Silence is Not Acceptable: My Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project Monday, March 30, 2015

Silence is Not Acceptable: My Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project Monday, March 30, 2015
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Bible Verse of the Day, Daily Devotional, and Prayer Journaling:
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Isaiah 53:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
-- New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Prayer journal your thoughts to what you just read.
Prayer journal your thoughts of this verse during the holy week of Easter.
Prayer journal your thoughts of this verse and our era of terrorism, our current holocaust, and a New Exodus.
What did God say to you?
What did you say to God?
How will you apply this verse to your life today? This week? This month? This quarter? This year? Etc.?
Re-read this verse as much as possible all day, night, and week long. Then prayer journal whatever comes to mind and what God reveals to you. Spend as much time with this verse as possible and go as deep as possible with the verse.
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Other Thoughts of Isaiah 53:3-4: Daily Devotional and Prayer Journaling:
Please prayer journal your thoughts about each of these sentences and questions.
This is what our God did for us.
Intentionally.
Knowingly.
He did it because He loves us.
How many other gods and idols love you this much? (Answer = None.)
And, no. Just because a religion calls their god, "God," does it mean we worship the same God or god. Our God is Jehovah, the Great I AM, the Father of Jesus Christ, and who also is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Romans 6:20-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Take some time to prayer journal your thoughts.
Again, this is what differs our God as the One and Only God.
We receive eternal life merely through our belief in Jesus Christ--and for no other reason. The moment we believe Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, so we do not have to, our sins--all of them--are forgiven as a free gift by the Lord.
Prayer journal your thoughts.
We do not do anything to merit eternal life and forgiveness of our wrongdoings, except believing. That's it.
Prayer journal your thoughts.
We do not have to murder others in older to stand up for our God and earn His favor.
Nor do we have to commit suicide in His name.
Prayer journal your thoughts.
This is the true Easter message. Particularly this year... After 21 Coptic and Orthodox Christians were beheaded in February 2015 because of nothing more than their belief in Jesus Christ and how He died for the forgiveness of their sins. They did not die to prove He was God. They died.. we're beheaded... murdered... because they didn't believe what the terrorists do.
And now, they are living the free gift of eternal life... of no more sadness or pain... of endless time with perfection and beauty with the One True God Almighty.
This is the Easter message this year.
How serious are you about your belief?
Are you silent about the truth of Jesus and the Bible? Are you afraid to offer? Do you want to be tolerant? Are you afraid of standing out and people disagreeing with you? Would you take a real stand of real belief in Jesus and speak out against terrorism and the current holocaust and the New Exodus?
This is the only true Easter message that should be shared this year.
If our faith is comfortable and we are happy, then we aren't really living a true life of faith in this world today.
The Christian faith is quite uncomfortable today. And, we have a choice to run from it it, deny it, ignore it, or dive right in and make sure that the 21 (and the children beheaded, and the girls and ladies being sold into sex slavery to fund the terrorists) did not, have not, lived and believed for nothing or in vain. We must remember. We must be as uncomfortable as possible because of our faith, so we remember to turn from our own personal and collective wicked ways so God will hear our prayers. As we are uncomfortable, we should be praying 24/7 for God to forgive us and heal our land.
This is today's one, true Easter message.
If your Easter avoids this, ask yourself if you are celebrating a comfortable Easter or the real, true Easter.
Prayer journal your thoughts.
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Ouch. I wrote all of the previous and am looking in the mirror. I will prayer journal my thoughts now. Stay tuned.
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I will say this. I refuse to go to any Easter Sunday at any church that doesn't focus on this. A happy, easy, comfortable Easter is not what I want to celebrate, given the scores who have died and have been tortured and sold into slavery as the Church and most Christians have been silent... including me. I want to remember the truth of our world today and everything  Jesus said about why He lived and died for us... and what He said about the last days and His second coming. I want to make sure I am ready... and that I have prayed as much as possible for the forgiveness of our sins individually and corporately for Israel, the USA, and the world.
This is my Easter this year.
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Isaiah 53:3-4 Expanded Bible (EXB)
3 He was ·hated [despised] and rejected by people.
·He had much pain [ A man of pain/suffering/sorrows] and ·suffering[one who knew/was acquainted with pain/grief].
People ·would not even look at [turned their backs on; hid their faces from] him.
He was ·hated [despised], and we ·didn't even notice him [or did not esteem him].
4 But he ·took [bore] our suffering on him
and ·felt our pain for us [carried our sorrows/sickness].
·We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him [ …stricken and afflicted by him;C God].
Expanded Bible (EXB)
-- The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
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Silence is Not Acceptable: Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project Sunday, March 29, 2015

