Ron And His Stories

I really love this promise here. I’ve seen many rainbows before, after it’s rained on the ground, and I think they look awesome. Sometimes a double rainbow appears; the colors are inverted. You probably know about rainbows and how they work; I don’t need to explain a whole lot on the colors, but in the Rainbow Road tracks in each Mario Kart game, Nintendo mixes up two of the colors. Still, the rainbows are pretty cool. By the way, this passage is found in page 5 of my NKJV Bible, page 6 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament; it’s been this way since the beginning; it has separate page numbers for the New Testament), page 10 of my VOICE copy, and page 11 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.

I’ve seen flags of rainbows that have only six colors, while promoting LGBTQ stuff, but I’m thinking we shouldn’t talk about this because, for the most part, people in and out of the church are constantly gossiping about the homosexuality controversy and no one can endure the mindless bickering. But it’s not as though God wouldn’t accept someone who would hold to those views. If they still want to hold to them, it’s up to them; it won’t keep them from going to Heaven. I’m actually more afraid of those who would refuse them entry to seek Jesus or go to their church. When I found out the church I grew up in would do that, I decided it wasn’t worth going to. I had been unchurched for quite some time anyway, and I didn’t want to attend another service. But Two Rivers Church is excellent (a friend brought me there in February 2015), though I don’t often attend their services besides the Awaken meetings — I actually think house churches are generally better. I’ve been attending Relentless Love, a house church that once operated by the Holy Spirit but later shut down, yet it’s back in action! I’ve even wanted to make wholesome, unadulterated Bible talks in a bungalow in the South Pacific (I would prefer living in one). Wow, that was off-topic… Anyway, I don’t know why the homosexuality thing is so highly concentrated on, but I don’t think we shouldn’t love people with other sexual preferences. It’s not as though they can’t change their minds anyway; indeed, God doesn’t punish anyone for such a thing. I know I wouldn’t.

Also, I didn’t know that Hillsong Phoenix would be born, because I decided to keep a low profile on my faith in July 2014 after some awful stuff had happened. Yet I don’t feel as much of a need to talk about it now as I did five years ago when I could gain a friend’s trust. Still, I think I have many things to learn before I can try to undo the legacy that made the awful stuff happen. But Hillsong Phoenix was founded in February 2016, and I’ve seen some of the messages on TV and even Cafe Theology with Terry Crist (the main pastor of that church) on the Hillsong Channel. Also, while I don’t mention anything spiritual overtly at work, I do sometimes share the Gospel with a coworker, usually in the break room. I pray they accept Jesus, the ones I’ve shared the word of Christ with so far. But I still feel no need to say anything most of the time. I read a quote one day a few years ago, “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” I believe it often shows with deeds of kindness and justice, both promoting freedom in every level, even in unusual ways.

And since God didn’t make any worldwide floods happen after Noah and his family, together with everything else, stepped out of the ark, I can remember His promise of Jesus that much easier, since He didn’t kill anyone, either. But imagine how some people think that He doesn’t keep His promises due to large floods that sometimes happen. I do pray that the weather in each country is good, though.

See you in the final section of this chapter!

I once heard a New Testament professor at Arizona State (I took a class with him one semester; it was in late 2012) say that the Church doesn’t often talk about Matthew 19:10-12 about being eunuchs for the Kingdom… I’ve contemplated that before, I’ve tried to pursue a friend to be my wife, but that didn’t work out too well… but I won’t get into it now. Maybe once we’re farther into this journey, I’ll explain it to you, but for now, I’ll just say I don’t think I did enough for her. And I’m not even in it for reproduction or sexual activity… but I do pray I can find a wife one day. But I consider Jesus more important to me than even myself, so there’s that. I think while we try to start families, we need to exalt Jesus, for reproduction without Him, even inside a marriage, is pretty detrimental, seeing that most parents never carry the love of Jesus for their children and their children’s children… and so on. But it’s pretty awesome to see the world’s population grow. I don’t know what the issue is on how many people can live on the earth before provision isn’t even possible from the earth’s resources, but there’s still a lot of places yet previously untapped. There are things we can do and places to go! I know I want to take myself and two of my friends to Bali for a week some time later, but that’s for another time, should I have the means. But I don’t think we need to worry about the future, for they can have the challenges ready when we get there. Jesus said that today’s trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:34 (NRSV)), so I think we should listen to Him, as God later said in the Transfiguration in Matthew 17.

There’s my final post, sorry I delayed it so much because it’s so close to midnight in Arizona, I looked up You Tube videos of the Harlem Shake and some Mario Kart 64 songs, mostly 😂 see you in the near future for another Genesis 9 passage!

There’s a lot in the Bible about kosher stuff, and there’s nothing wrong with following that diet. But I don’t think anyone should burden others with imposing that kind of diet, because it’s really strict, and we as Gentiles (non-Israelites) shouldn’t worry about what foods we “should eat” in a “certain order” to be “more right with God.” I don’t believe Jesus requires a certain diet out of any of us. It’s not as though He had declared any foods unclean, either, for it doesn’t enter our hearts when we eat them (see Mark 7:19). When I first started walking with Jesus, I began eating anything I wanted. I was 18, so basically, I couldn’t get any dietary restrictions imposed on me 🤣🍕🌮🍛🍧 (the shaved ice emoji is because I would love to enjoy a relaxing sunset somewhere in the Tropics, on an island with some friends) — count me crazy, but I really don’t think we should impose anything on someone they’ll later regret.

I have a lot to say on what I’ve experienced in my childhood and how I later developed so many convictions I now hold stupid-well to concerning the freedom I believe everyone should have (sorry for saying “I” so much 😜😅🤣), but for now, I’m thinking it’s crazy that so many people in the U.S. would rebel against the truth that all food is good. (For more information on convictions like this and how we should handle them, look at 1 Corinthians 8-10. Note: it is wrong to slander someone for giving thanks to God for a burger, a Subway footlong, or other things you don’t normally see. I give thanks to God for those things I just mentioned, like, 24/7.) I don’t believe we should be offensive on these convictions, but when so many are willing to give offence in the name of good health or something that might be helpful, I can’t really reconcile any of that with the Scriptures or even Christ Himself. It is written, “the correction of fools is folly” (Proverbs 16:22 (NKJV)). I looked up the Hebrew for it some time ago; I can paraphrase this to say that hateful correction should never happen. Yet it happens all the time. But you can see that I can now say I have biblical evidence against it because I discovered that less than three weeks ago. I hope more people embrace this truth I’ve learned.

