The North American Predicament.

First of all, I am not an expert; I am just a guy who has been watching this unfold for several years now, while being armed with various prophetic dreams from the past.

For context, I will not be sharing the full context of those dreams due to Substack email limits. I am also using far older revelation that dates back to the founding of this nation to help support this message. That information can still be found with a little searching.

In this post, I will be touching on issues related to what is coming, the Underground church, Trump, as well as America & Canada in general.

It would seem that from the spiritual and early colonial view, what we call the United States and Canada was often seen as one, regardless of who was currently in charge. Part of the evidence for this is seen in a prophetic vision, attributed to General George Washington in the winter of 1777, that was later recorded from memory by Anthony Sherman in 1859. “Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the WHOLE LAND from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them.”

From the visions of George Washington and later Maj. General George B McClellan in 1862. It was clear that the Revolutionary War and the Civil War would pass, another century would come and go, and then the next real battle would start. From these it was explained to them that America would be tested three times. We are now on the verge of that third battle.

This Day

Many years ago (1980s), I had a collection of powerful dreams that took place every year on the day of Atonement. As the years have passed, I would occasionally have a dream that referenced the older dreams as if I was being given an “update.” From these I learned many things, things that at that moment seemed like science fiction but now seem obvious. Here is a bullet point list.

1. Islamic dominance would prevail and control many areas (but not all) of America.

2. Our Health Care system could not be trusted; people would need to break away and learn to manage their own health.

3. Many Christian religious structures could not be trusted, as their allegiance was no longer to Jesus.

4. Underground Churches would become the norm for security and the safety of our children.

5. Space-based technology would be used to monitor and control the people.

6. Many Blue states will become hostile, outlaw Christianity and the Bible. The police will be given a blind eye by local governments to enforce and search whoever they deem necessary. Note: In one particular dream, I saw a very large region of America reduced economically to the 1930s Dust Bowl conditions; a large fence was thrown up around them to be patrolled by Gestapo-style military.

7. Canada’s “military” was replaced with UN troops that had Chinese military embedded within them. The border between British Columbia and Washington State was either removed or ignored, as UN troops could often be found in Washington state attacking and killing Christian people.

8. Underground Christian groups found ways of secretly working around Islamic-controlled cities like Spokane to protect the youth and get them out.

Right now there is a LOT going on, and there is a lot of misinformation designed to shape the minds of the voters for the upcoming midterms. I want to say something right now that I recently heard from a couple of analysts who make it their job to monitor these things. I will take the time, near the end of this post, to explain part of their thinking. Here is what they said: “Concerning the midterms, Trump has only two options. He is either going to pull a rabbit out of the hat and perform a major change in the economy, or, due to the growing evidence of election tampering, or he will use the Constitution to suspend the elections so the military can finish the cleanup.”

So ponder that for a moment as you look at these news posts.

The condition in Canada is steadily growing worse. Unchecked immigration, just like in Ireland and the UK, is now accelerating to explosive levels, unlike the US, which has now seen an 18% drop in violent crime because of ICE and Trump’s policies. But all it’s really going to take is the right set of events, and then Canada could push vast numbers of them south.

This is something we are already seeing in what I would now call the invasion of Spain. By rough estimate, 60,000 men came ashore in waves and started looting, burning, and destroying all in their path.

This is something that other parts of Europe are now seeing in smaller numbers, especially in Ireland, where the IRA freedom fighters who fought the British are getting remobilized to defend the people. Also, the IRA has now started saying that they plan a Civil War if the Islamic people are not deported.

America has a standing army of Hunters, and shooting enthusiasts, unlike Canada, which is not protected by the 2nd Amendment. Our pushback will be greater in the red states, but I fear that any pushback in the blue states will not only be facing Islamic, but also local and state law enforcement who have been corrupted.

The current state… of the State.

Through the efforts of Charlie Kirk, young America came out in droves to vote for Trump. Much of all of this totally hinged on the slogan “America First,” married with the concept of no more wars. Once Kirk was shot, much of Trump’s support started to unravel in the 20-30 year old bracket. Much of this has been fueled by Gas and Grocery prices.

In truth, the price of Gas did start going down everywhere except blue states and many connecting areas. But they stayed high due to spot market pricing in the blue states as local governors drastically increased taxes and then blamed Trump for the increase. From this, the liberals unleashed a multi-point plan that included rebranding some of their own as flag-waving independents with fake Charlie Kirk mannerisms.

This has entrapped the minds of the unsuspecting, who do not realize the long game being played to destroy the deep state. In this, Trump’s overseas actions are still America First as he works to dismantle the Imperialistic system that has assassinated every president we had since Lincoln.

Many people point a finger at MI6, the CIA, and Mossad as the true origins of evil in the world. Especially the current Charlie Kirk crew who now claim that the CIA and Mossad killed him. But they fail to understand that these are but puppets and they take their orders from a higher source in the UK. It is this higher source Trump is fighting; he is trying to cut the head off the snake.

When I brought up at the start of this post that George Washington in 1777 and later Maj. General George B McClellan in 1862. were told that America would be tested three times. The evidence exists that both the Revolutionary and the Civil war all share a common root with what we are seeing unfolding now. Due to the length of the message, it would be hard to explain it. So I will just suggest that you click on the picture below, watch the video to learn more, as I go on with the rest of this post

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One of the other lies being shoved at the 20 to 30-year-olds is the war in Iran. They believe we are bombing kids, slaughtering whole neighborhoods. They have drunk the Kool-Aid and believe the lie, when in fact the Iranian people are celebrating in the streets that we are destroying their evil government, which was put in place by the same snake that is bothering us. Even as I write this, the last breaths of the IRGC are being taken. I suggest either watching Tousi TV or The Goldie Ghamari show to better educate yourself.

Will Trump win?

No, well, at least not in the way we are all hoping for. Trump has two major problems standing against him, and both are rooted in pride. Trump considers himself to be very intelligent. He believes he can out think, out play and run circles around any opponent. In fact, much of this is true, as he has demonstrated his ability to play 4D chess on the battlefield. But here is a core problem.

Even though he has come to understand that there is a spiritual side to all this conflict. He foolishly believes he is intelligent enough to outwit and outplay the spiritual, as he is protected by God. This is a major error; no human on earth has the ability to be smarter than the demonic realm. It’s like you have an IQ of 80 and you're up against a supercomputer so advanced it came from an alien world. In this, Trump is getting played, and he does not know it.

Because of his lack of understanding of the spiritual as well as the truth of Jesus himself. He has literally allowed a true Jezebel to be his personal advisor, Paula White. He has also brought in a strong Buddhist, Kash Patel. This has given him a fake Jesus and a different Gospel.

Click to watch.

The reality is that witchcraft never gives up anything unless it can make back 100-fold. All the seeds for disaster have already been sown into the current administration. The kingdom of darkness saw many of their key players being taken out or neutralized, so they changed tactics. This is something I have mentioned before when I spoke about white witchcraft replacing black witchcraft. Basically, the world saw the true darkness of evil from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. So the plan has changed; the Good (white witchcraft) will do the job that the dark could not do.

But who will replace Trump as the next president? According to the late Kim Clement, this man will be a man of prayer, be blamed for not saying enough, but will be very effective in getting things done. So how does that factor in, if true? Your guess is as good as mine.

So how do we…?

For years (1980 - 2000) in the West, I have heard prophetic words at various gatherings about the need for Places of Refuge. This was an absolutely common word, found in many locations. This is why Jorge Parrott's prophetic word about the “underground railroad” caught my attention when I first heard it at a Morningstar conference.

Click here to read Jorge’s word.

This is also why, in 2014, when Pam Clark contacted me about a vision concerning upcoming strife and the need for “Christian Colonies,” I paid close attention. Here are the bullet points of her vision from 7/7/2014.

1. The “leftovers” of broken homes, gathering together to share resources.

2. They had been ravaged by society and circumstances.

3. She asked the Lord, “Why are You showing me this?” She then saw in the Spirit that these were “Christian Colonies.”

4. When other people saw what they had, they became jealous of them and attacked.

5. I saw “campers” coming into these cities of refuge, and there would be more than just one!

6. I asked the Lord why, and He said, “Yes, these are cities of refuge, but because the towns and cities and states are not what they used to be, the Christian nation is not what it used to be. Because there are so many broken homes today, Christians have to come together to make life work.”

7. Coming together will be a wonderful thing.

8. Pam was reminded of Luke 12:51-53. “Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

This is one of the reasons why I think we are seeing such a movement towards House church in the last year, as I reported in my update post. God has struck the leadership of the Charismatic and other groups, and he is relocating his children. So it’s time to gather, learn true fellowship and community, because the Book of Revelation is yet ahead of us.

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Next Post: The Hiddenness of Writers

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” Psalms 2:4

There was a French dude in 1849 who first said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Absolutely true, you may mix things up, change the furniture of the world, and invent new reasons, but the motivation behind it all never changes.

The Demonic realm has not changed its direction in thousands of years, so neither have the world leaders they control. The first three verses of Psalm 2 say it well,

Today, subject, like many others that are crawling out from the corners of darkness, is now taking our world by storm. This new surveillance system is being sold to people as “Licence Plate readers” or “Public Safety.” But the public, despite what various politicians and some questionable sheriffs have said, has nothing to do with all that. In fact, it is the first serious step towards a Chinese-style police state.

I am sure that for those of you unaware or mildly unaware of this topic, my last paragraph may have seemed strong or even over-exaggerated. But, and I am serious about this, my statement may be underplaying the greater reality.

Jessica Burbank is the lead Journalist currently exposing what is really going on.

Click here for a video from Benn Jordan

Most of the articles and videos connected to Noel Pichardo seemed to have been scrubbed from the internet. He is a former police officer who was pushed out for voicing his concern. Let that sink in for a moment. A police officer stood up, voiced his concern, and was pushed out. Think about that for a moment; would you ever imagine a “police whistleblower?”

This is a problem when officers who still have a conscience and adherence to their vow to serve and protect are pushed out. Apparently, many of the cameras are being intentionally placed near daycare centers and Childrens playground and gymnastics facilities to monitor underage children.

This brings me to the next video by a YouTuber local to my area called “The Idaho Sheriff.”

Lawmakers in various communities, states, and the federal government are scrambling to stop this nonsense.

Here is a collection of various screenshots. If you want to know more, I suggest doing a search on a NON-AI-controlled search engine like Qwant.com

It seems to me that corporations are seeking to control the public. They are selling this to town councils and local sheriffs as public safety. But, in the end, we will pay for this with our Liberty. My suggestion is that if your local law enforcement is behind this Fourth Amendment violation, then at the next election, vote to make them unemployed.

The Upgrade

Italian defense contractor Leonardo is the 12th. largest military contractor in the world ($ 33 billion) is now adding Bluetooth capabilities to Flock cameras. This creates an information collection system that picks up signals from your vehicle as it passes the camera. This includes, but is not limited to, phones, watches, AirTags, tire sensors, and any information/entertainment systems.

This, of course, begs the bigger questions. Why do the corporations need this information, and why are they using a foreign defence contractor on US soil to get it?

Adversarial Clothing

If someone builds a better mousetrap, what happens when the Holy Spirit gives the mice better wisdom to evade the trap? This new clothing seems to work by overloading the AI system’s ability to read patterns by giving too much data.

In every society in history, evil always works to control the people. Do you think Heaven is laughing at this?

Next Post: The North American Predicament.

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I want to take a moment to bring up something I feel is very important in view of my upcoming August 19th post. In that post, “The North American Predicament,” I will be discussing the current state of what is happening in America and Canada, with possible solutions for the body and a connection to House Church.

