‘Forest bathing’ takes tree hugging to new extremes
4-18-18, SF Chronicle -- There’s a revolutionary new way to walk through the forest. V-e-r-y slowly; take a few steps... that’s far enough. Now sit down and talk it over with the person next to you, for a long time. It’s a New Age thing in Sonoma County California. Walking very slowly through the forest — while thinking about walking very slowly through the forest — is a full-blown movement. It could be a paradigm. The people who do this call it “forest bathing.” It doesn’t involve actual bathing, the kind with water. It’s figurative bathing. You soak in the wonders of the forest. Take your time, a whole lot of it. And bring a cushion. Amos Clifford helped dream up this slow forest 'walking' said: “It feels good to sit here and not go anyplace.”  More here

Forest Bathing
Californians have embraced the Japanese therapy that forest bathing groups are setting up throughout the state, and city dwellers are now choosing to go for a walk in the woods, rather than slump in front of the TV.

​Starbucks Is Closing Thousands of Stores for Racial Bias Training - Cost? $53 Million
4-17-18, Time Magazine -- On April 12, 2018 the Philadelphia Starbucks store had two black men ask to use their restroom without making a purchase. Their request was declined and the men ultimately were arrested. The manager involved in the event has since left Starbucks.' The incident led to nationwide protests and boycotts. On May 29, 2018, the company has scheduled a racial bias training day and closing about 8000 stores. The financial hit is significant: according to Starbucks latest earnings report they made about $4.7 billion in over the most recent quarter, about $1.6 billion per month and that equals about $53 million per day.

4-9-18, Matt Barber, SACRAMENTO, CA — The California LGBT Caucus recently introduced a bill that would ban counselors from providing counseling and adults from receiving counsel regarding unwanted same-sex attraction, behavior or gender confusion. AB 2943 would prevent so-called “conversion therapy,” known as Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE), and add it to the list of fraudulent schemes under the states’ Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA). California has already prohibited SOCE (SB1172) involving minors, even with parental consent. AB 2943 has been assigned to the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. 

AB 2943 prohibits:

1. advertising sexual orientation change efforts
2. offering to engage in sexual orientation change efforts
3. engaging in sexual orientation change efforts
4. every individual, whether a pastor, clergy, or licensed therapist, from advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts
5. any person to sell books, counseling services, or anything else that directs people to trust in Jesus Christ to help them overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion [the Holy Bible?]

This bill will cause harm by preventing counselors from providing counseling and adults from receiving beneficial counsel they desire. AB2943 is ideologically driven and lacks scientific justification. Many people have benefited from receiving counsel for unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors, or gender confusion.

If AB 2943 is approved, victims of sexual abuse can no longer get counseling if they develop (as often happens) unwanted urges to engage in same-sex behavior or become gender confused. More here

​California Bill AB 2943 Would Censor Counseling
"California AB 2943 is a very dangerous bill that will do a lot of damage to people seeking help with unwanted same-sex attractions or gender confusion," 
​
See Bill here:
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2943

4-19-18, World Tribune -- Mrs Ri Sol-Ju Jong-Un, Kim Jong-Un's wife, has previously been referred to as “comrade.” The title of “first lady” had not been used since 1974, when it was applied to Kim Song-Ae, the second wife of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-Sung. Apparently now the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un has elevated her to “first lady;” she is believed to be 29 and has three children by husband Kim.
Analysts say Ri’s promotion is likely part of an effort to paint North Korea as a “normal state” as it prepares for summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-In and U.S. President Donald Trump. An Chan-Il, a defector researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies said: “Promoting Ri Sol-Ju is the most effective marketing strategy. The summit is being held as equals, so if Melania Trump attends, Ri will attend." ​More here

4-19-18, Canada Free Press -- For almost 242 years, trusting parents sent their children off to USA public school, trusting they were being educated to prepare their future as intelligent hard working, honest people in the now fast-fading workforce. Currently children are returning home to ask whether or not they should be transgendered.

