Protestant divisions of the Catholic Church

This has helped me see a HUGE picture and clear up quite a bit of confusion. 

God's Not Dead (For Free)

Get and watch your own online copy.  

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Joan Rivers -- GOES OFF on Epic Israel/Palestine Rant

Joan Rivers:  Joan Rivers -- GOES OFF on Epic Israel/Palestine Rant

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_1t3hcwj3/#ixzz38nKsvOCh
I happen to agree with MOST of what Joan is saying. Enough's enough, just quit it. 

However, the New York/New Jersey issue, although nice and poignant, does not give the U.S. a valid reason to interfere and assist as I've heard a lot of people say that we should do.

1. If New Jersey attacked New York, would Israel come to our aid?
2. The U.S. funded the "Iron Dome", that's support right there. Does the U.S. have an Iron Dome?  If so, I'm not aware of it.
3. As long as we have a Muslim President, does anyone really expect more aid to go to Israel?  That is who is fighting right now, Israel and Muslims.  Two warring religions, that have been warring for as long as anyone can remember.  You can't negotiate peace for them, that will NOT come until God is ready for it to.  
4.  The U.S. as a country has no business interfering, aiding, or assisting, ANY other country.  Aren't we in debt enough?  Let's worry about us for a while.  
5.  We are talking about Israel. The chosen people of God. God pulled them out of Egypt. Parted the Red Sea. Laid waste to Sodom AND Gomorrah.  Eliminated everyone from the world except Noah and his family with the Great Flood.  Just to name a few.  I am pretty certain God can handle a few folks in Gaza. I'm going to stand back and let Him work.  


Now some of you may bring to light, that passage in Genesis that reads:

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

And you might say, curse Israel, is to curse yourself.  I don't disagree with that specific statement, but I disagree with it's application in this issue.  

bless

  [bles] 

verb, blessed or blest, bless·ing.

1.

to consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy.

2.

to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on: Bless this house.

3.

to bestow good of any kind upon: a nation blessed with peace.

4.

to extol as holy; glorify: Bless the name of the Lord.

5.

to protect or guard from evil 

curse

  [kurs]

noun

1.

the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc.

2.

a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another.

3.

the act of reciting such a formula.

4.

a profane oath; curse word.

5.

an evil that has been invoked upon one.

Now I can see by definition that sending Israel money, weapons, food, arms, soldiers, and other things of this nature would be considered a "blessing".  But requesting God to protect them is also a "blessing".  It is not necessary, to cripple the U. S. economy further than it already is, by sending these things.  Nor is it an expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, or doom befall them, by allowing God to do what only God can do.  He alone can bring peace to that area, and He will do it when He is ready, on His time table, in the manner in which He sees fit.  


NOW...
On to another note...

God's Plan

"If you are one of God's people, God is going to use whatever means necessary to divide and separate you from the things of the world, things that are not good for you.  But it is not our human instinct to follow God and leave behind everything that is not of God.  Rather, we try to keep one foot in the world and the other in God's kingdom.  That won't work.  I'm not sure there is any greater misery than that of a child of God who keeps resisting the Lord's will to separate from all that is unholy.  The grueling part is that it is a never ending process for the duration of our lives, as long as we stay in the faith.  It seems that once we finally sever ties to some worldly thing that we are enslaved to, God shows us yet another area of our lives that must be dealt with in the same manner... and on and on the process goes all of our days."  
Tom Bradford Torahclass.com


If you are one of God's people, he will divide and separate you from everything that is not of Him.  Things that hold you back, and hold you down, and keep you from being who you were meant to be.  And from doing the things you are meant to do.  It's natural to "fight" him, but as Jacob fought him and lost, so will you!

Simple Prayer

Updates

I have re-organized, and restructured my tabs at the top.  I'd like to share the links that I have found that have proven to be good information, on each of the religions, and/or branch of religions, as I come across them.  I'm attempting to give a non-biased listing for research purposes.  Some very excellent sights that I have utilized and explored so far.  Hopefully will aid the next person on this journey of mine.  If you know of any sights that might assist me on my journey, or would like to input or comment, discuss or debate, please let me know.

I have finished Genesis as of last night.  And will be moving on to Exodus, when time permits.  Sometime this next week, I am sure.  Stay tuned for commentary, as I'm sure there will be plenty.  And thank you as always for following along with me.

Jesus was a Jew!!!

The research, and reading that I have done the last couple of months, more and more convinces me that I am on the right path.  My intention to go back as far as I can to the "original" is on the right tract.  

Moses was Hebrew, the Bible was given to Moses, by God, in Hebrew.  The Bible was first written in Hebrew.  It was then translated to other languages.  So to truly understand the Bible, you must understand Hebrew.  OR have someone explain it to you.  

