December 31,2011

Massacres of Christians foretold and fulfilled

Posted on November 11, 2010 by giacintobutindaro

How God foretold to a boy in Kara Kala (Armenia) a time of unspeakable tragedy for the entire area

‘This person was known throughout the region as the ‘Boy Prophet’ even though at the time of the incident with the steer’s head the Boy Prophet was fifty-eight years old.

The man’s real name was Efim Gerasemovitch Klubniken, and he had a remarkable history. He was of Russian origin, his family being among the first Pentecostals to come across the border, settling permanently in Kara Kala. From earliest childhood Efim had shown a gift for prayer, frequently going on long fasts, praying around the clock.

As everybody in Kara Kala knew, when Efim was eleven years old he had heard the Lord calling him again to one of his prayer vigils. This time he persisted for seven days and nights, and during this time received a vision.

This in itself was not extraordinary. Indeed, as Grandfather had been accustomed to grumble, anyone who went that long without eating or sleeping was bound to start seeing things. But what Efim was able to do during those seven days was not so easy to explain.

Efim could neither read nor write. Yet, as he sat in the little stone cottage in Kara Kala, he saw before him a vision of charts and a message in a beautiful handwriting. Efim asked for pen and paper. And for seven days sitting at the rough plank-table where the family ate, he laboriously copied down the form and shape of letters and diagrams that passed before his eyes.

When he had finished, the manuscript was taken to people in the village who could read. It turned out that this illiterate child had written out in Russian characters a series of instructions and warnings. At some unspecified time in the future, the boy wrote, every Christian in Kara Kala would be in terrible danger. He foretold a time of unspeakable tragedy for the entire area, when hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children would be brutally murdered. The time would come, he warned, when everyone in the region must flee. They must go to a land across the sea. Although he had never seen a geography book, the Boy Prophet drew a map showing exactly where the fleeing Christians were to go. To the amazement of the adults, the body of water depicted so accurately in the drawing was not the nearby Black Sea, or the Caspian Sea, or even the farther-off Mediterranean, but the distant and unimaginable Atlantic Ocean! There was no doubt about it, nor about the identity of the land on the other side: the map plainly indicated the east coast of the United States of America.

But the refugees were not to settle down there, the prophecy continued. They were to continue traveling until they reached the west coast of the new land. There, the boy wrote, God would bless them and prosper them, and cause their seed to be a blessing to the nations. (…)

Well, many people in Kara Kala smiled at these romances of a little boy. Surely there must be some explanation of the ‘miraculous’ writing. Perhaps he had secretly taught himself to read and write, just in order to play this trick on the village.

Others however took to calling Efim the Boy Prophet and were not at all convinced that the message was not genuine. Every time news of fresh political troubles reached the tranquil hills around Ararat, they would get out the now-yellowed pages and read them again. Troubles between the Moslem Turks and the Christian Armenians did seem to be growing in intensity. In August, 1896 – four years before Grandfather butchered the blind steer – hadn’t a Turkish mob murdered more than six thousand Armenians on the streets of Constantinople?

But Constantinople was far away, and years had passed since the giving of the prophecy. True, prophecies in the Bible often came dozens, even hundreds of years before the event. But most people in Kara Kala, Grandfather among them, believed such genuine prophetic gifts had ceased with the completion of the Bible.

And then, a little after the turn of the century, Efim announced that the time was near for the fulfilment of the words he had written down nearly fifty years before. ‘We must flee to America. All who remain here will perish’.

Here and there in Kara Kala Pentecostal families packed up and left the holdings that had been their ancestral possessions time out of mind. Efim and his family were among the first to go. As each group of Pentecostals left Armenia, they were jeered by those who remained behind. Skeptical and disbelieving folk – including many Christians – refused to believe that God could issue pinpoint instructions for modern people in a modern age.

But the instructions proved correct. In 1914 a period of unimaginable horror arrived for Armenia. With remorseless efficiency the Turks began the bloody business of driving two-thirds of the population out into the Mesopotamian desert. Over a million men, women and children died in these death marches, including every inhabitant of Kara Kala. Another half a million were massacrated in their villages, in a pogrom that was later to provide Hitler his blueprint for the extermination of the Jews. ‘The world did not intervene when Turkey wiped out the Armenians’, he reminded his followers. ‘It will not intervene now’.

The few Armenians who managed to escape the besieged areas brought with them tales of great heroism. They reported that the Turks sometimes gave Christians an opportunity to deny their faith in exchange for their lives. The favorite procedure was to lock a group of Christians in a barn and set it afire: ‘If you are willing to accept Mohammed in place of Christ we’ll open the doors’. Time and again, the Christians chose to die, chanting hymns of praise as the flames engulfed them.

Those who had heeded the warning of the Boy Prophet and sought asylum in America, heard the news with dismay’.

