Fun in the Northwoods

August 7, 2026 8:53 pm

August 7, 2026, the 219th day of 2026 God's Timing Time is in God's hands. And when we pray to God, the answer is in His hands as well.... View MoreAugust 7, 2026, the 219th day of 2026 God's Timing Time is in God's hands. And when we pray to God, the answer is in His hands as well. We have our own timing for things, and it is usually not God's timing. We see with small, Earthly vision and a tiny time frame. God's vision is expansive and sees beyond mortal into immortality. We need to think about eternity as well, not just the hear and now. We may think we must accomplish so much in this lifetime, and yet forget what is really important What is vital to accomplish in this lifetime is repenting and surrendering our all to Jesus, so we become a part of His family and gain eternal life. This is the only time we can come. Once we die, or Jesus returns, our chance has passed. So, we are not to waste this time we have. Once God is our Father, through our salvation in Jesus Christ, our true life has only begun. With eternal life, the vision God gives us, has all the time necessary to be fulfilled. And that is just the beginning. Beyond mankind's Earthly reign is the 1000 year reign of Jesus on Earth. Then comes the new heavens and the new Earth. This world system is not our system and it will one day be destroyed. We are of the Kingdom of God. And we follow the directives of our King Jesus. "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.' Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'" John 18:36-37 God set the time frame before the world was created. God set the time for mankind to rule on this Earth after the fall. God set the time for the first coming of Jesus to pay for our sins on the cross, the time of His resurrection and the time of the return of Jesus. And God has a set time for each of our lives. Stay strong! You cannot rush anything that God set the time for. But you can take seriously that time is running out for your salvation and to do the work Jesus asked you to do. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

August 6, 2026 8:14 pm

August 6, 2026, the 218th day of 2026 Self-Control is Not Lack of Passion Many people are running after wherever their emotions lead them. They think it is freeing, when it enslaves them.... View MoreAugust 6, 2026, the 218th day of 2026 Self-Control is Not Lack of Passion Many people are running after wherever their emotions lead them. They think it is freeing, when it enslaves them. It is like letting a small child run in front of a car because they want to play on the road. A truly passionate person sees. They have eyes opened and their emotions are under their control, so they can truly enjoy life, not be led astray by whims. Being able to distinguish between something that inspires and uplifts and something that depends on lack of sense to sway the emotions, is vital. If your cannot reason when you feeling emotional, your emotions are not under your control, they are in control. Our emotions should not be taking us this way and that way, running after this thing and then another. Even the thought of that sounds like someone enslaved and not someone free. God gave us emotions to enrichen our lives, not to rule our lives. Emotions are terrible leaders. And they can easily be swayed by evil, to think wrongly, to envy, to be jealous, to jump to conclusions. Following emotions above commitment causes broken marriages and broken homes. Valuing emotions more than God's word, makes an idol out of emotions, placing them above our Creator, Who formed us. "I don't feel like it." has doomed a lot of people to failure. Some of the most important things in our lives are only done when we push past emotions that would defeat us. Not wanting to face our sins and repent of them will keep us enslaved to sin. Unchecked emotions would have us believe that our sin is what we want and need to be fulfilled. When sinful behavior rules over our emotions it is even worse, because the Devil will use those emotions to keep us a slave to sin, enticing us more and more with the desire for what God forbids. Fallen human nature wants what it wants, no matter if it is harmful for us and will lead to death. The emotional high of the forbidden pleasure is all that it cares about. Stay strong! Control your emotions, do not be controlled by them. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

August 5, 2026 8:52 pm

August 5, 2026, the 217th day of 2026 Family God not only puts all kinds of people into the same family, but all kinds of gifts.... View More

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Nelani Nettrour

August 4, 2026 11:13 pm

August 4, 2026, the 216th day of 2026 God Moves in Lives There are times when what we need and what we must accomplish take a long time and lots of sacrifice to get done.... View More

