Fun in the Northwoods

June 9, 2026 7:30 pm

June 9, 2026, the 160th day of 2026 Defending Friends We do not have to agree with everything our friends do, but if someone comes to us, complaining about them, we should be able to defend them.... View MoreJune 9, 2026, the 160th day of 2026 Defending Friends We do not have to agree with everything our friends do, but if someone comes to us, complaining about them, we should be able to defend them. Even if the defense is, "it is their choice to make, not mine." Why are we caught off guard. If you have no other answer, "so what?" works. I respect the right of my friends to be themselves. And really, they are my friends because I like them. That is enough for me. Why I like them and you do not, really doesn't matter to me. It doesn't require me to explain it to you. If you have an issue with them, go to them. In standing up for a friend I do not need to be their advocate and explain why I think they do what they do. It is their prerogative. We will all answer to God in the end. I am okay with that. Once I choose a friend, they are my friend. There has to be something about them that I mesh with, and that doesn't happen very often. So, if they are my friend, there is a reason. But I do not need to explain that reason to defend their right to answer for their own conduct. It is not my place to do so. Neither is it anyone's place to answer for my conduct. Come talk to me about it, not my friends. For whatevet reason, I really like my friends, and it may be as simple as I really like their quirkiness. Defending a friend just means standing up for their right to be human, no excuses or explanations needed. But so many people find pleasure in tearing others down and getting their friends to throw some dirt on them as well. No thanks. I pity you. If you try that on me, you will get an earful that you will not enjoy hearing, and it will not be about a friend or family member of mine that you are trying to besmirch. I take friendship seriously. I cannot even fathom why anyone would think that cutting down a friend or family member would raise my opinion of the one doing such a thing. The world may be crazy and filled with people hating and bad mouthing one another, but that is not how any of us should be. It is vile. It is repugnant. Guard your friendships fron those who would destroy them. Have no part in wicked practices! Stay strong! Be the friend that you would want to have. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

June 7, 2026 5:25 pm

June 7, 2026, the 158th day of 2026 Marked Changes This day has marked many changes throughout history and our lives. I wonder if there is just something attached to certain days that pull in chang... View MoreJune 7, 2026, the 158th day of 2026 Marked Changes This day has marked many changes throughout history and our lives. I wonder if there is just something attached to certain days that pull in change. In our family we have had amazing miracles on this day, throughout the years, and we have had great losses. In Israel this day marks many changes and turning points. I am only listing the two most obvious. In 1099 the Crusaders entered Jerusalem, something monumental on the Biblical timeline. It was opening a door that seemed permanently closed. In 1967 Israel, not yet 2 decades of officially gaining back their homeland, was in the midst of the 6 Day War. Little did they know they would be victorious in 6 days. Who could have seen that coming? Well, God could, but I would not think that anyone else did. Is it a coincidence that the rest of Jerusalem came into the Israeli hands on this day in 1967? Was the war that the enemy thought would wipe out Israel, really a way for Israel to regain the rest of Jerusalem that should have been granted to them? God works in mysterious ways. Even as the enemy schemes destruction, God establishes His own plans, thwarting theirs. As far as June 7th goes: Was it a coincidence that Israel possessed Jerusalem once again, on the same day that the Crusaders firat entered it 868 years earlier? I don't believe in coincidences. If there is enough of a reason to call something a coincidence, there is ample reason to say it was not. It makes me realize that God will never be thwarted, even b6 evil schemers. As Joseph said to brothers who had sold him into slavery, standing before them in the position of power in Pharoah's courts: "Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." Genesis 50:19-21 No matter what happens to God's chilsren, He always is working towards our good, even when it does not look like it to us. The reason that days that we would rejoice over would also hold sorrow, is because Satan would turn any rejoicing into mourning and any joy into sadness. We must remember that we are in a constant state of spiritual warfare. We are not always the ones on the front line, but the problem is that we really never know when we are. We need to always be ready for the battle, but also trust in God to guide us through each day. Even though Jesus warns us of the battles to come our way, He also tells us not to worry. He is never unprepared, even if we are! Stay strong! Jesus already won the war, but you still must battle evil until He vanquishes it in the end! NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

