One more thought and then I'm done

Still "The Shack".... I feel like things don't die easily with me... but here's to wrestling. :)

I'm so afraid of missing God in my arguments and taking positions that somehow leave out the most important things about Him. I felt like I needed to give this book a chance. (Probably more on that in a later blog... I feel like I'm being asked to give up these things... and I'm spending too much time giving too many things chances... rather than being fed by His hand...)

Anyway, thanks to Steve Cliff for sending me this stuff. This video is long but left me on the floor.

http://www.graceevan.org/344350.ihtml (it's a video - 45min. but please watch. Make some tea or something... I'm sure it's doable)

(Finally, I'm not sure how to make the pretty youtube looking box so this looks more like a video - but it is. :)

Christmas Fun Already

Hey - this is a blog I subscribe to. I thought this sounded like a fun idea though, so I signed up. Check it out. :)

Economy

[from JD - I'm tagging these from now on so you know whether it's Chrissy or me]

In my humble view, I see a much greater chance than not of a serious recession coming soon. The possibility for another great depression is also very real. If you remember the history from the "Roaring 20's" - times seemed to be never better than in the affluent late 1920's, until one day the floor fell out from under all of that. It must have been hard for anyone to imagine a depression then also - yet that seems to be how it comes - subtle tides of corruption and debt begin the slippery slope, and as long as more credit remains available the dire situation is not even felt - until one day it's "time to pay the piper" and everything hits the fan at once. That seems to be happening again today and it's hard to tell how deeply it will cut, or how long it will take to recover from it.

I seriously recommend that you consider placing a large portion of your assets in investments that are usually very safe and valuable during extreme financial difficulties, such as gold and silver - physical bullion or ETFs - small increments of bullion (coins) are best during the worst times when possibly even ETFs could be corrupted. An ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) is a fund that is backed by 100% bullion according to its prospectus. GLD and SLV are the most well-known ones.

Gold and silver have historically been safer even than cash or any type of paper asset such as government treasury bonds, since paper currency can quickly devalue due to extreme inflation in a depression.

Of course the absolute best investment is in eternal things - sending money on to support missions work to spread the good news of life in Jesus, and help the poor and needy who are everywhere, especially in third world countries. There's no comparison to the infinite returns on that investment! So you might consider investing there soon while you know the dollar is still valuable...

All that said, I know that Christians are not to have a "spirit of fear" because we already know that we will always have all we need in Christ and He will sustain us as long as we need to be on this earth serving Him. Then our glorious eternal home awaits us who have believed on the name of Jesus for our salvation, trusting in the sufficiency of Jesus' sacrifice at the cross on our behalf. What better a time to pray, get to know God in a deeper way, and share this incredible news with our friends and family who don't know Him and don't have His peace and joy in their hearts yet!

The worse the economy gets, the more generous I plan to be, since many folks will need help I'm sure. Our provision is from God and I have seen Him provide just what was needed for us in hard times, too many times to count. He is good, and He's our Rock and Salvation!

Update on Orissa

The threat of impending violence is still quite great - we are hearing that the authorities haven't thus far provided sufficient defense against the threat of mobs of hundreds or potentially thousands descending on an area all at once. Please pray for more government support and for the protection of all of the Christians and their churches and homes there. We know who the Victor is in the end! Amen.

Orissa Violence Spreading

Today we received word that there is "imminent danger" of a large, coordinated attack on at least two separate GFA Bible colleges in India - one of them is an all-girls school, and the girls aren't even able to sleep through the night because they are so scared of being harmed.

In case you aren't up to date on the situation, here are a few links to catch you up on the unprecedented wave of persecution in Orissa that has killed at least 42 Christians, often by torturous means such as burning, stabbing and hacking to death. Over 800 churches and other facilities like orphanages were torched or bombed.

The violence has been spreading to other states in India such as Karnataka in the past week or two.

Here's what Indians are reading in the media:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists_claim_they_killed_fascist_VHP_leader_in_Orissa/articleshow/3423908.cms

Here's the stories of what's happening, not in the media but from independent Christian bloggers:

http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/2008/08/20-year-old-rajni-burnt-to-death.html

http://andi-sheba.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-word-for-shame.html

Video: Religious violence in Orissa explained...

We all know that God has called us to love our enemies and pray for them. Please ask God that they would repent and acknowledge that Jesus is the risen Lord and the only One able to give us hope for eternal life through forgiveness of our sins.

I write blog posts too!

Yes, this is my first post, but hey I think joining the blogosphere will be good for keeping up with all of you.

We really are blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family. So thank you for being a part of our lives!

I should be back again soon, so in the mean time, have a great weekend.
-JD

P.S. It's a good day to thank God for His protection over America since 9/11. We haven't seen further attacks in 7 years now. While the vigilance of Homeland Security is very commendable, it is God who keeps watch over every event and He is the One to thank for keeping our enemies at bay.

If you really want to know what goes through JD's mind...

