Wow. So much being stirred up in me today! It's hard to know where to begin. As usual, Facebook posts and things I've heard over the radio have me needing to write like crazy. But how to bring it all together?...
I finished reading a blog post this morning about end times prophecy, basically, and one of the YouTube videos posted dealt with this...meteor?? that is supposedly going to hit the Earth (according to the guy who made the video). This meteor will apparently not be part of the Tribulation period, but will be a sign of God's judgement on us, telling us to turn back to him. Scripture out of the book of Daniel was used to back it up. Do I believe this? I think it's possible, but that those who have "grafted into the Olive Tree," need not fear. Trust in God, and know that He is your hope, always. This is the most important thing we can do. I also think that whether this happens or not, the world is talking endlessly about preparing for disaster. People are saying: Stock up on food and water. They're also saying martial law is coming to take over, and people will be taken from their homes. Just do a general YouTube search, you'll find it.
So, a few things...first of all, if people are just making it month to month, like most folks are, how are they supposed to afford all this extra food and water? Secondly, if we are taken from our homes, or asked to leave, how is all that extra food and water we stored at home going to help us? Thirdly (for those of us able to afford guns) since each one of them must be registered, how are we supposed to get our hands on one that is not registered so it can't be tracked? Seriously...I mean, there's a lot of talk out there about everyone being required to turn over their firearms, right? Yes. So it would seem to me that if you're "caught" with guns that are not registered, in the eyes of the law, you now have them illegally and you can then be arrested, I would guess. Do I think this is right, or fair? No, because our constitution states that we have right to bear arms. In other words, we have the right to protect ourselves. I believe we are slowly being stripped of that right, which is horrible, I think, and I read just last week that IF someone does show up at your home, and want you to leave, under no circumstances whatsoever are you to go with them, or let them take you somewhere else. Agreed...but with no way of protecting ourselves (if worst comes to worst), when "they" have the uniforms and the guns, and we don't...how do we keep this from happening?
People believe we are in the last of the Last Days, and I agree with them, I must admit. Severe earthquakes, diverse weather conditions, spiritual awakening like never before coupled with darkness like never before...it's all foretold in scripture, and here, we seem to be right in the middle o it. I remember when Hurricane Katrina hit...how unprepared people were for the disaster. People who were forced out of their homes suddenly had no time at all to "gather" anything, like extra food, water, clothes, important papers or documents, family photos...nothing. In most cases, these were all things that folks had prepared for ahead of time; but with not even time to respond, those preparations were not of any use.
So, I say, stay informed on what's going out there sure, but get your news from more then just the mainstream media simply so you have other perspectives, stock up because this is good planing in general, and it also might help others too...not just because you believe it's your only option and it's being done out of fear. Be generous because the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. "watch therefore, for you know not the day or the hour.". No, but we CAN know the SEASON in which these things take place, and remember, when the scripture says (beware), for you know not...He's speaking to those who have not prepared their HEARTS to meet the Lord. He's speaking to those who are the FOOLISH virgins...not the WISE ones! Remember the parable? In other words, the WISE virgins CAN and will know the SEASON in which these things take place...because they are the ones who have taken the time to "gather enough oil" in order to "keep their lamps burning" so they are ready when their Bridegroom comes to get them. Perhaps this should even be a post for one of my other blogs, called "What is this Crazy Faith" too. But my advice to anyone afraid of living in these last days would be: "Fear not.". Live it up...live each day like it's your last because we serve a FAITHFUL God...not because your fearful. Go ahead and stock up on whatever you need to, but then, pass it around...give to those in need. Help someone who's struggling. I would also encourage you to remember that we DO have an enemy out there, and his goal is to steal, kill and destroy. This is helpful to keep in mind when scary things do happen, because our enemy might win the battle...but he will not win the WAR.
In other news, I love Mayam Bialik's blog and I've written about it before. Yesterday, she posted about a woman who took her family on a journey to stop eating meat. Bialik said that she's wished this lady would've talked to her, because there are a lot of other reasons to not eat meat besides avoiding hot dogs. "Yes, I thought...but this is a really GOOD start!". I commented on the post, talking about substitutes that are out there for those who want alternatives to meat...but that these generally don't taste very good...so I've heard.
