#do you want them in both of the languages of this province so to adhere to the language laws?

[passionatememes]

what if i'm sosososososo tired. what then

[frsteveblog]

Day 4 Adventures at General Convention

One of the great things about Convention is the camaraderie.  All of us get to see people we have not laid eyes on for years, but once knew intimately.  The difficulty is finding time to actually talk to them with the schedule we keep.  For example, Linda Watt and I have been trying to find a time when we are both available since we saw each other on Day One.  Today, we finally found a time, next Tuesday at 9 PM!  Linda is the former U.S. Ambassador to Panama, after which she served as C.E.O. of the Episcopal Church when Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected.  Linda was constantly showing the Presiding Bishop what we were doing in my former parish and she came to Grace St. Paul’s on my first Sunday in the parish to support me.  She is a gigantic supporter of GSP and I will be forever grateful to her.

I also managed to hook up today with Steve Smith+, the Rector of the Episcopal Church in Munich, Germany.  Steve and I went to seminary together at Episcopal Theological School in Claremont and we also did Clinical Pastoral Education together at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, CA.  Steve+ shared with me at lunch today how difficult he would find it now to come back and serve in the U.S. with the degree of incivility in our country.  We talked about the non-existence of gun issues in Germany, among many other things.  It was an enlightening experience for me, seeing our country from the distant perspective of a close friend.

Of course, the big news today was the completion of the debate on A068, the Prayer Book revision resolution.  Five, count ‘em, five amendments were added to the resolution I told you about yesterday.  They included a clause about translating the revision into four other languages, adding "physical ability" to the list of diversity features of our church, to be "mindful of our existing ecumenical commitments” (this one came from my friend Steve Smith’s+ convocation in Europe), that the revisions adhere to the four tenets of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, (go ahead, look it up, hint - it’s in your Prayer Book in the historical document part, and finally, that two members of Province IX serve on the committee working on the revisions.  Overall, the essence of the resolution I told you about yesterday stayed intact.  Two hours of deliberation later, we took the historic vote.  On any resolution, a deputy can ask for a vote by orders, (lay and clerical separately), and this happens often on any controversial item.  Here is the vote as it appeared immediately after the count.

Prayer Book Revision - Here we come

What you are seeing is the list of the votes by Diocese.  Note that in both orders, the vote was over two to one, and as usual, the lay folks voted it in by a wider margin.  What this means is that for the next three years, the church will be working diligently on changes that should be very similar to what we have been doing at GSP for the last seven years.  Yay!

While that vote was excruciating and exciting, what happened next made me cry for the first time at this Convention.  Philip and April Schentrup, Episcopalians whose daughter Carmen was shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, came to the podium with their other children.  April told us about what these months have been like for them, and she pleaded with us to continue speaking out and push and push for new gun laws.  Many of us had to compose ourselves before we could move on to our Evangelism discussion this afternoon.

After that discussion, Convention moved off site for the first time.  When we arrived at the Palmer Event Center, we were greeted by a very small group of protesters from Westboro Baptist.  The protest was non-violent and the signs were full of hateful rhetoric, the opposite of what we were to soon hear in the giant auditorium.

They’re back

The only words I can come up with to describe that service are an Episcopal Revival. I am well aware that this phrase sounds oxymoronic and my guess is those two words have never been used in a sentence before.  But that is what it was.  My unscientific guess is that there were 7000 Episcopalians in the place, the most Episcopalians I have ever seen together.  The music was dynamic and yes, revival like.  We sang Wade on the Water, Down by the Riverside, How great thou art, We are Marching in the Light of God, Every time I feel the Spirit, and on and on.  

The music knocked my Maryland state flag socks right off, but of course, the highlight of the evening was our Presiding Bishop, preaching like only he can.  He exegeted the entire Gospel of John and then back to Exodus.  He told us that he was convinced that Nicodemus was the first Episcopalian.  He was an aristocrat, after all, and he came to Jesus at night.  Only an Episcopalian, he told us, would try to get close to Jesus when no one was looking.  He told us that those words Jesus said to him about being born again or born from above, were all about God wanting us to have life, real life, and have it abundantly.  He told us that selfishness is the root of evil and that the balm of Gilead was love.  He gave us a treatise on the Trinity, pointing out that Augustine of Hippo, “no flaming liberal”, talked about the essence of God as community.  He told us that God had everything God needed as the Trinity, that God already had community, but that God’s essence is love and that is why God created the cosmos and us.

Flat Jesus was in the house, too

Just as amazing as our Presiding Bishop was his interpreter, translating everything he said into Spanish, as he said it.  Now imagine trying to keep up with Bishop Curry.  She was impossibly good at it, not only staying with him, but sharing his same emotion as he flew off into the preaching stratosphere.  Bishop Curry kept telling us he was going to stop and let us go eat barbeque,  sponsored by the Diocese of Texas.  But none of us wanted him to stop.  We wanted him to just keep going, so he did, and all of us were transported to a place I have never seen in this church before.  What a night for all of us and what an example of the new Episcopal church, the church on fire for social justice and the love of God spread to all.

