Christian Times Magazine Issue 67

EDITOR'S NOTE

We’ve just passed through the most joyous time of the year: the Christmas season and Hanukkah.

To our Jewish friends around the world we hope that your days of Hanukkah were a most blessed time of the year for you and your family. We want you to know that we here at Christian Times Magazine love you and share with you these beautiful days of light and festivities

And to all of our Christian friends around the world we hope that your time with your family this year was joyous and blessed as well.

We now embark upon a New Year: the year 2023 As we look back upon the previous year, we are happy that God has blessed us with a tremendous year of success with our magazine. We are now reaching some of the furthest corners of the world with this magazine and with our message: the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

With this issue, we are naming our ‘Person of the Year;’ and that person is: Queen Elizabeth II To me and many others around the world, she was an outstanding person who reigned as Queen of England for 70 years!

She was the longest-reigning monarch in the history of Great Britain. In the earlier part of the year 2022, she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, commemorating her full 70 years as Queen. She was just 25 years of age when she ascended to the throne in 1952.

Her reign saw Britain transformed from a war–weary declining imperial power into a modern multicultural power that rarely looked to its monarch for leadership, but still held her in high esteem.

Her rule also weathered many storms, both from a public standpoint and a personal one. And at the same time the monarchy tried to keep pace with the changing times.

There is honestly so very much that we could say and write about Queen Elizabeth and the world will long remember her and her effect upon its constituents

What we want to do here in this recognition of her is to give her honor and respect for being an astute person, one who certainly had a great, long-standing effect upon people all over the globe and upon generations to come.

So, with those words that have recognized her for many years in the British National Anthem, I just say, ‘God Save the Queen!’

And may her effect upon Britain be truly realized over the next weeks, months and years and may God truly, spiritually bless the nation of Britain.

Sincerely,

Charles Lingerfelt, Editor CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

Charles & Carolyn Lingerfelt

Carolyn and I want to take this moment to wish our family and friends a very happy and successful New Year!

We are pleased to announce to you that our magazine has continued its growth throughout the previous year.

And we are expecting a momentous year of growth in 2023.

Please continue to stand with us and support us as we embark upon this new journey for the coming year.

May God bless and keep you is our daily prayer.

Charles and Carolyn Lingerfelt Dallas, Texas USA

ANewYearMessageFromDavid&TammyAyers

Tammy and I want to wish all of you a happy New Year! We’ve enjoyed a wonderful year ourselves in 2022 and hope that you all have had a Blessed year as well.

We are delighted to be a part of the CTM Magazine family and we are praying for its success in the coming year.

We appreciate the blessings of God upon this periodical and we pray that it will continue to be a blessing to many people around the world.

We recommend it to everyone and we urge you to pass along its Online service to all of your many friends.

May God bless you and keep you throughout the coming year is our prayer.

and Tammy Ayers (Romans 8:28)

David

EAST TENNESSEE FRIENDS OF CHARLES LINGERFELT

HERMAJESTY“THEQUEEN”

By Katherine Daigle

The making of a Queen, the second Elizabethan age as a servant Queen, and her Promise, 2022 marks 70 years since Elizabeth II born April 21, 1926; Mayfair, London, the UK ascended the British Throne; an unprecedented cultural milestone of a ubiquitous world figure, and the sheer amount of confidence and admiration that the British people, as well as the Commonwealth, have for Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth’s tenacity was on constant display even as she became of age during World War II, that had solidified her

claim as one of the greatest of British monarchs in history. Although she never granted an interview Queen Elizabeth II never let her people down when it came to communicating her profound emotions, especially at Christmas

A ceremonial head of state, decided by blood? In a country obsessed with celebrity status, she was incredibly media-savvy, she even overruled parliament so that the cameras were allowed to film her coronation, “the cabinet is not being crowned, I am," she told the government

After 70 years as sovereign, the British have no idea what goes on in the royal family and behind its walls. Being the world’s most uncompromisingly public figures and among its most impenetrably private, at once uniquely familiar and entirely unknowable, is a paradox that never loses its power to intrigue.

(“8 Reasons Why the British Still Love the Queen - Business Insider”)

This and others, are the reasons why the Queen was beloved my many.

“At approximately 7:30 on the morning of February 6, 1952, a 56-year-old British man found dead in his bed, yet this was not just another Englishman, it was the King of England himself. This reluctant monarch, who struggled with a speech obstacle and ascended the throne after the controversial abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, is not the most memorable of British kings. Despite helping to rouse the British people in a fighting spirit of defiance during the Second World War (which in turn led to a resurgence in popularity for the British crown), George VI never craved the spotlight. Undeniably, it remains Winston Churchill to occupy the spot as the central heroic figurehead of the British war effort against the Nazis. In the scope of the larger British Empire, the reign of George VI saw the beginning of rapid decolonization across the globe. It began when India and Pakistan finally achieved their independence in 1947 and continued throughout the 20th century; closer to home Ireland had

successfully broken away from the United Kingdom, as Republican sentiment began to grow again. "Thus, George VI’s rule as king may not be overly commemorated in contemporary historical analyses."

(“ELIZABETH II: 70 YEARS OF A QUEEN - History Guild”) But it is undoubtedly important not because of the reign itself, but because of the reign to come at once after it.” (“ELIZABETH II: 70 YEARS OF A QUEEN - History Guild”)

This was the beginning of an unprecedented period in British royal history.

The longest reigning British monarch in history (surpassing her great-grandmother Victoria’s reign of 64 years). Seven decades under Queen Elizabeth II, she has been a constant and consistent figure of tradition and duty, not just in British society but also in the Commonwealths across the globe. Her reign represented multiple generations knowing her as the only sovereign, and her identity across popular culture and currencies has become an entrenched part of

the western world’s collective imagination

She was Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England in 1952.