Publisher of James W. Fraser's textbook 'BY THE PEOPLE,' Pearson Education is defending the new high school textbook that depicts President Trump as mentally ill and his supporters as a bunch of old, poor, white hillbillies.

Stanley Kurtz, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and contributing editor for National Review, said: “These passages represent an almost purely partisan liberal Democratic perspective dressed up to look like balanced history. If this textbook was an outlier, that wouldn’t much matter. Unfortunately, the tilt of this text is entirely typical of the left-liberal bias that pervades just about every other AP U.S. History textbook.”

Todd Starnes of Fox News said: "Impressionable young school kids are graduating as Zombies of Indoctrination, just as many of their parents are Walking Television Sets. We’re living in an era where youngsters will argue back: “But I read it in a school textbook!”, and some parents: “But I saw it on television!”

​The history textbook is just one example of how the liberal agenda is promoted in USA schools. In another recent example, members of the LGBT community are pushing for legislation in Illinios that would require public schools to teach LGBT history.
​
Mamas! Don’t let your children grow up to be Marxist morons.

More here and here and here
PDF of Pearson Publishing Outline of book here

4-18-18, Washington (AFP) – A 47-year-old Syrian, Nasif Barakat, who also goes by the name Abu Tarif and lists two dates of birth in 1970 and 1971, was based in Homs, Syria. The US Dept of Treasury has accused him of illegally operating a “global network” of human trafficking; bringing scores of Muslim migrants from the Middle East to the USA. The USA imposed sanctions on the gang that has smuggled migrants through Mexico to the southern US border. Reportedly the migrants pay Barakat an average of $20,000 for transporting them to the USA. They are provided with fraudulently-obtained documents, including European passports.
The sanctions will freeze their assets by the Treasury Department, the Justice Dept Jeff Sessions said: “The day I was sworn in as attorney general, President Trump sent me an Executive Order to dismantle transnational criminal organizations. Many of these organizations use human smugglers to bring people across our southern border..."
More here and here and here

Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations - Wikipedia
Since 2014 the American comedian, Bill Cosby has been the subject of publicized sexual assault allegations; the earliest incidents allegedly taking place in the mid-1960s...

President Clinton impeached - Dec 19, 1998 - HISTORY.comIn January 1999 the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton began [other president to be impeached was President Andrew Johnson], after nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against him, charge "lying oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice." On February 12, 1999 the Senate voted to remove him from office; he was acquitted. After the trial concluded he apologized stating that he was “profoundly sorry” for the burden his behavior imposed on Congress and the American people; he finished his term in office ending in January 2001. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton

​Clinton Paid $850,000 to End Paula Jones Suit - latimes
1998 -- President Bill Clinton agreed to pay $850,000 to Paula Corbin Jones to settle lawsuit claiming he exposed himself... The case led to his impeachment.

John 14:3

John 18:36
 
4-12-18, * -- Whether we are at home, on a train, or waiting to embark on one we are in transit. There’s no need for luggage, or even a carry-on bag, because when we arrive at the Heavenly Terminal we’ll have to leave them all behind. We can’t go through Heavenly “customs” with material baggage (earthly possessions), and no emotional baggage will be permitted to get past the Pearly Gates. [The Lord Jesus has cleansed us of any emotional problems!]
 
Everything we’ll ever need or dream of awaits us on the other side of eternity; beyond the Terminal. Knowing and having this freedom, it’s hard to keep it to ourselves!

​How might lives change if, while we are in transit, we born again believers [disciples of Christ] obey the mandate to share the Lord's good news of what awaits us at the end of our earthly journey? 

