America’s conservative people are suddenly shocked at the moral decay we see all over our country right now.

They are outraged, and they should be.

But I can’t help but ask…

Where have we been? Why did it take something extreme like Covid-19 to wake us up?

Everything that’s going on right now… this isn’t new guys. This agenda has been promoted for years. The spirits at work now are the same ones that have been controlling our media, entertainment and government for a really long time.

And yes, they’ve been slowly taking over the church too.

Why didn’t we see it before?

Why did we wait till our freedom and our children’s lives were at risk to stop turning a blind eye to the evil that has been infiltrating our country, our government, our entertainment, media and sports?

We made no effort to stop it until it permeated every inch of our society. Why?

The even bigger why that I have is this… Why are some Christians still trying to turn a blind eye to it? To the point where we shame other Christians for taking a stand.

(Sean Feucht says the online trolling is coming from mostly Christians.)

Seriously guys, Why?

Netflix is being cancelled by many conservatives right now and they should be.

But guys… Netflix should have been canceled a long time ago.

Yes, they took it to the next level with the ‘cuties’ movie but the majority of their shows before this weren’t exactly Christian material either.

Do we realize that if conservatives had banded together before and took a stand against Netflix, we probably wouldn’t be here now?

Do we realize that our government has been playing us for years?

Covid isn’t the first political scam that they have used to farther their agenda.

If you take a good look at the cold, hard facts of 9/11, it is blindingly obvious that it was not a terrorist attack but probably an inside job.

Where were we?

I’m not entirely sure what my point is here…

Maybe it’s this: Our country and our freedom is being threatened by people with evil intentions.

That is the facts.

I don’t know what exactly their end goal is but I do know that it isn’t what God has in mind for America.

A lot has been exposed this year but I don’t think we’ve yet seen just how deeply this evil agenda runs.

I think ‘cuties’ is mild compared to what these people are capable of.

So, the question is: ‘Are we going to see it, or are we going to continue to ignore it?’

It is time for Christians to take a stand. It is time for Christians to get involved in politics, entertainment and it’s high time we highjack the media and start using their platforms to promote truth.

We have seen the influence that these platforms have. They have people wearing masks and social distancing over a virus that isn’t much worse then the average flu. If it’s even worse at all.

Can you imagine how far we could spread the gospel and how many lives could be impacted positively if we had Christians running these platforms?

It’s time for us to step up and be the voices that are being heard. It’s time to drown out the hopelessness and be the voices of hope.

Sean Feucht’s massive ‘Let us Worship’ events have proven that people are desperate for hope, for worship and for Jesus.

It is time to stop following the world’s ideas and focus on what God is doing in this season.

It is time to be ‘the light of the world.’

I believe with all my heart that God isn’t done with America yet. I believe that what looks like evil taking over is actually revival being ushered in.

Here’s the problem tho…

How will we respond if revival doesn’t look like we think it should?

How will we respond if God does things differently then we expect?

How will we respond when God uses people like Donald Trump, Kanye West and Justen Bieber to bring revival to our land?

I don’t know who God plans on using but I do know that if you read through the Old Testament he often choose people who were far from perfect.

God isn’t looking for perfect people, he’s looking for those who (like David) are ‘men after his own heart.’

Did you know that the Jews were expecting and waiting for a Messiah?

Did you know that many of those same people rejected Jesus?

Why?

I think there’s two main reasons:

1. God didn’t send the Messiah in the way they expected.
2. The Messiah challenged their beliefs and their systems.
   

I believe this is where we are right now.

I believe that revival is coming but it doesn’t look like we expect it too.

I believe that we are seeing the end of church as we know it.

Because when Jesus came to earth, he didn’t come to applaud them on their organization skills or their perfect, smooth flowing systems.

He came to separate good and evil. He came to bring light, deliverance, healing and hope.

Matthew 10:34. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [or bring] peace, but a sword.”

Considering how long the church has not only tolerated but also participated in the evil in our land, I don’t think God is going to applaud our man made systems either.

I think he’s going to bring the church back to his design. A people that is focused more on the heart of the father then on creating a perfect system.

A church that cares more about laying down our lives and about true repentance, then we do about keeping everyone happy.

The question is: are we going to get on board With what God is doing?

Are we willing to lay down our ideas, our wants and our wishes for his will?

Are we willing to be moldable, to be fully surrendered to his plan?

Are we willing to let go of everything we hold dear, for the better life of complete and total surrender to the gospel?

We’ve been with Threshold Church for almost exactly five years.

Since we’ve moved to CA we can no longer be a part of their physical gatherings but Threshold will always hold a special place in our hearts and I thought I’d share about our time spent there.

For us Threshold has been a place of healing, of renewed hope and it’s deepened our understanding of the spiritual realm.

A bit of my story…

At 19 years old I knew that my life held childhood pain that needed to be dealt with.

I went for counseling as this was the only form of ‘sorting out my issues’ that I knew of.