However, a new cult has popped up that I feel constitutes a warning to everyone. Pretending to be Christian, I feel the potential exists for them to deceive many.

Now, for context, the concept of Christian villages, community, or colonies is something I have no problem with. With the exception of the 1960s and 1970s group community that went off the rails and did a lot of damage. Christian Villages have done well historically and were the norm for much of the first thousand years of our history. It’s only in more recent times that the godly devotion that we were to have with the Lord and each other was transposed and affixed to denominationalism.

Therefore, I see things like villages or communities being the next logical step away from the corporate institution of religion. Within the natural development of such places, I foresee many House church gatherings on various days that people would have the freedom to be a part of. Loyalty would not be to a place, but to the Lord of all the places (HC).

The Cult

One of the things I remember being taught as a new Christian so long ago was this simple principle, “ There will ALWAYS be a Saul before there is a David.” This is darkness’s way of getting ahead of what the Father is doing, to preempt and make a mess.

The image at the top of the post is a screenshot that you may or may not have seen. It and the video that comes with it are completely designed for believers who have or are in the process of stepping away from the brick-and-mortar church. It is also designed to hook Christians who have joined house churches.

Within this AI-created website and video, you never get to see the face, name, or anything about the people behind “Christian Villages.” They are always hidden, and there is nothing on the website to connect you to anything greater for information.

The message is spot on with the right Christian terminology, making you think that they are “just like me,” as it pulls at a longing that many of us have. In all respects, the message has no “red flags”… except something feels off.

By the end of the video, you discover that the AI voice is only asking for two things. One is that you “align your heart.” And the second is a suggested donation to get the book to help you on your journey.

Jonathan England

Now I’ve got fairly good research skills, but still it took me a while to find the author, Jonathan England. He is selling the “blueprint” for his master plan, called “Christian Villages.”

And if you scroll to the Bottom of his sales page, you find this picture of his wife. Those jewels on her head are a dead giveaway to Eastern religions. So I dug deeper.

They are the founders of Earthwaking University and the Earthwaking Eco-Village in Costa Rica.

What I soon found was that they are an “all faiths” lead to the same place kind of people. You can be Buddhist, Kabbal, whatever you want, and it’s all “Christian.” This is the kind of Spiritual trap the Apostle Paul warned us about when he said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:8-9

Ah… but can he be that bad?

Here is a quote from a researcher concerning Mr. England’s Earthwaking Eco-Village in Costa Rica.

Pattern of Conduct people discover in his village.

• Fraudulent and misleading representations

• Financial exploitation

• Coercion and undue influence exercised through spiritual, psychological, and social pressure

• Psychological manipulation

• Exploitation of vulnerable individuals

• Religious and psychological trauma resulting from spiritual manipulation and identity destabilization

• Social isolation dynamics

Here is another quote

Criminal history

Sounds like another Jim Jones, so don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

So, cycling back.

Like I was taught, “There will ALWAYS be a Saul before there is a David.” The very fact that the devil is bringing this up now should be a bit exciting; that means the real is coming. It won’t look like what Mr. England is trying to get everyone to connect with, because it will be God.

Historically, there were thousands of villages scattered all over Europe and North Africa before denominations came about. Some lasted hundreds of years, like Iona. These became refuges, hidden gems that were UNADVERTISED. People found them often by word of mouth or revelation of the Holy Spirit, and from these places hundreds of missionaries were sent out.

God knows how to build these places, so trust in the master builder, not some AI voice.

Please do share this.

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” Psalms 2:4

There was a French dude in 1849 who first said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Absolutely true, you may mix things up, change the furniture of the world, and invent new reasons, but the motivation behind it all never changes.

The Demonic realm has not changed its direction in thousands of years, so neither have the world leaders they control. The first three verses of Psalm 2 say it well,

The more the things of God manifest in this world, the crazier and more mentally unstable the world gets. There is fear, there is concern as they roll out their plans. But when the plans crumble or have less than the desired effect, they grow angry and try again, never learning.

From time to time, I have done a few posts on technology and assorted “End times” stuff (check out the list below if you need more), and a lot of that was created out of the need to inform and not be caught unaware. Unfortunately, so much of the body is still highly addicted to fear; people still get tense at the thought of the subject of The Mark, 666, or anything like that. Because of that, other more recent topics like AI, UFOs, and Aliens are still all grouped in the “super dangerous” category. Well, I think it’s high time to downgrade them in their importance.

AI

AI stands for “Artificial Intelligence.” This is nothing more than a very advanced form of machine learning. Really, the term AI should be applied to whoever thought this idea up and rolled it out to the public. They were not acting with real intelligence, but with incompetence. So Let’s rename this “Artistic Incompetence.”

AI was supposed to take over the business world like a flood, simplify, improve, and help us move forward in some grand, beautiful picture. Well, the Ford Motor Company learned the hard way how incompetent it really was. They let go of half of their engineers to have AI save them money and build better cars and trucks.

In reality, it backfired big time. The cost of fixing the mistakes created by AI was far greater than the wages they paid out to the engineers. So, guess what? AI is out, and they are hiring back their employees. Expensive mistake.

Have you heard the term “AI slop?” It’s a broad term that covers many aspects of AI depending on the industry you are in. I subscribe to a couple of different LinkedIn chat groups for publishers and business people. For many months now, it has been an ongoing place for business owners like CEO and VP and more to vent about AI. And VENT they do!

More than one business owner has fired employees for turning in reports that were created by AI. The reason is simple, as more than one owner puts it, “I am paying you to write the report; I am not paying you to sit on your *%^&# and have a computer do it!” These reports are often full of AI slop and must be fixed. That’s wasted time created by pure laziness.

They are also tired of resumes, altered by AI. To them, they are seeing all this as false advertising about a future employee. An employee who will most likely be forced to suffer with, or will need to be pushed out the door in the next six months.

Book and Magazine editors are refusing to edit manuscripts created by AI for some of the same reasons. Readers are starting to refuse content created by AI, in some cases wanting their money back for books. Great examples of this are women who love historical romance books. Aggravated to find modern DEI morality shoved into the historical past, where people never thought in such terms. Or Western readers finding modern weapons or speaking patterns from the 20th and 21st centuries, introduced into the 19th century.

General research quality on topics is falling due to slop. This is because people rushed to have AI find the data and then write the report. Those reports are then posted on the internet, and AI pulls from them for the next report. In this, errors manifest and grow. It’s like standing in an echo chamber and hearing the same voice say the same thing a thousand times. The Garden is now fruitful, if you like weeds.

One of the main things happening is that AI systems are learning; they are learning about the people who are asking the questions and learning what they like and think. Because of this, it has now been proven that ALL the big AI systems are customizing answers to fit what the customer wants to hear. Another words, you’re not getting real facts, your getting “facts” dressed up to appeal to what you like.

Other nightmare-like situations have occurred in online customer service, where AI has given bad legal or financial advice. Shortening documents, leaving key information out, and improper language translations.

My suggestion is, if you’re after real research or you’re looking to verify the data that AI gave you. Try one of the many smaller search engines on the internet that stil does not use AI. A short list for those would be Yahoo, Yandex, Brave Search, Startpage, and Qwant.

This really feels like someone gave modern, advanced tools to an eight-year-old boy, hyped up on sugar, and told him to build a house with a comic book as an instruction manual.

Never has there ever been in the modern era something so hyped up, trillions of dollars fed into the system to create, that had so many errors?

Do we really need AI data centers?

UFO’s

A good many people over the years have attempted to figure out the source of what UFOs really are. It’s a topic I was personally aware of long before I became a Christian in 1984. Over the years, I generally only bring up this topic to very few people, to kind of “test the water.” From what I have heard, numerous theories, some partly valid, some not.

Some claim it is a fad brought on by technology and the early science fiction movies. I know one guy who, as far as I could tell, never dipped his toes into this subject before. Watched one YouTube video and was then totally convinced it was a Russian plot in the 1940s to cause problems in America. I just let him talk; it was absurd.

The reality is this UFO thing dates back just as far as history can stretch. The cowboys saw them; the ancient Greeks recorded them. There are even claims that they helped Alexander the Great win more than one war. Hathor’s temple in Egypt even has possible images on the walls.

The current talk among some Christian researchers is, “Are they technological, spiritual, or a little of both?” I have my own thoughts on this, but I know they are NOT of the Kingdom of God. “in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2

Many years ago, long before AI and before the average person could afford to manipulate videos. I watched a small fleet of UFOs, in formation, fly past Machu Picchu peak in Peru. As they did, the bodies of the ships morphed like clay into a new form, and then they took off. I know technology is advancing in crazy ways. But that ability seems more like the spiritual realm than technology.

Right now, there are so many people and groups pushing to “disclose” to the world the “real” truth. They even paid a movie producer to help the world understand, but his movie flopped like a dead fish on the hot deck of a ship.

It’s funny to me that with all the hype, they are trying to get everyone ready (preprogramming) for the real news about UFOs that will destroy the Christian faith, really? Yes, some people will shatter like glass, but others will dig, discover, and come back stronger. That’s the nature of persecution: some fall; others grow tall. Meanwhile, heaven laughs at their plans.

Alien Agenda

It was somewhere around the mid 1980s I first heard the term. There are rabbit trails to this subject that can keep a person preoccupied for a long, long time. From Government involvement (Eisenhower) to advances in our present computer systems, the tentacles of possible Alien influence in our world are vast. The subject has also pulled in topics related to a possible secret space program before Apollo, all the way to the “real” purpose behind our new branch of the military, the Space Force.

But let’s walk past all that for a moment. Even though the evidence in some cases is strong, as it suggests a real connection with advanced technology. I think the truth behind it all is that these demonic creatures (Aliens) have got the governments of the world preoccupied, chasing each other’s tails in a hall of mirrors. I suspect the demonic world likes it this way.

The story goes that Eisenhower had a secret meeting at Hill Air Force Base with two groups of aliens. Long story short, he signed a treaty with one of them to allow abduction and testing on humans in exchange for technology to keep Russia at bay, and that led to the creation of DARPA.

There were, for a long time, several ministries that dealt with this issue. I met one of those ministries when they came to a Morningstar conference at Fort Mill years ago. Did you know that if you took a list of things that happened to people who were abducted and a list of things related to people who went through Satanic ritualistic torture, they would be the same list? That’s right, the same list. That’s because the demonic are the authors of both.

This is the real alien agenda. Keep the world distracted while you get the world ready for the arrival of your master. The agenda is not hidden; it’s spelled out in plain sight if you read the bible. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

The devil is the master of lies, and his plans have not changed. They are still to steal, kill, and destroy.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Next Post: Heaven Laughs ~ Part Two

Some time back, I did a post about discussions I have had with people concerning House Church; you can click below if you would like to read it.

Since I have been in and have led some house churches in the past, I have kept an eye on the general movement. For a long time, since our first HC (house church) that ended around 2005. I have noticed how little the Charismatic or Pentecostal is represented in HC gatherings. There were a few online HC lists back in the day that you could post your group information on. But most seemed to be influenced by Baptist, Catholic, or Methodist theology. They were kinda like Justin Peters wannabes, all ready to tell how Holy Spirit stuff can’t happen.

As a result, if you did what we did and announced Charismatic, very few spoke to you, or you just got anonymous emails explaining the evils of a Spirit-filled life. It’s kind of funny because of all these nameless emails; these people wanted me to “come under” them and be “properly educated.”

Even as of last year, when I wrote the post about “Leadership,” very little had changed in that regard. Most online conversations were still debating “What is a leader?” Or, “Do we really need a leader? Can’t we just meet?” If you attempted to interject that Paul appointed leaders in every place he went, then the debate would shift. Watered-down thinking soon flooded the room with thoughts like “Isn’t everyone a leader?”

