Update on Helene: Justice Needed

Heart Update #2: Praise Report

I saw my cardiologist this past week for a follow-up to my arterial surgery/procedure, three weeks ago.

They have determined that 

1.  the massive MI that I had in March should have killed me, but DIDN'T. 
2. I shouldn't have recovered so quickly, but DID. 
3. The angioplasty/stent insertion went exceptionally well, and 
4. my recovery has progressed quickly.

TL/DR: the heart attack should have damaged my heart but DIDN'T.  I'm "remarkably better" than expected. And my heart function is restored to essentially 100%.

God is good!

Some of You Already Know

 and some will learn of it here: I had a heart attack on March 29, and spent a couple of weeks in ICU and Cardiac Recovery.

I've lost 45+ pounds since then, and will have a few stents inserted this Friday, the 23rd. After that, I should be more-or-less back to normal ... for varying definitions of "normal", of course.

Your prayers for a quick recovery and divine guidance of the doctors' hands would be appreciated.

About the Time Between Posts ...

I'm recovering from a second round of COVID*, dang it. Might even be able to go to work tomorrow, if I keep getting a bit better every day.

Keep on doing whatever you do to stay healthy and safe. :)

* First round was Feb. 2020, before anyone knew what exactly it was.

The Anti-Christ Movement

Dutch Sheets asked his brother, Pastor Tim Sheets, to write this message.

THE ANTICHRIST AGENDA

In recent weeks, Holy Spirit has been speaking to me from the book of Jude. Jude has only one chapter; verse 3 tells us to earnestly contend for the Christian faith. “Earnestly contend” is the Greek word epagonizomai, meaning to zealously fight, struggle or wrestle; battle intensely; to take part in a contest or to compete.(1) In this context it means to fight for a principle, a declaration of facts, in order to maintain truth. Truth must be maintained or weeds - otherwise known as lies - grow. God is calling the ekklesia to battle for principle, to vocalize truth and fight for “God-facts.”

It is time for a blitz push of God’s ekklesia to confront, bind, beat down and dismantle a demonic religion that has taken root in our nation. It is influencing our entire culture, having also taken root in much of our government, and is seeking to destroy several of our nation’s foundations. This religion is humanism.

Humanism can also be called progressivism, liberalism, democratic socialism, or politically correct “wokeness.” These are subtle words that sound innocent, but they are actually terms that have replaced naziism, marxism, and communism. Humanism seeks to displace Jehovah God and His Word within a culture promoting an antiChrist agenda through a progressive government.

Humanism has doctrines it preaches and evangelism strategies it engages in. Sadly, “nominal” churches (churches “in name only”) are embracing this heretical gospel. Proverbs 21:16 tells us there are congregations of the dead; lifeless institutions that embrace and teach the antithesis of God’s Word. We must understand and confront this, extending a welcome to people that exodus from liberal, pretend churches. I believe this exodus is now beginning because of their hunger for truth and God’s presence. The real church must now rise up and speak the truth more loudly than what 1 Timothy 4:1 calls demonic doctrine. We must do so boldly, without compromising the Word of God for any law, leader or liberal idea.

Many colleges and universities have become humanistic temples indoctrinating our children. It’s no wonder many of them come out of college thinking like humanists and atheists. Professors are teaching demon-doctrines in many universities: socialism, communism, naziism, gender confusion, racial confusion, no rules, no work ethic and no Judeo-Christian values. Parents are now in a position of having to think about where it is safe to send their children for higher education because, clearly, some of our more recognizable schools are little more than humanist seminaries taught by humanist priests - called “tenured professors” - who are evangelizing our children.

The anti-Christian and anti-American garbage taught in some of our universities is polluting the minds of their student parishioners. This is compromising parental and church influence and is contributing to the destruction of this nation.

