I can’t shake the feeling that we are in/ or entering into the days of Noah……life (plants, humans, animals, food) is being altered so quickly. I’m guessing Satan wants to take credit for his own “creation”?..which is nothing more than messing up what God has created. It’s really kinda scary watching this. I tried to find some foods my grandkids would like, and several of the common ones I used to buy said GMO. Are those even real food? Are they dangerous? It’s so sad we have to wonder if the food we prepare will harm. There were so many items I put back on the shelf because of that label being on them. I was also reading yesterday that cricket flour is already being put into many things we eat. They have renamed it, however, (acheta protein)so that most won’t even know what the ingredient is. Quite a few articles stated that cricket meal and flour can be quite harmful to humans. I guess we really will eat bugs.
I always enjoy listening to Pastor JD, I wish I were less contentious and more humble like he is though… I think my biggest character flaw is that My mother raised me to be a fighter, and I spent most of my pre christian days duking it out with people that tried to badger or control me. In the current environment of social censoring and putting nasty comments online directed from the people who dont like our christian beliefs, on many occasions I have had to reel myself back from wanting to get into it with them and go tit for tat… hope nobody else has to deal with that weakness! 
Hi Rob. I have had to go through a lot of that. In fact I went through a mega church with control issues. Looking back though I truly see God’s sovereign hand helping me to see that His majesty transcends dysfunctional ministry. In that, in my “evil suspicions” (although that church’s ministry style has been scrutinized by so so many even professionals in the know) I was defensive and found myself honestly years later that I had pushed away the blessing God wanted to bring into my life. I did that by fighting that church ministry off of me.
Today there is much contention online. I am going back and forth with a Calvinist currnently (I used to be one) and many would fight with that person with verbal jabs. Its tempting, but I kept directing them to humane discourse on topic. In that event a conversation can genuinely emerge and the spirit of God will work to the extent others might be open to His leading.
As for the unsaved, Phil 4:
6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Any one who knows me knows I have a lot of room to improve on that one…lol. So yes, i hear you. I hope it is of encouragement in training ourselves to see how to get to the best answer so real conversation might have a shot. Even if not, how God might use our care for them as a kind of underserved person in the moment that might be something the spirit uses later. It will obviously be rare in the life of a contentious person to witness and find that…and we can be that.
I think the bottom line is how incredibly awesome it is to witness how deep, detailed, lovely, and even transformational conversation can be when it transcends bias–even among (and perhaps especially) believers. One thing i did to help over time was get involved with a shark tank ministry online that had attacks on all sides including its own. I chose to stand in the bridge of both sides (seeing valid concerns on both sides) but used it to sharpen my heart toward empathy and patience and getting at real concerns. i don’t recommend that to everyone or most. But it provided a lot of context for practice…lol. Hope this is somewhat helpful. Blessings.
Hey there @1jewel,
Food these days…. we eat a lot of onion. When we first got married, 37 yrs ago, we kept onions and potatoes (bought in large bags) in a wooden cabinet. We had window unit A/Cs and our windows were often open. They lasted until we ate them. Nowadays we buy 2-3 onions at a time. They’re kept in loosely woven baskets in a controlled climate… and often they are rotting from the middle within a ten day period. Same for bananas. We buy them green; within about four days they’re too spotted for my taste. Lettuce? I’ll quit before I get going, lol.
Last year tons of people, including me, had the same rotting problems with home grown produce— if the gardens made at all.
And those yummy little cheese cracker snacks shaped like fish… I can’t remember their name right now. Last time I was gonna buy some, I looked at the ingredients and put ‘em back. Crickets or some bug in ‘em.
Who knows what GMO (genetically modified organisms) produce has. One thing that’s added to many veggies is Bt— a poison. If you put it inside the ‘food’ you don’t have to spray it on the food— to keep away bugs they want us to eat. Now that’s thinking smart! NOT
Thanks for the encouraging words, As I have said, I dont have a lot of Patience with Christians or Non Beleivers who are always contentious and continuously try to gainsay me in discussions, without even bothering to listen to what I am saying. I dont keep a point system when I have conversations and seems like I am lately manifesting resentment towards those that do.
