Are you ready? Do you think we should be asking friends, family and strangers this question in light of what is going on in the Middle East and around the world? Back in 1969, Larry Norman wrote a song that has been going off in my head for several days now. The first released version of this song, was used as a rapture song in movies at the time. It probably was the most famous of Larry Norman's songs and one of the first to be embraced by church culture. Many others recorded this song. Ironically the song was used to scare teens into heaven, which was the exact opposite of what Norman intended.
I never thought of it like a scare tactic but it was sung often in the Jesus Movement of the early 70's. I was thinking about the lyrics the other day and the thought came to me, THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW. Check out the lyrics, written 57 years ago and ask yourself, are there any songs like this being written today, when we are closer to Christ return now than we were then.
As I said, I have been thinking about this song all week, It is interesting how a song like this never seems to go away. It is more than amazing how up to date it is even over a half a century later. Can you ever imagine how really up to date this really is?
The casualties in the Russian-Ukrainian war include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200--14,400 military and civilian deaths during the war in Donbas,[1] and between 1,274,000 and 2 million estimated casualties (killed and wounded) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 24 February 2022 to June 2026.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY EVEN HAVE A CASUALTY TRACKER ON THE CASUALTIES OF WAR IN THE IRANIAN CONFLICT? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? A CASUALTY TRACKER?
Total killed -- all parties
Combined confirmed and estimated deaths across Iranian military (Iranian and Israeli civilians, Lebanese civilians, Hezbollah fighters, and Gulf-state casualties. Wounded are tracked separately and run far higher. Sources conflict sharply. Thousands have been killed and displaced.
THERE IS ONLY A ROUGH ESTIMATE AND THE BODY AND SOUL COUNT, RISES EVERY DAY. (FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS)
As of 2026, there are approximately 56 active armed conflicts worldwide, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. At least 10 major wars are causing significant casualties and displacement. The deadliest ongoing conflicts include the Russia-Ukraine war (since February 2022, 500,000+ casualties), the Sudan civil war (since April 2023, 150,000+ killed, 10M+ displaced), and the Gaza conflict (since October 2023, 40,000+ killed). This page tracks every active war in real time with live intelligence data, interactive maps, and market impact analysis.
Some conflicts are not headline news, such as in Nigeria where, A new report has found that ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people in the West African country over four years -- and the victims were disproportionately Christian.
YES, I THINK YOU COULD SAY, EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. EVERYTHING IS STILL THE SAME.
YES, AND IT IS GETTING MORE REAL EVERY DAY. AS I SEND YOU MY LETTER OF CONCERN AND PRAYER.
DID YOU PRAY TODAY? DID YOU PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM? DID YOU PRAY FOR PROTECTION FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET MEMBERS?
I PRAYED FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND WHEN YOU PRAY REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR US AS WELL.
I BELIEVE IN YOU,
Pastor Cleddie
Keep Looking up!!!
I never thought of it like a scare tactic but it was sung often in the Jesus Movement of the early 70's. I was thinking about the lyrics the other day and the thought came to me, THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW. Check out the lyrics, written 57 years ago and ask yourself, are there any songs like this being written today, when we are closer to Christ return now than we were then.
I Wish We'd All Been Ready
[Verse 1]
Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died, the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
[Verse 2]
A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone
I wish we'd all be ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
[Chorus]
I hope we'll all be ready
You've been left behind
You've been left behind
You've been left behind
You've been left behind
As I said, I have been thinking about this song all week, It is interesting how a song like this never seems to go away. It is more than amazing how up to date it is even over a half a century later. Can you ever imagine how really up to date this really is?
The casualties in the Russian-Ukrainian war include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200--14,400 military and civilian deaths during the war in Donbas,[1] and between 1,274,000 and 2 million estimated casualties (killed and wounded) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 24 February 2022 to June 2026.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY EVEN HAVE A CASUALTY TRACKER ON THE CASUALTIES OF WAR IN THE IRANIAN CONFLICT? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? A CASUALTY TRACKER?
Total killed -- all parties
Combined confirmed and estimated deaths across Iranian military (Iranian and Israeli civilians, Lebanese civilians, Hezbollah fighters, and Gulf-state casualties. Wounded are tracked separately and run far higher. Sources conflict sharply. Thousands have been killed and displaced.
THERE IS ONLY A ROUGH ESTIMATE AND THE BODY AND SOUL COUNT, RISES EVERY DAY. (FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS)
As of 2026, there are approximately 56 active armed conflicts worldwide, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. At least 10 major wars are causing significant casualties and displacement. The deadliest ongoing conflicts include the Russia-Ukraine war (since February 2022, 500,000+ casualties), the Sudan civil war (since April 2023, 150,000+ killed, 10M+ displaced), and the Gaza conflict (since October 2023, 40,000+ killed). This page tracks every active war in real time with live intelligence data, interactive maps, and market impact analysis.
Some conflicts are not headline news, such as in Nigeria where, A new report has found that ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people in the West African country over four years -- and the victims were disproportionately Christian.
YES, I THINK YOU COULD SAY, EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. EVERYTHING IS STILL THE SAME.
YES, AND IT IS GETTING MORE REAL EVERY DAY. AS I SEND YOU MY LETTER OF CONCERN AND PRAYER.
DID YOU PRAY TODAY? DID YOU PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM? DID YOU PRAY FOR PROTECTION FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET MEMBERS?
I PRAYED FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND WHEN YOU PRAY REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR US AS WELL.
I BELIEVE IN YOU,
Pastor Cleddie
Keep Looking up!!!