“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
This one will be shorter and to the point. As most know by now I deal with personal Goober Gump type events that play into the big picture that we face today.
Readers of this series may remember a post I made back on 9/3 of this year titled Ghosts. It was personal observations of a couple of men on the fringes of my family’s past that undoubtedly were operatives for some arm of our federal government. Ghost #1 was the oldest son from a previous marriage of an uncle. My uncle had been in the Navy in WW II and accepted reassignment back to his native Anderson County, TN area to be a firefighter for the Secret City and DOD facilities where atomic bomb research and development were occurring that eventually led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan that ended the war.
As an aside, most people do not understand or think about the danger that was involved in that role he and others accepted. As if volatile atomic bomb development related activities were not enough of a concern, the process was prone to fires due to the excessive heat involved in processing. Contamination by radioactive materials was a real thing. There was also a risk of sabotage even with the high security. Captured and otherwise turned Nazi scientists were housed there and involved due to their expertise. It was in this environment my uncle met his first wife and began having a family.
Another example: There was a raid by elite American forces into Germany during the war. The subject of the raid was to take an existing uranium stockpile being used in German research. For what it is worth, the history of this raid has been largely scrubbed from the internet. I will no longer try to link it, I will simply tell you I have stood on the fully abated concrete pad where the uranium formerly sat for a couple of decades in 55 gallon drums exposed to the elements. An internationally noted environmental engineer confirmed its existence there to me as did the owner of the manufacturing facility and property at that time, which was in the early 1990’s. Both stated that the steel drums rusted with the weather and the resulting contaminants leaked into the nearby creek with each rain, which then flowed into the nearby TVA created recreational lake which is now used for collegiate rowing team competitions, but once was fished by local residents who were largely unaware of the contamination.
The military that completed the raid assignment would not have been well prepared for the task with the protections provided today. One might be able to assume they did not live long or well afterwards. The sacrifices of war long after the shooting stops on full display.
It was also no surprise that my uncle later died of cancer in his 60’s as well. Mercury, uranium, and other contaminant exposure was prevalent throughout the plant facilities, city and waterways. Over time it has been removed and incinerated. However, that process took over fifty years to get done. Those that participated in the annual deer hunts on the DOD/DOE reservation probably thought they could cook the chemicals and elements out of venison.
As my story stated, a divorce later broke the family apart with my uncle’s children leaving with their mother and moving closer to her family in Alabama. The oldest son left with them at first, but soon returned to east TN to finish high school and later supposedly joined the Peace Corps. It was not long afterwards that he moved to Medellin, Columbia where he told the family he was an English teacher. His personal life became a dark secret and if he ever married none of his family were aware. He would send a card or short letter to my uncle and aunt, who had become his stepmother, on occasion. His visits through the years were rare in occurrence and short in duration. In the later years they only happened at the funerals after both passed away.
My father and I handled the closing of my aunt’s estate. We read through old letters and cards from Columbia from the son looking for clues, but nothing of substance was found. His two siblings had similar experiences and the last time each saw him was at the funeral of my aunt. When both of them also passed years later they did not even list him as a brother in the obituaries. The Ghost had disappeared from all of our lives.
My father and I both would talk about my aunt and uncle for several years afterwards. We both laughed about her seemingly irrational hatred for anybody in the Bush family. I attributed it to her teachers’ union membership and Dem political leanings, but it seemed deeper than that. Neither of us had ever known anybody else she ever hated or over whom she became that animated. She was a low key, non-judgmental, friendly sort of person. At the time I was too uninformed to draw any conclusions. I just knew the Ghost cared a good amount about my uncle and aunt based on the correspondence and the visits. It was probably enough to inform them of more than was openly stated. I also knew both of them would keep his secret, they were that type of people.
It is into this strange situation I link the following for those who have not read it. A Family Affair…
I greatly appreciate what Joe Lange has brought to the world of late. I highly recommend all of his posts. He is going deep and he is going there. I pray he is protected and blessed by the Lord. Truth tellers are always at risk at this level of exposure of the misdeeds of others.
One of my observations from his post is that JEB! was placed into a shill role in Lehman Brothers at the debt markets collapse of The Great Recession of 2008. The Lehman disaster was much larger than the Bear Stearns collapse, a company that I posted about in the related BIMD’s that I had business banking dealings with during the period leading up to their bankruptcy. Lehman triggered the worldwide avalanche that followed. However, they were doing exactly what Bear was doing that led to their demise, just on a much larger scale. As we learn from Joe’s article the losses were going to prove to be too much for even globalist cartel kingpins to bankroll.
Which once again tells the world what side the Bush family was (is) on and one thing for certain, it was not MAGA and We the People. That Lehman hired JEB! tells us something about them and who they were aligned with as well.
Joe also reveals the Miami connections which are deeply interconnected with Cuban exiles, cartels, Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela primarily. These extend into NYC, the Street and of course, into DC. Is there another famous, highly celebrated person from NYC in those days we know who bought an aging large mansion and estate in nearby Palm Beach, FL in 1985? Seemingly this was occurring right in the middle of the activities of HW, JEB! and cronies with some Jeffrey Epstein mixed in for adult pedophile and blackmailing entertainment.
Sort of a well placed, convenient purchase, huh?
Now, think back to the 2020 presser when PDT announced there would be a Naval and Air Force led effort to go after the drug and human trafficking routes in the Caribbean and east Pacific regions. The displeasure of Bush owned Barr and Milley was written all over their faces as it was rolled out that day. You could see the already planned and implemented “coup” against We the People and PDT in their countenances.
Which adds to our understanding of the connection of the Bushies, clowns, cartels and the NYT. In reality it is all legacy media in bed with this globalist apparatus.
JEB!’s slime ball buddy,Carlos Slim, made a $250 million loan to the NYT in 2008 when they were nearly bankrupt as the debt markets collapsed. They paid it off in 2011 and he exercised his stock warrants. He doubled his stock holdings in 2015 in anticipation of Hillary Clinton’s globalist predestined election. Oopsie. When that did not materialize he sold half of his interest two years later during PDT’s first term. So a Mexican cartel globalist bails out a clown newspaper rag only to reduce his holdings when PDT pulls off the unexpected. He even made money in the process while keeping his hold over the NYT for the clowns.
Goes a long way toward explaining what we see of the Bush family and their open hatred of PDT. Goes an even longer way in explaining their hatred of We the People so much that they would help execute an obvious election steal coup and subsequent Fedsurrection event that was known to more than 80% of the Uniparty Congress who participated in the “show” that is destroying lives of average citizens. All of it while the COVID bioweapon jabs are rolled out worldwide and throwing all of our national treasury toward a losing proxy war in Ukraine in an effort to distract and control We the People.
Liz Cheney proved herself an obvious deep state asset of the Bush family as are many others you may or may not know about. I brought you another such wealthy family from east Tennessee who play their parts – the Haslams. As an example there is Bill, the former two term GOP establishment governor whose career tanked when he openly trashed PDT and sided with his buddy, JEB!, and the rest of the Bush family. His political career is now over. He masqueraded as a devout Christian while supporting the vile behind the scenes and collecting billions of dollars from Warren Buffett and Berkshire with its acquisition of 80% of the family’s Pilot Flying J business empire. So just what exactly goes through all those trucking industry utilized travel centers nationwide along with the Buffett controlled BNSF Railway? With what we have learned, oil and illegal drug/human trafficking seems interconnected to the oil production and transportation industries.
Do we see a pattern here? Of course we do. What do you get when the Bush family, drug cartel czars, the Clinton family, Soetoro, globalists like Buffett and Gates, social media kings, propaganda media, and the clowns look in the mirror?
The same image of evil incarnate. Knowing These Truths (h/t to our friend) sets us free.
This is one guy who is anxiously awaiting the release of Joe Lange’s next article. Got a feeling more dots will be connected.
Another reminder of what our VSG said. From his lips to God’s ears.
This SPECIAL CYBER MONDAY open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
Say what you want, comment on what other people said, comment on people’s comments. Keep it civil. Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.
Today we continue our Thanksgiving Holiday 2023 with the inclusion of the more recent FIFTH DAY of the weekend, CYBER MONDAY. We remain thankful that we still have CASH, and don’t have to pay for things via embedded RFID chips in our hands, and wireless transmitters in our heads.
W
PS – if you bought a firearm this weekend, consider paying for some TRAINING to go with it. You can NEVER go wrong with professional training WITH your new firearm. Put enough rounds through it that you know exactly how it behaves. Then, make sure you have a PLAN for safekeeping of it. Have a great week!
“Victory begins with a PLAN.”
To Y’All:
This post was based on our emergency Black Friday post. We will return to our regularly scheduled classic Monday posts, in Wolf’s version of Wheatie style, next week.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, relaxing Saturday, and serene Sunday. See you in the comments!
This SPECIAL BLACK FRIDAY open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA world.
Say what you want, comment on what other people said, comment on people’s comments. Keep it civil. Treehouse rules, but expect lots of QAnon.
Today we continue our Thanksgiving, with thanks that we still have CASH, and don’t have to pay for things via embedded RFID chips in our hands, and wireless transmitters in our heads.
W
PS – if you do buy a firearm this weekend, consider paying for some TRAINING to go with it. You can NEVER go wrong with professional training WITH your new firearm. Put enough rounds through it that you know exactly how it behaves. Then, make sure you have a PLAN for safekeeping of it. Have a great weekend!
“Victory begins with a PLAN.”
To Y’All:
This was an emergency Black Friday Post. DePat has been very busy, she must be getting a well-deserved night’s sleep, and THE BOYS are jumping in with a quick substitute.
BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that you have a great Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or whatever. See you in the comments!
Some time back I was using Flep’s Twitter page–a longtime Q-Tree author–as a jumping off point to see what he was choosing to tweet about. He used to write nearly daily posts here at the Q-Tree sharing so much info on current events & his viewpoint was quite enlightening. He stepped away from the Q-Tree to focus on election issues in the lead-up to the 2020 election & hasn’t been by here much since then, that I am aware of.
Back then I was doing a series of posts inspired by Flep’s Tweets and actually had one in development still so I am taking Cthulhu’s advice again & working up one of my draft posts to fill in again for DP while she cares for her family.Please continue to lift DP in your prayers! I will leave what was gathered for that pending post below the black divider line that is about half-way down the page just to see what, if any, of the material is not being censored & to give us a snapshot from the pre-January 6 coup era to reflect upon.
DP stopped by yesterday to share news on her family situation here:
At about 1:30 this morning, my mother went to God. As per her family tradition, she waited until she was alone to do so. Both of her parents went that way, as well as a number of other relatives.
Thank you so much to all who have been doing the dailies. I anticipate being back for the Wednesday post next week. There are so many things we are in the middle of doing.
Please, pray for my sister who is exhausted. My dad is going to be lost.
Thanks for being here for us and praying.
DePat
So let’s see what is currently happening by using a number of resources to come up with leads on current events. By the way, I’m sorry if any of this material overlaps things that have recently been shared at the Q-Tree. Doing this fill-in back-to-back post work as DP is dealing with her family situation has made me realize how much of a sacrificial effort of love DP has been putting in, to develop FOUR back-to-back currently focused posts Every Week.DP has been doing such Herculean work to the benefit of the Q-Tree for such a long time–we owe her Many Thanks!!! Please keep her & her family in your prayers…
Note, I just added DP’s comment about her mom above but am not otherwise planning to tweak this post as it’s getting too near the midnight launching hour. I finished working on today’s post in the early hours on Tuesday & noticed that some of the links in this post were already shared in yesterday’s discussion. Thanks for ALL the wonderful thoughts & links the amazing Q-Tree family brings each day to keep Wolf’s Pack so well-informed AND armed for the many battles that are ongoing. You guys Absolutely ROCK!!!
Well my initial plan to begin with Flep’s tweets is now thwarted by the fact that his twitter account is closed I wonder if Flep left Twitter of his own volition or if he continues to be banned there, like me? Here is the most recent version of the Internet Archive where his Twit World account was still active:
Here’s a link to the pinned tweet thread from November 13, 2020 where Flep was doing a detailed analysis of the electoral fraud in Georgia related to Dominion. It’s interesting that the pinned tweet appears to have been saved through some French language version of Twitter that May have assisted Flep to dodge the censors for a while.
I hope Flep is doing OK & has found a good place to land with compatriots who are continuing to encourage him in the fight. I would Love to see him drop by the Q-Tree…
A cursory search for him via Yandex and his longer screen name of Fleporeblog did not return current material, unfortunately. Here is the most recent working link to his old blog:
OK strangely it’s possible that the powers that be were actively messing with Flep’s blog for there is this one from February 2019 that survives in the archives still:
I’m not going to keep looking to see if there are other examples of the blog being restored after disappearing. It sure looks like Flep was over the target!!!
