And scarce do we guess the things on
earth, and what is within our grasp
we find with difficulty; but when
things are in heaven, who can search
them out?
R. (1)
In every age, O Lord, you have
been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of
men."
For a thousand years in your
sight
are as yesterday, now that it is
past,
or as a watch of the night.
R.
In every age, O Lord, you have
been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their
sleep;
the next morning they are like
the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R.
In every age, O Lord, you have
been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days
aright,
that we may gain wisdom of
heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R.
In every age, O Lord, you have
been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your
kindness,
that we may shout for joy and
gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the
LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands
for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R.
In every age, O Lord, you have
been our refuge.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
Philemon (Philemon 9-10. 12-17):
"If any one comes to me without
hating his father 7
and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, and even his
own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Or what king marching into battle
would not first sit down and decide
whether with ten thousand troops he
can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty
thousand troops?
4
Water quenches a flaming fire, and
alms atone for sins.
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11):
R.
(cf. 11b) God, in your goodness,
you have made a home for the poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in
your goodness, you have made a home for
the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of
widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in
your goodness, you have made a home for
the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God,
upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it
for the needy.
R.
God, in your goodness, you have made a
home for the poor.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Hebrews (Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a):
"When you are invited by someone to a
wedding banquet, do not recline at
table in the place of honor. A more
distinguished guest than you may have
been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you
may approach you and say, 'Give your
place to this man,' and then you
would proceed with embarrassment to
take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited, go and
take the lowest place so that when
the host comes to you he may say, 'My
friend, move up to a higher
position.' Then you will enjoy the
esteem of your companions at the
table.
Then he said to the host who invited
him, "When you hold a lunch or a
dinner, do not invite your friends or
your brothers or your relatives or
your wealthy neighbors, in case they
may invite you back and you have
repayment.
I will set a sign among them; from
them I will send fugitives to the
nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud,
Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the
distant coastlands that have never
heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory
among the nations.
They shall bring all your brethren
from all the nations as an offering
to the LORD, on horses and in
chariots, in carts, upon mules and
dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy
mountain, says the LORD, just as the
Israelites bring their offering to
the house of the LORD in clean
vessels.
At the time, all discipline seems a
cause not for joy but for pain, yet
later it brings the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who are
trained by it.
After the master of the house has
arisen and locked the door, then will
you stand outside knocking and
saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply, 'I do
not know where you are from.'
And there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth when you see
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God and
you yourselves cast out.
When you attempt to unravel the extremely complex dynamics of this total onslaught of humanity by Lucifer's army, you begin to discover a lot of new concepts, plans, terminology, and technologies. Over a year ago I began to think that America appeared to be the Great Babylon, because the descriptions of it in Jeremiah 50, 51 and Revelation 18 were so evident. I had already seen what this country was doing on a global level. I read the book by John Perkins, entitled "The Economic Hit Man" and there was no question the U.S. was "conquering" the globe under the cloak of humanitarian cause.
But then you read "Behold a Pale Horse" by William Cooper. He was a high ranking military officer involved in the U.S. cover-up of this "alien / demon" phenomena (until "they"executed him). Cooper, being on the front lines, was tormented spiritually and even began to question his belief in Christianity. Cooper was a highly credible insider who had access to Top Secret military documentation and insider sources and saw these "things" with his own eyes. He confirmed the unthinkable. He confirmed that, not only had the U.S. government known and consorted with these "alien" entities, but in FACT had actually signed "Treaties" with them. Agreements.
Or as our Lord, the Most High God, and King Jesus would put it ... they signed OATHS!
Oaths Signed Directly with the DEVIL
These "oaths" of agreement, or treaties, allowed these demonic entities to have a certain amount of freedom and secrecy in exchange for "technological know-how". In exchange for this technology, our government agreed to "allow" these demons free access to "human beings" for their own purposes. We "agreed", (with some rather pathetic restrictions), to allow them to "harvest" human beings and perform abominations on their bodies. The U.S. government told LUCIFER he could have the "bodies" and "souls" of God's greatest creations (in his "own image") to torment, torture, mutilate, and genetically alter.
THINK ABOUT THAT
In fact, (while I will try to tackle this most difficult concept in a later article), these demon entities, not only genetically tinker with our bodies and create very "human looking" versions of themselves ... BUT... they have reportedly perfected this activity referred to as "soul scalping". Suffice it to say, "soul scalping" is the act of using extremely advanced technologies to harvest the human "life force" from the living body and put it into "containers" to use in another "body-like" form for their own purposes.
