dprh

Acknowledging the fact anyone can put whatever they feel like into a prayer...
Can we pray to change another's heart? Would Heavenly Father work on that person due to our prayer?
Such seems like a good thing to pray for, but then, what of agency? What becomes of that person's agency when we pray for a change in them?

It could only be an improvement over normal Kraft Mac & Cheese 🤢  But I'll pass.

...does it? 
I noticed the past tense.

I think of scene from Batman Begins when the thief grabs Martha's necklace.  

Flashback to me at age 9 or 10:
We were putting on an assembly program celebrating our military.  As we learned all the songs, the teacher taught us these lyrics for the Air Force:
For whatever reason, this elementary school teacher demanded we sing "Corps" as "Corpse" instead of pronouncing it core.  I tried several times to point this out to her, she shut me down several times.  I was frustrated with my inability to communicate my point well enough to convince her.  I vowed to become better, to do better.
This flashback hit me as I'm arguing VAERS data in the vaccine thread.  I don't know if I've made a single inch of progress or not.  

Two things that are true at the same time: 
- It's possible to get the vaccine, and then, later, die of causes totally unrelated to the vaccine or covid or governments. 
- Sometimes, those totally unrelated deaths will show up in the VAERS database.  And you can't tell by lookin', whether the death was related to the vaccine or not.  VAERS doesn't usually specify cause of death.  
Perhaps this might help.  I just downloaded the 2021 VAERS data, and found all the people who died.  Here are some of the entries in the "SYMPTOM_TEXT" field:
There's one of your 519 Janssen deaths - died after getting in a car crash, of an aneurysm.  Must have been the vaccine, right?
 
Here's patient 917793.  NeedleinA, please explain how this can be a "VAERS vaccine" death.
 
 
Here's another one, patient 917790:
 
 
Here are others:
- Reported Cause(s) of Death: MASSIVE STROKE; COVID-19 PNEUMONIA; THROMBOCYTOPENIA
- On an unknown date, the patient received dose of mRNA-1273 (Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine) (Intramuscular) 1 dosage form. On an unknown date, the patient experienced COMPLETED SUICIDE 
- Unlikely that the events are related to the vaccine. Very limited information has been reported at this time. Further information is not expected.; Reported Cause(s) of Death: Unknown cause of death
Other things:
- The 2021 file has at least 117 examples of deaths that occurred more than 100 days after the vaccine was given.  414 deaths that happened 50-99 days later.  How can any reasonable person be expected to believe they're all due to the vaccine?
 
Here's a quick scatterplot I did of age of death according to the VAERS data:

Compare that to a random chart I found on the internet that shows the age people died in the UK in 2015.

Hard question: If the vaccine is killing people earlier than they otherwise would have died, why do the two charts look pretty much the same?
 
Summary:   If you think VAERS data tells you who died of the vaccines, you don't understand VAERS.
Also a summary: If you believe the vaccine is killing people because you read VAERS data, but you mistrust COVID statistics because you mistrust the scientists and organizations who deliver the statistics to you, there is something wrong with your thought process.
 

I feel that way myself.  I think it's the nature of forums, social media, sound-bite culture to try to simplify things.  We end up losing the nuances of topics.  I know I have a difficult time expressing my thoughts in text format and become more confrontational than I do in person. This topic, like many others, isn't black or white, left or right, bond or free.....but when I respond to something, like I did about the World Doctors Alliance, I then get questioned about it overall and I feel almost compelled to defend things that aren't what I meant to.  

I'll repeat my mother's experience.
She tested positive when she had a mild flu-like episode.  She recovered fine.  A short while later (think it was about a month or two) she had a heart-attack and died.  Her death certificate indicated "heart-attack" but someone gathering statistics included her in the COVID deaths because she tested positive within "some time frame" of her death.
This is not to say that COVID isn't serious.  It very often is.  But it isn't as serious as the media make it out to be. 
I don't know why I find myself walking this line.  Why do I feel like I'm the only one who realizes that it truly is a serious disease that we ought to be taking precautions for, while at the same time believing that it is still being blown WAY out of proportion?

Brilliant product idea!  Anchors A-Whey - A new dairy product that provides protein for newscasters to stay alert while on camera!

Cankers Aweigh! -Radical new gravity-dental-floss-and-lead-weight-based treatment for oral lesions
 

Brilliant product idea!  Anchors A-Whey - A new dairy product that provides protein for newscasters to stay alert while on camera!

Lol! Actually, no! Lol. 

