Rainbow After the Storm ~ Video by Fortis Media

Today, I decided to post this wonderful message that I watched Friday night, by JJ McNown, while he was pastoring the Foundation Church Portland (when he was a little younger!), which was featured on JJ's youtube channel, Fortis Media. Well, I meant to get this done before morning came, so that many of you would have the time to watch it on your day off. But, that didn't happen, because time ran out on me last night and I failed to get this posted. So, here it is now.

From the video description:

What you are about to see is a sermon I delivered during my time pastoring the church I founded when I turned 22. No matter what storm you’re presently going through, the Lord has ordained that it will end and that blessings will follow.

Listen to this message, and you’ll never think of a rainbow the same way again.

JJ is talking about the rainbow, and how it is mentioned in the Bible several times, and about storms that veil the sun for a time. To get through the storms, it is important to build your home (life) on a rock foundation, rather than the sand that will shift with the rain, and collapse the home (or your life).

I can assure you that watching this will give you hope, and peace, especially if you are going through a storm in your life right now. I pray that if you see this, that you will share it with others that may be going through storms in their life.

BIG God, BIG calling, BIG victories, BIG hardships ~ Video by Fortis Media

There are always going to be crossroads along our path. Choices to make: Option A, or Option B, or even Option C.  Well, here is the news, "your faith will be tested whenever you stand at a crossroads."

Now, in this Fortis Media video, JJ McNown explains happiness and joy, victories and hardships, and the BIG God and Big Calling, in a way that will help us understand why we face hardships, despite our Faith and Joy in the Lord. As a matter of fact, it IS our Faith and Joy in the Lord that gets us through hardships, and brings us our victories. Yes, even if our faith is the size of a mustard seed. This not only applies in our personal lives, but for this country.

Please watch this video, and allow JJ to explain how it applies to America.

And then, share this video or this post with your friends.  No? Well, maybe it's something you just have to do, and use Jesus as your shield against any blowback. Oh, you'll get that when you watch this video.

The fall of our nation ~ By Patrice Lewis

I read Patrice Lewis' column with some sadness. It was very reflective of how I had been feeling about the things that she wrote about.

The column that Patrice wrote, as you will notice, was posted very early Saturday morning, August 28, 2010. Yes, that date, 8/28/2010, will mean something to many that will read this commentary. That is because on that day, on a beautiful August morning in our nation's capital, at the feet of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, things began to change for many, many thousands of people. And for me. No, I wasn't there, but I was able to watch the "Restoring Honor" Rally in real time on my computer.

To make sure you will understand what I'll be discussing next, please watch the following short video:

Restoring Honor - Be the Change!

Video provided by RestoringHonorRally

The first words you will read in the blockquote below are: "The people who are fired up and ready to do something are fighting more than just their government. They're also fighting the collective spiritual sickness of millions of dumbed-down, apathetic sheeple who assume the government's role is to catch them when they fall or support them when they're down..." And did you just notice the words that I emphasized in bold? And were you aware that was exactly what the "Restoring Honor" rally was all about?

Glenn Beck became aware of that collective spiritual sickness over the last few years, and he is fighting that very affliction in our nation with great passion. The path that Glenn has been taking over the last few months, maybe even the last year, has been to get people to renew their spirit and their belief in America's greatness. And it's working.

Please, oh please, keep that in mind as you read Patrice's column today. I know that it so very easy these days to perceive that there is no possible way to change the direction this country has been going. I know, as I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, that I had been feeling that way. On 8/28/10, I finally began to believe that the direction we can take this country CAN change. It is going to take a lot of Faith. It means that we are going to have to get our heads out of the sand, and begin the process that may take generations. But it has to start somewhere at some point in time. It might as well start right now! Just sayin'...

The people who are fired up and ready to do something are fighting more than just their government. They're also fighting the collective spiritual sickness of millions of dumbed-down, apathetic sheeple who assume the government's role is to catch them when they fall or support them when they're down. The sheeple really don't give a rip about whether the federal government becomes a nanny state. This is just the kind of apathy the nanny state loves, so it's encouraged.

