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Go, Flee Away!
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Amos 7:12–13 (KJV)

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.

Here is a very interesting passage of Scripture, especially given our current situation with COVID-19. Amos was called of God as a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. Frankly, his intercessions had spared judgment upon the nation more than once. But his message was a loud sound of warning.

Word got to the king. He wasn’t too happy about this preacher’s negative tone but chose not to punish him (at first). What he did was to urge the prophet to go down to Judah, I assume because he thought his kind of preaching would be better received there.

I am afraid there are a number of people who are taking Amaziah’s advice today, or at least considering it. They’re talking about pulling up stakes and heading to places where the political and spiritual climate is more tolerant of their own views and practices.

Amos said he couldn’t do that. God had placed him where he was. To flee to a different place would be as liable of disobedience as Jonah was fleeing to Tarshish rather than Nineveh. His place, his duty, his responsibility was in Israel.

Regardless of the cost, it was his calling.

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Amos 7:12–13 (KJV) Go, Flee Away!

photos from pexels.com.
8 Year Anniversary of “Dance in the Rain”
By: Juliana Lane
Tags: Radio, Songwriter, Recording Artist, Christian, Music

Wow wow wow. I can hardly believe that December 5th was 8 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 since I released my first studio album.

I was so thrilled to have my first song air on the radio on the Kids Cookie Break show.

The first time it aired, my family and I were on our way to vacation in Ocean City.

When we started driving out of the radio station’s range, we pulled the car over and found a spot where we could still hear the show.

We waited there and listened to all the songs play on the radio, including my song “Expectations” that I wrote when I was 14 years old.

There are so many fun surprises in life and that was a really cool moment for me as I was only at the start of my music journey.

Thanks for being a part of that WJTL Radio.
No MVP’s Here
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Romans 12:1 (KJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I want to couple this verse today with, Romans 12:3–5 (KJV)

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

My suggestion is that the living sacrifice is accomplished through the surrender of ourselves to the body of Christ, which is the local church to which God has made us a member.

A local church has no MVP. Each and every member is of an inestimable value. We each function differently and for a different purpose in the church but each of us has a function that is vital to the life of the church.

To be a living sacrifice is, at the very least, to submit ourselves as one functioning member of that body.

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 12:1 (KJV) No MVP’s Here

photos from pexels.com.
John Wesley and the Holy Club’s 22 Questions
By: Common Faith
Tags: Methodist, John Wesley, Christianity, Faith, Christian

John Wesley and the Holy Club’s 22 Questions

The legendary John Wesley was a mere student at Oxford when he and a few friends decided to get hardcore about their faith within a secularizing college context:

“The group met daily from six until nine for prayer, psalms, and reading of the Greek New Testament. They prayed every waking hour for several minutes and each day for a special virtue. While the church’s prescribed attendance was only three times a year, they took communion every Sunday. They fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays until three o’clock as was commonly observed in the ancient church. In 1730, the group began the practice of visiting prisoners in [prison]. They preached, educated, and relieved debtors whenever possible, and cared for the sick.” — UMC.org

The students systematically brought their lives under strict review, with Wesley creating a list of 22 questions that members asked themselves on a daily basis. Their fellow Oxonians wrote them off as religious fanatics and derisively nicknamed them the “Holy Club.” Wesley continued to refine his list of questions for several years, and the nicknames continued: “Bible Moths.” “Enthusiasts.” “Supererogationists.”

The one that stuck was “Methodists.”

Though the Holy Club never grew beyond 25 members, they made quite a global impact:

“John Gambold later became a Moravian bishop. John Clayton became a distinguished Anglican churchman. James Hervey became a noted religious writer. Benjamin Ignham became a Yorkshire evangelist. Thomas Brougham became secretary of the SPCK. George Whitefield, who joined the club just before the Wesleys departed for Georgia, was associated both with the Great Awakening in America and the Evangelical Revival in England.” — Christianity Today

John and his brother Charles Wesley gave their lives to building “Methodist societies” like the Holy Club, and today there are more than 80 million Methodists across 138 nations.

Here are the 22 questions the Holy Club asked themselves every day:
As Christians, we believe there is hell — a place reserved for eternal punishment of the devil. Unfortunately, people who refuse to accept the saving grace that Jesus Christ offers will end up with…
Tags: Christians, Divine Justice, Hell

As Christians, we believe there is hell — a place reserved for eternal punishment of the devil.

Unfortunately, people who refuse to accept the saving grace that Jesus Christ offers will end up with the devil in hell.

