Cyndy Green

I am author of the Nana Files series for middle grade readers; The Lazy Believer and Divine Appointments. I love Jesus and I love my family.

[Cyndy Green @GreenCyndy]

First in the Nana Files series https://t.co/JbGHyueX2P

[Adam | Faithful Messenger @Adam_FaithfulM]

Jesus performed roughly three dozen recorded miracles. Only one of them appears in all four Gospels. Not the raising of Lazarus. Not walking on water. Not even the healing of the blind. The one miracle that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all insisted on telling is the feeding of the five thousand. When four independent accounts of Jesus' life, written for different audiences with different emphases, all refuse to leave out the same event, it is worth asking why.

Start with the setting. Jesus has just received devastating news: John the Baptist, His cousin and forerunner, has been beheaded by Herod. He withdraws by boat to a remote place, seeking solitude to grieve. But the crowds see where He is going and run ahead on foot around the shore of the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus lands, expecting emptiness, He finds thousands waiting. And the Gospel says He looked at them and was moved with compassion, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. He does not send them away. He heals their sick and teaches them until the day is nearly gone.

Then the practical crisis arrives. The disciples come to Him with the obvious solution: send the people away to buy food in the villages. It is late, the place is remote, and the crowd is enormous. Matthew records five thousand men, besides women and children, meaning the real number may have been ten to fifteen thousand people. Jesus' answer is one of the most quietly staggering sentences in the Gospels: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

John's account adds a detail the others leave out. Jesus turns to Philip and asks where bread could be bought for so many, and John notes that He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip does the math and despairs: two hundred denarii, roughly eight months of a laborer's wages, would not buy even a mouthful for each person. The need is beyond any reasonable resource. That is precisely the point of the test, and Philip, like most of us, sees only the arithmetic.

Then Andrew brings forward the most unimpressive offering in Scripture: a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. Barley was the grain of the poor, the cheap bread, and the fish were likely small dried or pickled fish, a peasant's lunch. Andrew himself seems embarrassed by it: "but what are they for so many?" Everything about the offering is insufficient. A child. Poor man's bread. A portion for one. Set against fifteen thousand hungry people, it is almost a joke.

And this is what Jesus takes. He does not conjure food from nothing, though He could have. He takes what is offered, blesses it, breaks it, and begins to give. The verbs matter: He took, He blessed, He broke, He gave. These are the exact four verbs the Gospels will use again at the Last Supper, when He takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it, saying, "This is my body." The feeding on the hillside is a deliberate foreshadowing of the cross, written in the grammar of the text itself.

The people eat. All of them. The Gospels say they were satisfied, the Greek word implying they were filled completely, not given a polite taste. And then comes the detail all four writers preserve: twelve baskets of broken pieces left over. Twelve, one for each tribe of Israel, one for each disciple who had doubted. The God who fed Israel with manna in the wilderness is feeding a new multitude in a desolate place, and the abundance is so great that the leftovers exceed the original supply many times over. With Jesus, the surplus after the miracle is greater than the total before it.

The crowd understands exactly what they have witnessed. John records that the people begin saying, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world," a reference to Moses' promise in Deuteronomy that God would raise up a prophet like him. Moses gave manna in the wilderness; here is One doing the same. They are so certain that they move to take Him by force and make Him king. And Jesus, refusing the crown offered on their terms, withdraws alone to the mountain. He will be made King, but by way of a cross, not a coronation.

The story has a sobering final act that most retellings skip. The next day, in the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus confronts the same crowd that chased Him around the lake: "You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves." Then He preaches the sermon the miracle was pointing to all along: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger." The teaching is so hard, so demanding, that John records the outcome bluntly: from that time many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. The crowd that wanted a bread king by the thousands dwindled to twelve men, and Jesus asks even them, "Do you want to go away as well?" Peter's answer still stands as the confession of every believer since: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

To the world, this is a charming story about sharing, and some modern skeptics have even tried to reduce it to exactly that, a crowd inspired to open their picnic baskets. But that is not what any of the four accounts describe, and it is not why thousands tried to seize Him and crown Him by force. Something happened on that hillside that fifteen thousand eyewitnesses could not explain away. Bread multiplied in His hands.

Here is what it means for you. The need in front of you may be beyond any reasonable resource. The math may be hopeless, as it was for Philip. And what you have to offer may look like five barley loaves, small, poor, laughably insufficient. Bring it anyway. The miracle never depended on the size of the offering, only on the hands it was placed into. He took the lunch of a child and fed a city with it, and there were twelve baskets left over.

He is not a Savior of scarcity. He fills until they are satisfied, and then keeps going.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, broken so that you would never go hungry. Thank You, Jesus.

[Sean Feucht @seanfeucht]

"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith."

Winston Churchill, 1899

[LifeNews.com @LifeNewsHQ]

They left him like he was nothing—just a few days old, abandoned and crying inside a dumpster.

But fate had a different plan for Freddie Figgers.

A passerby heard the cries and called the authorities. Police rushed the baby to the hospital.

Just 13 days later, Nathan and Betty Figgers, a humble couple from Quincy, Florida, saw the story on the news.

They already had a daughter, but when they saw that tiny boy… they knew they had to do something.

They brought him home.

His childhood wasn’t easy. Kids bullied him, calling him “trash baby.” The words cut deep.

Years later, he sought out his biological mother—only to learn she was battling serious addiction.

He never saw her again.

“The people who raised me are my real parents. They gave me love… and a new life.”