From: The Happiest People on Earth. The long-awaited personal story of Demos Shakarian as told to John and Elizabeth Sherrill, U.S.A. 1975, pages 19-22

September 28, 2011

armenian karakala, kars

Saturday, March 5, 2011 @ 01:03 PM steve

Among the Californian Armenian community is a disproportionate number of descendants of immigrants from the small village of Karakala, or Kara-Kala, near Kars. On incoming American passenger lists and in naturalisation records, the place of origin of these immigrants will usually be shown as Russian Armenia, because the region around the city of Kars became the Russian Karsskaya oblast from 1878 to 1917. Before that period, the region was part of the Ottoman Empire and therefore a minority of US immigration records, especially for those Armenians born in Karakala before 1878, may state Turkey or Ottoman Empire, rather than Russia, as place of birth.

There is little to be found on the internet – at least, in the English language and of value to genealogists – about Karakala. There is confusion as to its exact whereabouts. The primary reason for this confusion is that the place name is not unique: there are multiple candidates. Furthermore, place names changed under modern Turkey and some Armenian villages were completely razed and have disappeared from the map. However, the true location of Armenian Karakala can be determined with confidence.

Imperial Russia, like other late 19th century empires, took a lively interest in demographics and ethnography (not least because nationalism needed to be monitored as the single biggest challenge to empire). Russian gazetteers of the period show the administrative geography (the hierarchy of local government from regional capital down to village), the population breakdown and usually something of the ethnicity (natsionalnost or nationality in Russian) of the inhabitants. The colossal 1897 Russian Census is another monument to the preoccupation with the population of empire.

Gazetteers for Kars oblast record the entire population down to the smallest villages of no more than 50 inhabitants. The gazetteers for the 1900s and 1910s show consistently that there were nine places called Karakala in Kars oblast. However, Armenian Karakala – the source of the Californian immigrant population – is readily identified. Each of the various entries for the settlements named Karakala gives its ethnicity. In this respect, while cities and towns in eastern Anatolia were usually of mixed population, the villages in the hinterland tended to be occupied by a single people. Only one of the nine places named Karakala had an Armenian population: of the remaining eight, seven were Muslim villages, identified carefully as Kurdish, Turcoman/Turkish and even Karapapak, and one a Yezidi village.

Under Russian rule, Armenian Karakala seems originally to have been classed as anobshestvo (community) in its own right, with the nearby Turkmen selo or village of Hadzhi-Halil subordinate to it, within the okrug (or district) of Magaradzhik (itself a Greek village). However, later Karakala lost its obshestvo status and became simply a selo like Hadzhi-Halil in Magaradzhik obshestvo in Magaradzhik okrug. The other two villages in the immediate grouping were Azat (which was Greek) and Kany-Kei (another Armenian settlement).

Across Kars oblast, the majority of Armenian settlements were growing rapidly during the years leading up to WW1, due to natural growth (families were large) and in-migration. Karakala was an exception to this trend. In 1902, the village comprised 464 souls (as they are described in the gazetteers) residing in 43 households; by 1914, it had 489 souls living in 79 homes. All were Armenian. The explanation for the slow growth in population size and reduction in household size in Karakala is the significant emigration from the village to USA.

So where is Karakala? It is situated 17.5km SSE of Kars and is today called Merkezkarakale. The prefix Merkez simply signifies its location in Kars Merkezi, or the central district of the Kars province of modern Turkey: it was not used during the Ottoman or Imperial Russian eras. 8km to the NNW is Azat; about 5km to the N is Magaradzhik, now called either Mağaracık or Ataköy in Turkish; 5km to the NW is Kany-Kei, now known as Gelirli; and 2km to the S is Hadzhi-Halil, now called Hacıhalil.

Bluebird Research has created two Google Maps showing a) Armenian Karakala in the context of the other Armenian settlements in Kars and b) Armenian Karakala along with the non-Armenian villages named Karakala.

The next step in research is to try to find out if there are any surviving genealogical records for Karakala; and, if so, where they are held; and whether they cover both the Apostolic and the village’s burgeoning Armenian Protestant or Evangelical sect known as the “Jumpers” which generated many of the emigrants to California.

If you are a family historian with Armenian roots in Karakala, especially a descendant of one of the original immigrants – such as Katanian, Mooshagian, Nalian, Perumean or Shaharian – we would be delighted to hear from you.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 at 13:27 and is filed under armenian,blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Sunday April 3, 2011