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”(John 14:6)
 
Excerpted and adapted full original message from Evelyn Houng here:
https://shortdailydevotions.com/john1836-just-transit/

John 18:37

Acts 7:59

​Turkey rules to keep US Pastor Andrew Brunson in Prison One More Month
ALIAGA (Turkey) (AFP) - Monday, 4/16/18 a Turkish court ruled that American Pastor Andrew Brunson will remain in prison one more month. He has been officially accused of “dividing and separating the country by means of Christianization” of the population. Prior to his imprisonment, for 23 years Brother Andrew lived peacefully in the city of Izmir. He stands accused of aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by the Turkish government for its separatist insurgency. He is also accused of having links to followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim imam who lives in Pennsylvania USA and who the government blames for the coup against President Erdogan. His heartbreaking appeal to the court was denied although Pastor Brunson revealed that he had suffered a breakdown in jail and stopped eating. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina USA, Brunson’s home state, was present for the trial; also Sam Brownback, a former senator and governor from Kansas whom President Trump recently appointed as ambassador at large for international religious freedom. More here

Steve Green, Hobby Lobby's President said: “We won’t pay for any abortive products. We believe life begins at conception.” Hobby Lobby stores and facilities are open for business every day with the exception of Sunday to allow employees to have more time to spend for worship, rest, and family.

U.S. Supreme Court Decision
On June 30, 2014, the U.S. supreme court ruled 5-4 that Hobby Lobby and other "closely held" stock corporations can choose to be exempt from the law based on religious preferences, based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act but not on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. More here

​Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby lead in new 'Faith Equality Index ...
Nov 02, 2015, Washington Times · Neither Chick-fil-A or Hobby Lobby had an immediate comment about their rankings in the new index on Monday. But both are well known for standing up for religious freedom and Christian values. Chick-fil-A has long supported traditional marriage, and is expanding despite boycotts by supporters of gay marriage.

Hobby Lobby Ally Invokes the ‘Chick-fil-A’ Defense
https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/72455
Hobby Lobby Ally Invokes the ‘Chick-fil-A’ Defense The 5-4 Supreme Court decision Monday was applauded by a wide swath of conservative politicians and groups.

​The Shocking Rumors About Chick-fil-A are True, America
 
April 17, 2018, Todd Starnes -- In recent days, The New Yorker has made some downright scurrilous accusations about the restaurant, Chick-Fil-A. The magazine warned that the beloved fast food restaurant that specializes in chicken was waging a “guerrilla insurgency” upon Gotham’s [New York] citizenry – plotting to evangelize the city by luring the masses with chicken sandwiches.

The writer Dan Piepenbring lamented, “The brand’s arrival here feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism. Its headquarters, in Atlanta, are adorned with Bible verses and a statue of Jesus washing a disciple’s feet. Its stores close on Sundays. The restaurant’s corporate purpose still begins with the words ‘to glorify God,’ and that proselytism thrums below the surface of the Fulton Street restaurant, which has the ersatz homespun ambiance of a megachurch. If the restaurant is a megachurch, the Cows are its ultimate evangelists. It’s politics, its décor, and its commercial-evangelical messaging are infected with this suburban piety." [See essay titled, “Chick-fil-A’s Creepy Infiltration of New York City.” ]

Well, America – the time has come for you to know the truth. The New Yorker caught us red-handed. The jig is up. The truth is - that months ago a covert team of specially trained Southern Christians crossed the Mason-Dixon Line along with a herd of grammatically-challenged bovines [cows]. Our mission was to convert the Yankee heathens with gracious Southern hospitality and delicious chicken sandwiches. ​Well, praise the Lord and drink some sweet tea! More here

Son of Samuel Truett Cathy, Dan Cathy, Chick Fil A Chief Operating Officer Statements:

On 6/16/12 Daniel T. Cathy said about Supreme Court Ruling on same sex marriage :

"I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, "We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage". I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."

On July 2, 2012 Biblical Recorder published an interview with Dan Cathy, who was asked about opposition to his company's "support of the traditional family."

"Well, guilty as charged. We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. ... We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that. We intend to stay the course. We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Defenders of Chick-fil-A point out that the company donates thousands of pounds of food to New York Common Pantry, and that its expansion creates jobs. [The bigoted article from the New Yorker is here]

Humans Are The Leading Cause Of Wildfires In The U.S. - NPR
2-27-17, More than a dozen major wildfires MOST were started by humans ...​ Fire ecologist Melissa Forder says about 60 percent [other reports say 90% are the cause of human error or arson] of fires in national parks are caused by humans: "intentionally set fires, buildings burning and spreading into the forest, smoking, equipment malfunctions and campfires."