As a result, many of these groups seemed to be locked into the fruitless endeavor of a perpetual cycle of chasing their own tail. Meanwhile, people kept posting on the House church lists, looking to join any group if someone would just start one. The need was great, but the workers were locked in dark, fruitless thinking.

Now Things are Finally Changing.

With all the exposure, scandals, and evil pretending to be good in the Charismatic pulpits. House Churches have started to explode in America over the last year. Currently, there are around 400+ in the USA, with about 80+ in the West, a few in the Caribbean, but the majority on the East Coast. Some are fully formed, some are looking, and others are announcing that they are looking for people to come to their house.

Of this number, especially in the East, I would say a strong third of these are Charismatic groups. They accept small children, potluck meals, and some even allow you to bring your dog(s). These seem to be very family-oriented and very community-first structured. But still, there are some who want to meet, but they have no leaders.

This, to me, is exciting: real growth, real life with the potential for the unknown to take place. Is this the start of the New Charismatics? Have those who have been made orphans by the system, have they now found a home?

Push Back & Bad Actors.

The shift is being noticed in the larger systems, and a few bigger names have started speaking against HC. Some of these come from Bethel church, like Landon Schott in Redding, as well as other places.

To me, all of Landon's arguments are pointless. Here is my rebuttal of his three points.

1. “Tend to lack spiritual authority.” How do you know that for a fact, Landon? Have you visited these HCs to make this determination, or are you going on presumption?

2. “Lack Apostolic covering.” These spiritual orphans have already escaped the NAR “Apostolic” covering, so why would they want to go back to your flimsy house?

3. “Random and Weird.” Really? Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Aren’t you the group that invented grave sucking and topless Christalignment dances?

But the far bigger issue is bad actors; these can be anything from deceived believers to even wolves in sheep’s clothing.

There are a few former priests who were connected to Lutheran, Catholic, and Anglican movements who are seeking entry into HC communities to push their DEI agenda under the banner of an all-inclusive HC diversity.

For the record, HC needs the right kind of diversity, not the wrong kind. The wrong kind would be like acceptance of homosexual and trans ideology preachers. Rebuke them once, rebuke them twice, and then have nothing more to do with them. So, if these sexually deviant teachers walk into your group, walk them back out the door. It’s your home; you have the legal right to say who can come in.

There is also the Two By Twos, a very old group (1897) that still exists in odd places. They are an ultra-legalistic group (KJB only) that denies the Trinity, controls women, and controls families with an iron hand. Over the years, they have been known by various names as they have spread into other countries. Some of that was to evade legal prosecution. In fact, they have so many names it’s hard to keep up.

If you’re starting an HC, or just started. Here are some Nuts and Bolts based on my experience.

Here is part of a conversation I had with a woman looking to start an HC on Whidbey Island in Washington state.

More.

A potluck meal where everyone brings something and eases the financial burden. In the groups I ran, we never asked for money. The topic of money should be small, because the focus is on community and building people. Many who come will be wounded by the corporate religious system. So money may be a “trigger” for them.

The Lord knows what is needed, so some people will give; it’s their right to do so. So I have often told people, give where you see the need. When I worked on the East Coast, it was easy for the ministry to take the tithe right out of our paychecks.

Eventually, the Lord had us stop giving to the ministry and start giving in other ways. What we ended up doing was holding on, letting the funds grow. This created a platform to start helping the young couples who lived in the building. There was more than one person who was far below the poverty line.

Some volunteered in the kitchen, and my wife and I would sneak them food, as it was not allowed by the VP in charge. One newly “well-known” married couple often went down to the river to catch their dinner for the night. They never told anyone; there was an image to uphold.

I say all this as an example; you most likely have the same poor people in your area. Use grace, hospitality, and whatever else the Lord puts in your hands. I challenge you.

One other point: don’t get all wrapped up in the idea that if people attend, then they need to be “fully in” your group and stop attending other places. Every group I have been in had a mix. I just read about one group in northern Montana that has existed for 35 years. About half attend that HC full time, a quarter sometimes attend other locations, and the rest like to float to other churches or HC’s. I’ve learned this is normal and healthy, so let your people flow where the Holy Spirit takes them.

Another Question, concerning newcomers.

How do you welcome newcomers into your fellowships?

We have had some interesting situations with new folks coming into our house church and are wondering how other house churches handle these situations.

The New Charismatics

Some quick thoughts, if this is the Lord’s way of preserving and re-jumpstarting the Charismatics. Then you can expect a new value system to emerge. Smaller, more focused on integrity, community, mission, as well as social and spiritual justice. They're in baby steps now, but with no one above them but Jesus. It will be very interesting to see what happens next.

For all the Charismatics looking to rebuild their lives in House Church. Here are a couple of messages for you.

Next Week’s Post, Heaven Laughs ~ Part One

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So, the “vacation” is over.

Took a small, short, rainy trip into western Montana to look around. I suspect there will be more of those trips coming as we get some personal and spiritual questions answered.

I got a lot of work done on my larger writing project. It takes a lot of pondering, reading, and waiting for the spirit to add his direction. I have read several theological papers that not only helped to shape my work, but in some cases corrected errors in my thinking. Lord willing, this project will be done within a year.

Sometimes I wish my mind were a bit more like an organized filing cabinet. When everything comes in, that it would kindly just file itself all in order, neatly, with a few bullet points. But it’s a bit more like trying to get your order in at a busy lunch counter with a few good ideas written on paper airplanes zipping past your head.

Then while you’re in some quiet corner, pondering if last night’s dream had any value at all, and you're attempting to keep the pickles from slipping out from under the bun. A bird lands to tap on the window glass near you, irritated you look to discover that something about the beauty of the bird itself is a message from the hand of God. And it’s an answer that has nothing to do with the questions you thought you needed answering.

Yep, that makes writing a challenge.

Other Stuff

Generally, I have pulled back. I have only responded to a few people during my “vacation” who had some serious information. There have been a few people who sent messages, and I have ignored them to focus much more on the bigger picture. That is, with the exception of one old friend.

I’ve got 15+ years of waiting on the Lord concerning some things, and unless I am getting overly wishful, I suspect that moment is coming.

When it does, a lot of what I am doing now will either end or drastically change, as my priorities will be shifting. I know I am currently being very vague, sorry, but it needs to be. The reason is very simple. In my experience, if you start publicly announcing things before everyone, the spiritual warfare increases a lot. So I don’t want to add anymore before it’s time.

My activity on Substack will change to what I don’t know. Unless the Lord has me shut it all the way down, I am hoping to increase its value to you with more things and options. I also hope to use it in some form for the ministry that will be created. At the bottom of this post, you will see some of the things that I might be adding to this Substack.

Let’s start with an Apology

For those of you who have been here a while, you can most likely see the journey and process I have been on. I have been fully engaged in exposing things connected to my former employer. This was partly good; it resulted in contact with various people, and I even got to help a few people make contact with attorneys and even YouTube channels to tell their stories.

There were some doors that opened as a result of some investigations into their financial dealings that happened, which looked extremely promising. But in my opinion, the detective who was once so very animated and ready to run with this… well, let me just say. Something happened, and he dropped it all like a hot potato. I think my former employer has longer fingers than we know. This same thing was then repeated with various reporters, all silent.

I tried to walk away, but I guess the irritation of the events got to me. So I believe I pushed beyond what I should have, and that’s where the apology comes in. I should have stopped; I should have left it all in the Lord’s hands and moved on. Opps.

A while back, the Lord started speaking to me about what I wrote. It was uncomfortable as I pondered it. So I went back and started rereading all those posts. Many of the later posts were all laced with 100% grade A gossip and not real reporting. And despite some people’s thinking, there is a real difference.

So I began editing. All the posts are still on Substack, but in the subject line you will see some say “Edited.” These are the ones that I went back and redacted all the parts I consider to be gossip. I also removed from the top of the main front page the “Icabod” tab that held them all. If people want to dig, they can still find it all. But this topic is no longer my prime focus.

Here is an excerpt from the book I am currently writing that connects to this.

May I learn my own lessons?

.

Substack

There is so much happening in the world in both good and bad ways. And it’s amazing how much people don’t know. Many have disconnected from any news source, good or bad. And others are still getting their news feeds from untrusted sources.

I’ve seen ministries parroting overseas fake news as if it were fact, and because the news got recycled by a “ministry,” people trusted what they heard.

Case in point, so many are upset about what we’re doing in Iran, but did you know there are Iranians excited about what’s going on? They see the time coming when the last of the IRGC will come to an end because of Trump’s efforts, and their exiled prince will return to the throne.

On the other hand, do you know how dire the situation is in Canada, Ireland, or England? Do you have any idea why many in Europe are currently referring to England as a “dumpster fire”

This world is changing very quickly, and artificial news is what many are hearing now. Yes, this means I will be posting the occasional news post.

Next week's post, “An Update on the House Church Movement-2026”

Post #5

How important is the Process of Renewal?

The basic reality is that without renewal, you will never be able to understand what the will of God is. And without renewal, our thinking process is as clear as looking through a glass of mud. Clarity comes as we participate in the cleaning process and start to test out our new wisdom and understanding.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NASB

How can we tell if this process is alive and working in us?

• Are you responding with Fear or Faith to the things happening in this world?

• Are you justifying your Fear by claiming it’s wisdom?

• Is your first thought in any situation, “Why are they attacking me?”

• Is your first thought in any situation, “I can’t help?”

• Is your first thought in any situation, “It’s not my fault?”

• Can you identify with this statement: “Weakness is a flaw, and I have none!”

Your answers to these questions are but the breadcrumb evidence of the issues within us all. The process of change is a process; in other words, it’s a “light bulb” moment, not a “light switch.” The more legalistic you are, the more you are looking for a switch, in the hopes of a sudden change that will quickly correct the issues within you. When in reality, it’s a process of transformation and re-creation that is meant to build patience within our souls. You already have the Holy Spirit; now it’s time to build a home together.

The painful reality is that we human beings are filled with issues, and the institutions of Babylon have trained us to “play the church game of perfection.” One by one, we must discover how thin this veneer we have encased ourselves in really is. This veneer has become like a holographic illusion of a fake light that entraps our minds.

So let’s get free. This illusion was set up by the angel of light, not by the Father’s Son. And Satan’s glory is powerful and enticing and draws whole churches after it, as we now see every day in the world. The Father’s Glory often requires discovery and internal processes that are hidden in the soul He kisses.

Using a modern symbol, our minds, in some ways, are like computers. We can input all the data we want, just like the Pharisees of old, whose ability to memorize scripture was incredible. But memorization is not renewal, no more than a desk computer can provide you with a meaningful relationship.

“...but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water gushing up into life eternal. “ John 4:14 WET. If you are accumulating data without serious change, then all you have become is a walking filing cabinet. But old filing cabinets can come alive. Historically, one of the best examples is Nicodemus, who “seemed” to almost reject Jesus, but later, according to history, he died as a Martyr. There are many rumors and traditions about Nicodemus, but it could easily be said that he came alive and was changed.

Many people in our culture no longer see value in the things former generations did. As a result, in our fast-moving society, we can not wait long for something if it does not appear quickly. In effect, we are all poor winemakers, because any quality vintage within you requires serious time and care.

You and I require time, time in stillness, the quietness of the presence of God, interacting with him as he sees fit. This requires an act of will, our will to abide in His Habitation. This is why so many of the oldest Christian communities valued personal growth over structure and form. Because whenever structure and form eclipse the garden within you, the garden starts to wither, and the corporate forms of the church become the enemy of life.

