<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506</id><updated>2024-09-01T15:58:23.205-07:00</updated><category term="- from Mere Christianity #CSLewis"/><category term="C.S. Lewis - from Mere Christianity"/><category term="Marine Corps History"/><category term="#NeverForget911"/><category term="- Charles de Foucauld"/><category term="- from &quot;Membership&quot; (The Weight of Glory)"/><category term="Center Church by Timothy Keller"/><category term="True Spiritual Growth"/><category term="United States Marine Corps"/><title type='text'>Michael Estrada</title><subtitle type='html'>Former United States Marine currently a student at VETI</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default?redirect=false'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25&amp;redirect=false'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>251</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-842437561721911884</id><published>2015-12-09T05:52:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2015-12-09T05:52:16.668-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>http://bible.com/59/2co.7.1.ESV</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/842437561721911884/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/12/httpbible.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/842437561721911884'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/842437561721911884'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/12/httpbible.html' title=''/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-3791949790809448190</id><published>2015-10-26T13:05:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-10-26T13:05:18.054-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/tech/2015/09/17/marines-unveil-plan-modernize-their-small-arms-arsenal/72006282/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/3791949790809448190/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/10/httpwww.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3791949790809448190'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3791949790809448190'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/10/httpwww.html' title=''/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-3652647816930412568</id><published>2015-10-02T06:41:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-10-02T06:41:10.698-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Another Sad Day for America </title><content type='html'>http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/02/oregon-shooter-said-to-have-singled-out-christians-for-killing-in-horrific-act-of-cowardice/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/3652647816930412568/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/10/another-sad-day-for-america.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3652647816930412568'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3652647816930412568'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/10/another-sad-day-for-america.html' title='Another Sad Day for America '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-2990923293022367277</id><published>2015-09-13T03:14:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-09-13T03:14:16.286-07:00</updated><title type='text'>#VeteransLivesMatter</title><content type='html'>
http://www.westernjournalism.com/a-u-s-soldier-was-about-to-pull-the-trigger-and-end-his-life-then-he-heard-2-words-whispered/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/2990923293022367277/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/veteranslivesmatter.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2990923293022367277'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2990923293022367277'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/veteranslivesmatter.html' title='#VeteransLivesMatter'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-4149450054372512317</id><published>2015-09-11T08:06:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-09-11T08:06:43.573-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="#NeverForget911"/><title type='text'>14 years later </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;America #NeverForget911&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbsPitDCO9ISRSKZPfc8YB6oar5nALKT8HaMLDO0T6gT33jfKiH1lkeWXMo0HnQhzw1xmBf3eFysNq0pfh_1HTsh3aVHDurVSoBlJSORKrmPe8TqIukI8PSGzBmPmL7zSNN0_E-gD3MlQ/s1600/IMG_20150911_100502.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt; &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbsPitDCO9ISRSKZPfc8YB6oar5nALKT8HaMLDO0T6gT33jfKiH1lkeWXMo0HnQhzw1xmBf3eFysNq0pfh_1HTsh3aVHDurVSoBlJSORKrmPe8TqIukI8PSGzBmPmL7zSNN0_E-gD3MlQ/s640/IMG_20150911_100502.jpg&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/4149450054372512317/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/14-years-later.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4149450054372512317'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4149450054372512317'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/14-years-later.html' title='14 years later '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbsPitDCO9ISRSKZPfc8YB6oar5nALKT8HaMLDO0T6gT33jfKiH1lkeWXMo0HnQhzw1xmBf3eFysNq0pfh_1HTsh3aVHDurVSoBlJSORKrmPe8TqIukI8PSGzBmPmL7zSNN0_E-gD3MlQ/s72-c/IMG_20150911_100502.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-344747376143335462</id><published>2015-09-09T09:25:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-09-09T09:25:24.220-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Biblical Prophecies</title><content type='html'>http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/09/09/iran-deal-khamenei-says-israel-destroyed-in-25-years/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/344747376143335462/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/biblical-prophecies.