Warnings about Common Core, Charismatics, Paul Washer Interview, Don't Give Up

Beware of the Common Core Curriculum that the Obama administration has put out.
It is very invasive into privacy.  Questions are asked that are not only not anyone's business, but I heard an account that a girl was asked a question that reached into her parents' bedroom.  I won't put the exact question, because it makes me uncomfortable.  Also, questions about discipline problems and religious affiliations are asked.  You can read more clicking here.

I have shared about the Strange Fire conference coming up in October.  I've been places where people were mumbling under their breath and speaking supposed words from God or words of knowledge or something.  I learned at an early age the dangers of the charismatic movement, as it had infiltrated a church that we had been going to as well.  Thankfully, we heard MacArthur which helped keep some of my family from getting too sucked into that.  We ended up going to Grace Community Church for awhile after that.  Still, I ended up places and had friends in high school that were of that persuasion which I admit gave me great discomfort.
Tony Miano of Cross Encounters who was arrested in the U.K. in early July wrote a blog post to share his experience with "spiritual heroin addicts" in this movement.
http://www.crossencounters.us/2013/07/spiritual-heroin-and-blasphemy-of-holy.html

Tim Challies did an interview with Paul Washer recently.  You might want to check it out!
Click here to read part one.
Click here to read part two.

Persevering in Evangelism: reflections on a godly stranger - this was worth sharing again for those of you who did not see it before.  When someone responds in a discouraging way to the Gospel, God can still be at work in that person to draw them.
 

My 911 Call & Ambulance Ride

This past Sunday I called 911 as my pulse had gone up to 130 sitting down.  I was having difficulty breathing and was feeling at times like I might lose consciousness.  I prayed for God to slow my heart down and I think for wisdom what to do.   Because I had been having  trouble breathing before my family left for church, my Mom had been concerned and mentioned about calling the church or 911 if I needed to.

I looked for a phone number for the church the rest of my family goes to and wasn't finding it quickly.  Not knowing whether I might faint alone at home or if my pulse was too dangerously high (I knew I was having tachycardia) I finally called emergency.
I was home and had been waiting for my ride to church.  She showed up shortly before the ambulance.  The 911 operator was willing to and stayed on the line until the ambulance guys came.

Before they got to our house I managed to scoot down some steps to the door to unlock and open for the ambulance people.  The guys helped me to a chair and carried me to the ambulance.  The lady from church was very helpful.  I was concerned about my family's reaction and did not really think very much about if I was going to die (perhaps for a short bit) so much as what I was going to experience and was experiencing.  This was my first ride in an ambulance that I can remember and it was pretty smooth.  Apparently my neighbor who drives an ambulance told them where the street is since they couldn't find it.

I wasn't excited about the needle stuck in my hand or having to lean forward to get stickers placed on me so they could get pictures of my heart.  It took a long time before they decided to go to the local hospital.
The lady from church followed us to the hospital and also got ahold of my Dad by phone when they got home.  They ended up allowing her in  and she stayed until my family came.

 I had some different tests done including for congestive heart failure, and finally they used IV fluids.  They felt that that seemed to help, and I was on a clear liquid diet until the next day.

The people in the ambulance did not seem to know what P.O.T.S. and  N.C.S. were, but it turns out that what I experienced was related to that.  They should read up on it!  I hadn't had that fast of a heartbeat before when taking my blood pressure or when I had a 30 day Holter monitor test before, but others have high numbers like that and even higher I have learned since this experience.  Still, my family believes calling 911 was the right thing to do...and so do I since I was alone at the time.

While at the hospital I heard about a 10 year old girl who had a low heart rate and blood pressure or something.  I heard a kid crying and other noises that disturbed me.  The kid cried out something like "Please help me!" and some more I couldn't either understand or don't remember.  I teared up and was praying for that kid.  After a short while it was quiet. 

If you don't know where you are going when you die, please look at the following link and look at or listen to the message "Hell's Best Kept Secret."

When I Am Weak

I have times I get discouraged and wonder how I will endure.

I'm not always strong.

