No Phishing

When you drive onto our property, you will see Lake Sunrise to your left with a sign that says, “No Fishing”. I kind of wish that we had another sign that says, “No Phishing”. Unfortunately, I don’t think that it would do much good.

Seniors seem to be targets of all kinds of scams, including “phishing.”

Phishing is a cybercrime that scammers use to lure sensitive information or data from you. They use phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. to get your information. Some of our seniors have been targets of these scams. But its not just limited to seniors. Some of our missionaries have had their identity stolen and large sums of money have been drained from their bank accounts. One of those missionaries spoke in chapel yesterday describing what happened to him. He also gave some helpful information on how to avoid being a victim of identity theft. I thought I would pass on a few of his suggestions.

Freeze/lock your credit profile with all three major credit bureaus.

• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 (press #0 to speak to live person.)

https://www.transunion.com/credit-reports-disclosures/free-credit-report

• Equifax: 1-888-202-4025 (press #6 to speak to a live-person.)

https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/free-credit-reports/

• Experian: 714-830-7000 (press #2 to speak to a live-person)

https://www.experian.com/consumer-products/free-credit-report.html

Freeze your banking profile with ChexSystems: 1-800-428-9623

Request a Tax ID Pin with the IRS via ID.ME

• https://api.id.me/en/registration/new

Create a new account then follow prompts to request an IRS PIN

Put a freeze on your utility profile with NCTUE

https://www.exchangeservicecenter.com/Freeze/

Enable notifications with ALL sensitive accounts.

• Your financial institutions (transactions & new logins)
• Online shopping vendors (orders & new logins)
• Email, Google, Microsoft, Apple... (new logins)
• Social media (new logins)

Enable 2-Factor authentication for ALL sensitive accounts. (Wherever possible)

• Your financial institutions
• Online shopping vendors
• Email, Google, Microsoft, Apple...
• Social media

Make sure your contact information is up-to-date for ALL sensitive accounts.

• Your financial institutions
• Online shopping vendors
• Email, Google, Microsoft, Apple...
• Social media

Update every password so it is unique and sufficiently complex

• Your financial institutions
• Online shopping vendors
• Email, Google, Microsoft, Apple...
• Social media

I realize that last one is nearly impossible, especially if your memory is like mine.

I just watched an IT webinar on password security. Did you know that the average person in the U.S. has 70 different passwords that they have to remember? And if you’re like me, you probably have a favorite password that you use over and over and over again. That is an absolute “no no,” if you want to protect yourself from cyber thieves.

So what is a person to do? There are a number of password management apps that will store your passwords for you in a secure vault. The one I use is called LastPass. It is also the one that our IT department recommends. For years I have been using the free version. Just recently, I purchased the premium version which costs $36 per year.

You can get LastPass here: https://lastpass.com

BTW, when your web browser asks you to store that password for you, it is best to say “no.” That is not a secure method of storing passwords.

Since I am one of the IT consultants here at our retirement center, I thought I would pass on a few things that I have learned. Hope you find this helpful.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Hold Tight to Jesus

By Charles Spurgeon

It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God could forget that gracious Savior; but if startling to the ear, sadly it is too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime. Some other love steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you ought to be fixed steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things that takes the soul away from Christ. While memory works to preserve a poisonous weed, it allows the rose of Sharon (Christ) to wither. Let us charge ourselves to tie a heavenly forget-me-not around our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and whatever else we let slip, let us hold tight to Him.

 

Free Book by Bob Nyberg

In past blog posts I mentioned the Biblical Resource Group for Ethnos360. We consist of 7 members and are currently updating some old doctrinal papers which were written a number of years ago for New Tribes Mission. We have completed 14 of the 22 original papers. In the last few weeks, we took a break from working on old papers in order to write a new paper on Progressive Dispensationalism. That subject was actually a chapter in the textbook that I wrote on Bible interpretation. Did you know that textbook is available online in PDF format for free? You can download each chapter from the Sanford Bible Church website. The web address is:

http://sanfordbiblechurch.org/articles_issues.html

Here’s the contents of that book:

Navigating the Minefields of Bible Interpretation

1 How to Obtain Objectivity in Interpretation
2 The Dangers of Allegorical Interpretation Part 1
3 The Dangers of Allegorical Interpretation Part 2
4 The Hermeneutics of Augustine
5 Replacement Theology – Part 1
6 Replacement Theology – Part 2
7 The Hermeneutics of Covenant Theology
8 Going Beyond the Allegorical Debate
9 Paul’s Use of Allegory in Galatians
10 The Biblical Meaning of Fulfillment
11 Matthew’s Use of Hosea 11:1
12 Progressive Dispensationalism
13 When Did the Church Begin?
14 The Church as a Mystery
15 The New Perspective on Paul—Part 1
16 The New Perspective on Paul—Part 2
17 The Hyper-Grace Controversy Part 1
18 The Hyper-Grace Controversy Part 2
19 The Hermeneutics of The New Apostolic Reformation

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

“He Delights In Me”

Song of Solomon 7:10 “I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me.” This, we may truly say, is the highest note in the Song of Songs; and yet, we may as truly say it is the lowest. Now the soul is done with itself, and entirely occupied with Christ. It expresses, we believe, the highest apprehension of Christ. “His desire is toward me”–He delights in me. Consequently, self is lost sight of. Grace has done its perfect work–the soul is established in grace. This is the perfection of beauty in the people of the Lord; and always that in which He delights…The bride is all beauty and perfection in His sight; she is clothed in the comeliness of grace. She knows this, and this is the perfect rest of her heart.

