The Year in Review

[crisipicada]

Mostly, at the end of the year, television will review the past things that happened in a particular place or nation. The top story whether good or bad is being televised in order to review what are the events that had happened. It is reminiscing the past and talk about the big people, celebrities, famous persons and even prominent one.

If we are going to review our lives, what would it be? Are there things that deeply hurt us that we question God? Or the more we experience His goodness to us despite of bad things that happened? As we read in Psalms 77, we read about the person who lament about the bad things about his life. He try to ask God why and how come let these things happens to us? It seems that God is no longer taking cared of him, he asked "Is God's mercy ceased forever, and His promises failed forever? but despite of that, even he is full of anguish, the psalmist said, "I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember YOur wonders of old. As a result, a renewal of trust and hope to God. As we continue to read in verse 14, "YOu are the God who does wonders, You have declared Your strength among the peoples.

Why not try to write the events of your life as we think to look back the past year. It would be difficult to include the difficulties that happens in our lives, and disappointments but we must remember that all things happen for reasons and for our own good. During these difficulties in life, we can find the faithfulness of God and He never fails.

[Edwin]

"I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember YOur wonders of old. As a result, a renewal of trust and hope to God. As we continue to read in verse 14, "YOu are the God who does wonders, You have declared Your strength among the peoples." Crisi's Quote

That is great, Crisi!

In review that past year has been a good one in many ways. There were some tough times, in which I got caught in the cross fire between some of our kids who were fighting with each other, and then I caught the brunt of that. Things got bad in that regard, but then things are getting better also, so I/we are thankful! We started the year 2012 helping our daughter who was nearly and literally beaten to death, with the intent to kill, and the guy is in Federal Prison for a very long time as a result of that. Carol's brother from Guimaras Island, by Iloilo, died last April, which was sad, but he came to the Lord and made his peace with God before that. Carol's sister died, but she was old and very sick, not even in her right mind, and suffering, so the fact that she died was a blessing. Then my nephew from North of Manila came home for a short visit, and died. We have had our share of deaths for a while. From April 15th until August 7th, I worked harder than anyone should have to work, but then I was getting my cellar dug, and I did finish it after working on it 3 different years, a short time two different summers, and a long time this last summer. We got water running in our house the cellar walls built with concrete blocks, a 4 foot wall built around the house to protect the under side of the house from cold, freezing winds, and my bathroom is on its way to being redone. With healing from prostate biopsy, and needing not to strain myself because of that, and the cold severe winter weather with hard winds and drifting snow I have not been doing much other than doing this and playing the piano. Of course I have found it necessary to shovel the snow away from Scooby's yard 2 times so far, and our daughter shoveled it once while we were gone down the hill to our youngest daughter and her daughters' place, and so there are some things you have to do, and I am thankful that the Lord has given me strength, and kept me safe for doing the things that have been necessary. Also by faith I am going to say that I don't have cancer, and I am expecting the prostate biopsy results to show that. The weather kept me from getting to see the doctor when I was supposed to, but I am to see him a week from this coming Friday.

A person who was a supervior in a saw mill where I worked, who was also a Christian, said that we take the good with the bad, and we forget the bad and call it all good! That seems like a good motto!

[Smiley]

Yes this year has not been one of my happiest in a lot of ways.I look forward to 2013 being much better in a lot of areas.Health and finance in particular.
It`s not good to whine and complain though.I have a better understanding of God than I have had for a very long time.I had a health issue that is becoming a non-issue,and I am a lot closer to being able to head back to the Philippines.
I`m not sure who said this but I think that it is something for each of us to consider frequently:"You are only as happy or as unhappy as you perceive yourself to be" In other words,being happy or being miserable is in many ways a choice that you can make.Make the right one.

[Edwin]

Someone said to me a number of years ago, "Enjoy your life, because if you don't, who will enjoy it? There is a lot of truth to that. Carol has to take a lof of anti depression medication, and that is something that I don't understand, because it is not a problem with me. Carol's brother, who lived in the Philippines also questioned why anyone needs anti depression medication, but then his older daughter does as well as Carol, and they both take the same kind, and they think it is a real need, where as, Carol's brother and I don't understand the need. Also I heard years ago that happiness is dependent on circumstances. If your circumstances are good you are happy. If your circumstances are less favorable then you are less happy. Joy is not dependent on circumstances, but it is within, and you have joy no matter what is happening to you. The joy of the Lord is much like that where you can have a song in your heart in the night time, and no matter how bad things get you can still have joy.

