It is a day off from school and for that I am grateful, because I can watch the Inauguration and celebratory proceedings.
President Trump is about to take the oath of office shortly, for the second time.
It has been a long 4 years since his first inauguration. As one who is so active on social media, Biden’s term has caused me no small amount of anguish. I have had to avert my eyes often, guard my heart, and work at reducing the bitterness, outrage, and unhappiness of all that I have witnessed. At times I’ve felt that my beloved nation was imploding, reminding me of the verse where God had said, Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim, And like rottenness to the house of Judah. (Hosea 5:12). A moth silently eats away at the fabric, rot causes foundational collapse.
It seems that He has granted us a reprieve from the Alarics of the world from sacking Rome.
I’ve grown up as a political animal. My father ran for office and also helped in campaigns of others seeking office. From my earliest days I remember grange halls, bunting, that echo shoes make on the wooden floors, Sousa marching music, and more.
I love my country and participated in Project Close-Up as a freshman. We were taken to the Nation’s capitol and given a close up look at how our nation runs, and time with our senator and representative. Even a tour of the Supreme Court. I loved it.
I’ve always been happy and proud of our country. My grandparents immigrated from Europe, coming thru Ellis Island, made new lives, prospered. I’ve been able to speak freely, assemble, and practice my religion with no hindrances.
I’ve been able to vote. What a privilege. I’ve almost always voted third party. I have felt strongly that we need to be governed by someone with real world experience in business (and ‘community organizing’ doesn’t count). Someone who understands at the minutest level about the economy. Someone from outside the two parties, which increasingly to me looked like one party. My first election I voted for John Anderson, and then Perot, Forbes, and so on. (Not Nader though).
I stood on the shore of Newport beach in 1976 and was wowed by the Tall Ships passing, our national bicentennial was a superlative party and a great lesson in civics.
It has been a long slog just since July when Candidate president Trump was shot, his life spared by the One who governs all life, but by a hair’s breadth to our eyes.
As someone who loves my country and is proud of it (and I never forgot THAT comment, yes I’m looking at you, Michelle Obama) and someone who loves justice, truth, and beauty, the last 4 years have been difficult if not depressing. Perhaps it was to give us a minute glimpse into what it was like for 1st century Christians under Nero. Or 1st century Jews under Herod. And yes I am deliberately likening our immediate past president to Herod and Nero.
“It is He who changes the times and the periods; He removes kings and appoints kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to people of understanding.” (Daniel 2:21).
It is HE. I do not know why God in His sovereign will decided to give us this reprieve or what He has in mind for the near future. But for the first time in a while I have optimism, even while completely understanding that my hope is in Jesus.
I’ve been praying for President Trump’s salvation, first and foremost. Then, that he survives the swearing in, and the next 4 years. I’ve been praying for justice to be done. Oh what a balm to my soul that justice in all her glory would be served. What a grace if I don’t have to wait until Jesus returns to see leaders right some of these recent wrongs.
I also pray that Mr Biden will receive the elder CARE HE DESERVES. He is obviously suffering from dementia, and it is a grief to watch in real time a man used as a puppet, a prop, inhumanely manipulated for evil ends. I can’t wait for THAT injustice to be addressed by Jesus.
But still, my hope is in Jesus. However, I am excited for today. I pray our nation returns to its earlier vigor and founding values. My life is advanced but I do hope that this sojourn by President Trump in our Hall of History will establish something good and strong for the next generation.
I wrote two days ago about the celebrity grandmother ‘Bible teachers’ who were adept at crafting a conservative persona on social media contrary to the lives they were actually living.
They had to craft their outward picture (in hypocrisy) because firstly, when they started out the faith was much more conservative than it is now. They could not openly say they were preaching or having a career at the office. They had to say they were ‘speaking’ and only occasionally because they were stay at home moms. They had a ‘ministry’ not an all-consuming, busy career.
Secondly 40 years ago there was not as much social media as there is now. Back in the day there was only TV, newspapers, and radio.