June 6, 2026 10:13 pm

June 6, 2026, the 157th day of 2026 The Mystery of 666? You don't even need to be a Christian or care about End Time prophecies to have heard of 666 and the Antichrist.... View MoreJune 6, 2026, the 157th day of 2026 The Mystery of 666? You don't even need to be a Christian or care about End Time prophecies to have heard of 666 and the Antichrist. Movies have been made, that bear nothing to Biblical prophecy, that tout 666 and the Antichrist. Presidents and anyone with 3 names with 6 characters each are up for grabs in the minds of those trying to pick out the Antichrist. It doesn't matter if the other signs of the Antichrist, or the timing of his appearance have been fulfilled, or not. It doesn't matter to those who speculate and can make an easy buck off that speculation. "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: his number is 666." Revelation 13:16-18 Of course the number stands out, but the warning is for more than concern over a number. Many who do not read the Bible miss that it also says, "the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name". It may not be the number. It may be a mark. It may be the name. And yes, it may be the number of his name. We have to look out for more than 666! Because this is serious, so serious that later the Bible says this: "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'” Revelation 14:9-11 There are many theories on who the number represents. Obviously this is a translation into English, but our number systems still hold up. But Hebrew assignes numbers to every letter of their alphabet. So, it would not be like us counting the letters in a name. The Antichrist must fit more than the number of his name. Living in the time we do, I find end time prophecies fascinating, so I do spend time studying those, along with other things. My personal Bible study over the years has revealed many things to me, opening my eyes through the Word. It doesn't mean I understand it all. If I did I would not still be discovering new things I missed or hadn't put together before. And there is so much more to study and learn! I may not be an expert, but it doesn't require an expert to study the Bible, do searches, take notes, use the Concordance to check our what the original words in the Hebrew and Greek are, and what they mean. Jesus has been doing His work in my life, teaching me through His Word and life in general. It is a slow and steady process, because that is how I learn. But after that it becomes a part of me. I retain it. I take in His lessons, consuming the Word and living it out, never perfectly, but always with the heart of a student. And I remain open to what God wants to teach me. I understand that I know so little. With each addition of knowledge, another part is added to something I have already learned. Something more will always come of it. That is simple math, and we are talking numbers here. God uses others to teach us more as we do not have all the knowledge. But before we put our confidence in anyone, we must know the Bible, because those working with the Devil also come quoting scriptures--misquoting, misrepresenting or ripping it out of context, for the most part. End time prophecy is really interesting. And making all kinds of off the wall speculations are entertaining. They are big business. But that is not how we get to the truth. There are just so many preachers and teachers out there, across the internet and all the media. There are churches that are in favor of things that God condemns. Without knowing the truth, it is easy to be led astray because they can sound so convincing, so caring. And most people crave the easy way. Before listening to too many voices, we need to ground ourselves in the Bible, so we know what it says. Even as we learn from others, we need to take it back to God's word, to see what He has to say about it. We need to verify, with God's Word, in context, and with the Bible as a whole. We should not just blindly accept something because we heard it from someone popular or even well respected. There would be no Christians that are deceived if we all did that, at least not deceived for long. So, with this foundation in the Word of God, we can listen to others, what God is teaching them, understanding that others are not God, but students of God, seeking His truth. Back to 666. I have always been fascinated by numbers. Not for the sake of mathematical equations, but the meanings of numbers themselves. And the Hebrew has a whole number thing going on, that we lose if we don't study this aspect. But I am not going to go into that here. God always has layers in His Word, so the simplest of us can understand the most needful things, but those of us who want to search deeper, will not be disappointed. We need to learn the simple truths first. Then we can delve into things that take serious searching of the scriptures. It will take time. And taking notes as we go usually helps, as one passage will lead to others in our search. But there are also simple things that we can understand without any knowledge of Hebrew, or the Jewish background on it. Taking numbers in the Bible and looking at what they can represent is pretty easy. Some of it is found in checking out creation and when numbers are mentioned in the Bible. When numbers are mentioned repeatedly throughout the Bible, we should notice that as well, because it is not a coincidence. This is how prophecies and the numbers have come together in my mind, in the simplest of terms. I am going to study more on this topic. But today being the 6th day of 6th month of 2026, reminded me of it. When it comes to the number 666, it really may be as simple as 6 being the number of man, because mam was created on day 6 and 3 being associated with the Godhead. In that case 666 could mean a man assuming the role of God. That would definitely point to the Antichrist. And while that may broaden the candidate field, it would also narrow it. Because many may act like they think they are God, but only a few would claim it. As far as the Antichrist goes, he will eventually claim to be God, if not right off. Though he also may claim it right off. Time will tell. There are more scriptures than the number to identify him, but they are scattered throughout the whole Bible and take some research. So people latch onto the number 666 as if it is an evil thing. Cults use it as if it had power. But it is a clue, along with other clues in the Bible. Still, if someone came wanting me to take that number on my hand or forehead, I would not do it. At some point it may be the mark, but the mark may be something we are not expecting, so the worry over 666 may blind us to this. We need to be careful to never worship any man as God, no matter what signs he preforms. God already came. His name is Jesus. And when Jesus returns there will be no mistaking Him for anyone else. His power is the power of God, the Creator. Jesus needs no tricks. But of the Antichrist, the "man of sin", the "son of perdition", the "lawless one" the Bible warns of his trickery. "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." II Thessalonians 2:1-12 666 is a clue to the Antichrist. But we cannot let that clue, be our only clue. Stay strong! Study the Bible so you can find all the clues, and not only the clues that get top billing. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