Today I yielded to plugging in my IPod so I could listen to some old favorites. When I say favorites, it goes like this, there are my Gospel, Classical, Accapella (Voices of Lee and Bible Institute), Streisand ballads, Sax solo of Try a Little Tenderness, You are So Beautiful to me by Joe Cocker, and a few country tunes, Dolly Parton, Eddie Rabbit, Don Williams and the one I chose today, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? by Van Morrison. It set off a flood of memories and thoughts. First, it seems that I used to hear that song when I was a very little girl. The parsonage was on the back of a piece of property which boasted a "Juke Joint". Every night the crowds would gather and you could hear the music playing, people laughing and the last song played, every night, was Good Night Irene (really dating myself here). I was playing in a little sand-box using cups to make buildings, I had an old billfold that daddy had given me to play with. To my surprise, when I opened the wallet to "pay" for one of the buildings, there was a $20 in it! I stood up (shaking sand from my panties I am sure), and took it in the house to daddy. I didn't understand his reaction as he burst into tears and started thanking God for answering his prayer! Seems that he needed that amount of money for something important, and was, at that point, penniless! I can't explain how it happened, but knowing that God created us from the dust of the earth, I like to think He created that $20 from the sand..OK so it was probably in some hidden fold to save, and then forgotten about, but, it's my memory. One day Jesus was discussing paying taxes with His disciple, Peter. Jesus had asked Peter, "Who pays the taxes the King levies?" Peter answered, "The subjects" Jesus said, "Then the children get off free, right? But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us." Matthew 17:26-27 That memory tucked away I thought of the last time I saw my Pob, grandfather Mushegan. I cannot write this without tearing and thinking of his words of wisdom to me. How I wish I had payed more attention, listened a litle closer, did I tell him that I loved him? The same with my Uncle, always preaching a sermon, telling me things I needed to do with my life, did I say "Uncle Harding, I love you?" It's easy to think of things like this, after the fact, isn't it. Hearing a song that can dredge up feelings can help you bring them to the surface and clean them out, deal with them. For all the times I have fallen on my knees and cried out to God with only "Help me" being audible,times He has given me direct answers, have I told Him lately that I loved Him? John 14:21 "The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." 1 John 5:1 Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome. I guess the point is in the old adage "Actions speak louder than words." If we love Him we keep His commandments and love His children! For you, my reader, have I told YOU lately that I love and pray for you? I do

Have you ever played the game, Gossip? You start by telling one person something, whispering in their ear, they in turn repeat in and on until everyone in the room has had this "same thing" whispered in their ear. BY the time it gets to the end, it rarely even resembles the beginning tale. I'm sure people may alter things on purpose, how is that different than how it goes in our life? I hear a lot of things that I never repeat, then hear it from other sources and it is rarely the whole truth. It is said that if you listen to two people give their side of a story, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Psalm 15:1-3 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Psalm 34:12-14 Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. To gossip, is un-Godly, no matter how you look at it, and it can cause a world of trouble. The young New Testament church must have been facing this problem, because James addressed it 3:5-8 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.Out of all the things in the Bible that we could read about, have you ever read about "busybodies?" Did you know that word was even IN the Bible? 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 says: For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. Paul is talking to the Thessalonian people and gives them some wonderful teachings. 3:3 says But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 1 Peter 4:15 gives us a REAL shocker! But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, OR AS A BUSYBODY in other people's matters. OH MY GOODNESS! Did I just read what I THOUGHT I READ? A busybody is listed with murderers and thieves and evil doers! It must be a really bad thing to mess in other people's lives!

I Am A Brown Stick!

I was driving into my driveway, anxious to get inside the house, I hit the button to open the garage door and was proceeding to get in without taking off a side mirror (been there, done that, got the tee shirt), when something white caught at my side vision. I stopped, annoyed that someone had thrown, what seemed to be, a tissue out onto my bushes! I got out of the car and was annoyed with myself, my gardenia bushes had bloomed and I, always looking straight ahead and not noticing, had missed it! As I walked toward the bush the beautiful soft fragrance greeted my nostrils and it gave my soul a moment of sweet peace, along with memories of gifted gardenias from the past. I walked over and took one of the soft, creamy white blossoms between my fingers to pluck off and take upstairs with me, but the little brown stick that held it's fruit would not let go so easily. That was when I had an epiphany, a ligt bulb moment! A favorite sripture, words spoken from the lips of Jesus, words that could open all the world of answered prayers to us, John chapter 15, it begins “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Looking at that little white flower perched high on that brown wooden stick I thought what a miracle of nature, that little blossom being born of that brown stick coming out of the ground, the shiny green leaves surrounding it, HOW? You plant something that looks like nothing and from it grows this beautiful fragrant flower, and where did the fragrance come from? I looked up at the larger, less fragrant version, the magnolia tree growing close by and stood gazing like a small child seeing something for the first time, ever. How had I missed it? I have read that scripture over so many times, how had I missed it? We don't have to understand how it is that Jesus is the vine, we are the banches and we don't have to wonder where our fruit will come from, it is inherent, comes from within us. Jesus is in God, we are in Jesus, the fruit will come from us, the fruit that believing on Him, trusting in Him, showing people His light and fragrance through ourselves! Then we will have the "fruit of the Spirit" love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, Galations 5:22-23 I cannot explain how it happens, John 17 Jesus prayes and says to His Father, You are in Me, I am in You, we are in them (paraphrased). It seems like a mystery and then you look at the simple example of beauty growing from the ordinary, fragrance growing from the dirt, a tomato growing from a vine that is planted in the dirt, I can pluck and eat it, would I eat the dirt? No, but the fruit is delicious. I don't know if this hits you the way it did me, but my dear reader, you and I are planted in the dirt of this earth to bring forth beautiful and fragrant fruit. Let the first fruit be from our lips, worship for the most high God!