Did someone say Frozen Chosen?  Not this church.  Check out the Presiding Bishop on the big screen too

Tomorrow morning, in between Eucharists, we will have two social justice actions.  We will gather in a nearby park for the Bishops Against Gun Violence protest and we will travel to the Hutto Detention Center to protest the housing of immigrants there.  Blessings on all of you.  I will be praying for you as you pray for us.

Steve+

[almightygodismydependence-blog]

Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

Liu Xue, Henan Province 

 In 1991, since we were enduring the hardships of family conflict, my husband and I believed in the Lord Jesus together. From then on, we no longer quarreled. We read the Bible and attended gatherings together very zealously. Not long afterward, my husband left the Three-Self Church and switched over to the Stream of Recovery. In regards to the matter of my husband switching denominations, I did not mind. I believed that as long as we believed in one God, it did not matter which denomination we belonged to.

In 1995, my husband started to persuade me by every possible means to enter the Stream of Recovery. If I did not go, he would not be happy. Afterward, he once again allowed the leaders and fellow workers to come and persuade me. However, I was unable to accept the doctrines that they were teaching and I remained a member of the Three-Self Church. Since our doctrines of faith were not the same, my husband and I no longer spoke the same language and we started to grow distant. When my husband brought fellow workers from the Stream of Recovery upstairs to host gatherings, I did not participate. When my brothers and sisters from the Three-Self Church came to our place to attend gatherings, my husband did not join. In our daily lives, I sold glass frames and my husband produced art layouts. We worked on our own businesses, kept our own accounts and earned our own money. I cooked my own food and ate it myself, and so did my husband. It was as if there were two separate families in our household. In the spring of 1997, I moved elsewhere and I told my 11-year-old son, “From now on, your father is not allowed to come into the house. If someone asks about your father, you must tell them that he is dead!” I suffered a lot due to the fact that the churches my husband and I attended were incompatible. At this time, I discovered that the elders and leaders of the Three-Self Church that had believed for decades were in fact the same as common people. In public, they mocked and satirized each other, formed gangs and fomented dispute and jealousy. In light of this situation, all I could do was come before the Lord with tears in my eyes and pray, “Lord! Why is it that those who believe in You must separate into so many different denominations? Moreover, even those that are in the same denomination cannot coexist together. Why is this the case? Lord! When can all these denominations unite? When will my husband and I reunite and serve You with one heart? …” Afterward, in order to search for the way of unification, I visited other denominations such as the Justification by Faith Church, the Born Again Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, and the Praise Church. The result was that I saw that at the same time as each denomination boasted about being the denomination that was most in accordance with God’s intentions, its own members were clearly fighting and competing and excluding each other. After I visited these denominations, not only was I unable to find the way of unification, on the contrary, I lost the faith that I originally had. In the dead of the night, when I reflected on the few years that I believed in God and this situation, I shed silent tears and my heart felt intense despair and pain. I did not know where my path was taking me.

I am thankful that God noticed how painfully I was struggling in the dark. One night, my husband suddenly came to find me. He was even smiling as he was talking to me. However, my anger toward him had not subsided at all. I persistently told him to leave. When he saw that I was getting angry, he stopped talking to me. The next night, he calmly told me, “Even though we both have turned toward the Lord, all these years, all along, we have adhered to our own separate doctrines and have been unable to unite. The situation has been in this kind of a deadlock all along and our days have been spent fighting this cold war. It is all because we do not understand God’s intentions. When Jesus came to do His redemption work on earth, there was only one denomination. Why is it that, 2000 years later, there are so many different denominations? Moreover, each denomination claims that their beliefs are the most correct and in accordance with the Lord’s intentions. They all believe that when the Lord returns, He will descend upon their own denomination first. If it really happened according to people’s imaginations: When the Lord returned, He would first descend upon a certain denomination, isn’t this unfair toward other people?” What my husband was saying was completely beyond what I had anticipated. I never thought my husband could speak so objectively about such a realistic and penetrating problem. Wasn’t this exactly the riddle that I had been struggling with for so many years? I was captivated by what he had to say. He continued to elaborate, “Actually, all those under the Lord Jesus’ name, regardless of which denomination, they all look upon Jesus’ salvation of the cross. They all put into practice baptism, breaking bread, humbleness, patience, tolerance, love…. The paths that they walk were all started by Jesus. This is all true. However, because the founders of each denomination viewed the Bible differently and their understanding and acceptance was different, the doctrines that they drew up differ only on minor points. Some emphasize the truth of justification by faith alone, while others stress the teaching of ‘once saved always saved.’ Some advocate praising God through drum and dance while others focus on rebirth, confession and repentance. Furthermore, others say to submit to authority and others focus on adhering to the laws and decrees…. There are all sorts of doctrines. Actually, much of each denomination’s teachings originate from man’s imaginations and notions. Their teachings interpret the Bible out of context and they only work within that denomination. They are basically unable to win over the brothers and sisters in other denominations. That is why the members of each and every denomination say that what they adhere to is the truth but they are unable to do the work of unification. This is because the founders and leaders of each denomination are man and not God. Only God Himself can do the work of unification.” I was won over by what my husband said. This was the pure and unadulterated truth. I could not help but ask, “How will God do the work of unification?” My husband happily replied, “Right now, it is already the last days. God has already returned in the flesh and spoken. He has clearly expressed His intentions to mankind. Moreover, He has opened up the secret of His 6,000-year management plan for mankind. He wants to bring all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination that genuinely believe in Him and thirst for the truth before Him. All the brothers and sisters who have heard God of the last days speak out will leave their different denominations and unite with God. This is the unification work of God of the last days and it fulfills the following words from the Bible, ‘That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him’ (Eph 1:10). ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd’ (Jhn 10:16). The unification work of God of the last days also fulfills the predictions of the prophet from the Book of Isaiah: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. … And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isa 2:2, 4). Presently, God’s work of the last days has already caused many brothers and sisters from different denominations to come together. I have also started following Almighty God’s work of the last days. I have returned this time specifically to tell you this good news.”