Please forgive the way this post will appear as the links won’t be as well organized as DP does with her epic posts. My feet of clay will be clearly on display not that they are Ever very well hidden here at the Q-Tree!
Highlights from perusing Gab.com, no particular order:
So since I’m still banned on Twitter/X I now use Gab.com for primary social media interactions. I signed out of Gab to see what shows up on their main page of interest.
found at this Gab https://gab.com/David_Citizen/posts/111168000163454667
THE DEMONIC DEMS HEADED BY SATAN AND HIS HORDES WITHIN OUR U.S. GOVERNMENT are working 24/7, attacking those that have been in the forefront in the fight to uphold TRUTH, JUSTICE and THE AMERICAN WAY, like Mike Lindell. He’s not only stood strong for President Trump he stands strong and is outspoken in his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Men and women like them are sold out in their love for America and working hard to restore it to normalcy, sanity and the acknowledgement of the Great Creator, the Lord God Almighty!
The demonic Democrat hierarchs and their followers are evil to the core, illegally using our American Legal System with 100-year-old cases that are bogus garbage to take down and destroy our U.S. Constitutional sovereign Republic that’s been enjoyed by American citizens since the proclaimed Declaration of Independence of 1776.
Lara Logan dropping one truth after another about the current state of the southern border and all of the child sex trafficking being allowed to take place under the biden administration.
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https://gab.com/KRYPTORNATION/posts/111167716122679727 has a really rude meme involving aka BHO that may or may not be true…perhaps KBK would appreciate this…
The history taught schools is nonsense. It’s all about memorizing basic facts and dates. People who really study history, understand the interconnectivity between government, finance, and industry, and that’s what they don’t want people to know.
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2 minute video explaining how banks own & control government using Honduras as an example, from ClassicalLearner.com
It would be great if Gab posts would embed here like Twitter currently does. Copying the Gab content here doesn’t present nearly as clean of a look, unfortunately…sigh…
Not wanting to disappoint anyone who expects “too much information” from me…let’s see what’s currently playing at Whatfinger.com
Please note that some of these items Appear like broken links to me, but they are still active, so I am including the URLs in the captions where possible…I’ll try to clean this up before the final posting but bear with me if it’s a bit chaotic (I was trying to find the correct links to put in captions for things that Had been working but then disappeared)
https://comments.whatfinger.com/2023/10/03/breaking-controversial-zero-bail-policy-takes-effect-in-los-angeles-allowing-non-violent/ Whatfinger take: ALL CRIME THAT IS NOT VIOLENT NOW LEGAL IN LA: BREAKING: Controversial zero-bail policy takes effect in Los Angeles, allowing non-violent… Rob any store you want, as that is the intention of the Democrats, to destroy all business
Whatfinger take on the above link: Preparing for the Coming Storm: Fraud in the 2024 Elections The road is hard: This is our time, and our fight, and our obligation to all those who have come before us to cherish and defend the dream of liberty and justice for all – CFP
JUST IN: Video emerges of Judge in Trump Fraud case discussing his ability to OVERRULE A JURY based on his assertions and feelings about the case.. pic.twitter.com/g3RO21LXYM
If this country's going down, and if we're losing the dollar, I'm going down fighting. And I don't care if that means fighting Republicans, Democrats, the Uniparty, the leadership, the PACs, the lobbyists. I've had it. pic.twitter.com/OqaSQrsBFs
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) on her effort to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY):
“It’s not just the act of pulling a fire alarm … It was during an official proceeding. That is the same thing that they have gone after those individuals who walked into the Capitol on Jan. 6th.” pic.twitter.com/tVxzFQun1L
Wow. This video from inside the courtroom speaks volumes. Watch NY AG Leticia James stare at Trump. She looks like an obsessive creep. Then watch the Judge smile for his moment in the sun. These people are deranged, Marxist tyrants. pic.twitter.com/s11O9kshEP
This video is a masterpiece and documents the people who have been complicit in crimes against humanıty.
All these journalists, scientists, and politicians belong on the defendants’ bench, because their behavior has caused harm to millions. pic.twitter.com/DIOoMLgep1
Here’s the official trailer for “Police State.” Please watch and share! Movie is in theaters Monday, October 23 and 25. Virtual premiere is Friday, October 27. All tickets only at https://t.co/L3EAH8QJTZpic.twitter.com/zjlnn07hFc
How many coincidences can there be in #plasmidgate?
Clearly that is a Ton of material to chew on going forward. Below is the historic material I was gathering when then planning to update the Flep’s Twitter Travels items…what a difference nearly three years makes!
Time Capsule Incoming!
This is the beginning of that existing draft post material:
Well this is hoping to pick up where I left off in the last Flep post here:
[VC Note 10-3-23, the above link was the original post at the old blog but this is how it is accessed now: https://www.theqtree.com/2020/11/02/fleps-twitter-travels-5/ ]
Here’s is Flep’s twitter page where you can find his twitter journeys:
https://twitter.com/Baba9773
Well Score, Flep just put up a new pinned tweet thread so we’ll start there first!
Joe Biden’s plan to BAN FRACKING is an Economic DEATH SENTENCE for Pennsylvania. A vote for Biden is a vote to Ban Fracking, Outlaw Mining, explode energy costs, and totally DESTROY Pennsylvania. Get out tomorrow and VOTE #TrumpPence2020! pic.twitter.com/niFJw558En
#NC#EarlyVoting To those of you who are peeing in pants about NC, here's the Targetsmart model. D lead in '16 at this time was 10 pts and now it's 0.9 pts. How can Trump do less well in '16 in NC? No way no how. NC will be to the right of FL by a few pts. Trump wins easily. pic.twitter.com/ce0GX9yO0r
#FL#EarlyVoting 3pm update. D lead at 112566, up, from trickling VBMs, by only 4.4k since 8am. It will end less than 120k, in the lower half of my estimate range. It is much less than where Ds need it to be to have a chance. Trump wins FL hands down, and with it presidency!! pic.twitter.com/d71z6swvCM
Biden was a pathetic laughing stock all over Washington for the horrible way he handled the H1N1 Swine Flu. Even his own Chief of Staff said he didn’t know what he was doing!
#FL EarlyVoting 1pm update. D lead at 110798, up by only 2.6k since 8am. Even at tomorrow, it will be less than 120k, in the lower half of my estimate range. D lead is much less than where Ds need it to be to have a chance. Trump wins FL hands down, and with it presidency!! pic.twitter.com/vsiLuwz1No
For 47 years, Sleepy Joe Biden betrayed Hispanic-Americans. Now he wants to close your small businesses, eliminate school choice, and attack our Hispanic Law Enforcement Heroes. I will always stand with the incredible Hispanic-American community! pic.twitter.com/4KMnlRkg7c
The straightest electoral path to 270 for Trump is the Core 3 + 1
Core 3: FL, NC, AZ +1: one of MN, WI, MI, PA
As referenced on the Rush Limbaugh show last week, we believe Trump will win the Core 3. Per our last tweet we see Trump winning PA, thus securing the Core 3 + 1.
BREAKING: DOJ is sending personnel to 44 jurisdictions in 18 states to “monitor for compliance with federal voting rights laws.” pic.twitter.com/1XlaSFV6MN
Just learned that Sleepy Joe Biden is campaigning in Pennsylvania with Lady Gaga, a proud member of “Artists Against Fracking.” This is more proof that he would ban Fracking and skyrocket your energy prices…
This story is FALSE. They did nothing wrong. But the ANTIFA Anarchists, Rioters and Looters, who have caused so much harm and destruction in Democrat run cities, are being seriously looked at! https://t.co/3pmbMllPWS
#FL#EarlyVoting update D lead now stands at 108123, up by only 13k since yesterday am. This is at the low end of my estimate of 100k-150k. Last yr, it was 96k. With extra 811k VBM requests this yr, Ds came up with just 12k extra votes. A disaster for them. Trump wins FL!! pic.twitter.com/TjTy5Gk5EV
Allegheny County councilman in Pennsylvania: 'I'm an elected official. I have had at least a dozen Democratic elected officials tell me that they are voting for Trump… but as Democratic elected officials they can't come out and say it.' https://t.co/i4AH2zqS7q
This deep dive on early voting in key battleground states validates SPR recent polling in #pa, #wi, #Fl, #NC and #AZ showing close races and strong potential for Trump victories. https://t.co/yu6Oofg5ep
Pennsylvania: Biden said that he doesn’t want Fracking. Besides, and more importantly, his handlers won’t allow Fracking. That would be the end of Pennsylvania!
Biden did a very POOR job of handling H1N1 Swine Flu, yet all he talks about is Covid, Covid, Covid, like he would actually know what he is doing. He doesn’t. Plus, he would be TERRIBLE with the Economy!
Chris Wallace of @FoxNews, by far the lowest rated of the Sunday morning news programs, can’t get over his poor debate performance, probably even worse than Sleepy Joe’s. His show is a total “hit job” on your favorite President, me!
In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong. Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people! https://t.co/of6Lna3HMU
For decades, Joe Biden let other countries rip you off and cheat America blind! The only people who’ve benefited from his policies are himself & his family. He shows up every 4 years, and then goes back to D.C. and caters to his special interests. My only special interest is YOU.
Thank you to all law enforcement for your service. I know the people of Pennsylvania and our country appreciate you keeping us all safe. https://t.co/tKzsQs6KOW
Toledo and Pittsburgh endorse @realDonaldTrump , first Republican endorsements in Democratic areas since 1988 and 1972, respectively. https://t.co/y3aj7g3tUo
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 1, 2020
Biden will terminate school choice, eliminate charter schools, defund religious schools, ban prayer in public schools, indoctrinate your children with Anti-American lies, and force you to subsidize extreme late-term abortion. We believe that every child is a Sacred Gift from God!
#FL#EarlyVoting 6p update D lead now at 102538, only up 7.6k for the day. It doesn't include Miami-Dade or Sarasota, I think. But we're looking at 110k max, way below 299k minimum, or 650k (or even 900k) Ds needed. Trump wins FL, and by extension the nation!! pic.twitter.com/gdddlllx5J
Just delivered our family's ballots to a voting dropbox while a huge MAGA/Trump Truck parade was going on in Northern Los Angeles County. Was quite an experience! Loved it!
Joe Biden is the candidate of rioters, looters, arsonists, gun-grabbers, flag-burners, Marxists, lobbyists, and special interests. I am the candidate of farmers, factory workers, police officers, and hard-working, law-abiding patriots of every race, religion and creed! #MAGA
WISCONSIN! Vote to defend your family, your Country, and the American Way of Life. Get out and VOTE TODAY before In-Person Absentee Voting ends. Your vote will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/1ZHvrX3Hgk
This newspaper has not supported a Republican for president since 1972. But we believe President Trump, for all his faults, is the better choice this year.
When I originally became your all time favorite President, the Great State of Michigan was hemorrhaging car companies and jobs. Plants were closing and moving to Mexico, and other places. No new plants for decades. I stopped the moves, & now many plants are and have been built…
The legendary actor, 007 Sean Connery, has past on to even greener fairways. He was quite a guy, and a tough character. I was having a very hard time getting approvals for a big development in Scotland when Sean stepped in and shouted,“Let him build the damn thing”. That was….
Tell me, what Republican candidate has won Iowa and Ohio in a romp, put Florida to bed by 9PM, and lost the election?
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 1, 2020
#FL#EarlyVoting update 8am. Dem Lead now at 94905, down from 486k just 11 days ago, well below what they need to have hope. I think it'll end up in 100k-150k range by tomorrow. Given Ds had requested 811k more VBM ballots, Rs are in a great position to win FL. EC Landslide! pic.twitter.com/HiioMvkfvX
A vote for Biden and Harris is a vote to Ban Fracking, Ban Mining, and Completely Destroy Pennsylvania. A vote for me is a vote to remain ENERGY INDEPENDENT! Let’s WIN PENNSYLVANIA, get out and VOTE!pic.twitter.com/aR8iwO6Gvl
Joe Biden has vowed to ABOLISH American Oil and Natural Gas. Today I signed an order to strongly protect Pennsylvania's energy & fracking industry. If Biden & Harris get in, they will terminate this order and implement the Green New Deal. Get out and VOTE! https://t.co/gsFSghkmdMpic.twitter.com/VJMr2IeIgo
Joe Biden has been a disaster for African Americans and Hispanic Americans—I am fighting for citizens of every race, color and creed. We achieved record low unemployment rates. I signed landmark Criminal Justice Reform, and we will deliver School Choice! https://t.co/gsFSghkmdMpic.twitter.com/o6bZkdj4Fg
Similarly, we found Indy moves to Trump in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio.