I lasted all of 2 sessions… I wanted answers, solutions and ideas on how to move past it all. I did not want someone looking at me with pity in their eyes while I shared the mucky pain of my past.

(I’m not completely anti-counseling but I think it’s important to recognize that not all counselors are equal)

Plan B involved self help books. I was randomly introduced to the book called ‘D.I.S.C.  Positive Personality Profile.’ I realized for the first time that my personality wasn’t wrong. There is simply different personalities and we aren’t all expected to be the same.

My research led me down the path of learning about psychology which was and still is an interesting study to me since mental illness runs in my family line tracing back many generations.

Yet, it didn’t matter how much I learned, there was still a missing piece that I just couldn’t find.

Then we started attending Threshold Church. We weren’t  going there long before I realized that Jake Kail seemed to have all the answers I couldn’t find.

Deliverance from demons was the missing link.

(Side note: The medical world can diagnose mental illness somewhat accurately but they are not equipped with the right tools to set people completely free.)

My testimony…

During a deliverance service one Sunday I was set free from the spirit of rejection. After the service Jake asked for a show of hands from anyone that felt something physically leave them.

I wasn’t going to raise my hand because I hadn’t actually felt something leave I just knew that it was gone. However I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to raise my hand.

You see, when God does something he does it completely. I was raised to cover my emotions and to ‘look good’ no matter what. Covering up pain, problems and short comings was preferable over admitting to being less then perfect.

I was fine with being set free secretly but raising my hand and admitting that I had a need to be set free was almost impossible. However, I wanted that freedom more then I wanted to look good and as I raised my hand God broke off the ‘fear of man’ that I carried.

I was also set free from anxiety. This was a postpartum thing for me and not something I dealt with on a regular basis. It did however last from my babies’ birth to around their first birthday usually.

I prayed endlessly for freedom from this thing that overwhelmed my mind at times.

On a Saturday night before Threshold’s annual baptism service I felt God say that baptism was my key to freedom in this area.

Again God tends to get to the root of a problem. I avoid the spotlight at all costs. Being front and center is not something I enjoy. To be honest it’s terrifying to me.

I would have preferred a less dramatic approach here but I was pretty desperate to be free as well.

Yet as I stood on the bank of that pond, fear reared it’s ugly head, I felt it’s claws wrap around me, my mind was consumed by chaotic white noise (not sure how else to explain it.) I knew that physically, there was no way, I was going to move myself into that water.

One thought filtered through the noise in my head. “God the only way I can do this is if you silence my fear long enough for me to move from this spot.”

He did. I got baptized and fear/anxiety lost it’s grip on me that day.

Moving forward My life was changed dramatically.

I found it easier to connect with people. I used to leave church or any crowded place with a headache, I found this to no longer be the case. I also no longer dreaded big events with lots of people. Overall I found people less intimidating and for the first time in my life I actually enjoyed being with people that I wasn’t close too.

Steve’s testimony…. (I’m sharing this with his permission. He even got to read it and approve it before I published this.)🙂

Passivity was his biggest struggle.

Would you believe me if I said that we never argued the first couple years of our marriage?

We didn’t. We both tend to avoid conflict but the main problem was he always just kinda nodded and agreed with anything I said.

You might be thinking that not arguing is a good thing but the truth is, if there is no passion there is also no emotional intimacy,

This frustrated me to no end and I know I told him more then once in an irritated tone.😬 “Don’t just agree with me, I want to know what you think!”

Long story short… he went up for prayer at church one Sunday (also a deliverance service) and got set free from some things.

Imagine my surprise soon after that when he actually told me that he disagrees with my opinion.

My face:😳

It’s been a journey but these days we can actually passionately discuss things and he tells me when he doesn’t agree with something I say or do or even the way I navigate situations with the kids sometimes.

I no longer feel like I’m trying to navigate our marriage, parenting and our life decisions by myself.

To be honest it took some getting used to on my part.🙃 But it is absolutely amazing and I have no desire to go back in time.

P.S we still don’t argue but we do disagree at times.😜

The conclusion: I’ve seen and heard Threshold Church and it’s leadership be attacked on many occasions. Sadly it comes from professing Christians every single time.

Threshold isn’t perfect but they have taken a stand against lukewarm Christianity. They are Holy Spirit led. They do not tolerate or sugar coat sin, they call it what it is.

At Threshold, people find spiritual freedom and answers to life problems that you can’t find just anywhere.

Threshold church does not cater to those who desire to be placated or to live out only parts of the Christian life.

Again Threshold isn’t perfect. But they have set a high standard of laying down your life for the gospel, and this is the reason that they have been slandered relentlessly by those who want comfortable instead of growth.

I also want to mention a couple people from Threshold who have either knowingly or unknowingly influenced our lives.

• Jake & Anna Kail… You both speak truth despite the backlash. Your ministry brings freedom to probably more people then you will ever know. Blessings to you guys!

