The freewill to decide for themselves

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 16, 2022 

"Ekklesia means ‘the called out ones’ and was about God’s people, not a building."

From Stranger Angels 2nd Edition coming soon.

That is from Stranger Angels. Don't believe it because you never heard it mentioned in church? It should have been because it came from the Book of Acts 7:48-50

48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?

Jesus gave many lessons about one faith. He preached outside and told everyone to pray to "Our Father" instead of telling them they must do it in a church. There weren't any churches back then. There were only temples. 

They did not have all these different denominations of followers of Christ. Aside from that fact, this nation has the rights of all people to decide for themselves what they believed, or did not believe. 

The founding fathers were brilliant because those were the same rights and freedoms God grated every human. The freewill to decide for themselves.

So how did we ever get to the point where a religious point of view has been granted so much power over the rest of the people in this country? That is what the abortion debate is all about and is not what all Christians think. The Presbyterians came out and defend the rights of people to choose for themselves.

PARO welcomes those who support the full range of reproductive options that ensure that every child is loved and wanted. The network is committed to ensuring that the policy of the PC(USA) is articulated, understood, and preserved for future generations.

They are not alone defending choice. Presbyterians also support gay rights, but leave it up to congregations to choose to allow it or not. Choice within the same group is a marvelous thing to do. Imagine that! There are many divisions among Christians, and as it should be, however, anyone demanding a right be removed by anyone, or group, is wrong. That is why there are so many different beliefs in Christianity. Now set that aside and realize where you live. You live in a nation built upon freedom of religion. It is so important it is in the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

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.

The right of all people to decide what they believe and how they will live their own lives is up to them. For the Supreme Court to dare demand everyone else obey a "moral" decision is anti-American and anti-God considering He gave us all the right to decide for ourselves.

Our moral values are often offended by those who scream the loudest because we have to defend ourselves against how they portray themselves on religious grounds. They give the false impression that they speak for all Christians.

It has gotten so bad, that my last three books had to be rewritten because while a lot of people thought the story was really good, they did not like the Bible passages. I included them in on the first editions because people who do not attend church, are usually not aware of how much power and comfort is within the pages. I had to take them out and only left the reference to where the thoughts came from.

That's the thing that really gets me because not attending a "church" is actually supported in the Bible itself. 

This is from Stranger Angels, coming soon on Amazon.

Chris, Bill and David just heard Greet talk about how Paul had Stephen stoned to death. Chris had been accused many times of trying to take down churches. Greer, the daughter of a fabulous preacher, was not just one of Chris's best friends, she was one of his defenders.

They all noticed her face changed and her back stiffened up. David took her hand, “What just happened? What’s going on with you?”

“I just remembered what else Stephen said. God! I wish I remembered it when Chris was being accused of wanting to take down the church!”

“What else did he say?”

“He said that God doesn’t live in houses built by human hands. That He created everything.” She turned to Chris, “I’m sorry that I didn’t remember that. He was saying what others said before him and that God didn’t want building and when Jesus said that Peter was the rock He wasn’t talking a stone one but a living one. He told the people to pray to His Father directly. People use the word church without understanding what Jesus was actually talking about. Ekklesia means ‘the called out ones’ and was about God’s people, not a building. That is exactly what you’ve been saying.”

Chris covered his mouth while he started at Greer. David looked at him, “She’s right. I didn’t remember that either but somehow I knew you were on the right track with what you’ve been saying all along. I mean, if a fire burns down a church, people can still pray on their own. How many churches have had to close and ended up being sold, turned into a house, or office space because people stopped going to them? Safe bet people didn’t think that God died just because their church did. They are all just places and not some kind of super connector to God.”

Bill added, “Just like my Dad and Mandy. They prayed directly to God and didn’t need a church building to do it for them.”

“You’re all right.” He turned to Greer, “That really helped and in a way, I’m glad you didn’t remember it before because that would have reenforced the things I’ve been accused of doing. Now that I know that, I’ll know what to say the next time.”

How could anyone expect someone to seek spiritual healing for PTSD or any other illness, if all they hear are voices condemning them? How can anyone learn how much they are loved by God if they never hear how He created their souls and their bodies are just a vehicle for their souls? Or that they are free to decide for themselves what they do and do not believe?

