrow I have to work to save a PTO day for future trips.

As I backed out of the garage I noticed our bags pilled on the front steps. They must have delivered them some time during the night. So this trip is finally over.

Lord, may the blessings from this ordeal far outweigh the problems encountered. Of course they have. This was the most blessed trip ever. We have returned home full of the Spirit and Presence of God. The problems with the travel are only mosquito bites in comparison.

Thank You Lord.

A New Thing

Jim Gregg

December 31, 2009

On the 29th of December we received an email from Mike Evans of “The Jerusalem Prayer Team” with a Word for us, his team. Yes it was the same Word for all members of his team; But God takes such Words and makes them specific for each individual.

The Word of Prophecy was:

Isa 43:18 Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING; NOW it shall sprout; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

Mike went on to explain the marvelous thing that happed after he received that very word back in 1981. He said to write down today’s date and read this Word every day in 2010; then one year from now to write and tell him what unexplained great things has happened from God.

We accept this. It is God’s Word form Ana and I. We started reading and praying over these Words. Our pastor also has been preaching that 2010 is the start of a entirely new decade for us. New happenings will be uncovered. We will be in a period of harvest and not of sowing. We will reap where we have not sown.

A couple of weeks ago Ana purchased an Internet marketing book/program from a TV ad. I have been struggling with how to implement this as a means to generate money to support Vaya Ministries. All avenues seemed to lead to spiritual dead ends where no power of God seemed to be leading.

Most of the internet marketing is shady to say the least. You are required to constantly do things to get an upper hand on the next guy. Every step of the way seems to be full of losses and procedures turning wrong. It is a survival of the boldest and most daring, not quite what I think God would give us as a way to survive.

Somewhere along the way I started thinking about the Vayaministries.com web site. How could the marketing be tied to it to make sales? How could the marketing be used to increase visits to the site so people cold be reached for Christ?

But this whole realm of Internet marketing is like smoke and mirrors or snake oil salesmanship. Not quite above board in it practices. The free site we received with the book is full of products for sale, BUT they seem to be somewhat of a scam at best. The ads are poorly made and sort of amateurish.

It was hard to get our heart or souls wrapped around the concept of marketing or delve too deeply in to it. Each day an attempt was made to get a marketing campaign going, only to get nothing started at all. If this is truly of God then the process would unfold since we have His Favor spoken directly over our lives.

In the process of researching PPC I ran across several Christian sorts of markets and one gentleman in Fort Collins who wrote a nice article on the True Meaning of Christmas. I wrote emails to each of these asking for assistance getting started to bring Glory to God in what we were attempting to do. They were boldly told of our Missionary work and how we feel God wants us to use this to further His work through Vaya Ministries.

So far – Nada! Nothing being written back. We just get put on another list of daily emails offering their newest latest and greatest marketing tools and techniques that they would just love to sell us.

Yep! This is Internet marketing at its best; just as I had feelings that it would be. Any attempt to enter into it only opens up more people trying to sell you more information on how to do just what they are doing. Selling people just like us information. Ad Nauseum!

But still I feel that God has brought all of this together for a purpose. There has to be a way to use Internet marketing to generate money for continued work and to reach people searching for Christ.

Ana and I have burning desires to reach people who are lost and hurting. Our hearts go out to anyone hurting no matter where in the world they live. We receive a newsletter from Voice of The Martyrs. This morning we were reading some of it. I brought it along to read at lunch. The world is full of evil. People in many lands are being killed for their belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

How I wish I could hang up this computer guru hat so we could set out on a long trip anywhere to give a helping hand. The articles in the newsletter were heart wrenching at times. How so many people are being tortured for the beliefs that we freely express.

The stories are told how individuals react so favorably to receiving pamphlets and bibles. How they hold dearly to these documents, even when being dragged away to imprisonment. How they desperately search out any means of communication with other believers.

Somewhere in the midst of this the article mentioned how they use email and chat rooms to reach out to others.

BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING; NOW

A spark whelmed up inside of me. I felt the movement of the Spirit of God shudder throughout my being. I closed my eyes and prayed “how can this all be put together”.

Yes Lord! How can this all be put together?

  • Our burning desire to reach people.
  • Their burning desire to reach out to others.
  • The openness towards Christ that is being unfolded in these last days.
  • The internet.
  • The marvelous marketing capabilities of Google, PPC, AdWords.
  • Vayaministries.com.
  • Ana’s vast missionary experience
  • The anointed writings I am allowed to write.

Could we possibly have a Pay-Per-Click campaign set up to drive requests to Vaya to receive teachings, training, and the roadmap of Salvation spelled out?

Use Facebook and Twitter to reach people?

But Pappa! These things cost money to do, not generate money! What about the “Miracle in Resources” that You spoke over Ana and me?

This would truly be a New Thing. Tonight is New years Eve and Ana and I are going to spend time writing up a prayer list for 2010 and presenting it to You as a petition. Let us mull this over and add it to our list.

There is substance to this thought. I feel a depth that has not been realized as yet. A way to reach out to many in a new way. A way to touch souls in places we could never visit.

Father, this is from You! Manifest its completeness to me in this New Years Day. Let this be the beginning of the new decade of reaping where we have not sewn, throughout the world. For Your Glory.

My Spirit if flying thinking of the possibilities. My mind reeling at the complexities yet simple ness of it all. Guide us our Lord through it all.

In Defense of Israel

My Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

Not to long ago you received a letter or e-mail from me talking about our experience in Washington D.C. and Colorado. This letter and e-mail was about our Jewish brothers and the Jewish Nation. The summits we attended were an eye opener concerning the Jewish people. It showed us the need of prayer and us as American Christian standing with them. As the Lord spoke to be about this he showed me that I can not keep quiet concerning His People.

The Lord has laid it on my hearts to learn more about the Nation of Israel and His chosen ones. He also brought to my attention one of his chosen one by the name of Esther, and how brave she was when she was told that she was chosen to save the Jewish people. Esther did this out of obedience. She was obedient to what Mordecai who commanded her to do and through obedience God used her to save the nation of Israel.

Est 4:13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.

Est 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

I thought about this scripture and wondered has the Lord placed Esther’s within the United States? Will the Esther’s He has chosen speak up or remain silent? Can the Lord depend on these Esther’s?

I truly believe God is call us all to be Esther’s to stand and pray for the Jewish Nation Esther’s that can stand up for the Jews.

We have heard that Iran is threatening the Jewish Nation with threats of wiping them and destroying all Jewish in 11 days. Has the media talking notice of this, YES, but has not alerted the American people as to how serious it is. Instead they are blaming the Jewish Nation for all that is happen in Israel we need to see they picture as it real is. Can the Jewish listen to a radical when all he has on his mind is death? No! But our U.S.A. government is blaming the Jewish Nation telling them to divide the land of Israel so the can have peace with the Iran radicals that are blood thirsty. They have tried this before but the radicals in Iran build missile plants to fire deeper into Israel. Don’t take me wrong, there are those in Iran that have given their heart to Christ and are suffering because of their salvation, and those that are used by the enemy to destroy the Jews.

As history shows us at one time the Christian remained silent, but now we know better and we can not remain silent again.

Back in the days of the Holocaust Christian turned their backs on the Jews because they said that the Jews were the cause of the death of Jesus. A lie of the enemy! If it not for the Jewish people we would not be here.

The enemy would like to wipe them out of this world and us too, but this will not happen they are the chosen ones and so are we, the apple of God eye.

If we remain silent America will be affected. This time we will be the ones wiped off the globe. The radicals call the Jews the small devil and us Americans the big Satan.

We know that God has called many Esther’s for such a time as this. A time that God needs all of our voices to be heard concerning the Jewish people.

As many of us know America is falling fast we need the Grace of God in this matter. God will protect us as we protect Israel. God says, “do unto other as you want them to do for you”. If we at this time shut our eyes to Zion we too will fall. His word tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Take notice of the word JERUSALAM —- U.S.A. is right in the word Jerusalem. Do you think that God made a mistake when he put U.S.A in the word Jerusalem?

No! We are to be there for them to stand with our Jewish brothers and for the Nation. We will be rewarded for standing with them and praying for them? YES God will reward America for standing with His chosen people.

As I spoke to my Aunt about this she mentioned something very interesting. She said, “Why are the churches and pastors not preaching about this”? Is it because of politics”? But the truth is we the remnant need to know our history take action and not remain silent.

What will happen if we do not come to the aid of His people? Like it says in His word we will also perish.

We know if we who are called by his name, (Christian Americans) come to the aid of the Jewish Nation God will come to the aid of America.

Can we stand back and let the Holocaust repeat it self. To hear that Admadinejad, the self elected president of Iran, is Plotting to exterminate the Jewish people and do nothing about this radical. Something has to be done so history is not repeated again.

That something is prayer and speaking up and telling the other remnant to pray for the Jewish Nation. Speak to the Senators and Representative of your state. Explain to them that the Jewish people are not the cause for the war that is going on in Jerusalem. We can do something; keeping quiet is not one of them; speaking up for our Jewish brother is where we can make a difference.

Remember there are many Jewish that are saved and are crying to God as their savior to save them for another Holocaust.

The children of Israel are Jesus’ relatives and he cares what happens to them just like your loved ones. Your loved ones may rebel at times but you still love them; Right? That’s the way Jesus feel about his relatives. He still loves THEM in spite of it all. They are the apple of His eye and He cares very much about what happens to them. No, they don’t see Jesus for who a Christian believe He is, but they will in the future and until then we have to have compassion on them, and protect them. Speak out in their defense and defend them.

