His Grace Magazine

Grace His

Magazine

April 2023

Flesherton, Ontario

Matthew 28:6

Photo by Rob Wood

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Poetry

The healing power of our own breath Has been around for eons; It is the simplest way That our body calms and grounds us. The key to an open healing breath Is a lengthened, slow exhale; It naturally triggers our lungs To fill with a deeper inhale.

On your long, slow out-breath, Add the healing sound of "Ahhh;"

The closest sound to our heart's vibration, And the word representing God, our Abba.

When you're having a challenging day, Sprinkle yourself with a gift ... Nourish your mind, body and heart With a soothing, deep out-breath.

(Genesis 2:7)

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”

From the Pulpit

...is Ever and Always Able to meet our Needs

2Corinthians 12:9:

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

This scripture is awesome and shows how mighty God really is in our weakness. This is evident when we look at what Paul went through with the thorn in his side. Scripture never said what the thorn was, but it did sure bother him greatly. Many think it was the fact that he was in prison

away from people that he loved. Others, including myself, think that the thorn was the fact that he had helped kill many Christians including Stephen and this bothered him greatly after he himself became a Christian. I don't know if that is right or not; only God and Paul knows for sure. Then Paul pleaded with the Lord three times that it might be taken away from him. 2 Corinthians 12:8 says, "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me."

The problem is, the flesh is still corrupt and corrupting all the time, even in an apostle who was given divine revelation and visions from God. But God is greater than Satan and greater than the flesh. Through our brokenness, as God's servants are made humble, then the power of Christ

will shine through their lives and in their ministries. As when you read the scripture, we see the thorn greatly pained Paul, but God's provisions was and is sufficient. The verb here is in the present tense. God's grace for personal trials is ever and always able to meet all of our needs.

A story of God's Amazing Grace is about John Newton who wrote the famous hymn called "Amazing Grace."

I bet there have been many times in your life where you have hummed or sang the hymn "Amazing Grace" as I have. It has been estimated that this hymn has been performed roughly about 10 million times every year; how incredible is that!

Many people are unaware of this hymn's history. We sing along to the words and reflect on the words where it has an effect on our lives

and how we came to Christ, and how we are so grateful to God for His grace. But knowing the history to the hymn gives us an appreciation in a big way.

"Amazing Grace" was written almost two and a half centuries ago in 1772. The words of this beloved hymn was born from the heart, mind and experiences of John Newton, who was from England. John Newton lived as a slave trader and the journey that he went through before he even wrote the hymn will show his gratefulness to God for His amazing grace.

John lived a very troubled childhood, as his mother passed away when he was only six years old and his father was away at sea. John Newton spent many years fighting against all authority, going as far as trying to desert the Royal Navy when he was in his twenties.

Owner/Publisher: Rob Wood

Afterwards, he started sailing on a slave traders' ship. As he returned home to England, a violent and terrible storm hit and it almost sank the ship. It then prompted John Newton to start his walk with God as he started to shout out to God to save them on the ship from the storm.

Unfortunately, as he returned safely to port, John Newton forgot about God and he then became a slave ship master, a profession at which he served that position for many years. He helped bring many slaves from Africa to England as he made many trips there and back; he even admitted to, at times, treating the slaves very despicably. In 1754, after John had become very ill on a sea voyage, he decided to leave his life as a slave trader, the slave trade and the seafaring altogether, as he also decided to wholeheartedly give his life to Jesus Christ, which changed his life forever.

He became an ordained Anglican minister in 1764 and

he became a very popular preacher and hymn writer, as he penned 280 hymns, among them the great hymn of "Amazing Grace."

Years later, John Newton fought alongside William Wilberforce, leader of the parliamentary campaign to abolish the Africian slave trade. He described the horrors of the slave trade in a tract he wrote supporting the campaign and lived to see the British passage of the Slave Trade act in 1807.

Now, we can see how the lyrics like: "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home."

These lyrics carry a much deeper meaning than just a sinner's trivial gratitude. As he was close to death at times and blind to the reality of others, John Newton would never have written "Amazing Grace" if not for all his hectic past. Then so many of

us would be without these beautiful words that describe our relationship with Jesus Christ as we all rely on God's grace: "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed."

So what is God's grace? God's grace is His favor and His kindness towards us. Grace is a gift from God and not from our own works, so we don't boast about anything that we did. Eppesians 2:4-9 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might sow the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of

yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

God gives grace on all of those who love and follow Him and ask for forgiveness. He brings us things that we need in His perfect timing. He also gave us a conscience to know what is right and what is wrong, free will to follow Him or not; it's our choice. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. " God's Salvation Grace: God gave us all this and so much more because He so loved world and us, where he gave us His son, Jesus Christ, for whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life with Him, as he came to save the world, not to condemn it. God has purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and by doing so, He forgave all of our sins; He wiped them clean away. This amazing gift is given when you just simply believe this in your heart. We did not work for this and we certainly do not

deserve what God has done for us. God still continues to give us more grace, such as kindness, wisdom and understanding for His Word. What an amazing God we serve! After all, Jesus Christ died for us; He suffered terribly for us. It was nothing like they portray on TV, a few cuts and a little blood. No, it was worse; it was horrible what happened to Him. His wounds were terrible, open wounds all over Him and He even had internal organs showing, totally horrific. Jesus was born to die for us. Isaiah 52:14 says, "Just as many were appalled at you-His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being."