JD seems to know just what to say to make me slow down and take a deep breath- before watching his update I was frustrated beyond words, and listening to what he said made me realize that I have the same problems that everyone else has- Im Human…
But lately I find myself having to hold back my temper a whole lot more Especially with Sharp and sarcastic people (doctors and know it alls) , and that seems to be something that is grating on my nerves more than ever, especially at meetings, or at family gatherings.
I sometimes struggle to hold my peace when I am talking with religious know it alls (as you mentioned), and Im not gonna Lie- when I can see them planning their answer out- to what I am saying - without even hearing a word I am saying, I sometimes feel like Laying hands on them in A non healing type of way. It seems like a lot of religious people wont even consider what you are saying - or consider that your Ideas and beliefs might actually be right- they just want to give a trite response or witty comment so that they can feel superior- and that they won an argument.
I was discussing my frustrations with a friend recently, and he asked me "what did you think the last days were gonna look like?.. guess I wasnt expecting them to look quite like this. Never Heard of a Shark Tank Ministry before?
So its like cars and phones and computers? Make them out of cheaper material to purposely have them go bad faster so we can resell more sooner? Even with food now? lol. Wow.
Morning Teren @TCC,
Yep. They’ve thought of everything— cuz they’re such thoughtful people. 
NOT
They can have the onions. They can have the eggs and beef— all the food, water, land and all the resources They can have their cars and phones and computers and poorly made washing machines. They work so diligently to steal, kill and destroy while they ignore and dismiss their only need: GOD.
But one fine day, that bill will be paid….
It’s written in the Book.
Jesus encouraged us for our love not to grow cold. As we approach a tribulation age i would reckon it will get harder. So what we are experiencing on this front, religious people that want to be right, may increase even more–and maybe we are currently only in the work out stage. The good news? It can’t last forever
Shark Tank ministry is a term i use for some ministries that purposely go after what is known as “Discernment Ministries.” Many of the discernment types of ministries have seemingly networked with heresy and it is a growing trend as the church at large trends towards apostasy in general.
Going after discernment ministries is extremely risky business and incredibly difficult because discernment ministries are very mature believers, networked, anchored, and extremely well thought of both in Christianity and society in general. My interest in that sort of concern is that I came out of a discernment ministry and did deeply affect my walk in a non-helpful way. So there are ministries that target Discernment Ministries. Ministries that do that have to be able to navigate extremely fine lines within the faith, anticipate internet blow black, and have a relevance for concern (and it not be nitpicking or standing on a soapbox pointing fingers).
The reason I believe it is necessary today to go after Discernment Ministries (or at least make the public aware of how bad it is in the church today…sounding that alarm too) is because they trade in normalcy bias. They are kind of like the Christian gold standard of the best sound and sober mindedness we have. Although I would differ with that view, very large % of believers look up to Discernment Ministries to understand and navigate the increasingly troubling downgrade we see occurring in evangelical Christianity today.
Even though I think that Discernment Ministries are jaded and hurtful to the body of Christ, most people who have been influenced by Discernment Ministries would be in utter culture shock and develop PTS (post-traumatic stress disorder) to see how extremely troubled the Discernment Ministries actually are. It would be like looking up to a father figure you always respected and trusted while the whole time he was stealing from your bank account. To be able to help people come out of the delusion of Discernment Ministries is a patient process. It would be similar to deprogramming someone coming out of cult. it takes time for people to come to terms with the emperor being naked.
So the ministry I trafficked in was against discernment ministries and had the best coverage as to why to have a concern. HOWEVER, that ministry that went after discernment ministries was brash, cold, and self righteous much of the time. Although i could sse pockets of empathy (and i did admire the raw courage of the content creator), it kind of became a cult of its own…lol. So I would wait for people to comment on the videos this ministry would make against the discernment community. And of course many would come defending those in discernment ministry. And when they did, many from the ministry attacking discernment ministry also attacked those who would comment in defense of the discernment ministry.
