william barclay

Corinth, a city of wealth, perversion and iniquity, harbored early Christians living amidst the corruption of the time. How did they "walk the walk" through the myriad temptations, cultural icons and sexual beckonings considered "normal" in their society? How shall I do it today? William Barclay takes us through the journey of faith and sometimes folloy facing early Corinthian believers.

from "The Letters To the Corinthians", William Barclay, 1954

"The proof of Christianity lay in its power.  It could take the dregs of humanity and make them into men.  It could take men lost to shame and make them sons of God."  re: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

"Men judge a message by the life and character of the man who brings it ... "  re: 1 Corinthians 9:1-14

"The man who can never see anything but his own point of view and who never makes any attempt to understand the mind and heart of others, will never make a pastor or an evangelist or even a friend"  re: 1 Corinthians 9:15-23

"We have to discipline our minds; it is one of the tragedies of life that men may refuse to think until they become incapable of thinking."  re: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

sit in the witness chair

TAUNTON, Mass. - An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and came up with what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child's father said Tuesday.

The “educators” at the school clearly do not have any understanding of the role of Jesus in the traditional view of the Christmas holiday. They represent the extreme ignorance that has overtaken the public education system in America; decades of watered down, politically correct and revisionist teaching has taken us full circle to uneducated educators.

On the bright side, the parents of the boy have a tremendous opportunity to witness to America, in the courtroom! Instead of wailing, Christians everywhere should be rejoicing! Talk about testimony, not recrimination! How many opportunities must be given to Christians to tell their stories in the public square before they figure out that this is a blessing, not a curse!

WOW!  What would I give to be able to sit in the witness chair and explain in detail what I think the picture of Jesus on the cross represents!

merry christmas

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened.

But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."

Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: "Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God." Luke 2:1-14

man's relationship with God

I highly recommend this booklet for Believers who'd like a basic refreshing primer and to unbelievers who are curious but don't want to get into "the conversation".  This wonderful work by Donald G. Barnhouse lays out man's relationship with God and the path to salvation through Jesus in a manner easy for anyone to grasp; 43 pages, $1.50.

101 Difficult Questions Answered

sometimes i need a 2x4 to the head

My family loves to joke about my propensity for cracking my skull on car doors, shelves, walls and basically anything I approach from below or besides, suggesting even the permanent wearing of protective head gear.   In the searing pain of the moment immediately following one of these skull crackers I don't find the comments amusing, but I do understand their merriment is stimulated by their concern for my well being and by the scary site of me clutching my head and groaning, crying, cursing in agony.

This time it seems, I have cracked my head one time too many.

For several weeks I have been suffering an intermittent tenderness of my scalp on the left side of my skull, sometimes relatively mild, sometimes throbbing, often not at all.  The last week or so, however, the pain has been unrelenting, throbbing and frequently blinding in its intensity. Stubborn person that I am, I finally gave in to the reality that the pain was stronger than my will and set off to see my doctor.

He says that I have  damaged the C20 nerve from just one of these skull crackers, that the damage is permanent and that my two choices are to live with it, or have a shot that will kill the nerve, leaving me with an uncertain level of "buzzing" or "tingling" on that side of my head.

I am sitting here now, with an ice pack on my head, held in place by a  colorfull knit tobogan hat, attempting to dull the pain which has kept me up most of the night.

I have one of two roads to take, medical care or God's touch.

I have reflected tonight on how at earlier times in my life my faith was strong enough that I called on God to heal me, expecting Him to act, and He frequently did just that.  I have seen God  heal me, heal my family and heal many others.  It works today as it did in "Bible Times", no difference.

I have prayed about this but I sense that the strength of my faith is in need of a workout, a toning up, a renewal so to speak.

Brothers and Sisters, I covet your prayers.  Not only prayers for a release from the pain of this injury, yea, even the injury itself, but for the continuing prayers that God's will pervades and prevails in my life, His will be done and mine diminished.

Pray for my lovely wife and my beautiful daughters.

I'll do the same for you.

May God keep you well.

Mark 9:20-24  They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he {began} rolling around and foaming {at the mouth.}  And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.  "It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"  And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

Rom 4:19-22 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.   Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

don't blame God

Author unknown

Whose Fault Is It?

A preacher and an atheist barber were once walking through the city slums. Said the atheist barber to the preacher: "This is why I cannot believe in a God of love. If God was as kind as you say, He would not permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He would not allow these poor bums to be addicted to dope and other character-destroying habits. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things."

The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt and filthy. His hair was hanging down his neck and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. Said the minister, "You cannot be a very good barber or you would not permit a man like that to continue living in this neighborhood without a haircut or a shave."

Indignantly the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition. I cannot help it that he is like that. He has never come in my shop; I could fix him up and make him look like a gentleman!"

Giving the barber a penetrating look, the minister said: "Then do not blame God for allowing these people to continue in their evil ways, when He is constantly inviting them to come and be saved. The reason these people are slaves to sin and evil habits is that they refuse the One who died to save and deliver them."

feed the right one

author unknown

 One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

choose

Our God, our Creator, our Father in heaven is mindful of the trials and perils, the hope and glory of life in this world and while He does not neglect our selfishness or our selflessness, our catering to the flesh or our sacrifice of the flesh, our ignorance of Him or our devotion to Him, He continues to offer His hand to us and calls us to Him.  As we hear Him remind Solomon, on the occassion of the completion of the temple, He offers us choice.

2 Chronicles 7:11-22

"Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's palace, and successfully completed all that he had planned on doing in the house of the LORD and in his palace.

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."2 Chronicles 7:11-22

"Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer {offered} in this place. "For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. "As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man {to be} ruler in Israel.'

"But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

"As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' "And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.'""



Choose life, choose hope, choose freedom, choose God.

tis the season to chill

Brothers and Sisters, friends and neighbors, men, women and children of all ages, lend me your ears!

Here we are again at the holiday season (notice I did not say "Christmas Season"), when emotions and feelings run close to the surface for a variety of reasons and we all get just a tad bit carried away with ourselves, each other, our wallets, common sense, life and society in general.

Please remember:

There is no mention of "Christmas" in the bible so let's not make a big "Christian" thing out of it to where we whack unbelievers on the cranium unjustly! If you want to focus on Jesus, praise Him.  If others do not, pray for them, but be nice to them!

Thanksgiving is just a day of eating and football.  If you have made it your ONE day of the year to be thankful to our Mighty God, then I think you missed the boat anyway!

New Years is what it is.

Personally, I think our Lord Jesus, if He considers it at all, must shake His head sadly at our thin skinned distraction away from His purposes for us.

Other than that, may your holidays and time with family be blessed by our loving Lord and may His light of peace shine above you and your home.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Years Day to you all!

the title of my book

When I leave this earthly life, will my life have been wisely spent?

I have an hour, a day, a year, five years, ten years, maybe fifteen or twenty years left.  Will I spend my remaining days catering to my flesh, growing within and leaving without?  Or shall I spend this all too precious breath investing in others, growing outward in the spirit, allowing God to harvest from my efforts for Him?  Will I give my life or use it up?