The ekklesia must expose this and contend against it aggressively. Our voice must be heard in as many ways as possible: locally, regionally, and nationally. And of course, we must vote based on biblical values. We must answer the war against Christianity and its values. We must also answer the persecution coming against principles we hold dear and push back against the violent rhetoric. We must push back against demonic “wokeness.”


If we do not do this, we will experience complete tyranny. Those who oppose us have already begun conditioning us to obey them. In order to see where we’re headed, look back at the years of 1938-1942. The wokeness is dangerous. We Christians are not domestic terrorists, haters, white supremacists, racists or homophobes, and we must refuse to be branded.

We are the Great Shepherd’s sheep, but we are also King Jesus’ lions! It is time to declare we are done with the dividing language. It is time for the pushback. We are not giving up on God’s plan for this nation.

The religion of humanism insists on the removal of Christianity from the public arena. This is a stated principle in the Humanist Manifesto(2) and has now become the more dominant worldview in our nation. It is why we are now down to only 4% of the young generation actually serving Jesus Christ(3) (Some stats say this is lower).

Here are some of the ideas and principles found in the Humanist Manifesto:

1. “We believe in the separation of church and state.”(4) That belief is now polluting our culture. Separation of church and state is an absolute myth and is not found in our Constitution. The 1st Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. This amendment is designed to keep government out of the church, not the church out of government. The myth is a fabricated lie designed to keep the church silent, when, in actuality, the ekklesia is commanded to forbid and permit (Matthew 16:18-19).

2. “Tolerance for alternative beliefs and alternative lifestyles.”(5)

3. “The extension of choice.”(6) This is a seemingly safe word, but is code for abortion.

Humanism’s mission statement is, “Humanism is a religious worldview based on atheism, naturalism, evolution, and ethical relativism. The religion of humanism regards the universe as self-existing and not created.”(7) In other words, there is no God. In the most recent version of their manifesto, they refer to their beliefs as “secular humanism.”(8) One of their goals became pushing godlessness in education.

Their philosophy: “Secular humanists are naturalists.”(9) The religion of humanism has also adopted ethical relativism. They do not believe an absolute moral code exists. Therefore, they say man must adjust his ethical standards in each situation according to his or her own judgment. This is known as “situational ethics.”

This antichrist humanist religion is on a campaign to rewrite American history and scrub God from that history. The purpose is to destroy Christianity’s influence. The new Welcome Center in Washington D.C., includes the humanist view that was promoted by some in Congress. The references to God and America’s founding have all been removed and America is presented as a secular nation, parroting former President Barack Obama who declared around the world that “America is not a Christian nation.”(10)

That statement is a diabolical lie. Humanism, through our education system, our courts and our government is seeking to rewrite American history. They’re seeking to remove God and our founding covenant with Him. They are also seeking to scrub and discredit our founding fathers who based America’s government on the scriptures. How? By calling them racist, bigots, and misogynists. We must decree the truth about America’s founding.

In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, founding father John Adams wrote, “Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God”(11)

“Jefferson once said: “God who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the Gift of God?”(12) Christianity was the foundation for America’s government and we must raise our voice and declare that truth.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said this, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”(13) The ekklesia must be a prophetic, bold voice to our nation.

Pray with me:

Father, we come against the demonic religion of humanism that has dared take root in our nation. We declare that the ekklesia will now rise and prophesy against it. We will uproot and overcome it because You’re giving us strength. We will not allow the lies and deception any longer. We ask You for transformative change to come into our education system. Give us leaders who will become a part of our educational system and work from within to change it. Give us leaders in government who will promote Godly change. Uproot those in the media who have a demonic, humanistic agenda. Uproot those in our government that dare promote the evangelistic efforts of humanism. We resist the spiritual forces behind it, declaring that Your power will assist the ekklesia to forbid, scatter, shatter, destroy and uproot. With Your authority and empowering we will engage and prophesy. Our voice will become louder than the humanist priests. We will raise our voices louder than the government. We believe You are baptizing Your church with power from on high to contend for the faith. We believe that all across this land a powerful demonstration of Your ekklesia will be seen. We ask for it in Jesus’ name, Amen!


