6 Years Ago Today.... ~By Victoria

                                                          Happy 6th Birthday Joe!

 

6 years ago today was a very scary day... It started off just about like today did. We were all doing a normal school day, until Mommy started feeling very uncomfortable, to the point where she could barely move and asked Lydia to call 911(we were 9 or 10 at the time and completely freaking out as you can imagine). As most of you know, Mommy was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance (where the guy that was tending to her in the back kept telling the driver to go faster!) and airlifted to Seattle. Joe was born that day very prematurely as the result of Mommy having a Splenic Artery Aneurism. Daddy was away working in Seattle, so was able to rush to the hospital there. The doctor came out and told him it was very unlikely Mommy would live. Can you imagine what he must have felt like at that moment? We found out later that she literally had seconds… If the doctors had done the scan they wanted to do (but Mommy refused) she would not be here today.  Here we are 6 years later with a perfectly healthy Joe and Mommy! Thank you Lord so much for both of them! We can't even imagine what life would be like without you both! We will never forget that day, and are so thankful to have such a reminder of God’s Omnipotence and the power of prayer. One thing I remember well that day, is when Kyle grabbed his Bible and started reading it to Lydia the quads and Timmy as we all sat there crying. It was Psalm 103:

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all that is within me, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits
³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Thursday Thoughts~By Kyle

Yesterday I had to go in to town for something involving getting our driver's licenses, and made sure I brought some gospel tracts just in case. It's a good thing I did! For lunch yesterday we ate at McDonald's, and that is where I got my chance to be a "secret agent" for the Lord! While driving to park after going through the drive-through we saw a bumper sticker that said, "God bless atheism!" and "Doing my best to tick off (not the exact word:o( ) the religious right." You can imagine how this made me feel (there is such a thing as "righteous" anger). After having a little bit of time to cool down, I started feeling sorry for the person who would give such a deliberate slap in the face to not only us Christians, but to our God also. Then an idea struck me, why not try to reach out to this person by sticking a tract on the car? At the very least I would in turn tick off the liberal left, or possibly I might be used by God to reach this person! Imagine that! I dug in my pocket till I found a tract entitled, "What if it's true?" , and headed out into the parking lot. I found a convenient way to stick the tract in the handle of the driver's side door so the person would have to at least see the tract. As we drove out of the parking lot I prayed that the person would at least read the tract and that God would start something in the person's heart.

An hour and a half later we returned to the same McDonald's to get a treat before heading home. Surprisingly, we saw the same "God bless atheism" car again, only this time it had moved around to the front of the building. A youngish woman was reading something on her computer inside it.  After we got our treats the car was gone (I wonder if she knew the van contained religious right-wingers?), but in its parking space was my tract. That was actually a good sign for me; it at least meant she had had it in her car as she drove to the other spot . . . maybe she read it! I even got to recycle the tract ;0)!

The moral of the story is that I encourage all of you folks to carry some tracts with you wherever you go. Do some searching on the web, there are plenty of places to get some tracts! God could use you to save someone! Someday I hope to be bold enough to verbally share the good news of the gospel, but until then I will enjoy being a "secret agent" for God's army!

 

 

Also, here is a song that describes my craze for Christmas pretty well. I listened to it over and over again while working at my grandparent's house. :O)

Tuesday Truths

The electoral debates are over, and the election is two weeks from today! It is time to start praying really hard! Pray about our nation and the election whenever you think about it! Pray that God would hear the remnant of his people still in this land. As in all things, we need God's hand on this election. The difference between the candidates is black and white . . . no pun intended, and I am not being politically incorrect. One candidate (Obummer) would have America be demoted to the same level as all other nations.  The other (Romney) genuinely wants to try and turn America around. Please, pray without ceasing! America is still the greatest nation on earth.  Just ask riot torn and increasingly socialist Great Britain; or China with its one child policy; ask Greece with its spiraling economy; or Libya (or Syria and Afghanistan for that matter) with its bloody streets. If America falls, who will fill the gap left behind?

My Book~ By Kyle

Hi everyone! Over the past couple of years I have written a book (on paper) during my spare time and in the evenings, used dragon dictate (not necessarily recommended, Yeah its a love/hate relationship :0)) to "translate" it into the computer, went through hours of proofreading it, even dragging my Grandpa into doing several rounds of editing for me, and finally have started looking for a publisher for it. I immensely enjoyed writing it, and I hope maybe some people will also enjoy reading it.