June 5, 2026 1:19 pm

June 5, 2026, the 156th day of 2026 Parched Souls Well, those little droplets of rain last night were all we had. Today is pretty humid, but no rain so far.... View MoreJune 5, 2026, the 156th day of 2026 Parched Souls Well, those little droplets of rain last night were all we had. Today is pretty humid, but no rain so far. That tiny amount of rain acted more like a heavy dew than anything else, but it still refreshed the plants a bit. It makes me think about how our souls can feels parched without even being aware of it, until those tiny droplets of wonder, stir us. Then we are awakened to the more that must be out there. Without those droplets life would feel hopeless. It would be mundane. It would feel like an endless cycle going no where. Because those droplets are good, there is no corruption in them. They bring us hope, when things seem hopeless. Everything the uplifts the soul--of beauty, of fragrance of answered prayers even before we knew God, are those droplets. And they keep our soulf from despairing and drying completely hard. Before we are saved, made a new creation in Christ, our soul was parched. And most of us didn't even realize it. How could it be otherwise? Jesus, with the Living Water had not touched us. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, Whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 And: "Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is Who says to you, "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' The woman said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?' Jesus answered and said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'" John 4:10-14 In our unsaved state, we subsisted on the droplets, not the fountain. It was enough to keep us alive, but there was still that ache in our soul for that Living Water. The droplets awakened us to the fact that there was something more where that came from. Those droplets exist to point us Heavenward. They come from our Creator God. They are in everything good, pure, wondrous, awe-inspiring, and just. They are seen in nature, in special moments of inspiration, in glorious views, in goosness, in joy, in hope, in kindness, in the miraculous. Many try to take credit for any good that comes. But that is not the case. "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." James 1:16-18 All good things that come to us are from God. God is merciful and would have everyone come to Him. So He will send us droplets and point the way to more. Whether we find Jesus, the More, the Giver of the Living Water, is basically determined by our search for that more, or being satisfied with the droplets. Being satisfied seems like a good thing, but not if it is being satisfied with something that is not meant to satisfy. When our time ends, those droplets end as well. They are not given to the dead, the lost who were satisfied with remaining lost. Only those who find Jesus, filled with His Living Water, will be in Heaven in the end. The rest that did not seek Him out, will not. But it won't be because the way to the living water did not exist, but because they ignored the the thirst for that more. Stay strong! Remember, everything good is meant to bring you to the ultimate good, to God! NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

June 4, 2026 9:56 pm

June 4, 2026, the 155th day of 2026 Rain We have had a lot of dry, warm days this past week. It has been nice for a lot of things, but it has really started to show in the plants. They have gotten... View MoreJune 4, 2026, the 155th day of 2026 Rain We have had a lot of dry, warm days this past week. It has been nice for a lot of things, but it has really started to show in the plants. They have gotten to the place where they look to be craving moisture. The ground is dry and dust is being easily stirred up. Shallow wet places are dried up. Today was still sunny and dry with a little overcast skies to begin with. Then darker clouds formed. But still no rain. As we still had a lot to do outside, we got that done. And since the rain still hadn't started, I biked to town to pick up a few things we needed. Still no rain. We started the evening chores. And part of the way through, the rain started as a light drizzle. So very light it hardly counted. But it continuing very slowly, drop by drop. Then it stopped. The sky is darkening, so it looks like it will rain soon. But in the meantime, holding off until the chores end is not a bad thing for us. We cannot bring the rain. We cannot hold back the rain. But we know the One Who can. And it is to God Whom we turn. We know that even in our desires, there are the other needs and the needs of nature itself. Balance is so important in farming. Prayer comes into play so much more than most other professions, because we need God's input. We cannot do on our own what is in His realm. There are places with irrigation. There are places that automate things. But for a multitude of small farmers it is prayer and hard work that keeps seeing us through and keeps things running smoother than they otherwise would. The drizzle has not returned yet. So we are doing a few more things on the farm, taking advantage of the cooler evening air before the rain. And we are praying for a gentle, steady rain this evening to fill up the little ponds and give relief to the plants and trees. Now, I sit on the swing, writing in the cooler evening air, feeling the beginning of what looks to be coming later tonight and say, "we welcome the rain". Stay strong! Even the most beautiful days of glorious shineshine would not remain so wonderful without the necessary rain. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

June 3, 2026 8:13 am

June 3, 2026, the 154th day of 2026 Swimming! We went swimming yesterday at my brother's placet. It has been pretty warm the past few weeks, and when we walked in the water the day before, to test ... View More

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