We survived Thanksgiving‚ just barely. We met some friends in Deadwood at the Grand‚ but didn’t have reservations‚ so got kicked to the sports bar where I ordered a Jack on the rocks and a buffalo/elk burger‚ oops. Okay‚ back to the Xmas Card list updates and corrections. Hang on. Ride Fast and Free Forever‚ –Bandit The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine‚ the MRF‚ Iron Trader News‚ ChopperTown‚ BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Click here to read this week’s news only on Bikernet.com * * * * What is Bandit’s Cantina? Surely you have been there! Well‚ check it out: Click This ! The post Holiday Happenings Bikernet Weekly News for November 30‚ 2023 appeared first on Bikernet Blog - Online Biker Magazine.

A Prayer to Prepare Him RoomBy Ashley Moore “...and she gave birth to her firstborn‚ a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger‚ because there was no guest room available for them.” – Luke 2:7‚ NIV Every Christmas season‚ I look forward to buying a pine-scented candle and pulling the Christmas decorations out of the shed. My husband‚ our three kids‚ and I sip hot chocolate and reminisce as we admire the ornament collection and listen to Lauren Daigle's Christmas album. What are some of your family’s Christmas traditions? Maybe you clear out a space in front of your window to put up a fresh tree you cut down together. Or do you take the thanksgiving decorations off the mantle to put up the nativity scene? Perhaps you replace your regular string lights around your patio and put up the special twinkle lights.  Whatever the case‚ this time of year always ushers in a spirit of preparation. We prepare our calendars for holiday gatherings. We prepare our homes with Christmas-themed decorations. We prepare our plates with Christmas cookies and special holiday delicacies. We prepare everything else in our lives‚ but do we take time to prepare our hearts and minds? Before the Son of God’s birth‚ Roman leaders decreed a census to account for each person. This required people from all over Israel to return to their hometowns to be registered. This caravan included Joseph and Mary‚ who traveled to Bethlehem‚ even though Mary was very near to her time to give birth to Jesus (Luke 2:2-4). Because so many people arrived around the same time when Mary and Joseph looked for a comfortable place for her to give birth‚ there was no lodging available for them (Luke 2:7). Admittedly‚ as someone who resides in the Western world‚ this is hard to imagine because I live in a time of modern medicine and hospitals‚ fancy hotels‚ and convenience. But this event held no such comforts for the birth of Christ. The only space available for Jesus' birth was a barn! My intention is not to villainize today’s culture‚ which places a high value on comfort and security. However‚ culture‚ today and of old‚ often prioritizes comfort over holiness. Just like the influx of visitors overcrowded the accommodations in Bethlehem‚ we often overcrowd our hearts‚ moving Jesus to the fringes instead of the center. I propose that we prepare our hearts and minds this holiday season by reading the biblical accounts of Christ's birth (Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2). Make these true stories a part of your family's existing traditions. Read them to your children and visiting family. Talk about the light of the world as much as you talk about the beauty of the tree with its twinkling lights. Worship our Savior King as you hum along to your favorite Christmas album.  We are often too easily swept away in all the magical traditions causing us to forget the true gift of the Christmas season. As we prepare our homes and families for Christmas‚ can we also prepare room in our hearts and minds? String the lights up‚ sip the cocoa‚ and as you prepare room in your home‚ also prepare Christ room in your heart and mind this Christmas. Let’s remember how the King of the World‚ the God of the Universe‚ the Word of God‚ became a gentle and lowly baby so that we would have a way to be reconciled to God for eternity. Unlike the townspeople of tiny Bethlehem‚ let God’s people everywhere prepare Him room.  Let's pray: Dear Lord‚ Thank you that even in an openly hostile‚ anti-Christian world‚ we still have the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ. God‚ I know there is nothing inherently wrong with the Christmas traditions‚ but help us to keep the proper perspective and priority this holiday season. Forgive us when we crowd up space for you by being overly distracted with traditions. Help us weave in the biblical accounts of your birth to prepare room for you in our hearts as often as we make room for the Christmas decorations this year. Help us get creative and make it a point to use this time of year to share the good news of the birth of our Savior. We love you. In Jesus' name‚ amen. Photo credit: ©Gettyimages/kevron2001 Ashley Moore is a writer and host of be the twopodcast. She is known for her relatability and for passionately writing and speaking about mental‚ emotional‚ and relational health from a biblical worldview. She has written for Kingdom Edge Magazine‚ Guideposts‚ Crosswalk‚ The Secret Place‚ enLIVEn‚ The Bubbling Brook and more. If Ashley isn’t writing‚ you can find her with her husband‚ three children‚ and two floppy-eared Goldens on their south Georgia farmland. The best way to connect with Ashley is to grab a free devotional or Bible study and join her newsletter at free.ashleynicolemoore.com. LISTEN to More Christmas Prayers on LifeAudio Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week‚ she gives you practical‚ real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day‚ click below! Now that you’ve prayed‚ are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Prepare Him Room – Your Daily Prayer – December 1 appeared first on GodUpdates.

