New Subscription Info: The Blog is Moving!

Hey! It's been a while since I posted--not because I ran out of things to say but because I decided to try something new. I've been hosting the blog through Blogger since 2012. That's 10 years!!! Blogger is free, and if you know a little code (which I do), you can do some pretty nifty things. However, I found that I there were 2 things that bothered me greatly about the blog.

1. I have a lot of content and it's really hard to navigate. Separating out the poems from the Bible studies from black history is bad enough, but within the Bible studies I had studies on specific chapters and studies on topics and commentary about different denominations... How do I create a landing page that is both informative and not overwhelming?
2. Every post requires a picture. If you go back to my posts from 2015 or so, you'll see horrible graphics and random photos that have nothing to do with the post, just to avoid the dreaded "image not found" message. Eventually, I started creating branded photos so newer posts are more streamlined, but that takes time. I learned, I don't like graphic design, and I don't like creating images for the posts when they don't add value to the content.

So, I've decided to move the blog to Notion. I've been using Notion to organize my life for about 4 years now, and as I've gotten better with it, I've realized it could be used for a blog site. The con is that I have to move posts over individually. Which has actually been a blessing because I get to see the growth I've had since I began this blog, and I get to clean up A LOT of typos and spelling mistakes 😂.

What does that mean going forward?

For now, www.psalmstogod.com, is going to remain pointing here so you can still access this content. However as I move things over, I will not be adding new posts to this site. New content will be uploaded to that site.

If you are subscribed and want to continue receiving content and updates please visit the new site and subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of the home page. I appologize for the inconvenience but hope the new site will be better for all of you as well as myself.

Thanks!!

Burnout Confessions

I have half finished blog posts, partially created notebooks for a give away, video content that needs editing, and a whole list of ideas for more content. So why don't you see it? Burnout. In a previous YouTube video, I shared a little bit about how crazy the past few years have been, but it isn't just the past few years, it's all of life!

I got my first summer job at 14 years old and have been either working or in school (or both) ever since. In 2014, while I was in grad school, my doctor said I had low iron. This is normal for women and seemed logical to me. Since 2014, most doctor visits have the statement "you have really low iron levels" or "we really need to work on your iron." My ferratin levels have not risen past 4 since doctors first started telling me this in 2014. (Ferratin deals with iron stores within your body, and to my knowledge the lower-bound for "normal" is 11.) Eventually, doctors started telling me I had "weird" shaped blood cells. A few months ago I had a doctor decide to figure out why my blood cells "look weird" and he confirmed that I have Hemoglobin C trait. Turns out 33% of my red blood cells are duds...

Nonetheless, I managed to work 20 hours for my advisor, a few hours a week as a tutor, and crank out a PhD while I was "severely iron deficient." I went straight to work after defending my dissertaion (didn't even wait for graduation), was cranking out a podcast episode a week, became a leader in a young adult ministry, and ended up involved in trying to better the community. I got laid off my job, interviewed every day until I had a new job, got sick from the stress of it, had 2 family members die from COVID within a month of each other, sold my house, moved 2000 miles away from my family to a place I'd never even visited, and am still going... All while being "severely iron deficient."

The number one symptom of iron deficiency is fatigue. If this is how I opperate at a deficit, I feel like I could solve world hunger if I were firing on all cylinders.

But I'm not, and I realized that I need a vacation. Not a trip to some exotic place or a fancy hotel. Just a responsibility free, break from pushing through life like super woman. So, I'm taking the summer off. Well, I'll still be going to work cause I don't have a rich uncle who died and left me enough money to pay for gas, but I'm not going to worry about the blog. I'm not going to worry about keeping my house spotless. I'm going to play video games. Journal for fun. Play laser tag with the cats. Sit outside and watch the birds—if the temperature drops below 100, that is.

See you in August.

Why I Became an SGRho...and Why it Matters

I went to college with zero interest in Greek life. Having attended predominately white schools my whole life, I decided I didn't want to join a traditionally white sorority, but my perception of black sororities—the Divine 9, NPHC, BGLOs (why do we have so many names y'all?)—wasn't much better. Without offense to my sister greeks, I just didn't see the hype; I didn't see sisterhood and quite honestly didn't see any "works" that I thought were worth joining one of their organizations. So, I walked on campus without any inclination of joining a sorority.

The shift in this perception happened when both a friend of mine and a cousin of mine crossed Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in Spring 2007. I had never heard of the organization before then. My cousin had grown up surrounded by women of Delta Sigma Theta, so I was shocked (as I'm sure they were too) when I logged on to Facebook to see she had chosen differently. For those not familiar with Greek life, specifically black Greek life, most people become what we call legacies. A legacy is someone who joins the same organization as their parent (or family members). For instance, my grandfather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, so are two of his sons (my uncles); they are legacies. Many times you will see a clustering where mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousins, etc. all join the same organization. So I expected my cousin to become a Delta if she became greek. This reveal was the first to make me wonder what Sigma Gamma Rho (SGRho) was about. It is what prompted me to attend the SGRho neophyte (new member) presentation at my own school.

My freshman year of college there were no SGRhos on campus. The neophyte presentation or probate (at Clemson we weren't allowed to use the word probate officially) was the resurrection of the chapter. I didn't know what to expect. At that point I had only been to a Delta and a Kappa show; both of which had a large (for a predominately white campus) number of new members. I was shocked to see that only one person had joined SGRho and was doing a show by herself—I was further shocked that this one person was a friend of mine, one of the first people I met all the way back at orientation, who lived down the hall from me. When you watch 20 people spit information and perform complicated steps it's entertaining, but when you see one person command an audience and do the same thing alone it's mind-blowing. My first thoughts were along the lines of "that takes guts" and "I want to be able to do that."

Now, as I researched the organization and fell in love with the motto "Greater Service, Greater Progress," I didn't think I would actually be doing a show by myself. There were actually a couple mutual friends I thought might also join. However, I agreed with the focus on service and education; I trusted they didn't do anything too crazy because both my cousin and my friend were Christian women I trusted; and I wanted the strength, boldness, and leadership skills that my friend exhibited in her show. So, even though I was the only one who showed up at the interest meeting that next Spring, I pressed forward and I found myself learning just what it took to earn those skills as I, too, stepped out to do a solo performance.