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/344747376143335462'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/344747376143335462'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/09/biblical-prophecies.html' title='Biblical Prophecies'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-5070052418128597288</id><published>2015-08-28T09:10:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-28T09:10:23.337-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/08/27/exclusive-benghazi-witness-u-s-provided-arms-to-jihadists-who-killed-americans-in-911-attack/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/5070052418128597288/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/httpwww.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5070052418128597288'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5070052418128597288'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/httpwww.html' title=''/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-1097192421718361955</id><published>2015-08-11T12:53:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-11T12:53:03.698-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="- Charles de Foucauld"/><title type='text'>United to our Lord </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;We should try to be so closely united to our Lord that we reproduce his life in our own, that our thoughts and words and actions should proclaim his teaching, so that he reigns in us, lives in us. &lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/1097192421718361955/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/united-to-our-lord.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/1097192421718361955'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/1097192421718361955'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/united-to-our-lord.html' title='United to our Lord '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-2395569146542491526</id><published>2015-08-10T13:15:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-10T13:15:48.371-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="C.S. Lewis - from Mere Christianity"/><title type='text'>I Promise You</title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;The idea that &#39;being in love&#39; is the only reason for remaining married really leaves no room for marriage as a contract or promise at all. If love is the whole thing, then the promise can add nothing; and if it adds nothing, then it should not be made. The curious thing is that lovers themselves, while they remain really in love, know this better than those who talk about love. As Chesterton pointed out, those who are in love have a natural inclination to bind themselves by promises. Love songs all over the world are full of vows of eternal constancy. The Christian law is not forcing upon the passion of love something which is foreign to that passion&#39;s own nature: it is demanding that lovers should take seriously something which their passion of itself impels them to do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;And, of course, the promise, made when I am in love because I am in love, to be true to the beloved as long as I live, commits me to being true even if I cease to be in love. A promise must be about things that I can do, about actions: no one can promise to go on feeling in a certain way. He might as well promise never to have a headache or always to feel hungry. &lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/2395569146542491526/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-promise-you.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2395569146542491526'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2395569146542491526'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-promise-you.html' title='I Promise You'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-3887685243853542136</id><published>2015-08-06T18:00:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-06T18:00:19.751-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Suffering </title><content type='html'>https://youtu.be/bz-MQgzxua8</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/3887685243853542136/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/suffering.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3887685243853542136'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3887685243853542136'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/suffering.html' title='Suffering '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-5497045780099489248</id><published>2015-08-05T10:21:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-05T10:21:11.976-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Oppose the Iran Deal </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Not sure what POTUS was thinking of when he did this. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS5UhQS_MU9p8B7gDViQqGWZvR-SaAIk72n3dRdZ88S7_jgYwLUMAXF2PIo-UceHowrIESH74XBzfcO7KFPTX0FenSbE_Dj8TGwtaV1UvvOM8ji9jJzx1DEbLh2MD_4JFypvnyeoz1EeB/s1600/IMG_20150805_121403.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt; &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS5UhQS_MU9p8B7gDViQqGWZvR-SaAIk72n3dRdZ88S7_jgYwLUMAXF2PIo-UceHowrIESH74XBzfcO7KFPTX0FenSbE_Dj8TGwtaV1UvvOM8ji9jJzx1DEbLh2MD_4JFypvnyeoz1EeB/s640/IMG_20150805_121403.jpg&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/5497045780099489248/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/oppose-iran-deal.