Really depends on the state. Think a lot of others too mistook a more partisan lean as an Indy swing when it was not. https://t.co/WZY8z8SNy7
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 1, 2020
#FL#earlyvoting 6pm update D lead is at 91065, -25k for the day. Accounting for still arriving VBMs + blue counties opening extra days for IPEV, it could go back up to 130k by ED. Even if so, Trump is all but assured to win FL. Rs will crush on ED. GO VOTE! #MAGA2020pic.twitter.com/BkWAENizCD
For the last 4 years you have seen me fight for you – and now I am relying on YOU to deliver another historic victory for our Country. A vote for me and the Republican Party is a vote for the American Dream! Get out and VOTE!#Election2020#MAGApic.twitter.com/5EyXIHjfib
Thank you Pennsylvania! With your vote, we will continue to support our Military, Veterans and our Police Officers. Biden and Harris would pass legislation to slash police funding all across America. They stand with the rioters – we stand with the HEROES of Law Enforcement! #MAGApic.twitter.com/qqTZPLqzFV
It’s nice to see that at least so many of the people that Flep tweeted about still have a presence on Twitter/X & that all conservative voices there haven’t been silenced! Hope they are not actually controlled opposition meant to deceive us
I was thinking that both 9/11 and January 6 were extreme watershed moments in our nation’s history. The first was used to justify the satanically misnamed Patriot Act passing the Congress unexamined. The second was to justify the extreme weaponization of government, via the “Patriot Act” at least in part, against Patriotic Americans exercising their God-given rights. I often check copyrights on my reading material to see if they are pre-2001 or not. At this point the material saved from this original draft post represents what was being discussed after the debacle of the 2020 Presidential Election but before January 6, 2021 when some of us still had hope that Truth & Justice would prevail.
Like watching video from September 10, 2001, this saved snapshot of materials curated by Fleporeblog & captured by me in November 2020 reveals aspects of a more hopeful time; before the coup against America had been solidified and our society was fractured by so many deliberate & diabolical lies of genocidal totalitarian psychopaths. Those “good old days” are now gone forever. God grant us the ability to rightly restore the Republic so that our children AND grandchildren might know & love & live in an America that is Free & again founded on Biblical Truth & our precious Constitution. In God We Trust!
Well Dear Q-Tree family, I hope you have a blessed day. Thank you for indulging me as a substitute author while DP continues to focus on her family. God Bless You All!
Speaking of snapshots of another era, here is a link to a post I wrote just before January 6, 2021. The scriptural truth contained within remains timeless…
So I am taking Cthulhu’s advice & working up a draft post that has been pending for a while to use for one of my fill-in posts for DP while she is tending to the needs of her family in this challenging time. Please keep DP & her family in your prayers…and as Duchess reminds us daily, please pray for one another…
This post was originally begun as a reflection on our journey as my husband transitioned from purchasing, which he had done for more than 20 years, into truck driving. It was intended as a reflection on the past year but through procrastination now is from slightly more than a year & a half since jumping with both feet into that transitional time.
Note: if you don’t care to read what is a personal testimonial, please just scroll down to the next time you see the below page divider. Thanks for stopping by!
Some of you may recall that I was asking for prayer as this journey unfolded, when my husband precipitously decided to leave his long-time company, just months after getting a 25 year “award”, to go to trucking school. What was billed as typically a 6 week process in our particular case dragged on for more than 3 months in the schooling portion before the job search could officially begin. There were many ups & downs & significant frustrations as the system, including the state entities, conspired to keep my husband, & our household, in a seemingly ceaseless state of flux.
During this season of upheaval, uncertainty, & frustration there were a number of songs that really ministered to my husband & helped him hold on through all the changes. Some of these songs even ended up being part of the worship sets that Michael played as he continued to faithfully minister musically at church and have one area in his lifestyle that remained relatively unchanged. This post’s title, “Furious Love”, grew out of a reflection on some of the music that ministered to him during this very challenging time
The video below, being filmed near Michael’s birth-zone, is personally moving to him…
During transitions, upheaval, & uncertainty focusing on the Lord, His peace that passes understanding, His provision, & His comfort were keys to overcoming the obstacles…
God did provide for us in sometimes miraculous & very timely ways over the many months we were without direct income. A number of times God spontaneously moved on the hearts of people to give us money, just when we really needed it, & had mentioned it to no one but the Lord. It was scary, exciting, and even strangely serene to be in a place where God alone was the source of our supply & there was sometimes a sense of wonder and definitely a pervasive deep gratitude when He would come through Just In Time for our material needs, especially as He also continued to address those needs we both faced in emotional and spiritual arenas.
This next song has been ministering to my husband for quite a while, especially in relation to work upheavals. Years back Michael made a lateral move within his company to a different site & returned to purchasing after a few years as Shipping Manager at the company’s corporate headquarters. One motivation for this change was to get out from under the boot of a VP who was his direct boss while over shipping. For a season it was like M had been exodused out of Egypt and he really enjoyed his new boss & some of the perks of the location. Well, tragically M’s new boss had a massive heart attack at work & went home to be with his Lord. This unexpected vacancy in the company ended up being filled by the very VP M had rejoiced to previously escape from. The stress, sorrow, & intensity were overwhelming & Michael ended up playing this song on his way to work nearly daily as a way to shore himself up in the Lord.
It turns out that TobyMac, Toby McKeehan of DC Talk fame, wrote this song & filmed this video shortly before unimaginable tragedy struck in his own family. His son died unexpectedly & Toby’s music & faith was a huge part of what helped him get though that unbelievably painful season, as he shared in the clip below the music video…It is such a tremendous blessing to us all when others allow their pain & heartache to be molded in the Potter’s hands & used to minister to the needs of others–To God be The Glory!
One of Michael’s favorite songs & music videos, featuring wolves in an unflattering light
TobyMac shares about losing his son & God’s comfort
There are many uplifting and heartfelt comments at the above video, including:
1 year ago (edited)The fact that He said “God is kind” is nothing but the Holy Spirit. Human beings alone cannot do that by themselves after something like the loss of a child. Toby is a man of God, he is. And when you walk with God & you give your life to Him & things go terribly south in your life.. there’s gonna be many moments when you’re gonna be able to look at God and say, “You are still good.” God’s comfort is like no other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwrsv0bdrI&lc=UgxmSUcrIWGtHeDRve94AaABAg
Details on TobyMac can also be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TobyMac
Getting back to our personal journey, Michael has mentioned a number of times how instrumental I was in helping him through some of the darkest days of his transition into trucking. He has wrestled significantly with areas of change in his life (don’t we all) & God has enabled me to really be a stabilizing influence for him, & our kids, in times of major upheaval. [At one point I was doing quite a bit of work on PTSD issues & began a blog as a repository of both the researches & the reflections–something I can return to and further develop as the seasons of life permit.] He has said that he thinks of this movie scene as a good representation of the way he sees certain of my interventions in his life…
This next song has spoken to me for many years especially in the “desert place”, the “wilderness”, & “the road marked with suffering”. The pounding of the special needs parenting situations created Many Times when the message of this music was so very relevant. Years ago our young assistant pastor & his wife were expecting their first child, who tragically died in utero just before her due date. They played this song at their daughter’s memorial service & I will always associate it with that loss laid on the Altar.
Although none of us will ever suffer to the degree that Job endured in scripture it is a beautiful thing to take the sufferings & hardships in our lives and pour them out like drink offerings to our Lord, allowing Him to transform them into beauty in His Kingdom.
This next song has been one that’s ministered to me over the years in times of heartache, stress, & loss; bringing key scriptural truth alive musically. Though perhaps a bit dated now the album from where I first heard it, Integrity Hosanna Music’s “My Refuge”, helped me through many dark days, broken engagements, & even deaths in the family. There is something so healing to the wounds of the soul in making the Choice to praise the Lord when it truly is a Sacrifice of praise. He is Always Worthy & focusing on Him in adoration during seasons of suffering can actually be a mechanism that He uses to ease our pain.
So now in hindsight, the journey to a stable trucking job was pretty interesting & challenging. In the natural world my husband worked for 3 different companies, one for days, one for weeks, & one for months, before landing his current job, which he’ll have been at for a year next month. The variety of work he encountered: fuel delivery, bottled gas delivery, & over-the-road training, plus gravel hauling exposure during an interview process for a job he didn’t accept, have served to make him especially thankful for the job where he landed. He is doing a daily route making local/regional deliveries for a large distribution center mostly associated with the heating & cooling industry.
He is often in the position of driving a B truck for A truck wages, which is an ideal scenario according to one of his truck-driving school instructors. His boss and co-workers are pleasant to work with, which hasn’t always been the case in his career trajectory. His job-related stress is Way down. Overall he is much happier at this job, is now in better shape physically, & is mostly adjusted to the Very Early weekly schedule this position requires–he wakes up at 3 am, leaves at 3:30 am, & starts his shift at 4:30 am.
He managed to pursue a number of hiking and backpacking adventures with some friends during this transitional time including 2 separate 55 mile hikes along Lake Superior’s Pictured Rocks lakeshore. We just returned home from his most recent backpacking trip last weekend! This major hike revealed to him how much better he’s doing physically since the same hike last year. He hasn’t had lingering pain nor fatigue, so even though he’s a year older it’s like his body is younger now than it’s been in years!
Pictured Rocks Lakeshore
Also I can thankfully report that just this weekend we discovered that he is apparently healed of what appeared to be a gluten allergy. I asked for help here at the Q-Tree in identifying what might have been going on with him physically after he had a sudden onset of troubling digestive symptoms following a weekend back-packing trip. Several of you suggested it could have been “Beaver Fever” or giardia, but Michael was convinced he had sudden onset gluten sensitivity. Regardless, whatever the condition was–& it caused him significant problems & missed work a number of times in the early months–it now appears to be healed or resolved. We even had an experimental pizza dinner at a favorite local restaurant to test his digestive status, without issue Finally. I am so thankful that Michael can now be liberated dietarily, though he plans to continue a number of his healthier eating habits going forward since there have been benefits to some of these changes. I cannot emphasize how much this represents a weight lifted from his shoulders! PTL…again!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
We’ve also mostly adjusted to the many family changes that occurred in this transitional time. All of our kids also faced significant changes while Michael was going through his lengthy transition. Our oldest son & daughter-in-law became parents for the first time just a few months after Michael made his huge leap. They are actually now expecting another baby in a few more months! In addition Nathaniel has joined Michael in the creation of a new band that just recently started practicing in our home. They haven’t worked together musically before so this really is a new & exciting adventure for them & the guys that are rounding out the band. I am thankful to have band practice in our home for the first time after more than 2 decades of musical endeavors on my husband’s part.
Nathaniel recorded this cover for a contest, which is when we discovered that he has such singing talent…
Another aspect of family transition involves our middle son Brandon, who had been working as a hydraulics technician at Michael’s old company & ended up leaving some months after M did. This son had gone through Fire Academy while still a full time employee & was making efforts to change his career to that of a Fire Fighter. He ended up being hired on by the City of Detroit & is now almost done w/ his 6 month EMT training phase & about to begin Fire Fighting training for the city next month. Like my husband, each time he is facing a time of transition it becomes quite overwhelming. We are available to shore him up as needed, & to give him an outlet to process some of the crazy situations he’s encountered working for & in Detroit…He is in joyful pursuit of a lifelong dream!
Seeing our special needs son Josiah marry & move-out & then return to live with us part time, at a time when we were also having a dear friend stay with us for almost half a year as he was dealing with his own life’s upheaval, was a Very Challenging addition to the ongoing chaos. Helping Josiah with his marital upheaval was a very demanding & emotionally draining strain on both Michael & I but was also used in God’s economy to model marital reconciliation strategies for our friend who was reeling from his own marital trauma. Because of Josiah’s autism this very personal journey was lived out very directly in an unmasked manner before our friend, overlapping the majority of his stay with us.
Finally our daughter & son-in-law went through the dual changes of becoming parents & moving into their own home almost simultaneously. Thankfully by the time This baby was born Michael was settled into his new job so that we had steady income & the familiarity with the new schedule & lifestyle for me to be able to help Clarissa in the birth process while Michael & her brothers helped her husband in moving their belongings from his dad’s house to their new home while C & the baby were still in the hospital. They have not done all that must be done to have their home fully functional yet, so periodically Clarissa will come by to use aspects of our kitchen in the creation of some of her culinary masterpieces.
We are blessed to have our youngest & oldest kids & their spouses & kids live in our neighborhood now. Our youngest son alternates between living with us & living a couple miles away in our city with his wife & her multi-cultural & partially disabled family. Our middle son has been stopping by regularly, especially on Sundays, to have some dedicated family time. In fact he just left our home after doing “gear day light” with my husband as they are preparing for an upcoming bow-hunting trip next weekend.