The Holy Spirit has a job to do within you. He does not want a computer filled with data or an Android that looks human. He wants a living, breathing friend to spend eternity with; that’s true fellowship and the very heart of the Community Jesus died for.

In the Wuest Expanded Bible Romans 12:2 adds another layer, “...the renewing of your mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good and well-pleasing and complete will, and having found that it meets specifications, place your approval upon it.” This paints more of a picture of personal inspection, look closely at words used “test… meets specifications… place your approval.” This process does not easily take place in the noise of this world but in the quiet places of your soul.

Pondering the very words themselves and looking at them from a few different translations, I have started to come to the idea that the word “Renewal” may not be the best translation of what should be said in this verse. This is because the very word renewal implies the idea of something complete that has now fallen and must be rebuilt. This is simply not biblically correct; we were not born with a “perfect mind.”

The poison of sin has infected all of us, and no part of us is born “sinless,” so I kept digging deeper. Then I looked in the complete Orthodox Jewish bible and found a word I can not pronounce, ‘Hitkhadshut.’ This word can basically be translated as either renewal or regeneration. Regeneration implies a new creation, and that fits my mind far better.

The process of being born again via Christ’s blood as a new creation must affect all of us. As a result, there is nothing to “rebuild,” but there is everything to create. Therefore, you will find in this book that I will generally lean more toward the idea of a re-created mind than a renewed one.

To better understand this, let’s look at the foundation for this in what Jesus told Nicodemus. With the experience of the new birth, Jesus told him that without this experience, “...he is not able to see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 WET. What the Lord was saying to him was that this new birth had to reach all of him, at every level. Because Nicodemus was confused about it all, Jesus kept explaining to him another aspect of the new birth, “That which has been born out of the flesh is flesh and by nature is fleshly. And that which has been born out of the Spirit, is spirit, and by nature, spiritual.” John 3:7 WET.

This means the re-creation of your mind is on the spiritual level. Many people attempt to fill their minds with scripture like a talisman to ward off the dark things of their lives. But fail to apply the reality of what is being said to their lives.

Side note, this is the last in this series of posts

Post #4

The War of Your Mind

Like an unwelcome house guest that we are way too polite to ask to leave. Removing old thoughts, concepts, and beliefs is important because they are all the things that silently “tweak” our understanding of the world, ourselves, and our view of God. And as a result, this affects the quality or abundance of spiritual fruit in our lives. As a result, the byproduct of our spirituality to others often becomes weak or totally ineffective.

I know within many realms of Christian denominations, the teaching of Spiritual gifting has fallen to the wayside as something not needed, thereby hobbling the believers from reaching into their spiritual tool belt. Unfortunately, even now within the corners of the Charismatic faith, charismatic witchcraft has slipped in, introducing people to spiritual wolves in sheep’s clothing like the Kundalini spirit from Hinduism (Acts 16:16-17). All of these are wrong and equally dangerous and can easily be discerned by the fruit of their ministry if you keep your eyes open.

The Well of God’s presence in our lives is, in my opinion, a pearl of great price to be guarded above all other things. And like an oasis in the desert, we can discern the quality of the water, far away by the plant life that grows around it. But still, even after you find it, it becomes necessary to identify the neglected junk floating in the water. This is a lifelong journey for us all because, in our humanity, we often help the world by tossing in new junk while cleaning out the old. But the quest is worth not giving up.

Years ago, I was having an online conversation with a conservative Rabbi. I asked a question that was most likely one of those “duh” moments that, if I had just thought about it for a moment longer, I would have had my own questions answered. The Rabbi, who was probably growing tired of the conversation, typed back an answer I never forgot, and I have thought about his words many times, “God gave you a brain, and he expects you to use it!” As harsh as this might sound to some people’s ears, it was and still is the best answer to not only my question that day but also many other questions since then.

In the garden, God made mankind the stewards or caretakers of the Earth. “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16 NASB. All things, both good and bad, on Earth were given under the authority of man. If the Lord has given you something, He expects you to steward it.

Unfortunately, many Christians lacking maturity have abandoned the things the Lord has put under their care to pursue some spiritual things they consider more important. The reality is that the care of both physical and spiritual things should be treated as of the same value.

Years ago, on the East Coast, I became aware of an older woman, well known by many for her ministry to street people in Charlotte. Later on, I found that she had advised more than one housewife to abandon their husband and kids to join her in ministry. What a truly bizarre and twisted way of thinking this was, especially since these were Christian households.

Add to this a well-known West Coast minister that I was once friends with, who left his wife and daughter to go “minister” in Uganda full-time. From what I have been told, he left no means of support or anything else.

With the exception of physical abuse and infidelity, there is just no excuse for abandoning your stewardship of the things he has given you. “But if, as is the case, a certain one does not anticipate the needs of his own and provide for them, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8 WET.

What are we carrying?

It seems to me that we need to get delivered from just as much stuff from between our ears as the world around us. Unfortunately, much of the stuff around us will always be here, but the Lord is a God of wonder, and He can and has at times changed external circumstances for His family. Learning to be stewards is a maturity thing, often not glamorous or something a person would hang on a sign for others to see. But it is a sign of honor in the Father’s eyes, a sparkle of trust as He smiles, knowing his Son’s blood was worth it all.

So getting delivered from what’s between our ears and grips our hearts is often not easy. Words are often not enough; it requires our heart and soul to come to an agreement.

Deliverance, as I hinted at before, often comes at a cost. Something must go so that something better may come in. Not that long ago, I had several dreams that, regardless of the location, which was different in each dream, the basic theme was the same.

In the place we were living, a younger couple was trying to connect with or live with us. And in each time in each dream, older couples with hard, rigid thinking kept getting in the way. The younger couples represented new thinking, but older thinking patterns prevented them from finding a home with us.

This means a hard decision must be made, you must say goodbye and divorce the older thinking patterns. New life is at the door, and how many of us must now wrestle with complacency and lethargy to embrace the new? I have seen this in dreams and open visions for years, but never understood the full message until a few years ago.

Many people see the word “deliverance” and think only of demonic possession. But with such a narrow view, few realize that the word “entertainment” is extremely connected to the word “detainment.” In other words, entertainment has just as much potential to hold you back and keep you from going forward as any other thing the world can throw at you. Our deliverance from the lukewarm enticements of the world carries just as much value as any other spiritual act; in fact, it may be one of the greatest.

Long ago, almost all toys, games, and storytelling were for the purpose of building up, educating, and informing in preparation for becoming an adult. Back then, to be detained with such things was not bad because it meant a generation was getting something out of it of value for their future. Now, endless hours can be spent, invested in entertainment of little value, producing a generation that has many older generations concerned for the future of our world.

Legos helped to lay the foundation for construction and engineering just as dump trucks do in the dirt. Coloring and artwork teach people to see the finer details of life. Puzzles help to lay brain patterns for solving problems. Dolls for little girls help to instill early nurturing skills. Studies have shown that learning musical instruments before six years old adapts the brain to learn secondary languages.

So, one simple test of such things around us we should ask is this simple question, “Does the time spent bring any value?” Nowadays, many online games teach kids to be desensitized to human life through their violent acts, as they act as gateways to darker things like pornography, drugs, crime, and the satanic realm.

The deliberate cultural programming we have all endured to some point affects our view of God and His Kingdom. Because of this, the news that God wants to bring to you is often held at bay by the stubborn determination of older thoughts. Depending on how long it has been resident within your mind, getting those thoughts uprooted from their well-worn ruts may require help.

So, if you are reading this, then the question “Did God give you a brain?” is automatically answered. All that remains is for you to make a decision: “What are you willing to give up to reach your goal?”

Post #3

It’s not easy learning to slow down, I mean, really slow down internally, and the Holy Spirit knew it. So months later, an opportunity to acquire a spinning wheel for turning wool into yarn came along. The concept of a spinning wheel has always been kinda cool to me, but not a real priority. The Holy Spirit, however, impressed on me that I should get it. Not sure why I went ahead and acquired it, thinking I was perhaps getting it for my wife, Kathy.

Turns out Kathy just might have had less of a desire to use it than I. Then I realized the Lord wanted me to learn! So, as a person who always tries to do a good job if I can. I quickly found that the only way I could turn out perfect yarn was to learn to be still, deep within myself. Forcing things to be quiet did not work; I had to wrestle with myself to let go. Not only did the yarn turn out well, but I discovered the first steps towards the Well of His Presence.

The Lord had to use a physical tool, a spinning wheel, as the first step to get me through the door. Letting go was the start to engaging deeper with the presence of His peace. It was this Peace that became the door to an even deeper level of His Presence that was waiting for me. I had to discover it by letting go of what was within me to exchange it for His Peace to enter.

Let me be clear, I’ve had many good personal and corporate times of worship, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about a rest in silence that brings an interaction that no words can describe. It’s a deep calling unto another deep, a treasure your mind struggles to understand. And now that I have found the door, I am dumbfounded by how easy it is to walk back in when I want, because this is how to cultivate HIS presence.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure which has been hidden in the field, which, after a Man has found it, he hid, and in his joy goes off and sells as much as he possesses, and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 WET.

Learning to do this required a mental transition, with a physical tool for me, because part of it required, for the first time, to be completely alone with His. Time passed, but in time His presence came in a new way, and I was overwhelmed. Now it’s far easier, and I can step in and feel the rest and peace of God in his presence more often now that I know what I carry.

As we choose to walk deeper into the well of His Spiritual presence, we find a growing depth we cannot describe. A place of stilled sounds and peace without description, even the simplest thing we find in this place can be a pearl of an unfolding micro-universe. The Fear of getting close to His Presence gives way to the struggle of the Fear of being lost in the vast Holiness of silence.

The Holiness of Silence is the stillness that he often speaks through; as a result, it is not a silence like our minds think silence should be. But it is an assembled array of information, devoid of the weeds of worldly noise.

Because it is not the words of this world, it speaks directly to your spirit with words of the spirit with emotions, ideas, colors, and words you can not often describe. (2 Corinthians 12:4)

You touch it, it speaks. You taste it, it yells. If you smell it, you want to wrap it around you. It is in this place that the Discernment of Spirits starts to become woven together in a tapestry with bits of Wisdom, and your understanding of all things begins to deepen.

When we seek to be delivered from ourselves, we seek to have the things that we unknowingly carry that inhibit us from our God-given destiny removed. A destiny of just ‘being’ with Him without an agenda or hidden reasons becomes our “work.” It’s a vulnerable place of risk that scares the hyper-religious who secretly can not conceive of coming so close to the “all-consuming power” without the aid of rules and guidelines.

There is an ocean, vast and hidden the Lord has placed within your soul. We arrive at the surface to whisper words of prayer in waiting, wanting, mesmerized by the sight of what is in front of us, we keep speaking to it. The words slowly change to yearning as we discover the desire to get pulled into the deep waters of his presence.

The spiritual water of His presence is even more confounding than physical water. Just try and get a group of “theological experts” to agree on what Christian Spirituality is or how to walk it out. Some will bend to legalistic forms, while others bend so heavily into the mysterious that it floats along the edge of the occult. And it’s that way with all of the things of the spirit, like gifting or the infilling of the Holy Spirit for believers.

Definitions often fall short under the weight of personal experience.

“Answered Jesus and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you continually be believing in Him whom that One sent off on a mission” John 6:29 WET.

1. Our ‘work’ is to believe.

2. Our spirituality is the byproduct of that belief.

3. The quality of our interactions with others, which often results in ministry, is a byproduct of our spirituality.

4. And the things we have allowed knowingly or unknowingly to influence our journey are some of the very things we need to have delivered from us.

Therefore, the quality of our ministry is directly connected to the depth of our hidden spirituality. God can not grow what you do not feed.