Another thing these Bacchae were known for is wearing demonic bracelets or "bands". · The Bacchae are biblically famous as they would wear "magic bands" called "kesatot". These bands would entrap the souls of their victims.
Ez. 13:20
"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold I am against your magic bands [kesatot] by which you hunt lives [souls] there as birds, and I will tear them off your arms; and I will let them go, even those lives [souls] whom you hunt as birds"
NAS
Since these "Bacchae" were able to capture souls of humans with their "magic bracelets" and demonic rituals, how arrogant must we be to think that Lucifers' own demonic alien armies have not "technologically" perfected this in their alien abduction activities?
Now that I have your attention, let's digress to a less sinister concept. Let's investigate the challenges they face with their "reporting hierarchy" ... top down.
The Question of "When"?
The question I get asked more than any other question is "when". When will this all start to happen? Will it really be 2010 that the U.S. is toppled to effect their global control objective? My answer is always the same. Only God knows for sure.
Our Lord draws lines in the sand, and allows these things to happen to OUR GLORY - AMEN! We must never forget, as this play unfolds, that WE WIN. Take the time to go back and read about the wonderful period we have awaiting us in the Millennium in the the last article posted here:
The Demonic Control Hierarchy Why is Even Their Timeline in Question?
There are a lot of fascinating "behind the scenes" dynamics at work we often overlook. For example, you have this earthy hierarchy taking orders from the "demonic". Then you have the earthly "manifestation" of the demonic in the flesh (e.g. the reptilian / alien entities and many more).
The Demons on Earth NEED the Demons in Other Dimensions
However I find it MOST INTERESTING, that these "earthy" demonic manifestations have this NEED to make contact with the "other dimensional" demons, as evidenced by their Satanic rituals and sacrificial ceremonies. I find that REMARKABLE. This implies that this "hierarchy" extends into the other dimensions (1st and 2nd Heavens) and there is a requirement for "contact" into these realms. WHY? This need is further underscored by their hunger to break-through these dimensions with "star-gate like" technologies such as the CERN Accelerator. There is no question they "need" a break-through. PUN-INTENDED.
The Earth-Bound Physical Demons
Then below that "hierarchy" you have the multiple levels of Satanic power structures here on earth. Arguably they are led by the "reptilian" entities top down. But again, this line gets blurred by the fact that these "reptilian" entities live inside the energy forces of the human bloodlines they control (in some cases, not all however). These "earthly" Satanic power structures work in concert with one another through organized and coordinated rituals on a global level and set up their power epicenters along these "ley lines".
Now amongst these "pockets" of earthly Satanic power levels (the Brotherhood, the multiple levels of the Masonic Order, the Rosicrucians, the various "Orders" of this and that, the Committee of 300, the Trilateral Commission, the "Royalty" etc.) you have some FREE WILL. You always have "free will". If it wasn't for this "free will" dynamic you wouldn't have had the Luciferian Rebellion in the first place. So THAT comes into play.
Oh and just to "wet your whistle" a bit more. Were you aware the insignia of the Trilateral Commission, is the exact insignia these "alien / demon" entities display on both their garb and their technological space buggies?
Military Commanders, Black Ops, and High Level Insiders
THEN you progress downward into the levels of the Military, and Governments. When you consider ALL the people that have been assassinated (from government / military leaders, to scientists and bio-weapons experts, to DUMB workers, to escaped Brotherhood members, to whistle blowers at all levels) you start to see that "THEY" are threatened by information leaks.
Moreover "they" are infinitely concerned with uncontrolled uprisings. I believe this concern over "human uprising" is a huge worry of theirs. This is probably because they have got their butts kicked in the past as a result of unexpected consequences in their own orchestrated wars etc. These unexpected uprisings have most likely caused delays which they had to work around through subsequent years of alternative strategies and manipulation. THEY are very careful about how quick "they" do something. Careful control is paramount to these entities.
We ARE a threat to them.
Department Heads and Organizational Leaders
Now further down the hierarchy you have their "commanders" or official department heads. These folks are probably not "in on the whole deal" but are good "order takers". How much any of these "order takers" know is up for grabs. I am utterly fascinated by the book "Behold a Pale Horse" by William Cooper, because "they" could have killed him long before that book got released. And they actually tried a couple times.