I wrote an essay in 2018 saying this push of preaching to men was going to be a problem:
I also said so two days ago that the evil example of these grandmothers in the faith (Moore, Shirer, Meyer, Caine…) during the last generation is a problem:
So, a couple of days ago a woman whose handle is Cia Cloud, put up an Instagram story and a TikTok talking about the “romantic heart of Jesus”. The short video is below and here is the transcript:
After you’ve experienced the romantic heart of Jesus, you cannot go back to casual dating. I got out of a relationship a while ago, and when I did I asked the Lord can you teach me what it’s like for You to be my husband? And before you get weirded out, it’s because the church is known as the Bride of Christ, and He’s the groom. I wanted to know what it felt like to truly be pursued so that I knew what to look for in a future relationship. Let me explain what God does so you don’t settle. I wish more people understood that God wants to romanticize your heart. He wants to win you over. He created you to delight in pursuing you. He is the ultimate pursuer. We just get distracted. The other day for example, the Lord told me he was going to take me out to lunch…”
She went on with two more examples of how Jesus spoke to her and shortly afterward the minor things he allegedly said came true.
No. But what can we expect when young women of this generation have had such an evil example for decades, with no rebukes coming from the grandmother preachers’ denominations?
It was sad to see the comments asking how to hear God like she does, one woman saying “because for me he has been so quiet”.
Let’s spot the falsities in her speech:
Falsity #1. “Jesus is my romantic boyfriend”. No. John Gacinski on Twitter replied to the person who had posted Cia’s video-
John Gacinski, @johngacinski: “God wants to romanticize your heart” No. Jesus wants us to surrender to Him and serve Him. He wants us to be born again so we can be worthy vessels in His house. He’s not wooing us like some twenty something who’s desperate for a girlfriend. I’m so tired of this “Jesus is my boyfriend/homeboy” trash.
Notice Cia said “I wanted to know what it felt like” not ‘what does the Bible say?’
Falsity #2. “He speaks to me directly.” No. The canon is closed. He spoke through His word as Hebrews 1:1-2 says. Justin Peters has a rebuttal to the ‘still small voice that speaks to me’ error.
Falsity #3. “Prophetic words given directly to me are coming ‘true’. No. Stop looking for signs and omens and back dating what you thought you heard in the ‘voice.’ Just live your daily life according to the word.
Falsity #4. Needing an experience rather than what His word says. The people followed Jesus when He spoke good things, and they clamored for the signs and miracles. But when he spoke hard things, they drifted away. Turns out they were only following Him for a show. The walk of faith begins and ends in the word of God, which will never pass away.
Falsity #5. He pursues with uncertain outcome rather than sovereignly electing (He “wants to win you”). Jesus is not wishing and hoping and wringing His hands hoping you come to faith as He chases you. He elected His people from before the foundation of the world and at the fullness of each elected person’s time, they are given the grace to repent and come to Him. (Ephesians 1:4-6)
This problem of prophetic words, still small voice, romantic boyfriend Jesus issues are not all the wicked grandmothers’ fault. Seminaries are doing their best to pump out women preachers rife with false doctrine. Witness Cia Cloud:
I am sad for her future because she is standing on sand building a house of sand
These nextgen women don’t even hide it anymore, not like the other false female preachers did in the 90s and early 2000s. They are ‘out’ as preachers. Immodest ones, at that. Apparently Cia attended Liberty University.
But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet, says 1 Timothy 2:12. See also 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Ephesians 5:22-24 among other verses that clearly state what the woman and wife should do and not do.
If you have a teen or young adult daughter, I feel for you. Keeping the false doctrines at bay is difficult. Just as you put one doctrinal fire out, another pops up. I want to encourage you moms, grandmoms, young ladies, that if you stay in the word, Jesus will keep you on the center line of his doctrine. Guard your heart, keep your eyes on Jesus, stay in the Word.
Pastor Owen Strachan has some wise advice for women (men too, but I’ll post the women’s here) on what to do and what not to do.
You notice none of those pieces of advice say chase after signs, listen for a small voice, ascend the pulpit to preach, or treat the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE like a wooing, weak boyfriend.
Stay strong, ladies. Jesus will come back and He will raise us up. He will address the false doctrine and the people who promoted it. Meanwhile, be a pillar, upholding His precious true word.
When our sons in their youth are like growing plants, And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace,Psalm 144:12
Reading this by Michael Reeves from his book “What does it mean to fear the Lord?”