Hebrew doesn't exactly translate to Greek, and Greek doesn't exactly translate to English.  The variances, are enough to distort and confuse.  So please please please if you find yourself on this journey as I am, go back to a Hebrew text, for translation. 

Taken from Torah class by Tom Bradford:  "Don't think for a minute that God doesn't play along with each of us on many matters that may prove, in the course of time, to be error.  For reasons I can't fathom, He allowed the church to go unchallenged for centuries in the belief that it had replaced Israel, a man-made doctrine that the Holy Scripture refutes.  Somehow, He used that bl.ind spot in the church for good, to spread the gospel to the Gentiles of the world.  But over the last fifty years He has begun to correct us, showing us that He never replaced Israel with the church, nor did he ever decide He was finished with His people.  That time when the church will make the Jewish people jealous for our faith and the stony hearts of His people will be softened so that they can accept their own Messiah is upon us."

"God does not tolerate neutrality".  Christ says in Revelation, "I would rather you were hot or cold, but you are tepid so I spit you out of My mouth."  Be either for or against him, but not a fence sitter.  

"God didn't choose Israel because they were great men; He chose them because He is a great God and uses ordinary people to carry out His will."

Jacob was a sinner... Isaac was a sinner... Even Abraham had more than one wife... which is NOT how God intended it.  He didn't choose them because they were virtuous, he choose them so that you and I would know that we need not be perfect in order belong to God too. 

God created Israel to be His people.  He separated Abraham from his family, separated Isaac from Ishmael, separated Jacob from Esau.... until he had the twelve tribes of Israel, His chosen people.  THE foundation that is necessary for all understanding, is written in the Tanakh, the Old Testament if you will.  A foundation that is necessary for understanding the New Testament.  The New Testament that tells the story of Jesus.  The Messiah written in depth about in the "Old" Testament.  The Messiah of the Hebrews...  

Jesus was Hebrew, brought to the world by God, to save the Hebrews from their sins.  Jesus tells us in the New Testament that what he brings is for everyone.  

It is my firm belief that when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, when you accept the God of Israel into your heart, you become spiritually a part of the Hebrew Nation.  Paul confirms this in Romans, that the Gentile believers in Christ are grafted into the nation of Israel.  

Within a few generations of Israel after the Exodus, most of the Ephraim-Israelites wanted to be free from the strict restrictions and requirements of the Torah and the Law of Moses, that they mixed with Gentiles so freely, that most of their descendants don't remember having a Hebrew ancestry.  Some folks even believe that the purpose of Ephraim being absorbed into the Gentile world is so that, through the miraculous ways of God, every Gentile believer in Christ has literal, physical, genealogical ties to Ephraim.  

I think we are going to find a circle once you piece all the puzzle together...

God created Israel (Hebrews), God brought the living Word to the Hebrews (Jesus), Hebrews rejected Jesus, so the Gentiles were used to spread the Gospel, Then the Gentiles will bring the Word back to the Hebrews.  AND yes this is already happening!!!

I am not really sure I had a specific point with this post, but a bunch of little tidbits, that I tried to piece together, hope that I did so in a cohesive manner.   Thanks for reading.  

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

I saw this video on Facebook.  Jesus Christ is King is the page, and the video I found very blunt, but good.  And sometimes, you have to be quite blunt with some people.  ME especially.  I enjoyed the video, hope you do as well.

Jesus Christ is King on Facebook: Click Here for Video

The Power of a Woman's Words ~ Sharon Jaynes

At my church we are encouraged to join a life group.  This is a "Sunday School" type group that explores different paths, bible studies, or hobbies.  We have one that is called Heritage Riders, I know they ride motorcycles and get together for ice cream and trips.  Not sure if they meet for bible study or not.  So my husband and I being new to this church, really aren't sure how they are set up, and how to choose one.  So I wound up in two.  

My first choice is Roots, which focuses on the Jewish roots of Christianity.  WHICH is where I am learning most of the information that I share here.  This group meets on Sunday, and is really small group right now that just started.  So that satisfied to "needs" for me.  A not long established group that I won't merge well into cause it's become clickish, I did NOT want this.  And one that would help me on my journey with the Hebrew aspects of Christianity.  So I know this is a good place for me to be.  But as the meetings have no more than 10 people and "most" of them are men, I felt I should also join the women's group.  

Rubies meets on Mondays.  I started about 4 weeks ago when they started The Power of a Woman's Words by Sharon Jaynes.  This study has enlightened me in many ways.  And I knew that I needed to work on my words, I knew I had work to do in this area, just really didn't realize how much work I have to do.  I am so glad God steered me to this group, and the great women that I am becoming friends with in my church.  

Ms. Jaynes has a "list" in this book, that considering my blog title I just had to borrow and share with you guys.  