“His desire is toward me.” Higher than this the soul never can rise… It is finding all in the love, the changeless love, of Christ. This must ever, and only, be the heart’s deepest joy and sweetest peace. Oh! Happy state for a poor sinner saved by grace to be in, and to be in now! To find all its fresh springs in the love of Jesus!

To be able to say, “He knows me thoroughly; He knows what I am in myself, what I am in Him, yet nevertheless, He not only loves me, but delights in me.” There is nothing beyond this…This ought to be the key-note of all our praise.

And should the song of His love ever become feeble on our lips? Surely it should become stronger and stronger as we near the bright realms of Glory, where the same Jesus, and the same love, shall be our happy song forever.

-A. Miller

 

What’s Growing in Florida

After being in the Sunshine State for 5 years, I feel like I am just beginning to get a handle on gardening in Central Florida. Once you figure out what grows well during the various months, you can pretty much have fresh veggies from your garden all year round. Two days ago I had a fresh salad from my garden—lettuce, baby spinach, kale, spring onions, radishes, tomatoes and dill. Yesterday I made stir fry using two varieties of Asian greens and Swiss chard. Who knew that the Swiss and Asians work so good together!? J

The Fall garden season here begins around August-September. I am still picking ripe tomatoes that I started in September. I have a few green ones on the vine which should ripen shortly.

The Spring garden season here begins around February-March. I just planted a new batch of tomatoes in containers as I am finishing off eating the Fall tomatoes.

Leafy greens do well in the late Fall, Winter and early Spring. But in late Spring and Summer they bolt quickly.

During the hot Summer months, only a few varieties of tomatoes will set fruit. There are some varieties of tomatoes that were developed at the University of Florida bred to tolerate Florida heat. Also, most cherry tomatoes will set fruit in the Summer. Pepper plants love the hot, humid months. Some will produce during the Winter, but the best growing months are when it is hot.

We basically have a month in which we can get frost (Dec. 29^th to Feb. 3^rd). It is possible to get frost before and after those dates, but the probability is less than 30%. This "winter" I had to cover my plants 2 nights because of frost.

Here's what is growing in my garden: lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, Asian greens, kale, radishes, carrots, green onions, tomatoes (Bella Rosa, New Big Dwarf, Yellow Pear, Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Tiny Tim Tom, Red Robin, Organic Sweetie, Brandywine, Kellogg's Breakfast, Tumbling Tom Yellow Hybrid, Baxter Bush, Principe Borghese), peppers (Ajvarski, Jimmy Nardello Bell, Sweet, Sweet Heat, Jalapeno, Chili, Ancho Grande, Tabasco, Serrano, Cayenne, Chiltepin, Sugar Rush Peach, & Lemon Drop), mint, dill, oregano, rosemary, basil, sage, and chives. And that's just what is growing outside. Inside I have a closet with 4 panels of grow lights, and I have 2 hydroponic grow stations plus some containers with plants growing in hydroponics.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

The Law vs the Gospel

By C. H. Mackintosh

The law demands strength from one who has none, and curses him if he cannot display it. The gospel gives strength to one who has none, and blesses him in the exhibition of it.

 

Answering Objections

I am one of the teaching elders at Sanford Bible Church. We recently completed a series of messages titled, Answering Objections to Free Grace. Here are the 12 objections that we addressed:

• Objection #1: Free Grace does not teach that an unbeliever must turn from sins (repent) to be saved.
• Objection #2: Free Grace is easy believism.
• Objection #3: Free Grace cheapens grace by not requiring commitment and good works.
• Objection #4: Free Grace teaches that a person can reject Jesus as Lord but still be saved.
• Objection #5: Free Grace teaches that a saved person does not have to show evidence of good works.
• Objection #6: Free Grace leads to false assurance of salvation.
• Objection #7: Free Grace is a recent historical and theological aberration.
• Objection #8: Free Grace is an irrelevant minority movement.
• Objection #9: Free Grace leads to license.
• Objection #10: Free Grace is antinomian.
• Objection #11: Free Grace teaches that faith is merely mental assent.
• Objection #12: Free Grace teaches that a person can apostatize and still be saved.

If you are interested, those messages can be heard on the website for Sanford Bible Church: http://sanfordbiblechurch.org/messages.html.

I did quite a bit of research for the message dealing with the accusation that “free grace is a recent historical and theological aberration.” As a result, I wrote a paper titled A History of Free Grace: Tracing the Controversy. It was submitted to the Grace Research Room. After passing a peer review it was posted there: https://www.gracelife.org/resources/grr/.

As you might imagine, I am not letting the grass grow under my feet.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Looking Unto Jesus

By C.H. Spurgeon

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ.  He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within.  But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not your hold on Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.  We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh on your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him.  Oh! let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.