Carol Ann Torres

“In a fear-inspiring way   I am wonderfully made.”—PSALM 139:14.
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"Big Eyes" - (Margaret Keane)

"In faith all these . . . publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land."—Heb. 11:13
From earliest times, faithful servants of Jehovah stood out as different from those in the ungodly world in which they lived. Before the Flood, Enoch and Noah “walked with the true God.” (Gen. 5:22-24; 6:9) 
Both of them were courageous preachers of Jehovah’s judgments against Satan’s wicked world. (2 Pet. 2:5; Jude 14, 15) 
Because they walked with God in an ungodly world, Enoch “pleased God well” and Noah “proved himself faultless among his contemporaries.” (Heb. 11:5; Gen. 6:9) 
At God’s invitation, Abraham and Sarah gave up the comforts of city life in Ur of the Chaldeans and accepted the challenge of living as nomads in a foreign land. (Gen. 11:27, 28; 12:1) 
The apostle Paul wrote: “By faith [Abraham] resided as an alien in the land of the promise as in a foreign land, and dwelt in tents.”—Heb. 11:8, 9. NWT 
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Can You Find Peace in This Troubled World? Let People Be Who They Are They Are Lacking the Peace of God! - Satan is Trying to Deceive Us, Be on Guard! - Don't Waste Valuable Time! 
DO YOU live in peace? For many, the clear answer is no. They live in areas plagued by wars, political unrest, ethnic violence, or terrorism. Even if you are spared such calamities, you might find your peace disturbed by crime, harassment, and quarrels with business partners or neighbors. Families too are often like war zones rather than havens of peace.
Many people yearn for inner peace. They may search for it in religion, meditation seminars, or yoga groups. Others hope to find peace in nature—taking vacation trips, hiking in mountains and wilderness areas, or visiting natural spas. 
Even if the searchers seem to find some inner peace, they may soon come to realize that such peace is superficial and short-lived.
So where can you find real peace? The source of peace is our Creator, Jehovah God. Why? He is the “God who gives peace.” (Romans 15:33) 
Under the rule of his Kingdom that is soon to come, there will be an “abundance of peace.” (Psalm 72:7; Matthew 6:9, 10) 
This is far more than just a feeble peace settlement. Such accords often herald little more than a brief interruption in hostilities. But God’s peace will eliminate all causes of war and strife. In fact, no one will learn war anymore. (Psalm 46:8, 9) Real peace for all at last!
“The Peace of God”
In verse 7 we read: “The peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.” This peace does not come through mere meditation or character development. Rather, it comes from God. This peace is so powerful that it “excels all thought.” 
It surely surpasses all our anxieties, knowledge, and reasoning. We might see no way out of our problems, but God’s peace can fill us with the well-founded hope that one day all our troubles will be gone.
Impossible? With men yes; but “all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Faith and trust in God help us to control our worries. everything will be fine again. Like that child when lost is found, we can trust that God will take us in his arms, so to speak. He will soothe us and finally chase away all our anxieties.
Many worshippers of Jehovah have experienced the peace of God under the most severe trials. 
For example, consider Nadine, who lost her unborn baby. She relates: “I find it hard to talk about my feelings, and I always try to keep a stiff upper lip. But inside, I was brokenhearted. Almost every day, I poured out my heart to Jehovah in prayer and begged him for help. I have felt the power of prayer, for whenever I was at my worst and thought, ‘I can’t go on any longer,’ I experienced inner serenity and peace. I felt safe and secure.”
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12 "Jehovah’s angel appeared to him and said: “Jehovah is with you, you mighty warrior.”
(Judges 6:12) NWT
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11 Later Jehovah’s angel came and sat under the big tree that was in Ophʹrah, which belonged to Joʹash the Abi-ezʹrite. His son Gidʹe·on was beating out wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from Midʹi·an. 12 Jehovah’s angel appeared to him and said: “Jehovah is with you, you mighty warrior.” 13 At this Gidʹe·on said to him: “Pardon me, my lord, but if Jehovah is with us, why has all of this come upon us? Where are all his wonderful acts that our fathers related to us, saying, ‘Did Jehovah not bring us up out of Egypt?’ Now Jehovah has deserted us and given us into Midʹi·an’s hand.” 14 Jehovah faced him and said: “Go with the strength you have, and you will save Israel out of Midʹi·an’s hand. Is it not I who send you?” 15 Gidʹe·on answered him: “Pardon me, Jehovah. How can I save Israel? Look! My clan is the least in Ma·nasʹseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” 16 But Jehovah said to him: “Because I will be with you, you will strike down Midʹi·an as if they were one man.”
17 Then he said to him: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, show me a sign that you are the one speaking with me." 17 Then he said to him: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, show me a sign that you are the one speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I return with my gift and set it before you.” So he said: “I will stay here until you return.” 19 And Gidʹe·on went in and prepared a young goat and made unleavened bread from an eʹphah of flour. He put the meat in the basket and the broth in the cooking pot; then he brought them out to him and served them under the big tree.
20 The angel of the true God now said to him: “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and place them on the big rock there, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then Jehovah’s angel stretched out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread, and fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Jehovah’s angel then vanished from his sight. 22 Gidʹe·on now realized that it was Jehovah’s angel.
At once Gidʹe·on said: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, for I have seen Jehovah’s angel face-to-face!” 23 But Jehovah said to him: “Peace be with you. Have no fear; you will not die.” 24 So Gidʹe·on built an altar there to Jehovah, and it is called Je·hoʹvah-shaʹlom down to this day. It is still in Ophʹrah of the Abi-ezʹrites." (Judges 6:11-24) jw.org