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5497045780099489248'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5497045780099489248'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/oppose-iran-deal.html' title='Oppose the Iran Deal '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS5UhQS_MU9p8B7gDViQqGWZvR-SaAIk72n3dRdZ88S7_jgYwLUMAXF2PIo-UceHowrIESH74XBzfcO7KFPTX0FenSbE_Dj8TGwtaV1UvvOM8ji9jJzx1DEbLh2MD_4JFypvnyeoz1EeB/s72-c/IMG_20150805_121403.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-4739307809155939547</id><published>2015-08-04T17:09:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-08-04T17:09:39.514-07:00</updated><title type='text'>God&amp;#39;s Perfect Plan</title><content type='html'>http://bible.com/59/jer.29.11.ESV</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/4739307809155939547/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/god-perfect-plan.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4739307809155939547'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4739307809155939547'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/08/god-perfect-plan.html' title='God&amp;#39;s Perfect Plan'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-309815632528238062</id><published>2015-07-31T19:22:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-07-31T19:22:56.262-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="- from Mere Christianity #CSLewis"/><title type='text'>Grieving, and Thinking About Grieving </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Are these jottings morbid? I once read the sentence &#39;I lay awake all night with toothache, thinking about toothache and about lying awake.&#39; That&#39;s true to life. Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery&#39;s shadow or reflection: the fact that you don&#39;t merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about loving each day in grief. &lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/309815632528238062/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/grieving-and-thinking-about-grieving.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/309815632528238062'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/309815632528238062'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/grieving-and-thinking-about-grieving.html' title='Grieving, and Thinking About Grieving '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-7736658403060801725</id><published>2015-07-31T18:49:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-07-31T18:49:41.653-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="- from Mere Christianity #CSLewis"/><title type='text'>Start Small</title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven. There are no two ways about it. What are we to do?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;It is going to be hard enough, anyway, but I think there are two things we can do not begin with the calculus; you begin with simple addition. I&#39;m the same way, if we really want (but all depends on really wanting) to learn something easier than the Gestapo. One might start with forgiving one&#39;s husband or wife, or parents or children, or the nearest N.C.O., for something they have done or said in the last week. That will probably keep us busy for the moment. And secondly, we might try to understand exactly what loving your neighbour as yourself means. I have to love him as I love myself. &lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/7736658403060801725/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/start-small.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/7736658403060801725'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/7736658403060801725'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/start-small.html' title='Start Small'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' 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type='html'>http://www.sbl-site.org/</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/9148696799923560594/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/society-of-biblical-literature.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/9148696799923560594'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/9148696799923560594'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/society-of-biblical-literature.html' title='Society of Biblical Literature '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' 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Gen. Wendell C. Neville</title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Today in Marine Corps History: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;USMC History Division&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;MajGen&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt; Wendell C Neville&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;MajGen Wendell C Neville&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;MAJOR GENERAL&lt;br&gt;
