Thursday, November 23, 2017

Jerusalem & Friends - The Camels. Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Jerusalem & Friends

- The Camels

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel.” (Genesis 24:64, NKJV)

Rebekah was a natural. Being she was raised among camels, the normal means of desert travel, she certainly knew how to get on and get off properly. She probably never gave it a second thought. A camel girl well trained!

On any tour to Israel one thing you really enjoy looking out for are the roaming camels. These beasts of burden have been around since before Noah I would imagine, who would have had two on the ark. Abraham and his two sons certainly had many, being rich in favor. Jacob and his boys accumulated herds of them, roaming the deserts of the Promised Land under the watchful eye of the Living God of Israel.

Each time I have had the opportunity to ride the touring bus through the Land, my camera was always ready, hoping to catch the Bedouin’s camels walking in the nearby hills along Highway 1 headed down to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem. You can often see these created creatures among the black tents of these desert people or corralled within a makeshift fenced-in area nearby on the sloping, sparse landscape. To both young and old, seeing a camel out in their natural habitat is a real delight.

My first experience in riding one didn’t go so good. It was at a tourist restaurant stop on the way to Beersheva, with its robed owner awaiting any tourist, even the not-so-knowledgeable ones. Anyone ready to give him $5 for a few short laps, or at least two, around the food stop parking lot. My thought, “I can do this. Get the camera out and watch me ride!”

Already down on his really thick knees, head proudly held high, this camel gave me a look, and stayed somewhat still while I pulled up onto his single hump, covered with multi-colored blankets and some leather under them to serve as the saddle. I was given a few instructions on how to hang on, and then slowly walked around the parking lot. Not a big deal, until the dismount.

What I failed to hear, or even to be told, was most likely thought by both owner and camel one of two things. I was either a seasoned rider, or I was smart enough to figure it out - how to properly prepare for the upcoming, or down coming, dismount. Being I hadn’t paid any attention to others I had seen on other occasions, or because they typically had a platform to get on and off from, I had little idea how it would happen.

The camel did his normal thing. He stopped, bent his front knees forward, and dropped down to the blacktop. HARD.

As for me? My head jerked back at first, and then before I could say, “Help!” I flew over his brown head. Down I went, flying head first into the hard ground.

No, it wasn’t a “10” on the dismount. Maybe a “2”.

My glasses smashed first, giving no cushion for my head. This photo tells the result. At least I could still smile!

Would I do it again? Why certainly! But now a bit wiser, and paying attention to the fact that you must lean way back, hang on tight, and act like a rodeo master when on the back of a camel just naturally preparing to let you down.

When you make it to Israel, hoping for that opportunity and provision to come, go ride a camel! The ones along the road in the desert are just waiting for you to show them you have what it takes to ride ‘em!

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

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One of my favorite camel photos! Near Eilat, Israel at the Camel Ranch. (Oct. 2008)

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Now Think On This #333 - in the year of our Lord 11.23.17 – “Jerusalem & Friends – Camels”, Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. My 63^rd birthday. 11:00 am

Today. Tomorrow. For Eternity.

For Salvation.

For Life.

For Miracles.

For Love.

For Provision.

For Health.

For Goodness.

For Him.

We give thanks every day

to our Saviour

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yeshua HaMashiach.

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

Charlotte, North Carolina

USA

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog - Ominous: Putin holds summit with Iranian & Turkish leaders to strengthen anti-Western alliance, discuss next steps in Syria. Trouble for Israel.

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Ominous: Putin holds summit with Iranian & Turkish leaders to strengthen anti-Western alliance, discuss next steps in Syria. Trouble for Israel. Here’s the latest.

by joelcrosenberg

(Jerusalem, Israel) -- After several years of darkness falling on the Middle East, we're actually seeing quite a bit of good news in recent months.