Whatever we do on earth, we will all face God’s justice in the end.

Not many people believe in this, but that’s what the Bible teaches.
Take My Word for It
By: Brad Creech
Tags: God, Relationships, Christianity, Christian, Self

A short experience

It was a hot, dusty day at work. I was loading boxes into a trailer when the radio station I was listening to began playing a worship song.

I had been there for most of my 12-hour shift at this point and I was exhausted. The physical work wore me down, but I also found myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted from all I was going through at the time. I needed this song.

As I continued working I began singing along.

I can’t explain it, but I suddenly became overwhelmed by the presence of God. It literally felt as if He was standing right beside me.

It was the sweetest moment of worship I have ever experienced (on the shipping dock, of all places). In just a few short moments the song was fading out, and so was my feeling of God’s presence.

I had to act fast! I began begging God to stay with me, not to remove His presence from me. That’s when it happened; a moment I will never forget.

The still, small voice

I heard a voice within. It was a still, small voice. But it was clear, nonetheless. So much so that there was no question. It was God speaking to me through His indwelling Holy Spirit. It made such an impact on me that I can never forget the words:

“I want you to take My word for it. If you always feel My presence, then you will be trusting in your feelings instead of me. You need to trust in me.”

First, I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. Then it all clicked. I had to learn that true trust in God is displayed by believing His Word in spite of my feelings, not because of my feelings. The only way I could learn that lesson is by going through periods of time where I don’t feel God’s presence.

Conclusion

God never wastes an experience. This experience helped me grow, but there is someone else who will be helped by it as well.

That is the very reason He has me writing this. You may be someone who has stumbled on to this story at the exact time you needed to hear it.

Maybe you are looking for confirmation that God is with you in the way you feel. Emotions are some of the best liars in the universe. Trust in His promises. Take His Word for it. He is with you.
Trump Sends “All-White” Christmas Card To Loyal Supporters Who Worship Ground He Tramples On
By: Allan Ishac
Tags: Funny, Christmas, Satire, Humor, Christian

Trump Sends “All-White” Christmas Card To Loyal Supporters Who Worship Ground He Tramples On

From his White House to your lily white house. (Credit: https://www.thedailybeast.com)

Dear Christian children of my flock,

What a GREAT VICTORY we had in the election! I’m so honored to be your president and father of our country for ANOTHER FOUR YEARS! Hallelujah!

In the future, I will be conducting the nation’s business from the new Southern White House at my ‘heavenly’ estate at Mar-A-Lago in Florida, which includes a chapel. This is much better than that 18th-century pile of rotting, heathen wood up in Washington. Plus it’s sunnier and you are welcome to join me at the gates (perhaps even JOIN MY GOLF CLUB as a paying member!). Amen!

The first good news I have is that you’ll all be getting a big Christmas present in the form of a massive tax cut. Feel free to shave 20% off your tax bill in 2021 — this is PERFECTLY LEGAL, says your president — and forward 5% of your tax savings directly to me at Mar-A-Lago (1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480). I will use that money to make life better. Praise God!

The Trump Family Season of Treason. (Credit: https://socialnewsdaily.com)

Also, I will be making America great again from 2021–2024 with an incredible announcement in my SECOND COMING. Behold a miracle:

With the help my many Republican trained seals, who continue to do my bidding with no conscience, I’ll be making history with a new Constitution just for you…and mostly for me!

The ancient, yellowed document in use now is almost 250-years-old, no one ever reads it, and it’s totally out of date. We need great new rules for this era of danger, death and anarchist zones and only I know how to save the nation from “tinted” people (wink, wink), terrorists, leftists, and Antifa. LAW AND ORDER FOREVER!

My plan is to have a new Constitutional Congress convene in Florida in early February—led by 17 loyal, red state attorneys generals—who will ratify upon my command a totally new, much better and SHORTER Constitution that basically says, “Let Donald Trump do what he wants.” Then watch me GO TO WORK, people! Win after win after wonderful WHITE win. The Trump Constitution. All in favor, say AYE! All opposed, shoot ‘em! Praise the Lord!

I’m feeling pretty amazing about 2021–2024 after our fabulous win in November and there are still plenty of Obama policies to eliminate and obliterate. I know why you elected me TWICE—to wipe out all memory of the black man who defiled the old White House—and I’m well on my way to achieving that during my current RESURRECTION.

Fasten your seat belts and tighten your gun belts, White America, because YEAR FIVE is about to begin. Rejoice!

