Welcome to the Café Logos thought bakery where I assemble the ingredients of my daily experiences to share with our diners.
Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
November 22, 2018 Thanksgiving My husband and I were going to minister at a church in New Jersey. We had never been there before, so we drove right passed it. When we realized what we had done, we circled the block to get back. It was a really bad neighborhood. We drove by a row of houses that were dilapidated, some were abandoned. Each one of them we passed was expressing an aura of gloom and despair. Then suddenly as we reached the middle of this row of neglect and poverty, one house glowed in contrast to its surroundings. Thanksgiving was approaching and upon the windows of the house, the inhabitants had decorated the glass with brightly colored, cheerful pictures and words celebrating the occasion. The joy that emanated from that building overshadowed the peeling paint and missing shingles, making this house stand out from its gloomy surroundings. The residents of this home obviously were not rich, at least not materially, but they were rich in gratitude for what they had and were expressing it exuberantly for all to see. No matter what circumstances we have to endure in this life that sometimes surrounds us like the houses in that neighborhood, we can stand out among them and express our gratitude for what we do have on a daily basis, not just one day a year. Most of all, we need to demonstrate our thanksgiving for the salvation and hope we have been given through God’s love for us in Jesus. Because of His sacrifice, we can shine as examples of His love in the rundown neighborhood of this world. People will notice how we stand out from the gloom, and maybe some of them will stop to find out why. We can invite them into our hearts and share with them our thanksgiving celebration of the grace, mercy and hope we’ve been given in Jesus, the Messiah. Many blessings to you all this Thanksgiving and every day of the year. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
November 10, 2018 Pizza Many years ago I had a prophetic dream, that I still remember today as if I had received it yesterday. In the dream two men were sitting at a table. Then one of the men manufactured a big, beautiful pizza right out of his mouth and handed it to the other man to eat. That was the dream. I ask people, “Would you eat that pizza knowing where it came from?” The standard answer I get is, “Yuck, no.” But that’s what we’re doing if we take all our teaching from the mouths of men and do not consult the scriptures for ourselves. We are eating spiritual fast food. Now what would happen to your body if all you ate was pizza? You wouldn’t be all that healthy after awhile, would you? There are a lot of people, especially on the internet who are inventing doctrines that cannot be supported by the word of God. One of the rules I use when examining a teaching from someone is very simple. If there is even just one scripture that contradicts it, throw it out and start over, it can’t be correct. Unfortunately people can get preprogramed by false teachers and when this happens they refuse to receive correction and no longer view God’s word as the last word as they should. I recommend to everybody to soak yourselves in the epistles and study to find out what the apostles emphasized and make their emphasis your emphasis. This will keep your doctrine balanced and you will avoid extremes. I’ve heard people say, “The Lord gave me this,” when trying to present a doctrine that can’t be supported by the Scriptures. God will never tell you something that contradicts His word, nor will He lead you into sin. One pastor I know told me that a young woman told him that the Lord had said to her it was okay to sleep with her boyfriend. I guarantee you that the Lord did not tell her to commit the sin of fornication. If someone has a lot of pride the devil can latch onto these immature spirits and use them to create all kinds of problems in the body of Christ. I recently encountered someone who had invented one of these doctrines and because it was impossible to defend it from the scriptures I was told that it hadn't been revealed yet, it was greater than the apostles and I couldn't understand it because there was not enough oil in my lamp. Dear ones, please make God’s words in the scriptures, your words and follow the Lord Jesus and His apostles. And If someone hands you some spiritual fast food, examine where it comes from first before you decide to stuff it into your mouth. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
October 23, 2018 The Rainbow Connection Last week I was able to get some photographs of the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. I have a good camera, but it couldn’t do it justice, it was absolutely brilliant.  This event reminded me of a prophetic dream my husband had many years ago. He’s an artist, and he had just finished a painting of Jesus in the clouds with a rainbow to illustrate the resurrection. In the dream, he was thousands of feet in the sky. He saw a beautiful, yet somewhat unnatural rainbow and multitudes of people who were reaching for it and putting their hands into it. My husband’s only thought in the dream was, “Where is Jesus?”  Then the clouds parted beneath his feet and he found himself looking down at a barren mountain. The only thing on the mountain was a cross formed with evergreen trees. Then the dream ended. This dream was given to him over thirty years ago. We believe that he was being shown the latter day’s apostasy that is intensifying upon us now.  The rainbow in the dream symbolized God’s promises, but there was no cross with it. The people were reaching for a faith that had been disconnected from the truth. The mountain symbolized a place of intimacy with God, and the evergreen cross represented the remnant Christian church that is holding onto the truth that Jesus is the only way, truth and the life; and the only way to the Father as He said in John 14:6. In scripture evergreen trees are symbolic of the righteousness of the saints, and God beautifies His sanctuary with them, Isaiah 60:13, 61:3. The people in the dream who were reaching for the rainbow, had been deceived into thinking that they could enter heaven without the cross.  God’s promise of eternal life is real, but He has made it very clear in His word how entrance into heaven is obtained, and that it is by the plan He has ordained, illustrated in His word from Genesis throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Many people today are following the teachings of those who use a rainbow as a symbol of God’s acceptance, but no one can be accepted unless that rainbow is connected firmly to the Gospel as it has been revealed by Jesus and His apostles. Stay connected, children. Grow in grace on your mountain of intimacy with the Lord, and your evergreen boughs will live for eternity.
Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
September 26, 2018 The Miracle of Hurricane Florence I mentioned in a previous post that we were praying fervently for the pressure system to weaken that was keeping hurricane Florence on track toward the Carolina coast. This would have moved the storm out to sea. A friend of mine told me that she had asked the Lord, “Why does it have to come in as a category four?” It never occurred to me to pray for the storm to weaken, which it did. I was more concerned about eliminating the storm’s threat altogether. Apparently it was God’s will for the storm to arrive, but in His mercy, He did not permit it to land as a category four. Looking at the damage that the storm did as a one, I can’t imagine what a category four would have done. We have to realize, that sometimes God doesn’t take the storms away in this life. We know that sin is big factor in drawing these storms in our direction. Even if it’s just to loosen our attachments to this life, or give us more compassion we might not have had previously for others who have been disfranchised and made homeless for a variety of reasons; these events are designed to serve a purpose. As one pastor told me who had a heart attack, “I try and get as much of God as I can in any situation.” There is also another factor to consider regarding this particular storm. If the pressure system had weakened, as I had been praying, it would not have been an unusual occurrence, this can happen. But, what did happen was a miracle. There was no reason why that storm would weaken to a category one, considering that the water temperature in that area was warmer especially as it came closer to land and would have actually caused the storm to strengthen. The meteorologists were strangely silent in response to this phenomenon. Was God trying to show us that He is the one in control? No matter what our circumstances are, wet or dry, we need to praise the One who does answer prayer His way, for His reasons. And when He allows storms to arrive that we would rather have blown out to sea, we can place our trust in Him that He will see us through the storm, and the life changes these disasters can bring to our lives. Have faith that God is in control and trust Him for His direction when the storm winds blow. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
September 11, 2018 Hurricane Florence As I write this, hurricane Florence is expected to slam into the East Coast of the United States. We are praying that the high pressure system that is permitting the storm’s current path will weaken, and the storm will veer away from the coast. When the Prophet David’s infant son fell ill, he prayed and fasted, hoping that God would spare the life of his baby. This child had been born as the result of his adultery with Bathsheba. David had also instigated the death of her husband in an attempt to hide his sin. David knew the child’s illness was a judgment on his sin, yet he still was relying on God’s mercy to spare the child. We know that the sins of America are many. We are shown in the book of Revelation that the plagues described in that book are continuing because the people refused to repent. – And the rest of these men who were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:20, 21). Like David, we can repent of our sin, and ask God to be merciful and cast this impending disaster out to sea. And also like David, when God did not spare the life of his child, we can still praise the God whose judgments are just, and accept His will no matter what the outcome. This world is not our home and we are constantly being reminded of the temporality of our existence on a planet that is currently writhing under the weight of mankind’s sin. Christians have the promise of eternal life through faith in the death and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus. Faith in Him causes us to rise above the turmoil around us and praise Him for the gift of hope, no matter how hard the storm winds try to shake us. We will keep praying God will hear our prayers and cause this tempest to pass us by, and if not, like David, we will hold onto our faith and praise the Lord in spite of the storm. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
August 28,2018 The Beginning of Sorrows Jesus said in Matthew 24, verse seven, that “earthquakes in divers places” would be one of the signs that we are in the last days and on the way toward the great tribulation. The earthquakes He mentions, along with wars, famines and pestilences, would only be the “beginning of sorrows.” We can only imagine what lies ahead when we finally reach the tribulation He describes; a tribulation so great, that there has never been anything like it since the world began (verse 21). Last week there were over three hundred earthquakes in divers place worldwide. Currently, the volcano in Yellowstone National Park is exhibiting signs that the experts have warned precedes an eruption; harmonic tremors and some of the springs have been drying up. We are also told that there would be signs in the sky (Luke 21:11,25). If you spend any time on YouTube at all, you will find that people have been seeing strange anomalies in the sky all over the world for some time now. The weather cameras in Alaska have been capturing images of strange new planets. No one really knows what effects these objects will have on earth. Everything that Jesus told us about the latter days is happening now and will continue to increase until the very end when Jesus returns. People are responding by preparing physically, gathering storable food and buying gold and silver as a hedge if our currencies fail. It’s not wrong to prepare this way and it is wise to