That large-heartedness is actually the overflow of a tender-heartedness toward God. It means that those who fear God have to use another much-misunderstood word—a jealousy for God. Such righteous jealousy should not be confused with selfish envy: it is a love that will not let go of the beloved or make do with substitutes. As God the Father is jealous for his beloved Son, and as Christ is jealous for his bride, the church, so too those who fear God find in themselves a loving jealousy for God. Adoring him, they cannot abide his glory being diminished or stolen. False teaching will distress them, not because it contradicts their views but because it impugns him. Self-righteousness becomes loathsome to them because of how it steals from the glory of his grace.
Actress and TV personality Oprah Winfrey was raised in church and knew the Gospel (presumably) but one little word set her off on a trajectory downhill to perdition. She was put off by the verse in Exodus 34:14,
—for you shall not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—”
She didn’t want to follow any God who was jealous of her. She said such a statement didn’t “feel right in my spirit”. She wanted “more than doctrine.”
Isn’t that where it all starts, ‘wanting more’ than the eternal word God already gave? Going on feelings rather than digging in to His word?
Of course Oprah’s is a total misunderstanding of the verse. If only she’d asked the question, ‘what does it MEAN to be a jealous God’ maybe she wouldn’t have made a false god for herself.
But people who are not saved look for reasons NOT to submit to God. They are unwilling to take up their cross. They do not count the cost. They want to retain their pride, or come to God on their own terms. They are stiff-necked with a bias confirmation- they use their weak excuses to confirm that ‘I knew all along God was a fraud.’
But deep down they know the opposite. Romans 1:18-20 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
God is not jealous OF us, He is jealous FOR us. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him not for His benefit, but for ours.
Are you in fellowship with Jesus today? He who put on the flesh of man, came from glory to live the sinless, righteous life we could not? Then die for our sins so as to absorb God’s wrath for the sinful ones like us? This is an incredible thing, the most incredible plan, event, and doctrine in all the universe. Believe it today and repent, casting your sins upon Jesus and asking for forgiveness of them. He will forgive and you will be blessed by the protection of a God who is jealous for you.
That day, I was trying photography from different angles. I give myself challenges. After I downloaded the pics from my experiment I chose this one. It was a big leaf.
The more I looked at it the more I thought about Jonah. How at the end he sat sulkily on the hill in Jonah 4:5-7,
“Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God designated a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah was overjoyed about the plant. 7 But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered.”
And the hole reminded me of the worm God sent eating the plant so it withered.
I was pleased with this thought, because aside from the self-set challenge of photography, I had also challenged myself to think biblically. Seeing and contemplating God in His creation and thinking of biblical scenes as I go about my daily life. I had been too busy and rushed lately, and I realized I’d ended too many days with nary a thought about Jesus.
We are told in Philippians 4:8 that “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
But how? What? Training my mind to align with the Spirit’s desire to think on the true, the noble, and the good took a while. I’m literal and don’t make connections easily. I mean, that when I see a leaf, it’s a leaf.
Resolve to think of Christ during the day. Pray and ask the Spirit to lead you in this. Don’t let the day get away from you without meditating on scripture and applying its righteous net to your mind to screen out the sinful thoughts and capture the good.
Then go a step farther. I was thinking about Jonah and the selfish self was laughing, ‘O that silly Jonah, he wanted bad for God’s people and God was displeased ha ha.’ So now it was time to think of ME, my selfish self. AM I like Jonah? Am I wanting something God would be displeased with? Am I praying errantly like Jonah did? Ask the Spirit to reveal sin in you that you may not have spotted.
Seek the good and the noble and meditate upon those things, and then actively seek to instill Godly desires and repent for the ungodly desires. Think…then act.
First class cabin perks can include many things, not just preferred treatment inside the plane. Travel & Leisure
When you board a plane, you have to walk through first class to get to coach. You squeeze in to tiny seats with fellow humanity. I’ve never flown first class. In my younger days when I used to fly often, I’d think of those travelers in first class that they must be important. Or really rich. Thrifty me saved my money for use in the destination, not for comfort in the travel. They even had a curtain the stewardesses would draw closed so the first class passengers would not have to even see the cattle car behind, lol.
But if I did fly first class, or private jet, it would be my personal decision. Who would care? But! What of those who live on the donations of others? Leaders of a nonprofit ministry? Is it seemly to use ministry money or money from your non-profit to fly private jet? Or first class? What are the ethics of such a decision?