I’d like to continue this post with something you might enjoy. I’ve decided I should write two top 10 lists for this blog post, one for my favourite foods to eat, and one for the ones I really don’t enjoy seeing. This doesn’t go against my conviction about all food being good (Jesus believes the same thing, you know), but though it wasn’t well known in the first century A.D., the discussions of which and the answers provided are now canon to the Scriptures, and they should not be disregarded in the name of refraining from offence. Yet I know there are some foods we don’t enjoy eating — there’s nothing wrong with that. So first, I’ll do a countdown of the top 10 best foods for me!

(#10) – Who doesn’t love pizza? 🍕🍕🍕 This stuff is so good, I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this stuff! There are so many pizza parlours in this world (some are too greasy for my taste 🤢🤮) — I’ve eaten at so many of them across the Phoenix area, and in 2002 one time with my family on vacation, Luigi’s Pizzeria in San Diego, California. I find it weird that Congress declared pizza as a vegetable in 2011 — cheese on it is dairy 😂 — but there are entire aisles in grocery stores dedicated to pizza! (Sidenote: I wish there was a Mario and Luigi pizzeria somewhere in this world; that’d be the most absolute craziest thing, since I am a huge fan of the Super Mario series.) I ate pizza at least once each week in college, I think; I don’t remember most of what happened, it’s all a blur. And you may be asking me, why is pizza so low on my list here? Well, it’s not always healthy. I’ve come to appreciate healthy foods a lot, but I still think it’s weird to discount something you enjoy. If money’s an issue, though, I understand that.

(#9) – Seafood is delicious. I don’t often get it because it’s so expensive, but salmon is my favourite. It’s even better than the tuna I sometimes buy at a store, and I really enjoy that with some lemon pepper and steak seasonings. But salmon is a rarer thing I can grab — speaking of which, I pray that all the fish in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are healthy so that the fisherman can grab entire schools of thousands of fish in gigantic fishnets… it’s not cool that radiation has been in the ocean since the earthquake/tsunami in Japan that caused a nuclear fallout eight years ago this month. But I think someone might be able to start cleaning the Pacific sometime soon, I have no idea. Anyway, I really wish I could get more salmon; it’s so expensive at restaurants everywhere, so that’s why it’s not so high on my list. But when I can get seafood, my God, is it satisfying!

(#8) – Sometimes you can’t beat the classics. I’ve loved ramen noodles since I was a kid, the first time I remember enjoying them was when I was 8. There are many kinds of noodles out there, and to my dismay, I haven’t tried a lot of different kinds, but I really love Japanese noodles, so that’s why it’s on my list. My favourite of the many flavours of ramen is the oriental one. It’s not found in noodle cups, but Top Ramen and Maruchan Ramen both make them, and I sometimes take more flavour packets for them than I should, but I would’ve bought them from the store beforehand. I really wish I could get more, but money’s an issue, yet I do get different kinds of noodles sometimes 🍜

(#7) – There’s something about Chinese food I’ve always loved. I heard the reason these kinds of restaurants are in the U.S. is/was a shady one, but thank God the food is here; it’s so delicious! 🥟🥠🥡🍱🍘🍙🍚🍛🍜 Once I went to the 32nd Street and Cactus Road Chinese restaurant near where I lived at the time (it’s been less than five years since then) I’ve wanted to get some of that each week. But I’ve never bought Chinese food on my own, yet I have been to YC’s Mongolian Grill multiple times since 2012 when some friends and I ate out there. I’ve been hooked on that since as well. Most of those occasions I went by myself, but I think I’ll return there some time later this week (it’s Sunday as I write this — I should put the date — Jonathan wanted to see the beginning of this, so I scrolled to the top and I wrote today’s date on there; I’m writing this in the dining room this time). I always get three or four takeout boxes full of meat, veggies, and noodles, with several herbs and a bunch of sauces of differing tastes — I never go higher than eight, but they said it would’ve been too much one time if I had put in ten sauces on there.

(#6) – Pizza is good, but what’s better to eat (either by themselves or with the pizza) are the hot wings! When I was little, I really enjoyed the buffalo-sauced hot wings with the pizza, and I wanted to eat them more frequently. I wasn’t able to, but I hadn’t asked for some odd reason; I figured it would’ve been too much for my mom or dad to afford, and I think I was right. Even at the grocery stores, they can be pricey, but I love them anyway. A bit off-topic, I really wish food was cheaper in the U.S., for inflation on everything has been much higher than the average pay increase for each profession one might undertake. But while I can enjoy provision from the Lord Jesus, I don’t mind. I really wish I could eat hot wings every time I get pizza, but I’m not making it tonight; I have meatballs in the freezer I should put to use, for they’ve been sitting inside it for weeks.

(#5) – Bananas have been my favourite fruit for decades! I wish I could eat lots of watermelon every day, but I don’t often see a lot of opportunities to take even some small ones home; they can be pricey. But I love bananas because they’re so affordable nearly everywhere 🍌😊😋 — yet the only downside is that I can get bad BM if I have more than one each day, but I’ve eaten a lot of other snacks during my breaks each time I’ve gone to work, so I want to move back to bananas, at least for now. I love eating banana popsicles, but I’m not sure if I’d drink any banana juice or milk. Regardless, banana cream pie is good, and once a couple of years ago, I had some banana caramel pie — I was blown away! I wish I could have more of those. But watermelon juice is excellent; I sometimes get that at the store.

(#4) – Another classic I’d like to bring to the table is the PB&J (peanut butter and jelly sandwich)! I usually don’t think to get those things, but it is a good backup if I want something I’ve enjoyed since childhood. I remember in high school, I would eat, like, four of those, before I went to marching band practice on many occasions. But though I feel weird about eating too many of those in one day, I still enjoy the sandwiches a lot! I never request those in restaurants (we don’t do this as adults, but kids can ask for them; that’s fine with me 😊), but I do like to at least see them in menus sometimes.