My book is an analogy of the decisions in life that we make and that the Word of God is the only thing that can guide us in the way we should go. It is also an analogy of Christ's love for us that he would die for us to save us from the domain of darkness.

It is set in another world, like the Chronicles of Narnia. Any "magic" my book contains is only used to further the analogy. For instance, there are swords in this other world that are "magical", they glow either with the blue light of the lord of light, or the crimson and black of the ruler of darkness, when pointed at different trails. These swords of course are likened to the bible in our world. As Christians we use the Bible to guide us in any choices we make, the warriors of the light use these swords to guide them down the "ancient" trails. In the document I have attached entitled "verses that inspired the story", I have listed several verses that refer to the Word of God as swords and a light to our paths. Also there is a woman I describe as a witch in my story who draws Michael (a main character), nearly to the point where he serves her domain. Michael is so enraptured by her that he refuses to use his sword to reveal who she really is until it is almost to late. The witch for her part seems to be able to draw him into a "spell" to keep him from seeing the ugliness around him, kinda like the women/serpent in "The Silver Chair" (chronicles of Narnia). This draws the analogy of men caught in sin such as pornography and other sexual sin that us young men all have to constantly fight against.

Here is the synopsis of my book;

Join the adventure of Aaron, Amy, and Michael; three teens who are thrust into a world inhabited by elves, halflings, talking animals, and other such creatures. In this other world there are many paths leading to places both good and bad, and magic swords that can guide you onto the right paths . . . and guard you from the wrong ones. The three teens are soon plunged into plans of a war between the ancient powers of the light and darkness, and must travel to Burrowdown, a halfling city, to save it from destruction. But after one of the teens chooses a path that leads him into enemy hands, his friends embark on a desperate journey to save him before it is too late. It will take in the end the sacrificial death of the lord of light to rescue the captured teen, but without this lord all the hopes of the warriors for the light are lost. Will darkness cover this new world the teens fight for?

Through all their journeys the teens and their friends must trust more and more in their swords and the lord who made them as they become brave warriors for the light.

 

The title for my book is; "The Crossroads of the Other World". I am currently working on the sequel; "to the far Corners of the Other World". There will hopefully be four books in all. The series is called "The Warriors for the Light".

I was going to attach the first chapter of my book and the theme verses that inspired the book, but I cannot figure out how to do that. I will put the verses below, but I think I will have to skip putting the first chapter in, sorry!

The Theme Verse

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jeremiah 6:16

The Swords

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17b

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalms 119:105

Michael’s Path

Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you (Michael rejected these things), to deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil; whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways; to deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; that leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life.

Proverbs 2:11-19

But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 9:18

Emandreil’s Death So Michael Could Be Saved

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.

1 Peter 3:18

The Battle Against Lucrador’s Wraiths

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

 

So, one more round of editing (sigh), and then off hopefully to a publisher! Please pray that if I do publish it that it will reach people and help them understand what Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection.

Thursday Thoughts~By Kyle

Happy birthday Mommy!

I am blessed to have the best mother in the world. She has done so much for me personally and for my family that I know I will be forever grateful to her! She helped lead me to an eternal relationship with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  She went through a truly miserable season of pregnancy carrying me and my three other "roommates" for over eight months. She and Daddy went against the cultural norm in regards to abortion... I thank her deeply for that!  She nurtured me from a weak infant wholly dependent on her for survival to a healthy human being.  She taught me to read and started me off in the academic skills I will need to be the head of a family, and she helped instill in me little by little the hardworking attitude I will need to provide for a family (yep, no video games for me!).
Besides this she does laundry, dishes, house maintenance, helps with farm chores, changes diapers (thank goodness, those things stink!:0)), cares for the littles, and provides meals for the family . . .  all this on a daily basis.

As you can see my Mommy is the best in the world, and unless any of you folks reading this have a mom who had five littles under 16 months at once I don't think you can argue otherwise:0)!

I love you Mommy! Happy birthday!

An excellent wife (or mommy), who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. - Pro 31:10 NASB

Tuesday Truths~By Kyle

Homosexual marriage. The battle for "tolerance", and "equal rights" rages in our state.

In February our legislators approved senate bill 6239; a bill legalizing homosexual marriage. This bill allows same-sex couples to marry, applies marriage laws without regard to gender, and specifies that laws using gender-specific terms like husband and wife include same-sex spouses. After 2014, existing domestic partnerships are converted to marriages, except for seniors. It preserves the right of clergy or religious organizations to refuse to perform or recognize any marriage or accommodate wedding ceremonies. The bill does not affect licensing of religious organizations providing adoption, foster-care, or child-placement. It is sickening... but it is true. Fortunately though this battle isn't over yet. In June, our state officials ruled that there was enough signatures signed in favor of a referendum for the law to put it on the ballot for the general election on November 6. This means the bill could be voted down and rejected! please, if you are old enough to vote and reside in Washington, vote against this bill! Or, if you are not old enough to vote, make sure both your parents vote against this bill!