• Dale and Barbara Works… You spend so much time praying for so many people. You are truly a gift to many of us as you listen to our stories, direct us to be led by the Holy Spirit while also inserting words of wisdom. We are honored to have the privilege of knowing you guys.

•Peter & Laura Andrews… You live a life that is so obviously surrendered to the Lord. The way you parent, the way you serve and simply the way you navigate life has been an inspiration to us.

• Helen Doolittle and Steph King… Because of the time and energy you two put in, Threshold is blessed with a kid’s ministry that is intentional about connecting our kids to the heart of the father. We appreciate you both.

• There is many more people worth mentioning but for the sake of space here, please know that we valued the friendships we formed and we love each one of you that touched our lives while we were there.

I’m excited to see where God takes Threshold in the future!

And if you want to walk in greater freedom, Threshold leadership has the resources to help you.

I will leave you with this quote from Kris Valloton:

”In this day and age, you can do just about anything and still be called a christian but you can’t do a lot of those things if you want to be called a follower of Jesus.”

 

 

Personalities have fascinated me for a long time.

No two people are exactly alike and I’ve often wondered how God doesn’t run out of new designs. 🤓

Myles’ personality is a lot like Kenzie’s but he adds his own spice too it.

We laugh at his antics probably more then we should but how not to?🤦‍♀️

Here’s some Myles stories for you…

1. We got back from dropping Kenzie off at school.

Kyna promptly jumped out of the car and ran off to better things.

I was collecting all our junk from the car before unbuckling Myles.

I guess it was taking too long because he starts mumbling from the back seat, “Uh, a little help here.”

2. I was in the kitchen, making a smoothie when Myles came along.
He eyed the banana in my hand and said, “I want some!”

Me: “No, Myles, we’re going to eat supper soon.”

He put on his fiercest face, raised his fisted hands in the air and declared, “I’m gonna use my superpowers!”

“Sorry buddy, I do not feel threatened… yet.”🤨

3.  Myles is often the odd one out, as his two older siblings are more on the same level with their play and Myles is the more destructive one when it comes to their shaky creations that have no solid foundations.

So, they aren’t always kind with their words and actions when he knocks down yet another ‘building.’

My goal is for them to understand how their words and actions affect the person they’re directed at.

So, I have been known to say things like,”Look at Myles eyes, it hurts his heart when you talk to him like that.”

This is probably why, when Checkers used his ‘you need to listen voice’ one night, that Myles replied, “Daddy! You hurt my heart!” 🤦‍♀️🙃

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with as he gets older.

I think.😅

In September 2014 we did a DTS. The theme was ‘Unswerving Hope and Reckless Surender.’

We have made it our life goal to live by those words.

The gospel is a story of hope. Any situation, yes, even the Covid pandemic, can be seen with hope of better things to come if we focus on Christ. If the situation is bringing despair and hopelessness to your life then you’re probably focused on what the devil is trying to accomplish instead of what God is doing.

Reckless Surender. I included the definition of reckless here because it’s a word I’d rather not identify with but in this context it is fitting.

 

I wasn’t serious. Like not at all. But Checkers was all in and he convinced me to actually consider it while he listed all the pros:

• We have a place to sleep on the way out and won’t have to spend on motel rooms.

• We can rent a long term campsite for $550 a month, utilities included instead of spending $1200 on a mortgage, utilities not included.

• This takes care of the second vehicle we need and were going to buy out there.

• our long term plan is for Checkers to start his own business, this way we can save more towards that plus he already has the truck he’ll need.

• There is a lot of land for $30-$40 thousand out there with sewer and water hook ups but no buildings, due to the fires that went through a couple years ago. We could buy one of these and park our camper on it now and eventually build on it.

• We can then rent out our camp as a rental for BSSM students or air BNB.

• Or we could rent out our camper, probably year around, because it’s a camping kind of area.

•And we can go camping or sightseeing along the west coast often if we own a camper.

Honestly, if we keep our living costs this low for awhile, the possibilities are endless.

And that is why we ended up with a camper that is currently being renovated and why we plan on living in it for a year or so.

That’s our plan

The truth is though, I have no idea what God’s plan is, but I do know that is plan has proven to be superior to ours every single time.

Let the adventures begin continue.😎

Camper renovation pictures: (before and after)

 

 

I’m here (on my blog) because I have a lot I would like to say but will not say, because I refuse to be the person that argues or slams others on FB.

My blog, however, is my space. Because you don’t need to read them if you don’t like my opinions. Still, even here it is my goal to be respectful, considerate and open minded while sharing my view and opinions.

However, it doesn’t seem to matter how much I word and reword something, it doesn’t matter how much I tone it down or how many things I don’t say that I would like to say, it seems people still end up offended, or read things into what I said that honestly never even crossed my mind.

When I blog I often feel like it isn’t possible to fit my entire perspective into 1500 words or less. There is angles I leave uncovered and arguments that I leave unsaid.

Why?

Because its a blog, not a book.

How much more true is all that👆 When people squeeze their opinion in a 20 or 30 word FB comment?

