"For the LORD Himself will come down from HEAVEN, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the DEAD in Christ will RISE first. After that, WE who are still alive and are left will be CAUGHT UP with them in the CLOUDS to MEET the LORD in the AIR. And so we will be with the LORD FOREVER! "
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!!! (taken from I Thessalonians 4 - emphasis mine)
1) For ALL (Americans, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist, Asians, Presbyterians, Europeans, Baptist, Brazilians, Mormons, Methodist, French, etc.) have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.
2) For the wages of above (see #1) are DEATH (Hell, eternal separation from God, & damnation) but the Gift (free & at no charge to you) of God (Creator, Jehovah, & Trinity) is Eternal Life (Heaven) through (in union with) Jesus Christ (God, Lord, 2nd Person of The Trinity, Messiah, Prince of Peace & Savior of the World).
3) For God so greatly loved & dearly prized the world (Americans, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist, Asians, Presbyterians, Europeans, Baptist, Brazilians, Mormons, Methodist, French, etc.) that He even gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, that whosoever (anyone, anywhere, anytime - while still living) believes (trust in, relies on, clings to, depends completely on) Him shall have eternal (everlasting) life (heaven).
4) Jesus said: "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE. No one (male/female - American, Muslim, Jew, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Presbyterian, European, Baptist, Brazilian, Mormons, Methodist, French, etc. ) comes (arrives) to the Father (with GOD in Heaven) EXCEPT BY (through) ME (no other name).
This wonderful loving GOD gives you the choice - - - (Rev. 3:20)
{Please note that church membership, baptism, doing good things, etc. are not requirements for becoming a Christian - however they are great afterwards!!!}
Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction (Hell, damnation, eternal punishment), and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life (Heaven, eternal happiness, forever with God), and only a few find it. --Matthew 7:13-14
If you would like to write Howdy (he reads all of them), send an amicable, meticulous, penurious or factious e-mail to:
Howdy's address:
http://write-howdy.blogspot.com/
Please tell us your general location (State, School, Country). All letters sent to Howdy might be printed unless you request otherwise. Letters marked "anonymous" may be printed but without the name. Your e-mail address will not be shown.
Hello,
I enjoy your jokes and riddles. Please send me your "Thought & Humor".
Thanks, Daniel (UMR)
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Howdy,
I was unsubscribed to "Thoughts & Humor" by someone else working on my computer back in May 2003.
David (SFASU)
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Dear Howdy,
Thanks for the Thought and Humor Newsletters.
Bill R. (Florida)
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Dear Howdy,
Keep me on my man... laughter is essential on the mission field and you've been a blessing. I used to be proud to say I was born and raised in Florida...but these days not so much. Ah, America.
In Him, corey
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Dear Howdy,
I don't know who you are, but I get mail from you all the time. I guess I'm just on your list. Someone signed me up or I signed up myself and forgot about it. I enjoy hearing from you, however. I agree a 100% Can I copy your letter and send it, because it's so good.
Sallie
Howdy: YES!!!
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Dear Howdy,
You and Chuck Colson are soooooo right on. I am reminded of the scripture that "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves........ I will heal their land." We have no hope in this country except through the mercy of Jesus Christ. And, it will take lots of prayer and intercessory prayer warriors to turn things around. Just talking about it won't do it. Gotta feel sorry for those people who are in that kind of bondage though. If they really understood that " who the Son sets free is free indeed." Satan has dupped our nation into believing that the scriptures don't mean what they say. Sad, but true.
Thanks for the e-mail. I will pass it on to others.
Shirl
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Hello Howdy!
How silly this world can be! I have been working in the west all summer and have finally returned to the land of electrons, only to discover my wonderful thought-provoking, belly-laugh inspiring, spiritually uplifting Howdy had succumbed to those who have some true prejudices and value relativistic notions above values and directive thought processes. Please place my email back onto your list, as it is always welcome in my inbox! Thank you!
NG
Please note that our policy allows for us to receive threats on alternate Tuesdays when the Moon is waning only...
I've been privileged to have many friends in law enforcement over the years. No, not because I was in their custody. But some of them have the intriguing and harrowing assignment of being involved with both a SWAT team and the Hostage Negotiating Team. Needless to say, they are specialists who are called in when there's an especially dangerous situation, often involving people who are being held hostage by a felon. Their mission, one way or another, is to do whatever it takes to bring out those who have been taken captive.
That could be the mission God is asking you to go on right now. There's something, or someone, that our enemy Satan has stolen. And your Lord wants you to fight to get back what your enemy has no right to have.
There's a memorable picture of this in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Samuel 30, beginning with verse 3. While David and his warriors have been out on a military mission, their mortal enemies, the Amalekites, launch a sneak attack on David's camp and take prisoner "the women and all who were in it." The Bible says, "When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive." The Bible says they wept until "they had not strength left to weep." It's a heartbreaking scene.
But those tears then turned to bitterness - "each one was bitter in his spirit," the Bible says. "But David found strength in the Lord his God." So, "David inquired of the Lord" and, as a result of God's direction, he led his men to take back what the enemy had stolen. And the Bible says, "David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken ... nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back."
That may be God's word to you today, because your enemy has stolen something or someone he has no right to. It could be he's stolen a child of yours or the love that was once in your marriage. Maybe the enemy has taken the joy you once had in serving your Lord, or he's stolen the love and unity of your church once knew, or the sense of calling you once had. Satan also steals reputations ... even years of your life, by keeping you from Jesus. Now when you've lost something to an enemy ambush, it's easy, like David's men, to succumb to bitterness and to feel like surrendering. But, like David, you need to "find strength in the Lord your God" instead of finding discouragement in what you've lost.
Then you pray for God's strategy for fighting back to recover what the enemy has stolen. Declare war on whatever has been keeping you from recovering what you should never forfeit to the darkness. Maybe you've been accepting a loss that you should never have surrendered to. You know what God is saying? It is time to fight back and realize that the Messiah, Jesus, who descended from David, has the power to "bring everything back." You are no match for this enemy from hell, but he is no match for your Jesus!
And Jesus told us that we could pray and bind that strongman, and one stronger than he is (and he is speaking of Jesus himself) will come and overpower him and take away his possessions. And those are possessions he never should have had. The enemy may have his hands on something or someone that he has no right to. It's time for you to follow General Jesus into the battle to take back what the enemy has stolen! Ron Hutchcraft
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Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. --Luke 9