The Blood Moon

Be quiet oh my soul

For thou art with me

Though the moon turn blood red

You fill me with peace

~Miss Dottie

October 8, 2014
Wednesday

Dear Readers,

Buzzzzz, my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. I was hoping to go out and photograph the blood moon but too many trees were in the way. Last night, the moon was so beautiful albeit a bit eerie. I am learning to take photos at night ~ guess I should read the camera manual. Duhhh...

Do you ever marvel at how much there is to explore and learn about our planet, our people, our faith, and every avenue of learning? I have an inquisitive mind and love to grow and learn something each and every day. My mother said that I was born asking questions!

I was glad that my friend, Susie, in Plano posted a photo of the blood moon ... gave me goosies just looking through her camera lens at the marvel of the lunar eclipse.

Ever been surprised at how often God used the sun, moon, and starts for signs and seasons? Two of my favorites are the star led the wise men to Jesus and another was when the sun stood still as Joshua led Israel to victory over its enemies. Ever heard "red sky at night, Sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning?" That's taken from a passage in the Bible in Matthew 16:2-3, "Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day."

Scientifically, what is a blood moon? In plain language, it's when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon and the sun is shining through the atmosphere of the Earth and casts up on the moon a red shadow. The moon appears to be red. That's pretty cool in, and of, itself.

A blood moon appeared in April on the Jewish Passover, then again today on the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. The timing will be the same in 2015 ~ again, appearing on Jewish feast days. Google is wonderful ... what I learned was that, in the past, the rare appearance of four blood moons on these feast days has coincided with major events for Israel and the Jewish people. In each of the blood moons, something began in a tragedy and ended in a triumph. Coincidence? I doubt it.

In 1948, Israel was reborn as a nation. After 2000 years, God supernaturally brought them from 66 nations and a nation was born in a day. That marvel followed the tragedy of the Holocaust. Pretty awesome!

I've taken some classes on Biblical prophesy (including a couple on Revelation), read countless books, and listened to some mind boggling programs. It's always interesting to me to listen but I also know that only God knows the past, present, AND future.

This is what I believe: I believe that if there ever was a time for my fellow Christians to stand up and speak up, it is now. Pastor John Hagee said, "To see evil and not call it evil is evil. Not to speak is to speak. We cannot be silent and receive God's approval at a time like this."

Whatever the blood moons mean, we are in for quite a ride. Although the change in America seems like an explosion, the truth of the matter is that the downward spiral of moral decay has been slow but steady. Each year the envelope is pushed a bit further and we accept our new normals.

For quite a few weeks now, we haven't had cable TV. The rabbit ears on my TV in the cottage don't work very well so I've basically given up watching TV. To make a long story short, last night I went in to the house and the rabbit ears were working pretty good on the TV there. I watched a show I hadn't seen in a long while and felt tense. I left the room and headed back for the cottage. After my sabbatical, my eyes and ears weren't used to the violence, language, and sexual content. As new programs are introduced, we are exposed to new avenues of mind control all under the guise of "tolerance."

This morning, during prayer time, I wondered if we pick a church because they echo our own beliefs, tell us what we want to believe/hear, and feel comfortable OR do we choose a church that is Biblically based, speaks God's truth, and encourages Bible study and accountability?? I'd never thought much about that before but since I've been attending the Open Range Church, so much has come forth in my quiet time ... God speaking to me. When Pastor Gerald speaks, I am taking notes as fast as I can. After church, during the week, I take my notes out and go over them. I am being stretched which is a good thing. Anyway, just thinking out loud.

Call it a sign of things to come or just savor it's scientific beauty, the blood moon has come and gone and another day has come to an end.

Miss Dottie

Dear God,
Only You know what each moment brings. There is fear in the city because of the Ebola patient who died and had been in contact with so many people. Now, another man is being medically watched. We're not used to being on our toes, are we? We live in our cozy homes, drive our cozy cars, and feast on the food from the local market. We worry about the trivial things while the big stuff is too "touchy" to be addressed. We have become a thin-skinned nation so ready to point fingers under the guise of tolerance. We mustn't make waves, we mustn't voice opinions of unpopular opinion, and, most of all, we mustn't hurt the feelings of anyone. Good golly, God, the only one we seem to be not afraid of hurting is YOU! We cheer loudly at football games yet are afraid of being radical in lifting our hands to worship You who died on a cross for our sins. We don't want to be unpopular so we give in to the status quo. When we speak of our hurts, we are called mean-spirited. When we speak of our joy in Christ, we are called "one of those fanatical Christians." God forgive us ... strengthen us in our weaknesses ... protect and deliver us from the darkness that threatens our country, our homes, our lives. Father, Son, Holy Spirit ~ I pray for healing for two little babies (Liam & LLB) who are hospitalized ~ I pray for my friends who are fighting for their lives with the dreaded cancers that have taken over their bodies ~ and, I ask that you bless the families that are bringing awareness to the children with Down Syndrome. I think specifically of little Landree who brings so much joy to her family and to an entire church. Not one, no, not one of us is a surprise to You. Jesus, precious Jesus, come and give my Readers what they individually need and bless their lives exponentially. Amen, it is so...