Government Shutdown Survivor

As our federal government enters another shutdown, I went through seven government shutdowns in my 20+ years as a federal employee.  I can tell you that going through these shutdowns caused by our politicians is a stressful experience.  I can assure you that no federal employee is happy about this regardless of their political party.  

Unfortunately federal employees are the pawns in a political game that they have absolutely no control over.  

Today federal employees will either be furloughed - essentially laid off until the shutdown is over - or they will be deemed "essential" and will be required to work without getting a paycheck.  I have been both during my shutdown experiences. 

Contrary to what must of the general public believe, there is never a guarantee that federal employees will be paid back after the shutdown.  This is a very stressful situation when you don't receive your paycheck.  Your bills still have to be paid and I can assure you that most are not willing to work with you.  I was fortunate to always receive my pay back after the shutdown was resolved but during the shutdown I still had to pay the mortgage, car payment and buy groceries.  During the longest shutdown I went through, I had to get a loan to cover my bills until the shutdown was over.

I know that when I worked for the Department of Justice in Macon, Georgia that the local federal credit union didn't understand that there were other federal employees which were not employed with Robins Air Force Base which was the largest federal employer in that area.  When I attempted to secure some financial aid during various shutdowns, they were hesitant to do so simply because I wasn't employed at the base.  

Government shutdown is complete chaos and honestly the general public doesn't care and has absolutely no compassion for federal workers who are going through this process.

The most annoying thing about a government shutdown is that the people causing the shutdown aren't working without their paychecks.  I can tell you from personal experience that most federal employees do not care about politics, they just want to work and do their jobs.  

Brother Joshua Was Wrong!

Once again, another rapture prediction has come and gone.

Social media was filled with stuff about the rapture over the past few days. This recent flurry started when a preacher in South Africa said that Jesus came to him in a dream and told him that the rapture was going to happen either September 23rd or 24th. Apparently, Jesus wasn’t sure about the exact date.

Maybe a good reason Jesus didn’t give him the exact date is because he doesn’t know the date at all.

The Bible hasn’t changed. It still tells us that.

Matthew Chapter 24:36-44

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Yet another religious nut embarrasses us yet again.

So, what’s up with this Brother Joshua?

South African Pastor Joshua Mhlakela publicly described a divine vision apparently given to him in which he heard Jesus speak directly stating his return to earth would take place on the 23rd and 24th of September. According to Mhlakela, it takes place over two days because the Feast of Trumpets itself takes place over two days.

"Pastor" Joshua Mhlakela does not belong to a specific religious denomination; he identifies as a simple person with no title and is known for his involvement in Christian prophetic ministry. So, this guy is not really a formal “pastor” and has no church organization which can hold him accountable. He is yet another self-called prophet who makes predictions to make people think that he has a special inside to God.

Many fell for this nonsense. I was not one of them. I have heard it all and seen it all during my lifetime. In the Old Testament, false prophets like him would have been stoned. What Joseph has done is further embarrass the true followers of Christ.

Do I believe there will be a rapture? Yes, I do but I do not know when and I wouldn’t even be silly enough to attempt to make a prediction. All I have ever known is that Jesus is coming “soon”. It has been stuck on soon for a long time. It just means we are closer now than we have ever been before.

What Exactly Is A "Christian"?

This is a topic that easily stirs up a debate today, isn't it?

There are so many versions of the definition of being a Christian.

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, someone who believes in his life, death, and resurrection, and who strives to embody his teachings and way of life. The term derives from the Greek Christianos, meaning "Christ-follower," and refers to the followers of the Christian faith, a monotheistic religion centered on the belief in one God and his son, Jesus Christ.

We don't see much of Christ in the American version of a Christian today, do we? Christians have become a political voice to enforce a conservative view. The Christian today is having a public relations problem, and I don't see it being fixed anytime soon.

I have seen and heard people have entire programs discussing why if you are a Democrat or Republican that you can't be a Christian.

Christianity is not a political party or platform.

Honestly, I don't even tell people I'm a "Christian" anymore because they immediately jump to the wrong conclusions which have been created by today's political activism. The good in what a Christian is supposed to represent has been highjacked and redefined into something totally different than being a follower of Christ.

The term "Christian" hasn't marketed very well in history. During the Crusades, Jews experienced severe persecution, including massacres, forced conversions, and the proliferation of antisemitic myths, which cemented a profoundly negative view of the Christian label and its followers in Jewish collective memory. These events marked a turning point in medieval Jewish-Christian relations, shifting them from precarious coexistence toward institutionalized violence and widespread resentment.

Even Jesus had to deal with an identity issue with His followers while He was here. Public opinion was that Jesus had come to establish an physical kingdom and overthrow Rome. Jesus asked His disciples to move beyond public opinion and know who He really was to them. Jesus asked them: "Whom do you say that I am?" and He repeated this question several times. Some thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the other prophets; however, when He pressed them on the issue, Peter said: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"

That is who Christ is, and He is who we should be following!

A Christian is not just a churchgoer, a moral person, a Bible-knowledge holder, or someone who merely professes Christ. True Christianity is a life transformed by grace, governed by truth, and lived in obedience to God through Jesus Christ. Anything less is counterfeit.