On Our Own, But Not Alone

Posted on by charliej373

stella maris

By Charlie Johnston

From the time of my mid-teens, whenever my circle of friends was wildly but enthusiastically wrong in their assessment of how a particular course of actions and choices would play out, if I saw I could not persuade them, I adopted a technique I called “playing the prophet.” I would tell them matter-of-factly, without anger or bitterness, why I believed it to be an errant course and precisely what I thought it would lead to. It had nothing to do with any mysticism, just normal analysis extrapolated to its logical conclusion. Often, I went along with them on their errant course, without dropping my candid objections. I tried to calibrate it so that, should I prove right, I made it as easy as possible for them to move to my position without any bruising of egos. I also went along with them when I was overmatched so as to remove my ego from any petty efforts to merely prove I was right. I had one friend, in particular, in those early days, whose wise counsel spared me from several big mistakes of my own. Funny thing…if you take pains to remove the emotional triumphalism from disagreements (the desperate need to be right rather than as a means to find what is right), if you thank people for their thoughtful counsel even when you don’t agree, and if you particularly thank them when it turns out they were right, you get better counsel – and you encourage people to share their honest assessments. Do the same in reverse, completely banishing any “I told you so” moments, and your own counsel goes down a lot easier even with people who strongly disagree with you. The truth is, if you don’t follow this formula, most people will still forgive you for your errors in judgement – but some people will NEVER forgive you when you are right.

As I got into my late teens and early 20’s, I modified this technique for public, local disputes, as well. Sometimes, the prevailing conventional wisdom is both so misguided and so certain of itself that there is little you can do other than express your dissent and wait it out. The price you pay for such a stand is usually a barrage of withering criticism and attacks in the moment. You have to manage the response to these with skill and judgment. If you are silent in response to all, you come across as an impotent coward who won’t stand for what he purports to believe in – and will have little influence on future controversies even if you prove completely right on the present one. If you constantly attack all who disagree with you, you come across as a prickly, egotistical jerk who is incapable of collaborating with others. Again, you will have little influence on future controversies even if you prove completely right on the present one. How you calibrate your response and behavior in such a situation is far more important than whether you prove objectively right or wrong in determining what influence you will have on future events. If your goal is to do the most right thing you can in all situations, you will take great care in the calibration of all responses.

I used to tell candidates I counseled that I had two fundamental duties to them. First, I was obliged to give them the best, most candid advice I could in private. Second, once a decision was made, it was my duty to carry it out with as much skill and enthusiasm as I could, whether or not it was the course I recommended. Almost all my candidates were very grateful to have someone who was both absolutely candid and absolutely loyal. This gets to the crux of the matter. If you are in a position of responsibility and the course you prefer is not the course chosen (after you have had full latitude to voice and explain your preference), give it your all to make it work as decided. You have nothing to lose and much to gain. If it works out, you played an important role in its success. If it fails, your vigor at trying to make it work makes it easy for everyone to change course and try it your way. For me, that is the heart of honor. It is a large part of what I mean when I say it is more important to be true than to be right – for you can’t always be objectively right, but you can always be true.

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Now, it is a time to “play the prophet” again – from the entirely temporal perspective from which I originated the term over 40 years ago. I have always defined the term, “false dawn,” as that period after a crisis when people think they have gotten things back under control but have actually sown the seeds of greater dysfunction just ahead. I think we have reached our final false dawn – but it is one unlike any I have ever seen before. We actually have two distinct and competing false dawns, both of which badly mis-analyze what has actually happened. Both think they can quickly bring things back to normal after the current tumults are decided in November.