As we continued talking, my husband took a book out and said, “These are the words that came out of Almighty God’s mouth, let’s read them together!” So, we began to read God’s words together, “Regardless of what religion you belong to, ultimately you will all submit under the dominion of God. Only God Himself can carry out this work; it cannot be done by any religious head. There are several major religions in the world, and each has its own head, or leader, and the followers are spread across different countries and regions all over the world; every country, be it large or small, has different religions within it. However, regardless of how many religions there are across the world, all people within the universe ultimately exist under the guidance of one God, and their existence is not guided by religious heads or leaders. Which is to say that mankind is not guided by a particular religious head or leader; instead the whole of mankind is led by the Creator, who created the heavens and earth, and all things, and also created mankind—and this is a fact. Although the world has several major religions, regardless of how great they are, they all exist under the dominion of the Creator, and none of them can exceed the scope of this dominion. The development of mankind, social progress, the development of natural sciences—each is inseparable from the arrangements of the Creator, and this work is not something that can be done by a particular religious head. Religious heads are merely the leaders of a particular religion, and cannot represent God, or the One who created the heavens and earth and all things. Religious heads can lead all those within the entire religion, but cannot command all creatures beneath the heavens—this is a universally acknowledged fact. Religious heads are mere leaders, and cannot stand equal to God (the Creator). All things are in the hands of the Creator, and in the end they will all return to the hands of the Creator. Mankind was originally made by God, and regardless of the religion, every person will return under the dominion of God—this is inevitable” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I silently listened to God’s words. A warm feeling rushed into my heart. This really was God’s voice. Jesus really had returned. I prayed silently, “Almighty God, You really do know what man needs. I desire unity. Certainly, my husband and I have not been able to unite, let alone all the different denominations. Only You can do the work of unification. Nobody can substitute You. God! You are truly lovable! From now on, all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination will submit under Your dominion and live in harmony. There will no longer be any estrangement and disputes…. I have waited so long for this day.” Seeing how happy my husband was at this time, my bellyful of complaints vanished like smoke in the air. When I thought of the attitude I treated him with, I started feeling very remorseful. All these years, he had suffered, yet he did not haggle with me. He still told the good news of God’s work of the last days to me. I emotionally told my son, “From now on, do not blame your father anymore. I must also accept God’s new work.” When he heard what I had to say, my son smiled. My husband and I smiled at each other knowingly.

From then on, it was like my husband was a different person. He was happy throughout the entire day. Each time brothers and sisters came to our house, he would take the initiative to go buy groceries and cook. We would frequently pray together, read God’s words together and communicate our understanding of God’s words with each other. He even taught me to sing some new songs. Through reading God’s words, I understood some truths and I understood that God’s intention is to save people to the greatest extent possible. As a result, my husband and I joined the ranks of those who spread and bore witness to the good news of God of the last days. There was one time when my husband was riding a bicycle and bringing me along to spread the gospel to one of the elders of the Three-Self Church. That elder said in a very surprised tone, “It seems like this really is God’s unification work, otherwise you basically would not be sitting on his bicycle.” In the end, that elder also accepted God’s work of the last days. Nowadays, in this family of The Church of Almighty God, there are brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations such as the Stream of Recovery, the Justification by Faith Church, the Praise Church, the Way of Life Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Three Grades of Servants Church. They have abandoned their past conceptions and prejudices and together, they eat, drink and enjoy God’s words. Everyone uses other’s strengths to make up for their own weaknesses and they all harmoniously coexist. Everyone cooperatively fulfills duties and there are shared ambitions and goals. They all work hard in seeking the truth and seeking an understanding of God so that they can become people who obey and worship God. When I see my brothers and sisters experience the work of God together, my heart is unspeakably happy. It is God’s unification work that has caused my husband and me to reconcile and reunite and allowed brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations that previously differed in opinions and had no contact with one another to gather together in one place. Thank Almighty God! I wish that all honor returns to Almighty God!