While we look on all the people of the Middle East with love and compassion, we cannot ignore the leaders of the radical action and their lust for death, and destruction of the Jewish people.

Let me give some inside of the history of the Jewish people; what has happened to them because they were rebelled against the Christians.

The division between the Christian started back in A.D. 70 when Titus marched from Rome seizing the city of Jerusalem crippling and eventually destroying the Holy City, Jerusalem was left in ruins.

The majority of the remaining 97,000 Jews were taken back to Rome, where, many were crucified on Roman crosses while their wives and children were forced to watch them.

Some were martyred in one of the many stadiums in Rome. Many Gentiles believers fled Jerusalem for the near by city of Pella to escape the attack, while the Jews remained behind. Why did the Gentiles leave? They had heard Jesus say that Jerusalem would be attacked.

When the Romans gave the Gentiles the option to leave Jerusalem they did exactly that. This physical separation of the two groups would prove to be permanent and would form the basis of the strained relationship.

Anti-Semitism in Christianity continued with the writing of early churches fathers, a poisonous stream of venom from the mouth of supposed spiritual leaders.

Christian hatred for the Jews, at Ester the Christian clergy would en flame the passion of the faithful until the saints would race out of the church with clubs, run to the Jewish quarters and beat a Jew to death for what they did to Jesus on the cross.

It became annual custom at Ester to drag a Jew into a church and slap him on the face while at the foot of the alter. These ceremonies were carried out with excessive vigor, knocking out the eyes and brains of disbelieving Jews, who fell dead on the spot. His brethren took the body out and buried it.

All this division done because of false religions,

As a bonus, the Crusaders were permitted to rob the Jews of their possessions. They could murder the Jews and rape their daughters and wives; all was forgiven by the Pope. Because the Roman church, in attempt to take control of Jerusalem, decided it was the will of God.

As the onslaught began, the desperate Jews sought protection in the synagogue, locking the door behind them. They attempt to save their lives proved futile. The Crusaders finding the doors locked marched around the synagogue setting it on fire while they marched around it singing “Christ We Adore Thee.” Inside the building came screams of 969 helpless men, women, and children begging for mercy as they were being burned alive.

The fourth Lateran Council this council declared that all Jews must wear a yellow star the badge of shame.

The Spanish Inquisition began in 1481, striking the Jews like a bolt of lighting out of the sky. Many were called pigs during the inquisition of secret Jews were put on racks and had water forced down their throats after their noses were pinched shut or they were subject to other torture.

Hundred were sentenced to be burned at the stake and thousands returned to the church in terrified obedience. During this time 323,362 people were burned alive. It is one of the darkest periods of the Spanish History.

Then Adolph Hitler came into the picture and in this he proceeded to kill 6 million Jews. How do you think God views this picture that the so called Christians killed His people? His word says, my people will be destroyed because the lack of knowledge. They thought they were defending Jesus and at the same time they were doing the work of the enemy. This separation went on for year because it was the Anti-Semitism’s false religions which used Christianity to kill off the Jews.

While Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, is plotting to exterminate the Jewish people do we stand by and watch him? Or do we take action? His goal is to put together a nuclear war weapon that will destroy the whole nation of Jewish people.

We pray that this will NEVER happen again. We, who are called to be preachers of the gospel, love the Lord, and are His remnant can not let this happen again. God needs every voice to speak up and stand up for the defense of His chosen ones. God is bringing the Jews and the Gentile back together. He says in His word, “A house that is divided cannot stand”. We need to come together as one.

You’re Representative for Israel

Anna Mae Gregg

Evil in this World

Jim

12/28/2009

Pastor spoke yesterday about how the evil one comes into our lives and takes away people, resources, and our future.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

He does not need the people he has taken out of my life, or the money, or the dreams that I pondered over. NO! He wants my soul. He wants me to quit loving God and relying upon Him for my every moment.

Satan wants me to give up on God; to stop praising Him for all things. To throw up my hands and scream out that God surely does not love me because He has allowed this (enter in some terrible disaster here) to come into my life.

Yes! Terrible things happen in life on planet Earth. They do. There is no way around it. Terrible things happen to good people.

At the beginning of recorded history Adam broke covenant with the Holy might God of the Universe. His punishment was the damnation of all of mankind. The evil one was given control of Earth and all who dwell on it.

Mans life was cursed along with the very ground he walks on. Weeds grow profusely without any care whatsoever, while tender beneficial fruiting plants need our ever tender care and husbandry to eek out a crop of nourishment.

So also are our lives. Evil abounds within us from the moment we cry our first. We do not need to give evil care and nourishment to cause it to flourish. A bountiful harvest is always at hand, ready to pour out like a flood.

Not to worry! Jesus came into the world to take back the possession of the Earth from Satan. This saving act is freely available to us all. All we have to do is accept it from Christ’s outstretched hands. It id freely offered, freely given. Take it please.

Now that we have the gift of salvation Satan wants to pull us away from it. He wants us to not know the full extent of this saving grace; to not find peace in the knowledge of God.

Just think about it. If the master thief caused you to loose all of your money, investments, or savings, this would be cause for great concern on your part. How you handle this situation has an eternal consequence. Yes it would impact your security and well being right now. It would affect your livelihood today and tomorrow. But…

If you turned you back on God because of this. If you blamed the Creator for this insurrection into your financial world, then Satan will have accomplished what he originally intended to do. That is to rob you of eternity.

Lucifer, the fallen, does not need your cash. He needs your eternal life. He wants to take you with him into the lake of fire reserved for his cohorts and those who have fallen into his web of destruction. He wants a hoard of companions to accompany him as he spends forever being separated from the love of God.

Don’t fall for this elusive trap. The evil one will hit you hard, over and over trying to get you to give up your commitment to Christ. Don’t do it! Don’t fall for this trap. Yes it hurts in the physical realm, but only for a moment. Don’t let a little bit of faulty pleasure or comfort on this planet take away your eternal rewards.

Read the last part of this again…

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

More abundantly… Wow! Stand firm and God will come to your rescue. Stand and then stand some more. Wrap yourself in the full armor of God and take a stand for Him who is able.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:14 Stand therefore

Pastor also spoke on.

1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Where David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. David encouraged himself, not from some other preaching or helping hand from another. No! He encouraged himself. David wrote many of the Psalms, songs, he played the harp for Saul. David sang songs of praise and worship to God.

That is how he encouraged himself. A Holy Benevolent God poured out His peace to David when David poured out praises to Him.

When Satan attacks relentlessly trying to discourage you or get you to give up on God, crawl into your prayer closet and lift up your voice in praise and worship. Give homage to the King for He is worthy of all praise and Glory and Honor Forever.

We daily fight a spiritual battle between good and evil. If we let the good prevail in our lives then we truly stand on the threshold of eternity.

Where God will say…

Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant;

And not…

Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Writing

Jim

12/23/2009

Writing? What is it? How does it affect me? Why do I do it? What is it for?

I got a D- in High School English. So how can I write about writing; because God has opened the door for me to write? Up until a year ago I did not write anything meaningful except an appeal for Unemployment benefits refusal.

I hated English in school, especially in High School. I was a shy reserved child. I had terrible eye sight which was not corrected until after several years of straining to see the chalk board. I also had terrible hearing and could not understand the teachers well; especially high pitched Nuns.

I remember one critical juncture in English. The lessons were on sentence structure and how to diagram out the different parts. Somewhere I missed something about adjectives or pronouns or such. Being a perfectionist I struggled to make the missing part fit in. The teacher just went on as if everyone had understood it.

Stuck on this point caused me to miss the next several points. Now I was totally confused. That was the end of my English mastery. I still don’t know the difference.

Writing was never something that I aspired to do. Ever!

Funny how God has plans for us that defies the imagination. Over a year ago Ana had a vision of me writing. Not casual writing but writing sermons, writing books, even speaking to people. (Did I mention that I also got a D- in Speech?)

If God can make a donkey speak or promise to make the very stones praise His name, I guess he can make me a writer/speaker.

At Ana’s prompting I started writing long tied together jumbles of words. Soon I progressed to short meaningful articles. Now I often surprise both Ana and myself with what I pen.

Last week I wrote an article in 15 minutes about Entering into the Holy of Holies. Monday I wrote a very long and detailed account of our Angel Tree Outreach.

Do you know it is not me doing the writing? Not me. I feel the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as I jot things down. Angel Tree turned into an 8 page novel. Yet I wrote it without notes or without going back and re-writing. It just pours out as a finished product.

I enjoy the process of writing. I feel my Spirit communing with God and with the eventual Spirits of those who read my works. I feel that God has given me a view of life that must be presented to others. Not for my edification but theirs, to the Glory of Him who gives diverse gifts to His anointed.

I do feel that I have been anointed to write. I feel His presence flowing through me as I do the work. I feel at peace when I have finished an article.

It is my hope that through the articles that I write, that others will see a closer glimpse of what God is doing and is planning to do. Sometimes I feel my articles are prophetic and tell part of a story not yet completed in real time.

At other times I feel that I am here to wake people up to the pending troubles coming upon Earth. I discern happenings in the news that others seem to discount, disbelieve, or totally ignore; things that have a paramount importance in so to happen events.

Jesus Christ is going to return to planet Earth at any moment. I do not propose to know when, just that the time is quickly coming upon us. We must take heed and see the developing evil poised to break the back of Christianity.