Have a very Merry Christmas and warm white wishes,

Your President, Supreme Leader (once my new Constitution is ratified), and Deliverer from “Darkness” (wink, wink),

Donald J. Trump

****

See more of my daily satirical posts here.

Here’s more Donald Chump Christmas mockery for your reading pleasure. Check it out.
Christmas Decorating Secrets to a Successful Project
Tags: Christmascookies, Christmas, Christians

And, now for something on the lighter side. I know I deal mostly on problems, but I think this will be enjoyable for the time of the year. Enjoy!

Let’s Get Started On Christmas Decorating

For Christians, now is the time to deck the halls — here we have a few of the secrets to stunning Christmas home decorating, reflecting the spirit of the season and the celebration of Jesus’ birth.



Christmas is a happy time of the year when we go through the closets and the garage to find our Christmas ornaments, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, and holly, to dress up our homes with good Christmas cheer.



The outcome of the special linens, candles, and Advent calendars. We prepare special dishes, get the kids involved in Christmas art projects and Christmas crafts, to create that special Christmas ambiance.

New Christmas Decorating Idea?

So, what new ideas can you put in place this year to make a special impression that fills your family and guests with that holiday spirit? Let’s take a look!



Christmas lights, indoors and out, do much to spread cheer. As passersby view your home, the lights hung from your porch become a bright spot — whether you choose the traditional bulbs or icicle style, the message is clear.



Why not add garlands of pine branches, highlighting the lights? When you shop for your Christmas tree, ask the tree vendor for snips of pine branches, to wind between the lights. Dig through your Christmas ornaments for that old-style Santa or dove, to interweave
Day 425 — The mistake of filling the void…
By: Stephen Leslie France
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Bible

Day 425 — The mistake of filling the void…Real sacrificial, charitable, selfless love is so powerful that attempting to fill the void where receipt of that love should be, transforms the ‘surrogate’ into something nightmarish.



WHAT DO YOU THINK? COMMENT BELOW. I’D LOVE TO DISCUSS!
THERE’S NO WAY we could know if Jesus was a Carpenter! Right? Just my 2 Cents — Follow the Leader
By: Robert Pearson
Tags: Blue Collar, Jesus, Bible, Christian, Carpentry

THERE’S NO WAY we could know if Jesus was a Carpenter! Right? Just my 2 Cents — Follow the Leader Robert Pearson ·Dec 11, 2020

Interested in more about the blue-collar elements of the Gospel? Check out my new book: The Blue-Collar Blindspot, at followtheleader.one/book

#husband #fatherhood #grace #theology #blue-collar #bluecollar #blue #collar #blindspot #christ #christian #christianity #parenting #pastor #pastors #marriage #familymatters #christianliving #jesus #godwins #father #fathers #dadlife #manhood #men #guyinhiscar #augustine #god #eternity #nowandlater #godliness #righteousness #sanctification #togodbetheglory #godwon #manliness #mancard #itsapoundsign #penguinsarecool
Happy Merry Christmas 2020 Greetings to Your Friends
Tags: Christmas, Christianity, Christian, Happy, Uk Christmas

Happy Merry Christmas 2020 Greetings to Your Friends Exinfopak ·Dec 11, 2020

Christmas wishes

May your Christmas be filled with the true miracles and meaning of this Merry time. May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the New Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above. May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this Holy season, we wish you a joy-filled Christmas.

For more wishes Click on a link below:

https://wish-happymerrychristmas2020.blogspot.com/
The End of This Age
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Romans 11:7 (KJV)

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

This chapter clearly speaks of Israel as a people group and Gentiles as a people group. It would be an error, and one of great consequence, to attempt to make an application for individuals.

In truth, the teaching of the chapter is that individuals can escape the

judgment against the people group to which they belong.

God has blinded the nation of Israel in this present time so that He may perform a particular and unique work among the Gentiles as a people group. Individual members of Israel are able and indeed do escape the blindness that rests on the nation when they receive Christ as Saviour.

It appears to me that we are approaching the end of this age, in part because the Gentile nations seem to respond less and less to the Gospel. At what point will God choose to “break off” this “unnatural branch” and graft back in the natural one, I don’t know. I do know that this is the promise of God’s Word.