 I reflected tonight on the title of my book.  Will it be "An Insignificant Story of a Usual Man" or will it be "A Life of Substance for a God Who Matters"?

Jesus Christ!

It seems to me, when most people use the exclamation "Oh my God!", that God is the last thing on their mind at that moment.  In like manner, when most people exclaim "Jesus Christ!" or "Jesus!" or "Christ!", I think we can safely assume they are not calling upon the Lord.

Ironically, in an age when so much of the media, the liberals and the "atheists" are so dramactically opposed to the mention of God, and especially Jesus, God's name seems to be proclaimed with greater emphasis by these very people!  I think we can easily surmise that it is not the true believers in Jesus that use His name so ineloquently as a curse or as a proclamation of dismay or despair.

a stand must be devised and taken

As a conservative, I know that we MUST guide the leadership of our party of choice by making them aware of our opinions on the myriad issues that are before us in the public arena.  I am increasingly distressed with the blurring of lines between liberalism and conservatism in the two major parties.  Seeking consensus does not necessitate capitulating values and morality for the sake of compromise; a stand must be devised and taken.

Make you voices heard, make your values known, make their phones ring and their postal boxes overflow.

Clueless Republicans

watch, look, listen

engage in the war

All hoopla aside, I don't think it really matters whether President Obama could, would or should accept or reject the Nobel prize, and it is really not a slur or a kudos on him that he "won" it.  Did he do anything to deserve it?  Not in my opinion, but in the opinion of the Nobel judges he did.  In the overall scope of things, it just doesn't matter to me who gets this prize; someone I like or someone I don't.  It has never mattered to me before and it doesn't matter now. 

Does anything about President Obama matter to me?  Abosolutely.

The President of my country stands against everything I hold dear:  God, family, freedom, morality and justice.  But, at least for the next couple of years, he is my President.   I don't have to like it; I do have to accept it.  Planned initiatives: work that much harder for his opponent in the next election, attend town halls, make lots of phone calls and write many letters making my opinion heard by those who have been elected to represent me.  I suggest you do the same.

By the way, for those among us calling for the Presidents resignation, you want Joe Biden as President?  C'mon, are you kidding me?

For the believers among us, engage in the spiritual war that rages around us.  Engage.

make sure that we leave room for rest

The following was gleaned from the Sept. 2005 devotional, On The Right Note.

Listen: "God ... rested from all his work." How come God took time off but you don't? Think maybe you know something He doesn't? Think again! Most of us take ourselves far too seriously! We dress up in business suits and speak in carefully modulated voices. We avoid missing deadlines as if the world would end if we’re late, or making a mistake, or needing to ask someone else for assistance. We get caught in the trap of only focusing on the next acquisition, customer order, completed contract or promotional achievement. And what’s the result? We become rigid, legalistic and brittle. We lose our sense of humor, or willingness to ask for forgiveness, and our ability to extend grace to others. One of the best ways of keeping perspective on what’s truly important, is to make sure that we leave room for rest and recreation in our lives. What do you do for fun? Nothing? That’s not good! Rest and recreation help restore your creativity, fuel your vision, and bring balance to your work-lopsided world.

This is usually one of the most neglected areas of our lives. We think we don’t have enough time for fun. Wrong! You don’t have enough time without it! No one on their deathbed wished for more time to file reports, empty in-boxes, grade papers, or attend meetings. Without exception, we wish we’d taken more time to stroll in the park, tickle our kids on the living room floor, or enjoy that family vacation we always talked about but never got to. The trouble with “tomorrow” is-it never comes!

have i made a difference

As I approach the annual occasion of my human birth, my 56th,  I reflect on many things.  I see that, as the physical end draws more near than far, how many failures have occurred, how many disappointments, how many missed opportunities.  I use my family, friends and contemporaries as a measuring rule in some things, God's plan in others and my dreams and wishes for the last.  I review the joys, the successes, the good and the right.  In the end I ask myself this sobering question, "Have I made a difference in the lives of others and has that difference been a good thing?".

a healthy level of insanity

sent in by a friend

To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity 

• At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars.  See If They Slow Down.


• Page Yourself Over The Intercom.   Don't Disguise Your Voice.


• Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something,  ask If They Want Fries with that.


• Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks .  Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions,
  Switch to Espresso.


• In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ' For Marijuana'


• Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.


• Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.


• Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.


• Sing Along At The Opera.


• Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.


• When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won!   I Won!'


• When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives!  They're Loose!'


• Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go".


• Pick up a box of condoms at the pharmacy, go to the counter and ask where the fitting room is.

what is a "hater"

The term "hater" gets bandied about the Internet and media much these days and I wondered if someone could give me a more clear definition.

It appears that, in general, a "hater" is defined as someone that is for biblical righteousness, against immorality and anyone who disagrees with the pro-homosexual activists.

Am I correct or is there more?

It also seems that those who use the term "hater" spend more time hating the "haters" than the "haters" spend thinking about those who think they are being "hated".  Confused?  Count me in!

hide the witness ... for fear of prosecution

Panel Erases Slain Deputy's Words From Memorial

The Chippewa County Buildings and Grounds Committee voted unanimously to attempt to hide from God for fear of persecution by man.  They chose unanimously to hide the witness of one man, honored for his service to the community, for fear of prosecution by that same community.  They chose, unanimously, to dishonor God, by hiding His servant's testimony "in an appropriate area".

Jesus said it best.

Matthew 10:32-33 (ASV)  "Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven"

President Obama advised us today "when  you sneeze cover your mouth with your sleeve, not your hands" and to "wash your hands frequently".  This is good advice.  That's one.

Edmund Burke

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”

I miss dogs and tomatoes.

There has been a dog in my house for many years, until the last few months.  We discovered a while back that I was a little allergic to dogs but did not pay it any great heed; the dogs were my daughter's pets and later a third joined us as my wife's pet.  I considered them all and, grumpily at times, I was glad they were there.  Sure, poop scooping and hair sweeping and the inevitable damage to the air conditioing system took their gradual toll on my nerves, but there was always, for me, a sense of peace and security associated with their needy little faces and finicky barking.  And they love me.

Living alone these past months I have not had the now noticably associated breathing problems and I only scoop the poop when I go over to work in the yard, but I miss the sad face of Jeanette, the skittishness of Angel  and Tink's frenetic energy.  I miss the dependence, I suppose, and the exuberance that is met with the simple act of feeding and watering.  I miss the joy of dogdom.  And they love me.

I love the flavor of tomatoes, on and in everything.  We discovered that tomatoes are toxic to me, and now must be enjoyed in limited amounts, periodically, and there will be an consequence to their ingestion.  I miss the simple joy of slathering picante on everything; potatoes, meat and vegetables.  I miss steamy lasagna and the rich flavorful mouthful a great tomatoey chilli!  I especially miss fresh slices on sandwiches and just eating them solo.  I give in occasionally and usually suffer a day or two of diminished breathing capacity for the act, but it's worth it!

I miss the dogs, I'm fairly certain they miss me as well, and tomatoes will always beckon to me.

See, the thing is, it's easy to defend conservative values.  It's always easier to defend the truth.

