I thought it would be good, in these troubled times, to bring a bit of positive news.
From my newspaper I read the good news that because of the bars being closed and far fewer people are drinking and on the roads, there are significantly fewer DWI’s, crashes, and injuries. So, even though the COVID-19 death toll is rising, at the same time the traffic accident death and injury toll is declining.
A retired Venezuelan army general, Cliver Alcala, has surrendered to U.S. That’s great news. Also, I presume that someone just received a 10-million-dollar reward.
Generally, I think people are praying more.
Due to this pandemic, and all the precautions we are supposed to take, there seems to be more positive messages going out, especially among the youth.
President Trump suggests the high goal of reopening the county on Easter Sunday–April 12th.
woke up extra early this morning and was unable to fall back to sleep. I had on my mind what President Trump was hoping for: that we could reopen the United States by Easter. That after so much suffering and lock-downs and being isolated from the world due to the Coronavirus, that we could, very soon, by Easter reopen our country. Here are three quotes from him that I read in my Newspaper this morning. He said,
I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.
Wouldn’t it be great to have all of the churches full?
You’ll have packed churches all over our country.
It does seem a little early for that to happen. But President Trump seems confident that it could happen, at least in most of the country. And what I have been thinking is, why don’t we make it a prayer! As long as the President is thinking that way, why don’t we as Christians get behind him with our prayers. What have we got to lose? Let’s make it a matter of prayer with faith—a prayer focus. Let’s pray every day until Easter that God would heal our land and open up our schools and churches and our work places and meeting places. Like the President has said, “It will be a great celebration on that day.” And all believers will give thanks to the Lord.
Okay, my first thought is this: If we compare this virus to the flu, it really seems like the flu is much deadlier. Last year there were34,157 flu related deaths. And no one hardly said anything. Am I missing something?
Also, what about abortion? In 2016, 623,471 deaths came as the result of abortions. And nobody has been saying anything. Or what about suicide? In 2017, 47,173 deaths from suicide occurred. And where was all the concern for that?
Oh, here’s a real winner. Everybody’s so concerned about our troops in Afghanistan. So many of our men are being killed over there. Well in the total war, 1,833 of our troops have been killed; that’s an average of about 96 deaths per year. If you compare that number to the flu last year, the flu has been 356 times deadlier that the Afghanistan war.
I’m just trying to put some perspective on this. Can anyone tell me why this coronavirus is so concerning—more than other things like I have mentioned? I mean I know it’s a big deal, but I’m just wandering why we seem to be so much more upset about this virus than other viruses, and about abortion and suicide (not to mention so many other diseases).
And here are some questions I have:
Should the government be spending so much money on this coronavirus? If God has allowed this virus to happen maybe we should just take it as His way of disciplining us. Does this make any sense to anyone? I mean, everyone will die at some time in their life.
Is this coronavirus a harbinger of things to come? If so, how can we prepare for it? How can we let this virus prepare us for things to come? What does the bible say about future viruses? Or future disasters that will cause deaths? Should we try to control them or just be ready to face them?
Will this coronavirus in some way work together for our good? Maybe God has allowed it to benefit us in some way, to draw us to Him for His help. I have heard that there are bipartisan efforts gong on. There is some unity happening. Sometimes I guess it takes a disaster like this to bring us together. Maybe God is in it all. What do you think?
I just want to say that I am super proud of President Trump and the whole Trump team the way they have responded to this virus. I think President Trump has been especially resilient the way he has faced the press. He has a great, positive attitude, and just because of that I know we will come out of this much better than anyone ever thought. I just feel that he was made for this kind of disaster. No one could handle it better.
My sources: All the data was gathered from reliable government websites.
WASGINGTON DC, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES – 2013/05/30: The White House, home of the United States President. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Today is President’s Day. It’s the day we celebrate Lincoln and Washington’s birthday.