We watch sports, news, and trashy reality shows like Big Brother. Virtually nothing else. Nothing wrong with NCIS or anything it’s just not our thing. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN26T2TR
Outdated quote. He’s a hero trying to save lives. I truly don’t understand the hate this man gets.

Have you never watched NCIS????

The Marines always conveniently forget that they are a branch of the Navy.  

All well and good @pam, but gramps reminds us
 

They claimed that COVID was a flu.
They claimed it wasn't a pandemic.
They claimed the PCR tests are highly unreliable.
They made false claims about the timing and death rates from COVID in Ireland.

It seems as if they are checking and updating these
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/covid-deaths-car-crash-comorbidities-coronavirus-death-total-counts-john-hopkins-study/65-e3842ed2-f753-4a15-8b97-c2ae75c2b2ce

My dad and my ex-husband are both retired Navy.  I worked for the Navy (as a civilian) for 18 years.  I worked in a Navy facility as the only civilian where they repaired helicopter and jet engines.  I was the supply logistics manager.  I ordered and received and kept inventory of parts needed to repair the engines.
Plus I was Ombudsman for 3 Navy ships and on an Admiral's staff for family liaisons.  

We need a "wow" reaction.

I gotta admit, I do have a hard time believing anything from the World Doctors Alliance.
https://factcheck.afp.com/world-doctors-alliance-shares-false-and-misleading-claims-about-covid-19-pandemic
https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/the-group-doctors-for-truth-spreads-misinformation-about-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-the-virus-and-the-reliability-of-diagnostic-tests/
https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-afs:Content:9573357676
https://www.newswise.com/factcheck/a-video-posted-by-a-european-based-group-called-world-doctors-alliance-falsely-claims-the-novel-coronavirus-is-a-normal-flu-virus

I've heard that "rest" in this sense might not be like laying on a couch, but as in the remaining amount.  Inheriting the "rest of the Lord" could be whatever we have not yet inherited, or the difference between what we have now (or at that moment) and everything else.

We are promised rest, even eternal rest. I think much of the anxiety we experience is a result, not of our experiences, but of our mortal state.

About 30 years ago I was on a business trip as a shoe salesman in a four-state territory (lots of travel).  Anyway, I was getting hungry and stopped at a roadside fruit stand in Georgia.  When I got out of the car the scent hit me like a ton of bricks.  PEACHES!  The stand was pretty busy and the owner was working with one misshapen peach at a time and a pocket knife.  He would hand a slice of peach to a person in line and then they would hand over $20 and receive a brown paper bag with a dozen peaches.  When it was my turn, I accepted the dripping slice and ate it with gusto.  Apparently, I had never eaten a real peach previously...  It exploded in my mouth and the flavor was so intense.  I gladly handed over the Jackson and returned to my car.  I ate 2 more peaches before starting my truck.  And 30 minutes later I had eaten the whole bag.  My hands were wet and sticky.  The driving wheel was wet and stick.  My white collared shirt was a disaster and I had to go thru the luggage in the bed of the pickup truck to get a new shirt and towel off with a baby wipe.  It was glorious.
I have been chasing that day ever since.  I have never been back to Georgia.  But occasionally I will go into a grocery store and look at a geometrically stacked display of peaches.  The shapes are all perfect, the peach fuzz is pleasant to the touch, and the unblemished skin is that wonderful collage of sunset colors.  Finally, when I get home I unpack and then try out the peach - it's never as good.  And sometimes the fruit has a similar texture and taste of a baseball.   It's ALWAYS a disappointment.  But I do it over and over.  Occasionally I will find a passable peach, about once every 4-5 years when a truckload of tree-ripened peaches hits a local store and you can smell them when you hit the door.  Plenty of customers comment about the smell and are busy filling plastic bags.  But 95 out of 100x times the peaches are garbage.  Better for throwing at your enemies than eating.  And no matter how long they rest on your counter or fridge they never ripen.  Every single time this happens I feel cheated.  Cheated that I fell for the same old trick.  They look good on the outside, but they are not real.  And not only did I fake myself out again with unrealistic expectations, I wasted my hard-earned money.  Almost to the level of self-loathing.  Will I ever figure this out?!
 
This week I was thinking about peaches and comparing the experience to more important things in life like:
True love and sex within the bounds of an eternal marriage vs. pornography 
Prayer, and scripture study vs. the philosophy man and social media
Healthy lifestyle and diet  vs. overeating, processed foods, fad diets, prescription medications, workout equipment, etc