Several years ago I was blessed to be able to do different photo shoots covering two persons who would one day be Presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

In reviewing the photos recently I noticed something odd.  All the photos of Bill Clinton were fuzzy, distorted and out of focus while all the photos of George Bush were sharp, clear and well presented.

I wonder what percentage of the regular viewers of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" voted for President Obama?

If the Republican party was organized enough to be so effective in disrupting the Democrat Town Halls would they not have been organized enough to put a candidate in the White House?

It is the common people who are fed up.  Forget the Republicans (most of the country has) and look to the back breaking tax to death freedom squashing policies of Obama, Pelosi and Reid to be the source of the disharmony! 

Attend a town hall, of either party, in your community.  Lend an ear and a voice.

Cruising channels the other day and I happened upon a broadcast of the "God will pour riches upon you!" channel from Houston.

It just makes me ill that so many folks are being led astray by the "name it and claim it" movement.

Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Hagan, Crefloe Dollar, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

Father, deliver us from our greedy nature and show us the true path to blessing, through giving of ourselves and blessing others.

The U. S. government has gotten so large they no longer represent the common man.  The elitists in Washingtion are ruling instead of representing, mandating instead of finding common sense solutions.

It is time for a noisy, non-violent, voters revolution!

We all have to pay for health care, except for military retirees and Congresspersons! I pay almost $600 a month for health insurance! Every month for years and years, and when health insurance is "free" I'll be paying even more cuz then I'll not only be paying for mine but for theirs as well! Free? NOTHING IS FREE, especially if it comes through the hands of government!!!!!!!

It's a conspiracy! Every time there is a Town Hall scheduled in my area it is taking place right smack dab in the middle of my precious sleeping time! It's just not right! I want my loud voice to be heard loudly!  I want my chance to get up on my soap box!!!!!!!

I love this! Barak Obama says he doesn't want "health insurance bureaucrats meddling in your health care" while promising that "government employees won't be meddling in your health care"! So, he's saying that the insurance companies, whose JOB it is to manage health care choices, won't be telling us "no" and the government won't be telling us "no", so everyone gets whatever they want?

Reminds of the night in McAllen, Tx, that I heard Bill Clinton promise the residents of the Rio Grande Valley that, if elected, all of their children would receive free college education! He overwhelmingly carried the Valley but no one to this date has seen any free college education.

Gotta love ignorant voters!  NOT!

Obama Call

Oh, by the way, he's speaking IN A CHURCH!  How come only Democrat politicians are allowed to make partisan poitical speeches in churches?

True "Health Care Reform" will only come when the elitists on both sides of the fence in Washington put themselves under the same package as Joe the Plumber, Sam the Stockbroker, Steve the Techie, Lucy the Librarian, George the Grocer, Karl the Kid, Mary the Mom, Ben the Government Worker, and Cassie the Used Car Salesperson.

Paid tuition to any educational institution should be 100% tax deductible, both on the state and federal level.

Our representatives consistently orate on the benefits of extended education but do little to actually encourage it or make it affordable to those who need it the most.

My children's tuition should be deductible.

My tuituion shoud be deductible.

My neighbors' tuition should be deductible.

Your tution should be deductible.

Awaken Generation

Check this out: http://www.infowars.com/getting-the-kids-ready-for-soft-kill-vaccinations-mission-set-immuno/

(cursing and crude language audible in these tapes, hearer discretion is advised)

Sixty videos displaying the contempt of Congress for the American citizen.

But remember to stifle yourself! 

"Multitasking" rudeness allowable, answering the questions NOT!

See, here's the thing, Mr/Ms incumbent.

The folks who are showing up at your town hall with serious concerns/questions/agendas ARE the folks who will be actively involved in your next re-election campaign, either for you or against you, but they WILL be involved!

These are the folks who are not content to sit on the couch and watch television, blindly following your agenda because they are ignorant, lazy, apathetic and too unconcerned to do something about it.  These are the folks who WILL do something about it.

I would think that a concerned REPRESENTATIVE would listen and consider representing instead of ignoring, tossing out insults and labels at Americans who are expressing themselves according to their Constitutional right to be heard.

Sticking to your own self-seeking agenda, especially if your agenda includes being re-elected, might turn out to be folloy.  Listening ONLY to those who agree with you paints you as a fool and a bigot.

Better to listen and truthfully respond, than to be sent home.  Remember, EVERYTHING you do, every vote, is a matter of record, and sometimes records are played loudly!

Barak Obama was elected President because he is a black man.  If he were a white man, he would not even have been on the ballot.  He as no experience as a manager, no accomplishments worthy of a national agenda, is not even a good orator (count the "uh"s), in short, has none of the  essential qualities of being the world's most powerful man.  What he is, is black and a man.

He would not have beaten Hilary Clinton in the primaries; likely would not even have been in the race, if he were a white man or a black woman.  He made it to the big show based solely on race and gender.  As a black man, he trumped a white woman.  Period.  As a black man he became "America's Hope".  Hope for what?  Change?  He has shown himself to be nothing more than an ultra left-wing liberal hack, bound for the destruction of this great nation for his so far unknown reasoning.  But we WILL know it; it's just a matter of time.

As a liberal black man he carried the black vote, the homosexual vote, the youth vote, the anti-Bush vote, the anti-conservative vote, the anti-morality vote and the loud vote.  Millions of Americans voted for Barack Obama because he is a liberal black man and that represents the ultimate opposite of every American President to date.  In this age of fear, millions voted against the historical status quo.  They voted AGAINST Bush, Nixon, Reagan, Eisenhower and Ford, and in so doing, they fell into the hands of an enticement.

In Barak Obama, we see the release of the hounds and the dogs of liberalism, all our conservative, moderate and moral nightmares on the surface; even the moderate Democrats are scared,  and well they should be (Barack Obama may well spring them out of office!).

President Barack Obama represents the rise of all that is anti-American in America, the total collapse of morality and a giving in to the global anti-American agenda.  He is not the designer of the slope, but he most certainly will give America the big push over the edge.  President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will bring to the table every notion of left-wing extreme liberalism that they have fought so long to catapult to national law.  These at the head of the table are ready to give away the historical "American Dream" turn us back three centuries to a European entanglement.

We are to be victims of this well conceived agenda devised for decades and only now coming to fruition.  No, President Obama will not see a second term, but the changes he will augment will be decades in overturning, if ever. His term will be marked in history as the beginning of the end of an independent America, a nation once known as a land of hope, enthusiasm and personal achievement.  Decades from now, those of us still alive will look back from our sleeping cells and our gray uniforms to wonder what happened to America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Or, we could get off our duffs and make the phones in our Congressperson's and Senator's office ring.

The Republican party has lost its way.  The Democrat party if filled with immoral anti-American cowards, postering for the votes.  We are plauged with a two party system that does not appear to have a solution in sight, the middle American family has no representation, the small business man is ham-strung by regulation and Washington wants to take from the right and give to the left.

Look at other faces at the exhibition.

The Libertarian Party

The Constitution Party

The Reform Party

It is time America, for a political revolution.

gossip kills

It has been my experience there are few actions that cause more damage to relationships than gossip.  Gossip is an insidious evil perpetrated with "the best intentions".  Born of pride and a judgemental spirit, gossip maligns, cripples, wounds and devastates even the most stable relationships.