For He loved the world that He gave His only Son. John 3:1617 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the

world through Him might be saved."

But on the third day He had Risen from the tomb! He defeated death as the scriptures said He would. Matthew 28:56 says, "But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.'"

After all, Jesus is the resurrection and the life; if we believe this, even though we may die, we will be with Him in heaven. John 11:25 says, "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'"

Without Jesus Christ, we can never enter into Heaven with Him; this is because He is the only way to Heaven. John

14:6 says, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" No one can come to the Father who is in Heaven except through Jesus, so if you don't have

a loving relationship with Jesus, then you can't come to the Father and if you can't come to the Father who is in Heaven, then you won't be allowed to ever enter the kingdom of God, which is Heaven.

We all need to be still, to cease moving and to recognize and understand that He is God. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

God's Numerous Grace: We know that we have sinned; we sin and we will sin again. We will always seem, at times, to do the very thing we don't want to do and not do the thing that we want to do, even though we all want to do the right thing for God, but fall short of what we want to do. Romans 2:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

We are blessed that God will forgive us each and every time, as long as I repent when I fall. All of our

sins, past, present and future are forgiven after you believe in Jesus. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Unfortunately, sins come naturally to us but righteousness takes focus. Focus comes from obeying the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us. When we try on our own, we always will go and do the wrong thing.

But when we confess each sin, try to learn from it and change our ways of thinking by focusing on Jesus, keeping your eyes on Him and He will forgive us, not just here and there but all the time, God has much more grace for us. Matthew 18:2122 says, "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?'

Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

God's Forgiveness

Grace: Not only are all our sins forgiven when we repent but we will be able to supernaturally forgive others who have hurt us. God helps us all to forgive others that we could not have forgiven on our own, because of the magnitude of the hurt they caused us.

Forgiveness is possible now even when the transgression caused us deep hurt. There are so many examples of forgiving people that deeply hurt them. Jesus even forgave those who nailed Him to the cross. Luke 23:34 says, "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots." This kind of forgiveness grace doesn't really take away from the hurtfulness of the transgression, but it provides your soul with the peace you need. It also gives the person that hurt you a chance to repent of the transgression against you, if they so choose to.

Forgiving grace wouldn't be possible

without God because as people, when we are hurt, we seek revenge to hurt the person that hurt us and it can also put us into a depression, but with Jesus we are to live like He lives and change our lives to resemble His. If Jesus can forgive the ones that nailed Him to a cross, I'm sure we can forgive those who hurt us and it will set us free.

God's GraceFruits of the Spirit: Every morning, we can begin new all over again. If we fall and made a mistake yesterday, then we can start over with a clean slate today. Every single day is a chance to have a fresh start, act better and start to show more of the fruit of the Spirit. Because of His presence with us, around us and in within us, we always have the chance to do better than yesterday.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Instead of only thinking of ourselves,

we can show some concern for other people. Instead of being full of anxiety, we can be full of peace and joy. Instead of being so impatient, we can wait on people or things with patience. God's grace will always give us the self-control we need to act with kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness towards other people, and this will bring peace into our lives. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubles, neither let it be afraid."

We are fearfully and wonderfully made with a purpose in our lives that we are to serve the Lord. Knowing God

through His Word is essential in life. When we know the purpose in our lives, it sets us free. John 8:36 says, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed."

Jesus also said to us that here on earth we will always have trials and sorrows; He never promised us a perfect life because we follow Him.

But we can all take heart because Jesus Christ has overcome it all; He has overcome the world and in Him we will have peace. John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

WOOD Ministries

Publisher/Sales/Graphic Designer/Writer: Rob Wood

wood.ministries.2020@gmail.com

Editor/Writer:

Donna Wood Writer:

Lynne Wood

God is always in control

Book by: Nancy DeMos Wolgemuth, Foreword By Dr. David Jeremiah

Written by: Lynne Wood

Heaven Rules

was written by Nancy DeMoss. This book will certainly make you think. On the front of the book are the words Take courage, Take comfort, Our God is in control; those words are so true. You will hear people say the devil is in the details; that is not true. God is in the details because Heaven Rules.

As Nancy says, we must learn the truth of God's word, that He is the eternal King. That means cancer is not king, no pandemic is king, and any financial problems are not king.

Only God is King and everything is held in check by Him. God is good; He will never leave you. He loves you. God doesn't guarantee that we will always be healthy and prosperous and never have any problems in our life, but He will always be there to help you through it.

Sometimes God uses hardships to bring us closer to Him to cling to Him for peace and comfort. Through all the trials we face in our life, we must trust in Him. God knows what He's doing, He is our strength; Heaven does rule.

If you come to God

in prayer recognizing His power and His greatness and come to Him in humble faith, God will answer you. The answer to your prayer doesn't always happen when you want it or how you want it to be answered. Because God's ways are higher than ours, we don't

always understand His answers but one day we will understand completely. You may not always know what God is doing, but trust Him with everything, because He knows everything. He is our strength and is always present.

Psalm 29:10-11: "The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned King forever. The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace."

