Jodee Whitworth > Recent Status Updates

“… I can’t because she is not human. Of all the lessons I’ve learned in my months with Mabel, this is the greatest of all. There is a world of things out there, rocks and trees and stones and grass and all the things that crawl and run and fly. They are all things in themselves. But we make them sensible to us, by giving them meaning that sure up our views of the world.”

“… I begin to wonder if home can be anywhere, just like the wild can be in the suburban backlots.”

“…loss of control. You pour your heart, skill, very soul into a thing…hawk…then relinquish control over it. That is the hook. Once the dice rolls…you open yourself to luck. You cannot control the outcome yet…you might be lucky. The cards might fall perfectly…that little space…is a strange place to be. You feel safe because you’re entirely at the world‘s mercy. That is why we are…powerless…”

Chapter 13: Guard Your Heart- Better listening to the heart, you must inform it. This goes with desensitization, the enemy wants our thoughts & heart. What goes in the brain is what we become. Who & What am I listening to? What am I saying? (Self fulfilling prophecy. Venting is not an excuse.) Where do I look for guidance? Our hearts are like smart phones listening & the algorithm! Have a plan! Stay alert!

Chapter 12: Resist Temptation- Follow Jesus example - USE SCRIPTURE!! Train like resistance training with weights, just keep adding more. The more e train, the stronger we become.

Chapter 11: Different Types of Prayers- People communicate different now days. We can’t focus! Bible has 650 prayers, 25 from Jesus. Don’t just call for room service. lol. Arrow prayer he calls walkie talkie prayers. Pray BIG prayers like “save the whole world”. All Him how to partner with Him. Pray for protection from the enemy. Pray to focus on His glory. Yada chair time! Be still & know that He is God!

Chapter 10: The Armor of God. Ephesians 1-3 is all about Jesus. 4-5 repeat the word “walk”. 6 is at STAND. Charlie Kirk’s shooter is not the enemy. Satan is. He keeps trying to discourage all of us. I ONLY HAVE ONE ENEMY! He is after my mind! (Page 137 lists authors on the subject.) ME: Think about running a marathon and hitting The Wall. It’s hard to continue. Read & study God’s Word!

Fight Back, but can’t do it alone. We’re at war with the Prince of Darkness, the one responsible for rape, murder, genocide, all evil! That’s scary. But “God is bigger than the boogie man”! “I’m in the Lord’s Army, YES SIR!”

Chapter 9: Deconstructs- Good doesn’t mind our questions. But Satan wants us to focus on them so hard we walk away without faith. Satan wants us confused. He doesn’t want us to find answers. Christianity started with the Jews deconstructing and rebuilding. Some walk away after no rebuilding after suffering (Peoria Blue Eyes & Chelsea trailer). God never WANTS suffering. But He uses suffering. Faith-persevering.

Chapter 8: Desensitizes- Satan normalizes sin and becomes habit. Slow numbing. What do I surround myself with? Example of single lady with a bunch of loser boyfriends. Whatever we feed, we grow. The book of Ecclesiastes. (And then people call you legalistic.)

Chapter 7: Disunifies- Look at what Covid did! Currently, look at what Charlie Kirk’s murder is doing. Jesus faced this. What did He do? He prayed more! Churches always fight over the stupidest stuff! Satan doesn’t want us to appreciate differences. Paul wrote he didn’t want division, but left some topics not up for debate.

Chapter 6: Deceptive- He’s the father of lies AND knows which to use against me. He can’t read my mind but he studies me enough to know me. A big modern lie: “It’s MY truth.”

Chapter 5: Distraction- OUR PHONES! I pick it up and forget why! Notifications, which I’ve turned off most. Religious activities, like too many Lufe Groups and their notifications. B. U. S. Y. Being Under Satan’s Yoke. We are like sheep. They get distracted easily. Go to “Walden’s Pond”, but don’t stay there constantly. Still need to follow the Great Commission.

Chapter 4: Destroys- We crave certainty. Look at Job’s story. Satan tried with an earthquake in Haiti. More people went to church. God can bring good out of any destruction. Not in book but look at the murder of Charlie Kirk!

Six ways the enemy attacks: 1. Destruction 2. Distraction 3. Deception 4. Disunity 5. Desensitization 6. Deconstruction

But lately, she’s been thinking about smiling depression - show none of the typical characteristics of depression. They have an extraordinary ability to conceal and mask the true feelings. Even the people closest to them have no idea they seem content very successful people. How are you? Good, ecstatic, he says blindly. He seems fine.

I lost all three of them on the same day. Does that make me psychic like Mom or just human? We all imagine terrible things, preparing ourselves or protecting our selves. If I imagine it, it surely won’t happen but that’s the thing about life: dreams and your worst nightmares can come true.

He said I mustn’t think about it. I had not inherited my mother’s gif, if she even had a gift. Everyone imagined terrible things but that didn’t mean they were going to happen.

Joke: how can you tell if an actuary is an extrovert? He looks at YOUR shoes when he talks to you! That one is a little offensive as it makes fun of our social skills. It’s true we tend to be analytical introverted people, and some of us are Buffins who disappear into a back room and emerge 40 years later for our retirement party. That is no reason to call us strange or weird. Everyone is different.

You baby already has a natural ability to swim. Up until six months the mammalian dive reflex keeps water from getting into a babies lungs.

Chapter 3: demons are mentioned less than 12 times in the O. T. and over 80 times in the N. T.
Demons have an interest in every decision I make. They are not omnipotent but they study me. Since demons are fallen angels, I may have entertained them unaware.
Everyone is influenced by a spirit, either a demon or the Holy Spirit.
Read Luke 8, the part BEFORE Jesus sent Legion into the pigs.
DO NOT BE AFRAID

Chapter 2: Some don’t believe in an enemy. Some focus too much on the enemy. Most FORGET about or discredit the enemy
Satan was probably a worship leader.
Good only exists because evil does like hot and cold only exist because of the other.
Satan doesn’t care what we worship as long as it’s not God.
Every day we have to answer “Choose the day who you will serve.” like Joshua.

Prologue: true. The Covid pandemic seemed to become more about division and discord than the disease itself.

I totally agree that the church has developed a spiritual gap in teaching about spiritual warfare. In my lifetime the church has gone from teaching fire and brimstone to love and acceptance. Each phase seems to ignore the other.

Hell: The ultimate & constant FOMO!

Girl, stop it. You’re engaged!

“Your heart needs glasses.” “I made a mistake. I didn’t look past the surface. Nevermore was so beautiful & exciting and said all the things I wanted to hear. I wanted to escape.” “I wanted to go home but I didn’t know where to go. Where is my home?” “It’s here (heart) It’s all the people, places and things you love. You carry it wherever you go.”

“I like books better than mirrors.” “They tell me you’re in there all day. Don’t you think you need a bit of balance? An escape can become escapism before we even know it. Books are wonderful things but you can’t live in someone else’s story. You have to live your own story.”

Chap. 26 49% “What the matter, child?” “I wish I didn’t have to leave Nevermore.” “Life can be so difficult and stories can help us escape those difficulties. It’s alright to lose yourself in ones self one, Belle.” Chap. 36 66% “But friends talk … They share confidences. They trust each other with difficult things, especially difficult things. It’s times like that we need our friends most.”

“He’s too unpredictable. He’s too wild. He’ll hurt you. Let’s shoot him and be done.”-many people. “Love is not for cowards.”-Belle

“… of course, it’s that what a good story does? It pulls you in and never let’s you go. … What is this place? … an escape, where you can leave all cares and worries behind … at least for a chapter or 2.”

“I did not take you as the type of woman who would punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty.”