It would depend on their reasons, but mostly, no. It’s not a good look for a leader of a Christian ministry to fly private plane or first class. But more on that below.
Let’s take a look at some Christian (and self-identifying Christian) leaders and their travel modus operandi. They’ve stated their reasons for making the extravagant choice or the frugal choice. What it comes down to is, a question of stewardship (time, love, energy, and money).
When John MacArthur was first starting out as a youth pastor who preached at different youth camps, he drove everywhere. He had decided to take his wife and children with him. This demonstrates both an attitude of shepherding his means wisely, and a priority of family even as the way he provided for them was distant from their home. MacArthur said,
I could take my little family on weekend things that I did, whether it was Campus Crusade, or Youth for Christ, or some conference or some deal here or there. I could take them. And in the summers, we used to go on the conference trek, the camp tour, as a family. And those were wonderful times as family. ~JMacAurthur
After he obtained his current job as pastor-teacher, MacArthur flew to conferences, within the US or outside the US, in coach. Here is a clip of the pastor-teacher relating a scene where he had witnessed to a Muslim on a long flight. It’s heartwarming. THIS is what it’s all about:
As MacArthur entered into his 80s, his heart had been giving him trouble. The church decided to pay for business class (not even first class) for the elderly preacher IF the flight was longer than 3 hours. This is so he could get up and move around. Here is Phil Johnson explaining-
Phil’s explanation of JMac’s travel arrangements: “Contrary to other noisy claims that were made by a certain angry blogger a few years ago, MacArthur doesn’t ALWAYS fly 1st class, but since he almost died of pulmonary embolism a few years ago, it’s not good for him to be immobilized in a middle seat on a long flight. So when we at GTY make his reservations for flights more than 3 hours, we do put him in business class whenever we can so that he can move around and stretch more easily. He’s in his eighties and often has to preach multiple sessions immediately after arrival on an overseas flight. It’s hardly an unreasonable expenditure”.
I agree. It sounds like the GTY Ministry is measured and careful of using the means of the people who donate to support the pastor. And it’s heartening to see that MacArthur uses the time to witness to anyone around him.
Next we have the travel strategy of Carl Hargrove. Carl Hargrove is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministries at The Master’s Seminary. He said when he and his wife travel on a plane, she takes the window seat, he takes the aisle and whoever sits in the middle will receive the Gospel. If a woman, his wife shares, if a man, Carl shares. Tract given. It’s nice to see such careful strategy to make sure The Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20 is adhered to.
screen shot, clip linked below
Next we turn to some others who claim to be Christians but sadly are false. How do Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland, and Beth Moore travel? What is their strategy for witnessing to those around them, reaching the lost for the Gospel when they travel?
Here are Copeland and Duplantis discussing why they need private jets to travel: First of all, flying on one’s own private jet “is a sanctuary that protects the anointing,” they said. Too many people come up to you, too many people ask you to pray for them. Copeland said, “You can’t manage that today in this dope filled world and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons.“
So, they view the lost as dope fiends and demons to be avoided.
Duplantis said that he travels so much that it would be impossible to adhere to regularly scheduled commercial flights. He is always somewhere else on the next day. He needs his private jet so he can get to his next speaking engagement quickly.
By the way, that is one problem with some itinerant preachers. They don’t attend their own church, they are away from their wives and families, and they become an island unto themselves rather than fellowship with the saints. We saw the devastating effect of itinerant preacher Steven Lawson’s travel, picking up a mistress along the way and hiding that fact for 5 years. Being somewhere else the next day allows for a lack of accountability which is harmful to the soul and one’s walk.
Another reason Duplantis said he needs his private plane to travel is that the Lord might spontaneously want to speak to him, and Jesse might want to speak back but the people around him might think he was weird. Copeland agreed, saying, “the guy sitting over there saying what the hell does he think he doing? You can’t do that [stand up and speak to the Lord on the plane], no…“
Beth Moore has flown private plane or first class since the earliest days of her ‘ministry’. When she was aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC arm Lifeway paid for half her travel, and Beth’s Living Proof Ministries paid the other half. Sometimes a plane was provided for the diminutive bumblebee and other times it was in first class on a commercial plane.