[mystic]

Well, for a good part of Europe (the most industrialized countries) this year was effectively the start of the end of the world.

In Greece there is a post-war situation. Salaries were cut by the half. Since people don't have money, they include special taxes inside the electric bills. So, the people find monthly bills that sometimes far exceed their salary... and they get electricity, heating, and everything cut off. Medicines are scarce and they don't even have the basic aids anymore. Violence escalated as most of the pupulation lost their jobs. On the streets, urban guerrilla is the most common things. People who can still spend money buy secured and reinforced doors, to prevent thieves to break in.

The same is happening rapidly in Spain, were about 50% of the population does not have a job. The financial systems and the banks are collapsing. People who had savings lose all their money. Those who made a mortgage to buy their house find that they cannot pay the rates, lose everything and are thrown on the road.

Italy is following. They made special taxes on the property that deprived the average people of one monthly salary in the year. For 2013, they will double that. From an 8% unemployment, Italy bounced to 12%, which means millions of people lost their job. And they continue to lose their job, while companies close. The health system, which is only public, is at risk of closure. The average worker pays around 67% of taxes on his salary. Taxes include the obligatory pension, health insurance, etc. So, now workers might end up paying for a defunct health system, and on top have to make a private insurance if they want a protection. And the tax that should be used for their pension is used to pay the current pension of the old people now. So, he will be without pension, unless he pays an additional private insurance. Fuels were taxed at once 20% more (generally, they already costed the double than in the US), and you started to find always less goods in the shops.

Germany, the European lion, is starting to creak. They find out that municipalities, and all the public sector have debts that nobody previously suspected. So, they start also to put extra taxes.

Every government is getting crazy to steal from the people. They oblige the people to avoid cash and put everything in the banks, which they can control. You can pay only with cards, no more cash. And now that they control everybody's money... they put at the European level the Tobin tax. That is, every single thing you buy gets a special additional tax over the bank transaction. So, every little thing you buy, make you lose money because the bank made a transaction. And since you are not allowed to keep cash... you cannot avoid it.

Well, to me the general situation looks like in the pre World War I and II. When there is such a depression of the economy, always a big war prepares. Maybe it will be World War III. The next years will tell, but the spiral is only getting worse.

The good point is that poverty forces the people to find God again and stay together. People meet in groups again and make many short travels around, together, which did not happen in a long while. They discover again simplicity and the little things. The only problem is that many become sharks and try to eat all the others. So, the society will need to find a new equilibrium to survive.

[Edwin]

Yes, mystic, that is a bleak picture you paint of the economic situation in your part of the world, and I believe it really is that way. It is so sad, and people in the Philippines are affected the same way also.

Liberal so called democratic politicians with their greed have been damaging our economy for some time. Barac Obama blamed Bush for all of his troubles in office, but he has done a much poorer job than Bush did, and now who is he going to blame for the mess that was made the last four years that Obama caused. Harry Reid complained about being on the fiscal cliff. I would say why doesn't someone push him over the cliff! A little humor here, but he along with Pelosi are a couple of traitors in our country selling us down the river, and feeling wonderful about the programs they are getting approved that are destroying our economy!

It is discouraging, but God is still in control, and we must look to Him. He will eventually take us out of this mess, and He will create a new heaven and a new earth where in dwelleth righteousness, and that means that Reid, Pelosi, Obama, and the devil will not be in control. They are not only destroying our economy, but they are immoral as well, with their gay rights supports, and supporting the killing of unborn babies! God is going to hold some people accountable for the evil they have commited here among us!

[crisipicada]

The best attitude in life, is to be thankful whatever we had in the past, could be good or bad.

This is what I have learned from a pastor's wife, who is a missionary in Kateel and Bagangga, where they were hit by the Typhoon Pablo, last December 2012.

As she shared at church her experience together with her family and her husband, who is a Pastor there, the goodness and protection of God is with them. They were not able to eat for 3 days, and no clothes to change, due to the devastation brought by the typhoon. No communication where they can communicate to the sending churches here because all were broken. All they eat were young coconut. They never get sick and never had any wound despite they just using their barefoot walking and running to escape from flood and trees from falling.

God is so good indeed.

[Edwin]

Crisi, I am glad to hear about the protection of God for that Pastor and his family. It was frightening for them, and inconvinient having to run from the storm, rising water, and falling trees, but God protected them. It was not fun for them not to have what they needed to eat, but being able to eat young coconut helped sustain them, and God helped them to have good health through that experience. Truly we need to be thankful for God protection and his provisions!