But are we intolerant? Shouldn't all people have equal rights? Let us take a look at what the bible says;

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11

God puts homosexuals in the same category as Adulterers, drunks, and thieves, so obviously we as true Christians should too (unlike some of the "churches" I have seen in Seattle). Does our culture condone adultery, thievery, and drunkenness? No, of course not! So why is homosexuality any different? Why are we asked to allow this destructive behavior? It is a sign of a culture departing from God (read Romans 1). You see, homosexuals CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God... they are heading for hell while they destroy themselves here on Earth. We are intolerant of their behavior because we don't want to see any person go to hell. We love the person, but hate the sin. As Christians, we care for all people (yes, including homosexuals), longing to bring them to the light and truth before it is too late. We are not "haters" or "judgemental".  Again, we have nothing against the person, I have a step cousin who is "gay". We all sin, and we all need forgiveness,  but we do not encourage the sin.

Here is a video that argues the positives of a "traditional" marriage, and shows the negatives of homosexual marriage from a nonreligious perspective:

 

God's Glory~By Kyle



BAM-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-BAM!!!  An unexpected thunder clap rumbled right above us. The windows shook, we all were startled, and our dog Ally crouched low her tail tucked under her. I love this kind of weather; the unexpected type, the ones that leave me awestruck. How awesome is a thunderstorm and the God who created them!

"At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place. Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, and His lightning to the ends of the earth. After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend. For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.'

Job 37:1-6

And to think that a human, one of the one-hundredth-zillionth blobs of puniness to ever walk the earth, would dare to raise their fist in the face of our magnificent God is stunningly sad. How awful to see people declare to their doom, "there is no God", or how sad to think that some look at God's glory in nature and mutter, "that is there all by chance". How empty a life that must be.

But what is just as amazing is that our God, the God who formed the heavens and all it contains, would care for and love us little blobs; that He wants to use us in His plan for the world. That is a great mystery that I for one will never understand. It is our job my brothers and sisters to give God all the glory, and what a fulfilling life it is.

P.S. Did any of you fellow Washingtonians also have thunder at their place? According to the weather radar there was several heavy storms which had the potential to become thunderstorms around the area.

Christmas With a Capital C movie review~By Kyle

 

Wow! I guess we didn't have to pay 10 bucks each to go see a good movie about defending Christ in Christmas!

 Here in our house we celebrate fall and the festive spirit it ushers in incredibly early. After the first couple of days of wet weather (I never thought I would celebrate that:0)) here, the festive atmosphere has kicked into full gear. I am currently sweating through my t-shirt typing next to the first fire of the season, we have been talking about the latest Christmas album by Stevy Chapman, and we watched a Christmas movie tonight. I know.... we're crazy.

 

Anyway, the movie was called "Christmas with a Capital C", and the whole family immensely enjoyed it. We watched it off Netflix (yes we caved in), so if you have Netflix you can watch it there.

The synopsis;

 

    This Christian family film follows the residents of Trapper Falls, Alaska, as they try to mount their annual Christmas celebration despite the interference of a Scrooge-like lawyer who objects to the town's public displays of Christianity.

 

 Right off the bat I thought, "oh, a replica of "Last Ounce of Courage", but I was wrong. Oh, it’s similar, but it takes a turn for the better. It goes deeper than "LOOC"; it shows how a Christian should really defend their rights. We don't have to get in a shout-out with our local liberal neighbor across the road, in fact we should not do that; we need to model Christ! What did Jesus do? When His chosen people were looking for a strong political leader, He humbled Himself instead, coming to Earth as a baby! Imagine that! Instead of leading His people in a "holy" war to free them from the Romans, He sacrificially served the world for His whole life and freed the WORLD in an entirely different way.

 

 Here me out. instead of shouting your rights down the throats of the frustrating people who trample on them, why not serve them instead? That doesn't mean in any way that we roll over and wave the white flag as we become minions of the government, but what if we approached our rights a different way? What if the liberal person you had a discussion with didn't walk away from you muttering "what a hypocrite", but instead was left wondering what made your faith unique?

That is what this movie is about. It has a great message, it stands for truth, it will make you laugh, and it will get you in the Christmas spirit!