Elizabeth II was once a youthful princess; the eldest of two daughters born to George VI and his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1926. (“Queen Elizabeth II - Historic UK”) "The young “Lilibeth” was not even in the direct line to eventually ascend the throne." That all changed when she was ten, and her father Albert, became George VI. Her mother, also called Elizabeth, made sure the girls had a care-free childhood in

a hat onto whom so much could be projected. Elizabeth became the very definition of the word; she was not born to be queen. An accident of history brought her to the throne.

Her father died alone in his quarters and the cries of “God save the Queen” were not heard by the newly ascended Queen of the United Kingdom. In fact, she was staying in Kenya, where she and her husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had spent the night. After breakfast and speaking admiringly of how courageously her father had been battling his poor health, the newly ascended Queen, who had no idea she had risen from “Her Royal Highness” to “Her Majesty,” spent the morning enjoying the view and feeding baboons bananas from her treetop perch.

contrast to the quashing palace structures nevertheless, she learned duty early. Against the tide of history and logic, she made a medieval anachronism somehow modern, remembered by a stoic old lady in

Most prominent during this time was the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya from 19521960, where the British military rounded up hundreds of thousands of Kenyans into what were concentration camps where those were persecuted and brutalized. These memories of colonial atrocities prompted fierce criticism when then the Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour with Prince Philip at Treetops lodge in Kenya. Elizabeth received news of her father’s death during that visit, and the lodge would long be remembered as the place where Britain’s longest-serving monarch:

“Went to sleep a princess and awoke a queen.”

From once a princess to the new Queen, she saw it all throughout those forbearing years: World War II the Korean War, the Cold War, the Falkland Islands War, the Iraq War, and similar ones like the Brexit crisis. She was a spirited, strong, and a cultured woman; she showed nerves of steel in shepherding her country out of demanding situations. And even as a Princess, Elizabeth she notably played a vital role in keeping the nation upbeat and strong during the Battle of Britain in WWII.

service she had to her country; it will also depend what part of the world you were living. She was thrust into the role at the age of twenty-five after her father passed away. Elizabeth II was on the face of it a beacon of stability for the United Kingdom and supplied a sense of hope as well. Her addresses to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth during the plan-demic comes to mind in this respect, along with her joyous comforting annual Christmas speeches.

How will Queen Elizabeth II be remembered tomorrow, and September 8, 2022? That day had been met with a mixed response. As the nation’s came together from those she presided over, more than 2.6 billion people at the start of her reign, she was the most recognized and iconic figure in world history

"For billions of people, she was the one constant in a world of bewildering change, an omnipresent matriarch linking the past with the present." (“Elizabeth II: she was the Queen for billions of people”) While the enormous British Empire she once presided over shrank, her symbolic influence only seemed to grow.She was a symbol of stability, in what Queen Elizabeth II will harken back to the 70 years of dedicated

Queen Elizabeth II traveled to an astounding 116 countries over the course of her reign, and in many ways was a symbol of national unity. She oversaw fifty-plus countries gain their independence, many which were peaceful. While she watched over long historic period where there were crises over the decades, she never faced any personal crises that made anyone question her fitness to be queen or caused anyone to want her to step down, unlike what is happening here in the United States today.

She was a traditional queen who brought the country into the modern age with a sense of dignity and stateliness.

While Queen Elizabeth II was a steadying force for the United Kingdom, she served as a symbol of indifference during a time of decolonization. Several of Africa’s heads of states were looking to unite the globe

through the Commonwealth of Nations and create a force for of good in the world.

What is more, there was a dim view of Queen Elizabeth II, according to those African leaders. Britain's rule under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II continued into the 21st century, with few countries becoming independent in the 1960s and 1970s. The monarch had been a symbol of the exploitation of Africans and the brutal repression of people in other parts of the world. British forces during the colonial period exploited Africans acting in the Queen’s name and unleashed illegal deportations and detentions. They also moved hundreds of thousands of subjects forcibly into areas where starvation and forced labor were forms of colonial control. These atrocities were unforgettable by Africans; hence the Queen's death recaptured these memories

Just two years after her visit, the Mau Mau, Kenyan freedom fighters opposed to British colonial rule, burned the lodge down. "During her reign, British soldiers committed widespread atrocities against Kenyans at the height of Mau Mau uprising between 1952 and 1960."(“‘A brutal legacy’: Queen’s death met with anger as well as grief in ...”)

Cyprus and Northern Ireland where examples of circumstances where the

Queen could have taken a firm stance but simply decided not to. Elizabeth was queen for seventy of Northern Ireland's 100 years of history, and for all of three decades of the " Unrest and Tribulations " in which more than 3,000 died in sectarian fighting. Across steel and concrete "peace walls", many Irish nationalists reacted to the death of a woman they once saw as a symbol of British oppression with indifference or, at most, polite sympathy.

While it is true that her powers came from her influence rather than authority, there were limits within a constitutional monarchy. That does not mean she had no influence or that her public support or opposition towards a particular issue. She was a beacon of stability, a constant; some argue that Queen Elizabeth II should have been more vocal and use what influence she had to end British violence and subjugation abroad. Queen Elizabeth II decided to stay out of the political spotlight and let politicians run the country as they saw fit.

The indifference and apathy not constrained to only political matters either For example, Queen Elizabeth II death has reignited an international debate on controversies involving her son Charles seen with a woman (Camilla) while being married to Princess Diana. Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, British colonialism, death, trafficking, marriages, and infidelity in full

display aa the one and only highly regarded majesties family, she never once intervened on those personal matters. Whether or not she should have has been up for debate, but it nonetheless exemplifies her indifference to matters both externally and internally. What may we ask ourselves was this a mistake?