What Your Peers Say—Belief in God
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Denmark Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Biblical King Hezekiah Official Seal Found in Ancient Trash Dump...
A 2,700-year-old royal seal bearing the mark of the biblical King Hezekiah has been unearthed in Jerusalem. The tiny oval piece of clay bears the impression of a sun with two wings turned downward, flanked by two ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that symbolize 'life'.

Don't get attached to anything that might temp you in looking back...
32 "Remember the wife of Lot."
(Luke 17:32)
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Nimrod was the founder and king of the first empire to come into existence after the Flood. He distinguished himself as a mighty hunter “before” (in an unfavorable sense; Heb., liph·nehʹ; “against” or “in opposition to”; compare Nu 16:2; 1Ch 14:8; 2Ch 14:10) or “in front of” Jehovah. (Ge 10:9, ftn)
Although in this case some scholars attach a favorable sense to the Hebrew preposition meaning “in front of,” the Jewish Targums, the writings of the historian Josephus, and also the context of Genesis chapter 10suggest that Nimrod was a mighty hunter in defiance of Jehovah.
The beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom included the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, all in the land of Shinar. (Ge 10:10) Therefore it was likely under his direction that the building of Babel and its tower began.
This conclusion is also in agreement with the traditional Jewish view. Wrote Josephus: “[Nimrod] little by little transformed the state of affairs into a tyranny, holding that the only way to detach men from the fear of God was by making them continuously dependent upon his own power.
He threatened to have his revenge on God if He wished to inundate the earth again; for he would build a tower higher than the water could reach and avenge the destruction of their forefathers. The people were eager to follow this advice of [Nimrod], deeming it slavery to submit to God; so they set out to build the tower . . . and it rose with a speed beyond all expectation.”—Jewish Antiquities, I, 114, 115 (iv, 2, 3).
It appears that after the building of the Tower of Babel, Nimrod extended his domain to the territory of Assyria and there built “Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah and Resen between Nineveh and Calah: this is the great city.” (Ge 10:11, 12; compare Mic 5:6.) Since Assyria evidently derived its name from Shem’s son Asshur, Nimrod, as a grandson of Ham, must have invaded Shemite territory. So it would seem that Nimrod made the start in becoming a mighty one or hero, not only as a hunter of animals but also as a warrior, a man of aggression. (Ge 10:8) 
8 "Cush became father to Nimʹrod. He was the first to become a mighty one on the earth. 9 "He became a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah. That is why there is a saying: “Just like Nimʹrod, a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah.” 
Observes the Cyclopædia by M’Clintock and Strong: “That the mighty hunting was not confined to the chase is apparent from its close connection with the building of eight cities. . . . What Nimrod did in the chase as a hunter was the earlier token of what he achieved as a conqueror. For hunting and heroism were of old specially and naturally associated . . . The Assyrian monuments also picture many feats in hunting, and the word is often employed to denote campaigning. . . . The chase and the battle, which in the same country were connected so closely in aftertimes, may therefore be virtually associated or identified here. The meaning then will be, that Nimrod was the first after the flood to found a kingdom, to unite the fragments of scattered patriarchal rule, and consolidate them under himself as sole head and master; and all this in defiance of Jehovah, for it was the violent intrusion of Hamitic power into a Shemitic territory.”—1894, Vol. VII, p. 109.