So, whenever you "normal" people start getting into the festive spirit of the upcoming season, watch this movie! Go to any lengths to watch it! I guarantee you will enjoy it! I mean seriously, how many times can you watch "It's A Wonderful Life" in October before it gets boring:0)!

Here is the funny (but awesome) song that inspired a scene in the movie;

 



P.S. What better way to start serving people then sharing with them the good news of what CHRISTmas is really about? I have already ordered a couple hundred tracts to pass out during Christmas, and have ordered Christmas buttons with the name of Jesus on them to boldly broadcast the real reason for the season. I would encourage you all to be bold ambassadors for Christ, and secondly to stand for your rights, in this way.

Here are the websites I ordered from;



Christmas buttons: http://afastore.afa.net/c/71/merry-christmas-buttons-and-stickers
Christmas (and other) tracts: http://tractleague.com/

Interesting Discovery!~ By Victoria

On Wednesday, I was walking about amongst the goat herd at the back of our huge goat pasture, when I looked down and saw a whole bunch of very strange looking objects strewn about on the grass and old hay. What in the world??? I quickly thought back to a time a few months prior when Caroline and I were back in that very spot with a new load of "old hay" :o) when we saw the strangest looking plant covering most of our dumping grounds. We didn't think much of it at the time...   Well here we are in October with a whole bunch of potatoes as I discovered on Wednesday! I showed them to Lydia and she said they are Yukon Gold potatoes. Here are some pictures…

 

Most of the goats didn't seem to like them for some reason.

          Here is a pile of all the potatoes I could find. I'm sure there are more back there. :o)

                                This is what they looked like once I brushed away the dead grass..

 My favorite little goat Ruby decided she liked the potatoes and started eating them! Why she never ate them before... who knows.

 

 

Tuesday Truths~ By Kyle

Pray for us today! Us quadruplets are being interviewed today by the Chronicle for our sixteenth birthday. Pray that God would give us words to speak about Him as we strive to be bold ambassadors for Christ. What an oppurtunity to share what God has done for us!

A bible verse we read "randomly" today during family bible study;

 "Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." Colossians 4:3-6

All I have to say is nothing is random to God. I think He wanted us to read that verse today.

Sunday Baseball Game~By Kyle

Hi folks! Yesterday for my birthday day I chose to play a family baseball game at a real baseball diamond! It was a ton of fun! Even the two sets of Tevises graciously agreed to play!

Here were the teams (I forced them to be color coded;0));

Team Black

Team Red

If you noticed that the massively handsome guy on the far right is in both pictures, it is because he decided to take it easy and play first base for both teams:O).

 

Here are some pictures from the game;

 

 

The Bat Boy/Mascot

 

Mrs. Tevis, the leadoff hitter for team Black, hits a line drive

Here Joe Bowes crouches in a classic teeball "defensive position", while Lydia Tevis looks on.

Here, Victoria Bowes runs to first, while pitcher, Timmy Bowes, throws the ball away (he forgot there were no "peg-outs")

 





 

I prepare to slide safely into home while the catcher waits for the ball (top  right corner)

 



 

I prepare to swing as red's pitcher Timmy fires the ball

Joe-joe heads for third as I chase the ball in the far background.







Here I am caught in a pickle

 

And now I head back to second (Victoria refused to get off her base!:0))

Daddy fires to first for the out

Daddy gets ready to swing



The postgame celabration YUM!

My cake and I

 

 

In the end it was the Black team 13, the Red team 9 (hip-hip-hurrah!). There were several well hit balls, but some of the best (and also sometimes amusing) plays came from the defensive side of the field in a game were each team made a couple dozen errs (somewhat of an understatement :0)). The play of the game was when Red's slugger Ted Bowes hit a towering fly ball to left field, and Janet Tevis, playing left field for the Blacks, settled under the fly ball, screwed her eyes shut, and made the catch! Another great play was when Black's shortstop Victoria Bowes stretched to all of her 5'3" height to make a snow cone grab on a line drive over her head!

Thank you everybody for playing! I enjoyed every second of it!

 

 

 

 



Thursday Thoughts~By Kyle

 Hi Guys. A little late... I was building an animal feeder today.

Are You Going To Heaven?

A commonly asked question in the world of witnessing. Have any of you guys seen one of those vendors at the fairs with the same question on its sign? Have you ever tried walking up to it? I have twice now out of curiosity of what they ask you. It turns out they were very sound Biblically
  and I hope many people were reached through them.