I do recommend this study to anyone that needs help with the words they use.  

God's Garden

In growing a healthy, fruit bearing church, try this plan:

Plant three rows of squash:

• Squash gossip
• Squash criticism
• Squash indifference

Plant seven rows of peas:

• Prayer
• Promptness
• Perseverance
• Politeness
• Preparedness
• Purity
• Patience

Plant seven heads of lettuce:

• Let us be unselfish and loyal
• Let us be faithful to duty
• Let us search the Scriptures
• Let us not be weary in well-doing
• Let us be truthful
• Let us love one another.  

I really love this play on words, this simple formula, and plan to do my best to start living by it immediately.  

Submitting to God

For many of us, we have been raised (or not raised) to be "in control" to take care of ourselves, to provide for our own needs, to look after ourselves.  To depend on no-one, answer to no-one, to take responsibility for our own actions or in actions.

That is why for some of us, me include, it goes again all we know to bow down and submit completely to an unseen entity.  To trust that God is there and will take care of us.  

I think that for all of us it is imperative that we have this "wrestle" match with God, for control of our lives, just as Jacob did.  I am finding over and over in the Bible, and I'm still in Genesis, that patterns, and repetitions are abundant, and they are examples to us to guide us.  When Jacob realized that he wasn't fighting a real person, he was fighting God, he KNEW that he could not win....he bowed down and requested his blessing.  Why does it take most of us, reaching the bottom, being broken, disabled, lost and disillusioned before we can submit to him completely?

When we fight God there is NO chance to win, not on our terms.  Only on His terms, an utter defeat of ourselves, do we have a chance of winning in the end. 

I want to share this that I found on the website Torahclass.com by Tom Bradford. 

I cannot help but recall my Ishmaelite brother in Christ Tass’s story about his coming to Lord. About how as a Palestinian, fighting against Israel, they could never seem to defeat the Jews. That, like the average Muslim Arab living today, there was the deepest frustration and anger that leads to irrational hatred over Israel because it was incomprehensible that 200 million Arabs could not defeat 6 million Jews. That the combined Arab armies that dwarfed Israel’s were defeated time after time, and brought nothing but humiliation to the Arab world. After coming to Christ, Tass suddenly realized why they had never been able to defeat Israel: he finally understood that the Arabs and Muslims who thought that their enemy was the Jews…… had actually been fighting God. And, when we fight God, there is absolutely no chance of victory on our terms. In the most ironic way, our victory in God must occur by the defeat of ourselves.

If you are down and out, depressed, lonely, lost in the world.  Have you accepted Christ as your Saviour? Have you accepted God's will over your own? Do you have your priorities in the right place?  Open your bible and read, start at the beginning Genesis is as good a place as any.  Find someone to read it with you.  Find someone to talk to about it.  jrpodgurski27@gmail.com  I'm more than will to talk, listen, hear, and share with you.  Don't go through life missing the truth, find it for yourself.  

And please keep in mind, you will get forgiveness from God if you sincerely ask for it.  But you may still have to face the earthly consequences of your actions.  

The WHOLE Bible

This passage was originally titled as it shows Does God Condone Bigamy? but there is so much more to the answer to this question than just that.  I feel it's important information to share, so I left it intact for your perusal.  The important thing to take from this passage is that you can NOT snippet the bible and use it for your own purposes and agenda, you have to take the Bible as a WHOLE, all of it, in context of it's entirety.  

This is from Journey Through the Torah Class Series: Genesis by Tom Bradford.  

"Does God Condone Bigamy?

God most certainly did NOT validate Jacob’s choice to take TWO wives……any more than he did Isaacs, nor Abrahams. Too often we like to say, ‘Well, its in the Bible, so God must be OK with it”. Not so. VERY often, the Holy Scriptures simply tell the historical truth, tell us what was said or what happened, and then do NOT specifically comment on it. Rather these statements simply stand on their own. God had made quite clear early in Genesis that marriage was the forming of one flesh from two; not 3,4,5,6, or as Solomon so much later, a thousand.

This is why it is so important to read and study the WHOLE bible; so that we can separate God’s commands, principles, and characteristics from simple statements of historical fact. The Bible is full of statements by men and women; and many of those statements are outright lies, or self-aggrandizing, or greatly exaggerated, or wishful thinking, or rationalizations of personal behavior, or simply expressions of widely held superstitions. In the case of Jacob, he deceived his brother Esau, and his father; it wasn’t right, but he did it, and the Bible simply reports it. Jacob didn’t pick the wife (Leah), on his own, that apparently God selected for him……he picked the one (Rachel) that most pleased his fleshly and impulsive male desires. It wasn’t right, but he did it, and the Bible simply reports it. Then, he wound up marrying two wives; it wasn’t right, but he did it, the Scriptures tells us about it, and so on.  We must never assume that since the Bible does not comment on every statement or action as to whether it was right or wrong, good or evil, that those not commented on must be, to at least some degree, acceptable to God. For, if we have the Torah in our hearts, and have read it and studied it, we will KNOW what was right and wrong in God’s eyes; and THAT is what we are expected to do. The fact that we are given the full, unflinching view of who these Biblical characters were, flaws and all, doesn’t change God’s absolute, unchanging, uncompromising truth. Like us, every Bible character, except Yeshua, was imperfect and did things they ought not have done."

Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 12: 1-3 (Complete Jewish Bible)

The Call of Abram

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's householdand go to the land I will show you. 2 "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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 

The New Covenant (Testament)

"So how one comes to be called part of God's set-apart people, the Hebrews, occurs by means of a number of sequential forks in the road.  It started with the Abraham fork, then the Isaac fork, and then the Jacob fork.  And it stayed that way for about eighteen hundred years.  Eighteen centuries after Jacob we find yet another fork in the road; it's called the new covenant (testament).  The new covenant (testament) is the fulfillment of an Old Covenant (testament) prophecy about a time when the physical covenan=ts and laws of teh Hebrews, called the Torah, would be written, spiritually, on certain men's hearts.  Not all men's hearts, just those who were elected and declared by God to be His.  This would happen by means of a Messiah.  This new fork in the road brings us full circle; this fork brings to fruition that promise of the Abrahamic covenant that "all the families of the earth will be blessed" in you, Abraham.  ALL doesn't mean Gentiles and not Jews.  It also doesn't mean Jews and not Gentiles.  ALL means ALL."  (Journey Through the Torah Class Series: Genesis, Tom Bradley)

The Screwtape Letters ~ C. S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters... what kind of name is that? I went to the library with my kids, they have a summer program, that if you read so many books, you get freezies, and ice cream, and book bags, so my kids, are reading like crazy.  "MOM, we need to go to the library" I love it!!! Might just make book lovers out of them yet.  Our library here, is HUGE... two stories, and more books than I've seen in one place since college.  I venture upstairs... this is where the "grown-up" books are.  LOL the Christian and theology section is first, YEA, I didn't have to venture far, after climbing the stairs.  I picked up a few books, and I honestly don't know why I brought this one home.  Other than it had an uber strange title.  Screwtape?!? what is that? what kind of name is it.  

Well I must saw, I was shocked, floored, and left really glad that I brought this one home.  The whole concept this book is written on/in is totally unique, and something I would have never considered had I not read this story.  The book consists of one sided correspondence between a high level demon and his nephew, a lower, newer demon.  The correspondence includes advice, examples and suggestions on how the nephew (Wormwood) should approach his "patient".  And covers things from our friends, our propensity for fads and phases, our insecurities, our tendency to be two faced or more.  It's a very enlightening book, fun to read, and eye opening in many way.  

I recommend this book, wholeheartedly!!!  A MUST READ. 

On the back of the cover:

A timeless classic on "Hell's latest novelties and Heaven's unanswerable answer."

A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below."  At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldlywise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.  The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation - triumph over it - ever written.  

Praise for C. S. Lewis:

"I read Lewis for comfort and pleasure many years ago, and a glace into the books revives my old admiration."  ~~John Updike

"If wit and wisdom, style and scholarship are requisites to passage through the pearly gates, Mr. Lewis will be among the angels."  ~~The New Yorker

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day.  He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.  His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim.  He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year.  His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. 

Secrets of Mary Magdalene

Found this movie on NetFlix.  

There is apparently a lot of controversy of the story of Mary Magdalene.  In this movie, I found no new insight on my journey.  But thought...  I haven't talked on Mary at all, so let me recap what I know, and the focus of the movie for you. 

1.  Mary is a prostitute, a whore, that was healed by Jesus, and she became a follower. OR

2.  Mary was not a whore, (confused with a different Mary) and was just a follower of Jesus. OR

3.  Mary was Jesus "secret" lover.  OR

4.  Mary was Jesus wife, and the mother of his children.  OR

5.  Mary was one of the apostles.  

I think that covers the options in this movie. Mention was made that the Church portrayed Mary as a prostitute/whore, so that:

     a.  To give women someone they could relate to, and know they could be saved, the "image" of the Mother Mary is not one we can live up to.   OR

     b.  To keep women out of the clergy, or other positions of power,  OR

     c.  To assist in hiding the Holy Grail (Mary and her children)  

There are simply too many options here, and not enough information. 

The movie ended, saying that Mary has been who she needed to be when she needed to be it.  AND that is just not definitive enough for me.  I shall do some delving deeper on this subject when possible, and keep you informed as always.