Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sometimes people have to be confronted by something terribly bad. At regular intervals, certain people come to struggle terribly and have to learn by a hard lesson, being pulled down by an accident or serious disease.

Several people at a certain moment in their life got struck. Suddenly they become confronted by a longer period that they can not do the things they normally do. During that time of not doing anything, they are given time to think about the past but also the future. Then they can take time to meditate and to really start to reevaluate the value of things.

Before they got sick or bounded to the bed by their sickness or paralysation, they can have the film of their life repeated over and over again for days. At that time they have hours and days to think about all those things that kept them busy. Then they also realize that they had and still have so many dreams that they’ve had over the years and projects that they wanted to do.

From people who previously had serious accidents and diseases, we do know several people came in confrontation with the matter of a godhead, and started examining the Scriptures, coming to one conclusion, that there is Only One True Divine God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is a loving God and not a cruel Being that would have His children being tortured or being burned forever.
It is then for them the time to recognise how so many churches or denomination lied to their flock and used fear to master them.

The devil, being spoken of in the Bible, is any or every adversary who walks on this planet. For sure there are many adversaries of God too, who would love people not to believe in the Divine Creator or have them keeping to the many false teachings, human traditions and heathen festivals.

But it are the real lovers of God who in such difficult times should show how they know for sure Who is behind everything and Who can be the helping hand in times of problems but also be a Guide in times when everything seems alright.

These days when there is a virus making many victims, those real followers of the son of God, should show the world how God has given the world a saviour and mediator, who paid the ransom for all the faults we as human beings have done.

Now is the time that all real lovers of God can show the world Who That real God is and how we as united lovers of God are not afraid of what comes upon this world but are willing to unite in prayer to protect all those around us, believers and unbelievers.

In the article of Janisha Jacobs, affectionately known as “Keela“,, the greatest hope is expressed that during this crisis more people will be drawn closer to Christ, the son of God. We only can hope and pray that more people shall come to see that in this time of fear there will be no other choice but for our faith to increase and to join hands spiritually. That in this time of not knowing what tomorrow holds we will learn to let God worry about tomorrow and focus on getting through today, with the knowledge that there shall come even worse days and even a more severe battle, with the third World War or Armageddon. Therefore we can look at this pandemic as a rehearsal for what still has to come and to make us stronger to be prepared for what is still to come.
Let us, therefore, pray not to false gods, like some many have taken themselves false gods, but learn also others to pray to the God Jesus also prayed too, namely his heavenly Father (and not himself) the One and Only True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

*

To remember

• facing global Pandemic of Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus.
• enough news surrounding panic > All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma & a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19.
• Persons afraid, lost loved ones, +  wondering if they will be next.
• China, Italy, America, UK, etc. > unimaginable crisis.
• biggest question right now =  “when will it end?”
• for the church = also the question of “how do we react?”
• to get us to close down churches > building =/= church
• people = church
• via Zoom = enjoyable + more intimate than “pulpit and pew”
• try + prevent spreading virus => stay home
• response/reaction to world crisis & pandemic = faith, wisdom, compassion, forward thinking, leadership + most importantly prayer.

Keela's Chronicles

As most of you know, we have all been facing the global Pandemic of the Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus. Initially I had no intentions of blogging about it, figuring that there is enough news surrounding the panic and I didn’t want to be one more person adding fuel on an already blazing fire. But, if you read my latest post you know by now that I decided to change my mind

All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma and a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19. Persons are afraid, many have lost loved ones, some may not even know if their loved ones are still alive in places like Italy, some persons are sick and many others are wondering if they will be next. And all of these emotions and feelings are completely understandable but so very heartbreaking.

View original post 492 more words

Preventing conflicts and war

Continuation of: Scattering of peoples who delight in wars

With Rabbi David Krishef we continue to look at how we should avoid conflicts and war. In our daily life we encounter many times where we are questioned or when we are questioning others and want to find out how others want to relate to others.