(#3) – Yet another thing I’ve really loved since childhood is my mom’s tuna casserole. I’m thinking that as I’m writing this I want to buy some peas and tuna on top of my only box of mac n cheese (you can do corn or green beans to replace the peas; that might work), but I’d like to buy some YC’s food, too. I think I should get some cheap snacks at work, too, but I can’t afford all three foods for the next 11 days — hang on, I’m ordering Chinese food with Jonathan (it was his idea; this post is being written in real time), so I’ll skip the YC’s for now 😊 Anyway, I’m interested in making tuna casserole again. I have a box of mac n cheese, I can get peas and tuna, but I don’t think I can do it for now due to bills. Oh, well, two out of three ain’t bad.

(#2) – I can’t get over how much I LOVE Chipotle food! I can’t really narrow it down to just one item from that place, because everything there is good! I actually encounter God when I eat their food pretty much every single time because I enjoy it so much. The pulled pork, steak, and barbacoa burritos or bowls are six things (remember, two times three is six) I can enjoy every single day for life! 🌯🌮 (I forgot to mention tacos, but that’s ok.) Everything there is so juicy, and I can probably bathe in it in Heaven once I get there, not to mention gather with like 60 other Christians and feast on that stuff like kings once we’re all in Heaven — I think that’s occurring in Heaven now; you can’t limit what God has created! They may know about Chipotle food up there, too, so there’s that 😋 The only downside is that there are two ingredients I don’t really want to see, but those are optional there; you can eat pretty much anything they serve you in any format. It’s a free country, right? But I think Chipotle is really good at being responsible with their ingredients, and I don’t think they should be criticized for any food options they present. In 2016, apparently someone sabotaged the Chipotle food with E. Coli across the world. I did get sick after eating from a restaurant from that same house I spoke of earlier (back in the #7 entry), but I just ate the burrito too fast that day, so I was sick for two days. Nevertheless, I’m glad they’ve recovered since then.

Before I get to the top entry on this list, here are some honorable mentions: chili, pulled pork sandwiches, spaghetti and meatballs/Italian sausage, popcorn, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

(#1) – When I first saw green spaghetti as a kid, I immediately fell in love with it. And it’s been my favourite food since! For over 20 years, I’ve always wanted to have some so frequently, but I still don’t know how to make it, for it’s not an easy recipe (though you can just put pesto on your cooked pasta and serve it as such) — it requires basil and spinach, and I’m not sure what other ingredient… but I’ll hold off on the rest of the post for now, for our Chinese food came in just now 🥠🥡🍱🍘🍙🍚🍛 (Later… (in a SpongeBob narrator voice)) I ate some food, but couldn’t finish it, for I had some popcorn and drank an entire 2-liter of RC cola in the last few hours. Yeah, my decisions can be pretty weird, but please don’t count me as someone who wants to eat in an unhealthy manner… Anyway, it’s funny how my most favourite food entry has the least to say about it. But yeah, here’s my top 10 best foods to eat. I apologize if this post is too long for you to read, but I’m loving this post, yet you don’t have to read it 😅😜😎 now it’s time for the other top 10 list… this is going to be nuts.

(#10) – I liked pancakes when I was a kid, but since seeing them so much in 2016 (you can Facebook message me for why this is on the list; my name is Ron Outland), I’ve really had a big distaste for them. This may sound surprising to you, but I’ve always been a Belgian waffle kind of guy, and seeing so many pancakes in just a few days can really leave me feeling sick 🤢🤮 especially if I see any syrup. I think it’s because my taste buds have become less accustomed to sugary foods over the years I don’t like seeing this anywhere. But at least I’m living with two friends, now, and we never eat pancakes, but if I want to, I’d eat some again.

(#9) – I don’t know what halal meat tastes like, and I don’t think it’s a bad food (unless it’s from a dog or something), but someone can be offended if I go to a market where any is served, because it’s usually eaten by Muslims. I never try to go to where a lot of people are who share a different faith with each other, but I pray for salvation in each of them. Yet I know I wouldn’t have a lot in common with them. I don’t know a lot of Middle Eastern culture (for many Muslims reside between Israel and India), but I don’t think my countrymen back here in the U.S. would like it if I ate any halal meat with others. If it’s not from something you can keep as a pet or wildlife (especially if it’s endangered), I wouldn’t mind it, but I don’t know for sure, so I can’t say anything about it. Maybe I can look up more information and see if halal meat has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but I also want to take the time to do some research to see which creatures they come from. But I don’t think Islam will take over the U.S.; I’m more freaked out about evangelicalism winning, the dangerous cult that has deceived so many people so well that revival and salvation doesn’t seem possible, even if the person has never been to a church or has heard of one, regardless of theological background.

(#8) – I haven’t really minded cheese a lot, but I don’t really like having so much dairy in my system, especially if I eat it too fast. I never want to eat it in bigger bites than how a rabbit would eat something 🧀🐇🥕 — I might actually feel sick. But I don’t mind it on pizza as long as cheese isn’t the only topping 🍕 and I do sometimes eat cheese pizza, but I usually go for a one or two-topping pizza, which is something I should’ve mentioned in my other top 10 list for this post, sorry. But cheese is on a typical pizza, yet I still don’t mind it; I just wish not to make myself lactose intolerant too soon; I think I’m becoming less and less of a dairy guy over time.

(#7) – Oh, man, I really don’t like this one. Grapefruit is a weird thing to me because I get too much tart and not enough fruit 😒 I don’t like anything with grapefruit in it, really, including grapefruit soda — I don’t remember if I’ve actually had it or not. But at least you can choose any food you want in this world. Too bad if your parents force-fed anything to you and even though you told them repeatedly you didn’t want it, they still gave you a horrifyingly nasty taste in your mouth — things like this should never happen. I understand that each person should have a healthy body, but if you’re force-fed anything, no matter how healthy it is, I’d say living apathetic to any diet is better because at least you don’t need to think about the diet plan when the one who is forcing you the food isn’t around. If you’re punished for it for any reason, though, it’ll only amplify the pain. Like I said, hateful correction should never happen.