In weighing in on the life of a British Monarchy in full world view on a stage - a Queen memorialized throughout history as a well-thought-highly regarded figure who spent her entire life in service and devotion to her compatriot She was tarnished, and certainly could have done more in being forthright and less silent about her stances on issues regardless of the amount of power she may have held. A religious, constitutional monarch, she wielded little power over the decisions made and actions conducted in her name However, by choosing to stay silent while she and her family continue to enjoy the fruits of oppression, she has effectively displayed either astounding moral cowardice or quietly endorsed those actions and decisions We will never know

Queen Elizabeth II is a guardian of Britain’s imperial past and present. Under her reign, the British Commonwealth developed to become a significant vehicle for perpetual global influence. After becoming the Queen, she self-consciously wrapped

herself in the empire, carrying symbols and images of brutalities of the past that were unforgettable by Africans; hence the Queen's death recaptured most of these memories, and her charitable deeds committed by the empire. The Queen's Platinum Jubilee is a call to the misremembering of the violence and imperial past carried by Britain. Despite the Queen's unmatched global influence as a head of state and a royal kingdom, there were serious crimes that occurred under her imperial watchful eye.

Queen Elizabeth II helped keep Britain stable during a long decline. The monarchy gives Britain a great deal of influence. Not only was Queen Elizabeth II Britain’s head of state, but she is also, for historical reasons, head of state in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, she keeps the same office in the Caribbean and the Pacific There are fifty-four member countries of the Commonwealth, these are now republics. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, and member nations voted at their last meeting to recognize that Prince Charles is now the head of the Commonwealth.

The British monarch is the figure head of the Church of England. She must keep the laws of God and the doctrines of the Church. There has been a total reversal, not just in Britain but in the other

Commonwealth nations The nations have pioneered social change in the last 60 years. The Queen has had to sign off on all these changes.

Her annual Christmas broadcast has often highlighted her responsibility in the antibiblical legislation that had been embraced by politicians, if not by the people. After promising to fulfill what was asked of her in the coronation, she was presented with the Bible along with these words:

Our gracious Queen: to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God.”

Under Elizabeth II the Bible has seen total rejection by a nation. Each week more people have attended a mosque than a church.

A commemorative book published in 2016 for her 90th birthday titled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. It declared: “The Queen works hard because she is committed to service. And that comes from her commitment to follow the ways of Christ” (p. 23). Stressing that she looks to

the Bible as her inspiration, the book quoted from it: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7, quoted on p. 26).

As the Queen passed from this life, the country may fall apart, but the royal empire will remain. The United Kingdom made up of four countries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) All four had looked to Elizabeth II as their leader. Already, Scotland has a big independence movement. Northern Ireland’s relationship with London is insecure since Brexit. The United Kingdom will have come full circle. At the time of the first Elizabeth, there was just England and Wales With the empire now gone, if anything should happen to the United Kingdom there may be nothing left except England and Wales and both only a shadow of their former selves.

There is a massive shift in geopolitical power and in Western nations,’ which has led to declining morality foretold as a hallmark of the time of global turmoil leading up to the establishment of a coming Kingdom that will never end that of the ultimate King and Messiah, Jesus Christ!

It is a common . " But it has been lost. It is no longer prayed. Finding that lost in the church.

Remember Billy Graham preaching in a football stadium on the coming of the Lord? The Second Coming of Christ used to be the theme of local revivals. If you can recall some golden oldie gospel songs, most of them were about the return of Christ. Remember, "The King is Coming?" How soon we forget In the Jesus Movement days everyone sang Andre Crouch's “It Won't Be Long." Any day now, you expected the Lord's return. That song and its expectations are long gone. "Success in life" themes have replaced preaching about the last days. Churches that preach the Second Coming are now as rare as pay phone booths. Here's a true story of mine which fits the time such as today Growing up in Houston, I was a paper boy for the Houston Chronicle for three years. My route included more than local neighborhoods. It included a stretch of Market Street Road, a road that followed the Houston ship channel out east of downtown. It was known for its crowded stretch of bars and beer joints frequented by shift workers from the channel industries Those smoke-filled hangouts all had jukeboxes blaring out Hank Williams’ nasal honky-tonk song, "Your Cheatin’ Heart." I knew those dives well. I was required, as their newsboy, to deliver the Chronicle right to the bar.

But this reminds me of an unusual phone call my preacher dad received one day An old friend of my father who went through Bible college with him called Dad from Albuquerque. Could he please drop in on one of those honky-tonks on Market Street Road and visit his brother, the manager?

His brother lived with his small family in the rear part of Fred's Crushed Ice and Beer. And brother Fred had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Terminal! I knew the place, Fred's Crushed Ice and Beer Yes, I delivered the Houston Chronicle there daily. I had met the owner.

Dad's ministerial heart bade him "Go!" But his ministerial visit was not well received. Not at all. Not until my father offered prayer before departing. At that, Fred went to fetch his wife and son for the pastor's prayer. The son was a grown young man He was special, marked by Down syndrome. After my father ended his short family prayer for hope, he turned to share a child's prayer with the son He held his hand and prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

His prayer was not even finished when that special child suddenly went wild with happy screams, "He found my prayer! He found my prayer!" he uttered over and over. The rest of the boy’s hyper expressions were not intelligible to my dad. My pastor father, seeing the parents could not calm down the lad, quickly wrapped up his visit. He headed out to his car and drove home thinking he had disturbed the boy

Back home the phone rang. It was the owner of the beer joint. "Pastor,” he began explaining, "you might not have understood

my son. He was telling us, ‘He found my prayer.’ We had years ago taught him that bedtime devotional. We had even gone to church with him But we eventually dropped out of church. We stopped praying with him. He forgot all the words we had taught him.” The man continued, "When you prayed those words over him, he suddenly remembered. He cried after you left and told us, 'I want my prayer back.' We all cried. We knelt down by his bed and gave our hearts to the Lord. Can you baptize us before I die?”