Life is good, relatively stable now, & abundant in a number of ways–Praise the Lord!
Tomorrow I’ll try a post that is more current events focused. Today I hope our Q-Tree family will be happy to bring the links & the insights in our typical treehouse fashion.
If you need leads for where to find such material, please consider checking out some of the sites WolfMoon has suggested in this post:
I enjoy perusing Whatfinger.com for links among many other sites
Thanks for stopping by. May the Lord guide, direct, protect, & bless us as we all keep fighting the good fight in our individual lives, our families, our communities, our nation, & our world! God Bless YOU!
I hope many citizens now understand that our country has been leading a double life for over a century. Some of you may feel deceived, depressed, even lost. Do you find yourself questioning everything, believing that you have never been told the truth about anything?
Collectively, that is where we generally are.
Take time to read this link if you have not already. It is worth your time and it is outstanding. It sets the stage for what I discuss after it.
One thing I can assure you is that virtually all of us know somebody who is not who they appear to be. We just may not be aware of it…yet.
Personal Connections – Clown #1
I did not know about what I am going to disclose until my father’s sister (aunt) passed away about 20 years ago. The two of them were very close, only a year apart as children raised in the coal mining camp towns of eastern TN and KY. Their mother, my mamaw, was a college educated woman, which was rare in that area back in those days. School performance was drilled into the heads of my father and aunt who grew up dirt poor in those hills. Both went on to college after high school. Dad went to Lincoln Memorial College (University now) before WW II. He joined the Naval Air Force during the war and flew throughout the Pacific Theater until its end. He returned and went to the University of Tennessee along with a mining school after that. My aunt went to East Tennessee State College (University now) and the University of Kentucky for her Masters in Education throughout the 1940s.
After the war ended and the American economy began to redevelop, both found work in their areas of expertise and began hitting the dating scene. At this point we will focus on my aunt because the first clown connection comes from her side of the family.
It was not long before she began dating a former Secret City (Oak Ridge, TN) Manhattan Project fireman who was then working in a local manufacturing company after the war. This man who would become my uncle was also a Navy veteran who served one tour before joining the fire department in Oak Ridge. He had married young before he entered the service and over the course of the following years had three children; two sons and a daughter. The war had an impact on him and he turned wild for a time after he returned. His wife would not put up with it and divorced him in the late 1940s. She moved away to Alabama with the children. He stayed local as it was the area of residence of his family. A few years later he met my aunt, they fell in love, and married. They moved to northern KY/Cincinnati area for work where my aunt eventually became a vice principal in a very large high school in Northern KY after decades of teaching history and civics. They had no children together, took care of my grandparents who lived with them part of the period, and retired back to the area of their youth in East TN. They were very kind to me and our family. My uncle died a few years after retirement from cancer. My aunt passed away from a bad ticker a decade later.
It was during the two funerals of each that I met the children of my uncle. One son had married, had children and lived in Alabama where he had been previously adopted as a child by the second husband of his mother. He took care of the parents as they aged. The daughter was also adopted and later married, had children and lived throughout the south before returning to east TN to retire after a long career with a national airline. The oldest son was a loner and chose not to be adopted like the other two. He returned to east TN to live with my uncle and aunt for a couple of years to finish high school. He then left, went to college and supposedly joined the Peace Corps later. He had never married up to the point of our meeting each other (per his comments). He flew in for the funerals for short visits and left the next day.
I tried to get him into discussions about his life. He was calm and friendly, but all he would say was that he taught English in the country of Columbia and that he planned to stay there. He said he had no significant other there. His younger brother was not close to him at all and his sister, who wifey and I became friends with, was clearly puzzled about him as well. She said that soon after he became a young adult he left the country, after which they would only get a letter or postcard from time to time. The man himself and his siblings all said he lived in a city called Medellin, with an address on the correspondence indicating it
There it was. Clown. Most likely one of GHWB’s guys. My father thought so as well. May have MK involved from his younger days with the broken family situation. Especially with their area of residence being the Secret City where lots of clandestine government activities occurred.
When his siblings passed away in recent years, neither even listed him as a family member in their own obituaries. Extended family knew nothing about him. A ghost. I am still researching for more intel as I have time, but no luck so far.
Clown #2
My father was a pretty sharp little guy. He knew the ins and outs of life and had a way about him that put everybody at ease from the low man on the totem pole to the chairman of the board of a conglomerate. Because of his service in the war, growing up around the coal mines, working in them and in construction of a DOD facility after the war, and then spending 30+ years working in the steel mills; he had seen half of the world as well as a lot of human messes. He was a great observer of people and passed some of that trait on to me.
Dad knew people that did things clandestinely that many did not know about. Sometimes he learned about it from his limited Masonic involvement when he was a younger man that extended from my papaw’s similar involvement during his working years. Other times it was from people he met in his occupation. As an example, he remained good friends for decades with a supposed steel salesman of his employer who travelled the world where things seemed to always be happening. He was a highly intelligent, multilingual, and polished man of Lebanese descent who could also easily pass as hispanic by appearance. According to this friend, when the shah was installed in Iran in the early 50s with the clowns’ take down of Mossadegh, he was sent there soon afterwards. He came back home after a half dozen years, which is when I first met him as a kid. He was then sent to the Middle East, primarily in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He stayed there for around ten years. He came home for a year and then was sent to Mexico, Panama and throughout South America at various times. The international steel company owners that Dad and his friend worked for were in with the globalists in NY and politicians in DC. Steel was important to neocon and globalist interests during those days. Clowns would go in and do the dirty, destabilization and regime change would occur, globalists would enter on their heels. Dad’s friend was one of the guys that negotiated and implemented their plans with each regime change. He would periodically catch up with Dad to pick his brain about company operations and production. He knew my father was the glue that kept the primary mills running as he was over their rebuilds and upgrades when periodic maintenance shut downs were implemented.
Clown or related operative, no doubt in my mind. Dad believed he was a spy (his term) of some sort and knew he had security clearance. If I were to guess, he was probably linked to GHWB’s Zapata Offshore with the steel company cover. A ghost with no traceable past. After retirement, he vanished and Dad lost touch with him.
As steel manufacturing in America began to dwindle due to cheaper foreign imports, the steel company owners eventually sold a large controlling interest to a Japanese conglomerate. The owners and their globalist buddies moved on to other industries they could rape and pillage. The only positive that I could determine was this family ownership group was aligned with PRR and one in the family actually served in his cabinet for a time. They were establishment GOP globalists.
Side Eyes Are Important
Those were just two small examples of how aspects of Civilized War are conducted within our nation and world. It is established by those seeking power and financial benefits while using controllable people with situational skillsets to help achieve their goals with these ghosts assigned to roles that most people never know exist. Ghosts are present all around us in every walk of life. Some work for America, some for other countries. Some appear to do good work and some clearly are advancing destruction.
Even she knows, sumthin’ ain’t right here.
Discerning Spirits (Ghosts)
If you desire to blindly traverse through life accepting what you see at face value, it may be time to exit this story because it is time to get serious about what is happening around you and how you identify and deal with it.
Above all, be discerning and wise.
You will know who people are by their fruit. Matthew 7:16-20 says,
You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
That is a very straight forward, helpful statement by Jesus. The future of bad trees is obviously not good. But what He says next in verses 21-23 is the clincher.
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’(NASB)
So, for the Biblically uninformed; per Jesus there is a heaven that is a kingdom that only allows those who do the will of God the Father to enter. Claiming and doing perceived worldly good you want to do will not provide access through that door. No matter how many stray pets you take in, whales you save, or windmills you build it will not matter. Lawless, criminal, selfish activities and such will also get you turned away pronto.
The obvious first thing you need to determine if you are seeking revelation about others is whether a person believes and trusts in God and His Son. If they do not, you know they are a bad tree. You may observe good things they do or say that are of value, but none of it will help them achieve a preferable eternal destination or be such that you can fully trust and depend upon them. However, you will have identified a target for which to work to produce good fruit.
Since Jesus stated you will know people by their fruits, you have a basis from which to operate. Do the subject people bring glory to God or to man by their words and actions? You need to know the fruit Jesus refers to in his statement to help you. One major scripture passage that is applicable is provided by Paul in Galatians 5:22, 23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
As previously noted, Jesus states you and others will be known by the good or bad fruits you produce. You and they are either a good tree or a bad tree. Good fruit does not come from a bad tree and vice versa. In the next statement He states that only those doing the will of His Father will enter heaven. To do that will, one must produce good fruits. A person can perform good deeds and claim to be a follower of the Lord, but still not be known by Him – if the person does not exhibit and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Ghost) as described in Galatians 5:22-23 and other applicable scriptures.
If indeed, you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will produce good fruit as described. If good fruit has not been produced in your life, you need to revisit the message of Christ’s birth, death on the Cross (tree), and resurrection from death. Do not deceive yourself, know that you know. You can throw your own bad tree in the fire and grow a good tree by simply trusting and accepting Jesus as your personal Savior.
Once that is settled you become a ghost for the Kingdom of God with the Holy Spirit (Ghost) of Jesus within you. In that state you are presented opportunity. Being a good tree and producing good fruits will help teach you who other people are and their acceptance into the Kingdom of God by the fruits of their spirit.
Being a member of a church will not get it done. Being a “good” person and doing good things for people will not gain a person entry. Treating people honorably and having integrity in a job and at home are not enough. A person needs to accept with certainty that Jesus is his/her personal Savior from sin and begin living a life that exhibits the traits stated in Galatians and other scriptures. In so doing the person will love God completely and unashamedly as well as his/her neighbor as his/her self; just as Jesus commanded.
It all interconnects and when you get in sync with the Spirit it becomes your new way of living. You have taken off the old, dirty worn out coat and put on the new, attractive warm one.
We can then begin to discern what we see. Where do you think many WEF participants, globalists, leftists, Neocons, communists, Nazis, Big Pharm leaders, woke religious leaders, perverts, traffickers, corrupted government and the like are headed when they breathe their last? Look at the fruit that is produced from their activities and you will know.
But what would have happened if Christian ghosts had witnessed the love of Christ to many of those involved in their wicked activities before they fell into Satan’s clutches?
Which as I wrote this story led me back to the ghosts from my family’s past being involved as operatives of a government that through its intelligence services backed illegal, death dealing drug cartels worldwide for off-the-books cash and more worldly power; along with murder and many other wicked activities. Does that reflect a nation governed by God-fearing people? How about overthrowing other governments in the world for personal and corporate gain? What about conducting human and related sex trafficking for profit and blackmail purposes? Did Epstein/Maxwell with their ties to Mossad and the clowns with clients like Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Prince Edward, globalist leaders, etc. do God’s work? Are the people immorally and illegally protecting these criminals from disclosure and conviction doing what is right in God’s sight? What about the trafficking, bioweapons and money laundering in Ukraine and around the world today that we are supporting bigger than our own country’s needs? We have a Congress, administration, media, etc. walking lockstep with those Nazis in their support. Is that doing God’s work? Is trafficking millions of illegals across the southern border all around the country honoring God? How about indiscriminate world release of a respiratory bioweapon and its bioweapon “vaccine” and treatments?
Did my personal family connected ghosts know the reality of their roles? Did they believe they were doing good things for America? Did they care? I have no answers to share about them, just observations about their fruits. As an example, if my uncle had been a Christian and my aunt had not strayed from the faith to agnosticism would his oldest son had made the choice he did? His siblings chose Jesus in their new family situation. He chose God knows what.
That the authorities would resort to lawlessness reveals the evil in their hearts. It is bad fruit from bad trees, plain and simple. It leads to trouble in this life and Hell for eternity for the non-Christians. Even non-aware, non-repentant participating Christians have called into question their salvation while making life much harder for the rest of us.
Which is exactly what we have here in America today – trouble. Yet, answering evil with more evil never works out well in the end, especially when it involves participants who have dedicated themselves to God and His principles. You are either in or out, good tree or bad, good fruit or bad. Jesus did not add a third category for the gray area or to flipflop in His statement. We do not get a pass in squashing the evil activities through the use of lawlessness. We become like them when we do that, which leads to a bad tree producing bad fruit.
A Word From King David
As we age we look back more at what has transpired over the courses of our lives, noting the good with the bad. Many times regret follows the remembrances. The bad usually occurred by operating outside of the will of God.