Nancy said that if you learn those two verses and keep them in your heart, they will help you through any storm that you may face with the courage to get through them. Just remember that, no matter what, Heaven Rules.

Deuteronomy 6:5: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Psalm 23:1,2

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters."

See how studying the Word of God through Scripture can lead to better Health and Hope

Agood night's sleep is crucial to our health and well being. The American Heart Association is also affirming that it's also one of the best ways to good heart health. That is worth our awareness towards heart disease as it kills more Americans than any other cause of death.

To show the important link of sleep and a health heart, The American Heart Association is saying sleep is its key calculation. Sleep joins other important factors such as: diet, exercise, blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressure.

The health experts and other institutions say adults should have seven to nine hours of sleep every night, with not many to no interruptions. Our bodies need all that time to begin repairing and resetting; doctors say without it, our heart will pay a price.

The research also shows that people who sleep less than six hours a night could triple their risk of heart disease. The trouble is not enough sleep in the deep stage; this is when blood pressure and heart rates drop as much as 20 percent, reducing the stress on the heart. Also, throughout this sleep period the brain releases growth hormones to help the heart recuperate from the demands it faces all during the day.

Cardiologist, Deepak R. Talreja, M.D. with Sentara Healthcare said that sleep is key to the heart health, but regrettably, today over half of all adults do

not get enough sleep and sleep deprivation is more common now than it was in past generations. He said, "As our society has gotten busier and busier and we're all available 24/7 with devices that connect us all the time, most Americans don't get enough sleep." He sees it now taking a toll on many people. "When someone is sleep deprived, it affects their overall functional status, their mental state, they tend to have more problems with depression, pessimism, anxiety. Then there are direct effects on inflammation, on heart rhythm issues, and on

the presence of heart disease."

Dr. Deepak R. Talreja says to his patients the path to better sleep is with the right environment. Their bedrooms should be cool, quiet, it is okay to have white noise machines going to cover up noises from outside. Then you need to find the best time to go to bed and continue with that. He said, "Set an alarm to remind you, just like you have a wake up alarm, a go-to sleep alarm can be very helpful."

Try to stay away from electronics before bedtime, you should turn them off or silence them to avoid interruptions throughout the night. If you do wake up during the night, do not go to your smartphone. He said, "We're tempted to pull our devices quickly if we're having a little bit of a hard time sleeping and look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or do

things that one would introduce light to our environment, that will rev us up instead of us quieting down for the night."

Another good way of getting a good night sleep and is very important for us is exercise.

He said, "That way when it comes time for sleep, your body's ready for it. Someone who doesn't do anything physical during the day, they haven't really worn out their body so they're not ready to sleep."

Dr. Deepka Talreja said that one of his star patients who decided to change his ways, Severino Tiaba, works out daily and now goes to bed at nine.

He said, "Now that I'm getting older, it's

routine. The kids are out of the house. It's just me and my wife."

Severino Tiaba decided to make many changes after he suffered a heart attack six years ago.

He said, "My chest was burning real bad. I had my wife take me to the emergency room because I felt like I needed to get checked out and it just got worse."

His near death experience persuaded Severino, who before the heart attack was a beer drinking, junk food cigar smoker, to do the 180 degree turn. He said, " I wanted to be around to see my grandkids."

Severino Tiaba then started to follow Dr. Deepka Talreja's medical advice to

switch to more of a healthy diet to help his heart. Dr. Talreja always recommends a plant based eating plan that will decrease saturated fat, processed foods and sugar.

Severino loves the Mediterranean diet. He said, " I eat a lot of fruits, a lot of vegetables, a lot of grains. No more red meat, no more pork. So I eat a lot of cold water fish, salmon, mackerel, and poultry."

Severino decided to give up alcohol except an occasional glass of red wine, and he quite smoking cigars.

Dr. Talreja said, "The biggest risk factor for heart disease in this era is still smoking. Quitting smoking is by far the single most important thing a person can do."

Dr. Talreja said people are better able to help their heart health by changing gradually and with other peoples' help. He said, "First, introduce more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Cut down fried food and fast food, cut down soda. Pick specific goals you can achieve, and then pull other people in your life into it. If a whole family decides together they're going to eat more healthful, they're likely to succeed."

While heart disease is currently the number one killer, that can change. He said, "If we could get the average American to eat better, exercise, pay attention to their other risk factors, and sleep better. it would make a world of difference."

Entertainment

Angel Studios new movie 'His Only Son' makes crowd funding History

ThisBiblical drama is one of the emotional parts of scripture in the Bible; it's where God comes to Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his only son to Him, and it has made funding history.

"His Only Son" is the first theatrical movie to crowd fund for marketing funds so it could pay for the distribution and the advertising costs of the movie. The movie has been said to be "Biblically accurate." The movie was released on March 31st in theaters by Angel Studios, the streaming platform behind the most successful Christian crowd funded shows, The Chosen. Thousands of funders very quickly took advantage of an opportunity from Angel's crowd funding investment for the movie, "His Only Son"

to pay "P&A," this in the entertainment industry is known as "Prints & Advertising."

Neal Harmon, the

made up of Angel investors from every show, have rated this film with one of the highest scores we have

CEO and co-founder of Angel Studio said, "Crowdfunding for "His Only Son" reached capacity in 100 hours; we are responding to the demand from the audience by at least tripling the theater count nationwide and throwing our most valuable marketing resources behind the film. The Angel Guild,

ever received in our system."