Post #2

Ever thought about what a well is? Modern wells are so very different than the wells our ancestors dug by hand. As a result, we have a disconnected symbolism that is lost in our present age of advanced technologies. These days, a powerful, well-drilling machine often digs or punches its way through the earth to the hidden reserves below.

A few generations back, establishing a well was serious handwork. With a hand shovel and hopefully a group of other men, you dug a hole in the ground. As the hole got deeper, you reinforced the walls with stones and timbers to prevent them from caving in and killing you as you continued your back-breaking work. There are many older stories of hand-dug wells so deep that the atmosphere above was no longer blue but black as the night, forcing them to lower lanterns during the day just to see.

Fighting the nagging doubt that all their effort would be fruitless, and clinging to the faith of hope that they would eventually find water, they continued day after day, month after month, until the water was found.

That’s serious dedication, and there were many who gave up, moving on to hopefully find a better place to try again. Do we have that kind of dedication? To keep pushing on, to push down deep spiritually to the vast resources that await us?

What is a well? A well is an access point, a hole through dirt, stones, and clay of bad teachings, mental strongholds, and traditions of men to a hidden aquifer of clean water. Spiritually, a well is abundant and full of things beyond our limited understanding. The Father has been waiting for us, with such a blessing in his hand. It will take all of Eternity to fully understand it, and that is its Glory. The distance from it to you can be as far away as the moon or as close as your next thought.

So let’s take a journey.

It’s a risky thing to say to the Lord, deliver me from me. Because in that very statement is the acknowledgment that you are your own problem, and just like a homeless beggar, we know we need help beyond ourselves.

The requirements for our journey become a little uncomfortable as we become aware that all the stuff we thought was so important in our lives is most likely the very stuff that we must now leave behind. The “Stuff of Earth,” as the late Rich Mullins once put it in a song, becomes entangled in pride, self-centeredness, and the need to impress others, along with the need to justify all these things around us. This is part of what we inherited from our original parents when they ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The taste of such a dark inheritance will always linger around us until we are freed forever of this body to be with the Father in Eternity.

So, as a result, from time to time, we must wash this old body odor off with the Blood of Jesus in order not to be distracted by it as we continue our journey to a better life in him.

With the stinky smell of sin from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil tamed down for the moment, we can step forward into the unknown. We can smell the rain in the distance and hear the joy of the water as we start to realize that we, logically, should not be able to hear or see these things. But still, something within us tells us it’s true, “Is there really a rest waiting for us?” (Hebrews 4)

That stinky smell of sin is the rational thinking of humanism that justifies your stuff and gives you a ‘pardon’ away from the holiness of God. We inherited it from Adam because the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will always cause us to look at ourselves first and not at God, who made us. And that is the very stuff we wrestle with to surrender to the Lord so that we can find the peace He promises us. “Therefore there remains over a rest for the people of God...” Hebrews 4:9 WET.

I am of the personal opinion that the human stench of fallen man invades the spiritual realm like a bad onion someone forgot in the pantry. Everything Angelic or demonic out there is watching, and if you are declaring how “powerful” you are to the spiritual realms, like it is so popular in some Charismatic circles these days. Well… all you’re really doing is giving them a good laugh. Because your stench just makes the demons feel at home.

Washing away the stuff of Earth by the Blood of Jesus and learning to live in the Lord’s presence makes the spiritual realm change, Angels finally smile, and devils cry as their food source (the dust of your sin) no longer feeds them. These things start to unfold as we learn to find the well of His peace. “And the God of the peace will trample Satan under your feet soon...“ Romans 16:20 WET.

Demons relish in your sin and encourage it because that is how they feed. We are made of the dust of the earth, and this is why the Lord cursed the serpent: He told him, “you shall eat dust all the days of your life,” Gen 3:14b. So why do we need to live in the peace of his presence? Well, there are many good reasons to list, but learning to starve the demonic host is a good one.

There is simply a large volume of scriptures that clearly demonstrate the value of peace. It opens doors and closes others; it’s a blessing and a sign for those who inhabit it. Because like all things with the Trinity, if you inhabit it, it now inhabits you.

Learning Stillness

Many years ago, while camping in a National Park, I could “feel” a profound peace, a presence moving through the wind and trees. The holiness and wisdom of it filled every tree, rock, and flying bug around me. I wanted to be a part of it, but could not. I was frustrated because everything within me wanted it, but it felt like it was just beyond me.

“Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:” Proverbs 1:20-21 NASB.

Months later, an opportunity to acquire a spinning wheel for turning wool into yarn came along. The concept of a spinning wheel has always been kinda cool to me, but not a real priority. The Father, however, impressed on me that I should get it. Not sure why I went ahead and acquired it, thinking I was perhaps getting it for my wife, Kathy.

Turns out my wife, Kathy, just might have had less of a desire to use it than I. Then I realized the Lord wanted me to learn! So, as a person who always tries to do a good job if I can. I quickly found that the only way I could turn out perfect yarn was to learn to be still, deep within myself. Forcing things to be quiet did not work; I had to wrestle with myself to let go. Not only did the yarn turn out well, but I discovered the first steps towards the Well of His Presence.

Letting go was the start of cracking the door open to engaging deeper with the presence of His peace. It was this Peace that became the door to an even deeper level of His Presence that was waiting for me. I had to discover it by letting go of what was within me to exchange it for His Peace to enter.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure which has been hidden in the field, which, after a Man has found it, he hid, and in his joy goes off and sells as much as he possesses, and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 WET.

The well of his presence is a personal thing; it is literally the Sacred Space within that everything springs from. Neglect it, try to live without it, and you become a white-washed wall, Acts 23:3. And all the work of your hands has no spiritual value. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

What would you rather be?

Post #1

  Pick a subject; it matters not what it is. Can you hear it yelling, screaming for your attention? Everything is trying to grip you with emotions, demanding that you pay attention to it, and it alone.

  From the many train wrecks in Christianity to the political world. You hear it everywhere as your buying power at the grocery store, and the town pump has evaporated away like mist in the wind. And in every corner, they continue to tap away at your mind like a heartbeat. Pressure builds, and hard choices are made as you watch the world from the safety of your car or truck as you drive by the people on the streets. 

  The reality is tensions are high, and they will get higher. Issues and systems of this world are getting stretched like old rubber bands that will soon break, losing their control. And I think everyone at this point knows that even greater problems will arise, especially as we draw close to each election cycle.

Get off the Hamster Wheel

  When believers get stuck on the Hamster Wheel, they get stuck in a system that is preprogrammed to play on their sense of spiritual duty. In some cultures, German, Norwegian, Bible Belt states, and many others, work ethics are high. No one needs to preach to them about concepts like, “if you don’t work, you shall not eat!” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. These people get it, and the leaders above them sometimes use this in negative ways. This is often Spiritual Abuse under a narcissistic leader.

It does not mean the message is wrong; what’s wrong is all the abuse that came with it. If your value system is addicted to this narcissistic environment, then breaking away can be very, very hard.

  It’s not easy to get off these wheels, that is because in some ways we have become addicted to how it makes us feel. Just as some people feel that a screaming mad preacher yelling from the rooftops was a great spirit-filled sermon. Some people falsely think that they “deserve” to be treated like trash by senior leadership. This is all spiritual warfare of the mind, and the best thing to do is just walk away.

  The reality is that healing can not occur in a stress-filled environment, and if that means becoming a hermit for a season, well, I approve. Don’t let the self-appointed hall monitors in the corporate church guilt you into coming back with arguments that “you must stay in the body.” Ask yourself, is it right for a victim to go back and live with the abuser just to satisfy someone’s idea of right and wrong?

  I know I am using harsh language and concepts here, but to be honest, I am “toning” it down. I strongly feel that many pastors would do far more to help the Kingdom by getting arrested and serving a little jail time than standing in a pulpit. As an example, right now, statistically, it is far safer for a parent to put their child in a regular daycare than in a church-run daycare. 

  There was once a period of time in the late 80s and well into the 90s when churches screened workers with background checks before allowing them near children. When did that stop? Is there anyone left still doing it? 

  Healing

  Many of us who finally get out of the system require serious downtime. Yes, we still need to earn a paycheck, but stillness and silence can be our refuge. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7 In our high-impact world, taking a step back to do nothing but rest in his presence is the most valuable thing we can do to stay sane.

  We are a people who need downtime; it was simply programmed into the very core of us at the being at creation. That is, of course, one of the biggest reasons for God making the sabbath mandatory: “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 Quite simply, this is something many of us have forgotten.

Music, a Tool

  Many years ago, when my wife and I lived on the west coast of Washington State, the local radio station had “Evenings in December.” It was one month of instrumental Christmas music. In time, several shops in the local town got smart and started running the music over the store speakers for everyone to hear. Then they put speakers outside and filled the streets. This had an interesting effect. A person swimming in this mood from this music could go from home to car to shop after shop, and almost everyone was on the same page.

Music is often a gateway to spiritual things, both good and bad. That is because music is essentially a spiritual thing; it is meant to impact people on levels that few of us understand. Through music, you can bring people to war, riot, or even put them to sleep. I have seen too many Christians believe that music is just music, and they can listen to anything they wish. I can also point to these same people and identify issues of internal strife within the home.

Be mindful of what you have.

  We now live in a time where people understand that we need to take care of the food we eat. Or at least the care of cooking and cutting surfaces to prevent cross-contamination. How much more should we not take care in the preparation of our spiritual foods as well?

  “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character,” 1 Corinthians 15:33 to me, not only does this mean the day-to-day people you interact with, but it also means the unknown spiritual entities that inhabit the atmosphere around you. If you allow an environment of anger and rage to exist, as you find in some forms of music like Rap. Are you then not inviting the same spirits to hang around you?

It’s a bad thing for future leaders to be consuming various forms of entertainment (music and film) that push the soul towards chaos and destruction. If your entertainment thrives on violence, porn, horror, and other such things, well, that’s what you’re feeding your soul. I’ve known Christians addicted to gang-style rap, death images, violent horror movies, and then turn around and act good in public. Biblically, such things pollute the soul.

  Below is a Spotify link to a Public Playlist that I have created. I often use this playlist when I am writing, reading, or as background music. If you are already on Spotify, feel free to listen in. If you like it, then consider hitting the follow button. It will let me know who finds this useful. The image below is a sampler; for more, click on “save on Spotify” to open it up for the full version if you have the program.

Well, it’s that time of year again.

So, a Notice: To all the Men, Women, Children, Lizards, Klingons, Clowns, and Cyborgs who subscribe to my Substack. The time has come to let y’all know I am taking my yearly break away from Substack posting. The weather has shifted, and writing for Substack is not the only thing in my life. It’s now time to do things like move dirt, plant the garden, fix things outside, and work on a book.

I’m not looking to give out details on the book project right now, but I will say it’s pushed me like no other, and I have spent a crazy amount of time reading theological papers with a dictionary nearby. So, needless to say, it takes a lot of brain power to think all this through, and at the end of a regular workday, my mind is like a dim bulb that I doubt will make it.

Through this, I have learned that some of my long-standing beliefs were incorrect. These were teachings I had learned from my first pastor, who had learned them from the seminary. So, that is a great example of how bad teaching gets passed down.

For the next few weeks.

I’ve got a writing project that I worked on a couple of years ago. I am breaking it down into smaller segments and pre-loading it all on Substack. For some time, I have mostly been centered on the issue of Deconstruction and Reconstruction. I’ve had a lot of various posts that lean more to the deconstruction side. These new upcoming posts are meant to lean the other direction, into Reconstruction. That requires a deep transformation within the garden of your soul.