(#6) – Ew! Cottage cheese is disgusting to me! I tasted one some time a few months ago and I hated it! It was expired, though, and I know a lot of food we don’t like to see we don’t need to eat, but that sucked! I actually think it’s like seeing paper form from trees. On a sidenote, I’d love to see more trees in this world; it’s really lovely with more of them around. I don’t even think Heaven has any shortage of them. Oh, earlier, Jonathan had said there’s work to do in Heaven, but I’m not so convinced we need to do anything in the second creation when it unfolds but enjoy Christ and what He gives. It’s not some continuation of life on Earth. But there’s room for discussion; I just don’t want anything to get heated. Sorry, that was off-topic… but anyway, I don’t want to eat cottage cheese today. I didn’t like it as a kid, and I don’t like it now.

(#5) – This will also sound surprising to you, but I really have hated guacamole for as long as I can remember. Avocados aren’t really tasty to me, either, and I think you can count me weird because I’m a Millennial who doesn’t like avocado toast. I did like the Florida toast I ordered when I went to a breakfast & lunch cafe one day, though. But I really don’t think I can enjoy guacamole at this point. I see it at Chipotle and at many restaurants I’ve been to in the past, but I don’t want to eat any. People see me as weird for not eating avocados 🥑 but they’re expensive and unreliable when you see them at the grocery stores.

(#4) – As much as I love Super Mario, I really hate eating or even seeing actual mushrooms 🍄 (though this emoji looks pretty cool) — I’ve tried them before on several occasions, and I never could enjoy them because they don’t have any flavour to me. It came in my Chinese food order (I got beef and curry sauce; I’m saving what I didn’t eat for later), but mushrooms were something I did not anticipate. I think I might get beef and broccoli 🥦next time, but I’m always up for beef and curry sauce on any occasion.

(#3) – Sour cream is just disgusting to me. I never could enjoy it in the past, and I don’t like it now, even in my Chipotle burritos. At least I never need to put them in my food, yet I really wish not to eat it anywhere… although there is one Mexican dish in which I had some and was really good. But elsewhere, I, like, shut off when I see it. The good news is, though, it has some nutritional value, and I don’t mind others enjoying the food. The bad news is, though, I can’t put it on salads and still enjoy them, even with salad dressing. But I imagine not a lot of people would actually put sour cream on salads, so whatever.

(#2) – Lettuce is something I can never enjoy by itself. And people know it’s never a tasty experience when it’s made, but they still make it anyway! At least there’s a load of salad dressings you can choose from to put on lettuce and other leafy vegetables to actually give them taste, but because lettuce tastes so bad, that’s why salad dressing even exists! There was an entire pallet at St. Vincent de Paul dedicated to salad dressing when I was volunteering there; it’s probably still there… I don’t know, I want to spend a day there again to do work at the food reclamation center. But people put lettuce on everything: salads, burgers, even my Chinese food, probably. At least you can put some sauces on them to give it flavour, but otherwise, I don’t have a good time eating it.

Before I unveil my most hated food of all time, here are some dishonorable mentions: onions, tofu, ranch dressing, cabbage.

(#1) – I’d like to see your opinion in the comments: who actually likes lima beans? Granted, they’re not a very popular vegetable, but when I see them, I get a lot of bad memories flooding my brain. I ate lima beans before and I wanted to vomit 🤢🤮😫😖😤 I actually think it might be the blue shell of foods worldwide. (If you’ve played Mario Kart, you’d know what I’m talking about.) I cannot accept this food as something I should enjoy, though I don’t mind if others do; I still don’t think it’s unclean. But you can’t put salad dressing on them, you can’t put Asian sauces on them, and the seasoning you can put in them is a pathetic excuse of an improvement of taste if that’s what you’re going for. The nutritional boosts they give also deserve to be ashamed to call themselves one! I actually wish you could use them as a currency if they’re freeze-dried for a church activity or curriculum, or maybe have them removed from mixed vegetables if you get them at the grocery store. Then, I can see some potential. But apparently, that never crossed the farmers’ minds. Even before I left home for my first time, I had this as my #1 hated food item because you couldn’t really do anything with them. I mean, really, have you ever seen anyone hope for lima beans to be on their diet? Of course, some people get a kick out of feeding their children that stuff because they’d listen to them. But what about your experience with them? You’re not the other person, and if it’s on your dinner plate, are you happy? I know I’m not.

Wow, that was a huge relief for me! And if you have any different opinions, I’d like to see your top 10 best and worst foods for each of you! I’ll be back tomorrow night for a short post on reproduction, also based off of Genesis 9:1-7, just as this was loosely based on that passage. See you tomorrow!

That just might be any righteous person’s thoughts about the death penalty, seeing that it’s caused many problems. But we don’t see an explicit reproof against it in the Bible. Yet God said in Ezekiel 18:32 that He has no pleasure on anyone’s death — I think that’s enough to say it shouldn’t be practiced. Unfortunately, though, there are a number of nations that practice the death penalty, most of which are third world nations. I didn’t hear about it happening here in the U.S.A. until I did a short stint of schooling during the summer of 2009. I wanted to avoid it, and thank God it’s pretty hard for anyone to be put under such a harsh sentence in the U.S. But I didn’t know Jesus at the time, so I wasn’t really sure… but I think the polemic in Genesis 9:6 will be for those who kill “lawfully” — I put it in quotation marks because I don’t want to be an executioner. A Christian never wants to be like this; I know I don’t believe in killing. Thank God there are other people in the U.S. that don’t support it. I don’t know what the politicians are thinking, but I did hear that Washington (the state in the Pacific Northwest) eliminated the death penalty. I really hope it’s not in my state, Arizona! I’m frightened for some of my friends’ lives, for injustice can single out anyone and destroy them before they have a chance to escape! But I pray that never happens. I’d love for the death penalty to be removed across the world, but it might take a while before any other state (Washington was the 20th) in the U.S. removes the death penalty. I find each person’s last meals creepy, but I wouldn’t do anything I imagine they did. But some people are imprisoned for the wrong reasons, yet I pray they are free citizens again. I sure do hope they receive Christ’s forgiveness, though.