The movie story follows how the Lord God tests Abraham, as He tells him to go the mountain of Moriah and take his son who was promised by God, with him, where he is to sacrifice him there on the mountain, as it says in Genesis Chapters 12-22 in the Old Testament of

the Bible. The scripture tells us that God had told Abraham that he would be the father of nations, then He continued to test Abraham after giving him his son Isaac. Here is a description of the movie that is on Angel Studio's website. It says, "This feature film illustrates that striking account, following Abraham, his son, and their two servants as they journey for three days to the place of the offering. Along the way, the men encounter dangers and trials as Abraham silently relives memories spanning the decades he and his wife, Sarah, longed for the son God had promised...the son he must now lay upon the altar."

Edaan Moskowitz who plays Isaac, follows his father Abraham who is played by Nicholas

Mouawad as they journeyed to the mountain of Moriah.

The studio investors who watched the motion picture on screen have described the movie as "The Chosen meets The Passion."

The movie's director, David Helling, is a U. S. Marine Corps veteran; he said it took him five years to make "His Only Son."

While he was serving his country in Iraq, he started reading the Bible. His strong faith has led him to make it his life's journey to bring Bible stories to theatres.

"His Only Son" stars Lebanese movie and TV actor Nicholas Mouawad as Abraham. Sara Seyed, Jasmine in the Netflix original series Young Wallander,

portrays Abraham's wife, Sarah.

Angel Studio is a family friendly, movie making strength who is behind the national distribution of "His Only Son." They have produced many successful shows which include: The Chosen, Dry Bar Comedy, and The Wingfeather Saga.

The Chosen is the first ever TV series, which is about the life of Jesus Christ. This was the first project for Angel Studio and it has brought hundreds of millions of people viewing it from around the world.

Christians who love movies are screaming for more movies on the Bible.

In January, when the creators of The Chosen decided to premier the last two episodes of

season three in theaters, people bought tickets so fast that it actually crashed the ticket website.

"His Only Son" also follows the very successful faith movie of Jesus Revolution. The movie potrays the true story of the Jesus Movement which took place in the 1970s. It showed how Pastor Chuck Smith welcomed hippies into his church as they were searching for the truth.

The movie was from Greg Laurie's book, Jesus Revolution, which shows "the true story of the national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and it's origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California."

After Greg Laurie was saved, he later started

the Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, and it is one of the largest churches in the country. The church has now sponsored its local SoCal Harvest event for the past three decades as it makes it one of the longest running evangelistic events in the country, as millions of people have attended the event.

Jesus Revolution stars Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie. Jonathan plays Jesus in the series Chosen.

Movie maker Jon Erwin of I Can Only Imagine, October Baby, I Still Believe, Mom's Night Out and American Underdog also directed Jesus Revolution

As of March 14th, the movie has made more than $39 million dollars at the box office.

IDF are seeking help from the US, and reinforce their defenses against Iran attack

InJerusalem, Israel, an important leader in Israel's defense ministry has been Washington. Israel is seeking some help to reinforce their defenses against a possible attack from Iran.

The Ministry Director, General Eyal Zamir said, "We held important meetings to promote significant projects focused on force buildup in the face of emergency security challenges, first and foremost, the Iranian nuclear program."

Eyal Zamir sat down with Pentagon officials less than a week after Israel started taking on rocket fire from Lebanon, Gaza Strip and Syria.

Yaakov Amidror who is a former top national security advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says that Israel may

have to prepare its forces for war without the help of the United

commitment to Israel's security because of recent agreements arranged

the Middle East. The world looks at Israel differently."

One of the main focus of Israel's military fortification is in its air defense systems, by turning Iron Dome anti missile batteries toward Lebanon and Syria instead of the Gaza Strip, until the long Muslim holiday of Ramadan is over. The main rocket and mortar hotspot has mainly been in the Gaza Strip, until recently as they are being fired from the southern area of Lebanon and Syria.

States. He said, "We need to prepare for war. It's possible that we will reach a point where we have to attack Iran even without assistance."

Yaakov Amidror also has doubt about President Biden's administration's

by China, between Tehran and U.S. Allies including Saudi Arabia. He said, "America is not the same America in terms of its presence, and the Iranians see that. The U.S. has much greater problems than

Recently, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for a "united front of Muslim countries" to come together against Israel, and he told Syrian President Bashar AlAssad in a phone call, "the crimes of the Zionist regime are a sign of weakness and proof of a bright and promising future for the resistance movement."

World News

Israeli forces put on alert after a holiday rocket attack from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza

Israel's government has put their forces on high alert after rockets were fired from Lebanon, Gaza Strip and for the first time in many years, Syria. Many of the experts are saying that Iran is the source of the attacks.

There were more than 30 rockets fired from Lebanon. They hit northern Israel and there were at least 6 rockets fired from Syria.

After the rocket attack on both its northern and southern Israel, which started in the beginning and went all throughout the Passover holiday, Israel in return shot back at targets that were inside the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.