So why on my Christ-centered blog am I telling you about my experience joining a sorority? There are at least two posts on this blog relating the things I learned from joining the sorority and what I thought should be learned in Church communities (you can check them out here and here.) Today, however, I want to focus on that first step. Christians are often asking the question of how to convert a non-believer, and 9 out of 10 times the methods used backfire only to create more non-believers. What "converted" me from not interested in Greek life to being a member of sorority is the same thing that converted countless non-believers during the early church: action.

Anyone can talk the talk. Take a look at the missions of the four sororities that comprise NPHC[1]:

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmarks of the organization's programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically, and economically. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of "Service to All Mankind". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Zeta‘s national and local programs include the endowment of its National Educational Foundation community outreach services and support of multiple affiliate organizations. Zeta chapters and auxiliaries have given untotaled hours of voluntary service to educate the public, assist youth, provide scholarships, support organized charities, and promote legislation for social and civic change. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Did you notice anything? Despite having very distinictive cultures and images in the black community, the mission statements are not that different. Every organization is essentially about service, scholarship, and sisterhood. What makes them different is not the words written on their websites; it's the everyday action of the members in the organization. While I would hope every member read the mission statement of their organization before joining, no one comes to an interest meeting and says they want to join because the mission statment really got to them. It's always something they witnessed. As I mentioned, for me it was the rock solid solo performance that exhibited traits I wanted to have. One of the girls who came after me said she was drawn to us because she saw us recieving academic excellence awards (our chapter maintained a ~3.8GPA average giving us the highest chapter GPA in Greek life for both black and white organizations). Some people talk about interactions with a favorite teacher. Others are impressed with the person who mentored them their freshman year...

SGRho isn't associated with education simply because our founders were educators or because our mission statement says we care about it. We're associated with education because the members of the organization are scholars! I have to scratch my head to start naming sorority sisters (sorors, as we call them in NPHC) who stopped pursuing education after undergrad and I can't think of any that didn't graduate. Most of my sorors have higher degrees and even those who did not become teachers/professors, some form of mentoring or teaching is involved in what they do. We didn't just write it on a piece of paper and then keep repeating it until people believed it, we are out doing it.

This is precisely why the church fails to convert non-believers. Galatians 5:22-23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." How often do we show these traits? How many people can say they experienced peace when around a group of "Christians?" How many people can say they truly felt loved (see 1 Corinthians 13 for God's definition of love)? How many people can say they see joy in life of "Christians" or experienced joy from being around these "Christians?" Are we patient? Do we exhibit self-control? Are we kind? Are we gentle? Do we panic with the rest of the world or are we seen to have faith fueled by hope in times of need?

Can you imagine standing in the crowd in Babylon to see these three men refuse to obey the king even though the punishment was death (Daniel 3)? Can you imagine witnessing Daniel praying even though he was told not to and being thrown in the lion's den (Daniel 6)? What about Esther, approaching the king without being summoned and facing the possibility of death? Or Ruth following her mother in law to a strange land not knowing how they would survive? The Bible is full of people demonstrating their faith. They did not knock on people's door and say "Can I tell you about our Lord and Savior today;" they simply lived according to the faith.

⁶“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 NKJV

When the your actions (hands) match the words (thoughts from your forehead), you are truely sealed and it is then that others will endeavor to follow the path you've chosen.

As Sigma Gamma Rho turns 100 years old, I reflect on how I became a member 12 years ago and how I influenced others to join. I also reflect on those same questions as it pertains to my faith in the Most High God. Do the things I claim to believe match my actions? Do I live life such that people interact with me and think "wow, I want to be like that, I want to learn how to do that?" I hope so.

References and Footnotes

1. The mission statements of the other three organizations were taken from their national websites. I couldn't find a mission statement for Zeta Phi Beta on their national website, so I substituted a paragraph from their page on the history of the organization which clearly demonstrates what the purpose of the organization.

Are You A Christian?

Do you identify yourself as Christian? What does it mean to you? Better yet, what does it mean to others?

¹⁵“Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! ¹⁶You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! ²⁰So you will recognize them by their fruit. Matthew 7:15-20 CJB

What does it tell you if I call myself a Christian? How much of what you think is tells you is assumption versus Biblical fact and further, how much of that Biblical fact am I actually following?

Identifying As A Christian

I find it difficult to identify as a Christian because it doesn't mean the same thing to everybody. Technically, it means "follower of Christ," which means it should be applied to someone who follows the teachings of the Messiah. However, many people claim the title without following the teachings of Christ—a large number of Christian get their sole teachings from a pastor not the scriptures and therefore don't actually know the teachings of Christ. Yet still, even for those of following the teachings, there are many things people disagree on which means following the teachings of Christ can look different. The person hearing me identify as a Christian defines what he/she believes that means and that may or may not be what I mean.

By The Fruit

Matthew 7 tells us a true prophet is known by the fruit; this applies to disciples too. Anyone can call themselves a Christian but it is the fruit of the Spirit that proves us to be His. My grandfather used to say "let the deeds I've done speak for me." That's how I identify: "let the fruit I bear, speak for me."

Like A Good Neighbor

Love God and love your neighbor--on these two hang the whole of the commandments.

³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ ⁴⁶These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46 NASB

Following God's commandments are important. Discerning truth is important. Understanding history and prophecy is important. However if we can give a detailed history of paganism in the church (with a little c), lies told, signs of the times, linguistics, and prophecy, but can't show up with that same energy to help our neighbors, we missed the point. (See also: Matthew 7:15-23)

COVID-19 Vaccination

The COVID-19 vaccine was released in December 2020 and I haven't said anything about it on the blog, podcast, or social media. I firmly believe every man should be decided in their own mind of their actions (Romans 14:5). I've had private conversations with people, but this is a topic and a conversation that should not be on social media. It's an involved conversation, so be prepared for a long post (I'll use headings so you can take breaks if you need to). I understand we live in a society that likes to make "informed" opinion based on the headline—even in academia we are prone to read the introduction and conclusion, without care to the interior. We are a lazy society, but I ask that if you're going to voice an opinion about what I write, please read the entire post.

