Wake Up America - - - What is an infidel?

We should never forget the true meaning of this faith and it's followers.................

I am not a Islamaphobe, but do fit Islam's definition of a "Infidel." The following, while may not be considered Politically Correct by some, is none the less thought provoking:

WHAT IS AN INFIDEL?

This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry. The man who walks with God always gets to his destination. If you have a pulse you have a purpose.

The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance.

During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim faiths, who each explained their beliefs.

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic had to say. The Muslim gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video.

After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Muslim and asked:

'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?"

There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation,
he replied,"Non-believers!"

 
I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?"

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He sheepishly replied, "Yes."

I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine The Pope commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!"

 
The Muslim was speechless!

I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question:
Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?" You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic Imam, and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs. 

In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President!

I think everyone in the WORLD should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on! This is your chance to make a difference...

Please, for Christ's sake, send the link to this to your friends! 

(Note: I have read numerous books on this subject. Most Muslims are more moderate than this, but those who are trying to harm us, are out there. If we don't want to return to the Middle Ages, where women were virtually slaves, we need to be aware of the Muslim agenda.)  My God, has never been called Allah. The names are not synonymous. 

 GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

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Candy Crush - You Failed

I deleted Candy Crush. I have played it for months, but for the last couple of months I have been stuck on Level 86. No matter what I did, I just couldn't get past it.


Well, one night I had a lot of pain from the RA and ended up taking 2 Vicodin tablets. I lost quite a few games and was getting frustrated, so I decided to pay $.99 for 5 extra moves. I waited until I played a game where I thought I would have a good chance; 5 moves was not enough, so I paid for 5 more moves ($1.99), still not enough, 5 more moves ($2.99), etc. It ended up costing me over $15.00 to play one game. What was my reward, I got to go to Level 87. No extra moves, nothing else.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I deleted it from my PC, iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire. . . I made sure that the gaming people knew that I Quit. I also informed all my friends on Candy Crush that I was out of it.

I have been looking at another game, that is also a time suck, but they do not try to pick your pocket. You can complete a game without "quitting". That was one of the things I remember about Candy Crush, if you quit, 'YOU FAILED". That is just not the message I want to see all day. So, CC has gone the way of Farmville for me.

I also deleted all the games that I do not play off my iPhone and iPad. I hope that you have found a nice game that you can play when you need to think or de-stress. Just not one that will take over your credit card.

Have a lovely day! Write in your blog, take a walk, do push-ups. . . .

God is Good, All the Time!

All the Time, God is Good!

Remembering

It is a time for remembering those who have gone before us. When I was a little girl, it was the time for us to go to Jasper, Alabama, to Homecoming at the First Baptist Church where my Mother's family lived. We would stay at my Grandma and Grandpa Jones house or at Aunt Vera's house. It would depend on how many people in our family was going to show up.

My Grandmother, Gertie, had an Aunt Genara and I remembered standing on the back of her rocking chair when I was about 4.  I saw down her blouse; she had a prosthesis breast. This was in 1952 and I was about 6 years old. I remember wondering what she had in her bra. Aunt Genara was probably 60 years old by then, overweight, with white hair and granny glasses. She wore an apron most of the time. She was Grandma Jones' younger sister. I never asked anyone anything or even said anything to anyone about what I saw. Those were the days that children were to be seen, not heard.


In 2009, when I discovered the lump on my breast, that memory came back to me. I had not thought about it in years. When I told my mother, she did not even know, neither did her sister Margie. Then the BRACA test came back and said the cancer was not genetic. So, it really did not matter any way.

The point is that when we remember things about family members, illnesses, problems with hearing or eyes, we should write them down in a journal or the family Bible. I have always relied on my memory a lot, but now since I have been experiencing Fibro-Fog, I will be keeping a better log of things going on in our family. My grandmother always wrote things in her Bible.

Google has some amazing ways to sort your pictures and events in your life. Facebook does the same thing. It seems like every day I get asked to join another Social Media program; I think I have reached my max. I have been deleting myself from some. The ones that matter to me are the ones I need to keep Empire Avenue going. I could care less about my scores on Klout and other things like that.-

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

When the World Stopped Turning: A 9/11 tribute

Today is Memorial Day and it is the day we should not forget about what happened on September 11, 2001. Over three thousand people died that day, countless others lives will never be the same. Muslim terrorist carried out a Jahad against our country. They crashed airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York and into the Pentagon in Washington. There was also a plane that went down in Pensylvania. I am not sure where they were going on that one, but the passengers fought the terrorists. They all died. 

