All posts filed under: z162

Putting Italy's coronavirus 'pandemic' in perspective

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Italy is considered by many to be the nation the hardest hit by the Coronavirus outside of China, and the government has initiated a form of quarantine on the country’s 60 million people. According to Italy’s latest reports (as of March 18, 2020), 2,503 people have died from Coronavirus and an estimated 31,500 people have been officially diagnosed with the disease. Though this suggests a mortality rate of nearly 8%, this percentage may be suspect as a report published in the Independent revealed that at least 45% of the people with coronavirus are showing minimal symptoms, with one in ten having no symptoms at all. So undoubtedly thousands of people have had the virus but saw no need to go to the doctor and were not diagnosed. But Italian authorities also noted that for the first time, they are seeing a decline in the number of new cases being reported on a daily basis, suggesting the pandemic has peaked. Nevertheless, we need to put some perspective on what is happening in Italy. I am basing …

Choosing faith over fear

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The world is completely rattled right now. All the media can talk about is the Coronavirus. We are being bombarded 24 hours a day. Governments are taking extreme measures to try to contain the Coronavirus. The stock market is in a free fall. Business are closing down. And now news is circulating that a second massive locust swarm is building that could devastate Africa a second time this year. The world is being shaken. Jesus promised birth pangs prior to His second coming that included earthquakes, plagues and famines (Matthew 24:7-8; Luke 21:9-12). But here is the important thing about birth pangs, they are just the warm up, meaning the big show is yet to come. I have to admit I am feeling a bit rattled by just the birth pangs and it makes me wonder how I will function when God’s main event takes the stage. During these critical times we have choices to make. It is not how I will respond to the Coronavirus, it is how will I respond to fear? The …

Prophetic word predicts the soon demise of the Coronavirus and end to the panic

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I am reluctant to believe anything coming out of China because its Communist government controls and manipulates the news to the point it will even arrest people who produce news contrary to the government’s approved message. But having said that, CNN is reporting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited the Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday, that was ground zero for the start of the Coronavirus. As CNN pointed out, there is no way Jinping would be visiting the city, if the virus was still on the rampage. His visit suggests there has been a major turning point in the spread of the virus in Wuhan. If that is true, is this an indicator of the potential demise to the Coronavirus? Jingping’s appearance in Wuhan coincides with an earlier prophetic word given by Shawn Bolz on his ministry’s Facebook page on February 28, 2020. Shawn Bolz is a rising prophetic voice in Charismatic circles and has a popular podcast focusing on the prophetic on Charisma News. Bolz prophesied that he saw the end coming …

True Peace

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Most people want peace. Many of us want peace even if it means war to get it. And most of the time we want peace on our terms. This creates problems. For some, peace is simply an absence of conflict. For others, peace is an inner state of consciousness. Some people seek peace through nature, prayer, or meditation. It just seems very difficult to find. Maybe we are looking in the wrong places. Just like that old country song says, we are looking in all the wrong places (Looking for Love by Johnny Lee, released in 1980). Peace is not something you can buy at a store, find in a bottle, or discover on a mountaintop. To be sure, there is a peaceful environment in nature and many of the things we do to get peace provide temporary relief, but where can we find true peace? Let’s examine two concepts about peace. The first is that it is the absence of conflict. Do you believe that when there is a ceasefire in any one of …

Sea of Loneliness

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Do you ever feel alone? Or lonely? Sometimes we are alone, other times we feel alone and lonely even while there are people around us. There are times in which we can feel more alone and lonelier in a crowd than by ourselves. We just don’t fit. This not fitting in is mostly okay. But there are times we want to fit in. Times in which we feel invisible. Those times are the tough times. Isolation and loneliness actually have negative consequences on our health. It manifests in our bodies with aches, pains, and illnesses. It affects your mind as it can lead to depression, anxiety, or other mental struggles such as negative images. Isolation can cause poor dietary choices, substance abuse, and sleep problems. Even reality can take on a fantasy-like quality. Here are some practical ways to deal with isolation and loneliness. Know yourself Enjoy yourself Love yourself Seasons come and go Connect on some level Popular is not always better If you want to change, take small steps Don’t devalue yourself Know …

Is Toxic Masculinity In The Bible?