The subject of the following at one time was a young peasant shepherd, a nobody, who was unafraid of dangerous wild animals in his role of protecting the flocks. With just a slingshot he took down a mighty enemy combatant even his nation’s military greatly feared. He was pursued with murderous intent by the king of his own nation and was later politically undercut and sought to be deposed by his own son. He was a mighty, charismatic military leader placed on the throne as the King of Israel by God and the people. He was not without grievous sins of his own with an adulterous affair as King that led to the intentionally directed death of a prestigious military leader husband of the subject woman he later took as his wife, who conceived a child from the affair that died. As King this man would sing and dance with his fellow citizens in the streets and was recognized as a man of the people. He would later acknowledge his sins publicly with complete humility and remorse after reproach from a respected religious leader. This led to his restoration by God. Scripture tells us in I Samuel and Acts that he was a man after God’s own heart.
At which time near the end of his life, over 3000 years ago, King David wrote the following song. This is Psalm 37 (NASB) provided in a conversational format for your reading pleasure. It is a timeless reminder to all of us. In your minds, picture this old, revered wise man who had led many national triumphs and experienced devastating failures as he pours out the wisdom from what he had learned.
Do not get upset because of evildoers, do not be envious of wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and decay like the green plants. Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring out your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way because of the person who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and abandon wrath; do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be eliminated, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked person will be no more and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to take down the afflicted and the needy, to kill off those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart and their bows will be broken.
Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord sustains the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil and in the days of famine they will have plenty. But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be eliminated.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled down because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet, I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good so that you will dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice and does not abandon His godly ones; they are protected forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks justice. The Law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. The wicked spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged. Wait for the Lord and keep His way and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked, violent person spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found. Observe the blameless person, and look at the upright; for the person of peace will have a future. But wrongdoers will altogether be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be eliminated. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them; He rescues them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him.
Ponder his words and apply it to our circumstances in America. The parallels and matching admonitions are amazing. This is the roadmap to follow to restore America to the grace of God and His protection. Trying to do it without Him has not been working. The world is on the verge of exploding into global conflict. Continuing to do the bidding of evil people will only lead to destruction.
Conclusion
The way out of this mess starts in the heart and flows through the words and actions of each of us. Live lawfully and be forces for good that honors the Lord. Exhibit the good fruits of the Spirit. Do what is right in His sight even when the world is not watching. Allow the Holy Ghost who lives within your heart, the Ghost who matters most, to have His way with you.
May the Lord bless and keep you near to Him, friends.
Hi Q-Tree this is a super quick post in case Carl is unable to post his usual Sunday teaching & encouragement. Per reports on sister blogs, Sylvia’s at least, Carl is pretty sick with Covid & needs our prayers.
So no matter what is swirling around us, or within us, Jesus is Still Lord…
Here is a site that has compiled a number of Bible verses that expound on Jesus as Lord:
In the New Testament, Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus Christ. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we are all quite familiar with another word: boss. That is basically what Lord means—one possessing authority, power, and control. The Word of God describes Jesus as the head of the church, the ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings (Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 3:14, 17:14).
Jesus is Lord: Scripture Meaning
Following the resurrection, the term “Lord,” being applied to Jesus, became more than an indication of devotion or respect. Stating, “Jesus is Lord,” became a way of recognizing Jesus’ divine standing.
References of Jesus as Lord started with Thomas’ declaration when Jesus arrived at the apostles after His resurrection: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28). From thereafter, the message of the Apostles was that Jesus is Lord, signifying that “Jesus is God.”
Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost carried that idea: “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). Peter later declared this in the house of Cornelius, stating that Jesus is “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). It is important to note that in Romans 10:9 Jesus’ lordship is connected to His resurrection: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The declaration “Jesus is Lord” indicates that Jesus is God. Jesus holds “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5); “our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4); and “the Lord of lords” (Revelation 17:14).
What Makes Jesus a “Lord”?
The realm of Christ’s reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth. No one—not even those who deny His existence—can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doing what we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ’s loving lordship.
Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God’s Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead. All people must decide to either yield or rebel against Him, but they have the opportunity to make this choice only while they are still living. After death, they will acknowledge Christ’s lordship through accountability to Him. If we have not bowed the knee to Jesus in life, we will be forced to bend it in the judgment.
Have you submitted to Christ’s rule over your life? His authority causes anger or fear in individuals who have not yet yielded to Him, but those who have experienced His loving kindness trusted in His goodness and surrendered to His authority take comfort in knowing Him as the Lord of their lives.
These are long days of darkness & often despair, but we who know the Lord need fear no evil for the Lord is with us. He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, which is a great comfort in times of tremendous turbulence. So as we keep fighting the good fight let’s continue to look to the Lord, the author & finisher of our faith, our soon coming King!
May God Bless YOU Richly, Today and Always. In Jesus’ Love, Valerie
The following is just one person’s observations and opinion – this guy. You would not believe the number of rewrites this has taken on. However, with this we begin the disclosure of why many of my BIMD stories are titled “Civilized War”. From this point on, generally, the stories may be a little longer, but only be posted about once per month. There will still be Heads Up posts occasionally.
The New American Frontier
Fedsurrection a/k/a The Buffalo Jump, or if you prefer, the jumping the shark moment in time; is the perfect symbol of the ongoing intentional collapsing of American culture. It is another in a very long list of manufactured events to intentionally sell the impression that resistance to those in control will be futile. The long planned and implemented events and activities have been increasing in frequency for 150+ years. Simply put, they hate MAGA and love of country.
Fedsurrection is a blatant example of the more recent battles within the Civilized War.
We have all learned that many of the people who currently control our nation do so in collusion with one another and are represented by a globalist operated uniparty that has international connections, obligations and goals. That group’s control has been ascribed to the Committee of 300, the City of London, the Illuminati, Freemasonry, etc. Regardless, there is no question they all use rhetoric to appease while not providing desired results for We The People, whom they actually abhor. Year after year, fake election after fake election, they fail to meet our expectations while satisfying their own desires first and foremost. If they walk into office on fire for America, they frequently give in to the pressure and become useless to average Americans.
As MAGA supporters you know truth now. As an example you know Fedsurrection has been openly revealed as just another scam, a hoax, bullshiz. Our opposition proved once again they do not care at all about the citizens of this nation and have weaponized nearly all areas of government. They openly declared war on We The People who objected then and now since many of us do not cower down or believe the lies that have been told. In the process they created panic, incited, roughed up, murdered, harassed and arrested; all while lying with straight faces to the cameras of their complicit media comrades as well as corrupt judges. Congress played their parts. Law enforcement and the judiciary performed their scripted roles then and now to facilitate… The Big Lie.
MAGA knows it is just cover for the stolen elections. Criminals doing what criminals do.
They use the same game plan within many other segments of society, industries, media, religions, etc. Controlled demolition and implosion – intentionally – to undermine the foundation of our country and its people. Anybody want a Bud Light? A planned takedown of an American icon significantly impacting the shareholders of the parent company as well as consumers. Does MAGA shop at Targay any more? Nope. Do you trust your kids to run around unattended at a Disney park or watch their latest movie release without at least screening it first? Not a chance. For sports lovers; do you enjoy Sports Center as much as you once did with the endless daily lectures about social justice and what you should think and how you should act? Get out of here with that. How about when it comes from the pulpit of the church you have attended for years when you hear that Jesus accepted something nasty or was this or that, yet, you see no evidence of it in scripture? Do you get tired of reviewing your children’s school text content, library books, and homework assignments for woke crap while addressing teaching methods that dumb down your kids? Always.
It is not just stupidity or misguided – it is intentional. As a result you now have zero reasons to trust anything that American leadership within the Uniparty of Dems, Establishment GOP and RINOs does or says. Even some MAGA appearing or claiming politicians are actually deep state Uniparty plants who undermine the rights of We The People. Their collective goals are power and plunder of America as well as the world. To receive their share of the spoils they have to do the dirty against all of us. And boy, do they ever receive the benefits. Some walk into office with nothing. When they exit they are multi-millionaires.
You now know with certainty where members of Congress, state legislatures, local governments, governors, appointees, alphabets, media, foreign press, churches, schools, businesses, friends, neighbors, and especially your family members stand. Their responses and non-responses to Mueller, Ukraine, stolen elections, trannies, abortion, pedophilia, sex trafficking, Epstein, Fedsurrection, COVID, jabs, Briben, Soetoro, the Clintons, the Bushes, Gates, Fauci, Barr, etc. tell you who people are, what they actually believe, and what they think of you and your beliefs. You have these and many other litmus test results right in front of you.
One brief example jumps out at me from my career – Quantitative Easing by the Fed. There may have never been a person, business, or nation that has worked their way out of debt by deeply diving into massive amounts of more debt. Yet, the Uniparty, globalists, fake financial gurus, Wall Street, and so on sold that as the answer to the debt markets collapse of 2008. Proverbs 22:7 –The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. (NASB) As a result of your acceptance of their lies, American citizens, you are now a slave to the debt holders (lenders). They told you that your government would collapse, your jobs would die, your 401-k’s would dry up, there would be no Social Security, etc. to fear porn you into submission. It was lies and damn lies. Then the criminals took their usual way back to solvency through endless wars by wasting the blood of humanity for their gain.
Intentional, part of the plan.
However, now, light has been shone on all of it and if your eyes are open truth is revealed. Anybody that believes or supports the actions taken by these traitors, seditionists, perverts, deep state actors, media propagandists, etc. – the corrupters of minds, bodies and souls; have become part of the same pot of evil. No longer is there any neutral ground to hold; you are either full bore MAGA or you are an opponent of America and its patriotic, God fearing citizens.
I am asking some of you to suspend any predetermined disbelief of the following connections and parallels for the time being. Just roll with it. You can erase it from your memories later if so inclined.
Resistance Begins When…
Everything comes into focus when we acknowledge God as the sole authority over His creation. Following the path that leads to Him is the only way to peace and security. He made it all, He will break it or fix it in accordance with His desires. He is the great I AM. He is sovereign.
Past proves present reveals future. So let’s start with the past.
In I Corinthians 9:22, Paul states, “To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.” (NASB)
In my opinion this is one major MAGA supporting answer to all this mess. Paul says “save some” in his statement. We need to acknowledge that we cannot save the world, we may not even be able to save America or even some people we care deeply about near to us. That is not our job anyway, that is the role of our Creator. However, when we work to help others where we are we can help in the Civilized War to save some. We can help increase the numbers of the remnant that survives and even thrives until Christ returns.
Go back to the times of Jesus on this planet. He knew everything that was happening. He knew innocent people were being used, abused and murdered all around him. Even with that foreknowledge and full authority granted by the Father, he did not stop it. He focused on His assigned mission. So should we.
In my opinion, this approach toward mankind may be because death in this world is not the end. Life continues on past physical death here.
Whatever the reason, in doing work for the Kingdom we use the direction Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 10:14, “And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet.”(NASB) This action was also taken by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:51 in their missionary journey.
So what does this mean for us now and how is applied today?
We need to do what Jesus told his disciples to do in Matt.28:19. Summarized – go and tell others about His sacrifice, love for them, what it means to be a follower – make disciples. Notice what He did not say. He did not want his disciples to just preach salvation messages and move on or He would have said that. He wanted them to make disciples. We can believe Jesus to be the Savior without taking it any farther in our daily living. The instruction from Him means going deeper and being more committed in understanding and living the faith daily. Then go and deliver same to others.
As to America, we know the truth about many things in our country within the MAGA movement. Our role as MAGA participants is to make more disciples for MAGA, just like Jesus instructed His followers. We first need to rebuild trust. For it to happen the way it could and should, the words and practices of Jesus should be integrated through the Holy Spirit that He left for us, who exists to bring glory to Father and Son. The words and actions of Jesus deliver His truth and are the sources of power. Again, our nation was founded on belief in God, His provision and His principles. The vast majority of our forefathers knew and acted on these truths under extreme stress and threats. Know the history of our nation.
To succeed in the discipling for MAGA, we must be in sync with the discipling for Jesus. They are interconnected. God did not send His Son to die for us and conquer death to just allow His creation to fall back into evil and death. We have not immersed ourselves into MAGA to retreat from the fight.
That we have not been in sync with this is why everything seems so out of whack, so bizarre at times. A world of opposites that makes no rational, much less Biblical sense. We are not being as effective as we could be if we chose to center our efforts around what Christ taught and do MAGA His way. We move beyond PDT and any dependence on worldly leaders in this approach.
Doing so will not guarantee positive outcomes for all people. Despite our best efforts, sometimes no amount of education and encouragement of a targeted audience will produce the desired results for Jesus or for America. However, our faithfulness provides the best opportunity for success in the primary mission, which is interconnected. Taking action proves us faithful to our Lord and His will, which provides great benefit to America and the world.
Which leads to the Parable of the Sower found in three of the gospels, during which Jesus explains its connection to the fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah. I enjoy the version in Matthew, which is found in 13:1-23. But to cut to the chase, we desire the seed to be planted into good soil that allows the roots to grow deep and eventually produces an abundant yield when tended well by the sowers.