It was Alexander Tytler who noted, "The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again into bondage."

Perhaps this is just the natural evolution of things. Perhaps we're in the autumn of our nation. While I can't say for certain, it sure is beginning to feel like fall.

By Patrice Lewis

Posted: August 28, 2010 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

Every time I read the news, the headlines get worse. Housing starts down, the stock market down, inflation this, unemployment that … It got my husband to wondering, why is the overall attitude in America as bad as it is?

Before you give a knee-jerk answer of "Because I'm unemployed, stupid!" or some such equally valid (but cursory) reply, hear me out.

There seems to be a curious apathy rampant in our country lately. Our overall attitude is lethargic, almost indifferent to the actions of our government.

We see astounding new threats to our liberties daily. Government agents can legally sneak onto your property and put a GPS tracking device on your car without you knowing about it. The EPA is petitioning to ban lead bullets as a back-door way to reduce the availability of ammunition. Rep. Pete Stark smugly admits at a town-hall meeting that "the federal government can do most anything in this country." And sadly, he's right.

Where's the outrage? The abuse of power has far surpassed the abuses of power imposed by King George III prior to the Revolutionary War. Yet most people merely yawn and say, "I wonder what's on TV tonight?" We're witnessing things that 40 years ago would have had people marching in the streets. And when people do march in the streets, millions strong, the government yawns and goes fishing.

So people are giving up. They're giving up the expectations that their children will ever have the success or stability of their parents' generation. The old formula of working hard and succeeding doesn't seem to work any more, so why try? Why not just let the government take care of us?

But even this attitude is more the symptom than the disease. For people to actually think that their children will never have it as good, they have to have made a tremendous mental shift. It's not so much, "My children will never have it as good," it's more like "We're not as good."

You can delve into nuts and bolts of why we're heading into socialism all you want, but none of those things could happen if a spirit of optimism and individuality were still intact in this country. But that spirit is eroding and almost gone. Our pride in being Americans is dissolving. When the president of the United States says, "Yes, we're exceptional, but so is every other country," then it indicates the certainty of America's greatness is evaporating.

READ FULL STORY at WorldNetDaily.com

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A tale of 2 brain tumors ~ By Patrice Lewis

"I'd like to take a break from my usual socio-political commentary to ask a very important question: What would you do if you learned you had less than a year to live?" Patrice talks about how two people she knew had fought against their 'terminal' brain cancers, and how their faith and focusing on God's love for them had helped them through. read more | digg story

Miss USA runner-up to share Sunday message ~ By Alex Murashko

By Alex Murashko, LA Church & State Examiner Carrie Prejean, Miss California and Miss USA’s first runner up, is scheduled to be part of her home church's Sunday message, billed as: "No Compromise: Standing Firm On Your Faith." Prejean will appear at the Rock Church in San Diego. The services will also be availablelive at the church's Web site. Prejean is a member of the Rock family and actively serves in church outreach ministries, according to a press release issued by the church. [Continue reading]

digg story ~ Submitted by scroogereport

Glenn Beck's story of Christmas

The Glenn Beck program brings you the story of Christmas. You can either read the transcript, or listen to the actual audio from his show. And here's the really good part: It's free! Please read and/or listen to it. I know you've probably heard the Christmas story many times. However, in this segment, Glenn discusses a perspective of the birth of Jesus that I had not ever thought of or heard before. In other words, an overlooked part of the Christmas story that may help you. Read or listen | digg story, submitted by bakeshowdotus

How It Begins: The Turning Point

Yes, it is true. For many of us, we have had turning points in our lives, and we got to a point where we needed to make changes. In this writing, including a video, you'll see a testimony from a man that had reached that point. It was easy to find a title to this piece, as we know that "How it begins" comes down to when we reach the Turning Point.

read more | digg story