"Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith
to follow after deceitful spirits and teaching of demons, influenced by the
hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
(1 Timothy 4:1-2)
According to the latest information from the National Hurricane Center,
Tropical Storm Erin is expected to become a hurricane on Friday.
Mike Boylan, the founder of Mike's Weather Page joins
FOX Weather with the latest details on the storm.
America's favorite cowboy cook Kent Rollins takes a journey back in time to visit
some of the most lively and exciting "social clubs" in the Old West-the local saloon!
He also shares his recipe for delicious Skillet Brisket Nachos!
" Our graces are either growing or shrinking. It seems to be the law of nature
that everything and every person must move along. There is no standing still.
The moment the growth stops, decay sets in."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
"I cannot stand still in my work. If I do not keep studying and going
ahead I slip back," said a friend to me the other day.
"Well, neither can I in my work," I thought. My mind kept dwelling on the idea.
Was there a work that one could learn to do with a certain degree of excellence,
and then keep that perfection without a ceaseless effort to advance?
How easy and delightful life might be if we could do this, if when we had attained the
position we wished we might rest on our oars and watch the ripples on the stream of life.
Turning my mind resolutely from the picture of what would happen to the person
who rested on his oars, expecting to hold his position where the tide was rippling,
I began looking around for a place in life where one could stand still, without
troubling to advance and without losing what already has been gained.
My friend who plays the piano so beautifully was a fair performer years ago,
but has improved greatly as time went by. She spends several hours every day
at the instrument practicing. "I have to practice," she says, "or I shall lose
my power of execution," and because she does practice to keep what she
already has, she goes on improving from day to day and from year to year.
In contrast to this, is the other friend who used to sing so much and who had
such a lovely voice. She hardly ever sings now and told me the other day
that she thought she was losing her voice. She also said that she was so
busy she had no time to practice.
There is also a woman who "completed her education" some years ago.
She thought there was no need for further effort along that line and that she
had her education for all time, so she settled down to the house work and
poultry. She has read very little of anything that would help her to keep
abreast of the times and does not now give the impression of being an
educated, cultured person but quite the reverse.
No doubt she has forgotten more than I ever knew, but the point is
that she has lost it. Refusing to go ahead, she has dropped back.
Even a housekeeper who is a good housekeeper and stays such becomes
a better and more capable one from the practice and exercise of her art and
profession. If she does not, you may be sure she is slipping back and instead
of being proficient will soon be a careless woman who will say,
"I used to be a good housekeeper, but,-"
The same rule applies to character. Our friends and neighbors are either
better friends and neighbors today than they were several years ago or they
are not so good. We are either broader minded, more tolerant and sympathetic
now than we used to be or the reverse is true. The person who is selfish, or
mean or miserly-does he not grow more so as the years pass, unless he
makes a special effort to go in the other direction?
Our graces are either growing or shrinking. It seems to be the law of nature
that everything and every person must move along. There is no standing still.
The moment the growth stops, decay sets in.
One of the greatest safeguards against becoming old is to keep growing
mentally, you know. If we do not strive to gain we lose what we already have,
for just so surely as "practice makes perfect" the want of practice or lack of
exercise of talents and knowledge makes for the opposite condition.
We must advance or we slip back and few of us are bright enough to turn
a slip to good account as did the school boy of long ago. This particular boy
was late at school one icy winter morning and the teacher reproved him
and asked him the reason for his tardiness.
"I started early enough," answered Tom, "but it was so slippery that every
time I took one step ahead I slipped back two steps."
There was a hush of astonishment and then the teacher asked,
"But if that is true, how did you ever get here?"
"Oh, that's easy," Tom replied. "I was afraid I was going to be late
and so I just turned around and came backwards."
Image courtesy/Ladies Literary Guide
"Are You Going Ahead?"
An article written for the farm newspaper,
the Missouri Ruralist
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
(1867-1957)
Prolific American writer and original pioneer girl.
Author of the "Little House" book series.
Tropical Storm Erin may soon become the first named
major storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season.
Thanks again to hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross
at FOX Weather for this latest update.
In this report from CBN News, Arab Christian Pastor Saleem Shalash
reveals the little known reality of life for the believer in Jesus in Israel.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they
set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same
way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven."
(Matthew 5:14-16)
And everybody remember, "Shine for Jesus!"
As she gets more organized out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Erin
could become a major hurricane by the end of this week.
Head's up for everyone heading down the shore in the next few days.