Our nation is crumbling morally, spiritually, and financially. We no longer are the great Christian nation that sent missionaries throughout the world. We have fallen from grace and will soon pose no threat to Satan’s plot to destroy man.

These last three paragraphs just flowed off my fingers without me having to think of what I was keying. I feel honored and blessed to be a mouthpiece to mankind.

In an effort to get these writings out to as many people as possible I have set up the VayaMinistries.COM blog to hold the vastness and wealth of these words.

Now Papa needs to show me how to market this WEB site to receive the maximum exposure, for the Glory of His Name.

Angel Tree 2009

Jim

12/20/2009

Yesterday was the Angle Tree outreach 2009 for Word of Life Christian Center. We distributed over 500 gifts to over 200 families. A food basket was delivered to each family as and additions gesture of Christian love. There were 72 teams who delivered to 3 or 4 families each. Ana and I were given 4 Spanish speaking families in the central part of Denver.

This turned out to be a very busy day. Between the outreach we had the tires rotated, balanced, and the alignment corrected on my car. Yet God made it all happen within His timetable. It was after 7 when we got home.

The first part of the process was to go to WOL and help pack the food boxes. This was especially enjoyable for Ana. For over 14 years she has made 200+ trips to Mexico doing similar things. Many times they distributed food and yesterday brought back memories of some of those past exercises.

It was fun watching her help put in hams and pies and move the boxes into place. She is one not to sit back and watch the rest of the group do the work even though we were not part of the food packing team.

After we picked up the presents and food we were off after a short detour to move my car from the tire place to the alignment place.

Housing in this part of town is a bit small and not well marked. We stopped between two houses near that proper place and Ana called to find out which one to go to.

The first family consisted of a young man, a 10 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. Only the boy had presents so we think that he is from a different marriage where the father is still in prison. God knows but we do not care. We were there to minister to the people present at the time we arrive.

We were allowed to come right on in and to place the food box on the table. We gave the packages to the young boy, his eyes widely opened. Ana talked to the father for a bit and asked if we could pray for him. “Yes you can.” So we prayed for him and his family and his work.

Then Ana told him about the soon return of Jesus Christ, in Spanish of course. It is a marvelous thing to be with Ana as she witnesses to people, especially those from Mexico. The love she has for them pours out in rivers of living water. Such compassion and true love flows forth. Once inside of a family’s home she will not leave until they have been presented the opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ’s salvation.

A story unfolds twining together many experiences that I have been graced to witness with Ana. She tells of her past 14 years working throughout all of Mexico, I hear Durango, Juarez, Veracruz, Monterrey, and on. Then she relates the trip we made to Juarez last April in the midst of the drug lord war where we were surrounded by the Mexacili Federalies. This is where a vision from God about the Taliban wove into the story. This led us to a trip to Christians United for Israel in Washington D.C. Presented by John Hagee.

The point of this wonderful story is that we live in a perilous time. The return of Christ is just around the corner. There are satanic forces straining at the door ready to break down all restraints and unleash a terrible evil upon planet Earth. The radical Islamic nations desire to annihilate the nation of Israel. Ahmadinejad has Iran just a screwdriver away from having a nuclear bomb capable of destroying Israel. Next on his hit list will be the United States.

In the vision Ana had in Juarez, God told her that His people under the umbrella of His covering would be saved. Those outside of that covering would suffer greatly. God told Ana that she was to be the Jonathan and go forth and warn the people of this coming terror.

During her talking she tells how we, Ana and I, have an insurance policy that will take us to heaven when we die. She then asks them if they would like to receive that same policy. It is free just for the asking. The people almost always agree. Why would they not. It is free. It protects from the coming fracas.

We stand and hold hands. Ana prays a sinners prayer and has them repeat out loud along with her. This is when we often see tears of repentance and joy stream down their faces. God does his miracle and the Blood of Jesus cleanses them from their sins. A new creation is unveiled where there previously stood a defiant rebellious person.

Then Ana often tells them that right now the Angles in Heaven are writing your names in God’s book of life. That when you die and go to meet the Father that He will open that book, see your name inscribed within and bid you enter in my faithful friend.

I often snap a picture so we have something to pray over and to share with others.

Well, this is just what happened at Family #164. As Ana spoke I prayed and agreed in the Spirit to all she was saying. I watched the young man as she spoke. His eyes never wavered from soaking in all that was said. You can tell when a person is interested or not. They either are interested and pay attention, or are not and look to and fro and downward to advert eye contact.

He prayed the sinner’s prayer and accepted Christ into his heart. We gave him a New Testament with some scriptures underlined in it for him to start reading. We told him about the Iglesia De Cristo El Shaddai church on Alameda. He was sort of interested but said that he would rather come to our church. So someday we may see him standing up as a new visitor. Praise the Lord.

Our next stop was just a half mile away. A 13 year old let us into the house where a 30 year old father was laying on the couch with a 9 month old baby who had breathing problems and was on oxygen. Almost immediately Ana started praying for the baby and laid hands on it for Jesus to dynamically heal the child.

This led to a long conversation with the father. He was very interested in what Ana was telling him. His gaze never went far from the words pouring out of her mouth. When Ana got to the point of asking him if he would like to accept Jesus as his personal savior he said that he would rather have us return at 5 PM when his wife was off work. He wanted us to share with his wife what we had been sharing with him.

We left there praising God for the chance to witness to even more people when we returned later in the day. As we were driving off we discussed the smell of leaking natural gas in the apartment. I had worked for a gas service company in Kansas and am painfully aware of the smell of gas. We thought that this may be what is causing the child’s illness.

We made a mental note to have the family call the gas service company to have their house checked out. A slow leak can go unnoticed to the inhabitants and be potentially hazardous to their health. It can also cause a big bang.

Many years ago as I was walking to the Kansas State fair through an alleyway I smelt natural Gas. This was not too common in those days and I thought nothing about it. Two days later the very house I walked past blew off the face of the earth. The owners were on vacation and a gas leak filled the house with fumes which eventually ignited into a massive explosion totally destroying the house.

So Yes, we will tell the family to have the gas service company come and check out their house for leaks.

Now we were off for family #3 which was 10 or so miles to the East in the Aurora area. The GPS took us right to a bunch of apartments. Like most complexes, the numbering scheme is confusing to say the least. There must be a universal law that states that the actual street address and building numbers must be partially hidden from common view. And of course stopping a resident to ask directions led to total confusion. Father, forgive me for my grumbling and murmured words.

In the process Ana called the telephone number on the bag of gifts. Evidentially this person was at work and her niece was home tending to the children. She asked if we could just leave the packages inside of the door downstairs doors so that she could pick them up later. We at least got the correct building directions from her and headed that way.

When we got inside we noticed that the building had security doors requiring a code to gain entrance. Ana had been praying that God would open our way to finding the apartment. Just then a lady was exiting the building. Ana asked if she could let us in to deliver some Christmas gifts and a box of food. She gracefully entered the code to let us in. It was like an angle was sent to make the way open up for us.

When we got to the apartment we knocked at the door and there was total silence. No on seemed to be home. Ana again called and this time got the answering service. She left a voice mail stating that this was Angel Tree and we were standing outside her door with some presence for her children.

A little more waiting; some discussing what to do; then another phone call. This one was answered. Lo and behold the lady was actually home and opened the door for us. “Merry Christmas” shouted Ana as she pushed the bags of presents through the door. They were afraid and were hesitant to answer our knocking.

Once inside we found a very warm friendly and open family of six. Ana had a joyous time talking with them. I played on the floor with one of the boys. One small girl was shy and would not come out of her room to see us. We found their Christmas tree well decorated and full of presents. The ones we brought rounded out their hoard, hopefully making for a beautiful Christmas time.

Ana found that they wanted prayer for their work situation and their green card status. The lady was a professor at a university in Mexico but is unable to translate that into a job here. The lived a meager life and found their home to be their refuge. It felt like the middle of Mexico in their home. It was hot! Although it was cold outside, the man had on a T-shirt and flip flops. I was sweating inside of my winter coat.

We prayed together, me in English and Ana in Spanish, as the whole family (less the shy little girl) held hands with us. As Ana prayed I watched the man’s eyes. They never left watching the words Ana was praying. His attention was on the words of wisdom being proclaimed. He was taking God’s revelation to them deep within his heart. The mother was also riveted on each word being proclaimed.

So there was no resistance when Ana asked if they wanted to pray to receive Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Openly they accepted His salvation. Openly they committed their lives, as a family unit, to the Saving Grace of Jesus. What a wonderful time for Ana and I, to see this beautiful little family totally surrender their hearts and lives to Jesus at this special time of the year.

Ana talked with them for quite some time. We learned that they were from Juarez. Ana told of all the work she had done there. We discussed where Pastor Enrique’s church was. They knew the place well and mentioned some orphanages they knew about, quite possibly the ones Ana had worked with. What a marvelous time of reflection.

Ana later related the days experience almost as if she was in Mexico; from the packing of the food boxes to meeting this beautiful, obviously very Mexican, family. It was a flash back of previous enjoyable times. Our hearts are in Mexico and for the Mexican people. Today was just a glimpse of what God has in store for our continued work for His Kingdom.

The activities of the day brought back memories of another time for me which left a great impression on my memory. My wife went to be with the Lord on the morning I was to start a new job taking kid’s pictures. I delayed the start of the job for two weeks.