I do remember both the baptism and the man's funeral. I also remember that special boy’s great joy upon finding his lost prayer He quoted it from memory.

Today we have lost the Maranatha (Come Lord) prayer right in the heart of the church. It's been gone a long time Wow! Of all times to lose this simple prayer! We need to find it soon. All the seminal prophecies and signs of the Bible speak of the nearness of the Lord's coming Here is one of the most obvious signs of all, “very obvious for you know quite well," Paul reminds us, "that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT) Unexpectedly? Yes. Certainly, that describes us today. We've stopped preaching, teaching, expecting, singing, and praying about that moment of Christ's return Yet we have a promise of a great reward, as long as we are

longing and looking for His coming. In one of the last words Paul left us he reminds us that this great reward is "to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8 NKJ) I want that reward. So, let's bring back prayers for Christ's return in 2023.

Will somebody say Amen? Awaken us, oh Lord "Amen, come Lord Jesus " I hope I found your prayer. I pray you love and long for His appearing this year.

Happy New Year 2023

‘ELIZABETH I AND ELIZABETH II: TWO QUEENS OF DESTINY!’

By Zernalyn Palmares

The first Queen Elizabeth was queen of England from 1558 until 1603 and ruled for 44 years. She left as a lasting legacy - an era in history known as the Golden Elizabethan Age. Historians attributed her as the monarch that defeated the Spanish Armada.

She was loved and popular among her subjects Something that is not often known about the first Elizabeth is that she trusted in God, honest advice and the love of her people. Here is a prayer that she said at Bristol in one of her progressions:

“STRETCH forth, O Lord most mighty, Thy right hand over me, and defend me from mine enemies, that they never prevail against me. Give me, O Lord, the assistance of Thy Spirit, and comfort of Thy grace, truly to know Thee, entirely to love Thee, and assuredly to trust in Thee. And that as I do acknowledge to have received the government of this Church and Kingdom at Thy hand, and to hold the same of Thee, so grant me grace, O Lord, that in the end I may render up and present the same again unto Thee, a peaceable, quiet, and wellordered State and Kingdom, as also a perfect reformed church, to the furtherance of Thy glory. And to my subjects, O Lord God, grant, I beseech Thee, faithful and

obedient hearts, willingly to submit themselves to the obedience of Thy word and commandments, that we altogether being thankful unto Thee for Thy benefits received, may laud and magnify Thy Holy Name, world without end. Grant this, O merciful Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.”

Like the First Elizabeth, if there is something that binds these long reigning monarchs together, it is the faith that they have both placed in God and the devotion to duty. In her speeches Elizabeth II provides us testaments of a long standing faith in God. “When I spoke to you last, at Christmas, I asked you all, whatever your religion, to pray for me on the day of my Coronationto pray that God would give me wisdom and strength to carry out the promises that I should then be making.”

- Queen Elizabeth II (Coronation Day, 1953)

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has evolved in a series of unions, separations, annexed countries to what it is now. In it’s long history as a nation, personalities have shaped it’s history and that of it’s people

Two significant women, living legends of their times, have contributed in its formation.

Though both became Queens, there were little similarities in their childhoods; Elizabeth I was a child born to a father who would have 6 six wives and notoriously had her mother Anne Boleyn beheaded. But that was before he broke ties with the Catholic Church. He renounced papal authority when his friend and adviser, Cardinal Woolsley failed to secure the annulment from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Elizabeth was raised in a court that was fickle with a capricious father who was vain and authoritative Early on, she knew that to survive she had to be cunning.

Elizabeth II was a child whose father Prince Albert, never expected to become King of England Shy and retiring, it was his elder brother Prince Edward that was expected to follow after their father George V, but that all changed when he abdicated the Throne in favor of love. He married a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson and gave up the throne. Thrust into the spotlight and as duty demanded, Prince Albert, then Duke of York happily married the daughter of an Earl, Elizabeth Bowles Lyon and was crowned King of England and proclaimed George VI It was in his reign that Britain was ushered into World War II. The young Princess Elizabeth, known as her father’s pride at this time learned the importance of duty - ‘Never complain, never explain.’

In life both served reverently their country, one died as the last Tudor monarch unmarried hence, the title the Virgin Queen.

Elizabeth II found love in her distant cousin Prince Philip of Denmark and Greece. They were married for 73 years.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022.

VOWS THAT MATTER

By Sandra Sommerfrucht

A vow is defined as a solemn promise to do a specified thing. How many of us, though, make a vow, not solemnly but casually, forget the vow that was made, and then break it as though it never mattered?

When a vow is broken, it may not have been made solemnly, for the word “solemn” indicates gravity or seriousness about a matter. It may be a picture of someone who makes a vow but is not selfdisciplined, enduring, or faithful to the end but, instead, fickle and ever-changing.

The Bible warns that those who waver and are not enduring are like the billowing surge out at sea blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind and will not receive anything from the Lord (James 1: 6-7).

God honors those who are steady and loyal, even when they are treated unjustly (I Peter 2:19). He honors those who make a vow to Him and then stick to that vow. For example, Hannah vowed to the Lord that if He would give her a child, she would give that child to Him (I Samuel 1:11);

therefore, when Samuel was born, she took him to the Lord’s house as she had vowed, and she is remembered today as a woman of faithfulness.

Jesus Himself vowed to His Father that He would do His will and not His own He has left us an example of dedication to the very end,even under excruciating circumstances. Such unswerving commitment catches our attention and causes us to stand in awe of our Savior’s discipline to carry out what He had spoken to the Father (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus is the ultimate example of a vowkeeping God. We can trust Him because He keeps His Word

An example of a vow increasingly broken today is the marriage vow. Are there many people left who take the marriage vow and give much thought to the words that say, “…till death do us part”? Marriage is supposed to be a unbroken covenant, a type of agreement that is unending.

