October 4, 2024 Dreams InterruptedBRENDA BRADFORD OTTINGER Lee en español "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me." Psalm 23:4 (NLT) Envisioning the story of tomorrow, I saw scene upon scene where the little one inside me would someday grow, laugh and live. Yet dreams that once danced deep in the hollows of my heart now rest in a slip of bygone time. One moment I was pregnant with life - the next, a heartbeat was lost to eternity. Whether miscarriage or other aching loss, perhaps you, too, know this empty echo in your spirit as you grieve beautiful dreams that have been interrupted. I'm so sorry for your loss, dear friend. It can be so hard to wrap our tender hearts around the loss of a future we expected. One of my favorite biblical writers, King David, knew a lot about loss, from mourning death (2 Samuel 12; 2 Samuel 18:33) to mourning hardships of life (Psalm 22). I love this comforting scene David penned in Psalm 23, describing God's presence with him on the darkest of days: "The LORD is my shepherd ... Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me" (Psalm 23:1-4, NLT). Before David was king, he was a shepherd, so he knew about leading sheep along difficult paths while protecting and providing for them - staying ever close through it all. Throughout the ups and downs of David's days, he recognized that his God, the Shepherd of his life, was his ever-present source of comfort and support. David also wrote these comforting words about God in Psalm 139:7-10: "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me" (NLT). Oh, the relief of recognizing, as David did, that even when loss leaves us feeling empty and alone, never once will the Lord leave our side. The great Shepherd of our souls is as close as our very breath, tenderly walking with us through every dark valley of life. Dear sister, it's OK to feel what you feel; God isn't judging you for being human and heartbroken. The Lord understands your disappointment and confusion, and He doesn't need you to filter your pain. Your God is right here, right now, loving you where you are. In times like these when there are no answers to the "whys" as your heart cries, friend, may you rest in the tender love of God, who is forever with you. Curl up in His palm, and be held in the comfort of His care. Dear Lord, thank You for walking with me all my days. Please help me feel Your loving presence as I grieve the loss of a future I expected. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS When world events feel scary and spike your anxiety ... When you don't know who or what to believe ... In just one moment, God's Word can cut through all the noise you're bombarded with. That's why we've put together our new study guide 1 & 2 Timothy: The Clarity You Need When Life Feels Chaotic, Confusing and out of Control. This five-week study begins on October 28. So get your copy, and join us! ENGAGE For more encouragement, connect with Brenda on her website or on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Psalm 34:18, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (NIV). Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (NIV). Have you ever opened a notebook or journaling app and simply poured out your heart to God? It doesn't need to look pretty; simply come as you are, and rest in the tender care of the Shepherd of your soul. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. If you know someone who has experienced miscarriage or lost an infant, consider reaching out to them today with an encouraging word or Scripture verse. Let them know you’re praying for them. We'd love for you to share your heart in the comments. © 2024 by Brenda Bradford Ottinger. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Dreams Interrupted –  Encouragement for Today – October 4, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Elon Musk said he “will be there to support” President Trump’s rally when he returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the first (known) assassination attempt on Trump. Trump posted a picture from July’s rally, saying “I’m coming back to Butler!” “BUTLER ON SATURDAY—HISTORIC!” Trump said. I will be there to support! https://t.co/nokR0g3dn1 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024 CBS News reports: Preparations are ongoing for former President Donald Trump’s rally this weekend at the Butler Farm Show grounds. On Saturday in Butler Township, Trump will return to the scene of an attempted assassination in July. Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will be at the rally. The Trump campaign asked her and another commissioner to talk about the resiliency of the community and first responders. “Mr. Trump comes here because we represent the best of what is a strong middle-class community, and you can’t go five feet without running into somebody who is a volunteer in some capacity or gives back,” Osche said. Just in: Elon Musk will attend President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania this Saturday. This is the same site of the failed assassination attempt against Trump. pic.twitter.com/sReHhUI9Q6 — The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) October 4, 2024 #BREAKING: Elon Musk says he will be attending this Saturday’s rally in Butler, PA with President Trump HISTORY is being made! pic.twitter.com/xdRMdUsLYj — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 4, 2024 #BREAKING: Elon Musk has just confirmed that he will attending Donald Trump’s upcoming rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, this Saturday pic.twitter.com/bRbwUZnCE0 — R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) October 4, 2024 BREAKING: Elon Musk will attend Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania this Saturday. pic.twitter.com/tlX9Oulc1a — DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) October 4, 2024 THIS IS HUGE! ELON MUSK JUST ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE ATTENDING TRUMP'S RETURN TO BUTLER, PA! "I will be there to support," Musk posted of the Saturday rally. God bless Rightful President Trump and Elon Musk! Kamala DEFINITELY wouldn't want you to share this! pic.twitter.com/SZyETDcEu7 — Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) October 4, 2024 From The Post Millennial: On July 13th, The 45th president narrowly escaped a fatal shot, taking a bullet to the ear instead during a Butler rally. It happened just as he turned for a moment to glance at a screen displaying data on illegal immigration. One man lost his life protecting his family from the gunfire, while two others were injured and taken to the hospital. “President Trump’s return to Butler will mark his first visit to the site of the attack since he was struck by an assassin’s bullet on July 13th—but was saved in what the world has recognized as an act of divine providence,” the campaign said in a previous press release. “President Trump’s return to Butler will stand as a tribute to the American spirit. In America, we do not let monsters like that evil assassin have the last word. Every time our nation is struck by attack or hardship, we rally, we persevere, and we prevail. When terrorists knocked down our towering skyscrapers, we rebuilt taller. When our communities are ravaged by fire, storm, or natural disaster, we pull together and come back stronger. And when a shooter attacked our democracy and tried to end this movement, President Trump will return to the site, joined by tens of thousands of proud citizens, and together, they will celebrate a unifying vision for America’s future in an event like the world has never seen before. “After not one, but two attempts on his life in the past nine weeks, President Trump is more determined than ever to see his mission through to the end. In that Butler field on July 13th, he took a bullet for democracy—and on November 5th, he is going to save our democracy. With the help of the amazing people of Pennsylvania and citizens all across our land, we will make America safer, stronger, freer, and greater than ever before.” Musk endorsed Trump following the assassination attempt in Butler. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk previously said. ELON MUSK: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery” In an interview with Lex Fridman, Musk explained why he endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election. [WATCH] Elon Musk Explains Why He Endorsed Donald Trump For President “What’s your philosophy behind that endorsement? What do you hope Donald Trump does for the future of this country and for the future of humanity?” Fridman asked. “I thought Trump displayed courage under fire, objectively. He just got shot. He’s got blood streaming down his face, and he’s fist pumping, saying ‘fight.’ That’s impressive. You can’t feign bravery in a situation like that,” Musk said. “I think you want someone who is strong and courageous to represent the country,” he continued. “But on balance, and certainly at the time, it was a choice of Biden. Poor guy has trouble climbing a flight of stairs, and the other one is fist pumping after getting shot. This is no comparison. I mean who do you want dealing with some of the toughest people and other world leaders who are pretty tough themselves?” Musk explained. “I think we want a secure border. We don’t have a secure border,” he noted. “We want safe and clean cities,” he added. “I think we want to reduce the amount of spending we’re, at least, slow down the spending because we’re currently spending at a rate that is bankrupting the country,” he continued. “I think we’ve got to reduce the size of government, we’ve got to reduce the spending, and we’ve got to live within our means,” he said. WATCH: Elon Musk Reveals 7 Reasons Why He’s Voting for Donald Trump 1. @ElonMusk was astounded when Trump fist-pumped and shouted, “Fight!” shortly after getting shot in the face. “You can't feign bravery in a situation like that,” he said. 2. Musk seeks a leader “who is… pic.twitter.com/x63hBAmJx7 — The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) August 3, 2024

The Hu's North American tour with Iron Maiden kicks off today and finishes in November

You have the chance to be great at faith, trusting in what you can’t see and in Whom you believe. So keep taking steps forward, allowing God’s glory to come behind your messes to orchestrate miracles.

