The Eulah Creek Bridge is very slowly being replaced. Nice morning for riding today. #cycling #Narrabri #Biketooter
Today’s Bike Ride
Month: July 2023
Quote for the Day
Whether you are in a situation filled with uncertainty or Jesus is calling you to take a step of faith and “walk on water,” you can be assured that Jesus is always in control. The storms in your life still must obey Him. Tammy Hotsenpiller
Reflection on Matthew 18: 1-10
Scripture
“What sorrow awaits the world, because it’s tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”
Observation
The disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Jesus replies that we must turn from our sins and become like children to get inside the Kingdom. Anyone who becomes humble like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom.
Anyone who causes a “little one” (whether a child or a believer in Christ) to fall into sin will be judged so terribly that they would be better off with a millstone tied around their neck and cast into the sea. Temptation is inevitable, but sorrow awaits the one who tempts people.
If we are led Into temptation, we should cut off the offending parts of our body. It is better to enter eternity maned then to be thrown into the flames of Hell.
Application
It is one thing to sin ourselves, but infinitely worse if we cause somebody else to sin.
The world system, and those who participate in it, will be judged harshly by God for this reason.
When we look around at the temptations that our society exhorts us to indulge, it is no wonder that Jesus is so harsh. The world encourages us to lust after people, to engage in sexual promiscuity, to indulge in sexual depravity, to drink too much alcohol, to covet cars, houses, and other goods, to be gluttons, to despise authority, and so on.
Jesus shows us a very different way to live. It is not that we should reject everything the physical world offers, or all that society gives, but that we focus our attention on serving the Lord.
We must, therefore, ensure that we resist the seductions of the world. Above all, we must take care not to lead others into sin.
Prayer
Father God, you call me to live a life of simplicity and trust. Please help me to live in a way that pleases you. Amen.
Quote for the Day
Fasting is an act of our will, a discipline of our flesh. It teaches us not to rely on the sustenance of the world but to seek a higher satisfaction, a higher purpose. Tammy Hotsenpiller
Lfesite News: Conservatives warn new ‘Barbie’ movie contains pro-LGBT, feminist propaganda
From Lifesitenews.com:Conservatives warn new ‘Barbie’ movie contains pro-LGBT, feminist propaganda
The film features a gender-confused man portraying a female doctor and themes that belittle men.
YouTubeWed Jul 5, 2023 – 6:17 pm EDT
(LifeSiteNews) — Conservatives are spreading the word about details contained in the highly anticipated “Barbie” movie, warning the public that the film includes LGBT and feminist narratives.
A gender-confused man portraying a female doctor and overarching themes that belittle men in the name of gender equality are some of the concerns raised by conservatives ahead of the July 21 release date.
The film is based on the wildly popular fashion doll Barbie, which was originally released over 60 years ago by the American toy manufacturer Mattel. In the first live-action interpretation of the dolls, the main characters — a Barbie accompanied by male counterpart Ken — leave the safety of “Barbie Land” and venture out into “the real world” on a self-discovery mission.
The movie is categorized as a comedy, fantasy and adventure and is rated PG-13 (parental guidance suggested for children under age 13). Conservatives, however, have gone a step beyond this general age recommendation, emphasizing left-wing content that may not be at the forefront of parents’ minds when their daughters ask them to see a movie depicting their favorite toy.
Normalizing transgenderism
In a June 29 Twitter post, Daily Signal reporter Mary Margaret Olohan repeated the fact that a self-identified “transgender” actor would portray a female doctor in the film, despite being a biological male.
“There’s a TON of hype around this movie,” Olohan pointed out, adding that the gender-confused actor “is well aware of the impact that a biological man playing a female Barbie will have.”
Olohan referred to an April 4 post by the actor — who goes by the name Hari Nef — in which he announced he would play a female doctor in the upcoming film. Nef reportedly wrote to the director and requested certain scheduling changes to enable him to be able to take the role. In his previous post — shared again by Olohan — Nef shared a piece of the letter.