Gossip is handed down through generations; children being terribly mis-shaped by parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends and neighbors; gossips raise gossips.

Gossip kills friendships.  Gossip destroys marriages.  Gossip divides churches.

"I heard" begins a common gossip session. Some gossip in the name of "prayer", some in the name of "helping", some as "warnings" to others, but it all starts and ends the same way; "I heard...", "she said...", "I wonder...", "he said...", "have you heard...". Pride pushes gossip through otherwise seemingly innocent lips and into the ears of all close by.  Gossip is always repeated.  There are always victims of gossip.  Gossip is ugly.  Words spoken may not be taken back; the damage is done.

In the restaurant business we were watchful for damaging comments.  It was an industry standard that a negative comment about a restaurant would be repeated up to 30 times before dying out.  "I heard that the food was not good", "I heard that the service was terrible", "I heard that the prices were too high", "I heard", "I heard", "I heard".  In contrast, positive comments were held to be repeated only up to 10 times.  Gossip kills businesses, gossip distorts perception, gossip does not give some a chance.

Gossip makes people cry, causes sleepless nights, hardens hearts.  Gossip may be wrathful, vengeful, purposeful, stabbing.  Gossip is never innocent.

Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips."

I confess that I have gossiped; I have participated in hurtful discussion concerning others, so have you.  I have maligned others through anger or selfish desire to lift myself up; I suspect you have as well.  We don't always set out to gossip, purpose to hurt or intend to tear down, but the damage is always the same, purposeful or not.

Psalm 15:1-3 "(A psalm by David.) Who may stay in God's temple or live on the holy mountain of the LORD? Only those who obey God and do as they should. They speak the truth and don't spread gossip; they treat others fairly and don't say cruel things."

I have been grievously wounded by gossip, some purposeful, some not malicious, but scarring nonetheless.  I suspect each of us can tell a similar tale.  Words can cut deeper than any knife.

We must exercise caution when we open our mouths to speak of others, carefully weighing our words and honestly inquiring of ourselves (and our listeners) whether we are speaking in a positive, caring manner.

If we discover that we are not, then let us change our words and our purpose or simply shut up.

look! an honest liberal!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=110270711859&ref=nf

http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf

visit above to review the pending legislation

read the synopsis below sent by a friend:

Please contact your representives and senators, even though you know that they will vote against this bill.  The more vocal America can be, the better chance for defeat.
 
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly.
                 Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services."

"There are only two sources of supernatural knowledge.  One is God and the other is the devil." ~ Derek Prince

"Many Christians think that victory over sin means that they'll no longer be tempted. Or they think that God will change their nature so that they'll no longer desire to do evil. Either way, they're wrong. Temptation isn't sin; it's a call to battle."  ~ Erwin Lutzer in "Getting To No"

Men Of Integrity

are you an extremist?

"While the rest of us may be worried about violent Mexican drug gangs on our border or about terrorists who are going to be released from Guantanamo, the director of Homeland Security is worried about “right-wing extremists.”
  Just who are these right-wing extremists?
  According to an official document of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, right-wing extremists include “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.” It also includes those “rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority.”"

read the article "Are you an ‘extremist?’"

the Word

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-5   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Revelation 1:8  "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Revelation 3:20   Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

The Word is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, Messiah, Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  He has always been there for us, is with us now and shall remain with us to the end.  He waits for each of us to know Him, to accept Him and to enjoy His company.

Enjoy the Word.

www.standontherock.org

All bible verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), courtesy of The Lockman Foundation.

a snowball's chance

We are no longer on the brink of madness, we have found empty air beneath our feet.

Homosexual mayors, comedian senators, movie star governors and a ruling class in Washington with no grasp of reality have led us like lemmings to the edge and over.

We can blame no one but ourselves; we have enabled the madness, in our apathy, in our quest for stuff, in our desire to be fed as needy hatchlings, mouths open and squawking for the worm.

We have a President, who by all norms of logic, should not have been elected dog catcher, much, much less to the seat of global power.  A no account, inexperienced, untested and untried, "nobody" has become the President of these United States and in that accomplishment, our future has been foretold.

We have become madness itself.

Frothing  Nancy Graces and Jerry Springers captivate us of with their ghoul like ability to elevate pain, degradation and suffering to the heights of entertainment that make celebrities of felons, murderers, child molesters, pedophiles, adulterers and monsters of society.

Hell has frozen over, the fat lady has sung, the anthem has played for the last time and we are staring at the test pattern.

The foundations of our society have imploded and our structures are falling.  We are Rome.

Foot thick unread bills are passed in Washington by a hysterical ruling body because someone has proclaimed the sky to be falling and, without looking up, we have followed the sound of the piper.

Our collective cord has unraveled.  We are undone.

Distracted by rapidly rising gas and food prices and a falsely stated economy, the hook sunk deep into the flesh, we were reeled in by the powers that be, by "them", by those who would have their way with us.  We searched for and found a false hope.  We grasped at nothing and found it.

Our society legislates pornography and celebrates sodomy, we decry "murder" and kill millions of unborn children annually, we diversify and tolerate to the point of mass stupidity. Our public schools are the joke of the world but we continue to allow the same failing organizations and governmental bodies to dictate school policy and methodology.

In our apathy and self indulgence, our mass willingness to "let someone else do it" and our careless disregard of the Constitution we have enabled a ruling class of representatives to do nothing of the sort. They do not represent us, instead representing their own self interests and the strengthening and propogation of the party.

It is well past midnight, we are tucked "safely" in our beds with a blind hope that tomorrow will be, not better, but more of the same; because we are satisfied.

Howard Beale was right.

michael jackson's death

I've been asked if I plan on blogging about Michael Jackson's death; I suppose this counts.

Michael Jackson's death warrants little comment above the plethora in the press.  He was a celebrity, a talented artist and, during the course of his life, affected many people with his music.   His life appeared to have been be a constant quest for changing who he was born to be into some fantastic idea of what he thought he should have been.

As with all of us, here was someone who needed God's firm guiding hand in his life.

www.standontherock.org

"Obama has no black experience"

"A conservative black pastor and former NFL linebacker says he's highly offended that President Obama would compare the plight of homosexuals to that of blacks during the Civil Rights Era.

 On Monday, President Obama told a gathering of homosexuals at the White House that he is aware that many of them "don't believe progress has come fast enough," and compared their struggles to those of blacks during the Civil Rights Movement."

Pastor: Obama has no 'black experience' to speak of

Zogby International

a lot can change in 5 years

I was cleaning off a batch of old hard drives and I found this text file on one of them:

--------------- begin text ---------------

Subject: Thank you for your offer!
Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 5:37 AM

Thank you for your offer!

 Experience tells me that you probably receive many complaints as a result of doing online advertising, so I just wanted to send you some cheerful greetings and wish you a pleasant day.

  I am not interested in your offer at this time, but I would like to extend an offer of prayer back to you. Whether you are a Christian or not, if you have any prayer needs then please let me know and I will forward them to my prayer team.