[almighty-god-saved-me-blog]

Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

Liu Xue, Henan Province

In 1991, since we were enduring the hardships of family conflict, my husband and I believed in the Lord Jesus together. From then on, we no longer quarreled. We read the Bible and attended gatherings together very zealously. Not long afterward, my husband left the Three-Self Church and switched over to the Stream of Recovery. In regards to the matter of my husband switching denominations, I did not mind. I believed that as long as we believed in one God, it did not matter which denomination we belonged to.

In 1995, my husband started to persuade me by every possible means to enter the Stream of Recovery. If I did not go, he would not be happy. Afterward, he once again allowed the leaders and fellow workers to come and persuade me. However, I was unable to accept the doctrines that they were teaching and I remained a member of the Three-Self Church. Since our doctrines of faith were not the same, my husband and I no longer spoke the same language and we started to grow distant. When my husband brought fellow workers from the Stream of Recovery upstairs to host gatherings, I did not participate. When my brothers and sisters from the Three-Self Church came to our place to attend gatherings, my husband did not join. In our daily lives, I sold glass frames and my husband produced art layouts. We worked on our own businesses, kept our own accounts and earned our own money. I cooked my own food and ate it myself, and so did my husband. It was as if there were two separate families in our household. In the spring of 1997, I moved elsewhere and I told my 11-year-old son, “From now on, your father is not allowed to come into the house. If someone asks about your father, you must tell them that he is dead!” I suffered a lot due to the fact that the churches my husband and I attended were incompatible. At this time, I discovered that the elders and leaders of the Three-Self Church that had believed for decades were in fact the same as common people. In public, they mocked and satirized each other, formed gangs and fomented dispute and jealousy. In light of this situation, all I could do was come before the Lord with tears in my eyes and pray, “Lord! Why is it that those who believe in You must separate into so many different denominations? Moreover, even those that are in the same denomination cannot coexist together. Why is this the case? Lord! When can all these denominations unite? When will my husband and I reunite and serve You with one heart? …” Afterward, in order to search for the way of unification, I visited other denominations such as the Justification by Faith Church, the Born Again Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, and the Praise Church. The result was that I saw that at the same time as each denomination boasted about being the denomination that was most in accordance with God’s intentions, its own members were clearly fighting and competing and excluding each other. After I visited these denominations, not only was I unable to find the way of unification, on the contrary, I lost the faith that I originally had. In the dead of the night, when I reflected on the few years that I believed in God and this situation, I shed silent tears and my heart felt intense despair and pain. I did not know where my path was taking me.

I am thankful that God noticed how painfully I was struggling in the dark. One night, my husband suddenly came to find me. He was even smiling as he was talking to me. However, my anger toward him had not subsided at all. I persistently told him to leave. When he saw that I was getting angry, he stopped talking to me. The next night, he calmly told me, “Even though we both have turned toward the Lord, all these years, all along, we have adhered to our own separate doctrines and have been unable to unite. The situation has been in this kind of a deadlock all along and our days have been spent fighting this cold war. It is all because we do not understand God’s intentions. When Jesus came to do His redemption work on earth, there was only one denomination. Why is it that, 2000 years later, there are so many different denominations? Moreover, each denomination claims that their beliefs are the most correct and in accordance with the Lord’s intentions. They all believe that when the Lord returns, He will descend upon their own denomination first. If it really happened according to people’s imaginations: When the Lord returned, He would first descend upon a certain denomination, isn’t this unfair toward other people?” What my husband was saying was completely beyond what I had anticipated. I never thought my husband could speak so objectively about such a realistic and penetrating problem. Wasn’t this exactly the riddle that I had been struggling with for so many years? I was captivated by what he had to say. He continued to elaborate, “Actually, all those under the Lord Jesus’ name, regardless of which denomination, they all look upon Jesus’ salvation of the cross. They all put into practice baptism, breaking bread, humbleness, patience, tolerance, love…. The paths that they walk were all started by Jesus. This is all true. However, because the founders of each denomination viewed the Bible differently and their understanding and acceptance was different, the doctrines that they drew up differ only on minor points. Some emphasize the truth of justification by faith alone, while others stress the teaching of ‘once saved always saved.’ Some advocate praising God through drum and dance while others focus on rebirth, confession and repentance. Furthermore, others say to submit to authority and others focus on adhering to the laws and decrees…. There are all sorts of doctrines. Actually, much of each denomination’s teachings originate from man’s imaginations and notions. Their teachings interpret the Bible out of context and they only work within that denomination. They are basically unable to win over the brothers and sisters in other denominations. That is why the members of each and every denomination say that what they adhere to is the truth but they are unable to do the work of unification. This is because the founders and leaders of each denomination are man and not God. Only God Himself can do the work of unification.” I was won over by what my husband said. This was the pure and unadulterated truth. I could not help but ask, “How will God do the work of unification?” My husband happily replied, “Right now, it is already the last days. God has already returned in the flesh and spoken. He has clearly expressed His intentions to mankind. Moreover, He has opened up the secret of His 6,000-year management plan for mankind. He wants to bring all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination that genuinely believe in Him and thirst for the truth before Him. All the brothers and sisters who have heard God of the last days speak out will leave their different denominations and unite with God. This is the unification work of God of the last days and it fulfills the following words from the Bible, ‘That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him’ (Eph 1:10). ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd’ (Jhn 10:16). The unification work of God of the last days also fulfills the predictions of the prophet from the Book of Isaiah: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. … And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isa 2:2, 4). Presently, God’s work of the last days has already caused many brothers and sisters from different denominations to come together. I have also started following Almighty God’s work of the last days. I have returned this time specifically to tell you this good news.”

