My personal kitty, Roarke O'Shay, is black. She is a little terror sometimes, but I love her. I wanted a cat, but decided I wouldn't get one. Then, coming home one day, there up in a gutter on a tall building, crying for rescue, was a little black kitten with a white 'locket' on her chest. My daughter and I got her down, so I got a kitty, despite not looking for one. I believe that God sent her to me, so I call her my 'God-kitty.' My daughter Allison's kitty is like a tiger, my son Paul's kitty is like a lion, and Roarke is like a panther. My husband Stan's kitty is ME!


Roarke O'Shay.

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Thoughts And Ponderings

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"Truth is only hate if you will not yield to it."
Bryan Hupperts author of Sheep Trax.

"The most dangerous lie is that which most closely resembles the truth."
Jan Groenveld, Founder, Cult Awareness and Information Centre

"Take heed that no man deceive you"
Jesus Christ, Savior of the World

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Hard Lessons
The hardest lesson I ever had to learn was that I was not capable of changing anyone but myself. No matter how much I argue, or pray or wish, there are times when people will go the wrong way regardless of anything I can do. In those times, all I can do is let go, and remember tha God loves them more than I possibly could, and knows better than I what is necessary to bring them to salvation.

I have been accused - often - of being mean, loveless, hard and generally nasty, because I don't mince words. Jesus didn't mince words, either, especially with people who should know better, like the Pharisees. He didn't hesitate to rebuke His disciples. God once took me through the Gospels, reading ONLY the red letters. Reading Jesus' bald words, out of the usual frame, I read without the filters in place that years of sitting in the pew had given me, and I saw Jesus in a whole new light.

Jesus was gentle and kind when the occasion called for it. But one incident served to open my eyes wide: Mark 10:17-27
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

It says Jesus loved this young man. Yet, He didn't mince words with him. On the contrary, He was blunt and direct - and asked something of this young man He KNEW would be difficult, if not impossible for the young man to do. Note, also, that when the young man went away sad, Jesus did NOT run after him to try harder to convice him, or to comfort him. Jesus let him go. Why? Because Jesus knew the hard truth - even the Son of God could not compel a man against the man's will.

What that passage began, the next passage completed. It took place after the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water. Jesus left the place where the feeding took place and the crowd followed. John 6:26-63
Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. "I am the bread of life. "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Talk about an eye-opener! "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild" not only offended the jews, He knew it and did it deliberately. Not only did He not chase after those who left, He gave the ones who stayed an opportunity to leave as well! I discovered that in the observation of the disciples - "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" - the word translated 'hard' is Strongs 4642 skleros - hard, harsh, rough, stiff. When said of men it is a metaphor for harsh, stern, hard. They said Jesus was harsh.

Add to that the fact that Jesus regulary called the Pharisees - the spiritual authorities in Israel - names like "Hypocrite" and "Blind Fools" and you begin to see a clearere picture of what Jesus was really like. He was kind and gentle - when the occasion called for it. But he was, above all HOLY and good - and those take precedence over all else. The same Jesus who called the Pharisees names and let the rich young man walk away also called Zacchaeus - a TAX COLLECTOR - out of a tree, ate at his home and proclaimed him forgiven! Why? Because Zacchaeus was repentant and receptive.

We need to take out example from our Lord. We need to learn when to try again and when to walk away - when to be gentle and kind and when to give the hard truth. We need to learn to look at fruit.

For more than twenty years I have dealt with addicts who were presumably trying to become ex-addicts. Some were ordered by the courts to attend meetings, some came of their own accord. There were struggles, failures and successes. Some of the most outwardly screwed up and disfunctional people succeeded and some of the most outwardly bright and capable people went right back to the old ways as soon as the threat of jail was over. There were those who failed over and over, but really wanted to get their lives together, and others who had everything going their way - and relapsed anyway. You learned to hold on loosely, because so many more were lost than won.

