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http://joyfulsoundministry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Visions.pdf

"For we do not war against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present age of darkness; against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"- Ephesians 6:12. I'm sure each of us, in our own way, has faced the message of this quote in some manner.  I certainly have seen it play out in my life of 21 years thus far.  In our hyper-speed, myopic society, we sometimes fail to realize that the scenes playing out before us (reality) is a reflection of the wins and losses of the battle between good and evil in the spiritual realm.  The good news is we have a loving God that will not give up on us.  Moreover, if we do our best to not give up on Him, forgiving others, repenting of our false and erroneous ways while seeking justice and following charity, we experience the glory of divine benefits; both here and in the life to come.  Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light of this ...

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: "Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy." (Misericordiae vultus) With these words, Pope Francis announced to the world the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Mercy is a special power of God’s love whose manifestation is needed in our present-day world more than ever. In the present moment humanity seems unable or unwilling to trust in that power. Some believe that through the power of violence, terror and hatred, one can intimidate others to bend to their will. Mary, upon entering the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth, magnifies the Lord with all her being for "His mercy," which "from generation to generation" is bestowed on those who fear Him. This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, whose life was steeped in compassion and tenderness. Our God’s unconditional love and boundless mercy became flesh and bones in the Person of Jesus Christ so that we might touch and se...

REMITTING SINS PART ONE – THE BULLY, ALEX & MANUEL The New Year, 1961 An Excerpt From: “CROSS + WISE – The Journal of a Walker” By: Henry Gruver During the same evening I made a vow for 1961 that began one of the most important phases of my life. The Lord is still building on the principles of walking and praying that began to be planted in my life that night, as I vowed, “Lord, one night a week I will take 100 gospel tracts into downtown Phoenix, and not come home until I have personally handed them out.” I enthusiastically started fulfilling that vow on January 1, 1961. By the end of February, I was walking the streets of Skid Row and passing out tracts as I promised the Lord that I would; but I was very discouraged. My tracts wound up blowing about, getting soaked by the rain, and tossed aside as common trash. I cried out to the Lord and asked for something different to happen. What I was doing was not producing fruit for the Lord – just jobs for the trash collectors. ...

DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY PART ONE – THE KILLER INTERSECTION August 1979 An Excerpt From: “CROSS + WISE – The Journal of a Walker” By: Henry Gruver It was August of 1979 and we were moving our family from a small Oregon community along the Columbia River into a house in the St. Johns district of North Portland, Oregon. The house was situated on a heavily traveled five-point, double-curved intersection that led to the international shipping terminals for the Port of Portland. The children were excited to see the television cameras from the local station filming the intersection and interviewing the neighbors. They ran into the house, calling out, “Daddy, come quickly; the news people want to interview you!” When I went out to see what they were talking about, the media was interviewing the neighbors who lived across the street from us. Their distress was very evident as they related the account of the most recent tragedy, which had involved a young man on a motorcycle who had be...

Good news on a serious problem in the U.S. Thanks to increased awareness and action to physical activity and sound nutrition, we are seeing real progress with diabetes. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/01/health/new-diabetes-cases-at-long-last-begin-to-fall-in-the-united-states.html?ref=health&_r=1