The rabbi notices

In business, competitors sometime refer customers to each other when they know the other company can fulfill a particular need better than they can. Competition is good when we play fairly by the rules and when it challenges each of us to become better. {Psalm 30 – “You have lifted me up” (30:1)}

Though in this world not everybody wants to play with the fair rules or with the same rules as us. Some also consider the other as a competitor or sometimes even as an adversary. Some people prefer to exclude others because they feel threatened by them. As such some might find that their faith comes in danger by what others are telling. This can be clearly seen in the present day where several Christians take aversion against non-trinitarian Christians, Jews and Muslims, because those are against the worship of Jeshua or Jesus Christ and deny his god-ship, whilst those trinitarian Christians do know God says Jesus His is only begotten son, but do not accept it that way. For them Jesus is their god and all who deny his godship they consider a jeopardy bringing their faith at risk. Several of those trinitarian Christians also see lots of their members loosing faith and going to the Muslim faith. For them that smells to peril certainly because the world today is also confronted with fundamental Islamist fighters. Many people do not see the nuances in the many religious groups and think all of the other religion must be of the same sort as those fundamentalists, a danger for society.

Many of them consider themselves at the moment still part of the stronger nation and fear that those who leave Christendom shall weaken them.

The rabbi remarks

No one dares to attack the strong nation, because the weaker nation would face virtually certain defeat. We hope the strongest nation uses its leadership and power for kind and loving purposes. Otherwise, when the powerful begin exercising power for their own enrichment, those around them join together to take down the tyrant.{Psalm 29 – “May Adonai grant strength to God’s people; may Adonai bless God’s people with peace.” (29:11)}

At the moment we can see that in the capitalist countries, politicians take every effort to gain popularity and to enlarge their power, no matter what for in-ethical matters they do have to do. Most of them striving to power in the Western countries are on the look out for their own enrichment and some of them do want to help the weapon lobbies also to full their pockets richly.

The wealth many are aiming for, at the moment, is not a healthy wealth.

Wealth and influence can be of tremendous benefit, but at the end of our life we ought to rather be remembered for our kindness and for the good things that we’ve done and not just for the possessions we leave behind. {Psalm 33 – “Horses are a false hope for deliverance.” (33:17)}

Lovers of God should be very careful not to be taken by the treadmill, not letting themselves being carried away by those who want to blacken other religious groups than their own. Those who really love God should examine if they are following God’s Word and should examine their own way of life and way of worship. In case they call themselves Christian they should check if they worship the same God as the God of Jesus, the God of Israel.

Further they should examine if they take on the right attitude and do what Jesus also would do.

We all should see to have strength and peace in balance. Even when they are

two concepts … rooted in the classic military theory of preventing war (or winning war) through projecting power. {Psalm 29}

we should be willing to mount a horse prepared by the Most High Elohim. Allah, the God of peace wants His ‘nationals’ or His ‘children’ to be lovers of peace and lovers of each other, respecting all creatures of God.

In old Westerns, the hero swoops in and rescues the damsel in distress, throws her across a horse, and rides off into the sunset. {Psalm 33}

reminds us Rabbi David Krishef, who looks at the psalmist who speaks of a symbolic horse as the possession of a warrior, representing wealth, power and mobility. {Psalm 33}

Our wealth should be in being a possession of God, being under Allah’s wings. Even when we notice that evil doers may have it better than us, we should know it might be so  … at the moment.

Reward and punishment do not always work out perfectly. Sometimes, good people do not prosper and evil people do not suffer. {Psalm 28 “Pay them according to their deeds.” (28:4)}

writes the rabbi, reminding his readers that

However, most of the time, in the long run, goodness is recognized. {Psalm 28}

Ichthys and Psalm23 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lovers of God should stimulate others to do good by themselves being good examples. In the knowledge that people are attracted to good people, we should not mind to join those who want to do good, from whatever religion they might be. Joining good doers they may become stronger and those seeing others motivated to be kind to the evil doers and to help them, shall become more interested to learn about their reasons why they want to help those who are also bad to them.

Helping each other shall enable the people in the surroundings to have better and deeper friendships.