US wildfires leave two dead in Oklahoma
4-18-18, Al Jazeera English · Wildfires have killed two people in western Oklahoma and could spread and ignite more fires in the process. Gusty wind of up to 80 kilometres per hour ... 260,000 acres burned only 10% contained. Smoke moving into Tulsa area...

The Latest: Wildfire destroys 5 homes in southern Colorado
4-18-18, Fox News · DENVER – Several large wildfires, fueled by strong winds that swept through Colorado, continue to burn Wednesday morning. One of the larger fires, the 117 Fire in El Paso and Pueblo counties, has burned 10 structures and prompted the evacuation of nearly 400 homes. The fire was nearly 41,000 acres...

​Gusty winds spread wildfires in Arizona  & New Mexico Plains as storm moves east
4-18-18, ABC News ·Winds are expected to subside today ... Fire alerts in Arizona and New Mexico ... Arizona fire report:
Location: Southeast of Whiteriver
Start date: Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Cause: Human caused/Under investigation
Size: 2,644 acres
More here: ein.az.gov/emergency-information/emergency-bulletin/rattlesnake-fire-receives-air-support

​Michael Cohen's mystery third client is Sean Hannity
​4-16-18, CNN, NEW YORK — Attorney Michael Cohen's attorney said in court that Cohen also represented Fox News host Sean Hannity...

Hannity said, “I believed conversations about legal questions were confidential. I’ve known Michael a long, long time. Let me be very clear to the media. Michael never represented me in any matter. I never retained him in the traditional sense as retaining a lawyer. I never received an invoice from Michael. I never paid legal fees to Michael.”

​Fox News boss Roger Ailes 'has resigned' but network won't ...
7-20-16, DailyMail -- Roger Ailes Started Fox News twenty years ago ... Fox released a statement ...

2 Timothy 1:12

4-12-18, Henry Morris III -- The apostle Paul uses a precision of synonyms. We are to “know” the One in whom we have believed and to be “persuaded” that He is able to “keep” us.

The knowledge Paul cited (Greek i’do) emphasizes mental understanding as opposed to experiential knowledge or intuitive perception. I’do coupled with the word for persuasion (Greek peitho) strengthens the assurance Paul is promising. Our confidence is not based on mere emotion, but on a clear grasp of God’s secure salvation. Perhaps a quick survey of other passages will encourage your heart as you read this:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” Jude 1:24-25
Source

4-16-18, Breitbart -- ​NBC’s Sunday night sci-fi drama, Timeless has joined Hollywood’s anti-Christian crusade by mocking Christianity. It demeans the practice of prayer and insisting that,”God doesn’t exist.”

The series follows a group of government agents who use a time machine to track a murderous madman with his own time machine, who is bent on making major alterations in the timeline to destroy the United States both in the past and for the future.

On Sunday, one of the heroes of the show went after Christianity. Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) in a conversation about a “higher power” with fellow traveler Jiya (Claudia Doumit) asked Rufus if he ever thought there was “something bigger out there,” or a higher power in the universe. In reply, Rufus garbled the concept of prayer and mocked Christians for bothering. More here

This is one show that will not appear on my screen! 

4-17-18, BusinessInsider -- Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 was en route from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Love Field in Dallas Texas when a catastrophic engine apparently exploded causing passenger Jennifer Riodan to be sucked halfway out of the plane being pulled back by passengers. Mrs Riordan died from her injuries. Friend Paula Maes said Jennifer had two young children who attended the Annunciation Catholic School in Albuquerque. Her husband, Michael Riordan, was the former chief operating officer for the city of Albuquerque. More here

1 Corinthians 2:9; Philippians 1:21, 3:20-21; Revelation 21:4

Japan to lift ban on growing human organs in animals
4-15-18, WorldNetDaily · Japan's expert panel has green-lighted controversial scientific experiments to grow human organs inside the bodies of animals [pigs] as early as fall 2018. Under the auspices of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the panel produced a report concluding it would allow researchers to implant an animal embryo (a fertilized egg) containing human cells into an animal’s womb and have the animal give birth.