When Freddie was 9, his dad bought him a broken $25 Macintosh computer. Freddie took it apart, fixed it using pieces from a radio—and it worked.

That’s when his love for technology was born.

By 13, he was repairing computers for the local government.

At 15, he launched Figgers Computers.

He built his first systems in his parents’ living room.

He invented medical devices so doctors could remotely monitor patients.

At 19, he sold one invention for $2.2 million.

He even designed GPS shoes to help track his father, who had Alzheimer’s.

By 25, Freddie held five patents and had developed over 80 software programs.

But he never forgot where he came from.

Today, he runs a foundation that provides scholarships, emergency aid, and food for the homeless.

“I started it with my own money. You can be successful and lose your soul—I don’t want that.

I want to make a difference. What you give always comes back.

And there’s no greater reward than knowing you’re doing good.”

From being thrown away… to building a legacy with purpose.

Freddie Figgers’ story proves: Where you start doesn’t define how far you can go.

[National Park Service @NatlParkService]

The phrase “almost there” has been used by hikers for centuries. Historians believe it has never been accurate.

[Blue Lives Matter @bluelivesmtr]

On behalf of the largest police news outlet in the world, we're officially calling for the resignation or termination of this officer IMMEDIATELY.

A female Fort Worth police officer was caught on camera threatening to ticket a retired federal law enforcement officer and Christian street preacher for “offensive speech.”

The officer told the man that if someone is offended by his preaching, then “we have a problem” and said she would issue him a ticket. When he asked if she was really going to ticket him for offensive speech, she replied, “Yes, I am.”

This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Police officers do not have the authority to ticket people for speech that offends others. That is the exact opposite of how freedom of speech works in America.

The fact that this officer targeted a retired federal law enforcement officer who was simply preaching makes this even more unacceptable.

Departments that employ officers who openly disregard the Constitution need to clean house. This kind of behavior erodes public trust and makes every good officer’s job harder.

Pass this along so more people see what is happening on our streets.

#FortWorthPD #FirstAmendment

[Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok]

My God I just love this country 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Whiplash347 @Whiplash437]

Happy 250th Birthday USA! The Greatest Country on Earth! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🎆🎆🎆🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Brandon Lake @brandonlake]

It’s still ONE NATION UNDER GOD 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Share this if you know who’s still on His throne 🙌🏼🙏🏼

[Ashley @AshSavesUSA]

🚨 CHILLS GUARANTEED! 🔥

Zac Brown Band bringing the house down, singing with our incredible service members on stage.

This is pure American heart, talent, gratitude, and unbreakable patriotism all in one! 🇺🇸❤️

You NEED to watch this. @zacbrownband

[MAGA Voice @MAGAVoice]

Despite weather delays

Despite warnings from Secret Service

Despite it almost being Midnight

President Trump and First Lady Melania

Take the stage for America’s 250th

This moment right here

Will be talked about for CENTURIES to come

God Bless America and Happy Birthday

[Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives @dom_lucre]

🔥🚨LATEST: Canadian engineer John Tse is going viral after revealing his umbrella that follows him around as if he is in a futuristic movie. Tse created a fully autonomous umbrella that will assist people that need both of their hands while providing cover.

[Scott M. Baker @vampire_hunters]

Happy 4th of July. This is a momentous occasion being the 250th anniversary. I know I'm dating myself, but I remember the Bicentennial.

[BostonWriter @bostonwriter]

If this sort of thing doesn’t stop you in your tracks and make even the slightest twinge of pride rise in your soul… well… I feel sorry for you.

[SaltyGoat @SaltyGoat17]

🙌🏼

[Speaker Mike Johnson @SpeakerJohnson]

There are MINI MAMDANIs popping up all around the country.

It is a dangerous thing — this is NOT a joke.

We are in a fight RIGHT NOW to save the Republic and EVERY AMERICAN needs to take this seriously.

[Sassafrass84 @Sassafrass_84]

Vote red to save America. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

We Asked AI To Simulate If The U.S. Had A Second Civil War

[Sassafrass84 @Sassafrass_84]

No lie detected. 👇

[Alyssa Matesic @AlyssaMatesic]

I LOVE multi-POV novels, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do them.

If we're getting inside the head of EVERY character who shows up — the meddling ex, the mailman, the detective — your novel will feel like it's sprawling and out of control.

Each POV has to be justified and warranted.

If you're writing a multi-POV novel, remember:

[Hillbilly @JamesHu27192912]

I may piss a few of you off by posting this. We can handle it one of two ways: discuss it like adults or you can unfriend me. Your choice. You have your opinion and I have mine. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I add that my ancestors were here, LONG before the Anglos!!
My ancestors, learned the language and worked and never once did I hear any of them trash America. They became citizens, were proud to be one and some served in the military! I am nice to everyone and I have no problem with anyone coming here and making a good life for themselves and their family, BUT if you are coming here and expect us to become what you just came from, then that’s not happening! Return and work on your country and make it better where you can be proud to live in it.

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of AMERICA, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

“IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT.”

Take it or leave it. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language.

Most Americans believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.

If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our "culture." We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this.

But once you are done complaining and whining about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great AMERICAN freedom,

"THE RIGHT TO LEAVE".

If you aren't happy here, then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country that accepted you.

NOTE:
IF we circulate this among ourselves, WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.
If you agree, please SEND THIS ON and as for those who disagree, move to a country that suits you and live there. "
THANK YOU! 🇺🇸

H/T Robert Cottrell