Land of Goshen

We grow up getting warnings such as "if you make an ugly face your face will stay that way, if you crack your knuckles they will get big, if God meant for you to sit on your foot He would have made one grown out of your rear end." Only one of these applies to me personally, I still sit on my foot when I am at rest! Today there are tornado warnings, sirens sounding on the air louder now, then softer, as if they themselves are swirling on twisted winds. As I listen I am remembering that Psalm 91 begins, You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you—under them you're perfectly safe; Fear is not of God, read 1 John 4:18. The Children of Israel were placed in a special land, the Land of Goshen, where they were protected from the plagues that were sent against the Egyptians. Exodus 8:22-23 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes down to the water. Tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so they can worship me. If you don't release my people, I'll release swarms of flies on you, your servants, your people, and your homes. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground under their feet will be thick with flies. But when it happens, I'll set Goshen where my people live aside as a sanctuary—no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am God in this land. I'll make a sharp distinction between your people and mine. This sign will occur tomorrow.'" Warning systems are set in place so we can be kept safe; we will be, if we heed them.There are warnings on everything from cigarettes to baby strollers that we simply tear off and throw away, or ignore, which is playing "warning roulette." The way we look for the funnel cloud to determine a tornado, we need to read the warning signs in the Word that tell us how close we are to Revelation 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Form a personal relationship with this "King of Kings", let Him place you in the Land of Goshen, where you are His protected jewel. Terrible things in the news everyday could scare us, all the war and rumors of war, right? But Jesus gave us a plan, recorded by Luke 21:28 When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, lift up your head, your redemption is drawing near! If you are living in the protected Land of Goshen, don't be afraid, but, be warned and Be Blessed!

Sunday 1/23/11

Today's devotion: Someone Who Cares

Happy Sunday! God always supplies my need, whether physical, or financial, He is there for me. Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. Recently I walked into the kitchen and looked at the usual mess that I find there any morning after the “mid-night snacker attackers” ! One thing I saw made me smile and that was the empty bread plate. I think you would agree with me on this, when you have cooked something that took effort, seeing it all disappear in a hurry means it was “really good”! Seeing that bread plate empty made me happy because then I knew that they had all enjoyed great slices of it slathered with butter and honey or peanut butter, whatever…it was gone. So the first thing I did, as I was getting out the morning oatmeal, was to get my flour and other ingredients necessary to bake another loaf. I won’t bake another until that one is gone. Reader, if you cook you know that there are no preservatives in homemade bread so it molds quickly if not eaten.

When the children of Israel complained that they were hungry way out in the desert, God sent them Manna, the heavenly bread! I have often wondered what was in that bread, if it was placed there already cooked or if they gathered it and baked it. They were told to take only what their family would eat in that coming day and no more. If they took more than they needed it would rot. The only time they took two portions was before the Sabbath, when they were supposed to rest! (Think I will take up that tradition...note to self: no cooking on the Sabbath) Why was it this way? Because it showed their trust that there would be more bread tomorrow! When God saw their empty “bread plate” He gave them more. Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I believe that when God gives us anything, talents, spiritual gifts, supplies our needs etc., He waits until we have used up all our resources before He gives us more. When you have a need, if you reach out to someone else I know that God sees your efforts and that He rewards them by pouring out from the windows of heaven! Malachi 3:10…”Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

OK, be a good “King’s Kid” and eat all that He supplies, but while you are eating for yourself share a portion with your neighbor and God will double your reward, and that is the truth…proven over and over again by ME!

Be blessed, pray, look around and see if you have something you could share with someone less fortunate that you are!

Beauty and the Beast

I grew up watching George Reeves portray Superman! It was wonderful, lying there on the floor in front of that little 12" Bendix TV. I loved Superman, I own all the old Adventrues of Superman and I am a die hard fan of Smallville. When I was about 10 years old I saw the old black and white flick"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the beautiful Griselda was in trouble,the Hunchback had been watching her from the towers of the church, where he was the ringer of the bell and he was in love with her. He was horribly deformed but he was her protector...I felt sorry for him and wanted her to be in love with him too.

Then there was the Man of La Mancha...he was a hero, in his own mind at least, but a hero none-the-less. He fell in love with a person that we wouldn't actually call a "lady" but in his mind she was a saint..he called her Dulcinea, even though her name was a less beautiful Aldoseza. She didn't put on aires with him and she told him that she did not deserve such a wonderful name but through his eyes she was the angel and was indeed, Dulcinea.

Then there was the story of "Beauty and the Beast"...by now you get the drift...yes I felt sorry for the beast and wanted Belle to love him just as he was...and then a wonderful thing happened..her love for him broke the curse over his life and he became her handsome prince.

The common thread with the hunchback and the beast is that it would take a pure heart to love such ugliness. The hunchback didn't fare as well as the beast, he died defending his beautiful maiden but the beast regained his normal and very handsome visage. True love can do this...didn't someone once say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?

As far as Don Quixote goes, I think I always wished for him to come into my life, this man who would march into hell for a heavenly cause and see me as the person who could be his angel. A man who would go out and fight the windmill if he was convinced it was a dragon, a man who was pure in heart.