The fact is that THEY cannot read our minds. "They" actually need resources "on the ground" to do reconnaissance. "They" depend on "earthly" technologies to "hear and see" what we are doing. This level of "order takers" is a huge threat to "them". They know just enough to stir up a world of hurt and "they" need a LOT OF THEM to do their bidding.
This explains why "their" strategy is to kill or eliminate the x-military veterans and trained forces in the first round as a threat. When these "things" manifest in the flesh, "they" are vulnerable to our technological weaponry.
"They" are vulnerable to us, just as we were vulnerable to the American Indians arrows even though we had guns. A lot of pissed off people with rocks in their hands can overtake battalions of soldiers by sheer numbers alone.
Law Enforcement, Government Workers, The Good Ones
The next level down you have the people in law enforcement, government workers (FEMA / Homeland Security), regular military and x-military, and other people with limited powers of authority.
During Katrina, "they" actually called in "Blackwater" mercenaries. This is because there were military and regular law enforcement personnel that were extremely reluctant to do "door to door" gun confiscation. Just like with the lying situation at Waco, Texas, nobody in New Orleans shot guns at the helicopters as "they" claimed. It was a setup orchestrated to execute a plan of attack and to "practice" the drill.
The misinformation perpetuated by these lying news reports spreads like a fire throughout this "level" of much needed "law enforcement" workers to make them "think" they are threatened by the general populous. These lies are further amplified by additional military and law enforcement drills happening every month across the country. These lying drills and "exercises" have been going on for more than 15 years. If you have any doubt, watch the Police State series documentaries from Alex Jones on YouTube. Or better yet, forfeit a 12 pack, and buy one of the DVDs.
The Common Man and the Armed Citizenry
And then further down this "people control" pyramid, you have the "armed citizens" of this country. As proven by their "orchestrated" practice drill called "The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast on Sunday October 30th, 1938, the citizens of the United States grabbed their guns and went out to kill these "demon / aliens".
This was arguably one of the most important "proof of concept" drills these entities have ever executed. They needed to know what the impact might be should "they" be "announced" on a large scale. The actions of the citizens of this country at that time, almost certainly delayed their plans to "manifest" themselves even earlier than today.
The Importance of Martial Law to Their Objective
This is why martial law and the help of foreign troops is utterly key to the upset of this country. The hierarchy of the United States government structure is a major stumbling block for their control timeline. This idea of the individual "states" having veto powers over their "central command" in D.C. is throwing rocks into their "gear box" all the time. This is why the Federal Government continues to usurp the States powers at an alarming rate. This is also why you see the Federal government commandeering the National Guard and getting them out of the way as much as possible (or using them in "other" contrived emergency situations).
All things considered, it seems to me, "they" know they must have some type of martial law in place and they MUST have the vast majority of the country under their militaristic control BEFORE they spring their "alien" DELUSION upon us. Otherwise, through their own "proof of concept" testing, they know as a fact they are in for a huge hill of crap. When the "good old boy" citizenry of the USoA sees these "creatures" with their own eyes, they know - ALL BETS ARE OFF.
THE GREATEST POWER & THREAT TO THEM ALL
And indeed, the greatest threat to their cause is THE HOLY SPIRIT.
While it is not up to us to question God's authority, it is in FACT up to us to use the power of His Holy Spirit to assist in the fighting of this war. It "blows my mind" to think of how utterly ineffective we all feel amongst all this military might. We all need to take the time to read about Elijah again. We need to REMIND OURSELVES that God's army of fiery chariots can stomp out armies of nations, guns, flying saucers, laser beams and atomic weaponry LIKE NO OTHER.
I believe our Lord is WAITING FOR US to WAKE UP and start focusing our prayer power on the objectives of the LORD. We need to pray to TRIP UP the enemy's plans. We need to COMMAND IN JESUS NAME these DEMONS are rendered to "no effect" and cast INTO THE ABYSS.
While there is no question the Bible says that in the end, God will have to "step in" and dump down his Mighty Wrath to wipe out this Earth, we MUST NOT assume our contribution has anything less than the GREATEST POWER.
WE CONTROL the amount of horror we will face!
WE CONTROL the amount of power the enemy has against us!
WEARE THE DEVILS' MASTER
They might win here on the earth for a short period of time.
Sunday, August 15, 2010:
(SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY) Readings for today: Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab / 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 / Luke 1:39-56:
Reading I - A reading from the book of Revelation (Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab):
Its tail swept away a third of the
stars in the sky and hurled them down
to the earth. Then the dragon stood
before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave
birth.