Our decree:

America was founded on Yahweh’s Word and laws; one nation, undivided, under God and His truth. We call America back to Him!



Tim continues, “I asked my daughter, Rachel Shafer, to write a song of decrees and prayers for our nation. This song, “America’s Anthem,” is a prophetic declaration to bring us back into alignment with God’s designed destiny for our nation. I encourage you to listen and decree these words over America”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQW1rpl-1MM

Today’s post was contributed by my brother, Tim Sheets. You can learn more about Tim ,here.

1. Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ref. No. 1864.

2. Humanist Manifesto: ,https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/manifesto3/
3. Henderson, A Voice of Reformation (Midlothian, TX: Robert Henderson Ministries Publishing), p 299.
4. White, Awake America (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2008), p 68.
5. White, Awake America (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2008), p 67.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. https://secularhumanism.org/what-is-secular-humanism/
10. Call to Renewal Address, June 28, 2006 (Source - ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCZOyGIKp_E)
11. Founding Fathers’ Quotes: ,https://www.learnreligions.com/christian-quotes-of-the-founding-fathers-700789
12. Ibid.
13. Quote by Martin Luther King: ,https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6407-our-lives-begin-to-end-the-day-we-become-silent

Copyright © 2021 Dutch Sheets Ministries, All rights reserved.

It Only Took Eight Months

... but the handyman company will be here tomorrow, to begin repairing all the cracked/torn/split/broken drywall from the Nov. 30 earthquake. We've looked at all these cracks long enough, thankyouverymuch.

The engineering for our new septic system is done, and the permit issued. Just awaiting the septic installers to schedule a time for the replacement tank and new drainfield.

Of course, that will require them to take out several large trees (most of which are dead or dying, so sad but not tragic). Worse is that they must trench across our raised asphalt driveway and stone retaining wall. The repairs for that will probably have to wait until next spring.

But it's nice to finally be moving forward. We've been on hold for far too long.

Unexpected Free Afternoon

I believe I've mentioned before that my ahem retirement cough, cough covers the bills, but leaves little pocket money left over. To that end, I work part-time as a cashier at local grocery-slash-department store.

The point of this rambling narrative is that my old Navy injury, three crushed lumbar vertebrae resulting in permanent weakness and a galloping case of traumatic arthritis, decided that today was a great time to flare up. So after a few hours at the register, I decided to exercise a bit o' discretion and take the afternoon off.

I'm glad I did: it's a partly-sunny day, with broken overcast here and yonder. The temp's 49°, roughly normal for this time of year, and it's a beautiful day to sit in a chair with appropriate back support and read a book or two.

This evening another contractor will come by to provide a quote on drywall repair from the earthquake damage. The wheels of "disaster recovery" turn slowly, and we've just now finally been approved for our recovery loan. Strangely enough, it comes through the Small Business Administration, only after FEMA approves the original application for disaster assistance.

It's probably a good thing that the President declared the 7.1 magnitude 'quake a federal disaster, or we'd be stuck with whatever pocket change the State might have had available. Given the state of the State economy, I'm not sure we'd have gotten enough to fix anything.

Yes, Alaska by rights ought to be a wealthy place, given the abundance of oil. But successive Legislatures have spent like the proverbial drunken sailors, spreading the wealth far faster than it came in. When one combines that with our lack of a State income tax, and no sales tax, we're "suddenly" hurting.

The "suddenly" came as a surprise only to our Legislators; everyone has seen it coming down the middle of Main Street for years.

So I'll enjoy the quiet, the glimpses of sun, and the books. All y'all have a great day, too.

Earthquake Day +9

At Day 6, the highway and the other major routes were repaired.

On Day 8, Vine Road in Wasilla was reopened. The Briggs Bridge in Eagle River, which was closed due to foundation issues from the quake, reopened as well.