Well I think that I must have found all this wrapped up in one man...the God man, Jesus Christ. He loved me just as he found me, he walked into hell and took the keys of death and hell away from the most dreaded dragon of all, Satan. His visage was scarred beyond recognition, Isaiah 53:2-4, There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrowsthat weighed him down. This man died for me as the hunch back died for Griselda, he was beaten until his face was like the poor beast, unrecognizable, and like Don Quixote, he gave me a new name...a sweet heavenly name...I will know it when I see Him...and when I see Him, I will see him as He is for I shall be like Him.

I am by no means comparing my Lord to any of the characters that I have mentioned...just take this for what it is from my heart of pure love. So before you try to figure me out, just know that I am a new creature, in Him, my man, my hero, my Savior, my Lord!

Be blessed, pray, He loves you whether you are Beauty or Beast!

It Is Well!

I am a person that loves to do things for people that they don't expect..something good that is! The reaction that you hope for is happy surprise and then just thankfullness. I think I made the comment during Christmas that a gift is just that, a gift, something that someone did not have to do for you. There is a story found in 2Kings chapter 4 that I love to read. It tells of a great lady who helped an old prophet. She wasn't expecting anything in return, just showing kindness to a good man. She fed him whenever he came by her house and had her husband to build him a special room on their wall so that he could, at anytime, go in and take rest there. He felt compassion for her and knowing that she didn't have a child told her that she would have a son. Time went on and the boy was born. She was so very happy. One day the boy was out in the field with his dad working and had a sun stroke, he came in to his mother holding his head and crying, he died in her arms. This great woman laid the child on the Prophet's bed and without even telling his dad that the boy had died she took a mule and went off to find the Prophet. She was a mother with a mission. The Prophet, Elisha, saw her coming and sent his servant out to find out what was wrong. He asked her if it was well with her husband, her son..she answered him..It is well. Here was a broken hearted woman, her son lying dead and she answered, It is well! When she reached Elisha she fell in front of him, held onto his feet, she was not going to leave and go home until he went with her. She had faith that if this man of God, the man who had foretold his birth, would go to her son, he would be raised from the dead. The Prophet went and the end of the story is that the boy was raised from the dead...he was alive and well..her faith was answered.

I think of myself and how many prayers that God has answered for me. Am I grateful enough? Do I thank Him enough? When trouble comes around how do I react? Am I one that gets hysterical and says "Where is God in this?" Am I one that complains to other people that God has turned His back on me, or let me down? Or can I, like this heartbroken mother, say to one and all IT IS WELL! Whether you are facing sickness, death, financial crisis or relationship problems, let me recommend facing the world with a brave "It is well"...and then thank God for all the things He has already done for you...your faith will be answered just as surely as the Shunammite woman's son was raised from the dead. In Luke 18:1 Jesus says "Men ought always to pray and not lose heart" then He gave a parable of a woman who continually went to a judge that refused to help but finally answered her request. Jesus said, verse 7, "If that unjust judge would do that don't you think that God will answer His children speedily?" In verse 8 He asks a question that I want you to think of, I do often... "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Sometimes we are a little like ungrateful childen, no matter how much you do for them, they always want one more thing,

Think of your blessings today and thank God for them before you ask Him for one more thing..be thankful and bless His name for the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations!

Be blessed, pray and no matter what happens...IT IS WELL!

When we are young, we feel immortal. When my grandmother turned fifty, the whole family turned out, at the Cherokee Hotel in Cleveland, Tenn.,for a surprise birthday party. I thought it would surely be one of her last birthdays, ever. I remember looking at my mother when she had her fiftieth birthday and feeling so sorry for her, wondering how it felt to be that old. Now I know, and it's not so bad. The circle of life continues to go around and around. God gives us a Temple to live in, nice and new, and from the day we are born as we live in it, we pollute it until it is no longer clean, and then we blame the architech and builder for our problems. It would be like being given ownership of a brand new, beautiful mansion, by the man who designed and built it. After we have ownership we decide to put snakes in one room, apes in another, and a pack of laughing hyena in another. We allow these animals to run rampant around their respective rooms, they eat, urinate, defficate, all the normal bodily functions all over the room and on the carpets. Then we come in, look around and tell everyone who comes around that this mess is all the builder's fault. He gave it to us new, we mess it up, he gets the blame, nice. God intrusts us with this creation, our body, we are expected to keep it clean. When we mess up we cause our own selves problems. When I was young, I went through a bout with Bulemia. Because of that, I have a Hiatal hernia, I had to have root canals in several of my jaw teeth and I still have problems with severe indigestion at times. Who's fault is that? If I let the "laughing hyena" of this life, the ones that cause you problems then get a great kick out of seeing you make a mistake or fall, get through to me and have a nervous break-down, who's fault is that? When I abuse my body by lifting things improperly, or playing football, or having motorcycle wrecks, fall off ladders, then suffer with arthritis, who's fault is it? People pray that God will heal them from all the ills we bring on ourselves and when it doesn't happen immediately, we want to get mad and blame Him. When you take smoke into your lungs, drugs and/or alcohol into your body, you are going to suffer. If not from addiction, then illness brought on from these substances. How about over eating? That's one most of us are guilty of at times. Being raised in a preacher's home it is easy to eat wrong. I grew up with my dad fasting all day, every day, that he was in a revival, for the service that night. When service was over they would eat a big meal and then lay down and sleep on it, how unhealthy was that? We use food for comfort, to celebrate, any occasion, and when we don't eat right, we end up on that other cycle of life called, a diet! So what to do? First, go into your Temple and investigate. What are you doing that is causing it harm? Ask God to help you to clean it out, then re-dedicate it to the Lord. Ask Him to be your housekeeper and get rid of all the animals, including the ones that get on your nerves! To not do that, is to ask for trouble. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple. Then 6:19-20 continues: Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. I thought of this tonight as I was downing four Advil tablets, thinking about my own aching back! Let Him heal you, then keep it clean! Be Blessed!