Religion. Babylon was a most religious place. Evidence from excavations and from ancient texts points to the existence of more than 50 temples. The principal god of the imperial city was Marduk, called Merodach in the Bible. It has been suggested that Nimrod was deified as Marduk, but the opinions of scholars as to identifications of gods with specific humans vary. Triads of deities were also prominent in the Babylonian religion.
One of these, made up of two gods and a goddess, was Sin (the moon-god), Shamash (the sun-god), and Ishtar; these were said to be the rulers of the zodiac. And still another triad was composed of the devils Labartu, Labasu, and Akhkhazu. Idolatry was everywhere in evidence. Babylon was indeed “a land of graven images,” filthy “dungy idols.”—Jer 50:1, 2, 38.
The Babylonians developed astrology in an effort to discover man’s future in the stars. (See ASTROLOGERS.) Magic, sorcery, and astrology played a prominent part in their religion. (Isa 47:12, 13;Da 2:27; 4:7) Many heavenly bodies, for example, planets, were named after Babylonian gods. Divination continued to be a basic component of Babylonian religion in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, who used it to reach decisions.—Eze 21:20-22.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003259

4 "He counts the number of the stars; He calls all of them by name."
 5 "Our Lord is great and is mighty in power; His understanding is beyond measure."
 6 "Jehovah raises up the meek."
       (Psalm 147:4-6) NWT
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3 Know that Jehovah    will treat his loyal one in a special   way;
Jehovah will hear when I call to him."
(Psalm 4:3) NWT
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145 I will exalt you, O my God the King,
I will praise your name forever and ever.
ב [Beth]
 2 All day long I will praise you;
I will praise your name forever and ever."
(Psalm 145:1,2)

Whenever  *PEACE  AND  SECURITY*....  1. Thess. 5 : 3, 6,

17 "And the spirit and the bride keep on saying, “Come!” and let anyone hearing say, “Come!” and let anyone thirsting come; let anyone who wishes take life’s water free."
(Revelation 22:17) NWT
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A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to the new world.

6 ...."For the one who doubts is  like a wave of the sea driven by  the wind and blown about."
(James 1:6) NWT  jw.org
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6 But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all...(James 1:6)
Exercise Faith—Decide Wisely!
What will help us to make wise decisions? We certainly need faith in God, not doubting his willingness and ability to help us to be wise. We also need faith in Jehovah’s Word and in his way of doing things, trusting God’s inspired counsel. (Read James 1:5-8.) 
As we draw close to him and grow in love for his Word, we come to trust his judgment. Accordingly, we develop the habit of consulting God’s Word before making decisions. But how can we improve our decision-making skills? And does being willing to decide mean sticking to our choices no matter what?
Jehovah does not coerce us into loving him and serving him. That is our choice. In line with the free will that he grants us, he respects our responsibility and right to ‘choose for ourselves’ whether we will serve him. (Josh. 24:15; Eccl. 5:4) 
But he expects us to follow through on other decisions that we make based on his guidance. With faith in Jehovah’s way of doing things and the principles that he has kindly provided, we can make wise decisions and prove ourselves steady in all our ways.—Jas. 1:5-8; 4:8.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2017323?q=james+1%3A6&p=par