Good people will tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives. Truly good people do not do good things because of recognition or reward. Goodness is not a tool to be used as a means to get something. Good deeds are an end unto themselves. {Psalm 28}

And it is the deep-rooted goodness that shall be the stronger sword, and form the better combatant of peace, when no weapons of man are taken, but the ‘sword of God‘ and the ‘sword of love‘, using the strength of God His set-apart Word. By not taking hold of it, showing patience and trust in Allah, leaving all the judging up to Him and His only begotten son, the mediator between God and man, we should not worry and hope for a better future, in the knowledge that the Saviour, the Messiah and King shall come to rule in the Land of Hope where there shall be no war any more.

+

Preceding articles

Scattering of peoples who delight in wars

When Tragedy Strikes…

A Prayer for 9-11

Detachment by Family problems

Youngster all over the world with the same dream

A Positive Disposition

++

Additional reading

1. Necessity of a revelation of creation 1 Works of God and works of man
2. Good and bad things in this world
3. Power in the life of certain
4. Patience is the ability to count down before blasting off
5. The Field is the World #1 Church Union
6. Germinating small seeds, pebble-stones, small and mega churches and faith
7. To whom do we want to be enslaved
8. Displeasure of יהוה , Jehovah the God of gods, and His wrath against all the gentiles their divisions
9. Bible, sword of the Spirit to come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man
10. A Jewish Woman and a Test of Faith
11. Compromise and accomodation
12. Developing new energy
13. Ability
14. Ability (part 5) Thought about the abilities to be under God’s Spirit
15. Growth in character
16. Your struggles develop your strengths
17. Count your blessings
18. The giving and protecting God
19. This was my reward
20. Belief of the things that God has promised
21. Be happy that the thorn bush has roses
22. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
23. Kindness
24. Spread love everywhere you go

+++

Further related

1. Geestelijke vorming tot heiligheid #2
2. Geduld is het vermogen om af te tellen voor explosieven te laten ontsteken

+++

Related articles

• Contemporary Christianity in Nigeria and inherent challenges
• Ondo CAN Preaches Religious Tolerance Among Nigerians
• Cardinal Quevedo slams terrorism as ‘demonic ideology’
• Bishop Advises Students To Shun Cultism, Idolatry
• Know Your Doctrine
• Christians having the right heart to call others to go to God
• Jewish and Christian traditions of elders
• Once Saved, Forever Saved?

What would you do if…? Continued trial

When you are diagnosed with a disease which doctors say you shall have to live with it for as long as you can live, it does not mean you have to give in to it and let your self go. Be realistic also not to think you shall be able to get rid of it. No way! sorry for those who have put their hope in a possibility to get that horrible monster out of their body and to be free of any such malignant adversary.

Any illness of the bones and muscles which is considered for life, has to be looked at in that way. Though you shall not be able to cure it you might postpone the badness of it or get to learn with the limitations it brings over you.

I do agree sometimes the pain and the horrible prison you might find yourself can be so much threatening that you wish you were not born or that you would not mind having an end to your life.
The pain sometimes can be so horrible you want to break the walls or explode.

But than I would advice you to try to do the same as I try to do. To speak to the Most High Who gives and takes life and let us not be tempted over that what we really can cope. And you would be surprised that can be a lot. Though sometimes others may feel the pressure even more than you yourself. Once my family had to wait for two days before they got the news I was going to survive. Be sure, it was not me, who had tried to take my life away, but some aggressive road user who had pushed me from the motorway. At the moment of the accident I asked God to be able to stay here on this earth, and I am convinced He allowed it.

An ankylosing spine in which the vertebrae become fused together.

At that time I had already fought many years against Ankylosis Spondilitis (AS, Bekhterev spondylitis or Bechterev or Marie-Strümpell arthritis) after having got Rheumatic fever or rheumatoid arthritis. My job was my salvation. Being a dancer having lots of physical training every day was a battle against my own ‘corps’. But it was also not accident free, so sometimes I was put back or remembered how weak our body can be.