The Washington Monument The Lincoln Memorial
But I think we should really celebrate all the great Presidents. What makes a great president? To me, a great president is someone who thinks of the country more than himself. He thinks of making the country prosperous more than the wealth and power he may inherit for himself. Also, and more importantly, he lifts up God, supports prayer, and does the best he can to squash evil and corruption. Both President Washington and Lincoln did this.
I think this is also a day to think of President Trump and to pray that he would be continually focused on doing what is good for this country and to please the God of heaven. And I know that he thinks that way. Yes, he has asked for prayer that the will of God be done. I know that.
And we should pray that in all of the President’s efforts he will enact policies to rid our country of evil and evil workers. Pray that he will be working to establish justice and to promote godliness and prayer in our land.
I just finished reading Inside Trump’s White House, by Doug Wead, a best-selling author. Doug’s intentions were not necessarily to write a best-seller, but to write a book for the history of the Trump presidency. Hence, he set out to record events as they actually happened. And this is why he interviewed just those in the White House, especially the President’s family and closest advisors. This book was similar to Bill O’Reilly’s book, The United States of Trump, but there were some differences. Whereas O’Reilly shared more about Trump as a man and what he thought of him and his motives (good and bad), Wead stuck more with just the observable facts, mainly from his interviews. The following are the main points of the book that I gathered from my reading.
The interviews. I think the best interviews came from Ivanka and Jerod, Don Jr., Tifany, and Eric. Ivanka and Jerod were so kind and hospitable. They invited Doug to their home and they talked for hours. A great resource. Jerod, Doug found out, is especially gifted, and he had some great insights to share. President Trump has used him well. It was said that if the job was impossible, he would give it to Jerod—and he would get it done.
Don Jr. and Eric had great things to say about their Dad. Don said that “he is totally focused on doing what is right…he loves the American people…he is working constantly to find more jobs to help more Americans.” Likewise, Eric talked about his father’s greatness, that he is one of America’s greatest presidents.
Tiffany, the youngest, is quite brilliant and beautiful. She is in the middle of law school, but finds time on the weekends to come to the White house and visit her father and family.
On how Trump won the Presidency. The book said a lot about this, because it was predicated to be a blow-out for Clinton; but instead, it was a miraculous turnabout for Trump. I do think that it had much to do with prayer and God’s will. Also. Many worked so hard to bring it about. The President gave his daughter-in-law Lara the Task of North Carolina, and she did a fabulous job—won it. And both Brad Parscale and Melania were so positive. When others had lost hope, Melania “would have none of it.” She consistently said to the President, “You are going to win.”
Trump’s achievements. The book is full of praises for all of the President’s achievements: more jobs, great trade deals, destroying ISIS, many more conservative judges, the wall going up, and the great economy. And he is more of a foreign policy President than he thought he would be. He is a great negotiator and a peace maker. He has worked hard to free hostages, and he has won the votes of many African Americans—up to over 30%.
Trump the man. I loved the way Mr. Wead brought out all of the President’s good qualities—through his interviews. We will start with what Pastor Brunson had to say about him (remember, he was a prisoner in Turkey whom the President worked hard to free). He said to Doug, “The president is very friendly…he has a big heart…he is genuinely caring about people.”
Generally I have noticed that the president thinks the best of people, especially world leader. He always tends to think of a person’s good qualities. But we know that when they cross him, watch out! He will get them back.
Last, and most interesting to me, the book brought out that Trump has a deep religious side. He gets it from his mother and also from his church growing up, where Dr. Vincent Peal was the pastor. Peal wrote the book, The Power of Positive Thinking. The book not only emphasizes our thinking but the power of prayer. He also was greatly influenced by Paula White. Someone much like Peal, she seems to have the same positive prayer philosophy.
For a few years now Trump has been calling on Paula to come and pray for things. He asked her to pray regarding him running for President, and he also has asked her to pray for his children and for business deals. And you remember, he had her bring many Christian leaders to Trump Tower to gather around and pray about the election. But it was pointed out that he never asked Paula to pray for him personally.