On the right many have convinced themselves that if Trump and the Republicans win a landslide victory that everything will smooth out and we will have all the levers of power to ensure that it does. I actually do think the election will go so heavily to the right that it will be a near extinction-level event for the Democrats. I also think that things are going to be far worse next year than almost anyone can now imagine. First of all, if the election should play that way, do you really think the insane, violent left is just going to say, “oh, never mind,” and go away? People who are insane and violent are slow learners – and will not make the connection that all their histrionics were counter-productive. They will, instead, double down on the very things that ensured their loss at the polls. Do you think that, controlling all the levels of elected power, Republicans will then act vigorously to restore order? The best that can be said of the overwhelming majority of Republican officials is that they have not participated in the actual assault on the social fabric. But if this is our seawall, better get a boat, because the flood is coming. Even if the GOP wiped out the Democrats in the election and even if Republicans suddenly found the spine to enforce public order, our institutions are shot. Forget the perniciousness of media and the justice system – then tell me what institution you have confidence in anymore. Some of the police are trying, but many folded to the multitude of aspiring petty tyrants. These police cowered from the actual wolves among us while ticketing swimmers and honest people for going to get a haircut or a bite to eat. The top echelon of the military has gone whole hog for identity politics, thinking its mission is no longer to win wars, but to make people feel happy. Our churches? Many of them have imposed more draconian rules for worship than the multitude of aspiring secular petty tyrants persecuting them. Bureaucrats are a law unto themselves, thinking (mostly rightly) that the elected officials accountable to the people will not or cannot ever hold them to account. The Constitution is reduced to a mere fig leaf covering over the raw will to power that prevails. How do you resurrect a once-healthy body politic when all its organs are eaten away with cancer? Who has the will to truly clean house and reduce things back to a minimalist government of the people, by the people and for the people?
The left thinks the monstrous cultural forces they have released can be called back should they win. They are not just riding the tiger; they are riding an ambush of tigers. They will not be able to get off without being mauled or devoured. On the bright side, the left has unintentionally struck mortal blows at the educational and cultural institutions they have used to indoctrinate people for so long. Teachers’ Unions and tenured college professors are going to find that they have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs and will, within a short time, have to find real work or starve. While it still has substantial influence, the leftstream media has tanked its credibility – which continues to vanish faster than a toupee in a hurricane.  The illusion of bureaucratic expertise is dying. Even if all this could be surmounted, the damage we have done to our nation is insurmountable. We are drawing down on the capital now and think that because there was so much capital to be drawn down on, that everything is basically okay, just needing a few tweaks to get back to normal. We have badly mutilated our productive capacity. Our supply chains are deeply damaged and, in more cases than you think, completely broken. Watch for spot shortages in basic things like food. Keep your eyes peeled for unexplained disruptions in basic utilities – including communications. Officials will try to pretend everything is okay as they shift resources to try to cover the shortfalls and disruptions – and with every shift they will draw further down on the capital and closer to the day when there are no resources left to shift. Many of us are going to know hunger in the near future. If I lived in a city, I would get out as quick as I can. Living in a suburb, it would be prudent to look for alternate supplies of water other than what your municipality pipes in. If you don’t have a natural fireplace or, at least, a chimenea, now would be a good time to get one.

Few now argue with my once-controversial, decades-long assertion that we were headed for a “global civil war fought on cultural lines.” Even many of the most sober secular thinkers now believe we may have reached the tipping point where civil war is inevitable in this country. What is often forgotten is that I said global. Our enemies have been watching. Don’t be surprised if, early next year, both China and Jihadists launch greater attacks and efforts to disrupt not just America, but the entire western world. If America is a sick man, Western Europe is terminal. I am sick to death of hearing arguments about whether Vladimir Putin is a real Christian or a good man. He is a tyrant, no doubt, which is what has ruled Russia for over a thousand years. I have doubts that anything other than a strongman could survive more than a few weeks in Russia. What is critical to me is whether he is a rational man, whether his actions make any sort of coherent sense within his worldview. My conclusion is that they do. He is dancing as fast as he can to stay afloat in a sea of hostile monsters, most notably China on his southern border and a substantial Muslim majority in some of his provinces. I think he is waiting to see whether America has the fortitude and moxie to take its own side in a fight anymore. If we do, we need to form a serious security alliance with him to fight off the existential threat that China and Jihadists pose to the west. I have said repeatedly that I’m recruiting – and I want Russia to firmly come down on the side of the west rather than just maneuver for its own survival in the midst of oriental intrigue. Russia is no longer as oppressive as it was under the czars – and a LOT less brutally oppressive as it was under the communists. It is a work in progress – and I want it to progress on our side. Make no mistake, America’s enemies are heartened to know that, even if things were to calm down a bit, they now have a substantial portion of the population here committed to America’s downfall. Antifa and Black Lives Matter will form the largest fifth column in the history of hostile foreign attacks.

So yes, I have a very gloomy view of the near future – far gloomier even than I have described here. When I say gird our loins, I do not mean for the election – though I pray we prevail there. I say do it for the greatest existential battle in world history. We have two choices opening up before us: resurrection or a new and brutal dark ages.

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Over the weekend, I was intending to do a piece here questioning why churches and religious leaders, generally, are so flaccid in their defense of the faithful in these trying times. Fr. Dwight Longenecker wrote a marvelous piece on the sometimes dynamic tension between institutional church leaders and faithful, frustrated laymen. I have wondered why the response of religious authorities to offenses has been so feckless and torpid. But towards the end of the week and more vigorously through the weekend, I started hearing from a host of people about the things I MUST do to make CORAC effective. I expected that: at this stage of forming a large organization, everyone weighs in with how you must do it – some in absolute sincerity, some really not understanding where you are going, and some just trying to hijack your movement for their agenda – which they have never been successful in getting an audience for. Some want to make it only into a prayer group. Others want it to be entirely secular. Still others don’t want to do anything without first garnering the enthusiastic support of Bishops and prelates.  All of these are formulas for doing nothing…for just continuing to march in place hoping the world doesn’t cave in on us.