The company I started working with marketed a free 8×10 portrait, mostly to the poor Mexican people in this same area of town. The Mexican’s are very proud of their family and plaster their walls with pictures of them which they hold very near to their hearts, and were the only ones who would take such a free offer.

I visited 8 to 10 such families each day, finding my way through the apartment complexes much as we did today. I often entered into a complex and was transformed into the heart of lil’ Mexico. One place there were people cooking on the ground floor, washed cloths hanging from lines strung across the atrium, kids running around shouting and playing, and loud Mexican music streaming so that all could hear. This was before I had ever gone to Mexico.

One day I want to take Ana to the 6th and Peoria area in Aurora to do some outreach. When I was shooting pictures in the area it seemed that even the street advertisements were all in Spanish. Ana mentioned today that she felt like she was back in Mexico. I believe a trip witnessing to people on the streets in this area will take her back in memory for a short time.

When I took pictures of babies for these poor people I produced great photographs. But I did not have the killer sales instinct like the person who trained me. One such time I took several gorgeous pictures of a new born. The mother was in tears when her husband told her that she could not buy any. My heart was sore.

God be blessed that now I am offering something to these same people which they can afford because it is totally free. The Free Gift from God of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Wow! What a difference there is in marketing the correct product to the correct people.

The third family we visited today came to America drawn by the dream of riches that would await them. When you are only making $3 or less an hour, the vision of making $11 seems like utopia. I have seen how they live in Mexico. When we were in Puerto Vallarta in October we found that we could rent a nice apartment for $300 a month. Yes they can make $11 an hour here, but it costs $12 an hour to survive.

They have not improved their lives. They have only made it worse by leaving all behind to live illegally in America trying desperately to survive in a foreign environment. I believe that this is what makes the Mexican immigrants so receptive to the Gospel. They have lost all meaning for their lives and are searching for answers. Plus the fact that most of them are catholic. At least they do believe in a supreme and benevolent God.

So when Ana and I go to them and offer them Salvation from Christ they accept it with open arms. Finally they have found something to grasp hold of and believe in. Isn’t God great! He allows Ana and I to present the Free gift of Jesus to the lost and receptive people.

We spent the day reaping where we did not sow. Just as pastor mentioned, this is a time of harvest and not sowing. The fields are indeed ripe for the harvest. Lord, take Ana and me into more fertile grounds to continue doing what You have called us to do.

I work on West Colfax Avenue. In the mornings as I come off C470 onto I-70 we go down the hill and most of Denver lies within view. The sky is dark and the millions of lights in the city are shinning brightly. Off to the East the sun is breaking through in all of it glory. What a sight to behold! I often muse about the millions of souls spread out just before me. What a rich and fertile harvest field this presents.

This takes us to family #4, the last one for the day. After a false trip to an industrial area, gotta put the right city in the GPS (a flaw in the programming – correct one was in Aurora and not Denver – right where the two cities meet), Ana called and found the correct area to go to.

The mom was home alone. We took the gifts and box of food in telling her where they came from. She was appreciative. She seemed a bit cold but soon warmed up when Ana asked her what we could pray for. Her husband was in prison and she wanted prayer for her and her children.

Ana had just started praying for her when she broke out in big running tears. She threw her arms around Ana as she led her through the sinner’s prayer. Hugs and kisses and tears and the outpouring of Gods presence fill the room. Ana broke out in a burst of tongues as the Spirit moved heavily.

This ladies husband had accepted Christ while in prison. She said that he often called her and spoke such beautiful words to her as he related his salvation and the words he had been reading in his new Bible. We were there just for such a moment as this. The entire day was orchestrated for that very instant. Her life was placed totally in God’s hands. Ana later said that she felt virtue flow from her to the woman when she prayed.

With the first two families we had copies of the New Testament to leave with them. We had no spare Bible to leave with this woman. As Ana was praying I looked down to the small Spanish Bible she was reading from and knew that she would present it to the lady. This Ana did. As she handed it over Ana felt power as a spark leave her hand and go into the woman’s hand. Wow! What a blessing.

We need to lay in a supply of Spanish Bible to be given out. I found some for $3 to $5 each but feel that we should spend more. A cheap Bible has the same words but does not carry the same love as one costing more. The one Ana presented today cost $25, maybe not quite that much. The previous Spanish Bible that Ana owned was given to Pastor Enrique when he lost his at the bus terminal picking us up in Mexico City.

More prayers were offered to God for this lady and her family. Ana instructed her to read her new Bible and relate what she is reading to her husband; two new recently converted souls sharing the Word of God. What a beautiful gesture. We had brought some oil with us. Ana anointed her from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. We gave her the little vial to anoint her children and her husband when she next meet him.

This was the crowing joy of the entire day. This is why we were doing what we were appointed to do. This one meeting made the whole day worthwhile. But wait! The day is not over. We promised to return to family #3 after 5 to talk with the wife. God has more still to unveil to us and through us. The time clock is always on time and beating strongly. Listen! Can you hear it? Tick, tick, tick.

We took a short reprieve from our outreach. We had time to spend until the 5 o’clock hour arrived. We visited one of Ana’s closets friends. We went to Santiago’s for lunch/dinner. I had never been but was promised that it would be fantastic. I ordered a smothered burrito HOT. WOW! That was the hottest green chili I have ever eaten. Almost didn’t eat it, BUT I am Santiago myself and I gulped it down. Boy it was hot.

It was now time to go revisit family #3. We got there and the basement apartment was dark. We knocked several times but no answer. So we went upstairs and found the lady there. Ana introduced us and said that we were that afternoon and he husband wanted us to return and talk with her.

We went downstairs and she called her husband to join us. The baby was asleep in the little swinging chair with his oxygen tubes still on.

Ana explained what we had talked and prayed about earlier. Her husband confirmed what was said. The lady could speak English so Ana continued so that I could understand. There was nothing earth shattering that was said. Ana just unveiled the terror that is in the world; the plight and hardship people experience in life; the fate of their little child.

It was at this time that we mentioned to them about the smell of leaking natural gat that we could smell. They were oblivious to it. They promised to follow up by calling the gas service company to have it checked out. We firmly believe that this could be the reason for the babies breathing problems.

I was intently taking in what Ana was saying and how she presented the Gospel to this family. I consider myself in training as a servant of God to take His message to others. The presentation was simple and non intrusive. Not a threatening speech but rather a story about how life is and how we react to it.

When asked if there was any reason that they could not ask Jesus into their lives, the lady asked what it would involve. I think she though we would require some payment or commitment or joining some church. No said Ana. All you have to do I ask Jesus into you heart.

This we did as we all held hands. The light of the World flowed freely into that dimly lit basement and the glow of Christ soon became upon their faces. Look at the picture I took; such radiance to behold.

I prayed for the healing of the baby once again. Laying my hands on his forehead and asking that the stripes of Jesus would pour out healing and blessings upon his little body.

We left filled with the beauty and presence of God. What a full day this had been. A short detour to pick up my car from the alignment place and we arrived home by 7 PM.

Thank You Lord for allowing Ana and me to experience such a beautiful day witnessing to so many lost souls. Thank You for bringing them all in to Your fold, from the youngest to the oldest.

Ana and I want to do more witnessing in the Denver area. There is such a ripe harvest right at our door steps. Our hearts still long to live in Mexico for an extended period of time. The warm splashing surf of Puerto Vallarta calls to us as the days grow colder in the Front Range. It’s going to be 25 degrees on Christmas day! Yikes!

Father, open the doors for us to be involved in more outreaches through WOLCC. We see a need for the members being involved on a more frequent basis by placing their Faith on the line before the lost people of Denver. Amen.

For thin be the Glory for ever and ever. You are God Almighty. Creator of the Universe. Savior of all mankind. Fill us Lord, with You presence.

P.S. Happy Birthday Jesus.

Thanks for the gift of life.

Your servants,

Jim and Ana

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Holy of Holies

Jim

12/16/2009

Enter into the Holy of Holies.

Enter in by the Blood of the Lamb.

Enter into the Holy of Holies.

Take the coal.

Touch my lips.

Here I am.

This is taken from Isaiah 6:

Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.

Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Isa 6:3 And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory.

Isa 6:4 And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa 6:5 Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts.

Isa 6:6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar.

Isa 6:7 And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.

Isa 6:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me!

Like Isaiah, Lord, take me into the Holy of Holies. Cleanse my lips. Here I am. I am ready to do service unto the Kin of Kings. Here I am. I have been called all of my life Lord; but I have not always been prepared, willing, or able to enter in until now.

Even now I have fear and intimidation, never fully knowing that this is for me or not. I can do no more than call out to You. I humbly pray that You take the coal. Touch my lips. Here I am.

It is only because of the Blood of Jesus that I am worthy to be able to enter into the Holy of Holies. Nothing else. No other way in. It is only by the Blood of Jesus that makes it all possible. By His precious Blood I am made whole and right with God. God sees me through the red of Christ’s Blood and sees me as a purified perfect soul.

I am not worthy or able to enter in due to sin; due to my own and the inherited sin of man. But I am made whole by the Blood of the Lamb. God only needs to cleanse my lips with Holy Fire from the altar to set me apart and let me be the instrument that He wants me to be.

This anointing frees me for His service. It is the final preparation needed to make my life presentable as a servant of the King; able to boldly go before Him, and before fallen man to proclaim His Righteousness and Grace.

I can boldly enter into the Holy of Holies, something that only a choice few were ever allowed to do. There were many thousands of Priests in the Old Testament, but only a select few were ever allowed to enter in, and then only once a year.