This is not from the book, but I hope and pray that the President would begin to ask more for prayer for himself and that he would also try praying himself. I don’t think too highly of Dr. Peal. I think he has led many astray in his teaching. The emphasis in Christianity should be on our relationship with God and our humility, not on positive thinking and positive praying and what we can get from God.
Overall, the book was a great read and I hope it sells well.
In my last article on this subject I revealed how I became interested in politics and how I came to root for Donald Trump. I also wrote about how I got hooked on Fox News and how I see it as far superior to any other so-called news. Here I will carry on with the same thing, but maybe more on Trump.
You know I don’t think most people are even aware of all that the President has done, what a really good person he is. I see it especially where I live, in Minnesota; a very liberal, Dem state. I blame it mostly on the liberal news media. Sometimes I get the feeling that we are no better informed than communist countries—that restrict and control, and even alter the news. When I was younger, I remember hearing how people in Russia have no idea of the freedom we enjoy, because their media only gives them the news they want them to hear—to keep them in control. Well in this country we are doing the same thing. Most of the media is liberal and pro Democrat, and so they are always praising Dem candidates and criticizing Republicans, especially conservatives. They do talk about Trump, but 95% of their coverage of Him is negative, or just false. It really is fake news!
I buy a newspaper every day, mainly for the funnies and to check the sports pages. But I do read over some of the frontpage news articles. And without exception the coverage is slanted—a negative, liberal slant against Trump and the GOP. It’s really disheartening. My Pioneer Press isn’t as bad as CNN, but it’s still slanted.
I remember talking to one of my clients (I’m a house painter) a while ago. I think I was listening to a Fox News radio program, and she interjected something about how bad she thought Trump was. Oh, he did this and believes that and is so racist, etc. I could tell she was a CNN listener. She was just parroting what she had heard. I tried telling her some of the good things President Trump has been doing, but she didn’t believe any of it. It was like foreign to her. It’s sad. So many people are so brain washed.
You know, in spite of the terrible impeachment fiasco, I think it has a good side. Since it has been televised, many are for the first-time hearing both sides—if they choose to listen. It is always good to hear both sides. I even try to force myself to hear the liberal view, to see where they are coming from.
And I know that many Dems are good people—I mean they honestly are seeking the truth. But so many are blinded by evil forces. The devil keeps them from the truth. But that is a whole different topic for another time.
During the Bush (Jr) years I was sort of interested in politics. But I think I was more forced into it by all that was happening in the country—you know, the Twin Towers. So tragic! Everybody was glued to their set, and concerned, and praying. And I was so proud of the President, the way he took charge.
I remained sort of interested in politics during the Obama years, but for a different reason. I was always praying that our people wouldn’t give up in the face of so much corruption in the government. As I witnessed more and more Christians around the world being persecuted and denied help from our countries it drove me to prayer. As I saw Muslims being let in and put in positions of government, my mind turned to bible prophecy—thinking about end times. You know, I just couldn’t believe how our country and the media loved Obama so much when he was doing such terrible things—and how Mrs. Clinton was involved too.
I looked forward to the next election. Anything was better than Obama. The wicked Clinton was running against a dozen Republicans. At first, I was rooting for the Florida Senator, Marco Rubio. By the things he was saying he sounded pretty good. He seemed smart and serious and good for the country. And he is a Christian. A plus! I was also a little interested in the other Bush brother and also Ted Cruz. I noticed that the billionaire Trump was running, but he was way down in the polls. Everybody thought he was a joke—that he wasn’t really a serious candidate. And I thought that way too. I didn’t much care for him—I don’t know why. I think maybe it was all the money he had, and he tended to flaunt it.