Other vows may be resolutions for the new year. A resolution implies great determination to finish whatever was declared The requirement here is to be serious about commitments made and dedicated to the completion of the commitment made. A popular resolution is one made to lose weight or to exercise more. I pray, “Lord, give us the discipline to finish whatever commitments we have made and to be loyal to the vows we have made.”

My husband and I recently watched “The Crown,” a movie series about Queen Elizabeth. I will never forget the words spoken by Prince Phillip, her husband, in one scene of the movie. He said to Queen Elizabeth, “You make me a better person.” I don’t know if the words in the movie were the actual words spoken by the Prince, but if they were, they were a very significant comment about her character.

He was complimenting her on her faithfulness to do the right thing to say what needed to be said with love, and her steady, rock-solid commitment to the highest principles of excellence in leadership and in her everyday life.

Again, if the movie portrayed Queen Elizabeth as she was in real life, she is the kind of person that makes a vow and then sticks to it. Her vow, I believe, when she was ordained as the Queen of England, was to be an example of righteousness for the people of England. She wanted the people to see her as steady and unswerving in her duties to the people she served, and she certainly did endure to the end in spite of many failures within her own family.

At the beginning of this new year, we need to be serious about the vows that we make and dedicated to doing what God calls right. Let us bear the light of Christ with dignity so that others may say of us: “You make me a better person.”

Scan Me

By J. K. Harrill

By the time Christian Times Magazine reaches most of you, December 31st, 2022, will have come and gone. Another year having past in one second from the numbers 2022 into 2023. Not a day as we most often consider during the year, yet on December 31st we count accurately down the seconds before acknowledging the change of one day, one year to the next.

In this moment in time, this time I want to share with you an accounting which had a slight different ring at the Harrill House this year Our youngest Grand-Adult, (When your firstborn child’s, child attains their Masters Degree from University, that is surely Grand and they are definitely an Adult.) Madison Paige and her husband to be decided December 31st was the perfect day for them to be married. Moving from one form of engagement to another form of engagement while transitioning into a Year Anew in a matter of hours. So, Congratulations Madison and Aaron on this Beginning Of 2023 as Equal Partners, Joined In Holy Matrimony A New Season of Life to behold, know and cherish.

For me personally the year 2023 will bring opportunity to take another trip around the Sun, my 69th such journey and of even more import to and for me, to know the wonder of traveling to and through my 270th, 271st, 272nd, and 273rd Seasons to Live and Experience the Challenges & Change each affords In my writing of a work titled “Should We Choose to Participate, Life Holds Many Wonderful Things,” which we will revisit at the end of

this article/accumulation of words written, I included references to Seasons lived. It was my intention then as now, that the words written and given just consideration, hopefully challenges the mind to think and eventually know how important each Season truly is. I also want to give due consideration to the one chosen as Person of The Year by Christian Times Magazine, Queen Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born at 17 Bruton Street, in Mayfair, London England on Wednesday, April 21, 1926. Elizabeth was the firstborn of Albert Frederick Arthur George, and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowls-Lyon. Another child was to be born, a younger sister Margret Elizabeth’s life was not supposed to be lived in the limelight afforded a future Queen. The order of her birth wasn’t supposed to find her in the role of Queen since her Father was not the direct heir to the throne of England.

Elizabeth spent the first ten years of her life believing she would be no more than a member of the Royal Family, daughter of Bertie as her father was known to friends and niece to her Uncle Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, (David to his friends) who would be King Then in January of 1936 King George V died and just as was proper, as was decided at birth, David, The Prince of Wales succeeded his Father to the throne as King Edward VIII.

The former King Edward is given title, His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor and in 1937 married the love of his life, which he abdicated his title to the throne and King in order to do.

Then on the 10th day of December 1936, History was made as Love for and with another proved to be a far better choice than that of being a King. After sitting on the throne for just shy of a year, Edward VIII abdicated the throne and on December the 11th 1936, Prince Albert Duke of York assented as King George VI.

Now this first-born child of the never to be King of England, ten years old going on eleven, Elizabeth became heir presumptive to the throne. Interesting title…. Heir Presumptive, yet at the age of a mere ten years… some forty odd seasons of life lived, having had no expectation of the role she would be given to fill or the road she would travel in doing so, now changed forever is life, responsibility and dedication to serve. If If her parents did not have another child and that child be a Boy. Heir Presumptive, presuming a boy were not born, a boy was not available, a boy who no matter when born or in what order, a boy would be King I suppose the idea was A King supersedes A Queen in the Royal Circles Chain of Command. As would be the case no male was born and Princess Elizabeth held her title Presumptive Heir until on February 6th, 1952, King George, (Bertie as known to his friends) died in his sleep at the age of fifty-six.

Some fifteen years after a ten-year-old Elizabeth’s Uncle stepped down as King and her Father stepped into the role of King of England, Elizabeth is in Kenya on official tour of the Commonwealth when notice came of her Fathers passing.

It would be over a year before Her Majesty would be crowned as Queen of England.

For the next seventy years Queen Elizabeth would serve as leader of the Royal Family. Seventy Years, 280 Seasons of Life Lived…. and as I wrote in December’s article, Always Enough, Queen Elizabeth whose direction in life changed first at ten years old, then again at twenty-five and twenty-six years old, was for whatever reason able to weather the storms of life, the changing of the seasons to provide, to be and be considered right up and until her last breath taken…. Elizabeth left this life having been enough.

As I stated earlier about revisiting words written in a work titled, “Should We Choose to Participate, Life Holds Many Wonderful Things” the reference is to the Seasons.

Seasons - a subtle constant reminder of the parallels between nature and humankind. Spring - as with youth a time for planting.

Summer - a time of cultivation of seeds sown.

Fall - the harvesting, a time of maturity, of understanding, the time we become aware that as we have sown so shall we also reap.