As we continued talking, my husband took a book out and said, “These are the words that came out of Almighty God’s mouth, let’s read them together!” So, we began to read God’s words together, “Regardless of what religion you belong to, ultimately you will all submit under the dominion of God. Only God Himself can carry out this work; it cannot be done by any religious head. There are several major religions in the world, and each has its own head, or leader, and the followers are spread across different countries and regions all over the world; every country, be it large or small, has different religions within it. However, regardless of how many religions there are across the world, all people within the universe ultimately exist under the guidance of one God, and their existence is not guided by religious heads or leaders. Which is to say that mankind is not guided by a particular religious head or leader; instead the whole of mankind is led by the Creator, who created the heavens and earth, and all things, and also created mankind—and this is a fact. Although the world has several major religions, regardless of how great they are, they all exist under the dominion of the Creator, and none of them can exceed the scope of this dominion. The development of mankind, social progress, the development of natural sciences—each is inseparable from the arrangements of the Creator, and this work is not something that can be done by a particular religious head. Religious heads are merely the leaders of a particular religion, and cannot represent God, or the One who created the heavens and earth and all things. Religious heads can lead all those within the entire religion, but cannot command all creatures beneath the heavens—this is a universally acknowledged fact. Religious heads are mere leaders, and cannot stand equal to God (the Creator). All things are in the hands of the Creator, and in the end they will all return to the hands of the Creator. Mankind was originally made by God, and regardless of the religion, every person will return under the dominion of God—this is inevitable” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I silently listened to God’s words. A warm feeling rushed into my heart. This really was God’s voice. Jesus really had returned. I prayed silently, “Almighty God, You really do know what man needs. I desire unity. Certainly, my husband and I have not been able to unite, let alone all the different denominations. Only You can do the work of unification. Nobody can substitute You. God! You are truly lovable! From now on, all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination will submit under Your dominion and live in harmony. There will no longer be any estrangement and disputes…. I have waited so long for this day.” Seeing how happy my husband was at this time, my bellyful of complaints vanished like smoke in the air. When I thought of the attitude I treated him with, I started feeling very remorseful. All these years, he had suffered, yet he did not haggle with me. He still told the good news of God’s work of the last days to me. I emotionally told my son, “From now on, do not blame your father anymore. I must also accept God’s new work.” When he heard what I had to say, my son smiled. My husband and I smiled at each other knowingly.

From then on, it was like my husband was a different person. He was happy throughout the entire day. Each time brothers and sisters came to our house, he would take the initiative to go buy groceries and cook. We would frequently pray together, read God’s words together and communicate our understanding of God’s words with each other. He even taught me to sing some new songs. Through reading God’s words, I understood some truths and I understood that God’s intention is to save people to the greatest extent possible. As a result, my husband and I joined the ranks of those who spread and bore witness to the good news of God of the last days. There was one time when my husband was riding a bicycle and bringing me along to spread the gospel to one of the elders of the Three-Self Church. That elder said in a very surprised tone, “It seems like this really is God’s unification work, otherwise you basically would not be sitting on his bicycle.” In the end, that elder also accepted God’s work of the last days. Nowadays, in this family of The Church of Almighty God, there are brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations such as the Stream of Recovery, the Justification by Faith Church, the Praise Church, the Way of Life Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Three Grades of Servants Church. They have abandoned their past conceptions and prejudices and together, they eat, drink and enjoy God’s words. Everyone uses other’s strengths to make up for their own weaknesses and they all harmoniously coexist. Everyone cooperatively fulfills duties and there are shared ambitions and goals. They all work hard in seeking the truth and seeking an understanding of God so that they can become people who obey and worship God. When I see my brothers and sisters experience the work of God together, my heart is unspeakably happy. It is God’s unification work that has caused my husband and me to reconcile and reunite and allowed brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations that previously differed in opinions and had no contact with one another to gather together in one place. Thank Almighty God! I wish that all honor returns to Almighty God!