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Nelani Nettrour

August 3, 2026 5:48 pm

August 3, 2026, the 215th day of 2026 Above and Beyond is Where Rewards Come In When we do just what is required of us, being a servant of our Lord and King Jesus, we have nothing to really brag ab... View MoreAugust 3, 2026, the 215th day of 2026 Above and Beyond is Where Rewards Come In When we do just what is required of us, being a servant of our Lord and King Jesus, we have nothing to really brag about. We have done our duty. This teaching of Jesus brings it out really well. They may have been asking to have their faith increased, but they obvipusly needed to learn about their duty as well, because right after He explains that the size of faith is not the problem, so increasing the size was not the answer. It is a living faith, a seed full of potential, which He explains in other places. A seed is living and has enormous growth potential when planted. A planted pebble would not do such a thing, even larger than that tiny mustard seed. Faith in the life of a servant, needs to be in compliance with the will of their master, not their will. We need to ask ourselves if we want our faith to grow so we can be a better servant, doing more than we are commanded to? To go above and beyond what is required of a servant? Or do we want greater faith to get things we want? Commanding others and nature itself to our whims? "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' So the Lord said, 'If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘"Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea," and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, "Come at once and sit down to eat" But will he not rather say to him, "Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink". Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do."'" Luke 17:5-10 In becoming a subject in the Kingdom of God, through repentance and completely surrendering our life and our all to the Lordship, the Kingship of Jesus, Gd makes of us a new creation in that instant, not only forgiving the debt of sin against us, but giving us eternal life. If we never got another thing from God, it would be more than enough to praise Him and rejoice for all of eternity! But He wants more for us. He wants us to earn eternal rewards as well, and He gives us chances to excell in righteousness through our service. Jesus, our Master, determines what is our duty and what is above and beyond it. He obeyed God in everything required of Him, above and beyond over and over again, and He is our example. This eternal life that Jesus paid for with His suffering and death, was not our doing. We did not deserve it. We could not earn it. That was all on Jesus. All we did was accept His gift on His terms, to put it into effect. And those terms mean that He bought us and that we are His. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. I Corinthians 6:19-20 But in our slavery, we are freed from the hold of Satan on us. God owns us, and God does not abandon His own to the enemy! Satan is a cruel, uncaring master, who only cares for his desires. He uses his slaves to steal, kill and destroy, twisting all that is good and of the image of God in them. Satan hates and would have hatred rule the hearts of mankind. We don't really realize this until we enter into God's Kingdom through salvation, where love rules and reigns over us, even to the point of adopting us into His household and calling us His children. If we try to accept the gift of salvation on our terms, it will not take. We may call ourself a Christian, but we are doomed to hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23 Stay strong! First be sure of your salvation and then be sure you go above and beyond what is required of you as a servant of Jesus, if you want to earn eternal rewards. NAN

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Nelani Nettrour

August 2, 2026 6:29 pm

August 2, 2026, the 214th day of 2026 The Time Between We don't really know what day anything particular is going to happen to us or anyone in our lives.... View MoreAugust 2, 2026, the 214th day of 2026 The Time Between We don't really know what day anything particular is going to happen to us or anyone in our lives. That lull between storms in our life can last quite some time, or ne short. Bur, no matter what,r those storms can creep up on us and catch us totally off guard. Being mentally prepared does not mean worrying about what might happen, but accepting that worrying will not stop anything but the peace we have today. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34 Jesus does not say that we should not worry because there will be no trouble, but precisely because there will be. But we only have strength to handle today and its own troubles. Every day will have enough in it to cause us trouble. Most days it is mere inconveniences, that don't amount to much. But some will be bigger issues. And every now and then, the storm. In 2016, this day was not that memorable for me, except being a day after the 5th anniversary of my mom's death. But the day after this day, in 2016, would be another one of those storms that shifted our life around. I was unaware of it at the time, but the next day I would get a call from a friend, the wife of the man I was helping with his music, telling me that he was just taken to the hospital with what looked like a stroke, and was there anyway I could come to them there? Why do I write this here and not write about it tomorrow? Because I am writing about those normal, everyday days that we have no clue that within 24 hours our life will change. As I looked at the date before starting this post, I was reminded of how blissfully ignorant I was of the changes that were coming my way, or how it would change my family dynamic yet again. And isn't that just like life? It wasn't even my family that this happened to, but because of what God asked of me, our lives were also drastically impacted. But you know? We really do need these blissfully ignorant days, these days that seem so normal, so unhindered by extremes, because they give us rest for what is coming. To servive what comes, is basically dwelling in the presence of God, in His peace. His peace allows us these days, without even a whisper of what is coming. Making it natural to pray, instead of being anxious, gives us the preemptive help of God in the upcoming issues. It is only when we bring our requests to God, that we get His peace that is beyond our understanding. If we fret and are anxious, that peace does not come. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 Worrying about what might come, snatches away the normal joy and ignorant bliss of the day before, or the many days before. Stay strong! Don't borrow tomorrow's worries, they will have enough time of their own...tomorrow. NAN

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