Honestly, I think hate breeds more ugly stuff, and that shouldn’t happen. A Christian doesn’t even think to hate someone (1 John 3:15), but none of us can love perfectly. Regardless, it’s not as though Jesus is impatient about anyone’s growth, seeing that love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4), and His patience is endless (1 Timothy 1:16). Anyone who says otherwise is playing with fire, and those words are capable of putting the one who hears them in harm’s way. Also, I’m going to say something I don’t think a lot of people know (you probably won’t find anyone who believes this in most churches or secular communities, but results may vary in that one): calling someone immature is a hardening of the heart of the one accusing them as such. It’s not as though Hebrews 5:11-6:8 is supposed to condemn others. Yet many love to abuse others into obeying them because they believe the love of Jesus is a threat to good behavior. I think they are ignoring Hebrews 3:7-8 when it says for them not to harden their hearts. It is a rejection of the Gospel on their part, and no one should do this. Jesus died to set everyone free, not to force people into obedience like crazy! That’s not His heart. Good behavior is important, but it comes from God’s love, and freedom is the bedrock of good conduct. But offense can stifle everything, yet I do believe forgiveness is strong enough to destroy even the most fortified stronghold of an evil spirit. I pray we can forgive often.

One note of the three I mentioned down (in that last post I wrote six days ago), so I’ll be back with the food vs. conscience thing soon! Stay tuned.

This is my attitude and the theme of this passage. (It is found in page 5 of my NKJV Bible, page 6 of my NASB Bible, page 10 of my VOICE copy, and pages 10-11 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.) Any creature is available to eat (funny-weird in many cases, but fish is delicious 😋) — for some reason, this wasn’t said in chapters 1-3 before the Fall happened. I don’t know why He didn’t say anything about meat, but I think God had intended food to come from the creatures without killing them. Speaking of which, this passage does not address a killing that happens by complete accident; only those who have killed someone on purpose to some degree — it’s not cool how murder still happens in this world. This un-Christian thing is forgivable, but not all who murder will be saved. I know I wouldn’t befriend someone who wants to kill me. Hopefully, no one I know is planning my demise, but I don’t expect each person I see to be free of hateful intent; most people in this world are pretty deep in murderous content. But I think all of us have hated others at one point or another — if you see someone being an opponent to someone, tell them to watch out, for hate makes bitterness happen, and bitterness, especially against God, defiles many people around them (Hebrews 12:15).

Each person is supposed to love even an enemy (Matthew 5:43-48), and I think that’s excellent. Too bad a lot of people see themselves as perfect, though. I know I could never succeed, and I don’t care to be perfect today. Instead, though, I’d rather do Jesus’ works in His love for all mankind. I know I want to make it so that death is avoided every time I do something. But none of us can be perfect, although if a Christian sins for some reason, he/she is never hateful about it, for hate is only intentional, and it is un-Christian (1 John 3:15). From it comes many bad things, such as murder, abuse, scandals, gossip, and worst of all, rape and judgment. I want to rid the world of such evil deeds, but not of any person. EVER. I’m against death because Jesus doesn’t support the death penalty. I know a lot of people of all religions would support it because of their tradition, or if he/she grew up in a particular church, they might support it because of many verses in the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy, the first five books of the Bible) recording God’s many instances in which the Israelites were to stone people — I don’t think He wanted anyone dead (Ezekiel 18:32); in fact, we see in Ezekiel 20:25 that God gave over His people who wouldn’t love Him over to laws that were not good and unlivable. I think that’s pretty much everything in the Mosaic Law (or the Law of Moses, see Exodus 21-Deuteronomy 28), although social justice is important. Indeed, James wrote certain parts of his letter by the inspiration of much of Leviticus 19, including to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

It’s not as though you need to do anything in the Bible to become Christian, though. For instance, in Acts 15, Peter said that his people could never fulfill the law of Moses at any time, neither in his generation or in the generations of those who have gone before him. Noah offered those sacrifices in chapter 8 to remind him of his own sins (verses 20-21, see Hebrews 10:3 for the concept I’m drawing this from), and sacrifices like what he brought to God could never take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). Instead, Noah looked to Jesus instead to save him; that’s why he was counted righteous before God (Genesis 6:8, see another story in Genesis 15:6).

I still want death to be avoided by each person, though. I don’t expect each person reading this to believe me; what matters is that they believe the words of Christ spoken across the Bible. For all life, especially human lives, is sacred, and an editor of the VOICE made a note after verse 7 in this chapter to explain a thing or two about it. God especially hates it when someone tried to honor Him by killing someone. Jesus warned this would happen (John 16:2) — this happens in Islam, unfortunately. But I pray the Muslims around the world would become Christian 🙏

I’ll write more about what I said across this post in the next two weeks, mainly on the death penalty, the different food consumption choices and convictions people have, and a small bit of reproduction, which is what frames this seven-verse passage (verses one and seven). I don’t know how many posts I’ll make, but I’ll see you soon!

I love what happens in this chapter here… even though everything outside the ark died. I must wonder: what could have been done so that the people that later perished had listened? I think Jesus’ miracles, if they had been performed on the earth, had been seen by each person, more people would’ve repented and followed Him, just as He would later say of Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre, and Sidon (some later Old Testament cities that had been razed by wrath before Jesus’ birth, see Matthew 11:21-24) — I don’t know why Jesus didn’t do any works there, but I guess they knew He was God then — pretty dumb they didn’t believe in Him. (I’ll digress for a short while: how does someone know Jesus is God? Personally, I know and believe He is God because I don’t think I can survive without Him. I’ve tried to survive on my own strength and it didn’t work! We all need Him for both life and love, but all should want Him, too. I know I do.)

