A word about the football players and their “platforms”…

So, please help me figure this out: I understand why certain athletes and "movie stars" and whatnot have used their public platforms to "make a statement." Many of those "statements" truly were for good causes. But I don't understand this push to basically condone the radical, violent and riotous "Black Lives Matter" movement, because it seems to suggest that ALL cops are "bad" and anyone caught committing a crime or resisting law enforcement in any way, is "good."

And yes, I realize that Blacks are being killed by White cops, but look at the circumstances. I mean, this whole thing has left me wondering why there is NO outcry against criminal behavior (black or white), while, at the same time, law enforcement is being demonized. This, to me, is simply another way we humans have smacked our Creator in the Face because His Torah outlines the difference between good and evil, and we're told in numerous ways that He HATES evil. MOST today, it seems, are ignoring Him - including many who profess to be Believers….

YES, there are "bad" cops, but NOT "all cops" are bad! They are doing their jobs and part of that job is to stop criminals in action! Yet, this "Black Lives Matter" movement suggests they don't want ANY law enforcement, whatsoever. Clearly not all blacks are criminals but instead of promoting "don't commit crimes," or "don't behave badly," their "platform" seems to say the exact opposite. And to prove it, they don't just engage in peaceful protests; they become demonic and allow their protests to become excuses for breaking into stores and stealing and destroying the properties of innocent people, and generally behaving in a demonic manner.

HOW does that solve anything?

As a 22-year military veteran, I am VERY disappointed in and disgusted with the NFL football players AND their narrow-minded, money-grubbing managers who choose to use their fame and public platforms to disrespect our country's flag and consequently, those who DIED for that flag! Countless millions of Americans do not deserve this disrespect! These sports figures are not only supporting the "cops = bad; criminals = good" mentality, but they are adding to our country's mounting internal problems, including the revived racial issues. As long as we have blacks (and whites) behaving like this, we will have fringe lunatic groups such as the Neo-Nazis and "white supremacist skinheads" forming to fight against them. In the end, there will be NO winner! We ALL lose!

If these spoiled-brat, millionaire football players truly wanted to "make a statement," then they would use their illustrious "platforms" to come up with ways to HEAL, instead of continuing to divide our country. Until then, I see their behavior as DESPICABLE! Yes, they have a right to protest, but our Constitution in NO WAY suggests that anyone has a right to riot and loot and pillage and steal from and destroy the properties of innocent people who happen to get in their way.

In my opinion, you illustrious sports "heroes" - YOUR rights end where the rights of others begin! Remember that the next time you "take a knee" designed to kick in the face all that the United States has ever stood for, and those who died. God gave you a brain. Use it. The actual solution begins at home: Stop the silly, arrogant nonsense and return to the values God gave us.

We’re all still here. The “prophets” are liars!

Sorry, but I'm NOT letting this "rapture" and "Niburu" nonsense go just yet! So, here's my rant about this horrific "rapture/Planet X" myth that many allowed themselves to be sucked into:

First of all, people who open their big mouths to "prophesy" and come up with dates of the "rapture" and other things Scripture says they shouldn't put a date on. - they need to stop, drop and roll and READ the Bible from cover to cover to see what it actually says! Why? Because if you prophesy a LIE, you should be put to death because you're going straight into the Face of YHWH whenever you make up stuff and attempt to attribute it to the Bible! (See Deuteronomy 18: 20.)

Furthermore, anybody who is able to READ should have checked Scripture to see if the Gregorian date of September 23 as the "rapture" could be found in the Bible. It's easy enough to do - just Google various Bible software. There is NO excuse for propagating OR believing lies. NONE! Whatever we need to know is IN Scripture! Not in "extra-biblical" books as some are pushing, but IN THE BIBLE - all versions. Pick one.

The thing is, so many are so lukewarm toward God and the Bible, that they truly don't know what it says, and that's why they fall for any lie that comes along (2 Timothy 4:3). I wonder how many of those "fell away" completely yesterday when they discovered that the "rapture" is probably a lie; or, that they were lied to by yet another Bible teacher - again!

This is why I keep harping that people need to get INTO Scripture for themselves so they can KNOW what it says and doesn't say, so that NOBODY will ever again be able to fool them!

YHWH makes no mistakes. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc., all lived their whole lives, uttering 100% accurate prophecies; therefore their writings were preserved. Today, there are many who believe themselves to have "the gift of prophecy"; but, in fact, their "prophecies" are nothing more than things they've conjured up in their own minds. One must therefore always make sure that all "prophecies" line up perfectly with the Bible. If they don't, then they aren't from God!

Another thing: Have you ever noticed that MOST of these silly "prophecies" come from non-Torah observant believers? These people usually hail from the "NT-only, grace-only" lukewarm mindset that has NO CLUE about God or the Bible, yet they're out there "prophesying" from their limited, human mindsets that is stuck on the last third of the Bible in a sea of misunderstood "Paul said..." ideology.