  Prayer is powerful and effective, and we will be happy to pray for any needs you have, just let us know how we can help.

  God truly loves you (John 3:16). He knows your name, He knows your situation, and if you are not a Christian then His fervent desire is to adopt you as His child. He would go to great lengths for the joy of having you as part of His family, even to the point of letting His only true Son be executed in your place so that you can be freed of all guilt and burdens. If you have any questions about God or spiritual matters then please send them to me and I will be happy to try to answer them for you.

  I look forward to hearing from you, and may God abundantly bless you!

In His Love,
Steve 

 

------------------- end text -----------------------

I appears that 5 years ago I had a heart for prayer and a heart to help other folks.  It seems that I would use this text to reply to the plethora of SPAM I received, using the emails as a blessing instead of a curse.  I don't remember what kind of responses I received, but I do know that I stopped doing this somewhere along the line, whether due to busyness, apathy, or a heart change only God can tell.

A lot can change in 5 years, in both directions.

I was reminded last night that truly successfull people achieve that success by living their lives for something besides themselves.  I remember many happier days and I am reminded that, in those days,  I also lived for people and causes outside myself.  The formula holds true for each of us.  True joy, peace, love, happiness will be found in the cause of others.

Open the door.

enjoy the ride

A young lady once told me that she would not ride on the back of a motorcycle because she didn't want people to see has as "a big fat momma" on the back of the bike.

We have to ask ourselves if we are so concerned about what others think of us, justly or unjustly, that we miss opportunities to enjoy the ride.

The ride is good; don't miss it.

choose life

Choose Life

Texas Alliance for Life

"our nation at a turning point"

"Friends, these are not days to shrug off the latest news and headlines and cheerfully wait for another election or console ourselves that every age has its moral setbacks.  Cracks are being driven deep into the cornerstones of our country, and things are being done in our nation’s courts that, once accomplished, will be exceedingly difficult to undo."

Read the complete essay at Alliance Defefense Fund

civics lesson

author unknown

Socialism Simplified

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student, but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked; that no one would be poor, and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged, and everyone would receive the same grade; so no one would fail, and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged, and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Can it be any simpler than that?

insanity

insanity: expecting the United States Federal Government, as a body, to get anything right.

reflections of the mind kind

A young man of my aquaintance recently made a comment that, in essence, led me to consider that he thought much of his intelligence.  I have been chewing on the concept that some persons consider their God given gifts something to hold high, wave as a standard, lift before the masses.

I believe I am a rather intelligent person, but I must admit that of my four brothers and sister I suspect that I am the weaker thinker of the array.  Of the five of them, some are unquestionably brilliant, but you will not hear them allude to it; that would be a weak minded option.

The spiritual, physical and mental gifts we enjoy, and hopefully put to productive use, are from God.  He designed us, shaped us and molded us into exactly what He envisioned.  His gifts are not attributable to us and so we consequently have nothing to brag about. 

Even those who subscribe to "evolutionary chance" must logically admit that they had nothing to do with the shape and content of their personal attributes.

Our choices and ambitions may define our character and our contributions, but none of us has a reason to be prideful of our beginnings; they are without us.

To God be the glory, forever and ever.   Amen.

yes, it can and does happen in America

"Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit"

Please lift up these folks and the officials of San Diego, CA.

missing link found?

"The unveiling of the fossil came as part of a carefully-orchestrated publicity campaign unusual for scientific discoveries"

Gee, that doesn't sound in the least suspicious or conspiritorial!

The latest soon to be missing link hoax begins here.

Was the serpent depicted in Genesis 3 just a snake, or was it Satan?

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said to the woman, ..."  Genesis 3:1 NASB

Eve did not appear to be surprised to hear the serpent speak and the serpent is described as "crafty", depicting purposeful intelligence and design.

How is this?  Did all animals originally speak, or just this one?

Strong's Concordance lists the word "crafty" as arum, described as "cunning (usually in a bad sense): - crafty, prudent, subtil."  In a fashion, the serpent is depicted as having the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to make informed choices.

Interesting.

I am aware that in traditional Christianity we ascribe the serpent's abilities as being due to possession by Satan, but I can't find biblical confirmation of that.

Most point to the depictions of the serpent in the book of Revelation, but I see that the word translated into English (according to Strong's) as "serpent" is "ophis",  "(through the idea of sharpnessof vision); a snake, figuratively (as a type of sly cunning) an artful malicious person, especially Satan: - serpent".

Not a reference to a snake at all, but rather to Satan's personality.  In other words, it appears that the characteristics of a snake are being given to Satan and not the reverse!

Why would God curse the serpent if it was acting solely under the influence of Satan?  Genesis 3:14-16

Thoughts?

statistical analysis

According to a WikiAnswers statistic, "at least 10% of the United States population labels themselves as homosexual". If this statistic is true, I wonder, "How do so many "gay" laws achieve passage?".

Volume.

To the loudest go the spoils.

We are so intimidated in America that we allow loud, rude, obnoxious behavior, to turn us from what is right and true, be it homosexual "rights", abortions "rights", union "rights", etc., etc..

How does it happen? Politicians are more eager for re-election that standing for truth, which naturally follows voter apathy.

The loud vote in concerted effort, the apathetic and intimidated stay home on election day.

Vote. Be loud.

underscoring parental censorship

I'm sorry for some of the movies I have let my children watch.  I have spent a lifetime becoming anesthetized to violence and profanity in movies; I can't allow that numbness, however, to color my judgement of the movies I allow my minor children to watch.

But I have.

While condemning others for allowing their children to view movies I don't think are appropriate, I have been guilty of the same behavior; different movies, same lapse in judgment.

Girls, I'm sorry for allowing your minds to take on a perverse edge.  I'm sorry that you have witnessed events on the screen that no child, and few adults, should "enjoy".  I'm sorry for the bad dreams that so often accompanied your sleep.  I'm sorry for disturbing your precious minds.

Rom 1:28-32 "And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know full well God's just sentence--that those who practice such things deserve to die--they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them."

All of these things I have allowed my children to watch from time to time.  All of these things, I have allowed my children to "applaud others who practice them.".

I ask God to forgive me for my sin of accepting a "worthless mind" that does not belong with a follower of the Lord Jesus.  I ask my children for forgiveness in allowing them to be corrupted at my hand.  I ask my wife for forgiveness in leading her astray and in not standing against evil in my home.

I have just read the review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a movie I was looking forward to watching, a sequel to the X-Men movies I have enjoyed.  I had heard a reviewer on the radio the other day compare this movie to the recent Dark Knight, a movie I rented for my daughter,  and was stunned at his comparison of violence and language.  Upon reading his review, I'm no longer ready to watch this new film and am disgusted that I allowed my baby girl to watch the other.  It was not so long ago that I never allowed my girls to watch anything without my wife or I pre-viewing it for them and making a judgement based upon biblical standards.  I can not lay claim to that standard in the recent past.  I have reviewed in my mind some of the movies and shows I have allowed the girls, myself and my wife to watch, and I am ashamed.