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 11:7 (KJV) The End of This Age

photos from pexels.com.
Happy Merry Christmas 2020 Advanced wishing
Tags: Christmas, Christianity, Bible, Christian, China

hello everyone ii posted new jobs updates in the world on daily basis .
California church held in contempt for indoor services, fined $55,000
By: The Kingdom Guard
Tags: Christian, December, 2020

By Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Thursday, December 10, 2020 Pastor Mike McClure of Calvary Chapel San Jose speaks to his congregation on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, during an in-person service. | Screenshot: Facebook/Calvary ChapelA church in California that has reportedly held worship services indoors with hundreds of attendees not wearing face masks was held in contempt of court and fined.For months, Calvary Chapel of San Jose and its pastor, Michael McClure, have overseen worship services that were in violation of state public health restrictions on indoor gatherings.Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Peter H. Kirwan ruled Tuesday that the church and McClure were in contempt of court and fined them for violating a Nov. 2 temporary restraining order. The church was ordered to pay $2,500 for each time it violated the order by holding services without following public health guidelines, which reportedly will be around $55,000.In comments made to media and a large number of supporters who gathered outside of the courthouse, McClure said that he is not inherently opposed to masks, saying, “If someone wants to wear one, wear one.” Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! “But I’m not a policeman, I’m a pastor,” said McClure, as quoted by NBC Bay Area. “I respect the judge. I understan
(Poem) White Christian Frauds?
By: T.R. Savage
Tags: Being White, Christians, White Christian Frauds, Race

I am White, it wasn’t by choice, just is

Was it just by chance, or by God’s Grace

What Country we happened to be born in

Was it chance or Grace to be a poor White

When we are first born what is it we know

We become the person that we are through time

Am I a good, or a bad person, through whose eyes

When you profess Christ do people laugh and snicker

Why do we say ye are Christian yet clamor for a Liar

The Father of the Habitual Liar is whose Teat ye suck
His Servants the Prophets
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Amos 3:7 (KJV)

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

The context of the chapter makes this passage very clear. God will do nothing without revealing to His prophets that they may preach it. The promise is refreshing and helpful. God makes His word clear. He calls men to the office of prophet, or preacher, and He equips them to understand the Word of God so as to make it known to others.

The Holy Spirit of God will teach the Word of God to any child of God who will study. But the fact of the matter is that some, even most, have been assigned work that prevents long, in-depth, detailed study. Therefore, God calls some, not many but some, to focus their time attention, and resources to study to show themselves approved. To them, the Holy Spirit of God grants illumination so that these “prophets” may clearly proclaim the Word of God. Through this proclamation, the people of God are equipped to minister to others.

God will never leave His people without a prophet to proclaim His Word.

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Amos 3:7 (KJV) His Servants the Prophets

photos from pexels.com.
The Best Gift For the Man in Your Life
By: Tabatha Whiteside
Tags: Christian, Gifts For Men, Christmas Gifts, Book Recommendations

THE BEST GIFT YOU CAN GET THE GUYS IN YOUR LIFE IS A BOOK. SERIOUSLY, THIS YEAR HAS TAUGHT US THAT SLOWING DOWN AND LEARNING SOMETHING NEW IS SOMETHING TO BE PRIORITIZED. WHILE THERE ARE MANY BOOKS YOU CAN GIVE, YOU KNOW, HOW TO BUILD THIS THING OR HOW TO DO THAT THING, WHY NOT GIVE THEM SOMETHING THAT WILL ENCOURAGE THEIR SOUL AND SPIRIT?

Becoming A King: The Path to Restoring the Heart of a Man is a book every man (and woman) should read.

“Morgan Snyder’s Becoming a King speaks unabashedly to men, teaching them the life-changing truth about the power that God intends for them to responsibly step into for his Kingdom, while also giving women an honest peek behind the curtain into the lives and hearts of the men they know and love.”

Follow the link here to purchase this wonderfully, encouraging book.
Day 423 — No escape…
By: Stephen Leslie France
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Bible

Day 423 — No escape…No matter what we do, no matter how far we run, the tailor-made trials of life cannot be escaped. Perseverance is the answer.



WHAT DO YOU THINK? COMMENT BELOW. I’D LOVE TO DISCUSS!
An ETC Christmas 13: Christmas in Quarantine
Tags: Tradition, Christianity, Philadelphia, Christian, Holidays

An ETC Christmas 13: Christmas in Quarantine

Philadelphia Theater Company, ETC Theater will keep their Holiday tradition alive, even in the face of the pandemic. The popular sketch comedy show, An ETC Christmas 13; Christmas in Quarantine will be live streamed to the entire world on Saturday, December 12th at 8pm Eastern Time; with the pregame show starting at 7:30pm.