One method being considered for growing human organs inside animal bodies involves injecting human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into an animal embryo and then returning the embryo to an animal’s womb to be birthed.

The embryos are genetically modified to prevent specific organs from being created. Japan’s current guidelines prohibit transplanting such an embryo into an animal’s womb. The ministry plans to revise them. More here and here
​

Environmentalists Win the Natural Gas Pipeline Battle
Imports Coming from Russia!

4-17-18, Canada Free Press -- Three years ago Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker proposed an energy policy consisting of 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy, 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind, and an expansion of natural gas pipeline capacity.

Environmentalists fought the natural gas pipeline expansion and won, shelving several pipeline proposals; officials in Massachusetts and New Hampshire blocked the $3 billion Access Northeast Pipeline. Environmentalists want to rely solely on solar and wind power—intermittent sources of electricity that need back-up power. Massachusetts’ anti-fossil-fuel policies are the primary reason why the state has relied on LNG imports from a Russian company that the US Dept has sanctioned.

Price of electricity has risen in Massachusetts as it has been shuttering its coal-fired power plants, that back-up power has mostly been supplied by natural gas.
While Massachusetts is importing Russian liquid natural gas [LNG], Eastern and Western Europe are finding other sources of natural gas and are coming to the United States. 

1. USA: The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania met with President Trump recently signing two memorandums of understanding to increase the country’s imports of U.S. natural gas with Texas-based Freeport LNG and Lithuania’s Klaipedos Nafta
2. UK is seeking alternatives to Russian gas, including LNG produced at the Yamal LNG plant that has been under U.S. financial sanctions
3. Germany is becoming increasingly reliant on Russia for its energy needs; Russian gas made up over 60 percent of Germany’s total imports for most of last year. [Interesting that Germany did not join France and UK bombing Syria]​ More here

Surprisingly California isn't the highest tax state in the nation
- New York is; and the lowest in taxes is Wyoming
The 10 Most Tax-Friendly States in the U.S. - Kiplinger
October 2017, List of the 10 most tax-friendly states in America

​Rand Paul: Syrian Chemical Attack A False Flag
4/17/2018, Rand Paul / Youtube -- When asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if stalling Russian sanctions was the right move for Trump, Rand Paul [R-Ky] directed the topic to whether or not the chemical attack in Syria was even genuine.  He said, “I think before you talk about sanctions, we oughta talk about what evidence is there that Russia was complicit in this attack. The Syrian chemical attack was a false flag; either that or Assad is dumbest dictator on the planet." 

In an article entitled, “Ten Days Before The End Of The World,” written on April 12, 2018, Paul Craig Roberts writes:
The criminally insane governments of the US, UK, and France are sending a flotilla of missile ships, submarines and an aircraft carrier to attack Syria in the face of Russian warnings.

What is the likely outcome of this outrageous act of aggression based entirely on an orchestrated and transparent lie, an act of reckless & irresponsible aggression ...?

Reports That Involve Death of Children
​BEWARE PROBABLY FAKE NEWS

4-14-18, Mike Adams, Natural News -- By now, you are aware that President Trump ordered a “precision strike” against Syria’s so-called “chemical weapon sites” run by Syria's leader, Assad. The strike was deployed in response to an utterly false, absurd narrative that claims Assad gassed children with chemical weapons.

In nearly every major false flag event — from the USA to the Middle East — children are used as props to generate “emotional terrorism” outrage as a form of social manipulation in order to achieve a political purpose. This doesn’t mean real children didn’t die, by the way. As I’ve explained numerous times, a “false flag” event involves real deaths wrapped around a fake narrative. Real children died in Syria, just as they did in the Oklahoma City bombing. But the official stories we’re told about why those children died are complete hogwash.

We’ve seen this countless times in recent history, including going all the way back to 1993 when Clinton's federal government’s murderous assault on the David Koresh compound in Waco, Texas. The assault was nothing less than a murderous rampage by rogue government agents who murdered women and children in cold blood, yet the “official” story was that David Koresh set fire to his own buildings and murdered his entire family by burning them alive. 