Here are the two questions they ask: Do you believe that you are a sinner? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?

These are the two most important questions you will ever answer.  It is a matter of life and death. There are no imbetween answers.

Here are some bible verses:

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom. 5: 6-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2: 8-9

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

There is only one way to heaven, Jesus' death for us. Works will never get you there, for if you have even sinned once you have fallen short of God's glory. Also a different religion will never get you to heaven, Jesus is the only way.

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Truths~By Kyle

Hi everybody! Starting this month I have decided to write more meaningful posts on Tuesday (Tuesday Truths) and Thursday (Thoughtful Thursday). Feel free to comment any other good names you may have for those days as well;0).

 What is the Rapture? When will It happen?

 

Ever since we watched a "Left Behind" movie on Sunday I have committed myself to study the end times prophesy found primarily in Daniel and Revelations; after all some suggest we could be rapidly approaching that cataclysmic period in history. First off though I wanted to study about the rapture. Our family has never really done a deep study on this, and I wanted to know what the bible says about it. The word "rapture" ironically though never appears in the bible, but there are several verses along with parables told by Jesus that support it.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15: 50-55

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

 Mathew 24: 40-42 (the whole chapter is great)

"Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming."

Here is a verse on the tribulation period:

Luke 21: 20-26

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

As you can see, if you believe the bible is true, you must believe in a rapture and the tribulation period.

There are three different views on when the rapture will accur in or before the tribulation; either the true believers will be raptured before the tribulation period, in the middle of the tribulation period before things get really bad, or after the tribulation period. I always believed that the former was true mostly because I greatly fear the tribulation period, but after reading an article online on the issue I am convinced that this belief that we will be raptured before the tribulation is biblical and correct. Here is the link to the article;

http://www.truthablaze.com/pretrib.html

Here are the points the writer makes;

The Church is not apointed to God's wrath

The doctrine of Imminence is only maintained with a pre-trib view

The restrainer must be removed before the antichrist can be revealed

We can look at past examples of God removing His people before judgement

The church meets the LORD in the air, not on the earth

I will not take the time to paste the verses that support or give my own take on these points, but I strongly suggest you read the article above. Once you read it it will be hard for you to make an argument otherwise (and why would you want to?).

So what? If this is true we do not have to worry about the tribulation period, Right?  Wrong! We should be very concerned! We should make sure we are God's children; that we believe we are all sinners that deserve death and hell, that there is nothing we can do on our own to get to heaven, but that we have a new life in Jesus' totally sacrificial death for us; and we should seek to follow Him and become more like Him. Then, if we believe in the tribulation and hell, we should be very anxious for our family members and friends who have not yet accepted Jesus. We should be driven to show them Jesus' free gift in his death so that they might be saved. Not only this, but Jesus commands we witness to others! So if you are one of my brothers or sisters in Christ I urge you to at the very least pray for unbelievers and work at witnessing... we all need to work at it because for some reason we find it scary. A great book to read on witnessing is the book I am currently reading, "Will Our Generation Speak", by Grace Mally.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your savior and lord yet I beg you to consider the consequences. Please contact me at Crossroadsranch@tds.net if you have any questions about salvation; I will do my best to answer them. Also, look into getting involved in a church that holds to God's word... you will be eternally glad you did.

Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Squeamish Look Away... Drawing Blood from a Goat~ By Victoria

Did you ever wonder how to get a goat pregnacy tested? (Probably not ;-). Well, here you go! A step- by-step process of how it works. It's especially fun when you get first timers (us), who are somewhat squeamish and totally grossed out ( me), to help! Caroline is always the one who gives shots and such, and I have always been the faithful goat holder. I have given shots before, but drawing blood is a whole different matter!  So as you can see, Caroline agreed to draw the blood.

Anyways, we have several goats who we want to get pregnacy tested. Soooo, the best way to do that is to get a blood sample and send it to a lab in Idaho called BioTracking. They test goat/sheep "samples" every Tuesday and Thursday and report on Wenesdays and Fridays. So we decided to draw on Sunday afternoon and send it Monday and hope we make the Tuesday test.





 First, we clipped the goat's neck for easier access to the vein. Then, Caroline applied pressure on the goat's neck with her left hand thumb to make the vein stand out. Once the vien is located... insert the needle and draw! Once you have 3 or more cc's insert the blood into a vaccum red top tube. Then you're done. :o) The first goat was really difficult, but the second one was really easy!

                                                               Inserting the needle...

                                                                Out comes the blood...


The finished result ready to send off to Biotracking sometime today...