It did not stay with the earliest symptom of chronic lower back pain and when in 1999 two vertebra‘s were broken and I was paralysed for six months I had time enough to be busy with trying to get my body on track again. Certain doctors noticing the destruction of intervertebral disks and the growth of spurs on the vertebrae themselves wanted me to accept I had to stay the rest of my life in a wheelchair and should have enough rest. I resisted the idea to stay the rest of my life in a wheelchair and with help of the Belgian government and health-service I started one of my biggest battles in life, now applying the Kounovsky technique, which I had, for several years, taught and used to help other people with physical and mental problems, for my self. Application of heat, and lots of exercises to learn to move my fingers and the rest again to a point where I could try to maintain a normal range of movement, brought me ten years later to a point where I could say I was ‘the old one’ again, though still more limited than I was before the accident.  But we also should take into account the normal deterioration by age.

After everything seemed to go better we shall be confronted more than once by moments of declension. They may not let you down. Your mind should always be stronger than your body. You have to govern your body by your mind. You can read lots of scientific books about that, but may I advice you to take up a very strange old book perhaps? At first you will perhaps not see the reason to read such very old books, but once you started your adventure going from one book into an other, you will come to see the light and start finding answers.

Before my 1999 accident I was already busy with God. In the 1960s I even wanted to become a priest, but had most difficulty not being able to have a wife and children. The trinity matter and all the pagan rites in the Old Roman Catholic Church in which I grew up disturbed me also a lot. So much that I even went church shopping I had a look at all sorts of denominations and different faith groups.

After some long studies about religion in 1974 I became a non-trinitarian and in 1976 found myself at ease by the Baptists. But a little bit more than ten years later the American Southern Baptists got stronger and stronger and pressed their trinitarian way of thinking, so that thousands of my Baptist brethren and sisters went looking for other congregations. Most of them moved over to the Jehovah Witnesses and to the Church of God, whilst others found their way to the Church of Abrahamic Faith, the Restoration Church, and the Nazarene Friends.

1999 was a turning point and a year of many doubts, me wondering if I had chosen the right way and the right faith. then after my many doubts and my close talk to God, requesting Him to stay alive to take care of my family, I was granted an other life opportunity and got enough time, lying on my back to study once again the Bible and to do research on everything what is written in it.

Now I even became more convinced of the reality of that master-work and good reasons to believe that bestseller.

I was already convinced of our duty to care of mother earth, had been active in the green movement and also stood on the barricades in 1968 fighting for a more righteous society.

Back in the running, the biggest frustration I have to cope with is not being able to dance any more, or not able to enjoy movement, because moving demands a lot of my being (offering me ‘pain for free’). I let not others notice it and do not complain about it, but it is in me, and I know it shall stay with me. To operate my back is too dangerous, thus as long as I can cope with the pain that is my best option, to continue to do whatever I want to do, moving around and doing things I like to do.

And that is what every person should do when trapped in his own body. Not letting it become master of the inner soul, but letting it be a carrier of strive and war-zones of positivity, going forward as long as we can. Never mind that those around us not always see the struggle we have to go through and sometimes do not seem to comprehend us. For the youngsters it is often very difficult to grasp it is sometimes something we can not cope with ourselves. To apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life is not always given to the young ones. Often they also do not understand the work we do and get not paid for, can also be considered work or something necessary. And when it has to do with faith, for them it seems all a waste of energy and time. Hopefully they shall come to learn the value of it.

We can only hope that enough motor neurons shall reach from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and that they can stay enough elastic and reactive to react properly to signals we want to get to them. But also our mind has to be able to think properly. Also that is not always acceptable for the youngsters that we forget things or at certain moments can come up the right word any more. Wear and tear gets master over us, but also that should not get us to stop to continue our ‘battle’.

