Get Ready

Watching the news lately can be overwhelming, but I fear it will worsen. If you are following the recent train derailment, this will be a bigger problem than the government officials tell us. The chemicals released into the air and waterways are not going away. This will have a long-term effect for years to come.

And Ukraine is another story where the worst is yet to come for the Ukrainians and the world.  The fact that Russia has pulled out of the nuclear weapons agreement signals that Russia will do whatever it takes to conquer Ukraine.

Getting ready for the ripple effect of these events is a tough issue to resolve when it comes to being prepared because of the unknown. But, at a minimum, everyone should be thinking about the three basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter individually because you should rely on something other than the federal government to help you.

Photo - pixabay - RainbowArt

 

Music Monday - The SteelDrivers - Blue Side Of The Mountain (Official Audio)

First Sunday of Lent

Mt 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert

to be tempted by the devil.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights,

and afterwards he was hungry.

The tempter approached and said to him,

"If you are the Son of God,

command that these stones become loaves of bread."

He said in reply,

"It is written:

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth

from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city,

and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.

For it is written:

He will command his angels concerning you

and with their hands they will support you,

lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Jesus answered him,

"Again it is written,

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,

and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,

and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,

if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."

At this, Jesus said to him,

"Get away, Satan!

It is written:

The Lord, your God, shall you worship

and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold,

angels came and ministered to him.

Have Faith

 

Top news concerns in no particular order:

• Earthquake in Turkey - 46,957 dead
• The war in Ukraine - one year later
• North Korea testing missiles
• United States plans to expand the training of Taiwanese forces
• East Palestine, Ohio (US) Train Derailment disaster

These are just a few troubling news stories we should all be looking at.

I realize there will always be bad news every day, but it's usually just a couple of reports. Today is more than usual, and most of these have been ongoing.  

Throughout history, events like these have occurred and have always come to an end, but not without a cost.  We are at the point where the need for prayer is of the utmost importance.

Prayer is the most powerful act we can do, and when the world prays, change happens. Some might believe it has no effect, and those have little or no faith at all. Well, you cannot pray if you don't have faith and hope; they go together. 

So, if you are concerned about some world news, maybe it's time to start your conversation with God and have a little faith. 

 Matthew 17:20 

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Photo - pixabay - geralt

St. John Vianney Quote

 

No Football

The top news story today is about the Super Bowl.  This is to be expected because of all the hype that traditionally surrounds this major sporting event. Everyone cheers for their team, or they have wagered a bet, and some for the halftime show and commercials.

I, for one, did not watch it.  I am a former fan of the sport, a season-ticket holder, and a fantasy football fan player. Several years ago, I was saddened when all of the wokeness infiltrated the league. I was a fan because of the sport itself but mostly because it was a uniting event with no politics, no agenda, no X-rated halftime show, and an overall patriotic demonstration of two of the best teams in the world of an American sport. America seemed to be united, and political differences were put aside, and for the day, it was about the game of football.

The NFL, the Grammy award show, and other Hollywood liberals are doing their part with those who want to change how America has traditionally viewed the values for which this country was founded.  The Judeo-Christian values have become a thorn in the side of those who want to make America progressive to the point where anything goes; no matter the agenda, there would be no limit to what is said, no limit to what is shown. The one way to fight back is to voice your opinion openly and not give into the woke society pressure just because it's the popular thing to do.

Photo: - pixabay - alessandra1barbieri

Film Friday - Comedy/Romance

Valentine's Day is in a few days. I thought posting my top 8 comedy - romance movies would be appropriate. In romance, you must have a sense of humor. And as always, they are classic films.

Top 8 Romance-Comedy Films:

#8 Holiday Affair (1949)

#7 Living on Love (1937)

#6 The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

#5 The More the Merrier (1943)

#4 The Philadelphia Story (1940)

#3 Marty (1955)

#2 One Way Passage (1932)

#1 You Can't Take It with You (1938)

Earthquake Prayers Needed

The latest report of fatalities from the earthquake is over 11,000.

Syria and Turkey were hit with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Aid coming into the country has been difficult because of the political borders. It seems the world reacts and wants to help, but politics is getting in the way. Disasters like this always unite the world because of the humanitarian effort to save lives, and time is of the essence. Every minute that goes by, someone is dying under the debris. 

The amount of technology, structural engineers, and First Responders worldwide could quickly speed up the whole process. 

Please pray for the folks in this region. 

A balloon?

It has taken decades for our country to become a superpower, and a balloon has compromised our defense. 

How and why did this happen?

Those in charge of our air defense have clearly failed to protect our nation's airspace. If this situation had been a battleship off the coast, I would hope we would have deterred the advancement of a foreign country into our waters. But I'm not sure this would happen now. 

There should be more updates this week on this failure, but I cannot foresee any reason why this happened.

Photo: pixabay - susannp4

Winter is Lasting How Long?

Photo: pixabay - offroy66

February 2nd 

The Official Groundhog Day

An American tradition for 137 years.

I personally have never been to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But from what I have seen, it is a big deal and months of planning.

 Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, predicts 6 more weeks of winter (msn.com)

I don't believe in such folklore. But it seems like a fun event to experience.  I wonder if other countries do similar events? Winter is one of those seasons where especially in the South, we are ready for it to end and the Spring season to begin.