Northwoods Conservatives

12 hours ago

May 11, 2024, the 132nd day of 2024 Waiting and Watching Last night we kept checking the cloud cover because Northern Lights were expected. I love them, and it is usually cold and snowy when we see... View More

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

Yesterday, 9:59 pm

May 10, 2024, the 131st day of 2024 God is Not Making a Religion or a Denomination, He is Making a Family ... View More

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 9, 2024 1:24 pm

May 9, 2024, the 130th day of 2024 Ascension Day Today we remember Jesus ascending into Heaven after His resurrection 40 days earlier.... View MoreMay 9, 2024, the 130th day of 2024 Ascension Day Today we remember Jesus ascending into Heaven after His resurrection 40 days earlier. What an amazing and blessed time those 40 days had to be for the Disciples, who now understood so many of the words Jesus had spoken, that were veiled to them at the time He first spoke them. What an amazing and blessed time for Jesus, those 40 days. He had fulfilled His work! He had lived a sinless life, taught, healed, prophesied, suffered and died on the cross, payimgfor our sins. He defeated death, raising again on the 3rd day! I imagine once all the "I am so sorry Jesus, forgive me!" from those who fled when He was taken, had been said, that there was rejoicing like the Earth had never seen before that time! They still hoped Jesus would restore the kingdom Israel to its proper place, with Him reigning over all the Earth, right then amd there. They asked Him, and He answered them. "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.' And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, Who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.'” ‭Acts 1:6-11 Now, as Jesus ascended, the promise of His return was given. What glorious words! The promise of the Holy Spirit--power from on high--must have reverberated in their souls as they gazed upward and as they would patiently wait in the upper room for the fulfillment of that promise. Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit decended upon the followers of Jesus! Ten days from now, May 19th, we will be celebrating Pentecost, remembering the day the Holy Spirit was first given to continually dwell in all true Christians! We, blessed with salvation, blessed with the indwelling Holy Spirit, await the return of our Lord and King! And we spread His message in our sphere of influence, knowing how vital a message it is! "'Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.' Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. 'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.' The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:12-17 I look forward to that day! Come quickly Lord Jesus! Stay strong! Be counted among those who rejoice at the return of King Jesus! NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 8, 2024 11:17 pm

May 8, 2024, the 129th day of 2024 Fitting Together I have been seeing God fitting together things and situations so smoothly lately. Even with all the variables of human interaction. It just make... View More

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 7, 2024 7:25 pm

May 7, 2024, the 128th day of 2024 Leave Room for God We often have our days planned out so full, that there is room for nothing else. But we should always leave room for God to use us.... View More

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 6, 2024 7:27 pm

May 6, 2024, the 127th day of 2024 I was biking down our road, heading to town, passing property once ours, thinking of what we had lost, not just that, but Barry, our home and all in it, and so much... View More

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 6, 2024 7:41 am

May 5, 2024, the 126th day of 2024 Where we Set our Sights It makes a difference where we set our sights in what we are aiming for. If we set our sights in a direction opposite where we want to sho... View MoreMay 5, 2024, the 126th day of 2024 Where we Set our Sights It makes a difference where we set our sights in what we are aiming for. If we set our sights in a direction opposite where we want to shoot, of course we will miss our target, we weren't even aiming at it. But that is how many people live their lives. They want one thing, but they are aiming in the other direction. People want treasures in Heaven and yet invest their entire life on Earthly things, with barely a thought of eternity. People want close friends, but don't make an effort to make them or keep them. People want happy marriages, but don't choose the right spouse and even if they do, they don't continue to work on improving their relationship once married. People want to be understood, but spend all of their time misunderstanding others. It depends on what we want. Do we want it bad enough to set our sights on it and not get distracted. If we want it, we have to keep our eyes and our hearts focused on it, and not let ourselves get pulled away from it. It is a simple image to anyone who has ever shot a gun, or bow and arrow or focused on a point to take a picture, or raced to a finish line. We have to focus our eyes on the target, not wandering off to places that distract us from our target. Another way of saying it is to "set our affections" on what matters to us. Where we set our affections--what we choose to love--is where we will end up. This world is set for destruction. If we set our sights and our affections on this world, we are setting them on things that are passing away. The Kingdom of Heaven is eternal, ruled by God. If we set our sights and our affections on that, we are setting them on something eternal and lasting. "If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the Earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4 Stay strong! Decide what is important to you and set your sights on that! NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 6, 2024 7:40 am