12
for "he subjected everything under
his feet." But when it says that
everything has been subjected, it is
clear that it excludes the one who
subjected everything to him.
Gospel -
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St.
Luke (Luke 1:39-56):
That night of the passover was known
beforehand to our fathers, that, with
sure knowledge of the oaths in which
they put their faith, they might have
courage.
3
For in secret the holy children of
the good were offering sacrifice and
putting into effect with one accord
the divine institution, That your
holy ones should share alike the same
good things and dangers, having
previously sung the praises of the
fathers.
R. (12b) Blessed the
people the Lord has chosen to be
his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is
fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is
the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his
own inheritance.
R.
Blessed the people the Lord has
chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are
upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his
kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of
famine.
R.
Blessed the people the Lord has
chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be
upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R.
Blessed the people the Lord has
chosen to be his own.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19):
By faith he received power to
generate, even though he was past the
normal age--and Sarah herself was
sterile--for he thought that the one
who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from
one man, himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars
in the sky and as countless as the
sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith. They did not
receive what had been promised but
saw it and greeted it from afar and
acknowledged themselves to be
strangers and aliens on earth,
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves
that do not wear out, an
inexhaustible treasure in heaven that
no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
Blessed are those servants whom the
master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird
himself, have them recline at table,
and proceed to wait on them.
And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is
the faithful and prudent steward whom
the master will put in charge of his
servants to distribute (the) food
allowance at the proper time?
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
9
and begins to beat the menservants
and the maidservants, to eat and
drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an
unknown hour and will punish him
severely and assign him a place with
the unfaithful.
and the servant who was ignorant of
his master's will but acted in a way
deserving of a severe beating shall
be beaten only lightly. Much will be
required of the person entrusted with
much, and still more will be demanded
of the person entrusted with more.
--------------------
08/08/10- Jesus Emerges From the Tomb (Story of a
painting) -
Thanks Rose!
Here is one who has labored with
wisdom and knowledge and skill, and
to another, who has not labored over
it, he must leave his property. This
also is vanity and a great
misfortune.
R.
(1) If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today
you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the
changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today
you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today
you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all
our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our
God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If
today you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Colossians (Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11):
NEW YORK -- Anne Rice has had a religious conversion: She's no longer a Christian.
"In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control," the author wrote Wednesday on her Facebook page. "In the name of ... Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."
Rice, 68, is best known for "Interview With a Vampire" and other gothic novels. Raised as a Catholic, she had rejected the church early in her life but renewed her faith in recent years and in 2008 released the memoir "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession."
In a telephone interview Thursday, Rice said she had been having doubts for the past two to three years. She was troubled by the child abuse scandals in the church, and the church's defensive reaction, and by the ex-communication of Sister Margaret McBride, a nun and hospital administrator who had approved an abortion for a woman whose life was in danger.
"I believed for a long time that the differences, the quarrels among Christians didn't matter a lot for the individual, that you live your life and stay out of it. But then I began to realize that it wasn't an easy thing to do," said Rice, speaking from her home near Palm Springs, Calif. "I came to the conclusion that if I didn't make this declaration, I was going to lose my mind."
Rice said she is a Democrat who supports the health care legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama and believes gay marriage inevitably will be permitted throughout the country. Although no longer part of any denomination, she remains a believer and continues to read theology and post Biblical passages on her Facebook page. She has no immediate plans to write about her leaving the church and will continue with her metaphysical fiction series, "Songs of the Seraphim."
Rice will not be taking up vampires again, but she said she is a big fan of the HBO series "True Blood," enjoyed the first two "Twilight" movies (she has yet to read any of the Stephenie Meyer novels) and is interested in seeing her most famous character, the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, return to the screen.
"We're in talks about it," she said. "But then we've always been in talks about it. Hope springs eternal in California."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Suppose there were fifty innocent
people in the city; would you wipe
out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent
people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a
thing, to make the innocent die with
the guilty, so that the innocent and
the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world
act with justice?"
What if there are five less than
fifty innocent people? Will you
destroy the whole city because of
those five?" "I will not destroy it,"
he answered, "if I find forty-five
there."
Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow
impatient if I go on. What if only
thirty are found there?" He replied,
"I will forebear doing it if I can
find but thirty there."