I might be able to turn it into eight posts. It might, however, go a little longer if important updates in the world or Morningstar come along. After that, the Lord may bring something new.

Sometimes in our Western mindset, we resist being reminded of truths that “upset” our worldview. Biblical realities often do exactly that—they disrupt our modern sensibilities with laser-clear focus that makes us flinch. One such story is the Spear of Phinehas in Numbers 25.

The judgment in this account comes so quickly, so suddenly, and so finally that it jars us. It also strikes directly at the heart of the free-sex culture that has quietly invaded leadership in the Body of Christ. Many people only see the surface of this story, so a deeper look is needed. One powerful way the Bible helps us is by deliberately recording the names of the key figures, and we are to dig to reveal their meanings.

• Phinehas means “Mouth of Brass” or “Brass Oracle.”

• Zimri means “My Musician, My Gardener, Song of Yah.”

• Kozbi, the Midianite woman, means “False, Lying.”

In a close-knit traveling community like the Israelites, Phinehas and Zimri likely knew each other well—perhaps they even played together as children and stood before angry parents for youthful mischief.

But what happened was no childish prank. Twenty-four thousand people had already died in the plague. The camp was filled with weeping, frayed nerves, and the exhaustion of digging graves in the desert. The root cause? Sexual immorality with Moabite women, eating food sacrificed to demons, and outright worship of false gods. Verse 2 records that “Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor”—a name that means “Lord of the Wide Opening” or “Lord of the Wide Open Mouth.”

God told Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” The plague was already devastating the camp when the Lord pinpointed the leaders as the source of the problem for failing to protect the people. Then came an act of shocking defiance: Zimri, a leader (likely a worship leader given his name), took Kozbi—the woman whose name means “False, Lying”—and paraded her openly in front of Moses and the entire congregation on his way to a tent for sexual relations. It was the ultimate self-centered middle finger to God and His people: “I don’t care about your message.”

When Phinehas saw this brazen act, intense righteous emotion rose within him. He grabbed a spear, followed them into the tent, and drove it through both of them, ending their lives and stopping the plague.

Leadership had clearly failed in the camp.

God’s judgment fell first and hardest on the leaders because they were not doing their job. Zimri, whose name suggests he was meant to lead people in songs of praise to Yahweh, had instead opened his mouth—and the people’s hearts—to a lying spirit through Kozbi from Midian (“Place of Judgment”). However, the mouth of brass (Phinehas) was used by God to shut the other open mouth that was leading Israel into deception.

Phinehas’s actions were counted as righteousness by God, and the Lord extended a covenant of peace and blessing to Phinehas and his descendants. He passed the test.

Sexual temptation remains one of the most common and deadly tests for leaders. Joseph faced a similar kind of test and passed it, though it cost him dearly in the natural. He was thrown into prison, yet the Lord was with him and granted him favor. Many fallen leaders today prefer to compare themselves to David rather than Joseph. But, I think it is far better to be a Joseph than a David in this regard.

Because David failed his test with Bathsheba. He tried to cover it up, even arranging the death of her husband. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, he repented openly—but he still paid a heavy price, including division in his kingdom and family.

Leaders are tested at a higher level. Passing the test like Joseph brings greater responsibility and blessing. Failing it can bring loss of life, diminished influence, or severe consequences. No matter what, never fail the test of genuine repentance.

The New Testament echoes the same warnings. In Acts 15:29, “that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” In this address, the Apostolic Council identified the very things that caused Israel to stumble in Numbers 25. Similar failures plagued the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira (Rev 2), where the Lord promised to fight against those who taught His people to compromise in these areas.

The devil is skilled at setting traps for leaders, and many modern exposures reveal how effective those traps still are. Yet the Lord is coming as the true Shepherd of His pasture (Ezekiel 34). He will not tolerate leaders who spiritually or physically abuse the flock. Those days are coming to an end.

Side note to consider. If so many leaders who have fallen want to compare themselves to David when they get caught. What do you think is the possibility that the Lord might be saying, “so be it,” and they are now being judged according to how David was judged? Meaning, your ministry will be split, and your family will turn against you.

The only example that I am connected with is my former employer, Rick Joyner, who allowed and covered up many of these things historically. Now his ministry is a shadow of what it once was, and his kids have turned against him. See the upcoming book set to come out in Jan 2027.

Click on the image above.

So what do you think, with so many congregations having been deceived by leaders? Are we the modern-day equivalent of Pergamum and Thyatira? Do you think the blessings and the judgments against those congregations are applicable to us today?

Our modern world’s education system is not really an education system but an indoctrination method designed to make you regurgitate facts. This may sound harsh, but it’s actually true. Compare this to a system that is designed to cause students to explore to find the answers.

The reality is, the established system does do well for a few, but not all.

Case in point, learning all the dates, locations, generals, etc of the American Civil War is not nearly as valuable as learning the lessons of the war on society so that they are never repeated, that is a far better education.

The purpose of learning is to bring something of value forward that helps you or your generation. The engineer learns to create, the doctor learns to heal, and the cook brings food to bless. By reducing education down to the memorization of facts alone, it strips away the feel and emotion of the moment that would cause a person to integrate the knowledge on a deeper level.

Like a seed planted in the ground, creativity is that factor that causes a culture to grow and change. Seeds do not look like the final product, and creativity can allow a person to process information at multiple levels. For many of us, this is what is called a Polymathic mind. Such people often struggle in contemporary, fact-based education, whereas a linear mind often does well in this environment.

A linear mind needs all things laid out in a line, and a missing spot of information becomes troublesome, whereas a Polymathic mind sees the information on both sides and interpolates a reasonable conclusion for the middle.

Both sides deal with the unexpected in completely different ways. If a linear mind believes they have all the information, starts a project, but then discovers a major flaw. That person may shut down until such time as an answer is found.

A Polymathic mind often does not stop, but “switches on the fly” for the sake of not losing the momentum. For they understand that the loss of momentum may be a bigger problem than missing information.

Dangers

The reality is, few people are truly 100 percent Linear or Polymathic; most of us are a mix of both. It is often the tension between these two that causes problems. Linear are often good managers who understand the flow and can keep a system working near flawlessly. However, a Polymathic mind is often the visionary who pioneers new frontiers. Linear struggles to create, and Polymathic are often bored trying to manage things, but thrive in an environment that allows creation. The danger is that Linear often creates and enjoys a micromanagement system, while a Polymathic mind would rather stick a fork in their own eye than endure such a nightmare.

In ministry, Polymathic minds often get caught up in the excitement of the new adventure and run ahead of God’s timing. While a Linear mind may struggle with falling behind God’s timing, especially if they are prone to fear.

This is where a congregation can get “worn out” from always being on the go, running to the next goal, or become complacent, as the congregation falls asleep, waiting for “something to happen.” This is one of the reasons some teachers have always said that the Apostolic and the Pastoral need each other. One moves while the other adds caution, or when one gets too comfortable, the other is ready to push them to create movement. From this, both learn, and wisdom grows in both as they teach each other.

This seedbed of wisdom will, in time, grow into mature relationships. Because God is a good Father, and he is looking for his family to become mature in all things.

If a Polymathic and a Linear mind can tear away the veil of preconceived ideas and learn to trust each other in leadership, then the congregation can move forward in confidence as it takes each step the Lord has for it.

Unfortunately, our current flawed concept of education is strongly embedded within the Body of Christ. Instead of discovering the hidden pearls of spiritual truth that can set you and others free. People have been taught to see spiritual truths as more like a grocery list.

True learning, however, is a different process and requires comprehension so an outward change can take place. As I ponder these things, I find myself thinking about how God often likes to teach us, and in doing so, I have realized a few things. Although it is good to have the correct answers ( Jeremiah 1:12), it seems to me that God is often more interested in the process of getting the answers than the end result.

Perhaps the process can instill qualities and wisdom that mere facts alone would never provide. Case in point, when one of my nephews grew old enough to drive, his father told him that he did not have the money to get him a car. However, if he were willing to find a car that could be repaired, his father would help him buy it, and they would fix it together. That nephew learned well, eventually sold that car, got another, and did the same thing. Now he works in a machine shop.

God is a good Father, and he is looking for his family to become mature in all things.

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

You may, in your heart, decide or desire to become a certain thing. But it is the Lord who will take you along the path so that you learn what you need to learn. Or as it says in this verse, “the Lord establishes their steps.” Establish means to plant a flag, to create a spot, something unmoving. This means, when you learn it, you will have learned it.

God gives clues; He puts people in your path. He will even put obstacles for you to either go around, climb over, or recognise as a dead end, so that you can learn to identify the wrong path.

How does God teach?

Much of scripture is polymathic, while other sections are extremely linear. This demonstrates that God has no problem or favor in the method he uses. Examples of linear would be history, the many covenants, the law, the general plan of salvation, as well as patience and faithfulness.

Examples of Polymathic would include the Parables, Prophetic foreshadowings, deep symbolism, Proverbs, Psalms, many of the prophetic books, as well as the infinite and multifaceted aspects of God’s character. I personally believe that some of the errors in the last two thousand years have come from linear minds attempting to define polymathic concepts. By doing so, they assume that everything God does can be defined precisely so that it will fit within their chosen form of theology. This, of course, would be in error.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

And

“I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? “ John 3:12

Cultivation can be a form of Education.

“You must learn to cultivate my presence.” Was the message that the Lord gave me several years ago. Now, to give a spot of context, my background is strongly connected to things like farming, homesteading, and stuff like that. So, as a result, when the Lord used the word “cultivate,” to me, this brings up an interesting mental image.

You see, cultivating is not planting; it is the soil preparation that must take place before planting. This is because whatever state your land is in, it must be altered to create the right environment for the seeds to grow.

When God told me this message, I struggled with it for some time with questions like, “How do I…? All in all, it was a process I needed to work through as I finally realized just how self-centered my own questions were. This is because he said, “cultivate MY presence.”

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor 3:18.

The word “contemplate” does not mean that you sit around and empty yourself of all your thoughts; that’s Buddhist. Contemplate is a word that implies action, movement, and participation. Verbs connected to it can be ponder, meditate, dance, sing, weigh things out, or even study.

This is the start of the cultivation; we need to remove our preconceived ideas, “unveiled faces,” as his presence arrives. I don’t want to get too technical ( linear), so perhaps the best thing to do is simply ask the Lord for help.

In the end, whether our minds lean linear or polymathic, God is not limited by either. He is the Master Gardener, patiently preparing the soil of our hearts so that we can truly behold His glory with unveiled faces.

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One of the things I often do when I stop for lunch (at home) is watch an episode of a show, like science fiction, before I get back up. In this case, the show I was watching had a series of unfortunate events that several characters had to deal with. So from time to time, parts of an Irish song would play in the background that totally fit the show. So I had to look up this song.

Later, I read a post from Amanda Opelt, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Where she was recounting her own stories of getting trodden under by the Religious system in the hills of North Carolina. They found issues within the walls of the church where they were married, so they tried to talk to the pastor about it.

This comment made me quickly think of a couple of things, Matthew 12:20 and… “It’s been the worst day since yesterday.”

Bruised reeds and Smoldering wicks

The religious institution is not the community. One seeks control of the other, while the other needs the control no one. One seeks to pull everything into the center to protect the center, while the other believes the words of Jesus when He says, “Go.” When I reflect on what Leadership of the flock should be, I am reminded of these words: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.” Matthew 12:20.

A bruised reed represents someone weak, discouraged, or broken by sin and the world. Someone easily discarded—whom Jesus instead strengthens, heals, and tenderly restores rather than destroying. A smoldering wick is a fire, refusing to die, refusing death but crying out for life. This is the attitude and actions we often see of Jesus’s heart toward people in scripture. These are the people Jesus taught his followers to go and find in the world; this is where his heart bends towards.