And yet, we read that tiny snippet of someone’s opinion and then we roast them with ours.

There’s a lot they didn’t say but we fill in the blanks with how we assume they meant it. We judge their motives, we judge their situation and we are fully and completely convinced that we know exactly what kind of ‘off track idiot’ they are and yet we have never even met them in person.

And sometimes we do know them in person but we slam them from behind a screen with words we would never use to their face.

I don’t like confrontation. So much so that I used to avoid it at cost. After all Matthew 5:9 says: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Then a friend pointed out that it says peace makers not peace keepers.

A peace keeper will avoid conflict, will avoid the problems and issues that lay beneath the surface in order to maintain an artificial form of peace.

A peace maker will strive to get rid of everything that stands in the way of the genuine peace of God. Yes, the process doesn’t look peaceful but the end results equals peace made.

That is why I don’t believe Christians are supposed to stay silent when Things like this pandemic happen.

This battle is spiritual. If the Christian stays silent, won’t evil win?

That is why I think Christians should use social media, because again if we stay silent on social media, are we not leaving a massive social influencing site to be run by evil agendas?

Pennsylvania is in the midst of a major mask debate. The people that would like to go mask free are losing. I don’t think it’s because there’s less of us, I think it’s because most of us are “peacekeeping Christians“ and the mask wearers seem to be largely liberals.

And in case u didn’t notice liberals fight for what they want. They get loud.

Just to be clear. I do not agree with their strategies nor do I recommend for anyone to follow their examples.

However, I would like to point out that taking action gets results while staying silent gives the impression of submission.

I think we need to take action. That we need to speak up.

There’s such a fine line here though.

There’s quite a few people that I follow and I love their passion, I agree with most of what they say but then they use sentences like “if you can’t see this or that, then you are part of the problem!” Or “wake up!” Or “every pastor needs to open their churches now!”

Basically, what those sentences are saying is that if you don’t believe exactly as I do then you’re wrong!

This isn’t going to help anyone nor will it change anyone’s mind.

Not to mention it doesn’t sound much different then people proclaiming: “if you don’t wear a mask, you must not care about anyone but yourself.”

Also, engaging in lengthy, hateful FB debates will not change anyone’s opinions.

I can’t say that I know exactly how it should be done but I do know that there is people that manage to accomplish it.

Here’s some things that I try to keep in mind while on FB…

1. Am I leaving room for other people’s opinions Or am I bulldozing them with my own?

2. Is it true, or am I spreading information that might be incorrect?

3. I will not try to be politically correct because I believe this interferes with the work of the Holy Spirit.

4. If it’s a subject (like masks) that the Bible gives no clear direction on one way or another then my opinion isn’t the only one that’s right.

5. Am I assuming I know someone’s entire life just because of one comment they made?

I have made social media mistakes. There is definitely no ‘one size fits all’ and I am far from a pro at all of this.

I do know though that the liberal agenda on FB is exhausting.

They don’t seem to care about the truth but only about everyone doing things the way they think it should be done.

Here’s some questions I would love to have answers to…

1. Why is it ok for people to believe that masks should be mandatory but unacceptable for people to think it should be a personal choice?

2. Why is it considered racist to say all lives matter, but it is not racist to say there’s such a thing as ‘white privilege?’ Go find the definition of racism.

3. Why is ok to say that covid-19 is an extremely dangerous virus even though the survival rate is over 99% but it’s not ok to say that this is obviously about more then a virus.

4. Why is it ok to shut down someone’s business that might only serve a hundred customers a day but it’s not ok to expect box stores like Costco who serves hundreds of customers a day to shut down. If this is about stopping the spread shouldn’t we spread the people out rather then sending them all to the same store?

5. Why is it ok to trust the government without a second thought but it’s not ok to question their inconsistent actions?

6. Why is ok to say that masks work when even the box you buy them in clearly says they don’t but it’s not ok to say that they don’t work even though the box clearly says they don’t?

7. Why do some people get to have an opinion while others are expected to stay quiet?

8. Why is ok to riot and cause mass destruction To other people’s properties but it’s not ok to defend your own property?

9. Why is it ok to gather a large crowd to riot but not ok to go to church?

10. Why is it ok to ignore the facts that are very clearly evident but not ok to ignore the government?

11. Why is it ok to hear only what we want to hear but not ok to speak the truth?

12. Why is it ok to abort babies and run a huge trafficking organization but considered unloving to open legitimate businesses.

13. Why is ok to be concerned about people dying from covid when that’s barely even happening anymore but not ok to be concerned about people committing suicide due to covid restrictions when this is still happening?

I could go on but let me share this quote I read recently instead…

When evil is tolerated, it becomes normal.

When evil is normal, it becomes acceptable.

When evil is accepted, it will be promoted.

When evil is promoted, it becomes a way of life.

Once evil becomes a way of life, evil is called good and good is called evil.

(Pretty sure I butchered that one a bit, but it went something like that.)