The U.S.-led coalition of Sunni Arab countries is systematically crushing the Islamic State. The Caliphate has been dismantled. ISIS jihadists are still a threat, but they're being driven out of Syria and Iraq.
With the fall of the Caliphate, the ISIS-led genocide against Christians and Yazidis is over, as is the relentless slaughter of Muslims who don't share ISIS's wicked theological and political views.
The Saudis are making major reforms and cleaning house in significant ways inside the kingdom -- they're also developing closer ties with Israel, as are the Gulf emirates.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's historic visit to Jerusalem in 1977, and the beginning of a dramatic peace process that led to the Camp David Accords in 1979.
Four decades later, Egypt's peace with Israel is not perfect. But the relationship between the two governments is closer -- and warmer -- than ever.
What's more, President el-Sisi told our Evangelical Delegation earlier this month how highly he regards Sadat's legacy of peace, and how he wants to build on that legacy. Mrs. Jehan Sadat, the widow of the late Egyptian leader, also told us over tea in her home how highly she regards President el-Sisi. She said he is carrying on her husband's legacy. That is no small thing, especially just a few years after the Muslim Brotherhood nearly burnt Egypt's society and economy to the ground.
Led by the remarkable King Abdullah II, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan also maintains a solid peace treaty with Israel and close security and intelligence cooperation. Nowhere in the Arab world are Christians safer than in Jordan. Indeed, as I mentioned when our Delegation met with the King in Amman this month, Jordan is an island of calm and stability in an ocean of fire. Again, given the history of the region, this is truly something to give thanks over.
Meanwhile, Israel's economy is booming. Tourism is at record levels. Natural gas is flowing. And polls show that most Israelis feel safer and more secure than any time in the last seven decades. This is all good news.

And yet, all is not well.

There are still many serious challenges in the region, especially for impoverished Palestinians -- especially for those living in Gaza, trapped under Hamas' cruel hand -- as well as for the millions of Muslim and Christian refugees in the region who have had to flee from violence in Syria and Iraq and have no idea where to call home.

That said, today was a particularly ominous day.

Today, the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey met in the Russian city of Sochi at a summit aimed at strengthening their emerging military and economic alliance, and at figuring out how to consolidate their gains in Syria.

Such an alliance is a new axis of evil, and it bodes ill for the U.S. and the West generally, and for Israel in particular. Indeed, students of the ancient Hebrew prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 should be watching events carefully. One should not draw speculative, rash conclusions, of course. We cannot say that the eschatological "War of Gog & Magog" is at hand. But the trend lines in the region are remarkably consistent with the 2,500 year old prophecies.

Let us, therefore, remain watchful and prayerful, calm and sober, seeking the Lord's wisdom in how best to serve Him and advance His Kingdom in these curious days.

For now, here's more on today's sobering summit in Sochi....

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday a 'new stage' had been reached in the Syria crisis but achieving a political solution would require compromises from all sides, including the Syrian government," reported Haaretz, an Israeli news organization, based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters.

"A three-way summit in Sochi on Wednesday between the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran could produce decisive steps towards ending the bloodshed in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the start of their talks," the article noted.

"Putin announced he and his counterparts at Sochi, Erdogan and Iran's president Hassan Rohani, supported the convocation of a Syrian peoples' congress as one of the first steps to establish inclusive dialogue in the war-ravaged country," Haaretz added. "Putin said the three leaders had instructed their diplomats, security and defense bodies to work on the composition and date of the congress.

More excerpts from the story:

Iran's military is also present in Syria, alongside Russian troops and Hezbollah, the pro-Iran Lebanese militia. They say that does not amount to foreign interference because they are in Syria at Assad's invitation.
As a prelude to the summit, Putin earlier this week hosted Assad at his residence in Sochi. It was the only time the Syrian leader is known to have left Syria since his last visit to Russia, two years ago.
Putin also made telephone calls in the past 24 hours to other leaders with influence in Syria, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman, as part of Moscow's drive to build an international consensus over a peace deal to end the six-year conflict.

———————

> To pre-order a copy of The Kremlin Conspiracy (which releases March 6th), please click here.

> To order copies of the new mass market paperbacks of the J.B. Collins novels — my trilogy about ISIS plotting attacks on the U.S., Israel, Jordan and Egypt — please click here.

joelcrosenberg | November 22, 2017 at 8:43 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: https://wp.me/piWZ7-8Cn

"Bears, Lions and Giants in the Land will Be Your Nourishment" - Bill Yount, Hagerstown, MD The Elijah List

"Bears, Lions and Giants in the Land will Be Your Nourishment"

Bill Yount, Hagerstown, MD The Elijah List Nov. 22, 2017

From the Desk of Steve Shultz:

This is a "nourishing" word (pun intended) from Bill Yount for the upcoming year. Yes, challenges and shakings will continue...BUT at the same time—great VICTORIES will come as well.