I can't erase the scenes played out before my children's eyes or the words spoken into their ears, but I can ask God for His mercy on them and make sure that I do not engage in such unrighteous stupidity in the future.

loving your parents and letting them know

It has occurred to me that I was presented with untold opportunities to throw my arms around my Dad's neck and to tell him, "I love and appreciate you" and I took advantage of none of them.

I know now how much that must have hurt and disappointed him.

It's too late for me to tell him, but if you still have that opportunity, make sure you let your Mom and Dad know how much they mean to you, as often as you can.

The Jaycee Creed

We believe

That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life;

That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations;

That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise;

That government should be of laws rather than of men;

That earth's great treasure lies in human personality;

And that service to humanity is the best work of life.

United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (JAYCEES)

Junior Chamber International

we the people stimulus package video

We the People Stimulus Package

fellowship of the saints

1 Corinthians 1:1-10 (HCSB) Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and our brother Sosthenes: To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord--theirs and ours.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I always thank my God for you because of God's grace given to you in Christ Jesus,  that by Him you were made rich in everything--in all speaking and all knowledge-- as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

We miss quite abit when we lack the fellowship of the saints.  God ordained that, as the body of Christ, we  "do not lack any spiritual gift ".   As the body united, we are able to achieve, by the uniting of the gifts of the spirit, much more than we can alone.

Rom 12:4-8 (HCSB) "Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness."

more to come (gotta go to work)

He's coming back

(This one was emailed to me; I can't attest to it's historical accuracy, but I like it!)

author unknown

A thought for the Easter Season

This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the emails so; I'll start it, if it touches you and you want to forward it.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

"Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'  Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side."

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

He is Coming Back!!

seeing through the smoke

In the heat of battle we sometimes are unable to see clearly through the "smoke" of noise, confusion, anger, frustration, rage, hurt, pain, disappointment and fatigue.  It is hard to get a clear focus on the area most in need of support, of regrouping and of reinforcement.  I was reminded yesterday to move slower and watch more intently for the tricks, snares and pitfalls of the enemy.

I had realized in a new way my brokenness and my need for a new plan, this time with God as leader, as commander, as Lord.  Shortly after a time in the Word and in conversation with Him, my phone rang and I became engaged in a heated conversation with my wife.  Accusations from both sides were hurled, hearts were wounded and a chasm between us became deep and formidable.

I was blindsided by the enemy, by my flesh, by my pride.  I was not watchful because I had neglected the plan Paul revealed to us in God's Word.

Eph 6:10-18, "Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word. With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints." ~ HCSB

Stay in the spirit - be vigilant - prepare for battle by arming yourself with the proper heart and weapons - engage the enemy, not your own troops (family) - let God lead

little things test us more

It's an easy testimony to give our Lord praise and glory in the large obstacles that are overcome in our lives,  but consider the little trials more.  I see in my life that I am not as ready as I once was to thank God for the little things and have been quick to grumble when things are not going my way.

This morning I had occasion to replace a component in my computer.  Upon opening the computer I discovered that the CPU fan was covered in dust, not something that I see normally, but having recently moved the box from the table to the floor, not unexpected.  The amount of dust, however, led me to wonder, "Why so much dust, I vacuum 2-3 times a week, isn't the vacuum cleaning sufficiently"?.

I set the computer body onto the seat of a chair, and went for the vacuum to clean the inside of the case.  Pulling the crevice wand from the vacuum body, I tested the suction and noticed there was minimal strength.  I was puzzled by this as I had just vacuumed last night and it had seemed to be working.  I began breaking down the vacuum and discovered that I had been vacuuming for the last month without a bag!  The vacuum had been given to me recently and I had neglected to check for a new bag, the 10-12 times I had used it had just been storing the dust into the bag cavity until it eventually met the ultimate result of no longer being able to function correctly.  In my chagrin, I went for the box of filters that had been given me with the vacuum, along the way remembering that I had never opened the box to determine its contents.  Would a bag be inside or was I readying for a trip to the store?

I was delighted to discover one bag in the box and set about installing it into the vacuum.  This would have been a nice time to thank God for His provision, for the bag and for the vacuum, but "no", I did not rise to the occasion, failing to give God His due.

Switching on the newly transformed vacuum, I discovered that it now worked with an amazing intensity that I had not seen before, and for the first time in a month, my carpets, were actually being cleaned!  In my haste to clean the floor, however, I knocked the computer case from the chair to the floor, shattering the cover!  I am ashamed to admit that a curse loud enough to disturb any lingering dust bunnies did leap from my lips.

In perusing the case, I remembered that  someone else had gifted me with an empty case, just this size.  I went for it and was delighted to discover that it was an almost exact replacement.  Sadly,  "no", I still did not give God His due praise and thanks.

I began removing the components from the broken case.  In this activity i was mindful of how much I disliked this now broken case.  It had given me several moments of consternation since its purchase and realization that it was a cheap piece of junk; functional but easily broken in its weak, thin metal body.  As I removed the components and pieces of hardware I began to formulate a cynical joy that I would soon be trashing this box and finally ridding myself of it's odious presence.  I gleefully uttered aloud, "Die, you piece of &*#@, die!".

It hit me at once that I was cursing something which God had provided.  He provided me with the resources to purchase it and with the ability to join it with other goods to fashion a functional computer.  He has given me a quick and keen mind with which to deliberate and consider alternative choices, making the best of that with which I have been blessed.

In shame, I asked Him for forgiveness and praised Him, thanking Him for providing the gift of this box, asking His forgiveness for my ungratefulness and thanking Him for the replacement box which He had sent my way, knowing that I would be needing it soon.  I thanked God for my abilities, I thanked Him for watching over me, in every way.

After a trip to the dumpster, discarding the now broken case, I sat down at my backup computer (Thank you Lord) to pen this message, looking over the pieces and parts of the other still resting on the (now clean) floor.

I want to go back to a piece of a line above, "functional but easily broken in its weak, thin metal body".

That's me.  I have struggled lately in many areas of my life, all due struggles because I have allowed myself to slide away from my Lord, away from time in His presence, away from new discovery, away from prayer and away from His voice.  I have become disfunctional because my body has become "weak" and "easily broken".  I have separated myself from my Lord, from fellowship and from my own family.

I can not, at this sitting, enumerate an area of my life that is functioning in strength today.  I am, however, "changing the bag".  I am going to finish this letter and pick up my Bible.  It's a new day and discovery awaits.  I'll finish putting my computer back together later.  There are things more important to accomplish.

thinking alone

when I am alone, and NOT in communion with our Lord, i am only being influenced by my flesh and my sinful desires. the necessity for companionship with like minded SINCERE believers is clear; iron sharpens iron.

If my desire is TRLUY to be transformed then I must develop a disciplined habit of daily fellowship with God and regular fellowship with the brothers and sisters around me.

why I vote democrat

author unknown

I vote Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I  want. I've decided to marry my horse. 
 
I vote Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't. 
 
I vote Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would. 
 
I vote Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it. 
 
I vote Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people. 
 
I vote Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves. 
 
I vote Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius. 
 
I vote Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit. 
 