Alex Traiman, who is Jerusalem Bureau Chief of Jerusalem News Syndicate said, "Just last week we saw the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, sitting together with Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, behind pictures

of the imams that lead the Islamic Republic, Khamenei, and Khomeini before that. So, there's no doubt that Iran is trying on every single front to attack the State of Israel."

Alex Traiman thinks that Iran is now sensing some weakness inside Israel. He said, "The Iranians are looking at what's going on inside Israel today, and that includes the debate and the protests over judicial reform, the challenges to the current government coalition, and are recognizing that this might be a prime time to test the strength and resolve of Israelis here in Israel, and to stage attacks."

In a clear move to hinder Iran's intruding, the U.S. Navy has deployed a guided missile submarine that is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles to the area. They have shown pictures of the submarine as it recently

went through the Suez Canal.

Israel is recently getting over a terror attack. An attack in Tel Aviv left several wounded including British and Italian tourists. The terrorist shot and killed a lawyer who was 35 years old, from Italy. The terrorist was also shot and killed by police.

Also, there were thousands of family members and friends who gathered together in Kfar Etzion in Judea as they attended the funeral of two BritishIsraeli sisters, Maia and Rena Dee. They were both murdered by Palestinian terrorists as they shot and killed the sisters in their car in northern Jordan Valley. The sister's mother was also shot and she remains in serious condition.

The flare up happened in Jerusalem when Muslim men barricaded themselves in the Al-

Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Israeli police had negotiated for them to leave but they refused to leave.

The police decided to enter, but the men then set off fireworks in retaliation and they threw stones at police.

The video spread all through the Muslim world, leading them to attack Israel.

The high tension is because the Muslims are celebrating Ramadan on the Temple Mount and the Jewish are celebrating Passover. This includes the priestly blessing at the Western Wall, and Christians gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Garden Tomb to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection.

It is very rare that all these holidays happen at the same time of year. This has added to the high tensions and it has just added more pressure on Israel to keep the peace.

Sports

The Huskies win their 5th Championship, Both teams give thanks to God

TheUniversity of Connecticut won their fifth national championship at the NCAA's Final Four in Houston. They beat the San Diego State by a score of 76-59.

We saw in this tournament that college basketball can be very unpredictable, and with many upsets and some great stories of teams that battled to the end, such as San Diego State.

The UConn Huskies pulled off their fifth national championship in 25 years that had them joining some great college basketball teams.

After their loss, San Diego State's #33, Aguek Arop was very emotional after the game.

He said, "I know we didn't win, but this is something that I dreamed of since I was a kid. I'm sure it's what we all dreamed of. But coming from humble circumstances to being here, I just praise God that

I get to share with these guys next to me and the guys in the locker room."

UConn's #2 Tristen

game.

He said, "I thank God for putting me in this position presenting me,

thankful."

UConn's #44 Andre Jackson, Jr. said he can not and will not separate his faith and who he is as a basketball player.

He said, "None of this would be even possible without God. I was sitting before the game, just sitting and listening to a lot of gospel music trying to calm myself down because I was nervous. But just having that faith in God allows me to be able to go out and perform in the way that I do and not worry about everything else and really just trying to every single day get closer to God because I know it's a journey."

Newton scored a double, double with 19 points and 10 boards in this big

blessing me with the talent and ability, so I'm really blessed and

Jackson also said, "God is the reason I'm here. Without God this would never be possible so God was the person who allowed me to keep having faith that my dreams could become reality, and God can do a lot of things and God is real."

A desperate prayer to God, 'Please Help Us, Save Us,' just as Tornado ripped through

Thisyear is one of the most active tornado seasons ever; it continues to bring destruction to parts of the United States. There have been more than 300 confirmed tornados, and twisters have been spotted since early this year and they have killed 68 people, as the average is 70 people for the whole year.

The forecasters have predicted that it's not over just yet as another line of storms is now stretching out from the deep South to western New York, which has 30 million Americans on alert.

This deadly huge storm system that is currently driving through the middle of the state is the third storm in just a couple of weeks. The last storm to go through generated 14 reported tornados in a span of 36 hours... this included Iowa, Illinois and other states.

Meteorologists said

that the EF2 tornado that had winds of up to 130 miles per hour touched down in southeastern Missouri, just before sunrise; it had killed at least 5 people.

The damage from the storm was extensive as it had destroyed at least 12 buildings and damaged many more.

Keith Lincoln, who is a Glen Allen, Missouri resident said, "And you could hear everything just banging on the house. You could hear trees popping and everything, so it was very scary."

Keith Lincoln had huddled in his

bathtub with his wife as the tornado ripped through their home. Keith remembers their distressed prayer in the moment the tornado came through. He said, "Thanking my good Lord, 'Please help us.' My wife is praying, 'Save us. Save the house,' everything like that. And basically, He did."

The National Weather Service reported that the tornado had stayed on the ground for 15 minutes and it created a 20 mile path of destruction.

The Missouri Governor Mike Parson went to see the damage.

He said, "It's going to be weeks upon months to be able to recover. It's a long journey ahead for the people that live here."

The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, said the tornado had killed one person there over night.

Reports are still coming in on the substantial damage. They include a house that was cut in two by a falling tree. The resident Judy Witt said that she did not hear the tree come down. She said, "We did not hear that tree fall, never did."