Current Reports About Atrocities in Syria
The explanation that Assad gassed his own citizen children with chemical weapons is similarly absurd. You’d have to be a complete stooge to believe it. When the entire corporate-run media gets behind the “official” narrative, you know it’s fake news. The fact that the entire legacy media is parroting the same pro-war explanation — including Fox News, Sean Hannity and CNN, in unison — is further proof that it’s all a huge lie. Somebody gassed children in Syria, but it wasn’t Assad. He’s the scapegoat, of course, and the pure bulls##t we’re hearing from the media right now sounds almost exactly like the “yellow cake” nuclear fuel hoax that former President Bush used to justify an invasion of Iraq (which was really all about controlling oil fields and had nothing to do with 9/11 or “yellow cake” nuclear fuel). Remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? It was all an intelligence hoax. The evidence was fabricated out of thin air, yet dutifully reported as “fact” by the entire media.

It’s entirely possible that President Trump is not part of this conspiracy and he’s just being fed deliberately false intelligence as a way of manipulating him into these pro-war actions. That’s the specialty of the intelligence community: Manipulating “evidence” to justify whatever insane globalist actions they wish to pursue next. We don’t yet know whether Trump is in the loop on this. He may be the target of deception efforts from the the deep state intelligence community.

4-6-18, The UK reported that an assassin smeared a nerve agent on the door handle at Skripal’s home. UK doctors have stated that Sergei Skripal and Yulia have only 1% hope of survival and ‘will be invalids for life’. Moreover, former chemical weapons scientist and former Russian chemical weapons’ program whistle blower Vil Mirzayanov, who is currently a leading western expert on toxic agents, assured the British media that 2 grams of Novichok will be enough to kill 500 people instantly. He also told the Daily Mail: “These people are gone — this man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover.” It seems that Mirzayanov made these statements under the direction of the mainstream European and American media with the aim of discrediting Russia in the eyes of the world community.If Sergey and Julia Skripal were poisoned in front of their house, then they wouldn’t have been able to walk through Salisbury. Thus, this fact completely excludes the use of nerve agent Novichok.

Latest report from doctors: Miss Yulia Skripal is being treated, her condition is getting better and her health status is currently described as stable. More here

Revelation 7:14, 9:11

4-16-18,  There are five heavenly crowns mentioned in the New Testament that will be awarded to believers. They are the incorruptible crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory and the crown of life. The Greek word translated “crown” is stephanos (the source for the name Stephen the martyr Acts 7:59) and means “a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or generally a symbol of honor.” Used during the ancient Greek games, it referred to a wreath or garland of leaves placed on a victor’s head as a reward for winning an athletic contest. As such, this word is used figuratively in the New Testament of the rewards of heaven God promises those who are faithful. Paul’s passage in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 best defines for us how these crowns are awarded.  More here

1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12; 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:19

Joel 3:1-14

4-16-18, Joseph Puder* --  With all the glory attached to Israel's seventieth anniversary, there are also sets of precedents that require caution and good judgment. The number 70 has meaningful commutations in Jewish tradition.  It recalls the 70-year Babylonian Exile that led to the start of the Second Jewish Commonwealth in 530 BC.  The return to the Land of Israel occurred through the Charter given by the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great, allowing Jews who wished to return to “Jerusalem that is in Judah” and build a “House for the God of Heaven” to do so.  Some have compared the US President Trump to king Cyrus. Similarly, in 1948 the former US President Harry Truman was told he would become another King Cyrus for Jews everywhere.

In appx 520 BC King Zerubbabel, a descendent of King David, led the first wave of returnees to Jerusalem.  The second wave come with the Scribe Ezra (book of Ezra in the third portion of the Hebrew Bible called Ketuvim).  The third stage of mass return to the land occurred with Nehemiah, a high official in the Persian Empire administration. 

Arabs settled in the Land of Israel following the deportation of the Jews (most but not all) by the Romans in the aftermath of the Jewish rebellion, which ended in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. 