Entering into the Holy of Holies is something that the anti Christ will boldly do, an act that will set off the last 3 ½ years of Earths history.

Yet I am able to walk in at any time having been cleansed by the precious Blood of the Lamb of God. What a privilege: to be able to enter in. What a responsibility, to be able to go before the Living God Creator of the Universe.

It is only now that I am worthy enough to do this marvelous feat. Not worthy in my self doing but in His greatness to allow me. In the past I was too arrogant and full of sin to go in; too full of self to see the need or possibility of entering in.

Now I am free to enter because I have submitted fully to His Love. As I draw nearer to Him, He draws nearer to me. What a privilege to be allowed to enter into His Hoy of Holies; to be able to fall at His feet in adoration and worship.

In Isaiah 6 the Angles cried out to each other Holy, Holy, Holy is Jehovah. Holy is the Lord God Almighty. It was then that the doorpost moved and the temple was filled with smoke. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb who makes it possible for me to enter in to the Holy of Holies.

Enter into the Holy of Holies.

Enter in by the Blood of the Lamb.

Enter into the Holy of Holies.

Take the coal.

Touch my lips.

Here I am.

Jihad

Jim Gregg

12/11/2009

Can you spell Jihad?

It’s Islam for kill the Infidels.

You are an Infidel, you Bible thumping Christian. Did you know that? It is the Muslims duty, at least those who read and believe the Koran, to kill you. To annihilate you. To wipe you from the face of this earth. This is really quite an uplifting concept, don’t you think?

Our President wants us all to openly welcome the Muslims into our land and give them the glad hand of hospitality. While they are slapping our backs and shaking our hands they are thinking of ways to do away with us. “Glad to meet you.” “Even more glad to see you disappear from Earth.” “Chuckle, chuckle.”

I just watched a documentary video titled “The Third Jihad”. It was not fun, in fact it made me feel terrible, but was very eye opening. We have been getting more and more informed about Muslims and their Islamic religion. Their god Allah and Muhammad his prophet.

America! Wake Up! You have fallen asleep!

While the majority of us Americans have been napping, the Islamic world has been about plotting our eventual overthrow. Part of them want to blow us all off the face of the earth. This is the smaller group of radical Islamist, those who carry around weapons and shoot them into the air at any moment. The rest, actually the majority of them, the peaceful ones, the ones who do not shove their gun or grenade launcher into your face, want to merely overgrow our country with their presence.

It is their design to overpower us by sheer numbers. They have 6 to 8 babies per couple while we Americans have less than 2. Do the math. It doesn’t take long to have an population explosion based on those numbers. They have also started recruiting prisoners. What else is there to do while in lock up but to talk to others about your bad fate in life.

We have been asleep, just like when Madelyn O’Hara had prayer taken out of school. Do any of you remember that? Were you awake then? Not me. I just woke up one morning and realized that prayer was no longer welcomed in public schools. Not to worry I was a catholic at the time and was not to hot on all the prayers then.

BUT, Now I am a Christian with a burning desire to serve the Living Savior, The God Creator of the Universe. I can not sleep through this intrusion into my world now. Not this time. We are at the end of the road. Christ is going to return before most of us die. Don’t believe that? Well you really are asleep.

Evil is rampant upon the face of the Earth. Satan wants to destroy the remnant of God fearing Christians before it is too late for him. His days are numbered and he knows it. He also has plans to destroy the Jewish nation. Just ask Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the self proclaimed president of Iran. It is his sworn duty to wipe the Earth clean Israel and the Jewish people. His country is in a head long thrust to develop nuclear weapons to throw at Israel.

Once he has accomplished the destruction of the “little Satan” he want to destroy the “big Satan”, that would be US. .Yes you read that right. It is Ahmadinejad’s purpose to kill all of US infidels. By doing this he hopes to unleash a world nuclear war which will cause his savior to come to Earth and set up the Islamic kingdom forever and forever.

Anyway. Back to the sleeping part. Are you asleep? Have you noticed that the end is near? Have you noticed that a great evil has infiltrated the United States and is growing quietly like a cancer. A cancer whose only goal is to destroy the host it lives in. Suicide bombers do not care that they are blown up with the victims they are killing. It is their great privilege to die as martyrs to Muhammad and his teachings.

While we sleepily go about our daily lives, the Islamic world is growing by leaps and bounds. They are overthrowing nation after nation influencing the policies of the land.

While we sleepily sit in the pews of our elaborate churches being feed meaty words from God, the enemy is stealthily slipping into our country. The video stated that there are 36 Islamic camps set up just a havens for converted convicts to hide away in after they gain release from incarceration.

Don’t think we are asleep? When was the last time your pastor spoke on the dangers of the radical Islamics? Not to mention the more peaceful intrusion of the mild mannered ones hiding just down the street. The video interviewed many Muslims born in the United States who’s goal is to see Islam overthrow all other religions.

I don’t know about you, but I am awake! I will not go down without a struggle! I will die for the sake of Christ and His remnant in the world. We have already pledged to wear a yellow star and stand beside our Jewish brethren should their persecution come about. There will not be another Holocaust. Not while I am walking about on this planet Earth.

So listen up! This is what we are going to do.

God is Lord of all. His Will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. He will triumph over the evil running rampant on Earth. Why shouldn’t He? He created it all! He told us all about this a long time ago> it’s written down. Get the book and read it. The Bible of course!

We are to fervently pray and intercede for our country. America was founded on the truth of the Bible. We must as a nation return to those truths. We have let sin slip in and run rampant throughout the land. Let us turn from our ways and lift up God as the true head of us all. Honor Him and He will honor and support us.

We are His servants while we reside on this terrestrial ball. We are to be His lamps to light the way for the lost to see the richness of his Glory. We are stationed on the precipice, right at the edge of terror and sanity. We are beacons of His Glory and Light. Our lives are to be spent leading others to Him. Our lives are to be spent giving hope to those with out it.

In these end times we are to be stalwarts of faith. Standing firm on His Word for all others to see. When we were in Puerto Vallarta several people mentioned that they could see and feel the greatness of God in our lives. One man said that he could see the great faith we had in God. It is that faith that oozes out of us for all others to see and feel. Like rivers of living waters flowing out of our bellies.

Yes! A great terror is upon us. A fierce, tremendous, terrible terror. But not to fear! Our God is greater than all that. Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

Be of good cheer for God is always near. Just draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. It’s Christmas time. Christ is in the season. He is the reason for the season.

Just wake up and see what is happening before it is too late to do anything about it. Ana and I are starting a prayer group that will be upholding America and the Jewish nation before God. Not a time to party and eat cookies. This will be a time of intercessory prayer like you may have never experienced before. You are invited to join in. It is our expectation to see God do might miracles through our obedience to His calling for our lives.

Butterfly

Jim
November 2, 2009

Last night Pastor Bagwell spent a lot of time talking about how each converted Christian filled with the Holy Spirit must be changed completely to be effectively used by God. They must continue to give to God everything, their very existence, to receive the changed nature present in and by the Spirit.

By giving I mean to totally give of their selves, color, race, creed, station in life, aspirations, dreams, etc. All must be presented to the Lord on His alter as a sacrifice. What is not burnt up will be returned as the real substance of our lives.

Pastor related this transformation like that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Not just a change of cloths or attitude or anything simple or external; but rather the complete metamorphosis of one body into a completely different one, gloriously beautiful to the Lord.

The ugly little caterpillar is a foraging engine designed to devour all vegetation in its path. Its life is one of destruction that is the reason it exists. Eat and eat until it is fat plump and juicy still remaining un-tasty to birds.  After a summer of unrestrained gorging life comes to a halt as God changes the little worm’s very existence.

Have you ever noticed that they do not eat dandelions or crab grass? No! They go after the prized tomatoes, beans, tender young leaves on you shade trees; nothing but the best for these critters. Not like maggots that clean out the garbage can. No! They want the best of the best and then they want it all. Eating until they are fat and content.

Suddenly the God of the Universe causes them to slip away into a secluded place and to slip out of their caterpillar costume into a chrysalis; like they were attempting to hide out from the goings on in the world for a while. Is this the change that Pastor was talking about? Not quite yet.

It’s easy to think of a chrysalis as something a caterpillar makes, like a cocoon, but this isn’t really true. The body that the caterpillar reveals when it sheds its skin for the last time is the chrysalis. Along with the ability to occasionally twitch in response to threats, this shell is what protects the caterpillar while it transforms.

The transformation itself is amazing. Think of it as recycling, take something that isn’t useful anymore and make it into something new instead of just throwing it away — if you drop a plastic bottle off in the recycling bin, it can be melted down into an entirely different shape. This is what happens inside the chrysalis. Much of the body breaks itself down into imaginal cells, which are undifferentiated – like stem cells, they can become any type of cell. The imaginal cells put themselves back together into a new shape. A few parts of the body, such as the legs, are more or less unchanged during this process.

This process of complete transformation is known as holometabolism. The amount of time required to transform completely varies from one species to another, but in general it takes about two weeks. For species that survive the winter by staying in the chrysalis, it can take months.

After a caterpillar buries itself inside its cocoon, it waits to morph into a butterfly.  The caterpillar does not simply shrink a bit and sprout wings.  Instead, it sort of disintegrates into a puddle of ooze within the cocoon.  If we were to open the cocoon halfway through the process, we would not find a half-caterpillar half-butterfly type creature, but a blob of goop.