It is time for the voices of Christians to defend their faith against those who seek to silence them. We should all be tired of them deciding they have the right to decide for everyone else.

Imagine what it would be like if....

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 11, 2022

My parents were first generation American and I paid attention to elections because that's how they raised me. My Mom brought me with her for everyone of them, including local elections until I was old enough to vote.

By then, I understood what a political platform was, because that was how they used to vote. Then when politicians proved they couldn't be trusted to keep to what they claimed they valued, they switched to being issue voters.

They didn't have the luxury of looking up voting records because no one had computers back then. The only thing they could do was pay attention to newspapers, and they did with dedication.

That was what I believed and still do. Elections matter and so does the platform of political parties.

I've been thinking about what a mess this country is in, and has been for a very long time. Thinking about how hard our lives are right now, reminds me of how hard they were in the past as well.

I got depressed about all of this and then I started to wonder about what it would be like if things had been different.

Imagine what it would be like if,

When the GOP had the chance do the right thing and allow Obama to nominate;who he wanted to to Supreme Court. McConnell decided he didn't care there were months left to his term and would not hold a confirmation hearing. If Obama was allowed, as all other presidents, then we wouldn't have Neil Gorsuch. If McConnell had been speaking truth about what was right and wrong, then we wouldn't have Amy Coney Barrett taking her seat weeks before the election. There isn't much that should surprise us about what happened with the rights of women to control their own bodies being obliterated. After all, that has been the Republican platform for a long time.

Imagine what it would be like if,

When the Republicans had control over the House, Senate and White House, didn't give millions away to rich people with their take cuts. It was $1.5 Trillion but for other than the sales job they delivered, not much went to us. A lot of people didn't pay much attention to it because the economy was pretty good when they took control. That bottomed out fast. What if they invested that money into what would make our lives better instead? We'll never know because none of them tried. Would we be facing all this when corporations and the rich are racking in huge sums of money? Have you read about what the gas companies are making right now while we're trying to figure out how to pay for gas and everything else?

Imagine what it would be like if,

Republicans in the House and Senate cared about the truth or honored their oath of office the first time Trump was Impeached by the majority of the House, but the Senate didn't care about a silly thing called evidence. They wouldn't even listen to any of it and that Impeachment was about what Trump did to Ukraine, withholding money that was supposed to be provided to them for their defense. Hey least we could do considering they gave up their nukes and were worried Russia still had them. What if they got that money and then proved to Russia that the US kept their word? Would we be seeing what is going on over there now? Any of it? 

I could sit her all day and list all the things that all of us should imagine and still not mention every one of them. There are just too many including the pandemic we're still suffering from. 

Anyway, the point to this is, if you can imagine what things could have been like if we didn't give our power away by not voting since some of us think they're all bad, or our votes won't really matter, that is how we got into these messes in the first place.

If you don't pay attention and respect your own place in our history, then we will end up getting more of the same out of those who take the seats of power. 

There is another thing besides what the platform is, and it is called a plank. I think it may be time for all of us to get the ones causing all the problems to walk the plank and stop letting them sink this ship! None of what has happened would have happened if they actually imagined how much damage they would cause and if they did, then why on earth would we give them a chance to do ever worse?

Considering what they've done to delude the public into thinking the election was stolen for the presidency, but their elections were all valid, that should have clued all of in on what this has all been about. Vote as if your future depends on it, because as we've seen, it does.

Navy suicides up, and so are cockamamie conclusions

The Navy wants to boost morale after several suicides. Some sailors say it's not enough.

NBC News
By Deon J. Hampton and Melissa Chan
May 5, 2022

Team-building events are in the works for sailors on the USS George Washington, where three shipmates died by suicide within a week in April.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Navy’s plan for repairing morale on a historic warship after a rash of sailors assigned to the ship killed themselves includes team-building exercises like a video game competition, recreation and moving sailors off the ship.

But some sailors who spoke to NBC News think the efforts don’t go far enough.

The Navy plans to host a day of team-building activities and has asked each department to submit ideas for how crew members could interact off the ship, according to Lt. Cmdr. Robert Myers, a Navy spokesman.