I see you, Cincy

You know we love a good “conspiracy theory” around here…. Why? Because in my experience almost every single one I’ve ever looked into has ended up being true! For example, the alleged Moon Landings that we allegedly pulled off on the very first try in 1969 with a mere fraction of the computing power we have today, and yet we’ve just decided to never go back since 1972.  Weird! Of course one of the biggest and first red-pills for most people is 9/11. And so many more! But one that I have steered away from covering (until now) is the “conspiracy theory” saying pandas aren’t real. In case you haven’t heard that one before, yes it is a “real” conspiracy theory in the sense that a lot of people believe it is true that they’re not real. As with every single other conspiracy theory, it sounds stupid and insane….until you start looking into it.  And then the more you dig, the more you start to say “wait a minute, maybe this isn’t as crazy as it sounds!” And that’s what happened to me with this one….and might happen to you too by the end of this article! First, let me tell you why I’m even covering this at all right now…it’s because a Chinese Zoo was just forced to admit that their pandas were actually “painted dogs” after one started barking. True story, you can’t make this stuff up! Take a look: CHINESE ZOO ADMITS PANDAS WERE ACTUALLY “PAINTED DOGS” Shanwei Zoo admitted to the deception after the animals began panting and barking, revealing their true identity.pic.twitter.com/VmXFFToMYV — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 21, 2024 A Chinese Zoo was caught painting dogs and passing them off as pandas. What If I told you pandas aren’t real? They were first discovered in the 1920/30s Why hasn’t anyone seen a panda in the wild for thousands of years beforehand? That’s because they are manmade. pic.twitter.com/e3i5pajhf8 — The Maverick Approach (@Maveapproach) September 19, 2024 More here from Collin Rugg: NEW: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. The zoo initially tried claiming that the dogs were a unique breed of pandas called… pic.twitter.com/MMoQLD7zuR — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 19, 2024 NEW: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. The zoo initially tried claiming that the dogs were a unique breed of pandas called “panda dogs.” It was later discovered that the “pandas” were Chow Chows who were dyed with white and black paint. As you can see, Twitter has attached a “Community Note” to that Tweet making the following “Fact Check”: Hmmmm, ok. But it does beg the question why a Zoo in China would need to fake this in the first place? There are reportedly over 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China, couldn’t the Zoo just grab a few? But I’m only just scratching the surface, now let’s dig in to see why some people are not convinced pandas are real at all…. I’m not saying that’s what I think, I’m just saying I’m going to show you the best evidence out there to support the claim that SOME people think pandas aren’t real. Let’s start here, with the fact that the “painted dogs” is not the first time this has happened. It also happened recently back in May: Zoogoers outraged to discover ‘panda’ exhibit was actually dogs dyed black and white https://t.co/3eD75K3JWo pic.twitter.com/0HWKMOZwx2 — New York Post (@nypost) May 6, 2024 From the NY Post back in May 2024: A zoo in China sparked all out panda-monium after they dressed dogs as pandas because they didn’t have the genuine artifact, as seen in viral photos. The fake pandas, unveiled May 1 at the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province, were actually Chow Chow dogs — a big-haired breed from Northern China, Jam Press reported. Zoo officials reportedly trimmed their mane and dyed their faces black to look like China’s iconic bamboo-eating bear. They then put the so-called “panda dogs” on display in an enclosure every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., attracting throngs of people despite the obvious bamboo-zlement, per the sanctuary’s staffers. When asked why they had the canines engage in panda cosplay, a rep explained, “There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result.” Many visitors accused the sanctuary of animal cruelty; however, zoo officials insist that the dogfishing scheme isn’t harmful to the animals. “People also dye their hair,” rationalized the spokesperson. “Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur.” Many social media users were on board with these canines in panda’s clothing with one fan writing, “They are very small to run that fast! I think they’re lovely.” “I think they’re cute,” said another. A third quipped, “Well that’s an extreme way to get your dogs cared for while you’re at work lol.” [sic] Giving dogs panda makeovers is nothing new. A decade ago, pups dressed as the bamboo-eating bears became such