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“Toxic Masculinity” is a feminist idea that has made many people angry. Some people hate the idea and others are angry at toxic males, now that they can describe their “toxic” behavior. It’s a love / hate thing. One side believes we need to change the way men act, and a good place to start is with the way we raise boys, and the things we teach them. The other side thinks this idea demonizes men, and abuses them just for being who they are. One definition is: “Adherence to traditional male gender roles that consequently stigmatize and limit the emotions boys and men may comfortably express while statusing other emotions such as anger.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_masculinity That’s an accepted definition, and I think it’s not clear, and “statusing” is not a word. Maybe that’s why this argument is mostly emotional; it’s not well defined in a way we can understand. That might be why the idea divides people. People were divided, and angry, when the Gillette Corporation made commercials about Toxic Masculinity. Gillette sells shaving products …

Discoveries at the Tel of Dan confirm the Biblical record

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The Tel of Dan is considered one of the great Bible archaeological finds in recent years. Located in Northern Israel, near the borders of Lebanon and Syria, the site has been conclusively proven to be the city of Dan, that represented the main city for the Tribe of Dan, one of the 12 sons of Israel. Before the city was taken over by the Tribe of Dan, it went by the name of Laish (Judges 18:7). When the Tribe of Dan claimed the area, the city was attacked, the inhabitants driven out, and the city was rebuilt and it became synonymous with the tribe. However, through most of its existence, the Tribe of Dan struggled with idolatry and when Israel and Judah were divided into two kingdoms, Jeroboam, the first King of Israel, set up golden idols at both Bethel and Dan (2 Kings 10:29). This was done in an effort to break the ties of the Jews living in Israel to Jerusalem and the Jewish temple. But the excavations at the city of Dan, …

Did the Coronavirus leak out of a Chinese government virology lab in Wuhan?

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A report released by researchers from the South China University of Technology (SCUT), and published in the Daily Mail, is suggesting that the deadly Coronavirus may have actually originated in a Chinese government-run, virus research laboratory located in Wuhan. With a population of 11 million people, Wuhan is the ninth largest city in China and is the capital city of Hubei province. It is generally believed that the virus originated in a fish market located in Wuhan, that also supplied other exotic animals as food and some believe that included bats believed to be the source of the Coronavirus. However, in their paper the SCUT researchers noted that the Wuhan Center for Disease Control (WCDC) is located only 300 yards (ca. 274 m), basically across the street from the Wuhan fish market. And though the paper says there is no conclusive proof the virus originated at the Wuhan virus research center, it stated that there are several reasons to suspect it did: First, the research center has several infected animals on its site, including 605 …

A prophetic word on Kanye West and Donald Trump

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I was surprised as much by where I read this article, as I was about what it had to say. The article on the front page of Fox News website, entitled, California pastor who prophesied Kanye West’s transformation 4 years ago predicts this about Trump tells about a remarkable prophecy given by a Los Angeles pastor by the name of Shawn Bolz about Kanye West. Shawn Bolz founded Expressions58 church and has recently moved into a prophetic travelling ministry. He hosts a podcast entitled “Exploring the Prophetic.” He also writes regularly for CBN and Charisma media. Four years ago, Bolz publicly stated several times that God told him prominent rapper Kanye West would not only become a Christian but would begin to move in the gift prophecy: “We aren’t ready for the coming influx of new Christians. God showed me Kanye West as prophet and a worship leader in Christianity.” Shawn Bolz on Kanye West, Fox News At the time Bolz made those declarations, Kanye West had just suffered a nervous breakdown. But if anyone …

Memory Loss and Fear

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Mental health is very important in all stages of living. I know some young people who struggle and some old people who struggle. Many of these struggles are to do with memories and fear. There is a connection between memory, mental health, and fear. Memory loss impacts our ability to understand since so much of our understanding is based on our history and experiences. When memory  loss occurs, the confidence that comes from an inner knowledge or a sense of familiarity is replaced by a void of uncertainty. A part of us feels like we should know who so-and-so is or what is happening around us, but we don’t. And that can be unsettling. Memory loss can happen at any age although it seems to be more prevalent among the older population. There are many types of treatments for memory loss from prescriptions to supplements to memory games and physical activity. I am not an expert on any of these treatments but I would suggest that just as we are all wonderfully and uniquely made …