Still he went on, "Since I have thus
dared to speak to my Lord, what if
there are no more than twenty?" "I
will not destroy it," he answered,
"for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted: "Please, let
not my Lord grow angry if I speak up
this last time. What if there are at
least ten there?" "For the sake of
those ten," he replied, "I will not
destroy it."
R.
(3a) Lord, on the day I called for
help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with
all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing
your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on
the day I called for help, you answered
me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on
the day I called for help, you answered
me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he
sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve
me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise
your hand.
R. Lord, on
the day I called for help, you answered
me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done
for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R.
Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Colossians (Colossians 2:12-14):
And even when you were dead (in)
transgressions and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, he brought you to life
along with him, having forgiven us
all our transgressions;
12
Jesus was praying in a certain place,
and when he had finished, one of his
disciples said to him, "Lord, teach
us to pray just as John taught his
disciples."
and he says in reply from within, 'Do
not bother me; the door has already
been locked and my children and I are
already in bed. I cannot get up to
give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to
give him the loaves because of their
friendship, he will get up to give
him whatever he needs because of his
persistence.
If you then, who are wicked, know how
to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in
heaven give the holy Spirit 5
to those who ask him?"
--------------------
07/25/10- John 3:16 A Story -
A little boy was selling newspapers on the
corner,
the people were in and out of the cold.
The little boy was so cold that he wasn't
trying
to sell many papers.
He walked up to a policeman and said,
"Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a
poor boy
could find a warm place to sleep tonight would
you?
You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner
there and
down the alley and it's awful cold in there for
tonight.
Sure would be nice to have a warm place to
stay."
The policeman looked down at the little boy and
said, "You
go down the street to that big white house and
you knock
on the door. When they come out the door you
just say
John 3:16, and they will let you in."
So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked
on the
door, and a lady answered. He looked up and
said,
"John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son."
She took him in and she sat him down in a
split! bottom
rocker in front of a great big old fireplace,
and she went
off. The boy sat there for a while and thought
to himself:
John 3:16 . I don't understand it, but it sure
makes a
cold boy warm.
Later she came back and asked him "Are you
hungry ? "
He said, "Well, just a little.. I haven't eaten
in a couple of
days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of
food,"
The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him
down to a table
full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he
couldn't eat
any more. Then he thought to himself:
John 3:16. Boy, I sure don't understand it but
it sure
makes a hungry boy full.
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge
bathtub
filled with warm water, and he sat there and
soaked for a
while. As he soaked, he thought to himself:
John 3:16
I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a
dirty boy
clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real
bath, in my
whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I
stood in
front of that big old fire hydrant as they
flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a
room,
tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled
the covers
up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and
turned out
the lights. As he lay in the darkness and
looked out
the
window at the snow coming down on that cold
night,
he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't
understand it but
it sure makes a tired boy rested.
The next morning the lady came back up and took
him
down again to that same big table full of food.
After he
ate, she took him back to that same big old
split bottom
rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up
a big old Bible.
She sat down in front of him and looked into
his young face.
"Do you understand John 3:16 ?" she asked
gently. He
replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I
ever heard it
was last night when the policeman told me to
use it,"
She opened The Bible to John 3:16 and began to
explain
to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of
that big old fireplace,
he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat
there
and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it,
but it sure
makes a lost boy feel safe.
You know, I have to confess, I don't understand
it either,
how God was willing to send His Son to die for
me, and how
Jesus would agree to do such a thing.
I don't understandthe agony of the Father and
every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus
suffer and die.
I don't understand the intenselove for ME that
kept Jesus on the cross till the
end.
I don't understand it, but it sure does make
life worth living!
John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should
not perish, but have everlasting life.
Now that you have come this close to
your servant, let me bring you a
little food, that you may refresh
yourselves; and afterward you may go
on your way." "Very well," they
replied, "do as you have said."
3
Then he got some curds and milk, as
well as the steer that had been
prepared, and set these before them;
and he waited on them under the tree
while they ate.
4
One of them said, "I will surely
return to you about this time next
year, and Sarah will then have a
son."
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5):
R.
(1a) He who does justice will live
in the presence of the Lord.
