Holding My Breath

January 12, 2021January 12, 2021Valerie Cullers 13 Comments

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Right now, I am holding my breath and praying:

Heavenly Father,

I pray for a smooth and orderly transition of power in our government. Please place your angels around every elected official and protect them from any workers of darkness who would bring violence against them.

I pray this in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Photo by Alexandr Ivanov, Courtesy of Pixabay

A Bridge Too Far

January 7, 2021November 9, 2025Valerie Cullers 19 Comments

No matter where you stand in your political views, you must admit that what happened in Washington, D.C. yesterday was A Bridge Too Far.

As a nation, we must learn to come together as Americans. The Tribalism that has divided us must stop. It doesn’t matter if you are on the left, right or a centrist, we must stop demonizing those who don’t agree with us.

Let this be a wakeup call. We must not try to disenfranchise any one group. We are all in this together. And please, let’s stay away from the Wing Nuts on the ends of the parties. They will only cause problems and lead us towards A Bridge Too Far. And really, as we just saw, we don’t want to go there.

Invisible Prison Cells

December 29, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 22 Comments

We can all agree that 2020 has been a year for the books. We have all been impacted by the lockdowns to one extent or another, depending on the state we live in. For some who have lived in states with tighter rules, they have felt like they were living in prison within their own homes.

There is a worse kind of prison than the lockdowns, though. Many people live in invisible prison cells of their own making. Their prison cells confine them to a limited life. They may not even realize they are in prison because the cells and bars are invisible, but they are there nonetheless. Perhaps you are living in one at the moment.

Cell Block U is the largest cell block within this Prison System. Those who refuse to forgive someone or something that has offended them live here. Unforgiveness has affected most of us at one time or another, and we were imprisoned until we were able to forgive those who offended us. Perhaps you are one who is living in Cell Block U at the moment.

Cell Block A is smaller but still has a significant population. Those who are Angry all the time live here, and their Anger spills out on others as they pass by their cells. Much of their Anger may be related to Unforgiveness, but until it is identified, they remain in this part of the prison system.

Same for those who live in Cell Block B. Bitterness reigns here, and it repels those who come near those imprisoned by it. Their Bitterness may also be related to Unforgiveness, but again, until it is identified, they remain in Cell Block B.

The Good News for all of us is that these cells are not locked, nor are the prison doors. We each can make a choice to let go of those negative emotions that are harming us and choose to live in freedom again. As we get ready to start the New Year, let’s take a look at our lives and where we are living. If we even have one toe in one of those cells, let’s get out. Let’s open those cell doors and refuse to live there any longer. We might not be able to change the Lockdown Rules that keep us imprisoned in our homes, but we can certainly change those things that keep us imprisoned in our lives. Let’s make a break for Freedom!

Image by Kalhh. Courtesy of Pixabay

Christmas Gift

December 25, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 25 Comments

The first Christmas I spent with my Dad and second Mom, she greeted me with “Christmas Gift.” It was a tradition in her family that this was the first greeting you gave a person on Christmas morning. I didn’t know what to think of it at first, but after spending a few moments thinking about the greeting, yes, I got it.

Jesus is and was the Christmas Gift. He is the one we celebrate today. What a Gift He is to the world and what wonderful gifts He brought with Him. Gifts like Peace, Love, Joy, Forgiveness, Eternal Life, Healing, Restoration and Renewal.

And just like two thousand years ago, we need Him as much or more than the people of His generation. Our world is just as lost and broken as it was then. Thinking about how He came as a baby in a manger touches my heart. Even then, He came in a way that anyone could relate to. He broke societal barriers then, and He is still breaking them today.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, or where you have come from: He is your Gift. All you have to do is reach out for Him. He is there waiting for you to ask Him into your heart and make you a new person.

He is truly the “Christmas Gift.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3: 16

Image by Cheryl Holt. Courtesy of Pixabay

For this Purpose

December 22, 2020Valerie Cullers 5 Comments

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of Devil.” 1 John 3:8

Photo by Nahchon Guyton. Courtesty of Pixabay.

He Didn’t Have a Cell Phone

December 15, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 19 Comments

Have you ever thought about the influence that Jesus had? He was born in a small town in an occupied country. His family was not wealthy and had no elevated social standing. He only had a ministry for three years, and yet He had more influence on the world than anyone who ever lived.

We know that He was the Son of God and taught truths that went counter to the world He lived in. We know that He performed miracles and attracted thousands who came to hear Him and be touched by Him. He was The Ultimate Influencer and yet, he had no social media footprint. He did not have a cell phone and was not on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

What He did have was right priorities. He knew that in order to influence others, He must spend quality time with the Father. We read in Scripture that early in the morning, He would go out to a lonely place to pray. There, He learned the Father’s will, heard the Father’s words, and was filled and empowered by the Spirit of God.

He did not seek the attention of the crowds. He chose twelve men whom He could pour His life into and spent three years living with them and teaching them. He was not interested in the number of His followers because He knew what was in men’s hearts. He knew they were fickle and would follow Him one day and be gone the next.

There’s a lesson here for those of us who wish to influence others towards a deeper relationship with Christ. We must do as He did. We must spend time, real time, with the Father, and learn His will through reading His word. We must not focus on the number of followers we have but choose to invest our time, energy, and words with those who are really interested in going deeper with Christ. Followers, as Jesus knew, will eventually come and go. We must follow His example and seek to do the will of God, in the power of God, for the purposes of God, in order to have real, meaningful influence in the world.