That is not to say that Torah observers are much better, as most of them don't necessarily adhere to Scripture, either. Most of them push their own twists on Scripture the moment they discover Torah, and are after money, fame or glory while they're "wowing" people by tossing around a few Hebrew terms. Bottom line: MOST are NOT pleasing YHWH in this "post-resurrection" era in which we live.

There's only ONE WORD that is Truth and we need to become more mindful of that.We truly need to snap out of it and start adhering to Scripture in our dealings with God and each other. We're not doing Him or ourselves any favors with our endless squabbling and "prophesying" and other silly nonsense that turns the awesome entity called THE BIBLE into a pathetic fiasco of personal opinions and ideas. Scripture says what it says. We need to start READING it - ALL of it!

Shame on the football players! SHAME!

Call for a National boycott of the NFL for Sunday November 12th, Veterans Day Weekend. Boycott all football telecast, all fans, all ticket holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty stadiums. Pass this post along to all your friends and family. Honor our military, some of whom come home with the American Flag draped over their coffin. Continue with the weekly boycott of televised games.

I keep seeing people upset about Trump's comments to those football players who "take knee" instead of honoring our flag, country and national anthem. Well, those of us who served (and I also speak for the ones who fought and died for America), agree with Trump's "tough words" to these guys who make their living playing a game! If they have a point to make, there are other ways to do it besides being DISRESPECTFUL! Here are some wonderful comments by an old friend from my United States Sergeants Major Academy days, Sergeant Major (Ret.) Bob Easterling:

TAKE A KNEE---AND THINK A LITTLE

Take a little trip to Valley Forge in January. If you don't know where that is, just Google it from the sidelines. Hold a musket ball in your fingers and imagine it piercing your flesh and breaking a bone or two. There won't be a doctor or trainer to assist you until after the battle, so just wait your turn. Take your cleats and socks off to get a real experience. Then take a knee.

Then, take one at the beach in Normandy where man after American man [including Blacks who served] stormed the beach, even as the one in front of him was shot to pieces...the very sea stained with American blood. The only blockers most had were the dead bodies in front of them, riddled with bullets from enemy fire.

Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. From Khe San to Saigon... Anywhere will do. REAL Americans died in all those jungles. There was no playbook that told them what was next, but they knew what flag they represented. When they came home they were protested as well..and spit on for reasons only cowards know.

Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110 degree heat. Wear your Kevlar helmet and battle dress. Your number won't be printed on it unless your number is up! You'll need to stay hydrated but there won't be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. You're on your own.
There's a lot of places to take a knee. Real Americans have given their lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought as a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who bled for the very freedoms you have. That's what the red stripes mean. It represents the blood of those who spilled a sea of it defending your liberty.

While you're on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on a manicured lawn striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch of ground taken...but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and sweltering forests and bitter cold mountains...every inch marked by an American life lost serving that flag you protest.

No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans...just American men and women...delivering the real fight against those who chose to harm us.... blazing a path so you would have the right to "take a knee."

You haven't an inkling what it took to get you where you are; but your "protest" is duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation of real heroes, it serves the purpose of pointing to your ingratitude for those who chose to defend you under that banner that will still wave long after your jersey is issued to another....

If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church on Sunday and we'll both kneel before Almighty God. We'll thank Him for preserving this country for as long as He has. We'll beg forgiveness for our ingratitude for all He has provided us. We'll appeal to Him for understanding and wisdom. We'll pray for liberty and justice for all...because He is the one who provides those things. And there will be no protest. There will only be gratitude for His provision and a plea for His continued grace and mercy on the land of the free and the home of the brave. It goes like this..

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Sergeant Major (Ret.) Bob Easterling
(Posted by Sergeant Major (Ret.) Carmen Welker)

We are now experiencing the “10 Days of Awe”

We are now experiencing the “10 days (Days of Awe)” between Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). This is a time for restoration, searching your heart and confessing and repenting; a time for recognizing our sins so we can ask for forgiveness and finally put an end to those things we know aren’t pleasing to YHWH.

These things are strictly between you and God, so concentrate on recognizing, confessing and repenting. Don’t attempt to justify or explain away what you know you’re doing wrong. There is no justification for purposeful, deliberate sinning! Contrary to what many believe, you aren’t sin-free just because you’re a Believer, and that’s what the “Days of Awe” are all about – to give you a chance to shed the “stuff” and become the person our Creator wants you to be!

So, be humble and ask His forgiveness and, if possible, reach out to those you’ve hurt (or who have hurt you) over the last year and ask their forgiveness as well. Restoration is key as we head toward Yom Kippur.

By the way, Yom Kippur begins at sunset Sept. 29 and ends at sunset Sept. 30. For a brief overview, please read my short blog post on this.

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is just around the corner!