Operation Blessing is now on the ground there, doing what they do best, helping all the people, including the residents, volunteers, and workers, as they are ministering to them and feeding them. God bless them all.

The strong storms are heading east and they are expected to be severe.

A teammate lead Mark to the decision to follow Jesus Christ

one hundred and fifty seven innings with an incredible 1.72 ERA, a 14-6 win record along with his ten saves. Mark also showed amazing class, as he turned down the chance to pitch five more innings to meet the bare minimum and steal the ERA title away from Roger Clemens.

Mark once again was an effective reliever for the Blue Jays in 1987. But by 1988, either the teams in the league had figured out how to hit the ball off Mark with his unconventional pitching or the work load of innings total from the previous two years had caught up to him and he started to backslide in both 1988 and 1989. In 1990, Mark started to regain his pitching touch and he began a string of successful seasons that would continue through the 1994 season; this included excellent seasons for the California Angels in 1991 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1994. Mark then returned to the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade during the 1992 and 1993 seasons and playoffs for the Blue Jays. Mark was extremely effective in the limited duties, he appeared in exactly one game each series, and he surrendered no runs in four and a third innings played.

Mark then missed the entire 1995 season, but he did return to play in 1996 with the California Angels, although he was playing way below the league average.

Athletes for Christ

Because of that, he retired after the 1996 season. Mark was featured on the PBS special program "Small Ball" as the coach of his son's Little League baseball team.

Mark's Toronto Blue Jays teammate, Jesse Barfield, help lead Mark to make the biggest decision of his life, to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

To his day, Mark likes signing his autographs by placing behind his signature, the scripture of Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Mark Eichhorn with the Toronto Blue Jays

1982, 1986 - 1988 & 1992-1993

Recipe

Zaatar mixture:

• 1 tsp Thyme • ½ tsp Marjoram • 1 tsp Coriander

• 1 ½ tbsp Sesame Seeds • Mix and put aside

In large Bowl, measure out:

• 3 ¼ c Flour • ½ tsp Salt

In small bowl, mix together:

• 1 tsp Sugar • ½ c lukewarm Water • 6 tbsp Olive Oil • 1 tbsp B. Powder

• Add oil mixture to flour, adding extra 1/2 c-3/4 c lukewarm water to form into a soft dough

• Preheat oven to 450 deg

• Transfer dough onto floured surface, cutting dough into 8 pcs.; form into balls

• Roll out each ball to an elongated shape • Place each rolled bread on oiled baking tray

• Brush top of each bread with a little olive oil; sprinkle zaatar mixture on top

• Bake for 7-8 min.

John 6:48 "I am the bread of life."

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit comforting, encouraging and blessing us. Thank You for helping us see our problems and situations from a fresh perspective, as a training ground for Your purpose.

I realize that every issue I face today will be a part of my future testimony for someone who cannot see a way out of their circumstances.

Thank You for Your promise of giving us hope and a future.

We love You and give You all the glory,

In your precious name, Amen

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

The Rapture, the Tribulation and Christ's Return

Lukechapter 21 speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman armies. When the conquest was complete, not a single Jew was left alive in the city. Over one million Jews were killed and another 97,000 were taken captive. The Jewish nation was obliterated and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and became a desolation.

In 1948, after almost two thousand years in exile, Israel was miraculously established, but it wasn't until 1968 that Jerusalem again became the territory of the nation of Israel, when the Jordanian troops were driven out. However, according to the Bible, Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the 'time of

the Gentiles be fulfilled.' God has a purpose in the 'time of the Gentiles,' and that is to spread the gospel throughout the whole world. During

received it. This partial hardening of heart for Israel prevents the nation from accepting Christ as Messiah until God's plans are finished. When

(Daniel 9:24-27) and is made up of people who have, by faith, accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord. However, this present age will come to an end when Jesus returns in power and glory to save His own and judge His enemies. The majority of Christians believe that His return will come in three phases:

1) The Rapture of the Church:

1 Thessalonians

4:16-17 describes the Rapture as:

this period of time, God's grace gives others an opportunity to become part of His kingdom before He gathers His church together unto Himself. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, they were temporarily cut off from the blessings of a relationship with God. So the gospel was given to the Gentiles, and they

the time is right, God will restore the entire nation, and they will, once again, come to faith in Him, ending the 'time of the Gentiles.' So right now, we're living in a period of God's extended grace to man, known as the Church Age. In prophetic history, the Church Age falls between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Pre-Tribulation believers feel they will not go through the coming Tribulation. Jesus tells us to pray always that we be found worthy to escape the horrible destruction that is destined to come. Whether you believe in Pre-Tribulation, MidTribulation, or PostTribulation, one thing is true for all: the Church may experience some turmoil leading up to it. We are to carry out the Lord's work until He returns to take us home. Jesus warns us to watch for His return by being spiritually ready and working faithfully at the tasks He has given us. Don't let your mind and spirit be dulled by careless living or foolishly pursuing pleasure.

2) The 7-year Tribulation: Before the Second Coming (the Day of the Lord), the time of the Great Tribulation will take place for a period of seven years, the remaining seven year period appointed to the Jewish people as stated in Daniel chapter 9. This is a seven-year period of prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, Daniel's seventieth week.