WENDELL CUSHING NEVILLE, USMC&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;(DECEASED)&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;font color =&quot;#0072bc&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/PublishingImages/Biography%20Images/hi/Used/Neville_WC.jpg&quot;&gt;Click here for a higher&amp;#160;resolution photo.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/People/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=/historydivision/People/M-O/Neville%2c%20Wendell%20C&amp;View=%7bD3EF30EC-8B69-4B0D-8DF9-84B61E316AEA%7d&quot;&gt;Click here for additional photos.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;font color =&quot;#0072bc&quot;&gt;Medal of Honor Citation&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/PublishingImages/Biography%20Images/GO/GO177.pdf&quot;&gt;Original General Order&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Major General Wendell Cushing Neville, 14th Commandant of the Marine Corps and Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on 12 May 1870. He entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1886 chiefly because no one else in his district desired an appointment to Annapolis that year. He received his diploma in 1890 and following a two-year cruise aboard a warship, as was the practice of the era, was commissioned a Marine Corps second lieutenant.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Lt Neville was assigned to the 1st Battalion, hurriedly organized under LtCol Robert W. Huntington for service in Cuba. The battalion staged a daring attack under heavy gunfire at Guantanamo Bay, established a beachhead and routed enemy forces in that area. For outstanding valor and leadership in that action, Lt Neville was awarded the Brevet Medal, highest Marine Corps decoration at that time, and was promoted to the brevet rank of captain.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Promoted to the permanent rank of captain a few months after the war, he was assigned to a battalion of Marines ordered to China to relieve the hard-pressed garrison at Peking during the Boxer Rebellion. He took part in four battles in that area and was again commended for his gallantry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;In the Philippine Islands not long afterwards, he was appointed military governor of Basilin Province. Following that assignment he served in Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama and Hawaii. While in command of Marines landing at Vera Cruz, Mexico, on 21 April 1914, he displayed conspicuous gallantry. In that operation, LtCol Neville was awarded the Medal of Honor for his distinguished conduct.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Prior to his embarkation for France in 1917, Col Neville returned to China where he was chosen to command the combined Allied guard at Peking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;On 1 January 1918, he was placed in command of the 5th Regiment in France and in May moved his regiment into action at Belleau Wood where Germany&amp;#8217;s big drive was decisively halted. In July, BGen Neville&amp;#8217;s command was enlarged to include the 4th Marine Brigade, which he directed during the remaining days of the war and during its occupation service in Germany.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;After service with the Army of Occupation in Germany, BGen Neville and his brigade returned to the United States in July 1919. Promoted to major general in March 1920, he served as Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and later became Commanding General, Department of the Pacific with headquarters in San Francisco. He also commanded the Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Major General Neville succeeded MajGen John A. Lejeune as Commandant of the Marine Corps on 5 March 1929. MajGen Neville&amp;#8217;s sudden death on 8 July 1930 at Edgewater Beach, Maryland, while in office as Major General Commandant, closed one of the most brilliant military careers of his day. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;During the 38 years he spent as a U.S. Marine, MajGen Neville received the Medal of Honor, Brevet Medal, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Cross of the Legion of Honor, five Croix de Guerre with three stars and two palms, five citation and eight campaign and expeditionary awards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVncQqIA-6yp248XnmG-Eq3VYzvK2JjxVcMVuw0mnMU-hDLmww_O76w-9FNya3ffYxagkziXFBDXs_2_6W5rfj76JdBaZI73GxxUfnbsJAHT35lwA3lpsA3TQd-PDlwn5Shsayjes1Bmq/s1600/Wendell_C._Neville.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt; &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVncQqIA-6yp248XnmG-Eq3VYzvK2JjxVcMVuw0mnMU-hDLmww_O76w-9FNya3ffYxagkziXFBDXs_2_6W5rfj76JdBaZI73GxxUfnbsJAHT35lwA3lpsA3TQd-PDlwn5Shsayjes1Bmq/s640/Wendell_C._Neville.jpg&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/3339172877822613652/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/maj-gen-wendell-c-neville.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3339172877822613652'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/3339172877822613652'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/maj-gen-wendell-c-neville.html' title='Maj. Gen. Wendell C. Neville'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVncQqIA-6yp248XnmG-Eq3VYzvK2JjxVcMVuw0mnMU-hDLmww_O76w-9FNya3ffYxagkziXFBDXs_2_6W5rfj76JdBaZI73GxxUfnbsJAHT35lwA3lpsA3TQd-PDlwn5Shsayjes1Bmq/s72-c/Wendell_C._Neville.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-4810887240702501618</id><published>2015-07-03T07:48:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-07-03T07:48:58.164-07:00</updated><title type='text'>4th of July </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKO9qbi3ZjqorlmXZKCZM2wpCNU3ijtoIuxnESjht0v14Bbz_imn3llu8ejyGVLWJeLfO9eZzD0OqxcFMJKt-EelqbuRjVtH1CtNpvLfQI-FH6Edrx23Hpoas63zeLr4WHWCG-2vrUKek/s1600/usa_flag_old_style_by_jann1c.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt; &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKO9qbi3ZjqorlmXZKCZM2wpCNU3ijtoIuxnESjht0v14Bbz_imn3llu8ejyGVLWJeLfO9eZzD0OqxcFMJKt-EelqbuRjVtH1CtNpvLfQI-FH6Edrx23Hpoas63zeLr4WHWCG-2vrUKek/s640/usa_flag_old_style_by_jann1c.jpg&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/4810887240702501618/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/4th-of-july.