Having had several unpleasant and painful experiences, I had to learn the hard way that “Life is hard”. Previous to my serious accident I had put lots of energy in many people and lots of cases. Having for a third time to build up my life, this time like beginning from scrap again, because I had memory loss, and had to learn everything about what happened in the past again. This was an incredible difficult task, to take loss of languages, which still gets me frustrated at moments.
But I also learned not to loose energy any more in ‘lost cases’ and to stop in time to stay in contact with certain people or tackling certain subjects. I found out that it is better to stay in contact with the right people. It is much easier to surround oneself with people who can ‘energeticise’, those who can bring something positive to our life as well, by not pulling it down and by not considering us ‘lower’ or ‘disabled’ or ‘not performant’ any more. Yes it is much better to get positive people around you. People that won’t only rejoice with you in the good times but and who will not stay away when it goes bad with you. People who are willing to support us in the difficult times are the ones we better have around us.

For that reason I also wanted to spread more positivism and share positive ideas, and therefore created this lifestyle magazine, also in the hope people shall find some articles which can strengthen and courage them as well give them more hope and perhaps also shall get them to know other people with similar problems who can help them further.

Often it helps when we do know we are not alone and that others have foudn solutions which can be good for us as well. From each-others experiences and from sharing ideas we also can learn a lot.

But not only the people are important. Also the things we do and the things we eat.

I am convinced that what we eat and think is very important. So we should take care we try to eat and use as much as possible natural materials not burdening our body with animal material. We do not need meat and to much meat is eaten in our greedy society. A huge variety of fruit and vegetables will help you on your way to have less pain whilst avoiding as much as possible the synthetic medicinal drugs. If you never tried it, please do it, go to a homeopathic doctor and see what he can offer you to reduce your ‘hell’ to something you can bear.

With a good natural diet and natural drugs (homeopathy and phytotherapy) you shall notice life will be so much easier. Ad to it a daily dose of some walking and daily exercise and you shall go a step higher.

And yes, why should you not think about some other part of life, the spiritual life?

What would you do if you know your body is hurting you so much or luck does not seem to have come your way?

Why would you not reconsider everything that happened to you and those you love and come to see that there is more behind it all?

Would it be nice to know that there is some promise which can become a reality for you and me as well?

In the Bible are promises given to individuals and to people or nations. Prophesies have come true so why not shall the last ones which are not fulfilled yet, not come true?
Have a look at them. Think about them. Think also about some one who had a body which seemed normal and not affected by pains or limitations. That man from Nazareth walked for miles and could not stop talking about the One he loved and trusted. He showed why we too should trust Him Who is much mightier than that man who walked through desserts and was tempted more than once, but did not give in. He managed to put his own will aside, to do the will of his heavenly Father.
Why should we also not try to listen to that Father and give our hands, our life also in His hands?

You better be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you and choose for the right people around you. Always remembering that self-preservation is the highest law of nature and that being angry upon yourself or a situation is not going to help. And remember that

You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind

Know there is a good foundation to go your way but be always careful where you want to put down your steps or leave your marks or sow your seeds.

And most important to remember:

Never give up or never give in. Keep running the battle.

+

Preceding articles

What would you do if…?

What Are You Seeking?