During this seventieth week, or the seven year Tribulation, strange and cosmic happenings will occur. These judgments

will cause terror and confusion throughout the entire world. Jesus tells us that the earth will be in commotion, with earthquakes, trembles, reeling to and fro and the people alive at that time will be filled with unparalleled fright. There will be war, famine and death. The terror will be so great that people will faint and be ready to die in view of the approaching calamities. The sun will be darkened, the moon will be bathed in blood and the stars will fall from heaven. The book of Revelation speaks of a star, Wormwood, falling from heaven and striking the earth midway through the Tribulation, poisoning the fresh water system and making it bitter. For awhile now, there has been talk of earth experiencing a dramatic close encounter with the Asteroid Apophis on Friday, April 13th, 2029. Although scientists say that the chance of this hitting the earth is only 2.7 percent, many studies are being done to determine the effect it may have on tidal forces, being only 31,000 km. from our planet.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 speaks of the attitudes and actions of people during the Tribulation as well.

During this era, the love of men shall wax cold and sin will abound. Many false prophets will arise before the Second Coming and great upheavals will take place. As Daniel 7:7-8 says, one man, the Antichrist, will speak arrogantly against God, but will captivate the attention and administration of the world with his attractiveness (Daniel 7:20), magnetic personality and eloquence during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. However, during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, his rise to power will be inconspicuous and he will personify Satan himself with all power, signs and lying wonders. Every living person on earth at that time will be forced to worship him (Revelation 13:8) and will have to take his mark, the mark of the beast (666), in order to buy and sell. And if you resist, there will be terrible persecution, torture, suffering and death (Revelation 13:8).

There are also these signs to watch for:

1) The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem: There are prophetic events yet to happen which requires a Temple. Midway during the Tribulation, the

Antichrist will walk into the Holy of Holies inside the Temple and proclaim to be God. And when Jesus returns a second time, He will begin His millennial reign on earth from the Temple. These events cannot happen if there is no Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.

2) The Ezekiel war: Israel will lower her defenses when the Antichrist makes a seven-year peace treaty with her, where he promises to protect the Israeli nation (Ezekiel 38:11). Ezekiel chapters 38-39 prophesizes an invasion of Israel involving modern day "stan" countries (Magog), Russia (Rosh), Iran (Persia), territories in modern Turkey (Meshech/Tubal), Germany (Gomer), Turkey (Togarmah), Sudan/Ethiopia (Cush) and Libya (Put).

3) The Second coming of Christ: At the end of the seven-year Tribulation period, Jesus will return in power and glory with His Church. Mark 13:32-37 says, "But on that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking

a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Everyone on earth at that time will witness Christ's arrival. When Christ comes to judge the world at the last day, He will redeem all of His people from all their grievances. And the foresight of that day is as pleasant to all Christians as it is terrible to all unbelievers. The final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history, when God will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.

As I mentioned earlier, we are living in the last Church Age, known as

Laodicea. Jesus does not mince words when He describes the Laodicean Church as 'asleep, blind, naked, wretched, and lukewarm' (Revelation 3:14). These are harsh words from an all-seeing God, but nonetheless true. The Church in this age has enough Scripture to get people saved, but also has enough Scriptural error to seriously mislead these people. We pick and choose and modify the words of the Bible until we get a watered-down version of what works for us. This is what the Bible refers to as the Laodicean Church - a church that makes up its own beliefs to suit them.

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end-time events, Jesus' main concern was that the church would be deceived. Our biggest danger is that we are fooled to move away from Scripture. It is astonishing how much knowledge is out there today, but yet we lack the

discernment to be able to distinguish truth from error. In a pandemic era, some Christians fear that a vaccine in the arm is the mark of the beast, simply because they do not know Scripture.

The Laodicean church age ends in the battle at Armageddon, with mankind fighting against God. Jesus comes on the day of the Lord to destroy those who give their military power to the Beast. Christ then sets up a true world kingdom, with Jerusalem as the centre of government. Jesus rules the world with His Bride, the true church from the seven church ages for one thousand years.

Finally, the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved. The earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed and the new heaven and the new earth will be formed (Revelation 21) which becomes the dwelling

place of all those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 20:11-15).

Jesus is meant to be our First Love. Strive to have that deep relationship with Him by reading your Bible, studying the Scriptures and praying with a fervent heart. When we begin to grow in grace, God gives us the mind of Christ, so that we are able to understand the Bible when it is taught to us. Don't conform to some cookie-cutter pattern of a specific religious denomination that picks and chooses out of Scripture what works for them. We are to make a difference in this world, and the only way we can do that is to know what God says in His Word. Be filled with the Spirit and become a beacon of light and help to lead lost souls to Christ. Let's pray that God is able to use us to further His Kingdom in this world and to make us worthy for Heaven in the world to come.

WOOD Ministries

Written by: Donna Wood

Photo by: Stock

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

(Luke 21:28)

Movie Review

Resurrection of Christ”

guard the tomb of Jesus because of the prophecy that Jesus will rise from the grave. The Pharisees do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah who will rise again after three days, but rather believe that Jesus’ disciples would come and steal Jesus’ body in order to make the prophecy true.