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4810887240702501618'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4810887240702501618'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/4th-of-july.html' title='4th of July '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKO9qbi3ZjqorlmXZKCZM2wpCNU3ijtoIuxnESjht0v14Bbz_imn3llu8ejyGVLWJeLfO9eZzD0OqxcFMJKt-EelqbuRjVtH1CtNpvLfQI-FH6Edrx23Hpoas63zeLr4WHWCG-2vrUKek/s72-c/usa_flag_old_style_by_jann1c.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-5426582555192675980</id><published>2015-07-02T18:52:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-07-02T18:52:36.364-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Our weakness, God&amp;#39;s strength</title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;On the cross, both justice and love are being satisfied - evil, sin, and death are being defeated. You are looking at an absolute beauty, but because you cannot fit it into your own limited understanding, you are in danger of walking away from God.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Don&#39;t do it. Do what Jesus did - trust God. Do what Joseph did - trust God even in the dungeon. It takes the entire Bible to help us understand all the reasons that Jesus&#39; death on the cross was not just a failure and a tragedy but was consummate wisdom. It takes a major part of Genesis to help us understand God&#39;s purposes in Joseph&#39;s tribulations. Sometimes we may wish that God would send us our book - a full explanation! But even though we cannot know all the particular reasons for our crosses, we can look at &lt;i&gt;the cross &lt;/i&gt;and know God is working things out. And so you can sing to others: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Ye fearful, fresh courage take;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;The clouds, ye so much dread&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Are big with mercy and shall break&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;In blessings on your head&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Again and again in the Bible, God shows that he is going to get his salvation done through weakness, not strength, because Jesus will triumph through defeat, will win by losing, he will come down in order to go up. In the same way, we get God&#39;s saving power in our life only through the weakness of repentance and trust. And, so often, the grace of God grows more through our difficulties than our triumphs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt; - &lt;i&gt;by &lt;/i&gt;Timothy Keller; Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. &lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/5426582555192675980/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/our-weakness-god-strength.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5426582555192675980'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/5426582555192675980'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/07/our-weakness-god-strength.html' title='Our weakness, God&amp;#39;s strength'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-4154680280500282884</id><published>2015-06-15T09:59:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-06-15T09:59:25.166-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Marine Corps History"/><title type='text'>Today in Marine Corps History </title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;15 J&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;une 1944:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&amp;#160;Preceded by naval gunfire and carrier air strikes, the V Amphibious Corps assaulted the west coast of Saipan, Marianas Islands. By nightfall, the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions, moving against heavy opposition, had established a beachhead 10,000 yards wide and 1,500 yards deep&lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/4154680280500282884/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/today-in-marine-corps-history.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4154680280500282884'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4154680280500282884'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/today-in-marine-corps-history.html' title='Today in Marine Corps History '/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-118520085600258702</id><published>2015-06-07T07:28:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-06-07T07:28:42.892-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>http://bible.com/59/2ti.3.16-17.esv All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/118520085600258702/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/httpbible.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/118520085600258702'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/118520085600258702'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/httpbible.html' title=''/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-4177677462768764201</id><published>2015-06-05T10:50:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-06-05T10:50:18.557-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="True Spiritual Growth"/><title type='text'>What is &amp;quot;Real&amp;quot; Spiritual Growth?