“It could be anything,” Myers said.

A Super Smash Bros. video game competition and a soccer tournament are some of the suggestions that have been floated, according to one George Washington sailor, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

However, that sailor doubted whether such events would fix what appears to be a mental health crisis on the ship.
read more here

Well alrighty then! Seems like they got a plan. I hope you caught the solutions they wanted to try.

More than 200 sailors moved off aircraft carrier after multiple suicides “Leadership is actively implementing these and pursuing a number of additional morale and personal well-being measures and support services to members assigned to USS George Washington.”

Are they kidding? Seriously? Super Smash Bros and soccer will really fix a mental health crisis about the same way reminding suicidal veterans there were a lot of other veterans committing suicide. Insanity will not help the mental health of anyone.

As for Lt. Cmdr. Robert Myers saying "It could be anything." That is yet another head smack moment.

Here's  thought, how about actually knowing enough about PTSD, trauma, stress and a lot of other things first and then maybe, it would be a good idea to go from there? If they don't understand what causes a mental health crisis by now, it's time for the leaders to be held accountable, especially when they come up with these cockamamie conclusions!

VA added 9 more respiratory cancers as presumed disabilities

Nine new cancers added to the presumed service-connected list related to particulate matter

News Sections: #VetResources, Benefits, Top Stories
Published On: April 26th, 2022
Bryan Lett is a USMC Veteran and public affairs specialist for VBA’s Office of Strategic Engagement

Department of Veterans Affairs On April 26, VA announced the addition of nine rare respiratory cancers to the list of presumed service-connected disabilities due to exposure to fine particulate matter for Veterans who served any amount of time in

Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria or Uzbekistan during the Persian Gulf War, from September 19, 2001, to the present, or The Southwest Asia theater of operations from August 2, 1990, to the present. VA is taking a new approach to making decisions on presumptives, one that takes all available science into account, with one goal in mind – getting today’s Veterans, and Vets in the decades ahead – the benefits they deserve, as fast as possible.

VA identified, through a focused review of scientific and medical evidence, a biological plausibility between airborne hazards, specifically particulate matter, and carcinogensis of the respiratory tract; the unique circumstances of these rare cancers warrant a presumption of service connection.

Veterans and survivors who had claims previously denied for any of the below respiratory cancers are encouraged to file a supplemental claim for benefits;

Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx;
Squamous cell carcinoma of the trachea;
Adenocarcinoma of the trachea;
Salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea;
Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung;
Large cell carcinoma of the lung;
Salivary gland-type tumors of the lung;
Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung and;
Typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung

VA will contact impacted Veterans and survivors to inform them about their eligibility and it will provide information on how to apply.

To apply for benefits, Veterans and survivors may visit VA.gov or call toll-free at 800-827-1000.

Study found 63% had significant symptoms of PTSD families of Covid-19 ICU patients

"Even that small act of compassion from the health care team to the family can really have a really powerful impact for those family members and their risk of developing these (PTSD) symptoms," Amass said.

And that is how everyone heals, no matter the cause of PTSD. Compassion goes a long way toward helping them.  When you read the rest of the article, please keep that in mind so that you never undervalue the power of love.

Family members of Covid-19 ICU patients may emerge with a different condition, study says

CNN
By Madeline Holcombe
April 25, 2022

Amass and his team surveyed family members in the months after a loved one was admitted to the ICU with Covid-19 in 12 hospitals across the country. Many of the people studied were limited in visitation and contact with the patient. The study found that of the families that responded to the survey, 201 out of 316 (about 63%) had significant symptoms of PTSD.

CNN)When thinking of post-traumatic stress disorder, your mind may go to a movie about war.

It's a quiet day at base camp when suddenly the enemy launches an attack. The main character is scrambling to respond to incoming fire, making quick decisions about how to respond to danger that is largely out of their control.

In many ways, it's a lot like the experiences of families of patients in the intensive care unit with Covid-19, said Dr. Timothy Amass, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

These family members, too, often see an abrupt change in circumstance, have to make difficult decisions quickly and feel a loss of control, he said. And often, they come away from the experience with symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD, according to a new study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
read more here