President Beth Moore on occasion traveled by private plane to events as the ministry saw necessary. Lifeway, a partnering nonprofit, paid for 50% of the cost of the private plane, and the remaining 50% was paid by Living Proof Ministries. underline mine. LPM 2014 tax return. Open for Public Inspection.
In 2017, Hillsong Conference paid for Moore and her daughter who was also an employee of Living Proof Ministries to fly coach to Australia. Moore used her donors’ ministry money to upgrade to first class for herself and her daughter. Source
Now since Moore’s divorce from SBC/Lifeway, Moore’s ministry pays 100% of her first class travel. Source 2023 Tax return states,
“President Beth Moore on occasion traveled by first class to events as the ministry saw necessary. The cost is non-taxable and approved by the board. Beth Moore’s first class travel is specified in LPM’s Board approved Travel Policy. This policy includes travel options that helps minimized security challenges, along with extra space for in-flight work / teaching preparations.”
So… Beth Moore spends the extra money so she can work in peace. She needs that time to prepare before she gets to the venue. Like a child doing her homework on the bus on the way to school? And yes, those “security challenges” of being with, um, those people in coach, as opposed to the “security challenges” of being with first class folk? People you could pray with and for, people who may be lost and need the Gospel. Beth Moore needs security from that?
As an aside, Moore has always been hyper focused on security. I read of a woman who volunteered to help organize the venue for one of her Live speeches, and the volunteer said that Moore had a cadre of security bouncers around her and would not even let the volunteer through to speak with Moore. In another situation, Christianity Today wanted to interview Moore, but it was hard to get to her, CT said. They had to jump through a lot of hoops. This is from the 2010 article (Christianity Today)-
It was not easy to get there. Just as Moore’s stories are at once personal and private, Moore in person is intensely friendly—and closely protected by assistants who allow very few media interviews. After several interview requests from CT, her assistants allocated one hour to discuss her latest book and ask a few questions about her personal life. Each question had to be submitted and approved beforehand, I was told, or Moore would not do the interview. Follow-up interview requests were declined. I was permitted to see the ground level of her ministry, where workers package and ship study materials. But Moore’s third-floor office, where she writes in the company of her dog, was off limits.
Moore has always closely curated her public persona.
If you have a bad taste in your mouth from hearing of these jetting Christian celebs, it’s not just your imagination. Extravagances such as those are heavily frowned upon in the non-profit world. It’s seen as extravagant and unethical.
[T]he public’s perception of a nonprofit CEO flying first-class could lead to the organization’s integrity to be called into question. Supporters of the nonprofit trust it to use those funds to best support the mission, and many would view this as a breach of that agreement, writes The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.
A nonprofit Christian corporation’s mission is to reach the lost. Deliberately separating from the lost in order to maintain personal comfort is anathema to the Christian non-profit’s mission.
“A non-profit president should typically fly economy class, even if they technically could fly first class, because doing so is considered ethically problematic and goes against the principle of using donor funds responsibly; any decision to fly a higher class would usually need explicit board approval and justification based on specific organizational needs“. Source Ethics and Nonprofits.
When I read about Carl Hargrove and his wife’s travel strategy, it was so heartwarming. It was also heartwarming to see MacArthur’s wise and economical shepherding of his means. It brought tears to my eyes to hear him relate the story of witnessing to the Muslim passenger next to him.
For the Copelands, Duplantis’, and Moores of the world, they are false teachers. The Bible says that false teachers are motivated by greed. We see their greed in pressing their people to donate for a jet, or to use Lifeway money for personal comforts that could have been used for missions.
and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:3).
“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
Rather than make indulgent life choices, we should use our means and resources wisely, and be extra mindful if we are in a position to receive donations and support to be scrupulous in our shepherding of it.
Our school system gives us 2 weeks off at Christmas. it is a just-in-time break. We are exhausted, and the Christmas ramp-up makes the kids extremely excited, which is more exhausting. The 2 weeks gives us a refreshment to enter into the second half of the year with vigor and eagerness.
Two weeks is a long break from work and I’m grateful for it. So what did I do with the time?
Firstly, I am not only grateful for the time off work for personal reasons, but I am grateful for the Lord giving me this job. It is a 190/day a year job. I get to be with children and educate them and I get to have time off. I’ve got 161 days at home throughout the year.