Clavius sends soldiers to the tomb to guard it, but they fell asleep. The next day, the soldiers come forward and says that Jesus’ body was gone from the tomb. Clavius is now at fault for not making sure more was done to protect the body.

assisting Clavius with the search, is able to find one man who knows about Jesus’ followers. The two manage to bribe the man to give them the information they need. When they find and catch Mary Magdalene, she tells them they won't find Jesus’ body because He has risen.

After more of Jesus’ followers are brought to Clavius, he wonders if what they are telling him could be true. Will Clavius begin to see the truth about Jesus and the resurrection?

Themovie, Risen, is about a nonbelieving Roman soldier who hunts for Jesus Christ's body, as he didn't know that Jesus had risen from the dead. Risen is almost the follow-up to Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion, with a few killing scenes but with a powerful Christian, biblical view and the

reality of Jesus Christ's resurrection.

Clavius is a Roman military Tribune often called upon by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, to lead missions. Pilate sends Clavius to make sure the Roman soldiers crucified Jesus correctly. The Pharisees came to Pilate to tell him that the soldiers needed to

Pilate tells Clavius he must go out and investigate and find Jesus’ body, so Clavius gives the order to dig up all the recently dead bodies in order to hopefully find Jesus’ body.

As the days go by, even the smell of the dead bodies doesn't bother the hardened heart of Clavius. Lucius , who is

This powerful, dramatic movie is very well done with great suspense, excellent acting and is a great movie to bring a secular friend to see, as it shows a skeptical non-believer turning to faith.

After watching this movie with your friends or families, tell them about the rest of the story in the Bible; or better yet, suggest they read the Bible for themselves, or read the Bible to them.

“The

"Longing for Zion in Captivity" Bible Study

Thehistorical background of Psalm 137 is very sad. The people of God had sinned and rebelled against Him and had failed to heed centuries of warnings and found themselves living with the consequences of disobedience. In 586 BC, soldiers from Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah and took the Jewish people as prisoners to Babylon. After seventy years in exile, in 536 B.C., every Jew who wanted to return to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and restore the temple was allowed to do so.

We can imagine the Jews in exile meeting by the Babylon and Tigris rivers, reminiscing about Jerusalem and Zion. Zion was one of the hills that they had built the city of Jerusalem on.

The psalmist spoke of the Babylonians taunting the exiled Jews to sing songs about their Lord while held captive, but they had hung up their

harps because it was too painful to sing to the Lord in a foreign land. The Jewish people just wanted to hurt the people that hurt them and destroyed their city. Once the psalmist returned home to Jerusalem again, he hoped that somebody would destroy Babylon, since Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem. He was invoking God to fulfill the promise He had given to Jeremiah the prophet, to curse the nation that had cursed them. Jeremiah 51:56 says, “...Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, and

her mighty men are taken. Every one of their bows is broken; for the Lord is the God of recompense, He will surely repay.” God had promised to fully repay Babylon and to level its walls, which was no small thing, since Babylon was

surrounded by a wall extending 42-45 miles, 11 feet thick and 75 feet high. And He did; in 516 B.C., Persia (now Iran) destroyed Babylon. Also, in Isaiah 13:16, Isaiah prophesied God’s judgment on Babylon because of her sins. He prophesied that their little ones would be dashed to pieces before their

eyes… a cruel judgment, but Babylon would reap what they sowed. It is easy to identify with the psalmist’s anger. He cries out to God to act and judge Babylon’s evil. The entire human race has, at one time or another though, rebelled against God. There are nations standing in grave danger of God’s judgment now because of their immorality and lawlessness, unless there is widespread repentance and revival. Through His grace and patience, God offers the opportunity to repent. His plan is to bless those who bless His people and curse those who curse them.

When the psalmist prays for Babylon to have its children dashed against the rocks, he is asking that the law of retribution (re. Deut. 19:21: “Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”) be carried out through

God's means to punish Babylon. This is not the same as personal revenge on enemies, however. The Bible explicitly tells us to love our enemies. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

We see that portrayed with Joseph and his love for his brothers, even though they threw him in a pit and later sold him for twenty sheckels of silver.

Also, David showed kindness to King Saul who was trying to kill him. On a personal level, both Jesus and Paul showed love for their enemies, but on a

judicial level, they called down God’s judgment upon men who perverted God’s truth.

There are a few messages in this Psalm for us and one of them is to offer the free grace of God through the cross to those opposed to Christ. The same blood, however, that offers mercy to those who repent brings condemnation to those who refuse to repent. This Psalm opens our eyes to the horror of sin. The psalmist wants us to have an emotional reaction and to motivate us to action. Although to use violence to fight sin is wrong, so is passivity.

Just like Babylon taunted the Jews, the world taunts the Christian today. But it

knows nothing of the joys of being a child of God. Even though we live in the world, we are not part of the world. The Jews stood firmly for the Lord, refusing to play their harps in Babylon.

In spite of Jerusalem’s defeat and Babylon’s power, there could be rebuilding and hope. You can trust in God’s promises, even when circumstances are bleak.

Mighty Babylon was destroyed, and Jerusalem was rebuilt. No matter how difficult our situation, we can always trust in the Lord.

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who

carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, oh Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth – If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, oh Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation! Oh daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us! Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock! (Psalm 137:1-9)

JESUS A V E S

Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to Heaven

Come to Him now, before it's too late!