So I was there to bridge the gap. I agreed with the content creator, that there is great apostasy in the discernment ministries. But the target is the flock not the leaders. The leaders are not interested in changing. But their audience does have a chance to be open to wake up if they like. So i don’t think attacking the people you are trying to help is the best approach. Although sometimes that can work…lol. Normally challenging someone’s bias will cause them to be too defensive to be able to think soberly. So attacking kind of defeats the cause. The best way to defeat opposition, I believe, is to naturalize it so as to be able to bring in the really big guns of truth. But i believe personally it would be disrespectful of people to just bring in big guns of truth that kicks them in the proverbial face. If people know we care and actually see that we take the time to soberly consider where they are coming from and that we have more depth than a curt response or a response that makes my idea more spiritual than yours…reality can happen. So the more that we are on the side of reality the less we have to fear of the conversation exposing all parties concerned into that level of dialogue. If that makes sense?
I call ministries that go after discernment ministries “Shark Tank” ministries. Because when those ministries that do that go after discernment ministries it starts off a fire storm and massive food fight. And people tend to bite and devour one another. Whereas i would want to use that context to have sober discussions actually on both sides. Those that would do well not to trust discernment ministries, and those who would do well to not take the place of the gurus in the discernment ministries that are hurting the body of Christ…does that make sense?
Unfortunately that is our culture today. We are in the age of lovers and self. And this is what that looks like in the church. So one helpful way perhaps to look at it is like if you were a missionary going to some remote island. And you had to learn about that culture in order to be a reasonable witness. So if you find out that the only way they will respect you is if you overcome their bias. And that is their culture and you did not know that…you would always be stuck arguing against their bias. And you would never be really have a conversation because they could not respect you unless you overcame their bias to begin with. Let’s just say that is that culture.
So you then have to find a way to do that. You would have to realize that you can’t just discuss things wiith them. They need to be won over. So you try different ways to overcome their bias that leads to anger and frustration. Over time you realize that the best way to overcome a bias is to first understand that there is one and that it could be overcome. BUT, what the missionary handbook left out as you were preparing to talk with these people is this: You must overcome their bias by visibly demonstrating you overcame yours. So you go and try that. And as these people begin to see that you don’t react to their bias but rather demonstrate by your ability to overcome your bias, they become interested in what about you this is. And they see that you are able to overcome their bias because you were able to bring them into a place within a conversation where their bias no longer controlled the conversation.
Another way I guess we can put that is removing the log from our own eyes so we see best how to help others do that as well. We all have logs. But if we can empathetically look upon our culture as bias challenged and reality challenged and accept that this is what tribe of people they/we are, we learn the language, customs, and social graces that best help a people be pointed, as Pastor JD says, one step closer to Christ. Sorry for rambling…but this is kind of a massive core issue today and i think really fall within the category of thread heading hopefully. I hope this helps frame some things a bit more in where i’m coming from on this. Blessings.
Salutations Teren Chapman 
I love it that you still have epic posts.
It’s not rambling if it’s something you’re passionate about. Thank you for sharing.
Brother!
The WEF paraphrasing Revelation:
Wow. Thanks Tony. And may I say so very wonderful to hear from you and see you around brother.
The three things that mark our last generation:
- Pride
- Hypocrisy
- Deception
And they are everywhere!
In me as well. So thankful that the Lord is gentle to point it out so that I can confess and experience His mercy and grace. Amen!
An unusual thing too i have noticed about our age is a gravitation towards authenticity…the sensibility of it as well on the increase seemingly…which is a kind of odd contrast…lol. The beauty I reckon in social media in part might be its bringing forth a more “discussonal” culture where so many can be spoken to. An age of discovery as well as revealing. It’s like potpourri…never thought i’d describe end times as such. Blessings.
Thank you for letting us know about acheta flour! Yuck! I did read that bugs are harmful to humans, so this is something i don’t want to ingest.
Many times i have streaming down tears of how deeply grateful for what i have in my life… always praising the Lord for His goodness and mercies. 
thank you Dallas for this beautiful truth!
Oh Susan , thank you for your transparency. I am so guilty of the same and if the Lord’s mercies weren’t new every day, when I come to him asking for forgiveness and another chance to do better , I’d be in a boatload of trouble.
(Hugs) Isn’t He Wonderful!
Praise God for His forgiveness! for His mercy, grace & love! I am so undeserving but so grateful to be His. I love Jesus!
Yes, HE IS!!!