I push myself knowing I must endure.  God does have a purpose for me no matter how awful I feel physically at times and how unreal the symptoms make me feel.  There are times when I struggle hard to even focus my mind.  I remind myself of a computer trying to do background tasks when the machine is half asleep.   My head rings loudly, and it seems to want to shut down my brain with the reverberation.  I feel faint at times and my heart/chest feels strange and overreacts to things like stress and stressful movies.
Things do not feel natural like they used to.  Sometimes I have some difficulty breathing, and I often cannot stay up for long and must lie down or at least recline (my FMS pain limits me a lot as well).

I went to the ER recently with difficulty breathing to the extent that I could hardly talk.  My potassium was a little low from my medicine.  Probably it was a combination of the P.O.T.S. or neurocardiogenic syncope and what the medicine did to me (which lowered my potassium).

I know there are people who say, "Why not me?"  when it comes to suffering.  Honestly, I still sometimes ask in my weakest times, "Why me?"
Much of the time I just keep pressing on, but in my worst times I can break down in tears. 
Believe me, I ask God to help me and even to heal me.  
When this happened recently, I remembered something from a verse about taking refuge under the shadow of God's wings.
I know that Jesus understands suffering.  He does care for me.  He hears me when I cry, and He must consider me able to endure. 

If sometimes I trip up and say things wrong, please remember that I sometimes am having to work hard to try to focus.  There are times when things have been improved.  Those times are a blessing.  As I type this my head is ringing loudly and my brain is wanting to slow and shut down.

If you are a Christian, please keep serving God with whatever ability you have no matter how small.  He has done so much for us in saving us from the eternal punishment we deserve.  He is using whatever happens to us for our good and His glory.  One day we will see the final outcome when we finally go Home.

Some people go away from home to see the world.  I look forward to leaving the world to go to my true and final Home.  I'll admit I do pray that I won't have to suffer more physically, but I must trust Him.  I need Him to help me to do that better.

Endurance mentioned in the Bible is often about trials where people are persecuted for righteousness' sake, but I do believe that some of the same principles and verses can encourage those of us who suffer physically as a result of the sinful fallen world.  Both kinds of trials / suffering are working to perfect us more into the image of Christ and make us useful tools for our Lord.  They both produce forms of endurance.  I know it's not just about gritting our teeth and bearing it.  There is a greater purpose, and I must trust Him to bring it about.
 

Words, Discernment Bloggers, Doubt & New Sovereign Grace Music Album

• Words can set a forest aflame (James 3) and reflect the heart and affections.  I read the following blog post that expounds on the subject:  The Heart of Words by Burk Parsons

• While I firmly believe that people who are truly false teachers (see 7 Marks of a False Teacher) or people who are seriously straying from Biblical truth should be pointed out and their error warned against, I have learned that there are people out there who falsely accuse people of heresy or are quick to assume guilt rather than waiting for the truth.   A person has to research and not believe everything they hear or read.  In The Crosshairs of Discernment Bloggers by Tim Challies

• True Christians sometimes can struggle with doubts of their salvation.  I have had doubts at times myself.  Again Tim Challies has another blog post that can encourage you if you have ever struggled.  8 Ways Satan Convinces You To Question Your Salvation

• Sovereign Grace music has a new album to be released August 1, 2013 entitled Grace Has Come: Songs from the Book of Romans.  It is already available for preordering for those interested.  You can listen to the samples and a couple of songs at the following links: http://sovereigngracemusic.org/Albums/Grace_Has_Come_Songs_from_the_Book_of_Romans

          http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/grace-has-come-songs-from-the-book-of-romans
 

Loving & Training Up A Child

You may think it rather strange or unusual for me to be doing a post about parents.  I have been blessed with parents who love me and even still do much to support me with my disabilities. 
We all do what we can to help with all of the limitations in our household.
I'm sharing two videos today, but I will likely leave it up for a week which will give extra time to view them...especially for those who may have an extra long weekend.

The following video may make some tear up. It's a good lesson about what fatherhood should be when others might treat people with physical or mental disabilities as less than human.



Some of you may remember me doing a review some time ago on a documentary entitled  IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America.
If you didn't, you can find the link to it here.  
They have now released the first 30 minutes to be watched online!

 
IndoctriNation Movie - 30 minute version from indoctrination on Vimeo.

Although children are not Christians just by being raised and taught by Christians, it is always good for kids to be trained up in the way they should go.