The goop is made up of a bunch of individual cells (Like stem cells. Initially, these cells are blank slates, meaning that their fate is undecided. But they have great potential. Stem cells are pluripotent, which means that they can develop into every cell, every tissue and every organ in the body) that are all basically the same type of oozy cells.  For whatever reason, after the caterpillar has turned into ooze, new types of cells start appearing.  The original ooze cells are NOT changing into these new cells, but rather the new cells seem to come out of nowhere.  They just appear out of thin air so to speak.

These new cells are called imaginal cells and they are so completely different from the original ooze cells that they are thought to be a virus or some other form of enemy so the ooze cells begin attacking the imaginal cells.  However, even though the imaginal cells are being killed off for not fitting in, they still keep showing up, more and more of them.

Eventually, the imaginal cells begin to find each other and cluster together.  Like attracts like, and the clusters begin to join up with other clusters.  The original ooze cells still keep attacking them but the imaginal cells continue to multiply and cluster together.
These cells become a large community and they switch gears from simply being a group of like-minded cells into the programming cells of the butterfly.

Some imaginal cells start changing into wing cells, some start changing into antenna cells some start changing into digestive tract cells, and so on.  They are no longer imaginal cells but become butterfly anatomy cells.  As we all know, if left alone to do his thing, the butterfly eventually emerges as a completely new entity from the original caterpillar

The above few paragraphs are a scientific explanation of the morphing process. It sounds a bit mysterious until you realize that it is God who is making the changes to the goop. It is His marvelous plan that it taking place to reform the caterpillar into the majestic butterfly. Not by accident doe this take place but by the Divine Hand of God, Creator of the Universe.

Now I think this is the changing that Pastor was referring to; a complete change into something totally different than what was there previously. That is what must happen to a Christian to make him totally usable by God for His chosen purpose.

All that makes up a person is still needed but it must be given over to God to be reformed into a new creation. A sanctified recreated glorious being, similar to a butterfly in comparison to the caterpillar it once was. The energies and dreams and passions of the former self are changed to match the Holy design of the Creator. The new creation is more glorious and usable by the Father of us all.

Of course the plight of the butterfly being released from its transformation cocoon is not an easy one. There is no help from the outside world or a supernatural releasing from God. The new creation must struggle to exit as a whole. The process of struggling to be set free actually makes the butterfly stronger and more able to withstand the elements of the world.

If someone would help the butterfly escape the wrappings severe damage would occur and its wings would not develop for flight. The act of struggle pumps needed blood into the wings and makes them strong.

Each recreated being is similar yet different from all the others. Each one has it own design and God given purpose to fulfill.

As caterpillars we Christians eat up all of the teaching and training that we can. We often stop here and merely become fat in the Spirit but really useless for Gods chosen purpose. Yet we need the fattening to make us fully able to be transformed. A starving shriveled up caterpillar will no more make a beautiful butterfly than a shriveled up starving Christian will make a dynamic Spirit filled witness for God.

Once filled with all that we can hold God will then put us in a transformation if we allow Him to do so. In that transformation we have a choice, not like the caterpillar, to give our all to Him to be changed.

We too go through a period of struggling to be set free. Nothing is automatic in Gods world. We must want to be set free. We must put up an effort to put the changed man into action to perform the new marvelous destiny set forth by God.

Once we have been changed we will be the mighty man or woman that God envisioned us to be before the beginning of time.

Then we can accomplish all of the glorious works set before us. Like the butterfly we will then be creatures of prosperity. We will be used to give life as we sow seeds of salvation into the lost world, as the butterfly pollinates the flowers to produce a harvest of seeds. We will fly with wings as eagles high above the dirt of the earth. People will marvel at our abilities and the heights we can soar to.

So eat heartily of the succulent feast presented before you, no matter where you attend church. Every anointed minister is designed by God to serve you food for eternal growth. Fatten up for the journey that lies ahead. There will be a time of intense struggle as you give yourself over to be changed.

Changed you will certainly become; changed into the marvelous beautiful creature that will bring Glory to Him who designed you from the foundation of the earth. What an Awesome God we serve.

 

Puerto Vallarta 2009

Jim
10/27/2009[singlepic id=509 w=200 h=175 float=right]

Ana and I returned to Puerto Vallarta for our first anniversary. This was going to be more than just a memorial trip of our wedding day. We had been praying that God would lead us to Divine appointments, this He did with relish.

Last year we went to a high end up-scaled resort in Nuevo Puerto Vallarta. It was awesome, just the kind of place to spend a honeymoon at.

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This year we wanted to more than just relax and enjoy the sun and surf. We wanted to connect to the people and minister to them. Little did we know the full extent of experiences that God would have in store for us.

We arrived at our downtown resort and found it being renovated extensively. The entire 10 days was spent amidst painters, concrete workers, and lots of noise and smells. Not the kid of thing that would have worked last year.

Our first day going downtown to the Mercado, Saturday the 10th, to shop we took up conversation with the cab driver. By the time we reached our destination Ana had the driver in a full conversation about his walk with God. He pulled over and just sat there, as others honked wanting by, while Ana and he prayed the sinners prayer. This definitely was not going to be a normal vacation trip.

Puerto Vallarta thrives on the tourist business. The Time Share business has grown immensely with marketers on every corner and in each nook and cranny. Most of the work in Tequila outlets barking out “Want a free drink of Tequila?” To which Ana responded “Why would I offend my Savior Jesus?”

This went on and on. We had been walking and shopping for quite a while and were tired and thirsty. After picking up some bottled water we again crossed the path of another barking peddler.

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Only this time when Ana responded he said “Oh you are Christians! So am I!” We asked if he was a Christian why he was selling liquor and cigars. He said it was the only job he could get. He said that all of the people working along the street in downtown Puerto Vallarta worked for the resorts and were marketers for the Time Share industry.

He asked to step into the store. There he told us about his addiction to alcohol and subsequent recovery from it. He mentioned that this was the result of his becoming a Christian. He told us about his Church and offered to take us there tomorrow (Sunday) with him and his wife. His name was Oscar. He was one of the Divine appointments that God had prepared for us in advance.

We did sign up for a Time Share presentation on Monday, mostly to help Oscar out financially. He said he would receive $150 for this and we were his first customers in 15 days. He said he hoped to make the money last another 2 weeks.

When we arrived at the church, Sunday the 11th, it was the same one we had attended last year when we toured “The Children of the Dump” program with Art. Perdon y Amistad Chruch. We had wondered how we could find this church again this year. God had arranged our transport long before we left Colorado. What an awesome God we serve!

Monday the 12th we went to the time share presentation. Oscar went with the cab driver and we said that we would do another one to help his family financially. This turned into a torturous 4 hour marathon of insults to our self being and worth. This left us cold and discouraged. We will never sit through another one of these presentations. Later that week I told Oscar that we would not do the second presentation. I gave him $100 of the money we received for sitting through the presentation. I felt bless by God for doing this.[singlepic id=471 w=133 h=100 float=left]

Tuesday the 13th we met Lori and her 2 friends to go downtown shopping again. We returned to an unnamed boutique to return a shirt purchased previously. It had holes in it. Ana struggled with the sales person for a long time trying to get a equitable adjustment made. She finally had to settle for a totally different shirt, which turned out to be much more like her. We walked away but Ana wanted to return feeling led to confront the man one more time.

She led Favian and his sister Veronica to the Lord. Thank You Lord.

Wednesday the 14th we decided to find a Christian store and pick up some tracts to pass out. Oscar directed us to one where we purchased 50 comic booklet style tracts. They were made in California and were of good quality. We sat in a nearby park to read through some of them to see if they were OK to hand out.[singlepic id=468 w=133 h=100 float=right]

When we were ready to go Ana was drawn to a young man sitting not too far from us. His name was Able and she found that he was recently laid off work and came to Vallarta in search of work. He was living under the bridge and had not eaten in three days. As we were talking to him we handed him one of our newly purchased tracts. Out of nowhere rushed in Raul demanding on of them also.

Now we were talking to two young men. One very quiet and reserved and one very brash and macho! As Ana witnessed to them I prayed for the movement of the Spirit of God in their lives. I thought that Raul was so hardened that he would not be a prospect at all. Suddenly as Ana asked him if he went to church he started crying out loud that he could not go into a church because of his bad past. He cried bitterly.

Ana led him in the sinner’s prayer and I anointed him with oil. He asked that I pray for him in English, which I did. Ana then let Able in a similar prayer. God had worked His miraculous conversion even on this hardened rough man, Raul.

We took Able to lunch and I gave him money for another meal. We told him about the church and how to get there. We wrote the address and directions on most of the tracts we gave out. Hopefully these converted souls will seek out this church and that the attendance would be boosted because of our working with God.

As we ate lunch with Able he told us that as Ana was praying for him he felt a heaviness being lifted off him. He then said he felt a covering come over him as a protection. This echoes what Ana heard God tell her in Juarez last April that those under His covering would be protected from the coming wrath. Able actually felt that covering come over him. What a God we serve.[singlepic id=499 w=133 h=100 float=left]

Around another park we met a young man named Louis who was wearing a “Black Sabbath” T-Shirt. He said he played in a heavy metal band. We talked with him a while and than Ana led him to to foot of the Cross and Salvation.