May 4, 2024, the 125th day of 2024 Ladies Luncheon Beauty for Ashes ... View MoreMay 4, 2024, the 125th day of 2024 Ladies Luncheon Beauty for Ashes The girls and I went to the Ladies' Luncheon today. We enjoyed the lunch and the message of beauty for ashes. The speaker was sick, but the lady who filled in did a great job. After the meal and the talk we started working on the project. We were taking small smashed pieces of mugs and we were putting them back together with glue and gold dust. The idea was to make something unique and beautiful from the smashed pieces. But we were not doing a very good job putting the pieces back together and getting them to stick together. The ladies whose mug bottoms--the foundation--were not crushed had an easier time of it, because all the other pieces fit together better and were held up. I thought about how those with Jesus have an easier time even in the broken state, than those who do not. Jesus is the foundation of our entire life. We had varying degrees of success and one of my daughters highlighted the hole left from the pieces too small to fit into the cup, that really turned out looking nice. Of course none of these mugs were going to be used for drinking out of anymore. We were not representing what God does, only our attempts at creating something unique from what was broken. We were finding what could be saved and used in the broken pieces. We only had so much time and material to work with, so we could only be somewhat creative. Some cups were made into abstracts, the pieces were just too small. One lady made a gold heart accent on the front of her cup. Each group was gathered around a table where we worked on our broken pieces, trying to fit them back together and I thought about how in our own times of hardships, having supportive people really helped. As we smiled and laughted at our attempts, I thought about how being light-hearted together helped. As we appreciated and encouraged each other, I thought about how important that was in hard times. And I thought about the things we had gone through and how being with family, friends encouraging, sharing relaxing times and laughter made all the difference. Jesus can take us through anything. He can do it even when we are alone, with no one else on our side. And sometimes He does. But Jesus doesn't usually expect--or want us--to go through things alone. He puts people in our lives to be there with us, and for us. And He puts us in people's lives to be with them, and for them. What really touches us in times of hardship is feeling like we are not alone and that someone is willing to take the time to let us know that. It doesn't take much, but it means so much! Stay strong! Never underestimate the importance of spending time with someone going through hardships. It really helps. And don't assume because someone seems to have it all together, that they don't need you. NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 4, 2024 10:29 am

May 3, 2024, the 124th day of 2024 Simple Faith Faith is not some mysterious, unreasonable thing, it is simply trusting in someone or something enough to act on that trust.... View MoreMay 3, 2024, the 124th day of 2024 Simple Faith Faith is not some mysterious, unreasonable thing, it is simply trusting in someone or something enough to act on that trust. We already trust that certain people and things are dependable in our lives, so we have faith in them. It is not unshakable faith, but it is still faith. When coming to Jesus for salvation it is a bit different since we have not met Him physically. The first coming to Jesus is more like hope than faith. In Hebrews 11:1: it says "Now faith is the substances of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Even though faith seems intangible, the verse describes it like hope made tangible. Substance is tangible. Our hope in the message of the gospel is solidified into faith through our action of seeking Jesus. Once that faith is acted upon, it becomes the evidence of the unseen work that is happening within the new believer. Every true Christian knows this change and this evidence within us. But that time between learning the path of salvation through Jesus and actually repenting and surrendering to Jesus as Lord and Master, is often the most difficult. This is because of fear of what might be, and the obstacles the Devil throws to keep us from Jesus. The message of the gospel of Jesus brings such a wonderful hope, that we may be afraid to believe, because it sounds too good to be true. It is so easy to become jaded and dismiss something so amazing. There is so much around us that causes us to doubt things that sound too good, because so much around us is dubious. Commercials exaggerate. Politicians lie. People let us down. Media manipulates. Since we are taking someone else's word or experience as truth, many mistakenly call it blind faith if we believe. But it is not blind faith. It is a faith based on our belief in the truthfulness of what we are being told. And it is not that unusual for us to do this. We actually do it quite often. We check reviews before making a major purchase. We ask friends for movie and book recommendations. We try new foods or recipes. We travel to new places because someone convinced us that is worthwhile to do so. When we believe what someone says, and that belief has been proven true, we have faith in them. What makes coming to Jesus different is that none of those other things have eternal consequences. And most recommendations do not have an enemy fighting against what is being said. And if they have someone coming against them, it is probably not the manipulating, unseen, distracting, deceiving enemy named Satan, the Devil. If the Devil cannot keep us off the path to salvation, he will try to keep us from coming to faith in Jesus. Thoughts, that are not our own--but seem to be--will suddenly be flowing through our mind. If we have not been taught about spiritual warfare, this will be extremely confusing. Since we start out as sinners bound for destruction, the Devil usually leaves us alone. Why bother? We are already his. But when we really hear the gospel of Jesus, and we discover there are two sides and that we are on the wrong side--the side of darkness, the losing side--Satan takes notice. He sends out his forces to prevent us from choosing Jesus and the Kingdom of God. The truly sad thing is that far too many people give up without a fight at this point. Usually, "there is plenty of time to think about this later" is all it takes. Then the distractions come to keep their mind off of the message of Jesus, and they give into the distractions. Time passes away and they remain firmly established in the Kingdom of Darkness. We need to be willing to not only listen to the message of Jesus, but to seek it out, to search for the truth and not give up. We have to be willing to seek Jesus with our whole heart. If we don't believe there is a chance of finding Him, we wouldn't bother. Seeking is one of the first steps in salvation. We only need to start the search in earnest and Jesus will be found. The leap of faith is what we take when we start the search, hoping to find Jesus, but not sure if He can be found by us, yet determined to find Him because He must be found by us, or we will perish. Our trust in Jesus grows as He reveals Himself to us in our quest for Him. We discover that He has always been there, even when we didn't acknowledge Him. Through everything He was leading us to that point where our heart was ready and we were willing. Whether we follow Jesus, or not, is another thing. It is a free will action. We get pretty greedy for our own way at this stage and those who do not fight against that urge may say that they "tried the Jesus thing" but it was not for them. They may deceive those who have never found Jesus, but they do not deceive true believers. No one who has truly found Jesus would ever turn from Him. The majestic love that created the Universe and then died to save us, rising again to seal the work, is worthy beyond words. Nothing and no one could ever compare. It is those who have stopped short of following Jesus that can brush Him off. They have tranpled the faith that would have led them to salvation. To come so far and fall short in the end, is just heartbreaking. But that is what so many do. Don't be one of them! Stay strong! Choose to follow Jesus through whatever comes your way. The path may be difficult, but He will never leave or forsake His own. This life is but a flicker, and then it is gone. Eternity never ends. NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 3, 2024 11:19 pm