First, let me state clearly what we are and what we are not. We are not a prayer group that does some stuff. We are an activist group that is grounded in faith and prayer. I do not impose any mandatory devotions on anyone. In fact, I endeavor to keep it largely secret what devotions speak to me. Few know beyond the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy what devotions are important to me. My concern is that people be spiritually fed with healthy devotions without neglecting the prayer of doing. I do NOT want to discourage anyone who lives a vibrant faith life just because it is not the same as my vibrant faith life. We have altogether too much triumphalism in faith communities as it is. Others have told me that we are not prayer-centered enough. They are either completely ignoring the national network of Priests and pastors I have gathered together as a resource and the prayer teams around the country that I am vigorously promoting and connecting with each other or they are just irritated because I am not doing it the same way they would. One of the greatest banes of modern faith communities is that too many people define holiness as being “like me.” The minority who want it to be entirely secular, detached from faith, do not understand there is no better way to become the mirror image of the monsters we must fight. Those who want the enthusiastic support of religious leaders before acting at all do not seem to understand that we are largely in the state we are in because many of our religious leaders will neither defend the faith nor allow others to defend it. (See Matthew 23:13) Nonetheless, I am recruiting. I will not seek permission from anyone to stand for faith, family and freedom – but I will not defy the lawful spiritual authority of those given that authority by Christ. I am in the situation that William Wallace was in in the movie Braveheart, when he told Robert the Bruce longingly that if the Bruce would lead boldly as king, Wallace would follow him, but that either way he would stand for the freedom of his fellow Scots. If Wallace would have waited for the Bruce to act, nothing would have ever happened. By acting boldly, he ultimately filled the Bruce with the courage and resolve to act boldly, himself, and lead a generation of Scots to take their freedom. The truth is, several Bishops have told me they are quietly praying for the success of our initiative.

And then it hit me. We are at a tipping point, like a car precariously balanced at the edge of a cliff. The watchword for most officials, both religious and secular, who are not actively engaged in assaulting our culture is, “make no waves.” They are not all – or even mostly – timid. Rather, they know if they move wrongly, they may well tip the car over the edge of the cliff into a fiery crash. So many are frozen in place, knowing that bold action is required but not yet knowing how to calibrate their action to create the least danger of fatal harm. This is why the decisive action of the ordinary man is so critical in these times. We lack the influence to crash the car if our actions are imprudent – only to add to the confusion. If we are disciplined and effective, we can draw the car back from the edge of the cliff to where those who bear greater responsibility can feel emboldened to act. So for now, if we lead effectively in living our duty, many of the formal leaders will be emboldened to act more decisively – and as they act more boldly, we will feel more comfortable in following their lead. Over time, the equilibrium Christ established will be restored. And what a happy people we will be!

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Many Catholics – and a few Protestants – have commented approvingly on my vigorous insistence on the critical role of Holy Mary in the task before us in my talk in Limon two weeks ago. I am gratified by those Protestants who told me they had not seen it from that perspective before. Many of the Catholics assumed – and with pleasure – that because I am devoted to Mary, I pushed the same devotion on others. As I have said before, I do NOT like to dictate what devotions anyone should follow, only that they feed their faith with healthy devotions. I had a very different purpose in emphasizing the role of Our Lady.

I sign almost every letter and email I write with the closing, “Ave Maria, Stella Maris!” Translated, it means “Hail Mary, Star of the Sea!” For ancient mariners, the stella maris was the indispensable navigational guide that would lead them safely to harbor. If they lost sight of it for very long, they were in real danger of losing their way and getting lost at sea. The Virgin Mary is the indispensable navigational star who leads us safely to the Harbor which is her Son. Without her, we can quickly and easily lose our way. Now we are all at sea – so I insist on Mary not because I am devoted to her, but because I intend all to get safely to harbor.

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As I have noted, our National Conference of the Corps of Renewal and Charity (CORAC) will be on the weekend of September 12 and 13 in Limon, Colorado. Mary Lapchak is the Conference chairman – and she needs volunteers to help her, both locally and online. To help, contact her at lapchakma@gmail.com.

Below is a sample of our logo. Our own MP came up with a bunch of images and variations. He is an incredibly talented man.