Our love and caring for a desired outcome and “winning” can cloud the mission that Jesus assigns us. The truth is some people are doomed by their own choices, others are in danger, and still others may accept our guidance and turn toward the desired outcome. Our acceptance of whatever outcome results is key. Despite my joy, concern, or even sorrow for the results; it does not change the mission Christ gave me through His Holy Word to deliver the message and try to save some. We see similar results when spreading the truth of MAGA.
A Real World Example
I left the United Methodist Church (UMC) denomination eight years ago after saying what the Lord placed on my heart and planting seeds with local, district and conference UMC leadership and fellow members for many years. I spoke and wrote the applicable words of scripture to them and relayed the message the Lord desired of me that explicitly explained that many were choosing culture and politics over scripture and their first love, Jesus. I was one voice of millions who spoke before, during and after the deep split that was finalized in 2022; a Civilized War that had been waged for over 50 years.
I was active in leadership roles starting in local congregations since 1979. A close friend and best man at my wedding to Rock Star was a district lay minister in the denomination. He was a UMC General Conference delegate (Congressional voting member equivalent) for 16 years until his back pain from a previous injury became so bad he had to reduce his travel. He was a close friend while sharing common beliefs at the UMC General Conference meetings with a close family member of Rush Limbaugh, whose family was from the neighboring city of Cape Girardeau, MO. Although I personally never met Rush, through my friend I knew about him and even his personal “issues” going back over 40 years. He got over and through most of them just like many of us. He knew what he knew because he grew up in the middle of a family very involved in education, law/judiciary, and politics for about two centuries.
For what it is worth, I was asked by our Conference leadership to accept a similar role as my friend about 20 years ago for our region. I declined because I had learned too much about the denomination and was in a very busy period of my career.
The UMC leadership was never willing or possibly able to lead the flock back to their first love, Jesus, the reason for their existence as a Christian faith based denomination at all. Their antiquated organizational structure assisted the internal fracture. The buck never stopped anywhere. Bishops would routinely ignore the rulings of the UMC Judicial Council, which were supposed to be final. The rulings also began to detour away from the established practices and core beliefs. Through the years the doctrinal language in The Book of Discipline was under a constant state of attack and became watered down into meaningless gibberish. As a result apostasy became the doctrinal norm, which did the work of Satan. Some of the leaders would take time about openly violating the rules and pushing the boundaries. (Sound familiar?)
As our time to leave drew near, I sat across the desk from our relatively young senior pastor who later became a District Superintendent over 100+ churches/pastors. I asked him this question, “If a situation was present in the church such that the resolution led to a conflict between what scriptures say versus the UMC Book of Discipline and your bosses, which would you choose to follow?” The answer – his bosses and The Book of Discipline would dictate. I asked him why. He said because he believed his bosses and The Book of Discipline were selected and assembled by people who had been called by God into the positions they held. He trusted their wisdom and decision making. To me, he revealed he was a loyal box checker with precious little dedication to The Word. His answer indicated his position in the organization meant more than the souls and condition of the people he shepherded.
I thanked him for his time and left. The next time I met with him, a few weeks later, was to tell him our family was leaving the local congregation and UMC, a denomination I had personally been a member of for forty years, thirty of which were in that congregation. It sent mini-shock waves throughout the congregation as well as within Conference leadership. We remain friends with many, some of which who subsequently left in the years that followed. We shook the dust from our feet. I am sure that pastor, now district superintendent, was glad to see me go.
The man is a lifelong UMC member whose father and father-in-law were also senior pastors in the UMC before retirement. He chose his bosses, family tradition and a watered down denominational doctrine manual to keep his position, a future promotion, increased income and pension over scripture and the instructions of Jesus. His bosses had already proven they were apostate by accepting self avowed homosexuals and abortion rights advocates as pastors in direct conflict with the UMC Book of Discipline and even more so the Bible. These people were also teaching other false doctrines in opposition to their own doctrine. Finally, a large international group of Bible believers had enough of trying to educate and reconcile. They did not have the votes to remove the apostate because of a large third segment of delegates who wanted things to stay the same. So the faithful left. They shook the dust…
The ongoing existence of the UMC denomination organizationally as it continued to slowly disintegrate was for one primary purpose; to protect the pensions of the employees. It is an ecumenical denomination that owns all of the properties. Major decisions were made in the hierarchy based on that condition continuing to benefit them. Leadership that I discussed issues with through the years were truthful about the subject and confidentially told me that was the case.
The leadership was about control of the dirt and draining the coffers of the local congregations while appeasing as many factions of the membership as necessary to keep the money flowing. They made it obvious – just like the Uniparty and globalists are doing in America today.
It’s just business – right?
Comparison Time – Parallels
If we compare the UMC’s trends and situation it would nearly mirror our nation’s.
Due to the recent split, the UMC is already brain and heart dead, just on life support to drain whatever blood (money) is left out of its woke corpse. The UMC name has been retained by the Democrat Party, Establishment and RINO equivalents. The local churches that comprise this remnant are a diverse group. One faction are traditionalists who could not or would not afford to pay the exit fee to acquire control of their local church and its properties. Another group are straight out perverts, leftists and communists. Then there are those who pretend to be traditional in belief who are actually lukewarm or worse. The Word has much to say about all of these.
The MAGA equivalents have left (shook the dust from their feet) or are formally in the process of leaving. They formed their own organization that adheres to the Holy Bible (Constitution/Bill of Rights) as written. They have not established a Judicial Council (Supreme Court) yet, but plan to do so and correct the flaws of the UMC version. There is a 17 (yup!) member interim Board controlling the organization temporarily. They believe in limited central government, like our nation’s Constitution provides. They are now called the Global Methodist Church (GMC) and are in the process of correcting many of the system and administrative failures that plagued the former denomination for decades. They are committed to doing the will of the Savior and proved it with their decisions and pocketbooks.
Now here is the part that is left unsaid much of the time. The apostate side should have been compelled to leave the UMC all along as they were violating scripture and the provisions in the existing Book of Discipline. The authorities in the church did not make faithful decisions and take decisive actions to retain the law of the land or the spirit. The voting delegates in General Conferences allowed a divided house to exist that splintered the votes, some joined in with third parties to intentionally split the vote, just like has happened in America. They appeased and slowly enabled over time, just like the Establishment and RINO factions within the GOP. Leadership went along with and encouraged it willingly to preserve their cushy jobs, investment “opportunities” and pensions.
Infiltration versus invasion. The modern day versions of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes being played out openly in the UMC and within the federal government of America.
Over the past 15 months or so, over 7000 former UMC churches worldwide have paid or are in the process of paying the large exit fees to leave along with many faithful pastors and employees. The UMC pension vested pastors and employees will use the new GMC pension plan, but may need years of service to vest again. Some were not yet vested in the UMC plan and simply have agreed to start over. To all of them the potential personal financial loss was worth it to be faithful to the Lord. The new denomination has established replacement benefit plans for all employees that each congregation pays to maintain with no upstream tack on charges for administration. Each local church congregation owns its respective church property, which demonstrates the motivation of this new GMC organizatio is not to build a brand, acquire wealth, or build a bloated bureaucracy to control the flock and drain the coffers like the existing UMC.
This is a demonstration of what has happened to the federal government in America. In comparison it is now the UMC version when the founding fathers and documents were designed for the GMC version. As Steve says, “limited” government.
The traditionalists who remain in the UMC are currently operating their churches in accordance with their understanding of scripture, which is reflected by the diluted, ineffective Book of Discipline. In the parallel, the equivalent in America would be the so called “battleground” GOP states. These Establishment dominated states and traditional UMC congregations are both also deluding themselves into believing all will be well; that they can exist in harmony with political liberals and thousands of apostate churches. In reality, they are both on slowly sinking ships just biding time. The founding documents are “living” documents to them, which means the goalposts keep moving through reactions to Judicial Committee and Supreme Court decisions. Neither the Constitution or the Bible change meanings of what has been stated. They say what they say, they mean what they mean. A Supreme Court decision in conflict with the Constitution is still illegal, even if a rogue government enforces it as totalitarians do. The same applies with the Bible and apostate interpretations by church authorities.
Some are hoping their congregations can save enough to pay the exit fee in future years. However, over time many members will leave as they realize the truth or lose their interest in Christianity altogether. Their churches will also be targets of the apostate, just like urban centers in America are for the communists. This will cause those local churches to slowly die as many blue cities are doing. But hey, those employed by the UMC and blue governments will still get to add time and money to their pensions while raking in good incomes.
Now it is time to discuss the future.
In spring of 2024, the communist and pervert side of the UMC plans to call for approval of a measure that enforces support for homosexuals in the pulpits, homosexual marriages, abortion rights, etc. Now that the GMC churches have left and many traditionalist members no longer attend UMC churches, it is highly likely they will win that vote and assume control.
It will become decision time for the remaining heads in the sand traditionalists in the UMC. Go along with apostasy, pay the exit fee to keep the local congregation together and join the GMC, or individually leave the congregation and do something else.
It works the same way in DC with the deep state, Congress and our country’s judicial system. They are trying to force MAGA to accept what will always be unacceptable. A day of reckoning is coming – all Americans will choose a side. Many Americans have no understanding of what is happening. They are like the UMC traditionalists. MAGA citizens do, they are the GMCs in the example. But everybody will be compelled to decide. A non-decision is still a decision. There is no escape other than leaving the country, which is also a self-identifying decision.
So, what is happening with local church memberships since the split? Generally, the Globalist Methodists have grown dramatically as they adhere to scripture and the teachings of the Methodist denomination’s founder, John Wesley, which is deeply scriptural. The remnant UMC is losing members and interest. They executed a takeover of a name to get access to cash, property and an income stream that they will use for evil purposes. Once the subject of their takeover dies, they will trash it and move on.
The same already applies to MAGA versus the criminal side of America. The crims take over iconic companies, industries, media, etc. They then use them, rape them of assets, trash them and move on. That is what they are doing to nations of the world and America as well. You know who is of Satan and who is of God by their words and actions relating to same.
Our Creator knew that it all would happen and provided the remedy. Throughout Biblical history, the faithful remnant who were not apostate persevered, returned or remained devoted to their first love, and were restored to God’s grace. They became as a new seed that took root in good soil as stated in The Parable of the Sower. These believers knew those who denied the authority of God and His Word had already condemned themselves to their eventual fate if they did not confess their sins and repent.
In my opinion so shall it be with America subject to the absolute rule and actions of the Creator. The split has already occurred. There is a large group of Americans who are MAGA to the bone and will never go back to Egypt and lives of slavery. We will resist and honor our first love regardless of what is thrown at us. Most of us as citizens have no governing enforcement authority, just like the general membership of the UMC pre-split. Our direct impact is limited to our message, votes for representation, our usage of money and our feet for walking toward or away (shaking the dust). As a result our roles are simply to spread the message of MAGA and live in complete support of Constitutional authority and America First. We will do what we can where we are in hopes that we can save some knowing we are doing the will of the Lord as well as honoring our nation’s founding and its Godly principles. The first and second amendments still apply.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
You do not need the Supreme Court to interpret this. It is what it is and means what it says. We are a free people based on our ruling Constitution. We The People win, opponents lose. Challenge anything and everything in opposition, just do it legally and in accordance with God’s Word.
II Timothy 4:1-4 applies God’s Kingdom as well as MAGA efforts to living in America.
“I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
We have reached that point in time.
Conclusion
We will be discussing more about challenging as time goes on. For now, practically, you fight back for America where you are by participating in the election mechanism in your area; by opening your mouths and taking legal actions against all who violate or support criminal activities in opposition to Constitutionally supported laws just as you should in your church with scripture. You contribute by not giving your money to anti-American people, entities and purposes. You participate best by helping America return to its founding and Godly principles through prayer, applying Biblical principles to your personal life, living with integrity and helping others to do the same.
You fight back with something the death merchants and corrupters of souls know nothing about – love. Love is not a wimp. Love is a joyous warrior. Love involves purpose and goes to work. Love slays hate. Love does not give in to those who would maim, kill and steal. Love protects and shields from evil entering the heart and actions of man. Love acts in accordance with God’s commandments and principles to protect the innocent and weak.
I John 4:7-12 states, “Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
God is love. Our intent is to act within scriptural boundaries and the law of the land with love. Love always wins.
It’s time to move this story forward toward its conclusion, especially with “banking” and an economy that is spiraling downward in the news.