This storm could produce dangerous rip currents and high
waves as she passes by the New Jersey coast.
Thanks to hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross for this latest update.
"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
(Psalm 118:22)
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables.
"A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built
a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of
the vineyard. But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
Then, he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and
treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent
many others; some they beat and others they killed.
Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them.
"They will respect my son," he said.
But the tenants said to one another, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him,
and the inheritance will be ours." So they seized the son, killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Have you never read this Scripture:
"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes."
At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken
this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
(Mark 12:1-12)
THE SONG OF THE VINEYARD
(Isaiah 5:1-8)
I will sing for my Beloved a song of His vineyard:
My Beloved has a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it up and cleared the stones
and planted the finest vines.
He built a watchtower in the middle
and dug out a winepress as a well.
He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes,
but the fruit it produced was sour!
And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
I exhort you to judge
between Me and My vineyard.
What more could I have done for My vineyard
than I already did for it?
Why, when I expected sweet grapes,
did it bring forth sour fruit?
Now will I tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be consumed;
I will tear down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and thorns and briers will grow up.
I will command the clouds
that rain shall not fall on it."
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are the plant of His delight.
He looked for justice,
and saw bloodshed;
for righteousness
and heard a cry of distress.
Woe to you who add house to house
and join field to field
until no place is left
and you live alone in the land.
"WOE TO THOSE WHO CALL EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL,
WHO PUT DARKNESS FOR LIGHT AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS,
WHO PUT BITTER FOR SWEET AND SWEET FOR BITTER. WOE
TO THOSE WHO ARE WISE IN THEIR OWN EYES AND PRUDENT
AND SHREWD IN THEIR OWN SIGHT!
(Isaiah 5:20-21)
" I WILL GATHER ALL THE NATIONS AND BRING THEM DOWN INTO
THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT. THERE I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT
AGAINST THEM CONCERNING MY PEOPLE, MY INHERITANCE ISRAEL,
WHOM THEY HAVE SCATTERED AMONG THE NATIONS AS THEY
DIVIDED UP MY LAND."
(Joel 3:2)
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM AND THE
SALVATION OF ISRAEL. MARANATHA!
The latest behind-the-scenes news from Israel, or what you will not
hear reported in the western new media, from Israeli-American
author/speaker and former Knesset member Avi Lipkin.
"He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy,
through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."
(Titus 3:5)
"Truth is the agreement of our ideas with the ideas of God."
-Reverend Jonathan Edwards
What happens when one man fully surrenders to God?
This is the remarkable story of Jonathan Edwards,
a humble preacher, whose life of fasting, earnest prayer,
and commitment to worship God in spirit and in truth,
ignited a spiritual revival, which spread like wildfire
across 18th century America, and is known today
as the First Great Awakening.
"Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law."
(Psalm 119:18)
Gracious hostess Diane Leary shares a delicious, classic southern
recipe that your family and friends will be sure to love!
And everybody remember... Shine for Jesus!
Why did the Son of God live on earth for only 33 years?
Was His life cut short, or was each moment divinely appointed?
"The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace."
(Exodus 14:14)
An inspiring message to begin the week from Pastor Jack Hibbs.
The heart-warming story of a German Shepherd named Kelly,
trained to become a Seeing Eye dog for the blind.
It was uplifting and educational programs like this one
that made The Wonderful World of Disney the best show
to watch on Sunday nights when I was a kid!
An inspiring weekend message from brother Zev Porat in Israel
regarding breaking down witchcraft, and other demonic strongholds
which might be influencing the life of the believer.
Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of the believer.
But are we doing our praying in the way Jesus taught us in the Bible?
"He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn
and day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them
over the face of the earth, the LORD is His name."
(Amos: 5:8)
PSALM 19
A Psalm of David
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Without speech or language
without a sound to be heard,
their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched
a tent for the sun.
Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course,
it rises at one end of the heavens
and runs its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The Law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart;
the commandments of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the judgments of the LORD are true,
being altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
the honey from the comb.
By them indeed Your servant is warned;
in keeping them is a great reward.
Who can discern his own errors?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Keep Your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Today marks the 95th birthday of one of the most famous,
iconic female cartoon characters of all time.
The beautiful and bodacious Betty Boop!
Boop-Oop-A-Doop!
The animated "It Girl" of the 1930's, Betty's sweet and sassy character
captured the hearts of Americans during the early days of the Great Depression.