And Winter - the time God gives us sight as he removes the leaves from the trees that we may see more clearly the greatness of our

God. A God who in six days could create a World with such detail that we will spend a lifetime trying to comprehend it. Then on the seventh day he rested, such is Winter, a time of rest. A time of anticipation of a new and more wonderful World to come.

Elizabeth began her journey toward execution of her duties as Queen in the Spring of her life. Planting the seeds of her life to be known. Then early in the Summer of her life, she was left to not only cultivate her own seeds sown, to till and weed and care for the garden of her Father’s planting.

I would say in my opinion for the most part, Elizabeth found the harvesting of her Fall season of life to have been well gathered and providing of nourishment to the people she served.

And Winter Elizabeth was found to be well respected and sought out for not only her Royal Position, but she was also held in high esteem for her view of the World in which we live

I am absolutely in Winter, as I stated about my Seasons Lived 270 and counting, I find myself looking in the same direction as I once did, in the Spring of my living, in Summer and Fall of my existence, yet I see different than was once there, I see past things that once distracted my view and vision allowing for clarity…. as I have never known before. My hearing has changed, also in many ways removing the distractions around me and allowing for my hearing Gods voice so much clearer than ever before.

The importance of Thinking has been moved back a few spots, replaced by a need to share what is Known. Especially Knowing God, and that where God is, is not where I Want to Be It is Where I Will Be

As we begin A Year Anew, how many Seasons have you known. Four per year times your age. How many have you known so far?

Now what Season of life do you find yourself being in….?

Are You Planting….?

Are You Cultivating?

Are You Harvesting?

Are You Consuming the Worth Of A Life Of Seasons Lived ?

In what Season of Life do you find yourself physically and emotionally?

LIFE DECISIONS

ichols

e I hear fe when en goes r you as ke good decisions. We applaud those who continually make correct decisions and deride those who do not, as well we should, and we oftentimes point out the fallacy of “wrong decisions” and the consequences that derive from such.

but in today’s world it is even more likely that we encounter the “helicopter parents” who constantly hover around their children and make every single decision for them. Both, of course, are not conducive to furthering the child’s ability to learn how, and why, to make correct decisions The old phrase “experience is the best teacher” still holds true today.

We teach and instruct our children from a very early age the benefits of making sound decisions, or, at least, we certainly ought to. Wise is the parent who is able to determine exactly how much leeway a child should be allowed to have in certain situations.

We would all agree that too much freedom too soon is a recipe for disaster but we also know that too many restrictions for too long a period of time is equally disastrous. We have all witnessed the young hellion “running wild” without adequate supervision

Acquisition of wisdom so often comes with age as we muddle along through our lives but, surely, there must be a better way of learning these kernels of truth about positive decision making other than failure, suffering dire consequences, and then trying a different path.

What if we could lead a life without having to make tough decisions? What if we could be sure that every decision we make would be in our absolute best interest with no “learning the hard way” involved? What if we live our life in such a way that when we finally make it to the “Golden Years” we

have not a single regret? Is it possible here in this sinful world that we can live a full, abundant life without having to wonder if we’re on the correct path? And is there a way that as we travel the Road of Life that we can just skip decision making entirely? And be assured that our ultimate best interests are always the top priority? Please allow me to share with you just how all these things can be accomplished and at the same time remove any and all possibility of error.

The world has been given a Book of Instructions that guides and directs us in making decisions throughout our life. By consulting this Book about any subject and simply following the instructions contained therein one can be confident about the outcome. May I present some examples?

Today’s world environment is froth with chaos. Traditional mores are being challenged and each of us will face a time when we are asked to venture an opinion on certain topics. I, personally, was very recently asked about my thoughts on accepting and approving homosexuality as a lifestyle. My answer was simple: I do not have to make a decision about this subject because the Book of Instruction has already given me the correct answer.

Very clearly it states (in several sections of the Book) that homosexuality and lesbianism are NOT acceptable lifestyles. So, by following the Book, my decision is made for me. Another pertinent question in the eyes of today’s world is whether one would ever change one’s gender. Again, the Book has the answer. The Book tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”

and that we are to accept our genders and to be thankful to our Maker Many people either do not believe the Book or maybe do not consult the Book about these two “hot” topics and thereby are wide open to allowing their minds to be converted to very unwise beliefs.

Another subject that I am often asked about is: should we accept any and all religious beliefs under the guise of tolerance and inclusion? Again, the Book supplies the ready answer: absolutely not! We are instructed that there is only ONE way that is correct and that is to honor and obey God and God alone.

Probably you have already guessed that the Book I am referring to is God’s word, the Bible God inspired men to write His exact words into the Book so that we may know His specific instructions about how to live our best life both here on earth and in the eternity to come And at the same time He gives us clear answers about the many questions of life! You may absolutely rest in the knowledge that if you simply follow His instructions you will be making correct decisions But But you can only

understand these instructions if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him into your life This Bible tells us that one must be “born again” in order to enter the Gates of Heaven and to do this one must believe and receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

The simple step of faith allows one to enter into the presence of God through His word, the Bible.

So, we CAN live our best life by not making decisions! We simply consult the Book and do what it tells us to do about any situation. This frees us from worry and anxiety by giving us clear-cut answers to all the many questions that come our way on a daily basis.

By NOT making decisions in our own finite minds but rather by letting God answer all questions through His Book we can know that the very best decision has been made for us. No one loves us like God loves us.

His agape love transcends any earthly love because it focuses on where our soul will spend eternity.

The choice is yours: will it be Heaven with God or will it be Hell with the demons?

Want to get off the decision-making merry-go-round? Want to know once and for all that you are making wise and correct decisions? Put your faith in Jesus Christ. He tells us in His word that He is the ONLY way to Heaven. Believe and receive Him today!