have some provisions on hand in case of emergencies. But it is a mistake to put your trust in those provisions. It would be very difficult to store everything for an extended period of time and even if your stores are enormous, they can be wiped out though any event. The scriptures tell us that this world is not our home. Preparing spiritually, is far more important, because even of all our well laid out plans are destroyed, then we can still stand in the security we have in our relationship with God through our Messiah Jesus. We can trust that He will provide for us supernaturally, and even if He doesn’t, we can die with smiles on our faces because we know where we are going. While our physical world is crumbling around us as predicted, our hope should be growing stronger as we see the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies confirm the reality of the truth we believe. Be strong in your faith, children, and be confident that you will end well in Jesus no matter what the storm winds of tribulation blow in your direction. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
July 22, 2018 Mars On this day, I woke up at 2:30 in the morning. My shades were up and I noticed a particularly bright star shining in the night sky and I thought it would be fun to try and take a picture of it. I focused my camera on the dazzling white object and zoomed in. I was using a Panasonic Lumix DMCF28 with a 12x 0ptical zoom lens. The zoom revealed that the object was actually a planet. I have since received some feedback on this and it’s been concluded that I photographed the planet Mars. When the planet Mars is closest to earth, as it is supposed to be on July 27 of this year, then it is approximately 57.6 million kilometers or 35.8 million miles away. I am amazed that I was able to capture these images with an ordinary camera seeing as it is supposed to be millions of miles away. Maybe Mars is a lot closer than we are being told? Also people have commented that the photgraphs of the planets that are taken by ordinary people, don’t look anything like the ones taken by the space agencies. Others have theorized that the planets may not be planets at all, but stars as they used to be called, “wandering stars.” What do you think?
July 12, 2018 Praying to Mary I had a conversation with a Catholic Christian in a laundromat, a while back. She was telling me about all the problems she’d been having with her son. She told me that she was praying to Mary about her child, then she said in her prayer as this realization struck, - “How can you understand the trouble I’m having with my son when you had Him?” I had to smile. Mary had the perfect child, so how could she understand this mother’s complaint? I thought it was funny, but then I said to her, “You know, Mary is not omnipresent, only God is. She can’t hear you when you pray.” She looked startled, then she realized that was true. “You’re right,” she said.” I never thought of it that way before.” We don’t need any intermediaries other than Jesus, our High Priest, because He is the Son of God and His Spirit is God’s omnipresent Holy Spirit and He can hear us. When we receive Him we receive the Holy Spirit which enables communication with the Godhead. Jesus said that He will come to us (John 14:18) and so will the Father (John 14:23) who indwells us through His Holy Spirit and we become a habitation of God. We have to remember also, that Mary recognized her need for a Savior as well (Luke 1:47). Only Jesus is the sinless one who alone is qualified to redeem our souls for God. Mary is to be highly revered as the mother of our Lord and has rightly deserved the title of “blessed among women” (Luke 1:42). And Mary, along with all those who have received salvation through her perfect Son, praise Him in gratitude for the gift of our salvation. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
June 17, 2018 You Think You are Having a Bad Day? If you think you are having a bad day, let me tell you about Deborah. She is a Christian who lives in Nigeria. One day the Muslim extremist group, Boko Haram raided her village. Both she and her husband refused to deny Jesus and her husband was murdered. Then the Muslims found her two eight and nine year old adopted daughters. The men grabbed them and threw them into their truck. Frantic, Deborah ran after them until she fainted. She woke up in the hospital and when she realized her husband was dead and her daughters had been kidnapped she was overwhelmed with debilitating grief. Deborah had five older sons and she sent the four oldest to live in another city to keep them from being recruited by the terrorists. She kept the twelve year old with her, thinking that he would be safe. Three months later he was ambushed on the way home from school and murdered. Out of fear she moved into the church, but then it was rumored that the church was going to be attacked, so she and the pastor and his family fled to a refugee camp. In the meantime, the Muslims stole all of her possessions and burned her house. It took three years for Deborah to recover and she has been able to forgive the men who so brutally marred her life. She prays that someday she will be able to find her daughters. Jesus said that His followers would be persecuted and killed by those who think that they are doing God a service (John 16:2). It’s Father’s Day, today, so please pray for Deborah and all those who have been made fatherless and widowed by people who think that they are doing God a service in destroying those people who have obeyed God’s word and put their trust in the Messiah Jesus for their salvation. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