These are the people entrapped in fear, culture, and religious nonsense, and Jesus not only taught his followers to find them, but to care for them until the weak knees become strong and the feeble hands stop shaking. In effect, the ancient question Cain asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Is answered in Jesus and the actions of His followers.

Ministry was never about building little kingdoms to impress the world and “show off” to other ministers, making them feel little or worthless. It was about taking the worthless, showing them mercy, and making them the Children of God.

Bruised reeds can become forests of truth, and smoldering wicks can start fires that make the forests dance and clap their hands. But it all must start somewhere.

Our World

In our world, everything is measured by what happens, what we do, what we have not done, and what we have created. In many ways, the biggest by-product of our modern Christian culture is wounded saints. Some groups and denominations seem to produce little, while others seem abundant.

In this place, we all still have a lot to learn from Jesus words when you consider his sermon was also for the future leaders of what he was creating.

If you have never known the sting of betrayal, lies, and deception, then I say congratulations. If, however, you are in the latter group and you have known these things, you have my sympathy, for you have unfortunately joined a generally silent but growing group.

I understand, and I can honestly say that I never thought I would be a member of such a group. The qualifications for membership to such a group are pain, betrayal, and loss of all you thought you knew. Within the halls of this silent membership, we understand the looks we get from those who do not know. Non-members who love to quote scripture to you like a hammer, beating you up a bit more to convince you to come back into the fold. Isn’t that odd, the concept that if I just abuse you a little, you will want to come back, out of guilt?

Unfortunately, from this place of self-imposed isolation, your options are limited. You can either completely walk away from God, as many have done. Or you can gather what you have and cautiously try again. Some have also done this, to sit quietly in the back, to conform to social norms. Meanwhile, the wounds remain unhealed.

But for some of us, there is the third option: we live in the moment between what is “believed we should do,” and the safety of the desert. The desert is a strange place, and I can honestly tell you that sometimes you can fall in love with the stillness, the sand, and the vastness of the place. This is because the desert is a sensory paradox where intense isolation blunders its way into profound clarity. The world that was is stripped from you, and you wonder if silence has a physical presence. But the desert is not the place of abundance we have been called to; it’s just a waystation. And if we stop and think about this, we know it, but often that matters very little because the desert has now become a safe place.

Did you know that bruised reeds, planted at the edge of the water, can grow strong? Ancient boat makers knew this; they wanted those reeds because they became tough, and it made the boats strong. In time, we will also get strong if we are replanted.

All our “worst days” have pushed us to this, to grow in isolation, become tough in the hands of the master builder. Moses spent time out here, so did David, Elijah, Paul, and John the Baptist, as well as Jesus himself. The Desert reshapes people in several ways, like dependence on God, purification, preparation for leadership, and the cultivation of the inner parts of your soul. This is the test everyone wants to pass, but nobody wants to take.

This is where we spend time rethinking what we have been taught, as we deconstruct the shaky theological floor we have been standing on. Tossing out the parts that don’t fit so that we can reconstruct on a better foundation. These are the first steps to a biblical deconstruction and reconstruction. Freedom can be found in the desert.

This Post is not one of my normal posts. Except for the fact that this took place in a “Christian” town. There is nothing of a “religious” value in the post. This is purely just me wanting to add a little history I was connected to.

Back before my wife and I got married in the 80s. I found myself involved in an “event” that made the local news.

I was surprised after all these years to find evidence of it on the internet. So I asked the American Forests magazine for permission to reprint this article.

But first, here is a little background information;

After graduating in 1983, I could often be found hanging out at a friend’s house in Lynden, WA. At that time, many of us hung out at his home. He just got married, and his parents, who lived for decades in another location, allowed him and his new family to use the old family homestead that had been in the family for generations.

In the back yard of the place, like many old farms, was a collection of old commercial chicken coops, some outbuildings in various states of decay, as well as several mature trees. At that time, I had a growing interest in trees, an interest that I still have to this day.

One tree that was right out the back door of the old farmhouse did not look like the rest. I tried researching it, and I could never find it when I was looking at local species. So one day I cut a small branch off the tree with my pocket knife and brought it home. My dad, who was born in Arkansas, got a funny look on his face when I handed it to him.

When he was a young man (late 1930s) tree shoots would often sprout up in the forest and then die within a couple of years. These were the leftover remnants of the American Chestnut that was destroyed by blight. Now I had just handed him a part of a mature tree that should not exist.

Long story short, my friend’s family decided at the same time to accept the city of Lynden’s offer to sell them the land for a new school to be built. And the people in charge had no desire to do anything about the tree other than bulldoze it.

Next thing I knew, there were town council meetings, people sitting around the tree with parents encouraging children not to move, and then some lady from the local TV station shoved a TV camera in my face. So that she could interview the person who discovered it.

Well, here is the rest of the story.

Robert A. Foster

***************

SAVING SOMETHING OF VALUE

By McLean, Herbert E.

For every specimen listed in this 50th Anniversary Edition of the National Register of Big Trees, there are many other nominees that don’t make the grade and thus recede into obscurity. But for one distinctive tree, its moment of public notoriety may well have meant its very survival. Here’s how it happened:

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata), rendered virtually extinct in the U.S. by a killer fungus that may have originated in the Orient, once represented half of the total tree population in the East. The story of its decimation reveals the worst of what can go wrong in the American forest.

But not long ago in Lynden, Washington (population 5,000), a dairy community in the state’s far northwest corner, a resident from nearby Bellingham spotted what he thought might be an American chestnut. Standing 40 feet tall and with a 10 1/2-foot circumference, it was capable of quickening the pulse of any lover of chestnuts – an extraordinary survivor in an unlikely place.

Robert Foster, the discoverer, sent a leaf-and-twig sample to the American Chestnut Foundation in Minneapolis, and back came surprising news: “At 40 inches in trunk diameter, that tree is one of the largest surviving American chestnuts left in the entire world,” reported Donald C. Willeke, the Foundation’s secretary (and an AFA director).

The tree appeared perfectly healthy, but its future was not. The owner, Lynden School District 504, was planning to cut it down to make room for a big new school on the 11-acre parcel on which it grew.

Foster’s brother and sister-in-law, Lynden residents Larry Foster and Rebecca Wiswell, were initially unimpressed. After all, they had four three-year-old American chestnut seedlings growing in their yard.

But then they started thinking: “This world is the only place we have, and people are destroying it without finding what’s here…”

The school board communicated its position succinctly: “The tree must go.” The young couple, sensing the need for reinforcements, took to phone and pen. He put a notice in the Fairhaven College bulletin – and got his dander up in the process. She collared friends, relatives, and anyone else who’d listen.

On the night of the next school-board meeting, 20 supporters showed up, including representatives of every garden club in the county, plus the American Chestnut Foundation. Ane Soriano, representing the Everson Garden Club, explained the rarity, size, and healthy condition of the threatened tree.

The school board stood firm but held out a rather costly carrot: if the group could pony up $40,000 for a sewage pump station, maybe the new school could be moved away from the chestnut. The little coalition asked for three weeks; the Board gave them three days. So, with a reporter from the Lynden Tribune in tow, they trooped over to the City Council that same evening – only to be told that the Council couldn’t stop the school board from removing the tree.

For the next few days, Larry, Rebecca, and Ane attacked the problem with single-mindedness. Larry closed down his gardening business and skipped classes. He called state departments of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Board of Education, the Governor’s office, Audubon Society, local politicians, and radio, TV, and newspapers. Others also got on the phone.

On the deadline day, it was obvious that all the calling had accomplished its goal. The board said it would look into changing its plans if the coalition would investigate moving the tree. While the group was getting the sad news that it would cost $5,000 to move the tree (with only a zero to 30 percent chance of its surviving), petitions went out, and within just six days, 1,000 locals had signed in support of saving the chestnut. Not bad for a town of 5,000.

Shortly thereafter, Seattle’s KOMO-TV, Bellingham’s KVOS-TV, and the Lynden Tribune arrived around the tree – along with some 50 supporters – for a media workover. And the Lynden chestnut suddenly became a visible symbol of community resolve to preserve something of newly perceived value in the little town.

On the same day the KOMO-TV feature aired in Seattle, the Lynden School Board announced that it would build the new school elsewhere on the property, and leave ample room for the tree.

Today the American chestnut in Lynden is decidedly a part of life in that little town. Who knows how many school children will gather around it on warm spring days to study the American chestnut’s fresh green outlines against the coastal sky, and perhaps to plant other chestnuts?

Meanwhile, Larry Foster and his wife, Rebecca, nominated the tree for AFA’s National Register of Big Trees. It fell somewhat short – an even larger American chestnut was submitted by Washington State’s big-tree coordinator, Robert Van Pelt. But no matter …the Lynden chestnut’s place in history is secure.

COPYRIGHT 1990 American Forests magazine, (Vol 96, No 1-2) Jan 1990

No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission of the copyright holder, American Forests magazine.

Not everyone has learned the lessons of the cultural fear program called COVID. What you see going on is another wave of fear programming that they are using to cause polarization. This is being done through trigger words like End-Times, WW3, Armageddon, and more.

Hopefully, through the information provided below and with your own research, you should be able to see what is really going on. This, however, does not mean that some of what you are seeing will not lead to some of those trigger words. But the truth is, we are in the middle of a worldwide reset, so don’t worry, WW3 has been canceled for lack of participation and interest.

Here is the list of Nations currently undergoing reset.

• Cuba - Process of Freedom has started

  

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• Venezuela - Major road block removed, moving carefully.

• Iran - Stomping the dragon, dying fast, the new government under Reza Pahlavi is in the early stages of forming. The Old is not expected to last long. Reza Pahlavi has run into major roadblocks with the EU, who are only interested in finding a way to use this to hurt Trump. This attitude has made Reza Pahlavi very mad.

• Iraq - Almost stable, but still struggling on two fronts. #1 Powerful Terrorist Iranian families are being rooted out. #2 The strongly tribal thinking and loyalty above national interests are a problem, and must be dealt with. The US government has been adding pressure to force them to build a stable government away from radical Islamic families. This pressure seems to have worked by the evidence of the new elections

  

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• Canada - Currently, it is being forced to wake up to the reality of just how much evil has been hidden in their liberal system. The health care system, which was claimed to be the best, is responsible for many deaths. And the freedoms they thought they had turned out to be an illusion. It has now been discovered that China has troops in the northern parts of Canada protecting oil-rich areas. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, whose family lives in New York, has not only signed over much of its sovereignty to China. A large-scale door-to-door gun confiscation is also being debated in the government.

  

• Alberta is currently leading the pack to separate, and the mindset to join the US is still growing. With three other provinces closely following behind Alberta. Canada will fight hard to keep BC as a future landing zone for the Chinese. All this WILL force a US military force to move north for our own protection. Alberta’s connection to Washington is becoming stronger every day, as most Albertans’ heritage does not come from Canada’s east but from Texas and Oklahoma.

• England - Push back against this Islamic stronghold is growing. And in places, some people have almost died doing so. People are realizing that the crown will not only ignore their calls for help, but they have mostly been the architects behind this plan all along. Is this the end of the Royal family, and will it be replaced with a true republic?

• Greece - Has had enough of immigration. They are currently looking to close down over 60 mosques.