Sid Miller

TexasCommissionerofAgriculture

By Chris Grahn Howard

No matter your beliefs and views of the world, COVID, the pandemic, took something from you that you are or have grieved over. We have all lost something, loved ones, jobs, businesses, opportunities, and milestone events We even have grieved over the losses felt by our loved ones and our children. We have all processed that grief differently; it manifests itself differently. There is no denying that all of us have suffered some sort of grief at the hands of the COVID pandemic, either directly from the disease or from the efforts to mitigate the condition. Volumes have been written on what should have been done or not done; that is not my purpose here Instead, it points out the often undiscussed effects of the grief endured. As a reminder, here are the stages of grief –

Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance

Denial – there are still people today who deny that the disease is actual. Some deny the severity of the disease. Others are in denial of the effects of the mitigation efforts. Denial is a funny thing. It can be minimization, Optimism bias, avoidance, blaming, or behavior justification, and all are defense mechanisms. No matter your viewpoint, there has been some denial happening. Any disease will never fit neatly into an ideological box. Nature doesn't work that way, even if you believe that this

was a man-made or manipulated virus; it will, once out loose, not fit within an ideological framework. No matter how hard you try. It is human nature to try. Look at the list above; we have all seen it in ourselves and others It may have been wishful thinking or a way to justify another thought process. We have all played the denial game with this pandemic

Blaming has been a big one. It is understandable to seek to find a culprit when something this devastating happens, if for no other reason than to prevent future happenings. People have blamed each other, political parties, and governments and assigned a motive to actions they do not understand. I see this a lot working in politics and government. People will often ascribe an explanation to an action or inaction They are often wrong. Government is more often than not

incompetent and not malicious. People don't know what they don't know, and the result is looking for a motive when often there is none Denial has been influential in the debate over COVID and the resulting policies. Please note that I am not taking sides here Some will/are/have been using the pandemic to further their personal, financial, and/or political aims. Denial or accusing those of denial, on both sides, has become a wedge for families and communities alike. Which, I fear, has/will compound the grief cycle. People move through these stages differently and often will bounce between some of these stages.

Anger – I think we are familiar with this aspect of grief dealing in a COVID world. Anger has driven so much of our world for the last three years. It is hard to be angry at a virus that has no emotional response to our anger. It is far easier to even get mad at those in any leadership position or entity. Even easier to get angry at those within direct proximity. As we have lost family or friends, jobs, missed events, and denied access to loved ones; anger is the natural result.

How can you not get angry and frustrated at the loss of control over how you live your life, interact with loved ones, conduct your business, and plan any kind of future? All that control was taken in whole or in part from all of us during this pandemic.

The anger, at some level, is justified and to be expected I doubt most of us have seen the collective anger displayed so violently or raw as it has been in the last couple of years. Of course, most anger has manifested in political dialogue and policy debates. Longstanding issues have been exacerbated by this new anger over that over which we have no control That anger is now seen through the resentment seething through our politics on all levels. We are all hurting, in different ways, from the effects of the pandemic

Bargaining – This is always a fun one to discuss All of us trying to bargain with a virus. To be clear, we have all done this in some fashion, and I am not ridiculing those that have/are doing this. But, as I write this, speak it in my head It does sound funny For many, the bargaining was a matter of "if I follow the rules, I will be safe." Of course, see number two on what happened as those who followed the rules still were affected, or those who didn't follow the rules tried to bargain with God and were still affected. Either way, there was no escaping the effects, even if you didn't get the virus.

People negotiated with governments, science itself, and God to avoid what happened anyway. These failed negotiations often led to more denial and more anger

God nor good science can be negotiated with. Was there good science? Maybe, maybe not What we did and are seeing is

the scientific method played out right in front of us on a global scale. "Trust the science" moniker was/is so dangerous. Why? We can and should trust settled science…most of the time.

However, the science around the Coronavirus is not and can not yet be settled. This is not a rebuke of science. Rather a case for science Not enough time has passed, and not enough potential solutions have been attempted. Good science takes time. During a crisis, science can only make educated attempts based on past comparable knowledge. Ultimately, it may be proved right all along, or the answers we now hold to must be modified

Depression – here is where most people are currently, I suppose. Tired of being angry. Tired of the frustration and the effects of the anger. Anger is exhausting. While the world is moving into a mainly post-pandemic or endemic phase, the world appears very grey to many. The losses are settling in. The timelost realizations, milestone events, and precious family time – never to be gained back; have all begun to be realized, mourned, and calculated. I suspect that this will take some time for many to overcome. Some may have, and others have not even begun. Depression may lead back to more anger. It will be years before this cycles out of the collective conscience of many communities. The diversity of belief systems will determine the timing for many.

It will contribute to how long it takes to cycle through this phase

Acceptance – Few, if any, are here yet. Maybe people can have acceptance and still be depressed or even still angry. Can these stages overlap? We will get to a place where most of us will be able to let go and move on. To accept what we can control and what we can not. How we choose to respond is what we can control for sure. Simple to say, even easy to understand; however, never easy to do amid a crisis. Science will have to refine what it has learned and policymakers the same. Knowing it is time to move on and be prepared to do so is around the corner for many. Some will, for various reasons, not want to move on. They may be profiting somehow, using the crisis to further their aims

I fervently pray that those who follow Christ, you will find this peace sooner That you will be able to help others see the path out of the abyss that many are staring into. That Christ will help you look to him and not into the abyss Your inner glow of light, hope, and faith will save others, even if they don't want it. Christians understand that this temporal plane is just a waypoint in our eternal journey No matter the crisis, we have been claimed, saved, and are in the keeping of our shepherd. Those staring into the abyss only see emptiness, despair, and a void of nothingness. Talk about grief and all that goes with it. In many cases, we see the manifestation of the despair of those who have been looking into that abyss and the hopelessness that accompanies it. I pray for those most of all.

Good Tidings for The New Year!