One who walks blamelessly and does
justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who
does justice will live in the presence of
the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his
neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who
does justice will live in the presence of
the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He
who does justice will live in the presence
of the Lord.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Colossians (Colossians 1:24-28):
13
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for
your sake, and in my flesh I am
filling up what is lacking 14
in the afflictions of Christ on
behalf of his body, which is the
church,
Martha, burdened with much serving,
came to him and said, "Lord, do you
not care that my sister has left me
by myself to do the serving? Tell her
to help me."
Baylor University graduates
Brett and Emily Mills of
Waco spend their days, and
many nights, reminding the
city’s 40 or so exotic
dancers that Jesus loves
strippers.
The couple’s “Jesus Loves
Strippers” ministry reaches
out to individuals they
believe the church
inadvertently casts away.
Every month, the couple and
about a half-dozen
volunteers hit the Waco
strip club circuit —
Sonny’s BYOB, Show Time and
Two Minnie’s — with bags of
gifts from local sponsors
filled with makeup,
cookies, bandages and
school supplies in August.
Co-founder Brett Mills
and volunteers Leah
Colucci, Kellie Gibson
and Kristen Campbell
gather bags of makeup
and food to bring to
Waco strippers.
Rod Aydelotte/Tribune-Herald
Wearing purple “Jesus Loves
Strippers” T-shirts, Emily
Mills and the female
volunteers approach the
dancers in their dressing
rooms early in the night.
They use the gift bags as
ice-breakers and, more
often than not,
conversations flow from
there.
The volunteers don’t bring
Bibles. They don’t launch
into talk about God.
Many of the strippers, they
find, have long felt
disconnected from faith.
“Only God can change a
person,” said Emily Mills,
a 32-year-old mother of
three. “Our goal is not to
go in and change them, but
make them realize that God
loves them no matter what
they do and where they
are.”
Instead, they talk about
their children. Their
boyfriends. School. Hopes
for the future or just for
the night.
Brett, 34, from Houston,
and Emily, from Tyler, met
at Baylor among 2,000
students in a large-group
Bible study.
They met singing in the
Bible studies and,
together, questioned the
effectiveness of what they
were doing.
“For me, there was
beginning to be a
disconnect,” Emily Mills
said. “Church was not
relevant to everyday
people. I feel like there
were a lot of people out
there who Jesus would have
walked with that probably
feel alienated by the
church.”
They visited other types of
ministries, including one
in Austin that reaches out
to strippers.
They were determined to
build a similar ministry in
Waco.
“The church can reach out
to the homeless and the
down-and-out, but it
doesn’t know what to do
with sex,” Emily Mills
said. “It’s just so taboo.”
So, in 2005, they started
Jesus Said Love, followed
by its extensions, Jesus
Loves Strippers and Jesus
Loves Truckers — all
divisions of Bartimaeus
Ministries Inc., a
nonprofit organization.
Brett and Emily also tour
as a Christian music duo,
but their full-time jobs
are expanding the ministry.
With a pack of volunteers,
they make their rounds at
the clubs once a month, but
spend the rest of their
time developing the
relationships with the
women.
Emily Mills, 32,
listens to the manager
of a Waco strip club.
Mills and her husband,
Brett, started Jesus
Loves Strippers in
2005.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco
Tribune-Herald
“Ninety-nine percent of
them don’t really want to
be there,” Emily Mills
said. “Most say that
they’re just going to do it
for six months until they
can make enough money to
get on their feet. The
danger is that it becomes a
lifestyle. That’s when it
takes a toll on a woman’s
soul.”
One 31-year-old mother of
four daughters explained
she started stripping in
September, after having
danced in similar clubs for
a decade or more.
When times got rough and
she couldn’t pay the bills
last fall, she turned to
taking her clothes off to
make more money. She told
Emily Mills in the dressing
room of a Waco strip club
that she felt she had no
other choice.
The dancer asked the
ministry volunteers if they
could help her find a
different job. Emily
promised to see what she
could do.
Forming a connection
Most of the women love the
“Jesus Loves Strippers”
shirts. Volunteer Leah
Colucci, 23, talks about
trading her ministry shirt
with a dancer who wore a
shirt that read “Sinful.”
Brett Mills and any other
male volunteers don’t go in
the clubs. They wait in the
parking lots, acting as
security and chatting with
the club managers and
patrons loitering near the
entrances.
Jennifer Ledford, a
30-year-old bartender at
Sonny’s BYOB, called Brett
and Emily her “heroes.”
Last year, when Ledford
needed extensive dental
work, Emily Mills found a
dentist to give her a
discount. When Ledford was
debating going to school,
Emily Mills contacted a
friend at McLennan
Community College, who
guided her through
registration.