• Ireland - The pushback against Islamic immigration and Sharia law is growing. Like the UK, the internet is getting censored, and people have been arrested for what they say online. This has caused the formation os small paramilitary groups that are vowing to fight as the IRA did in the past. On the other hand, the prophetic community has been getting prophetic words concerning Honey and the Lord blessing Ireland. From what little I heard, they were told to watch for a sign. This prophetic sign apparently came when King Charles made an “unexpected” stop at the White House. The rumor is that he stopped to get Trump to attack Russia. But when they were outside, Trump gave the king a jar of official White House honey. Shortly after that, Trump had his hand out, and a honey bee landed in his hand. This has excited the Irish prophetic community.

• Italy, Norway, and possibly others - In these countries, government support to push back against Islamic takeover is growing, laws are getting passed, and Sharia law is getting crushed. The same evil that Iran has been fighting against is what Europe is now struggling with.

The last ten-plus years of spiritual encounters in the Middle East have driven millions to turn to Jesus. This Pro-Christian mindset has expanded into several nations, not just Islamic ones. Because of this, some nations are starting to welcome Christians who wish to vacation or move to their country for retirement or to raise a family.

This reset is moving forward, and it only places like the liberal news media and various colleges that currently refuse the truth.

General Conditions concerning Sharia law in the United States.

• Alabama: Passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting courts from applying foreign or religious laws.

• Arizona: Lawmakers have moved to restrict Sharia recognition, with existing bans on foreign laws in place.

• Florida: Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation in April 2026 targeting foreign legal systems, including Sharia.

• Kansas: Enacted restrictions on using foreign laws that violate constitutional rights.

• Louisiana: Passed legislation preventing the application of foreign laws.

• Mississippi: Passed legislation against the implementation of foreign, international, or religious law.

• North Carolina: Implemented bans to prevent foreign legal systems from influencing state court rulings.

• Oklahoma: A 2010 ballot measure known as the “Save Our State Amendment” specifically targeted sharia.

• South Dakota: Passed a ban on religious laws in court.

• Tennessee: Implemented legislation to prevent the use of foreign legal systems, according to ING.org.

• Texas: While not passing a general statewide “ban” in the same way, Texas has taken action regarding the regulation of “sharia compounds.” Some of these compounds resemble armed military outposts, complete with security details and watch towers.

• Other states are slow in acting, but movement is starting to happen.

Overall, Islamic mindsets are growing in liberal/woke thinking. Because of this, Blue states are providing a welcoming mindset to such destructive thinking. I recently heard a police officer joke that the day may come when Idaho may need to build a fence against Washington state. Ponder that!

New Spiritual Trend.

Near the start of 2026, book sellers have noticed that bible sales have increased in the United States by 12% and 87% in the UK. At the same time, many Protestant and Evangelical groups are seeing an increase in Gen Z walking through their doors.

It would seem that the spiritual experiences that have been happening in Islamic countries with Jesus or with angels appearing in dreams and visions over the last 10 plus years may now be starting in the Western World. More and more Gen Z are searching for information on Spiritual Experiences after having their own encounter.

This has become noticeable to pastors who are encountering these people when they walk in. They have already spent time binge-watching theology videos on spiritual gifting before ever setting foot in a church for the first time.

The other side, however, is fully aware of this, and various platforms like TikTok are slowly turning into a battleground as Witches and occult groups are moving forward to answer their questions and recruit them into their fold.

Writing

Writing is such a fickle thing, especially if you have the hope of making a living off of it. If you have been writing for a while, dreaming of self-employment from the dancing rhythm of your fingertips, then you have most likely seen one of the many ads out there.

  You know the ads, “ I made $$$ after I cracked the code and now I am willing to share my secret with you!”

  Back in 2014, an editor I know advised me to start a blog and just see where it takes me. Not really sure what I was going to write, I forced myself to write seven posts, and that’s all I did that year. In the next three years after that, I generally ignored the blog, posting just a handful of things. You would think it should have just died, but one day I checked it and discovered that the number of followers had grown… a lot. So I decided to start “feeding the stove.”

  Well, guess what, I made millions. No, seriously, the rate of followers subscribing dropped off to zero. This left me a little confused and perplexed. Then one day, I posted a blog on my old WordPress website. It was kind of therapeutic, my way of venting about the good and the bad struggles my wife and I went through working for Morningstar Ministries.

  Well… the darn thing exploded. The typically dismal numbers started to gain several zeros as people re-shared the post. It went viral, and I started getting serious numbers overseas. So much happened with that post that I soon heard through the grapevine that my former employer was not happy about it.

In fact, some people were ordered to stop talking to me, and I was no longer allowed to visit, not that I was going to be, because I had moved so far away. What was troubling was that some of these people I considered friends. I guess following the orders of “Prophet of God” was justification enough for them to end things.

  Numbers for that post, to my surprise, continued to remain strong for the better part of eight months. Seeing that it did well, I decided to write similar posts to keep the momentum going. And they did…poorly.

Other posts

  Writing is so fickle; in many cases, I have “broken” the rules and done well, and other times I followed the rules and wondered why I even put in the effort.

  So if you're going to be a writer. I would suggest tough skin and patience, along with a healthy dose of being flexible.

Skills

To me, it seems like everything has turned into a crash course on something. My skills as a writer have improved, and that has caused an improvement in some areas. But along the way has been the frustration of having to learn things like “keywords” for the title to get noticed. Or when is the correct time to post or not to post? It’s like learning a game only to discover that the goal posts have moved…AGAIN.

And from the post I did concerning the rise and advance of AI and Synthetic Intelligence.

I strongly feel like we are all going to need to relearn… everything to keep writing. Below is a post from Nick Johnstone. He turned his frustration with AI into a semi-funny post. But the reality is he may not be that far off; if anything, he might be understating the truth altogether.

Can quality come back?

A while back, I listened to a Gal on YouTube who is an architect. She was talking about what got her into the trade was the Lord of the Rings movies. She was fascinated with the architecture of the many buildings. So as an adult, she decided to read the books for the first time. To her surprise, Tolkien never described the buildings; he only described the emotions felt. And it was from that the drawings were made.

I bring this up because there is currently a pushback starting up. Some recent rulings in the legal courts have challenged AI content. Making it illegal to copywriter AI-written content. The thought on this is simple: the copywriter system was made for humans to protect their content.

There is also the fact that to many people, AI-created stories feel “off,” and people are getting really good at detecting them. There are even people trying to use it to build content here on Substack. Case in point, this stack ( The Artificially Informed ) uses AI for the creation of most of its posts.

So for us writers, I guess our best option is just to get better and stay ahead of AI.

  The Pernicious cultural programming our world has gone through has taught us to insulate ourselves not only from various groups but also from patterns of thoughts and realities we do not like. Most of us are unaware of just how badly we have all been insulated from each other. Unchecked, these things continue to fracture us until we become fully unstable in all things in life. This is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, manifested as double-mindedness in our modern world.

Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that some groups have embraced all they can to include everything. Embrace all things that happen like a big hug until your life means nothing. You stand for nothing because nothing is wrong and everything is now lukewarm truth. This is the Pollyanna, hyper mushy, grace mindset that has infected many corners of Christianity, including the Charismatic.

Learning to draw boundaries in life is a good thing. This is learning to judge correctly, as Jesus commanded us to do. This often means your actions will offend others, especially within the Body of Christ. The Polly Anna attitude of hyper-grace teaching can not comprehend that you will not participate in their drinking and Halloween parties, masked under the name “harvest parties.”

To such people, you are under a religious spirit. But when the true legalist observes your behavior, you are declared to be a lawless child in danger of the gates of hell.

Living a life of holiness by the Holy Spirit will offend all people. This is because we are all growing, and the current degree of Holiness the Spirit has you walking in will always seem inferior to someone else’s eyes.

As an example, here is part of a communication between the Lord and me that happened not long ago.

Now, please don’t read into this that we ignore the actions of people, especially in leadership. Leaders who are in rebellion, who deceive with intent, who secretly embody Proverbs 6:16-19, these should be called out. I am speaking about the average Christian who is in the process of maturity.

The Moment of Offense.

But what about offense when it happens to you? This is when we must not cast it to the side but examine it carefully. For in that moment could possibly be a pearl of truth hidden under the gunk of our soul. One question that should be asked: Is this offense cultural or scriptural? In my 40-plus years as a Christian, I’ve seen several people offended at things they ASSUMED were scriptural.

When the moment happens to you, and you carefully examine it. Does this mean that you must agree with the person’s point of view? The accusation could be complete gibberish, or it might have shreds of truth to learn from, so walk carefully. A quick question to ask is, is this something that is offending your flesh, and therefore masquerading as the Holy Spirit, or is it really the Holy Spirit within you? How you answer that question will determine your next steps.

If you have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ, then you are no longer alone. There are now two of you living in one body of flesh. There is the old you, and now there is the new you, and they are at war with each other. One pulls left, the other right. One seeks the old ways while the other whispers hope from a world we have not seen yet. This is the mystery of the ages Paul spoke of.

This mystery is the drop of Holy Royalty now living in you. As a result, the new within you desires a home, not of this world. That part of you that is never satisfied with the things of this world because.

You know there is something better waiting for you. It is that “tug” you feel in your spirit that moves you forward and creates a trickle of hope in your life for the people around you who are yet to wake up. So, if the offense is offending the Holy Spirit within you, then let me be blunt… what is your Royal responsibility at this moment? (1)

Does the moment require a word or an action? I am saying, do not make a whip and drive people away if the moment requires you to speak with care to the broken heart before you. And don’t use words when you need to break something and let people (and the spiritual realm) know you will not participate.

But if the offense offends you, not the Holy Spirit, well… then you have a decision to make. Is your sense of culture, life, or personal value in need of correction, or do you just need to walk away? I have had to walk away from conversations and things. I’m sure some people will not understand why I did, but that’s fine; they’re not my God.

Culture

I have lived in several areas of the United States now; I can tell you every culture has its good and bad aspects. This often reflects in how people dress, act, and think towards each other. Over the years, I have known people who have had a more “Victorian” mindset on what is offensive. That mindset was for a past era, and if these same people realised how some of our own brothers and sisters dressed in the first century, I’m sure that might offend them as well.

The reality is that culture is fluid. When it flows slowly over the decades and centuries, it and people have time to adjust and make corrections in a healthy way. When it’s pushed on people like a flood, some embrace the wave, destroying themselves, and others try to fight the wave. Because of this, Culture changes values, and a generation can feel lost in the flow. ALL generations experience this to some degree, and over a large period of time, the presumption that can slip in can be deadly. So don’t assume your values are the same values they had in the first century or even a couple of hundred years ago.

Words of Life

At the end of all things, we want to walk and act like Jesus. Yes, I know many interpret that to look like healing and prophecy, but those are the flashy things. Flashy things are signs that draw, but they don’t always keep the people. In the book of John, Jesus had just offended everyone when he asked, “Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?” John 6:61

After a little talking, Peter responded, “Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of Adonai.” John 6:68-69 That kind of stuff does not come from spiritual degrees you can hang on a wall or endless bible studies. It comes from hanging out in the presence of God (Adonai)

The presence of God brings a slow, steady change within our souls, laying the groundwork for a sound mind, AND IT WILL ALSO OFFEND PEOPLE. This is the steady work of the Holy Spirit that brings the evidence of a sound mind. With a sound mind, things are traded out, and offenses of the world start to mean little to us. It becomes a gift, a jewel of great price, to those who recognize what they now have.

What starts as an offense for us can lead us to greater depths of a sound mind if we allow the Holy Spirit to walk us through the process of going deeper in him. I know that may sound like an alien concept if you think your job is to use a whip and expose the darkness so that Justice may happen. But have you considered that by being faithful to God at this moment, he will bless you with a greater degree of Himself?

There is an old saying, “It is better to fall on the Rock and be broken than to have the rock fall on you and be crushed to powder.” The truth of Jesus offends all, and sometimes, he uses you to flip all the tables.