Ripples of Light and Dark

I've had a busy two weeks and haven't had the opportunity to post here. Things are starting again to look a bit brighter on the job front. I had one pretty good phone interview and another one lined up for tomorrow. I also got an invitation to write for another organization. These are the ripples of light in my life. I can't be sure how any of it will work out for me. Those are the ripples of dark that try to drag me down.

The situations that are going on in Washington DC also have those ripples of light and dark. The ripples of light are the promises to create jobs in America and secure our borders. The ripples of dark are the environmental concerns and security concerns. I hope that these concerns are addressed. There is a real strong push back trying to discredit the new government from many who feel it is an illegitimate government. I get that. There is an equally strong pull to keep going forward despite the obstacles.

I don't know everything. All I do know is that the person in the White House now was miraculously placed there by God. It just had to be. There is no other explanation for me. So I know that this wave of hate is directly due to an awakening of sorts. At least this is what I'm seeing here. Why would there be such hate if that wasn't true? I know the arguments about the river of hate that has been  simmering for the past eight years. Yes, I've seen that too. Yet I can't help thinking that it really hasn't been as bad as some might presume it had.

The thing that I have to keep reminding myself and remembering is God is in control. He is the one who controls all things through us. We just have to trust him.

Reflections on a Lost Generation

I've been thinking a lot about the children who are now growing up without the benefits that I had as a child. For many of these children their only sources of information is on the Internet and on social media outlets. Libraries are slowly but surely getting rid of paper books and microfiche because it is not worth keeping. Living life through the eyes of a screen that could so easily manipulate what you see and hear is not living. Children are now being taught not to think for themselves.

Some would say that this situation was a long time coming. That children of the our generation have exasperated the problem by allowing it to happen. We were too eager to embrace the new world that we lost sight of the old world and its many charms. We didn't know that by embracing the new technologies we were in fact signing our death warrants.

Kids today don't understand the concepts of freedom. They haven't got any stable and solid foundations. Their foundations were ripped from them at birth. They were the recipients of what many are calling a whole new world.

I remember being extremely frightened by the pictures and images I saw when I was around 10 years old of the future world. I am realizing that we are living in that frightening future world where everything seems to be controlled remotely. Some are okay with this. They embrace all the new technology and don't mind that more and more people are living in a fantasy world set up by a government bent on controlling us.

I admit that some of the technology is good. I like being able to communicate with others through the Internet. I like being able to write my thoughts here for others to see. Yet I've lost something too. I used to write my thoughts on paper and reflect on them. I haven't done that for a while. I miss it.

Lord knows that being able to communicate ideas and learn new concepts is also a good thing. Yet I can't help thinking about the cost of all this progress. This generation is a lost generation because they just don't know what hard work is....at least the people I know really don't. I admit that I struggle with the concept when it feels like there is really nothing to do.

Nine Years-Seems Like Yesterday

My little brother's oldest daughter turned nine today. It does seem like only yesterday when I held her in my arms as a baby. The world has changed a lot since 2008. It was that year when the economy went "south" with the "Great Recession". It was that year when the company I was contracted out to work for was bought out.

Unfortunately I can't really recall any good thing that happened during those nine years. It's sad but true. So many people have been affected in a negative way with all the changes in technology. I really can't say that my life has improved either during these nine years...at least not financially.

I can say that I am a more open and aware person than I was nine years ago. I am definitely more actively involved in my community. I've seen things happen that give me hope for the future. I like the good changes I see in Aydia. She is growing up to be a beautiful young lady.

I do thank God for Aydia. She has brought light into my life and caused a glimmer of hope to pierce my soul. For her sake, I am praying that the Lord will protect and guide her through this veil of tears. Strengthen her for the coming days, Lord God and give her wisdom to combat those who would tear her away from you. Bless her family, Lord God and her little sister, Aubrey. Keep her in your sight, Lord God.