“Brett and Emily don’t push
anyone to change their
life,” she said. “They just
really want to help you.
They’ve changed my life.”
Two weeks ago, when the
1-year-old daughter of a
Sonny’s dancer was taken by
medical helicopter to Scott
& White Hospital in Temple
after suffering a series of
seizures, Emily Mills had
volunteers at the hospital
to pray with the family
within hours.
The dancer didn’t believe
in God until that day, said
Heather Bonge, a
26-year-old former Sonny’s
employee.
Emily and Brett Mills
gather in the parking
lot of Sonny’s BYOB
strip club. The Waco
couple started the
Jesus Loves Strippers
ministry in 2005.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco
Tribune-Herald
“Brett and Emily deserve
everything good that
happens to them,” Bonge
said. “They are absolutely
not judgmental. If I need
anything, any time, day or
night, we know we can call
them.”
The couple’s newest venture
is Jesus Loves Truckers.
Brett, Emily and their
volunteers set up in the
parking lot of the Flying J
truck stop with bags of
burritos and travel
essentials.
“We’ve had some guys come
by who said they hadn’t
talked in two days,” Emily
Mills said. “Truckers are
lonely.”
Everyone needs to be
reminded that they’re loved
by Jesus, they said.
Their other ideas to expand
their ministry: Jesus Loves
Doctors or Jesus Loves
Housewives.
Strippers, truckers,
doctors, housewives. It
really doesn’t matter.
Because reaching out to the
seemingly very different
groups would essentially be
the same, the Mills said.
While society might
discriminate, their message
is that Jesus does not.
“I’m not going to save the
world one stripper at a
time,” Emily Mills said.
“What I’ve realized is that
I am her and she is me.
We’ve both been broken. We
both struggle. We’re all in
need of more grace than
sometimes we’re willing to
admit.”
If only you heed the voice of the
LORD, your God, and keep his
commandments and statutes that are
written in this book of the law, when
you return to the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your
soul.
For in him 8
were created all things in heaven and
on earth, the visible and the
invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or
powers; all things were created
through him and for him.
He said in reply, "You shall love the
Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your being, with all your
strength, and with all your mind, and
your neighbor as yourself."
He approached the victim, poured oil
and wine over his wounds and bandaged
them. Then he lifted him up on his
own animal, took him to an inn and
cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver
coins and gave them to the innkeeper
with the instruction, 'Take care of
him. If you spend more than what I
have given you, I shall repay you on
my way back.'
For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will
spread prosperity over her like a
river, and the wealth of the nations
like an overflowing torrent. As
nurslings, you shall be carried in
her arms, and fondled in her lap;
When you see this, your heart shall
rejoice, and your bodies flourish
like the grass; The LORD'S power
shall be known to his servants,
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20:
R.
(1) Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, "How tremendous are your
deeds!"
R. Let all
the earth cry out to God with joy.
"Let all on earth worship and sing praise
to you,
sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of
Adam.
R. Let all
the earth cry out to God with joy.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R.
Let all the earth
cry out to God with joy.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I
declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Galatians (Galatians 6:14-18):
3
Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha,
son of Shaphat, as he was plowing
with twelve yoke of oxen; he was
following the twelfth. Elijah went
over to him and threw his cloak over
him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after
Elijah, and said, "Please, let me
kiss my father and mother good-bye,
and I will follow you." "Go back!"
Elijah answered. "Have I done
anything to you?"
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke
of oxen, slaughtered them; he used
the plowing equipment for fuel to
boil their flesh, and gave it to his
people to eat. Then he left and
followed Elijah as his attendant.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10,
11:
R. (cf. 5a)
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God,
for in you I take refuge;
I say to the
LORD, “My Lord are you.
O LORD, my
allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who
hold fast my lot.”
R.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD
who counsels me;
even in the night
my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD
ever before me;
with him at my
right hand I shall not be
disturbed.
R.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Therefore my
heart is glad and my soul
rejoices,
my body, too,
abides in confidence
because you will
not abandon my soul to the
netherworld,
nor will you
suffer your faithful one to
undergo corruption.
R.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me
the path to life,
fullness of joys
in your presence,
the delights at
your right hand forever.