Anyway, this chapter is found in pages 4-5 of my NKJV Bible, pages 5-6 of my NASB Bible, and pages 9-10 of my VOICE and Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copies. I find it pretty cool that God promised never to pile-drive the earth like this in verse 21. In that same verse, though, He mentioned some controversial words about sin being in everyone’s hearts from a young age, but I don’t think that is part of what He does — it follows each person from birth, and all of us fall for it, seeing that most of us never know that Jesus is God by the time they’re older than I am, and I’m less than two years before my 30th birthday. For the record, though, I don’t think anyone is born to do evil works, all of us want to do good from the time we were created, for it is God’s design that it should happen. Too bad our parents never believed us growing up, and while many people even in their early 30s want to do good today, most of us are left with the illusion that we should listen to our elders — though they know that evil doesn’t work — and they can’t find any good opportunities to do good or be born again into freedom. Well, I have some good news! Jesus is near, and He doesn’t believe your parents’ godless words about being like them or living under a generational curse that you “should follow.” I’m like, “Please, like that’s ever gonna happen!” (I mean under the iniquity pattern; see Deuteronomy 5:9 in which it says that it follows each person without Christian parents until he/she is born again…)

Indeed, most parents in this world say that everything is your fault, but God doesn’t see it like that; they don’t know anything about you. They have no desire to love you or even their infant grandchildren; they don’t deserve you. It’s not as though you or anyone else is destined for condemnation anyway; it’s not what the Bible teaches. Someone can call this heretical, but I think they’re rejecting this message with such a wicked heart motive. I don’t want anyone else suffering from the whole “family-over-Jesus” thing. I mean, it’s pretty good to love and respect each person, relative or otherwise, but the condemnation you’ve been given is a disgrace to you and even themselves. I think the Holy Spirit says you should spend time apart from them for everyone’s sakes, cut them off forever if you have to. A revival is coming, as prophesied in Joel 2:28-29, and there’s no stopping it. I’m very happy it’s going to arrive! But the naysayers who speaks against it hate the Lord Jesus and only desire to worship the wickedness that God does not forgive. Not saying that He isn’t forgiving, but that these wicked deeds are ways to reject Jesus. If anyone, even your family members, are trying to get you to abandon Christ, you shouldn’t hang out with them. I do pray that my niece would love Jesus, though. She just turned one last Wednesday, and I’m understandably excited for her birthday party in three days. I pray that the weather is tolerable for her, though…

The final verse mentions that the seasons will remain the same each year across the world. While it’s winter here in Arizona, though, it’s summer in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, other parts of the Southern Hemisphere, so they’re sweltering in the heat! But dang, it is freezing cold when you go even ten degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer or further. Don’t get me started on Canada, for while I like everything up there (I’ve never actually been there myself, but I’d like to travel there someday), the weather is way too cold for me most of the year. But even so, the warm spring days here in Arizona will be excellent, and I’m looking forward to them. I’m not looking forward to the summer heat, but because I have a pool in my backyard, I don’t mind being here and cooling off for free with my friends, sometimes going to the waterpark if I can afford a one-day or season pass. I know food is expensive there, but that’s ok, yet I know my student loan payments for each month will soar much higher than it is now once summer begins. Indeed, I don’t have the money to pay those bills with my job (I’m already paying off several other things each month as it is), so if I don’t find a job that pays me quite a bit better than the one I have now, I’m screwed, even with my family and/or friends helping me, for each person has enough money problems of their own. Our generation is struggling to pay off debts, and I fear that most of us will be ruined by them. If that happens, future generations will understand that college is both a blessing and a curse, seeing that the U.S. educational systems are, for the most part, unwilling to help anyone with these, and forgiveness for any loans like these isn’t even possible. God’s curse lies upon the people who have given each former college student a death sentence by promising them success but trying to drive them into ruin in each aspect in the meantime. If anyone survives, that’s awesome, but I want no one else (including myself) to suffer due to the lies our ancestors tricked us into. Indeed, if any person breaks a promise, God will reject them. That’s why I don’t make promises lightly, or even at all. But I pray revival for each people group anyway, regardless of language, tribe, dialect, etc.

I figure you might find my words rather strong here (like I imagine you thought in my previous posts), but whatever. I pray you can seek after Jesus with the help of these words spoken here, and especially from the Scriptures, since I’m getting my opinions from each book here. But anyway, I’ll see you in chapter nine! I’ll probably make a minimum of three posts on that chapter, but it’s up in the air right now; I’ll read that chapter in each of the translations I’m using for this project. I might get into at least one of the other translations I’m not using for this while reading the other four, but I’ll stick to those four and especially the Hebrew for this, if I can find it.

So I didn’t know there was a subterranean ocean beneath the ground in Noah’s time (verse 11, VOICE), but scientists have said the same thing that it exists today, yet it might be lava, so I think they’re wrong about the water still being underground in terms of a global ocean. Still, it’s pretty cool how nine of each creature went into the ark — we make jokes about how unicorns and T-Rexs and other dinosaurs didn’t make it 😂 — also (I didn’t mention this back in chapter one), I found some pictures online about some hilarious explanations of God’s creation starting. The Christian meme page @memesforjesus made a post explaining that in a hilarious way. I similarly believe that the water kind of did the same from below and above ground. Too bad everything perished but what was in Noah’s ark, but again, I don’t think God was the one to kill them. It’s not His heart to wipe out anything, really.

I should’ve mentioned that a hundred years had passed between the time Noah got the first command to build an ark containing many creatures, nine of each species (in one song, a California rapper named E-40 weirdly mentioned he had more animals than Noah’s ark… I don’t know what he was thinking); I think Noah saw that God’s heart was redemption for all creatures, so that’s why he was able to trust Him. And trust, if done correctly, leads to the right deeds — it’s also what Romans 1:5 means. It’s a shame this kind of glory is being turned to shame for many people… I think the unadulterated understandings of God’s love for others are under attack. They have been for many years, but today, it’s worse than usual, for politics is completely despotic and they tell people to hope in them because “that’s what God designed leadership for” — utterly blasphemous, in my opinion. I never hope in any human being rather than Jesus (although it would be nice if any person did a good job with leadership in something), and the U.S. has a long history of being nationalistic like this — it shouldn’t go on. Some nation that calls itself Christian, huh? Yet I believe salvation should come to more people in each tribe and nation and language.