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348 thoughts on “On Our Own, But Not Alone”

  1. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/christopher-columbus-american-hero

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/pius-xiis-heroic-struggle-against-the-nazis

    https://justthenews.com/world/middle-east/israel-and-united-arab-emirates-reach-historic-peace-deal-brokered-united-states

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/13/churches-arent-avoiding-death-by-keeping-their-doors-closed-theyre-ensuring-it/

    https://disrn.com/news/pastor-john-macarthur-grace-community-church-sue-state-of-california

    https://www.catholicleague.org/kamala-harris-catholic-problem/

    https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2020/08/13/would-the-military-side-with-leftist-tyranny-or-with-america-n2574175

    https://stream.org/category/us/

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Becky, the Triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart is intimately intertwined with the launch of an Era of Peace. I am one who believes that because her Triumph involves conversion to her Son, her Triumph is not only an end point: the Rescue from this mess from which we find ourselves, but also an ongoing process. For every heart converted to God, her Triumph is realized in that one’s heart. Mother Adela, foundress of the Sisters of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, writes about the process here.

      Liked by 6 people

      2. Beckita, I’m sure the Triumph involves a process of conversion, as you say. I have a strong feeling, (maybe me, maybe the Holy Spirit) that the Triumph also involves the “final Marian dogma” that Mother Mary has asked for. It seems that many words and apparitions imply that. The dogma will release untold powerful graces, it is said. We’ll just have to wait and see; it’s taking so long. I remember that Charlie said something about Pope Francis being the Pope of the storm, but not the Pope of the Triumph. We obviously have to wait longer 😦

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Yes Beckita! These sisters are very close to my heart. We traveled to Lourdes, Fatima, Poland and Medjugorje with them. Last night I attended their “restarted again” post Covid monthly Eucharist healing mass and Holy hour cenacle…they exude pure love for Eucharistic Jesus and our Blessed Mother. This you tube Link is the mass then Holy Hour. About half way in begins the holy hour
        All of them have angelic voices 😇 … the whole order! . They are getting quite a few new vocations,
        Praise God. Their 30th year founding anniversary is today Feast of the Assumption when Mother Adela was inspired to found the order!

        Liked by 2 people

        1. You’re so blessed to have the Sisters in your area, ECO. Mother Adela became friends with a seminarian from our diocese the night Pope St. John Paul II died. It was amazing to hear of many such accounts as the Catholics in Rome gathered on the streets that night. The spiritual maternity of Mother Adela so impacted the seminarian that when he was ordained, Mother and a small group of the Sisters flew in to celebrate Fr. Marc’s ordination. Just two years later, the Sisters were invited to lead a Charismatic Convention held in our diocese. Such vibrant and brilliant women have been called to this beautiful order!

          Liked by 2 people

          1. How cool for that now priest from your diocese! And with the St John Paul II connection… one of their patrons. They have impacted many here… brought up to our diocese by a very close priest friend of ours. Their Marian devotion blossomed so much in the parish and as well for Father. The sisters have such a beautiful charism, amazing how they lift our hearts to The Holy Spirit thru their song. It was my first real exposure to the beauty of this type of prayer. Such joy they exude. Bet the charismatic conference was beautiful. They do Eucharistic congresses down in Miami every so often with great speakers. Been on hold since Covid

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      1. Me too!!! She’s so beautiful that Mary!!! Can’t imagine in her real ness!!! I’ve heard she’s most beautiful woman in the world!!! That’s our momma!❤️🤗🙏📿

        Liked by 5 people

    1. Here you go, HTTP:
      Pro tip: When shopping for tactical flashlights in person, the safest way to compare intensity is to shine the light on the palm of your hand. The difference between two different lights shows up amazingly well. DO NOT look directly into one! Trust me on that. Anything over 600 lumens will leave an attacker blinded for a minute or more even with just a quick direct eye contact. Plenty of time to get away or at least get the upper hand in a confrontation. Plan on spending around 50 bucks for a reasonably decent one. Several of the high end lights will run well over a $100 but those are for the taclight purists. A few years ago I bought a 3-pack for $30 at a gun show. I think they’re 800 lumens +/- and have 3 modes. Low-High-Strobe. I love ’em! One hanging by our back door, one in the bedroom and one in my backpack. Super bright and quite a long throw (for the money). I use my ‘backdoor’ light all the time for all kinds of stuff. It runs on 3 AAA batteries and I only recall changing batteries once so far.

      If anyone is serious about buying one, don’t be overwhelmed by the massive selection out there. Virtually any CREE LED light in the 600-800 lumen range will suit most needs just fine and be a great addition to your nonlethal weapon stash.

      Hope this helps.

      Oops! Correction to my above post. My 3 gun show lights are only 250 lumens. When I posted 800L I was confusing them with a weapon mounted light I have. Foggy memory from several years ago. In any case, this just shows how even a modest & cheap light can be very bright and functional. Adjust your shopping discernment accordingly.