From: Almighty God's Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Diabetes in Canada: Great Coverage, Ay?

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/diabetes-in-canada-great-coverage-ay/

Diabetes in Canada: Great Coverage, Ay?

We recently launched a series on Diabetes Around the Globe because while diabetes doesn't discriminate, life with diabetes looks very different depending on where you are in the world. We started off with Mike, a British ex-pat living in Spain, followed by Anke from Germany. Today we bring you Jamie, from the Great White North a.k.a. Canada!

Jamie Naessens lives in a small town in Ontario, and works in Toronto. She's the mom of a twentysomething and is married to an American ex-pat. Jamie has lived with type 1 diabetes for 21 years and has been pumping for the last four. Buckle up as she takes us on a brief tour of what it's like to live with diabetes in Canada...

A Guest Post by Jamie Naessens

So, Canadians are almost the same as Americans, aren't they? Except they have free health care, right?

Hanging around in a town like Petawawa, you might hear:

"So, how is it going, eh?" (So, how'zitgoin'ay?)

"If ya got one, I need a ... loonie ($1 coin, named for the loon engraved on it) for that parking meter, or a toonie ($2 coin, rhyming nicely with the loonie) if we're going to be waiting here any longer for that endo appointment."

"Let's go to Timmies (Tim Horton's - Starbucks of Canada) afterwards for a double double to go" (coffee, double cream, double sugar).

And finally, who can't love a country that has places with names like Spread Eagle, Conception Bay, and Dildo. Really! I kid you not.

Well, now that I hopefully have your attention, let's get back to the question of free health care. It's a nice idea, and it is indeed tax-supported, but alas, it's no free ride.

Most people who have been touched by diabetes already know that Canada is the birthplace of insulin and its discoverer, Dr. Frederick Banting, so shouldn't diabetes care be a shining jewel? Well perhaps there's a little tarnish on that crown.

One might reasonably ask, what is covered by the health care system, notwithstanding provincial differences? Visits to physicians and specialists, hospitalization, most lab and other diagnostic tests are covered. A few provinces (not many) will pay for insulin pumps and supplies. If one is lucky enough to have insurance benefits through their employers, they are likely to be covered for prescriptions, dental and other such "perks." But that's not a given in this economy. In the provinces that don't cover pumps, insurance companies may pick up the tab for pumps and supplies.

Health Canada governs health care, and divvies up federal funding to the provinces and territories. Now, imagine two levels of government involvement before care gets handed to the health providers and patients — bureaucrazy (spelling intended!).

Because decisions about coverage are made in each province and territory, coverage is rather uneven across the country. Each province or territory covers what it deems necessary, driven by its own agenda and legislators. For example, what is covered in Ontario may not necessarily be covered in Quebec. Also, due to doctor shortages in some areas, wait times to see specialists can exceed 6 months. In other areas where wait times to get a family physician can be 2 years or longer, visits to walk in clinics are the norm. Needless to say diabetes self-management is essential.

So what about new technology? It comes slowly and manufacturers must jump through hoops to get it approved; both federal and provincial approvals are needed, and labeling must be in French and English to comply with our language legislation. It can certainly be daunting.

Availability of diabetes technology in Canada has lagged behind the US. It hasn't been until the last few years that pumps have become more common, but their use is far from the norm. Continuous glucose monitor use lags even further behind. Provincial plans do not cover them. Insurance companies are slow in accepting them, and very few of the more progressive plans will cover them. If pumps are the new kid on the block, CGMs are virtually absent.

What it comes down to, is that those who want them must pay out-of-pocket. Under the current system, it could be years before CGMs are allowed to become a must-have for Canadians. What is most alarming is the simple fact that devices which could ultimately prevent a health care drain down the road are likely to remain off limits for all but the most fortunate Canadians.

As in the US, changes need to happen in Canada. However, Canadians tend to let the system drive the bus. That's not to say that there aren't people already doing some great advocacy work. They are out there, slogging through the bureaucratic slush and system iciness.

Although Canada is a little larger than the US in geographical size, its population is smaller than that of California. With the population spread out as it is, and the different provincial coverages, those few brave advocating souls must somehow make themselves heard — certainly a logistical challenge to coordinate efforts to dispel the diabetes myths and initiate change in a country often averse to such change.

Our neighbors south of the border have got advocacy right. Kudos to the DOC in the work they've done to organize a united voice, making a difference in the diabetes community. In addition to our own advocacy efforts, I can only hope that changes taking place in the US will spill over the border, making a positive difference in Canada.

And now you know some basics about health care in Canada. If any lesson is to be learned, it is from Canadian Tommy Douglas, the father of Canadian Medicare:

"Courage, my friends; 'tis not too late to build a better world."