R.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Galatians (Galatians 5:1, 13-18):
2
I will pour out on the house of David
and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a
spirit of grace and petition; and
they shall look on him whom they have
thrust through, and they shall mourn
for him as one mourns for an only
son, and they shall grieve over him
as one grieves over a first-born.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer
greatly and be rejected by the
elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes, and be killed and on the
third day be raised."
I gave you your lord's house and your
lord's wives for your own. I gave you
the house of Israel and of Judah. And
if this were not enough, I could
count up for you still more.
Why have you spurned the LORD and
done evil in his sight? You have cut
down Uriah the Hittite with the
sword; you took his wife as your own,
and him you killed with the sword of
the Ammonites.
We who know that a person is not
justified by works of the law but
through faith in Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Christ Jesus that
we may be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one
will be justified. 16
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ
lives in me; insofar as I now live in
the flesh, I live by faith in the Son
of God who has loved me and given
himself up for me.
she stood behind him at his feet
weeping and began to bathe his feet
with her tears. Then she wiped them
with her hair, kissed them, and
anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him
saw this he said to himself, "If this
man were a prophet, he would know who
and what sort of woman this is who is
touching him, that she is a sinner."
Then he turned to the woman and said
to Simon, "Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did
not give me water for my feet, but
she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
1
Afterward he journeyed from one town
and village to another, preaching and
proclaiming the good news of the
kingdom of God. Accompanying him were
the Twelve
Sunday, June 6, 2010:
(CORPUS CHRISTI -
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST) Readings for today: Genesis 14:18-20 / 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 / Luke 9:11b-17:
In the same way also the cup, after
supper, saying, "This cup is the new
covenant in my blood. Do this, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance
of me."
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd so that they can
go to the surrounding villages and
farms and find lodging and
provisions; for we are in a deserted
place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food
yourselves." They replied, "Five
loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food
for all these people."
Then taking 7
the five loaves and the two fish, and
looking up to heaven, he said the
blessing over them, broke them, and
gave them to the disciples to set
before the crowd.
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human
race.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9:
R. (2a)
O
Lord, our God, how wonderful
your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the
work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you
set in place —
What is man that you should be
mindful of him,
or the son of man that you
should care for him?
R.
O
Lord, our God, how wonderful
your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less
than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and
honor.
You have given him rule over the
works of your hands,
putting all things under his
feet:
R.
O Lord, our God, how wonderful
your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the
field,
The birds of the air, the fishes
of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of
the seas.
R. O Lord, our
God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
Reading
II - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to
the Romans (Romans 5:1-5):
5
But when he comes, the Spirit of
truth, he will guide you to all
truth. He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears, and
will declare to you the things that
are coming.
Everything that the Father has is
mine; for this reason I told you that
he will take from what is mine and
declare it to you.
--------------------
05/30/10- Christians
(not) by Maya Angelou - I got this
in email and felt it was worth sharing, even
though when I googled it, Snopes.com says that
not only did Maya Angelou not write this, but
she denies writing it on her website. So
I'm gonna say it's by "Anonymous", and I share
it because I like it:
While meeting with them, he enjoined
them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the
Father 3
about which you have heard me speak;
6
But you will receive power when the
holy Spirit comes upon you, and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth."
They said, "Men of Galilee, why are
you standing there looking at the
sky? This Jesus who has been taken up
from you into heaven will return in
the same way as you have seen him
going into heaven."
if that were so, he would have had to
suffer repeatedly from the foundation
of the world. But now once for all he
has appeared at the end of the ages
19
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
so also Christ, offered once to take
away the sins of many, 20
will appear a second time, not to
take away sin but to bring salvation
to those who eagerly await him.
let us approach with a sincere heart
and in absolute trust, with our
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience 12
and our bodies washed in pure water.
1
Some who had come down from Judea
were instructing the brothers,
"Unless you are circumcised according
to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be
saved." 2
Because there arose no little
dissension and debate by Paul and
Barnabas with them, it was decided
that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the
others should go up to Jerusalem to
the apostles and elders about this
question.
Then the apostles and elders, in
agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives and
to send them to Antioch with Paul and
Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas,
who was called Barsabbas, and Silas,
leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
"The apostles and the elders, your
brothers, to the brothers in Antioch,
Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin:
greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our
number (who went out) without any
mandate from us have upset you with
their teachings and disturbed your
peace of mind,
namely, to abstain from meat
sacrificed to idols, from blood, from
meats of strangled animals, and from
unlawful marriage. If you keep free
of these, you will be doing what is
right. Farewell.'"