“Identity politics and cinema aren’t my favorite combination, but the name BARBIE looms large over every American woman,” he wrote. “Barbie’s the standard; she’s The Girl; she’s certainly THE doll.”
Nef added that he and his “other transgender girlfriends” refer to themselves as “the dolls,” ironically noting that “underneath the word ‘doll’ is the shape of a woman who is not quite a woman — recognizable as such, but still a fake.”
“’Doll’ is fraught, glamorous; she is, and she isn’t. We call ourselves ‘the dolls’ in the face of everything we know we are, never will be, and hope to be. We yell the word because the word matters. And no doll matters more than Barbie.”
But Nef isn’t the only person intent on sending a promotional message of gender ideology through the film. Director Greta Gerwig told the LGBT magazine Out that “we are opening the doors to the Barbie universe” with the movie.
“There’s no way we could have told this story without bringing in the LGBTQ+ [sic] community, and it was important for us to represent the diversity that Mattel has created with all of the different Barbies and Kens that exist today,” she said.
Three of the project’s actors, including Nef, have also been featured on the cover of the magazine’s latest issue and described as “the LGBTQ+ dolls of Barbie.” Actress Alexandra Shipp self-identifies as “queer” and actor Scott Evans as gay.
Belittling men and traditional gender roles
On top of the LGBT themes, the “Barbie” movie is also inundated with feminist narratives. As sarcastically noted by Daily Wire co-founder and podcast host Ben Shapiro, “we need another movie saying men are unnecessary in society — because that’s worked out amazingly well for feminism over the course of the last 50 years, in which women, by every metric, are unhappier than they were in the 1970s.”
During a recent episode of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” the conservative host commented on an interview wherein “Barbie” actresses discussed the left-wing message the film sends about gender roles. Specifically, Shapiro reacted to a statement made by Kate McKinnon, who declared that “gender roles deny people half of their humanity.”
He promptly rejected “the notion that women ought to be feminine and men ought to be masculine … as a general expectation … denies people.”
“You know what denies people their humanity? Not allowing them to be what they are. Women are feminine. Men are masculine. Telling them that women ought to be masculine and men ought to be feminine is absurd.”
Shapiro also pointed out that the determination to portray the men in the film as supporting characters wasn’t necessary, as “Ken was always an afterthought” next to Barbie.
McKinnon, who also stars in the film, has openly shared her lesbian lifestyle for years.
‘It’s not for kids’
A conservative mother and writer who uses the pseudonym Peachy Keenan told Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last week that she was originally excited for the “Barbie” movie but “had no idea” the LGBT themes that were present. After seeing a cover story in Time Magazine that featured the gender-confused Nef posing as a female, Keenan dug deeper and found that the film had been given a PG-13 rating and inserted a “dirty sex joke” in its official trailer.
“I was kind of prepared for Barbie as the feminine girl boss escaping her dream life for the real world … but I was really surprised to see a man as a Barbie,” she said. “I’m not afraid a transgender woman — in other words, a biological man in a dress — is going to molest my children, is a pedophile necessarily, [but] it’s really about psychological grooming.”
Keenan explained that taking her 7-year-old daughter to see the “Barbie” movie could easily lead to the child later realizing that one of the female characters “was actually a boy,” and that such impersonation could be justified as reality by not being able to tell the difference between the male and female actors.
“But that is sort of psychologically grooming them to accept it, to think it’s totally fine, completely normal, and that little boys can, in fact, grow up to be female Barbie dolls,” Keenan added. “It’s not for kids.”
Though the most recent example, this is not the first time that gender ideology has been pushed on children through Barbie dolls. As LifeSiteNews has reported over the years, the manufacturer Mattel has caved to left-wing agendas through accessories promoting gay “marriage” and entertained the idea of creating same sex couple toy sets. In 2019, the company launched a line of so-called “gender inclusive” dolls with a ”transgender” figure following in 2022.