An original creation of cartoonist Grim Natwick for animator and studio
owner Max Fleischer, Betty was first depicted as a dog character in
her debut cartoon, "Dirty Dishes" which premiered on August 9, 1930.
She later evolved into the sexy caricature of a Jazz Age flapper girl.
A 1934 court case described Betty as having, "a large round baby face
with big eyes and a nose like a button, framed in a somewhat careful
coiffure, with a very small body of which perhaps the leading
characteristic is the most self-confident little bust imaginable."
Her vampish appearance, however, was toned down by the mid-1930's
in compliance with the Hays Code. The new Betty was still a spicy
and spirited gal, but a lot more modest in regards to dress.
"Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member? No!"
In 1931's animated comedy, "Bimbo's Initiation" Betty comes to
the rescue of her pal, Bimbo, after he falls into a subterranean
world run by a mysterious group, whose members keep
pressuring him to join their underground society.
"All that glitters is not gold."
Deemed, "the darkest of all the Fleischer cartoons" by film critic Leonard Malton,
I have often wondered what the motivation was behind this weird and whimsical
production. Was "Bimbo's Initiation" merely a freaky fantasy, or could this have
been Max Fleischer's way of conveying to the general public his knowledge of
a sinister subculture hidden within the entertainment industry
in Hollywood? Given what has been revealed in more
recent years, this would not surprise me!
The Full Moon of August is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon,
which, according to The Old Farmers Almanac, is named for the fish called
the Sturgeon, which were once plentiful in waters of the Great Lakes, and
in Lake Champlain, especially in late summer, and were a chief food
staple for the American Indian tribes which lived in these areas.
The origins of this big, scary-looking fish have been traced back to around
136 million years ago. Many people call them, "living fossils". It is said that
they also have long life spans and can live up to 150 years!
There are roughly about 29 species of this resilient fish in the world today.
They have evolved from the size of an average bass, to the size of
a Volkswagen! However, despite their often formidable appearance,
sturgeons are not considered aggressive and do not bite or attack humans.
Although the Sturgeon still exists in America today, their numbers have significantly
dwindled over the years, especially during the age of the western expansion in the
mid-to-late 19th century, and the rise of the commercial fishing industry, which
has caused damage to their natural habitat, not to mention the increase in
water pollution in the Great Lakes region.
"When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place...what is man that You are mindful of him,
or the son of man that You care for him?"
(Psalm 8:3-4)
As usual, I rose up early this morning to satisfy the demands of our hungry
house cat, who kept jumping up on my bed and knocking things over in my room,
not to mention uttering piteous yowls in his strange cat language in order to
wake me up. This was also when I happened to look out the window and towards
the east, where dawn was just beginning to break. However, my attention was
drawn upwards at two gleaming objects hovering near each other in the sky.
According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the year's most glorious planetary
conjunction between dazzling Venus and brilliant Jupiter will be visible
in the predawn skies this month, and especially, on the
morning of Tuesday, August 12th.
I even dragged my two sons out of bed and outside to see these
two planets suspended in the clear morning sky above the earth.
Although both were tired and cranky, they nevertheless seemed
as impressed as I was by this marvel of God's wonderful creation!
The sun was gone, and the moon was coming
Over the blue Connecticut hills;
The west was rosy, the east was flushed,
And over my head the swallows rushed
This way and that, with changeful wills.
I heard them twitter and watched them dart
Now together and now apart
Like dark petals blown from a tree;
The maples stamped against the west
Were black and stately and full of rest,
And the hazy orange moon grew up
And slowly changed to yellow gold
While the hills were darkened, fold on fold
To a deeper blue than a flower could hold.
Down the hill I went, and then
I forgot the ways of men,
For night-scents, heady, and damp and cool
Wakened ecstasy in me
On the brink of a shining pool.
O Beauty, out of many a cup
You have made me drunk and wild
Ever since I was a child,
But when have I been sure as now
That no bitterness can bend
And no sorrow wholly bow
One who loves you to the end?
And though I must give my breath
And my laughter all to death,
And my eyes through which joy came,
And my heart, a wavering flame;
If all must leave me and go back
Along a blind and fearful track
So that you can make anew,
Fusing with intenser fire,
Something nearer your desire;
If my soul must go alone
Through a cold infinity,
Or even if it vanish, too,
Beauty, I have worshiped you.
Let this single hour atone
For the theft of all of me.
"August Moonrise"
(1916
Sara Teasdale
(1884-1933)
American lyric poetess