My world was becoming one big adrenaline rush at work every week. The weekends with family, friends and church were all that kept me grounded. Over fifteen years later I still hate phones and frequently cringe when I have to use one. Being tethered to a Blackberry was just the worst. I also grew to despise flying. It had nothing to do with the act itself; when I relaxed enough it brought peace and beautiful views of our country from above. It was the airport experiences, TSA screenings, cancelled and delayed flights, taxis and rental cars, and so on that I disliked. Staying in hotel rooms during business travel is not enjoyable when you would rather be with family at home. I had rolled over the mid-century mark in age and was just not all that enamored with what the world says is the pinnacle of life.
I have linked this song before. However, it reflects what I was feeling at that point in life.
I understand, Luke.
Small Business Banking Unleashed
Our division was blowing the doors off financially. From start up to $270 million in annual small business loan production in a little over two years with projected growth of over $75 M annually for the next two years. We had grown from a group of twenty to around seventy employees during the period. We needed to stay ahead of the growth curve with our staff training and preparation. We were active in all fifty states and a national preferred lender with SBA. Customers were served well, audits were excellent, profit was well above budget, owners were happy and employees were generally well paid and with upside to their roles.
There was a really important reason for our success. We had a sincere desire to take care of our customers, who were people a lot like us. No elites, no easy streets, very little generational wealth to invest, no big business, more at risk personally. Our division staffing was a mixture of races and cultures that reflected our great country. Customers could easily identify with and relate to us.
I had spotted an opportunity for a new product with the recent resolution of the SBA appropriation and operational issues. My thoughts were centered around doing conventional first mortgage commercial real estate loans associated with the other SBA (504) program in a manner that involved pools that were converted to securitizations like currently utilized in the 7(a) loan program.
In the process our bank could share a relatively small tranche loan loss risk for any projected loan losses beyond the historical average for the industry. The investors would probably want our expertise with loan sub-servicing rights. We knew we could not be the master servicer in the Wall Street game, but we could still strip up to .25% from the interest rate and give the master servicer a share to front our operation. In essence this senior servicer would take over should we default on our responsibilities. We could then capitalize our portion of the servicing asset, take a gain into current income, and amortize it over the course of expected life of the loan as we did our 7(a) loan program accounts. All of it involved standard accounting practices for that type financing.
So, before I dig a little deeper into this subject and to assist those who either want to learn more to understand better, the following link may be helpful. There are other descriptive links into the specifics also provided within.
Just know that when I reference “tranche”, it is a level or portion of investment into the broader securitization. Tranches can have different maturities, credit ratings, and yields (or interest rates) within the securitization. The investors take various levels of risk and the return corresponds with the risk of potential loss they are willing to accept.
During our internal review we determined the potential tranche risk from loan defaults in the 504 program were minimal. The loans were made to small business customers for commercial real estate purchase and construction of facilities. The loans would be for a maximum of 55% of appraised market value. A SBA guaranteed second mortgage fixed rated debenture was behind us bringing total project financing into the 80-90% range. Should a default occur, the SBA would be likely to pay the holder out of our first mortgage position to gain control of the asset to reduce their losses. Even if the SBA passed on doing so, all parties involved knew it would be hard to lose money at the low first mortgage loan to value. Regulators and ownership of the bank also had the ability to reserve for unlikely tranche losses from defaults above the reserve rate baked into the transaction by using a portion of the premium income we received when we sold the loans. Again, banks who sell their loans typically do not receive premium as high as we did or accept any limited risk in the securitization to secure greater income. With our strong underwriting skills in credit decision-making we felt secure. This point will be one to remember for a future story.
Folks with knowledge of such financial activities may think that it was not an overly innovative process. However, for that loan program up to that point it had never been done that way by any lender. There had not been enough industry loan volume to justify the exclusive use of that loan type in a pool and securitization had they even thought to consider it. Historically over a couple of decades, purchasers of those loans placed them in conventional commercial real estate loan pools of mixed use and type for securitization, gave up servicing rights and assumed no tranche risk. As a result the profitability of what they did was hammered. They had to do very large volumes to make decent money at it. That meant only the larger institutions with excess funding could and would participate.
Since I firmly believed then and now in working smarter, not harder, I felt that we either needed to dig deeper into this hybrid proposal or not participate in the 504 loan program at all. Our investment banking loan buyer from a respected regional investment banking firm loved the idea. He immediately set up meetings with the brass at his company and they started analytical work to see if it was viable and how there could be a win-win for all parties. We were a national small business loan origination machine, they could be a significant back end profit contributor for us if this worked as designed. They could then sell the program to other lenders nationwide as well as into other business segments and do well. All of it would enhance the overall viability of the endeavor in a growing niche.
The need to do this to grow our operation was fueled by necessity. When we compromised in our industry appropriation negotiations, we gave up a profitable method of financing commercial real estate through our bell cow 7(a) program. It was inevitable it would happen eventually, so giving on the issue at some point was expected industrywide. As things stood we were just brokering the 504 conventional loans to pooling banks for a 1% origination fee, who in turn sold the pools to Wall Street brokerage firms for securitizations where the big money was made.
We needed a replacement for the no longer available income stream or else we needed to slow our expansion and sell the owners on being satisfied with how things were. We knew they had big dreams of bank expansion statewide and were pushing for even more income. So, I involved them in the hybrid discussions with the regional brokerage firm to get their support should it come to fruition. As it all developed and began to make sense, the owners and their CPA green lighted it. Under current market conditions in early 2006, we all agreed our bank would receive a premium of 3-4% from typical loan pools plus the sub-servicing rights. This was about half of what we were receiving on 7(a) loan program premiums, however, we would be selling 100% of each loan into $50-100 million pools and not retaining 20% of the loan on our books that the 7(a) program required. The loans were much larger than the 7(a) program average as well. So we could make more loans to help more customers with the same funding and capital allocation using existing staff. It now made sense.
Our systems could handle such a move. We had previously moved well beyond the traditional bank’s abilities to deliver assistance other than funding and HR. The owners had authorized us to contract FiServe and their bank operations platform for our staff to book, bill and service the loans. We had built our own legal, accounting, audit, compliance, programming, etc, departments in addition to regular operations relating to delivery of loan products to customers. We were ready for this launch.
We could meet the needs of our customers, our owners, our loan buyers, the SBA’s initiatives, regulators, and ourselves. Win-win-win-win-win-win.
One of the conditions of the program’s launch was that our division’s operations would need to be examined by one of the three primary rating agencies; S&P, Moody’s, or Fitch. In addition we would need to have an initial review of operations and the bank by a prominent bank consulting firm noted for their expertise in the industry.
We accomplished all of that over about six months and through the process learned that Fitch was the most engaged in learning what we did and how we did it. So our prospective pool buyers were informed and accepted them. We provided all of the third party findings and reports to the state banking regulators, FDIC and SBA. They all approved. Our sales force was excited to have something no competitor could sell at that point.
It was “go” time.
Opportunity Knocks Once…
And then it moves on. We answered the door, invited Opportunity to come in, and now it was our job to help it bring rewards.
However, in business there is one very important truth to always remember. Opportunity can make for a wonderful visitor. It also should remain a visitor. Once you allow it to become a member of the family it can make a mess if not handled well. There are times you embrace it and make it comfortable to stay longer. There are other times you have to be willing to kick its azz out the door.
As an example the successful real estate investor knows to never fall in love with a piece of real estate. If your propensity is to do that, to not be ready and willing to part with something you have purchased at a moment’s notice; you should find another endeavor. It is the same principle that should be applied in nearly every business.
Our loan buyer dropped a bomb on me about the time we were finalizing the program with all of the related parties. He stated that he had a unique “opportunity” to join Bear Stearns in NYC and open a national small business loan program purchase desk. This would be the first time a Wall Street firm had been directly involved in loan purchases from lenders in the SBA loan programs in its history. The global loan volume was projected to grow exponentially over the years since the industry’s appropriation resolution with government, which made it more attractive on the Street. First, he wanted to know if we would sell our 7(a) loans to him there instead of to his soon to be former employer. Since he treated us well for a few years, was a noted expert in the industry, and we were not contractually linked to his former employer; that was an easy one to affirm. The second request was that he be allowed to pursue our hybrid program at Bear. It had not been legally “protected” at this point in the process by either us or his soon to be former employer. He stated he would modify it a bit that did not affect our return or risk while providing us higher premiums. He advised me to wait awhile before notifying his former employer until he had time to get it done at Bear. He let me know what this former employer was planning to pay us as the premium and that we needed to see that was true for ourselves by pricing our first $50 M pool with them. If true, it would prove they had been baiting us with one estimate and then planning to offer a lesser premium than we had originally determined was on the table when it became time to close the first transaction. He wanted to prove to us we could trust him.
He had one final request. If the Bear Stearns move did not work out as he envisioned, he wanted to retain our business at his next stop or go to work for us. Always looking for talented people to build our business, I agreed and informed the owners, who concurred. In addition to handling our division’s loan sales desk, he could also handle the overall bank’s treasury investments if he needed a home. I saw a need for our organization as well as the bank itself to mature as we grew and become more professional in a wild, wild west industry, which he could assist in accomplishing.
We all began to play our parts. The buyer’s former employer did exactly as he said they would, breaking the bond of trust that had been built. I guess they thought they had us over a barrel with no other options in selling the first pool. Of course, they were dead wrong. They not only lost over $100 M of annual 7(a) loan purchases, they lost the hybrid opportunity by doing so.
Meanwhile…
The nagging management headaches continued which extended to dealing with the owners as well. Personal egos and excesses would replace reason and respect at times. These and other situations were unneeded distractions. It was also obvious that it was becoming time to thin the herd. I asked department heads to formulate plans to trim the payroll of non-productive staff as well as make-work type job functions.
Our Bear loan buyer was busy setting up his operation and kept me informed of his progress. We completed our first two pools of loans for securitization over the next few months and sold them to Bear at a good premium. The owners were so proud to be doing business on the Street they bragged about it everywhere they went.
One day that year the buyer called to ask if I thought it would be possible for Bear to buy our division. It appeared he had been very busy selling us as well as the hybrid program internally and wanted to expand his kingdom. I would report to him if they got it done and would be contracted to operate the division autonomously. They did not want to buy the bank itself as they already owned one. I thought it would be worth pursuing to give the owners an option to cash out on our success as well as increase our unit’s ability to serve our growing customer base. I had detected the beginning of unreasonable profit expectations for the market by the owners as had occurred with other employers over the years. Greed was rearing its ugly head – again. I asked the buyer to directly approach the owners and see if they had an interest in talking.
Operationally, I had long desired to move the art of credit decision making of yesteryear into more of an analytics based method using historical statistics and data tied to proven credit parameters. Due to federal banking records retention and safety requirements, I had already compelled the credit, loan closing, and servicing areas to incorporate electronic document scanning into their operations. However, resistance to change slowed production. Eventually that would need to change as programming work for the new operations platform involving underwriting would inevitably lead to doing things differently.
Despite all of our discussions internally with some key mangers, they were still not fully grasping where all finance related businesses were headed with technology. The old school thinking in our ranks was still strong even with the younger employees, while this old guy had gone new age. Our division’s CPA/Controller was totally supportive of the move, so when it became time there would be very little defense for staying the same when the data and analysis was presented.
Conclusion
The owners gave permission for us to explore conversations with Bear about an acquisition of the division. The next step would be for me to visit with the Bear execs in NYC. At this point everything appeared to be flying high on Wall Street and the nation economically. It was time to see if there was a fit. So the flight and lodging was booked on Bear’s dime and my time allocated. Our loan buyer would be there to greet me at the airport.
We will pick up at that point in the next part. My world was about to take an interesting turn. I will also begin inserting parallel stories. I sincerely hope this is providing insight into some of the business world you hear and read about as we go. For example you can insert billions of dollars, instead of millions that ours covered, into a multitude of securitizations and industries in the debt markets that are just routine business on Wall Street.
Of course, the spoiler alert is that Bear was the first on Wall Street to fall in the economic and debt markets collapse of 2008, so stay tuned.
There once was this devout Christian widow from the Deep South who taught a bunch of worker bees from other parts of the country what helping others really meant. She provided a powerful witness of goodness, grace and Christian faith. Believer or non-believer, if you did not come out positively impacted by your experiences with her, you were either dead or stone cold emotionally. This truth teller is in the presence of the Lord now having passed into eternity four years ago on this day, March 31. However, when that bell tolls for me, I will then get to tell her what she gave us who were touched by her Christian love.
As you read her obituary I am going to ask you to suspend your judgments about the Democratic Party and NAACP participation in her obituary. Anybody who has lived in the deep south BIMD and beyond knows exactly what I am talking about. We know that some of the white people could be dismissive, unkind and even brutal toward people of color, especially blacks. We can also be honest about how both organizations later evolved and morphed into something they were not intended to be. At times BIMD they served a valuable purpose with their movements toward equality for all people. It was something we should have all already known and applied by simply following The Word as well as our nation’s founding documents from two centuries before. Unfortunately, it also went on to demonstrate how all human efforts tend to go when people in power lose sight of the higher calling.