May 5, 2018 Israel Today With all the hoopla surrounding the establishment of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, I thought it was appropriate to give the Biblical perspective on Israel today. In Revelation 11:8, we are shown that the “great city,” Jerusalem, is referred to by our Lord as “Sodom and Egypt,” representing the sins of sexual immorality, idolatry and witchcraft. I won’t go into the details here, but a little bit of research into modern Israel will reveal why she has incurred these indictments from God. God has promised in His word that He will bring her enemies against her for her chastening (Ezekiel 38:16). She will be invaded by the Gentiles (Rev. 11:2). She will experience another captivity just before Jesus’ returns as prophesied by Zechariah (Zechariah 14:1) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 39:23). Then God will defend her and come against all those who have come against Jerusalem. This is the pattern He has always used when dealing with His people. Their sins and rebellion open the door for their enemies to overcome them with God’s permission; then when His people have repented, God goes after their enemies. This is in His word and you can check it out yourself. If all this seems unfamiliar to you, then you need to spend more time in God’s word. So while many see Jerusalem becoming Israel’s capital as a good thing, this event may be an indication of God’s impending judgments on Israel and all those who share in her sins. This is a time of repentance for all of us, children. Search your hearts and God’s word and make sure Israel’s sins are not your own. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
January 6, 2018 Education Before the new tax bill was passed here in the United States, I called a friend to ask her to please contact the legislators in her state to ask them to vote against it. My reason was that it contained massive cuts to the poor, including a six billion dollar cut to HUD, which helps low income people have affordable housing. The cuts would leave the housing authority in my area with a budget of just thirty-two thousand dollars to manage eighty-one units. The response I received from my Christian friend was a vehement, “I believe in minimal government!” When I attempted to give her the Scriptures that support a government’s responsibility to the poor, she interrupted me and said arrogantly, “I don’t want to talk about it.” And she hung up, terminating any further discussion on the subject. It bothered me, actually, it grieved my spirit because of her apparent lack of compassion for those who may become homeless because of our government’s callousness in this area. When I was praying about it, the Lord gave me the word, “Education.” Then He showed me again that His people need to be educated on what the Bible teaches about God’s care for “The Least of These.” Christians want the government to follow the constitution. Likewise, God wants His people to follow His constitution; His word that is contained in the Holy Scriptures. As Christians, our view of the poor must be formed by God’s Word alone and not any political ideology. Most Christians who support “minimal government” don’t realize that the concept does not originate from the Bible, but was adapted from the philosophers of the enlightenment period. While totalitarian governments are to be avoided, the Bible supports enough government to make sure the poor are taken care of and protected from oppression. God knows that because of sin, the strong will take advantage of the weak. God requires that His leadership be aware of this principle of human nature, and enact safeguards to protect the vulnerable. Psalm 72 illustrates this very clearly. It was written by David for Solomon. The Psalm contains instructions for how a just king should rule. The Psalm is also a Messianic Psalm, with applications to the future rule of the Messiah, and again we are shown the importance God places on caring for the poor.- He shall judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with judgment (verse 1). He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor (verse 2). For he shall deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him that has no helper (verse 12). He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy (verse 13). Again, this has Messianic parallels, but at the same time it is also reflecting God’s heart in operation through the leadership of His people. Unfortunately, a majority of Christians are totally unaware of what the word of God actually teaches about the poor, and are allowing themselves to be led into apostasy in this area. So was ancient Israel before the captivity. The Hebrews had adapted a callous attitude toward the needy in their midst, resulting in many abuses. God sent His prophets to educate them in this area and correct their behavior. The prophetic warnings went unheeded and God permitted Israel to be overcome by their enemies. There were many other factors that contributed to Israel’s captivity, but if they had understood that God promises protection to those who care for the poor, and if they had demonstrated the compassion He requires in this area, it may have stayed their time of devastation, or completely avoided it. When we understand that the things that were written in the past are there for our protection in the future, we need to take heed to these warnings as well. The following is a list of some basic things God wants His people to know about the poor. 1. There are more Scriptures concerning God’s care for the poor than any other moral issue in the Bible. If it is a major issue in God’s word, then it must be a major issue in our hearts as well. 2. The word of God requires that everyone is to care for the poor, including secular governments. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10:25-37) is meant to apply to everyone. If there is a need lying unattended by the side of the road, so to speak, whether it is poverty or health care, the one who responds to meet those needs, whether it be a church or government, is doing the will of God. 3. Favoring the rich at the expense of the poor can actually bring a curse of poverty from the Lord. He that oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he that gives to the rich, shall surely come to want. - Proverbs 22:16. One of my relatives had a prophetic dream back when President George W. Bush was still in office. In the dream Bush was told that he was going to do something that would bring judgment on this nation and part of it had to do with cutting back on the poor. At the same time he was going to increase tax cuts for the rich. We wanted to get this message to the president and the Lord engineered us to meet a pastor who had mutual friends with the president. This pastor told us that President Bush had already been given that word prophetically from people in his own prayer group. He didn’t listen, the cuts were made and he left the economy in a shambles. 4. Caring for the poor will instigate God’s protection. - Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth: and Thou will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies (Psalm 41:1,2). The Lord gave us this illustration through a young man we met several years ago. He told us he was walking through a park when the Lord prompted him to feed a street man. He obeyed, found a street man and purchased some food for him. Then the young man was crossing the street. He inadvertently stepped out in front of an oncoming car that was barreling toward him at forty miles an hour with no possible way that it could stop in time, but it did, one inch from his hip. I believe the Lord gave us this example to illustrate this principle in His word; if we care for the poor, He will protect; if we turn our backs on the poor, then we hand our sword over to our enemies. 5. Giving to those who cannot work became a statute in Israel (I Samuel 30:10-25). “Welfare” was established in Israel under David to help those who could not work, or could not work as hard as others to keep up. God recognizes that everyone is not the same physically and those who are strong are to help the weak (Acts 20:35, Romans 15:1). Those who protested this arrangement were labeled in God’s word as “wicked.” 6. God commands us to be generous to the poor (Deut. 15:11). Jesus said, that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). The Apostle John reiterates. - But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? (I John 3:17). Therefore our attitude toward the poor is a reflection of our love for God. Many Christians I have met harbor a bitterness toward the poor that is marring their Christianity whether they realize it or not. They want to eliminate programs for the poor, without realizing that they or their children someday may need them. As Christians we are to look upon the needs of others and not please ourselves. (Romans 15:1). We are to work, not to horde money, but so that we shall have funds to help those in need (Ephesians 4:28). We have to ask ourselves, is our attitude toward the poor formed by God’s word, or our own selfishness and covetousness? There are multitudes that have disabilities that need help including destitute families. A friend of mine was abandoned by her husband leaving her with two small children. Because of our welfare system she was able to get the help she needed to go to school. She was eventually able to get a job as a teacher so she could support her family. Her church could not do it all. Yes, there are abuses, but there are times when we need to let the tares grow among the wheat, so we don’t hurt the wheat (Matthew 13:29). 7. Christians are to “Plead the cause of the poor” (Proverbs 31:9). Are we obeying God in this area? Or are we actually fighting against them by choosing a political ideology above God’s word? Why do we want our government to model itself after a third world country that does nothing for its poor? This is not progress. In conclusion, it doesn’t matter which political party you belong too, caring for the poor is not a political issue, it is a Biblical issue, and any government that claims to be Christian, follows God’s word, especially concerning God’s commandments concerning the poor. God says that if His people humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways He will heal the land (II Chronicles 7:14). Aligning ourselves with God’s word concerning the poor has to be included in this requirement for the healing of our nation. You can listen and heed what the Scriptures tell you to do in this area, or you can refuse to face the truth. You have that option. You can hang up on God, and refuse to heed His word, like ancient Israel did centuries ago – just before God allowed her to fall into the hands of her enemies. Before the tax cuts to the housing authority were announced, the same relative that had the warning dream for President Bush, had another dream. He saw tornados forming around one of the housing projects in our area. The tornadoes represent God’s judgment and there is an interesting link to this in another prophecy that was given almost thirty years ago from a prophetess who came to the United States from South Africa. Here is a link to a video about that prophecy. The Prophecy of Anton Sawyer Have a nice day. Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively
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December 24, 2018
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