Why guys? Why is it ok to bash every single person on FB that we disagree with but not ok have an opinion of our own?

We would like to blame Tom Wolf for being a tyrant and for government overreach (which is all very true) but the truth is… it’s not Wolf that’s hurting the people.

It’s us. We’re hurting ourselves.

We’re hurting ourselves by ignoring the facts and the truth. We are allowing ourselves to be dictated.

Do you realize that if each person minded their own business and took care of themselves and their own health rather then putting that responsibility on the people around them Wolf would be powerless?

If we took responsibility for ourselves rather then ratting out other people and trying to tell them how to live their lives, we wouldn’t  even have a problem right now.

Yes, ultimately this all falls back on Wolf and his actions but there is a chain of command and if each person would step up and refuse to promote unconstitutional orders, Wolf would have no power.

Dare to take a stand against political correctness guys, dare to seek the truth, dare to take a stand against entitlement, dare to go against the opinions of others.

Refuse to carry the blame that they try to dump on you when you don’t fall for their manipulation. It isn’t yours to carry.

Because, I can promise you, you will never get it right for this kind of spirit. They ask and we give but then they ask for more, so we give more, yet they will demand even more and will never be satisfied.

Because no matter what they say…

You are not the problem.

They are.

 

 

Three months ago Chester County was put under the stay at home order.

We live in Chester county and were one of the first counties under lockdown.

My reaction was one of frustration, irritation, annoyance and probably every other emotion that isn’t good.

Checkers called me out. “It’s called fear, Grace.” He said.

I almost shifted my angry emotions from Wolf to him, but I knew he was right.

I wasn’t afraid of the virus, but I am terrified of being controlled.

Fear was the first tactic used through this pandemic. Fear spread Like wildfire and it was promoted by the media, because fear will stop people in their tracks. Fear will turn a bold person into frozen statue. Fear will cause you to look for safety. Which the government proclaimed they were ready to provide. (See How That all worked in their favor?)

Tom Wolf’s actions were a trigger for me, I was well aware of that from the beginning.

If you’ve been under the influence of a spirit you will recognize it subconsciously before you can even put into words what you’re feeling.

You see, there was a time in my life when I was controlled. Manipulated. Not allowed to form my own opinions. Expected to obey and conform with no room to think and act for myself.

On the other side of that I can tell you that giving up my freedom for safety is not worth it.

I would rather face a virus with a 100% death rate then live under someone else’s idea of what is best for my life.

Death is safer then being controlled. I am sure of that.

That is why we never followed the stay home mandate. We didn’t go to church since it was closed but other then that our life went on pretty much as normal. We respected those who were following the stay home orders but other then that we visited who we wanted, when we wanted.

In case you’re wondering… no, I never felt guilty for ignoring the governor’s orders.

Why not?

Because, I’m a rule follower by nature. I don’t have a problem with authority figures who lead fairly.

However, I have a major problem with authority figures who abuse their power, who control, manipulate and dominate instead of leading.

I honestly don’t think the government should at any time have the right to tell people they have to close their businesses and stay home.

I think it should be my risk to take. Close my business on my own, or take my chances of catching this virus. My life, my choice.

This is where the manipulation started. (You see, fear lost its power eventually so a new tactic was needed.)

“It’s not that we think a lot of people will die from the virus, we are afraid of hospitals being overwhelmed.” They said.

This statement is manipulative because it’s basically saying that if you care about anyone but yourself you will do as I say. (Again, I’ve been there, done that. Unconstitutional, abusive orders do not need to be followed.)

Also… I would say Trump proved, by bringing in hospital ships, that hospitals were not going to be overwhelmed right away.

“My mask protects you, your mask protects me.”

”You care more about your business then you do about people dying.”

”Stay home or people will die.”

Those are just a few of the many manipulative comments that have been used throughout this whole thing.

For the most part I think most of this goes back to Wolf.

He knows that most people are more concerned about keeping their businesses afloat then they are at staying physically safe from a virus.

So he turned the whole thing around and said if you care about the people around you, you will willingly suffer. Willingly lose your business. Willingly be unable to afford to feed your family. (Because we’ve got to be loving, right?)

I’m sorry guys but it just doesn’t work that way.

Even the airlines tell you in case of an emergency always put on your own mask first before helping others.

Why? Because you will help people better if you yourself have enough oxygen. If you run out of oxygen you and all the people you could have helped will die.

If you want to help others, you must first help yourself.

I believe we’ve seen more damage done to PA in the form of suicides, drug abuse, depression, business closures and what not then we would have seen Covid deaths if we had never shut anything down.

But… that’s just my opinion and there is really no way to test my theory.

This spirit will stop at nothing.

Once people saw through the manipulation, it brought out the ‘you’re an egotistical idiot’ tactic.

Do you really think you know better then the experts?! The experts always know better then the common people. There is a reason they’re called experts!” (Actually, in the case of Covid it seems they don’t.)

Again, people eventually see it for what it is, but keep in mind this spirit never loses. It’s next tactic is to a complete 180.