Lately I've always been laying down after I eat... I don't know why it's happening or why I'm having the urge, but it's bothering me because I keep hearing it's bad for you. JD is insisting that it isn't so I thought I'd google it. I couldn't find anything in my search (except that some people were claiming it makes you fat) but I did find this article that seemed so kindred to JD that I had to post it:

How to Sneak Around the House at Night to Eat (For Kids)
Do you ever need a mid night snack, or maybe you are going to a friends party? What ever your need may be, this guide will help express your inner guile. This guide will teach you how to sneak in a common environment, your home. This is written for the standpoint from someone in highschool or lower and lives with their parents or parent-like room mates, and works best for people in big houses.

Steps
Plan out how and when it is going to take place, before you sneak out. Random spur of the moment sneaks rarely go as planned.It also helps to be paranoid and plan for people actually listening or trying to catch you on your sneak.
Dress dark. it isn't necessary but it helps, and try to wear tight fitting clothes to avoid getting caught on something or making noise from movement, if you are sneaking out and have something particular you want to wear, carry it in a backpack so you can change once in the clear. It is a good idea to make it look like you are still in the bed during your sneak, pillows do work but it isn't advised because if someone goes to check on you while you are hiding it will be obvious that you are sneaking out. Instead, fluff the blankets the mess up the bed to make it look like you are in it but if someone goes to check on you and the find out you arent there you can say that you were just getting a drink of water or something, (note: this wont work out to well if you are dressed, the best alternative is to not get caught, though most times it is out of your control and getting caught cant be helped).
Schedule a time for your air conditioner to turn on for when you want to sneak out. When the AC turns on wait a minute or two (depending on how long the AC will be on), after your short wait the AC provides good, but limited ambient noise that any half alseep person could easily blame for noise you make.
During the sneak, Always walk slowly, when taking a step walk with either: Your toes first, and ease back onto your heels, or with your heel first and ease onto your toes. Walking flat footed creates thumping noises. Don't turn on any lights unless you absolutely have to, and make sure that the light cant be seen from another persons room. If you have animals try not to wake them but if it is unavoidable wake them slowly and comfort them so the don't make a noise thinking you are an intruder. Below is a list of things you may encounter:
If someone wakes up, don't run back to your room unless necessary, your should know the lay out of your home so it shouldn't be that hard to find a place to duck and hide for a few minutes. If the person goes to check on you immediately start to undress as quickly and as quietly as you can (unless you are already in your sleepwear, you also shouldn't do this if you are close to you room because you stand a higher chance of getting caught, it works best on a different floor or at least a few rooms away) after you did hide them and either lay down on a chair or couch and pretend to be sleeping (so that you can say you got up to get something but felt too tired to walk to your room) or, if you are close to the kitchen go there and hide so that if they go to look in the kitchen you can say you were getting a drink. (Note: Only hide or (insert excuse of your choice here) until you hear the person go back to their room, they may panic or call for you or someone else (this usually happens if they don't fall for your bed trick) in that event make sure your clothes are well hidden and either pretend to be startled by the noise they make and go to them and give them your excuse, or pretend to still be asleep and wait for them to wake you and then give them your excuse) If they fall for your trick, or just got up to check on something, continue to hide until they return to their room and then wait a few minutes. When you are positive they are asleep continue your sneak.
If you need to go up or downstairs then be sure to step carefully, toes first, and always double step (A double step is when you quietly step onto a stair with one foot then quietly bring your other foot down onto the SAME STEP) Single stepping is more rapid and has a greater chance to create noise. Either loosely grab a hand rail or don't at all, grabbing a handrail firmly may cause it to creak or squeak from your hand sliding down it.
If you are a secret midnight snacker don't open the fridge from the handle, this can often make a creak or a cracking noise, instead find the crease where the fridges door meets the fridges body. Slowly open the door from there. Also, if you are opening a cupboard or pantry that squeaks, opening it slowly rarely helps, it will just make a long annoying creak, sometimes (but not always) opening a cupboard or pantry fast will make either a short squeak or no noise at all, in most cases this is a better choice, but be careful not to hit anything while opening it.
When opening a door be sure to turn the handle slowly and try to apply a little pressure with your free hand ( Just place your hand to the crease where the door meets the door frame and push a little, this keeps it from making a noise when opening it). After the door is open quietly walk through it and slowly pull it closed and keep the handle turned apply pressure before you pull it into its frame so it doesn't make any noises.
Just because you are outside the house with the door closed doesn't mean you don't make noise, try to be quiet until you are a good distance away, and don't talk unless it is whispering.

Tips
Wear dark clothes.
If you have long hair, make it into a pony tail and stuff it down the back of your shirt.
Have a map of your house drawn out with good hiding places noted.
Have a list of excuses ready for any situation.
Dont get caught!
If it is a legal sneak (people wont be mad if they catch you, you are just sneaking so you don't bug them) Be sure to leave a note, it prevents a lot of problems.

Warnings
Try not to do any tricks that will immediately show you are sneaking (ie: Don't do the pillow under the covers trick, because if someone pulls up you covers and sees your pillow they will know you are sneaking.)
Don't carry a flashlight that is on.
Don't carry anything that makes a bright light or might make a sound.
Be care full going up and down stairs in the dark.
Check if the food you are eating is safe to eat, if any thing is left out for more than 2 hrs, avoid eating it.
Also check if you are allergic to that food, if you are avoid eating it!!!