"I came to be beside him as a master worker, and I came to be the one he was specially fond of day by day."— (Prov. 8:30)
NWT jw.org

The question is not what you look at, but what you see....
41 "Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye?"
(Luke 6:41)
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5 "Then Noah did everything that Jehovah had commanded him.
6 "Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth."
 7 "So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark ahead of the floodwaters."
(Genesis 7:5-7)
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Hand made JW Cake in Anguila
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Just think what we could do if we all shopped on smile.amazon.com and designated the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society as our charity.  I did this over a year ago and, well, my purchases sent $73.45 to the society.  But with others, we have contributed $21,439.23 to the society - that could build two kingdom halls in Africa!!
Spread the word to use this feature and switch to smile.amazon.com
 
 

A true follower of Jesus makes God's name, Jehovah, known         to others.

26 " I have made your name known to them and will make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them."
(John 17:26) NWT    jw.org

10 "God called the dry land Earth, but the collecting of the waters,    he called Seas. And God saw that it was good."
(Genesis 1:10)
 7 "I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, Jehovah, am doing all these things."
       (Isaiah 45:7) NWT 
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Congregation Chandler, Brisbane, Australia.
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Putin responded in the Wall Street journal to the sordid charges brought against Trump. “It is hard for me to imagine that he went off to meet with our ladies of diminished social responsibility” Mr. Putin said. Sounds like a bunch of churches, doesn’t it: ‘Our Ladies of Diminished Social Responsibility.’ Not too far afield from Garrison Keillor’s Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility in Lake Wobegone.
Russian prostitutes, Mr. Putin said “are undoubtedly the best in the world, but I doubt that Trump jumped at this bait,” since he has had regular opportunities to meet with gorgeous woman at the beauty pageants he organizes.
Well, oh yeah?! Oh yeah?! OH YEAH?! Your prostitutes are better?
Even me, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, politically neutral and thus divorced from nationalism – even me, who was for neither Trump nor Clinton – even me, who doesn’t even root for the home Olympic team – even me has to say ‘enough!’ ‘Our’ prostitutes will clean the clocks of your prostitutes any day!
Say that your tanks are better – okay. Say that your bombs are better – okay. But say that your prostitutes are better? Those are fighting words!!
This is not the Beatles ‘Back in the U.S.S.R. we’re talking about:
'Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out,
They leave the West behind.
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout.
And Georgia’s always on mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind!’
As interim chairman of the American Philanderers Association – a post for which I am singularly unqualified, but you know how some people just can’t say no – I throw down the gauntlet and mount a challenge: AN ORGY!! Our prostitutes against yours! We’ll see who the better ladies of diminished social responsibility are! We wrote the book on diminishing social responsibility!
…………………………………….
The new ebook ‘Tom Irregardless and Me’ recognizes when Mr. Putin has been astute, like in 2008 financial crisis:
“The failure of human rule could not have been shown in more stark relief as in that article, with consequences so directly traceable to the human wisdom running the show. Russian President Vladimir Putin was both blunt and harsh:
"Everything happening now in the economic and financial sphere began in the United States. This is not the irresponsibility of specific individuals but the irresponsibility of the system that claims leadership."
In 2016 America, all that remained was to Photoshop Putin with horns, gleefully pecking at his keyboard, doing his level best to hack the American election, but it was he who nailed it about unrestrained greed. The 2011 film ‘Inside Job’ expressed dismay that no “specific individuals” were brought to justice:
Charles Ferguson (film director): “Why do you think there isn’t a more systematic investigation being undertaken?”
Nouriel Roubini (professor, NYU Business School): “Because then you will find the culprits.”
Culprits and regulators alike belonged to the same social set and were members of the same country clubs; they had no desire to turn on one another.”
‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
Download ‘Tom Irregardless and Me’ 30% free preview. Afterwards we can talk, your people and mine. bit.ly/2hjSMHE