An ETC Christmas is written by Todd Cardin, directed by Emily Cardin with technical director, Steve Wildemann. The show features original skits that parody everyone’s favorite Christmas classics, including Charlie Brown, The Grinch, Elf, A Christmas Carol and more. The show includes the twisted humor of ETC, and the legendary ETC Song Parodies.

You can view the show live via Vimeo https://vimeo.com/486077260 or directly through their website at www.etctheater.net

https://www.facebook.com/events/422412375456308
Book Review: Burying Daisy Doe
By: Michelle Renee Kidwell
Tags: Christian, Suspense, Book Review, Mystery

Book Review: Burying Daisy Doe

Burying Daisy Doe

A Star Cavanaugh Cold Case

by Ramona Richards

Independent Publishers Group

Kregel Publications

Christian

Pub Date 17 Nov 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Burying Daisy Doe through Independent Publishers Group/Krefeld Publishers and Netgalley:

In every small town there is at least one unsolved case that haunts the community. These cases can fester for generations below the surface with the truth of humanity’s darkness. Star Cavanaugh is obsessed with the one that tore her family apart.

Daisy Doe was murdered over sixty years ago and discarded outside Pineville, Alabama, buried without a name or anyone to mourn her loss. When Star’s father tried to solve the case, he to ended up getting killed. Star is now a Cold Case detective with her own cases and is determined to solve both cases. But in order to do so she has to face a town that is locked in corruption, silence, and fear — and the same danger that took two other lives. There are only two people in town she can trust, one is her grandmother and the other the charming Mike Luinetti, and both of them trust a God Star isn’t even sure she believes in. Can Christians who are so focused on the good really help her track down this evil?

If you are fans of Christian suspense authors such as Terri Blackstock Margaret Maron, Jaime Jo Wright, and J. T. Ellison. I give Burying Daisy Doe five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!
A Christian Social Network?
By: Kinektt Stories
Tags: Startup, Christian Leadership, Start A Business, Tech, Christian

What is Kinektt?

Founded in 2019, Kinektt is a pre-seed startup company with a mission focused on revolutionizing the way Christians throughout the world connect with each other both digitally and in-person.

Building a robust and complete suite of platforms including social media, e-commerce, and many others to follow, Kinektt aims to be the first truly one-stop Christian platform that allows Christian-owned businesses to engage directly with Christian consumers and provides a safe place for Christian users to communicate, grow in their faith, and find new connections all within the Company’s platform.

Kinektt operates at the intersection of the United States Social Networking and Religious Organization industries, which have both seen strong growth over the past five years. Kinektt focuses on the typical engaged church-going individual and will not be focused on a specific gender, socioeconomic status, education level, or race. At launch, Kinektt’s application will have many of the traditional features of a social media and e-commerce platform including a streamlined focus, personalization, location services, message boards, and eCommerce filtering and search.

Kinektt will aim to streamline the Christian community like a spider web and connect all the communities into one via business, worship, small groups, and bible studies. Kinektt will be making personalization a priority for the user experience. Kinektt will filter new services by location and find relevant nearby events, groups, and other services. A messaging board will provide Social/professional/religious groups, dynamic conversations. The eCommerce feature will provide Christian to Christian sales by both Business to Consumer and Business to Business exchanges.
When darkness closes in, write to yourself.
By: Shane Gigout
Tags: Writing, Self Improvement, Faith Sharing Tip, Faith, Christian

When things seem bleak, take a moment and purge your heart and fears by writing to yourself.

Write out your fears, your passions, your worries, then write out your hopes and dreams, the future you want to see.

I have done this so many times over the years and it has always helped.

Then I re-read them when I’m feeling down and I get too see how well we have come through those difficulties.
Spiritually Minded
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Romans 8:38–39 (KJV)

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans chapter seven ends with the mind serving the law of God. Chapter eight then is an essential lesson on the mind. To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The final two verses speak of persuasion. The mind must become persuaded of the truth and become the “mind of the spirit” so that we mortify the deeds of the flesh, live in the hope of Christ’s image upon us, and rest in the promise, “if God be for us, who came be against us?”

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 8:38–39 (KJV) Spiritually Minded

photos from pexels.com.
Lowliness NOT loneliness (Part 2) — [Video 7]
By: Stephen Leslie France
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Bible

Lowliness NOT loneliness (Part 2) –



The purpose, significance, and exaltation from God that comes with Lowliness



Lowliness: The state of being lowly in mind or disposition; freedom from pride; humility.



Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.Matthew 11: 28–30



Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:6–7



Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.Matthew 23:12



As I said in my previous video, Lowliness is a disposition that isn’t talked about much and is contrary to human, selfish ambition. It’s a position that reveals itself in a physical capacity as a person possessing a low position in society by human standards, but it’s also a heart orientation where the person is not pursuing selfish ambition, self-preservation, or self-exaltation.