By Charles Lingerfelt

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”

“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” (Isaiah 61:1,2)

The Prophetic Voice of Isaiah - And it was fulfilled in the voice of Messiah when He stood in Luke 4 and spoke forth the fulfillment of these words and proved by his life and character that ‘the spirit of the Lord’ was truly upon Him.

It is the distinct words of the Messiah, who should say, "because the Lord hath anointed me;” Many writers believe it was just merely the words of Prophet Isaiah. But a clear, complete study of God’s word, especially prophetic scripture, reveals that it was a prophetic moment in the life of Isaiah referring to the Messiah They are the words of the prophet with respect to the Messiah. There is no doubt but that the Messiah

himself is the person speaking, as it appears in ( Luke 4:17-21 ), upon whom the Spirit of God was; not his grace and gifts only, but the person of the Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Son; to whom several divine actions are ascribed, and to whom many things relating to Christ are attributed, and who is described as residing on him, and who, by his baptist, was seen upon him, ( Isaiah 11:2 ) (John 1:32 John 1:33 ) and the phrase denotes his continuance with him, whereby he was qualified, as man and “Mediator ” The Spirit of the Lord belongs to all the prophets and ministers of God, but chiefly to YHWH, the Christ and Messiah,

of Whose abundant graces everyone receives according as it pleases Him to distribute. The prophets had the Spirit of God moving them at times, both instructing them what to say and exciting them to say it. Christ had the Spirit always resting on him without measure; but to the same intent that the prophets had, as a Spirit of counsel and a Spirit of courage.

‘The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me’ in The New Testament -

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing ” – Luke 4:18-21 (NKJV)

When you read this passage of scripture, I believe the most amazing part is in verse 21:

“ Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing ” (Luke 4:21) This was a bold and astonishing declaration and everyone in that audience was not ready to receive it. In fact, as Jesus continued speaking the people got so angry that they tried to throw him off a cliff:

“All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.” (Luke 4:28-30)

Now that we’ve looked at the hopeful anticipation reaction in Isaiah versus the rather aggressive reaction in Luke, let’s consider three important reasons why this passage “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” appears in both Testaments

Reason #1: It Validates the Old Testament Scriptures -

Jesus made a habit of quoting from the Old Testament scriptures. Every time he did this, he was adding validity and credibility to the Old Testament. If you remember when he was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, he quoted the Word of God, usually starting with “It is written.”

At that time, the only written word of God was the Old Testament Jesus quoted the Old Testament and used it as the authoritative Word of God. What was true when Jesus quoted it is still true today. The Old Testament has the same power and authority and that has not changed.

Reason #2: It Fulfills the Old Testament Prophecy -

We have the distinct advantage of being able to look back from a historical perspective. What we are able to do from this viewpoint is to compare Old Testament prophecies with New Testament fulfillments, especially pointing to the first coming of Jesus.

This is exactly what Jesus did when he stood and read this verse in Luke 4. It’s one important reason why “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” appears in both Testaments.

Jesus was using it to validate who He was.

Reason #3: It Establishes A New Testament Messiah -

This verse was a promise of hope and God’s favor. As we will soon see, Jesus reminded them of this; but the way he did it wasn’t met with great enthusiasm. What Jesus was doing, however, was pointing to Himself as the hope and joy that was predicted in Isaiah 61 I know we think of this now as pretty normative; but for the people hearing this, it had to be a really shocking statement to them! I’m sure many thought: “Who is this man and who does he think he is?”

The good news is, Jesus knew exactly Who he was and it was time that they knew it, too!

There are so many lessons that can be learned from why “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Even in both Testaments, there are different lessons that can be learned What I want to do, however, is to give you what I call "walk away truths " I'm sure you can find more and I encourage you to do so but here are three ‘walk away truths’ to consider:

Truth #1: The Bible Is Always True -

Even though this seems like a simple reason, it’s one that can get overlooked. The reason why “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” appears in both Testaments is because it’s true. In fact, the Bible is always true! Because it is true we can depend on it for hope and for life. The beauty of biblical truth is that it is objective and it does not require your agreement for it to be true The people in the synagogue may have not agreed with Jesus, but it didn’t change the reality of who He is.

Truth #2: Truth Is Not Always Well-Received -

It’s important to understand, as we see in Luke 4, that just because something is true doesn’t mean it will be well-received. Many times, people don’t really want to accept the truth because it often reveals something inside of them This is one of the challenges in sharing the gospel, people have to be confronted with the truth that they are sinners. Regardless of how lovingly you may try to present it, this truth will not always be received well. Don’t be shocked if people don’t want to hear the real truth. If they didn’t like Jesus when he said it, they may not like you either.

Truth #3: Speak the Truth Anyway -

Regardless of people’s response to truth, that is not an excuse for not speaking it. One of the challenges in our society is we have a hard time distinguishing what is really the truth. With the myriad of voices out there, sometimes the truth gets lost in the muddle That’s why your best bet is to always go back to the place where truth resides and where truth does not change. That place is the Word of God. Don’t be like the people in the synagogue who could not see the truth of who Jesus was because they had made up their mind of what truth should be. In other words, don’t allow the truth of God’s Word to be shaped by your opinions.

Rather, let your opinions be shaped by the truth of God’s Word. This may not make you popular, but at least you will be on the side of truth

My Conclusion is this:

It’s been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed

I think in these two Scriptural references, the one in Isaiah and the other in Luke, we see just that. Isaiah points to a future that Jesus fulfills by referring back to the past in Luke. It’s one of the great ways God ties His word together so you can have complete confidence in trusting His word and His plan of hope, life and salvation.

To God be the glory!

We Wish You and Your Family a Year of Happiness, Success and Blessings from God throughout the New Year!

Charles Lingerfelt, Editor CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

Christian Times Magazine issue 66 | Monthly Magazine