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Beckita you are so good at remembering things. Thank you for your help. I should have been more specific or maybe it wasn’t Christopher J who wrote the post. This post on the flashlights was in this topic thread. The other post had the electric chainsaws and other devices. It was back a bit but I don’t remember which one. I searched under nonlethal weapons, Christopher J(thinking it was his post), and chainsaws, but couldn’t find it. It could have been early this summer. I don’t know. Maybe someone else remembers.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. As Charlies essays age and the comment thread grows,I read comments from the bottom up.

        I had quite a chuckle thinking, “That Beck’s packs some serious firepower!” in that, I thought it was you writing about your home arsenal!

        (:

        Liked by 5 people

  7. So, New Jersey is about to become the 9th state to approve voting by mail…

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-jersey-becomes-9th-state-adopt-universal-mail-voting

    …while the US Postal Service gives the appearance of preparing to contribute to massive vote fraud:

    https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election).

    It’s going to get so ugly in the coming months.

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Voting by mail is disenfranchisement of everyone. There is zero chain of custody. It was bad enough when we switched to computers.

      Liked by 4 people

  8. Yes, Mick, it probably will be. However, one thought occurred to me, that they might be moving these machines to areas that expect a higher volume of mail for the election, where they need more machines. Who knows! We’ll hope for the best. I really think we won’t know results of the election for a while, not on that night as we normally do. Come Lord Jesus!

    Glad to see the first Durham probe result today!

    Liked by 5 people

  9. One thing is for certain, trying to get two people to agree to anything is near impossible these days, and any endeavor that is heavy with logistics and strategy is going to bring out every opinion under the sun, and can quickly derail even a good idea. Too many cooks spoil the soup, as Grandma used to say, and you end up with a lot of cooks. When the Remnant came out with “Unite the Clans”, I thought, good God, people can’t agree what day it is anymore, how would any “clans” unite, and I don’t think it went anywhere, because human beings have always been rather challenging but with everybody’s nerves on edge particularly so.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. This is so true, Kate R. When I ponder how we are at odds with even those most close to us by blood and/or marriage, I think, heck we are even in conflict with ourselves at times! This is a good path to surrendering. Let it go. Trust, do, love. We are works in progress. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Urgent request for prayers/miracle pls! Young father overdosed last night—intubated/swollen brain, doctors not optimistic, parents, girlfriend young sons. These Beautiful people need prayers/miracle/hope. He lost his job to covid. Mercy, Jesus!

    Liked by 7 people

      1. So grateful, Beckita. +Please, God, Hope here, in whatever path You chose, Hope please. Not one lost, Lord+ Gary’s parents are asking for prayers. They’ve never been religious peeps but sure do live those precepts.

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        1. So very grateful, Doug! TY! My sil said they will let us know more Wednesday. Ugh. Right now, brain swollen, on vent. We are going camping in NH! this Fri to the following Sat. Mon would have been our LiamXOXO’s 21st Birthday. We like to thank God for Liam and God’s Mercy to him and us by going camping and climbing mountains. So this is particularly tough for us—-at this time, too. (what else is new about evil? Hah.)

          By God’s grace we will NEVER give up, NEVER give in, NEVER stop proclaiming His Mercy and Goodness—no matter how dark it gets. +Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I trust in You! I surrender every detail of all of our lives, past, present and future to You! I only ask that You never let us be separated from You and we may be Your lights in this dark world!+

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          1. Wow!  We live in NH.  Where in NH you headed?  Could meet you for a lunch out with Lambzie if not too far away.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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            1. Chochura KOA! We will have Doggo + 4 kiddos 🙂 Lunch is a lovely idea.

              We have a tent spot (11 person NTK tent!) right on the water for 3 days, then one of their private cabins starting on LiamXOXO’s b-day until Sat. We are hoping to hike the Franconia Notch (not sure the trail name, but we have maps galore, Lol!) on LiamXOXO’s bday. We hiked Chochura, Whiteface and Washington last year. So many beautiful trails in your lovely state!

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              2. Oh that is neat!  If you drive up route 3 (eventually becomes Everett turnpike), you will pass very close to us as you pass Manchester.  What day you drive up?  If works out, Lambzie and I could meet you in Manchester if you are up for it.  Chocura is a nice mountain.  I climbed it with my Dad when I was a teen.  —- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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                1. That sounds lovely. We are scheduled to arrive on Friday, I so lunch would be perfect. However we may be going to a funeral :… so much uncertainty. But I have your contact info, I will let you know.