You'll read about this and more as Bill shares here:

I sense 2018 will be a year of "everything at once". All Hell will break loose and all of Heaven will break loose—but Heaven is greater than Hell... This will be a year when mighty men and mighty women will rise up because they've killed a bear, a lion or a giant, for these have come to make us strong. God says, "They will be your nourishment, your bread; your sustenance."

That is both a sobering and an exciting word at the same time...it's both/and.

God always, always prepares us for the days ahead...and you will be highly encouraged even in challenging times of just how God shows up on our behalf!

Please forward this word to your friends! Encourage them to subscribe to the Elijah List right here: http://elijahlist.com/subscribe.

Enjoy!

Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher

The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
http://www.elijahlist.com

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"Bears, Lions and Giants in the Land will Be Your Nourishment"
Bill Yount, Hagerstown, MD

Everything All at Once

I sense 2018 will be a year of "everything at once". All Hell will break loose and all of Heaven will break loose—but Heaven is greater than Hell. I sense the presence of a great cloud of heavenly witnesses—including family members—standing to cheer us on this coming year. The eyes of Heaven are upon us, waving checkered flags in the distance.

The heavens are shouting, "Don't lose your excitement for what God has called you to do. Your excitement excites Him and activates the angels among you. Excitement is a powerful weapon against the enemy as it ties his hands."

A challenging year is ahead. It will seem like everything is happening at the same time. People will be saying, "It's always something. It's always something..." in a negative tone. On the other hand, if we stay focused on the Lord, we will be saying, "He's always doing something. He's always doing something good, in spite of the situation."

The mindset we need to have for this new year is: "We do bears, we do lions, and we do giants. That's what we do." For they will come this year to find out what is in us. These will be distractions to keep us from focusing on the Lord with worshipping Him no matter what. I sense the enemy saying, "I hope you don't feel like worshipping the Lord this year with what I have in mind. If you do, it will bring Him down into your situation and if He shows up, I'm out of here; for He doesn't know how to lose. Defeat is not in Him."

Extreme Trials and Extreme Victories

It will be a year like Houston being hit by a hurricane and winning the World Series. Extreme testings and extreme victories. Testings will bring them on. Priorities will change as these challenges show up.

I hear the Father saying, "Batten down the hatches." I sense this means the prayer closet will become a very important place in our lives. I believe "batten down the hatches" refers to closing the door on distractions as we not only pray but listen to Him speaking to us.

2018 – I See Bear Rugs, Lion Furs and Giants' Heads On Gold Platters

This will be a year when mighty men and mighty women will rise up because they've killed a bear, a lion or a giant, for these have come to make us strong. God says, "They will be your nourishment, your bread; your sustenance." We will get to eat honey out of the belly of the lion. We will see what a lion's fur looks like hanging in our house and the heads of giants on gold platters. I see bear rugs, lion furs and giants' heads laying all over the place in your houses.

These will be trophies awarded to those who didn't give up the good fight of faith.

Giants Are the Breakfast of Champions

I hear the Father asking, "How hungry are you? When you get hungry enough, you get to eat giants! The giants aren't showing up to take you out, they're showing up so you can eat them. Eat your giants today. They are your nourishment. They are your bread and sustenance. Giants are the breakfast of champions."

"Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Fear them not." (Numbers 14:9 KJV)

I have wondered why "I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God" is still my favorite song going into this new year. Why is "do not fear" mentioned so often throughout the Bible?

Because God knows there will be times and reasons why we will be afraid, but He is with us.

Because of what Jesus did on the Cross, He has already slain every bear, every lion and every giant we will ever face, so we can too. Remember Jesus lives in us and He is not afraid, and He doesn't worry about anything.

Bill Yount
Blowing the Shofar Ministry

Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com
Website: theshofarhasblown@juno.com

Bill Yount has been a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past 36 years where he is now an elder and a home missionary. He is currently an advisor at large for Aglow International. Bill faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope for 23 years and now travels full-time, both in the U.S. and internationally, ministering in churches and Aglow circles.

"Humility and humor" characterize his ministry as he brings forth a fresh word that is "in season," proclaiming the Word of the Lord! The shofar (or ram's horn) is often used in his meetings, breaking the powers of darkness over regions, churches, and households. The shofar represents God's breath blowing into the nostrils of His people, reviving them and awakening the lost. Many of God's messages, which Bill ministers prophetically, come out of his everyday life with his family and friends.

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