Why Social Media is a Problem

I remember when Twitter launched. MySpace had been superceded by Facebook, which had recently gotten rid of "is" in the status update. Up until this time, most statements people made were about frivilous things. I recently saw a memory where my Facebook status was "Shiree is yaaaaayyy!" My memory of what was shared on Facebook during that time is mostly events happening on campus, plus pictures of said events, and the occasional YouTube viral video (e.g., Charlie Bit Me and Charlie the Unicorn Goes to Candy Mountain). When Twitter arrived with the 140-character max tweet, people started sharing witty oneliners. Since then Twitter has become a place for people to share their thoughts and opinions in a short and concise manner. This trend bled into Facebook. With the rise of Instagram, it evolved to memes and infographics. The one thing that didn't change is the concise-ness of how these ideas and opinions are shared.

Can you image if your entire Chemistry class was taught in memes or 140-character lectures? What about a math class? As much as I think I would enjoy this in a American History or British Lit, I can see how much of the context and material could get lost here as well.

Certain topics need larger conversations. Unfortunately, most of the heavy hitters on social media deteriorate into the comments section, which never fails to prove just how out of touch people can be. Combine these short slogans and memes with social media algorithms, and many people are in a bubble that may be completely deviod of reality. These bubbles provide no context for what is happening. The first time I realized this was during the first Starbuck Christmas cup controversy. Everyone on my Facebook timeline was in a frenzy about it—not about the cup itself, but about the people who were upset about the cup. I have 1000+ Facebook friends and not one of them was publically expressing outrage against the Starbucks cup. Yet everyone was talking about it as though every other person they encountered was invested in the issue. I found it odd, because I don't generally block or unfriend people over opinion differences, so I imagine my friend group has a diverse array of opinions. This assumption has been proven by the split in opinions of the vaccine in my timeline. So, how did everyone get so worked up about such a trivial thing?

Social media algorithms control what you see and feed you the information you want to hear. Social media is the perfect place for confirmation bias—favoring evidence that supports your theory, and/or reframing evidence to support your theory[1]—to thrive. Especially with the ability to have dissenting opinions filtered from your view. The Netflix documentary The Great Hack shows how this was manipulated to influence elections in multiple countries, including the United States of America.

And this is were many people are getting their information about COVID-19 and the vaccine...

Why the Government and Big Pharma are a Problem

Before COVID-19 took the world by storm, U.S. citizens were dying from diabetes and other diseases directly linked to the Standard American Diet (SAD) and part of the political war between Democrats and Republicans was the question of what to do about health care. People were arguing about the cost of insulin and birth control, and elderly people were struggling to pay for their perscriptions.[2] Now, there's a free COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who wants it, but a large percentage of people aren't taking it. Why?

Confusion

The image of a tweet pictured above, is circulating on Facebook; I've seen it shared by a number of my friends. I've transcribed the text below:

Part of the reason the pandemic is so bad in the US is because people who are never involved with scientic method are seeing Science unfold in real-time. Errors, evidence, & changing methodology happen 100%, but in public eye, seen as "they have no idea what they're talking about."

Transperency on this scale backfires bc in nearly all other circumstances, science is opaque & mostly provided to public eye through 2nd-3rd sources. People only see the end result, not a process, so anything less than perfect is automatically labeled "deceptive" and "backtracking." @SidewalkSciGuy

For the most part I agree with this person, and this sentiment highlights a lot of the confusion surrounding COVID-19. The fact is, in the beginning, scientist don't know, they hypothesize.

From the beginning, we saw conflicting reports about COVID-19 from the authorities, ranging from "we're all going to die" to "it doesn't exist." The symptoms seemingly changed every week as scientists tried to correlate data. There were outliers, like the man who went to the hospital for kidney failure and ended up diagnosed with COVID-19.[3] There were also the people who were asymptomatic. In the end, we ended up with a list of symptoms to add to a chart trying to help us determine if we have allergies, a cold, or the flu—and now COVID-19.

During the election campaign, Donald Trump was insistent that a vaccine was coming out soon, while other candidates pushed back saying it would take longer. Shockingly, Trump was right and the vaccine was out just after the election. Democrats had been positioning themselves to know more, and be more honest/realistic about the virus than the Trump Administration, but this proved there was information Trump had that they didn't.

From the release of the vaccine, the manufacturers have been admitting that they aren't sure about a lot of things. While they now claim high efficacy rates, there was a concern about whether anitbodies would actually provide immunity, and if they did, for how long. From the jump, the vaccine makers spoke of possibly needing booster shots. Yet it is consistently referred to as a vaccine, which has a connotation of being a lasting immunization, and compared to one and done vaccines. Though the internet now refers to the flu shot as a vaccine, prior to now, I had never heard anyone say "I'm going to get my flu vaccine"—it was always a "flu shot." Instead of highlighting the temporary-ness of the shot, it was presented as a way to return to "normal."

As such, when the number of vaccinations began to rise, all of the previous policies about wearing masks and social distancing started to go out the window. People went back to concerts and dinner parties; people made plans for the 4th of July and gathered with large crowds... All just in time for the 6 month window scientists had predicted. Israel was one of the first countries to get a majority of their population vaccinated; they now have the highest number of cases per day in the world.[4] This suggests the decrease in efficacy is having an effect (or that it is less effective against the delta variant). Yet, the powers that be are still not in agreement about how to handle boosters. The U.S. wants to roll out booster shots for the "fully" vaccinated, but the World Health Organization says it's better to ship those shots to places having trouble getting the first and second doses.[5]

You can bet if the people in charge are confused, the general population is going to be confused too.

The Trust Issue

Many people think confusion and disinformation are the primary reasons for people not getting the vaccine, but in reality, the government and Big Pharma have a record of being untrustworthy. For the sake of time, lets focus on medical research funded by the government.