Today, we remember those who died on September 11. We also remember all those who have fought and died for the United States since our inception. We remember those who have lost loved ones in the many wars and conflicts. We honor our current Veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our country.

Where were you when the towers were hit? I was home, but my husband was in Washington DC taking a class to become a Professional Parliamentarian. I was beside myself with fear, fear for him, fear for me and my family. Who knew what would be next. It was a crazy time. All I could do was cry when they showed the people jumping out of the building. 

I know that some people are used to this kind of thing. There are many horrible things that are going on in this world. I just cannot imagine why anyone would hate this country enough to do this terrible atrocity.

We have come to the aid of other countries more than any country since time began. We throw our time and money away to other countries. These are resources that would be better spent supporting the people in this country, helping people out of work, children who are hungry, elderly who cannot live off of Social Security, so many more things.

I realize that it is necessary to have the equipment to defend ourselves, but if some crazies in another country want to kill off their own people, let them. They want our recognition, our money, our way of life, but not our God.

They even want to kill us because we do not believe in the same god they do. Make no mistake, my God, who is the ONLY god, is not now, nor has he ever had the name Allah. He is the Great I am, Lord, Savior, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. He was not a prophet; he was and is Lord God Almighty.

I know, some will say that I don't have a very forgiving attitude, but I do. Attitude is everything. It does not mean that because I am an encourager, a kind person, a person who trusts others until they give me a reason not to, or that I am not a Christian. Because I am all these things, does not mean that I am a door mat. I am not! I will stand by my faith, family, friends, and my country by hook or by crook.

We do not need these kind of people in this world. I am just glad that I do not have to worry about them in Heaven. They certainly will not be there. They will be in the Lake of Fire with Satan forever.

I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, but I live in the United States of America and have the "Freedom of Speech" that is not readily available in some other countries. Not to mention, I am a woman. I am also a deacon in my church. I have a voice and plan to use it whenever I think someone might listen.

I really do love people.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Snail Mail, Email, Gmail, etc., Drives Me Nuts

Have you ever opened up your email program and discovered that you had over a thousand emails? I have, quite often. Not to mention, I have #Gmail, which means that to sort emails, I have to guess who they are from if there is no company listed.

I tend to delete emails when I don't recognize the name. Then, since I have a PC laptop and a Ipad/Iphone, they consolidate all the emails from Gmail, AOL, Verizon, Yahoo, etc.

Sometimes things can get a little confusing. You say that you only want personal emails on one service, business emails on another. Next thing you know, everyone has all your email addresses and sends the same thing to all of them.

I look at email in the morning and just want to pull out my hair, which is not a good idea since it has started to come out on its own.

This started the wheels turning and I remembered when I was working for the Air Force as an Executive Assistant for five audit offices at different bases. I began there when they were transitioning to computers from word processors.

I was actually the first executive assistant to have a computer on my desk in our division, possible our command. After a few months, with more and more people coming online, we realized that some changes had to be made.

 It was a little easier there, because the office symbol was included with email from others on base. Then there were emails that involved specific tasks, so we learned to put a suspense date in the subject.

When I went to the audit agency, we would enter the project number and subject for each audit. Everything became so organized, which we all know makes our lives better.

In the past 5 years since I retired, I have become increasing prolific on my computer. I do newsletters and blog posts.

I also am a member of my church, the Women's Club, the Lions Club, the National Association of Parliamentarians, etc. Each one of these organizations and all the other things that I have joined on line come into my #Gmail box.

Most of the time, I recognize the person's name, but sometimes I do not.  This means I might have to open it up. It does fall under the category of "UNKNOWN" like phone calls from telemarketers (which I never answer).

Then there are the sneaky marketers that squeeze under the SPAM controls with what looks like a personal email. I make sure their next email is entered under SPAM where I will never have to see it.

I am asking a favor for myself, but it may help you also, especially for those of us who get hundreds of emails a day. Could you please enter "Descriptions" for your email in the subject line? 