December 1‚ 2023 The Solution for an Exhausted SoulASHLEY MORGAN JACKSON  Lee en español "... Martha‚ Martha‚ you are anxious and troubled about many things‚ but one thing is necessary." Luke 10:41-42a (ESV)  The season I was in had been harder than expected. If I was honest‚ I wasn't just physically exhausted - my soul was exhausted. I wanted to please the Lord but felt like I was failing. Desperate for answers‚ I felt resentment growing in my heart because the Lord wasn't making things better for me. If I could only figure out what God wanted me to do‚ I could move on from this awful place I had been stuck in for far too long. All of this on my mind‚ I tried to get comfortable in the passenger seat as my husband and I drove through the winding roads of the Rocky Mountains. Impatiently‚ I asked him‚ "So what do you think I should do?" drawing him back into the endless conversation where I processed all my thoughts out loud‚ hoping he would help me untangle the mess inside of me. As the question hovered in the car‚ just under the surface were my most pressing thoughts: I don't want to make the wrong choice. I don't want to do anything for the wrong reasons. I don’t want to make God mad. I don't want others to judge me. Am I good enough? What should I do to feel good enough?  Without taking his eyes off the road‚ he replied‚ "I don't think what you do matters so much. I don't care what you do - I care more about who you are and whether you're kind‚ loving and happy." I burst into tears because I knew these weren't just kind words but a reminder from God. I was immediately reminded of Jesus' words to Martha when she was busy‚ frantic and upset: "Martha‚ Martha‚ you are anxious and troubled about many things‚ but one thing is necessary" (Luke 10:41-42a). Like Martha‚ we often worry about solutions‚ getting help and checking boxes. We become anxious over how it's all going to work out. But the Lord reminds us again and again that we don't need to worry. Only one thing is necessary: to keep our eyes on Him. While God cared about what I was going through‚ He was prioritizing who I was becoming. What is the one thing God is asking you to remember today? If this season has been harder than expected and you feel frustrated‚ fearful and forgotten‚ God knows all of that. But He is asking you to trust Him anyway. He doesn’t expect you to figure it all out - instead‚ daily let your heart rest in Him. He has everything you need. Oh‚ Lord‚ I am so tired of feeling like I must carry it all alone. Help me to remember to keep my eyes on You and to rest in You. Thank You for lovingly guiding me even when life feels confusing and hard. I choose to trust You again today. In Jesus’ Name‚ Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS If you've tried it all - saying the right words and prayers‚ reading the right Bible verses - but nothing seems to work‚ check out Ashley Morgan Jackson's new book‚ Tired of Trying: How to Hold on to God When You're Frustrated‚ Fed Up‚ and Feeling Forgotten! Ashley is no stranger to this kind of spiritual exhaustion and discouragement. Rich with biblical encouragement‚ personal story and practical application‚ Tired of Trying is an invitation to wrestle with and face God in your greatest fears‚ pains and unanswered questions. Order today! ENGAGE You can find more encouragement from Ashley on Instagram‚ where she shares daily reminders about who you are and whose you are! If you feel frustrated and unsure of what God is asking of you in your current season‚ Ashley has a FREE series for you: "What If You're Not Stuck? 3 Days to Uncover What God Might Be Doing When You Feel Like You Can't Move On." FOR DEEPER STUDY Psalm 55:22‚ "Cast your burden on the LORD‚ and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved" (ESV). In which area of your life have you started to believe it is on your shoulders to figure it all out? What is one thing you can do today to cast your cares on the Lord instead? Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2023 by Ashley Morgan Jackson. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews‚ NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post The Solution for an Exhausted Soul –  Encouragement for Today – December 1‚ 2023 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1913 - Flag of Greece officially raised at Firka Fortress‚ Chania Crete symbolising the union of Crete and Greece 1928 - CFL Grey Cup‚ AAA Grounds‚ Hamilton: Hamilton Tigers win 3rd Cup with 30-0 shutout of Regina Roughriders 1973 - Davis Cup Men's Tennis‚ Cleveland‚ Ohio: Rod Laver and John Newcombe beat American pair Stan Smith and Erik van Dillen 6-1‚ 6-2‚ 6-4 to give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead‚ (ends 5-0); 23rd Cup title for Australia 1990 - 56th Heisman Trophy Award: Ty Detmer‚ Brigham Young (QB) 1991 - US 75th manned space mission "STS 44" Atlantis 10 lands 1999 - Rapper Jay-Z stabs record executive Lance "Un" Rivera at a night club in New York 2012 - FC Barcelona with 13 wins and a draw sets new La Liga start to Spanish football season record; Lionel Messi scores twice in 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao; pass Real Madrid's 1991-92 season mark 2012 - Ex-England soccer captain David Beckham leaves LA Galaxy triumphantly with a second MLS Cup winner's medal after a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo in Carson‚ CA; final game of a 6-year stint in US 2016 - Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is declared King of Thailand‚ succeeding his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej 2016 - UN admits its peacekeepers were responsible for the cholera epidemic in Haiti in 2010 that killed 30‚000 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1864 - Raid at Stoneman: Knoxville‚ Tennessee to Saltville‚ Virginia 1887 - Sherlock Holmes first appears in print in "Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle 1936 - Ernest Brundin and Frank Lyon obtain US patent for hydroponic (soil-less) culture of plants 1978 - US President Jimmy Carter more than doubles national park system size 2012 - FC Barcelona with 13 wins and a draw sets new La Liga start to Spanish football season record; Lionel Messi scores twice in 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao; pass Real Madrid's 1991-92 season mark 2018 - Computer-animated film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" starring Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Award Best Animated Film 2019) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1917 - Geraldine McCullough‚ American painter and sculptor (Phoenix)‚ born in Maywood‚ Illinois (d. 2008) 1946 - (Raymond) "Gilbert" O'Sullivan‚ Irish singer-songwriter ("Alone Again Naturally")‚ born in Waterford‚ Ireland 1948 - Neil Warnock‚ English soccer winger and manager (Crystal Palace‚ Leeds‚ QPR‚ Cardiff City)‚ born in Sheffield‚ England 1971 - Rob Waldrop‚ American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Outland Trophy 1993 Arizona; CFL‚ Toronto Argonauts)‚ born in Atlanta‚ Georgia 1972 - Norbert Wójtowicz‚ Polish historian and theologian 1981 - Francia Elena Márquez Mina‚ Colombian human rights activist‚ environmentalist and politician (Vice-President of Colombia)‚ born in Yolombó‚ Colombia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1723 - Susanna Centlivre‚ English actress known as "the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century"‚ dies at 66 (approximately) 1750 - Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr‚ German mathematician‚ astronomer and cartographer‚ dies at 73 1884 - William Swainson (lawyer)‚ second‚ and last‚ Attorney-General (New Zealand) of the Crown Colony of New Zealand (b. 1809) 1971 - Arthur B. Spingarn‚ American lawyer and civil rights activist (NAACP chairman‚ 1940-65)‚ dies at 93 1998 - Bertil Nordahl‚ Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Atalanta; Olympic gold 1948)‚ dies at 81 2001 - Ellis R. Dungan‚ American born Indian film director‚ dies at 92 More Famous Deaths »

New Zealand government vaccination database official has gone rogue and blown the whistle on the real numbers of deaths related to the mandatory Covid vaccine roll-out in the world’s most vaccinated country. The whistleblower was [...] The post New Zealand Gov’t Official Blows Whistle on Major Covid Vaccine Deaths Cover Up appeared first on The People's Voice.

Mask mandates during the pandemic caused an increase of Covid infections‚ according to a groundbreaking new peer-reviewed academic study that has proven the highest cases of Covid were reported among those who wore masks the [...] The post Peer-Reviewed Study Admits People Who Wore Masks Were Most Likely To Catch Covid appeared first on The People's Voice.

AC/DC's Journey through the 1980s could have been very different if Brian Johnson had had his way