Like starting riots all over America, and we’re over here like wait… weren’t we talking about a virus?! And just like that you find yourself being called a racist for being worried about a virus when there is obviously a much bigger issue.

Do you see what just happened there? You are suddenly being accused as the one responsible for promoting a virus that 2 seconds ago you were fighting against.

This spirit is entitled and it hates unity. It’s ultimate goal is cause division amongst people. And it NEVER admits defeat.

Once it’s fully backed into a corner, it changes tactics. It shifts blame from itself to others. It changes colors, personalities and does whatever it has to do to come out on top.

But it never, ever admits defeat. It never admits to being wrong.

If it does admit to being wrong, it will still point its finger at someone else, such as: ‘Yes, I messed up but it was because you gave me inaccurate information!’

This spirit leaves under one and only one condition.

That condition is called true repentance.

Feel good apologies, finding loopholes rather then admitting actual fault, blame shifting, and more are all permission slips for this spirit to stay.

It is powerful, it is deadly and currently I’d say it has a massive grip on our country.

Nope, I don’t know how to fully get rid of this spirit when it’s running rampant in a country.

I do know that since it’s a principality and not a demon it cannot be cast out. I also know that if you give it no voice in your life it will be subdued, but without complete and total repentance it will never be fully gone.

Again, I don’t know how to take America back from the grips of this Spirit, but I do know that it cannot coexist with the Holy Spirit.

So, maybe we can override it with prayer. I think it would be amazing to see 24/7 prayer at the capitals of every single state.

I don’t have any ideas on how to actually accomplish that though.

The political fight for our country is very real but I think if we win the spiritual fight the rest will all fall into place.

As Trump says: Make America great again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ago I knew nothing about politics.

Three months ago I had no interest in politics.

Today, I’m considering running for PA governor because it is my opinion that even an undereducated, ex-Amish person could do a better job then Tom Wolf. Common sense would have went a long way.

(Ok, that was a stretch. I have no desire to be governor.)😳

Phase 1.

When coronavirus first made its appearance, I thought it was the craziest thing anyone ever came up with. A random virus from China didn’t freak me out nor was I convinced that it was going to effect my life.

I ignored it. (Oh, the ignorance)🤦‍♀️

Phase 2.

I realized that people are actually freaking out about this thing. Ok. I can play this game. At market we started sanitizing everything and wearing an excessive amount of gloves. You know, make it look like we were keeping corona at bay.

Phase 3.

Tom Wolf started shutting everything down. Now I’m starting to freak out. Not because of Covid but because my safe uneducated life, my income and my freedom were at risk.

That is when I decided I should learn about politics because if the left can chant ‘my body, my choice’ when it comes to abortions, why can I not use the same phrase when it comes to covid?

What I learned…

(The American government system is a complex thing. I think I understand this all correctly but there is so many variables to each bill, resolution or law that it is almost impossible to exhaust all angles or find consistent, correct information.)

Also you know it’s bad when even the members of Congress don’t always agree on the process of everything.

Here’s what I’ve got…

We the people of America govern ourselves. We are supposed to be the voice behind who is elected into the government. We are supposed to have a voice in the laws that are passed. We do NOT work for the government, the government works for us.

If we don’t like the laws that have been put in place we have no one to blame but ourselves because we turned a blind eye to what was happening in the political world. We tend to complain about these laws once they are in effect but we don’t use the voice that we do have while these laws are still in the debating process. 

How to be heard:

There is 3 branches to America’s government.

Executive: this is the President and his people. Judicial: this the Supreme Court and lower courts. I know very little about these two branches.

Legislative: this is the House of Representatives and the Senate. This is the one I studied the most and this is the one that is supposed to speak for the people.

I’m not entirely sure exactly what all each one does, but the House of representatives are the ones that create bills which then go through a a couple committees and must be passed by majority vote in the house and the senate. It then goes to the president who will either veto it or sign it into law.

This all gets slightly confusing but I think for individual state laws it goes to the governor to be signed or vetoed.

The House of Representatives also represent the people. Each state is split into districts and each district is assigned a representative, this representative is responsible to listen to what the people as a whole are saying and move or vote as the people want. Again, the government was set up to work for the people.

If you go to House.gov you can put in your area code and it will then pull up your state rep. You can email, call or meet these people in person and have your opinion on what’s happening in your state be heard.

If u want to know what bills are currently in the process of possibly becoming law go to govtrack.us. This is the best website I’ve found so far but there might be better ones.

Harrisburg at work…

I have been fascinated by the political process of dealing with Wolf’s emergency shut down.

From our point of view it looked as if we were all just sitting around waiting for Wolf to set us free, but this is not the case.

Our republican state reps and senators were fighting for our freedom daily.

You can watch the house sessions live at live.house.gov.

You can watch the senate sessions live at senate.gov.

On either one of those websites you’ll need to find the camera icon or link that will take you to the livestream.