                  Doug, last year when we climbed Chochura we were close to the summit. Then 3 thunder cells were converging on the mountain, so we turned back. There is a mountain hut before it starts getting really steep. We waited there, to see if the cells would pass–we all badly wanted to go to the summit. It was 90’s very humid. We prayed a rosary, chaplet. Looking at the live radar, it looked like we might get lucky, so we risked it. Well, on the top, not the sheer cap but were the sign is, we saw a wall of water coming toward us. Thank God no lighting—the cells did move, but the rain! The rain was so cold and the mountain so hot that the water running like a river off the top of the mountain was like bath water. We were very lucky we got off the mountain safely. We had 2 dogs with us and everyone had to sit and scootch down very slowly, dogs handed to people for safety. It was stupid but thrilling. We all felt it was a spiritual experience. It was very intense and hopeful—LiamXOXO on all our minds. I am grateful we didn’t end up featured on North Woods Law, ugh.

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                  1. Yes Littlelight.  Weather can be unpredictable up there.  This happened to me when I climbed Washington with my Dad.  Thunder storm came in on the way down from the peak.  There are painted stone cairns marking the trail where you could barely see the next one.  If you were off the trail by 30 feet, you would be totally blind to where it was. Ironically, this is one of the most memorable moments with my Dad.  Love my Dad.  He is still around and we are closer now than ever.  What contact info do you have from me?  Email?  I can give you my cell number if you email me.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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              3. My Dad has climbed all the 4000 footers (48 of them).  I have hit about 1/3 of them.  It is like being in the habit movie going through some of the forests climbing them.  I find it very peaceful there.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

                Liked by 1 person

                1. He’s a peak bagger!! Wow, that is impressive! We would love to do that. I remember reading a story at one of the ranger stations there about that couple that did that early in 20th century. It is so inspiring. Yes, there is something something of intimacy with God in those very awesome settings.

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      3. So very appreciated, my friend. Gary is our nephew. Parents wrapped their arms around us when our son tragically and suddenly died. Their son has such a troubled past. Last couple of years he really turned it around. We all Rejoiced. He lost his honest, good job to the political covid $%^&, and I think end of July was when benefits shortened? Not sure about details, but +Jesus+ knows. Against all odds, he tried his hardest, and fell short, drawn back into evil. +Jesus knows!+ We have been praying for decades. I know all those prayers and tears are not in vain. No matter the apparent outcome, I believe +Jesus has them all in His hands, and The Lord will triumph here. Praise You, my God!+

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      1. TY Phoenix!!! Your name is our Hope in this Terrible situation—that God’s victory will rise up from the apparent ashes of so much evil, so much tragedy. We may just not see it in this life, is all. God’s will be done!

        Liked by 2 people

  12. I wanted to comment on the hydroxy zpack and zinc treatment for covid.. I have been studying this from the beginning of this demonic virus..from the Dr. in New York who treated the Hasidic Jewish community during the height of the pandemic in New York with this trio with great success..the Dr. from Francewho came up with this treatment again with great success..many more doctors from around the world including treating the masses in India with prophylactic hydroxychloroquine to the frontline doctors.. I feel I have learned why it works and MUST be given at the earliest signs of symptoms. During one week the frontline doctors prepared a 7 hour video of the proof of this on a Monday ,the following day it was removed from all sites,on Wednesday Ohio made it illegal to treat covid with hydroxychloroquine and on Thursday DeWine rescinded that order and made it a decision between you and your doctor..that is when I called my dr and explained for 15 minutes why my husband and I wanted to be given this treatment if we should contact covid.. After finally telling her while I know I’m not a dr I’m also not an idiot and I’ve done my homework..I was told absolutely not! I cannot find a dr that will help us in Dayton Ohio.. This is unbelievable to me ..the woke women on the lefts mantra is my body my choice when it comes tomurdering their children yet I cannot get treatment with this trio that would never hurt me ? As I’ve said before I’m so overwhelmed by the evil surrounding us..We are in such a spiritual battle..Please LORD help us to keep our eyes on you fill us with your Holy Spirit and show us our mission to head into this battle ..watching the World War 2vets tonite on fox as the daughter of a military father I cried for what our country was .. please help us LORD protect our President Trump that we may bring America back to you and out of the evil madness we are in..

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Unless you watch the Laura Ingraham show on Fox news, you have been told basically that not only does it not work, but it will do you GREAT harm.
      I think one of the doctors on Laura’s program said the FDA gets a third of its funding from the drug companies. (apparently the drug companies can’t make $ off of it. I really hope this is mostly ignorance and not intentional.
      Would it help to notify our congressmen and senators, republican of course)
      ps My doctor thinks its all politics= hatred of Trump.
      ps2 Just wondering if your dr is a democrat.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. and here is the amazing article by Harvey Risch August 12, 2020 10:29 AM
        https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/hydroxychloroquine-works-in-high-risk-patients-and-saying-otherwise-is-dangerous
        …What do you need to know to evaluate these smears against hydroxychloroquine? The first thing to understand is that COVID-19 has two main stages. At the first stage, it is a flu-like illness. That illness will not kill you. If you are a high-risk patient and begin treatment immediately, you will almost certainly be done with it in a few days. When not treated, high-risk patients may progress. The virus then causes severe pneumonia and attacks many organs, including the heart. In this second stage, hydroxychloroquine is not effective…
        …I am speaking out, but where is everyone else? Where are our elected officials, including those who are themselves physicians? Some, including Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, have been discussing evidence of the drug’s effectiveness, but where are the rest?

