Beacon2Light

“The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, bl essed be the name of the Lord.” Those are powerful words, words packed with meaning coming from anyone, originating from the lips of Job. But imagine those words coming from a 19 year old girl who lost her dad, two sisters and her home to a deadly tornado in Arkansas. Donate to the Tittle Family Emergency Fund Update:   Hundreds Gather to Say Goodbye to Tittle Family Members MAY 2, 2014 A “small god” offers no comfort for a “Big Storm” by George Lawson A friend of Rob and Kerry Tittle with thoughts about this tragic event and God's sovereignty "This time it was different. This time a friend of mine–and two of his children–died. " Tittle Family Memories  Facebook page about Robert Steven Tittle , 48 Rob was a faithful member of the Bible Church in Little Rock along with his family. In addition to being on staff at Family Life, Rob was an advisory board member of the Home Educ...

In some quarters of the world, even in our world, there are voices that wish to present a counter-argument to the prevailing one about the separatists. However, a casual yet consistent eye on the news demonstrates that these are not peace-loving separatists longing for independence or at least a different direction than Kiev is offering. Some of the evidence includes: 1) Masked men outside of a Jewish synagogue pass out leaflets demanding that the Jews register 2) a mayor who is Jewish and for a united Ukraine is shot and left picture  from article    in critical condition                                                                                                           ...

04/25/14 update: Apr 25, 3:42 PM EDT UKRAINE OFFICIAL SAYS HE FEARS RUSSIAN INVASION Ukraine's deputy foreign minister said Friday he fears an imminent Russian invasion. "We have the information we are in danger," Danylo Lubkivsky told reporters at the United Nations. Praying for Ukraine? Odessa Lighthouse A 7 Day Guide to Prayer by Caleb Suko and other missionary friends God at Work in Ukraine Facebook page Description from the God at Work page: Stories about how God is at work in churches during the crisis in Ukraine This is a unique time in Ukraine's history as the crisis with Russia heats up. The news reports coming from Ukraine include violent images of protesters and mobs taking control of government buildings. What you don't see in the news is that God is at work in the lives of individual Ukrainians and in many churches all over Ukraine. We want to share with you how God is working in Ukraine today and how you could possibly ...

Russia says conducting military drill near Ukraine Reuters Television footage from the exercises showed columns of military vehicles, including jeeps, armoured personnel carriers, mobile multiple rocket launchers, and mobile surface-to-air missile launchers, driving in formation at a military aerodrome. My thought:  Remember these are the troops that are supposedly on the border to drill that the West has complained haven't been drilling.  They also represent the troops that Russia said would return to their bases after the drills are done and the West has complained that hasn't happened either.  Well, now they are "drilling" -- moving in formation. Whether this is the start of conflict or a flexing of muscles before, we will have to see.  Ukraine President Preaches the Gospel at Easter! article By Dr. Bob Provost Slavic Gospel Association President also from the article:   Leaders in other CIS nations—including Russia—are increasin...

Read a Sample of the book News Item from May 26, 2014:     Dr Charlotte Jones said the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy has led to . . . a rise in sexually transmitted infections among the over-50s that includes "gonorrhoea and syphilis along with more common thrush and chlamydia." Were you ever asked to do something that you wondered “Why me?” That’s what happened to me with the request to review Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman’s Heart . Apparently, the publisher wanted some male opinions. I hope that you will give me a chance and read my review, either because of, or in spite of, the fact that I am male. Dannah Gresh and Juli Slattery state that Fifty Shades of Grey has sold over 70 million copies in its first year! Erotica is the fastest selling genre of books marketed to women. The authors of Pulling Back the Shades are convinced that Fifty Shades has done for women what internet porn did for men – normalized its us...

Update:  04/23/2014 Ukraine crisis: Russia 'to respond if its interests' attacked My analysis: Now it is just a matter of when. Perhaps they are also signaling what the new entity would be like. Just Google South Ossetia.  Watch and pray.   Update:  04/22/14 I believe that recent events are indicative of a Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine, if not all of Ukraine, before the May 25 elections.  The Rhetoric The head of a Russian think tank affiliated with Putin compares Putin to pre-1939 Hitler - the comparison is meant to highlight Hitler's efforts to unite German speakers in one country (i.e. Putin with Russian speakers in Eastern Europe) There are no Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine (but then Putin said the same thing about those in Crimea -- and now he admits they were Russian) The recent violence Deaths of pro-Russians at military checkpoint, torture deaths of two men (one who was a politician in the Ukrainian acting presid...