In 1932 the government started the Tuskegee Syphillis Experiment. Initially called the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male," the experiement targeted black men. These men were lied to about the purpose of the study and there was no process for informed consent (a major requirement in the IRB process that regulates experiments). They were lured into the experiment with the promise of free medical care, meals, and burial insurance. Despite the fact that Penicillin was widely accepted as an effective treatemnt for syphillis by the early 1940s, participants in the government's study were not treated. These men were left untreated to advance to the late stages of syphillis which can cause permenant damage to the body. The experiment lasted another 30 years after the discovery of Pencillin treatments, only being shut down after a news article brought the experiment to light in the 1970s.[7]

In the 1940s, during World War II, the government decided to test a theory that minorities are more resistant to mustard gas than whites. Offering incentives, they convinced black, Puerto Rican, and Japanese soldiers to participate in a study where they were exposed to mustard gas (which can cause permenant damage, including skin cancer).[9][11] This experiment affected 60,000 men, and these men were never compensated for the damage caused to them despite VA promises to do so.[10] It was classified and kept secret until 1993.

In the 1950s the government had the MK-ULTRA project in which they were trying to discover the secret to mind control. Experimentation for this project included torturing people and lacing their drinks/food with LSD without consent or knowledge. There were even major research universities linked to the research. Not only did government officials target vulnurable populations such as prisoners and people held in detention camps, they carried out experiments in other countries and on their own people. In 1953, Frank Olson, a scientist in the biological warfare division of the CIA, was drugged with LSD during a retreat with his coworkers. A week later, he was dead.[6] The documents about this highly classified project were perged during the Watergate scandal, making it impossible to know the true scope of the project. A set of misplaced files on it was discovered in 1977 and in 1994 the US General Accounting Office released an official report confirming the experiements.[12]

There's more, but let's skip to more recent times shall we?

In 1989, the government sponsored research on the E-Z measles vaccine. Their subjects were 1,500 black and Hispanic babies from poverty stricken families in the Los Angeles area. Consent protocols were breached and babies were given an unlicensed vaccine without the parents' knowledge. The same vaccine is thought to have caused a high infant mortality rate in countries like Haiti.[17]

In the early 90s, the government funded a study targeting black and Hispanic boys aged 6-10 years old. During this study, the young boys were given Fenfluramine to test a theory about predicting violent behavior. Fenfluramine is now a banned substance; it was banned after discovering heart valve defects in some adults who regularly used the drug. Critics have argued that there was little to no scientific value in the study, and the boys were put at risk for no justifiable reason.[15]

Just last year, ICE was accused of forced sterilizations of detainees at the border.[16]

When the vaccine was rolled out, many people in high positions made statements about making sure minorities received the vaccine first; anyone aware of the US's history with medical research would be wary of this. #ItsNotJustTuskegee[18]

Half Truths and Propaganda

Once the vaccine was made available to everyone and leaders realized a large portion of the population were skeptical, efforts to combat (or enhance) skeptism were rolled out. Like masks, the shot was politicized with people making snap judgments about those choosing to or not to take the vaccine. With the aid of social media, it became easy for those in favor of the vaccine to spread the message that people who don't take it are selfish, believe in conspiracy theories, Trump supporters, etc. Similarly, for those against the vaccine, it became easy to build a narrative about freedom and actual misinformation. The truth is, both sides have been using proganda or biased truths.

An example of a biased truth I've seen is on the safety of the vaccine. Those trying to convince everyone to take the shot will say its safe and quote statistics on cases of reactions to the shot. Many will compare these statistics to the risks of common over the counter drugs such as Tylenol or Aleve. In contrast, those who are opposed to the vaccine will say it's not safe, some referencing time to production and others questioning how it affects reproductive health.

The unbiased truth is somewhere in between. While people have died and/or had adverse reactions from the shot, statistics do suggest that the likelihood of severe reactions is rare—like being in a plane crash or getting struck by lightening.[19] However, as much as the authorities would like to dismiss the time frame in which it was studied, there is no substitute for time.

Take the question of affect on fertility, for example. While there isn't evidence to suggest it does have an affect, there isn't evidence to prove it doesn't, either. To do so, they would have to perform at least two studies for women (there would need to be tests on men as well): a test on women of childbearing age who are not pregnant to see if they can become pregnant, and a test on women who are already pregnant to see how it affects the baby. At the least the former would take 9 months to complete, but getting pregnant isn't that simple, it could take the women a few months to conceive. The data from this group would need to be compared to that of the general population to see if the infertility rate is better, worse, or the same. For the latter research, they would need to follow the pregnancy to term as well. In each case they would need to verify healthy babies and the same rates as the general population for premature delivery. In addition, it would be wise to track the babies for awhile to see if any health problems appear within the first couple years of their life. No amount of technology can bypass that time.

Another example of needing time to predict long term safety is more specific to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Johnson & Johnson have already faced litigation for including talc in their powder, which was later found to cause cancer.[20] Recently, they pulled several sunscreens they produce from shelves because they also contain an ingredient that has been found to cause cancer.[21] Johnson & Johnson is also facing a lawsuit in which it is alleged that a hair care line they own causes hair loss.[22] Assumably, none of these issues showed up in initial tests. Likely, they result in multiuse over time. However, with the admission that booster shots are necessary for Moderna and Pfizer (no word on Johnson & Johnson, yet),[23] there is the possibility that continued use could have unexpected consequences.

Will it Change Your DNA?

The vaccines use a new technology that utilizes mRNA to trick the body into producing antibodies without actually giving you the virus.[13] From this stems the theory that the vaccine changes your DNA. Many who are pro-vaccine dismiss this as conspiracy and disinformation, looking at those who are wary of the vaccine for this reason as idiots. Yet, the Univeristy of Massachusetts Medical school website says the following:

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, we believed that RNA’s primary role was to intermediate between DNA and protein, as we described above. Over the last three decades, those long-held beliefs have been shattered. We have witnessed amazing discoveries with regards to RNA biology, many of which have come from our own labs here at the RTI. In 1998, Andrew Fire and the RTI’s Craig Mello discovered RNA interference (RNAi), in which double-stranded RNA can find and turn off specific genes based on certain sequences (order of the 'words'). RNA Theraputics Institute[14]

While the scientists only claims to use mRNA (which is assumably different from RNAi) in the vaccine, it is possible to alter your genetic code and make changes to your body through the use of RNA.

Is it the Mark of the Beast?