I also read the note of the whole clean vs. unclean thing — they said it would later spell out what the Israelites would be commanded to do about ritual purities, but I don’t think that’s what God wanted them to create for their culture. For although death reigned from Adam to Moses (Romans 5:14), it’s not as though it were any less good after the Flood. Yet the law of Moses was added because of many transgressions (Galatians 3:19), and also, I believe that the people of Israel, in Moses’ time, wanted religion instead of relationship, though relationship was what Moses wanted for his people. Unfortunately, religion was the forefront throughout most of the Old Testament, and I also know that God gave over those people to this because of their gross desires for corruption (Ezekiel 20:25-26) — and I think that’s why cultures like the U.S. preach the severity of God in strange ways too much. In 1 Samuel 8, God was incensed against the people because they wanted politics instead of humble leading by Him. I think it should be the other way around for all nations, but that’s not going to happen on a global scale until Jesus’ thousand-year reign happens (Revelation 20:4-6). Yet it doesn’t change my desire for people to encounter His love regardless of ethnic or religious background. For although politics was never God’s invention, He at least worked through David in the 10th century B.C. to move Israel toward accepting Jesus, his Descendant. I know this can be a maligned word, but don’t be afraid to say any of this. I do understand on keeping a low profile having this conviction, though, for I believe it wholeheartedly, and many people wouldn’t. Plus, offense is a dangerous weapon to the point that God’s hand can be silenced for everyone’s lives for a while. I’m not willing to make that happen.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! (Edit: I forgot to mention that this chapter can be found in page 4 of my NKJV Bible, page 5 of my NASB Bible, and pages 8-9 of my VOICE and Amplified Bible copies.) See you in Genesis 8!

Today is Valentine’s Day, a holiday commonly celebrated for showing love to others. I think that’s a good idea, and it was named after St. Valentine, who lived in the third century A.D. He did get beheaded for his faith in Jesus, doing many good works in his time (you can read more in Shane Claiborne’s post about him on Facebook). I think God wanted Noah to build the ark so people could see that He wanted them to escape the flood. It must’ve been pretty difficult for him to do, but at least there may not have been so many people pretending to be righteous in those days, using Jesus’ Name to promote Pharisism and such (you can read the Gospels, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, about three-fourths of the way into the Bible to find more, and I’ll get to them eventually). I don’t know what Noah’s world looked like in that way, but Jesus did say that as is was then, it’ll be the same when He takes up those who love Him (Matthew 24:37). We don’t need to be prolific about anything, though.

I noticed that verse nine of this chapter was translated to say Noah was blameless, the best man, and perfect, all in those four translations (the passage can be found in pages 3-4 of my NKJV Bible, pages 4-5 of my NASB Bible, and page 8 of both my VOICE and Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copies I bought about three years apart). All three are correct, for the Hebrew makes at least those three meanings (or maybe they make just those three words, I don’t know Hebrew well at all). For Noah had perfect DNA, and by this he was able to have Jesus descend from him about three thousand years later. To him, it didn’t matter that no one else was righteous, he wanted to get anyone in his ark however he could. Only his wife, sons, and their wives heeded him, but Christ’s words through Noah (1 Peter 3:19-20) were not wasted. It’s pretty cool how anyone can receive Him, and I really hope I can get my family saved (I had gotten three other people to become Christian before). But anyone who resists the Holy Spirit will not be included in the heavenly city, New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:6-8). I did hear of something in which Jesus’ death brought many people to life including some who had died in Noah’s time, though. Maybe I read a bad idea, but I know many people came back to earth from Heaven (Matthew 27:52).

In today’s time, about five thousand years after Noah’s ark escapade, we are commanded to preach the Gospel with or without words, as all who have ever received Jesus as Lord and Saviour have been since His death and resurrection. But many people have falsified His Word too much since then. And we live in a time in which Christ is being mocked more than ever due to the White House making an “emergency” to try again to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and also many other unjust things in relation to rejecting refugees and denying people healthcare, especially if it’s affordable. Also, many parts of the world are following this pattern directly, and most of the world’s churches are eating it up and following the U.S. government like sheep. But Jesus’ voice is more convicting than their voices are. Indeed, His people will not follow them at all (John 10:5). People will tell me to get involved in politics or that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but how am I supposed to follow anything like this? No one in Christ can do that in good conscience, for it opposes Him, and so does slavery, sex trafficking, fraud, all of it. But St. Valentine didn’t die in vain; indeed, God will bring him into the heavenly city.

I’ll write more on the Flood and relating some of it to today’s events as I go through the next three chapters. I pray I write good content on this, and that it’s not illegal to think the good we want. See you soon!

I’m reading this passage in the VOICE right now and I’m reminded of how weird the world had gotten (refer to my previous post for an explanation of the Nephilim and the “sons of God”). I don’t think our world is as nuts as it must’ve been in Noah’s day five thousand years ago, but Jesus said, “As in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:37). But we cannot predict this date (Matthew 24:36). Yet, our world is a bit similar to Noah’s time now. Also, I was wondering, “How thick was that layer of water in the Earth’s atmosphere?” That I cannot answer, but I don’t think it should’ve been translated that God regretted creating anybody. As a reminder, the English is translated awkwardly from the Hebrew across the Old Testament, like in Exodus 32:14 — the words are very bizarre in most translations! But now’s not the time to get to that.

Noah, at the age of 600, later saved his family from the flood, and I’m thinking, “Glad that disaster isn’t going to happen again!” (See Genesis 9:11-17.) I also just noticed the “afterward” part of verse 4 here — I think Nephilim were on the earth during that time (like in Moses’ day), but there might be some today, I don’t know if there are any. But to be frank, I do not believe they are actual demons, for demons cannot make more demons since the rebellion in Heaven happened (Isaiah 14:12-14, also Ezekiel 28:12-19, Revelation 12:7-8). It’s not possible that a human being can be hated by God (Job 36:5), for demons are repulsive. By the way, this passage is found in page 3 of my NKJV Bible, page 4 of my NASB Bible, pages 7-8 in my copy of the VOICE Bible (including two notes between some of the verses), and page 7 of my copy of the Amplified Bible (Classic Edition).