I'm A Donkey
Today the phrase "a mule in horses clothing" came to my mind. It is something that Mammy says to Scarlett in GWTW. It was her opinion of the way Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler were acting. Her way of saying they were "putting on airs". I gave some thought to that, then Googled "mule". I found that a mule is not such a bad thing to be. They are "more patient, sure-footed, hardy and long-lived than horses, and they are considered less obstinate, faster, and more intelligent than donkeys." Mules can carry more than 30% of their own weight, and go far distances without having to eat. Mules don't receive medals and ribbons for their sleek, shiny bodies, or for their ability to jump the high hurdles, they will never wear the wreath of roses at the Kentucky Derby, but if you need a reliable animal, one that can carry the burden, you call on the mule. I looked to see if the mule was mentioned in the Bible, I was sure I would find some reference, possibly in the Proverbs, but no, nothing. What I did find was the reference of the lowly donkey. This wonderful, dependable mule is the offspring of a male donkey, called an ass, or Jack (thus Jackass), and a female donkey,a Jenny. Their offspring, less than a year old, if a male is a colt and the female is a filly. In Numbers 22:22-25 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. This donkey was smart enough to see the Lord's angel when his master was not. Then Matthew, Mark and Luke all recorded the story of Jesus asking the disciples to find the ass standing with a colt, He asked them to bring them to Him, they did, they put their clothes on his back and Jesus rode into Jerusalem to waving palm branches! This fulfilled the prophecy given in Zechariah chaper 9! Someone might ask "What's the significance?" It is this, next time someone calls you a jackass, take it as a compliment! You come from good, strong stock, and your ancestor lent his back to our Lord! What could be a better heritage than that? To be worthy to carry Jesus, I say it's all good!

Rising Above It All

My right foot must be nailed to the floor, it seems I'm going around in circles. From Above it all, to Rising above it all, but there is a thought process in all this, I promise. The house is quiet, not complaining, just explaining, and I have had a chance to start on my list of things "to do" a little ahead of schedule. As I sit here now, there are things piled up on every surface, but there is method in my madness and as each pile of things is put to use, the surfaces are cleared of their contents and everything is back in order. It's the way I put away groceries. I leave things I am going to use out and as I cook, everything gets used or cleared away. The canister outside is already half full, things pulled out to be thrown away or stored, took P'nut to the groomer, had the carpets cleaned and feel satisfied for this day. I began to think,re-read the devotion from yesterday and as I did, lyrics from a song way in the past began to circulate in the recesses of my brain until it came to the front. I Googled it and read the words. This is the last day of this year, time to reflect and the words made me do just that, why don't you reflect with me? It begins: "I can't count the times, because of me your heart's been broken and I have seen you hurt because of angry words I've spoken But somehow you always knew when I hurt you I never meant to, We keep rising above it all like the sun on wings of morning and the hurt can't make us fall We keep rising above it all." Looking back over the past few months I wonder "is there something I need to make right?". Sometimes my mouth runs off while my brain gets constipated and say things that "were better left unsaid". Maybe we are all guilty of that one. How have I diappointed myself? All the promises I made to me, getting in better shape, getting more organized, being prepared for things in advance instead of waiting till the last moment, getting more sleep, taking better care of me, as I do for others in my life. If I have disappointed me, what must God think of me? I have let Him down in so many ways, my attitude gets in my way, hurts suffered are allowed to simmer and boil, knowing that if I endulge in the feeling I will be like the thirsting man who goes to the pond, knowing it is poisoned, but taking great drafts of it to quench his thirst. In yielding to the temptation of drinking this bitter cup, it is drinking the poison and expecting our enemies to die, it doesn't happen, we only harm ourselves. I can't answer why you can't make a certain person love you. Sometimes the question has been concerning a parent, a sibling as well as a lover. People have a will of their own, God made us that way. That's what got us into trouble in the first place. Eve had the free choice to eat of the fruit or leave it alone. I have often stated that I wanted to find Eve (upon arriving in heaven) and slap her in the face! But alas, I find that I, indeed, am Eve, partaking of things that I know will bring me down and expecting all to be well. Brings us back around to judging, doesn't it? So, for this year, instead of making ourselves, and God, lofty promises, setting ourselves up for defeat, which takes us down the fork in the road we need to stay away from, let's be realistic. What can I (you) do to make things better, for ourselves and those around us? Before I can put new groceries in my Fridge, I have to get all the old things out. It is the same with our soul and spirit. Look inward and then upward and say, Psalm 139:23-24 Investigate my life, O God,find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life. Happy New Year 2011!