In Desperate Straits Once Again-The Struggle to Find Work

I didn't think I'd be here again worrying about paying for rent. I can understand that I should have gotten employment by now. I can understand that things are costing more and more. I am in desperate straits once again. I know I should trust the Lord, but it is so difficult when you are facing the very distinct possibility of being out on the street.

The only reason I'm not yet there is that I am an unpaid caregiver. People are depending on me. It is hard. I do struggle to find work that I can do. I am tired and weary. No one seemed to understand what I'm feeling right now. How can they when they are struggling themselves? I can throw a pity party about my current situation or I can do something.

The struggle to find work is real. I have no real skill sets that employers can use. I haven't been in a real work environment for five years. Whenever I think about that....I am amazed that I've lasted this long without steady income.

My prayer tonight is for a release from this dark hole that I've found myself in. I need funds now to support myself and my family. I hate posting this...but I'm desperate.

Praying for A New Beginning-The New Administration

In just a few days we will welcome a new President. Some days it seems unreal that things could change as much as promised. I hear so much about the ways that Democrats are still dragging their feet. I'm also hearing that people are panicking about the dismantling of some "pet projects."

I am praying for a new beginning. The new administration has a lot to do to reverse globalization's effects. Those effects are still re-vibrating even now.

I do feel that things do have to change. I know that God's hand is in this. I am sensing that there are forces that would love to destroy the hope we have. Yet God will protect us. He will guide us in the way we should go.

More signs of the End Times: Electronic Currency

I am becoming more and more aware of the increasing control that the electronic superhighway has on people everywhere. It is so easy to see the influence of technology on the world at large. This technology and the innovations has been stealing work for a while now. Kids today really don't realize how "closed in" we really are as a society. They are taught from an early age to accept what they read on the Internet as truth. Some of it is truth but kids have no filter to tell the truth from the falsehoods.

I know that I'm considered some what of a Luddite because I don't get into shopping and all the social media channels on the Internet. I also don't do online banking or use the new apps that allow you to pay electronically. Yes it is convenient not to have to pull money physically out of the bank. Yes, it is great just to wave a card and get what you want instantaneously.

What has me concerned and should have you concerned is the rapid movement towards electronic currency. Four of the world's biggest banks are contemplating using this digital cash for trades in 2018. What is to stop them from using this same electronic currency for other transactions? There is already at least one country (Sweden) who has decided to go cash free and stopped issuing physical currency.

The problem with this is that electronic currency gives too much control to those who run the financial institutions to wipe out your savings, control what you can have and deny services because you don't have the right electronic currency. I guess my real problem is that who is to say that you have money when you don't physically have it. It is too easy for someone to block you from getting anything. It is also one more step towards the "Mark of the Beast" in Revelation.

By having that electronic control someone could possibly control who lives and dies...definitely something to think about when you use your debt card....

A New Year, A New Hope

It does seem like the years have sped by. I can't help thinking that it has been seven years since I first started this blog. Actually sometimes it feels like it has been longer. I have grown so much as a person in the past seven years. I have learned a lot of hard lessons. Yet I am still here.

This is a new year. This will be a year of preparation for me to move forward and embrace hope. I can no longer wallow in the past or let the circumstances of my life dictate my life. Yes, there are some scary things that are happening that I have no control over. Yes, I admit that I've been beating myself up for not embracing technology like so many others have. Yet I know that there is an undercurrent of society that is pushing back from the smothering embrace of technology. They know as I do that technology, no matter how good it is, won't replace human ability.

I'm feeling a new hope that I'm praying will grow and take root. It has been a long dark tunnel with no end in sight. I'm learning to be grateful for what the Lord is giving me with this avenue of communication. I realize that things could be a whole lot worse for me. I'm blessed with food, shelter and family who still support me through this financial crisis.

I can praise God for all that he has given me. I can move forward in this new year with confidence that the Lord will be with me every step of the way.