Reflection on Matthew 17: 22-27
Scripture
Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered? ” Peter replied, “The people they have conquered.” “Well then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free!”
Observation
Jesus again tells the disciples that He will be betrayed into the hands of His enemies to be killed, but He will rise on the third day.
In Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple Tax ask Peter if Jesus pays the tax. He tells then, “yes”. Jesus then ask Peter whether kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered.
Jesus concludes that the citizens of the kingdom are free. But He sends Peter to go down to the lake where he will catch a fish that will have a coin in its mouth.
Application
Every adult in Israel was required to pay half a shekel each year to pay for the maintenance of the temple. Jesus stated that, as citizens of God’s Kingdom, they were exempt, but He provided the money for the tax anyway.
Christians are required to pay taxes in our society. Our taxes do not go to support the old covenant worship, but to providing services for people. We might argue about Government priorities, but we cannot claim to be exempt from taxes.
Jesus’ death and resurrection brought the old covenant to an end. The new Temple is the people who make up the covenant community. It is no longer a physical building but a spiritual reality.
There is no need for us to pay the temple tax. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Lord, it is an awesome thing to realise that I carry the Holy Spirit in the same way that the temple was once considered your dwelling place. Amen.
Quote for the Day
God always has a plan. He has a miracle in the works. The question is, What do you see—what the enemy is doing or what God is doing? Tammy Hotsenpiller
Reflection on Matthew 17:10-20
Scripture
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Observation
Jesus and the three disciples come down from the mountain, where a man comes and kneels before Jesus. He pleads for Jesus to heal his son. He asked the disciples, but they could do nothing.
Jesus is exasperated by this lack of faith. He rebukes the demon, and it leaves.
The disciples ask Jesus why they could not remove the demon. Jesus replies that if they had only a mustard seed of faith, nothing would be impossible for them.
Application
Jesus rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. Even a mustard seed of faith would be enough to move a mountain, much less heal a sick boy.
This is a rebuke for all of us. We just don’t have enough faith.
We fail to experience miracles because our faith is so tiny, so insignificant as to be meaningless.
I think that Jesus is trying to tell us that we need to trust Him more, especially with the big issues in life.
How do we get faith? By believing.
We have to make that decision to walk by faith and not by sight, to believe what God’s word says, not by what our eyes see or a doctor tells us.
This is not to say that we will become a sideshow of miracle workers. No, it is normal Christian living..When faced with opposition or a lack of something, we say to the devil,“You have no authority here. Be gone! “
Prayer
Lord, a mustard seed of faith is all that I need to see you at work. Please plant that in my spirit and cause it to grow in me. Amen
Quote for the Day
In today’s fasting lesson, we read that the children of God continued their fasting tradition even in the midst of their rebellion and disobedience. Fasting for them was routine, a practice that was part of their religious culture. But God was not impressed. Tammy Hotsenpiller
Reflection on Matthew 17: 1-9
Scripture
But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ”This is my beloved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”
Observation
Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain to be alone. Jesus’ appearance is transformed, and His face shines like the sun. Moses and Elijah also appear.
Peter wants to build some shelters as memorials, but a cloud overshadows them and the Father speaks from the cloud. “This is my beloved Son.”
The disciple fall to the ground in fear. Jesus comes and touches them. He then tells them not to tell anyone about this event.
Application
This event, especially the voice of the Father speaking from the cloud, was overwhelming for the disciples. They were terrified, although they should have known that Jesus would keep them safe .
Sometimes getting a revelation from God can be very terrifying. We often think of the Holy Spirit as being gentle like a dove, and He is. But sometimes He manifests as a wild wind and tongues of fire.
I remember one lady who came to me and said that she had had an encounter with the Lord in which she experienced his wrath. Even though she had been serving the Lord for many years,it was in her own strength, and not from submission to God.
We need to be open to what the Lord wants to show us and teach us. Sometimes that will stir up unpleasant emotions, but it will always be good for us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, please reveal your true nature to me as you did for the disciples on on the Mount of Transfiguration. Amen.
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