Examples: 
Church:

                FBC - Prayer Concerns

                FBC - Deacon​s

                FBC  - Staff

Women's Club:

                GFWC - National

                NNWC - Social Local

Lions Clubs:

                NNlions - Projects

                Lions District 

                Lions International       etc., etc. . . . . 

I would be able to organize my email easier, and so would you, not to mention, send an answer quicker. You could even "flag" the email if it is time-sensitive.

I have been known to delete emails that I didn't recognize who it was from because of SPAM, Viruses, etc.

Thanks for your consideration, 

Barbara Duke

Professional Encourager

#BoomerMom

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

THE SPARROW AT STARBUCKS

This is a very good example of a "God-incidence." (similar to what many people call a "co-incidence"). I've decided to blog this so those who truly appreciate the difference between the two terms can read it too. If you take the time to read it, you will be glad you did. I did not write this originally; it was sent to me in email.

            The SPARROW at STARBUCKS 

The song that silenced the cappuccino machine.

It was chilly in Manhattan, but warm inside the Starbucks Coffee Shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square . Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth. For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right.

Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig; I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the 40's to the 90's with a few original tunes thrown in.

During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along. After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked. "No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?" To my delight, she accepted my invitation.

"You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?" 

 "Well. ... do you know any hymns?" Hymns? This woman didn't know
who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one." 

 "Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?" 

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one."

She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?" The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.

"I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me." When the last note was sung, the applause crescendo was a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to
get something' to drink, just like you!"

But the ovation continued.. I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

 "Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said. 

"Why is that?" 

 "Well," she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song." 

"Really!" I exclaimed. "Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual... "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week."

I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?" 

She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing His songs, and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it.

God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that He could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting Him and singing His songs, everything's gonna be okay.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, remember, Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was ugly, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, And Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses now!! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger. God bless. Send this link along to someone else, if you'd like. There is NO LUCK attached. If you don't, it's okay: God's Love Is Not Dependent

May God Bless you today and everyday as you face any storms that come your way!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: Photos: #BringBackOurGirls protest in London

Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog: Photos: #BringBackOurGirls protest in London

Parliamentary Procedures Conference

     

Some people look at Parliamentary Procedures as boring, but having been involved with these rules for regular meetings certainly make sense. After all, Roberts Rules of order was written using the same principle that is used in the "Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

General Henry M. Robert wrote Roberts Rules of Order in 1876.
"When there is no law, but everyman does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty."  - Henry M. Robert

After my annulment, before I met my husband, I joined an organization called Parents Without Partners. After being a member for a year or two, I met Ray and we decided that I should run for President. Since I had a rudimentary knowledge of parliamentary procedures, I decided I could do it. It was a nasty fight, but I won. Before my administration, the general and board meetings were lasting 4 to 6 hours and it was  ridiculous  to try to stay all night to get so little done. My first meeting lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes. I remained in PWP for 3 years until Ray married me to get me out of there.

I like to think about all the hours of nonsense I saved our members by taking a class. We ended up joining the National Association of Parliamentarians 22 years ago and Ray is the State President for 2013-2015. It has been a great experience over the years, and both of us can hold a meeting just about anywhere. I wasn't interested in too much study, I just like to be in charge, so I was President of our Lions Club 4 times over the past 20 years. Ray is the Parliamentarian for the State of Virginia, District 24D of Lions Clubs International and has been for at least the past 12 years.

So, we have been able to use our knowledge to help others, and become more knowledgeable ourselves.

If you interested in joining NAP or the Lions, I can direct you either way.

God is Good All the Time!

All the time, God is Good! 

Z - Zentangles - A to Z Blogging Challenge

 Zentangles are Doodles. I have been doing them most of my life, I just didn't know what they were called. 



I always had a set of colored pencils and were fascinated by what I could create with them.

I am learning that Zentangles take you to another place and you think of things more pleasantly. It is a very calming experience. People who doodle are the ones that actually hear the speeches at meetings and comprehend them. It has a calming influence to help with lowering blood pressure, etc.

If color fascinates you, doodling is your forte". It is not difficult, you just make one line, one at a time. There are no mistakes, just let the line take you where you want to go. 

 You can do them in color but the real Zentangles are in black and white with some shading.

All you need is a pad of paper and a ink pen.

 If you want to get fancy, 

get a quill pen and a bottle of ink.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!