In this short story linked below you will see a small example of the reality of those times. Be prepared because it really was that way. We just do not want to think about it now, to push it away. After all, we were not there and did not do those things ourselves. That truth is followed by the fact that we are still needing to deal with the memories and conflicts it caused. How many years did it take for a Hebrew to trust an Egyptian or Babylonian after being held captive as slaves and treated so poorly? That is what is involved here.
I usually end up going with the Biblical 40 years to recognize meaningful change. It is a “think Hebrew” principle and a number to be considered in relative terms much like other Hebrew thought patterns. In general it takes that long to defeat sin, renew hearts and start over as a people as the Bible reveals repeatedly. It needs to progress into the third and fourth generations from the events and people that cause and live through the traumatic experiences. I see it as an extension of God’s words in Deut. 5:9 among other scriptures – the sins of the fathers. However, events and people can cause the calendar of change to be reset. Which either extends the difficult period or accelerates the healing subject to the will of the Father.
Even with that understanding, the simple number 40 sure seems to be important in scripture. If you are still skeptical, consider the following…
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.
The people of Israel ate the manna 40 years, until they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. It wasn’t until He had done so that He faced the greatest temptations anyone has ever faced, yet he passed the the test.
Moses had a 40 day fast on Mount Sinai with God on two different occasions to receive God’s laws.
Moses sent out spies for 40 days to spy out the land.
Ezekiel laid on his right side for 40 days to bear the iniquities of Judah, which represented the number of years – 40 – that the nation dishonored God.
God flooded the earth for 40 days during the time of Noah.
Jonah warned Ninevah for 40 days.
Goliath mocked and taunted Israel for 40 days before David ended it.
The three great kings in the Bible reigned for 40 years each: Saul, David and Solomon.
Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection.
Days before His crucifixion, Jesus prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem. Which occurred 40 years later when the Roman Empire destroyed the city and burned the Temple to the ground.
I will stop for now, but there are many more. There are 146 references to the number in total. A bit too many to be coincidental in my opinion.
What you do not yet know is that the fine lady in this story worked within to bring peace and love to all skin colors in her area. Her calling and intentions were highly honorable and blessed by the Lord. She did not have the big college degrees, famous jobs or hold political office. She worked in food service jobs much of her life. Yet, she was held in deep reverence. One reason I know is because of the witness of all we met BIMD that lived in her community. Then there were her prayers for all of us as we worked to rebuild her and other homes within that neighborhood that were damaged by the winds and flooded to the rafters by the storm surge.
However, the primary reason is because I sat with her in and outside her FEMA trailer in which she temporarily lived when she gave me some of her time.
What would have been unimaginable 40+ years before, continued the healing and reeducation of multitudes that has rippled out of that small community forevermore. Even the destruction of Katrina was turned into a greater healing from God as people from everywhere came to the area to help, to give freely of themselves and resources to people they had never met.
Mobilization
I had some time available that I could take a break from our business as things were running smoothly. It was about a year after Katrina hit. Our construction team leader was and still is a close friend – brothers from different mothers. He was a very experienced, hands on general contractor who had already been to the area three times. The relief organization had even asked him to come to MS to be the state’s reconstruction leader of the entire effort on a five year contract, which he could not do as he was still a few years from being able to take early retirement from his long term employment. We all knew we were in good hands as he knew the mission, area, needs, resources and had the related expertise.
Having participated in past disaster relief efforts locally and in other areas, we all thought we knew what to expect. A few in our group who had been to the Katrina storm devastated areas before shook their heads and told us we had no idea, to prepare ourselves. After the long ride from East TN, we settled into our new digs for the week. The local UMC congregation housed us in Ocean Springs, MS; which is a couple miles east of Biloxi. The church had survived the storm with only minor roof and window damage that had already been repaired. The city had been damaged, especially along the waterfront of the bay, but less so than the areas to the west as we would soon learn. A mobile shower trailer had been connected to the water and electrical supply at the rear of the church and we would use their kitchen for our breakfast and evening meals. One of the ladies from our congregation who had restaurant cook experience along with a helper handled that chore along with grocery store purchases. The sleeping quarters were on the SS classroom floors of the second story where we would use the sleeping bags we brought.
After a nights sleep, we loaded up the trucks and SUVs with people and tools to head to the Command Center (CC), which was a large high school football stadium located in downtown Biloxi. In normal times that would be a 10 minute trip from the church. However, the massive Biloxi Bay Bridge between the two cities had been wiped out by Ms. Katrina. Nearly all of the spans were simply gone, leaving tall support structures standing like giant monuments in the water. So that trip became a 30-40 minute drive in a more circular route. That Biloxi Bay Bridge was rebuilt and reopened a couple of years later with much fanfare by the locals.
At the CC we received our work assignments. It would also be the place we would go for a mid-day break if in town and where we were provided free box lunches. As the Lord would have it, our first assignment was to go to Ms. Ruth’s home for dry wall finish work and sub floor installation. All of us could not have been more pumped about what we were going to be doing to help out. We also knew we would learn how to do many construction related activities that would prove beneficial for our honey-do projects at home. On the job training!
Location: Holley Street, Biloxi, MS
Ms. Ruth lived in small brick rancher on a little, chain linked fenced lot in an older neighborhood. The homes were built in the 40s and 50s for the most part. Upon our arrival, nothing could prepare us who had not been there before for what we saw. Here it was a year later and it still looked like it had been nuked in places. To give you some idea, I have linked the Getty images from the period below, even though they do not do justice relating to the extent of the damages.
One of the things you will always remember when working storm relief efforts are the blue tarp roofs of homes. They were everywhere we went even over a year after the storm hit. The massive needs for roofing materials and roofers could not be overstated. However, some homes needed structural repairs made before the roofs could be done.
The neighborhood in which we worked at one time housed many of the workers and families of the two nearby casinos, which have now grown to eight in the area. A year later when we arrived some of the demolition and clean-up work had been completed. Over half of the residential lots that once had homes were empty of everything but weeds and remaining trash. The brick and block structures survived for the most part, although all suffered some type of damage. We learned that over 5,000 structures out of 25,000 in the city were immediately destroyed by the storm. Several thousand more were later demolished due to the damages that made them uninhabitable.
Ms. Ruth’s and neighbor properties had experienced an approximate 8′ surge. Weather photos of the coast prior to landfall showed a wall of water in the ocean off the MS shore to the west that was nearly 30′ above the normal ocean level. When I say “wall”, I mean wall. It was the highest ever recorded and was centered at Bay St. Louis, MS to the west of nearby Gulfport. Pass Christian, MS, which is in the same general area, had experienced the previous high surge of 23′ during Hurricane Camille in 1969. Most residents never expected to experience that again, yet, it happened and was even more catastrophic. Many were caught unprepared despite the warnings.
Most residents had the good sense to evacuate, as Ms. Ruth did, to stay with family and friends away from the storm. Some chose to ride it out and met their demise. The houses were spray painted with designations where bodies were found as well as for flood water levels. The storm related total death count was officially updated by researchers in the following years to 1866, authorities in both LA and MS stated they really had no way of knowing with certainty and that it was undoubtedly much higher. In Ms. Ruth’s neighborhood we counted eight death markings on houses.
Into this environment we went. Four doors down was the neighborhood crack dealer who openly sat in an old lawn chair at the curb in front of his residence waiting on customers to drive up. Which they did about 5-10 times per day. He would stick his head in the car, go back into his house, come back out where he would stick his head and hand back in the car, slide the money into his pocket and sit back into his chair. All while the local police openly patrolled the area in marked cars. They had to see and had to know, but did nothing. We found out why later through a discussion with an off duty officer from a nearby town who was helping with the relief. The city had told the officers to not bother with arresting small time offenders and focus on the major ones while providing full protection to the many hundreds of relief workers scattered throughout the city.
Regardless of our surroundings we knew we were safe as nobody, including crack dealers and local thugs, messed with Ms. Ruth. She was the matriarch of the neighborhood and well known throughout the city. Besides that, the residents were generally happy to see us and encouraged by our presence. We seemed to lift their spirits as they could see light at the end of the tunnel. Some would come by the job sites to offer us water, food and prayers.
As we set up at Ms. Ruth’s we were met by her in what had been her living room. She had the biggest smile and warmest welcome we could have ever hoped to experience. She hugged everybody, talked some about the community, and then asked everybody to join in a circle, hold hands and she would lead us in prayer.
She nearly prayed the house down. We knew the Holy Spirit had entered that place. The energy was amazing. She then headed back out to go to her nearby church for some scheduled activities that day and to get out of the heat.
There were some of us who understood what happened. There were others whose eyes were as wide as saucers. There were a couple of folks who had not yet accepted Christ as their personal Savior, one of which had been a wavering skeptic who worked for our business banking operation. The looks on their faces were priceless. The comments and sincere questioning throughout the ensuing days as we labored were just as interesting. Every heart was opened.
After we arrived back at the church for a shower and dinner that first day, we held our own devotional and discussion period before getting some sleep. Everybody who had been assigned to Ms. Ruth’s team wanted to continue working there despite the CC giving daily assignments. We wanted to move her rebuild forward as fast as possible. We asked our contractor team leader to talk with the CC for that assignment for the rest of our time there. We agreed that the sooner we could get her back into her home, the sooner that neighborhood would receive the full benefit of her presence. Ms. Ruth could spend more of her time and open her home to the hurting, women’s prayer circle and other church outreach ministries as she had done pre-storm. The CC honored our request.
The Work
I will finish this part with a short discussion about the work. The flood waters had made the homes uninhabitable. The mold was high; so the interior walls, insulation, wiring, plumbing, etc. had to be demo’d. All of that had already been done prior to our arrival. In addition, the remaining structure had to be treated for the mold and time allowed for it to all dry out after the new roof was installed. Ms. Ruth’s house was built about 4 blocks high on its raised foundation, which was unusual for its period of construction and very helpful as it improved the ventilation under the home. As a result, nearly all of the floor joists and a large amount of the original planked sub floor were still in good shape after treatment and drying out.
There were two teams assigned during the week. Some in both groups handled the dry wall finish and others of us handled the subfloors, exterior punch list and lot clean up. I opted for the later as I have never cared for dry wall finish. Our team leader contractor had secured good quality plywood instead of particle board for the subfloor that we screwed in while leveling as needed. Nothing but the best for Ms. Ruth! As that was finished I rotated out to the exterior of the home and lot for minor repairs and clean up. It was amazing the amount of broken glass that I found on that small lot and driveway.
My contractor friend would get reassigned occasionally to other jobs. If a two – four man job, I would head out with him. As a result, we ended up doing jobs all the way from Biloxi to Pass Christian. The further west we traveled the worse the storm surge damage. Pass Christian was wiped out. Every home and business suffered major damage to total destruction. A town with a population of about 7000 people was reduced to 2000 a year later. I still remember the only thing I saw standing along the beach highway in the center of town. It was a McDonald’s sign that was perpendicular to the shore with severe damage to the sign, but still distinguishable. The only homes that survived for miles in either direction of downtown were located well back from the beach behind the levee. Most homes behind the levee still had blue tarp roofs. There were a handful of concrete block walled buildings still standing, but the roofs, windows and doors were gone. A handful of live oak trees made it through it all. Other than the streets and some concrete foundation pads, that was it.
Meanwhile back at Ms. Ruth’s the rest of the team were getting prayed up by her to start each day. Every afternoon they were given the best homemade lemonade from her that was made from the fruit of a lemon tree in her front yard. On our next to last scheduled work day, we all did a full blitz on her home to take it as far as we could for the next week’s team to be able to do cabinets, fixtures and painting. It was that day when Ms. Ruth beckoned me over to have some of her lemonade. She invited me inside her trailer. I guess she sensed that I had been concerned for her situation and prayed daily for her well being and that of the residents and business owners around the area.
Conclusion
I wanted to listen to what this great woman had to say. I wanted to just take in the experience through her eyes and heart as I knew I would probably never see her again until we each arrived in Heaven.
“May the work that I have done, speak for me.” Until next time…
I wonder if Flep left Twitter of his own volition or if he continues to be banned there, like me? Here is the most recent version of the Internet Archive where his Twit World account was still active:
not that they are Ever very well hidden here at the Q-Tree!
(@PU28453638) 
BREAKING: Donald Trump speaks to press after court. 
(@MaxEvansUMP) 
80.1% (!!) have not voted yet
He knew what he knew because he grew up in the middle of a family very involved in education, law/judiciary, and politics for about two centuries.