About two or three weeks into governor Wolf’s emergency shut down orders, PA state rep Russ Diamond introduced House resolution 836. This would end Wolf’s shut down orders immediately if passed in both the house and senate.

I have no idea what took this thing so long to progress but it finally passed and became active last night (June 9th.)

The battle our republican reps and senators fought to make this happen was pretty insane. About two weeks ago it finally went to the house and was debated pretty much all afternoon. The start time was moved back by an hour or more because of the heated debate between the democrat and republican parties.

Around 9:00 PM they finally took it to the house floor and spent another two and a half hours debating it before they finally passed it at like 11:30 at night.

Two weeks later (yesterday) the senate debated this thing on the senate floor for another 3 or 4 hours before they finally passed it. Again this lasted until like 8 PM, I think.

My point is our republican reps and senators have put in an insane amount of brain power and time in order to bring freedom back to PA.

They tried to pass a bill that would allow multiple businesses to get back to work but wolf vetoed it.

They then took businesses one at a time and tried to make a way for them to get back to work.

Most times these passed in the house and the senate only to be vetoed by Wolf.

It was a slow progress but they were slowly getting somewhere because occasionally Wolf would sign off on something. Construction, real estate and auto dealerships are a few that were opened.

Here’s the scary part. The voting every single time was split almost perfectly down party lines. One of the few things PA had going for them the last couple months is the fact that in both the house and senate the majority is republican. (I think I have that right.)

Overtime, though, the democrats were slowly switching sides and in last night’s vote there was roughly 10 house and like 2 senate democrats that voted affirmative to pass HR836. (My numbers there are on shaky ground)

What we can do…

Vote. Not just for the president but for every single election that effects you and your area.

Contact your state rep and let yourself be heard on every bill might effect you or your children.

Know what’s happening in the political world because I’m pretty sure most of us were rudely awoken when covid came knocking.

Covid really was a good thing though, because if it hadn’t shown up we might have been led blindly into a democratic ruled country and I think they have made it extremely clear by now that once they are the majority even the constitution will crumble and become useless under their rule.

If we want our children and grandchildren to live in a free America, I think we need to wake up and become the leading voices in this nation rather the rolling our eyes at the terrible job the left is doing.

Be the change you want to see.

 

Let me just say again…

Facebook is an interesting place these days.

There is a lot of differing opinions, and some of them you can’t really label as right or wrong.

They are simply different. 

I might not agree with some of the opinions out there and they might even be completely contradictory to mine but still, I can’t necessarily declare that their opinion is wrong.

Here’s an example:

Romans 13 has been quoted by more then one person through this pandemic and the opinion with it says that we should do exactly what Wolf says. This has come from people who I highly respect and have great relationships with.

My opinion is that we can respect Wolf without falling prey to his unconstitutional demands.

Still, who am I to say I’m right and they’re wrong?

Another example:

Masks.

Fauchi himself said that masks are not helpful against Coronavirus. A lot of doctors are speaking up saying they are actually harmful.

I’ve taken this subject to trial in my head and the truth is, I don’t believe there to be a right or wrong side.

I can tell you that if my business was fully my own, we wouldn’t be wearing masks.

On the other hand… I tried it at market one day, we made it about halfway through the day before the market manager told us we need to wear them.

Again, this is a person I have a great relationship with. She goes above and beyond to stay on top of bad reviews, customer complaints etc. She, like the rest of us, is navigating a situation she has no experience or training in.

Who am I to make her job harder?

Here’s the thing though…

Masks is not my fight.

It’s not mine, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t yours.

And if it is yours, I’m applauding the stand you’re taking.

We are all called to something.

If you don’t know what that is just ask yourself what makes your blood boil, what subject do you know from the inside out, what thing will you argue about even if you’re normally not an outspoken person. What is the thing that you will stand for or against no matter the cost?

That, my friend, is your calling.

We will be the most effective if we operate in the field God has called us too.

This doesn’t give us a free pass to turn a blind eye to things we don’t want to know or see, nor does it give us the right to say: “I’m gonna ignore that because I’m not called to it.”

It does, however, give us the right to say, that’s not my fight but I will support you while you go to battle.

You see, this is where the problem starts. Neither side, here, is understanding of the other person’s perspective.

Instead of supporting each other we roll our eyes and mutter: ‘Seriously, your perspective is messed up!’

How can we be so sure tho? Who are we to say that God should speak to everyone the way he speaks to me? Maybe they heard from God just as clearly as we did.

You see, God sees the whole picture but we only see the part he gave us to play.

On the other hand… we don’t seem to understand that not everyone is as passionate or called to the same thing we are. Instead we bulldoze them with our opinions and if they’re still not convinced we question their morals and intelligence. (🙋🏼‍♀️Guilty but working on it.)🙈

Guys. We’ve got to figure out how to stand up for what we believe in without making it personal. We’ve got to start taking steps to change the law of the land (literally) instead of attacking the little people (who have no control over said issue) just because they don’t agree with us.

