Timeshares

This is an urgent request that you NEVER get involved with a timeshare. If you want to stay at a really nice condo resort, go to E-Bay and find one. It will only cost you a fraction of what owning one will cost. When there, DO NOT attend one of their sales pitch meetings. They are really good at convincing people to buy their own week.

The problem is this: Once you own the week, it is yours and your heir(s)’ FOREVER. The annual assessment continues to rise and there are often additional assessments for various “repairs” and “upgrades”. They will never take your week back, and will destroy your credit if you refuse to pay the annual fee.

There are companies that will “take them off your hands”, but they are very costly (to pay for transfer fees, title changes, etc.) and will find any and all excuses to delay concluding the process. In the meantime, you continue to pay the annual fees.

Please, do not get involved with anything that has “timeshare” attached to it.

Farewell for Now, Facebook.

Dear Friends:

I am going to be taking a sabbatical from Facebook for…I don’t know how long. I find myself spending way too much time liking, sharing, commenting on FB posts, but very little time reading good books and actually talking to people. I’ve tried telling myself I’ll only spend a “few minutes” but I get caught up in the replies, likes, etc.

I have a blog http://www.wordpress.lindasloss.com
that I also don’t do very often. In fact, I only have 2 active blogs at this time. But I want to add to the collection, and FB tends to grab my attention every time I get online.

So, for now, I will not be participating in the Facebook Fun! If you find yourself over-committed to the site, you might want to try the same.

How can they…?

I was just thinking about Robin Williams’ recent suicide, and how sad it is that he had no one, apparently, to talk him through this final depression. No one that he really believed loved him for himself, not for his jokes, or acting, or whatever. Just for himself.

Then I thought about the Middle East and the terrorists, suicide bombers, and child slaughterers we are hearing about every day. I thought, “How can they do this day-after-day to fellow human beings?” They can do it because they have spent their entire lives being taught not to love, having no one, it seems, who truly loves them. They fear their “god” Allah, a being who tells them to hate, hate, hate, kill, kill, kill through the teachers they sit under all day every day as children.

They have no God who tells them to love Him, each other, their neighbors, and their enemies. They have no God Who took on the flesh of His enemy, degenerate mankind, and taught them what love is. No one who died to show them how much He loves them. No God who promised to dwell within their very being, the Holy Spirit, to help them to love and to accept love.

They are, of all men, to be most pitied. The only possible way for them to change the way they live in this world is to pray that Satan is defeated and they can hear the voice of the Triune God calling them to Himself through the Christians among them and the copies of the Word of God that they confiscate. I am actually going to start praying that the Bibles they attempt to destroy will refuse to be destroyed. That they will be invincible at the hands of the Enemy. I am going to pray that those they try to murder will stand up and rebuke those attempts. These poor, lost creatures need to see the power of our Mighty God at work before their eyes.

I hope you will join me, and that an army of God’s people will begin to cry out for conversions by the hundreds, and that those who will not listen will run in terror for their lives. When we join our prayers with the voices of the Angel Armies, then the God of Angel Armies will surely have a mighty victory.

Words of Utmost Importance to All

The Bible, God’s Word to mankind, states in no uncertain terms that the ONLY way to heaven is through belief in the atoning Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know that sounds “unfair” to many of you. But is it?

The dwelling place of God, heaven, is the absolutely sinless abode of the absolutely pure and sinless God. He certainly has the right to determine who lives in His house, doesn’t He? Scripture says that ALL have sinned and fall short of His glory. Can you deny this? Do you know anyone, including yourself, who has lived an absolutely perfect and sin free life. I can only think of one – Jesus Himself, perfect Son of God and son of man.

An analogy: You have an absolutely gorgeous house. It is white, glass, and gold throughout and spotlessly clean. You have invited everyone who wants to join you to come for an elaborate dinner gala. With your invitation, you sent each person brand new clothes and shoes that you require them to put on as you arrive in the portico of your house, so that your home will remain immaculate. Some of the people come with only their own clothes, a few of them with muddy shoes and hands. They tell you that you don’t have a right to determine what they wear to your party, and you should let them in as they are. Do you have a right to refuse entry? Of course you do.

Now. Since none of us are perfect, none of us have the right to enter heaven. However, God’s perfect Son, Jesus Christ, chose to come to earth and pay the penalty for our sins. He suffered the insult of poverty compared to His heavenly realm and reign. He suffered the insult of the religious leaders who should have known the scriptures well enough to recognize Him. He suffered the agony and horror of the worst type of death ever devised by mankind – crucifixion. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. BUT He raised back to life on the third day and was seen by hundreds of people before He returned to His heavenly home and sat at the right hand of His Father.

Our only requirement is to admit our sin and accept His payment on our behalf. Another analogy: You have been involved in a theft and are standing trial. It turns out the victim of your crime is the judge. You are sentenced to repay the debt fourfold. You have no way of doing that and will surely go to prison for the rest of your life. Suddenly a voice comes through the courtroom, “I’ll pay the fine, Father. Let this man go free.” It is the son of the judge, and your punishment is ended. Would you accept that offer, or say, “I don’t need your help? I’ll do it myself?” I think you would rejoice greatly at the mercy shown to you.

So to get to heaven, we only have to repent, accept the gift of Jesus, and receive eternal life. That’s it. Nothing more.

If you want proof that this is what the Bible says, Read John 14:6 and Acts 4:12.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Then respond with a contrite and grateful heart. God does not accept you based on what you have or have not thought or done in the past. He only receives you into His family based on your acceptance of Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

I beg all of you to take this seriously. If you’re reading this, there is a good chance I know you. I don’t want anyone I know to spend eternity apart from God. You do not have to “clean up your life.” You do not have to read the Bible cover to cover. All you need is to take Jesus seriously and lean on Him for your salvation. I love you all. But not nearly as much as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit love you. If you want to talk to someone, call the pastor of a good Bible believing church in your area, or call me, and we can chat. God bless you as you make this eternal life giving decision.