The name Palestine had nothing to do with Arab-Palestinians of today.  It was named after the Philistines, people related to the Greeks who originally invaded the coastal cities of Israel from the Aegean Sea. By the time the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, no traces were left of the Philistines. 

Under the Arab conquerors and the Ottoman Turkish rule (1516-1918), and especially during the British Mandate (1918-1948), many Arabs from neighboring states settled in the so called Palestine, propelled by industry and jobs created by Jewish pioneers. [..snip]

In recent decades, Israel as a nation has become largely conservative. Under PM Netanyahu, Israel turned away from its socialist past and adopted capitalism; that, coupled with incentivizing risk-taking, created innovation and prosperity not seen before. The current unemployment rate in Israel (April 2018) is 3.8%.  Israel has a far higher employment rate than the average European Union or even the U.S., at 64%.  Israel’s innovations in bio-technology, agriculture, medicine, to name but a few sectors, are incredible.  Israeli companies are second only to the U.S. in trading on the U.S. stock markets.

Israel, in 2018, is a stronger state militarily as well in relation to its regional enemies.  Moreover, the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East region as a whole, has brought the Gulf Arabs and Saudi Arabia in particular, to recognize Israel as an “ally” of sorts.  Iran is seen by them as an existential threat, and it is likewise for Israel.  Egypt’s economic weakness has impacted on its potential threat to Israel.  Cairo, much like Riyadh, views Iran and its agent Hezbollah as a greater threat than Israel.  Israel’s military is now larger in manpower, better equipped than ever before, and still highly motivated.  ​*Excerpted full original message here

Joel 3:1 KJV
The Lord Judges the Nations
1"For behold, in those days and at that time,When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.… New American Standard Bible
See Parallel verses here

1. Alabama 1901-- We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..
2. Alaska 1956-- We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
3. Arizona 1911-- We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
4. Arkansas 1874-- We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
5. California 1879-- We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
6. Colorado 1876-- We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe...
7. Connecticut 1818-- The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
8. Delaware 1897-- Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshiping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.
9. Florida 1885-- We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
10. Georgia 1777-- We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
11. Hawaii 1959-- We, the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.
12. Idaho 1889-- We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
13. Illinois 1870-- We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
14. Indiana 1851-- We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
15. Iowa 1857-- We, the People of the State of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
16. Kansas 1859-- We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
17. Kentucky 1891-- We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..
18. Louisiana 1921-- We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
19. Maine 1820-- We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity ..  And imploring His aid and direction.
20. Maryland 1776 - We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
21. Massachusetts 1780 -  We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction
22. Michigan 1908- We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.
23. Minnesota, 1857- We, the people of the State of Minnesota , grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
24. Mississippi 1890- We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
25. Missouri 1845- We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness - Establish this Constitution...
26. Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution..
27. Nebraska 1875- We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom. Establish this Constitution.
28. Nevada 1864- We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...
29. New Hampshire 1792, Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
30. New Jersey 1844- We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
31. New Mexico 1911- We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..
32. New York 1846- We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
33. North Carolina 1868- We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...
34. North Dakota 1889- We, the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
35. Ohio 1852- We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
36. Oklahoma 1907- Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this
37. Oregon 1857,  All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences
38. Pennsylvania 1776- We, the people of Pennsylvania , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance...
39. Rhode Island 1842,  We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing....
40. South Carolina , 1778- We, the people of the State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
41. South Dakota 1889- We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties.
42. Tennessee 1796, That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
43. Texas 1845- We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
44. Utah 1896- Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
45. Vermont 1777- Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man.
46. Virginia 1776, Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
47. Washington 1889- We the People of the State of Washington , grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
48. West Virginia 1872- Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ....
49. Wisconsin 1848- We, the people of Wisconsin , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility....
50. Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

 
Clearly acknowledging almighty God as our Creator – is not establishing ‘religion’ – our forefathers were protecting us from a specific ‘denomination’ or ruling class of a particular organization in their beliefs above all others. Let’s retain and honor God in America again! 
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Truth! www.truthorfiction.com/god-constitutions/