        Liked by 4 people

        1. I was on the phone yesturday with a man who just recovered from Covid-19 along with his son.
          He is in Miami and he went to the hospital for treatment.
          Not only did they not test him but they offered him NO treatment whatsoever and just sent him home!
          He had all the classic symptoms (loss of taste/smell, long fever) for Covid and he based his full recovery on the fact that he had been on a zinc supplement before the illness.
          We are truly in strange times right now when a public health institution treats a disease which is publically touted- on one side, to be so dangerous- but on the other, like they’d rather just send you home without treatment as if it’s just the Common cold!
          This seems like an oxymoron to me but I guess the policy is if you don’t need hospitalization, there is no “available treatment right now” so just send them home until they need a ventilator- THEN , we can make some money!?!
          Jesus, have mercy on us!

          Liked by 5 people

          2. Phillip, we now have so many easy ways to prevent or treat Covid-19 that literally nobody should be dying of it. Any hospital that treats a patient this way should be abandoned. Find a hospital that will use the Marik EVMS protocol. And pretty much never use a ventilator on a Covid patient. Put them into a Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber for 3-7 daily treatments and then send them home cured.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. Robin, I very much agree with you. However, please don’t despair on getting HCQ to go with your zinc. I know of two ways you can get the right arrangement.

      First, (from my upcoming revision for my paper), “You may be able to get a prescription for HCQ using an online doctor service or concierge medical group. One such service I have heard of that appears legit is SpeakWithAnMD, at https://speakwithanmd.com . Note that I have not used these people myself and am *not* endorsing them. However, I did hear from people online that indeed they are real and will prescribe HCQ after a $60 15-minute consult over the phone. I am sure that there are a number of such sites on the web here in the US now. If your doctor won’t prescribe HCQ for you, then try one of these services. If your local pharmacy won’t honor that online doctor’s prescription, try a mail-order pharmacy like DCA Pharmacy at http://dcapharmacy.com.

      Second, as I have said in my original paper and resoundingly endorse again here, Quercetin does the same thing HCQ does for zinc. HCQ pushes zinc into the cells. It is the *zinc* that does the work of stopping viral replication. That means using Quercetin, which also pushes zinc into cells, is a great substitution, and Q can be purchased at Amazon, iHerb, health food stores and so on, no prescription needed. Mercola actually says that, because of Q’s other good effects, it may actually be better than HCQ for this treatment.

      I use 1 cap of Quercetin Phytosome by Thorne Research plus 30 mg zinc daily as a prophylaxis. If I get ill with Covid, I’ll increase that to 2 (maybe 3) caps of the Q and 150 mg of the zinc. Quercetin is non-toxic below 3 grams a day for long-term use, so short-term use as I intend for me should be fine.

      However, you may be able to enlist your doctor (unknowingly) in helping you fight off Covid. Tell her you want to be healthy so will she please give you lab test sheets to test your Vitamin D3 every 3-4 months. Then you can read the results for yourself and decide whether you need to take D3 as a supplement or not. A D3 level about 40 essentially guarantees you will never go to the hospital with a severe case of Covid, and if you can get your level up to the 60-80 level that is the optimal range, you should never have any problem with Covid. Any doctor worth her salt should be happy to give you a regular D3 test. If your doctor doesn’t agree to its importance and help you get regular testing, well, if I were you, I would find a better doctor.

      Keep in mind always that a doctor is not necessarily a healer. In my experience, many doctors are *not* healers. You want a healer first and a doctor second. Finding one person who is a healer and who also happens to be a doctor would be a big win for you.

      Like

      2. (it’s in the first video marked “Dr Kory testifies”
        It is excellent!!!