I must stress, most people don’t volunteer for lowliness. It’s usually an involuntary season where an individual is humbled, but brought to a place where they are transformed to possess a lowly heart. Some people refer to these times as “valley moments.”



Lowliness has a purpose. The individual has to be patient with God to exalt them at the specific time of His choosing, t
i’ve learned to accept these scars because they remind me of how far i’ve come but sometimes i see them and remember you and i break all over again
By: Jaiden Hart
Tags: Christian, Mental Health, Poet, Poetry

i’ve learned

to accept

these scars

because they

remind me

of how far

i’ve come

but sometimes

i see them

and remember you

and i break

all over again
The Flesh, The Mind, and Jesus Christ
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith and Life, Christian

Romans 7:25 (KJV)

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

I see three elements at work in this verse:

God through Jesus Christ

It is He that the Apostle thanks. All benefit in the Christian life rests upon Him. The Apostle was happy to give Him praise and thanksgiving.

The mind

The inner man. Once saved, this inner man, the mind, can be renewed and conformed through the Word of God to serve the law of God which is His will.

The flesh

This is the part of us that has not yet been “converted.” This is no excuse to let it have a free course. Even the lost world understands that the flesh, human nature, must be contained through laws and discipline. Those who are saved are more capable of personal discipline than the lost and are therefore more responsible to do it.

To my readers:

First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:

https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 7:25 (KJV) The Flesh, The Mind, and Jesus Christ

photos from pexels.com.
Andrew Montesi: Moving my family across the world in a global pandemic
By: Andrew Montesi
Tags: Lifestyle, Family, Supernatural, Christian Business, Christian

More than the challenges of COVID-19, finances, visas, logistics or anything else, moving a family across the world in 2020 has been a spiritual journey.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts

Andrew Montesi here, the host and producer of this podcast. Instead of an interview, I’m sharing part of my own story. A few months ago, my wife and I with our kids sold almost everything and moved from South Australia to California in the middle of the global pandemic, just in time for the US election!

Now that the dust is settling, I’ve had a chance to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve done … the pure faith risk, craziness and the miracles that have unfolded.

This really was a matter of putting everything I’ve learned from my guests on this podcast into action.

In this episode, I talk about our journey, the wild faith ride, the goodness of God and what we’ve learned so far. Even though I know this is really just the beginning.

I unpack my learnings in some detail, but here’s the dot points for your notes:

You need to hear from God for yourself

Being in the will of God, and aligned with his purpose, trumps circumstances EVERY time

There has to be unity in the (family) unit

Get lean and agile

Shut your mouth

Tear up your plan

Faith without works (faith without evidence of faith) is dead

Don’t take your old system into a new season

Seek Him first and everything else will work out (that’s a promise of God)

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts

Want to know more? Here’s a broader write up.

About the show:

On the Supernatural Business In Times of Crisis podcast, leaders reveal how to advance your business in adversity, empowering and equipping you with the supernatural power to take on and overcome the impossible.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast player.

Produced and hosted by Andrew Montesi, founder of Apiro Consulting and Apiro Media, full stack marketer, media producer and entrepreneur.

Audio production by Nathan Jones and art by Jess Radnidge.

Find out more, contact and join the community here:

https://www.supernaturalbusinesspodcast.com/

Email:

supernaturalbusiness@apiroconsulting.com

An Apiro Media production https://apiropodcasts.com
Day 421 — Sincere gratitude…
By: Stephen Leslie France
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Bible

I was born in Central London on 16.10.1984. I’d made a VOW when I was 15 that if life wasn’t working out by the time I hit 25, I would leave the country…
Pakistan: Christian woman killed for refusing marriage proposal, conversion to Islam
By: The Kingdom Guard
Tags: Christian, Anugrah, 2020