May 2, 2024, the 123rd day of 2024 Premiere in a Small Town It was fun last night to dress up and head to the premiere of "Secret of Bog Lake" at our local theater. We really like to go to the the... View MoreMay 2, 2024, the 123rd day of 2024 Premiere in a Small Town It was fun last night to dress up and head to the premiere of "Secret of Bog Lake" at our local theater. We really like to go to the theater when there is a movie we want to see, but this was our first premiere. Part of the cast came riding in on top of a firetruck, which was a flamboyant entry and started the evening with smiles all around. I loved that flair. After that we were on the lookout for where that firetruck would show up in the movie and we were not disappointed. We really enjoyed seeing the movie, talking to, and getting pictures of, and with, the Director/writer/Actor and the Producer/Actor of the movie. I won't say anything about the movie because part of the experience is trying to figure it out. To catch some of our local people and places captured in the movie was also fun. Afterwards there was a Q+A session where we learned some of the behind-the-scenes details, that is always interesting. Then we went to the After Party at a local restaurant for pizza and we got to watch the movie again, knowing the ending, watching closely to how it came together and seeing things we may have missed the first time around. Watching it again was a bit like a Director's cut, as the director was there shouting out some points. That really added to the memories that we took away with us. It was definately time and money well spent. I am glad my son had heard about it and took us. There is just something about sharing that experience with a packed theater of people excited to be there. To not just watch the movie, but interact with the creators of that movie, made it a unique experience. As a writer, I enjoy hearing what inspires people to write what they write. When I can talk to them in person, it is even more special. But of course, there never is enough time because others want to talk to them as well. When we did booksignings with multiple authors, it was one of the things I really enjoyed. There was never enough time there either, but it still was insightful and many friendships were made. I know something of what it takes to brave putting down thoughts and ideas. It is a daunting process, but also rewarding, especially when it is a finished product that we can share. It can also be scary though, putting work out there to be read, viewed, judged and commented on. Stay strong! Hard work pays off in different ways and not always as you imagine. But when it does, sharing it brings others into a portion of your dream! NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

May 1, 2024 1:54 pm

May 1, 2024, the 122nd day of 2024 Anticipation There is a special excitement in anticipation itself that stays with us as we prepare for an event. The event may--or may not--live up to expectatio... View MoreMay 1, 2024, the 122nd day of 2024 Anticipation There is a special excitement in anticipation itself that stays with us as we prepare for an event. The event may--or may not--live up to expectation. It also may exceed expectation, if we don't set our sights too high. But even before the actual event happens we have the enjoyment of anticipation. And unless we are the kind of people who expect perfection--and will settle for nothing less--we won't be disappointed because aticipation gives its own glow to an event. Aticipation can add enjoyment into the planning stage. There can be a lot of fun in planning an event we are hosting, but there is also planning that goes on when we attend an event. If it is an dress event we may shop for a new outfit, or sort through clothes we have to find just the right one. We may do a home spa day in preparation. The anticipation build as we think on the event and plan for it. Some things won't live up to anticipation, but unless it is horrible, there is fun in the anticipation and then in the sharing of the event. We will have anticipated events that will take our breath away, that are beyond what we expected or imagined. There are events that we havr anticipated that will be underwhelming. But as long as we are prepared to enjoy our time, however they turn out, we will. But one anticipated event will never underwhelm us, and it will more than take our breath away, it will make our mortal bodies incorruptible, immortal, The most amazing anticipation we could ever experience is for the return of Jesus, even if we have to go through the extreme unpleasantness of the Great Tribulation before that happens. No matter what hardships are on in our lives, the anticipation of being with Jesus--in His kingdom--should fill us with joy. We just need to fix our focus on Jesus. No matter how much we speculate on what it will be like, we will never come close to what it will be like when Jesus actually appears! There will be no disappointment on that day! Stay strong! Enjoy the anticipation of things to come and don't rush through your life. There is so much to savor! NAN

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Nelani Nettrour

April 30, 2024 7:19 am

April 30, 2024, the 121st day of 2024 Be the Help There is so much confusion and sadness in this world because the darkness of the Devil reigns in so many places. It doesn't take much more hardshi... View More

Be the first person to like this.