~ Tommy Douglas (1904-1986), Leader of the New Democratic Party and 7th Premier of Saskatchewan

Are you one of the 'Mine's international readers? We'd love to feature you and your country! Please drop us a note at info@diabetesmine.com. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[almighty-god-saved-me-blog]

Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

Liu Xue, Henan Province

In 1991, since we were enduring the hardships of family conflict, my husband and I believed in the Lord Jesus together. From then on, we no longer quarreled. We read the Bible and attended gatherings together very zealously. Not long afterward, my husband left the Three-Self Church and switched over to the Stream of Recovery. In regards to the matter of my husband switching denominations, I did not mind. I believed that as long as we believed in one God, it did not matter which denomination we belonged to.

In 1995, my husband started to persuade me by every possible means to enter the Stream of Recovery. If I did not go, he would not be happy. Afterward, he once again allowed the leaders and fellow workers to come and persuade me. However, I was unable to accept the doctrines that they were teaching and I remained a member of the Three-Self Church. Since our doctrines of faith were not the same, my husband and I no longer spoke the same language and we started to grow distant. When my husband brought fellow workers from the Stream of Recovery upstairs to host gatherings, I did not participate. When my brothers and sisters from the Three-Self Church came to our place to attend gatherings, my husband did not join. In our daily lives, I sold glass frames and my husband produced art layouts. We worked on our own businesses, kept our own accounts and earned our own money. I cooked my own food and ate it myself, and so did my husband. It was as if there were two separate families in our household. In the spring of 1997, I moved elsewhere and I told my 11-year-old son, “From now on, your father is not allowed to come into the house. If someone asks about your father, you must tell them that he is dead!” I suffered a lot due to the fact that the churches my husband and I attended were incompatible. At this time, I discovered that the elders and leaders of the Three-Self Church that had believed for decades were in fact the same as common people. In public, they mocked and satirized each other, formed gangs and fomented dispute and jealousy. In light of this situation, all I could do was come before the Lord with tears in my eyes and pray, “Lord! Why is it that those who believe in You must separate into so many different denominations? Moreover, even those that are in the same denomination cannot coexist together. Why is this the case? Lord! When can all these denominations unite? When will my husband and I reunite and serve You with one heart? …” Afterward, in order to search for the way of unification, I visited other denominations such as the Justification by Faith Church, the Born Again Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, and the Praise Church. The result was that I saw that at the same time as each denomination boasted about being the denomination that was most in accordance with God’s intentions, its own members were clearly fighting and competing and excluding each other. After I visited these denominations, not only was I unable to find the way of unification, on the contrary, I lost the faith that I originally had. In the dead of the night, when I reflected on the few years that I believed in God and this situation, I shed silent tears and my heart felt intense despair and pain. I did not know where my path was taking me.

I am thankful that God noticed how painfully I was struggling in the dark. One night, my husband suddenly came to find me. He was even smiling as he was talking to me. However, my anger toward him had not subsided at all. I persistently told him to leave. When he saw that I was getting angry, he stopped talking to me. The next night, he calmly told me, “Even though we both have turned toward the Lord, all these years, all along, we have adhered to our own separate doctrines and have been unable to unite. The situation has been in this kind of a deadlock all along and our days have been spent fighting this cold war. It is all because we do not understand God’s intentions. When Jesus came to do His redemption work on earth, there was only one denomination. Why is it that, 2000 years later, there are so many different denominations? Moreover, each denomination claims that their beliefs are the most correct and in accordance with the Lord’s intentions. They all believe that when the Lord returns, He will descend upon their own denomination first. If it really happened according to people’s imaginations: When the Lord returned, He would first descend upon a certain denomination, isn’t this unfair toward other people?” What my husband was saying was completely beyond what I had anticipated. I never thought my husband could speak so objectively about such a realistic and penetrating problem. Wasn’t this exactly the riddle that I had been struggling with for so many years? I was captivated by what he had to say. He continued to elaborate, “Actually, all those under the Lord Jesus’ name, regardless of which denomination, they all look upon Jesus’ salvation of the cross. They all put into practice baptism, breaking bread, humbleness, patience, tolerance, love…. The paths that they walk were all started by Jesus. This is all true. However, because the founders of each denomination viewed the Bible differently and their understanding and acceptance was different, the doctrines that they drew up differ only on minor points. Some emphasize the truth of justification by faith alone, while others stress the teaching of ‘once saved always saved.’ Some advocate praising God through drum and dance while others focus on rebirth, confession and repentance. Furthermore, others say to submit to authority and others focus on adhering to the laws and decrees…. There are all sorts of doctrines. Actually, much of each denomination’s teachings originate from man’s imaginations and notions. Their teachings interpret the Bible out of context and they only work within that denomination. They are basically unable to win over the brothers and sisters in other denominations. That is why the members of each and every denomination say that what they adhere to is the truth but they are unable to do the work of unification. This is because the founders and leaders of each denomination are man and not God. Only God Himself can do the work of unification.” I was won over by what my husband said. This was the pure and unadulterated truth. I could not help but ask, “How will God do the work of unification?” My husband happily replied, “Right now, it is already the last days. God has already returned in the flesh and spoken. He has clearly expressed His intentions to mankind. Moreover, He has opened up the secret of His 6,000-year management plan for mankind. He wants to bring all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination that genuinely believe in Him and thirst for the truth before Him. All the brothers and sisters who have heard God of the last days speak out will leave their different denominations and unite with God. This is the unification work of God of the last days and it fulfills the following words from the Bible, ‘That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him’ (Eph 1:10). ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd’ (Jhn 10:16). The unification work of God of the last days also fulfills the predictions of the prophet from the Book of Isaiah: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. … And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isa 2:2, 4). Presently, God’s work of the last days has already caused many brothers and sisters from different denominations to come together. I have also started following Almighty God’s work of the last days. I have returned this time specifically to tell you this good news.”