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 Christian devotees attend a Palm Sunday service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral church during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Lahore on April 5, 2020. | ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty ImagesA young Christian woman was shot dead in public after she rejected unwanted physical advances, a marriage proposal and invitation to convert to Islam by a Muslim man in Pakistan’s Punjab province.The Muslim man, identified as Muhammad Shehzad, murdered the 24-year-old Christian woman, identified only as Sonia, a resident of Fazaia Colony in Rawalpindi area, on Nov. 11 but the incident was reported only on Sunday by Pakistan’s The Express Tribune newspaper.Sonia was killed in public while she was returning from work at a garment factory.The victim’s family has said the accused had been harassing Sonia for the last six months and had tried to force a physical relationship with her, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, which said that Sonia refused these advances due to the difference in faith backgrounds.As a “solution,” Shehzad proposed that Sonia should marry him and convert to Islam. Shehzad’s mother also met with Sonia’s family to negotiate an arranged marriage. But the family also refused the marriage. Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special
British Catholic bishops say getting COVID-19 vaccine is not sinful even if from aborted fetus
By: The Kingdom Guard
Tags: Christian, December, 2020

By Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen’s University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. | AFP via Getty Images/Thibault SavaryCatholic Church leadership in the United Kingdom are encouraging people to receive vaccines developed to combat COVID-19, despite some ethical concerns regarding their creation.The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales released a statement last Thursday regarding the coronavirus vaccine, which was recently approved by British authorities. The Rt. Rev. Richard Moth, chair of the Conference’s Department of Social Justice, acknowledged that there is some debate over “the use of the vaccines developed by Pfizer & BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.”“Some have questioned the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine since it has been developed from cell-lines originating from the cells of an aborted foetus in 1983,” stated Moth.Nevertheless, Moth explained that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Academy of Life have both said that “one may in good conscience and for a grave reason receive a vaccine sourced in this way, provided that there is a sufficient moral distance between the present administration of the vaccine and the original wrongful action.”“In the COVID-19 pandemic, we judge that this grave reason exists and that one does not sin by receiving the vaccine,” continued Moth
Kaggleはじめました
Tags: Kaggle, 日本語, Blog

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
How I became a Kaggle Expert in 10 days and how you can too!!
By: Gaurav Yadav
Tags: Kaggle, Data Science, Kaggle Competition, Data

As of now, There are 5 ranks in kaggle given on the basis of your performance in 4 areas:

Competitions Datasets Kernels Discussion

As a beginner, I would personally suggest you guys jump right into the competitions, try to get your hands dirty, and then see how other people approached the same problem.

However, Since there is a lot of competition these days in Kaggle, So if you want to take a staircase approach and progress fast in Kaggle then Keep reading.

For this, I’d suggest you to first Work through 2–3 basic competitions from start to finish without worrying too much about this for now.

Get a good grip on how general discussions and how people use kernels.

Help Others: What I did was, I devoted daily One hour of my time in Kaggle discussions. Since there are several beginners starting their data science journey on Kaggle, you can answer most of their basic queries and if they like your answer… Boom Upvote!!

Be curious: As I practiced Data science and read notebooks of other Kagglers, I used to post queries regularly on what I found difficult and If any of the other people are having the same Questions, they used to upvote my query.

Help Others: One of the most important things I did was to share the resources I found useful from which others can learn and benefit. In these 10 days, I spent quite some time to find useful resources from all over the web and shared them with my fellow Kagglers.

People started following me as they found my shared content useful and as a result, People also started reading my notebooks on EDA which helped me to progress in Kernels too.

I signed up for Kaggle nearly 6 months ago and left it as it is since I was quite busy with my college assignments, After my Semester examinations I started learning data science full time.

I logged in on Kaggle and ran my first Kaggle script on 29 Oct 2020 and on 6 Nov 2020, I got my Discussions Expert Badge.

Here are a few key points:

Follow leaderboard toppers and major contributors. Contribute to the community by making kernels and answering queries. Share what you know. Upvote and appreciate the help. Mutual benefits are a quick way to up the game :)

Hope this helps

Cheers!
【SHOPEE CHALLENGE 2020】 — User Spending Prediction 第五名做法分享
Tags: Kaggle, Predictions, Machine Learning, Pipeline, Shopee Challenge

本次比賽主辦方給了兩個月的準備期，但是實際比賽時長只給兩個小時(當場出題目)，非常考驗 Coder 的基本功： 1. Data processing 2. EDA 3. Feature engineering & Domain Knowledge 4. Data resampling 5. Module Selection 加分項:Sampling、Leakage 洞察、環境選擇

Shopee competition 2020 — Kaggle：https://www.kaggle.com/c/iamthebestcoderopen2020/overview

宣傳一下…

隊名:台灣梯度下降第一品牌

隊員四人:

Ethan — Github、我 — Github、MichaelShen — Github、Lau Kuan Ting

《2019 autumn E.Sun Bank AI open competition- credit card fraud detection》:

隊名：菜雞互啄

1. 2nd of final selected 20 teams in business solutions competition. 2. Top 1%(15/1366) in F1 score predict competition.