I vote Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the  Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

a reel picture of the horror of the bailout

An Inconvenient Debt

Chart from St. Louis Federal Reserve

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

An interesting article, and/or a call to return to and cling to "the basics" of following Jesus, The Christ?

"I believe that we are on the verge- within 10 years- of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity; a collapse that will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and that will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West. I believe this evangelical collapse will happen with astonishing statistical speed; that within two generations of where we are now evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its current occupants, leaving in its wake nothing that can revitalize evangelicals to their former “glory.”"

Read the three part essay on the internetmonk.com

each day is shorter than the last

A friend died yesterday in a sudden accident.  I am reminded that death can come upon any of us at any time and we have a dire need to be ready.  My friend did not wake up yesterday knowing that he would not see the end of the day, and we likely will not either when our day comes.

Are you in right standing with your Lord?  He is your Lord, whether you accept Him or not.  Please visit the following link and consider your relationship with the Lord God.

StandOnTheRock.org

 

Steve

puhlease! making a buck with octo-sleaze!

Porn Plot: Vivid's Sordid Plans for Nadya 'Octomom' Suleman

business online that is not!

I am so frustrated with companies that ask you to go online and then require a phone call or other contact to finish the deal!

Cable - set up a cable appointment online and then received a phone message stating that I MUST call back to confirm the appointment!

Bank - set up a bank draft online and then received notice that I MUST call in to confirm the amount requested!

Auto repair - set up an appointment online and then notified that I would receive an email or phone call to CONFIRM the appointment!

What is the point of going online to make these kinds of transactions if I MUST  make/receive phone calls in order to confirm the information that I gave them online?  Do businesses in America just not GET the concept of online transactions as a streamlined method of contact?

And WHY do so many internet sites with newsletters make it impossible or extremely difficult to change your email address, often having to unsubscribe the old and resubscribe the new?  It's EMAIL!  Should you NOT focus on the EMAIL setting/address as a priority?

Reminds of a company I once worked for that set up a BBS to transfer documents between branches in order to avoid travel time and then REQUIRED a visit to sign the documents with an original signature in ink!

AAAARGGGHHHHH!

Bottled Water and the Overflowing Nanny State

"For the past couple decades, bottled water had been growing in popularity as an environmentally preferred choice and as a healthy beverage alternative. Yet in recent years, environmental activists have begun attacking its value and quality. The activists’ claims do not hold water, yet, based on those claims,"

This news article refers to a teachers union president complaining about having to hold public school classes on Good Friday, referring to a "contract violation" and bout a school committe member stating that "Good Friday is sacred and the schools would be sending the wrong message about religion".

Public schools ALWAYS send the wrong message about religion!

Sorry, but you can't have it both ways!  The school officials can not stand behind religious persecution of Christianity in the public schools system and then complain about missing a day off when its convenient for a religious holiday.

Buck up, Mister! 

read the article here

"So it is with our marriage. It is a battle ground of faith"

My friend and Brother Indy's essay on men and marriage:

Marriage:

 

  The union of two people, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/marriage

1Co 7:10  And to the married I command (not I, but the Lord), a woman not to be separated from her husband.

1Co 7:11  But if she is indeed separated, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to leave his wife.

1Co 7:12  But to the rest I speak, not the Lord, If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is pleased to dwell with him, do not let him put her away.

1Co 7:13  And the woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is pleased to dwell with her, do not let her leave him.

1Co 7:14  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

1Co 7:15  But if the unbelieving one separates, let him be separated. A brother or a sister is not in bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

1Co 7:16  For what do you know, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or what do you know, O man, whether you shall save your wife?

1Co 7:17  But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all churches.

 

Men and women forget what marriage is about. This world has turned 'holy matrimony' into lease program. When the lease is over, you get to walk away. It has become too common in today's marriages. If it doesn't work, divorce. That's usually the solution. But we tend to forget why we got married in the first place. Hopefully, the reason anyone gets married is because they are so in love with someone that they find their love so intertwined that it would be impossible to undo. When two become one, it should mean exactly that. One spirit, one life. Not his and hers, not different bank accounts, not different duties or responsibilities. But a union between to people who are in love and want to spent the rest of their lives together. The word 'union', in this case, means together, joined, inseparable, united, one. Does this world have such a strangle hold on us that we just want to cut loose and run? Whatever happened to, for better or for worse, sickness and health, good times and bad. We seem to run from everything except the good times.\

Why is it so hard for us to love our spouse the way God wants us to? Why have we let circumstances break the bond that God has put together? Mind you, some people should never had gotten married in the first place. That is another topic of discussion. But the man and woman who married because they love each other and told each other that they want to spend the rest of their lives together, those are the ones that we need to pray for. I've know too many people who have been married for years start talking about divorce. Situations come up that they can't handle and believe that divorce is the only answer. Infidelity may be an issue or mistrust for some reason may be an issue. There are many things that may cause that discussion but divorce is not the answer. Again, if the marriage should have never taken place in the first place, I believe that divorce is the only answer because that is when infidelity and adultery take place.

My concern is the couples who have been married for years and start to grow apart from each other. Questions arise like, why? What drastic change happened that would cause that? Have they given up on each other? Are outside influences causing problems in their marriage? Is there a non-believer in the house? Are they just getting tired of each other? Is it the economy, finances, job(s) that are causing so much stress that they just want out? I believe that husbands need to pray more, a lot more. I believe wives need to pray more, a lot more. I think husbands and wives need to pray together as well as alone. Husbands are the head of the household. We (speaking as a husband), need to pray for our wife and our family. We need to obey God's will and do what God wants us to do. We are the spiritual leaders of our house. If we don't pray, who will. Our wives are under our covering, our blessings pour down on them. Our obedience to God provides the protection that our family needs. Our wives need to pray for their husbands. They need to pray that God will use their husbands in ways that are pleasing to him. Husbands are warriors, they are the protectors of the riches that God has provided for his family. It is our duty as husbands to fight for our wife, to fight for our children, to fight for what we believe in. God has given us the armor, he has given us the weapons, he has given us the 'WORD'. We must use the word (bible) every day to fight our battles. God will never leave us or forsake us, that is written in the book of life. But we as husbands and men must stand firm in the belief that God will guide us through every battle. That there is nothing that we can't do because God is with us. I will be writing about spiritual warfare at a later time, but that is what we are in. A spiritual battle. The battle is all around us, all we have to do is open our eyes to it and realize that it is right in front of us. Everywhere we go, we are in a battle, a battle to keep our eyes and our ears clean and pure and focused on God. The battle ground is the world that we live in. And every time that we walk out of our house, our fortress, we step into battle. Sometimes there is a clear path and we bypass all the land-mines, and sometimes we are right smack in the middle of it. But God has a way of making a clear path for us. Anyone who has been in any type of battle knows that it is unpredictable. You never know what is around the corner. You never know what to expect. But we must always be prepared. We can't let our guard down and we must NEVER get comfortable. Comfort can hurt us. We get too complacent with the way things are going. When that happens, we let our guard down. And as soon as we do that, the enemy jumps right in and starts to destroy what we have been fighting to protect.