Photo by Dorothee’ Quennesson. Courtesy of Pixabay

Adventus

December 8, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 15 Comments

Adventus is a Latin word meaning arrival or approach (Lexico.com). In Roman times, the population knew what this word meant and the ceremony attached to it. An Adventus was held when a conquering General or Emperor was welcomed into a city during a progress or the end of a military campaign (definitions.net).

Hence, the anglicized word Advent. Advent has been celebrated by the Christian church for about sixteen centuries. It was celebrated in Gaul and Spain during the fourth and fifth centuries as a time when those wishing to be baptized spent forty days in fasting, penance, and prayer. It was not linked to Christmas but to The Feast of the Magi. By the sixth century, Christians celebrating Advent were looking forward to Christ’s Second Coming. Later in the Middle Ages, Advent was linked to Christmas and to the first coming of Jesus (Christianity.com).

In the twenty-first century, many denominational churches still celebrate Advent. It occurs over four Sundays when both Christ’s first and second comings are celebrated. Most people (including myself for many years) do not really know that Advent is not just about remembering Christ’s first coming as a baby in Bethlehem. It is also about looking forward to the time when Christ shall come as a conquering King to the Earth.

Why do I even mention this? Because most of us at Christmas think of Jesus as a baby lying in a manger. There is nothing wrong with this, but we must remember a few things about Jesus:

He is no longer lying in a manger in Bethlehem.

He is no longer walking around Israel teaching and performing miracles.

He is no longer on a cross at Calvary being crucified as an atonement for our sins.

He is no longer just risen out of a tomb after being there for three days.

He is no longer ascending into Heaven.

However, He is:

Sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the time when He will return to Earth, His Adventus, and judge the nations. He will reign on the Earth for a thousand years and then judge the living and the dead…some will spend eternity with Him and others will spend it apart from Him in Hell.

Are we ready for the next arrival of Jesus? We can rest assured that it will surely come just as the first one did, according to God’s timetable and in fulfillment of prophecy. Let us prepare our hearts for it, so that we will not be ashamed at His Adventus!

Programmed

December 3, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 25 Comments

So this weekend, my husband and I sat down to watch some family-friendly Holiday movies. I was prepared to nonchalantly watch the movies, not having to use my mind at all…strictly chill. To my surprise, I kept getting bombarded with PC messages in the movies and commercials. I mentioned this to some of my friends, and they too noticed the same thing.

Gender Roles: The commercials were full of men doing the laundry and taking care of the children. I have no problem with men doing laundry or taking care of children, but it is apparently not PC to show a woman doing these things even though most women still do the lion’s share of these tasks.

Sexual Orientation: Sprinkled in a fair amount of the movies were gay married couples. I know gay married couples exist, but the writers placed them ever so carefully in several movies and commercials. They were explicit in their desire to mainstream the lifestyle and let us know how happy everyone is who lives this way.

The Chip: One person saw a cartoon explaining the chip. People had the chip placed in their hands and were able to buy and sell without having to use cash, checks or credit cards. It was portrayed as a positive change.

I have heard several people in the past say that we are being programmed, but I haven’t particularly noticed it. This weekend, it was beyond evident; it was totally obnoxious. Now, I know that a lot of social engineering is going on in our schools and in other arenas, and it is totally deliberate. This is also a deliberate attempt to passively program people to accept the current PC values and the coming societal changes while they are watching television.

Have you noticed it also? Tell me about it.

Image by Luis Wilker Perelo. Courtesy of Pixabay.

So Thankful

November 25, 2020November 25, 2020Valerie Cullers 17 Comments

So thankful to the Father of Lights for every good and perfect gift…including you!

Democracy or Idiocracy?

November 23, 2020November 8, 2025Valerie Cullers 15 Comments

The latest election is over and now we must live with the consequences of our choices. Some of the consequences will be good and others, not so much. Most of the pre-election coverage was on the presidential election, but we also voted for governors, mayors, and city council members.

We are impacted to a certain degree by the presidential election, but we are more personally impacted by the winners in the state and local races we have voted for. It is in these arenas that we must take a good, hard look at what our votes did.

These democratically elected officials will either work for the common good or they will create an environment that most will find difficult to live in. For example, did we vote for city or county officials who will defund our police? That decision will make our city much less safe, and we will be living in an Idiocracy.

“Idiocracy – government that is based on abstract theory. definition.org

Did we vote for district attorneys who will not require cash bail? Will the criminals be free to roam our streets? Will the shoplifters return to loot and pillage small businesses within ten dollars of the amount required for a felony? Again, we will live in an Idiocracy.

Did we vote in city and county officials who will not properly deal with the homeless problem? Will they allow the homeless to live on our sidewalks and not help them move to more humane conditions? Again, as we make our way past human waste on the way to work, we will know we are living in an Idiocracy.

We can complain all we want, but in the end, the choice is ours, and we have no one to blame but ourselves when we have poor leadership. So now what do we do if we are stuck with poor leadership and living in an Idiocracy for the next two or four years?

We must pay close attention to the decisions our local officials are making and refuse to vote them in again. It does not matter which party they represent; we must not continue to vote in poor leadership that will not look out for the common good. Democracy or Idiocracy? It’s easy to tell the difference.