What I’m about to say might tick off a number of people, but I’m thoroughly disgusted with the thought that some of the women were probably raped by the demons that pretended to be human beings! It’s one of the worst forms of slavery, if not the worst form! Yeah, I’m thinking it was the absolute worst form of slavery that can happen, for a soul tie is created as a result, and healing is usually very difficult to find, for even though God is everywhere, people can warp others’ viewpoints about Him, and so He is given a bad name and spoken of falsely to the point that truth is taken as unforgivingly offensive. I know some of you may have seen statements like this before, but I find sexual violence more offensive than anything. God’s Name must never be used to promote rape or condemnation of the ones His enemies are oppressing. I can give a further explanation of what I know and believe hostility against Jesus is like, but for now (because Two Rivers Awaken starts in less than an hour), I’ll say that petty issues shouldn’t be exaggerated, and neither should anything else. But for those who have been raped or sexually harassed/assaulted, let me say, it’s not your fault. You don’t deserve these shameful things. If you want me to pray for healing and to move forward, and especially for justice for you (I mean restoration; see Amos 5:24), submit a request on Instagram (username: @ronnie.out1926) because I’m bad at checking my e-mails, and I’m on Instagram almost every day, if not daily, so I’ll definitely be praying for you there. I know that was unrelated to the passage, but I imagine that’s what happened in some parts of the world back then.

I also forgot to mention that the ocean probably wasn’t so deep in those days due to the water in the atmosphere God later released, but it is true that springs shot up in Noah’s lifetime. There’s also a movie called “Noah,” but I don’t agree with some of the parts I heard about. For instance, I heard about a moment when the actor’s character wanted to kill his family, but Jesus never believed in that kind of insanity, and neither do His followers. I know I don’t believe in death. By the way, only two people have avoided death: Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), and though God can have someone avoid death entirely, we shouldn’t expect that to happen, although a resurrection is possible, but only by the Holy Spirit. I do want to make it to the Rapture that is to come before the start of the Great Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), but we shouldn’t expect that to happen in our lifetimes — I’m already 28, but my niece will likely live to over 100, so I think if she becomes Christian, it’ll be easier for her to avoid death like this.

Well, I’m off, I’ve spent enough time on here for now. See you later!

Many have wondered why this has happened. A lot of people have probably never heard of this one, and most who know of it are either happy that so many drowned in the Flood or they mock God for it, seeing that there isn’t much clarity between the English and Hebrew here — lost in translation? 🤣 — Anyway, this controversial story is found in pages 3-5 of my NKJV Bible, pages 4-6 of my NASB Bible, and pages 7-11 of both my VOICE and Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copies. But before I get into this, I want to say that God did not kill anybody with the water. I know many who read this will get very angry and probably hostile to my comments on this, saying, “This was God’s judgment! Of course He killed them!” Well, I don’t think so, so if you don’t like this opinion, too bad.

While everyone but Noah and, what I imagine, his family rejected Jesus (for He was preaching through Noah — I did a study on 1 Peter 3:18-20 and found this answer), it says in 2 Samuel 14:14 that God does not take away life. In my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy of footnote e in chapter 4 (page 5 there), the commentator said God cursed the ground and that Cain could not argue with Him because He loved Abel more — that’s heresy. So is the idea that God takes pleasure in retribution, and those ideas are not right. The commentator’s name? A.W. Pink. He was (and still is) a well-known Calvinist who had died long ago in his sins (I don’t know when it was), and people either love or hate him. I don’t believe it’s right to hate anyone, by the way. Yet I know the commentator on footnote e deserved God’s wrath defeating him in the end. Like I said in chapter three, he’s in Hell paying for his sins, and so have all who preached and believed the same. It doesn’t discriminate between generations, but I’m glad to see this number drop per capita. From what I’ve heard and read in the past, my generation (Millenials) is actually pretty high on authenticity, and I think that’s a good thing. But now’s not the time to comment any further on that…

I’ve also read on a link that chapter 6 has Noah with perfection, but he had perfect DNA, not a perfect life. That’s impossible. The Nephilim (giants of the earth; see verse 4) actually came from women whom demons had seduced, too. God also prophesied that man would live a maximum of 120 years (verse 3)… but it would be a long time before that would happen. I think God was unwilling to limit life too much, but I also believe that the water from the Earth’s atmosphere that it had at the time was part of the Flood that would transpire in chapters 7 and 8. When it landed on the Earth, the UV rays would greatly shorten life, which I find unfortunate, and so would many diseases multiplying across the earth over many centuries up to this point. Thank God for better healthcare than what they had three thousand years ago or even just the previous century! Also, I forgot to mention that the gifts of the Spirit I mentioned last night — 1 Corinthians 12 is the basis of my beliefs concerning these.

The Hebrew is very awkward in translating Genesis 6:6 into English, too, I’m sorry… I believe that a more accurate translation (without deviating from the original meaning) would be, “And God was sorry of what the human race had become, and it pained His heart just thinking about what they were doing” (going off of verse 5) — even though He loved all creation from before the beginning. You know how I said that there are believers in every generation? Well, Isaiah 51:8 is the basis for my beliefs concerning this, too. Also, contrary to popular belief, there were actually nine of each species that Noah took in his ark (Genesis 7:2-3). Now that’s what I call a zoo!

Chapter 9 has a beautiful promise of no worldwide floods after that, with a rainbow God sets in the sky to remember His covenant with the whole human race (verses 11-17), and I’m very glad for it. Many large floods have happened across the world since then, but at least there’s never been a promise broken by God. But I think the floods come from demonic activity. Noah also makes a vineyard and gets drunk from it later on there, but Ham (one of his sons) sees it, his brothers cover his naked body (they didn’t look at him), and very weirdly, Noah pronounces a curse on Canaan, the land which would later be Israel (9:24-27) — he didn’t curse any actual people, I don’t think, but he prophesied that the land would be a slave of slaves to their brothers/sisters nearby. I don’t know what to think on Noah’s strange words — he had sobered up, it says there. I don’t know why he got hammered on his own grapes, where the wine comes from. And yes, I do mean grapes that you eat from the vine, like the green seedless ones you find in the store.

I’ll make more notes on these four chapters over the next few weeks… or months. I don’t know when I’ll get to chapter 10, but I’ll concentrate on these four chapters, so bear with me. Please? 🔜