《2020 Shopee Code League- series of Kaggle competition in Asia-Pacific(open category)》

隊名：在蝦皮中叫外賣是否搞錯了什麼

1. 14th in Sentiment Analysis(NLP task).

2. 34th in Product Title Translation(NLP task).

3. 38th in Marketing Analytics(Recommendation forecasting task).

👉 本次成績….

《I’m the Best Coder! Challenge 2020(open category)》 — 5th in User Spending Prediction.

賽前準備工作 — Pipeline白板

Pipeline 白板很重要，它可以幫助我們在面臨未知問題時能節省大量工作，我們拿Shopee Challenge 2019 — Marketing Analytics 的資料做為假想資料，並考慮各種特殊情況下產出Pipeline白板。

我們 Pipeline 白板的流程大概長這樣:

資料處理

分辨主檔是很重要的，通常拿Submit檔案當主檔(有目標Y值，也有主要key值)，其他當描述檔，接下來的工作就很簡單了:想辦法把資料描述檔塞進主檔裡，(注意mapping過程Key值不能一對多)。

這時就考驗平常處理資料的功夫了，不外乎就幾種:

1. 時間序列與數字的轉換。

2. 文字資料的處理

3. 資料與資料間的mapping。

4. 資料缺失值的合理填充、刪除。

5. 高基數資料的轉換

其實當有一個資料描述檔Mapping到主檔後，就可以直接跑模型了，就算還有其他描述檔還沒有Mapping到主檔也沒關係 😆。

Feature engineering

特徵工程直接決定了模型的表現能力，但兩個小時能做的其實也不多，以下列出幾個這次有用到的:

Encoding: One-Hot encoding, Target encoding, mean-encoding

Grouping: K-means, DBSCAN

Dimensionality reduction: PCA, Kernal-PCA

rescaling: min-max rescale, 統計標準化

Grouping 是一定要做的，現在不做，後面的資料重採樣也得做。

EDA

這一步其實就可以略窺模型的能力了，特徵做得越好，目標特徵(Y值)分離度越大，模型表現越好。

用 EDA 評估 Feature 就可以知道做出來的變數是好變數還是渣渣。

Data resampling

這一步決定的模型Robust的能力，做得好模型就有好的泛化能力。

資料重採樣有兩個重點:

1. 分類任務中，標籤的數量要保持”平衡”(這部分見仁見智，但是我從來沒有搞懂”平衡”的定義… 😂)。

2. 抽到的樣本要具有代表性(如果Grouping做不好，抽樣的代表性就差，模型效能直接炸開 💥)。

Module Selection

唯一支持 XGBoost!!

不知道的 Boosting 原理的童鞋們，請參考周志華教授所撰寫的西瓜書。

如果要我用一句話來表示Boosting，它就是個 **可以把 “渣渣”模型變成 “我就是屌”模型(周杰倫?)…**的算法。

心得

打過幾次比賽後開始體認到Machine Learning是一個完整的資料分析框架，已經成為做Data的必備技能：清晰的資料處理邏輯、運用Feature engineering & Domain Knowledge製作變數、變數好壞評估、模型選擇…等。

以上技能是必備，更要滿足輕量、快速部署、算法效率/效能高要求…等要求，如何達到？刷些leetcode，然後做出自己的Pipeline吧！
Contoh Exploratory Data Analysis. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) adalah…
By: Lintang Gilang Pratama
Tags: Python, Kaggle, Titanic, Exploratory Data Analysis, Eda

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Exploring IPL through Exploratory Data Analysis
By: Prathmesh Bhansali
Tags: Python, Kaggle, Data Science, Data Analysis, Data Visualization

First we will download our dataset from Kaggle using opendataset library hosted on Jovian.ai GitHub repo.

!pip install jovian opendatasets --upgrade --quiet

dataset_url = 'https://www.kaggle.com/nowke9/ipldata'

And now we will import and extract our downloaded dataset.

import opendatasets as od

od.download(dataset_url)

data_dir = './ipldata'

Data Preparation and Cleaning 🔍

import numpy as np

import pandas as pd

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import seaborn as sns

Let us begin our analysis by loading the above mentioned Python Modules/Packages/Libraries.

Getting basic information of data

To begin humbly, Let us check the basic information of the dataset. The very basic information to know is the dimension of the dataset — rows and columns — that’s what we find out with the method shape.

matches = pd.read_csv(data_dir +'/matches.csv')

And then, It’s important to know the different types of data/variables in the given dataset.