Just several days ago, on the evening of April 14 and into the early hours of April 15, there was a total lunar eclipse. This is where the moon is completely swallowed up in the Earth’s shadow. The result of this phenomenon makes the moon to appear blood red in color. The second one in 2014 is to occur October 8. In 2015, there will be two more lunar eclipses, one on April 4, 2015 and the other on Sept. 28, 2015. However, Mark Hitchcock asks, are these signs that God is about to do something big in 2015? In his book, Blood Moons Rising , Mark Hitchcock seeks to answer the question as to whether there is any prophetic significance to what is called the Tetrad of Blood Moons. A Tetrad as defined by John Hagee, a major blood moons’ advocate , is when “four total lunar eclipses (Blood Moons) . . . consecutively occur during specific intervals of time. Lunar eclipses are common but total lunar eclipses are less common,” explains, Hagee. “Furthermore, a Tetrad linked to Jewish hi...

Heaven Is for Real, the Movie Movie review by Randy Alcorn "As I share in a post about Dr. Eben Alexander’s visit-to-heaven book, while I am not the judge of who has really been to Heaven or Hell, I believe every near-death (or supposed “after-death”) experience must be evaluated in light of God’s Word. While curiosity is understandable, don’t base your theology of Heaven on any book or movie that tells of someone’s personal experience and memories, no matter how sincere they may be. And as I share in another post about Mary Neal’s book To Heaven and Back, I am concerned that even evangelical publishers are now disseminating false doctrine through personal stories of visits to Heaven." The Burpo-Malarkey Doctrine by Phil Johnson "Lynn Vincent, who ghost-wrote 'Heaven is for Real' on behalf of the young boy Colton Burpo and his father, said that she was initially reluctant to include Colton's description of people in heaven havin...

pic's source Update 04/19: More walking on egg shells foreign policy. Yeah, that should be as effective as it is in human relationships in general How is a company or two going to convince Russia or our Eastern-flank of allies that we are serious? You would think a community organizer could organize a more significant response, especially one who is the United States commander in chief and can just call it into being. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/world/europe/us-plans-military-drills-in-eastern-europe.html?hp Update 04/18:  What a shock! (sarcasm in full swing) Pro-Russian "activists" or "protesters" reject Geneva deal. Really, you are surprised? Why? Mr. Putin is one clever comrade. Perhaps you would agree with me that he is likely behind this charade so that he can say, "See, we don't control them." The Geneva Deal The Pro-Russian Militants React Yet another parallel with Hitler's Germany and World War II: ...

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?   [Kindle Edition] by  William Lane Craig   99 cents He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado $1.99 on Kindle, 240 pages Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado $2.99 on Kindle, 213 pages More Easter Deals  - updates on prices from my 03/31 post show how important it is to hop on the freebies and low prices while they are still low.  However, still some great deals where low prices haven't changed and the freebie for kids is still free!  Click on the link and check it out for yourself.     Porn-Again Christian by Mark Driscoll Free pdf mini-book (approximately 60 pages) Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood $1.99 on Kindle, 304 pages Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware, John Piper and others Alone with God John MacArthur 99 cents on the Kindle 242 pages

04/12/2014 Update: Be in prayer for Ukraine. Apparently, Russia is causing further trouble in the eastern portion of the country, especially in the region of Donetsk.  Keep in mind that this is the template for trouble-making in Crimea that led to a Russian invasion and the annexation of Crimea.   The BBC reports the following:   Pro-Russia militants have taken over a police headquarters in the eastern Ukraine city of Kramatorsk Several other official buildings were reported to have been seized in Donetsk region on Saturday. Gunmen occupied a police station and a security services building in the town of Sloviansk Official buildings in the town of Druzhkovka were also reported to have been taken over An attack on police buildings in Krasny Liman late on Saturday was repelled, officials said A Donetsk regional police chief quit after pro-Russia crowds marched on a police station demanding his resignation. Protesters in Donetsk city continued to occupy government b...

When Scripture Is the Controversy post by Jonathan Parnell If we learned anything from last week, maybe it’s that the real controversy among evangelicals in the coming days will be about the Bible, not homosexuality. Beneath the surface of the recent scuffle is the more vital issue of how disciples of Jesus posture themselves toward God’s word. 5 Hard Things to Pray for Your Husband Jennifer Thorn writes, "Almost from the beginning of our marriage I prayed that my husband would become interested in being healthy. I wanted him around a long time. Well, I prayed for almost 9 years before he decided to try running. He fell in love with it, lost a lot of weight, strengthened his heart and was all around a much healthier and happier man. Prayer works!" Russian Believer Threatened by Own Family As the article explains, "For many believers the cost of faith is incredibly high, and so it is with Mansoor (alias). When his father discovered Mansoor...