Shalom, Mishpocah/family/friends: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement – the holiest day of the year when we are to fast and pray and concentrate on “getting ourselves right with our ELOHIM and fellow man”) begins at sunset next Friday (Sept. 29) and ends at sunset on Saturday.

Before I present a short explanation of Yom Kippur, I would first like to publicly apologize to anyone I may have hurt intentionally or unintentionally this past year. I love all my brethren and realize I can be pretty curt and forceful sometimes, especially with those I find annoying. I’m going to work on that….

Now, let’s talk about this particular YHWH-Appointed Time. Here is what He commanded – and please note, this wasn’t only meant for “the Jews”; it was for ALL who accepted Him, and it was to be a “permanent regulation” (see Numbers 15:13-16):

Leviticus 16:29 tells us: "It is to be a permanent regulation for you that on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves and not to do any kind of work, both the citizen and the foreigner living with you. For on this day, atonement will be made for you to purify you; you will be clean before ADONAI from all your sins. It is a Shabbat of complete rest for you, and you are to deny yourselves. This is a permanent regulation." (CJB)

At this point you are probably wondering why we need a “Day of Atonement” since Yeshua was our Atonement. This is thoroughly explained in a wonderful teaching my husband did once at our former synagogue, which also helps to explain what to do on Yom Kippur.

So, what are we supposed to do on Yom Kippur? Well, since we don't belong to a formal congregation anymore, this is what happens at our house on the holiest day of the year:

We spend the day - as commanded in Scripture - fasting from sunset to sunset, and also reading the pertinent scriptures:

MORNING: Leviticus 16:1-34, Numbers 29:7-11, Isaiah 57:14 through 58:14 and Matthew 27:1-32.

AFTERNOON: Leviticus 18:1-30, Jonah 1:1 through 4:11, Micah 7:18-20 and Matthew 27:33-66. (If someone is pregnant or has medical problems that require them to eat a little bit, by all means, do so. YHWH doesn’t expect us to die while keeping His Appointed Times!)

After one of the readings (either morning or afternoon) my husband and I go to separate rooms and just spend some time alone with YHWH, praying, listening to the Ruach, repenting ... and generally apologizing for anything we might have done during the past year that may have upset Him, and asking for help and guidance to prevent making the same mistakes in the coming year. I love to just sit there quietly before YHWH, listening and letting Him know HE is totally in charge of my life!

What you do in between the readings and the praying/repenting is up to you. The main thing on this High Holy Day, is to concentrate on YHWH. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. It's not a time for "fun and games"; it's a time to get ourselves "right" with our Maker!

President Trump just “tells it like it is!”

I love how Trump didn't bother pretending to be "diplomatic" toward a tyrant who keeps threatening us. (As most Presidents before him have done because they would rather lay down and play dead in their desire to be "diplomatic" with tyrants, than to make waves and stand up to arrogant, war-mongering punks. "Diplomacy" sometimes doesn't work, and sometimes you have to "tell it like it is.")

Anyway, Prez Trump simply said (paraphrased), "Mess with us and we'll destroy you!" (Unlike Obama who was forever adjusting the "lines" in the sand.) And, as a former military person with 22 years of service under my belt, I can attest to the fact that he was NOT lying!

The world can try to make fun of America all it wants, but the bottom line is, we are still the mightiest nation on earth, with the BEST military - and we are certainly capable of defending ourselves in ways someone like Kim Jong Un could only imagine!

Like the President or not, it’s about time SOMEONE started showing the world that threats against the US aren’t going to be tolerated!

School’s dress code for prom raises ire

Here is a perfect example of what’s wrong in America. I almost fell off the sofa while watching this morning’s news, when I heard a woman make one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The comment was regarding the enforcement of a school’s dress code for the prom night, where girls were to be required to send in photos of themselves wearing their dresses, to keep them from being turned away at the door on Prom Night for wearing an inappropriate gown.

I totally see the logic in the school’s requirement, because today, there is no morality, and some people see nothing wrong with the way their children dress as they attempt to emulate Hollywood standards where “evening dresses” resemble skimpy beach wear, designed to not just attract the opposite sex, but to drive them crazy with desire. (Ironically, this train of thought completely contradicts women’s wishes to NOT be “sexualized”….) High school students with their raging hormones don’t need to be enticed with the “street walker look.” They need guidance on proper dress and behavior and self-control!

Yet, we have parents out there who apparently aren’t smart enough to understand “morality” and “proper behavior and dress codes,” and who are allowing their children to redefine these terms according to their own immature, carnal desires.

Paraphrasing, this “expert” in the news story (Rosalie Whiteman) insists that it’s wrong for adults to perpetrate their dress codes on young kids because it is shaming them about their bodies.

REALLY? What else are ADULTS for, but to TEACH children and keep them safe?

Mark 7:20-23 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (ESV)

Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (ESV)

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (ESV)

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (ESV)