18 September 2017

So, what a weekend...  I kind of vegetated, watching TV and Netflix (documentaries) and free movies (Hidden Figures from HBO I think).  Is learning the same as vegetating?  I'm not sure.  I am still working on my Sabbath rest boundaries... everything I do seems to somehow apply to my various​ work involvements.  It's a challenge.

I have already posted some comments on my Facebook page for Fixing America about the documentaries I watched yesterday (Sugar Coated) and today (GMO OMG), but here is some of the list from my Sabbath effort to rest by watching the tv... I actually can't remember all of them.

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Feel Rich (food/health documentary on hip-hop/rap culture.  I am not involved in either genre, so all the people were new to me, except I recognized a photo of Eminem  :-)  but the end of the movie showed a lot of their people who died young.  I guess I recognized Quincy Jones, too.  :-)   It was hard for me to watch some of it... I'm not into the profanity that is normal for some people.  I did like the healthy focus, and how we change.  I think this was the one talking about Meatless Mondays not being enough.  To me the challenge of Meatless Mondays is a starting point, a first step on the way to better health.  You have to glean what matters.)

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Facing Darkness (so good, Christian film by Samaritan's Purse about ebola outbreak in Africa... I couldn't afford to see it in the theatres or buy the DVD, so when I saw it was on Netflix, I watched it right away.  EVERY Christian needs to see this... it shows how wonderful we are as people, missionaries, and organizations...  I was so glad I watched it.)

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Banking on Bitcoin (documentary about the start of Bitcoin and some of it's problems... one of two I noticed.  I will have to watch the other one at a different time.  I am wondering about Bitcoin, especially if there is a global financial crisis.)

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Cowspiracy  (documentary about animal agriculture's effect on global warming, but the host lost me - and the people he interviewed - when he took it into a vegan/meat eaters issue.  There was a lot of good detail, and the presentation was OK, but the bias changed the focus of the issue.  How our food supplies are raised and processed is a real issue, and needs some solutions.  I wish I could recall the parts that meant a lot to me, but watching too many documentaries at one time mixes all the details up.  I already plan to take notes the next time I binge watch!  :-)

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Rancher Farmer Fisherman (a movie I found while looking through the free movie section.  Nice.  It looks into the livelihoods of three areas, with an emphasis on major players.  It helps you to see the desperate need we have to protect our existence from the greed of government... and shows how dependent we are on these food supplies.)

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Hidden Figures (was another movie I couldn't see when it came out.  Loved it.  It was funny and sad to see our country behaving like it did, but it was also nice to see some "normal" black families... as opposed to criminals and drug involved or violent....  I hope more of the details were from real history than created for the dramatic effect movies need to have... it was based on real events.)

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These all gave me a lot to think about, especially food issues.

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Rain has begun in the Northwest.  I call it a warning from God that winter is coming, so get ready!  :-)   I had to get out my thermals and wore my warm coat for the first time in months.  I think I am fighting off a cold from the change in drafty spaces and cold air.  I have to decide how I can do my shopping in the rain again.

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I saw some of the news today... about two more hurricanes coming to the US, and video of a terrible accident.  With all the cameras being put up for surveillance issues, we are able to see things we may not want to see... it brings the horrors of the world too close.  The need to be first, have the most alarming details, shock the world, be seen, get noticed, and more... it has changed our lives.  It will change the future even more.  I always think of Matrix when I think of this issue... how facial recognition and computer surveillance guarded every human being...and it's the same theme in lots of movies.  Computers, cameras, and time... they don't cost as much as human surveillance use to... and aren't always noticed.  I liked the film loop in the movie SPEED, too... showing that they can be manipulated, too.  It's a legal problem that hasn't been solved yet... how much to rely on computer-generated evidence.

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In the battle between good and evil, GOD and Satan, love and hate, it is hard to endure the hardships the Bible tells us are part of being human, and are going to come into our lives, and we must find a way to overcome.  No one likes to hurt.  When we hurt, we try to make sure someone else hurts, too.  I have had to work through this myself.  I don't know if I will ever reach the status of being Christ-like, as we are suppose to become. 

The Bible says this world has been released into the hands of Satan, for a time.  That means we will suffer, even when we are good people, do good things, and don't deserve it.  There is no easy answer to what is wrong with our world and how to make it better.  Salvation creates better people, over time, but it doesn't solve every problem in humanity.

I have been praying about situations in my own life for a long time.  It is hard to see evil win small battles and think it has won the war.  It is hard not to be able to change the status quo.  It is hard to see your loved ones make wrong choices.  It is hard to endure the consequences of our mistakes, but it is even harder to endure when we haven't done anything to deserve our suffering. 

In this conflict between the forces of evil and our lives, we have to find a way through, regain our balance, and continue on. When I pray, I may not get the answer I want, but I know God is still busy with the details of our existence.  He is making prophecy come true, He is trying to save as many souls as possible, He is doing what is best for the bigger picture of existence.  I may suffer, the people I care about may suffer, and the cause is not always GOD.

I guess documentaries remind me that problems we face as humanity are consequences of the ongoing battles between good and evil, and our choices about which side we are on. 

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help us to see the impact of our choices.
May we find the courage to do what is right.
May our lives focus on God rather than money.
May our hopes be in having enough, not in having more than we need.
May our government not become our enemy.
May GOD provide for those who love Him and trust Him and sacrifice for Him.
May time help us to change.
May we find ways to rectify our wrong choices and the effects they have on others.
May freedom continue to exist in America, and the world.
May we face our global challenges with honesty and courage.
May life last long enough to reach our best goals.
Amen.