As we continued talking, my husband took a book out and said, “These are the words that came out of Almighty God’s mouth, let’s read them together!” So, we began to read God’s words together, “Regardless of what religion you belong to, ultimately you will all submit under the dominion of God. Only God Himself can carry out this work; it cannot be done by any religious head. There are several major religions in the world, and each has its own head, or leader, and the followers are spread across different countries and regions all over the world; every country, be it large or small, has different religions within it. However, regardless of how many religions there are across the world, all people within the universe ultimately exist under the guidance of one God, and their existence is not guided by religious heads or leaders. Which is to say that mankind is not guided by a particular religious head or leader; instead the whole of mankind is led by the Creator, who created the heavens and earth, and all things, and also created mankind—and this is a fact. Although the world has several major religions, regardless of how great they are, they all exist under the dominion of the Creator, and none of them can exceed the scope of this dominion. The development of mankind, social progress, the development of natural sciences—each is inseparable from the arrangements of the Creator, and this work is not something that can be done by a particular religious head. Religious heads are merely the leaders of a particular religion, and cannot represent God, or the One who created the heavens and earth and all things. Religious heads can lead all those within the entire religion, but cannot command all creatures beneath the heavens—this is a universally acknowledged fact. Religious heads are mere leaders, and cannot stand equal to God (the Creator). All things are in the hands of the Creator, and in the end they will all return to the hands of the Creator. Mankind was originally made by God, and regardless of the religion, every person will return under the dominion of God—this is inevitable” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I silently listened to God’s words. A warm feeling rushed into my heart. This really was God’s voice. Jesus really had returned. I prayed silently, “Almighty God, You really do know what man needs. I desire unity. Certainly, my husband and I have not been able to unite, let alone all the different denominations. Only You can do the work of unification. Nobody can substitute You. God! You are truly lovable! From now on, all the brothers and sisters from each and every denomination will submit under Your dominion and live in harmony. There will no longer be any estrangement and disputes…. I have waited so long for this day.” Seeing how happy my husband was at this time, my bellyful of complaints vanished like smoke in the air. When I thought of the attitude I treated him with, I started feeling very remorseful. All these years, he had suffered, yet he did not haggle with me. He still told the good news of God’s work of the last days to me. I emotionally told my son, “From now on, do not blame your father anymore. I must also accept God’s new work.” When he heard what I had to say, my son smiled. My husband and I smiled at each other knowingly.

From then on, it was like my husband was a different person. He was happy throughout the entire day. Each time brothers and sisters came to our house, he would take the initiative to go buy groceries and cook. We would frequently pray together, read God’s words together and communicate our understanding of God’s words with each other. He even taught me to sing some new songs. Through reading God’s words, I understood some truths and I understood that God’s intention is to save people to the greatest extent possible. As a result, my husband and I joined the ranks of those who spread and bore witness to the good news of God of the last days. There was one time when my husband was riding a bicycle and bringing me along to spread the gospel to one of the elders of the Three-Self Church. That elder said in a very surprised tone, “It seems like this really is God’s unification work, otherwise you basically would not be sitting on his bicycle.” In the end, that elder also accepted God’s work of the last days. Nowadays, in this family of The Church of Almighty God, there are brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations such as the Stream of Recovery, the Justification by Faith Church, the Praise Church, the Way of Life Church, the Eternal Salvation Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Three Grades of Servants Church. They have abandoned their past conceptions and prejudices and together, they eat, drink and enjoy God’s words. Everyone uses other’s strengths to make up for their own weaknesses and they all harmoniously coexist. Everyone cooperatively fulfills duties and there are shared ambitions and goals. They all work hard in seeking the truth and seeking an understanding of God so that they can become people who obey and worship God. When I see my brothers and sisters experience the work of God together, my heart is unspeakably happy. It is God’s unification work that has caused my husband and me to reconcile and reunite and allowed brothers and sisters from all sorts of denominations that previously differed in opinions and had no contact with one another to gather together in one place. Thank Almighty God! I wish that all honor returns to Almighty God!

Source: Almighty God’s Work Has Caused Us to Walk the Same Path as Husband and Wife

Recommendation: Where Does Eastern Lightning Come From?