The Discerning Times

Read the latest issue of The Discerning Times, available here.


But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" (Psalm 70:4)

A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

                              --by Helen Steiner Rice


How sad it is when mothers do not love. How sad when they use and abuse their children...when they condone inappropriate or even criminal behavior.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6)

 

More Tears and Hissy Fits

“I want my own way and if I don't get it I throw a hissy fit.” – Athena Dean, 2005

This is one reason why it was a real pleasure to read The Sociopath Next Door. It explained so much of what Athena Dean put us all through.

Of course, as the author wrote, most people do not find out that they’re being used and abused until their livelihoods are gone. As many have noticed, Athena Dean sure can turn the tears on and off to fit her desires. Why she could likely win an Oscar!


“Since the scaffolding of a life without a conscience is deception and illusion, intelligent sociopaths often become proficient at acting, and even at some of the particular techniques employed by professional actors.

Crocodile tears at will are a sociopathic trademark ...Crocodile tears from the remorseless are especially likely when a conscience-bound person gets a little too close to confronting a sociopath with the truth. A sociopath who is about to be cornered by another person will turn suddenly into a piteous weeping figure whom no one, in good conscience, could continue to pressure.”

                         -- The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout, PH.D.

 

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

 

Buckets of Tears

America witnessed an emotional appeal from the president right before the election. Some claim this was just a ploy to gain more votes. In any case, he won. 

Actually, some individuals and families are known to cry buckets of tears – all to manipulate for their own selfish gain.

Buckets of tears around town.

Buckets of tears in front of police.

Buckets of tears on TV.

And so it goes...

Buckets of tears – turned on and off – at just the right time...and the money, the support and the manipulated sympathy roll in all to sell a game of hatred.

Just cry, cry and cry some more – if you want the money to pour in.

Athena Dean is an expert at crying as she plays on the emotions of others for money, for support and to sway opinions. We, who suffered under her manipulations for years, finally ignored it. 

True to her pattern, our friendship was used and abused by Athena Dean too many times to count. After all, she herself admits so.

“It became easy for me to use and abuse my relationships in the church to get where I wanted to go.” – Athena Dean, 1996

But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people! For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

 

Wait with Jesus

Some may feel disappointed, discouraged or even depressed after this year’s election results, however Corrie ten Boom writes:

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now” (Rom. 8:22 RSV).

                        The restless millions wait

                        The coming of the Lord to make all things new.

                        Christ also waits.

                        But men are slow and few.

                        Have we done all we could?

                        Have I? Have you?

Thank you, Lord, that we know from the Bible that the crisis we experience in this time is the suffering you told about when you said that we must look up because our liberation is approaching (see Luke 21).

                                                          

         -- Taken from the November 7^th devotional in Each New Day.

 

Let us look up to Jesus. For only in Him will we experience true change.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  (John 3:14)

Praising God & Looking Forward!

Praising God today that this world is not my home! Praising God today that, as Christians, we look to a better country – a heavenly one!

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Let us truly look forward! 

 

Today

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Today is a special day for me as I’m reminded of God’s love and the love found at Sound Doctrine Church.

Lives are laid down for one another, single moms are cared for, the lonely are set in families, orphans are adopted, needs are met, gifts are given to the poor, lives are changed, sins are overcome, children learn to love and obey their parents, parents learn to love their children, families grow closer, and marriages are saved.

You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God; I will exalt You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 118:28-29)

Like the first church, enemies of the cross label Sound Doctrine a cult. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the attack is not surprising as Scripture promises all who want to live a godly life will be persecuted.

In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to adequately describe the love experienced at Sound Doctrine. It truly remains the fragrance of life (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).

I recall my first visit clearly. After years of attending churches where leaders led with human wisdom, with rule upon rule and even coerced monetary contributions, I became speechless because of the love I felt at Sound Doctrine. All my talk, all my words simply escaped me. I could only declare, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:25)

Praise God! He had led me to a body of believers who truly wanted to deny themselves, pick up their crosses daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)! God had answered my prayer.

For He says: In an acceptable time, I heard you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you. Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Gone are the days of fearing church leaders. Gone are the days of emotional alter calls which only left me empty. Gone are the days of man-made rules. Gone are the days of schemes to increase attendance and thus tithes. Gone are the days of forced contributions.

Never, not once, have I been asked to give money to Sound Doctrine Church. Indeed, an offering plate is never passed. Instead, each member gives what he has decided in his heart to give (2 Corinthians 9:7), and my own family has received many generous gifts.

You see, God works a love among us that only He can through His Spirit. As we hate our own lives as Jesus taught, God fills us with His pure love. That’s what hating for Jesus is all about – love!

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, and even his own life--he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26)

The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)

Now is the acceptable time. Now is the time to be led by God’s Spirit.

All those led by God's Spirit are God's sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:14-15)

And so today I praise God for His goodness, for His mercy, for His grace and for His love.

You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God; I will exalt You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 118:28-29)

Do not be hardened by the lies you’ve heard, but rather be encouraged – Today!

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:13)


Listen to “The Most Important Sermon,” available here.

Download a free copy of eau de Cult, available here.

What Others Want to Hear

People speak what they think others want to hear, and Athena Dean has set out to market such lies. This is exactly what she has always done from her days in Scientology to her charity trash bag fraud.

Athena Dean attempts to use the press for her own selfish gain. At least that is what Athena Dean writes and speaks of what she likes to do.

“My besetting sins that need to be watched for are (as everyone well knows!):

1) selfish ambition, desiring recognition...seeking honor for myself rather than giving glory to God." -- Athena Dean, 2005

Unscrupulousness individuals "research" for any information that they can spin for their own personal gain, while the professional determines who the real sociopath is and who the unprofessional journalist is.