I too would like to quit eating meat, but what I said on Facebook is thar I think it's better to "just drop the other shoe, as they say and quit eating it, and forget the substitutes"... I also said that if a person has eaten meat all their life, it's hard to just stop eating it altogether...so we're still eating ground turkey and turkey bacon! :)). I didn't look at any of the comments after that, but I have my own reason's for not wanting to eat meat anymore. I once had a substitute teacher who said that he was diabetic...and that what made his blood sugar spike more than anything was hotdogs and processed lunch meats. (He told the class this). I'm not even sure how the subject came to that... but he was trying to explain that the stereo-type is that SWEETS were the main unhealthy culprit in diabetes, and he was saying that's not always true. I remember wondering why people would want to keep eating those things if they're that bad for you. I would imagine it's because people have no idea that these things are this bad for you. Now, this was a long time ago...but I never forgot it. I've eaten plenty of hotdogs since then, but now have many more reasons for not wanting to eat meat.
I was watching Oprah one day, and she took her viewers "inside" some poultry farms around the US, explaining that chicken is often injected with hormones to make it heavier and plumper so people will be more apt to buy it. But apparently, this does not only happen when the chicken is packaged. These chickens are often injected with hormones while they are still alive to make them grow bigger. I was broken-hearted as I saw these poor chickens collapsing under their own weight, just trying to walk around the chicken coop. Awful. I saw the movie "Super-Size Me" online, and again was broken hearted to see this really healthy guy, destroy his health doing the experiment to see what life is like everyday for someone who eats nothing but fast food, super-sized. He was literally, sick and tired...all the time. He was sluggish. He became very irritable and had trouble concentrating, and (it gets worse) he would need to vomit while finishing all of these super sized chemicals. But the one I felt really bad for was his girlfriend, who was (of all things) a registered dietitian. During the experiment, she helped him monitor (and watched him destroy) his blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight gain, etc. "It kills me to see him suffering like this," she said. And on Facebook, one evening, musician Julian Lennon posted a photo of a huge metal bin, inside of which, it looked like there was...strawberry frozen yogurt. This what many people guessed...yogurt or ice cream. It was smooth and peaked on top like soft serve, or some rich dessert. Not even close... this pink stuff was in fact processed chicken product found in many chicken sandwiches and chicken nuggets at fast food places.
Well, at this point, I wanted to throw up! I thought of all the times I had unknowingly eaten...THIS?? But it was covered in batter, heavily seasoned and deep-fried! So what did I know?? On another occasion, I was in England, staying with some dear friends, and they served the most wonderful stuffed peppers for dinner! The peppers had ground lamb in them rather than beef. The lamb was much more flavorful than any ground beef...I loved it! I gladly sat and had an amazing meal, but later on... all I could think of, was what that meat had been..before it was meat. At some point, it was a cute little, baaah, baaah baby sheep! A "sheepie" as I loved to call them.. How could I eat them?? It's for this reason that I won't eat duck. I'm sure it tastes AMAZING when it's cooked well, but how could I stop thinking about a little, quacking, waddling duck? Poor baby! It's the same with deer meat...which I LOVE, by the way! I've had it breaded like pork chops and made into patties like sausage...both of which were very good, because that meat was hunted, cleaned and cooked properly. But, it was once a sweet little deer! Did it have little spots on it's back, like Bambi? Was it a doe, with those huge, intense, innocent eyes? Goodness! Pork...okay...this is probably the hardest one for me, because I LOVE bacon, sausage, pork chops, pork roast with apple sauce, sweet and sour pork, pork fried rice, and then there's one of my favorite foods on earth...chille' verde'...that wonderful shredded pork, with hot, green chillies, eaten with flour tortillas. To me, it's like Heaven on a plate...ironic, considering it sets your mouth on fire when you eat it! But that's what makes it so good! But the thing is...before it is shredded pork...it's a piggy! It's Wilbur from "Charlotte's Web," it's a momma who might've nursed little piglets...PIGLET! It's Piglet! It's Miss Piggy! It might be the little pot-bellied piggy from "Uptown Girls," how do I know??
Now, have I gone over the edge with examples? Of course. This is now overdone, and just to be clear, I am not telling anyone else that they need to not eat meat...not at all. The kicker came for me when I was convicted that there are certain foods we are asked to not eat in scripture. Here I was, claiming to believe in the God who authored the Old and New Testaments, but believing that the instructions in the Old Covenant do not apply to me. I now know that this is not the truth. I suppose this has nothing to do with the Bridegroom returning, it was just something I responded to yesterday that got me thinking...and thinking some more! I think there are things in many of our foods that most people wouldn't believe and that might be one reason there is so much sickness in the world. Anyway, maybe someday I'll write a book. I'd love to, actually, but that's another story for another day. :))