Many are convinced the vaccine is the Mark of the Beast spoken of in Revelation. The main ideas contributing to this belief include the following:

• the push for it to be mandatory (the outlook that eventually you can't participate in society without it)
• the belief that the RNA technology used in the vaccine is altering DNA
• the inclusion of enzymes called luciferase (which sounds like "Lucifer race") in the vaccine

¹⁶And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. Revelation 13:16-18 NASB

⁹Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” ¹²Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Revelation 14:9-12 NASB

There are a few Biblical issues with assigning the vaccine as the Mark of the Beast.

For starters, the mark is given in the hand or forehead—the vaccine is given in the arm. More importantly, the Mark of the Beast is about worship; it is a counterfeit of the Mark or Seal of God (Exodus 13:9,16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18; Revelation 7:3). When the Bible speaks of taking a mark in the hands and the forehead, it is not speaking of a literal mark it's referring to the manifestation of who you worship.

Your hands represent your actions. What do you do? How do you treat people? How do you spend your time? What do you contribute to society? Your forehead represents your thoughts. Who has your allegience? What is your thought process? How do you perceive the world?

Remember, the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 14:9-12) and blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29) are the only things listed as unforgivable sins (I personally think they are one and the same). That means whatever the Mark of the Beast is, it's worst than murder and rape, and you can never be forgiven. If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you essentially reject the Spirit. You then reject the Holy Spirit's convictions and become unable to discern right from wrong, truth from lie. It's like being blind in the dark with no map to the light, you're just stumbling around trying to find a path (Job 5:14). There's no coming back from that.

Conversely, when you look at a singular act like taking the shot, you have to ask: how does this prohibt me from worshiping God? What is the difference between a person taking the COVID-19 shot versus someone taking the polio vaccine? Further you have to ask: what about the fact that it can be forced on you? I received the polio, mumps, and measles vaccines as a child—I don't even remember taking them. My parents made that decision. The age limit for the shot has been decreasing gradually, currently set at 12. A 12 year old is still subject to their parents' rules. If the age ever drops to where this is a shot for toddlers or elementary kids, you'll have people taking the shot who may not even be able to understand what's happening. Similarly, if I were restrained, someone could easily inject me with the shot without my permission. To say that this is the Mark of the Beast is to say that YHWH would allow someone to be eternally unforgiven for something they didn't choose!

So no, I don't believe the shot itself is the Mark of the Beast. However, if you only feel comfort and safety because of the vaccine, I would advise you to reflect on who your faith truly is in. If you took the shot because you're scared to die, I would advise you to reflect on why you're afraid to die—is it because you don't believe in the promises God has given you, or is it because your kids would be orphans? Basically, I think your decision to take the shot (or any decision you make) could be a symptom (action of the hand) of the Mark of the Beast, if your mind (forehead/thoughts) is not on God.

Footnotes and References

1. Confirmation Bias. Oxford Reference; visited August 21, 2021
2. Shawn Radcliffe. "The Price of Prescriptions Overwhelms Fixed-Income Seniors". Healthline. October 16, 2019
3. I can't find the article I originally read about this specific case, but if you do a quick Google search you will see that COVID-19 is presenting itself as kidney trouble or a heart attack for some people.
4. Daniel Estrin. "Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New COVID Cases. Here's Why". NPR. August 20, 2021
5. Michaeleen Doucleff. "Why A Push For Boosters Could Make The Pandemic Even Worse". NPR. August 18, 2021
6. Terry Gross. "The CIA's Secret Quest For Mind Control: Torture, LSD And A 'Poisoner In Chief'". NPR. September 9, 2019
7. "The Tuskegee Timeline". Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; visited August 21, 2021
8. Stephen Kinzer. "From mind control to murder? How a deadly fall revealed the CIA’s darkest secrets". The Guardian. September 6, 2019
9. "Why the U.S. military exposed minority soldiers to toxic mustard gas. PBS. June 22, 2015
10. Caitlin Dickerson. "The VA's Broken Promise To Thousands Of Vets Exposed To Mustard Gas". NPR. June 23, 2015
11. Caitlin Dickerson. "Secret World War II Chemical Experiments Tested Troops By Race". NPR. June 22, 2015
12. Kat Eschner. "What We Know About the CIA’s Midcentury Mind-Control Project. Smithsonian Magazine. April 13, 2017
13. "What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work?". US National Library of Medicine. July 20, 2021
14. "What is RNA?". UMass Medical School: RNA Theraputics Institute; visited August 2021
15. Philip J. Hilts. "Experiments On Children Are Reviewed. New York Times". April 15, 1998
16. "ICE, A Whistleblower And Forced Sterilization". NPR. September 22, 2020
17. Marlene Cimons. "U.S. Measles Experiment Failed To Disclose Risk". Wasington Post. June 17. 1996
18. Gillian Flaccus. "Role of race in US vaccine rollout gets put to the test". AP News. January 28, 2021
19. Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 17, 2021
20. Lisa Girion. "Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder". Reuters. December 14, 2018
21. "Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Specific NEUTROGENA® and AVEENO® Aerosol Sunscreen Products Due to the Presence of Benzene". Food & Drug Admisitration. July 14, 2021
22. A. Pawlowski "Woman alleges Johnson & Johnson OGX shampoo can cause hair loss, sues company". Today. July 23, 2021
23. Cory Stieg. "Booster shots are coming in the fall — but what about people who got the J&J Covid vaccine?". CNBC. August 19, 2021
24. Vanessa Romo. "Johnson & Johnson Stops Selling Talc-Based Baby Powder In U.S. And Canada". NPR. May 19, 2020
25. Will Feuer. "Pfizer’s CEO hasn’t gotten his Covid vaccine yet, saying he doesn’t want to cut in line". CNBC. December 14, 2020

Harmonizing the Gospels: The Lineage of Christ

The lineage of Christ is crucial to Him fulfilling prophecy. Is it possible that the Bible contradicts itself on this fundamental point?