Denis Wright looking at the world of human beings

Mourners Celebrate Life Of Inspirational Cancer Teen

Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still

See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory

May we have doubts

++

Additional reading

1. What would you do if…?
2. Meaning of life 
3. The business of this life
4. When discouraged facing opposition
5. The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places
6. When you don’t know what to do and hate yourself
7. Do not be so busy adding up your troubles
8. Be Not Thou Weary
9. Confidence
10. Hope begins in the dark
11. Suffering
12. Suffering continues
13. Offer in our suffering
14. Suffering – through the apparent silence of God
15. Relapse plan
16. God’s instruction about joy and suffering
17. God’s promises to us in our suffering
18. Emotional pain and emotional deadness
19. From pain to purpose
20. Suffering leading to joy
21. Surprised by time in joys & sufferings
22. Allowed to heal
23. Old story to inspire and to give hope to those who are oppressed
24. An anarchistic reading of the Bible (2)—Creation and what follows
25. 1 Corinthians 15 Hope in action
26. End of the Bottom Line
27. Light going on in darkness
28. Solution for Willing hearts filled with gifts
29. Luck
30. Shelter in the morning
31. Vision blurred by cumulative burden of divisions
32. Never too late to start going to the right end
33. Not words of any organisation should bind you, but the Word of God
34. I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late !
35. Give your worries to God
36. Call unto God so that He can answer you
37. Trust the future to God
38. Does God answer prayer?
39. Make a joyful noise unto Yahweh, rejoice, and sing praise unto Jehovah
40. God loving people justified
41. God my fence, my hope for the future
42. God is my refuge and my fortress in Him I will trust
43. Separation from God in death, the antithesis of life
44. Seeing the world through the lens of his own experience
45. Knowing where to go to
46. A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
47. A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
48. A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
49. Final forming of a person’s character lies in his own hands
50. Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past
51. To have fire in yourself to warm others
52. Blessed are those who freely give
53. Words must be weighed, not counted
54. Honor your own words as if they were an important contract
55. Obstacles to your goal
56. Foundation to go the distance
57. Remember there’s a light in the next day
58. Let tomorrow be sufficient
59. Fear not tomorrow. God is already there
60. A time for everything
61. People should know what you stand for
62. Finish each day and be done with it
63. Character is built
64. Patience is the ability to count down before blasting off
65. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks away
66. Weapons of our warfare
67. Without God no purpose, no goal, no hope
68. You God hold the future
69. To belong to = toebehoren
70. Possibility to live
71. Don’t Envy the World
72. Walking alone?
73. Careful what you sow, it might grow
74. Be a ready giver
75. Sow and harvests in the garden of your heart
76. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life

+++

Further reading

1. The unfairytale
2. He Is Disabled???!
3. Disabled entrance
4. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Awareness Month
5. 9 Top Rehab Centers for Spinal Cord Injuries
6. Blind
7. Invisible Strength
8. Life, reality and fairy dust
9. My “illness”
10. The “web”
11. Infinite Inhibition
12. The Amygdalin Explosion
13. A Spoonful of Sour
14. The Struggle
15. Eleven.
16. Jaini’s Diaries turns One!
17. Habits
18. Riot Erupts At Wheelchair Basketball Tournament
19. Yeshiva Invites Their CP Friends for Shabbos
20. Prompt for the Day: “Diverse”
21. Prompt for the Day: “Chaos”
22. Prompt for the Day: “Stroll”
23. Disabled and Pregnant
24. Creative solution helps him work in the arts
25. Oaklands: Part 1
26. 13 Days To Go!
27. The Wait
28. Falling in love
29. I’m Back.
30. I’m not THAT old…
31. Keeper of Sunlight
32. A break in your workout routine causing you troubles?
33. Frustrated, Confused and Under the Weather
34. Dear Patience…
35. I Can’t Resist A Good Challenge!
36. What the heck is Stress anyway?| Ataraxia Series 07 | Understanding the Biological Reality of Stress
37. Frustrating Transition
38. Trapped?
39. Trapped 2
40. The wall…
41. Caitlyn Jenner might de-transition back to a Bruce? claims Biographer
42. Cold Bones
43. When You Feel Trapped
44. Not much to say
45. Life Goes On
46. Stop Running
47. When God Intervenes
48. The True Nature of God
49. Standing Up For What You Believe

+++

Related articles

• Osteoarthritis probably caused by inflammation
• Stem Cells to Treat Chronic Inflammatory Disease
• Cervicogenic Headache and Cervical Spine Manipulation
• Spinal Fusion Not Always Necessary for Back Pain, Studies Say
• Charlotte Chiropractors Offer Natural Pain Relief Using Spinal Adjustments
• Can a Car Accident Cause Scoliosis?
• Serum Immunoglobulin G Levels to Porphyromonas gingivalis Peptidylarginine Deiminase Affect Clinical Response to Biological Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug in Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Well: Ask Well: Does Turmeric Have Proven Health Benefits?
• Largest Spine Registry in North American Rebrands: Meet QOD