Eternity in their hearts

A great verse is Ecclesiastes 3:11- "God has set eternity in their hearts". This means that every person knows intuitively that there is more to life than just this life. All of us- even the hardest atheist- long to live past this life, and to have a greater mark on the universe. God has put this knowledge and hunger there.

How does eternity in your heart show itself?

Spiritual experience

Last Saturday I had an unusual spiritual experience. I was on the phone at 5pm at the church office. Suddenly I felt something move in the heavenly realm in our favor. It was dramatic, as tangible as a weight being lifted off my physical body. I believe that either a new strong angel arrived in our area, a demonic power was removed, or something similar happened.

It will be exciting to see how this plays out!

Prophetic rodents?

Groundhog day always amazes me (in case you haven't heard, Phil says there is more winter in store for us). People are so hungry to see the future that they seek out a groundhog for a word of prophecy. Have you ever seen a groundhog up close? They are dumb and ugly. I have to remove several from my garden and yard every year.

Paul says that we can all prophesy. All of us can share the mind of God with others, and yes, sometimes even what will happen in the future, if we are open to God. People should seek us out more than groundhogs. We are in touch with the living and true God.

Bible Superbowl prediction

You may recall that I called the Superbowl within 1 point last year, based on scriptural references and inferences. I can't tell you the number of people who were amazed over my Bible-sports prophecy. One man in church was actually kind of in awe of me after. It was sort of scary.

Well, what does the Bible say for this year? (apart from the fact I am rooting hard for the Giants)

Giants were feared by the Israelites, and temporarily kept them out of the land (end zone?)due to unbelief. They looked strong and powerful until confronted. But ultimately the giants all were tackled and fell. They were evil. The bigger they were, the harder they fell (think about Goliath). They were finally fully exterminated. They were wiped out.

Another thought is found in 1 Samuel 2:12-"The sons of Eli were worthless men, they did not know the Lord." They were harshly judged by God. Surely this is also not good news for Eli Manning, the Giants' quarterback.

On the other hand, New England claims to be Patriots. But surely this is false advertising. New England is probably the least godly part of the country, having first legalized gay marriage, as well as slavery (just learned this Wednesday in the Black History class). It is easily the weakest area of the country for the Gospel. Churches are generally few, small, and weak up there. And Massachusetts ranks up there as among the worst in all this.

Tough prediction. Patriots by 3.

Today is...

Today is National Peanut Butter day.

I love pb. When I was a kid, we used to eat peanut butter on hot dogs (it is good). Now I love peanut butter chocolate ice cream.

What is your favorite peanut butter combo?

Vision of America

Saturday night at the prayer meeting for the nation, state, towns, I had a vision. Someone mentioned that the US had been a place of refuge for peoples from all over the world. At this I saw a light-up map of the US. Then I heard the voice of God saying, "No longer will America be a place of refuge, it is now under my judgment. People will flee and leave it, no longer will peoples come to it. But there will remain a few cities of refuge in it." I saw the light of the map go out, but a few lights on the map remained.

Not such good times ahead. None of the lights were in the northeast.

Why go to Israel?

Israel is a place every Christian should visit once in their lifetime. Why?-I broke the reasons into past, present and future-

Past-
-to walk in the steps of Jesus is incredible. It will bring the stories of the Bible alive.
-you can go to Capernaum (where Jesus lived), the Sea of Galilee (try walking on water there if you want!), Mt Carmel (where Elijah battled the false prophets), Jerusalem, the city of David- these are real places that still exist.
-there is an unusual sense of God's presence in Israel. I am not into holy places, but you can feel God's presence at the Western Wall so heavily.

Present-
-this will be one of the great spiritual experiences of your life. Believe me, it will be.
-Israel is the center of 3 continents, and a fascinating mix of cultures.
-it is small, the size and population of NJ, and thus easy to get around.
-it will give you a great understanding of the Jewish people and culture.
-God says His eye is always on it. To Him, it is the center of the world.
-you will understand the perpetual political struggles over this land when you visit it, and see how small and pivotal it is.
-it is safe, we will not go to any dangerous places, like Gaza.

Future-
-Israel is where world history ends. You can visit Armageddon, the site of the last battle, and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return to earth. This will so enrich your understanding of prophecy.
-you will walk where the Jewish temple was, and will be rebuilt in the future. People there are planning this now.

If there is any way you can get in on this trip, do it. It will be the spiritual experience of a lifetime. We have our interest meeting on November 20 after church.