The lineage of Christ is given by Matthewm disciple of Christ, in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke, a contemporary of Paul, in Luke 3:23-38. This is given to us to substaniate Christ's bloodline and prove Him to be a legitimate heir to the throne of David. Not only was this significant from a legal standpoint for the kingdom of Judah, but also a requirement of the Messiah foretold in prophecy (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 11:1) Although Luke doesn't start with this information the way Matthew does, both present it early in their writings becuase of it's importance. If either man was presenting a man from the Tribe of Benjamin as a the long awaited Messiah, everyone would know the person was not the Messiah.

Is it a Contradiction?

Unfortunately, Matthew and Luke didn't give us the same lineage. Biblical scholars have been debating since who knows when about why these lineages are not the same. Let's dive into it.

Differences

One difference between Matthew and Luke is that Luke goes all the way back to Adam, while Matthew only goes back to Abraham. This, of course, is merely preference. From David back to Abraham (and in theory to Adam), Matthew and Luke are in 100% aggreement. After David, however, the list is very different. Luke traces the lineage through David's son Nathan, while Matthew traces the lineage through David's son Solomon. There's minor overlap, such as Zerubbabel and Sheatiel, between David and Joseph, but there's definitely more difference than similiarity.

Legal vs. Blood Relatives

One possibility is that one person is presenting a legal lineage, while the other is presenting a blood lineage. For some this may be confusing but I'd like to use my own family to show how this happens in modern day. We'll start with some easy examples and then get to some more complex ones.

One of my cousins' mother died in childbirth. Her father wasn't present so my cousin was raised by her maternal grandparents. Legal custody of the child belonged to the grandmother. Any inheritance my cousin received came straight from her grandparents. If they were royal, the succession would have been grandparent to grandchild with no mention of the mother even though the mother is part of the blood lineage. If we call my cousin Anna, her mother Bonnie, and her mother Connie,[1] a blood based lineage would look like Connie begot Bonnie and Bonnie begat Anna. A legal lineage would look like Connie begot Anna.

Now let's make it a little more complex and use the case of my own mother. When my mother was 12 she went to stay with her aunt and ended up staying there for the rest of her childhood. My great-aunt became her legal guardian and often if you hear me reference my maternal grandmother, I am actually speaking of my great-aunt, not my biological grandmother. My mom became my great-aunt's only daughter, so in turn my mom inherited all her clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. when my great-aunt passed away. A legal the lineage went from my great-aunt to my mom. Lets call my great grandmother Dorothy, my biological grandmother Elaine, her sister (my great-aunt), Francine, and my mom Gertrude.[1] A legal lineage would look like Dorothy begot Francine and Francine begot Gertrude, while a blood lineage would look like Dorothy begot Elaine and Elaine begot Francine.

It's quite common where I'm from for families to adopt children within the family, but there's also the possibility of adopting a stranger. I have an aunt (by marriage) who was adopted by people completely unrelated to her. In that case you would see no overlap when comparing her legal versus blood lineage. For those with this lived experience, it's easy to see how both David's son Nathan and David's son Solomon could be listed as ancestors. Remember I gave you short examples from my family's modern history, if we tried to track it back centuries, who knows how many times switches like these could have occured? Something my family has in common with the Israelites is surviving captivity. I don't know what turmoil happened during the Babylonian, Greek, and Roman captivities of Israel, but chattel slavery in the United States allowed families to be sold and separated such that there were probably many babies raised by non-blood relatives. I say this to say if you were able to trace down my information and compare the legal record to the blood record, likely it would be just as convouluted.

Paternal vs. Maternal Relatives

Another idea put forth is that Matthew is giving Jesus' paternal lineage while Luke is giving his maternal lineage. There are two Biblical things that support this. First, in Luke 3:23, Luke prefaces the lineage in calling our attention to the fact that Joseph is Jesus' legal father but not His real father by saying it's commonly thought that Joseph is the father of Jesus. When my great-aunt died, my blood aunts and uncles showed up, and many people who grew up with my mom were confused because it was commonly held that my great-aunt was her mother. Second, if we look at Mary's reaction to the angel announcing her pregnancy in Luke 1:26-36, Mary doesn't question the assertion that her son would be of the lineage of David. If an angel came to me and said I was pregnant and my child would be the long lost heir to the throne of France, one of my first questions would be "but the baby isn't French?" It is very possibile that Mary was a descendant of David herself.

Now, things get really interesting. Technically speaking, Israel was a patriarchal society. Usually the first born son is who inherited glory from the father. Notable exceptions include Seth, Isaac, Jacob, and Solomon, who were not the first born sons, however they were still sons. With that line of thinking, many would ask how can Jesus be a legitimate heir to the throne of David when He doesn't have an earthly father? Just as people do today, men could legally adopt a heir and leave their inheritance to the son they've chosen, which would still allow Joseph to pass an inheritance down to Jesus. However, what's more interesting is that though rarely discussed, women could pass on inheritances too. In Numbers 26, we learn of Zelophehad who only had daughters, and in Numbers 27 they are given the right to inherit their father's property. In these verses, it is declared that a woman with no brothers who marries into her own tribe, is able to inherit from her father. When Jesus is crucified, Mary has a sister present with her (John 19:25), but the Bible never mentions Mary having a brother. It is very possible the Mary is descended from David, married into her own tribe, and inherited the lineage of David to pass to her first born son. This would also explain the need to prove Davidian descent on both sides.

What do I Believe?

What do I believe? I actually think both scenarios are true. I think Luke is providing us with Jesus' lineage through Mary while Matthew is providing it through Joseph. I think there is still some interplay of legal versus blood lineage as seen in the overlap of Shealtiel in both lineages. Matthew says Jeconiah is the father of Shealtiel, but Luke says Neri is the father of Shealtiel. Both Shealtiels have a son named Zerubbabel, making it seem as though this is the same person. In this regard, it's seems that one person is telling us who legally was the father of Sheatiel (whether like scenario 1 that I gave above or like scenario 2), while the other person is telling us who is the blood father of Sheatiel. Judging by the fact that all the kings of Judah are listed as descendants, it seems like the most likely candidate to be the legal lineage of Christ.