The Greedy Grinch

Christmas is a time for giving and sharing. I cannot pass a Santa by the Salvation Army kettle without contributing, or giving extra at the grocery store for families in need. I grew up in a family that shared with anyone that had a need. My parents took in down and out preachers, and always made sure the families in their churches had food on their tables. I never expect anything but a happy look on the face of the person on the receiving end, that is reward enough for me. However, there are people who are willing to take complete advantage of people like my parents, me and you. The lady I let come home with me because her husband was mistreating her. One day I went down to the room where I was letting her crash occasionally and discovered that everytime she had come she had been bringing all her clothes, no wonder she carried a large purse, and was on the verge of just moving in! Not what I intended or wanted. The young couple I helped just because I saw they needed it, became a burden when they began to expect it and ask for more. Which brings me to tonight. There is a person who has gotten the attention of a person, in the sense they feel compassionate for them, and have been giving this person a 20 bill every week for awhile now. Tonight as this bill was handed to this person, he looked at it and said, "Well I wasn't here last week, could I get another one?" Then added "I thought since it was Christmas time I might get a hundred dollar bill." The giver didn't say anything to the person, but to me he said, "That just ruined my whole day." There are moments in time when a person's true personality is illuminated and you recognize them for who they really are. The person who just seemed to be down on their luck turned out to be a greedy grinch! Psalms 17:12 says of the greedy: They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. I would say to be compared with a lion hungry for prey is a pretty gruesome comparison! Greed is also compared with "covetousness", and there are forty examples beginning with Eve taking the forbidden fruit in the garden, to the unjust steward in Luke! These are not uplifting scriptures but descriptive of persons we do not want to be like, nor do we want to be involved with! The Bible even tell us that it can lead to injustice! Jeremiah 6:13-15 "Everyone's after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!— and they put on Band-Aids,Saying, 'It's not so bad. You'll be just fine.' But things are not 'just fine'! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame.They don't even know how to blush.There's no hope for them. They've hit bottom and there's no getting up. As far as I'm concerned, they're finished." God has spoken. I brought this up tonight because the incident was so upsetting for another person. I'm just saying don't feel bad if someone comes across as a little greedy and you decide you don't want to help. It's your spirit discerning so don't feel guilty or like you have judged. Ask God to open your eyes to "wolves in sheep's clothing." Conversely, don't close you heart to those who are really in need, again, ask for discernment. 2Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. God rewards you Merry Christmas!

Is Salvation Like A Colonoscopy?

I have a collage of today's happenings running through my head, like a slide show. One picture almost on top of the other, claiming top priority of importance. The oatmeal run this morning, my dad complaining that I always give him too much (although it is only the normal serving of 1/2 cup) and there are too many raisins, hot coffee in pre-warmed mugs waiting. Door bells, barking dogs, laughing young people, ringing phones, work to be done, work left un-done. Then in checking my email I found one from a dear friend, who is also a reader, mentioned a certain date, that has a happy connotation for me, but very sad for him as his baby grandson died on that day. The dichotomy struck me; my happiness, his sorrow. How can you mend a broken heart with mere human words, especially when you cannot possible identify with such tragedy. Mental slide show still running; a visit with a precious baby, her first Christmas, watching with wonder our "singing" Christmas Trees. With all the things that have happened, and believe me I have only given you the tip of the iceberg here, there was one thing that took the cake; a friend wrote and gave me a full description of herself getting ready for the dreaded Colonoscopy! Laxitives, cleanses, drinking more horrible liquid, having to do laundry everytime she sneezes or coughs! The worst is that this victim of medicine has to be up at 5 AM to take two more enemas, all to have a scope run into her colon to see if there are any problems in there! I had to laugh, nothing that had happened to me all day could compare with all this "preparation"! The things we do to "prepare" sometimes outweigh the fun of what we are preparing for! Getting ready for Christmas can become such a strain, we just want to can the whole Holiday and stay in bed all day! God never intended for us to put ourselves through all the mess we insist on doing. He gave us Jesus, the gift that keeps on giving! This is the gift that gives us a cleanse that is more complete than the dreaded colon cleanse! 1John 3:21-24 And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God's command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us. So how do we go about having a massive cleansing so that we can be clean for the spiritual colonoscopy? Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.Though they are red like crimson,I will make them as white as wool. Didn't see anything about a laxitive, did you? Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,and desperately wicked.Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” The last picture in my collage, is of us being cleansed of all the uglies that are in us, free at last we can say "oh what a relief it is!" Sorry for the crude analogy, just couldn't help myself! Merry Christas !