Silence is Not Acceptable: Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project Sunday, March 29, 2015
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Happy Sabbath. I hope all is well with you and that you have much to be thankful today.
I wanted to let you know my current writing plans for this blog. There is a great deal going on here and in our world, as I am sure you are aware. Therefore, this blog is currently a combination of:
1 Current events or news articles I think are important to read, pray about, and journal about. They are articles important for every American and every Christian.
2 Bible Verse of the Day to ponder and prayer journal about, particularly with how it applies to America, the world, every Christian, and the Church as a whole (all four at once).
3 My personal journaling and prayer journaling about #1 and 2, along with a call for us to wake up and take a stand against terrorism individually, as Americans, as a world, as individual Christians, in our local churches and denominations, and as the Church as a whole.
4 The Current Holocaust
5 The New Exodus
Starting in this blog post, I will share several different thoughts each day and each thought will be divided by this symbol: " ~*~*~*~*~ ."
After all, I am struggling with my role as an American and as a Christian in this war terrorists have declared on everyone who does not believe in the way they have deemed important. How am I to take a stand, given my resources and abilities? This blog, and my current writing project, is a reflection of all this.
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Camp NaNoWriMo Preparation
Yesterday I announced how in spite of my crazy life right now, I still plan on participating in Camp NaNoWriMo in the month of April. Camp NaNoWriMo, by the way, is short for Camp National Novel Writing Month. However, it can also be for nonfiction works, which is precisely what I am writing.
I have chosen to write a minimum word count of 15,000 words, but hope to do 30,000 words ideally, or even 50,000, but I am not sure how I could do either of the latter. We shall see. I hope I can (thinking of "The Little Engine That Could").
My Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project for April 2015 is:
"Silence is Not Acceptable. We Must Take a Stand. There's Too Much at Stake."
I refer to terrorism and the current holocaust that's occurring today again anyone who does not believe as the terrorists do, whom they call "infidel." It's also brought about what NEWSWEEK has called the "New Exodus" as Christians flee from their homes in the Middle East.
{See article: http://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/new-exodus-chri...}
This is what this blog is focusing on now. It's about getting informed about current events and doing something to take a stand against terrorism in the way I am able, which is with my pen.
People are being tortured and murdered as I write this, since they do not have the terrorists' beliefs. And, here I sit on a comfy couch in a nice suburban neighborhood, where people are not wealthy or poor. We don't really have a care in the world and have a normal life everyone dreams of. We are free. We can believe what we want, thanks to the forefathers of our nation and the American Military who have fought for our freedom--then and since.
But, there are those who are the exact opposite. They are being murdered and tortured. Now. As I write this.
How can I ever forget this? How can I ever overlook it or deny it?
No one deserves to die because of a difference in belief. No one. Not ever.
God is asking me, asking us, "What are you DOING about this today and tomorrow? How will you take a stand for my people?"
Pause.
And, I am humbled. Silenced. My heart tightens and my breath grows jagged.
I am ashamed for ever focusing on myself and complaining o myself or another about how my cushy life isn't fair or how God isn't doing what I want or when I want it. Shame on me. How can I ever be concerned  or anxious? How can I ever complain? I am supremely blessed. I have everything and everyone I want and need. God has blessed me immeasurably.
God asks what I will do in their name, and His, and not in mine. God wants to know what stand I will take.
My answer: "I have no idea, Lord. Please show me what You want me to do. I know you have equipped me in my own unique way, given the resources and abilities I have. Please show me what to do, how, and when."
The truth is it is rather intimidating.
I realize if I speak out, people might laugh, belittle, or deny the truth of what I speak and share. I also realize I could be hated for this or seen as a nut. But, am I here on this planet to live for public opinion or for the Lord and His purpose for me and my life?
What did Israel think of the prophets and their message?
No. I am not a prophet. But, I realize the prophets, who spoke the Word of God, sounding the alarm to the Israelites, were seen as whacky, nuts, crazy, and lunatics. Therefore, some may think the same of me. But, the truth is the truth.
We Christians have lost out first love and have lost our way. I certainly have, most moments of most days, if I am honest.
So, what can I do?
This, I will pray about and ponder.
For, this isn't about me. It's about the current holocaust the New Exodus.
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Revelation 2:3-5 Expanded Bible (EXB)
3 You have ·patience [perseverance; endurance] and have ·suffered troubles[endured much] for my name and have not ·given up [L grown weary].
4 "But I have this against you: You have ·left [abandoned] ·the love you had in the beginning [or your first love]. 5 So ·remember [consider] ·where you were before you fell [L how far you have fallen]. ·Change your hearts [Repent] and do ·what [L the works] you did at first. If you do not ·change [repent], I will come to you and will take away your lampstand from its place.
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
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Prayer journal your initial thoughts.
Now, think about all those slaughtered, tortured, and sold into sex slavery because they do not have the terrorists' beliefs. Then, prayer journal your thoughts about these verses.
How have you abandoned your First Love of the Lord Jesus Christ?
What keeps you from your First Love? He? How can you prevent it?
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Mother of Coptic Christian martyred by ISIS says she is thankful he 'died for the cross' | Christian News on Christian Today

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/mother.of.coptic.christian.martyred.by.isis.says.she.is.thankful.he.died.for.the.cross/50721.htm

The real Easter message today.

ISIS's Mission: Burn Their Churches And Kill Their Pastors

http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/20/isiss-mission-burn-their-churches-and-kill-their-pastors/

The New Exodus: Christians Flee ISIS in the Middle East

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/new-exodus-christians-flee-isis-middle-east-316785.html