The Obvious Discrepancy

One thing I want to point out for skeptics, or for those who often engage in conversation with skeptics, is the logical problem of this being an actual contradiction. Archeologists have found many scrolls containing the story of Christ, some even claim to be the work of disciples such as Peter and Thomas. Beyond that there is the Apochrypa, a set of books deemed cannon by some and uninspired by others. There are even modern texts (I refuse to call them Bibles) that have been rewritten by translators (example: The Passion Bible, The Story, etc.). Knowing the importance of lineage, why would they leave a contradicting lineage in the Bible for 2,000 years. Most likely, the early Christians understood the lineages for what they are. Peter, Paul, etc., must not have had any concerns with the lineage. Otherwise they would have condemned the Gospel of Luke. When the text was translated to English in the dark ages, the book still could have been dropped or they could have forced the lineages to be the same; it's not like Google was around to let anyone know what happened. In those early days, if the intent had been to start a new religion, doesn't it make sense that those rising to power would eleminate anything that discredits them? During the dark ages, the Catholic Church had unrestrained power, wouldn't they have censored the blood line? It would have been so easy to fix!

Is Christ a Levite?

I've also heard people say Christ is actually a Levite, that He is both from the tribe of Levi and the tribe of Judah. Those who argue this then assert that by birth He has right to both the throne and the crown. The only way I surmise people make this assumption is through the connection of Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, and Mary. In Luke 1, Elizabeth is described as a daughter of Aaron, which makes her a Levite. However, Elizabeth is only described as a relative or cousin of Mary. There's no information on whether this a maternal or paternal relative. Why does that matter? Because tribal affiliation generally passed through the father. This is why a woman with no brother could only inherit if she married into the same tribe; this kept the inheritance within the tribe.

Elizabeth would have inherited her status as a daughter of Aaron from her father. So Elizabeth's father would need to be one related to Mary and he would need to be related to her through her father. If other generations exist between them, male relatives would need to connect them all the way for the assumption to hold. However, we aren't given the precise relationship Elizabeth has to Mary. There's a 50/50 chance it's her father that relates to Mary, but then there's another 50/50 chance that it's Mary's father that is related to Elizabeth. For just those two things to hold, there's only a 25% chance.

I admit its not impossible, but if Mary is a Levite, then the lineage in Luke can't be that of Mary. This would mean you would have to revist that idea of legal versus blood lineages. To me, there aren't enough overlaping names for me to believe that the only difference in the lineages presented are who actually raised a person. For that reason, I don't think there's much to the theory that Christ is also a Levite even though the theology of Levite + descendant of David = Priest + King is very compelling.

References and Footnotes

1. None of the names given in these scenarios are real (if you couldn't tell by the alphabetical pattern)
2. E. Earle Ellis. "St. Luke". Encyclopedia Britannica; visited June 2021
3. Erik Manning. "A Hopeless Bible Contradiction? Why do Matthew and Luke Give Us Two Different Geneaolgies For Jesus?" .Is Jesus Alive?. June 25, 2019

Climate Change & Christianity

The Word of God places the responsibility of the Earth in our hands, so why don't churches talk about environmental issues? Why aren't we mobilizing against the pollution of our planet the way we mobilize against other issues?

²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” ²⁷So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 NASB

definition

Dominion [1]

noun

1. : DOMAIN
2. law : supreme authority : SOVEREIGNTY
   having dominion over the natural world
3. dominions plural, Christianity : an order of angels
   — see CELESTIAL HIERARCHY
4. often capitalized, government : a self-governing nation of the Commonwealth of Nations other than the United Kingdom that acknowledges the British monarch as chief of state
5. law : absolute ownership

Our Responsibility

• Mankind was given dominion over the earth
• It is our responsibility to care for the Earth
• As we fall deeper into sin, we fail at the initial task God gave us: rule over the Earth
• Our sins are what lead to the final judgment, which is to be proceeded by cataclysmic events (Matthew 24; Revelation)
• Many of the events prophesied to occur during the end times sound a lot like Climate Change...

Climate Change	End Times
caused by people's actions	casued by people's actions (sin)
affects the climate of the Earth, can cause storms, earthquakes, famines, etc.	earthquakes, wars, famines, pestilence

Important Documentaries to Watch

• The Devil We Know
• A Plastic Ocean

Both are on Netflix

The Devil We Know

• Teflon was created by 3M and DuPont, and began distribution in the 1940's[2]
• Cancer rates have been drastically increasing since at least the 1970's (note, Teflon pans were "ok'd" for cooking in the 60s)[3]
• The creation of Teflon requires the productions of PFOA, PFAS, and/or C8 (all of which are carcinogenic)
• 3M warned DuPont about the hazards of these chemicals in the 1980s and by the 1990s, DuPont knew they were carcinogenic[4]
• DuPont continues to produce PFOA, PFAS, and/or C8 in the making of Teflon until 2015, when they were finally "held accountable" in court[4]
• DuPont dumped these chemicals in the Ohio River and polluted the entire world between the beginning of Teflon in 1940 until 2015
• No one was sentenced to jail[4]
• DuPont was given a 3 year period to phase out the use of PFOA, PFAS, and C8 in producing Teflon
• Now they produce GenX[5]
  • Inital studies show that GenX is also carcinogenic
  • It has been found in the water of North Carolina where DuPont has a facility
• Further Reading:
  • Dark Waters Tells the True Story of the Lawyer Who Took DuPont to Court and Won. But Rob Bilott’s Fight Is Far From Over
  • Study Links Teflon Chemical to Higher Cancer Rates"

A Plastic Ocean

• Plastic doesn't break down and is ending up in our ocean
• Bacteria grows on the plastic and toxins leech out into the fish in the ocean[6]
• The toxins released into fish, are then consumed by humans eating said fish[6]
• Fish and birds are consuming and dying from this plastic
• China started refusing our recycling[7]

Our Fault

• The environmental issues in our world are caused by greed and selfishness
• Both greed and selfishness are sins the Bible warns us about (specifically in the last days!)
• 1 Timothy 6:10

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 2 Timothy 3:2 NASB

The Importance of Water

• Scientifically, water is the sole reason for life on Earth
• Let's look at water in the Bible:
  • God's Spirit hoovers over the waters at Creation (Genesis 1)
  • God destroys the world with water during the flood (Genesis 6)
  • Baptism by water represents salvation and points to eternal life (Matthew 3:16)
  • Yeshua/Jesus—the living water—is sent to bring salvation and eternal life (John 4:10)
  • In the final days, the water will be poisoned (Revelation 8:11)