Well, toward the end of the election process Mr. Trump rose up in the polls, until it was Trump, Rubio and Cruz. I had a bad feeling that Trump would be the nominee. How could it happen? But I’ve always loved a winner, so I slowly developed a strange attraction to him. I continued to dislike him, but at the same time I grew to like him.
I decided that I was going to study this guy myself instead of just listening to the media. I read articles on the controversy with his business college. Most of it, especially from the media, was negative. But then I slowly was hearing some positive things—people that graduated actually had some good things to say. I began to discover that there were two sides. The Dems and all the media were always negative about him, but I discovered that many people actually liked him. Before long I was on his side and was cheering for him. I read a couple of his books and was more motivated. The one I really liked was The Art of the Deal.
This guy is a great guy! He is smart, a great business man, a great motivator, he gets things done, and he never quits. The thing I was so impressed with in his book is that he was going, going, going all the time. If he wasn’t making deals on the phone, he was out on a job directing workers and motivating them. He has so much energy and he was loving his work. I was amazed at all the buildings he has built—and huge sky scrapers. An amazing man.
And so, I became hooked on Trump. I listened to all the debates and the rallies. I also tuned into Fox news. I don’t have cable so I just get on to the web sites and watch the ten minutes news clips. I do it every day—probably too much. I have been amazed by the contrast between Fox news and other news like CNN. I am convinced that FOX is the best by far—the most truthful. Actually, CNN and MSNBC are a joke. It’s not really news; it’s pure opinion, pure bios and disgusting. But I am amazed by people who tune into it and swear by it—as if it were all true! Of course, they think that FOX is disgusting.
Well, I think I have written enough for this article so I will quite here. Next time I think I will just continue with this topic. I can hardly wait to hear what I have to say. Ha, ha!
This is my second article for my new personal blog. Actually, I wrote it a while back but now I’m rewriting it because I thought it would work well for this new blog. I have four other blogs going: a prayer blog which I started I think in 2011, then a few years later I began a bible prophecy blog, and then more recently I began a political blog and also a nature blog. The first two blogs are still going fairly well, but the nature blog and the political blog aren’t doing well at all. So, I have decided to delete those and put this one in its place. It will be freer flowing and easier. The following is the article I wrote a while ago. I think everything is still relevant.
My New Free-Flowing Blogging Style
Up till now, when I’ve blogged, I will usually study a subject, do research, or go off of other sources, especially on the topic of politics and government. I just haven’t felt confident enough, or really smart enough. I have never really been interested in politics or government so I have felt that I need more input. But recently I have been thinking that it would be good for me to think more on my own, to develop my own thoughts. I think it would stretch my mind out a little. And I think it would help me to be able to more freely and confidently express my thoughts—even though most people tend to be quiet on the subject of politics. They are so afraid to talk about it—about Trump. I guess we are afraid of starting a fight and a very tense situation. People where I live—in Minnesota—don’t like that. We are Minnesota nice. We are so polite.
I’m not sure what I will blog about on this subject, whether it will be just rambling, or on a particular topic. I think I should have some direction, some topic. Here are a few political topics I have in mind:
How I got more interested in politics
How I have been thinking about President Trump
The evil democrat party
The never Trumpers
Why the Dems are so hateful of Donald Trump?
What will become of the U.S. if Trump gets re-elected, or if a liberal like Bernie Sanders get elected.
Wow, that sounds scary to think of Bernie Sanders as President. But sadly, I think our country may be headed in that direction…. after Trump.
But maybe we should think more positively. Maybe 2020-2024, with the house and senate as Republican we will see the country being forever set in a new direction, with a godlier government. We should pray that way. We can be a shining light to the world—until the Rapture. After that I think the U.S. will be gone. I mean since so many of our people will be taken to heaven, I’m afraid other countries will sweep us up—like the EU.
Well, these are my new thoughts. Hopefully, the Lord willing, I will be able to continue on this path of freer blogging. Maybe next time I will have something more specific to blog about.
Stephen Nielsen 