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;In the last message Jesus gave to His disciples, He told them that the way to fruitfulness and not - the &quot;secret&quot; to the Christian life - was to abide in Him. They wouldn&#39;t produce &quot;abundant fruit&quot; by reading books, intensifying their self-discipline, memorizing Scripture, or getting in accountability groups. Those things all have their place, but real fruit comes only from one place; abiding in Jesus.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&quot;Abiding in Jesus&quot; may sound like siritual mumbo jumbo to you. It always did to me. I assumed that when you were &quot;abiding in Jesus&quot; you&#39;d walk around with an ethereal glow in your eye and inexplicably wake up at 4 a.m. strumming passion tunes on the golden harp you keep beside your bed. But the word &lt;i&gt;abide &lt;/i&gt;is much more straightforward than that. The Greek word &lt;i&gt;meno &lt;/i&gt;means literally &quot;to make your home in.&quot; When we &quot;make our home in&quot; His love - feeling it, saturating ourselves with it, reflecting on it, standing in awe of it &#39; spiritual fruit begins to spring up naturally from us like roses on a rosebush.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Spiritual &quot;fruit,&quot; you see, is produced in the same way physical &quot;fruit&quot; is. When a man and woman conceive physical &quot;fruit&quot; (i.e., a child), they are usually not thinking about the mechanics of making that child. Rather, they get caught up in a moment of living intimacy with one another, and the &lt;i&gt;fruit &lt;/i&gt;of that loving intimacy is a child. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;In the same way, spiritual fruit isn&#39;t made by focusing on the commands of spiritual growth. You can&#39;t just grit your teeth and say, &quot;I will have more loving feelings for God! I will be more patient! I will have self-control!&quot; I&#39;ll explain the role for denial of the flesh and self-disciplines, but true spiritual &lt;i&gt;fruit &lt;/i&gt;comes from getting swept up in intimate, loving encounters with Jesus Christ. His love is the soil in which all the fruits of the Spirit grow. When our roots abide &lt;i&gt;there, &lt;/i&gt;then joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control grow naturally in our hearts. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;So if you want to see spiritual fruit in your life, don&#39;t focus primarily on the fruits. Focus on Jesus&#39; acceptance of you, given to you as a gift. Focusing on spiritual fruit will usually produce only frustration and despair, not fruitfulness.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Have you ever looked at your life and thought, &quot;Why am I still so impatient? How could I really be saved and still have such a problem with self-control?&quot; I certainly have. If anything, the more I have walked with Jesus the more aware I have become of my sinfulness. Jesus, however, did not tell me to &quot;abide&quot; in my fruitfulness. He told me abide in Him - in His acceptance of me, given to me freely as a gift. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Abiding in Jesus means understanding that His acceptance of us is the same regardless of the amount of spiritual fruit we have produced. Ironically, it is only when we understand that His love is not conditioned on our spiritual fruitfulness that we gain the power to become truly fruitful. Only those who abide in Him produce much fruit. In other words, those people who get better are those who understand that God&#39;s approval of them is not dependent on their getting better. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;So what U really want to help you do is abide in Jesus. The by-product of abiding in Jesus is that you will become more patient in your marriage; you will develop self-discipline; you will become generous. Abiding in Jesus will produce &lt;i&gt;all &lt;/i&gt;of the fruits of the Spirit in you - but not by having you concentrate particularly on any of those things. You concentrate on Jesus. You rest in His love and acceptance, given to you not because of what you have earned, but because I&#39;m what He has earned for you. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/4177677462768764201/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/what-is-spiritual-growth.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4177677462768764201'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/4177677462768764201'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/what-is-spiritual-growth.html' title='What is &amp;quot;Real&amp;quot; Spiritual Growth?'/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168903855839032506.post-2668945853052565430</id><published>2015-06-02T04:58:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2015-06-02T04:58:07.577-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>http://shop.defensemobile.com/plans</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/feeds/2668945853052565430/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/httpshop.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2668945853052565430'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4168903855839032506/posts/default/2668945853052565430'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michaelestrada1.blogspot.com/2015/06/httpshop.html' title=''/><author><name>Michael Estrada</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03725503105456201377</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDrV4W_b1nnNK2KOfaejsIa48BBe-dTufRm5UxIszuxvt6iX7-ovu4cjGnuRZVqBKYeYvyQy7M_FEf8P9_144y1TgF8XfWM9IZe7jgAZd-JBT-NjCpmFO9anpVCdzpxU/s113/FB_IMG_1573838099836.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>