Side note: the democrats didn’t get to the place of power that they have right now by sitting on the sidelines talking about their problems. They took action. Think about that. We live in the same country. We have the same laws. The difference is they utilized  the power they did have and managed to expand it from there. Are we going to do the same?

Here’s some perspective…

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11

He gave to the church…

• apostles

• prophets

• evangelists

• pastors

• teachers

When it comes to a situation like Covid-19 each one of those listed above will respond differently.

The apostle will see an opportunity. He’ll ask: “How can we use this to farther God’s kingdom, to bring Heaven to earth?

The Prophet will ask: “What does God have to say through all this? What is his plan?”

The Evangelist will notice the hopelessness of the unsaved and his question will be: “How can I reach the lost and the hopeless through all this?”

The Pastor will think of the church and ask: “How can I continue to meet the needs of my church through this time?”

The Teacher… the truth is I’m not sure exactly what makes the teacher tick, but I’m pretty sure they have their own views as well.

If you read through that 👆 you will see that it would be easy for the pastor to say that: now is not the time to focus on outsiders or new ideas, but rather we must focus on leading the congregation through this time.

The evangelist could argue that the churchgoers already know Jesus and have hope but the lost have nothing so we must reach them!

While The Prophet might say: Hold up, we gotta hear from God!

And the apostle might be proclaiming: Guys we cannot miss this opportunity!

If you think about it… None of those are wrong and if they all work together, every angle will be covered.

However, if they all think they’re the only ones that have the correct answer they will have nothing but complete chaos.

I believe that we are in that exact place.

Our job is to fight the fight and do the job that God has given us, while simultaneously supporting the people around us in the task or battles that God has asked them accomplish and fight.

We would do well to recognize that if God has called us to different things, every angle and problem will be covered. However, if we waste our time criticizing our neighbor because they were given a different task then we were, then not only are we hindering the progress of those around us but we are also failing at getting our job done.

Can we offer grace to each other?

God gives it to us freely, even though we are undeserving.

Can we do the same for the people around us? Can we recognize that we are all first timers in navigating this situation and allow each other some room to make mistakes?

P.S. Grace is not a free pass to act like a crazy person tho.🤨🙃

 

 

If google doesn’t know, then we’ve got a problem.

And I’m here to tell you that google doesn’t understand politics. (I’m thinking it mighta caught Covid)

Translation: We’ve got a problem.

Guys. The American people know so little about our government system that you can’t even find sensible information about it on google.

This. Is. A. Problem.

Because if google doesn’t know, then how am I supposed to learn?!😳🤷‍♀️

Google knows that there’s a difference between bills and resolutions but it does not seem to know exactly what that difference is.

Google also doesn’t seem to know if the steps to  pass a resolution are the same or different as those needed to pass a bill.

Google doesn’t seem to know how they determine if a bill goes to the governor or to the president.

Google doesn’t seem to know which bills or resolutions pass by majority vote and which ones need at least two thirds of the votes before they pass.

Right now they’re working on passing a resolution that would override Wolf’s ‘State of Emergency’ order. If I understand it correctly, if this gets passed, PA would be fully open within 2 days.

The problem is… I’m not sure if I understand everything correctly and google is not helping me!

It doesn’t know how many steps this thing has to pass before it becomes a legitimate thing.

It doesn’t know if it passes by majority vote or if it needs two thirds of the votes.

It doesn’t know if it’s active as soon as it passes the house and senate or if it needs to be signed off on by some higher up person and if it does… google is even more clueless as to who that higher up person might be.

It is every bit as confused as I am as to why this resolution was introduced to ‘some committee with a long name’ at the beginning of April already but it took a whole month for this committee to finally vote on it. (It passed, now it was sent to PA house and they’re gonna vote on it but google doesn’t know when.)🤦‍♀️

Google doesn’t even know if Wolf has a chance to veto this or if it will go over his head.

GOOGLE HAS NO CLUE!

So basically I have no clue either. (Might be the hardest thing I ever admitted too.)

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement because google has never before let me down.

In case you’re wondering this thing is called ‘House Resolution 836’ 

Google It.

That way me, you and google can be confused together.

Neither Kenz nor Kyna like bugs, so if there’s a bug in their room they have a meltdown till someone removes it.

Eventually I got tired of the drama and told them they have 2 choices: keep the bug in their room or figure out how to get it out.

Well, they found a removal solution.

Myles.

He doesn’t need a tissue, a dustpan or anything. He simply picks it up with his bare fingers (dead or alive) and takes it to the trash.

This was all working out fine till he discovered that forgetting about the trash can and taking the bug back to wherever they are playing is much more entertaining!

Kenzie let’s out a loud yelp, “Myles! Take it to the trash right now!”

Kyna joins the frenzy, “No Myles! No Myles! No Myles!”

There is hollering, there is jumping, there is running. I can’t see them but it sounds quite entertaining.

I hear Myles giggling throughout the entire spiel before he finally runs out the hallway with a big grin and drops the bug in the trash.

🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