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice." (John 18:37)

Watch this video !

Lies to Promote

People lie to promote themselves. As Athena Dean states, she is an expert at lying and loves to do so.

This is why Athena Dean had to leave WinePress. She grew tired of others putting a stop to her unethical selling. Goodness, there is only so many times that a company can tolerate lawsuit threats because Athena Dean refused to be honest. After all, being honest requires hard work.

“I have made promises over and over again that have ended up costing WinePress money.” –Athena Dean, 2005

Watch this video !

Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Mob of Hatred

"My besetting sins that need to be watched for are (as everyone well knows!):  ...pushiness, salesmanship (ugh!)...dripping until I get my way and making my agenda sound like a good one!" 
– Athena Dean, 2005

For months, Athena Dean has attempted to create a mob of hatred toward Sound Doctrine Church, and this video shows why she thought inflaming crimes against others would work.

This is why God warns against following the crowd and doing wrong.

Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Athena Dean drove around town for months attempting to stir up crowds. Not content to stop there, she continues to viciously slander the innocent on the internet in order to ruin many individuals. All because her self-confessed, sociopath, crocodile-tear crying, "Give me money!" can only be gained by abusing others.

This is why Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice." (John 18:37)

Watch the video !

Rabid Gripers Who “Earn” a Living

“Ruble, who oversees 16,000 Scientologists in three Northwest states, called the Deans ‘rabid gripers’ who are making a career of attacking the church.”

Athena Dean and family members became known as "rabid gripers" long before Sound Doctrine Church.

In fact, some of Athena Dean's family members are known for literally crying in front of police, acting afraid and letting the tears come and go – all to gain advantage over others.

This proves the Bible true again – bad company really does corrupt good character, and God warned us a long time ago.

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33-34)

Spaghetti dinners become proof of a cult and causing harm. Even physical harm to others is blamed on the victim.

This kind of Athena Dean manipulation is easy to spot when someone brings you a "complaint." There is a senseless, non-thinking, emotional, irrational approach to facts. In fact, it’s classic manipulation. See "Confessions of a Con Artist" in a recent issue of AARP’s magazine – “it’s about emotion, not logic.”

Read about the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:57 to find out what Athena Dean has stated as her ultimate goal.

Put Athena Dean’s patterns altogether as some have done, and the only real description that fits is: "rabid gripers" who make their living by attacking others. Even Athena Dean admits it:

"The truth is, I've destroyed every close relationship I've ever had in my life because I'm a bully, a manipulator, a liar, a user, and completely arrogant. No wonder I've always gravitated to business and excelled there, because I never have to get close enough to people for them to see the real me. ...I am truly, no better than a man who calls himself a Christian and is well respected by all, who secretly beats his wife and kids at home behind close doors." 

  -Athena Dean, 2011

Of course this is nothing new. After all, Athena Dean confessed to doing this long before Sound Doctrine Church.

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33)

 

Use, Abuse, Manipulate and Lie

“It became easy for me to use and abuse my relationships in the church to get where I wanted to go.” – Athena Dean, 1996

“Without becoming a high-pressure, arm-twisting kind of salesperson, you can subtly get your customer doing what you want him to do. These gimmicks are nothing less than manipulation and witchcraft.” – Athena Dean, 1996

"The truth is, I've destroyed every close relationship I've ever had in my life because I'm a bully, a manipulator, a liar, a user, and completely arrogant. No wonder I've always gravitated to business and excelled there, because I never have to get close enough to people for them to see the real me. ...I am truly, no better than a man who calls himself a Christian and is well respected by all, who secretly beats his wife and kids at home behind close doors." – Athena Dean, 2011

Because Athena Dean was so loved at Sound Doctrine Church she must now attack with a foaming, rabid mouth. Athena Dean knows – and I can testify – that Sound Doctrine Church experiences some of the deepest aspects of love given by the Holy Spirit. But how could it be otherwise when those who pick up their cross in truth are filled with God's love?

Then He said to them all, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  (Luke 9:23)

Because the words of Jesus are naturally offensive to your sin, Athena Dean is more than happy to let the offense of the cross create a lynch-mob mentality – a classic witch hunt.

 

Now brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.  (Galatians 5:11)

But for those who are willing to think – and not become Athena Dean's gullible pawns in her wicked game – below is a link to an excerpt of Hating for Jesus.

Hating for Jesus remains a book that will change your life forever – if you let it. In no way, shape or form does it promote a hatred of others, but rather is completely about loving God and others.

It shows us how to love as it gently points us to God, the source of perfect, holy love that we might become people who love Him, our children and our neighbor as ourselves that we might all be brothers – if we allow God to pour His love through us. In doing so, the deeper our love for God and each other will grow.

Hating for Jesus is not a matter of going up to someone and slapping him in the face. Hating for Jesus is not the worldly kind of hate in which you seek to destroy someone else. It is about loving as Jesus loves the church.

There is no better way to love than to love with God’s love – indeed, a river of love wells up. Hating for Jesus reminds us that we must rely on God’s love rather than our own ability and wisdom to love others and to make room for God to fill us with Himself and His pure love – and that’s in the Bible:

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:16 NIV)

You see, we cannot see His love or show love apart from God. Through Him we might come to really love one another according to God’s will and be filled with the fruit of God’s love – in short, be given the power to love. Even Paul said that nothing good lived in him.

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.  (Romans 7:18)

Taking all Scriptures into account, Hating for Jesus, simply directs us to God so that only His love and life remain in us.

As you can see, you have been lied to on a massive scale by Athena Dean and her hate-filled lynch mob that she uses to help market her lies. Do not be taken in by her betrayal and hatred.

Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another.  (Matthew 24:10)

  

Download an excerpt from Hating for Jesus, available here.