A sort walk from there we ran across an Ice Cream street vendor named Raul. He was glad to have on of our tracts and was happy to talk with us. He had seven sisters and one brother who was dying from diabetes. He was almost in tears talking about Jorege. We told him that the God we serve could heal his brother; Ana prayed for healing. I then gave him the little vial of oil I had brought with me. First we anointed Raul and prayed over him. Then we told him to go home and take the oil and anoint his brother and ask Jesus to heal him. We told him that Jesus is the healer of the world and that he would heal his brother Jorege.[singlepic id=512 w=133 h=100 float=right]

He said that it was wonderful for people like us to go around praying for people like him. He said that he could feel a strong presence of God in both of us as we spoke to him.

To Ana and I we were just doing what God led us to do. We are just ordinary people but God has let His presence shine through us to those we took the time to talk to. What a wonderful feeling this has left with us. What a wonderful comment he made about the presence of God that surrounded us as we witnessed to the poor people in Puerto Vallarta.

We went to a Baskin Robins store for a treat. As we sat there Raul found us and came over still in tears. He said that he did not know how to pray for his brother or how to anoint him. We led him to the Cross and he accepted Christ as he Savior. Now he was empowered to do the anointing and praying for his brother. He cried tears and a new countenance came over his face. He left a new man with a new resolve.

A man came up and said that he was a Christian and stated that we were doing seed planting in the kingdom of God. He asked for some more of the tracts. We gave him several. A tequila salesman next to us came over and asked for a tract. He was a Mormon. We told him that Jesus was the only answer. He talked for a while and listened intently as we told him about our God.

[singlepic id=472 w=133 h=100 float=left]Last year we found a little place on the beach where an older lady was selling BBQ shrimp. Well lo-and- behold we found it again. We settled in for a couple sticks full of succulent shrimp. As we sat there various vendors came by offering their goods. We had many of the tracts spread out as we read more of them. Along came Rosie “I like that one. Can I have it?” “Oh! And that one and that one also.” We gave her several. Ana engaged her in a long conversation about the misery she was going through.

Everyone we met had a sad story to tell. Problems seemed to abound amidst the poor vendors eking out a living on the beaches of Vallarta. Oscar said that the average wage there was $6 a day. People sitting close by us were quenching their thirst with $6 rum infused toddies. A whole days wage on a drink![singlepic id=513 w=133 h=100 float=right]

Ana led Rosie in the sinner’s prayer. She cried profusely. Then she got out a note pad and pen and had Ana repeat the prayer she had just said so that she could use it to learn how to pray.

While sitting there several others came by asking for tracts. We did not have to seek them out, God was bringing them to us.

A man came up selling hand made belts which attracted Ana’s eye. We bought two from him after some bargaining. We also gave him a tract and Ana talked to him about Jesus. I do not remember what his name was. I did not have paper to write it on. I thought that I took a movie of Ana saying his name but it is not on my camera. God knows who he was and that is all that really matters. So I will call him the Belt man.[singlepic id=475 w=133 h=100 float=left]

On the way to catch the bus we still had two of the 50 tracts left. God put a young man and his small son in our path, Jose and Nacio. He was selling lolly pops to help support his family. Ana talked with him and led him to Christ. I gave him the change in my pockets.[singlepic id=497 w=133 h=100 float=right]

The last tract was left on the seat of the bus as we stepped off to our hotel. What a day this had been; full to the brim of God’s presence and anointing. We were hot and tired. It was near 90 degrees and around 90 percent humidity. I was drenched with sweat. But we were exhilarated with the joy and presence of God. The Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way.

Thursday the 15th we again purchased 50 more tracts. We went to a park to pray over them. Ana was drawn to an older woman whom she engaged in a very long conversation. We were sitting in the shade and I was reasonably comfortable. I was praying for the Spirit to move in the conversation. As time wore on the sum moved in the sky and I was now getting warmer and sleepy. I struggled to stay awake and praying.

Ana said that she was a strong Catholic woman who was having many problems with her children loosing jobs and homes in the US. Ana prayed with her but did not lead her to Christ.

We handed out many tracts but met resistance in sharing Christ in a meaningful way. We ate at a restaurant on the beach. As we left we met Rosie.[singlepic id=514 w=200 h=150 float=left]

She took us over to a table where he husband was sitting. Soon her brother-in-law came by. They sat there eating and offered us some to eat also. Ana had a long conversation with all three of them. A bond was forming between us as we sat on the beach.

It was warm with a nice breeze coming off the ocean. The sound of the surf lapping at the shore was enticing. I could hear the sounds of children shouting and seagulls screeching. What a wonderful feeling this was to us both. So far from the comfort of home yet we felt at peace with God amongst newly found friends on a tropical beach in Mexico.

[singlepic id=498 w=133 h=100 float=right]We walked over the bridge and saw a man sitting alone in a secluded place. His name was Juan. He had just made two hats from palm fronds and was feeling very down. He had recently been released from prison and did not feel that he had any worth left in him. Ana talked to him and led him to Christ. He cried tears as she prayed. He asked me to pray for him which I did. We then anointed him with oil. His countenance changed and he had a smile on his face as we walked away.

On the boardwalk along the beach, actually a concrete path, we met a blind man (Arturo) walking along with a bundle strung over his head. I put some money in his outstretched hat. We talked to him and he said that he was a believer and loved Jesus. His clothing seemed odd since the holes in it and his hat were freshly cut and had square corners. The next day I believe I saw him walking past us as a normal person. An impostor? God knows all and will judge him for what he did or did not do.[singlepic id=470 w=133 h=100 float=left]

Saturday the 17th we returned downtown to see if we could find Rosie to give her some things we brought along. We walked and walked but did not find her. We did some shopping and then sat down to eat and rested for a while.

As we were walking back towards downtown the belt maker came up. Just so happens that the belt I had bought from him was too long. He offered to make it shorter. We accompanied him to a shaded area with a table. There he shortened my belt.[singlepic id=476 w=133 h=100 float=right]

As he worked he asked “Are you the ones who gave me the little booklet yesterday?” We said yes. He said that he read it and found it very interesting. He had shown it to his son who told him “Dad this is great.” This opened up an avenue of further conversation which led to his accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Isn’t God wonderful? He had people returning to us to receive the gift of Salvation.

We were excited at the news that he had shown his tract to others. We only pray that the other 100 tracts received such treatment. Imagine how those 100 pieces of literature could grow into a massive number of souls being reached for God.

This was the end to our witnessing as we walked the beaches of downtown Puerto Vallarta. As we made our final walk I felt such a warmth, closeness and presence of God. I felt like this was now my home and these were my people. We had made so many friends in just a few days. Not just “Hi how are you” friends but friends that will survive through eternity with us and God.[singlepic id=510 w=200 h=175 float=left]

We felt saddened at the thought of having to leave tomorrow to return to Colorado. Part of our spirit was implanted there. We belonged there. Ana had visions of us doing street ministry and dramatizations with groups of people in the area parks. We will be returning many times again to do just that.

[singlepic id=477 w=133 h=100 float=right]In one of the parks there was a tree full of sitting pigeons, possibly 100 or more. One day we saw a man throwing some seed to them and they pounced down on his location like a swarm of bees. On Saturday as we cleaned out the kitchen in our room Ana crumbled up the leftover bread and put it in a sack. Our intention was to feed it to the pigeons.

When we reached the tree full of hungry birds we sat in the shade. Ana took out a handful of crumbs and threw them on the ground; immediately a few birds flew down and eagerly gobbled up the bread. Then like a flood of water the majority of them swooped down upon us in a flurry of wing flaps. We continued throwing handfuls of bread crumbs, they continued to jump, fly, hop, gobble and run over each other. As Ana held her hand still several birds landed on it to pick up the morsels of food.[singlepic id=480 w=133 h=100 float=left]

As we were almost out of food there were still some stragglers flying in as if saying “Where’s the food?” “Are we late?”

Man is like the pigeons sitting in that tree. We are hungry for food (Gods word) but are just sitting by waiting for someone to offer it to us. Then along comes a missionary handing out tracts and God’s words. Men jump at the chance to receive the free gift; many just gobbling it up in a rush; others relishing the flavor and savoring the content. Then there are those who come late and wonder what has been happening.

Ana and I were the feeders of both the pigeons sitting in that lone tree, and feeders of God’s hungry lost children along the beach of Puerto Vallarta. The both came to eat and receive the free gift. Some of stale bread crumbs others of the bread of life (God’s word). In both, we were merely the ones handing out the bread. God provided them both to us. We provided both to them freely without limitations or restraints.[singlepic id=507 w=133 h=100 float=right][singlepic id=495 w=133 h=100 float=left]

While walking along the beaches outside our resort we encountered many men fishing for food. Some were using traditional rods and reels but were probably tourists. Others had pop bottles with string wound around it as their reels. These were the poor locals. Still others were casting nets into the incoming high tide surf. The more experienced ones were catching fish.[singlepic id=500 w=133 h=100 float=right]

Watching the men throw their nets in a perfect circle into the surf brought to mind when Jesus chose his disciples.

Mat 4:19 And He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mat 4:20 And they immediately left their nets and followed him.[singlepic id=503 w=133 h=100 float=left]

At one time there were three of them throwing their nets. The nets went out in a circle and covered over the fish, like God’s covering seen by Ana in Juarez once again. Ana said that God told here to catch the souls and that He would clean them up. This was the very symbolism of God catching the souls of me.