What does the Lord say about managing our time? Ephesians 5:15-16, So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
What does it mean in the verse ‘because the days are evil’? It means that sin abounds. As a result, we are temped with lots of things that divert our attention from God, from serving others in the name of God, and from our own Bible reading and study.
Barnes’ Notes says about redeeming the time:
They redeem their time who employ it: (1) in gaining useful knowledge; (2) in doing good to others; (3) in employing it for the purpose of an honest livelihood for themselves and families; (4) in prayer and self-examination to make the heart better; (5) in seeking salvation, and in endeavoring to do the will of God.
What does the Bible say about single people?
The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:34).
I take that admonition quite seriously. If the Lord graciously gave me work that fulfills me and that I like – and He didn’t have to – then I should use the time when I’m not working to single-mindedly dedicate to Him. Not that I’m not dedicating ALL the time to Him, but you know what I mean. If I am sitting around here in my home, my flesh can easily watch endless reels and videos of kittens, sovereign citizens, design tips and so on. But no. I must resist the fleshly longing to be slothful or wasteful and dedicate the time to using it in ways that employ the spiritual gifts He gave me for His honor and glory.
My goal during this school break was to read 4 books. I accomplished that and read the 4 above. I watched movies such as The Princess Swap, Garage Sale Mysteries, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and the series The Marlow Murder Club (a cosy English mystery). These were all on Hallmark. I cooked, blogged, answered women’s messages and emails of theological questions an encouragement. I went to church, prayed, read the Bible.
I am working to maintain a shepherding mentality- shepherding the time God has given me to use for His glory. Because one day, there will be no more time.
Cain talked to his brother Abel; and it happened that when they were in the field Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis 4:8
Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another child in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” Genesis 4:25.
I’ve often wondered about that first death of a human. How Eve and Adam must have gone looking for Abel their son, finding him dead and bloody on the ground. I wonder how they felt when they learned their other son killed him, and was exiled to live far from them. Adam and Eve lost two sons that day. But that moment when death confronted them in the form of their son Abel, knowing that their disobedience has caused it, added a layer of grief we will never understand.
This painting is called The First Mourning, 1888, By William Bouguereau (1825-1905). As was stated on an art site, “The mourners in the painting don’t make eye contact with the viewer, and the composition is self-contained and intimate. In a barren landscape, Adam and Eve – the first humans – weep for their son Abel. He was slain by his own brother Cain. His body is already pale and bloodless and lies limp in the bosom of his father. The latter is young and strong, has dark hair and a full beard and devotes himself to his wife, who buries her face in her hands in deepest grief. There is no trace of the perpetrator. Only the two sacrificial altars in the background refer to the previous episode.” Source
We are at the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.
The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.
We are coming toward the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.
The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.
We proceeded into looking at Jesus as the Son’s preeminence, His works, and His ministry. Under ministry & works, I chose verses showing His attributes and aspects of being servant, teacher, shepherd, intercessor, and compassionate healer; and His attributes of omniscience, having all authority and power, and sinlessness.
Sixteen years! Next week as of January 9th I’ll have been writing daily on The End Time for 16 years. There are 6,764 essays here. On my other blog The Quiet Life it has been intermittent, but I founded that personal blog 3 years earlier, so, 19 years.
After 2006 other social media came along beyond blogs, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and so on, so I absorbed them into my posting routine too.
The End Time blog is my main ministry though. My goals are to present solid theology, to refer women to credible ministries for further exploration, and to present thoughts about our faith that ultimately exalt and honor Jesus. The public square is marvelous for getting the name of Jesus out there and to share doctrines from a trustworthy source.
When podcasting became a thing I added that to the list. My main goal is to get good theology and resources into the hands of women, many of whom are busy moms. If they can listen to content while driving, cooking, or folding, instead of having to stop to read it, all the better. So The End Time Blog podcast was born.
Spotify keeps an annual analytic they send to creators at the end of the year. This year I stopped in May for a few months as I regrouped from WordPress and Spotify’s divorce, while I looked for another podcast platform to record on. So a good chunk of my analytics were impacted during the pause. Even with not having podcasted for a full quarter, the stats look good. So…thank you!