        Like

  13. Steve BC I am right there with you in needing a solid whack up alongside the head. I have been listening to Father Altier’s homilies to get that daily whack. You can access them by going to St. Raphael Catholic Church in Crystal, MN. For over 20 years, Father has been consistent in speaking about the times we are in and the need to choose God. He doesn’t beat around the bush. You would think that would be frightening or depressing, but I find it inspiring. He has such devotion to The Blessed Mother and the glorious afterward of the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart. It shines through, as does his love for God and His people.
    Before then-Father DeGrood became our Pastor, as a Parish, we were invited to pray for a holy priest to replace our retiring Pastor. We prayed for over a year, asking St. Padre Pip to intercede for us, for a holy Priest, faithful to the teachings of Jesus and His Church. We prayed after every Mass, led by our outgoing Pastor. It was so beautiful. We prayed in our Perpetual Adoration Chapel- all committed adorers made that their prayer. God certainly heard and answered us. I firmly believe that all and any good we have is because of our Adoration Chapel and the prayers there. I think I need to increase my time there. I have to say I am weary like you, Sister Bear. Our Catholic School is reopening September 8th, thank God. Parents who are not comfortable sending their children to school will have access to distance learning again. As a teacher there, I am so glad. Distance learning last spring was tough for everyone. I am not tech savvy, and have no desire to be. I guess I am old-school as a teacher. I do not believe technology is good for developing brains at all. I am thankful we had it while we were shut down, or our students would have had nothing. Still, I don’t believe it is the answer, and I believe it shuts down many avenues of learning to actually think. I realize this post is rambling. I guess I wanted to say to Steve and Sister Bear, I am with you. These whacks in the head and Adoration give this battle-weary teacher the heart to get up and keep going. Remembering how God has worked in the past is a wonderful reminder that He has not left us, and is at work whether we see it or not. Love and prayers for all here.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Depends on the sinner Doug.
      Some respond to the wack, others to a kiss.
      Jesus delt out both.
      He knew and still knows.
      The Holy Spirit inspires and we respond in kind for His purpose at hand.
      Gotta love it that in both ways He gets the job done.

      Liked by 3 people

  16. Early this morning I was up as usual reading and came across an article I believe all should read it is very powerful and frightening. I apologize for not being able to post it as crewdog and others do but I will give the info and urge you to look it up.. I have always wondered how Hitler and other monsters were able to accomplish the horrors of the holocaust and reading this I now understand and it is horrifying ..read in only 6 days what an experiment at Stanford showed ..” 3 ways human psychology is being exploited to create an obedient self policing society” By Dylan Charles. Also watch the video from Stanford with it

    Liked by 4 people

    1. ok that will give you nightmares for sure Robin. I’m not surprised by any of it, but to see it all on one post is sobering to say the least.
      Thank God my FAITH is strong. Doubling up on prayer and contemplation each and everyday. God is the only way out of or through this madness.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Today Aleteia.com is advocating for a “whole Rosary” (all 4 Mysteries) be said for “protection, healing,& the radical transformation of our country”. I said it instead of my usual Rosary this morning. It was quite lovely.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. William mentioned the derecho earlier this week. News coming out about Iowa is sobering.

    From a FB friend:
    Towns (like mine) which were not hit by the derecho in Iowa are now running out of essential supplies… gas, generators, chainsaws… Our stores are ordering in as fast as they can, but Iowa needs help. If you have a contact with a national news agency, call in your favor and tell them to come to Iowa. ***10 MILLION ACRES OF CROPS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED*** Yes, I’m shouting. If you think that loss won’t have a ripple affect that touches both coasts, hang on to your shorts, kids.

    Liked by 5 people

    2. Of all places The Weather Channel has been showing the crop damage in Iowa this week, which is where I learned of it. They have shown how huge metal grain silos were destroyed and the wind was so loud, people nearby could not hear the destruction. They showed a report from Iowa again this morning, which is Saturday the 15th.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Gosh how interesting, William. I have seen a lot of online photos of the destruction and I sense that we’ve only just begun with such as this.

        Like

    3. Praying now for Iowa. Saw nothing on the news. What is the matter with people these days?! I’m sure that many children of God are doing their best to assist there. Let’s send donations to the local St. Vincent de Paul Groups in Iowa who are on the ground and helping. God bless our Iowan brothers and sisters.

      Liked by 3 people

  19. Ok so I told y’all the story the other day about the antifa telling people in Kentucky that they would burn down their town if they didn’t blow their horns for ✊🏾 blm! Right? Well I actually spoke to Char again on Friday to make sure I had that story right. I got it wrong!😫I actually merged two stories together!!!

    True story #1. Protesters were here in Norwalk Ohio. Deacon Jim and his wife Bev were downtown (probably by our church?) and protesters started banging on their car yelling “honk your horn for ✊🏾 blm!”

    Bev opened her window and said ,” All lives matter!” Deacon Jim was getting mad so Bev told them, you don’t want to see my husband angry!

    They drove off without incidence but definitely felt threatened!

    Story #2. Somebody in Chars group saw on the news that protesters were in a small town in Kentucky and went into a store and demanded money 💰 for repatriation and if they didn’t do it, they’d be back to “burn their little town down to the ground!”

    Sorry I get things mixed up sometimes!🤪

    Liked by 1 person

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.