The fishermen are us the missionaries. The surf is the tumultuous world that people find them selves in. The fish are the lost souls. Being caught by the encircling of the net is Gods covering coming over the lost soul. Being pulled into shore is the Salvation of the lost one and his coming into the new realm of eternity.[singlepic id=494 w=133 h=100 float=right]

We were fishermen. We were catching lost souls. We were being obedient to the calling given to us by Jesus.

Mar 16:15 And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation.

This was the most rewarding mission’s trip either of us has been on; even though it was an anniversary vacation. When we returned home some people commented negatively about us doing missions work on a vacation. We would have it no other way. This was an awesome trip; blessed and ordained by God; one that we will repeat soon and often. We were called to be missionaries first and foremost.[singlepic id=474 w=200 h=175 float=center]

To God be the glory.

Signs

Signs.

Jim

09/30/2009

Isa 7:11 “Ask the LORD your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.”

Sunday evening Benjamin Arden referenced this passage and told us to ask God for a sign for our Now Cow word.

So this morning I asked God for a sign.

On the way to work I saw the most beautiful sunrise ever. I called Ana and we discussed how, to me, it is a sign of God’s continued presence in my life. We talked about how it proves God’s existence. Why otherwise would there be beauty in the world if things just happened by happenstance?

This was Sign 1.

A moment later I heard about the Tsunami that hit American Somalia yesterday. Again Ana and I discussed this. She said that it was a sign from God of the battle being waged between good and evil on earth.

This was Sign 2.

A moment later I drove by approximately 12 or so police cars on the street just off of C470. They were parked blocking a road from both ends with lights flashing blue and red. Obviously they had someone trapped and were making some sort of a bust. I thought of how this was a sign of the depravity of man. We are so steeped in evil that it takes a dozen or so policemen to confront the incident at hand.

This was Sign 3.

A few more moments later and I arrived at work and found a serious production problem was happening on a system I am responsible for. It had the potential of impacting a process just put into place and cause dissention against our team. I asked God for help resolving the problem. As it turned out it was caused by a network failure totally out of my hands. It is just another incident stemming from the complexity of data processing; another attack from Satan to make my life more miserable.

This was Sign 4.

Is this the Sign I asked God for? In Isaiah God gave Ahaz the sign of the virgin birth of Immanuel since he had not requested a sign from God. I was expecting something more relevant to my inner calling: something more relevant to Vaya Ministries or Jimanas Portraits.

Yet these are signs: of Gods beauty, Natures power, Man’s depravity, the Complexities and helplessness of life.

Urgent, You Get Ready

Anna

October 6, 2009

Php 1:28Do not for a moment be frightened on intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries”.

Every day we can see and hear news telling us what is happening between the

Nations; how Iran is so close to completing its goal concerning a nuclear war, how

China is standing with Iran and how Russia is preparing to aide them, how Israel seems to be standing alone in all that is going around them.

We all know that since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden the enemy tried to destroy God’s creation. It started with Eve’s deception concerning disobedience, then Cain killing his brother Abel, again disobedience. Abraham taking matters into his own hands whereby bring about the creation of two nations; one in the flesh by the name of Ishmael and one in the spirit by the name of Isaac. Two nations were formed by Father Abraham, Yes he became father of all nations, but in the mean time he brought about two nations that have warred against each other from the beginning of time.

We see here that the enemy has had his foot in everything that God has created. He has been out to destroy God’s creation always making a counter fit trying to compete with God.

The Jewish people are a people the he would like to see wipe off this universe. Why; because the adversary wanted to be the God of this universe since the beginning of time, undermining God so that he can become god. By this he could complete his goal. He has tried to get close to his achievement. We know that this will never happen for God’s eyes are open and his heart is hearing the cries of His children. We are not alone in this world; God stands by our side, the God of Zion and the creator of you and me.

The creator of this Universe is getting everything ready to fight for His people. He is lining the planets to His command, Michael and Gabriel the archangels are preparing for war, the other angles are standing ready to hear the command words of God , the stars are being called by name to help fight the war, and His saints which have gone before us are stand ready to do as they are told.

Should we fear if we have the strongest Commander on our side? NO! Because He has

For-warned us to get ready. He is calling out to his remnant to prepare for such a time

as this. Can man bring about a solution to what is coming upon this world? No! The

only one is the one that created this earth GOD, Himself. He will be the one that brings an end to all the threats that the enemy has and is now throwing at Israel. The treats he has threaten people with; threats that he has brought to you to destroy you and my family. We know his work is not in vain.

Sometime back the Lord spoke to my spirit. He told me to forewarn His remnant and others,” tell them to stay under my covering and to those that are were not that they would suffer much. He said, “Some will hear you, some will turn a death ear to you, and some will not believe you. I am coming back very soon”.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

As we look around us we see signs and hear warning that this is really coming to pass. We can turn a death ear to what we hear and blind eyes to what we see, but whether we like or not it is coming to pass.

The enemy is working hard to destroy all he can because he knows what God has in store for him. Can we win the battle? YES, by staying under the shadow of his wings.

May God open the eyes and ear of those that think they have plenty of time to stay out of the covering of God’s Grace.

You may ask how I can help. First and foremost Prayer; pray for Israel, for others. Tell them that Jesus is the answer. Many see the troubles this world.

They wonder how can I escape what is coming upon this world? Where is my answer?

How can I save my family? You are that answer by telling them about Jesus. That he is the Savior of this world, that He and God alone has the answer. There are those around us around us who are suffering and wondering how they are going to make it.

Are things going to get better? No! We, who know the word of God, know that these are signs of the TIMES. He is the Savior of the world and no one not one on this earth can bring about the solution. Christ is the Creator and finisher of this world. Tell others that you have the answer and Jesus can bring about their answer.

Pray this with me, “Lord, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I come in humbleness knowing in my heart that it is You that is going to speak through me. There are those around me that are hurting that need to know the answer to what is happening to them and around them. Give me boldness to speak to them about You. Prepare their ears to hear, their eyes to see and their hearts to receive the greatest gift of all, and that is you. In Jesus name amen.”

God Bless , Anna

America at Risk

October 6, 2009

Jim

Deu 8:19 And it shall be if you do at all forget Jehovah your God and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish.

Deu 8:20 As the nations whom Jehovah destroys before your face, so you shall perish because you would not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God.

I read this passage this morning and God impressed upon me that it was speaking to America. We have to watch out or we will be destroyed.

I am fearful that with our new Commander-in-Chief leading the White House that we are on the verge of that failure. He is a Muslim and openly embraces their beliefs. He has stated that America is no longer a Judeo-Christian nation. He has gone out of his way to cater to the Muslim world. He has bowed down to one of their princes, brought thousands of them to Washington to openly have prayer on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

He has forgotten Jehovah our God. He is taking America where it does not want to go. Yet we let him due to the apathetic nature of most of the Christians. We can not allow this to happen, or to continue to take place. Our very future as a might nation is at risk. When God turns us over to our own ways we will be doomed as a Christian people and will be given over to the enemy to rule over us.

There is a remnant of strong believing Christian still present in America who fervently prays that this will not happen. Thousands of prayer warriors and intercessors get on their knees weekly to plead to God that He will not forsake our great country and let it fall into oblivion.

God promises to heal our land in 2 Chronicles.

2Ch 7:14 if My people, who are called by My name, shall 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 will heal their land.

So we must unite in prayer before our Holy God to forgive our sins and the sins of our leaders; interceding to Him to heal our land.

America was founded on Biblical principles from the very beginning. The Constitution and Bill of Rights were penned with the Bible in mind and in hand. Our fore-fathers were God fearing Bible believing people who forged a great nation. It is because of this firm Christian belief that America became such a wealthy and prosperous nation.

At one time America was feared by all other nations as one of great military power. The wars we fought were decisively won in our favor. Not so now. The last wars, or rather police actions, have been miserable failures. Why?

WWII was won and the nations were freed from the tyrant Hitler. America was strong and even the powerhouse Russia did not attempt to attack or provoke us. The cold war ran on and on for years. Something happened after WWII to change Americas status in world politics.

I believe that we have fallen from favor with God. Where we once were strongly committed to Him and His work, we have become weak and have turned our eyes from Him.

Before WWII we were a rural farm community with deep Christian beliefs. Families were strong and we lived together as single units with strong family ties.

During the war women, out of necessity, learned to work and become independent. The U.S. came together as a whole to win over the evil erupting in Europe. Our young men went off to foreign lands to become conquerors over evil.

Once the war ended our life style drastically changed. Women found their independence and found they could make a good living by working. The returning men had just seen the world and seen life off the farm.

Many things happened to pull families away from Christianity and being a close nit family unit.

· Both partners were now working

· Moving off the farm to the suburbs became popular

· The 40 hour work week left much free time for recreation

· Camping became popular

· Traveling became popular

· Technology brought about conveniences

· Technology brought about toys for the kids

As families took to the road church going was forsaken. The close family groups broke up as people moved to far away places to live. This plus other factors changed the religious attitude that founded America.

There may be other factors that crept in to change our reliance upon God for our existence. Nether-the-less Americans began to forsake God and the consequences began to show in our failing as a super power nation.

We have not won a war since WWII. We have lost God’s hand on our shoulder as we strive to intervene in world politics. We are becoming weak and looked down upon by the rising Muslim militants.

It is time for American Christians to unite in prayer and intercede to God for a revival that will bring us back in line with His guidance and protection.

At such a time as we find ourselves in now we need God on our side and not against us or evil will prevail in the world. America is the last vestige of hope for the world’s humanity.

Jas 5:16The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.