a haute item that pet stores couldn’t meet the demand. Ok, so at this point we know that at least two times in the last 6 months, Chinese Zoos (which should have access to plenty of panda bears) have been caught creating fake panda dogs….is that all you got Noah? Hardly. Let’s go deep into why so many people are convinced Pandas aren’t real: Pandas aren’t real.https://t.co/SFf0KZkurZ — Science 2.0 (@science2_0) September 19, 2024 Perhaps the man best associated with the “pandas aren’t real” conspiracy theory is my friend, comedian Owen Benjamin. Owen has been driving this train for a long time now, so I have to go to him first. Here is a short clip where Owen says the whole thing is just one big joke right out in the open, right in your face…. Hard to argue with him on this point, watch this: Pandas are a joke. It’s right in your face. I don’t understand how anyone could not see it. pic.twitter.com/BkP1toYzXu — Owen Benjamin (@OwenBenjamin) April 17, 2024 Ok, so if you can’t see that clip for some reason, he shows how “scientists” claim pandas have excellent camouflage for their environments, but then when you actually look it’s the worst possible camouflage ever…. It’s a big fat joke right in your face! You mean that giant white and black animal is “camouflaged” amongst the brown tree and green grass? LOL…gee, I can barely see it!  I wish someone would circle it with a big red circle so I can find the camouflaged panda: Ok, ok….that all you got Noah? No, I was just slowly getting warmed up. Now let me really hit you with the stuff that started to blow my mind. Watch this second clip with Owen Benjamin just laying it all out in rapid fire. Watch first and then I’ll break down (and confirm) each one: Pandas being fake is one of my theories that sounds the most crazy even u first hear it, but when you look into it there’s literally no chance that they’re actual animals pic.twitter.com/TLenPSFpZj — Owen Benjamin (@OwenBenjamin) August 1, 2023 Backup here if needed: Wait…so pandas aren’t actually real? pic.twitter.com/hMJ14mLtSM — DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) September 21, 2024 Ok, so now let me take them one at a time and start to blow your mind a bit…. Because I assumed I would just Fact-Check this and it would easily be proven wrong. Spoiler alert: I’ve confirmed almost everything he said. Let’s start with this: They were not “discovered” until the late 1800s This one kind of blew my mind.  Surely they’ve been around in China for centuries right? Well, actually this one is Fact-Checked TRUE. Here’s Grok: So they allegedly are native to China and have been around for centuries and yet it took a French man to “discover” them in 1869? What? They’re not in Chinese art Ok, this is another one that seems pretty damning for the concept of pandas being real. The Chinese history and culture is EXTENSIVE…. They made art for centuries, and often used nature as inspiration. Surely there are hundreds of examples of pandas in historic Chinese art at any point prior to 1869, right? No. Dozens? No. One? No. They’re not in Chinese literature If they’re not in any art, surely they’re in the books, right? ChatGPT tries to claim that reference to an animal named “mo” could be a panda, but then admits it’s actually the tapir: In fact, the more I “chatted” ChatGPT it became clear that there was no clear reference to a panda in any Chinese literature, so I asked it point blank and it confirmed there are none: The are claimed to live in the wild alongside tigers and bears, and yet they have no ability to defend themselves, can’t navigate small hills, they’re constantly falling over, and they somehow survived all these years out in the wild?  This is just common sense, no ability for me to “Fact Check” this one. But I have to say, watching them constantly fall down and have no known self-defense mechanisms, it does appear to strain credulity to assume these things survived for centuries in the wild. A group of pandas is called an “embarrassment” Fact-Checked true, look it up for yourself. Again, the joke is hidden in plain sight, right in front of your face! More here: One of my more obscure “conspiracy theories” is that Pandas aren’t real. The never made sense to me. When I think things are fake, they usually are. pic.twitter.com/WgYaVL4ltr — Luke (@luke_brocks) April 15, 2024 Ok folks, as usual I’m not going to try and convince you! Heck…I’m not even entirely sure what I believe about them at this point. It appears as though perhaps the most likely outcome is they were “engineered” (via breeding) by the Chinese in the late 1800s? Or they’re just entirely fake altogether, I don’t know. My head is spinning right now, but I’d love to hear what you think! Can you disprove any of the Facts I listed above? If those Facts are indeed true, then…..are pandas real? Drop a comment below, I have no doubt this is going to be a LIVELY comments section!