Unfortunately, the same goes for sinners. Without Jesus, we are all addicts to sin, unable to quit, slowly dying in our misery. Once we find salvation, we are compelled to carry the good news to others. Some will hear, some will not. Sadly, the majority will not. Jesus warned us: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." We have to learn to live with that. We need to learn to recognize and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit - whether to linger and talk to shut up and move on. We have to learn when to support and comfort and when to let go.

Even more unfortunately, the same holds true among 'Christians.' Many of those who name the name of Jesus aren't disciples at all. They call themselves Christians, put on a front of righteousness, but they aren't rooted and grounded in the True Vine. They start groups, lead Bible studies, even pastor churches, but theeir knowledge is in their heads, not their heart. Let them face some opposition, and their veneer cracks, revealing them for the posers they are. If they don't get what they want, they whine and cry like babies. Sadly, these are the ones the sinning world sees, and rejects as the hypocrites they are, wrongly blaming Jesus for their folly.

As it was put in a sermon called 'Jesus, the not-nice Lord' by Rev. William McD. Tully: "It's all about being self-limited. About being well defined. Shake the dust off your feet. There is a limit to what you can do. Life is too short to live it otherwise."

The compassionate heart wants to save everyone, but that is simply not going to happen. Why waste time trying to convince a person who doesn't want anything to do with Jesus to believe when you could move on and possibly find the one lost sheep in the hundred that want's salvation? Our time and resources are finite. Do you really think it pleases God when we pour our time and effort into unreceptive people and lost causes? Is politics and social reforms the answer? NO! Jesus is the answer.

This world is going to hell. It has been since the fall. Paul warned us that: "in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." And Paul was talking about IN the church! In other words, it's only going to get worse.

We'd better be ready. We'd better start admonishing each other straight up and simple without all the sugar coating and learn to take it without hiding behind hurt feelings and drama. Read the epistles of Paul with his 'tough love.' He gave the truth without embellishment, correcting and praising with simple words. We need to dump all the phony sweetness and kindness if favor of real love. We need to stop worrying about being 'judgemental' and mean if we need to correct a brother and start worrying about the consquences if we don't. As James says "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

We'd better learn the hard lessons now.

One day we will get more than snide remarks and caustic comments for being Christians. One day we will have to die for it. In those days, witnessing will get you killed. Being a follower of Jesus is not all sweetness and light - but Jesus told us it would be that way.

Jesus was persecuted, hated and misunderstood. You will be, too. Get used to it. You will be reviled, hated and spit upon, figuratively and maybe even literally - even by those who claim to be brethren. Jesus said the servant is not better than his Master. If you are not treated badly without cause, I have to question if your faith is real.

We are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. We might be crucified for it, but so was He. Jesus has gone before us to prepare the way.

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The Nation is shocked by the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Don't blame God. "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. "

Prayer, the Bible, God and Jesus Christ has been removed from our schools since 1962. Instead the theory of evolution has been taught as fact.

As a result we, as a society, have cheapened life. Instead of a child conceived as a gift of God they are a 'bit of tissue' that can be disposed of without a qualm if inconvenient. Instead of being a unique, precious creation, they are told they are a cosmic accident. Instead of absolute right and wrong, our children are taught situational ethics.

And then the people cry out "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN????"




The victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Children

Charlotte Bacon, age 6.
Daniel Barden, 7.
Olivia Engel, 6.
Josephine Gay, 7.
Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6.
Dylan Hockley, 6.
Madeleine F Hsu, 6.
Catherine V Hubbard, 6.
Chase Kowalski , 7.
Jesse Lewis, 6.
James Mattioli, 6.
Grace McDonnell, 7.
Emilie Parker, 6.
Jack Pinto, 6.
Noah Pozner, 6.
Caroline Previdi, 6.
Jessica Rekos, 6.
Avielle Richman, 6.
Benjamin Wheeler, 6.
Allison N Wyatt, 6.
Adults
Rachel Davino, 29.
Dawn Hochsprung, 47.
Anne Marie Murphy, 52.
Lauren Rousseau, 30.
Mary Sherlach, 56.
Victoria Soto, 27.

"Father, comfort those in pain, having lost loved ones to the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning. Give them peace and hope in you, in the name of your Son, Jesus." Amen.

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