Apparently according to Spotify’s algorithm I am a Trendsetter personality:
They define the Trendsetter personality this way: “Like a true trendsetter, you have your finger on the pulse, publishing often and keeping it short and sweet. You love sharing your stories with your listeners.” Women have commented to me that they like short podcasts- some because it’s nice to intersperse with others’ longer podcasts, or just because they prefer short for various reasons. Most of my podcasts are under 15 minutes.
New listeners are coming in, so that’s good. Even with not promoting it and having stopped for a few months!
What was my top episode? Well, now there’s a story. If you follow me on Facebook and especially on Twitter you know I post rebuttals, warnings, and frequent criticism of Lori Alexander The Transformed Wife of godlywomanhood (and her husband too). Her ministry is damaging and unbiblical. I like being her gadfly, (to annoy through persistent criticism). I know that criticism is her kryptonite. Husband Ken hates it, too. They are unteachable, arrogant, and have thin skins- not a good look for people claiming to be Christians and teachers of others.
However, Lori has a huge following, I mean it’s near the million mark, so that means her damage goes far. Her false teaching goes far. If even one woman goes away from Lori through anything I post, I will have had a satisfactory day.
THAT’S why I persistently criticize Lori Alexander’s ministry. There are many women out there who think Lori’s output is biblical who would benefit from a wake up warning call, others who are seeking answers to niggling issues that their conscience or Bible study raises about her “teaching” or her behavior, or other ladies who just need confirmation of their own discernment that Lori’s output is not OK.
Other top blogs in 2024 included another discernment essay titled, Beth Moore’s divorced daughter was married this weekend. A consistent top read essay on this site year after year is the one I did comparing two divorces of celebrities in the faith that I wrote in 2016- Summer White and Melissa Moore, titled Two divorce cases: Summer White and Melissa Moore. White is the daughter of theologian James White and Melissa is Beth Moore’s daughter. So it stands to reason that Moore’s daughter’s remarriage this year also garnered a lot of interest.
Inevitably, when I write discerningly about a teacher’s lifestyle or her family I receive lots of comments along the lines of ‘It’s not your business!’ Oh, but it is. If a teacher is teaching publicly in a public ministry, the Bible tells us that their home life, behavior, and character are part of the qualifications for assuming the authority of teaching. (1 Timothy 4:16, Titus 2:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:27, James 1:21-22).
The Alistair Begg issue (when he told a grandma it was OK to attend her gay grandson’s wedding) was also a well-read, top essay this year. So were the perennial top 10 essays I’ve written in the past but always land in the top 10 or 15, about Joyce Meyer and David Jeremiah.
A few non-discernment essays were also in the top 10, such as A Day in the Life of a Shepherd, an essay about the glory, one about the tree of life, and the like.
I’m happy that anyone reads anything I write. Discernment seems to be needed, and since the Spirit gave me that as one of His gifts of the Spirit, I am happy to employ it. I’m not embarrassed by discernment. I’m also happy when a women reads anything else I write about, and I do write about other topics besides discernment, such as natural history, biblical history, people in the faith (in the Bible or outside the Bible).
My personal favorites are the series I published on “A Day on the Life Of…” and the series on “Little Known Bible Characters” especially the one I researched and wrote about Eutychus (the young man who fell out of the window). That was a fun one to look into.
These are the essays I wrote about “A Day in the Life Of”-
A Day in the Life of: Introduction A Day in the Life of: A Professional Mourner A Day in the Life of: A Fisherman A Day in the Life of: A Potter A Day in the Life of: A Scribe A Day in the Life of: A Shepherd A Day in the Life of: A Tanner A Day in the Life of: A Seller of Purple A Day in the Life of A: Concubine A Day in the Life of: A Roman Centurion
The blog and the podcast are small potatoes compared to a lot of others, but I’m content, because this is what the Spirit has ordained. In truth, I’m still working full time and I do not believe I could keep up if the blog and podcast grew more or expanded faster. I’m not on a “speaking circuit”, the podcast is really small, the blog isn’t a brand, it’s not slick, and to younger eyes the graphics may even look uncool. I’m just an old lady who loves her Savior and writes stuff because that is the way I process concepts. It’s all OK.
When a lady messages to me that she has gone away from this or that false teacher, or has grown thanks to the resources I offered, or just enjoys the writing, it is my reward. I’m grateful for another year here at The End Time, and all glory goes to Jesus.
the-end-time.org 