In our house, we've cleaned up the damage from the big shaker, but continue to find glass shards in the floor, in drawers and cabinets and ...

I continue to find more cracked drywall; some of the cracks are significant. But there's no structural damage at all, which is frankly astounding.

All around us are homes with cracked foundations, collapsed ceilings, and a large number of businesses in the downtown area are closed indefinitely. Some may never reopen.

People are still stressed and anxious. But signs of mental and emotional recovery are everywhere: strangers meet and talk about their experiences. People are friendlier and more open.

We will recover. But it's going to take awhile.

Earthquake Day +5

Post-Earthquake Updates

Owners of Collapsed Home Hoped to Return

Army of Engineers and Contractors Working to Check Homes

Photos from Day 2: Aftermath

Guest Post: A Time to Heal

I borrowed this from my cousin Lana, with her permission.

It’s funny how I can mark important times in my life with the planting of annual flowers. I’ve always enjoyed the coming of spring after a long winter and the planting of my annual flowers was done as soon as the threat of frost passed and signified the promise of longer and warmer days and sunshine. Nothing makes my heart happier than enjoying pretty flowers with the bees and butterflies. The year that I lost Bill, and lost myself, my mom came over to facilitate the planting of the annual flowers. I didn’t want to plant flowers. I didn’t want to eat, or go to work, or take a shower, or breathe, or look toward tomorrow. Mom knew. And so we planted annual flowers and we reminisced and even laughed and then we ate. Then I slept, I breathed, and went to work. I allowed myself to enjoy the flowers and the bees and butterflies.

Then I lost my mom. Again, I found myself in a sad and lonely place, not feeling whole. Then my sister Lorri facilitated the planting of the annual flowers. We reminisced, we laughed, we ate. We watched the bees and butterflies enjoying the flowers and allowed ourselves to enjoy the flowers, too. We slept, we breathed, we went to work, we continued living.

Since then, I’ve planted annual flowers every year. Sometimes alone, and sometimes I’ve had the honor to plant flowers with special people. Lorri comes when she can and one year Reannon was with me. One year Shannon and Lillilakota were with me. Some years Angie and I share seeds and bulbs and dreams of our gardens. This year, today, holds another precious memory for me. Today, my Grandma Clow was laid to rest. She was the mother of my step-mom, Joni, and the grandmother of my step-sister Melanie and step-brother Mike. Grandma Clow was not a “step” to me. She loved me as her own, I loved her as my own, and she was a wonderful role model and important part of my upbringing. Joni, Melanie, and Mike have never been “steps”. They are family and, although we don’t see each other regularly, we picked up right where we left off. I love them with all of my heart. Seeing these beautiful people today brought to surface so many memories. Of our youth, before we lost so many treasured people. But it's also a happy time because we’ve gained spouses, kids, and grandkids. The meaning of bittersweet.

So today, after the funeral, I planted annual flowers. I wasn’t alone. Grandma Clow, Joni, Melanie, and Mike were with me in my heart, along with all those who made me plant flowers in the past and gave me the gift of healing.

How Do You Free a Plane That's Stuck, 40 Feet Up?

Like this:

House Conservatives Offer Stimulus Package

For what it's worth, some of the elected officials in D.C. are trying to do the right thing, that is, what's right for the country and not just for themselves.

Read about the Republican Study Committee's "Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Relief Act" here, and see what you think.

Maybe it's too little, too late. Maybe it doesn't have the proverbial snowball's chance. But maybe ... just maybe ... if the House members get enough letters, e-mails, and phone calls ...

Who knows? All I know is that it won't happen without citizen involvement.

Great News

My mother, who suffered a series of minor to middlin' strokes around her birthday on the 4th, will be released on the 24th. She will be home for Christmas, which is a GOOD thing!

We praise God for her rapid recovery. There will be another two weeks of therapy, but she can do that in her hometown, rather than in a hospital 60 miles away.

This is the best Christmas present of all.