So it is with our marriage. It is a battle ground of faith, love, hope, honesty, compassion, admiration, adoration, excitement, passion and most of all, PRAYER. Why is it a battle ground? Because these are the things that we have to fight for. These are the things that the world wants to take from us. These are the things that we must defend in our marriage. I love my wife with all my heart and all my soul and with everything God has given me. She is my everything. God has placed her in my life to care for and to protect. To love and adore her like I have never done before. God has placed in my life a wonderful creation, a beautiful woman, a wonderful mother and an amazing wife. I am HONORED that God would entrust in me such a wonderful creation as my wife. He created her just for me and I will do everything in my power to make God proud. Husbands have a huge responsibility that they must uphold. Not only for their wives but for their families. And most of all, God. If we as husbands put God first, he will direct us in the path to righteousness. And along that path, I believe, he will show us signs. Signs of things past and present. Where we have been and how far we have come. The path to righteousness is the battle fields trench. It is long and narrow and many things try to block that path. But God removes those objects that get in our way. He removes the things that hinder our walk down this path. There is a light at the end of this tunnel (trench) and his name is Jesus Christ.

change can be good, but only if something changes

Change is Good

where do the sexual offenders live?

in your neighborhood?

Family Watchdog National Sex Offender Registry

Proposed legislation would require Internet traffic logging

article excerpt follows:

"A proposed new law would require all Internet providers to keep user and traffic records for two years. This is huge, as it also includes home users, hotels and your local coffee shop. The legal and political aspects of this legislation are explained well by CNET’s Declan McCullagh in this CNET News post. I will focus on the issues that network administrators and others in the IT community would have with this law should it come to fruition.

First of all, this may mean the end of many free access points. If an organization has to expend extra effort (and incur liability) to provide free Wi-Fi with your crumpets and tea, this service may be first on the chopping block. This requirement extended to the home user will surely be haphazard, lacking support, and without consistency. The burden, in my opinion, will fall heavily on Internet service providers (ISPs) to log this information for residential accounts."

make me laugh

Video: A Homeschool Family - comedy by Tim Hawkins

Video: I Don't Drink Beer - comedy by Tim Hawkins

Video: Tech Support - comedy by , you guessed it, Tim Hawkins

"Despite facing threats of disqualification, a 12-year-old girl took first place in a speech contest when she eloquently argued for the rights of unborn children – after an offended judge quit.

"What if I told you that right now, someone was choosing if you were going to live or die?" the seventh-grader begins in a video of her speech on YouTube. "What if I told you that this choice wasn't based on what you could or couldn't do, what you'd done in the past or what you would do in the future? And what if I told you, you could do nothing about it?""

Watch the video here on WorldNetDaily

I've been reading article after article advising the same principles to be put into place as we move into the "Obamanation of Democrat Control and Spending."

1.  Don't spend money on anything you do not NEED, conserve financial resources, fix things which are fixable and do not replace.  Money is going to be very tight in the near future.  Learn to make do with what you have and create those things you will need.

2. Begin gathering supplies and simple food stuffs in anticipation of a highly inflated economy and shortage of goods (We are gathering dried beans, rice and canned meats, i.e., things that only need water and heat to cook).  If your local store closes due to transporation failures, do you have enough food in your house to last a month?

3. Simplify your life.  We have become a nation of leisure spenders and most of us would starve to death if left to our own resources.  Learn to live with less; you may have to!

4. Reduce or eliminate debt.

5. Maintain a ready supply of cash.

6.  Arm yourself and teach your family the principles of home defense.

Comments?

how to put out a kitchen grease fire

source unknown

"I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan! This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ...oil in a frying pan. Read the following Introduction, then watch the show .... It's a real eye-opener!!

At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire.  The results got the attention of the students. The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room. Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your whole family about this video. Or better yet, send this to them.    extinguish kitchen grease fire

H. H. ROWLEY

"IT is a commonplace that no book in all the world has been subjected to such close and prolonged study as the Bible. Other religious texts, older than much of our Bible, are still extant and venerated by the devotees of other faiths. But their study has never been undertaken on the scale of Biblical study. Nor has any other book been so widely circulated, or translated into so many different tongues." ~ H. H. Rowley

OBAMA: IT'S NOT ABOUT CHANGE, IT'S ABOUT PERSONAL SURVIVAL

how to play church

An early sobering sermon by John MacArthur illustrates "the false church incorporated within the true church".  Please do not misunderstand my purpose in noting this lesson.  I believe in "church" and "church" attendance.  I think it is imperative, however, that we truthfully ascertain the identity of the church we attend.  Is it a place of "comfort" (think Joel Osteen) or is it a place where believers are confronted with the truth of their sinfulness alongside the path to and joy of redemption?  Do you see and hear nothing but "Praise the Lord" or are those praises joined by squirming seats and low volumed "amen"s and "thank you"s?  Is your church a place to attend or a place to mend?

Join me.

Highlights:

"This morning I want to present to you a discussion on the particular verses, Matthew 7:21 to 23 and talk about...well as the subject was advertised...how to play church, church...or the false church incorporated within the true church.  Because I think that we have to examine ourselves to begin with to see where we really are before we know what we need.  And so, this Sunday and next Sunday I'll be presenting messages dealing with the church and the ministry."

"The Church Age then comes up in Matthew chapter 13.  Having set Israel aside because of her unbelief, Christ begins to institute a group of parables that discuss the Church Age and they present the Church Age as a very unique age.  He talks about the fact that in the Church Age there is going to be the wheat and the tares, that is the true and the false.  And they're going to be so hard to tell apart that you won't be able to tell them apart until God who is the final judge decides between them."

"And then we read about the fact that there are various dimensions of the church.  The mustard seed illustration gives the idea that the church is going to explode and it's going to be a great big thing including real and unreal, true and false.  And so the Church Age is going to be a very strange era and truly it is.  For under the name church, quote/unquote, we have all kinds of things going on today. Christ commanded John in Revelation to write to the Sardis church, "I know thy works that thou hast the name that thou art alive and art dead."  What a commentary on most churches today.  They have a title, they have a name, but they're dead. And why are they dead?  Well they're dead initially because the people within them are dead.  I would say that the great majority of church members in America today probably...probably and according to Billy Graham statistics this is pretty accurate, probably the majority of them don't even know what it is to be a Christian and they're dead spiritually.  Paul says in Ephesians 2, "They're dead in sin."  Consequently dead people are going to constitute a dead church and the church is not suffering today or dying today because of a tax from the outside, most churches Satan wouldn't even waste powder and shot on them, they're dead from the inside. "

""Very important to understand this and Paul elucidates it in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 beginning in verse 14 where he brings up the fact that the love of Christ is a very basic issue and that what is really important is that the church is involved in making new creations out of these dead people.  A church that is a real living vital church is a church that is in the business of taking dead people and communicating to them the gospel that alone can make them alive. That's the mission of the church.  There is no way biblicaly under the sun that the church can ever court the world.  The church must be the conscience of the world.  The church must be so well defined that it becomes the antagonist of the world.  For those outside of Jesus Christ, this church I trust, I pray, this church will be the most uncomfortable seat in the world because we present a gospel that divides.

 How To Play Church