The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:11 NASB

• The implications of destroying our water supply are being fulfilled both literally and symbolically

References

1. "Dominion". Merriam Webster; visited May 2021
2. "Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Teflon, and Related Chemicals". Cancer.org; visited May 2021
3. William A. Haseltine. "Cancer Rates Are On The Rise In Adolescents And Young Adults New Study Shows". Forbes. December 9, 2020
4. Nathaniel Rich. "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare". New York Times. January 6, 2016
5. Alex Formuzis. "EPA: GenX Nearly as Toxic as Notorious Non-Stick Chemicals It Replaced". Environmental Working Group. November 14, 2018
6. Gianna Andrews. "Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. Geology and Human Health; visited May 2021
7. Kenneth Rapoza. "China Doesn’t Want The World’s Trash Anymore. Including ‘Recyclable’ Goods.". Forbes. November 29, 2020

Common Knowledge

The first episode in season 3 is introducing the concept of common knowledge and establishing how it will guide this season.

This is the third time that I am coming to you. On the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter shall be confirmed.2 Corinthians 13:1 NASB

Common knowledge is[1][2]:

• Anything you can find in 5 scholarly sources
• Anything you can safely assume the reader/listener already knows
• Not disputed

Bible verses about 2 or 3 witnesses:

• Deuteronomy 17:6
• Deuteronomy 19:15
• Matthew 18:16
• 2 Corinthians 13:1
• 1 Timothy 5:19
• Hebrews 10:28

Biblical examples of God repeating something 2 or 3 times:

• Joseph interpreting dreams (Genesis 40)
• Pharaoh has 2 dreams about the famine (Genesis 41)
• 1 & 2 Chronicles contains much of the same information as 1 & 2 Kings
• Daniel and Revelation have much cross over
• The Gospels

What if this pattern exists across cultures?

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd.John 10:16 NASB

The season we're talking about "Common Knowledge"

References

1. "What is Common Knowledge?". Academic Integrity at MIT; visited January 2021
2. Shona McCombes. "Common knowledge: to cite or not to cite?". Scribbr. August 26, 2019

#TestimonyTuesday - Season Finale of 2020

My 2020 ended with a bang. I've been neglecting the blog because a lot has been going on, but hopefully now that things are sorted out, I'll have more time to start posting again! In my final Testimony Tuesday of 2020, I shared just how much has been going on lately and how God brought me through it. I hope your 2020 ended in a much smoother way, but even if it was just as rocky as mine, I know God is taking care of it for you.

Satan's Defeat | Dealing With the Devil (Part 6)

Introduction

This is the final peice in a series on a study I did, entitled "Dealing with the Devil," and based on a 30 day scripture plan I found by The Ruffled Mango.[1] In this post, I'm covering the last 4 days—we're going to look at:

• Revelation 12:7-10
• Revelation 20:7-15

Revelation 12:7-17: The Battle in Heaven

Satan and his angels go to battle against Michael and his angels. Michael and his angels represent the kingdom of God and are victorious in battle. Upon defeat, Satan is cast down to earth—not hell. This moment in Revelation is thought to be the moment when Jesus/Yeshua ascends to heaven after the resurrection. This is when He truly took the throne. That put us in a "transitional" state, much like that of the U.S. at the moment. Satan refuses to acknowledge God's victory, but the fact is, the day is coming when Christ will come to collect His kingdom.

Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out John 12:31 NASB

⁸And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: ⁹regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; ¹¹and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. John 16:8-11 NASB

Revelation 20:7-15: Satan Defeated For Good

Ultimately only those who submit to Christ are spared from the second death. When Satan is defeated, all those who sided with him, are also defeated. This passage is heavy, but only for those who are not written in the book of life. Those in the book of life are the ones who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Christ. We can be thankful knowing that eventually, the devil's reign of terror will end and no one will have to deal with him ever again!

References

1. "June Scripture Writing Plan". The Ruffled Mango; visited October 4, 2020

How I Almost Died...

I almost died trying to groom a horse! The biggest lesson I learned was, when the Holy Spirit says, "Move," you better MOVE! I didn't mention it in the video, but I had that horse for about 10 years. She died from colic when I was in college.

A Message To My Younger Self

You don't know everything,
But you know more than you think you do—
It's ok to speak your mind,
But be sure of your mind before you speak it...
Laziness is you're biggest enemy,
One day you're going to wish you'd done more
And time will be slipping through your hands.
If you ever feel like you're missing out,
Trust me, you're not...
And they don't actually remember what happened
Knowing a classmate has died never gets easier,
But you will get stronger.
Use that strength to help those around you,
Because there's no point in reading a story
With only one character.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Tony Tran

A Message to the Father

Father, in Heaven, on earth and all around me—
There is so much I don't understand, so much to learn
And there is so much I don't deserve, yet here we are...
I have nothing of value to give you in return;
I can't keep my promises no matter how hard I try
And I wonder why You even bother with me, why You created me.
So I'm here, at Your feet, willing to give all that I have
You are the only reason I survive, the only reason I succeed,
And this is the only way I know how to say thank You.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Kelly Sikkema

Lunchtime Childhood Trauma

This #TestimonyTuesday I wanted to share an experience I had as a child that has deeply shaped my views as a teenager and an adult. Sometimes God swoops in Himself to make a miracle happen, but sometimes, He calls on us to do the foot work. We go through experiences help us learn and to become better people, so we be ready when He calls. This testimony may not have ended with a tidy fix for the issue as a whole, but it did lead me to join the fight.

Footnotes

1. A recent example: CNN
2. Learn more about how you can help end hunger: 10 Charities That Fight Hunger

Productivity Pendulum

Sometimes I take on too much,
I get excited about the idea of it
And find myself out of touch
With the reality I fit.

Sometimes I stare at the walls
For hours upon end just thinking
With nothing moving these calls
To do something more than shrinking.

Sometimes I get it just right
And pace myself throughout the day
I work in a balance to my delight
For productivity is meant to be this way.

Photocredit: Unsplah.com/Windows