What's That Light?

There is a light that shines from someone newly in love that everyone can see. You go through life and everything seems great and then one day, your light is snuffed out. Today is the day, December 18, a lot of years ago, that I walked down the aisle as a Bride. My dress, bought at the downtown Davison's (now Macys), cost $20., no joke. It was an incredible sale, my crown and veil cost more! What made it special is that my mother beaded, by hand, every available place in the lace so that when I made my Bridal walk I was a column of shimmering reflection of the candle light. At that time it felt as if I had achieved the goal of marital bliss that I had experienced through watching my own parents. I wanted to be them. It didn't happen. Sometimes it feels like life beats you down until there is nothing left, it is at those times that you fake it till you make it, then you find out you are faking it all by yourself,that is the final blow and the candle and the light that it brings, is snuffed out. I didn't realize that I had so totally lost it until a friend of mine made a statement that gave me a reality check; "It used to be that when you walked into a room, everything lit up, what has happened to you?" That was when I realized that my light had, indeed, gone out. It was true. When you have been raised to make a go of whatever you have put your hand to, you get so down on yourself for failing. You have the mentality that if you had been better, prettier, smarter, something more than you are, then things would have been better, and you would have succeeded. That is what makes your light go out, the blame you lay on yourself for failing! There is an old saying, "It takes two to tango". According to Today's English Idioms, this means that when two people have a conflict, then both people are at fault, but, when it was me, I couldn't help but feel defeated. When a person has had a powerful, personal, salvation experience, a light turns on in them that the whole world can see. Matthew 5:14-16 "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. We used to rejoice at the excitement in new Christians and joke that they should "be locked up for 30 days" after their conversion! But it is that excitement that attracts others, the light that turns on in them, where they were formerly dark, depressed and without hope, shines on everyone around! The great sadness is when one of these suddenly gets discouraged, and it happens, read 1 Peter 5: 6-11 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. Whether you have had a personal disappointment, or a spiritual one, don't let your light be extinguished! This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Lights and Rainbows

I am at my computer, the trees are blinking with all the colors of the rainbow. In the background I hear P'Nut, our "old man" poodle, as he snores away, everything else is uncommonly quiet. It is cold in this room and I am appropriately layered to conserve body heat and I have my fat, white mug, filled to the brim with steaming coffee, at my left hand. I sat here for a moment and wanted to write something that would be, at the same time, uplifting and encouraging. I looked at the date and saw that it is December 17 and started to change it to the 18th, knowing I would post this for today, Saturday December 18, when the 17th stuck out in my mind. "What is it about the date?" I mused, then it hit me like a ton of bricks; it is a day to be thankful to God for saving the life of my, as yet unborn, baby daughter, Cherita. Two weeks before the night I spent in the old green, fake leather recliner, I sat at a table, in a steamy hot room, heads together over a note pad, making notes and plans for a young girl's upcoming nuptials. She had the flu and was bemoaning the fact that she should be home in bed instead of there with me, after the fact, I heartily agreed with her! All night, the night of December 17, 1970, I went from the recliner to the bathroom and back at the recliner, had a trash can close by to use as I couldn't hold anything down. Suddenly I felt it, an electric pain running the length of my uterus.With terror in my heart I began to cry. I was throwing up, going to the bathroom and having contractions. This baby could not come tonight, she wasn't due until March 1! Three months too early was not good. My dad came into the room and with calm assurance, he laid his great big hand on my troubled stomach and began to pray. He quoted the 23rd Psalm and then invoked the Holy Spirit to intervene in this situation. As he prayed the contractions got lighter and finally, toward the morning, they quit. I met my doctor at the old Howell House office and told him I had to be examined and explained what had happened. After being chided for not calling him during the night, or going to the ER he took me in. As he examined me he told me the baby had moved into the birth canal and would be born soon. I told him that my dad had prayed the prayer that stopped the contractions and he told me it was too late, the baby was going to come. I insisted on going home to "wait it out" as I was no longer in pain. I went about my normal duties, had a Christmas program at the church, played the organ for the wedding I had helped plan, went through the New Year's celebrations, all without incident. I kept my routine OB appointments and he kept telling me how I needed to be extremely careful as the baby was so close to exiting the womb. March 1 came and went, I had no pre-labor pains, nor was I sick. Finally at my March 10 appointment, the Doc made an appointment to induce labor next morning, March 11, 1971! Not only did she not come early, we had to induce her to come into the world! My daughter is a beautiful woman with a wonderful husband and two of the best grands in the whole world! As I came out of the store today, I looked up at the sky and saw a beautiful rainbow! The blinking lights had brought it back to my mind, God was reminding me of His promise to never leave me. Psalm 23:4-6 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me, You anoint my head with oil and my cup is running over! Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever!" Those verses from the Psalm had comforted my heart December 17,1970, tonight, as I write this, December 17,2010, I am again aware and thankful that His goodness and mercy are ever near. Thank you God for giving me my daughter! Be Blessed, Merry Christmas!

Only One Life

Only one life soon will pass; only what is done for Christ will last.